Background: Adrenocortical hormones, particularly 11-oxygenated androgens, are pivotal in female reproductive health and fertility. Standardized detection kits and population-specific reference intervals are lacking in China, hindering related clinical applications. Methods: A HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) pipeline was developed, rigorously validated, and applied to simultaneously quantify corticosterone, cortisone, cortisol, 18-OH cortisol, androstenedione (A4), 11β-hydroxyandrostenedione (11-OH A4), dehydroepiandrosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in serum samples from 455 reproductive-aged women (18–45 yrs) in Guangxi, China. Age-dependent concentration trends were analyzed, and reference intervals stratified by age (2.5th to 97.5th percentiles) were established. Correlations with body-composition metrics, ethnicity, and the menstrual cycle were investigated. Results: The HPLC-MS/MS method demonstrated high precision (intra- and inter-assay CVs < 15%), accuracy, and sensitivity. All eight hormones exhibited significant age-related declines (P < 0.001 for seven hormones; P = 0.001 for 11-OH A4). Notably, 11-OH A4 levels were significantly lower in the 35–45-yr (3.05 nmol/L) and 25–34-yr (3.09 nmol/L) age groups than in the 18–24-yr (3.57 nmol/L) age group, whereas no significant difference was observed between the 35–45-yr and 25–34-yr age groups. Weak negative correlations were observed between the body mass index and corticosterone and cortisone levels, whereas ethnicity and the menstrual cycle showed no significant associations with hormone levels. Conclusions We developed an HPLC-MS/MS-based method for simultaneously quantifying eight adrenocortical hormones, including 11-OH A4, and defined age-specific reference intervals for reproductive-aged Chinese women. These findings advance the clinical utility of adrenocortical hormones in diagnosing and managing reproductive disorders.

The monitoring unit used in the nuclear magnetic resonance system,as an important unit of the system,faces a high thermal risk during its entire life cycle.This paper ensures the high efficiency and reliability of the thermal design of the product module from the two dimensions of structural design and device derating design.In order to reduce the risk of thermal design of electronic modules and comprehensively verify the effectiveness of thermal design of electronic modules,the design verification is carried out by combining simulation and experiment.In the simulation process,by establishing a thermal simulation model at the circuit board level,the crustal temperature of the core device is numerically calculated,and the index is compared with the thermal design index value and the test value,on the one hand,to verify the correctness of the simulation model.On the other hand,the validity of thermal design is verified.In the testing process,a thermal test platform for product modules is built,and the thermal characteristics test values of the core components of the module under extreme electrical conditions are obtained,and the corresponding conversion methods are used to predict the thermal performance and thermal design margin of the product at different altitudes.The results show that the electronic module can meet the thermal design requirements in terms of structural design and derating design of core components,and can ensure that the product module can work safely and reliably during the entire life cycle of the NMR system.

Background::Heterogeneity of tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME) is significantly associated with clinical outcomes and treatment responses in patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC). Comprehensive profiling of the cellular diversity and interactions between malignant cells and TME may clarify the mechanisms underlying UC progression and guide the development of novel therapies. This study aimed to extend our understanding of intra-tumoral heterogeneity and the immunosuppressive TME in UC and provide basic support for the development of novel UC therapies.Methods::Seven patients with UC were included who underwent curative surgery at our hospital between July 2020 and October 2020. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis in seven tumors with six matched adjacent normal tissues and integrated the results with two public scRNA-seq datasets. The functional properties and intercellular interactions between single cells were characterized, and the results were validated using multiplex immunofluorescence staining, flow cytometry, and bulk transcriptomic datasets. All statistical analyses were performed using the R package with two-sided tests. Wilcoxon-rank test, log-rank test, one-way analysis of variance test, and Pearson correlation analysis were used properly.Results::Unsupervised t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding clustering analysis identified ten main cellular subclusters in urothelial tissues. Of them, seven urothelial subtypes were noted, and malignant urothelial cells were characterized with enhanced cellular proliferation and reduced immunogenicity. CD8 + T cell subclusters exhibited enhanced cellular cytotoxicity activities along with increased exhaustion signature in UC tissues, and the recruitment of CD4 + T regulatory cells was also increased in tumor tissues. Regarding myeloid cells, coordinated reprogramming of infiltrated neutrophils, M2-type polarized macrophages, and LAMP3 + dendritic cells contribute to immunosuppressive TME in UC tissues. Tumor tissues demonstrated enhanced angiogenesis mediated by KDR + endothelial cells and RGS5 +/ACTA2 + pericytes. Through deconvolution analysis, we identified multiple cellular subtypes may influence the programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunotherapy response in patients with UC. Conclusion::Our scRNA-seq analysis clarified intra-tumoral heterogeneity and delineated the pro-tumoral and immunosuppressive microenvironment in UC tissues, which may provide novel therapeutic targets.

Objective To investigate the effect of formative assessment on skill acquisition of basic life support (BLS) among medical students. Methods Totally 206 undergraduates were ran-domized into control group (C group) and interventional group (F group). A BLS lecture was given in both groups. And then, 45 min BLS training and BLS skill assessment (after training) were given in C group. Undergraduates in F group received BLS skill assessment (formative assessment) before training, and 15 min feedback was delivered based on the assessment, then 30 min BLS training was conducted. Skills assessment was conducted again in F group after the training. Student's-t-test was used to compare the difference of skills between the two groups and P<0.05 signifies statistically sig-nificant differences. Results Score of F group (85.2±7.3) were higher than that in C group (68.2± 13.2), with statistical difference. Conclusion A formative assessment could significantly improve skill acquisition of BLS among medical students.

Ectopic ACTH syndrome caused by adrenal pheochromocytoma is very rare.A case was herewith reported and the domestic and foreign literatures were reviewed.The correct diagnosis of the syndrome depends on clinical,biochemical,hormonal,radiographic,pathological investigations,as well as tumor immunohistochemistry for final comprehensive judgments.