[Objective] To compare the diagnostic accuracy of three imaging modalities, inlducing CT urography (CTU), contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI), and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the qualitative diagnosis of renal space-occupying lesions. [Methods] A retrospective analysis was performed on 542 patients with renal lesions confirmed by surgical pathology in our hospital during Jan.2019 and May 2024.The diagnostic results of CTU, CE-MRI and CEUS were compared and analyzed based on the patients' clinical and pathological data. [Results] The diagnostic accuracy rate of CTU, CE-MRI and CEUS were 84.50%, 83.14% and 86.14%, respectively.For the 161 patients who underwent all three examinations, CEUS was significantly more accurate than CTU (84.16% vs. 77.02%, P=0.018), while there was no significant difference between CTU or CEUS and CE-MRI (79.81%) (P>0.05). Further analysis found that for lesions ≤4 cm, the accuracy of the three examinations was as follows: CEUS=CTU 79.55%, CE-MRI 76.14%, with no significant difference (P>0.05). However, for lesions >4 cm, CEUS ranked the first, followed by CE-MRI and CTU (89.73% vs. 84.25% vs. 73.97%), and CEUS and CE-MRI were better than CTU (P<0.05). Additionally, for the diagnosis of clear cell renal carcinoma and benign renal space-occupying lesions, there was no statistically significant difference among the three imaging modalities (P>0.05), while for the qualitative diagnosis of non-clear cell renal carcinoma, CEUS ranked the first, followed by CE-MRI and CTU (83.87% vs. 74.19% vs. 56.45%), and CE-MRI and CEUS were better than CTU (P<0.05). [Conclusion] All of them have important diagnostic value, and the appropriate selection should be based on patients' specifc conditions.CEUS and CE-MRI are more accurate in the qualitative diagnosis of renal space-occupying lesions than CTU, especially for large lesions and non-clear cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To investigate the incidence and influencing factors of bone loss in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was conducted. Patients with SCI in our hospital from January 2019 to March 2023 were collected. According to the correlation between bone mineral density (BMD) at different sites, the patients were divided into the lumbar spine group and the hip joint group. According to the BMD value, the patients were divided into the normal bone mass group (t > -1.0 standard deviation) and the osteopenia group (t ≤ -1.0 standard deviation). The influencing factors accumulated as follows: gender, age, height, weight, cause of injury, injury segment, injury degree, time after injury, start time of rehabilitation, motor score, sensory score, spasticity, serum value of alkaline phosphatase, calcium, and phosphorus. The trend chart was drawn and the influencing factors were analyzed. SPSS 26.0 was used for statistical analysis. Correlation analysis was used to test the correlation between the BMD values of the lumbar spine and bilateral hips. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of osteoporosis after SCI. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The incidence of bone loss in patients with SCI was 66.3%. There was a low concordance between bone loss in the lumbar spine and the hip, and the hip was particularly susceptible to bone loss after SCI, with an upward trend in incidence (36% - 82%). In this study, patients with SCI were divided into the lumbar spine group (n = 100) and the hip group (n = 185) according to the BMD values of different sites. Then, the lumbar spine group was divided into the normal bone mass group (n = 53) and the osteopenia group (n = 47); the hip joint group was divided into the normal bone mass group (n = 83) and the osteopenia group (n = 102). Of these, lumbar bone loss after SCI is correlated with gender and weight (p = 0.032 and < 0.001, respectively), and hip bone loss is correlated with gender, height, weight, and time since injury (p < 0.001, p = 0.015, 0.009, and 0.012, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The incidence of bone loss after SCI was high, especially in the hip. The incidence and influencing factors of bone loss in the lumbar spine and hip were different. Patients with SCI who are male, low height, lightweight, and long time after injury were more likely to have bone loss.
Humans ; Spinal Cord Injuries/complications* ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Incidence ; Adult ; Bone Density ; Middle Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Osteoporosis/etiology* ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic/etiology* ; Aged ; Risk Factors

Nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), one of the most severe types of male infertility, etiology often remains unclear in most cases. Therefore, this study aimed to detect four biallelic detrimental variants (0.5%) in the minichromosome maintenance domain containing 2 ( MCMDC2 ) genes in 768 NOA patients by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) demonstrated that MCMDC2 deleterious variants caused meiotic arrest in three patients (c.1360G>T, c.1956G>T, and c.685C>T) and hypospermatogenesis in one patient (c.94G>T), as further confirmed through immunofluorescence (IF) staining. The single-cell RNA sequencing data indicated that MCMDC2 was substantially expressed during spermatogenesis. The variants were confirmed as deleterious and responsible for patient infertility through bioinformatics and in vitro experimental analyses. The results revealed four MCMDC2 variants related to NOA, which contributes to the current perception of the function of MCMDC2 in male fertility and presents new perspectives on the genetic etiology of NOA.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/genetics* ; Meiosis/genetics* ; Spermatogenesis/genetics* ; Adult ; Exome Sequencing ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins/genetics* ; Alleles ; Infertility, Male/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To illustrate the role of dehydrocorydaline (DHC) in chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic pain and the underlying mechanism. METHODS: C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 3 groups by using a random number table, including sham group (sham operation), CCI group [intrathecal injection of 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)], and CCI+DHC group (intrathecal injection of DHC), 8 mice in each group. A CCI mouse model was conducted to induce neuropathic pain through ligating the right common sciatic nerve. On day 14 after CCI modeling or sham operation, mice were intrathecal injected with 5 µL of 10% DMSO or 10 mg/kg DHC (5 µL) into the 5th to 6th lumbar intervertebral space (L5-L6). Pregnant ICR mice were sacrificed for isolating primary spinal neurons on day 14 of embryo development for in vitro experiment. Pain behaviors were evaluated by measuring the paw withdrawal mechanical threshold (PWMT) of mice. Immunofluorescence was used to observe the activation of astrocytes and microglia in mouse spinal cord. Protein expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), phosphorylation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit 2B (p-NR2B), and NR2B in the spinal cord or primary spinal neurons were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: In CCI-induced neuropathic pain model, mice presented significantly decreased PWMT, activation of glial cells, overexpressions of iNOS, TNF-α, IL-6, and higher p-NR2B/NR2B ratio in the spinal cord (P<0.05 or P<0.01), which were all reversed by a single intrathecal injection of DHC (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The p-NR2B/NR2B ratio in primary spinal neurons were also inhibited after DHC treatment (P<0.05). CONCLUSION An intrathecal injection of DHC relieved CCI-induced neuropathic pain in mice by inhibiting the neuroinflammation and neuron hyperactivity.
Animals ; Neuralgia/etiology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Analgesics/pharmacology* ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases/pathology* ; Constriction ; Male ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/metabolism* ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Microglia/pathology* ; Spinal Cord/drug effects* ; Female ; Mice ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Constriction, Pathologic/complications* ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Astrocytes/metabolism* ; Chronic Disease ; Neurons/metabolism*

Objective To evaluate the clinical application value of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry(MALDI-TOF MS)in analyzing the homology of Acinetobacter baumannii(AB).Methods After excluding repetitive strains from multiple specimens of the same patient or environment,a total of 46 AB strains isolated from patients'sputum and environmental specimens of neurological intensive care unit(ICU)in a tertiary first-class general hospital from May 2020 to February 2021 were collected.Strains were detected by VITEK-MS mass spectrometer.Cluster analysis was performed by SARAMIS Premium software,and verified by multilocus sequence typing(MLST).Results Cluster analysis and comparison of MALDI-TOF MS and MLST found that among the 46 AB strains,39 were the type MS-a of MALDI-TOF MS,of which 22 strains were the clus-ter MT-A of MLST,including ST208(n=3),ST540(n=3),ST195(n=8),ST369(n=5),ST136(n=1),ST436(n=1)and ST1893(n=1);16 strains were MT-B,including type ST381(n=4),type ST469(n=11),and type ST938(n=1);one strain was cluster MT-C(ST1821);one strain of type MS-b was ST381;two strains of type MS-c were ST369;one strain of type MS-d was ST195;two strains of type MS-e were ST540 and ST369,respectively;one strain of type MS-f was STN1.Conclusion As a homology analysis method,MALDI-TOF MS still has certain limitations such as low consistency with MLST results,low resolution and specificity,thus cannot replace MLST technology.

Objective: To uncover the underlying mechanisms of action of the Yinlai decoction on high-calorie diet-induced pneumonia through proteomics analysis. Methods: Based on the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, lung tissue samples from normal and high-fat diet (HFD) fed mice in the GSE16377 dataset were selected as test cohorts to identify differentially expressed genes and conduct bioinformatics analyses. In the animal experiments, mice were randomly divided into the control (N), high-calorie diet pneumonia (M), and Yinlai decoction treatment (Y) groups. Mice in the M group received high-calorie feed and a 0.5 mg/mL lipopolysaccharide solution spray for 30 min for 3 d. The mice in the Y group were intragastrically administered 2 mL/10 g Yinlai decoction twice daily for 3 d. Pathological evaluation of the lung tissue was performed. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the lung tissue were identified using quantitative proteomics and bioinformatics analyses. The drug-target relationships between Yinlai decoction and core DEPs in the lung tissue were verified using AutoDock Vina and Molecular Graphics Laboratory (MGL) Tools. DEPs were verified by western blot. Results: GEO data mining showed that an HFD altered oxidative phosphorylation in mouse lung tissue. The Yinlai decoction alleviated pathological damage to lung tissue and pneumonia in mice that were fed a high-calorie diet. A total of 47 DEPs were identified between the Y and M groups. Enrichment analysis revealed their association with energy metabolism pathways such as the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) and oxidative phosphorylation. The protein-protein interaction network revealed that Atp5a1, Pdha1, and Sdha were the target proteins mediating the therapeutic effects of Yinlai decoction. Molecular docking results suggested that the mechanism of the therapeutic effect of Yinlai decoction involves the binding of brassinolide, praeruptorin B, chrysoeriol, and other components in Yinlai decoction to Atp5a1. Conclusion The Yinlai decoction alleviated lung tissue damage and pneumonia in mice that were fed a high-calorie diet by regulating the TCA and oxidative phosphorylation. Our study highlights the importance of a healthy diet for patients with pneumonia and provides a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of pneumonia through dietary adjustments.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) diseases are common clinical conditions. The number of patients with TMJ diseases is large, and the etiology, epidemiology, disease spectrum, and treatment of the disease remain controversial and unknown. To understand and master the current situation of the occurrence, development and prevention of TMJ diseases, as well as to identify the patterns in etiology, incidence, drug sensitivity, and prognosis is crucial for alleviating patients′suffering.This will facilitate in-depth medical research, effective disease prevention measures, and the formulation of corresponding health policies. Cohort construction and research has an irreplaceable role in precise disease prevention and significant improvement in diagnosis and treatment levels. Large-scale cohort studies are needed to explore the relationship between potential risk factors and outcomes of TMJ diseases, and to observe disease prognoses through long-term follw-ups. The consensus aims to establish a standard conceptual frame work for a cohort study on patients with TMJ disease while providing ideas for cohort data standards to this condition. TMJ disease cohort data consists of both common data standards applicable to all specific disease cohorts as well as disease-specific data standards. Common data were available for each specific disease cohort. By integrating different cohort research resources, standard problems or study variables can be unified. Long-term follow-up can be performed using consistent definitions and criteria across different projects for better core data collection. It is hoped that this consensus will be facilitate the development cohort studies of TMJ diseases.

Objective To explore the effect of disposable electronic soft mirror and conventional repeatable soft mirror on the renal function and prostaglandin E2(PGE2),5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT)levels in patients with upper ureteral calculi and analyze the factors influencing recurrence after retrograde intrarenal surgery(RIRS).Methods 114 patients with upper ureteral calculi from March 2022 to March 2023 were selected and randomly divided into two groups,with 57 cases forming the observation group and 57 cases forming the control group.The observation group was administrated with RIRS via disposable electronic soft mirror,while the control group accepted RIRS via conventional repeatable soft mirror.The two groups were compared in the aspect of surgical data.Patients'serum renal function indicators[blood urea nitrogen(BUN),creatinine(Cr),cystatin C(CysC)],PGE2 and 5-HT levels were tested preoperative and postoperative 24 h.Postoperative complications and recurrence were compared between the two groups after 6 months follow-up.The patients were grouped according to whether there was recurrence or not.The medical records of recurrence group and non-recurrence group were collected,and the risk factors of recurrence were analyzed statistically.Results There was no sxtatistically significant difference between the observation group and the control group in terms of surgical time,intraoperative bleeding,one-time stone removal rate,and hospital stay(P>0.05).After operation both groups saw much higher levels of BUN,Cr,CysC,PGE2 and 5-HT than they did before the operation(P<0.05),but no significant difference in the aforementioned indicators was seen between the two groups either before or after the operation(P>0.05).The incidence of complications and recurrence rate of the observation group were 3.51%and 15.79%respectively,seeing no big difference from 12.28%and 21.05%of the control group(P>0.05).The body mass index(BMI),postoperative residual calculi and urinary tract infections in the recurrence team were remarkably higher than those in the non recurrence team(P<0.05).The results of multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for confounding factors such as gender,age,course of disease,maximum diameter of calculi,number of calculi,location of calculi,and surgical method,postoperative residual calculi and postoperative urinary tract infections were independent risk factors for postoperative recurrence of upper ureteral calculi after RIRS(P<0.05).Conclusion Both disposable electronic soft endoscopy and conventional repeatable soft endoscopy can achieve satisfactory results in the treatment of upper ureteral calculi,both can impact the renal function and serum PGE2,5-HT levels in patients to a certain extent,and both present a risk of recurrence after surgery.Residual postoperative calculi and postoperative urinary tract infections are independent risk factors inducing recurrence of upper ureteral calculi after RIRS.

The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and resistance patterns of ESBL-producing E.coli in lambs with diarrhea in the Kashi area,Xinjiang.The findings may provide guidance for the prevention and control of clinical E.coli disease.We collected 385 samples of perianal feces from lambs with diarrhea in the Kashgar area.From these samples,we isolated 371 strains of E.coli.We then used the double-paper-sheet synergistic method to screen for ESBL-producing E.coli.Additionally,we conducted analyses to identify drug-resistance genes,analyze drug resistance,and study the phylo-typing of the screened strains.Of 371 E.coli strains,204 were identified as ESBL-producing strains.The prevalence rates of blaCTX-M,blaCTX-M-1G,blaCTX-M-9G,and bla TEM resistance genes was 67.65％,69.12％,30.39％,and 63.73％,respectively.All ESBL-pro-ducing strains were resistant to multiple drugs,with resistance rates ranging from 90.69％to 100％for eight specific drugs:ampicillin,cefotaxime,gentamicin,enrofloxacin,azithromy-cin,tetracycline,chloramphenicol,methotrexate,and amitrazine.The phylogenetic subgroups of the strains were distributed primarily in groups A and D.Among group A strains,41.11％exhibited resistance to ten drugs,whereas among group D strains,40％exhibited resistance to 11 drugs.ESBL-pro-ducing strains of Escherichia coli are the main pathogens cau-sing diarrhea in lambs in the Kashgar region;group A is the main group,and all groups are multi-drug resistant.