ObjectiveTo compare detection rate of pulmonary nodules and the radiation doses of digital tomosynthesis (DTS) and MSCT chest scanning by using the anthropomorphic chest phantom which containsthermoluminescent dosimeters( TLD ) and simulated pulmonary nodules.Methods The radiation doses of DTS and MSCT scanning were measured by using the anthropomorphic chest phantom which contains 45 TLD and simulated pulmonary nodules.The radiation doses of najor organs were converted into effective dose ( ED ). Three radiologists of different clinical experiences independently reviewed and recorded the density,diameter and position of pulmonary nodules.The sensitivity of nodule detection by DTS and MSCT were compared by Fisher exact test and Chi-square test. The paired t test was conducted to analyze the dose levels of DTS and MSCT.ResultsThe sensitivity of detection nodule by DTS and MSCT were 66.7％ (30/45) and 91.1％ (41/45) respectively.Statistically significant difference between the two examinations existed ( x2 =8.073,P ＜ 0.05).The sensitivity of detection - 650 HU ground glass opacity pulmonary nodule by MSCT and DTS were 93.3％ (14/15) and 73.3％ (11/15) respectively.There was no significant difference between DTS and MSCT ( P ＞ 0.05 ).The sensitivity of detection - 800 HU ground glass opacity nodule and ground glass opacity nodule (d ＜ 8 mm) by DTS were 33.3％ (5/15) and 16.7％ (2/12) respectively,which were lower than those by CT[80.0％ (12/15) and 66.7％ (8/12)].The radiation doses of DTS for various organs in the chest were lower than those of CT. Statistical significant difference between DTS and MSCT existed ( lung t =19.69,thoracic vertebral t =30.01,heart t =16.33,liver t =5.06,breast t =9.43,thyroid gland t =8.05 ;P ＜ 0.05).The effective doses of the DTS and MSCT were 0.65 and 7.71 mSv respectively.ConclusionsThere is no difference between the DTS and MSCT in the detection rate of -650 HU ground glass opacity nodule.For detecting the ground glass opacity nodule ( - 800 HU) and ground glass opacity nodule (d ＜ 8 mm),MSCT is superior to DTS. However,the radiation dosage of DTS is 8.41％ of the MSCT scanning.

Objective To analyze the distribution of image noise in low-dose chest CT scan and optimize the relative scanning parameters.Methods The CT images of the Chinese anthropomorphic chest phantom( CDP-1 C) were simulated into six groups of low-dose images with different noise indexs by using an image noise addition tool.The difference between the preset noise index and analog noise value was compared.The CT images of 20 volunteers were also simulated into nine groups of low dose scans with the tube currents of 10,30,50,80,100,120,150,180 and 240 mA.The noise values of images were recorded and analyzed.Results There was no statistical difference between the analog noise value and the noise index.The image noise of low-dose chest scan was increased with the decrease of tube current.The noise was increased quickly when the current was decreased from 50 to 30 mA ( F =24.09 - 40.79,P ＜ 0.05),but the noise increased slowly when the current decreased from 240 to 80 mA.There was no statistical difference between the noise of 80 mA group and that of 120 mA(P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions The noise addition tool can be used to evaluate the image noise of low-dose chest CT scan.Adoption of 80 mA in chest CT scan would result in low radiation dose without adding image noise.

Objective:To investigate the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the hippocampal lipidome in a rat model of chronic unpredictable stress(CUS).Methods:Twenty-four SD rats were randomly assigned to the following 3 groups ( n=8 for each group): sham group, CUS group and CUS+ rTMS group. The sham group received only sham stimulation and rats in the CUS and CUS+ rTMS group were subjected to CUS stimulation. Then, rats received 5 Hz rTMS (5 Hz, 1.26 Tesla) or sham rTMS for 7 days. After the last stimulation, all rats underwent sucrose preference test, open filed test and forced swimming test so as to observe the effect of rTMS on depressive behavior. Then, rats were sacrificed, and the levels of lipid composition in hippocampus were determined by high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and analyzed by lipid search software version 4.1 and SIMCA-P 14.1.The software of SPSS 19.0 was used for statistical analysis. Univariate analysis of variance was used for comparison among groups, and Tukey test was used for multiple comparison. Results:(1)There were significant differences in open field test, sugar preference test and forced swimming test among the three groups( F=6.853-7.466, all P<0.05). In the open field experiment, the exploring time and percentage of movement distance in central area of rats in CUS group((50.72±6.38)s, (11.41±1.55)%) was significantly less than that of sham group ((86.06±7.31)s, (18.60±1.21)%) and CUS+ rTMS group((79.87±7.87)s, (16.74±1.27)%)(all P<0.05). The results of sucrose preference test showed that the percentage of sucrose intake of rats in CUS group ((37.63±6.06)%) was significantly lower than that in sham group ((68.30±6.39)%) and CUS+ rTMS group ((62.68±5.50)%)(both P<0.05) . In forced swimming test, the immobility time of rats in CUS group ((137.60±13.36)s) was significantly longer than that of sham group ((80.57±10.36)s)) and CUS+ rTMS group ((86.14±11.49)s) (both P<0.05). (2)The levels of lipid composition in hippocampus were significantly different in the three groups( F=3.826-15.440, all P<0.05). The contents of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) ((20 850±956.56)×10 7, (24 133.33±1 242.04)×10 7), phosphatidylinositol (PI) ((788.78±136.11)×10 7, (953.65±131.26)×10 7), lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) ((340.29±35.66)×10 7, (275.32±35.78)×10 7), creatine phosphate (CerP) ((239.65±18.14)×10 7, (293.82±38.28)×10 7), sphingosine (So) ((22.96±4.04)×10 7, (15.36±3.87)×10 7), diglyceride (DG) ((3.35±0.85)×10 7, (4.57±1.02)×10 7) and monoglyceride (MG) ((6.71±0.82)×10 7, (7.94±0.91)×10 7)in hippocampus of rats in CUS group were significantly higher than those of sham group(all P<0.05), while the phosphatidic acid(PA) ((424.52±33.38)×10 7, (509.22±42.09)×10 7) and acyl carnitine(AcCa) ((2.68±0.33)×10 7, (3.39±0.33)×10 7) decreased(both P<0.05). Compared with CUS group, the contents of PE(21 816.67±928.26)×10 7, PI(83.16±91.52)×10 7, LPC(323.59±33.91)×10 7, CerP(236.39±32.02)×10 7, So(23.35±4.46)×10 7, DG(3.16±0.85)×10 7 and MG(7.03±0.26)×10 7 in the hippocampus of CuS+ rTMS group decreased, while the contents of PA(421.55±44.28)×10 7 and ACCA(2.56±0.32)×10 7 in the hippocampus of CUS+ rTMS group increased (all P<0.05). Conclusion:The levels of glycerophospholipids, glyceroglycerides, sphingolipids, fatty acids and other lipids in the hippocampus of CUS model rats are abnormal. And the 5 Hz rTMS intervention can ameliorate the depression like behavior and the disturbances of lipid in hippocampus of CUS model rats.

Objective To establish the reference intervals of hemoglobin A 1c( HbA1c ) and fasting plasma glucose ( FPG ) in the first and second trimester of pregnancy in Chongqing , and to evaluate the viability of the combination of HbA 1c and FPG in screening gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).Methods The study retrospectively selected the pregnant women seen at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Daping Hospital between September 2014 and August 2015.The results of FPG during 10-13 pregnant weeks and 75 g oral glucose tolerance test ( OGTT ) and HbA1c during 24-28 pregnant weeks were available.Totally 185 cases were assigned into GDM group , and 269 cases were assigned into normal group based on the American Diabetes Association ( ADA) guidelines.Reference intervals of HbA 1c and FPG in normal pregnant woman were developed .The difference of HbA 1c , FPG and OGTT results between two groups was analyzed.T-student test, NcMemar test,signed rank sum test, ROC curve were used for statistical analysis.Results The reference intervals of HbA 1c and FPG in first and second trimester were 4.58%-5.52%,4.21-5.49 mmol/L and 4.03-5.08 mmol/L.The FPG level in first and second trimester and HbA 1c level in GDM group vs normal group were(5.06 ±0.37) vs(4.85 ±0.32)mmol/L(t=6.569,P=0.000), 5.23(5.11,5.4) vs 4.74(4.54,4.91) mmol/L(z=-14.31,P=0.000)and 5.3(5.1,5.4)% vs 5.2(5.0, 5.3)%( z=-5.79,P=0.000) respectively.The area under receiver operating characteristic curve ( ROC) of HbA1c , and FPG in first and second trimester was 0.655, 0.659 and 0.890 respectively.When the cut-off value of HbA1c was 5.35%, the AUC of the combination of HbA 1c and FPG in second trimester was 0.898, the sensitivity was 0.838,and the specificity was 0.859.The kappa coefficient for identifying GDM between OGTT and the combined method was 0.692(P=0.000).Conclusion HbA1c combined with FPG is of some value in screening GDM.

Objective To assess the clinical safety and feasibility for ultrasound guided paravertebral block anesthesia of percutaneous nephrolithotomy.Methods Between December 2015 to June 2016,180 patients with renal or ureteral calculi were enrolled and evaluated with uhrasonography and CT scan.Of all the 180 patients,108 males and 82 females.Their mean age was 39 years (23-71 years).The clinical characteristics of the patients in each group,such as age,gender,BMI index,ASA status,mean arterial pressure and disease type had no significant differences (P ＞ 0.05).These patients were randomized into general anesthesia group (G group),combined spinal epidural anesthesia group (C group) and paravertebral nerve block anesthesia group (P group).G group:35 males and 25 females.Their mean age was (40.1 ± 11.8) years and BMI was (25.1 ± 3.8) kg/m2;Renal calculi 52 cases,ureteral calculi 8 cases,Average maximum stone diameter was (2.6 ± 0.8)cm.C group:38 males and 22 females.Their mean age was (39.7 ± 12.4) years and BMI was (24.6 ± 4.1) kg/m2;Renal calculi 54 cases,ureteral calculi 6 cases,Average maximum stone diameter was (2.4 ± 0.8) cm.P group:35 males and 25 females.Their mean age was (38.9 ± 12.7) years and BMI was (25.4 ± 4.0) kg/m2;Renal calculi 51 cases,ureteral calculi 9 cases,Average maximum stone diameter was (2.5 ± 0.7) cm.Periprocedural Vital signs,complications,the times of anal discharging gas and postoperative feeding,hospitalized day and expense in these three groups were evaluated.Results Major intraoperative or postoperative complications did not occur in all of the patients.Mean arterial pressure decreased during preoperative changing positions was observed in group G (mean decreased 8.8 mmHg)and group C (mean decreased 1.9 mmHg),with significant difference in intra-group (P ＜ 0.05).Postoperative nausea and vomiting was observed in 8 and 2 patients of group G and group P,respectively (P ＜ 0.05).Postoperative pain was observed in 2 and 7 patients of group C and group P,respectively (P ＞ 0.05).In addition,group P had early post operation feeding time [(6.4 ± 2.4) h],shorter hospitalized day [(4.5 ± 1.1) d] and lower hospitalized expense compared with other groups (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Ultrasound guided paravertebral block can provide safe and reliable surgical anesthesia for percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

Objective To observe the effect of electroacupuncture on basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), Desmin and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) expression of rabbits with acute lumbar muscle contusion, and discuss the possible mechanism of muscle tissue regeneration and repair. Methods 40 male New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into blank group (BG, n=10), model group (MG, n=10), Weizhong (BL40) electroacupuncture group (WG, n=10) and local electroacupuncture group (LG, n=10). Lumbar muscle injury was established with blunt trauma, and the rabbits were assessed with Appearance Score. The WG and LG accepted electroacupuncture for 2 weeks after modeling. The lumbar muscle of each animal was stained with HE to observe pathological changes, and immunohistochemical staining was used to observe bFGF expression, and Western blotting was used to detect the expression of Desmin and ERK1/2 protein.Results Appearance Score was more in the MG, WG and LG than in the BG (P<0.01). Histological score ranked from more to less as MG,LG, WG and BG (P<0.05). The expression of bFGF ranked as LG, WG, MG and BG (P<0.01), Desmin ranked as WG=LG and BG=MG (P<0.05), ERK1/2 as LG=WG, MG and BG (P<0.05). Conclusion Electroacupuncture could promote the regeneration and repair of tissue after acute lumbar muscle contusion, which may be related to the up-regulation of bFGF/ERK signaling pathway.

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Objective To evaluate the effects of end tidal pressure of carbon dioxide (PETCO2) at different levels on the central drive and respiratory response in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods After the completion of a pulmonary function test, 13 moderate COPD patients in stable stage and 10 healthy volunteers were studied with a CO2 rebreathing method by improving PETCO2 from 45 mm Hg to 70 mm Hg. The parameters of the central drive and respiratory response were monitored continuously and calculated at different PETCO2 levels. Results The experiment duration was respectively (8.5±1.6) rain in the COPD group and (16.3±3.2) min in the normal group when PETCO2 reached 70 mm Hg. Both groups experienced a linear increase in respiratory rate(RR), and the RR of normal group was higher than that of the COPD group. When PETCO2 was increased from 45 mm Hg to 55 mm Hg, the COPD group resulted in a linear increase in the tidal volume (VT) and minute ventilation (VE); VT increased from (0.68±0.25) L to (1.04±0.44) L and VE increased from (10.59±3.36) L/min to (20.13±4.52) L/min. But when PETCO2 was 55-70 mm Hg, VT and VE appeared a plat in the COPD group, while VT and VE maintained a linear increase in the normal group and higher than those of the COPD group. The ratio ofinspiratory time to duration of one breath (Ti/Ttot) was higher in the normal group than in the COPD group (P<0.05), while the Borg scale scores were lower in the normal group than in the COPD group (P<0.05). Both groups showed a linear increase in mean inspiratory volume per second (VT/T1) and root mean square (RMS), but when PETCO2 was increased from 65 mm Hg to 70 mm Hg, VT/T1 in the COPD group, it was obviously lower than that in the normal group (P<0.05). While RMS in the COPD group was higher than that in the normal group on different PETCO2 levels (P<0.05). COPD group showed a parabolic change in VE/RMS, which was significantly lower than that in the normal group (P<0.001). Conclusion During the early stage of CO2 rebreathing, the respiratory response and central drive of COPD patients show a linear increase, but during late stage, the ventilation appears a plat and ventilation-central coupling is obviously abnormal. The normal group shows a linear increase in respiratory response and central drive, in which respiratory response is higher and central drive is lower than in COPD group.

The change of the effective components (liquiritin, glycyrrhizic acid, liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin) contents of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (GRR) before and after compatibilities in Sini decoction was studied in this paper. Taking single GRR decoction, GRR-Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (ALRP) decoction, GRR-Zingiberis Rhizoma (ZR) decoction and Sini decoction as test samples, the contents changing of the four effective components of GRR were measured by HPLC. The results showed that the contents of the four effective components of GRR in the single GRR decoction was higher than that in other samples, and the sequence was single GRR decoction > GRR-ZR decoction > GRR-ALRP decoction > Sini decoction. The contents of liquiritin were 11.18, 9.89, 9.67, 9.17 mg · g(-1); the contents of glycyrrhizic acid were 20.76, 15.58, 11.30, 8.52 mg · g(-1); the contents of liquiritigenin were 0.66, 0.57, 0.45, 0.24 mg · g(-1); the contents of isoliquiritigenin were 0.14, 0.07, 0.03, 0.01 mg · g(-1). Therefore, the effective components of GRR decreased obviously after GRR compatibility with ZR providing scientific basis for GRR relieving the strong nature of ZR. The effective components of GRR decreased sharply after GRR compatibility with ALRP providing scientific support for the material foundation research of GRR reducing the toxicity of ALRP. The effective components of GRR decreased further in Sini decoction indicating that the three medicines in Sini decoction were interactional, which reflecting the scientific connotation of the mutual-restraint/mutual-detoxication, mutual-promotion/mutual-assistance compatibilities in Sini decoction.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drug Compounding ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Glycyrrhiza ; chemistry ; Rhizome ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical effects of the combined therapy of the Chinese medicine Compound Xuanju Capsule and vitamin E on sperm chromatin damage in idiopathic oligoasthenospermia.

METHODSWe assigned 50 infertile men with seminal abnormality to a control group (n = 26) and a trial group (n = 24) to receive vitamin E and the combined therapy of Compound Xuanju Capsule plus vitamin E, respectively, both treated for 3 months. Before and after the treatment, we detected semen routine parameters and sperm DNA fragmentation indexes (DFI) by computer aided semen analysis (CASA) and sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), and compared them between the two groups.

RESULTSThere was no obvious difference between the percentage of progressively motile sperm in the trial group and that in the control group (21.55 +/- 8.68 vs 21.47 +/- 11.53, P > 0.05). The trial group showed a significantly decreased sperm DFI after medication as compared with pre-medication (29.57 +/- 12.19 vs 34.09 +/- 10.32, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe combined therapy of Compound Xuanju Capsule and vitamin E can effectively improve seminal quality and reduce sperm chromatin damage in infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenospermia.

Adult ; Capsules ; Chromatin ; drug effects ; DNA Damage ; drug effects ; DNA Fragmentation ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Male ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects ; Vitamin E ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult