Nanopolyphenol rejuvenates microglial surveillance of multiple misfolded proteins through metabolic reprogramming

Microglial surveillance plays an essential role in clearing misfolded proteins such as amyloid-beta, tau, and α-synuclein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases. However, due to the complex structure and ambiguous pathogenic species of the misfolded proteins, a universal approach to remove the misfolded proteins remains unavailable. Here, we found that a polyphenol, α-mangostin, reprogrammed metabolism in the disease-associated microglia through shifting glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation, which holistically rejuvenated microglial surveillance capacity to enhance microglial phagocytosis and autophagy-mediated degradation of multiple misfolded proteins. Nanoformulation of α-mangostin efficiently delivered α-mangostin to microglia, relieved the reactive status and rejuvenated the misfolded-proteins clearance capacity of microglia, which thus impressively relieved the neuropathological changes in both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease model mice. These findings provide direct evidences for the concept of rejuvenating microglial surveillance of multiple misfolded proteins through metabolic reprogramming, and demonstrate nanoformulated α-mangostin as a potential and universal therapy against neurodegenerative diseases.

Targeting a cryptic allosteric site of SIRT6 with small-molecule inhibitors that inhibit the migration of pancreatic cancer cells

SIRT6 belongs to the conserved NAD+-dependent deacetylase superfamily and mediates multiple biological and pathological processes. Targeting SIRT6 by allosteric modulators represents a novel direction for therapeutics, which can overcome the selectivity problem caused by the structural similarity of orthosteric sites among deacetylases. Here, developing a reversed allosteric strategy AlloReverse, we identified a cryptic allosteric site, Pocket Z, which was only induced by the bi-directional allosteric signal triggered upon orthosteric binding of NAD+. Based on Pocket Z, we discovered an SIRT6 allosteric inhibitor named JYQ-42. JYQ-42 selectively targets SIRT6 among other histone deacetylases and effectively inhibits SIRT6 deacetylation, with an IC50 of 2.33 μmol/L. JYQ-42 significantly suppresses SIRT6-mediated cancer cell migration and pro-inflammatory cytokine production. JYQ-42, to our knowledge, is the most potent and selective allosteric SIRT6 inhibitor. This study provides a novel strategy for allosteric drug design and will help in the challenging development of therapeutic agents that can selectively bind SIRT6.

Texture filtering based unsupervised registration methods and its application in liver computed tomography images / 生物医学工程学杂志

Image registration is of great clinical importance in computer aided diagnosis and surgical planning of liver diseases. Deep learning-based registration methods endow liver computed tomography (CT) image registration with characteristics of real-time and high accuracy. However, existing methods in registering images with large displacement and deformation are faced with the challenge of the texture information variation of the registered image, resulting in subsequent erroneous image processing and clinical diagnosis. To this end, a novel unsupervised registration method based on the texture filtering is proposed in this paper to realize liver CT image registration. Firstly, the texture filtering algorithm based on L0 gradient minimization eliminates the texture information of liver surface in CT images, so that the registration process can only refer to the spatial structure information of two images for registration, thus solving the problem of texture variation. Then, we adopt the cascaded network to register images with large displacement and large deformation, and progressively align the fixed image with the moving one in the spatial structure. In addition, a new registration metric, the histogram correlation coefficient, is proposed to measure the degree of texture variation after registration. Experimental results show that our proposed method achieves high registration accuracy, effectively solves the problem of texture variation in the cascaded network, and improves the registration performance in terms of spatial structure correspondence and anti-folding capability. Therefore, our method helps to improve the performance of medical image registration, and make the registration safely and reliably applied in the computer-aided diagnosis and surgical planning of liver diseases.

A study on the diagnostic performance of a radiomics model based on breast MRI for small breast cancer / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic performance of a radiomics model based on dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in small breast cancer (≤ 20 mm in greatest dimension), and to compare the results with those of an experienced radiologist’s interpretation.Methods:A total of 205 small breast lesions in 192 consecutive female patients from June 2016 to January 2018 at Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, were retrospectively enrolled in the study. All lesions (≤ 20 mm in greatest dimension) were confirmed by surgical pathological results. The lesions were divided into a training set (116 lesions) and an independent test set (89 lesions). Based on preoperative breast DCE-MRI and DWI data, a radiomics model was built using gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT). The GBDT model was applied to the test set for differentiation between malignant and benign small breast lesions. Cases of the test set were also evaluated by an experienced radiologist for benign and malignant diseases differentiation. ROC curve was used to assess the diagnostic performance for the GBDT model and the radiologist evaluation, respectively. Differences in the area under the ROC curve (AUC) were analyzed by the DeLong test. Differences in sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were evaluated by the McNemar test. Kappa values were used to assess the agreement between different evaluation methods.Results:The AUC of the GBDT model (0.950) showed no significant difference from that of the radiologist’s evaluation based on DCE-MRI combing DWI data (0.935) ( Z=0.499, P=0.618). However, it showed the AUC of GBDT model was significantly higher than that of evaluation based on DCE-MRI (0.874) or DWI (0.832) alone ( Z=2.024， P=0.043； Z=2.772， P=0.006). The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the best cutoff point of GBDT model were 90.0%, 89.8% and 89.9% respectively. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of evaluation based on DCE-MRI combined with DWI were 97.5%, 79.6% and 87.6% respectively. There was no significant difference in diagnostic performance between the two methods (χ 2=0.800,2.286 and 0.083, P>0.05). Conclusions:A radiomics model based on DCE-MRI and DWI images provided good diagnostic performance in small breast cancer. The results of radiomics were favorably comparable with those of experienced radiologist evaluation based on the combination of DCE-MRI and DWI data.

Quantitative evaluation of extracellular volume fraction after acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction by iodine density based on spectral detector CT / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To explore the feasibility of quantitative evaluation of extracellular volume (ECV) fraction in acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) by dual-layer spectral detector CT.Methods:The clinical and imaging data of 20 patients with STEMI who underwent cardiac contrast-enhanced CT and MRI from January to October 2019 in Renji Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine were retrospectively analyzed.The dual spectral detector was used in the enhanced CT scan of the coronary artery with retrospectively gate and the late iodine enhancement with prospective gate. Conventional image and holographic spectral image were obtained by iterative and spectral reconstruction. The short axis image of the heart matched with MR image was obtained by multiplanar reconstruction. Based on the data of spectral based image, the IDD map was reconstructed for the calculation of myocardial CT-ECV during the late iodine enhancement. ECV of infarcted myocardium, salvageable myocardium and remote myocardium based on CT and MRI were calculated respectively. Bland-Altman consistency test and intra group correlation coefficient analysis (ICC) were used to compare the consistency of two measurements and different methods. The correlation between CT-ECV and MRI-ECV was compared by Spearman method.Results:The CT-ECV values of infarcted, salvageable, and remote myocardium were 51.21 (49.27, 53)%, 38.64 (36.17, 40)%, and 51.21 (49.27, 53)%, respectively. The difference was statistically significant ( H= 43.17, P<0.01). The CT-ECV value of infarcted myocardium was significantly higher than that of salvageable myocardium and remote myocardium ( Z=-24.60, 35.40, P<0.01), but there was no significant difference between salvageable myocardium and remote myocardium ( Z= 10.80, P=0.15). The T 1 values of infarcted myocardium, salvageable myocardium and remote myocardium were (1 554.85±70.94), (1 443.85±67.28) and (1 307.05±91.73) ms respectively, the difference was statistically significant ( F=51.35, P<0.01). The T 1 value of infarcted myocardium was higher than that of salvageable myocardium and remote myocardium ( t=-5.07, 9.55, P<0.01), and salvageable myocardium was significantly higher than that of remote myocardium ( t=5.38, P<0.01). The MRI-ECV values of infarcted myocardium, salvageable myocardium and remote myocardium were 55.00 (49.27, 57.75)%, 33.50 (29.00, 35.00)%,and 27.00 (26.00, 29.00)%, respectively. The difference was statistically significant ( Z= 47.12, P<0.01). MRI-ECV of infarcted myocardium was significantly higher than that of salvageable myocardium and remote myocardium ( Z=37.45, -20.30, P< 0.01), and salvageable myocardium was significantly higher than that of remote myocardium ( Z = 17.15, P<0.05). The difference between CT-ECV and MRI-ECV measured by two physicians was good. The bias of Bland-Altman analysis was -0.1% (95% CI:-5.5%-5.2%), 0.8% (95% CI:-9.8%-8.2%), and the ICC values were 0.92 and 0.94, respectively. The bias of Bland-Altman analysis in CT-ECV and MRI-ECV consistency test was 4.00% (95% CI:-9.0%-16.9%) and ICC value was 0.88, which had a good correlation ( r=0.75, P=0.001). Conclusions:The iodine density based ECV fromdual-layer spectral detector CT can be used to quantitatively evaluate the changes of extracellular space after acute STEMI, which is helpful to quantitatively evaluate the histological changes after myocardial ischemia.

Combating COVID-19 with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in China

COVID-19, an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread throughout the world. China has achieved rapid containment of this highly infectious disease following the principles of early detection, early quarantine and early treatment with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. The inclusion of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the Chinese protocol is based on its successful historic experience in fighting against pestilence. Current findings have shown that the Chinese medicine can reduce the incidence of severe or critical events, improve clinical recovery and help alleviate symptoms such as cough or fever. To date there are over 133 ongoing registered clinical studies on TCM/integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. The three Chinese patent medicines (/ (Forsythiae and Honeysuckle Flower Pestilence-Clearing Granules/Capsules), (Honeysuckle Flower Cold-Relieving Granules) and (Stasis-Resolving & Toxin-Removing) were officially approved by the National Medical Products Administration to list COVID-19 as an additional indication. The pharmacological studies have suggested that Chinese medicine is effective for COVID-19 probably through its host-directed regulation and certain antiviral effects.

New Model for Intelligent Imaging Screening of Pulmonary Nodules / 中国医疗器械杂志

The artificial intelligence based on medical aid diagnosis has been in full swing in these years. How to better and more safely utilize this new technology to improve the diagnostic efficiency and quality of doctors poses new challenges for our hospital management. This paper aims to explore relevant management problems and corresponding solutions from seven aspects:data security, system integration, technical parameters, risks, workflows and diagnosis results by introducing a new intelligent image screening system. After these management problems have been better solved, we found that the intelligent image screening system can improve the diagnostic efficiency and quality of doctors.

Comparison of Monoexponential, Biexponential, Stretched-Exponential, and Kurtosis Models of Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Differentiation of Renal Solid Masses

OBJECTIVE: To compare various models of diffusion-weighted imaging including monoexponential apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), biexponential (fast diffusion coefficient [Df], slow diffusion coefficient [Ds], and fraction of fast diffusion), stretched-exponential (distributed diffusion coefficient and anomalous exponent term [α]), and kurtosis (mean diffusivity and mean kurtosis [MK]) models in the differentiation of renal solid masses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 81 patients (56 men and 25 women; mean age, 57 years; age range, 30–69 years) with 18 benign and 63 malignant lesions were imaged using 3T diffusion-weighted MRI. Diffusion model selection was investigated in each lesion using the Akaike information criteria. Mann-Whitney U test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were used for statistical evaluations. RESULTS: Goodness-of-fit analysis showed that the stretched-exponential model had the highest voxel percentages in benign and malignant lesions (90.7% and 51.4%, respectively). ADC, Ds, and MK showed significant differences between benign and malignant lesions (p 0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with conventional diffusion parameters, α may provide additional information for differentiating benign and malignant renal masses, while ADC remains the most valuable parameter for differentiation of RCC subtypes and for ccRCC grading.

Application of the "four-quadrant" tumor target-artery positioning in retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective To evaluate the safety,feasibility of the application of "four-quadrant" tumor target-artery positioning in "zero-ischemia" retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 25 patients who underwent retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy from November 2016 to March 2017 by single surgeon.There were 15 males and 10 females with a mean age of (52.6 ± 11.9) years old.The mean diameter of the tumor was (3.8 ± 0.5) cm.The mean R.E.N.A.L.score was (9.0±1.3).The mean GFR of the operation side was (49.2±11.4) ml/(min · 1.73 m2) before the operation.All 25 patients underwent 3 Dimentional CT for the reconstruction of their renal models.The tumor target-artery was located in "four-quadrant" system,which based on the boundary between tumor and renal parenchyma.Perioperative outcomes including the estimated blood loss (EBL),operation time,complications and oncological outcomes were carefully collected and analyzed.Results Of all the 25 patients,21 patients underwent "zero-ischemia" retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy,the mean operation time was (106.1 ± 18.8) min,the mean EBL was (162.2 ±68.0) ml with no transfusion case.4 patients converted to conventional retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy,the operation time was 110-140 min,the EBL was 350-500 ml and the warm-ischemia time was 12-20 min respectively.The pathological outcome shows renal cell carcinoma in 24 patients and papillary renal cell carcinoma in 1 patient with all negative margins.The mean GFR of the operation side was (45.1 ± 10.2) ml/(min · 1.73 m2) after three months of the surgery and shows no statistical difference (P =0.268).Conclusion The application of the "four-quadrant" tumor target-artery positioning in " zeroischemia" retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy is a safety and feasible method in terms of accurate location of the target-artery,better postoperative renal function,low EBL and reasonable oncological outcomes.

Quantitative assessment of angiogenesis of rabbit liver tumors by using fiat detector CT in the angiography suite / 介入放射学杂志

Objective To investigate the feasibility of quantitatively evaluating angiogenesis in liver tumors by using flat detector computed tomography (FDCT) in the angiography suite.Methods The VX2 liver tumor model was established in 25 rabbits,and then FDCT examination was performed for each animal.After reconstructing the blood volume (BV) perfusion map,BV values of the hepatic tumor and parenchyma were measured respectively.All experimental rabbits were sacrificed after FDCT,and the corresponding tumor specimens were collected for measuring microvessel density (MVD) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression level.The relationships of BV values with MVD and VEGF expression in liver tumors were analyzed.Results Of the 25 experimental rabbits,FDCT examination was successfully accomplished in 22(88.0％).Both the hepatic parenchyma and tumor lesions could be clearly visualized on BV perfusion map.The hepatic tumor was characterized by a hyperperfusion rim with a hypoperfusion center,known as rim-like enhancement pattern,on BV perfusion map.BV values bore a close relationship to both MVD grade and VEGF grade (P＜0.05 in both),while MVD grade had a parallel relationship with VEGF grade (r=0.504,P＜ 0.001).Conclusion It is feasible to use FDCT in the angiography suite to quantitatively assess the angiogenesis of liver tumors.It may be helpful for interventional treatment of liver tumors.

Percutaneous Transhepatic Variceal Embolization Combined with Partial Splenic Embolization for Treatment of Esophagogastric Variceal Bleeding in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis / 胃肠病学

Background:Esophagogastric variceal bleeding is a severe and commonly seen complication of portal hypertension in patients with liver cirrhosis. Prevention of rebleeding remains an important issue in the management of patients suffered from the disease. Aims:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of percutaneous transhepatic variceal embolization(PTVE) combined with partial splenic embolization(PSE)for treatment of esophagogastric variceal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods:Ten liver cirrhosis patients with esophagogastric variceal bleeding were prospectively selected and treated by PTVE combined with PSE. The blood flow of portal system was measured by Doppler ultrasonography pre- and post-operatively;meanwhile peripheral blood cells were counted. A 1-2-year follow-up was carried out and the rebleeding and procedure-related complications were recorded. Results:The postoperative inner diameter of main portal vein,as well as the blood flow velocity of main portal vein and splenic vein were significantly reduced as compared with those before operation(P < 0. 05). Three months after operation,the peripheral white blood cell and platelet were still significantly higher than those before operation(P < 0. 05). During 1-year follow-up,rebleeding appeared in 2 patients,one of them was found having main portal vein thrombosis developed,and was treated by endoscopic esophageal variceal ligation because the gastric varices was not as evident as ever. The rebleeding rate and incidence of portal system thrombosis after the PTVE-PSE procedure was 20. 0% and 10. 0%,respectively. Conclusions:PTVE combined with PSE seemed efficient for alleviating portal hypertension,and might be recommended as a safe and effective interventional therapy for liver cirrhosis patients with esophagogastric variceal bleeding.

Preparation of RGD-targeted Microbubble Contrast Agent and Its Adhesion Efifcacy / 中国医学影像学杂志

PurposeTo develop a novel RGD microbubbles (RGD-MBs) and to evaluate the targeted binding effect with endothelial cells in vitro.Materials and MethodsThe RGD peptide was coated onto the microbubbles through biotin-avidin linkage including 10 μg/ml and 30 μg/ml groups. The microbubbles not carrying RGD peptide were obtained as negative control. Blocking studies were performed with pre-incubation of the cells with RGD peptide for 2 hours. The microbubbleswere characterized by Accusizer 780 and optical microscope. The binding specificity of RGD-MBs withανβ3-expressing mouse endothelial cells was determined with competitive inhibition experiments in vitro. The attachment study was performed using parallel plate flow chamber to investigate the dynamic adhesion on endothelial cells at various shear stresses.ResultsThe RGD-MBs had an average diameter of (4.09±0.07) μm. The binding RGD-MBs per cell were 2.98±0.35 for 10 μg/ml RGD and 1.78±0.23 for 30 μg/ml RGD. RGD-MBs binding to mouse endothelial cells decreased 54.64% and 67.00% in the presence of RGD peptide at a concentration of 10 μg/ml and 30 μg/ml respectively. When the shear stress was under 1.5 dyne/cm2, the accumulation rate was increased with the increase of shear stress (P1.5 dyne/cm2 (P<0.05). Conclusion The RGD-MBs can specifically bind to endothelial cells, indicating its usefulness as ultrasonic molecular probe in monitoring integrinανβ3 expression during tumor angiogenesis, and is potentially valuable for in tumor early-staging and prognosis.

MPC30-DEA70-loaded transforming growth factor beta1 antisense oligonucleotide for transfection of cardiomyocytes / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:Currently, antisense oligonucleotides (AS-ODN) have a good prospect in gene therapy, but AS-ODN with smal molecular weight cannot easily enter into the cels, which is susceptible to nuclease degradation. Therefore, there is stil a lack of fundamental understanding about how to improve their transfection efficiency, and target-based transferring. OBJECTIVE:To investigate whether a weak cationic and phosphorylcholine-containing diblock copolymer (MPC30-DEA70) can act as a carrier system to deliver a chemicaly synthesized transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) AS-ODN into myocardial cels. METHODS: MPC30-DEA70 was compounded with TGF-β1 AS-ODN at various N/P ratios and the MPC30-DEA70/TGF-β1 AS-ODN complexes were characterized by DNA electrophoresis. MTT assay was used to observe the biocompatibility. Confocal laser scanning microscope was used to observe the distribution and location of MPC30- DEA70/TGF-β1 AS-ODN in cells. Flow cytometry was used to detect the transfection efficiency and fluorescence intensity of MPC30-DEA70/TGF-β1 AS-ODN in cells. Western blot and RT-PCR methods were employed to measure the expression of TGF-β1 in cells. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Cell growth inhibition showed that the MPC30-DEA70 had low cytotoxicity to myocardial cells within the effective transfection dosage range (< 20 mg/L). Data from the flow cytometry test indicated a clear trend of increasing transfection efficiency with the increasing of N/P ratios. At high N/P ratios, the expression levels of TGF-β1 mRNA and protein in myocardial cells were significantly lower. This study shows that MPC30-DEA70 can work as an effective transgenic vector in myocardial cells. TGF-β1 AS-ODN can silence the expression of TGF-β1 gene efficiently and specially, and may antagonize TGF-β1-mediated biological function.

The preliminary study of diffusion kurtosis imaging in prostate cancer / 实用放射学杂志

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI)in the diagnosis and aggressiveness assessment of prostate cancer.Methods The MR data with multi-b-value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)of 30 male patients with prostate cancer were retrospectively analyzed.D maps and K maps were generated from the DKI model and ADC maps were obtained using the conventional monoexponential model.Differences in the D,K and ADC values between prostate cancer and benign peripheral zone (PZ)tissues,among tumors with different Gleason scores were analyzed.P<0.05 was considered statistical significance.Results ADC and D values were significantly lower in the prostate cancers than in the benign PZs (P <0.001).K values were significantly greater in the prostate cancers than in the benign PZs (P <0.001).ADC,D and K values were different significantly among the tumors with Glea-son scores of 6,7 and ≥8 (P <0.001,P =0.01 5 and P <0.001,respectively).Conclusion The DKI model can better describe the signal intensity attenuation with b values increasing,which is helpful for diagnosing and grading prostate cancer.K value may be used to quantitatively evaluate the complicated microstructure of prostate cancer.

Differentiating peripheral lung cancers from inflammatory masses using dual energy spectral CT imaging / 中华放射学杂志

Objectives To investigate the clinical significance of dual energy spectral CT (DESCT) in quantitatively differentiating peripheral lung cancers from pulmonary inflammatory masses.Methods Sixty patients with 35 lung cancers and 25 inflammatory masses underwent DESCT to get arterial phase (AP) images and venous phase (VP) images.Iodine concentrations in the central and peripheral zone of the masses were measured and normalized to the aorta as normalised iodine concentration (NIC).The difference of NIC between central and peripheral zone of the masses (dNIC) was calculated.The spectral attenuation curve was obtained automatically and the slope of curve (λHU) was also calculated in the two groups.The quantitative parameters was presented as M (Q1,Q3),and Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare above two independent samples.Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to calculate the sensitivity and specificity.Results NICs in the central zone of peripheral lung cancers were significantly lower than that of inflammatory masses:mean NICs were 0.03 (0,0.05) versus 0.12 (0.07,0.20) in AP,and 0.14 (0.12,0.19) versus 0.30 (0.21,0.57) in VP (Z=-4.14,-3.70,respectively,P＜0.01).While the dNIC values of lung cancers were significantly higher than that of inflammatory masses:dNIC values were 0.08 (0.05,0.11) versus 0.04 (-0.02,0.08) in AP,and 0.23 (0.17,0.34)versus 0.07 (-0.04,0.08) in VP(Z=-2.56,-4.00,respectively,P＜0.05).Mean λHU values of lung cancers were also lower than inflammatory masses:1.03 (0.67,1.67)versus 2.75 (1.61,3.19) in AP,and 1.58 (1.30,2.17) versus 3.25 (2.37,4.54) in VP (Z=-3.90,-4.42 respectively,P＜0.01).According to ROC curves,cutoff value of λHU =2.11 in VP had the highest sensitivity (89％) and specificity (91％) in differentiating peripheral lung cancers from inflammatory masses.Conclusions Contrast-enhanced dual energy spectral CT imaging with some quantitative parameters such as normalised iodine concentration,dNIC,and the slope of spectral attenuation curves may be a promising new method for differentiating peripheral lung cancers from inflammatory masses.

Objective assessment of the endpoint of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization using color-coded digital subtraction angiography / 中华放射学杂志

Objective To objectively evaluate the endpoint ot transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) using two dimensional color-coded digital subtraction angiography (2D-ccDSA).Methods Retrospective analysis of twenty-four patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC),treated by TACE and evaluated by post-processed 2D-ccDSA.All patients were examined by DSA before and after TACE procedure,all these DSA series were converted into color-code images,the time density curve (TDC) was derived from the 2D-ccDSA imaging.Time-to-peak (TTP) was measured for the ostia of the catheter,the origin of the tumor feeding artery (TFA) and the embolized site of the TFA; maximal TDC enhancement was measured for selected spots of the tumor parenchyma.The tumor blood supply time (TBST) for pre and post-TACE was calculated accordingly.Data were interpreted with paired t test using SPSS.Results The TTP of the ostia of the catheter and the origin of the tumor feeding artery (TFA) before TACE were (3.47 ± 0.96) and (4.09 ± 1.09) s,after the TACE were (3.49 ± 1.02) and (3.78 ± 1.05) s,respectively.There was no statistical difference between the pre-and post-procedural TTP of the two landmarks (t values were 0.10 and 1.15,P values were 0.92 and 0.26).TTP at the embolized site of the main TFA were [(4.62± 1.16) and (5.59± 1.57)s]for pre and post-TACE,the tumor blood supply time (TBST) was greatly delayed compared with that after the TACE procedure [(1.82± 1.10)s and (0.52±0.41)s].The mean maximal TDC enhancements of the tumor parenchyma areas were (3.03±0.88)units before TACE and (1.10±0.67)units after TACE.The differences were all statistically significant (t values were 3.32,6.04 and 8.93,respectively,P＜0.01) Conclusion It is feasible to use 2D-ccDSA to objectively assess the endpoint of TACE procedures.

Application of CT perfusion imaging in evaluating interventional therapy for small hepatocellular carcinoma：preliminary experience in 12 cases / 介入放射学杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical application of CT perfusion imaging in assessing the hemodynamic changes in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (<5 cm) before and after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Methods Twelve patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma were enrolled in this study. CT perfusion imaging of the liver was performed 1 - 2 days before and 3 - 4 weeks after TACE. By using the perfusion parameters the hemodynamics of the preoperative and postoperative tumor tissue, the hemodynamics of the preoperative tumor tissue and the normal tissue, and the hemodynamics of the postoperative active tumor tissue and the normal tissue were determined , and the results were compared between each other. Results Before TACE, the blood flow (BF), hepatic arterial fraction (HAF), hepatic arterial perfusion (HAP) and permeability of surface (PS) in the tumor tissue were significantly higher than those in the normal tissue (P < 0.01), while after TACE all the perfusion parameters except blood volume (BV) were significantly decreased in the tumor tissue (P < 0.01). After TACE, BF, PS, HAF and HAP in the activity tumor tissue were increased more than those in the normal tissue (P < 0.05). Conclusion CT perfusion imaging is of great clinical value in diagnosing < 5 cm hepatocellular carcinoma , in evaluating the hemodynamic changes after TACE and in demonstrating the activity of the residual tumor tissue.

Syphilis seroconversion among drug addicts during methadone maintenance treatment in Maanshan city,Anhui province: incidence and risk factors / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To evaluate the incidence of and risk factors for syphilis seroconversion amomg drug addicts during methadone maintenance treatment (MMT).Methods A retrospective study was performed on drug addicts receiving MMT at MMT clinics in Maanshan,who were seronegative for syphilis before the treatment and followed up by serological tests for syphilis for more than two years.The incidence of and risk factors for syphilis seroconversion during the two years of follow up were analyzed in all the subjects.Results A total of 161 drug addicts were included in this study,of whom,15 experienced seroconversion for syphilis with the average seroconversion rate being 4.66 per 100 person-years.The seroconversion tended to occurr in the early stage of MMT.Both Chi-square analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that syphilis seroconversion was independently associated with nonuse of condoms during the last sexual behavior before receiving MMT.Conclusions Interventions should be undertaken as early as possible to promote safe sexual behaviors among drug addicts at methadone clinics,and to promote condom use is especially important for blocking sexual transmission of diseases.

Correlation factors of nutritional deficiencies in critically ill children / 中华临床营养杂志

Objective To assess the nutritional status of critically ill children and the nutritional intake during their stay in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU),and analyze the correlation factors of nutritional deftciencies.Methods One hundred and twenty-seven patients who met the PICU admission standards with a PICU stay of ＞72 h were recruited from June to October 2012 in Shanghai Children's Medical Center.Anthropometric measurements and all nutrition-related indicators of those patients were recorded from day 1 to day 10.Results 59 of the 127 patients (46.5％) showed malnutrition at admission,in which 49.2％ had severe malnutrition.65 of the 127 patients (51.2％) showed malnutrition at discharge,in which 63.1％ were severely malnourished.Median estimated energy requirements (EER) by American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition was 376.7 kJ/ (kg · d) [interquartile range,IQR:314.0～376.7 kJ/ (kg · d)],prescribed calories were 237.8 kJ/ (kg· d) [IQR:159.5 ～291.8 kJ/ (ks· d)],and delivered calories were 220.2 kJ/ (kg· d)[IQR:132.3 ～ 279.2 k J/ (kg · d)],showing significant difference (P =0.000).The delivered energy was ＜90％ of EER in 80.7％ of the 1021 recorded days and the prescribed energy was ＜90％ of EER in 74.3％of the 1021 recorded days.The cumulative calory deficiency from day 1 to day 10 in PICU was (933.5 ±745.5) kJ/ (kg · person),and the cumulative protein deficiency was (4.0 ±5.0) g/ (kg · person).83 patients (65.4％) experienced at least one feeding interruption.Altogether 170 times of feeding interruption were recorded,of which 117 (68.8％) could be explained by examination procedures.Conclusions There is a high prevalence of malnutrition in critically ill children at admission into PICU,and their nutritional status deteriorates during hospital stay.Discrepancies between required and delivered energy were mainly attributed to under-prescription,while discrepancies between prescribed and delivered energy were mainly attributed to feeding interruptions.Appropriate care for these children entails early nutritional risk screening and correct nutrition support to avoid nutritional deficiencies.

Reform on diversified teaching of medical imaging / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Discipline of medical imaging has developed very quickly,which play an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and treatment of clinical disease.According to the characteristics of medical imaging disciplines,we launched reform on teaching management,teaching methods,course content,teacher training and modes of teaching,examing and researching in an aim to improve medical imaging education standards.