Objective To investigate the feasibility of energy spectrum CT material separation technology for quantitative evaluation of nonalcoholic fatty liver patients,to compare the accuracy of this method with the conventional liver/spleen CT ratio for grading liver fat content.Methods Sixty patients diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver and 20 healthy volunteers were chosen to undergo liver MR multi-echo(ME)Dixon and energy spectrum CT scans.The proton density fat fraction(PDFF),fat concentration(FC),and liver/spleen CT ratio were then measured for each participant.According to PDFF,nonalcoholic fatty liver patients were divided into mild fatty liver group,moderate fatty liver group,and severe fatty liver group.Results With the increase in PDFF,FC increased and the liver/spleen CT ratio decreased.The difference between FC groups in normal,mild,moderate and severe fatty liver groups was statistically significant(P<0.05),while the difference between the liver/spleen CT ratio of normal group and mild fatty liver group was not statistically significant(P>0.05).The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis showed that when the critical value of FC was 351.19 mg/mL,the sensitivity,specificity and area under the curve for normal group and fatty liver group were 0.95,0.1 and 0.99,respectively.Conclusion The energy spectrum CT material separation technology has a good correlation between the fat content measured by the MR ME Dixon,which is superior to the fat content measured by the liver/spleen CT ratio.For patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver,FC in energy spectrum CT has high accuracy in differentiating normal and mild fatty liver.

OBJECTIVE Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma residues were used as raw material to compare the difference in the im-pact of different probiotics and composite probiotic on various indicator components through probiotic fermentation,aiming to explore the optimal fermentation process.METHODS The fermentation process was optimized using single factor and Box-Behnken response surface methodology,and the antioxidant capacity of the fermentation product was assessed through in vitro antioxidant experiments.RESULTS The results showed the optimum fermentation processes were 48 h of aerobic fermentation,36 h of anaerobic fermentation,ratio of 2∶3∶1 for Streptococcus thermophilus,Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus acidophilus,solid-liquid ratio of 0.14 g·mL-1,inoculation quantity 5%,fermentation temperature 33℃.Under the optimal fermentation conditions,the content of neutral polysaccharide,acidic polysaccharide,and total flavonoid in Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma residue increased by 105.64%,96.98%and 123.83%,respectively,which were high than those single-strain fermentation.The IC50 values of scavenging DPPH and ABTS free radicals in the fermentation products were 1.774 mg·mL-1 and 3.065 mg·mL-1,respectively,and the power of reducing Fe3+was 0.138 mmol FeSO4 g-1.The antioxidant capacity was significantly enhanced compared to the unfermented residues.CON-CLUSION The optimum fermentation process can significantly elevate the content of indicator components in Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma residues and enhance its antioxidant capacity.Compared to single-strain fermentation,the content of various indicator compo-nents is significantly increased,showing no apparent antagonistic effect among the probiotics mentioned above.The study provides sci-entific evidence and data support for the resource utilization of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma residues.

Objective:To investigate the features and influencing factors of language in children with various types of speech disorders.Methods:A case-control study was carried out, 262 children with speech disorder had been diagnosed at the language-speech clinic of the Center of Children′s Healthcare, Children′s Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics from January 2021 to November 2023, the children with speech sound disorder as the speech sound disorder group, the children with developmental stuttering as the stuttering group. There were 100 typically-developed children who underwent physical checkups at the Center of Healthcare during the same period as the healthy group. All children experienced a standardized evaluation of language with diagnostic receptive and expressive assessment of mandarin‐comprehensive(DREAM-C) and questionnaire, One-way ANOVA and LSD test were conducted to compare the differences in overall language, receptive language, expressive language, semantics, and syntax scores among 3 groups of children. According to the results of DREAM-C, the children with speech disorder were divided into language normal group and language delay group. Chi‐square test and multivariate Logistic regression were implemented to analyze the association between the linguistic development of children with speech disorder and potential influential factors.Results:There were 145 children in the speech sound disorder group, including 110 males and 35 females respectively, with an age of (5.9±1.0) years; 117 children in the stuttering group, including 91 males and 26 females, with an age of (5.8±1.0) years; 100 children in the healthy group, including 75 males and 25 females, with an age of (5.7±1.2) years. The variations in overall language, expressive language, and syntax scores among 3 groups of children were statistically significant (92±18 vs.96±11 vs. 98±11, 81±18 vs. 84±14 vs. 88±13, 87±16 vs. 89±11 vs. 91±10, F=5.46, 4.69, 3.68, all P<0.05). Pairwise comparison revealed that the speech sound disorder group had lower scores in overall language, expressive language, and syntactic compared to the healthy group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.01) and the overall language score was lower than that of children with stuttering ( P<0.05). In terms of overall language and expressive language, there was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of language delay among the three groups of children (15.9% (23/145) vs. 20.5% (24/117) vs. 7.0% (7/100), 46.2% (67/145) vs. 39.3% (46/117) vs. 26.0% (26/100); χ2=7.93, 10.28; both P<0.05). In terms of overall language, the stuttering group took up the highest proportion. In terms of expressive language, the speech sound disorder group accounted for the highest amount. The incidence of language delay in children with speech disorder was 44.3% (116/262). Non-parent-child reading, daily screen time ≥1 hour and screen exposure before 1.5 years of age are risk factors for the development of language in children with speech disorder ( OR=1.87, 2.18, 2.01; 95% CI 1.07-3.27, 1.23-3.86, 1.17-3.45; all P<0.01). Negative family history are protective factors for the progress of language ability ( OR=0.37, 95% CI 0.17-0.81, P<0.05). Conclusions:Children with speech disorder tend to have easy access to language delay, especially in expressive language and syntax. The occurrence of language delay in children with speech disorder is tightly connected with factors such as the family medical history, parent-child reading, screen time, etc. Attention should be paid to the development of language in children who suffer from speech disorder.

Objective To explore the clinical application value of deep learning image reconstruction(DLIR)-based technique for radiation dose reduction with different noise index(NI)in CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy(PTNB).Methods Thirty-two patients undergoing PTNB were selected,and three sets of CT images with NI of 15,30,and 45 sequentially were obtained after adjusting the puncture needle using the scanning parameters of a small range(40 mm),tube voltage 100 kV,and automatic tube cur-rent modulation(ATCM).Group A was 50％weight of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-Veo(ASIR-V)scanned with NI 15,and group B and C were the DLIR-high reconstructed images with NI 30 and NI 45 respectively.The CT value and standard devia-tion(SD)value of paraspinal muscles,subcutaneous fat,and arterial vessels were measured at the puncture center point and its upper and lower 10 mm sclices,respectively,and the signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and the contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)were also calculated.Then the images were subjectively scored by two physicians,meanwhile the effective dose(ED)among the three groups was com-pared.Results According to the subjective evaluation,the image quality of group A,B,and C all met the clinical requirement for puncture.The SD and SNR of the images in group B were better than those in groups A and C.The SD and SNR of paraspinal mus-cles and sudcutaneous fat were significantly different between groups A and B,and between groups B and C(P＜0.05),however those of paraspinal muscles and subcutaneous fat between groups A and C were not significant.The differences in ED among the three groups were all statistically significant(P＜0.05).Compared with group A,the ED in groups B and C were reduced by 82.86％and 93.90％respectively,and the ED in group C was reduced by 64.44％compared with group B.Conclusion Increasing the NI combined with the DLIR technique can significantly reduce the radi-ation dose during CT-guided PTNB.

Objective To explore the application value of functional movement screening(FMS)and targeted physical fitness training in military training for armored troops in cold area.Methods A total of 160 male new recruits were selected from an armored synthetic brigade by random number table method,and then divided into the experimental group and the control group(n=80).The common subjects in the military training program were given to the control group.Besides the common subjects,the experimental group were also given targeted physical fitness training,including core strength training and targeted movement correction training.Before and in 6 months after training,FMS test was carried out for the 2 groups.The occurrence of training injuries were observed and recorded in 2 groups during the 6 months of new training.Results Before the new training,there was no statistical difference in the FMS score between the experimental group and the control group(15.64±2.95 vs 15.67±3.42,P＞0.05).After 6 months of training,the FMS score of the experimental group was 18.33±2.67,which was significantly higher than that of the control group(16.75±3.31,P＜0.05).The overall incidence of training injury was 12.50％in the experimental group,which was significantly lower than that in the control group,but no significant difference.In both groups,the incidence of training injury was significantly higher in those with FMS score＜14 than those with the score≥14 from the same group(P＜0.05).The incidence in the experimental group with FMS score＜14 was 23.53％(4/17),significantly lower than that in the control group with FMS score＜14[64.29％(9/14),P＜0.05].Conclusion Application of FMS is conducive to understanding and judging the fundamental movements in officers and soldiers,and targeted physical fitness correction training can enhance their own physical quality and reduce the occurrence of training injuries.

Objective To investigate the impact of ultra-low dose CT(ULDCT)scanning combined with deep learning image reconstruction(DLIR)on quantitative analysis of pulmonary nodules using computer aided diagnostic system(CAD).Methods Fifty-six further consultation patients with pulmonary nodules were prospectively enrolled.ULDCT and standard-dose CT(SDCT)were performed.The raw ULDCT images were reconstructed using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-V40%(ASIR-V40%)and high-strength DLIR(DLIR-H)to obtain ULDCT-ASIR-V40%(group A)and ULDCT-DLIR-H(group B)images,while SDCT images were reconstructed with ASIR-V40%to obtain SDCT-ASIR-V40%(group C)images.Pulmonary nodules with long diameter of 4-30 mm were selected as the target nodules based on reconstructed images.The nodules were divided into solid nodules,calcified nodules and non-solid nodules by 2 physicians.CAD software was used to evaluate the classification of nodules based on 3 groups of images,and the long diameter,transverse diameter,density,volume and malignant risk were quantitatively analyzed.Results Totally 104 target nodules were selected,including 51 solid nodules,26 calcified nodules and 27 non-solid nodules according to physicians.CAD classified 53 solid,24 calcified and 27 non-solid nodules based on group A and B,while based on group C,CAD classification was consistent with that of physicians'.Compared with group C,the density of solid and calcified nodules,the volume and malignant risk of non-solid nodules judged by CAD in group A decreased,so did the density of calcified nodules in group B(all P＜0.05).No significant difference of the other CAD quantitative parameters of nodules was found among 3 groups(all P＞0.05).Conclusion ULDCT scanning combined with DLIR might underestimate the density of calcified pulmonary nodules judged by CAD,but had no significant impact on the other CAD quantitative parameters.

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine can induce a potent cellular and humoral immune response to protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, it was unknown whether SARS-CoV-2 vaccination can induce effective natural killer (NK) cell response in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) and healthy individuals. METHODS: Forty-seven PLWH and thirty healthy controls (HCs) inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine were enrolled from Beijing Youan Hospital in this study. The effect of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on NK cell frequency, phenotype, and function in PLWH and HCs was evaluated by flow cytometry, and the response of NK cells to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Spike (SARS-2-OS) protein stimulation was also evaluated. RESULTS: SARS-CoV-2 vaccine inoculation elicited activation and degranulation of NK cells in PLWH, which peaked at 2 weeks and then decreased to a minimum at 12 weeks after the third dose of vaccine. However, in vitro stimulation of the corresponding peripheral blood monocular cells from PLWH with SARS-2-OS protein did not upregulate the expression of the aforementioned markers. Additionally, the frequencies of NK cells expressing the activation markers CD25 and CD69 in PLWH were significantly lower than those in HCs at 0, 4 and 12 weeks, but the percentage of CD16 + NK cells in PLWH was significantly higher than that in HCs at 2, 4 and 12 weeks after the third dose of vaccine. Interestingly, the frequency of CD16 + NK cells was significantly negatively correlated with the proportion of CD107a + NK cells in PLWH at each time point after the third dose. Similarly, this phenomenon was also observed in HCs at 0, 2, and 4 weeks after the third dose. Finally, regardless of whether NK cells were stimulated with SARS-2-OS or not, we did not observe any differences in the expression of NK cell degranulation markers between PLWH and HCs. CONCLUSION s:SARS-CoV-2 vaccine elicited activation and degranulation of NK cells, indicating that the inoculation of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine enhances NK cell immune response.
Humans ; COVID-19 Vaccines/therapeutic use* ; COVID-19 ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Killer Cells, Natural ; HIV Infections ; Antibodies, Viral

OBJECTIVE To establish the fingerprint and multi-component content determination method of Crataegus pinnatifida leaves from different producing areas， and to evaluate the quality of C. pinnatifida leaves and screen the differential markers. METHODS Seventy-eight batches of C. pinnatifida leaves were collected from Chengde of Hebei Province， Huludao of Liaoning Province， Yuncheng of Shanxi Province and Linyi of Shandong Province. High-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） and Similarity Evaluation System for Traditional Chinese Medicine Chromatographic Fingerprints （2012 edition） were used to draw the fingerprints and conduct similarity evaluation. Grey correlation analysis， cluster analysis （CA）， principal component analysis （PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA） were performed by using SPSS 19.0， MetaboAnalyst 5.0 and SIMCA 14.1 software. The differential markers affecting the quality of C. pinnatifida leaves were screened with variable importance in the projection （VIP） value greater than 1 and the error line not exceeding the origin as the criterion. Using vitexin rhamnoside as an internal reference， the contents of chlorogenic acid， glucosylvitexin， hypericin and isoquercetin in 78 batches of C. pinnatifida leaves were determined by the same HPLC combined with quantitative analysis of multi- components by single-marker （QAMS）， and the results were compared with external standard method. RESULTS Eight common peaks were calibrated in the fingerprints for 78 batches of C. pinnatifida leaves from 4 producing areas. Five known components were identified， including chlorogenic acid （peak 1）， glucosylvitexin （peak 3）， vitexin rhamnoside （peak 4）， hypericin （peak 7） and isoquercetin （peak 8）； their similarities ranged from 0.871 to 0.998. Average relative correlations of samples from Chengde of Hebei Province， Huludao of Liaoning Province， Yuncheng of Shanxi Province and Linyi of Shandong Province were 0.538， 0.528， 0.462 and 0.435， respectively. CA and PCA showed that the samples from Chengde of Hebei Province and Huludao of Liaoning Province were roughly classified into one category， while the samples from Linyi of Shandong Province and Yuncheng of Shanxi Province were roughly classified into one category； VIP values of peak 1， 2， 3 and 5 were all greater than 1. By QAMS， the relative correction factors of chlorogenic acid， glucosylvitexin， hypericin and isoquercetin were 0.401， 0.993， 1.670 and 1.615 （RSD＜2%）. Compared with external standard method， except for isoquercetin in the two batches of samples （S39 and S41）， there was no significant difference in the content of each component in other batches of samples （the relative deviations≤ 5%）. CONCLUSIONS The established fingerprint and QAMS method are simple to operate and can be used to evaluate the quality of C. pinnatifida leaves. The sample from Chengde of Hebei Province is relatively good in quality. Chlorogenic acid （peak 1）， glucosylvitexin （peak 3）， and the corresponding components of peaks 2 and 5 may be differential markers affecting the quality of C. pinnatifida leaves.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of neuroendoscopic hematoma removal versus soft channel drainage in the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma. Methods:The clinical data of 102 patients with chronic subdural hematoma who received treatment in Jincheng People's Hospital from May 2018 to May 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into the neuroendoscopy group ( n = 50) and the soft channel group ( n = 52) according to different surgical methods. Perioperative indexes, hematoma clearance rate, China Stroke Scale score, the activity of daily living score, and oxidative stress indexes were compared between the two groups. All patients were followed up for 3 months. The incidence of complications during the follow-up period was calculated. Results:The retention time of the drainage tube in the neuroendoscopy group was shorter than that in the soft channel group [(2.45 ± 0.63) days vs. (3.30 ± 0.78) days, t = 6.06, P < 0.001]. The length of hospital stay in the neuroendoscopy group was shorter than that in the soft channel group [(7.14 ± 1.65) days vs. (9.07 ± 2.11) days, t = 5.15, P < 0.001]. The hematoma clearance rate at postoperative 7 days in the neuroendoscopy group was higher than that in the soft channel group [(93.45 ± 5.50)% vs. (81.86 ± 7.24)%, χ2 = 9.12, P < 0.001]. There were no significant differences in operation time and intraoperative blood loss between the two groups (both P > 0.05). At postoperative 30 days, the China Stroke Scale score in the neuroendoscopy group was lower than that in the soft channel group [(12.74 ± 2.23) points vs. (18.67 ± 2.45) points, t = 12.79, P < 0.001]. The activity of daily life score in the neuroendoscopy group was significantly higher than that in the soft channel group [(77.69 ± 7.11) points vs. (91.35 ± 7.25) points, t = 9.60, P < 0.001]. At postoperative 7 days, glutathione peroxidase level in the neuroendoscopy group was significantly lower than that in the soft channel group [(130.75 ± 13.66) U/L vs. (148.60 ± 14.64) U/L, t = 6.37, P < 0.001]. Malondialdehyde level in the neuroendoscopy group was significantly lower than that in the soft channel group [(5.11 ± 0.65) nmol/L vs. (6.19 ± 0.74) nmol/L, t = 7.83, P < 0.001]. Superoxide dismutase level in the neuroendoscopy group was significantly higher than that in the soft channel group [(275.60 ± 22.33) U/L vs. (254.60 ± 18.55) U/L, t = 5.15, P < 0.001]. There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups ( P > 0.05). Conclusion:Compared with soft channel drainage, neuroendoscopic hematoma removal can obtain better short-term curative effects and less oxidative stress response in the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma. Neuroendoscopic hematoma removal does not increase the incidence of postoperative complications and is highly safe.

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy of T2-weighted imaging combined with diffusion weighted imaging in differential diagnosis of peripheral lung cancer(PLC)and focal organizational pneumonia(FOP).Materials and Methods A total of 36 patients with FOP and PLC diagnosed pathologically in the Affiliated Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine from November 2016 to December 2021 were retrospectively included.Two experienced radiologists independently read MR Images,and measured T2 contrast ratio(T2CR)and apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)respectively.The T2CR and ADC values of the two groups were compared,and the diagnostic efficacy of MR-T2WI and diffusion weighted imaging was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic curve.Results Two radiologists demonstrated good inter-observer agreement for T2CR and ADC values(ICC values of 0.951 and 0.955,respectively).The FOP group exhibited significantly higher T2CR and ADC values compared to the PLC group(t=3.920 and 5.819,both P<0.001),with threshold values of 2.29 for T2CR and 1 048×10-6 mm2/s for ADC being identified.ADC values accurately diagnosed FOP in 33 cases and PLC in 28 cases,while T2CR correctly diagnosed FOP in 20 cases and PLC in 33 cases.Combining both T2CR and ADC values resulted in accurate diagnoses of FOP in 29 cases and PLC in 33 cases.The diagnostic accuracy and area under the curve were improved by combining ADC and T2CR values compared with using them alone(accuracy:86.1%vs.84.7%,73.6%;AUC:0.924 vs.0.879,0.740;Z=2.208,P<0.05).Conclusion The combination of T2CR and ADC values aids in distinguishing FOP from PLC,exhibiting a higher diagnostic efficiency compared to their individual use.