Interventional radiology under the era of coronavirus disease 2019: Recommendations from the Chinese College of Interventionalists

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a major public health threat to the whole world. Although the control of COVID-19 has been in the forefront of interventional practice, most interventional radiologists (IRs) are not equipped adequately to cope with such a crisis. In this review, we share our experience from Chinese IRs' perspective, report on the acute measures instituted within interventional radiology (IR) units, and give recommendations to the prevention and control of COVID-19

Diagnostic value of fine-needle aspiration biopsy combined with BRAFV600E gene mutation detection in elderly patients with thyroid nodules / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of fine needle aspiration biopsy combined with BRAFV600E gene mutation detection in elderly patients with thyroid nodules.Methods A total of 168 elderly patients with thyroid nodules suspicious for malignancy on ultrasound from January 2017 to December 2017 at our hospital were enrolled in this study.Using color Doppler ultrasound,185 thyroid nodules were found.Fine needle aspiration cytology(FNAC)and BRAFV600E gene mutation detection were performed before surgery and the findings were compared with postoperative pathological results.The diagnostic value of single and combined detection of FNAC and BRAFV600E gene mutation was evaluated.Results Among 185 thyroid nodules,there were 146 malignant lesions including 137 papillary carcinomas and 9 follicular carcinomas,and 39 benign lesions including 31 cases of nodular goiter,5 cases of Hashimoto's thyroiditis and 3 cases of adenoma.The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of FNAC were 79.5％,59.0％,75.1％,75.2％,and 45.6％,respectively.The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of BRAFV600E gene mutation detection were 78.1％,51.3 ％,72.4 ％,84.4 ％ and 51.2 ％,respectively.The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the combined detection were 93.4％,77.5％,86.2％,90.8％ and 53.4％,respectively.The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the combined detection were higher than those of either method used alone (all P＜0.05).Conclusions For some thyroid nodules that cannot be unequivocally diagnosed as benign or malignant by FNAC,the combined detection of FNAC and BRAFV600E gene mutation can significantly improve the sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of malignancy detection,differentiate between benign and malignant nodules,and help formulate operation plans and subsequent treatment.

In vivo Breath Analysis by Extractive Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry for Investigation of Metabolic Responses to Traditional Chinese Medicine Massages / 分析化学

Traditional Chinese Medicine massage is a kind of physiotherapy which affects on specific parts of the body surface by means of training to regulate the function of the body to achieve the therapeutic effect. In this work,under positive detection model, the chemical fingerprint of exhaled breath from volunteers before and after receiving Traditional Chinese Medicine massage within m/z 50-1000 were detected by extractive electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (EESI-MS). And through high resolution mass spectrometry analysis, the metabolites such as epinephrine (m/z 184. 0889), 3-(3-hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid (m/z 167.0615) and L-tryptophan (m/z 205. 0933) were successfully identified. Besides, chemical fingerprints of volunteers before and after receiving Traditional Chinese Medicine massage under different health condition were clearly differentiated via partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA). The results showed that Traditional Chinese Medicine massage could significantly change the metabolic process of volunteers. Moreover, it further indicated that the established method could provide a real time fashion to follow metabolic changes caused by Traditional Chinese Medicine massage.

Progress in α5GABAA receptors and their allosteric modulators in learning-memory / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

Alpha 5 subunit-containing γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (α5GABAARs), mainly distributed in the hippocampus, are an inhibitory synaptic receptor of the central nervous system.α5GABAARs inhibit the hippocampal neurons by mediating a chloride leak current. A number of studies have demonstrated that alterations in the level of excitability of α5GABAARs impair cognitive function and learning-memory, thus resulting in a series of diseases and symptoms including postoperative cognitive dysfunction, pain, depression, schizophrenia and Down syndrome. Accordingly, allosteric modulators for α5GABAARs show therapeutic or improving effects on the above clinical diseases. This review mainly discusses the physiology of α5GABAARs, impact on cognition and key effects of these allosteric modulators.