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A meta-analysis was conducted to examine the correlation between Helicobacter pylori infection and chronic urticaria.We searched Chinese and English databases, including CNKI, Wanfang, and Weipu, using search terms such as Helicobacter pylori infection, and chronic urticaria for articles published from the establishment of the databases to February 2021 examining the correlation between Helicobacter pylori infection and chronic urticaria. The retrieved articles contained data on Helicobacter pylori infection rates in chronic urticaria cases in different regions of the north and south in China. The retrieved articles underwent strict screenings according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Revman5.3 software was used to perform a meta-analysis on the data of the included articles.A total of 39 documents were retrieved following the searches. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 6 articles on 6 studies, comprising a total of 1,320 patients, were finally included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that the heterogeneity was high (I2=58%). A random-effects model was performed. An analysis of the correlation between Helicobacter pylori infection and chronic urticaria revealed significant differences between the study group and the control group [odds ratio (OR) =3.00; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.98-4.55; P0.00001]. The infection rate of Helicobacter pylori among chronic urticaria cases in the northern population was 16.1% (95% CI: 15.6-16.6%); of these patients 12.2% were male and 21.4% were female. The infection rate of Helicobacter pylori among chronic urticaria cases in the southern population was 18.0% (95% CI: 17.5-18.5%); of these patients, 12.3% were male and 23.1% were female. There was no significant difference in the prevalence between the male population, the female population, and the general population in the north and the south (P0.05).Helicobacter pylori infection is correlated with the occurrence of chronic urticaria. There is no significant difference in the infection rate of Helicobacter pylori in chronic urticaria cases in different regions of the north and south. This study had some limitations. First, the number of patients included in each study was low, which may affect the accuracy of the results. Second, the detection methods were not uniform; thus, further research is required to support the conclusions drawn.

Background: The risk stratification system of the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR TI-RADS) for thyroid nodules is affected by low diagnostic specificity...

Background: Preoperative determination of breast cancer molecular subtypes facilitates individualized treatment plan-making and improves patient prognosis. We aimed to develop an assembled convolutional neural network (ACNN) model for the preoperative prediction of molecular subtypes using multimodal ultrasound (US) images. Methods: This multicentre study prospectively evaluated a dataset of greyscale US, colour Doppler flow imaging (CDFI), and shear-wave elastography (SWE) images in 807 patients with 818 breast cancers from November 2016 to February 2021. The St. Gallen molecular subtypes of breast cancer were confirmed by postoperative immunohistochemical examination. The monomodal ACNN model based on greyscale US images, the dual-modal ACNN model based on greyscale US and CDFI images, and the multimodal ACNN model based on greyscale US and CDFI as well as SWE images were constructed in the training cohort. The performances of three ACNN models in predicting four- and five-classification molecular subtypes and identifying triple negative from non-triple negative subtypes were assessed and compared. The performance of the multimodal ACNN was also compared with preoperative core needle biopsy (CNB). Finding: The performance of the multimodal ACNN model (macroaverage area under the curve [AUC]: 0.89–0.96) was superior to that of the dual-modal ACNN model (macroaverage AUC: 0.81–0.84) and the monomodal ACNN model (macroaverage AUC: 0.73–0.75) in predicting four-classification breast cancer molecular subtypes, which was also better than that of preoperative CNB (AUC: 0.89–0.99 vs. 0.67–0.82, p

Objectives: To explore whether prostate-specific antigen (PSA) affects the choice of prostate puncture methods by comparing MRI-ultrasound fusion targeted biopsy (MRI-TBx) with transrectal ultrasound systematic biopsy (TRUS-SBx) in the detection of prostate cancer (PCa), clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) and non-clinically significant prostate cancer (nsPCa) in different PSA groups (20.0 ng ml−1). Methods: A total of 190 patients with 215 lesions who underwent both MRI-TBx and TRUS-SBx were included in this retrospective study. PSA was measured pre-operatively and stratified to three levels. The detection rates of PCa, csPCa and nsPCa through different methods (MRI-TBx, TRUS-SBx, or MRI-TBx +TRUS SBx) were compared with stratification by PSA. Results: Among the 190 patients, the histopathological results revealed PCa in 126 cases, including 119 csPCa. In PSA −1 group, although the detection rates of PCa and csPCa by MRI-TBx were higher than those of TRUS-SBx, no significant differences were observed (p = 0.741; p = 0.400). In PSA 10.0–20.0 ng ml−1 group, difference between the detection rate of csPCa with TRUS-SBx and the combined method was statistically significant (p = 0.044). As for PSA >20.0 ng ml−1, MRI-TBx had a higher csPCa rate than TRUS-SBx with no statistical significance noted (p = 0.600). Conclusion: MRI-TBx combined with TRUS-SBx could be suitable as a standard detection approach for csPCa in patients with PSA 10.0–20.0 ng ml−1. As for PSA >20.0 and −1, both MRI-TBx and TRUS-SBx might provide effective solutions for tumor detection. Advances in knowledge: This study gives an account of choosing appropriate prostate puncture methods through PSA level.

Purpose: This prospective study explored the value of synchronous tele-ultrasound (US) to aid doctors inexperienced in US with breast US examinations.Methods: In total, 99 patients were enrolled. Two trainee doctors who were inexperienced in US (trainee A [TA] and trainee B [TB]) and one doctor who was an expert in US completed the US examinations sequentially. TA completed the US examinations independently, while TB was instructed by the expert using synchronous tele-US. Subsequently, the expert performed on-site US examinations in person. Separately, they selected the most clinically significant nodule as the target nodule. Consistency with the expert and image quality were compared between TA and TB to evaluate tele-US. Furthermore, TB and the patients evaluated tele-US through questionnaires.Results: TB demonstrated higher consistency with the expert in terms of target nodule selection than TA (93.3% vs. 63.3%, P0.75) with the expert on five US features (5/9, 55.6%), while TA only did so for one (1/9, 11.1%) (P=0.046). TB’s image quality was higher than TA’s in gray value, time gain compensation, depth, color Doppler adjustment, and the visibility of key information (P=0.018, P

Hey2 gene mutations in both humans and mice have been associated with multiple cardiac defects. However, the currently reported localization of Hey2 in the ventricular compact zone cannot explain the wide variety of cardiac defects. Furthermore, it was reported that, in contrast to other organs, Notch doesn’t regulate Hey2 in the heart. To determine the expression pattern and the regulation of Hey2, we used novel methods including RNAscope and a Hey2 CreERT2 knockin line to precisely determine the spatiotemporal expression pattern and level of Hey2 during cardiac development. We found that Hey2 is expressed in the endocardial cells of the atrioventricular canal and the outflow tract, as well as at the base of trabeculae, in addition to the reported expression in the ventricular compact myocardium. By disrupting several signaling pathways that regulate trabeculation and/or compaction, we found that, in contrast to previous reports, Notch signaling and Nrg1/ErbB2 regulate Hey2 expression level in myocardium and/or endocardium, but not its expression pattern: weak expression in trabecular myocardium and strong expression in compact myocardium. Instead, we found that FGF signaling regulates the expression pattern of Hey2 in the early myocardium, and regulates the expression level of Hey2 in a Notch1 dependent manner.