Objective:To screen the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)under high phosphate-induced calcification in the vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs)by mRNA high-throughput sequencing technology,and to analyze the key genes and signaling pathways involved in the VSMCs calcification.Methods:The human VSMCs were divided into control group and model group.The cells in model group was exposed to the high-phosphate medium,while the cells in control group were cultured in DMEM supplemented with 10%fetal bovine serum under the same conditions.The VSMCs in two groups,stably transfected,were cultured for 12 d.The morphology of the cells in two groups were observed and photographed under inverted microscope.The DEGs were selected by Hisat2 software,and Gene Ontology(GO)functional and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)signaling pathway enrichment analysis were performed by Stringtie software from three aspects,such as biological processes(BP),molecular functions(MF),and cellular components(CC).The calcification of the cells in two groups was observed by Von Kossa staining method.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)method was used to analyze the expression levels of alkaline phosphatase(ALP),bone morphogenetic protein 2(BMP2),alpha-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),tumor protein 53(Tp53),glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4),ferritin light chain 1(Ftl1),and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D1(GPLD1)mRNA in the cells in two groups.Results:Compared with control group,there were 2 524 DEGs in the cells in model group,and there were 1 368 upregulated DEGs and 1 156 downregulated DEGs.Clustering of DEGs between the cells in two groups was distinct.The GO functional and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis results showed that the upregulated DEGs were primarily involved in regulating the microtubule cytoskeleton,cell polarity,protein localization,and cell cycle regulation among BPs;in constructing cell membrane,microtubule organization,chromosomes,and kinetochore among CCs;and functioning in phosphatidylinositol phosphate,Rho GTPase protein binding,transmembrane transport,and protein kinase regulatory activity among MFs.Downregulated DEGs were mainly involved in cytoplasmic translation,protein membrane localization,mRNA metabolism,and protein endoplasmic reticulum localization among BPs;in forming ribosome subunits,cell membrane,and autophagy among CCs;and functioning in single-stranded DNA,ribonucleoprotein complex,growth factor binding,regulating protein kinase activity,and catalytic activity among MFs.Seven signaling pathways were significantly enriched in upregulated genes,most notably in the biosynthesis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol(GPI)anchors;whereas 18 signaling pathways were significantly enriched in the downregulated genes,most notably in ferroptosis.The RT-qPCR results showed that compared with control group,the expression levels of GPX4,Ftl1,and Tp53 mRNA in the cells in model group were significantly decreased(P<0.01),while the expression level of GPLD1 mRNA was significantly increased(P<0.01);compared with control group,the expression level of α-SMA mRNA in the cells in model group was significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the expression levels of ALP and BMP2 mRNA were significantly increased(P<0.01).Conclusion:The VSMCs underwent calcification and normal cells exhibit the DEGs.The key signaling pathways in the calcification induced by high phosphate in the VSMCs include ferroptosis and GPI anchor biosynthesis,mediated primarily through GPX4,Ftl1,Tp53,and GPLD1.

One case of suppurative acromioclavicular arthritis caused by Staphylococcus aureuswas reported. The patient was admitted to hospital due to swelling and pain in the right shoulder, limited mobility without no obvious cause.Through medical history, physical examination, imaging examination, and local tissue bacterial culture, it was confirmed that the infection was caused by Staphylococcus aureus. After surgery and anti infection treatment, satisfactory treatment results were achieved. Through literature review, 95 cases of suppurative acromioclavicular arthritis were retrieved and analyzed from 57 articles.Among them, 26 cases (27%) were infected with Staphylococcus aureus, including 3 cases of clearly identified methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, 2 cases of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, and 1 case of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis; 13 cases (14%) of Streptococcus; There were 6 cases (6%) of special pathogens, including 2 cases of Haemophilus parainfluenzae, 1 case of Candida, 1 case of Bacillus pallidum, 1 case of Mycobacterium avium, and 1 case of Pasteurella multocida; 50 cases (53%) of specific infections with pathogens were not clearly reported. Suppurative acromioclavicular arthritis has the characteristics of difficult early diagnosis, rapid disease progression, and strong destructiveness. MRI and ultrasound have high specificity and sensitivity in the diagnosis of this disease, and ultrasound can assist in obtaining joint fluid for examination. Early identification of the pathogen is the key to the treatment of this disease. Before identifying the pathogen, antibiotics should not be used arbitrarily. After diagnosis, timely anti infection treatment should be carried out, and if necessary, surgical debridement should be performed. The vast majority of patients can achieve satisfactory and accurate treatment results after active and standardized treatment.

Geriatric depression in the elderly is becoming one of the most common psychiatric disorders affecting older people's mental and physical health.However, there is currently no systematic review on animal models for geriatric depression.Therefore, this paper analyzes and summarizes the animal models commonly used in geriatric depression studies and the application of antidepressants in geriatric depression models based on relevant national and international literature of recent years, aiming to provide insights on research approaches and considerations on study methods for geriatric depression.

Objective:To compare positional and volumetric differences between the gross target volumes (GTV) delineated on three-dimensional CT (3D-CT) referencing 18F-FDG PET/CT and the GTV on the deformed image derived from 3D-CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT for primary thoracic esophageal cancer (EC). Methods:Seventy-two patients underwent chemoradiotherapy were enrolled. All the patients sequentially underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT scans for diagnosis and 3D-CT scans for simulation. The GTV 3D was delineated on 3D-CT without referencing 18F-FDG PET/CT. The GTV PET-ref was delineated on 3D-CT referencing 18F-FDG PET/CT. The GTV PET-regwas delineated on the deformed image derived from 3D-CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT by MIM deformable registration software. The differences in position, volume, length, conformity index (CI), and degree of inclusion (DI) of target volumes were compared, respectively. Results:The median volume of GTV 3D, GTV PET-ref, GTV PET-reg were 44.90, 40.36 and 41.15 cm 3, respectively. There was no statistical difference between the volumes of any two targets. The mean lengths of GTV 3D, GTV PET-ref, GTV PET-reg were 8.54, 9.29 and 8.38 cm, respectively. The length of GTV PET-ref was longer than that of GTV 3D ( t=2.134, P<0.05). The median DIs of GTV PET-ref, GTV PET-regin GTV 3D were 0.86, 0.82( Z=-2.741, P<0.05), and that of GTV 3D in GTV PET-ref, GTV PET-reg were 0.87, 0.84 ( Z=-1.429, P<0.05). The median CIs of GTV 3D in GTV PET-ref and GTV PET-reg were 0.72, 0.68 ( Z=2.756, P<0.05), and the difference was significant. The CIs of GTV 3D and GTV PET-ref, GTV 3D and GTV PET-reg, GTV PET-ref and GTV PET-reg had significant negative correlation with the distance of target centers. Conclusions:There was no significant difference between GTV contoured on three-dimensional CT (3D-CT) referencing 18F-FDG PET/CT and the GTV on the deformed image derived from 3D-CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT either in volume size or in spatial position. Therefore, it is recommended that radiation oncologists can refer to the recent diagnostic PET/CT when delineating the gross target volume for primary thoracic esophageal cancer.

Objective To detect the changes of heart volume during concurrent chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer based on repeated enhanced 4DCT.Methods Patients with squamous cell esophageal cancer underwent repeated enhanced 4DCT and 3DCT scans before and after 10,20 and 30 fractions of radiotherapy,respectively.The heart was contoured on 3DCT,end expiratory (EE) and maximum intensity projection (MIP) of 4DCTimages.The changes in theheart volume,blood pressure.and heart rate were statistically compared at different time points.Results A total of forty-six patients completed 4 fractions of 3DCT and enhanced 4DCT scans.Compared with the initial values,the heart volume was significantly decreased by 3.27％,4.45％ and 4.52％ after 10 fractions of radiotherapy,and reduced by 6.05％,5.64％ and 4.51％ following 20 fractions of radiotherapy on 3DCT,EE and MIP,respectively (P=0.000-0.027).The heart volume after 30 fractions of radiotherapy did not significantly differ from the initial volume (P＞ 0.05).After radiotherapy,there was a significant decrease inboth systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P =0.000 and P =0.009) and a significant ‖ increase in the heart rate (P=0.0 0 1) compared with those measured before radiotherapy.Conclusions Enhanced 4DCT scan can clearly reflect the changes of heart volume throughout concurrent chemoradiotherapy.The heart volume starts to shrink during the early stage of radiotherapy and continue to decrease until the middleand late-stage,whereas it restores to the initial volume after radiotherapy.Simultaneously,blood pressure declines and heart rate is accelerated during radiotherapy.

Objective To analyze the volume and position of the gross tumor volumes (GTV) in primary esophageal cancer based on contrast-enhanced three-dimensional (3D),four-dimensional (4D) and cone beam (CB) computed tomography (CT).Methods A total of thirty-four patients underwent 3D-CT and 4D-CT simulation scans for computer treatment plan and contrast-enhanced CBCT scans were conducted prior to the first treatment.GTV3D,GTV4D50,internal GTVMIP (IGTVMIP) and internal GTVCBCT (IGTVCBCT) were delineated on 3D-CT,4D-CT50 (the end expiratory phase),4D-CTMIP (the maximum intensity projection),and CBCT datasets,respectively.The IGTV10 was defined as 10 respiratory phases GTVs in 4D-CT.To evaluate the difference in position,volume and the volumes encompassed characteristic.Results The significant difference was observed in the volumes [IGTV10 ＞ (IGTVCBCT or IGTVMIP) ＞ (GTV3D or GTV4D50)] regardless of the tumor location.Regarding IGTV10 as the standard volume,the underestimations or overestimations between IGTV10 and IGTVCBCT were larger than that of between IGTV10 and JGTVMIP (t =-8.294--3.192,P ＜ 0.05).However,there was no significant difference between the areas of IGTV10 which excluded in IGTVCBCT and IGTV3D (P ＞ 0.05).The GTV4D50/ IGTVCBCT ratio for upper esophageal tumors was negatively correlated to motion vector (r =-0.756,P ＜ 0.05).The centroid coordinates of IGTVCBCT in AP direction were significantly different from the test volumes (GTV3D,GTV4D50,IGTVMIP and IGTV10) (t =-3.559--2.435,P ＜ 0.05).The IGTV10/IGTVCBCT ratio was positively correlated to motion vector (r =0.695,P ＜ 0.05) for middle esophageal tumors.The centroid coordinates of IGTVCBCT were significantly different IGTV10 (t =2.201,P ＜0.05) in AP direction.For distal esophageal tumors,the significant difference was observed in the centroid coordinate between IGTVcBcT and IGTVMIP (t =-2.365,P ＜ 0.05) in LR direction.The percentage of IGTV10 excluded the IGTVcBcT were significantly correlated to the motion vector (r =0.540,0.678,P ＜ 0.05) for both middle and distal esophageal tumors.The mean MI value of IGTVCBCT to the other four test volumes ranged from 0.65 to 0.72.Conclusions CBCT has much motion information than 3D-CT but less than IGTV10.CBCT was similar to MIP images based on respiration motion.However,the target motion information encompassed in CBCT and MIP images cannot be exchanged to each other.

Objective To compare the normal thickness of the esophageal wall measured by contrast?enhanced three?dimensional ( 3DCT ) , four?dimensional ( 4DCT ) , and cone beam computed tomography ( CBCT) ,and to provide a basis for target volume delineation in esophageal cancer. Methods From 2009 to 2016,thoracic contrast?enhanced 3DCT and 4DCT simulations were performed in 50 patients with lung cancer or metastatic lung cancer. Contrast?enhanced CBCT scans were acquired during the first three?dimensional conformal radiotherapy. The normal esophageal wall was contoured on 3DCT images, the end?exhalation phase of 4DCT images ( 4DCT50 ) , the maximum intensity projection of 4DCT images (4DCTMIP),and CBCT images. The wall thickness was measured on each segment and the average thickness of esophageal wall was obtained. Comparison of the thickness of a fixed segment of esophageal wall between different CT images was made by paired t test. Comparison of thickness on the same type of CT images between different segments of esophageal wall was made by one?way analysis of variance. Results For the thoracic and intra?abdominal segments,there was no significant difference in the thickness of esophageal wall between 3DCT and 4DCT50 images ( P= 0?056?0?550 );however, the thickness of esophageal wall was significantly smaller on 3DCT images than on 4DCTMIP or CBCT images (P=0?000?0?004).For the upper and middle thoracic segments,the thickness of esophageal wall was significantly larger on CBCT images than on 4DCTMIP images ( P= 0?008, P= 0?001 ) . On 3DCT, 4DCT50 , and 4DCTMIP images, the thickness of esophageal wall was significantly larger in the lower thoracic segment than in the upper or middle thoracic segments ( P=0.008~0?041);the intra?abdominal segment had a significantly larger thickness of esophageal wall than the thoracic segments ( all P=0?000 ) . There was no significant difference in wall thickness on CBCT images between three thoracic segments ( P=0.088~0?945) . Conclusions A uniform criterion can be adopted to judge the normal thickness of esophageal wall in gross tumor volume ( GTV ) delineation on 3DCT and 4DCT50 images for thoracic esophageal cancer. However,caution should be taken when 5 mm is used as a criterion for normal thickness of esophageal wall in GTV delineation on 4DCTMIP and CBCT images.

The oral and gastrointestinal opportunistic pathogen contamination was compared between tooth mugs placed upward and down-ward(n=9)for 1 4 days.Selective cultivation of the pathogens was uesd to measure the extent of contamination.The colony forming units (CFU)of colibacillus in group up and group down were 4.25 ±0.71 and 2.84 ±1 .40(P=0.046),S.mutans 89 ±0.31 and 2.84 ±1 .40 (P<0.001 ),Candida 2.28 ±1 .36 and 2.53 ±1 .92(P=0.002),fungus 2.44 ±0.99 and 0,respecitvely.Thus,tooth mug placed open-ing down is superior for health.

Objective To compare volumetric size, conformity index (CI), degree of inclusion (DI) of internal gross target volumes (IGTV) delineated on 4D-CT-MIP and PET-CT images for primary thoracic esophageal cancer. Methods Fifteen patients with thoracic esophageal cancer sequentially underwent enhanced 3D-CT, 4D-CT and PET-CT simulation scans. IGTVMIP was obtained by contouring on 4D-CT maximum intensity projection ( MIP). The PET contours were determined with nine different threshold methods (SUV≥2?0, 2?5, 3?0, 3?5), the percentages of the SUVmax(≥20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%) and manual contours. The differences in size, conformity index (CI), degree of inclusion ( DI) of different volumes were compared. Results The volume ratios ( VRs) of IGTVPET2. 5 to IGTVMIP , IGTVPET20% to IGTVMIP, IGTVPETMAN to IGTVMIP were 0?86, 0?88, 1?06, respectively, which approached closest to 1. The CIs of IGTVPET2?0,IGTVPET2.5,IGTVPET20%,IGTVPETMAN and IGTVMIP which were 0?55, 0?56, 0?56, 0?54,0?55, respectively, were significantly larger than other CIs of IGTVPET and IGTVMIP (Z= -3?408-2?215,P <0?05). There were no statistical significance in the DIs of IGTVMIP and IGTVPET2.5,IGTVMIP and IGTVPET20%, IGTVMIP and IGTVPETMAN(0?77,0?82,0?71,0?67, 0?68,0?82,P>0?05). Conclusions The targets delineated based on SUV threshold setting of≥2?5, 20% of the SUVmax and manual contours on PET images correspond better with the target delineated on maximum intensity projection of 4D-CT images than other SUV thresholding methods.

A 31-year-old male normotensive patient with aldosterone-producmg adenoma complained of thirst,polydipsia,polyuria,and periodical paraplegia.The diagnosis is raised by signs of hypokalemia.Despite the lack of hypertension,primary aldosteronism was confirmed by persistent hypokalemia,increased urinary potassium,increased urinary and plasma aldosterone levels and suppressed plasma rennin activity (PRA).The blood pressure profile was studied by ambulatory monitoring,and the mean blood pressure of 24h was normal and the circadian rhythm remained normal. Surgical removal of the histologically typical aldosterone-producing adenomas normalized the kalemia.The patient had a marked fall in blood pressure with mean values of 21/17 mm Hg ( diurnal and nocturnal blood pressure were 19/17 and 22/17 mm Hg respectively)and recovery of normal urinary and plasma aldosterone levels and PRA 6 weeks after surgery.This suggests that excess serum aldosterone induced relative hypertension in those patients whose blood pressure was spontaneously very low.Our observations call for primary hyperaldosteronism assay in patients with hypokalemia and renal potassium leakage.