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Transcatheter embolization is an important treatment method in clinical therapy, and vascular embolization material plays a key role in embolization. The temperature-sensitive p(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-butyl methylacrylate) (PIB) nanogel is a novel embolic agent. To evaluate the feasibility of the nanogel as a blood vessel embolization agent, we aimed to assess the effect of embolization with PIB nanogels in the rabbit renal artery by non-invasive computed tomography (CT) perfusion, macroscopic and histological examination. Ten healthy adult Japanese rabbits were used to implement RAE of PIB nanogels in their right kidneys. CT perfusion scans were performed pre- and post-treatment at various time-points (1, 4, 8, and 12 weeks). Two rabbits were euthanized and histologically examined at each time-point, and the remaining rabbits were euthanized at 12 weeks after embolization. The RAE efficacy of the nanogels was further confirmed by macroscopic and histological examination. The renal volume and renal blood flow (BF) of the right kidney were significantly decreased post-treatment compared with those pre-treatment (volume: pre, 9278 ± 1736 mm3; post 1 week, 5155 ± 979 mm3, P 3, P 3, P 3, P P P P P

Objective To evaluate the relationship between pancreatic parenchyma loss and early postoperative hyperglycemia in patients with benign pancreatic diseases. Methods A total of 171 patients with benign pancreatic tumors or chronic pancreatitis, whose preoperative fasting blood glucose (FBG) was normal and who underwent partial pancreatectomy were reviewed. The pancreatic volume was measured by CT imaging before and after the operation. According to their different pancreatic resection volume (PRV), 171 patients were divided into five groups: < 30%, 30%–39%, 40%–49%, 50%–59%, and ≥ 60%. The correlation between the PRV and postoperative FBG was investigated. According to the postoperative FBG value, the patients were divided into a hyperglycemia group (HG) and nonhyperglycemia group (non-HG) to explore the best cutoff value of the PRV between the two groups. Results There were significant differences in the postoperative FBG among the five groups (PRV < 30%, 30%–39%, 40%–49%, 50%–59%, and ≥ 60%). The PRV was positively correlated with postoperative FBG in the benign tumor group and chronic pancreatitis group (R = 0.727 and 0.651, respectively). ROC curve analysis showed that the best cutoff value of the PRV between the HG (n = 84) and non-HG (n = 87) was 39.95% with an AUC = 0.898; the sensitivity was 89.29%, and the specificity was 82.76%. Conclusion There was a linear positive correlation between the postoperative FBG level and PRV. Patients with a PRV ≥ 40% are more likely to develop early postoperative hyperglycemia.

This study sought to compare the image quality and radiation dose of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) from prospectively triggered 128-slice CT (128-MSCT) versus dual-source 64-slice CT (DSCT). The study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee at Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Eighty consecutive patients with stable heart rates lower than 70 bpm were enrolled. Forty patients were scanned with 128-MSCT, and the other 40 patients were scanned with DSCT. Two radiologists independently assessed the image quality in segments (diameter1 mm) according to a three-point scale (1: excellent; 2: moderate; 3: insufficient). The CCTA radiation dose was calculated. Eighty patients with 526 segments in the 128-MSCT group and 544 segments in the DSCT group were evaluated. The image quality 1, 2 and 3 scores were 91.6%, 6.9% and 1.5%, respectively, for the 128-MSCT group and 97.6%, 1.7% and 0.7%, respectively, for the DSCT group, and there was a statistically significant inter-group difference (P ≤ 0.001). The effective doses were 3.0 mSv in the 128-MSCT group and 4.5 mSv in the DSCT group (P ≤ 0.001). Compared with DSCT, CCTA with prospectively triggered 128-MSCT had adequate image quality and a 33.3% lower radiation dose.

The folding and unfolding of the carbon chain, which is the basic constitutional unit of polymers, are important to the performance of the material. However, it is difficult to regulate conformational transition of the carbon chain, especially in an aqueous environment. In this paper, we propose a strategy to regulate the conformational transition of the carbon chain in water based on the all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. It is shown that the unfolded carbon chain will spontaneously collapse into the folded state, while the folded carbon chain will unfold with an external electric field. The regulation ability of the electric field is attributed to the electric field-induced redistribution of interface water molecules near the carbon chain. The demonstrated method of regulating conformational transition of the carbon chain in water in this study provides an insight into regulating hydrophobic molecules in water, and has great potential in drug molecule design and new polymer material development.

Silver film over nanospheres (AgFON) have been prepared by depositing Ag thin film onto the self-assembled monolayer arrays of polystyrene nanospheres with vacuum magnetron sputtering method. The surface morphologies and optical properties have been characterized by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and ultraviolet-visible near-infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectrophotometer. AgFON was used as substrate to detect the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of malachite green (MG) and melamine (MA). It was found that the AgFON substrate presented outstanding performance that the Raman enhancement factor was calculated to be as large as 9.76 × 1012. The minimum limit for MG was down to 10−8 mol/L with a good linear response range from 10−4 to 10−8 mol/L. In addition, this substrate showed excellent ability to recognize MA molecules with a detection limit of 0.1 mg/L. A good linearity (r = 0.9887) was obtained in the concentration range of 2–100 mg/L. Furthermore, the AgFON substrate exhibited good uniformity with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 9.01 % and good reproducibility with RSD of 8.60 %.

Natural killer (NK) cells serve as primary immune surveillance and are partially regulated by combinations of killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) and their human leukocyte antigen-C (HLA-C) ligands. Alterations in NK cell activity have been associated with Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT). The aim of this study was to determine whether certain KIR/HLA-C genotype combinations play a role in HT pathogenesis.The present study enrolled 107 unrelated HT patients and 108 random healthy individuals in a case-control study. Blood was collected for DNA extraction; typing of KIR genes and HLA-C alleles was performed by polymerase chain reaction with sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP), followed by electrophoresis on agarose gels.Among a panel of KIR2D/HLA-C genotype combinations, the frequency of KIR2DS2/HLA-C1 was significantly increased in HT patients compared to controls (33.64% vs. 12.96%, P.001). To further analyze the precise genotype, we investigated inhibitory or activating KIR/HLA-C gene pairs when their corresponding activating or inhibitory KIR genes were absent in the 2 groups. Only the frequency of KIR2DS2(-)2DL2/3(+)HLA-C1(+) was significantly decreased in HT patients compared to controls (48.60% vs. 70.37%, P = .001).Our data suggest that KIR2DS2/HLA-C1 may correlate with HT pathogenesis. On the contrary, the predominance of KIR2DL2/3/HLA-C1 in the absence of KIR2DS2 suggests a potential inhibitory role in HT pathogenesis. In conclusion, our findings may further elucidate the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of HT and other autoimmune diseases.HLA-C = human leukocyte antigen-C HT = Hashimoto thyroiditis KIR = killer immunoglobulin-like receptor NK = natural killer PCR = polymerase chain reaction.

Gold (Au) nanocap arrays and hollow gold nanocap particles were prepared by dip-coating technique combined with wet chemical reduction method, and followed by sonication and dissolution of the silica colloidal template. The surface morphologies and optical properties of the obtained samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, respectively. Gold nanocap arrays and hollow gold nanocap particles were used as substrates to detect the surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectra of malachite green and methylene blue (MB), respectively. It was found that the gold nanocap arrays had higher enhancement ability than hollow gold nanocap particles, with enhancement factor of 1.3 × 105 and 3.5 × 103, respectively. In addition, gold nanocap arrays exhibited excellent reproducibility with a relative standard deviation of less than 5% and about 10% across a single substrate and between different substrates, respectively. Th...

This study investigated the accuracy of MRI features in differentiating the pathological grades of pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PNENs). A total of 31 PNENs patients were retrospectively evaluated, including 19 cases in grade 1, 5 in grade 2, and 7 in grade 3. Plain and contrastenhanced MRI was performed on all patients. MRI features including tumor size, margin, signal intensity, enhancement patterns, degenerative changes, duct dilatation and metastasis were analyzed. Chi square tests, Fisher's exact tests, one-way ANOVA and ROC analysis were conducted to assess the associations between MRI features and different tumor grades. It was found that patients with older age, tumors with higher TNM stage and without hormonal syndrome had higher grade of PNETs (all P

This study sought to compare the image quality and radiation dose of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) from prospectively triggered 128-slice CT (128-MSCT) versus dual-source 64-slice CT (DSCT). The study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee at Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Eighty consecutive patients with stable heart rates lower than 70 bpm were enrolled. Forty patients were scanned with 128-MSCT, and the other 40 patients were scanned with DSCT. Two radiologists independently assessed the image quality in segments (diameter >1 mm) according to a three-point scale (1: excellent; 2: moderate; 3: insufficient). The CCTA radiation dose was calculated. Eighty patients with 526 segments in the 128-MSCT group and 544 segments in the DSCT group were evaluated. The image quality 1, 2 and 3 scores were 91.6%, 6.9% and 1.5%, respectively, for the 128-MSCT group and 97.6%, 1.7% and 0.7%, respectively, for the DSCT group, and there was a statistically significant inter-group difference (P ≤ 0.001). The effective doses were 3.0 mSv in the 128-MSCT group and 4.5 mSv in the DSCT group (P ≤ 0.001). Compared with DSCT, CCTA with prospectively triggered 128-MSCT had adequate image quality and a 33.3% lower radiation dose.

We herein describe a case of tension hydrothorax that occurred on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), highlighting the problems of diagnosis and a novel management. A 38-year-old male with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) due to diabetes mellitus developed dyspnea and poor drainage after 13 months of CAPD. Chest X-ray revealed massive right-sided hydrothorax and mediastinal shift. He underwent emergency thoracentesis and pleural fluid showed a high level of glucose. Pleuroperitoneal communication was strongly suspected, although the methylene blue test was negative. We temporarily performed hemodialysis. Two weeks later, PD was resumed but failed with recurrent right-side hydrothorax in 4 months. The pleuroperitoneal leakage was definitively confirmed by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Diaphragmatic repair and pleurodesis with hypertonic glucose were performed. There was no recurrence of hydrothorax after treatment.