Objective To explore the efficacy differences between 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging with zero echo time(3T MRI ZTE)and high resolution computed tomography(HRCT)in the detection of pulmonary nodules and the classification diagnosis of the lung imaging reporting and data system(Lung-RADS)in sub-health populations.Methods Clinical and imaging data of 93 patients with pulmonary nodules(126 nodules in total)admitted to some hospital from July to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.The 126 nodules were categorized into a benign nodule group(n=51)and a malignant nodule group(n=75)using pathological findings as the gold standard.All the patients underwent examinations by 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT to compare the detection rates of the two measures for pulmonary nodules;the missed and misdiagnosis rates of 3T MRI ZTE,HRCT and Lung-RADS grading were contrasted with the postoperative pathological diagnosis results as the gold standard;comparison analyses of 3T MRI ZTE signs and HRCT signs were performed between the two groups and the patients with different Lung-RADS grades;3T MRI ZTE,HRCT and Lung-RADS grading were compared with the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve in terms of diagnosis efficacy for pulmonary nodules,and the consistency analysis was carried out.Results No discernible statistical variation was observed in the detection rates of pulmonary nodules between 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT(P>0.05).Lung-RADS grading had the highest rates of missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis,and 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT had similar detection rates.The malignant nodule group was different from the benign nodule group in the 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT signs in terms of lesion size,spiculation sign,lobulation sign,calcifica-tion,pleural indentation sign,cavity sign,boundary and bronchial cut-off sign,with the differences being statistically signi-ficant(all P<0.05).For the patients of Lung-RADS grade 3,the 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT signs had significant differences in terms of lesion size,spiculation sign,lobulation sign,calcification,pleural indentation sign,cavity sign and bronchial cut-off sign(all P<0.05).For the patients of Lung-RADS grade 4A,the 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT signs had significant differen-ces in terms of lesion size,calcification,boundary and bronchial cut-off sign(all P<0.05).For the patients of Lung-RADS grade 4B,the 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT signs had significant differences in terms of lesion size and calcification(all P<0.05).For the patients of Lung-RADS grade 4X,there were no significant differences found between the 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT signs(all P>0.05).HRCT had the highest sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,AUC value,predictive values and Kappa value for benign and malignant nodules,3T MRI ZTE had the values slightly lower than those of HRCT,and Lung-RADS grading had the lowest values when compared with HRCT and 3T MRI ZTE.Conclusion HRCT and 3T MRI ZTE are complementary for the evaluation of pulmonary nodules,and the differences in imaging signs between them show graded dependence.3T MRI ZTE and HRCT have no significant differences in the detection rate of pulmonary nodules,while HRCT gains advanta-ges in differentiating benign and malignant pulmonary nodules,and references are provided for the screening and clinical early diagnosis of pulmonary nodules.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(9):52-59]

Objective To explore the efficacy differences between 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging with zero echo time(3T MRI ZTE)and high resolution computed tomography(HRCT)in the detection of pulmonary nodules and the classification diagnosis of the lung imaging reporting and data system(Lung-RADS)in sub-health populations.Methods Clinical and imaging data of 93 patients with pulmonary nodules(126 nodules in total)admitted to some hospital from July to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.The 126 nodules were categorized into a benign nodule group(n=51)and a malignant nodule group(n=75)using pathological findings as the gold standard.All the patients underwent examinations by 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT to compare the detection rates of the two measures for pulmonary nodules;the missed and misdiagnosis rates of 3T MRI ZTE,HRCT and Lung-RADS grading were contrasted with the postoperative pathological diagnosis results as the gold standard;comparison analyses of 3T MRI ZTE signs and HRCT signs were performed between the two groups and the patients with different Lung-RADS grades;3T MRI ZTE,HRCT and Lung-RADS grading were compared with the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve in terms of diagnosis efficacy for pulmonary nodules,and the consistency analysis was carried out.Results No discernible statistical variation was observed in the detection rates of pulmonary nodules between 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT(P>0.05).Lung-RADS grading had the highest rates of missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis,and 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT had similar detection rates.The malignant nodule group was different from the benign nodule group in the 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT signs in terms of lesion size,spiculation sign,lobulation sign,calcifica-tion,pleural indentation sign,cavity sign,boundary and bronchial cut-off sign,with the differences being statistically signi-ficant(all P<0.05).For the patients of Lung-RADS grade 3,the 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT signs had significant differences in terms of lesion size,spiculation sign,lobulation sign,calcification,pleural indentation sign,cavity sign and bronchial cut-off sign(all P<0.05).For the patients of Lung-RADS grade 4A,the 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT signs had significant differen-ces in terms of lesion size,calcification,boundary and bronchial cut-off sign(all P<0.05).For the patients of Lung-RADS grade 4B,the 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT signs had significant differences in terms of lesion size and calcification(all P<0.05).For the patients of Lung-RADS grade 4X,there were no significant differences found between the 3T MRI ZTE and HRCT signs(all P>0.05).HRCT had the highest sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,AUC value,predictive values and Kappa value for benign and malignant nodules,3T MRI ZTE had the values slightly lower than those of HRCT,and Lung-RADS grading had the lowest values when compared with HRCT and 3T MRI ZTE.Conclusion HRCT and 3T MRI ZTE are complementary for the evaluation of pulmonary nodules,and the differences in imaging signs between them show graded dependence.3T MRI ZTE and HRCT have no significant differences in the detection rate of pulmonary nodules,while HRCT gains advanta-ges in differentiating benign and malignant pulmonary nodules,and references are provided for the screening and clinical early diagnosis of pulmonary nodules.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(9):52-59]

Stem cell treatment may enhance erectile dysfunction (ED) in individuals with cavernous nerve injury (CNI). Nevertheless, no investigations have directly ascertained the implications of varying amounts of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (HUC-MSCs) on ED. We compare the efficacy of three various doses of HUC-MSCs as a therapeutic strategy for ED. Sprague-Dawley rats (total = 175) were randomly allocated into five groups. A total of 35 rats underwent sham surgery and 140 rats endured bilateral CNI and were treated with vehicles or doses of HUC-MSCs (1 × 10 6 cells, 5 × 10 6 cells, and 1 × 10 7 cells in 0.1 ml, respectively). Penile tissues were harvested for histological analysis on 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days, 28 days, 60 days, and 90 days postsurgery. It was found that varying dosages of HUC-MSCs enhanced the erectile function of rats with bilateral CNI and ED. Moreover, there was no significant disparity in the effectiveness of various dosages of HUC-MSCs. However, the expression of endothelial markers (rat endothelial cell antigen-1 [RECA-1] and endothelial nitric oxide synthase [eNOS]), smooth muscle markers (alpha smooth muscle actin [α-SMA] and desmin), and neural markers (neurofilament [RECA-1] and neurogenic nitric oxide synthase [nNOS]) increased significantly with prolonged treatment time. Masson's staining demonstrated an increased in the smooth muscle cell (SMC)/collagen ratio. Significant changes were detected in the microstructures of various types of cells. In vivo imaging system (IVIS) analysis showed that at the 1 st day, the HUC-MSCs implanted moved to the site of damage. Additionally, the oxidative stress levels were dramatically reduced in the penises of rats administered with HUC-MSCs.
Male ; Animals ; Erectile Dysfunction/metabolism* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation/methods* ; Rats ; Penis/pathology* ; Humans ; Disease Models, Animal ; Umbilical Cord/cytology* ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries/complications* ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III/metabolism* ; Actins/metabolism* ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I/metabolism*

Traditional Chinese medicine combined with modem medicine,such as surgery,chemotherapy,radiotherapy and others,play an increasingly important role in the treatment of digestive system cancers.The research on the therapeutic mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine for digestive system tumors involves many aspects.One of these mechanism is that traditional Chinese medicine can induce the programmed cell death of cancer cells.Programmed cell death includes apoptosis,programmed necrosis,pyroptosis and ferroptosis.Ferroptosis is closely related to the cell death caused by the production of lipid peroxides which are catalyzed over ferric divalent and ester oxygenase on the cell membrane and the cell oxidative stress.In order to provide the new ideas for better development and utilization of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of digestive system cancers,this paper reviews the research progress on the anti-cancer mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine through inducing the cancer cell ferroptosis.

Traditional Chinese medicine combined with modem medicine,such as surgery,chemotherapy,radiotherapy and others,play an increasingly important role in the treatment of digestive system cancers.The research on the therapeutic mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine for digestive system tumors involves many aspects.One of these mechanism is that traditional Chinese medicine can induce the programmed cell death of cancer cells.Programmed cell death includes apoptosis,programmed necrosis,pyroptosis and ferroptosis.Ferroptosis is closely related to the cell death caused by the production of lipid peroxides which are catalyzed over ferric divalent and ester oxygenase on the cell membrane and the cell oxidative stress.In order to provide the new ideas for better development and utilization of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of digestive system cancers,this paper reviews the research progress on the anti-cancer mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine through inducing the cancer cell ferroptosis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the thermic effect of food (TEF) in a Chinese mixed diet in young people. METHODS: During the study, the participants were weighed and examined for body composition every morning. The total energy expenditure (TEE) of the participants was measured by the doubly labeled water method for 7 days, and during this period, basal energy expenditure was measured by indirect calorimetry and physical activity energy expenditure was measured by an accelerometer. The value obtained by subtracting basal energy expenditure and physical activity energy expenditure from TEE was used to calculate TEF. RESULTS: Twenty healthy young students (18-30 years; 10 male) participated in the study. The energy intake of the participants was not significantly different from the Chinese Dietary Reference Intake of energy ( P > 0.05). The percentage of energy from protein, fat and carbohydrate were all in the normal range. The intakes of fruits, milk and dietary fiber of the participants were significantly lower than those in the Chinese Dietary Guidelines ( P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the body weight of the participants during the experiment ( P > 0.05). When adjusted for body weight, there was no significant difference in either TEE or basal energy expenditure between the male and female participants ( P > 0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference in physical activity energy expenditure and TEF between the male and female participants ( P > 0.05). The percentage of TEF in TEE was 8.73%. CONCLUSION The percentage of TEF in TEE in a Chinese mixed diet in young people was significantly lower than 10% ( P < 0.001). A value of 10% is usually considered to be the TEF in mixed diets as a percentage of TEE.
Adolescent ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Body Composition ; Body Weight ; Diet ; East Asian People ; Energy Intake ; Energy Metabolism ; Exercise ; Young Adult ; Adult

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the biomechanical characteristics of different internal fixations for Pauwels type Ⅲ femoral neck fracture with defect, and provide reference for the treatment of femoral neck fracture. METHODS: Three-dimensional (3D) finite element models of femoral neck fractures were established based on CT images, including fracture and fracture with defects. Four internal fixations were simulated, namely, inverted cannulated screw(ICS), ICS combined with medial buttress plate, the femoral neck system (FNS) and FNS combined with medial buttress plate. The von Mises stress, model stiffness and fracture displacements of fracture models under 2 100 N axial loads were measured and compared. RESULTS: When femoral neck fracture was fixed by ICS and FNS, the peak stress was mainly concentrated on the surface of the screw near the fracture line, and the peak stress of FNS is higher than that of ICS;When the medial buttress plate was combined, the peak stress was increased and transferred to medial buttress plate, with more obvious of ICS fixation. For the same fracture model, the stiffness of FNS was higher than that of ICS. Compared with femoral neck fracture with defects, fracture model showed higher stiffness in the same internal fixation. The use of medial buttress plate increased model stiffness, but ICS increased more than FNS. The fracture displacement of ICS model exceeded that of FNS. CONCLUSION For Pauwels type Ⅲ femoral neck fracture with defects, FNS had better biomechanical properties than ICS. ICS combined with medial buttress plate can better enhance fixation stability and non-locking plate is recommended. FNS had the capability of shear resistance and needn't combine with medial buttress plate.
Humans ; Femoral Neck Fractures/surgery* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods* ; Bone Screws ; Bone Plates ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Finite Element Analysis

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Hedysarum polysaccharides（HPS）on the signaling pathways of B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease 3 （Caspase-3）， and Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax） in Schwann cells（SCs）cultured in high glucose，and explore the possible mechanism of HPS against diabetic peripheral neuropathy（DPN）. MethodFour SD suckling mice aged 5-7 days were randomly divided into a normal group，a high-glucose group，an HPS + high-glucose group，and an α-lipoic acid（α-LA）+ high-glucose group. SCs were extracted from the sciatic nerve and cultured in a 37 ℃，5% CO₂ incubator. After the cells reached 80% confluence，Cell Counting Kit-8（CCK-8）was used to screen the experimental concentrations suitable for high glucose，HPS， and α-LA interventions. Western blot and Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）were used to detect the protein and mRNA expression of Bcl-2，Bax，and Caspase-3. The apoptosis rate of SCs was detected by flow cytometry using Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate （FITC）/propidium iodide （PI）. ResultAs revealed by Western blot and real-time PCR，compared with the normal group，the high-glucose group showed reduced protein and mRNA expression of Bcl-2 and increased protein and mRNA expression of Bax and Caspase-3（P<0.01）. Compared with the high-glucose group，the HPS + high-glucose group and the α-LA + high-glucose group showed increased protein and mRNA expression of Bcl-2 and decreased protein and mRNA expression of Bax and Caspase-3（P<0.01）. As displayed by the results of flow cytometry using Annexin V/PI， compared with the normal group，the high-glucose group showed increased apoptosis rate；compared with the high-glucose group，the HPS + high-glucose group and the α-LA + high-glucose group showed reduced apoptosis rate（P<0.01）. ConclusionHPS can alleviate the apoptotic response of SCs，and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the activation of the Bcl-2/Caspase-3 signaling pathway.

Objective: To investigate the effect and mechanism of sacubitril/valsartan on left ventricular remodeling and cardiac function in rats with heart failure. Methods: A total of 46 SPF-grade male Wistar rats weighed 300-350 g were acclimatized to the laboratory for 7 days. Rats were then divided into 4 groups: the heart failure group (n=12, intraperitoneal injection of adriamycin hydrochloride 2.5 mg/kg once a week for 6 consecutive weeks, establishing a model of heart failure); heart failure+sacubitril/valsartan group (treatment group, n=12, intragastric administration with sacubitril/valsartan 1 week before the first injection of adriamycin, at a dose of 60 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 for 7 weeks); heart failure+sacubitril/valsartan+APJ antagonist F13A group (F13A group, n=12, adriamycin and sacubitril/valsartan, intraperitoneal injection of 100 μg·kg^-1·d^-1 APJ antagonist F13A for 7 weeks) and control group (n=10, intraperitoneal injection of equal volume of normal saline). One week after the last injection of adriamycin or saline, transthoracic echocardiography was performed to detect the cardiac structure and function, and then the rats were executed, blood and left ventricular specimens were obtained for further analysis. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson trichrome staining were performed to analyze the left ventricular pathological change and myocardial fibrosis. TUNEL staining was performed to detect cardiomyocyte apoptosis. mRNA expression of left ventricular myocardial apelin and APJ was detected by RT-qRCR. ELISA was performed to detect plasma apelin-12 concentration. The protein expression of left ventricular myocardial apelin and APJ was detected by Western blot. Results: Seven rats survived in the heart failure group, 10 in the treatment group, and 8 in the F13A group. Echocardiography showed that the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) and the left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD) were higher (both P<0.05), while the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) were lower in the heart failure group than in the control group (both P<0.05). Compared with the heart failure group, rats in the treatment group were featured with lower LVEDD and LVESD (both P<0.05), higher LVEF and LVFS (both P<0.05), these beneficial effects were reversed in rats assigned to F13A group (all P<0.05 vs. treatment group). The results of HE staining showed that the cardiomyocytes of rats in the control group were arranged neatly and densely structured, the cardiomyocytes in the heart failure group were arranged in disorder, distorted and the gap between cells was increased, the cardiomyocytes in the treatment group were slightly neat and dense, and cardiomyocytes in the F13A group were featured similarly as the heart failure group. Masson staining showed that there were small amount of collagen fibers in the left ventricular myocardial interstitium of the control group, while left ventricular myocardial fibrosis was significantly increased, and collagen volume fraction (CVF) was significantly higher in the heart failure group than that of the control group (P<0.05). Compared with the heart failure group, the left ventricular myocardial fibrosis and the CVF were reduced in the treatment group (both P<0.05), these effects were reversed in the F13A group (all P<0.05 vs. treatment group). TUNEL staining showed that the apoptosis index (AI) of cardiomyocytes in rats was higher in the heart failure group compared with the control group (P<0.05), which was reduced in the treatment group (P<0.05 vs. heart failure group), this effect again was reversed in the F13A group (P<0.05 vs. treatment group). The results of RT-qPCR and Western blot showed that the mRNA and protein levels of apelin and APJ in left ventricular myocardial tissue of rats were downregulated in heart failure group (all P<0.05) compared with the control group. Compared with the heart failure group, the mRNA and protein levels of apelin and APJ were upregulated in the treatment group (all P<0.05), these effects were reversed in the F13A group (all P<0.05 vs. treatment group). ELISA test showed that the plasma apelin concentration of rats was lower in the heart failure group compared with the control group (P<0.05); compared with the heart failure group, the plasma apelin concentration of rats was higher in the treatment group (P<0.05), this effect was reversed in the F13A group (P<0.05 vs. treatment group). Conclusion: Sacubitril/valsartan can partially reverse left ventricular remodeling and improve cardiac function in rats with heart failure through modulating Apelin/APJ pathways.
Aminobutyrates/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Apelin/metabolism* ; Biphenyl Compounds ; Collagen/metabolism* ; Doxorubicin/pharmacology* ; Fibrosis ; Heart Failure/pathology* ; Male ; Myocytes, Cardiac/pathology* ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism* ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Valsartan/pharmacology* ; Ventricular Function, Left/drug effects* ; Ventricular Remodeling

The composition of serum is extremely complex,which complicates the discovery of new pharmaco-dynamic biomarkers via serum proteome for disease prediction and diagnosis.Recently,nanoparticles have been reported to efficiently reduce the proportion of high-abundance proteins and enrich low-abundance proteins in serum.Here,we synthesized a silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticle and devel-oped a highly efficient and reproducible protein corona(PC)-based proteomic analysis strategy to improve the range of serum proteomic analysis.We identified 1,070 proteins with a median coefficient of variation of 12.56％using PC-based proteomic analysis,which was twice the number of proteins iden-tified by direct digestion.There were also more biological processes enriched with these proteins.We applied this strategy to identify more pharmacodynamic biomarkers on collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)rat model treated with methotrexate(MTX).The bioinformatic results indicated that 485 differentially expressed proteins(DEPs)were found in CIA rats,of which 323 DEPs recovered to near normal levels after treatment with MTX.This strategy can not only help enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of disease and drug action through serum proteomics studies,but also provide more pharmacodynamic biomarkers for disease prediction,diagnosis,and treatment.