We report a case of a male patient who developed persistent fever and central nervous system symptoms after eating raw snails for 10 days. The patient was diagnosed with Angiostrongyliasis depended on the clinical presentation, epidemiological history, and etiological results. The patient recovered after receiving albendazole anthelmintic and dexamethasone anti-inflammatory therapy. This article incorporates literature review to sort out the diagnosis and treatment of this patient, in order to provide feasible reference for clinicians.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Jiaohong pills （JHP） and its prescription， Pericarpium Zanthoxyli （PZ） and Rehmanniae Radix （RR） cognitive dysfunction in scopolamine-induced Alzheimer's disease （AD） mice and its mechanism through pharmacodynamic and metabolomics study. MethodThe animal model of AD induced by scopolamine was established and treated with PZ， RG and JHP， respectively. The effects of JHP and its formulations were investigated by open field test， water maze test， object recognition test， avoidance test， cholinergic system and oxidative stress related biochemical test. Untargeted metabolomics analysis of cerebral cortex was performed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-Quadrupole/Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry （UPLC Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS）. ResultThe behavioral data showed that， compared with the model group， the discrimination indexes of the high dose of JHP， PZ and RR groups was significantly increased （P<0.05）. The staging rate of Morris water maze test in the PZ， RR， high and low dose groups of JHP was significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， the crossing numbers in the PZ， JHP high and low dose groups were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）； the number of errors in the avoidance test were significantly reduced in the PZ and high-dose JHP groups （P<0.01）， and the error latencies were significantly increased in the JHP and its prescription drug groups （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the activities of acetylcholinesterase in the cerebral cortex of the two doses of JHP group and the PZ group were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the activity of acetylcholinesterase in the high-dose JHP group was significantly decreased （P<0.05）， and the level of acetylcholine was significantly increased （P<0.01）. At the same time， the contents of malondialdehyde in the serum of the two dose groups of JHP decreased significantly （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The results of metabolomics study of cerebral cortex showed that 149 differential metabolites were identified between the JHP group and the model group， which were involved in neurotransmitter metabolism， energy metabolism， oxidative stress and amino acid metabolism. ConclusionJHP and its prescription can antagonize scopolamine-induced cognitive dysfunction， regulate cholinergic system， and reduce oxidative stress damage. The mechanism of its therapeutic effect on AD is related to the regulation of neurotransmitter， energy， amino acid metabolism， and improvement of oxidative stress.

OBJECTIVE To assess the long-term cost-effectiveness of five glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists （GLP- 1RAs） in the treatment of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） treated with metformin. METHODS Baseline data from patients in previously published meta-analysis and included randomized controlled trials （RCTs） were extracted to predict survival， long-term efficacy， and costs for each group using the United Kingdom prospective diabetes study outcome model 2.1. The cost-effectiveness of 5 GLP-1RAs （liraglutide， lixisenatide， exenatide， dulaglutide， and semaglutide） was analyzed by cost- utility analysis. Sensitivity analysis and scenario analysis were also performed to verify the uncertainty of basic analysis results. RESULTS A total of 21 RCTs with 6 796 patients were included. Survival analysis curves showed the superiority of semaglutide in reducing the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and dulaglutide in reducing the risk of all-cause mortality over other GLP- 1RAs. The cost-utility analysis showed that the five drugs were economically superior to inferior in the order of lixisenatide， semaglutide， exenatide， dulaglutide， and liraglutide； one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses indicated that the results were robust. The scenario analysis results indicated that the price of semaglutide should decrease by at least 54.64% to 369.21 yuan， which is cost-effectiveness compared to lixisenatide. CONCLUSIONS For T2DM patients in China with poor glycemic control after treatment with metformin， lixisenatide and semaglutide may be considered as the preferred regimen.

We report a case of a male patient who developed persistent fever and central nervous system symptoms after eating raw snails for 10 days. The patient was diagnosed with Angiostrongyliasis depended on the clinical presentation, epidemiological history, and etiological results. The patient recovered after receiving albendazole anthelmintic and dexamethasone anti-inflammatory therapy. This article incorporates literature review to sort out the diagnosis and treatment of this patient, in order to provide feasible reference for clinicians.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of Bairui Granules （百蕊颗粒） in the treatment of acute pharyngitis with wind-heat syndrome. MethodsA multicenter， double-blind， double-simulation， randomised controlled trial was conducted， in which 162 patients with acute pharyngitis and wind-heat syndrome from 7 centers were recruited， and each center was divided into trial group and control group on the ratio of 2∶1. In the trial group， 108 cases were orally administered with Bairui Granules plus Reyanning Granules （热炎宁颗粒） simulant， and in the control group， 54 cases were orally administered with Reyanning Granules plus Bairui Granules simulant for 5 days， with a follow-up visit on the 6th day. Full analysis set （FAS） analysis and per protocol set （PPS） were used for analysis， respectively. The primary efficacy index was the disappearance rate of sore throat after 5-day treatment； the secondary efficacy indexes were the disappearance rate of sore throat after 3-day treatment， as well as the visual analogue score （VAS） of sore throat before treatment， every day during the treatment， and follow-up on day 6， and the traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score was performed before treatment and at the follow-up on day 6. The effectiveness on TCM syndrome was evaluated at the follow-up on day 6， and the changes of vital signs， blood routine， urine routine， liver functions， kidney function， the adverse events before and after the treatment were recorded， and safety analysis set （SS） was analysed. Results162 patients entered the FAS and SS analyses， and 158 cases （105 cases in the trial group and 53 cases in the control group） entered the PPS analysis. FAS analysis showed that the disappearance rate of sore throat after 5-day treatment was 80.56% （87/108） in the trial group and 64.81% （35/54） in the control group， and the difference between groups was statistically significant （χ² = 5.10， P = 0.0239）. PPS analysis showed that the disappearance rate of sore throat after 5-day treatment was 80.00% （84/105） in the trial group and 64.15% （34/53） in the control group， and the difference between groups was statistically significant （χ² =4.85， P = 0.0277）. FAS and SS analyses both showed that the difference in disappearance rate of sore throat between groups on 3-day treatment was not statistically significant （P＞0.05）. Compared with those before treatment， the VAS scores of sore throat were lower in both groups during treatment on day 2， 3， 4， 5， and follow-up on day 6 （P＜0.01）， but the difference between groups at each time point was not statistically significant （P＞0.05）. TCM syndrome scores of both groups at the follow-up were lower than that before treatment， and those of the trial group were lower than those of the control group （P＜0.01）. The cure rate and effective rate of TCM syndrome of the trial group were significantly higher than those of the control group （P＜0.01）. There was no significant difference in blood routine， urine routine， liver function， kidney function between groups before and after treatment （P＞0.05）， and no serious adverse events occured in both groups. ConclusionBairui Granules showed clinical effectiveness in the treatment of acute pharyngitis of wind-heat syndrome， and it could significantly improve the clinical symptoms， accelerate the disappearance time of sore throat with good safety.

ObjectiveTo determine the syndrome of a rat model of follicular dysplasia induced by Tripterygium glycosides based on prescriptions and investigate the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine intervention via the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR）/hypoxia-inducible factor-1 （HIF-1）/vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） pathway. MethodForty-eight rats with regular estrous cycles were randomly assigned into a normal group （n=8） and a modeling group （n=40）. The rats in the modeling group were administrated with Tripterygium glycoside suspension （75 mL·kg^-1） by gavage for 30 days. The modeled rats were assigned into model， Siwutang （3.69 g·kg^-1）， Youguiyin （3.11 g·kg^-1）， Zuoguiyin （7.29 g·kg^-1）， and Guishenwan （10.35 g·kg^-1） groups， with 8 rats in each group. The drug intervention lasted for 14 days. The changes of estrous cycle were detected by Pap staining， and a stereoscope was used to observe the morphology of the ovarian tissue. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe the pathological changes and follicle count in the ovarian tissue. Enzyme-related immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to measure the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， and estradiol （E₂） in the serum. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were employed to determine the mRNA and protein levels， respectively， of AMPK， mTOR， HIF-1， and VEGF in the ovarian tissue. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group had a disordered estrous cycle， reduced secondary and mature follicles， increased atretic follicles， elevated FSH and LH levels， lowered E₂ level， up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of AMPK， and down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of mTOR， HIF-1， and VEGF （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， Guishenwan increased secondary and mature follicles， decreased atretic follicles， lowered the FSH and LH levels， elevated the E₂ level， down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of AMPK， and up-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of mTOR， HIF-1， and VEGF （P<0.01）. Compared with Guishenwan group， Siwutang， Youguiyin， and Zuoguiyin decreased mature follicles， increased atretic follicles （P<0.01）， elevated the LH （P<0.01） and FSH （P<0.05） levels， and lowered the E₂ level （P<0.05）. In addition， Youguiyin up-regulated the protein level of AMPK （P<0.05） and down-regulated the mRNA levels of mTOR and HIF-1 （P<0.01） as well as the mRNA and protein levels of VEGF （P<0.01）. Siwutang down-regulated the mRNA levels of mTOR and HIF-1 as well as the mRNA and protein levels of VEGF （P<0.05）. Zuoguiyin down-regulated the mRNA level of mTOR and the protein and mRNA levels of VEGF （P<0.05）. ConclusionGuishenwan may improve the ovarian function and promote follicle maturation in a rat model of follicular dysplasia by inhibiting the AMPK/mTOR/HIF-1/VEGF pathway， with the therapeutic effect superior to Zuoguiyin， Youguiyin， and Siwutang. It was hypothesized that this model presented the syndrome of kidney-essence deficiency.

Objective To observe the value of energy spectrum CT angiography(CTA)optimal single energy imaging combined with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction V(ASIR-V)for optimizing visualization of thoracodorsal artery(TDA).Methods Energy spectrum CTA was prospectively performed in 60 patients to observe TDA.The images were reconstructed as 120 kVp-like combined with 40%post-set ASIR-V(group A),as well as totally 18 kinds of single energy images ranging from 45 to 70 keV(with interval of 5 keV)combined with 40%,60%and 80%post-set ASIR-V(group B),and the subjective and objective evaluation results of the images were compared between and within groups.Results Under the same post-set ASIR-V weight,significant differences of subjective scores of axial and 3D images were found among different keV levels(all P＜0.001).With the increase of keV level,subjective scores of axial images increased first and then decreased,among which subjective score of 50 keV was the highest(all P＜0.001).Under the same keV levels,with the increase of ASIR-V weight,the subjective scores of overall axial images and 3D images for displaying the main trunk of TDA,as well as contrast-to-noise ratio of axillary artery increased(all P＜0.01).Conclusion Performing CTA using 50 keV single energy imaging combined with 80%ASIR-V reconstruction could balance image contrast and noise better,hence improving visualization of TDA and its branches.

Objective:To explore the effects of the auto-prescription technique combined with noise index (NI) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction algorithm-veo (ASIR-V) on the radiation dose and image quality in the computed tomographic angiography (CTA) of the deep inferior epigastric artery (DIEA).Methods:The data of 150 cases who underwent DIEP CTA in the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University were prospectively collected, and were randomized into groups A, B, and C, with 50 cases in each group. For group A, the conventional tube voltage was 120 kVp, and images were reconstructed using 40% ASIR-V. For group B, the tube voltage based on the auto-prescription technique was adopted, and images were reconstructed using 40%, 60%, and 80% ASIR-V (corresponding to the three subgroups B1-B3, respectively). For group C, the tube voltage based on the auto-prescription technique was employed, NI = 13, and images were reconstructed by 40%, 60%, and 80% ASIR-V (corresponding to subgroups C1, C2, and C3, respectively). Subsequently, the CT and SD values of the originating femoral artery of DIEA and the rectus abdominis at the same level as DIEA were measured on axial images of each group, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were calculated, and the radiation doses of the three groups were recorded. Finally, the image quality and noise of DIEA in each group were independently and subjectively scored by two radiologists in a blinded manner.Results:Compared to group A, groups B and C exhibited higher CT values of femoral artery ( t= -5.18, -5.17, -5.06, -6.08, -6.08, -6.07, P < 0.05) and higher image SNR and CNR ( P < 0.05), which increased gradually with the upgrading of ASIR-V ( F = 55.45, 49.70, 53.47, 68.89, P < 0.05). The two radiologists offered consistent subjective evaluations (Kappa = 0.76-0.92, P < 0.05). The images of groups B and C displayed more distinct perforating branches and emerging points of DIEA and received higher subjective scores of intramuscular course compared to those of group A. The subjective scores of image noise in subgroups B2, B3, and C2 were not significantly different from those in group A. The radiation doses in groups B and C decreased by 15.10% and 52.85%, respectively compared to those in group A ( H = 75.21, P < 0.05). Conclusion:The combination of the auto-prescription technique with NI = 13 and 60% ASIR-V can reduce the radiation dose by 52.85% while ensuring a clear display of DIEA.

Objective To explore the application value of deep learning image reconstruction(DLIR)algorithm in low-dose deep inferior epigastric artery(DIEA)computed tomography angiography(CTA).Methods A total of 59 patients undergoing DIEA CTA were prospectively selected and randomly divided into two groups:group A(29 cases)and group B(30 cases).Group A was the conventional radiation dose group(tube voltage 120 kVp),the tube current was dose modulation 3,and the iterative reconstruction algo-rithm was Karl 5.Group B was the low radiation dose group(tube voltage 120 kVp),the tube current was dose modulation 2,with DLIR reconstruction algorithm,and four levels of DLIR(1-4)were reconstructed and labeled as groups B1 to B4.The mean tube current,vol-ume CT dose index(CTDIvol),and dose length product(DLP)of group A and group B were recorded,and the effective dose(ED)was calculated.The CT and standard deviation(SD)values of the external iliac artery and psoas major muscle were measured on axial images of each group,and signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)were calculated.Two observers using double-blind method independently evaluated the DIEA on volume rendering(VR)and maximum intensity projection(MIP)images of each group using a 3-point scale,and a 5-point scale was used to evaluate the overall image quality on axial images.Results Compared with group A,the mean tube current and ED in group B were decreased by 39.33％and 44.09％,respectively(P＜0.05).With the increasing of DLIR level from groups B1 to B4,the SD value of the image gradually decreased,while SNR and CNR gradually increased(P＜0.05).The CNR in groups B3 and B4 was higher than that in group A(P＜0.05).The subjective scores of the two observers were consistent(Kappa value 0.779-0.889,P＜0.05),and there was no statistical significance between group A and group B in the perforating vessels from the DIEA,intramuscular course,and the point of emergence(P＞0.05).With the increase in DLIR level,the subjective score of the overall image quality from group B1 to group B4 showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing,and the score of group B3 was the highest(4.50±0.51)points,which had no statistical significance compared with group A(4.45±0.51)points(P＞0.05).Conclusion DLIR can effectively reduce the radiation dose of the DIEA CT A scan and ensure the image quality,among which DLIR 3 is the recommended best reconstruction grade.

Objective To explore the application value of 1 024×1 024 reconstruction matrix combined with iterative reconstruc-tion algorithm(Karl)in deep inferior epigastric artery(DIEA)computed tomography angiography(CTA).Methods A total of 40 patients who underwent DIEA CTA were prospectively selected and the original data were reconstructed by grouping.Group A was reconstructed using a conventional 512×512 matrix combined with Karl 5 grade.Group B was reconstructed using 1 024×1 024 recon-struction matrix combined with Karl 5,7,and 9 grades,respectively,and 3 subgroups B1-B3 were obtained.The CT and standard devia-tion(SD)values of the external iliac artery and psoas major muscle were measured on axial images,and signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)were calculated.A 3-point scale was used to evaluate the perforating vessels from the DIEA,intramuscular course,point of emergence,superficial inferior epigastric artery(SIEA)and superficial inferior epigastric vein(SIEV)on volume ren-dering(VR)and maximum intensity projection(MIP)images by two observers,and a 5-point scale was used to evaluate the overall image quality on axial images.Results With the increase of Karl grade in groups B1 to B3,the SD value of the external iliac artery decreased gradually(P＜0.05),while SNR and CNR increased gradually(P＜0.05).The SD values of the external iliac artery in group B2 and group B3 were lower than those in group A(P＜0.05),and SNR and CNR were higher than those in group A(P＜0.05).There was a good consistency in the subjective evaluation between the two observers(Kappa values=0.773-0.872,P＜0.05).The perforating vessels from the DIEA,intramuscular course,point of emergence,SIEA and SIEV display and overall image quality subjective scores of group B2 and group B3 were better than those of group A(P＜0.05),and the scores of group B2 showed the greatest improvement.Conclusion The 1 024 × 1 024 reconstruction matrix combined with the Karl 7 reconstruction algorithm can optimize the image quality and improve the display of the DIEA and perforator microvessels.