[Application Research of Vector Flow Technique on Convex Array Ultrasonic Probe of Abdomen].

Vector flow imaging (VFI) is an innovative ultrasound flow measurement technology. Compared with the traditional color Doppler and spectral Doppler, VFI has the advantages of independence of angle correction and direct acquisition of real-time amplitude and direction of flow. Transverse oscillation (TO) method is one of the effective methods for vector flow imaging. However, a complete and detailed algorithm validation process based on commercial ultrasound machines is still lacking due to more complex convex probes. This study starts with introducing the imaging process and principle of transverse oscillation vector flow technique, and calculates the error between the set velocity value and the measured velocity value through the simulation experiment, and verifies the error between the set velocity value and the measured velocity value through the Doppler flow phantom experiment. Among them, the velocity value measured by the TO vector flow technique in the simulation experiment is 0.48 m/s and the preset value is 0.50 m/s, the error between them is -4%. The velocity values are 8.33, 11.14, 14.44 and 16.67 cm/s measured by the Doppler flow phantom experiment, the actual velocity values are 7.97, 10.78, 14.06 and 17.34 cm/s, the errors between them are all within ±5%. Both experiments verify the feasibility of using vector flow technique on abdominal convex probe.

Non-coding RNAs in metabolic reprogramming of bone and soft tissue sarcoma: Fundamental mechanism and clinical implication.

Sarcomas, comprising approximately 1% of human malignancies, show a poor response to treatment and easy recurrence. Metabolic reprogramming play an important role in tumor development in sarcomas. Accumulating evidence shows that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) participate in regulating the cellular metabolism of sarcomas, which improves the understanding of the development of therapy-resistant tumors. This review addresses the regulatory roles of metabolism-related ncRNAs and their implications for sarcoma initiation and progression. Dysregulation of metabolism-related ncRNAs is common in sarcomas and is associated with poor survival. Emerging studies show that abnormal expression of metabolism-related ncRNAs affects cellular metabolism, including glucose, lipid, and mitochondrial metabolism, and leads to the development of aggressive sarcomas. This review summarizes recent advances in the roles of dysregulated metabolism-related ncRNAs in sarcoma development and stemness and describes their potential to serve as biological biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis prediction, as well as therapeutic targets for treating refractory sarcomas.

Evaluation of SI, MSI and DSI for very early (3-day) mortality in patients with septic shock.

BACKGROUND: Septic shock is associated with increased mortality. Predicting mortality, including early prediction for septic shock patients in intensive care units (ICUs), remains an important challenge. METHOD: We searched the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the relationships between shock index (SI), modified SI (MSI), and diastolic SI (DSI) of patients with septic shock requiring vasopressors and 3-day/in-hospital mortality were calculated using logistic regression models. The time-course changes of these parameters were compared between survivors and non-survivors. The performance of the different parameters was described by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) and compared with DeLong analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1266 patients with septic shock requiring vasopressors were identified. The 3-day mortality rate and in-hospital mortality rate were 8.7% and 23.5%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed significant associations between pre-vasopressor SI/MSI/DSI and 3-day mortality in patients with septic shock requiring vasopressors in fully adjusted models (Ps for trend < 0.01). The AUCs of pre-vasopressor SI, MSI, and DSI were 0.746, 0.710, and 0.732 for 3-day mortality, respectively. There were significant differences in the time-course of SI, MSI, and DSI between survivors and non-survivors at 3-day/in-hospital mortality among patients with septic shock requiring vasopressors (repeated-measures ANOVA, inter-subjects difference P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Pre-vasopressor SI, MSI, and DSI values identified patients with septic shock requiring vasopressors who are at increased risk of early death. Of these easy-to-acquire values, SI and MSI show a comparatively better performance.

Rapid rotational magneto-acousto-electrical tomography with filtered back-projection algorithm based on plane waves.

Magneto-acousto-electrical tomography (MAET) is designed to produce conductivity images with high spatial resolution for a conducting object. In a previous study, for an irregular conductor, transverse scanning and rotational methods with a focus transducer were combined to collect complete electrical information. This kind of method, however, is time-consuming because of the transverse scanning procedure. In this study, we proposed a novel imaging method based on plane ultrasound waves and a new aspect of projection in rotational MAET. In the proposed method, we achieved the projection in each rotation angle by using plane waves rather than mechanical scanning of the focus waves along the transverse direction. Thus, the imaging time was significantly saved. To verify the proposed method, we derived a measurement formula containing a lateral integration, which built the relationship between the measurement formula and the projection under each rotation angle. Next, we constructed two different numerical models to compute magneto-acousto-electrical signals by using a finite element method and reconstructed the corresponding conductivity parameter images based on a filtered back-projection algorithm. Then, simulated signals under different signal-to-ratios (6, 20, 40, and 60 dB) were generated to test the performance of the proposed algorithm. To improve the image quality, we further analysed the influence of the filters and the frequency scaling factors embedded in the filtered back-projection algorithm. Moreover, we computed the L2norm of the error in case of different frequency scaling factors and measurement noises. Finally, we conducted a phantom experiment with a 64-element linear phased array transducer (center frequency of 2.7 MHz) and reconstructed the conductivity parameter images of the circular phantom with an elliptical hole. The experimental results demonstrated the feasibility and time-efficiency of the proposed rapid rotational MAET.

Occurrence of Pratylenchus coffeae Causing Root Rot of Soybean in Shandong Province of China.

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is a very important commercial crop in China (Li et al. 2019). Pratylenchus coffeae (Zimmermann, 1898) Filipjev & Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1941, is one of the most important root-lesion nematodes that invade the roots of many crops. In August 2018, five root and soil samples were collected in a soybean field, near Xipan village in Linshu county of Linyi City, Shandong Province, China (Fig. S1), to investigate the occurrence of root-lesion nematodes. The collected plants (cv. Lindou No.10) were growing poorly and the roots showed distinct brown lesions (Fig. S2). Pratylenchus spp. were extracted using the modified Baermann funnel method for 2 days (Hooper et al. 2005). On average, 395 root-lesion nematodes per kg of soil and 36 root-lesion nematodes per gram of fresh roots were extracted. The extracted root-lesion nematodes were disinfected with 0.3% streptomycin sulfate and cultured on carrot disks for propagation at 25°C. The species identification was based on morphological and molecular criteria. Key morphological features were determined for females and males. Measurements of females (n = 16) included body length = 561.0 µm ± 37.6 (standard deviation) (520.5 to 654.0 µm), tail length = 30.0 µm ± 1.9 (27.0 to 33.5 µm), stylet = 16.0 µm ± 0.6 (15.0 to 17.5 µm), a = 28.2 ± 2.3 (23.7 to 31.5), b = 6.4 ± 0.5 (5.7 to 7.3), c = 18.7 ± 1.8 (15.7 to 23.8), and V = 80.8% ± 2.1 (76.5 to 83.8%). Measurements of males (n = 16): body length = 511.0 µm ± 28.1 (range= 475.5 to 566.0 µm), tail length = 26.0 µm ± 1.3 (23.5 to 28.5 µm), stylet = 15.0 µm ± 0.5 (14.5 to 16.0 µm), spicule length = 17.0 µm ± 0.9 (16.0 to 18.5 µm), a = 30.8 ± 1.5 (28.0 to 33.2), b = 6.1 ±0.4 (5.6 to 6.9), and c = 19.8 ± 1.3 (18.1 to 22.2) (Fig. S3). All the morphological features of this population matched the description of P. coffeae (Castillo and Vovlas, 2007). DNA was extracted from an individual female as described previously (Wang et al. 2011). The rDNA-internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the D2/D3 region of the 28S rRNA gene were amplified by primers 18S/26S (Vrain et al. 1992) and D2A/D3B (De Ley et al. 1999), respectively. The PCR products were purified and sequenced. The obtained sequences of the ITS region (1,253 bp) and the D2/D3 region of 28S rRNA (781 bp) were deposited in GenBank. The ITS sequences of the root-lesion nematode obtained in this study (GenBank Accession no. MT879294) exhibited 99% identity with several P. coffeae sequences available in the GenBank (e.g., KR106219, MT586756, KY424205, and MN749379), and the obtained D2/D3 region sequence (MT879295) exhibited 100% identity with several P. coffeae sequences (e.g., MT586754, MN750755, MK829009, and MH730447). Both morphological and molecular data confirmed the presence of P. coffeae. To confirm reproduction on soybean, the obtained root-lesion nematode population was used in a greenhouse (25°C) assay to fulfill modified Koch's postulates. About 20 days after sowing, eight pots, each with one soybean plant (Lindou No.10) were inoculated with 1000 P. coffeae. The inoculated plants were kept in 1.5 L pots containing 1.2 L sterilized soil. Eight pots of uninoculated soybeans were used as the control. Ten weeks later, the inoculated roots were washed and brown lesions were observed. The number of nematodes/pot was approximately 7360 in soil and 796 in roots, and the reproduction factor was 8.16. Root-lesion nematodes and symptoms were not observed in control groups. P. coffeae has only been reported on soybean in Zhejiang (Wei et al. 2013) and Henan Province (Li et al. 2019) of China. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. coffeae infecting soybean in Shandong Province, China. Since the root-lesion nematode can cause considerable damage to soybean, care should be taken to prevent the spread of P. coffeae to other regions in China.