This paper develops a type of x-ray unit which can produce x-ray image suitable for medical diagnosis. The unit is composed of a CCD image sensor with high sensitivity and high resolution, a digital image acquisition board, and a suit of computer software. The software can be applied as the doctor's workstation with the functions of patient register, image process and image management. Some styles of digital radiography technology are introduced briefly, and the principle of the x-ray unit as well as its hardware and software designs are presented particularly.

AIM: To identify proteins involved in insulin stimulation and the molecular mechanism of proliferation and migration in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). METHODS: A series of methods, including 2-D electrophoresis, PDQuest software analysis of 2-DE gels, peptide mass fingerprinting based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and SWISS-PROT database searching, were used to separate and identify the differentially expressed proteins. The difference of some proteins was proved by Western blotting. Proliferation and migration of VSMCs treated with insulin were also observed. RESULTS: DNA synthesis were increased in VSMCs. ~3H-thymidine incorporation in VSMCs from SHR (14.40?0.85) was higher than that in VSMCs from WKY (9.21?0.93, P

Objective To explore the characteristics of trunk muscle activity in persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) in search of better treatments for abnormal posture.Methods Ninety persons with PD of different severity and 8 normal controls were studied using surface electromyography (sEMG).A sixteen-lead sEMG instrument was used to collect sEMG amplitudes from the bilateral thoracic erector spinae,lumbar erector spinae,external oblique and rectus abdominis muscles when the subjects were lying,standing and walking.Results Compared with the control group,a significant increase was observed in the sEMG amplitude of the lumbar erector spinal muscle [(18.56±14.57) μV] and rectus abdominis muscles [(24.00±18.80)μV] of the PD group when lying.Significant relative increases in (P＜0.05),of the external oblique muscles were observed [(27.87± 11.49)μV] when standing (P＜0.05),and in the thoracic erector spinae muscle [(58.74±29.69)μV] and external oblique muscles [(59.01± 25.20) μV] increased when walking (P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the sEMG activity of the external oblique muscles was significantly elevated in PD patients at Hoehn and Yahr stage 1 to 1.5 when walking.One or more of the trunk muscle groups showed significantly greater activity in the PD patients in Hoehn and Yahr stage 2 or 3 in all three positions.Conclusions The sEMG activities of the extensor and flexor muscles increase simultaneously in PD patients.More trunk muscles are involved in PD patients with higher H-Y grades.These findings provide a neurophysiological basis for the customizaton of rehabilitation therapy for patients with Parkinson's disease and for the precise selection of muscles for botulinum toxin injection.

Objective:To analyze the lympho-vascular space invasion (LVSI) in different molecular subtypes of the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) molecular subtypes of endometrial cancer (EC) and to evaluate the prognostic value of LVSI in EC patients with different molecular subtypes.Methods:A total of 258 patients diagnosed EC undergoing surgery in Peking University People′s Hospital from January 2016 to June 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Among 258 patients, 14 cases were classified as POLE-ultramutated subtype, 43 as high-microsatellite instability (MSI-H) subtype, 155 as copy-number low (CNL) subtype, and 46 as copy-number high (CNH) subtype. Fifty-four patients were positive for LVSI, while 203 tested negative.Results:(1) The incidence of LVSI was found to be highest in the CNH subtype (32.6%,15/46), followed by the MSI-H subtype (27.9%, 12/43), the CNL subtype (16.9%, 26/154), and the POLE-ultramutated subtype (1/14), with statistically significant differences ( χ2=7.79, P=0.044). (2) Staging and deep myometrial invasion were higher in the LVSI positive group than those in the LVSI negative group (all P<0.05), except for the POLE-ultramutated subtype. The grade, lymph node metastasis, and the expression of nuclear antigen associated with cell proliferation (Ki-67) were significantly higher in LVSI positive patients than those in LVSI negative EC patients with both MSI-H and CNL subtypes (all P<0.05). In CNL subtypes patients, LVSI was also associated with age, histology subtype,and progesterone receptor (PR; all P<0.05). (3) Of the 257 EC patients, 25 cases recurred during the follow-up period, with a recurrence rate of 9.7% (25/257); among them, the recurrence rate of LVSI positive patients was 22.2% (12/54), which was significantly higher than those with LVSI negative (6.4%, 13/203; χ2=12.15, P<0.001). During the follow-up period, none of the 14 patients with POLE-ultramutated had recurrence; among CNL patients, the recurrence rate was 19.2% (5/26) in LVSI positive patients, which was significantly higher than that in LVSI negative ones (5.5%, 7/128; χ2=3.94, P=0.047); where as no difference were found in both MSI-H [recurrence rates in LVSI positive and negative patients were 2/12 and 9.7% (3/31), respectively] and CNH subtype [recurrence rates between LVSI positive and negative patients were 5/15 and 9.7% (3/31), respectively] EC patients (both P>0.05). After log-rank test, the 3-year recurrence free survival (RFS) rate were significantly lower in LVSI positive patients from CNL subtype and CNH subtype than those in LVSI negative patients (CNL: 80.8% vs 94.5%; CNH: 66.7% vs 90.3%; both P<0.05). (4) Lymph node metastasis ( HR=6.93, 95% CI: 1.15-41.65; P=0.034) had a significant effect on the 3-year RFS rate of EC patients with MSI-H subtype. Multivariate analysis revealed that PR expression ( HR=0.04, 95% CI: 0.01-0.14; P<0.001) was significantly associated with the 3-year RFS rate of CNL subtype patients. Conclusions:LVSI has the highest positivity rate in CNH subtype, followed by MSI-H subtype, CNL subtype, and the lowest positivity rate in POLE-ultramutated subtype. LVSI is significantly associated with poor prognosis in CNL subtype patients and may affect the prognosis of CNH subtype patients. However, LVSI is not an independent risk factor for recurrence across all four TCGA molecular subtypes.

Objective:To systematically evaluate the methodology and reporting quality of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening guidelines/consensus and provide lights for drafting CRC screening guidelines in China.Methods:The literature retrieval for all the Chinese and English guidelines published before September 1 st, 2020 was conducted by using Chinese/English databases, such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Guideline International Network, and supplement with the official website of multiple regions, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and American Cancer Society. We utilized The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation Ⅱ (AGREE Ⅱ) and Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare (RIGHT) approaches to assess the quality of CRC screening guidelines/consensus comprehensively. Results:After quality control, a total of 19 guidelines/consensus released by the United States, China, Australia, Canada, Britain, South Korea, and International organizations are successfully included, and strikingly, most of those belong to the United State(7). The results of the AGREE Ⅱ quality evaluation show that the average scores of scope and purpose (87.5%) and clarity of presentation (89.6%) are high. In contrast, there are deficient in stakeholder involvement (47.0%), the rigor of development (42.3%), applicability (47.5%), and editorial independence (50.2%). Among all the guidelines, there are 12 with an overall score of 50 or more, 13 with a recommendation level of "A", 2 with a rating of "B" and 4 with a rating of "C". Additionally, the RIGHT evaluation revealed that the average report rate in each field is necessary information (76.3%), background (77.0%), evidence (55.8%), recommendations (59.4%), review and quality assurance (26.3%), funding and declaration and management of interests (43.4%), other information (49.1%). Among all the guidelines, six have good reporting quality, whereas the additional 13 have general or weak evidence. Furthermore, subgroup analysis indicates that the quality of guidelines in developed countries is superior to that of China.Conclusion:The number of CRC screening guidelines/consensus is increasing gradually, and the overall quality of those is high, but the normative nature is warranted to be strengthened.

Objective:To evaluate the quality of the published breast cancer screening guidelines to provide a reference for domestic studies in the future.Methods:PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, SinoMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, and Wanfang Data were searched to identify breast cancer screening guidelines on until August 2020. Two reviewers screened literature and extracted data independently. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation Ⅱ(AGREEⅡ) and Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare(RIGHT) tools were used to evaluate the quality of the included guidelines.Results:A total of 15 breast cancer screening guidelines were included, of which seven were published in the United States, with publication years focusing on 2015 to 2019, and 11 guidelines had updated versions. "Rigour of development" (47.0%±22.1%) and "Applicability" (44.0%±15.1%) of AGREEⅡ scored lower than other domains. "Review and quality assurance" (46.7%±39.9%) and "Funding, declaration, and management of interests" (41.7%±24.4%) of RIGHT were reported poorer than others. There were six guidelines recommended and another nine recommended with modifications based on the overall AGREEⅡ score. There were four guidelines with a good level, and another 11 were with a moderate level of RIGHT. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network published the best overall quality guidelines in 2018 (AGREEⅡ: 83.3%, RIGHT: 80.0%) and by the American Cancer Society in 2015 (AGREEⅡ: 83.3%, RIGHT: 85.7%).Conclusion:The quality of breast cancer screening guidelines was predominantly of moderate quality, and greater attention should be paid to the guideline development process and quality control of the guidelines.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome (MS) and the risk of breast cancer in Chinese females.Methods:From May 2006 to December 2015, based on the Kailuan Women′s Dynamic Cohort,a total of 25 618 female employees and retirees of the Kailuan Group were included and followed. Questionnaire surveys, physical measurements and laboratory tests were used to collect baseline sociodemographic characteristics, height, weight, blood glucose, blood lipids, blood pressure, tumor incidence and outcome information. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to analyze the relationship between MS and its components (body mass index, blood pressure, blood glucose and blood lipid) and the risk of breast cancer in females.Results:The age of 25 618 women was (47.65±12.02) years old and median follow-up time was 8.78 years; 235 new cases of breast cancer were detected, and the incidence density was 113.19/100 000 person-years. After adjusting for age, education, income, smoking status, drinking status and other factors, people who were overweight or obese had a higher risk of breast cancer, with HR (95% CI) about 1.47 (1.12-1.93), than those with normal body mass index. Compared with those without MS abnormal components, women with two MS abnormal components had an increased risk of breast cancer ( HR=1.70, 95% CI: 1.16-2.50). With the increase of the number of MS abnormal components, the risk of breast cancer increased gradually ( Ptrend value<0.05). Conclusion:Overweight/obesity and the number of abnormal components of MS can increase the risk of breast cancer in women.

Background::Non-smokers account for a large proportion of lung cancer patients, especially in Asia, but the attention paid to them is limited compared with smokers. In non-smokers, males display a risk for lung cancer incidence distinct from the females—even after excluding the influence of smoking; but the knowledge regarding the factors causing the difference is sparse. Based on a large multicenter prospective cancer screening cohort in China, we aimed to elucidate the interpretable sex differences caused by known factors and provide clues for primary and secondary prevention.Methods::Risk factors including demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, family history of cancer, and baseline comorbidity were obtained from 796,283 Chinese non-smoking participants by the baseline risk assessment completed in 2013 to 2018. Cox regression analysis was performed to assess the sex difference in the risk of lung cancer, and the hazard ratios (HRs) that were adjusted for different known factors were calculated and compared to determine the proportion of excess risk and to explain the existing risk factors.Results::With a median follow-up of 4.80 years, 3351 subjects who were diagnosed with lung cancer were selected in the analysis. The lung cancer risk of males was significantly higher than that of females; the HRs in all male non-smokers were 1.29 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-1.38) after adjusting for the age and 1.38 (95% CI: 1.28-1.50) after adjusting for all factors, which suggested that known factors could not explain the sex difference in the risk of lung cancer in non-smokers. Known factors were 7% (|1.29-1.38|/1.29) more harmful in women than in men. For adenocarcinoma, women showed excess risk higher than men, contrary to squamous cell carcinoma; after adjusting for all factors, 47% ([1.30-1.16]/[1.30-1]) and 4% ([7.02-6.75]/[7.02-1])) of the excess risk was explainable in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. The main causes of gender differences in lung cancer risk were lifestyle factors, baseline comorbidity, and family history.Conclusions::Significant gender differences in the risk of lung cancer were discovered in China non-smokers. Existing risk factors did not explain the excess lung cancer risk of all non-smoking men, and the internal causes for the excess risk still need to be explored; most known risk factors were more harmful to non-smoking women; further exploring the causes of the sex difference would help to improve the prevention and screening programs and protect the non-smoking males from lung cancers.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome (MS) and the risk of breast cancer in Chinese females.Methods:From May 2006 to December 2015, based on the Kailuan Women′s Dynamic Cohort,a total of 25 618 female employees and retirees of the Kailuan Group were included and followed. Questionnaire surveys, physical measurements and laboratory tests were used to collect baseline sociodemographic characteristics, height, weight, blood glucose, blood lipids, blood pressure, tumor incidence and outcome information. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to analyze the relationship between MS and its components (body mass index, blood pressure, blood glucose and blood lipid) and the risk of breast cancer in females.Results:The age of 25 618 women was (47.65±12.02) years old and median follow-up time was 8.78 years; 235 new cases of breast cancer were detected, and the incidence density was 113.19/100 000 person-years. After adjusting for age, education, income, smoking status, drinking status and other factors, people who were overweight or obese had a higher risk of breast cancer, with HR (95% CI) about 1.47 (1.12-1.93), than those with normal body mass index. Compared with those without MS abnormal components, women with two MS abnormal components had an increased risk of breast cancer ( HR=1.70, 95% CI: 1.16-2.50). With the increase of the number of MS abnormal components, the risk of breast cancer increased gradually ( Ptrend value<0.05). Conclusion:Overweight/obesity and the number of abnormal components of MS can increase the risk of breast cancer in women.

Objective: To evaluate the methodological quality of papers that performed meta-analyzed and systematically reviewed acupoint selections for the treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD) and to identify the ideal acupoint combinations for FD. Methods: Chinese databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), China Biology Medicine (CBM), and Wanfang Database, as well as English databases including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched to retrieve papers about meta-analysis and systematic literature reviews on acupuncture for FD. The time span for the paper retrieval was set from the foundation of the databases to April 30, 2022. The Veritas scores of the papers based on their publication year, study type, Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR2), Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), heterogeneity, and publication bias were rated to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Then, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were extracted from those meta-analysis papers or systematic literature reviews for analyzing acupoints frequency, meridian frequency, and association rules with the use of R software (V 4.3.1). Results: Eight meta-analysis papers were included in the study after screening. The mean Veritas scores of the papers based on publication year, type of study, AMSTAR2, PRISMA, heterogeneity, and publication bias were 4.50, 8.00, 4.63, 4.63, 4.50, and 6.13, respectively. The analysis of the scores revealed insufficiencies in the reviews pertaining to the methodology, comprehension of the research strategy, detailed list of excluded studies, sources of funding, assessment of potential bias risks impact on meta-analysis results in each study, explanation of heterogeneity, and identification of potential conflicts of interest. Furthermore, a total of 85 RCTs were obtained from the eight meta-analysis papers involving 85 acupuncture prescriptions and 67 acupoints for subsequent data mining. The most commonly used meridian was Stomach meridian of Foot-Yangming (ST). Zusanli (ST36), Neiguan (PC6), Zhongwan (CV12), Taichong (LR3), Tianshu (ST25), Gongsun (SP4), Weishu (BL21), Pishu (BL20), Neiting (ST44), and Yinlingquan (SP9) topped the list of frequently selected acupoints. Additionally, a total of 28 association rules were identified, including 10 second-order, 15 third-order, and 3 fourth-order association rules. The top-ranking association rules in each order were “Neiguan (PC6) → Zusanli (ST36)” “Zhongwan (CV12) + Neiguan (PC6) → Zusanli (ST36)” and “Zhongwan (CV12) + Taichong (LR3) + Neiguan (PC6) → Zusanli (ST36)”, respectively. Conclusion Acupuncture could alleviate the clinical symptoms of FD. However, the quality of methodology applied in the meta-analysis papers on the subject needs to be improved. Through data mining, a combination of Neiguan (PC6), Zusanli (ST36), Zhongwan (CV12), and Taichong (LR3) was identified as an essential acupoint combination for the treatment of FD.