Objective To investigate a new automatic inverse optimal solution based on VMAT optimization model and verify its result.Methods A variant of the new automatic inverse optimal solution was proposed in this study,which provided a solution to calculate treatment plan with the minimized number of beams and the minimized levels of their intensities on the basis of VMAT optimization model by customized software tools.The verifications were evaluated on the simulated head-neck phantom by dosimetric parameters.Results Compared with conventional IMRT/VMAT treatment plans,the adaptive optimization program(AOP)plan showed that plan20/40(20 fields with totally 40 sub-fields,m=2)made the best achievement and it was clinicable.Conclusions The proposed new optimization technique provides an effective way to reach an inverse treatment plan with the best compromise and less sub-fields compared with IMRT/VMAT plans.

Objective To explore the characteristics of cognitive function in patients with leukoaraiosis(LA)at different extent.Methods The cognitive function of 66 patients with different extent of LA and 49 healthy controls were measured using the MoCA scale,and the relationship between the cognitive function and the extent of LA was evaluated.Results The LA was more severe,the cognitive function of patients was more poor.The cognitive function of patients with type Ⅳ LA significantly decreased than the patients with type Ⅰ LA and the controls,especially in the language,memory,visuoconstructional and executive functions(P<0.05).While the function of naming,attention,abstraction and orientation showed no significant difference between the patients with LA and the controls(P>0.05).Conclusion Moderate and severe LA may cause impairment of cognitive function.

Objective To study the effect of hyperbaric oxygen on cognitive dysfunction in patients with leukoaraiosis (LA). Methods 48 cases of moderate or severe LA with cognitive dysfunction were divided into 2 groups: the experimental group accepted hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) besides routine therapy, while the control group accepted routine therapy only. Both groups were assessed with Montreal cognition assessment (MoCA). Results The scores of MoCA in patients in the experimental group improved after treatment（P<0.05）, and was more than that of the control group（P<0.05）. Conclusion HBO can improve the cognitive function in patients with LA.

Objective To evaluate the safety and feasibility of laparoscopy in combination with fast track colorectal surgery (FTCS) in the treatment of colorectal cancer in the elderly.Methods A total of 123 patients were randomly divided into 3 groups:the laparoscopy plus FTCS group (n=41),the laparoscopy group (n=41) and the laparotomy group (n=41).Parameters for measuring surgical quality,recovery and postoperative complications were analysed.Results No significant differences were found in age,gender,tumor location,anesthesia ASA classification,American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) staging,Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score or complications between the three groups (P＞0.05 for all).There were no differences in blood loss,operative time,time required to resume defecation or number of lymph nodes dissected between the laparoscopy plus FTCS group and the laparoscopy or laparotomy group (P＞0.05 for all),but time taken to initiate postoperative ambulation,time taken to resume flatulence,time taken to start intake of liquid food and length of hospital stay were shorter in the laparoscopy plus FTCS group than in the other groups (P ＜ 0.05 for all).The incidence of postoperative complications was 12.2％ or 5/41 in the laparoscopy plus FTCS group,which was lower than in the laparoscopy group (34.1％ or 14/41) and in the laparotomy group (68.3％ or 28/41) (x2 =5.549 and 28.826,P=0.018 and 0.01,respectively),a statistically significant difference was also found between the latter two groups (x2 =9.567,P =0.002).Conclusions Laparoscopy in combination with FTCS is safe and effective in the treatment of colorectal cancer in the elderly.

Objective To observe the impact of improving the compliance of ventilator bundle on morbidity of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients undergoing mechanical ventilation (MV) guided by context of Joint Commission International (JCI) settings, and to study the oral care efficacy of suction tube sponge brush. Methods A prospective study was conducted. The patients who needed MV admitted to Department of Critical Care Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from January 2013 to December 2016 were enrolled. In the context of JCI settings, necessary measurements were taken to enhance the compliance of ventilator bundle each year. In 2013, the preventive measures were set up and the education was strengthened. In 2014,the compliance of hand hygiene and bedside elevation was strengthened. In 2015, a control study was conducted to evaluate the effect between the traditional cotton dipped in chlorhexidine and the suction tube sponge brush rinsed with chlorhexidine on oral health impact parameters. The suction tube sponge brush rinsed with chlorhexidine oral care was introduced to improve compliance. In 2016, electronic bundle checklist for daily self-audits was conducted. The annually morbidity of VAP through the software of hospital and ICU was collected and calculated. The annual incidence of VAP was indicated by the VAP cases per 1000 MV days. Based on the VAP incidence rate in 2013 as 1, the VAP incidence-rate ratio (IRR) of each year was calculated. Results During the study period, a total of 2733 patients admitted to the ICU, including 1403 patients undergoing MV. Ninety-four of the 1403 patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), aspiration pneumonia, back elevation ban, incomplete information, and withdrew from the study were excluded. 1399 patients undergoing MV were enrolled in the final analysis, with total MV days of 11012 days, and 94 patients occurred VAP. The annual incidence of VAP was progressively declined from 2013 to 2016, and the VAP cases per 1000 MV days were 17.0, 10.0, 5.9, 3.5 cases, respectively. Based on the VAP incidence rate in 2013, the IRR of VAP from 2014 to 2016 was also progressively declined, which was 0.59 [95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 0.35-0.98], 0.35 (95%CI = 0.18-0.64), and 0.21 (95%CI = 0.09-0.41), with statistical significance (all P < 0.05). In 2013, ICU patients had the lowest rates of bedside elevation and hand hygiene compliance, which were 28.57% and 54.29%, respectively. Compared with 2013, by the implementation of two quality control circle (QCC) projects for bedside elevation and hand hygiene, the rates of bedside elevation and hand hygiene compliance were improved significantly in 2014, which were 82.35%, 91.18%, respectively (both P < 0.05). In 2015, the compliance of chlorhexidine oral care which was the worst performed in 2014 had been improved by the method of QCC, and the rate of the compliance was significantly higher than that in 2013 (87.10% vs. 62.86%, P < 0.05). Compared with 2013, bundle compliance was significantly increased in 2016, except for the sterile operation of the suction tube [daily wake and weaning: 95.00% vs. 71.43%, bedside elevation for over 30°: 92.50% vs. 28.57%, hand hygiene: 97.50% vs. 54.29%, chlorhexidine mouth care once per 6-8 hours:95.00% vs. 62.86%, turned back and posture drainage: 97.50% vs. 80.00%], the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). The incidences of bad breath, dirt residue and plaque were significantly lower in the group of oral care by using suction tube sponge brush with chlorhexidine (30 cases) compared with the group of traditional cotton pad with chlorhexidine (30 cases; bad breath: 10.0% vs. 40.0% %, dirt residue: 16.7% vs. 70.0%, plaque: 3.3% vs. 30.0%, all P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of oral ulcers between the oral brush group and the traditional group (10.0% vs. 30.0%, P > 0.05). Conclusion Ventilator bundle can effectively reduce the morbidity of VAP in the context of JCI settings, and the oral care by using suction tube sponge brush and chlorhexidine can effectively improve oral hygiene.

OBJECTIVE: To compare various models of diffusion-weighted imaging including monoexponential apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), biexponential (fast diffusion coefficient [Df], slow diffusion coefficient [Ds], and fraction of fast diffusion), stretched-exponential (distributed diffusion coefficient and anomalous exponent term [α]), and kurtosis (mean diffusivity and mean kurtosis [MK]) models in the differentiation of renal solid masses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 81 patients (56 men and 25 women; mean age, 57 years; age range, 30–69 years) with 18 benign and 63 malignant lesions were imaged using 3T diffusion-weighted MRI. Diffusion model selection was investigated in each lesion using the Akaike information criteria. Mann-Whitney U test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were used for statistical evaluations. RESULTS: Goodness-of-fit analysis showed that the stretched-exponential model had the highest voxel percentages in benign and malignant lesions (90.7% and 51.4%, respectively). ADC, Ds, and MK showed significant differences between benign and malignant lesions (p < 0.05) and between low- and high-grade clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) (p < 0.05). α was significantly lower in the benign group than in the malignant group (p < 0.05). All diffusion measures showed significant differences between ccRCC and non-ccRCC (p < 0.05) except Df and α (p = 0.143 and 0.112, respectively). α showed the highest diagnostic accuracy in differentiating benign and malignant lesions with an area under the ROC curve of 0.923, but none of the parameters from these advanced models revealed significantly better performance over ADC in discriminating subtypes or grades of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with conventional diffusion parameters, α may provide additional information for differentiating benign and malignant renal masses, while ADC remains the most valuable parameter for differentiation of RCC subtypes and for ccRCC grading.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Diffusion ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; ROC Curve

BACKGROUND: Intra-articular injection is a classic strategy for the treatment of early osteoarthritis (OA). However, the local delivery of traditional therapeutic agents has limited benefits for alleviating OA. Exosomes, an important type of extracellular nanovesicle, show great potential for suppressing cartilage destruction in OA to replace drugs and stem cellbased administration. METHODS: In this study, we developed a thermosensitive, injectable hydrogel by in situ crosslinking of Pluronic F-127 and hyaluronic acid, which can be used as a slow-release carrier to durably retain primary chondrocyte-derived exosomes at damaged cartilage sites to effectively magnify their reparative effect. RESULTS: It was found that the hydrogel can sustainedly release exosomes, positively regulate chondrocytes on the proliferation, migration and differentiation, as well as efficiently induce polarization of M1 to M2 macrophages. Intraarticular injection of this exosomes-incorporated hydrogel significantly prevented cartilage destruction by promoting cartilage matrix formation. This strategy also displayed a regenerative immune phenotype characterized by a higher infiltration of CD163+ regenerative M2 macrophages over CD86+ M1 macrophages in synovial and chondral tissue, with a concomitant reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-a, IL-1b, and IL-6) and increase in anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) in synovial fluid. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrated that local sustained-release primary chondrocyte-derived exosomes may relieve OA by promoting the phenotypic transformation of macrophages from M1 to M2, which suggesting a great potential for the application in OA.

Respiratory syncytial virus(RSV)infection is a potential susceptibility factor for recurrent wheezing,which can affect the occurrence and development of asthma through immune damage,airway epithelial barrier damage,airway inflammatory infiltration,airway hyperresponsiveness,and high expression of induced susceptibility genes.Traditional Chinese medicine believes that asthma caused by RSV infection is mostly caused by the imbalance of the body's qi after infection and the retention of evil qi.By combing the mechanism of RSV infection in the occurrence and development of asthma and the research on traditional Chinese medicine intervention in recent years,it is hoped to provide ideas for the future application of combined Chinese and Western medicine to prevent and treat asthma.

Objective:This study aimed to analyze differential metabolites in patients using a dual metabolic platform and to orientate early nutritional intervention in patients with cirrhosis.Methods:The skeletal muscle index (SMI) was calculated based on computed tomography (CT) measurements of skeletal muscle cross-sectional area at the third lumbar vertebra level. Pre-sarcopenia was diagnosed for males with SMI < 46.96 and for females with SMI < 32.46. Fifteen HBV-related liver cirrhosis patients with pre-sarcopenia were included as Group S while fourteen liver cirrhosis without pre-sarcopenia were Group NS. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses were used to detect differential metabolites and disturbed pathways in the two groups.Results:Five pathways and twenty-eight pathways were defined as disturbed pathways in the plasma of liver cirrhosis patients with pre-sarcopenia by LC-MS and GC-MS, respectively. Most of these pathways are related to amino acid metabolism. Forty-two differential metabolites were imported into the disturbed pathways. Moreover, 3-hydroxypropanal, hydrocinnamic acid, betaine aldehyde, phosphohydroxypyruvic acid, (r)-3-hydroxybutyric acid, and creatinine were identified as potential biomarkers for pre-sarcopenia in HBV-related liver cirrhosis.Conclusions:The study identified a total of 33 pathways and related differential metabolites that were disturbed in HBV-related liver cirrhosis with pre-sarcopenia. The amino acid metabolism, urea cycle, and glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism pathways may be associated with pre-sarcopenia in patients with HBV-related liver cirrhosis. These results provide a direction for nutritional supplementation in liver cirrhosis.

Objective·To measure the parameters of the uterine artery,umbilical artery and middle cerebral artery in a rat model of preeclampsia(PE)by Doppler ultrasound,and compare the pathological changes in placental blood vessels and pregnancy outcomes,in order to provide an effective method and reference for evaluating placental function in PE animal models.Methods·PE(n=8)and normal pregnancy(NP,n=8)groups in Sprague-Dawley(SD)rat models were established by intraperitoneal injections of N'-nitro-L-arginine methylesterhydrochloride(L-NAME)and 0.9%sodium chloride solution.Blood pressure and proteinuria indexes were detected to evaluate whether the model was successfully established.On gestational day 19(GD19),Doppler ultrasound was utilized to measure the parameters of the uterine artery,umbilical artery and the fetal middle cerebral artery in both the PE and NP groups.After termination of the pregnancies,placental function was evaluated through the pathology of placental blood vessels and the quality of the fetuses and placentas.Results·In the PE group,both blood pressure(GD15:P=0.001;GD19:P=0.001)and proteinuria(GD15:P=0.001;GD19:P=0.001)were significantly higher than those in the NP group.The pulsatility index(PI)of the umbilical artery and uterine artery was notably elevated in the PE group compared to the NP group(both P=0.000).Furthermore,the resistance index(RI)of the fetal middle cerebral artery was significantly lower than that in the PE group(P=0.000).While the number of fetal rats did not differ significantly,the quality of placental and fetal rats was notably lower in the PE group(P=0.006 and P=0.000,respectively).Immunohistochemical staining of placental tissue revealed that the number of placental micro vessel densities in the PE group was less than that in the NP group(P=0.001).Correlation analysis revealed that placental micro vessel density,fetal quality and placental quality were inversely related with the RI of the umbilical artery and the PI and RI of the uterine artery,and positively correlated with the S/D,PI and RI of the fetal middle cerebral artery(all P<0.05).Conculsion·Doppler ultrasound assessment of the uterine artery,umbilical artery and middle cerebral artery indices in L-NAME-induced PE rat models effectively reflects pregnancy outcomes and placental vascular pathology.This method is valuable for evaluating placental vascular perfusion in PE rat models,offering practicality and convenience for research involving animal models.