Objective To evaluate the application of three deep learning algorithms in automatic segmentation of clinical target volumes (CTVs) in high-dose-rate brachytherapy after surgery for endometrial carcinoma. Methods A dataset comprising computed tomography scans from 306 post-surgery patients with endometrial carcinoma was divided into three subsets: 246 cases for training, 30 cases for validation, and 30 cases for testing. Three deep convolutional neural network models, 3D U-Net, 3D Res U-Net, and V-Net, were compared for CTV segmentation. Several commonly used quantitative metrics were employed, i.e., Dice similarity coefficient, Hausdorff distance, 95th percentile of Hausdorff distance, and Intersection over Union. Results During the testing phase, CTV segmentation with 3D U-Net, 3D Res U-Net, and V-Net showed a mean Dice similarity coefficient of 0.90 ± 0.07, 0.95 ± 0.06, and 0.95 ± 0.06, a mean Hausdorff distance of 2.51 ± 1.70, 0.96 ± 1.01, and 0.98 ± 0.95 mm, a mean 95th percentile of Hausdorff distance of 1.33 ± 1.02, 0.65 ± 0.91, and 0.40 ± 0.72 mm, and a mean Intersection over Union of 0.85 ± 0.11, 0.91 ± 0.09, and 0.92 ± 0.09, respectively. Segmentation based on V-Net was similarly to that performed by experienced radiation oncologists. The CTV segmentation time was < 3.2 s, which could save the work time of clinicians. Conclusion V-Net is better than other models in CTV segmentation as indicated by quantitative metrics and clinician assessment. Additionally, the method is highly consistent with the ground truth, reducing inter-doctor variability and treatment time.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between the course of antibiotics during perioperative period and postoperative infection in pregnant women with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome(HIV/AIDS) undergoing cesarean section, and to guide the rational use of antibiotics in clinical practice. METHODS A total of 53 cesarean section women in the hospital from January 2014 to September 2022 were chosen as research objects. According to the course of antibiotics, the puerperae were divided into two groups. The treatment course of antibiotics in the study group(n=31) was >24 h and ≤48 h, and the control group(n=22) was ≤24 h. The postoperative wound healing, inflammatory indexes, postoperative infection rate, and postoperative hospital stay were observed. RESULTS There was no significant difference in postoperative body temperature, white blood cell count, neutrophil ratio, C-reactive protein, postoperative hospital stay, wound healing grade and postoperative infection rate between the study group and the control group. CONCLUSION Antibiotics for HIV/AIDS patients during perioperative period of cesarean section for <24 h may play a better role in preventing postoperative infection.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of ectopic bronchogenic cysts in children.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data including the clinical characteristics, auxiliary examination and treatment of 21 children with ectopic bronchogenic cysts diagnosed pathologically at Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from July 2015 to December 2023. There were 16 males and 5 females, with a male-female ratio of 3.2∶1, and the age ranged from 4 days to 8 years old (median age 2 years and 8 months).Results:Among the 21 cases of ectopic bronchogenic cysts, 11 cases were found in the pharynx, with symptoms including dyspnea (4 cases), snoring during sleep (3 cases), and choking on milk(4 cases).Ten cases were found in the head, neck or anterior chest, 5 of these cases had infection history, and 5 showed progressive mass growth.Imaging and endoscopy showed 9 patients underwent preoperative color ultrasonography revealed cystic masses with well-defined boundaries. CT examination was performed on 13 patients, which showed round or nearly round masses with homogeneous density, smooth margins, and regular cyst walls. CT attenuation values ranged from 2 to 52 Hounsfield Units (HU). Four cystic lesions were assessed via MRI, 3 cases demonstrated long T1 and long T2 signals, while 1 case had a slight short T1 and long T2 signal, with high signal intensity on fat-suppressed images. Eleven cases of pharyngopharyngeal cysts were examined by electronic nasopharyngoscopy. The cysts appeared as spherical or ovoid masses with smooth surfaces, close to or slightly light in color with the surrounding tissue, with one cyst presenting with a bluish blue in the oropharynx. All 11 pharyngeal cysts were excised using low-temperature plasma under general anesthesia and intubation assisted by a nasal endoscope. The cysts were pulled and excised as completely as possible.Ten cases of neck and anterior chest cysts were completely excised. Postoperative histopathology confirmed bronchogenic cyst. Twenty-one children were followed up postoperatively for 4 months to 7 years without recurrence, except for 1 patient who was lost to follow-up.Conclusions:Ectopic bronchogenic cysts are uncommon and lack of typical imaging and clinical features.Combination of ultrasonography, CT and MRI is recommended for cases occuered in neck and anterior chest, while electronic nasopharyngoscopy complements pharyngeal evaluations. Surgical intervention is the preferred treatment choice for this disease.

BACKGROUND: Bronchial tuberculosis is a common complication of pulmonary tuberculosis. The present report is to investigate and analyze the indication and efficacy of surgical treatment of bronchial stricture due to severe endobronchial tuberculosis, when the drug and endoscopic treatment were no effect. METHODS: Reviewed the clinical-pathological records documenting the surgical outcomes in 36 bronchial stricture due to severe endobronchial tuberculosis who underwent lobectomy or pneumonectomy enrolled in our hospital between January 2000 and February 2016. Pneumonectomy in 8 cases, lobectomy in 23 cases, sleeve resection in 5 cases. RESULTS: No intraoperative or early postoperative death occurred. Six patients developed complications. All 6 cases recovered well after treatment. CONCLUSIONS Surgical treatment is still the recommended treatment modatity for bronchial stricture caused by endobronchial tuberculosis due to its good results. It should be performed in time when the drug and intraluninal treatment were no effect for avoiding of being progeressed.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Bronchi ; surgery ; Bronchoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonectomy ; Retrospective Studies ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; surgery ; Young Adult

Objective To compare the dosimetric data between preoperative plans and postoperative verification in computed tomography (CT)-guided and 3D-printing non-coplanar templateassisted 125I seed implantation for pelvic tumor,and to explore the feasibility and accuracy of the personalized template designmethod.Methods A total of 51 patients registered from Dec 2015 to Dec 2016 who were applied with 3D-printing guided template assisted radioactive seed implantations in the hospital were included in this study.A prescribed dose of 110-160 Gy was adopted.3D-printing templates were designed and produced for 51 cases.The dosimetric parameters:Dg0,minimum peripheral dose (mPD),V100,V150,V200,conformal index (CI),external index (EI),and homogeneity index (HI) were compared between pre-and post-plans.Results 51 cases' templates were in place well during the operations.Compared with the preoperative planning,the postoperative D90,V100,V150,V200,CI,EI and HI differences had no statistical difference (P ＞ 0.05);mPD is larger than before (t =-2.96,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The main dosimetric parameters of postoperative verification were consistent well with the preoperative planning and have good accuracy,which could meet the clinical requirements.

Objective: To evaluate analytical performance and clinical application value of a one-step HBV DNA quantitative detecting system. Methods: Analytical performance of the one-step HBV DNA quantitative detecting reagents included precision, residual contamination, accuracy, functional sensitivity and analytical measurement range were verified by collecting high concentration samples and external quality control samples from Jiangsu provincial clinical test center. Results: The within-run coefficient of variation (CV) of both low and high concentration samples were below 5%, meanwhile the intra-assay CV was below 3/5 TEa and inter-assay CV was below 4/5 TEa. There was no residual contamination and the analytic accuracy met the requirement of external quality assessment (EQA). Functional sensitivity was able to attain 100 IU/ml, while the day to day CV was below 20%. It exhibited a benign linear relation from 7.58×10¹ to 7.58×10⁸ IU/ml. Conclusions The analytic performance of a new testing system must be evaluated particularly before detecting samples of patients by quantitative tests. This study proves that the one-step HBV DNA quantitative detecting reagents can meet requirement of hepatitis B screening and clinical therapy monitoring, which is economic and simple for clinical routine tests.

OBJECTIVE:To prepare Activated carbon N-acetylcysteine microcapsule (ACNAC),and to optimize preparation technology. METHODS:ACNAC was prepared by emulsion cross-linked method using biodegradable material gelatin as capsule wall material. Using comprehensive evaluation index of drug-loading amount,entrapment rate and particle size distribution percent-age(the percentage of 80-140 μm particle)as index,drug-loading ratio,amount of gelatin,mixing speed and the amount of emul-sifier as factors,single factor test and orthogonal test were used to optimize formulation technology. The technology was validated and distribution of particle size of ACNAC was determined. RESULTS:The optimal formulation technology was as follows as drug-loading ratio 1∶1,gelatin 15%,emulsifier 2.0%,mixing speed 1 000 r/min. Average drug-loading amount of 6 batches of ACNAC was 15.9%(RSD=1.21%),average encapsulation efficiency was 78.1%(RSD=1.11%)and average particle size distri-bution percentage was 81.9%. CONCLUSIONS:ACNAC is prepared successfully,and formulation technology is reasonable and feasible.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of apigenin on the protein expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in liver tissues of rats with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

METHODSThe NASH rat model was established by feeding of a high-fat diet. Unmodeled rats served as the normal controls. The modeled rats were divided into a model control group, Essentiale treatment grouP(300 mg/kg/day),and three apigenin treatment groups for low-dose (15 mg/kg/day), moderate-dose (30 mg/kg/day) and high-dose (60 mg/kg/day). After 13 weeks of treatment,changes in insulin sensitivity from pre-treatment baseline were assessed by measuring the alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST),total cholesterol (TC),triglycerides (TG),low-density and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C and HDL-C),fasting blood glucose (FBG) and fasting insulin (FINS).The liver index and HOMA-IR were also calculated.Protein and gene expression of PPARα and PPARgamma in liver tissue were assessed by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR.Statistical analysis was performed by the LSD test and Games-Howell test.

RESULTSThe apigenin-treated groups showed a significantly greater change in insulin sensitivity than the untreated model group,with the most significant change occurring in the high-dose grouP(P less than 0.05).Compared with the untreated model group,the apigenin-treated groups showed lower levels of ALT (95.4+/-7.3),AST (183.7+/-14.3),TC (1.61+/-0.25),TG (1.23+/-0.21),LDL-C (1.86+/-0.14),FBG (5.29+/-1.45) and FINS (0.76+/-0.86),but a higher level of HDL-C (1.04+/-0.17); again,the high-dose group showed the greatest change (all P less than 0.05).Compared to the untreated model group,the apigenin-treated groups showed significantly lower liver index (3.75+/-0.25 vs.2.90+/-0.17) and HOMA-IR (1.34+/-0.06 vs.0.18+/-0.04),with the high-dose group showing the greatest change (both P less than 0.05). Compared to the untreated model group,the apigenin-treated groups showed higher levels of protein and mRNA of PPARα (18.27+/-4.05 and 0.63+/-0.02,respectively) and PPARgamma(8.48+/-5.05 and 0.39+/-0.02),with the high-dose group showing the greatest change (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONApigenin can improve glucose tolerance,lipid metabolism and insulin resistance while decreasing blood levels of TC,TG,LDL-C,FBG,FINS and HOMA-IR,and increasing HDL-C in NASH,as shown in a high-fat diet induced rat model, and may have therapeutic potential.

Alanine Transaminase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Apigenin ; pharmacology ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; metabolism ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Cholesterol ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Insulin ; metabolism ; Insulin Resistance ; Lipid Metabolism ; Liver ; enzymology ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; metabolism ; PPAR alpha ; metabolism ; PPAR gamma ; metabolism ; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Triglycerides ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the effect and safety of comprehensive therapy based on femoral head arthroplasty in treating old femoral neck fracture in the elderly complicated with other severe basic medical conditions.Methods Thirty-six elderly patients with old femoral neck fracture were treated with femoral head arthroplasty.Mean age of the patients was 78.2 years, and mean duration since injury was 13.7 months.All the patients had at least one severe basic medical problem.Perioperative complications were retrospectively analyzed, and function of hip joint was evaluated 6 months after operation.Results One patient died because of severe pulmonary infection, while 16 electrolyte imbalance, 7 hypotension, 4 arrhythmia, 2 acute heart failure and 1 acute kidney injury were cured in the rest 35 patients.Harris hip score of the 35 patients increased from (22.0 ± 6.8) points pre-operatively to (69.2 ± 10.8) points 6 months post-operatively (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions Comprehensive therapy based on femoral head arthroplasty is effective for old femoral neck fracture in the elderly suffering severe underlying diseases.Early treatment, perfect pre-operative preparation, correct manipulation and appropriate perioperative management play important roles.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of bronchial tumors in 3 children to improve the diagnosis of pediatric bronchial tumor.Methods Three cases of children bronchial malignant tumors diagnosed by rigid bronchoscopy were analyzed retrospectively.Results The 3 children were males,aged from 6 to 10 years old, and presented with cough, sputum, and fever symptoms for 1 day to 3 months.Chest CT scan and airway remodeling examinations indicated the children ~ main bronchi were blocked and then the diagnoses of bronchial foreign bodies were made.However bronchial tumors were found in the 3 children by rigid bronchoscopy and were determined as mucoepidermoid carcinoma, large cell lung carcinoma with rhabdoid phenotype, and inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, respectively.Conclusions Children with bronchial tumor often present with cough, wheezing and other respiratory symptoms that are not specific to bronchial tumor.When a child complaint of repeated cough and wheezing symptoms with unknown cause,not only bronchial foreign body and also bronchial tumor should be considered.