OBJECTIVE: To analyze recent developments in image texture research both from methodology and from medical image analysis. DATA SOURCE: With the key words of "medical image, texture research, image analysis, application", we retrieved PubMed database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/), ScienceDirecr database (http://www.sciencedirect.com/) from 1983 to 2009 and CNKI database (http://www.cnki.net/) from 2004 to 2009. DATA SELECTION: Original research thesis, and reviews with clear opinion, sufficient data and reliable conclusion were included. Repetitive studies and studies concerning unrelated to the objective were excluded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A total 104 literatures were selected, including 10 Chinese literatures and 94 English literatures. These literatures were primarily collected by reading titles and abstracts. A total of 33 literatures with unrelated objective, 18 literatures with repetitive studies were excluded. Finally, 53 Chinese and English literatures were included for further analysis. RESULTS: Primary methods used in texture analysis are structural, statistical, model-based and transform-based-method. When we are interested in identifying texture primitives and their distribution to analyze regular texture, structural approaches are suited. Characteristics of texture like smoothness and coarseness are well analyzed by statistical approaches. Model-based-method is based on the construction of an image model that can be used not only to describe texture, but also to synthesize it. Digital features of texture are got by using some signal processing theories in transformation domain. Texture applications have been widely used in medical imaging domain. CONCLUSION: Because of the specific and complication of medical image and texture, not all texture measure can be used for medical image analysis. One of the development directions of medical image texture research is how to integrate and educe advantages of different methods to fully extract texture features and exactly attribute medical image texture and the relation between its changes and pathological state, resulting in an important component of computer-aided diagnosis.

Humans ; Occupational Health ; Protective Devices ; utilization ; Welding

Objectives:To translate the English version of Quality of Life Questionnaire of Stomach 22 into Chinese,and to test the reliability and validity of the Chinese Version of QLQ-STO22.Methods:From 1st June to 31st December,2003,140 patients with gastric cancer were sampled as study participants in three hospitals using cluster sampling method.All participants were interviewed with QLQ-STO22 Chinese version by the investigators who were trained in advance.Results:Nearly all ICCs of scales of STO22 were above 0.75;the split-half reliability coefficient is 0.78 and the Cronbach'a coefficient is 0.80.These results proved that the questionnaires had good test-retest reliability,split-half reliability and internal consistency.Three common factors were extracted by factor analysis,which ccould account for more than 60% of total variance and factor loads of the three common factors were above 0.5 in related items.Conclusion:QLQ-STO22 has good reliability and validity,which is available for the study of life quality among Chinese gastric cancer patients.

0.05).In groups A and B,the intraoperative blood loss was(94.4?51.6)ml and(155.8?84.3)ml;the 4% mannitol solution used for intraoperative irrigation was(18.4?6.2)L and(25.4?8.8)L;the operative time was(65.0?16.4)min and((86.8?)25.0)min;the time for postoperative bladder infusion was(46.5?9.1)h and(57.8?17.4)h;the infused saline volume was(19.2?4.2)L and(26.7?10.2)L;the degree of satisfaction of the surgeons with the TURP field was 75.0%(36/48) and 41.9%(26/62);the cases who needed to increase the perfusion pressure during TURP accounted for 22.9%(11/48) and 45.2%(28/62);the blood transfusion rates were 6.2%(3/48) and 22.6%(14/62);and the incidence rates of secondary prostatic bleeding were(10.4)%(5/48) and 25.8%(16/62),respectively.The differences in all these parameters were statistically significant between the 2 groups(P

Objective To investigate the correlation between carotid artery plaque and blood pressure variability (BPV) in elderly patients with hypertension.Methods One hundred sixty elderly patients with hypertension were divided into plaque and non-plaque groups according to the results of carotid artery ultrasonography.All the patients were measured by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.The mean blood pressure,mean pulse pressure,and blood pressure variability coefficient of two groups were calculated and compared during whole day,daytime,and nighttime.The related factors of carotid artery plaque were analyzed by multivarite logistic regression analysis.Results The 24 h systolic blood pressure standard deviation,daytime and nighttime of systolic blood pressure standard deviation,daytime diastolic blood pressure standard deviation of plaque group were higher than those of non-plaque group (P ＜ 0.05).The 24 h systolic blood pressure variation (24 h SBPV) and night systolic blood pressure variation (nSBPV) were higher than those of non-plaque group (P ＜0.01).Multivariate regression analysis results showed that carotic artery plaque was associated positively with 24 h BPV and blood pressure variability coefficient of nighttime (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The elderly hypertensive patients with carotid artery plaque is associated positively with 24 h systolic blood pressure variability coefficient and blood pressure variability of nighttime.

The 1.7 kb full-length hemagglutinin (HA) gene fragment of H5N1 subtype avian influenza virus was amplified by RT-PCR and then cloned into the pFastBacHT donor plasmids. The recombinant plasmid pFastBac-H5 was identified by restriction enzyme digestion and sequencing. Following the transposition pFastBac-H5 into the bacmid in DH10Bac E.coli competent cells, the colonies were identified by blue and white selection. The recombinant bacmid (rBacmid-H5) was verified by PCR analysis. Transfection of rBacmid-H5 DNA into sf9 cells using Cellfectin reagent results in the production of recombinant viral stock. Cells were harvested 72h post infection and analyzed by SDS-PAGE, Western-blot, hemagglutination and hemagglutination inhibition test;the expressed HA protein (rH5)shows hemaggluting activity and can be inhibited by H5N1 virus immunized chicken sera. On the other hand, immunization of chickens with rH5 protein results in high titers of H5N1 virus specific hemagglutation inhibition antibodies, which proved its biological activity.

Objective: To identify the functional domain of ?-Synuclein in affecting mitochondrial function and how the function to be impaired,especially,the mitochondrial membrane potential and the release of Cytochrome c.Methods: Harvest of ?-Syn-N and ?-Syn-△N by PCR,then subcloned into the pCMV-Myc mammalian expression vector.The recombinant plasmids were transfected into HEK293T cells by Lipofectamine 2000.After detecting the protein expression by Western blot,the functional domain was detected by co-immunoprecipitation.The mitochondrial membrane potential through flow cytometry and immunofluorescence,at the same time,the release of Cytochrome c through flow cytometry to detect.Results: The recombinant plasmids were constructed successfully.CO-IP has proved that N-terminal may be the functional domain of ?-Synuclein in affecting mitochondria.Over-expression of N-terminal could depolarize the mitochondrial membrane potential and induce the Cytochrome c releasing in MN9D cells.Conclusion: N-terminal may be the functional domain of ?-synuclein and over-expression of N-terminal could decrease mitochondrial activity.

China ; epidemiology ; Dust ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Silicon Dioxide ; chemistry ; Silicosis ; epidemiology ; prevention & control

OBJECTIVETo develop an HILIC method for determination of dencichine in Sanqi tablet and evaluate the quality of Sanqi tablet of different hatches from various manufactures in the market.

METHODThe chromatographic separation was conducted on a Thermo HILIC column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) kept at 25 degrees C with acetonitrile and 0.1% H3PO4 (60:40) as the mobile phase. The flow rate was set at 1 mL x min(-1) and the detection wavelength was set at 213 nm.

RESULTThe contents of dencichine in Sanqi tablet ranged from 1.60 to 4.31 mg x g(-1).

CONCLUSIONThe well established method was successfully applied to determine dencichine in Sanqi tablet. The results demonstrated that this method was simple, accurate and could be applied for quality control of Sanqi as well as its associated preparations.

Limulus Factor C, a serine protease zymogen from the amoebocytes of the limulus, has high affinity for endotoxin. When Factor C is activated by endotoxin, it hydrolyses artificial tripeptide substrate and measurable products are released, so it can be used as an alternative reagent for endotoxin analysis. Factor C gene of Tachypleus tridentatus was obtained through RT-PCR and the recombinant protein was expressed by Bac-to-Bac/BmNPV baculovirus expression system in silkworm larvae. The activity of Factor C was detected with diluted serum of silkworm larvae, and the sensitivity of endotoxin detected was 0.2 EU/mL when the serum was diluted at 1:500. The silkworm larvae expressed limulus Factor C could be used to develop a new low-cost endotoxin test reagent.
Animals ; Arthropod Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Baculoviridae ; Bombyx ; metabolism ; Enzyme Precursors ; biosynthesis ; Genetic Vectors ; Larva ; metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Serine Endopeptidases ; biosynthesis