Objective To compare ablation ranges of single and double needle microwave ablation(MWA)of pig lung in vivo.Methods Five healthy Bama miniature pigs were enrolled.Single needle(single needle group)and parallel double needle MWA(double needle group)were performed successively on bilateral lungs,respectively.Adverse event during MWA was evaluated according to common terminology criteria for adverse events(CTCAE).The long diameter(D1CT),short diameter(D2CT),longitudinal diameter(D3CT)and volume(V)of ablation foci were measured and calculated based on CT images immediately after MWA,whereas D1,s D2s and sphericity of ablation foci were also obtained based on specimen and compared between groups.Results D1CT,D2CT,D3CT and V,as well as D1S,D2S and sphericity of ablation foci in single needle group were all significantly smaller than those in double needle group(all P＜0.01).Mild pneumothorax(CTCAE grade 1)was found in 1 pig(1/5,20.00%)in single needle group,while mild pneumothorax and pulmonary hemorrhage(both CTCAE grade 1)occurred in 1 pig(1/5,20.00%)in double needle group.No other adverse event was observed.Conclusion Compared with single needle MWA,double needle MWA of pig lung in vivo resulted larger ablation range and more spherically shaped ablation foci.

Objective:To investigate the levels of microRNA (miR) -106b-5p and miR-760 in the serum of early lung cancer patients, and the clinical value of the combination of them and low-dose spiral CT in the diagnosis of early lung cancer.Methods:Ninety early lung cancer patients (lung cancer group) who underwent treatment in Cangzhou People's Hospital of Hebei Province from January 2022 to March 2023 were collected as research subjects, meantime, 90 patients with benign pulmonary lesions (benign pulmonary nodules) diagnosed by pathology were selected as the control group. The levels of miR-106b-5p and miR-760 in the serum of two groups were compared, the results of low-dose spiral CT examination were analyzed; receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn to determine the optimal cut-off values of serum miR-106b-5p and miR-760; four grid table method was applied to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of serum miR-106b-5p, miR-760 combined with low-dose spiral CT for early lung cancer.Results:The level of miR-106b-5p in lung cancer group was higher than that in control group (1.39±0.31 vs. 1.04±0.30), serum miR-760 level was lower than that in control group (0.75±0.24 vs. 1.02±0.26), with statistically significant differences ( t=7.70, P<0.001; t=7.24, P<0.001). The area under curve (AUC) of miR-106b-5p, miR-760 and low-dose spiral CT in the diagnosis of early lung cancer was 0.83, 0.81 and 0.82, the accuracy was 76.67%, 77.22% and 81.67%, the sensitivity was 84.44%, 81.11% and 76.67%, and the specificity was 68.89%, 73.33% and 86.67%, respectively. The AUC, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of serum miR-106b-5p, miR-760 combined with low-dose spiral CT in diagnosing early lung cancer were 0.96, 90.00%, 94.44%, and 85.56%, respectively. The accuracy of the three combined diagnosis was higher than that of individual diagnosis of miR-106b-5p, miR-760 and low-dose spiral CT ( χ2=11.52, P=0.001; χ2=10.72, P=0.001; χ2=5.14, P=0.023), the sensitivity of the three combined diagnosis was higher than that of individual diagnosis of miR-106b-5p, miR-760 and low-dose spiral CT ( χ2=4.77, P=0.029; χ2=7.46, P=0.006; χ2=11.51, P=0.001), the specificity of the three combined diagnosis was higher than that of individual diagnosis of miR-106b-5p, miR-760 ( χ2=7.11, P=0.008; χ2=4.12, P=0.042) . Conclusion:The serum level of miR-106b-5p is significantly increased in early lung cancer patients, while the serum level of miR-760 is significantly reduced. The combination of miR-106b-5p, miR-760 and low-dose spiral CT has high diagnostic value for early lung cancer.

Objective To explore the nutritional efficacy of compound protein powder formulations from different sources. Methods Three groups of compound protein powder formulations were obtained through scientific blending using soy protein, whey protein and yeast protein as raw materials. The effects of the compound protein powders on nitrogen metabolism, serum biochemical indicators, and pathological changes of liver tissue and epididymal fat in rats were evaluated. Results Compared with the control (casein), the net protein utilization, biological evaluation, and protein efficacy ratio of the compound protein powders in rats were significantly improved, and the changes in these indicators in the formula with the highest whey protein content were most significant among all three formulas. The compound protein powders effectively increased the levels of albumin and globulin, while decreased the content of total cholesterol, indicating beneficial effects on improving immunity and controlling lipid metabolism, with the formula group 2 being the most effective among all three groups. The pathological examination showed that the three groups of protein powder did not have adverse effects on liver tissue and epididymal fat. Conclusion The present study demonstrates that the compound protein powder formulation has nutritional value, which suggests a potential of the application of the compound protein powder formulation in the elderly, and people with special nutritional needs, such as sports people.

Objective: To analyze the correlation between loss of smell/taste and the number of real confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide based on Google Trends data, and to explore the guiding role of smell/taste loss for the COVID-19 prevention and control. Methods: "Loss of smell" and "loss of taste" related keywords were searched in the Google Trends platform, the data were obtained from Jan. 1 2019 to Jul. 11 2021. The daily and newly confirmed COVID-19 case number were collected from World Health Organization (WHO) since Dec. 30 2019. All data were statistically analyzed by SPSS 23.0 software. The correlation was finally tested by Spearman correlation analysis. Results: A total of data from 80 weeks were collected. The retrospective analysis was performed on the new trend of COVID-19 confirmed cases in a total of 186 292 441 cases worldwide. Since the epidemic of COVID-19 was recorded on the WHO website, the relative searches related to loss of smell/taste in the Google Trends platform had been increasing globally. The global relative search volumes of "loss of smell" and "loss of taste" on Google Trends was 10.23±2.58 and 16.33±2.47 before the record of epidemic while 80.25±39.81 and 80.45±40.04 after (t value was 8.67, 14.43, respectively, both P<0.001). In the United States and India, the relative searches for "loss of smell" and "loss of taste" after the record of epidemic were also much higher than before (all P<0.001). The correlation coefficients between the trend of weekly new COVID-19 cases and the Google Trends of "loss of smell" in the global, United States, and India was 0.53, 0.76, and 0.82 respectively (all P<0.001), the correlation coefficients with Google Trends of "loss of taste" was 0.54, 0.78, and 0.82 respectively (all P<0.001). The lowest and highest point of loss of smell/taste search curves of Google Trends in different periods appeared 7 to 14 days earlier than that of the weekly newly COVID-19 confirmed cases curves, respectively. Conclusions: There is a significant positive correlation between the number of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide and the amount of keywords, such as "loss of smell" and "loss of taste", retrieved in Google Trends. The trend of big data based on Google Trends might predict the outbreak trend of COVID-19 in advance.
Ageusia ; Big Data ; COVID-19 ; Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; Internet ; Retrospective Studies ; Smell ; United States

Background: Dietary fiber is strongly recommended as the basic treatment for functional constipation according to global guidelines. However, a complete evaluation standard for the laxative functional food remains to be improved in China. Aims: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the laxative function of a compound fructose-oligosaccharide fiber granule, so as to provide evidence-based medical basis for the evaluation of laxative functional food. Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, parallel and controlled trial with placebo as control, 120 subjects with functional constipation were enrolled in 2 clinical research centers in Beijing, and randomly divided into experimental group and control group (60 cases in each group). Subjects in experimental group were given a compound fructose-oligosaccharide fiber granule dissolved in 50 mL water orally, 1 bag (9 g) per day for 2 weeks; while those in control group were given a placebo granule with the same appearance, specification and dosage as the experimental group. The bowel movement frequency per week, defecation status and stool consistency were recorded before and after the test, and the safety tests were completed. Results: After 2 weeks of treatment, the bowel movement frequency in experimental group increased by (1.63±1.57) times per week, the stool consistency assessed by Bristol stool form scale and the difficulty in defecation were also improved as compared with the baseline (all P<0.05). Furthermore, improvements in experimental group were superior to those in control group (all P<0.05). No allergic and other adverse events were reported during the test, and there were no significant changes in blood, urine, stool routine and blood biochemical indices before and after the test. Conclusions: The compound fructose-oligosaccharide fiber granule tested in this study is proved to have laxative effect and is safety for functional constipation. The testing program is scientific and of feasibility, and may provide a methodology basis for human oral administration trials of laxative functional food.

To investigate Streptococcus suis ( S.suis) isolated from patients in Shandong province using genomic epidemiology and pathogenologic analysis. To provide the foundation to establish reasonable and accurate prevention and control measures of human S. suis infection. Molecular typing, whole genome phylogenetic tree, virulence gene typing, antibiotic resistance profile and mobile genetic elements carrying antibiotic resistance genes of isolated S. suis strains were investigated. The pathogenicity of isolated strains was also evaluated by comparing their capacity to induce pro-inflammatory cytokine production in vitro. S. suis infections in Shandong province were predominantly due to serotype 2 and sequence type 1 strains. The major symptoms were meningitis. The studied strains could be divided into five lineages. All strains belong to highly pathogenic type in Shandong province,Strains from lineage 2 possessed higher capacity to stimulate pro-inflammatory cytokine production than other strains did, even though other strains belong to highly pathogenic strains. In addition, multiple antibiotic resistance genes and corresponding mobile genetic elements werewidespread in S. suis strains from Shandong province, except strains from lineage 3. High diversities in genome, evolutionary path and pathogenicity of S. suis strains from Shandong province were revealed. It was necessary to surveillant the S. suis strain in genomic level.

Objective:To study the diagnostic clues and significance in serous effusion cytology associated with lymphoblatic lymphoma/acute lymphoblastic leukemia (LBL/ALL).Methods:Forty-five serous effusion specimens with final diagnosis of LBL/ALL were collected from August 2011 to December 2019 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. All cases were reviewed for their clinical profiles, cytomorphologic features and ancillary studies. Cell blocks and immunocytochemistry were prepared in 22 cases; flow cytometric immunophenotyping was performed in three cases and gene rearrangement analysis (T-cell recepter, TCR and immunoglobulin, Ig) was performed in five cases.Results:Among the 45 cases, there were 35 males and 10 females with male to female ratio of 3.5∶1.0. The median age was 15 years. Mediastinal mass was the initial presentation in 39 patients (86.7%) and high LDL level were observed in 34 patients (75.6%). Microscopically, the majority of the specimens (86.7%) were hypercellular. The smears demonstrated dispersed lymphoblasts that were predominantly small to intermediate in size with scanty basophilic cytoplasm and irregular or convoluted nuclei with fine chromatin condensation and inconspicuous nucleoli. Mitoses were frequently observed. Karyorrhexis and apoptosis were seen in all cases. By immunophenotyping, TdT was expressed in 19 cases (86.4%) and CD99 in 20 cases (90.9%). Ki-67 expression varied from 65% to 95%. Flow cytometry in three cases demonstrated positivity for TdT, CD2, CD3 and CD7. Monoclonal TCR gene rearrangement was found in 4 of 5 cases, and both monoclonal TCR and Igκ gene were found in 1 case.Conclusions:In LBL/ALL, primary diagnosis could be made basing on clinical features (younger male patients with a mediastinum mass) and cytomorphology (monotonous, small to medium sized lymphoid cells with prominent irregular nuclei, fine chromatin and frequent mitoses, karyorrhexis and apoptosis). If immunocytochemistry and other ancillary studies are performed, the accuracy and reliability of the results could be improved.

To investigate Streptococcus suis ( S.suis) isolated from patients in Shandong province using genomic epidemiology and pathogenologic analysis. To provide the foundation to establish reasonable and accurate prevention and control measures of human S. suis infection. Molecular typing, whole genome phylogenetic tree, virulence gene typing, antibiotic resistance profile and mobile genetic elements carrying antibiotic resistance genes of isolated S. suis strains were investigated. The pathogenicity of isolated strains was also evaluated by comparing their capacity to induce pro-inflammatory cytokine production in vitro. S. suis infections in Shandong province were predominantly due to serotype 2 and sequence type 1 strains. The major symptoms were meningitis. The studied strains could be divided into five lineages. All strains belong to highly pathogenic type in Shandong province,Strains from lineage 2 possessed higher capacity to stimulate pro-inflammatory cytokine production than other strains did, even though other strains belong to highly pathogenic strains. In addition, multiple antibiotic resistance genes and corresponding mobile genetic elements werewidespread in S. suis strains from Shandong province, except strains from lineage 3. High diversities in genome, evolutionary path and pathogenicity of S. suis strains from Shandong province were revealed. It was necessary to surveillant the S. suis strain in genomic level.