Study on the features of Clostridioides difficile infection among diarrhea patients in Kunming from 2018 to 2020 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: We analyze the characteristics of Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infection among diarrhea patients in Kunming from 2018 to 2020 and provide evidence for follow-up surveillance and prevention. Methods: A total of 388 fecal samples of diarrhea patients from four sentinel hospitals in Yunnan Province from 2018 to 2020 were collected. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the fecal toxin genes of C. difficile. The positive fecal samples isolated the bacteria, and isolates were identified by mass spectrometry. The genomic DNA of the strains was extracted for multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). The fecal toxin, strain isolation, and clinical patient characteristics, including co-infection with other pathogens, were analyzed. Results: Among the 388 fecal samples, 47 samples with positive reference genes of C. difficile were positive, with a total positive rate of 12.11%. There were 4 (8.51%) non-toxigenic and 43 (91.49%) toxigenic ones. A total of 18 strains C. difficile were isolated from 47 positive specimens, and the isolation rate of positive specimens was 38.30%. Among them, 14 strains were positive for tcdA, tcdB, tcdC, tcdR, and tcdE. All 18 strains of C. difficile were negative for binary toxins. The MLST results showed 10 sequence types (ST), including 5 strains of ST37, accounting for 27.78%; 2 strains of ST129, ST3, ST54, and ST2, respectively; and 1 strain of ST35, ST532, ST48, ST27, and ST39, respectively. Fecal toxin gene positive (tcdB+) results were statistically associated with the patient's age group and with or without fever before the visit; positive isolates were only statistically associated with the patient's age group. In addition, some C. difficile patients have co-infection with other diarrhea-related viruses. Conclusions: The infection of C. difficile in diarrhea patients in Kunming is mostly toxigenic strains, and the high diversity of strains was identified using the MLST method. Therefore, the surveillance and prevention of C. difficile should be strengthened.

Epidemiological characteristics of lower extremity deep venous thrombosis in patients with femoral fracture / 中华创伤骨科杂志

Objective:To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients with femoral fracture.Methods:Retrospectively analyzed were the data of 2,571 patients with femoral fracture who had been treated at the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2019 to December 2019. There were 1,079 males and 1,492 females, aged from 14 to 96 years (average, 67.1 years). There were 1,158 femoral neck fractures, 951 femoral intertrochanteric fractures, 309 femoral shaft fractures, and 153 femoral condylar fractures. 2,414 patients were treated surgically while 157 patients non-surgically. Color Doppler ultrasonography of both lower extremities was performed to determine the occurrence of DVT before operation and every week after operation for patients undergoing surgical treatment, and within 48 hours after admission and every week during hospitalization for those undergoing non-surgical treatment. The incidence and location of DVT were recorded for different femoral fractures.Results:The incidence of DVT in this cohort was 35.5%(913/2,517), that of proximal DVT 5.3%(135/2,571), and that of distal DVT 30.3% (778/2,571). In patients with femoral neck fracture, femoral intertrochanteric fracture, femoral shaft fracture and femoral condylar fracture, the incidence of DVT was respectively 28.8% (334/1,158), 44.7% (425/951), 30.7% (95/309) and 38.6% (59/153), the incidence of proximal DVT was respectively 2.7% (31/1,158), 5.6%(53/951), 9.7% (30/309) and 13.7% (21/153), and the incidence of distal DVT was respectively 26.2% (303/1,158), 39.1% (372/951), 21.0% (65/309) and 24.8%(38/153). The incidence of DVT in the femoral vein and above, popliteal vein, tibiofibular vein and intermuscular vein in this cohort was respectively 2.3%(60/2,571), 2.9%(75/2,571), 6.4%(165/2,571) and 23.8%(613/2,571).Conclusions:The incidence of DVT may be high in patients with femoral fracture, and the proximal DVT with a high risk of pulmonary embolism may occur more in patients with femoral condylar fracture.

Treatment of sciatica by lumbar nerve root canal injection under X-ray angiography / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the short-term clinical effect of lumbar nerve root canal injection under X-ray angiography in the treatment of sciatica.@*METHODS@#The clincal data of 78 patients with sciatica underwent lumbar nerve root canal injection under X-ray angiography from December 2017 to February 2020 was retrospectively analyzed. Including 31 males and 47 females, aged from 22 to 88 years old with a median of 65 years. There were 55 cases of lumbar disc herniation and 23 cases of lumbar spinal stenosis, the course of disease ranged from 1 to 8 weeks with a median of 3 weeks. There were 71 cases of single segment disc herniation or stenosis, including L3,4 of 5 cases, L4,5 of 61 cases, L5S1 of 5 cases, and 7 cases of multisegment herniation or stenosis. The pain visual analogue scale (VAS) was recorded and Macnab was used to evaluate the clinical effect.@*RESULTS@#All patients completed standardized treatment without serious adverse reactions. VAS were (3.21±0.76) scores immediately after treatment, (2.89±0.33) scores 1 hour after treatment, (1.80±0.27) scores 6 hours after treatment, (1.10±0.20) scores 24 hours after treatment, (2.53±0.35) scores 1 week after treatment and (4.27±0.36) scores 1 month after treatment. There were significant differences in VAS between before treatment(7.83±0.56) and each time period after treatment(P<0.05). According to Macnab low back pain evaluation standard, 42 cases were effective, 34 cases were markedly effective and 2 cases were ineffective within 24 hours after treatment, with an effective rate of 97.4%;38 cases were effective, 25 cases were markedly effective, 15 cases were ineffective within one week after treatment, the effective rate was 80.0%;32 cases were effective, 22 cases were markedly effective, 24 cases were ineffective within one month after treatment, the effective rate was 69.2%.@*CONCLUSION@#The short-term clinical effect of nerve root canal injection under X-ray radiography in the treatment of sciatica is good and it is an effective method to relieve sciatica.

Distribution and risk assessment of phthalates in water and sediment of the Pearl River Delta.

Phthalate esters (PAEs) are widely used industrial raw materials that are well known for their environmental contamination and toxicological effects as "endocrine disruptors." In this study, environmental levels of PAEs and eco-toxicological risk assessments were determined in the eight estuaries of the Pearl River (Estuaries), main upstream tributary (Xijiang River), urban river network (River network), and nature reserve reservoir (Reservoirs). Water and sediment samples from the above water systems were collected during the low-water period (May) and the high-water period (August) between 2012 and 2014. Solid phase and ultrasonic methods were used to extract 14 different PAEs that were analyzed by gas chromatography. The analytical average recovery of PAEs in water and sediment was 75.4% ± 4.9% and 121.5% ± 8.9%, respectively. The results showed that PAEs were detected in all of the samples, and the di-n-butyl phtalate (DBP) and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) monomers had a detection rate of 100% in water. Similarly, in sediment samples, the detection rates of diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), DBP, dimethoxyethyl phthalate (DMEP), BBP, di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), and DNP ranged from 66.7 to 100%. Among these, in sediment samples, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and phthalic acid bis(2-butoxyethyl) ester (DBEP) had detection rates of 95.8% to 100% in the Estuaries, Xijiang River, and River network. The concentrations of Σ14PAEs in water samples and sediments ranged from 12.95 ± 1.97 to 6717.29 ± 112.37 ng/L and 71.99 ± 8.72 to 17,340.04 ± 227.83 ng/g-dw, respectively. During the low-water period, the average concentration of Σ14PAEs in water and sediment was 1159.58 ± 97.22 ng/L and 2842.50 ± 178.21 ng/g-dw, respectively, and during the high-water period, 822.83 ± 53.19 ng/L and 1936.42 ± 111.31 ng/g-dw, respectively. In water, the average concentration of Σ14PAEs in 2013 and 2014 was 963.39 ± 19.55 ng/L and 2815.35 ± 176.32 ng/L, respectively. In sediment, the average concentrations of Σ14PAEs in 2012 to 2014 were 990.10 ± 23.33 ng/g-dw, 1084.20 ± 112.12 ng/g-dw, and 1816.89 ± 79.97 ng/g-dw, respectively, with concentrations showing an increasing trend year after year (2014 > 2013 > 2012). Potential risk assessment of water ecological, the results show that exceeding environmental risk level (ERL) value in higher molecular weight plasticizer (DEHP, DMEP, DNOP, DNP) was mainly distributed in water, the lower molecular weight plasticizer (BMP, DiBP) was mainly distributed in sediment.

Environmental resistance of coronavirus and selection of disinfectant / 重庆医学

The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which started in Wuhan in December 2019, is a new infectious disease. The disease is highly contagious, and the correct selection of effective disinfectants is essential. This article analyzed the environmental resistance of coronavirus and its sensitivity to commonly used disinfectants by reviewing domestic and foreign literatures, and concluded that coronavirus has strong survivability in the environment, but it can be efficiently inactivated by most disinfectants. However, it should be noted that the commonly used concentration of chlorine-containing disinfectants (effective chlorine concentration of 500 mg/L) cannot quickly kill coronavirus, and a concentration of 1 000 mg/L or higher is required. Other biocidal agents, such as benzalkonium chloride and chlorhexidine digluconate, are less effective. This article aimed to provide references for selecting the appropriate disinfectants and disinfection methods to cut off the spread of the virus.

The study of diffusion tensor imaging of trigeminal neuralgia with vascular compression / 天津医药

Objective To study the findings and clinical application of the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the trigeminal nerve root in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Methods Forty-nine patients with unilateral TN caused by vascular compression and surgically confirmed were collected in this study. The subjects were divided into group A (contact, n=22), group B (displacement, n=11) and group C (atrophy, n=16), according to the relationship between blood vessels and nerves. Conventional MRI and horizontal DTI were performed to measure cross-sectional area (CSA), mean diffusivity (MD) value, fractional anisotropy (FA) value, axial diffusivity (AD) value and radial diffusivity (RD) value in nerve roots of affected side and unaffected side. The trigeminal indexes of both affected and unaffected trigeminal nerves and data of the affected trigeminal indexes of TN patients were compared between the groups. Results The CSA and FA values were significantly lower, MD and RD values of trigeminal nerves were significantly higher in affected side than those of unaffected side ( P<0.05). But there was no significant difference in AD value between affected side and unaffected side of TN patients ( P>0.05). Values of CSA and FA were significantly higher in group A than those of group C. The value of RD was significantly lower in group A than that of group C. FA value was significantly higher in group B than that of group C (P<0.05). Conclusion The magnetic resonance DTI sequence can reflect changes in trigeminal nerve microstructure, suggesting that trigeminal demyelination is caused by vascular compression, and altered diffusion indexes of trigeminal nerve are reliable basis for the pathogenesis and the severity evaluation of TN.

Research on the learning curve of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in sentinel lymph node of breast cancer / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective To investigate the learning curve of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography ( CEUS) in sentinel lymph node( SLN ) of breast cancer and provide a theoretical basis for leaners to learn SLN CEUS . Methods The multi-center study of SLN CEUS in breast cancer" was planned by Sichuan Cancer Hospital . According to the uniform inclusion and exclusion criteria , 511 patients with complete clinical data and follow-up results from 9 hospitals in Multi-center were included in this study . According to the inspection time ,the patients were divided into 3 groups named as group A ( 170 patients) ,group B ( 170 patients) and group C ( 171 patients ) ,respectively . The basic clinical data ,ultrasound imaging data , intraoperative and postoperative pathological findings of all patients were recorded . With the accumulation of cases examined ,analysis was performed to find the learning curve of the SLN CEUS examination time , SLN CEUS detection rate ,SLN CEUS surface marking accuracy rate and SLN CEUS diagnosis rate ,the learning curve was analyzed . Results ① There was no statistical significant difference in patients ages , tumors sizes ,tumors locations ,SLNs numbers and LCs numbers among the three groups( all P > 0 .05) . ②As the number of cases examined increases ,the examination time was reduced gradually ,but SLN detection rate ,surface marking accuracy and SLN diagnostic coincidence rate were increased gradually( F = 151 .75 , 1 .96 ,7 .49 ,5 .50 ; P = 0 .000 ,0 .143 ,0 .001 ,0 .005 ) . Conclusions The skill of the doctor is improved gradually when learning SLN CEUS . With the number of the cases increase ,the operating time of SLN CEUS is shorted ,and the SLN detection rate ,surface marking accuracy and SLN diagnostic coincidence rate of SLN-CEUS are gradually increased . It has an important clinical significance for beginners to learn the SLN CEUS technology .

Effect of allicin on proliferation and apoptosis of KG-1 cells and its molecular mechanism / 中国中药杂志

Allicin is one of the main bioactive substances in garlic, with antibacterial, hypolipidemic and other pharmacological effects. In this study, apoptosis-related indicators were detected to explore the molecular mechanism of allicin on KG-1 cell proliferation inhibition. The apoptosis rate of KG-1 cells induced by allicin was detected by flow cytometry. The effect of allicin on the expressions of Bax, Bcl-2, survivin and ERK mRNA in KG-1 cells was detected by RT-qPCR. Western blot was used to detect the expressions of caspase 3, cleaved caspase 3, ERK1/2, p-ERK1/2 and survivin protein in KG-1 cells. According to the findings, compared with the control group, allicin could significantly inhibit the proliferation activity of KG-1 cells in a concentration-dependent and time-dependent manner. Flow cytometry showed that allicin could induce the apoptosis of KG-1 cells, which was mainly late apoptosis. The results of RT-qPCR showed that the expressions of Bax mRNA, Bcl-2, survivin and ERK mRNA in KG-1 cells increased after treatment with allicin. The results of Western-blot showed that after KG-1 cells were treated with allicin, the expressions of caspase 3 and its active form cleaved caspase 3 increased, the expressions of survivin, ERK1/2 and its active form p-ERK1/2 were decreased, of which p-ERK1/2 was down-regulated in a dose-dependent manner. The above results suggest that allicin inhibited the proliferation of KG-1 cells primarily by inducing late apoptosis; the execution of apoptosis involved cleaved caspase 3; the induction of apoptosis involved the protein expression, the decrease of ERK1/2andexpression of survivin and the dose-dependent decrease of p-ERK1/2; the mRNA expression involved the increase of Bax, and the down-regulation of survivin, Bcl-2 and ERK1/2.

Meta-analysis of Procalcitonin-guided Antibiotics Therapy in Patients with Sepsis / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To systematically review the procalcitonin(PCT)-guided therapy in patients with sepsis. METHODS:Retrieved from PubMed,Cochrane Library,EMBase,CJFD,Wanfang Datebase,related trails about PCT-guided therapy(test group)versus conventional treatment group(control group)in the treatment of sepsis were collected. Meta-analysis was performed by using Rev Man 5.3 software after data extraction and quality evaluation. RESULTS:Totally 5 studies were enrolled,involving 826 patients. Results of Meta-analysis showed,use time of antibiotics in test group was significantly shorter than control group, with statistical significance [MD=-2.52,95%CI(-3.07,-1.98,P<0.001];there were no significant differences in the mortality rate [OR=1.14,95%CI(0.83,1.56),P=0.42],ICU treatment days [MD=-0.22,95%CI(-1.40,0.96),P=0.72] and total hospi-talization [MD=-1.81,95%CI(-4.37,0.76),P=0.17]. CONCLUSIONS:PCT-guided therapy can effectively reduce the use of antibiotics and shorten treatment time in the treatment of patients with sepsis.It can be considered as inflammatory markers for guid-ing rational use of antibiotics in clinic.

Evaluation of oral gastrointestinal ultrasound contrast agents on gastric motility in patients with anxiety disorder / 重庆医学

Objective To apply the oral gastrointestinal ultrasound contrast agents for evaluating the gastric motility abnor‐mality in the patients with anxiety disorder .Methods Twenty patients with anxiety disorder complicating upper digestive tract symptoms without organic pathological changes were enrolled as the anxiety disorder group .Twenty healthy volunteers were en‐rolled as the control group in this study .The two groups orally took gastrointestinal ultrasound contrast agents .The antral contrac‐tion frequency ,antral contraction amplitude amd MI were measured at each time point .GER was calculated .The the gastric motility parameters in the patients with anxiety disorder were evaluated .Results The antral contraction frequency and MI at initial 2 min had no statistical difference between the anxiety group and the control group .The antral contraction amplitude ,antral contraction frequency amd MI at each time point during 5 -10 min after contrast in the anxiety disorder group were significantly decreased compared with the control group ,and the differences were statistically significant (P< 0 .05) .After 20 min ,GER in the control group was significantly higher than that in the anxiety group ,the difference was statistically significant (P<0 .05) .Conclusion O‐ral gastrointestinal ultrasound contrast agents is a economic ,strongly operable ,non‐invasive and highly repeatable method for evalu‐ating the gastric motility .

Inhibition of stromal interaction molecule 1 and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins in prostate cancer PC-3 cells / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) on the expression of apoptosis-related proteins in prostate cancer PC-3 cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We transfected the lentivirus vector STIM1-pGCSIL-GFP carrying STIM shRNA into human hormone-independent prostate cancer PC-3 cells, and 3 days later observed the transfection efficiency by fluorescence microscopy. At 7 days after transfection, we determined the expression of STIM1 in the PC-3 cells by RT-PCR and Western blot and those of apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2, Bax, survivin and activated Caspase-3 by Western blot.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At 3 days, inverted microscopy revealed a transfection efficiency of > 80%. At 7 days, the STIM1 expression was significantly inhibited at both mRNA and protein levels. The Bcl-2/Bax rate was remarkably decreased as compared with that of the control group (0. 31 vs 1.24 ) , and the survivin expression was markedly reduced, 0. 14 times that of the relative expression in the control. However, the Caspase-3 cleavage was significantly activated, 1.52 times that of the control (P <0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>STIM1 can be regarded as an oncogene in prostate cancer PC-3 cells. Inhibition of its expression can induce PC-3 cell apoptosis by reducing the Bcl-2/Bax rate, decreasing the survivin expression, and activating the Caspase-3 pathway.</p>

The evaluation of left ventricular strain using speckle tracking echocardiography in normal young adults：comparison of three-dimensional and two-dimensional approaches / 中华医学超声杂志（电子版）

Objective To investigate the value of three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3D-STI) in assessment of left ventricular (LV) strains. Methods Thirty healthy young adults examined by two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI) and 3D-STI. And the results of LV measurements were compared, which included mean peak systolic longitudinal strains, radial strains and circumferential strains. Also, the time consumption of these two methods was compared. Results The time needed for 3D-STI in acquisition and analysis of the images were (309.3±23.4)s, (305.5±11.2)s, while the time for 2D-STI were (490.6±14.4)s, (1261.4±39.9)s. The differences were signiifcant(t=-21.81, 69.94, both P<0.01). The global mean peak systolic radial strains was (48.59±7.68)%by 3D-STI and (33.25±7.27)%by 2D-STI. The difference was signiifcant(t=9.16, P<0.01). The global mean peak systolic longitudinal and circumferential strains were (-17.66±3.14)%, (-17.13±2.29)% by 3D-STI and (-21.35±2.46)%, (-21.97±3.84)% by 2D-STI. The differences were signiifcant(t=5.33, 5.99, both P < 0.01). The 3D-STI strains were different at different levels of LV. The longitudinal, circumferential and radial 3D-STI strains were largest at middle levels. However, 2D-STI strains didn′ t show such trend. Peak strains measured by 3D-STI and 2D-STI showed high inter-observer and intra-observer agreement in Bland-Altman chart. Conclusion 3D-STI is a novel, convenient and reproducible method to evaluate the strains of LV.

Enhance-flow and spectral Doppler study on the hemodynamics of ophthalmic artery in hyperuricemia / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective To study the inner diameter and hemodynamics of ophthalmic artery(OA)and central retinal artery(CRA)in hyperuricemia by Enhance-flow(eFlow)imaging and spectral Doppler.Methods One hundred and one patients with hyperuricemia and 30 volunteers were selected,the inner diameter in eFlow imaging and the peak systolic velocities(PSV),the end diastolic velocities(EDV),the resistive index(RI)were measured,and pulsatility index(PI)of OA and CRA were measured by spectral Doppler.The 101 patients were divided into two groups according to the time of diagnosing hyperuricemia,one group had a diagnosis of hyperuricemia for more than five years and the other had such a diagnosis for less than five years.The data were compared by t-test.Then,the patients were further divided into a group of hyperuricemia combined with hypertension and the other without hypertension.The differences between the experimental group and the group of volunteers were carried out by One-way ANOVA,the comparison between two groups were analyzed with SNK.Results The RI(0.68±0.09)and PI(1.3±0.4)of OA in patients who were diagnosed as hyperuricemia for more than 5 years was higher[RI:0.63±0.09,PI:1.1±0.3(t=3.504,P=0.001 ;t=3.164,P=0.002)],the EDV[(6±3)cm/s]of OA was lower than those patients with a diagnosis of hyperuricemia for less than 5 years[(8±5)cm/s,t=1.988,P=0.049].The PSV[(11.5±3.5)cm/s]and EDV[(3.7±1.1)cm/s]of CRA in hyperuricemia combination hypertension group was lower,and the RI (0.88±1.40)was higher than hyperuricemia without hypertension group[PSV:(13.5±4.0)cm/s,EDV:(4.1±1.2)cm/s,RI:0.67±0.08].Conclusion By eFlow and spectral Doppler,we have found that hyperu-ricemia could accelerate OA and CRA atherosclerosis.The eFlow and spectral Doppler are valuable methods to study the hemodynamics in ophthalmic artery of patients with hyperuricemia.

Contradictory effect and its mechanism of store-operated calcium channel in cancer cells / 国际肿瘤学杂志

In most non-excitable cells,the store-operated calcium channel (SOCC) in the plasma membrane is the major calcium entry pathway.SOCC plays an important role in calcium signals that control many cancer cellular processes such as adhesion,secretion,movement,gene expression,proliferation,division and apoptosis.Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) and Orail are the two important parts of SOCC.So overexpression or suppression expression of STIM1/Orail can regulate SOCC activity and biological characteristics of cancer cells.However,SOCC plays a contradictory role in cancer cells,which can both promote tumor progression and inhibit tumor progression.SOCC is expected to become a new target for the treatment of tumors,but its complicated mechanism needs to consider both types of tumor cells and the external stimulators of tumor cells.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for detecting testicular perfusion in acute testis contusion in rabbits / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in detecting testicular perfusion in acute testis contusion.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We established the model of testis contusion in 11 healthy male New Zealand rabbits by randomly hitting one side of the scrotum under general anesthesia. We examined the bilateral scrotums of all the animals before, immediately after and at 2, 4 and 6 hours after modeling by color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) and CEUS, and analyzed the time-intensity curve (TIC), arriving time (AT), time to peak intensity (TTP), peak intensity (PI), half time of descending peak intensity (HT) and area under the curve (AUC) in the healthy and injured testis, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>CEUS exhibited a higher sensitivity in detecting tissue perfusion than CDFI. The mode of contrast agent perfusion in testicular contusion was fast in and slow out. There were no evident differences between the contused and the healthy testis in AT, TTP and PI before modeling. The contused testis showed significantly earlier AT and TTP, higher PI and larger AUC (P < 0.05) than the healthy one at different time points after modeling, but no statistically significant difference was found in HT (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Accurate parameters of testicular perfusion in acute testis contusion can be quantitatively obtained by CEUS, which are of important value for the diagnosis of testis contusion.</p>

Comparison of lipopolysaccharide and protein immunogens from pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica bio-serotype 1B/O:8 and 2/O:9 using SDS-PAGE / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Yersinia enterocolitica is an extracellular pathogen and its related antigens interact with the host immune system. We investigated the difference in immunological characteristics between a highly pathogenic and poorly pathogenic strain of Y. enterocolitica.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We used SDS-PAGE and western blotting to characterize lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Yersinia outer membrane proteins (Yops), membrane proteins, and whole-cell proteins from poorly pathogenic Y. enterocolitica bio-serotype 2/O:9, isolated from China, and highly pathogenic bio-serotype 1B/O:8, isolated from Japan.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>These two strains of Y. enterocolitica had different LPS immune response patterns. Comparison of their Yops also showed differences that could have accounted for their differences in pathogenicity. The membrane and whole-cell proteins of both strains were similar; immunoblottting showed that the 35 kD and perhaps the 10 kD proteins were immunogens in both strains.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The major antigens of the two strains eliciting the host immune response were the LPS and membrane proteins, as shown by comparing protein samples with reference and purified preparations.</p>

Assessment of fingertip's microcirculation changes in patients with systemic sclerosis by E-flow imaging / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical value of high frequency ultrasonography with E-flow imaging in the evaluation of fingertip's microcirculation changes in patients with systemic sclerosis(SSc).Methods Twenty-four SSc patients and 29 healthy subjects were involved.High frequency ultrasonography with E-flow imaging was used to observe the configuration and distribution of digital arteries in the last segment of left and right middle finger.Peak systolic velocity (PSV),end diastolic velocity (EDV),mean velocity(MV),vascular resistance index (RI) and pulsatility index(PI) of digital palmar propria arteries,nail bed arteries and finger ventral arteries were measured.Results In control group,rich blood supply was revealed within the fingertips.Digital palmar propria arteries,nail bed arteries and finger ventral arteries and their small branches were displayed clearly and continuously by E-flow imaging.While in SSc patients,the definition and continuity of fingertip's small vascular flow images were not as good as that in the control group,with the distribution of blood flow markedly reduced.compared with the control group,PSV,EDV and MV of digital palmar propria arteries,nail bed arteries,finger ventral arteries were decreased in SSc group(P＜0.01),but both RI and PI were increased(P＜0.05).There were no statistically significant differences between left and right fingertip's arteries index in normal control group (P＞0.05).But PSV,EDV and MV of left digital palmar propria arteries in SSc group were higher than that of the right(P＜0.05),whose differences bear statistic significance.Conclusions High frequency ultrasonography with E-flow imaging is sensitive and reliable to reflect fingertip's microcirculation changes and provide a new method to assess microvascular changes in SSc patients.

Analysis and assessment of real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in the diagnosis of breast masses / 中华医学超声杂志（电子版）

Objective To investigate the perfusion characteristics of intraductal breast lesion by real-time gray-scale contrast ultrasound and to determine the value of real contrast ultrasound in the diagnosis of breast masses.Methods A total of 30 breast lumps by ultrasound contrast enhancement were observed from the enhanced level.An enhanced mode and enhanced border were observed when the lesion was clear.The perfusion characteristics were compared between the benign and malignant lesions.Results Thirty breast lumps include 17 benign lumps and 13 benign lumps by pathological operation.After injected with the microbubble contrast medium,all breast lumps enhanced to varied extent.And malignant lesions showed significant enhancement for more than 3 grade(69.2%,9/13).The radial enhancement around lesion were mainly observed in the malignant lesions (P＜0.05).Conclusion The microvascular perfusion of breast intraductal lesions can be clearly displayed by real-time gray-scale contrast-enhanced ultrasound.The feasibility of differentiation between benign and malignant lesions according to their perfusion characteristics appears to be promising.

The preoperative size measurement of breast cancer by ultrasonography and mammography / 中华医学超声杂志（电子版）

Objective To comparatively analyze the preoperative value of the size of primary breast cancer presenting as a mass by ultrasonography and by mammography.Methods The tumor size data obtained preoperatively by mammography and by ultrasonography were retrospectively analyzed in all the patients pathologically diagnosed with primary breast cancer in our hospital from July 2006 to July 2009.The Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated for the size of tumors between with pathological method and with each of the imaging modalities.Results A total of 57 patients with breast cancers took both of imaging modalities including 51 cases of infiltrating ductal cancer,4 cases of infiltrating lobular cancer,and 2 of ductal carcinoma in situ.The ranges of the maximum diameter of tumor was 0.6-11.8 cm and mean value was (2.3±2.1) cm by pathological examination,0.6-12.6 cm and mean value was (3.4±2.9)cm by mammography and 0.7-10.2 cm and mean value was (2.4±1.8)cm by ultrasonography,respectively.The Pearson correlation coefficient in the accuracy of imaging assessments was superior to those by ultrasonography (r=0.744,P＜0.05) than those by mammography (r=0.544,P＜0.05).Conclusion Ultrasonography is more accurate than mammography for size assessment of primary breast cancer.