Comparison of point and two-dimensional shear wave elastography of the spleen in healthy subjects

BACKGROUND Few systematic comparative studies of the different methods of physical elastography of the spleen are currently available.AIM To compare point shear wave and two-dimensional elastography of the spleen considering the anatomical location(upper,hilar,and lower pole).METHODS As part of a prospective clinical study,healthy volunteers were examined for splenic elasticity using four different ultrasound devices between May 2015 and April 2017.The devices used for point shear wave elastography were from Siemens(S 3000)and Philips(Epiq 7),and those used for two-dimensional shear wave elastography were from GE(Logiq E9)and Toshiba(Aplio 500).In addition,two different software versions(5.0 and 6.0)were evaluated for the Toshiba ultrasound device(Aplio 500).The study consisted of three arms:A,B,and C.RESULTS In study arm A,200 subjects were evaluated(78 males and 122 females,mean age 27.9±8.1 years).In study arm B,113 subjects were evaluated(38 men and 75 women,mean age 26.0±6.3 years).In study arm C,44 subjects were enrolled.A significant correlation of the shear wave velocities at the upper third of the spleen(r=0.33088,P<0.0001)was demonstrated only for the Philips Epiq 7 device compared to the Siemens Acuson S 3000.In comparisons of the other ultrasound devices(GE,Siemens,Toshiba),no comparable results could be obtained for any anatomical position of the spleen.The influencing factors age,gender,and body mass index did not show a clear correlation with the measured shear wave velocities.CONCLUSION The absolute values of the shear wave elastography measurements of the spleen and the two different elastography methods are not comparable between different manufacturers or models.

Low-Frequency Magnetic Stimulation of Shenmen Acupoint Reduces Blood Oxygen Levels in the Prefrontal Cortex of Healthy Subjects:A Near-Infrared Brain Functional Imaging Study

Objective To explore the effect of low-frequency magnetic stimulation at Shenmen(HT 7)acupoint on blood oxygen levels in the prefrontal cortex of healthy subjects.Methods Functional near-infrared spectroscopy(fNIRS)technology was used to collect real-time data of oxygenated hemoglobin(oxy-Hb)in the prefrontal cortex of 16 healthy subjects at resting state and low-frequency magnetic stimulation of Shenmen.The mean and integral values of blood oxygen concentration were analyzed.Results Compared with the resting state,the mean and integral values of blood oxygen concentration were decreased during the task period,recovery period,and the whole process in the magnetic stimulation of Shenmen acupoint(P<0.05).In particular,the difference was statistically significant in the recovery period(P<0.01).Conclusions The prefrontal cortex was widely activated and produced an immediate effect by reducing the local blood oxygen concentration at low-frequency magnetic stimulation of Shenmen acupoint,which verifies the sedative effect of Shenmen acupoint.

Glycemic Index of a Diabetes-Specific Nutritional Powder: An Open-Label Study in Healthy Indian Adults

Background: A balanced diet with a low glycemic index (GI) plays an important role in controlling and managing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Here, we compared the GI of 2 flavors (vanilla and chocolate) of diabetes-specific nutritional (DSN) supplements to its comparator in healthy Indian adults under fasting conditions. Methods: This study was a 39-day open-label, non-comparative, single-center trial involving healthy adults aged between 18 to 45 years. The subjects received equal doses of 2 DSN powder (Treatments A and B), the comparator product (Treatment C), and dextrose monohydrate as a reference (Treatment R). Doses were administered as per the dosing schedule, after an overnight fast for 10 hours, with 2 intervening non-dosing days. Blood samples were collected on the dosing days to assess changes in capillary blood glucose levels. The primary endpoint of the study was the mean GI of Treatments A, B, and C (Defined as low: GI ≤ 55;medium: 55 GI ≤ 70;High: GI > 70), generated using the incremental area under the curve (AUCi) methodology. Safety was assessed throughout the study. Values of all study parameters were represented in ±SD or standard deviation. Results: Fourteen adult male subjects with a mean age of 29.42 ± 4.46 years, and a body mass index of 22.0 ± 1.95 Kg/m2, were enrolled in the study. The mean AUCi for treatments A, B, and C were 104 ± 10, 111 ± 12, and 87 ± 12 mmol min/L, respectively and for Treatment R it was 276 ± 16, 319 ± 28 and 338 ± 25 mmol min/L for Days 1, 6 and 8, respectively. The mean GI of Treatment A was 33 ± 3, Treatment B was 35 ± 3 and Treatment C was 29 ± 5;all GI means were ≤55. Mild adverse events were reported in 2 (14.3%) subjects. No serious adverse events or deaths were reported in the study. All treatments were well tolerated by the subjects. Conclusion: The glycemic index of both test products and comparator was low (i.e., GI 55) as per ISO 26642:2010 standard.

Investigating short- and long-term transfer effects of a Taiji beginner course in participants' daily life

in recent years research investigating various health benefits of Taiji practice has markedly increased. Despite this growing scientific interest, essential questions such as to what extent a Taiji course may exert noticeable effects in participants＇ everyday life, what these effects are, and how and where potential transfer effects occur, have hardly been considered. The aim of our study was to explore transfer effects from a Taiji course into participants＇ daily lives. METHODS： We conducted a longitudinal observational study in 45 healthy participants at the end of their three-month Taiji beginner course （tpl） and at two months （tp2） as well as one year after course completion （tp3）. Participants were asked to report their Taiji practice behavior at all time points, as well as to rate and describe perceived transfer effects of Taiji course contents on their daily life at tpl and tp3. RESULTS： Transfer effects were reported by 91.1% of all respondents after course completion （tpl） and persisted in 73.3% at the one-year follow-up assessment （tp3）, counting ＂increase of self-efficacy＂, ＂improvement of stress management＂, and ＂increase of body awareness＂ as the most frequently mentioned effects. Transfer effects predominantly occurred in participants＇ work and social environments, as well as during everyday activities in public areas. While self- reliant Taiji practice frequency significantly decreased from 82.2% at tpl to 55.6% at tp3 （P 〈 0.001）, the magnitude of self-reported transfer effects did not （P = 0.35）. As explorative analyses revealed, regular Taiji course attendance was highly correlated with stronger transfer effects at tpl （r = 0.51; P 〈 0.001） and tp3 （r = 0.35; P = 0.020）. Participants reporting high self-reliant Taiji practice frequency at tp2 were likely to maintain a regular practice routine at tp3 （r = 0.42; P 〈 0.004）, whereas self-reliant practice frequency and transfer effects at tpl were positively correlated with self-reliant practice frequency at tp3 on a trend level （r 〈 0.27; P 〉 0.08）. CONCLUSION： Our data underline the importance of regular course participation for pronounced and long lasting transfer effects into participants＇ everyday life. We discuss that several context and process-related aspects of a Taiji intervention are potentially relevant factors for enhancement of transfer effect.

The occlusal plane in the facial context:inter-operator repeatability of a new three-dimensional method

The repeatability of a non-invasive digital protocol proposed to evaluate the three-dimensional（3D） position of the occlusal plane in the face is assessed.Dental virtual models and soft tissue facial morphology of 20 adult subjects were digitally integrated using a 3D stereophotogrammetric imaging system.The digital 3D coordinates of facial and dental landmarks were obtained by two different operators.Camper＇s（facial） and occlusal（dental） planes were individuated,and their 3D relationships were measured.The repeatability of the protocol was investigated and showed no significant differences in repeated digitizations.The angle between occlusal and Camper＇s planes was smaller than 26 in the frontal and horizontal projections.In the sagittal projection,the angle was observed to be,on average,4.9 6.The determined occlusal plane pitch,roll and yaw values show good agreement with previously published data obtained by different protocols.The current non-invasive method was repeatable,without inter-operator differences and can facilitate assessment of healthy subjects.

Interleukin-6-174G/C polymorphism is associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus

BACKGROUND Chronic hepatitis C(CHC)is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Although the pathogenesis remains to be elucidated,a growing evidence has suggested a role of pro-inflammatory immune response.Increased serum concentrations of Interleukin 6(IL-6)have been associated with insulin resistance,type 2 diabetes mellitus as well as advanced forms of liver disease in chronic hepatitis C infection.AIM To investigate the frequency of IL-6-174G/C(rs1800795)single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)in CHC patients and in healthy subjects of the same ethnicity.Associations between type 2 diabetes mellitus(dependent variable)and demographic,clinical,nutritional,virological and,IL-6 genotyping data were also investigated in CHC patients.METHODS Two hundred and forty-five patients with CHC and 179 healthy control subjects(blood donors)were prospectively included.Type 2 diabetes mellitus was diagnosed according to the criteria of the American Diabetes Association.Clinical,biochemical,histological and radiological methods were used for the diagnosis of the liver disease.IL-6 polymorphism was evaluated by Taqman SNP genotyping assay.The data were analysed by logistic regression models.RESULTS Type 2 diabetes mellitus,blood hypertension and liver cirrhosis were observed in 20.8%(51/245),40.0%(98/245)and 38.4%(94/245)of the patients,respectively.The frequency of the studied IL-6 SNP did not differ between the CHC patients and controls(P=0.81)and all alleles were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium(P=0.38).In the multivariate analysis,type 2 diabetes mellitus was inversely associated with GC and CC genotypes of IL-6-174(OR=0.42;95%CI=0.22-0.78;P=0.006)and positively associated with blood hypertension(OR=5.56;95%CI=2.79-11.09;P<0.001).CONCLUSION This study was the first to show that GC and CC genotypes of IL-6-174 SNP are associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus.The identification of potential inflammatory mediators involved in the crosstalk between hepatitis C virus and the axis pancreas-liver remains important issues that deserve further investigations.