Objective To design a mobile personnel radiation protection equipment for operation in environments with high radiation such as spent fuel reprocessing plants, to achieve simultaneous protection against γ radiation, neutron radiation, and radioactive aerosol, to reduce the internal and external exposure dose of radioactive workers, and to meet the requirement of operation for two hours. Methods The core parts of the mobile personnel radiation protection equipment included a shielding chamber and a respiratory maintenance system. An automated chassis was used for the movement and lifting of the shielding chamber. MCNP software was used to simulate and calculate the protective effects of shielding chamber made of different materials and material thicknesses. Experimental verification of the shielding chamber design was conducted. Mathematical models were established to describe the variations in the content of various gases in the chamber with personnel operation time. A respiratory maintenance system, a harmful gas absorption device, and an automated mobile chassis were designed. Results The shielding chamber made of polyethylene with a thickness of 80 mm achieved an 80% neutron shielding rate. The respiratory maintenance system could support workers for 2 hours of operation inside the equipment. The mobile chassis allowed operation of the equipment with one person. Conclusion This mobile personnel radiation protection equipment can solve the problem in simultaneous protection against γ radiation, neutron radiation, and radioactive aerosol. The equipment can provide radiation protection for radioactive workers, reduce exposure dose, and reduce personnel burden. This system provides technical means for the operation and maintenance of equipment in high-radiation sites such as spent fuel reprocessing plants.

Objective To investigate the effect of chemokine CXC ligand 9(CXCL9)on cognitive function impairment in patients with breast cancer brain metastases undergoing whole-brain radiotherapy(WBRT)using bioinformatics methods.Methods The mRNA of breast cancer brain metastases datasets GSE43837 and GSE12276 and Alzheimer's disease(AD)dataset GSE161199 were screened and downloaded from GEO database.Limma method and Venn diagrams were used to identify common differentially expressed genes(DEGs),and protein-protein interaction and functional prediction through GeneMANIA website assays were performed.A total of 42 patients with breast cancer brain metastases who first visited the Department of Radiotherapy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2021 to January 2023 were selected.Patients were divided into normal cognitive function group and cognitive function impairment group based on cognitive status.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was employed to detect serum CXCL9 levels one week before and three months after radiotherapy.The mini-mental state examination(MMSE)was used to assess patients'cognitive function.Results The DEGs from datasets GSE43837 and GSE12276 included PKP1,POLDIP2,SPAG5,ALDOC,PTPRZ1,PKIA,TLCD1,CPE,PMP22 and CXCL9.The DEGs from GSE161199 included RPS16,CD79A,LYPD3,RPL28,HBG2,RPL23AP7,TRNR,CXCL9.Venn diagram showed that CXCL9 was a common DEG between breast cancer brain metastasis and AD.Functional enrichment analysis indicated that CXCL9 was involved in cellular responses to chemokines,negative regulation of immune system processes,negative regulation of vascular morphogenesis,Toll-like receptor signaling pathway,nucleotide oligomerization domain(NOD)-like receptor signaling pathway,and JAK-STAT signaling pathway.Before radiotherapy,patients with cognitive function impairment and normal cognitive function accounted for 61.9%and 38.1%,respectively,with a statistically significant difference in MMSE scores[(24.53±2.19)vs.(28.89±1.36),P＜0.01].Compared with normal cognitive function group,patients with cognitive function impairment had a significantly increased number of brain metastases and significantly lower Karnofsky performance status(KPS)scores and serum CXCL9 levels(P＜0.05).Three months after radiotherapy,patients with cognitive function impairment and normal cognitive function accounted for 47.6%and 52.4%,respectively,with a statistically significant difference in MMSE scores[(25.16±1.98)vs.(28.18±1.08),P＜0.01].Compared with normal cognitive function group,patients with cognitive function impairment had significantly lower CXCL9 levels(P=0.003).In patients with normal cognitive function,CXCL9 levels were remarkably lower after radiotherapy compared to those before radiotherapy(P=0.009).Conclusions Patients with cognitive function impairment had significantly lower CXCL9 levels than those with normal cognitive function,and whole-brain radiotherapy may be related to a certain degree of reduction in CXCL9 levels.

Objective To investigate the application of pre-hemostatic suturing in adolescent circumcision with a stapler.Methods A total of 120 patients with long foreskin treated in our hospital were included,and they were divided into two groups by random number table method,among which the patients in the observation group received circumcision with a stapler after pre-hemostatic suturing of the foreskin vessels,and these in the control group received conventional circumcision with a stapler.The operation time,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative healing time and occurrence of postoperative hematoma of the two groups were analyzed.Results There was no significant difference in the operation time between the two groups(P＞0.05).The intraoperative blood loss in the observation group was less than that in the control group,the postoperative healing time was shorter than that in the control group,and the incidence of postoperative hematoma was lower than that in the control group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).Conclusion The application of pre-hemostatic suturing in circumcision with a stapler can improve surgical safety,with ease of learning,which may increase the benefit of patients.

Primary immune thrombocytopenia(ITP)is an autoimmune disease characterized by thrombocytopenia,and T cell immune dysfunction plays an important role in the formation of ITP.As a thrombopoietin receptor agonist(TPO-RA),eltrombopag can not only directly stimulate megakaryocytes to produce platelets,but also play an immunomodulatory role by inducing regulatory T cell generation and reducing proinflammatory factors.As a second-line treatment drug for adult ITP,eltrombopag is increasingly widely used in clinical practice.This review summarized the latest research progress on the mechanism of action,efficacy,safety,and how to reduce the dosage of eltrombopag in ITP.

Aim To investigate the impact of Cinobu-facini on the proliferation,invasion,and apoptosis of HepG2 cells and the underlying mechanism.Methods The proliferation of HepG2 cells was assessed using the CCK-8 method following treatment with Cinobufaci-ni.The invasion capability of HepG2 cells was evalua-ted through Transwell assay after exposure to Cinobufa-cini.The apoptosis rates of HepG2 cells post Cinobufa-cini intervention were measured using flow cytometry,and the expression levels of VEGF in the culture medi-um of HepG2 cells were determined using enzyme-linked immunoassay.Furthermore,qRT-PCR and Western blot analyses were conducted to assess the im-pact of Cinobufacini on mRNA and protein expression levels related to the CXCL5/FOXD1/VEGF pathway.The interaction between CXCL5 and FOXD1 was inves-tigated via co-immunoprecipitation.Results Cinobufa-cini treatment led to a gradual decrease in HepG2 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner compared to the control group(P＜0.05).Moreover,Cinobufacini sig-nificantly suppressed HepG2 cell invasion(P＜0.05)while enhancing cell apoptosis(P＜0.05).Notably,Cinobufacini exhibited inhibitory effects on the CX-CL5/FOXD1/VEGF pathway,as evidenced by re-duced expression of related mRNA and proteins(P＜0.05).FOXD1 was identified as the binding site of CXCL5.Overexpression of CXCL5 resulted in in-creased proliferation and VEGF secretion by HepG2 cells(P＜0.05),and increased expression of FOXD1 and VEGF(P＜0.05).However,Cinobufacini inter-vention effectively inhibited liver cancer cell prolifera-tion and invasion(P＜0.05),promoted apoptosis(P＜0.05),reduced VEGF secretion by HepG2 cells(P＜0.05),and downregulated the expression of CXCL5 and FOXD1 in HepG2 cells(P＜0.05);but com-pared with the unexpressed group of Cinobufacini,its ability to inhibit cell activity was weakened(P＜0.05),and its ability to inhibit the expression of CX-CL5,FOXD1,and VEGF was weakened(P＜0.05).Conclusion Cinobufacini may inhibit HepG2 cell pro-liferation and invasion and promote HepG2 cell apopto-sis by regulating the CXCL5/FOXD1/VEGF pathway.

Due to the fact that the articular cartilage of children's joints has not yet been fully ossified, visualizing the adjacent anatomical structures during the clinical diagnosis and treatment of joint diseases and injuries in children is a challenging issue. Arthrography is an efficient, convenient, and minimally invasive technique, and is particularly crucial for the visualization of children's hip joints. Currently, arthrography technology is widely employed during surgeries for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), and in recent years, numerous studies have concentrated on the efficacy of joint angiography, exploring its assessment and predictive roles during and after the operation. We review the overview of hip joint arthrography techniques, such as the concept of arthrography, the selection of access routes for hip joint arthrography, the process of hip joint arthrography, the dosage and operation of contrast agents, and the adverse reactions of contrast agents; the use of hip joint arthrography to evaluate the quality of closed reduction; the use of hip joint arthrography to predict the future development and outcome of the acetabulum after closed reduction; the use of hip joint arthrography in the study of open reduction or osteotomy; the use of hip joint arthrography to observe the morphology of soft tissues in the hip joint; the use of hip joint arthrography in combination with nuclear magnetic resonance to observe the anatomical structure of the acetabular labrum. Summarizing the research results of arthrography for evaluating the corresponding indicators of the hip joint helps improve the matching between the femoral head and the acetabulum and the accuracy of evaluating the quality of reduction, uncovers identifying factors such as labrum varus that hinder concentric reduction, enhances the ability to predict the development and outcome of the acetabulum, and has significant guiding significance for the precise selection of the timing of surgical intervention for early and residual deformities in children with DDH. Exploring the application of arthrography technology in evaluating the quality of closed reduction in DDH and predicting the development of the acetabulum after reduction is expected to provide meaningful references for orthopedic surgeons in the current clinical diagnosis, treatment, and research of DDH.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of rubber band-assisted endoscopic submucosal excavation (RB-ESE) for gastric submucosal tumors (SMT).Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on data of gastric SMT patients who underwent ESE in Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University from January 2017 to August 2022. A total of 48 patients were selected and divided into two groups: RB-ESE group ( n=20) and the conventional ESE (C-ESE) group ( n=28). The operation time, bleeding rate and perforation rate during operation, the retention rate of the mucosal cap, the number of clips, postoperative complications, and the hospitalization time were analyzed. Additionally, correlations between complications and tumor size/location and between bleeding and perforation were evaluated. Results:No significant difference was found in the general conditions between the two groups ( P>0.05). The operation time of RB-ESE group (14.82±2.31 min) was significantly shorter than that of C-ESE group (23.70±3.67 min) ( t=-9.539, P<0.001). The intraoperative bleeding rates were 20.0% (4/20) and 42.9% (12/28) in the RB-ESE group and C-ESE group respectively ( χ2=2.743, P=0.098), while the intraoperative perforation rates were 25.0% (5/20) and 46.4% (13/28) respectively ( χ2=2.286, P=0.131). Furthermore, the mucosal cap preservation rate was notably higher in the RB-ESE group at 60.0% (12/20) compared with 7.1% (2/28) in the C-ESE group ( χ2=15.777, P<0.001). The number of clips applied to close the wound was 8.05±1.40 and 10.43±1.96 in the RB-ESE group and C-ESE group respectively ( t=4.925, P<0.001). The postoperative hospital stays were 4.35±0.75 days and 5.00±0.86 days respectively in two groups ( t=2.724, P=0.009). No postoperative bleeding or perforation occurred in either group. The results showed that the occurrence of perforation and bleeding were associated with tumor diameter. Patients with tumor size ≥2 cm showed increased proportions of intraoperative bleeding [68.4% (13/19), P<0.001] and perforation [78.9% (15/19), P<0.001]. There was a correlation between intraoperative bleeding and perforation ( P<0.001). Conclusion:RB-ESE proves to be an effective and safe approach for managing gastric SMT, offering advantages such as reduced operation time and hospital stays, improved retention of the mucosal cap post-operation, and less clips use. The results suggest that RB-ESE could be widely adopted for treating SMT.

Objectives: To investigated the safety and efficacy of treating patients with acute non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and elevated levels of N-terminal pro-hormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with levosimendan within 24 hours of first medical contact (FMC). Methods: This multicenter, open-label, block-randomized controlled trial (NCT03189901) investigated the safety and efficacy of levosimendan as an early management strategy of acute heart failure (EMS-AHF) for patients with NSTEMI and high NT-proBNP levels. This study included 255 patients with NSTEMI and elevated NT-proBNP levels, including 142 males and 113 females with a median age of 65 (58-70) years, and were admitted in the emergency or outpatient departments at 14 medical centers in China between October 2017 and October 2021. The patients were randomly divided into a levosimendan group (n=129) and a control group (n=126). The primary outcome measure was NT-proBNP levels on day 3 of treatment and changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline on day 5 after randomization. The secondary outcome measures included the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in NT-proBNP levels from baseline, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during hospitalization and at 6 months after hospitalization, safety during the treatment, and health economics indices. The measurement data parameters between groups were compared using the t-test or the non-parametric test. The count data parameters were compared between groups using the χ² test. Results: On day 3, the NT-proBNP levels in the levosimendan group were lower than the control group but were statistically insignificant [866 (455, 1 960) vs. 1 118 (459, 2 417) ng/L, Z=-1.25,P=0.21]. However, on day 5, changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline in the levosimendan group were significantly higher than the control group [67.6% (33.8%,82.5%)vs.54.8% (7.3%,77.9%), Z=-2.14, P=0.03]. There were no significant differences in the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in the NT-proBNP levels on day 5 between the levosimendan and the control groups [77.5% (100/129) vs. 69.0% (87/126), χ²=2.34, P=0.13]. Furthermore, incidences of MACE did not show any significant differences between the two groups during hospitalization [4.7% (6/129) vs. 7.1% (9/126), χ²=0.72, P=0.40] and at 6 months [14.7% (19/129) vs. 12.7% (16/126), χ²=0.22, P=0.64]. Four cardiac deaths were reported in the control group during hospitalization [0 (0/129) vs. 3.2% (4/126), P=0.06]. However, 6-month survival rates were comparable between the two groups (log-rank test, P=0.18). Moreover, adverse events or serious adverse events such as shock, ventricular fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia were not reported in both the groups during levosimendan treatment (days 0-1). The total cost of hospitalization [34 591.00(15 527.46,59 324.80) vs. 37 144.65(16 066.90,63 919.00)yuan, Z=-0.26, P=0.80] and the total length of hospitalization [9 (8, 12) vs. 10 (7, 13) days, Z=0.72, P=0.72] were lower for patients in the levosimendan group compared to those in the control group, but did not show statistically significant differences. Conclusions: Early administration of levosimendan reduced NT-proBNP levels in NSTEMI patients with elevated NT-proBNP and did not increase the total cost and length of hospitalization, but did not significantly improve MACE during hospitalization or at 6 months.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Aged ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; Simendan/therapeutic use* ; Non-ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction ; Heart Failure/drug therapy* ; Peptide Fragments ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Biomarkers ; Prognosis

ObjectiveTo explore the variation rules and health risks of trihalomethane in regional drinking water， and to provide evidence for the innovative water processing technology and the optimization of drinking water quality. MethodsBased on regional drinking water sanitation monitoring， non-parametric rank sum test was used to analyze the effects of residual trihalomethane production in different periods and with disinfection methods. The United States environmental protection agency （USEPA） classic "four-step" health risk assessment model was used to evaluate the carcinogenic risk and non-carcinogenic risk of trihalomethane through drinking water exposure. ResultsThe yield of trichloromethane in wet season was 6.3 μg·L^-1， which was higher than that in dry season. Compared with chlorination pretreatment， ozone pretreatment reduced the content of bromomethane dichloromethane. Compared to liquid chlorine disinfection， sodium hypochlorite treatment incresed the levels of trichloromethane and bromomethane chloride. Although the total carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of trihalomethane in drinking water in the region were at safe levels， they were above the acceptable limits occasionally. The highest carcinogenic risk of trihalomethane were dichlorobromomethane and chlorodibromomethane，and the highest non-carcinogenic risk was trichloromethane. The health risk of children was 1.2 times higher than that for adults. ConclusionThe production of residual trihalomethane in drinking water in this area is relatively low， which is less harmful to the health of adults and children. Monitoring， including other disinfection byproducts， should continue and appropriate disinfection techniques for drinking water should be explored.

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and related factors of hepatitis C in Beijing City from 2004 to 2021. Methods: Descriptive epidemiological method and Joinpoint regression were used to analyze the trend and other epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis C in Beijing City from 2004 to 2021 in National Notifiable Disease Reporting System. According to a 1∶1 matched case-control study design, logistic regression was used to investigate the risk factors of hepatitis C infection in 2021. Results: From 2004 to 2021, the reported incidence of hepatitis C in Beijing City ranged from 2.37/100 000 to 10.46/100 000. The reported cases were mainly aged 30-60 years, and most of them were chronic. The reported incidence of hepatitis C showed an initial increase from 2004 to 2006 (APC=45.37%, 95%CI:-1.56%-114.69%), and declined after 2006 (APC=-9.21%, 95%CI:-10.70%-7.70%). Logistic analysis showed that history of surgery (OR=1.84, 95%CI: 1.08-3.14) and previous blood transfusion (OR=34.22, 95%CI: 8.05-145.41) were risk factors for hepatitis C infection. Conclusion: The reported incidence of hepatitis C in Beijing City increases first and decreases later. It currently remains at a low level. The risk factors of infection are surgery and blood transfusion history. Safe blood supply and preventing iatrogenic transmission should be focused on the prevention of hepatitis C transmission.
Humans ; Beijing/epidemiology* ; Case-Control Studies ; Hepatitis C/prevention & control* ; Risk Factors ; Incidence