Objective To explore the value of Chinese thyroid imaging reporting and data system(C-TIRADS)combined with intranodular and perinodular stiffness for distinguishing benign and malignant thyroid nodules.Methods Data of routine ultrasound and ultrasonic shear wave elastography(SWE)in 117 patients with thyroid nodules confirmed by fine needle aspiration cytology(FNAC)and/or surgical pathology were retrospectively analyzed.The nodules were classified according to C-TIRADS and SWE parameters of nodules and surrounding 2 mm glands measured with SWE technique,including Young's modulus of thyroid nodules(E)and perinodular glandular(Eshell)(the maximum[Emax/Eshellmax],the mean[Emean/Eshellmean]and the minimum[Emin/Eshellmin]as well as standard deviation[ESD/EshellSD]values).Then receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn,and area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to assess the efficacy of C-TIRADS,SWE and the combination for differentiating benign and malignant thyroid nodules.Results Totally 117 thyroid nodules of 117 patients were enrolled,including 50 benign and 67 malignant ones.SWE parameters of malignant thyroid nodules were higher than those of benign ones(all P＜0.001).AUC of C-TIRADS for differentiating benign and malignant thyroid nodules was 0.736,with sensitivity of 79.10％,specificity of 68.00％and accuracy of 74.36％.AUC of Emax,Emean,Emin and ESD was 0.816,0.752,0.664 and 0.705,respectively,of Emax was the highest.AUC of Eshellmax,Eshellmean,Eshellmin and EshellSD was 0.834,0.804,0.693 and 0.697,respectively,of Eshellmax was the highest,which was not statistically difference with that of Emax(Z=1.044,P=0.297).AUC of C-TIRADS+Emax and C-TIRADS+Eshellmax was 0.835 and 0.843,respectively,being not significantly different(Z=0.574,P=0.566)but higher than that of C-TIRADS(AUC=0.736,Z=2.510,2.230,both P＜0.05),with diagnostic specificity and accuracy both higher than those of C-TIRADS(all P＜0.05).Conclusion C-TIRADS combined with intranodular and perinodular stiffness could be used to effectively distinguish benign and malignant thyroid nodules,which might improve diagnostic efficiency of C-TIRDAS.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the metabolites of Zhideke granules and speculate its metabolic pathway in rats in vivo. METHODS Male SD rats were randomly divided into blank group and administration group （Zhideke granules， 9.45 g/kg）； they were given ultrapure water or relevant medicine， twice a day， every 6-8 h， for 3 consecutive days. Serum， urine and feces samples of rats were collected， and their metabolites were identified by UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS technique after intragastric administration of Zhideke granules； their metabolic pathways were speculated. RESULTS After intragastric administration of Zhideke granules， 16 prototype components （i.g. irisflorentin， baicalin， chlorogenic acid） and 11 metabolites （i.g. hydration products of kaempferol or luteolin， methylation products of chlorogenic acid， and hydroxylation products of baicalin） were identified in serum， urine and feces of rats. Among them， 8 prototype components and 4 metabolites were identified in serum samples； 10 prototype components and 7 metabolites were identified in urine samples； 8 prototype components and 5 metabolites were identified in the fecal samples. CONCLUSIONS The metabolites of Zhideke granules in rats mainly include baicalin， irisflorentin，chlorogenic acid， and the main metabolic pathways included methylation， hydroxylation， glucuronidation.

Objective:To understand the current status of anemia, iron deficiency, and iron-deficiency anemia among preschool children in China.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted with a multi-stage stratified sampling method to select 150 streets or townships from 10 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities (East: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Hainan; Central: Henan; West: Chongqing, Shaanxi, Guizhou, and Xinjiang; Northeast: Liaoning). From May 2022 to April 2023, a total of 21 470 children, including community-based children aged 0.5 to<3.0 years receiving child health care and kindergarten-based children aged 3.0 to<7.0 years, were surveyed. They were divided into 3 age groups: infants (0.5 to<1.0 year), toddlers (1.0 to<3.0 years), and preschoolers (3.0 to<7.0 years). Basic information such as sex and date of birth of the children was collected, and peripheral blood samples were obtained for routine blood tests and serum ferritin measurement. The prevalence rates of anemia, iron deficiency, and iron-deficiency anemia were analyzed, and the prevalence rate differences were compared among different ages, sex, urban and rural areas, and regions using the chi-square test.Results:A total of 21 460 valid responses were collected, including 10 780 boys (50.2%). The number of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers were 2 645 (12.3%), 6 244 (29.1%), and 12 571 (58.6%), respectively. The hemoglobin level was (126.7±14.8) g/L, and the serum ferritin level was 32.3 (18.5, 50.1) μg/L. The overall rates of anemia, iron deficiency, and iron-deficiency anemia were 10.4% (2 230/21 460), 28.3% (6 070/21 460), and 3.9% (845/21 460), respectively. The prevalence rate of anemia was higher for boys than for girls (10.9% (1 173/10 780) vs. 9.9% (1 057/10 680), χ2=5.58, P=0.018), with statistically significant differences in the rates for infants, toddlers and preschoolers (18.0% (475/2 645), 10.6% (662/6 244), and 8.7% (1 093/12 571), respectively, χ2=201.81, P<0.01), and the rate was significantly higher for children in rural than that in urban area (11.8% (1 516/12 883) vs. 8.3% (714/8 577), χ2=65.54, P<0.01), with statistically significant differences in the rates by region ( χ2=126.60, P<0.01), with the highest rate of 15.8% (343/2 173) for children in Central region, and the lowest rate of 5.3% (108/2 053) in Northeastern region. The prevalence rates of iron deficiency were 33.8% (895/2 645), 32.2% (2 011/6 244), and 25.2% (3 164/12 571) in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, respectively, and 30.0% (3 229/10 780) in boys vs. 26.6% (2 841/10 680) in girls, 21.7% (1 913/8 821), 40.0% (870/2 173), 27.1% (2 283/8 413), 48.9% (1 004/2 053) in Eastern, Central, Western, and Northeastern regions, respectively, and each between-group showed a significant statistical difference ( χ2=147.71, 29.73, 773.02, all P<0.01). The prevalence rate of iron-deficiency anemia showed a significant statistical difference between urban and rural areas, 2.9% (251/8 577) vs. 4.6% (594/12 883) ( χ2=38.62, P<0.01), while the difference in iron deficiency prevalence was not significant ( χ2=0.51, P=0.476). Conclusions:There has been a notable improvement in iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia among preschool children in China, but the situation remains concerning. Particular attention should be paid to the prevention and control of iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia, especially among infants and children in the Central, Western, and Northeastern regions of China.

Objective To investigate the differential diagnostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose(18F-FDG)/PET/CT combined with serum lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),β2-microglobulin(β2-MG),and C-reactive protein(CRP)in sarcoidosis and lymphoma.Methods The 18F-FDG PET/CT images of 19 patients with sarcoidosis and 33 patients with lymphoma were analyzed retrospectively.The lymph node maximum diameter,density,distribution morphology,maximum standardized uptake value(SUVmax),extra-nodal involvement,and serum LDH,β2-MG,and CRP results were analyzed and compared.Results There was no statistically significant difference between sarcoidosis and lymphoma in lymph node density,necrosis rate,and SUVmax(P＞0.05).There was statistically significant difference in the maximum diameter between lymph nodes in sarcoidosis(2.4±0.7)cm and lymphoma(3.3±1.3)cm(P＜0.05).The incidence of symmetric enlargement of mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes was 84.2％in sarcoidosis,the lymph node fusion rate was 21.1％,the lung involvement rate was 57.8％,the spleen involvement rate was 10.5％,and the rates of lymphoma were 15.2％,63.6％,0.0％,and 36.4％,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).There were statistically significant differences in LDH and β2-MG between the two groups(P＜0.05),but the differences in CRP were not statistically significant(P＞0.05).Conclusion PET/CT can show the anatomy of mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes and extra-nodal affected organs as well as glucose metabolism,showing a certain differential diagnostic value of sarcoidosis and lymphoma when combined with serum LDH and β2-MG levels.

Objective To compare the diagnostic value of ultrasound,thyroglobulin measurement in fine-needle aspiration biopsy(FNA-Tg),and their combination in the diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC).Methods The clini-cal data of 130 patients(144 lymph nodes in total)with PTC in Tangshan Gongren Hospital from January 2017 to March 2023 were retro-spectively analyzed.Patients were divided into metastatic and non-metastatic groups according to the pathological findings of the cervical lymph nodes.The ultrasonic characteristics,serum Tg,and eluate Tg levels were compared between the two groups.The diagnostic efficacy of ultrasound,FNA-Tg,and the combination for cervical lymph node metastasis was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results Among 144 cervical lymph nodes,64 comprised the metastatic group and 80 comprised the non-metastatic group.Compared with the non-metastatic group,the lymph nodes in the metastatic group had indistinct cortical-medullary demarcation,uneven echogenicity,cystic changes,microcalcifications,and abnormal blood flow,and the differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.05);however,there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in transverse to longitudinal ratios and whether the margins were clear(all P＞0.05).Serum Tg in the metastatic and non-metastatic groups was 19.5(1.9-70.7)ng/mL and 20.4(8.9-38.3)ng/mL,respectively,and the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant(P＞0.05);eluate Tg in the metastatic and non-metastatic groups was 500.0(49.4-500.0)ng/mL and 2.4(0.6-6.5)ng/mL,and the difference between the two groups was statisti-cally significant(P＜0.05),with an optimal FNA-Tg critical value of 11.7 ng/mL.FNA-Tg diagnosed cervical lymph node metastasis with the highest specificity,accuracy,and positive predictive value,whereas the combination of ultrasound and FNA-Tg diagnosed cervical lymph node metastasis with the highest sensitivity and negative predictive value.Conclusion Ultrasound manifestations of PTC cer-vical meta-static lymph nodes include poorly demarcated corticomedullary stroma,uneven echogenicity accompanied by cystic changes,microcalcifications,and abnormal blood flow and have high diagnostic efficacy for PTC metastatic lymph nodes.When PTC cervical lymph node abnormalities are suspected on ultrasound,further FNA-Tg should be performed.The combination of ultrasound with FNA-Tg could improve the diagnostic efficacy of PTC cervical lymph node metastasis.

Objective:To analyze and assess the reliability of autoclaves of medical institution based on the failure data of the autoclaves of hospital.Methods:The failure data of autoclaves were analyzed by using four statistical models:Weibull distribution,Exponential distribution,Log-Normal distribution,and q-Weibull distribution.Chart tools were used to show the performance of different statistical distribution models in fitting data.Results:Comparisons of 4 kinds of statistical models revealed that the corrected Akaike Information Criterion(AICc)of statistical model of Log-Normal distribution was 564.4512,and the Bayesian Information Criterion(BIC)value(568.7691)of that was the lowest,and KS statistic(0.0739)of that was the smallest(P>0.05).Therefore,fitting effect of statistical model of Log-Normal distribution was the best fit,which was the most suitable model for analyzing the failure data set of autoclaves.Conclusion:Utilizing different statistical models to conduct the reliability analysis for failure data of autoclave can provide references for clinical engineers in optimizing maintenance strategies for autoclave.

Artemsia argyi Levl.et Vant is a commonly used Chinese herbal medicine and moxibustion raw material plant,so far has more than two thousand years of medicinal history,as one of the most commonly used Chinese medicinal materials.The incopat patent database was used to search the worldwide patent data of the last 20 years,and a total of 25279 argyi related patents were retrieved.The pattern of argyi patents was analyzed from the perspectives of global application trend,main technical fields,national economy composition,applicant ranking,patent value and other aspects by means of graph combination.The analysis shows that the innovation and development of argyi is in the stage of rapid development;The medical,Chinese patent medicine,cosmetics and physiotherapy of argyi are the hot research and development of current technology;There are a large number of patents related to argyi in the world,but they are mainly distributed in China and South Korea.Among them,the number of patents related to argyi in China reaches 20381,far higher than that in other countries,but the number of high-value patents is not very large,and the value and quality of patents are still insufficient compared with other countries.From the perspective of the current development trend of argyi,with the deepening of clinical application recognition and scientific research of argyi,there is a large patent space in the field of argyi.Patent applicants can formulate corresponding patent application strategies according to the global development opportunities,technological development status and existing weaknesses.

Objective:To analyze the factors influencing the success rate of external cephalic version (ECV) and to create a preoperative scoring scale for stratified management of pregnant women who were preparing for ECV.Methods:This prospective study was conducted on singleton pregnant women who underwent ECV without anesthesia in Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2019. Univariate (two independent samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Chi-square test) and multivariate logistic regression were used to screen the clinical characteristics affecting the success of ECV, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the cut-off value and convert quantitative variables into dichotomous variables. The independent variables were scored according to the regression coefficient in multivariate logistic regression analysis, and then a preoperative scoring scale was created. The ROC curve was used to calculate the cut-off value for the scoring scale. The subjects were divided into low and high score groups according to the cut-off value. The area under the ROC curve was used for evaluating the effectiveness of the scale in predicting the success of ECV. The success rate of ECV, difficulty of the operation and mode of delivery were compared between the two groups. Results:A total of 1 338 pregnant women met the inclusion criteria during the study period. After the exclusion of 885 women, 165 refused ECV in favor of direct cesarean section, 27 spontaneously converted to cephalic position before ECV, 261 who voluntarily accepted ECV were finally enrolled. ECV succeeded in 202 cases and failed in 59. (1) Favorable factors for ECV without anesthesia were the distance between the fetal breech and ischial spine <－3.5 cm ( OR=0.177, 95% CI: 0.071-0.438, P=0.009), the sum of the fundal height and the station of the fetal breech based on the ischial spine <30.25 cm ( OR=0.225, 95% CI: 0.094-0.537, P=0.001), amniotic fluid index ≥12 cm ( OR=0.399, 95% CI: 0.164-0.969, P=0.042), the surgeon's ability to hold the fetal head or breech with one hand ( OR=0.241, 95% CI: 0.098-0.589, P=0.002; OR=0.219, 95% CI: 0.087-0.546, P=0.001), and the fetal head located on the right or left upper abdomen of the mother ( OR=0.184, 95% CI: 0.059-0.568, P=0.003; OR=0.253, 95% CI: 0.084-0.760, P=0.014). (2) The area under the ROC curve of the preoperative score for predicting the success of ECV was 0.881 (95% CI: 0.821-0.941) and the cut-off value was 5.5. The subjects were divided into low (0-5 scores) and high (6-11 scores) score groups and the area under the ROC curve for predicting the success of ECV by grouping was 0.843 (95% CI: 0.774-0.912). Compared with the low score group, the high score group had a shorter ECV duration [2.0 min (0.5-10.0 min) vs 10.0 min (0.9-25.8 min), Z=－6.83, P<0.001], less attempts [1.0 times (1.0-4.0 times) vs 3.0 times (1.0-5.0 times), Z=－8.41, P<0.001], higher success rate [92.7% (190/205) vs 21.4% (12/56), χ2=127.64, P<0.001], higher rate of vaginal birth [75.4% (147/195) vs 18.5% (10/54)] and lower cesarean section rate [24.6% (48/195) vs 81.5% (44/54)] ( χ2=58.70, P<0.001). Conclusions:Preoperative scoring based on the factors influencing the success rate of ECV (the distance between the fetal breech and ischial spine, the sum of the fundal height and the station of the fetal breech based on the ischial spine <30.25 cm, amniotic fluid index ≥12 cm, the surgeon's ability to hold the fetal head or breech with one hand, and the fetal head locating on the right or left upper abdomen of the mother) is conducive to the individualized evaluation of the difficulty and the success rate of ECV as well as the success rate of vaginal delivery after ECV, which can provide a reference for clinical stratified management of ECV patients.

Objective To investigate the value of ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the differential diagnosis of mass-type autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data, ultrasound findings, and CEUS findings of 11 patients with mass-type AIP who were diagnosed in Tangshan Workers' Hospital from January 2015 to December 2020, and their characteristic manifestations were analyzed and compared with the data of 23 patients with PDCA. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results For the 11 patients with mass-type AIP, CEUS had a diagnostic accuracy of 63.64%, and all of these patients had hypoechoic single lesions; the patients with clear boundaries, regular morphology, pancreatic duct dilatation or cutoff, and blood flow signal accounted for 54.55%, 63.64%, 18.18%, and 36.36%, respectively, while in the PDCA group, such patients accounted for 30.43%, 34.78%, 78.26%, and 21.74%, respectively, and there was a significant difference in the presence or absence of pancreatic duct dilatation or cutoff between the two groups( χ 2 =11.089, P < 0.05), with no significant differences in the other indices (all P > 0.05). For the 11 patients with mass-type AIP, CEUS showed that 7 patients (63.64%) had hyperenhancement and 4 (36.36%) had iso-enhancement in the arterial phase, and 5 patients (45.45%) had hyperenhancement in the arterial phase and 6 (54.55%) had iso-enhancement in the venous phase; for the 23 patients with PDCA, 22 (95.65%) had hypoenhancement of lesions in both arterial and venous phases, and there were significant differences in the enhancement pattern in arterial and venous phases between the two groups ( χ 2 =30.345 and 30.084, both P < 0.05). Conclusion The enhancement pattern of CEUS and the presence or absence of pancreatic duct dilatation or cutoff have a relatively high value in the differential diagnosis of mass-type AIP and PDCA.

Objective To assess the value of 18 F-FDG PET/CT, contrast-enhanced ultrasound, and their combination in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pancreatic lesions. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with pancreatic lesions who underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT and contrast-enhanced ultrasound who were admitted to Tangshan Gongren Hospital from January 2015 to December 2020. The imaging results were confirmed by pathology examination to evaluate diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive value. The t -test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Results There were 83 malignant lesions and 25 benign lesions in 108 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive value were 86.75%, 80.00%, 85.19%, 93.51% and 64.52% for 18 F-FDG PET/CT; and 69.88%, 76.00%, 71.30%, 90.63% and 43.18% for contrast-enhanced ultrasound, respectively. The two methods differed significantly in sensitivity and accuracy (all P < 0.05), but not in specificity, negative and positive predictive value (all P > 0.05). When combined with the contrast-enhanced ultrasound, 18 F-FDG PET/CT had an increased sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive value of 90.36%, 84.00%, 88.89%, 94.94% and 72.41%, respectively, though this was not statistically significant due to the increased signal of blood supply in the lesions. Conclusion 18 F-FDG PET/CT has a better performance than contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pancreatic lesions, and their combination can improve the diagnostic value.