Objective:To evaluate the effectiveness of deep learning reconstruction (DLR) compared with hybrid iterative reconstruction (Hybrid IR) in improving the image quality in chest low-dose CT (LDCT).Methods:Seventy-seven patients who underwent LDCT scan for physical examination or regular follow-up in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from October 2020 to March 2021 were retrospectively included. The LDCT images were reconstructed with Hybrid IR at standard level (Hybrid IR Stand) and DLR at standard and strong level (DLR Stand and DLR Strong). Regions of interest were placed on pulmonary lobe, aorta, subscapularis muscle and axillary fat to measure the CT value and image noise. The signal to noise ratio (SNR) and contrast to noise ratio (CNR) were calculated. Subjective image quality was evaluated using Likert 5-score method by two experienced radiologists. The number and features of ground-glass nodule (GGN) were also assessed. If the scores of the two radiologists were inconsistent, the score was determined by the third radiologist. The objective and subjective image evaluation were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Bonferroni test was used for multiple comparisons within the group.Results:Among Hybrid IR Stand, DLR Stand and DLR Strong images, the CT value of pulmonary lobe, aorta, subscapularis muscle and axillary fat had no significant differences (all P>0.05), but the image noise and SNR of pulmonary lobe, aorta, subscapularis muscle and axillary fat had significant differences(all P<0.05), and the CNR of images had significant difference( P<0.05), too. The CNR of Hybrid IR Stand images, DLR stand images and DLR strong images were 0.71 (0.49, 0.88), 1.06 (0.78, 1.32) and 1.14 (0.84, 1.48), respectively. Compared with Hybrid IR images, DLR images had lower objective and subjective image noise,higher SNR and CNR (all P<0.05). The scores of DLR images were superior to Hybrid IR images in identifying lung fissures, pulmonary vessels, trachea and bronchi, lymph nodes, pleura, pericardium and GGN (all P<0.05). Conclusions:DLR significantly reduced the image noise, and DLR images were superior to Hybrid IR images in identifying GGN in chest LDCT while maintaining superior image quality at relatively low radiation dose levels. Thus DLR images can improve the safety of lung cancer screening and pulmonary nodule follow-up by CT.

Objective:To explore the effect of deep learning reconstruction (DLR) on radiation dosage reduction and image quality of CTPA compared with hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR).Methods:A total of 100 patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (APE) or indications for CTPA due to other pulmonary artery diseases in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from December 2020 to April 2021 were prospectively enrolled and divided into HIR group and DLR group according to block randomization, with 50 cases in each group. The patient′s gender, age and body mass index (BMI) were recorded. HIR group and DLR group underwent standard deviation (SD)=8.8 and SD=15 CTPA protocols in combination with HIR and DLR algorithm respectively. Other scanning parameters and contrast medium injection plan were the same. The effective dose (ED) and size-specific dose estimate (SSDE) were calculated. Regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn in the lumen of Grade 1-3 pulmonary arteries and bilateral paravertebral muscles. The corresponding CT and SD values were recorded to acquire signal to noise ratio (SNR) and contrast noise ratio (CNR). Based on a double-blind method, two radiologists evaluated the subjective noise, visualization of pulmonary arteries, and diagnostic confidence of the two groups by 5-point Likert scales. The inconsistent results were judged comprehensively by the third radiologist. Independent samples t-test was used to compare the demographic data, radiation dosage and quantitative image quality of the two groups. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the subjective noise, visualization of pulmonary arteries and diagnostic confidence between the two groups. Linear weighted Kappa coefficient was calculated to analyze the consistency of the qualitative scores between the two radiologists. Results:There were no significant differences in gender, age and BMI between the two groups ( P>0.05). The CT values of Grade1-3 pulmonary arteries and paravertebral muscle had no significant differences ( P>0.05). Compared with HIR group, the ED and SSDE in DLR group decreased by about 35% to 1.3 mSv and 4.20 mGy respectively, while the SNR (30±5) and CNR (26±5) of CTPA images were higher in DLR group than those in HIR group (23±5 and 20±5, with t=-6.60 and -5.90, respectively, both P<0.001). The subjective noise score was higher in DLR group than that in HIR group ( Z=-7.34, P<0.001). In addition, two radiologists showed excellent interobserver agreement in DLR group (Kappa=0.847, 95%CI 0.553-1.000). No significant differences were found in visualization of pulmonary arteries and diagnostic confidence between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:DLR further reduced the radiation dosage and improved the image quality of CTPA, with no detriment to diagnostic confidence. Thus DLR is worthy of clinical promotion.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility of chest ultra-low dose CT (ULDCT) using deep learning reconstruction (DLR) for lung cancer screening, and to compare its image quality and nodule detection rate with ULDCT iterative reconstruction (Hybrid IR) and conventional dose CT (RDCT) Hybrid IR.Methods:The patients who underwent chest CT examination for pulmonary nodules in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from October 2020 to March 2021 were prospectively included and underwent chest RDCT (120 kVp, automatic tube current), followed by ULDCT (100 kVp, 20 mA). The RDCT images were reconstructed with Hybrid IR (adaptive iterative dose reduction 3D,AIDR 3D), and ULDCT was reconstructed with AIDR3D and DLR. Radiation dose parameters and nodule numbers were recorded. Image quality was assessed using objective noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the main trachea and left upper lobe, subjective image scores of the lung and nodules. Subjective scores were scored by 2 experienced radiologists on a Likert 5-point scale. The difference of radiation dose was compared with paired t-test between ULDCT and RDCT.The differences of quantitative indexes, objective image noise and subjective scores of the three reconstruction methods were compared with one-way analysis of variance or Friedman test. Results:Forty-five patients were enrolled, including 17 males and 28 females, aged from 32 to 74 (55±11) years. The radiation dose of ULDCT was (0.17±0.01) mSv, which was significantly lower than that of RDCT [(1.35±0.41) mSv, t=15.46, P<0.001]. There were significant differences in the image noise and SNR in the trachea and lung parenchyma and in the CT value of the trachea among ULDCT-AICE, ULDCT-AIDR 3D and RDCT-AIDR 3D images ( P<0.05). Image noise in the trachea and lung parenchyma and CT value in the trachea of ULDCT-AICE were significantly lower than those of ULDCT-AIDR 3D ( P<0.05) and comparable to RDCT-AIDR 3D ( P>0.05). There were significant differences in subjective image scores of the lung and nodules among ULDCT-AICE, ULDCT-AIDR 3D and RDCT-AIDR 3D images (χ2=50.57,117.20, P<0.001). Subjective image scores of the lung and nodules for ULDCT-AICE were significantly higher than those of ULDCT-AIDR 3D ( P<0.05), and non-inferior to RDCT-ADIR 3D ( P>0.05). All 72 clinically significant nodules detected on RDCT-ADIR 3D were also noted on ULDCT-AICE and ULDCT-AIDR 3D images. Conclusions:Chest ULDCT using DLR can significantly reduce the radiation dose, and compared with Hybrid IR, it can effectively reduce the image noise and improve SNR, and display the pulmonary nodules well. The image quality and nodule detection are not inferior to RDCT Hybrid IR routinely used in clinical practice.

Objective:To investigate the effect of bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the pre-attentive processing of methamphetamine addicts.Methods:Forty methamphetamine addicts were screened and equally divided into the intervention group and the control group by random number table method.The intervention group was treated with bilateral simultaneous stimulation with 10 Hz on the left DLPFC and 1 Hz on the right DLPFC with 7 days of continuous intervention.The same scheme was used to intervene the control group, but with pseudo-stimulation. The changes of amplitude and latency of mismatch negative wave(MMN) before and after intervention were compared. SPSS 24.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Independent sample t-test was used for inter group comparison, and paired sample t-test was used for intra group comparison before and after intervention. Results:Before rTMS, there were no significant differences in MMN(F3, Fz, F4) amplitude (intervention group: (-0.90±0.28)μV, (-0.98±0.19)μV, (-0.96±0.19)μV; control group: (-0.92±0.21)μV, (-0.89±0.20)μV, (-0.94±0.16)μV)and latency(intervention group: (184.16±33.07)ms, (179.20±25.35)ms, (184.95±28.22)ms; control group: (184.91±26.96)ms, (180.99±25.29)ms, (181.55±23.19)ms) between the two groups (all P>0.05). After the intervention, there were significant differences in MMN(Fz, F4) amplitude(intervention group: (-1.38±0.16)μV, (-1.17±0.19)μV; control group: (-0.91±0.17) μV, (-0.99±0.16)μV) between the two groups (both P<0.01), but there were no significant differences in MMN (F3) amplitude(intervention group: (-1.01±0.59)μV; control group: (-0.80±0.50)μV), and in MMN (F3, Fz, F4) latency(intervention group: (177.38±26.45)ms, (172.17±23.87)ms, (179.84±23.60)ms; control group: (182.08±24.95)ms, (177.94±21.30)ms, (179.18±21.62)ms)between the two groups (all P>0.05). There were statistically significant differences in MMN( Fz, F4) amplitude (before-intervention: (-0.98±0.19)μV, (-0.96±0.19)μV; after-intervention: (-1.38±0.16)μV, (-1.17±0.19)μV)before and after intervention in the intervention group (both P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in MMN(F3) amplitude(before-intervention: (-0.90±0.28)μV; after-intervention: (-1.01±0.59)μV)before and after intervention in the intervention group ( P>0.05), and there were statistically significant differences in MMN(F3, Fz, F4) latency (before-intervention: (184.16±33.07)ms, (179.20±25.35)ms, (184.95±28.22)ms; after-intervention: (177.38±26.45)ms, (172.17±23.87)ms, (179.84±23.60)ms)before and after intervention in the intervention group(all P<0.05). After pseudo-stimulation, there were no statistically significant differences in MMN( F3, Fz, F4) amplitude(before-intervention: (-0.92±0.21)μV, (-0.89±0.20)μV, (-0.94±0.16)μV; after-intervention: (-0.80±0.50)μV, (-0.91±0.17)μV, (-0.99±0.16)μV)and latency (before-intervention: (184.91±26.96)ms, (180.99±25.29)ms, (181.55±23.19)ms; after-intervention: (182.08±24.95)ms, (177.94±21.30)ms, (179.18±21.62)ms) before and after intervention in the control group (all P>0.05). Conclusion:After repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation, the pre-attentive processing of the intervention group is improved, which shows that bilateral simultaneous stimulation of the rTMS program is effective.

Objective To investigate the safety and feasibility of robot assisted laparoscopic precise enucleation for complex central located renal hilum tumors.Methods From July 2017 to October 2018,a single surgeon completed seven robot assisted laparoscopic precise enucleations for complex central located renal hilum tumors.There were five males and two females with an average age of 56.5 years (45-68 years),an average body mass index of 25.1 kg/m2 (19.8-29.2 kg/m2),four cases on the left side and three cases on the right side.The average tumor diameter was 3.5 cm,ranging(2.2-4.5 cm).The R.E.N.A.L.score was 9.7 (9-11).The average preoperative GFR was 44.5 ml/min (36.5-51.7 ml/min).The surgery was completed step by step as follow:the renal hilum was fully dissociated.The arteries,veins and collective system were completely freed.After blocking the renal artery,the renal hilum was completely dissected again.The tumor was enucleated precisely,and the wound was given a point-to-point suture.Results All operation were completed safely and successfully without conversion to nephrectomy and open surgery.The average operative duration was 175.0 min (133-224 min).The average warm ischemia time was 27.3 min (22-38 min) and the intraoperative blood loss was 155.7 ml (50-250 ml).One patient had gross hematuria after surgery.Postoperative pathology showed clear cell carcinoma and the margins were negative.After three months,the average GFR was 29.3 ml/min (23.9-33.2 ml/min).There was no tumor recurrence and metastasis.Conclusions Robot assisted laparoscopic precise enucleation is a safe and feasible surgery for complex central located renal hilum tumors,and it is worth further promotion.

Objective To invcstigate the clinical effect of Bushenxuanfei decoction combined with salmon calcitonin on osteoporosis in COPD patients.Methods 60 COPD patients with osteoporosis were randomly divided into two groups:30 patients as controls were treated with calcium carbonate and vitamin D3 tablets and salmon calcitonin and another 30 patients in the treatment group with salmon calcitonim combined with Bushenxuanfei decoction.The two groups were compared in terms of pain,BMD and calcium concentration.Results The treatment group was significantly better than the control one in terms of indexes of pain BMD and calcium concentration (P＜0.05).Conclusion Bushenxuanfei decoction combined with salmon calcitonin is of significant effect in the treatment of osteoporosis in COPD patients.

Purpose To investigate the corre1ation of the epiderma1 growth factor receptor( EGFR)gene mutation and amp1ification and protein expression with occurrence and deve1opment of non-sma11 ce11 1ung cancer( NSCLC),and to exp1ore the re1ationship be-tween the mutation and amp1ification of EGFR gene and other c1inica1 patho1ogica1 parameters. Methods qRT-PCR,FISH and immu-nohistochemistry were used to detect EGFR gene(exons 18,19,20 and 21)mutation,amp1ification and protein expression in paraf-fin-embedded tissues of NSCLC. Results EGFR gene(exons 18,19,20 and 21)mutation rate was 58. 18%(32/55)in NSCLC with qRT-PCR techno1ogy,in which the occurrence rate of exon 19 de1etions and exon 21 mutation of L858R was 87. 50%(28/32). EGFR gene mutation rate was significant1y different in gender,smoking history and patho1ogica1 type(P<0. 01),but no statistica1 sig-nificance in age,1ymph node metastasis and TNM staging(P>0. 05). EGFR gene amp1ification rate was 23. 64%(13/55)and its protein expression rate was 70. 91%(39/55). Both EGFR gene mutation and amp1ification was c1ose1y corre1ated(P<0. 05),but the two states of EGFR gene and its protein expression had no corre1ation(P>0. 05). Conclusion EGFR gene mutation with high pro-tein expression of NSCLC is common1y found in fema1e,no-smoking and adenocarinoma patients,who are main candidates of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor( TKI)screening. EGFR gene mutation and amp1ification is typica11y corre1ated,but their consequence is unknown, which needs to be further investigated. EGFR gene mutation and amp1ification is not consistent with protein expression,its under1ying machanism is to be determined.

BACKGROUNDThere are limited eligible clinical markers at present to monitor the progress of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), as one of the most important oxidation-regulating enzymes in vivo, suggests the onset and progression of cancer when highly expressed. Furthermore, HO-1 level is related with the occurrence and development of hematological diseases. But the relationship between HO-1 expression and progression/relapse of CML has seldom been studied hitherto. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between them to find out a new molecular marker for prediction.

METHODSA total of 60 peripheral blood and bone marrow (BM) samples from 25 CML patients in different phases were collected respectively to detect the expressions of HO-1 and bcr/abl using real-time PCR. Routine blood test was performed to detect the changes of leukocyte and platelet counts. The proportion of primitive cells in BM was detected by flow cytometry. The relationship between high HO-1 expression and CML progression and relapse was explored by the analysis of variance by Wilcoxon test and linear regression analysis. The diagnostic accuracy and cutoff values were determined by receiver operating characteristic curve.

RESULTSRelative expression of HO-1 mRNA in CML patients peripheral blood was significantly higher than that of donors (P < 0.0001), which were 0.57±3.78 and (1.417±1.125)×10(-6), respectively. HO-1 expression level in CML patients was 0.061 5±0.062 4, which decreased to 0.009 4±0.006 7 upon CMoR, and remained remarkably higher 0.016 3±0.017 5 than that of normal donors (1.417±1.125)×10(-6), P < 0.001. When relapse occurred, HO-1 expression significantly increased from 0.020 6±0.021 0 to 3.852±10.285 in CMoR stage and undergoing relapse. According to progression of CML, HO-1 expression level in CML patients increased from CP (0.009 5±0.017 6) to AP (0.028 0±0.055 7) and then to BP (0.276 7 ± 0.447 0). And there was a linear correlation between HO-1 expression and proportion of primitive CML cells. The diagnostic accuracies and cutoff values of HO-1 expression for CML-CP, CML-AP, and CML-BP were 1.0, 0.748, and 0.965, respectively, as well as 0.000 070, 0.001 917, and 0.020 696, respectively.

CONCLUSIONHO-1 may be a potential molecular indicator for the progression and relapse of CML.

Bone Marrow ; metabolism ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Gene Expression ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; blood ; genetics ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive ; diagnosis ; enzymology ; pathology ; Male ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

Timely removal of oxidatively damaged proteins is critical for cells exposed to oxidative stresses; however, cellular mechanism for clearing oxidized proteins is not clear. Our study reveals a novel type of protein modification that may play a role in targeting oxidized proteins and remove them. In this process, DSS1 (deleted in split hand/split foot 1), an evolutionally conserved small protein, is conjugated to proteins induced by oxidative stresses in vitro and in vivo, implying oxidized proteins are DSS1 clients. A subsequent ubiquitination targeting DSS1-protein adducts has been observed, suggesting the client proteins are degraded through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. The DSS1 attachment to its clients is evidenced to be an enzymatic process modulated by an unidentified ATPase. We name this novel protein modification as DSSylation, in which DSS1 plays as a modifier, whose attachment may render target proteins a signature leading to their subsequent ubiquitination, thereby recruits proteasome to degrade them.
Free Radicals ; metabolism ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Oxidative Stress ; genetics ; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex ; genetics ; metabolism ; Protein Binding ; Protein Modification, Translational ; genetics ; Ubiquitin ; metabolism ; Ubiquitination ; genetics

Objective To investigate feasibility and early stage postoperative complications of lapa-roscopic radical cystectomy ( LRC) . Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data of 63 consecutive pa-tents (58 males and 5 females) who underwent LRC from Oct .2011 to Oct.2013 in our institute.Of these patients, 46 patients underwent ileal conduit , 9 patients underwent ureterocutaneostomy , and 8 patients un-derwent orthotopic ileal neobladder urinary diversion .The average age and body mass index of patients were 67.7±11.1 (33-84) years and 23.3±2.1 (18.8-28.7) kg/m2, respectively.The mean hemoglobin and al-bumin of patients were (130.7±20.3) g/L and (38.9±4.1) g/L, respectively.Comorbidities of hyperten-sion, diabetes, coronary heart disease and decompensated liver cirrhosis were found in 10, 6, 2 and 1 pa-tient, respectively.10 of 61 patients had a history of abdominal surgery .The indications for cystectomy were classified as muscle invasive bladder cancer for 30 patients, unresectable superficial bladder cancer for 19 patients and recurrent bladder cancer for 14 patients.Postoperative data and early stage postoperative compli-cations within 3 months after surgery were collected . Results The median operative time for LRC and uri-nary diversion was 390 (260-480) min, with a median estimated blood loss of 400 (100-1 500) ml.This was one patient converted to open surgery .The mean postoperative hemoglobin and albumin of patients was 108.5±14.7 g/L and 29.5±3.7 g/L, respectively, both of which significantly reduced compared with pre-operative data (P<0.01).The median duration of hospital stay was 15 days.The median time for liquid in-take, abdominal drainage removal and ureteral stent removal was 4 days, 9 days and 2 months after surgery , respectively.Catheter was removed 2 weeks after laparoscopic orthotopic cystectomy .21 (33.3%) of 63 pa-tients suffered from perioperative complications .15 of 46 patients (32.6%) in ileal conduit group had com-plications including ileus ( 5, 1 of 5 need re-operation ) , lymphatic fistulas ( 5) , pulmonary infection ( 1) , pyelonephritis (1), delirium (1), anastomotic leak (1, re-operation was needed) and pneumothorax (1). 2 of 9 patients (22.2%) in ureterocutaneostomy group had complications such as ileus (1) and lymphatic fistulas (1).4 of 8 patients (50.0%) in orthotopic ileal neobladder group suffered from complications like ileus (2, 1 of 2 required re-operation), lymphatic fistulas (1) and arrhythmia (1). Conclusions LRC is technically feasible and safe .It reduces the estimated blood loss and postoperative complications .It is noteworthy to surgeons that serum albumin significantly reduced after LRC , nutrition should be kept balanced after surgery.