OBJECTIVES: To propose a single repetition time (TR) quantitative magnetic susceptibility imaging method for the lumbar spine using bipolar readout gradient, and compare the quantitative magnetic susceptibility measurement using single TR and dual TR methods for the lumbar spine with different bone densities. METHODS: A translation correction method was proposed to correct spatial misalignment along the frequency encoding direction between positive and negative gradient readout images, and the phase difference between the images was eliminated using a phase correction method. The data of lumbar vertebrae L1-L5 were collected using single TR and dual TR methods from 6 normal individuals, 2 patients with osteopenia, and 2 patients with osteoporosis. The magnetic susceptibility map was reconstructed, the quantitative results of single TR before and after correction were compared with those of the dual TR method. RESULTS: The linear regression result of the lumbar spine magnetic susceptibility values obtained by the single TR method before calibration and the dual TR method is Y=0.64*X-11.61. The linear regression result of the lumbar spine magnetic susceptibility values corrected by the single TR method and the dual TR method is Y=1.03*X+0.25. The results of the corrected single TR method were highly consistent with those of the dual TR method, and the calibrated single TR method could effectively distinguish osteopenia and osteoporosis patients from normal individuals. CONCLUSIONS The calibrated single TR bipolar readout gradient method can generate artifact-free lumbar spine quantitative magnetic susceptibility distribution maps and reduce data acquisition time by 50%.
Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae/pathology* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Osteoporosis/diagnosis* ; Adult ; Bone Density ; Aged ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic/diagnosis*

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of artificial intelligence-assisted compressed sensing (ACS) acceleration on MRI radiomic feature extraction and performance of diagnostic staging models for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in comparison with conventional parallel imaging (PI). METHODS: A total of 64 patients with newly diagnosed NPC underwent 3.0T MRI using axial T1-weighted (T1W), T2-weighted (T2W), and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (CE-T1W) sequences. Both PI and ACS protocols were performed using identical imaging parameters. The total scan time for the 3 sequences in ACS group was 227 s, representing a 30% reduction from 312 s in the PI group. Eighteen first-order and 75 texture features were extracted using Pyradiomics. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to assess the agreement between the two acceleration methods. After feature selection using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), random forest regression models were constructed to distinguish early-stage (T1 and T2) from advanced-stage (T3 and T4) NPC. The diagnostic performance of the models was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and compared using the DeLong test. RESULTS: ACS-accelerated images demonstrated good radiomic reproducibility, with 86.0% (240/279) of features showing good agreement (ICC>0.75), with mean ICCs for T1W, T2W and CE-T1W sequences of 0.91±0.09, 0.89±0.13 and 0.88±0.11, respectively. The staging prediction models achieved similar AUCs for ACS and PI (0.89 vs 0.90, P=0.991). CONCLUSIONS The MRI radiomic features extracted using ACS and PI techniques are highly consistent, and the ACS-based model shows comparable diagnostic performance to the PI-based model, but ACS significantly reduces the scan time and provides an efficient and reliable acceleration strategy for radiomics in NPC.
Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Neoplasm Staging ; Artificial Intelligence ; Carcinoma ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Radiomics

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of intravenous colistin sulfate combined with nebulized inhalation versus intravenous monotherapy for pulmonary infections caused by carbapenem-resistant organism (CRO). METHODS: A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted. Clinical data were collected from patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of 10 tertiary class-A hospitals in Henan Province between July 2021 and May 2023, who received colistin sulfate for CRO pulmonary infections. Data included baseline characteristics, inflammatory markers [white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil count (NEU), procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP)], renal function indicators [serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN)], life support measures, anti-infection regimens, clinical efficacy, microbiological clearance rate, and prognostic outcomes. Patients were divided into two groups: intravenous group (colistin sulfate monotherapy via intravenous infusion) and combination group ((intravenous infusion combined with nebulized inhalation of colistin sulfate). Changes in parameters before and after treatment were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 137 patients with CRO pulmonary infections were enrolled, including 89 in the intravenous group and 48 in the combination group. Baseline characteristics, life support measures, daily colistin dose, and combination regimens (most commonly colistin sulfate plus carbapenems in both groups) showed no significant differences between two groups. The combination group exhibited higher clinical efficacy [77.1% (37/48) vs. 59.6% (52/89)] and microbiological clearance rate [60.4% (29/48) vs. 39.3% (35/89)], both P < 0.05. Pre-treatment inflammatory and renal parameters showed no significant differences between two groups. Post-treatment, the combination group showed significantly lower WBC and CRP [WBC (×10⁹/L): 8.2±0.5 vs. 10.9±0.6, CRP (mg/L): 14.0 (5.7, 26.6) vs. 52.1 (24.4, 109.6), both P < 0.05], whereas NEU, PCT, SCr, and BUN levels showed no significant between two groups. ICU length of stay was shorter in the combination group [days: 16 (10, 25) vs. 21 (14, 29), P < 0.05], although mechanical ventilation duration and total hospitalization showed no significant differences between two groups. CONCLUSIONS Intravenous colistin sulfate combined with nebulized inhalation improved clinical efficacy and microbiological clearance in CRO pulmonary infections with an acceptable safety profile.
Humans ; Colistin/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Administration, Inhalation ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use* ; Carbapenems/pharmacology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Gram-Negative Bacteria/drug effects* ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Respiratory Tract Infections/drug therapy*

Twelve derivatives of asiatic acid were synthesized through acylation, alkylation, oxidative dehydrogenation and other reactions using asiatic acid from usoxane-type pentacyclic triterpenoids as the parent compound. Their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR and 13C NMR, and determined to be novel compounds never reported in literature. Through the MTT method, high-expression human cancer cells (A549 and SGC-7901) were selected for a preliminary in vitro anti-tumor activity study on these compounds. Among them, the IC50 of compound I1 were 11.39 and 9.08 μmol/L respectively, and those of compound I2 were 12.64 and 9.15 μmol/L respectively, which were close to those of sorafenib, a common drug for clinical use. The experimental results show that the synthesized asiatic acid derivatives have certain anti-proliferative effects on the two types of human cancer cells, A549 and SGC-7901, significantly higher than those of asiatic acid. Compounds I1 and I2 show quite strong anti-proliferative effects on human cancer cells A549 and SGC-7901.

OBJECTIVE To observe the efficacy and safety of amphotericin B combined with posaconazole in the treatment of patients with AIDS combined with cryptococcal meningitis （CM）. METHODS The data of 44 patients with AIDS combined with CM admitted to Chongqing Public Health Medical Center and the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Military Medical University from January 2021 to June 2023 were collected retrospectively. They were divided into amphotericin B combined with flucytosine （AmB+FC） group and amphotericin B combined with posaconazole （AmB+POS） group according to treatment regimen， with 22 cases in each group. AmB+FC group was given Amphotericin B for injection+Flucytosine injection； AmB+POS group was given Amphotericin B for injection+posaconazole injection. After 12 weeks of treatment， clinical efficacies of two groups， clinical symptoms and the negative coversion rate of cerebrospinal fluid， and laboratory test results before and after treatment were observed in 2 groups， and the occurrence of adverse drug reactions was recorded in 2 groups. RESULTS After 12 weeks of treatment， the total effective rate， the incidences of fever， blurred vision， leukopenia， anemia， renal function abnormalities， hypokalemia， liver function abnormalities， rash， and peripheral neuropathy were compared between the two groups， and the differences were not statistically significant （P＞0.05）. The negative coversion rate of cerebrospinal fluid in AmB+POS group was significantly higher than AmB+FC group； the incidences of headache， nausea and vomiting symptoms， and the incidence of any adverse events were significantly lower than AmB+FC group （P＜0.05）. The cerebrospinal fluid pressure and cerebrospinal fluid protein content of the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment， and the cerebrospinal fluid glucose content and cerebrospinal fluid chloride content were significantly higher than those before treatment （P＜0.05）； however， the differences were not statistically significant between 2 groups （P＞0.05）. CONCL USIONS Amphotericin B combined with posaconazole improves the negative coversion rate of cerebrospinal fluid and relieves clinical symptoms in patients with AIDS combined with CM with good safety.

With the rapid development of information technology,what has been widely used in the field of medical and health care includes the home detection of aging population in communities,intelligent health management,special patient positioning care management,information sharing,and interconnection management,which has also brought new opportunities for the innovative management of medical equipment in recent years.We have taken"sense,knowledge and action"as the core,and effectively improved the level of lean management of medical equipment through data acquisition,data modeling and analysis,and remote service or decision response.This paper aims to summarize the application and research progress of intelligent information technology in the lean management of medical equipment in order to provide new ideas for the refined management of medical equipment.

[Objective]To evaluate the changes in cardiac structure and ventricular function in patients with Ander-son-Fabry Disease(AFD)by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography(2D-STE)and to explore the character-istics of their early cardiac involvement.[Methods]All 45 patients diagnosed with AFD in this observational study under-went routine ultrasonic cardiogram(UCG)examination and 2D-STE.The patients were divided into 2 groups based on UCG measurements:with left ventricular hypertrophy(interventricular septum or posterior left ventricular wall thickness≥12 mm)and without left ventricular hypertrophy.TomTec software was used to analyze the echocardiographic images,then the baseline data,UCG routine parameters and myocardial strain of the two groups were compared.[Results]The study in-cluded 27 males(60.0%)and 18 females(40.0%),with an average age of(32.33±16.11),17 cases(37.78%)with left ventricular hypertrophy and 28 cases(62.22%)without left ventricular hypertrophy.All patients had normal left ventricu-lar ejection fraction(LVEF)(>50%).Compared with those without left ventricular hypertrophy,patients with left ventric-ular hypertrophy had significantly more target organ involvement,significantly higher E/A and average E/E' ratios(P<0.05).No statistical difference was found in global and segmental longitudinal strain(LS),circumferential strain(CS)and radial strain(RS)of the endocardium and myocardium between the two groups(all P>0.05).There were lower abso-lute values of global and segmental LS and CS in the myocardium than in the endocardium(all P<0.05),and higher abso-lute values of LS and RS in the mid segment than in the basal and apical segments(all P<0.05).[Conclusions]There is no significant association between early systolic dysfunction and left ventricular wall thickness.2D-STE strain can be used to detect AFD in the early stage.Ventricular wall myocardium exhibits more serious involvement than endocardium and mid segment was less involved than the apical and basal segments.

More than 80% of the world’s populations are at risk of vector-borne diseases, with mosquito-borne diseases as a significant global public health problem. Mosquito populations control is critical to interrupting the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. This review summarizes the physical attributes, smell, vision, touch, and hearing of mosquitoes to unravel the preferences of female mosquitoes, and describes the mechanisms underlying the best male mating by female mosquitoes, so as to provide new insights into management of mosquito-borne diseases.

Objective To explore the possible mechanism of emodin in inhibiting proliferation,migration,and invasion of AGS cells and in suppressing the expressions of YAP1 and FOXD1.Methods Normal gastric cell GES-1 and gastric cancer cell AGS were cultured with different concentrations of emodin.CCK8 test,scratch test and Transwell assay were used to verify changes in the biological phenotype of AGS cells.TCGA database was applied to analyze expressions of HK2,YAP1 and FOXD1 in gastric cancer tissues and normal gastric tissues.Western blotting method was used to detect the impacts of emodin on HK2,YAP1 and FOXD1 proteins in AGS cells.Exogenous pyruvic acid was added to verify the changes in YAP1 and FOXD1.Results The IC50 of emodin was significantly higher in GES-1 cells than in AGS cells(P<0.05).CCK8 proliferation test,scratch test,and Transwell assay showed that emodin significantly inhibited the biological abilities of AGS(P<0.05 for comparisons).Analysis on the TCGA bioinformatics database found that the expression of key enzymes HK2 in the glycolysis pathway and oncogenes YAP1 and FOXD1 was significantly higher in gastric cancer tissues than in normal gastric tissues(P<0.05 for comparisons).Emodin significantly inhibited the protein expressions of key glycolytic enzymes HK2 and oncogenes YAP1 and FOXD1(P<0.05 for comparisons).With supplement of exogenous glycolytic metabolite pyruvate,the protein expressions of oncogenes YAP1 and FOXD1 significantly increased(P<0.05 for comparisons).Conclusions Emodin has a significant pharmacological inhibitory effect on gastric cancer AGS cells,markedly suppressing their biological phenotype.Emodin not only significantly inhibits the key enzyme HK2 in glycolysis metabolism,but also the protein expressions of oncogenes YAP1 and FOXD1.With the addition of exogenous pyruvate to enhance the glycolytic metabolic pathway,the protein expressions of oncogenes YAP1 and FOXD1 significantly increased.The above results suggest a close association of YAP1 and FOXD1 with glycolytic metabolism.Emodin may inhibit oncogenes YAP1 and FOXD1 through the glycolytic metabolism of gastric cancer AGS cells.

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of Qingre Huayu Jianpi prescription （QHJ） on colitis-associated colorectal cancer （CAC） in mice， and its related mechanism. MethodC57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups including the normal， model， QHJ low-dose （QHJ-L， 10 g·kg^-1）， and QHJ high-dose （QHJ-H， 40 g·kg^-1） groups. Azoxymethane （AOM） and dextran sodium sulfate （DSS） were combined to chemically build a CAC mouse model for 14 weeks. Each drug group was given intragastrically from the 5^th week to the 14^th week， once per day. An equal volume of water was fed to the normal and model groups. The mouse survival rate， colon length， weight， and pathological alterations were assessed. The protein expressions of Wnt-3a protein signaling （Wnt3a）， β-catenin， Non-phosphor-β-catenin （Non-p-β-catenin）， and cholesterol-binding glycoproteins 133 （CD133） were detected by Western blot. The localization and expression of the cluster of differentiation （CD） 80 and CD11 antigen-like family member B （CD11b） were detected by immunohistochemistry （IHC）. The colon organoids derived from CAC mice were isolated and cultured to detect the expression of Wnt signaling pathway-related proteins. ResultThe survival rate of the CAC mice was improved by QHJ treatment and the number of colon tumors was inhibited significantly. Compared with those in the normal group， the expression levels of Wnt3a， β-catenin， Non-p-β-catenin， and CD133 in colon tissues in the model group were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with those in the model group， the levels of Wnt3a and β-catenin in the QHJ-L group were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and the protein levels of Wnt3a， β-catenin， Non-p-β-catenin， and CD133 in the QHJ-H group were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Meanwhile， the expression level of CD11b in the model group was significantly increased compared with that in the normal group while the CD80 level was significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with those in the model group， CD11b in QHJ-L and QHJ-H groups was significantly decreased， and CD80 was significantly increased（P<0.05， P<0.01）. The expressions of Non-p-β-catenin and CD133 in colonic organoids of CAC model mice were significantly increased， while QHJ treatment could inhibit the expressions of Non-p-β-catenin and CD133 in colonic organoids （P<0.01）. ConclusionQHJ could inhibit the inflammation-cancer development in CAC mice， the mechanism of which might be related to regulating the microenvironment and inhibiting the over-activation of Wnt signaling.