PET/CT Examination of Teratomas after Stem Cell Transplantation for a Spinal Cord Injury: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: In clinical practice, stem cell transplantation has become an effective method for treating spinal cord nerve injury. Up to now, there has been no report on teratoma caused by transplanted stem cell's abnormal differentiation in the clinic, especially in the analysis of imaging manifestations. Therefore, this article aims to analyze the PET/CT imaging manifestations of teratoma caused by stem cell transplantation to improve the imaging diagnosing capability. CASE PRESENTATION: A patient with a spinal cord injury who had received a stem cell transplant was examined by PET/CT on September 10th, 2020. The PET/CT images of the lesion showed irregular mixed low density on the right side of the erector spinae muscle area at the level of the cervical 3-5 vertebral body, with a maximum cross-section of 9.1×3.9 cm. The 18F-FDG metabolism of the lesion was increased, and the maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) was 10.7. The boundary was unclear with the third cervical vertebra and cervical 3 and 4-level vertebral plates. Based on the patient's medical history, the lesion was diagnosed as an abnormal proliferative tumor, which was consistent with the pathological examination results. CONCLUSION: To date, there have been no clinical reports on teratomas caused by stem cell transplantation for spinal cord injury at home or abroad. This case report enhances the knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment methods of this type of disease and confirms the diagnostic value of PET/CT examination.

How Do Team-Level and Individual-Level Linguistic Styles Affect Patients' Emotional Well-Being-Evidence from Online Doctor Teams.

BACKGROUND: In the post-epidemic era, online medical care is developing rapidly, and online doctor teams are attracting attention as a high-quality online medical service model that can provide more social support for patients. METHODS: Using online doctor teams on the Haodf.com platform as the research subject, this study investigates the key factors in the process of doctor-patient communication, which affects patients' emotional well-being. We also explore the different roles played by doctors as leaders and non-leaders in doctor-patient communication. From the perspective of language style, we select representative factors in the process of doctor-patient communication, namely the richness of health vocabulary, the expression of emotions, and the use of health-related terms (including perceptual words and biological words). We extract both team-level and individual-level linguistic communication styles through textual and sentiment analysis methods and empirically analyze their effects on patients' emotional well-being using multiple linear regression models. RESULTS: The results show that the expression of positive emotions by the team and attention to patients' perceptions and biological conditions benefit patients' emotional well-being. Leaders should focus on the emotional expression, whereas non-leaders should focus on the use of perceptual and biological words. CONCLUSIONS: This study expands the application of linguistic styles in the medical field and provides a practical basis for improving patients' emotional well-being.

Effect of changes in the menstrual cycle and age on the signal intensity of amide proton transfer imaging in the normal uterus: a preliminary study.

PURPOSE: To analyze the effect of changes in the menstrual cycle and age on the signal intensity of amide proton transfer (APT) imaging in normal uterine structures. METHODS: Thirty-one healthy females (age: 21-50 years old) underwent regular pelvic MRI and APT sequences during their menstrual cycle. The APT values of the endometrium, myometrium, and junctional zone were measured. One-way and multi-way analyses of variance were used to analyze the data. Intraindividual difference and Pearson's correlation analyses were also conducted. RESULTS: The APT values of the uterine structures during the menstrual, proliferative, and secretory phases were 3.413 ± 0.682%, 4.776 ± 0.829%, and 5.218 ± 0.772% for the endometrium; 2.966 ± 0.533%, 3.597 ± 0.380%, and 4.324 ± 0.583% for the myometrium; and 1.703 ± 0.393%, 2.362 ± 0.486%, and 2.779 ± 0.528% for the junctional zone. The individual variation in the APT values of the normal uterus during the three menstrual phases was 1.1-1.7%.There were no significant differences in APT values of uterine structures with age. The APT values of the endometrium were greater than those of other structures (P < 0.05).The Pearson correlation coefficients between APT values of uterine structures and menstrual cycle were 0.686, 0.743, and 0.684, respectively. CONCLUSION: The menstrual cycle had a significant effect on the APT signal intensities of the uterine structures, whereas premenopausal age had no significant effect. Changes in the uterine structures during the menstrual cycle should be considered when using APT to diagnose suspected uterine lesions.

Examining Patterns of Information Exchange and Social Support in a Web-Based Health Community: Exponential Random Graph Models.

BACKGROUND: Although an increasing number of studies have attempted to understand how people interact with others in web-based health communities, studies focusing on understanding individuals' patterns of information exchange and social support in web-based health communities are still limited. In this paper, we discuss how patients' social interactions develop into social networks based on a network exchange framework and empirically validate the framework in web-based health care community contexts. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore various patterns of information exchange and social support in web-based health care communities and identify factors that affect such patterns. METHODS: Using social network analysis and text mining techniques, we empirically validated a network exchange framework on a 10-year data set collected from a popular web-based health community. A reply network was extracted from the data set, and exponential random graph models were used to discover patterns of information exchange and social support from the network. RESULTS: Results showed that reciprocated information exchange was common in web-based health communities. The homophily effect existed in general conversations but was weakened when exchanging knowledge. New members in web-based health communities tended to receive more support. Furthermore, polarized sentiment increases the chances of receiving replies, and optimistic users play an important role in providing social support to the entire community. CONCLUSIONS: This study complements the literature on network exchange theories and contributes to a better understanding of social exchange patterns in the web-based health care context. Practically, this study can help web-based patients obtain information and social support more effectively.

A variant in KCNQ1 gene predicts metabolic syndrome among northern urban Han Chinese women.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported that the potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily Q member 1 (KCNQ1) gene is associated with diabetes in both European and Asian population. This study aims to find a predictable single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) to predict the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) through investigating the association of SNP in KCNQ1 gene with MetS in Han Chinese women of northern urban area. METHODS: Six SNPs were selected and genotyped in 1381 unrelated women aged 21 and above, who have had physical check-up in Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital. Cox proportional model was conducted to access the association between SNPs and MetS. RESULTS: Sixty one women developed MetS between 2010 and 2015 during the 3055 person-year of follow-up. The cumulative incidence density was 19.964/1000 person-year. The SNP rs163182 was associated with MetS both in the additive genetic model (RR = 1.658, 95% CI: 1.144-2.402) and in the recessive genetic model (RR = 2.461, 95% CI: 1.347-4.496). It remained significant after adjustment. This relationship was also observed in MetS components (BMI and SBP). CONCLUSION: A novel association between rs163182 and MetS was found in this study, which can predict the occurrence of MetS among northern urban Han Chinese women. More investigations are needed to be done to assess the possible pathway in which KCNQ1 gene affects MetS.