Objective Evaluation of Chinese-thyroid imaging reporting and data system(C-TIRADS)combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)for the assessment of category 4 nodules in the setting of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.Methods Retrospective analysis of 120 C-TIRADS category 4 thyroid nodules from 79 patients with confirmed Hashimoto's thyroiditis who attended the Yiyang Central Hospital from June to December 2022.Thyroid nodules exhibiting one or more benign or malignant features that were suspicious on CEUS were treated as downgraded or upgraded one level.Using the final surgical pathology results as the gold standard,working characteristic(ROC)curves of subjects based on C-TIRADS grading before and after CEUS adjustment were plotted to compare diagnostic efficacy.Results The sensitivity,specificity,and accuracy of the CEUS-adjusted C-TIRADS were 93.0％,87.8％and 90.8％,respectively(P<0.05).The area under the ROC curve was 0.811 and 0.904,respectively(P<0.05).Conclusion C-TIRADS combined with CEUS has better diagnostic efficacy in evaluating category 4 nodules in Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) is a powerful neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum, which can relieve muscle spasm or limit gland secretion by inhibiting the release of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular/glandular junction. In addition, BTX-A can also play a role in the sensory feedback loop, which can ease pain. Currently, dentists are paying more attention to the cosmetic applications of BTX-A in the oral and maxillofacial region, while their understanding of BTX-A′s non-cosmetic applications is still insufficient. Although the specific molecular mechanism of BTX-A in oral diseases has not been fully clarified, with the development of evidence-based medicine, more and more clinical evidence has began to support the effectiveness of BTX-A in the therapeutic applications of oral diseases. This article will briefly review the main molecular mechanisms of BTX-A, the latest clinical research progress of BTX-A at home and abroad in the treatment of oral diseases, clinical contraindications and adverse reactions of BTX-A, providing a new idea for the treatment of oral diseases.

Objective To investigate the effect of NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3(NLRP3)knockdown on a mouse model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH)induced by high-fat high-carbohydrate(HFHC)diet.Methods A total of 44 mice were randomly divided into normal diet group(CON group)with 20 mice and HFHC group with 24 mice.At the end of week 14 of modeling,4 mice were randomly selected from the HFHC group for the pre-experiment of adeno-associated virus(AAV)by tail vein injection,and NLRP3 knockdown was verified after 4 weeks.After NLRP3 knockdown was verified at the end of week 18,the remaining 40 mice were given a single tail vein injection of AAV,and then they were divided into CON+NLRP3 knockdown negative control group(CON+NLRP3-NC group),CON+NLRP3 knockdown group(CON+NLRP3-KD group),HFHC+NLRP3-NC group,and HFHC+NLRP3-KD group,with 10 mice in each group.At the end of week 24,the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome was observed;related indicators were measured,including body weight,liver weight,liver index,and glucose metabolism(fasting blood glucose,fasting insulin,and Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance[HOMA-IR]index);the indicators of liver lipid content(liver triglyceride[TG]and oil red O staining),liver inflammation(serum alanine aminotransferase[ALT]activity,HE staining,and inflammation-related genes),and liver fibrosis(Sirius Red staining and fibrosis-related genes)were measured.A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups,and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups.Results Compared with the CON+NLRP3-NC group based on the results of Western Blot,the HFHC+NLRP3-NC group had significant increases in the protein expression levels of NLRP3,pro-Caspase1,Caspase1,ASC,and IL-1β,while the HFHC+NLRP3-KD group had significant reductions in these levels(all P<0.05).The HFHC+NLRP3-NC group showed varying degrees of increase in body weight,liver weight,liver index,and glucose metabolism indicators,while the HFHC+NLRP3-KD group showed significant improvements in these indicators(all P<0.05).As for hepatic fat deposition,compared with the CON+NLRP3-NC group,the HFHC+NLRP3-NC group had a significant increase in liver TG,with a large number of red lipid droplets shown by oil red O staining,and the HFHC+NLRP3-KD group had significant reductions in liver TG and the number of lipid droplets in the liver(all P<0.01).In terms of liver inflammation,compared with the CON+NLRP3-NC group,the HFHC+NLRP3-NC group had significant increases in serum ALT,NAFLD activity score,and inflammation-related genes,while the HFHC+NLRP3-KD group had significant reductions in these indicators(all P<0.01).As for liver fibrosis,compared with the CON+NLRP3-NC group,the HFHC+NLRP3-NC group had significant increases in collagen fiber area and fibrosis-related genes,and the HFHC+NLRP3-KD group had significant reductions in fibrosis-related genes(all P<0.05)and a tendency of reduction in collagen fiber area(P>0.05).Conclusion NLRP3 knockdown can significantly improve hepatic fat deposition and inflammation in a mouse model of HFHC-induced NASH.

Objective To investigate the levels of plasma bile acids(BA)in patients with primary liver cancer(PLC)or metastatic liver cancer(MLC)and their correlation with clinical indicators,as well as the value of plasma BAs combined with alpha-fetoprotein(AFP)in the diagnosis of PLC.Methods This study was conducted among 75 patients with PLC and 79 patients with MLC who attended Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from August 2020 to September 2021 and had a confirmed diagnosis based on histopathological and imaging findings.Peripheral blood samples were collected from all patients,and serum and plasma were separated.Colorimetry and chromatography were used to measure biochemical parameters;electrochemiluminescence immunoassay was used to measure the levels of tumor markers;liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to measure the content of BA.The t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data,and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data;the Spearman's coefficient was used for correlation analysis;the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate clinical diagnostic efficacy.Results The PLC group had significantly lower levels of total cholesterol,triglyceride,low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,and apolipoprotein B than the MLC group(U=1 598,1 255,909,and 889,all P＜0.05).Compared with the MLC group,the PLC group had a significantly higher level of AFP and a significantly lower level of carcinoembryonic antigen(U=1 873 and 926,both P＜0.05).Compared with the MLC group,the PLC group had significantly higher levels of TBA,CA,CDCA,UDCA,TCA,TCDCA,GCA,GCDCA,TUDCA,and GUDCA and a significantly lower level of DCA(all P＜0.05).In the total population,the levels of TBA,CDCA,GCA,GCDCA,GUDCA,TCA,TCDCA,and TUDCA were significantly positively correlated with the level of AFP(all P＜0.05).In the patients with PLC,the levels of GCA,TCA,TCDCA,and TUDCA were significantly positively correlated with the level of AFP(all P＜0.05).Combined measurement of AFP+TCA+GCA+TCDCA had an area under the ROC curve of 0.822(95%confidence interval:0.746-0.898,P＜0.000 1),suggesting that it had the highest diagnostic efficacy.Conclusion There are significant differences in the levels of plasma BA between the patients with PLC and those with MLC,and the differentially expressed BAs are closely associated with liver function impairment and the increase in AFP.BAs combined with AFP has a better clinical value in the diagnosis of PLC.

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.

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at investigating the carrier rate of, and molecular variation in, α- and β-globin gene mutations in Hunan Province. METHODS: We recruited 25,946 individuals attending premarital screening from 42 districts and counties in all 14 cities of Hunan Province. Hematological screening was performed, and molecular parameters were assessed. RESULTS: The overall carrier rate of thalassemia was 7.1%, including 4.83% for α-thalassemia, 2.15% for β-thalassemia, and 0.12% for both α- and β-thalassemia. The highest carrier rate of thalassemia was in Yongzhou (14.57%). The most abundant genotype of α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia was -α ^3.7/αα (50.23%) and β ^IVS-II-654/β ^N (28.23%), respectively. Four α-globin mutations [CD108 (ACC>AAC), CAP +29 (G>C), Hb Agrinio and Hb Cervantes] and six β-globin mutations [CAP +8 (C>T), IVS-II-848 (C>T), -56 (G>C), beta nt-77 (G>C), codon 20/21 (-TGGA) and Hb Knossos] had not previously been identified in China. Furthermore, this study provides the first report of the carrier rates of abnormal hemoglobin variants and α-globin triplication in Hunan Province, which were 0.49% and 1.99%, respectively. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates the high complexity and diversity of thalassemia gene mutations in the Hunan population. The results should facilitate genetic counselling and the prevention of severe thalassemia in this region.
Humans ; beta-Thalassemia/genetics* ; alpha-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Hemoglobinopathies/genetics* ; China/epidemiology* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing

Objective:To investigate the influencing of preoperative biliary drainage on surgery-related complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy.Methods:The retrospective case-control study was conducted. The clinical data of 267 patients with periampullary space-occupying lesion who were admitted to Beijing Friendship Hospital of Capital Medical University from January 2016 to July 2020 were collected. There were 166 males and 101 females, aged 61 (range, 54?84)years. Observation indicators: (1) comparison of preoperative situations in patients with and without preoperative biliary drainage; (2) comparison of intraoperative and postoperative situations in patients with and without preoperative biliary drainage; (3) methods and efficacy of preoperative biliary drainage; (4) factors influencing surgery-related complications after pancreaticoduodenec-tomy. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(rang) or M( Q1, Q3), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. Univariate analysis was conducted using the corresponding statistical methods based on data type. Multivariate analysis was conducted using the Logistic stepwise regression model. Results:(1) Comparison of preoperative situations in patients with and without preoperative biliary drainage. Of the 267 patients, there were 104 cases with preoperative biliary drainage and 163 cases without preoperative biliary drainage. Cases with malignant tumor, cases with borderline tumor, cases with chronic pancreatitis were 89, 13, 2 in patients with preoperative biliary drainage, versus 111, 41, 11 in patients without preoperative biliary drainage, showing significant differences in pathology type between them ( χ2=10.652, P<0.05). (2) Comparison of intraoperative and postoperative situations in patients with and without preoperative biliary drainage. There was no significant difference in operation time, volume of intra-operative blood loss, postoperative complications, grade B pancreatic fistula, grade C pancreatic fistula, biliary leakage, abdominal or gastrointestinal bleeding, incidence of abdominal infection, white blood cell count at postoperative day 1, white blood cell count at postoperative day 3, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio at postoperative day 1, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio at postoperative day 3, C-reactive protein-albumin ratio at postoperative day 1, C-reactive protein-albumin ratio at post-operative day 3, duration of hospital stay between the 104 patients with preoperative biliary drainage and the 163 patients without preoperative biliary drainage ( P>0.05). (3) Methods and efficacy of preoperative biliary drainage. Of the 104 patients with preoperative biliary drainage, there were 40 cases receiving endoscopic nasobiliary drainage with drainage time as (12±2)days, there were 38 cases receiving percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage with drainage time as (7±1)days, and there were 26 cases receiving endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage with drainage time as (19±2)days. The total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, aspartate transaminase, alanine aminotrans-ferase in 104 patients were (223±18)μmol/L, (134±11)μmol/L, (112±10)U/L, (160±16)U/L before biliary drainage and (144±13)μmol/L, (84±8)μmol/L, (79±8)U/L, (109±12)U/L after biliary drainage, showing significant differences in the above indicators ( t=3.544, 3.608, 2.523, 2.509, P<0.05). (4) Factors influencing surgery-related complications after pancreatocoduodenectomy. Results of multi-variate analysis showed that operation time was an independent factor influencing surgery-related complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy ( odds ratio=1.005, 95% confidence interval as 1.002?1.008, P<0.05). Conclusions:Preoperative biliary drainage does not increase the incidence of complications related to pancreaticoduodenectomy in patients with periampullary space-occupying lesion. Operation time is an independent factor influencing postoperative surgery-related complications.

At present, the passive simulated lung including the splint lung is an important device for hospitals and manufacturers in testing the functions of a respirator. However, the human respiration simulated by this passive simulated lung is quite different from the actual respiration. And it is not able to simulate the spontaneous breathing. Therefore, including" the device simulating respiratory muscle work "," the simulated thorax" and" the simulated airway", an active mechanical lung to simulate human pulmonary ventilation was designed:3D printed human respiratory tract was developed and connected the left and right air bags at the end of the respiratory tract to simulate the left and right lungs of the human body. By controlling a motor running to drive the crank and rod to move a piston back and forth, and to deliver an alternating pressure in the simulated pleural, and so as to generate an active respiratory airflow in airway. The experimental respiratory airflow and pressure from the active mechanical lung developed in this study are consistent with the target airflow and pressure which collected from the normal adult. The developed active mechanical lung function will be conducive to improve the quality of the respirator.
Adult ; Humans ; Lung/physiology* ; Respiration ; Pulmonary Ventilation ; Respiration, Artificial ; Ventilators, Mechanical

Objective:To investigate the effect of the duration of preoperative biliary drainage on postoperative complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy.Methods:The clinical data of 102 patients with benign and malignant hepatopancreatic ductal periampullary tumors who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy and preoperative biliary drainage in Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2016 to July 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the median duration of preoperative biliary drainage, the patients were divided into short-term drainage group (≤ the median duration of biliary drainage) and long-term drainage group (> the median duration of biliary drainage). The general data, the effect of biliary drainage, inflammation-related indicators and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was used to screen the risk factors related to the postoperative severe complications.Results:Of the 102 patients, 68 (66.7%) were males and 34 (33.3%) were females, with a median age of 63 years (43-80 years). The median duration of preoperative biliary drainage was 14 d. There were 68 patients in short-term drainage group and 34 patients in long-term drainage group. There were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, diabetes mellitus, surgery history of upper abdominal, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen 125, alpha-fetoprotein, prothrombin time, pancreaticojejunostomy method, operation time, and pathological type between the two groups (all P > 0.05). However, patients in long-term drainage group had higher conversion rate, more blood loss and longer hospital stay compared with those in short-term drainage group (all P < 0.05). Before biliary drainage, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level in short-term drainage group was higher than that in long-term drainage group ( Z = -2.59, P = 0.009), and there were no statistically significant differences in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), albumin (ALB), total bilirubin (TB) and direct bilirubin (DB) levels between the two groups before biliary drainage (all P > 0.05). After biliary drainage, DB in short-term drainage group was higher than that in long-term drainage group ( Z = -3.34, P = 0.001), and there was no statistically significant difference in ALT, AST, ALB, TB levels between the two groups (all P > 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the levels of white blood cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes and the ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes between the two groups on the 1st and 3rd day after the operation (all P > 0.05). The total incidence of postoperative related complications in short-term drainage group and long-term drainage group was 63.2% (43/68), 70.6% (24/34), respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2 = 0.54, P = 0.461); the incidences of bile leakage, abdominal or gastrointestinal bleeding, intra-abdominal infection, delayed gastric emptying, all grades of pancreatic leakage, grade B and C pancreatic leakage were not statistically different between the two groups (all P > 0.05); the incidence of severe postoperative related complications in short-term drainage group was higher than that in long-term drainage group [27.9% (19/68) vs. 8.8% (3/34), χ2 = 4.90, P = 0.027]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the long-term preoperative biliary drainage was an independent protective factor for postoperative severe complications (long-term drainage vs. short-term drainage: OR = 0.253, 95% CI 0.066-0.975, P = 0.046), while BMI ( OR = 1.174, 95% CI 0.986-1.398, P = 0.071) and pathological type (benign or borderline vs. malignant tumor: OR = 0.247, 95% CI 0.043-1.419, P = 0.117) were not independent influencing factors for postoperative severe complications. Conclusions:Short-term biliary drainage (≤14 d) is a risk factor for postoperative severe complications in patients with hepatopancreatic ductal periampullary tumor undergoing preoperative biliary drainage. Preoperative biliary drainage time is not associated with postoperative total complications, pancreatic leakage, bile leakage, abdominal or gastrointestinal bleeding, intra-abdominal infection, delayed gastric emptying.