BACKGROUND:Hip segmentation based on CT image has been widely used in computer-assisted surgery planning, prosthesis design and finite element analysis. OBJECTIVE:To explore application effects of automatic segmentation method for hip joint based on Bayesian Decision Theory in computer-assisted hip surgery. METHODS:An accurate outer surface segmentation and extraction remain chal enging due to deformed shapes and extremely narrow inter-bone regions. In this paper, we present an automatic, fast and accurate approach for segmentation of femoral head and proximal acetabulum. The outline of the femur was segmented and extracted by contrast enhancement, thresholding algorithm and region growth algorithm. The boundaries of the bone regions are further refined based on Bayes decision rule. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Automatic segmentation method for hip joint based on Bayesian Decision Theory is an accurate segmentation technique for femoral head and proximal acetabulum and it can be applied in computer-assisted hip surgery and prosthesis design.

Objective To evaluate the dynamic changes of T lymphocyte subsets in children with hand-foot-and-mouth disease(HFMD)and to provide new evidence for the therapy and prognosis.Methods Peripheral venous blood samples of 346 HFMD cases in acute stage who were hospitalized in Beijing Ditan Hospital from May 1,2008 to August 31,2008 were collected and T lymphocyte subsets were assayed by flow cytometer.Meanwhile,T lymphocyte subsets of 67 HFMD cases in recovery phase were also detected.The pathogens were determined by reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)using pharynx swab samples from 99 cases.Different samples were compared by independent-sample t test,paired t test or variance analysis.Results The average levels of T lymphocyte subsets of HFMD children in different agc groups were all lower than reference levels of healthy children in according age groups.In severe cases.T lymphocyte(TL)/lymphocyte (L)ratio in all age groups,helper T cell(Th)/L ratio in children older than 1 year,TL,Th and Th/suppressor T cell(Ts)ratio in children of 1-2 years old were all lower than those in common eases (P＜0.05).The Th/L ratio tended to increase with the disease progression.Ratios of TL/L and Th/L in common cases were increased in recovery phase(TL/L:56.3±8.6 vs 61.1±9.1,t=2.56,P＜0.05;Th/L:30.2±7.2 vs 34.9±7.9,t=2.90,P＜0.05)and all indices of severe cases except Ts/Lratio and Th/Ts ratio increased apparently in recovery phase(P＜0.01).TL[(1.738±0.976)×10~6/Lvs(2.696±1.946)×10~6/L,t=2.17,P＜0.05],Th/L ratio(25.9±7.0 vs 30.2±7.2,t=2.34,P＜0.05),Th[(0.864±0.550)×10~6/L vs(1.459±0.879)×10~6/L,t=2.90,P＜0.01]and L[(3.352±1.458)×10~6/L vs(4.664±2.435)×10~6/L,t=2.32,P＜0.05]of severe cases in acute phase were all lower than those of common cases(P＜0.05),while those were not significantly different in recovery phase between two groups(P＞0.05).The T lymphocyte subsets of enterovirus(EV)71 positive cases were lower than EVT1 negative cases,but there was no significant difference between these two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion T lymphocyte immune responses may be correlated with HFMD onset and progression.

Background: Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare genetic disease with widely different clinical manifestations, but the relationship between genotype and phenotype is not fully understood. In the present study, we recruited a Chinese family in which two members had been diagnosed with localized EB simplex (EBS), with clinical manifestation, including blisters and erosions on the soles of the feet since infancy. Objective: To identify and confirm the genetic variation in a Chinese family diagnosed as localized EBS. Methods: Our study included two patients, other healthy members of the family, and 100 normal controls. Genomic DNA samples were isolated from each participant, and then polymerase chain reaction (PCR) direct sequencing was performed. Results: The results of PCR direct sequencing revealed a novel heterozygous missense mutation in codon 461 of exon 7 of KRT5 (c.1382T＞C), which led to an amino acid change (p.L461P) in the patients with EBS but was absent in unaffected family members and 100 unrelated control samples. Conclusion The present study broadens the mutational spectrum of EBS, and this knowledge could be harnessed for prenatal screening, gene diagnosis, and gene therapy for lo-calized EBS.

A rapid, sensitive and simple liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of clevidipine butyrate and its primary metabolite clevidipine acid in dog blood. After one-step protein precipitation with methanol, the chromatographic separation was carried out on an Ecosil C18 column (150 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with a gradient mobile phase consisting of methanol and 5 mmol · L(-1) ammonium formate. A chromatographic total run time of 13.0 min was achieved. The quantitation analysis was performed using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) at the specific ion transitions of m/z 454.1 [M-H]- --> m/z 234.1 for clevidipine butyrate, m/z 354.0 [M-H]- --> m/z 208.0 for clevidipine acid and m/z 256.1 [M-H]- --> m/z 227.1 for elofesalamide (internal standard, IS) in the negative ion mode with electrospray ionization (ESI) source. The linear calibration curves for clevidipine butyrate and clevidipine acid were obtained in the concentration ranges of 0.5-100 ng · mL and 1-200 ng · mL(-1), separately. The lower limit of quantification of clevidipine butyrate and clevidipine acid were 0.5 ng · mL(-1) and 1 ng · mL(-1). The intra and inter-assay precisions were all below 12.9%, the accuracies were all in standard ranges. Stability testing indicated that clevidipine butyrate and clevidipine acid in dog blood with the addition of denaturant methanol was stable under various processing and/or handling conditions. The validated method has been successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of clevidipine butyrate injection to 8 healthy Beagle dogs following intravenous infusion at a flow rate of 5 mg · h(-1) for 0.5 h.

AIM: To Screen and identify human single-chain variable fragment (ScFv) specific to hepatitis B virus core protein and determine its gene sequence. METHODS: The recombinant phages were panned by HBcAg coated in a 96-pore plate and 48 clones were identified specific to HBc after three rounds of panning. The specificity of ScFv from the positive clone was determined by ELISA. Then, the soluble ScFv was expressed in E.coli. HB2151 and secreted in the supernatant. Subsequently, SDS-PAGE and dot blot were performed to identify the ScFv in the supernatant and cell lysate. The gene of ScFv specific to hepatitis B virus core protein was sequenced. RESULTS: The ScFv screened from phage antibodies has a specific combination character with hepatitis B virus core antigen. Soluble ScFv was confirmed to express in E.coli. HB2151 and secrete in the supernatant. The sequence of ScFv gene conformed to that of heavy chain and kappa chain of human immunoglubulin. CONCLUSION: Human ScFv specific to hepatitis B virus core protein has been identified by means of the phage display technology, and its gene sequence has been determined.

98%. In the pDOR-myb infected HSCs, c-myb expression levels, the cell proliferation, and ? 1-Ⅰ collagen mRNA expression were repressed significantly. CONCLUSIONS: c-myb plays a key role in the activation and proliferation of HSC. c-myb antisense RNA can inhibit cell proliferation and ? 1-Ⅰ collagen mRNA expression in the infected HSC. These data suggest that inhibition of c-myb gene expression would be a potential way for the treatment of liver fibrosis.

Objective To study the changes in hippocampal morphology and inferior ventricular vein in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) before and after modified electroconvulsive therapy (MECT) using morphological measurement and susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI).Methods Recruited for this study were 64 MDD patients who had been admitted to the Affiliated Guangji Hospital to Soochow University from February 2016 through March 2017.They were assigned into 2 equal groups.One group was subjected to MECT and the other to simple drug treatment.All the patients were scanned with T1-MR and SWI one day before and after treatment to observe the changes in hippocampal morphology and inferior ventricular vein.The associations between relative parameters and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) were analyzed.The 2 groups were compared in terms of therapeutic efficacy.Results The volumes of the whole hippocampus and the hippocampal body were increased significantly after MECT (P＜0.05) while there were no significant differences in the hippocampal head or tail (P＞0.05).Significant increases in the branch number,diameter and length of the inferior ventricular vein were found after MECT (P＜0.05).The left and right hippocampal volumes were negatively associated with the HAMD scores (r=-0.442,P=0.011;r=-0.470,P=0.007).Negative correlations were also found between the branch number,diameter and length of the inferior ventricular vein and the HAMD scores (r=-0.419,P=0.017;r=-0.477,P=0.006;r=-0.398,P=0.024).The curative efficacy of the MECT group was significantly higher than that of the drug treatment group (91％ versus 72％) (P＜0.05).Conclusion Changes in the hippocampal morphology and inferior ventricular vein can be used as one of the objective indicators to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of MECT in MDD patients.

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics and relevant factors on the comorbidity of hyperactivity behavior and allergic disease among preschool children in urban areas of Ma'anshan city. Methods: During April 2014 to April 2015, 91 kindergartens over 3 years old were investigated. In the investigation, 16 439 questionnaires were distributed to parents, and 15 291 valid questionnaires were collected. Conners abbreviated symptom questionnaire (brief symptom questionnaire) was filled out by parents to assess the children's hyperactive behaviors. Information of allergic disease history was reported by parents, including allergic dermatitis/eczema, food/drug allergy, allergic rhinitis and asthma. Multivariate unconditional logistic regression was used to analyze the relevant factors of comorbidity of hyperactivity behavior and allergy diseases. Results: The average age of the 15 291 children were (4.5±1.0) years old, among which 53.7% (8 218/15 291) were boys. The prevalence of hyperactive behaviors was 8.6%(1 317/15 291), and the comorbidity rate of hyperactivity and allergic deseases was 1.7% (258/15 291). After confounding factors including gender, age, delivery mode, father's age and pregnancy complications adjusted, poor sleep quality (OR=4.45, 95%CI: 2.85-6.94), long duration of watching TV at weekend (OR=1.39, 95%CI: 1.00-1.94) and poor eating behavior (OR=1.78, 95%CI: 1.07-2.98) were relevant factors of the comorbidity of hyperactivity and allergic diseases. Conclusion The prevalence of comorbidity of hyperactivity behavior and allergic disease among preschool children in urban areas of Ma'anshan city was not high. Poor night sleep quality, long duration of watching TV and frequently picky eating were relevant factors of the comorbidity of hyperactive behaviors and allergic diseases.

Objective:To explore the quantitative analysis value of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for early changes of calf muscle in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients without peripheral ischemia.Methods:From September 2018 to March 2019, 20 male T2DM patients (age: 45-64 years) without peripheral ischemia and 20 matched male healthy controls (age: 46-62 years) who performed lower limb DTI in Wuxi Second Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University were prospectively analyzed. Fractional anisotropy (FA), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and λ 1, λ 2, λ 3 values of medial head of gastrocnemius (GM), lateral head of gastrocnemius (GL), tibialis anterior(TA) and soleus muscles(SOL) were measured respectively. The differences of DTI diffusion characteristics between 2 groups were compared by using independent-sample t test, and the correlation between FA, ADC and body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose (FBG), hemoglobin A 1c (HbA1c), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride (TG) were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. Results:The ADC of TA and SOL in T2DM group ((1.77±0.15) and (1.83±0.10)×10 -3 mm 2/s) was higher than that in control group ((1.66±0.11) and (1.75±0.16)×10 -3 mm 2/s); λ 1, λ 2, and λ 3 of TA in the T2DM group ((2.30±0.21), (1.63±0.17) and (1.38±0.13)×10 -3 mm 2/s) were higher than those in control group ((2.17±0.12), (1.51±0.13) and (1.31±0.12)×10 -3 mm 2/s); λ 2 and λ 3 of SOL were also higher than those in control group ((1.74±0.11) vs (1.64±0.18)×10 -3 mm 2/s and (1.53±0.12) vs (1.44±0.15)×10 -3 mm 2/s; t values: 2.65-3.91, all P<0.05). There were no significant correlations between FA, ADC and BMI, FBG, HbA1c, HDL, LDL and TG ( r values: from -0.15 to 0.08, all P>0.05). Conclusions:Quantitative parameters of DTI, especially ADC, can sensitively detect the microstructural changes of calf muscle in T2DM patients without peripheral ischemia. TA and SOL have high sensitivity to the diffusion of T2DM-related microstructural changes.

Objective:To explore stigma and related factors among family members of patients with mental disorders in psychiatric hospitals.Methods:Totally 1 365 family members of inpatients with mental disorders were-surveyed,and were assessed with the Perceived Devaluation-Discrimination Scale and a self-made demographic characteristics questionnaire.Results:The screening rate of stigma among the patient's family members was 61.5％.Males(OR=2.26,95％CI:1.06-5.01),age group of 18-29 years(OR=1.91,95％CI:1.15-3.20),monthly income ≥500 yuan(P＜0.05),disease duration of 0.5-＜lyear(OR=3.14,95％CI:1.66-6.03),care for patients within＜lyear(P＜0.05),teachers(OR=2.32,95％CI:1.24-3.44),self-employed person(OR=1.63,95％CI:1.02-2.24),civil servants(OR=1.77,95％CI:1.09-2.45),schizophrenia(OR=1.87,95％CI:1.32-2.42),affective disorders(OR=1.52,95％CI:1.03-2.016)were the main riskfactors of stigma.Conclusions:Family members of patients with mental disorders generally have a severe stigma,especially of patients with schizophrenia and affective disorders.