Comparison of Biatain Ag and Biatain Alginate Ag dressings on skin graft donor sites: a prospective clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare Biatain Ag and Biatain Alginate Ag (both Coloplast, Denmark) as skin graft donor site dressings. METHOD: A single-centre, prospective, randomised clinical study was conducted. In patients who had undergone a skin graft operation, adjacent split-thickness skin graft donor sites were dressed with Biatain Ag and Biatain Alginate Ag, respectively. The primary outcomes were time to re-epithelialisation and pain score after the operation. The secondary outcomes were scar scores of the donor site after the operation, haematoma rates, infection rates, and exudation rates before wound healing. Results were compared using the Wilcoxon test and the Chi-squared test. RESULTS: A total of 16 paired wounds in 16 patients were studied. The donor sites dressed with Biatain Ag needed more time for >90% re-epithelialisation than those dressed with Biatain Alginate Ag. On day 3 postoperatively, the pain scores with Biatain Ag were significantly less severe than those with Biatain Alginate Ag. On days 6, 9 and 12, the pain scores of both dressings did not differ significantly. The scar scores of the donor site dressed with Biatain Ag were significantly worse than those dressed with Biatain Alginate Ag at 6 months. With respect to infection rates, no significant differences were detected between these two groups. However, the exudation rates of the donor site dressed with Biatain Ag were significantly lower than those dressed with Biatain Alginate Ag. CONCLUSION: As skin graft donor site dressings, both Biatain Ag and Biatain Alginate Ag have advantages.

[Mechanism and experimental verification of Sijunzi Decoction in treatment of ulcerative colitis based on network pharmacology].

To explore the mechanism of Sijunzi Decoction in the treatment of ulcerative colitis(UC) based on network pharmacology. The active components and corresponding targets of Sijunzi Decoction were extracted with Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP), and the targets were standardized with the help of Uniprot database. The related targets of UC were obtained through GeneCards database and Disgenet database, and the intersection targets of drugs and diseases were screened by R language. The visual regulation network of "active ingredient-disease target" of Sijunzi Decoction was constructed by Cytoscape software, and the protein-protein interaction network was constructed by STRING database. The functional enrichment analysis of gene ontology(GO) and the enrichment analysis of Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG) pathway were carried out on Bioconductor platform, and some of the targets were verified by animal experiments. Through database analysis, a total of 135 active components of Sijunzi Decoction, 114 predicted targets and 80 common targets with UC were obtained. The core target proteins included interleukin 6(IL-6), caspase-3(CASP3), vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA), epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) and so on. GO functional enrichment analysis involved 102 items, which mainly affected transcription factor activity, enzyme activity, receptor activity and biochemical process regulation. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that 120 items were involved in human cytomegalovirus infection, cancer, apoptosis, inflammation and other pathways. Mouse experiments showed that Sijunzi Decoction could down-regulate the expression of target proteins IL-6 and caspase-3 and inhibit intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis. The treatment of UC with Sijunzi Decoction is the result of the interaction among multi-components, multi-targets and multi-pathways. It is proved by experiments that Sijunzi Decoction may play an effective role by regulating the expression of IL-6 and caspase-3, and getting involved in apoptosis, inflammation and other pathways.

Association Between Body Weight Change Before and After Delivery and Development of Nonmetabolic Syndrome: A Prospective Study.

The aim of the work was to investigate the association between body weight change before and after delivery and development of nonmetabolic syndrome in Chinese females aged ≥40 years. We selected 789 participants without metabolic syndrome randomly from a baseline survey performed in Luzhou, China in 2011. We took the group with decreasing or no increasing body mass index difference during a pregnancy as "R-Body Mass Index 1" (n=286) and divided the group with increasing body mass index difference during a pregnancy into "R-Body Mass Index 2" (n=254) and "R-Body Mass Index 3" (n=249) based upon P50. All study participants were followed up every year, and a questionnaire, physical examination, and biochemical detection were administered after 3 years. Of 789 participants, 82 nonmetabolic syndrome women developed metabolic syndrome during 3-year follow-up. The morbidity of metabolic syndrome in the R-BMI1, R-BMI2, and R-BMI3 groups was 5.2%, 11.8%, and 14.9%, respectively. Compared to the R-BMI1 group, the relative risk for R-BMI2 was 1.92 (95% confidence interval: 1.03-3.58, p=0.040) and for R-BMI3 was 2.20 (95% confidence interval: 1.20-4.03, p=0.011). After adjusting for age, BMI, WHR, baseline blood glucose, HbA1c, TG, HDL-C, SBP, DBP, age of menarche and menopause, and delivery times, the relative risks were similar to the unadjusted relative risks. In conclusion, body weight change after delivery was associated with metabolic syndrome: the higher the weight gain, the higher the risk of metabolic syndrome.

Hydrostatic pressure and muscarinic receptors are involved in the release of inflammatory cytokines in human bladder smooth muscle cells.

AIMS: Abnormal intravesical pressure results in a series of pathological changes. We investigated the effects of hydrostatic pressure and muscarinic receptors on the release of inflammatory cytokines in rat and human bladder smooth muscle cells (HBSMCs). METHODS: Animal model of bladder outlet obstruction was induced by urethra ligation. HBSMCs were subjected to elevated hydrostatic pressure and/or acetylcholine (Ach). Macrophage infiltration in the bladder wall was determined by immunohistochemical staining. The expression of inflammatory genes was measured by RT-PCR, ELISA and immunofluorescence. RESULTS: In obstructed bladder, inflammatory genes and macrophage infiltration were remarkably induced. When HBSMCs were subjected to 200-300 cm H2 O pressure for 2-24 h in vitro, the expressions of IL-6 and RANTES were significantly increased. Hydrostatic pressure promoted the protein levels of phospho-NFκB p65 and phospho-ERK1/2 as well as muscarinic receptors. Moreover, NFκB or ERK1/2 inhibitors suppressed pressure-induced inflammatory genes mRNA. When cells were treated with 1 µM acetylcholine for 6 h, a significant increase in IL-6 mRNA expression was detected. Acetylcholine also enhanced pressure-induced phospho-NFκB p65 and IL-6 protein expression. Additionally, pressure-induced IL-6 was partially suppressed by muscarinic receptors antagonists. CONCLUSIONS: Hydrostatic pressure and muscarinic receptors were involved in the secretion of inflammatory cytokines in HBSMCs, indicating a pro-inflammatory effect of the two factors in the pathological process of BOO.

Association between serum gamma-glutamyl transferase and serum uric acid levels in Chinese females: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels and serum uric acid levels in middle-aged and elderly Chinese females. METHODS: A cross-sectional population survey was performed in Luzhou, China (2014). Questionnaires, physical examinations and biochemical tests were conducted. Finally, we included 2486 females who were > 40 years old as participants. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to estimate the association of serum acid levels and other variables. Serum GGT levels were divided into four groups using the 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles as cut-off points. Finally, binary logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association of different serum GGT quartiles with the risk of hyperuricemia. RESULTS: The prevalence of hyperuricemia was 25.1% in the studied population and gradually increased across the serum GGT quartiles (P < 0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that compared with subjects in the lowest quartile of serum GGT levels, the adjusted odds ratio (ORs) for uric acid in the highest quartile was 2.34 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.68-3.28, P < 0.001),after corrections for TG, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, creatinine (CR), GGT, AST, ALT, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), postprandial 2-h plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c), age, BMI, SBP, DBP, waist-to-hip ratio and neck circumference (NC). CONCLUSIONS: The serum GGT level is associated with hyperuricemia in middle-aged and elderly Chinese females.

Unsteady heat transfer of long gas insulated transmission lines in tunnel: Model and analysis.

The temperature of the cable core and cable casing is crucial for the safety and efficiency of the transmission system. Accurately predicting the distribution and variation of the transmission temperature field in the gas insulated transmission lines (GIL) tunnel is essential to ensure the long GIL tunnel transmission system's safe and stable operation. This paper addresses the challenge of calculating unsteady heat transfer flow in extra-long GIL transmission tunnels. The paper proposes a model, and a rapid solution method for extra-long GIL transmission heat transfer flow. In addition, the temperature variation during the operation of 1000 kV GIL has been analyzed. The results indicated that the conductor and cable casing temperature gradually increases and tends to be relatively stable with the operation time. The research results can provide theoretical basis and data support for the regulation of GIL tunnel transmission operation.

Modulating the default mode network: Antidepressant efficacy of transcutaneous electrical cranial-auricular acupoints stimulation targeting the insula.

BACKGROUND: Transcutaneous electrical cranial-auricular acupoint stimulation (TECAS) is a novel non-invasive therapy for major depressive disorder (MDD) that stimulates acupoints innervated by the trigeminal and auricular vagus nerves. However, there are few neuroimaging studies involving the TECAS for the treatment of MDD. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the treatment response and neurological effects of TECAS using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). METHOD: A total of 34 patients with mild-to-moderate MDD and 34 demographically matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. After an eight-week treatment the primary outcome was clinical response, defined as a baseline-to-endpoint ≥ 50 % reduction in the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17). The low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) method were used to investigate the brain abnormalities of MDD patients and HCs, and altered brain networks were analyzed between pre- and post-treatment using seed-based functional connectivity (FC) analysis. RESULTS: We found no significant differences in terms of gender, age, and years of education between the two groups. After treatment, the response rate was 58.82 %. Compared to HCs, MDD patients showed lower ALFF values in the left insula(t = -4.298,P < 0.005), the insula-based FC revealed in the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG)/ right superior frontal gyrus, orbital part (ORBsupmed) (t = -5.29,P < 0.005) and the right anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC)were decreased (t = -6.08,P < 0.005). Furthermore, Compared to pre-treatment, abnormal FC values in the ACC /orbital superior frontal gyrus (SFG) (t = 3.42,P < 0.005) and left superior frontal gyrus (SFG)/ supplement motor area (SMA) were enhanced (t = 3.34,P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: TECAS exhibits antidepressant efficacy, particularly influencing the insula-based functional connections within the Default Mode Network (DMN) related to emotion processing in individuals with MDD.

Degree-day models for predicting adult Delia platura (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) spring flight and first emergence in New York State.

The seedcorn maggot, Delia platura (Meigen), is a pest affecting many crops, including corn. The early spring emergence of adults and belowground seed damage by maggots leave no room for rescue treatments during the short growing season in New York State. Degree-day (DD) models play a crucial role in predicting insect emergence and adult peak activity and are essential for effective pest management. The current D. platura DD model was launched on the Network for Environment and Weather Applications (NEWA) in 2022, using existing scientific literature from other North American regions. The NEWA model predicted adult D. platura first emergence at an average of 471 (39°F) DD in 2022. To gain an accurate and precise understanding of D. platura adult spring emergence and activity, we used interpolated temperature data to calculate the DD for each specific location where adults were captured in the field. DD calculations were performed using the average method, setting a biofix on January 1st and a base temperature of 39°F. In 2023, overwintering adults emerged at an average of 68 DD, and in 2022, adult activity was registered at an average of 282 DD. Accurately predicting the emergence of D. platura could contribute to informing integrated pest management strategies that incorporate timing and cultural practices over chemical solutions to protect crops and the environment.

Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision versus transanal total mesorectal excision for mid and low rectal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (LaTME) and transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) are popular mid and low rectal cancer trends. However, there is currently no systematic comparison between LaTME and TaTME of mid and low rectal cancer. Therefore, we systematically study the perioperative and pathological outcomes of LaTME and TaTME in mid and low rectal cancer. METHODS: Articles included searching through the Embase, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Medline, and Web of science for articles on LaTME and TaTME. We calculated pooled standard mean difference (SMD), relative risk (RR), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The protocol for this review has been registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022380067). RESULTS: There are 8761 participants included in 33 articles. Compared with TaTME, patients who underwent LaTME had no statistical difference in operation time (OP), estimated blood loss (EBL), postoperative hospital stay, over complications, intraoperative complications, postoperative complications, anastomotic stenosis, wound infection, circumferential resection margin, distal resection margin, major low anterior resection syndrom, lymph node yield, loop ileostomy, and diverting ileostomy. There are similarities between LaTME and TaTME for 2-year DFS rate, 2-year OS rate, distant metastasis rat, and local recurrence rate. However, patients who underwent LaTME had less anastomotic leak rates (RR 0.82; 95% CI: 0.70-0.97; I2 = 10.6%, P = .019) but TaTME had less end colostomy (RR 1.96; 95% CI: 1.19-3.23; I2 = 0%, P = .008). CONCLUSION: This study comprehensively and systematically evaluated the differences in safety and effectiveness between LaTME and TaTME in the treatment of mid and low rectal cancer through meta-analysis. Patients who underwent LaTME had less anastomotic leak rate but TaTME had less end colostomy. There is no difference in other aspects. Of course, in the future, more scientific and rigorous conclusions need to be drawn from multi-center RCT research.

Inflammatory marker profiles and in-hospital neurological deterioration in patients with acute minor ischemic stroke.

AIM: The aim of the study was to analyze the association between inflammatory marker profiles and in-hospital neurological deterioration (ND) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. METHODS: Data from patients with minor AIS from the Third China National Stroke Registry were analyzed. Inflammatory cytokine levels within 24 h of admission were measured. The primary outcome was in-hospital ND (an increase in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥4 from admission to discharge). Associations were evaluated using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) derived from logistic regression models. Net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were used to evaluate incremental predictive values. RESULTS: A total of 4031 patients (1246 women, 30.9%) with a median age of 62 years were included. In-hospital ND occurred in 121 patients (3%). Each standard-deviation increase in interleukin (IL)-6 (OR, 1.17 [95% CI, 1.06-1.31]) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) (OR, 1.43 [95% CI, 1.24-1.66]) levels was associated with increased in-hospital ND risk. Incremental predictive values for adding IL-6 (IDI, 0.012; NRI, 0.329) but not hsCRP levels to the conventional risk factors were found. CONCLUSION: In minor AIS, hsCRP and IL-6 levels were associated with in-hospital ND, including IL-6 levels in prognostic models improved risk classification.

A fast feedback method to design easy-molding freeform optical system with uniform illuminance and high light control efficiency.

A feedback method combined with fitting technique based on variable separation mapping is proposed to design freeform optical systems for an extended LED source with prescribed illumination patterns, especially with uniform illuminance distribution. Feedback process performs well with extended sources, while fitting technique contributes not only to the decrease of pieces of sub-surfaces in discontinuous freeform lenses which may cause loss in manufacture, but also the reduction in the number of feedback iterations. It is proved that light control efficiency can be improved by 5%, while keeping a high uniformity of 82%, with only two feedback iterations and one fitting operation can improve. Furthermore, the polar angle θ and azimuthal angle φ is used to specify the light direction from the light source, and the (θ,φ)-(x,y) based mapping and feedback strategy makes sure that even few discontinuous sections along the equi-φ plane exist in the system, they are perpendicular to the base plane, making it eligible for manufacturing the surfaces using injection molding.

Fabrication of metallic nanopatterns with ultrasmooth surface on various substrates through lift-off and transfer process.

The smooth surface of the metallic nanostructure is essential for the propagation of surface plasmon polaritons. In this paper, we present a novel method to fabricate the metallic nanopatterns with ultra-smooth surface on various substrates. By using a silica film as the sacrificial layer, we show that the prefabricated metallic nanopatterns produced by electron beam lithography and film deposition can be hydrolyzed and transferred onto a designated substrate. The ultra-smooth surface morphology of nanopatterns has been characterized and verified by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. More importantly, we demonstrate that this method can successfully produce a variety of nanostructures with high product yield, even onto the uneven substrate. The results indicate that our proposed method is a promising and versatile means to fabricate multiplicate smooth metallic nanostructure on various substrates for the application of nanophotonic devices.

Plasma elaidic acid level is associated with periodontal health in American adults: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Whether there is an association between TFAs and periodontitis is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between moderate/severe periodontitis and plasma level of elaidic acid, a major trans-fatty acid component, in American adults. Methods: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) years 2009-2010 were used to screen a total of 1,610 people. The independent variable of interest is plasma elaidic acid level, the dependent variable is periodontitis, and the covariates include socio-demographic variables, lifestyle variables, systemic diseases, etc. The distribution of variables in the covariate differences between the different independent groups according to tertile was investigated using a multiple linear regression model. To examine the association between plasma elaidic acid levels and moderate/severe periodontitis, three models were used. Results: Multiple logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between plasma elaidic acid level and moderate/severe periodontitis after adjustment for potential confounders (OR = 1.021, 95%CI: 1.004-1.039, P = 0.01394). Subjects with the highest tertile of plasma elaidic acid levels were 51.9% more likely to have periodontitis compared with subjects with the lowest tertile of plasma elaidic acid levels (OR = 1.519, 95% CI: 1.136-2.030, P = 0.00477). No possible sources of heterogeneity were identified in the subgroup analyses. Conclusion: Plasma elaidic acid levels are associated with periodontal disease in American adults.

Evaluation of correlation between sagittal balance and plantar pressure distributions in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the correlation between baropodometric parameters and sagittal parameters for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. METHODS: 44 volunteers (7 males and 37 females) were recruited. All participants were diagnosed as adolescent idiopathic scoliosis by X-ray before baropodometric study. Sagittal parameters included thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, sagittal vertical axis, pelvic tilt, sacral slope and pelvic incidence. A static baropodometry was performed for each patient. The foot area was divided into four quadrants. The contact surface and weight percentage were measured. FINDINGS: Lumbar lordosis was positively correlated to pelvic incidence, sacral slope and (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively). On the major curve side, pelvic tilt showed a positive correlation with all baropodometric parameters (P < 0.05) except forefoot weight percentage. Thoracic kyphosis showed negative correlations with contact surface and weight percentage of the forefoot (P = 0.04, 0.02 respectively) but no correlation with any rearfoot feature. Lumbar lordosis, sagittal vertical axis, pelvic incidence and sacral slope were not in correlation with plantar pressure. On the opposite side, sagittal profile showed no obvious correlation with any baropodometric parameter. INTERPRETATION: In scoliosis, sagittal balance is closely correlated to plantar pressure distributions. Baropodometry is a feasible method to assess sagittal balance.

Research on PM2.5 estimation and prediction method and changing characteristics analysis under long temporal and large spatial scale - A case study in China typical regions.

High concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been shown to be a major contributor to haze weather, which has been associated with an increased prevalence in lung cancer. An accurate estimation and predication of PM2.5 historical levels, and its spatial-temporal variability can assist in strategically improving regional air quality and reducing its harmful effects on population health. This paper targets Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei province (BTH), three northeast province of china (TNPC), Yangtze river delta (YRD) and pearl river delta (PRD) as the study areas. Data used in this study include PM2.5 measurements from April 2013 to December 2016, MODIS AOD raster imageries and five meteorological factors from 2000 to 2016. By combining back propagation artificial neural network (BPANN) and ε-support vector regression (ε-SVR), a novel hybrid model was constructed to impute the historical PM2.5 missing values in the long time series from 2000 to 2012, and to predict the concentration of PM2.5 from April 2014 to December 2017. The hybrid model produced results superior to BPANN and ε-SVR with a higher accuracy, lower error rate, and a stable performance. This model can be applied to the other four regions with consistent results. Results of spatial-temporal analysis indicated that the PM2.5 concentration has increased along with a pollution range expansion in BTH from 2000 to 2010. In addition, the PM2.5 concentration decreased slowly in PRD. The concentration and pollution range of PM2.5 in TNPC and YRD showed a stable trend. In 2012, the four research areas all showed decreased trend, and the pollution range narrowed. From 2013 to 2016, the PM2.5 concentration increased shortly then decreased; in particular, the high pollution areas saw a decrease in PM2.5 concentration, which correlated with control measures adopted by the state during the same time period. The hot spots of PM2.5 were mainly distributed in the inland cities.

Thermodynamic analysis of air-ground and water-ground energy exchange process in urban space at micro scale.

With an acceleration of urbanization in China, a large number of natural underlying surface have been replaced by impervious surface, which seriously affect the urban thermal and water environment. In this study, we focus on four typical urban underlying surfaces, asphalt, cement, pervious brick, and lawn. Based on the theory of heat transfer and fluid mechanics, we establish a solar radiation model and a rainfall convection model to analyze the heat transfer process of thermal radiation, thermal conduction, and thermal convection of urban underlying surface under different meteorological conditions. The fitting effects of both models are good: For solar radiation model, 0.89 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.99, 1.93 °C ≤ RMSE≤2.45 °C, 1.87 °C ≤ MAE ≤ 2.17 °C. For rainfall convection model, 0.95 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.96, 0.17 °C ≤ RMSE≤0.21 °C, 0.15 °C ≤ MAE ≤ 0.2 °C. Results show that: 1) In the absence of rainfall, the land-surface temperature of asphalt, cement, and pervious brick underlying surface is higher than air temperature, which has a positive effect on urban near-surface air temperature. In addition, the lawn underlying surface with the lowest temperature and the lowest temperature difference has a negative impact on the urban surface temperature. 2) In the rainfall, the underlying surface transfers heat to the runoff in the form of convection, forcing the runoff temperature to rise. Asphalt has the most obvious heating effect on runoff and lawn has the least effect on runoff temperature. The study proposes that the land-surface temperature can be lowered by paving lawn in hot places, and the pervious underlying surface should be adopted in the areas adjacent to the water bodies to reduce the influence of the underlying surface on runoff temperature.

Linoleic-acid-induced growth suppression induces quiescent cancer cell nests in nude mice.

We examined the effect of linoleic acid (LA) on tumor formation. Cell growth was suppressed by LA in a dose-dependent manner in MKN28 and Colo320 cells. Continuous treatment with LA provided growth arrest in both cells at 5-7 weeks after the treatment. LA-pretreated MKN28 and Colo320 cells showed higher tumorigenicity (9/10 and 10/10, respectively) than nontreated cells (2/10 and 3/10, respectively; p < 0.01) in nude mice. In contrast, LA-pretreated MKN28 and Colo320 cells showed more suppressed tumor growth than nontreated cells (p < 0.01). LA-pretreated MKN28 and Colo320 cells with LA administration after the inoculation did not form macroscopic tumors. Histological examination revealed small cancer cell aggregations, which showed no proliferative activity. In LA-treated MKN28 and Colo320 cells, protein production of Bcl-2 was increased, whereas Bak, EGFR and VEGF levels were decreased. These findings suggest that LA might induce quiescence and subsequent dormancy in cancer cells.

Clinical application of single breath-holding left ventricle artificial intelligence assisted compression sensing T 2-weighted dark blood imaging sequence / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To explore the feasibility of cardiac T 2 weighted dark blood sequence (T 2W-DB) based on artificial intelligence assisted compression-sensing(ACS) in clinical cardiac MR examination, compared with the conventional cardiac fast spin-echo T 2W-DB sequence. Methods:A total of 38 patients referred for cardiac MR examination in Tongji Hospital were enrolled prospectively from August to December 2021. The conventional T 2W-DB scan and the single-shot ACS T 2W-DB scan were acquired at continuous short-axial slices covering the whole left ventricle in all patients, and the acquisition time of each scan was recorded. The image quality of the two sequences was evaluated by the objective quantitative parameters and the subjective scoring methods, respectively. The signal to noise ratio (SNR), the contrast to noise ratio of the interventricular septum to blood pool (CNR), and the sharpness of the images were calculated. The subjective scoring was to evaluate the overall image quality, the effect of blood pool suppression, the visibility of right ventricular free wall, left ventricular free wall, and interventricular septum with a 5-point Likert scale. The intraclass correlation coefficient and Kendall W were calculated to evaluate the interobserver agreement of the objective quantitative parameters and subjective scoring. The paired t-test or Wilcoxon test was used to compare the difference in acquisition time, objective quantitative parameters and subjective scoring between the conventional T 2W-DB and the single-shot ACS T 2W-DB. Results:The inter-observer agreement between the single-shot ACS T 2W-DB and conventional T 2W-DB was good in all the objective quantitative parameters and subjective scoring of image quality ( P<0.05 for all). Compared with conventional T 2W-DB, acquisition time of single-shot ACS T 2W-DB was remarkably shortened [(85.8±14.7) s vs. (16.9±3.0) s, t=35.42, P<0.001]. Compared with SNR (66.4±29.0) and CNR(61.8±28.6) of conventional T 2W-DB, single-shot ACS T 2W-DB had significantly higher SNR(110.8±36.8, t=-8.13, P?0.001) and CNR(88.2±31.1, t=-5.89, P?0.001). Compared with conventional T 2W-DB, single-shot ACS T 2W-DB had better blood pool inhibition effect (4.6±0.6 vs. 4.7±0.5, Z=-2.64, P=0.008). There was no significant difference in overall image quality, visibility of right ventricular free wall, left ventricular free wall, and interventricular septum between the two sequences( P>0.05 for all). Conclusions:In cardiac MR examination, compared with the conventional T 2W-DB sequence, the single-shot ACS T 2W-DB sequence can significantly shorten the acquisition time and obtain better image quality.

Diagnostic Study of Multi-spectral Intelligent Analyzer in Diagnosis of the Infiltration Degree of Lung Adenocarcinoma / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world. The accuracy of intraoperative frozen section (FS) in the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma infiltration cannot fully meet the clinical needs. The aim of this study is to explore the possibility of improving the diagnostic efficiency of FS in lung adenocarcinoma by using the original multi-spectral intelligent analyzer.@*METHODS@#Patients with pulmonary nodules who underwent surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2021 to December 2022 were included in the study. The multispectral information of pulmonary nodule tissues and surrounding normal tissues were collected. A neural network model was established and the accuracy of the neural network diagnostic model was verified clinically.@*RESULTS@#A total of 223 samples were collected in this study, 156 samples of primary lung adenocarcinoma were finally included, and a total of 1,560 sets of multispectral data were collected. The area under the curve (AUC) of spectral diagnosis in the test set (10% of the first 116 cases) of the neural network model was 0.955 (95%CI: 0.909-1.000, P<0.05), and the diagnostic accuracy was 95.69%. In the clinical validation group (the last 40 cases), the accuracy of spectral diagnosis and FS diagnosis were both 67.50% (27/40), and the AUC of the combination of the two was 0.949 (95%CI: 0.878-1.000, P<0.05), and the accuracy was 95.00% (38/40).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The accuracy of the original multi-spectral intelligent analyzer in the diagnosis of lung invasive adenocarcinoma and non-invasive adenocarcinoma is equivalent to that of FS. The application of the original multi-spectral intelligent analyzer in the diagnosis of FS can improve the diagnostic accuracy and reduce the complexity of intraoperative lung cancer surgery plan.
.

Numerical simulation of effect of vegetation configuration on human thermal comfort / 环境与职业医学

Background The urban heat island effect has a significant negative impact on human health. Urban green space can effectively improve the urban thermal environment while enhancing human thermal comfort. Objective To investigate the effects of vegetation configuration structure on temperature and humidity and on human thermal comfort, with a view to providing reference for the landscape planning of urban reserve, preventing and reducing the impact of urban heat island effect on the health of urban residents. Methods The study was carried out on a typical clear and cloudless summer day without extreme weather in a university reserve area in Hefei. The numerical simulation accuracy of ENVI-met software was verified by measured data. Based on the quantitative definition of vegetation configuration structure scheme from vertical and horizontal perspectives, nine simulation scenarios were established based on three aspects including vegetation configuration type (grass, shrub + grass, tree + grass, tree + shrub + grass), planting layout (column planting, uniform spot planting), and planting density [the aspect ratio of trees (ART) between plants was 0.75, 1.13, 1.50, and 2.25, respectively] to quantitatively evaluate the cooling and humidifying effects and human thermal comfort [physiological equivalent temperature (PET)] of the vegetation configurations. Results The change trends of the cooling and humidifying effects of all the simulated scenarios were consistent, basically first increasing and then decreasing. Among all the simulated scenarios, the cooling and humidifying effects of scenario 8 (tree + grass, ART=2.25, uniform spot planting) were the best, with the greatest cooling of 1.36 ℃ and humidification of 6.29% in comparison to the worst scenario 1 in the reserve area. The human thermal comfort of scenario 9 (tree + shrub + grass, ART=2.25, uniform spot planting) was the best, with the PET of 35.37 ℃. The order of improvement effect of different vegetation configurations on thermal comfort from strong to weak was tree + shrub + grass structure (scenario 9) > tree + grass structure (scenario 8) > shrub + grass structure (scenario 2) > grass structure (scenario 1). At 15:00, the PET value of tree + shrub + grass structure (scenario 9) decreased by 7.44 ℃ in comparison to that of grass structure (scenario 1). The higher the planting density among trees, the higher the difference in temperature and relative humidity between the simulated and the original scenarios. In case of holding the same amount of greenery, uniform spot planting showed better human comfort when the vegetation was planted sparsely, but the difference between the PET value of scenario 3 (tree + grass, ART=0.75, uniform spot planting) and scenario 5 (tree + grass, ART=1.5, column planting) was only 0.15 ℃; when the vegetation was planted densely, column planting was more favorable to wind circulation and more effective in reducing the temperature of the site, with a lower PET value of 0.87 ℃ for scenario 7 (tree + grass, ART=2.25, column planting) than for scenario 4 (tree + grass, ART=1.13, uniform spot planting). Conclusion Urban green space has obvious cooling and humidifying effects in summer. The human comfort of tree + shrub + grass structure with uniform spot planting is optimal, and the cooling and humidifying effects of tree + grass structure with uniform spot planting are the most obvious. The optimization of vegetation configuration structure is crucial for reducing urban heat island, improving human thermal comfort, and promoting residents’ health.