Purpose To explore the application value of deep learning image reconstruction(DLIR)algorithm combined with low tube voltage(70 kVp)in head and neck CT angiography imaging.Materials and Methods Retrospective analysis was performed on 40 patients who underwent head and neck CT angiography examination in People's Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from November 2021 to November 2022,the scanning tube voltage was 70 kVp and the current was in SmartmA mode.The original data were reconstructed with different algorithms and levels,including adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-veo(ASiR-V60%and ASiR-V90%)and DLIR(DLIR-L,DLIR-M,DLIR-H).The subjective and objective evaluation of different algorithms and levels reconstructed images were compared.Results CT values of ASiR-V and DLIR reconstruction images at different levels in neck and intracalvarium had no statistical significance(P>0.05).With the increase of ASiR-V and DLIR reconstruction level,the image noise of neck and intracalvarium was reduced,compared with ASiR-V60%,DLIR-H decreased 24.30%and 29.42%,respectively(P<0.05).With the increase of ASiR-V and DLIR levels,signal to noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)of neck and intracalvarium images increased,the SNR and CNR of DLIR-H were the highest.The SNR and CNR of common carotid artery bifurcations,C4 segment of internal carotid artery and V4 segment of vertebral artery were statistically significant compared with ASiR-V60%(P<0.05),SNR increased by 55.60%,43.90%,44.66%,CNR increased by 55.57%,44.24%,45.10%,respectively.The SNR and CNR of middle cerebral artery were 45.39%and 45.89%higher than that of 6 ASiR-V60%,with statistical significance(P<0.05).The subjective score of ASiR-V90%was lower than that of ASiR-V60%,and there was no statistical significance(P>0.05).The subjective score of DLIR increased with the level of reconstruction,and DLIR-H was significantly higher than DLIR-M and DLIR-L(P<0.05),the subjective score of DLIR-H and DLIR-M was significantly higher than ASiR-V60%and ASiR-V90%(P<0.05).Conclusion In low tube voltage head and neck CT angiography imaging,compared with ASiR-V,DLIR can further reduce image noise,improve image quality and diagnostic confidence,among which DLIR-H performs best.

Objective:To observe the expression levels of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway-related proteins and their phosphorylation in the liver tissues of rats with inorganic arsenic poisoning, and to explore the role of TLR4-mediated inflammatory signaling pathway in arsenic-induced liver fibrosis injury.Methods:Eighteen healthy weanling SD rats were divided into 3 groups according to their body weight (80 - 100 g) using a random number table (6 rats in each group, half males and half females). The control group was given 10 ml/kg of normal saline by gavage. The sodium arsenite (NaAsO 2) exposure group was given 10 mg/kg of NaAsO 2 by gavage. The TAK-242 intervention group was given 10 mg/kg of NaAsO 2 by gavage, and 0.5 mg/kg of TAK-242 was also administered intraperitoneally to inhibit TLR4 after 12 weeks. All rats were administered 6 days a week for 36 weeks. At the end of the treatment, the liver tissues and serum of the rats in each group were collected. HE and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological and fibrotic changes of the liver tissues. Automatic biochemical analyzer was used to detect serum liver function indexes of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Western blot was used to detect the expression changes of rat liver fibrosis protein α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), Vimentin and TLR4 signaling pathway-related proteins TLR4, nuclear factor κB (NF-κB)-p65 subunit (p65), NF-κB-p50 subunit (p50) and their phosphorylation p-p65 and p-p50 expression levels. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the secretion levels of inflammatory related factors interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-10. Results:HE and Masson staining results showed that compared with the control group, the NaAsO 2 exposure group showed significant inflammatory cell infiltration, hepatocyte necrosis and collagen fibrous deposition, while the TAK-242 intervention group showed improvement of the inflammatory cell infiltration and reduction of collagen fibrous deposition compared with the NaAsO 2 exposure group. The results of serum liver function indexes showed that ALT, AST and ALP in NaAsO 2 exposure group were increased compared with the control group, but the TAK-242 intervention group was significantly decreased compared with the NaAsO 2 exposure group ( P < 0.05). Western bolt results showed that in NaAsO 2 exposure group, the expression levels of fibrosis protein α-SMA, TGF-β1 and Vimentin (1.04 ± 0.19, 0.92 ± 0.14, 1.20 ± 0.21) and TLR4 signaling pathway-related proteins and their phosphorylation TLR4, p50, p-p50 and p-p65 (1.16 ± 0.21, 0.95 ± 0.16, 1.24 ± 0.23, 1.56 ± 0.25) were higher than the control group (0.44 ± 0.08, 0.42 ± 0.08, 0.72 ± 0.07, 0.69 ± 0.15, 0.71 ± 0.11, 0.46 ± 0.07, 0.54 ± 0.11, P < 0.05), and the TAK-242 intervention group (0.60 ± 0.13, 0.59 ± 0.16, 0.49 ± 0.11, 0.47 ± 0.08, 0.86 ± 0.09, 0.79 ± 0.14, 1.02 ± 0.17) were lower than the NaAsO 2 exposure group ( P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression level of TLR4 signal pathway-related protein p65 among the three groups ( F = 14.29, P = 0.053). ELISA results showed that the secretion levels of IL-6 and TNF-α [(98.89 ± 4.58), (83.25 ± 4.57) ng/g] in rats liver tissues of the NaAsO 2 exposure group were higher than the control group [(27.30 ± 3.92), (27.77 ± 1.83) ng/g, P < 0.05], while the secretion level of IL-10 [(36.88 ± 3.86) ng/g] was lower than the control group [(77.96 ± 7.87) ng/g, P < 0.05]. In TAK-242 intervention group, IL-6 and TNF-α secretion levels [(44.32 ± 3.60), (36.51 ± 2.93) ng/g] were lower and IL-10 secretion level [(60.40 ± 4.94) ng/g] was higher compared with the NaAsO 2 exposure group ( P < 0.05). Conclusion:TLR4-mediated inflammatory signaling pathway-related proteins and their phosphorylation are highly expressed in the liver tissues of rats with inorganic arsenic poisoning, and inhibition of TLR4 signaling pathway could significantly reduce the degree of liver fibrosis injury caused by inorganic arsenic in rats.

Background Arsenic is a well-known environmental toxicant. Hepatic fibrosis could occur dueto excessive or long-term exposure to arsenic, while associated molecular mechanisms remain undefined. Mitogen-inducible gene 6 (Mig-6) exhibits a protective effect on numerous diseases or cancers. However, the specific role of Mig-6 in the mechanisms of arsenite-induced hepatic fibrosis remains indistinct. Objective To investigate the specific role of Mig-6 in the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) and the deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) induced by sodium arsenite (NaAsO₂). Methods Human hepatic stellate cells (Lx-2) were treated with 0, 1.875, 3.75, 7.5, and 15 μmol·L⁻¹ of NaAsO₂ for 24 h, or with 7.5 μmol·L⁻¹ NaAsO₂ for 0, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h. Additionally, Lx-2 cells were transfected by pcDNA3.1(+)/Mig-6, then treated with 7.5 μmol·L⁻¹ NaAsO₂ for 24 h; a blank control group, a pcDNA3.1(+)-control group, a pcDNA3.1(+)/Mig-6 group, and an arsenic (7.5 μmol·L⁻¹ NaAsO₂) group were also set up. After transfection, the cells and culture supernatants were collected, and the protein levels of Mig-6, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in Lx-2 cells were identified by Western blotting analysis; moreover, the secretion levels of main ECM components in supernatants such as hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), collagens IV (COL-IV), and procollagen-III (PIIINP) were tested by ELISA. Results The Mig-6 expression decreased in the 3.75, 7.5, and 15 μmol·L⁻¹ NaAsO₂ groups (0.561±0.095, 0.695±0.048, and 0.401±0.030) compared to the control group (1.000±0.000) in Lx-2 cells (P<0.05). After administration with 7.5 μmol·L⁻¹ of NaAsO₂ for 24, 48, and 72 h, the Mig-6 expression (0.856±0.036, 0.515±0.077, 0.491±0.060) decreased compared with the 0 h group (1.000±0.000) (P<0.05). After over-expression of Mig-6, the results of Lx-2 activation related protein levels showed that compared to the control group, the α-SMA and TGF-β1 expression were up-regulated in the arsenic group (P<0.05); meanwhile, the α-SMA and TGF-β1 in the Mig-6 over-expression combined arsenic exposure group reduced compared to the arsenic (7.5 μmol·L⁻¹) group (P<0.05). The results of ELISA showed that compared with the control group, the HA, LN, PIIINP, COL-IV in the arsenic group were up-regulated (P<0.05); while compared to the arsenic group, the HA, LN, PIIINP, and COL-IV in the Mig-6 over-expression combined with arsenic exposure group were decreased (P<0.05). Conclusion Arsenic down-regulates Mig-6 expression in HSC, and over-expression of Mig-6 can reverse the activation of HSC and ECM deposition induced by arsenic exposure. It suggests that Mig-6 plays a protective role in arsenic-induced HSC activation and ECM deposition.

Background Long-term exposure to sodium arsenite leads to its accumulation in the liver and liver injury as a result. Previous studies showed that mesenchymal cells play an important role in hepatic fibrosis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) is considered to be a main source of mesenchymal cells. Objective To investigate the effects of sodium arsenite at different doses on liver fibrosis and EMT-related protein expressions in SD rats. Methods Twenty-four healthy weaned SD rats, half male and half female, were randomly divided into four groups according to body weight, with 6 rats in each group. The four groups were control group (gavage with 10.0 mL·kg⁻¹ physiological saline), 2.5 mg·kg⁻¹ sodium arsenite group, 5.0 mg·kg⁻¹ sodium arsenite group, and 10.0 mg·kg⁻¹ sodium arsenite group. All rats were gavaged 6 d per week for 36 weeks and weighed once a week, the serum and liver tissues of rats were collected and weighed, then the organ coefficient was calculated. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson's trichrome staining were used to determine the pathological changes of hepatic fibrosis in rats. The serum secretion levels of hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), procollagen Ⅲ N-terminal propeptide (PⅢNP), and collagen Ⅳ (COL-Ⅳ) in rats were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The protein expressions of HSCs activation-related proteins, such as α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), as well as EMT-related markers, such as E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin, and Snail, were detected by Western blotting. Results Compared with the control group, the 10.0 mg·kg⁻¹ sodium arsenite group showed decreased body weight (P<0.05) and increased liver coefficient (P<0.05) of female and male rats. The pathological staining showed that, compared with the control group, a large number of inflammatory cells were observed in liver tissue of rats exposed to sodium arsenite, liver parenchymal cells were also liquefied, necrotic, and denatured, and the collagen positive staining area of liver tissue showed an upward trend along with the increase of arsenic exposure dose (P<0.05). The results of ELISA and Western blotting showed that the serum secretion levels of HA, LN, PⅢNP, and COL-Ⅳ in the 5.0 and 10.0 mg·kg⁻¹ sodium arsenite groups were higher than those in the control group and the 2.5 mg·kg⁻¹ sodium arsenite group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the expressions of α-SMA and TGF-β1 proteins in liver tissue were increased in each sodium arsenite exposure group (P<0.05), the expression levels of E-cadherin protein were decreased (P<0.05), and the expression levels of N-cadherin, Vimentin, and Snail were increased (P<0.05). Conclusion Sodium arsenite exposure can induce HSCs activation and liver fibrosis injury in SD rats, resulting in increased extracellular matrix secretion levels, accompanied by EMT in liver tissue, suggesting that EMT is closely related to the process of liver fibrosis caused by arsenic.

Objective:To investigate whether rumination and family functioning can predict the level of depression after 1 year of follow-up in patients with first-episode depression, and whether family functioning plays a mediating role between rumination and depression level.Methods:Sixty-five patients with first-episode depression who met the enrollment requirements were included, and all subjects were assessed the 17-item Hamilton depression scale(HAMD-17), rumination response scale(RRS) and family assessment device(FAD). All subjects were followed up for 1 year, and the predictive effects of rumination and family functioning at baseline on the level of depression after 1 year of follow-up were investigated by hierarchical linear regression analysis and mediation analysis.Results:At the baseline stage, rumination, role, affective involvement (AI) and general functioning (GF) were significantly positively associated with depression level after 1 year of follow-up in patients with first-episode depression ( r=0.49, P<0.01; r=0.30, P=0.02; r=0.43, P<0.01; r=0.50, P<0.01; respectively). Rumination, AI and GF at the baseline stage predicted depression level after 1 year of follow-up ( β=0.315, t=2.954, P=0.005; β=0.261, t=2.550, P=0.013; β=0.323, t=2.952, P=0.005). Mediation analysis showed that AI and GF partially mediated the relationship between rumination at baseline and depression level at 1 year follow-up (point estimate value for AI=0.040, 95% CI=0.012-0.090); point estimate value for GF=0.066, 95% CI=0.017-0.143). Conclusions:Rumination and family functioning at baseline in first-episode depressed patients can predict the depression level at 1 year follow-up.Family functioning partly mediates the relationship between the baseline rumination and the depression level at 1 year follow-up.

Objective:To explore the diagnostic value of quantitative 99Tc m-hydrazinonicotinamide(HYNIC)-prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) SPECT/CT in patients with prostate cancer. Methods:From November 2018 to March 2021, the data of 56 patients ((69.8±8.0) years) with clinically suspected prostate cancer, who had elevated radioactive uptake in prostate on 99Tc m-HYNIC-PSMA SPECT/CT images in Henan Provincial People′s Hospital, were retrospectively analyzed. According to the pathological results, patients were divided into prostate cancer group ( n=45) and non-prostate cancer group ( n=11). The xSPECT-QUANT software was used to quantitatively analyze the high uptake area of the prostate, and SUV max was measured. The independent-sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, ROC curve and Spearman correlation analysis were used for data analysis. Results:The prostate cancer group had higher SUV max than non-prostate cancer group (10.79±5.96 vs 3.60±1.27; t=7.43, P<0.001). When SUV max≥6.46, the AUC of prostate cancer was 0.887, with the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy of 73.3%(33/45), 11/11, 100%(33/33), 47.8%(11/23), 78.6%(44/56), respectively. The SUV max of prostate cancer group was positively correlated with Gleason score ( rs=0.632, P<0.001). The SUV max of 29 patients with Gleason score≥8 was higher than that of 16 patients with Gleason score≤7 ( z=-3.89, P<0.001). There was no statistical difference in PSA level between patients with Gleason score≤ 7 and patients with non-prostate cancer ( z=-1.63, P=0.110), but the SUV max was significantly different ( z=-2.22, P=0.026). The SUV max of 23 patients with metastases was higher than that of 22 patients without metastasis (12.99±5.85 vs 8.50±5.28; t=2.69, P=0.010). ROC analysis showed that the AUC was 0.709; with SUV max≥13.02 as the threshold, the sensitivity for diagnosing prostate cancer metastases was 56.5%(13/23), the specificity was 86.4%(19/22), and the accuracy was 71.1%(32/45). Conclusions:The 99Tc m-HYNIC-PSMA SPECT/CT quantitative analysis is feasible in patients with prostate cancer. SUV max of 99Tc m-HYNIC-PSMA can be used in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, assessment of the malignancy and prediction of metastasis.

Objective:To explore the application and nursing of protein A immunosorbent in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum diseases.Methods:Ten patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum diseases were treated with protein A immunoadsorption therapy. Psychological nursing was emphasized. Comprehensive evaluation was conducted before adsorption to determine the prescription of adsorption therapy. During adsorption therapy, hypotension, membrane rupture and hemolysis of plasma separator, shivering and other adverse reactions were accurately prevented and treated. After treatment, attention should be paid to the prevention of nosocomial infection, regeneration and preservation of adsorption column.Results:After immunoadsorption therapy, the serum IgG level, antibody and EDSS score of 10 patients decreased to varying degrees. The serum IgG decreased from (6.04±2.77)g/L to (2.23±1.74)g/L. No serious complications occurred, no failure of immunosorbent operation, and the patients′ condition was better than before.Conclusions:Protein A immunosorbent therapy for neuromyelitis optica spectrum diseases is safe and effective. Standardized evaluation, operation and nursing are the key to achieve good results.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of non-contrast-enhanced MR angiography (NCE-MRA) combined with captopril renal scintigraphy (CRS) in the diagnosis of renovascular hypertension (RVH). Methods: A total of 52 patients (33 males, 19 females; age: (54.5±16.3) years) with highly suspected RVH between January 2018 and October 2018 from Henan Provincial People′s Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The examination data of NCE-MRA, basic renal dynamic imaging, CRS and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were collected and reviewed. The renal artery stenosis (RAS) rate≥70% was the criterion for RVH diagnosed by DSA, which was considered as the gold standard. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of NCE-MRA, CRS and NCE-MRA+ CRS were determined. The consistency between NCE-MRA and DSA was analyzed by Kappa test. The differences of diagnostic efficiencies between CRS and NCE-MRA + CRS were compared by χ² test or Fisher exact test. Results: There was a high consistency between NCE-MRA and DSA in the diagnosis of RVH (Kappa=0.81, 95% CI: 0.62-0.96; P<0.01). The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV of NCE-MRA were 88.89%(24/27), 92.00%(23/25), 90.38%(47/52), 92.31%(24/26), and 88.46%(23/26) respectively, those of CRS were 81.48%(22/27), 72.00%(18/25), 76.92%(40/52), 75.86%(22/29) and 78.26%(18/23) respectively, and those of NCE-MRA+ CRS were 74.07%(20/27), 100%(25/25), 86.54%(45/52), 100%(20/20) and 78.12%(25/32) respectively. Compared with CRS, the specificity (P=0.01) and PPV (P=0.03) of NCE-MRA+ CRS in the diagnosis of RVH were increased. Conclusion NCE-MRA and CRS are effective in the diagnosis of RVH, and the combination of two methods can significantly improve the diagnostic specificity and PPV than CRS alone.

Objective To investigate the teaching effect of career planning course in medical students through questionnaire survey and interview.Methods A total of 54 medical students of the classes of 2017 and 2018 were selected as research subjects,and the career planning course was implemented.Questionnaire survey and interview were performed before and after teaching to measure career maturity index and evaluate the teaching effect of this course.SPSS 15.0 was used for data processing,The t-test was used for comparison before and after teaching.Results All medical students had significant increases in the scores of self-recognition,occupational understanding,information application,personal adjustment,and professional attitude after teaching.As for information application,the score of career maturity was (3.71 ± 0.99) before teaching and (4.01 ± 0.93) after teaching,and there was a significant change after teaching (P=0.015),while there were no significant changes in the other dimensions after teaching.Male students had significandy higher scores of self-recognition,occupational understanding,personal adjustment,and professional attitude than female students,while female students had a significantly higher score of information application than male students.There was a significant difference in professional attitude between male and female students (P＜0.05).Conclusion The career planning course for medical students can provide help and inspiration for career development,but some of the teaching contents needs to be optimized and improved.

Objective: To understand the real experience of oral hygiene care of perioperative oral cancer patients. Methods: Qualitative descriptive research was adopted. Semi-structure in depth interviews were conducted among 17 postoperative oral cancer patients. NVivo 11 was used to manage and sort out the original data, data was analyzed with the content analysis of Colaizzi. Results: Six themes regarding oral hygiene care was extracted, including the diversity of methods of oral hygiene and the care provider, patients have limited knowledge about oral hygiene care and the relative education is lacking, the change of function, structure and the degree of comfort of mouth impact the oral hygiene care, patients′ feedback on oral hygiene care is complicated, patients′ oral care related emotional experience is rich, oral hygiene care experience of elderly and non-elderly patients with oral cancer has few difference. Conclusions The oral hygiene care of perioperative oral cancer patients needs to be further standardized, the instruction of patients′ oral hygiene care needs to be enhanced, more attention should be paid to the popularization of disease knowledge, so as to optimize patients care and do a good job in disease prevention.