1.Correlation between objective short sleep duration and dyslipidemia in patients with chronic insomnia disorder
Nvshi ZHOU ; Xumei PENG ; Zhiyue CAO ; Chengcheng LIU ; Jing YAO
Sichuan Mental Health 2026;39(1):58-62
BackgroundChronic insomnia disorder has become a significant public health issue, and it may be associated with dyslipidemia. Previous studies on dyslipidemia in patients with chronic insomnia disorder have mainly focused on exploring the relationship between subjective short sleep duration and dyslipidemia, while there have been limited studies on the relationship between objective short sleep duration and dyslipidemia. ObjectiveTo explore the relationship between objective short sleep duration and dyslipidemia in patients with chronic insomnia disorder, in order to provide references for the prevention and intervention of dyslipidemia in this population. MethodsA total of 103 patients who were hospitalized at The Third Hospital of Mianyang from August 2022 to November 2023 and met the diagnostic criteria for chronic insomnia disorder as defined in the International Classification of Sleep Disorder, third edition (ICSD-3) were retrospectively collected. The objective sleep duration of the patients was obtained through polysomnography. The patients were divided into two groups based on their objective sleep duration: the group with objective sleep duration ≥ 7 hours (n=71) and the group with objective sleep duration < 7 hours (n=32). Binary Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the impact of objective sleep duration < 7 hours on dyslipidemia. ResultsAmong 103 patients with chronic insomnia disorder, 59 cases (57.28%) were identified with dyslipidemia. The comparison of dyslipidemia conditions between the group with objective sleep duration ≥ 7 hours and the group with objective sleep duration < 7 hours showed a statistically significant difference (χ2=5.956, P<0.05). Compared with the group with objective sleep duration ≥7 hours, the group with objective sleep duration < 7 hours exhibited significantly lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and reduced sleep efficiency (t=-2.003, -5.482, P<0.05 or 0.01). Binary Logistic regression analysis results showed that the risk of abnormal blood lipids in patients with chronic insomnia disorder with objective sleep duration < 7 hours was 3.128 times higher than that of patients with objective sleep duration ≥ 7 hours (OR=3.128, 95% CI: 1.139–8.588). ConclusionObjective short sleep duration may be a risk factor for dyslipidemia in patients with chronic insomnia disorder.
2.Relationship between mental health literacy and anxiety symptoms in the elderly: the pathways of insomnia
Zhiyue CAO ; Xianmei YANG ; Xumei PENG ; Nvshi ZHOU ; Congwen YANG ; Chengcheng LIU ; Jing YAO
Sichuan Mental Health 2026;39(2):158-164
BackgroundAnxiety symptoms have become a public health issue affecting the physical and mental health of the elderly population. Mental health literacy is a predictor of anxiety symptoms in the elderly. Currently, there are limited studies on the pathogenic mechanism between the two. Exploring the relationship and mechanism between mental health literacy and anxiety symptoms among the elderly is of great significance for improving the mental health level of the elderly. ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of mental health literacy on anxiety symptoms in the elderly, and to analyze the role of insomnia in this process, in order to provide references for the formulation of prevention and intervention strategies for anxiety symptoms in the elderly. MethodsFrom August 2021 to December 2022, a total of 10 650 older adults aged 60 years old and above were selected from a city in Sichuan Province using a multistage stratified sampling method. Participants completed the self-compiled demographic questionnaire, the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 item (GAD-7), and the National Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire (NMHLQ). Spearman correlation analysis was adopted to examine the correlation between the scores of the scales. Model 4 in SPSS 27.0 plugin Process 4.1 was employed to test the pathway of insomnia between mental health literacy (and its various dimensions) and anxiety symptoms. ResultsAmong the participants, 9 609 cases (90.23%) completed the valid questionnaire survey, and 1 680 cases (17.48%) were found to have anxiety symptoms. The total score of the NMHLQ for the elderly, as well as the scores of the knowledge, awareness, and skills dimensions, were negatively correlated with the GAD-7 score and the ISI score (rs=-0.506–-0.054, P<0.01), and the ISI score was positively correlated with the GAD-7 score (rs=0.666, P<0.01). Insomnia served as the mediating pathway between the mental health literacy and anxiety symptoms, with an indirect effect value of -0.210 (95% CI: -0.227–-0.193), accounting for 54.97% of the total effect. Insomnia was the mediating pathway between the mental health literacy knowledge and anxiety symptoms of the elderly, with an indirect effect value of -0.161 (95% CI: -0.178–-0.144), accounting for 52.61% of the total effect. Insomnia played a mediating role in the relationship between the awareness of mental health literacy and anxiety symptoms, with an indirect effect value of -0.323 (95% CI: -0.342–-0.302), accounting for 76.36% of the total effect. Insomnia was the mediating pathway between the mental health literacy skills and anxiety symptoms of the elderly, with an indirect effect value of -0.172 (95% CI: -0.187–-0.159), accounting for 53.75% of the total effect. ConclusionThe dimensions of mental health literacy, knowledge, awareness and skills of the elderly not only directly affect anxiety symptoms, but also indirectly influence anxiety symptoms through the pathway of insomnia.[Funded by Medical Research Project Plan of Sichuan Province (number, S23049)]
3.SOX11-mediated CBLN2 Upregulation Contributes to Neuropathic Pain through NF-κB-Driven Neuroinflammation in Dorsal Root Ganglia of Mice.
Ling-Jie MA ; Tian WANG ; Ting XIE ; Lin-Peng ZHU ; Zuo-Hao YAO ; Meng-Na LI ; Bao-Tong YUAN ; Xiao-Bo WU ; Yong-Jing GAO ; Yi-Bin QIN
Neuroscience Bulletin 2025;41(12):2201-2217
Neuropathic pain, a debilitating condition caused by dysfunction of the somatosensory nervous system, remains difficult to treat due to limited understanding of its molecular mechanisms. Bioinformatics analysis identified cerebellin 2 (CBLN2) as highly enriched in human and murine proprioceptive and nociceptive neurons. We found that CBLN2 expression is persistently upregulated in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) following spinal nerve ligation (SNL) in mice. In addition, transcription factor SOX11 binds to 12 cis-regulatory elements within the Cbln2 promoter to enhance its transcription. SNL also induced SOX11 upregulation, with SOX11 and CBLN2 co-localized in nociceptive neurons. The siRNA-mediated knockdown of Sox11 or Cbln2 attenuated SNL-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. High-throughput sequencing of DRG following intrathecal injection of CBLN2 revealed widespread gene expression changes, including upregulation of numerous NF-κB downstream targets. Consistently, CBLN2 activated NF-κB signaling, and inhibition with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate reduced CBLN2-induced pain hypersensitivity, proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines production, and neuronal hyperexcitability. Together, these findings identified the SOX11/CBLN2/NF-κB axis as a critical mediator of neuropathic pain and a promising target for therapeutic intervention.
Animals
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Neuralgia/metabolism*
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Ganglia, Spinal/metabolism*
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Up-Regulation
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Mice
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NF-kappa B/metabolism*
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SOXC Transcription Factors/genetics*
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Male
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Neuroinflammatory Diseases/metabolism*
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Mice, Inbred C57BL
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Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics*
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Hyperalgesia/metabolism*
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Signal Transduction
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Spinal Nerves
4.Endoplasmic reticulum membrane remodeling by targeting reticulon-4 induces pyroptosis to facilitate antitumor immune.
Mei-Mei ZHAO ; Ting-Ting REN ; Jing-Kang WANG ; Lu YAO ; Ting-Ting LIU ; Ji-Chao ZHANG ; Yang LIU ; Lan YUAN ; Dan LIU ; Jiu-Hui XU ; Peng-Fei TU ; Xiao-Dong TANG ; Ke-Wu ZENG
Protein & Cell 2025;16(2):121-135
Pyroptosis is an identified programmed cell death that has been highly linked to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dynamics. However, the crucial proteins for modulating dynamic ER membrane curvature change that trigger pyroptosis are currently not well understood. In this study, a biotin-labeled chemical probe of potent pyroptosis inducer α-mangostin (α-MG) was synthesized. Through protein microarray analysis, reticulon-4 (RTN4/Nogo), a crucial regulator of ER membrane curvature, was identified as a target of α-MG. We observed that chemically induced proteasome degradation of RTN4 by α-MG through recruiting E3 ligase UBR5 significantly enhances the pyroptosis phenotype in cancer cells. Interestingly, the downregulation of RTN4 expression significantly facilitated a dynamic remodeling of ER membrane curvature through a transition from tubules to sheets, consequently leading to rapid fusion of the ER with the cell plasma membrane. In particular, the ER-to-plasma membrane fusion process is supported by the observed translocation of several crucial ER markers to the "bubble" structures of pyroptotic cells. Furthermore, α-MG-induced RTN4 knockdown leads to pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2)-dependent conventional caspase-3/gasdermin E (GSDME) cleavages for pyroptosis progression. In vivo, we observed that chemical or genetic RTN4 knockdown significantly inhibited cancer cells growth, which further exhibited an antitumor immune response with anti-programmed death-1 (anti-PD-1). In translational research, RTN4 high expression was closely correlated with the tumor metastasis and death of patients. Taken together, RTN4 plays a fundamental role in inducing pyroptosis through the modulation of ER membrane curvature remodeling, thus representing a prospective druggable target for anticancer immunotherapy.
Pyroptosis/immunology*
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Humans
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Endoplasmic Reticulum/immunology*
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Animals
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Nogo Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors*
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Mice
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Cell Line, Tumor
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Xanthones/pharmacology*
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Neoplasms/pathology*
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Mice, Nude
5.RRS1 regulates proliferation, migration, and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo human trophoblasts.
Yixuan WU ; Yao LI ; Jing WANG ; Qianying GUO ; Wei CHEN ; Jie QIAO ; Liying YAN ; Peng YUAN
Frontiers of Medicine 2025;19(5):831-841
Trophoblast cells serve as the foundation for placental development. We analyzed published multiomics sequencing data and found that trophoblast cells highly expressed RRS1 compared to primitive endoderm and epiblast. We used HTR-8/SVneo cells for further investigation, and Western blot and immunofluorescence staining confirmed that HTR-8/SVneo cells highly expressed RRS1. RRS1 was successfully knocked down in HTR-8/SVneo cells using siRNA. Using IncuCyte S3 live-cell analysis system based on continuous live-cell imaging and real-time data, we observed that proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities were all significantly decreased in RRS1-knockdown cells. RNA-seq revealed that knockdown of RRS1 affected the gene transcription, and upregulated pathways in extracellular matrix organization, DNA damage response, and intrinsic apoptotic signaling, downregulated pathways in embryo implantation, trophoblast cell migration, and wound healing. Differentially expressed genes were enriched in diseases related to placental development. Consistent with these findings, human chorionic villus samples collected from spontaneous abortion cases exhibited significantly reduced RRS1 expression compared to normal controls. Our results highlight the functional importance of RRS1 in human trophoblasts and suggest that its deficiency contributes to early pregnancy loss.
Humans
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Trophoblasts/physiology*
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Cell Movement/genetics*
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Cell Proliferation/genetics*
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Female
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Pregnancy
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Abortion, Spontaneous/metabolism*
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Cell Line
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Placentation/genetics*
6.Exposure Pathways of Polystyrene Nanoplastics Mediate Their Cellular Distribution and Toxicity
Jing LI ; Qixue BAO ; Zeyan LI ; Yuqin YAO ; Dongsheng WU ; Lijun PENG ; Zhenmi LIU ; Lin LI ; Ling ZHANG
Journal of Sichuan University (Medical Sciences) 2025;56(3):711-721
Objective To investigate whether exposure pathways influence the distribution pattern and toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics(PSNPs)in hepatic cells.Methods Male C57BL/6J wild-type healthy mice aged 6 to 8 weeks old and weighed 18 to 22 g were administered with PSNPs via gavage or tail vein injection.Then,we tracked PSNPs distribution in the major organs of mice via an in vivo imaging system(IVIS).After that,we analyzed the cellular accumulation patterns in hepatic cell subpopulations(hepatocytes and Kupffer cells)using immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).300 nm PSNPs were administered via gastric gavage or tail vein injection,and 70 nm PSNPs were injected via the portal vein.The cellular localization of PSNPs in the liver was analyzed using immunofluorescence.Subsequently,using AML-12 cells,a normal mouse liver cell line,as the parenchymal hepatocyte model,the uptake of PSNPs in AML-12 cells was analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscope(CLSM).Flow cytometry was performed to observe and quantify PSNPs uptake,and to analyze the underlying endocytosis mechanisms.IVIS was used to analyze PSNPs uptake features in vivo.Finally,using mouse macrophage line RAW264.7 as a Kupffer cell model and AML-12 cells as a parenchymal hepatocyte model,the cell-type-specific toxic effects induced by 100 μg/ml PSNPs were examined through transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses.Results IVIS revealed predominant hepatic accumulation of PSNPs regardless of exposure pathways via intragastric gavage or tail vein injection.Immunofluorescence/TEM demonstrated exposure pathway-dependent cellular distribution:intragastric PSNPs were localized mainly in hepatocytes,while intravenous PSNPs were accumulated in Kupffer cells.Changes in particle size(300 nm vs.70 nm)did not alter the cellular distribution pattern,while 70 nm PSNPs injected via the portal vein accumulated in Kupffer cells,which suggested that the cell-type-specific distribution of PSNPs in the liver was independent of PSNPs size and might be related to the transport of PSNPs in the gastrointestinal tract.Flow cytometry showed that PSNPs uptake by AML-12 was time-dependent and that the underlying endocytosis mechanism involved pathways mediated by clathrin(P<0.000 1),macropinocytosis(P=0.002 6),and lipid rafts(P<0.000 1).Findings on PSNPs distribution in blood revealed that the uptake of PSNPs by hepatocytes exhibited a rate saturation phenomenon.Multi-omics analysis identified distinct toxicity patterns:PSNPs disrupted lipid metabolism and neurotransmitter homeostasis in AML-12 cells and induced inflammation and oxidative stress in Kupffer cells.Conclusion Exposure pathways mediate the hepatic cell-type-specific distribution of PSNPs,thereby altering the downstream toxicological consequences induced by exposure to PSNPs.
7.Effect of insecure attachment on internet addiction in college students: the chain mediating pathway of self-compassion and psychological resilience
Xumei PENG ; Zhiyue CAO ; Nvshi ZHOU ; Chengcheng LIU ; Jing YAO
Sichuan Mental Health 2025;38(6):548-553
BackgroundInternet addiction poses serious harm to the physical and mental health of college students. Insecure attachment is one of the key factors of internet addiction, while self-compassion and psychological resilience serve as crucial psychological factors closely related to it. However, the chain mediating role of self-compassion and psychological resilience between insecure attachment and college students' internet addiction remains unclear. ObjectiveTo explore the mediating role of self-compassion and psychological resilience in the relationship between insecure attachment and internet addiction in college students, so as to provide references for the prevention and intervention of internet addiction in this population. MethodsFrom November 2023 to February 2024, a total of 1 380 college students were recruited using a cluster sampling method from two universities in Sichuan Province. The assessment was conducted using the Chinese Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS), the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR), and the Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents (RSCA). Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to examine the correlations of the scores of each scale. Model 6 in Process 4.2 was used to test the mediating roles of self-compassion and psychological resilience in the relationship between insecure attachment and internet addiction among college students. ResultsA total of 1 232 (89.28%) college students completed the valid questionnaire survey. The ECR score was positively correlated with the CIAS score (r=0.299, P<0.01), and SCS score was positively correlated with the RSCA score (r=0.299, P<0.01). The ECR score was negatively correlated with both SCS score and RSCA score (r=-0.122、-0.147,P<0.01); the SCS score was negatively correlated with both RSCA score and CIAS score (r=-0.238、-0.263, P<0.01). Self-compassion and psychological resilience were the pathways between insecure attachment and internet addiction, with effect sizes of 0.015 (95% CI: 0.007–0.023) and 0.010 (95% CI: 0.004–0.017), respectively. Self-compassion and psychological resilience played chain mediating role between insecure attachment and internet addiction, with effect sizes of 0.003 (95% CI: 0.001–0.006). ConclusionInsecure attachment can directly affect internet addiction in college students, and it can also influence internet addiction through independent pathway of self-compassion and psychological resilience, as well as the chain mediating pathways involving both self-compassion and psychological resilience.
8.Study of an Assessment Tool for Social Care Needs of Terminal Patients at Home and its reliability and validity
Yao XIAO ; Xiaotian ZHANG ; Yongting WEI ; Yinghui MA ; Ni GONG ; Jing YANG ; Zishen WANG ; Peng YUE
Chinese Journal of Nursing 2025;60(1):99-105
Objective A Social Care Needs Assessment Tool for Terminal Patients at Home is constructed and tested for its reliability and validity.Methods In view of the Social Ecosystem Theoiy,based on the semi-structured interviews,participatory observation and literature analysis of the social care needs of terminal patients at home,a questionnaire item pool was formed.Through 3 rounds of Delphi expert consultations,the initial version of the tool was formed.From April to December 2023,a convenient sampling method was used to select 504 terminal patients from 22 hospitals in 5 provinces as the research subjects.The reliability and validity of the tool were tested.Result The constructed tool in this study contained 3 dimensions:micro,meso,macro,with a total of 34 items.Cronbach's α of the tool was 0.966 and split-half reliability was 0.877;I-CVI at the item level was 0.875~1.000 and S-CVI/Ave was 0.989;the exploratory factor analysis results showed that the factors load of each dimension were greater than 0.4;the results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the tool had good fitting degree.Conclusion The reliability and validity of the nursing-based social care needs assessment tool for terminal patients at home constructed in this study are good,and it can provide a valid tool for healthcare professionals to assess the home-based social care needs of terminal patients.
9.Machine learning models based on ultrasound radiomics for preoperatively distinguishing atypical parathyroid tumors/parathyroid carcinoma and parathyroid adenoma
Chunrui LIU ; Peng WAN ; Haiyan XUE ; Yidan ZHANG ; Wenxian LI ; Jian HE ; Zhengyang ZHOU ; Jing YAO
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging Technology 2025;41(6):908-913
Objective To observe the value of machine learning(ML)models based on ultrasound radiomics for preoperatively distinguishing atypical parathyroid tumor(APT)/parathyroid carcinoma(PC)and parathyroid adenoma(PA).Methods Totally 330 primary hyperparathyroidism patients who underwent surgical treatments were retrospectively enrolled and categorized into APT/PC group(n=78)and PA group(n=252)according to surgical pathology and clinical follow-up results,also divided into training set(n=231)and test set(n=99)at the ratio of 7∶3.Based on preoperative ultrasound,545 radiomics features were extracted,and recursive feature elimination(RFE),Kruskal-Wallis or analysis of variance methods were used to screen the features,respectively.Support vector machine(SVM),linear discriminant analysis(LDA),least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression(LRLASSO),also random forest(RF)and decision tree(DT)algorithms were adopted to construct ML models for differentiating APT/PC and PA,respectively.Then the models were trained in training set,their performance were verified in test set,and a 5-fold cross-validation was adopted to screen out the better combinations.Results Compared with Kruskal-Wallis and analysis of variance methods,the distinguishing efficacy of SVM,LDA,LRLASSO,RF and DT models constructed based on features screened out using RFE method in training set(area under the curve[AUC]=0.870,0.878,0.850,0.847,1.000)and test set(AUC=0.856,0.842,0.827,0.847 and 0.704)were all relatively higher.In test set,the AUC of SVM,LDA,LRLASSO and RF models constructed based on the features screened out using RFE method(included 25,23,17 and 23 features)were all higher than that of DT model(8 features)(all P<0.001).No significant difference of AUC was found between SVM,LRLASSO or RF models and LDA model(all P>0.05).The AUC of SVM and RF models were higher than that of LRLASSO model(both P<0.05),while of SVM and RF models were not significantly different(P>0.05),indicating that SVM,LDA and RF models were better ones.Conclusion SVM,LDA,LRLASSO,RF and DT models based on ultrasound radiomics could effectively distinguish APT/PC and PA preoperatively,among which SVM,LDA and RF models had better diagnostic efficacy.
10.CT manifestations of unicentric Castleman disease in children
Jing YAO ; Xuehua PENG ; Jianbo SHAO
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging Technology 2025;41(10):1637-1640
Objective To observe CT manifestations of unicentric Castleman disease(UCD)in children.Methods Totally 7 children with solitary UCD confirmed by postoperative pathology were retrospectively enrolled,and CT manifestations of lesions were observed.Results The lesions presented as circular mass,with smooth,regular and clear edge in all 7 cases,the maximum diameter of lesions was 15.1-74.3 mm,and the average diameter was(42.57±19.05)mm.Among 7 cases,lesions located in the neck,mediastinum and abdominal cavity each in 2 cases,respectively,while in 1 case located in inguinal area.Non-enhanced CT showed soft tissue density lesion in all 7 cases including 6 with uniform density without bleeding,calcification or necrosis,while lesion in mediastinum had short linear high-density calcification in 1 case.Satellite lesions around the mass were noticed in 6 cases.After enhanced scanning,in arterial phase lesions moderately enhanced in 4 cases and significantly enhanced in 3 cases,which all significantly enhanced in venous phase,and abundant small blood vessels around lesions were observed in all 7 cases,while fissure signs were observed in 3 cases.Conclusion UCD in children presented as soft tissue mass with clear boundary,uniform density and significant enhancement on CT,with abundant nourishing blood vessels and satellite lesions around,while some with calcifications and fissure signs.

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