Objective: The CT/MRI Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) demonstrates high specificity with relatively limited sensitivity for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in high-risk patients. This study aimed to explore the possibility of improving sensitivity by combining CT/MRI LI-RADS v2018 with second-line contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) LI-RADS v2017 using sulfur hexafluoride (SHF) or perfluorobutane (PFB). Materials and Methods: This retrospective analysis of prospectively collected multicenter data included high-risk patients with treatment-naive hepatic observations. The reference standard was pathological confirmation or a composite reference standard (only for benign lesions). Each participant underwent concurrent CT/MRI, SHF-enhanced US, and PFB-enhanced US examinations. The diagnostic performances for HCC of CT/MRI LI-RADS alone and three combination strategies (combining CT/ MRI LI-RADS with either LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or a modified algorithm incorporating the Kupffer-phase findings for PFB [modified PFB]) were evaluated. For the three combination strategies, apart from the CT/MRI LR-5 criteria, HCC was diagnosed if CT/MRI LR-3 or LR-4 observations met the LR-5 criteria using LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or modified PFB. Results: In total, 281 participants (237 males; mean age, 55 ± 11 years) with 306 observations (227 HCCs, 40 non-HCC malignancies, and 39 benign lesions) were included. Using LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, and modified PFB, 20, 23, and 31 CT/MRI LR-3/4 observations, respectively, were reclassified as LR-5, and all were pathologically confirmed as HCCs. Compared to CT/MRI LI-RADS alone (74%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 68%–79%), the three combination strategies combining CT/MRI LI-RADS with either LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or modified PFB increased sensitivity (83% [95% CI: 77%–87%], 84% [95% CI: 79%–89%], 88% [95% CI: 83%–92%], respectively; all P < 0.001), while maintaining the specificity at 92% (95% CI: 84%–97%). Conclusion The combination of CT/MRI LI-RADS with second-line CEUS using SHF or PFB improved the sensitivity of HCC diagnosis without compromising specificity.

Objective: The CT/MRI Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) demonstrates high specificity with relatively limited sensitivity for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in high-risk patients. This study aimed to explore the possibility of improving sensitivity by combining CT/MRI LI-RADS v2018 with second-line contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) LI-RADS v2017 using sulfur hexafluoride (SHF) or perfluorobutane (PFB). Materials and Methods: This retrospective analysis of prospectively collected multicenter data included high-risk patients with treatment-naive hepatic observations. The reference standard was pathological confirmation or a composite reference standard (only for benign lesions). Each participant underwent concurrent CT/MRI, SHF-enhanced US, and PFB-enhanced US examinations. The diagnostic performances for HCC of CT/MRI LI-RADS alone and three combination strategies (combining CT/ MRI LI-RADS with either LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or a modified algorithm incorporating the Kupffer-phase findings for PFB [modified PFB]) were evaluated. For the three combination strategies, apart from the CT/MRI LR-5 criteria, HCC was diagnosed if CT/MRI LR-3 or LR-4 observations met the LR-5 criteria using LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or modified PFB. Results: In total, 281 participants (237 males; mean age, 55 ± 11 years) with 306 observations (227 HCCs, 40 non-HCC malignancies, and 39 benign lesions) were included. Using LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, and modified PFB, 20, 23, and 31 CT/MRI LR-3/4 observations, respectively, were reclassified as LR-5, and all were pathologically confirmed as HCCs. Compared to CT/MRI LI-RADS alone (74%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 68%–79%), the three combination strategies combining CT/MRI LI-RADS with either LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or modified PFB increased sensitivity (83% [95% CI: 77%–87%], 84% [95% CI: 79%–89%], 88% [95% CI: 83%–92%], respectively; all P < 0.001), while maintaining the specificity at 92% (95% CI: 84%–97%). Conclusion The combination of CT/MRI LI-RADS with second-line CEUS using SHF or PFB improved the sensitivity of HCC diagnosis without compromising specificity.

Objective: The CT/MRI Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) demonstrates high specificity with relatively limited sensitivity for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in high-risk patients. This study aimed to explore the possibility of improving sensitivity by combining CT/MRI LI-RADS v2018 with second-line contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) LI-RADS v2017 using sulfur hexafluoride (SHF) or perfluorobutane (PFB). Materials and Methods: This retrospective analysis of prospectively collected multicenter data included high-risk patients with treatment-naive hepatic observations. The reference standard was pathological confirmation or a composite reference standard (only for benign lesions). Each participant underwent concurrent CT/MRI, SHF-enhanced US, and PFB-enhanced US examinations. The diagnostic performances for HCC of CT/MRI LI-RADS alone and three combination strategies (combining CT/ MRI LI-RADS with either LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or a modified algorithm incorporating the Kupffer-phase findings for PFB [modified PFB]) were evaluated. For the three combination strategies, apart from the CT/MRI LR-5 criteria, HCC was diagnosed if CT/MRI LR-3 or LR-4 observations met the LR-5 criteria using LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or modified PFB. Results: In total, 281 participants (237 males; mean age, 55 ± 11 years) with 306 observations (227 HCCs, 40 non-HCC malignancies, and 39 benign lesions) were included. Using LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, and modified PFB, 20, 23, and 31 CT/MRI LR-3/4 observations, respectively, were reclassified as LR-5, and all were pathologically confirmed as HCCs. Compared to CT/MRI LI-RADS alone (74%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 68%–79%), the three combination strategies combining CT/MRI LI-RADS with either LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or modified PFB increased sensitivity (83% [95% CI: 77%–87%], 84% [95% CI: 79%–89%], 88% [95% CI: 83%–92%], respectively; all P < 0.001), while maintaining the specificity at 92% (95% CI: 84%–97%). Conclusion The combination of CT/MRI LI-RADS with second-line CEUS using SHF or PFB improved the sensitivity of HCC diagnosis without compromising specificity.

Objective: The CT/MRI Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) demonstrates high specificity with relatively limited sensitivity for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in high-risk patients. This study aimed to explore the possibility of improving sensitivity by combining CT/MRI LI-RADS v2018 with second-line contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) LI-RADS v2017 using sulfur hexafluoride (SHF) or perfluorobutane (PFB). Materials and Methods: This retrospective analysis of prospectively collected multicenter data included high-risk patients with treatment-naive hepatic observations. The reference standard was pathological confirmation or a composite reference standard (only for benign lesions). Each participant underwent concurrent CT/MRI, SHF-enhanced US, and PFB-enhanced US examinations. The diagnostic performances for HCC of CT/MRI LI-RADS alone and three combination strategies (combining CT/ MRI LI-RADS with either LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or a modified algorithm incorporating the Kupffer-phase findings for PFB [modified PFB]) were evaluated. For the three combination strategies, apart from the CT/MRI LR-5 criteria, HCC was diagnosed if CT/MRI LR-3 or LR-4 observations met the LR-5 criteria using LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or modified PFB. Results: In total, 281 participants (237 males; mean age, 55 ± 11 years) with 306 observations (227 HCCs, 40 non-HCC malignancies, and 39 benign lesions) were included. Using LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, and modified PFB, 20, 23, and 31 CT/MRI LR-3/4 observations, respectively, were reclassified as LR-5, and all were pathologically confirmed as HCCs. Compared to CT/MRI LI-RADS alone (74%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 68%–79%), the three combination strategies combining CT/MRI LI-RADS with either LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or modified PFB increased sensitivity (83% [95% CI: 77%–87%], 84% [95% CI: 79%–89%], 88% [95% CI: 83%–92%], respectively; all P < 0.001), while maintaining the specificity at 92% (95% CI: 84%–97%). Conclusion The combination of CT/MRI LI-RADS with second-line CEUS using SHF or PFB improved the sensitivity of HCC diagnosis without compromising specificity.

Objective: The CT/MRI Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) demonstrates high specificity with relatively limited sensitivity for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in high-risk patients. This study aimed to explore the possibility of improving sensitivity by combining CT/MRI LI-RADS v2018 with second-line contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) LI-RADS v2017 using sulfur hexafluoride (SHF) or perfluorobutane (PFB). Materials and Methods: This retrospective analysis of prospectively collected multicenter data included high-risk patients with treatment-naive hepatic observations. The reference standard was pathological confirmation or a composite reference standard (only for benign lesions). Each participant underwent concurrent CT/MRI, SHF-enhanced US, and PFB-enhanced US examinations. The diagnostic performances for HCC of CT/MRI LI-RADS alone and three combination strategies (combining CT/ MRI LI-RADS with either LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or a modified algorithm incorporating the Kupffer-phase findings for PFB [modified PFB]) were evaluated. For the three combination strategies, apart from the CT/MRI LR-5 criteria, HCC was diagnosed if CT/MRI LR-3 or LR-4 observations met the LR-5 criteria using LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or modified PFB. Results: In total, 281 participants (237 males; mean age, 55 ± 11 years) with 306 observations (227 HCCs, 40 non-HCC malignancies, and 39 benign lesions) were included. Using LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, and modified PFB, 20, 23, and 31 CT/MRI LR-3/4 observations, respectively, were reclassified as LR-5, and all were pathologically confirmed as HCCs. Compared to CT/MRI LI-RADS alone (74%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 68%–79%), the three combination strategies combining CT/MRI LI-RADS with either LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or modified PFB increased sensitivity (83% [95% CI: 77%–87%], 84% [95% CI: 79%–89%], 88% [95% CI: 83%–92%], respectively; all P < 0.001), while maintaining the specificity at 92% (95% CI: 84%–97%). Conclusion The combination of CT/MRI LI-RADS with second-line CEUS using SHF or PFB improved the sensitivity of HCC diagnosis without compromising specificity.

Objective:To investigate the current situation of sitting time and health literacy among high school students in China,in order to provide a basis for improving their physical and mental health levels.Methods:A stratified random cluster sampling method was used to investigate the length of sitting time and health literacy of first and second grade high school students from 31 provinces,cities,and au-tonomous regions in China(data did not include that of Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Re-gion,and Taiwan Province of China).The Kruskal-Wallis H method,independent sample Mann-Whit-ney U test,and regression model were used to analyze the influencing factors of sitting time and total health literacy score.Results:(1)The total score of health literacy was statistically significant(P＜0.01)in different regions,urban and rural distribution,annual family income,parents'educational background,age,and gender.(2)The length of sitting was statistically significant(P＜0.01)among multiple groups in different regions,family annual income,parental education,and gender.However,there was no statistically significant difference between groups of different ages and urban-rural distribution(P＞0.05).(3)The analysis of multiple linear regression model showed that the total score of health literacy was positively correlated with the family's annual income and the mother's education,and nega-tively correlated with the father's education and the length of sitting.Standardized regression coefficientβcomparison:Father's education(-0.32)＞family annual income(0.15)＞mother's education(0.09)＞average daily sitting time(-0.02),with father's education having the greatest impact,fol-lowed by family annual income.The length of sitting was positively related to the family's annual income and the mother's educational background,and negatively related to the total score of health literacy.Standardized regression coefficientβ comparison:Annual family income(0.14)＞education background of mother(0.13)＞total score of health literacy(-0.02),with the impact of annual family income the largest,followed by education background of mother.Conclusion:China's first and second grade high school students generally spend a long time sitting every day,and the level of health literacy is generally low.The level of health literacy and sitting time are negatively correlated with each other,and are most in-fluenced by the educational background of high school students'parents and their family economic levels.

Objective To explore the relationship between serum soluble semaphorin 4D(sSema4D),CXC chemokine ligand 12(CXCL12)levels and left ventricular diastolic function in young and middle-aged patients with essential hypertension.Methods A total of 148 young and middle-aged patients with essential hyperten-sion admitted to a hospital from November 2020 to November 2022 were selected as the study subjects,and were grouped into left ventricular diastolic dysfunction group(n=41)and normal left ventricular diastolic function group(n=107)according to their left ventricular diastolic function.The serum levels of sSema4D and CXCL12 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Pearson correlation analysis was applied to analyze the correlation between the serum levels of sSema4D and CXCL12 and the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD),left ventricular septal thickness(IVST),left ventricular end-diastolic posterior wall thickness(LVPWT),left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),E peak/A peak(E/A)and maximum velocity of tricuspid regurgitation(TRVmax).The predictive value of ser-um sSema4D and CXCL12 levels in left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in young and middle-aged patients with essential hypertension was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results There were significant differences in diastolic blood pressure and gender between the left ventricular diastolic dys-function group and the left ventricular diastolic function normal group(P＜0.05).Compared with the normal left ventricular diastolic function group,serum levels of sSema4D,CXCL12 in the left ventricular diastolic dys-function group were obviously increased,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Compared with normal left ventricular diastolic function group,IVST and LVPWT in the left ventricular diastolic dys-function group were significantly increased,and E/A was significantly decreased,with statistical significance(P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum sSema4D and CXCL12 levels were positively cor-related with LVEDD,IVST and LVPWT(P＜0.05),and negatively correlated with E/A(P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of serum sSema4D and CXCL12 combined in pre-dicting left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in young and middle-aged patients with essential hypertension was 0.894(95％CI:0.833-0.939),which was significantly greater than that of sSema4D alone in predicting left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in young and middle-aged patients with essential hypertension(Z=3.142,P=0.002)and CXCL12 alone predicted the AUC of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in young and middle-aged patients with essential hypertension(Z=3.268,P=0.001).Conclusion Serum sSema4D and CXCL12 levels are associated with left ventricular diastolic function in young and middle-aged patients with essential hypertension.

AIM To determine the contents of aspartic acid,glutamic acid,serine,glycine,threonine,citrulline,arginine,alanine,γ-amino-butyric acid,tyrosine,valine,phenlalanine,isoleucine,ornithine,leucine,lysine and proline in Gualoupi Injection and its intermediates,and to analyze their change laws.METHODS The OPA-FMOC online derivatization analysis was performed on a 45℃ thermostatic Waters XBridge C18 column(4.6 mm×100 mm,3.5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of phosphate buffer solution-[methanol-acetonitrile-water(45 : 45 : 10)]flowing at 1 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and the detection wavelengths were set at 262,338 nm.Principal component analysis and heatmap analysis were adopted in chemical pattern recognition for the corresponding intermediates in ten processes of six batches of samples.RESULTS Seventeen amino acids showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(R2>0.998 0),whose average recoveries were 83.4％-119.5％with the RSDs of 0.91％-7.94％.Different batches of samples in the same process were clustered,and the corresponding intermediates in different processed were clustered into three groups.Alcohol precipitation and cation exchange column demonstrated the biggest influences on amino acid composition.CONCLUSION This experiment can provide important references for the critical factors on quality control of Gualoupi Injection,thus ensure the stability and uniformity of final product.

Objective Recombinase-aided polymerase chain reaction(RAP)is a sensitive,single-tube,two-stage nucleic acid amplification method.This study aimed to develop an assay that can be used for the early diagnosis of three types of bacteremia caused by Staphylococcus aureus(SA),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(PA),and Acinetobacter baumannii(AB)in the bloodstream based on recombinant human mannan-binding lectin protein(M1 protein)-conjugated magnetic bead(M1 bead)enrichment of pathogens combined with RAP. Methods Recombinant plasmids were used to evaluate the assay sensitivity.Common blood influenza bacteria were used for the specific detection.Simulated and clinical plasma samples were enriched with M1 beads and then subjected to multiple recombinase-aided PCR(M-RAP)and quantitative PCR(qPCR)assays.Kappa analysis was used to evaluate the consistency between the two assays. Results The M-RAP method had sensitivity rates of 1,10,and 1 copies/μL for the detection of SA,PA,and AB plasmids,respectively,without cross-reaction to other bacterial species.The M-RAP assay obtained results for<10 CFU/mL pathogens in the blood within 4 h,with higher sensitivity than qPCR.M-RAP and qPCR for SA,PA,and AB yielded Kappa values of 0.839,0.815,and 0.856,respectively(P<0.05). Conclusion An M-RAP assay for SA,PA,and AB in blood samples utilizing M1 bead enrichment has been developed and can be potentially used for the early detection of bacteremia.

Based on the species-specific peptides of Pheretima and its common counterfeit (Metaphire magna), an identification method was established using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) for quality evaluation of Pheretima and its preparations. Separation was performed on a CORTECS T3 C18 column with 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile as the mobile phases. Mass spectrometry with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) using ESI⁺ mode was used to simultaneously monitor three ion pairs. The results indicated that the method was specific and could distinguish Guang Dilong, Hu Dilong, and M. magna, which were consistent with those of DNA barcode identification. The adulteration test showed that the LOD of peptide M was 1 μg·g^-1. Peptide M could be detected when 1% M. magna was added to Guang Dilong, indicating the high sensitivity of the method. Fifty-four batches of commercially available samples contained 35% Guang Dilong, 35% Hu Dilong, and 15% M. magna. No ions were detected in 15% of the samples, and DNA barcode identification revealed that they were mainly from Amynthas, with similar appearance to Hu Dilong. The analysis results of the formulation showed that no peptide ions were detected in 3 batches of Xiaohuoluo pills (3/6) and M. magna were detected in 2 batches of Shenjindan capsules (2/4). The developed method in the study has good specificity, sensitivity, and feasibility, and could be used for quality control of Pheretima and its related preparations. It is of great significance for improving quality standards and regulating the medicinal market of Pheretima.