Research on multi-Atlas segmentation based on feature clustering / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To study the improvement of normal tissue region of interest (ROI) segmentation based on clustering-based multi-Atlas segmentation method, thereby achieving better delineation of organs at risk.Methods:CT images of 100 patients with cervical cancer who had completed treatment in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital during 2019-2020 were selected as the Atlas database. According to the volume characteristic parameters of the organs at risk (bladder, rectum and outer contour), the Atlas database was divided into several subsets by k-means clustering algorithm. The image to be segmented was matched to the corresponding Atlas library for multi-Atlas segmentation. The dice similarity coefficient (DSC) was used to evaluate the segmentation results.Results:Using 30 patients as the test set, the sub-Atlas generated by different clustering methods were compared for the improvement of image segmentation results. Compared with general multi-Atlas segmentation methods, clustering-based multi-Atlas segmentation method significantly improve the segmentation accuracy for the bladder (DSC=0.83±0.09 vs. 0.69±0.15, P<0.001) and the rectum (0.7±0.07 vs. 0.56±0.16, P<0.001), but no statistical significance was observed for left and right femoral head (0.92±0.04, 0.91±0.02) and bone marrow (0.91±0.06). The average segmentation time of clustering-based multi-Atlas segmentation method was shorter than that of the general multi-Atlas segmentation method (2.7 min vs. 6.3 min). Conclusion:The clustering-based multi-Atlas segmentation method can not only reduce the number of Atlas images registered with the image to be segmented, but also can be expected to improve the segmentation effect and obtain higher accuracy.

Incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and risk factors in the Suzhou cohort / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To understand the incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the Suzhou cohort, and explore the risk factors for the development of COPD in Suzhou, and provide a scientific basis for COPD prevention. Methods: This study was based on the China Kadoorie Biobank project in Wuzhong District, Suzhou. After excluding individuals with airflow obstruction and self-reported chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or pulmonary heart disease at baseline, 45 484 individuals were finally included in the analysis. Cox proportional risk models were used to analyze risk factors of COPD and calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence interval (CI) in the Suzhou cohort. The effect modifications of smoking on the association between other risk factors and COPD were evaluated. Results: Complete follow-up was available through December 31, 2017. Participants were followed up for a median of 11.12 years, and 524 individuals were diagnosed with COPD during the follow-up period; the incidence was 105.54 per 100 000 person-years. Multivariate Cox proportional risk regression models showed that age (HR=3.78, 95%CI:3.32-4.30), former smoking (HR=2.00, 95%CI:1.24-3.22), current smoking (<10 cigarettes/day, HR=2.14, 95%CI:1.36-3.35;≥10 cigarettes/day, HR=2.69, 95%CI:1.60-4.54), history of respiratory disease (HR=2.08, 95%CI:1.33-3.26), daily sleep duration ≥10 hours (HR=1.41, 95%CI:1.02-1.95) were associated with increased risk of COPD. However, education level of primary school and above (primary or junior high school, HR=0.65, 95%CI:0.52-0.81; high school and above, HR=0.54, 95%CI:0.33-0.87), consuming fresh fruit daily (HR=0.59, 95%CI:0.42-0.83) and consuming spicy food weekly (HR=0.71, 95%CI:0.53-0.94) were associated with reduced risk of COPD. Conclusions: The incidence of COPD is low in Suzhou. Older age, smoking, history of respiratory disease, and long sleep duration were risk factors for the development of COPD in the Suzhou cohort.

Structural and Functional Neural Alterations in Internet Addiction: A Study Protocol for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

A growing number of neuroimaging studies have revealed abnormal brain structural and functional alterations in subjects with internet addiction (IA), however, with conflicting conclusions. We plan to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the studies of voxelbased morphometry (VBM) and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC), to reach a consolidated conclusion and point out the future direction in this field. A comprehensive search of rsFC and VBM studies of IA will be conducted in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases to retrieve studies published from the inception dates to August 2021. If the extracted data are feasible, activation likelihood estimation and seed-based d mapping methods will be used to meta-analyze the brain structural and functional changes in IA patients. This study will hopefully reach a consolidated conclusion on the impact of IA on human brain or point out the future direction in this field.

Diagnosis and treatment of 112 patients with solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas / 中华普通外科杂志

Objective:To study the clinicopathological features, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of patients with solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas (SPN).Methods:From Jan 2008 to Dec 2017, 112 pathology confirmed SPN patients who underwent surgical treatment at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University were followed up. The clinicopathological characteristics and diagnosis were analyzed.Results:Most SPN patients were young women, the ratio of male to female is 1∶7. SPN patients have no typical clinical symptoms. The preoperative diagnostic accuracy of SPN was 57.14% with imaging examination. Pathological diagnosis depends mainly on immunohistochemical staining. All patients underwent surgical resection. Follow-up ranged from 4 to 123 months. The mean follow-up time was 49 months. All patients were doing well and no recurrence or metastasis was found.Conclusions:SPN is a rare tumor with low malignant potential. Surgical resection is effective.

Effect of Different Extracts of Thlaspi Herba on Gut Microbiota of Hyperuricemia Mice / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the effect of different extracts of Thlaspi Herba on the gut microbiota of hyperuricemia mice， and to reveal the substance basis and mechanism of its hypouricemic activity. Method:Eighty-eight male Kunming mice were divided into 11 groups， including blank group， model group， allopurinol group， high and low dose groups of petroleum ether extract， high and low dose groups of ethyl acetate extract， high and low dose groups of <italic>n</italic>-butanol extract， high and low dose groups of total flavonoids extract. Mice in the blank group were given 0.5% sodium carboxymethylcellulose by gavage， and the other groups were given oteracil potassium （500 mg·kg^-1） by gavage to duplicate the hyperuricemia model. After modeling for several hours， the blank group and the model group were given distilled water by gavage， while mice in the allopurinol group were given allopurinol suspension （50 mg·kg^-1）， and mice in each treatment group were given high and low doses of corresponding extract （5， 2.5 g·kg^-1）. The serum uric acid （SUA） level and xanthine oxidase （XOD） activity were measured after 14 days. Fresh feces were collected for 16S rDNA sequencing. Result:Compared with the blank group， SUA level and XOD activity of model group were significantly increased （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. Compared with the model group， SUA level and XOD activity of the allopurinol group were significantly decreased （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. After intervention， SUA level were significantly decreased （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）， except for high dose and low dose groups of petroleum ether extract and low dose group of total flavonoids extract， XOD activity was significantly inhibited in low dose group of petroleum ether extract， high dose group of total flavonoids extract， and high and low dose groups of <italic>n</italic>-butanol extract （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. The high dose group of total flavonoids extract was the most significant. The results of flora sequencing showed that <italic>α</italic> diversity and abundance of the model group changed significantly， and Bacteroidetes， Firmicutes and Lactobacillaceae were significantly correlated with XOD activity. After intervention， the operational taxonomic unit （OTU）， ACE， Chao1 and Shannon indexes of the high and low dose groups of total flavonoids extract were significantly increased （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. Relative abundance of Bacteroidetes in low dose group of ethyl acetate extract， high dose group of total flavonoids extract， and high and low dose groups of <italic>n</italic>-butanol extract was significantly decreased （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， and the relative abundance of Firmicutes was significantly increased （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. The relative abundance of Lactobacillaceae in low dose group of <italic>n</italic>-butanol extract and high dose group of total flavonoids extract was significantly increased （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. Conclusion:The effective part of Thlaspi Herba for reducing uric acid is mainly flavonoids， the improvement of SUA level and XOD activity by affecting gut microbiota such as Lactobacillaceae， Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes， may be one of its mechanisms.

Classification of Rice-wine Processed Coptidis Rhizoma Decoction Piece Based on Subjective and Objective Combination Weighting Method and Quality Constant Method / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To provide refere nce f or the quality control and evaluation of rice-wine processed Coptidis Rhizoma decoction piece. METHODS ：Taking 17 batches of rice-wine processed Coptidis Rhizoma decoction piece from different manufacturers as samples ，HPLC method was adopted to determine the contents of 4 kinds of alkaloids as epiberberine ，coptisine， palmatine and berberine. The compound weights of epiberberine ，berberine，palmatine and berberine were calculated by the subjective and objective combination weighting method （AHP combined with variation coefficient ）. Then the quality evaluation method was used to evaluate the quality of decoction pieces combined with the appearance of decoction pieces and the contents of 4 alkaloids. The percent mass constant was calculated and the grade of rice-wine processed Coptidis Rhizoma decoction piece was classified. RESULTS ：According to the results of content determination of 4 kinds of alkaloids ，among 17 batches of samples ，a total of 13 batches of samples met the requirements of 2015 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia （part Ⅳ）. Mass constants of 13 batches of qualified samples were 10.03-26.96，and the percent mass constants were 37.20％-100％. If the percent mass constant ≥ 80％ of the sample was listed as the first-class product ，the sample with the percent mass constant between 50％-＜80％ was classified as the second-class product ，and the rest was listed as the third-class product ，therefore the quality constant of first-class product was ≥21.57，that of second-class product was 13.48-＜21.57，and that of third-class product was ＜13.48. According to the grading standard ，3 batches of 13 batches of qualified samples are classified as first-class products ，6 batches are classified as second-class products ，4 batches are classified as third-class products. CONCLUSIONS ：The established subjective and objective combination weighting method and quality constant method can more scientifically and reasonably classify rice-wine processed Coptidis Rhizoma decoction piece.

Association between PTCH1 gene polymorphisms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease susceptibility in a Chinese Han population: a case-control study / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Genome-wide association studies in non-Asian population revealed a link between COPD and mutations in the PTCH1 gene encoding Patched1, a receptor in the Hedgehog signaling pathway important for lung morphogenesis and pulmonary function. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between PTCH1 polymorphisms and the COPD risk in the Chinese Han population.@*METHODS@#We performed a case-control study including 296 patients with COPD and 300 healthy individuals. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the PTCH1 gene were identified and genotyped based on the linkage disequilibrium analysis in all participants. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated using logistic regression analysis after adjustment for age, gender, and smoking.@*RESULTS@#In total, 28 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in patients with COPD. Among them, "A" allele of rs28491365 (OR: 1.388, 95% CI: 1.055-1.827, P = 0.018), and "G" alleles of rs10512248 (OR: 1.299, 95% CI: 1.021-1.653, P = 0.033) and rs28705285 (OR: 1.359, 95% CI: 1.024-1.803, P = 0.033; respectively) were significantly associated with an increased COPD risk. Genetic model analysis revealed that the "T/T" genotype of rs34695652 was associated with a decreased COPD risk under the recessive model (OR: 0.490, 95% CI: 0.270-0.880, P = 0.010), whereas rs28504650/rs10512248 haplotype CG was significantly associated with an increased COPD risk after adjustment for age, gender, and smoking status (OR: 6.364, 95% CI: 1.220-33.292, P = 0.028).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The study provides a new insight into the role of PTCH1 polymorphisms in the susceptibility to COPD in the Chinese Han population.

Efficacy of BMMSCs on aGVHD and Its Correlation with SerumInflammatory Cytokines in Pediatric Patients with Severe Refractory Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the efficacy of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSC) on children with refractory graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and to judge the efficacy of BMMSC by dynamically monitoring the changes of cytokines in children with GVHD before and after infusion of BMMSC, so as to provide a theoretical basis for clarifying the mechanism of BMMSC.@*METHODS@#17 children with refractory aGVHD including 7 of grade II, 6 cases of grade III and 4 cases of grade IV after allo-HSCT were enrolled. All the children with aGVHD, who received routine immunosuppressive therapy, but the state of disease not improved, were treated with immunosuppressive drugs combined with BMMSC infusion. Study endpoints included safety of BMMSC infusion, response to BMMSC, and overall response of aGVHD. The serum levels of IL-2α, IL-6, IL-10, IL-8 and TNF-α in aGVHD patients were measured by chemiluminescence before infusion of BMMSCs and Day 7, Day 14 after infusion of BMMSCs.@*RESULTS@#The cumulative median dose of BMMSCs was 5.5 (3.4-11.1) × 10/kg for average of 3.7 times, and the median time of 16.5 (4-95) days for the first infusion of MSCs. In 17 cases of refractory GVHD, 14 responded to treatment, whereas 3 patients failed. The total effective rate was 82.4% and no adverse reactions occurred. Of the 14 survived cases (82.4%), the median follow-up time was 944 (559-1245) days from the first infusion of MSCs. The levels of TNF-α in children with grade II, III and IV GVHD before treatment were 9.5±4.3 pg/ml, 16.3±10.9 pg/ml and 35.8±21.2 pg/ml respectively. The difference between grade II and IV, III and IV was statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with the ineffective group of BMMSC infusion, the serum TNF-αlevel in the BMMSCs treatment effective group was 10.8±5.6 pg/ml vs 40.6±14.8 pg/ml (t=-3.901, P<0.05) before treatment. In the effective group of BMMSCs infusion, IL-10 20±17.4 pg/ml of day 14 was significantly higher than that 7.3±3.1 pg/ml before the treatment (t=-2.850, P<0.05), while , the serum levels of IL-2α, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α were not statistically significantly different (P＞0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The infusion of BMMSC is safe and effective in the treatment of refractory GVHD in children. TNF-αlevel relates with the severity of GVHD. BMMSC may play an anti-GVHD role by up regulating the level of cytokine IL-10 in vivo.

Physical activity of children and adolescents and its influencing factors / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To examine children and adolescents physical activity level and its influencing factors based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB).Methods A total of 353 students aged 8-15 were chosen as samples.Accelerometers were used to measure the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) time and a TPB scale was used to measure the TPB constructs.Results ①Research results showed that only 5.3％ of the participating children and adolescents reached the recommended 60 miu MVPA each day.②There were significant gender differences in the attitude (t=1.360,P＜0.0 l),MVPA intention(t=2.076,P＜0.01) and MVPA time (t=2.076,P＜0.05) of children and adolescents.However,there was no significant differences in their subjective norms and perceived behavioral control (P＞ 0.05).Significant grade differences were also observed for attitude (F (5.352) =2.627,P＜ 0.05),MVPA intention (F(5.352)=2.890,P＜0.05) and MVPA time (F(5.352) =6.156,P＜0.01).③The regression results showed that MVPA intention (β=0.130,P＜0.01) was significantly related to MVPA time and it explained 0.4％ variance.Perceived behavioral control(β=0.496,P＜0.01) and attitude(β=0.155,P＜0.01) were significantly associated with MVPA intention and explained 1.8％ variance.Conclusion The average MVPA time of children and adolescents in this study do not achieve the international recommendation level and the behavioral intention determines their MVPA time.