The invasion status of lymphovascular space and lymph nodes in cervical cancer assessed by mono-exponential and bi-exponential DWI-related parameters.

AIM: To investigate whether mono-exponential and bi-exponential diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)-related parameters of the primary tumour can evaluate the status of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) and lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with cervical carcinoma preoperatively. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty patients with cervical carcinoma were enrolled, who underwent preoperative multi b-value DWI and radical hysterectomy. They were classified into LVSI(+) versus LVSI(-) and LNM(+) versus LNM(-) according to postoperative pathology. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), pure molecular diffusion (D), pseudo-diffusion coefficient (D∗), and perfusion fraction (f) were calculated from the whole tumour (_whole) and tumour margin (_margin). All parameters were compared between LVSI(+) and LVSI(-) and between LNM(+) and LNM(-). Logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of these parameters. RESULTS: f_margin and D∗_whole showed significant differences in differentiating LVSI(+) from LVSI(-) tumours (p=0.002, 0.008, respectively), while LNM(+) tumours presented with significantly higher ADC_margin than that of LNM(-) tumours (p=0.009). The other parameters were not independent related factors with the status of LVSI or LNM according to logistic regression analysis (p>0.05). The area under the ROC curve of f_margin combined with D∗_whole in discriminating LVSI(+) from LVSI(-) was 0.826 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.691-0.961), while ADC_margin in differentiating LNM(+) from LNM(-) was 0.788 (95% CI: 0.648-0.928). CONCLUSIONS: The parameters generated from mono-exponential and bi-exponential DWI of the primary cervical carcinoma could help discriminate its status regarding LVSI (f_margin and D∗_whole) and LNM (ADC_margin).

Knockdown of long non-coding RNA VIM-AS1 inhibits glioma cell proliferation and migration, and increases the cell apoptosis via modulation of WEE1 targeted by miR-105-5p.

OBJECTIVE: Glioma including glioblastoma is the main type of primary brain tumors worldwide. LncRNAs have participated in glioma formation. This study aims to investigate the underlying mechanism for VIM-AS1/miR-105-5p/WEE1 signaling in glioma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The clinical tumors and adjacent tissues were collected from 24 patients with glioma in the Shang Luo Central Hospital. Then, the clinical samples were subjected to hematoxylin-eosin staining (H&E). VIM-AS1, miR-105-5p, and WEE1 levels were measured using real-time PCR. The protein levels of WEE1, Cyclin A1, PCNA, N-cadherin, Vimentin, and Bcl-2, E-cadherin, and Bax were analyzed using Western blot. The overall survival of glioma patients was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier analysis. The interaction between VIM-AS1 and miR-105-5p was determined using RIP assay and Dual-Luciferase reporter assay, and the binding between miR-105-5p and WEE1 was also detected by Dual-Luciferase reporter assay. Cell proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and migration were confirmed using CCK-8, colony formation assay, flow cytometry, and transwell assay, respectively. RESULTS: VIM-AS1 was elevated in cancer tissues, and high level of VIM-AS1 was positively correlated with poor overall survival. Then, VIM-AS1 could bind to and downregulate miR-105-5p. Furthermore, the knockdown of VIM-AS1 significantly suppressed tumor growth in vivo. The knockdown of VIM-AS1/overexpression of miR-105-5p inhibited glioma cell growth, colony formation, and migration, and enhanced the cell apoptosis by inhibiting expression of Cyclin A1, PCNA, Vimentin, N-cadherin, and Bcl-2, and by increasing the expression of Bax and E-cadherin. Interestingly, the overexpression of VIM-AS1 reversed the tumor-suppressing role of miR-105-5p in glioma cells. Besides, the expression of WEE1 was synergistically regulated by VIM-AS1 and miR-105-5p. Consequently, VIM-AS1 promoted glioma progression via upregulating WEE1 or downregulating miR-105-5p. CONCLUSIONS: VIM-AS1/miR-105-5p/WEE1 signaling may be a promising target for glioma treatment.

Correlation between dual-energy spectral CT imaging parameters and pathological grades of non-small cell lung cancer.

AIM: To investigate the correlation between pathological grades of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) and quantitative parameters generated in dual-energy spectral computed tomography (CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-three patients with NSCLCs who underwent preoperative dual-energy spectral CT imaging and surgical resection were evaluated retrospectively. These patients were divided into a low-grade group and a high-grade group based on their histopathological differentiation. In the arterial phase (AP) and venous phase (VP), iodine concentration (IC) in cancers was measured in iodine-based material decomposition images, and normalised to the IC in the aorta to calculate the normalised iodine concentration (NIC), the spectral CT curve was generated from the monochromatic images to calculate the slope of the spectral curve (λHU). Differences in quantitative parameters (NIC and λHU) were compared using the two-sample t-test. The correlations between spectral CT parameters and tumour grades were evaluated using the Spearman rank correlation analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to calculate their diagnostic efficacies. RESULTS: The NIC and λHU in the low-grade NSCLC group were significantly higher than those in the high-grade NSCLC group both in AP and VP (all p<0.001). There was a significant negative correlation between spectral CT parameters and pathological grades by the Spearman rank correlation (all p<0.001). ROC analysis indicated that λHU in VP provided the best diagnostic performance in distinguishing high-grade cancers from low-grade cancers (area under the ROC curve [AUC], 0.914; sensitivity, 85.7%; specificity, 84.4%). CONCLUSION: The quantitative parameters in dual-energy spectral CT imaging provide useful information to differentiate the pathological grades of NSCLCs.

T2* relaxation time in the detection and assessment of aggressiveness of peripheral zone cancer in comparison with diffusion-weighted imaging.

AIM: To investigate the feasibility of T2* relaxation time for distinguishing benign from malignant regions, as well as tumour aggressiveness, within the peripheral zone (PZ) of the prostate in comparison with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with prostate cancer underwent 3 T magnetic resonance imaging using multi-echo T2* and DWI (maximum b-value, 2000 s/mm(2)). Parametric maps were obtained for apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and T2* values. Two radiologists reviewed these maps and measured ADC and T2* values in sextants positive for cancer at biopsy. Data were analysed using mixed-model analysis of variance and receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS: Ninety-three sextants exhibited a Gleason score of 6; 59 exhibited a Gleason score of 7 or 8. The T2* value was significantly lower in cancerous sextants than in the benign PZ (48.69+0.60 versus 74.14+0.56, p<0.001), as well as in cancerous sextants with higher rather than lower Gleason scores (43.18+0.89 versus 52.18+0.55, p<0.001). The T2* value showed significantly greater specificity for differentiating cancerous sextants from benign PZ than ADC (93.1% versus 89.7%, p<0.001), with equal sensitivity (82.8% versus 81%, p>0.05). The T2* value exhibited significantly greater sensitivity and specificity for differentiating sextants with low- and high-grade cancer than ADC (79.6% versus 64.5% and 81.4% versus 72.9%, respectively; p<0.05). The T2* value had a significantly greater area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for differentiating sextants with low- and high-grade cancer than ADC (0.77 versus 0.71, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Preliminary findings suggest that the T2* relaxation time has increased diagnostic value compared with DWI in prostate PZ cancer assessment.

Apparent diffusion coefficient measurements of bilateral kidneys at 3 T MRI: effects of age, gender, and laterality in healthy adults.

AIM: To investigate the effects of age and gender on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements of bilateral kidneys at 3 T MRI, and compare the ADC values of left and right kidneys. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In all, 137 healthy participants (mean age 42.8 ± 14.7 years; age range 16-75 years) comprising 68 male and 69 female participants were enrolled. Three Tesla echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of bilateral kidneys was performed and ADC values were measured in the cortex, medulla, and whole parenchyma. Pearson correlation analysis and linear regression were performed to determine the associations between the ADC values in each region and age. Effects of age and gender on ADC values were analysed using two-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA). The paired-samples t-test was established to compare the ADC values between left and right kidneys. RESULTS: ADC values were significantly higher in the young group (≤50 years) than in the old group (>50 years), and correlated inversely with the age in all regions. Male participants had higher ADC values than female participants in all regions except left medulla. Two-factor ANOVA of age × gender showed no significant interactions between the variables age and gender were found. No significant differences in ADC values between left and right kidneys were observed. CONCLUSION: Renal ADC values are age- and gender-dependent, and show no significant difference between left and right kidneys. Age- and gender-related effects should be taken into consideration in future renal DWI studies when using normal ADC values from health controls.