Objective:To investigate the role of a modified positioning device in improving image quality and diagnostic efficacy for thyroid cancer in contrast-enhanced neck CT imaging.Methods:This prospective cross-sectional study included 137 patients with pathologically confirmed thyroid lesions who underwent contrast-enhanced neck CT at Zhangzhou Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from January to April 2024. Patients scanned in January and February (modified positioning group, n=62) underwent scanning using the modified positioning device, whereas those scanned in March and April (traditional positioning group, n=75) underwent scanning with conventional positioning. The estimated volume CT dose index (CTDI vol) in the thyroid region was recorded. Subjective image quality for thyroid and neck regions was evaluated using a 5-point Likert scale. Diagnostic assessments for thyroid cancer, capsule invasion, and lymph node metastasis were independently conducted by one junior radiologist and one senior radiologist using a 5-point scoring system, with scores≥3 considered positive diagnoses. The differences of CTDI vol and image quality scores between the 2 groups were compared using Mann-Whitney U test. The diagnostic performance was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results:The estimated CTDI vol values for the thyroid region were significantly lower in the modified positioning group compared to the traditional positioning group [11.20 (8.37, 13.56) vs. 12.46 (10.10, 19.43) mGy, Z=1.99, P=0.026]. Subjective image quality scores for thyroid and neck regions were significantly higher in the modified positioning group than in the traditional positioning group (all P<0.001). For thyroid cancer diagnosis by the senior radiologist, the modified positioning group had a significantly higher area under the curve (AUC) of 0.842 (95% CI 0.728-0.956) compared to the traditional positioning group (AUC=0.666,95% CI 0.554-0.777, Z=2.17, P=0.031). No significant differences were observed in diagnostic performance between the junior and senior radiologists for thyroid cancer, capsule invasion, and lymph node metastasis in other subgroup comparisons (all P>0.05). Conclusion:The modified positioning device using in contrast-enhanced neck CT imaging can improve image quality and diagnostic efficacy for thyroid cancer while reducing radiation exposure to the thyroid gland.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility of segmented total marrow and lymphoid irradiation(TMLI)using Helical TomoTherapy(HT)in adults,and to analyze the impact of positional errors in the treatment on the actually received dose.Methods:Imaging data from four adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia were treated at the First Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital between November 2022 and December 2024 were retrospectively selected.The prescribed dose was 12 Gy in 3 fractions,and the heights range of patient was from 162 to 178 cm.The planning target volume(PTV)included the entire bone marrow and lymphatic drainage regions.The mid-femur was used as the dividing landmark,and the segmented location of head-in first(upper segmentation)and foot-in first(lower segmentation)were adopted to design plan for each segmentation.The upper segmentation used helical tomotherapy,and the lower segmentation used tomo direct therapy.The dosimetric parameters of planning target volume,and organ at risk(OAR)included eye lens,testicles and lungs were analyzed.The located computed tomography(CT)images of patients were used to simulate the changes of dosimetric parameters of each planning target region and OAR when the positions of patients moved 3,5,10 and 15 mm to outside of rack aperture.The changes of dose distribution of connection region of upper and lower segmentation were further analyzed.Results:The segmented irradiation technique can better achieve the cover(95%)of whole target region of TMLI under the condition of protecting normal organs.Under the condition with different position errors,the cover rate of the most of target region significant decreased.The largest dose of right lens increased 9.272%than primary under the 5 mm position error,and that of left and right lens increased respectively 40.199%and 67.898%under the 10 mm position error,and the max dose and mean dose of testicles increased respectively 5.847%and 5.240%under the 3mm position error.The mean dose of whole lung increased all under the error at different grades,which increased 3.021%under the 10mm position error.The non-uniformity of dose distribution of connection region increased after the position error was introduced,and the largest variation range reached to 4 Gy.Conclusion:The technique of segmented radiotherapy of Helical Tomotherapy has feasibility for TMLI of adult.But the error of the position of patients can reduce the cover of target region,and decrease the control rate for target region,and can lead to the occurrences of excessive doses on eye lens,testicles,lung and other OAR at the same time,which can increase the probability of occurring OAR injury.It should be high pay attention in treatment and implementation.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility of segmented total marrow and lymphoid irradiation(TMLI)using Helical TomoTherapy(HT)in adults,and to analyze the impact of positional errors in the treatment on the actually received dose.Methods:Imaging data from four adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia were treated at the First Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital between November 2022 and December 2024 were retrospectively selected.The prescribed dose was 12 Gy in 3 fractions,and the heights range of patient was from 162 to 178 cm.The planning target volume(PTV)included the entire bone marrow and lymphatic drainage regions.The mid-femur was used as the dividing landmark,and the segmented location of head-in first(upper segmentation)and foot-in first(lower segmentation)were adopted to design plan for each segmentation.The upper segmentation used helical tomotherapy,and the lower segmentation used tomo direct therapy.The dosimetric parameters of planning target volume,and organ at risk(OAR)included eye lens,testicles and lungs were analyzed.The located computed tomography(CT)images of patients were used to simulate the changes of dosimetric parameters of each planning target region and OAR when the positions of patients moved 3,5,10 and 15 mm to outside of rack aperture.The changes of dose distribution of connection region of upper and lower segmentation were further analyzed.Results:The segmented irradiation technique can better achieve the cover(95%)of whole target region of TMLI under the condition of protecting normal organs.Under the condition with different position errors,the cover rate of the most of target region significant decreased.The largest dose of right lens increased 9.272%than primary under the 5 mm position error,and that of left and right lens increased respectively 40.199%and 67.898%under the 10 mm position error,and the max dose and mean dose of testicles increased respectively 5.847%and 5.240%under the 3mm position error.The mean dose of whole lung increased all under the error at different grades,which increased 3.021%under the 10mm position error.The non-uniformity of dose distribution of connection region increased after the position error was introduced,and the largest variation range reached to 4 Gy.Conclusion:The technique of segmented radiotherapy of Helical Tomotherapy has feasibility for TMLI of adult.But the error of the position of patients can reduce the cover of target region,and decrease the control rate for target region,and can lead to the occurrences of excessive doses on eye lens,testicles,lung and other OAR at the same time,which can increase the probability of occurring OAR injury.It should be high pay attention in treatment and implementation.

Objective:To investigate the role of a modified positioning device in improving image quality and diagnostic efficacy for thyroid cancer in contrast-enhanced neck CT imaging.Methods:This prospective cross-sectional study included 137 patients with pathologically confirmed thyroid lesions who underwent contrast-enhanced neck CT at Zhangzhou Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from January to April 2024. Patients scanned in January and February (modified positioning group, n=62) underwent scanning using the modified positioning device, whereas those scanned in March and April (traditional positioning group, n=75) underwent scanning with conventional positioning. The estimated volume CT dose index (CTDI vol) in the thyroid region was recorded. Subjective image quality for thyroid and neck regions was evaluated using a 5-point Likert scale. Diagnostic assessments for thyroid cancer, capsule invasion, and lymph node metastasis were independently conducted by one junior radiologist and one senior radiologist using a 5-point scoring system, with scores≥3 considered positive diagnoses. The differences of CTDI vol and image quality scores between the 2 groups were compared using Mann-Whitney U test. The diagnostic performance was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results:The estimated CTDI vol values for the thyroid region were significantly lower in the modified positioning group compared to the traditional positioning group [11.20 (8.37, 13.56) vs. 12.46 (10.10, 19.43) mGy, Z=1.99, P=0.026]. Subjective image quality scores for thyroid and neck regions were significantly higher in the modified positioning group than in the traditional positioning group (all P<0.001). For thyroid cancer diagnosis by the senior radiologist, the modified positioning group had a significantly higher area under the curve (AUC) of 0.842 (95% CI 0.728-0.956) compared to the traditional positioning group (AUC=0.666,95% CI 0.554-0.777, Z=2.17, P=0.031). No significant differences were observed in diagnostic performance between the junior and senior radiologists for thyroid cancer, capsule invasion, and lymph node metastasis in other subgroup comparisons (all P>0.05). Conclusion:The modified positioning device using in contrast-enhanced neck CT imaging can improve image quality and diagnostic efficacy for thyroid cancer while reducing radiation exposure to the thyroid gland.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and bone mineral density in children with glucocorticoids-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) .Methods:From Apr. 2020 to May. 2021, 53 children with GIOP were recruited in the Children’s Hospital of Taiyuan Maternal and Child Health Hospital and included in the observation group, and 47 children who received glucocorticoid therapy but did not suffer from GIOP were included in the control group. The levels of serum RAS components and bone mineral density of the two groups of pediatric patients were detected and compared, and the risk clinical indicators affecting bone mineral density and GIOP were analyzed.Results:There were no significant differences between the observation group and the control group in terms of gender, age, BMI, disease type, type of glucocorticoid use, use of anti-osteoporosis (OP) drugs, expression levels of Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) or angiotensin II (Ang Ⅱ) (all P>0.05) . The bone density value of the observation group was lower than those of the control group, and the levels of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) (1.19±0.23) , angiotensin receptor 1 (AT1R) (1.24±0.24) , angiotensin receptor 2 (AT2R) (1.14±0.17) , and Mas receptor (MasR) (1.11±0.28) were significantly higher than those of the control group (1.00±0.23, 1.00±0.25, 1.00±0.21, 1.00±0.20) , and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05) . Pearson analysis showed that bone mineral density was negatively correlated with the levels of ACE ( r=-0.34, P=0.013) , AT1R ( r=-0.41, P=0.002) and AT2R ( r=-0.34, P=0.014) , and stepwise regression model showed that ACE ( t=-2.21, P=0.032) and AT1R ( t=-2.92, P=0.005) were the main factors affecting bone mineral density. Logistic regression model analysis showed that bone mineral density ( OR=0.85, P<0.001) , Ang Ⅱ ( OR=0.53, P=0.041) and AT2R ( OR=2.00, P=0.024) were independent clinical risk factors affecting GIOP (all P<0.05) . Conclusion:RAS components ACE and AT1R are independent risk factors affecting bone mineral density in children with GIOP, and are significantly correlated with bone mineral density in children.

Objective To the value of ultrasonic imaging in diagnosis of appendiceal mucinous neoplasms in patients.Methods A retrospective review was performed for the 26 cases undergoing pre-operative ultrasonography and finally diagnosed as appendiceal mucinous neoplasms by pathology.The 26 patients were included in the study,11 elderly patients aged ≥60 years as group A,and 15 younger patients aged ＜ 60 years as group B.The characteristics of the ultrasonic imaging were analyzed.Results Features of ultrasound images leading to diagnosis were summarized as following.The lesion transverse diameter was over 2 cm,with anechoic or hypoechoic area of lesion or onion skin sign inside the lesions.There were distinct borderlines between lesions and surrounding tissues,with no or little blood in the color doppler flow imaging.Conclusions There are same u1trasonography characteristics of appendiceal mucinous neoplasms in two age groups.Improving the knowledge of this disease and grasping the clinical and sonography characteristics are stringent to enhance the accuracy rate of diagnosis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the features of normal and psoriasis skin on ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and explore the method of thickness measurement.MethodsUsing 50 MHz ultrasound probe of biological microscope, ultrasonographic observation and ultrasonic thickness measurement were conducted in 90 normal adults and 40 psoriasis patients. Innormal patients, ultrasound evaluations were performed at 10 different parts of the body skin.ResultsOn sonogram, the normal skin showed a “sandwich” structure with two parallel hyperechoic bands and the middle isoechoic dots and short liens. The sonograms of the psoriasis skin showed obviously thickened epidermis and dermis, disordered internal structure and clear boundary from adjacent normal skin. The range of the epidermis’ thickness measurement was between the medial forearm (0.12±0.03) mm and the palm (0.29±0.15) mm. The range of dermal thickness measurement was between the back hand (1.18±0.32) mm and parasternal (1.55±0.21) mm. Psoriasis skin was thicker than the uninvolved skin (P<0.001). And the dermis’ thickness of uninvolved skin in psoriasis patients was thicker than that of the normal adults (P<0.001).ConclusionNormal adult’s epidermis, dermis and skin appendages can be shown clearly using 50 MHz ultrasound biomicroscopy. And ultrasound biomicroscopy canaccurately measure the thickness of dermis and epidermis, which provides the basis for the diagnosis and treatment of psoriasis.