Establishment and genotype identification of hepatic stellate cell-specific Grk2 gene knockout mouse model / 中国药理学通报

Aim To establish a stable hepatic stellate cell ( HSC ) -specific G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 ( GRK2 ) knockout mice and provide the important animal model for further studying the biological function of GRK2 in HSC. Methods The loxP-labeled Grk2 gene mouse (Grk2

Association of the serum calcium level with metabolic syndrome and its components among adults in Taiwan

ABSTRACT Objective: An increasing amount of literature indicates that the serum calcium level may be related to metabolic syndrome (MetS) and obesity. This study aimed to examine the relationship between the serum calcium level and MetS in adults in Taiwan. Subjects and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study and enrolled 1,580 participants (54.4% women; mean age, 33.28 ± 12.21 years) who underwent health examinations in northern Taiwan between 2012 and 2016. Logistic regression was performed to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of MetS and its components in groups of patients in the tertiles of the serum calcium level. Results: In total, 167 participants (10.6%) had MetS. The odds of high systolic blood pressure (BP), blood glucose, and triglyceride (TG) levels significantly increased as the serum calcium level increased. Compared with the participants in the lowest tertile of the serum calcium level (tertile 1), those in the second tertile (OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 0.97-2.23) and third tertile (OR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.06-2.53) had a significantly higher risk of MetS. Further analyses revealed a significant association between MetS and an increased serum calcium level in those in the overweight and obese groups. However, there was no association between the serum calcium levels and MetS in those in the normal weight group. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that a higher serum calcium level is associated with an increased risk of MetS and its components in adults with overweight and obesity.

Comparison of two methods for establishing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease model in mice / 中国药理学通报

Aim To compare the effects of two different methods of establishing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease ( NAFLD) model, and to explore a more efficient method for establishing NAFLD model that conforms to the characteristics of human disease.Methods C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into NI) group, WD group, WD combined with CC14 group.'Hie NI) group was fed a normal maintenance diet, and WD group was fed WD.On the basis of WD feed, mice in WD + CC14 group were intraperitoneally injected with CC14 oil solution.'Hie mice were sacrificed on 6, 11 and 16 weeks after modeling.HE staining and oil red 0 staining were performed to observe the pathological changes of liver.The serum levels of ALT, AST, TG and T- CHO were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer, and the levels of IL-lp, IL-6 and TNF-a in liver homogenate were detected by ELISA.The protein expression of FAS and a-SMA was detected by Western blot.Results As the development of model, pathological results showed that NAFLD model was success-fully established by these two methods.At the same time point of modeling, compared with WD group, the liver pathology of WD + CC14 group was more serious, liver steatosis appeared since 6th week.The serum ALT, AST levels and the contents of TG and T-CHO significantly increased.Meanwhile, the levels of inflammatory cytokines obviously increased in the liver, the expression of fibrosis-associated protein a-SMA increased, and the model could progress to the stage of NASH on 16th week.The course of NAFLD in the WD group progressed slowly, and steatosis appeared on 1 1 th week, and it was further aggravated till 16th week.The pro-tein level of FAS was significantly higher than that in WD + CC14 group, and no obvious inflammatory cell infiltration was observed.Conclusions WD feed combined with CC14 to establish NAFLD model takes shorter time and exerts better effect than feeding WD a- lone.It can progress to NASH on 16th week, which can be used as an ideal method to establish NAFLD model.

Effect evaluation of surgical plus radio(chemo)therapy and non-surgery chemoradiotherapy treatment strategies for advanced tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective: Using propensity score matching method(PSM) to investigate the clinical effect of surgical plus radio(chemo)therapy and non-surgery chemoradiotherapy treatment strategies for advanced tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 324 patients diagnosed with advanced tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma and treated in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2000 to 2018, confirmed by pathology and without distant metastasis. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier estimates, the Cox proportional hazards model, and propensity score matching(PSM). Results: Of the 324 patients, 102 were treated with non-surgery chemoradiotherapy treatment strategies and 222 with surgical plus radio(chemo)therapy treatment. Cox multivariate analysis showed that the non-surgery treatment group had a favorable prognosis than the surgical treatment group, however, these outcomes were not significantly different [overall survival(OS): adjusted Hazard Ratios(aHR): 0.92, 95% confidence interval(CI): 0.60-1.42; disease-specific survival(DSS): aHR: 0.71, 95%CI: 0.43-1.20; disease-free survival(DFS): aHR: 0.82, 95%CI: 0.53-1.28]. The new patient cohort consisted of 102 subpairs after PSM. There were no significant differences between two groups(OS: aHR: 0.85, 95%CI: 0.51-1.40; DSS: aHR: 0.62, 95%CI: 0.35-1.11; DFS: aHR: 0.80, 95%CI: 0.49-1.33). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that patients with non-surgical treatment do not have significantly better survival outcomes compared to surgical treatment group, while non-surgical treatment has advantages in improving the quality of life of patients, so comprehensive treatment based on radiotherapy and chemotherapy may be recommended for advanced tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma.

HPLC Fingerprint Analysis of Substance Benchmark of Xiao Chengqitang / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To establish a high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） fingerprint of the substance benchmark of Xiao Chengqitang and evaluate its quality with chemical pattern recognition method. Method:Diamonsil C₁₈ column （4.6 mm×150 mm， 5 μm） was used， mobile phase was consisted of methanol （A）-0.1% phosphoric acid solution （B） for gradient elution （0-60 min， 20%-90%A； 60-70 min， 90%-100%A）， the flow rate was 1 mL·min^-1， the column temperature was 25 ℃， and the detection wavelength was 254 nm. The similarity evaluation system of chromatographic fingerprint of traditional Chinese medicine （2012 edition） was used to evaluate the similarity of HPLC fingerprint of 15 batches of substance benchmark of Xiao Chengqitang， and the chromatographic data were analyzed by cluster analysis， principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis， in order to evaluate the quality difference between different batches of substance benchmarks of Xiao Chengqitang and find out the main chemical components that caused the quality difference. Result:The HPLC fingerprint of Xiao Chengqitang substance benchmarks was established， 31 common peaks were identified， and 18 components were identified by comparing with the reference substances. The similarities of 15 batches of HPLC fingerprint of Xiao Chengqitang substance benchmarks were >0.92. The samples could be divided into two categories by three chemical pattern recognition methods. Nine main components leading to the quality discrepancy of samples between batches were screened out， including rhein， chrysophanol-8-<italic>O</italic>-<italic>β</italic>-<italic>D</italic>-glucoside， aloe-emodin-8-<italic>O</italic>-<italic>β</italic>-<italic>D</italic>-glucoside， sennoside A， chrysophanol-1-<italic>O</italic>-<italic>β</italic>-<italic>D</italic>-glucoside， rhein-8-<italic>O</italic>-glucoside and others. Conclusion:The established fingerprint analysis method is accurate， stable and reproducible， which basically reflects the overall chemical composition characteristics of Xiao Chengqitang， and can be used for the quality control of Xiao Chengqitang preparations.

Diagnostic value of heparin-binding protein in the cerebrospinal fluid for purulent meningitis in children

This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of heparin-binding protein (HBP) in the cerebrospinal fluid of children with purulent meningitis (PM). This study included 118 children with PM diagnosed at our hospital from January 2018 to January 2020, 110 children with viral meningitis (VM) and 80 children with suspected meningitis who were ruled out by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis during the same period. HBP and white blood cell (WBC) count in the CSF, and inflammatory factors, including C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and procalcitonin (PCT), were measured. Receiver-operator characteristic curves were used to analyze the predictive value of HBP, CRP, PCT, and TNF-α levels in the diagnosis of PM by CSF analysis. HBP levels in the CSF of children with PM were higher, while the CRP and serum PCT and TNF-α levels were elevated in all groups (P<0.05). In addition, HBP levels in the CSF were more accurate for the diagnosis of PM than traditional diagnostic indexes. HBP levels in the CSF can be used as an important reference for early diagnosis of PM.

An easy and robust method for the isolation of high quality RNA from coconut tissues

BACKGROUND: Coconut tissues consist of a complex network of polysaccharides, proteins, polyphenols, and lipids that can bind to nucleic acids and pose difficulty in isolation. Certainly, a vigorous method is required to isolate high quality and quantity of RNA from such tissues for the purpose of downstream experiments. In this paper, we discuss a newly developed method for the Isolation of RNA from Complex Matrices (IRCM) method from coconut tissues. RESULTS: The method is robust, cheap, and efficient for the extraction of quality RNA in high quantities from the solid endosperm of stored and fresh coconut (150 µg/g FW with A260/280 = 1.89 and 247.5 µg/g FW with A260/280 = 1.91), coconut apple (263.8 µg/g FW with A260/280 = 1.97), and coconut bud (1052.5 µg/g FW with A260/280 = 2.00). The other well established methods, such as Method of RNA Isolation from Palm (MRIP), Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB), TRIZOL, and RNA plant kit failed to isolate quality RNA in appreciable quantities from the coconut tissues. Furthermore, the resultant RNA performed well in the downstream experiment, that is, RT-PCR for the production and amplification of cDNA. CONCLUSIONS: From the study, we concluded that the present method will play a vital role in the extraction of high quality RNA from complex matrices in a short time.

Review of Research on Xiao Chengqitang / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Xiao Chengqitang, derived from Treatise on Febrile Diseases, is composed of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma, Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex and Aurantii Fructus Immaturus. It is often used to treat Yangming Fushi light syndrome. This formula was included in the Catalogue of Ancient Classical Prescription (The First Batch), which has a high clinical application value. Current researches on the chemical composition, pharmacological effect and clinical application of Xiao Chengqitang have been carried out, but the history of Xiao Chengqitang is unclear and the dose conversation method is vague. It has great difficulties in clinical rational applications of Xiao Chengqitang and the research and development of its compound preparations. In this article, the literature reports on Xiao Chengqitang were summarized from the aspects of historical evolution, literature researching of Chinese herbs, dosage conversation method, modern research in case to clarify the historical context of Xiao Chengqitang and to provide basis for the clinical application and modern scientific research of this formula.

Postoperative local incision analgesia for acute pain treatment in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Summary Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the analgesic effect and safety of using local incision analgesia to treat acute postoperative pain in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Method: A cohort of 60 patients undergoing liver cancer resection was randomly divided into three groups (n=20 per group): local incision analgesia (LIA) group, which received local infiltration with ropivacaine combined with a postoperative analgesia pump; intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) group, which received fentanyl intravenous analgesia postoperatively; and the control group, which received tramadol hydrochloride injection postoperatively according to the NRS scoring system. The postoperative analgesic effect in each group was compared and tumor recurrence (survival) was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: NRS scores, rate of analgesic usage, ambulation time (h) and intestinal function recovery time (h) were significantly reduced in LIA group compared with the control group at each postoperative time point (6, 12, 24 and 48 hours; p<0.05). Additionally, the NRS scores of LIA patients at 12 hours post-surgery was significantly reduced compared with PCA group (p<0.05), and the occurrence of postoperative adverse events in LIA group was significantly lower than that in PCA group (p<0.05). Survival analysis demonstrated that the mean survival time (tumor recurrence) was significantly increased in LIA group compared with the control group (χ2=4.749; p=0.029). Conclusion: Local incision analgesia improves the analgesic effect, causes fewer adverse reactions and increases postoperative survival time. Our study demonstrated that local incision analgesia is a safe and effective method of postoperative pain management following hepatectomy.

Predictive value of red blood cell distribution width for acute kidney injury in children with sepsis / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical value of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) in the early prediction of acute kidney injury (AKI) in children with sepsis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 126 children with sepsis were divided into an AKI group (n=66) and a non-AKI group (n=60) according to the presence or absence of AKI. These patients were also classified into high-RDW and low-RDW groups according to the mean RDW. The groups were compared in terms of age, male-to-female ratio, body mass index (BMI), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), uric acid (UA), serum C-reactive protein (CRP), and routine blood test results. Independent factors associated with RDW were analyzed by multiple linear regression.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Age, male-to-female ratio, BMI, CRP, SOFA score, and APACHE II score did not differ significantly between the AKI and non-AKI groups (P>0.05), but the AKI group had significantly higher BUN, Cr, UA, and RDW levels than the non-AKI group (P<0.05). Age, male-to-female ratio, and BMI did not differ significantly between the high-RDW and low-RDW groups (P>0.05), but the high-RDW group had significantly higher BUN, Cr, UA, CRP, SOFA score, APACHE II score, Hb, and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) than the low-RDW group (P<0.05). The multiple linear regression analysis showed that age, sex, APACHE II score, Cr, Hb, and MCV were independent factors associated with RDW.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>RDW has a certain clinical value in the early prediction of AKI in children with sepsis.</p>

Breeding and genotype identification of Arrb2 gene knockout mice / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore the optimal way of breeding and genotype identification of Arrb2 knockout mice, and to find a simple and quick polymerase chain reaction ( PCR) method for the genotyping of Arrb2 knockout mice. Methods Breeding homozygote genotype of Arrb2 gene knockout mice were copula-ted with wild-type C57BL/6J mice, and then the heterozygous mating were used for mating. The growth and development of off-spring were observed. The genomic DNA was extracted from the tail of two-week-old mice. PCR was employed to amplify the Arrb2 gene fragment, and electrophoresis was used to present the gene type. Results The breeding and reproducing were successful and three genotype offspring, including wild-type,heterozygous and homozygous knockout mice were obtained. Agarose gel electrophoresis results showed the size of PCR prod-ucts was about 186 bp and 224 bp, which was consistent with the expected target gene fragment, and identified Arrb2 gene knockout mice of different genotypes successfully. Western blot analysis demonstrated the lack ofβ-arrestin2 protein in the major organs from Arrb2 -/ - mice compared with Arrb2 +/ + and Arrb2 +/ - mice. Conclusions It is feasible to obtain the homo-zygous Arrb2 knockout mice by inbreeding heterozygotes. It is simple, rapid and reliable to identify mouse genetype by PCR.

Advances in drug treatment of retinal vein occlusion / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

Retinalvein occlusion (RVO) is the most common retinal vascular disease.The main causes of visual impairment and blindness are macular edema and retinal neovascularization.Drug therapies are the effective and safe method in the treatment of RVO currently.The main drugs conclude corticosteroid drugs,anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs,thrombolytic drugs and traditional drugs.This article reviews the recent progress in RVO in order to provide some valuable references for clinical treatment.

Efficacy of half-dose verteporfin photodynamic therapy for central serous chorioretinophathy in patients aged above 45 / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM:To evaluate the efficacy of half-dose verteporfin photodynamic therapy for central serous chorioretinophathy (CSC) in patients aged above 45 years old.METHODS:Thirty-two eyes of 30 patients aged above 45 years old with central serous chorioretinophathy were included,and all the eyes received half-dose verteporfin photodynamic therapy (PDT).Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA),central macular thickness (CMT) and subretinal fluids absorption (SRF) were measured before and after treatment (1,3 and 6mo).RESULTS:The rate of SRF absorbing completely was 44％ at 1mo,63％ at 3mo and 75％ at 6mo.The difference in cure rate of the three time points was statistically significant (x2 =6.621,P=0.037).All the patients were divided into two groups according to the duration,patients in Group A were treated less than 6mo,Group B were ≥6mo.The mean LogMAR BCVA in the two groups were respectively 0.6149±0.4117 and 0.8167±0.4370 before treatment and the mean CMT were 409.47±129.422μ m and 395.82 ± 153.756μm before treatment.The difference between the two groups in the LogMAR BCVA was not statistically significant (F=0.303,P=0.823),but the time difference within the subjects was statistically significant (F=32.837,P＜ 0.001).In Group A,the differences of the LogMAR BCVA at pre-treatment,1 mo and 3mo was all statistically significant (P＜ 0.05),but the differences of the LogMAR BCVA at 3mo and 6mo was not statistically significant (t =2.024,P =0.063).In Group B,the differences of the LogMAR BCVA at any two time points were all statistically significant (P＜ 0.05).The difference between the two groups in the CMT was not statistically significant (F=0.064,P=0.978),but the time difference within the subjects was statistically significant (F=26.447,P＜0.001).In Group A,the differences of the CMT at any two time points were all statistically significant (P＜0.05).So were in Group B (P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:Half-dose verteporfin PDT was effective in treating CSC aged above 45 years old,it still could improve BCVA and subretinal fluids absorption.

Three Dimensional Orbital Magnetic Resonance T2-Mapping in the Evaluation of Patients with Graves' Ophthalmopathy / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

The clinical application of orbital magnetic resonance (MR) T2-mapping imaging in detecting the disease activity of Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO),and the predictive values of therapy response to intravenous glucocorticoid (ivGC) were investigated.Approved by the local institutional review board (IRB),106 consecutive patients with GO were included in this prospective study.All subjects were divided into two groups according to the patients' clinical activity score (CAS):the CAS positive group (CAS ≥3) or the CAS negative group (CAS ＜3).T2 relaxation time of extraocular muscles (T2RT;ms) and the areas of four extra-ocular muscles (AEOMs;mm2) were measured by 3D T2-mapping MR sequence before and after methylprednisolone treatment,so as the CAS and some ophthalmic examinations including visual acuity,intra-ocular pressure,eyeball movement,diplopia and proptosis.In addition,24 healthy volunteers were recruited as the control group.The mean T2RT and AEOMs in CAS positive group were higher than those in CAS negative group.Both CAS positive and negative groups had significantly higher mean T2RT and AEOMs than the control group (P＜0.01).There was a positive correlation between T2RT and AEOMs values in GO patients,both of them had a positive correlation with CAS and the ophthalmic examinations.It was concluded that to evaluate the activity of GO,CAS was mostly related to inflammation symptoms of ocular surface,more than that,T2RT and AEOMs were also related to abnormal findings of the ophthalmic examinations including high ocular pressure,impaired eyeball movement,diplopia and proptosis.T2RT and AEOMs can reflex the inflammation state of ocular muscles better.CAS combined with 3D T2-mapping MR imaging could improve the sensitivity of detection of active GO so as the prediction and evaluation of the response to methylprednisolone treatment.

A probability model for analyzing speckles in intravascular ultrasound images to facilitate image segmentation / 南方医科大学学报

Ultrasonic image speckles result from the interference of the reflected signals by the scatters in the detected tissue. The physical characteristics of the speckles are closely correlated with the structures of the biological tissues, and the probability distribution of these speckles differs across different tissues. Based on the probability characteristics of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) speckles, a Gamma mixture model and Gaussian mixture model are proposed to describe the calcified plaque, soft plaque and normal vascular regions on IVUS images. Using KS test, KL divergence and correlation coefficient analysis, we found that the probability distributions of the speckles generated by calcified plaques and normal blood vessels were better described by the Gaussian mixture model, while the speckles caused by soft plaques were described better by the Gamma mixture model. Based on this finding, we propose a probability mixture model combining neighborhood information for plaque segmentation on IVUS images. Compared with the existing probabilistic mixture model, the segmentation accuracy was greatly improved with a reduced noise.

Utility of optomap panoramic 200Tx in postoperative fundus examination among cataract patients / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

To investigate the utility of optomap panoramic 200Tx in screening fundus disease among the patients after cataract surgery. ●METHODS: From November 18 th to December 31st , 2013 all 146 post- cataract surgery patients were recruited. All non - mydriatic fundus images were taken with the optomap panoramic 200Tx and were diagnosed by one masked retinal specialist. Non - mydriatic direct ophthalmoscope exam and mydriatic slit-lamp lens exam were also done by other two masked specialists. Comparisons of the three methods were made. ●RESULTS: Among 146 patients ( 161 eyes), 40 eyes (24. 8%) of retinal lesions was detected by non-mydriatic direct ophthalmoscope exam, 59 ( 36. 7%) by non -mydriatic optomap 200Tx exam, and 61 (37. 9%) by slit-lamp lens exam. Nine eyes ( 5. 6%) needed medical intervention immediately. Results of optomap 200Tx exams and slit - lamp lens exams were similar without statistically significant difference ( P > 0. 05), better than direct ophthalmoscope exam ( P ● CONCLUSlON: Opacification of the refractive medium makes thorough fundus examination impossible. So post-operative fundus examination is highly necessary and should be a routine. Optomap panoramic 200Tx, which shows no statistically difference from mydriatc slit- lamp lens exam, is a convenient and feasible method in discovering fundus pathological changes.

Clinical analysis of 14 patients with extraorbital inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the head and neck / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To summarize the clinical features of extraorbital inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) of the head and neck.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fourteen cases of extraorbital IMT treated in recent 20 years were analyzed retrospectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 14 patients, 9 cases with limited lesion in maxilla (n = 5), mandible (n = 2) or neck (n = 2) underwent local resection, and no recurrences were found after 1.5 to 20.0 years; 3 cases diagnosed as maxillary IMT involved in orbit, hard palate or pterygopalatine fossa received conservative therapy (prednisone, prednisone plus radiotherapy or prednisone plus chemotherapy), and no disease progression was found after 6, 9 or 2 years respectively; and 1 case diagnosed as maxillary IMT involved in orbit and pterygopalatine fossa was confirmed with cervical metastases after two operations and died of brain invasion within 17 months. One patient with localized lesion around the common carotid artery was treated with prednisone and had no disease progression with a 2-year follow-up.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Extraorbital IMT of the head and neck is a rare clinical entity. Pathology examination is required for final diagnosis. Corticosteroid administration may be a choice of treatments, and radical resection should be taken selectively for limited lesions.</p>

Role of procalcitonin in the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis in children / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the role of procalcitonin (PCT) in the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis (APN) in children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical records of children aged under 3 years who were diagnosed with primary urinary tract infection (UTI) from September 2011 to February 2012. These children were divided into those with upper UTI (UUTI) (APN) and those with lower UTI (LUTI) (non-APN) based on 99mTc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) renal scan results as a gold standard. The UUTI and LUTI groups were compared in terms of serum levels of PCT and C-reactive protein (CRP). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to evaluate the diagnostic values of serum PCT and CRP.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Sixty-five children with UTI, including 39 cases of APN and 26 cases of LUTI, were included in this study. The APN cases had significantly higher serum levels of PCT (3.08 ng/mL vs 0.37 ng/Ml; P<0.01) and CRP (6.25 mg/L vs 3.01 mg/L; P<0.01) than the LUTI cases. The sensitivity and specificity of serum PCT level for APN were 84.6% and 88.5%, respectively, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.873 (95%CI=0.781-0.965) and an optimal threshold point of 1.03 ng/mL. The sensitivity and specificity of serum CRP level for APN were 71.8% and 69.2%, respectively, with an AUC of 0.735 (95%CI=0.612-0.858) and an optimal threshold point of 3.91 mg/L.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>As a result of its high sensitivity and specificity for the disease, serum PCT can be used as a marker in the early diagnosis of APN in children.</p>

Experimental study of angiography using vascular interventional robot-2(VIR-2) / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To verify the feasibility and safety of new vascular interventional robot system used in vascular interventional procedures.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Vascular interventional robot type-2 (VIR-2) included master-slave parts of body propulsion system, image navigation systems and force feedback system, the catheter movement could achieve under automatic control and navigation, force feedback was integrated real-time, followed by in vitro pre-test in vascular model and cerebral angiography in dog. Surgeon controlled vascular interventional robot remotely, the catheter was inserted into the intended target, the catheter positioning error and the operation time would be evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In vitro pre-test and animal experiment went well; the catheter can enter any branch of vascular. Catheter positioning error was less than 1 mm. The angiography operation in animal was carried out smoothly without complication; the success rate of the operation was 100% and the entire experiment took 26 and 30 minutes, efficiency was slightly improved compared with the VIR-1, and the time what staff exposed to the DSA machine was 0 minute. The resistance of force sensor can be displayed to the operator to provide a security guarantee for the operation. No surgical complications.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>VIR-2 is safe and feasible, and can achieve the catheter remote operation and angiography; the master-slave system meets the characteristics of traditional procedure. The three-dimensional image can guide the operation more smoothly; force feedback device provides remote real-time haptic information to provide security for the operation.</p>

Assessment of dysphagia: report of 37 cases / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the assessment methods of dysphagia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The data of 37 patients with dysphagia were retrospectively analyzed. These patients took the Kubota drinking test, Tengdao's evaluation, videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Fourteen out of thirty-seventh patients showed abnormal results during Kubota drinking test. Tengdao's evaluation results showed that 29/37 patients were abnormal. There 27/37 and 33/37 patients showed abnormalities in positive-aspiration score and swallow dysfunction score of VFSS. The number of abnormal patients in aspiration score of FEES was 19/21. The Kappa values were 0.137, 0.416 between Kubota drinking test. Tengdao's evaluation and VFSS. The FEES was measured against the VFSS for sensibility, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value, the values were 88.9%, 66.7%, 94.1% and 50.0%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Kubota drinking test and Tengdao's evaluation can be applied for screening purpose and evaluating result after treatment; VFSS and FEES can be used as more accurate assessments, they can study the dysphagia's character, position and severity. The combination of a variety of dysphagia evaluation methods is the most important basis for diagnosis and treatment of deglutition disorders.</p>