Prevalence and risk factors of gallbladder polypoid lesions in Chinese petrochemical employees

AIM:To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of polypoid lesions of the gallbladder (PLGs) in petrochemical employees in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China. METHODS:All active and retired employees aged 20-90 years (n = 11098) of a refinery and chemical plant in eastern China were requested to participate in a health survey. The participants were subjected to interview, physical examination, laboratory assessments and ultrasonography. All the participants were invitedto have a physical examination after a face-to-face interview. Fasting blood samples were obtained from the antecubital vein, and the samples were used for the analysis of biochemical values. Abdominal ultrasonography was conducted. RESULTS:A total of 10461 (7331 men and 3130 women) current and former petrochemical employees attended for screening. The overall prevalence of postcholecystectomy, gallstones and PLGs was 0.9%, 5.2% and 7.4%, respectively. Compared with the increased prevalence of either gallstones or post-cholecystectomy in older persons, PLGs were more common in the middle-aged, peaking in those aged 40-59 years. Excluding the patients with gallstones, gallstones mixed with PLGs, or those who had undergone cholecystectomy, in the remaining 9828 participants, the prevalence of PLGs in men (8.9%) was significantly higher than that in women (5.5%, P < 0.001). The analyzed risk factors with increased OR for the development of PLGs were male gender (OR = 1.799, P < 0.001), age ≥ 30 years (OR = 2.699, P < 0.001) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity (OR = 1.374, P = 0.006). CONCLUSION:PLGs are not rare among Chinese petrochemical employees. Male gender, HBsAg positivity, and middle age are risk factors for developing PLGs.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging of the vasa vasorum of carotid artery plaque

The vasa vasorum of carotid artery plaque is a novel marker of accurately evaluating the vulnerability of carotid artery plaque, which was associated with symptomatic cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease. The presence of ultrasound contrast agents in carotid artery plaque represents the presence of the vasa vasorum in carotid artery plaque because the ultrasoundcontrast agents are strict intravascular tracers. Therefore, contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS) is a novel and safe imaging modality for evaluating the vasa vasorum in carotid artery plaque. However, there are some issues that needs to be assessed to embody fully the clinical utility of the vasa vasorum in carotid artery plaque with CEUS.

Visual-spatial neglect after right-hemisphere stroke:behavioral and electrophysiological evidence

Background:Visual-spatial neglect (VSN) is a neuropsychological syndrome,and right-hemisphere stroke is the most common cause.The pathogenetic mechanism of VSN remains unclear.This study aimed to investigate the behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) changes in patients with or without VSN after right-hemisphere stroke.Methods:Eleven patients with VSN with right-hemisphere stroke (VSN group) and 11 patients with non-VSN with righthemisphere stroke (non-VSN group) were recruited along with one control group of 11 age- and gender-matched healthy participants.The visual-spatial function was evaluated using behavioral tests,and ERP examinations were performed.Results:The response times in the VSN and non-VSN groups were both prolonged compared with those of normal controls (P<0.001).In response to either valid or invalid cues in the left side,the accuracy in the VSN group was lower than that in the non-VSN group (P<0.001),and the accuracy in the non-VSN group was lower than that in controls (P<0.05).The P1 latency in the VSN group was significantly longer than that in the control group (F[2,30]= 5.494,P = 0.009),and the N1 amplitude in the VSN group was significantly lower than that in the control group (F[2,30]= 4.343,P = 0.022).When responding to right targets,the lefthemisphere P300 amplitude in the VSN group was significantly lower than that in the control group (F[2,30]= 4.255,P = 0.025).With either left or right stimuli,the bilateral-hemisphere P300 latencies in the VSN and non-VSN groups were both significantly prolonged (all P<0.05),while the P300 latency did not differ significantly between the VSN and non-VSN groups (all P > 0.05).Conclusions:Visual-spatial attention function is impaired after right-hemisphere stroke,and clinicians should be aware of the subclinical VSN.Our findings provide neuroelectrophysiological evidence for the lateralization of VSN.