Objective To explore the anatomic character of brachial plexus nerve by ultrasonography,and provide a basis for ultrasound-guided brachial plexus block.Methods Twenty-four healthy volunteers were chosen for high-frequency sonography examination,the features of brachial plexus distributions were studied in the axilla location and the interscalene location.Results Brachial plexus of all the 24 cases were detected.At the axilla level,main braches of brachial plexus nerves were very close to the axillary artery.At the interscalene level,the brachial plexus was consistently found between the scalenus anterior and medius muscles in the interscalene groove.Conclusions Using high-frequency sonography,the main braches of brachial plexus can be observed clearly.

Objective To investigate the effects of glutamine (Gln) on proliferation and survival of small cell lung cancer H446 cells, and further to explore the potential mechanism. Methods The proliferation of H446 cells was detected at different time points (0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h) by CCK-8 assay in Gln (+) group and Gln (-) group, and an optimal time was selected. Under the optimal time, Annexin V-FITC/PI staining, CellTiter-Glo? assay kit and flow cytometer were used to detect cell survival, cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Gln (-) group was used as the control group, under the condition of Gln deficiency, cellular ATP, cell proliferation and survival were detected after adding oxaloacetic acid (OAA) or dimethyl-α-ketoglutarate (DM-αKG). Gln (-) group was used as the control group, cellular ROS, cell proliferation, colony and survival were detected after treated with ROS scavenger N- acetyl cysteine (NAC). With different concentrations (0, 2, 5, 10 μmol/L) of glutaminase inhibitor BPTES, the optimal concentration was selected through the colony assay. The cellular ATP and ROS levels and cell proliferation were detected under the optimal concentration. H446 cells were treated with bis-2-(5-phenylacetamido-1,2,4-thiadiazol-2-yl) ethyl sulfide (BPTES), ROS inducer hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or the combination of them, and cell survival ratio was compared between two groups. Results The proliferation levels of H446 cells at 24, 48, which were decreased most significantly in 72 h in Gln (-) group. When 72 h was used as the optimal time, the cell survival ratio and ATP level were decreased, and the ROS level was increased, in Gln (-) group compared with those of Gln (+) group (P<0.05). There was a higher survival ratio in H446 cells in Gln (-)+OAA group and Gln (-)+DM-αKG group than that of Gln (-) group (P<0.05), but there were no significant differences in cell proliferation and ATP levels between Gln (-) group, Gln (-)+OAA group and Gln (-)+DM-αKG group. The ROS level was reduced, the cell proliferation, colony level and survival ratio were increased in Gln (-)+NAC group compared with those of Gln (-) group (P<0.05). Cloning assay showed that 10μmol/L was the optional concentration. Under this concentration, the proliferation and ATP level were decreased in Gln(+)+BPTES group (P<0.05), and cellular ROS level was up-regulated compared with Gln(+) group. The survival ratio was significantly lower in BPTES+H 2O2 group compared with BPTES (+) group or H2O2 (+) group. Conclusion Glutamine deficiency inhibits the proliferation and survival ratio of H446 cells through enhancing ROS level. BPTES and H2O2 show synergistically inhibitory effect on the survival of H446 cells.

OBJECTIVE:To establish the HPLC fingerprint of Zhibai dihuang pills(concentrated pills),and to evaluate its quality. METHODS:The determination was performed on Dikma Diamonsil C18column with mobile phase consisted of 0.1%acetic acid solution-methanol(gradient elution)at the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detection wavelength was set at 260 nm,and column temperature was 30 ℃. The sample size was 10 μL. Using paeonol as reference,HPLC chromatograms of samples from A, B,C manufacturers within validity period and samples from manufacturer A within validity period and out of validity period were drawn. The similarity of HPLC chromatogram for samples from A,B and C manufacturers and samples from A manufacturer within validity period and out of validity period was evaluated by TCM Chromatogram Fingerprint Similarity Evaluation System (2004 A). Common peaks of HPLC chromatogram for 3 manufacturers sample within validity period were confirmed. RESULTS:There were 24,29 and 32 common peaks in HPLC chromatograms for each 10 batches of samples from manufacturer A,B and C within validity period,respectively. The similarity of corresponding HPLC chromatograms of samples from manufacturer A,B and C compared with control HPLC chromatography were all higher than 0.94 with good agreement. HPLC chromatograms of sample from A manufacturer within validity period had good agreement with that from A manufacturer out of validity period. CONCLUSIONS:Established HPLC fingerprint analysis method can represent the quality of Zhibai dihuang pills (concentrated pills),but cannot effectively identify the expired samples.

Objective:To evaluate the degree of left atrial fibrosis in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation(AF) using four-dimensional automic left atrial quantitation(4D Auto LAQ).Methods:A total of 60 patients with persistent AF who underwent transcatheter radiofrequency ablation in the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from March 2022 to March 2023 were included. Patients were grouped according to the low-voltage area (mild<5%, moderate 5%-20%, severe>20%). General clinical data, conventional echocardiogram parameters, left atrial strain and related parameters of each group were compared. The relevant factors were obtained by Logistic regression analysis. The factor with the highest accuracy and its cut-off value was obtained by the ROC curve.Results:Sixty patients with persistent atrial fibrillation, were divided into mild low-voltage group(22 cases), moderate low-voltage group(20 cases), and severe low-voltage group(18 cases). There were statistical differences in gender, CHA2DS2-VASc score, peak value of early diastolic velocity of mitral inflow/average peak value of early diastolic tissue Doppler velocity of mitral annulus (E/e′), left atrial diameter (LAD), left atrial volume index (LAVI), left atrial maximal volume (LAVmax), left atrial minimal volume (LAVmin), left atrial total emptying fraction (LAEF), left atrial reservoir longitudinal strain (LASr), left atrial reservoir circumferential strain (LASr-c), left atrial myocardial work (LA MW, LA MW-c), left atrial stiffness (LA stiffness, LA stiffness-c) among the 3 groups(all P<0.05). The LASr had the highest correlation with low voltage area ( rs=-0.814, P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that CHA2DS2-VASc, LAD, LAVI, LAVmax, LAVmin, LAEF, LASr, LASr-C, LA MW, LA MW-C, LA stiffness and LA stiffness-c could all predict the low voltage area(all P<0.05). The LA stiffness had the highest AUC (0.952). The cut-off value of severe low voltage was 1.15, the sensitivity was 94.4%, and the specificity was 83.3%. Conclusions:4D Auto LAQ can be used to evaluate the degree of left atrial fibrosis. The correlation between LA stiffness and substrate voltage mapping is the highest.

Objective:To investigate the myocardial protective effect of extracorporeal cardiac shock wave therapy (CSWT) combined with sulfur hexafluoride microbubble post-conditioning on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MI/RI) in rats, and to provide theoretical support for clinical treatment of MI/RI.Methods:A total of 32 male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: sham operation group (Sham group), MI/RI group (IR group), CSWT group (IR+ SW group), and CSWT combined with sulfur hexafluoride microbubble treatment group (IR+ SW+ MB group), with 8 rats in each group. Therapeutic intervention was performed in IR+ SW group and IR+ SW+ MB group on the 1st, 3rd and 5th day after modeling. The left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) of the rats were measured by echocardiography before and after treatment. On the 7th day, myocardial fibrosis was assessed by Masson staining, and cardiomyocyte apoptosis was observed by TUNEL staining. The myocardial apoptotic proteins Bcl-2, BAX, Cleaved-Caspase-3 and Cleaved-Caspase-9 in the infarct boundary area were detected by Western blot. The differences of the above indexes among different groups were compared.Results:①There was no significant change in heart rhythm and heart rate among the groups before and after treatment, and there was no significant difference in heart rate ( P>0.05). ②The echocardiographic results after treatment showed that, compared with IR group, LVEDD and LVESD in IR+ SW group and IR+ SW+ MB group decreased in turn, while LVEF and LVFS increased in turn with significant differences between each two groups (all P<0.05). ③Compared with IR group, the degrees of myocardial fibrosis and apoptosis in IR+ SW group and IR+ SW+ MB group were alleviated in turn, and the relief in IR+ SW+ MB group was the most obvious. Quantitative analysis showed that compared with IR group, the proportions of cardiomyocyte apoptosis in IR+ SW group and IR+ SW+ MB group decreased in turn, and there were significant differences between each two groups (all P<0.05). ④The results of Western blot detection showed that compared with IR group, the levels of Bcl-2 in IR+ SW group and IR+ SW+ MB group increased in turn, while the levels of BAX and the activation level of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 protein decreased in turn. These differences were all statistically significant between each two groups (all P<0.05) except for the activation level of Caspase-3 protein between IR+ SW group and IR+ SW+ MB group ( P>0.05). Conclusions:CSWT combined with sulfur hexafluoride microbubble therapy can improve left ventricular remodeling and left ventricular systolic function by inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

Objective:To investigate the effects of early percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on myocardial perfusion and left ventricular function in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after thrombolysis.Methods:A total of 108 patients with STEMI treated in the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2020 to December 2022 were divided into early PCI following thrombolysis group ( n=65) and primary PCI (pPCI) group ( n=43). The general clinical data, and the parameters of routine echocardiography at 1 day after PCI and before discharge were compared between the two groups. Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) was used to evaluate myocardial perfusion at 1 day after PCI and before discharge. Results:There were no significant differences in general clinical data between the early PCI following thrombolysis group and the pPCI group (all P>0.05). The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in the early PCI following thrombolysis group and pPCI group before discharge was significantly higher than that on the 1st day after PCI(both P<0.05). The difference of LVEF was significant between the early PCI following thrombolysis group and the pPCI group before discharge and 1 day after PCI ( P<0.05). Compared with 1 day after PCI, the global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) of left ventricle increased in early PCI following thrombolysis group and pPCI group before discharge(both P<0.05). The difference of LVGLS between early PCI following thrombolysis group and pPCI group before discharge and 1 day after discharge was statistically significant( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), left atrial volume (LAV), ratio of mitral early diastolic velocity to late diastolic velocity (E/A), mean early diastolic velocity of mitral annulus (Em) and E/Em 1 day after PCI and before discharge between early PCI following thrombolysis group and pPCI group (all P>0.05). MCE showed that the MCE score index of early PCI following thrombolysis group and pPCI group before discharge was significantly lower than that of 1 day after PCI(both P<0.001). Compared to the 1 day after PCI, the early PCI following thrombolysis group showed a significant increase in the proportion of normal microvascular perfusion (nMVP) and a decrease in the proportion of delayed microvascular perfusion (dMVP) and microvascular obstruction (MVO) before discharge (all P<0.05). In contrast, the pPCI group demonstrated a significant decrease in the proportion of both nMVP and dMVP before discharge compared to the first day after PCI (all P<0.05). However, the decrease in the proportion of MVO was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Early PCI following thrombolysis and pPCI can enhance left ventricular systolic function and myocardial perfusion in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Early PCI following thrombolysis may offer additional advantages in improving left ventricular systolic function and myocardial perfusion.

Objective To investigate the effects of nimotuzumab on radiosensitivity of ECA?109 and TE?13 esophageal carcinoma cell lines and explore its possible mechanism. Methods The ECA?109 and TE?13 cells were divided into control group, irradiation group, medicine group, and combined group ( irradiation + medicine) . In the combined group, ECA?109 and TE?13 cells were treated with nimotuzumab for 24 h before irradiation, and the cells were collected 2 h after irradiation. The radiosensitizing effects of nimotuzumab on ECA?109 and TE?13 cells were evaluated by clone formation assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Western blotting was used to evaluate the expression of EGFR, p?EGFR, DNA?PKcs, p?DNA?PKcs and γH2AX. Results The values of Dq( quasithreshold dose) , D0( mean lethal dose) and SF2(surviving fraction at 2 Gy) of ECA?109 and TE?13 cells in the combined group were significantly lower than those of the radiation group ( for ECA?109 cells, 1. 11 vs. 1. 72, 1. 40 vs. 2. 14, 0. 42 vs. 0. 66, respectively;for TE?13 cells, 0.41 vs. 0.46, 0.43 vs. 0.65, 0.40 vs. 0.71, respectively ( all P<0.05) . The sensitivity enhancement ratio (SER) of ECA?109 and TE?13 cells were 1.35 and 1.43, respectively. Flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis rate of ECA?109 and TE?13 cells in the combined group were significantly higher than those of the radiation group [ for ECA?109 cells, ( 41. 31 ± 1. 52)% vs. ( 9. 54 ± 0.52)%;for TE?13 cells, (46.28±0.28)% vs. (11.32±0.31)%, both P<0.01]. Western blotting showed that the expression levels of EGFR and DNA?PKcs were not significantly different in all groups ( all P>0.05) . Compared with those of the control group, p?EGFR and p?DNA?PKcs of the radiation group were significantly higher in both cell lines ( P<0.05) , and theγH2AX levels in the radiation group and medicine group were significantly higher than that of the control group ( P<0.05) . Compared with those of the radiation group and medicine group, p?EGFR and p?DNA?PKcs protein expression in the combined group were decreased significantly (P<0.05), while γH2AX protein expression was significantly increased (P<0.05). Conclusions Nimotuzumab can enhance the radiosensitivity of esophageal cancer ECA?109 and TE?13 cells. The potential mechanism may be related to the inhibition of EGFR phosphorylation and down?regulation of DNA damage repair proteins. The radiosensitizing effect of nimotuzumab is greater on poorly differentiated esophageal cancer cells.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) signal strength ratio (SIR) in onset time≤4.5 h in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed; 180 acute ischemic stroke patients admitted to Department of Neurology, Nanjing Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from January 2020 to June 2023 were chosen. Hypoperfusion intensity ratio (HIR) was used to evaluate the collateral circulation (poor collateral circulation: HIR≤0.4; good collateral circulation: HIR>0.4); clinical data and imaging indexes between poor collateral circulation and good collateral circulation groups were compared. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regressions were used to analyze the influencing factors for onset time≤4.5 h in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Correlation between SIR and onset time was analyzed in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Role of HIR as agency between SIR and onset time was explored. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive efficacy of SIR and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI)-FLAIR mismatch in onset time≤4.5 h in acute ischemic stroke patients.Results:Of the 180 patients, 100 were into the good collateral circulation group and 80 were into the poor collateral circulation group; compared with the good collateral circulation group, the poor collateral circulation group had significantly higher percentage of patients with hyperlipidemia, larger DWI infarction volume before treatment, larger perfusion weighted imaging (PWI)-DWI mismatch volume and higher SIR ( P<0.05). In these 180 patients, 76 had onset time≤4.5 h and 104 had onset time>4.5 h. Univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that hyperlipidemia, DWI infarct volume before treatment, DWI-FLAIR mismatch, HIR and SIR were influencing factors for onset time≤4.5 h in acute ischemic stroke patients ( P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that hyperlipidemia ( OR=6.654, 95% CI: 5.751-8.824, P<0.001), HIR ( OR=0.724, 95% CI: 0.521-1.321, P=0.041) and SIR ( OR=739.881, 95% CI: 383.296-14 258.065, P<0.001) were independent influencing factors for onset time≤4.5 h in acute ischemic stroke patients. Pearson correlation analysis showed that SIR was positively correlated to onset time in patients with acute ischemic stroke ( r=0.420, P<0.05), and SIR was positively correlated to onset time in patients from poor collateral circulation group ( r=0.781, P<0.05). ROC curve showed that AUC of SIR in predicting onset time≤4.5 h was 0.917 (95% CI: 0.814-1.000, P<0.001) and that of DWI-FLAIR mismatch in predicting onset time≤4.5 h was 0.530 (95% CI: 0.509-0.757, P=0.075) in poor collateral circulation group, enjoying significant difference in predictive efficacy. Conclusion:Acute ischemic stroke patients with low HIR and SIR have higher odds of onset time≤4.5 h; SIR can more accurately predict the onset time in these patients with poor collateral circulation.

Objective To investigate the effects of nimotuzumab on radiosensitivity of ECA?109 and TE?13 esophageal carcinoma cell lines and explore its possible mechanism. Methods The ECA?109 and TE?13 cells were divided into control group, irradiation group, medicine group, and combined group ( irradiation + medicine) . In the combined group, ECA?109 and TE?13 cells were treated with nimotuzumab for 24 h before irradiation, and the cells were collected 2 h after irradiation. The radiosensitizing effects of nimotuzumab on ECA?109 and TE?13 cells were evaluated by clone formation assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Western blotting was used to evaluate the expression of EGFR, p?EGFR, DNA?PKcs, p?DNA?PKcs and γH2AX. Results The values of Dq( quasithreshold dose) , D0( mean lethal dose) and SF2(surviving fraction at 2 Gy) of ECA?109 and TE?13 cells in the combined group were significantly lower than those of the radiation group ( for ECA?109 cells, 1. 11 vs. 1. 72, 1. 40 vs. 2. 14, 0. 42 vs. 0. 66, respectively;for TE?13 cells, 0.41 vs. 0.46, 0.43 vs. 0.65, 0.40 vs. 0.71, respectively ( all P<0.05) . The sensitivity enhancement ratio (SER) of ECA?109 and TE?13 cells were 1.35 and 1.43, respectively. Flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis rate of ECA?109 and TE?13 cells in the combined group were significantly higher than those of the radiation group [ for ECA?109 cells, ( 41. 31 ± 1. 52)% vs. ( 9. 54 ± 0.52)%;for TE?13 cells, (46.28±0.28)% vs. (11.32±0.31)%, both P<0.01]. Western blotting showed that the expression levels of EGFR and DNA?PKcs were not significantly different in all groups ( all P>0.05) . Compared with those of the control group, p?EGFR and p?DNA?PKcs of the radiation group were significantly higher in both cell lines ( P<0.05) , and theγH2AX levels in the radiation group and medicine group were significantly higher than that of the control group ( P<0.05) . Compared with those of the radiation group and medicine group, p?EGFR and p?DNA?PKcs protein expression in the combined group were decreased significantly (P<0.05), while γH2AX protein expression was significantly increased (P<0.05). Conclusions Nimotuzumab can enhance the radiosensitivity of esophageal cancer ECA?109 and TE?13 cells. The potential mechanism may be related to the inhibition of EGFR phosphorylation and down?regulation of DNA damage repair proteins. The radiosensitizing effect of nimotuzumab is greater on poorly differentiated esophageal cancer cells.