Objective To investigate the value of non-contrast CT(NCCT)-based radiomics for identifying acute unilateral middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO)with negative hyperdense artery sign(HAS).Methods All 80 patients with acute unilateral MCAO confirmed by angiography(MR angiography[MRA]or CT angiography[CTA]or DSA)and presenting with negative NCCT presentation for HAS were enrolled from January 2015 to June 2023 in the Emergency Department of Stroke Center of Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou university.On the NCCT images,the occluded segment of the middle cerebral artery on the affected side of each case and the corresponding segment of the vessel on the normal side were used as the regions of interest,and a total of 108 radiomic features were extracted.The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)was used to screen the key features,construct and calculate the radiomics score,and four imaging histology models,support vector machine(SVM),light gradient boosting machine(LightGBM),GradientBoosting and adaptive boosting(AdaBoost),were built respectively to predict MCAO.Predictive performance was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves,and comparisons between the modeled receiver operating characteristic curves were made using the Delong test.Finally,the value of the application of radiological modeling was assessed by clinical decision curve analysis(DCA).Results The NCCT images based on 160 vessels were finally screened for 6 key features,including skewness,energy,gray level size zone matrix(GLSZM)-gray uneven,GLSZM-low gray area emphasis,GLSZM-size area non-uniform standardization,GLSZM-area entropy.The area under the curve(AUC)of the SVM-test was 0.688(95％CI 0.497-0.878)with an accuracy of 0.688;the AUC of the LightGBM-test was 0.787(95％CI 0.620-0.955)with an accuracy of 0.781;the AUC of the GradientBoosting-test was 0.654(95％CI 0.457-0.852)with an accuracy of 0.688;the AUC of the AdaBoost-test was 0.707(95％CI 0.515-0.899)with an accuracy of 0.750.The Delong test showed a statistically significant difference between LightGBM-test and GradientBoosting-test(P=0.040),and no statistically significant difference in performance between the remaining models(all P＞0.05).DCA showed that the LightGBM-test performed better.Conclusion NCCT-based radiomics has good diagnostic efficacy for identifying acute unilateral MCAO with negative HAS,and this conclusion needs to be further verified by multi-center and large sample studies.

Oxidative stress plays a key role in acute kidney injury (AKI). 8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine (8-oxo-Gsn) can reflect the overall level of oxidative stress in the body. The levels of urinary 8-oxo-Gsn and renal function-related indicators in 62 patients who underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) or open-chest surgery were measured during the perioperative period. The results showed that urinary 8-oxo-Gsn increased 24 hours after surgery and decreased 48 hours after surgery as the condition improved. In 10 patients with severe complications, urinary 8-oxo-Gsn continued to rise. The level of urinary 8-oxo-Gsn in the VATS group recovered faster than that in the open-chest surgery group ( P<0.05). There was a certain correlation between the level of urinary 8-oxo-Gsn and postoperative renal injury in thoracic surgery, suggesting that RNA oxidative stress may play an important role in the pathogenesis of surgery-related AKI.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of renally inappropriate medication （RIM） on the frailty of elderly patients with diabetes. METHODS The data of elderly patients with diabetes mellitus admitted to a third-grade class A hospital in Yunnan province from January to December 2022 were collected， and Beers criteria （2019 edition） and Chinese version of FRAIL scale were used to evaluate RIM and the frailty of the patients； the patients were divided into the trial group （with RIM） and the control group （without RIM） according to whether there was RIM. The propensity score matching was used to balance confounding factors between two groups， and the influence of RIM on the frailty of elderly diabetic patients was analyzed by the Logistic regression model. RESULTS Among the 367 patients， 80 patients （21.80%） had RIM， the drugs involved RIM were spironolactone （82.56%）， rivaroxaban （13.95%） and gabapentin （3.49%）. After reaching the balance between groups using the propensity score matching method， the incidence of frailty was 77.94% in trial group and 27.94% in control group （P＜0.001）； the difference was not statistically significant in other confounding factors between the two groups （P＞0.05）. Results of Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of frailty in the experimental group was 3.118 times that of the control group （odds ratio was 3.118，95% confidence interval was 1.758-5.530， P＜0.001）. CONCLUSIONS RIM is a risk factor for the frailty of elderly patients with diabetes， which can be considered as an indicator for early identification and screening of the frailty of elderly diabetes patients.

"Tendon Constraining Bone"is an essential theory in osteology and traumatology of traditional Chinese medicine,originating from the statement in Suwen(Plain Questions)that"convergent tendon controlling bones and joints".Since the Yuan and Ming dynasties,the theory of"Tendon Constraining Bone"was formed based on the understanding of anatomical relationships and the need for pathogenesis interpretation,developed by medical practitioners such as ZHU Danxi and ZHANG Jie.The"Tendon Constraining Bone"theory summarizes the physiological connections between tendons and bones and between tendons and zang-fu organs and meridians.Tendons and bones are structurally connected and functionally related,reflected in sturdy bones and tough tendons,upright bones and soft tendons with smoothly-flowing qi and blood,all tendons being related to joints,and thews being related to bones.Tendons and bones are related by meridians and zang-fu organs,specifically reflected in the Yangming channel governing the nourishment of tendons,liver governing tendons,kidneys governing bones,Taiyang channel governing tendons,and Shaoyang channel governing bones.The abnormality of"Tendon Constraining Bone"is the general pathogenesis of various tendon and bone diseases,and it can be caused by changes in the tendon and bone structure,nourishment deficiency,or the pathogenic qi retention.The pathological manifestations of abnormal"Tendon Constraining Bone"are manifested in form and state.Abnormalities in form can manifest as tendon rupture,bone fractures,tendon dislocation,and bone dislocation,whereas abnormalities in state can manifest as tendon urgency,bone pain,tendon laxity,and bone softness.The"Tendon Constraining Bone"theory has influenced the development of treatment principles such as combining motion and quiescence,paying equal attention to bone and flesh,and combining internal and external treatment.This theory has guided the application of basic treatment method such as connecting and rectifying tendons and bones,smoothing tendons and relieving bones,and nourishing tendons and strengthening bones.Therefore,the"Tendon Constraining Bone"theory can significantly guide tendon and bone disease diagnosis and treatment.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between hemoglobin and serum uric acid in adults with various glucose metabolism status. Methods: The demographic data and biochemical indicators of the adult population who had received physical examination in the Second Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from January 2018 to December 2021 were collected. The subjects were divided into two groups according to the level of serum uric acid: the normal uric acid group and the hyperuricemia group. The relationship between hemoglobin (stratified into four levels of Q₁ to Q₄ by the quartile) and serum uric acid was quantified by using Pearson correlation and logistic regression analysis. The effects of age and glucose metabolism status on the relationship between hemoglobin and serum uric acid were analyzed. Results: A total of 33 183 adults were enrolled with age (50.6±10.0) years. The level of hemoglobin in the normal uric acid group (142.61±14.24) g/L was significantly lower than that in the hyperuricemia group [(151.79±11.24) g/L, P<0.001]. Univariate Pearson correlation analysis showed that hemoglobin was positively associated with serum uric acid (r=0.444, P<0.001). After adjusting for related confounding factors, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that hemoglobin was associated with serum uric acid, and the OR values (95%CI) of hemoglobin Q₂ to Q₄ group were 1.29 (1.13-1.48), 1.42 (1.24-1.62) and 1.51 (1.32-1.72), respectively (P_trend<0.001) when compared with hemoglobin Q₁ group. Subgroup analysis and hierarchical interaction analysis suggested that with the increase of hemoglobin, the serum uric acid in the age<60 years subgroup, normal glucose subgroup and prediabetes subgroup increased gradually (P_trend<0.05 and P_interaction<0.001). Conclusion: The association between hemoglobin and serum uric acid in adults is affected by age and glucose metabolism status.
Humans ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Uric Acid ; Hyperuricemia/epidemiology* ; Hemoglobins ; Prediabetic State ; Glucose ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE: To develop a multiplex PCR method for a rapid detection of Y chromosome-specific sequences in patients with Turner syndrome. METHODS: Nine genes were selected from various regions of the Y chromosome for designing the primers, which included SRY, TBL1Y, TSPY on the short arm of the Y chromosome, DDX3Y, HSFY1, RPS4Y2 and CDY1 on the long arm of Y chromosome and SHOX in the short arm and SPRY3 in the long arm of the pseudoautosomal region (PAR) of X and Y chromosomes. A multiplex PCR method for the nine genes in Y chromosome was established and optimized. The sensitivity was tested by using different amounts of genomic DNA. A total of 36 patients with Turner syndrome and a patient with male dwarfism with karyotype of 46, X, +mar were examined by the multiplex PCR method for the existence of materials from the Y chromosome. RESULTS: The optimization results of the multiplex PCR reaction system (50 μL) showed that when the final concentration of upstream and downstream of each pair of primers was 0.1 μM, the multiplex PCR reaction of the 9 pairs of primers clearly amplified the target with the expected band size, and there was no non-specific amplification. The bands were clearly visible when the amount of genomic DNA in the multiple PCR reaction system was as low as 1 ng. By using the method, we have examined the 36 patients with Turner syndrome. One patient with Turner syndrome with karyotype of 45,X[40]/47XYY[21] amplified specific seven genes on Y chromosome, 35 patients with Turner syndrome amplified only two target genes SHOX and SPRY3, but not the other seven specific genes on the Y chromosome, which was in keeping with the clinical manifestations of such patients. CONCLUSION This study established a multiplex PCR reaction system with nine genes, which can quickly and accurately screen Y chromosome materials in patients with Turner syndrome. It has the advantages of low cost, simple operation, high specificity and rapid turn-around time, and can be used to detect Turner syndrome patients with Y chromosome material in time. The method has provided a diagnostic basis for preventive gonad resection to prevent malignant gonadal tumors.
Humans ; Male ; Turner Syndrome/genetics* ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Y Chromosome ; Karyotyping ; DNA Primers ; DNA ; Chromosomes, Human, Y/genetics* ; Transducin/genetics* ; Minor Histocompatibility Antigens ; DEAD-box RNA Helicases/genetics*

Objective:To analyze the genetic etiology of idiopathic short stature(ISS) children, and to investigate the clinical characteristics of Noonan syndrome caused by PTPN11 gene mutation, and the response to recombinant human growth hormone(rhGH) as well.Methods:Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of 232 ISS patients, and the genome was detected by whole exon sequencing. The gene variation was analyzed according to the guideline of American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics(ACMG), and clinical baseline data and follow-up data of rhGH treatment were collected from PTPN11 gene pathogenic patients.Results:Among 232 ISS patients, 6 were found to have PTPN11 pathogenic gene variants(c.1507G>C, c. 317A>G, c. 923A>G, c. 922A>G, c. 236A>G, c. 922A>G), diagnosed as Noonan syndrome. Together with 3 cases of Noonan syndrome patients(all PTPN11 gene variation C. 1510A>G) previously diagnosed in our hospital, the clinical characteristics of patients were analyzed. Among the 9 Noonan syndrome patients, 7 were boys and 2 were girls. The average age was 10.2(4.5, 14.7) years old, and their height standard deviation score was -3.06 SD(95% CI -2.29 SD--3.94 SD). Among them, 4 patients received rhGH treatment with an average treatment duration of 2.25(1.5, 3.5) years. After treatment, their height increased by 14.3(8.6, 23.9) cm, and the change in height standard deviation score improved by 0.21 SD(95% CI 0.12 SD-0.27 SD). Conclusion:Noonan syndrome has a wide range of clinical phenotypes. For children with short stature, heart defects and cryptorchidism, the possibility of Noonan syndrome should be considered. PTPN11 is the common pathogenic gene for Noonan syndrome, and genetic testing facilitates the early diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up prognosis of Noonan syndrome patients.

Objective:To evaluate the feasibility of making individualized scanning and contrast injection protocol based on body mass index (BMI) and body weight during dynamic myocardial computed perfusion (CTP) imaging in order to get high-quality images while drastically reducing radiation dose.Methods:A total of 128 patients with coronary heart disease diagnosed by coronary CTA (CCTA) performed CTP from June, 2019 to March, 2020 were prospectively enrolled. Patients were divided into six groups: group 1, BMI<24 kg/m 2, ≤60 kg, 70 kV; group 2,BMI<24 kg/m 2, 61≤kg≤70, 70 kV; group 3, BMI 24-28 kg/m 2, 61≤kg≤70, 80 kV; group 4, BMI 24-28 kg/m 2, 71≤kg≤80, 80 kV; group 5, BMI 24-28 kg/m 2,>80 kg, 80 kV;group 6, BMI>28 kg/m 2,>80 kg, 100 kV. 200 mA was fixed for all patients. Contrast agent with iodine containing 370 mg/ml was used in all patients. The iodine delivery rates (IDR) for each group was 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 2.0 g/s, respectively. The attenuation and noise of left ventricle (LV) and septal myocardial were measured to calculate signal to noise ratio (SNR) and contrast to noise ratio (CNR) of the images in each group. The Shapiro-Wilk test was conducted to assess the normality of quantitative data. Quantitative variables were compared using one-way ANOVA if normally distributed. Results:The LV attenuation of the six groups were (506±85), (513±77), (510±81), (456±74), (477±111), (462±43) HU, respectively. There was no significant difference among them ( F=2.249, P=0.054). SNR values of LV were 23±8, 20±5, 21±5, 19±4, 19±7, 19±4, and CNR values were 19±7, 17±4, 17±4, 16±4, 15±6, 15±4, respectively. There were no significant differences among them ( F=1.674, 1.736, all P>0.05). Under a single CTP scan, the radiation dose of 70, 80 and 100 kV groups were 1.6, 2.3 and 4.3 mSv, respectively. The does of the 70 kV group and 80 kV group were significantly lower than that of the 100 kV group, and the dose of the 70 kV group was also significantly lower than that of the 80 kV group (all P<0.001). Conclusions:The application of individualized scanning and contrast agent injection protocol based on IDR is feasible in myocardial CTP with successful image quality, and the radiation dose decreases significantly.

Objective:To analyze the association of clinical characteristics and laboratory indicators at initial maintenance hemodialysis(MHD)with long-term prognosis in advance-aged patients, and to find influencing factors for the prognosis in advance-aged MHD patients.Methods:This retrospective study was conducted at the Nephrology Department of Beijing Hospital between April 2007 and January 2018.A total of 61 patients receiving first-time hemodialysis at ≥ 80 years of age and undergone regular dialysis for 3 months or longer were enrolled.All patients were followed-up until death or the end of July 1, 2018.Patients were divided into the survivor and non-survivor groups, and differences in clinical characteristics and laboratory indicator values were compared between the two groups.Influencing factors for prognosis in advance-aged MHD patients were analyzed by using multivariate Cox regression.Results:For the 61 subjects, the median follow-up time was 25.8 months.During the follow-up, 32 patients died(52.5%). The main death causes were infectious diseases(40.6%, n=13)and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases(37.5%, n=12). The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year cumulative survival rates were 75.4%(46/61), 54.1%(33/61), 37.7%(23/61), 22.9%(14/61)and 16.4%(10/61), respectively.The median survival time was 25.8 months for all patients, 27.5 months for patients aged 80-84 years, and 14.9 months for patients aged 85 years and over.The non-survivor group had a higher male ratio(65.6% or 21/32 vs.37.9% or 11/29, χ2=4.678, P=0.031)and lower levels of hemoglobin(85.4±13.0 vs.95.0±17.6 g/L, t=2.867, P=0.019)and albumin(30.3±5.0 vs.34.6±4.8 g/L, t=3.039, P=0.001)than the survivor group.Kaplan-Meier curves indicated that the survival rate decreased with age, and subjects aged less than 85 years had a higher survival rate than subjects aged 85 years and older(the median survival time: 14.9 months vs.27.5 months, Log Rank P=0.006); patients who received continuous renal replacement therapy(CRRT)before dialysis had lower survival rates than patients who did not receive CRRT(the median survival time: 7.8 months vs.29.2 months, Log Rank P=0.002); patients with high serum levels of albumin(≥33 g/L)had higher survival rates than patients with low serum levels of albumin(<33 g/L)(the median survival time: 29.2 months vs.18.9 months, Log Rank P=0.003). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age at initial dialysis( HR=1.136, 95% CI: 1.005-1.285, P=0.041), female( HR=0.409; 95% CI: 0.169-0.994, P=0.048), serum albumin level( HR=0.836, 95% CI: 0.772-0.906, P<0.001)and CRRT before dialysis( HR=6.161, 95% CI: 1.848-20.538, P=0.003)were independent predictors of all-cause mortality in advance-aged patients. Conclusions:Advance-aged patients undergoing hemodialysis have complicated clinical conditions and poor prognosis.Age, gender and serum albumin level at initial dialysis and CRRT before dialysis are independent predictors of prognosis in these patients.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the aGVHD mouse model，and investigate the regulatory effect and its mechanism of low-dose GSI combined with BMSC on aGVHD mice. METHODS: C57BL/6 (H-2b) and BALB/c (H-2d) were selected as donor and recipient of allogeneic transplantation to establish the aGVHD mouse model. BALB/c mice were randomly divided into 6 groups, which were the bone marrow cell infusion after irradiation (BM) group; the bone marrow cells + spleen cells after irradiation (BM+SC) group; the bone marrow cells + spleen cells + DMSO (BM+SC+DMSO) (transplant control) group; bone marrow cells + splenocytes +GSI after irradiation (BM+SC+GSI) group; bone marrow cells + spleen cells + bone marrow mesenchymal stromal infusion after irradiation cell (BM+SC+BMSC) group; bone marrow cells + spleen cells + bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells +GSI infused after irradiation (BM+SC+BMSC+GSI) group. The mice in the two groups containing GSI were intraperitoneally injected with GSI at 5 μmol/kg on day 1, 2, and 3 after transplantation with DMSO as a control. The general conditions, survival time and hematopoietic recovery of mice were observed, cytokines were detected by ELISA, and histopathological changes were detected by immunohistochemistry. The effects of low-dose GSI combined with BMSC on hematopoietic reconstruction and aGVHD development after allo-BMT were investigated. RESULTS: The survival rate of the mice in BM+SC+BMSC+GSI combination group was 80% during the observation period, which was significantly higher than that in the other groups; the incidence of aGVHD was reduced in the BMSC GSI or their combination groups after 21 days of transplantation. GSI could partly promote the recovery of leukocytes, and show no significant delayed effect on the recovery platelets. Moreover, the level of Th1 cytokines (IFN-γ) in BM+SC+BMSC+GSI combined group was lower than that in BM+SC+GSI group (P<0.01), the level of Th2 cytokines (IL-4) in the combination group was higher than that in BM+SC+GSI group (P<0.01), also the level of IL-17 was significantly lower than that in the corresponding control group (P<0.001). CONCLUSION Low dose GSI combined with BMSC can promote hematopoietic reconstruction and regulate cytokines secretion including IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-17. GSI combined with BMSC achieve the goal of synergistically inhibiting the occurrence and progression of aGVHD.
Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases ; Animals ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred C57BL