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.

Objective To explore the value of plaque-to-aorta CT value ratio(standardized CT value)in differentiating coronary lipid and fibrous plaques,and to preliminarily analyze the stability of the cutoff.Methods Patients who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography(CCTA)and intravascular ultrasound(IVUS)within 1 week were included.The plaque CT value was obtained by measuring the all,four and two short-axis planes,respectively.The CT value of the ascending aorta was measured and standardized(plaque-to-aorta CT value ratio).The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves of the standardized and the traditional CT values were drawn.Results A total of 60 patients with 74 plaques were included,35 lipid and 39 fibrous plaques were diagnosed by IVUS.The aorta CT value was significantly correlated with the plaque(r=0.420,P<0.01);the cutoffs for the CT value of all,four and two plaque slices were 55 HU,48 HU and 52 HU,respectively,and all there of the cutoffs of standardized CT value were 0.149;the sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value(PPV)and negative predictive value(NPV)of four-slice traditional and standardized CT values to differentiate lipid and fibrous plaques were 69%,87%,83%,76%and 91%,82%,82%,91%,respectively.Conclusion Compared with traditional CT value,the standardized CT value can greatly improve the sensitivity and NPV in differentiating coronary lipid and fibrous plaques,while maintaining modest to high specificity and PPV.Furthermore,the cutoff is stable.

Objective:To effectively quantify and evaluate the quality of different deformation registration algorithms, in order to enhance the possibility of implementing deformation registration in clinical practice.Methods:The Jacobian determinant mean (JDM) is proposed based on the Jacobian determinant (JD) of displacement vector field (DVF), and the Jacobian determinant error (DJDE) is introduced by incorporating the JD of the inverse DVF. The optical flow method (OF-DIR) and fast demons method with elastic regularization (FD-DIR) were tested on nasopharyngeal and lung cancer datasets. Finally, JDM and DJDE with the Jacobian determinant negative percentage (JDNP), inverse consistency error (ICE) and normalized mean square error (NMSE) were used to evaluate the registration algorithms and compare the differences evaluation indicators in different tumor images and different algorithms, and the receiver operating curve (ROC) was analyzed in evaluation.Results:In lung cancer, OF-DIR outperformed FD-DIR in terms of JDM, NMSE, DJDE and ICE, and the difference was statistically significant( z = -2.24, -4.84, t = 4.01, 6.54, P<0.05). In nasopharyngeal carcinoma, DJDE, ICE and NMSE of OF-DIR were superior to FD-DIR, and the difference was statistically significant ( t = 4.46, -7.49, z = -2.22, P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in JDM ( P>0.05). In lung cancer and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, JDNP of OF-DIR was worse than that of FD-DIR, and the difference was statistically significant ( z = -4.29, -4.02, P<0.01). In addition, DJDE is more specific and sensitive on ROC curve (AUC=0.77), and has different performance result for tumor images at different sites. Conclusions:The JDM and DJDE evaluation metrics proposed are effective for deformation registration algorithms. OF-DIR is suitable for both lung cancer and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, while the influence of organ motion on the registration effect should be considered when using FD-DIR.

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Coptidis Rhizoma-Fermentum Rubrum on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） in mice and explore its possible mechanisms. MethodSixty male SPF C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into six groups： control group， model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose Coptidis Rhizoma-Fermentum Rubrum group （0.75， 1.5， 3 g·kg^-1）， and metformin group （0.075 g·kg^-1）， with 10 mice in each group. NAFLD mouse models were induced by high-fat diet feeding for 24 weeks. The low， medium， and high-dose Coptidis Rhizoma-Fermentum Rubrum groups were administered corresponding doses of Coptidis Rhizoma-Fermentum Rubrum by gavage， while the control and model groups received an equivalent amount of saline for four weeks. Serum total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， free fatty acids （FFA）， and liver function markers including alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST） were measured using an automatic biochemical analyzer. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and oil red O staining were used to detect liver lipid deposition， and Prussian blue staining was used to measure liver ferrous ion levels. Western blot was performed to detect the expression of key proteins in the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 （Nrf2）-glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4） axis. ResultAfter 24 weeks of high-fat feeding， compared with the control group， the model group showed significant increases in body weight， liver weight and liver index， and serum lipid levels （P<0.01）， as well as substantial hepatic lipid deposition with marked steatosis. Compared with the model group， Coptidis Rhizoma-Fermentum Rubrum intervention reduced body weight （P<0.01）， liver weight and liver index （P<0.01）， and serum lipid levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）， improved liver function （P<0.01）， and decreased hepatic lipid deposition， with the low-dose Coptidis Rhizoma-Fermentum Rubrum group showing the best effect. Western blot results showed that compared with those in the control group， the expression levels of Nrf2， heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1）， kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1（Keap1）， and GPX4 proteins in the model group were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， Coptidis Rhizoma-Fermentum Rubrum increased the expression levels of these proteins （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionCoptidis Rhizoma-Fermentum Rubrum can alleviate fatty liver in mice， improve liver function， and reduce hepatic lipid deposition， possibly by regulating the Nrf2/GPX4 ferroptosis axis.

Fungal keratitis is a serious blinding eye disease. The development of fungal infections depends primarily on the interaction of fungal virulence with host immune defense factors. The cornea is considered an immune-privileged organ, and resident macrophages are the main immune cells that respond to the heterogeneity exhibited by the microenvironment with their polarization. In the early stage of infection, macrophages polarize towards M1, which promotes inflammation and facilitates fungal clearance but produces a cellular storm that exacerbates immune damage; in the late stage of infection, macrophages polarize towards M2, which suppresses the inflammatory response and facilitates tissue repair, but may be immunosuppressed or even immune escape to the detriment of pathogen clearance. The balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses is key to maintaining the functional integrity of the cornea. Current antifungal drug therapy is limited, so it is particularly important to find a therapeutic target for the inflammatory response triggered by the immune response in addition to antifungal therapy. In this review, the functional and phenotypic characterization of macrophage subsets associated with fungal keratitis was reviewed, more in-depth research is needed to explore the specific mechanisms by which macrophage polarization and their impact on fungal keratitis. Targeted regulation of macrophage differentiation based on their phenotype and function could be an effective approach to treat and manage fungal keratitis in the future.

ObjectiveTo explore the protective effect of polysaccharide from Inonotus obliquus （IOP） on lipopolysaccharide （LPS）-induced acute lung injury （ALI） in mice. MethodA total of 40 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into normal group， model group， dexamethasone group， and high-dose and low-dose IOP groups， with eight mice in each group. The high-dose and low-dose IOP groups were administered intragastrically with IOP at 20 and 10 mg·kg^-1， respectively. The normal group and the model group were intragastrically administered with normal saline in equal volumes， and the dexamethasone group was intraperitoneally injected with dexamethasone phosphate injection of 30 mg·kg^-1 for 21 days. An ALI mouse model induced by LPS was constructed， and hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， immunofluorescence staining， and blood routine were used to detect pathological damage of lung tissue and blood cell content. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were used to detect the expression levels of various inflammatory factors. Changes in gut microbiota and plasma differential metabolites in mice were detected using 16S rRNA sequencing and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF-MS）. ResultCompared with the model group， the lung tissue lesions of ALI mice were significantly improved after IOP administration， and the spleen and thymus index were dramatically increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The ratio of wet-to-dry weight of lung tissue was sensibly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the number of lymphocytes was substantially increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The number of neutrophils was markedly decreased （P<0.01）. The expression level of interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-8 （IL-8）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， nuclear factor-κB（NF-κB）， and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor 3 （NLRP3） decreased prominently （P<0.05， P<0.01） and the expression level of interleukin-10 （IL-10） increased memorably （P<0.01）. The 16S rRNA sequencing results show that IOP can regulate and improve intestinal microbial disorders. The UPLC-Q-TOF-MS results indicate that the treatment of ALI mice with IOP may involve pathways related to mitochondrial， sugar， and amino acid metabolism， such as nucleotide sugar metabolism， histidine metabolism， ubiquinone， and other terpenoid compound-quinone biosynthesis， as well as starch and sucrose metabolism. ConclusionThe improvement of lung tissue lesions and inflammatory response by IOP in ALI mice may be related to maintaining intestinal microbiota balance， regulating mitochondrial electron oxidation respiratory chain， as well as sugar and amino acid metabolism pathways， and affecting the production of related microbial metabolites and tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolites.

Background::Bladder cancer, characterized by a high potential of tumor recurrence, has high lifelong monitoring and treatment costs. To date, tumor cells with intrinsic softness have been identified to function as cancer stem cells in several cancer types. Nonetheless, the existence of soft tumor cells in bladder tumors remains elusive. Thus, our study aimed to develop a microbarrier microfluidic chip to efficiently isolate deformable tumor cells from distinct types of bladder cancer cells.Methods::The stiffness of bladder cancer cells was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The modified microfluidic chip was utilized to separate soft cells, and the 3D Matrigel culture system was to maintain the softness of tumor cells. Expression patterns of integrin β8 (ITGB8), protein kinase B (AKT), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) were determined by Western blotting. Double immunostaining was conducted to examine the interaction between F-actin and tripartite motif containing 59 (TRIM59). The stem-cell-like characteristics of soft cells were explored by colony formation assay and in vivo studies upon xenografted tumor models. Results::Using our newly designed microfluidic approach, we identified a small fraction of soft tumor cells in bladder cancer cells. More importantly, the existence of soft tumor cells was confirmed in clinical human bladder cancer specimens, in which the number of soft tumor cells was associated with tumor relapse. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the biomechanical stimuli arising from 3D Matrigel activated the F-actin/ITGB8/TRIM59/AKT/mTOR/glycolysis pathways to enhance the softness and tumorigenic capacity of tumor cells. Simultaneously, we detected a remarkable up-regulation in ITGB8, TRIM59, and phospho-AKT in clinical bladder recurrent tumors compared with their non-recurrent counterparts.Conclusions::The ITGB8/TRIM59/AKT/mTOR/glycolysis axis plays a crucial role in modulating tumor softness and stemness. Meanwhile, the soft tumor cells become more sensitive to chemotherapy after stiffening, that offers new insights for hampering tumor progression and recurrence.

Objective To analyze the efficacy,safety,and survival of laparoscopic cholecystectomy(LC)combined with lymph node dissection in the treatment of elderly primary gallbladder cancer.Methods 59 elderly patients with primary gallbladder cancer who underwent open cholecystectomy combined with lymph node dissection from January 2018 to July 2021 were selected as the control group,and 59 elderly patients with primary gallbladder cancer who underwent LC combined with lymph node dissection were selected as the study group.The clinical efficacy,perioperative indicators,and T cell subsets were compared between the two groups CD4+、CD4+/CD8+]、Quality of life(SF-36).Results The difference in recent treatment effectiveness between the research group and the control group is relatively small,(94.0％VS 72.5％,x2=0.209,P=0.648).The time required for lymph node dissection was(39.27±5.63)min and surgery time was(235.16±31.37)min in the study group,which was longer than that in the control group[(35.61±4.75)min and(194.59±30.82)min(P＜0.05).In the study group,the intraoperative bleeding volume was(32.63±5.42)ml and first exhaust time was(3.18±0.72)d,gastrointestinal function recovery time was(3.98±1.04)d,and hospitalization time was(6.24±1.25)d,which were shorter than those in the control group[(61.27±7.85)ml,(4.02±0.83)d,(4.65±1.18)d,(10.41±2.18)d,respectively,(P＜0.05)].After surgery,the levels of CD3+(16.52％±5.24％),CD4+(15.79％±3.83％),and CD4+/CD8+(0.47％±0.11％)in the study group were higher than those in the control group(13.74％±4.30％,10.83％±3.14％and 0.29％±0.05％)(P＜0.05).One month after surgery,the total quality of life score(SF-36)of the observation group(90.86±3.75)was higher than that of the control group(86.85±3.14)(P＜0.05).The incidence of complications in the study group was lower than that in the control group(7.01％VS 23.73％,x2=4.627,P＜0.05).The median survival time of the study group was(13.8±1.50)months,which was significantly higher than that of the control group[(12.5±1.25)months,P＞0.05].Conclusion LC combined with lymph node dissection is a safe and effective treatment for elderly primary gallbladder cancer,without affecting long-term prognosis and survival.

Objective:To summarize the clinical features,diagnosis and treatment of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) after novel coronavirus infection(COVID-19),so as to improve the early recognition of MIS-C.Methods:The general information,clinical manifestations,treatment and length of hospital stay of fifteen children diagnosed with MIS-C and hospitalized in the Department of Cardiology,Children's Hospital,Capital Institute of Pediatrics from December 1，2022 to January 31，2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Fifteen children were divided into shock group( n=6) and non-shock group( n=9) according to the criteria of shock,and the differences in general conditions and laboratory examinations before treatment were compared between two groups. Results:The mean age of fifteen children were (3.28±2.48) years (ranging from 9 months to 7.9 years),with a male to female ratio of 4:1.The mean time interval from COVID-19 to the onset of MIS-C was (30.60±9.91) days.The novel coronavirus vaccination rate was 7%.Fever,enlarged lymph nodes,cracked lips and a strawberry tongue were present in all children,with just one exhibiting peeling of the hands and feet.Compared with the non-shock group,patients in the shock group were older,the level of platelet decreased significantly,the level of procalcitonin,interleukin-10,N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP) and ferritin significantly increased,the left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular fractional shortening decreased significantly,and the Z score of left ventricular end-systolic diameter significantly increased,and there were significant differences between two groups ( P<0.05).All 15 patients were treated with human intravenous immunoglobulin,and five patients with severe myocarditis and shock accepted combined high-dose methylprednisolone pulse therapy over a period of five days,with the doses gradually tapering off afterwards.The mean hospital stay of all patients was (11.00±4.80) days,while the mean shock correction time of six patients was (5.14±2.12) days.After six months of follow-up,15 patients showed excellent prognosis with coronary lesions recovered and without any new complications. Conclusion:Generally,MIS-C tends to occur 3-6 weeks after COVID-19,with more boys than girls.Older ones are more likely to suffer from shock.Focusing on NT-proBNP and cardiac function indicators could identify shock early.High-dose methylprednisolone pulse therapy may be effective and benefit for prognosis improvement in children complicated with both shock and severe myocarditis.

Objective:To investigated the safety and efficacy of donor-derived CD19+ or sequential CD19+ CD22+ chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy in patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).Methods:The data of 22 patients with B-ALL who relapsed after allo-HSCT and who underwent donor-derived CAR-T therapy at the Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of the People’s Liberation Army of China from September 2015 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), and the secondary endpoints were event-free survival (EFS), complete remission (CR) rate, and Grade 3-4 adverse events.Results:A total of 81.82% ( n=18) of the 22 patients achieved minimal residual disease-negative CR after CAR-T infusion. The median follow-up time was 1037 (95% CI 546–1509) days, and the median OS and EFS were 287 (95% CI 132-441) days and 212 (95% CI 120-303) days, respectively. The 6-month OS and EFS rates were 67.90% (95% CI 48.30%-84.50%) and 58.70% (95% CI 37.92%-79.48%), respectively, and the 1-year OS and EFS rates were 41.10% (95% CI 19.15%-63.05%) and 34.30% (95% CI 13.92%-54.68%), respectively. Grade 1-2 cytokine release syndrome occurred in 36.36% ( n=8) of the patients, and grade 3-4 occurred in 13.64% of the patients ( n=3). Grade 2 and 4 graft-versus-host disease occurred in two patients. Conclusion:Donor-derived CAR-T therapy is safe and effective in patients with relapsed B-ALL after allo-HSCT.