Objective To quantitatively compare the dosimetric differences among 4 volumetric modulated arc therapy(VMAT)plans by analyzing the number of arcs and collimator angle settings,aiming to establish a standardized planning template for hippocampal-sparing prophylactic cranial irradiation(HS-PCI)in clinic and improve both planning quality and clinical efficiency.Methods Twenty HS-PCI patients were enrolled,with 4 VMAT plans(V2c,V2p,V3,and V4)for each patient.The differences in target dose,organs-at-risk dose,and monitor units were compared.Results V4 plan had the highest PTV D98%and V95%,and the differences of PTV D98%in V2c vs V2p,V2c vs V4,and PTV V95%in V2c vs V4 were statistically significant(P<0.05).Meanwhile,V4 plan had the lowest PTV Dmax and Dmin doses.Specifically,statistically significant differences were observed in PTV Dmax in V4 vs V2c,V4 vs V2p,V4 vs V3,as well as PTV Dmin in V2c vs V2p,V2c vs V3,V2c vs V4,V2p vs V4(P<0.05).The PTV Dmean was the highest in V2p plan,with statistically significant differences observed in V2c vs V2p,V2c vs V4,V2p vs V3,and V3 vs V4(P<0.05).The highest PTV D2%dose was observed in V2p plan,and the differences in V2c vs V2p,V2c vs V4,V2p vs V3,V3 vs V4 were statistically significant(P<0.05).The homogeneity index and conformity index were close in 4 plans(P=0.946,P=0.380).V4 plan had the lowest Dmax,Dmean,and Dmin of the hippocampus,with significant differences in hippocampal Dmax in V4 vs V2c,V4 vs V2p,hippocampal Dmean in V4 vs V2c,V4 vs V2p,V3 vs V2c,and hippocampal Dmin in V2c vs V2p/V3/V4,and V4 vs V2p(P<0.05).V3 plan had the lowest Dmax for bilateral lenses,and V4 plan showed the lowest Dmax for lenses with a 3 mm expansion,with significant differences between V2c and V2p/V3/V4(P<0.05).V4 plan had the lowest dose for the right optic nerve,with significant differences in V4 vs V2p,and V4 vs V3(P<0.05).No significant differences were observed for the left optic nerve and optic chiasm.The monitor units in V2p plan was the lowest.Conclusion When differences in organs-at-risk doses and plan quality parameters are insignificant,V2p plan is recommended as it can ensure treatment quality while reducing delivery time.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of Dendrobium officinale (Tiepi Shihu) extract (DOE) on insomnia. METHODS: Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=7 per group): normal control, model control, melatonin (MT, 40 mg/kg), and 3-dose DOE (0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 g/kg) groups. Rats were raised in a strong-light (10,000 LUX) and -noise (>80 db) environment (12 h/d) for 16 weeks to induce insomnia, and from week 10 to week 16, MT and DOE were correspondingly administered to rats. The behavior tests including sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep experiment, sucrose preference test, and autonomous activity test were used to evaluate changes in sleep and emotions of rats. The metabolic-related indicators such as blood pressure, blood viscosity, blood glucose, and uric acid in rats were measured. The pathological changes in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) region of rat brain were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin staining and Nissl staining. Additionally, the sleep-related factors gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (GA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Finally, we screened potential sleep-improving receptors of DOE using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array and validated the results with quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: DOE significantly improved rats' sleep and mood, increased the sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep time and sucrose preference index, and reduced autonomic activity times (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DOE also had a good effect on metabolic abnormalities, significantly reducing triglyceride, blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood viscosity indicators (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DOE significantly increased the GABA content in hippocampus and reduced the GA/GABA ratio and IL-6 level (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In addition, DOE improved the pathological changes such as the disorder of cell arrangement in the hippocampus and the decrease of Nissel bodies. Seven differential genes were screened by PCR array, and the GABA_A receptors (Gabra5, Gabra6, Gabrq) were selected for verification. The results showed that DOE could up-regulate their expressions (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION DOE demonstrated remarkable potential for improving insomnia, which may be through regulating GABA_A receptors expressions and GA/GABA ratio.
Animals ; Dendrobium/chemistry* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/blood* ; Plant Extracts/therapeutic use* ; Receptors, GABA-A/metabolism* ; Noise/adverse effects* ; Light/adverse effects* ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid/metabolism* ; Sleep/drug effects* ; Rats ; Receptors, GABA/metabolism*

PURPOSE: The rate of complications among patients undergoing surgery has increased due to infection with SARS-CoV-2 and other variants of concern. However, Omicron has shown decreased pathogenicity, raising questions about the risk of postoperative complications among patients who are infected with this variant. This study aimed to investigate complications and related factors among patients with recent Omicron infection prior to undergoing orthopedic surgery. METHODS: A historical control study was conducted. Data were collected from all patients who underwent surgery during 2 distinct periods: (1) between Dec 12, 2022 and Jan 31, 2023 (COVID-19 positive group), (2) between Dec 12, 2021 and Jan 31, 2022 (COVID-19 negative control group). The patients were at least 18 years old. Patients who received conservative treatment after admission or had high-risk diseases or special circumstances (use of anticoagulants before surgery) were excluded from the study. The study outcomes were the total complication rate and related factors. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify related factors, and odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to assess the impact of COVID-19 infection on complications. RESULTS: In the analysis, a total of 847 patients who underwent surgery were included, with 275 of these patients testing positive for COVID-19 and 572 testing negative. The COVID-19-positive group had a significantly higher rate of total complications (11.27%) than the control group (4.90%, p < 0.001). After adjusting for relevant factors, the OR was 3.08 (95% CI: 1.45-6.53). Patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 at 3-4 weeks (OR = 0.20 (95% CI: 0.06-0.59), p = 0.005), 5-6 weeks (OR = 0.16 (95% CI: 0.04-0.59), p = 0.010), or ≥7 weeks (OR = 0.26 (95% CI: 0.06-1.02), p = 0.069) prior to surgery had a lower risk of complications than those who were diagnosed at 0-2 weeks prior to surgery. Seven factors (age, indications for surgery, time of operation, time of COVID-19 diagnosis prior to surgery, C-reactive protein levels, alanine transaminase levels, and aspartate aminotransferase levels) were found to be associated with complications; thus, these factors were used to create a nomogram. CONCLUSION Omicron continues to be a significant factor in the incidence of postoperative complications among patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. By identifying the factors associated with these complications, we can determine the optimal surgical timing, provide more accurate prognostic information, and offer appropriate consultation for orthopedic surgery patients who have been infected with Omicron.
Humans ; COVID-19/complications* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications/epidemiology* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Orthopedic Procedures/adverse effects* ; Aged ; Nomograms ; Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Aim To explore the mechanism of ligustil-ide(LIG)improving demyelination by inhibiting in-flammatory response in mice with distal middle cerebral artery occlusion(dMCAO)through AIM2/caspase-1 signal pathway.Methods Thirty C57BL/6N male mice were randomly divided into three groups:sham operation group(Sham group,n=10),model group(dMCAO group,n=10)and treatment group(LIG group,n=10).The dMCAO mouse model was estab-lished by electrocoagulation in dMCAO group and LIG group.The mice were scored by Longa after waking up,and the changes of cerebral blood flow were moni-tored by laser speckle blood flow imaging system after dMCAO.One hour after modeling,LIG(30 mg·kg-1·d-1)was injected intraperitoneally in LIG group,and the same amount of normal saline was injected in sham group and dMCAO group for one week until the end of the experiment.The mice in each group were stained with TTC,and the brain injury was observed pathologically.Fatigue turning bar test and open field test were used to evaluate the motor function and anxie-ty degree of mice,and then the brain tissues of mice were taken for black gold staining to compare the chan-ges of myelin sheath in each group.Immunofluores-cence staining was used to detect the average fluores-cence intensity of MBP,IBA1 and GFAP in CC,CPU and CX regions of mouse brains.ELISAwas used to de-tect the contents of TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1 β,IL-17A and BDNF in brain tissue proteins of mice.Western blot-ting was used to detect the protein expressions of AIM2,caspase-1 and ASC-in each group.Results Compared with the dMCAO group,the infarct area was reduced,the behavior was significantly improved and the demyelination was reduced in the LIG group.The expression of MBP protein in CC,CPU and CX regions increased(P＜0.05),the expression of IBA1 in CX decreased(P＜0.01),and the expression of GFAP in-creased in CC,CPU and CX regions(P＜0.01).The results of ELISA showed that the levels ofTNF-α(P＜0.01),IL-6(P＜0.01),IL-1β(P＜0.05)and IL-17A(P＜0.01)significantly decreased,while the ex-pression of BDNF increased(P＜0.05).The protein expression levels of AIM2,caspase-1 and ASC in mouse brain decreased after treatment(P＜0.01).Conclusion LIG has a protective effect on demyelina-tion in dMCAO mice,which may be related to the inhi-bition of AIM2/caspase-1 signaling pathway and in-flammation and to the promotion of BDNF secretion.

Objective To observe the origin and course of the obturator artery(OA),so as to provide anatomical reference for reducing hemorrhage during pelvic surgery and pubic fracture fixation.Methods A total of 65 human hemi-pelvises specimens with intact structure were dissected to observe the origin,course and other variations of OA.Measure the length of the inner section of OA basin and the outer diameter at the origin,etc.Results OA originated from the internal iliac artery in 57 cases(87.7%),including 3 cases(4.6%)of the superior gluteal artery,5 cases(7.7%)of the inferior gluteal artery,3 cases(4.6%)of the external iliac artery and 5 cases(7.7%)of the inferior epigastric artery.OA participated in the formation of the arterial trunk in 3 cases(4.6%).The length of the pelvic segment of the OA in male and female was(50.87±15.41)mm and(51.71±14.19)mm,respectively,with no statistically significant difference between them(P>0.05).The outer diameters at the origin of the OA in male and female were(2.79±1.05)mm and(2.35±0.86)mm,and there was no statistically significant difference between them(P>0.05).Conclusion OA mainly originated from the anterior trunk of the internal iliac artery,with a few OA originated from the branches of the posterior trunk or the inferior epigastric artery,or participated in the formation of the arterial trunk.In pelvic surgery involving OA area,attention should be paid to the length of its pelvic segment and the outer diameter at the origin of OA,so as to better locate and protect blood vessels during surgery.

Objective To quantitatively compare the dosimetric differences among 4 volumetric modulated arc therapy(VMAT)plans by analyzing the number of arcs and collimator angle settings,aiming to establish a standardized planning template for hippocampal-sparing prophylactic cranial irradiation(HS-PCI)in clinic and improve both planning quality and clinical efficiency.Methods Twenty HS-PCI patients were enrolled,with 4 VMAT plans(V2c,V2p,V3,and V4)for each patient.The differences in target dose,organs-at-risk dose,and monitor units were compared.Results V4 plan had the highest PTV D98%and V95%,and the differences of PTV D98%in V2c vs V2p,V2c vs V4,and PTV V95%in V2c vs V4 were statistically significant(P<0.05).Meanwhile,V4 plan had the lowest PTV Dmax and Dmin doses.Specifically,statistically significant differences were observed in PTV Dmax in V4 vs V2c,V4 vs V2p,V4 vs V3,as well as PTV Dmin in V2c vs V2p,V2c vs V3,V2c vs V4,V2p vs V4(P<0.05).The PTV Dmean was the highest in V2p plan,with statistically significant differences observed in V2c vs V2p,V2c vs V4,V2p vs V3,and V3 vs V4(P<0.05).The highest PTV D2%dose was observed in V2p plan,and the differences in V2c vs V2p,V2c vs V4,V2p vs V3,V3 vs V4 were statistically significant(P<0.05).The homogeneity index and conformity index were close in 4 plans(P=0.946,P=0.380).V4 plan had the lowest Dmax,Dmean,and Dmin of the hippocampus,with significant differences in hippocampal Dmax in V4 vs V2c,V4 vs V2p,hippocampal Dmean in V4 vs V2c,V4 vs V2p,V3 vs V2c,and hippocampal Dmin in V2c vs V2p/V3/V4,and V4 vs V2p(P<0.05).V3 plan had the lowest Dmax for bilateral lenses,and V4 plan showed the lowest Dmax for lenses with a 3 mm expansion,with significant differences between V2c and V2p/V3/V4(P<0.05).V4 plan had the lowest dose for the right optic nerve,with significant differences in V4 vs V2p,and V4 vs V3(P<0.05).No significant differences were observed for the left optic nerve and optic chiasm.The monitor units in V2p plan was the lowest.Conclusion When differences in organs-at-risk doses and plan quality parameters are insignificant,V2p plan is recommended as it can ensure treatment quality while reducing delivery time.

Objective To observe the origin and course of the obturator artery(OA),so as to provide anatomical reference for reducing hemorrhage during pelvic surgery and pubic fracture fixation.Methods A total of 65 human hemi-pelvises specimens with intact structure were dissected to observe the origin,course and other variations of OA.Measure the length of the inner section of OA basin and the outer diameter at the origin,etc.Results OA originated from the internal iliac artery in 57 cases(87.7%),including 3 cases(4.6%)of the superior gluteal artery,5 cases(7.7%)of the inferior gluteal artery,3 cases(4.6%)of the external iliac artery and 5 cases(7.7%)of the inferior epigastric artery.OA participated in the formation of the arterial trunk in 3 cases(4.6%).The length of the pelvic segment of the OA in male and female was(50.87±15.41)mm and(51.71±14.19)mm,respectively,with no statistically significant difference between them(P>0.05).The outer diameters at the origin of the OA in male and female were(2.79±1.05)mm and(2.35±0.86)mm,and there was no statistically significant difference between them(P>0.05).Conclusion OA mainly originated from the anterior trunk of the internal iliac artery,with a few OA originated from the branches of the posterior trunk or the inferior epigastric artery,or participated in the formation of the arterial trunk.In pelvic surgery involving OA area,attention should be paid to the length of its pelvic segment and the outer diameter at the origin of OA,so as to better locate and protect blood vessels during surgery.

Aim To explore the mechanism of ligustil-ide(LIG)improving demyelination by inhibiting in-flammatory response in mice with distal middle cerebral artery occlusion(dMCAO)through AIM2/caspase-1 signal pathway.Methods Thirty C57BL/6N male mice were randomly divided into three groups:sham operation group(Sham group,n=10),model group(dMCAO group,n=10)and treatment group(LIG group,n=10).The dMCAO mouse model was estab-lished by electrocoagulation in dMCAO group and LIG group.The mice were scored by Longa after waking up,and the changes of cerebral blood flow were moni-tored by laser speckle blood flow imaging system after dMCAO.One hour after modeling,LIG(30 mg·kg-1·d-1)was injected intraperitoneally in LIG group,and the same amount of normal saline was injected in sham group and dMCAO group for one week until the end of the experiment.The mice in each group were stained with TTC,and the brain injury was observed pathologically.Fatigue turning bar test and open field test were used to evaluate the motor function and anxie-ty degree of mice,and then the brain tissues of mice were taken for black gold staining to compare the chan-ges of myelin sheath in each group.Immunofluores-cence staining was used to detect the average fluores-cence intensity of MBP,IBA1 and GFAP in CC,CPU and CX regions of mouse brains.ELISAwas used to de-tect the contents of TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1 β,IL-17A and BDNF in brain tissue proteins of mice.Western blot-ting was used to detect the protein expressions of AIM2,caspase-1 and ASC-in each group.Results Compared with the dMCAO group,the infarct area was reduced,the behavior was significantly improved and the demyelination was reduced in the LIG group.The expression of MBP protein in CC,CPU and CX regions increased(P＜0.05),the expression of IBA1 in CX decreased(P＜0.01),and the expression of GFAP in-creased in CC,CPU and CX regions(P＜0.01).The results of ELISA showed that the levels ofTNF-α(P＜0.01),IL-6(P＜0.01),IL-1β(P＜0.05)and IL-17A(P＜0.01)significantly decreased,while the ex-pression of BDNF increased(P＜0.05).The protein expression levels of AIM2,caspase-1 and ASC in mouse brain decreased after treatment(P＜0.01).Conclusion LIG has a protective effect on demyelina-tion in dMCAO mice,which may be related to the inhi-bition of AIM2/caspase-1 signaling pathway and in-flammation and to the promotion of BDNF secretion.

Objective To compare regional pulmonary ventilation and perfusion and ventilation/perfusion(V/Q)matching in different body positions using electrical impedance tomography(EIT).Methods Ten healthy experimental pigs were selected to collect their EIT lung ventilation and perfusion data in supine,prone,left lateral and right lateral positions.The EIT data underwent analysis and image reconstruction using MATLAB R2022b and EIDORS v3.9.The effective regions with ventilation and perfusion were determined and the V/Q matching regions were computed with the maximum pixel value 20％as the threshold.Comparisons were carried out over the V/Q matching indexes including V/Q match％,dead space％and shunt％and ventilation and perfusion distribution in regions of interest(ROIs)including ROI1,ROI2,ROI3 and ROI4 in different body positions.Results The differences in V/Q match％,dead space％and shunt％of the experimental animals in varied positions were not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The regional distribution of pulmonary ventilation and perfusion changed in different positions,and the regional distributions differed in ROIl,ROI2 and ROI3 for ventilation(P＜0.05)and in ROI1 and ROI2 for perfusion(P＜0.05).The ventilation and perfusion regions were distributed consistently with the gravity-dependent areas in supine and prone positions whereas conversely in the right and left lateral positions.Conclusion The V/Q matching indexes of one subject have high test consistency in different body positions;gravity-dependent areas varied with the changes of the body positions,which affected the distribution of pulmonary ventilation and perfusion regions;EIT can be used for measuring the changed pulmonary ventilation and perfusion due to different positions and determining the influences of position changes on pulmonary ventilation and perfusion and V/Q matching.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(5):1-7]