[Correlations between the average Young's modulus and histopathological characteristics of papillary thyroid carcinoma].

Objective: To explore the histopathological factors affecting the stiffness of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Methods: Ninety-six patients with PTC confirmed by surgery and pathology in Shanxi Bethune Hospital from January 2019 to December 2020 were selected, including 101 nodules. Two-dimensional ultrasound and shear-wave elastography (SWE) were performed before surgery and the average Young's modulus (Emean) of PTC nodules were measured. Histopathological examinations on the nodules were conducted after surgery to decide the lesion size, number of lesions, calcification type, presence or absence of capsular and extracapsular invasion, degree of fibrosis, microvessel density, and number of tumor cells. The correlations between the lesion size, degree of fibrosis, microvessel density, and number of tumor cells and the Emean were analyzed. The Emeans of nodules with different numbers of lesions, presence or absence of capsular and extracapsular invasion, and different pathological calcification types were compared. The multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the histopathological factors influencing the Emean. Results: The ranges of the lesion sizes, degrees of fibrosis, microvascular density, numbers of tumor cells, and the Emeans of the 101 investigated PTC nodules were (1.29±0.95) cm, (30.64±18.37)%, (101.64±30.7) vessels per high power field, (373.52±149.87) cells per high power field, and (36.47±19.62) kPa, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that the lesion size of PTC and the degree of fibrosis were positively correlated with the Emean (r=0.660, P＜0.001; r=0.789, P＜0.001), while the microvessel density was negatively correlated with the Emean (r=-0.198, P=0.047). The Emean of the group with capsular and extracapsular invasion was higher than that of the group without (P=0.014). There were statistical differences in the Emeans among different types of pathological calcification (P＜0.001). The multiple linear regression analysis showed that the lesion size (ß=0.325, P＜0.001), degree of fibrosis (ß=0.563, P＜0.001), psammoma bodies (ß=0.177, P=0.001), stromal calcification (ß=0.164, P=0.003), and mixed calcification of both psammoma bodies and stroma (ß=0.163, P=0.003) were independent influencing factors for the Emean. The degree of fibrosis had the greatest impact on the Emean. Conclusions: The Emean of PTC lesions was correlated with the histopathological characteristics of PTC. The lesion size, degree of fibrosis, and calcification had significant impact on the Emean, among which the degree of fibrosis had the greatest impact.

[Value of shear wave elastrography image classification in the diagnosis of breast masses].

Objective: To analyze the image features of shear wave elastrography (SWE) in breast masses, and to evaluate their values in the differentiation of benign and malignant breast lesions. Methods: A total of 361 patients with 403 breast lesions who simultaneously underwent conventional ultrasound and SWE examination from February 2015 to January 2018 were selected. Diagnosis in all patients was confirmed by aspiration biopsy or operative pathology. The SWE images were collected and the elastic images were divided into 5 types. The SWE image features of different breast pathological types were summarized, and their values in benign and malignant breast lesion diagnoses were evaluated. Results: The main features of benign breast lesion were type Ⅰ and Ⅱ, the main features of the malignant lesion were type Ⅳ and Ⅴ, and the proportion of which were 43.6% (71/163), 37.4% (61/163), 22.1% (53/240) and 57.9% (139/240), respectively. Type Ⅲ accounted for a certain proportion in both benign and malignant lesions. The SWE image features of benign and malignant lesions were compared and a significant difference was observed (P<0.001). The type Ⅴ features were mainly observed in invasive ductal carcinoma, invasive lobular carcinoma and other types of invasive carcinoma, while the type Ⅳ features were mostly presented in ductal carcinoma in situ and mucinous carcinoma. Fibroadenoma, fibroadenosis accompanied with fibroadenoma, and fibroadenosis were featured with type Ⅰ. Both intraductal papilloma and benign phyllodes tumor were mostly type Ⅱ, while type Ⅲ and Ⅴ were more common in chronic granulomatous mastitis. When type Ⅰ and typeⅡof breast lesions were classified as benign features while type Ⅳ and Ⅴ were malignant features, the sensitivity and specificity of breast malignant lesion diagnosis were 91.2% and 84.7% by application of SWE combined with breast imaging reporting and data system (BI-RADS). The sensitivity of combined diagnosis was slightly lower than that of conventional ultrasound (P>0.05), but the specificity was significantly higher than conventional ultrasound (P<0.01). Conclusion: The SWE is a simple and effective method. Combination of SWE with conventional ultrasound may improve the diagnostic differentiation of benign and malignant breast lesions.

A simplified genomic DNA extraction protocol for pre-germination genotyping in rice.

Genotyping is a critical step for molecular marker-assisted selection in rice. Rice genomic DNA samples for genotyping are typically isolated from living tissues such as seedlings. This requires the germination of all candidate seeds and extraction of DNA from the seedlings. Currently, an ideal individual is selected from a very large number of plants, which is time- and labor-consuming, requiring several transplantations of materials and sampling processes. In this study, we developed a simplified genomic DNA extraction protocol in rice by using amylase to treat half-seeds. The yields of genomic DNA from a half-seed of Indica and Japonica rice were greater than 203.8 ± 32.5 and 143.2 ± 25.5 ng, respectively, and the 260/280 nm absorbance ratio was 1.75-2.10. The DNA was confirmed to be sufficient for polymerase chain reaction amplification and can be used in a marker-assisted selection program.

First Report of Subanguina moxae Infecting Mugwort in Yunnan, China.

Mugwort is a perennial in the Compositae family distributed throughout Asia and Europe. The leaves are reported to have various pharmaceutical properties, e.g., antibacterial, antiviral, antitussive, and hemostatic properties, and have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years. In August 2011, a field of mugwort in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, exhibited more than 90% incidence of whitish and rounded galls on the leaves. There were approximately 10 galls on each leaf, impacting the quality of the leaves for medicinal use. Parasitic nematodes were found upon dissection of the galls, then eggs, second-stage juveniles (J2), and mature males and females were observed. Through the morphologic observation of juveniles and female and male adults, the parasitic nematode was identified as Subanguina moxae (Yokoo and Choi, 1968) Brzeski, 1981 (3). Key morphological features are as follows: eggs (n = 20) measured 54.0 to 71.4 × 24.1 to 30.0 µm; J2 (n = 20) had the following characteristics: body length 689.3 to 873.2 µm (x = 775.5 µm); stylet length 8.2 to 9.8 µm (x = 8.8 µm); tail length 49.5 to 74.5 µm (x = 60.1 µm); a (total body length/maximum body width) ranged from 28.6 to 38.6 µm (x = 34.1 µm); and c (total body length/the length of the tail) ranged from 11.2 to 16.0 µm (x = 13.0 µm). Females (n = 20) had the following characteristics: body length 1,252.8 to 1,665.2 µm (x = 1,475.7 µm); stylet length 7.2 to 9.2 µm (x = 8.2 µm); V of 88.0 to 92.3 µm (x = 89.6 µm); a ranged from 17.6 to 24.5 µm (x = 21.3 µm); and c ranged from 20.2 to 28.9 µm (x = 22.8 µm). Males (n = 20) had the following characteristics: body length 994.2 to 1,453.6 µm (x = 1,253.2 µm); stylet length 7.5 to 9.9 µm (x= 9.1 µm); tail length 69.2 to 88.1 µm (x = 78.0 µm); spicule length 22.2 to 33.4 µm (x = 29.4 µm); gubernaculum length 10.4 to 14.2 µm (x = 12.2 µm); a ranged from 23.1 to 37.2 µm (x = 29.9 µm); and c ranged from 13.9 to 18.7 µm (x = 16.1 µm). Amplification of the rDNA-internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the D2/D3 (1) fragments of the 28S RNA with universal primers rDNA1/rDNA2 and D2A/D3B yielded PCR fragments of 934 bp and 754 bp, respectively. The ITS sequence (JN865234) and D2D3 sequence (JN885540) were submitted to GenBank. The ITS sequence (JN865234) exhibited 99.4% similarity with Mesoanguina moxae (AF396314) (synonym of S. moxae) (4). S. moxae has been identified from the common mugwort in Japan (2) and in China, was reported to infect wheat in Guizhou Province, but to our knowledge, this is the first report of this nematode affecting mugwort in Yunnan, China. References: (1) S. Amiri et al. Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 108:497, 2002. (2) K. Daigo et al. Bull. School Agric. Meiji University. 56:237, 2007. (3) M. R. Siddiqi. Tylenchida: Parasites of Plants and Insects. CABI Publishing, New York, 2000. (4) S. A. Subbotin et al. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 30:226, 2004.

[The role of Th1/Th2 cells imbalance in the pathogenesis of secretory otitis media].

Objective:The aim of this study is to explore the role of Th1/Th2 cells imbalance in the pathogenesis of secretory otitis media. Method:Ninety secretory otitis media patients were enrolled in observation group. According to medical history, they were divided into acute and chronic group. In addition, 90 healthy volunteers during the same period were selected as the control group. The levels of Th1-type cytokines IFN-γ, Th2-type cytokines interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IFN-γ/IL-4 in peripheral blood were compared between observation group and control group. Compare with acute and chronic secretory otitis media patients IFN-γ, IL-4, IFN-γ/IL-4 levels as well as the compare with middle ear effusion and peripheral blood sIFN-γ, IL-4, IFN-γ/IL-4 levels in observation group. Result:The level of IFN-γ, IL-4 and IFN-γ/IL-4 in the peripheral blood in the observation group were higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). The levels of IFN-γ, IL-4 and IFN-γ/IL-4 in the peripheral blood of patients in the chronic group were higher than those in the acute group. There was no significant difference in IL4, IFN-γ/IL-4 levels between the observation group and the middle ear effusion (P>0.05), IFN-γ levels in peripheral blood were lower than those of the middle ear effusion IFN-γ (P<0.05). Conclusion:Abnormal IFN-γ, IL-4 levels of the peripheral blood and the middle ear effusion have some relationship with secretory otitis media, and Th1/Th2 imbalance may be a risk factor for secretory otitis media.

The glucosinolate-degrading enzyme myrosinase in Brassicaceae is encoded by a gene family.

A full-length cDNA clone (MB3) and three partial clones (MA1, MB1 and MB2) which encode myrosinase (thioglucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.3.1) were isolated from a Sinapis alba (white mustard) cDNA library. Nucleotide sequence analysis of these clones revealed that they are encoded by a gene family. Southern blot analysis with gene-specific probes showed that the gene family consists of a least two subfamilies (MA and MB) each with several members both in S. alba and in Brassica napus (oilseed rape). In Arabidopsis thaliana (wall cress) only three myrosinase genes seem to be present. Northern blot analysis indicated that all the myrosinase mRNA species have the same size, approximately 1.95 kb.