Objective:To investigate the radiation field distribution characteristics in a 9 MeV electron FLASH (e-FLASH) linear accelerator treatment room.Methods:The Geant4 Monte Carlo program was employed for physical simulating of the radiation field distribution inside and outside the treatment room under a single-beam delivery condition with a total dose of 50 Gy at the reference point and a dose rate of 250 Gy/s. High-sensitivity radiation detectors (AT1123) were used to validate the measurements at key points.Results:The dose rate at the reference point was approximately 9×10 11 μSv/h. Due to the scattering and shielding effects, the deviation of the attenuation rate from the inverse-square law was observed and the isodose lines exhibited spatial drift. Measured dose rates at key points showed good agreement with the simulation result, with a maximum deviation within 30%. Conclusions:The complex radiation field distribution can be effectively simulated using Geant4 in an e-FLASH treatment room. This indicated the Geant4 is not only applicable for the shielding calculations in e-FLASH radiotherapy facilities, but also for the design optimization through, reduction of trial-and-error iterations and engineering costs.

Porcine arthritis,one of the common chronic diseases in large-scale pig farms,can signifi-cantly reduce the production performance of meat pigs.In this study,a strain of Haemophilus pa-rasuis(HPS)was isolated from the joint fluid of a lame pig.The HPS was analyzed in terms of se-rotypes,virulence genes,and resistance genes.Additionally,it was treated with sensitive antibiotics to provide a theoretical basis for the comprehensive prevention and treatment of arthritis in meat pigs in future production settings.A strain of HPS type 14 was isolated from the joint fluid of dis-eased pigs.The HPS isolate demonstrated sensitivity to β-lactams and tetracyclines,while florfeni-col and polymyxin effectively inhibited its growth at low concentrations.However,the bacteria ex-hibited resistance to sulfonamides and ciprofloxacin.The treatment of affected pigs with clinical ar-thritis using doxycycline and enrofloxacin injections proved effective.Compared to the infected group,in which the sick pigs experienced difficulty flexing their carpal and tarsal joints and exhibi-ted significant lameness,the pigs in the treatment group showed marked improvement.Their joints were only slightly swollen,and the clinical symptoms of arthropathy were alleviated.

Objective:To investigate the radiation field distribution characteristics in a 9 MeV electron FLASH (e-FLASH) linear accelerator treatment room.Methods:The Geant4 Monte Carlo program was employed for physical simulating of the radiation field distribution inside and outside the treatment room under a single-beam delivery condition with a total dose of 50 Gy at the reference point and a dose rate of 250 Gy/s. High-sensitivity radiation detectors (AT1123) were used to validate the measurements at key points.Results:The dose rate at the reference point was approximately 9×10 11 μSv/h. Due to the scattering and shielding effects, the deviation of the attenuation rate from the inverse-square law was observed and the isodose lines exhibited spatial drift. Measured dose rates at key points showed good agreement with the simulation result, with a maximum deviation within 30%. Conclusions:The complex radiation field distribution can be effectively simulated using Geant4 in an e-FLASH treatment room. This indicated the Geant4 is not only applicable for the shielding calculations in e-FLASH radiotherapy facilities, but also for the design optimization through, reduction of trial-and-error iterations and engineering costs.

Porcine arthritis,one of the common chronic diseases in large-scale pig farms,can signifi-cantly reduce the production performance of meat pigs.In this study,a strain of Haemophilus pa-rasuis(HPS)was isolated from the joint fluid of a lame pig.The HPS was analyzed in terms of se-rotypes,virulence genes,and resistance genes.Additionally,it was treated with sensitive antibiotics to provide a theoretical basis for the comprehensive prevention and treatment of arthritis in meat pigs in future production settings.A strain of HPS type 14 was isolated from the joint fluid of dis-eased pigs.The HPS isolate demonstrated sensitivity to β-lactams and tetracyclines,while florfeni-col and polymyxin effectively inhibited its growth at low concentrations.However,the bacteria ex-hibited resistance to sulfonamides and ciprofloxacin.The treatment of affected pigs with clinical ar-thritis using doxycycline and enrofloxacin injections proved effective.Compared to the infected group,in which the sick pigs experienced difficulty flexing their carpal and tarsal joints and exhibi-ted significant lameness,the pigs in the treatment group showed marked improvement.Their joints were only slightly swollen,and the clinical symptoms of arthropathy were alleviated.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic efficacy among three RT-PCR test kits for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleic acid detection. METHODS: The throat swab samples from 40 hospitalized patients clinically diagnosed as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 16 hospitalized non-COVID-19 patients were recruited. The SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid was detected in throat swab samples with RT-PCR test kits from Sansure Biotech ("Sansure" for short), Jiangsu Bioperfectus Technologies ("Bioperfectus" for short) and BGI Genomics ("BGI" for short). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and Kappa value were analyzed. The viral nucleic acid was extracted from the throat swab samples by one-step cleavage and magnetic bead methods, and the efficacy of two extraction methods was also compared. The results of magnetic bead method for nucleic acid extraction by two different extractors (Sansure Natch CS S12C Fully Automated Nucleic Acid Extraction System vs. Tianlong NP968-C Nucleic Acid Extractor) were also compared. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and kappa value were 95.00%, 87.50%, 95.00%, 87.50%and 0.825 for Sansure kit; 90.00%, 87.50%, 94.74%, 77.78%and 0.747 for the Bioperfectus kit, and 82.50%, 81.25%, 91.67%, 65.00%and 0.593 for the BGI kit, respectively. The positive, negative and total coincident rates and kappa value of viral nucleic acid detection results using the samples extracted by one-step cleavage and magnetic bead methods were 95.24%, 100.00%, 96.43%and 0.909, respectively, but the one-step cleavage method took only 25 min, while the magnetic bead method required 180 min. The positive, negative and total coincident rates and kappa value of viral nucleic acid detection results using the samples extracted by the two different nucleic acid extractors were 85.00%, 100.00%, 89.29% and 0.764, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The detection efficacy for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid by the Sansure kit is relatively higher and the one-step cleavage method has advantages of convenient operation and less time consuming.
Betacoronavirus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Coronavirus Infections ; diagnosis ; virology ; Humans ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; diagnosis ; virology ; RNA, Viral ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; standards

Objective: To investigate the clinical effect of percutaneous curved vertebroplasty in the treatment of thoracolum-bar osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). Methods: All of 85 patients with single thoracolumbar vertebral OVCFs who met the admission criteria from January 2017 to July 2018 were divided into three groups according to the random dig-its table method. They were treated with percutaneous curved vertebroplasty, routine unipedicular PVP and routine bipedicular PVP respectively. There were 25 patients in the percutaneous curved vertebroplasty group, 6 males and 19 females; aged 56-80 years, with an average age of 70.6±9.7 years. Fracture vertebral body distribution: T₁₀ 2 cases, T₁₁ 4 cases, T₁₂ 3 cases, L₁ 9 cases, L₂ 3 cases, L₃ 1 case, L₄ 1 case and L₅ 2 cases. There were 32 patients in the routine unipedicular PVP group, 6 males and 26 fe-males; aged 58-75 years, with an average age of 69.5±9.3 years. Fracture vertebral body distribution: T₁₀ 2 cases, T₁₁ 4 cases, T₁₂ 5 cases, L₁ 11 cases, L₂ 6 cases, L₃ 1 case, L₄ 1 case and L₅ 2 cases. There were 28 patients in the routine bipedicular PVP group, 5 males and 23 females; aged 59-81 years, with an average age of 69.8±8.8 years. Fracture vertebral body distribution: T₁₀ 2 cases, T₁₁ 4 cases, T₁₂ 4 cases, L₁ 10 cases, L₂ 4 cases, L₃ 1 case, L₄ 1 case and L₅ 2 cases. The operation time, injected cement volume, in-traoperative blood loss were recorded and analyzed. Preoperative, postoperative 1 week and 3 months visual analogue scale scores and oswestry disability index were adopted to value the clinical improvements. Preoperative, postoperative 1 week and 3 months relative vertebral height and kyphosis correction, and the cement leakage rate were measured and analyzed. Results: There was no significant difference in the data of gender, age, VAS scores, ODI and distribution of fracture vertebrae among the three groups (P>0.05), and the baseline data was comparable. The average VAS score in the percutaneous curved vertebroplasty group was 2.3±0.5 at 1 week after surgery, that of the routine unipedicular PVP group was 2.4±0.4 and that of the routine bipe-dicular PVP group was 2.4±0.4; the average ODI in the percutaneous curved vertebroplasty group was 19.8%±3.9%, that of the routine unipedicular PVP group was 20.0%±4.1% and that of the routine bipedicular PVP group was 19.9%±3.8%; they were lower than the preoperative data, which were statistically significant (P<0.001). The average relative vertebral height in the percutaneous curved vertebroplasty group was 48.99%±9.23% at 3 months after surgery, that of the routine unipedicular PVP group was 47.11%±10.12% and that of the routine bipedicular PVP group was 46.71%±11.16%; the average kyphosis cor-rection in the percutaneous curved vertebroplasty group was 6.21%±1.94%, that of the routine unipedicular PVP group was 5.22%±2.07% and that of the routine bipedicular PVP group was 5.97%±2.09%; there was 1 cement leakage case in the per-cutaneous curved vertebroplasty group; those of the routine unipedicular PVP group were 4 cases and those of the routine bipe-dicular PVP group were 6 cases; there was no significant difference among the three groups (P>0.05). Operation time 39.10±2.00 min vs 38.70±1.70 min, injected cement volume 3.60±0.11 ml vs 3.50±0.13 ml and blood loss 5.10±0.30 ml vs 5.00±0.40 ml of the percutaneous curved vertebroplasty group and the routine unipedicular PVP group were less than those of the routine bipedicular PVP group, which were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclution Percutaneous curved vertebroplasty could achieve satisfactory clinical outcomes for OVCFs, with advantages of less operation time, less blood loss, limited X-ray expo-sure, less injected cement volume, and more balanced augmentation for stabilization of the affected vertebrae and total verte-bral column.

Objective To explore the role of CT scan for the diagnosis of lung metastasis in stage Ⅲ gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN).Methods To figure out the role of CT scan for lung metastasis in GTN initial diagnosis,treatment and follow-up,93 GTN patients with lung metastasis from January,2015 to December,2016 were retrospectively analyzed in Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University.Results (1) Among 93 GTN patients with lung metastasis,70 patients with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) score ≤6 were defined as low risk GTN and 23 patients score score ≥7 were defined as high risk GTN.Forty nine patients had negative chest X-ray findings and 39 cases with pulmonary lesions were identified both by chest X-ray compared to CT scan.Five cases were excluded due to no consensus could make for the results of chest X-ray.The true positive rate of chest X-ray for lung metastasis were 41％ (29/70) in low risk GTN and 43％ (10/23) in high risk GTN patients without statistical difference (x2=0.090,P=0.925).For those patients with positive chest CT scan and negative chest X-ray finding,pulmonary lesions in 32 (65％,32/49) cases were blocked by heart,chest wall or diaphragm in chest X-ray.Seventeen (35％,17/49) patients with lung lesions less than 5 mm had negative chest X-ray results due to the lower sensitivity compared to CT scan.(2) In 88 patients with stage Ⅲ,78 patients had successful initial treatment,but 4 of them were recurrence in twelve months follow-up.Ten patients were chemotherapy resistance for the initial treatment.The initial chemotherapy remission rate in low risk GTN patients was higher than that in high risk ones (x2=4.911,P=0.027).In 49 cases with negative chest X-ray,there was no correlation with the rate of remission,chemotherapy resistance and recurrence in stage Ⅲ patients (P＞0.05).(3) For those patients who had poorly response to initial chemotherapy,the diameters of lesions in lung were unchanged or increased during the treatment,form (5.1±4.1) mm to (7.4±2.8) mm.The pulmonary lesions were continuously shrunk from (7.8 ± 5.3) mm to (4.7 ± 4.4) mm for those patients with complete and partial remission including the recurrent GTN patients (Z=-2.713,P=0.007).Conclusions Patients with GTN in stage Ⅲ have down staging if only use chest X-ray for imaging at the initial diagnosis.Chest CT scan is recommended for primary imaging evaluation of FIGO staging in qualified medical organization.For those patients with persistent abnormal serum hCG level and negative chest X-ray,chest CT scan is strongly recommended to identify the persist or resistant lung lesions and follow up.

Post traumatic epilepsy(PTE)refers to the epileptic seizures after traumatic brain injury. Or-ganic damage can be found by imaging examination, and abnormal electroencephalogram can be detected via electroencephalogram examination which has the similar location of the brain injury. PTE has the characteristics of low incidence, absence of case reports, and easy to exaggerate the state of illness, which add difficulties to the forensic identification. This paper reviews the status of epidemiology, patho-genesis, clinical treatment and forensic identification for PTE.

BACKGROUND: There are so many experimental and clinical researches on levels of nitrogen monoxide (NO) in serum and endothelins in plasma of patients with stroke; however, ratio and significance between them are still unclear.OBJECTIVE: To observe dynamic changes of levels of NO in serum and endothelins in plasma of patients with stroke.DESIGN: Case-controlled observation.SETTING: Neurological Department and Clinical Neurological Laboratory of the Second Hospital affiliated to Suzhou University.PARTICIPANTS: A total of 216 patients with acute cerebral infarction including 133 males and 83 females and 112 cases with cerebral hemorrhage including 68 males and 44 females were selected from Neurological Department of the Second Hospital affiliated to Suzhou University from September 1999 to December 2001. Another 106 subjects including 63males and 43 females were regarded as healthy control group.METHODS: Contents of NO in serum and endothelins in plasma were measured on 328 patients with stroke and 106 healthy subjects in the courses of 1-3 days, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks with nitrate reductase and radio-immunity methods, respectively.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Contents of NO in serum and endothelins in plasma; ratio between NO in serum and endothelins in plasma (NO/endothelins).RESULTS: ① As compared with those in the control group, content of NO in serum of patients with cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage was decreased and reached the lowest value during acute period (within 1-3 days), and then increased gradually and closed to the normal level at about 4 weeks. In addition, content of endothelins in plasma was increased obviously during acute period, reached the peak at 2 weeks, and then decreased gradually. The level was still high at stage of recovery and closed to normal value within 4-8 weeks. ② As compared with that in the control group, NO/endothelins was decreased in cerebral infarction group at the courses of 1-3 days (P ＜ 0.05), reached the lowest value at 1 week (P ＜ 0.001), and increased to the normal level at 2 weeks. Moreover,NO/endothelins was remarkably decreased in cerebral hemorrhage group at the courses of 1-3 days (P ＜ 0.001), reached the lowest value at 1week (P ＜ 0.001), and increased gradually. The changes of course were great and the level reached above normal value at 8 weeks. There was significant difference of dynamic changes of NO/endothelins between cerebral hemorrhage group and cerebral infarction group (P ＜ 0.05).CONCLUSION: NO and endothelins play an important role in onset and development of ischemic cerebrovascular disease and hemorrhagic cerebrovascular disease, and their contents are related to prognosis.

BACKGROUND: Xiongbitong capsule (capsule) increases blood flow in myocardial ischemic area in patients with coronary heart disease, lessens the size of myocardial infarction and improves ischemic S-T alternation in electrocardiogram (ECG).OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of the capsule on NO metabolism on arterial wall in rabbits and explore the improvement of such drug on myocardial blood flow and protection on myocardium.DESIGN: Randomized group division and control experiment were designed.SETTING: Department of First Internal Medicine, Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Weifang, Shandong.MATERIALS: The experiment was performed in Teaching-Research Room of Physiology of Weifang Medical College from April 2003 to February 2004. Totally 30 healthy adult rabbits were employed, of either sex and randomized into 3 groups, named normal control, model group and treatment group, 3 rabbits in each one.METHODS: ① Preparation of hyperlipemia (HP) model: In normal control, common granular forage was used. In model group, modeling forage was applied (common granular forage + 3% pig oil + 1% cholesterol powder). In treatment group, besides modeling forage, at the end of the 6th week, the capsule [composed of taizishen (Radix Pseudstellariae), yunling (Poria), gualou (Frnctus Trichosanthis), qingxia (Rhizoma Pinelliae), juhong (Exocarpium Citri Grandis), shichangpu (Rhizoma Acori Graminei), yujin (Radix Curcumaea), zhifuhua (Flos Inulae), jiangxiang (Lignum Dalbergiae Odoriferae), danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis), maidong (Radix Liriopis Platyphyllae) and wuweizi (Frnctus Schisandrae).] was administrated every day for gastric perfusion at 1 pill/kg with 10 mL physiological saline for 3 weeks. The intervention was applied totally for 8 weeks. ② Nitrieoxide synthase (NOS) and NO metabolic product kits were provided from Radiation Medical Institute of Military Academy of Medical Sciences. The operation was based on the instrnction. NOS activity was calculated and expressed by NO amount (nmol) produced in one-gram tissue per minutes.Spectrophotometer was used to measure the optic density of sample at 545nm. Sodium nitrite solution was used to prepare standard curve. The concentration of serum NO metabolic products, NO2- and NO3- was expressed with μmol/L. ③ T test was applied for difference comparison among measurement data.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of NOS activity and concentration of serum NO metabolic products in vessel-wall tissue in eachgroup.RESULTS: Totally 30 rabbits all entered result analysis. For NOS activity and concentration of serum NO metabolic products in arterial-wall tissue,the results in model group and treatment group were lower remarkably than the control (P ＜ 0.05-0.01) and the results in treatment group were higher remarkably than model group (P ＜ 0.05).CONCLUSION: ① NO system of arterial wall is damaged in HP rabbits and NO metabolic level is decreased in serum. ② Xiongbitong capsule improves the above situation and brings the resistance of myocardial ischemia and protection of myocardium into play.