Objective To evaluate the application value of UF-1000i automated urine formed elements analyzer in the diagnosis of urinary tract infection. Methods 150 urine specimens were analyzed using the UF-1000i in parallel with detection of leukocyte, yeast-like fungus, and bacteria. These detection results were collected for evaluation of urinary tract infection and scatter grams were recorded. At the same time, these samples were cultured for bacterial identification, which results were compared with that of the UF-1000i. The clinical diagnose criteria of the UTI was performed as golden standard. As compare with results obtained with UF-1000i, the sensitivity and specificity of UF-1000i for diagnosis of urinary tract infection were evaluated, and the consistency were analyzed among scatter grams, bacterial culture and final diagnosis. Results The statistical results from 146 specimens showed that the positive rate of UF-1000i was 32. 9% (48/146), the positive rate of urine culture is 28. 8% (42/146). There was no significant statistical difference found (χ2 = 1.79 ,P = 0. 18 )and Kappa test showed a considerable consistency (K = 0. 775 6). The UF-1000i detection results showed the sensitivity 76. 0% ( 38/50 ), specificity 89. 6% ( 86/96 ), positive predictive value 79. 2% ( 38/48 ) and negative predictive value 87. 8% ( 86/98 ), respectively. The distribution of coccus and bacilli obtained from the UF-1000i testing was basically in accordance with the results of bacterial culture. Conclusion The "UTI-information" of UF-1000i is very important for the diagnosis of urinary tract infections.

BACKGROUNDPrevious studies have shown that the functional brain activity in the resting state is impaired in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. However, most studies focused on the relationship between different brain areas, rather than the amplitude or strength of the regional brain activity. The purpose of this study was to explore the functional brain changes in AD patients by measuring the amplitude of the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI) signals.

METHODSTwenty mild AD patients and twenty healthy elderly subjects participated in the fMRI scan. The amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was calculated using REST software.

RESULTSCompared with the healthy elderly subjects, the mild AD patients showed decreased ALFF in the right posterior cingulate cortex, right ventral medial prefrontal cortex, and in the bilateral dorsal medial prefrontal cortex. No brain region with increased ALFF was found in the AD group compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONSThe reduced activity in the posterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex observed in the present study suggest that the functional abnormalities of those areas are at an early stage of AD. The ALFF analysis may provide a useful tool in fMRI study of AD.

Aged ; Alzheimer Disease ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Gyrus Cinguli ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prefrontal Cortex ; physiopathology

This study was aimed to investigate the influence of timing using G-CSF after chemotherapy on graft yield of mobilized peripheral blood stem cells for autoPBSCT. 39 patients with lymphoma or multiple myeloma (MM) received the same chemotherapy mobilization regimen, including CTX 400 mg/m² d1; VLB 2 mg/m(2) d1; Ara-C 60 mg/m ²× d1-5; VP-16 60 mg/m² × d1-5; and prednisone 40 mg/m² × d1-5. The historical control group (12 cases) received G-CSF subcutaneously (filgrastim) at the first restoration after the initial nadir of the peripheral WBC count. The experimental group (27 cases) received G-CSF during the steady rise of the WBC count (end of fluctuating after initial nadir). G-CSF was given in a single daily subcutaneous dose of 5 µg/kg until the final PBSC apheresis. When the peripheral WBC and mononuclear cell (MNC) counts reached 10 × 10⁹/L and 1.0 × 10⁹/L respectively, leukapheresis was carried out using the COBE Spectra blood cell separator. The results indicated that despite there was comparable treatment with alkylating agents between 2 groups, a significantly increased yield of CD34 positive cells was observed in the experimental group (26.4 × 10⁶/kg), as compared to the historical control group (3.1 × 10⁶/kg) (p = 0.0031). It is concluded that the appropriate timing for the use G-CSF mobilization after chemotherapy is important to increase the CD34(+) cell yield in auto-graft.
Adult ; Antigens, CD34 ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Female ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization ; methods ; Humans ; Lymphoma ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Myeloma ; therapy ; Transplantation, Autologous ; Young Adult

Objective: To analyze the cerebroplacental blood flow distribution characteristics in monochorionic-diamniotic (MCDA) twin pregnancies with selective fetal growth restriction (sFGR), and investigate the relationship between co-twin cerebroplacental blood flow discordances and co-twin birth weight discordances (BW_disc). Methods: The cerebroplacental blood flow distribution characteristics and their discordances were analyzed retrospectively in 52 MCDA twin pregnancies with normal growth (control group) and 52 with sFGR (case group), including the umbilical artery pulsatility index (UA-PI), middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity (MCA-PSV), middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (MCA-PI), cerebroplacental ratio (CPR), and their discordances (UA-PI_disc, MCA-PSV_disc, MCA-PI_disc and CPR_disc). Results: Compared to the control group, UA-PI_disc, MCA-PI_disc and CPR_disc increased significantly (all P<0.01). UA-PI_disc, MCA-PI_disc and CPR_disc were related positively to BW_disc as shown by correlation analyses (r=0.488, 0.414, 0.592; all P<0.001), and they had moderate predictive accuracy for sFGR with area under the curves of 0.743, 0.662 and 0.778, with sensitivity of 48.08%, 67.31% and 71.15%, and specificity of 92.31%, 59.62% and 78.85% (all P<0.01). Multivariate Logistic regression analyses showed that only CPR_disc were independently associated with sFGR (P<0.05). Conclusions More cerebroplacental blood flow discordances are observed in MCDA twin pregnancies with sFGR. Co-twin cerebroplacental blood flow discordance is related to BW_disc.

Objective To explore the activity of brain default mode network (DMN) in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) by resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and investigate its possible neural mechanism. Methods Twenty-four patients with mild AD,admitted to our hospital from January 2009 to June 2010,and 25 normal controls (NCs) were chosen in this study.All subjects were examined by Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) and fMRI.Resting-state whole brain data were analyzed by amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) with two-sample t test and the brain regions in mild AD patients having significantly different ALFF comparing to NCs were observed. Results As compared with that in NCs,the memory function in mild AD patients was seriously impaired (P＜0.05).As compared with NCs,mild AD patients showed significantly decreased ALFF in the posterior cingulate cortex,ventral medial prefrontal cortex and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex, which were closely relevant to the memory (P＜0.05). Conclusion AD patients show significantly decreased active intensity of some DMN nodes that relate to memory in resting state; DMN abnormalities play an important role in early memory impairment of AD patients.

To investigate the composition and diversity of heat resistant microorganisms in contaminated Chinese herbal pieces. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) protein fingerprinting and 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing of Illumina Miseq were used to analyze the heat resistant microbial community of 9 varieties of Chinese herbal pieces. Stem pieces (Spatholobi Caulis, Tetrapanacis Medulla, Stachyuri Medulla) showed highest detection rate and most species of contaminants; However fruit pieces (Schisandrae Sphenantherae Fructus) had the lowest detection rate and least species of contaminants; among root pieces, the detection rate and number of contaminants species were lower in Tuber Dioscoreae Persimilis and Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata. The heat resistant microbial community was mainly of Bacillaceae and Paenibacillaceae, and Bacillus showed the highest detection rate among them, followed by Brevibacillus, Paenibacillus, and Solibacillus. The rest genus in high-throughput sequencing analysis included Enterobacter, Brevundimonas, Leuconostoc, Methylobacterium, Dechloromonas, Pantoea, Klebsiella, and Erwinia. There were potential risk factors in heat resistant microbial community of Chinese herbal pieces, so we shall improve the microbial limit standard, strictly control the pathogenic bacteria in the product, and strengthen the supervision and management in production and circulation of Chinese herbal pieces.

Objective To analyze the cerebroplacental blood flow distribution characteristics in monochorionic‐diamniotic ( MCDA ) twin pregnancies with selective fetal grow th restriction ( sFGR ) ,and investigate the relationship between co‐twin cerebroplacental blood flow discordances and co‐twin birth weight discordances ( BWdisc ) . Methods The cerebroplacental blood flow distribution characteristics and their discordances were analyzed retrospectively in 52 MCDA twin pregnancies with normal grow th ( control group) and 52 with sFGR ( case group) ,including the umbilical artery pulsatility index ( U A‐PI) ,middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity ( MCA‐PSV ) ,middle cerebral artery pulsatility index ( MCA‐PI ) , cerebroplacental ratio ( CPR ) ,and their discordances ( U A‐PIdisc ,MCA‐PSVdisc ,MCA‐PIdisc and CPRdisc ) . Results Compared to the control group ,UA‐PIdisc ,MCA‐PIdisc and CPRdisc increased significantly ( all P ＜0 .01) . U A‐PIdisc ,MCA‐PIdisc and CPRdisc were related positively to BW disc as show n by correlation analyses ( r＝0 .488 ,0 .414 ,0 .592 ;all P ＜ 0 .001) ,and they had moderate predictive accuracy for sFGR with area under the curves of 0 .743 ,0 .662 and 0 .778 , with sensitivity of 48 .08% ,67 .31% and 71 .15% , and specificity of 92 .31% ,59 .62% and 78 .85% ( all P ＜ 0 .01 ) . M ultivariate Logistic regression analyses showed that only CPRdisc were independently associated with sFGR ( P ＜ 0 .05 ) . Conclusions More cerebroplacental blood flow discordances are observed in MCDA twin pregnancies with sFGR . Co‐twin cerebroplacental blood flow discordance is related to BW disc .

The objective of this work was to develop a bioassay to quantify the antiplatelet aggregation activity of hirudo for quality evaluation and control. Antithrombin activity of hirudo extracted by high temperature decoction was determined by thrombin titration. Antiplatelet aggregation activity of hirudo was determined through pharmacodynamic experiments in vitro and in vivo using a bioassay we developed for quantifying inhibition of platelet aggregation. Methodological investigation was carried out and the titers of 12 batches of hirudo samples were determined. During the experiment, the disposal of animals is in accordance with the ethical standards of animal experiments. The results showed that the antithrombin activity of hirudo decocted at high temperature decreased significantly and almost lost its activity. Hirudo inhibited platelet aggregation and results in vivo and in vitro were consistent. These assays were employed to test 12 batches of hirudo. The results demonstrated that the biopotency of 12 batches was 113.49, 96.13, 121.22, 127.33, 83.48, 108.72, 131.41, 127.95, 76.90, 126.27, 132.89 and 573.53 U·mg^-1. The method was reliable and reproducible and can be used to assess the quality of hirudo.

Objective: To examine the clinical feasibility of mixed reality navigation (MRN) technology based on multimodal imaging for the resection of intracranial eloquent lesions. Methods: Fifteen patients with intracranial eloquent lesions admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, the First Medical Center, People's Liberation Army General Hospital from September 2020 to September 2021 were retrospectively enrolled. There were 7 males and 8 females, aged (50±16) years (range: 16 to 70 years). Postoperative pathological diagnosis included meningioma (n=7), metastatic carcinoma (n=3), cavernous hemangioma, glioma, ependymoma, aneurysmal changes and lymphoma (n=1, respectively). The open-source software was used to perform the three-dimensional visualization of preoperative images, and the self-developed MRN system was used to perform the fusion and interaction of multimodal images, so as to formulate the surgical plan and avoid damaging the eloquent white matter fiber tracts. Traditional navigation, intraoperative ultrasound and fluorescein sodium angiography were used to determine the extent of lesion resection. The intraoperative conditions of MRN-assisted surgery were analyzed, and the setup time and localization error of MRN system were measured. The changes of postoperative neurological function were recorded. Results: MRN based on multimodal imaging was achieved in all patients. The MRN system setup time (M(IQR)) was 36 (12) minutes (range: 20 to 44 minutes), and the localization error was 3.2 (2.0) mm (range: 2.6 to 6.7 mm). The reliability of eloquent white matter fiber tracts localization based on MRN was rated as "excellent" in 11 cases, "medium" in 3 cases, and "poor" in 1 case. There were no perioperative death and no new impairment in motor, language, or visual functions after operation. Transient limb numbness occurred in 1 patient after operation, and recovered to the preoperative state in 2 weeks after operation. Conclusion: The MRN system based on multimodal imaging can improve the surgical accuracy and safety, and reduce the incidence of iatrogenic neurological dysfunction.
Humans ; Augmented Reality ; Reproducibility of Results ; Retrospective Studies ; Multimodal Imaging

Strigolactones(SLs) are a class of sesquiterpenoids derived from the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway with the core carbon skeleton consisting of tricyclic lactone(ABC tricyclic ring) and α,β-unsaturated furan ring(D ring). SLs are widely distributed in higher plants and are symbiotic signals between plants and Arbuscular mycorrhiza(AM), which play key roles in the evolution of plant colonizing terrestrial habitats. As a new type of plant hormone, SLs possess such important biological functions as inhibiting shoot branching(tillers), regulating root architecture, promoting secondary growth, and improving plant stress resistance. Therefore, SLs have attracted wide attention. The biological functions of SLs are not only closely related to the formation of "excellent shape and quality" of Chinese medicinal materials but also have important practical significance for the production of high-quality medicinal materials. However, SLs have been currently widely studied in model plants and crops such as Oryza sativa and Arabidopsis thaliana, and few related studies have been reported on SLs in medicinal plants, which need to be strengthened. This review focused on the latest research progress in the isolation and identification, biological and artificial synthesis pathways, biosynthesis sites and transport modes, signal transduction pathways and mechanisms, and biological functions of SLs, and prospected the research on the regulation mechanism of SLs in the growth and development of medicinal plants and their related application on targeted regulation of Chinese herbal medicine production, which is expected to provide some references for the in-depth research on SLs in the field of Chinese medicinal resources.
Arabidopsis ; Lactones ; Plants, Medicinal