Quantitative Evaluation of Gastrocnemius Medialis Stiffness During Passive Stretching Using Shear Wave Elastography in Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Prospective Preliminary Study

ObjectiveTo prospectively investigate the feasibility of shear wave elastography (SWE) as a new quantitative and objective method for evaluating the stiffness of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle during passive stretching in patients with Parkinson''s disease (PD).Materials and MethodsSWE of the GM muscle was performed in 28 patients with PD [13 female and 15 male; mean age ± standard deviation (SD): 63.0 ± 8.5 years] and 12 healthy controls (5 female and 7 male; mean age ± SD: 59.3 ± 6.4 years) during passive ankle rotation. A Young''s modulus-ankle angle curve was constructed. The GM slack angle and baseline Young''s modulus (E₀) were compared between the markedly symptomatic and mildly symptomatic sides of patients with PD, and healthy controls. Additionally, the correlation between the GM slack angle and the severity of rigidity, and the observer reproducibility of SWE in determining the GM slack angle were evaluated.ResultsThe GM slack angle was smaller on both the markedly and mildly symptomatic sides in patients with PD than in healthy controls (mean ± SD of −29.13° ± 3.79° and −25.65° ± 3.39°, respectively, vs. −21.22° ± 3.52°; p < 0.001 and p = 0.006, respectively). Additionally, in patients with PD, the GM slack angle on the markedly symptomatic side was smaller than that on the mildly symptomatic side (p = 0.003). The E₀ value was lower on both the markedly and mildly symptomatic sides in patients with PD than in healthy controls (mean ± SD of 10.11 ± 2.85 kPa and 10.08 ± 1.88 kPa, respectively, vs. 12.23 ± 1.02 kPa; p = 0.012 and p < 0.001, respectively). However, no significant difference was found between the markedly and mildly symptomatic sides in patients with PD (p = 0.634). A negative linear relationship was observed between the GM slack angle and lower limb rigidity score on the markedly symptomatic side in patients with PD (r = −0.719; p < 0.001). The intraclass correlation coefficients for observer reproducibility of SWE ranged from 0.880 to 0.951.ConclusionThe slack angle determined by SWE may be a useful quantitative and reproducible method for evaluating muscle stiffness in patients with PD.     

Experimental and Numerical Development on Multi-Material Joining Technology for Sandwich-Structured Composite Materials

Creating connection points for sandwich-structured composites without losing technical performance is key to realising optimal lightweight structures. The patented LiteWWeight^® technology presents cost-effective connections on sandwich panels in a fraction of a few seconds without predrilling. Ultrasonic equipment is used to insert a thermoplastic fastener into the substrate material and partially melt it into the porous internal structure. This creates a highly interlocked connection (connection strength is above 500 N) suitable for semi-structural applications. This study focused on the simulation and experimental validation of this process, mainly on the interaction between the pin and the substrate material during the joining process. The dynamic thermo-mechanical model showed reasonable agreement with experimental methods such as process data, high-speed camera monitoring or computed tomography and allowed the prediction of the connection quality by evaluation of the degree of interlock. The connection strength prediction by the developed model was validated within several various process setups, resulting in a prediction accuracy between 94–99% depending on the setup.     

四物汤中多糖的两种提取工艺比较研究

目的比较四物汤中多糖提取工艺。方法采用苯酚一浓硫酸法测定多糖含量,对超声提取和加热回流提取四物汤中的多糖得率作比较。结果超声提取的最佳工艺为A3B1C1,即加入8倍量水,超声功率100W,提取3次,每次30min（浸提温度60℃）;超声提取工艺的多糖得率为2．83％,较回流提取工艺提取效率高。结论超声提取方法简单,提取率高,低耗高效。     

Potentiation and inhibition of ultrasonic vocalization of rat pups: Regulation by social cues

Eight- and 11- to 12-day-old rat pups were tested in isolation and in the presence of an anesthetized adult under cold conditions. Pups of both ages reduced rates of ultrasonic vocalization (USV) when an adult was placed into the test cage, independent of whether the adult was their dam or an unrelated male. However, afer removal of the dam, pups greatly increased their rates of USV over their first isolation period and in comparison with control pups. USV rates remained low after removal of the male. The temperature challenges faced by the pups in the two experimental conditions were the same. These phenomena are better explained by a hypothesis that postulates USV rate as being multiply determined, including by social cues, rather than a theory that considers thermal challenge only. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 30: 195–200, 1997     

聚焦超声波治疗第三腰椎横突综合征75例

目的：探讨聚焦超声波治疗仪在治疗第三腰椎横突综合征的疗效.方法：通过对2009年7月至2010年8月所收治的75例第三腰椎横突综合征患者,采用聚焦超声波治疗仪的治疗进行回顾性分析,并总结.结果：治愈58例,有效14例,无效3例,有效率达96%.结论：聚焦超声波治疗第三腰椎横突综合征具有较好的临床治疗作用.     

超声实时剪切波弹性成像、血清透明质酸对非酒精性脂肪性肝病的诊断价值

目的 探究超声实时剪切波弹性成像、血清纤维化标志物透明质酸对非酒精性脂肪性肝病的诊断价值。方法 选取2020年4月—2023年4月在皖南医学院附属宣城医院（宣城市人民医院）就诊的非酒精性脂肪性肝病患者112例作为肝病组,另取同期该院肝功能正常的健康体检者112例作为对照组。收集所有受试者的病历/体检资料,行超声实时剪切波弹性成像检查及血清透明质酸检测。非酒精性脂肪性肝病均以肝组织活检作为诊断金标准。比较两组杨氏模量值及血清透明质酸水平;评估超声实时剪切波弹性成像、血清透明质酸对非酒精性脂肪性肝病的诊断效能。结果 肝病组透明质酸、丙氨酸转氨酶（ALT）、天冬氨酸转氨酶（AST）水平均高于对照组（P<0.05）,杨氏模量值高于对照组（P<0.05）。多因素逐步Logistic回归分析结果显示：杨氏模量值[■=4.627 (95%CI:1.627,13.159）]是非酒精性脂肪性肝病的保护因素;透明质酸[■=4.116(95%CI:1.924,8.807）]、ALT[■=3.691(95%CI:1.725,7.898）]和AST[■=3.846(95%CI:1.798,8.229...     

超声波药物导入治疗创伤后皮肤红斑瘢痕的临床疗效

目的 观察超声波药物导入治疗创伤后皮肤红斑瘢痕的临床疗效。方法将治疗瘢痕的药膏涂于创伤部位,以超声头按摩15～20min,1次／2d,10次为一个疗程。结果本组42例患者,2个疗程治愈33例,显效6例,有效3例,总有效率92．8％。结论超声波药物导入能迅速解除创伤后红斑、痒痛症状,软化瘢痕,抑制瘢痕增生。     

乳腺浸润性导管癌剪切波弹性模量的病理研究

目的探讨乳腺浸润性导管癌剪切波弹性模量值与瘤体胶原纤维形态和排列方式的关系。 方法对术前经剪切波声弹性成像定量检测和病理证实的35例乳腺浸润性导管癌组织标本行病理苦味酸天狼猩红特殊染色,对所含胶原纤维的类型进行定量分析,对胶原纤维的形态特点和排列方式进行分析和归类,并将其不同的归类与肿瘤最大弹性模量值进行对照。 结果苦味酸天狼猩红特殊染色切片镜检示35例乳腺浸润性导管癌肿块中Ⅰ型胶原纤维占胶原纤维总面积的83%（959 771.75/1156 351.51）;胶原纤维均呈长直形态,其中29例乳腺癌病灶中长直细胶原纤维的弹性平均值（152.9±93.4）kPa高于6例乳腺癌病灶中长直粗胶原纤维的弹性值（74.8±6.4）kPa;35例乳腺癌病灶中6例胶原纤维表现为蜂窝状排列方式、10例表现为片状排列、11例表现为分层排列,8例表现为交错状排列方式;乳腺癌病灶中4种排列方式的胶原纤维弹性最大平均值分别为252.2 kPa、152.4 kPa、120.6 kPa和65.0 kPa,其中以蜂窝状排列的胶原纤维弹性值最大。 结论乳腺癌病灶中不同形态和不同排列方式的胶原纤维是浸润性导管癌肿瘤硬度不同的重要原因。     

Non‐invasive assessments for liver fibrosis: The crystal ball we long for

Non‐invasive assessment of liver fibrosis has been one of the most rapidly advancing fields in hepatology in the last decade. Progressive liver fibrosis results in cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and various liver‐related complications in essentially all chronic liver diseases. Assessment of liver fibrosis allows clinicians to determine the prognosis, need of treatment, disease progression, and response to treatment in patients with chronic liver disease. Liver biopsy has been the gold standard in last few decades and most adopted diagnostic tool in clinical trials. Nonetheless, it is impractical to apply the test in a large number of patients or to do it serially. Hence, various non‐invasive assessments have been developed and adopted in some international management guidelines. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) with transient elastography is one of the most widely validated non‐invasive assessments for liver fibrosis. It is an accurate and reproducible method to predict advanced fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B. Using transient elastography, it is possible to perform repeated liver fibrosis assessments on a large number of asymptomatic patients. The key challenge of his tool is the confounding effect of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level, such that decrease in LSM may only reflect ALT normalization, hence not accurate enough to indicate regression of liver fibrosis. This may be partially handled by combining LSM with a serum‐based formula, which is independent of ALT such as the Forns index and enhanced liver fibrosis test. An LSM‐based HCC risk score is useful to prioritize patients for HCC surveillance.