Objective:To investigate the effect of organ dose modulation(ODM)technique on radiation dose and image quality in computed tomography angiography(CTA)for arteries of both lower extremities.Methods:A total of sixty patients with suspected lower extremity arterial occlusion who underwent CTA examination on both lower extremities at Beijing Friendship Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from March 2024 to June 2024 were selected.They were randomly divided into an ODM group and a non-ODM group,with 30 patients in each group.All patients underwent CTA examination with the same scanning parameters.The tube currents in the pelvic region,which included 4 directions(anterior,left,posterior and right),of two groups of patients were recorded,and the CT values,SD values,volumetric CT dose index(CTDIvol)and dose-length product(DLP)of femoral artery and external iliac artery of the regions of interest(ROI)in the pelvic region were respectively measured,and the image quality of them was analyzed by subjective scores.Results:The tube current in front of the pelvic cavity was(109.17±35.62)mA in ODM group,which decreased by 42%than(185.58±55.38)mA in non-ODM group,and the difference was statistically significant(t=-4.781,P<0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in CTDIvol values,DLP values,and CT values and signal noise ratio(SNR)of femoral artery and external iliac artery of the regions of interest(ROI)in the pelvic region between two groups(P>0.05).The subjective scores for image quality of two groups were≥4 points,and there was not statistically significant difference in that between two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion:The application of ODM technique in CTA examination for both lower extremities can realize protective function for surface gonadal organs when ensures image quality,which can meet the needs of clinical diagnosis.It has clinical application value.

To screen new antigens for novel tuberculosis(TB)vaccine research,we used bioinformatics to predict the B and T cell epitopes of Rv2318,and evaluated the immunogenicity of Rv2318 and its T/B epitope peptides(Rv2318p).The recombinant plas-mids pET32a-Rv2318 and pET32a-Rv2318p were constructed through gene synthesis methods.The recombinant proteins were ex-pressed in a prokaryotic system and purified with nickel affinity chromatography.Proteins were identified with SDS-PAGE and western blotting.BALB/c mice were immunized subcutaneously with the recombinant proteins to evaluate immunogenicity.Sera were collected,and antigen specific antibody titers were evaluated with ELISA.Splenocytes were isolated,and cytokines and T cell proliferation were analyzed with ELISA and flow cytometry,respectively.Rv2318 included two epitope fragments,aa10-130 and 350-410.SDS-PAGE and western blotting indicated that the target proteins were expressed and purified correctly,and their relative molecular weights were-approximately 68 kD and 42 kD,respectively.Rv2318 and Rv2318p induced stronger humoral immune responses than observed in the control groups(P<0.000 1,n=6).Compared with Rv2318,Rv2318p showed significantly greater enhancement of specific IgG and IgG subclass antibodies(P<0.000 1,n=6).In addition,Rv2318p increased the ratio of IgG2a/IgG1,thus indicating that it primarily induced a cellular immune response biased toward the Th1 type.Cytokine experiments revealed that IFN-γ,IL-2,IL-6,and IL-4 significantly increased after immunization with Rv2318p(P all<0.01,n=6),particularly Th1 type cytokines(IFN-γ and IL-2).Furthermore,Rv2318 increased the expression of only IL-2 and IL-6,particularly IL-6(P all<0.01,n=6).Although Rv2318 in-duced more IFN-γ,we observed no significant difference between Rv2318 and PBS immunized mice.Importantly,Rv2318p stimu-lated mice to express IFN-γ at 842 pg/mL,approximately 3 times the level elicited by Rv2318.Whereas both proteins increased the proportions of CD4+and CD8+T cells,Rv2318p promoted greater proliferation of T lymphocytes.These data indicated that both Rv2318 and its epitope peptides enhanced humoral and cellular immune responses,whereas the epitope peptides notably triggered a stronger Th1 type cellular response.In conclusion,the recombinant protein Rv2318 and its epitope peptides showed favorable immunogenicity,and the immunogenicity of Rv2318p was superior to that of Rv2318.This study provides a theoretical basis for TB vaccine development.

This study was aimed at analyzing the epidemiological and drug resistance characteristics of tuberculosis at a desig-nated tuberculosis hospital in Hunan Province in 2024.Patients diagnosed with TB at the hospital between April and October 2024 were included in the study.Demographic data,clinical information,and drug sensitivity test results were collected from the hospital′s electronic medical record system.Descriptive statistics,the chi-square test,and logistic regression were used to analyze the epidemic characteristics,drug resistance characteristics,and factors influencing tuberculosis.Whole genome sequencing of isolates was per-formed,and lineage classification and drug resistance gene mutations were detected with TB-Profiler.The male-to-female ratio was 2.72∶1,and the median age was 56(IQR:43-66)years.Among the 391 patients,most were farmers(46.8%,183/391)and were pri-marily from Changsha(41.1%,162/391).Significant differences were observed in sex and occupation between pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB)and extrapulmonary tuberculosis(EPTB).The overall prevalence of any type of drug resistance of tuberculosis was 33.25%,and the multidrug resistance TB(MDR-TB)and poly-drug resistance(PR-TB)rates were 14.23%and 4.35%,respectively.The re-sistance rates to rifampicin(RIF),isoniazid(INH),ethambutol(EMB),and streptomycin(SM)were 17.90%,22.25%,6.39%,and 20.20%,respectively.Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that both diabetes(OR:2.295,95%CI:1.082-4.866)and retreatment(OR:17.822,95%CI:8.343-38.072)were risk factors for developing MDR-TB.Lineage 2(L2)strains accounted for 64.40%(136/191),whereas lineage 4(L4)accounted for 28.80%(55/191).The most common drug resistance mutations were katG Ser315Thr(62.50%,20/32)for INH,rpoB Ser450Leu(50.00%,12/24)for RIF,embB Met306Val(55.56%,5/9)for EMB,and rpsL Lys43Arg(80.95%,34/42)for SM.In conclusion,TB drug resistance was found to be a serious problem at a designated tu-berculosis hospital in Hunan in 2024.Strengthening the treatment and management of patients infected with L2 strains,those with co-morbid diabetes,and retreatment cases is crucial for preventing and controlling the emergence of drug-resistant TB.

To screen new antigens for novel tuberculosis(TB)vaccine research,we used bioinformatics to predict the B and T cell epitopes of Rv2318,and evaluated the immunogenicity of Rv2318 and its T/B epitope peptides(Rv2318p).The recombinant plas-mids pET32a-Rv2318 and pET32a-Rv2318p were constructed through gene synthesis methods.The recombinant proteins were ex-pressed in a prokaryotic system and purified with nickel affinity chromatography.Proteins were identified with SDS-PAGE and western blotting.BALB/c mice were immunized subcutaneously with the recombinant proteins to evaluate immunogenicity.Sera were collected,and antigen specific antibody titers were evaluated with ELISA.Splenocytes were isolated,and cytokines and T cell proliferation were analyzed with ELISA and flow cytometry,respectively.Rv2318 included two epitope fragments,aa10-130 and 350-410.SDS-PAGE and western blotting indicated that the target proteins were expressed and purified correctly,and their relative molecular weights were-approximately 68 kD and 42 kD,respectively.Rv2318 and Rv2318p induced stronger humoral immune responses than observed in the control groups(P<0.000 1,n=6).Compared with Rv2318,Rv2318p showed significantly greater enhancement of specific IgG and IgG subclass antibodies(P<0.000 1,n=6).In addition,Rv2318p increased the ratio of IgG2a/IgG1,thus indicating that it primarily induced a cellular immune response biased toward the Th1 type.Cytokine experiments revealed that IFN-γ,IL-2,IL-6,and IL-4 significantly increased after immunization with Rv2318p(P all<0.01,n=6),particularly Th1 type cytokines(IFN-γ and IL-2).Furthermore,Rv2318 increased the expression of only IL-2 and IL-6,particularly IL-6(P all<0.01,n=6).Although Rv2318 in-duced more IFN-γ,we observed no significant difference between Rv2318 and PBS immunized mice.Importantly,Rv2318p stimu-lated mice to express IFN-γ at 842 pg/mL,approximately 3 times the level elicited by Rv2318.Whereas both proteins increased the proportions of CD4+and CD8+T cells,Rv2318p promoted greater proliferation of T lymphocytes.These data indicated that both Rv2318 and its epitope peptides enhanced humoral and cellular immune responses,whereas the epitope peptides notably triggered a stronger Th1 type cellular response.In conclusion,the recombinant protein Rv2318 and its epitope peptides showed favorable immunogenicity,and the immunogenicity of Rv2318p was superior to that of Rv2318.This study provides a theoretical basis for TB vaccine development.

This study was aimed at analyzing the epidemiological and drug resistance characteristics of tuberculosis at a desig-nated tuberculosis hospital in Hunan Province in 2024.Patients diagnosed with TB at the hospital between April and October 2024 were included in the study.Demographic data,clinical information,and drug sensitivity test results were collected from the hospital′s electronic medical record system.Descriptive statistics,the chi-square test,and logistic regression were used to analyze the epidemic characteristics,drug resistance characteristics,and factors influencing tuberculosis.Whole genome sequencing of isolates was per-formed,and lineage classification and drug resistance gene mutations were detected with TB-Profiler.The male-to-female ratio was 2.72∶1,and the median age was 56(IQR:43-66)years.Among the 391 patients,most were farmers(46.8%,183/391)and were pri-marily from Changsha(41.1%,162/391).Significant differences were observed in sex and occupation between pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB)and extrapulmonary tuberculosis(EPTB).The overall prevalence of any type of drug resistance of tuberculosis was 33.25%,and the multidrug resistance TB(MDR-TB)and poly-drug resistance(PR-TB)rates were 14.23%and 4.35%,respectively.The re-sistance rates to rifampicin(RIF),isoniazid(INH),ethambutol(EMB),and streptomycin(SM)were 17.90%,22.25%,6.39%,and 20.20%,respectively.Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that both diabetes(OR:2.295,95%CI:1.082-4.866)and retreatment(OR:17.822,95%CI:8.343-38.072)were risk factors for developing MDR-TB.Lineage 2(L2)strains accounted for 64.40%(136/191),whereas lineage 4(L4)accounted for 28.80%(55/191).The most common drug resistance mutations were katG Ser315Thr(62.50%,20/32)for INH,rpoB Ser450Leu(50.00%,12/24)for RIF,embB Met306Val(55.56%,5/9)for EMB,and rpsL Lys43Arg(80.95%,34/42)for SM.In conclusion,TB drug resistance was found to be a serious problem at a designated tu-berculosis hospital in Hunan in 2024.Strengthening the treatment and management of patients infected with L2 strains,those with co-morbid diabetes,and retreatment cases is crucial for preventing and controlling the emergence of drug-resistant TB.

Objective:To investigate the effect of organ dose modulation(ODM)technique on radiation dose and image quality in computed tomography angiography(CTA)for arteries of both lower extremities.Methods:A total of sixty patients with suspected lower extremity arterial occlusion who underwent CTA examination on both lower extremities at Beijing Friendship Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from March 2024 to June 2024 were selected.They were randomly divided into an ODM group and a non-ODM group,with 30 patients in each group.All patients underwent CTA examination with the same scanning parameters.The tube currents in the pelvic region,which included 4 directions(anterior,left,posterior and right),of two groups of patients were recorded,and the CT values,SD values,volumetric CT dose index(CTDIvol)and dose-length product(DLP)of femoral artery and external iliac artery of the regions of interest(ROI)in the pelvic region were respectively measured,and the image quality of them was analyzed by subjective scores.Results:The tube current in front of the pelvic cavity was(109.17±35.62)mA in ODM group,which decreased by 42%than(185.58±55.38)mA in non-ODM group,and the difference was statistically significant(t=-4.781,P<0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in CTDIvol values,DLP values,and CT values and signal noise ratio(SNR)of femoral artery and external iliac artery of the regions of interest(ROI)in the pelvic region between two groups(P>0.05).The subjective scores for image quality of two groups were≥4 points,and there was not statistically significant difference in that between two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion:The application of ODM technique in CTA examination for both lower extremities can realize protective function for surface gonadal organs when ensures image quality,which can meet the needs of clinical diagnosis.It has clinical application value.

A 11-year old female patient with severe thalassemia, receipt a lentivirus-based cell and gene therapy (CGT) therapy in Shenzhen Children′s Hosptial on July 27th, 2021. At the two follow-up visits after discharge, patient were continuously tested positive for HIV screening through HIV Ag/Ab Combo assay (chemiluminescence Immunoassay), and the viral load results of HIV-1 nucleic acid testing (NAT) were both>5 000 copies/ml. The patient can be diagnosed with HIV infection according to the National Guideline for Detection of HIV/AIDS(2020 Revised Edition). The thorough investigation findings and supplementary experiment results indicated that the false-positive HIV-1 NAT results was caused by cross-reactivity between the target sites detected by conventional HIV-1 NAT reagents and the lentiviral vectors fragments integrated into the genome of patient′s hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. In conclusion, it is important for laboratories to select appropriate HIV-1 NAT testing platforms which won′t cause cross-reactivity for the testing of samples from patients who have been treated with HIV-derived vectors. It is also recommended to design and develop NAT testing platforms with multiple target regions labeled by different fluorescents for HIV NAT supplementation experiment to reduce the risk of false-positive diagnoses of HIV infection.

Objective To explore the clinical value of endoscopic intervention in preventing rebleeding of Forrest Ⅱb grade ulcers.Method A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 114 patients from January 2015 to April 2023 due to gastrointestinal bleeding,who were confirmed by gastroscopy as Forrest Ⅱb grade ulcers.86 (75.4％,86/114) patients received endoscopic treatment as endoscopic treatment group,while 28 patients only received medication treatment as medication treatment group.Compare the effectiveness of endoscopic treatment and different endoscopic hemostatic methods for preventing rebleeding.Results There were no statistically significant differences in age,gender,clinical symptom,systolic pressure,hemoglobin concentration,and ulcer site between endoscopic and medication treatment patients (P>0.05).In terms of ulcer size,the length of ulcer in the endoscopic treatment group was smaller than that in the medication treatment group[(9.5±5.3) mm vs (12.8±7.7) mm],the difference was statistically significant (P=0.013).The rebleeding rate of medication treatment group was 21.4％ (6/28);Among the endoscopic treatment group,85 patients (98.8％,85/86) successfully underwent endoscopic treatment,with a rebleeding rate of 11.8％ (10/85),which was lower than that of medication treatment group,but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.337).Among the patients who successfully underwent endoscopic treatment,62 cases were treated with injection of diluted adrenaline alone,6 cases with titanium clips,and 17 cases were treated with electrocoagulation or electrocoagulation combined with other hemostatic methods.The rebleeding rate were 12.9％ (8/62),16.7％ (1/6),and 5.9％ (1/17),respectively,which were lower than that of medication treatment patients,but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.474).Due to the need for endoscopic treatment,15 patients were treated with a snare or thermal hemostatic forceps to remove the surface blood clot of the ulcer.Among them,3 cases had jet bleeding at the base (2 cases were successfully stopped by electrocoagulation;1 case had a large amount of bleeding,but endoscopic hemostasis failed,and intervention embolization successfully stopped the bleeding).Among of 16 patients with rebleeding,3 patients were treated with conservative management,and all of them were successfully stopped bleeding;6 cases underwent endoscopic treatment again,of which 4 cases were successfully hemostasis by endoscopy,and 2 cases were successfully hemostasis by surgery after endoscopic hemostasis failure;interventional embolization in 1 case,and successfully hemostasis;6 patients underwent direct surgical procedures,all of which successfully stopped bleeding,but one patient developed multiple organ failure during hospitalization and died without bleeding.Conclusion Endoscopic intervention can to some extent reduce the incidence of rebleeding in Forrest Ⅱb grade ulcers.The effect of electrocoagulation hemostasis on preventing rebleeding is better than that of injection dilution adrenaline method.However,there is a risk of iatrogenic rebleeding when removing blood clots on the surface of ulcers,and careful selection should be made when conditions permit.

Objective To explore the clinical value of endoscopic intervention in preventing rebleeding of Forrest Ⅱb grade ulcers.Method A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 114 patients from January 2015 to April 2023 due to gastrointestinal bleeding,who were confirmed by gastroscopy as Forrest Ⅱb grade ulcers.86 (75.4％,86/114) patients received endoscopic treatment as endoscopic treatment group,while 28 patients only received medication treatment as medication treatment group.Compare the effectiveness of endoscopic treatment and different endoscopic hemostatic methods for preventing rebleeding.Results There were no statistically significant differences in age,gender,clinical symptom,systolic pressure,hemoglobin concentration,and ulcer site between endoscopic and medication treatment patients (P>0.05).In terms of ulcer size,the length of ulcer in the endoscopic treatment group was smaller than that in the medication treatment group[(9.5±5.3) mm vs (12.8±7.7) mm],the difference was statistically significant (P=0.013).The rebleeding rate of medication treatment group was 21.4％ (6/28);Among the endoscopic treatment group,85 patients (98.8％,85/86) successfully underwent endoscopic treatment,with a rebleeding rate of 11.8％ (10/85),which was lower than that of medication treatment group,but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.337).Among the patients who successfully underwent endoscopic treatment,62 cases were treated with injection of diluted adrenaline alone,6 cases with titanium clips,and 17 cases were treated with electrocoagulation or electrocoagulation combined with other hemostatic methods.The rebleeding rate were 12.9％ (8/62),16.7％ (1/6),and 5.9％ (1/17),respectively,which were lower than that of medication treatment patients,but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.474).Due to the need for endoscopic treatment,15 patients were treated with a snare or thermal hemostatic forceps to remove the surface blood clot of the ulcer.Among them,3 cases had jet bleeding at the base (2 cases were successfully stopped by electrocoagulation;1 case had a large amount of bleeding,but endoscopic hemostasis failed,and intervention embolization successfully stopped the bleeding).Among of 16 patients with rebleeding,3 patients were treated with conservative management,and all of them were successfully stopped bleeding;6 cases underwent endoscopic treatment again,of which 4 cases were successfully hemostasis by endoscopy,and 2 cases were successfully hemostasis by surgery after endoscopic hemostasis failure;interventional embolization in 1 case,and successfully hemostasis;6 patients underwent direct surgical procedures,all of which successfully stopped bleeding,but one patient developed multiple organ failure during hospitalization and died without bleeding.Conclusion Endoscopic intervention can to some extent reduce the incidence of rebleeding in Forrest Ⅱb grade ulcers.The effect of electrocoagulation hemostasis on preventing rebleeding is better than that of injection dilution adrenaline method.However,there is a risk of iatrogenic rebleeding when removing blood clots on the surface of ulcers,and careful selection should be made when conditions permit.

Objective:To preliminarily evaluate the immunogenicity and efficacy of two novel tuberculosis vaccine candidates (a fusion multicomponent protein EPDPA015f and a mixed multicomponent protein EPDPA015m) and to provide a new antigen combination for the development of tuberculosis vaccines.Methods:Recombinant plasmids for the expression of EPDPA015f and EPDPA015m proteins were constructed. Six-week-old BALB/c mice were immunized with EPDPA015f or EPDPA015m in combination with aluminium adjuvant (50 μg/mouse) for three times with an interval of 10 d. The mice were sacrificed 10 d after the last immunization to collect blood and spleen samples. Serum antibody titers and cytokine levels were measured by ELISA, Luminex technique and enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT). Mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA) was used to detect the ability of mouse splenocytes to inhibit the growth of Mtb in vitro. One-way analysis of variance and t-test were used for statistical analysis. Results:Both EPDPA015f and EPDPA015m could induce the production of various cytokines and IgG antibodies at a high level. The levels of cytokines related to Th1 (IL-2, TNF-α, IFN-γ), Th2 (IL-4, IL-6, IL-10) and Th17 (IL-17) as well as other proinflammatory cytokines (GM-CSF, IL-12) were higher in the EPDPA015f group than in the adjuvant group ( P<0.05). The titer of IgG antibody induced by EPDPA015f was as high as 1∶4×10 6. The results of MGIA showed that the numbers of Mtb (lgCFU) in the PBS, adjuvant, EPDPA015f and EPDPA015m groups were 3.46±0.11, 3.51±0.06, 2.98±0.09 and 3.19±0.08, respectively. The number of colonies in the EPDPA015f group was the least as compared with that in the other three groups ( P<0.001, P<0.001, P<0.01). Conclusions:The vaccine candidate EPDPA015f could elicit more comprehensive and high-level cellular and humoral immune responses, and exhibited superior in vitro inhibitory activity against the growth of Mtb. EPDPA015f had the potential to be used as a preventive vaccine or a booster vaccine