Brucine is the active component in traditional Chinese medicine “Ma-Qian-Zi” (Strychnos nux-vomica Linn), with capabilities of analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and so on. It is crucial how to break through the impact of cuticle skin which reduces the penetration of drugs to improve drug transmission rate. The aim of this study is to improve the local drug concentration by using ultrasound. We used fresh porcine skin to study the effects of ultrasound on the transdermal absorption of brucine under the influence of various acoustic parameters, including frequency, amplitude and irradiation time. The transdermal conditions of yellow-green fluorescent nanoparticles and brucine in skin samples were observed by laser confocal microscopy and ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The results show that under ultrasonic conditions, the permeability of the skin to the fluorescent label and brucine (e.g., the depth and concentration of penetration) is increased compared to its passive diffusion permeability. The best ultrasound penetration can make the penetration depth of more than 110 microns, fluorescent nanoparticles and brucine concentration increased to 2-3 times. This work will provide supportive data on how the brucine is better used for transdermal drug delivery (TDD).

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess carotid stiffening in a pre-hypertensive (PHT) population using ultrafast pulse wave velocity (ufPWV).Methods: This study retrospectively enrolled 626 individuals who underwent clinical interviews, serum tests, and assessments of the systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), pulse wave velocity-beginning of systole (PWV-BS), and pulse wave velocity-end of systole (PWV-ES) between January 2017 and December 2021. The patients were divided into three groups according to their blood pressure (BP)—normal BP (NBP): SBP <130 mmHg and DBP <80 mmHg (n=215); PHT: 130 mmHg≤SBP<140 mmHg and/or 80 mmHg≤DBP<90 mmHg (n=119); hypertensive (HT): SBP ≥140 mmHg and/or DBP ≥90 mmHg (n=292). Correlation analyses and comparisons were performed among the groups and in the cIMT subgroups (cIMT ≥0.050 cm and <0.050 cm).Results: cIMT and PWV-ES significantly differed among the BP groups (P<0.05). The BP groups had similar PWV-BS when cIMT 0.05). However, the NBP group had a notably lower PWV-ES than the PHT (P<0.001 and P=0.024) and HT (all P0.05).Conclusion: Carotid morphological and biomechanical properties in the PHT group differed from those in the NBP group. ufPWV could be used for an early evaluation of carotid stiffening linked to pre-hypertension.

Recently, there is increasing interest in identifying benign and malignant nodules by using ultrasound diagnostic technology, which should be helpful to release patients with benign thyroid nodules from suffering unnecessary needle biopsy. In this work, fractal analysis was investigated for the capability of differentiating benign from malignant thyroid nodules during ultrasonography. The B-mode images for 57 patients with suspicious thyroid nodules were captured, followed by ultrasound-guided needle aspiration. The region of interests (ROIs) were subsequently selected from ultrasound images. Then, fractal analysis was performed to extract fractal texture features, and derive the fractal dimension of ROI. The results showed that a significant difference was observed between benign and malignant thyroid nodules (p < 0.05), by comparing this parameter based on independent nonparametric Mann‒Whitney U test. It suggested that fractal dimension is a helpful feature for distinguishing thyroid nodules. In addition, fractal analysis of the B-mode image can provide a reliable reference for tissue typing in ultrasound diagnosis.

Purpose: The present study investigated the association between Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE)-estimated cardiovascular risk and carotid stiffening in a middle-aged population using ultrafast pulse wave velocity (ufPWV).Methods: This study enrolled 683 participants without known cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus who underwent ufPWV measurements. Clinical interviews, physical examinations, laboratory findings, carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), pulse wave velocity (PWV) at the beginning of systole (PWV-BS), and PWV at the end of systole (PWV-ES) were assessed. Each participant underwent an assessment of SCORE risk based on major cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), including age, sex, smoking, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and total cholesterol (TC). Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals and ordinal logistic regression were used. Overall CVRFs were adjusted to assess ORs.Results: cIMT and carotid stiffening in PWV-BS and PWV-ES were significantly different between sex subgroups (all P<0.05), but only PWV-ES increased gradually in age and SCORE-estimated risk subgroups (all P<0.05). Compared with cIMT (r=0.388, P<0.001) and PWV-BS (r=0.159, P<0.001), PWV-ES was more strongly correlated with SCORE categories (r=0.405, P<0.001). Higher PWV-ES values were associated with SCORE categories independently of sex, SBP, TC, and smoking in moderate-risk and high-risk subgroups (OR, 1.63; P0.05).Conclusion: Carotid stiffening quantified by ufPWV is linked to SCORE categories, and elevated PWV-ES may aid in cardiovascular risk stratification.