BACKGROUND:Previous brain studies have mostly focused on adults and fetuses,and the developmental characteristics of young children's brainstems have rarely been studied. OBJECTIVE:To observe the brainstem development characteristics of healthy young children and to explore the age-related differences and their correlation with sex. METHODS:From January 2019 to April 2022,a retrospective study of 3.0T MRI images of 174 children aged 2 to 6 years in the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University was conducted,and the median sagittal diameter,area and angle of the brainstem(including midbrain,pons and medulla oblongata)were measured. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:There is an age-related increase in the anterior and posterior diameters of the midbrain,pons and medulla oblongata in the 2-5 years old group as well as in the longitudinal diameter and area of the midbrain,pons and medulla oblongata in the 2-6 years old group.Except for the longitudinal diameter of the medulla oblongata,all others show a positive correlation with age(r>0,P<0.05).In the 2-3 years old group and 4-5 years old group,the children are in the rapid growth and development stage,and these two age groups can be used as the key observation indicators for the development of young children.The anterior-posterior diameter,longitudinal diameter,area of the pons and total brainstem area are strongly correlated with age,which can be used as the key observation indicators for the brainstem development in young children.

Objective:To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Sensitivity to Pun-ishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire-Revised and Clarified(SPSRQ-RC)in patients with eating disor-ders.Methods:Totally 111 patients with eating disorders meeting diagnostic criteria of DSM-5 were assessed with SPSRQ-RC,Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11(BIS-11),Trait Anxiety Inventory(TAI)and Eating Disorder Exami-nation Questionnaire 6.0(EDE-Q 6.0).Results:Three factors were extracted from the items by exploratory factor analysis with cumulative variance being 55.65％.The interclass correlation coefficient(ICC)of SR and BIS-11 was 0.26,the ICC of SP and TAI was 0.25,and the correlation coefficient of the SPSRQ-RC and EDE-Q 6.0 was 0.35.The Cronbach's α coefficient of the SPSRQ-RC was 0.83,the test-retest reliability of the scale was 0.82.Conclusion:The Chinese version of SPSRQ-RC shows good psychometric properties in patients with eating disor-ders.

Fetal STR typing of aborted tissue has long been a major problem in forensic DNA.Especially for the first trimester abortion tissue,it is difficult to isolate the embryonic components by histomorphological means,resulting in the inability to accurately obtain the STR typing of the fetus.The mixed STR typing results of mother and fetus can provide a key basis for the identification of suspects in cases of rape-induced pregnancy.In this study,next generation sequencing was used to successfully detect mixed STR typing of mother and suspected fetus or single STR typing of suspected fetus in 4 rape-induced early pregnancy abortion tissues.Combined with Y-STR and flank sequence information,it provides a more comprehensive and reliable genetic basis for the identification of suspects.

Objective:To evaluate the effects of different imaging frequencies and matching strategies of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) on dose-volume parameters in target and organs at risk (OAR) during image-guided radiotherapy for prostate cancer.Methods:A total of 561 sets of CBCT images from 21 patients treated with radical prostate radiotherapy who were admitted to Peking University First Hospital from June 2022 to May 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received volumetric intensity modulated arc therapy (VMAT) at a prescribed dose of 70 Gy divided into 25 times, 2.8 Gy per time. Clinical target volume (CTV) and OAR were delineated by the same oncologist on each CBCT image. The planned CT (pCT) was rigorously registered to CBCT after calibration of positioning errors according to different image guidance modes and frequencies, and CT values and structures were propagated to CBCT through deformable image registration (DIR). The daily dose was mapped to pCT according to the deformation vector field (DVF) for dose accumulation. The actual cumulative dose of daily online CBCT validation was compared with the weekly CBCT validation regimen (days 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 16 and 21 online imaging). The dosimetric comparison was also made between bone-based matching and soft tissue-based matching (after automatic bone-based matching, manual prostate-based matching was performed and fine-tuning was made regarding the anterior wall of rectum). Wilcoxon signed rank-sum test was utilized to analyze dose-volume parameters between planned and cumulative doses that exhibited non-normal distribution, while paired t-test was employed for assessing shift values and average dose parameters that demonstrated normal distribution. Results:Compared with daily CBCT image guidance, the CTV_D 98% in weekly CBCT was significantly reduced [(69.08±1.58) vs. (65.24±3.64) Gy, P<0.001]. The CTV_D 98% of bone-based matching was (69.27±2.14) Gy, but the high-dose volume of the rectum were significantly increased: V 60 Gy was 3.18%±3.10%, V 65 Gy was 0.77%±1.23%. The target area coverage using soft tissue-based matching is sufficient, with a CTV_D 98% of (69.08±1.58) Gy. And the percentage volume of high-dose volume of the rectum was significantly reduced, with V 60 Gy being 2.02%±2.42% and V 65 Gy being 0.34%±0.68%. Conclusions:In prostate cancer patients undergoing moderately-fractionated radiotherapy, daily CBCT image guidance demonstrates superior target coverage compared to a weekly scheme. Soft tissue-based matching, which is automatic bone-based matching followed by manual soft tissue-based matching and fine-tuning according to the anterior rectal wall, offers better rectal protection while maintaining target coverage.

Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Septate Uterus ; Uterus/surgery* ; Hysteroscopy/methods* ; Estrogens ; Tissue Adhesions/surgery* ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Multicenter Studies as Topic

Objective To investigate the effects of paclitaxel and doxorubicin on the immune microenvironment of breast cancer in mice. Methods The CTR-DB database, a database for analysis of gene expression profiles and drug resistance characteristics related to tumor drug response, was used to analyze the effect of chemotherapeutic drugs on the immune microenvironment of breast cancer. Mouse models with breast cancer were established by in situ injection with 4T1 cells, a triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. Then they were treated with doxorubicin and paclitaxel, respectively. The sizes of tumor were recorded and analyzed by growth curve. The number of different types of immune cells was analyzed using flow cytometry. The expressions of Ki67, S100 calcium binding protein A9 (S100A9) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) were detected by immunohistochemistry. The cell cycles of 4T1 cells in paclitaxel group and doxorubicin group were analyzed by flow cytometry. Results The results of CTR_Microarray_75 analysis showed that the immune scores, and the number of cytotoxic lymphocytes, B lineages, CD8⁺ T cells, dendritic cells (DCs), monocytic lineages and natural killer (NK) cells in chemotherapy-sensitive breast cancer were higher than those in chemotherapy-insensitive breast cancer. Through growth curve analysis in mice with breast cancer, we found that both paclitaxel and doxorubicin could inhibit the increase of the tumor sizes, and the paclitaxel showed a higher inhibitory effect. The results of cytometry displayed that both paclitaxel and doxorubicin could restrain the expression of Ki67 and increase the number of breast cancer cells in G2/M phase, and in the paclitaxel group, the expression of Ki67 was lower and the number of breast cancer cells in G2/M phase was larger. Paclitaxel and doxorubicin enhanced the infiltration of CD45⁺ immune cells but decreased the infiltration of neutrophils. Additionally, paclitaxel promoted the infiltration of CD3⁺CD4⁺ T helper cells, CD3⁺CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cells and CD45⁺CD19⁺B cells, while doxorubicin increased the infiltration of CD4⁺CD25⁺ regulatory T cells (Tregs). The results of immunohistochemistry displayed that the paclitaxel significantly inhibited the expression of S100A9, while the doxorubicin significantly restrained the expression of MMP9. Conclusion Paclitaxel and doxorubicin can effectively inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells and change immune microenvironment of TNBC by regulating the different patterns of cell infiltration and the expression of different extracellular matrix components.
Animals ; Mice ; Humans ; Paclitaxel/pharmacology* ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; Ki-67 Antigen ; Doxorubicin/pharmacology* ; Calgranulin B ; Tumor Microenvironment

Objective:To observe the efficacy and safety of high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of chronic tension-type headache (CTTH) patients.Methods:Thirty-eight patients with CTTH, admitted to our hospital from February 2019 to September 2021, were randomly divided into rTMS group and control group ( n=19). In the rTMS group, the hot spot of the right abductor pollicis brevis was surface-labeled and the resting movement threshold (RMT) was calculated; the intensity of the stimulus was then adjusted to 70% of RMT, and stimulus was then located at 5 cm in front of the previously identified hot spot of the right thumb, namely the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC); the stimulus was delivered once every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and lasted for 4 weeks with 12 rounds of stimulation. In the control group, the hot spot was not located and RMT was not calculated; the coil was placed perpendicular to LDLPFC; and the stimulation frequency was the same as that in the rTMS group with minimum stimulation intensity. Visual analogue scale (VAS), Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6), simplified McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) were used to evaluate the subjective pain status. The electrophysiological indices in the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) were used to evaluate the objective pain status. Adverse events during treatment and 1-month follow-up were recorded in the two groups. Results:(1) Rating scales: scores of all rating scales in the rTMS group after treatment were significantly decreased as compared with those before treatment ( P <0.05); however, no significant difference was noted in the control group ( P>0.05). After treatment, the scores of VAS, HIT-6, present pain intensity (PPI) scale, and trait anxiety inventory in the rTMS group were significantly decreased as compared with those in the control group ( Z=-4.054, P<0.001; t= -6.083, P<0.001; Z=-4.246, P<0.001; Z=-3.740, P<0.001). (2) NFR RIII parameters: as compared with that before treatment, the minimum threshold in rTMS group after treatment was significantly increased ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in NFR RIII parameters in the control group between those after treatment and before treatment ( P>0.05). After treatment, the minimum NFR minimumthreshold in the rTMS group was significantly increased as compared with that in the control group ( P<0.05). Cold compression test results showed that as compared with basic NFR RIII area, NFR RIII area before and after treatment in both rTMS group and control group was statistically increased ( P<0.05). (3) Adverse reactions: no serious adverse reactions occurred in the two groups during treatment and follow-up. Conclusion:Treatment with rTMS in CTTH patients enjoys good short-term efficacy without obvious adverse reactions.

Objective:To disclose the genome characteristics and mutations of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) strains from the imported cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Gansu province, thereby to provide scientific reference for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Gansu province. Methods:The respiratory tract specimens of imported COVID-19 cases from seven countries in Gansu province in 2020 were collected. The virus genome was sequenced by the second-generation sequencing technology, the whole genome sequences were compared and analyzed, and the MEGA software was used to construct a phylogenetic tree based on the neighbor-joining method.Results:A total of 46 2019-nCoV genome sequences with a length of 29 605~29 903 bp were obtained. Compared with the Wuhan reference strain (GenBank ID: NC_045512.2), it was found that the median (minimum to maximum) number of the nucleotide mutations of the 2019-nCoV genome sequence of the imported cases was 10 (7-24). A total of 134 nucleotide mutation sites were found in all 2019-nCoV genome sequences from 7 entry countries in Gansu province, distributed in 11 open reading frames (ORFs). The top three nucleotide mutations in different proteins: ORF1ab (78), S(20), N(12). Among the 134 nucleotide mutations, 82 caused amino acid mutations, and all of them were missense mutations. No insertions or deletions were seen. Types of deletion mutations, the top three amino acid mutations in different proteins: ORF1ab (46), S(11), N(10); the key sites of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the S protein have not been mutated.Conclusions:No imported cases in Gansu province have been found to carry the reported mutations that can clearly lead to changes in the spread and pathogenicity of 2019-nCoV.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of adalimumab in the treatment of severe plaque psoriasis.Methods:From June 2018 to April 2019, 20 patients with severe plaque psoriasis were collected from Department of Dermatology, Henan Provincial People′s Hospital. After initial subcutaneous injection of adalimumab at a dose of 80 mg, these patients were subcutaneously injected with adalimumab at a dose of 40 mg at weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. At weeks 4, 8 and 12, psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) was recorded, and changes in skin lesions were observed by reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) . Adverse reactions were monitored during treatment.Results:At week 4, 12 patients achieved a 50% reduction in PASI (PASI50) ; at week 8, 14 achieved PASI75; at week 12, 20 patients achieved PASI75, of which 5 achieved PASI90 and 2 achieved PASI100. As RCM showed, the melanin content in the basal layer of skin lesions was lower compared with that of perilesional normal skin before treatment, gradually increased within 4 weeks, and nearly returned to normal at week 12. No infections, tumors or other related adverse reactions occurred in the 20 patients.Conclusion:Subcutaneous injection of adalimumab every other week is markedly effective in the treatment of severe psoriasis, with few related adverse reactions.