Objective To evaluate the radiation impact of a self-developed digital miniature CT on the human body and the environment under simulated scanning conditions, and verify its safety and regulatory compliance. Methods Under typical head scanning conditions with the digital miniature CT (70 kV/10 mA), the equivalent doses received at the body surface sites corresponding to the thyroid, breast, stomach, liver, kidney, and gonads of the phantom were measured without protection and with 0.5 mmPb equivalent protection using LiF (Mg, Cu, P) thermoluminescent dosimeters. The ambient dose equivalent rates at the bed level inside the CT room at different directions and distances from the scanning center were measured using a model AT1121 X/γ dosimeter. The equivalent doses of organs on both sides of the phantom and the ambient equivalent dose rates on the left and right sides of the longitudinal axis of the bed in the CT room were compared. The Mann-Whitney test was used at a significance level of P < 0.05. Results During a single scan of the head with the digital miniature CT, the equivalent doses at the body surface sites corresponding to the thyroid, breast, stomach, liver, kidney, and gonads without protection were 1.04, 0.95, 0.55, 0.57, 0.40, and 0.12 mSv, respectively, which were only 0.84% to 8.24% of the doses inside the irradiation field. With 0.5 mm Pb equivalent protection, the equivalent dose of the thyroid decreased from 8.24 mSv to 3.27 mSv with a reduction of 60.3%, and the doses of the other organs were reduced to 1.5-11.5 μSv with the maximum reduction of 14 times. In the longitudinal axis direction of the CT bed, the ambient dose equivalent rate at a distance of 2 m from the scanning center was reduced to 0.066 mSv/h, which was only 9.6% of the ambient equivalent dose rate at a distance of 50 cm from the scanning center. Conclusion The digital miniature CT has advantages in ensuring patient safety, optimizing imaging quality, and promoting technological development, demonstrating promising application potential. However, the radiation protection of personal and CT room should not be ignored.

Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) is a critical endocrine mediator implicated in male reproductive physiology. To investigate the correlation between IGF2 protein levels and various aspects of male infertility, specifically focusing on sperm quality, inflammation, and DNA damage, a cohort of 320 male participants was recruited from the Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou, China) between 1 st January 2024 and 1 st March 2024. The relationship between IGF2 protein concentrations and sperm parameters was assessed, and Spearman correlation and linear regression analysis were employed to evaluate the independent associations between IGF2 protein levels and risk factors for infertility. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure IGF2 protein levels in seminal plasma, alongside markers of inflammation (tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α] and interleukin-1β [IL-1β]). The relationship between seminal plasma IGF2 protein levels and DNA damage marker phosphorylated histone H2AX (γ-H2AX) was also explored. Our findings reveal that IGF2 protein expression decreased notably in patients with asthenospermia and teratospermia. Correlation analysis revealed nuanced associations between IGF2 protein levels and specific sperm parameters, and low IGF2 protein concentrations correlated with increased inflammation and DNA damage in sperm. The observed correlations between IGF2 protein levels and specific sperm parameters, along with its connection to inflammation and DNA damage, underscore the importance of IGF2 in the broader context of male reproductive health. These findings lay the groundwork for future research and potential therapeutic interventions targeting IGF2-related pathways to enhance male fertility.
Humans ; Male ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor II/metabolism* ; Infertility, Male/genetics* ; DNA Damage ; Adult ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Spermatozoa/metabolism* ; Semen Analysis ; Semen/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Histones/metabolism* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism*

Recent studies have shown that shorter periods of ejaculatory abstinence may enhance certain sperm parameters, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these improvements are still unclear. This study explored whether reduced abstinence periods could improve semen quality, particularly for use in assisted reproductive technologies (ART). We analyzed semen samples from men with normal sperm counts ( n = 101) and those with low sperm motility or concentration ( n = 53) after 3-7 days of abstinence and then after 1-3 h of abstinence, obtained from the Reproductive & Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya (Changsha, China). Physiological and biochemical sperm parameters were evaluated, and the dynamics of transfer RNA (tRNA)-derived fragments (tRFs) were analyzed using deep RNA sequencing in five consecutive samples from men with normal sperm counts. Our results revealed significant improvement in sperm motility and a decrease in the DNA fragmentation index after the 1- to 3-h abstinence period. Additionally, we identified 245 differentially expressed tRFs, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway was the most enriched. Further investigations showed significant changes in tRF-Lys-TTT and its target gene mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 2 ( MAP2K2 ), which indicates a role of tRFs in improving sperm function. These findings provide new insights into how shorter abstinence periods influence sperm quality and suggest that tRFs may serve as biomarkers for male fertility. This research highlights the potential for optimizing ART protocols and improving reproductive outcomes through molecular approaches that target sperm function.
Male ; Humans ; Spermatozoa/metabolism* ; RNA, Transfer/genetics* ; Sperm Motility/genetics* ; Adult ; Semen Analysis ; Sexual Abstinence/physiology* ; Sperm Count ; DNA Fragmentation

Cemental tear is a rare and indetectable condition unless obvious clinical signs present with the involvement of surrounding periodontal and periapical tissues. Due to its clinical manifestations similar to common dental issues, such as vertical root fracture, primary endodontic diseases, and periodontal diseases, as well as the low awareness of cemental tear for clinicians, misdiagnosis often occurs. The critical principle for cemental tear treatment is to remove torn fragments, and overlooking fragments leads to futile therapy, which could deteriorate the conditions of the affected teeth. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and subsequent appropriate interventions are vital for managing cemental tear. Novel diagnostic tools, including cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), microscopes, and enamel matrix derivatives, have improved early detection and management, enhancing tooth retention. The implementation of standardized diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols, combined with improved clinical awareness among dental professionals, serves to mitigate risks of diagnostic errors and suboptimal therapeutic interventions. This expert consensus reviewed the epidemiology, pathogenesis, potential predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cemental tear, aiming to provide a clinical guideline and facilitate clinicians to have a better understanding of cemental tear.
Humans ; Dental Cementum/injuries* ; Consensus ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Tooth Fractures/therapy*

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of left ventricular shape index (SI) and eccentricity index (EI) in evaluating left ventricular remodeling.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 324 patients (264 males, 60 females, age (62.5±11.8) years) diagnosed with myocardial infarction (MI) and 113 healthy controls (HC; 47 males, 66 females, age (57.8±10.7) years) who received gated myocardial perfusion imaging (GMPI) in First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from January 2016 to September 2020. SI (end-diastolic SI (EDSI), end-systolic SI (ESSI)), EI and left ventricular function parameters (end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), summed motion score (SMS), summed thickening score (STS), peak ejection rate (PER) and peak filling rate (PFR)) were obtained by quantitative gated SPECT (QGS) software. Propensity score (PS) inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to balance the intergroup covariates. The differences and correlations of EDSI, ESSI, EI and left ventricular function parameters between patients in MI group and HC group were analyzed. ROC curve analysis was used to evaluate the values of EDV, EDSI, ESSI and EI alone and in combination in the assessment of left ventricular systolic function impairment. Data were analyzed by independent-sample t test, Pearson correlation and Spearman rank correlation analyses, and Delong test. Results:After IPTW, EDSI and ESSI in MI group ( n=319) were higher than those in HC group ( n=133; EDSI: 0.66±0.09 vs 0.60±0.06; ESSI: 0.59±0.11 vs 0.47±0.07; t values: 8.05, 14.67, both P<0.001), and EI was lower than that in HC group (0.81±0.06 vs 0.85±0.03; t=-8.93, P<0.001). In both groups, there were significant correlations between EDSI and ESSI ( r values: 0.928, 0.873), between EDSI, ESSI and EI ( r values: from -0.831 to -0.641), between EDSI, ESSI and LVEF ( r values: from -0.627 to -0.201), between ESSI and EDV, ESV and SMS ( rs values: 0.336-0.584), between ESSI and -PER, PFR ( rs values: from -0.406 to -0.402, r values: from -0.352 to -0.325) (all P<0.01). ROC curve analysis showed that EDV (AUC: 0.895) and ESSI (AUC: 0.839) had the highest efficacy in evaluating left ventricular systolic function impairment in MI group and HC group, respectively. EDV-EDSI-ESSI-(1-EI) had higher efficacy in the assessment of impaired left ventricular systolic function in MI group (AUC: 0.956), which was higher than that of EDV or EDV-EDSI or EDV-ESSI or EDV-(1-EI) ( z values: from -2.64 to -2.18, P values: 0.008-0.029); EDV-EDSI-ESSI-(1-EI) also had high efficacy in HC group (AUC: 0.911), which was higher than that of EDV or EDV-EDSI or EDV-(1-EI) ( z values: from -2.60 to -2.43, P values: 0.009-0.015). Conclusions:In MI patients, the increase of SI and the decrease of EI indicate the increase of left ventricular sphericity and the aggravation of left ventricular remodeling. SI and EI have certain clinical application values in evaluating left ventricular morphology, predicting left ventricular remodeling and left ventricular systolic function impairment.

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) technology represented by deep learning (DL) has developed rapidly, and smart medical care has become one of the most important application areas of AI. As the most accurate noninvasive test to assess myocardial blood flow, myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) has important clinical values. At present, the use of DL algorithms to establish learning models for MPI images is still in the research stage, and more external verification and iterative updates are needed before it can be widely used in real time clinical practice. In this article, the application of DL algorithms in MPI is comprehensively elaborated to provide a basis and direction for further research.

Objective To analyze the pathogenic composition of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) cases and the antibody level of enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) in healthy people in Xi'an in 2022, so as to provide evidence for the prevention and control of HFMD. Methods Anal swabs or stool specimens of HFMD cases were collected. RT-PCR was used to detect enterovirus (EV) and serotype was identified. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect EV-A71 IgG antibody levels in healthy people. Results A total of 172 positive cases were detected from 274 HFMD clinical specimens with a total detection rate of 62.77%, including 1 case of EV-A71 (0.58%), 95 cases of CV-A16 (55.23%), 64 cases of CV-A6 (37.21%), and 1 case of CV-A10(0.58%). CV-A16 was the dominant pathogen in spring and summer, and CV-A6 was the dominant pathogen in autumn and winter（χ²= 64.376，P＜0.001）. The age of HFMD cases caused by CV-A16 was older than the cases caused by CV-A6（t = 2.709，P = 0.007）. The positive rate of EV-A71 IgG antibodies in healthy people was 36.92% (168/455). The positive rate of EV-A71 IgG antibodies in men (32.35%) was lower than that in women (43.72%), and the difference was statistically significant (χ²= 6.605 , P = 0.014). The positive rate of EV-A71 IgG antibodies in people of all ages ranged from 21.95% to 54.78%, and the difference was statistically significant (χ²= 27.623 , P<0.001). Conclusion The main pathogens of hand, foot and mouth disease in Xi'an in 2022 are CV-A16 and CV-A6 . The positive rate of EV-A71 IgG antibodies in children under 5 years old is low , and EV-A71 vaccination should be strengthened.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of Pterocarya hupehensis Skan total flavonoids(PHSTF)for rheumatoid arthritis(RA).Methods Twenty-five male SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group,RA model group,PHSTF treatment(45 and 90 mg/kg)groups,and Tripterygium glycosides(TPG)tablet(10 mg/kg)group(n=5).Except for those in the normal control group,all the rats were subjected to collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)modeling using a secondary immunization method,after which PHSTF and TPG were administered via gavage once daily for 4 weeks.After the treatments,serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were measured using ELISA,and ankle joint pathologies were assessed with HE staining;the expression of citrullinated histone H3(Cit-H3),a neutrophil extracellular trap(NET)marker,in the ankle joints was evaluated with immunohistochemistry.In primary cultures of rat peripheral blood neutrophils stimulated with phorbol ester(PMA),the effects of PHSTF(100 and 200 μg/mL)on the expressions of Cit-H3,peptidylarginine deiminase 4(PADI4),neutrophil elastase(NE),and myeloperoxidase(MPO)were examined with Western blotting;immunofluorescence assay was used to observe Cit-H3 expression and NET formation in the cells.Results In the CIA rat models,PHSTF significantly alleviated ankle swelling,decreased serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β,improved histopathological changes in the ankle joints,and reduced Cit-H3 expression in both the serum and ankle joint cartilage.In the isolated rat neutrophils,PHSTF showed no significant effect on cell viability but strongly inhibited PMA-induced NET release.Conclusion PHSTF can alleviate RA by inhibiting the formation of NETs.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL)can be cured with standard first-line immunochemo-therapy,but nearly 30％-40％of patients will still be refractory or relapsed,with double-expressor lympho-ma(DEL)accounting for about 50％of patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL.It is important to seek diag-nostic and therapeutic strategies that improve outcomes for patients with DEL.In recent years,the application of new diagnostic techniques such as liquid biopsy technology in DLBCL has provided potential feasibility for the research and application prospects in the diagnosis and treatment of DEL.Targeted drugs combined with chemotherapy,hematopoietic stem cell transplantation,CAR-T cell therapy and other therapeutic methods have been found to bring clinical benefits to DEL patients.Therefore,this article aims to systematically review the diagnostic frontiers and treatment progress of DEL,and to prospect effective strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of DEL.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of Pterocarya hupehensis Skan total flavonoids(PHSTF)for rheumatoid arthritis(RA).Methods Twenty-five male SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group,RA model group,PHSTF treatment(45 and 90 mg/kg)groups,and Tripterygium glycosides(TPG)tablet(10 mg/kg)group(n=5).Except for those in the normal control group,all the rats were subjected to collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)modeling using a secondary immunization method,after which PHSTF and TPG were administered via gavage once daily for 4 weeks.After the treatments,serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were measured using ELISA,and ankle joint pathologies were assessed with HE staining;the expression of citrullinated histone H3(Cit-H3),a neutrophil extracellular trap(NET)marker,in the ankle joints was evaluated with immunohistochemistry.In primary cultures of rat peripheral blood neutrophils stimulated with phorbol ester(PMA),the effects of PHSTF(100 and 200 μg/mL)on the expressions of Cit-H3,peptidylarginine deiminase 4(PADI4),neutrophil elastase(NE),and myeloperoxidase(MPO)were examined with Western blotting;immunofluorescence assay was used to observe Cit-H3 expression and NET formation in the cells.Results In the CIA rat models,PHSTF significantly alleviated ankle swelling,decreased serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β,improved histopathological changes in the ankle joints,and reduced Cit-H3 expression in both the serum and ankle joint cartilage.In the isolated rat neutrophils,PHSTF showed no significant effect on cell viability but strongly inhibited PMA-induced NET release.Conclusion PHSTF can alleviate RA by inhibiting the formation of NETs.