BACKGROUND:Sagittal imbalance induced by vertebral osteoporotic fractures has not been paid enough attention in previous studies.
OBJECTIVE:To assess the correlation of osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture and spinal sagittal imbalance.
METHODS:Sixty patients with old osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture, who were treated in the Department of Spine Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical Colege from February 2013 to August 2015, were enroled in this study as the observation group. Sixty healthy old people from physical examination center were enroled as the control group. The whole-spine anteroposterior and lateral X-ray films were taken in both groups. The number and the location of fractured vertebrae were recorded. Sagittal parameters of both groups including thoracic kyphotic angle, lumbar lordotic angle, T1-spinopelvic inclination angle and the C7plumb line/sacro-femoral distance (PL/SFD) ratio were measured and compared among groups. The observation group was dividedinto three subgroups according to the number of fractured vertebrae,i.e., single-vertebrae fracture subgroup, double-vertebrae fracture subgroup and above triple-vertebrae fracture subgroup. The C7PL/SFD ratio of the three subgroups was compared. The correlation between the number of fractured vertebrae and the C7PL/SFD ratio was analyzed.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) The thoracic kyphotic angle of the observation group was bigger than that of the control group (P< 0.05). The lumbar lordotic angle of the observation group was smaler than that of the control group (P< 0.05). The absolute value of the T1-spinopelvic inclination angle of the observation group (-1.81±1.48)° was smaler than that of the control group (-3.35±1.22)° (P< 0.05). The C7PL/SFDratio of the observation group was significantly bigger than that of the control group (P< 0.05). (2) In the observation group, there were 4 cases of single-vertebrae fracture, 25 cases of double-vertebrae fracture and 31 cases of above triple-vertebrae fracture. Significant differences in the C7PL/SFD ratio were determined among subgroups (P< 0.05). The number of fractured vertebrae was positively correlated with the C7PL/SFD ratio; the correlation coefficient was 0.747. (3) Results indicated that osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture can change spinal local sagittal alignment. Multiple compression fractures of vertebrae can cause spinal sagittal imbalance. The gravity center of human body shifts forward. The number of fractured vertebrae was positively correlated with the range of shift forward.

BACKGROUND:Recent report addressing new vertebral fracture after vertebroplasty or bal oon kyphoplasty has increased gradual y. It remains controversial whether new vertebral fracture is induced by bone cement augmentation or osteoporosis.
OBJECTIVE:To observe new vertebral fracture after conservative treatment and bone cement augmentation for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, analyze the relationship between new vertebral fracture and spinal sagittal parameters, and explore the risk factors for new vertebral fracture.
METHODS:From June 2011 to December 2014, 160 patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures in thoracic and lumbar vertebrae were selected from the Department of Spine Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical Col ege. According to therapeutic regimen, the patients were divided into two groups. The observation group (n=80) received vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty. The control group (n=80) underwent conservative treatment. At 1 day after surgery in the observation group and after walking in the control group, patients were subjected to anteroposterior and lateral X-ray in the entire length of the spine. Bone mineral density, number and location of new vertebral fractures and sagittal parameters during fol ow-up were recorded and compared between groups. After final fol ow-up, according to the appearance of new vertebral fracture, patients in both groups were assigned to two subgroups. The difference in above indicators was compared between the two subgroups. The relationship between new vertebral fracture and spinal sagittal parameters was analyzed.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) There were no statistical y significant differences in gender, age, body mass index, bone mineral density, pelvic index, sacral slope, pelvic tilt, thoracic kyphotic angle, lumbar lordotic angle, C7/sacro-femoral distance ratio and occurrence rate of new fractures between the two treated groups (P>0.05). (2) There were no statistical y significant differences in gender, age, body mass index, pelvic index, and lumbar lordotic angle between new vertebral fracture group and non-fracture group. There were statistical y significant differences in bone mineral density, sacral slope, pelvic tilt, thoracic kyphotic angle and the C7/sacro-femoral distance between the new vertebral fracture group and the control group (P<0.05). (3) Results confirmed that new vertebral compression fractures after vertebroplasty, Kyphoplasty or conservative treatment for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures were definitely associated with osteoporosis and spinal sagittal imbalance.

Objective To explore the influence of homogeneity management on ICU nurses' clinical practice ability, job satisfaction and patient safety. Methods Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital implemented the homogeneity management from January 2016, through training, empowerment and optimization scheduling. A total of 30 ICU nurses were investigated for their clinical practice ability, job satisfaction and nursing adverse events. Data were collected from the results of Clinical Practice Ability Questionnaire and Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, and were used to analysis the differences before and after the homogeneity management. Results After the homogeneity management implementation the score of clinical practice ability of the ICU nurses raised to (84.77±3.80), which was (71.63±5.19) before,the difference was statistically significant (t=-11.181, P<0.01). The score of job satisfaction increased from (17.20±1.84) to (22.43±3.00), the difference was statistically significant (t=-8.454, P< 0.01). There were 2 cases of catheter slippage in 2016, and the incidence of nursing adverse events is 0.15% (2/1 300). Conclusions Homogeneity management can effectively improve the clinical practice ability and job satisfaction of nurses, reduce the incidence of nursing adverse events, and provide guarantee for the safety of patients.

Objective To investigate the feasibility of morphology and quantitative parameters for evaluation of lymph node metastatic (LNM) potential in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) with dual?energy CT iodine image. Methods The ninety?five PTMC patients (59 patients with LNM, 36 patients without LNM in the neck) whom underwent dual?energy contrast scanning and confirmed by first postoperative pathology results were enrolled in this retrospective study from July 2014 to December 2016. Dual?energy iodine images were obtained by the dual?energy post?processing software. The iodine image morphology of each patient was analyzed, including size, number, aspect ratio, shape, uncompleted enhanced ring sign, nodule which breaks through the thyroid capsule, microcalcification, and enhanced?degree, and diagnostic efficiency of each imaging feature was calculated. The iodine concentration (IC) and CT value of PTMC solid parts were measured in arterial phase and venous phase images respectively, as well as the NICnod (normalized iodine concentration) and normalized CT value. The independent sample t test was performed to compare quantitative parameters between the LNM group and non?LNM group. ROC curves with quantitative parameters of two phases were used to analyze the diagnostic efficiencies of NIC and normalized CT value. Results Statistically, in the iodine image, the imaging features of LNM group, including multiple lesions, maximum diameter of nodules, aspect ratio, irregular shape, uncompleted enhanced ring sign, and nodule which breaks through the thyroid capsule, had significant differences compared with those of non?LNM group in the neck (χ2 were 14.965,8.724,11.494,8.097,6.324,23.272;P all<0.05), and there were positive correlations with LNM potential (r were 0.397,0.303,0.348,0.309,0.258, 0.495;P all<0.05), the diagnostic efficiency of nodule which breaks through the thyroid capsule was the highest among the imaging features for diagnosis of cervical LNM (sensitivity 77.9%, specificity 72.2%, accuracy 75.8%). During the artery phase, mean NICROI and normalized CT value of non?LNM group were respectively 0.29±0.10,0.33±0.11,and these of LNM group were respectively 0.45±0.15,0.44±0.13.NICROI and normalized CT value of non?LNM group were less than LNM group′s (t=-4.891,－3.462;P all<0.001). During the venous phase, NICROI and normalized CT value of LNM group were higher than non?LNM group′s (t=-3.381,－2.18;P all<0.05). Among all quantitative parameters, the NIC of arterial phase has the highest diagnostic efficacy for the diagnosis of cervical LNM. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was the largest, 0.814, the sensitivity was 73.5%, the specificity was 79.2%, and the diagnostic threshold was 0.208. Conclusion Dual?energy CT iodine image morphology and quantitative parameters have important clinical value for evaluation of cervical lymph node metastatic potential in PTMC.

Objective To investigate the association and mechanism between glutathione S-transferase P1(GSTP1) and radiation-induced lung injury.Methods Two effective GSTP1 siRNAs were designed and synthesized.The normal lung epithelial cell line BEAS-2B cells were transfected with GSTP1 siRNA (experimental group,siRNA-1,siRNA-2) and negative control siRNA (negative control group,NC).Western blot was performed to detect the expression levels of GSTP1 protein and EMT-related proteins.CDNB was adopted to evaluate the activity of GSTs.DCFH-DA probe was used for incubation.Flow cytometry was conducted to detect the median fluorescence intensity (MFI) and cellular apoptosis.Annexin-v/PI staining was utilized for incubation.MTT assay was performed to measure the proliferation of BEAS-2B,and the growth curve was drawn based on the results.Results After radiation,compared with the NC group,the ROS level and MFI were significantly higher in experimental group (6774.66±399.60 vs.8759.00±256.96 vs.9967.67±735.11,P＜0.05).In the experimental group,the percentage of cellular apoptosis was remarkably higher than that in the NC group (12.3± 1.16 vs.17.38± 1.65 vs.22.88± 1.20,P＜0.05).MTT assay demonstrated that the OD values in the experimental group were significantly lower than that in the NC group everyday.Further more,the level of EMT process is higher in the experimental group.Conclusions Interfering with the GSTP1 expression in lung epithelial cells can increase the intracellular ROS level,increase the percentage of cellular apoptosis,and reduce the cell proliferation rate following γ-radiation.Besides,it can also promote the epithelial mesenchymal transition in lung epithelial cells.The down-regulation of GSTP1 protein expression level probably aggravates the radiationinduced lung cell injury and promotes the epithelial mesenchymal transition.

Objective:To explore MRI T 2-mapping and blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) to evaluate the functional changes of paraspinal muscle in rats with discogenic low back pain (DLBP) after swimming. Methods:Totally 54 female 1-month-old SD rats were selected, which were divided into 3 groups by random number table method, sham operation (Sham) group, DLBP non-swimming group and DLBP swimming group, with 18 rats in each group. Under the guidance of X-ray fluoroscopy, the L4/5 and L5/6 intervertebral discs of the rats in the DLBP non-swimming group and DLBP swimming group were punctured by the posterior approach, and establishment of DLBP rat model by destroying nucleus pulposus, and only paraspinal muscles at the same level were punctured in the Sham group. After modeling, the DLBP swimming group received swimming exercise intervention for 5 consecutive days (30 min/d), while the DLBP non-swimming group and Sham group did not receive any rehabilitation exercise intervention. Each group was divided into 3 time point subgroups on average, the T 2-mapping and BOLD sequences were scanned at 30, 90 and 180 days after modeling to obtain the T 2 value, R 2* value of the paraspinal muscles, and the paraspinal muscles at the modeling level were taken for immunofluorescence staining, and the fluorescence intensity of myosin heavy chain (MYH)1 (type Ⅱ muscle fiber) and MYH7 (type I muscle fiber) was analyzed. One-way analysis of variance was used for comparison among the 3 groups, and the Bonferroni method was used for multiple comparisons, and Pearson correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between quantitative MRI parameters T 2 value, R 2* value and MYH1, MYH7 immunofluorescence intensity of rat paraspinal muscles at 180 days after modeling. Results:At 30 days after modeling, there was no significant difference in T 2 value and R 2* value among the 3 groups (all P>0.05). At 90 days after modeling, the T 2 value of the DLBP swimming group was higher than that of the DLBP non-swimming group, and the T 2 value of the DLBP non-swimming group was lower than that of the Sham group (all P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the R 2* value among the 3 groups ( P>0.05). At 180 days after modeling, the T 2 value of the DLBP swimming group was higher than that of the DLBP non-swimming group, and the R 2* value was lower than that of the DLBP non-swimming group; the T 2 value of the DLBP non-swimming group was lower than that of the Sham group, and the R 2* value was higher than that of the Sham group (all P<0.05). At 30 and 90 days after modeling, there was no significant difference in the expressions of MYH1 and MYH7 among the 3 groups (all P>0.05). At 180 days after modeling, the expression of MYH1 decreased and the expression of MYH7 increased in the DLBP swimming group compared with the DLBP non-swimming group; the expression of MYH1 increased and the expression of MYH7 decreased in the DLBP non-swimming group compared with the Sham group (all P<0.05). At 180 days after modeling, the T 2 value had a moderate negative correlation with the fluorescence intensity of MYH1 ( r=-0.511, P=0.043), and a moderate positive correlation with the fluorescence intensity of MYH7 ( r=0.564, P=0.023); R 2* value was moderate positive correlated with the fluorescence intensity of MYH1 ( r=0.625, P=0.010), and moderate negative correlated with the fluorescence intensity of MYH7 ( r=-0.653, P=0.006). Conclusions:Swimming exercise can improve the reduction of water content and perfusion in the paraspinal muscles of DLBP rats, and reduce the transformation of muscle fibers from type Ⅰ to type Ⅱ, the changes of T 2 and R 2* value can reflect the transformation of paraspinal muscle fiber types to a certain extent.

Objective To explore the value of T2-mapping imaging in assessment of lumbar dorsal extensors group (multifidus,longissimus and iliocostalis) function before and after exercises in healthy volunteers.Methods Totally 50 healthy young volunteers underwent T2-mapping imaging before and after exercises.T2 value and cross-section area (CSA) of multifidus,longissimus and iliocostalis were measured at the level of L3 and 14 superior border.Differences of CSA and T2 value were compared between left and right side muscles before and after exercises.The correlation between CSA difference and T2 difference before and after exercises was analyzed.Results At the level of L3 and L4 superior border,CSA and T2 value of bilateral multifidus,longissimus and iliocostalis increased after exercises (all P＜0.05).At the level of L3 superior border,CSA after exercises and CSA difference of left multifidus were higher than those of right side (all P＜0.05).Before exercises,there were statistical differences of T2 values on left and right side of longissimus and iliocostalis at the level of L3 superior border and the longissimus at the level of L4 superior border (all P＜0.05).Positive correlations were found between CSA difference and T2 difference on bilateral iliocostalis at the level of L3 and L4 superior border,as well as on bilateral multifidus at the level of L4 superior border (all P ＜0.05).Conclusion T2-mapping imaging can be used to assess the activity state of lumbar dorsal extensors group before and after exercises.

Objective To compare the safety of octogenarian patients receiving non-cardiac surgery within 1 week versus within 1-3 weeks after coronary computed tomographic angiography(CTA).Methods Octogenarian patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery after coronary CTA in Fujian Medical University Union Hospital,were retrospectively analyzed.All patients were divided into two groups:those received surgery within 1 week after coronary CTA as group 1 (n =73),those within 1-3 week after coronary CTA as group 2,(n =35).The baseline clinical characteristics,the changes in pre-and postoperative serum creatinine levels (Scr)and estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR),and the incidence of acute kidney injury(AKI)were compared between two groups.The revised cardiac risk index(RCRI)score was evaluated for each octogenarian inpatient,and the RCRI sum score for different types of non-cardiac surgery were calculated.Finally,the RCRI sum score of the preoperative risk factors were compared between different types of non-cardiac surgery so as to assess their specifically safety.Results In 108 patients who performed coronary CTA,only one patients developed palpitation and three had injection site pain.All patients receiving different types of non-cardiac operation had low revised cardiac risk index(RCRI ≤ 2).Death was not found.The serum levels of Scr and eGFR were similar between two groups before coronary CTA and after operation(all P＞0.05).Conclusions Octogenarian patients with low preoperative cardiac risk index(RCRI ≤ 2) are safe for performing non-cardiac surgery within 1 week after coronary CTA.

Objective:To explore the classification performance of combined model constructed from CT signs combined with radiomics for discriminating COVID-19 pneumonia and other viral pneumonia.Methods:The clinical and CT imaging data of 181 patients with viral pneumonia confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in 15 hospitals of Yunnan Province from March 2015 to March 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. The 181 patients were divided into COVID-19 group (89 cases) and non-COVID-19 group (92 cases), which were further divided into training cohort (126 cases) and test cohort (55 cases) at a ratio of 7∶3 using random stratified sampling. The CT signs of pneumonia were determined and the radiomics features were extracted from the initial unenhanced chest CT images to build independent and combined models for predicting COVID-19 pneumonia. The diagnostic performance of the models were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, continuous net reclassification index (NRI) calibration curve and decision curve analysis.Results:The combined models consisted of 3 significant CT signs and 14 selected radiomics features. For the radiomics model alone, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) were 0.904 (sensitivity was 85.5%, specificity was 84.4%, accuracy was 84.9%) in the training cohort and 0.866 (sensitivity was 77.8%, specificity was 78.6%, accuracy 78.2%) in the test cohort. After combining CT signs and radiomics features, AUC of the combined model for the training cohort was 0.956 (sensitivity was 91.9%, specificity was 85.9%, accuracy was 88.9%), while that for the test cohort was 0.943 (sensitivity was 88.9%, specificity was 85.7%, accuracy was 87.3%). The AUC values of the combined model and the radiomics model in the differentiation of COVID-19 group and the non-COVID-19 group were significantly different in the training cohort ( Z=-2.43, P=0.015), but difference had no statistical significance in the test cohort ( Z=-1.73, P=0.083), and further analysis using the NRI showed that the combined model in both the training cohort and the test cohort had a positive improvement ability compared with radiomics model alone (training cohort: continuous NRI 1.077, 95 %CI 0.783-1.370; test cohort: continuous NRI 1.421, 95 %CI 1.051-1.790). The calibration curve showed that the prediction probability of COVID-19 predicted by the combined model was in good agreement with the observed value in the training and test cohorts; the decision curve showed that a net benefit greater than 0.6 could be obtained when the threshold probability of the combined model was 0-0.75. Conclusion:The combination of CT signs and radiomics might be a potential method for distinguishing COVID-19 and other viral pneumonia with good performance.

Objective:To explore the clinical application value of MRI in quantitative evaluation of anterior cruciate ligament mucoid degeneration (ACL-MD).Methods:From March to July 2020, 40 patients who were scheduled to undergo arthroscopic treatment were prospectively collected in the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University.The anterior cruciate ligament tissue from the lateral edge of the tibial end was taken during the operation. Based on the pathologicalre sults, the patients were divided into the ACL-MD group ( n=19) and the normal group ( n=21). The sagittal plane three-dimensional steady-state rapid precession (3D-FIESTA), T 1 mapping, T 2 mapping, and T 2* mapping were performed before the knee joint surgery, and the scanned images were post-processed and analyzed to measure the T 1, T 2, and T 2* values of the tibial end of the anterior cruciate ligament.The relaxation time of the ACL-MD group and the normal group was compared using independent sample t test. The ROC curve was drawn using each parameter and the areas under the curve (AUC) for the diagnosis of ACL-MD were obtained.DeLong test was used to compare the differences of AUCs. Results:The T 1 [(1 291.9±273.4) ms], T 2 [(54.8±10.6) ms], and T 2* values [(30.6±6.4) ms] of anterior cruciate ligaments in the ACL-MD group were significantly higher than those in the normal group [ (1 087.0±121.0), (44.8±7.1), (20.4±4.8) ms; t=3.011, 3.473, 5.658, all P<0.001]. The AUCs of T 1, T 2, T 2* were 0.747, 0.764, 0.912, sensitivity of 63.2%, 63.2%, 100%, and the specificity of 100%, 95.2%, 76.2% in diagnosing ACL-MD. The AUC of the T 2* value was higher than those of the T 1 and T 2 values, and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=1.734, 2.162, P=0.043, 0.031). Conclusion:T 1, T 2, T 2*values measured by MRI quantitative imaging have high performance in assessing knee joint ACL-MD, and T 2* value has the largest AUC and the highest diagnostic efficiency.