Objective To explore the sleep quality and its influencing factors among the patients with schizophrenia of Hui and Han populations in the rural areas in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.MethodsTotally 296 patients with schizophrenia of Hui and Han populations in the rural areas were selected from 2 counties of Wuzhong and Zhongwei in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region by using cluster random sampling method.Self-made general information questionnaire was used to collect the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients with schizophrenia.The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI) was used to evaluate the sleep quality.Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale(BPRS),Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA) were used to measure the psychotic symptoms,depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms,respectively.ResultsIn the rural areas,the incidence of sleep disorder in the patients with schizophrenia of Hui and Han populations was 84.5%.The influencing factors of sleep disorder in the patients with schizophrenia in the rural areas were age(B=0.055,P=0.012,OR=1.057,95%CI:1.012-1.103),nationality(B=2.250,P<0.01,OR=9.485,95%CI:2.701-33.319),marital status(B=-1.506,P=0.003,OR=0.222,95%CI:0.081-0.605),course of disease(B=-0.003,P=0.089,OR=0.997,95%CI:0.993-1.001),the total score of HAMD(B=0.079,P=0.007,OR=1.083,95%CI:1.021-1.148)and the total score of HAMA(B=0.060,P=0.036,OR=1.061,95%CI:1.004-1.122).ConclusionSleep disorders are common and associated with multiple factors in patients with schizophrenia of Hui and Han populations in Ningxia rural area.In clinical practice,more attention should be paid to the identification and intervention of sleep disorders,so as to improve the sleep quality for the patients with schizophrenia.

Objective To study the multi-slice helical CT (MSCT) features of horseshoe lung and to improve its diagnostic ability. Methods The clinical and imaging data were retrospectively reviewed in 5 patients. All of them underwent plain MSCT scan, and 4 patients also had enhanced MSCT scan and threedimensional reconstruction. Results In horseshoe lung, the basal segments of the right and left lungs were fused together by a isthmus of pulmonary parenchyma, across the midline behind the pericardium and before the esophagus, descending aorta and spine. All patients were companied with bronchopulmonary dysplasia,anomalous origin of the central bronchi, anomalous arterial supply. Anomalous pulmonary venous return to inferior vena cava and congenital cardiovascular malformations were also found in 4 cases. Conclusion MSCT and three-dimensional reconstruction are valuable for identification of horseshoe lung.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of adrenomedullin (AM) in the development of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH), and to assess the expression of AM and adrenomedullin receptor (AMR) in the lungs of rats with HPH.

METHODSWe exposed 10 rats to normobaric hypoxic conditions for 3 weeks to establish rat model of pulmonary hypertension; and 10 other rats were used as normoxic controls. Mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) was measured by a right cardiac catheterization. The thickness of pulmonary arterioles was measured by a computerized image analyzer. We used the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to assess the change of expression of AM and AMR in lung of HPH rat model.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, hypoxic rats developed remarkable pulmonary hypertension, increment in the thickness of pulmonary arterioles and right ventricular hypertrophy (P < 0.01). Chronic hypoxia elicited a considerable increment in expression of AM and AMR in the lungs of rats, and the ratio of AM/beta-actin and AMR/beta-actin in lungs of rats treated with hypoxia were significantly higher (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe AM plays an important role in regulating pulmonary vascular tone and can ameliorate the development of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in rats.

Adrenomedullin ; Animals ; Arterioles ; pathology ; Gene Expression ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; metabolism ; pathology ; Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular ; etiology ; Hypoxia ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lung ; metabolism ; Male ; Peptides ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Receptors, Adrenomedullin ; Receptors, Peptide ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Objective: To investigate the value of the peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) before nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in predicting the short-term efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy for advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: With the approval of the Ethics Committee and the informed consent of the patients, 59 patients with stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ OSCC who were admitted to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department of the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from September 2020 to June 2023 were enrolled. All the patients had complete clinical data, were pathologically diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, and received preoperative and received preoperative nimotuzumab + TP (docetaxel + cisplatin) neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The clinical data were analyzed, and the neutrophil and lymphocyte counts in peripheral blood were collected before and after nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The NLR was calculated, and the threshold value was calculated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Patients were divided into a high NLR group and a low NLR group according to the NLR threshold before nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with TP. The clinical efficacy after nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with TP was evaluated according to the evaluation criteria for solid tumor efficacy, and the correlation between the NLR and recent neoadjuvant therapy efficacy was analyzed. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in OSCC tissues before and after nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with TP and to analyze whether the expression of EGFR differed among the different NLR groups. Results: A total of 59 patients with advanced OSCC were included. According to the ROC curve, the NLR threshold was 2.377, and the patients were divided into a <2.377 group (low NLR group), with 24 patients, and a>2.377 group (high NLR group), with 35 patients. The short-term neoadjuvant therapy effect was significantly greater in the lower NLR group than in the higher NLR group (P<0.05); EGFR expression in both the low NLR group and the high NLR group decreased after nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with TP, and the decrease in the low NLR group was significantly greater than that in the high NLR group (P<0.05). Conclusion A low NLR before nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with TP is associated with better neoadjuvant therapy outcomes, and such patients are more likely to benefit from preoperative nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical feasibility and advantages of ultrasound guided mammotome biopsy for micro-calcifications visible in mammography. Methods: A total of 12 patients with mammography-revealed micro-calcifications examined by ultrasound guided vacuum-assisted biopsy in our hospital from Jun. 2017 to Dec. 2018 were enrolled in this study and their medical records data were analyzed. Results: All 12 patients had accepted pre-biopsy ultrasound localization and all micro-calcifications were successfully excised. Among 12 cases, 4 were revealed as benign breast diseases and 8 were diagnosed as breast cancer. Conclusions Ultrasound guided mammotome biopsy is found to be an alternative method to stereotactic biopsy in patients with US-detectable micro-calcifications, and re-scan ultrasonography focusing on the specific microcalcification area may be helpful for improving the ultrasound detection rate of micro-calcifications.

Objective:To investigate the effect of digoxin on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice, and investigate its possible mechanism through in vitro and in vivo experiments. Methods:① In vivo experiment: 60 C57/BL6J mice were randomly divided into control group, pulmonary fibrosis model group (model group), pirfenidone (300 mg/kg) group, digoxin 1.0 mg/kg and 0.2 mg/kg groups, with 12 mice in each group. The pulmonary fibrosis model of mice was reproduced by single intratracheal infusion of bleomycin (5 mg/kg). The control group was given the same amount of sterile normal saline. From the next day after modeling, each group was received corresponding drugs by intragastric administration once a day for 28 days. Control group and model group were given the same amount of normal saline. The mice were sacrificed and the lung tissue was collected to detect the lung coefficient. After hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and Masson staining, the lung tissue morphology and collagen changes were observed under light microscope. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the positive expressions of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and extracellular matrix (ECM) collagen (COL-Ⅰ and COL-Ⅲ) in lung tissue. The protein expressions of ECM fibronectin (FN), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and phosphorylation of Smad3 (p-Smad3) in lung tissue were detected by Western blotting. ② In vitro experiment: human embryonic lung fibroblast-1 (HFL-1) cells were cultured and divided into blank control group, fibroblast activation model group (model group), pirfenidone (2.5 mmol/L) group and digoxin 100 nmol/L and 50 nmol/L groups when cell density reached 70%-90%. After 3-hour treatment with corresponding drugs, except blank control group, the other groups were treated with TGF-β for 48 hours to establish fibroblast activation model. The expressions of α-SMA, FN and p-Smad3 proteins and the phosphorylations of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway proteins PI3K and Akt (p-PI3K, p-Akt) were detected by Western blotting. Results:① In vivo, compared with the control group, the alveolar structure of mice in the model group was significantly damaged, a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrated, collagen deposition in the lung interstitium was increased, the deposition of ECM in the lung tissue was also increased, and the expressions of α-SMA, FN, TGF-β and p-Smad3 protein were increased, indicating that the model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice was successfully prepared. Compared with the model group, digoxin significantly inhibited airway inflammation and collagen fiber deposition, reduced ECM deposition, and decreased the protein expressions of α-SMA, FN, TGF-β and p-Smad3, while the effect was better than that of the pirfenidone group, and the digoxin 1.0 mg/kg group had a better effect except FN [α-SMA ( A value): 5.37±1.10 vs. 9.51±1.66, TGF-β protein (TGF-β/GAPDH): 0.09±0.04 vs. 0.33±0.23, p-Smad3 protein (p-Smad3/GAPDH): 0.05±0.01 vs. 0.20±0.07, all P < 0.01]. ② In vitro, compared with the blank control group, the expressions of FN, α-SMA, p-Smad3 and PI3K/Akt signaling proteins in the model group were increased, indicating that the fibroblast activation model induced by TGF-β was successfully reproduced. Compared with the model group, digoxin significantly inhibited fibroblast activation, and decreased the expressions of FN, α-SMA, p-Smad3, and PI3K/Akt pathway proteins, moreover, the effect was better than that of the pirfenidone group, and decreased FN, SMA and p-Akt protein expressions were more obvious in digoxin 100 nmol/L group [FN protein (FN/GAPDH): 0.21±0.15 vs. 0.88±0.22, α-SMA protein (α-SMA/GAPDH): 0.20±0.01 vs. 0.50±0.08, p-Akt protein (p-Akt/GAPDH): 0.30±0.01 vs. 0.65±0.10, all P < 0.01]. Conclusion:Digoxin could suppress the pulmonary fibrosis in mice induced by bleomycin, which might be associated with the regulation of fibroblast activation via suppressing PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in a dose-dependent manner.