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Gout is an inflammatory joint disease caused by monosodium urate (MSU) crystals; however, the mechanism underlying MSU-induced inflammation is unclear. Previous research has suggested that inflammation or cancer can drive the expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). In this study, the role of MDSCs in MSU-induced gout inflammation was evaluated. A total of 28 patients with gout, and 20 healthy controls were recruited for the study. MDSCs, and their functions, were analyzed by flow cytometry and a T cell co-culture assay, respectively. We observed a higher frequency of PMN-MDSCs, and a stronger immunosuppressive function, in patients with gout compared to the controls. Moreover, circulating PMN-MDSCs were positively correlated with pathological indicators, including uric acid and C-reactive protein levels. We also demonstrated that MSU can induce significant PMN-MDSC expansion, using in vivo and in vitro experiments. Finally, MSU-induced PMN-MDSCs produced higher levels of IL-1β, which mediated gout inflammatory progression. Our results demonstrate that MSU modulates the expansion and suppressive function of PMN-MDSCs, providing insights into a novel mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of MSU-induced gout. Thus, MDSCs may be useful for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the prevention and treatment of gout.

The aim of this study was to compare the coronary artery visibility and radiation dose in infants with CHD on cardiac 128-slice CT and on cardiac 64-slice CT. The images of 200 patients were analyzed in this study, 100 patients were selected randomly from a group of 789 infants (

BACKGROUND Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common type of skin cancer, for which non- or mini-invasive treatment is of critical importance. 5-aminolevulinic acids based photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) is a mini-invasive approach that causes focal tumor cell injury, apoptosis, and necrosis through light sensitivity. The efficacy of combining ALA-PDT and surgery in treating SCC, however, has not been demonstrated. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 60 SCC patients were randomly assigned into attrition plus ALA-PDT group (experimental group) and single ALA-PDT treatment group (control group). Clinical efficacy, recurrence rate, and adverse effects were analyzed in conjunction with H&E staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining for p53 expression. RESULTS The overall effective rate of the experimental group was 73.3%, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (46.7%). The experimental group also had a lower recurrence rate (16.6% versus 30.0%, p

We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of CT and MRI for distinguishing intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) from cholangiocarcinoma (CC) with intraductal papillary growth (IPG). Forty-two patients with either IPNB or CC with IPG proven by histopathology were independently reviewed in retrospect. Strict criteria for diagnosis of IPNB included presence of the designated imaging features as follows: local dilatation of the bile duct, nodule within the dilated bile duct, growing along the interior wall of bile duct. Any lesion that was not consistent with the criteria was classified as CC with IPG. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for characterization of IPNB were calculated, and k test was used to assess the level of agreement. Two imaging reviewers correctly identified 21 of 26 (80.8 %) and 22 of 26 (84.6 %) IPNB cases, respectively. Alternatively, they correctly identified 14 of 16 (87.5 %) and 15 of 16 (93.8 %) CC with IPG, respectively. Agreement between the two reviewers was perfect (k = 0.81) for the diagnosis of IPNB and differentiation from CC with IPG. By using our designated diagnostic criteria of CT and MRI, IPNB can be accurately identified and possible to be distinguished from CC with IPG. • IPNB can accurately be identified by using defined diagnostic criteria at CT/MRI. • IPNB has some characteristic CT and MR imaging features. • IPNB is a rare entity; up until now it might have been misdiagnosed.

The purpose of this study was to estimate patient doses during coronary angiography (CA) and different complex percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) procedures in China. Consecutive 290 patients (90 CA, 200 PTCA) with known or suspected coronary artery disease were enrolled prospectively into six groups. Differences in patient doses among the six groups were analysed, and the patient doses observed in this study were compared with the recent literature. The median dose area product values were 27.0 and 195.0 Gy cm(2) for CA and PTCA, respectively. The patient doses during CA were similar to those reported by other authors, while those during PTCA were higher. The differences in radiation doses depended on the complexity of the procedures. Enhanced knowledge of radiation doses may help cardiologists implement radiation-sparing procedures to minimise patient exposure.

This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of different echo time (TE) on the liver fat quantification using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Liver 1H-MRS was performed on 24 adult male wistar rats on a 1.5 T superconductor MR scanner. Spectrums were collected with a TR of 1500 ms and different TE of 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 85, 95, 105, 144 ms, respectively. The water and lipid peaks, baseline of the spectrum and lipid to water ratio were evaluated. With the increment of TE, the amplitude and integrated area of the water and lipid peaks decreased, and the baseline of the spectrum and the lipid to water ratio became unstable. The lipid to water ratio determined by 1H-MRS was highly correlated with the liver fat content determined by pathological analysis at TE between 35 and 55 ms (r0.9) and poorly to moderately correlated at TEor =65 ms (r0.9). The results indicated that long TE would compromise the liver fat quantification using 1H-MRS, and therefore short TE was strongly recommended for liver fat quantification.