Objective:To explore and compare the clinical application value of 8-channel head phased-array coil, an 8-channel temporomandibular joint (TMJ)-specific surface coil, and a single-channel surface coil in TMJ MRI examinations.Methods:A total of 600 temporomandibular disorders (TMD) patients (1 200 joints) who underwent TMJ MRI examination in the First People′s Hospital of Jinzhong from June 2020 to January 2025 were retrospectively screened. Based on inclusion/exclusion criteria, 120 TMD patients (240 joints) with closed-mouth oblique sagittal proton density weighted imaging (OSag PDWI), coronal T2 fat-suppression weighted imaging (OCor fs T2WI) and open-mouth oblique sagittal proton density weighted imaging (OSag PDWI) were included. Patients were divided into groups A, B, and C, with 40 cases in each group. Group A (31female, 9male, median age 24 years old), underwent 8-channel head phased-array coil imaging. Group B (29 female, 11male, median age 23.5 years old) underwent TMJ imaging with an 8-channel surface coil. Group C (29 female, 11male, median age 22.5 years old) underwent single-channel surface coil imaging. There were no significant differences in age, gender, type or disease types among groups ( P>0.05). Six healthy volunteers without TMD (4 female, 2 male, range 19 to 45 years old) underwent imaging with all three coils as self-control. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and image quality were compared for five regions of interest (ROI) in both patients and volunteers. Results:Under the same sequence and the same parameters, SNR and CNR in group B were higher than those in group A, and SNR and CNR in group C were also higher than those in group A, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). However, there were significant differences in SNR and CNR between group B and group C in the closed and open positions of ROI1, the open positions of ROI3 and the open positions of ROI5 ( P<0.05), and there were no significant differences in other positions ( P>0.05). Group B had the best image quality, followed by group C and group A had the worst image quality. There were significant differences in the visualization of OSag PDWI in the closed mouth position, OCor T2WI in the coronal position, and OSag PDWI in the open mouth position, such as condyle, anterior attachment, joint disc, double lamina area, joint cavity and lateral pterygoid muscle ( P<0.05). There were significant differences between group B and group C in showing the joint cavity in the closed mouth position and showing the structure of the bilaminar area in the open mouth position ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in other regions of interest ( P>0.05). The subjective scores of condyle, anterior attachment, articular disc, bilaminar area, articular cavity, lateral pterygos muscle and other structures were medium to high in group A, high in group B, and high or high in group C by two radiologists independently. In the five rois, the 8-channel TMJ surface coil showed more details, especially in the articular disc, condyle and lateral pterygoid muscle regions, and had more advantages in both volunteers and patients. Conclusions:The 8-channel TMJ-specific surface coil provides significantly clearer visualization of critical anatomical details within the ROIs, demonstrating the highest clinical application value and is recommended as the preferred choice.

Objective To analyze the prognosis of patients with sepsis-related liver injury(SRLI)and establish a prediction model for the occurrence of SRLI after ICU admission in sepsis patients u-sing eight machine learning methods.Methods Patients who met the sepsis diagnostic criteria and had no underlying liver or biliary diseases were included from the MIMIC-Ⅳ database,and were clas-sified into SRLI and non-SRLI groups based on liver enzymes ≥ 5 times the upper limit of normal(ULN)or bilirubin ≥2.Omg/dL.Chi-square test,multivariate Logistic regression analysis,and pro-pensity score matching were used to analyze the mortality risk between the two groups.Eight machine learning algorithms[Logistic regression,classification and regression tree(CART),random forest(RF),support vector machine(SVM),K-nearest neighbors(K-NN),naive Bayes method(NBM),extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost),and gradient boosting decision tree(GBDT)]were employed to construct and validate the SRLI prediction model.Results The chi-square test(P＜0.001),multivariate Logistic regression analysis(P＜0.05),and log-rank test after propensity score matching(P＜0.05)all indicated that SRLI increased the mortality risk of patients.Among the SRLI prediction models,RF algorithm had the highest area under the curve(AUC),with its value of 0.866,followed by GBDT(AUC=0.862),Logistic regression(AUC=0.859),SVM(AUC=0.837),NBM(AUC=0.830),CART(AUC=0.771),XGBoost(AUC=0.764),and K-NN(AUC=0.722).Conclusion SRLI increases the mortality risk of patients.The prediction model construc-ted using the RF algorithm has high diagnostic value.

AIM:To investigate the impact of interleukin-17(IL-17D)knockout on lipid phagocytosis in ath-erosclerosis(AS)and bone marrow-derived macrophages.METHODS:Twenty 8-week-old ApoE-/-C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups(10 mice per group).The experimental group was subjected to a high-fat diet for 8 weeks to induce AS,while the control group received a normal diet.Additionally,fifteen 8-week-old ApoE-/-IL-17D-/-and ApoE-/-mice were also fed a high-fat diet for the same duration.Body weight and blood lipid levels were measured.Aortas were harvested,and IL-17D expression was assessed using RT-qPCR.Bone marrow cells were iso-lated and differentiated into macrophages with colony-stimulating factors.Oil red O staining was employed to visualize lip-id deposition in aortic plaques and macrophages.To stimulate macrophages,oxidized low-density lipoprotein(oxLDL)was used,and RT-qPCR along with Western blot analyses were conducted to evaluate the expression of lipid phagocytosis-related genes and the p38 MAPK signaling pathway.Dehydrocorydaline(DHC),a p38 MAPK activator,was adminis-tered to IL-17D-/-macrophages,and the expression of CD36 and lipid phagocytosis were assessed.RESULTS:IL-17D ex-pression was significantly elevated in the aortas of AS mice and in oxLDL-treated macrophages(P<0.01).IL-17D-/-mice exhibited notably lower serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels(P<0.01),along with a sig-nificant reduction in plaque area in the aortas and aortic roots(P<0.01).Macrophages lacking IL-17D demonstrated de-creased expression of CD36,LOX-1,IL-1β,and IL-6(P<0.01)and showed diminished lipid phagocytosis.These mac-rophages also exhibited reduced phosphorylation of p38(P<0.01)compared to wild-type macrophages.Activation of p38 MAPK by DHC significantly countered the inhibitory effects of IL-17D knockout on CD36 expression(P<0.01)and en-hanced lipid phagocytosis in macrophages.CONCLUSION:Knockout of IL-17D may modulate lipid phagocytosis in macro-phages via the p38/CD36 signaling pathway,potentially inhibiting the formation and progression of aortic plaques in mice.

AIM:To investigate the role of NLR family CARD domain containing 3(NLRC3)in endothelial cells and evaluate its diagnostic value in coronary artery disease.METHODS:Twenty male ApoE-/-C57BL/6 mice,aged eight weeks,were randomly assigned into two groups:an experimental group and a control group,with each group com-prising ten mice.The experimental group was subjected to a high-fat diet for 8 weeks to induce atherosclerosis(AS),whereas the control group was maintained on a standard diet.The expression of NLRC3 in the aorta was evaluated using RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence techniques.Additionally,human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs)were ex-posed to interleukin-1β(IL-1β)to investigate the expression levels of NLRC3.Lentiviral vectors or plasmid vectors were employed to either overexpress or knock down NLRC3 in endothelial cells,and subsequently subjected to inflammation in-duced by IL-1β.The RT-qPCR and ELISA were employed to assess the impact of NLRC3 on inflammation in endothelial cells.Western blot and immunofluorescence techniques were utilized to investigate the modulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway in endothelial cells by NLRC3.Plasma NLRC3 levels in coronary artery disease patients and healthy controls were measured using ELISA,and its diagnostic potential was assessed through ROC curve analysis.RESULTS:In AS mice,distinct plaque lesions were observed in the aorta,accompanied by a significantly reduced expression of NLRC3 in the aortic arch relative to the control group.Expression of NLRC3 exhibited a significant down-regulation in IL-1β-stimu-lated HUVECs,demonstrating both time-dependent and dose-dependent effects(P<0.01).Overexpression of NLRC3 markedly suppressed the levels of IL-6,IL-8,monocyte chemoatbactant protein-1(MCP-1),p-p65,and p-IκBα in endo-thelial cells stimulated with IL-1β(P<0.01).Conversely,knockdown of NLRC3 resulted in elevated levels of IL-6,IL-8,MCP-1,p-p65 and p-IκBα in endothelial cells(P<0.01).Coronary artery disease patients had significantly lower plasma NLRC3 levels than controls,with an AUC of 0.851(95%CI:0.785～0.918,P<0.01).A diagnostic threshold of 1.605 μg/L yielded a sensitivity of 93.8%and a specificity of 71.3%.CONCLUSION:The NLRC3 may modulate endothelial inflammation and suppress AS progression through inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway,and it holds potential as a diagnostic biomarker for coronary artery disease.

Objective:To explore and compare the clinical application value of 8-channel head phased-array coil, an 8-channel temporomandibular joint (TMJ)-specific surface coil, and a single-channel surface coil in TMJ MRI examinations.Methods:A total of 600 temporomandibular disorders (TMD) patients (1 200 joints) who underwent TMJ MRI examination in the First People′s Hospital of Jinzhong from June 2020 to January 2025 were retrospectively screened. Based on inclusion/exclusion criteria, 120 TMD patients (240 joints) with closed-mouth oblique sagittal proton density weighted imaging (OSag PDWI), coronal T2 fat-suppression weighted imaging (OCor fs T2WI) and open-mouth oblique sagittal proton density weighted imaging (OSag PDWI) were included. Patients were divided into groups A, B, and C, with 40 cases in each group. Group A (31female, 9male, median age 24 years old), underwent 8-channel head phased-array coil imaging. Group B (29 female, 11male, median age 23.5 years old) underwent TMJ imaging with an 8-channel surface coil. Group C (29 female, 11male, median age 22.5 years old) underwent single-channel surface coil imaging. There were no significant differences in age, gender, type or disease types among groups ( P>0.05). Six healthy volunteers without TMD (4 female, 2 male, range 19 to 45 years old) underwent imaging with all three coils as self-control. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and image quality were compared for five regions of interest (ROI) in both patients and volunteers. Results:Under the same sequence and the same parameters, SNR and CNR in group B were higher than those in group A, and SNR and CNR in group C were also higher than those in group A, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). However, there were significant differences in SNR and CNR between group B and group C in the closed and open positions of ROI1, the open positions of ROI3 and the open positions of ROI5 ( P<0.05), and there were no significant differences in other positions ( P>0.05). Group B had the best image quality, followed by group C and group A had the worst image quality. There were significant differences in the visualization of OSag PDWI in the closed mouth position, OCor T2WI in the coronal position, and OSag PDWI in the open mouth position, such as condyle, anterior attachment, joint disc, double lamina area, joint cavity and lateral pterygoid muscle ( P<0.05). There were significant differences between group B and group C in showing the joint cavity in the closed mouth position and showing the structure of the bilaminar area in the open mouth position ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in other regions of interest ( P>0.05). The subjective scores of condyle, anterior attachment, articular disc, bilaminar area, articular cavity, lateral pterygos muscle and other structures were medium to high in group A, high in group B, and high or high in group C by two radiologists independently. In the five rois, the 8-channel TMJ surface coil showed more details, especially in the articular disc, condyle and lateral pterygoid muscle regions, and had more advantages in both volunteers and patients. Conclusions:The 8-channel TMJ-specific surface coil provides significantly clearer visualization of critical anatomical details within the ROIs, demonstrating the highest clinical application value and is recommended as the preferred choice.

AIM:To investigate the impact of interleukin-17(IL-17D)knockout on lipid phagocytosis in ath-erosclerosis(AS)and bone marrow-derived macrophages.METHODS:Twenty 8-week-old ApoE-/-C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups(10 mice per group).The experimental group was subjected to a high-fat diet for 8 weeks to induce AS,while the control group received a normal diet.Additionally,fifteen 8-week-old ApoE-/-IL-17D-/-and ApoE-/-mice were also fed a high-fat diet for the same duration.Body weight and blood lipid levels were measured.Aortas were harvested,and IL-17D expression was assessed using RT-qPCR.Bone marrow cells were iso-lated and differentiated into macrophages with colony-stimulating factors.Oil red O staining was employed to visualize lip-id deposition in aortic plaques and macrophages.To stimulate macrophages,oxidized low-density lipoprotein(oxLDL)was used,and RT-qPCR along with Western blot analyses were conducted to evaluate the expression of lipid phagocytosis-related genes and the p38 MAPK signaling pathway.Dehydrocorydaline(DHC),a p38 MAPK activator,was adminis-tered to IL-17D-/-macrophages,and the expression of CD36 and lipid phagocytosis were assessed.RESULTS:IL-17D ex-pression was significantly elevated in the aortas of AS mice and in oxLDL-treated macrophages(P<0.01).IL-17D-/-mice exhibited notably lower serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels(P<0.01),along with a sig-nificant reduction in plaque area in the aortas and aortic roots(P<0.01).Macrophages lacking IL-17D demonstrated de-creased expression of CD36,LOX-1,IL-1β,and IL-6(P<0.01)and showed diminished lipid phagocytosis.These mac-rophages also exhibited reduced phosphorylation of p38(P<0.01)compared to wild-type macrophages.Activation of p38 MAPK by DHC significantly countered the inhibitory effects of IL-17D knockout on CD36 expression(P<0.01)and en-hanced lipid phagocytosis in macrophages.CONCLUSION:Knockout of IL-17D may modulate lipid phagocytosis in macro-phages via the p38/CD36 signaling pathway,potentially inhibiting the formation and progression of aortic plaques in mice.

AIM:To investigate the role of NLR family CARD domain containing 3(NLRC3)in endothelial cells and evaluate its diagnostic value in coronary artery disease.METHODS:Twenty male ApoE-/-C57BL/6 mice,aged eight weeks,were randomly assigned into two groups:an experimental group and a control group,with each group com-prising ten mice.The experimental group was subjected to a high-fat diet for 8 weeks to induce atherosclerosis(AS),whereas the control group was maintained on a standard diet.The expression of NLRC3 in the aorta was evaluated using RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence techniques.Additionally,human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs)were ex-posed to interleukin-1β(IL-1β)to investigate the expression levels of NLRC3.Lentiviral vectors or plasmid vectors were employed to either overexpress or knock down NLRC3 in endothelial cells,and subsequently subjected to inflammation in-duced by IL-1β.The RT-qPCR and ELISA were employed to assess the impact of NLRC3 on inflammation in endothelial cells.Western blot and immunofluorescence techniques were utilized to investigate the modulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway in endothelial cells by NLRC3.Plasma NLRC3 levels in coronary artery disease patients and healthy controls were measured using ELISA,and its diagnostic potential was assessed through ROC curve analysis.RESULTS:In AS mice,distinct plaque lesions were observed in the aorta,accompanied by a significantly reduced expression of NLRC3 in the aortic arch relative to the control group.Expression of NLRC3 exhibited a significant down-regulation in IL-1β-stimu-lated HUVECs,demonstrating both time-dependent and dose-dependent effects(P<0.01).Overexpression of NLRC3 markedly suppressed the levels of IL-6,IL-8,monocyte chemoatbactant protein-1(MCP-1),p-p65,and p-IκBα in endo-thelial cells stimulated with IL-1β(P<0.01).Conversely,knockdown of NLRC3 resulted in elevated levels of IL-6,IL-8,MCP-1,p-p65 and p-IκBα in endothelial cells(P<0.01).Coronary artery disease patients had significantly lower plasma NLRC3 levels than controls,with an AUC of 0.851(95%CI:0.785～0.918,P<0.01).A diagnostic threshold of 1.605 μg/L yielded a sensitivity of 93.8%and a specificity of 71.3%.CONCLUSION:The NLRC3 may modulate endothelial inflammation and suppress AS progression through inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway,and it holds potential as a diagnostic biomarker for coronary artery disease.

With the reform of the national medical and health system entering a new stage of high-quality development of public hospitals,the large-scale implementation of day surgery in hospitals is imminent in the face of increasing patient demand.In this paper,the medical administration management and medical insurance policies related to day surgery in China and their im-pacts were sorted out,and the example of large-scale implementation of day surgery by a specialized ophthalmic medical institu-tion through pre-hospitalization mode was used to illustrate how to use management tools to break through the bottleneck in the promotion process of day surgery,and the positive effect of large-scale development of day surgery on both doctors and patients was expounded.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of 2019 novel coronavirus inactivated vaccine on the disease severity of patients with Delta variant of coronavirus disease 2019.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 704 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 infected with Delta variant who were older than 18 years old and admitted in the coronavirus disease 2019 designated hospital of Yangzhou (Subei Hospital New Area Branch) from July 2021 to September 2021. They were divided into severe (severe, critical) group and non-severe (light, ordinary) group according to the clinical characteristics of patients. According to the vaccination status, they were divided into 0-dose group, 1-dose group and 2-dose group. We evaluated the effects of vaccination on the severity of the disease and the production of antibodies, and analyzed the influencing factors leading to the severe group of coronavirus disease 2019.Results:The proportion of severe group in the 2-dose vaccinated group was significantly lower than that in the 1-dose vaccinated group and 0-dose vaccinated group [3.02% (7/232) vs. 9.48% (22/232), 15.83% (38/240), P < 0.05]. The time from onset to admission (day: 1.97±1.66 vs. 2.66±2.70), age (years: 45.3±12.2 vs. 63.6±17.0), direct bilirubin [DBil (μmol/L): 3.70±1.83 vs. 5.30±5.13], lactate dehydrogenase [LDH (U/L): 240.69±74.29 vs. 256.30±85.18], creatinine [SCr (μmol/L): 63.38±19.86 vs. 70.23±25.43], interleukin-6 [IL-6 (ng/L): 7.32 (1.54, 17.40) vs. 18.38 (8.83, 33.43)], creatine kinase [CK (U/L): 66.00 (43.00, 99.75) vs. 78.00 (54.50, 144.00)] and D-dimer [mg/L: 0.30 (0.08, 0.49) vs. 0.41 (0.23, 0.69)] of patients in the 2-dose group were significantly lower than those in the 0-dose group (all P < 0.05), while platelet [PLT (×10 9/L): 176.69±60.25 vs. 149.25±59.07], white blood cell count [WBC (×10 9/L): 5.43±1.77 vs. 5.03±1.88] and lymphocyte [LYM (×10 9/L): 1.34±0.88 vs. 1.17±0.50] were significantly higher than those in the 0-dose group (all P < 0.05). The titer of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in the 2-dose group was significantly higher than those in the 1-dose group and 0-dose group on the 10th day after admission [U/L: 130.94 (92.23, 326.31), 113.18 (17.62, 136.20), 117.85 (33.52, 156.73), both P < 0.05], and higher than 0-dose group on the 16th day [U/L: 156.12 (120.32, 167.76) vs. 126.52 (61.34, 149.57), P < 0.05]. The proportion of complete 2-dose vaccination [10.45% (7/67) vs. 35.32% (225/637)], LYM (×10 9/L: 1.09±0.32 vs. 1.25±0.56) and PLT (×10 9/L: 138.55±68.03 vs. 166.93±59.70) in the severe group were significantly lower than those in the non-severe group ( P < 0.05), while the time from onset to admission (day: 3.01±2.99 vs. 2.25±2.09), the length of hospital stay (day: 28±18 vs. 16±6), male proportion [77.61% (52/67) vs. 34.54% (220/637)], age (years: 69.13±12.63 vs. 52.28±16.53), DBil [μmol/L: 4.20 (3.18, 6.65) vs. 3.60 (2.80, 4.90], LDH (U/L: 310.61±98.33 vs. 238.19±72.14), SCr (μmol/L: 85.67±38.25 vs. 65.98±18.57), C-reactive protein [CRP (μmol/L): 28.12 (11.32, 42.23) vs. 8.49 (2.61, 17.58)], IL-6 [ng/L: 38.38 (24.67, 81.50) vs. 11.40 (4.60, 22.07)], CK [U/L: 140.00 (66.00, 274.00) vs. 72.80 (53.00, 11.00)] and the D-dimer [mg/L: 0.46 (0.29, 0.67) vs. 0.35 (0.19, 0.57)] in the severe group were significantly higher than those in the non-severe group (all P < 0.05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that the odds ratio ( OR) of severe group was 0.430 ( P = 0.010) in the 1-dose group and the 2-dose group compared with the 0-dose group. However, the risk of severe group was 0.381-fold in the 2-dose group compared with the 0-dose group [ OR = 0.381, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 0.121-1.199] which was not statistically significant, when the age was included in the regression analysis ( P > 0.05). PLT ( OR = 0.992, 95% CI was 0.986-0.998) were protective factors, but older than 60 years old ( OR = 3.681, 95% CI was 1.637-8.278), CK ( OR = 1.001, 95% CI was 1.000-1.001), IL-6 ( OR = 1.006, 95% CI was 1.002-1.010), SCr ( OR = 1.020, 95% CI was 1.007-1.033) were risk factors for severe group (all P < 0.05). Conclusions:Compared with the 0-dose vaccinated patients, the coronavirus disease 2019 patients infected with delta variant and fully vaccinated with 2-dose 2019 novel coronavirus inactivated vaccine had lower level of IL-6, SCr, CK and D-dimer, and higher PLT, LYM and IgG titer, who were not easy to develop into the severe condition.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of hydrogen on the immunosuppressive status of septic rats.Methods:SPF healthy adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 7-8 weeks, weighing 220-260 g, were studied.This study was performed in two parts.Part Ⅰ The rats were divided into 2 groups: sepsis group (Sep group, n=36) and sham operation group (Sham group, n=12). The model of sepsis was established by cecal ligation puncture in anesthetized rats.The histocompatibility DR antigen (HLA-DR)/CD14 + monocyte level in peripheral blood was detected by flow cytometry immediately after CLP and at 1, 2, 3 and 4 days after CLP.The establishment of sepsis-induced immunosuppression model was considered successful when the levels of HLA-DR/CD14 + monocyte in peripheral blood were <30%.Part Ⅱ Twelve rats with sepsis-induced immunosuppression were randomly selected and divided into 2 groups ( n=6 each) by a random number table method: sepsis immunosuppression group (Sep-IS group), sepsis immunosuppression plus hydrogen treatment group (Sep-IS+ H group). Another 12 rats were selected and divided into 2 groups ( n=6 each) by a random number table method: sham operation group (Sham group) and sham operation plus hydrogen group (Sham+ H group). In Sep-IS+ H group, 67% hydrogen was inhaled for 1 h starting from the time point immediately after successful establishment of sepsis-induced immunosuppression and from 6 h after establishment, and 67% hydrogen was inhaled for 1 h at the corresponding time points in Sham+ H group.The levels of helper T lymphocytes 17 (Th17 cells), regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg cells) and HLA-DR/CD14 + monocyte in peripheral blood were determined by flow cytometry immediately after the end of hydrogen inhalation mentioned above (T 0, T 1) and at 12 h after establishing the model (T 2). Results:Part Ⅰ Compared with Sham group, the levels of HLA-DR/CD14 + monocyte in peripheral blood were significantly decreased at 1-4 days after CLP in Sep group ( P<0.05). Part Ⅱ Compared with Sham group, the level of HLA-DR/CD14 + monocytes in peripheral blood was significantly decreased, and the levels of Treg and Th17 cells were increased at each time point in Sep-IS and Sep-IS+ H groups ( P<0.05), and no significant change was found in the parameters mentioned above in Sham+ H group ( P>0.05). Compared with Sep-IS group, the level of HLA-DR/CD14 + monocytes in peripheral blood was significantly increased at T 1, 2, the levels of Th17 cells were increased at T 2, and the levels of Treg cells were decreased at T 1, 2 in Sep-IS+ H group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Hydrogen can improve the immunosuppressive state of septic rats.