Objective To investigate how substrate stiffness regulates the morphology of primary cilia in chondrocytes and to illustrate how Piezo1 mediates the morphology regulation of primary cilia by substrate stiffness.Methods Polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)curing agent and the main agent(Dow Corning,Beijing,China)were mixed at the ratio of 1∶10(stiff),1∶50(medium stiffness),and 1∶70(soft),respectively,to prepare substrate films with the thickness of 1 mm at different levels of stiffness,including stiff substrate of(2.21±0.12)MPa,medium-stiffness substrate of(54.47±6.06)kPa,and soft substrate of(2.13±0.10)kPa.Chondrocytes were cultured with the substrates of three different levels of stiffness.Then,the cells were treated with Tubastatin A(Tub A)to inhibit histone deacetylase 6(HDAC6),Piezo1 activator Yoda1,and inhibitor GsMTx4,respectively.The effects of HDAC6,Yoda1,and GsMTx4 on chondrocyte morphology and the length of primary cilia were analyzed through immunofluorescence staining.Results The stiff substrate increased the spread area of the chondrocytes.Immunofluorescence assays showed that the cytoskeleton and the nuclear area of the cells on the stiff substrate were significantly increased(P<0.05)and the primary cilia were significantly extended(P<0.05)compared with those on the medium-stiffness and soft substrates.However,the presence rate of primary cilia was not affected.The HDAC6 activity of chondrocytes increased with the decrease in substrate stiffness.When the activity of HDAC6 was inhibited,the cytoskeletal area,the nuclei area,and the primary cilium length were increased more significantly on the stiff substrate(P<0.05).Further testing showed that Piezo1 activator and inhibitor could regulate the activity of HDAC6 in chondrocytes,and that the length of primary cilia was significantly increased after treatment with the activator Yoda1(P<0.05).On the other hand,the length of primary cilia was significantly shortened on the stiff substrate after treatment with the inhibitor GsMTx4(P<0.05).Conclusion Both substrate stiffness and Piezo1 may affect the morphology of chondrocyte primary cilia by regulating HDAC6 activity.

Objective: The current study reported a case series to illustrate the early computed tomography (CT) findings of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in pediatric patients. Materials and Methods: All pediatric patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and who underwent CT scan in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from January 20, 2020 to February 28, 2020 were included in the current study. Data on clinical and CT features were collected and analyzed. Results: Four children were included in the current study. All of them were asymptomatic throughout the disease course (ranging from 7 days to 15 days), and none of them showed abnormalities in blood cell counts. Familial cluster was the main transmission pattern. Thin-section CT revealed abnormalities in three patients, and one patient did not present with any abnormal CT findings. Unilateral lung involvement was observed in two patients, and one patient showed bilateral lung involvement. In total, five small lesions were identified, including ground-glass opacity (n = 4) and consolidation (n = 1). All lesions had ill-defined margins with peripheral distribution and predilection of lower lobe. Conclusion Small patches of ground-glass opacity with subpleural distribution and unilateral lung involvement were common findings on CT scans of pediatric patients in the early stage of the disease.

Objective: To identify predictors of pulmonary fibrosis development by combining follow-up thin-section CT findings and clinical features in patients discharged after treatment for COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study involved 32 confirmed COVID-19 patients who were divided into two groups according to the evidence of fibrosis on their latest follow-up CT imaging. Clinical data and CT imaging features of all the patients in different stages were collected and analyzed for comparison. Results: The latest follow-up CT imaging showed fibrosis in 14 patients (male, 12; female, 2) and no fibrosis in 18 patients (male, 10; female, 8). Compared with the non-fibrosis group, the fibrosis group was older (median age: 54.0 years vs. 37.0 years, p = 0.008), and the median levels of C-reactive protein (53.4 mg/L vs. 10.0 mg/L, p = 0.002) and interleukin-6 (79.7 pg/L vs. 11.2 pg/L, p = 0.04) were also higher. The fibrosis group had a longer-term of hospitalization (19.5 days vs. 10.0 days, p = 0.001), pulsed steroid therapy (11.0 days vs. 5.0 days, p < 0.001), and antiviral therapy (12.0 days vs. 6.5 days, p = 0.012). More patients on the worst-state CT scan had an irregular interface (59.4% vs. 34.4%, p = 0.045) and a parenchymal band (71.9% vs. 28.1%, p < 0.001). On initial CT imaging, the irregular interface (57.1%) and parenchymal band (50.0%) were more common in the fibrosis group. On the worst-state CT imaging, interstitial thickening (78.6%), air bronchogram (57.1%), irregular interface (85.7%), coarse reticular pattern (28.6%), parenchymal band (92.9%), and pleural effusion (42.9%) were more common in the fibrosis group. Conclusion Fibrosis was more likely to develop in patients with severe clinical conditions, especially in patients with highinflammatory indicators. Interstitial thickening, irregular interface, coarse reticular pattern, and parenchymal band manifested in the process of the disease may be predictors of pulmonary fibrosis. Irregular interface and parenchymal band could predict the formation of pulmonary fibrosis early.

Objective: To investigate the clinical values of colposcopy and cervical biopsy and/or endocervical curettage (ECC) in the diagnosis of cervical lesion. Methods: Clinical data of 128 cases of cervical lesion diagnosed by Xuzhou Cancer Hospital from January 23, 2014 to October 11, 2016 were collected and retrospectively analyzed, all patients underwent colposcopy and cervical biopsy and/or ECC. Results: Among them, the age between 30 to 50 years old were 70 cases, whose transformation zone types of Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ were 28 cases (40.0%), 23 cases (32.9%) and 19 cases (27.1%), respectively. The age older than 50 years were 45 cases, whose transformation zone types of Ⅱ and Ⅲ were 1 case (2.2%) and 44 cases (97.8%), respectively. Among the 128 cases of cervical lesions, diagnostic results of colposcopy showed that the chronic inflammation were 57 cases, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)Ⅰwere 35 cases, CINⅡor CINⅡ~Ⅲ were 8 cases, CIN Ⅲ were 5 cases and cervical cancer were 23 cases. Alternatively, the pathological results showed that the chronic inflammation were 81 cases, CINⅠwere 17 cases, CINⅡor CINⅡ~Ⅲ were 7 cases, CIN Ⅲ were 5 cases and cervical cancer were 18 cases, respectively. Among the 81 cases of chronic inflammation diagnosed by pathology, 52 cases (64.2%) were consistent with the diagnostic results of colposcopy. Among the 17 cases of low grade squamous epithelial cell lesion (LSIL) diagnosed by pathology, 10 cases were in agree with the diagnostic results of colposcopy. Among the 12 cases of high-grade squamous epithelial cell lesion (HSIL) diagnosed by pathology, 9 cases were concordant with the diagnostic results of colposcopy. Among the 18 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed by pathology, 17 cases were consistent with the diagnostic results of colposcopy. Conclusions The type of transformation zone is positively correlated with the age, and it can help to choose biopsy and therapeutic manner. The diagnostic accuracies of HSIL and early stage of cervical cancer by multi-point biopsy of colposcopy and/or ECC are high. The cervical lesions which are difficultly found by direct visualization can be identified by colposcopy, and thus provides objective evidence to determine the therapeutic manner for patients with stage ⅡA of cervical cancer.

Objective To investigate the value of new microvascular pattern of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the diagnosis of peripheral lung lesion.Methods A total of 72 peripheral lung lesions which had been proved by clinical and pathology results underwent conventional ultrasound,CEUS and new microvascular pattern examination.Two independent readers (Reader 1 and Reader 2) blindly and retrospectively analysised and classified the characteristic of microvascular patterns respectively,and Kappa test was used for evaluating the concordance between the two readers.The diagnosis accuracy of CEUS was calculated,and the CEUS diagnostic scores were compared with conventional ultrasound.Results 16 benign lesions and 56 malignant lesions were enrolled in this study.The microvascular patterns in benign lesions included branch enhancement(43.8 ％,31.3％),point and patchy enhancement (18.8％,25.0％) and rim-like enhancement (18.8％,18.8％).The microvascular patterns in malignant lesions included vascular enhancement (46.4％,57.1％),cotton enhancement (26.8％,25.0％) and dead wood enhancement (19.6％,8.9％).There was significant difference between benign and malignant lesions.Kappa result showed that the two readers had a good diagnosis concordance(Kappa=0.759,P =0.000).According to the different types of microvascular pattern,the diagnostic accuracy,sensitivity,and specificity rates of two readers were 92.9％,91.1％;81.3％,75.0％ and 90.3％,87.5％,respectively.Before CEUS,59.7％ and 68.1％ of lesions were diagnosed as 3 by two readers respectively,while only 1.4％ and 6.9％ of lesions were diagnosed as 3 after CEUS.Further analysis demonstrated that there was significant difference in the microvascular pattern between squamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma,and also between squamous carcinoma and small cell lung carcinoma.Conclusions Contrast-enhanced ultrasound could significantly increase the differential diagnosis of peripheral lung lesions.New microvascular pattern helped to display patterns of vascular perfusion.of peripheral lung lesions,and provide new diagnostic clue for differential diagnosis.