Medical ultrasound technology is widely used for diagnosis and therapy in clinical practice.Ultrasound probes,which are directly contact with patients,pose a potential risk of pathogen transmission.This expert consen-sus was developed by a multidisciplinary team based on international guidelines,standards in China,and the results of a national survey,aiming to reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infection through standardizing reprocessing of medical ultrasound probes,and formulating consensus recommendations with the Delphi method.The consensus clarifies the reprocessing principles for three types of ultrasound probes of different infection risks:external-use ul-trasound probes,interventional percutaneous ultrasound probes,and internal-use ultrasound probes,puts forward systematic suggestions on the reprocessing standards and disinfection levels of ultrasound probe isolation covers and coupling agents,the reprocessing procedures and methods of ultrasound probes,as well as architectural layout and management of reprocessing,so as to provide a scientific prevention and control framework for ensuring ultrasound diagnosis and therapy safety.

Medical ultrasound technology is widely used for diagnosis and therapy in clinical practice.Ultrasound probes,which are directly contact with patients,pose a potential risk of pathogen transmission.This expert consen-sus was developed by a multidisciplinary team based on international guidelines,standards in China,and the results of a national survey,aiming to reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infection through standardizing reprocessing of medical ultrasound probes,and formulating consensus recommendations with the Delphi method.The consensus clarifies the reprocessing principles for three types of ultrasound probes of different infection risks:external-use ul-trasound probes,interventional percutaneous ultrasound probes,and internal-use ultrasound probes,puts forward systematic suggestions on the reprocessing standards and disinfection levels of ultrasound probe isolation covers and coupling agents,the reprocessing procedures and methods of ultrasound probes,as well as architectural layout and management of reprocessing,so as to provide a scientific prevention and control framework for ensuring ultrasound diagnosis and therapy safety.

Objective To assess the effect of ultrasonic thyroid artificial intelligence(AI)-assisted diagnostic system(AI-assisted diagnostic system)for diagnosing medullary thyroid carcinoma(MTC)compared with different physicians and taken papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC)as the controls.Methods Totally 63 MTC,70 PTC and 62 benign thyroid nodules confirmed by pathology were enrolled.AI-assisted diagnostic system was utilized to analyze thyroid nodules and identify the likelihood of malignancy,and the probability value threshold was set at ≥0.40.All thyroid nodules were retrospectively reviewed and categorized by 3 physicians(1 senior physician,1 attending physician and 1 junior physician)according to Chinese thyroid imaging reporting and data system(C-TIRADS).The efficacy of AI-assisted diagnostic system and physicians for diagnosing MTC and PTC were evaluated.Results AI-assisted diagnostic system showed lower sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,accuracy,and area under the curve(AUC)for diagnosing MTC and PTC compared with physicians.Significant differences of AUC were found between senior physician and AI-assisted diagnostic system,as well as between attending physician and AI-assisted diagnostic system for diagnosing MTC and PTC(all P＜0.01),while no significant difference of AUC was between junior physicians and AI-assisted diagnostic system(both P＞0.05).The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,accuracy and AUC for AI-assisted diagnostic system for diagnosing MTC were all lower than those for diagnosing PTC,but the AUC was not significantly different(P＞0.05).Conclusion Ultrasonic thyroid AI-assisted diagnostic system had relatively high value for diagnosing MTC.

OBJECTIVESTo evaluate the value of ultrasound (US) in predicting axilla status and to investigate the clinic pathologic characters in the axillary node metastasis.

METHODSFrom June 2012 to June 2013, 323 female primary breast cancer patients who received both axilla ultrasound and pathology examinations were reviewed retrospectively. The features of axillary nodes including diameter, longitudinal-transverse axis ratio, cortical thickness and blood flow grade were used to evaluate axillary status. US accuracy of axillary node metastasis was analyzed correlated with the final pathology results. The clinical and histological features associated with axillary node metastasis was analyzed by χ² test.

RESULTSThe proportions of Luminal A-like, Luminal B-like, human epidermalgrowth factor receptor-2 positive and triple negative breast cancer were 11.1% (36/323), 58.5% (189/323), 13.3% (43/323) and 17.0% (55/323) . The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of axilla US in the diagnosis of nodal metastasis were 35.6% (46/129), 98.9% (181/183), 95.8% (46/48) and 68.6% (181/264). Axillary lymph node metastasis had statistically significant correlation with menopausal status and clinical tumor size (χ² = 4.337, 11.100; P = 0.037, 0.001).

CONCLUSIONSStandardized ultrasound is the basic way to evaluate axilla status. Sentinel lymph node biopsy should be done to acquire accurate preoperative staging of axilla when US shows no signs of metastasis. Axillary lymph node metastasis is significantly related to menopausal status and clinical tumor size, but not significantly related to subtype classification of primary breast cancer.

Axilla ; Breast Neoplasms ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; diagnostic imaging ; Neoplasm Staging ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUNDLegionella is an important community-acquired pneumonia pathogen. Although the elderly are especially susceptible to Legionella, few studies have looked at comparative radiographic features of Legionella pneumonia in this population. The aim of this study was to explore the chest radiographic characteristics of community-acquired Legionella pneumonia in the elderly.

METHODSSerial chest radiographs obtained in 34 patients hospitalized with serologically proven Legionella pneumonia were retrospectively reviewed. Chest X-ray features of an aged group of ≥ 65 years were assessed and compared with a non-aged group of <65 years old with regard to initial patterns and distributions of pulmonary abnormalities, accompanying signs, and progression.

RESULTSThe most common initial presentation was a patchy alveolar infiltrate involving a single lobe, most often the lower lobe. There was no middle or lingular lobe involvement in the aged group patients, but bilateral pleural effusion was significantly more common in this group. In the aged group patients, radiographic progression following adequate therapy, despite a clinical response, was more often noted and the radiographs were less likely to have returned to the premorbid state at discharge, but the differences were not significant between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONThe discrepancy between imaging findings and clinical symptoms seems more prominent in community-acquired Legionella pneumonia in the elderly.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Community-Acquired Infections ; diagnostic imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Legionella ; pathogenicity ; Legionnaires' Disease ; diagnostic imaging ; Lung ; diagnostic imaging ; microbiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia ; diagnostic imaging ; Radiography ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

Objective To summary the color Doppler imaging feature of localized Castleman disease.Methods From January 1997 to November 2011,32 localized Castleman diseases which were proved by pathology were analyzed.Results Round-like,hypoechoic,hypervascular lesions were showed in 23 hyalinevascular type lesions,2 of them with calcium,3 of them with structure liked lymph node hilum.Round-like,hypoechoic,hypervascular lesions or normal lymph node were showed in 5 plasma- type lesions and 4 mixed type lesions.Conclusions When round like,hypoechoic,hypervascular lesion is found by ultrasonography,Castleman should be considered.Calcium or lymph nod hilum-like structure is special finding in diagnosis of Castleman disease by ultrasonography.

Objective To construct a 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) transgenic mouse model of atherosclerosis.Methods Purified 5-LO fragment was injected into male pronucli and the firtilized eggs were transplanted into pseudopregnant mice.PCR and Southern blot were used to detect the genotype of DNA separated from the newborn mouse tail tissues.RT-PCR and Western blot analysis were used to detect the gene transcription and expression.Results PCR and Southern blot results showed that 7 of 25 mice were transgenic mice.Expression of 5-LO and FLAP was found in the bone marrow,spleen,kidney,and peritoneal cells.Results of RT-PCR and Western blot showed that No.9,20,24transgenic mice expressed a higher level of 5-LO and FLAP than those in the wild type C57BL/6 mice.The expression levels in bone marrow and peritoneal cells were significantly different(P<0.05).Conclusion A 5-LO transgenie mouse line has been established in this study and may be used for future study on the function of 5-LO gene.

BACKGROUND: Establishment of drug (neomycin or hygromycin) resistant feeder layer cells is necessary for screening the target gene positive clone of embryonic stem cell (ESC) transfected in vitro, and the establishment of drug-resistant NIH3T3 cell line is also important for the screening of other target ESC genes.OBJECTIVE: To obtain a feeder layer of positive cell clone of ESC transfected by pTet-on gene by means of the G418-resistant NIH3T3 cell line establishment.DESIGN: Cell culture and DNA examination.SETTING: Faculty of Laboratory Animal, China Medical University.MATERIALS: NIH3T3 cells were contributed by the Cell Biology Staff Room of China Medical University, and pWL/neo plasmid was a gift from Professor Jin Zhuang of Harvard University Medical College. G418,leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF, ESC GRO 106 U/mL) and DMEM were produced by GIBCO BRL Company, while mitomycin-C (MIT-C), DIG marking and kits were the products of Roche Company. Lipoetin was the product of Invitrogen Company, and bought from Shenyang Lianxing Biotechnology Co.,Ltd.METHODS: ①The pWL/neo plasmid containing neo gene was purified and transfected into NIH3T3 cells by lipoetin.②The transfected cells were further cultured in 25 mL medium containing G418 antibiotic of gradient concentration to observe the survival and apoptosis of cells and measure G418 minimal fatal dose (MFD) to NIH3T3 cells.③The transfected cells were subcultured, and the clone of single cell was selected to 24-pore culture board for screening amplification. At the same time, normal NIH3T3 cells were also selected and added with the selective culture medium at the same dose of G418, as screening negative control. ④The cells were planked with lower cell density, and further screened in DMEM medium containing G418 MFD; Meanwhile, normal NIH3T3 cells were taken as controls, and cultured by G418 contain MFD and by DMEM medium without G418 respectively. Light microscope was used to observe G418R NIH3T3 cells. ⑤G418R NIH3T3 cells and MEF were all applied as the feeder layer to culture the ES-D3 cells, which were observed by light microscope. Cell DNA was prepared, and evaluated by PCR and southern blot.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ①G418 MFD to NIH3T3 cells. ②screening result of G418R NIH3T3 cells. ③growth of G418R NIH3T3 cells. ④growth of ES-D3 cells on G418R NIH3T3 cells.RESULTS: ①G418 MFD to NIH3T3 cells was defined as 500 mg/L.②Under the condition of G418 (500 mg/L), G418R NIH3T3 cell clones were successfully selected. ③The G418R NIH3T3 cells had no difference from normal NIH3T3 cells in morphology and propagation rate.④The ESC cultured in feeder layer present a colony growth, smooth limitation and remained an undifferentiation state. The resistant cell genomic DNA of G418R NIH3T3 cells was assayed with specific neo gene primer, and then neo gene DNA fragment was amplified; Southern blot analysis showed that neo gene fragment integrated into G418R NIH3T3 cells.CONCLUSION: The G418R NIH3T3 cells are established successfully,and the ESC cultured in the G418R NIH3T3 cell feeder layer can keep the characteristics of normal ESC.

Objective: To study the effect of Interleukin(IL)-17 on neutrophil apoptosis and try to explain the possible mechanism involved. Methods: Neutrophils isolated from healthy donors were incubated in enriched RPMI 1640 cell culture medium at 37 ℃ in 5% carbon dioxide. Subgroups were incubated with IL-17, heat-denatured IL-17 (X-IL-17), dexamethasone (DEX), or buffer alone. Apoptosis was assessed by morphologic changes, by detecting DNA strand breaks. Production of proapoptotic protein Bax by neutrophils was evaluated by immunocytochemistry. Results: At the time of neutrophil incubation, neutrophils in the control subsets exhibited morphologic evidence of apoptosis. A steady rise in apoptosis index (AI) was noted, with (1.54?0.08)% for 0 h, (11.48?1.80)% (compared with 0 h, P0.05) for 0 h, (20.47?6.22)% ( compared with control 12 h, P0.05).Neutrophils apoptosis was accompanied by DNA fragmentation. In all groups, the increasing of Bax immunoreactivity was strongly related with more apoptotic neutrophils (r=0.932, P

Objective:To expose the vulnerability of HIV/AIDS infection among youth out of schools in a holistic view through understanding lifestyle,peer relations,awareness of HIV/AIDS,and HIV/AIDS prevention service of the youth.Methods:A cross-sectional survey based on the collective random sampling was conducted among 584 youth out of schools with or without a job in Anshan City,Liaoning Province in October 2005.Results:The awareness rate of HIV/AIDS among youth out of schools was 58.9%,and 65.6% of the subjects never accepted any health service related to HIV/AIDS prevention.42.6% of the respondents had sexual experience,and the rate of having sexual experience among males(62.3%)was higher than that of females(37.7%).And 30.5% of the youth seldom or never used a condom,51.2% of the youth having sex didn't use a condom in his/her last sex.28.2% of the youth having sex were ever involved in commercial sex relations.22 of the respondents(3.8%)had the experience of drug substance,the rate of having sex experience among youth who used the substance was higher than that of the youth who never used the substance.Smoking,alcohol abusing,visiting recreation places,high month consumption were the risk factors of pre-marital sex,and high awareness of HIV/AIDS was the protective factor of pre-marital sex.Conclusion:The youth out of schools were vulnerable in sexual behavior,substance use,peer influencing,social environment,and HIV/AIDS prevention service in terms of HIV/AIDS infection.