Objective To investigate the feasibility of reduced radiation dose for CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) and the possible lowest radiation threshold by a phantom study.Methods The CT value difference between air within the trachea and the extracorporeal background region was measured in132 consecutive patients.A noise-measurement phantom and a pulmonary embolism (PE) phantom were made of phenol-formaldehyde, and both phantoms and a water phantom were scanned with standard and lower radiation doses as follow: 280, 200, 160, 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 15, and 10 mA respectively, at a fixed voltage of 120 kVp.Standard and soft tissue algorithms were used to reconstruct the images.Three experienced doctors independendy evaluate the image quality and the efficiency of detecting PE of the images with various doses.The Pearson correlation analysis, two-tailed paired t test, ANOVA, and Kappa test were employed for the statistical analysis.Results The CT value difference between air within the trachea and the extracorpereal background region in 132 consecutive patients ranged from 20.00 to 55.00 HU, which had a positive correlation with weight[(64.99±11.86) kg], weight-height ratio [(38.71±6.13) kg/m], and BMI[(23.11±3.38) kg/m2](r=0.228,0.374,0.449 respectively; P <0.01).The image noise level with soft-tissue reconstruction algorithm[(16.55±9.08), (16.42±9.40) HU]was significantly lower than that of the image with standard reconstruction algorithm[(22.43±11.25),(21.99±11.67) HU](F=4.316, P < 0.05).The image noise level with soft-tissue reconstruction algorithm at 100 mA was similar to that of the images with standard reconstruction algorithm at 280 mA, and the signal-w-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the image of PE phantom was 23.05 and 20.52 respectively, without any impairment in detectability of embolus.The image noise level with soft-tissue reconstruction algorithm at 60 mA was similar to that of the image with standard reconstruction algorithm at 160 mA, while the SNR and CNR was 18.01 and 15.97 respectively, also with acceptable detectability of embolus.When the tube current was reduced below 30 mA, the image quality decreased significantly, with the SNR and CNR was lower than 12.36 and 10.95 respectively, and the detectability of embolus was degraded.The consistency of the image quality grading by 3 observers was excellent(K=0.807,0.712,0.904 ,respectively; P < 0.01).Conclusions The 100 mA may potentially be the ideal low dose tube current setting, with radiation dose only equal to 36% of 280 mA (standard dose).The 30 mA may possibly be a minimum radiation dose for detecting PE.The soft-tiasue reconstruction algorithm was favorable in preserving the SNR when the radiation dose was reduced.

Objective: To explore the effect of high mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1) on the balance of Th17/Treg in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Methods: A total of 30 patients who were first diagnosed as ITP in the Fifth People's Hospital of Datong from July 2017 to April 2018 were selected as the case group, and another 30 healthy volunteers in the corresponding period were taken as the control group. The proportion of Th17 and Treg cells was detected by using flow cytometry, and the concentration of HMGB1, interleukin (IL)-17 and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) in plasma was tested by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were cultured in vitro. After the treatment with recombinant human HMGB1 (rhHMGB1), real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was applied to detect the mRNA expression changes in Treg cell transcription factor intracellular forkhead helix transcription factor 3 (Foxp3) and Th17 cell transcription factor retinoid related orphan receptor γt (RORγt). The differences of indicators in Treg cell transcription factor peripheral blood between the case group and the control group were compared, and the balance correlation between HMGB1 and Th17/Treg was analyzed. Results: Compared with the healthy control group, the proportion of Th17 cells and the expression level of HMGB1 and IL-17 in peripheral blood of ITP patients were increased (all P < 0.01), while the proportion of Treg cells and the level of TGF-β were decreased (all P < 0.01). The proportion of Th17 cells and the expression level of IL-17 and HMGB1 in peripheral blood of ITP patients were positively correlated with the concentration of HMGB1 (all P < 0.01); the proportion of Treg cells and the level of TGF-β were negatively correlated with the expression level of HMGB1 (all P < 0.01). In vitro experiments, the expression of intracellular RORγt mRNA was increased compared with the negative control group (1.50±0.24 vs. 0.93±0.22, t = 9.612, P < 0.01), and the expression of Foxp3 mRNA was decreased compared with the negative control group after the stimulation of PBMC by rhHMGB1 (0.72±0.19 vs. 1.08±0.18, t = 7.387, P < 0.01). Conclusion The high level of HMGB1 in the peripheral blood of ITP patients induces Th17/Treg imbalance and aggravates inflammatory reactions, which may be an important cause of ITP.

Objective To explore the evaluation value of serum Ghrelin and pleural effusion in patients with acute pancreatitis . Methods Eighty patients with acute pancreatitis treated in our hospital from February 2011 to February 2014 were divided into mild case group (31 patients) and severe case group (49 patients) according to the severity of the disease .Venous blood samples were collected at time point including :admission ,48h after admission and after discharge at empty stomach in the morning ,and CRP level ,WBC ,PCT level of patients were checked .The concentration of serum Ghrelin of patients were mensurated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and pleural effusion were diagnosed by sternum .Results Compared with the patients in the mild case group , serum Ghrelin ,CRP level ,APACHE score ,CT score and Ranson score were higher in the severe case group and the hospital day of patients in the severe case group was longer(P<0 .01) .The area under the curve of CRP level ,pleural effusion ,Ghrelin ,Ghrelin combined with pleural effusion of ROC were 0 .708 3 ,0 .749 6 ,0 .852 4 and 0 .910 8 .Ghrelin combined with pleural effusion has the best evaluation effect on the patients with acute pancreatitis .The sensibility ,specificity ,accuracy of CRP were 93 .6% ,69 .4% and 73 .7% ;the sensibility ,specificity ,accuracy of pleural effusion were 75 .2% ,88 .7% and 76 .8% ;the sensibility ,specificity ,accuracy of Ghrelin were 86 .9% ,88 .2% and 85 .3% ;the sensibility ,specificity ,accuracy of Ghrelin combined with pleural effusion were 90 .1% ,92 .6% and 91 .4% .Conclusion Serum Ghrelin and pleural effusion have high sensibility ,specificity and accuracy in pa‐tients with acute pancreatitis and has high clinical value .

Objective To explore the value of peripheral blood serum levels of PCT,CRP,TNF-α and free DNA of cells in predicting the development of MODS in patients with multiple trauma.Methods Complete detail clinical data of 54 casualties with multiple trauma admitted within 24 hours after accident from January 2011 through January 2012 were collected for retrospective study.The patients were divided into MODS group and non-MODS group according the criteria set forth by the Chinese Society of Critical Care and Emergency Medicine in 1995 national conference.The data of two groups are comparable,and data of another 20 healthy subjects undertaking routine annual physical examination were taken as control.The peripheral blood levels of PCT,CRP,TNF-α and free DNA of patients of two groups were determined 1 d,2 d,3 d,and 5 days after admission.Then the results were analyzed and compared between groups.Results Compared with non MODS group,the levels of PCT,CRP,free DNA of cells in MODS group were significantly higher (P ＜ 0.05),but there was no deference in TNF-α between MODS group and non-MODS group (P ＞ 0.05).When the relative risks of increased PCT (PCT≥6 mg/L),increased CRP (CRP≥ 130 mg/L)、and increased free DNA of cells (free DNA ≥ 10 0005/L) were analyzed,the presence of these 3 biomarkers with high levels occurred at the same time was the most accurate way to predicts MODS in 6.00 relative risk (RR),and the positive predictive value was 100％.Conclusions PCT,CRP,free DNA of cells could be the predictors of MODS in patients with severe multiple trauma,and the presence of high levels of these three biomarkers appearing together had high sensitivity and specificity for prediction.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of unilateral and bilateral percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) in the treatment of type IIIA acute symptomatic osteoporotic lumbar fracture (ASOLF).Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 117 patients with type IIIA ASOLF admitted to Honghui Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University from April 2016 to February 2018, including 32 males and 85 females, aged 60 to 88 years [(68.3±5.7)years]. Injury segments were located at L 1 in 35 patients, at L 2 in 38, at L 3 in 26 and at L 4 in 18. All patients were treated with PKP. A total of 61 patients were treated using the midpoint of the transverse process-articular process displacement as the puncture point (unilateral puncture group) and 56 patients were treated using the traditional "2" point and "10" point as the puncture point (bilateral puncture group). The operation time, amount of radiation exposure of patients and surgeons and bone cement injection volume were compared between the two groups. The Cobb angle, height of anterior edge of injured vertebrae, visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) were compared before operation, at day 1 after operation and at the final follow-up. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were observed. Results:All patients were followed up for 24-35 months [(26.3±4.7)months]. The operation time and amount of radiation exposure of patients were (20.4±5.6)minutes and (1.08±0.44)mSv in unilateral puncture group, significantly different from (37.5±9.2)minutes and (2.24±0.58)mSv in bilateral puncture group (all P<0.01). There were no significant differences in amount of radiation exposure of surgeons and bone cement injection volume between the two groups (all P>0.05). In unilateral puncture group and bilateral puncture group, the Cobb angle of fractured vertebrae at day 1 after operation [(22.4±10.7)°, (23.4±11.1)°] and at the final follow-up [(24.3±8.3)°, (23.5±9.5)°] was significantly decreased from that before operation [(29.6±9.7)°, (30.6±12.9)°] (all P<0.01); the height of anterior edge of injured vertebrae at day 1 after operation [(80.4±12.6)%, (78.8±11.9)%] and at the final follow-up [(79.3±10.7)%, (77.4±11.2)%] was significantly increased from that before operation [(65.7±6.3)%, (66.4±9.7)%] (all P<0.01); the VAS at day 1 after operation [(2.1±0.5)points, (2.3±1.1)points] and at the final follow-up [(1.9±0.8)points, (2.0±0.6)points] was significantly decreased from that before operation [(7.1±0.7)points, (7.2±0.9)points] (all P<0.01); the ODI at day 1 after operation (21.1±9.7, 22.9±7.9) and at the final follow-up (18.5±4.6, 19.8±9.4) was significantly decreased from that before operation (72.7±4.5, 73.1±3.7) (all P<0.01). While the above four parameters between the two groups had no significant differences at each time point, with no significant differences within each group at day 1 after operation and at the final follow-up (all P>0.05). There were 13 patients [21% (13/61)] with cement leakage in unilateral puncture group as compared to 18 patients [29% (18/56)] in bilateral puncture group ( P<0.05). There were 4 patients [7% (4/61)] with adjacent vertebral fracture in unilateral puncture group, similar to 5 patients [9% (5/56)] in bilateral puncture group ( P>0.05). The lower back pain caused by facet injury were noted in 8 patients [14% (8/56)] in bilateral puncture group who were relieved after 1 month of non-surgical treatment, but none occurred in unilateral puncture group ( P<0.01). Conclusions:Unilateral and bilateral PKP can obtain satisfactory clinical efficacy in the treatment of type IIIA ASOLF, but the former has advantages of shorter operation time, less radiation exposure and lower incidence of bone cement leakage and facet injury.

Objective:To investigate the early evaluation potential of serum levels of apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A1 (Apo B/A1), microtubule-associated protein 1-light chain 3 (MAP1-LC3) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in acute pancreatitis (AP) patients.Methods:A total of 413 AP patients who were treated at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University between January 2019 and August 2020 were enrolled. Serum samples were collected from AP patients within 24 h of admission. Patients were divided into the non-severe acute pancreatitis (Non-SAP, n=315) and severe acute pancreatitis (SAP, n=98) groups according to the severity of the disease. Sixty healthy controls were recruited. The differences of serum Apo B/A1, MAP1-LC3 and ICAM-1 among the three groups were compared by one-way analysis of variance, and the correlation between Apo B/A1, MAP1-LC3 and ICAM-1 and the severity of AP was analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. Sensitivity and specificity in assessing AP severity were predicted by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Results:The early levels of Apo B/A1, MAP1-LC3 and ICAM-1 were all significantly higher for AP patients than for healthy controls ( P<0.05), and the levels of Apo B/A1, MAP1-LC3 and ICAM-1 in SAP patients were significantly higher than those in non-SAP patients[Apo B/A1: 2.21±1.40 vs. (0.96±0.34); MAP1-LC3: 0.92±0.29 vs. (0.48±0.24) ng/mL and ICAM-1: (235.57±54.50 ) vs. (120.28±61.69)ng/mL; P<0.05]. Pearson correlation analysis showed that levels of Apo B/A1, MAP1-LC3 and ICAM-1 were positively correlated with the first Ranson score after admission ( P<0.05), and ICAM-1 showed the highest degree of correlation with AP severity ( r=0.519). Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) were 0.769 for Apo B/A1, 0.811 for MAP1-LC3, 0.828 for ICAM-1, and 0.938 for combined detection. Conclusions:Serum levels of Apo B/A1, MAP1-LC3 and ICAM-1 within 24 h after admission are significantly correlated with the severity of AP, which has clinical significance for early prediction of the severity of AP.

Objective:To test and evaluate the reliability and clinical effectiveness of osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture (OTLF) scoring and classification system.Methods:A multicenter retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 530 OTLF patients admitted to 8 hospitals including Honghui Hospital Affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 2021 to June 2022. There were 212 males and 318 females, aged 55-90 years [(72.6±10.8)years]. There were 4 patients with grade C and 18 with grade D according to American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) classification. According to the osteoporotic thoracolumbar injury classification and severity (OTLICS) score, all patients had an OTLICS score over 4 points and required surgical treatment. Among them, 410 patients had acute symptomatic OTLF (ASOTLF), including 24 patients with type I, 159 type IIA, 47 type IIB, 31 type IIC, 136 type IIIA, 8 type IIIB, 2 type IV (absence of neurological symptoms) and 3 type IV (presence of neurological symptoms), and 120 patients had chronic symptomatic OTLF (CSOTLF), including 62 patients with type I, 21 type II, 17 type III, 3 type IV (reducible under general anesthesia), 9 type IV (not reducible under general anesthesia), 1 type V (reducible under general anesthesia), 5 type V (presence of neurological symptoms), and 2 type V (not reducible under general anesthesia). Surgical procedures included percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP), positional repositioning plus PVP, percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP), posterior open reduction combined with bone graft fusion and bone cement augmented screw internal fixation, posterior open reduction combined with decompression, bone graft fusion and bone cement augmented screw internal fixation, and posterior open reduction combined with osteotomy and orthopedics, bone graft fusion and bone cement augmented screw internal fixation. A weighted Kappa was used to test the interobserver and intraobserver reliability of the OTLICS score, the ASOTLF classification, and the CSOTLF classification. The visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), ASIA classification were compared before, at 1 month after surgery and at the last follow-up. Incidence of postoperative complications was observed.Results:The percentage of mean interobserver agreement for OTLICS staging was 93.4%, with a mean confidence Kappa value of 0.86, and the percentage of mean intraobserver agreement was 93.0%, with a mean confidence kappa value of 0.86. The percentage of mean interobserver agreement for ASOTLF staging was 94.2%, with a mean confidence Kappa value of 0.84, and the percentage of mean intraobserver agreement was 92.5%, with a mean confidence Kappa value of 0.83. The percentage of mean interobserver agreement for CSOTLF subtyping was 91.9%, with a mean confidence Kappa value of 0.80, and the percentage of mean intraobserver agreement was 91.3%, with a mean confidence Kappa value of 0.81. All the patients were followed up for 6-12 months [(9.0±2.1)months]. The VAS and ODI scores were significantly lower in patients with ASOTLF and CSOTLF classifications at 1 month after surgery and at the last follow-up than those before surgery (all P<0.05). The VAS scores in patients with ASOTLF types IIA, IIB, IIC, IIIA, and IV were significantly lower at the last follow-up than that at 1 month after surgery; the ODI scores in patients with ASOTLF types I, IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB and IV were significantly lower at the last follow-up than those at 1 month after surgery. The VAS scores in patients with CSOTLF types II, III, IV, and V were significantly lower at the last follow-up than those at 1 month after surgery, and the ODI scores in patients with all CSOTLF types were significantly lower at the last follow-up than those at 1 month after surgery (all P<0.05). Two patients with ASIA grade C recovered to grade D, and the rest recovered to grade E at the last follow-up ( P<0.01). No major vessel or nerve injury or internal fixation failure was found during follow-up. There were 18 patients with cement leakage, none of whom showed relevant clinical symptoms. There were 35 patients with new vertebral fractures, all of whom recovered well after symptomatic treatment. Conclusions:The OTLICS score, ASOTLF classification and CSOTLF classification have a high degree of reliability. Application of stepwise treatment for patients with different levels of injury according to the scoring and classification system can reduce pain, promote recovery of the spinal function, and reduce complications, which is of some significance in guiding the selection of clinical treatment.

The effects of catechin on inflammatory response of BV-2 cells were investigated using the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) model. BV-2 cells were incubated with LPS (1 mg·L^-1) for 12 h in the microglia inflammatory model in vitro. After catechin and LPS co-incubation for 12 h, MTT, ELISA and Western blot were used to detect cell viability, cytokines, cell migration and protein expression. In addition, transwell assay was conducted to investigate the effect of catechin on cell chemokaxis. Catechin did not show any cytotoxicity effect on BV-2 cells, but reversed the change in cell morphology and inhibited the release of TNF-α and IL-1β, cell chemotaxis and phosphorylation of NF-κB/p65. In conclusion, Catechin could inhibit the LPS-induced inflammatory response in BV-2 cells.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of self-efficacy between self-management ability and self-management behavior and its differences among patients with different disease courses through mediation tests. METHODS: In the study, 489 patients with type 2 diabetes who attended the endocrinology departments of four hospitals in Shanxi Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from July to September 2022 were enrolled as the study population. They were investigated by General Information Questionnaire, Diabetes Self-Management Scale, Chinese version of Diabetes Empowerment Simplified Scale, and Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale. Mediation analyses were performed using the linear regression model, Sobel test, and Bootstrap test in the software Stata version 15.0 and divided the patients into different disease course groups for subgroup analysis according to whether the disease course was > 5 years. RESULTS: In this study, the score of self-management behavior in the patients with type 2 diabetes was 6.16±1.41, the score of self-management ability was 3.99±0.74, and the score of self-efficacy was 7.05±1.90. The results of the study showed that self-efficacy was positively correlated with self-management ability (r=0.33) as well as self-management behavior (r=0.47) in the patients with type 2 diabetes (P < 0.01). The mediating effect of self-efficacy accounted for 38.28% of the total effect of self-management ability on self-management behaviors and was higher in the behaviors of blood glucose monitoring (43.45%) and diet control (52.63%). The mediating effect of self-efficacy accounted for approximately 40.99% of the total effect for the patients with disease course ≤ 5 years, while for the patients with disease course > 5 years, the mediating effect accounted for 39.20% of the total effect. CONCLUSION Self-efficacy enhanced the effect of self-management ability on the behavior of the patients with type 2 diabetes, and this positive effect was more significant for the patients with shorter disease course. Targeted health education should be carried out to enhance patients' self-efficacy and self-management ability according to their disease characteristics, to stimulate their inner action, to promote the development of their self-management behaviors, and to form a more stable and long-term mechanism for disease management.
Humans ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/therapy* ; Self Efficacy ; Self-Management ; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring ; Blood Glucose ; Self Care

Objective: Several COVID-19 patients have overlapping comorbidities. The independent role of each component contributing to the risk of COVID-19 is unknown, and how some non-cardiometabolic comorbidities affect the risk of COVID-19 remains unclear. Methods: A retrospective follow-up design was adopted. A total of 1,160 laboratory-confirmed patients were enrolled from nine provinces in China. Data on comorbidities were obtained from the patients' medical records. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio ( Results: Overall, 158 (13.6%) patients were diagnosed with severe illness and 32 (2.7%) had unfavorable outcomes. Hypertension (2.87, 1.30-6.32), type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (3.57, 2.32-5.49), cardiovascular disease (CVD) (3.78, 1.81-7.89), fatty liver disease (7.53, 1.96-28.96), hyperlipidemia (2.15, 1.26-3.67), other lung diseases (6.00, 3.01-11.96), and electrolyte imbalance (10.40, 3.00-26.10) were independently linked to increased odds of being severely ill. T2DM (6.07, 2.89-12.75), CVD (8.47, 6.03-11.89), and electrolyte imbalance (19.44, 11.47-32.96) were also strong predictors of unfavorable outcomes. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease on admission (5.46, 3.25-9.19), while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes (6.58, 1.46-29.64) within two weeks. Conclusion Besides hypertension, diabetes, and CVD, fatty liver disease, hyperlipidemia, other lung diseases, and electrolyte imbalance were independent risk factors for COVID-19 severity and poor treatment outcome. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease, while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes.
Adult ; Aged ; COVID-19/virology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome