Objective To detect the tissue stiffness of liver lesions by using acoustic radiation force impulse imaging (ARFI) and to evaluate the clinical value on the characteristics of liver lesions.Methods ARFI was perforrned in 91 patients with 103 liver lesions (56 benign,48 malignant).Tbe elastographic images of virtual touch tissue imaging (VTI) and the values of virtual touch tissue quantification (VTQ) were analyzed.The area under the curve and cutoff value for VTQ value were used to assess diagnostic performance.Results On the elastographic images of VTI,79.17 ％ (31/55) malignant liver lesions and 56.36 ％ (38/48) benign liver lesions appeared stiffer compared with the surrounding liver parenchyma.There was statistical difference between malignant and benign liver lesions (x2 =0.627,P ＜ 0.01).The VTQ values of malignant and benign liver lesions were (2.64±0.65) m/s and (1.72±0.39) m/s,respectively,and there was statistical difference between them (t =8.638,P ＜ 0.01).With a cutoff value of 2.10 m/s for VTQ value,the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis for liver malignancy were 83.3 ％ and 81.8 ％,respectively.Conclusion ARFI can provide information of the tissue stiffuess in live lesions,which is helpful in the differentiation between benign and malignant liver lesions and might become the imaging modality in the future.

Objective To evaluate the strength of tobacco control at or below county-level governments of Zhejiang Province,to explore the strategies and measures on tobacco control,and promote a smoke-free government.Methods By multistage stratified random sampling method,12 government ageucies were selected in 4 counties.The information of tobacco control strength and smoke-free environment creation was collected by interview and field observation,and the scores were calculated by using the percentage assignment method.An intercept suuvey was carried out in four counties and there were 405 civil servants under investigation.The data were analyzed by frequency statistic and correlation analysis.Results The smoking rate of civil servants was 17.8％,and the secondhand smoking rate was 61.9％;84.7％ of civil servants adnmitted the harm of smoking and 96.8％ admitted the harm of secondhand smoking.Support for forbidding the cigarette advertisements was highest and increasing the cigarette price was the weakest.The scores of smoke-free environment creation of project counties showed that the average score was 50.60,Zhuji and Luqiao got a maximum score of 57.14,Haiyan got a minimum score of 42.86.The scores of tobacco control strength showed that the average score was 82.35,Zhuji got a maximum score of 92.16,followed by Luqiao,Jiande and Haiyan counties,82.35,80.39 and 74.51 respectively.The scores of tobacco control strength,include policy,political will,capacity,and tobacco control efforts were the highest in Zhuji county.The results of correlation analysis showed that the total score of tobacco control strength had significant association with the score of smoke-free environment creation,smoking rate of civil servants,and approval rate of anti smoking in public places (P＜0.05).Conclusion The overall situation of tobacco control strength at or below county-level governments of Zhejiang province is good,but there is a relative shortage of smoke-free environment creation.Civil servants master the knowledge related to tobacco and support tobacco control policy.We should further promote the construction of smoke-free government.More effective smoking control measures should be conducted in order to raise the strength of tobacco control and finally implement the tobacco control legislation.

Objective To understand the prevalence of tobacco use among college students in different populations by sex,age and major,and to provide evidence for smoking control and health decision.Methods A total of 4 638 college students selected in 21 colleges through stratified multi-stage cluster sampling from Zhejiang Province were surveyed by using questionnaire analysis.Indicators such as tried smoking,current smoking,and secondhand smoke exposure,etc.,were calculated by weight on age proportions from the numbers of college students in Zhejiang.Results The prevalence of tried smoking and currcut smoking among college students were 29.72％ and 10.57％,respectively.The prevalence of tried smoking was 46.52％ for men,18.25％ for women;28.57％ for undergraduate,31.53％ for junior college;the prevalence of current smoking was 18.86％ for men,3.86％ for women;8.88％ for undergraduate,13.23％ for junior college students.The snoking rate in college students increased with age,the group of ≥21 Years was the highest (37.87％,16.09％).The lowest level of smoking was medical student (21.76％,2.19％).The prevalence of secondhand smoke exposure in outdoor and indoor places,and dormitory among students were 65.49％,60.33％,and 23.66％,respectively.In the past 30 days,college students have seen tobacco advertisement (47.38％),smoking scenes (60.20％),and got tobacco related gifts (10.40％),free tobacco products (8.93％);college students have seen information about tobacco control (60.50％),cigarette pack warning labels (58.45％),and learned the tobacco knowledge in class in the past 12 months (14.03％).Conclusion Current prevalence of smoking in college students in Zhejiang province remained at a high level,the rate of secondhand smoke exposure is high and in college students there was lack of tobacco control education in class.The results indicated that the policy about tobacco control in school was not enough and the task of health promotion should be taken more arduously.

Objective:To investigate the differences in the expression levels of miR-196a-5p and miR-105-5p in serum of patients with benign and malignant pulmonary nodules and their diagnostic value of malignant pulmonary nodules.Methods:The expression levels of miRNAs in cancer tissues of lung adenocarcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma and paracancerous tissues in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were analyzed, and the miRNAs with significantly different expression levels in cancer tissues and paracancerous tissues were selected as target miRNAs. A total of 72 patients with pulmonary nodules admitted to Weifang People′s Hospital of Shandong Province from June 2019 to July 2020 were selected. The expression levels of target miRNAs in serum of patients with pulmonary nodules were detected by qRT-PCR. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare the diagnostic value of target miRNAs with tumor markers Cyfra21-1, NSE and CEA in malignant pulmonary nodules.Results:After screening, the target miRNAs were identified as miR-196a-5p and miR-105-5p. Twenty-six patients in the benign pulmonary nodules group and 46 patients in the malignant pulmonary nodules group were included. The levels of serum miR-196a-5p [ M ( P25, P75)] in the benign and malignant nodules group were 0.63 (0.09, 2.15) and 1.93(0.93, 4.97) respectively, and the levels of miR-105-5p in the two groups were 2.03 (0.54, 7.95) and 10.65 (5.94, 18.39) respectively. Compared with the benign pulmonary nodules group, the levels of serum miR-196a-5p and miR-105-5p in the malignant pulmonary nodules group were increased, and there were statistically significant differences ( Z=-3.083, P=0.002; Z=-4.092, P<0.001). The levels of serum Cyfra21-1 in the benign and malignant pulmonary nodules group were 2.48 (1.84, 3.78) and 2.20 (1.47, 3.32) μg/L respectively, the levels of serum NSE in the two groups were 15.58 (12.45, 18.95) and 14.43 (12.07, 17.87) μg/L respectively, and the levels of serum CEA in the two groups were 1.16 (0.55, 2.11) and 1.17 (0.61, 1.68) μg/L respectively. There were no significant differences in serum Cyfra21-1, NSE and CEA between the benign and malignant pulmonary nodules group ( Z=-1.161, P=0.246; Z=-0.305, P=0.761; Z=-0.271, P=0.786). The area under the curve (AUC) of the combination of miR-196a-5p and miR-105-5p for the diagnosis of malignant pulmonary nodules was 0.762 (sensitivity 89.1%, specificity 61.5%), which was higher than the value of the combination of Cyfra21-1, NSE and CEA for the diagnosis of malignant pulmonary nodules (AUC=0.591, sensitivity 58.7%, specificity 64.5%). Conclusion:The combination of serum miR-196a-5p and miR-105-5p can assist in the diagnosis of malignant pulmonary nodules and has higher diagnostic value.

Objective To develop a simple high-resolution melting ( HRM) analysis method for differentiation of Pc and P2 variants in class 1 integron.Methods DNA fragments containing Pc and P2 variants were amplified from plasmids pACW ( PcW ) and pACWP2 ( PcW-P2 ) respectively , then these purified PCR products and P 2 promoters were analyed full-length amplicon by HRM .Eight DNA fragments containing different Pc promoters were amplified and site-specific mutated from plasmids pACS ( PcS ) , pACH2 ( PcH2 ) , pACH1 ( PcH1 ) , pACW ( PcW ) , genomic DNA of Klebsiellar pneumonia HS07-68 (PcWTGN-10)and HS05-1792(PcH2TGN-10)respectively.The purified PCR products and eight Pc variants were characterized by HRM analyses of an unlabeled probe and full-length amplicon.This assay was applied to the differentiate Pc and P2 variants in 109 class 1 integrons from 95 urine clinical Escherichia coli isolates in Huashan Hospital during 2004 -2007.The differentiation results were compared with that determined by direct sequencing .Results P2 promoter with a significant higher melting temperature ( Tm ) can be identified by HRM analysis clearly .P2 promoters were identified in 2 class 1 integrons and consistent with direct sequencing results .Eight Pc variants were classified into three groups: PcS, PcSTGN-10 , PcW, PcWTGN-10, PcH1, PcH1TGN-10.Using direct HRM analysis.PcH2, PcH2TGN-10 were classified into four groups:PcS, PcH1, PcH2, PcW, PcSTGN-10 , PcH1TGN-10 , PcH2TGN-10 , PcWTGN-10 according to the melting curves of the unlabeled probe .Combined the HRM analyses of the whole amplicon and unlabeled probe , the eight Pc variants can be differentiated from each other .Five different Pc variants, PcS, PcW, PcH1, PcH2TGN-10 and PcWTGN-10 , were identified and consistent with direct sequencing results .Conclusions This developed a simple Pc and P 2 variants differentiation method via simultaneous HRM analyses of an unlabeled probe and full-length amplicon .This method is cost-effective and accurate , could be used in differentiation of Pc and P2 variants of class 1 integrons in clinical isolates .

Objective To investigate the protective effect of Ebselen on mitochondrial damage and its influence to Cytochrome C expression and the neuronal apoptosis after spinal cord injury in rats. Methods Sixty adult SD rats were ran-domly divided into 5 groups (12 each group). Spinal cord injury model was made using Allen's method. Sham operation group received only laminectomy;SCI group received laminectomy and spinal trauma;Saline group received saline injection intraperitoneally (0.1%DMSO) after injury;methylprednisolone group received 30 mg/kg methylprednisolone injection intra-peritoneally, ebselen group received 10 mg/kg ebselen injection intraperitoneally. The malonaldehyde (MDA) and glutathi-one (GSH)level at the injured sites of the spinal cord were detected 24 hours after trauma, and the expression level of Cyto-chrome C was also observed. Finally, neuronal apoptosis was identified by TUNEL staining. Results MDA level in the Eb-selen group was significantly lower than that in the SCI group, and GSH level was significantly elevated in the Ebselen group compared with SCI group (P<0.01). Expression of Cytochrome C in Ebselen group was lower than that in SCI group shown by Western blot, and the neuronal apoptosis in Ebselen group reduced significantly too compared with SCI group (P<0.01). Conclusion Ebselen can alleviate peroxidation,prohibit expression of Cytochrome C and inhibit neuronal apoptosis,thus it shows a protective effect to experimental acute SCI.

Objective To investigate the effects of hydrogen sulfide on autophagy and the apoptosis after acute spinal cord injury in rats. Methods Thirty-six adult male SD rats (250-300 g) were randomly divided into three groups (n=12 for each group):sham operation group (Sham group), spinal cord injury group (Model group) and hydrogen sulfide pre-treatment group (H2S group). Allen’s method was used to establish the rat model of spinal cord injury. Rats of sham operation group re?ceived only laminectomy. Rats of H2S group received sodium hydrosulphide injection intraperitoneally (50μmol/kg) 1h after spinal cord injury, and Model group was given the same amount of saline solution. Rats in the three groups were sacrificed 24 h after spinal cord injury, then the spinal cord was removed. The expressions of LC3, p70S6K and Cleaved caspase-3 were detected by Western blot assay. The expression of LC3 was also detected by immunofluorescence. The cell apoptosis was as?sessed by TUNEL stain. Results Compared with Sham group, the expression levels of LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰand Cleaved caspase-3 were increased in Model group, but the expression of p70S6K decreased and cell apoptosis increased in Model group (P<0.01). Compared with Model group, the expression levels of LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰand Cleaved caspase-3 were decreased significant?ly, while the expression of p70S6K increased and cell apoptosis decreased significantly in H2S group (P < 0.01). Conclu?sion Hydrogen sulfide can inhibit autophagy and reduce cell apoptosis after acute spinal cord injury in rats.

Objective To assess the effectiveness of iterative metal artifact reduction (IMAR) on metal artifacts reduction in thorax scan.Methods Thoracic phantom with two pedicle screws implanted in both sides of the T5 vertebrae was used,with the scan parameters of 130 kV and CARE Dose 4D,the phantom was scanned with and without the screws respectively.Images without screws were reconstructed with FBP.Images with screws were reconstructed with FBP and IMAR respectively.Three ROIs were selected on tissues including aorta,pulmonary and paravertebral soft tissue on image slice adjacent to the screws.The CT value and standard deviations (noise) of ROIs were measured,and the deviation of CT value (△HU) was calculated as the difference between CT values in images with and without screws.Twenty-six cases who received chest CT examination and with pedicle screw implant in scanning range were collected.The scanning parameters and image reconstruction methods were the same as phantom scan.The CT value (HU) of metal artifacts adjacent to vertebrae and dorsal soft tissue was measured,and the image quality of reconstructed image by two skilled radiologists independently was evaluated.Results In the phantom after implanted screws,the noise were significantly reduced by IMAR compared to FBP in all the three ROIs of aorta,pulmonary and paravertebral soft tissue (P＜0.05),and the △HU was significantly smaller in IMAR compared to that with FBP (P＜0.01).In 26 patients,there were significant differences in CT value of vertebral bone tissue and dorsal soft tissue between FBP and IMAR (P＜0.05),and the subjective evaluation scores of the two image reconstruction methods showed a statistically significant difference (P＜0.05).Conclusion IMAR can significantly reduce streak artifacts of metal implant and adjuste the CT values of artifact affected tissues to make it more close to the true value without metal implant.

Objective To investigate the effects of edaravone (EDA) on cell apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticu?lum stress (ESR) after spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats. Methods Thirty-six healthy adult SD rats were randomly divided in?to three groups (12 rats for each group):Sham group, SCI group and EDA group. The rat model of SCI was made by Allen’s method and the sham group was only received laminectomy and kept the spinal cord intact. Rats in sham group and SCI group accepted the same volume and frequency of saline injection as EDA group. The EDA group was given 10 mg/kg EDA once every 12 h intraperitoneally. Three days after injuring, the spinal cords were harvested, and the protein levels of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), Cleaved caspase-12 and Cleaved caspase-3 were detected by Western blot assay. Immunofluo?rescence staining was used to analyze the positive ratio of caspase-12 and CHOP in spinal cord of three groups. Meanwhile, TUNEL staining was used to identify cell apoptosis of spinal cord. Results Compared with sham group, the protein levels of CHOP, Cleaved caspase-12 and Cleaved caspase-3 were obviously higher in SCI group (P<0.01);the proportion of Cas?pase-12 and CHOP positive cells was significantly increased (P<0.01), and the apoptotic rates were also significantly in?creased in spinal cord (P<0.01). However, compared with SCI group, the protein levels of CHOP , Cleaved caspase-12 and Cleaved caspase-3 were significantly decreased in EDA group (P<0.01);the proportion of Caspase-12 and CHOP positive cells was significantly reduced (P<0.01), and the apoptotic rates were also significantly decreased in spinal cord (P<0.01). Conclusion EDA has neuroprotective potential to spinal cord injury. The mechanism of its neuroprotective effect may asso?ciate with its inhibitory effect to the cell apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress after SCI.

Objective To study the effect of Exendin-4 on oxidative stress and neural apoptosis following spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods Adult male SD rats, with weight between 200-250 g, were randomly divided into three groups (12 in each group):Sham group, SCI group and Exendin-4 group (Ex-4 group). Rats in Sham group achieved spinal cord exposure. SCI group and Ex-4 group were induced according to Allen′s test (using a weight-drop device). Rats in Ex-4 group were ad?ministrated with Exendin-4 (10 μg/rat) through intraperitoneal injection immediately after establishment of SCI models. Rats in Sham group and SCI group were given the same volume of normal saline solution instead. Level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activity of catalase (CAT) were assessed in spinal cord tissues 24 hour after drug administrations. Neural apoptosis was detected by TUNEL staining and the expression levels of caspase-9 and AIF were determined using Western blot. Results Compared with Sham group, the levels of MDA, caspase-9 and AIF as well as neuronal apoptosis rate in?creased obviously, while activity of CAT decreased markedly in SCI group(P<0.01). Compared with SCI group, the levels of MDA, caspase-9 and AIF as well as the neuronal apoptosis rate decreased obviously, while activity of CAT increased re?markably in Exendin-4 group(P < 0.01). Conclusion Exendin-4 restrain neural apoptosis following spinal cord injury through relieving oxidative damage.