BACKGROUND:Cardiac dysfunction due to spinal cord injury is an important factor of death in patients with spinal cord injury;however,the specific mechanism is still not clear.Therefore,revealing the mechanism of cardiac dysfunction in spinal cord injury patients is of great significance to improve their quality of life and survival rate. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the mechanism of luteolin in improving serum-induced myocardial cell death in spinal cord injury rats. METHODS:Allen's impact instrument was used to damage the spine T9-T11 of male SD rats to establish a spinal cord injury model meanwhile a sham operation group was set as the control group.The serum of rats of each group was collected.H9c2 cells were divided into a blank control group,a sham operated rat serum group,a spinal cord injury rat serum group and a luteolin pretreatment group.The cells in blank control group were only cultured with ordinary culture medium.The cells in the sham operated rat serum group were treated with medium containing 10%serum from sham operated rat.The cells in the spinal cord injury rat serum group were treated with medium containing 10%serum from spinal cord injury rat.The cells in the luteolin pretreatment group were precultured with a final concentration of 20 μmol/L luteolin for 4 hours and then changed to a medium containing 10%rat serum from spinal cord injury rat.After 24 hours of culture,the survival rate of each group of H9c2 cells was measured by CCK-8 assay.Western blot assay was used to detect the expression of autophagy related protein LC3 and p62 in H9c2 cells in each group. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the blank control group,there was no significant change in cell survival rate in the sham operated rat serum group(P>0.05).Compared with the sham operated rat serum group,the cell survival rate(P<0.01)and the expression of LC3 protein(P<0.05)in spinal cord injury rat serum group was significantly reduced,and the expression of p62 protein was significantly increased(P<0.05).Compared with the spinal cord injury rat serum group,the survival rate of cells in the luteolin pretreatment group significantly increased(P<0.000 1);the expression of LC3 protein significantly increased(P<0.05),and the expression of p62 protein significantly decreased(P<0.05).The results indicate that luteolin may improve myocardial cell death induced by serum from rats with spinal cord injury by promoting autophagy.

Objective:To aid in the detection of thyroid cancer by using deep learning to differentiate the unique bioimpedance parameter patterns of different thyroid tissues.Methods:An electrical impedance system was designed to measure 331 ex-vivo thyroid specimens from 321 patients during surgery. The impedance data was then analyzed with one dimensional convolution neural (1D-CNN) combining with long short-term memory (LSTM) network models of deep learning. In the process of analysis, we assigned 80% of the data to training set (1072/1340) and the remaining 20% data to the test set (268/1340). The performance of final model was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. In addition, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, Youden index were applied to compare impedance model with ultrasound results.Results:The ROC curve of the two-classification (malignant /non-malignant tissue) model showed a good performance (area-under-the-curve AUC=0.94), with an overall accuracy of 91.4%. To better fit clinical practice, we further performed a three-classification (malignant/ benign/ normal tissue) model, of which the areas under ROC curve were 0.91, 0.85, 0.92 for normal, benign, and malignant group, respectively. The results indicated that the area under micro-average ROC curve and the macro-average ROC curve were 0.91 and 0.90, respectively. Moreover, compared with ultrasound, the impedance model exhibited higher specificity.Conclusions:A deep learning model (CNN-LSTM) trained by thyroid electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) parameters shows an excellent performance in distinguishing among different in-vitro thyroid tissues, which is promising for applications. In future clinical utility, our study does not replace existing tests, but rather complements others, thus contributing to therapeutic decision-making and management of thyroid disease.

Background According to the Classification and Catalogue of Occupational Diseases, brucellosis is one of the notifiable occupational infectious diseases, which occurs from time to time in the occupational population. Objective To compare the work-related injury appraisal process and results of 13 cases of brucellosis at both provincial and municipal levels, analyze and summarize the bias in the practical work of labor capacity identification for occupational diseases such as brucellosis by appraisal management departments and experts, and propose suggestions for optimizing appraisal work. Methods A comparative study was conducted on the objective examination results and labor capacity appraisal conclusions based on the occupational contact history, clinical diagnosis, occupational disease diagnosis staging, and labor capacity appraisal of 13 patients with brucellosis. The reasons for the inconsistency between the initial appraisal conclusion by institutions at the municipal level and the final appraisal conclusion by institutions at the provincial level were compared and analyzed. Results All of the 13 patients with brucellosis applied for municipal-level labor capacity identification after being identified as work-related injuries, 11 of which did not receive a disability level, and 2 were rated as level 10 disability. Four of those who did not receive the disability rate applied for provincial-level labor capacity identification. As a result, 2 cases were maintained original appraisal conclusions, while the other 2 changed the conclusions to level 9 disability and level 10 disability respectively. It was the first time in Shijiangzhuang municipal-level primary labor capacity appraisal and Hebei provincial-level labor capacity re-appraisal that the work-related injury caused by occupational brucellosis was rated as level 9 disability or level 10 disability. Hence, the lessons learned from this comparative analysis are that the degree of target organ damage and (or) organ dysfunction are the direct basis for work-related injury appraisal; an objective and scientific labor capacity identification for occupational brucellosis should base on the each case of disability evaluation, identify the relevant target organ damage and the degree of dysfunction, and rate the disability level after a comprehensive appraisal. Conclusion This analysis would be a guidance to the identification of labor capacity for occupational brucellosis in Hebei Province and the whole country. There is a hysteresis issue in the occupational disease provisions in the national standard GB/T 16180—2014 Standard for identify work ability—Gradation of disability caused by work-related injuries and occupatiaonal diseases. In current situation, appraisal experts should not only search for clauses that directly correspond to the occupational diseases and injuries, but also target conditions not covered in the clauses and conduct assessment based on the characteristics of occupational diseases, with scientific, accurate, and flexible application of the clauses in the standard and appendix, so as to make fair, just, and professional appraisal conclusions.

Objective To evaluate the value of high-energetic virtual monoenergetic imaging(MonoE),bone metal artifact reduction(O-MAR),and their combination based on dual-layer detector spectral computed tomography(DLCT)in removing the artifacts caused by lumbar metal implants.Methods Patients who undergone lumbar implant surgery and performed lumbar examination on DLCT after surgery were prospectively selected.MonoE from 100 to 200 keV with an interval of 20 keV were reconstructed.O-MAR and O-MAR combined with MonoE(O-MAR+MonoE)images were also reconstructed.The differences of objective and subjective image quality among the images were compared.Results There were 45 patients included in the study.With the increasing of keV of MonoE,the attenuation of the tissue with low-and high-density artifact on MonoE and O-MAR+MonoE was increased and decreased,respectively.140 keV MonoE was the best sequence for the artifact reduction and the display of soft tissue.200 keV MonoE and its combination with O-MAR showed the best performance in the display of the interface of metal and bone.However,O-MAR+200 keV MonoE had the lowest noise.Conclusion Compared to O-MAR and O-MAR combined with MonoE,high-energetic MonoE shows a good value in the reduction of metal artifacts caused by the lumbar metal implants.

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of different doses of aspirin on clinical efficacy in acute stage of Kawasaki’s disease, and to explore the optimal dose of aspirin. METHODS A total of 150 patients suffered from Kawasaki’s disease were randomly selected by hospital information system from March to May 2022 for retrospective analysis. According to different doses of aspirin, they were divided into three groups: high dose group(>50 mg·kg−1·d−1), medium dose group(30−50 mg·kg−1·d−1) and low dose group(<30 mg·kg−1·d−1). The antipyretic time, the incidence of non-response to intravenous human immunoglobulin, the improvement of laboratory indexes and prevalence of adverse drug reaction were compared among the three groups. RESULTS There was no significant difference in body temperature recovery among the three groups under different doses of aspirin. There was no significant difference in patients with non-response to intravenous human immunoglobulin among the three groups. Before treatment, there were no significant differences in white blood cell(WBC) count, blood platelet(PLT) count and C-reactive protein(CRP) concentration among the three groups. After treatment, the count of WBC, PLT and CRP in the three groups was significantly improved compared with that before treatment, and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the above indexes among the three groups after treatment. There was a higher incidence of adverse reactions in children treated with medium or high dose aspirin. CONCLUSION Different doses of aspirin combined with intravenous human immunoglobulin have good therapeutic effect on Kawasaki’s disease, but considering the safety and economy of aspirin, low dose administration is recommended.

Objective To compare the short-term clinical effects of Da Vinci robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in the treatment of posterior mediastinal tumors, and to explore the advantages of RATS posterior mediastinal tumor resection. Methods The clinical data of patients who underwent posterior mediastinal tumors resection through the lateral chest approach admitted to the same medical group in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University between January 2019 to January 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the different surgical methods, the patients were divided into a RATS group and a VATS group. The clinical data were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 85 patients were included in this study. There were 39 patients in the RATS group, including 25 females and 14 males, with an average age of 47.6±13.0 years, and 46 patients in the VATS group, including 14 males and 32 females, with an average age of 45.3±14.7 years. All patients completed the operation successfully. The hospitalization cost in the RATS group was significantly higher than that in the VATS group (P<0.001), and the white blood cell count and neutrophilic granulocyte percentage on the first day after operation in the RATS group were lower than those in the VATS group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The operative time, intraoperative bleeding, postoperative hospital stay, white blood cell count and neutrophil percentage on the third postoperative day, visual analogue scale score on the first and third postoperative days, duration of analgesic pump use, postoperative 12 h oxygen saturation (no oxygen inhalation), postoperative down bed time, total thoracic drainage volume, duration of drainage tube retention, and postoperative complication rates were not statistically different between the two groups (P>0.05). There was no perioperative death, conversion to thoracotomy or serious perioperative complications in both groups. Conclusion RATS resection of posterior mediastinal tumor via lateral thoracic approach is safe and feasible, and its short-term effect is similar to that of VATS via lateral thoracic single-hole approach. It is worth further comparative study to explore its benefit and cost performance.

Objective:To comprehensively evaluate the performance of the iterative cone beam CT (iCBCT) imaging mode of Varian linear accelerators and to explore its specific advantages in clinical application.Methods:The kV cone beam CT (CBCT) imaging systems of Halcyon 2.0, Edge, and VitalBeam linear accelerators from Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital were selected, among which Halcyon 2.0 and Edge were equipped with the iCBCT imaging mode. The Penta-Guide phantom was used to evaluate the registration accuracy of iCBCT imaging modes. The accuracy of treatment couch position was measured by a ruler. The image quality of the iCBCT and conventional CBCT modes of various imaging devices were analyzed using the CatPhan604 phantom. The imaging beam-on time and reconstruction time were measured to assess image acquisition efficiency. The uniformity, spatial resolution, contrast, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), image acquisition time and reconstruction time between two imaging modes were statistically analyzed by t-test. Results:The maximum deviations of image registration measurement results of the iCBCT mode for Halcyon 2.0 and Edge accelerators compared to the standard values were 0.7 mm and 0.6 mm, respectively. The treatment couch position error of all devices was less than 1 mm. The iCBCT images under head scanning protocol primarily improved the uniformity and CNR. Compared to conventional CBCT images, Halcyon iCBCT increased the uniformity and CNR by 2.50% ( P<0.001) and 78.85% ( P<0.001), respectively, while Edge increased them by 2.18% ( P<0.001) and 86.42% ( P<0.001), both superior to VitalBeam CBCT images. Under pelvis scanning protocols, iCBCT images primarily improved the CNR compared to conventional CBCT images. Halcyon and Edge iCBCT increased the CNR by 113.57% ( P<0.001) and 133.87% ( P<0.001), respectively, both superior to VitalBeam CBCT images. In terms of image acquisition efficiency, the average reconstruction times for Halcyon and Edge iCBCT images increased by 7.28 s and 15.53 s, respectively, and the total image acquisition time of Halcyon accelerator was the shortest. Conclusions:While ensuring the registration accuracy, iCBCT imaging mode can significantly improve the CNR of images and improve the uniformity of images under head scanning protocol. The Halcyon imaging system can enhance image acquisition efficiency.

This study aims to investigate the effects of Japanese encephalitis virus(JEV)on TLRs signaling pathway and its regulation of the secretion of inflammatory factors during the infection of testicular interstitial cells,In this study,the mRNA levels of TLR3,TLR7,TLR8,TRIF and MyD88 genes were detected by qPCR after 1 MOI dose of JEV was inoculated into testicular stro-mal cells at different time periods.Western blot assay was used to detect the expression levels of TLR3,TLR7,TRIF and MyD88 protein at 6 h after JEV infection,and ELISA was used to detect the expression levels of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α at different time periods(6,12 and 24 h).The re-sults showed as follows:After 6 h of JEV infection,the mRNA levels of TLR3,TLR7,TRIF and MyD88 genes were significantly up-regulated(P＜0.05),and the mRNA levels of TLR8 genes were down-regulated(P＜0.05).Western blot results showed that the protein expressions of TLR3,TLR7,TRIF and MyD88 were significantly up-regulated when JEV infected testicular stromal cells for 6 h(P＜0.05),which was consistent with the corresponding mRNA transcription levels.There was no significant change in TLR8 protein expression.ELISA results showed that 6 h after JEV infection of testicular stromal cells,IL-6 was significantly increased(P＜0.01),and the expressions of IL-1β and TNF-α were not changed.TLR3,TLR7,TLR8,TRIF and MyD88 were si-lenced by siRNA,and the silenced cells were inoculated with JEV for 6 h,and IL-6 expression lev-els were detected by ELISA.The results showed that silenced TLR3,TLR7,TLR8,TRIF and MyD88 could significantly reduce the increase of IL-6 secretion induced by JEV infection(P＜0.05).These results indicated that JEV could induce the expression of inflammatory factor IL-6 by activating TLR3,TLR7 and TLR8 signaling pathway after infection of testicular stromal cells.This study provides a reference for further elucidating the mechanism of reproductive disorders caused by JEV infection.

Objective To assess the influences of self-and interviewer-administered methods on the scores of anxiety and depression questionnaires among the patients with sports injuries.Methods A total of 532 participants with sports injuries treated in the Sports Medicine Center of West China Hospital,Sichuan University from November 2022 to May 2023 were included.They were randomly assigned to either the interviewer-administered group(n=270)or the self-administered group(n=262)to complete the generalized anxiety disorder(GAD-7)and the patient health questionnaire(PHQ-9)scales.The total scores and prevalence rates of anxiety and depres-sion were compared between the two groups.Results There was no statistically significant difference in gender,occupation,or surgical site between the two groups(all P＞0.05).The self-administered group had higher scores of GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scales than the interviewer-administered group(P＜0.001,P＜0.001).A greater proportion of participants in the self-administered group than in the interview-administered group met the criteria for mild to moderate anxiety and depression(P＜0.001,P=0.002).The prevalence rates of moderate to se-vere anxiety(GAD-7 ≥10)and depression(PHQ-9 ≥10)showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups(P=0.761,P=0.086).Conclusion This study demonstrates that the participants in the self-administered group are more likely to report mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety and depression than those in the interviewer-administered group.

Objective:To assess the performance of machine learning(ML),and integrate the clinical parameters with coronary artery calcium(CAC)score of computed tomography(CT)and quantification of automated epicardial adipose tissue(EAT),so as to predict the long-term risk of myocardial infarction(MI)and cardiogenic death in asymptomatic patients.Methods:A total of 1 058 subjects with cardiovascular risk factors and without symptoms of coronary heart disease who underwent physical examination at the Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2013 to October 2015 were selected as this study subjects.A long-term follow-up was conducted on them after CAC score.EAT volume and density were quantified using a fully automated deep learning method.ML extreme gradient boosting was trained by using clinical data,risk score of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease,CAC score and automated EAT measure,and the repeated 10-fold cross validation was used to verify the model.Results:During the 8-year follow-up period,61 cases of 1 058 subjects occurred events of MI and(or)cardiac death.The area under curve(AUC)value of ML was significantly higher than that of the atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease(ASCVD)risk and the predicting events of CAC score(ML:0.82,ASCVD:0.77,CAC:0.77).Compared with ML with only clinical variable,machine learning based on ASCVD,CAC and EAT had more predictive ability for MI and cardiac death[AUC 0.82(95%CI:77-87)vs.0.78(95%CI:0.72-0.84),P=0.02].The survival rate of subjects with high ML scores had a greater decline degree with the increasing of time,therefore,the subjects with higher ML scores were more likely to experience events.Conclusion:ML,which integrated clinical and quantitative imaging variables,can provide long-term risk prediction for patients with cardiovascular risk factors.