Objective To investigate the value of low tube voltage and low dose contrast agents combined with artificial intelligence iterative reconstruction(AIIR)in upper limb CT angiography(CTA)for displaying arteriovenous fistula(AVF).Methods Totally 65 patients with chronic renal failure and suspected AVF stenosis who underwent upper limb CTA were prospectively enrolled and randomly divided into conventional-dose group(CD group,n=30)and low-dose group(LD group,n=35).In CD group,CTA was acquired using conventional tube voltage(100 kVp)and contrast agents dosage(1.0 ml/kg body mass),and conventional hybrid iterative reconstruction(HIR)was used to reconstruct images(group A),while in LD group,CTA was collected using 80 kVp and contrast agent dosage of 0.6 ml/kg body mass,and images were reconstructed with HIR(group B)and AIIR(group C),respectively.Then subjective and objective assessment of imaging quality were performed,respectively,the results were compared among groups,while the radiation dose and dosage of contrast agents were compared between CD and LD groups.Results No significant difference of subjective score of imaging quality nor confidence for diagnosing AVF stenosis was found between group A and group C(both P＞0.017),and all the above scores were higher than those in group B(all P＜0.017).Signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)of subclavian artery,brachial artery and radial artery in group C were all higher than those in groups A and B(all P＜0.017),while no significant difference of SNR nor CNR was found between group A and B(all P＞0.017).The volume CT dose index,dose length product and dosage of contrast agent in LD group were all lower than those in CD group(all P＜0.001).Conclusion Low tube voltage and low dose contrast agents combined with AIIR in upper limb CTA for displaying AVF could reduce radiation dose and contrast agents dosage under the condition of ensuring imaging quality.

High altitude heart disease(HAHD)is a chronic mountain sickness in which the body is exposed to high altitude(＞2 500 m)hypobaric hypoxia environment for a long time.HAHD has high morbidity and poor prognosis,and pulmonary hypertension is the main causative mechanism for its develop-ment.The phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor sildenafil has become a hot drug for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension.This paper reviews the progress of HAHD and discusses the mechanism of action and effectiveness of sildenafil in the treatment of HAHD,with a view to providing a basis for the treatment of HAHD with sildenafil.

High altitude heart disease(HAHD)is a chronic mountain sickness in which the body is exposed to high altitude(＞2 500 m)hypobaric hypoxia environment for a long time.HAHD has high morbidity and poor prognosis,and pulmonary hypertension is the main causative mechanism for its develop-ment.The phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor sildenafil has become a hot drug for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension.This paper reviews the progress of HAHD and discusses the mechanism of action and effectiveness of sildenafil in the treatment of HAHD,with a view to providing a basis for the treatment of HAHD with sildenafil.

Objective To investigate the value of low tube voltage and low dose contrast agents combined with artificial intelligence iterative reconstruction(AIIR)in upper limb CT angiography(CTA)for displaying arteriovenous fistula(AVF).Methods Totally 65 patients with chronic renal failure and suspected AVF stenosis who underwent upper limb CTA were prospectively enrolled and randomly divided into conventional-dose group(CD group,n=30)and low-dose group(LD group,n=35).In CD group,CTA was acquired using conventional tube voltage(100 kVp)and contrast agents dosage(1.0 ml/kg body mass),and conventional hybrid iterative reconstruction(HIR)was used to reconstruct images(group A),while in LD group,CTA was collected using 80 kVp and contrast agent dosage of 0.6 ml/kg body mass,and images were reconstructed with HIR(group B)and AIIR(group C),respectively.Then subjective and objective assessment of imaging quality were performed,respectively,the results were compared among groups,while the radiation dose and dosage of contrast agents were compared between CD and LD groups.Results No significant difference of subjective score of imaging quality nor confidence for diagnosing AVF stenosis was found between group A and group C(both P＞0.017),and all the above scores were higher than those in group B(all P＜0.017).Signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)of subclavian artery,brachial artery and radial artery in group C were all higher than those in groups A and B(all P＜0.017),while no significant difference of SNR nor CNR was found between group A and B(all P＞0.017).The volume CT dose index,dose length product and dosage of contrast agent in LD group were all lower than those in CD group(all P＜0.001).Conclusion Low tube voltage and low dose contrast agents combined with AIIR in upper limb CTA for displaying AVF could reduce radiation dose and contrast agents dosage under the condition of ensuring imaging quality.

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression.Methods An open,single-arm,multi-center design was adopted in our study.Adult patients with mild and moderate depression who had received acute treatment of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides were enrolled and continue to receive Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules for 24 weeks,the dose remained unchanged during continuation treatment.The remission rate,recurrence rate,recurrence time,and the change from baseline to endpoint of Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Clinical Global Impression-Severity(CGI-S)and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale(ASEX)were evaluated.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was reported.Results The scores of HAMD-17 at baseline and after treatment were 6.60±1.87 and 5.85±4.18,scores of HAMA were 6.36±3.02 and 4.93±3.09,scores of CGI-S were 1.49±0.56 and 1.29±0.81,scores of ASEX were 15.92±4.72 and 15.57±5.26,with significant difference(P＜0.05).After continuation treatment,the remission rate was 54.59％(202 cases/370 cases),and the recurrence rate was 6.49％(24 cases/370 cases),the recurrence time was(64.67±42.47)days.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 15.35％(64 cases/417 cases).Conclusion Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules can be effectively used for the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression,and are well tolerated and safe.

Objective Cognitive impairment(CI)in older individuals has a high morbidity rate worldwide,with poor diagnostic methods and susceptible population identification.This study aimed to investigate the relationship between different retinal metrics and CI in a particular population,emphasizing polyvascular status. Methods We collected information from the Asymptomatic Polyvascular Abnormalities Community Study on retinal vessel calibers,retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL)thickness,and cognitive function of 3,785 participants,aged 40 years or older.Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between retinal metrics and cognitive function.Subgroups stratified by different vascular statuses were also analyzed. Results RNFL thickness was significantly thinner in the CI group(odds ratio:0.973,95%confidence interval:0.953-0.994).In the subgroup analysis,the difference still existed in the non-intracranial arterial stenosis,non-extracranial carotid arterial stenosis,and peripheral arterial disease subgroups(P<0.05). Conclusion A thin RNFL is associated with CI,especially in people with non-large vessel stenosis.The underlying small vessel change in RNFL and CI should be investigated in the future.

Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) is a natural product commonly used in food preservation and pharmaceutical applications. Toxoplasmosis, caused by the protozoan pathogen Toxoplasma gondii, is prevalent globally while the impact of AITC on toxoplasmosis is unclear. We explored the effect of AITC on acute toxoplasmosis. We infected C57BL/6 mice with T. gondii type I RH strain following AITC administration. On the 4th day after infection, which corresponds to the initial stage of infection, we collected serum for the determination of inflammatory cytokine levels. The mice serum of the AITC-administered group contained significantly lower levels of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, interferon-gamma, interleukin (IL)-23 subunit p19, IL-4, IL-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. The lifespan of the mice in the AITC-administered group was significantly reduced. In vitro experiments showed that AITC promoted the proliferation of intracellular T. gondii accompanied by the inhibition of IL-4, IL-1β, and IL-6 production in RAW264.7 macrophages. Our results showed that AITC facilitated T. gondii infection in the early stage by inhibiting the production of several inflammatory cytokines.

Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) is a natural product commonly used in food preservation and pharmaceutical applications. Toxoplasmosis, caused by the protozoan pathogen Toxoplasma gondii, is prevalent globally while the impact of AITC on toxoplasmosis is unclear. We explored the effect of AITC on acute toxoplasmosis. We infected C57BL/6 mice with T. gondii type I RH strain following AITC administration. On the 4th day after infection, which corresponds to the initial stage of infection, we collected serum for the determination of inflammatory cytokine levels. The mice serum of the AITC-administered group contained significantly lower levels of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, interferon-gamma, interleukin (IL)-23 subunit p19, IL-4, IL-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. The lifespan of the mice in the AITC-administered group was significantly reduced. In vitro experiments showed that AITC promoted the proliferation of intracellular T. gondii accompanied by the inhibition of IL-4, IL-1β, and IL-6 production in RAW264.7 macrophages. Our results showed that AITC facilitated T. gondii infection in the early stage by inhibiting the production of several inflammatory cytokines.

Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) is a natural product commonly used in food preservation and pharmaceutical applications. Toxoplasmosis, caused by the protozoan pathogen Toxoplasma gondii, is prevalent globally while the impact of AITC on toxoplasmosis is unclear. We explored the effect of AITC on acute toxoplasmosis. We infected C57BL/6 mice with T. gondii type I RH strain following AITC administration. On the 4th day after infection, which corresponds to the initial stage of infection, we collected serum for the determination of inflammatory cytokine levels. The mice serum of the AITC-administered group contained significantly lower levels of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, interferon-gamma, interleukin (IL)-23 subunit p19, IL-4, IL-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. The lifespan of the mice in the AITC-administered group was significantly reduced. In vitro experiments showed that AITC promoted the proliferation of intracellular T. gondii accompanied by the inhibition of IL-4, IL-1β, and IL-6 production in RAW264.7 macrophages. Our results showed that AITC facilitated T. gondii infection in the early stage by inhibiting the production of several inflammatory cytokines.

Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) is a natural product commonly used in food preservation and pharmaceutical applications. Toxoplasmosis, caused by the protozoan pathogen Toxoplasma gondii, is prevalent globally while the impact of AITC on toxoplasmosis is unclear. We explored the effect of AITC on acute toxoplasmosis. We infected C57BL/6 mice with T. gondii type I RH strain following AITC administration. On the 4th day after infection, which corresponds to the initial stage of infection, we collected serum for the determination of inflammatory cytokine levels. The mice serum of the AITC-administered group contained significantly lower levels of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, interferon-gamma, interleukin (IL)-23 subunit p19, IL-4, IL-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. The lifespan of the mice in the AITC-administered group was significantly reduced. In vitro experiments showed that AITC promoted the proliferation of intracellular T. gondii accompanied by the inhibition of IL-4, IL-1β, and IL-6 production in RAW264.7 macrophages. Our results showed that AITC facilitated T. gondii infection in the early stage by inhibiting the production of several inflammatory cytokines.