Objective To determine the accuracy and radiation dose of dual-energy computed tomography (CT) in evaluating solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) by virtual non-enhanced images.MethodsSixty-one patients with SPNs including 39 malignant and 18 benign nodules proved by pathology underwent DECT scans. The CT values of SPNs on enhanced weighted average and virtual non-enhanced images were compared by using Liver VNC processing unit in terms of their diagnostic accuracy for distinguishing malignant and benign nodules with a 20 HU threshold. Diagnostic accuracy was compared. In 28 patients of all patients, image noise and quality score of the non-enhanced and virtual non-enhanced images were compared, and radiation doses of each patient were recorded. The paired t test was used to analyze the noise difference between the plain scan and virtual non-enhanced scan. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze statistically significant differences of the image quality score and radiation dose between the non-enhanced scan and virtual non-enhanced scan. ResultsThe sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for distinguishing benign and malignant nodules by using the virtual non-enhanced image of were 89. 7％(35/39), 72.2％ (13/18), 84.2％ (48/57)respectively.The noise of common CT and virtual nonenhanced images were(8. 49 ± 1. 94) HU and( 10. 14 ± 2. 18 ) HU, and there were statistically difference (t＝9.45,P＜0. 01 ). The quality scores of common CT and virtual non-enhanced images were (4.71 ±0. 46 ) and ( 4.42 ± 0. 57 ), and there were no statistical difference ( U ＝ 290. 00, P ＞ 0. 05 ). The radiation doses of common CT and DECT were ( 3. 72 ± 0. 48 ) mSv and ( 3.78 ± 0. 45 ) mSv, and there were no statistical difference ( U ＝ 350. 50,P ＞ 0. 05 ). ConclusionDECT by using virtual non-enhanced images is useful tool to distinguish the benign and malignant SPN without additional radiation dose.

Objective To investigate the correlation of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI features with microvessel density (MVD) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods Conventional MR imaging and dynamic contrast-enhanced scan in thirty-three patients with NSCLC confirmed by pathologyn were performed. MVD and VEGF were stained with immuno-histochemical technique in all cases. Some parameters of DCE MRI, including maximum slope(Smax) and time to peak(TTP) were put more analysis. The relationship between the results of DCE MRI (Smax and TTP) and that of immuno-histochemistry (MVD and VEGF) was analysed.Results The Smax of adeno carcinoma was higher than that of squamous cell carcinoma,but TTP was lower. The difference was obvious difference(t=3.22,P

Objective To probe the feasibility of susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) for evaluation of renal blood oxygenation level of healthy volunteers after water loading.Methods SWI of 11 healthy volunteers,acquired before (group 1) and after water loading (group 2),were assessed retrospectively by two radiologists with more than 10 years abdominal work experience independently.In those images of the same section plane derived from two groups,the phase values in cortex ((φ)cor) and medulla ((φ)med),difference between the same vein and surrounding tissue on phase map (△(φ)) were measured using SPIN software package,and the oxygen extraction fraction changes (△OEF) was calculated.The (φ)cor,(φ)med and △(φ) between two groups were compared by paired t test.And the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)was used to evaluate the consistency between two radiologists.Results For the radiologist 1,the (φ)cor,(φ)med and △(φ) were (0.046 ±0.019),(-0.014 ±0.003) and (1.3 ±0.4) rad in group 1,and were (0.047 ±0.014),(-0.012 ±0.005) and (1.1 ±0.4) rad in group 2 respectively,and no significant change was found in (φ)cor and (φ)med after water loading (t =-0.589 and-0.206,P ＞ 0.05 in all),except of in △(φ) (t =2.400,P ＜ 0.01).For the radiologist 2,the (φ)cor,(φ)med and △△(φ) were (0.049 ± 0.011),(-0.012 ± 0.004)and (1.5 ±0.4) rad in Group 1,and were (0.046 ±0.017),(-0.011 ±0.003) and (1.3 ±0.2) rad in group 2 respectively,there was no significant change in (φ)cor and (φ)med after water loading (t =0.590 and -0.974,P ＞ 0.05 in all),except of in △(φ) (t =2.760,P ＜ 0.05).Between two radiologists,the ICC of (φ)cor,(φ)med and △(φ) were 0.623,0.472 and 0.328 in group 1 and 0.599,0.442 and 0.445 in group 2 respectively.△OEF decreased about (-4.2 ± 2.3) c％ and (-4.3 ± 2.8) c％ measured by two radiologists respectively,and the consistency is good between two radiologists (ICC =0.784).Conclusion SWI provides a novel method to assess indirectly the oxygenation level of kidney,△OEF is an indicator with suitable reliability.

Objective To investigate the imaging characteristics of mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma of the kindey (MTSCC-K).Methods Five cases of pathologically confirmed MTSCC-K were analyzed retrospectively.All patients underwent CT scanning,and 4 cases underwent conventional MR and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) scanning.MR enhancement ratio for the tumor was calculated according to MR signal intensity of pre-and post-contrast in tumor and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of tumor and normal renal cortical.Results Two case located in the right kindey,and 3 cases located in the left kindey.The maximum diameter of lesions ranged from 3.2 cm to 7.1 cm.Five cases showed nearly round shape with clear borderline.Pseudocapsule was found in 4 cases,3 cases had necrosis and cystic,and 1 case had calcification.There were no hemorrhage,fat and invasion of adjacent tissue.Isodensity or hypodense tumors were found on plain CT.Isointense or hyperintense tumors were found on plain T1WI,while isointense or mixed-signal tumors were found on plain T2WI.Slightly homogeneous or heterogeneous enhancement was observed on dynamic enhanced CT or MR,and the solid component of tumors showed hyperintense on DWI and hypointense on ADC.The mean CT value of tumor at the plain,cortical and nephrographic phase was 32.6 HU,46.5 HU and 66.5 HU,respectively.The mean ADC value of tumor and normal renal cortical was 1.23 × 10-3 mm2/s and 2.31 × 10-3 mm2/s,respectively.The mean MR percentage of enhancement value of tumor was 32.7％ and 104.9％,respectively.Conclusions The imaging characteristics of MTSCC-K include nearly round shape,pseudocapsule,clear borderline,necrosis,cystic and calcification.There is no invasion of adjacent tissue and seldom malignant appearances.Isodensity or hypodense can be observed on plain CT,isointense or hyperintense on plain T1WI,and a mild continuously enhancement on dynamic enhanced scanning.

Objective Calreticulin (CRT)is a multifunctional protein of endoplasmic reticulum implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis(RA). The present study was undertaken to determine whether CRT was involved in an?giogenesis events in RA. Methods Serum CRT levels were measured by enzyme-linked immnuosorbent assay(ELISA)in 106 patients with established RA, 75 osteoarthritis(OA)and 80 healthy controls(HC). CRT levels in synovial fluid were al?so measured in 25 RA and 22 OA patients. The expression of CRT in synovial tissue was examined by immunohistology. In order to investigate the role of CRT on angiogenesis, human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs)were isolated and cultured for in vitro experiments. The proliferation, migration and tube formation of HUVECs following CRT stimulation were examined in vitro by MTT assay, scratch wound healing assay and tube formation assay. Results Our results showed a sig?nificantly higher concentration of CRT in serum [(6.4±3.1) μg/L] of RA patients compared to that of OA [(3.7±0.9) μg/L, P<0.01] and HC [(3.4±1.0) μg/L, P<0.01];and significantly higher CRT in synovial fluid [(6.9±3.4) μg/L] of RA vs OA [(3.9± 0.7) μg/L, P<0.01]. Increased CRT expression predominantly localized to vascular endothelial cells, inflammatory cells and perivascular areas in both the lining and sublining layers of RA synovial tissue. Furthermore, CRT significantly promoted the proliferation, migration and tube formation of HUVECs, as showed by MTT assay, scratch wound healing assay and tube for?mation assay. Conclusion These findings suggested that CRT may be involved in synovitis and pannus formation events via promoting angiogenesis in RA.

Objective To explore the value of susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) for the assessment of chronic renal injury. Methods Thirty-nine patients with clinical diagnosis of chronic renal injury (RI group) who underwent routine renal MRI and SWI examination were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into mild injured group (15 cases) and moderate to severe injured group (24 cases) by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). At the same time, 17 volunteers without chronic renal injury who had normal serum creatinine (Scr) and blood urea nitrogen were recruited as control group. All subjects underwent routine renal MRI and SWI examination. The ratios of cortex to medulla were measured and calculated in both kidneys' magnitude image and susceptibility weighted image, which were indicated as C/MMAG and C/MSWI. Independent sample t test was used to compare the differences of C/MMAG and C/MSWI between control group and RI group, and paired sample t test was used to compare the differences betweenC/MMAG and C/MSWI in each group. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the difference of C/MMAG and C/MSWI between the control group and the different RI groups. ROC was employed to assess the diagnostic efficacy of C/MMAG and C/MSWI in renal injury. Pearson linear correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between C/MMAG, C/MSWI and eGFR, Scr in patients with renal injury. Results The C/MMAG and C/MSWI in the RI group were 1.101±0.039 and 1.071±0.046, respectively. C/MSWI was obviously lower than C/MMAG, and the difference was statistically significant (t=5.056, P<0.01). There was no significant difference between C/MMAG and C/MSWI in the control group (P>0.05). The C/MMAG and C/MSWI in the RI group were obviously lower than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (t=4.564, 6.122;P<0.01).The C/MMAG and C/MSWI in the mild injured group and the moderate to severe injured group were significantly lower than those in the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). While the differences of those between mild injured group and moderate to severe injured group showed no statistical significance (P>0.05). The area under ROC of C/MMAG and C/MSWI in diagnosis of renal injury were 0.853 and 0.952, respectively. C/MMAG was positively correlated with eGFR (r=0.460,P<0.01). Conclusions Susceptibility-weighted imaging can be used to assess chronic renal injury. Although it cannot reflect the degree of renal function damage, it has some value in the early diagnosis of mild renal injury.

Objective To investigate the effects of different concentrations of sodium fluoride on the morphologic characteristics of primarily cultured thyroid cells of SD rats and in order to obtain important proof for approaehing the mechani8m of thyroid gland damage caused by fluoride.Methods Thyroid cells of SD rat were primarily culture for 96 hours,and cell density was adjusted to 5.0×108/L Cell suspension with 5 ml Wills seeded into 6 weII plates,after 12 hours,0(contr01),10.100,1000 μmol/L of sodium fluoride was added into the well, witll each well representing different level of treatment group.Finally the cultured thyroid cells were collected for morph010gic study.Results Under microscope,the transparency of the control thyroid cells Was good,and cells gathered in cluster and adhered to wall.But a lot of cells treated with fluoride suspended,and lost their transparency-under scaning delectron microscope,the control calls showed integrated membrane and tightness to each other,as well as clear boundary between cells normal proliferation.While the thyroid cells treated with 10,100 μmol/L sodium fluoride 0bviouslv shrinked and deformed,and the cells treated with 1000 μmol/L of sodium fluoride were broken-Conclusions nuoride can affect the growth and development of thyroid cell and damage the structure and morphology.Sodium fluoride affects the morphologie characteristics of thyroid cells in a dose-response manner.

Objective To establish a radioresistant cell subline from a human A549 lung cancer cell line and investigate the mechanism of radioresistance. Methods Two proposals were applied for the non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells irradiated with X-rays:A group of A549 cell line was irradiated five times, the fractionated dose was 600 cGy, and the other group was exposed 15 times, the fractionated dose was 200 cGy. After the completion of irradiation, two monoclones were obtained from the survival of cells and named the subline A549-S1 and A549-S2. The radiosensitivity and cell cycle distribution of these two clones,together with its parental A549 cells were measured by clone formation assay and flow cytometry.The mRNA and protein levels of Notch1 in A549 cell line and the sublines were determined by RT-PCR and Western-blots. Results Compared with the parental A549 cells, A549-S1 cells showed significant resistance to radiation with D0, Dq and N values increased, and a broader initial shoulder as well as 1.38-fold increased value of SF2. The A549-S1 subline also showed higher percentage of cells in S phase and G2/M phase, but lower percentages in G0/G1 phase (P<0.05). The expression of Notch1 in A549-S1 was enhanced obviously than in A549 cells. But for A549-S2 the radioseasitivity was slightly increased compared with the parental cells with D0, Dq and N values decreased and a curve initial shoulder. The ratio of cells in S and G0/G1 phase ratio was lower than that in parental A549 cells, but that in G2/M phase ratio was higher significantly (P<0.05) .The expression of Notch1 had no marked change compared to A549 cell. Conclusions The radioresistance of the A549 cell subline is correlated with the irradiation program. The cell subline shows a different cell cycle distribution from their parental line. The cell cycle distribution has a close correlation with the expression of Notch1.

Objective To increase the awareness of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) and correct diagnosis rate of AIP by investigating radiologic characteristic of AIP and small pancreatic cancers.Methods The clinical data and radiologic imaging of 24 AIP patients who met the Asia diagnostic criteria of AIP in 2008 and 25 cases of pathologically condirmed small pancreatic cancer were retrospectively reviewed.All imaging findings were reviewed,especially on the shape,enhancement patterns of mass,pancreatic ducts,peripancreatic and extra-pancreatic manifestations. Chi-square test and Fisher test were used for statistical analysis.ResultsThe imaging signs,including location of masses,distal pancreatic atrophy,enhancing mass during portal phase,truncated duct sign of pancreatic duct,capsule-like rim and renal involvement,was significantly different between AIP and small pancreatic cancer ( x2 =9.010,10.506,15.488,8.688,6.292 and 4.966 respectively,P ＜0.05 ).But only two signs,distal pancreatic atrophy and enhancing mass during arterial and portal phase,were statistically different between local AIP and small pancreatic cancer (P ＜0.05).ConclusionsThe typical imaging features of diffuse AIP is distinct and helpful for the differential diagnosis of AIP from small pancreatic carcinoma,but there is limited value in the differential diagnosis between local AIP and small pancreatic cancer.

The gene approach to the pathogenesis of male infertility may bring about some strategies for the diagnosis and manage of the condition. Gene knockout technology is the mainstream method currently used in the study of gene function. Screening and identification of testis-specific genes and insights into their features and functions in spermatogenesis are significant for a further understanding of testicular functions and searching for new therapeutic targets for male reproductive disorders. This review focuses on the application of gene knockout technology in the study of spermatogenesis-associated genes.
Animals ; Gene Knockout Techniques ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; genetics ; Male ; Spermatogenesis ; genetics