BACKGROUND:In clinical work,the stiffness of neck soft tissue in patients with neck and shoulder pain is mainly detected through palpation,which is highly subjective and lacks an objective basis.Real-time shear wave elastography is a quantitative elastic ultrasound technique that can objectively assess muscle elasticity and muscle status. OBJECTIVE:To apply real-time shear wave elastography to assess the stiffness of scalene muscles in patients with neck and shoulder pain and to observe the characteristics of muscle stiffness changes in the bilateral anterior,middle and posterior scalene muscles in patients with neck and shoulder pain. METHODS:From December 2021 to June 2022,36 healthy subjects(control group)and 36 patients with neck and shoulder pain(test group)were recruited at the Shenzhen Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine.Real-time shear wave elastography was applied to measure the mean values of elastic modulus and cross-sectional area of the anterior and middle and posterior scalene muscles bilaterally in the neutral and lateral flexion positions of the neck in both groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In the same position,there were no significant differences between the mean Values of elastic modulus of the left and right anterior scalene muscles as well as between the mean Values of elastic modulus of the left and right middle scalene muscles in each group(P>0.05);there were no significant differences between the cross-sectional area of the left and right anterior scalene muscles as well as the cross-sectional area of the left and right posteromedial scalene muscles in each group(P>0.05);and the elastic modulus and cross-sectional area of the posteromedial scalene muscles were significantly higher than those of the anterior scalene muscles in both groups(P<0.01,P<0.001).The mean Values of elastic modulus of the anterior and posteromedial scalene muscles were higher in the test group than in the control group in the neutral and lateral neck flexion positions(P<0.001),while the cross-sectional areas of the anterior and posteromedial scalene muscles were lower than those in the control group(P<0.01,P<0.001).To conclude,real-time shear wave elastography can be used to visually evaluate the differences in the mean Values of elastic modulus of the anterior and posteromedial scalene muscles in different states of the neck muscles in patients with neck and shoulder pain,whose bilateral scalene muscles are in a state of strain and stiffness.

Objective To explore the differences of bone age of radius,ulna,metacarpophalangeal and carpal bones in children with different physiques.Methods Radiographs of children's wrists aged between 4 and 12 years were collected.The bone age of radius,ulna,metacarpophalangeal,and carpal bones were assessed using the Chinese Children's Bone Age Score,and the difference between the two bone ages(the former minus the latter)was recorded.According to gender,age,and physical grouping,the physical group was divided into normal and abnormal groups.The abnormal group was further divided into thin,overweight,and obese groups.A comparative analysis was conducted to determine the differences in bone age between normal and abnormal groups for both males and females at all ages.Results A total of 3 028 children were included,and the differences between the two bone age results for normal boys aged 7-12 years and normal girls aged 5-12 years were not statistically significant(P＞0.05).In boys,there was no significant difference in bone age between the normal group and the thin group(P＞0.05),the difference in bone age between the normal and thin groups at the age of 5-6 years was greater than that between the overweight and obese groups,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05),the difference in bone age between the normal group at 11-12 years and the thin group at 11 years was smaller than that between the overweight and obese groups(P＜0.05).The difference in bone age was smaller in the normal group than in the thin group at 6 years of age for girls(P＜0.05),and larger in the thin group than in the overweight and obese groups at 5 to 6 years old(P＜0.05).Conclusion The difference in bone age between the TW-C RUS series and TW-C C series bone age values is influenced by the child's gender,physique,and age.The difference in bone age between the majority of normal children and the thin group is not statistically significant,but differed from the overweight and obese groups at some ages,most are the overweight and obese boys.

Objectives:To analyze the factors relative to the short-term preservation of ipsilateral renal function after partial nephrectomy.Methods:The clinical data of 83 patients who were treated with partial nephrectomy from December 2014 to December 2019 in the Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were retrospectively analyzed. There were 54 males and 29 females, aging ( M (IQR)) 49 (17) years (range: 27 to 74 years). The ischemia time in operation was 25 (18) minutes (range: 10 to 67 minutes). Emission computed tomography scan and CT scan were performed before (within 1 month) and after (3 to 12 months) surgery. The volume of the ipsilateral and contralateral kidney was measured on the basis of preoperative and postoperative CT scans. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) specifically in each kidney was estimated by emission computed tomography. Recovery from ischemia is determined by the formula: GFR preservation/volume saved×100%. Linear regression was used to explore the factors ralative to the short-term preservation of ipsilateral renal function after partial nephrectomy. Results:The GFR preservation of the ipsilateral kidney was 80.9 (25.2) % (range: 31.0% to 109.4%). The volume loss of the kidney resulted in a decrease of 12.0% (5.8 ml/(min×1.96 m 2)) of GFR, while the ischemic injury resulted in a decrease of 6.5% (2.5 ml/(min×1.96 m 2)) of GFR. The volume saved from the ipsilateral kidney was 87.1 (12.9) % (range: 27.0% to 131.7%). Recovery from ischemia was 93.5 (17.5) % (range:44.3% to 178.3%). In multivariate analysis, GFR preservation of the ipsilateral kidney was significantly correlated with the volume saved of the ipsilateral kidney ( β=0.383, 95% CI: 0.144 to 0.622, P=0.002). It was not related to the ischemia time ( β=0.046, 95% CI:-0.383 to 0.475, P=0.831). Conclusion:In the condition of limited ischemic time, in the short term ipsilateral renal function after partial nephrectomy is mainly determined by the loss of kidney volume, while ischemic injury only plays a minor role.

Objectives:To analyze the factors relative to the short-term preservation of ipsilateral renal function after partial nephrectomy.Methods:The clinical data of 83 patients who were treated with partial nephrectomy from December 2014 to December 2019 in the Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were retrospectively analyzed. There were 54 males and 29 females, aging ( M (IQR)) 49 (17) years (range: 27 to 74 years). The ischemia time in operation was 25 (18) minutes (range: 10 to 67 minutes). Emission computed tomography scan and CT scan were performed before (within 1 month) and after (3 to 12 months) surgery. The volume of the ipsilateral and contralateral kidney was measured on the basis of preoperative and postoperative CT scans. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) specifically in each kidney was estimated by emission computed tomography. Recovery from ischemia is determined by the formula: GFR preservation/volume saved×100%. Linear regression was used to explore the factors ralative to the short-term preservation of ipsilateral renal function after partial nephrectomy. Results:The GFR preservation of the ipsilateral kidney was 80.9 (25.2) % (range: 31.0% to 109.4%). The volume loss of the kidney resulted in a decrease of 12.0% (5.8 ml/(min×1.96 m 2)) of GFR, while the ischemic injury resulted in a decrease of 6.5% (2.5 ml/(min×1.96 m 2)) of GFR. The volume saved from the ipsilateral kidney was 87.1 (12.9) % (range: 27.0% to 131.7%). Recovery from ischemia was 93.5 (17.5) % (range:44.3% to 178.3%). In multivariate analysis, GFR preservation of the ipsilateral kidney was significantly correlated with the volume saved of the ipsilateral kidney ( β=0.383, 95% CI: 0.144 to 0.622, P=0.002). It was not related to the ischemia time ( β=0.046, 95% CI:-0.383 to 0.475, P=0.831). Conclusion:In the condition of limited ischemic time, in the short term ipsilateral renal function after partial nephrectomy is mainly determined by the loss of kidney volume, while ischemic injury only plays a minor role.

BACKGROUND: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an underdiagnosed genetic heart disease worldwide. The management and prognosis of obstructive HCM (HOCM) and non-obstructive HCM (HNCM) are quite different, but it also remains challenging to discriminate these two subtypes. HCM is characterized by dysmetabolism, and myocardial amino acid (AA) metabolism is robustly changed. The present study aimed to delineate plasma AA and derivatives profiles, and identify potential biomarkers for HCM. METHODS: Plasma samples from 166 participants, including 57 cases of HOCM, 52 cases of HNCM, and 57 normal controls (NCs), who first visited the International Cooperation Center for HCM, Xijing Hospital between December 2019 and September 2020, were collected and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry based on targeted AA metabolomics. Three separate classification algorithms, including random forest, support vector machine, and logistic regression, were applied for the identification of specific AA and derivatives compositions for HCM and the development of screening models to discriminate HCM from NC as well as HOCM from HNCM. RESULTS: The univariate analysis showed that the serine, glycine, proline, citrulline, glutamine, cystine, creatinine, cysteine, choline, and aminoadipic acid levels in the HCM group were significantly different from those in the NC group. Four AAs and derivatives (Panel A; proline, glycine, cysteine, and choline) were screened out by multiple feature selection algorithms for discriminating HCM patients from NCs. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis in Panel A yielded an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.83 (0.75-0.91) in the training set and 0.79 (0.65-0.94) in the validation set. Moreover, among 10 AAs and derivatives (arginine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, proline, alanine, asparagine, creatine, tryptophan, ornithine, and choline) with statistical significance between HOCM and HNCM, 3 AAs (Panel B; arginine, proline, and ornithine) were selected to differentiate the two subgroups. The AUC values in the training and validation sets for Panel B were 0.83 (0.74-0.93) and 0.82 (0.66-0.98), respectively. CONCLUSIONS The plasma AA and derivatives profiles were distinct between the HCM and NC groups. Based on the differential profiles, the two established screening models have potential value in assisting HCM screening and identifying whether it is obstructive.
Humans ; Amino Acids ; Cysteine ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/diagnosis* ; Biomarkers ; Proline ; Arginine ; Ornithine ; Glycine ; Choline

Objective:To explore the mechanism of circular permuted tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (CPT) reversing the resistance to imatinib in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells.Methods:Five patients with CML in the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University from 2016 to 2020 were selected, and heparinized bone marrow blood samples were collected at the first diagnosis and imatinib resistance phase, and mononuclear cells were isolated. The mononuclear cells collected at the first diagnosis were named A1-E1, and the mononuclear cells collected after imatinib resistance were named A2-E2. Human CML wild-type K562 cell line (K562-W) was given gradually increasing small doses of low-concentration imatinib to obtain imatinib-resistant K562 cells (K562-R). K562-R cells were cultured with 20 μg/L CPT and these cells were set as CPT-K562-R group. The CCK-8 method was used to detect the half inhibitory concentration ( IC50) of cells for imatinib. K562-W and K562-R cells were used to establish CML xenografts nude mice models, then the nude mice were divided into K562-W, K562-R and CPT-K562-R xenograft groups. Imatinib was perfused orally in all three groups, and CPT was injected subcutaneously in the CPT-K562-R group at the same time. The tumor volume of the three groups of nude mice before and 4 weeks after treatment with imatinib, and the survival time of the three groups of nude mice were compared. Western blot was used to detect the changes of tyrosine protein kinase receptor B4 (EphB4) and myeloid cell leukemia protein 1 (Mcl-1) protein levels in bone marrow mononuclear cells, K562 cell line and transplanted tumor tissues of CML patients. Results:The expressions of EphB4 protein in A2-E2 cells of 5 patients with CML were higher than those in A1-E1 cells (all P < 0.01). The IC50 of K562-W, K562-R and CPT-K562-R cells for imatinib were (0.160±0.015) mg/L, (5.450±0.460) mg/L, (0.300±0.035) mg/L, and the difference was statistically significant ( F = 390.65, P < 0.01). In cells of K562-W group, EphB4 and Mcl-1 proteins were expressed at low levels (0.54±0.02 and 0.70±0.08); in cells of K562-R group, the expressions of EphB4 and Mcl-1 proteins were enhanced (3.04±0.11 and 2.88±0.04); in cells of CPT-K562-R group, the expressions of EphB4 and Mcl-1 proteins decreased (0.57±0.03 and 0.38±0.04). Before imatinib treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in the tumor volumes of nude mice among the K562-W, K562-R and CPT-K562-R xenograft groups ( F = 0.39, P = 0.68), suggesting the transplanted tumors formed in nude mice were balanced; after imatinib treatment, the difference in the tumor volumes among the three groups were statistically significant ( F = 26.16, P < 0.01). The survival time of nude mice in the K562-W, K562-R and CPT-K562-R xenograft groups was (18.5±3.3) d, (10.0±2.4) d and (17.5±1.6) d, and the difference was statistically significant ( F = 20.45, P < 0.01). In K562-W xenograft group, both EphB4 and Mcl-1 proteins were expressed at low levels (0.55±0.06 and 0.67±0.06); in K562-R xenograft group, the expressions of EphB4 and Mcl-1 proteins were enhanced (1.95±0.08 and 6.21±0.53); the expressions of EphB4 and Mcl-1 in CPT-K562-R xenograft group decreased (0.59±0.04 and 0.37±0.04) and were close to their expressions in K562-W xenograft group. Conclusion:CPT may enhance the sensitivity of CML to imatinib by inhibiting the expressions of EphB4 and Mcl-1, and this may be a targeted pathway for imatinib therapy.

Objective:To comprehensively evaluate and compare the early warning system's ability to predict the risk of maternal disease in China, such as the British National Intensive Care Audit and Research Center (ICNARC)-Obstetric Early Warning Score (OEWS) system, the National Maternal Safety Early Warning Standard (MEWC) recommended by the National Coalition for Maternal Safety, the Irish Maternity Early Warning System (IMEWS) proposed in the clinical practice guidelines issued by the head of health services at the Royal Medical College of Ireland.Methods:A total of 872 pregnant women who were admitted to the Women′s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital were prospectively observed from January 2019 to December 2019. The data during hospitalization were collected to calculate the scores of the three obstetric early warning scoring systems, to compare and evaluate the prediction and identification ability of three early warning systems for critically ill pregnant women.Results:A total of 872 cases were included in this study, of which 167 were critically ill, accounting for 19.2%, and 705 were non-critically ill, accounting for 80.8%. The three obstetric early warning systems (OEWS,MEWC,IMEWS) in critical group scored 4(2, 6),3(0, 6),5(3, 6), and non-critical group scored 1(0, 1), 0(0, 0), 2(0, 3), respectively. The critical group scored significantly higher than the non-critical group ( P<0.001). The AUC of OEWS was 0.961 (95% CI 0.948-0.975, P<0.001) and that of MEWC was 0.803 (95% CI 0.757 - 0.850, P<0.001). The AUC of IMEWS was 0.853 (95% CI 0.817-0.888, P<0.001). No obstetric critical illness occurred when OEWS was 0. The positive likelihood ratio was 8.208 6 when OEWS≥6. Conclusions:Three kinds of early warning systems have good predictive ability for the occurrence of critical obstetric diseases in China. Among the three warning systems, OEWS has better predictive ability than the other two, and has better hierarchical ability. However, due to the differences in population, environment and conditions in different regions, each obstetric medical unit can improve OEWS according to its own conditions and design an obstetric early warning system that meets its own clinical needs.

Objective To assess the association between early adiposity rebound (AR) and indices of obesity and metabolic risk in 5-year-old children. Methods Based on Ma’anshan Birth Cohort Study (MABC), single live births born in Ma'anshan of Anhui province from October 2013 to April 2015 were followed for up to 5 years consecutively. As of August 2019, 720 children with continuous measurements (≥8 times) and metabolic indicators were obtained. Physical examination and laboratory tests were used to obtain information on the birth status, length/height, weight, waist circumference, body composition and metabolic indicators of children. The 2 test, F test, t-test, non-parametric test, general linear model and logistic regression model were used for statistical analysis. Results 43.5% of the children had AR≤4 years. After controlling for gender, it was found that earlier AR was associated with overweight/obesity (OR=2.71, 95%CI: 1.81~4.05), larger waist circumference (OR=1.88, 95%CI: 1.25~2.82), and body fat percentage ≥90th percentile (OR=2.09, 95%CI: 1.26~3.48). In the earlier AR group, the insulin resistance and metabolic score were higher, but the difference was not statistically significant. At 5 years of age, the prevalence of obesity and overweight was 6.0% and 12.8%, respectively. Children with overweight/obesity, larger waist circumference, higher waist-to-weight ratio and body fat percentage ≥ 90th percentile were associated with higher insulin resistance and metabolic score, and all the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.001). Conclusion Earlier AR increased the risk of overweight/obesity, larger waist circumference, and body fat percentage ≥90th percentile at age of 5 years. Each index of the commonly used measures of childhood obesity was closely related with insulin resistance and metabolic risk factors at 5 years old.

Objective:To demonstrate the concept of planning target volume (PTV) is not suitable for intensity proton therapy (IMPT) in lung cancer, plan differences were compared based on the concept of PTV and Internal target volume (ITV), aiming to provide clinical reference.Methods:Six patients were retrospectively selected and approved by the local ethics committee. Each of the six patients received two IMPT plans based on a synchronous accelerator model, developed by SINAP team (Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, China Academy Science University) and commercial treatment system: one with the PTV-based robust IMPT (PTV-IMPT) plan and the other with ITV-based robust IMPT (ITV-IMPT) plan. Three beams were set in all plans, and the final dose was calculated using Monte Carlo dose algorithm. The plan quality and robustness of PTV-IMPT and ITV-IMPT plans were evaluated quantitatively.Results:Compared to the PTV-IMPT plan, ITV-IMPT plan showed better target conformity index (conformability index: 0.58 vs.0.43), better homogeneity index (homogeneity index: 0.96 vs.0.92), lower V 5Gy in normal lung tissue (13.1% vs.13.5%) and maximum dose in spinal cord (8.9 Gy vs. 9.5 Gy) as well as plan monitor unit (MU: 338 vs. 401) . In addition, ITV-IMPT plan showed more robust in target coverage (0.003-0.032 vs. 0.02-0.28), and normal lung tissue was also found a bit robust in the ITV-IMPT plan ( 0.06-0.11, 0.07-0.13). Conclusions:Compared with the PTV-IMPT plan, ITV-IMPT plan has the advantages of high planning quality, well robustness and better tumor motion mitigation. Therefore, ITV concept is recommended to be applied in the IMPT plan for lung cancer.

Objective:To examine the relationship between pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational diabetes (GDM) and different indicators of childhood obesity at the age of 4.Methods:Based on Ma’anshan Birth Cohort Study, singleton children who were born in Ma’anshan of Anhui province from October 2013 to April 2015, were followed for 4 years, consecutively. During the first questionnaire survey, data including pre-pregnancy weight, height and socio-demography were collected. During 24-28 week of gestation, 75 g oral glucose tolerance test was conducted for them. Childhood height, weight, waist circumference and body composition were measured at the age of 4. Comparisons between groups were performed using chi-square test, analysis of variance or t-test. The relationship between pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity, GDM and childhood obesity-related characteristics were analyzed by logistic regression model and generalized linear model analysis. Results:The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in children at the age of 4 were 13.08% and 6.03%, respectively. After adjustment for characteristics related to mothers and their children, significantly increased risk of obesity ( OR=3.27, 95% CI: 2.15-4.98), larger waist circumference ( OR=2.32, 95% CI: 1.72-3.14) and higher waist-to-weight ratio ( OR=2.29, 95% CI: 1.73-3.02) were seen in the offspring of women with pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity. Body composition (skeletal muscle, body fat, body fat percentage) of the offspring were strongly correlated with pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity of the mothers ( P<0.05). Maternal GDM was associated with higher risk of childhood obesity ( OR=1.78, 95% CI: 1.14-2.79), on mothers without GDM during pregnancy. However, neither larger waist circumference, or higher waist-to-weight ratio seemed to increase the risk. Moreover, maternal GDM was not associated with body composition measures (skeletal muscle, body fat, body fat percentage). Conclusion:Pre-pregnancy BMI and maternal GDM were independent risk factors for obesity in 4-year-old children, and pre-pregnancy BMI was correlated with various indicators of body composition in children.