Objective To investigate the clinical application of iodine-enhanced image of dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) in distinguishing benign and malignant thyroid nodules.Methods Thirty patients with thyroid nodules underwent DSCT imaging with dual-source computed tomography.All thyroid nodules were confirmed by operation or biopsy.Iodine concentration in the thyroid nodule and normal thyroid tissue were calculated and not enhanced.A receiver operator characteristic curve in SPSS software was utilized to select critical value of optimum sensitivity and specificity.The data were retrospectively analyzed.Results There were 30 patients with 40 thyroid nodules (17 malignant nodules,23 benign nodules).The range of iodine concentration in malignant nodules was -2.4-0.9 mg/ml(median-0.5 mg/ml),and that in normal thyroid tissue was-0.9-2.2 mg/ml (median 0.7 mg/ml).The range of iodine concentration in benign nodules was 1.5-4.4 mg/ml(median 2.4 mg/ml),and that in normal thyroid tissue was 1.5-4.3 mg/ml (median 2.6 mg/ml).Among them,the iodine concentration in the solid part of benign nodules was significantly higher than that in malignant nodules,the difference was statistically significant(Z=-3.23,P=0.21).When critical value was 0.15 mg/ml,sensitivity was 82.40％,specificity was 81.00％.Conclusion Iodine-enhanced images with DSCT in non-enhanced weighted images may be an implement tool for differential diagnosis of benign and malignant nodules of the thyroid gland.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of hesperidin ( HDN) on antioxidant ac-tivity in mice.Methods HDN scavenging free radicals was detected by spectrophotometry, inhibition of mitochondrial swelling was detected by pyrogallol autoxidation, and erythrocyte hemolysis was detected by Fe2+phenanthroline.The mice were fed with HDN at different concentrations (0, 80, 160, 320 mg/kg) by gastric gavage for 12 days.ELISA and spec-trophotometric methods were used to assay the amount of MDA in mouse liver and kidney tissues and the activity of antioxi-dant enzymes ( SOD, CAT, GSH-PX) , and the antioxidant enzyme gene mRNA expression was analyzed by RT-PCR.Re-sults Compared with the control group, the radical (· OH, O2 -· , DPPH· ) clearance rate was significantly increased in the HDN groups.There was a significant decrease of oxidative hemolysis of erythrocytes and mitochondrial swelling in vitro. MDA content in the mouse liver and kidney tissues and serum showed a decrease, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes ( SOD, CAT, GSH-PX) in the HDN group was significantly higher than that in the control group.There was an up-regula-tion of mRNA expression of antioxidant enzyme in mouse liver and kidney tissues.Conclusions The results showed that HDN can eliminate free radicals, reduce cell oxidative damage caused by free radicals, inhibit superoxide production, up-regulate antioxidant enzyme gene expression and enhance their enzyme activity, thus showing a good antioxidant effect.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the gene polymorphism cluster of differentiation 14 (CD14)-159C/T (rs2569190),and interleukin-8 (IL-8)-251A/ T (rs4073)and the susceptibility of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC),to clarify the influencing factors of susceptibility of NEC and to provide genetics theory basis for the research on the pathogenesis of NEC. Methods:Total 28 newborns with NEC and 41 newborns without NEC were selected.The amplification of peripheral blood DNA was conducted by PCR.The genotypic and allelic frequencies of CD14-159C/T and IL-8-251A/T of the patients were detected by Sanger DNA sequencing method. The relationship between them and the susceptibility of NEC was studied.Results:The distribution of genotypic frequencies of CD14-159C/T and IL-8-251A/T was consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P >0.05).There were no significant differences of the allelic and genotypic frequencies of CD14-159C/T,or genotypic frequencies of IL-8-251A/T between two groups (P >0.05).While in NEC group,the T allelic frequency of IL-8-251A/T site was higher than that in control group (χ2 = 4.184, P = 0.041, OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.03 - 4.46 ). Conclusion:The polymorphism of CD14-159C/T is irrelevant to the pathogeny of NEC,but T allelic frequency of IL-8-251A/T site might be related to the susceptibility of NEC.So T allele in IL-8-251A/T may be one of the danger factors of NEC.

Objective The expression and impaired function of ion channels might be one of the pathophysiological mecha -nisms responsible for diarrhea in inflammatory bowel disease ( IBD) .Proper animal model is the key to explore detailed pathophysiolog-ical process.The purpose of this study was to build a rat model of acute colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) in C57BL/6 mice and evaluate diarrhea-associated clinical , histological , pathological parameters and expressions of ion channel protein . Methods C57BL/6J mice of model group were treated with 4%DSS solution for 7 days to induce acute colitis.Mice body weight, stool moisture, stool consistency and the degree of hematochezia were recorded .The histopathological changes of mice colon specimens were observed visually and microcosmically, and the ion channel SLC26A3 protein was detected by Western Blot . Results All experimental mice survived.In the experiment, compared with control group , bloody diarrhea and weight lose occurred in model group , along with increased stool moisture ([73.30 ±8.31]% after experiment vs [44.32 ±6.42]% before experiment, P=0.004), and rapidly in-creased disease activity index (DAI) of acute colitis ([3.50 ±0.87] after experiment vs [1.0 ±0.00] before experiment, P=0.000).At the end of this experiment , compared with control group , the model group resulted in higher colonic damage score and pathological inflammation score (P=0.00, P=0.002), significantly shortened co-lon (P=0.00) and decreased expression of SLC26A3. Conclusion The intestinal mucosal injury and phenotypic features of 4%DSS-induced acute colitis are very similar to those of human ulcerative colitis .Impaired expression of intestinal ion transporter SLC26 A3 coexists with diarrhea in model group mice , and this model can support the research on mechanism of functional changes of ion channels in inflammatory diarrhea .

OBJETCTIVE:To establish a method for the content determination of ethacridine lactate in Compound ethacridine ointment. METHODS:HPLC was performed on the column of Agilent ZORBAX SB-C18 with mobile phase of 0.1% Octanesulfon-ic acid sodium solution-acetonitrile(70∶30,V/V)at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min,the detection wavelength was 270 nm,the column temperature was 30℃,and the injection volume was 10 μl. RESULTS:The linear range of ethacridine lactate was 10.002-50.010μg/ml(r=0.999 9);RSDs of precision,stability and reproducibility tests were less than 1%;recovery was 98.96%-100.36%(RSD=0.49%,n=9). CONCLUSIONS:The method is simple,accurate and reproducible,and can be used for content determina-tion of ethacridine lactate in Compound ethacridine ointment.

Objective:To investigate the current application of colonoscopy at hospitals in China.Methods:From November 2019 to January 2020, an online questionnaire survey was conducted among gastroenterologists and colonoscopists in hospitals of different levels. The contents of questionnaire survey included basic information of colonoscopy at the respondent′s hospital, protocols and patient education of bowel preparation, implementation of colonoscopy quality control, and colonoscopists′ understanding of polypectomy techniques and post-polypectomy follow-up.Results:A total of 236 valid questionnaires were collected, involving 187 hospitals, and 143 (76.5%) had an annual operation capacity of more than 5 000 cases. In terms of bowel preparation, split-dosed polyethylene glycol electrolyte powder (PEG) was the most commonly used (60.4%, 113/187) and the most common volume of PEG was 3 L (67.4%, 126/187). Verbal (90.9%, 170/187) and written (79.7%, 149/187) instructions were given more often than other methods for patient education of bowel preparation. Antifoaming agent was routinely used in 124 (66.3%) hospitals. In terms of quality control, only 11.5% (20/174) hospitals implemented all four measures. In terms of polypectomy techniques, 98.1% (203/207) colonoscopists chose hot snare polypectomy or endoscopic mucosal resection for lesions of diameter>1 cm, while options varied for lesions of diameter<1 cm. The interval of follow-up after polypectomy recommended by colonoscopists was shorter than that by guidelines.Conclusion:Several problems are found in the survey in the application of colonoscopy in China, i. e., patient education of bowel preparation is not diversified; quality control of colonoscopy still needs to be strengthened; polypectomy techniques and follow-up after polypectomy need to be further standardized.

Objective: To compare the application of iASSIST assisted total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and three-dimentional(3D) printing personal specific instrument (PSI) assist TKA in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: Clinical data of 47 patients with OA admitted at Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in Nanjing Medical University Nanjing Hospital between April and September 2016 were retrospectively reviewed, including 20 males and 27 females, aging from 57 to 77 years with mean age of (63.8±8.2) years. They were randomly divided into iASSIST-TKA group (23 patients) and PSI-TKA group (24 patients). The data such as hip knee ankle (HKA) angle, frontal femoral component (FFC) angle, frontal tibial component (FTC) angle, lateral femoral component (LFC) angle, lateral tibial component (LTC) angle, time of operation, post-operative wound drainage, period of hospitalization, visual analog scale (VAS) and Knee Society Score (KSS) at 1 day, 7 days, 14 days, 1 month and 3 months were recorded and compared between the two groups. T test was used to compare measurement data, Fisher exact test and χ² test were applied to enumeration data in comparison among groups, and Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to ranked data. Results: The deviation values of HKA, FFC, LFC, FTC and LTC angles were all below 3°(-2° to 2°), and there were no significant difference between iASSIST-TKA group and PSI-TKA group (Z=-0.610 to 0.000, P=0.542 to 1.000). Compared to PSI-TKA group, the time of operation was long((80.7±8.8) minutes vs.(60.2±7.8) minutes), the amount of post-operative wound drainage was increased((210.7±32.1) ml vs.(185.5±30.2)ml) and the period of hospitalization decreased((5.4±2.4) d vs.(6.7±1.6) d) in iASSIST-TKA group, there were significant difference(t=-2.190 to 8.460, P=0.000 to 0.033). There were no significant difference in intra-operative blood drainage((18.4±5.4) ml vs.(17.3±6.2) ml) between the two groups(t=0.650, P=0.521). PSI-TKA group had a superior VAS score(4.8±0.6 vs. 5.5±0.9, 3.6±0.8 vs. 4.3±0.9), KSS clinical score(49.3±5.5 vs. 44.2±6.4, 54.9±4.0 vs. 50.8±4.2) and KSS function score(44.1±2.9 vs. 41.2±3.5, 49.6±3.8 vs. 46.6±3.2) in 1 day and 7 days post-operation(t=-3.420 to 3.150, P=0.001 to 0.007). There were no significant difference in VAS and KSS score in 14 days, 1 month and 3 months post-operation(t=-1.390 to 0.530, P=0.170 to 1.000) between the two groups. Conclusions The iASSIST-TKA and PSI-TKA can help to make TKA procedure more accurately. iASSIST-TKA may take longer time of operation and have slower recovery, PSI-TKA may need more X-ray input and longer period of hospitalization. The long-term research of both techniques may be valuable for the further clinical usage.

ObjectiveTo explore the efficacy and predictive indicators of stellate ganglion block （SGB） as an adjunctive intervention for chronic subjective tinnitus and accumulate experience for the application of SGB in the clinical treatment of tinnitus. MethodsA retrospective review was conducted on the data of chronic subjective tinnitus patients who received SGB intervention， with unsatisfactory outcomes otherwise. Pure tone audiometry （PTA）， tinnitus loudness evaluation and Pittsburgh sleep quality index （PSQI） were used. The tinnitus handicap inventory （THI） scores were compared before and after SGB intervention. Correlation analysis and linear regression equations were employed to identify the potential indicators predicting the effectiveness of SGB intervention. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 24.0 software. ResultsBy April 2023， a total of 107 patients with chronic subjective tinnitus had undergone SGB intervention， including 67 male and 40 female， with a mean age of （45.32±11.40） years old and an average tinnitus history of （20.32±24.64） months ［16 （12~20）］. Only 7 patients （6.54%） quitted the intervention for personal reasons， which demonstrated good compliance with the intervention. No patients experienced adverse reactions such as infection at the injection site， hematoma， nerve injury， local anesthetic intoxication and so on， which revealed good safety. After SGB intervention， THI scores decreased to below 36 points in 77 patients and decrease by 10 points or more in 12 of the remaining patients， with a total effective rate of 89%. A paired sample t-test showed a significant difference in THI scores before and after SGB intervention （t=15.575， P<0.001）， indicating good improvement. Pearson correlation analysis suggested that pre-intervention THI scores and subjective tinnitus loudness were significantly positively correlated with the improvement level of THI scores （P<0.05）. Further stepwise linear regression analysis found that "pre-intervention THI scores" had statistical significance （P<0.001）， with a regression coefficient of 0.308， predicting a 17.4% improvement level in THI scores. ConclusionsDue to its good and safe short-term effects， SGB intervention can be used as a supplementary option for chronic subjective tinnitus when other interventions are not ideal， especially for patients with higher THI scores. However， further research is needed to clarify the long-term efficacy and underlying mechanisms， in order to establish a more solid theoretical basis for SGB intervention in the treatment of subjective tinnitus.

BACKGROUNDDiarrhea is a common clinical feature of ulcerative colitis resulting from unbalanced intestinal fluid and salt absorption and secretion. The Cl(-)/HCO3(-) exchanger SLC26A3 is strongly expressed in the mid-distal colon and plays an essential role in colonic Cl(-) absorption and HCO3(-) secretion. Slc26a3 expression is up-regulated by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in vitro. Our study was designed to investigate the effects of LPA on SLC26A3 expression and the diarrheal phenotype in a mouse colitis model.

METHODSColitis was induced in C57BL/6 mice by adding 4% of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) to the drinking water. The mice were assigned to LPA treatment DSS group, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) treatment DSS group, DSS only group and untreated mice with a completely randomized design. Diarrhea severity was evaluated by measuring mice weight, disease activity index (DAI), stool water content and macroscopic evaluation of colonic damage. The effect of LPA treatment on Slc26a3 mRNA level and protein expression in the different groups of mice was investigated by quantitative PCR and Western blotting.

RESULTSAll mice treated with DSS lost weight, but the onset and severity of weight loss was attenuated in the LPA treatment DSS group. The increases in stool water content and the macroscopic inflammation score in LPA treatment DSS group were significantly lower compared to DSS control group or PBS treatment DSS group ((18.89±8.67)% vs. (28.97±6.95)% or (29.48±6.71)%, P = 0.049, P = 0.041, respectively and 2.67±0.81 vs. 4.5±0.83 or 4.5±0.54, P = 0.020, P = 0.006, respectively), as well as the increase in DAI (P = 0.004, P = 0.008, respectively). LPA enema resulted in higher Slc26a3 mRNA and protein expression levels compared to PBS-treated and untreated DSS colitis mice.

CONCLUSIONLPA increases Slc26a3 expression in the inflamed intestine and reduces diarrhea severity in DSS-induced colitis, suggesting LPA might be a therapeutic strategy in the treatment of colitis associated diarrhea.

Animals ; Antiporters ; genetics ; metabolism ; Colitis ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Colon ; immunology ; metabolism ; Dextran Sulfate ; pharmacology ; Dextrans ; pharmacology ; Diarrhea ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Female ; Immunoblotting ; Intestines ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Lysophospholipids ; therapeutic use ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) in mediating the protective effect of gastrodin against oxidative stress damage in H9c2 cardiac myocytes. METHODS: H9c2 cardiac myocytes were treated with HO, gastrodin, gastrodin+HO, cyclosporin A (CsA), or CsA+gas+HO group. MTT assay was used to detect the survival ratio of H9c2 cells, and flow cytometry with Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining was used to analyze the early apoptosis rate after the treatments. The concentration of ATP and level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cells were detected using commercial kits. The mitochondrial membrane potential of the cells was detected with laser confocal microscopy. The expression of cytochrome C was detected with Western blotting, and the activity of caspase-3 was also assessed in the cells. RESULTS: Gastrodin pretreatment could prevent oxidative stress-induced reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential, and this effect was inhibited by the application of CsA. Gastrodin significantly lowered the levels of ROS and apoptosis-related factors in HO-exposed cells, and such effects were reversed by CsA. CsA significantly antagonized the protective effect of gastrodin against apoptosis in HO-exposed cells. CONCLUSIONS Gastrodin prevents oxidative stress-induced injury in H9c2 cells by inhibiting mPTP opening to reduce the cell apoptosis.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; analysis ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Benzyl Alcohols ; antagonists & inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Caspase 3 ; analysis ; Cell Line ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Cyclosporine ; pharmacology ; Cytochromes c ; analysis ; Glucosides ; antagonists & inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; antagonists & inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; drug effects ; Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins ; physiology ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; analysis