Objective To explore the factors influencing the image quality of thyroid CT and the application value of optimization schemes in reducing streak artifacts in thyroid CT examinations.Methods A retrospective review of the data of 141 patients who underwent thyroid enhanced CT examinations was conducted to analyze the factors affecting image quality.After determining the influencing factors,a self-controlled study was conducted on 48 patients who underwent thyroid CT examinations to analyze the feasibility of the optimization scheme.Results The patients'body mass index(BMI),neck circumference,pharynx-jaw angle,and pharynx-jaw angle-to-neck circumference ratio showed statistically significant differences in their impact on image quality(P<0.05).Compared to the conventional scheme,the optimization scheme showed significantly higher subjective and objective image evaluations.The optimization scheme also significantly improved the diagnostic performance of the images,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in radiation dose between the two positions(P>0.05).Conclusion The optimization scheme can effectively reduce streak artifacts in thyroid CT examinations.

Objective:To explore the effect of family empowerment model on the improvement of swallowing care ability and care preparedness of primary caregivers of first-episode stroke dysphagia patients, further to explore its impact on patients′s wallowing function and life quality.Methods:This study was a randomized controlled study. From January 2021 to December 2022, 80 main caregivers of patients with dysphagia caused by manual stroke admitted to the Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Shenzhen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were selected as the research objects, and 40 cases in the control group and 40 cases in the observation group were selected by random number table method. The control group were treated with conventional nursing care of first-episode stroke dysphagia patients in the acupuncture and moxibustion Department. On the basis of the conventional care in the control group, the observation group were treated with family empowerment model intervention for 14 days and was followed up for 28 days. Primary caregivers′ swallowing care ability, Caregiver Preparedness Scale (CPS), patients′ swallowing function rate, Swallowing Related Quality of Life (SWALQOL) were used to evaluate the effects before intervention and at the end of intervention.Results:There were 18 males and 19 females primary caregivers in the control group, aged (55.61 ± 7.43) years old. There were 18 males and 21 females primary caregivers in the observation group, aged (58.23 ± 8.22) years old. The swallowing care ability score showed a statistically significant difference between the observation group (143.47 ± 3.96) and the control group (107.74 ± 1.43) ( t=-26.76, P<0.05). After intervention, the caregiver preparedness scale was (26.11 ± 3.81) in the observation group, and (18.35 ± 4.54) in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( t=-4.11, P<0.05).The patients′ swallowing function rate and SWALQOL score were respectively 97.44% (38/39) and (91.41 ± 8.08) points in the observation group, and 72.97% (27/37) and (80.33 ± 4.21) points in the control group, and the difference was both statistically significant ( χ2=10.76, t=-2.54, both P<0.05). Conclusions:The implementation of family empowerment model could enhance the swallowing care ability and care preparedness of primary caregivers of the first-episode stroke dysphagia patients, which could further improve patients′ swallowing function and life quality.

OBJECTIVE To provide evidence for the safe clinical application of Trastuzumab for injection. METHODS Reports of adverse drug reaction （ADR） related to Trastuzumab for injection submitted in Beijing from June 2018 to May 2023 were collected. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0 software. The gender and age of patients with ADRs， outcome， types of cancer， and the time of onset， severity， affected organs/systems of ADRs were included for analyses. The univariate Logistic regression analysis was conducted on patient fever and ADR prognosis. RESULTS A total of 195 patients with 318 instances of ADRs were included in the study. Women （87.69%） and patients aged 60-69 （33.85%） were more likely to experience ADRs. Breast cancer dominated （86.67%） in terms of cancer types； in terms of outcomes， most patients （67.69%） showed improvement， and some patients （27.69%） achieved full recovery. Overall， 68.72% of ADRs mainly occurred on the day of medication， and 95.38% of ADRs were of “moderate” severity. The most affected organs/systems were general diseases and various reactions at the administration site （40.57%）， with chills （18.87%） and fever （18.24%） being the most common. Univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that fever mostly occurred within 1 day of medication （OR＝5.63， 95%CI was 2.26-14.02， P＜ 0.001）. The time of onset of ADR greater than 1 day was a risk factor for poor ADR prognosis （OR＝20.08， 95%CI was 2.45- 164.43， P＝0.005）， mainly manifesting as bone marrow suppression and liver function abnormalities. Neutrophilia， cardiorespiratory arrest， and mixed liver damage were new ADRs not recorded in the drug’s instructions. CONCLUSION Women and patients aged ≥60 are high-risk groups for ADRs of Trastuzumab for injection. Chills and fever remain the most common ADRs of this drug， and these symptoms mostly occur within 1 day of medication， which have better prognoses. Close attention should be paid to the patient’s temperature changes on the day of drug infusion， with timely intervention. Regular monitoring of the patient’s hematological indicators is necessary to detect any bone marrow suppression and liver function abnormalities after medication.

Objective To investigate the effect of glycine N-methyl transferase (GNMT)on intrauterine adhesion (IUA)fibrosis and its related mechanism.Methods In vivo experiment:A total of 36 healthy female SD rats (SPF grade,6～8 weeks old and weighing from 180～220 g)were subjected in this study.IUA model of SD rats and IUA model of GNMT overexpressed rats were established.RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence assay were applied to detect GNMT expression level in normal uterus and model group.RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of fibrosis-related molecules and the activation of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway in each group.The number of endometrial glands in each group was observed by HE staining.Masson staining was used to analyze the severity of endometrial fibrosis in each group.In vitro experiment:transformed human endometrial stromal cells (THESCs)fibrotic phenotype model was constructed using TGF-β1,and THESCs stably transfected with GNMT overexpression lentvirus were treated with TGF-β1.RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of fibrosis-related molecules.The expression of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway was detected by Western blotting.TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway was activated by TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway activator (SRI-011381),and the expression of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway and key molecular proteins of fibrosis phenotype was measured with Western blotting.Results In vivo experiment,the mRNA and protein expression levels of GNMT were significantly decreased in the IUA rats than the control rats (P<0.05).Overexpression of GNMT decreased the mRNA and protein levels of fibrosis related molecules,Collagen Ⅰ,Collagen Ⅲ and FN in the IUA rats (P<0.05),and decreased the phosphorylation levels of TGF-β1 and its downstream Smad3 protein (P<0.05).HE and Masson staining showed that overexpression of GNMT could increase the number of endometrial glands and reduce the severity of fibrosis in the IUA rats (P<0.05).In vitro experiments:overexpression of GNMT decreased the mRNA and protein levels of Collagen Ⅰ,Collagen Ⅲ and FN associated with fibrotic phenotype of THESCs (P<0.05),and reduced the phosphorylation level of Smad3 protein,downstream of TGF-β1 (P<0.05).After activation of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway,the protein levels of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway and downstream fibrosis phenotype molecules,Collagen Ⅲ and FN,were significantly decreased in the LV-GNMT+SRI-011381 group.Conclusion Overexpression of GNMT can inhibit endometrial fibrosis by regulating TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway,thus achieving therapeutic effect on IUA.

This article reported the management and outcome of a pregnant woman diagnosed with massive subchorionic thrombohematoma at the umbilical cord insertion. The patient was found to have a large placental hematoma below the insertion site of the umbilical cord at 28 weeks of gestation by ultrasound and MRI. Fetal growth and the condition of the placenta were closely monitored thereafter. The patient was delivered with good maternal and infant outcomes through emergency cesarean section at 33 +5 weeks of gestation due to a significantly enlarged hematoma with abnormal umbilical blood flow.

Existing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-related databases are still insufficient in data standardization, integrity and precision, and need to be updated urgently. Herein, an Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine version 2.0 (ETCM v2.0, http://www.tcmip.cn/ETCM2/front/#/) was constructed as the latest curated database hosting 48,442 TCM formulas recorded by ancient Chinese medical books, 9872 Chinese patent drugs, 2079 Chinese medicinal materials and 38,298 ingredients. To facilitate the mechanistic research and new drug discovery, we improved the target identification method based on a two-dimensional ligand similarity search module, which provides the confirmed and/or potential targets of each ingredient, as well as their binding activities. Importantly, five TCM formulas/Chinese patent drugs/herbs/ingredients with the highest Jaccard similarity scores to the submitted drugs are offered in ETCM v2.0, which may be of significance to identify prescriptions/herbs/ingredients with similar clinical efficacy, to summarize the rules of prescription use, and to find alternative drugs for endangered Chinese medicinal materials. Moreover, ETCM v2.0 provides an enhanced JavaScript-based network visualization tool for creating, modifying and exploring multi-scale biological networks. ETCM v2.0 may be a major data warehouse for the quality marker identification of TCMs, the TCM-derived drug discovery and repurposing, and the pharmacological mechanism investigation of TCMs against various human diseases.

Objective:To analyze the diagnostic value of high-frequency ultrasound combined with serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) / thyroglobulin (Tg) ratio for the benign and malignant lesions of thyroid nodules (TN).Methods:A retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 772 patients with TN admitted to Changxing County People′s Hospital from June 2020 to June 2021. All patients received high-frequency ultrasound examination and serum TSH detection, 320 patients (41.45%) received Tg detection to calculate the TSH/Tg ratio. According to the benign and malignant thyroid nodules, they were divided into benign group and malignant group based on the pathological results as the "gold standard". The ultrasonographic characteristics, serum TSH and Tg levels and TSH/Tg ratio of the two groups were compared, and the accuracy of high-frequency ultrasound, TSH/Tg ratio and the combination in the diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules were evaluated.Results:A total of 83 patients with thyroid nodules were diagnosed as malignant by pathological results. In the malignant group, the nodules were mostly irregular in shape, extremely low in internal echo, accompanied by calcification, aspect ratio ≥1 and enlarged cervical lymph nodes. The levels of TSH and Tg as well as the ratio of TSH/Tg in the malignant group were higher than those in the benign group (16.52 ± 4.49) mU/L vs. (6.75 ± 1.18) mU/L, (11.37 ± 3.16) kU/L vs. (8.14 ± 1.40) kU/L, 1.45 ± 0.76 vs. 0.83 ± 0.06, there were statistical differences( P<0.05). The sensitivity and accuracy of high-frequency ultrasound combined with TSH/Tg ratio in the diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules were 92.77%, 95.47%, and higher than those in the single diagnosis. Conclusions:The morphological high-frequency ultrasonography features of malignant thyroid nodules are mostly irregular, with extremely low internal echo, accompanied by calcification, aspect ratio ≥1 and cervical lymph node enlargement. TSH/Tg ratio is higher than that of benign thyroid nodules. The combination of high-frequency ultrasonography and TSH/Tg ratio can improve the diagnosis rate of thyroid cancer.

Objective:To investigate the prenatal diagnosis and prognostic factors of fetal sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT).Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 41 pregnant women who were diagnosed with fetal SCT by prenatal ultrasound at the Women′s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2014 to September 2021. The prenatal imaging features and pregnancy outcomes, including tumor volume to fetal weight ratio (TFR), proportion of solid tumor, tumor growth rate (TGR), fetal hydrops, placentomegaly and polyhydramnios were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the critical values of TFR and TGR for predicting adverse fetal outcomes.Results:(1) Among the 41 pregnant women with fetal SCT, the diagnostic gestational week of ultrasound was (24.2±2.9) weeks (range: 18-28 weeks). Among them, 1 case progressed to fetal hydrops and induced labor at 22 weeks of gestation, 1 case developed intrauterine death and induced labor at 29 weeks of gestation, and 39 pregnancies continued until delivery. Among the 39 cases of continued pregnancy, 1 case underwent cesarean section at 31 weeks of gestation due to malignant polyhydramnios and increased fetal cardiothoracic ratio in the third trimester, 1 case underwent cesarean section at 32 weeks of gestation due to fetal heart failure, and 1 case underwent cesarean section at 32 weeks of gestation due to fetal heart failure and hydrops. The other 36 cases underwent surgical resection of tumor within 3 weeks after birth with good prognosis. (2) TFR>0.12 before 28 weeks of gestation could predict poor fetal prognosis, with a sensitivity of 100.0%, a specificity of 86.1% and an area under curve (AUC) of 0.922 ( P<0.01). Among the fetuses with TFR>0.12, 5/10 had poor prognosis, while the fetuses with TFR≤0.12 all had good prognosis (100%,31/31), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.001). (3) TGR>48 cm 3/week could predict poor fetal prognosis with a sensitivity of 100.0%, a specificity of 78.3% and an AUC of 0.880 ( P<0.05). (4) Among the 28 SCT fetuses delivered in our hospital, the incidence rate of poor fetal prognosis was 0 (0/20) in those with solid tumor component<50%, and 5/8 in those with solid tumor component ≥50%, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.01). The incidence rate of poor fetal prognosis was 2/2 in those with placentomegaly (all with fetal hydrops), and 12% (3/26) in those without placentomegaly. The risk of poor fetal prognosis was 8.67 times higher in those with placentomegaly than those without placentomegaly, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.05). The incidence rate of poor fetal prognosis in those with polyhydramnios was 3/7, and 10% (2/21) in those without polyhydramnios, but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:TFR combined with solid tumor morphology, TGR, and presence of placentomegaly could predict the adverse pregnancy outcomes of fetal SCT.

The purpose of this study was to understand the effect of gender on the traits of wool. One-year-old male and female Chinese merino sheep (JunKen type) were used to screen differentially expressed proteins in skin tissues by quantitative proteomics using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and data independent acquisition (DIA) strategy. This was followed by GO function annotation, KEGG metabolic pathway and protein network interaction analysis on the differential proteins obtained. The result showed that there were 674 differentially expressed proteins between male and female groups, whereas 280 proteins were up-regulated and 394 proteins were down-regulated in the male group. Through further comparison and analysis, there were 43 differentially expressed proteins related to skin hair follicle development and wool phenotype, 30 up-regulated and 13 down-regulated. The GO annotation analysis of differentially expressed proteins were mainly enriched in 37 processes of molecular function such as oxygen binding, chondroitin sulfate binding, heme binding, glutathione peroxidase activity and glutathione transferase activity; 120 biological processes such as cellular oxidant detoxification, regulation of muscle contraction, notch signaling pathway, calcium ion transmembrane transport and glutathione metabolism; and 31 processes related to cellular components such as mast cell granule, nucleus, sarcoplasmic reticulum and endoplasmic reticulum lumen. KEGG analysis showed that the differentially expressed proteins were involved sixteen signaling pathways, among which MAPK and p53 signaling pathways were closely related to wool growth and development. The protein network interaction analysis discovered that COL1A1 was closely related to MMP2, SPARC, THBS1 and other differentially expressed proteins, which might play a key role in wool growth and development. Thus, this study obtained basic data for revealing the molecular mechanism of sheep wool traits of different gender.
Animals ; Male ; Female ; Proteomics ; Chromatography, Liquid/methods* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Wool ; China