Objective To investigate the protective effect of the combination of glutamine (Gln) and ar-ginine (Arg) on intestinal barrier function in rats receiving fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy.Methods Totally 40 male SD rats receiving 5-FU chemotherapy were equally randomized into four groups:enteral nutrition group,Gln group (enteral nutrition+Gln),Arg group (enteral nutrition+Arg),and Arg+Gln group (enteral nutri-tion+Arg+Gln).Observe the changes post chemotherapy such as the changes of body weight and urine lactulose/mannitol ratio before and after chemotherapy were recorded.On the 8 th post-therapy day,the blood endotoxin level in portal vein was measured,and lymph nodes and blood in portal vein were taken for bacterial culture;colon and jejunum specimens were also taken to measure the height of jejunum villus and the thickness of colon and jejunum.Results Body weights of Gln group,Arg group,and Arg+Gln group significantly increased after chemotherapy (P<0.05).The change of body weight was significantly lower in Arg+Gln group than in Gln group (P=0.002),while no such difference was found when compared with that in Arg group (P>0.05).Lactulose/manni-tol ratio in each group significantly increased after chemotherapy (P<0.05),and the change of lactulose/mannitol ratio was significantly higher in the enteral nutrition group than those in other groups (P=0.000);however,no such difference was found among other groups (P>0.05).The blood endotoxin level in portal vein was signifi-cantly higher in enteral nutrition group than in other groups (P=0.000);the endotoxin level was significantly lower in Gln group than in Arg group (P=O.035) and Arg+Gln group (P=0.000);however,no such differ-ence was found between Arg group and Arg+Gln group (P=0.109).The height of jejunum villus and the thick-ness of jejunum were significantly lower in enteral nutrition group than those in the other groups (P=O.000);the thickness of colon was significantly lower in enteral nutrition group than those in Arg group and Arg+Gln group (P=0.000);however,no such difference was found when compared with Gln group (P=0.058).The thickness of colon (P=0.040) and jejunum (P=0.010) was significantly higher in Gln group than that in Arg group;but there was no significant difference in term of the height of jejunum villus (P=0.286).Compared with Arg+Gln group,the thickness of jejunum in Gln group was significantly higher,but there was no significant difference in terms of the height of jejunum villus (P=0.286) or the thickness of jejunum (P=0.190).The thickness of co-lon was significantly lower in Arg group than in Arg+Gln group (P=0.010),while no such significant difference was found in terms of the height of jejunum villus (P=0.803) or the thickness of colon (P=0.059) when com-pared with Arg+Gln group.The bacterial culture results were not significantly different among all groups.Conclu-sions The combination of Arg and Gln has protective effects on intestinal barrier in rats receiving 5-FU chemother-apy.The protective effect of Gln is superior to that of Arg.No synergistic effect exists between Arg and Gln.

[Summary] To explore the mRNA expression of insulin-like growth factor-Ⅰ (IGF-Ⅰ),extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK),and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) in greater omental adipose tissue of patients with metabolic syndrome and colorectal cancer.The mRNA expression of IGF-Ⅰ,ERK,and GLUT4 in greater omental adipose tissue of the subjects was measured by RT-PCR.(1) The mRNA expression level of IGF-Ⅰ and ERK in the metabolic syndrome group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P＜0.01),while in colorectal cancer subgroup the expression was significantly higher than that in the non-colorectal cancer subgroup (P＜ 0.01).The expression of GLUT4 was obviously lowered (P＜0.01).(2) The expression of ERK was positively correlated with that of IGF-Ⅰ (r =0.608,P＜0.01).The fasting insulin was positively correlated with the expression of ERK and IGF-Ⅰ(r =0.538,0.439,P ＜ 0.01),and negatively with that of GLUT4 (r =-0.457,P ＜ 0.01).There may be relationship between ERK plus IGF-Ⅰ and metabolic syndrome complicated with colorectal cancer.The lowered GLUT4 expression may be related to insulin resistance in metabolic syndrome.

Objective To clarify the MRI characteristics and outcomes of patients with end stage hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ES-HCM).Methods Clinical and MRI data of 57 ES-HCM patients were retrospectively analyzed.ES-HCM pa tients were divided into dilated phenotype group (D-ES group,n=39) and restrictive phenotype group (R-ES group,n=18).MRI characteristics and outcomes of patients were compared between both groups.Results The incidence of atrial fi brillation and edema of lower extremity was significantly higher in R-ES than those in D-ES (72.22％ [13/18] vs 30.77％ [12/39];50.00％ [9/18] vs 23.08％ [9/39];both P＜0.05).The left ventricular ejection function,left and right atrial anteroposte rior diameter of D-ES group were significant smaller than those of RRES group (all P＜0.05),while the left ventricular (LV) short axis diameter,LV end diastolic/systolic volume and LV end diastolic/systolic volume index of D-ES were significantly greater than those of R-ES group (all P＜0.05).Log-rank test found no significant difference between both groups in cardiovascular death/ heart transplant events (x2 =1.135,P=0.287).Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) volume fraction was significantly larger in D-ES ([36.1±14.8]％) than in R-ES ([21.0±9.0]％;P＜0.05).There was a significant correlation between LGE volume fraction and cardiovascular death/heart transplant events (HR:1.054,P＜0.05).Conclusion ES-HCM patients have expanded clinical expression and MRI characteristics,including dilated phenotype and restrictive phenotype.MRI has an important application value in the diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of ES-HCM.

Objectives To discuss the characteristics of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and left ventricular apical aneurysm (LVAA) and its related prognostic value. Methods Thirty HCM patients with LVAA were collected from August 2004 to August 2013. All cases with coronary artery diseases were ruled out, and all patients underwent LGE derived by cardiac MR (CMR). Five cases of LVAA were pathological confirmed. Atrial and ventricular diameters, apical aneurysm diameters and left ventricular ejection fraction were measured, and apical aneurysm LGE was evaluated. All patients were then followed up. Comparisons in continuous parameters between patients with or without LGE were performed by independent t test. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the hazard rate for adverse cardiovascular events. Results LGE was identified in 21 LVAAs and non-LGE in 9 LVAAs. Between two groups, there was no significant difference in the size of LVAA [(16.4 ± 11.5) mm vs. (20.3 ± 9.8) mm, P=0.63]. In particular, the complete transition from non-LGE to LGE LVAA was recorded during follow-up in one patient. Pathological findings confirmed that LGE indicated fibrous tissue in LVAA, and LVAA without LGE indicated viable myocardium. The follow-up suggested that the patterns and the size of LVAA were associated with the adverse events in these patients (LGE of LVAA, HR=7.94, P=0.064; the size of LVAA, HR=1.08, P=0.009). Conclusions LGE-MR had important clinical significance in HCM patients with LVAA. LGE in LVAA corresponded with the fibrous tissue and was associated with the prognosis.

Objective To characterize the cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) features of peripartum cardiomyopathy(PPCM) and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy(IDCM), and to explore the value of MRI in the diagnosis of PPCM. Methods Ten cases of PPCM and 10 cases of Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) were included in this study. With 1.5 T MRI scanner, the heart shape (atrioventricular size, hypertrabeculation, thickness of the thinnest ventricular wall), function (ventricular wall movement and the overall function), cardiomyopathy perfusion were comprehensively evaluated. Paired samples t?test and Fisher exact probability method were used for statistical analysis. Results Between PPCM and IDCM group, there was no statistical significant difference in the atrioventricular size, cardiac output(CO), end diastolic volume(EDV), ejection fraction (EF), end systolic volume (ESV) and stroke volume (SV) (P>0.05). IDCM and PPCM group both showed ventricular wall thinning on MRI, with 4 cases of PPCM and 3 cases of IDCM presenting hypertrabeculation in the left ventricular apex. Seven cases of PPCM and 4 cases of IDCM depicted left ventricular local dysfunction, while 3 cases of PPCM and 6 cases of IDCM had abnormal integral movement. Two cases of PPCM appeared local delayed enhancement, while 4 cases of IDCM showed intramural delayed enhancement. After one year of follow?up, heart function recovered in 10 cases of PPCM and 4 cases of IDCM. Conclusions MRI diagnosis using multiple sequences is an ideal method in the evaluation of PPCM. Although there were no differences in cardiac morphology and function between PPCM and IDCM, the prognosis of PPCM is better than IDCM.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and consistency of four-dimensional flow (4D flow) quantification of pulmonary regurgitation in patients with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) by comparing with conventional two-dimensional flow (2D flow) and echocardiography. Methods: Both the 4D flow and 2D flow imaging were acquired with repaired ToF (a total of 21 patients) consecutively on 3.0 T MR scanner from May 2018 to August 2018. Pulmonary flow and regurgitant fraction were measured by a commercial post processing software Circle CVI42. All patients underwent echocardiography within one week after or before MR examination. The inter/intra-observer variability by 2D/4D f1ow and agreement between the two methods were investigated by interclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman analyses. The agreement between MR and echocardiography were analyzed by weighted Kappa coefficient. The correlation between pulmonary regurgitation and cardiac function was also investigated by Pearson analysis. Results: All patients were included and completed the examinations successfully. Both inter-observer and intra-observer agreement by 4D flow for total forward volume (ICC=0.993, 0.996, respectively, P<0.001), total backward volume (ICC=0.994, 0.997, respectively, P<0.001) and regurgitant fraction (ICC=0.968, 0.985, respectively, P<0.001) were good. The total forward volume, total backward volume and regurgitant fraction measured by 2D flow and 4D flow reached a good agreement (ICC=0.954, 0.913,0.721,respectively,P<0.001). The consistency was good for severity of regurgitation measured by 2D flow (weighted Kappa=0.897, P<0.001) and 4D flow (weighted Kappa=0.710, P=0.001) compared with echocardiography. Significant correlation was found among right ventricular cardiac index(r=0.600, P<0.05), right ventricular end-diastolic volume index(r=0.788, P<0.05), right ventricular end-systolic volume index(r=0.683, P<0.05) and left ventricular end-diastolic volume index(r=0.578, P<0.05), left ventricular end-systolic volume index(r=0.687, P<0.05) with regurgitant fraction measured by 2D flow. Regurgitant fraction measured by 4D flow had a significant correlation with right ventricular cardiac index(r=0.606, P<0.05), right ventricular end-diastolic volume index(r=0.685,P<0.05), right ventricular end-systolic volume index(r=0.534, P<0.05) and left ventricular end-diastolic volume index(r=0.459, P<0.05), left ventricular mass index(r=0.633, P<0.05). Conclusion 4D flow MRI provides highly reproducible measurements of pulmonary flow on morphology and haemodynamics in patients with repaired ToF compared with 2D flow MRI and echocardiography.

Objective:To analyze the characteristics of child cases admitted to accidental injury and provide reliable basis for the prevention of accidental injury.Methods:The clinical data of children admitted to Hunan Children′s Hospital aged 0-18 due to accidental injuries from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The type of accidental injury and characteristic factors such as prognosis, gender, age, time, and location of the child were analyzed.Results:A total of 9 049 children with accidental injury were admitted, accounting for 3.72%(9 049/33 697) of the total number of hospitalized children. The top three types of accidental injuries were falls/drop (3 695 cases), foreign bodies/suffocation (2 639 cases) and traffic accidents (1 165 cases), accounting for 82.87%(7 499/9 049). There were 8 760 cases (96.81%) of improvement and recovery, 178 cases (1.97%) of disability, and 111 cases (1.23%) of unhealed/dead. Among the accidental injuries, 5 833 cases (64.46%) were boys and 3 216 cases (35.54%) were girls, and the incidence ratio was 1.81∶1. There was significant difference between boys and girls in the composition ratio of the type of accidental injury such as falls/falls, foreign bodies/suffocation, poisoning, sharp object injury, drowning ( χ2 values were 3.90-20.56, all P<0.05). Among the accidental injuries, the children aged 1 to<3 years had higher accidental injuries than the other age groups (3 263 cases, accounting for 36.06%), and the composition ratio of accidental injuries in different age groups was different ( χ2 values were 12.98-573.97, all P<0.05). Among the accidental injuries, the accidental injuries occurred in the second quarter and the third quarter were higher than those in the other two quarters (4 892 cases, accounting for 54.06%), and the composition ratio of accidental injuries such as falls/falls, foreign bodies/suffocation, burn and scald, drowning occurred in different quarters was different ( χ2 values were 10.79-18.88, all P<0.05). In the case of accidental injuries, the family was the most likely place of accidental injury, with different types of accidental injuries occurring in different places ( χ2 values were 10.08-2 186.54, all P<0.05). Conclusions:Children′s unintentional injuries are most likely to occur in boys aged 1-<3 years, and fall/fall is the main injury type. Traffic accidents are the most important unintentional injury type leading to children′s unhealed/dead. Different injury types were related to child gender, age, quarter, and place of occurrence.Due to the differences in the occurrence mechanism and injury mode of accidental injuries in different countries and regions, and the majority of accidental injuries can be prevented, targeted preventive measures should be taken according to the characteristics of children′s accidental injuries in different regions, and a comprehensive prevention system for children′s accidental injuries should be constructed to ensure children′s safety.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of oral sulfate solution (OSS) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) electrolyte powder for colonoscopy bowel preparation.Methods:A total of 283 randomized patients from 9 centers in China taking OSS ( n=143) or PEG ( n=140) using two-day split bowel preparation regimen received colonoscopy and assessment. The primary index was the bowel preparation success rate [global Boston bowel preparation scale (BBPS)≥ 6 by independent assessment center]. Secondary indices included BBPS global and segmental scores, investigator satisfaction (5-point Likert scale) with the quality of bowel preparation, patient satisfaction assessed by questionnaires, and patient tolerance assessed by Sharma scale. Compliance and safety were compared between the two groups. Results:The bowel preparation success rates were 100.0% for OSS and 99.3% for PEG [adjusted difference 0.7% (95% CI: -5.3% - 6.7%), P<0.001 for non-inferiority]. The BBPS global score in OSS group was significantly higher than that in PEG group (8.1 VS 7.7, P<0.001). The segment BBPS scores were also higher in OSS group than those in PEG group for all 3 segments (right colon: 2.4 VS 2.3, P=0.002; transverse colon: 2.8 VS 2.7, P=0.018; left colon: 2.8 VS 2.7, P=0.007). Investigator Likert score in the OSS group was significantly higher than that in the PEG group (2.6 VS 2.3, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in compliance between OSS and PEG, except for the second dose (90.9% VS 82.6%, P=0.039). There was no significant difference in patient satisfaction, Sharma score or proportion of patients with tolerance-related symptoms between the two groups. Safety was comparable between the two groups, and all adverse events were mild to moderate. Conclusion:OSS has comparable efficacy with PEG, with higher BBPS scores in all segments, better investigator satisfaction, better compliance in split dose, and comparable patient tolerance and safety.

OBJECTIVE: Segmented cardiac cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard for cardiac ventricular volumetric assessment. In patients with difficulty in breath-holding or arrhythmia, this technique may generate images with inadequate quality for diagnosis. Real-time cardiac cine MRI has been developed to address this limitation. We aimed to assess the performance of retrospective electrocardiography-gated real-time cine MRI at 3T for left ventricular (LV) volume and mass measurement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-one patients were consecutively enrolled. A series of short-axis cine images covering the entire left ventricle using both segmented and real-time balanced steady-state free precession cardiac cine MRI were obtained. End-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), stroke volume (SV), ejection fraction (EF), and LV mass were measured. The agreement and correlation of the parameters were assessed. Additionally, image quality was evaluated using European CMR Registry (Euro-CMR) score and structure visibility rating. RESULTS: In patients without difficulty in breath-holding or arrhythmia, no significant difference was found in Euro-CMR score between the two techniques (0.3 ± 0.7 vs. 0.3 ± 0.5, p > 0.05). Good agreements and correlations were found between the techniques for measuring EDV, ESV, EF, SV, and LV mass. In patients with difficulty in breath-holding or arrhythmia, segmented cine MRI had a significant higher Euro-CMR score (2.3 ± 1.2 vs. 0.4 ± 0.5, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Real-time cine MRI at 3T allowed the assessment of LV volume with high accuracy and showed a significantly better image quality compared to that of segmented cine MRI in patients with difficulty in breath-holding and arrhythmia.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Diagnosis ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine* ; Retrospective Studies* ; Stroke Volume

Objective To explore the prevalence,MRI characteristics and clinical evaluation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(HCM) patients with infarct-like late enhancement(LGE).Methods HCM patients were diagnosed via cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR) from October,2009 to December,2013.1 411 HCM patients were diagnosed via CMR,465 patients with LGE,of which 24 patients with infarct-like LGE (primarily in the subendocardium).Clinical and MRI data of patients demonstrating infarct-like LGE were retrospectively analyzed.All the HCM patients with LGE were followed up in the clinic or by telephone interview.Major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE) were defined as malignant ventricular arrhythmia events,including sudden cardiac death,ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation,implantable cardioverter defibrillator(ICD) discharge and heart failure events,including death from heart failure,heart transplantation.The correlation between left ventricle ejection fraction and subendocardial LGE volume fraction was evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis.Comparison of subendocardial LGE volume fraction between obstructed and non-obstructed left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) group was performed using independent sample t test.Prognosis of patients with infarct-like LGE and other LGE patterns was compared using Kaplan-Meier curves.Results The prevalence of infarct-like LGE were 0.05％(24/465) among patients with LGE.Mean left venricle ejection fraction(LVEF) was (56.20±3.60)％ and mean LGE volume fraction was (14.52 ± 12.73)％.According to the American Heart Association (AHA) 17-segment model,infarct-like LGE was most frequent in 14 segment(10 patients),followed by 9,15 (8 patients,respectively) and 3,8,16 (7 patients,respectively) segments,mainly distributed in left ventricular septum and apical portion.EF value was inversely correlated with mean LGE volume fraction(r=-0.85,P＜0.05).Mean follow up time was (4.25t± 1.35) years for all the HCM patients with LGE,and event-free survival rate was lower in HCM patients with infarct-like LGE than patients with other LGE patterns(P＜0.001).Conclusions Infarct-like LGE is a special manifestation in HCM patients,which shows worse prognosis than other LGE patterns.Infarct-like LGE volume fraction is associated with LVEF and LVOT.