Objective : The unintentional retention of needles in patients can lead to severe consequences. To enhance acupuncture safety, the study aimed to develop a deep learning-based cloud system for automated process of counting acupuncture needles. Methods: This project adopted transfer learning from a pre-trained Oriented Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (Oriented R-CNN) model to develop a detection algorithm that can automatically count the number of acupuncture needles in a camera picture. A training set with 590 pictures and a validation set with 1 025 pictures were accumulated for finetuning. Then, we deployed the MMRotate toolbox in a Google Colab environment with a NVIDIA Tesla T4 Graphics processing unit (GPU) to carry out the training task. Furthermore, we integrated the model with a newly-developed Telegram bot interface to determine the accuracy, precision, and recall of the needling counting system. The end-to-end inference timewas also recorded to determine the speed of our cloud service system. Result: In a 20-needle scenario, our Oriented R-CNN detection model has achieved an accuracy of 96.49%, precision of 99.98%, and recall of 99.84%, with an average end-to-end inference time of 1.535 s. Conclusion The speed, accuracy, and reliability advancements of this cloud service system innovation have demonstrated its potential of using object detection technique to improve acupuncture practice based on deep learning.

Critical care medicine is a clinical discipline that treats critically ill patients.Telemedicine consultation facili-tates long-distance communication and collaboration between doctors and patients through technical means.It plays a crucial role in enhancing the coverage and quality of medical services,improving the medical experience,and promoting the rational use of medical resources.This study analyzes the clinical characteristics of intensive care medicine,the technical advantages,and po-tential negative effects of telemedicine consultation.Additionally,we explore various application cases of telemedicine consulta-tion in the critical care medicine field,with the goal of offering valuable assistance to medical and engineering professionals.

Objective:To investigate the value of prostate biopsy guided by transrectal real-time ultrasonic elastography (TRTE) combined with peak strain index (PSI) in the diagnosis of prostate cancer and the correlation with TRTE score and pathological Gleason score.Methods:A total of 80 patients with suspected prostate cancer who underwent TRTE in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2019 to December 2019 were selected. The PSI for suspicious lesions was measured, and targeted puncture biopsy guided by TRTE combined with PSI was performed on the patients, and then followed by systematic puncture biopsy. The outcomes of targeted biopsy and systematic biopsy were analyzed. Taking pathological biopsy results as the gold standard, the detection rates of prostate cancer and benign prostate lesions detected by both biopsies methods were compared; the prostate volume, serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) level and PSI were compared between patients with prostate cancer and benign prostatic lesions. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the curve (AUC) were used to determine the best cut-off value of PSI in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. The values of conventional ultrasound versus TRTE combined with PSI in the diagnosis of prostate cancer were assessed. The positive rate of biopsy puncture points under the guidance of TRTE combined with PSI was compared with that of systematic biopsy. The correlation between TRTE score and pathological Gleason score of prostate malignant lesions was analyzed.Results:Among 80 patients, 45 patients (56.25%) were diagnosed as prostate cancer by prostate puncture biopsy, and 35 patients (43.75%) were benign prostate lesions. Among 45 patients with prostate cancer, 42 cases (93.33%) of prostate cancer were detected by using TRTE combined with PSI-guided targeted puncture biopsy, and 38 cases (84.44%) of prostate cancer were detected by using systematic puncture biopsy; there was no significant difference in the detection rate of prostate cancer by both biopsies methods ( χ2 = 1.80, P = 0.180). The level of serum PSA and PSI value in the prostate cancer group were higher than those in the benign prostate lesion group, and the difference was statistically significant ( t value was 65.28 and 14.93, all P < 0.05). The clinical value of PSI value in the diagnosis of prostate cancer was analyzed by using ROC curve. The results showed that the AUC was 0.857 (95% CI 0.772-0.941), and the optimal cut-off value of PSI was 5.68; PSI ≥ 5.68 was treated as the malignant cancer and PSI < 5.68 was treated as the benign cancer. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of TRTE combined with PSI in the diagnosis of prostate cancer were 91.11%, 94.29%, and 92.50%, respectively, which were higher than those of conventional ultrasound (73.33%, 68.57% and 71.25%), and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). A total of 89 suspected lesions were detected in 80 patients through TRTE combined with PSI, and each suspected lesion was detected by using 2-needle targeted puncture biopsy. There were 178 needles in total including 88 needles of prostate cancer and the positive rate of puncture points was 49.44% (88/178); there were 800 needles in total detected by using 10-needle systematic puncture biopsy including 203 needles of prostate cancer and the positive rate of puncture points was 25.38% (203/800); the positive rate of puncture points guided by TRTE combined with PSI puncture biopsy was higher than that by systematic puncture biopsy, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2 = 40.337, P < 0.05). For prostate malignant lesions, the Spearman correlation analysis showed that TRTE score was positively correlated with pathological Gleason score ( r = 0.618, P < 0.05). Conclusion:TRTE combined with PSI-guided targeted puncture biopsy plays an important role in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, and it can effectively improve the positive rate of puncture points.

Objective:To compare the clinical results of different endovascular thrombus reduction techniques in the treatment of acute lower extremity arterial thrombosis.Methods:The clinical data of 96 consecutive patients with acute femoral popliteal arterial thrombosis who were treated with catheter directed thrombolysis (CDT) and mechanical thrombus aspiration system (PMT) between Jan 2016 and Dec 2018 at Cangzhou People's Hospital and Peking University People's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Ninty-six patients underwent thrombolytic surgery,including 36 with CDT thrombolysis, 28 with AngioJet aspiration alone and 32 with Rotarex aspiration alone. Angiojet thrombus aspiration reduced thrombus rate by 89.3% (25/28) and clinical success rate by 92.8% (26/28).The thrombus reduction rate of Rotarex group was 87.5% (28/32), and the clinical success rate was 96.8% (31/32). In the CDT thrombolytic group, the thrombolytic reduction rate was 61.1% (22/36), including 8 patients who underwent thrombectomy and 6 patients with PMT, with a clinical success rate of 86.1% (31/36). The rate of distal arterial embolization, puncture point and local subcutaneous hematoma and vascular rupture was 21.4%, 10.7% and 2.1%, respectively. There were no amputation cases reported during a mean 13 months follow-up.The survival rate was 97.9%. The first-stage patency rate of 67.8%, while the second-stage artery patency rate of 85.7% during the follow-up.Conclusion:Compared with CDT, PMT has higher efficiency and lower complication rate in the treatment of acute lower extremity arterial thrombosis.

December 2019 witnessed the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan and spread of the epidemic across the country. As a provincial designated hospital for critical patients, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University responded rapidly since then by advocating the four-concentration principles, namely " concentrating patients, experts, resources and treatment" . In its rescue of critical patients, the hospital formulated comprehensive emergency plans, optimized hospital-wide resources, effectively arranged rescue spacing, established medical echelons, and implemented multi-disciplinary strategy. These efforts ensured efficient rescue and treatment, achieving a cure rate up to 98.7% of such patients, with no deaths.

Objective To analyze the posterolateral minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) in the treatment of medial open fractures of distal tibia and tibial shaft.Methods From May 2016 to September 2017,16 medial open fractures of distal tibia and tibial shaft were treated with posterolateral MIPO at Department of Orthopaedics,The First Affiliated Hospital to Anhui University of Science and Technology.They were 10 men and 6 women,from 22 to 61 years of age(average,36.5 years).According to the Gustilo-Anderson classification,type Ⅰ fracture was identified in 5 patients,type Ⅱ fracture in 6 and type Ⅲ fracture in 5.Initially,all the patients received emergency external fixation or calcaneus traction before open reduction and internal fixation was performed when their conditions of soft tissue allowed.X-ray examination of the ankle joint with anteroposterior and lateral views was performed before and after operation.At the last follow-up,the function of ankle joint was evaluated according to the ankle-hindfoot score of American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS).Results All the 16 patients were followed up for an average of 15.3 months (from 8 to 24 months).Fracture healing was achieved in all after an average time of 26.1 weeks (from 20 to 36weeks).There were no such complications as skin necrosis,wound dehiscence,deep infection,implants exposure or failure,or impingement of the flexor hallucis longus.The AOFAS ankle scores averaged 88.6 points (from 74 to 95 points),giving 9 excellent,6 good and one fair cases.Superficial infection occurred in 2 patients but healed after dressing care.Another case showed 5°varus deformity.Conclusion Application of posterolateral MIPO in the treatment of medial open fractures of distal tibia and tibial shaft can effectively protect the medial soft tissue,reduce postoperative wound complications,and safely expose,reduce and fixate the tibial fragments,leading to satisfactory outcomes.

Myofibrillogenesis regulator-1 (MR-1) is a novel protein involved in cellular proliferation, migration, inflammatory reaction and signal transduction. However, little information is available on the relationship between MR-1 expression and the progression of atherosclerosis. Here we report atheroprotective effects of silencing MR-1 in a model of Ang II-accelerated atherosclerosis, characterized by suppression focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) signaling pathway, and atherosclerotic lesion macrophage content. In this model, administration of the siRNA-MR-1 substantially attenuated Ang II-accelerated atherosclerosis with stabilization of atherosclerotic plaques and inhibited FAK, Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and NF-kB activation, which was associated with suppression of inflammatory factor and atherogenic gene expression in the artery. In vitro studies demonstrated similar changes in Ang II-treated vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and macrophages: siRNA-MR-1 inhibited the expression levels of proinflammatory factor. These studies uncover crucial proinflammatory mechanisms of Ang II and highlight actions of silencing MR-1 to inhibit Ang II signaling, which is atheroprotective.
Angiotensin II* ; Angiotensins* ; Animals ; Arteries ; Atherosclerosis* ; Cell Proliferation ; Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Gene Expression ; In Vitro Techniques ; Macrophages ; Mice* ; Muscle Development ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; NF-kappa B ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Signal Transduction ; Sirolimus

PURPOSE: Allergic rhinitis (AR) has become a global issue for a large part of the general population. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) has been used extensively to treat persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR). Although systematic reviews have confirmed the effectiveness of SLIT for the treatment of AR, a considerable number of studies using extracts of house dust mites (HDMs) for immunotherapy found no consensus on basic treatment parameters and questioned the efficacy of SLIT. METHODS: In this study, we evaluated SLIT for PAR by a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library database searches were performed for RCTs on the treatment of PAR by SLIT that assessed clinical outcomes related to efficacy through May 2016. Descriptive and quantitative information was abstracted. An analysis was performed with standardized mean differences (SMDs) under a fixed or random effects model. Subgroup analyses were performed. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 metric. RESULTS: In total, 25 studies were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis for symptom scores and 15 studies for medication scores. SLIT was significantly different from the controls for symptom scores (SMD=1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.74 to 0.73; P<0.001). For medication scores, significant differences for SLIT were also observed versus the controls (SMD=-1.39; 95% CI=-1.90 to -0.88; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis indicates that SLIT provided significant symptom relief and reduced the need for medications in PAR. In this study, significant evidence was obtained despite heterogeneity with regard to the use of mite extract. Specifically, the mite extract used was provided by the patients with PAR. Furthermore, to confirm both the objective outcomes and the effective doses of HDM allergen extracts, experimental data should be obtained from large high-quality population-based studies.
Consensus ; Dust* ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Mites ; Population Characteristics ; Pyroglyphidae ; Rhinitis, Allergic* ; Sublingual Immunotherapy*

Objective To assess the effectiveness of the clinical pathway for the treatment of advanced schistosomiasis he-patic fibrosis. Methods The duration of hospital stay,gross hospitalization expense,individual-paid expense,interior diame-ter of portal vein,levels of four serum hepatic fibrosis-related parameters(PIIIP,CIV,HA,and LN),and activities of ALT, AST andγ-GT were assessed and compared between the advanced schistosomiasis patients receiving the clinical pathway and ones receiving non-clinical pathway. Results There were 142 advanced schistosomiasis patients with hepatic fibrosis receiving the clinical pathway of anti-hepatic fibrosis. Compared with the patients receiving non-clinical pathway ,the gross hospitalization expenses reduced by 11.2％(t=6.310,P<0.05),and the individual-paid expenses reduced by 16.1％(t=4.326,P<0.05). The mean HA level was twice higher than the normal range,with a positive rising from 70.4％to 83.1％,and the abnormal rates of CIV andγ-GT were 64.1％and 28.9％respectively. Conclusions The clinical pathway can drastically reduce the treatment expenses in advanced schistosomiasis patients with hepatic fibrosis. However,the patients have a trend towards the persistent disease progression. Therefore,the researches of more effective therapeutic methods for advanced schistosomiasis hepatic fibro-sis are urgently needed.

Objective The inhibitor of differentiation 3 (Id3) is an important transcriptional regulation factor, which participates in tumorigenesis, cell proliferation, and cell apoptosis.β-catenin, as a central molecule of the Wnt signaling pathway, is critical for tumor development.This study aimed to evaluate the expressions of these two molecules and the regulatory effect of Id3 on β-catenin in different tumor cells.Methods Total RNA was extracted using the Trizol Reagent.The relative mRNA expression levels of Id3 and β-catenin in tumor cells were detected by quantitative real-timePCR(qRT-PCR).The recombinant eukaryotic expression vector pEGFP/Id3 with the human Id3 gene was transfected into A549, A549/ DDP and SW-480 cells using the non-liposome-mediated method.The protein expressions of Id3 and β-catenin were determined by Western blot.Results The expression of Id3 was significantly lower in the colorectal cancer cell lines SW-480 and HT-29 than in A549 and other tumor cells (P<0.05), but remarkably higher in nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE and 5-8F cells than in other tumor cells (P<0.05).The expression of β-catenin was the highest in SW-480in comparison withother malignant tumor cells(P<0.05), and the second highest was in gastric cancer AGS and colorectal cancer HT-29 cell lines, but low in H446, A549, SPC-A-1, A549/DDP, and SK-MES-1 cell lines and extremely low or almost absent in CNE and 5-8F cells (P<0.05).After transfected with pEGFP/Id3, the cells showed a decreased volume, wrinkled membrane and absent refraction under the fluorescence microscope, which, however, were not observed in most of the cells transfected with the empty vector pEGFP.Compared with the control, the Id3/pEGFP group showed remarkably increased expressions of Id3 mRNA in the A549, A549/DDI, and SW-480 cells (1.24±0.12 vs 193.12±2.80, 1.09±0.11 vs 188.30±2.60, and 0.92±0.29 vs 19.08±0.59, P<0.01), and the expression of β-catenin was significantly down-regulated in the transfected SW-480 cells with an overexpression of Id3 (0.98±0.05 vs 0.32±0.03, P<0.01), but exhibited no statistically significant differences from those in the transfected A549 and A549/DDP cells (0.98±0.07 vs 1.04±0.08 and 0.98±0.05 vs 0.32±0.03, P>0.05).Western blot showed the same results.Conclusion The expression levels of Id3 and β-catenin vary in different tumor cell lines.Anabnormally high level of β-catenin is an important risk factor for colorectal cancer, and the down-regulatedexpression of β-catenin after eogenous transfection of Id3 may provide some new ideas for target gene therapies of colorectal cancer.