Objective:To confirm the potential of growth-related gene productβ(GROβ) as a biomarker for colorectal cancer. Methods:Serum GROβlevels in 123 subjects with colorectal cancer, 88 healthy controls, and 125 subjects with other diseases were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) in all subjects were measured using immunoluminometric assay. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine the associa-tions between serum GROβlevels and clinical parameters for colorectal cancer. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of GROβ, CEA, and CA19-9 were analyzed. Results:The serum GROβlevels were higher in patients with colorectal cancer (median=96.15 pg/mL) than in the healthy controls (median=43.28 pg/mL, P<0.01) and in patients with other diseases (median=57.30 pg/mL, P<0.01). The serum GROβlevels in patients with colorectal cancer were positively correlated with the tumor-node-metastasis staging (P<0.01) and depth of infiltration (P<0.05), but not with the histological grade, tumor embolus, lymph node metastasis, gross pathologic tu-mor type, or gender of the patients. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay for serum GROβwere 56.1%(69/123) and 95.31%(203/213), respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity was 22.2%(4/18) for stage I and 66.7%(26/39) for stage II when the data of GROβwere combined with the data of CEA and CA19-9. The ROC curve constructed with the data of GROβ(0.834) was larger than that construct-ed with the data of CEA (0.739) or CA19-9 (0.676) for discriminating colorectal cancer from the matched controls. Conclusion:These preliminary results indicated that the serum GROβlevel could be a useful biomarker for colorectal cancer diagnoses.

Objective To explore the ultrasonographic imaging characteristics of placenta increta and clinical data, and analyze the reasons for failure to make an accurate diagnosis. Methods By means of a retrospective analysis of 27 patients with placenta increta confirmed by operation and pathologic examination from January 2014 to May 2017 in the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army (also Hospital 301 for short), the reasons for missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis are comprehensively summarized. Results The ultrasound examination in all the 27 cases (5 cases of first pregnancy, 17 cases of scar, 5 cases of maternal) illustrated the poorly-defined boundary between placenta and uterus mesometrium, the loss of retroplacental space, multiple lacunae echo areas, and the incomplete high-echo area of the serous membrane of placenta and bladder (involving the bladder); despite 3 normal placenta, the rest 24 were all diagnosed as placenta previa before operation, of which 20 belonged to central placenta previa and the other 4 belonged to marginal placenta previa. Twenty liveborn infants were delivered in the study, 13 of them went through abdominal hysterectomy after cesarean section surgery, 8 of them only received cesarean section surgery; 2 of them went through vaginal hysterectomy, 1 received cesarean section surgery after interventional embolization, 1 Uterine rupture in utero before got to the hospital, with the rest 2 received interventional embolization clamp scraping as a consequence of deadly induced labor or stillbirth. Postoperative placenta increta types demonstrated adhensive implantation, penetrating implantation, and implantation into muscular but not membrane layer in 3, 2, and 22 cases respectively. In terms of implanting position, only 3 patients (3/17) with cicatricial uterus did't undergo the implantation into the scar area mainly in the left wall, left anterior wall and posterior wall, as for patients with non-scar uterus, posterior wall implantation was the main mode presented in 6 cases (6/10). Fifteen of all the involved 27 cases were identified while 12 cases failed to be distinguished. The deep reasons of misdiagnosis were placental location (placenta adheres to the posterior wall), fetal head shelter, or small placental placement, gestational age, larger range of placenta implantation, emergency ultrasound only pay attention to the emergency situation and ignore the exist at the same time, experience of inspectors with placenta increta and so on. Conclusions Although there are some limitations in prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of placenta, it is still an important method for the diagnosis and prenatal dynamic monitoring of the condition before the placenta implantation.

Objective To observe the application effect of protease combined with quadruple therapy in the remedial treatment of Helicobacter pylori(Hp)eradication failure.Methods A total of 100 patients with Hp infection who failed in initial treatment were selected as the study objects,and were divided into control group(50 cases)and observation group(50 cases),and two groups re-ceived a course of treatment for 14 days.The control group was given esomeprazole enteric-coated tab-lets,amoxicillin capsules,furazolidone tablets and colloidal bismuth pectin capsules.The observation group was given streptomycin granule and sodium bicarbonate powder on the basis of the control group.Hp eradication rates were calculated for intention to treat(ITT)analysis and per protocol(PP)analysis.The symptoms and adverse drug reactions before and after treatment were recorded in two groups.Results In the control group,18 cases were successfully eradicated,the eradication rate by ITT analysis was 36％,and the eradication rate by PP analysis was 36％.In the observation group,37 patients had negative 14C breath test results,with an eradication rate of74％by ITT analy-sis and 74％by TT analysis.There was statistical significance in the eradication rate between the two groups(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in compliance between the two groups(P＞0.05).The improvement of abdominal pain symptoms before and after eradication was statistically significant between the two groups(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in adverse reac-tions between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion The remedial treatment regimen of strepto-mycin combined with quadruple therapy can improve the eradication rate of Hp infection patients whose initial eradication failed.

Objective To observe the application effect of protease combined with quadruple therapy in the remedial treatment of Helicobacter pylori(Hp)eradication failure.Methods A total of 100 patients with Hp infection who failed in initial treatment were selected as the study objects,and were divided into control group(50 cases)and observation group(50 cases),and two groups re-ceived a course of treatment for 14 days.The control group was given esomeprazole enteric-coated tab-lets,amoxicillin capsules,furazolidone tablets and colloidal bismuth pectin capsules.The observation group was given streptomycin granule and sodium bicarbonate powder on the basis of the control group.Hp eradication rates were calculated for intention to treat(ITT)analysis and per protocol(PP)analysis.The symptoms and adverse drug reactions before and after treatment were recorded in two groups.Results In the control group,18 cases were successfully eradicated,the eradication rate by ITT analysis was 36％,and the eradication rate by PP analysis was 36％.In the observation group,37 patients had negative 14C breath test results,with an eradication rate of74％by ITT analy-sis and 74％by TT analysis.There was statistical significance in the eradication rate between the two groups(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in compliance between the two groups(P＞0.05).The improvement of abdominal pain symptoms before and after eradication was statistically significant between the two groups(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in adverse reac-tions between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion The remedial treatment regimen of strepto-mycin combined with quadruple therapy can improve the eradication rate of Hp infection patients whose initial eradication failed.

Astragali Radix(AR)is a clinically used herbal medicine with multiple immunomodulatory activities that can strengthen the activity and cytotoxicity of natural killer(NK)cells.However,owing to the complexity of its composition,the specific active ingredients in AR that act on NK cells are not clear yet.Cell membrane chromatography(CMC)is mainly used to screen the active ingredients in a complex system of herbal medicines.In this study,a new comprehensive two-dimensional(2D)NK-92MI CMC/C18 column/time-of-flight mass spectrometry(TOFMS)system was established to screen for potential NK cell acti-vators.To obtain a higher column efficiency,3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane-modified silica was synthesized to prepare the NK-92MI CMC column.In total,nine components in AR were screened from this system,which could be washed out from the NK-92MI/CMC column after 10 min,and they showed good affinity for NK-92MI/CMC column.Two representative active compounds of AR,isoastragaloside Ⅰ and astragaloside Ⅳ,promoted the killing effect of NK cells on K562 cells in a dose-dependent manner.It can thus suggest that isoastragaloside Ⅰ and astragaloside Ⅳ are the main immunomodulatory compo-nents of AR.This comprehensive 2D NK-92MI CMC analytical system is a practical method for screening immune cell activators from other herbal medicines with immunomodulatory effects.

Objective To investigate the correlation between the appendicular skeletal mass index(ASMI)and os-teoporosis(OP)in postmenopausal patients with type 2 diabetes(T2DM).Methods 164 hospitalized postmeno-pausal elderly T2DM patients were selected and their bone density(BMD)and appendicular skeletal mass were measured using dual energy X-ray absorption method(DXA).ASMI=appendicular skeletal mass/height2(kg/m2),and they were divided into OP group and non OP group based on T value.The general clinical data,blood biochemical indicators,and ASMI between the two groups were compared,and Logistic regression analysis,ROC curve were further used to analyze the correlation and diagnostic power.Results Compared with non OP group,OP group had a higher incidence of sarcopenia(SAC)(P＜0.05);the differences in age,ASMI,body mass index(BMI),and estradiol(E2)had significant differences between the two groups(P＜0.05);Logistic regression analysis showed that the reduction of ASMI[OR=0.133,95％CI(0.029-0.611)],BMI[OR=0.785,95％CI(0.625-0.985)],and E2[OR=0.967,95％CI(0.942-0.993)]were protective factors for OP;receiver operating curve(ROC)suggested that the AUC of ASMI for OP prediction was 0.752[95％CI(0.632-0.872),P＜0.001]with sensitivity 87.5％,specificity 47.8％,and the best diagnostic value was 5.52 kg/m2.Conclusion The reduction of ASMI,BMI,and E2 is positively correlated with the occurrence of osteoporosis.ASMI is an important protective factor for osteoporosis.Early OP screening and risk factor assessment should be conducted for elderly postmenopausal T2DM patients,and early intervention measures should be taken to reduce the risk of falls and fractures.

Mammography has played an essential role in the screening and treatment of breast cancer. However, the application of X-rays will also increase the risks of breast cancer while improving its detection rate. Moreover, the risks will increase with an increase in the radiation dose. Since the glandular tissue in breasts is sensitive to radiation, the evaluation of the average glandular dose (AGD) in mammography has attracted considerable international attention. Compared to relatively mature dosimetric studies on traditional two-dimension mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis, the method for the dose evaluation of the new cone beam CT for breasts are still subjected to research. This paper reviews and explores the current status of studies on the assessment method and relevant influencing factors of AGD under different types of mammography equipment.

Objective To employ a mouse model of ABI3BP gene deletion for the detection of postnatal changes in body weight and glucose metabolism and establish a different method of creating a mouse model of low birth weight.Methods Heterozygote mice were mated to produce ABI3BP gene knockout homozygote(ABI3BP-/-)mice,heterozygote(ABI3BP+/)mice,and wild-type(WT)mice.Adult mice from all three groups were evaluated for glucose metabolism markers,including the fasting blood glucose level,glucose tolerance,and insulin tolerance.Additionally,body weight was measured at various postnatal time periods,and the weight ratio of critical organs in adulthood was calculated.Results The gene sequencing result of the polymerase chain reaction product of ABI3BP-/-mice showed that frameshift mutations occurred in the knockout region,with quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrating significantly reduced ABI3BP expression in ABI3BP-/-mice compared with that in WT mice.Notably,the birth weight of ABI3BP-/-mice(1.25±0.08 g)was markedly lower than that of WT mice(1.34±0.12 g)(P＜0.05).Conversely,the weight of adult(120 d)ABI3BP-/mice(27.70±1.93 g)was significantly higher than that of WT mice(23.64±1.34 g)(P＜0.01).The ratios of key organ weights to body weight were not significantly different between the groups(P＞0.05).Fasting blood glucose and insulin tolerance tests showed no significant variations between the groups.However,glucose tolerance tests indicated that ABI3BP-/-mice had lower blood glucose levels(15.68±7.04 mmol/L)than WT mice(23.01±5.75 mmol/L).Conclusions Deletion of the ABI3BP gene result in mice with low birth weight,poor growth recuperation,and inadequate glucose tolerance in adulthood,similar to the clinical growth traits of low-birth-weight human neonates.Therefore,this mouse model is a promising choice for the study of low birth weight.

ObjectiveTo investigate the in vivo effect of dietary cichoric acid supplement in allergic asthmatic mice. MethodsSixteen five-week-old female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into four groups： normal group （control）， allergic asthmatic group （OVA）， dietary cichoric acid group （OVA + CA）， and drug-control group （OVA + DEX）. Ovalbumin was applied to induce allergic asthmatic murine model. During the whole experiment， mice were fed with feed that contained 400 mg/kg cichoric acid or no cichoric acid. The body weight changes and nasal symptoms were observed and recorded during the experiment. After sacrifice， the pulmonary histopathological changes， the number and proportion of peripheral inflammatory cells， and the percentages of subsets of helper T cell （Th） and cytotoxic T cell （Tc） in lung tissues were measured. ResultsCompared with OVA group， the mice in OVA + CA group showed alleviated body weight loss and nasal symptoms （P<0.05）， decreased number of eosinophils and eosinophil/lymphocyte ratio in peripheral blood （P<0.05）， alleviated inflammatory infiltration and goblet cell proliferation of lungs tissues （P<0.05）， decreased percentages of Th2， Th17 ， Tc2， Tc17 in lungs （P<0.001）， while the percentages of Th1 and Tc1 did not change （P>0.05）. ConclusionsDietary cichoric acid supplementation could improve in vivo inflammation in allergic asthmatic mice.

Objective To establish a method to characterize the size and density of the female breast based on three-dimensional images of breast cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), and describe the breast characteristics of women in a region of China, and to explore its value in dosimetric assessment for breast CBCT examinees. Methods We retrospectively surveyed the breast CBCT images of 203 women in a grade A tertiary hospital in a southwestern city of China from January 2021 to March 2023. The effective diameter of the breast at the chest-wall (D_eff), chest wall-to-nipple length (CNL), the effective diameter of the breast at half of CNL (D_h/2), breast volume (BV), glandular volume (GV), and volumetric breast density (VBD) were measured using the specific tools of the Koning Imaging Viewer system. The differences between groups were assessed using the Kruskal-Wallis H test. The correlation between variables was assessed using the Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Results The median values of D_eff, D_h/2, CNL, BV, GV, and VBD of the surveyed population were 11.9 cm, 8.3 cm, 6.5 cm, 327.7 cm³, 47.0 cm³, and 15.4%, respectively. GV and VBD had significant negative correlations with age. D_eff, D_h/2, CNL, and BV were significantly negatively correlated with VBD. Conclusion We established a quantitative method to analyze female breast characteristics based on three-dimensional breast CBCT images, and preliminarily characterized the female breast in a region of China, which can provide methodological support for the investigation of female breast characteristics in various regions of China in the future.