Objective To compare the value of standard deviation(SD)method and root mean square(RMS)method for measuring signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)of MRI of American College of Radiology(ACR)phantom based on phased array coils.Methods ACR phantom was scanned with head coil(Head),abdominal coil(Anterior),dual piece flexible coil(Flex L)and abdominal coil+flexible coil(Anterior+Flex L)each for 6 times,respectively,with sequences of axial T 1W-spin echo(SE)and T2W-SE.And the scanning schemes were divided into 8 groups based on 4 types of coils and 2 sequences.SNR of 8 groups were measured with standard deviation method and root mean square method,respectively,and the differences between the above 2 methods were observed.Results For T1W-SE sequence,SNRsD of MRI based on Head,Anterior,Flex L and Anterior+Flex L was 1.25±0.07,0.56±0.02,1.15±0.10 and 1.04±0.11,respectively,while SNRRMs was 1.10±0.07,0.58±0.03,1.01±0.13 and 1.31±0.15,respectively.For T2W-SE sequence,SNRsD was 1.40±0.08,0.48±0.02,1.04±0.07 and 1.08±0.06,respectively,while SNRRMs was 1.29±0.09,0.53±0.03,0.84±0.08 and 1.35±0.12,respectively.Compared pairwise,significant difference of SNRsD was found in 9 pairs(all P＜0.05),while of SNRRMs was detected in 10 pairs(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Compared with standard deviation method,root mean square method was more suitable for measuring SNR of MRI of ACR phantom based on phased array coils.

Objective:To investigate the impacts of different surgical fixation sequences on the post-operative functional outcomes in patients with ankle fracture combined with Lisfranc injury.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the 20 patients with ankle fracture and concomitant Lisfranc injury who had been treated between January 2014 and December 2023 at Department of Orthopedics, The 82nd Group Army Hospital of PLA. The cohort included 16 males and 4 females, with an age of (41.3±12.3) years. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on their surgical sequence: an ankle-first group ( n=12) treated first by open reduction and internal fixation of the ankle fracture and then by additional incision reduction and fixation of the Lisfranc injury, and a foot-first group ( n=8) treated first by open reduction and fixation of the Lisfranc injury and then by another incision for open reduction and internal fixation of the ankle fracture. The surgical time, intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, postoperative Lisfranc articular step-off, postoperative arch height index (AHI), and American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score and incidence of traumatic arthritis at 1 year after surgery were compared between the 2 groups. Results:There was no statistically significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). All patients were followed up for (18.3±3.2) months after surgery. There was no statistically significant difference in surgical time or incidence of traumatic arthritis between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). In the ankle-first group, the intra-operative fluoroscopy frequency [(16.6±2.6) times] was significantly higher than that in the foot-first group [(13.6±2.5) times], and the postoperative Lisfranc articular step-off [0.0 (0.0, 0.8) mm], postoperative AHI [0.31 (0.29, 0.32)], and AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score at 1 year after surgery [(85.2±2.2) points] were all significantly better than those in the foot-first group [(1.3±1.3) mm, 0.29±0.01, and (81.0±4.1) points] (all P<0.05). Conclusion:In the treatment of ankle fracture combined with Lisfranc injury, prioritizing ankle fixation provides a stable biomechanical foundation for subsequent midfoot reduction, leading to improved functional recovery and radiographic outcomes, but requires increased intraoperative fluoroscopy.

Objective To compare the value of standard deviation(SD)method and root mean square(RMS)method for measuring signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)of MRI of American College of Radiology(ACR)phantom based on phased array coils.Methods ACR phantom was scanned with head coil(Head),abdominal coil(Anterior),dual piece flexible coil(Flex L)and abdominal coil+flexible coil(Anterior+Flex L)each for 6 times,respectively,with sequences of axial T 1W-spin echo(SE)and T2W-SE.And the scanning schemes were divided into 8 groups based on 4 types of coils and 2 sequences.SNR of 8 groups were measured with standard deviation method and root mean square method,respectively,and the differences between the above 2 methods were observed.Results For T1W-SE sequence,SNRsD of MRI based on Head,Anterior,Flex L and Anterior+Flex L was 1.25±0.07,0.56±0.02,1.15±0.10 and 1.04±0.11,respectively,while SNRRMs was 1.10±0.07,0.58±0.03,1.01±0.13 and 1.31±0.15,respectively.For T2W-SE sequence,SNRsD was 1.40±0.08,0.48±0.02,1.04±0.07 and 1.08±0.06,respectively,while SNRRMs was 1.29±0.09,0.53±0.03,0.84±0.08 and 1.35±0.12,respectively.Compared pairwise,significant difference of SNRsD was found in 9 pairs(all P＜0.05),while of SNRRMs was detected in 10 pairs(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Compared with standard deviation method,root mean square method was more suitable for measuring SNR of MRI of ACR phantom based on phased array coils.

Objective:To investigate the impacts of different surgical fixation sequences on the post-operative functional outcomes in patients with ankle fracture combined with Lisfranc injury.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the 20 patients with ankle fracture and concomitant Lisfranc injury who had been treated between January 2014 and December 2023 at Department of Orthopedics, The 82nd Group Army Hospital of PLA. The cohort included 16 males and 4 females, with an age of (41.3±12.3) years. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on their surgical sequence: an ankle-first group ( n=12) treated first by open reduction and internal fixation of the ankle fracture and then by additional incision reduction and fixation of the Lisfranc injury, and a foot-first group ( n=8) treated first by open reduction and fixation of the Lisfranc injury and then by another incision for open reduction and internal fixation of the ankle fracture. The surgical time, intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, postoperative Lisfranc articular step-off, postoperative arch height index (AHI), and American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score and incidence of traumatic arthritis at 1 year after surgery were compared between the 2 groups. Results:There was no statistically significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). All patients were followed up for (18.3±3.2) months after surgery. There was no statistically significant difference in surgical time or incidence of traumatic arthritis between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). In the ankle-first group, the intra-operative fluoroscopy frequency [(16.6±2.6) times] was significantly higher than that in the foot-first group [(13.6±2.5) times], and the postoperative Lisfranc articular step-off [0.0 (0.0, 0.8) mm], postoperative AHI [0.31 (0.29, 0.32)], and AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score at 1 year after surgery [(85.2±2.2) points] were all significantly better than those in the foot-first group [(1.3±1.3) mm, 0.29±0.01, and (81.0±4.1) points] (all P<0.05). Conclusion:In the treatment of ankle fracture combined with Lisfranc injury, prioritizing ankle fixation provides a stable biomechanical foundation for subsequent midfoot reduction, leading to improved functional recovery and radiographic outcomes, but requires increased intraoperative fluoroscopy.

Objective: To understand the basic information of anti-mitochondrial antibody (anti-AMA)-positive patients after initial diagnosis, and to set groundwork for further exploring the clinical significance of AMA in various diseases. Methods: Demographic data and related clinical information recorded through the Information System of Peking University People's Hospital from January 2013 to December 2016 were collected. Patients whose AMA and/or AMA-M2 first- tested as positive were recorded. Complications were classified according to the International Classification of Diseases. Results: A total of 1323 AMA positive cases were discovered for the first time. Among them, 78.0% were women, and the age of initial diagnosis was 56.8 ± 16.0 years. The first three initially diagnosed departments were rheumatology and immunology (37.4%), liver Disease (15.9%) and hematology (15.9%) relevant to musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases (45.2%), hematology and hematopoietic organs and immune diseases (30.6%) and circulatory system diseases (29.7%). There were 297 newly confirmed cases of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC); accounting for 89.2% of women, and the age of initial diagnosis was 60.1 ± 12.4 years. The top three departments of initially diagnosed as PBC were liver disease (37.7%), rheumatology (33.0%) and gastroenterology (15.2%), of which 39.7% had musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases, 27.9% had circulatory diseases, and 24.9 % were combined with endocrine and metabolic diseases. Conclusion Besides PBC and other autoimmune diseases, AMA and / or AMA-M2 positivity can be observed in a variety of diseases in several clinical departments, and its clinical significance remains to be further clarified.

In present paper, research achievements of post-harvest handling concerning decorticating, boiling, sul-fur-fumigation, drying and sterilizing as well as quality control of Radix Paeoniae Alba were reviewed. Major prob-lems in the post-harvest handling and quality evaluation of Radix Paeoniae Alba were discussed. Strategies for im-provement in post-harvest handling and quality control were proposed, so that the safety and quality consistency can be assured in the medicinal application of Radix Paeoniae Alba.

BACKGROUNDThe Xpert MTB/RIF showed high sensitivity and specificity in previous studies carried out in different epidemiological and geographical settings and patient populations in high-burden tuberculosis (TB) countries. However, there were little data obtained by validation or demonstration study of the assay in China. In this study, the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF was investigated in two county-level laboratories in Hunan Province, China.

METHODSConsecutive patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and suspicion for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) were enrolled. For each patient suspected to have PTB, three sputum specimens (one spot sputum, one night sputum, and one morning sputum) were collected and each sputum was tested with smear microscopy, Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) culture, and Xpert MTB/RIF test. For comparison across subgroups and testing methods, 95% confidence intervals were calculated. All analyses were done with SPSS 16.0, and P < 0.05 was regarded as significant.

RESULTSFor case detection, the sensitivity of Xpert MTB/RIF was 100% for smear- and culture-positive TB and 88.6% for smear-negative and culture-positive TB; the overall sensitivity was 94.5% for all culture-positive patients. The specificity was 99.8%. The sensitivity of Xpert MTB/RIF assay was 22.0% in clinical TB patients and the specificity reached 100.0% in the group of patients who are infected with nontuberculous mycobacteria. For the detection of rifampin resistance, the sensitivity of MTB/RIF RIF-resistance detection was 92.9%, and the specificity was 98.7%. Of the 26 Xpert MTB/RIF-positive and RIF-resistant patients confirmed by LJ proportion tests, 20 (76.9%) patients were infected by MDR-TB.

CONCLUSIONSThe Xpert MTB/RIF assay is a highly sensitive and specific method for diagnosis of TB and RIF resistance, which will enable it to have the potential to be used in county-level laboratories and lead to the reduction of the infectious pool and improvements in TB control in China. Further evaluations in county-level laboratories for implementing the assay are still required.

Adult ; Antibiotics, Antitubercular ; therapeutic use ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rifampin ; therapeutic use ; Tuberculosis ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Young Adult

Background The Xpert MTB/RIF showed high sensitivity and specificity in previous studies carried out in different epidemiological and geographical settings and patient populations in high-burden tuberculosis (TB) countries.However,there were little data obtained by validation or demonstration study of the assay in China.In this study,the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF was investigated in two county-level laboratories in Hunan Province,China.Methods Consecutive patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and suspicion for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) were enrolled.For each patient suspected to have PTB,three sputum specimens (one spot sputum,one night sputum,and one morning sputum) were collected and each sputum was tested with smear microscopy,L(o)wenstein-Jensen (LJ) culture,and Xpert MTB/RIF test.For comparison across subgroups and testing methods,95％ confidence intervals were calculated.All analyses were done with SPSS 16.0,and P ＜0.05 was regarded as significant.Results For case detection,the sensitivity of Xpert MTB/RIF was 100％ for smear-and culture-positive TB and 88.6％ for smear-negative and culture-positive TB; the overall sensitivity was 94.5％ for all culture-positive patients.The specificity was 99.8％.The sensitivity of Xpert MTB/RIF assay was 22.0％ in clinical TB patients and the specificity reached 100.0％ in the group of patients who are infected with nontuberculous mycobacteria.For the detection of rifampin resistance,the sensitivity of MTB/RIF RIF-resistance detection was 92.9％,and the specificity was 98.7％.Of the 26 Xpert MTB/RIF-positive and RIF-resistant patients confirmed by LJ proportion tests,20 (76.9％) patients were infected by MDR-TB.Conclusions The Xpert MTB/RIF assay is a highly sensitive and specific method for diagnosis of TB and RIF resistance,which will enable it to have the potential to be used in county-level laboratories and lead to the reduction of the infectious pool and improvements in TB control in China.Further evaluations in county-level laboratories for implementing the assay are still required.