Objective To register pre-operative MRI/CT images with intra-operative ultrasound images based on vessels visible in both of the modalities. Method A non-rigid registration method of multimodal medical images based on Free Form Deformation(FFD) was proposed. When the images were aligned, the centerline points of the vessels in one image aligned with the intensity ridge points in the other image. Rigid transformation was adopted in global registration while local deformation was described by a Free Form Deformation based on a modally controlled B-spline. The method applied an optimization strategy combining the genetic algorithm with the conjugated gradients algorithm to minimize the objective function. Result Two experiments were designed on phantom and clinical data to evaluate the method. The results demonstrated that the registration method was consistent accurate. The average standard deviation of the final transformation parameters was sub-voxel, sub-millimeter, and within 0.010 radians. Conclusion The results show that the method has good registration accuracy and convergence rate. It can be applied efficiently in the ultrasound-image-guided surgery system.

The big-data era has arrived, which involves all professions and trades. Its impact on the medical field has gradually revealed. With the characteristics of big data "4V" (volume, velocity, variety, value) and its theory generality with TCM (holistic thinking, correlativity) as well as regularity of disease development, combined with present status of acupuncture clinical research, the influences of big-data era on trial design, data collection, analysis and sharing of acupuncture clinical research are discussed in this paper, aiming to provide references for solving the difficulties of study design and determining the future research direction of acupuncture clinical research.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Biomedical Research ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; Database Management Systems ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Purpose: To explore the therapeutic method for lameness caused by lumbar spinal stenosis. Methods: 28 cases of the patients with lameness were treated by puncturing Dachangshu (BL 25), Weizhong (BL 40), Chengshan (BL 57) and Kunlun (BL 60) and simultaneously another 26 cases were treated with routine method for control study. Results:After the treatments for four weeks, the scores of the symptoms in the two groups were remarkably elevated. In the acupuncture treatment, the results showed remarkable effect in 4 cases, effect in 21 cases. In the routine treatment, the results showed remarkable effect in 4 cases and effect in 8 cases. Conclusion: acupuncture treatment is better than the routine conventional treatment for lameness caused by lumbar spinal stenosis.

Objective To investigate the value of combined detection of serum CA125 ,VEGF‐C andβ2‐MG levels on early diag‐nosis of retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis in the patients with ovarian cancer .Methods Fifty‐one patients with ovarian cancer undergoing retroperitoneal lymph node cleaning operation were included as the experimental group ,including 29 cases of positive retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis .Contemporaneous 32 cases of benign ovarian tumor were selected as the control group .The serum CA125 level was detected by using electricity chemiluminescence (electrocheminescence) ,serum VEGF‐C level by using en‐zyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and serumβ2‐MG level by using the latex enhanced immune turbidimetric method .The serum CA125 ,VEGF‐C andβ2‐MG levels were compared among various groups .Results The serum CA125 ,VEGF‐C andβ2‐MG levels in the experimental group were (1 682 .5 ± 261 .5)μg/mL ,(2 125 .6 ± 96 .7)pg/mL and (2 .52 ± 0 .61)mg/L respectively , which in the control group were (30 .5 ± 6 .3)μg/mL ,(1 738 .0 ± 79 .8)pg/mL and (1 .87 ± 0 .56)mg/L respectively ,the difference between them was statistically significant (P< 0 .01) .The serum CA125、VEGF‐C、β2‐MG levels in 29 cases of retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis were more significantly higher ,which were (1 997 .3 ± 376 .8)μg/mL ,(2 895 .2 ± 126 .8)pg/mL and (4 .95 ± 0 .69)mg/L respectively ,and the difference was statistically significant compared with the control group (P<0 .01) .The sensitivity ,specificity and accuracy rate of the combined detection of serum VEGF‐C ,β2‐MG and CA125 for diagnosing ovarian cancer retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis were 95 .8% ,97 .3% and 98 .5% respectively .Conclusion The combined detection of serum VEFG‐C ,β2‐MG and CA125 has an important clinical value in early diagnosing retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis of o‐varian cancer .

With the development of molecular imaging technology, incorporate multiple modes of medical imaging imaging techniques of SPECT/CT and PET/CT technology with a certain degree of development. But compared to SPECT/CT and PET/CT technologies, SPECT/CT far earlier than PET/CT technology to clinical applications, due to a variety of factors influence SPECT/CT far PET/CT clinical applications to grow faster. This article highlights the progress and problems of SPECT/CT technology.
Diagnostic Imaging ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: Pathological changes of pulmonary emphysema are not reversible according to the existent pathogenesis of pulmonary emphysema. Research over many years report that injury of pulmonary blood capillary may take part in new pathogenesis of pulmonary emphysema based on lung volume reduction operation and bronchial lumen occlusion. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have multi-directional differentiation potencies, such as the differentiation into vascular endothelial cells. Therefore, MSCs may promote pulmonary vascularization and repair pulmonary tissue.OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of MSCs transplantation on pathological changes of arterial blood gas and pulmonary tissue in model rats with pulmonary emphysema, and investigate the therapeutic effects on MSCs on pulmonary emphysema and the pathogenesis of pulmonary emphysema.DESIGN: Randomized controlled animal study.SETTING: The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University.MATERIALS: Thirty healthy Wistar rats, 6 weeks old, of either gender, weighing 180-200 g. They were provided by Physiological Experiment Animal Center, Shanxi Medical University. All rats were randomly divided into MSCs treatment group, model group and control group with 10 rats each.METHODS: The experiment was carried out in the Physiological Laboratory of Shanxi Medical University from April 2005 to April 2006. Rats in the MSCs treatment group and in the model group were anesthetized and intratracheally perfused with 250 U/kg Porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) to establish pulmonary emphysema models; while, rats in the control group were perfused with saline. The models were successfully established 4 weeks later. All rats were anesthetized and then femur and tibia were obtained to separate and culture MSCs in vitro. Immunocytochemistry was used to detect the expression of CD71 in order to evaluate MSCs. Bromium azacytidine-labeled MSCs were inserted along caudal vein into rats in the MSCs treatment group; while, rats in the model group and control group were inserted with the same volume of PBS solution.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Changes of arterial blood gas in the three groups; ② Pulmonary tissue was used for pathological sections in order to calculate mean alveolar number, mean alveolar area and mean linear intercept; ③Immunocytochemical staining was used to measure numbers of CD34+ cells so as to determine proliferation of alveolar blood capillary.RESULTS: Three rats in all died during the model establishment, while another 3 rats were supplied. Therefore, an overall number of 30 rats were involved in the final analysis. ① Culture and evaluation of MSCs: At 3 days after inoculation, MSCs were generally adherent to walls and fusiformly shaped. In the third generation, the expression of CD71 was observed on the surface of MSCs.② Comparisons of arterial blood gas in the three groups: There were no significant differences in pH value, PO2, PCO2 and SaO2 in the three groups (P ＞ 0.05). ③ Pathological changes of pulmonary tissue: Pathological changes in the MSCs treatment group were milder than those in the model group;meanwhile, mean alveolar number in the MSCs treatment group was more than that in the model group, and there was significant difference between them (F=80.201, P＜ 0.05). While mean alveolar area and mean linear intercept in the MSCs treatment group were smaller than those in the model group, and there were significant differences (F =26.755,26.875, P ＜ 0.05). ④ Comparisons of CD34+ expression in pulmonary tissue: Relative positive area of CD34+ in the MSCs treatment group and model group was smaller than that in the control group (F =20.411, P ＜ 0.05), but that in the MSCs treatment group was larger than that in the model group, and there was significant difference between them (F=20.411, P＜ 0.05).CONCLUSION: MSCs can reverse the pathological changes of pulmonary emphysema; on the other hand, the decrease of the number of pulmonary capillary maybe one of the important pathogeneses of pulmonary emphysema.

Objective Castleman′s disease ( CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder, which has a very high misdiagnosis rate according to its lack of clinical and imaging specificity.The study was to improve the recognition, diagnosis and management of this disease by analyzing the clinicopathological characteristics and concluding diagnosis and treatment as well as literature review. Methods Retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of 31 CD patients (13 males and 18 females) who were hospitalized in the Affiliated Drum Tower Hosipital to Medical college of Nanjing University from January 2006 to Feburary 2014.Their mean age was (47.4 ±13.3) years.There were 24 cases with unicentric Castleman′s disease (UCD) and 7 cases with multicentric Castleman′s disease ( MCD) .UCD tended to be present in the form of an enlarged and painless mass which generally remained asymptomatic by accidental touch or regular physical examination.MCD was usually associated with constitutional symptoms.All the 24 patients with UCD underwent complete surgical resection.7 patients with MCD received different treatment methods, such as surgical resection, ste-riod and rituximab in combination with chemotherapy ( CHOP) . Results Postoperative pathology confirmed 23 cases were hyaline vascular type while 8 were plasma cell type.25 cases had been followed up (46.3 ±32.3) months after operation, among which 1 UCD case died of pancreatic head carcinoma 13 months after operation, 1 case with MCD plus pemphigus died 2 months after surgical resection of retroperitoneal lymphadenectasis, another MCD case died in 1 month without any treatment.The remaining 22 cases were alive. Conclusion CD is lack of clinical specificity and its diagnosis should be made by pathology.Each subtype differ greatly in prognosis, therefore different treatments should be taken after definitive subtype diagnosis.

Carrier Proteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Microfilament Proteins ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Proteins ; metabolism ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology

Objective: To explore the changes of right heart structure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A total of 194 T2DM patients were recruited in our research including those complicated with hypertension (HP). The patients were divided into 2 groups: T2DM+HP group and T2DM group,n=97 in each group. In addition, there was a Control group composed by 97 healthy subjects from regular physical examination at the same period of time. Right heart structure was assessed and compared by echocardiography in all participants. Results: The pulmonary artery diameter (PAD), right atrial short axis diameter (RA-D1), right atrial long axis diameter (RA-D2) and right atrial area (RAA) were different among 3 groups, allP<0.05. Right ventricular (RV) basal diameter (RV-D1) and RV out flow tract diameter (RVOT1) were similar among different groups,P=0.066 andP=0.059. Compare with Control group, T2DM+HP group had increased RA-D1, RA-D2, RAA and PAD, allP<0.05, while right ventricular free wall thickness was similar between 2 groups; T2DM group showed increased PAD,P<0.05, while RA-D2 was similar,P=0.061. Linear correlation analysis indicated that RV-D1, RVOT1, PA, RA-D1, RA-D2 and RAA were positively related to BMI (r=0.123-0.380) and waist-to-hip ratio (r=0.136-0.325), allP<0.05; RA-D2 and RAA were positively related to natural logarithm of urinary albumin excretion rate (lnUAER) (r=0.172 andr=0.130),P<0.05; PAD was positively related to diastolic blood pressure and E/E' (r=0.154 andr=0.172), negatively related E/A (r=-0.118),P<0.05. Multi regression analysis presented that gender and BMI were independently related to RV-D1, RVOT1, RA-D1, RA-D2 and RAA; BMI and diastolic blood pressure were independently related to PAD; lnUAER was independently related to RAA. Conclusion: T2DM+HP patients had broadened PA and RV basal part, increased RA-D and RAA; the changes of right heart structure were relatively mild in T2DM patients. Elevated blood pressure, BMI and UAER were closely related to the changes of right heart structure in T2DM patients.

Tanshinone ⅡA is one of the main effective components in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. It plays a role in the resistance to atherosclerosis by participating in anti-inflammatory in vascular wall, such as the regulating endothelial cell apoptosis and correcting lipid metabolism disorder. This article summarized recent researches of the basic role of tanshinone ⅡA in the resistance to atherosclerosis and provided references for clinical application of antiatherosclerotic effect of tanshinone ⅡA.