Objective To investigate the feasibility of low-voltage,automatic tube current adjustment(ATCM)and low contrast agent concentration,dose and injection rate combined with full-model iterative re-construction(IMR)in vertebral artery V3-segment three-dimensional CT angiography(3DCTA).Methods A total of 60 patients with suspected upper cervical spine,craniocervical junction lesions undergoing cervical vertebral artery V3 segment 3DCTA in this hospital from November 2019 to May 2020 were selected and divided into the group A and B by adopting the random number table method,30 cases in each group.The group A adopted the ATCM technology of 80 kV,average tube current of 50 mAs,25 mL of contrast agent io-hexol(iodine content 300 mg/mL)combined IMR technology with an injection rate of 3 mL/s,while the group B adopted 120 kV,150 mAs fixed tube current,50 mL injection rate of 5 mL/s contrast agent iopamidol(iodine content 370 mg/mL)combined filter back projection(FBP)reconstruction technology.CT value,noise,signal-to-noise ratio(SNR),contrast noise ratio(CNR)and image sensitivity(FOM)were measured and compared between the two groups and the quality of the resulting images was evaluated.The CT volumet-ric dose index(CTDIvol)and dose-length product(DLP)were recorded,and the effective dose(ED)was cal-culated.Results There was no statistically significant difference in the vertebral arterial CT value between the two groups(P＞0.05),but the noise of the group A was lower than that of the group B(P＜0.05),SNR,CNR and FOM of the group A were greater than those of the group B(P＜0.05).The image quality of the two groups met the requirements of clinical diagnosis[(4.78±0.41)points vs.(4.85±0.35)points],and there was no statistically significant difference in the subjective evaluation of image quality(P＞0.05).The CTDIvol,DLP and ED levels in the group A were lower than those in the group B(P＜0.05).The iodine in-takes of contrast medium in the group A and group B were 7.5 g and 18.5 g,respectively,and the iodine flow rates of contrast agent were 0.9 and 1.85 mg/s,respectively,and compared with group B,the iodine intake and iodine flow rate of the group A were decreased by 59.5％and 51.4％,respectively.Conclusion Low tube voltage ATCM and low contrast concentration,dose and injection rate combined with IMR technology can not only ensure the 3DCTA image quality of vertebral artery V3 segment,but also reduce the radiation dose re-ceived by the patients,and reduce the iodine intake and iodine flow rate of contrast agent.

Objective:To investigate the expression of nuclear matrix protein 4 (NMP4) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and its relationship with clinicopathological features and survival prognosis of patients.Methods:The clinical data of 100 HCC patients who were treated with radical resection of liver cancer in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from July 1, 2014 to July 1, 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 63 males and 37 females, aged (58.5±10.4) years old. Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of NMP4 protein in HCC cancer tissue and the corresponding adjacent normal tissue. According to the expression of NMP4 in HCC tissues, 100 patients were divided into two groups: the NMP4-positive expression group ( n=62) and the NMP4-negative expression group ( n=32). Univariate analysis was performed on the relationship between NMP4 expression and clinical pathological features as well as overall survival of HCC patients. Cox multivariate analysis was performed on the factors influencing postoperative prognosis of HCC patients. Results:Immunohistochemistry results showed that NMP4 was primarily expressed in the nucleus, the positive expression rate of NMP4 in HCC tissues was higher than that in adjacent non-cancerous tissues [62.0% (62/100) vs. 8.0%(8/100)], and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=2.12, P=0.003). Univariate analysis revealed that the overall survival of HCC patients was correlated with the degree of tumor differentiation, tumor length, BCLC stage, number of tumor foci, vascular tumor thrombus and expression of NMP4 (all P<0.05). Cox multivariate analysis revealed that low differentiation, high BCLC stage (stage C), number of tumor foci (≥3), and positive expression of NMP4 were independent risk factors affecting postoperative survival and recurrence-free survival of HCC patients. The median overall survival and median recurrence-free survival of HCC patients in the NMP4-positive expression group were 22.3 months and 11.5 months, respectively. In contrast, that in the NMP4-negative expression group were 40.6 months and 19.4 months, respectively. The cumulative survival rate and recurrence-free survival rate of HCC patients in the NMP4-positive expression group were lower than those in the NMP4-negative expression group, and the differences were statistically significant (both P<0.05). Conclusion:Positive NMP4 expression was closely correlated with malignant biological progression and poor prognosis of HCC patients.

G protein-coupled receptor (GPR) 40, as one of GPRs family, plays a potential role in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism. To study the effect of GPR40 novel agonist SZZ15-11 on hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia and its potential mechanism, spontaneous type 2 diabetic KKA^y mice, human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells and murine mature adipocyte 3T3-L1 cells were used. KKA^y mice were divided into four groups, vehicle group, TAK group, SZZ (50 mg·kg^-1) group and SZZ (100 mg·kg^-1) group, with oral gavage of 0.5% sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), 50 mg·kg^-1 TAK875, 50 and 100 mg·kg^-1 SZZ15-11 respectively for 45 days. Fasting blood glucose, blood triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC), non-fasting blood glucose were tested. Oral glucose tolerance test and insulin tolerance test were executed. Blood insulin and glucagon were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). After mice′s execution, liver tissue was harvested to test TG and TC content. Then pathological morphology of liver was observed through hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and the lipid metabolism relative signal pathway was analyzed by Western blot and RT-PCR. The experiments were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. At the same time, Akt phosphorylation level in HepG2 cells and adiponectin in 3T3-L1 cells treated with TNFα were measured with Western blot. The results show that SZZ15-11 not only decreased blood glucose and lipid, improved insulin sensitivity, but also increased fasting blood glucagon and promoted insulin secretion after glucose loading in KKA^y mice. Additionally, SZZ15-11 alleviated hepatic steatosis and liver dysfunction in KKA^y mice. In liver tissue, SZZ15-11 increased AMPKα phosphorylation level and cholesterol metabolism relative gene Abcg8 transcription. In HepG2 cells, SZZ15-11 increased Akt phosphorylation level. In adipocyte 3T3-L1, SZZ15-11 recovered the decreased adiponectin expression by TNFα. This study proved that GPR40 agonist SZZ15-11 could be a candidate compound for regulating glucolipid metabolic disorder.

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety between hypofractionated radiotherapy(HyRt)and conventional radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery.Methods This study was a single-center,prospective,randomized controlled study.Eighty-three patients with pTis-T2N0M0 breast cancer admitted to Tangshan People's Hospital from May 2017 to May 2019 were included.The patients received breast-conserving surgery+sentinel lymph node biopsy(SLNB).After surgery,they were treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy(IMRT).According to random table method,patients were divided into HyRt group(n=41)and conventional radiotherapy group(n=42).The dose of organs at risk,treatment efficacy,treatment failure modes,and radiotherapy related adverse reactions were analyzed in the two groups.The radiotherapy-related adverse reactions were evaluated according to NCI CTC AE Version 3.0,including radiation dermatitis,radiation pneumonia,breast/skin fibrosis,pulmonary fibrosis,etc.Results Eighty-three patients with breast cancer were included,with a median age of 44(26-67)years.There was no statistically significant difference in clinical parameters such as age(P=0.443),TNM stage(P=0.335),molecular typing(P=0.333),degree of differentiation(P=0.617),and pathological type(P=0.127)between the two groups of patients.Compared with conventional radiotherapy group,the V5(25.6％vs.33.8％,P=0.015),V20(13.3％vs.17.2％,P=0.042),and the mean radiation dose(MLD;7.4 Gy vs.10.4 Gy,P=0.020)of the affected lung of HyRt group significantly decreased.Only 3 patients in this study experienced distant metastasis,and no regional lymph node metastasis or local recurrence was observed.There was no significant difference in PFS rate at 2 years between HyRt group and conventional radiotherapy group(94.4％vs.85.2％,P=0.818).Compared with conventional radiotherapy group,the incidence of≥grade Ⅱ irradiation dermatitis in HyRt group was significantly reduced(2.4％vs.21.4％,P=0.015).There was no difference in the incidence of grade Ⅰ breast/skin fibrosis(19.5％vs.14.3％,P=0.570)between the two groups,and no grade Ⅲ radiotherapy-related side effects were observed in the two groups.Conclusions Compared with conventional radiotherapy with simultaneously integrated boosting-intensity modulated radiotherapy,the patients who received HyRt after breast-conserving surgery for early-stage breast cancer have good tolerance and low incidence of adverse reactions.HyRt can be used as the first option of radiation therapy.

Objective:To explore the value of intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) parameters in different regions of the kidney in distinguishing IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients from healthy volunteers.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. Eighty-four patients diagnosed with IgAN (IgAN group) who underwent renal biopsy (lower pole of the left kidney) and were pathologically confirmed at the First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from February 2022 to September 2023 and thirty-four healthy volunteers (control group) were included prospectively. The regions of interest were outlined in the right renal cortex, medulla, and parenchyma for all subjects, and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), true diffusion coefficient (D), pseudo-diffusion coefficient (D *), and perfusion fraction (f) were measured in the corresponding regions. The differences in IVIM-DWI parameters between the IgAN group and the control group were compared using the student′s t-test or the Mann-Whitney U test. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed on the parameters with statistically significant differences, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. Results:There were statistically significant differences in renal cortical ADC, renal parenchymal ADC, renal cortical D, renal parenchymal D, and renal medullary f values between the IgAN group and the control group ( Z=-3.03, -2.21, -2.62, -2.03, -2.03; P=0.002, 0.027, 0.009, 0.043, 0.042). The AUCs (95% CI) for diagnosing IgAN using renal cortical ADC, renal parenchymal ADC, renal cortical D, renal parenchymal D, and renal medullary f values were 0.679 (0.586-0.762), 0.630 (0.537-0.717), 0.654 (0.535-0.774), 0.619 (0.497-0.742), and 0.620 (0.495-0.745), respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in renal medullary ADC, D, renal cortex, medulla and parenchyma D *, renal cortical and renal parenchymal f values between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:The quantitative parameters of renal IVIM-DWI are influenced by different measurement regions, among which the ADC, D of renal cortex and parenchyma, and f of renal medulla can be used for the initial diagnosis of IgAN.

Objective:To investigate the expression characteristics of mucin 5B (MUC5B) protein and programmed cell death factor 4 (PDCD4) protein in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), and to construct a nomogram model for prognosis prediction.Methods:Clinical data of 100 patients who underwent radical surgical resection and were diagnosed as ICC by postoperative pathology from September 2009 to September 2020 in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University were retrospectively selected, including 46 males and 54 females, aged (56.9±12.2) years old. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of MUC5B and PDCD4 protein in 100 cases of ICC and corresponding adjacent tissues respectively, and the relationship between them and clinicopathological factors of ICC patients was analyzed. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were performed to analyze the influencing factors on postoperative prognosis of ICC patients. The nomogram model was constructed using rms package and performed internal verification.Results:The positive expression rate of MUC5B protein in ICC was 76.0% (76/100), which was higher than that in para-cancer tissues 27.0%(27/100), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=11.33, P=0.015). While the positive expression rate of PDCD4 protein in ICC was 21.0%(21/100), which was lower than that in normal tissues 73.0% (73/100), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=15.57, P=0.007). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that ICC patients with carbohydrate antigen 19-9>37 kU/L, tumor length>5 cm, tumor TNM stage Ⅱ/Ⅲ, tumor medium/low differentiation, MUC5B positive expression, and PDCD4 negative expression had a high risk of short survival after resection (all P<0.05). The nomogram model was constructed based on the above indicators, and the C-index was 0.801. The postoperative survival calibration curve showed that the high predictive survival fit of the nomogram model, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.862. Conclusions:Positive expression of MUC5B protein and negative expression of PDCD4 protein in ICC tissue suggest poor prognosis of ICC patients. The nomogram model constructed on the basis of MUC5B and PDCD4 protein is well distinguished and has ideal predictive efficacy.

Objective To investigate the feasibility of robotic-assisted"3+1"surgical mode strategy for the treatment of median arcuate ligament syndrome(MALS).Methods Six patients diagnosed as MALS were enrolled between June 2019 and October 2023.The utilization of robotic-assisted"3+1"surgical mode(a 4-hole operation with 3 robot arms and 1 assistance hole)was carried out.Through a posterior splenic artery approach,the compression of the midline arcuate ligament on the abdominal trunk was relieved,which was an abdominal trunk vascularization.Results All the 6 patients underwent robotic-assisted"3+1"surgical mode successfully.The surgical duration(including the time for connecting and disconnecting the machine)was 38-52 min,with a mean of 43.2 min.The intraoperative bleeding volume was 5-25 ml,with a mean of 15 ml.The postoperative hospital stay was 6-9 d,with a mean of 7.5 d.All the 6 patients were followed up for 1-45 months after surgery(median,2.5 months).One patient remained unchanged in body weight,while 5 patients gained 1.0-2.0 kg in body weight,with a mean of 1.5 kg.The symptom of postprandial epigastric pain completely resolved in 5 patients,while the symptom was reduced but not completely alleviated in one patient.Conclusion Treatment of MALS with the robotic-assisted"3+1"surgical model involving abdominal trunk vascularization through a posterior splenic artery approach is safe and feasible.

Corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) is a non-invasive, simple and rapid visual corneal imaging technique, which can directly conduct real-time collection and quantitative analysis of corneal nerve fibers. Studies have shown that CCM can be used in the diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of degenerative diseases, demyelinating diseases, degenerative diseases and other types of diseases of the central nervous system. In this paper, the recent advance in CCM in neurological diseases is summarized to provide new ideas for their diagnosis and prognosis evaluation.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a complication in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The Chinese Children's Cancer Group-ALL-2015 protocol was carried out in China, and epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and risk factors associated with VTE were analyzed. We collected data on VTE in a multi-institutional clinical study of 7640 patients with ALL diagnosed in 20 hospitals from January 2015 to December 2019. First, VTE occurred in 159 (2.08%) patients, including 90 (56.6%) during induction therapy and 108 (67.92%) in the upper extremities. T-ALL had a 1.74-fold increased risk of VTE (95% CI 1.08-2.8, P = 0.022). Septicemia, as an adverse event of ALL treatment, can significantly promote the occurrence of VTE (P < 0.001). Catheter-related thrombosis (CRT) accounted for 75.47% (n = 120); and, symptomatic VTE, 58.49% (n = 93), which was more common in patients aged 12-18 years (P = 0.023), non-CRT patients (P < 0.001), or patients with cerebral thrombosis (P < 0.001). Of the patients with VTE treated with anticoagulation therapy (n = 147), 4.08% (n = 6) had bleeding. The VTE recurrence rate was 5.03% (n = 8). Patients with VTE treated by non-ultrasound-guided venous cannulation (P = 0.02), with residual thrombus (P = 0.006), or with short anticoagulation period (P = 0.026) had high recurrence rates. Thus, preventing repeated venous puncture and appropriately prolonged anticoagulation time can reduce the risk of VTE recurrence.
Humans ; Child ; Venous Thromboembolism/etiology* ; East Asian People ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Thrombosis/chemically induced* ; China/epidemiology* ; Anticoagulants/adverse effects* ; Recurrence

The goal of this study was to investigate the clinical application of free/total prostate-specific antigen (F/T PSA) ratio, considering the new broad serum total PSA (T-PSA) "gray zone" of 2.0-25.0 ng ml^-1 in differential diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostate diseases (BPD) in men over 50 years in Western China. A total of 1655 patients were included, 528 with PCa and 1127 with BPD. Serum T-PSA, free PSA (F-PSA), and F/T PSA ratio were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess the efficiency of PSA and F/T PSA ratio. There were 47.4% of cancer patients with T-PSA of 2.0-25.0 ng ml^-1. When T-PSA was 2.0-4.0 ng ml^-1, 4.0-10.0 ng ml^-1, and 10.0-25.0 ng ml^-1, the area under the curve (AUC) of F/T PSA ratio was 0.749, 0.769, and 0.761, respectively. The best AUC of F/T PSA ratio was 0.811 when T-PSA was 2.0-25.0 ng ml^-1, with a specificity of 0.732, a sensitivity of 0.788, and an optimal cutoff value of 15.5%. The AUC of F/T PSA ratio in different age groups (50-59 years, 60-69 years, 70-79 years, and ≥80 years) was 0.767, 0.806, 0.815, and 0.833, respectively, and the best sensitivity (0.857) and specificity (0.802) were observed in patients over 80 years. The T-PSA trend was in accordance with the Gleason score, tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, and American Joint Committee on Cancer prognosis group. Therefore, the F/T PSA ratio can facilitate the differential diagnosis of PCa and BPD in the broad T-PSA "gray zone". Serum T-PSA can be a Gleason score and prognostic indicator.
Area Under Curve ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology* ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity