Effect of nasal swell body on nasal airflow and Artemisia pollen deposition / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective:The nasal swell body（NSB） consists of the nasal septal cartilage, nasal bone, and swollen soft tissue, all of which are visible during endoscopic and imaging examinations. Although the function of the NSB remains uncertain, there is evidence to suggest that it plays a vital role in regulating nasal airflow and filtering inhaled air. Based on anatomical and histological evidence, it is hypothesized that the NSB is indispensable in these processes. This study aims to investigate the impact of NSB on nasal aerodynamics and the deposition of allergen particles under physiological conditions. Methods:The three-dimensional （3D） nasal models were reconstructed from computed tomography （CT） scans of the paranasal sinus and nasal cavity in 30 healthy adult volunteers from Northwest China, providing basis for the construction of models without NSB following virtual NSB-removal surgery. To analyze the distribution of airflow in the nasal cavity, nasal resistance, heating and humidification efficiency, and pollen particle deposition rate at various anatomical sites, we employed the computed fluid dynamics（CFD） method for numerical simulation and quantitative analysis. In addition, we created fully transparent segmented nasal cavity models through 3D printing, which were used to conduct bionic experiments to measure nasal resistance and allergen particle deposition. Results:①The average width and length of the NSB in healthy adults in Northwest China were （12.85±1.74） mm and （28.30±1.92） mm, respectively. ②After NSB removal, there was no significant change in total nasal resistance, and cross-sectional airflow velocity remained essentially unaltered except for a decrease in topical airflow velocity in the NSB plane. ③There was no discernible difference in the nasal heating and humidification function following the removal of the NSB; ④After NSB removal, the deposition fraction（DF） of Artemisia pollen in the nasal septum decreased, and the DFs post-and pre-NSB removal were（22.79±6.61）% vs （30.70±12.27）%, respectively; the DF in the lower airway increased, and the DFs post-and pre-NSB removal were（24.12±6.59）% vs （17.00±5.57）%, respectively. Conclusion:This study is the first to explore the effects of NSB on nasal airflow, heating and humidification, and allergen particle deposition in a healthy population. After NSB removal from the healthy nasal cavities: ①nasal airflow distribution was mildly altered while nasal resistance showed no significantly changed; ②nasal heating and humidification were not significantly changed; ③the nasal septum's ability to filter out Artemisia pollen was diminished, which could lead to increased deposition of Artemisia pollen in the lower airway.

The value of synthetic MRI in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast lesions / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of synthetic MRI methods in the differentiation of benign and malignant breast lesions.Methods:Clinical and imaging data of 93 breast patients confirmed by pathology in the Second Affifiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University from May 2019 to April 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. All patients underwent synthetic MRI technique, and the quantitative parameters of T 1, T 2, and proton density (PD) values were measured. Independent samples t-test and Wilcoxon test were used to compare the differences in clinical and imaging characteristics between the benign and malignant breast lesions. ROC curve was used for the comparison of the diagnostic efficacy of the quantitative parameters in differentiating malignant from benign breast lesions. Results:Of the 93 patients with breast lesions, 62 cases were malignant and 31 cases were benign. The quantitative T 2 values for benign and malignant lesions were 103 (93, 126)ms and 83 (77, 90)ms respectively, and the quantitative PD values were 87.7 (72.7, 96.7)pu and 73.5(63.3, 79.4)pu respectively. There were statistically significant differences between benign and malignant lesion( P<0.05). Taking quantitative T 2 values of 90.5 ms and PD values of 84.8 pu as the cut-off value, the area under the ROC curve in differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions were 0.87 and 0.75, accuracy values were 80.6% and 78.5%, specificity values were 87.1% and 54.8%, sensitivity values were 77.4% and 90.3% respectively. Conclusion:Synthetic MRI methods can be applied in the examination of breast lesions and has the potential to be an effective diagnostic method for the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant lesions of breast.

Computational investigation of Artemisia pollen deposition in realistic nasal cavities of residents in northwest China / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective@#To investigate the deposition rate of Artemisia pollen in different nasal cavity regions and its influence factors in residents of northwest China.@*Methods@#Thirty healthy adults from northwest China were enrolled. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete phase model (DPM) were used for numerical simulation of nasal structures. The pollen deposition fraction in each anatomical part was counted and the effects of pollen density and breathing rate on deposition were analyzed. SPSS 19.0 software was used for statistical analysis.@*Results@#The hottest deposition parts of Artemisia pollen were nasal septum (30.70%±12.27%), vestibule (27.45%±8.21%), middle turbinate area (13.59%±8.98%) and nasopharynx (7.14%±5.90%). When the inspiratory flow rate increased to 30 L/min, the deposition rates of pollen in nasal vestibule and nasal septum were significantly higher than that at the rate of 15 L/min (43.20%±11.14% vs 27.45%±8.21%, 51.48%±9.77% vs 30.70%±12.27%, t value was -8.126,-5.264, respectively, all P<0.05), which indicated that with the increase of the inspiratory flow rate, the deposition hotspot moved forward. Compared with the wet Artemisia pollen, the deposition rate of the dry pollen in nasal vestibule and nasal septum decreased significantly (16.55%±4.33% vs 27.45%±8.21%, 7.09%±3.69% vs 30.70%±12.27%, t value was 8.669, 9.173, respectively, all P<0.05). The escape rate at outlet increased from 17.00%±9.57% to 43.48%±13.43% (t=-9.282, P<0.05).@*Conclusions@#The deposition of Artemisia pollen in nasal cavity is highly concentrated. The inhalation velocity and the dry-wet degree of pollen are the main determinants of the deposition site.