Objective To evaluate the relationship of intraerythrocytic calcium(Ca~(2+)),serum cardiac troponin I(cTnI) and contractile and diastolic dysfunction in infants with pneumonia complicated with heart failure(HF),and discuss the role of Ca~(2+) and cTnI.(Met)-hods One hundred and thirty-three infants with pneumonia complicated with HF and 30 healthy children were studied.Intraerythrocytic calcium,serum cTnI and ejection fraction(EF),fractional shortening(FS) and E/A were measured by color Doppler ultrasoundraphy.Results Intraerythrocytic calcium,serum cTnI and EF,FS and E/A in two groups had difference.With the disease deteriorating,the values of Ca~(2+) and cTnI increased,and EF,FS,E/A decreased gradually.There were negative relations between Ca~(2+),cTnI and EF,FS,E/A.Conclusions Ca~(2+),cTnI are concerned with the development of HF.In clinical experiments,the contractile function and diastolic function of heart can be judged by the levels of intraerythrocytic calcium and serum cTnI.

A total of 256 medical professionals at the hospitals of different levels were interviewed and requested to complete the relevant questionnaires.The findings revealed that the top five unsatisfied items were growth & development,working conditions,doctor-patient relationship,income and social status.The levels of job satisfaction varied with their specific occupations and technical titles.Around two thirds of them once had the thought of leaving their pre-hospital care posts.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the value of thyroglobulin measurement in ultrasound guided fine-needle aspiration(FNA-Tg)for detecting neck node metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC)after thyroidectomy.

METHODSA total of 128 suspicious metastatic lymph nodes in 112 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Postoperative pathologic results were taken as the gold standard. The values of FNA and FNA-Tg combined FNA in the diagnosis of metastatic lymph nodes were compared with different ultrasonic features.

RESULTSThe sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of single FNA for the diagnosis of neck node metastasis were 67.5%, 98.0% and 79.7% respectively, and those of FNA-Tg combined FNA were 87.0%, 100.0% and 92.2% respectively. Compared with single FNA, the sensitivity and accuracy of FNA-Tg combined FNA were increased significantly(χ(2)=8.319, P=0.004; χ(2)=8.275, P=0.004). When the ultrasonographic characteristics met any one of five indicators for neck node metastasis, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of single FNA for the diagnosis of neck node metastasis were 38.1%, 95.7% and 68.2% respectively, and those of FNA-Tg combined FNA were 71.0%, 100.0% and 86.4% respectively. Compared with single FNA, the sensitivity and accuracy of FNA-Tg combined FNA were increased significantly(χ(2)=4.709, P=0.030; χ(2)=4.141, P=0.042). When the ultrasonographic characteristics met any two of five indicators for neck node metastasis, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of single FNA for the diagnosis of neck node metastasis were 55.0%, 100.0% and 73.5% respectively, and those of FNA-Tg combined FNA were 90.0%, 100.0% and 94.1% respectively. Compared with single FNA, the sensitivity and accuracy of FNA-Tg combined FNA were increased significantly(χ(2)=6.140, P=0.013; χ(2)=5.314, P=0.021). The ultrasonographic characteristics met any three, four or five of five indicators or did not meet any of the indicators, there was no significant difference in the value of the diagnosis of metastatic lymph nodes between single FNA and FNA-Tg combined FNA(P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe combination of FNA with FNA-Tg could be helpful in diagnosis of lymph node metastasis. When the suspicious lymph nodes had one or two ultrasound characteristics for neck node metastasis, FNA-Tg could raise the sensitivity and accuracy of FNA, and FNA-Tg could not significantly improve in the diagnosis of FNA when presenting with no or with more than 2 ultrasonographic features.

Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Carcinoma ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; diagnosis ; Postoperative Period ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thyroglobulin ; analysis ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; pathology ; Thyroidectomy

Objective: To investigate the occurrence of occult carcinoma in contralateral lobes based on the ultrasonic features of unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma. Methods: The study included 202 consecutives cases of unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma with benign nodules in the contralateral lobe identified by preoperative ultrasound or fine-needle aspiration from June 2014 to December 2015. All patients received total thyroidectomies, and with postoperative pathological examination they were divided into two groups, one including 60 cases with positive occult cancer and another one consisting of 142 cases with negative occult cancer. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to analyze the sonographic features of unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma relevant to the occurrence of occult carcinoma in the contralateral nodules. Results: Univariate analysis indicated occult carcinoma in the contralateral lobes was associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis(χ²=3.955, P=0.047), unclear border (χ²=4.375, P=0.036)and multifocality in the ipsilateral(χ²=7.375, P=0.007), but not with tumors maximum size, location, A/T, shape, internal structure, internal echo, acoustic halo, calcification, capsular invasion and blood flow signal in the lobe with carcinoma on another side. Multivariate analysis showed unclear border (OR=2.727, P=0.010) and multifocality in the ipsilateral(OR=2.807, P=0.005)of carcinoma were independent predictive factor for contralateral occult PTC. Conclusions Unclear border and multifocality of PTC in the ipsilateral were closely relevant to the occurrence of occult carcinoma in the contralateral nodules.

Animals ; Antigens, Neoplasm ; immunology ; Cancer Vaccines ; immunology ; Graft vs Tumor Effect ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; methods ; Neoplasms ; immunology ; therapy ; Th1 Cells ; cytology ; immunology ; transplantation ; Transplantation, Homologous ; immunology

Objective To investigate the biological activity of cytokine-induced killer(CIK)cells in vitro.Methods Lymphocytes isolated from peripheral blood in leukemic children were induced with interferon-?(IFN-?),anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody(CD3McAb)and interleukin-2(IL-2)and co-cultured with dendritic cells(DC)to generate DC-CIK cells.The morphology and immunophenotype of these cells were determined by electron microscopy and flow cytometry,respectively.Cytotoxicity of DC-CIK cells against leukemia cell lines was measured by the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay.Interleukin-12(IL-12),tumor necrosis factor-?(TNF-?)levels released by DC-CIK cells were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.Results Induced DC-CIK cells were regular,round and transparent with variable cell volume and cellular aggregation.At the 0th-4th day,its amplification was very slow,and it increased quickly at the 5th-8th day,it reached its peak amplification at the 9th-10th day,at approximately 100-fold.The main effector cells in this population were CD3+CD8+ cells and CD3+CD56+ cells.DC-CIK cells were cytotoxic to B95 cells,K562 cells and HL-60 cells,with the highest cytotoxicity towards B95 cells.The expression levels of IL-12 and TNF-? in supernatant were very high.Conclusions DC-CIK cells induced with cytokines displayed powerful amplification and strongly killing activities in vitro.It suggested that DC-CIK cells induced with cytokines may play killing activities through Th1 pathway in vitro,as a result of high secretion of Th1 cytokines,such as IL-12 and TNF-?.

Protozoans,the natural host of the facultative intracellular pathogen Legionella species,play an important role in survival,proliferation,virulence and stress resistance of Legionella species. By repeating transformation and selection,a spontaneous mutant of plasmid over expressing green fluorescent protein was obtained. This mutant replicates and is maintained stably in Legionella cells. The colonies of L. pneumophila harbouring the mutated plasmid were intense green in colour even under the daylight. After feeding BF1 strain of Tetrahymena thermophila with transformed L. pneumophila,the intracellular dynamic of changing of bacterial shape,bacterial proliferation and lysis of the host cell due to the bacterial proliferation were observed clearly under fluorescent microscopy. Thus,the present paper provides a simple and intuitionistic strategy for investigating the ecological and cellular relationship between L. pneumophila and its host.

China ; Inventions

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacies of BRAF^V600E testing and Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology (BSRTC) in thyroid nodules with thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TIRADS) category 4 and 5. Methods: A total of 187 thyroid nodules in 187 patients underwent the examinations of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and BRAF^V600E mutation were analyzed retrospectively. Receive operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to investigate the diagnostic values of both methods and the clinical application of BRAF^V600E combined with BSRTC was evaluated. SPSS17.0 software was used to analyze the data. Results: Among 187 thyroid nodules, 123 were malignant nodules confirmed with histopathological examination and 64 benign nodules determined by FNAC, histopathological examination, or long-term follow-up. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of BRAF^V600E test were better than those of BSRTC [69.1%, 98.4%, 98.8%, 62.4%(χ²=77.3, P=0.000) vs 62.6%, 93.8%, 95.1%, 56.6%(χ²=54.4, P=0.000)]. While the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of the combined test of BRAF^V600E and BSRTC for diagnosis of malignant thyroid nodules were 87.8%, 92.2%, 95.6%, 79.7%(χ²=112.6, P=0.000), respectively. The area under the ROC curve for the combined test was higher than that for each of tests (0.900 vs 0.858 or 0.838). Conclusions The combined test of BRAF^V600E mutation and BSRTC has a higher diagnostic efficacy for malignant thyroid nodules compared with BRAF^V600E mutation or BSRTC alone.

Purpose: To construct an index system to evaluate the competencies of nurses in enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs and provide a scientific foundation for their training and assessment. Methods: Utilizing a literature review and semi-structured interviews, a preliminary indicator system was constructed. Based on the preliminary indicator system, a Delphi questionnaire was developed and utilized to achieve consensus among experts in two rounds of Delphi studies. The indicators were selected based on a mean importance score greater than 4 and a coefficient of variation less than .25. The weights of the indicators were calculated using the Analytic Hierarchy Process. Results: The study developed a system that evaluates the competencies of nurses involved in ERAS programs, offering a reference for their training and evaluation. The final index system includes 7 primary indicators, 20 secondary indicators, and 66 tertiary indicators. The primary indicators consist of competencies in the following components: 1) Direct clinical practice (20 items); 2) Expert coaching and guidance (9 items); 3) Consultation (6 items); 4) Research (7 items); 5) Leadership (11 items); 6) Collaboration (8 items); and 7) Ethical decision-making (5 items). Conclusion The developed competency evaluation index system is reliable and can serve as a foundation for the selection, training, and assessment of ERAS nurses.