[Attach great importance to the significance of serum anti-müllerian hormone and androgen in the evaluation of polycystic ovary syndrome].

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disease in women of childbearing age, which seriously affects women's reproductive health. In recent years, more and more studies have found that serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) has certain significance in the diagnosis and treatment evaluation of PCOS. In addition, with the improvement of detection methods, more attention has been paid to the significance of female androgens and AMH in the evaluation of PCOS. This article reviews the recent research progress of serum AMH and androgens in the evaluation of PCOS.

[Analysis of the clinical efficacy and safety of bronchial thermoplasty in the treatment of patients with severe asthma and asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap].

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety analysis of bronchial thermoplasty (BT) in the treatment of severe asthma and asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap. Methods: The clinical data of 49 patients with asthma-COPD overlap who received BT in the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenzhen Hospital from January 2016 to December 2018 and 50 patients with severe asthma who received BT in the same period were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into overlap group and asthma group, and the baseline data of two groups were recorded. The pulmonary function before and after treatment (including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), FEV1 as a percentage of predicted value (FEV1% pred)), hormone consumption, asthma control test (ACT) score, asthma quality of life questionnaire (AQLQ) score, asthma control questionnaire (ACQ) score, the overlap group before and after treatment COPD assessment test (CAT) score, modified British Medical Research Council (mMRC) score and postoperative respiratory adverse events in the next 3 weeks were comparatively analyzed. Results: The general baseline characteristics of the two groups are compared. The patients in the overlap group were older than those in the asthma group, and the course of disease and smoking history were longer than those in the asthma group. The inhaled hormone dosage in asthma group was greater than those in the overlap group ((64±11) years vs (48±11) years; 10.00 (10.00, 25.00) years vs 9.00 (1.75, 20.00) years; 20.00(2.00, 40.00) years vs 0 (0, 10.00) years; 320 (320, 640) µg/d vs 960 (320, 960) µg/d) (all P<0.05). The predicted values of lung function indexes FVC, FEV1, FEV1% pred in the overlap group before treatment were all lower than those in the asthma group (1.98 (1.43, 2.43) L vs 2.54 (2.02, 3.15) L; 0.92 (0.61, 1.26) L vs 1.69(1.17, 2.16) L; (50±16) L vs (65±14) L) (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in ACT, ACQ, and AQLQ scores between the two groups before treatment (all P>0.05). Within 3 months after treatment, except for no significant improvement in FEV1% predicted value and inhaled hormone dosage in the overlap group (all P>0.05), other indexes in both groups were improved compared with those before treatment (all P<0.05). After 1 year of treatment, all indexes of the two groups were significantly improved than those before treatment, and all indexes of the asthma group were better than those of the overlap group (all P<0.05). In terms of respiratory adverse events occurring within 3 weeks after the operation, the incidence of cough and bloody sputum in the overlap group was higher than that in the asthma group, while the incidence of sputum and short-term wheezing was lower than that in the asthma group (all P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of chest tightness, chest pain, segmental atelectasis and pneumonia between the two groups (all P>0.05), and the postoperative adverse reactions could be effectively controlled in a short period of time. Conclusion: BT treatment could not only improve the lung function, clinical symptoms and quality of life of asthmatic patients, but was also effective for asthma-COPD overlap patients. However, BT treatment had more benefits for asthmatic patients without serious adverse events occurred.

[Quantitative evaluation of intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging and three-dimensional arterial spin labeling in Ki-67 labeling index and grading of brain gliomas].

Objective: To investigate the value of multiple parameters derived from intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) and three-dimensional arterial spin labeling (3D-ASL) in Ki-67 labeling index (Ki-67 LI) and grading of human brain gliomas. Methods: From December 2015 to May 2018, 45 patients of gliomas confirmed by surgical pathology in Li Huili Hospital, Ningbo Medical Center were divided into low-grade group (20 cases of WHO grade Ⅱ) and high-grade group (12 cases of WHO grade Ⅲ, 13 cases of WHO grade Ⅳ), and the Ki-67 LI of glioma was obtained by immunohistochemistry. All patients, 24 males and 21 females, aged 25-83 years, mean(53±12)years, underwent conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), IVIM-DWI and 3D-ASL before operation, then measured the true water diffusion coefficient (D), microcirculation perfusion coefficient (D(*)), perfusion fraction (f) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the tumor solid area and the contralateral normal white matter area. Those parameters and the Ki-67 LI were compared between the low-and high-grade groups with Mann-Whitney U test. Spearman's correlation was used to analyze the correlation between the quantitative parameters and Ki-67 LI. The ROC curve was used to assess the diagnostic efficacy of parameters in the grading assessment of brain gliomas. Results: The D(0.791×10(-3)mm(2)/s) and f (0.261) of the high-grade group were lower than those of the low-grade group, whereas D(*) (4.153×10(-3) mm(2)/s), CBF(102.027 ml·min(-1)·100 g(-1)) and Ki-67 LI (0.25) were higher (P<0.05). There was a moderate negative correlation between D, f and Ki-67 LI(r=-0.513,-0.457, all P<0.05). There was no significant correlation between D(*) and Ki-67 LI (P=0.571). The area under the curve (AUC) for identifying high-and low-grade gliomas by D, D(*), f and CBF values was 0.965, 0.745, 0.842, and 0.830 respectively (all P<0.05). Conclusion: D and f can be used for quantitative prediction of Ki-67 LI. IVIM-DWI and 3D-ASL are helpful in the grading assessment of gliomas, and the diagnostic efficiency of D is the highest.

[Application study of differentiating malignant benign from breast lesions using multiple b-value DWI].

Objective: To explore the diagnostic value of multi b-value DWI (MB-DWI) in the identification of benign and malignant breast lesions. Methods: From October 2013 to December 2015, a total of 54 cases from Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital (22 benign cases with a total of 24 lesions, 32 malignant cases with a total of 38 lesions) were examined with conventional MR scan, single b-value DWI, and multiple b-value DWI (0, 10, 20, 30, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1 200, 2 000, 3 000 s/mm(2)). GE ADW4.5 workstation was used to calculate the value of standard apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC(standard)), slow apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC(slow)), fast apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC(fast)) and fraction of ADC(fast)(f(fast)). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC)curve was performed to evaluate those MB-DWI parameters above. Results: The ADC(standard), ADC(slow) and f(fast) value of malignant group were (0.761±0.166)×10(-3) mm(2)/s, (0.593±0.144)×10(-3) mm(2)/s, 0.330±0.099 respectively, which were significantly lower than those of benign group (all P<0.01), while the ADC(fast) value of malignant group was 4.379×10(-3) mm(2)/s, significantly higher than that of benign group(P<0.01). The area under curve (AUC) of f(fast) and ADC(standard) were 0.799, 0.786 respectively and there is no statistically significant difference.The AUC of ADC(slow), ADC(fast) were 0.719, 0.727, which were statistically significant different from the value of f(fast) or ADC(standard)(all P<0.01). Conclusions: All the parameters in MB-DWI can be used to distinguish benign from malignant breast lesions.The f(fast) and ADC(standard) value have higher diagnostic value in the identification of benign and malignant breast lesions.

Site-specific multi-stage CVD of large-scale arrays of ultrafine ZnO nanorods.

Multi-stage growth of ZnO nanorod arrays has been carried out by Au-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in order to better understand and more precisely control the growth behaviors. It is evidenced that Au-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth only dominates the initial site-specific nucleation of the nanorods, while the subsequent growth is governed by a vapor-solid (VS) epitaxy mechanism. The sequential VLS and VS behaviors permit the fabrication of large-scale highly ordered arrays of ZnO nanorods with precisely tunable diameters and embedded junctions by controlling reactant concentration and nanorod top morphology. Based on the above results, two routes to fabricate ultrafine ZnO nanorod arrays are proposed and stepwise nanorod arrays with ultrafine top segment (~10 nm in diameter) have been achieved. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) and spatial resolved PL were carried out on the nanorod arrays and on individual nanorods, indicating high quality optical properties and tunable light emission along the length of the stepwise nanorods.

[Change in obesity status and development of cardiometabolic disorders in school-age children].

Objective: To analyze the influence of obesity status on the development of cardiometabolic disorders in school-age children. Methods: Information about children's body weight, body height and cardiovascular risk factors were collected in baseline survey in 2017 and follow-up survey in 2019. The school-age children were divided into four groups based on their baseline and follow-up obesity status, i.e. sustained non-obesity group, restored obesity group, newly classified obesity group, and persistent obesity group. Analysis of covariance was used to compare the difference of change in levels of cardiometabolic factors among the four groups. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between obesity status and the incidence risk of cardiometabolic disorders. Results: The present study included 11 379 school-age children (boys accounting for 49.6%). During the 2 years, the incidence of obesity was 3.2% (95%CI: 2.9%-3.5%) with the restoration ratio of obesity of 4.4% (95%CI: 4.0%-4.8%). Compared with the sustained non-obesity group, increases in SBP, DBP, TG, LDL-C and non-HDL-C were much higher in newly classified obesity group and persistent obesity group, but lower in restored obesity groups except for DBP (all P<0.05). In addition, the incidence risk of hypertension, high glucose, dyslipidemia and cardiometabolic disorders (≥2 risks) were much higher in newly classified and persistent obese children than in sustained non-obese children. No difference was found in incidence risks of most cardiovascular disorders between restored obese children and sustained non-obese children, except for hypertension and cardiometabolic risks. Conclusion: Both newly classified obesity and persistent obesity increased the incidence risks for multi cardiovascular disorders, while these risks could be reduced when non-obese status restore.

[Incidence and risk factors of pediatric fractures in school-age children and adolescents in Beijing].

Objective: To investigate the incidence and risk factors of pediatric fracture in school-age children and adolescents in Beijing. Methods: A total of 12 056 students with complete fracture data of 2017 baseline survey and 2019 follow-up survey of School-based Cardiovascular and Bone Health (SCVBH) Promotion Program in Beijing were selected as study subjects. Logistic regression model was used to analyze associations of fracture incidence with age, BMI, fracture history and lifestyle. Results: The 2-year accumulative incidence rate of pediatric fracture was 3.1% (95%CI: 2.8%-3.4%) in school-age children and adolescents in Beijing, which was much higher in boys (4.1%) than in girls (2.1%) and increased with age in boys but decreased with age in girls. Fractures mainly occurred at upper-limb (69.0%), no gender and age specific significant in fracture sites were observed. Fracture history was the risk factor for fracture incidence in both boys and girls (boys: RR=1.81, 95%CI: 1.18-2.64; girls: RR=3.11, 95%CI: 1.74-5.13). In addition, higher duration and frequency of moderate to vigorous physical activities (≥120 min/day) and frequent consumption of sugar sweetened beverage (≥1 time/week) were also found to increase fracture risk in boys. Conclusion: The incidence of pediatric fracture was associated with gender, age, fracture history and lifestyle habits in school-age children and adolescents in Beijing. Targeted strategies are needed to prevent childhood fracture.

Using transmission Kikuchi diffraction in a scanning electron microscope to quantify geometrically necessary dislocation density at the nanoscale.

It is challenging to quantify the geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density at the nanoscale using conventional electron backscatter diffraction due to its limited spatial resolution. To overcome this problem, in this study, the transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) technique is used to measure lattice orientation and to calculate the corresponding nanoscale GND density. Using the TKD method, a variation of GND density from 6 × 1014 to 1016 m-2 has been measured in a welded super duplex stainless steel sample. The distribution of dislocation density is shown to be in good agreement with transmission electron microscope (TEM) result. Compared with dislocation measurements obtained by TEM, the TKD-GND method is revealed to be a relatively accurate, fast and accessible method.

Initiation and growth kinetics of solidification cracking during welding of steel.

Solidification cracking is a key phenomenon associated with defect formation during welding. To elucidate the failure mechanisms, solidification cracking during arc welding of steel are investigated in situ with high-speed, high-energy synchrotron X-ray radiography. Damage initiates at relatively low true strain of about 3.1% in the form of micro-cavities at the weld subsurface where peak volumetric strain and triaxiality are localised. The initial micro-cavities, with sizes from 10 × 10-6 m to 27 × 10-6 m, are mostly formed in isolation as revealed by synchrotron X-ray micro-tomography. The growth of micro-cavities is driven by increasing strain induced to the solidifying steel. Cavities grow through coalescence of micro-cavities to form micro-cracks first and then through the propagation of micro-cracks. Cracks propagate from the core of the weld towards the free surface along the solidifying grain boundaries at a speed of 2-3 × 10-3 m s-1.

Changes in milk performance and hepatic metabolism in mid-lactating dairy goats after being fed a high concentrate diet for 10 weeks.

Feeding a high concentrate (HC) diet is a widely used strategy for supporting high milk yields, yet it may cause certain metabolic disorders. This study aimed to investigate the changes in milk production and hepatic metabolism in goats fed different proportions of concentrate in the diet for 10 weeks. In total, 12 mid-lactating goats were randomly assigned to an HC diet (65% concentrate of dry matter, n=6) or a low concentrate (LC) diet (35% concentrate of dry matter, n=6). Compared with LC, HC goats produced greater amounts of volatile fatty acids and produced more milk and milk lactose, fat and protein (P<0.01). HC goats showed a greater concentration of ATP, NAD, plasma non-esterified fatty acids and hepatic triglycerides than LC goats (P<0.05). Real-time PCR results showed that messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of gluconeogenic genes, namely, glucose-6-phosphatase, pyruvate carboxylase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase were significantly up-regulated and accompanied greater gluconeogenic enzyme activities in the liver of HC goats. Moreover, the expression of hepatic lipogenic genes including sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c, fatty acid synthase and diacylglycerol acyltransferase mRNA was also up-regulated by the HC diet (P<0.05). HC goats had greater hepatic phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase than LC (P<0.05). Furthermore, histone-3-lysine-27-acetylation contributed to this elevation of gluconeogenic gene expression. These results indicate that lactating goats fed an HC diet for 10 weeks produced more milk, which was associated with up-regulated gene expression and enzyme activities involved in hepatic gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis.

Relationship between white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) loads and characterizations of water quality in Litopenaeus vannamei culture ponds during the tropical storm.

An in-situ experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of tropical storm on the white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) loads in Litopenaeus vannamei rearing ponds. White spot syndrome virus loads, heterotrophic bacteria, Vibrio and water quality (including temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, pH, NH4-N, and NO2-N) were continually monitored through one tropical storm. The WSSV loads decreased when tropical storm made landfall, and substantially increased when typhoon passed. The variation of WSSV loads was correlated with DO, temperature, heterotrophic bacteria count, and ammonia-N concentrations. These results suggested that maintaining high level DO and promoting heterotrophic bacteria growth in the shrimp ponds might prevent the diseases' outbreak after the landfall of tropical storm.

Behavior of lanthanides in countercurrent chromatography using dihexyl-N,N-diethylcarbamoyl methylene phosphonate as stationary phase.

Counter-current chromatography is a real liquid-liquid chromatography. The retention volume of the solute can be calculated from the batch distribution ratio in organic separations. In the separations of metal ion, there are several complex and dissociation reactions involved in the two phases, and the retention volume cannot be always predicted from the batch distribution ratio. A mass transfer model is proposed in this paper and an expression of V(R) is derived. The retention volume of metal ion is determined not only by the batch distribution ratio but also by the mechanism of the extraction reaction. When 25% dihexyl-N,N-diethylcarbamoyl methylenephosphonate in cyclohexane is used as stationary phase and 2.91 mol/l HNO3 as mobile phase, the dynamic distribution ratios obtained from the chromatogram are not equal to but proportional to the batch distribution coefficients. These results are in agreement with the theoretical expression.

[Clinical study of masticatory efficiency of removable partial denture with SJ-1 type bolt attachment].

OBJECTIVE: Measurement and analysis of patients wearing dentures with SJ-1 type bolt attachments. METHODS: Select sixteen patients with free end edentulous spaces, restore with removable dentures using SJ-1 type bolt attachments,measure the masticatory efficiency using light-absorption method,and compare them with those of normal occlusion and traditional removable partial dentures. RESULTS: (1)One week after the dentures delivered,the average absorption value of these sixteen patients was 0.876,three weeks later 0.859,one month later 0.985. There was no significant difference among them. (2)Compared with those of normal occlusion, P>0.05,no significant difference;with those wearing traditional dentures, P<0.01,high significant difference. CONCLUSION: The matiscatory efficiency of the patients wearing dentures with SJ-1 type bolt attachments was much better than those of tradition al removable partial dentures.

[Clinical application of precision attachment prosthesis].

OBJECTIVE: In this study, clinical effects of three precision attachment prostheses were evaluated. METHODS: 16 DUOLOCK attachments 15 ANKER SYSTEM attachments and 8 MK 1 attachments were applied to restore 22 dentition defect cases, which consisted of 17 Kenny I defects, 3 Kenny II defects, 2 Kenny III defects. The clinical effects of three precision attachment prostheses were analyzed. RESULTS: 22 patients with precision attachment prostheses were followed up for 6 to 19 months. More than 86% patients felt comfortable, adaptive, aesthetics and fine retention. The rechecking results of 91 abutments displayed that all abutments were healthy without percussion pain, looseness, and disease of root tip and absorption of alveolar bone. The congestion and edema in gingival edge of 21 abutments were reduced after treatment. The masticatory efficiency measurement of 18 patients restored with precision attachment prostheses showed that the patients masticatory efficiency achieved 86.73% of the same age healthy dentition after 3 months, and 90.57% of the same age healthy dentition after 1 year. CONCLUSION: The three attachment prostheses can achieve satisfactory effect.