Objective To evaluate the clinical value of low-dose scan with 1 6-slice spiral CT in follow-up of the adult patients with secondary active pulmonary tuberculosis.Methods 130 patients with secondary active pulmonary tuberculosis were enrolled CT scans in the study.Routine dose (120 mA)and the following low-dose (1 5-40 mA)scanning was used with the same tube voltage of 120Kv and other factors.Image quality,imaging characteristics of the lesions,CT dose index and dose length product of two scans were evaluated.Meanwhile,the effective dose,quantitative measurement and evaluation of differences were analyzed.Results Between the routine scan and low-dose one,no significant difference in image quality was found(P = 0.121 0).No significant differences were found between two scans in 7 imaging features including ground-glass appearance,tree-in-bud sign,consolidation, cavity,bronchiectasis,bronchial stenosis and intralesional calcification (P >0.05).The X-ray radiation dose was decreased signifi-cantly with low-dose CT.Conclusion Low-dose spiral CT shows more advances in detection of secondary active pulmonary tubercu-losis as good as the conventional doses CT,and is used in the follow-up of the pulmonary tuberculosis.

Objective To establish an animal model of SM by equal toxicity dose(1LD50)-induced acute pulmonary injury in rats and compare the differences of inflammatory factor and protein expression. Methods Rats were randomly divided into five groups. ELISA and immunohistochemical methods were measured. Results Serum INF-γ and IL-23 levels in the intraperitoneal SM group were increased compared with the tracheal SM group;there were also significant differences in serum IL-4 levels between the two groups. In the alveolar septum , the positive expression ratios of NF-Kβ1,NF-Kβp65,ERK,JNK,and p38MAPK in the intraperitoneal SM group were increased compared with the tracheal SM group. Conclusion Using SM (1LD50),There are significantly higher serum inflammatory factor levels and protein-related expression in the alveolar septum of rats intraperitoneally injected with SM compared with those administered SM by intratracheal instillation. The results suggest that pulmonary inflammatory reactions associated with SM are dependent on the route of exposure.

Objective To explore the superiority of dual-phase contrast-enhancement multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) in observing intracranial tuberculosis.Methods Thirty patients with intracranial tuberculosis,admitted to our hospital from January 2003 to November 2011,were chosen in our study; regular 16-slice spiral CT scan was performed,and then,dual-phase MSCT was performed as follows:contrast-enhanced scan was performed 25 seconds after arrival of contrast material on vascular phase,and 5 minutes after that (lag phase),conventional scanning was performed.According to the different lesions and morphologies of the tuberculosis,they were divided into three types:meningeal thickening,meningeal tuberculoma and parenchymal tuberculoma; the lesion sizes and edge definition and the relationship of the lesions with the surrounding vascular lesions in these three types were scored and calculated,and the differences of the image quality were compared at the vascular phase and lag phase.Results A total of 526 lesions in 30 patients were found,including 22 with meningeal thickening,235 with meningeal tuberculomas/tubercles,and 269 with parenchymal tuberculomas/tubercles.As compared with these three types at the vascular phase (0.36±0.49,0.36±0.52 and 0.41±0.53; 0.00,0.27±0.45 and 0.12±0.32; 1.09±0.68,1.22±0.74 and 1.27±0.75),these three types at the lag phase had significant differences in the scores of lesion sizes (1.64±0.58,1.64±0.58 and 1.59± 0.60) and lesion edge definition (2.00,1.73±0.49 and 1.88±0.34) and the relationship of the lesions with the surrounding vascular lesions (1.82±0.39,2.00±0.06 and 2.00±0.06,P＜0.05).Conclusion Images in the lag phase have advantages on diagnosis of intracranial tuberculosis.

[Abstract] Objective: To investigate the effect of alantolactone (ALT) on proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of human osteosarcoma 143B cells and the underlying mechanism. Methods: Osteosarcoma 143B cells were treated with different concentrations of ALT (0, 4, 6, 8, 10 µmol/L). Then, the cell proliferation ability was detected by crystal violet staining and MTT assay, cell migration was determined by Wound-healing test, cell invasion was analyzed by Transwell assay and cell apoptosis rate was detected by Hoechst33258 staining. The mRNA and protein expressions of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, caspase-3, cleaved caspase-3 (c-caspase-3), poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and cleaved PARP (c-PARP) in 143B cells were detected by qPCR and Western blotting (WB), respectively. TCF/LEF (T cell lymphocyte factor/lymphoid enhancer factor) transcriptional activity was examined with Luciferase reporter gene assay. The mRNA and protein expressions of β-catenin as well as MMP-7 and c-Myc were detected by qPCR and WB, respectively. Results: ALT inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma143B cells and promoted apoptosis(P<0.05or P<0.01). After the treatment with ALT at 8, 10 µmol/L, the mRNA and protein expressions of E-cadherin and PARP, as well as the protein expressions of c-caspase-3 and c-PARP were up-regulated, while the mRNA and protein expressions of N-cadherin were downregulated (P<0.05 or P<0.01);At the sametime, theTCF/LEF transcriptional activity and the mRNA and protein expressions of β-catenin, MMP-7 and c-Myc were significantly down-regulated (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion:ALT may inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion and promote cell apoptosis possibly through suppressing Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in osteosarcoma 143B cells.