Objective To assess the value of 18 F-FDG PET/CT, contrast-enhanced ultrasound, and their combination in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pancreatic lesions. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with pancreatic lesions who underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT and contrast-enhanced ultrasound who were admitted to Tangshan Gongren Hospital from January 2015 to December 2020. The imaging results were confirmed by pathology examination to evaluate diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive value. The t -test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Results There were 83 malignant lesions and 25 benign lesions in 108 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive value were 86.75%, 80.00%, 85.19%, 93.51% and 64.52% for 18 F-FDG PET/CT; and 69.88%, 76.00%, 71.30%, 90.63% and 43.18% for contrast-enhanced ultrasound, respectively. The two methods differed significantly in sensitivity and accuracy (all P < 0.05), but not in specificity, negative and positive predictive value (all P > 0.05). When combined with the contrast-enhanced ultrasound, 18 F-FDG PET/CT had an increased sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive value of 90.36%, 84.00%, 88.89%, 94.94% and 72.41%, respectively, though this was not statistically significant due to the increased signal of blood supply in the lesions. Conclusion 18 F-FDG PET/CT has a better performance than contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pancreatic lesions, and their combination can improve the diagnostic value.

Objective:To observe heart rate circadian rhythm in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5 and to analyze the effects of parathyroidectomy (PTX) on heart rate circadian rhythm in severe secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) patients.Methods:A cross-sectional observation was performed in 213 patients with CKD stage 5 and 96 controls, and the patients were divided into those with severe SHPT (PTX group, n=70) and without severe SHPT (non-PTX group, n=143). Forty-six PTX patients were followed up prospectively. The baseline data were compared among these groups. Holter electrocardiogram was performed for each participant. Non-dipping heart rate was defined as night/day heart rate ratio greater than 0.9. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the related factors of heart rate circadian rhythm in patients with CKD stage 5. Results:The 24-hour, daytime and nighttime mean heart rate in patients with CKD stage 5 were all higher than those in controls, especially in PTX group (all P<0.05). The night/day heart rate ratios of controls and CKD stage 5 patients were (0.81±0.08) and (0.91±0.08) respectively ( P<0.01). Correlation analysis showed 24-hour and daytime or nighttime mean heart rate in patients with CKD stage 5 were positively correlated with serum levels of phosphorus and ln(alkaline phosphatase), while nighttime mean heart rate and night/day heart rate ratio were positively related with serum intact parathyroid hormone level. After adjusting with postoperative follow-up period (median time: 10.9 months), 24-hour and nighttime mean heart rate, and night/day heart rate ratio in PTX patients all decreased significantly (all P<0.01). Conclusions:Heart rate is increased and circadian rhythm is abnormal in patients with CKD stage 5, which are related with mineral and bone disorder. PTX significantly decreases 24-hour and nighttime mean heart rate in severe SHPT patients, and improves the heart rate circadian rhythm.

Objective To observe the characteristics of brain activation of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and healthy controls at functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with olfactory stimulation,determine the locations of activation in areas of olfactory center and explore the MS olfactory related network.Methods Eighteen MS patients from the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College from February 2017 to March 2018 were enrolled as MS group,and 20 matched healthy adults during the same period served as controls.The Visual Analogue Scale was used to evaluate olfactory function in all subjects,the rest structure MRI was performed first,and volatile gases of lavender and rose solution were used to alternately stimulate olfactory during fMRI scanning.The brain activation was obtained by using matlab2013a and SPM8 softwares.The distribution and quantity of demyelination lesions were counted on T2 weighted image,and Spearman correlation analysis was done with SPSS 17.0 software package.Results The activated brain areas in the healthy control group included bilateral middle frontal gyrus,bilateral insula,bilateral supramarginal gyrus,bilateral orbitofrontal gyrus,right thalamus,right central anterior gyrus,bilateral cingulated gyrus,bilateral hippocampus,bilateral amygdala and bilateral superior frontal gyrus (t =2.11,P＜0.05).The activated brain areas in the MS group included right cerebellum,left insula,left superior temporal gyrus,right inferior frontal gyrus (t=2.19,P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the MS group showed statistically significant decrease in activated values in right insula,right amygdala,right inferior frontal gyrus,right frontal middle gyrus,and the left supramarginal gyrus (t=2.04,P＜0.05).The distribution and number of demyelination lesions and major activation of brain regions with olfactory in the MS group demonstrated no significant correlation (r=-0.524,P=0.054).Conclusions Multiple brain areas involved in the olfactory processing and olfactory-related brain network existed.The activation of olfactory center had dominance in the right brain.The activation of the brain area in the MS group was significantly reduced,and the activation voxel and activation intensity were weakened.The olfactory-related brain network changed in MS patients.The distribution and number of demyelination lesions had no significant effect on the major activation of brain regions with olfactory stimulation.

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathologic and molecular features of the rare cribriform morular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (CMV-PTC). Methods: The clinicopathologic data of 10 patients with CMV-PTC were retrospectively reviewed. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was done using LSAB method. DNA sequencing for APC were applied using Sanger method. BRAF V600E mutation was examined using ARMS method. The cytological, morphological, IHC and molecular features were analyzed. Results: All patients were female at an average age of 27 years old. The tumors were mostly located in the right lobe of thyroid. Fine needle aspiration cytology was performed in three patients; two were diagnosed as suspicious for PTC and one as PTC. Nine tumors presented as solitary nodule and two as multiple nodules in both lobes. Infiltration was demonstrated in three cases. The average size was 2.6 cm. The neoplastic cells were arranged in papillary, cribriform, solid and glandular patterns, with rare or without colloid inside the lumen. The number of morula varied, ranging from zero to many. The neoplastic cells were variably enlarged, showing round, oval or spindle shape. Nuclear irregularity was identified as irregular membrane, nuclear grooves or pseudoinclusion, but no typical ground glass feature. Peculiar nuclear clearing could be observed in the morular cells. IHC staining showed the neoplastic cells were negative for thyroglobulin and p63, but positive for TTF1, cytokeratin 19 and estrogen receptor. Diffuse staining with cytokeratin was seen in the neoplastic cells and the morula. Specific cytoplasmic and nuclear staining of β-catenin was seen in the neoplastic cells but not the morula. Ki-67 proliferation index was 1%-30%. No recurrence or metastasis was observed. One patient was demonstrated to harbor both somatic and germline mutations of the APC gene, who was found to have adenomatous polyposis and her mother died of colonic carcinoma. No BRAF V600E mutation was detected. Conclusions CMV-PTC is rare and shows atypical cytological and clinicopathological features, and it is easily misdiagnosed.TG, TTF1, ER and β-catenin are specific IHC markers for CMV-PTC. The morula is negative for cytokeratin 19, in contrast to squamous metaplasia. Although CMV-PTC has indolent clinical behavior, a definite diagnosis is necessary to rule out the possibility of APC gene mutation and related extra-thyroidal neoplasm, such as FAP and Gardner syndrome.

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological significances of LDHA/mutant p53 co-expres-sion in gliomas. Methods According to the 2016 WHO CNS,archived 68 gliomas were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The co-expression of LDHA/mutant p53 was detected by immunohistochemical staining. Results High expression of LDHA alone was always found in high grade gliomas(48.5%). Mutant p53 high expression was usually observed in glioblastomas (26.5%). There was a close relationship between co-expression of LDHA/mutant p53 in glioblastoma(27.9%,P = 0.005),or gliomas with high histological grading(27.9%,P = 0.002). Conclusions Co-expression of LDHA/mutant p53 in tumor cells might be a specific immunohistochemical pheno-type of gliomas,and may help for distinguishing glioblastoma and other high grade gliomas from low grade gliomas.

Objective To compare the diagnostic value of shear wave elastography and 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging in diagnosis of thyroid microcarcinoma.Methods Shear wave elastography and 18F-FDG PET/CT data of patients with thyroid nodules confirmed by pathology were analyzed retrospectively.The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive and negative predictive value of the two methods in diagnosis of malignant thyroid micronodules were compared.Results In all of the 48 micronodules,37 were malignant,11 were benign.The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of shear wave elastography and 18F-FDG PET/CT were 91.89％ (34/37),81.82％ (9/11),89.58％ (43/48),94.44％ (34/36),75.00％ (9/12) and 29.73％ (11/37),72.73％ (8/11),39.58％ (19/48),78.57％ (11/ 14),23.53％ (8/34),respectively.The sensitivity,accuracy and negative predictive value between the two methods had statistical difference (all P＜0.05),and the specificity and positive predictive value between the two methods had no statistical difference (both P＞0.05).Conclusion Compared to 18F FDG PET/CT imaging,the diagnositic value of shear wave elastography in diagnosis of thyroid microcarcinoma has obvious advantages.

Objective To evaluate the additional role of 99mTc-MIBI SPECT-CT imaging before parathyroidectomy (PTX) for secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) patients.Methods A total of 359 SHPT patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were enrolled in the study from April 2011 to January 2016.Patients were divided into two groups according to the difference of 99mTc-MIBI imaging techniques preoperatively.Patients in group A had dual-phase 99mTc-sestamibi parathyroid scintigraphy performed only.Patients in group B had SPECT-CT parathyroid scintigraphy added in the early phase.With the parathyroid glands confirmed by pathology after operation being the referencc,scnsitivity,specificity,consistency and surgical success rates of the patients in two groups were compared.Results 359 patients (166 men and 193 women) were enrolled,among which 339 on hemodialysis and 20 on peritoneal dialysis.The average age of those patients was (45.90± 11.20) years and median dialysis age was 84 (60.0,120.0) months.Total detection sensitivity,specificity,consistency in group A (169 patients) were 65.54％,56.52％,65.24％ and in group B (190 patients) were 73.84％,84.62％,74.21％ respectively.Total sensitivity and consistency were higher in group B than those in group A (P ＜ 0.01),while no difference in total specificity was observed between two groups (P=0.055).In group A,detection sensitivity of parathyroid glands were 47.56％,77.44％,57.14％ and 79.88％ in right upper gland (RU),right lower gland (RL),left upper gland (LU) and left lower gland (LL) respectively.Consistency in group A were 48.52％,77.51％,56.21％ and 78.70％ respectively.In group B,sensitivity were 58.33％,83.78％,69.78％ and 82.89％ in RU,RL,LU and LL respectively.Consistency in group B were 59.47％,84.21％,70.53％ and 82.63％ respectively.Sensitivity and consistency of upper glands were lower than lower glands in both groups (P ＜ 0.01).When SPECT-CT was added,sensitivity and consistency of upper glands for both sides were higher in group B than those in group A,while no difference of surgical success rates was found between two groups (87.57％ vs 92.63％,P=0.107).Conclusion 99mTc-MIBI SPECT-CT can be combined with anatomic image effectively and increase the sensitivity and consistency of total and upper parathyroid glands.It can also make the accurate location of the lesions,which improves the efficiency of the operation.

Objective: Currently, parathyroid hormone (PTH) is mainly measured by the second generation intact PTH (iPTH) assay which detects both full-length (1-84)PTH and (7-84)PTH fragments. The third generation whole PTH (wPTH) assay however has turned out to be specific for (1-84) PTH. The aim of this study is to investigate the features of plasma iPTH, (1-84)PTH, (7-84)PTH levels in patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD), and evaluate the effects of parathyroidectomy (PTX) on above markers in severe secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study including 90 controls and 233 stage 5 CKD patients, and a prospective follow-up study in 31 severe SHPT patients were conducted. Plasma iPTH and (1-84)PTH levels were measured by the second and third generation assay, respectively. Circulating (7-84)PTH level was calculated by subtracting the (1-84)PTH value from the iPTH value. Results: Plasma levels of iPTH, (1-84)PTH, (7-84)PTH were higher (P<0.01), and (1-84)PTH/iPTH was lower (P<0.01) in stage 5 CKD patients than in controls. For severe SHPT patients with PTX (n=74), plasma iPTH, (1-84)PTH and (7-84)PTH concentrations were significantly increased compared to non-PTX group (n=159) (P<0.01), and the increase of (7-84)PTH level was more striking than (1-84)PTH. Meanwhile, the value of (1-84)PTH/iPTH was decreased (P<0.01). Plasma iPTH level was strongly correlated with (1-84)PTH level (r=0.980, P<0.01) in stage 5 CKD patients. Also, both iPTH and (1-84)PTH levels were positively correlated with serum alkaline phosphatase, dialysis vintage and serum phosphorus (P<0.01). After PTX (median interval of follow-up: 7.1 months), plasma iPTH, (1-84)PTH, (7-84)PTH concentrations were decreased (by 92.9%, 89.7%, 95.8%, P<0.01, respectively) greatly and (1-84)PTH/iPTH was increased (P<0.01). Conclusions In stage 5 CKD patients, plasma iPTH, (1-84)PTH, (7-84)PTH levels are greatly increased while (1-84)PTH/iPTH is decreased, and PTX can significantly improve abnormality of above markers in severe SHPT patients. The second generation PTH assay overestimates the severity of SHPT, and the accurate measurement of (1-84)PTH by the third assays is more conducive to diagnosis and treatment of CKD and SHPT patients.

Objective To investigate the potential pathogenesis of Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), we performed cDNA microarray analysis to obtain gene expression profile of FCD. Methods Three FCD samples and three normal controls were enrolled. Total RNA of the brain tissues were extracted. The difference gene expressions between FCD group and control group was detected using Affymetrix gene chip. The up and down-regulated genes were confirmed by Real-time PCR. Further, the related signal pathways involved in the pathogenic mechanisms of FCD were predicted by bioinformatics. Result In FCD, two up-regulated genes C21orF2 and AU152162 and 5 down-regulated genes ENPP2, ANLN, IP6K3, UGT8, and AZGP were found. Compared the FCD samples with the normal controls , there were significantly different in all down-regulated genes (P < 0.05), while the up-regulated genes were not (P > 0.05). Using bioinformatics analysis, the ENPP2 , UGT8 , and AZGP1 protein which located in the cell membrane or secreted into the extracellular matrix may be involved in the formation of the myelin sheath and the development of the nervous system by the lipid metabolism and LPA signaling pathway. Conclusion ENPP2, UGT8 and AZGP1 may be involved in pathogenesis of FCD through the process of myelin sheath formation and LPA signal pathway , which warrants further study to know their roles in the pathogenesis of FCD.

Objective To investigate the effect of Bcl-2 gene knockdown on apotosis , proliferation and drug sensitivity of gastric carcinoma HGC-27 cells. Methods The HGC-27 cells were divided into five groups:the untreated control group , the control siRNA group , the specific siRNA targeting Bcl-2 gene group , 5-FU treated group and the combination group (Bcl-2 siRNA and 5-FU treatment). Then flow cytometry and MTT assays were performed to detect the apoptosis and proliferation of HGC-27 cells. The cysteine protease activityand Cytochrome C release level were tested by ELISA method. Results Bcl-2 knockdown enhanced apoptosis and inhibited proliferation of HGC-27 cells. Comparedwith the 5-FU-treated group , the cell apoptosis level, activities of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9, plasma Cytochrome C were significantly increased in the combination group(P <0.01). Conclusion Bcl-2 gene knockdown induced apoptosis, inhibited cell proliferation and enhanced the drug sensitivity of 5-FU in gastric cancer cells , which might be considered as a potential therapeutic strategy forgastric carcinoma.