Objective:To verify the synthetic CT(sCT) images generated by the adaptive radiation therapy (ART) workflow guided by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and to evaluate its feasibility for dose calculation in ART for head and neck.Methods:The plan CT (pCT) and T 2WI MRI images before each fraction of treatment were collected from 300 patients with head and neck tumors admitted to Shandong Cancer Hospital from January 1, 2022 to December 1, 2023. MRI was converted into sCT using RegGAN model. Among 300 patients, 240 cases were used for training and validation and 60 for testing. The mean absolute error (MAE), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index measure (SSIM) were used to evaluate the image quality of sCT. The original pCT plan conditions were copied to sCT, and the accuracy of sCT was recalculated and verified. Finally, the radiation treatment plan of sCT was verified, and the γ-passing rate was calculated to further verify the accuracy of sCT dose calculation. Results:In terms of index calculation, the MAE of sCT was 32.50±5.46, 31.39±1.14 for PSNR, and 0.93±0.01 for SSIM, respectively. Slight difference was observed in the comparison of CT values. Regarding dose calculation, the accuracy of sCT dose calculation was high. According to the dose volume histogram (DVH), the difference in dose calculation was slight, and the average dose difference was only 0.16%. sCT exhibited a high degree of coincidence with pCT in the evaluation of target delineation for planning target, clinical target and gross tumor volume. The average Dice similarity coefficients were 0.97, 0.95 and 0.94, respectively. The γ-passing rate reached 100% using 3%/2 mm. The total treatment time of all patients was (155.14±9.41) s.Conclusions:The ART workflow has high work efficiency, and the accuracy of the generated sCT can meet the dose calculation accuracy requirements of the online plan. It can be used as a reference image for MRI-guided accelerator ART of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and is expected to achieve MR radiotherapy based on nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background Prolonged awkward postures during occupational activities can lead to excessive musculoskeletal load on the wrist of workers and symptoms such as wrist pain or discomfort. Objective To survey the prevalence of wrist pain among workers in 10 key industries and analyze its correlation with wrist working postures. Methods By using stratified cluster sampling method, workers from 10 key industries, such as footwear manufacturing industry, shipbuilding manufacturing industry, and automobile manufacturing industry, were selected from seven regions in North China, East China, Central China, South China, Southwest China, Northwest China, and Northeast China. The demographic information, wrist working postures, pain in wrist of the workers were collected through a cross-sectional survey. Pearson χ² test was used to compare prevalence by selected factors, trend χ² test for between group comparison, and unconditional logistic regression models for the association of wrist working postures with wrist pain. Results There were 64052 workers enrolled in this survey, and 56286 provided valid questionnaires (the effective rate was 87.8%). According to the survey, the prevalence of wrist pain was 23.3% (13112/56286), and the industries with higher prevalences were footwear manufacturing (27.1%, 1927/7106), automobile manufacturing (24.9%, 5378/21560), and shipbuilding and related equipment manufacturing (24.4%, 850/3488) industries. Finger pinching (OR=2.09, 95%CI: 1.95-2.24), frequent wrist bending (OR=2.03, 95%CI: 1.92-2.15), fixed wrist bending (OR=1.77, 95%CI: 1.69-1.85), wrist on hard edge (OR=1.34, 95%CI: 1.28-1.40), and arms over shoulders (OR=1.11, 95%CI: 1.05-1.17) increased the risk of reporting wrist pain. Conclusion Awkward postures are related to wrist pain among workers in selected 10 key industries. The related factors are wrist on hard edge, frequent wrist bending, finger pinching, fixed wrist bending, and arms over shoulders.

Objective: To analyze the current status of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), work fatigue and musculoskeletal pain in Chinese occupational population, and to study the relationship between work fatigue and musculoskeletal pain and WMSDs. Methods: A total of 66 961 employees from 323 enterprises in 15 key industries in China were selected as the study subjects using stratified cluster sampling method. The incidence of WMSDs in the past year was investigated using the Chinese version of the Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire, and the work fatigue and musculoskeletal pain were investigated using Borg 6-20 Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale and visual analogue scale. The data were standardized using the age composition data of 18 to 60 years from the seventh national population census. Results: The standardized annual incidence of WMSDs was higher in the front-line workers than that in the administrative and other supportive staff (38.82% vs 36.30%). The detection rates of work fatigue and musculoskeletal pain in the study subjects were 44.54% and 63.08%, respectively. The result of S-curve fitting showed that the risk of WMSDs increased with the level of work fatigue (P<0.01). Among the front-line workers, the average of monthly fatigue frequency in the neck, shoulder, lower back, upper back, wrist/hand, foot and ankle, knee, leg, and elbow were higher in the group with WMSDs compared to those without WMSDs (all P<0.01). The pain degree of musculoskeletal pain was higher in all nine sites in the fatigued group than in the no-fatigue group (all P<0.01). The standardized detection rate of musculoskeletal pain was higher in the fatigued group than in the non-fatigued group (80.38% vs 25.71%). The work fatigue was moderate and positively correlated with musculoskeletal pain in all seven sites except the lower back and elbow, with Kendall Tau-b correlation coefficients ranging from 0.423 to 0.546 (all P<0.01). Conclusion: There is a good correlation between work fatigue and local musculoskeletal pain, work fatigue and WMSDs in Chinese occupational population. Implementing ergonomic interventions to control the development of work fatigue can be an effective measure for preventing WMSDs.

OBJECTIVE: It has been reported that local vibration therapy can benefit recovery after peripheral nerve injury, but the optimized parameters and effective mechanism were unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effect of local vibration therapy of different amplitudes on the recovery of nerve function in rats with sciatic nerve injury (SNI). METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to SNI and then randomly divided into 5 groups: sham group, SNI group, SNI + A-1 mm group, SNI + A-2 mm group, and SNI + A-4 mm group (A refers to the amplitude; n = 10 per group). Starting on the 7th day after model initiation, local vibration therapy was given for 21 consecutive days with a frequency of 10 Hz and an amplitude of 1, 2 or 4 mm for 5 min. The sciatic function index (SFI) was assessed before surgery and on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th days after surgery. Tissues were harvested on the 28th day after surgery for morphological, immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Compared with the SNI group, on the 28th day after surgery, the SFIs of the treatment groups were increased; the difference in the SNI + A-2 mm group was the most obvious (95% confidence interval [CI]: [5.86, 27.09], P < 0.001), and the cross-sectional areas of myocytes in all of the treatment groups were improved. The G-ratios in the SNI + A-1 mm group and SNI + A-2 mm group were reduced significantly (95% CI: [-0.12, -0.02], P = 0.007; 95% CI: [-0.15, -0.06], P < 0.001). In addition, the expressions of S100 and nerve growth factor proteins in the treatment groups were increased; the phosphorylation expressions of ERK1/2 protein in the SNI + A-2 mm group and SNI + A-4 mm group were upregulated (95% CI: [0.03, 0.96], P = 0.038; 95% CI: [0.01, 0.94], P = 0.047, respectively), and the phosphorylation expression of Akt in the SNI + A-1 mm group was upregulated (95% CI: [0.11, 2.07], P = 0.031). CONCLUSION Local vibration therapy, especially with medium amplitude, was able to promote the recovery of nerve function in rats with SNI; this result was linked to the proliferation of Schwann cells and the activation of the ERK1/2 and Akt signaling pathways.
Animals ; Male ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries/therapy* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/pharmacology* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sciatic Nerve/metabolism* ; Sciatic Neuropathy/metabolism* ; Vibration/therapeutic use*

Objective:To explore the correlation between carotid blood flow and the parameters derived by pulse oximetry Plethysmographic waveform in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, so as to provide a new index for carotid blood flow monitoring in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.Methods:Seven male domestic pigs were utilized for cardiac arrest model through ventricular fibrillation induced by electrical stimulation. Eight minutes after cardiac arrest, artificial chest compression was given for 4 min, and epinephrine 20 μg/kg was injected intravenously at 2 min after chest compression. The compression frequency, compression depth, right carotid blood flow, pulse oximetry plethysmographic waveform, aortic pressure, right atrium pressure and end tidal carbon dioxide partial pressure were continuously monitored and recorded. From 30 s to 4 min after chest compression, the values of the mean right carotid blood flow, the area under curve (AUC) of pulse oximetry plethysmographic waveform, the mean perfusion index, the mean coronary perfusion pressure and the average end-tidal carbon dioxide partial pressure during 6 s before time point were calculated every 30 s. The correlations between right carotid blood flow and the AUC of pulse oximetry plethysmographic waveform and perfusion index were analyzed respectively.Results:Ventricular fibrillation was induced successfully in seven animals. There were no significant differences in the mean chest compression frequency and depth per min during 4 min of chest compression. Right carotid blood flow at 30 s after chest compression was (92.7±32.7) mL/min, and decreased to (48.5±23.5) mL/min at 1 min after chest compression ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in blood flow before and after epinephrine injection ( P>0.05). The AUC of the blood oxygen plethysmographic waveform and perfusion index showed synchronous change trends with right carotid blood flow. Both coronary perfusion pressure and end-tidal carbon dioxide partial pressure showed different change trends with right carotid blood flow. There was a positive correlation between the right carotid blood flow and the AUC of blood oxygen plethysmographic waveform ( r=0.66, P<0.01), and also a positive correlation between right carotid blood flow and perfusion index ( r=0.57, P<0.01). Conclusions:Carotid blood flow is positively correlated with the AUC of blood oxygen plethysmographic waveform and perfusion index in a porcine model of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Real-time monitoring of the two parameters derived by pulse oximetry plethysmographic waveform can reflect the changes of carotid blood flow to a certain extent.

Objective:To analyze the changes of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and end expiratory carbon dioxide (ETCO 2) in patients after emergency endotracheal intubation (ETI). To explore the values of MAP and ETCO 2 monitoring in early prediction of severe cardiovascular collapse (CVC) after emergency ETI. Methods:The clinical data of adult patients who underwent ETI from March 2015 to May 2020 were collected consecutively in the emergency departments of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. The values of MAP and ETCO 2 were observed and recorded at 5, 10, 30, 60 and 120 min after intubation. According to whether severe CVC occurred after ETI, the patients were divided into the severe CVC group and non-severe CVC group. The values of MAP and ETCO 2 were compared at the same time points between the two groups and the adjacent time points within the groups. The correlation between MAP and ETCO 2 after ETI was also analyzed. ROC curve was used to analyze the ability of MAP and ETCO 2 at 5 min and 10 min after ETI to predict severe CVC. Results:Totally 116 patients were enrolled in this study, among them 75 (64.7%) cases had severe CVC after ETI. The majority were male and elderly patients in the severe CVC group. The values of MAP and ETCO 2 in 5, 10, 30, 60 and 120 min after ETI in severe CVC group were significantly lower than those in the non-severe CVC group. The values of MAP and ETCO 2 in the two groups showed simultaneous decrease from 5 min to 30 min after ETI, reached the lowest value at 30 min after ETI, and appeared the synchronous recover from then to 120 min after ETI. After ETI, the changes of MAP was correlated with that of ETCO 2 ( rs = 0.653, P<0.01). At 5 min after ETI, MAP could predict severe CVC (AUC=0.86, P<0.01), MAP≤72 mmHg was the best cutoff value (sensitivity 78.7%, specificity 87.8%); ETCO 2 could also predict severe CVC (AUC=0.85, P<0.01), and ETCO 2≤35 mmHg was the best cutoff value (sensitivity 77.3%, specificity 85.4%). At 10 min after ETI, MAP could predict severe CVC (AUC = 0.90, P<0.01), MAP≤67 mmHg was the best cutoff value (sensitivity 89.3%, specificity 85.4%), ETCO 2 could also predict severe CVC (AUC=0.87, P<0.01), and ETCO 2≤33 mmHg was the best cutoff value (sensitivity 81.3%, specificity 78.0%). There was no significant difference in the ability of prediction between any two indexes of the MAP and ETCO 2 at 5 min and 10 min after ETI ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Patients with severe CVC after ETI have early signs of decreased MAP and ETCO 2, but the delayed recognition and insufficient intervention may be related to the occurrence and development of severe CVC. MAP and ETCO 2 at the early stage after ETI have high accuracy in predicting severe CVC. MAP≤72 mmHg, ETCO 2≤35 mmHg at 5 min after intubation, MAP≤67 mmHg and ETCO 2≤33 mmHg at 10 minutes after intubation all suggest the possibility of severe CVC.

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of periosteum-covered iliac crest autografts for treatment of severe osteochondral lesions of talus （OCLTs）.Methods:A retrospective case series study was used to analyze the clinical data of 26 patients with severe OCLTs treated at Zhejiang Armed Police Corps Hospital from January 2013 to October 2019. There were 21 males and 5 females，aged 17-49 years ［（36.3 ± 10.9）years］. All patients were treated using periosteum-covered iliac crest autografts. The visual analogue scale （VAS），American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society （AOFAS） ankle-hindfoot score and ankle joint range of motion （ROM） were assessed before operation，6 months after operation and at the last follow-up （≥ 12 months）. The area of talus injury with MRI at the same level was recorded before operation and at the last follow-up. The healing of talus and joint surface was detected with CT at the last follow-up. The healing of the incision and osteotomy site and complications were observed.Results:All patients were followed for 12 to 22 months［（15.1 ± 3.2）months］. The VAS was （2.4 ± 0.9）points and （1.7 ± 0.6）points at postoperative 6 months and at the last follow-up，significantly lower than the preoperative （5.4 ± 1.2）points （ P < 0.01）. Meanwhile，the VAS at the last follow-up was significantly lower than that at postoperative 6 months （ P < 0.01）. The AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score was （71.7 ± 7.8）points and （87.8 ± 6.2） points at postoperative 6 months and at the last follow-up，significantly lower than the preoperative （66.5 ± 7.5） points （ P < 0.01）. Meanwhile，the AOFAS ankle-hindfoot at the last follow-up was significantly lower than that at postoperative 6 months （ P < 0.01）. The ankle ROM was （58.4 ± 5.5）° and （70.0 ± 4.9）° at postoperative 6 months and at the last follow-up，significantly improved when compared to the preoperative （42.3 ± 8.1）° （ P < 0.01）. Meanwhile，the ankle ROM at the last follow-up was significantly improved when compared to that at postoperative 6 months （ P < 0.01）. The area of talus injury with MRI at the same level was 0.67（0.55，0.89）cm 2 at the last follow-up，significantly improved when compared to preoperative 2.64（1.98，3.68）cm 2 （ P < 0.01）. The transplantation had neither obvious defects nor joint surface steps based on CT findings. All surgical incisions were healed by first intention. There were no complications such as incision infection，skin necrosis，nonunion of osteotomy，malunion or severe ankle joint disorder except that 8 patients had residual local subchondral bone?marrow?edema-like?signal?and 2 patients showed delayed healing of medial malleolus osteotomy. Conclusion:For patients with severe OCLTs，periosteum-covered iliac crest autografts can effectively relieve ankle pain，improve ankle function，and reduce the area of injury.

Purpose: Caspase recruitment domain containing protein 9 (CARD9) has been demonstrated to be a pro-tumor factor in various cancers. However, our previous study found a significant decrease of CARD9 in malignant pleural effusion compared with benign pleural effusion. So we investigated the role of CARD9 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its working mechanism. Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemistry, western blot, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to detect the expression of CARD9 in specimens of NSCLC patients. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databasewas also used to analyze the expression of CARD9 in NSCLC and its predicting value for prognosis. Immunofluorescence was used for CARD9 cellular location. Cell growth assay, clonal formation assay, wound healing assay, matrigel invasion assay, and flow cytometry were used to test cell proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and cycle progression of NSCLC cells with CARD9 knockdown or CARD9 overexpression. Co-immunoprecipitation was used to identify the interaction between CARD9 and B-cell lymphoma 10 (BCL10). SB203580 was used to inhibit p38 activation. Results: CARD9 was decreased in NSCLC tissues compared with normal tissues; low CARD9 expression was associated with poor survival. CARD9 was expressed both in tumor cells and macrophages. Downregulation of CARD9 in NSCLC cells enhanced the abilities of proliferation, invasion and migration via activated MAPK/p38 signaling, while overexpression of CARD9 presented antitumor effects. BCL10 was identified to interact with CARD9. Conclusion We demonstrate that CARD9 is an independent prognostic factor in NSCLC patients and inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion by suppressing MAPK/p38 pathway in NSCLC cells.

Objective: To investigate and analyze serological and hepatic morphological changes in aged rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)by establishing NAFLD model with SD rats at different months of age. Methods: Male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups according to age: the aged model group(18-months-old), the aged control group(18-months-old), the young model group(2-months-old)and the young control group(2-months-old), with 12 rats in each group.Rats in the model groups and the control groups were fed a 45% high-fat diet and a normal diet, respectively, for eight weeks.Serum biochemical indexes and the insulin index were measured.Hepatic histological changes were evaluated under a light microscope following HE staining and Oil red staining. Results: The body and liver weights of the rats increased with age, and the average rate of weight growth and liver wet weight of the model groups were higher than those of their corresponding control groups(P<0.01). Levels of serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT), triglycerides(TG), cholesterol(CHOL), glucose(GLU), fasting insulin(FINS)and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)in the aged model group were higher than those in the corresponding control group and of the young model group(P<0.05). Under the light microscope, hepatic cells stained with HE and Oil red showed diffuse swelling and were full of lipid vacuoles in the model groups.In the aged model group, hepatic cells were characterized by macrovesicular steatosis with focal necrosis. Conclusions Clear hyperlipemia, hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia can be seen in a NAFLD model induced by short-term high-fat feeding.Insulin resistance and decreased insulin sensitivity are more significant in aged rats with NAFLD.

Objective To investigate the current practice of ventilation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in Chinese emergency physicians. Methods Self-designed questionnaires were used to survey mainly the present situation of CPR ventilation practice performed by 800 physicians who participated in the Peking Union International Summit for Emergency Medicine from April 17th to 19th, 2015. Results A total of 800 questionnaires were distributed and 638 (79.75%) valid questionnaires were taken back; the responders joining the survey came from 29 provinces and regions, including Beijing, Hebei, Shandong, Guangdong, Liaoning, etc. There were 331 males and 307 females; 91.54% (584 responders) were emergency physicians and 77.90% (497 responders) came from tertiary hospitals, 17.55% (112 responders) came from the secondary hospitals. Regarding ventilation during CPR, 86.4% (551 responders) declared the patients was routinely given endo-tracheal intubation; after intubation, 25.8% (142 responders) adopted bag-mask ventilation, and 74.2% (409 responders) applied mechanical ventilation. When a ventilator was used, 301 (73.6%) responders used the volume controlled ventilation mode, 334 (81.7%) responders set the respiratory rate (RR) lower than 15 bpm, while 89.2% (365 responders) used the tidal volume set at a range of 400-500 mL. When adopted the flow triggering sensitivity, 79.7% (326 responders) set the sensitivity at 1-6 L/min, while 16.4% (67 responders) selected the default parameter, not adjusting the flow triggering parameter; when adopted the pressure triggering sensitivity, 75.1% (307 responders) set the sensitivity between -1 to -6 cmH2O (1 cmH2O = 0.098 kPa) and 20.3% (83 responders) selected the default value, not adjusting the pressure triggering parameter. When the mechanical ventilation (MV) was adopted, 84.8% (347 responders) declared often experiencing problems with MV, such as airway high peak pressure alarms [39.6% (162/409)], lower ventilation volume per minute alarms [24.9% (102/409)], higher respiratory frequency alarms [21.3% (87/409)], but only 67.2% (275 responders) would again adjust the ventilation mode related parameters and only 59.2% (242 responders) would observe the actual respiratory frequency. Conclusions With regards to artificial ventilation during CPR, the majority of emergency physicians tend to adopt endotracheal intubation and commonly use the volume controlled mode of mechanical ventilation; among the ventilator parameter setting, the RR is not strictly in accordance with the CPR guidelines, and most of the inspiration triggering sensitivity setting was too low, very easily to induce hyperventilation; simultaneously, the emergency physicians often neglect the practical RR; although there are many problems with ventilation such as frequent alarms, only 67.2% of the emergency physicians would again adjust the ventilation parameters.