Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an intelligent handheld ultrasound (US) device for assisting non-expert general practitioners (GPs) in detecting carotid plaques (CPs) in community populations. Methods: This prospective parallel controlled trial recruited 111 consecutive community residents. All of them underwent examinations by non-expert GPs and specialist doctors using handheld US devices (setting A, setting B, and setting C). The results of setting C with specialist doctors were considered the gold standard. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and the features of CPs were measured and recorded. The diagnostic performance of GPs in distinguishing CPs was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Inter-observer agreement was compared using the intragroup correlation coefficient (ICC). Questionnaires were completed to evaluate clinical benefits. Results: Among the 111 community residents, 80, 96, and 112 CPs were detected in settings A, B, and C, respectively. Setting B exhibited better diagnostic performance than setting A for detecting CPs (area under the curve, 0.856 vs. 0.749; P<0.01). Setting B had better consistency with setting C than setting A in CIMT measurement and the assessment of CPs (ICC, 0.731 to 0.923). Moreover, measurements in setting B required less time than the other two settings (44.59 seconds vs. 108.87 seconds vs. 126.13 seconds, both P<0.01). Conclusion Using an intelligent handheld US device, GPs can perform CP screening and achieve a diagnostic capability comparable to that of specialist doctors.

Rubi Fructus has a long history of medicinal and edible use in China. It contains chemical components such as terpenes, flavonoids, phenolic acids, fatty acids, and alkaloids, and possesses various pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, anti-tumor, anti-osteoporosis, and liver-protective effects. Rubi Fructus is widely applied in medical, health, and food fields. The quality of Rubi Fructus can directly affect the safety and effectiveness of clinical medication. Therefore, this article reviews the research progress on the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Rubi Fructus. Based on the concept of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) quality markers(Q-markers), the article explores the screening and determination of Q-markers for Rubi Fructus from various aspects, including plant kinship, traditional efficacy, medicinal properties, measurability of chemical composition, different processing methods, producing areas, harvesting periods, and planting conditions. The components ellagic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, rutin, astragalin, tiliroside, and hyperoside are preliminarily proposed as Q-markers for Rubi Fructus, providing a reference for the quality control of Rubi Fructus.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Rubus/chemistry* ; Fruit/chemistry* ; Quality Control ; Animals

Tibial plateau fracture is a fracture involving the proximal articular surface of the tibia, and its injury mechanism is complex, the fracture morphology is different, and it is often accompanied by different degrees of soft tissue injury, which is difficult to diagnose and treat. In recent years, the research hotspot has focused on solving the reduction and fixation of the posterior lateral column of the tibial plateau, because it has been clinically found that the residual sagittal plane after tibial plateau fracture is insufficient reduction or loss of reduction leads to knee joint dysfunction. The posterior inclination angle of the tibial plateau is an important parameter to describe the sagittal alignment of the tibia. In the natural state, the posterior tibial slope(PTS) is altered to involve the soft tissues around the knee joint such as anterior cruciate ligament(ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament(PCL), which affects the stability of the knee joint. In total knee arthroplasty(TKA), choosing the appropriate PTS can effectively increase the prosthesis survival rate, improve the flexion and extension knee efficacy, which is beneficial to knee joint stability. In the field of orthopedic trauma, correction of sagittal deformity is equally important, following the principle of "reverse mechanism of injury". Quantitative evaluation of postoperative sagittal realignment of tibial plateau fractures and investigation of the effect of sagittal realignment on long-term outcomes and complications are still poorly understood and require further clinical and biomechanical studies.
Humans ; Tibial Fractures/physiopathology* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods* ; Tibial Plateau Fractures

AIM:To investigate the effects of the three Tiao-Bu Fei-Shen therapies on renal injury in rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD),and to explore the mechanisms.METHODS:SPF-grade SD rats were randomly divided into control,COPD,pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate ammonium(PDTC),Bufei-Jianpi formula(BJF),Bu-fei-Yishen formula(BYF),Yiqi-Zishen formula(YZF),BJF combined with PDTC(BJF+PDTC),BYF combined PDTC(BYF+PDTC),and YZF combined PDTC(YZF+PDTC)groups.Cigarette smoke exposure combined with bacterial infec-tion were used to develop a stable-phase rat model of COPD,and kidney-injured rats were screened for subsequent treat-ment.Pulmonary and renal functions,pathological changes in lung and kidney tissues,24 h urine volume,urine biochem-ical indexes,aquaporin(AQP)levels,ratio of inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF),serum in-flammatory factor levels,and mRNA and protein expressions of IκB kinase(IKK)and nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)were observed at the end of the 16th week.RESULTS:Compared with control group,the rats in COPD group showed reduced lung function indexes of forced expiratory vital capacity(FVC),forced expiratory volume in 0.1 second(FEV0.1)and FEV0.1/FVC(P<0.05).The lung histopathology exhibited alveolar wall fracture and fusion and airway inflammatory cell infiltration.The renal function indexes serum creatinine,blood urea nitrogen and serum cystatin C(Cys-C)were signifi-cantly increased(P<0.01).The renal histopathology showed swollen and disorderly arranged tubular epithelial cells.The 24 h urine volume decreased(P<0.01).The urinary biochemical indexes 24 h urinary total protein,urinary kidney injury molecule-1(KIM-1),urinary Cys-C,and urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase significantly increased(P<0.01).The protein levels of AQP1～4 were significantly increased(P<0.01).The ratio of neutrophils and lymphocytes in the BALF were increased(P<0.01).The ratio of monocytes was decreased(P<0.01).The serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin(IL)-6,IL-13,IL-1β,and transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)were significantly increased(P<0.01).And the mRNA and protein expression levels of IKK,NF-κB were significantly elevated in the renal tissue(P<0.05).Compared with COPD group,the above symptoms and indexes of the rats were improved to different degrees after the intervention in treatment groups,among which BJF,BYF and YZF demonstrated similar effects to PDTC,and BJF+PDTC,BYF+PDTC and YZF+PDTC exhibited better improvements than the corresponding monotherapy.CONCLU-SION:The three Tiao-Bu Fei-Shen therapies can reduce the airway and systemic inflammatory response,improve renal function and attenuate renal injury in COPD rats.The mechanism may be related to the inhibition of NF-κB signaling path-way.

Multiple myeloma(MM)is a hematologic neoplasm characterized by malignant proliferation of monoclonal plasma cells in the bone marrow.NK cells,a class of innate lymphocytes with potent natural killer activity,are capable of recognizing and destroying tumor cells and virally infected cells,and have attracted attention as a potential anticancer therapy.In patients with MM,NK cells are suppressed in number and function,resulting in reduced immune surveillance and clearance of myeloma cells.Restoring or enhancing the killing effect of NK cells on myeloma cells is an important strategy for MM immunotherapy,and some progress has been made in clinical trials targeting NK cell-related therapies.This article reviews the research progress on the applications prospects of NK cell in MM immunotherapy.