OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association of the clinical inflammatory indices with the severity of urinary sepsis. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical data of 70 patients with urinary sepsis treated in our hospital between January, 2013 and April, 2018. All the patients were diagnosed in line with the Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Urological Diseases in China (2014 edition), including 22 patients with sepsis, 12 with hypotension and severe sepsis, 17 with septic shock, and 19 with critical septic shock. White blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil percentage (N%), platelets (PLT), fibrinogen (FIB), Ddimer, interleukin-6 (IL-6), procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were examined in all the cases and compared among the 4 groups. The correlations of these inflammatory markers with the severity of sepsis were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The 4 groups of patients showed significant differences in N%, PLT, D-dimer, and PCT ( < 0.05) but not in CRP (>0.05). Kruskal-Wallis Pairwise comparisons showed that the N% and PCT in patients with sepsis differed significantly from those in the other 3 groups; platelets in patients with sepsis differed significantly from those in patients with septic shock and critical septic shock; D-dimer differed significantly between patients with sepsis and those with septic shock. Among the 4 groups, the median levels of PLT decreased and PCT and N% increased with the worsening of sepsis. Logistic regression analysis indicated that PCT (=0.186, =0.000), N% (=0.047, =0.035) and PLT (=-0.012, =0.003) were significantly correlated with the severity of sepsis in these patients. CONCLUSIONS PCT, PLT and N% are all significantly correlated with the severity of sepsis, and their combined detection can be informative for assessing the severity of sepsis to facilitate clinical decisions on treatment.
Biomarkers ; blood ; C-Reactive Protein ; analysis ; China ; Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products ; analysis ; Fibrinogen ; analysis ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Leukocyte Count ; Platelet Count ; Procalcitonin ; blood ; Sepsis ; blood ; diagnosis ; Severity of Illness Index ; Shock, Septic ; blood ; diagnosis ; Statistics, Nonparametric ; Urinary Tract Infections ; diagnosis

Clustering is a prevalent analytical means to analyze single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data but the rapidly expanding data volume can make this process computationally challenging. New methods for both accurate and efficient clustering are of pressing need. Here we proposed Spearman subsampling-clustering-classification (SSCC), a new clustering framework based on random projection and feature construction, for large-scale scRNA-seq data. SSCC greatly improves clustering accuracy, robustness, and computational efficacy for various state-of-the-art algorithms benchmarked on multiple real datasets. On a dataset with 68,578 human blood cells, SSCC achieved 20% improvement for clustering accuracy and 50-fold acceleration, but only consumed 66% memory usage, compared to the widelyused software package SC3. Compared to k-means, the accuracy improvement of SSCC can reach 3-fold. An R implementation of SSCC is available at https://github.com/Japrin/sscClust.
Algorithms ; Animals ; Cluster Analysis ; Computational Biology ; methods ; Databases as Topic ; Gene Expression Profiling ; methods ; Humans ; Mice ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Software ; Statistics, Nonparametric

Objectives To investigate the morphologic characteristics of intramural hematoma (IMH) on CT angiography (CTA), and evaluate the possible correlation of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) with morphologic characteristics of IMH. Material and Methods Forty-two patients who were initially diagnosed as IMH by aortic CTA and also had serum CRP examination on the same day of CTA were enrolled in this retrospective study, including 30 males and 12 females, with the mean age of 61 ± 14 years old. The volumetric CT data were retrospectively processed and analyzed on post-processing workstation. Based on the thickness of IMH and the length-area curve, the cross-sectional area of true lumen and total vessel were measured, the hematoma-vessel ratio (HVR) was calculated. Imaging characteristics were compared between patients who had pathological elevated CRP (> 0.8 mg/dl) and those did not. Spearman correlation analyses of CRP level and morphological characteristics of IMH were performed, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic validity of CRP. Results Of all 42 IMH patients, the mean serum CRP was 3.94 ± 4.71 mg/dl, and the mean HVR was 46.7%± 14.2%. HVR in patients with elevated CRP was significantly higher than those with normal CRP (49.7% ± 15.0% vs. 40.7% ± 10.5 %, P = 0.030). HVR was mildly correlated with CRP in all patients (r =0.48, P < 0.001). CRP levels differed neither between patients with Stanford type A and B (P = 0.207), nor between patients with and without intimal disruption (P = 0.230). To discriminate HVR > 47% (the mean value), the area under curve (AUC) were 0.700 (95% CI: 0.535-0.865) for CRP at a cutoff point of 3.55 mg/dl, with a sensitivity of 54.5% and a specificity of 90.0%. Conclusion CRP was mildly correlated with the severity of cross-sectional hematoma area of IMH, but not with Stanford types and the presence of intimal disruption.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aorta/pathology* ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism* ; Computed Tomography Angiography ; Female ; Hematoma/diagnostic imaging* ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Male ; Middle Aged ; ROC Curve ; Statistics, Nonparametric

To compare diagnostic value of 4 kinds of target-to-nontarget ratio (T/NT), and to choose a better one to assess thyroid associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) activity.
 Methods: The clinical data were collected for 29 newly-diagnosed patients (58 eyes) with TAO who underwent orbital 99mTc-DTPA single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) fusion images according to the clinical activity score (CAS). They were divided into an active group (18 cases, 36 eyes), an inactive group (11 cases, 22 eyes), and a control group (9 cases, 18 eyes). Diagnostic value of orbital/occipital lobe radioactive uptake count ratio (T/NT1), orbital/occipital radioactive uptake count ratio (T/NT2), orbital/thalamus radioactive uptake count ratio (T/NT3), and orbital/cerebellar radioactivity uptake count ratio (T/NT4) were calculated, and the CAS of Spearman rank correlation and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were analyzed.
 Results: T/NT1, T/NT2 and CAS were correlated (r1=0.873, r2=0.527; P<0.001), with the better correlation between T/NT1 and CAS and there was no correlation between T/NT3, T/NT4 and CAS (r3=0.039, r4=0.090; P>0.05). Area under the ROC curve of T/NT1 was 0.860, area under the ROC curve of T/NT2 was 0.581, and the accuracy for T/NT1 on TAO activity was good. T/NT1=9.74 could be used as active threshold for judge of TAO in patients.
 Conclusion: There is a good correlation between T/NT1 and CAS. TAO activity assessment possesses high diagnostic value, and SPECT/CT together with imaging anatomical location is more accurate.
Case-Control Studies ; Graves Ophthalmopathy ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Orbit ; diagnostic imaging ; ROC Curve ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; Statistics, Nonparametric ; Technetium Tc 99m Pentetate ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon ; methods

Animals always seek rewards and the related neural basis has been well studied. However, what happens when animals fail to get a reward is largely unknown, although this is commonly seen in behaviors such as predation. Here, we set up a behavioral model of repeated failure in reward pursuit (RFRP) in Drosophila larvae. In this model, the larvae were repeatedly prevented from reaching attractants such as yeast and butyl acetate, before finally abandoning further attempts. After giving up, they usually showed a decreased locomotor speed and impaired performance in light avoidance and sugar preference, which were named as phenotypes of RFRP states. In larvae that had developed RFRP phenotypes, the octopamine concentration was greatly elevated, while tβh mutants devoid of octopamine were less likely to develop RFRP phenotypes, and octopamine feeding efficiently restored such defects. By down-regulating tβh in different groups of neurons and imaging neuronal activity, neurons that regulated the development of RFRP states and the behavioral exhibition of RFRP phenotypes were mapped to a small subgroup of non-glutamatergic and glutamatergic octopaminergic neurons in the central larval brain. Our results establish a model for investigating the effect of depriving an expected reward in Drosophila and provide a simplified framework for the associated neural basis.
Acetates ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Animals, Genetically Modified ; Avoidance Learning ; physiology ; Biogenic Amines ; metabolism ; Conditioning, Operant ; physiology ; Drosophila ; physiology ; Drosophila Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Feeding Behavior ; drug effects ; physiology ; Instinct ; Larva ; physiology ; Locomotion ; drug effects ; genetics ; Nervous System ; cytology ; Neurons ; physiology ; Octopamine ; metabolism ; RNA Interference ; physiology ; Reward ; Statistics, Nonparametric ; Transcription Factors ; genetics ; metabolism

The Autism Spectrum Rating Scale (ASRS) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) have been widely used for screening autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the general population during epidemiological studies, but studies of individuals with intellectual disability (ID) are quite limited. Therefore, we recruited the parents/caregivers of 204 ASD cases, 71 ID cases aged 6-18 years from special education schools, and 402 typically developing (TD) children in the same age span from a community-based population to complete the ASRS and SRS. The results showed that the ID group scored significantly lower on total and subscale scores than the ASD group on both scales (P < 0.05) but higher than TD children (P < 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic analyses demonstrated a similar fair performance in discriminating ASD from ID with the ASRS (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.709, sensitivity = 77.0%, specificity = 52.1%, positive predictive value (PPV) = 82.2%) and the SRS (AUC = 0.742, sensitivity = 59.8%, specificity = 77.5%, PPV = 88.4%). The results showed that individuals with ID had clear autistic traits and discriminating ASD from ID cases was quite challenging, while assessment tools such as ASRS and SRS, help to some degree.
Adolescent ; Age Distribution ; Age Factors ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; complications ; psychology ; Child ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; etiology ; Male ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ; Psychometrics ; Retrospective Studies ; Social Behavior ; Statistics, Nonparametric

The striatum and globus pallidus are principal nuclei of the basal ganglia. Nissl- and acetylcholinesterase-stained sections of the tree shrew brain showed the neuroanatomical features of the caudate nucleus (Cd), internal capsule (ic), putamen (Pu), accumbens, internal globus pallidus, and external globus pallidus. The ic separated the dorsal striatum into the Cd and Pu in the tree shrew, but not in rats and mice. In addition, computer-based 3D images allowed a better understanding of the position and orientation of these structures. These data provided a large-scale atlas of the striatum and globus pallidus in the coronal, sagittal, and horizontal planes, the first detailed distribution of parvalbumin-immunoreactive cells in the tree shrew, and the differences in morphological characteristics and density of parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons between tree shrew and rat. Our findings support the tree shrew as a potential model for human striatal disorders.
Acetylcholinesterase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Brain Mapping ; Corpus Striatum ; anatomy & histology ; cytology ; metabolism ; Globus Pallidus ; anatomy & histology ; cytology ; metabolism ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Models, Neurological ; Neurons ; metabolism ; Parvalbumins ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Statistics, Nonparametric ; Tupaiidae ; anatomy & histology

OBJECTIVE: To determine if Ehretia microphylla (Tsaang Gubat) decoction tea and placebo can improve the symptoms of mild intermittent allergic rhinitis in comparison to loratadine and control tea.
METHODS:
Design: Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled
Trial Setting: Tertiary-Government Training Hospital
Participants: Twenty-four patients diagnosed with mild intermittent allergic rhinitis from October 2015 to July 2016 were randomly divided into a treatment group given Ehretia microphylla (Tsaang Gubat) decoction tea and placebo, and a control group given control tea and loratadine, both taken for 7 days. Patients underwent pre- and post-intervention evaluation by anterior rhinoscopy, Sino-nasal Outcome Test 22 (SNOT 22) Questionnaire and 10-point Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Data were encoded and subjected to statistical analysis using Mann Whitney U test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank test.
RESULTS: Age and gender of the treatment and control group participants were comparable. Prior to intervention, no differences in symptoms were noted between both groups on SNOT 22 and VAS scores. After intervention, no differences in symptoms were noted between the 2 groups on SNOT 22 and VAS scores either. Comparison of pre- (30.4 ± 17.3) and post- (7.2 ± 6.5) intervention mean SNOT 22 scores of the loratadine control group with pre- (32.5 ± 23.7) and post- (7.8 ± 10.4) intervention mean SNOT 22 scores of the Ehretia Microphylla treatment group showed significant improvement of symptoms in both groups. Likewise, comparison of pre- and post-intervention mean VAS scores of the loratadine control group and pre- and post-intervention mean VAS scores of the Ehretia Microphylla treatment group based on symptoms of sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal congestion and pruritus showed significant improvement of symptoms in both groups (p-values of < .001).
CONCLUSION: Ehretia microphylla (Tsaang Gubat) decoction tea may improve symptoms of allergic rhinitis (sneezing, rhinorrhea, pruritus and nasal congestion) and be taken as an alternative to loratadine in patients with mild intermittent allergic rhinitis. Further clinical trials with more participants may provide stronger evidence for this conclusion.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Loratadine ; Sneezing ; Statistics, Nonparametric ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Nose ; Isononanoyl Oxybenzene Sulfonate ; Benzenesulfonates ; Pruritus ; Boraginaceae

Objective: To investigate the dynamic changes of serum reproductive hormone levels in old and middleaged males in health examination and their correlation with age and lipid profile. METHODS: This study included 4 333 men in health examination from January 2011 to December 2014. The men were aged from 40 to 85 years old and divided into seven fiveyearspan age groups. We determined the levels of serum testosterone (T), luteinizing hormone (LH), folliclestimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), prolactin (PRL), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), and the testosterone secretion index (TSI = T/LH). We analyzed the obtained data using SPSS Pram, KruskalWallis H test, MannWhitney U test, exponential regression, and Spearman correlation analysis. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found in LH, FSH, E2 and TSI among the seven age groups (P< 0.05). The levels of serum LH, FSH and E2 were significantly higher (P< 0.05) while TSI remarkably lower (P< 0.05) in the ≥70 yr group than in the other six groups. The serum T and E2 levels and TSI were markedly lower in the 40－44, 45－49 and 50－54 yr groups in 2014 than in the other three years (P< 0.05), and so were the levels of serum T and TSI in the 55－59 yr group (P< 0.05). The levels of serum LH, FSH and E2 were correlated positively while those of P, PRL and TSI negatively with age. The serum T level was correlated positively with HDLC but negatively with TC, TG and LDLC. The levels of serum LH, FSH and E2 showed a yearly average increase of 1.9%, 2.7% and 0.5%, respectively, while TSI an annual mean decline of 2.0% in the 40－85 yr group. CONCLUSIONS LH, FSH and E2 were increased while TSI decreased with age in the >40 years old males. T and TSI were reduced in the 40－59 years old men from 2011 to 2014, and so was E2 in the 40－54 yr group. Lowlevel testosterone is closely related to dyslipidemia.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aging ; blood ; Estradiol ; blood ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Humans ; Lipids ; blood ; Luteinizing Hormone ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Progesterone ; blood ; Prolactin ; blood ; Reproduction ; Statistics, Nonparametric ; Testosterone ; blood

BACKGROUND/AIMS: A barbed puncture needle with a side hole was recently developed to improve sample quality and quantity in endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). In this study, we retrospectively assessed the usefulness of this puncture needle. METHODS: Factors affecting diagnostic yield, safety, and diagnostic accuracy were investigated in 76 patients who consecutively underwent EUS-FNA for neoplastic lesions at our hospital between January and December 2013. RESULTS: The procedure was successful in all cases; the rates of sample collection and determination of the correct diagnosis were 92.1% and 89.5%, respectively. The mean number of needle passes required for diagnosis was 1.1. Complications included mild intraluminal bleeding in two patients (2.6%). Multivariate analysis revealed that lesion size (< or =20 mm) was significantly associated with a decreased chance of determining the correct diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Core biopsy needles with a side hole are safe and provide a satisfactory diagnostic yield. However, the side hole may potentially reduce the rate of making the correct diagnosis in small lesions.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Digestive System Neoplasms/*diagnosis/ultrasonography ; Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration/*instrumentation ; Equipment Design ; Equipment Safety ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Tract/pathology/ultrasonography ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Needles/adverse effects/*statistics & numerical data ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Statistics, Nonparametric