OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of different scanning conditions on the image quality of medical electron accelerator cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and provide a reference for the selection of scanning conditions for different body parts. Methods Set different scanning conditions, the Catphan 503 phantom was scanned using CBCT parameters to analyze the influence of spatial resolution, noise, uniformity, spatial geometric accuracy, and low-contrast resolution on the image quality of CBCT. RESULTS: For the head, chest, and abdomen, with the increase in scanning parameter values, the noise value decreased by 47.4%, 26.1%, and 51.3% respectively, and the uniformity values decreased by 30.2%, 26.6%, and 47.9% respectively. The low-contrast resolution values decreased by 50.6%, 34.2%, and 12.0%. The influence of different scanning conditions on spatial geometric accuracy and spatial resolution is not significant. CONCLUSION Different scanning parameters have a certain influence on the image quality of medical electron accelerator CBCT. Lower scanning parameters can be selected based on individual patients to reduce the additional radiation dose, providing a reference for the safe application of CBCT image guidance in radiotherapy.
Cone-Beam Computed Tomography/instrumentation* ; Phantoms, Imaging ; Particle Accelerators

Allergen-specific immunotherapy（AIT） remains the only therapeutic approach with the potential to modify the natural course of allergic rhinitis（AR）. Nevertheless, considerable inter-individual variability exists in patients'responses to AIT. To facilitate more reliable assessment of treatment efficacy, the China Rhinopathy Research Cooperation Group（CRRCG） convened young and middle-aged nasal experts in China to formulate the present consensus. The recommended subjective outcome measures for AIT comprise symptom scores, medication scores, combined symptom and medication scores, quality-of-life assessments, evaluation of disease control, and assessment of comorbidities. Objective indicators may supplement these measures. Currently available objective approaches include skin prick testing, nasal provocation testing, and allergen exposure chambers. However, these methods remain constrained by practical limitations and are not yet appropriate for routine implementation in clinical efficacy evaluation. In addition, several biomarkers, including sIgE and the sIgE/tIgE ratio, sIgG4, serum IgE-blocking activity, IgA, cytokines and chemokines, as well as immune cell surface molecules and their functional activity, have been shown to have associations with AIT outcomes. While these biomarkers may complement subjective assessments, they are subject to significant limitations. Consequently, large-scale multicenter trials and real-world evidence are required to strengthen the evidence base. The present consensus underscores the necessity of integrating patients'subjective experiences with objective testing throughout the treatment process, thereby providing a more comprehensive and accurate framework for efficacy evaluation. Looking forward, future investigations should prioritize the incorporation of multi-omics data and artificial intelligence methodologies, which hold promise for overcoming current limitations in assessment strategies and for advancing both the standardization and personalization of AIT.
Humans ; Allergens/immunology* ; China ; Consensus ; Desensitization, Immunologic ; Immunoglobulin E ; Quality of Life ; Rhinitis, Allergic/therapy* ; Treatment Outcome ; East Asian People

Extensive epigenetic reprogramming involves in memory CD8+ T-cell differentiation. The elaborate epigenetic rewiring underlying the heterogeneous functional states of CD8+ T cells remains hidden. Here, we profile single-cell chromatin accessibility and map enhancer-promoter interactomes to characterize the differentiation trajectory of memory CD8+ T cells. We reveal that under distinct epigenetic regulations, the early activated CD8+ T cells divergently originated for short-lived effector and memory precursor effector cells. We also uncover a defined epigenetic rewiring leading to the conversion from effector memory to central memory cells during memory formation. Additionally, we illustrate chromatin regulatory mechanisms underlying long-lasting versus transient transcription regulation during memory differentiation. Finally, we confirm the essential roles of Sox4 and Nrf2 in developing memory precursor effector and effector memory cells, respectively, and validate cell state-specific enhancers in regulating Il7r using CRISPR-Cas9. Our data pave the way for understanding the mechanism underlying epigenetic memory formation in CD8+ T-cell differentiation.
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism* ; Cell Differentiation ; Chromatin/immunology* ; Animals ; Mice ; Immunologic Memory ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; SOXC Transcription Factors/immunology* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/immunology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Enhancer Elements, Genetic

Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture(EA)in the treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting(PONV)after gynecological surgery.Methods PubMed,Cochrane Library,Web of Science,Embase,China national knowledge infrastructure(CNKI),Wanfang database,and China biomedical literature database(CBM)were systematically searched.The re-trieval period was from the establishment of the database to December 2022.Relevant randomized controlled trials on EA for the treatment of PONV in gynecological surgery were collected.RevMan 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis.Results Fourteen randomized controlled trials were accommodated,including 958 patients,477 patients in the EA group and 481 patients in the control group.Compared with the control group,the incidence of PONV was significantly lower in group EA at 0-48 hours postoperatively(RR=0.55,95％CI 0.47 to 0.65,P＜0.001),and the PONV scores were significantly lower in the postopera-tive period within 48 hours in group EA(MD=-0.40 scores,95％CI-0.65 to-0.16 scores,P=0.004),the incidence of postoperative remedial antiemetic were significantly lower(RR=0.28,95％CI 0.16 to 0.51,P＜0.001).Conclusion EA can reduce the incidence of PONV and the incidence of re-medial antiemetic after gynecologic surgery.

Objective To systematically evaluate the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation(TEAS)in the treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting(PONV)after laparoscopic non-gastrointestinal surgery.Methods Databases such as PubMed,Cochrane library,Web of Science,Embase,CNKI,Wanfang,and Chinese biomedical database(CBM)were searched to find and screen ran-domized controlled trials(RCTs)of TEAS in the prevention and treatment of PONV after laparoscopic non-gastrointestinal surgery.The retrieval time was from the establishment of the database to July 2023.Meta-a-nalysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software.Results Twenty-two RCTs involving 3 538 patients were included,including 1 799 in the TEAS group and 1 739 in the control group.The results of meta-analysis showed that the total incidence of PONV in the TEAS group was significantly lower than that in the control group 0-24 hours after operation(RR=0.54,95％CI 0.44-0.68,P＜0.001),and the incidence of postoperative remedial antiemetic was significantly reduced(RR=0.54,95％CI 0.38-0.77,P＜0.001).There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative acupoint stimulation-related adverse reactions between the two groups(RR=0.62,95％CI 0.15-2.51,P=0.500).Conclusion TEAS has good clinical efficacy and safety in the treatment of PONV after laparoscopic non-gastrointestinal surgery.

Objective:To study the experience and efficacy of treating the isolated left vertebral artery (ILVA) during total aortic arch replacement combined with stent-trunk surgery in patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection (TAAD) combined with ILVA.Methods:The clinical data of 21 patients with TAAD combined with ILVA from July 2017 to March 2022 in the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were treated with ILVA-left common carotid artery transplantation and total arch replacement combined with stent-trunk surgery under moderate hypothermia cardiopulmonary bypass and selective cerebral perfusion (SCP). Among them, aortic root repair surgery was in 15 cases, Bentall surgery in 6 cases, coronary artery bypass grafting performed simultaneously in 2 cases. The surgical details, postoperative complications and length of stay were recorded. The patients were followed up 1 and 12 months after surgery for CTA examination to observe the patency of transplanted ILVA. The follow-up was performed until October 1, 2022, and survival, aorta-related death and ILVA patency rate were recorded.Results:Three hundred and thirty-five TAAD patients were admitted during the same period, including 21 (6.27%) with ILVA. ILVA was reconstructed successfully in all patients. No complications related to ILVA were observed. Three cases died during the perioperative period: 1 case had preoperative myocardial infarction due to coronary artery involvement and the CPB could not be removed after operation; 1 case died of postoperative liver and renal failure due to severe organ hypoperfusion; 1 case suffered from postoperative acute renal failure and died of low cardiac output. The patients did not experience damage to the vagus nerve or recurrent laryngeal nerve, lymphatic leakage, chylothorax, ILVA thrombosis, paraplegia or cerebral vascular complications. The other 18 patients recovered and discharged from hospital. The median duration of follow-up was 30 (6 to 62) months. During the follow-up, aortic-related death did not observe, ILVA was unobstructed, and there were no manifestations of anastomotic stenosis or arterial stenosis.Conclusions:ILVA is a supra-aortic trunk variant, it is not so rare. ILVA may pose additional difficulties during total arch replacement surgery. The clinical effect of prior reconstruction of ILVA by ILVA-LCCA transposition is satisfactory, and it may be a simple and efficient method to complete reconstruction and optimize arch surgery before cardiopulmonary bypass.

Abstract: It is well-known that crystal form of a drug is a key factor impacting the physicochemical properties of the drug, which in turn affects its in vivo efficacy, safety and stability. The study on crystal forms of solid-state drugs is crucial for drug quality control, selection of production process and evaluation of clinical efficacy. The combination of chemometric and analytical techniques exhibited its great ability to analyze a large amount of multidimensional data, providing the possibility for quantification of trace amount of crystals (< 1%). Meanwhile, using the process analytical technology (PAT) to monitor the crystal content real-time during prescription preparation process can further realize the control on formulation quality and serve as a core technology to support the patent protection of crystalline forms. In this review, the combined application of crystal analytical techniques and chemometric methods for the quantitative analysis of trace crystals were summarized, aiming to provide guidance for the manufacturing of pharmaceutical preparations and their quality control.

Aim To study the effect of liraglutide on myocardial metabolites and related metabolic pathways in diabetic cardiomyopathy(DCM)rats.Methods Among 60 SPF male SD rats aged 3 weeks,10 rats were randomly selected as normal control group(n=10),and the remaining 50 rats were established by peritoneal injection of streptozoto-cin combined with high-sugar and high-fat diet for DCM rat model.A total of 36 rats were successfully modeled for DCM and randomly divided into DCM model group(DCM group,n=12),low-dose liraglutide treatment group(LL group,n=12)and high-dose liraglutide treatment group(HL group,n=12).Rats in LL group(100 μg/kg)and HL group(200μg/kg)were given intraperitoneal injection of liraglutide once a day.And after 12 weeks of intervention,the rats were killed under anesthesia after echocardiography to detect cardiac function,and the heart tissues were taken for metabolomics detection.The differential metabolites and related pathways that may be related to liraglutide improving myocardial metab-olism in DCM rats were screened and enriched.Results Compared with normal control group,left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)and left ventricular fractional shortening(LVFS)in DCM group were significantly decreased,and the ra-tio of early to late diastolic mitralflow velocities(E/A)was significantly increased(P＜0.05).Compared with DCM group,LVEF and LVFS in LL group and HL group were significantly increased,and E/A ratio was significantly decreased(P＜0.05),suggesting that the impairment of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in LL group and HL group was significantly alleviated.395 metabolites were detected by metabolomics,among which 239,116 and 187 different metab-olites and 13,6 and 20 metabolic pathways were enriched in DCM group and normal control group,LL group and DCM group,HL group and DCM group.In the above three groups,29 key differential metabolites were identified related to 3 metabolic pathways including choline metabolic pathway,caffeine metabolic pathway and valine,leucine and isoleucine bi-osynthesis pathway,among which choline metabolic pathway had the most significant differences.Conclusion These results indicated that liraglutide can ameliorate cardiac dysfunction in DCM rats through improving myocardial metabolism in which choline metabolism pathway may play a key role.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative joint disease whose main characteristic is the destruction of articular cartilage, causing pain and disability in patients and seriously affecting their quality of life. OA can be induced by a variety of causes, and pathological changes in articular cartilage are considered to be one of the key driving factors for the occurrence of OA. High mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1), as a non-histone protein in eukaryotic cells, can participate in regulating the inflammation and apoptosis process of OA chondrocytes, thus leading to the occurrence of OA. This article reviews the research on the mechanism of HMGB1 in OA chondrocytes, with a view to providing new ideas for the clinical prevention and treatment of OA.