Objective:To investigate the diagnostic efficacy between magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)and ultrasound for training injury of medial head of gastrocnemius muscle.Methods:Clinical data of 70 cases with lower limb training injury suspected to be in the medial head of gastrocnemius muscle from Jan 2013 to Jan 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.All patients were examined by ultrasound and MRI,and their sensitivity,specificity and accuracy according to the final clinical diagnosis was compared.Results:Of the 70 cases of training injury,48 cases were finally diagnosed as medial head injury of gastrocnemius muscle,and 22 cases had no gastrocnemius injury.And there were 19 cases of gastrocnemius tissue injury,28 cases of myofascial injury edema and tissue interstitial effusion,26 cases of tendon and tendon sheath injury,and 6 cases of tendon insertion enthesiopathy.The sensitivity of ultrasound and MRI in the diagnosis of training injury of medial head of gastrocnemius muscle were 85.4%(41/48),97.9%(47/48)and the accuracy was 84.3%(59/70),95.7%(67/70),respectively.The diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity of MRI were higher than those of ultrasound(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in specificity between the two methods(P＞0.05).Conclusion:MRI has higher accuracy and sensitivity compared with ultrasound in the diagnosis training injury of medial head of gastrocnemius muscle,which has important diagnostic value.

Objective:To explore the quality differences of systemic biopsy specimens from different regions in prostate biopsy.Methods:The data of 806 patients who underwent transperineal prostate biopsy from May 2013 to December 2020 in Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. The median age of the patients was 72 (66, 77) years old, median PSA was 18.4 (10.3, 34.2) ng/ml, and prostate volume was 43 (32, 56) ml. Tissue quality were graded from low to high as follows. One score means multiple fragments with fragmented tissue ≤5 mm. Two scores means at least one fragment >5 mm and ≤10 mm. Three scores means at least one fragment >10 mm. The prostate specimens fragmentation scores and the length of the specimens in different regions of the prostate were collected to analyze.Results:A total of 806 patients were included in our study. The number of tissues was 8 866, and the mean length of tissues was 1.2 (1.0, 1.5) cm. The tissues of different region were scored according to the scoring criteria, of which 618 (7.0%) prostate tissues were scored as 1 score, 2 720 (30.7%) tissues were scored as 2 scores, and 5 528 (62.4%) tissues were scored as 3 scores. In the prostate apex, tissue quality of 1 score accounted for 11.7%(94/806), 2 scores accounted for 34.7%(280/806), and 3 scores accounted for 53.6%(432/806). While in the prostate base, tissue quality of 1 score accounted for 6.5%(524/8 060), 2 scores accounted for 30.3%(2 449/8 060), and 3 scores accounted for 63.2%(5 096/8 060)( H=35.850, P<0.05). The mean length of the prostate apical tissue was 1.0 (0.8, 1.3) cm, which was significantly shorter than prostate basal tissue of 1.2(1.0, 1.5) cm ( Z=-11.353, P<0.05). Conclusions:In transperineal prostate biopsy, the apical tissue was more fragmented and shorter, prostate apex should be concerned.

This study aimed to investigate the effect and molecular mechanism of sinomenine on proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and combination with inhibitors in human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells and SK-HEP-1 cells. The effect of sinomenine on the growth ability of HepG2 and SK-HEP-1 cells were investigated by CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, and BeyoClick~(TM) EdU-488 staining. The effect of sinomenine on DNA damage was detected by immunofluorescence assay, and the effect of sinomenine on apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells was clarified by Hoechst 33258 staining and CellEvent~(TM) Cystein-3/7Green ReadyProbes~(TM) reagent assay. Cell invasion assay and 3D tumor cell spheroid invasion assay were performed to investigate the effect of sinomenine on the invasion ability of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro. The effect of sinomenine on the regulation of protein expression related to the protein kinase B(Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3) signaling pathway in HepG2 and SK-HEP-1 cells was examined by Western blot. Molecular docking was used to evaluate the strength of affinity of sinomenine to the target cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-3(caspase-3) and STAT3, and combined with CCK-8 assay to detect the changes in cell viability after combination with STAT3 inhibitor JSI-124 in combination with CCK-8 assay. The results showed that sinomenine could significantly reduce the cell viability of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells in a concentration-and time-dependent manner, significantly inhibit the clonogenic ability of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and weaken the invasive ability of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro. In addition, sinomenine could up-regulate the cleaved level of poly ADP-ribose polymerase(PARP), a marker of apoptosis, and down-regulate the protein levels of p-Akt, p-mTOR, and p-STAT3 in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Molecular docking results showed that sinomenine had good affinity with the targets caspase-3 and STAT3, and the sensitivity of sinomenine to hepatocellular carcinoma cells was diminished after STAT3 was inhibited. Therefore, sinomenine can inhibit the proliferation and invasion of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells and induce apoptosis, and the mechanism may be attributed to the activation of caspase-3 signaling and inhibition of the Akt/mTOR/STAT3 pathway. This study can provide a new reference for the in-depth research and clinical application of sinomenine and is of great significance to further promote the scientific development and utilization of sinomenine.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Caspase 3/metabolism* ; Liver Neoplasms/genetics* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Sincalide/pharmacology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Hep G2 Cells ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Apoptosis

This study investigated the effect and mechanism of morin in inducing autophagy and apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells through the protein kinase B(Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)/signal transducer and activator of transcription protein 3(STAT3) pathway. Human hepatocellular carcinoma SK-HEP-1 cells were stimulated with different concentrations of morin(0, 50, 100, 125, 200, and 250 μmol·L~(-1)). The effect of morin on the viability of SK-HEP-1 cells was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8). The effect of morin on the proliferation and apoptosis of SK-HEP-1 cells was investigated using colony formation assay, flow cytometry, and BeyoClick~(TM) EdU-488 with different concentrations of morin(0, 125, and 250 μmol·L~(-1)). The changes in the autophagy level of cells treated with morin were examined by transmission electron microscopy and autophagy inhibitors. The impact of morin on the expression levels of proteins related to the Akt/mTOR/STAT3 pathway was verified by Western blot. Compared with the control group, the morin groups showed decreased viability of SK-HEP-1 cells in a time-and concentration-dependent manner, increased number of apoptotic cells, up-regulated expression level of apoptosis marker PARP, up-regulated phosphorylation level of apoptosis-regulating protein H2AX, decreased number of positive cells and the colony formation rate, an upward trend of expression levels of autophagy-related proteins LC3-Ⅱ, Atg5, and Atg7, and decreased phosphorylation levels of Akt, mTOR, and STAT3. These results suggest that morin can promote apoptosis, inhibit proliferation, and induce autophagy in hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and its mechanism of action may be related to the Akt/mTOR/STAT3 pathway.
Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology* ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Apoptosis ; Autophagy ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Line, Tumor ; STAT3 Transcription Factor/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect among ultrasound-guided electroacupuncture (EA) at suprahyoid muscle group, conventional acupuncture and conventional EA at suprahyoid muscle group on pharyngeal dysphagia after stroke, and to explore its biomechanical mechanism. METHODS: A total of 120 patients with pharyngeal dysphagia after stroke were randomly divided into an observation group, a control-1 group and a control-2 group, 40 cases in each group. The patients in the observation group were treated with ultrasound-guided EA at suprahyoid muscle group; the patients in the control-1 group were treated with EA at Lianquan (CV 23), Wangu (GB 12) and Fengchi (GB 20), etc.; the patients in the control-2 group were treated with EA at suprahyoid muscle group according to anatomical location. The EA in the three groups were discontinuous wave, with frequency of 5 Hz and current intensity of 1 mA. The EA was given for 30 minutes, once a day, 6 times were taken as a course of treatment, and 4 courses of treatment were provided. The video floroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) was performed before and after treatment. The Rosenbek penetration-aspiration scale (PAS) score, the forward and upward movement distance of hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage, Ichiro Fujima ingestion-swallowing function score were recorded in the three groups, and the incidences of subcutaneous hematoma were recorded after treatment. RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the PAS scores were reduced and the Ichiro Fujima ingestion-swallowing function scores were increased after treatment in the three groups (P<0.05); the PAS scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control-1 group and the control-2 group, and the Ichiro Fujima ingestion-swallowing function scores in the observation group were higher than those in the control-1 group and the control-2 group (P<0.05). After treatment, the forward and upward movement distance of hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage in the observation group and the control-2 group was increased (P<0.05), and the forward and upward movement distance of hyoid bone was increased in the control-1 group (P<0.05); the forward and upward movement distance of hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage in the observation group was longer than that in the control-1 group and the control-2 group (P<0.05). The incidence of subcutaneous hematoma in the observation group was 0% (0/40), which was lower than 20.0% (8/40) in the control-1 group and 47.5% (19/40) in the control-2 group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Ultrasound-guided EA at suprahyoid muscle group could improve the swallowing function in patients with pharyngeal dysphagia after stroke by increasing the motion of hyoid laryngeal complex. Its effect and safety are better than conventional acupuncture and conventional EA at suprahyoid muscle group.
Deglutition Disorders/therapy* ; Electroacupuncture ; Humans ; Muscles ; Stroke/diagnostic imaging* ; Ultrasonography, Interventional/adverse effects*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) on toluene diisocyanate (TDI)-induced allergic airway inflammation in mice. METHODS: Thirty-two mice were randomly divided into AOO group, AOO+5Z-7-Oxozeaenol group, TDI group, and TDI+5Z-7-Oxozeaenol group. Another 32 mice were randomly divided into AOO group, TDI group, TDI +5Z-7-Oxozeaenol group, and TDI +5Z-7-Oxozeaenol + Necrostatin-1 group. TAK1 inhibitor (5Z-7-Oxozeaenol, 5 mg/kg) and/or RIPK1 inhibitor (Necrostatin-1, 5 mg/kg) were used before each challenge. Airway responsiveness, airway inflammation and airway remodeling were assessed after the treatments. We also examined the effect of TDI-human serum albumin (TDI-HSA) conjugate combined with TAK1 inhibitor on the viability of mouse mononuclear macrophages (RAW264.7) using CCK8 assay. The expressions of TAK1, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and receptor interacting serine/threonine protease 1 (RIPK1) signal pathway in the treated cells were detected with Western blotting. The effects of RIPK1 inhibitor on the viability of RAW264.7 cells and airway inflammation of the mouse models of TDI-induced asthma were evaluated. RESULTS: TAK1 inhibitor aggravated TDI-induced airway inflammation, airway hyper responsiveness and airway remodeling in the mouse models (P < 0.05). Treatment with TAK1 inhibitor significantly decreased the viability of RAW264.7 cells, which was further decreased by co-treatment with TDI-HSA (P < 0.05). TAK1 inhibitor significantly decreased the level of TAK1 phosphorylation and activation of MAPK signal pathway induced by TDI-HSA (P < 0.05). Co-treatment with TAK1 inhibitor and TDI-HSA obviously increased the level of RIPK1 phosphorylation and caused persistent activation of caspase 8 (P < 0.05). RIPK1 inhibitor significantly inhibited the reduction of cell viability caused by TAK1 inhibitor and TDI-HSA (P < 0.05) and alleviated the aggravation of airway inflammation induced by TAK1 inhibitors in TDI-induced mouse models (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Inhibition of TAK1 aggravates TDI-induced airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness and may increase the death of macrophages by enhancing the activity of RIPK1 and causing persistent activation of caspase 8.
Animals ; Asthma/chemically induced* ; Inflammation ; Macrophages ; Mice ; Receptor-Interacting Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases ; Respiratory System ; Toluene 2,4-Diisocyanate/adverse effects*

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of dry and wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in patients with diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia, and to analyze the risk factors for AMD. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional epidemiologic study was conducted involving 14,440 individuals. We assessed the prevalence of dry and wet AMD in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects and analyzed the risk factors for AMD. Results: The prevalence of wet AMD in diabetic and non-diabetic patients was 0.3% and 0.5%, respectively, and the prevalence of dry AMD was 17% and 16.4%, respectively. The prevalence of wet AMD in healthy, hypertensive, hyperlipidemic, and hypertensive/hyperlipidemic populations was 0.5%, 0.3%, 0.2%, and 0.7%, respectively. The prevalence of dry AMD in healthy, hypertensive, hyperlipidemic, and hypertensive/hyperlipidemic populations was 16.6%, 16.2%, 15.2%, and 17.2%, respectively. Age, sex, body mass index, and use of hypoglycemic drugs or lowering blood pressure drugs were corrected in the risk factor analysis of AMD. Diabetes, diabetes/hypertension, diabetes/hyperlipidemia, and diabetes/hypertension/hyperlipidemia were analyzed. None of the factors analyzed in the current study increased the risk for the onset of AMD. Conclusion There was no significant difference in the prevalence of wet and dry AMD among diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Similarly, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of wet and dry AMD among subjects with hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Diabetes co-existing with hypertension and hyperlipidemia were not shown to be risk factors for the onset of dry AMD.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias/epidemiology* ; Hypertension/epidemiology* ; Macular Degeneration/etiology* ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of a history of atopy on the value of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) for predicting sputum eosinophils in patients with chronic cough. METHODS: A total of 868 patients with persistent cough lasting more than 3 weeks without pulmonary infection were enrolled, including 119 patients with subacute cough (defined as cough lasting 3-8 weeks) and 749 with chronic cough (longer than 8 weeks). The predictive value of FENO level for sputum eosinophilia was analyzed using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. The atopy status of the patients was determined by screening for history of allergy, hay fever, or animal or food allergies. RESULTS: Of the 868 patients enrolled, 173 patients (19.9%) had eosinophilic airway inflammation (EAI). In the overall patients, the median (Q1, Q3) FENO level was 18 (12, 35) ppb, ranging from 5 to 300 ppb. The patients with chronic cough and a positive history of atopy had a higher median FENO level than those without atopy (24 [13, 50] vs 18 [11, 34]; Z=2.25, P= 0.029), and FENO level was significantly correlated with EAI (r=0.281, P < 0.001). The AUCs of FENO for diagnosis of airway eosinophilia in patients with atopy and those without atopy were 0.677 (95% CI: 0.548-0.806) and 0.708 (95% CI: 0.660-0.756), respectively. The optimal cut-off value of FENO for diagnosing EAI was higher in patients with atopy than in those without atopy (72 vs 28.5 ppb). CONCLUSION A history of atopy reduces the predictive value of FENO level for EAI in patients with chronic cough, suggesting the importance of examining the atopic status when interpreting test results of FENO.
Humans ; Cough/diagnosis* ; Exhalation ; Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide Testing ; Nitric Oxide/analysis* ; Eosinophilia ; Chronic Disease ; Inflammation

Objective: A multicenter Chinese mainland survey was conducted to investigate the sensitization distribution characteristics of cat, dog and horse dander in patients with allergic diseases, so as to provide clinicians with epidemiological data of common animal allergens and useful information for the prevention and treatment of allergies in cats, dogs and horses. Methods: The epidemiological investigation and design was adopted. This study is based on the national epidemiological survey of allergic diseases led by the first affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. From January to December in 2021, a total of 2 122 patients diagnosed with allergic diseases were included in the outpatient department of respiratory department/pediatrics/allergy department of 14 units such as the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, and 222 healthy subjects were included as controls from the physical examination center of the above units in the same period. All the subjects filled out the allergic disease questionnaire under the guidance of doctors, and the allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) of cats, dogs and horses of all subjects were detected by magnetic particle chemiluminescence system. The epidemiological characteristics of three animal allergens in different diseases, ages and regions were analyzed. Chi square test was used to analyze the frequency difference between groups, t test or Mann Whitney U test was used to test the distribution difference between two groups, and one-way ANOVA or Kruskal Wallis H test was used to compare the distribution difference between multiple groups. Bar chart, Venn-plot and radar chart were drawn to show the sensitization distribution characteristics. A small number of missing values caused by subjects' omission have been excluded during the analysis. Results: The 2 122 patients with allergic diseases were 57.35% male (1 217/2 122) and 40.95% female (869/2 122), and 1.70% (36/2 122) patients had loss of gender information. The age of patients with allergic diseases was 9.0 (6.0, 28.0) years, while that of healthy controls was 29.0 (13.0, 39.0) years old, and there were 1.7% (36/2 122) and 0.9% (2/222) subjects with missing age information, respectively. The proportion of caesarean section in allergic patients was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (31.4% vs. 17.6%,χ²=16.582,P<0.001) [2.5% (54/2 122) of the patient group and 5.4% (12/222) of the control group had missing birth mode information], and the proportion of patients with allergic diseases who reported that both parents had allergic diseases was significantly higher than that of the control group (35.7% vs. 9.5%, χ²=65.171,P<0.001). Patients with allergic diseases are mainly school-age (6-12 years old) and adolescents (12-18 years old). 16.4% of patients with allergic diseases were sensitized to cat dander, 10% and 6% to dog and horse dander. The sensitization rate of cat dander in patients with rhinitis, asthma, conjunctivitis, food allergy and atopic dermatitis was the highest (16.4%-21.6%), followed by dog dander (10.2%-15.2%). The prevalence of allergic rhinitis was the highest among different animal sensitized populations. The proportion of cat, dog and horse allergens sensitized at the same time is between 10%-15%, and the proportion of any two or more animal dander sensitized at the same time is about 45%. Animal allergens are associated with respiratory allergic diseases, especially allergic rhinitis with allergic conjunctivitis. There were significant differences in the distribution of positive rates of three animal allergens in different regions, and the highest positive rate of cat dander was found in all provinces of the country. Conclusion: The sensitization rate of animal dander allergens increased significantly, and the highest was in children and adolescents. Cat dander is the most common animal allergen, followed by dog. Different animals show obvious cross or common sensitization due to their high homology.
Allergens ; Animals ; Cats ; Cesarean Section ; Dander ; Dogs ; Female ; Horses ; Immunoglobulin E ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Rhinitis, Allergic

Biomarkers, Tumor ; DNA Helicases ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; Nuclear Proteins/genetics* ; Transcription Factors