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Background and ObjectivesAsthma is a severe public health issue since it causes a progressive decline of pulmonary function and a lot of unnecessary deaths. Traditional Chinese medicine has played a great role in the prevention and treatment of asthma, Wenyang-Huayin (WYHY) formulation is one of the useful prescriptions in clinical, which the pharmacological mechanism has not yet been revealed. In this study, we explored its anti-airway inflammation and pulmonary protection effects in the treatment of asthma induced by ovalbumin (OVA), to provide support for its deeply clinical applications.MethodsAsthma model with the syndrome of accumulation of cold fluid in the lung in chronic bronchitis (a common type of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome) was induced in SPF male Wistar rats by sensitizing and challenging with OVA, followed by drink, body cold and fatigue stimulation. WYHY was orally administered at 9.82142857 g·(kg·d)−1 body weight for 21 days, Rapamycin and the other two traditional Chinese medicines (Xiaoqinglong decoction and Astragalus granules) were used as positive controls. After intervention, the pulmonary function was measured by AniRes 2005 Animal pulmonary function Analysis system, the pathological features of pulmonary alveolus and bronchus were observed after Hematoxylin-Eosin (H&E) staining, and serum interleukin-13 (IL-13), transforming growth factor -β1 (TGF-β1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay.ResultsThe model rats showed heavy signs of airway inflammation and remodeling like chronic asthma, evidenced by the damaged pulmonary alveolus structure, increased inflammatory cell infiltration, declined pulmonary function, and abnormal changes of cytokines. All treatment methods could slow down the damage caused by molding factors, and WYHY might have an advantage in pulmonary protection effects than the others.ConcludeWYHY has a good effect on anti-airway inflammation and protecting pulmonary function in the treatment of OVA-Induced asthma rats, and its mechanism is worth of in-depth study.

Introduction Ultrasound sonography provides a quick method for determining which nodule to sample for fine needle aspiration biopsy in thyroid nodules. On the other hand, the computed tomography examination is not restricted by echo attenuation and distinguishes between benign and malignant nodules. Objective To compare computed tomography examinations against ultrasound/fine needle aspiration biopsy in the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules. Methods Data regarding computed tomography examinations, sonographic finding following fine needle aspiration biopsy, and tumor histology of 953 nodules from 698 patients who underwent thyroidectomy were collected and analyzed. The beneficial score for detection of the malignant tumor for each adopted modality was evaluated. Results Ultrasound images did not show a well-circumscribed solid mass in 89 nodules, and ultimately did not detect nodules in fine needle aspiration biopsies (false positive non-malignant nodules). Ultrasound images showed parenchymatous disease (false positive malignant nodules) in several nodules. Computed tomography examinations demonstrated higher difficulty in detection of malignant nodules of 1.0-2.0 cm size than ultrasound examination following fine needle aspiration biopsies; compared to tumor histological data, computed tomography examinations had a sensitivity of 0.879. Conclusion Computed tomography examinations are a more reliable method for differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules than ultrasound examinations followed by fine needle aspiration biopsy. Level of Evidence III. Resumo Introdução A ultrassonografia é um método rápido para determinar de qual nódulo se deve coletar uma amostra para biópsia por aspiração com agulha fina. Por outro lado, o exame de tomografia computadorizada não é restringido pela atenuação do eco e distingue entre nódulos benignos e malignos. Objetivo Comparar exames tomográficos versus biópsia por ultrassonografia/aspiração por agulha fina no diagnóstico diferencial de nódulos tireoidianos. Método Dados sobre exames tomográficos, achados ultrassonográficos após biópsia por aspiração com agulha fina e histologia tumoral de 953 nódulos de 698 pacientes submetidos à tireoidectomia foram coletados e analisados. O escore de benefício para detecção do tumor maligno para cada modalidade adotada foi avaliado. Resultados As imagens de ultrassom não mostraram uma lesão sólida bem circunscrita em 89 nódulos; e na análise final não foram detectados nódulos nas biópsias por aspiração com agulha fina (nódulos não malignos falsos positivos). As imagens ultrassonográficas mostraram doença parenquimatosa (nódulos malignos falsos positivos) em vários nódulos. Os exames de tomografia computadorizada apresentaram grandes dificuldades na detecção de nódulos malignos de 1,0-2,0 cm de tamanho em comparação com o exame de ultrassonografia após biópsias por aspiração com agulha fina; comparados aos dados histológicos do tumor, os exames de tomografia computadorizada apresentaram sensibilidade de 0,879. Conclusão Os exames de tomografia computadorizada são um método mais confiável para o diagnóstico diferencial de nódulos tireoidianos do que os exames de ultrassonografia, seguidos por biópsia por aspiração com agulha fina.