Purpose To explore the value of spectral CT imaging in differentiating pancreatic carcinoma and mass-forming pancreatitis, and to improve the preoperative diagnosis accuracy. Materials and Methods The dual-phase spectral CT imaging data in patients with pathology-proven pancreatic carcinoma (n=62) and mass-forming pancreatitis (n=30) were retrospectively analyzed. At 40-140 keV (with 10 keV increment), the mean CT values, energy spectrum curves and iodine concentrations were measured and compared between pancreatic carcinoma and mass-forming pancreatitis in arterial phase and portal venous phase. Results The mean CT values of mass-forming pancreatitis at 40-140 keV were higher than pancreatic carcinoma in both arterial phase and portal venous phase with significant difference (t= -7.349- -4.810, P<0.05; t= -6.760- -5.496, P<0.05). The energy spectrum curves were significantly different between pancreatic carcinoma and mass-forming focal pancreatitis, especially at 40-70 keV. The iodine concentrations of pancreatic carcinoma were lower than mass-forming pancreatitis in arterial phase and portal venous phase with significant difference (t=-28.577, P<0.05; t= -28.451, P<0.05). Conclusion Pancreatic carcinoma and mass-forming pancreatitis can be differentiated by measuring the CT value at different energies, energy spectrum curves and iodine concentrations.

Objective The expression of TGF-β1 and IL-10 in the grafts of inbred mice with rejection of heart transplantation were studied and the interaction of them in the rejection of heart transplantation in inbred mice investigated.Methods Allografts were divided into 2 groups:control group (n =70),cyclosporin A-treated group (CsA group,n =70).Hearts from inbred BABL/c mice were transplanted into a cervical location in the other recipients and the survival time of the allografts was observed.The local expression of TGF-β1 and IL-10 was detected at day 1,3,7,11,14,21 by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCT) respectively.Results The survival time of the allografts was (20.3 ± 1.7) days in control group,and(32.2 t 3.4) days in CsA group (P ＜ 0.01).The levels of the two cytokines expression were up-regulated in CsA group.The up-regulation of TGF-β1 was closely correlated with the survival of the grafts.Conclusion The expression and production of the two cytokines is up-regulated probably cause of administ ration of cyclosporin A,and favorite to the heart graft survival,and action of these two cytokines are probably interrelated.

Objective:To evaluate the short-term precision and accuracy of bone mineral density (BMD) measured with quantitative CT (QCT) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in multi-centre clinical research with a European spine phantom (ESP).Methods:From January 2016 to April 2020, totally 40 CT scanners (12 Siemens from Germany, 12 Philips from Netherlands, 9 GE from US, 5 Toshiba from Japan, 2 United Imaging from China) and 53 DXA instruments (34 GE Lunar from US, 14 Hologic from US, 5 Medlink from France) used in multi-centre in China were enrolled. The CT equipment came from 31 centers and DXA equipment from 32 centers.Using Mindways QCT software, the ESP was scanned 10 times on each instrument with repositioning using standardized spine protocols with QCT and DXA. The BMD value of the three lumbar vertebrae with low, medium, high density and the mean BMD value were measured. Accuracy was assessed by comparing BMD values measured on each device with the actual value of the phantom. Short-term precision was calculated as the root-mean-square standard deviation (RMS-SD) and root-mean-square standard deviation coefficient of variation (RMS-%CV) for the repeated measurements. The repeated measures variance analysis was used to compare the differences in BMD between different devices.Results:The differences in BMD values were statistically significant among different CT and DXA devices.The ranges of the accuracy measured by different QCT devices were 1.20% to 7.60% for Siemens, -1.83% to 0.20% for Philips, 1.18% to 13.20% for GE, -0.12% to 3.55% for Toshiba, -1.65% to 6.32% for United Imaging, 6.59% to 21.34% for GE Lunar, -6.65% to 5.45% for Hologic, and -6.97% to -0.68% for Medlink, respectively. The RMS-%CV of all vertebral BMD values measured by QCT and DXA ranged from 0.38% to 3.85%. The RMS-SD of QCT was 0.54 to 2.45 mg/cm 3, of DXA was 0.009 to 0.037 g/cm 2. The RMS-%CV values of each vertebral body measured by different QCT and DXA devices decreased with the increase of BMD, while the RMS-SD values showed the opposite tendency. Conclusions:Based on ESP, the QCT and DXA devices have significant differences in lumbar spine BMD measurement. Comparing the measurement results among different devices requires cross-calibration. Overall, the accuracy and short-term precision are within a reasonable range, which can be used for clinical follow-up observation. The short-term precision error and accuracy error range of QCT in evaluating the density of ESP were slightly smaller than those of DXA.

OBJECTIVETo observe the serological features of hepatitis G virus (HGV or GBV) in selected population of Shaanxi, Qinghai and Xinjiang Provinces (region).

METHODSEnzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine IgG antibody against GBV (anti-GBV IgG) in serum specimens of 1469 individuals from the 3 provinces (region).

RESULTSThe positivity rate of serum GBV-IgG antibody in ethnic minorities (4.11% in Tibetan, 5.36% in Mongolian, 4.55% in Uigur, 4.00% in Hui population) was slightly higher than that in Han population (1.36%-1.73%), but the differences were not significant (P>0.05). The positivity rate of serum GBV-IgG antibody in drug abusers (11.30%, 34/301) was remarkably higher than that of the normal population (2.44%,18/736) (P<0.01). The positivity rate of serum GBV-IgG antibody in blood donors was 1.02%-7.68%.

CONCLUSIONSThe positivity rates of serum GBV-IgG antibody among ethnic groups in the 3 provinces (region) had no significant differences; blood-borne transmission seemed to be an important transmission route of GBV, therefore supervision of blood donors and drug abusers should be intensified.

Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; Blood Donors ; China ; epidemiology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flaviviridae Infections ; epidemiology ; transmission ; GB virus C ; immunology ; Hepatitis, Viral, Human ; epidemiology ; transmission ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Substance-Related Disorders ; virology

Gradual distraction with an external fixator is a widely used treatment for severe postburn ankle contracture (SPAC). However, application of external fixators is complex, and conventional two-dimensional (2D) imaging-based surgical planning is not particularly helpful due to a lack of spatial geometry. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the surgical planning process for this procedure with patient-specific three-dimension-printed models (3DPMs). In this study, patients coming from two centers were divided into two cohorts (3DPM group vs. control group) depending on whether a 3DPM was used for preoperative surgical planning. Operation duration, improvement in metatarsal-tibial angle (MTA), range of motion (ROM), the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores, complications, and patient-reported satisfaction were compared between two groups. The 3DPM group had significantly shorter operation duration than the control group ((2.0±0.3) h vs. (3.2±0.3) h,