Chest CT quantitative parameters in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease:Correlations with blood eosinophil level

Objective To observe the correlations of chest CT quantitative parameters in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD)with blood eosinophil(EOS)level.Methods Chest CT data of 162 AECOPD patients with elevated eosinophils were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into low EOS group(n=105)and high EOS group(n=57)according to the absolute counting of blood EOS.The quantitative CT parameters,including the number of whole lung bronchi and the volume of blood vessels,low-attenuation area percentage(LAA%)of whole lung,of left/right lung and each lobe of lung,as well as the luminal diameter(LD),wall thickness(WT),wall area(WA)and WA percentage of total bronchial cross-section(WA%)of grade 3 to 8 bronchi were compared between groups.Spearman correlations were performed to analyze the correlations of quantitative CT parameters with blood EOS level.Results LAA%of the whole lung,of the left/right lung and each lobe of lung,as well as of the upper lobe of right lung LD grade 4,middle lobe of right lung WT grade 5,upper lobe of right lung WA grade 4,middle lobe of right lung WA grade 5 and lower lobe of left lung WA grade 3 in low EOS group were all higher than those in high EOS group(all P<0.05).Except for the upper lobe of right lung LD grade 4,the above quantitative CT indexes being significant different between groups were all weakly and negatively correlated with blood EOS level(r=-0.335 to-0.164,all P<0.05).Conclusion Chest CT quantitative parameters of AECOPD patients were correlated with blood EOS level,among which LAA%,a part of WT and WA were all weakly negatively correlated with blood EOS level.

Artificial intelligence models based on non-contrast chest CT for measuring bone mineral density

Objective To observe the value of artificial intelligence(AI)models based on non-contrast chest CT for measuring bone mineral density(BMD).Methods Totally 380 subjects who underwent both non-contrast chest CT and quantitative CT(QCT)BMD examination were retrospectively enrolled and divided into training set(n=304)and test set(n=76)at a ratio of 8∶2.The mean BMD of L1—L3 vertebrae were measured based on QCT.Spongy bones of T5—T10 vertebrae were segmented as ROI,radiomics(Rad)features were extracted,and machine learning(ML),Rad and deep learning(DL)models were constructed for classification of osteoporosis(OP)and evaluating BMD,respectively.Receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn,and area under the curves(AUC)were calculated to evaluate the efficacy of each model for classification of OP.Bland-Altman analysis and Pearson correlation analysis were performed to explore the consistency and correlation of each model with QCT for measuring BMD.Results Among ML and Rad models,ML Bagging-OP and Rad Bagging-OP had the best performances for classification of OP.In test set,AUC of ML Bagging-OP,Rad Bagging-OP and DL OP for classification of OP was 0.943,0.944 and 0.947,respectively,with no significant difference(all P>0.05).BMD obtained with all the above models had good consistency with those measured with QCT(most of the differences were within the range of Ax-G±1.96 s),which were highly positively correlated(r=0.910—0.974,all P<0.001).Conclusion AI models based on non-contrast chest CT had high efficacy for classification of OP,and good consistency of BMD measurements were found between AI models and QCT.

Automated body composition analysis system based on chest CT for evaluating content of muscle and adipose

Objective To establish a body composition analysis system based on chest CT,and to observe its value for evaluating content of chest muscle and adipose.Methods T7—T8 layer CT images of 108 pneumonia patients were collected(segmented dataset),and chest CT data of 984 patients were screened from the COVID 19-CT dataset(10 cases were randomly selected as whole test dataset,the remaining 974 cases were selected as layer selection dataset).T7—T8 layer was classified based on convolutional neural network(CNN)derived networks,including ResNet,ResNeXt,MobileNet,ShuffleNet,DenseNet,EfficientNet and ConvNeXt,then the accuracy,precision,recall and specificity were used to evaluate the performance of layer selection dataset.The skeletal muscle(SM),subcutaneous adipose tissue(SAT),intermuscular adipose tissue(IMAT)and visceral adipose tissue(VAT)were segmented using classical fully CNN(FCN)derived network,including FCN,SegNet,UNet,Attention UNet,UNET++,nnUNet,UNeXt and CMUNeXt,then Dice similarity coefficient(DSC),intersection over union(IoU)and 95 Hausdorff distance(HD)were used to evaluate the performance of segmented dataset.The automatic body composition analysis system was constructed based on optimal layer selection network and segmentation network,the mean absolute error(MAE),root mean squared error(RMSE)and standard deviation(SD)of MAE were used to evaluate the performance of automatic system for testing the whole test dataset.Results The accuracy,precision,recall and specificity of DenseNet network for automatically classifying T7—T8 layer from chest CT images was 95.06%,84.83%,92.27%and 95.78%,respectively,which were all higher than those of the other layer selection networks.In segmentation of SM,SAT,IMAT and overall,DSC and IoU of UNet++network were all higher,while 95HD of UNet++network were all lower than those of the other segmentation networks.Using DenseNet as the layer selection network and UNet++as the segmentation network,MAE of the automatic body composition analysis system for predicting SM,SAT,IMAT,VAT and MAE was 27.09,6.95,6.65 and 3.35 cm 2,respectively.Conclusion The body composition analysis system based on chest CT could be used to assess content of chest muscle and adipose.Among them,the UNet++network had better segmentation performance in adipose tissue than SM.

Self-supervised learning artificial intelligence noise reduction technology based on the nearest adjacent layer in ultra-low dose CT of urinary calculi

Objective To observe the value of self-supervised deep learning artificial intelligence(AI)noise reduction technology based on the nearest adjacent layer applicated in ultra-low dose CT(ULDCT)for urinary calculi.Methods Eighty-eight urinary calculi patients were prospectively enrolled.Low dose CT(LDCT)and ULDCT scanning were performed,and the effective dose(ED)of each scanning protocol were calculated.The patients were then randomly divided into training set(n=75)and test set(n=13),and a self-supervised deep learning AI noise reduction system based on the nearest adjacent layer constructed with ULDCT images in training set was used for reducing noise of ULDCT images in test set.In test set,the quality of ULDCT images before and after AI noise reduction were compared with LDCT images,i.e.Blind/Referenceless Image Spatial Quality Evaluator(BRISQUE)scores,image noise(SD ROI)and signal-to-noise ratio(SNR).Results The tube current,the volume CT dose index and the dose length product of abdominal ULDCT scanning protocol were all lower compared with those of LDCT scanning protocol(all P<0.05),with a decrease of ED for approximately 82.66%.For 13 patients with urinary calculi in test set,BRISQUE score showed that the quality level of ULDCT images before AI noise reduction reached 54.42%level but raised to 95.76%level of LDCT images after AI noise reduction.Both ULDCT images after AI noise reduction and LDCT images had lower SD ROI and higher SNR than ULDCT images before AI noise reduction(all adjusted P<0.05),whereas no significant difference was found between the former two(both adjusted P>0.05).Conclusion Self-supervised learning AI noise reduction technology based on the nearest adjacent layer could effectively reduce noise and improve image quality of urinary calculi ULDCT images,being conducive for clinical application of ULDCT.

Preoperative CT radiomics models for predicting composition of in vivo urinary calculi

Objective To observe the value of preoperative CT radiomics models for predicting composition of in vivo urinary calculi.Methods Totally 543 urolithiasis patients were retrospectively enrolled and divided into calcium oxalate monohydrate stone group(group A,n=373),anhydrous uric acid stone group(group B,n=86),carbonate apatite group(group C,n=30),ammonium urate stone group(group D,n=28)and ammonium magnesium phosphate hexahydrate stone group(group E,n=26)according to the composition of calculi,also divided into training set and test set at the ratio of 7∶3.Radiomics features were extracted and screened based on plain CT images of urinary system.Five binary task models(model A—E corresponding to group A—E)and a quinary task model were constructed using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm for predicting the composition of calculi in vivo.Then receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn,and the area under the curves(AUC)were calculated to evaluate the predictive efficacy of binary task models,while the accuracy,precision,recall and F1 score were used to evaluate the predictive efficacy of the quinary task model.Results All binary task models had good efficacy for predicting the composition of urinary calculi in vivo,with AUC of 0.860—0.948 in training set and of 0.856—0.933 in test set.The accuracy,precision,recall and F1 score of the quinary task model for predicting the composition of in vivo urinary calculi was 82.25%,83.79%,46.23%and 0.596 in training set,respectively,while was 80.63%,75.26%,43.48%and 0.551 in test set,respectively.Conclusion Binary task radiomics models based on preoperative plain CT had good efficacy for predicting the composition of in vivo urinary calculi,while the quinary task radiomics model had high accuracy but relatively poor stability.

0D-1D coupling model and 3D fluid-structure interaction model based on coronary CT angiography for displaying hemodynamic characteristics of coronary artery stenosis

Objective To observe value of 0D-1D coupling model and 3D fluid-structure interaction(FSI)model based on coronary CT angiography(CCTA)for displaying hemodynamic characteristics of coronary artery stenosis.Methods Based on CCTA data of the stenosed left anterior descending branch(LAD)in a patient with coronary heart disease,an 0D-1D coupling model and 3D FSI model were built,respectively.Then hemodynamic characteristic indexes,including the pressure,flow velocity and wall shear stress(WSS)were obtained in every 0.01 s during 1 s at 5 sampling points(i.e.sampling point 1—5)using these 2 models,respectively,and the consistencies of the results between models were evaluated with Spearman correlation coefficient r s.Results The time consuming for construction of 0D-1D coupling model and 3D FSI model was 0.033 min and 704 min,respectively.Both models showed basically distribution of the pressure,flow velocity and WSS of the stenosed LAD.For more details,the pressure at the stenosed segment of LAD and the proximal segment of stenosis were both higher,which gradually decreased at the distal segment of stenosis,and the flow velocity at the proximal segment of stenosis was in a relatively slow and uniform condition,with significantly increased flow velocity and WSS at the stenosed segment.Compared with 3D FSI model,0D-1D vascular coupling model was relatively unrefined and lack of distal flow lines when displaying blood flow velocity.For sampling point 2 at the stenosed segment of LAD,no significant consistency for pressure between 2 models was found(P=0.118),but strong consistency for the flow velocity and WSS(r s=0.730,0.807,both P<0.05).The consistencies of pressure,flow velocity and WSS between 2 models at the proximal and distal segment of stenosis,i.e.1,3—5 sampling points were week to moderate(r s=0.237—0.669,all P<0.05).Conclusion 0D-1D coupling model exhibited outstanding computational efficiency and might provide relatively reasonable results,while 3D FSI model showed higher accuracy for details and streamline when simulating LAD stenosis.

Research progresses of dual-layer spectral detector CT for preoperative evaluation on colorectal cancer

Dual-layer spectral detector CT is a new spectrum CT imaging technology based on detector being able to obtain both images similar to true plain and spectral images in one time scanning.The reconstructed multi-parameter spectral images can not only improve image quality,enhance tissue contrast,increase the visualization and detection ability of occult lesions,but also provide qualitative and quantitative analysis of the lesions,so as to provide more imaging information and multi-dimensional diagnostic basis.The research progresses of dual-layer spectral detector CT for preoperative evaluation on colorectal cancer were reviewed in this article.

Highly metabolic thrombus of the portal vein:^(18)F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computer tomography demonstration and clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM： To assess the ability of ^18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computer tomography （^18F-FDG PET/CT） to differentiate between benign and malignant portal vein thrombosis in hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） patients.METHODS： Five consecutive patients who had HBV cirrhosis, biopsy-proven HCC, and thrombosis of the main portal vein and/or left/right portal vein on ultrasound （US）, computer tomography （CT） or magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） were studied with ^18F-FDG PET/CT. The presence or absence of a highly metabolic thrombus on ^18F-FDG PET/CT was considered diagnostic for malignant or benign portal vein thrombosis, respectively. All patients were followed-up monthly with US, CT or MRI. Shrinkage of the thrombus or recanalization of the vessels on US, CT or MRI during follow-up was considered to be definitive evidence of the benign nature of the thrombosis, whereas enlargement of the thrombus, disruption of the vessel wall, and parenchymal infiltration over follow-up were considered to be consistent with malignancy. ^18SF-FDG PET/CT, and US, CT or MRI results were compared.RESULTS： Follow-up （1 to 10 mo） showed signs of malignant thrombosis in 4 of the 5 patients. US, CT or MRI produced a true-positive result for malignancy in 4 of the patients, and a false-positive result in 1. ^18F-FDG PET/CT showed a highly metabolic thrombus in 4 of the 5 patients. ^18F-FDG PET/CT achieved a true-positive result in all 4 of these patients, and a true-negative result in the other patient. No false-positive result was observed using ^18F-FDG PET/CT.CONCLUSION： ^18F-FDG PET/CT may be helpful in discriminating between benign and malignant portal vein thrombi. Patients may benefit from ^18F-FDG PET/CT when portal vein thrombi can not be diagnosed exactly by US, CT or MRI.

Curved crystal spectrometer for the measurement of X-ray lines from laser-produced plasmas

In order to diagnose the laser-produced plasmas, a focusing curved crystal spectrometer has been developed for measuring the X-ray lines radiated from a laser-produced plasmas. The design is based on the fact that the ray emitted from a source located at one focus of an ellipse will converge on the other focus by the reflection of the elliptical surface. The focal length and the eccentricity of the ellipse are 1350 mm and 0.9586, respectively. The spectrometer can be used to measure the X- ray lines in the wavelength range of 0.2-0.37 nm, and a LiF crystal （200） （2d = 0.4027 nm） is used as dispersive element covering Bragg angle from 30° to 67.5°. The spectrometer was tested on Shengnang- Ⅱ which can deliver laser energy of 60-80 J/pulse and the laser wavelength is 0.35 μm. Photographs of spectra including the 1 s2p ^1P1-1s^2 ^1S0 resonance line（w）, the 1s2p ^3P2-1s^2 1S0 magnetic quadrupole line（x）, the 1s2p ^3P1-1 s^2 ^1S0 intercombination lines（y）, the 1 s2p ^3S^1-1 s^2 ^1S0 forbidden line（z） in helium-like Ti Ⅹ Ⅺ and the 1 s2s2p ^2P3/2-1 s622s ^2S1/2 line（q） in lithium-like Ti Ⅹ Ⅹhave been recorded with a X-ray CCD camera. The experimental result shows that the wavelength resolution（λ/△ 2） is above 1000 and the elliptical crystal spectrometer is suitable for X-ray spectroscopy.

Silicon Drift Detector for Soft x-ray Spectrometer in Fusion Plasmas

Silicon drift detector(SDD) is used in the soft x-ray pulse height analyzer(PHA) to measure soft x-ray emissions in fusion plasmas. SDD has the virtues of high count rates and high energy resolution, and the good performances at work temperature of about -10 ℃ achieved by single stage peltier element. The performance and first experimental results from SDD system are presented.

Room Temperature Ferromagnetism in Ga1-xHoxN （x=0.0 and 0.05） Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor Thin Films

Holmium doped GaN diluted magnetic semiconductor thin films have been prepared by thermal evaporation technique and subsequent ammonia annealing. X-ray diffraction mea- surements reveal all peaks belong to the purely hexagonal wurtzite structure. Surface mor- phology and composition analysis were carried out by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy respectively. The room temperature ferromagnetic proper- ties of Gal-xHoxN （x=0.0, 0.05） films were analyzed using vibrating sample magnetometer at room temperature. Magnetic measurements showed that the undoped films （i.e. GaN） exhibited diamagnetic behavior, while the Ho-doped （Gao.95Hoo.05N） film exhibited a ferro- magnetic behavior.

Synthesis and thermoelectric properties of Mg_2Si_(1-x)Sn_x solid solutions by microwave irradiation

In order to reduce the oxidizing and volatilizing caused by Mg element in the traditional methods for synthesizing Mg2Sil-xSnx （x=0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8） solid solutions, microwave irradiation techniques were used in preparing them as thermoelectric materials. Structure and phase composition of the obtained materials were investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity were measured as a function of temperature from 300 to 750 K. It is found that Mg2Si1-xSnx solid solutions are well formed with excessive content of 5% （molar fraction） Mg from the stoichiometric MgESil.xSnx under microwave irradiation. A maximum dimensionless figure of merit, ZT, of about 0.26 is obtained for Mg2Si1-xSnx solid solutions at about 500 K for x=0.6.

THE REAL IN TIME CT MONITORING OF THE MESO-DAMAGE EVOLUTION LAW OF SANDSTONE UNDER TRIAXIAL COMPRESSION

The real in time computerized tomography (CT) testing of the meso damage propagation law of the whole sandstone failure process under triaxial compression has been completed using the newest specified triaxial loading equipment corresponding to the CT machine. Through the CT scanning, the clear CT images which include from the microcracks compressed stage to growth stage, bifurcation stage, development stage, crack fracture stage,the rock sample failure until to unloading stage in the different stress states were obtained. The CT values, CT images and the other data have been analyzed. Based on the results of the CT testing of meso damage evolution law of rock,the stress threshold value of meso damage of rock is given, and the stress strain complete process curve of rock is divided into some sections. The initial rock damage propagation law is given in this paper.

Research on the Influence of X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging Parameters with Micro-focus Source

X-ray in-line phase contrast imaging enables weakly to absorb specimens to be imaged successfully with high resolution and definition. In this paper we use computer simulation method to analyze how each parameter influences the quality of the image. It can avoid wasting unnecessary time and materials in the course of experiment to get ideal images.

Synthesis of Diphenyl Carbonate over the Magnetic Catalysts Pd/La_(1-x)Pb_xMnO_3 (x=0.2-0.7)

The magnetic perovskite-supported palladium catalysts Pd/Lal_xPbxMnO3 （x = 0.2-0.7） were prepared and used for the oxidative carbonylation of phenol to diphenyl carbonate. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by the X-ray diffraction （XRD）, surface area measurement BET, vibration sample magnetometer （VSM） and tem- perature-programmed reduction （TPR）. The experimental results demonstrated that the magnetic Pd/La1-xPbxMnO3 （x = 0.4-0.5） obtain relative better catalytic activity. It can be explained by higher concentration of oxygen vacan- cies, larger amount and better mobility of lattice oxygen of their support. Furthermore, these samples possess suffi- cient saturated magnetization. Thus, Pd/La1-xPbxMnO3 （x = 0.4-0.5） may be suitable for operation in the magneti- cally stabilized bed reactor.

64层螺旋CT对肝纤维化、肝硬化肝脾体积变化的研究

目的研究慢性肝纤维化、肝硬化肝脾体积变化与肝纤维化病理分期及肝功能分级的相关性。方法收集近期经病理及实验室、影像学检查证实的因乙肝导致的肝纤维化及肝硬化患者共41例,肝纤维化病理分期S1期7例、S2期10例、S3期4例、S4期5例、肝硬化15例,其中肝功能Child-Pugh分级A级16例,B级11例,C级14例,以及对照组15例,行上腹64层螺旋CT增强扫描。运用CT机自身携带的软件,分别对实验组及对照组肝脾体积进行测量;并计算肝脏各叶体积占总肝体积百分比、肝脾体积之比,将上述指标与肝纤维化病理分期及肝功能Child-Pugh分级进行对照。结果肝右叶、左内叶、总肝体积从正常肝脏到轻度肝纤维化(S1-2期)逐渐增大,从重度肝纤维化(S3-4期)到晚期肝硬化减小;肝左外叶、尾状叶体积随着肝纤维化程度的加重逐渐增大;脾脏体积随着肝纤维化程度的加重逐渐增大。从肝功能A级到C级,肝右叶、肝左内叶及总肝体积逐渐缩小,而左外叶和尾状叶体积及脾脏体积逐渐增大。结论慢性肝纤维化、肝硬化肝脾体积的变化有一定规律,与肝纤维化病理分期及肝功能Child-Pugh分级有明显的相关性。

CT引导下经皮肺穿刺活检500例临床分析

目的:探讨CT引导下经皮肺穿刺对肺周围型肿块的诊断价值。方法:采用美国巴德公司生产自动弹簧装载活检针在CT定位下对500例肺部周围型肿块的穿刺活检。结果:500例均穿刺成功,阳性率为100%。其中肺癌384例、胸膜间皮瘤6例、转移癌47例;结核52例、肉芽肿样炎症6例、未能定论5例。结论:CT引导下经皮肺穿刺对诊断肺癌,尤其是周围型肺癌有重要价值:敏感性、特异性、准确性高,且较安全。

肾上腺囊肿的CT诊断

目的:探讨肾上腺囊肿的CT特点。方法:回顾性分析经手术和病理证实的16例肾上腺囊肿的CT表现。结果:本组16例中7例为假性囊肿,1例为非特异性囊肿,2例为表皮样囊肿,6例内皮性囊肿,CT诊断符合率为81.3%(13/16)。结论:CT在肾上腺囊肿的定位和鉴别诊断中具有重要的价值。

应用图像融合技术诊断强直性脊柱炎——图像融合技术在骨与关节疾病诊断中的应用(五)

强直性脊柱炎（ankylosingspondylitis，AS）是一种病因不明的慢性炎症性疾病，主要累及骶髂关节、脊柱小关节以及周围的韧带和肌腱，四肢关节亦可受累。病变特点是发生在肌腱和韧带附着部位的炎症和钙化，同时可有软骨骨化和滑膜炎症。对于具有临床症状和放射学解剖形态改变的AS多能明确诊断，而对具有一定的临床症状但还没有发生明显放射学解剖形态改变的早期AS的诊断较困难，

Biomedical X-ray Imaging Enabled by Carbon Nanotube X-ray Sources

Although discovered more than 100 years ago, X-ray source technology has evolved rather slowly. The recent invention of the carbon nanotube （CNT） X-ray source technology holds great promise to revolutionize the field of biomedical X-ray imaging. CNT X-ray sources have been successfully adapted to several biomedical imaging applications including dynamic rnicro-CT of small animals and stationary breast tomosynthesis of breast cancers. Yet their more irnportant biomedical imaging applications still lie ahead in the future, with the devel- oprnent of stationary rnulti-source CT as a noteworthy exarnple.