PurposeConventional gastric CT provides poor contrast for gastric cancer lesions, the purpose of this study is to investigate the application value of dual energy CT image fusion technology in the improvement of lesion contrast in gastric cancer.Materials and Methods Abdominal dual energy contrast-enhanced CT images of 30 gastric cancer patients were retrospectively analyzed, dual-energy images were reconstructed with different linear and nonlinear fusion settings, contrast between lesions and normal gastric wall, lesion contrast to noise ratio (CNR) were compared among 100 kVp, 140 kVp and different fusion groups, and image quality was evaluated subjectively.Results There were statistically significant differences among the gastric cancer contrast and CNR of 100 kVp, 140 kVp and three linear blending images (F=29.6 and 26.1,P<0.001), with M=0.7 linear fusion group showing the highest CNR. The gastric cancer contrast and CNR was signiifcantly higher with a bandwidth (BW) of 0 HU when compared among the three groups of nonlinear blending images (F=268.5 and 49.5,P<0.001). Moreover, the nonlinear group with a width of 0 HU had a 36% and 47% increase in lesion contrast and CNR over that of a linear blending image. In the subjective evaluation of images, the BW=0 HU nonlinear fusion image was most frequently estimated as the most preferred images for lesion observation of gastric cancer.Conclusion Nonlinear blending with a BW of 0 HU improves display of gastric cancer, and has the potential clinical value to increase the accuracy of staging.

Objective To investigate which methods can promote the serum microRNA extract production.Methods The sera of healthy persons were treated with 10％ SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) and/or sonication at first,then extracted miRNA by routine Trizol method,or the serum miRNA was just extracted by routine Trizol method.The contents of serum miRNA-218 and miRNA-346 were detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) technique,and qRT-PCR relative quantities among different groups were compared to evaluate influence of different methods on microRNA extract efficacy.Results Compared to routine Trizol extraction method,the qRT-PCR relative quantities of miRNA-218 and miRNA-346 were improved when serum was treated with 10％ SDS and/or sonication at first (P ＜0.05),which was most obviously improved when treated with 10％ SDS combined with sonieation.Conclusions The method that serum was treated with SDS incubation and sonication at first can promote sensitivity of serum microRNA detection.

OBJECTIVE To observe the effects of Dexamethasone on the expression of cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (CNG channels) mRNA of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). METHODS Forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: 24-hours Dexamethasone treated group and its control group; 2-weeks Dexamethasone treated group and its control group. Dexamethasone was injected i.p. (1 mg/kg for 24-hours group, 0.2 mg/d for 2-weeks group). Control group rats were injected with the same volume of normal saline. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR was performed to evaluate mRNA production of CNGA2 subunits. RESULTS In Dexamethasone-injected rats, the up-regulation of CNGA2 mRNA was observed in 2-weeks group(P

AIM: To evaluate expression of the components of endothelin system in pulmonary tissue in a canine pacing-induced congestive heart failure model. METHODS: Twenty-one dogs were divided into 3 groups received 2 (pacing 2 group) or 4 weeks (pacing 4 group) rapid right ventricular pacing, respectively, whereas the other group consisted of 7 dogs received sham-operation as control group. Haemodynamic parameters were detected via left and right heart catheterization. Plasma endothelin-1 was determined by means of RIA. In addition, RT-PCR was used to quantify expression of mRNA of components of endothelin system using ?-actin as internal control. One-way ANOVA and linear regression analysis were used for statistical study. RESULTS:Plasma endothelin-1 increased significantly in heart failure animals. The ratio of preproET-1 to ? actin mRNA was significantly increased from 0.14?0.06 in control group to 0.35?0.08 in pacing 2 group and 0.53?0.08 in pacing 4 group ( P

AIM: To investigate the changes of intrarenal endothelin system in the course of congestive heart failure. METHODS: A canine congestive heart failure model induced by rapid right ventricular pacing was used in the present study. Twenty-one mongrel dogs divided randomly into 3 groups: control, congestive heart failure 2 weeks(CHF2) and congestive heart failure 4 weeks (CHF4). The severity of heart failure was evaluated by means of hemodynamic measurement. The concentration of plasma endothelin was detected via RIA, and the expression of endothelin was detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS: The concentration of plasma endothelin in both of CHF2 and CHF4 elevated significantly. In CHF2, the expression of endothelin receptor B(ETB) in renal medulla increased significantly. And in CHF4, the expression of preproendothelin, endothelin receptor A(ETA) and ETB increased both in renal cortex and medulla. Furthermore, in cortex, the expression of ETA increased more significantly than ETB, while in medulla, ETB expressed much more than ETA. CONCLUSION: The changes of renal endothelin system expression plays a role in the regulation of water and electrolyte balance during the progress of congestive heart failure.

0.05). In the non-smoking group, the pulse pressures of patients with coronary heart disease were significantly higher than those of subjects with negative angiographic results. Among the three subgroups with different severity of coronary arterial lesion, the pulse pressure of 3-vessel diseases was higher than those of both 2-vessel and 1-vessel subgroup. The pulse pressure of subjects with negative angiographic results in smoking group was significantly higher than that in non-smoking group [(56.1?17.2) mm Hg vs (50.9?11.4) mm Hg,1 mm Hg=0.133 kPa P

Arabidopsis BOTRYTIS-INDUCED KINASE1 (BIK1) is a receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase acting early in multiple signaling pathways important for plant growth and innate immunity. It is known to form a signaling complex with a cell-surface receptor FLS2 and a co-receptor kinase BAK1 to transduce signals upon perception of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Although site-specific phosphorylation is speculated to mediate the activation and function of BIK1, few studies have been devoted to complete profiling of BIK1 phosphorylation residues. Here, we identified nineteen in vitro autophosphorylation sites of BIK1 including three phosphotyrosine sites, thereby proving BIK1 is a dual-specificity kinase for the first time. The kinase activity of BIK1 substitution mutants were explicitly assessed using quantitative mass spectrometry (MS). Thr-237, Thr-242 and Tyr-250 were found to most significantly affect BIK1 activity in autophosphorylation and phosphorylation of BAK1 in vitro. A structural model of BIK1 was built to further illustrate the molecular functions of specific phosphorylation residues. We also mapped new sites of FLS2 phosphorylation by BIK1, which are different from those by BAK1. These in vitro results could provide new hypotheses for more in-depth in vivo studies leading to deeper understanding of how phosphorylation contributes to BIK1 activation and mediates downstream signaling specificity.
Amino Acids ; chemistry ; Arabidopsis ; enzymology ; Arabidopsis Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Immunity, Innate ; Mutation ; Phosphorylation ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; chemistry ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Signal Transduction ; Threonine ; genetics

Objective:To compare the early and mid-term results of hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR) and minimally invasive multivessel coronary artery bypass grafting (MICS-CABG) in coronary artery disease patients with low left ventricular ejection fraction and non diabetes mellitus, and to explore the indication of HCR and MICS-CABG.Methods:A retrospective cohort analysis of HCR and MICS-CABG cases with preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction less than 0.40, and without diabetes mellitus were conducted in Xijing Hospital from January 2015 to December 2019. 36 cases in HCR group and 17 cases in MICS group were included in this study. For HCR procedure, minimally invasive left internal mammary artery(LIMA) to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) bypass surgery were performed, and followed by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to treat non LAD lesion 1 to 4 weeks later. MICS-CABG procedure was performed through left anterior small thoracotomy minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting for multiple diseased vessels.Results:The preoperative SYNTAX score in MICS group was significantly higher than that in HCR group ( P<0.05). There was no perioperative death in both groups. Troponin I, postoperative drainage volume, blood transfusion volume and ventilator ventilation time in MICS group were significantly higher than those in HCR group ( P<0.05). After 12 months follow-up, no patient died in both groups. Furthermore, all LIMA grafts were patency. The stenosis rate of drug-eluting stents in HCR group was similar to that of great saphenous vein grafts in MICS group. LVEF and left ventricular end diastolic diameter of both groups were significantly improved 12 months after operation ( P<0.05). Conclusion:HCR and MICS-CABG are minimally invasive and safe treatment for multivessel coronary artery disease patients with low ejection fraction and non diabetese mellitus. The early and mid-term therapeutic effects are satisfactory. If coronary artery lesions other than LAD are suitable for PCI, HCR should be the preferred treatment.

Objective:To evaluate the risk factors of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with multiple wasp stings.Methods:Patients with multiple wasp stings were retrospectively enrolled in Hanzhong Central Hospital from September 2010 to November 2020. Based on whether the patients developed AKI, the patients were divided into AKI group and non-AKI group. The general characteristics and laboratory examinations between the two groups were compared. The logistic regression model was used to analyze the risk factors of AKI.Results:A total of 356 patients with multiple wasp stings were recruited in this study, with 196 males (55.1%). The age was 56.0(45.0, 64.0) years old. There were 59 patients (16.6%) with hypertension and 13 patients (3.6%) with diabetes. There were 51 patients (14.3%) in the AKI group and 305 patients (85.7%) in the non-AKI group. Baseline data and biochemical examinations indicated that the two groups showed significant differences in gender, age, sting sites (systemic or local), sting needles, proportions of gross hematuria, leukocyte count, hemoglobin, creatine kinase, alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, proportions of urinary protein, and proportions of urine occult blood (all P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that the increasing number of sting needles (every 10 needles increase, OR=1.866, 95% CI 1.289-2.071, P=0.001), gross hematuria ( OR=9.770, 95% CI 2.586-36.910, P=0.001), decreasing hemoglobin (every 1 g/L increase, OR=0.016, 95% CI 0.001-0.355, P=0.009), increasing aspartate aminotransferase (every 100 U/L increase, OR=1.311, 95% CI 1.144-1.502, P<0.001), and increasing total bilirubin (every 10 μmol/L increase, OR=1.200, 95% CI 1.008-1.430, P=0.041) were independent influencing factors of AKI. Conclusions:The increasing number of sting needles, gross hematuria, decreasing hemoglobin, increasing aspartate aminotransferase, and increasing total bilirubin are independent risk factors of AKI in patients with multiple wasp stings.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has spread worldwide and threatened human's health. With the passing of time, the epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 evolves and the knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 infection accumu-lates. To further improve the scientific and standardized diagnosis and treatment of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection in China, the Chinese Society of Perinatal Medicine of Chinese Medical Association commissioned leading experts to develop the Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection under the guidance of the Maternal and Child Health Department of the National Health Commission. This recommendations includes the epidemiology, diagnosis, management, maternal care, medication treatment, care of birth and newborns, and psychological support associated with maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection. It is hoped that the recommendations will effectively help the clinical management of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection.