ObjectiveTo assess the value of the area of ground glass opacities (GGOs) in lungs displayed by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in paraquat (PQ) poisoned patients in evaluating prognosis. Methods Clinical and imaging data of 137 patients with acute PQ poisoning admitted to Affiliated Hospital of the Medical College of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces from January 2012 to August 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. The plasma concentration of PQ on admission and the area of GGOs were compared between two groups. The lung HRCT within 10 days of poisoning was performed every 3 days, and the areas of GGOs were evaluated on five levels, including aortic arch, aortic pulmonary window, left upper lobe bronchial, right inferior pulmonary vein, and left diaphragmatic dome. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was plotted to evaluate the value of all the parameters for prognosis.Results Among 137 patients, 45 died within 28 days after poisoning, with the mortality rate of 32.85%. The plasma PQ level in the non-survivors was significantly higher than that in the survivors (mg/L:7.06±0.67 vs. 3.51±0.34,t = 5.280,P = 0.000). The areas of GGOs at three time points in the non-survivors were significantly higher than those in the survivors [1-3 days: (32.0±5.0)% vs. (2.5±0.4)%,t = 7.860,P = 0.000;4-6 days: (45.5±5.7)% vs. (2.8±0.5)%,t = 12.420,P = 0.000; 7-10 days: (68.0±4.8)% vs. (3.0±0.6)%, t = 23.950,P = 0.000]. ROC analysis demonstrated that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of GGOs in 7-10 days was 1.000, which could be used to determine the prognosis, but it was too late for the treatment. The AUC of GGOs in 4-6 days was 0.979, with the threshold of> 12.0%, the specificity of 96.15%, the sensitivity of 85.19%, the positive predictive value of 88.46%, and the negative predictive value of 94.94%, which presented good effect in predicting prognosis in the early stage of acute PQ intoxication. But plasma PQ concentration was relatively poor for determining prognosis, AUC was 0.821, with the threshold of> 1.95 mg/L, the specificity of 34.52%, the sensitivity of 88.64%, the positive predictive value of 41.49%, and the negative predictive value of 85.29%.Conclusions The area of GGOs displayed by HRCT can be used to evaluate the fully developed acute PQ lung injury, and it is superior to plasma PQ concentration. The area of GGOs displayed by HRCT 4-6 days after intoxication can be used for the evaluation of PQ induced pulmonary injury in the early stage and the evaluation of clinical prognosis.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of atorvastatin on pulmonary fibrosis of rats induced by Bleomycin(BLM). Methods Fourty-two female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 7 groups:the control group(group C),the model group which was furtherly divided into group 2-week(M2),4-week(M4),6-week(M6),and atorvastatin-treatment group which was furtherly divided into group 2-week(A2),4-week(A4),6-week(A6). Group M and A were induced to pulmonary fibrosis by the method of BLM endotracheal injection,while group C was injected with saline. On 2nd day,group A were given orally atorvastatin by 10 mg/kg?d. Rats were seperately killed on 2nd,4th and 6th week. After intratracheal injection of BLM,alveolitis and pulmonary fibrosis were evaluated by pathology,hydroxyproline concentration and PaO2. Results The lung coefficient of group M2,M4,A2 and A4 was significantly higher than that of group C. The degree of pulmonary fibrosis in group A4 and A6 was improved as compared with group M4,M6. Alveolitis and pulmonary fibrosis in group A were improved compared with those in group M.Hydroxyproline concentration in group A and M were significantly higher than that in group C. while A4 was lower than M4 (P

Objective To compare the strengths and limitations of the old and revised guidelines for the diagnosis in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF).Methods Patients who were admitted and diagnosed as interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) in our hospital from 2009 to 2014 were enrolled in our study.Eachpatient was reevaluated respectively according to the old and revised guidelines of IPF.Results A total of 553 cases were initially reviewed,among whom 355 cases were excluded for pulmonary fibrosis secondary to definite underlying diseases,28 excluded due to high resolution computed tomography(HRCT) not done,26 excluded because serum immunology examination was not available.The remaining 144 cases were finally enrolled in this study including 92 males and 52 females with median age 21-92 (68 ± 11) years old.Twenty five patients (17.4％,25/144) met the diagnostic criteria of IPF by the old guideline.While by the revised guideline,53 patients (36.8％,53/144) were diagnosed as classical IPF,29 patients (20.1％,29/144) as probable cases,another 69 non-IPF patients accounting for 43.1％ (62/144).The result revealed that there's a significant difference between the two guidelines in the diagnosis of IPF.Conclusions The revised guideline favors an early diagnosis of IPF and simplifies the diagnostic process.However the possibility of over diagnosis or missed diagnosis by the revised guideline does exist.On the other hand,despite of the delayed diagnosis by the old guideline,it may reduce the misdiagnosis of IPF in some circumstance.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of atorvastatin on pulmonary fibrosis of rats induced by Bleomycin (BLM). Methods Fourty-two female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 7 groups: the control group(group C) , the model group which was furtherly divided into group 2-week (M2) , 4-week (M4) , 6-week (M6) , and atorvastatin-treatment group which was furtherly divided into group 2-week (A2) , 4-week (A4) , 6-week(A6). Group M and A were induced to pulmonary fibrosis by the method of BLM endotracheal injection, while group C was injected with saline. On 2nd day, group A were given orally atorvastatin by 10 mg/kg · d. Rats were seperately killed on 2nd, 4th and 6th week. After intratracheal injection of BLM, alveolitis and pulmonary fi-brosis were evaluated by pathology, hydroxyproline concentration and PaO_2. Results The lung coefficient of group M2, M4, A2 and A4 was significantly higher than that of group C. The degree of pulmonary fibrosis in group A4 and A6 was improved as compared with group M4, M6. Alveolitis and pulmonary fibrosis in group A were improved compared with those in group M. Hydroxyproline concentration in group A and M were significantly higher than that in group C. While A4 was lower than M4 (P <0. 01). There was a decrease in PaO_2 after exposure to BLM, espe-cially in group M2 (P <0. 01). Improvement in PaO_2 was documented in groups A, compared with M. Conclusion Atorvastatin has centtain efficacy in treatment of pulmonary fibrosis of rats. The effect was significant on 6th week after treatment, which suggest that the effect is correlated positively to the carly treatment.

Objective To identify whether the helper T lymphocyte 1 (Th1)/helper T lymphocyte 2 (Th2) of patients' serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) at admission could represent the severity of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and whether its change at six months could predict the progression of the disease.Methods Eighty-three patients with IPF were subjected to pulmonary function tests (PFFs),dyspnea scores,arterial blood gas analysis,six-minute walk test (6MWT) and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT).The serum and BALF specimen of these patients were obtained as well as 20 control serum and 10 control BALF specimen.A total of 55 patients were followed up,and their BALF and serum levels of interferon γ (IFNγ) and IL-4 were detected by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA).The correlation between the IFNγ/IL-4 levels (at admission and the change of that at six months follow-up) and the clinical,physiological and image features in the IPF patients were analyzed.Results The baseline serum and BALF level of IFNγ/IL-4 (0.8 ± 0.3) in the IPF patients was lower than that in the control group (1.4 ± 0.2),which showed significant correlation with the course of disease,dyspnea scores,FEV1 ％,FVC％,TLC％,maximum desaturation,6MWD and CT-fib (all P values ＜ 0.05).The serum level of IFNγ/IL-4 showed positive correlation with CT-alv (r =0.340,P ＜ 0.01).During follow-up,no statistic difference was found in the serum levels of IFNγ,IL-4 and IFNγ/IL-4 between the IPF patients with or without glucocorticoids treatment.There were significant aggravation in the dyspnea scores,FEV1％,FVC％,CT-alv,CT-fib,IFNγ and IL-4 at six months follow-up.Significant correlation had been showed between the change of the serum IFNγ/IL-4 level with the changes of the dyspnea scores,FVC％,TLC％,DLCO％,6MWD and CT-fib in the IPF patients (P ＜0.05).Conclusions There are disequilibrium of the Th1/Th2 in the serum and the BALF of the IPF patients.The Th1/Th2 level could represent severity of the disease,and the serum level change of Th1/Th2 in the follow-up could predict the progression of the diseases in the IPF patients.

AIM:To investigate the influence of matrine (MA) on the phenotype switching of mouse mono-cytes and alveolar macrophages induced by bleomycin ( BLM) .METHODS:All mice were randomly divided into normal saline (NS) group, BLM group, BLM+NS group and BLM +MA group.The mice were administered with BLM at 2.5 mg/kg via oropharyngeal instillation .The mice in BLM+MA group were treated with MA (15 mg· kg-1 · d-1 ) by oral gavage following BLM administration .The mice were sacrificed on days 3, 7, 14, and 21.The lungs were removed for pathological analysis .The circulating monocyte subsets and polarization state of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid ( BALF)-de-rived alveolar macrophages were analyzed by flow cytometry .RESULTS:The results of HE and Masson trichrome staining in BLM and BLM+NS groups exhibited classical pathological stages of lung fibrosis , including acute inflammation phase and later fibrosis phase .Compared with BLM +NS group, MA treatment alleviated the inflammatory response and the de-gree of fibrosis induced by BLM (P<0.05).There was a rapid change of circulating Ly6Chi monocytes and its magnitude was positively associated with the pulmonary inflammatory response .An expansion of M2-like alveolar macrophages was positively correlated with the magnitude of lung fibrosis .Moreover , MA treatment partially normalized the phenotype switc-hing of monocytes and alveolar macrophages .CONCLUSION:Matrine treatment attenuates BLM-induced pulmonary injury partially via modulating the phenotype switching of monocytes and alveolar mocrophages .

Objective To evaluate the treatment of posterior malleolar two-part fractures complicated with medial and lateral malleolar fractures via a combination of posterolateral and posteromedial approaches.Methods From January 2014 to January 2017,26 patients were operatively treated at Department of Orthopaedics,Tongji Hospital for posterior malleolar two-part fractures complicated with medial and lateral malleolar fractures via a combination of posterolateral and posteromedial approaches.They were 10 men and 16 women,aged from 53 to 67 years(average,61.5 years).The surgery was conducted in prone position via the posterolateral and posteromedial approaches to expose simultaneously the fractures ends at medial,lateral and posterior malleoli for open reduction.The lateral malleolar fractures were fixated with plate,the medial malleolar fractures with screws and posterior malleolar fractures with plate or cannulated screws depending on the size of the fracture blocks.The outcomes were assessed using the ankle-hindfoot scores of American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society(AOFAS) and the visual analogue scale(VAS).Results Of this cohort,22 were followed up for 30 months on average(range,from 18 to 48 months).All the cases healed by the first intension without any infection.Their postoperative X-ray showed bone union after an average of 12.5 weeks(range,from 10 to 15 weeks).No nonunion,loosening or breakage of implants was found.The mean time for walking with full weight-bearing was 13 weeks(range,from 11 to 16 weeks).Their AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scores at the final follow-ups were 85.4(range,from 80 to 92),yielding 13 excellent and 9 good cases with a good to excellent rate of 100%.Their mean VAS scores were decreased significantly from preoperative 8.6±0.6 to postoperative 1.7±0.3(f=153.000,P=0.000).Conclusion In treatment of posterior malleolar two-part fractures complicated with medial and lateral malleolar fractures,a combination of posterolateral and posteromedial approaches in prone position can expose and reduce simultaneously the fractures ends at medial,lateral and posterior malleoli,leading to satisfactory clinical outcomes.

Objective To analyze the characteristics of early cognitive impairment in leukoaraiosis (LA) patients and fractional anisotropy (FA) changes by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in various regions of interest (ROIs), and explore the relationship between FA values and cognitive impairment. Methods A total of 38 chronic ischemic LA patients, admitted to our hospital from August 2015 to August 2016, and 20 healthy elderly controls were chosen in our study. Comprehensive assessment of cognitive functions, and MRI and DTI examinations were performed in subjects from these two groups. The cognitive functions, and FA values in ROIs were compared between the two groups;the FA values in ROIs of mild, moderate, and severe ischemic LA patients were compared. The correlations between FA values in ROIs and cognitive functions in LA patients were analyzed. Results As compared with the healthy control group, the patient group had significantly lower Mimi Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores, statistically longer time of Stroop test C, lower scores of verbal fluency test (VFT), digit span (DS)-inverted sequence, word similarity test in Chinese Revision of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-CR), auditory verbal learning test (AVLT), clock drawing test and block testing, and significantly longer time of Trail Marking Test A (TMTA) and Stroop test B (P<0.05), suggesting that the overall cognitive function, executive function, memory, visual-spatial ability, information processing capability of LA patients decreased greatly. Significantly decreased FA values in bilateral anterior horn of lateral ventricle, left superior frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral frontal orbital gyrus, right deep temporal lobe, right cingulate gyrus, and genu of corpus callosum in the LA patient group were noted as compared with those in the control group (P<0.05). In mild, moderate and severe LA patients, the FA values of these ROIs decreased in turn, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). In the LA patient group, correlation analysis showed that the scores of auditory verbal learning test were positively correlated with FA values in the brain regions of left anterior horn of lateral ventricle, bilateral frontal orbital gyrus, deep white of right temporal lobe, right cingulate gyrus, and genu of corpus callosum (P<0.05), and negatively correlated with FA values in left inferior frontal gyrus (P<0.05); the scores of trail making test A were negatively related with FA values in right anterior horn of lateral ventricle (P<0.05); the Stroop test B scores were negatively correlated with FA values in deep white matter of the right temporal lobe (P<0.05); the Stroop test C scores were negatively related with FA values in left orbital frontal cortex, deep white of right temporal lobe, right cingulate gyrus, and genu of corpus callosu (P<0.05); and the block testing scores were positively related with FA values in left frontal orbital gyrus, right temporal lobe deep, and genu of corpus callosu (P<0.05). Conclusions The early cognitive impairment and decreased FA values are noted in LA patients. FA values are related to cognitive impairment. DTI contributes to diagnose early cognitive impairment in LA patients.

Objective To investigate the regulating mechanism of Notch1 signaling pathway on the invasion and migration ofglioma initiating cells (GICs).Methods (1) Box-plotting was conducted to analyze the mRNA expression of Notch1 in normal brain tissue and glioblastoma tissue using Bredel Brain,Sun Brain and TCGA databases;Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was conducted to analyze the association between the prognosis of glioma patients with the expression of Hes1 in TCGA database;Heatmap was conducted to analyze the expression of Notch1 and CXCR4 in GICs and common cell line in GEO database.(2) Magnetic activated cell sorting was adopted to establish cell lines of U87 GICs and U251 GICs;immunofluorescence staining was used to detect expression of CXCR4 and Notch1.After the cell lines of U87 GICs and U251 GICs were divided into DMSO,shNC,MK0752 and shNotchl groups,the shNotch1 and shNC groups were transfected respectively with recombinant lentivirus of Notch1-shRNA and its control sequence while the MK0752 and DMSO groups were added respectively with MK-0752 of 80 nmol/mL and the same amount of DMSO.The protein expression of Notch1,CXCR4 and p-mTOR was detected by Westem blotting in the 4 groups.The capabilities of invasion and migration of the GICs were detected by Transwell assay in the shNotch1 and shNC groups.Results (1) The box-plotting showed the mRNA expression of Notch 1 in the glioblastoma tissue was significantly higher than in the normal brain tissue (P＜0.05).The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the life span ofglioma patients with high expression of Hes1 was significantly shorter than that of those with low expression of Hes1 (P＜0.05).Heatmaps showed that the expression levels of Notch1 and CXCR4 in GICs were higher than in the common cell line.(2) The immunofluorescence staining showed that Notch1 and CXCR4 were highly expressed and colocalized in cell lines of U87 GICs and U251 GICs.The Western blotting showed that the protein expression of Notch1,CXCR4 and p-mTOR in the cell lines of U87GICs and U251 GICs in the MK0752 and shNotch1 groups was lower than that in the DMSO and shNC groups.Transwell assay showed that the penetrating-membrane cells per visual field in the shNotch1group were significantly fewer than those in the shNC group (P＜0.05).Conclusion Notch1 signaling pathway can promote invasion and migration of GICs through regulating CXCR4 expression.