Objective:To investigate the value of the virtual monoenergetic image (VMI) obtained by a new dual-layer detector spectral CT combined with metal artifact reduction algorithms(O-MAR) in reduction of different types of artifacts caused by 125I seeds implantation and in improvement of the post-operative CT image quality. Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. Thirty-five patients who underwent dual-layer detector spectral CT scanning of the chest and abdomen after 125I seeds implantation were retrospectively included at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from March to September 2022. The spectral data were collected and reconstructed into conventional CT image (CI), VMI image (50-150 keV, 20 keV/level), CI+O-MAR image, and VMI+O-MAR image (50-150 keV, 20 keV/level). The artifacts′ removal effects and image quality improvement in each group were evaluated. Two slices with the strongest artifacts were selected for analysis for each patient, resulting in a total of 70 slices. Objective indicators including artifact index (AI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of soft tissue regions affected by artifacts were measured and calculated. Subjective indicators including the overcorrected artifacts and new artifacts, the different forms of artifacts, the diagnosis of artifacts, and the image quality were assessed. One-way analysis of variance was used for comparisons among multiple groups. Paired t test was used to compare the quantitative indicators between the combined O-MAR group and the non-O-MAR group. Kappa statistics was used to evaluate the consistency between observers. Results:In high/low-density artifacts (ROI H/L), the AI values in all groups showed decrease with increasing VMI keV. In artifact-affected tissue (ROI T), SNR of the CI/VMI (70-150 keV)+O-MAR group were significantly higher than those of the CI/VMI group ( P<0.05), CNR of the CI/VMI(50-150 keV)+O-MAR group were significantly higher than those of the CI/VMI group ( P<0.05). Both overcorrection and new artifacts mainly presented in VMI 50 keV and VMI 70 keV groups; Compared with VMI (50-70 keV) group, significantly less numbers of overcorrection and new artifacts were found in VMI (50-70 keV)+O-MAR group ( P<0.05); regarding the comparison of artifact types, with the VMI keV increasing, the number of a-type banded artifacts gradually decreased on images with high-density artifacts, reaching a minimum of 3 in the VMI 150 keV+O-MAR group; while the number of e-type artifacts with little or no artifacts increased, with the highest number of 23 in the VMI 150 keV+O-MAR group. The total number of high-density artifacts in each type decreased with increasing VMI keV. As VMI keV increased, the diagnostic and image quality scores of high-density artifacts in each group were significantly higher than those of low-density artifacts in the VMI+O-MAR group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:VMI combined with O-MAR can significantly improve the objective and subjective image quality of follow-up CT imaging after 125I seed implantation, enhancing lesion visibility and diagnostic confidence. Additionally, VMI+O-MAR showed more pronounced correction effect on high-density artifacts.

Objective To investigate the expression of urinary galectin-3 binding protein(Gal-3BP)and V-set containing immunoglobulin domain 4(VSIG4)in urine from patient with systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)and its relationship with disease activity and kidney injury.Methods A total of 105 SLE patients(SLE group)and 50 normal patients(control group)admitted to Danzhou People's Hospital were selected as the study objects.According to SLEDAI score,105 SLE patients were divided into mild active group(SLEDAI≤9 points,n=51),moderate active group(14 point≥SLEDAI≥10 points,n=29)and severe active group(SLEDAI ≥ 15 points,n=25).According to the degree of renal function impairment,they were divided into normal renal function group,mild renal function impairment group and moderate and severe renal function impairment group.Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the expressions of Gal-3BP and VSIG4.Multiple Logistic regression was applied to analyze the risk factors of kidney injury in SLE patients,and ROC curve was drawn to analyze the value of urinary Gal-3BP and VSIG4 levels in predicting kidney injury in SLE patients.Results The urinary Gal-3BP(251.38±46.75 ng/ml)and VSIG4(13.40±4.27 ng/ml)levels in the SLE group were higher than those in the control group(117.50±18.24 ng/ml,2.73±0.85ng/ml),and the differences were statistically significant(t=19.315,15.681,all P＜0.001).The higher the activity level of SLE patients,the higher the urinary Gal-3BP and VSIG4 levels,with severe activity group＞moderate activity group＞mild activity group,and the differences were statistically significant(F=23.416,17.380,all P＜0.001).The urinary Gal-3BP and VSIG4 levels in the moderate to severe renal function group and mild renal function group were higher than those in the normal renal function group(t=24.580,18.163,20.864,15.947),and the urinary Gal-3BP and VSIG4 levels in the moderate to severe renal function group were higher than those in the mild renal function group(t=19.837,11.215),and the differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.001),respectively.Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that elevated levels of urinary Gal-3BP(OR=3.472,95％CI:2.685～11.463)and VSIG4(OR=2.376,95％CI:1.842～9.105)were risk factors for renal injury in SLE patients(all P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the combination of Gal-3BP and VSIG4 had the highest area under the curve(95％confidence interval)[AUC(95％CI)]for predicting renal injury in SLE patients[0.909(0.846～0.973)],with an accuracy of 88.6％.Correlation analysis showed that the urinary Gal-3BP level was positively correlated with VSIG4 level(r=0.813,P＜0.05),and the levels of urinary Gal-3BP and VSIG4 were positively correlated with SCr,BUN,24-hour urine protein,anti-dsDNA antibodies,and SLEDAI scores(r=0.358～0.702,all P＜0.05),while urinary Gal-3BP and VS1G4 levels were negatively correlated with hemoglobin and eGFR in SLE patients(r=-0.479～-0.670,all P＜0.05).Conclusion Urinary Gal-3BP and VSIG4 levels are elevated in SLE patients,and their high expressions are related to disease activity and renal injury.The combination of the two have good value in predicting renal injury in SLE patients.

OBJECTIVE:To systematically review the efficacy of Ginseng polysaccharideinjection combined with radiotherapy or chemotherapy in the treatment of malignancies,and provide evidence-based reference for clinical treatment. METHODS:Re-trieved from CNKI,CBM,VIP,Wanfang Database PubMed,EMBase,Web of Science,randomized controlled trials (RCT) about Ginseng polysaccharideinjection combined with radiotherapy or chemotherapy(test group)versus radiotherapy or chemothera-py alone(control group) in the treatment of malignancies were collected. Meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan5.3 soft-ware after data extract and quality evaluation by Cochrane 5.1.0. RESULTS:Totally 7 RCTs were enrolled,involving 567 patients. Results of Meta-analysis showed,the effective rate [OR=1.99,95%CI(1.27,3.14),P=0.003] and improvement rate of life quality [OR=2.95,95%CI(1.75,4.97),P<0.001] in test group were significantly higher than control group,cell abnormal rate [OR=0.26,95%CI(0.16,0.41),P<0.001] was lower than control group,the differences were statistically significant. There were no obvi-ous adverse reaction in 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS:Ginseng polysaccharideinjection combined with radiotherapy or chemotherapy is effective in the treatment of malignancies.

[Summary] To investigate the difference in serum pigment epithelium-derived factor ( PEDF) among type 2 diabetic patients before and after use of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors linagliptin for treatment, and to explore the correlation of serum PEDF with lipids, body mass index, and HbA1C . 39 patients with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes and 30 healthy individuals were enrolled. Baseline weight, waist circumference, body mass index, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1C , serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol ( LDL-C) , and PEDF measured by enzyme linked immunosorbant assay were determined both in the diabetic and control subject. The treatment group was treated with oral linagliptin 5 mg/d for six month, serum PEDF and clinical parameters were determined in the diabetic group during 6 months of treatment. ( 1 ) PEDF levels were found to be comparable with the controls ( P=0. 584);LDL-C and waist circumference showed positive correlation with PEDF(P<0. 05 or P<0. 01). (2) PEDF level was significantly increased in patients with type 2 diabetes after linagliptin treatment [(3. 21 ± 1. 91 vs 2. 45 ± 1.53)μg/ml,P<0.01]. SerumPEDFlevelinpatientswithtype2diabeteswassimilartothatofhealthycontrolswith associated LDL-C and waist circumference. After linagliptin treatment, serum PEDF level was raised, suggesting that it may have certain protective effect for diabetic vascular complications.

Objective A link between homocysteine (Hcy) and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) emerged from re-cent studies but was yet not explored specifically in type 2 diabetic patients. This study aimed to assess the relationship between LVEF and Hcy in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods A total of 72 type 2 diabetic patients were selected for this study and were divided into two groups (40 examples with coronary heart disease, 32 examples without coronary heart disease) javascript:Serum Hcy,glycosylated hemoglobin,cholesterol(TC) and triglyceride(TG) were analyzed.LVEF was assessed by echocardiography. Results There was no difference in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin,total cholesterol and triglyceride in two groups of patients (P>0.05);The serum Hcy was obvi-ously higher in type 2 diabetic patients with coronary heart disease compared to those without (P<0.05);Factors signifi-cantly associated with a LVEF<55%were serum Hcy OR=1.211(95%CI 1.041~1.408) in type 2 diabetic patients with coronary heart disease.The serum Hcy had significant negatively correlation with LVEF (r=-0.706,P=0.000) in type 2 diabetic patients with coronary heart disease. Conclusion This study highlights an inverse relationship between Hcy and LVEF in type 2 diabetic patients with coronary artery disease.The serum Hcy is a risk factor associated with a LVEF<55%.

Objective To investigate changes in serum sclerostin (SO) in postmenopausal women before and after treatment with recombinant human parathyroid hormone (1-34) [rhPTH (1-34)],and to explore the relationship of serum SO with estradiol (E2),and bone mineral density (BMD).Methods Ninety-five postmenopausal women were divided into normal BMD group (n =41) and osteoporosis group (n =54).Body mass index,alkaline phosphatase (ALP),serum E2,calcium,phosphate,and SO were determined in both groups.The patients in osteoporosis group were treated with rhPTH (1-34) 20 μg/d by subcutaneous injection and oral calcium 500 mg/d for 12 months.Serum calcium,serum phosphate,BMD,serum ALP,serum E2,and sclerostin were determined in osteoporosis group by 6 months and 12 months of treatment.Results (1) Serum level of SO in osteoporosis group was raised significantly as compared with normal BMD group (P ＜ 0.05) ; E2 and BMD were negatively correlated with SO; age and postmenopausal years were positively correlated with SO (P ＜ 0.05).(2) Serum SO was reduced gradually with treatment of rhPTH (1-34) by 6 months and 12 months (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Serum SO was increased in postmenopausal women,which was related to E2 and BMD,and was reduced gradually with treatment of rhPTH (1-34).SO may participate in the development of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

OBJECTIVE: To purify and identify HMGB1 secreted by liver cells HepG2 and immune cells U937. METHODS: We cultured the liver cell lines HepG2 and immune cell lines U937, and stimulated them with HMGB1 (400 ng/mL) for 20 h. Then the supernatant was collected. Ultrafiltration centrifugation, CM-Sepharose cation, DEAE-Sepharose anion exchange chromatography, Sephadex G75-gel filtration chromatography, and immunoprecipitation were used for purification. The molecular weight and identity of HMGB1 was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. RESULTS: A sharp stained protein band with a molecular weight of about 26 kD was obtained by SDS-PAGE analysis and shown to be HMGB1 confirmed by Western blot. CONCLUSION High purified HMGB1 can be separated from these two cell lines.
Cell Culture Techniques ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; methods ; HMGB1 Protein ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Hep G2 Cells ; Hepatocytes ; metabolism ; Humans ; Monocytes ; metabolism ; U937 Cells

Objective To analyze the changes of heart rate turbulence (HRT) and heart rate variability (HRV) in coronary heart disease (CHD), and evaluate the relationship between CHD and coronary artery disease (CAD) and two parameters of HRT and HRV, and investigate the correlation between the 2 parameters.Methods We performed coronary angiography in all 103 patients with CHD (group A), who were classified into 3 subgroups: 35 patients of stable angina pectoris ( group A1 ), 28 patients of unstable angina pectoris ( group A2 ) and 40 patients of AMI ( group A3 ), and 30 structurally normal patients with ventricular premature contraction who were included in healthy control group ( group B).The 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiogram was performed in all the patients, and the parameters of HRT and HRV were obtained.Results The value of the TO onset of group A was significantly higher than that of group B( -4.17± 2.75, - 3.16 ± 3.18, - 0.96 ± 2.92; - 6.30 ± 3.47 ), the value of TS of group A was lower than that of groupB(6.81±3.18,5.12±3.31,3.20±1.71;9.52±3.85) (P ＜0.05 orP ＜0.01).The values of SDNN, PNN50, and HF of group A were significantly lower than those of group B (P＜ 0.05).TO was positively correlated with Gensinies score, while TS, SDNN, PNN50 and HF were negatively correlated with Gensinies score, and TS showed the strongest negative correlation with Gensini score (r=-0.45).TO was negatively correlated with SDNN, PNN50, and HF, while TS was positively correlated with SDNN, PNN50 and HF, and TS showed much stronger correlation with HF (r=0.47).Conclusions HRT was dramatically blunted and HRV in patients with CHD was significantly lower;.HRT and HRV of group A1 were significantly correlated with Gensini score, and TS had the strongest correlation with Gensini score.TO and TS were correlated with SDNN, PNN50 and HF, and TS had much stronger relationship with HF.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillators (CRT-D) avoiding defibrillation threshold (DFT) testing when treating ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF). METHODS: We analyzed a continuous database of the 21 patients who had avoided DFT during ICD implantation from Oct. 1999 to Aug. 2008. Follow-up data were completed and analyzed in the 21 patients with ICD implantation. RESULTS: ICDs were implanted successfully in 17 patients with VT or VF, and CRT-D were implanted successfully in 4 myocardiopathy patients with severe heart failure who avoided DFT during ICD or CRT-D implantation. Eight patients accepted DFT 1 week later, VT or VF was not induced in 3 patients (37.5%). During the mean follow-up of 1 approximately 7 (4.2+/-1.9) years, malignant ventricular arrythmia was recorded in 16 patients. Among them, 89 episodes were successfully terminated by defbrillation (100%), 120 VT events were terminated by the first run of antitachycardia pacing (51.1%) and 22 by low energy cardioversion (59.2%). All patients took antiarrhycardia drugs after ICD or CRT-D implantation. No patient died from malignant ventricular arrythmia during the follow-up. CONCLUSION No application of routine DFT may avoid complications associated with DFT during ICD or CRT-D implantation. ICD or CRT-D implantation may effectively treat fatal ventricular tachyarrhythmias and prevent sudden cardiac death.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; therapy ; Defibrillators, Implantable ; adverse effects ; standards ; Electric Countershock ; adverse effects ; standards ; Equipment Safety ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sensory Thresholds ; Unnecessary Procedures ; Ventricular Fibrillation ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the effect of prostaglandin E1(PGE1) on the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1(MCP-1)in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and its possible mechanism. Methods Endothelial cells were incubated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL group) in the presence or absence of prostaglandin E1. The level of MCP-1 in the supernatants was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the expression of MCP-1 mRNA in cultured endothelial cells was detected by in-situ hybridization and the protein expression of NF-κB was analyzed by Western blot. Results Compared with ox-LDL(100 μg/ml),PGE1 markedly lowered the levels of MCP-1[(0. 327±0. 051),(0. 214±0. 213),(0. 247±0. 228)pg/ml vs. (0. 655±0. 013)pg/ml], inhibiting the expression of MCP-1 mRNA [(0. 061±0. 008), (0. 033±0. 006),(0. 026±0. 004)A/μm2 vs. (0. 220±0. 032)A/μm2] in the cultured HUVECs in a dosedependent manner (0. 001, 0. 01, 0.1 mol/L). Western blot analysis demonstrated that the amount of NF-κB p65 was attenuated after treatment with prostaglandin E1 for 24 hours. Conclusions Prostaglandin E1 can downregulate the expressions of MCP-1 and NF-κB induced by ox-LDL in HUVECs, which may thereby defend the blood vessel endothelial cell function.