Improvement of 3-D Ultrasound Spine Imaging Technique Using Fast Reconstruction Algorithm.

Three-dimensional (3-D) freehand ultrasound (US) imaging has been applied to the investigation of spine deformity. However, it is a challenge for the current 3-D imaging reconstruction algorithms to achieve a balance between image quality and computation time. The objectives of this article are to implement a new fast reconstruction algorithm that can fulfill the request of immediate demonstration and processing for high-quality 3-D spine imaging, and to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of scoliotic curvature measurement when using the algorithm. The fast dot-projection (FDP) algorithm was applied for voxel-based nearest neighbor (VNN), multiple plane interpolation (MPI), and pixel nearest neighbor (PNN) protocols to reduce the reconstruction time. The 3-D image volume was reconstructed from the datasets acquired from scoliotic subjects. The computational cost, image characteristics, and statistical analyses of curve measurements were compared and evaluated among different reconstruction protocols. The results illustrated that the 3-D spine images using the FDP-MPI4 algorithm showed higher brightness (20%), contrast (14%), and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) (26%) than FDP-VNN. The measurement performed by trainee rater exhibited significant improvement in measurement reliability and accuracy using FDP-MPI4 in comparison with FDP-VNN ( ), and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of interrater measurement increased from 0.88 to 0.96. The FDP-PNN method could acquire and reconstruct spine images simultaneously and present the results in 1-2 min, which showed the potential to provide the approximate real-time visualization for fast screening.

The relationship between anti epidemic mentality and post traumatic stress disorder in medical college students during the COVID-19 pandemic / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the relationship between an anti epidemic mentality and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among college students during the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention of PTSD when college students experience sudden crisis events in the future.@*Methods@#An online questionnaire survey was conducted among 9 399 undergraduates from Shanxi Medical University using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist Civilian Version (PCL-C) and the public anti epidemic psychology self examination scale.@*Results@#During the COVID-19 pandemic, the total PCL-C scores of college students were (22.74±7.78), and the positive rate of PTSD symptoms was 5.3%. The detection rates of symptom recurrence, avoidance/numbness symptoms and increased alertness symptoms were 27.0%, 16.6% and 8.6 %, respectively. The average score of avoidance/numbness symptoms in the three symptom groups was (9.21±3.39), the two items with the highest scores were repeated recall of traumatic events (1.57±0.71) and impaired concentration (1.47±0.71). Females scored higher than males on the increased alertness dimension(6.82±2.61，6.67±2.72) ( t = -6.49 ， P <0.05). In respect to PCL-C total scores and the scores of each dimension, rural areas were associated with higher scores than urban areas, and non medical students scored higher than medical students, while the scores of those who grew up with siblings were higher than only children ( P <0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between an anti epidemic mentality and total PTSD scores ( r =0.51, P <0.01). Multiple regression analysis showed that the place of origin, choice of college major, and antiepidemic mentality were predictors of PTSD symptoms ( P <0.01).@*Conclusion@#Anti epidemic mentality is associated with the occurrence of PTSD among college students.