Objective To discuss the value of clinical radiomic nomogram(CRN)and deep convolutional neural network(DCNN)in distinguishing atypical pulmonary hamartoma(APH)from atypical lung adenocarcinoma(ALA).Methods A total of 307 patients were retrospectively recruited from two institutions.Patients in institu-tion 1 were randomly divided into the training(n=184:APH=97,ALA=87)and internal validation sets(n=79:APH=41,ALA=38)in a ratio of 7∶3,and patients in institution 2 were assigned as the external validation set(n=44:APH=23,ALA=21).A CRN model and a DCNN model were established,respectively,and the performances of two models were compared by delong test and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves.A human-machine competition was conducted to evaluate the value of AI in the Lung-RADS classification.Results The areas under the curve(AUCs)of DCNN model were higher than those of CRN model in the training,internal and external validation sets(0.983 vs 0.968,0.973 vs 0.953,and 0.942 vs 0.932,respectively),however,the differences were not statistically significant(p=0.23,0.31 and 0.34,respectively).With a radiologist-AI com-petition experiment,AI tended to downgrade more Lung-RADS categories in APH and affirm more Lung-RADS cat-egories in ALA than radiologists.Conclusion Both DCNN and CRN have higher value in distinguishing APH from ALA,with the former performing better.AI is superior to radiologists in evaluating the Lung-RADS classification of pulmonary nodules.

Objective To explore the status quo of treatment adherence and its influencing factors in community management of patients with chronic diseases in Nanjing. Methods A total of 673 patients with chronic diseases managed by community health service centers in Nanjing were selected. The general data of the study subjects were collected. MMAS-8 Scale, the Chinese version of WHQOL-BREF and PSS-Fa were used to evaluate the treatment adherence, quality of life and family support level. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the correlation between MMAS-8 score and WHQOL-BREF Chinese version and PSS-Fa score, and logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the influencing factors of treatment adherence. Results The MMAS-8 score was positively correlated with WHQOL-BREF Chinese version psychological and social management domain score and PSS-Fa score , logistic regression analysis results suggested that > 65 years of age (OR =1.723) was a risk factor for poor treatment adherence, undergraduate and above education level (OR = 0.582), annual family income > 80 000 yuan (OR = 0.603), comorbidity of chronic diseases (OR = 0.718), better overall evaluation of their own quality of life (OR = 0.547) , and high family support level (OR = 0.619) were protective factors for poor treatment adherence, and the above differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05) . Conclusion There is still room to improve the treatment adherence of patients with chronic diseases in community management in Nanjing . It is necessary to focus on elderly patients, strengthen the education of patients with single chronic diseases and improve the quality of life and family support level of patients.

Objective To explore the value of combined prediction model based on clinical and CT radiomics features in discriminating atypical pulmonary hamartoma(APH)from atypical lung adenocarcinoma(ALA).Methods A total of 290 patients with APH and ALA confirmed by pathology were retrospectively selected.250 patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University were randomly assigned into a training set(APH=91,ALA=84)and an internal validation set(APH=39,ALA=36)at a ratio of 7∶3,and other 40 patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC were assigned as an external validation set(APH=21,ALA=19).The independent model and multivariate logistic regression combined model were constructed using the selected clinical-CT features and radiomics features,respectively,and a nomogram was drawn.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and DeLong test were used to evaluate and compare the performances of the models.Results The area under the curve(AUC)of the combined model established by 3 clinical-CT features and 4 radiomics features in the training set was 0.980,which was higher than that of clinical-CT model(AUC=0.885,P＜0.001)and radiomics model(AUC=0.975,P=0.042).The AUC of the combined model in the internal and external validation sets(0.963 vs 0.917)were also higher than those of clinical-CT model(0.858 vs 0.774)and radiomics model(0.953 vs 0.897),respectively.Conclusion The combined prediction model based on clinical and CT radiomics features can improve the differential diagnosis ability of APH and ALA.

Objective To compare the effects of antibiotic-loaded bone cement coverage and negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) on diabetic foot ulcer wound healing. Methods A total of 113 patients with diabetic foot ulcers were selected as study subjects and randomly divided into control group (57 patients receiving NPWT) and experimental group (56 patients receiving antibiotic-loaded bone cement coverage) using the double-color ball randomization method. Both groups underwent routine debridement. The treatment outcomes, positive detection rate of wound bacterial culture, lower limb nerve conduction function (tibial nerve motor conduction velocity, common peroneal nerve sensory conduction velocity), Doppler ultrasound indicators (vessel diameter, blood flow velocity, resistance index, pulsatility index), inflammatory indicators (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein), and granulation tissue growth were observed and compared between the two groups. Results The effective treatment rate was 85.71% in the experimental group, which was higher than 70.18% in the control group (P < 0.05). Before treatment, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of positive detection rate of wound bacterial culture, tibial nerve motor conduction velocity, common peroneal nerve sensory conduction velocity, blood flow velocity, vessel diameter, resistance index, pulsatility index, granulation tissue growth, and serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (P>0.05). After 3, 7, and 15 days of treatment, the positive detection rate of wound bacterial culture in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, the tibial nerve motor conduction velocity, common peroneal nerve sensory conduction velocity, vessel diameter, blood flow velocity, resistance index, and pulsatility index in both groups were higher or greater than those before treatment, and those in the experimental group were higher or greater than those in the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, the granulation tissue area, coverage rate, and granulation tissue growth rate in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in both groups were lower than those before treatment, and those in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion Compared with NPWT, antibiotic-loaded bone cement coverage has a higher effective treatment rate for diabetic foot ulcers, and provides a more effective local antibacterial environment, thereby promoting wound healing and tissue repair, and simultaneously improving nerve function and vascular status.

Objective:To investigate the application value of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination in clinical diagnosis of gallbladder tumor with perigallbladder invasion.Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 80 gallbladder tumor patients with perigallbladder invasion who were admitted to 3 medical centers (21 cases in The First Affiliated Hospital of Northwest University, 42 cases in The First Affiliated Hospital of the Air Force Medical University, 17 cases in The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University) from January 2021 to December 2022 were collec-ted. There were 45 males and 35 females, aged (56±4)years. Observation indicators: (1) CT and MRI examinations; (2) surgical conditions. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range). Count data were described as absolute numbers. Results:(1) CT and MRI examinations. Of 80 patients, cases with gallbladder cancer and gallbladder adenoma were 73 and 7, respectively. Cases with endoluminal nodular type, mass type and localized thick-walled type were 33, 39 and 8, respectively, with tumor diameter as 1.55 cm×1.35 cm×1.33 cm, 1.64 cm×1.37 cm×1.36 cm and 5.72 cm×4.07 cm×4.36 cm. Results of CT examination of endoluminal nodular type showed local nodular protrusions into the endoluminal area, and local enhancement on enhanced scanning. Results of CT examination of localized thick-walled type showed the cavity wall of lesion was locally or diffusely irregul-arly thickened, with a thickness of 1.10(range, 1.10-2.21)cm. Of 80 patients, results of CT and MRI examinations showed invasion of liver parenchyma in 68 cases, which was manifested as local mass, blurred demarcation, and abnormal protrusion. The maximum depth was (4.22±0.25)cm, (4.22±0.22)cm, (4.28±0.16)cm of cross-sectional, coronal, sagittal view in CT examination, respectively. The minimum depth was (0.22±0.10)cm, (0.25±0.08)cm, (0.24±0.12)cm. The depth of liver parenchyma invaded was (1.64±1.38)cm, (1.68±1.46)cm, (1.66±1.40)cm. Results of CT and MRI examinations showed invasion of perigallbladder, which was manifested as local invasion of the gastric antrum in 12 cases. (2) Surgical conditions. Of 80 patients, results of CT and MRI examina-tions showed that 60 patients had localized masses in the gallbladder cavity with or without infiltration of surrounding tissues. After confirming the absence of other organs and distant metastasis, cases undergoing radical resection and palliative resection were 44 and 16, respectively. Results of CT and MRI examina-tions showed that 20 patients had malignant gallbladder tumors with peri-pheral liver infiltration and multiple intrahepatic metastases with distant organ metastases, which were unresectable.Conclusion:For patients with gallbladder cancer and perigallbladder invasion, CT or MRI examina-tions can show their structural characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Ventricular remodeling after acute anterior wall ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (AAMI) is an important factor in occurrence of heart failure which additionally results in poor prognosis. Therefore, the treatment of ventricular remodeling needs to be further optimized. Compound Danshen Dripping Pills (CDDP), a traditional Chinese medicine, exerts a protective effect on microcirculatory disturbance caused by ischemia-reperfusion injury and attenuates ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction. OBJECTIVE: This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CDDP in improving ventricular remodeling and cardiac function after AAMI on a larger scale. METHODS: This study is a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial. The total of 268 patients with AAMI after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) will be randomly assigned 1:1 to the CDDP group (n=134) and control group (n=134) with a follow-up of 48 weeks. Both groups will be treated with standard therapy of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), with the CDDP group administrating 20 tablets of CDDP before pPCI and 10 tablets 3 times daily after pPCI, and the control group treated with a placebo simultaneously. The primary endpoint is 48-week echocardiographic outcomes including left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), and left ventricular end-systolic volume index (LVESVI). The secondary endpoint includes the change in N terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level, arrhythmias, and cardiovascular events (death, cardiac arrest, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, rehospitalization due to heart failure or angina pectoris, deterioration of cardiac function, and stroke). Investigators and patients are both blinded to the allocated treatment. DISCUSSION This prospective study will investigate the efficacy and safety of CDDP in improving ventricular remodeling and cardiac function in patients undergoing pPCI for a first AAMI. Patients in the CDDP group will be compared with those in the control group. If certified to be effective, CDDP treatment in AAMI will probably be advised on a larger scale. (Trial registration No. NCT05000411).
Humans ; ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction/therapy* ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Remodeling ; Prospective Studies ; Microcirculation ; Ventricular Function, Left ; Myocardial Infarction/etiology* ; Treatment Outcome ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/adverse effects* ; Heart Failure/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Multicenter Studies as Topic

SARS-CoV-2 infection causes complicated clinical manifestations with variable multi-organ injuries, however, the underlying mechanism, in particular immune responses in different organs, remains elusive. In this study, comprehensive transcriptomic alterations of 14 tissues from rhesus macaque infected with SARS-CoV-2 were analyzed. Compared to normal controls, SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in dysregulation of genes involving diverse functions in various examined tissues/organs, with drastic transcriptomic changes in cerebral cortex and right ventricle. Intriguingly, cerebral cortex exhibited a hyperinflammatory state evidenced by significant upregulation of inflammation response-related genes. Meanwhile, expressions of coagulation, angiogenesis and fibrosis factors were also up-regulated in cerebral cortex. Based on our findings, neuropilin 1 (NRP1), a receptor of SARS-CoV-2, was significantly elevated in cerebral cortex post infection, accompanied by active immune response releasing inflammatory factors and signal transmission among tissues, which enhanced infection of the central nervous system (CNS) in a positive feedback way, leading to viral encephalitis. Overall, our study depicts a multi-tissue/organ transcriptomic landscapes of rhesus macaque with early infection of SARS-CoV-2, and provides important insights into the mechanistic basis for COVID-19-associated clinical complications.
Animals ; COVID-19/genetics* ; Macaca mulatta ; SARS-CoV-2/genetics* ; Transcriptome

Objective:To investigate the value of intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) parameters combined with T 2WI texture analysis of primary lesions of rectal adenocarcinoma in preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis with short diameter ≤9 mm. Methods:Retrospective analysis was performed on 115 cases of rectal adenocarcinoma confirmed by surgical pathology in Affiliated Provincial Hospital of Anhui Medical University from June 2015 to October 2020. All patients underwent total mesorectal resection and received conventional rectal MRI and IVIM-DWI scan before surgery. According to the pathological results of lymph node, the patients were divided into lymph node metastatic group ( n=44) and non-metastatic group ( n=71). IVIM-DWI parameters of primary rectal adenocarcinoma were measured including apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), diffusion coefficient (D), pseudo diffusion coefficient (D *) and perfusion fraction (f). The region of interest (ROI) of the whole lesion of rectal adenocarcinoma was delineated on axial T 2WI; then the ROIs were imported into GE Analysis Kit software to extract 3D texture feature. The differences of IVIM-DWI parameters and texture feature parameters were compared between two groups using independent sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test. The optimal texture feature parameters with independent predictive function were screened by multivariate logistic regression. Then the texture feature model and combined model based IVIM-DWI and texture feature parameters were established. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the performances of IVIM-DWI, texture feature parameters, texture feature model and combined model in predicting lymph node metastasis in patients with rectal adenocarcinoma. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) were compared with DeLong test. Results:Among all the IVIM-DWI parameters, the D * and f values of primary rectal adenocarcinoma were significantly different between the lymph node metastasis group and the non-lymph node metastasis group ( Z=3.39, P=0.001, Z=-3.06, P=0.002); no statistical significance was found in the ADC and D values between two groups (both P>0.05). A total of 828 texture feature parameters were obtained based on T 2WI of primary lesion of rectal adenocarcinoma, among which 3 optimal texture feature parameters were selected, including firstorder_Skewness, shape_Sphericity and glcm_Idn. The ROC curve results showed that the AUC of D * and f were 0.689 and 0.670, respectively. The AUC of 3 texture feature parameters were 0.651, 0.628, 0.631, respectively. The AUC of texture feature model and the combined model were 0.775 and 0.803. The AUC of combined model was larger than D *, f and the three texture feature parameters (all P<0.05). Conclusion:IVIM-DWI parameters combined with T 2WI texture feature parameters in primary lesion of rectal adenocarcinoma show good diagnostic efficacy in preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis with short diameter≤9 mm.

Objective: To compare the reproducibility and performance of quantitative metrics between ZOOMit and conventional intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of early- and mid-stage Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). Materials and Methods: Twenty-two patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 52.0 ± 10.8 years; male:female, 2:20) with early- or mid-stage SS and 20 healthy controls (46.9 ± 14.6 years; male:female, 7:13) were prospectively enrolled in our study.ZOOMit IVIM and conventional IVIM MRI were performed simultaneously in all individuals using a 3T scanner. Quantitative IVIM parameters - including tissue diffusivity (D), pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) - inter- and intra-observer reproducibility in measuring these parameters, and their ability to distinguish patients with SS from healthy individuals were assessed and compared between ZOOMit IVIM and conventional IVIM methods, appropriately. MR gland nodular grade (MRG) was also examined. Results: Inter- and intra-observer reproducibility was better with ZOOMit imaging than with conventional IVIM imaging (ZOOMit vs. conventional, intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.897–0.941 vs. 0.667–0.782 for inter-observer reproducibility and 0.891–0.968 vs. 0.814–0.853 for intra-observer reproducibility). Significant differences in ZOOMit f, ZOOMit D*, conventional D*, and MRG between patients with SS and healthy individuals (all p < 0.05) were observed. ZOOMit D* outperformed conventional D* in diagnosing early- and mid-stage SS (area under receiver operating curve, 0.867 and 0.658, respectively; p = 0.002). The combination of ZOOMit D*, MRG, and ZOOMit f as a new diagnostic index for SS, increased diagnostic area under the curve to 0.961, which was higher than that of any single parameter (all p < 0.01). Conclusion Considering its better reproducibility and performance, ZOOMit IVIM may be preferred over conventional IVIM MRI, and may subsequently improve the ability to diagnose early- and mid-stage SS.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of Tai Chi (TC) and resistance training (RT) with different intensity on the cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and quality of life (QoL) of middle-aged and elderly cancer patients. METHODS: Totally 120 cancer patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to 4 groups by a random number table, including TC group, high-intensity 60% one repetition maximum (1-RM) RT group (HIRT), low-intensity (30% 1-RM) RT group (LIRT) and control group, 30 patients in each group. Participants in the TC group received 24-form simplified Yang-style TC training at a frequency of 40 min per day, 3 days per week for 12 weeks. Patients in the two RT groups received 10 sessions, 6 designated movements per day, 3 days per week for 12 weeks. The 1-RM of 6 muscle groups, fat mass (FM), lean body mass (LBM), along with the scores of Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), QoL questionnaire for Chinese cancer patients receiving chemobiotherapy (QLQ-CCC), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were measured before and after training. The adverse effect was also observed. RESULTS: After 12-week intervention, patients in both TC and RT groups showed significant improvements in CRF and QLQ-CCC compared to pre-treatment (P<0.05). Compared with the LIRT and TC groups, patients in the HIRT group improved more significantly in increasing muscle strength and LBM, and reducing in FM (P<0.05). Patients in the TC group significantly increased in lower limb muscle strength compared with the LIRT group (P<0.05). In addition, patients in the TC group showed more significant improvements in scores of GAD-7, PHQ-9 and PSQI than 2 RT groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS TC and RT, both low- and high-intensity training, can significantly increase muscle strength, reduce CRF and improve QoL in the middle-aged and elderly cancer patients. TC has a better effect than RT in terms of sleep quality and mental health. The long-term application is needed to substantiate the effect of TC as an alternative exercise in cancer patients.