Acute Disease ; Fatty Liver ; Female ; Humans ; Liver, Artificial ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To investigate the accuracy and application value of optical surface monitoring system in intensity modulated radiotherapy for thoracic tumors patients.Methods Twenty-eight patients with thoracic tumors were included.During each treatment fraction,the patients were immobilized with body surface markers and laser lamps.The surface images obtained by the optical surface monitoring system were registered with the reference images and recorded during the CBCT scan.The translation and rotation errors of x (left-right),y (craniocaudal) and z (anterior-posterior) axes were recorded.After scanning,the CBCT images were registered with the planned CT images and the translation and rotation errors of x,y and z axes were recorded.The setup errors of these two image systems were analyzed and corrected before each treatment.The correlation between the two sets of setup errors were analyzed with Pearson test,and systematic error (∑) and random error (σy) were also calculated.The consistency of the two image systems was evaluated with the Bland-Altman method and the 95％ limits of agreement were calculated.Results There was a good correlation between these two groups,and the correlation coefficients were 0.79,0.62,and 0.53 in x,y and z axes,respectively.The ∑/σr of the optical surface monitoring system were 0.7 mm/1.5 mm,0.9 mm/1.8 mm and 0.9 mm/1.5 mm in x,y and z axes,respectively.The ∑/σ of CBCT were 0.8 mm/1.6 mm,1.3 mm/1.9 mm and 0.7 mm/1.5 mm in x,y and z axes,respectively.The 95％ limits of agreement of translations direction were (-2.0-2.3),(-3.4-3.6) and (-3.3-2.4) mm,and the 95％ limits of agreement of rotation direction were (-2.0 to 1.6)°,(-2.0 to 1.4)° and (-1.6 to 1.6)° inx,y and z axes,respectively.Conclusions The optical surface monitoring system is an effective image guide tool,which can quickly and accurately verify the patient's position and improve the position accuracy.It can be applied for positioning in the intensity modulated radiation treatments for the thoracic tumor patients.

Objective:To explore the relationship between executive function and gait in cases of mild amnestic cognitive impairment (aMCI).Methods:Twenty aMCI hospital patients formed an observation group, while 20 healthy counterparts were the control group. Both groups underwent the Tinetti test, followed by the " normal walking" single-task test and the " normal walking + Go/No-go" dual-task test. The pace, step width, stride length, Go/No-go task response time and accuracy rate were recorded.Results:In the single-task test, there was no significant difference in pace or stride width between the two groups, but the average stride length of the observation group (1.11±0.04)cm was significantly shorter than that of the control group. However, in the dual-task test, the average pace time (0.96±0.08)sec and stride length (1.02±0.06)cm of the observation group were significantly smaller than the control group′s averages, while their step width (0.11±0.02)cm was significantly wider. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the response time in a single (Go/No-go) task, but in the dual-task test, the observation group′s average time was significantly longer than the control group′s and the accuracy was significantly poorer. Both the error rate and the non-response rate were significantly higher than among the control group.Conclusions:Mild amnestic cognitive impairment reduces stride length and pace when walking and impairs executive function.

Inflammation-driven endothelial dysfunction is the major initiating factor in atherosclerosis, while the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, we report that the non-canonical stimulator of interferon genes (STING)-PKR-like ER kinase (PERK) pathway was significantly activated in both human and mice atherosclerotic arteries. Typically, STING activation leads to the activation of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)/p65, thereby facilitating IFN signals and inflammation. In contrast, our study reveals the activated non-canonical STING-PERK pathway increases scaffold protein bromodomain protein 4 (BRD4) expression, which encourages the formation of super-enhancers on the proximal promoter regions of the proinflammatory cytokines, thereby enabling the transactivation of these cytokines by integrating activated IRF3 and NF-κB via a condensation process. Endothelium-specific STING and BRD4 deficiency significantly decreased the plaque area and inflammation. Mechanistically, this pathway is triggered by leaked mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) via mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), formed by voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) oligomer interaction with oxidized mtDNA upon cholesterol oxidation stimulation. Especially, compared to macrophages, endothelial STING activation plays a more pronounced role in atherosclerosis. We propose a non-canonical STING-PERK pathway-dependent epigenetic paradigm in atherosclerosis that integrates IRF3, NF-κB and BRD4 in inflammatory responses, which provides emerging therapeutic modalities for vascular endothelial dysfunction.