Objective:To investigate the clinical value of a fully autonomous ultrasound robot in splenic ultrasound imaging.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted by enrolling 56 adult volunteers from the Third Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital between February 1-8，2024 as research subjects.A senior physician sequentially performed splenic ultrasound examinations using both the fully autonomous ultrasound robot and a matched portable ultrasound device. The acquired images were randomly coded and scored via a double-blind method by 3 physicians. The differences of the image quality scores and high-quality image proportions between the two groups were compared. Examination durations were recorded and compared between the two groups.Results:Both modalities successfully acquired splenic images in all 56 volunteers. No statistically significant differences were observed in image quality scores among the 3 physicians：（3.52 ± 1.31）points vs.（3.83 ± 1.23）points，（2.77 ± 1.23）points vs.（3.17 ± 1.17）points，and（3.48 ± 0.97）points vs.（3.79 ± 0.94）points（all P>0.05）. The numbers of images scoring ≥ 3 points showed no significant differences：45（80.36%） vs. 50（89.29%），30（53.57%） vs. 38（67.86%），and 48（85.71%） vs. 52（92.86%）（all P>0.05）. The fully autonomous ultrasound robot required significantly longer examination time［（60.86 ± 50.55）s vs.（7.95 ± 4.35）s， t=6.88， P＜0.01］. Conclusions:The fully autonomous ultrasound robot demonstrates comparable image quality and clinically acceptable image proportions to conventional portable ultrasound in splenic examinations. These findings suggest its potential equivalence to operator-dependent ultrasound for splenic imaging，supporting its feasibility as an alternative ultrasound modality despite longer procedural duration.

Objective:To construct a thyroid nodule segmentation model using ultrasound dynamic images and explore its potential for assisting in the screening of thyroid nodules.Methods:A total of 126 patients with thyroid nodules（comprising 150 nodules）who were diagnosed and treated at Xuzhou Cancer Hospital from April 2024 to December 2024 were prospectively enrolled. Two-dimensional ultrasound was performed to capture short-axis and long-axis video images of thyroid nodules，forming a dynamic ultrasound image dataset. The dataset was divided into training，validation，and test sets in a ratio of 6∶1∶3. After the training loss curve converged，the model that performed well on the validation set was selected for testing. Three-fold cross-validation was employed for training and testing. All 300 ultrasound videos were divided into three subsets. In each experiment，two subsets were used as the training set，and one subset was used as the test set to evaluate the model's generalization ability. A collaborative spatiotemporal diffusion model was established based on the dynamic trends and tissue texture details of thyroid nodules. Six widely used segmentation metrics were employed to evaluate the model's application capabilities.Results:The study included 126 patients with 150 thyroid nodules，300 dynamic ultrasound images，and video lengths of 3-4 seconds per nodule，resulting in 12 312 segmented images. The size of the thyroid nodules was（10.7 ± 10.6）mm（transverse diameter）×（8.4 ± 6.3）mm（anteroposterior diameter）. Among the nodules，62（41.3%）had clear boundaries，while 88（58.7%）had indistinct boundaries；61（40.7%）exhibited regular shapes，while 89（59.3%）were irregular；66（44.0%）had a taller-than-wide aspect ratio；and 70（46.7%）showed microcalcifications. The collaborative diffusion model based on dynamic ultrasound image segmentation achieved the following scores：a Jaccard score of（69.22 ± 0.03）%，a Dice score of（79.16 ± 0.18）%，a Precision score of（86.70 ± 0.17）%，a Recall score of（77.82 ± 0.04）%，an Sα score of（85.26 ± 0.01）%，and an Eθmn score of（90.58 ± 0.17）%. Compared to other models，this model demonstrated significant improvements across all evaluation metrics，achieving the highest values in each metric with increments of over 8% and 1%，respectively. Conclusions:The collaborative diffusion model with a dynamic controller，constructed based on dynamic ultrasound images of thyroid nodules，demonstrates excellent performance in ultrasound image segmentation. It improves the accuracy of thyroid nodule screening，thereby providing a valuable auxiliary diagnostic tool for clinical practice.

Objective:To explore the molecular mechanism of miR-4508 regulating the inflammatory response of human bronchial epithelial cells induced by representative chrysotile asbestos.Methods:The chrysotile asbestos was ground into ultrafine dust using a horizontal planetary instrument, and human bronchial epithelium (16HBE) cells were taken as the object of infection. Cell survival rate was detected by cell counting kit-8 method, cytotoxicity was detected by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) kit. The released of inflammatory factor IL-6 was detected by electrochemical luminescence. The released inflammatory factor IL-8 was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression level of miR-4508 was screened and verified by reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. After 16HBE cells were treated with AKT inhibitor MK2206, the phosphorylation levels of AKT and PTEN were detected by western blot. The expression levels of AKT and PTEN and the contents of IL-6 and IL-8 were detected in miR-4508 overexpression and interference experiments.Results:With the increase of chrysotile asbestos exposure concentration, the cell survival rate decreased in a concentration-dependent manner, and the LDH content gradually increased. The secretion of IL-6 and IL-8 in chrysotile 25, 50 and 75 μg/ml groups were (325.92±8.61) pg/ml, (331.51±4.96) pg/ml, (378.74±13.77) pg/ml, and (94.95±3.11) pg/ml, (357.60±1.80) pg/ml, (537.19±3.11) pg/ml, respectively, while the group with 0 μg/ml chrysotile was (95.85±1.20) pg/ml and (7.81±0.00) pg/ml ( P＜0.05). In addition, chrysotile asbestos exposure to 16HBE could induce the high expression of miR-4508 . After pretreatment with MK2206, the phosphorylation levels of AKT and PTEN were decreased, the contents of IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly decreased, and the expression level of miR-4508 was significantly reduced. Overexpression of miR-4508 significantly increased the expressions of AKT and PTEN, and the contents of IL-6 and IL-8 ( P＜0.01). After interfering with miR-4508, the expressions of AKT and PTEN were significantly decreased, and the contents of IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly decreased ( P＜0.01). Conclusions:Chrysotile asbestos can induce the inflammatory response of 16HBE cells and up-regulate the expression level of miR-4508. The up-regulation of miR-4508 promotes the 16HBE inflammatory response induced by chrysotile asbestos through the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of a fully autonomous ultrasound robot in splenic ultrasound imaging.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted by enrolling 56 adult volunteers from the Third Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital between February 1-8，2024 as research subjects.A senior physician sequentially performed splenic ultrasound examinations using both the fully autonomous ultrasound robot and a matched portable ultrasound device. The acquired images were randomly coded and scored via a double-blind method by 3 physicians. The differences of the image quality scores and high-quality image proportions between the two groups were compared. Examination durations were recorded and compared between the two groups.Results:Both modalities successfully acquired splenic images in all 56 volunteers. No statistically significant differences were observed in image quality scores among the 3 physicians：（3.52 ± 1.31）points vs.（3.83 ± 1.23）points，（2.77 ± 1.23）points vs.（3.17 ± 1.17）points，and（3.48 ± 0.97）points vs.（3.79 ± 0.94）points（all P>0.05）. The numbers of images scoring ≥ 3 points showed no significant differences：45（80.36%） vs. 50（89.29%），30（53.57%） vs. 38（67.86%），and 48（85.71%） vs. 52（92.86%）（all P>0.05）. The fully autonomous ultrasound robot required significantly longer examination time［（60.86 ± 50.55）s vs.（7.95 ± 4.35）s， t=6.88， P＜0.01］. Conclusions:The fully autonomous ultrasound robot demonstrates comparable image quality and clinically acceptable image proportions to conventional portable ultrasound in splenic examinations. These findings suggest its potential equivalence to operator-dependent ultrasound for splenic imaging，supporting its feasibility as an alternative ultrasound modality despite longer procedural duration.

Objective:To construct a thyroid nodule segmentation model using ultrasound dynamic images and explore its potential for assisting in the screening of thyroid nodules.Methods:A total of 126 patients with thyroid nodules（comprising 150 nodules）who were diagnosed and treated at Xuzhou Cancer Hospital from April 2024 to December 2024 were prospectively enrolled. Two-dimensional ultrasound was performed to capture short-axis and long-axis video images of thyroid nodules，forming a dynamic ultrasound image dataset. The dataset was divided into training，validation，and test sets in a ratio of 6∶1∶3. After the training loss curve converged，the model that performed well on the validation set was selected for testing. Three-fold cross-validation was employed for training and testing. All 300 ultrasound videos were divided into three subsets. In each experiment，two subsets were used as the training set，and one subset was used as the test set to evaluate the model's generalization ability. A collaborative spatiotemporal diffusion model was established based on the dynamic trends and tissue texture details of thyroid nodules. Six widely used segmentation metrics were employed to evaluate the model's application capabilities.Results:The study included 126 patients with 150 thyroid nodules，300 dynamic ultrasound images，and video lengths of 3-4 seconds per nodule，resulting in 12 312 segmented images. The size of the thyroid nodules was（10.7 ± 10.6）mm（transverse diameter）×（8.4 ± 6.3）mm（anteroposterior diameter）. Among the nodules，62（41.3%）had clear boundaries，while 88（58.7%）had indistinct boundaries；61（40.7%）exhibited regular shapes，while 89（59.3%）were irregular；66（44.0%）had a taller-than-wide aspect ratio；and 70（46.7%）showed microcalcifications. The collaborative diffusion model based on dynamic ultrasound image segmentation achieved the following scores：a Jaccard score of（69.22 ± 0.03）%，a Dice score of（79.16 ± 0.18）%，a Precision score of（86.70 ± 0.17）%，a Recall score of（77.82 ± 0.04）%，an Sα score of（85.26 ± 0.01）%，and an Eθmn score of（90.58 ± 0.17）%. Compared to other models，this model demonstrated significant improvements across all evaluation metrics，achieving the highest values in each metric with increments of over 8% and 1%，respectively. Conclusions:The collaborative diffusion model with a dynamic controller，constructed based on dynamic ultrasound images of thyroid nodules，demonstrates excellent performance in ultrasound image segmentation. It improves the accuracy of thyroid nodule screening，thereby providing a valuable auxiliary diagnostic tool for clinical practice.

Objective:To explore the molecular mechanism of miR-4508 regulating the inflammatory response of human bronchial epithelial cells induced by representative chrysotile asbestos.Methods:The chrysotile asbestos was ground into ultrafine dust using a horizontal planetary instrument, and human bronchial epithelium (16HBE) cells were taken as the object of infection. Cell survival rate was detected by cell counting kit-8 method, cytotoxicity was detected by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) kit. The released of inflammatory factor IL-6 was detected by electrochemical luminescence. The released inflammatory factor IL-8 was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression level of miR-4508 was screened and verified by reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. After 16HBE cells were treated with AKT inhibitor MK2206, the phosphorylation levels of AKT and PTEN were detected by western blot. The expression levels of AKT and PTEN and the contents of IL-6 and IL-8 were detected in miR-4508 overexpression and interference experiments.Results:With the increase of chrysotile asbestos exposure concentration, the cell survival rate decreased in a concentration-dependent manner, and the LDH content gradually increased. The secretion of IL-6 and IL-8 in chrysotile 25, 50 and 75 μg/ml groups were (325.92±8.61) pg/ml, (331.51±4.96) pg/ml, (378.74±13.77) pg/ml, and (94.95±3.11) pg/ml, (357.60±1.80) pg/ml, (537.19±3.11) pg/ml, respectively, while the group with 0 μg/ml chrysotile was (95.85±1.20) pg/ml and (7.81±0.00) pg/ml ( P＜0.05). In addition, chrysotile asbestos exposure to 16HBE could induce the high expression of miR-4508 . After pretreatment with MK2206, the phosphorylation levels of AKT and PTEN were decreased, the contents of IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly decreased, and the expression level of miR-4508 was significantly reduced. Overexpression of miR-4508 significantly increased the expressions of AKT and PTEN, and the contents of IL-6 and IL-8 ( P＜0.01). After interfering with miR-4508, the expressions of AKT and PTEN were significantly decreased, and the contents of IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly decreased ( P＜0.01). Conclusions:Chrysotile asbestos can induce the inflammatory response of 16HBE cells and up-regulate the expression level of miR-4508. The up-regulation of miR-4508 promotes the 16HBE inflammatory response induced by chrysotile asbestos through the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Purpose To establish and evaluate a high-speed fragment-induced penetrating liver injury model in pigs assisted by portable ultrasound.Materials and Methods With the aid of portable ultrasound,the lower edge of the liver at the end of expiration and the lower edge of the right chest at the end of inspiration of 10 Landrace pigs were positioned on the body surface.Then the sighting line was traced to determine the direction of projection and the sighting point.High-speed(about 627 m/s)fragments were projected through an experimental ballistic gun to induce penetrating liver injury.Blood pressure,heart rate,respiratory rate,pulse oxygen saturation and other physiological indexes were measured 15 minutes before shooting and 20 minutes after shooting.20 minutes after injury,the liver injury and the degree of injury were examined by ultrasound.After injury,the liver injury and abdominal fluid accumulation were observed by on-site portable ultrasound,and the size of liver trauma,liver injury grade,abdominal fluid accumulation location and maximum depth were recorded.The degree of liver injury was evaluated by comparison with the gross pathological results.Results Nine out of ten pigs were successfully modeled.The success rate of penetrating liver injury induced by fragments was 90%(9/10),other organ injury in abdominal cavity was 22.22%(2/9),and diaphragm penetrating injury was 22.22%(2/9),which did not occur obvious hemopneumothorax.After injury,the systolic blood pressure,diastolic blood pressure,and pulse oxygen saturation of the pigs decreased[(132.44±12.65)mmHg vs.(103.33±33.43)mmHg,(96.44±12.27)mmHg vs.(70.89±24.21)mmHg,(89.44±8.49)%vs.(76.00±13.41)%;t=2.440,2.651,4.084,all P<0.05],and the heart rate increased[(94.00±17.39)times/min vs.(139.89±37.21)times/min;t=3.534,P<0.05].Within 20 minutes after modeling,portable ultrasound images showed that the liver injury was a patchy,heterogeneous,slightly strong echo area with clear and irregular boundary,and the continuity of the local liver capsule was interrupted.The ascites appeared in the abdominal cavity with the maximum depth of(4.16±1.35)cm.The American association for the surgery of trauma(AAST)liver injury grading of gross pathology after the animals were killed showed that there were 6 cases of grade Ⅱ and 3 cases of grade Ⅲ.Along the fragment projection direction,the short diameter measured by ultrasound was positively correlated with the depth of gross pathological laceration(r=0.945,P<0.001).Compared with the gross specimen,the accuracy rate of ultrasonic AAST grading of liver injury was 88.89%(8/9).Conclusion The model of high-speed fragment-induced liver injury in pigs assisted by portable ultrasound is accurate and stable,and portable ultrasound can effectively evaluate the penetrating liver injury,which provides a basis for the treatment of liver firearm injury.

Background Chrysotile is widely used in construction and industry. Research has shown that it is associated with lung fibrosis in occupational groups, but the involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in chrysotile-induced lung fibrosis has been less well studied, and the specific mechanism is still unclear. Objective Using next-generation sequencing technology to analyze the effects of chrysotile exposure on the miRNAs expression profiles of human lung epithelial cells (BEAS-2B cells), to explore the variations of differentially expressed miRNAs and related signaling pathways, and to identify potential targets and molecular mechanisms of chrysotile-induced lung fibrosis. Methods Chrysotile was analyzed with a laser particle size analyzer and an X-ray diffractometer for particle size and physical phase. BEAS-2B cells were exposed to chrysotile for designed time sessions (12, 24, and 48 h) and doses (0, 50, 100, and 200 μg·mL⁻¹). Cell viability was detected with a cell viability assay kit (CCK8); expression levels of Fibronectin, Collagen-Ⅰ, and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were detected by Western blot after exposure to 200 μg·mL⁻¹ chrysotile for 24 h. Sample correlation and changes in miRNAs expression profiles between the chrysotile-exposed and the control groups were analyzed by next-generation sequencing technology. The target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted and subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. Results The average particle size of the chrysotile dust sample used in this study was 3.58 μm, and the results of X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the characteristic peaks of chrysotile. Compared with the control group, the chrysotile gradually inhibited the survival rate of BEAS-2B cells with increasing concentration and exposure time (P<0.01). The survival rates of the 50, 100, and 200 μg·mL⁻¹ chrysotile-exposed cells after 12 h exposure were 83.88%±1.86%, 78.07%±3.97%, and 71.95%±2.99%, respectively; the survival rates after 24 h exposure were 77.41%±1.58%, 69.57%±2.23%, and 62.79%±3.65%, respectively; the survival rates after 48 h exposure were 74.31%±4.93%, 65.84%±2.71%, and 52.74%±6.31%, respectively. The Fibronectin, Collagen-Ⅰ, and α-SMA protein expression levels were elevated in the 200 μg·mL⁻¹ chrysotile-exposed BEAS-2B cells (P <0.05). The results of principal component analysis showed that there were differences in the composition of the samples between the chrysotile exposure group and the control group, and a total of 163 differential miRNAs were screened, of which 79 were up-regulated and 84 were down-regulated. The results of GO analysis showed that the differential miRNAs were mainly associated with biological processes such as regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II, regulation of DNA templated transcription, cellular differentiation, protein phosphorylation, lipid metabolism, and cell cycle, cellular components such as nucleus, cytomembrane, cytoskeleton, mitochondria, and endoplasmic reticulum, as well as molecular functions such as protein binding, metal ion binding, transferase activity, and DNA binding. The results of KEGG analysis revealed that the differential miRNAs were mainly enriched in cancer pathway, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/ protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathway, Ras-associated protein 1 (Rap1) pathway, calcium pathway, cyclic guanosine monophosphate/ protein kinase G (cGMP-PKG) pathway, Hippo pathway, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) pathway, and Ras pathway. Conclusion Chrysotile exposure could significantly inhibit BEAS-2B cell survival, elevate the expression of lung fibrosis-associated proteins, and induce differential miRNAs expression, affecting biological processes (such as lipid metabolism, protein phosphorylation, and cell cycle) and cell components (such as mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum), and interfering with PI3K/AKT pathway, Hippo pathway, cAMP pathway, Rap1 pathway, and Ras pathway.

Objective:To explore the value of conventional ultrasonography combined with cervical compression in the diagnosis of orbital venous malformation (OVM).Methods:A total of 43 patients with suspected OVM were admitted in sequentially from January 2019 to July 2022 in the Third Medical Center of PLA General Hospital. All patients were examined by ultrasonography combined with cervical compression and demonstrated by operation or digital subtraction angiography (DSA). The conventional ultrasound features of OVM were summarized, and the value of conventional ultrasonography combined with cervical compression in the diagnosis of OVM was discussed.Results:The features of the conventional ultrasound combined with cervical compression for diagnosis of OVM were as follows: the interior of lesion was mainly tubular structure, and the compression test was positive. After cervical compression, the lesion enlarged and the inner diameter of the internal tubular structure widened. Doppler flow imaging showed that the interior of lesion was mainly venous blood flow. Compared with the results of postoperative pathology or DSA, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and positive predictive value of ultrasonography combined with cervical compression were 0.952, 1.000, 95.3% and 100%, respectively. The results of Fisher exact diagnosis showed that there was no significant difference between ultrasonography and operation or DSA of OVM( P>0.05). Conclusions:Conventional ultrasound combined with cervical compression can be used as an effective method for the diagnosis of OVM.

Objective:To explore the value of 5G robotic remote ultrasound in the diagnosis of plateau pulmonary edema(HAPE).Methods:A total of 27 patients who quickly entered Nagqu, Tibet at an altitude of 4 600 m-5 600 m from March to December 2021 and developed one of the clinical symptoms of HAPE were collected. All patients were examined by 5G remote robotic ultrasound and lung CT respectively. Kappa test was used to analyze the consistency of the two diagnostic results, and McNemar test was used to compare the difference in diagnostic results. The ROC curve was used to analyze the sensitivity and specificity of remote lung ultrasound scores in the diagnosis of HAPE.Results:Among the 27 patients, 16 showed thickening of pleural line, increasing of B line, lung consolidation, pleural effusion, etc. Meanwhile, 11 showed no abnormality. Additionally, 8 cases had diffuse pulmonary fluid in both lungs, and 8 cases had localized pulmonary fluid. ROC curve showed that the area under the curve of lung ultrasound score for the diagnosis of HAPE was 0.947 (95% CI=0.78-0.99, P<0.001). The sensitivity and specificity were 0.933 and 0.917, respectively. Lung CT diagnosis was positive in 15 cases. Lung CT showed thickening of lung texture, ground glass, small nodular shadow, fine reticulate shadow, etc. The diagnostic results of the two techniques were in good agreement (Kappa=0.924, P<0.001), and there was no significant difference between the two methods ( P>0.05). Conclusions:5G remote robotic ultrasound has high consistency with CT in the diagnosis of HAPE and is an alternative early diagnosis method for HAPE. It may have clinical application value in scattered medical resources and remote plateau areas.