[Quality of Images Reconstructed by Deep Learning Reconstruction Algorithm for Head and Neck CT Angiography at 100 kVp].

Objective To evaluate the impact of deep learning reconstruction algorithm on the image quality of head and neck CT angiography (CTA) at 100 kVp. Methods CT scanning was performed at 100 kVp for the 37 patients who underwent head and neck CTA in PUMC Hospital from March to April in 2021.Four sets of images were reconstructed by three-dimensional adaptive iterative dose reduction (AIDR 3D) and advanced intelligent Clear-IQ engine (AiCE) (low,medium,and high intensity algorithms),respectively.The average CT value,standard deviation (SD),signal-to-noise ratio (SNR),and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the region of interest in the transverse section image were calculated.Furthermore,the four sets of sagittal maximum intensity projection images of the anterior cerebral artery were scored (1 point:poor,5 points:excellent). Results The SNR and CNR showed differences in the images reconstructed by AiCE (low,medium,and high intensity) and AIDR 3D (all P<0.01).The quality scores of the image reconstructed by AiCE (low,medium,and high intensity) and AIDR 3D were 4.78±0.41,4.92±0.27,4.97±0.16,and 3.92±0.27,respectively,which showed statistically significant differences (all P<0.001). Conclusion AiCE outperformed AIDR 3D in reconstructing the images of head and neck CTA at 100 kVp,being capable of improving image quality and applicable in clinical examinations.

Prediction of hepatic inflammation in chronic hepatitis B patients with a random forest-backward feature elimination algorithm.

BACKGROUND: Persistent liver inflammatory damage is the main risk factor for developing liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Thus, accurate prediction of the degree of liver inflammation is a high priority and a growing medical need. AIM: To build an effective and robust non-invasive model for predicting hepatitis B-related hepatic inflammation. METHODS: A total of 650 treatment-naïve CHB (402 HBeAg-positive and 248 HBeAg-negative) patients who underwent liver biopsy were enrolled in this study. Histological inflammation grading was assessed by the Ishak scoring system. Serum quantitative hepatitis B core antibody (qAnti-HBc) levels and 21 immune-related inflammatory factors were measured quantitatively using a chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. A backward feature elimination (BFE) algorithm utilizing random forest (RF) was used to select optional features and construct a combined model. The diagnostic abilities of the model or variables were evaluated based on the estimated area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) and compared using the DeLong test. RESULTS: Four features were selected to predict moderate-to-severe inflammation in CHB patients using the RF-BFE method. These predictive features included qAnti-HBc, ALT, AST, and CXCL11. Spearman's correlation analysis indicated that serum qAnti-HBc, ALT, AST, and CXCL11 levels were positively correlated with the histology activity index (HAI) score. These selected features were incorporated into the model to establish a novel model named I-3A index. The AUROC [0.822; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.790-0.851] of the I-3A index was significantly increased compared with qAnti-HBc alone (0.760, 95%CI: 0.724-0.792, P < 0.0001) in all CHB patients. The use of an I-3A index cutoff value of 0.41 produced a sensitivity of 69.17%, specificity of 81.44%, and accuracy of 73.8%. Additionally, the I-3A index showed significantly improved diagnostic performance for predicting moderate-to-severe inflammation in HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative CHB patients (0.829, 95%CI: 0.789-0.865 and 0.810, 95%CI: 0.755-0.857, respectively). CONCLUSION: The selected features of the I-3A index constructed using the RF-BFE algorithm can effectively predict moderate-to-severe liver inflammation in CHB patients.

Roles of Microembolus and Plasma D-dimer in Evaluating the Warfarin Anticoagulant Therapy Efficacies for Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the roles of microembolus and plasma D-dimer in evaluating the warfarin anticoagulant therapy efficacies for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: Fifty-six AF patients were treated with aspirin antiplatelet therapy (Group ASP) and forty AF patients were treated with warfarin anticoagulant therapy (Group WAR). The microemboli and plasma D-dimer in these two groups were monitored and compared before and after treatment. RESULTS: Group ASP had 21 and 17 cases with positive microemboli before and after treatment, respectively, and there was no significant difference in the detection rate of microemboli before and after treatment; Group WAR had 14 and 5 cases with positive microemboli before and after treatment, respectively, and the detection rate of microemboli was significantly reduced after treatment. The levels of plasma D-dimer in the two groups were significantly reduced after treatment (327±73 µg/L vs 235±61 µg/L and 313±81 µg/L vs 170±67 µg/L, respectively, P<0.05), among which the reduction level in Group WAR was more significant. CONCLUSIONS: Microemboli and D-dimer can be used as the indicators for evaluating the embolism risk and therapeutic efficacies in AF patients.

Sensitive determination of Se(IV) and tSe in rice and water samples using L-cysteine modified carbon paste electrode-based electrolytic hydride generation and atomic fluorescence spectrometry analysis.

This work illustrates an accurate method for determination of Se by electrolytic hydride generation technique based on a novel carbon paste electrode for sample introduction combined with atomic fluorescence spectral analysis. The studies show that Se(IV) can be converted efficiently to SeH2 on an L-cysteine modified carbon paste electrode (CMCPE), which has never been reported before. Significantly, generation from Se(IV) implies that the use of carbon paste electrode-based electron-induced hydride generation system to achieve efficiency is almost 90% to that obtained by chemical hydride generation, and the response obtained from CMCPE is 2 and 3 times of that from the Pb and graphite electrode, respectively. Results also display that the lifetime and the stability of the CMCPE is superior to that of L-cysteine ornamented graphite electrode fabricated by covalently bonding. Under the optimal conditions, a low concentration limit of detection 0.065µgL-1 of Se(IV) is achieved. The repeatability denoted as % RSD is 2.2% for 1.0µgL-1 Se(IV). The utility of the studied method is compared with certified reference materials as well as several edible samples. The advantages and limitations of this method, compared with existing techniques, are also discussed.

Selective and sensitive determination of As(III) and tAs in Chinese herbal medicine samples using L-cysteine modified carbon paste electrode-based electrolytic hydride generation and AFS analysis.

A novel non-chromatographic speciation technique for ultra-trace arsenite [As(III)] and total arsenic (tAs) in Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is developed and validated by electrolytic hydride generation (EHG) coupled with atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS). The studies show that As(III) can be converted efficiently to AsH3 on an L-cysteine modified carbon paste electrode (CMCPE), which has never been reported before. Significantly, other arsenic species such as arsenate [As(V)], monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) do not form any or only less volatile hydrides at low applied current mode (<1.0 A). The results also demonstrate that L-cysteine and graphite powder play different roles in the electrolytic generation of AsH3. Comparing with the traditional graphite electrode, CMCPE has better stability, sensitivity and interference tolerance. Under the optimal conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) of tAs and As(III) for this method are 0.087µgL-1 and 0.095µgL-1 respectively. The accuracy of the method is verified through the analysis of reference materials (CRM 08231 and SRM1568a), and the proposed method has been applied satisfactorily to the determination of As(III) and tAs in several CHM samples.

Reproductive toxicity and gender differences induced by cadmium telluride quantum dots in an invertebrate model organism.

Sexual glands are key sites affected by nanotoxicity, but there is no sensitive assay for measuring reproductive toxicity in animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the toxic effects of cadmium telluride quantum dots (CdTe-QDs) on gonads in a model organism, Bombyx mori. After dorsal vein injection of 0.32 nmol of CdTe-QDs per individual, the QDs passed through the outer membranes of gonads via the generation of ROS in the membranes of spermatocysts and ovarioles, as well as internal germ cells, thereby inducing early germ cell death or malformations via complex mechanisms related to apoptosis and autophagy through mitochondrial and lysosomal pathways. Histological observations of the gonads and quantitative analyses of germ cell development showed that the reproductive toxicity was characterized by obvious male sensitivity. Exposure to QDs in the early stage of males had severe adverse effects on the quantity and quality of sperm, which was the main reason for the occurrence of unfertilized eggs. Ala- or Gly-conjugated QDs could reduce the nanotoxicity of CdTe-QDs during germ cell development and fertilization of their offspring. The results demonstrate that males are preferable models for evaluating the reproductive toxicity of QDs in combined in vivo/in vitro investigations.

Selective determination of four arsenic species in rice and water samples by modified graphite electrode-based electrolytic hydride generation coupled with atomic fluorescence spectrometry.

This work describes a novel non-chromatographic approach for the accurate and selective determining As species by modified graphite electrode-based electrolytic hydride generation (EHG) for sample introduction coupled with atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) detection. Two kinds of sulfydryl-containing modifiers, l-cysteine (Cys) and glutathione (GSH), are used to modify cathode. The EHG performance of As has been changed greatly at the modified cathode, which has never been reported. Arsenite [As(III)] on the GSH modified graphite electrode (GSH/GE)-based EHG can be selectively and quantitatively converted to AsH3 at applied current of 0.4A. As(III) and arsenate [As(V)] on the Cys modified graphite electrode (Cys/GE) EHG can be selectively and efficiently converted to arsine at applied current of 0.6A, whereas monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) do not form any or only less volatile hydrides under this condition. By changing the analytical conditions, we also have achieved the analysis of total As (tAs) and DMA. Under the optimal condition, the detection limits (3s) of As(III), iAs and tAs in aqueous solutions are 0.25µgL(-1), 0.22µgL(-1) and 0.10µgL(-1), respectively. The accuracy of the method is verified through the analysis of standard reference materials (SRM 1568a).

[Development of EST-SSR marker and genetic diversity analysis in Sorghum bicolor×Sorghum sudanenes].

A total of 57 498 non-redundant ESTs were identified from 210 878 ESTs of Sorghum in NCBI by sequence analysis. In all, 3 338 SSRs were distributed in 3 116 ESTs with an average frequency of one SSR per 11.28 kb, which included 215 SSR motifs. Analysis of SSR motifs revealed that the trinucleotides were major motifs, accounting for 68.33%.The dinucleotides motifs accounted for 17.97%. There were 1 694 sequences from 3 338 EST-SSR sequences could be designed into primers and the proportion was 50.75%. Fourteen primers were selected to amplify EST-SSR loci with 50 collections of Sorghum bicolor × S. sudanenes, 7 collections of S. bicolor and 3 collections of S. sudanenes. Seventy-two allele variations were detected and the frequency was 5.14 gene loci per primer. The polymorphism index of each primer was in the range of 0.54-0.93. The genetic distance ranged from 0.1646 to 0.6398. This showed abundant genetic diversity in the materials. The materials were divided into 5 groups with clustering analysis of EST-SSR data. Each group included the varieties with similar parents or similar regional distribution. Meanwhile, 4 specific molecular markers were found. Primer D1763 was specific in the registered variety GB-4-2 which was the progeny of S. bicolor 314A × S. sudanenes White Skull. The marker was specific in justification of the germ difference. These results showed that the EST-SSR was an effective marker for genetic diversity analysis and specificity studies on S. bicolor × S. sudanenes.

Preparation of biodiesel catalysed by KF/CaO with ultrasound.

Biodiesel, chemically consists of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) produced by methanolysis of natural triglycerides, such as animal fats and vegetable oils, is a kind of biomass energy, which is renewable and ecofriendly. In this article, KF/CaO was used as solid base catalyst for transesterification of soya bean oil and methanol, while ultrasound as supplementary means. Compared to mechanical stirring, ultrasound treatment is an effective method to increase the yield of FAME and shorten reaction time. By single-factor method, the optimisation of reaction conditions has been studied. The research showed that the optimum reaction conditions were: w(catalyst)/w(oil): 3%, reaction temperature: 65°C, n(methanol)/n(oil): 12, reaction time: 1 h, sound intensity: 1.01 W cm(-2), frequency: 20 kHz, the yield of FAME could be 97%.

[Contents of serum Cyst-C and urinary microalbumin in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical significance of serum Cyst-C and urinary microalbumin in early renal impairment in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP). METHODS: Forty-eight children with HSP and who had normal serum creatinine level and 31 healthy children were enrolled. Contents of serum Cyst-C and urinary microalbumin were measured using ELISA and immunoturbidimetry, respectively. Urinary routine examination was performed in children with HSP. The contents of serum Cyst-C and urinary microalbumin were re-examined one month after treatment (recovery phase). RESULTS: The contents of serum Cyst-C (2.24+/- 0.81 mg/L) and urinary microalbumin (20.04+/- 10.32 mg/L) in the HSP group at the acute phase were significantly higher than those in the control (0.85+/- 0.20 and 2.30+/- 1.38 mg/L respectively; P< 0.01). Serum Cyst-C (1.70+/- 0.30 mg/L) and urinary microalbumin contents (13.20+/- 8.16 mg/L) were significantly reduced at the recovery phase compared with those at the acute phase in the HSP group (P< 0.01). The proportion of urinary routine abnormality (33.3%) was significantly lower than that of urinary microalbumin (68.8%) and serum Cyst-C abnormalities (72.9%) in the HSP group (P< 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Serum Cyst-C and urinary microalbumin may serve as indexes in the assessment of early renal impairment in children with HSP.

(µ-Acetato){µ-1,3-bis[2-(2-oxidobenzylideneamino)ethyl]-2-(2-oxidophenyl)-1,3-imidazolidine}dizinc(II) ethanol disolvate dihydrate.

In the title binuclear compound, [Zn(2)(C(27)H(27)N(4)O(3))(C(2)H(3)O(2))]·2CH(3)CH(2)OH·2H(2)O, both Zn cations adopt distorted ZnO(3)N(2) trigonal-bipyramidal geometries with one N atom in a axial site and one N atom in an equatorial site, arising from coordination by the N,N,N,N,O,O,O-hepta-dentate ligand and a bridging acetate ion. In the crystal, inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the component units into a three-dimensional network. Two short C-H⋯O contacts are also seen.

[Kinetics on dimethoate aqueous solution degradation in ultrasonic airlift loop Reactor].

The kinetic rules of degradation were studied in ultrasonic airlift loop reactor (UALR) in which O3 was introduced as oxidant and the organophosphorus pesticide dimethoate was used as typical contaminant. It was found that the dimethoate degradations under the individual ultrasonic radiation treatment without O3 (US), the oxidation of O3 gas (O3) and the synergetic effect of UALR and O3 (UALR/O3) were all consonant with the apparent first-order reaction by the kinetics investigations. The dimethoate removal rates of US, O3 and UALR/O3 methodologies under the conditions of dimethoate initial concentration of 50 mg/L, initial solution pH of 6.0, dimethoate solution volume of 80 mL, ultrasonic intensity of 0.5 W/cm2, O3 flow of 200 L/h, temperature of 20 degrees C and the treatment time of 4 h were 27%, 15% and 90%, respectively. Under these conditions, the rate constant enhancement factor of dimethoate degradation reached 4.816. Furthermore, a simplified mechanistic kinetic model was derived from the degradation mechanism of the synergetic effect of US, O3 and hydroxyl free radical (*OH) in the UALR/O3 system.

Study on degradation of dimethoate solution in ultrasonic airlift loop reactor.

In this work, the degradation of dimethoate solution in ultrasonic airlift loop reactor (UALR) assisted with advanced oxidation processes was studied. The effects of O3 flow rate, ultrasonic intensity, pH value and reaction temperature on the degradation rate were investigated. UALR imposed a synergistic effect combining sonochemical merit with high O3 transfer rate. Under the optimal operation conditions: ultrasonic irradiation time was 4h, O3 flow rate was 0.41 m3h(-1), ultrasonic intensity was 4.64 W cm(-2), pH value was 10.0, reaction temperature was 25 degrees C, and initial concentration of dimethoate was 20 mg L(-1), degradation rate of dimethoate increased to 90.8%. The experimental results indicated that the method of UALR degradation of organic pollutants in the presence of gas could reduce reaction time and improve degradation rate. UALR was an advisable choice for treating organic waste waters and this device could be easily scale up. Thus this process has wide application prospect in industry.

[Treatment of 4, 4'-dBB in aqueous solution using O3/H2O2 system and its synergetic kinetics].

A comparative study of O3 alone and O3/H2O2 was made to evaluate their respective effectiveness for removal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from water with 4, 4'-dibro minated biphenyl (4, 4'-DBB) as the model pollutant, and UV254 was used as the surrogate parameter for TOC and DOC. It was found that both processes enhanced the removal rate. Especially, it has been made a further enhancement of the removal of 4, 4'-DBB as H2O2 was added under the alkaline-condition. The final removal rate of 4 mg/L 4, 4'-DBB solution reached 78.0% after reacting for 270 min, while the UV254 value varies with the removal rate and reached 76.9%-77.8% ultimately. It means that the total organic carbon has been removed obviously. Two kinds of solution of different concentration with the same amount of oxidant reacting for the same time have been compared with each other and the results showed that the higher the initial concentration was, the smaller the removal rate was, however, the more the absolute amount could be removed. It was also found that 4, 4'-DBB's removal followed pseudo-first order reaction and the promoted factor f for 4, 4'-DBB removal rate constant was about 1.54.

Aqua-1kappaO-{micro-1,3-bis[2-(2-oxidobenzylideneamino)ethyl]-2-(2-oxidophenyl)imidazolidine-1kappa4O,N,N',O';-2kappa4O',N'',N''',O''}(micro-2-formylphenolato-1:2kappa3O1:O1,O2)-dinickel(II) trihydrate: a one-dimensional chain linked by O-H...O hydrogen bonds and C-H...pi interactions.

In the title compound, [Ni(2)(C(7)H(5)O(2))(C(27)H(27)N(4)O(2))(H(2)O)].-2.38H(2)O, each Ni atom is coordinated by two N atoms and four O atoms from the heptadentate Schiff base ligand and one salicylaldehyde or water molecule, forming an asymmetric molecule with three bridges linking the two Ni(II) ions, which are separated by 3.081 (1) A. Hydrogen-bonded water and C-H...pi interactions take part in the stabilization of the complex. The complex molecules are connected into a one-dimensional chain along the c axis by O-H...O hydrogen bonds between coordinated and solvent water molecules and by C-H...pi interactions.

[Amplification of Ds flanking sequences from rice genomic DNA of hybrids of Ac x Ds lines and the analysis of Ds insertions].

Ac and Ds insertions among the genomic DNAs of hybrids of Ac x Ds lines were screened by PCR. The genomic DNAs, which were proved to harbour both Ac and Ds, were used as templates in TAIL-PCR to clone the Ds flanking sequences. The cloned specific fragments were sequenced, and the sequenced Ds flanking sequences were used as query sequences to perform on-line sequence comparing analysis against GenBank by employing BLAST program of NCBI. The information about the chromosome location of Ds-inserted genes, or genes immediately downstream of the inserted sites, and their functional innotations were achieved. Based on the analysis from the cloned 93 Ds-flanking sequences, it was found that 21 hybrid plants had Ds insertions in genic regions, whereas the remaining 72 samples's intergenic regions were inserted by Ds element. Moreover, among the 72 regions, 12 were inserted immediately upstream (within 3 kb) of specific genes. Also, the strategies to improve the performance in cloning the Ds flanking sequences and in screening the Ac/Ds lines were emphasized.

[Virulence genes of Agrobacterium tumefaciens and analysis function of its biology].

Chromosomal virulence genes acvB, abvA, chvA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens were cloned with the technique of transposon 5 insertion. The chromosome genes are necessary for Agrobacterium tumfaciens absorbing to cell ular surface of plant, the adherence reaction can't be executed and result in losing the toxicity if mutations are occurred in some chromosome genes. The chromosome toxicity gene is inactivated due to transposon Tn5 be inserted and the accept ant cell infected with Agrobacterium tumefaciens can't cause tumor ultimately. This article briefly introduces the research way of thinking and strategy of this technique and the important roles of every gene, which are taken of in the process of T-DNA's form, transfer, integration, and expression etc. This article also gives a presumption to T-DNA's transport: The plant cell wall's porin may be T-DNA's natural channel.