Objective To investigate the feasibility of using CT texture analysis to differentiate among lipid-poor adrenal adenoma,pheochromocytoma and adrenal metastases.Methods 66 lipid-poor adrenal adenoma,98 pheochromocytoma and 101 adrenal metastases lesions were analyzed retrospectively.All the patients had abdominal non-enhanced CT and adrenal enhanced CT scans.We used TexRAD software to analyze the textural features of CT images and compared the differences in each texture parameter among three adrenal lesions.Results On non-enhanced CT images,there were significant differences in Mean and Kurtosis at all the texture scales(SSF 0-6) among the three types of adrenal lesions (P<0.05),as well as SD at fine and coarse texture scale (SSF 2,6)(P<0.05).Entropy (SSF 0-3, 5-6) and MPP (SSF 0-2, 4-6) were significantly lower in lipid-poor adrenal adenoma and adrenal metastases than that in pheochromocytoma (P<0.05).There were significant differences in Skewness (SSF 0-3) among three types of lesions, which was lowest in pheochromocytoma and highest in adrenal metastases.On enhanced CT images, Mean, SD, Entrophy and MPP showed significantly differences among the three types of adrenal lesions at all the texture scales (SSF 0-6) (P<0.05), which were all highest in pheochromocytoma and lowest in adrenal metastases.Skewness (SSF 0) and Kurtosis (SSF 0, 2) were significantly lower in adrenal metastases than that in lipid-poor adrenal adenoma and pheochromocytoma (P<0.05).Conclusion There are significant differences in CT texture analysis parameters among lipid-poor adrenal adenoma,pheochromocytoma and adrenal metastases.CT texture analysis has potential clinical application values in differentiating these three adrenal lesions.

Objective To define the loci of the mutant gene in the loop-tail mouse.Methods To study the heredity pattern, loop-tail mice were mated with normal C57BL/6J and C3H mice.Their offsprings with loop-tail or normal phenotype were registered respectively.Microsatellite marker D1Mit113 and D1Mit149 were used to locate the mutant gene.Based on fine mapping, the candidate gene Vangl2 was found.Vangl2 gene from the loop-tail mice was amplified by PCR followed by sequencing.Incision enzyme FspBI ( BfaI ) identified the genotype of offspring from loop-tail mice intercrossing.Results Heredity test indicated that the loop-tail phenotype was controlled by a single dominant gene not with 100%penetrance but was affected by genetic background.A C-to-T transversion was at the 1345bp in Vangl2 gene of the loop-tail mice.Conclusions The C-to-T transversion introduces a pre-termination codon of amino acids and causes the phenotype of loop-tail phenotype.None homozygous mice were found in the offsprings, suggesting that the homozygous mice are lethal.

Studying the essence of syndromes (Zheng) in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a fundamental challenge in basic theoretical research of TCM. The relationship between any given syndrome and biochemical indicators is one of the important aspects of the study. As the indexes selected in each study are specific to a particular Western medical disease diagnosis, and the disease factor is inevitably introduced into the study, the effect of disease factor on the index changes cannot be assessed effectively by traditional data processing methods. This is known as "the same syndrome with different reasons", which has resulted in confusion in TCM research. This study aimed at providing a mathematical tool to address this issue. Based on information theory and the residual-split method, the syndrome information, which was covered in the index variation, was quantitatively calculated in this paper as an independent part of the disease factor. A mathematical model capable of objectively assessing and statistically testing the effect of the syndrome factor on the index changes was established. Applying this model to literature data of studies on the relationship between cyclic nucleotides and yang-deficiency syndrome showed following results. First, the values of yang-deficiency syndrome information were negative for cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) while positive for cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in all included literature. This indicated that the group of yang-deficiency syndrome was correlated with an obvious trend of reduced cAMP levels and increased cGMP levels. Second, the statistical test results of yang-deficiency syndrome information of the two indexes were different among the literature included. The quality of original data was considered as a possible reason. Third, the significant differences between the yang-deficiency group of a specific disease and the normal group may, in some cases, be caused by a disease factor rather than a syndrome factor. The mathematical model provided a reasonable mathematical tool for the analysis of disease factor and syndrome factor in clinical research of TCM, suggesting that the mathematical model may give rise to innovative ideas and methods in the study of syndromes.

Objective To share our experience in the placement of a peripherally inserted central cathe -ter ( PICC) in critically ill patients intensive care unit ( ICU) .Method The clinical data of a critically ill pa-tient placed with PICC from neurosurgery department were collected and analyzed .Result A 78-year-old male patient diagnosed with type I respiratory failure , aspiration pneumonia , hypertension , and cerebral infarction sequelae successfully received ultrasound-guided modified Seldinger puncture technique for PICC and was trea-ted with intravenous nutrition after repeatedly vascular puncturing failure .Conclusion PICC placement is an effective method for patients in ICU to protect the peripheral vein and lower the incidence of catheter related in -fections.

ObjectiveTo investigate glutathione S-transferase GSTO 1 Glu155△Glu genetic polymorphism and risks of arsenic poisoning caused by coal-burning in Guizhou.Methods GSTO1 Glu155 △Glu gene polymorphism was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-with confronting two-pair primers among one hundred and thirty arsenic poisoning patients and one hundred and thirty healthy controls.The results were verified by DNA sequencing.The association between different genotypes and arsenic poisoning was analyzed by unconditional Logistic regression model.ResultsThe results of Glu/Glu and Glu/△Glu genotype detected by this method were consistent with those of DNA sequencing.The frequencies of GSTO1 Glu/Glu genotype and Glu/△Glu genotype were 94.85％(92/97) and 5.15％(5/97) in the patients,99.15％(117/118) and 0.85％(1/118) in the controls,respectively.The difference was statistically significant(x2 =3.896,P ＜ 0.05).△Glu/△Glu genotype was not found in both patients and controls.After age and sex adjusting,GSTO1 Glu155 △Glu polymorphism was found to be a risk factor of arsenic poisoning [odds ratio (OR) =1.85,95％ confidence interval (CI):1.39 - 17.48].ConclusionsThe study finds that GSTO1 Glu 155 △ Glu polymorphism is associated with risk of arsenic poisoning.The relationship between them should be further studied through increasing sample size.

Objective To explore the influence of age factor on the treatment of cutaneous hemangioma with (90Sr-90Y) applicator.Methods A total of 224 babies and children of different ages with cutaneous hemangioma were treated by using 90Sr-90 Y applicator.Then,the relation between their therapeutic effects and ages were analyzed respectively.Results The differences in the therapeutic effect between group of one month to less than one year and group of one to less than five years,and group of one month to less than one year and group of five to ten years,and between group of one to less than five ages and group of five to ten years (P＜0.05),were statistically significant.With an increase of the age,the recovery rate gradually decreased,but their effective rate,improvement rate and ineffective rate increased.In the 199 well-healed or effective patients,the differences in the distribution of treatment course between group of one month to less than one year and group of one to less than five years,and group of one month to less than one year and group of five to ten years,were statistically significant (P＜0.05); but the difference in the distribution of treatment course between group of one to less than five ages and group of five to ten years was not statistically significant (P＞0.05).The number of treatment course presented an increased tendency with an increase of the age for patients.Conclusions The age of patients is a factor influencing the therapeutic effect on cutaneous hemangioma with 90 Sr-90Y applicator.The younger the patients,the better their therapeutic effects,the shorter their courses of treatment,and the smaller the adverse reaction of beta ray.

Knowledge Discovery in Databases is gaining attention and raising new hopes for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) researchers. It is a useful tool in understanding and deciphering TCM theories. Aiming for a better understanding of Chinese herbal property theory (CHPT), this paper performed an improved association rule learning to analyze semistructured text in the book entitled Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica. The text was firstly annotated and transformed to well-structured multidimensional data. Subsequently, an Apriori algorithm was employed for producing association rules after the sensitivity analysis of parameters. From the confirmed 120 resulting rules that described the intrinsic relationships between herbal property (qi, flavor and their combinations) and herbal efficacy, two novel fundamental principles underlying CHPT were acquired and further elucidated: (1) the many-to-one mapping of herbal efficacy to herbal property; (2) the nonrandom overlap between the related efficacy of qi and flavor. This work provided an innovative knowledge about CHPT, which would be helpful for its modern research.

Objective To observe the characterization of fat emboli in cardiac chamber in pig model and the patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty(THA) by transesophageal echocardiography(TEE). Methods Different dose of fatty liquid was injected slowly via the internal jugular vein. The changes of the image were observed by continuous TEE. The lethal dose of fat embolism was recorded. Twenty-two patients underwent TEE during THA. Gray scale and echo intensity of fat embolism in right atrium were studied quantitatively in varied periods of the operation. Results With the increase of fat liquid injected in pig model, the strong- echo particles in right atrium and ventricle became more and more, the imaging of the particles was from “moving star”, “shower-like” to “snow fluffy”, at last paradoxical fat embolism occurred when the dose of fat liquid was over 4 ml. The accumulated lethal dose of fat embolism was 15.8 ～ 27.8 ml.②Fat emboli appeared as strong- echo particles in right atrium were found in different period of THA. Average gray scale and echo intensity of emboli in right atrium were significantly higher in period B than in other periods during THA. Conclusions Fat emboli in cardiac chamber can be found sensitively by TEE. Intra-operative monitoring and quantitative analysis is helpful to identifying fat embolism syndrome.Paradoxical embolism is a reliable evidence of fat embolism syndrome.

Objective:To investigate the clinical significance of changes of platelet count after splenectomy in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension.Methods:In this study,from January 2002 to January 2006,the platelet count and liver function in 153 splenomegaly and hypersplenism due to cirrhosis patients who had been carried out splenectomy were selected.The change tendency of platelet count was observed,the relationship of changes of platelet count and liver function was analysed,and compared with patients of spleen trauma.Results:Postoperative platelet count was higher than preoperatively in most patients with cirrhosis,the portion did not elevate,even decreased.The change tendency of platelet count was correlated with the liver function.The change in cirrhosis patients is not more than patients of spleen trauma.Conclusions:The reason of thrombocytopenia in patients with cirrhosis may be correlated with the change of liver function besides the splenomegaly.

Objective To explore the biological characteristics and karyotype of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)and hematopoietic sup- port of MSCs.Methods MSCs were isolated from bone marrow of 11 SLE patients and 6 healthy controls by density centrifugation and adhesive culture in vitro.The surface markers were detected by flow cytometry (FCM).The morphological changes of MSCs were observed in primary and passage cultures.The growth curves were assayed.The karyotype of MSCs was detected by blocking cellular mitosis with colchicines.The MSCs from SLE patients and healthy controls were infused to ICR mice after high-dose chemotherapy.The changes of peripheral blood counts of the mice were recorded.Results Approximately(6～9)?10~9 MSCs from SLE were obtained after 5 passages and their growth was slower than normal controls(P＜0.01).Both groups were positive for CD29,CD44 and CD105,and negative for CD14,CD34,CD45 and HLA-DR.MSCs from SLE had a normal karyotype.MSCs infusions of the two groups were accompanied by no adverse event and the recovery of white blood cell,hemoglobin and platelet count was quicker when compared with the controls(P＜0.05).Conclusion MSCs from SLE have demonstrated abnormalities in expansion in vitro.MSCs from SLE have a normal karyotype.Ex vivo MSCs infusion from SLE patients can support hematopoiesis as normal MSCs.