[Exploration of the clinical transformation application of the artificial intelligence diagnosis system for bladder cancer based on cystoscopy].

This study aims to explore the possibility and bottleneck of clinical translation for an artificial intelligence (AI) diagnosis system for bladder cancer based on cystoscopy.We retrospectively collected videos of 101 bladder cancer patients from January to November 2023, at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University. Among these patients, with a median age of 63 years and 81.0% were male. The bladder cancer AI diagnosis system was utilized for diagnosis, and the accuracy of diagnoses from the videos was assessed. Additionally, a surgical evaluation scale was formulated to evaluate the quality of the videos, simulating clinical usage.The final test results showed a system sensitivity of 97.8%, a positive predictive value of 81.7%, specificity of 54.2%, and a negative predictive value of 92.3%. Furthermore, the surgical evaluation scale scores ranged from 3.96 to 4.69, indicating the feasibility of clinical application for this system.This study further quantitatively validated the accuracy of an artificial intelligence system using cystoscopy videos and assessed the potential for clinical application.

A comprehensive meta-analysis of traditional Chinese and Western medicine for neck and low back pain.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to systematically evaluate the application of Chinese medicine in the treatment of neck and low back pain. The goal was to assess the efficacy, analgesic effect, and safety of Chinese medicine using Cochrane system evaluation standards and conduct a meta-analysis to provide high-quality, evidence-based medical data for clinical practice decision-making. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted in Chinese and English databases, including CBM, CNKI, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, Pubmed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. The search encompassed randomized controlled trials on the use of Chinese medicine for pain treatment, with a time range from the establishment of each database to October 1, 2021. We have added the referred literature from the online databases for this research. Two researchers independently reviewed the literature, gathered data, and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies using the Cochrane Assistance Network risk of bias tool. Safety, reaction rate, and VAS pain score were of interest. To evaluate Chinese medicine's curative and analgesic benefits for pain illnesses, RevMan 5.4 and Stata 15.1 were used to analyze selected literature using forest plots, funnel plots, Egger and HarbORd linear regression plots, and star charts. RESULTS: Chinese medicine treated pain in 57 investigations. The analysis yielded (1) a curative effect: Chinese medicine outperformed Western medicine, with no publication bias. The sensitivity analysis matched the meta-analysis that has been performed in this work, and it shows that Chinese medicine treated low back pain better than Western medicine. (2) Analgesic effect: Chinese medicine outperformed Western medicine in analgesia, although the literature is limited for such a claim. Chinese medicine was also more analgesic than Western medicine. (3) Safety: No major side effects were reported in 20 investigations on Chinese medicine's safety. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that Chinese medicine can achieve better clinical efficacy and analgesic effects when comparing Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of neck and low back pain. Furthermore, Chinese medicine demonstrated a favorable safety profile. However, further research is required to explore the use of Chinese medicine specifically for neck pain and to enhance the evidence base for clinical decision-making in pain management.

[Risk factors for pulmonary atelectasis in adults with tracheobronchial tuberculosis].

Objective: To investigate the risk factors for pulmonary atelectasis in adults with tracheobronchial tuberculosis(TBTB). Methods: Clinical data of adult patients (≥18 years old) with TBTB from February 2018 to December 2021 in Public Health Clinical Center of Chengdu were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 258 patients were included, with a male to female ratio of 1∶1.43. The median age was 31(24, 48) years. Clinical data including clinical characteristics, previous misdiagnoses/missed diagnoses before admission, pulmonary atelectasis, the time from symptom onset to atelectasis and bronchoscopy, bronchoscopy and interventional treatment were collected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether they had pulmonary atelectasis. Differences between the two groups were compared. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for pulmonary atelectasis. Results: The prevalence of pulmonary atelectasis was 14.7%, which was most common in the left upper lobe (26.3%). The median time from symptom onset to atelectasis was 130.50(29.75,358.50)d, and the median time from atelectasis to bronchoscopy was 5(3,7)d. The median age, the proportion of misdiagnosis of TBTB before admission, and the time from symptom onset to bronchoscopy in the atelectasis group were higher than those without atelectasis, and the proportion of receiving bronchoscopy examination and interventional therapy previously, and the proportion of pulmonary cavities were lower than those without atelectasis (all P<0.05). The proportions of cicatrices stricture type and lumen occlusion type in the atelectasis group were higher than those without atelectasis, while the proportions of inflammatory infiltration type and ulceration necrosis type were lower than those without atelectasis (all P<0.05). Older age (OR=1.036, 95%CI: 1.012-1.061), previous misdiagnosis(OR=2.759, 95%CI: 1.100-6.922), longer time from symptom onset to bronchoscopy examination (OR=1.002, 95%CI: 1.000-1.005) and cicatrices stricture type (OR=2.989, 95%CI: 1.279-6.985) were independent risk factors for pulmonary atelectasis in adults with TBTB (all P<0.05). Of the patients with atelectasis who underwent bronchoscopy interventional therapy, 86.7% had lung reexpansion or partial reexpansion. Conclusions: The prevalence of pulmonary atelectasis is 14.7% in adult patients with TBTB. The most common site of atelectasis is left upper lobe. The TBTB type of lumen occlusion is complicated by pulmonary atelectasis in 100% of cases. Being older, misdiagnosed as other diseases, longer time from onset of symptoms to bronchoscopy examination, and being the cicatrices stricture type are factors for developing pulmonary atelectasis. Early diagnosis and treatment are needed to reduce the incidence of pulmonary atelectasis and increase the rate of pulmonary reexpansion.

Piezoelectric modulation of broadband photoresponse of flexible tellurium nanomesh photodetectors.

Flexible photodetector shows great potential applications in intelligent wearable devices, health monitoring, and biological sensing. In this work, single crystal ß-tellurium nanowires were grown on flexible muscovite by molecular beam epitaxy, constructing high-density ordered nanomesh structure. The prepared photodetectors based on tellurium nanomesh exhibit excellent mechanical flexibility, fast response in a broad range from ultraviolet to near-infrared, and good photosensitivity. We found that the flexible photodetectors with Shottky contact drastically suppressed dark current, while the response speed was lowered in comparison to the devices with ohmic contact, as holes would take a long time to tunnel through the Shottky barrier between metal and p-type Te. Moreover, the photoresponse of flexible Shottky photodetectors can be modulated by piezoelectricity of tellurium, and pronounced photocurrent increase after bending many times. Under external stress, polarization charges could tune Shottky barrier height of the metal/tellurium, resulting in variation of photocurrent. This research not only explores the broadband photoresponse and piezoelectric effect of tellurium nanomesh, but also promotes the integration and development of broadband flexible optoelectronic devices.

[A follow-up study on the clinical characteristics among patients with diabetes mellitus combined with acute myocardial infarction].

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of diabetic patients combined with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and to compare the prognosis between diabetic and non- diabetic patients in 4-5 years after the onset of AMI. Methods: Followed the certain inclusive and exclusive criteria, a total of 420 patients with acute myocardial infarction were included and divided into diabetes group (group D) and non-diabetes group (group N) with numbers as 161 people and 259 respectively. Baseline data, clinical information, short-term outcome and long-term prognosis of the two groups were compared and analyzed. Results: Among the patients with diabetes, the average age was older (65.65±11.33 vs. 63.30±15.34), with fewer males (64.59% vs. 79.92%); and more likely to have other complications as hypertension (64.60% vs. 53.28%) or hyperlipidemia (42.24% vs. 26.25%). 59.29% of the patients in group D showed pathological changes in 3 major coronary arteries, which were significantly more than its counterpart (40.83%). The proportion of patients that had undergone the coronary artery bypass, grafting (11.11% vs. 5.31%) appeared also higher. There was no significant difference seen in the short-term outcomes between the two groups, but results from the long-term follow-up program showed that both the incidence of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE) (50.67% vs. 27.72%) and the all-cause mortality (20.00% vs. 9.90%) in group D were higher than those appeared in group N (27.72%). Conclusions: Patients suffered from the combination of both diabetes and acute myocardial infarction appeared older in age, more in females, with more complications and the coronary artery lesions were more severe and wider. During hospitalization, no significant difference was seen regarding the short-term outcomes between the two groups but the results from long-term follow-up process showing that the risk of MACE events was significantly higher in patients with type2 diabetes.

Influence of miR-34a on myocardial apoptosis in rats with acute myocardial infarction through the ERK1/2 pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of micro-ribonucleic acid (miR)-34a on myocardial apoptosis in rats with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) through the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 24 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into sham group (n=12) and model group (n=12). The heart was exposed in the sham group, while the AMI model was established in the model group. After sampling, the morphology of myocardial tissues was observed via hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, the expressions of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax) were detected via immunohistochemistry, and the protein expression levels of ERK1/2 and phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) were detected via Western blotting. Moreover, the expression of miR-34a was detected via quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR), the apoptosis was detected via terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL), and the myocardial injury indexes were detected using a fully-automatic biochemical analyzer. RESULTS: The morphology of myocardial tissues was normal with a complete structure in the sham group, while there was damage to myocardial tissues in different degrees in the model group. The immunohistochemical results revealed that the Bax expression was increased and the Bcl-2 expression was decreased in the model group compared with those in the sham group (p<0.05). The results of Western blotting showed that the protein expression levels of both ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2 were significantly increased in the model group compared with those in the sham group (p<0.05). The qPCR results manifested that the expression of miR-34a in the model group markedly declined compared with that in the sham group (p<0.05). Besides, the TUNEL detection showed that the apoptosis rate in the model group was remarkably increased compared with that in the sham group (p<0.05), and the content of cardiac troponin T and creatine kinase isoenzyme in the model group was significantly higher than that in the sham group ((p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MiR-34a affects the apoptosis in AMI by regulating the ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

Correlation of hypertension and F2RL3 gene methylation with Prognosis of coronary heart disease.

The aim of this work was to investigate the correlation between methylation of F2RL3 gene and coronary heart disease (CHD) with or without hypertension, secondary cardiovascular events and mortality. Sixty patients with CHD who underwent a cardiovascular rehabilitation program were recruited. Group A included 30 patients with hypertension and CHD, and group B included 30 patients with non-hypertensive CHD, followed-up for more than 8 years. F2RL3 gene methylation was characterized by Sequenom matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time flight mass spectrometry. The correlation between methylation of the F2RL3 gene, hypertension and secondary cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality was analyzed by multivariate Cox, regression models that estimated confounders to control risk ratios. The results showed that during the follow-up, 3 patients in Group A developed non-fatal stroke, 2 patients died of cardiovascular disease, 1 patient died of other causes, and 4 patients in Group B developed non-fatal myocardial infarction. After adjusting for known prognostic factors, Cox model analysis showed that methylation of F2RL3 gene was closely related to hypertension and mortality. After F2RL3 included in the regression model, the correlation between hypertension and all prognostic outcomes increased. In conclusion, the methylation of F2RL3 can affect the prognosis of different types of acute coronary syndrome and is closely related to mortality.

MiR-210 protects cardiomyocytes from OGD/R injury by inhibiting E2F3.

OBJECTIVE: To detect the change in miRNA-210 expression of cardiomyocytes under hypoxia/reoxygenation status. Also, the effect of miR-210 on the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) and its mechanism through establishing the OGD/R injury model of primary cardiomyocytes in this experiment were investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cell model of OGD/R injury was established. The cell apoptosis in each group was detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and detection of Caspase-3 activity. The change in miR-210 expression in each group was detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The high-expression and low-expression miR-210 models were established through the transient transfection of miR-210 mimic and inhibitor to detect the relevant indexes of cell apoptosis. At the same time, changes in mRNA and protein expressions of E2F3 were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. The E2F3 overexpression vector was constructed, and the overexpression vector plasmid and miR-210 mimic were jointly transfected into the cells to detect the relevant indexes of cell apoptosis. RESULTS: After OGD/R treatment, the activity of Caspase-3 was increased, the survival of cardiomyocytes was significantly inhibited and the expression level of miR-210 was up-regulated in OGD/R injury. Transfection of miR-210 mimic for miR-210 overexpression could alleviate the OGD/R-induced cardiomyocyte injury, while the decrease of miR-210 expression could aggravate the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes. In addition, the high expression of miR-210 could inhibit the protein expression of E2F3, and co-transfection of E2F3 plasmid and miR-210 mimic could reverse the inhibiting effect of miR-210 on the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed that miR-210 can inhibit the OGD/R-induced apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, and miR-210, as an upstream factor, plays a protective role in cardiomyocytes through directly inhibiting the protein expression of its target gene E2F3.

Liver Tissue-related Metabolic Mechanism of Different Infusion Volumes for Hemorrhagic Shock.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the curative effects of various infusion volumes on liver-related metabolic mechanism in the treatment of hemorrhagic shock. METHODS: A severe hemorrhagic shock rabbit model was established in 30 rabbits. The rabbits were randomly divided into three groups： non-infusion group （A）, conventional infusion group （B）, and excessive infusion group （C） （n=10 in each group）. Taking group B as the control, groups A and C were observed for the damage of non-infusion and excessive infusion, respectively. The outcomes in the three groups and their relations with liver tissue metabolism changes were analyzed with gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer （GC-MS）. RESULTS: The mortality in groups A, B, and C group were 80%, 0%, and 70%, respectively. The liver tissue metabolic profile in group B showed statistically significant difference compared with that in groups A and B. In group C, the levels of 21 metabolites were lower than those in group B, and the levels of 8 metabolites were lower than those in group A. The relative contents of various metabolites were correlated with infusion volumes, and the succinic acid content was associated with death events （P<0.05）. CONCLUSIONS: The conventional infusion has significant curative effect on hemorrhagic shock. The metabolites of liver tissues with excessive infusion are generally decompensated and have longer survival time than those in non-infusion group, which may caused by the excessive infusion-induced blood volume increase after hemorrhagic shock. Tissue fluid dilution is an important cause of death.

Effects of ALA-PDT on HPV16-immortalized cervical epithelial cell.

Current treatments for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) type are mainly surgical interventions. However, such treatments are associated with adverse side effects and pose risks for future pregnancies. In order to reduce the requirement for excisional procedures, an effective and noninvasive therapy is needed for women at reproductive age. ALA-PDT has proved to be effective in the treatment of HPV-associated disease in several clinical investigations. In this study, the anti-proliferative effect of ALA-PDT was investigated in HPV16-immortalized cervical epithelial H8 cells. CCK-8 assay was used to measure cytotoxicity in H8 cells. The IC50 of ALA-PDT on H8 cells was about 120.75 ± 1.18 µM. We have now evaluated the mechanism by which ALA-PDT induces cell death. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining showed a significant dose-dependent induction of apoptosis by ALA-PDT in H8 cells, associated with accumulation of the tumor suppressor protein p53 and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21. Furthermore, ALA-PDT down-regulates expression of HPV E6/E7 oncogene as well as up-regulate tumor suppressor RbAp48 protein. Together, our data provides a basis for understanding and developing ALA-PDT as a cure for HPV infection-associated diseases and prevention of cervical cancer.

[The correlation between cerebral MRI characteristics of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome and serum levels of PlGF, sEng in patients with pre-eclampsia].

Objective: To investigate the MRI characteristics of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) in patients with pre-eclampsia(PE) and its correlation with serum placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble endoglin (sEng) and sEng/PlGF ratio. Methods: 34 patients with PE who were admitted to Guangdong Women and Children Hospital from September 2013 to March 2014 were studied retrospectively.13 cases had PRES and 21 cases had normal cerebral MRI. All patients underwent conventional MRI and DWI scanning. The score of brain edema (SBE) were calculated. PlGF, sEng concentrations were measured with ELISA. The levels of PlGF, sEng and sEng/PlGF were compared between the PRES group and the normal MRI groups. The correlation of sEng/PIGF ratio and SBE were studied as well. Results: The PlGF in the PRSE group was (231.4±66.8) ng/L, and in normal cerebral MRI group was (333.6±37.5) ng/L (t= 5.61, P<0.05). The sEng in the PRSE group was (5 256.2±879.6) ng/L, in normal cerebral MRI group was (3 955.6±537.7) ng/L (t=6.53, P<0.01).The sEng/PlGF in the PRSE group was (26.0±10.0) , and in normal cerebral MRI group was (11.9±1.6; t=8.41, P<0.01) , with the cut-off value of 20.0. The sensitivity was 81.8% and the specificity was 85.0%.There was no statistically significant correlation between PlGF, sEng and SBE (P>0.05).There was a positive correlation between the sEng/PlGF ratio and SBE (P>0.05). Conclusion: The value of sEng/PlGF ratio was correlated with brain edema score in PE. The serum sEng/PlGF ratio may be used as a reference for prediction of PRES.

[Current status and perspectives of radiotherapy for esophageal cancer].

Esophageal cancer is one of the most common cancers in China. More than 80% of esophageal cancer patients are diagnosed at a late stage and are not eligible for surgery. Radiotherapy is one of the most important modalities in esophageal cancer treatment. Here we reviewed the advances in esophageal cancer radiotherapy and radiotherapy-based combined-modality therapy, such as optimization of radiation dose and target volume, application of precise radiotherapy technique and the integration of radiotherapy with chemotherapy and targeted therapy.

Influence of environmental static electric field on antioxidant enzymes activities in hepatocytes of mice.

With the increasing voltage of direct current transmission line, the intensity of the environmental static electric field has also increased. Thus, whether static electric fields cause biological injury is an important question. In this study, the effects of chronic exposure to environmental static electric fields on some antioxidant enzymes activities in the hepatocytes of mice were investigated. Male Institute of Cancer Research mice were exposed for 35 days to environmental static electric fields of different electric field intensities of 9.2-21.85 kV/m (experiment group I, EG-I), 2.3-15.4 kV/m (experiment group II, EG-II), and 0 kV/m (control group, CG). On days 7, 14, 21, and 35 of the exposure cycle, liver homogenates were obtained and the activities of antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase, glutathione S-transferase, and glutathione peroxidase were determined, as well as the concentration of malonaldehyde. The results revealed a significant increase in superoxide dismutase activity in both EG-I and EG-II on the 7th (P < 0.05) and 35th days (P < 0.01) of the exposure cycle compared to that in the control group. However, the other test indices such as glutathione S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, and malonaldehyde showed only minimal changes during the exposure cycle. These results revealed a weak relationship between the exposure to environmental static electric fields and hepatic oxidative stress in living organisms.

[Long-term effect of environmental cadmium exposure on human body's mineral metabolic balance].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of long-term exposure to environmental cadmium on eight mineral element's metabolic balance of human body. METHODS: To choose a high cadmium area polluted by smelting and mining north of Guangdong province and a cadmium-free area with a similar economic level, and living and eating habit of residents as a contrast from April 2011 to August 2012. Stratified random sampling and clustered sampling method were adopted to choose the non-occupationally cadmium-exposed respondents who have lived in local area for more than 15 years, older than 40 years, having local rice and vegetable as the main dietary source, with simple and relatively stable diet, and without diabetes, kidney disease, thyroid disease, liver disease or other history of chronic disease. This study included 298 respondents, of whom 155 were in cadmium exposure group and 143 in control group. Questionnaires was used to acquire their health status and their morning urine samples were collected. Electrolytically coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to test the concentrations of sodium(Na), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and iodine (I). The Mann-Whitney U test method was used to compare the differences of concentrations of urinary cadmium, Na, Mg, P, K, Ca, Cu, Zn, I, and the ratio of Na to K (Na/K), Ca to P (Ca/P) between exposed group and control group.χ(2) test was used to compare the abnormal rate of urinary cadmium between exposed group and control group. Pearson correlation and multiple regression method were used to investigate the relationship between urinary cadmium levels, gender, age, smoking, passive smoking, and minerals. RESULTS: The urinary cadmium level P50 (P25-P75) in exposed group was 5.45 (2.62-10.68) µg/g·cr, which was higher than that of the control group, which was 1.69 (1.22-2.36) µg/g·cr (Z=-10.49,P<0.001). The abnormal rate of urinary cadmium was 51.6% (80/155), which was higher than that of the control group (2.8 %(4/143)) (χ(2)= 87.56, P<0.001). The urinary Ca, Cu, Zn, and I level P50 (P25-P75) of exposed group were 173.80 (114.40-251.70), 20.55 (14.95-28.44), 520.23 (390.25-647.15), and 246.94 (203.65-342.97) µg/g·cr, which were higher than those in control group (142.42 (96.87-179.11), 15.44 (12.26-20.98), 430.09 (309.85-568.78) and 213.85 (156.70-281.63) µg/g·cr, respectively) (Z values were-4.33,-5.04,-3.47 and-4.24, all P values <0.001). The urinary P, K level P50 (P25-P75) of exposed group were 582.50 (463.20-742.8), 890.10(666.00-1 305.40) µg/g·cr, which were lower than control group (694.50 (546.20-851.17), 1 098.58(904.53-1 479.18) µg/g·cr) (Z values were-3.36,-4.02, all P values <0.001). on Based the results of Pearson correlation analysis, urinary cadmium was positively correlated with urinary Ca, Cu, Zn, and I, and the correlation coefficients were 0.31, 0.61, 0.38, and 0.25, respectively (all P values <0.05). Based on the results of multiple regression analysis, urinary cadmium levels contributed most to the metabolic balance of urinary Ca, Cu, Zn and I. The standardized regression coefficients were 0.31, 0.59, 0.39, and 0.24, respectively (all P values<0.001). CONCLUSION: Long-term environmental exposure to cadmium affected the metabolic balance of Ca, Cu, Zn and I in human body.

[Cadmium burden and renal dysfunction among residents in cadmium-polluted areas: A 3-year follow-up study].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate dynamic change of cadmium body burden and renal dysfunction among residents living in cadmium-polluted areas. METHODS: From April to July of 2011, the cadmium-polluted areas of northern Guangdong province in China was chosen as the study site. Based on the levels of cadmium pollution in soil and rice, the survey areas were divided into low exposed group (average concentration of cadmium was 0.15-0.40 mg/kg, 0.5-1.0 mg/kg in rice and soil, respectively) and high exposed group (average concentration of cadmium was >0.40 mg/kg, >1.0 mg/kg in rice and soil, respectively). Stratified random sampling and cluster sampling method of epidemiological investigations were carried out among 414 local residents who lived in cadmium exposure areas for more than 15 years, aged above 40, and without occupational cadmium exposure, including 168 and 246 residents in low and high exposed group, respectively. From March to June of 2014, 305 respondents of those who participated in 2011 were successfully traced, including 116 and 189 respondents in low and high exposed group, respectively. We used health questionnaires to acquire their health status. Home-harvested rice and vegetable samples were collected using quartering method for detection of cadmium level, including 190 rice samples, 161 vegetable samples in 2011 and 190 rice samples, 153 vegetable samples in 2014. Urine specimens of residents were collected for the detection of urinary cadmium and creatinine as well as renal dysfunction biomarkers, namely, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosamidase (NAG) and ß2-microglobulin (ß2-MG), respectively. In 2011 and 2014, Chi-square test was used to investigate the differences of abnormality of cadmium concentration in rice, vegetables and urinary cadmium, ß2-MG, and NAG that were expressed as odds ratio(OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). RESULTS: In 2011 and 2014, cadmium concentration P50 (P25-P75) in rice was 0.43 (0.17-1.10) mg/kg, and 0.42 (0.20-1.14) mg/kg, respectively (Z=-0.77,P=0.440). In 2011 and 2014, cadmium concentrations P50 (P25-P75) in vegetables were 0.13 (0.07-0.34) mg/kg, and 0.25(0.12-0.59) mg/kg, respectively, with abnormal rates of 38.5%(62/161) and 60.8%(93/153), respectively. In 2014, both average concentration and abnormal rate of cadmium in vegetables were higher than those in 2011 (Z=-4.69, P<0.001 and χ(2)=15.58,P<0.001). Concentrations of urinary cadmium P50 (P25-P75) in high exposed group were 7.90 (3.96-14.91) µg/g creatinine, 8.64 (4.56-17.60) µg/g creatinine in 2011 and 2014, respectively. Contrary to that in 2011, urinary cadmium of high exposed group was significantly increased in 2014 (Z=-2.80, P=0.005). In 2011 and 2014, concentrations of ß2-MG, NAG P50 (P25-P75) were 0.15(0.07-0.29) µg/g creatinine, 0.15 (0.07-0.45) µg/g creatinine, and 7.12 (5.05-10.65) U/g creatinine, 13.55(9.1-19.84) U/g creatinine, respectively, with abnormal rates of 7.5% (23/305), 15.1% (46/305), 8.2% (25/305) , and 33.8% (103/305), respectively. Compared with baseline in 2011, average concentrations of ß2-MG, NAG significantly increased in 2014 (Z=-2.263, P=0.024 and Z=-12.52, P<0.001), and abnormal rates of ß2-MG, NAG were also higher in 2014 (χ(2)=15.61 , P<0.001 and χ(2)=64.72, P<0.001), with odds ratio(OR) of 2.00 (95%CI:1.23-3.24) and 4.12 (95%CI:2.87-5.92). CONCLUSION: Environmental cadmium pollution of crops such as rice and vegetables in survey areas continued to remain high. Body burden of cadmium might kept at sustainably high levels and renal dysfunction was worsened after continuous, long-term cadmium exposure. Our results suggested that NAG might be more sensitive than ß2-MG to serve as an indicator for an individual's future tubular function.

[Study of BPPV precise manipulation treatment].

Objective:To explore the effect of the BPPV precision manipulation treatment. Method:With 3D SLICER software we segment structure such as semicircular canal, eye ball, orbital and ear rod from MRI or CT volume data of patients which underwent MRI or CT scaning of inner ear, for measuring the spatial direction of semicircular canals and building semicircular canal modules with standard space coordinate system and embedding into 3D PDF files. Result:With the slice that divide the semicircular canal equally as the semicircular canal plane and the eyeball as reference object to determine whether it is symmetric, it is not only intuitive but also reliable for measuring the angle between the posterior semicircular canal. 3D PDF is intuitive, rotation angle can be adjusted according to the individual differences in the process of manipulation treatment, to observe and demonstrate the theoretical reduction effect before the actual operation. Conclusion:By reconstruction the three-dimensional semicircular canal structure from the inner ear image data of patients and measurement of the semicircular canal space direction, it is of a certain significance for BPPV precision manipulation treatment.

An improved K-means clustering method for cDNA microarray image segmentation.

Microarray technology is a powerful tool for human genetic research and other biomedical applications. Numerous improvements to the standard K-means algorithm have been carried out to complete the image segmentation step. However, most of the previous studies classify the image into two clusters. In this paper, we propose a novel K-means algorithm, which first classifies the image into three clusters, and then one of the three clusters is divided as the background region and the other two clusters, as the foreground region. The proposed method was evaluated on six different data sets. The analyses of accuracy, efficiency, expression values, special gene spots, and noise images demonstrate the effectiveness of our method in improving the segmentation quality.

Birth-date dependent arrangement of spinal enkephalinergic neurons: evidence from the preproenkephalin-green fluorescent protein transgenic mice.

Enkephalin (ENK) has been postulated to play important roles in modulating nociceptive transmission, and it has been proved that ENKergic neurons acted as a critical component of sensory circuit in the adult spinal cord. Revealing the developmental characteristics of spinal ENKergic neurons will be helpful for understanding the formation and alteration of the sensory circuit under pain status. However, the relationship between the embryonic birth date and the adult distribution of ENKergic neurons has remained largely unknown due to the difficulties in visualizing the ENKergic neurons clearly. Taking advantage of the preproenkephalin-green fluorescent protein (PPE-GFP) transgenic mice in identifying ENKergic neurons, we performed the current birth-dating study and examined the spinal ENKergic neurogenesis. The ENKergic neurons born on different developmental stages and their final location during adulthood were investigated by combining bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation and GFP labeling. The spinal ENKergic neurogenesis was restricted at E9.5 to E14.5, and fitted in the same pattern of spinal neurogenesis. Further comparative analysis revealed that spinal ENKergic neurons underwent heterogeneous characteristics. Our study also indicated that the laminar arrangement of ENKergic neurons in the superficial spinal dorsal horn depended on the neurogenesis stages. Taken together, the present study suggested that the birth date of ENKergic neurons is one determinant for their arrangement and function.

Long-term follow-up of a phase III study comparing radiotherapy with or without weekly oxaliplatin for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Previous results from our trial showed that adding oxaliplatin to radiotherapy (RT) increased survival in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) at 2 years. Here, we present the data of long-term efficacy and late toxic effects. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 2001 and January 2003, 115 Patients with nonkeratinizing/undifferentiated locoregionally advanced NPC were randomly to receive either RT alone (n = 56) or plus concurrent oxaliplatin 70 mg/m(2) weekly for six cycles (n = 59). RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 114 months (range 18-139 months), the 5-year overall survival (OS) and metastasis-free survival (MFS) rates in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) group were significantly higher than those observed in the RT-alone group (OS, 73.2% versus 60.2%, P = 0.028; MFS, 74.7% versus 63.0%, P = 0.027). However, CCRT did not improve locoregional failure-free survival significantly. Subgroup analyses showed that the superiorities of CCRT mainly existed in the T3-4N0-1 stage subgroup (OS: HR = 0.394, P = 0.034). The grade 3/4 late toxic effects were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSION(S): The long-term follow-up data confirms the role of CCRT as a treatment of locoregionally advanced NPC. Oxaliplatin can be considered as an alternative optional therapeutic regimen for these patients due to its high efficiency and low toxic effect.

RU486 (mifepristone) ameliorates cognitive dysfunction and reverses the down-regulation of astrocytic N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 in streptozotocin-induced type-1 diabetic rats.

Diabetic cognitive dysfunction (DCD), usually accompanied with chronically elevated glucocorticoids and hippocampal astrocytic alterations, is one of the most serious complications in patients with type-1 diabetes. However, the role for chronically elevated glucocorticoids and hippocampal astrocytic activations in DCD remains to be elucidated, and it is not clear whether astrocytic N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2, involved in cell differentiation and development) participated in DCD. In the present study, three months after streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type-1 diabetes onset, rats showed cognitive impairments in Morris water maze test as well as elevated corticosterone level. Diabetic rats also presented down-regulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP, a key indicator of astrocytic reactivity) and NDRG2 in hippocampus revealed by immunohistochemistry staining, real-time PCR and Western blot. Moreover, the diabetic cognitive impairments were ameliorated by 9-day glucocorticoids receptor (GR) blockade with RU486, and the down-regulation of hippocampal NDRG2 and GFAP in diabetic animals was also attenuated by 9-day GR blockade. These results suggest that glucocorticoids-GR system is crucial for DCD, and that astrocytic reactivity and NDRG2 are involved in these processes. Thus, inhibiting GR activation in the hippocampus may be a novel therapeutic strategy for treating DCD.