Objective To investigate effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)treatment on pulmonary function, frequency of asthmatic attack, and quality of life in patients of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) accompanying with asthma. Methods Twenty-three patients of OSAS accompanying with mild-to-moderate asthma were studied. They were divided into two groups, gastroesophageal reflux ( GER ) group ( n = 9 ) and non-GER group ( n = 14 ), based GER questionnaire score equal to or greater than 12, or less than 12. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs), Epworth sleepy score (ESS), quality of life for obstructive sleep apnea (QOLAp) score, quality of life for asthma (QOLAs) score and polysomnography (PSG) were measured for all the patients before and after four-week CPAP, respectively. Results No significant difference in PFTs was revealed before and after four-week CPAP between the two groups. However, there was significant difference in scores of QOLAp, ESS and QOLAs before and after four-week CPAP treatment, ( 12. 8 ± 2. 8 ) and (4. 6 ± 0. 9), ( 5. 1 ± 0. 7 ) and (6.3 ±0.6), and (4. 1 ±0.5) and (6.3 ±0.5) in GER group, and (13.0 ±2.9) and (4.6 ± 1.1),(4.7±0.5) and (5.6±0.6), and (3.6±0.3) and (5.8 ±0.6) in non-GER group, respectively (P＜0. 01 or 0. 05). Frequencies of asthmatic attack and nocturnal asthmatic attack reduced to ( 1.7 ± 1.1 )episodes per week and (0. 7 ± 0. 3) episodes per week after four-week treatment from (2. 9 ± 2. 0) episodes per week and ( 1.4 ± 0. 8) episodes per week before treatment ( P ＜ 0. 05 ) in GER group, but no significant difference was found before and after treatment in non-GER group. Scores of QOLAs increased more significantly in GER group than that in non-GER group ( P ＜ 0. 05 ). Conclusion CPAP treatment can significantly improve quality of life, rather than pulmonary function, in patients of OSAS accompanying with asthma, especially in those with GER symptoms.

OBJECTIVESTo characterize the prethrombotic state (PTS) in elderly Chinese patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and the effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) ventilation on their PTS.

METHODSForty-one elderly patients with moderate and severe OSAHS were enrolled into the OSAHS group and underwent nCPAP treatment. Their blood samples were drawn at 6:00 am and 4:00 pm before and during nCPAP treatment, respectively, to test hemocrit, platelet aggregation (PAG), whole blood viscosity (WBV), plasma fibrinogen (fng), prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). All blood factors were also tested in a control group consisting of 32 healthy elderly Chinese with neither OSAHS nor cerebrocardiac vascular disease.

RESULTSIn the OSAHS group there was a significantly higher hemocrit, WBV, fng, and a significantly shorter PT and APTT at 6:00 am compared to 4:00 pm before nCPAP treatment, while there was no significant difference among all blood test factors between 6:00 am and 4:00 pm on day 30 of the nCPAP treatment. In the OSAHS group, the hemocrit, WBV, PAG and plasma fng were significantly lower and the PT and APTT were significantly longer at 6:00 am on day 30 of the nCPAP treatment compared to 6:00 am before the nCPAP treatment. A significantly lower hemocrit, but a much longer PT and APTT were observed at 4:00 pm on day 30 of the treatment, compared with 4:00 pm before the treatment. No significant difference among the blood test factors was found between 6:00 am and 4:00 pm blood in the control group or between the control and OSAHS groups after 30 days of nCPAP treatment.

CONCLUSIONIn elderly Chinese OSAHS patients, PTS could be effectively eliminated by nCPAP treatment.

Aged ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; prevention & control ; China ; Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; blood ; therapy

To explore the value of the third generation dual-source computed tomography (CT) convolution kernel in display of pulmonary ground-glass nodule (GGN) in transverse image reconstruction.
 Methods: A total of 52 lung adenocarcinoma patients with lung CT data were selected from February 2018 to January 2019 for this study. The pulmonary CT data were reconstructed by convolutional nucleus B157, Br54, and Br49. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and the standard deviation (SD) of the image at the GGN were used as the objective evaluation standard of image quality. Subjective image quality was scored by 2 radiologists from 3 aspects (overall image quality, noise, and lesion outline).
 Results: Objective image quality evaluation, SNR and CNR of reconstructed convolution kernel Br49 (SNR: 11.36±5.39, CNR: 7.19±4.29), Br54 (SNR: 8.30±3.35, CNR: 5.09±2.86) are greater than those of Bl57 (SNR: 4.18±2.10, CNR: 3.25±1.78; all P<0.01). SD of reconstructed convolution kernel Br49 (61.80±20.17) and Br54 (80.45±20.31) is smaller than that of Bl57 (137.92±31.11, both P<0.01). In the subjective image quality evaluation, the overall image quality score 5.0(4.5, 5.0) of Br54 was higher than that of all other images [Br49: 3.0(3.0, 4.0), Bl57: 3.0(3.0, 3.5); both P<0.05]. The Br54 image showed that the lesion contour ability score 5.0(4.0, 5.0) was higher than all other images [Br49: 4.0(4.0, 5.0), Bl57: 3.0(3.0, 3.0); both P<0.05]; Br49 image noise score 3.0(3.0, 3.0) is the lowest one [Br54 4.0(4.0, 4.0), Bl57 5.0(5.0, 5.0); both P<0.05].
 Conclusion: The reasonable selection of CT convolution kernel plays an important role in the subjective and objective image quality of GGN. It is suggested that Br54 should be used as the reconstruction of convolutional kernel in pulmonary ground glass nodules, which is helpful for doctors to find and diagnose GGN.
Algorithms ; Humans ; Radiation Dosage ; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; Signal-To-Noise Ratio ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

To assess the value of noise-optimized virtual monoenergetic imaging (VMI+) reconstruction technique on objective and subjective image quality in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) undergoing abdominal dual-energy computed tomography (DECT).
 Methods: Datasets from 32 patients (22 men, 10 women) with IBD, who underwent abdominal DECT, were reconstructed by using the standard linearly blended (M_0.6), traditional monoenergetic (VMI) and VMI+ algorithms in 10-keV intervals from 40-100 keV. Attenuation in IBD lesions was measured to perform objective evaluation using signal-to-noise (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR). Subjective evaluation was performed by 3 independent blinded radiologists using 5-point Likert scales. The overall image quality, image sharpness, lesion delineation, and image noise were analyzed. 
 Results: Mean SNR and CNR peaked at 40 keV VMI+ series (SNR 8.28±2.34, CNR 5.10±2.10) and they were significantly higher than those in linearly blended (SNR 5.82±1.44, CNR 1.53±0.86) and all VMI series (all P<0.01). Subjective image parameter was the highest for the 50 keV VMI+ series regarding overall image quality (mean 4.80, all P<0.01). The highest image sharpness scores were observed at 40 and 50 keV VMI+ reconstructions (mean 4.14 and 4.25, respectively; P=0.415). VMI+ series at 40 keV provided the highest lesion delineation (mean 4.52, all P<0.01). Image noise was low at the 100 keV VMI+ and VMI series (mean 4.58 and 4.40, respectively; P≥0.11).
 Conclusion: Low-keV VMI+ reconstructions improves SNR, CNR, and subjective image quality significantly in patients with IBD.
Female ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; diagnostic imaging ; Male ; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; Radiography, Dual-Energy Scanned Projection ; methods ; Reproducibility of Results ; Retrospective Studies ; Signal-To-Noise Ratio ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods