Objective To investigate the guiding value of serum procalcitonin (PCT) level in antibiotic treatment of stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. Methods A total of 120 patients with SAP after acute cerebral hemorrhage were enroled and were randomly divided into either a conventional treatment group ( n=59) or a PCT guided group ( n=61). In accordance w ith the guidelines for the use of antibiotics in China, the conventional treatment group w as treated w ith antibiotics and the course of antibiotics w as determined by the treating physician. The serum PCT of the PCT group w as monitored continuously after using antibiotics for 5 days. When PCT w as < 0.25 μg/L and the body temperature of the patients w as normal, the antibiotics w ere stopped. When PCT w as ≥0.25 μg/L, the antibiotics w ere used continuously. When PCT w as <0.25 μg/L, but stil had a fever, and the antibiotics w ere used continuously til the temperature w as normal. The course of antibiotics, length of hospitalization, and 30-d mortality of both groups w ere compared. At day 90 after treatment, the modified Rankin scale (mRS) w as used to evaluate the neurological outcome. The mRS score 0-2 w as good outcome and >2 w as poor outcome. They were folowed up for 6 months after discharge. A Kaplan-Meier survive curve was use to compare the survival rate of both groups. Results The course of antibiotics ( 8.95 ±2.73 d vs.13.26 ± 4.11 d;t=6.407, P<0.001) and the length of hospitalization ( 15.64 ±2.63 d vs.18.36 ±4.27 d; t=3.967, P<0.001) of the PCT group w ere significantly shorter than those of the conventional treatment group. There w ere no significant differences in the proportions of 30 d mortality ( 9.8%vs.10.1%; χ2 =0.003, P=0.951) and 90 d good outcome ( 60.6%vs.59.3%; χ2 =0.022, P=0.881) betw een the PCT guided group and the conventional treatment group. At the end of the 6-month folow-up period, a total of 13 patients (12.0%) died, including 6 in the conventional treatment group and 7 in the PCT group. The Kaplan-Meier analysis show ed that there w as no significant difference in the 6-month survival rate betw een the 2 groups (χ2 = 0.070, P= 0.791 ). Conclusions Monitoring the serum PCT level for guiding antibiotic treatment of SAP after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage is safe, and it may shorten the course of antibiotics and reduce the length of hospitalization.

Objective To evaluate the value of D-dimer in assessing severity and predicting longterm prognosis in patients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP).Methods From June 2009 to December 2010,a total of 189 patients with CAP were enrolled.After admission,D-dimer,procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured,and Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) was calculated.They were assigned into two groups according to their D-dimer levels:high D-dimer levels group (D-dimer levels≥500 μg/L) and normal D-dimer levels group (D-dimer levels ＜ 500 μg/L).The followup time was one year.A Kaplan-Meier survive curve was constructed to assess the 1-year mortality,and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to assess the value of D-dimer for predicting long-term prognosis.Results D-dimer levels increased with increasing PSI class [class Ⅰ-Ⅲ:378.37 μg/L (216.74,649.50) μg/L; class Ⅳ:673.41 μg/L (544.77,866.85) μg/L; class Ⅴ:831.58 μg/L (591.78,1066.39) μg/L,x2 =56.58,P ＜ 0.01].The Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that 1-year mortality rate of high D-dimer levels group was higher than normal D-dimer levels group (log-rank test,x2 =52.51,P ＜ 0.01).The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed an independent relationship between higher D-dimer levels and long-term mortality (OR =2.05,95％ CI:1.48-2.61,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion D-dimer is an independent predictor of severity and long-term prognosis in patients with CAP.

[Objective] To investigate the effects of airway dysbacteriosis on the development of murine atlergic airway diseases (AAD).[Methods] Female C57BL/6 mice were neubulized with Vancomycin for 10 days and then were sacrificed.The bacterial population in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were evaluated using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology,exploriug the method of establishing an airway dysbacteriosis mouse model.After the mouse model was established successfully,airway dysbacteriosis mouse models were established by the same method,and based on that,the mice were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) to induce airway allergic inflammation.The frequency of nasal rubbing behaviors per mice was counted;the total cell number and eosinophil relative abundance in BALF were evaluated;the lung tissue inflammation and goblet cell metaplasia were assessed according to histopathological features;and the IgE level in serum,IFN-γ,IL-4 and IL-5 levels in BALF,and IL-33 levels in serum,BALF and intestine tissue were measured by ELISA.[Results] Nebulization of Vancomycin increased Bradyrhizobium,Sphingopyxis,Cupriavidus,Pelomonas,and decreased Akkermansia and Prevotella_6 in airway,inducing significant airway dysbacteriosis.Using the animal model,further study found that airway dysbacteriosis exacerbated OVA-induced airway allergic inflammation,including increased nasal rubbing frequency,higher serun IgE level,more total cell count especially eosinophil infiltration,more serious lung tissue inflammation and goblet cell metaplasia.Additionally,compared to OVA group,mice in Dysbacteriosis and OVA group had significantly increased level of Th2 cytokine IL-4 and IL-5,and significantly decreased Thl cytokine IFN-γin BALF,which revealed that mice in Dysbacteriosis and OVA group had mote remarkable Thl/Th2 imbalance.Furthermore,IL-33 level showed a significant increase in BALF,but didn't change in serum or intestine tissue in Dysbacteriosis and OVA group compared to OVA group.Indicating that airway dysbacteriosis may only affect the local production of IL-33.[Conclusions] An airway dysbacteriosis mouse model was established by Vancomycin nebulization successfully.Airway dysbacteriosis may activate innate lymphoid cells (ILC) and Th2 cell by inducing local IL-33 secreting,which leads to the imbalance of Th1/Th2,and in turn promotes the development of AAD.

Dynamic multi-leaf collimator, which has the function of radiation beam shaping, is a key executive component of tumor precise radiotherapy, and plays a core role in improving the accuracy, efficiency and quality of radiotherapy. A new type of collimator leaf end structure with circular arc and plane combination was studied, and collimator penumbra performance analysis model combining analytical expression and graphic analysis was developed. The influence of leaf end structure on penumbra was analyzed quantitatively, and a set of three-dimensional structure design of dynamic multi-leaf collimator was completed. The feasibility of the structural design and analysis model was verified through experimental measurements.
Humans ; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted/methods* ; Particle Accelerators ; Neoplasms ; Radiotherapy Dosage

Advanced radiotherapy technology enables the dose to more accurately conform to the tumor target area of the patient, providing accurate treatment for the patient, but the gradient of the patient's radiation dose at the tumor edge is getting larger, which putting forward higher requirements for radiotherapy dose verification. The dose verification system software KylinRay-Dose4D can verify the patient's pre-treatment plan and the in vivo/on-line dose during the patient's treatment, providing important reference for the physicist to modify the radiotherapy plan and ensuring that the patient receives accurate treatment. This study introduces the overall design and key technologies of KylinRay-Dose4D, and tests the pre-treatment plan dose checking calculation and 2D/3D dose verification through clinical cases. The test results showed that the 2D/3D gamma pass rate (3 mm/3%) of KylinRay-Dose4D reconstructed dose compared with TPS plan dose and measured dose is larger than 95%, which indicating that the reconstructed dose of KylinRay-Dose4D meets the requirement of clinical application.
Humans ; Radiotherapy Dosage ; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted/methods* ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated/methods* ; Software ; Neoplasms ; Phantoms, Imaging ; Radiometry/methods*

KylinRay-IMRT is the advanced radiotherapy treatment planning module of accurate radiotherapy system (KylinRay) aiming to provide accurate and efficient plan design platform. In this paper the system design, main functions and key technologies of KylinRay-IMRT were introduced. KylinRay-IMRT supports three dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and many other types of treatment plan design with function modules including patient data management, image registration and fusion, image contouring, image three dimensional reconstruction and visualization, three dimensional conformal radiotherapy planning, intensity modulated radiotherapy planning, plan evaluation and comparison, and report print. KylinRay-IMRT has been tested by the national standard YY/T 0889-2013, the results showed that the performance of KylinRay-IMRT can fully meet the standard requirements.
Humans ; Radiotherapy Dosage ; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted ; Radiotherapy, Conformal ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed