Objective To propose a novel method for verifying the isocenter in radiotherapy based on markers and conduct a preliminary test. Methods A feasibility experiment was conducted on wooden box phantom for radiotherapy resetting. Fifteen groups of displacement data were randomly generated,corresponding to the position deviations of the isocenter in the radiotherapy plan relative to the original isocenter. According to each set of displacement data,with the aid of movable lasers and a CT scanning couch,CT scanning was performed with two sets of markers (3 per set) affixed to the phantom which were corresponding to the original and treatment isocenters,respectively. In the Eclipse treatment planning system,the coordinate data of the original and treatment isocenters were manually verified,and the difference of coordinate data was calculated to obtain the actual displacement value. The treatment isocenter position was finally confirmed by comparing with the actual displacement. In addition,the study attempts to use threshold segmentation algorithm to automatically detect metal markers and obtain coordinate values of the original isocenter on patient-positioned CT images. In the wooden box experiment,the absolute value of the difference between the actual displacement value and the planned displacement value (?d) was used to represent the position accuracy of treatment isocenter,and the deviation value obtained with threshold segmentation algorithm for isocenter detection was ?s. Results The ?d in the X (left-right),Y (superior-inferior) and Z (anterior-superior) directions was (0.83±0.37) mm,0 (0,0.5) mm and (0.45±0.29) mm,respectively. The ?s in the X,Y and Z directions was (0.46±0.22) mm,0 (0,0.5) mm and (0.33±0.29) mm,respectively. The mean values of ?s in 3 directions were all lower than 2 mm,within the range of permissible clinical positioning error. Conclusion The method of automatically verifying treatment isocenter position based on markers is feasible,and the study provides a useful reference for radiotherapy resetting using CT simulator.

Objective To investigate the impact of minocycline(MC)on myocardial cell damage in rats with chronic heart failure(CHF)by regulating the hypoxia-inducible factor 1α(HIF-1α)/B-cell lymphoma-2/adenovirus E1B 19-kDa interacting protein(BNIP3).Methods All rats were randomly divided into Sham,CHF,positive drug(LP),low dose MC,high dose MC(HMC),and HMC+HIF-1α activator(DMOG)groups.Cardiac function was detected using echocardiography.HE staining,transmission electron microscopy,and TUNEL assay were used to evaluate myocardial pathology and apoptosis.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was applied to quantify tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α),interleukin-1β,superoxide dismutase(SOD),and malondialdehyde(MDA).Quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-2-related X protein(Bax),while Western blotting was applied to detect the expres-sion of HIF-1α,BNIP3,Beclin-1,and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3)proteins.Results Compared to rats in the sham group,rats from the CHF group exhibited increased left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD),cell apoptosis rate,TNF-α,IL-1β,MDA,Bax,HIF-1α,BNIP3,Beclin-1,and LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰwith decreased left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),left ventricular shortening fraction(LVFS),SOD,and Bcl-2 levels(P<0.05).Compared with CHF group,rats from LP group,LMC group and HMC group exhibited decreased levels of LVEDD,LVESD,apoptosis rate,TNF-α,IL-1β,MDA,Bax,HIF-1α,BNIP3,Beclin-1,LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ,and increased levels of LVEF,LVFS,SOD and Bcl-2(P<0.05).DMOG attenuated the protective effect of high-dose MC on myocardial cell damage in rats of the CHF group(P<0.05).Conclusion MC improves myocardial cell damage in rats of CHF group by inhibiting the HIF-1α/BNIP3 signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To explore the main factors influencing the blood concentration of duloxetine， and provide a scientific basis for the individualized use of duloxetine. METHODS Retrospective analysis was conducted on 434 inpatients with depressive disorders at the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University， who were treated with duloxetine and underwent blood concentration monitoring between January 2022 and April 2024. The study examined the impact of various factors， including gender， age， body mass index （BMI）， gene phenotypes， combined medication， drug type （original/generic）， and genotyping results of gene single nucleotide polymorphism loci， on blood concentration and the concentration-to-dose （C/D） after dose adjustment. RESULTS The blood concentration of duloxetine was 76.65 （45.57， 130.31） ng/mL， and C/D was 0.96 （0.63， 1.60） ng·d/（mL·mg）. The blood concentration of duloxetine was positively correlated with the daily dose of administration （R2＝0.253 7， P＜0.001）. Blood concentration of duloxetine in 38.94% of patients exceeded the recommended range specified in the guidelines. Gender， age， BMI， combined use of CYP2D6 enzyme inhibitors， and CYP2D6 and CYP1A2 phenotypes had significant effects on C/D of duloxetine （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS The patient’s age， gender， BMI， combined medication， and genetic phenotypes are closely related to the blood concentration of duloxetine.

Objective To investigate the relationship between cyclin A2 (CCNA2) and the prognosis of colon cancer, and its possible mechanism from the perspective of immune infiltration. Methods We downloaded the transcriptome data of colon cancer patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Clinicopathological feature analysis and survival analysis were performed based on the expression levels of CCNA2. A total of 75 specimens of colon cancer and normal tissues were collected, and the expression level of CCNA2 was analyzed using immunohistochemical methods. Multivariate analysis was conducted to explore its relationship with clinicopathological features. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to assess the potential molecular functions of CCNA2 in colon cancer. CIBERSORT algorithm was applied to calculate the correlation between CCNA2 and immune-cell infiltration in colon cancer. Results Database and immunohistochemical analyses indicated that CCNA2 was expressed at a significantly higher level in colon cancer tissues than normal tissues (P<0.001). The overall survival, disease-specific survival, and progression-free interval were all longer in the group with high CCNA2 expression than the group with low expression (all P<0.05). In tumor tissues, the expression level of CCNA2 decreased with increased pathological and TNM stages (P<0.05). The expression level of CCNA2 in normal tissues was consistently lower than that in colon cancer tissues across all clinical stages (all P<0.001). GSEA suggested that Wnt/β-catenin, KRAS, and other signaling pathways were enriched when CCNA2 was lowly expressed. CIBERSORT analysis revealed an increase in the infiltration of immune cells such as regulatory T cells and macrophages M0 when CCNA2 expression was low. Conclusion CCNA2 is highly expressed in colon cancer and closely associated with grade of pathology and TNM stage. It may recruit regulatory T cells through the KRAS and Wnt/β-catenin pathways, thereby reducing immune-cell infiltration and promoting colon cancer progression, leading to poor prognosis.

Objective To investigate the impact of minocycline(MC)on myocardial cell damage in rats with chronic heart failure(CHF)by regulating the hypoxia-inducible factor 1α(HIF-1α)/B-cell lymphoma-2/adenovirus E1B 19-kDa interacting protein(BNIP3).Methods All rats were randomly divided into Sham,CHF,positive drug(LP),low dose MC,high dose MC(HMC),and HMC+HIF-1α activator(DMOG)groups.Cardiac function was detected using echocardiography.HE staining,transmission electron microscopy,and TUNEL assay were used to evaluate myocardial pathology and apoptosis.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was applied to quantify tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α),interleukin-1β,superoxide dismutase(SOD),and malondialdehyde(MDA).Quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-2-related X protein(Bax),while Western blotting was applied to detect the expres-sion of HIF-1α,BNIP3,Beclin-1,and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3)proteins.Results Compared to rats in the sham group,rats from the CHF group exhibited increased left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD),cell apoptosis rate,TNF-α,IL-1β,MDA,Bax,HIF-1α,BNIP3,Beclin-1,and LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰwith decreased left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),left ventricular shortening fraction(LVFS),SOD,and Bcl-2 levels(P<0.05).Compared with CHF group,rats from LP group,LMC group and HMC group exhibited decreased levels of LVEDD,LVESD,apoptosis rate,TNF-α,IL-1β,MDA,Bax,HIF-1α,BNIP3,Beclin-1,LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ,and increased levels of LVEF,LVFS,SOD and Bcl-2(P<0.05).DMOG attenuated the protective effect of high-dose MC on myocardial cell damage in rats of the CHF group(P<0.05).Conclusion MC improves myocardial cell damage in rats of CHF group by inhibiting the HIF-1α/BNIP3 signaling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the effect of bed board of carbon fiber for treatment combined with fixed bottom board on verification results of Portal Dosimetry(PD)dose of intensity-modulated radiation therapy(IMRT)plan of fixed field for cervical cancer.Methods:A total of 15 patients with cervical cancer who admitted to Nanjing First Hospital from January 2019 to January 2020 were retrospectively selected,and the IMRT plans of fixed field for all patients were designed.The radiation field with 180° gantry angle was selected for each case to make the corresponding PD dose verification plan,and each verification plan included two subfields:AA180_0 and AA180_1.Three types of materials were placed between the accelerator head and the electronic portal imaging device(EPID),which included material without carbon fiber,bed board with carbon fiber for treatment,and the combination of the bed board with carbon fiber for treatment and the fixed bottom board with carbon fiber,when the Clinac iX accelerator was used to conduct verification plan for each case.The γ passing rates of the subfields(AA180_0 and AA180_1)and the total field(AA180)among three kinds of conditions,which included material without carbon fiber,bed board with carbon fiber for treatment,and the combination of the bed board with carbon fiber for treatment and the fixed bottom board with carbon fiber,were compared and analyzed.Results:For the subfield AA180_0,the γ passing rates under three different material conditions were respectively(96.09±1.38)%,(90.48±2.24)%and(81.85±2.46)%.For the subfield AA180_1,the γ passing rates under the above conditions were respectively(96.05±1.06)%,(91.86±2.22)%and(86.26±2.74)%.For the total field AA180,the γ passing rates were respectively(90.78±1.40)%,(84.82±2.56)%and(78.49±3.18)%.The γ passing rates of the subfield AA180_0,subfield AA180_1,and the total field AA180 showed statistically significant differences among the three different material conditions(F=177.80,80.00,91.42,P<0.01).Compared with materials without carbon fiber,the γ passing rate of the total field AA180 of the combination of the bed board with carbon fiber for treatment and the fixed bottom board with carbon fiber significantly decreased by 12.29%.Conclusion:In the PD dose verification of IMRT for cervical cancer,the bed board with carbon fiber for treatment combined with the fixed bottom board will produce adverse effect for the verification results.The effect of the single use of bed board for treatment is relatively small.The combined use of the bed board with carbon fiber for treatment and the fixed bottom board will lead to a significant deterioration in the verification result of PD dose.

Objective To propose a novel method for verifying the isocenter in radiotherapy based on markers and conduct a preliminary test. Methods A feasibility experiment was conducted on wooden box phantom for radiotherapy resetting. Fifteen groups of displacement data were randomly generated,corresponding to the position deviations of the isocenter in the radiotherapy plan relative to the original isocenter. According to each set of displacement data,with the aid of movable lasers and a CT scanning couch,CT scanning was performed with two sets of markers (3 per set) affixed to the phantom which were corresponding to the original and treatment isocenters,respectively. In the Eclipse treatment planning system,the coordinate data of the original and treatment isocenters were manually verified,and the difference of coordinate data was calculated to obtain the actual displacement value. The treatment isocenter position was finally confirmed by comparing with the actual displacement. In addition,the study attempts to use threshold segmentation algorithm to automatically detect metal markers and obtain coordinate values of the original isocenter on patient-positioned CT images. In the wooden box experiment,the absolute value of the difference between the actual displacement value and the planned displacement value (?d) was used to represent the position accuracy of treatment isocenter,and the deviation value obtained with threshold segmentation algorithm for isocenter detection was ?s. Results The ?d in the X (left-right),Y (superior-inferior) and Z (anterior-superior) directions was (0.83±0.37) mm,0 (0,0.5) mm and (0.45±0.29) mm,respectively. The ?s in the X,Y and Z directions was (0.46±0.22) mm,0 (0,0.5) mm and (0.33±0.29) mm,respectively. The mean values of ?s in 3 directions were all lower than 2 mm,within the range of permissible clinical positioning error. Conclusion The method of automatically verifying treatment isocenter position based on markers is feasible,and the study provides a useful reference for radiotherapy resetting using CT simulator.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels and intracranial or extracranial atherosclerosis in patients with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD).Methods:A total of 407 patients with CSVD admitted to Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between July 2021 and September 2023 were enrolled in the study. Carotid duplex ultrasound was used to measure the internal diameter, intima-media thickness (IMT), vascular wall thickness, plaque property score, stenosis index, and stenosis ratio of the bilateral common carotid arteries, internal carotid arteries, external carotid arteries, and vertebral arteries. Magnetic resonance angiography was used to assess the degree of stenosis in intracranial arteries. Patients were divided into 4 groups based on the serum IGF-1 levels (low level group:≤5.21 ng/ml, medium level group:>5.21 ng/ml and ≤10.73 ng/ml, high level group:>10.73 ng/ml and ≤24.26 ng/ml, extremely high level group:>24.26 ng/ml). The IMT of the common carotid artery, carotid plaques, diameters of various cervical vascular lumens, carotid artery diameter stenosis, and intracranial artery stenosis in 4 groups of the patients were compared. The relationship between IGF-1 and intracranial and extracranial atherosclerosis was analyzed by univariate Logistic regression analysis and multivariate Logistic regression analysis.Results:There were inter group differences among the 4 groups in internal carotid artery diameter [low level group 5.45 (0.50) mm vs medium level group 5.32 (0.55) mm vs high level group 5.30 (0.55) mm vs extremely high level group 5.30 (0.50) mm; H=8.210, P=0.042]. The carotid IMT [low level group 0.80 (0.05) mm vs medium level group 0.80 (0.05) mm vs high level group 0.83 (0.03) mm vs extremely high level group 0.83 (0.09) mm; H=8.107, P=0.044], the proportion of carotid artery vascular wall thickening [low level group 52.9%(54/102) vs medium level group 48.0%(49/102) vs high level group 68.3%(69/101) vs extremely high level group 60.8%(62/102); χ2=9.889, P=0.020], the carotid artery plaque property score [low level group 1 (2) vs medium level group 2 (2) vs high level group 2 (2) vs extremely high level group 2 (2); H=8.913, P=0.030] and the proportion of anterior cerebral artery stenosis [low level group 2.9%(3/102) vs medium level group 2.0%(2/102) vs high level group 4.0%(4/101) vs extremely high level group 10.8%(11/102); χ2=10.473, P=0.014] had inter group differences among the 4 groups, and the differences were statistically significant. Univariate Logistic regression analysis indicated that carotid artery vascular wall thickening ( OR=1.197, 95% CI 1.003-1.429, P=0.046), anterior cerebral artery stenosis ( OR=1.814, 95% CI 1.148-2.867, P=0.011), and basilar artery stenosis ( OR=1.530, 95% CI 1.084-2.159, P=0.015) were correlated with IGF-1 levels. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that after adjusting for age, gender, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and C-reactive protein, IGF-1 was positively correlated with the carotid artery vascular wall thickening ( OR=1.311, 95% CI 1.014-1.696, P=0.039); after adjusting for age, IGF-1 was positively correlated with the anterior cerebral artery stenosis ( OR=2.130, 95% CI 1.201-3.776, P=0.010); after adjusting for gender, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and cholesterol levels, IGF-1 was positively correlated with basilar artery stenosis ( OR=1.688, 95% CI 1.063-2.681, P=0.027). Conclusions:There is an association between IGF-1 levels and intracranial and extracranial atherosclerosis in patients with CSVD. IGF-1 may play a role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis in CSVD.

Objective:To investigate the effect of bed board of carbon fiber for treatment combined with fixed bottom board on verification results of Portal Dosimetry(PD)dose of intensity-modulated radiation therapy(IMRT)plan of fixed field for cervical cancer.Methods:A total of 15 patients with cervical cancer who admitted to Nanjing First Hospital from January 2019 to January 2020 were retrospectively selected,and the IMRT plans of fixed field for all patients were designed.The radiation field with 180° gantry angle was selected for each case to make the corresponding PD dose verification plan,and each verification plan included two subfields:AA180_0 and AA180_1.Three types of materials were placed between the accelerator head and the electronic portal imaging device(EPID),which included material without carbon fiber,bed board with carbon fiber for treatment,and the combination of the bed board with carbon fiber for treatment and the fixed bottom board with carbon fiber,when the Clinac iX accelerator was used to conduct verification plan for each case.The γ passing rates of the subfields(AA180_0 and AA180_1)and the total field(AA180)among three kinds of conditions,which included material without carbon fiber,bed board with carbon fiber for treatment,and the combination of the bed board with carbon fiber for treatment and the fixed bottom board with carbon fiber,were compared and analyzed.Results:For the subfield AA180_0,the γ passing rates under three different material conditions were respectively(96.09±1.38)%,(90.48±2.24)%and(81.85±2.46)%.For the subfield AA180_1,the γ passing rates under the above conditions were respectively(96.05±1.06)%,(91.86±2.22)%and(86.26±2.74)%.For the total field AA180,the γ passing rates were respectively(90.78±1.40)%,(84.82±2.56)%and(78.49±3.18)%.The γ passing rates of the subfield AA180_0,subfield AA180_1,and the total field AA180 showed statistically significant differences among the three different material conditions(F=177.80,80.00,91.42,P<0.01).Compared with materials without carbon fiber,the γ passing rate of the total field AA180 of the combination of the bed board with carbon fiber for treatment and the fixed bottom board with carbon fiber significantly decreased by 12.29%.Conclusion:In the PD dose verification of IMRT for cervical cancer,the bed board with carbon fiber for treatment combined with the fixed bottom board will produce adverse effect for the verification results.The effect of the single use of bed board for treatment is relatively small.The combined use of the bed board with carbon fiber for treatment and the fixed bottom board will lead to a significant deterioration in the verification result of PD dose.

Objective:To analyze the association between continuity of consultation and the management of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in diabetes patients contracted by family doctors.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. From May 2022 to October 2022, three community health service centers in the urban area of Beijing were selected by convenient sampling. A total of 360 diabetes patients were selected by simple random sampling from the selected centers. Extraction of data from electronic health records were conducted to collect patient characteristics, information on the continuity evaluation indicators for patient visits (usual provider of care, UPC) in 2021 and information of monitoring and control indicators for HbA1c in 2021. The monitoring and control of HbA1c in patients with different continuity of consultations were compared. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to determine the association between continuity of consultation and HbA1c management (i.e., HbA1c monitoring and control).Results:Of the 360 patients, 167 (46.4%) were male; the age was 68.0 (60.0, 74.0) years and the number of years since diagnosis was 11.0 (7.0, 17.0) years. One hundred and fifty-nine patients (44.1%) had UPC scores below 30%, 101 patients (28.1%) had UPC scores between 30% and 50%, and 100 patients (27.8%) had UPC scores above 50%. The compliance rate for HbA1c monitoring was 66.4% (239/360), and the compliance rate for HbA1c control was 45.8% (165/360). When the UPC score was less than 30%, between 30%-50%, and greater than 50%, the HbA1c monitoring compliance rates were 53.5% (85/159), 73.3% (74/101), and 80.0% (80/100), respectively, and the HbA1c control compliance rates were 37.7% (60/159), 51.5% (52/101), and 53.0% (53/100), respectively, and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=22.36, 7.57, P<0.05). As the UPC score increased, the likelihood of achieving HbA1c monitoring ( OR=1.020, 95% CI:1.009-1.030 , P<0.001) and control ( OR=1.012, 95% CI:1.003-1.021 ,P=0.008) targets increased. Conclusion:There is an association between the continuity of consultation and the management of HbA1c.