To explore the efficacy of microwave ablation (MWA) in the treatment of benign thyroid nodules, and analyze related influencing factors.The clinical and ultrasound data of 115 patients with 115 ben...

Background: Parathyroid glands are important endocrine glands, and the identification of normal parathyroid glands is crucial for their protection. The aim of this study is to explore the sonographic characteristics of normal parathyroid glands and analyze the factors affecting their display. Methods: Seven hundred three subjects who underwent physical examination at our hospital were included. The number, location, size, morphology, echogenicity and blood flow distribution of parathyroid glands were recorded. The ultrasound characteristics and display rate were also summarized. Meanwhile, shear wave elastography was performed in 50 cases to provide the stiffness measurements, and 26 cases received contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for the assessment of microcirculatory perfusion. Furthermore, we analyzed the factors affecting parathyroid display, including basic information of the subjects and ultrasound features of the thyroid. Results: ① A total of 1038 parathyroid glands were detected, among which, 79.29% were hyperechoic, 20.71% were isoechoic, 88.15% were oval-shaped, and 86.71% had blood flow of grade 0-I. ② 81.79% of the subjects had at least one parathyroid gland detected. ③ The Emean, Emax, PI and AUC of the parathyroid glands were significantly lower than those of the adjacent thyroid tissue (P < 0.05). ④ The display of normal parathyroid glands was related to BMI, thyroid echogenicity and thyroid volume of the subjects (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Normal parathyroid glands tend to appear as oval-shaped hyperechoic nodules with blood flow of grade 0-I. BMI, thyroid echogenicity and thyroid volume are independent factors affecting the display of parathyroid glands.

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) is an important cause of early dysfunction and exacerbation of immune rejection in transplanted hearts. The integrin-related protein CD47 exacerbates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting the nitric oxide signaling pathway through interaction with thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1). In addition, the preservation quality of the donor hearts is a key determinant of transplant success. Preservation duration beyond four hours is associated with primary graft dysfunction. We hypothesized that blocking the CD47-TSP-1 system would attenuate ischemia-reperfusion injury in the transplanted heart and, thus, improve the preservation of donor hearts. We utilized a syngeneic mouse heart transplant model to assess the effect of CD47 monoclonal antibody (CD47mAb) to treat MIRI. Donor hearts were perfused with CD47mAb or an isotype-matched control immunoglobulin (IgG2a) and were implanted into the abdominal cavity of the recipients after being stored in histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) solution at 4 °C for 4 h or 8 h. At both the 4-h and 8-h preservation time points, mice in the experimental group perfused with CD47mAb exhibited prolonged survival in the transplanted heart, reduced inflammatory response and oxidative stress, significantly decreased inflammatory cell infiltration, and fewer apoptosis-related biomarkers. The application of CD47mAb for the blocking of CD47 attenuates MIRI as well as improves the preservation and prognosis of the transplanted heart in a murine heart transplant model.

Objective: We aimed to establish a model to estimate the energy required for microwave ablation (MWA) to achieve the desired effect and analyze the factors influencing its therapeutic efficacy.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 117 patients with benign thyroid nodules. A quadratic regression model was established to analyze the relationship between the technical parameters of MWA and volume reduction rate (VRR). Both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors influencing the efficacy of MWA treatment.Results: The volume of nodules continued to decrease at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after ablation, and the mean of VRR was 77.5 ± 15.9% at 12 months after ablation. Among these nodules, 72 (61.5%) had a VRR ≥ 75%, whereas 45 (38.5%) had a VRR < 75%. The energy volume ratio was significantly correlated with the VRR. When the VRR ≥ 75%, the energy volume ratio ranges 784-2,274 J/mL. Among all parameters, only the energy volume ratio and calcification were independent factors influencing the treatment efficacy for benign thyroid nodules (P < 0.05).Conclusions: The efficacy of the treatment was optimized when the energy volume ratio of the MWA fell within a certain range. The energy volume ratio and calcification are related to the efficacy of MWA treatment.