Objective To make comparisons of the three models of acute and chronic rheumatic carditis to find out an optimal animal model.Methods AntigenⅠwas a emulsifier mixed by complete freund’ s adjuvant( CFA) and Group A streptococcus(GAS).AntigenⅡwas mixed by incomplete freund’s adjuvant(IFA) and GAS.Female Lewis rats were randomly divided into four groups: A, B, C treatmeat groups were immuned with antigenⅠat the foot pad firstly. Subsequently, rats in group A、B、C were injected antigenⅠ, antigenⅡand activated GAS respectively to make the models of RHD.Rats in control group D were immunized with the same protocol outlined as treatment groups but without GAS. Respectively 7, 12, 24 weeks the rats were sacrificed 24 ( each group was 6).The blood biochemical item and Hematoxylin-eosin( HE) staining of hearts were detected.Results In group C the mortality was 25%.In group A, the incidence of carditis was the highest.Histopathological manifestations of group A, C was not only revealed acute damage such as inflammatory cell infiltrate as well as group B, but also the Aschofflike cells in the myocardial cells interstitial.But in group A and C there had a great degree of the inflammatory cells infiltration than group B.At 24th week rats in group A detected the rate and degree of valve fibrosis in chronic damage were higher than group B and C.None of rats in group D presented carditis or valvulitis.Conclusion In group A, giving the GAS with continuous stimulation after using the mixed emulsification of CFA and GAS to immune Lewis rats for five times was a appropriate method which could provide an optimal animal model for experimental study of acute and chronic rheumatic heart disease.

ObjectiveTo systematically and objectively evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of comprehensive acupuncture treatment in managing wet age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), and to seek a standard acupuncture protocol for this disease, for promoting the application in clinic.MethodTotally 37 patients (67 eyes) were observed to compare the vision, Amsler grid and rating scale of quality of life for visual impairment before and after the 3-month treatment. The clinical efficacy was then evaluated. ResultThe vision and score of quality of life were significantly changed after intervention (P<0.05); according to Amsler grid, the total improved rate was 79.2% and the total effective rate was 77.6%; age and disease duration were negatively correlated with the therapeutic efficacy (P<0.05).ConclusionComprehensive acupuncture treatment can significantly improve the vision and quality of life in patients with wet ARMD, and the younger the patients and the shorter the disease duration, the higher the therapeutic efficacy.

Objective To explore the expression of interferon-inducible genes (IFIG) in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) patients and its clinical significance.Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 52 IIM patients and 20 healthy controls were extracted.The transcriptional levels of six IFIG genes:oligoadenylate synthetase 1 (OAS-1),IFN-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 1(IFIT1),IFIT4,interferon-inducible-protein 44 (IFI44),radical S-adenosyl methionine domain containing protein 2 (RSAD2) and myxo-virus resistance gene 1 (MX-1) were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).Interferon scores were calculated and compared.The correlations between interferon scores and clinical features of IIM patients were investigated.Non-parametric Mann-Whitney and Spearman analysis were used for statistical analysis.Results In IIM patients,the transcriptional levels of OAS-1 [90.4(40.2,350.8)],IFIT1 [112.7(49.8,151.1)],IFIT4 [127.8(110.4,200.2)],IFI44 [100.3(39.5,160.7)],RSAD2 [100.9(50.2,559.2)] and MX-1 [110.7(60.3,298.9)] were greatly higher than those in healthy controls [4.5(2.1,27.8),21.5(0.4,31.4)i 21.5(0.8,51.2),5.2(0.4,27.8),27.8(17.5,33.5),25.1(15.7,31.8),respectively] (Z=-5.121,-4.359,-5.301,-4.906,-4.348,-4.151; P＜0.01).Meanwhile,interferon scores were significantly elevated in IIM patients [65.7(3.6,136.9),Z=-5.778,P＜0.01],compared with healthy controls [1.2(0.1,3.1)],especially in those with interstitial lung disease [89.3(41.9,176.7),Z=0.544,P＜0.05].Interferon scores were correlated positively with ESR (r=0.234,P＜0.05).Conclusion The mRNA levels of OAS-1,IFIT1,IFIT4,IFI44,RSAD2 and MX-1 are significantly increased in patients with IIM.Interferon score might be used as a new biomarker for IIM patients.

Objective To observethe clinical efficacy of comprehensive acupuncture treatment in treating primary open-angle glaucoma, and to objectively evaluate the therapeutic efficacy.Method Twenty-eight patients (53 eyes) who received acupuncture treatment were recruited. By adopting a self-control design, the changes of intraocular tension, mean defect (MD) of vision field, mean sensitivity (MS), vision, and score of Quality of Life Scale for Patients with Visual Impairment (QLSPVI) were observed after 3-month acupuncture treatment.ResultThe intraocular tension of the 28 patients declined obviously after the treatment (P<0.01); MD, MS and vision didn't show significant improvements after the treatment (P>0.05); the QLSPVI score dropped significantly after the treatment (P<0.01);the total effective rate was 86.8%; the therapeutic efficacy wasn't correlated with age, disease duration, and treatment duration (P>0.05).Conclusion Acupuncture treatment can effectively reduce the intraocular tension, control the deterioration of MD and MS, maintain the level of vision, and enhance the quality of life of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma; with the same disease duration, the longer the treatment, the better the therapeutic efficacy.

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological features of gastric cardia cancer with neuroendo-crine cell differentiation(NED).Methods From September 2007 to October 2014,the clinicopathological features of 70 gastric cardia cancer patients with NED and 76 cases without NED confirmed by surgical pathology specimens and immunohistochemistry (Syn and CgA)in the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College were ret-rospectively analyzed and compared.Results The positive expression rates of synaptophysin(Syn)and chromogranin A(CgA)were 43.2% and 22.6%,respectively.Tumor differentiation was significantly related with NED (χ2 =4.989,P =0.026).Tumors with NED were larger and had deeper invasion,but they were not statistically significant. Conclusion Immunohistochemistry is important to the diagnosis of NED.Gastric cardia cancer with NED has poorer differentiation.

An algebraic image reconstruction from few views using bilateral-filtering iterative method was proposed due to the problem of computed tomography insufficient data in the present study. In each iteration reconstruction, we first used algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) algorithm to reconstruct an image, ensuring the non-negativity of the reconstructed image at the same time, and then performed bilateral-filtering to the above-mentioned image. In order to improve reconstructed image quality and accelerate the convergence speed, we developed a modified bilateral-filtering method. Shepp-Logan simulation experiments and real CT projection data reconstructions showed the feasibility of the algorithm. The results showed that, compared with the traditional methods of filtered back projection (FBP), ART and GF-ART,the proposed method has a higher signal-to-noise ratio, and maintains more effectively the image edge information.
Algorithms ; Artifacts ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods

OBJECTIVETo propose a new method for effectively and rapidly removing the ring artifacts in CT images based on image post-processing.

METHODSThe CT image with ring artifacts in the Cartesian coordinate was first transformed into an image with line artifacts in the polar coordinate. The image in the polar coordinate was then filtered by designing a one-dimensional filter to calculate the mean and variance of each pixel after filtering, which were compared with the variance threshold value and the pixel threshold value to determine the position of the artifacts for corrections accordingly. Finally, the polar coordinate image was converted into Cartesian coordinate image.

RESULTSSimulated and actual CT data experimental results demonstrated the efficiency of this method for removing artifacts, retaining the image fidelity and reducing the processing time.

CONCLUSIONThe new method can accurately recognize the position of the artifacts and effectively remove them to facilitate the clinical diagnosis.

Objective:To assess the value of culture of epidermal melanocytes from negative-pressure suction blisters in the auxiliary diagnosis of segmental vitiligo-like nevus depigmentosus.Methods:Between June 2019 and March 2020, 8 patients with segmental vitiligo-like nevus depigmentosus, who met the Coupe′s clinical diagnostic criteria, were enrolled from Department of Dermatology, Hangzhou Third People′s Hospital. All patients were evaluated by the Wood′s lamp, reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) , 308-nm excimer laser radiation, and in vitro culture of epidermal melanocytes from negative-pressure suction blisters. Results:Among the 8 patients, fluorescence was observed in 6 under the Wood′s lamp, dermal papillary rings were incomplete or absent in 4 as shown by RCM, and 5 experienced no repigmentation after 308-nm excimer laser radiation. Among the 8 patients, in vitro cultured lesional melanocytes were all positive for ferrous sulfate staining, yellowish-white precipitates were obtained after digestion and centrifugation of the melanocytes, and stage Ⅰ-Ⅲ melanosomes were observed in the cytoplasm of melanocytes under the electron microscope; however, the precipitates were black in color after digestion and centrifugation of the melanocytes collected from the normal skin tissues at the contralateral anatomical site, and stageⅠ-Ⅳ melanosomes were seen in the cytoplasm of the melanocytes under the electron microscope. Conclusion:Culture of epidermal melanocytes from negative-pressure suction blisters may facilitate the diagnosis of segmental vitiligo-like nevus depigmentosus.