Consumptive thirst is widely discussed in Huangdi Neijing and it is classified as a"strange disease"in Suwen·Strange Diseases Treatise,which reflects the intractable nature of consumptive thirst.This paper explores and analyzes consumptive thirst based on the core concept in Huangdi Neijing.First,this paper approaches the subject through the use of image thinking method from Huangdi Neijing,recognizing that consumptive thirst can lead to changes in the internal climate of the human body.Then,guided by the theories of essence and qi,yin and yang,and the five elements in Huangdi Neijing,it deconstructs and analyzes the causes of these changes and the laws of qi transformation.It points out that the changing climate of consumptive thirst is characterized by"heat symptoms".The main cause of"heat symptoms"is spleen deficiency and excessive dampness,and its qi transformation law is the heat transformation of Shaoyin.The intractable nature of consumptive thirst is mainly reflected in the uncontrolled"heat symptoms"caused by the imbalance of the five elements.Based on the understanding of the heat symptoms of consumptive thirst,this paper proposes a treatment strategy for preventing the disease by resolving dampness and regulating the spleen,harmonizing kidney qi to prevent progression,and balancing yin and yang to treat chronic and recalcitrant conditions.The aim is to provide a reference for optimizing the treatment of consumptive thirst.

Objective:To sum up the experience and improve the capability of clinical diagnosis and treatment of thyroid tuberculosis (TTB) .Methods:In Apr. 2020, the Second Department of General Surgery, Friendship Hospital of Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, treated a patient with a huge thyroid cancer (TC), who had no history of tuberculosis. Thyroid cancer was considered for surgical treatment after the assessment by ultrasound and enhanced CT scan, yet the postoperative pathological diagnosis was thyroid tuberculosis. The clinical and pathological data of 357 cases of TTB reported in domestic literature were retrospectively analyzed by searching the relevant databases.Results:This reported case was diagnosed eventually with TTB by postoperative pathology, cured by operation, local and systemic anti-tuberculosis treatment. Among the 357 cases of TTB, there were 95 males and 262 females and the ratio of male to female was 1.0:2.8. Most patients had neck mass as the first symptom (95.5%, 256/268), and 53 patients (19.8%, 53/268) merged with tuberculosis poisoning symptoms. There were 59 cases (21%, 59/281) complicated with extra-thyroid tuberculosis. Among 51 cases, 37 cases (73%, 37/51) were diagnosed with TTB. Eighty cases (30%, 80/265) were suspected of TC before the operation.25 patients (8.5%, 25/294) received antituberculosis treatment, and 269 patients (91.5%, 269/294) received surgical treatment, among which 100 patients (37%, 100/269) underwent unilateral lobectomy. The caseation type was the most common pathology with 154 cases (57.9%, 154/266). Two patients died of TTB after an operation, and the remaining patients were followed up for 6 months to 33 years without recurrence.Conclusions:TTB often lacks typical clinical manifestations and is easily confused with TC. The diagnosis mainly relies on puncture pathological examination. Good results can be achieved with appropriate treatment based on a definite diagnosis.

Objective? To?Study?the?changes?of?short-chain?acyl-CoA?dehydrogenase?(SCAD)?in?heart?failure?(HF)?after?myocardial?infarction?(MI),?and?the?effect?of?aerobic?exercise?on?SCAD.? Methods? Healthy?male?Sprague-Dawley?(SD)?rats?were?divided?into?sham?operation?group?(Sham?group),?sham?operation?swimming?group?(Sham+swim?group),?HF?model?group?(LAD?group)?and?HF?swimming?group?(LAD+swim?group)?by?random?number?table?method,?with?9?rats?in?each?group.?The?left?anterior?descending?branch?of?coronary?artery?(LAD)?was?ligated?to?establish?a?rat?model?of?HF?after?MI.?In?Sham?group,?only?one?loose?knot?was?threaded?under?the?left?coronary?artery,?and?the?rest?operations?were?the?same?as?those?in?LAD?group.?Rats?in?Sham+swim?group?and?LAD+swim?group?were?given?swimming?test?for?1?week?after?operation?(from?15?minutes?on?the?1st?day?to?60?minutes?on?the?5th?day).?Then?they?were?given?swimming?endurance?training?(from?the?2nd?week?onwards,?60?minutes?daily,?6?times?weekly,?10?weeks?in?a?row).?Tail?artery?systolic?pressure??(SBP)?was?measured?before?swimming?endurance?training?and?every?2?weeks?until?the?end?of?the?10th?week.?Ten?weeks?after?swimming?training,?echocardiography?was?performed?to?measure?cardiac?output?(CO),?stroke?volume?(SV),?left?ventricular?ejection?fraction?(LVEF),?shortening?fraction?(FS),?left?ventricular?end-systolic?diameter?(LVESD),?left?ventricular?end-diastolic?diameter?(LVEDD),?left?ventricular?end-systolic?volume?(LVESV),?and?left?ventricular?end-diastolic??volume?(LVEDV).?Morphological?changes?of?heart?were?observed?by?Masson?staining.?Apoptosis?of?myocardial?cells?was?detected?by?transferase-mediated?deoxyuridine?triphosphate-biotin?nick?end?labeling?stain?(TUNEL)?and?apoptosis?index?(AI)?was?calculated.?Reverse?transcription-polymerase?chain?reaction?(RT-PCR)?and?Western?Blot?were?used?to?detect?the?mRNA?and?protein?expression?of?myocardial?SCAD?respectively.?In?addition,?the?enzyme?activity?of?SCAD,?the?content?of?adenosine?triphosphate?(ATP)?and?free?fatty?acid?(FFA)?in?serum?and?myocardium?were?detected?according?to?the?kit?instruction?steps.? Results? Compared?with?Sham?group,?Sham+swim?group?showed?SBP?did?not?change?significantly,?with?obvious?eccentric?hypertrophy?and?increased?myocardial?contractility,?and?LAD?group?showed?persistent?hypotension,?obvious?MI,?thinning?of?left?ventricle,?and?decreased?myocardial?systolic/diastolic?function.?Compared?with?LAD?group,?SBP,?systolic/diastolic?function?and?MI?in?LAD+swim?group?were?significantly?improved?[SBP?(mmHg,?1?mmHg?=?0.133?kPa):?119.5±4.4?vs.?113.2±4.5?at?4?weeks,?120.3±4.0?vs.?106.5±3.7?at??6?weeks,?117.4±1.3?vs.?111.0±2.3?at?8?weeks,?126.1±1.6?vs.?119.4±1.9?at?10?weeks;?CO?(mL/min):?59.10±6.31?vs.?33.19±4.76,?SV?(μL):?139.42±17.32?vs.?84.02±14.26,?LVEF:?0.523±0.039?vs.?0.309±0.011,?FS:?(28.17±2.57)%?vs.?(15.93±3.64)%,?LVEDD?(mm):?8.80±0.19?vs.?9.35±0.30,?LVESD?(mm):?5.90±0.77?vs.?7.97±0.60,?LVEDV?(μL):?426.57±20.84?vs.?476.24±25.18,?LVESV?(μL):?209.50±25.18?vs.?318.60±16.10;?AI:?(20.4±1.4)%?vs.?(31.2±4.6)%;?all?P??0.05).? Conclusion? The?expression?of?SCAD?in?HF?was?significantly?down-regulated,?and?the?expression?was?significantly?up-regulated?after?aerobic?exercise?intervention,?indicating?that?swimming?may?improve?the?severity?of?HF?by?up-regulating?the?expression?of?SCAD.

Gliomas are the most common brain primary tumors worldwide,which is the earliest sequenced cancer gene in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project.The World Health Organization Classification Update of Central Nervous System (CNS) Tumors 2016 highlights that glioma is the first tumor dassified based on both of the molecular markers and histology.Radiomics is an extraction approach for high-throughput data which collects the quantitative image information appearing.Combined imaging data with genomics and proteomics,radiomics show promising prediction for cancer diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis.In this review,the radiomic analysis methods applied in gliomas are highlighted.Some remarkable findings confirm the considerable potential of radiomics in clinical cancer research.

Objective To investigate the value of intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging(IVIM-DWI)and multi-phasic enhanced MRI in the classification of clear cell renal cell carcinoma(ccRCC).Methods The data of 91 patients with pathologically confirmed ccRCC who all underwent multi-phasic enhanced MRI and IVIM-DWI examination were analyzed retrospectively. According to Fuhrman classification criteria,grade Ⅰ - Ⅱ were defined as low-grade group(n=73),grade Ⅲ - Ⅳ were defined as high-grade group(n=18).Mann-Whitney U test,independent sample t test and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)analysis were used for statistical analysis.Results The maximal diameter and pathological stage of ccRCC in the low-grade group were lower than those in the high-grade group,and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant(P<0.001 and P=0.003). The signal intensity and enhancement rate of ccRCC in the high-grade group in corticomedullary phase and parenchyma phase were lower than those in the low-grade group,but there was no significant difference between the two groups(all P>0.05).The ADC and D values of ccRCC in the high-grade group were lower than those in the low-grade group,and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant(P=0.007 and P=0.009).However,there was no significant difference of D *and f between the two groups(P=0.604 and P=0.695).Conclusion Multi-phasic enhanced MRI scanning has a limited value in the classification of ccRCC.IVIM-DWI derived diffusion-related parameters(ADC and D)is of great significance for differentiating between high-grade and low-grade ccRCC.

Objective:To investigate the value of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) on the diagnosis of SCA3/MJD,and to calculate the correlation between 1H-MRS ratio and the clinical score.Methods:Sixteen patients with SCA3/MJD and 19 healthy volunteers were scanned with 1H-MRS.The data of N-acetyl aspartate,creatine,choline-containing compounds,myoinositol,NAA/Cr,Cho/Cr,and mI/Cr ratio were collected,which were grouped for comparative study.The onset patients with SCA3/MJD were evaluated with the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale and Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia,the correlation between NAA/Cr,Cho/Cr or mI/Cr ratio and the clinical score was calculated.Results:The NAA/Cr in the pons and cerebellar dentate nucleus from the onset patients with SCA3/MJD was significantly reduced compared to that in the normal control group.The NAA/Cr in the cerebellar dentate nucleus of onset patients with SCA3/MJD was obviously correlated with ICARS.Conclusion:SCA3/MJD lesions are mainly located in the cerebellum and brainstem,where gray and white mater are also involved.The cerebellar dentate nucleus may be the earliest involved area.There is a correlation between the ICARS and the cerebellar lesion degree.The ICARS reflects the severity of clinical manifestations.1H-MRS is useful in the diagnosis of SCA3/MJD.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of opiate abuse on the expression of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HIV-1-infected patients and to elucidate possible mechanisms involved in the enhancement of HIV-1 replication by opiate abuse. A total of 200 participants were enrolled in the study by random selection from methadone treatment centers and voluntary HIV counseling and testing centers in the cities of Nanning, Liuzhou, and Qinzhou. These participants included 50 HIV-positive opiate abusers (Opiates HIV(+) group), 50 HIV-negative opiate abusers (Opiates HIV(-) group), 50 HIV-positive subjects who were not opiate abusers (Non-opiates HIV (+) group), and 50 HIV-negative subjects who were not opiate abusers (Control group). PBMCs were isolated from the peripheral blood samples from the subjects and the expression levels of TLR9 mRNA and protein were determined by q-PCR and western blot respectively. There was no significant difference among the four groups in age, gender, nationality, domicile, marital status, educational background or duration of drug abuse (P > 0.05). The median viral loads of the Opiates HIV(+) were significantly higher than those of the Non-Opiates HIV(+) groups (4.450 x 10(3) and 3.977 x 10(3) copies/mL respectively, P < 0.05). The relative expression levels of TLR9 mRNA in the Opiates HIV(+), Non-Opiates HIV(+), Opiates HIV(-) and Control groups were (2.13 +/- 1.59) x 10(-3), (3.66 +/- 2.22) x 10(-3), (1.96 +/- 1.42) x 10(-3) and (7.66 +/- 4.87) x 10(-3), respectively. The expression of TLR9 mRNA was significantly lower in both HIV-1-infected and -uninfected groups of opiate abusers compared with groups of non-abusers (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in TLR9 mRNA expression levels between the Opiates HIV(+) group and the Opiates HIV(-) group (P > 0.05). However, in the non-opiate groups, the expression levels of TLR9 mRNA in the HIV(+) group were significantly lower than that of the control group (P< 0.05). Western blot results confirmed that the expression of TLR9 protein was lower in the Opiates HIV(+), Non-Opiates HIV(+), and Opiates HIV(-) groups compared to the control group. These results suggest that opiate abuse can decrease the expression of TLR9 in PBMCs, which may result in the enhancement of HIV-1 infection and replication due to a decline in immune response mediated by the TLR9 pathway.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; HIV Infections ; genetics ; metabolism ; virology ; HIV-1 ; physiology ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Opioid-Related Disorders ; genetics ; metabolism ; Toll-Like Receptor 9 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the changes in quantitative kinetic parameters in dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) during radiotherapy and their value for efficacy evaluation in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

METHODSTwenty-four patients with NPC that had been pathologically confirmed as poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma underwent conventional MRI and DCE-MRI scans 1-2 days before radiotherapy (Pre-RT), during radiotherapy (RT 50 Gy), and upon completion of radiotherapy (RT 70 Gy). Based on the two-compartment model and using the arterial input function deconvolution technique, we calculated the quantitative kinetic parameters of DCE-MRI (K(trans), kep, and Ve) of the tumor tissues, examined the correlation between the tumor regression rate (RS0-50) and the parameters on Pre-RT and RT 50 Gy, and compared the parameters for RT 70 Gy among the groups with different prognosis.

RESULTSThe K(trans) value of the tumor tissue decreased after radiotherapy and showed a significant difference between Pre-RT and RT 70 Gy, but not between Pre-RT and RT 50 Gy. The kep value decreased and Ve value increased after radiotherapy. The tumor regression rate was found to be positively correlated with the K(trans) value for Pre-RT (P=0.005) but negatively with the K(trans) value for RT 50 Gy (P=0.001). During the follow-up for 3 years, 5 patients died and 3 patients had distant metastases. No statistical differences in K(trans), kep, or Ve were found between the groups with different prognosis.

CONCLUSIONSThe kinetic parameters in DCE-MRI, which vary significantly during radiotherapy, allow monitoring of tumor angiogenesis and vascular permeability and quantitative assessment of treatment efficacy for NPC. K(trans) value for Pre-RT and RT 50 Gy can serve as an indicator for early efficacy assessment of radiotherapy and for treatment adjustment, but its relation with the long-term outcomes awaits further study.

Algorithms ; Capillary Permeability ; Carcinoma ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; blood supply ; radiotherapy ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; Prognosis ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To evaluate the quality coherence of commercial Angelicae Dahuricae Radix (Baizhi) decoction pieces. Methods The samples of 12 batches of commercial decoction pieces, 1 batch of sulphur fumigated Baizhi, and 1 batch of naturally dried Baizhi were collected. HPLC method was used to determine the fingerprints and the contents of imperatorin and isoimperatorin by C18 column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) with a gradient mobile phase of acetonitrile-water solution system at the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The column temperature was set at 35 ℃, and the max plot of detection wavelength was in 210-800 nm. Similarity calculation was used to analyze the data. Results The HPLC fingerprint analysis method was established with 12 common peaks. The similarities of 12 batches of commercial decoction pieces of Baizhi were 0.840-0.973. Their similarities compared with the sulphur fumigated Baizhi were 0.672-0.908. Compared with naturally dried Baizhi, the similarities of fingerprint were 0.536-0.684. The contents of imperatorin and isoimperatorin in 12 batches of commercial decoction pieces were 0.035%-0.140% and 0.028%-0.069%, respectively. Conclusion The quality of Baizhi decoction pieces was consistent. It can be speculated that Baizhi decoction pieces were processed with sulphur fumigation.

Objective To study the correlation between storage time and the content of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) in Corni Fructus because of the color change caused by storage time. Methods Corni Fructus samples of different storage time with 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 years were collected. The contents of 5-HMF were determined by HPLC. Results The HPLC determination method of 5-HMF in Corni Fructus was established. The contents of 5-HMF varied from undetected value to 0.292 8%, with the increase of storage time of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 years and the color gradually deepened from red, dark red, reddish brown to brown. The contents of 5-HMF in black wine-prepared Corni Fructus were 0.954 4%-1.837%. Conclusion The browning of Corni Fructus is related to the production of 5-HMF. With the extension of storage time of Corni Fructus, the color gradually deepens and the content of 5-HMF increase significantly. The storage time of Corni Fructus can be suggested to be one year.