OBJECTIVEAn improved water-fat separation method based on region-growing was proposed for use in regions with low signal-noise ratio (SNR).

METHODSRegion-growing method was applied to 4 sub-images acquired by a down- sampling operation on the acquired phasor maps. The spatial smoothing constraint was exploited to calculate 4 error phasor maps to construct the final smooth error phasor map, which was used in two-point Dixon technique for water-fat separation.

RESULTSThe simulation experiment showed that the proposed method produced smaller errors, and for clinical images of the knees, abdomen and lower limbs, the proposed method achieved accurate water-fat separations.

CONCLUSIONThe proposed method is more robust and reliable than the original global region-growing algorithm, and serves as a promising water-fat separation method for clinical applications.

Abdomen ; diagnostic imaging ; Adipose Tissue ; diagnostic imaging ; Algorithms ; Body Water ; Humans ; Image Enhancement ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Knee ; diagnostic imaging ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; Oligodeoxyribonucleotides, Antisense ; pharmacology ; Tumor Cells, Cultured ; beta Catenin ; biosynthesis ; genetics

OBJCTIVE: To study the clinical effect of surgery combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy in children with central primitive neuroectodermal tumor (cPNET), as well as the risks factors for poor prognosis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 42 children who were diagnosed with cPNET from June 2012 to September 2018. RESULTS: The 42 children had a median overall survival (OS) time of 2.0 years and a median event-free survival (EFS) time of 1.3 years; the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 76.2%±6.6%, 41.4%±8.7%, 37.3%±8.8% respectively, and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year EFS rates were 64.3%±7.4%, 32.7%±8.0%, 28.0%±8.1% respectively. The univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in the OS and EFS rates among the children with different patterns of surgical resection, chemotherapy cycles, and risk grades (P<0.05), and there was also a significant difference in the OS rate between the children receiving radiotherapy and those not receiving radiotherapy (P<0.05). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that chemotherapy cycles and risk grade were independent influencing factors for EFS and OS rates (P<0.05). The EFS and OS rates increased with the increase in chemotherapy cycles and the reduction in risk grade. CONCLUSIONS Multimodality therapy with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy is an effective method for the treatment of cPNET in children. Early diagnosis and treatment and adherence to chemotherapy for as long as possible may improve EFS and OS rates.
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Child ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To investigate the standard prescription in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to provide a reference for rational drug use. Methods A total of 157 patients with COPD in our hospital were included into the study from June 2016 to January 2017. Of patients, there were 3 patients with mild airflow limitation, 18 patients with moderate airflow limitation, 39 patients with severe airflow limitation and 97 patients with extremely severe airflow limitation. The self-made questionnaire was used to understand the basic situation, complications and irrational drug use. Results Most severe and extremely severe COPD patients were male, and most of them combined with high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Of the 157 patients, 12 cases with moderate airflow limitation used inhaled therapy of corticosteroids/bronchodilator medications, 45 cases combined with pneumocardial disease used compound methoxyphenamine, 26 cases used leukotriene receptor antagonist, 14 cases used antibiotics for no obvious infection symptom and 11 cases used systemic corticosteroids in stable COPD. All of them belong to rational drug use. Conclusion There are some unreasonable situations of drug using in patients with stable COPD. The medical staff should strictly control indications, strengthen the education for drug use, guide rational drug use and avoid the occurrence of adverse consequences.

OBJECTIVETo explore VEGF siRNA's effect on the immature fetal retinal microvascular endothelial cells in vitro.

METHODThe fresh retinal micrangium was primarily cultured to obtain microvascular endothelial cells. CoCl2 was used to simulate oxygen-deficient conditions. siRNA directed against human VEGF was designed and chemically synthesized. There were 3 groups in our experiment: VEGF siRNA group, hypoxia control group, and negative siRNA control group. The fetal retinal micrangium vascular endothelial cells were transfected by using liposome. The expression levels of VEGF mRNA and protein were evaluated by RT-PCR and Western blotting 24, 48, 72 h after transfection, cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT method.

RESULTThe expression levels of VEGF mRNA decreased by 21.05%, 79.67%, and 90.48% 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after transfection as compared to those in hypoxia control group, the expression level of VEGF protein had decreased by 14.58%, 66.97%, and 81.61% as compared to those in hypoxia control group. The siRNA could decrease cell proliferation under hypoxia too, the multiplication rate after 12, 24, 48, and 72 h decreased by 15.0%, 42.9%, 78.3% and 65.9%.

CONCLUSIONVEGF siRNA could down-regulate the expression of VEGF in immature fetal retinal microvascular endothelial cells and suppressed cell proliferation. Application of siRNA to inhibit expression of VEGF may be a hopeful way to prevent and cure ROP.

Cell Hypoxia ; Cell Line ; Endothelial Cells ; metabolism ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Retina ; metabolism ; pathology ; Retinal Vessels ; cytology ; metabolism ; Retinopathy of Prematurity ; metabolism ; Transfection ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; genetics ; metabolism

Acute Disease ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pesticides ; poisoning ; Poisoning ; epidemiology

Bats are considered as important animal reservoirs for many pathogenic viruses to humans. The viral metagenomic analysis was performed to study gut and lung tissues of 30 insectivorous bats collected in Yunnan Province and 26 reads were noted to group A rotavirus (RVA). Further RT-PCR screening on bat samples and in vitro viral isolation on cell cultures confirmed the presence of a novel RVA, named as RVA/Bat-tc/MYAS33/2013/G3P[10], in one of 30 Stoliczka's trident bats. The VP7 gene of this strain MYAS33 was closely related to that of an equine RVA strain from Argentina and the nucleotide sequence similarity was 93%, while its VP4 gene was a rare P[10] type and obtained the maximum sequence identity (94.8%) with that of a human strain from Thailand. The present study highlights the potential role of bats as reservoirs for RVAs.
Animals ; China ; Chiroptera ; virology ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Rotavirus ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; ultrastructure ; Rotavirus Infections ; veterinary ; virology ; Viral Proteins ; genetics