Objective To investigate CT findings in gastric stromal tumors(GST).Methods Both plain and enhanced spiral CT findings in 46 cases with gastric stromal tumor were retrospectively analyzed.In all patients,diagnosis was confirmed with immunohistochemical markers.CT features were retrospectively studied and summarized.Statistical analysis of the shape,growth pattern,necrosis and enhancement patterns was performed with X2 test in 43 cases with single gastric stromal tumor.Results Of the 46 GST patients,43 patients had single GST and multiple GST was detected in 3 cases.In the 43 cases with single GST,tumors were found in the gastric body in 24 cases,gastric fundus in 16 cases,and in the gastric antrum in 3 cases.GST mostly grow along the vertical plane of gastric wall,with a large size but local attachment.The tumor size was less than 5era in diameter in 14 cases.Of them,ten cases had a regular shape,10 cases showed homogeneous enhancement,and 4 cases exhibited central necrosis,7 tumors showed intra-luminal growth and 5 tumors showed extra-luminal growth,while the other 2 cases involved both intra and extra lumina.Twenty-nine cases had tumors larger than 5cm in diameter.Of them,24 cases had irregular shape,27 cases showed inhomogeneous enhancement,24 cases had central necrosis,5 tumors showed intra-luminal growth and 9 tumors showed extra-luminal growth,while 15 cases involved both intra and extra lumina.The tumor size of GST closely was related to the shape,growth pattern,necrosis and the inhomogeneous enhancement patterns of the GST(P<0.05).The enhancement of the tumor was more intense in venous phase and delayed phase.Five cases showed septal enhancement,4 tumors exhibited marked enhancement in arterial phase with up to 60 HU.Conclusions CT can precisely display the location,shape and size of gastric stromal tumors.It is very helpful to provide useful information for early diagnosis and evaluation.

Objective To analyze the imaging features of ovarian thecoma-fibroma in multi-slice CT (MSCT )and improve the di-agnostic level.Methods CT features of 26 patients with 28 pathologically confirmed lesions were analyzed retrospectively.Correla-tion between tumor length and ascites and menopause was analyzed.Results Of 26 patients (28 lesions),24 patients were unilateral, 2 patients were bilateral.Of 28 lesions,there were 18 ovarian thecoma,6 fibrothecoma and 4 fibroma.The longest diameter of tumor ranged from 34.74 mm to 227.64 mm (mean value 101.06 mm±42.25 mm).The longest diameter of tumor in the group of ascites (n=1 7)was larger than that of without ascites.All the tumors had well-defined border,with 24 of them round or oval in shape,4 lobulated;with 22 of them solid in composition,4 mixed,2 cystic;with 20 of them inhomogeneous in density.The tumors showed no or mild enhancement,0-5 HU added CT value in 1 1,5-10 HU in 1 1,10 -20 HU in 6,with 4 cases showing multiple slim blood vessels during the arterial phase.Conclusion The typical imaging features of ovarian thecoma-fibroma were unilateral,oval,solid mass with well-defined border,no or mild enhancement (less than 20 HU)and accompanied by ascites.These characteristics will be helpful in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of ovarian thecoma-fibroma.

Objective: To investigate whether acupoint penetration acupuncture (APA) could regulate chondrocyte autophagy and apoptosis via the PI3K/Akt-mTOR signaling pathway to reduce cartilage degeneration in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rats. Methods: KOA was induced in rats via intra-articular injection of sodium iodoacetate resolution. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to blank control, model, APA, electro-acupuncture (EA), and sham model groups (n = 8) and those in the APA and EA groups received their respective therapies. Following completion of the treatment course, histological examinations of cartilage and muscle were conducted. Levels of apoptosis- and autophagy-related factors, including Bax, Bcl-2, mTOR, ULK-1, and Beclin-1 protein, and mRNAs were assessed. Additionally, β-endorphin (β-EP) concentrations in the brain and serum were measured. Results: Histological analysis revealed that APA alleviated cartilage and muscle damage compared with the model group. APA inhibited cartilage degeneration by modulating the expression of apoptosis- and autophagy-related proteins and mRNA, thus preventing chondrocyte apoptosis. In the APA group, Bax and mTOR protein levels were significantly lower than those in the model group (both P = .024). Conversely, the Bcl-2 expression level was significantly higher than that in the EA group (P = .035). Additionally, ULK-1 expression was significantly lower than that in the EA group (P = .045). The mRNA level of Bax was significantly higher than that in the blank control group (P < .001). However, Beclin-1 levels were significantly higher than those in both the model and EA groups (both P < .001). ELISA results showed a significant decrease in the concentration of β-EP in the brains of the rats in the APA group compared with those in the model group (P = .032). Conclusions APA reduced osteoarthritis-related pain and alleviated cartilage damage by upregulating chondrocyte autophagy and down-regulating apoptosis via signaling pathways involving PI3K/Akt-mTOR in KOA rats.

Objective To study the clinical significance of serum cystatin C (Cys C) in patients with acute leukemia (AL). Methods A total of 59 newly diagnosed AL patients in Xinghua City People's Hospital from January 2014 to August 2017 were enrolled; meanwhile, 59 healthy individuals who underwent physical examination at Medical Center of Xinghua City People's Hospital were selected as the control group. AU5800 automatic biochemical analyzer from American Beckman Coulter Corporation was applied to detect the levels of serum Cys C, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatinine (Cr). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was also drawn. Results The levels of serum Cys C and LDH in AL patients were higher than those in the control group [serum Cys C: (1.36±0.72) mg/L vs. (0.76±0.27) mg/L; LDH: (456±362) U/L vs. (185±29) U/L], and there was a statistical significance (t＝-5.965, P＝0.000; t＝-5.718, P＝0.000). There was no statistical difference in the serum Cr between AL patients and control group [(86±26) μmol/L vs. (82±16) μmol/L] (P＞ 0.05). There was a positive correlation between levels of serum Cys C and LDH in AL patients (rs＝ 0.447, P < 0.05). The ROC area under curve of serum Cys C was 0.823, the standard error was 0.037, and the confidence interval of 95 % was 0.751-0.896. The ROC area under curve of serum LDH was 0.811, the standard error was 0.042, and the confidence interval of 95 % was 0.728-0.894. Conclusion The level of serum Cys C in AL patients is higher than that in the healthy population. The detection of serum Cys C is helpful in the diagnosis of AL and the evaluation of tumor burden, which is consistent with serum LDH.

Objective:To compare image quality and diagnostic parameters of whole-brain CT perfusion scans under different scanning conditions and assess the utility of deep learning image reconstruction algorithm (DLIR) in reducing tube current during low-dose scans.Methods:Method A total of 105 patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke (AIS) were prospectively enrolled in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from March, 2022 to March, 203 and their baseline information was recorded. All patients underwent head non-contrast CT and CT perfusion (CTP) examinations. CTP scanning was performed at 80 kV in two groups with the tube current of 150 mA (regular dose) and 100 mA (low dose), respectively. The CTP images of 150 mA group were reconstructed using filtered back-projection algorithm as well as adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-V (ASIR-V) at 40% and 80% strength levels, which were denoted as groups A-C. The CTP images of 100 mA group were reconstructed using ASIR-V80%, DLIR-M, and DLIR-H, which were denoted as groups D-F. Clinical baseline characteristics and radiation doses were compared between the two groups under different scanning conditions. Furthermore, we assessed the subjective and objective image quality, conventional perfusion parameters, and abnormal perfusion parameters of AIS patients across the six groups of reconstructed CTP images.Results:Under the scanning conditions of 150 mA and 100 mA, 47 and 48 patients were diagnosed with AIS, respectively. There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics between the two groups. However, there was a significant difference in the mean effective radiation dose (5.71 mSv vs. 3.80 mSv, t = 2 768.30, P < 0.001). The standard deviation (SD) of noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) were significantly different among the six groups of reconstructed images ( F = 40.58-212.13, P < 0.001). In GM, the SD values in groups C, D, and F were lower than those in other groups ( P < 0.05), and the SNR values in groups C and F were higher than those in other groups ( P < 0.05). In WM, the SD and SNR values in groups C and F were significantly different from those in other groups ( P < 0.05). Additionally, CNR values in groups C and F were higher than those in other groups ( P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in subjective scores among groups B, C, and F ( P > 0.05). Regarding perfusion parameters in the brain GM, groups D and E had lower cerebral blood volume (CBV) values compared to groups A to C ( P < 0.05), and group F had lower CBV values than group B ( P < 0.05). In the brain WM, group D had consistently lower mean transit time (MTT) values compared to the other groups ( P < 0.05). Notably, there were no significant differences in AIS lesion detection rates and relevant diagnostic parameters across the six image groups. Conclusions:Low-tube current CTP scan combined with the DLIR-H algorithm can enhance image quality without affecting perfusion parameters such as CBV and MTT, while reducing radiation dose by 30%. This algorithm can be routinely applied in brain CTP examinations.