OBJECTIVES: To study the therapeutic mechanism of Tuihuang Mixture against cholestasis. METHODS: Forty-eight Wistar rats were randomized equally into blank group, model group, ursodeoxycholic acid group and Tuihuang Mixture group. Except for those in the blank group, all the rats were given α‑naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) to establish rat models of cholestasis, followed by treatments with indicated drugs or distilled water. Serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, γ-GT, TBA and TBIL of the rats were determined, and hepatic expressions IL-1β, IL-18, FXR, NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1 and GSDMD were detected using q-PCR, ELISA or Western blotting. Histopathological changes of the liver tissues were observed using HE staining. RESULTS: The rat models of cholestasis had significantly increased serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, γ-GT, TBA and TBIL with increased mRNA and protein expressions of IL-1β and IL-18, decreased protein and mRNA expressions of FXR, and increased protein expressions of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 and mRNA expressions of NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1 and GSDMD in the liver tissue, showing also irregular arrangement of liver cells, proliferation of bile duct epithelial cells and inflammatory cells infiltration. Treatment of the rat models with Tuihuang Mixture significantly decreased serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, γ-GT, TBA and TBIL, lowered IL-1β and IL-18 and increased FXR protein and mRNA expressions, and reduced NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1 and GSDMD proteins and NLRP3, ASC and Caspase-1 mRNA expressions in the liver tissue. Tuihuang Mixture also significantly alleviated hepatocyte injury, bile duct epithelial cell proliferation and inflammatory cell infiltration in the liver of the rat models. CONCLUSIONS Tuihuang Mixture can effectively improve cholestasis in rats possibly by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammatosome-mediated pyroptosis via regulating FXR.
Animals ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein ; Rats ; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/metabolism* ; Cholestasis/drug therapy* ; Rats, Wistar ; Inflammasomes/metabolism* ; 1-Naphthylisothiocyanate ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Interleukin-18/metabolism* ; Caspase 1/metabolism* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Liver/metabolism*

Pheochromocytoma and paranganglioma (PPGL) is a rare neuroendocrine tumor. In recent years, the continuous development of multimodal imaging, pathonomics, genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, metabolism and proteomics have provided us with ideas to better understand the complex transfer mechanism of PPGL. This paper will review the precise typing system of PPGL, current research advances in the diagnosis and clinical prognosis.

Background::The APPEC study is a large-population randomized controlled trial in China evaluating the role of low-dose aspirin prophylactic treatment for pre-eclampsia. There was no statistically significant difference in postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) incidence between the aspirin and control groups. This study aimed to evaluate the potential bleeding risk of 100 mg aspirin in high-risk pregnant women and the difference in the incidence of PPH according to maternal characteristics.Methods::This is a secondary data analysis of the APPEC study. Platelet counts and coagulation test results were collected at five follow-up visits. Subgroups defined by maternal age (<35 years and ≥35 years), pre-pregnancy body mass index (pre-BMI, <28 kg/m 2 and ≥28 kg/m 2), parity, gestational age at enrollment, and medical history, including pre-eclampsia, chronic hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the statistical significance of the difference in the incidence of PPH after aspirin administration in pregnant women in each subgroup. Adjustment using multiple logistic regression models followed these analyses. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between pre-BMI and PPH. Results::There was no significant difference between the aspirin and control groups in bleeding risk (3.4% [16/464] vs. 3.0% [13/434], T = 0.147, P = 0.701). No significant difference was found in the incidence of PPH in total (relative risk = 1.220, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.720–2.067, P = 0.459; aspirin group vs. control group, 6.5% [30/464] vs. 5.3% [23/434], P = 0.459) or in subgroup analysis. A significant correlation between pre-BMI and PPH was found in the aspirin group, while in the control group there was no significant correlation (aspirin group, odds ratio [OR] = 1.086, 95% CI = 1.004–1.175, P = 0.040; control group, OR= 1.060, 95% CI = 0.968–1.161, P = 0.209). Conclusions::A dosage of 100 mg of aspirin per day, initiated from 12 to 20 gestational weeks until 34 weeks of gestation, did not increase the risk of potential bleeding and PPH regardless of the maternal characteristic. In the aspirin group, the positive correlation between BMI and PPH was significant.Trial Registration::ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01979627.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of retroperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy (RLA) and transperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy (TLA) in the treatment of localized adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC).Methods:The data of 22 patients with stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ ACC underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy in our institution from January 2009 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the different surgical approaches, these patients were divided into RLA and TLA groups. Eleven patients underwent RLA and 11 patients underwent TLA. There were no significant differences between the RLA group and the TLA group in terms of age at first diagnosis[44 (35, 54) vs. 46(41, 55) years, P= 0.793], sex (male/female: 3/8 vs. 4/7, P = 1.00), secreting tumor ratio (3/11 vs. 4/11, P = 1.00), tumor location (left/right: 6/6 vs. 7/4, P = 1.00), with hypertension or diabetes mellitus (4/11 vs. 3/11, P = 1.00). However, RLA has significantly smaller tumor size [3.0(2.5, 8.4) cm vs. 7.7(5.2, 8.4)cm, P= 0.001], and more stage Ⅰ patients [90.9%(10/11) vs. 18.2%(2/11), P=0.002], compared with those in TLA group. The perioperative indicators and oncology prognosis outcomes were collected and compared between the two groups. The Kaplan-Meier method was performed to calculate the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Results:Compared with TLA, RLA had shorter operation time[90(70, 100) vs. 110 (90, 120) min, P = 0.005] and postoperative drainage tube removal time [2 (2, 3) vs. 3 (2, 6) day, P = 0.002), and the difference was statistically significant. In the TLA group, one patient was converted to open operation due to intraoperative tumor capsule rupture. For postoperative complications, one patient in the TLA group suffered with wound infection. There were no perioperative deaths in either group. All postoperative pathological examinations confirmed ACC, and there was no significant difference in Ki-67 index between the two groups [10%(3%, 35%) vs. 10%(9%, 25%), P = 0.484]. The median follow-up was similar in the two groups [48(26, 98) vs. 31(18, 49) months, P=0.237]. The local recurrence and metastasis rates were 36.4% for RLA group and 63.6% for TLA group ( P = 0.395). Survival analysis showed no statistically significant difference in DFS [5-year DFS rate: 33.6% vs. 73.2%, P = 0.118] between the two groups. The 5-year OS rates for RLA group versus TLA group were 58.3% vs. 45.5% ( P=0.485). Conclusions:For localized (stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ) ACC, both RLA and TLA seem safe and feasible, based on the similar long-term oncological prognosis. However, compared with TLA, RLA has the advantage of shorter operation time and postoperative drainage tube removal time. Due to the small number of cases included in this study, further multi-center, large-sample studies are required to demonstrate clear benefit of one surgical approach in the future.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of rare adrenal angiomyolipoma.Methods:Clinical data of 5 patients with adrenal angiomyolipoma admitted to West China Hospital of Sichuan University from April 2009 to April 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 2 males and 3 females. Age ranged from 40 to 57 years old, with an average of 46.7(40-57) years old. Clinical manifestations included right upper abdominal mass in 1 case, pain in the lower back in 1 case, and no significant symptoms were found in the rest. One patient was complicated with hypertension, one patient was complicated with decreased activities of epinephrine, norepinephrine and renin activity (orthosis), and the other patients had no abnormal hormones. 2 patients underwent abdominal ultrasound with " strong echo mass in adrenal area" , and all underwent enhanced abdominal CT with " space occupying lesion in adrenal area" , which was specifically manifested as tumors with mixed density in fat, blood vessels, muscle and so on. The average tumor diameter was 5.8(2.3-9.1) cm, including 2 cases on the left, 3 cases on the right, and 1 case with renal angiomyolipoma. All patients underwent laparoscopic adrenal tumor resection.Results:All the 5 patients underwent surgical resection successfully and were diagnosed as adrenal angiomyolipoma by pathological examination of tumor specimens after surgery. There was no significant change in blood pressure level of patients with hypertension after surgery. Follow-up time was 2-7 years and no recurrence.Conclusions:Adrenal angiomyolipoma is an extremely rare benign nonfunctional disease, which is more common in middle age. Most of the patients had no clinical history and signs. The tumor has no hormone secretion function and can be basically diagnosed with CT and other imaging examinations. The final diagnosis depends on pathological examination. After operation, the prognosis of adrenal angiomyolipoma is good.

Objective:To explore the predictive value of transvaginal ultrasound measurement of cervical length (CL) in the first and second trimester on spontaneous preterm birth in singleton pregnant women.Methods:This study retrospectively recruited 2 254 singleton pregnancies without severe comorbidities at Peking University First Hospital from January 2019 to June 2019. CL was measured for all subjects using transvaginal ultrasound in the first (11-13 +6 weeks) and second trimester (21-23 +6 weeks). Differences in CL between women with preterm (preterm group) and full-term delivery (full-term group) as well as the CL during the first and second trimester were compared. The independent risk factors for preterm birth and the predictive value of CL in the first and second trimester for spontaneous preterm birth were also explored. Fisher's exact test, t-test, χ2 test, and logistic regression analysis, etc, were adopted for statistical analysis. Results:(1) For the 2 254 subjects, CL measured in the first trimester and second trimester were (36.1±4.2) mm (22.4-52.6 mm) and (36.9±5.3) mm (2.9-59.7 mm), respectively. The incidence of short cervix in the first trimester and second trimester were 0.31% (7/2 254) and 1.46% (33/2 254), respectively. When CL was ≤25.0 mm ( OR=43.92, 95% CI:6.83-282.49) or >25.0-≤30.3 mm ( OR=6.59, 95% CI:1.97-22.0) in the first trimester, the risk of short cervix increased in the second trimester (both P<0.05). (2) The total incidence of preterm delivery was 3.06% (69/2 254). CL and the incidence of short cervix did not differ significantly in the first trimester between the preterm and full-term group [(35.2±4.5) and (36.1±4.1) mm, t=－1.78, P=0.076; 1.5% (1/69) and 0.3% (6/2 185), χ 2=2.98, P=0.084]. Compared with the full-term group, CL was shorter and the incidence of short cervix was higher in the second trimester in the preterm group [(33.6±6.7) vs (37.0±5.2) mm, t=－5.12;8.7% (6/69) vs 1.2% (27/2 185), χ 2=25.80, P<0.001]. (3) Multivariate regression analysis showed that age ≥35 years ( OR=2.05, 95% CI:1.22-3.46), history of spontaneous preterm birth ( OR=25.25, 95% CI:5.01-127.28), conception assisted by reproductive technology ( OR=10.39, 95% CI:2.39-50.33), and short cervix during the second trimester were independent risk factors for premature delivery. (4) There was no significant difference in the risk of preterm delivery when comparing to those with CL≤25.0 mm, >25.0-≤30.3 mm, >30.3-≤33.0 mm, >33.0-≤35.7 mm, >35.7-≤38.7 mm women with CL>38.7 mm during the first trimester (all P>0.05). The risk of premature delivery was relatively increased for those with CL≤25.0 mm,>25.0-≤29.5 mm, >29.5-≤33.6 mm, >33.6~≤36.8 mm, >36.8~≤40.1 mm during the second trimester compared to those with CL>40.1 mm [ OR (95% CI):17.64 (4.99-62.32), 6.89 (2.11-22.55), 3.58 (1.34-9.59), 4.04 (1.58-10.32), 3.34 (1.28-8.67), respectively , all P<0.05]. (5) When CL≤25.0 mm and ≤29.5 mm in the second trimester were used as the cut-off value, the prediction of preterm delivery was with a sensitivity of 8.70% and 17.39%, specificity of 98.80% and 95.29%, positive predictive value of 18.20% and 10.43%, negative predictive value of 97.16% and 97.34%, and the accuracy rate of 96.01% and 92.90%, respectively. Conclusions:There were no significant differences in CL and the incidence of short cervix during the first trimester among women with preterm or full-term delivery. CL in the first trimester is not an independent risk factor for preterm birth, but the risk of short cervix in the second trimester is increased when CL≤30.3 mm in the first trimester. The shorter the cervix during the second trimester, the greater the risk of preterm birth.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between thyroid iodine uptake rate, 99Tc m imaging and treatment of Graves' hyperthyroidism with 131I. Methods:132 patients with Graves' hyperthyroidism were analyzed retrospectively. According to the difference of thyroid 24-hour iodine uptake rate, they were divided into group A (≤50%), group B (50%-80%) and group C (≥80%). According to the trend of iodine uptake rate curve, they were divided into peak advance group (6 h/24 h iodine uptake rate ratio >1) and non-peak advance group (6 h/24 h iodine uptake rate ratio≤1). Thyroid 99Tc m imaging was divided into three groups according to quality, including group 1 (≤30 g), group 2 (30-60 g) and group 3 (≥60 g). The therapeutic effects of 131I in different types of patients were compared. Results:132 patients were followed up for 6 months after the first 131I treatment. The total effective rate, total cure rate and uncured rate were 88.6%(117/132), 78.0%(103/132), 22.0%(29/132), respectively. The serum thyroxine levels of patients with different 24-h iodine uptake rates in the three groups after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment ( P<0.05). The lower the 24-h iodine uptake rate of thyroid, the more significantly the serum total triiodothyronine (TT3), total triiodothyronine (TT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) levels decreased after treatment, the more obvious the increase of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and the more obvious the treatment effect ( P<0.05). The cure rate (13/29, 44.8%) in the peak advance group was significantly lower than that in the non peak advance group (90/103, 87.4%), with statistically significant difference (χ 2=23.899, P<0.001). There was significant difference in the cure rate among the three groups with different thyroid 99Tc m imaging quality (χ 2=15.502, P<0.001). Conclusions:With the increase of thyroid mass, the higher the 24-h iodine intake rate, the more obvious the peak shift, the lower the cure rate, the higher the non-healing rate, and the lower the incidence of hypothyroidism.

With the wide application of digital technology in the field of stomatology, the acquisition of three-dimensional tooth and dentition information through three-dimensional (3D) image data and optical scan data has become an indispensable process in clinical diagnosis and analysis. Cone-beam CT images and optical scanning images have their own characteristics in terms of data acquisition range and the accuracy of data. Single data source is not accurate enough or complete in the delivery of tooth and dental information. At present, two data sources are used to construct a 3D crown root model with high-precision crown and complete root information to meet the requirement of clinical orthodontic functional setup and implant surgical guide design. The integration of tooth crown and root is one of the focused topics of clinical research. This review will summarize the research progress of 3D crown root model construction method, introduce the application of various algorithms, and analyze the characteristics of these approaches, in order to provide reference for clinical application and scientific research.

Adrenal vein sampling (AVS),as the gold standard of subtype diagnosis for primary aldosteronism,can directly detect the hormone concentration in adrenal vein by adrenal vein cannulation.Adrenal tumor can be categorized into no function adenoma,adrenal carcinoma,aldosterone producing adenoma (APA),cortisol producing adenoma (CPA) and pheochromocytoma.Traditionally,peripheral blood hormone testing and image examination were performed to make functional diagnosis of adrenal tumor,which exhibits low specificity and sensitivity.On the contrary,AVS can help make a distinct lateralization diagnosis according the aldosterone concentration of each gland,even in the condition of bilateral adrenal tumor and early stage tumor,which is difficult to make functional lateralization diagnosis by traditional methods.AVS can be categorized into simultaneous sampiing and sequencing sampling,according to the order of sampling.According to using adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) or not,AVS can be categorized into no stimulus sampling and post-stimulus sampling.

To investigate the role of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) in evaluating pulmonary hemodynamics and right ventricular function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pulmonary hypertension (PAH); and the relationship between CMRI parameters and pulmonary function parameters, blood gas analysis parameters and 6-minute walk test (6MWT) parameters in patients with COPD complicated with PAH. Methods Thirty-seven patients were diagnosed with COPD in the department of respiratory and critical care discipline of Ningxia Medical University General Hospital from October 2013 to October 2016, who underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to measure pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP), and were divided into COPD group and COPD+PAH group according to whether there was PAH [PASP > 40 mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa) was defined as PAH]. All patients completed pulmonary function tests [1 second forced expiratory volume to forced vital capacity ratio (FEV1/FVC), FEV1 predicted value (FEV1pred)], blood gas analysis [arterial blood oxygen partial pressure (PaO2), arterial blood carbon dioxide partial pressure (PaCO2)], CMRI examination [relative dilatation of the main pulmonary artery (mPAD), mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF), right ventricular end-diastolic myocardial mass (RVMED), right ventricular end-systolic myocardial mass (RVMES)], and 6MWD [6-minute walk distance (6MWD)] within 1 week. The obtained clinical parameters had been compared between the groups, and correlation was analyzed. Results Among the 37 patients with COPD, 16 patients were complicated with PAH. There were no significant differences in FEV1/FVC, FEV1pred, PaO2, PaCO2 and other baseline indicators between the two groups. In the COPD group, TTE obtained PASP of 2 patients were normal (PSAP < 40 mmHg), while CMRI measured mPAP were higher than the normal limit (> 25 mmHg). Compared with the COPD group, mPAD, RVEF and 6MWD were significantly decreased in the COPD+PAH group [mPAD: (25.64±5.01)% vs. (44.00±22.52)%, RVEF: 0.525±0.054 vs. 0.592±0.071, 6MWD (m): 319.3±116.5 vs. 408.2±38.0, all P < 0.01], mPAP, RVMED and RVMES were significantly increased [mPAP (mmHg): 28.89±3.16 vs. 20.18±2.43, RVMED (g): 57.19±15.46 vs. 40.71±15.44, RVMES (g): 45.99±11.16 vs. 33.71±13.39, all P < 0.01], and there was no significant differences in LVEF (0.663±0.082 vs. 0.699±0.075, P > 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that mPAD was positively correlated with FEV1/FVC and FEV1pred (r1 = 0.538, P1 = 0.021; r2 = 0.448, P2 = 0.049);RVMED was negatively correlated with PaO2 (r = -0.581, P = 0.015), and positively correlated with PaCO2 (r = 0.592, P = 0.014); 6MWD was positively correlated with RVEF (r = 0.485, P = 0.041), and had no correlation with LVEF (r = 0.271, P = 0.104). Conclusions Compared with COPD patients, changes in pulmonary hemodynamics and right ventricular function in COPD patients with PAH are related to the severity of airflow limitation. CMRI can early monitor pulmonary hemodynamics and right heart function changes in patients with COPD. Once PAH appears, pulmonary hemodynamics, right heart function and exercise tolerance have changed.