Objective:To study the consistency between post-processing bone mineral density(BMD)values of multi-slice spiral computed tomography(MSCT)scan and the BMD value of quantitative computed tomography(QCT)for lumbar vertebra,so as to explore the feasibility of utilizing MSCT scan-based post-processing BMD values for lumbar vertebra in clinical practice.Methods:The MSCT equipment and QCT equipment were respectively adopted to conduct imaging scan for the L2-L4 of lumber vertebra of QRM-ESP145 European Spine Phantom(ESP),and L2-L4 of lumbar vertebra of adult sheep,and L2-L4 of lumbar vertebra of adult volunteer.The L2-L4 of ESP lumber vertebra and L2-L4 of lumbar vertebra of adult sheep were scanned respectively MSCT and QCT for three times,so as to measure BMD values.The L2-L4 of lumbar vertebrae of volunteers were scanned respectively by the two methods for one time according to the standard of clinical examination,which were reconstructed by three times so as to obtain mean of them.The BMD values of QCT scan were set as control group,and the BMD values of MSCT scan were set as experiment group.The experiment group was further divided into experiment 1 group[two dimension(2D)regional volumetric BMD values of the lumbar vertebra]and experiment 2 group[three dimension(3D)global volumetric BMD post-processing of the lumbar vertebra]according to the reliability of experiment.Then,the consistency between the MSCT 3D post-processing BMD values of three groups and QCT-measured BMD values was compared and analyzed.Results:The MSCT 3D post-processing BMD values of L2-L4 of ESP lumbar vertebra of three groups were respectively(120.83±0.97),(199.57±0.54)and(119.19±1.04)mg/cm3,and that of L2-L4 of lumbar vertebra of adult sheep of three groups were respectively(414.89±1.72),(410.50±0.77)and(420.25±2.71)mg/cm3,and that of L2-L4 of lumbar vertebra of volunteer were respectively(141.22±0.09),(137.38±0.37)and(152.03±1.03)mg/cm3.There were not statistically significant differences in BMD values between MSCT examination and QCT examination(P＞0.05).Conclusion:MSCT 3D post-processing BMD values on lumbar vertebra has high consistency with that of QCT measurements,which post-processing technique can replace QCT to conduct BMD examination,and reduce unnecessary radiation exposure and examination costs for patients.

Objective:To study the consistency between post-processing bone mineral density(BMD)values of multi-slice spiral computed tomography(MSCT)scan and the BMD value of quantitative computed tomography(QCT)for lumbar vertebra,so as to explore the feasibility of utilizing MSCT scan-based post-processing BMD values for lumbar vertebra in clinical practice.Methods:The MSCT equipment and QCT equipment were respectively adopted to conduct imaging scan for the L2-L4 of lumber vertebra of QRM-ESP145 European Spine Phantom(ESP),and L2-L4 of lumbar vertebra of adult sheep,and L2-L4 of lumbar vertebra of adult volunteer.The L2-L4 of ESP lumber vertebra and L2-L4 of lumbar vertebra of adult sheep were scanned respectively MSCT and QCT for three times,so as to measure BMD values.The L2-L4 of lumbar vertebrae of volunteers were scanned respectively by the two methods for one time according to the standard of clinical examination,which were reconstructed by three times so as to obtain mean of them.The BMD values of QCT scan were set as control group,and the BMD values of MSCT scan were set as experiment group.The experiment group was further divided into experiment 1 group[two dimension(2D)regional volumetric BMD values of the lumbar vertebra]and experiment 2 group[three dimension(3D)global volumetric BMD post-processing of the lumbar vertebra]according to the reliability of experiment.Then,the consistency between the MSCT 3D post-processing BMD values of three groups and QCT-measured BMD values was compared and analyzed.Results:The MSCT 3D post-processing BMD values of L2-L4 of ESP lumbar vertebra of three groups were respectively(120.83±0.97),(199.57±0.54)and(119.19±1.04)mg/cm3,and that of L2-L4 of lumbar vertebra of adult sheep of three groups were respectively(414.89±1.72),(410.50±0.77)and(420.25±2.71)mg/cm3,and that of L2-L4 of lumbar vertebra of volunteer were respectively(141.22±0.09),(137.38±0.37)and(152.03±1.03)mg/cm3.There were not statistically significant differences in BMD values between MSCT examination and QCT examination(P＞0.05).Conclusion:MSCT 3D post-processing BMD values on lumbar vertebra has high consistency with that of QCT measurements,which post-processing technique can replace QCT to conduct BMD examination,and reduce unnecessary radiation exposure and examination costs for patients.

Objective:To investigate the associations of brain white matter integrity deficits, and to explore the association of fractional anisotropy (FA) abnormality with clinical symptoms and cognitive impairments, as well as the prediction effect of the FA alterations on symptoms and cognitive function outcomes in the acute stage of schizophrenia from the whole brain level based on magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).Methods:From November 2019 to December 2020, thirty-eight patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 38 healthy controls were recruited in this study. Wisconsin card classification test (WCST), digit span test (DST forward/backward), verbal fluency test, Stroop (A/B/C), trail making test (TMT-A/B), as well as positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) were utilized to evaluate patients' cognitive function and clinical symptoms both before and after 8 weeks of risperidone monotherapy. T1-weighted images and DTI data of all the subjects were collected . FSL and SPM8 were used to preprocess MRI data and compare the between-group differences of FA. Support vector machine (SVM) analysis was used to evaluate the accuracy of abnormal FA values in differentiating schizophrenic patients from healthy controls. Finally, stepwise multiple regression analysis or generalized linear models were used to explore the associations between white matter integrity and symptoms or cognition.Results:Before treatment, patients' FA values of right medial temporal lobe (mTL), cuneus, anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG) and inferior parietal lobe (IPL) were significantly lower than those in healthy controls ( P<0.01, GRF corrected), and patients' FA values of bilateral middle cingulate gyrus (mCG) were significantly higher than those in the control group ( P<0.01, GRF corrected). SVM analysis showed that four combinations could distinguish the patients from the control with the most accurate rate of 89.47%. Patients' baseline decreased FA values in the right IPL were positively associated with their increased total response time in WCST ( β=0.489, P=0.003, FDR corrected), correct response time in WCST ( β=0.450, P=0.008, FDR corrected), error response time in WCST ( β=0.435, P=0.008, FDR corrected), TMT-B ( β=0.296, P=0.042, FDR corrected), Stroop-C ( β=0.345, P=0.035, FDR corrected), and PANSS-P ( β=0.321, P=0.042, FDR corrected). Reduced FA values in the right mTL in patient group were significantly negatively related to the total time spent on the TMT-A ( β=-0.425, P=0.009, FDR corrected) and TMT-B ( β=-0.325, P=0.026 with FDR correction). Increased FA values in right mCG in patient group demonstrated positive associations with total response time in the WCST ( β=0.585, P=0.002, FDR corrected), correct response time in WCST ( β=0.524, P=0.003, FDR corrected), error response time in WCST ( β=0.536, P=0.003, FDR corrected) and total time consuming in TMT-B ( β=0.484, P=0.004, FDR corrected), as well as negative associations with DST-forward ( β=-0.319, P=0.042, FDR corrected). After treatment, patients' percentage changes in total response time of WCST ( β=0.715, P<0.001, FDR corrected), correct response time of WCST ( β=0.752, P<0.001, FDR corrected), as well as total time-consuming of TMT-A ( β=1.333, P=0.001, FDR corrected) showed positive correlations with baseline increased FA values in the left mCG. Percentage alteration of Stroop-B was negatively correlated with baseline FA values in the right cuneus ( β=-0.745, P=0.015, FDR corrected). Conclusions:The combination of abnormal FA values in multiple brain regions may be potential biomarkers to distinguish schizophrenic patients from healthy volunteers. There was regional dependence in the associations of the impairment of white matter integrity with the cognitive impairment, the severity of psychopathological symptoms as well as the prognosis of patients in the acute stage.

To investigate the clinical features and prognostic significance in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients with DTA (DNMT3A,TET2,ASXL1) mutations. Clinical characteristics of 140 patients diagnosed as de novo MDS at People′s Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from September 2015 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Next-generation sequencing was used to detect 34 related genes in MDS patients. DTA mutations and the correlation with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in MDS patients were evaluated. Among 140 MDS patients, DTA mutations was detected in 62 (44.3%) patients. And the positive rate of DTA mutations in IPSS-R lower-risk group was 65.4%, significantly higher than that of higher-risk group (31.8%)( P=0.000). Compared with the non-mutated group, patients with DTA mutations had a lower rate of conversion to leukemia (9.7% vs . 29.5%, P=0.004).Survival analysis showed that PFS in patients with DTA mutations was comparable as that in MDS patients without DTA mutations ( P=0.787), but the median OS was significantly shorter (16 months vs . 20 months, P=0.022).According to IPSS-R classification, the median OS in patients with and without DTA mutation was only statistically significant in the higher-risk group (15 months vs. 18 months, P=0.034).Among 62 patients with DTA mutations, 60 (96.8%) had additional gene mutations. DTA mutations were not independent prognostic factors when mutation frequency is greater than 10% were considered in Cox regression model ( P>0.05). DTA mutations often developed in the early stage of MDS, therefore they were more common in IPSS-R lower-risk subgroup which was correlated to the low rate of conversion to leukemia. In conclusion, DTA mutations are not associated with disease progression, but predict unfavorable survival when other add-on genes are mutated.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims to explore the effects of a long non-coding RNA, LINC00525, on colorectal cancer (CRC) and its underlying molecular mechanisms. METHODS: The qPCR, MTT, colony formation, Western blotting, Luciferase reporter and biotin pull-down, shRNA knockdown and DNA fragmentation assays were performed in this study. RESULTS: High expressions of LINC00525 were associated with poor prognosis of CRC patients. LINC00525 knockdown decreased stemness properties and increased sensitivities to oxaliplatin. MiR-507 was a direct target of LINC00525 and overexpression of miR-507 significantly decreased abilities of tumorsphere formation and cell growth. Overexpression of miR-507 resulted in a decrease of expression of cancer stem cell markers and the increase of apoptosis rates. MiR-507 regulated the expression of ELK3. In addition, LINC00525 knockdown decreased the expression of ELK3. Restoration of ELK3 expression abrogated the effects of LINC00525 knockdown. LINC00525 could be served as prognostic marker of CRC. CONCLUSIONS: LINC00525 enhanced stemness properties and increased sensitivities of CRC cells to oxaliplatin by targeting miR-507/ELK3 axis.
Apoptosis ; Biotin ; Blotting, Western ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; DNA Fragmentation ; Humans ; Luciferases ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; Prognosis ; RNA, Long Noncoding ; RNA, Small Interfering

Objective To measure and analyze the behavioral changes of Rncat congenital cataract mice. Methods Normal BALB/c mice and KM mice were used as control group,and inbred and random mated Rncat congenital cataract mice were used as experimental group. Behavioral tests, including the open field test, coat-hanger test, forced swimming test,and tail suspension test,were conducted on the mice. Results Compared with the inbred Rncat congenital cataract mice,the residence time in the open field test,the immobility time in the forced swimming test and tail suspension test of the BALB/c mice, randomly-mated Rncat congenital cataract mice and KM mice were significantly different. Conclusions There are certain differences in behavioral performance between the Rncat congenital cataract mice and the other mice. Our findings may provide a useful reference for future researchers.

Objective In order to lay the foundation for establishment of a clean grade Meriones meridianus popu-lation, and provide reference for the formulation of Meriones meridianus parasite detection standard.Methods A survey of parasite infection in Meriones meridianus was carried out, and three kinds of antiparasitic drugs, tetramethrin/per-methrin, praziquantel, and tinidazole were used in high-, medium-and low-doses for eradication of the target parasites. Results Three types of parasites were detected among the animals.The infection rate of surface parasite Myobia musculi was 82.1%(23/28), that of intestinal parasite Hymenolepis nana was 78.1% (25/32) and Tritrichomonas muris was 90.6%(29/32).Significant results of parasite eradication were achieved with the antiparasitic drugs.Medicated bath u-sing 1%tetramethrin/permethrin for 30 s every 4 days for 5 times and 1.5%tetramethrin/permethrin for 30 s every 4 days for 3 times completely eradicated the surface Myobia musculi infection.Praziquantel in a dose of 31 mg/kg by daily gastric gavage for consecutive 7 days was the optimal dosage to completely eradicate the intestinal Hymenolepis nana.Tinidazole in a dose of 42 mg/kg administered by gastric gavage daily for consecutive 7 days was the optimal dosage for eradication of in-testinal Tritrichomonas muris infection.Conclusions Three types of parasites are detected in Meriones meridianus in our laboratory, i.e.surface infection with Myobia musculi, and intestinal infection with Tritrichomonas muris and Hymenolepis nana.Tetramethrin/permethrin, praziquantel and tinidazole can be used to effectively eradicate these three types of para-sites, respectively.

Objective To compare the accuracy of Marsh model and Schnider model for propofol target?controlled infusion ( TCI) system. Methods Eighty patients, aged 20-60 yr, of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status ⅠorⅡ, with body mass index of 17?5-28?0 kg∕m2 , scheduled for e?lective gynecological operation under general anesthesia, were equally and randomly divided into either Marsh model group ( group M) or Schnider model group ( group S) using a random number table. The target plasma concentration was set at 3 μg∕ml in both groups. During TCI and at different time points after the end of TCI, the blood samples were collected for determination of blood propofol concentrations by high per?formance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector. The difference between measured and predicted concentrations (△C) at each time point was calculated. The median performance error ( MDPE) , median absolute performance error ( MDAPE) , and wobble of propofol TCI system were calculated in each group. Results In M and S groups, the MDPE was 9. 90% and 14?00%, respectively; the MDAPE was 11?43% and 14?49%, respectively;the wobble was 7?77% and 7?79%, respectively. There was no sig?nificant difference in △C at each time point during TCI between group M and group S (P>0?05). After TCI was stopped, △C at each time point was significantly lower in group M than in group S ( P<0?05) . Conclusion Marsh model provides higher accuracy than Schnider model for propofol TCI system in the pa?tients undergoing gynecological operation.

Objective To explore the changes in β-catenin expression and their significance in ultraviolet ray (UV)-induced development of skin tumor in mice.Methods The back of 60 mice was irradiated for various durations to establish tumor models.Ten mice receiving no irradiation served as the control.Fifteen mice were sacrificed respectively on week 2,4,6 and 8 after the beginning of irradiation and skin tissue specimens were resected from the back of these mice.Hematoxylin and eosin staining was conducted to observe the histopathological changes of skin,and immunohistochemistry and real time fluorescence PCR were carried out to detect the expression of β-catenin.Results Along with the UV irradiation,the exposed skin experienced a series of histological changes.The β-catenin expression was located in cell membrane in unirradiated mice and those irradiated for 2 weeks.There was an attenuation in the expression of β-catenin in cell membrane but an increment in the ectopic expression of β-catenin in 7,9 and 9 of the 15 mice receiving 4-,6- and 8-week irradiation respectively.Compared with the control mice,a significant increase was observed in the ectopic expression rate of β-catenin in mice receiving 4,6 and 8 weeks of irradiation (all P ＜ 0.045).The relative expression level of β-catenin mRNA was 4.893,7.857,10.452,12.481 and 14.702 in unirradiated mice,mice receiving 2,4,6 and 8 weeks of irradiation,respectively,with statistical differences between the 5 groups (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions There is an ectopic nuclear expression of β-catenin in cells of UV-irradiated mouse skin,which may be involved in the initiation and progression of skin tumors.

Objective To discuss X-ray signs of cervica spondylosis.Methods Complete information on 327 cases of cervical spondylosis was analyzed retrospectively.Results These were 245 cases of vertebral spur,accounting for 75％ ;210 cases of cervical curve changes,accounting for 62％ ; 154 cases of disc stenosis,accounting for 47 ％ ; 137 cases of forainal stenosis stenosis,accounting for 42％ ;135 case of luschka j iont degeneration,accounting for41％ ;124 cases of neck ligament calcification,accounting for 38％.Conclusion Vertebral bone spur,luschka jiont degeneration and disc and foraminal stenosis were important signs of cervical spondylosis.X-ray diagnosis of cervical spondylosis had an important value.