Marijuana use is inversely associated with liver steatosis detected by transient elastography in the general United States population in NHANES 2017-2018: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The impact of marijuana on the general population is largely unknown. The present study aimed to assess the association between marijuana use and liver steatosis and fibrosis in the general United States population utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed with data from the 2017-2018 cycle of NHANES. The target population comprised adults in the NHANES database with reliable vibration controlled transient elastography (VCTE) results. The median values of the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) were used to evaluate liver steatosis and fibrosis, respectively. After adjusting for relevant confounders, a logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between marijuana use and liver steatosis and fibrosis. RESULTS: A total of 2622 participants were included in this study. The proportions of never marijuana users, past users, and current users were 45.9%, 35.0%, and 19.1%, respectively. Compared to never marijuana users, past and current users had a lower prevalence of liver steatosis (P = 0.184 and P = 0.048, respectively). In the alcohol intake-adjusted model, current marijuana use was an independent predictor of a low prevalence of liver steatosis in people with non-heavy alcohol intake. The association between marijuana use and liver fibrosis was not significant in univariate and multivariate regression. CONCLUSION: In this nationally representative sample, current marijuana use is inversely associated with steatosis. The pathophysiology is unclear and needs further study. No significant association was established between marijuana use and liver fibrosis, irrespective of past or current use.

Clinical Value of Ultrasound-Guided Minimally Invasive Biopsy in the Diagnosis or Treatment of Breast Nodules.

PURPOSE: To explore the clinical value of ultrasound-guided minimally invasive biopsy of breast nodules for diagnosis and treatment of patients with no positive clinical signs on manual breast examination. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 136 patients with no signs on breast palpation who underwent ultrasound-guided minimally invasive biopsy. A total of 63 patients underwent breast nodule resection from October 2018 to December 2019 at the General Hospital of Central Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army. Clinical data, including indications for minimally invasive biopsy or resection, pathological and surgical results were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 199 patients were studied; 136 underwent minimally invasive biopsy and 63 underwent resection. No severe surgical complications occurred. Minimally invasive biopsy of breast nodules was superior to resection with respect to operation time, incision length, and postoperative complication rate. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided minimally invasive biopsy of breast nodules is feasible for treatment of patients with negative breast nodules and can achieve accurate diagnosis and satisfactory resection.

[Changes of serum neuron-specific enolase and serum ferritin levels in patients with pneumoconiosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes in serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and serum ferritin (SF) in patients with pneumoconiosis and their relationship with the onset of pneumoconiosis. METHODS: The serum NSE and SF levels in the peripheral blood of patients with pneumoconiosis were measured by electrochemical fluorescence immunoassay. RESULTS: The patients with first-stage pneumoconiosis and second-stage pneumoconiosis had significantly higher serum NSE and SF levels than the control group (23.0264±14.0410 and 44.9776±26.5208 ng/ml vs 8.1480±3.7512 ng/ml, P < 0.05; 267.2515±186.5809 and 579.1371±433.9326 ng/ml vs 120.8613±74.2809 ng/ml, P < 0.05), and the patients with second-stage pneumoconiosis had significantly higher serum NSE and SF levels than those with first-stage pneumoconiosis (P < 0.05). After treatment, the serum NSE level decreased significantly in the patients with pneumoconiosis (21.1675±17.5942 ng/ml vs 33.4490±21.6948 ng/ml, P < 0.05), but it was still significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The treatment did not produce significant changes in SF level among these patients (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients with pneumoconiosis have elevated serum NSE and SF levels, which may be related to the onset and progression of this disease.

[Destruction of Walker-256 tumor vasculature by a novel ultrasound cavitation technique].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of disrupting tumor microcirculation by the cavitation of microbubbles enhanced ultrasound (US) and analyze its pathological mechanism. METHODS: Twenty-four SD male rats with subcutaneously transplanted Walker-256 tumor were divided into 3 groups, i.e. ultrasound plus microbubbles group (US + MB), US group and sham group. Pulsed US was delivered to tumor for 3 minutes during an intravenous infusion of microbubbles at 0.2 ml/kg in the US + MB group. The control groups received only the US exposure or the MB injection. Tumor perfusion was visualized with contrast enhanced ultrasound before and 0 min after treatment. Finally the pathological examination was performed. RESULTS: The contrast perfusion of Walker-256 tumors vanished immediately after treatment in the US + MB group and the gray scale value (GSV) decreased from 121 ± 12 (pre-treatment) to 81 ± 9 (post-treatment, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference of GSV before and after treatment in two control groups (P > 0.05). The GSV values were 112 ± 14 and 111 ± 12 pre-treatment and 113 ± 14 and 103 ± 13 post-treatment in the sham and US groups. The pathological examination showed remarkable hemorrhage, endothelial injuries, increased intercellular edema and in situ thrombosis. CONCLUSION: Microbubble-enhanced ultrasound can significantly disrupt tumor vasculature and block its circulation. And it may become a novel physical anti-angiogenetic therapy for tumor.

Animal model of ascending aortic stenosis in rabbits without endotracheal intubation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Experimental animal studies of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) usually involve endotracheal intubation, which is associated with a risk of serious tracheal injury and other significant negative sequelae. We developed an animal model of pressure overload hypertrophy caused by constriction of the ascending aorta in rabbits that does not require endotracheal intubation. METHODS: New Zealand White rabbits of either sex (1.94 +/- 0.12 kg) were randomly assigned to the aortic banding (AB) group (n = 9) and the sham-operated group (n = 8). The sternum was carefully incised along the midline to avoid injury to the parietal pleura. Then, the intervention group underwent AB with three to zero Prolene proximal to the innominate artery without endotracheal intubation. To investigate the effects of the surgical procedure on physiological parameters, echocardiography, histology, and electron microscopy were performed to assess functional and structural hypertrophy at various time intervals. RESULTS: Banding of the ascending aorta created the expected increases in both aortic velocity and the pressure gradient between proximal and distal aorta coarctation. The pressure overload resulted in a robust LVH assessed by transthoracic echocardiography and histology. The animals did not experience severe mechanical ventilatory impairment. CONCLUSION: We developed a safe, efficient, and reproducible method of producing LVH in rabbits without the need for endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. Ultimately, this model will facilitate focused study of the mechanisms involved with LVH progression.

[Expression of midkine and vascular endothelial growth factor in bone marrow of patients with multiple myeloma and its significance].

The purpose of this study was to explore the expressions of midkine (MK) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in multiple myeloma (MM), and to evaluate their relation with angiogenesis and prognosis. The expression levels of MK and VEGF in bone marrow mononuclear cells of 31 MM patients in different stages and 20 controls were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR. The results showed that the MM patients had significantly higher MK and VEGF expression level than control group (p < 0.05, p < 0.01), and there was a linear relationship between MK and VEGF (r = 0.692, p < 0.01); The expression levels of MK and VEGF in stage III was significantly higher than those in stage I and stage II (p < 0.05, p < 0.01), but there was no difference between stage I and stage II (p > 0.05); MK and VEGF levels were significantly decreased in MM patients after treatment than those before treatment (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). It is concluded that the high expression of MK and VEGF is correlated with angiogenesis and prognosis of MM, and there is synergistic effect between MK and VEGF. It is supposed that the monitoring MK and VEGF expression levels may contribute to guide the treatment and estimate prognosis for MM.