Objective To design an automatic segmentation algorithm for lung region abstraction from CT images in computer-aided diagnosis(CAD) of lung diseases. Methods Based on the optimal threshold segmentation, an automatic region-growing method was adopted to eliminate the trachea and bronchi, the boundary tracking algorithm was modified for background elimination and lung boundary abstraction. Then, lung boundary repair was performed to obtain a fine boundary. To reduce the sensitivity of threshold selection, an iterative process was employed to find the optimal threshold. A trachea/bronchus extraction method based on position of trachea/bronchus in previous slice was introduced, which avoided selecting seed-point by handle in region-growing. Based on previous searching direction, 8-neighborhood searching method was improved to increase its efficiency. Results Experiments with four chest CT data sets showed that this algorithm was able to abstract the lung region automatically, quickly and with better precision. Conclusion The proposed algorithm is quite efficient for automated lung segmentation in the computed-aided diagnosis of lung diseases.

Objective To observe the clinical effect of HuaYu TongFu KaiQiaoFang on serum homocysteine (Hcy)in patients with acute cerebral infarction. Methods Sixty cases of acute cerebral infarction admitted into the comprehensive ward and intensive care unit(ICU)of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guiyang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine from December 2010 to January 2012 were randomly divided into two groups,each group including 30 cases. The control group was given conventional treatment,and based on the conventional therapy,the treatment group was additionally given HuaYu TongFu KaiQiaoFang(a traditional Chinese medicine decoction including the following ingredients:Safflower 10 g,Chishao 10 g,Chuanxiong 10 g,Notoginseng 10 g,Angelica Sinensis 10 g, Shichangpu 10 g,Polygalae 10 g,Glauber's salt 5 g,Rhubarb 6 g),one dose a day by oral or nasal administration for consecutive 14 days. Before and after treatment in the two groups,the serum Hcy level was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),and the clinical efficacy was assessed by Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis to observe the correlation between neurological deficit score(NDS)and Hcy levels. Results Before treatment, the difference of serum Hcy(μmol/L)and NDS levels between the two groups was not statistically significant(both P>0.05),while after treatment,the levels in the two groups were significantly decreased in comparison with those before treatment(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and the degree of descent in treatment group was more obvious compared with that in control group(Hcy:7.78±2.51 vs. 10.18±2.41,NDS:10.60±2.25 vs. 14.60±3.70,both P<0.05). After treatment,the total effective rate in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group (90.0%vs. 76.7%,P<0.05). Before treatment,the NDS was positively correlated with Hcy(r=0.675,P<0.05). Conclusion HuaYu TongFu KaiQiaoFang can significantly reduce the level of serum Hcy and improve the nerve function,thus its clinical effect for treatment of acute cerebral infarction is remarkable.

OBJECTIVETo investigate chemical constituents from acetyl acetate extract fraction of Incarvillea delavayi.

METHODThe chemical constituents were isolated by chromatographic techniques with silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and semipreparative HPLC. The structures of those compounds were identified by NMR and MS.

RESULTSeven compounds were isolated from the EtOAC extract of I. delavayi and their structures were identified as leucoseceptoside A (1), martynoside (2), cornoside (3), edgeworthin (4), 1,2,4-trimethoxybenzene (5), protocatechuic acid (6) and 3-hydroxy-p-anisaldehyde (7) , respectively. Compounds 1-2 were phenylpropanoid glycosides.

CONCLUSIONCompounds 3, 4 were obtained from the genus Incarvillea for the first time. Compounds 1-2, 5-7 were first isolated from this plant.

Acetates ; chemistry ; Bignoniaceae ; chemistry ; Chemical Fractionation ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

OBJECTIVETo study the chemical constituents of the roots of Incarvillea mairei.

METHODThe chemical constituents were isolated and purified by chromatographic techniques with silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 column, and preparative TLC. Structures of the compounds were identified by spectroscopic methods.

RESULTSeven compounds were obtained and elucidated as 1-O-methyl-guaiacylglycerol (1), 1-O-feruloyl-3-O-(26"-hydroxylhexacosoyl) glycerol (2), incarvine D (3), piceid (4), 6'-8"E, 11"E-octadecadienoyl-clionasterol-3-glucoside (5), beta-sitosterol (6), and beta-daucosterol (7).

CONCLUSIONCompounds 1-7 were isolated from I. mairei, and among them 1 and 2 were new compounds, 4, 5 were isolated from the genus Incarvillea for the first time.

Bignoniaceae ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(DCE-MRI)parameters for cognitive dysfunction in first-episode stroke,thereby providing reference for the early clinical assessment of the risk of cognitive dysfunction in stroke and formulation of intervention programs.Methods A total of 122 patients with first-episode stroke were enrolled and divided into occurrence group(n=53)and non-occurrence group(n=69)according to whether they had cognitive dysfunction.Additionally,53 patients with non-cerebrovascular cognitive dysfunction were selected as control group.All patients underwent DCE-MRI examination after admission.The 3 groups and patients with different degrees of cognitive dysfunction were compared for DCE-MRI parameters,including interstitium-to-plasma rate constant(Kep),volume transfer constant(Ktrans),volume fraction of extravascular extracellular space(Ve),and volume fraction of plasma(Vp).The correlations of DCE-MRI parameters with the degree of cognitive dysfunction were analyzed,along with their diagnostic value for cognitive dysfunction and evaluation value for the risk of cognitive dysfunction after first-episode stroke.Results Both occurrence group and non-occurrence group had higher levels of Ktrans,Ve and Vp than control group,and these parameters were higher in occurrence group than non-occurrence group(P<0.05).Ktrans,Ve and Vp of patients with different degrees of cognitive dysfunction differed significantly(P<0.05),and they were increased significantly with the aggravation of cognitive dysfunction.Ktrans,Ve and Vp were all positively correlated with the degree of cognitive dysfunction (P<0.05). The AUC for the combined diagnosis using Ktrans, Ve and Vp was 0.921, significantly higher than single index (P<0.05). The risks of cognitive dysfunction in first-episode stroke patients with higher levels of Ktrans, Ve and Vp were 3.077, 1.944 and 2.313 times of the low-level, respectively. Conclusion DCE-MRI can be used to diagnose cognitive dysfunction in first-episode stroke, providing reference for early clinical prediction of cognitive dysfunction after stroke.

Objective To investigate the infection of human parvovirus B19 in Suzhou voluntary blood donors under the current blood screening model. Methods A total of 893 blood donor samples from September to December 2022 were randomly collected. Samples were tested to determine the seroprevalence (anti-B19 IgG and IgM) of B19 antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), and B19 DNA of positive samples was further detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction(PCR) assay. Results Among 893 samples, the total seroprevalence of B19 antibody was 20.7% (185/893), with anti-B19 IgG and IgM positive rate at 19.4% (173/893) and 1.9% (17/893), respectively, showing significant difference (P<0.05). No difference in the positive rates of B19 IgG and IgM (20.1%, 1.5% vs 18.0%,2.6%) was noticed by gender(P>0.05). The prevalence of anti-B19 IgG statistically increased with age (P<0.05), while there was no difference in the prevalence of anti-B19 IgM (P>0.05). No statistical difference was not found in anti-B19 IgG and IgM samples among different blood groups. The anti-B19 IgG in repeated blood donors was higher than that in first-time donors(21.5% vs 15.9%)(P<0.05) while there was no difference in the positive rate of IgM antibodies (P>0.05). Three cases were found to be positive for B19 DNA in the B19 antibody positive samples, with the positive rate at 1.6%(3/185). Conclusion Although the prevalence of B19 infection in Suzhou was lower than that in other areas and was mostly past infection, there was still a certain proportion of persistent infection and acute infection, which posed the potential risk of blood transfusion transmission. Therefore, attention should be paid to blood transfusions, especially for the high-risk and susceptible groups.