Objective To compare the diagnostic performances of strain elastography (SE) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) in differentiating benign and malignant solid breast lesions. Methods From January 2015 to December 2015, 150 patients with 155 lesions were examined with SE and SWE respectively in the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University. Elasticity scores on a improved 5-point scale,strain ratio (SR), maximum elasticity (Emax), mean elasticity (Emean), standard deviation of the elasticity (Esd) and the lesion-to-fat elasticity ratio (Eratio) were assessed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of SE and SWE parameters were plotted to assess the value in distinguishing benign and malignant breast lesions. The results were compared using the area under the ROC curve (AUC). The accuracy of the parameters with the largest AUC were compared between SE and SWE by McNemar test in different breast imaging reporting and data system (BI-RADS) categories. Results The AUC of elasticity scores, SR, Emax,Emean, Esd and Eratio were 0.823, 0.810, 0.877, 0.835, 0.881 and 0.853, respectively. The SE and SWE parameter with the largest AUC were elasticity scores and Esd respectively. The accuracy of Esd was higher than that of elasticity scores(86.3% vs 64.7%)in 4A lesions (2=4.639, P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in accuracy in other BI-RADS categories. Conclusions Both SE and SWE were helpful for the differentiation of benign and malignant solid breast lesions, and the diagnostic performance of SE and SWE was similar. The optimization of elastography can be achieved by combination with BI-RADS.

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of individuals positive for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in a centralized isolation site for people entering China in Huzhou City of Zhejiang Province from December 18, 2021 to January 12, 2022, so as to provide insights into the prevention and control of overseas imported COVID-19. Methods: The basic characteristics, nucleic acid detection and epidemiological investigations were collected from individuals positive for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in a centralized isolation site for people entering China from December 18, 2021 to January 12, 2022, and the temporal distribution, population distribution, source of importation, and virus typing were descriptively analyzed. Results : From December 18, 2021 to January 12, 2022, a total of 2 974 individuals in 19 flights were recorded in this centralized isolation site, and 33 cases were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid, including 21 confirmed cases with common type, 9 confirmed cases with mild type, and 3 cases with asymptomatic infections. There were 11 cases with Omicron infections ( 33.33% ), 5 cases with Delta infections ( 15.15% ), and 17 cases with infection of unidentified types ( 51.52% ). The median interval ( interquartile range ) from the time of entry to the time of a positive test was 4.0 ( 7.0 ) days among all positive cases, 0 ( 4.0 ) day among cases with Omicron infections and 4.5 ( 8.5 ) days among cases with infections of Delta and unidentified types. The positive cases had a mean age of ( 36.97±8.58 ) years, and included 27 men (81.82%). There were 30 cases ( 90.91% ) receiving two and more doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 7 cases ( 21.21% ) with a previous history of SARS-CoV-2 infections. There were 19 cases ( 57.58% ) from African countries, and 7 of 11 cases with Omicron infections were imported from African countries. Conclusion Omicron infection was predominant among individuals positive for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in this centralized isolation site for people entering China from December 18, 2021 to January 12, 2022, with no severe cases detected, and most positive cases were imported from African countries.

Objective:To assess the usefulness of gray-scale ultrasonography and shear wave elastography in assessing the condition of skeletal muscle in people with chronic heart failure(CHF).Methods:In this prospective study, there were 50 CHF patients and another 50 healthy people undergoing physical checkups served as the control group.The rectus femoris and the gastrocnemius medialis of all participants were evaluated by shear wave elastography and gray-scale ultrasonography.Data were collected using quantitative parameters including muscle thickness, cross-sectional area, fascicle length, pinnation angle, gray value and Young's modulus.Results:Compared with the control group, the thickness(7.80±2.01)mm, cross-sectional area(3.27±0.91)cm 2 and gray value(70.07±6.06)of the rectus femoris and the thickness(12.23±2.42)mm, fascicle length(35.90±1.38)mm and pinnation angle(18.07±3.05)degrees of the gastrocnemius medialis in the CHF group were statistically different[(12.90±2.57)mm, (4.94±2.08)cm 2, 60.93±9.77]for the rectus femoris and(15.90±2.62)mm, (37.83±2.83)mm, (20.75±2.59)degrees for the gastrocnemius medialis of the control group, t=7.71, 3.78, 3.94, 4.99, 4.47, 3.06, P<0.01), but there was no significant difference in Young's modulus of the rectus femoris and the gastrocnemius medialis between the two groups( t=1.10, 0.51, P>0.05).In the CHF group, the thickness, cross-sectional area and gray value of the rectus femoris in different New York Heart Association(NYHA)heart failure grades were statistically different( F=56.36, 69.98, 55.96, P<0.01), but no difference was found in the gastrocnemius medialis with the same ultrasound parameters( P>0.05).When participants in the CHF group was divided into subgroups based on left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF), there was no significant difference between the subgroups in values of the ultrasonic parameters for the rectus femoris and the gastrocnemius( P>0.05). Conclusions:Gray-scale ultrasound may quantitatively evaluate the skeletal muscle of CHF patients to guide early rehabilitation training to improve their prognosis.

Objective:To analyze the influence of different factors on the entropy and grayscale values extracted from the ultrasonic original radio-frequency signals of normal human gastrocnemius.Methods:The ultrasonic original radio-frequency signals of 10 healthy men and 10 healthy women admitted to the Department of Ultrasound of First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from October to December 2019 in natural ankle joint position, maximum plantar flflexion and maximum dorsiflflexion position were collected, and the entropy and grayscale values were obtained by processing these signals with MATLAB software to analyze the differences of parameters in different positions and sections, and to discuss the influence of age, gender and BMI on them.Results:Comparison of the values between different sections: the differences between longitudinal extraction entropy values and transverse extraction entropy values at the maximum dorsiflexion position were statistically significant ( P<0.05), the differences between longitudinal extraction grayscale values and transverse extraction grayscale values at the natural position were statistically significant ( P<0.05) and both of values extracted in the longitudinal plane were higher than those extracted in the transverse plane. Comparison of the values among different positions of the ankle joints: the values of the maximal metatarsal flexion were statistically different from those of the natural position and the maximal dorsiflexion ( P<0.05), and the values of the maximal metatarsal flexion were the lowest, while the entropy and gray values of the natural position and the maximal dorsiflexion were not statistically different ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in ultrasonic characteristic parameters between different genders and different age groups ( P>0.05). There was no correlation between BMI and characteristic parameters ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The entropy and grayscale values extracted from the original radio-frequency ultrasonic signals of healthy persons′ gastrocnemius can quantitatively reflect the difference in muscle structure from different positions and setions. As a result, this method can be considered in the quantitative evaluation of neuromuscular diseases.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of channel screw guided by O-arm navigation for the treatment of type II fragile fracture of pelvis (FFP) in the elderly.Methods:A retrospective cohort analysis was performed on clinical data of 37 patients with type II FFP admitted to Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center from September 2019 to April 2021. There were 9 males and 28 females, aged 65-82 years [(71.8±10.1)years]. A total of 15 patients receipt channel screw fixation under O-arm navigation (surgical group) and 22 patients were treated conservatively (non-surgical group). The visual analogue scale (VAS) and Majeed functional score were compared between the two groups at emergency visit and at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months after treatment. The accuracy of screw insertion and complications were also recorded during treatment and follow-up.Results:All patients were followed up for 6-18 months [(13.2±5.1)months]. There were no significant differences in the VAS and Majeed functional score between the two groups at emergency visit (all P>0.05). In both groups, lower VAS and higher Majeed functional score were found at 6 month after treatment as compared with those at emergency visit (all P<0.01). The VAS in surgical group was 2(1, 4)points at 1 week after treatment, lower than 4(3, 5)points in non-surgical group ( P<0.01). The VAS in surgical group was 1(1, 2)points at 1 month after treatment, lower than 3(2, 5)points in non-surgical group ( P<0.05). The Majeed functional score in surgical group was (50.2±4.2)points at 1 week after treatment, higher than (40.2±5.6)points in non-surgical group ( P<0.01). The Majeed functional score in surgical group was (73.8±5.2)points at 1 month after treatment, higher than (62.4±5.0)points in non-surgical group ( P<0.01). The two groups had no significant differences in VAS and Majeed functional score at 3 months and 6 months after treatment (all P>0.05). The accuracy of screw insertion in surgical group was 93% (14/15). In surgical group, the complication rate was 13%(2/15), including urinary tract infection in 1 patient and intraoperative screw penetration in 1, with no screw loosening or nerve and vascular injuries. In non-surgical group, the complication rate was 50%(11/22), including urinary tract infection in 5 patients, penetrating pneumonia in 5 and deep vein thrombosis in 1. The complication rate was significantly different between the two groups ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Compared with non-surgical treatment, the channel screw insertion guided by O-arm navigation can achieve precise screw placement, relieve pain early, promote functional recovery, realize accurate insertion of the screw and reduce the complication rate for type II FFP in the elderly.

Objective:To investigate the effectiveness of radiomics model based on preoperative ultrasound in predicting disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) from multicenter data.Methods:A total of 418 patients with TNBC between July 2012 and December 2016 were consecutively recruited for this study from three different institutions including the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine and General Hospital of Eastern Theater Command. In the training cohort ( n=271) from institution 1(the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression algorithm was employed to select recurrence-related radiomics features and build a signature derived from the grayscale US images. The relationship between the radiomics score (Rad-score) and DFS was evaluated. Univariate and multivariate cox regression were utilized to identify the significant radiomics features and clinical-pathologic variables, which were integrated into a radiomics nomogram. An independent external cohort ( n=147) from the other two institutions was validated for evaluating the calibration and discrimination of the predictive nomogram. Results:Higher Rad-score was an independent risk predictor of worse DFS in two cohorts (both P<0.05). The radiomics model, comprising axillary lymph node status, Ki-67 index and radiomics signature, showed better prognostic performance ( P<0.01) than those of the clinical-pathologic model or tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging system with the concordance index (C-index) of 0.75 (95% CI=0.72-0.78) and 0.73(95% CI=0.71-0.75) in the training and validation cohorts respectively. Furthermore, the calibration curves achieved satisfactory agreement and the decision curves further confirmed the clinical utility of the radiomics nomogram. Conclusions:The US-based radiomics signature is a powerful predictor for the assessment of DFS in patients with TNBC. Moreover, the proposed radiomics model integrating the optimal radiomics signature and clinical-pathologic data could improve personalized DFS estimation.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) after failure of nucleoside-analogues (NAs).

METHODSA total of 30 CHB patients who had been previously treated with NAs and had subsequently completed a 48-week course of TDF were retrospectively investigated. Patients' data of HBV DNA level (log10 copies/ml) and rate of undetectable HBV DNA at treatment weeks 0 (baseline), 4, 12, 24, 36 and 48 were collected for evaluation. The lower limit of HBV DNA detection was 100 IU/ml. The serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization rate, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion rate, viral breakthrough (VBT) rate, viral response (VR) rate, and adverse events were determined upon treatment completion. Statistical analyses were carried out using the Student's t-test, the x² test or the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTSOver the 48-week treatment period, HBV DNA levels declined significantly from baseline (week 4:(2.11 ± 0.38) log10 IU/ml, t =5.582; week 12:(0.93 ± 0.31) log10 IU/ ml, t =9.303; week 24:(0.75 ± 0.20) log10 IU/ml, t =3.123; week 36:(0.16 ± 0.19) log10 IU/ml, t =10.759; week 48:(0.14 ± 0.25) log10 IU/ml, t =12.202) (all P less than 0.01). However, the rates of HBV DNA reduction and of cumulative reduction were comparable at weeks 24, 36 and 48 (all P more than 0.05). The most robust decline in HBV DNA levels was observed at week 4 ((2.11 ± 0.38) log10 IU/ml) and the highest cumulative HBV DNA reduction was observed at week 24 ((3.79 ± 0.37) log10 IU/ml). The rate of undetectable HBV DNA at week 4 (26.7%) was significantly lower than that at weeks 24 (87.5%, P less than 0.01), 36 (80.0%, P=0.007), and 48 (88.9%, P=0.001). The median time to achieving undetectable HBV DNA was 10.4 weeks (range:3.43-34.0 weeks). At week 48, the rates of VR, HBeAg seroconversion, and VBT were 88.9% ,6.7%, and 0% respectively. During treatment, the levels of creatine kinase were more than two times the upper limit normal in 9.2% of the patients, and were comparable at each time point examined (all P more than 0.05). All patients showed a normal level of serum creatinine throughout the treatment period.

CONCLUSIONFor CHB patients with non-response to NAs, TDF can suppress HBV DNA replication very quickly and achieve a high rate of ALT normalization with a low rate of adverse events.

Adenine ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Female ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Organophosphonates ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Retrospective Studies ; Tenofovir ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVESIt is confirmed that most neonatal subependymal cysts (SEC) are closely correlated with intrauterine infection and the short-term prognosis of SEC is not very good. Little information about the long-term prognosis of SEC is available. The purpose of the present study was to explore the short-term and long-term prognosis of neonatal SEC cases via a 6-year follow up.

METHODSSeventy SEC neonates detected by cranial ultrasound between October 1993 and October 1994 were enrolled into SEC group and 70 healthy neonates into control group. Serum antibodies (IgG and IgM) to cytomegalovirus (CMV), toxoplasma and rubella virus and PCR for these pathogens (except for rubella virus) were measured in the two groups. CMV-PCR was also performed for urine specimens. Cranial sonography assessment, physical growth evaluation, Bayley developmental scale or Wyeth developmental scale, brain-stem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) and vision examination were undertaken at 3, 6, 12 months and 6 years in the two groups.

RESULTSThe positive rate of CMV-IgM and blood CMV-PCR in SEC group was significantly higher than those of control group (19.1% vs. 5.7%, 12.9% vs. 2.9%). The positive rate of urine CMV-PCR in SEC group was also significantly higher (40% vs 17.1%). No significant difference could be found in the positive rate of PCR for toxoplasma and rubella-IgM between the two groups. The weight and height of infants with SEC were obviously lower than those in control group during the first year after birth. The parameters of the physical development in SEC infants reached the similar level as controls till 6 years old. However, the index of mental development below 80 was more often seen in infants with SEC comparing to that in control group during the whole six years. There were no abnormal findings either in BAEP or vision examination in the two groups.

CONCLUSIONInfants with SEC may show a transient retardation of physical growth after birth, while their mental developmental retardation might last for longer time. It is suggested that cranial ultrasound examination should be performed in all neonates for the detection of SEC, and a longer follow-up should be done for infants with SEC.

Antibodies ; Brain Diseases ; diagnostic imaging ; virology ; Central Nervous System Cysts ; diagnostic imaging ; virology ; Cysts ; diagnostic imaging ; virology ; Cytomegalovirus ; immunology ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVETo describe trends of changes in blood lead levels in children aged 1 - 6 years during the time period before and after introducing lead free gasoline in Shanghai 1997 and 1999.

METHODSBlood lead levels of 1 969 children aged 1 - 6 years were determined by a sampling survey in five districts of Shanghai in August and September, 1997. Blood lead levels of the same population were re-determined by the same method from April to June in 1998 and from August to September in 1999. Filter paper blood lead test was carried out monthly using the filter paper blood lead proficiency testing program of Centers for Disease Control in the United States. The results from blood lead samples were under acceptable ranges during the study.

RESULTSThe geometric means of blood lead levels were 83 microgram/L in 1997, 80 microgram/L in 1998 and 76 microgram/L in 1999, respectively. The prevalence rates of childhood lead poisoning (blood lead level was equal or more than 100 microgram/L) were 37.8% in 1997, 25.7% in 1998 and 24.8% in 1999. The amounts of decrease on average blood lead levels in the five districts between 1997 and 1999 were 10 microgram/L, 11 microgram/L, 6 microgram/L, 4 microgram/L and 2 microgram/L, respectively.

CONCLUSIONLead poisoning is a preventable disease. The average levels of lead in young children in Shanghai decreased significantly after the introduction of lead free gasoline to Shanghai. Lead emissions from vehicles running on leaded gasoline was one of the important contributors to increase the children's blood lead levels in Shanghai. Lead poisoning is not evenly distributed among children in Shanghai, resulting in the different levels of decline.

Child, Preschool ; China ; Environmental Monitoring ; methods ; standards ; Environmental Pollutants ; blood ; Gasoline ; standards ; Humans ; Lead ; blood ; Time Factors

Objective: To explore the feasibility and advantage of the drones in a county emergency medical service system. Methods: The study was conducted in Changxing County, Zhejiang Province from January to September 2018. The Changxing County People's Hospital and the health centers within its radius of 25 km were included in the study. Three types of indicators were obtained by using commercial drones to transfer simulated first-aid medical supplies from health centers to county people's hospitals: (1)The flight time of the drone; (2) The road traffic time measured by Baidu map and Tencent map software of the above-mentioned route at midnight; (3) The road traffic time measured by Amap software of these routes at 0: 00, 8: 00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00, 20:00. The road traffic time at different time points measured by map softwares and drones flight time were compared. Wilcoxon symbolic rank test was used for statistical analysis, and P value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: (1) A total of 10 health centers were involved in this study, the air straight-line distance between them and the county people's hospital was (10.97±3.59) km, and the road traffic distance was (13.61±4.95) km. (2) The flight time of drone was (16.35±5.15) min, less than road traffic time measured by Amap, Baidu and Tencent map software, which were (21.40±5.15) min, (22.50±6.11) min, (22.00±5.23) min, respectively (P< 0.01). (3)The road traffic time measured by Amap software was longer than that of drones from 0:00 to 20:00 (P< 0.01), with the maximum time of (27.80±6.12) min at 18:00, and the minimum time of (21.40±5.15) min at midnight. Drones could save up 14.07 min at most and 2.8 min at least, with an average save of (7.98±1.32) min. Conclusions Drone might be used to transfer first aid medical supplies between health centers in a county area, which is faster than road transportation. It has a better application prospect and is worth to further study.