<strong>Introduction:</strong> To perform a Latin-American multicentric study for the prediction of benign and malignant thyroid nodules using Alpha Score, and to compare it with ACR TIRADS<sup><s...<strong>Introduction:</strong> To perform a Latin-American multicentric study for the prediction of benign and malignant thyroid nodules using Alpha Score, and to compare it with ACR TIRADS<sup><span style="white-space:nowrap;">®</span></sup> and Bethesda<sup><span style="white-space:nowrap;">®</span></sup>. <strong>Materials and Methods:</strong> A prospective multicentric study in 10 radiological hospitals and institutions of Latin America was performed and 818 thyroid nodules were analyzed by ultrasound and classified by using both ACR TIRADS<sup><span style="white-space:nowrap;">®</span></sup> and Alpha Score;fine-needle aspiration biopsy was performed when needed and classified with Bethesda. The relationships between predictors were analyzed by using binary logistic regression, statistical significance was defined by a p-value of 0.05, with an error margin of 4% and 95% confidence intervals. <strong>Results:</strong> Alpha Score 2.0 establishes five types of malignant predictors: microcalcifications, irregular borders, taller-than-wide shape, predominant solid texture and hypoechogenicity;a diameter equal to or greater than 1.5 cm adds an extra point to the final score. Resulting classification divides TNs into 4 categories: benign (1.9%), low suspicion (8.7%), mild suspicion (13.6%) and high suspicion (75.7%) of malignancy probability;sensitivity of 82%, specificity of 74%, the positive predictive value of 94%, the negative predictive value of 51%, the statistical accuracy of 81%, odds ratio of 108.89 and correlation with ACR TIRADS of 0.77 and Bethesda of 0.91.<strong> Conclusions: </strong>Alpha Score 2.0 has superior diagnostic accuracy and performance compared to the previously published Alpha Score and is able to classify a benign TN in a precise, safe and accurate way, avoiding unnecessary FNABs or determining the necessity of FNAB in cases of moderate to high suspicion of malignancy.展开更多
Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a simple predictor model to diagnose malignancy by using ultrasound features of thyroid nodules and the association with cytopathological diagnosis obtained by fine need...Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a simple predictor model to diagnose malignancy by using ultrasound features of thyroid nodules and the association with cytopathological diagnosis obtained by fine needle aspiration. Materials and Methods: The likelihood of malignancy from ultrasound features was assessed in thyroid nodules obtained by fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) according to cytopathological findings reported using Bethesda System. A score was developed depending on the presence of each ultrasound feature evaluated. Results: 429 nodules were assessed, 103 (24%) were malignant. The following ultrasound features were associated with malignancy, according to the logistic regression analysis and were assigned a score of 0, +1, +2 depending on the presence or absence of each one: hypoechogenicity, solid appearance, irregular margins, microcalcifications, absence of a halo, diameter of ≥10 mm and intranodular vascular flow. The area under the curve of the proposed model was 0.900, demonstrating its predictive capacity. 4 risk categories were stablished based on the score obtained. Malignant nodules scored higher than the benign nodules (7.24 ±1.87 vs. 3.74 ±1.83). Conclusions: The proposed predictive model demonstrated to be useful and easy to apply when stratifying thyroid nodule risk of malignancy using presented US features and applying the proposed risk categories to increase the accuracy at selecting nodules that need to be studied with FNA.展开更多
This work is a simulation model with the LAMMPS calculation code of an electrode based on alkali metal oxides (lithium, sodium and potassium) using the Lennard Jones potential. For a multiplicity of 8*8*8, we studied ...This work is a simulation model with the LAMMPS calculation code of an electrode based on alkali metal oxides (lithium, sodium and potassium) using the Lennard Jones potential. For a multiplicity of 8*8*8, we studied a gap-free model using molecular dynamics. Physical quantities such as volume and pressure of the Na-O and Li-O systems exhibit similar behaviors around the thermodynamic ensembles NPT and NVE. However, for the Na2O system, at a minimum temperature value, we observe a range of total energy values;in contrast, for the Li2O system, a minimum energy corresponds to a range of temperatures. Finally, for physicochemical properties, we studied the diffusion coefficient and activation energy of lithium and potassium oxides around their melting temperatures. The order of magnitude of the diffusion coefficients is given by the relation Dli-O >DNa-O for the multiplicity 8*8*8, while for the activation energy, the order is well reversed EaNa-O > EaLi-O.展开更多
This work is a simulation modelling with the LAMMPS calculation code of an electrode based on alkali metals (lithium, sodium and potassium) using the MEAM potential. For different multiplicities, two models were studi...This work is a simulation modelling with the LAMMPS calculation code of an electrode based on alkali metals (lithium, sodium and potassium) using the MEAM potential. For different multiplicities, two models were studied;with and without gap. In this work, we present the structural, physical and chemical properties of the lithium, sodium and potassium electrodes. For the structural properties, the cohesive energy and the mesh parameters were calculated, revealing that, whatever the chemical element selected, the compact hexagonal hcp structure is the most stable, followed by the face-centred cubic CFC structure, and finally the BCC structure. The most stable structure is lithium, with a cohesion energy of -6570 eV, and the lowest bcc-hcp transition energy of -0.553 eV/atom, followed by sodium. For physical properties, kinetic and potential energies were calculated for each of the sectioned chemical elements, with lithium achieving the highest value. Finally, for the chemical properties, we studied the diffusion coefficient and the activation energy. Only potassium followed an opposite order to the other two, with the quantities with lacunae being greater than those without lacunae, whatever the multiplicity. The order of magnitude of the diffusion coefficients is given by the relationship D<sub>Li</sub> > D<sub>Na</sub> > D<sub>k</sub> for the multiplicity 6*6*6, while for the activation energy the order is reversed.展开更多
In this work we present the results of our study on the physical and mechanical properties of titanium in volume. The work consisted in determining its physical and mechanical properties under different crystallograph...In this work we present the results of our study on the physical and mechanical properties of titanium in volume. The work consisted in determining its physical and mechanical properties under different crystallographic structures (HCP, FCC, BCC and SC) using the Modified Embedded Atom Method (MEAM) and the MEAM potential of titanium. We used the LAMMPS calculation code, based on classical molecular dynamics, to determine the most stable structure of titanium, which is the hexagonal compact structure (HCP) with crystal parameters a = 2.952 Å and c = 4.821 Å and a cohesion energy of -4.87 eV. This structure is seconded by the cubic centred structure (BCC) with a lattice parameter a = 3.274 Å and a cohesive energy of -4.84 eV. It was shown that titanium can crystallise into a third structure which is the face-centred cubic (FCC) structure with a lattice parameter a = 4.143 Å and a cohesive energy of -4.82 eV. The results obtained in this study were compared with the theoretical results and showed considerable agreement.展开更多
Atractylodes lancea(called Cangzhu in China)is a medicinal plant that has long been used as tonic agent in various ethno-medical systems in East Asia,especially in China,for the treatment of gastrointestinal dysfuncti...Atractylodes lancea(called Cangzhu in China)is a medicinal plant that has long been used as tonic agent in various ethno-medical systems in East Asia,especially in China,for the treatment of gastrointestinal dysfunction,cancer,osteoporosis,obesity and fetal irritability.We used the TCMSP database to search for the main active ingredients and traditional Chinese medicine targets of Atractylodes macrocephala.There are a total of 38 related articles,of which 27 are closely related to chemical composition and activity.This study reviews the chemical components and pharmacological effects of A.lancea,aiming to provide reference for its further research and development.展开更多
Phellodendron chinense Schneid(P.chinense),as a traditional Chinese medicine,is commonly used in clinical practice.It has the effects of drying dampness,clearing heat,detoxifying,purging fire,and reducing swelling.Its...Phellodendron chinense Schneid(P.chinense),as a traditional Chinese medicine,is commonly used in clinical practice.It has the effects of drying dampness,clearing heat,detoxifying,purging fire,and reducing swelling.Its main chemical components are flavonoids and alkaloids,which have various pharmacological effects such as lowering blood sugar,lowering blood pressure and immunosuppression.With the continuous development of modern science and technology,the research on P.chinense Schneid has increased.This study reviews the chemical components and pharmacological effects of P.chinense Schneid,and provides reference for its further research and development.展开更多
The markers of oocyte quality have remained a major controversy in the field of embryology due to the subjectivity of the different methods of oocyte assessment. Various scholars use oocyte quality and oocyte competen...The markers of oocyte quality have remained a major controversy in the field of embryology due to the subjectivity of the different methods of oocyte assessment. Various scholars use oocyte quality and oocyte competence interchangeably. Oocyte quality can be defined as the overall health of an oocyte whereas oocyte competence refers to the ability of an oocyte to be fertilized and develop into a healthy embryo. Diminished oocyte quality is believed to be a result of alterations in oocyte growth and maturation processes that stem from several pelvic and systemic factors before and after oocyte retrieval. In this review, we focus on the morphological and nonmorphological markers of oocyte quality. Strict restrictions that limit the number of oocytes fertilized in various countries have triggered researchers around the world to come up with the most appropriate and noninvasive markers that enhance oocyte selection and optimize IVF outcomes. PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library were used to search for peer-reviewed, original articles about oocyte quality markers. The review was written in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Morphological markers are commonly used, but they are subjective, and no single marker can be used exclusively to predict oocyte competence and subsequent embryonic development potential. Furthermore, transcriptomics of differentially expressed genes in cumulus cells and assessment of metabolomics and other contents of follicular fluid have shown greater precision. However, their specificity to the different quality determinants needs further research.展开更多
文摘<strong>Introduction:</strong> To perform a Latin-American multicentric study for the prediction of benign and malignant thyroid nodules using Alpha Score, and to compare it with ACR TIRADS<sup><span style="white-space:nowrap;">®</span></sup> and Bethesda<sup><span style="white-space:nowrap;">®</span></sup>. <strong>Materials and Methods:</strong> A prospective multicentric study in 10 radiological hospitals and institutions of Latin America was performed and 818 thyroid nodules were analyzed by ultrasound and classified by using both ACR TIRADS<sup><span style="white-space:nowrap;">®</span></sup> and Alpha Score;fine-needle aspiration biopsy was performed when needed and classified with Bethesda. The relationships between predictors were analyzed by using binary logistic regression, statistical significance was defined by a p-value of 0.05, with an error margin of 4% and 95% confidence intervals. <strong>Results:</strong> Alpha Score 2.0 establishes five types of malignant predictors: microcalcifications, irregular borders, taller-than-wide shape, predominant solid texture and hypoechogenicity;a diameter equal to or greater than 1.5 cm adds an extra point to the final score. Resulting classification divides TNs into 4 categories: benign (1.9%), low suspicion (8.7%), mild suspicion (13.6%) and high suspicion (75.7%) of malignancy probability;sensitivity of 82%, specificity of 74%, the positive predictive value of 94%, the negative predictive value of 51%, the statistical accuracy of 81%, odds ratio of 108.89 and correlation with ACR TIRADS of 0.77 and Bethesda of 0.91.<strong> Conclusions: </strong>Alpha Score 2.0 has superior diagnostic accuracy and performance compared to the previously published Alpha Score and is able to classify a benign TN in a precise, safe and accurate way, avoiding unnecessary FNABs or determining the necessity of FNAB in cases of moderate to high suspicion of malignancy.
文摘Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a simple predictor model to diagnose malignancy by using ultrasound features of thyroid nodules and the association with cytopathological diagnosis obtained by fine needle aspiration. Materials and Methods: The likelihood of malignancy from ultrasound features was assessed in thyroid nodules obtained by fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) according to cytopathological findings reported using Bethesda System. A score was developed depending on the presence of each ultrasound feature evaluated. Results: 429 nodules were assessed, 103 (24%) were malignant. The following ultrasound features were associated with malignancy, according to the logistic regression analysis and were assigned a score of 0, +1, +2 depending on the presence or absence of each one: hypoechogenicity, solid appearance, irregular margins, microcalcifications, absence of a halo, diameter of ≥10 mm and intranodular vascular flow. The area under the curve of the proposed model was 0.900, demonstrating its predictive capacity. 4 risk categories were stablished based on the score obtained. Malignant nodules scored higher than the benign nodules (7.24 ±1.87 vs. 3.74 ±1.83). Conclusions: The proposed predictive model demonstrated to be useful and easy to apply when stratifying thyroid nodule risk of malignancy using presented US features and applying the proposed risk categories to increase the accuracy at selecting nodules that need to be studied with FNA.
文摘This work is a simulation model with the LAMMPS calculation code of an electrode based on alkali metal oxides (lithium, sodium and potassium) using the Lennard Jones potential. For a multiplicity of 8*8*8, we studied a gap-free model using molecular dynamics. Physical quantities such as volume and pressure of the Na-O and Li-O systems exhibit similar behaviors around the thermodynamic ensembles NPT and NVE. However, for the Na2O system, at a minimum temperature value, we observe a range of total energy values;in contrast, for the Li2O system, a minimum energy corresponds to a range of temperatures. Finally, for physicochemical properties, we studied the diffusion coefficient and activation energy of lithium and potassium oxides around their melting temperatures. The order of magnitude of the diffusion coefficients is given by the relation Dli-O >DNa-O for the multiplicity 8*8*8, while for the activation energy, the order is well reversed EaNa-O > EaLi-O.
文摘This work is a simulation modelling with the LAMMPS calculation code of an electrode based on alkali metals (lithium, sodium and potassium) using the MEAM potential. For different multiplicities, two models were studied;with and without gap. In this work, we present the structural, physical and chemical properties of the lithium, sodium and potassium electrodes. For the structural properties, the cohesive energy and the mesh parameters were calculated, revealing that, whatever the chemical element selected, the compact hexagonal hcp structure is the most stable, followed by the face-centred cubic CFC structure, and finally the BCC structure. The most stable structure is lithium, with a cohesion energy of -6570 eV, and the lowest bcc-hcp transition energy of -0.553 eV/atom, followed by sodium. For physical properties, kinetic and potential energies were calculated for each of the sectioned chemical elements, with lithium achieving the highest value. Finally, for the chemical properties, we studied the diffusion coefficient and the activation energy. Only potassium followed an opposite order to the other two, with the quantities with lacunae being greater than those without lacunae, whatever the multiplicity. The order of magnitude of the diffusion coefficients is given by the relationship D<sub>Li</sub> > D<sub>Na</sub> > D<sub>k</sub> for the multiplicity 6*6*6, while for the activation energy the order is reversed.
文摘In this work we present the results of our study on the physical and mechanical properties of titanium in volume. The work consisted in determining its physical and mechanical properties under different crystallographic structures (HCP, FCC, BCC and SC) using the Modified Embedded Atom Method (MEAM) and the MEAM potential of titanium. We used the LAMMPS calculation code, based on classical molecular dynamics, to determine the most stable structure of titanium, which is the hexagonal compact structure (HCP) with crystal parameters a = 2.952 Å and c = 4.821 Å and a cohesion energy of -4.87 eV. This structure is seconded by the cubic centred structure (BCC) with a lattice parameter a = 3.274 Å and a cohesive energy of -4.84 eV. It was shown that titanium can crystallise into a third structure which is the face-centred cubic (FCC) structure with a lattice parameter a = 4.143 Å and a cohesive energy of -4.82 eV. The results obtained in this study were compared with the theoretical results and showed considerable agreement.
基金This work was financially supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China(81973284)Scientific Research Foundation of the Education Department of Liaoning Province(LJKZ0944).
文摘Atractylodes lancea(called Cangzhu in China)is a medicinal plant that has long been used as tonic agent in various ethno-medical systems in East Asia,especially in China,for the treatment of gastrointestinal dysfunction,cancer,osteoporosis,obesity and fetal irritability.We used the TCMSP database to search for the main active ingredients and traditional Chinese medicine targets of Atractylodes macrocephala.There are a total of 38 related articles,of which 27 are closely related to chemical composition and activity.This study reviews the chemical components and pharmacological effects of A.lancea,aiming to provide reference for its further research and development.
基金supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China(81973284)Scientific Research Foundation of the Education Department of Liaoning province(LJKZ0944).
文摘Phellodendron chinense Schneid(P.chinense),as a traditional Chinese medicine,is commonly used in clinical practice.It has the effects of drying dampness,clearing heat,detoxifying,purging fire,and reducing swelling.Its main chemical components are flavonoids and alkaloids,which have various pharmacological effects such as lowering blood sugar,lowering blood pressure and immunosuppression.With the continuous development of modern science and technology,the research on P.chinense Schneid has increased.This study reviews the chemical components and pharmacological effects of P.chinense Schneid,and provides reference for its further research and development.
文摘The markers of oocyte quality have remained a major controversy in the field of embryology due to the subjectivity of the different methods of oocyte assessment. Various scholars use oocyte quality and oocyte competence interchangeably. Oocyte quality can be defined as the overall health of an oocyte whereas oocyte competence refers to the ability of an oocyte to be fertilized and develop into a healthy embryo. Diminished oocyte quality is believed to be a result of alterations in oocyte growth and maturation processes that stem from several pelvic and systemic factors before and after oocyte retrieval. In this review, we focus on the morphological and nonmorphological markers of oocyte quality. Strict restrictions that limit the number of oocytes fertilized in various countries have triggered researchers around the world to come up with the most appropriate and noninvasive markers that enhance oocyte selection and optimize IVF outcomes. PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library were used to search for peer-reviewed, original articles about oocyte quality markers. The review was written in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Morphological markers are commonly used, but they are subjective, and no single marker can be used exclusively to predict oocyte competence and subsequent embryonic development potential. Furthermore, transcriptomics of differentially expressed genes in cumulus cells and assessment of metabolomics and other contents of follicular fluid have shown greater precision. However, their specificity to the different quality determinants needs further research.
