Detection of 14 sulfonate esters impurities of active pharmaceutical ingredients based on GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS / 药学学报

Two methods including gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were established to detect common alkyl sulfonates and aryl sulfonates genotoxic impurities. Four alkyl sulfonates and methyl benzenesulfonate were determined by GC-MS/MS using butyl methanesulfonate as the internal standard, the chromatographic column was HP-5MS UI (30 mm × 0.25 mm, 0.25 µm), the carrier gas was helium, the flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1 in a constant flow mode, the sample inlet temperature was set to 250 ℃, the split ratio was 10∶1, and the initial temperature of the heating program was 80 ℃, maintained for 1 minute, and then increased to 240 ℃ at a heating rate of 30 ℃·min-1 for 2 minutes. The mass spectrometry detector was an electron bombardment ion source (EI source), the data collection condition was multi reaction monitoring mode (MRM), and method validation using the raw material of clinical drug citalopram hydrobromide as a sample. The results showed that the linear range of four alkyl sulfonates and methyl benzenesulfonate were good at 3-50 ng·mL-1 and 9-150 ng·mL-1, with a correlation coefficient of r > 0.999, The spiked recovery was 80%-120%. The detection limits were 1 and 3 ng·mL-1; Ten aryl sulfonates determined by LC-MS/MS, the chromatographic column was CSH Fluoro phenyl (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm), the mobile phase was methanol (B)-5 mmol·L-1 ammonium formate (D), with a flow rate of 0.2 mL·min-1, and gradient elution was performed. The gradient program (T/% B) was set as 0/20, 25/90, 35/90, 42/20. The mass spectrometer detector was electro spray ionization with positive ionization mode (ESI+), the data collection was in dynamic multi reaction monitoring mode (dMRM), and the method was validated using the raw material of the clinical drug citalopram hydrobromide as a sample. The results showed that the linear range of aryl sulfonates were good at 9-2 000 ng·mL-1, 3-100 ng·mL-1 and 0.9-30 ng·mL-1, respectively. The correlation coefficient r > 0.999, the spiked recovery was 80%-120%. The detection limits were 30, 1 and 0.3 ng·mL-1. Two detection methods did not detect potential sulfonate genotoxicity impurities in the above APIs. The established analytical methods are reliable and effective, which can provide reference for drug quality control and detection.

Therapeutic Efficacy of Shexiang Baoxin Pill Combined with Exercise in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Single-Center, Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of Shexiang Baoxin Pill combined with exercise in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).@*METHODS@#Sixty patients with HFpEF were randomly divided into group A (n=20), receiving Shexiang Baoxin Pill combined with home-based exercise training based on conventional drugs for 12 weeks; group B (n=20), receiving conventional drugs combined with home-based exercise training for 12 weeks; and group C (n=20), receiving conventional drug treatment only. Peak oxygen uptake (peakVO2), anaerobic threshold (AT), 6-min walking test (6MWT), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and SF-36 questionnaire (SF-36) results before and after treatment were compared among groups.@*RESULTS@#After the 12-week intervention, patients in group C showed significant declines in peakVO2, AT, 6MWT, PSQI, and SF-36 compared with pre-treatment (P<0.01), while groups A and B both showed significant improvements in peakVO2, AT, 6MWT, PSQI, and SF-36 results compared with pre-treatment (P<0.01). Compared with group C, patients in groups A and B showed significant improvements in peakVO2, AT, 6MWT, PSQI, and SF-36 (P<0.01). In addition, patients in group A showed more significant improvements in physical function, role-physical, vitality, and mental health scores on the SF-36 questionnaire, and PSQI scores than those in group B (P<0.01).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Exercise training improved exercise tolerance, sleep quality and quality of life (QoL) in patients with HFpEF. Notably, Shexiang Baoxin Pill played an active role in sleep quality and QoL of patients with HFpEF. (The trial was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (No. ChiCTR2100054322)).

Novel Variants in the FIG4 Gene Associated With Chinese Sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis With Slow Progression

Background@#and Purpose Mutations in the FIG4 gene have been linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) type 11 in Caucasian populations. The purpose of this study was to identify FIG4 variants in a cohort of 15 familial ALS (FALS) indexes and 275 sporadic ALS (SALS) patients of Han Chinese origin. @*Methods@#All 23 exons of FIG4 were sequenced using targeted next-generation sequencing.An extensive literature review was performed to detect genotype-phenotype associations of FIG4 mutations. @*Results@#No FIG4 variants were identified in the FALS patients. One novel heterozygous missense variant (c.352G>T [p.D118Y]) and one novel heterozygous nonsense variant (c.2158G>T [p.E720X]) in FIG4 were identified in two SALS patients. The p.E720X variant is interpreted as likely pathogenic while the p.D118Y variant is a variant of uncertain significance. The patient carrying the p.E720X mutation developed lower-limb-onset slowly progressive ALS, and survived for 11.5 years. The patient harboring the FIG4 p.D118Y variant also presented with progressive ALS, with the score on the ALS Functional Rating Scale–Revised (ALSFRS-R) decreasing by 0.4 per month. The rate of decrease in the ALSFRS-R scores from symptom onset to diagnosis seemed to be lower in the patients carrying FIG4 variants than the no-FIG4-mutation ALS patients in this study. @*Conclusions@#Our findings suggest that ALS patients carrying FIG4 mutations are not common in the Chinese population and are more likely to exhibit slow progression.

Clarification on Kidney-deficiency Constipation Treated by Classic Prescription Jichuanjian / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Jichuanjian， from the Jing Yue’s Collected Works by Zhang Jingyue， a famous doctor of Ming Dynasty， is composed of Angelica， Achyranthes bidentata， Cistanche deserticola， Alismatis Rhizoma， Shengma and Fructus Aurantii. It is one of the first 100 classic prescriptions published by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The original book states that where the disease is related to deficiency， with impacted stool， medicines such as Xiaohuang prescription cannot be used. If the treatment is needed， Jichuanjian should be applied. Through the textual research of ancient and modern literature， it is found that the efficacy of Jichuanjian has changed from ancient to modern times. In the medical books of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the modern ones， the treatment is mostly carried out based on the constipation due to deficiency recorded in the original book， while in contemporary times， the treatment of Jichuanjian focuses on kidney （yang）-deficiency constipation and yin-deficiency constipation. Especially since modern times， Jichuanjian is frequently used to treat kidney-deficiency constipation according to the description in the planning textbooks of traditional Chinese medicine colleges and universities， which causes doubts among the authors. To actively respond to the call of General Secretary Xi Jinping that we should strengthen the sorting and excavation of the essence of classical medical books， this paper analyzed and demonstrated the original text and the drug composition， traceability and application by future generations of Jichuanjian based on the Jing Yue’s Collected Works. It was concluded that Jichuanjian was prepared for the treatment of constipation due to weak constitution， fluid deficiency， and emergent purgation， aiming for constipation due to weak constitution and fluid consumption rather than kidney-deficiency constipation described in modern textbooks. As Jichuanjian was developed for similar syndromes， it was reasonable that it was understood by later generations of doctors from the perspective of liver and kidney as well as earth dampness and wood stagnation， which however remains to be further explored and verified in clinic. By combing and discussing the efficacy of Jichuanjian， this paper could provide theoretical basis for the clinical application and modern development of Jichuanjian.

Multimodal high-grade glioma semantic segmentation network with multi-scale and multi-attention fusion mechanism / 生物医学工程学杂志

Glioma is a primary brain tumor with high incidence rate. High-grade gliomas (HGG) are those with the highest degree of malignancy and the lowest degree of survival. Surgical resection and postoperative adjuvant chemoradiotherapy are often used in clinical treatment, so accurate segmentation of tumor-related areas is of great significance for the treatment of patients. In order to improve the segmentation accuracy of HGG, this paper proposes a multi-modal glioma semantic segmentation network with multi-scale feature extraction and multi-attention fusion mechanism. The main contributions are, (1) Multi-scale residual structures were used to extract features from multi-modal gliomas magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); (2) Two types of attention modules were used for features aggregating in channel and spatial; (3) In order to improve the segmentation performance of the whole network, the branch classifier was constructed using ensemble learning strategy to adjust and correct the classification results of the backbone classifier. The experimental results showed that the Dice coefficient values of the proposed segmentation method in this article were 0.909 7, 0.877 3 and 0.839 6 for whole tumor, tumor core and enhanced tumor respectively, and the segmentation results had good boundary continuity in the three-dimensional direction. Therefore, the proposed semantic segmentation network has good segmentation performance for high-grade gliomas lesions.

Effect of Clonorchis sinensis infection on the coagulation indexes of patients with chronic hepatitis B / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective To analyze the changes of coagulation indicators in patients with hepatitis B complicated with Clonorchis sinensis (C. Sinensis), and provide reference value for diagnosis, drug using and prognosis monitoring. Methods　The patient samples were collected from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from June 2018 to February 2022 and divided into six groups. They were 40 healthy patients, 47 patients with simple chronic hepatitis B, 47 patients with post-hepatitis B liver cirrhosis, 40 patients with C. Sinensis mono-infection, 30 patients with chronic hepatitis B patients co-infected with C. Sinensis and 27 patients with post-hepatitis B liver cirrhosis patients coinfected with C. Sinensis. Four coagulation indexes, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT) and fibrinogen (FIB), were detected and compared among the groups. Results Compared with the healthy group, C. Sinensis mono-infection group had higher level of FIB and delayed PT, APTT; chronic hepatitis B group and chronic hepatitis B patients co-infected with C. Sinensis group had delayed PT, APTT, TT and significant lower FIB, these differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Compared with simple chronic hepatitis B group, post-hepatitis B liver cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis B patients co-infected with C. Sinensis had significant delayed PT, APTT, TT and lower FIB (all P<0.05). Compared with the post-hepatitis B liver cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis B patients co-infected with C. Sinensis, post-hepatitis B liver cirrhosis patients coinfected with C. Sinensis group had significant delayed PT, APTT, TT and lower FIB (all P<0.05). Conclusions The coinfection of C. Sinensis will further aggravate the coagulation dysfunction of HBV patients, leading to poor treatment and prognosis. HBV patients will have worse coagulation function in the process to post-hepatitis B liver cirrhosis; Therefore, it is important to pay attention to C. Sinensis co-infection when treating HBV patients, so that further guidance on clinical use and monitoring of prognosis can be provided.

Diagnosis and treatment of two imported cases with schistosomiasis haematobia in Fujian Province / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To analyze the diagnosis and treatment of two imported cases with schistosomiasis haematobia, so as to provide insights into improving the diagnosis and treatment and avoiding misdiagnosis and mistreatment of imported schistosomiasis haematobia. Methods The medical records and epidemiological data pertaining to the two cases were collected. The stool and urine samples were collected for identification of Schistosoma eggs using the Kato-Katz technique and direct smear method after centrifugal precipitation, and blood samples were collected for detection of anti-Schistosoma antibody. Following definitive diagnosis, the patients were given praziquantel therapy. Results The patient 1, a Malagasy, was infected in Madagascar and returned to China for delivery. The case presented intermittent painless terminal hematuria symptoms, and showed no remarkable improvements following multiple-round treatments in several hospitals. In January 2017, she was found to be positive for anti-Schistosoma antibody, negative for feces test, and positive for S. haematobium eggs in urine test, and miracidia were hatched from eggs. Then, the case was diagnosed as schistosomiasis haematobia. Patient 2 worked in Republic of Malawi for many years, and presented intermittent painless terminal hematuria since October 2018; however, no definite diagnosis or effective treatment was received after admission to multiple hospitals. In March 2019, pathological examinations showed a number of eggs in the interstitium of the bladder mass, accompanied by a large number of eosinophils, which was consistent with schistosomiasis cystitis. In April 2019, he was tested positive for serum anti-Schistosoma antibody, negative for the fecal test, and had S. haematobium eggs in urine samples, with miracidia hatched from eggs. Then, the case was diagnosed as schistosomiasis haematobia. Following treatment with praziquantel at a dose of 60 mg/kg, all symptoms disappeared. Conclusions Overseas imported schistosomiasis haematobia is likely to be misdiagnosed. The training pertaining to schistosomiasis control knowledge requires to be improved among clinical professionals, in order to avoid misdiagnosis and mistreatment.

Characteristics of atelectasis and its relationship with degree of diaphragm inhibition in elderly patients with artificial pneumoperitoneum under general anesthesia / 中华麻醉学杂志

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of atelectasis and its relationship with the degree of diaphragm inhibition in elderly patients with artificial pneumoperitoneum under general anesthesia.Methods:Patients of both sexes, aged 20-80 yr, of American society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅰor Ⅱ, with body mass index of 20-29 kg/m 2, scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anesthesia, were divided into 2 groups ( n=20 each) according to age: young and middle-aged group and elderly group.Total intravenous anesthesia was applied and intraoperative pressure of artificial pneumoperitoneum was set at 10 mmHg.Before anesthesia, at 5 min of mechanical ventilation, at 5 min of artificial pneumoperitoneum, at 20 min of artificial pneumoperitoneum, at 5 min after the end of artificial pneumoperitoneum and at 15 min after extubation, diaphragmatic excursion (DE) was measured at the right diaphragm point using M-mode ultrasound.The minimal DE was recorded and the maximum degree of diaphragm inhibition was calculated.B-mode was used to assess the lung ultrasound images at the upper bedside lung ultrasound in emergency (BLUE) point, the lower BLUE point and the diaphragm point, and the cumulative scores before anesthesia and perioperative maximum cumulative scores of lung ultrasound score (LUS) were recorded. Results:Compared with the young and middle-aged group, the maximum cumulative scores of LUS were significantly increased, the degree of DE before anesthesia, the perioperative maximum degree of diaphragm inhibition were increased ( P<0.05), and no significant change was found in LUS cumulative scores in elderly group ( P>0.05). Conclusion:The degree of atelectasis is more serious in the elderly patients with artificial pneumoperitoneum under general anesthesia, and the mechamism may be related to the increased degree of diaphragm inhibition.

Construction of a training evaluation index system of sterility concept for nursing interns in the operating room based on Kirkpatrick model / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:Based on the Kirkpatrick model, construct an evaluation index system for the teaching effect of aseptic concept for interns in operating room.Methods:Based on the Kirkpatrick model as the theoretical framework, combined with literature review and group discussion, the first draft of the indicator system was drawn up, and the expert consultation questionnaire was compiled. 30 experts with nursing teaching experience from several tertiary hospitals and medical undergraduate colleges in Chengdu were selected for research. Delphi conducts 2 rounds of consultation with experts. The collected data were input by Excel, and analyzed by SPSS 23.0.Results:The positive coefficients of the two rounds of consulting experts were l00.00% and 93.33%; the expert authority coefficients were both>0.7; the overall coordination coefficient of expert opinions Kendall's W was 0.321 and 0.427, respectively, with statistical significance ( P<0.05). The final result index system for training nurses in operating room aseptic concept includes 4 first-level indicators, 11 second-level indicators, and 45 third-level indicators. Conclusion:The construction method of aseptic concept assessment index system for nursing students in operating room is scientific and reasonable, and the content is set appropriately, which can provide a basis for the evaluation of aseptic concept training for nursing students in operating room.

A review on the application of UK Biobank in neuroimaging / 生物医学工程学杂志

UK Biobank (UKB) is a forward-looking epidemiological project with over 500, 000 people aged 40 to 69, whose image extension project plans to re-invite 100, 000 participants from UKB to perform multimodal brain magnetic resonance imaging. Large-scale multimodal neuroimaging combined with large amounts of phenotypic and genetic data provides great resources to conduct brain health-related research. This article provides an in-depth overview of UKB in the field of neuroimaging. Firstly, neuroimage collection and imaging-derived phenotypes are summarized. Secondly, typical studies of UKB in neuroimaging areas are introduced, which include cardiovascular risk factors, regulatory factors, brain age prediction, normality, successful and morbid brain aging, environmental and genetic factors, cognitive ability and gender. Lastly, the open challenges and future directions of UKB are discussed. This article has the potential to open up a new research field for the prevention and treatment of neurological diseases.

Quantitative analysis of vascular permeability surface area product in patients with intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis with whole brain CTP / 中国医学影像技术

Objective: To observe vascular permeability surface area product (PS) and hemodynamic status of brain tissue in patients with intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) and the changes after stent implantation with whole brain computed tomography perfusion (CTP). Methods: Totally 59 patients with ICAS (implantation group)and 16 volunteers(control group) were collected. All subjects underwent whole brain CTP, and 17 ICAS patients among them underwent responsible vascular stent implantation. Quantitative analysis software was used to measure vascular PS, hemodynamic parameters (cerebral blood flow [CBF], cerebral blood volume [CBV] and mean transit time [MTT]) in the responsible artery blood supply area, and the healthy side mirror values were obtained. The differences of vascular PS and hemodynamic parameters were compared between 2 groups. The changes of vascular PS and hemodynamic parameters before and after stent implantation in ICAS group and the correlations of vascular PS and hemodynamic parameters were analyzed. Results: Compared with control group, ICAS group had higher vascular PS value, lower CBF and longer MTT (t=7.77, -4.84, 7.47, all P<0.05). Compared with the healthy side, increased vascular PS value, decreased CBF, increased CBV and MTT were observed on the affected side in ICAS group (t=-4.38, -4.48, 4.49, 8.35, all P<0.05). After stent implantation, statistical differences of vascular PS value, CBF, MTT of the affected side were found compared with those before (t=0.95, -4.05, 3.50, all P<0.05). There was slight negative correlation between PS value and atrial fibrillation (P<0.05). Vascular PS was highly and moderately positively correlated with MTT and CBV, respectively (r=0.86, 0.59, both P<0.05), and negatively correlated with CBF (r=-0.31, P<0.05). Conclusion: Vascular PS value can be used as an imaging marker to quantitatively evaluate the therapeutic effect of ICAS. Vascular PS value of the affected brain tissue of ICAS patients increased significantly, but significantly decreased after stent implantation. Vascular PS value combined with hemodynamic parameters can more accurately reflect the pathophysiological changes of brain tissue, therefore providing references for individualized treatment of ICAS and evaluation of efficacy.

Application of semantic segmentation based on convolutional neural network in medical images / 生物医学工程学杂志

With the rapid development of network structure, convolutional neural networks (CNN) consolidated its position as a leading machine learning tool in the field of image analysis. Therefore, semantic segmentation based on CNN has also become a key high-level task in medical image understanding. This paper reviews the research progress on CNN-based semantic segmentation in the field of medical image. A variety of classical semantic segmentation methods are reviewed, whose contributions and significance are highlighted. On this basis, their applications in the segmentation of some major physiological and pathological anatomical structures are further summarized and discussed. Finally, the open challenges and potential development direction of semantic segmentation based on CNN in the area of medical image are discussed.

Predictive value of laboratory tests on severity of newly hospitalized patients with COVID-19 / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To analyze the laboratory tests in newly hospitalized patients with COVID-19　and their predictive values for the severity of the disease.Methods:83 patients, including 54 males and 29 females, with median interquartile range of 63(53-70)years diagnosed with covid-19　who were managed by Fujian medical team from January 27, 2020 to February 20, 2020 in Wuhan JinYinTan Hospital were studied retrospectively. According to the severity of the disease, they were divided into common, severe and critical groups. White blood cell (WBC), lymphocyte (LYM), loctate dehydrogenase (LDH), interleukin-6 (IL-6), procalcitonin (PCT), serum ferritin (SF), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and D-Dimer (D-D) on admission were analyzed retrospectively. And the predictive value of each indicator for critical group was analyzed by Logistic regression.Results:On admission, in common, severe and critical groups, WBC (×10 9/L) values were 7.10±3.88, 7.73±3.77 and 9.07±5.61, respectively ( F = 1.315, P=0.274); IL-6　(μg/L) values were 11.76(9.42-15.18), 11.93(10.15-15.63) and 11.24(8.06-13.75), respectively( Z=0.591, P=0.744);D-D (mg/L) values were 0.70(0.48-1.12), 1.67(1.07-7.14) and 1.96(0.71-8.18), respectively( Z=3.363, P=0.186).There were no significant differences among three groups. On admission, in common, severe and critical groups, LYM(×10 9/L) values were 1.10±0.33, 0.80±0.35 and 0.66±0.32, respectively( F=11.415, P<0.001); SF(μg/L) values were 470.83±283.43, 835.66±819.43, and 1341.15±949.54, respectively ( F=7.98, P=0.001); ESR(mm/h) values were 30.76±15.70, 42.55±22.51 and 51.04±25.09, respectively( F=5.181, P=0.008); LDH(U/L) values were 314.71±105.46, 325.69±109.85 and 444.03±181.07, respectively( F=7.17, P=0.001); hs-CRP(μg/L)values were 16(7.20-19.90), 31.00(20.00-87.60) and 80.50(33.70-113.00), respectively( Z=12.185, P=0.002);PCT(μg/L) values were 0.025(0.02-0.05), 0.05(0.02-0.13) and 0.09(0.05-0.39), respectively( Z=9.694, P=0.008). There were significant differences among three groups. Pairwise comparison showed that the LYM value in common group was higher than those in severe and critical groups, and the hs-CRP values in severe and critical groups were higher than that in common group,while SF, ESR, LDH and PCT values in critical group were all higher than those in severe and common groups( P<0.05). Conclusions:On admission, WBC, LYM, ESR and LDH are helpful to predict the severity of COVID-19. Although the level of IL-6 is increased, it may not be meaningful to judge the severity of COVID-19.

Protective effect of protein kinase C inhibitor on rat renal vascular endothelial injury induced by lipopolysaccharide / 中华危重病急救医学

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the protective effect of protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor rottlerin on rat renal vascular endothelial injury induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).@*METHODS@#Rat renal microvascular endothelial cells cultured for 3-6 generations were divided into three groups according to random number table: blank control group in which cells were not challenged, LPS group in which cells were only stimulated by LPS 10 mg/L for 24 hours, and PKC inhibitor group in which cells were treated with PKC inhibitor rottlerin 2 μmol/L 30 minutes before LPS stimulation. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukins (IL-1β, IL-8) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Monolayer permeability was determined by Transwell assay. The expressions of PKC, RhoA and vascular endothelial-cadherin (VE-cadherin) were detected by Western Blot. The morphological characteristic and distribution of F-actin was measured by laser confocal fluorescence microscope.@*RESULTS@#Compared with blank control group, the levels of inflammatory cytokines at 24 hours after 10 mg/L LPS stimulation were significantly increased in LPS group [TNF-α (ng/L): 397.3±25.4 vs. 46.8±8.9, IL-1β (ng/L): 76.7±11.2 vs. 12.6±3.2, IL-8 (ng/L): 574.5±31.4 vs. 73.2±9.6, all P < 0.05], the permeability of endothelial cells was significantly increased (A value: 1.32±0.03 vs. 0.36±0.02, P < 0.05), while the expressions of PKC and RhoA were significantly up-regulated (PKC/β-actin: 0.88±0.02 vs. 0.61±0.03, RhoA/β-actin: 0.96±0.01 vs. 0.49±0.03, both P < 0.05), VE-cadherin expression was significantly down-regulated (VE-cadherin/β-actin: 0.51±0.01 vs. 0.72±0.04, P < 0.05), and the F-actin distribution disorder had obvious stress fiber formation. Compared with LPS group, the levels of inflammatory cytokines were significantly lowered in PKC inhibitor group [TNF-α (ng/L): 127.4±14.6 vs. 397.3±25.4, IL-1β(ng/L): 43.2±7.8 vs. 76.7±11.2, IL-8 (ng/L): 212.7±18.2 vs. 574.5±31.4, all P < 0.05], the permeability of endothelial cells was significantly decreased (A value: 0.81±0.02 vs. 1.32±0.03, P < 0.05), the expressions of PKC and RhoA were significantly down-regulated (PKC/β-actin: 0.44±0.03 vs. 0.88±0.02, RhoA/β-actin: 0.63±0.05 vs. 0.96±0.01, both P < 0.05), the VE-cadherin expression was significantly up-regulated (VE-cadherin/β-actin: 0.69±0.03 vs. 0.51±0.01, P < 0.05), and the F-actin remodeling and stress fiber formation were significantly reduced.@*CONCLUSIONS@#PKC inhibitor could significantly attenuate the damage of vascular endothelial barrier induced by LPS, and plays an important role in endothelial cell barrier.

Combined MRI and diffuse-weighted imaging in evaluation of T-staging of gallbladder carcinoma and predicting histological grading / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective@#To study convention MRI compared with conventional MRI combined with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the evaluation of T-staging of gallbladder carcinoma, and to determine the relationship between the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value and histological grading.@*Methods@#Fifty-one patients with gallbladder carcinoma confirmed by surgery and pathology were enrolled into this study. The T-staging was performed according to conventional MRI or with conventional MRI combined with DWI and the results were compared with pathological studies.@*Results@#The ADC value of tumor was measured to determine the correlation with T staging, pTNM staging and pathological tumor differentiation. For conventional MRI, the T-staging rate was 84.3%, which was consistent with the pathological T scoring (Kappa value 0.7580). After DWI, the T staging coincidence rate was 92.2% and the Kappa value was 0.8813. A comparison between conventional MRI versus conventional MRI combined with DWI T-staging compliance rates was performed using the Chi-square test (χ2=1.5111, P>0.05). The ADC values correlated with the T-staging, pTNM staging, and pathological tumor differentiation (r=-0.672, -0.749, 0.707, respectively, all P<0.05).@*Conclusions@#Conventional MRI helped in the diagnoses of T-staging in gallbladder cancer. MRI combined with DWI helped to improve the coincidence rate of T-staging. The ADC values correlated with the T-staging, pTNM staging, and pathological tumor differentiation. Conventional MRI combined with DWI better evaluated the T-staging of gallbladder cancer, and could better guide the choice of treatment methods.

Protective effect of protein kinase C inhibitor on rat renal vascular endothelial injury induced by lipopolysaccharide / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective To investigate the protective effect of protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor rottlerin on rat renal vascular endothelial injury induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Methods Rat renal microvascular endothelial cells cultured for 3-6 generations were divided into three groups according to random number table: blank control group in which cells were not challenged, LPS group in which cells were only stimulated by LPS 10 mg/L for 24 hours, and PKC inhibitor group in which cells were treated with PKC inhibitor rottlerin 2 μmol/L 30 minutes before LPS stimulation. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukins (IL-1β, IL-8) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Monolayer permeability was determined by Transwell assay. The expressions of PKC, RhoA and vascular endothelial-cadherin (VE-cadherin) were detected by Western Blot. The morphological characteristic and distribution of F-actin was measured by laser confocal fluorescence microscope. Results Compared with blank control group, the levels of inflammatory cytokines at 24 hours after 10 mg/L LPS stimulation were significantly increased in LPS group [TNF-α (ng/L): 397.3±25.4 vs. 46.8±8.9, IL-1β(ng/L): 76.7±11.2 vs. 12.6±3.2, IL-8 (ng/L): 574.5±31.4 vs. 73.2±9.6, all P < 0.05], the permeability of endothelial cells was significantly increased (A value: 1.32±0.03 vs. 0.36±0.02, P < 0.05), while the expressions of PKC and RhoA were significantly up-regulated (PKC/β-actin: 0.88±0.02 vs. 0.61±0.03, RhoA/β-actin: 0.96±0.01 vs. 0.49±0.03, both P < 0.05), VE-cadherin expression was significantly down-regulated (VE-cadherin/β-actin: 0.51±0.01 vs. 0.72±0.04, P < 0.05), and the F-actin distribution disorder had obvious stress fiber formation. Compared with LPS group, the levels of inflammatory cytokines were significantly lowered in PKC inhibitor group [TNF-α (ng/L): 127.4±14.6 vs. 397.3±25.4, IL-1β(ng/L): 43.2±7.8 vs. 76.7±11.2, IL-8 (ng/L): 212.7±18.2 vs. 574.5±31.4, all P < 0.05], the permeability of endothelial cells was significantly decreased (A value: 0.81±0.02 vs. 1.32±0.03, P < 0.05), the expressions of PKC and RhoA were significantly down-regulated (PKC/β-actin: 0.44±0.03 vs. 0.88±0.02, RhoA/β-actin: 0.63±0.05 vs. 0.96±0.01, both P < 0.05), the VE-cadherin expression was significantly up-regulated (VE-cadherin/β-actin: 0.69±0.03 vs. 0.51±0.01, P < 0.05), and the F-actin remodeling and stress fiber formation were significantly reduced. Conclusion PKC inhibitor could significantly attenuate the damage of vascular endothelial barrier induced by LPS, and plays an important role in endothelial cell barrier.

Relationship of orthodontic treatment and periodontal hard tissue health / 华西口腔医学杂志

Periodontal tissue, especially the alveolar bone, are closely associated with the progress and efficacy of orthodontic treatment. Prior to and during orthodontic treatment, dentists should fully evaluate the status of periodontal hard tissues to prevent clinical problems. This article aims to discuss bone issues associated with orthodontic treatment, including gingival papilla absence, alveolar bone insufficiency, excessive cortical resistance, and altered passive eruption, etc. The mechanism and prevention methods of these problems are also described.

Current status of neglect among children aged 3-6 years in rural areas of Urumqi, China and risk factors for child neglect / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the current status of neglect in children aged 3-6 years in the rural areas of Urumqi, China and risk factors for neglect.@*METHODS@#Stratified random cluster sampling was performed to select 1 326 children, aged 3-6 years, from 6 kindergartens in the rural areas of Urumqi. A self-designed questionnaire and "Chinese Neglect Evaluation Questionnaire for Rural Children Aged 3-6 Years" were used for investigation.@*RESULTS@#Of the 1 326 children, the neglect rate was 51.89% (688 cases), and the degree of neglect was 49±6. There were significant differences in the neglect rate and the degree of neglect between the children in different age groups (P<0.01). The single-parent families and the remarried families had significantly higher child neglect rate and degree of neglect than the families of three generations under one roof and the core families (P<0.01). The children in left-behind status had a significantly higher degree of neglect (P<0.01). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that younger children, mothers with low education level, employment status of the mother as a migrant worker, single-parent and remarried families, low-income families, and left-behind status were risk factors for child neglect (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The neglect of children aged 3-6 years in the rural areas of Urumqi is serious, and more attention should be paid to younger children, children whose mothers with low education level, left-behind children, and children from single-parent families, remarried families and low-income families.

Combined MRI and diffuse-weighted imaging in evaluation of T-staging of gallbladder carcinoma and predicting histological grading / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To study convention MRI compared with conventional MRI combined with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the evaluation of T-staging of gallbladder carcinoma, and to determine the relationship between the apparent diffusion coefficient ( ADC) value and histological grading. Methods Fifty-one patients with gallbladder carcinoma confirmed by surgery and pathology were enrolled into this study. The T-staging was performed according to conventional MRI or with conventional MRI combined with DWI and the results were compared with pathological studies. Results The ADC value of tumor was measured to deter-mine the correlation with T staging, pTNM staging and pathological tumor differentiation. For conventional MRI, the T-staging rate was 84. 3％, which was consistent with the pathological T scoring ( Kappa value 0. 7580). After DWI, the T staging coincidence rate was 92. 2％ and the Kappa value was 0. 8813. A compar-ison between conventional MRI versus conventional MRI combined with DWI T-staging compliance rates was performed using the Chi-square test (χ2 =1. 5111, P>0. 05). The ADC values correlated with the T-staging, pTNM staging, and pathological tumor differentiation ( r= -0. 672, -0. 749, 0. 707, respectively, all P<0. 05). Conclusions Conventional MRI helped in the diagnoses of T-staging in gallbladder cancer. MRI combined with DWI helped to improve the coincidence rate of T-staging. The ADC values correlated with the T-staging, pTNM staging, and pathological tumor differentiation. Conventional MRI combined with DWI better evaluated the T-staging of gallbladder cancer, and could better guide the choice of treatment methods.

A review on brain age prediction in brain ageing / 生物医学工程学杂志

The human brain deteriorates as we age, and the rate and the trajectories of these changes significantly vary among brain regions and among individuals. Because neuroimaging data are potentially important indicators of individual's brain health, they are commonly used in brain age prediction. In this review, we summarize brain age prediction model from neuroimaging-based studies in the last ten years. The studies are categorized based on their image modalities and feature types. The results indicate that the prediction frameworks based on neuroimaging holds promise toward individualized brain age prediction. Finally, we addressed the challenges in brain age prediction and suggested some future research directions.