The cell adhesive properties of decellularized valve scaffolds were promoted by immobilization of valve scaffold with arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD)-containing peptides. Porcine aortic valves were decellularized with trypsin/EDTA, and detergent Triton X-100. With the help of a coupling reagent Sulfo-LC-SPDP, the valve scaffolds were immobilized with glycine-arginine-glycine-aspartic acid-serine-proline-cysteine (GRGDSPC) peptide. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used for surface structure analysis. Myofibroblasts harvested from rats were seeded onto the valve scaffolds. Cell count by using microscopy and modified MTT assay were performed to assess cell adhesion. Based on the spectra of XPS, the conjugation of GRGDSPC peptide with decellularized valve scaffolds was confirmed. Both cell count and MTT assay showed that myofibroblasts were much easier to adhere to the modified valve scaffolds, which was also confirmed histologically. Our findings suggest that it is feasible to immobilize RGD-containing peptides onto decellularized valve scaffolds. And the technique can effectively promote cell adhesion, which is beneficial for in vitro tissue engineering of heart valves.

Objective To assess the value of high-frequency color Doppler ultrasound technique combined with hemorheology in detecting early atherosclerosis and monitoring its progression.Methods Twenty-four white big ear rabbits were divided into two groups randomly.Group A (6 rabbits) was fed normal rabbit chow,while group B (18 rabbits) was fed high cholesterol diet and was divided into three subgroups: B1(6 rabbits) with high cholesterol diet for 4 weeks,B2(6 rabbits) for 8 weeks,B3(6 rabbits) for 12 weeks.Intima-media thickness (IMT),diameter of common carotid artery and hemorheology index were observed dynamically and compared with the findings of histological examination.Results IMT of common carotid artery increased gradually in group B at different phases of atherosclerosis.Diameter compensationally enlarged at the early stage,and then stenosed with the progression of atherosclerosis.RBC deformation index of group B began reducing in the second week,but blood viscosity,plasma viscosity,RBC aggregation index and rigidity index gradually increased from the fourth week( P

Objective:To evaluate the effect of anthracyclines on myocardial work in patients with breast cancer by left ventricular pressure strain loop (PSL).Methods:From April 2019 to June 2020, 30 breast cancer patients treated with AC-T regimen(Adriamycin/epirubicin+ cyclophosphamide+ docetaxel) in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University were selected as case group, and 30 healthy volunteer were selected as control group. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed in the case group at 3 time points: before chemotherapy (T0 phase), after the third cycle of chemotherapy (T1 phase), and after the sixth cycle of chemotherapy (T2 phase) respectively. Conventional ultrasonic parameters were collected. Left ventricular PSL was used to evaluate the left ventricular myocardial work index, including global work index (GWI), global constructive work (GCW), global work waste (GWW) and global work efficiency (GWE). The same examination was performed in the control group, and the results between T0 phase and control group, among different phases were compared.Results:①There were no statistically significant differences of general information, conventional ultrasound parameters, left ventricular strain and myocardial work parameters between T0 phase and control group (all P>0.05). ②There were no statistically significant differences of LVEF, GLS, GWI, GCW, GWE and GWW between T1 phase and T0 phase (all P>0.05). ③There were no statistically significant differences in LVEF between T2 phase and T0 phase ( P>0.05). The absolute values of GLS, GWI, GCW and GWE decreased, but GWW increased, the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). ④There were no significant differences in LVEF between T2 phase and T1 phase ( P>0.05), but the absolute values of GLS, GWI, GCW and GWE decreased, while GWW increased (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Left ventricular PSL can effectively evaluate the myocardial work of anthracycline chemotherapy in breast cancer patients, which is superior to LVEF and provide a new evaluation method for asymptomatic patients.

Objective:To investigate the value of ultrasound in evaluating pathologically complete response(pCR) of neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC) for breast cancer.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed in 67 breast cancer patients who received NAC in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from January 2018 to December 2019. Ultrasound examination was performed before and after NAC, and two-dimensional, color and elastic images were stored for subsequent analysis. According to the operation pathological results after NAC, the patients were divided into two groups, pCR group and npCR group, using the Miller-Payne criteria as the evaluation criteria. Chi-square test was used to compare the ultrasound characteristics of breast masses in pCR group and npCR group before NAC. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predicative value(PPV) and negative predicative value(NPV) of pCR were analyzed using ROC curve. The difference of pCR estimated by ultrasound in different molecular types was also analyzed.Results:①Of the 67 patients, 16 achieved pCR and 51 achieved npCR. Among the 16 pCR patients, 11(68.8%) were evaluated correctly and 5(31.2%) were wrong.Among the 51 npCR patients, 49(96.1%) were evaluated correctly and 2(3.9%) were wrong. ②There was no statistically significant difference between pCR and npCR in ultrasound features of pre-NAC breast masses( P>0.05). ③After the whole process of NAC, the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 89.6%, 68.8%, 96.1%, 84.6%, and 90.7%, respectively; The area under ROC curve was 0.824. ④The diagnostic efficiency of pCR estimated by ultrasound was higher for Luminal B and HER-2 breast cancer. Conclusions:The accuracy of pCR after NAC evaluated by ultrasound is 89.6%, with different diagnostic efficiency in different molecular types.

Objective To establish a novel method to determine the absolute content of quercetin by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR).Methods DMSO-d6 was employed as solvent,and maleic acid as an internal standard.Proton signal peaks at δ7.50-7.58 and δ6.26 of maleic acid were served as quantification peaks.The content of quercetin is determined with qNMR in comparison with the results obtained by mass balance method.Results Linear regression of quantitative peak areas ratio (As/Ar) of quercetin-maleic acid vs mass ratio (ms/mr) yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.999 3 and a regression equation ofy =2.963 x + 0.134 1.The contents of three batches quercetin were 85.20％,84.93％,and 85.27％,the average was 85.13％ and its RSD was 0.21％.The results were generally consistent with that of mass balance methods.Conclusion This method was easy and simple to handle,and the analysis results were accurate.It could be the complementary for the mass balance method.

Objective To analyze the clinical features, recurrent characters in patients with recurrent Tolosa-Hunt syndrome (THS). Methods The clinical data of 24 hospitalized patients with recurrent THS from January 2006 to May 2016 were collected The general features, clinical manifestations, disease courses, recurrent features, lab and imaging studies, treatment measures and outcoming of recurrent THS patients was investigated , and compared with 69 patients with first attack THS in corresponding period. Results Recurrent THS patients were 25.8%(24/93) of total THS. The male rate in recurrent group was significantly higher than that in first attack group: 66.7%(16/24) vs. 42.0%(29/69), P<0.05. The involved rate of trigeminal nerves in recurrent group was significantly lower than that in first attack group:16.7%(4/24) vs. 33.0%(23/69), P<0.05. The disease courses were from 3 months to 20 years. The total recurrent frequencies were from 2 to 10 times. The recurrence occurred in the same side in 18 patients, and in contralateral in other 6 patients. The intervals were from 3 months to 6 years, and average intervals were 1.9 years. Two patients recurred in hormone reduction, and 22 patients recurred in hormone withdrawal. All cases received MRI examination. Nineteen patients (79.2%) of them had lesions in cavernous sinus. 16 patients had one side lesions and 3 patients had bilateral lesions. The recurrent patients still had good responds to corticosteroids treatment. Conclusions Recurrences in THS are common, taking place in about 26%total patients, and usually at an interval of months or years from the initial attack. These recurrences may be ipsilateral, contralateral, or rarely, bilateral. Corticosteroids are still effective to recurrent cases.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of strain ratio in differential diagnosis of thyroid tumors,compared with the evaluation based on elastography scores.Methods Elastography examinations were performed in 67 patients with 92 thyroid tumors.Ultrasonic elastograms were evaluated according to the four- and five-score system respectively.Strain ratio of the tumor and the surrounding tissue was also calculated.Clinical value of the three evaluations was compared with pathological findings as the reference standard.Results The area under the curve:0.885 for the four-score,0.904 for the five-score,0.961 for the strain ratio.When a cutoff point of 3 was used,four-score and five-score showed a sensitivity of 78.0%,a specificity of 86.3%,an accuracy of 82.6% and a sensitivity of 80.5%,a specificity of 88.2%,an accuracy of 84.8%,respectively.When a cutoff point of 3.57 was introduced,the strain ratio had 92.7% sensitivity,92.2% specificity,92.4% accuracy.Conclusions Strain ratio was more helpful in diagnostic performance of thyroid tumors as a new semi-quantitative method than elastography scores.

Objective To analyze right ventrieular diastolic dysfunction in essential hypertension by quantitative tissue velocity imaging(QTVI). Methods Twenty normotensives and forty-five hypertensives underwent standard Doppler echocardiography and QTVI of right ventricular lateral tricuspid annulus. By QTVI,diastolic measurements were obtained. According to WHO standard, the patients with hypertension were classified into three groups, grade Ⅰ (group Ⅰ) 15 cases, grade Ⅱ(group Ⅱ) 15 cases, grade Ⅲ (group Ⅲ) 15 cases. Results Pulsed Doppler eehocardiography showed impaired Doppler diastolic indexes in hypertensives, without changes among the eases groups. In all hypertension groups, QTVI showed reduction of right ventricular Ea, increase of Aa and Ea/Aa<1 comparison with controls. IVRT of Ⅱ, Ⅲgroups was longer than normal. Conclusions Right ventricular diastolic function with essential hypertension decreased according to the degree of staging. QTVI has a greater predictive value than conventional imaging, and is useful for evaluating right ventricular function in patients with essential hypertension.

Objective To quantitatively assess left ventricular systolic function in rabbits with dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM) by quantitative tissue velocity imaging (QTVI). Methods Thirty rabbits were divided into two groups: group A(adriamycin group) and group B(sodium chloride group). Group A( n = 20) were given adriamycin 2 mg/kg intravenously once a week for eight weeks (total dose, 16 mg/kg) to induce DCM model, group B were given with the same dose of sodium chloride injection solution. Two dimensional echocardiography and QTVI examination were performed in all rabbits before and three weeks after the administration,respectively. Peak systolic velocity(Vs), peak displacement(D) and other common parameters were analyzed. Results Common parameters assessed after administration in group B did not show significant changes. The QTVI curves of left ventricle myocardium were regular and the value of Vs and D decreased gradually from the basal segments to the apical segments after the administration. The diameters of atrium and ventricle of group A increased,while the ejection fraction and fractional shortening of left ventricle decreased significantly ( P <0. 05 or P < 0.01). The pattern of the curves still had the regularity. But Vs and D value decreased significantly ( P <0. 05 or P <0. 01). Pathology of myocardium samples of group A showed the cardiomyocyte changes like dilated cardiomyopathy, while samples of group B had no significant change. Conclusions QTVI can accurately evaluate regional systolic function of left ventricle in rabbits with dilated cardiomyopathy, therefore provides experimental foundation for clinical observation and treatment.

Objective To evaluate the capability of strain rate imaging(SRI)for monitoring regional systolic deformation and synchronicity of left ventricle after coronary artery bypass graft(CABG)and for evaluating effect of surgery and predicting restenosis.Methods The values of systolic strain rate(SRsys),systolic strain(Ssys)and post systolic strain index(PSI)in 5 segments supplied by left anterior descending coronary artery were measured in study group(60 patients with coronary artery disease)at 1 day before and 10 days,1 month,3 months and 6 months after CABG.Forty healthy participants served as a baseline control group.The regional myocardial function before and after CABG was compared and analyzed.Results The peak values of SRsys and Ssys decreased before CABG in study group.In 52 of the 60 patients,SRsys and Ssys in the graft segments increased gradually and showed statistical significance in most studied segments at 3 and 6 months after surgery.In the above 52 patients,value of PSI increased before CABG and reduced significantly in all analyzed segments at 6 months after surgery.The restenosis of graft artery was suspected in 8 patients by SRI and the positive predictive value was 75%.The diagnosis sensitivity of SRI parameter method was higher than that of 2-dimensional echocardiography and the sensitivity of Ssys was higher than that of SRsys.Conclusions SRI can be used to quantitatively assess the regionsl systolic deformation and synchronicity and monitor the improvement of myocardial function after CABG and determine the effect of surgery and predict restenosis of graft artery.