Objective:To investigate the value of the virtual monoenergetic image (VMI) obtained by a new dual-layer detector spectral CT combined with metal artifact reduction algorithms(O-MAR) in reduction of different types of artifacts caused by 125I seeds implantation and in improvement of the post-operative CT image quality. Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. Thirty-five patients who underwent dual-layer detector spectral CT scanning of the chest and abdomen after 125I seeds implantation were retrospectively included at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from March to September 2022. The spectral data were collected and reconstructed into conventional CT image (CI), VMI image (50-150 keV, 20 keV/level), CI+O-MAR image, and VMI+O-MAR image (50-150 keV, 20 keV/level). The artifacts′ removal effects and image quality improvement in each group were evaluated. Two slices with the strongest artifacts were selected for analysis for each patient, resulting in a total of 70 slices. Objective indicators including artifact index (AI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of soft tissue regions affected by artifacts were measured and calculated. Subjective indicators including the overcorrected artifacts and new artifacts, the different forms of artifacts, the diagnosis of artifacts, and the image quality were assessed. One-way analysis of variance was used for comparisons among multiple groups. Paired t test was used to compare the quantitative indicators between the combined O-MAR group and the non-O-MAR group. Kappa statistics was used to evaluate the consistency between observers. Results:In high/low-density artifacts (ROI H/L), the AI values in all groups showed decrease with increasing VMI keV. In artifact-affected tissue (ROI T), SNR of the CI/VMI (70-150 keV)+O-MAR group were significantly higher than those of the CI/VMI group ( P<0.05), CNR of the CI/VMI(50-150 keV)+O-MAR group were significantly higher than those of the CI/VMI group ( P<0.05). Both overcorrection and new artifacts mainly presented in VMI 50 keV and VMI 70 keV groups; Compared with VMI (50-70 keV) group, significantly less numbers of overcorrection and new artifacts were found in VMI (50-70 keV)+O-MAR group ( P<0.05); regarding the comparison of artifact types, with the VMI keV increasing, the number of a-type banded artifacts gradually decreased on images with high-density artifacts, reaching a minimum of 3 in the VMI 150 keV+O-MAR group; while the number of e-type artifacts with little or no artifacts increased, with the highest number of 23 in the VMI 150 keV+O-MAR group. The total number of high-density artifacts in each type decreased with increasing VMI keV. As VMI keV increased, the diagnostic and image quality scores of high-density artifacts in each group were significantly higher than those of low-density artifacts in the VMI+O-MAR group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:VMI combined with O-MAR can significantly improve the objective and subjective image quality of follow-up CT imaging after 125I seed implantation, enhancing lesion visibility and diagnostic confidence. Additionally, VMI+O-MAR showed more pronounced correction effect on high-density artifacts.

Objective:To explore the clinical value of quantitative parameters on spectral CT in predicting the invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as ground-glass nodules (GGN).Methods:The clinical and imaging data of 129 patients with pathologically confirmed lung adenocarcinoma who were surgically resected in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from March to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, including 45 males and 84 females, aged from 33 to 81. According to the pathological results, they were divided into the minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) group ( n=64) and the invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC) group ( n=65). All patients underwent enhanced spectral CT within two weeks before surgery. The iodine density map, Z-Effective (Z eff) map, and electron density (ED) map were reconstructed on the post-processing workstation, and the spectral parameters, including normalized iodine concentration (NIC), arterial enhancement fraction (AEF), Z eff, and ED were measured and calculated. Conventional CT features were analyzed, including maximum diameter, CT value, nodule types, margin, lobulation sign, spiculation sign, bubble sign, pleural retraction sign, abnormal vascular sign, and air bronchial sign. The clinical features, conventional CT characteristics and spectral CT parameters of two groups were compared using the independent sample t test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and the χ 2 test. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the independent risk factors of lung adenocarcinoma invasiveness, and the model was constructed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the performance of parameters and models in predicting the invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma. Results:There were significant differences between the MIA group and IAC group in maximum diameter, CT value, nodule type, margin, spiculation sign, pleural retraction sign, air bronchial sign, venous phase NIC, AEF, venous phase Z eff, arterial phase ED, venous phase ED ( P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the maximum diameter (OR=1.183, 95%CI 1.062-1.318), CT value (OR=1.004, 95%CI 1.001-1.007), venous phase NIC (OR=1.185, 95%CI 1.083-1.298), AEF(OR=0.975, 95%CI 0.957-0.994), venous phase Z eff (OR=0.031, 95%CI 0.005-0.196) were independent influence factors for the invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma. The conventional CT model was established with the maximum diameter and CT value, and the spectral CT model was established with venous phase NIC, AEF, and venous phase Z eff. The combined model was established with all the parameters above. Areas under the ROC curve of the conventional CT model, the spectral CT model, and the combined model for predicting the invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma were 0.828, 0.854, and 0.902, respectively. Conclusion:The quantitative parameters of double-layer detector spectral CT can be used as an indicator to predict the invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as GGN, and AEF has the highest diagnostic efficacy. Spectral CT combined with conventional CT features can further improve the diagnostic efficiency.

Objective:To establish and internally validate a nomogram model for predicting complicated acute appendicitis (CA).Methods:The clinical data from 663 acute appendicitis patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from October 2015 to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 411 males and 252 females, aged ( M (IQR)) 41 (22) years (range: 18 to 84 years). There were 516 cases of CA and 147 cases of uncomplicated acute appendicitis. The minimum absolute contraction and selection operator regression model was used to screen the potential relative factors of CA, and the screened factors were included in the Logistic regression model for multivariate analysis. Software R was used to establish a preoperative CA nomogram prediction model, the receiver operating characteristic curve of the model was drawn, and the value of area under the curve (AUC) was compared to evaluate its identification ability, and the Bootstrap method was used for internal verification. Results:The elderly (age≥60 years) ( OR=2.428, 95% CI: 1.295 to 4.549), abdominal pain time (every rise of 1 hour) ( OR=1.089, 95% CI: 1.072 to 1.107), high fever (body temperature≥39 ℃) ( OR=1.122, 95% CI: 1.078 to 1.168), total bilirubin (every rise of 1 μmol/L) ( OR=2.629, 95% CI: 1.227 to 5.635) were independent relative factors of CA (all P<0.05). The AUC of this model was 0.935 (95% CI: 0.915 to 0.956). After internal verification using the Bootstrap method, the model still had a high discrimination ability (AUC=0.933), and the predicted CA curve was still in good agreement with the actual clinical CA curve. Conclusion:The clinical prediction model based on the elderly (age≥60 years), prolonged abdominal pain time, high fever (body temperature≥39 ℃), and increased total bilirubin can help clinicians effectively identify CA.

Objective:To establish and internally validate a nomogram model for predicting complicated acute appendicitis (CA).Methods:The clinical data from 663 acute appendicitis patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from October 2015 to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 411 males and 252 females, aged ( M (IQR)) 41 (22) years (range: 18 to 84 years). There were 516 cases of CA and 147 cases of uncomplicated acute appendicitis. The minimum absolute contraction and selection operator regression model was used to screen the potential relative factors of CA, and the screened factors were included in the Logistic regression model for multivariate analysis. Software R was used to establish a preoperative CA nomogram prediction model, the receiver operating characteristic curve of the model was drawn, and the value of area under the curve (AUC) was compared to evaluate its identification ability, and the Bootstrap method was used for internal verification. Results:The elderly (age≥60 years) ( OR=2.428, 95% CI: 1.295 to 4.549), abdominal pain time (every rise of 1 hour) ( OR=1.089, 95% CI: 1.072 to 1.107), high fever (body temperature≥39 ℃) ( OR=1.122, 95% CI: 1.078 to 1.168), total bilirubin (every rise of 1 μmol/L) ( OR=2.629, 95% CI: 1.227 to 5.635) were independent relative factors of CA (all P<0.05). The AUC of this model was 0.935 (95% CI: 0.915 to 0.956). After internal verification using the Bootstrap method, the model still had a high discrimination ability (AUC=0.933), and the predicted CA curve was still in good agreement with the actual clinical CA curve. Conclusion:The clinical prediction model based on the elderly (age≥60 years), prolonged abdominal pain time, high fever (body temperature≥39 ℃), and increased total bilirubin can help clinicians effectively identify CA.

Drug-induced Parkinsonism (DIP) is a common complication of antipsychotic drugs, calcium channel antagonists, gastrointestinal prokinetic drugs, and antiepileptic drugs and the most common secondary Parkinsonism in the elderly. DIP caused by various drugs is not uncommon in clinic. However, it is easy to omit diagnosis and treatment. Withdrawal of offending drugs is the main treatment and lower risk drugs should be switched if the drug in use cannot be discontinued. The advances in definition, risk factors, pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment, and prognosis of DIP are reviewed in this paper, in order to improve cognition for this curable iatrogenic disease in clinical practice.

Objective:To investigate the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI)-based image optimization technique on image quality of coronary CT angiography (CCTA).Methods:Sixty patients, who were referred for CCTA, were prospectively enrolled between May and June 2018 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital and were randomly divided into two groups. Group A was scanned with a low tube voltage of 80 kVp and a reduced contrast media volume of lopamiro at 0.7 ml /kg and group B was scanned with a standard 120 kVp tube voltage and an injection of 70 ml lopamiro. According to the different reconstruction methods, group A was divided into two subgroups. The images of group A1 were reconstructed with iterative reconstruction (IR). IR and further AI-based image optimization were used in group A2. Group B was also reconstructed by IR. To evaluate image quality objectively, the mean attenuation of contrast-enhancement values, background noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were measured and calculated in the region of interests (ROIs) of the aortic root (Ao), left main coronary artery (LM), left anterior descending branch (LAD), left circumflex branch (LCX) and right coronary artery (RCA), respectively. In addition, the subjective evaluation was performed by two radiologists using Likert 4 scale (1 for excellent and 4 for poor) to evaluate the image quality of coronary artery branches and segments. The estimated radiation dose in terms of volume CT dose index (CTDI vol), dose length product (DLP) and effective dose (ED) was recorded and compared between group A and group B. Analyses of the differences between groups were compared with image quality, radiation dose by t test or Wilcoxon signed ranks test, and subjective assessments were compares with χ 2 test. Results:In terms of lumen enhancement, compared to group A2, there was no significant difference in CT value of each ROI ( P>0.05); CT value of group A1 and group A2 at Ao was significantly higher than that of group B ( P<0.01), but there was no significant difference in other ROI ( P>0.05). By comparing noise, SNR and CNR, it could be seen that compared to group B, A2 group optimized by AI had a significantly lower noise level at Ao than group B ( P<0.001), and there was no statistical difference in ROI for the rest (all P>0.05).SNR at Ao was significantly higher than that of group B ( P<0.001), and there was no statistical difference in ROI for the rest ( P>0.05).However, the CNR of group A2 was significantly higher than that of group B in all ROI ( P<0.001). Compared to the AI-optimized A2 group, the noise of A2 group was significantly lower than that of A1 group at all ROI, and SNR and CNR were significantly higher than that of A1 group ( P<0.001). The subjective evaluation results of coronary segments showed that image quality of group A2 and group B was significantly better than that of group A1 ( P=0.002,0.038). There was no significant difference between group A2 and group B ( P=0.543). The radiation dose indexes of CTDI vol, DLP and ED in group A were significantly lower than those in group B (all P<0.001). The ED was decreased by 70.4%. Meanwhile, the volume of contrast media in group A was reduced by 37.1% than that that in group B. Conclusion:Compared to conventional scanning, CCTA images optimized by AI technology improved subjective and objective image quality.

BACKGROUND: Studies have demonstrated that platelet-rich plasma can promote osteogenesis and proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, adipose-derived stem cells and skeletal muscle satellite cell, but whether it can promote the proliferation and osteogenesis of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of different concentrations of platelet-rich plasma on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of hUC-MSCs. METHODS: Passage 5 hUC-MSCs were cultured in medium containing different concentrations of platelet-rich plasma (0, 250, 500, 750, 1000, 2000 ng/L), respectively. Cell proliferation was detected at 1, 3, 5, 7 days after culture, and the best platelet-rich plasma mass concentration was screened. Afterwards, passage 5 hUC-MSCs were divided and cultured in complete medium (blank control group), optimal concentration of platelet-rich plasma (platelet rich plasma group), osteogenesis induction medium (osteogenic induction group), or the osteogenesis induction medium containing the optimal concentration of platelet-rich plasma (combined group). Cell activity of alkaline phosphatase was detected after cultivated for 3, 7, 14 days. Osteopontin, bone specific transcription factor, and osteocalcin mRNA relative expression levels were detected after cultivated for 7, 14, 21 days. Mineralization of the extracellular matrix was detected after cultivated for 21 days. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: After 5 and 7 days of culture, the cell proliferation was higher in 500, 750, 1000 ng/L platelet-rich plasma groups than 0 ng/L group (P < 0.05), and 750 ng/L platelet-rich plasma showed the best effect on cell proliferation, which was used in the following experiments. Compared with the other groups, the combined group had significantly increased alkaline phosphatase activity (P < 0.05), and up-regulated osteopontin, bone specific transcription factor and osteocalcin mRNA relative expression levels (P < 0.05) at different culture times. In addition, the degree of extracellular matrix mineralization in the combined group was also higher than that in the other three groups (P < 0.05).To conclude, 750 ng/L platelet-rich plasma can promote hUC-MSCs proliferation and osteogenic differentiation.

BACKGROUND:Alternative implants affect stability of prostheses,and freeze-dried bone allografts are most selected as implants.The crack between grafts and host bone is unavoidable,which would weaken the bone integration.Bone cement can fill the cracks quickly and completely,however,the effects of bone cement on the stress of prostheses and its own remains poorly understood.OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the effect of the different grafting for bone loss in the presence of the new acetabular component with wings at the time of acetabular revision.METHODS:The finite-element models of acetabular component with three wings and acetabulum with bone loss were established.Following prostheses implantation,the gaps were filled with bone cement and freeze-dried bone allograft,respectively,stress of the graft and its effect on prostheses were analyzed under 2 158 N and 426 N acetabular loads.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The finite-element analysis demonstrated that stress and strain at the interfaces of bone-shell and metal-polyethylene liner had the same direction of change but no significant difference between them.In the study,the result indicated increased contact stresses with an increased hip force and orientation.The stress of wings increased gradually from rim to root.Its peak stress was at the joint between the wing and the shell.The different grafts did not affect the stress of the acetabular component.But the stress of bone cement was significantly higher than that of particulate bone.The study demonstrated that change of the graft could not make remarkable effect on the stress of the acetabular component.But the stress of bone cement increased significantly.The result of the finite-element analysis indicated that particulate bone graft is benefit to improving itsstability and to minimize aseptic loosening rate of acetabular component.

Objective To analyze and evaluate a new acetabular revision component with three wings. Methods The finite-element models of a new acetabular component and acetabulum with bone loss were established to calculate the interface stresses during a normal gait cycle with use of the finite-element formulations. Results The finite-element analysis demonstrated that stress and strain at the interfaces of bone-shell and metal-polyethylene liner had the same direction of change but no remarkable difference between them. In the study, the result indicated increased contact stresses with an increased joint load and orientation. The peak stress was tested at the second stage of gait cycle. The stress of wings increased gradually from rim to root. Its peak stress that was significantly lower than yield force of the Co-Cr alloy was at the joint between the wing and the shell. The stress of graft had the same change rule as the joint force. The part of graft near to acetabular component was subjected to higher stress conditions. Conclusion The hip forces can transfer from acetabular component and implant to acetabulum. The result of the finite-element analysis underlined the importance of wings of the new acetabular component. The wing can help to improve the antitorsion ability of acetabular component and to minimize its aseptic loosening rate. Therefore, based on results of this study and clinical application, the acetabular component with wings is known a viable means for acetabular revision in the presence of bone loss. But further research is needed as to this acetabular component.