Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of black blood computed tomography(BBCT)in vulnerable plaques at the carotid bifurcation.Methods The imaging data of 73 patients with suspected carotid atherosclerosis were retrospectively analyzed.The signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)of conventional computed tomography angiography(CTA)ima-ges and BBCT images were compared by paired sample t-test.The 5-level scoring method was applied to evaluate the image quality subjectively,and the Friedman test was used to compare the differences in the subjective evaluation of image quality among the groups.Taking high-resolution magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging(HRMR-VWI)as the gold standard,the diagnostic value between BBCT and conventional CTA was compared,and the consistency of BBCT and HRMR-VWI in the evaluation of vulnerable plaques was calculated.Results The standard deviation(SD)value of BBCT images was lower than that of conventional three-phase CTA images,indicating better quality of BBCT images(P＜0.001).The mean CT value and CNRplaque-lumen of non-calcified plaques were higher in BBCT images than those in conventional three-phase CTA images,suggesting that BBCT had a higher contrast with sur-rounding tissues and could better display the fine structure of non-calcified plaques(P＜0.001).BBCT images achieved the highest scores in the subjective evaluation of image quality(P＜0.001).Compared with conventional CTA images,BBCT had higher sensi-tivity(88.2％vs 29.4％)and accuracy(90.9％vs 54.5％)in identifying vulnerable plaques(P＜0.001).The Kappa value between BBCT and HRMR-VWI was 0.813,showed good consistency.Conclusion The image quality of neck BBCT is superior to that of conventional CTA.BBCT has a better effect than conventional CTA in identifying vulnerable plaques at the carotid bifurcation,which is comparable to HRMR-VWI.

Objective A binary Logistic regression model was developed to forecast the pathological grade of invasive adenocarcino-ma by utilizing the CT characteristics of lung nodules.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data,pathological types,and imaging findings of 303 cases of ground-glass nodules diagnosed with postoperative pathological infiltrative adenocarcinoma at the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan Polytechnic University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College from January 2021 to February 2023.Based on the pathological results,these lesions were categorized into two groups:the low-grade group(compri-sing 262 cases characterized by adherent,acinar,or papillary types as predominant forms of adenocarcinoma with no more than 20％high-grade pattern)and the high-grade group(consisting of 41 cases exhibiting any form of adenocarcinoma with over 20％high-grade components).The Mann-Whitney U test was employed to compare quantitative parameters between both groups,while qualitative parameters were analyzed using the x2 test.Additionally,binary Logistic regression models were utilized to identify independent predictors;further evaluation included area under curve(AUC)values,calibration curves,and decision analysis curves to assess model differentia-tion,calibration accuracy,and clinical applicability.Results Univariate analysis revealed that gender,air bronchial sign,vacuole sign,vascular cluster sign,pleural depression sign,long diameter,short diameter,and CT-enhanced net increment exhibited statistical signifi-cance(P＜0.05),whereas location,burr sign,and solid component ratio did not demonstrate statistical significance(P＞0.05).Binary Logistic regression analysis identified long diameter,CT-enhanced net increment,vascular cluster sign,pleural depression sign,and vacu-ole sign as independent predictors of the pathological grade model for invasive adenocarcinoma.The results of ROC curve analysis indicated that the AUC value of the Logistic regression model was 0.846 with a sensitivity of 81.25％and specificity of 86.52％.Conclusion The logistic regression model based on CT signs has excellent ability and stability in predicting the pathological grade of invasive adenocarcinoma.

Objective:To compare bowel preparation quality between 2.0 L and 1.5 L polyethylene glycol (PEG) regimens with optimized dietary restrictions.Methods:This study was a randomized controlled trial conducted in three hospitals: the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University ( n=57), Huadong Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University ( n=30), and General Hospital of Northern Theater Command ( n=30) from May 5th to 30th, 2024. Participants consumed food for special medical purpose one day before examination or therapeutic colonoscopy and were randomized to receive either 2.0 L PEG (group A) or 1.5 L PEG (group B). Outcomes included the completion rate of bowel preparation, the adequate/excellent bowel preparation rate, Boston bowel preparation scale scores, the subject/endoscopist satisfaction, the willingness to repeat the preparation regimen, and incidence of adverse events. Results:A total of 60 subjects in group A and 57 in group B were included. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics between the two groups ( P>0.05). The adequate bowel preparation rate [81.7% (49/60) VS 64.9% (37/57), χ2=4.21, P=0.040] and endoscopist satisfaction [88.3% (53/60) VS 70.2% (40/57), χ2=5.91, P=0.015] in group A were significantly higher than those in group B. There were no significant differences in bowel preparation completion rates, the excellent bowel preparation rate, the bowel preparation score, subject satisfaction, willingness to repeat the preparation regimen, or incidence of adverse events ( P>0.05). Conclusion:When combined with optimized dietary restrictions, 2.0 L PEG provides superior bowel preparation quality compared with 1.5 L PEG.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of black blood computed tomography(BBCT)in vulnerable plaques at the carotid bifurcation.Methods The imaging data of 73 patients with suspected carotid atherosclerosis were retrospectively analyzed.The signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)of conventional computed tomography angiography(CTA)ima-ges and BBCT images were compared by paired sample t-test.The 5-level scoring method was applied to evaluate the image quality subjectively,and the Friedman test was used to compare the differences in the subjective evaluation of image quality among the groups.Taking high-resolution magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging(HRMR-VWI)as the gold standard,the diagnostic value between BBCT and conventional CTA was compared,and the consistency of BBCT and HRMR-VWI in the evaluation of vulnerable plaques was calculated.Results The standard deviation(SD)value of BBCT images was lower than that of conventional three-phase CTA images,indicating better quality of BBCT images(P＜0.001).The mean CT value and CNRplaque-lumen of non-calcified plaques were higher in BBCT images than those in conventional three-phase CTA images,suggesting that BBCT had a higher contrast with sur-rounding tissues and could better display the fine structure of non-calcified plaques(P＜0.001).BBCT images achieved the highest scores in the subjective evaluation of image quality(P＜0.001).Compared with conventional CTA images,BBCT had higher sensi-tivity(88.2％vs 29.4％)and accuracy(90.9％vs 54.5％)in identifying vulnerable plaques(P＜0.001).The Kappa value between BBCT and HRMR-VWI was 0.813,showed good consistency.Conclusion The image quality of neck BBCT is superior to that of conventional CTA.BBCT has a better effect than conventional CTA in identifying vulnerable plaques at the carotid bifurcation,which is comparable to HRMR-VWI.

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy between liposuction combined with circumareolar small incision and three-port endoscopic surgery for the treatment of Simon Ⅱ gynecomastia (GYN). Methods Comparative case data of 120 patients with GYN were retrospectively analyzed, 61 patients in the open group underwent circumareolar small incision mastectomy after liposuction, and 59 patients in the endoscopic group underwent three-port endoscopic mastectomy after liposuction. The two groups were compared in terms of surgery-related indexes, occurrence of postoperative complications and patient satisfaction. Results The unilateral operation time of the open group was shorter than that of the endoscopic group, the unilateral gland resection weight in the open group was more than that in the endoscopic group, the hospitalization cost of the open group was less than that of the endoscopic group (all P<0.01). There was no significant difference in unilateral liposuction volume, drainage volume on the first postoperative day, and time to drain removal between the two groups (P>0.05). The incidence of complications in the open group and the endoscopic group were 8.2% and 13.6% respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). The difference in the overall satisfaction scores between the two groups was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusions Liposuction combined with circumareolar small incision or three-port endoscopic surgery both has good cosmetic effects in the treatment of Simon Ⅱ GYN. The operation with circumareolar small incision is simple, has a shorter operation time, costs less, and does not require special equipment, which is suitable for promotion and application in medical institutions.

Objective A binary Logistic regression model was developed to forecast the pathological grade of invasive adenocarcino-ma by utilizing the CT characteristics of lung nodules.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data,pathological types,and imaging findings of 303 cases of ground-glass nodules diagnosed with postoperative pathological infiltrative adenocarcinoma at the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan Polytechnic University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College from January 2021 to February 2023.Based on the pathological results,these lesions were categorized into two groups:the low-grade group(compri-sing 262 cases characterized by adherent,acinar,or papillary types as predominant forms of adenocarcinoma with no more than 20％high-grade pattern)and the high-grade group(consisting of 41 cases exhibiting any form of adenocarcinoma with over 20％high-grade components).The Mann-Whitney U test was employed to compare quantitative parameters between both groups,while qualitative parameters were analyzed using the x2 test.Additionally,binary Logistic regression models were utilized to identify independent predictors;further evaluation included area under curve(AUC)values,calibration curves,and decision analysis curves to assess model differentia-tion,calibration accuracy,and clinical applicability.Results Univariate analysis revealed that gender,air bronchial sign,vacuole sign,vascular cluster sign,pleural depression sign,long diameter,short diameter,and CT-enhanced net increment exhibited statistical signifi-cance(P＜0.05),whereas location,burr sign,and solid component ratio did not demonstrate statistical significance(P＞0.05).Binary Logistic regression analysis identified long diameter,CT-enhanced net increment,vascular cluster sign,pleural depression sign,and vacu-ole sign as independent predictors of the pathological grade model for invasive adenocarcinoma.The results of ROC curve analysis indicated that the AUC value of the Logistic regression model was 0.846 with a sensitivity of 81.25％and specificity of 86.52％.Conclusion The logistic regression model based on CT signs has excellent ability and stability in predicting the pathological grade of invasive adenocarcinoma.

Objective:To compare bowel preparation quality between 2.0 L and 1.5 L polyethylene glycol (PEG) regimens with optimized dietary restrictions.Methods:This study was a randomized controlled trial conducted in three hospitals: the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University ( n=57), Huadong Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University ( n=30), and General Hospital of Northern Theater Command ( n=30) from May 5th to 30th, 2024. Participants consumed food for special medical purpose one day before examination or therapeutic colonoscopy and were randomized to receive either 2.0 L PEG (group A) or 1.5 L PEG (group B). Outcomes included the completion rate of bowel preparation, the adequate/excellent bowel preparation rate, Boston bowel preparation scale scores, the subject/endoscopist satisfaction, the willingness to repeat the preparation regimen, and incidence of adverse events. Results:A total of 60 subjects in group A and 57 in group B were included. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics between the two groups ( P>0.05). The adequate bowel preparation rate [81.7% (49/60) VS 64.9% (37/57), χ2=4.21, P=0.040] and endoscopist satisfaction [88.3% (53/60) VS 70.2% (40/57), χ2=5.91, P=0.015] in group A were significantly higher than those in group B. There were no significant differences in bowel preparation completion rates, the excellent bowel preparation rate, the bowel preparation score, subject satisfaction, willingness to repeat the preparation regimen, or incidence of adverse events ( P>0.05). Conclusion:When combined with optimized dietary restrictions, 2.0 L PEG provides superior bowel preparation quality compared with 1.5 L PEG.

Objective:To assess the predictive value of a combined multiclassification model for computed tomography(CT)in the patholo-gical analysis of ground-glass nodules(GGN).Methods:Pulmonary GGN lesions that were pathologically confirmed as invasive adenocar-cinoma(IAC),minimally invasive adenocarcinoma(MIA),adenocarcinoma in situ(AIS),and preinvasive lesions(PILs),were collected from pa-tients who were treated at The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University between February 2019 and March 2023.A total of 324 nodules were retrospectively collected from 285 patients,and divided into three groups:infiltrating IAC,MIA,and PILs.Radiomics and clinical-CT features were selected through recursive feature elimination and univariate Logistic regression.Seven models were constructed using Logistic regression(LR),support vector machine(SVM),random forest(RF),and integrative learning(stacking).Results:The hybrid model combining clinical-CT-radiomics features and an integrative strategy showed superior predictive performance,with an accuracy of 0.791,precision of 0.788,specificity of 0.857,recall of 0.790,and F1-Score of 0.789.Conclusions:The multiclassification joint model based on CT-radiomics is effective in predicting pathological classification of pulmonary GGNs.This model aids in accurate imaging diagnosis and can provide a basis for optimizing treatment plans.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels and white matter high signal and non-dementia vascular cognitive dysfunction in patients with cerebral small vascular disease (CSVD).Methods:Total 106 patients with CSVD who were admitted to the Department of Neurology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College from April 2019 to December 2020 were enrolled.They were divided into vascular cognitive impairment no dementia group (VCIND group, n=47) and no vascular cognitive impairment group (N-VCI group, n=59)according to mini-mental assessment scale (MMSE), Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scale and activity of daily living scale (ADL). Serum VEGF levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The baseline data, serum VEGF levels, MoCA score and Fazekas score were compared between the two groups.The correlation between serum VEGF level and white matter high signal and cognitive function was analyzed.SPSS 19.0 software was used for data processing.The statistical methods were t-test, Chi square test, nonparametric test, Logistic regression analysis, Pearson correlation analysis and Spearman correlation analysis. Results:There were significant differences in serum VEGF level((464.18±114.58)pg/mL, (414.17±45.80)pg/mL, F=22.880), MoCA score((13.07±6.48), (20.17±4.06), F=17.920) and Fazekas score (4(3, 5), 3(1, 3), Z=-4.189)between the two groups (all P<0.05). The level of VEGF( β=0.008, OR=1.008, 95% CI=1.001-1.015, P<0.05) was the influencing factor of cognitive function in patients with CSVD .The level of VEGF was negatively correlated with the total score of MoCA, attention and calculation power, and orientation ability ( r=-0.345, -0.373, -0.445, all P<0.05) and it was positively correlated with the total Fazekas score and the Fazekas score of paraventricular and deep white matter ( r=0.392, 0.495, 0.302, all P<0.05). There was a linear trend between the high signal grade of paraventricular and deep white matter and VCIND (both P<0.05). Conclusion:Serum VEGF level is correlated with cognitive function and white matter hyperintensity in patients with CSVD.The increase of VEGF level may be a factor reflecting cognitive dysfunction.In addition, with the increase of white matter hyperintensity level, the risk of VCIND in CSVD is increased.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) level and the location and severity of bleeding in patients with cerebral microbleeds(CMBs).Methods:A total of 60 CMBs patients admitted to the Department of Neurology of the First Affiliated Hospital of the Xinxiang Medical University from January 2019 to August 2020 were selected as subjects as the CMBs group, and 60 healthy controls without nervous system diseases in outpatient physical examination during the same period were selected as the control group. The clinical data and biochemical indicators of the two groups were collected. Serum MMP-9 levels were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). According to susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI), CMBs patients were divided into grade 1 group ( n=24), grade 2 group ( n=19) and grade 3 group ( n=17), and according to the micro analytical rating scale (MARS), the CMBs patients were divided into the lobar group ( n=19), the deep or infratentorial group ( n=17) and the mixed group ( n=24).The relationship between serum MMP-9 level and the location and severity of CMBs was analyzed. SPSS 19.0 software was used for data statistical analysis.One-way ANOVA, t-test and rank sum test were used for comparison. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors. Pearson correlation analysis and Spearman correlation analysis were used for correlation analysis. Results:The level of MMP-9 in CMBs group was significantly higher than that in control group (208.13(142.25, 285.88) μg/L, 149.50(93.40, 186.51)μg/L), and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Serum MMP-9 level was a risk factor of CMBs ( β=1.322, OR=3.750, 95% CI=2.038-7.997, P=0.002). The difference of level of MMP-9 in different severity of CMBs was statistically significant (147.55(109.25, 266.47)μg/L, 242.12(147.55, 288.80)μg/L, 270.42(203.43, 364.27)μg/L, P=0.017). Serum MMP-9 level was positively correlated with the number of CMBs ( r=0.371, P=0.003). The difference of MMP-9 level of CMBs in different locations were statistically significant (249.77(158.43, 338.46)μg/L, 188.83(138.52, 243.15)μg/L, 210.65(144.25, 255.78)μg/L, P=0.013). The increased serum MMP-9 level was a risk factor for CMBs( β=0.401, OR=1.122, 95% CI=1.004-1.204, P=0.036). Conclusion:The increased level of serum MMP-9 may be a risk factor of CMBs, especially for CMBs in cerebral lobesand, and the level of MMP-9 is positively correlated with the severity of CMBs.