Lymphatic plastic bronchitis and primary chylothorax: A study based on computed tomography lymphangiography

BACKGROUND This study presents an evaluation of the computed tomography lymphangio-graphy(CTL)features of lymphatic plastic bronchitis(PB)and primary chylotho-rax to improve the diagnostic accuracy for these two diseases.AIM To improve the diagnosis of lymphatic PB or primary chylothorax,a retrospective analysis of the clinical features and CTL characteristics of 71 patients diagnosed with lymphatic PB or primary chylothorax was performed.METHODS The clinical and CTL data of 71 patients(20 with lymphatic PB,41 with primary chylothorax,and 10 with lymphatic PB with primary chylothorax)were collected retrospectively.CTL was performed in all patients.The clinical manifestations,CTL findings,and conventional chest CT findings of the three groups of patients were compared.The chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used to compare the differences among the three groups.A difference was considered to be statistically significant when P<0.05.RESULTS(1)The percentages of abnormal contrast medium deposits on CTL in the three groups were as follows:Thoracic duct outlet in 14(70.0%),33(80.5%)and 8(80.0%)patients;peritracheal region in 18(90.0%),15(36.6%)and 8(80.0%)patients;pleura in 6(30.0%),33(80.5%)and 9(90.0%)patients;pericardium in 6(30.0%),6(14.6%)and 4(40.0%)patients;and hilum in 16(80.0%),11(26.8%)and 7(70.0%)patients;and(2)the abnormalities on conven-tional chest CT in the three groups were as follows:Ground-glass opacity in 19(95.0%),18(43.9%)and 8(80.0%)patients;atelectasis in 4(20.0%),26(63.4%)and 7(70.0%)patients;interlobular septal thickening in 12(60.0%),11(26.8%)and 3(30.0%)patients;bronchovascular bundle thickening in 14(70.0%),6(14.6%)and 4(40.0%)patients;localized mediastinal changes in 14(70.0%),14(34.1%),and 7(70.0%)patients;diffuse mediastinal changes in 6(30.0%),5(12.2%),and 3(30.0%)patients;cystic lesions in the axilla in 2(10.0%),6(14.6%),and 2(20.0%)patients;and cystic lesions in the chest wall in 0(0%),2(4.9%),and 2(4.9%)patients.CONCLUSION CTL is well suited to clarify the characteristics of lymphatic PB and primary chylothorax.This method is an excellent tool for diagnosing these two diseases.

Tuberous sclerosis complex combined with primary lymphedema:A case report

BACKGROUND Tuberous sclerosis complex(TSC)and primary lymphedema(PLE)are both rare diseases,and it is even rarer for both to occur in the same patient.In this work,we have provided a detailed description of a patient's clinical presentation,imaging findings,and treatment.And a retrospective analysis was conducted on 14 published relevant case reports.CASE SUMMARY A 16-year-old male came to our hospital for treatment due to right lower limb swelling.This swelling is already present from birth.The patient’s memory had been progressively declining.Seizures had occurred 1 year prior at an unknown frequency.The patient was diagnosed with TSC combined with PLE through multimodal imaging examination:Computed tomography,magnetic resonance imaging,and lymphoscintigraphy.The patient underwent liposuction.The swelling of the patient's right lower limb significantly improved after surgery.Epilepsy did not occur.after taking antiepileptic drugs and sirolimus.CONCLUSION TSC with PLE is a rare and systemic disease.Imaging can detect lesions of this disease,which are important for diagnosis and treatment.

EUS-guided gallbladder polyp resection: A new method for treatment of gallbladder polyps

To the Editor: The gallbladder polyp detection rate has been increasing due to the growing use of abdominal imaging technology and the incidence of gallbladder polyps, occurring in 5%-10% of the global adult population [1]. Gallbladder polyps can be divided into true polyps and pseudo polyps, and the latter are more common. Pseudo polyps have no malignant potential.

Effects of gastrodin on neurotransmitter effect, stress response, blood vessel and nerve function in migraine patients

Objective:To investigate the effects of gastrodin on neurotransmitter effect, stress response, blood vessel and nerve function in migraine patients.Methods:A total of90 patients with migraine admitted to our hospital from September 2016 to December 2017 were randomly divided into observation group and control group with 45 cases in each group. The control group was treated with flunarizine hydrochloride, while the observation group was treated with gastrodin based on the control group. The levels of neurotransmitter effect[including 5-serotonin (5-HT) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha)], stress response[oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and paraoxonase-1 (PON-1)], vascular function[including nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1)] and neurological function[including high brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)] related indexes were observed and compared between the two groups.Results: The two groups showed significant changes in transmitter effect, stress response, blood vessel and nerve function. Before treatment, there was no significant difference in the levels between the two groups. After treatment, the levels of TNF-a, ox-LDL, NO, ET-1, BDNF and CGRP in the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment, while the levels of 5-HT and PON-1 were significantly higher than those before treatment. And after treatment, the levels of TNF-a, ox-LDL, NO, ET-1, BDNF and CGRP in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group, while the levels of 5-HT and PON-1 were significantly higher than those in the control group.Conclusions:Gastrodin treatment can regulate oxidative stress level and improve vascular and neurological function in migraine patients.

Potential of Gd-EOB-DTPA as an imaging biomarker for liver injury estimation after radiation therapy

Background:Hepatic radiation injury severely restricts irradiation treatment for liver carcinoma.The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical application of gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid(Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced MRI(EOB-MRI)in the assessment of liver function after external radiation therapy and to determine the relationship between focal liver reaction(FLR)and liver function.Methods:A total of 47 patients with liver malignancies who underwent external beam radiation therapy were enrolled.EOB-MRI was performed on each patient at approximately one month post-radiotherapy.The hepatobiliary(HPB)phase images from EOB-MRI were fused with the planning CT images,and the isodose lines from the patients’treatment plans were overlaid onto the fused images.The correlation of the EOB-MR image intensity distribution with the isodose lines was studied.We also compared liver function in patients between pre-treatment and post-treatment.Results:Decreased uptake of Gd-EOB-DTPA,which was manifested by well-demarcated focal hypointensity of the liver parenchyma or FLR to high-dose radiation,was observed in the irradiated areas of 38 patients.The radiotherapy isodose line of decreased uptake area of Gd-EOB-DTPA was 30–46 Gy.The median corresponding dose curve of FLR was 34.4 Gy.Nine patients showed the absence of decreased uptake area of Gd-EOB-DTPA in the irradiated areas.Compared to the 38 patients with the presence of decreased uptake area of Gd-EOB-DTPA,9 patients with the absence of decreased uptake area of Gd-EOB-DTPA showed significant higher levels of total bile acid,total bilirubin,direct bilirubin and alpha-fetoprotein(P<0.05).There were no significant differences in alanine transaminase,aspartate aminotransferase,gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase or albumin levels between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusions:Visible uptake of Gd-EOB-DTPA by the liver parenchyma was significantly associated with liver function parameters.EOB-MRI can be a valuable imaging biomarker for the assessment of liver parenchyma function outside of radiation area.

Study on the relationship between serum inflammatory factors and systemic target organ damage in severe acute pancreatitis patients

Objective:To study the relationship between serums inflammatory factor levels and systemic target organ damage in patients with severe acute pancreatitis.Methods: A total of 85 patients who were diagnosed with severe acute pancreatitis in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University between June 2013 and August 2016 were enrolled in SAP group, and 100 healthy volunteers who received physical examination during the same period were enrolled in control group. Then serum inflammatory factors, liver function injury indexes, renal function injury indexes and intestinal mucosal barrier function indexes as well as urine renal function injury indexes were determined.Results: Serum PCT, TNF-α, CRP, HMGB-1, ALT, AST, TBIL, BUN, Scr, CysC, DAO, D-lactate, Occludin and ZO-1 levels as well as urine NGAL and KIM-1 levels of SAP group were significantly higher than those of control group;serum PCT, TNF-α, CRP and HMGB-1 levels of patients with SAP were positively correlated with serum ALT, AST, TBIL, BUN, Scr, CysC, DAO, D-lactate, Occludin and ZO-1 levels as well as urine NGAL and KIM-1 levels.Conclusion:Abnormal release of inflammatory factors in serum of SAP patients can cause liver function, renal function and intestinal mucosal barrier function injury.

Study on the relationship between serum inflammatory factors and systemic target organ damage in severe acute pancreatitis patients

Objective: To study the relationship between serums inflammatory factor levels and systemic target organ damage in patients with severe acute pancreatitis. Methods: A total of 85 patients who were diagnosed with severe acute pancreatitis in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University between June 2013 and August 2016 were enrolled in SAP group, and 100 healthy volunteers who received physical examination during the same period were enrolled in control group. Then serum inflammatory factors, liver function injury indexes, renal function injury indexes and intestinal mucosal barrier function indexes as well as urine renal function injury indexes were determined. Results: Serum PCT, TNF-α, CRP, HMGB-1, ALT, AST, TBIL, BUN, Scr, CysC, DAO, D-lactate, Occludin and ZO-1 levels as well as urine NGAL and KIM-1 levels of SAP group were significantly higher than those of control group;serum PCT, TNF-α, CRP and HMGB-1 levels of patients with SAP were positively correlated with serum ALT, AST, TBIL, BUN, Scr, CysC, DAO, D-lactate, Occludin and ZO-1 levels as well as urine NGAL and KIM-1 levels. Conclusion: Abnormal release of inflammatory factors in serum of SAP patients can cause liver function, renal function and intestinal mucosal barrier function injury.

Impact of Annealing on the Melt Recrystallization of a-PDLA/α-PLLA Double-layered Films

Poly(lactic acid)(PLA) as a bio-based polymer with biodegradability and biocompatibility has attracted much attention. To manipulate its properties for different applications, regulation of crystal structure and crystalline morphology becomes an attractive research topic. In this work, the structure evolution of layered samples containing an amorphous poly(D-lactide)(PDLA) layer and a crystalline poly(L-lactide)(PLLA)layer with highly oriented edge-on α lamellar crystals after annealing at 150 ℃ or/and after melt-recrystallization has been studied by AFM, FTIR,and TEM combined with electron diffraction. The results demonstrate that melt recrystallization of the as-prepared sample leads to the formation of abundant randomly oriented PLA stereo-complex(PLA SC) crystals. Annealing at 150 ℃ results in the formation of a small amount of oriented PLA SC crystals at the interface. These PLA SC crystals show great impact on the recrystallization behavior of sample after melting at 190 ℃ and then crystallizing at 90 ℃. First, they impede the mutual diffusion of the overlying PDLA and underlying PLLA, and thus reduce their stereocomplexation ability as manifested by the decreased amount of PLA SC crystals. Second, they act as substrate to initiate the epitaxial crystallization of the overlying PDLA and underlying PLLA, which ensures the production of a highly oriented structure of PDLA and PLLA after melt recrystallization again.

Nucleophilic Substitution Polymerization-Induced Emission of 1,3-Dicarbonyl Compounds as a Versatile Approach for Aggregation-Induced Emission Type Non-Traditional Intrinsic Luminescence

Nucleophilic substitution reaction and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds play significant roles in organic chemistry, and non-traditional intrinsic luminescence (NTIL) has become an emerging research area. Here, we demonstrate the successful nucleophilic substitution polymerization of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, including acetylacetone, 3,5-heptanedione, methyl acetoacetate, cyclopentane-1,3-dione, 1,3-indandione, 1-phenyl-1,3-butanedione and dibenzoylmethane, where reactive hydrogens at α position of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds are involved. Through this base catalyzed nucleophilic substitution polycondensation between 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and α,α’-dibromo xylene, a series of nonconjugated poly(1,3-dicarbonyl)s have been successfully prepared with high yield (up to >99%) under mild conditions. Investigations reveal that this nucleophilic substitution polycondensation exhibits self-accelerating effect and flexible stoichiometry characteristics, which exhibits advantages over traditional polycondensation methods. This polymerization also exhibits intriguing polymerization-induced emission (PIE) characteristics, where nonconjugated poly(1,3-dicarbonyl)s exhibit intriguing chemical structure dependent aggregation-induced emission (AIE) type NTIL. This work therefore expands the monomer, method, chemical structure and property libraries of polymer chemistry, which may cause inspirations to polymerization methodology, PIE, AIE and NTIL.

Observation on the effect difference in migraine treated with the combination of acupuncture and blood-letting therapy and medication with carbamazepine

Objective:To observe the clinical therapeutic effect on migraine treated with acupuncture combined with blood-letting therapy.Methods:A total of 90 patients of migraine were included in compliance with the requirement and divided into a blood-letting therapy group,a western medication group,an acupuncture plus blood-letting therapy group,30 cases in each one according to the random number table.In the two control groups,the simple blood-letting therapy was exerted at Dàzhuī(大椎GV14)and the oral administration with carbamazepine were provided respectively.In the acupuncture plus blood-letting therapy group,acupuncture was exerted at Bǎihuì(百会GV20)and other points,with blood-letting therapy combined.The treatment was given once daily and 12 treatments were as one course.After 2 courses of treatment,the score of therapeutic effect on symptoms and signs,pain score of visual analogue scale(VAS)and clinical therapeutic effect were compared among the three groups before and after treatment.Results:At the end of treatment,the scores for symptoms and signs and VAS score were reduced obviously as compared with those before treatment in the three groups(all P<0.01).Compared with the blood-letting therapy group and the medication group,the scores for symptoms and signs and VAS score were all reduced more obviously in the acupuncture plus blood-letting therapy group respectively(all P<0.01)and the differences were not significant between the blood-letting therapy group and the medication group(P>0.05).The total effective rate in the acupuncture plus blood-letting therapy group was higher obviously than either the blood-letting therapy group or the medication group(both P<0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture combined with blood-letting therapy achieves a better clinical therapeutic effect on migraine as compared with either simple blood-letting therapy or medication.Such combined treatment obtains a satisfactory therapeutic results and deserves to be promoted in clinical application.

Morphologies and Mechanical Properties of Cis-1,4-butadiene Rubber/Polyethylene Blends

The mechanical properties and phase morphologies of cis-1,4-butadiene rubber（BR） blended with polyethylene（PE） at different blend ratios were studied. The tensile test results show that the PE exhibits excellent reinforcing capabilities towards BR. Blending BR with PE results in a remarkable enhancement of tensile strength, modulus and the elongation at break simultaneously. An increment of tensile strength from 1.11 MPa to 16.26 MPa was achieved by incorporation of 40 wt% PE in the blends. The modulus and elongation at break of 40/60 PE/BR blends are also about 5 times higher than those of the pure BR treated under exactly the same conditions. The tear test indicates that the tear strength also increases with the increase of PE content. It reaches 58.38 MPa for the 40/60 PE/BR blend, which is approximately 10 times higher than that of the pure BR. Morphological study demonstrates that the PE forms elongated microdomains finely dispersed in the BR matrix when its content is over 30 wt%, which corresponds to the remarkably enhanced mechanical properties.According to the results, reinforcement mechanism of PE toward BR dependent on the microstructure has been discussed and two different mechanisms have been proposed.

Structure of Friction-transferred Highly Oriented Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Thin Films

Oriented thin films of P3HT were obtained by a friction-transfer technique. The morphology and structure of the film were studied by means of optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Optical microscopy observation indicates that large size well-ordered P3HT thin films can be produced by a friction-transfer technique. Highly ordered lamellae were observed in P3HT friction-transferred films by electron microscopy. Electron diffraction results confirm the existence of high orientation with the a- and c-axes of P3HT crystals aligned in the film plane while the c-axis parallel to the friction-transfer direction. The atomic force microscopy observation of the as-prepared P3HT thin film shows, however, a featureless top surface morphology, indicating the structure inhomogeneity of the obtained film. To get highly oriented P3HT thin films with homogenous structure, high temperature annealing, solvent vapor annealing and self-seeding recrystallization of the friction-transferred film were performed. It is confirmed that solvent vapor annealing and self-seeding recrystallization methods are efficient in improving the surface morphology and structure of the friction- transferred P3HT thin film. Highly oriented P3HT films with unique structure can be obtained through friction-transfer with subsequent solvent vapor annealing and self-seeding recrystallization.

Enhanced αγ′ Transition of Poly(vinylidene fluoride) by Step Crystallization and Subsequent Annealing

Poly（vinylidene fluoride）（PVDF） exhibits pronounced polymorphs. Its γ phase is attractive due to the electroactive properties. The γ-PVDF is however difficult to obtain under normal crystallization condition. In a previous work, we reported a simple melt-recrystallization approach for producing γ-phase rich PVDF thin films through selective melting and subsequent recrystallization. We reported here another approach for promoting the αγ′ phase transition to prepare γ-phase rich PVDF thin films. To this end, a stepwise crystallization and subsequent annealing process was used. The idea is based on a quick generation of a large amount of α-PVDF crystals with some of their γ-PVDF counterparts at suitable crystallization temperature and then annealing at a temperature above the crystallization temperature for enhancing the molecular chain mobility to overcome the energy barrier of phase transition. It was found that crystallizing the PVDF melt first at 152 °C for 4 h, then quenching to room temperature and finally annealing the sample at 160 °C for 100 h was the most efficient to produce γ-PVDF rich films. This is related to the melting and recrystallization of the α-PVDF crystals produced during quenching in the annealing process at 160 °C, which favors the formation of γ-PVDF crystals for triggering the αγ′ phase transition.

Crystallizability of Poly(ε-caprolactone) Blends with Poly(vinylphenol) under Different Conditions

The intermolecular interaction between poly（vinylphenol） （PVPh） and polycaprolactone （PCL） and the crystallization behavior of PCL in PCL/PVPh blends with different compositions and under different conditions were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectra （FTIR） and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）. It has been shown that the PCL in the blends with different blend ratios all exists in crystalline state after solution casting, even though the crystallinity decreases with increasing PVPh content. For the melt crystallized samples, PCL in its 80/20 PCL/PVPh sample can still crystallize. The crystallinity is, however, lower than that of the solution cast sample. For blends containing 50% or 20% PCL, the as-cast samples are semicrystalline and can change to compatible amorphous state after heat treatment process. FTIR analysis shows the existence of hydrogen bonding between PCL and PVPh and the fraction of hydrogen bonds increases remarkably after heat treatment process.

The Effect of Substrate on the Properties of Non-volatile Ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE)/P3HT Memory Devices

Ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene)(P(VDF-TrFE))/semiconducting poly(3-hexyl thiophene)(P3HT)blend systems have drawn great attention with their potential use for electronic applications,particularly non-volatile memory devices.It is essential to grasp a full understanding of the crystallization habits of the two polymers on different substrates for purposeful control of the structures of the blend and therefore the properties of the devices.Here,the effects of structure and morphology of the blend films generated at different substrate surfaces on the ferroelectric and switching properties of related devices are reported.It is identified that P(VDF-TrFE)/P3HT blend films prepared on graphene substrate show not only an obvious optimization in the ferroelectric behavior of P(VDF-TrFE),but also an enhancement of the charge transport within P3HT domains.By employing sandwich structure constructed by silver electrode and P3HT/P(VDF-TrFE)blend film on graphene substrate,high-performance ferroelectric memory devices have been obtained,which exhibit a great electrical switching behavior with high ON/OFF ratio of about 1000 and low coercive voltage of approximately 5 V.These findings provide useful guidance for fabricating highperformance ferroelectric memory devices.

Erratum to “The Effect of Substrate on the Properties of Non-volatile Ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE)/P3HT Memory Devices”

We are sorry for the misuploading of Fig.1(a)as Fig.2(b),which makes Fig.2(b)the same as Fig.1(a).The correct Fig.2(b)is presented below.It should be noted that the replacement of Fig.2(b)does not influence the discussion and conclusion.