BACKGROUND:Maxillofacial bone three-dimensional(3D)printing technology has been widely used in clinical diagnosis and treatment,but the data source before performing maxillofacial bone 3D printing mainly comes from the CT scanning data.The lens,thyroid and other parts of the human body are extremely sensitive to X-rays;therefore,it is particularly important to effectively reduce the dose of CT radiation when acquiring the data source.OBJECTIVE:To explore the feasibility of low-dose CT technology in optimizing radiation dose for maxillofacial bone 3D printing.METHODS:The medical records of 65 patients who underwent maxillofacial bone 3D printing in the Department of Stomatology at the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from March 2021 to December 2023 were retrospectively collected and categorized into a conventional CT-dose 3D printing group(conventional CT-dose,120 kVp,automated tube current modulation,n=32)and a low-CT-dose 3D printing group(low-CT-dose group,80 kVp,automated tube current modulation,n=33).The effective dose of radiation was calculated and compared between the two groups.A Likert scale was used to evaluate the quality of 3D printing in the two groups,and the measurement bias and consistency between evaluators were measured using the Bland-Altman method.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)There was no significant difference in the general demographic characteristics(age,height,weight,body mass,sex,and body mass index)between the two groups(all P＞0.05).(2)The effective dose value of the low CT-dose 3D printing group was(0.3±0.1)mSv,which was about 62.5％lower than that in the conventional CT-dose 3D printing group[(0.8±0.1)mSv].(3)There was no significant difference in the subjective scoring of 3D printing quality between the two groups(all P＞0.05).The subjective consistency among evaluators was good,with Kappa values of 0.85,0.80,and 0.76.The scatter points in the Bland-Altman for both protocols were uniformly distributed within the standard deviation line,indicating good consistency between the two groups.To conclude,low-dose CT technology can be effectively applied in maxillofacial bone 3D printing,reducing radiation dose without affecting the quality of 3D printing.

BACKGROUND:Maxillofacial bone three-dimensional(3D)printing technology has been widely used in clinical diagnosis and treatment,but the data source before performing maxillofacial bone 3D printing mainly comes from the CT scanning data.The lens,thyroid and other parts of the human body are extremely sensitive to X-rays;therefore,it is particularly important to effectively reduce the dose of CT radiation when acquiring the data source.OBJECTIVE:To explore the feasibility of low-dose CT technology in optimizing radiation dose for maxillofacial bone 3D printing.METHODS:The medical records of 65 patients who underwent maxillofacial bone 3D printing in the Department of Stomatology at the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from March 2021 to December 2023 were retrospectively collected and categorized into a conventional CT-dose 3D printing group(conventional CT-dose,120 kVp,automated tube current modulation,n=32)and a low-CT-dose 3D printing group(low-CT-dose group,80 kVp,automated tube current modulation,n=33).The effective dose of radiation was calculated and compared between the two groups.A Likert scale was used to evaluate the quality of 3D printing in the two groups,and the measurement bias and consistency between evaluators were measured using the Bland-Altman method.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)There was no significant difference in the general demographic characteristics(age,height,weight,body mass,sex,and body mass index)between the two groups(all P＞0.05).(2)The effective dose value of the low CT-dose 3D printing group was(0.3±0.1)mSv,which was about 62.5％lower than that in the conventional CT-dose 3D printing group[(0.8±0.1)mSv].(3)There was no significant difference in the subjective scoring of 3D printing quality between the two groups(all P＞0.05).The subjective consistency among evaluators was good,with Kappa values of 0.85,0.80,and 0.76.The scatter points in the Bland-Altman for both protocols were uniformly distributed within the standard deviation line,indicating good consistency between the two groups.To conclude,low-dose CT technology can be effectively applied in maxillofacial bone 3D printing,reducing radiation dose without affecting the quality of 3D printing.

Objective:To assess the effects of allergens on interleukin-18 (IL-18), IL-18 binding protein a (IL-18BPa), and IL-18 receptor α (IL-18Rα) expression levels in different monocyte subtypes of the peripheral blood samples of allergic asthma (AA) patients, and the correlations between the percentage of IL-18 +classical monocytes and plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Methods:A cross-sectional study. Blood samples were collected from 28 healthy controls and 33 patients experiencing acute attack of AA based on a positive skin prick test of Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from February 2023 to April 2024. Flow cytometry was used to assess the effects of allergens on IL-18, IL-18BPa, and IL-18Rα expression levels in the classical, intermediate, and non-classical monocytes of the peripheral blood samples of AA patients. Kruskal-Wallis test and Pairwise test were used to analyze statistical significance between groups. Plasma tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) levels were estimated using Bioplex assays. Pearson correlation test was used to determine the association between the percentage of IL-18 +classical monocytes and the plasma levels of IL-1β and TNF-α. Results:Compared with healthy controls, the percentages of classical and non-classical monocytes in the peripheral blood of AA patients were reduced by 20.2% ( Z=-3.89, P<0.001) and 45.8% ( Z=-4.01, P<0.001), respectively. Allergens increased the percentages of classical, intermediate, and non-classical monocytes in AA patients in vitro by 13.1%-61.5% (all P<0.05). Compared with healthy controls, the percentages of IL-18 expression in classical monocytes of AA patients was elevated by 1.08-fold ( Z=-6.40, P<0.001), whereas the percentages of IL-18 expression in intermediate and non-classical monocytes were reduced by 52.7% ( Z=-6.40, P<0.001) and 3.23% ( Z=-3.13, P=0.001), respectively. Allergens upregulated IL-18 expression by 16.4%-67.8% in the classical and intermediate monocytes of AA patients (all P<0.05). Compared with healthy controls, IL-18BPa expression level was lower in the three monocyte subtypes of AA patients (all P<0.05). However, allergens upregulated IL-18BPa expression by 8.9% and 13.3% in the classical monocytes (both P<0.05). Compared with healthy controls, IL-18Rα expression was elevated by 1.29-fold in the classical monocytes of AA patients ( Z=-6.40, P<0.001). Allergens upregulated IL-18Rα expression by 17.6%-39.2% in the three monocyte subtypes of AA patients (all P<0.05). Plasma levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in the AA patients were increased compared to those in healthy controls (all P<0.001), and correlated with the percentage of IL-18 +classical monocytes ( r=0.451, 0.714; both P<0.05). Conclusions:Allergens may participate in the inflammatory response of AA by inducing the differentiation of monocytes and the expression levels of IL-18, IL-18BPa and IL-18Rα in different blood monocytes subtypes. Classical monocytes are the potential source of elevated plasma IL-18 level in AA patients.

Nitrogen oxides(NOx=NO+NO2)are important precursors of ozone(O3),and NOx and its oxides together constitute reactive nitrogen oxides(NOy)in the atmosphere.A comprehensive understanding of the total NOy level in the atmosphere is of great significance for a deeper understanding of the atmospheric nitrogen cycle and oxidation,as well as for formulating strategies for air pollution prevention and control.In this work,a thermal decomposition-broadband cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy(TD-BBCEAS)technique for online measurement of total NOy in the atmosphere was developed.With this method,the NOy was efficiently converted into NO2,and the total NOy concentration in the atmosphere was indirectly obtained by measuring NO2.Focusing on the key factors affecting the measurement of total NOy,the influence of NO titration efficiency and other NOy component TD efficiency on measurement accuracy was emphasized.By changing the oxygen(O2)flow rate through the mercury lamp to alter the O3 concentration for titrating NO,the conversion efficiency of NO was evaluated.At O2 flow rate of 6 mL/min,the conversion efficiency of NO was greater than 99%.TD efficiency testing and analysis on NO2,peroxyacetyl nitrate(PAN),nitric acid(HNO3),and nitrous acid(HONO),which account for a large proportion of atmospheric NOy components,was carried out using 680℃as the optimal TD temperature for efficient conversion of NOy.With NO and HONO sample gases as typical verification gases,the conversion efficiency of NOy and the accuracy of NOy measurement by TD-BBCEAS system were verified by switching the on and off modes of mercury lamp and TD device.At integration time of 60 s,the detection limit of the system for NOy was 2.83×1010 molecules/cm3(60 s,2σ).A comparative measurement of actual atmospheric NOy was conducted between the TD-BBCEAS system and the NOy analyzer.The observation results showed a correlation coefficient(R2)of 0.98 and a slope of 0.93,further verifying the feasibility and accuracy of applying the TD-BBCEAS system to measurement of total NOy.

A method for simultaneous determination of 21 kinds of Aconitum alkaloids(ATS)in biological specimens and infused liquor using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS)was developed.The biological samples were pretreated with methanol-acetonitrile(1∶2,V/V)for protein precipitation,while infused liquors were diluted 100-fold with acetonitrile,followed by centrifugation,and filtration by a 0.22-μm membrane.Chromatographic separation was carried out on an EC-C18 column using gradient elution with the mixture of 10 mmol/L ammonium acetate and 0.2%formic acid as mobile phase A and acetonitrile as mobile phase B.With this method,all the analytes were separated within 9.5 min.The samples were detected in positive ESI mode with dynamic multiple reaction monitoring(MRM)and quantified via external standard calibration.The results showed that the concentrations of the analytes in the range of 2-1000 ng/mL had excellent linearity(R2>0.9992)with the peak area.The developed method was successfully used for detection of 21 kinds of aconitum alkaloids,with limits of detection of 0.5-2 ng/mL,quantification limits of 2-6 ng/mL,intra/inter-day precision≤6.0%,spiked recoveries of 89.4%-100.9%,extraction recoveries of 74.2%-104.4%,and matrix effects ranging from-11.1%to 9.2%in blood/urine.The method was applied to detection of 12 samples from 4 fatal aconite poisoning cases,and all 21 kinds of ATS with total alkaloid concentrations of 0.04-4.18 μg/mL in blood and 154.96-422.83 μg/mL in medicinal liquors were detected.Tissue distribution revealed that the order of concentrations from highest to lowest is as follows:urine(157.22 μg/mL)>gastric contents(51.37 μg/mL)>kidney(21.6 μg/g)>whole blood(4.18 μg/mL)>liver(0.03 μg/g).This method showed many advantages such as simple pretreatment,low detection limits,accurate quantification,broad analyte coverage,and superior anti-interference capability in complex matrices,proving ideal for forensic and toxicological analysis of aconitum alkaloids.

Long non-coding RNA myocardial infarction related transcript(MIAT)is a widely studied lncRNAs,which is closely related to the occurrence and development of many diseases.MIAT is associated with inflammatory responses in a variety of dis-eases through further exploring,including diabetes and its complications,cardiovascular and osteoarticular diseases.However,sys-tematic knowledge of the relationship between MIAT molecules and inflammation in diseases remains unclear.This article will focus on the relationship between MIAT and inflammation in various systemic diseases,especially its role,mechanism and potential clinical ap-plication as a biomarker and therapeutic target of disease inflammation,in order to provide molecular strategies for diagnosis and treat-ment of the inflammatory diseases.

Objective:To construct a lentiviral interference plasmid targeting collapse response regulatory protein 1(CRMP1)gene,to establish a human neuroblastoma cell line(SH-SY5Y)with stable CRMP1 knockdown,and to investigate its impact on expression of NLRP3 inflammasome protein.Methods:Double-stranded shRNA was designed and synthesized targeting h-CRMP1 mRNA sequence,and cloned into PLKO.1 vector.Recombinant shCRMP1 plasmids were constructed correctly,which was transfected into HEK-293T cells for lentiviral packaging.Obtained lentivirus supernatant was concentrated and then infected into SH-SY5Y cells.The interference effect of shCRMP1 plasmid and protein expressions of NLRP3 inflammasome components in SH-SY5Y cells were detected by Western blot.Results:DNA sequencing results showed that insertion sequences of recombinant interference plasmids pLKO.1-shCRMP1 were consistent with designed sequences,which confirmed successful construction of shCRMP1 lentivirus interfering plasmids and transfected into HEK-293T cells for lentivirus packaging,and protein level of CRMP1 in HEK-293T cells were decreased.SH-SY5Y cells were infected with lentivirus concentrate obtained from packaging and screened with puromycin.Western blot results showed that shCRMP1 recombinant lentiviral plasmids could significantly down-regulate CRMP1 protein expression in SH-SY5Y cells.It was also found that in SH-SY5Y cell line with stable CRMP1 knockdown,inhibition of CRMP1 expression could effectively inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation under MPP+induction.Conclusion:pLKO.1-shCRMP1 lentiviral interfering plas-mids have been successfully constructed,and interference with CRMP1 can inhibit activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in MPP+-in-duced SH-SY5Y cells.This study provides guidance for further research on mechanism of CRMP1 in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease.

Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal condition characterized by reduced bone mass and strength, leading to increased fragility. Buqi-Tongluo (BQTL) decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has yet to be fully evaluated for its potential in treating bone diseases such as osteoporosis. To investigate the mechanism by which BQTL decoction inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro and validate these findings through in vivo experiments. We employed MTS assays to assess the potential proliferative or toxic effects of BQTL on bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) at various concentrations. TRAcP experiments were conducted to examine BQTL's impact on osteoclast differentiation. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were utilized to evaluate the relative expression levels of osteoclast-specific genes and proteins under BQTL stimulation. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed using an osteoporosis model to further validate the in vitro findings. This study revealed that BQTL suppressed receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast resorption activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner without observable cytotoxicity. The inhibitory effects of BQTL on osteoclast formation and function were attributed to the downregulation of NFATc1 and c-fos activity, primarily through attenuation of the MAPK, NF-κB, and Calcineurin signaling pathways. BQTL's inhibitory capacity was further examined in vivo using an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, demonstrating a strong protective effect against bone loss. BQTL may serve as an effective therapeutic TCM for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and the alleviation of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency and related conditions.
Animals ; NFATC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ovariectomy ; Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; Female ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Bone Resorption/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Humans ; RANK Ligand/metabolism* ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Transcription Factors

Objective:To investigate the relationship of the number and morphological of parathyroid glands on 99Tc m-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) SPECT/CT with hungry bone syndrome (HBS) in patients with renal secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) after parathyroidectomy (PTX). Methods:Eighty renal SHPT patients (46 males, 34 females; age (50.3±11.0) years) who underwent PTX between January 2018 and June 2024 were retrospectively analyzed in Affiliated Jiangyin Hospital of Nantong University. The number of parathyroid glands detected on SPECT/CT, diameter of parathyroid gland and its volume were recorded and measured. Patients were divided into HBS group and non-HBS group. Independent-sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test and χ2 test were used to compare differences of various indicators between those 2 groups. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze influencing factors of HBS. Results:HBS group included 45 patients and the rest 35 patients belonged to non-HBS group. Age ( t=-3.61, P=0.001), preoperative alkaline phosphatase (ALP) ( Z=-4.65, P<0.001), preoperative parathyroid hormone ( Z=-2.34, P=0.019) and preoperative serum corrected calcium ( t=-2.71, P=0.008) were all significantly different between HBS group and non-HBS group. Patients with the number of parathyroid glands≥4 detected by SPECT/CT were more in HBS group than those in non-HBS group (82.2%(37/45) vs 51.4%(18/35); χ2=8.87, P=0.003), and the total volume of parathyroid glands (2.56(1.93, 4.44) vs 2.00(1.18, 2.94)cm 3;Z=-2.25, P=0.024) and the maximum diameter of parathyroid glands ((17.71±3.78) vs (15.87±3.91) mm; t=2.14, P=0.036) were significantly different between those 2 groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative ALP (odds ratio ( OR)=1.008, 95% CI: 1.002-1.014, P=0.015), preoperative serum corrected calcium ( OR=0.017, 95% CI: 0.000-0.869, P=0.042) and the number of parathyroid gland≥4 detected by SPECT/CT ( OR=4.156, 95% CI: 1.038-16.642, P=0.044) were independent influencing factors for HBS. The sensitivity of the number of parathyroid glands≥4 detected by SPECT/CT for diagnosing HBS was 82.2%(37/45). Conclusion:The number of parathyroid glands≥4 detected by SPECT/CT is an independent influencing factor for HBS, with high diagnostic sensitivity for HBS, thus having good clinical value.

Objective To explore the expression of epidermal growth factor and nuclear transcrip-tion factor kappa B(NF-κB)in elderly gliomas and their roles in malignant progression of the dis-ease.Methods A total of 240 elderly glioma patients undergoing surgical resection in our hospital from January 2020 to January 2023 were enrolled and served as an observation group.Another 100 patients receiving surgical treatment due to traumatic brain injury in our hospital during the same period were recruited and served as the control group.Immunohistochemical assay was used to detect the expression of epidermal growth factor and NF-κB in brain tissue.Cox regression analy-sis was employed to determine the independent influencing factors of malignant progression in the elderly glioma patients.Results The observation group had significantly higher epidermal growth factor expression score and NF-κB expression score than the control group(7.44±1.16 vs 3.68±0.51,6.49±1.02 vs 3.56±0.64,P＜0.01).The age,tumor pathological grade,surgical approach,postoperative radiotherapy,and epidermal growth factor and NF-κB expression levels were inde-pendent factors affecting the progression of elderly glioma patients(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusion The epidermal growth factor and NF-κB expression levels are independent influen-cing factors of progressive disease in elderly glioma patients,and can serve as evaluation indicators for postoperative progression in the patients.