DUSP6 protects murine podocytes from high glucose‑induced inflammation and apoptosis

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most severe complications that can occur in patients with diabetes, and without effective and timely therapeutic intervention, can gradually progress to renal failure. Previous studies have focused on investigating the pathogenesis of DN; however, the role of dual‑specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6) in DN is not completely understood. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the role of dual‑specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6) in DN. DN model mice were established and the expression levels of DUSP6 in the kidney tissues and high glucose (HG)‑induced murine podocytes (MPC5 cells) were determined using immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blotting. In addition, the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory cytokines in MPC5 cells were analyzed using commercial assay kits or ELISA kits, respectively, and flow cytometric analysis was performed to analyze the rate of cell apoptosis. The present study indicated that DUSP6 expression levels were significantly decreased in DN model mice compared with control mice, and in HG‑induced MPC5 cells compared with normal glucose‑induced MPC5 cells. DUSP6 overexpression enhanced MPC5 cell viability and increased protein expression levels of cell markers, such as synaptopodin and nephrin, compared with the negative control group. DUSP6 overexpression also reduced the levels of ROS and inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)‑1β, IL‑6 and tumor necrosis factor‑α secreted by MPC5 cells under HG conditions. Moreover, compared with the HG group, cell apoptosis was inhibited by DUSP6 overexpression under HG conditions, which was further indicated by decreased expression levels of cleaved caspase‑3 and Bax. Thus, these findings indicated that DUSP6 mediated the protection against HG‑induced inflammatory response.

A retrospective observational study on the efficacy and safety of pegylated recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor and recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor in patients with lymphoma

e20066

Background: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pegylated recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (PEG-rhG-CSF) and recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) in patients with lymphoma. Methods: This retrospective study included patients with newly diagnosed lymphoma who received CHOP ± R (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone ± rituximab) between January 2014 to October 2018. PEG-rhG-CSF(brand name: jinyouli) was injected subcutaneously once 24-72 hours after chemotherapy as primary prevention. rhG-CSF was used as prevention or treatment. The primary endpoint was the incidence of febrile neutropenia (FN), and the secondary endpoints included the incidence of grade III/IV neutropenia, the incidence of chemotherapy dose adjustment, the incidence of chemotherapy delay, the rate of antibiotics application and safety. Results: 178 patients with lymphoma were included, of which 76 were in the PEG-rhG-CSF group (256 cycles) and 102 were in the rhG-CSF group (336 cycles). The incidence of FN was 1.17% (3/256) in the PEG-rhG-CSF group and 5.95% (20/336) in the rhG-CSF group, P= 0.003. The incidence of grade Ⅲ/Ⅳ neutropenia and chemotherapy delay in the PEG-rhG-CSF group were significantly lower than those in the rhG-CSF group (12.89%[33/256] vs 50.30%[169/336], P < 0.0001; 3.13%[8/256] vs 9.52% [32/336], P= 0.002). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the incidence of dose adjustment (6.25% vs 3.57%, P = 0.128) and the rate of antibiotics application (34.77% vs 33.33%, P= 0.715). And there was no significant difference in the incidence of fever, bone pain and fatigue between the two groups. Conclusions: Compared with rhG-CSF, prophylactic use of PEG-rhG-CSF can significantly reduce the incidence of FN, grade III/IV neutropenia and chemotherapy delay in patients with lymphoma with good safety.

SUVmax Ratio on PET/CT May Differentiate Between Lung Metastases and Synchronous Multiple Primary Lung Cancer

PURPOSE

To investigate the features of ¹⁸F-Fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT) in differentiating synchronous multiple primary lung cancers (sMPLC) from intropulmonary metastasis (IM).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Fifty-nine patients with two synchronous primary lung cancers were selected and 23 lung cancer patients with an additional solitary IM cancer were chosen as the control group between January 2009 and January 2019. Maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) on PET/CT was determined for each tumor. The SUVmax ratio between the two tumors was determined and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance.

RESULTS

The difference of SUVmax ratio between sMPLC (2.3 ± 1.6) and IM (1.5 ± 0.4) was significant, p < 0.01; the area under the curve of the SUVmax ratio was 0.78 with the optimal cutoff value 1.7 (sensitivity 62.7% and specificity 82.6%, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The SUVmax ratio between two tumors may be helpful in differentiating sMPLC from IM, independent studies with bigger size were needed to further confirm the findings.

Controlled phosphating: a novel strategy toward NiP3@CeO2 interface engineering for efficient oxygen evolution electrocatalysis

Although Ni phosphides are efficient for hydrogen evolution reactions, they are unfavorable for oxygen evolution reactions, so their application in alkaline water electrolysis is limited. It is a feasible method for creating a novel Ni phosphide/oxide heterogeneous interface to promote the oxygen evolution kinetics of Ni phosphide materials in an alkaline medium, yet it has been an unprecedented challenge for researchers. In this work, NiP3@CeO2 hybrid nanoparticles are firstly in situ grown on Ni foam (NiP3@CeO2/NF) via a novel controlled phosphating strategy. The NiP3@CeO2/NF catalysts display a fairly small overpotential of 200 mV to achieve a current density of 25 mA cm-2 for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) under alkaline conditions, 110 mV smaller than that of NiO@CeO2/NF. It is noteworthy that the improved electrocatalytic performance of NiP3@CeO2/NF can be attributed to rapid electron transfer and the synergistic catalytic effect of the hybrid material. Density functional theory results demonstrate that NiP3 shows a stronger water adsorption energy than CeO2. The novel strategy of controlled phosphating to construct transition metal phosphide/oxide interfaces provides new ideas and methods for the development of efficient and practical water splitting catalysts.

Glomerular filtration rate measured by 99mTc-DTPA Gates method is not significantly affected by the premature or delayed initiation of image acquisition

Background

This study was performed to examine the effect of non-synchronization of the radiotracer injection and image acquisition on estimates of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) by the Gates' method.

Methods

A total of 218 volunteers were selected as the research subjects. Two-sample method (GFR_dt) and ^99mTc-DTPA dynamic renal imaging (GFR_Gates) were used for determination of the GFR. We took GFR_dt as the reference method, and then took the peak time of blood perfusion phase as the new time origin to ensure that all patients were unified on the time-radioactivity count rate curve. We moved the radioactivity curve on 9 time points to simulate premature (+20/+15/+10/+5 seconds), synchronous (0 seconds), and delayed (-20/-15/-10/-5 seconds) image acquisition in relation to the completion of tracer injection; we then acquired 9 GFR_Gates. The correlation and consistency of GFR_Gates and GFR_dt were analyzed. Variance analysis compared the differences between different GFR_Gates.

Results

All 9 GFR_Gates had good correlation with GFR_dt. GFR_dt and GFR_Gates derived from -5, -10 and -15 s had the best correlation (r=0.827, P<0.01). The consistency between GFR_Gates derived from +20 s and GFR_dt was the worst, and GFR_Gates derived from -15 s and GFR_dt was the best. There were no significant differences between the 9 GFR_Gates.

Conclusions

Non-synchronization of the radiotracer injection and image acquisition has no significant effect on the estimates of the GFR_Gates if the premature or delayed time between image acquisition and tracer injection is not more than 20 seconds.

Establish new formulas for the calculation of renal and isthmus depth in horseshoe kidney

This study was performed to develop a new formula to estimate the renal and isthmus depth in horseshoe kidney, and to compare the new formula with previously published formulas.Renal depth, isthmus depth, vertebral thickness, and total thickness (T, cm) of the body at the level of the kidneys were measured by CT in 124 adults. Their sex, age, height (H, cm), and weight (W, kg) were recorded. Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis was conducted. The 124 cases were divided into 2 random groups, of which the first group was used to derive a regressive formula and the second group was used to verify the formula and compare the formula with previously published formulas.Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis showed that the important variables in estimating the depth of each kidney were the body weight (W, kg) and the total thickness (T, cm) of the body at the level of the kidneys. The important variables in estimating the depth of isthmus soft tissue and vertebral thickness were W, T, and age, W. The new formula was the following: right renal depth (cm) = 0.273 × T + 0.043 × W + 1.086 (r = 0.82, P < .05; standardized regressive coefficient: T = 0.500, W = 0.367), left renal depth (cm) = 0.245 × T + 0.041 × W + 0.676 (r = 0.83, P < .05; standardized regressive coefficient: T = 0.520, W = 0.353); isthmus depth (cm) = soft tissue depth + vertebral thickness, soft tissue depth (cm) = 0.144 × T + 0.044 × W + 0.536 (r = 0.58, P < .05; standardized regressive coefficient: T = 0.272, W = 0.335), vertebral thickness (cm) = 0.012 × age + 0.018 × W + 3.683 (r = 0.53, P < .05; standardized regressive coefficient: age = 0.326, W = 0.438). It is much better than the literatures.The new renal depth estimation formula in horseshoe kidney that we derived by using multiple stepwise linear regression has greatly outperformed other 6 previously published formulas. Isthmus depth estimation formula can also get accurate results. Our new formula provides a more reliable and accurate renal and isthmus depth estimation and contributes to improving the methods used to estimate renal function from radionuclide renography in horseshoe kidney.

Oxygen vacancy-confined CoMoO4@CoNiO2 nanorod arrays for oxygen evolution with improved performance

Experimental and DFT calculation results show that the presence of oxygen vacancies can decrease the adsorption energy of intermediates at active sites and facilitate the adsorption of intermediates, thus improving the catalytic properties.

Influence of acidified drinking water on growth performance and gastrointestinal function of broilers

The ban on the use of antibiotic feed additives as growth promoters compelled the researchers for exploring the future utility of other alternatives. This experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of acidified drinking water on growth performance, gastrointestinal pH, digestive enzymes, intestinal histomorphology, and cecum microbial counting of the broiler chicken. A total of 540 one-day-old male broilers (Arbor Acre) were randomly assigned to 5 treatments, with 6 replicates of 18 chicks per replicate. Broilers received diets and water as follows: NC (negative control, basal diet, normal water), PC (positive control, basal diet + 8 ppm colistin sulfate + 8 ppm enduracidin, normal water), A1 (basal diet, continuous supply of acidified water during whole experiment period), A2 (basal diet, intermittent acidification of water during 0 to 14 d, 22 to 28 d, and 36 to 42 d), and A3 [basal diet, intermittent acidification of water (24 h/d from 0 to 14 d and from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on d 15 to 42)]. During the entire period, the acidified groups (A1, A2, and A3) and PC group showed improve on weight gain, average daily gain and feed conversion ratio compared to NC group (P < 0.05). The pH in crop, proventriculus and ileum at 43 d declined by 0.04, 1.03, 1.23; 0.55, 0.69, 0.70; and 0.63, 0.74, 1.21 in A1, A2, and A3 group, respectively. There was a significant decline of lipase activity in the PC and acidified groups compared to NC group. The A2 group had higher villus height in jejunum than NC group. The PC and acidified groups reduced (P < 0.05) the total aerobic bacteria count of cecum when contrasted to NC group. Therefore, we conclude that acidified drinking water can improve growth performance, compensate for gastric acidity, and control pathogenic bacteria in broilers and may be considered as a potential alternative to improve production parameters. Discontinuous supply of acidified water had the same or even better influence on broilers compared to continuous supply.

Evaluation of the accuracy of renal depth estimation formulas in horseshoe kidney

Estimation formulas are usually used to calculate renal depth when glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is measured by the Gates method. Horseshoe kidney (HSK) anatomical structure is different from the normal form of the kidney. The existing formulas are based on the normal form. It is unknown whether the existing formulas are valid in HSK patients. This study was performed to estimate the accuracy of the existing 6 renal depth estimation formulas in HSK.Renal depth and total thickness (T, cm) of the body at the level of the kidneys were measured by CT in 94 HSK patients. Their sex, age, height (H, cm), and weight (W, kg) were recorded. The existing 6 estimation formulas were used to obtain estimated renal depth. Correlation coefficients, Bland-Altman analysis, and paired t test were performed between estimated and the CT measured renal depth.Estimated renal depths were all lower than the CT measured renal depths and there was significant difference between estimated and CT measured renal depth. The CT measured renal depth and estimated renal depth derived from Ma GY formula correlated best (right: r = 0.80, P < .01; left: r = 0.77, P < .01). The renal depth derived from Tonnesen formula was significantly lower than the CT measured renal depth. The agreement between the estimated renal depth derived from Tonnesen formula and the CT measured renal depth was the worst, with the mean difference of (right: -3.11 ± 1.13 cm; left: -2.79 ± 1.07 cm). The agreement between the estimated renal depth derived from Li Q formula and Ma GY formula and the CT measured renal depth was the best, with the mean difference of right: -1.68 ± 1.09 cm; left: -1.32 ± 1.06 cm and right: -1.59 ± 1.01 cm; left: -1.59 ± 0.99 cm, respectively. But the greatest error of the difference between Li Q formula and Ma GY formula estimated depth and the CT measured depth was up to -4.83 cm, and the estimated deviation is unacceptable.All the existing formulas do not fully apply to HSK. To provide reliable and accurate estimates of renal depth, we should develop a new formula to estimate the renal depth in HSK patients.

[Effects of extract of Ginkgo biloba on magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography in patients with delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide poisoning]

Objective: To observe the effects of extract of Ginkgo biloba (Ginaton) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) in patients with delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide poisoning. Methods: The 84 patients with delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide poisoning treated in our hospital from Jan. 2011 to Apr. 2016 were randomly divied into therapy group and observation group. The therapy group received routine treatments of hyperbaric oxygen, cure cerebral edema and promote brain cell metabolism, and observation group was given intravenous injection (intravenous drip) Ginaton 70 mg (adding 0.9% sodium chloride injection 250 ml) , once a day, 2 weeks for one therapeutic course. The changes of MRI and EEG before and after treatment between therapy group and observation group were observed. Results: In the observation group, the white matter and globus pallidus lesions of 14 d after treatment were smaller than those in the treatment group, and the abnormal signal intensity was decreased. At 14 days after treatment the improvement of EEG in observation group were better than therapy group (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Early treatment of extract of Ginkgo biloba (Ginaton) in delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide poisoning can effectively improve lesion and signal on MRI and abnormal rate on EEG. It has a certain therapeutic effect in clinical.

[Effects of Ginaton on nitric oxide and nitric oxide synthase in patients with delayed encephalopathy after carbon monoxide poisoning]

Objective: To observe the effects of Ginaton on blood nitric oxide (NO) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in patients with delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide poisoning (DEACMP). Methods: A total of 116 patients with DEACMP who were treated in Emergency Department of Harrison International Peace Hospital Affiliated to Hebei Medical University from January 2012 to April 2016 were enrolled and ran-domly divided into control group and treatment group using a random number table, with 58 patients in each group. The patients in the control group were given conventional treatment including hyperbaric oxygen, preven-tion and treatment of cerebral edema, and promotion of brain cell metabolism, and those in the treatment group were given Ginaton in addition to the conventional treatment. The course of treatment was 2 weeks for both groups. The levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) , NO, NOS, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were measured before treatment and at 2 weeks after treatment, and the change in Mini-Mental State Examina-tion (MMSE) score and clinical outcome were observed in both groups. The correlation between the blood NO level on admission and the MMSE score was analyzed. Results: There was a significant difference in the overall response rate between the treatment group and the control group (81.03% vs 62.07%, χ(2) = 5.124, P=0.024). Be-fore treatment, there were no significant differences in the levels of NO and NSE, the activity of NOS and iN-OS, and MMSE score between the two groups (P>0.05). After treatment, both groups showed reductions in the levels of NO and NSE and the activity of NOS and iNOS, but the treatment group had significantly greater reduc-tions compared with the control group (P<0.05). Both groups showed a significant increase in the MMSE score after treatment, while the treatment group had a significantly greater increase compared with the control group (P<0.05). In the patients with DEACMP, the blood NO level on admission was negatively correlated with the MMSE score (r=-0.268, P=0.004). Conclusion: In the treatment of patients with DEACMP, Ginaton can effectively reduce the levels of NO and NSE and the activity of NOS and iNOS, increase the MMSE score, and promote the recovery of neurological function.

Ratio of lymph node to primary tumor SUVmax multiplied by maximal tumor diameter on positron emission tomography/integrated computed tomography may be a predictor of mediastinal lymph node malignancy in lung cancer

Positron emission tomography/integrated computed tomography (PET/CT) provides the most accurate imaging modality for preoperative lung cancer staging. However, the diagnostic accuracy of maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) for mediastinal (N2) lymph nodes (LN) is unclear. We compared SUVmax, the ratio of LN to primary tumor SUVmax (SUVn/t), and SUVn/t multiplied by maximal tumor diameter (SUVindex) in terms of their abilities to predict mediastinal LN malignancy.We retrospectively analyzed 170 mediastinal LN stations from 73 consecutive patients who underwent systemic LN resection and PET/CT within 27 days. The SUVmax of the primary tumors was >2.0 and the SUVmax of the mediastinal LN stations ranged from 2.0 to 7.0 on PET/CT. Receiver-operating characteristic curves (ROCs) of SUVmax, SUVn/t, and SUVindex were calculated separately and the areas under the curves (AUCs) were used to assess the abilities of the parameters to predict LN malignancy. The optimal cutoff values were calculated from each ROC curve and the diagnostic abilities were also compared. The diagnostic accuracies of the 3 methods were also assessed separately in smoking and nonsmoking patients.Twenty-eight LN stations were malignancy-positive and the remaining 142 were malignancy-negative. The AUCs for SUVindex, SUVn/t, and SUVmax were 0.709, 0.590, and 0.673, respectively, and the optimal cutoff values for SUVindex, SUVn/t, and SUVmax were 1.11, 0.34, and 3.6, respectively. The differences between SUVindex and SUVn/t were significant, but there was no significant difference between SUVindex and SUVmax. There were no significant differences between smokers and nonsmokers in the AUCs for any of the methods for predicting LN malignancy (P values >0.05).SUVindex may be a predictor of mediastinal LN malignancy in lung cancer patients.

Exacerbation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice deficient for DCIR, an inhibitory C-type lectin receptor

Dendritic cell immunoreceptor (DCIR) is a C-type lectin receptor containing a carbohydrate recognition domain in its extracellular portion and an immunoreceptor tyrosine–based inhibitory motif, which transduces negative signals into cells, in its cytoplasmic portion. Previously, we showed that Dcir^–/– mice spontaneously develop autoimmune diseases such as enthesitis and sialadenitis due to excess expansion of dendritic cells (DCs), suggesting that DCIR is critically important for the homeostasis of the immune system. In this report, we analyzed the role of DCIR in the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an autoimmune disease model for multiple sclerosis. We found that EAE was exacerbated in Dcir^–/– mice associated with severe demyelination of the spinal cords. The number of infiltrated CD11c⁺ DCs and CD4⁺ T cells into spinal cords was increased in Dcir^–/– mice. Recall proliferative response of lymph node cells was higher in Dcir^–/– mice compared with wild-type mice. These observations suggest that DCIR is an important negative regulator of the immune system, and Dcir^–/– mice should be useful for analyzing the roles of DCIR in an array of autoimmune diseases.

Glomerular filtration rate measured by (99m) Tc-DTPA renal dynamic imaging is significantly lower than that estimated by the CKD-EPI equation in horseshoe kidney patients

AIM

Gate's glomerular filtration rate (gGFR) measured by (99m) Tc-DTPA renal dynamic imaging and estimated GFR (eGFR) estimated by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation are two indexes used to evaluate renal function. However, little is known about whether gGFR can be used to accurately assess renal function in horseshoe kidney (HSK) patients with renal fusion anomalies.

METHODS

Nineteen HSK patients (HSK group) diagnosed by renal imaging and 38 CKD patients with "normal kidney shape" (non-HSK group) matched to the HSK patients in terms of gender, age and biochemical indicators at Chinese PLA General Hospital were enrolled in this study. Gender, age, serum total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr), gGFR and eGFR were recorded and analyzed using χ(2) test, t-test, and Wilcoxon test which was presented as median(IQR).

RESULTS

(1) There were no significant differences in gender, age, TP, ALB, BUN, Scr, or eGFR between these two groups. (2) In HSK patients, the renogram showed abnormal renal axis with the lower poles orientated medially. The timed uptake curve showed that the isotope excretion in the HSK group was slower than that in the non-HSK group. (3) For all HSK patients, gGFR was significantly lower than eGFR (range -12.52 mL/min per 1.73m(2) to -93.18 mL/min per 1.73m(2) ). There was no significant difference in eGFR between the HSK [96.42 (36.02) mL/min per 1.73 m(2) ] and non-HSK groups [94.46 (33.00) mL/min per 1.73 m(2) ]. The gGFR of the HSK group [41.18 (16.60) mL/min per 1.73m(2) ] was much lower than that of the non-HSK group [86.42(26.40) mL/min per 1.73m(2) , P < 0.001] and the eGFR of the HSK group (P < 0.001). The gGFR and eGFR of the non-HSK group were not significantly different.

CONCLUSION

gGFR measured by (99m) Tc-DTPA renal dynamic imaging is significantly lower than eGFR estimated by the CKD-EPI equation, which indicates that isotope renogram cannot accurately evaluate the GFR of HSK patients.

A combinatory use of adenoviruses expressing melanoma differentiation-associated gene-7 and replication-competent adenoviruses produces synergistic effects on pancreatic carcinoma cells

Type 5 adenoviruses expressing mda-7 gene (Ad-mda-7) induced cell death in various kinds of human tumors, but pancreatic carcinoma cells were relatively resistant to Ad-mda-7-mediated cytotoxicity. We then examined whether infection of Ad-mda-7 together with replication-competent Ad produced combinatory cytotoxic effects. We prepared replication-competent Ad, defective of the E1B55kDa gene or activated by a transcriptional regulatory region of the midkine or the survivin gene of which the expression was up-regulated in human tumors. Type 5 Ad bearing the exogenous regulatory region were further modified by replacing the fiber-knob region with that of type 35 Ad. Pancreatic carcinoma cells were infected with replication-incompetent Ad-mda-7 and the replication-competent Ad. Combinatory effects were examined with the CalcuSyn software and cell cycle analyses. Ad-mda-7 and the replication-competent Ad achieved cytotoxicity to pancreatic carcinoma. A combinatory use of Ad-mda-7 and either Ad defective of the E1B55kDa gene or Ad activated by the regulatory region produced synergistic cytotoxic effects. Cell cycle analyses demonstrated that the combination increased sub-G1 populations. These data collectively suggest that expression of MDA-7 augments cytotoxicity of replication-competent Ad and achieves adjuvant effects on Ad-mediated cell death.

Correlations among copeptin, ischemia-modified albumin, and the extent of myocardial injury in patients with acute carbon monoxide poisoning

This study evaluated the relationships among copeptin, ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), and extent of myocardial injury in patients with acute carbon monoxide poisoning (ACOP). A total of 110 patients with different degrees of ACOP were selected as the poisoning group, and 30 healthy individuals as the control group. The levels of troponin I (cTnI), IMA, and copeptin were detected. Based on the presence of complications, the patients were assigned to the complication (26 patients) or non-complication (84 patients) group. Levels of cTnI, IMA, and copeptin were compared among the control, complication, and non-complication groups. Compared with the control group, in the 2 h after admission, the IMA levels decreased and copeptin levels increased in the poisoning group; these changes were more significant in patients with severe ACOP than in those with mild ACOP, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). There were no differences in the IMA and copeptin levels between the groups 7 days after admission; the cTnI levels increased more significantly in patients with severe ACOP than in patients with mild and moderate ACOP, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). In the complication group, at 7 days after admission, the IMA levels decreased whereas the copeptin and cTnI levels were significantly higher than in the non-complication group, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). IMA was negatively correlated with copeptin. IMA and copeptin detection is clinically useful in the early diagnosis and prognosis of ACOP-related myocardial injury and in guiding early clinical drug application.

Establish New Formulas for the Calculation of Renal Depth in Both Children and Adults

OBJECTIVE

This study was performed to develop a new formula to estimate the renal depth in both children and adults; then compare the new formula with previously published formulas.

METHODS

Renal depth and total thickness (T, cm) of the body at the level of the kidneys were measured by CT in 113 children and 246 adults. Their sex, age, height (H, cm), and weight (W, kg) were recorded. Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis were conducted, using data from children and adults together. The 359 cases were divided into 2 random groups, of which, the first group was used to derive a regressive formula, and the second was used to verify the formula and compare the formula with previously published formulas in different groups.

RESULTS

Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis showed that the important variable in estimating the depth of each kidney was the ratio of body weight (W, kg) to body height (H, cm) and the total thickness (T, cm) of the body at the level of the kidneys. The new formula was as follows: for right renal depth (cm) = 0.22 × T + 7.714 × W/H-0.331 (r = 0.95), and for left renal depth (cm) = 0.238 × T + 6.553 × W/H-0.618 (r = 0.95). It is better than the other four formulas in different groups, especially in children and W/H ≤ 0.30 (in adults) groups.

CONCLUSIONS

We first introduced T into renal depth estimation formula and established the new formula. It has a better performance than the other four formulas in different groups. The new formula provided reliable and accurate renal depth and may contribute to improving the methods used to estimate renal function from radionuclide renography.