Objective To evaluate the predictive value of a dose-surface histogram (DSH) for radiation cystitis (RC) in patients with cervical cancer. Methods We retrospectively included 190 patients with cervical cancer who underwent image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) from the HIS system of The First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from May 2013 to May 2023. The patients were divided into test group (n = 100) and control group (n = 90). The dose distribution in the bladder was evaluated by using a DSH for the test group and using a dose-volume histogram (DVH) for the control group. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the predictive value of DSH for RC in comparison with DVH. Results There were no significant differences in baseline data and RC incidence between the two groups (all P＞0.05). All evaluation indicators were significantly different between DSH and DVH (all P＜0.05). The predictive value of S₄₅ and V₄₅ for the incidence of grade-I, -II, and -III RC was low (all P＜0.05). The predictive value of S₅₀ and V₅₀ for the incidence of grade-I, -II, and -III RC was moderate (all P＜0.05). S₅₅−S₅₇ and V₅₅−V₅₇ showed high value for predicting the incidence of grade-I, -II, and -III RC (all P＜0.05). Conclusion DSH shows basically the same predictive value for the incidence of RC caused by IGRT in cervical cancer as DVH, which is expected to become a new tool for evaluating radiotherapy plans.

Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is one of the common complications of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with a high mortality rate. Several studies have shown that active implementation of effective treatment can significantly improve the quality of life and prolong survival of HCC patients with PVTT. In recent years, with the continuous development of molecular biology and molecular immunology, the treatment of advanced liver cancer has shifted from single agent to combination therapy, among which, the combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors and other systemic or local therapies has attracted much attention. This treatment strategy has shown good efficacy in some large-scale clinical trials. With the deepening of relevant research, it is believed that this treatment scheme will bring more hope and opportunities to such patients.

Objective To study the expression of serum tumor necrosis factor receptor-6 (TR6) [decoy receptor 3 (DcR3)] in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) complicated with respiratory failure,and to analyze its influence on prognosis.Methods 134 patients with AECOPD admitted to our hospital from March 2015 to March 2017 were selected as the study subjects.According to whether or not respiratory failure occurred,they were divided into respiratory failure group (65 cases) and non-respiratory failure group (69 cases).Another 60 healthy volunteers who underwent physical examination in our hospital during the same period were selected as the control group.Serum albumin (ALB),C-reactive protein (CRP),first-second forced breathing volume (FEV1％),first-second forced breathing vdume (FEV1/FVC),arterial partial oxygen pressure (PaO2) and arterial partial carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO2) were collected.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect serum levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8),tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and DcR3.Results The levels of ALB,FEV1,FEV1/FVC and PaO2 in respiratory failure group were significantly lower than those in non-respiratory failure group and control group (P ＜ 0.05),and those in non-respiratory failure group were significantly lower than those in control group (P ＜ 0.05);the levels of CRP,PaCO2,IL-8,TNF-α and DcR3 in respiratory failure group were significantly higher than those in non-respiratory failure group and control group (P ＜ 0.05).The survival rate of high DcR3 level group was significantly lower than that of low DcR3 level group (P ＜ 0.05).High levels of TNF-α and DcR3 were independent risk factors for adverse prognosis of AECOPD patients with respiratory failure (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The high expression of DcR3 in serum of AECOPD patients with respiratory failure is an independent risk factor for adverse prognosis.

Objective To compare the adjuvant activity of oil-in-water emulsion MF59 and aluminum hydroxide on immune responses to HIV-1 multi-epitope protein MEP1 in BALB/c mice. Methods HIV-1 multi-epitope protein MEP1 with MF59 or aluminum was prepared to intramuscularly vaccinate female BALB/c mice for three times. Serum and splenocytes were isolated from the mice 10 d after the first and last vaccination. Specific anti-MEP1 antibodies and the subclasses in serum were detected by ELISA. The num-bers of splenic lymphocytes secreting IFN-γ and IL-4 were measured by ELISPOT. Differences in humoral and cellular immune responses induced by the two different adjuvants were compared. Results After a sin-gle-dose immunization, aluminum adjuvant promoted early humoral and cellular immune responses to MEP1 compared with MF59. After the three-dose immunization, both aluminum adjuvant and MF59 promoted MEP1 to induce Th2-biased humoral immune response, while MF59 also enhanced a balanced Th1/Th2 cel-lular immune response. Conclusions Aluminum adjuvant was a more suitable adjuvant than MF59 for HIV-1 multi-epitope protein MEP1.

Objective To compare and analyze the clinical characteristics of acute central cervical spinal cord injury with only upper extremity involvement and with both upper and lower extremity involvement.Methods A retrospective case control study was made on clinical data of 76 patients with acute central cervical spinal cord injury hospitalized from January 2010 to December 2013.Nerve injury involved was only upper extremity in 39 patients (upper extremity group),but both upper and lower extremities in 37 patients (upper-and lower-extremity group).In upper extremity group,there were 35 males and four females,age was 21-80 years [(52.5 ± 13.4) years],injury resulted from traffic accidents in 24 patients,ground-level falls in eight,high-level falls in six and heavy-object hit in one,and level of injury was C3/4 in 16 patients,C4/5 in 14 and C5/6 in nine.In upper-and lower-extremity group,there were 30 males and seven females,age was 36-78 years [(59.6 ± 9.7) years],injury resulted from traffic accidents in 16 patients,ground-level falls in 11,high-level falls in seven and heavyobject hit in three,and level of injury was C3/4in nine patients,C4/sin 18 and C5/6in 10.Sagittal diameter of the cervical spinal canal,maximal canal compromise,maximal spinal cord compression,degenerating factors of the cervical spine and treatment protocols were determined.Upper extremity function was assessed with the American spinal injury association (ASIA) score.Results There were significant differences between upper extremity group and upper-and lower-extremity group in sagittal diameter of the cervical spinal canal [(7.5 ± 1.5)mm ∶ (6.8 ± 1.2)mm],maximal canal compromise [(28.9 ±9.6)％ ∶ (34.9 ± 10.6)％],ASIA score at admission[(31.6 ± 11.8)points ∶ (22.7± 11.3)points)] and ASIA score at last follow-up [(46.2 ± 4.2) points ∶ (40.2 ± 4.0) points] (P ＜ 0.05),while the maximal spinal cord compression in upper extremity group [(15.7 ± 11.9)％] had no significant difference from that in upper-and lowerextremity group [(17.0 ± 10.6) ％] (P ＞ 0.05).Lower prevalence of posterior osteophyte of the vertebral body was noted in upper extremity group than upper-and lower-extremity group (15％ ∶ 51％) (P ＜0.01).Twenty patients (49％) in upper extremity group were surgically treated,while 31 patients (84％) in upperand lower-extremity group (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Compared to acute central cervical spinal cord injury with both upper and lower extremity involvement,the injury with only upper extremity involvement is much common in younger patients and is characterized by lowered frequency of osteophyte,large buffer space,mild nerve damage,preferred non-operation treatment and good prognosis.

Objective To express a recombinant protein TFPR1 ( the functional region of the snake venom proteins from Trimeresurus flavoviridis) in Pichia pastoris expression system. Methods The target gene was codon-optimized and synthesized according to the sequence of the conserved structural do-main of triflin and then cloned into the Pichia pastoris expression vector pPICZαA to construct the recombi-nant expression plasmid pPICZαA-TFPR1. The recombinant plasmid pPICZαA-TFPR1 was electroporated into the yeast strain X33. The transformed strains carrying expression plasmid were screened out with Zeocin and then induced by methanol to express the recombinant protein TFPR1. ELISA was performed for the screening of positive clones. SDS-PAGE and Western blot were used for further identification of the ex-pressed products. Results The recombinant plasmid pPICZαA-TFPR1 was successfully constructed. The recombinant protein TFPR1 was expressed in a secreted form at a molecular weight of 16×103. Conclusion The recombinant protein TFPR1 was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris expression system, which laid a foundation for further researches on its biological function and application as an adjuvant.

This study evaluated the clinical value of three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) images in the knees following arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Sixty-five consecutive patients underwent arthroscopic ACL reconstruction with single-incision and single-tunnel techniques. Preoperative and postoperative (12 months in between) clinical evaluation were performed using the Lysholm knee score and a KT-1000 arthrometer (side to side). Computed tomography (CT) of the knees was performed in a week after operation in all cases and at mean follow-up of 12 months. All of the clinical evaluation scales performed showed an overall improvement. 3D-CT images can display not only the bone tunnels of the knees including femoral and tibia very distinctly, but also the contour of the reconstructed ACL including adjacent structures. The average femoral tunnel diameter increased significantly (3%) from (9.15 +/- 0.03) mm postoperatively to (9.48 +/- 0.5) mm after 12 months; tibial tunnel increased significantly (12%) from (9.11 +/- 0.09) mm to (10.2 +/- 0.3) mm. There was no statistical difference between tunnel enlargements. So multi-slices spiral CT can evaluate the contour and changes of contour and changes of the knee after ACL reconstruction, which will be helpful in the intraoperative location and postoperative assessment of the knees.
Adult ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction ; methods ; Arthroscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Knee Injuries ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Period ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the incidence, clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of solid-pseudopapillary tumor of pancreas (SPTP) in China. Methods Data of 5 cases treated in Liaocheng Second Hospital and 649 cases reported in literature in the recent 10 years were retrospectively analyzed.Results The disease showed an increasing trend in recent 10 years. In total, 595 cases were reported in the recent 4 years. The disease was more common in young female, with a 1: 10 male female ratio. Their ages ranged from 8 to 67 years, 26.1 years on average. The chief symptoms were abdominal pain and discomfort. Diagnosis depended on postoperative pathological and immunohistochemical analysis. Tumors were mainly located in pancreas. All tumors were treated by surgical resection and prognosis was good. Conclusion SPTP is not rare. Definite diagnosis of SPTP depends on postoperative pathological and immunohistochemical study. Surgical resection is recommended due to its good prognosis.

Am investigation was done to identify the best and safe dosage of magnesium isoglycurrhizinate in treating hepatitis B.All 1 50 cases suffering from hepatitis B were randomly divided into five groups as A,B,C,D,E.Cases in group A were treated with magnesium isoglycurrhizinate in 100 mg per day for two weeks sololy,and in group B,C,D,E in 150 mg,200 mg,250 mg and 300 mg respectively.The changes of symptoms,index of hepatic function,clinical effective rates and side-effects were observed from treatment beginning to the end.The results that revealed there were no different effects among groups B to E,but less therapeutic effects in group A,and no obvious side-effects in all groups,suggesting that 150 mg dosage of magnesium isoglycurrhizinate should be a safe and the best dosage for treating hepatitis B.

According to the results of analyzing the microwave-induced thermoacoustic signals, the amplitude and frequency were estimated and the designing parameters of preprocessor were decided. Based on the parameters, the signals preprocessor was designed with the band pass frequency ranging from 50 KHz to 3MHz, the gain ranging from 55 dB to 105 dB and the output noise being 1.32 V when the input was zero and the gain was 105 dB. The de-noising method of thermoacoustic signals was also discussed. The signals can be picked up by the preprocessor combined with the digital multipoint average method. The amplitude of signals is only 5 microV or even less. The results indicated that the preprocessor can meet the needs of thermoacoustic signals acquisition in bandwidth, gain and noise control.
Acoustics ; instrumentation ; Algorithms ; Biophysical Phenomena ; Computer-Aided Design ; Equipment Design ; Microwaves ; Thermography ; instrumentation ; methods ; Tomography ; instrumentation ; methods