Quantification of testicular fat content: the value of evaluating testicular function after cryptorchidism surgery.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the correlation between testicular fat content (TFC) and sex hormone levels in patients with cryptorchidism and its value in assessing postsurgical testicular function. METHODS: Pelvic MRI with the mDIXON Quant sequence was performed on 23 cryptorchidism patients and 15 normal controls. The TFC before and after surgery was measured and compared. The correlations between cryptorchid TFC and testosterone (TSTO), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and estradiol (E2) levels were analyzed, as was the specificity of TFC and each hormone for assessing testicular function after surgery. RESULTS: The preoperative cryptorchid TFC (3.06% ± 0.74) was higher than that of the normal controls (1.36% ± 0.49). TSTO was negatively correlated with the cryptorchid TFC (r = -0.698), while FSH and E2 were positively associated with the cryptorchid TFC (r = 0.658, 0.676). Cryptorchid TFC after surgery (2.01% ± 0.55) was lower than the preoperative TFC, but hormone levels were not significantly different. The TFC after surgery (0.864) had a larger AUC value than did TSTO (0.639), FSH (0.597), and E2 (0.586). CONCLUSION: Noninvasive quantification of cryptorchid TFC using the mDIXON Quant sequence is more specific than hormone levels for assessing postsurgical changes in testicular function. IMPACT: The cryptorchid testicular fat content is significantly higher than the normal testicular fat content. Cryptorchid testicular fat content is negatively correlated with presurgical serum TSTO levels and positively correlated with presurgical FSH and E2 levels. Pre- and postoperative changes in cryptorchid testicular fat content change are more sensitive than changes in TSTO, FSH, or E2 levels. Noninvasive cryptorchid testicular fat content quantified by the mDIXON Quant sequence is more specific than serum TSTO, FSH, and E2 levels for assessing changes in testicular function after cryptorchidism surgery.

Biomarkers of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder: quantitative analysis of whole-brain tissue component volumes, intelligence scores, ADOS-CSS, and ages of first-word production and walking onset.

BACKGROUND: Preschooling is a critical time for intervention in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); thus, we analyzed brain tissue component volumes (BTCVs) and clinical indicators in preschool children with ASD to identify new biomarkers for early screening. METHODS: Eighty preschool children (3-6 years) with ASD were retrospectively included. The whole-brain myelin content (MyC), white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and non-WM/GM/MyC/CSF brain component volumes were obtained using synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (SyMRI). Clinical data, such as intelligence scores, autism diagnostic observation schedule-calibrated severity scores, age at first production of single words (AFSW), age at first production of phrases (AFP), and age at walking onset (AWO), were also collected. The correlation between the BTCV and clinical data was evaluated, and the effect of BTCVs on clinical data was assessed by a regression model. RESULTS: WM and GM volumes were positively correlated with intelligence scores (both P < 0.001), but WM and GM did not affect intelligence scores (P = 0.116, P = 0.290). AWO was positively correlated with AFSW and AFP (both P < 0.001). The multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that MyC, AFSW, AFP, and AWO were significantly different (P = 0.005, P < 0.001, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed positive correlations between WM and GM volumes and intelligence scores. Whole-brain MyC affected AFSW, AFP, and AWO in preschool children with ASD. Noninvasive quantification of BTCVs via SyMRI revealed a new visualizable and quantifiable biomarker (abnormal MyC) for early ASD screening in preschool children.

Bibliometric analysis of myelin imaging studies of patients with multiple sclerosis (2000-2022).

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that can impact the central nervous system (CNS) and cause damage to the myelin, which is responsible for facilitating the normal transmission of electrical impulses along the nerves. We performed a bibliometric analysis of the scientific publications on myelin imaging in MS to reveal the development trends in this field and to evaluate research trends in myelin imaging in MS. Methods: The Web of Science Core Collection was searched for articles related to myelin imaging in MS published between January 2000 and December 2022. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and R language were used to evaluate and visualize contributions by and co-occurrence relationships among countries and institutions, authors, journals, citations, keywords, and so on. Results: A total of 1,639 articles addressed the topic of myelin imaging in MS. The United States had the largest number of annual publications. The University of London was the institution with the highest number of publications (n=118) and citations (n=9,885). The top 3 productive authors were all from the University of British Columbia in Canada. An article published by Mackay et al. in 1994 had the most citations (n=272). Neuroimage [impact factor (IF) =7.40, Journal Citation Reports quartile 1 (Q1)] was the most productive journal in terms of the number of articles relating to myelin imaging in MS (n=149). In recent years, myelin water imaging, synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (SyMRI), inhomogeneous magnetization, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, and aquaporin-4 (AQP4) have been researched hotspots of myelin imaging in MS. Conclusions: With advancements in the pathophysiological research on myelin changes in MS, myelin imaging is playing an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of MS. In addition, the use of new sequences of myelin imaging to distinguish MS from other inflammatory demyelinating diseases is a future development trend in this field.

Mean ADC values and arterial phase hyperintensity discriminate small (≤ 3 cm) well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma from dysplastic nodule.

BACKGROUND/AIM: This research endeavor sought to distinguish small (≤ 3 cm) well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma (WD-HCC) from dysplastic nodules (DN) by employing traditional imaging features and mean apparent diffusion coefficient (mADC) values derived from diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, we assessed a cohort of ninety patients with confirmed dysplastic nodules (DNs) (n = 71) or well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma (WD-HCC) (n = 41) who had undergone dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging between March 2018 and June 2021. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were executed to pinpoint characteristics that can effectively differentiate histologic grades. A region-of-interest (ROI) encompassing all lesion voxels was delineated on each slice containing the mass in the ADC map. Subsequently, the whole-lesion mean ADC (mADC) were computed from these delineations. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated to assess the discriminatory efficacy of the mADC values in distinguishing between WD-HCC and DN. RESULTS: Among the histopathological types from benign to malignant, mADC showed a significant decrease (P < 0.001). The mADCs were effective in distinguishing WD-HCC from DN [AUC, 0.903 (95% CI 0.849-0.958)]. The best cutoffs for the Youden index were 0.0012 mm2/s for mADC, with moderate sensitivity (70.7%) and high specificity (94.4%). MRI features including hyperintensity at arterial phase (odds ratio, 21.2; P = 0.009), mADC < 0.0012 mm2/s (odds ratio, 52.2; P < 0.001) were independent predictors for WD-HCC at multivariable analysis. The AUC value of hyperintensity at arterial phase was 0.857 (95% CI 0.786-0.928). The composite diagnostic criterion of arterial hyperintensity + mADC < 0.0012 mm2/s showed good performance [AUC, 0.926 (95% CI 0.878-0.975)], displaying increased sensitivity compared to individual assessments involving arterial hyperintensity (P = 0.013), mADC < 0.0012 mm2/s (P = 0.004), or LR-5 (P < 0.001), with similar specificity compared to LR-5 (P = 0.193). CONCLUSION: DN and WD-HCC displayed contrasting diffusion characteristics, attainable to distinguish with satisfactory accuracy. The utilization of arterial phase hyperintensity and mADC < 0.0012 on MRI facilitated the differentiation of WD-HCC from DN.

ER stress aggravates diaphragm weakness through activating PERK/JNK signaling in obesity hypoventilation syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Obesity hypoventilation syndrome is associated with diaphragmatic dysfunction. This study aimed to explore the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in mediating obesity-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction. METHODS: A pulmonary function test and ultrasound were applied to evaluate diaphragmatic function and magnetic resonance imaging was applied to measure diaphragmatic lipid deposition in human patients. For the mechanistic study, obese mice were introduced to a high-fat diet for 24 weeks, followed by diaphragmatic ultrasound measurement, transcriptomic sequencing, and respective biochemical analysis. Automatic force mapping was applied to measure the mechanical properties of C2C12 myotubes. RESULTS: People with obesity showed significant diaphragm weakness and lipid accumulation, which was further confirmed in obese mice. Consistently, diaphragms from obese mice showed altered gene expression profile in lipid metabolism and activation of ER stress response, indicated by elevated protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK) and c-Jun NH2 -terminal kinase (JNK) activation. In C2C12 myotubes, inhibition of PERK or JNK signaling abrogated lipotoxicity-induced intracellular lipid deposition and insulin resistance. Inhibition of JNK signaling reversed lipotoxicity-induced impairment of elasticity in C2C12 myotubes. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that ectopic lipid deposition impairs the diaphragmatic function of people with obesity. Activation of PERK/JNK signaling is involved in the pathogenesis of lipotoxicity-induced diaphragm weakness in obesity hypoventilation syndrome.

Quantitative association of cerebral blood flow, relaxation times and proton density in young and middle-aged primary insomnia patients: A prospective study using three-dimensional arterial spin labeling and synthetic magnetic resonance imaging.

Objectives: To quantitatively measure the T1 value, T2 value, proton density (PD) value, and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in young and middle-aged primary insomnia (PI) patients, and analyze the correlations between relaxation times, PD, and CBF to explore potential brain changes. Methods: Cranial magnetic resonance (MR) images of 44 PI patients and 30 healthy subjects were prospectively collected for analysis. The T1, T2, PD, and CBF values of the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and occipital lobe were independently measured using three-dimensional arterial spin labeling (3D-ASL), synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (syMRI) and a whole-brain automatic segmentation method. The differences of these imaging indices were compared between PI patients and healthy subjects. Follow-up MR images were obtained from PI patients after 6 months to compare with pre-treatment images. The Wilcoxon signed rank test and Spearman rank were used for statistical analysis. Results: Bilateral CBF asymmetry was observed in 38 patients, with significant differences in both the T2 value and CBF between the four lobes of the brain (p < 0.01). However, no significant difference was found in the T1 and PD values between the bilateral lobes. A negative correlation was found between CBF and T2 values in the right four lobes of patients with primary insomnia (PI). During follow-up examinations, five PI patients showed a disappearance of insomnia symptoms and a decrease in CBF in both brain lobes. Conclusion: Insomnia symptoms may be associated with high CBF, and most PI patients have higher CBF and lower T2 values in the right cerebral hemispheres. The right hemisphere appears to play a critical role in the pathophysiology of PI. The 3D-ASL and syMRI technologies can provide a quantitative imaging basis for investigating the brain conditions and changes in young and middle-aged PI patients.

Identification of molecular subtypes in lung adenocarcinoma based on DNA methylation and gene expression profiling-a bioinformatic analysis.

Background: Molecular typing based on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation and gene expression can extend understandings of the molecular mechanisms involved in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and enhance current diagnostic, treatment, and prognosis prediction approaches. Methods: Gene expression and DNA methylation data sets of LUAD were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and the differential gene and methylation expression levels were analyzed. Results: We successfully divided the LUAD samples into 2 clinically relevant subtypes with significantly different survival times and tumor stages according to the transcriptome and methylation data. We found significant differences in the survival status, age, gender, tumor stage, node stage, and clinical stage between the 2 subtypes. The hub genes identified in the subnetworks, including NCAPG, CCNB1, DLGAP5, HLA-DQA1, HLA-DPA1, HLA-DPB1, SFTP, SCGBA1A, and SFTPD, were correlated with the cell cycle and immune system. The Gene Ontology annotation of the hub genes showed that the biological processes included organelle fission mitotic nuclear division, and sister chromatid segregation. The cellular components included chromosomal region, spindle, and kinetochore. The molecular functions included tubulin-binding, microtubule-binding, and DNA replication origin binding. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes signaling pathways related to the hub genes mainly included the cell cycle, human T-cell leukemia virus (type 1) infection, inflammatory bowel disease, and the intestinal immune network for immunoglobulin A production. The clinical stage difference was also confirmed in the validation group using the GSE32863 data set. Conclusions: Our findings extend understandings of the pathogenesis of LUAD and can be used to improve current diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis prediction strategies.

The diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced CT versus extracellular contrast agent-enhanced MRI in detecting hepatocellular carcinoma: direct comparison and a meta-analysis.

To compare the diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) with extracellular contrast agent-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (ECA-MRI) for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were searched (1/5/2021) for studies comparing contrast-enhanced CT with ECA-MRI in patients suspected of HCC. Studies without head-to-head comparison were excluded. The pooled sensitivity, specificity and summary area under the curve (sAUC) of contrast-enhanced CT and ECA-MRI in detecting HCC was calculated based on bivariate random effects model. Heterogeneity test included threshold effect analysis and meta-regression. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to lesion size (< 20 mm or ≥ 20 mm). Overall, 10 articles containing 1333 patients were deemed suitable for inclusion in this meta-analysis. ECA-MRI displayed increased sensitivity to contrast-enhanced CT in detecting HCC (0.77 vs. 0.63, P < 0.01). The difference in specificity between ECA-MRI and contrast-enhanced CT was not statistically significant (0.93 vs. 0.94, P = 0.25). ECA-MRI yielded higher diagnostic accuracy (sAUCs = 0.88 vs. 0.80, P < 0.01). In the subgroup analysis with a lesion size < 20 mm, ECA-MRI allowed significant gains of accuracy compared to contrast-enhanced CT (0.79 vs. 0.72, P = 0.02). ECA-MRI also outperformed contrast-enhanced CT in patients with lesion size ≥ 20 mm (sAUCs = 0.96 vs. 0.93, P = 0.04). ECA-MRI provided higher sensitivity and accuracy than contrast-enhanced CT in detecting HCC, especially lesions size < 20 mm.

Quantification of lumbar vertebral fat deposition: Correlation with menopausal status, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and subcutaneous adipose tissue.

Purpose: To assess abdominal fat deposition and lumbar vertebra with iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation (IDEAL-IQ) and investigate their correlation with menopausal status. Materials and Methods: Two hundred forty women who underwent routine abdominal MRI and IDEAL-IQ between January 2016 and April 2021 were divided into two cohorts (first cohort: 120 pre- or postmenopausal women with severe fatty livers or without fatty livers; second cohort: 120 pre- or postmenopausal women who were obese or normal weight). The fat fraction (FF) values of the liver (FFliver) and lumbar vertebra (FFlumbar) in the first group and the FF values of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) (FFSAT) and FFlumbar in the second group were measured and compared using IDEAL-IQ. Results: Two hundred forty women were evaluated. FFlumbar was significantly higher in both pre- and postmenopausal women with severe fatty liver than in patients without fatty livers (premenopausal women: p < 0.001, postmenopausal women: p < 0.001). No significant difference in the FFlumbar was observed between obese patients and normal-weight patients among pre- and postmenopausal women (premenopausal women: p = 0.113, postmenopausal women: p = 0.092). Significantly greater lumbar fat deposition was observed in postmenopausal women than in premenopausal women with or without fatty liver and obesity (p < 0.001 for each group). A high correlation was detected between FFliver and FFlumbar in women with severe fatty liver (premenopausal women: r=0.76, p<0.01; postmenopausal women: r=0.82, p<0.01). Conclusion: Fat deposition in the vertebral marrow was significantly associated with liver fat deposition in postmenopausal women.

Development and Validation of a Deep Learning Algorithm to Automatic Detection of Pituitary Microadenoma From MRI.

Background: It is often difficult to diagnose pituitary microadenoma (PM) by MRI alone, due to its relatively small size, variable anatomical structure, complex clinical symptoms, and signs among individuals. We develop and validate a deep learning -based system to diagnose PM from MRI. Methods: A total of 11,935 infertility participants were initially recruited for this project. After applying the exclusion criteria, 1,520 participants (556 PM patients and 964 controls subjects) were included for further stratified into 3 non-overlapping cohorts. The data used for the training set were derived from a retrospective study, and in the validation dataset, prospective temporal and geographical validation set were adopted. A total of 780 participants were used for training, 195 participants for testing, and 545 participants were used to validate the diagnosis performance. The PM-computer-aided diagnosis (PM-CAD) system consists of two parts: pituitary region detection and PM diagnosis. The diagnosis performance of the PM-CAD system was measured using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve and area under the ROC curve (AUC), calibration curve, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and F1-score. Results: Pituitary microadenoma-computer-aided diagnosis system showed 94.36% diagnostic accuracy and 98.13% AUC score in the testing dataset. We confirm the robustness and generalization of our PM-CAD system, the diagnostic accuracy in the internal dataset was 96.50% and in the external dataset was 92.26 and 92.36%, the AUC was 95.5, 94.7, and 93.7%, respectively. In human-computer competition, the diagnosis performance of our PM-CAD system was comparable to radiologists with >10 years of professional expertise (diagnosis accuracy of 94.0% vs. 95.0%, AUC of 95.6% vs. 95.0%). For the misdiagnosis cases from radiologists, our system showed a 100% accurate diagnosis. A browser-based software was designed to assist the PM diagnosis. Conclusions: This is the first report showing that the PM-CAD system is a viable tool for detecting PM. Our results suggest that the PM-CAD system is applicable to radiology departments, especially in primary health care institutions.

Idiopathic acute superior mesenteric venous thrombosis after renal transplantation: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Acute superior mesenteric venous thrombosis (MVT) is a rare condition associated with a high mortality rate. The treatment strategy for MVT is clinically challenging due to its insidious onset and rapid development, especially when accompanied by kidney transplantation. CASE SUMMARY: Here we present a rare case of acute MVT developed 3 years after renal transplantation. A 49-year-old patient was admitted with acute abdominal pain and diagnosed as MVT with intestinal necrosis. An emergency exploratory laparotomy was performed to remove the infarcted segment of the bowel. Immediate systemic anticoagulation was also initiated. During the treatment, the patient experienced bleeding, anastomotic leakage, and sepsis. However, after aggressive treatment was administered, all thrombi were completely resolved, and the patient recovered with his renal graft function unimpaired. CONCLUSION: The present case suggests that accurate diagnosis and timely surgical treatment are important to improve the survival rate of MVT patients. Bleeding with anastomotic fistula needs to be treated with caution because of grafts. Also, previously published cases of mesenteric thrombosis after renal transplantation were reviewed.

Rehabilitation effect of rTMS combined with cognitive training on cognitive impairment after traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: To innvestigate the rehabilitation effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with cognitive training on cognitive impairment in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) by using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS: Clinical data of 166 patients with cognitive impairment after TBI were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were assigned into an observation group and a control group according to different treatment methods, with 83 cases in each group. The observation group was given rTMS + cognitive training, and the control group was given cognitive training only. The changes in GCS score, the Cho/Cr, Cho/NAA and NAA/Cr ratios examined by MRSI, the score of cognitive impairment, the grading of cognitive impairment, and the changes in modified Barthel index were observed and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The GCS score, and the ratios of Cho/Cr, Cho/NAA and NAA/Cr after treatment were better than those before treatment in both groups and were lower in the observation group compared with the control group (all P<0.05). The score and grading of cognitive impairment as well as modified Barthel index after treatment were all significantly better in the observation group than in the control group (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: rTMS can improve the rehabilitation effect on cognitive impairment in patients after TBI and is recommended for clinical use.

Quantification of Liver Fat Content after Radiofrequency Ablation for Liver Cancer: Correlation with Hepatic Perfusion Disorders.

PURPOSE: To quantitatively investigate the correlation between liver fat content and hepatic perfusion disorders (HPD) after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for liver cancer using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-determined proton density fat fraction (PDFF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 150 liver cancer patients underwent liver MRI examination within one month after RFA and at four months after RFA. According to the liver fat content, they were divided into non-, mild, moderate, and severe fatty liver groups. The liver fat content and hepatic perfusion disorders were determined using PDFF images and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI images. The relationship between the liver fat content and HPD was investigated. RESULTS: At the first postoperative MRI examination, the proportion of patients in the nonfatty liver group with hyperperfused foci (11.11%) was significantly lower than that in the mild (30.00%), moderate (42.86%), and severe fatty liver (56.67%) groups (p < 0.05), whereas the proportions of patients with hypoperfused foci (6.67%, 7.5%, 5.71%, and 6.67%, respectively) were not significantly different among the four groups (p > 0.05). In the nonfatty liver group, the liver fat content was not correlated with hyperperfusion abnormalities or hypoperfusion abnormalities. By contrast, in the three fatty liver groups, the liver fat content was correlated with hyperperfusion abnormalities but was not correlated with hypoperfusion abnormalities. At the second postoperative MRI examination, six patients in the nonfatty liver group were diagnosed with fatty liver, including two patients with newly developed hyperperfusion abnormalities and one patient whose hypoperfusion abnormality remained the same as it was in the first postoperative MRI examination. CONCLUSION: There was a high correlation between the liver fat content and hyperperfusion abnormalities after RFA for liver cancer. The higher the liver fat content was, the higher the was risk of hyperperfusion abnormalities. However, there was little correlation between liver fat content and hypoperfusion abnormalities, and the increase in postoperative liver fat content did not induce or alter the presence of hypoperfused foci.

Invasive Blood Pressure Measurement and In-hospital Mortality in Critically Ill Patients With Hypertension.

Background: Invasive blood pressure (IBP) measurement is common in the intensive care unit, although its association with in-hospital mortality in critically ill patients with hypertension is poorly understood. Methods and Results: A total of 11,732 critically ill patients with hypertension from the eICU-Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD) were enrolled. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to whether they received IBP. The primary outcome in this study was in-hospital mortality. Propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability of treatment weighing (IPTW) models were used to balance the confounding covariates. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between IBP measurement and hospital mortality. The IBP group had a higher in-hospital mortality rate than the no IBP group in the primary cohort [238 (8.7%) vs. 581 (6.5%), p < 0.001]. In the PSM cohort, the IBP group had a lower in-hospital mortality rate than the no IBP group [187 (8.0%) vs. 241 (10.3%), p = 0.006]. IBP measurement was associated with lower in-hospital mortality in the PSM cohort (odds ratio, 0.73, 95% confidence interval, 0.59-0.92) and in the IPTW cohort (odds ratio, 0.81, 95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.99). Sensitivity analyses showed similar results in the subgroups with high body mass index and no sepsis. Conclusions: In conclusion, IBP measurement was associated with lower in-hospital mortality in critically ill patients with hypertension, highlighting the importance of IBP measurement in the intensive care unit.

Heme oxygenase-1 alleviates advanced glycation end product-induced oxidative stress, inflammatory response and biological behavioral disorders in rat dermal fibroblasts.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are involved in delaying the wound healing of diabetic foot ulcers. The present study investigated the effects of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) on oxidative stress, inflammatory insult and biological behaviors in rat dermal fibroblasts in the presence of AGEs. Rat dermal fibroblasts were cultured in the presence of AGEs (100 µg/ml), glucose (1.0 g/l or 4.5 g/l), hemin (5 µM) and chromium mesoporphyrin (CrMP; 20 µM). A bilirubin kit, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting were used to measure the activity and mRNA and protein levels of HO-1, respectively. ELISA kits were used to measure the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß and the viability and collagen (hydroxyproline) secretion of fibroblasts. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were measured via flow cytometry. The scratch test was performed to evaluate cell migration. The results revealed that AGEs resulted in oxidative stress, inflammatory response and biological behavioral disorders in fibroblasts, while worsened functional disorders were caused by the combination of AGEs and high-glucose treatment. Hemin treatment induced sustained high HO-1 expression, decreased the levels of ROS, MDA, 8-OHdG, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß and cell apoptosis, and increased cellular collagen synthesis, viability, proliferation and migration, whereas CrMP abolished the effects of hemin. It was observed that high HO-1 expression reversed the AGE-induced oxidative stress, inflammatory response and biological behavioral disorders in fibroblasts, but fibroblast function did not return to that observed under normal glucose levels. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that hemin treatment induced high HO-1 expression. HO-1 reduced the AGE-induced functional disorders in fibroblasts and may accelerate the healing of diabetic wounds by improving fibroblast biological behaviors and reducing the oxidative stress and inflammatory response.

Quantification of penile fat infiltration using the mDIXON Quant sequence: a pilot study on the correlation with penis hardness and erectile dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine fat/water signal ratios using the mDIXON Quant sequence, quantitatively assess fat infiltration in the penis, and explore its possible relationship with penile hardness and erectile dysfunction. METHODS: Routine pelvic MRI with the mDIXON Quant sequence was performed in 62 subjects, including 22 people in the normal group, 20 people in the normal erectile hardness group, and 20 people in the erectile dysfunction (ED) group. The fat/water signal ratio in the penis was measured using the mDIXON Quant sequence. Shear wave elastography was used to evaluate the hardness of the corpus cavernosa of the penis. RESULTS: The fat/water signal ratio of the corpus spongiosum was significantly lower than that of the corpus cavernosa in the normal group (p = 0.03) and ED group (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the fat/water signal ratios between the normal group and the normal erectile hardness group. Fat infiltration was significantly lower, and erectile hardness was significantly higher in the normal erectile hardness group than in the ED group, and the fat infiltration in the left and right corpus cavernosa was inversely proportional to the erectile hardness of the penis. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that mDIXON Quant can be used as a non-invasive, quantitative, and objective method for evaluating penile fat infiltration. This method could help diagnose penile fat infiltration in patients with erectile dysfunction and varying body mass indexes. Our results could also allow for a more accurate diagnosis and monitoring of erectile hardness function by quantitatively measuring penile fat infiltration. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: (1) The proton density fat fraction technology is a new tool for the objective, quantitative and non-invasive evaluation of penile fat infiltration. (2) The quantitative measurement of fat infiltration in the corpora cavernosa might help diagnose and monitor penile erection hardness and its function more accurately.

Short-Term Effect of Lumbar Traction on Intervertebral Discs in Patients with Low Back Pain: Correlation between the T2 Value and ODI/VAS Score.

OBJECTIVE: The effect of lumbar traction on low back pain (LBP) patients is controversial. Our study aims to assess changes in the intervertebral disc water content after lumbar traction using T2 mapping and explore the correlation between changes in the T2 value and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)/visual analogue scale (VAS) score. DESIGN: Lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging was performed, and the ODI/VAS scores were recorded in all 48 patients. Midsagittal T2-weighted imaging and T2 mapping were performed to determine the Pfirrmann grade and T2 value. Then, the T2 values were compared between pre- and posttraction, and the correlation between changes in the T2 value and ODI/VAS scores were examined. RESULTS: In the traction group, the changes in the nucleus pulposus (NP) T2 values for Pfirrmann grades II-IV and the annulus fibrosus (AF) T2 values for Pfirrmann grade II were statistically significant after traction (P < 0.05). Changes in the mean NP T2 value of 5 discs in each patient and in the ODI/VAS score showed a strong correlation (r = 0.822, r = 0.793). CONCLUSION: T2 mapping can be used to evaluate changes in the intervertebral disc water content. Ten sessions of traction resulted in a significant increase in quantitative T2 measurements of the NP in discs for Pfirrmann grade II-IV degeneration and remission of the patients' clinical symptoms in the following 6 months. Changes in the mean NP T2 value of 5 discs in each patient were strongly correlated with changes in the ODI/VAS score.

Late-onset severe hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome in an allogeneic stem cell transplant recipient: A case report.

RATIONALE: Hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) is a rare and potentially fatal complications after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Most severe SOS result in multi-organ dysfunction and are associated with a high mortality rate (>80%). PATIENT CONCERNS: A 31-year-old man was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia blast crisis. He presented with severe thrombocytopenia on day 42 post-HSCT (on days +42), gradually developed with painful hepatomegaly, ascites, and weight gain. DIAGNOSES: The abdominal computerized tomography showed hepatomegaly, hepatic congestion, periportal edema, narrow hepatic vein, and ascites suggestive of SOS/hepatic vein occlusion. According to the EBMT revised diagnostic criteria, the patient was diagnosed as late-onset severe SOS. INTERVENTIONS: Comprehensive treatment including low molecular weight heparin was initiated. OUTCOMES: The patient had good response with resolution of his hepatomegaly, increase of platelet, weight and transaminase loss after 4 weeks treatment. LESSONS: In SOS patients with nonspecific clinical and biochemical findings, computerized tomography scans can be useful in differentiating SOS from other complications after HSCT. low molecular weight heparin is effective for the treatment of SOS.

Discriminative pattern of reduced cerebral blood flow in Parkinson's disease and Parkinsonism-Plus syndrome: an ASL-MRI study.

BACKGROUND: Accurate identification of Parkinson's disease (PD) and Parkinsonism-Plus syndrome (PPS), especially in the early stage of the disease, is very important. The purpose of this study was to investigate the discriminative spatial pattern of cerebral blood flow (CBF) between patients with PD and PPS. METHODS: Arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion-weighted imaging was performed in 20 patients with PD (mean age 56.35 ± 7.56 years), 16 patients with PPS (mean age 59.62 ± 6.89 years), and 17 healthy controls (HCs, mean age 54.17 ± 6.58 years). Voxel-wise comparison of the CBF was performed among PD, PPS, and HC groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the performance of CBF in discriminating between PD and PPS. The relationship between CBF and non-motor neuropsychological scores was assessed by correlation analysis. RESULTS: PD group showed a significantly decreased CBF in the right cerebelum_crus2, the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG), the triangle inferior frontal gyrus (IFG_Tri), the left frontal medial orbital gyrus (FG_Med_Orb) and the left caudate nucleus (CN) compared with the HC group (P < 0.05). Besides the above regions, the left supplementary motor area (SMA), the right thalamus had decreased CBF in the PPS group compared with the HC group (P < 0.05). PPS group had lower CBF value in the left MFG, the left IFG_Tri, the left CN, the left SMA, and the right thalamus compared with the PD group (P < 0.05). CBFs in left IFG_Tri, the left CN, the left SMA, and the right thalamus had moderate to high capacity in discriminating between PD and PPS patients (AUC 0.719-0.831). The CBF was positively correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores in PD patients, while positively correlated with the MMSE, Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) scores in PPS patients (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: PD and PPS patients have certain discriminative patterns of reduced CBFs, which can be used as a surrogate marker for differential diagnosis.

Mesoporous polydopamine carrying sorafenib and SPIO nanoparticles for MRI-guided ferroptosis cancer therapy.

Iron-based nanomaterials as the main ferroptosis-inducing platforms are more promising because iron itself is a key component in the Fenton reaction to produce ROS. However, the Fe dose needs to be very high in order to induce ferroptosis-based cancer treatment using the SPIO NPs. Therefore, it is still of great challenge to enhance the efficacy of ferroptosis-based cancer therapy by associating the iron-based nanomaterials with other components and therapeutic modalities. In this study, sorafenib (SRF) and ultrasmall SPIO nanoparticles were loaded into the mesopores and onto the surface of MPDA NPs to form SRF@MPDA-SPIO nanoparticles. SPIO loading endowed the system with iron-supply for ferroptosis and made the system MRI-visible. Meanwhile, SRF was able to induce ferroptosis in cancer cells with lower Fe dose. Furthermore, the heat generated by MPDA NPs upon laser irradiation offered a moderate PTT to boost the ferroptosis effect. The SRF@MPDA-SPIO exhibited biocompatibility highly desirable for in vivo application and superior anticancer therapy via the combination of ferroptosis and photothermal therapy.