Objective:To evaluate the performance of deep learning reconstruction (DLR) in visualizing lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs) on cerebral CT angiography (CTA).Methods:This cross-sectional study retrospectively analyzed cerebral CTA from 38 patients who underwent cerebral CTA at the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University between January and December 2023. Images were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP), three-dimensional adaptive iterative dose reduction (AIDR), and DLR-advanced inteuigent clear-IQ engine(AiCE) algorithms (FBP group, AIDR group, DLR-AiCE group). On axial images, the mean CT values, standard deviation (SD), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were measured at the origin of LSAs, cerebrospinal fluid in lateral ventricles, temporal muscle, and head of the caudate nucleus. Subjective evaluations were performed for overall vascular visualization and LSAs delineation. Comparisons of subjective and objective evaluation indexes among the 3 groups were performed using the complex measurement ANOVA, Friedman test, or χ2 test. Results:The CT, SD, SNR and CNR values at the origin of LSAs, cerebrospinal fluid in lateral ventricles, temporal muscle, and head of the caudate nucleus demonstrated statistically significance among DLR-AiCE group, AIDR group and FBP group ( P<0.001), in which, except for the difference between the FBP group and the AIDR group in the CT value of the head of the caudate nucleus and the CT value of the cerebrospinal fluid of the lateral ventricle which was not statistically significant ( P>0.05), the remaining pairwise comparisons between the groups for each site measurements were statistically significant ( P<0.001). The difference in the overall comparison of the subjective scores of the overall vessels and LSAs in the images of the DLR-AiCE group, the AIDR group, and the FBP group was statistically significant ( P<0.001), and the two-by-two comparisons showed a statistically significant difference ( P<0.001) except for the difference in the subjective scores of LSAs between the FBP group and the AIDR group. Conclusion:The DLR-AiCE algorithm significantly reduces image noise and improves image quality, enabling superior visualization of LSAs, thereby enhancing diagnostic confidence.

This review aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the etiology, epidemiology, pathology, and conventional treatment of heterotopic ossification (HO), especially emerging potential therapies. HO is the process of ectopic bone formation at non-skeletal sites. HO can be subdivided into two major forms, acquired and hereditary, with acquired HO predominating. Hereditary HO is a rare and life-threatening genetic disorder, but both acquired and hereditary form can cause severe complications, such as peripheral nerve entrapment, pressure ulcers, and disability if joint ankylosis develops, which heavily contributes to a reduced quality of life. Modalities have been proposed to treat HO, but none have emerged as the gold standard. Surgical excision remains the only effective modality; however, the optimal timing is controversial and may cause HO recurrence. Recently, potential therapeutic strategies have emerged that focus on the signaling pathways involved in HO, and small molecule inhibitors have been shown to be promising. Moreover, additional specific targets, such as small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and non-coding RNAs, could be used to effectively block HO or develop combinatorial therapies for HO.
Humans ; Ossification, Heterotopic/genetics*

Objective To explore the symptom clusters in renal transplant recipients and con-struct a concurrent symptom network to identify core symptoms.Methods A total of 343 patients with followed up after renal transplantation were selected as the study subjects.A general information questionnaire and the Chinese version of the Modified Transplant Symptom Occurrence and Symptom Distress Scale were employed to analyze the occurrence of symptoms in patients.In this study,only symptoms with an incidence rate greater than 20％and Spearman correlation coefficient greater than 0.40 between symptom severity and total score were retained.Exploratory factor analysis was used to extract symptom clusters with a factor loading of ≥0.45 as the criterion.The R language was utilized to construct symptom network,based on which core symptoms and bridge symptoms were identified.Results A total of 5 symptom clusters were extracted in this study:the neuro-gastrointestinal symp-tom cluster,the mood-related symptom cluster,the hormone-related symptom cluster,the energy de-ficiency symptom cluster and the vision-related symptom cluster.The core symptoms were anxiety(rs=1.75),mood swings(rs=1.50)and muscle weakness(rs=1.27).The top three symptoms in terms of bridge strength were muscle weakness(rb=0.87),lack of vitality(rb=0.66)and fa-tigue(rb=0.65).Conclusion Multiple symptoms are presented in patients after renal transplanta-tion.Based on the results of symptom network analysis,clinicians can strengthen the assessment of core symptoms and bridge symptoms to develop precise intervention strategies and improve the effectiveness of symptom management.

Objective To evaluate the value of combined detection of serum fibrinogen/albumin ratio(FAR)and milk fat globule epidermal growth factor 8(MFG-E8)in predicting the fetal protection outcome of threatened abortion patients.Methods From May 2022 to May 2023,a total of 89 patients with threatened abortion who received fetal protection treatment in Jianli People's Hospital were regarded as the observation group.They were grouped into a miscarriage group(19 cases)and a successful group(70 cases)based on the fetal protection outcomes.89 normal pregnant women who underwent prenatal examinations were regarded as the control group.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was applied to detect the levels of serum fibrinogen,albumin and MFG-E8.Multivariate Logistic regression was applied to analyze the influencing factors on the fe-tal protection outcome of patients with threatened abortion.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was applied to analyze the predictive value of serum FAR and MFG-E8 level on the fetal protection outcome of patients with threatened abortion.Results Compared with the control group,serum FAR was higher in the observation group(P<0.05)and serum MFG-E8 level was lower(P<0.05).The proportion of thyroid dys-function,serum C-reactive protein(CRP),and FAR in the miscarriage group were higher than those in the successful group(P<0.05),while serum MFG-E8 level was lower than that in the successful group(P<0.05).Serum FAR,CRP and thyroid dysfunction were risk factors for fetal protection outcome of patients with threatened abortion,while serum MFG-E8 was a protective factor for fetal protection outcome of patients with threatened abortion(P<0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of serum FAR,MFG-E8,and their combination in predicting the fetal protection outcome of patients with threatened abortion was 0.787,0.853,and 0.954,respectively,and the efficacy of combination of the two in predicting the fetal protection outcome of patients with threatened abortion was better than that of serum FAR and MFG-E8 alone(Zcombination-FAR=2.805,Zcombination-MFG-E8=2.076,P=0.005,0.038),with sensitivity and specificity of 94.74%and 88.57%,re-spectively.Conclusion Serum FAR increases and MFG-E8 level decreases of patients with threatened abor-tion,and the combination of the two has higher predictive value for the fetal protection outcome of patients with threatened abortion.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major health concern in northwest China; however, the impact of particulate matter (PM) exposure during sand-dust storms (SDS) remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between PM exposure on SDS days and COPD hospitalization risk in arid regions. METHODS: Data on daily COPD hospitalizations were collected from 323 hospitals from 2018 to 2022, along with the corresponding air pollutant and meteorological data for each city in Gansu Province. Employing a space-time-stratified case-crossover design and conditional Poisson regression, we analyzed 265,379 COPD hospitalizations. RESULTS: PM exposure during SDS days significantly increased COPD hospitalization risk [relative risk ( RR) for PM _2.5, lag 3:1.028, 95% confidence interval ( CI): 1.021-1.034], particularly among men and the elderly, and during the cold season. The burden of PM exposure on COPD hospitalization was substantially high in Northwest China, especially in the arid and semi-arid regions. CONCLUSION Our findings revealed a positive correlation between PM exposure during SDS episodes and elevated hospitalization rates for COPD in arid and semi-arid zones in China. This highlights the urgency of developing region-specific public health strategies to address adverse respiratory outcomes associated with SDS-related air quality deterioration.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/chemically induced* ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Spatio-Temporal Analysis ; Adult ; Sand ; Air Pollution

Objective To establish a stable liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)method for detecting gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA)in plasma,and to evaluate the value of GABA detection in the diagnosis of sleep disorders.Methods GABA was detected using a UPLC Xevo TQs system.The method was pre-validated and its performance was verified to establish a reference range for healthy individuals.The difference in plasma GABA levels between apparently healthy individuals and patients with sleep disorders was compared.Results We employed deuterated compounds as isotopic internal standards and utilized an Amide chromatographic column for separation.The mobile phase was 0.050%formic acid in water and 90%acetonitrile in water containing 0.175%formic acid and 5 mmol/L ammonium acetate with gradient elution in the column temperature of 35℃.The linear range for the detection of GABA by LC-MS/MS was 0.05-10.00 μmol/L,with a lower limit of quantification of 0.02 μmol/L,the inter-day CV<3.00%and intra assay CV<4.00%,respectively,and the recovery rate was 101.06%-109.02%.The reference ranges for plasma GABA were established by analyzing 300 healthy controls stratified by age:18-34 years(0.08-0.15 μmol/L),35-49 years(0.10-0.20 μmol/L),and≥50 years(0.12-0.23 μmol/L).Then plasma GABA was used as a biomarker for auxiliary diagnosis of sleep disorders in analyzing 221 patients and 300 healthy controls,which revealed that AUC values were 0.510(P=0.850),0.686(P=0.002),and 0.890(P<0.001)in the groups of 18-34 years,35-49 years,and≥50 years,respectively,with optimal cut-off values of 0.09,0.10 and 0.11 μmol/L.Conclusion A reliable LC-MS/MS method for detecting GABA has been established,which can detect plasma GABA levels sensitively and accurately and can be used in assisting the clinical diagnosis of sleep disorders.

AIM:To investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)in the silent information regulator 1(SIRT1)gene and breast cancer risk in the Han Chinese population.METHODS:A total of 105 Han Chinese patients with breast cancer and 90 healthy controls were enrolled.Sequenom MassARRAY was used to detect the genotypes of SIRT1 gene loci,rs3740051,rs3758391,rs12778366 and rs2394443.The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium(HWE)was analysed using the chi-square test.Multivariate logistic regression was employed to analyze the correlation be-tween each SNP and breast cancer susceptibility,as well as the relationship between the rs3758391 genotype and the clini-copathological characteristics of breast cancer in Han Chinese women.SHEsis software was used to assess linkage disequi-librium and haplotypes of the selected SNPs.The impact of genotypes at rs3758391 locus on SIRT1 protein expression was examined using Western blot.An additional 150 Han Chinese women with breast cancer and 150 healthy controls were en-rolled,and SIRT1 protein expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry.Logistic regression was performed to as-sess the relationship between high and low SIRT1 expression and the clinical characteristics of breast cancer.Kaplan-Mei-er website was used to determine the association between SIRT1 expression and patient prognosis.RESULTS:All four SNP loci conformed to the HWE test(P>0.05).The TC/TC+CC genotype of the SIRT1 rs3758391 locus significantly re-duced the risk of breast cancer compared with the TT genotype(TT vs TC:ORadj=0.348,95%CI:0.157～0.773,Padj=0.010;TT vs TC+CC:ORadj=0.381,95%CI:0.179～0.811,Padj=0.012),and correlated with earlier disease course(stage I/II),smaller tumor volume,and higher SIRT1 protein expression levels(P<0.05).SIRT1 expression was signifi-cantly lower in breast cancer tissues,and low SIRT1 expression was associated with larger tumor size,lymph node metasta-sis,and reduced recurrence-free survival(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The TC/TC+CC genotype of the SIRT1 rs3758391 locus may be a protective factor for breast cancer in Han Chinese women,potentially reducing the risk of breast cancer and delaying disease progression by regulating SIRT1 expression.In addition,SIRT1 expression level is closely related to the clinical characteristics and prognosis of breast cancer.

AIM:To investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)in the silent information regulator 1(SIRT1)gene and breast cancer risk in the Han Chinese population.METHODS:A total of 105 Han Chinese patients with breast cancer and 90 healthy controls were enrolled.Sequenom MassARRAY was used to detect the genotypes of SIRT1 gene loci,rs3740051,rs3758391,rs12778366 and rs2394443.The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium(HWE)was analysed using the chi-square test.Multivariate logistic regression was employed to analyze the correlation be-tween each SNP and breast cancer susceptibility,as well as the relationship between the rs3758391 genotype and the clini-copathological characteristics of breast cancer in Han Chinese women.SHEsis software was used to assess linkage disequi-librium and haplotypes of the selected SNPs.The impact of genotypes at rs3758391 locus on SIRT1 protein expression was examined using Western blot.An additional 150 Han Chinese women with breast cancer and 150 healthy controls were en-rolled,and SIRT1 protein expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry.Logistic regression was performed to as-sess the relationship between high and low SIRT1 expression and the clinical characteristics of breast cancer.Kaplan-Mei-er website was used to determine the association between SIRT1 expression and patient prognosis.RESULTS:All four SNP loci conformed to the HWE test(P>0.05).The TC/TC+CC genotype of the SIRT1 rs3758391 locus significantly re-duced the risk of breast cancer compared with the TT genotype(TT vs TC:ORadj=0.348,95%CI:0.157～0.773,Padj=0.010;TT vs TC+CC:ORadj=0.381,95%CI:0.179～0.811,Padj=0.012),and correlated with earlier disease course(stage I/II),smaller tumor volume,and higher SIRT1 protein expression levels(P<0.05).SIRT1 expression was signifi-cantly lower in breast cancer tissues,and low SIRT1 expression was associated with larger tumor size,lymph node metasta-sis,and reduced recurrence-free survival(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The TC/TC+CC genotype of the SIRT1 rs3758391 locus may be a protective factor for breast cancer in Han Chinese women,potentially reducing the risk of breast cancer and delaying disease progression by regulating SIRT1 expression.In addition,SIRT1 expression level is closely related to the clinical characteristics and prognosis of breast cancer.

Objective:To evaluate the performance of deep learning reconstruction (DLR) in visualizing lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs) on cerebral CT angiography (CTA).Methods:This cross-sectional study retrospectively analyzed cerebral CTA from 38 patients who underwent cerebral CTA at the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University between January and December 2023. Images were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP), three-dimensional adaptive iterative dose reduction (AIDR), and DLR-advanced inteuigent clear-IQ engine(AiCE) algorithms (FBP group, AIDR group, DLR-AiCE group). On axial images, the mean CT values, standard deviation (SD), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were measured at the origin of LSAs, cerebrospinal fluid in lateral ventricles, temporal muscle, and head of the caudate nucleus. Subjective evaluations were performed for overall vascular visualization and LSAs delineation. Comparisons of subjective and objective evaluation indexes among the 3 groups were performed using the complex measurement ANOVA, Friedman test, or χ2 test. Results:The CT, SD, SNR and CNR values at the origin of LSAs, cerebrospinal fluid in lateral ventricles, temporal muscle, and head of the caudate nucleus demonstrated statistically significance among DLR-AiCE group, AIDR group and FBP group ( P<0.001), in which, except for the difference between the FBP group and the AIDR group in the CT value of the head of the caudate nucleus and the CT value of the cerebrospinal fluid of the lateral ventricle which was not statistically significant ( P>0.05), the remaining pairwise comparisons between the groups for each site measurements were statistically significant ( P<0.001). The difference in the overall comparison of the subjective scores of the overall vessels and LSAs in the images of the DLR-AiCE group, the AIDR group, and the FBP group was statistically significant ( P<0.001), and the two-by-two comparisons showed a statistically significant difference ( P<0.001) except for the difference in the subjective scores of LSAs between the FBP group and the AIDR group. Conclusion:The DLR-AiCE algorithm significantly reduces image noise and improves image quality, enabling superior visualization of LSAs, thereby enhancing diagnostic confidence.

Objective To establish a stable liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)method for detecting gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA)in plasma,and to evaluate the value of GABA detection in the diagnosis of sleep disorders.Methods GABA was detected using a UPLC Xevo TQs system.The method was pre-validated and its performance was verified to establish a reference range for healthy individuals.The difference in plasma GABA levels between apparently healthy individuals and patients with sleep disorders was compared.Results We employed deuterated compounds as isotopic internal standards and utilized an Amide chromatographic column for separation.The mobile phase was 0.050%formic acid in water and 90%acetonitrile in water containing 0.175%formic acid and 5 mmol/L ammonium acetate with gradient elution in the column temperature of 35℃.The linear range for the detection of GABA by LC-MS/MS was 0.05-10.00 μmol/L,with a lower limit of quantification of 0.02 μmol/L,the inter-day CV<3.00%and intra assay CV<4.00%,respectively,and the recovery rate was 101.06%-109.02%.The reference ranges for plasma GABA were established by analyzing 300 healthy controls stratified by age:18-34 years(0.08-0.15 μmol/L),35-49 years(0.10-0.20 μmol/L),and≥50 years(0.12-0.23 μmol/L).Then plasma GABA was used as a biomarker for auxiliary diagnosis of sleep disorders in analyzing 221 patients and 300 healthy controls,which revealed that AUC values were 0.510(P=0.850),0.686(P=0.002),and 0.890(P<0.001)in the groups of 18-34 years,35-49 years,and≥50 years,respectively,with optimal cut-off values of 0.09,0.10 and 0.11 μmol/L.Conclusion A reliable LC-MS/MS method for detecting GABA has been established,which can detect plasma GABA levels sensitively and accurately and can be used in assisting the clinical diagnosis of sleep disorders.