Video evidence that cuckoos farm their hosts by ejecting nestlings.

When host nests are scarce, avian brood parasites would benefit from behaviours that increase the availability of suitable nests. Several studies reported ejection of host nestlings from nests by brood parasites; however, whether brood parasites do so to induce the host to re-nest and thus increase opportunities for future parasitism (i.e. 'farming' behaviour) remains unclear. Here, we report observational evidence of farming behaviour by a common cuckoo Cuculus canorus female in a Daurian redstart Phoenicurus auroreus population: (1) the cuckoo destroyed a host nest by ejecting all nestlings, (2) the host then produced a new nest and (3) the cuckoo successfully parasitized the replacement nest. We suggest that farming behaviour may be more common, but often goes undetected because it requires intense nest monitoring.

Value of ultra-high b-value diffusion-weighted imaging for the evaluation of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury.

To explore the feasibility of ultra-high b-value diffusion-weighted imaging (ubDWI) in assessment of renal IRI. Thirty-five rabbits were randomized into a control group (n = 7) and a renal IRI group (n = 28). The rabbits in the renal IRI group underwent left renal artery clamping for 60 min. Rabbits underwent axial ubDWI before and at 1, 12, 24, and 48 h after IRI. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCst) were calculated from ubDWI with two b-values (b = 0, 1000 s/mm2). Triexponential fits were applied to calculate the pure diffusion coefficients (D), perfusion-related diffusion coefficient (D⁎), and ultra-high ADC (ADCuh). The interobserver reproducibility were evaluated. The repeated measurement analysis of variance and Spearman correlation analysis was used for statistical analysis. The ADCst, D, and ADCuh values showed good reproducibility. The ADCst, D, and D⁎ values of renal Cortex (CO) and outer medulla (OM) significantly decreased after IRI (all P < 0.05). The ADCuh values significantly increased from pre-IRI to 1 h after IRI (P < 0.05) and significantly declined at 24 h and 48 h after IRI (all P < 0.05). ADCuh was strongly positively correlated with AQP-1 in the renal CO and OM (ρ = 0.643, P < 0.001; ρ = 0.662, P < 0.001, respectively). ubDWI can be used to non-invasively evaluate early renal IRI, ADCuh may be adopted to reflect AQP-1 expression.

Contrast-Enhanced Mammography Radiomics Analysis for Preoperative Prediction of Breast Cancer Molecular Subtypes.

BACKGROUND: Predicting breast cancer molecular subtypes can help guide individualised clinical treatment of patients who need the rational preoperative treatment. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of preoperative prediction of breast cancer molecular subtypes by contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) radiomic features. METHODS: This retrospective two-centre study included women with breast cancer who underwent CEM preoperatively between August 2016 and May 2022. We included 356 patients with 386 lesions, which were grouped into training (n = 162), internal test (n = 160) and external test sets (n = 64). Radiomics features were extracted from low-energy (LE) images and recombined (RC) images and selected. Three dichotomous tasks were established according to postoperative immunohistochemical results: Luminal vs. non-Luminal, human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2)-enriched vs. non-HER2-enriched, and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) vs. non-TNBC. For each dichotomous task, the LE, RC, and LE+RC radiomics models were built by the support vector machine classifier. The prediction performance of the models was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Then, the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated for the models. DeLong's test was utilised to compare the AUCs. RESULTS: Radiomics models based on CEM are valuable for predicting breast cancer molecular subtypes. The LE+RC model achieved the best performance in the test set. The LE+RC model predicted Luminal, HER2-enriched, and TNBC subtypes with AUCs of 0.93, 0.89, and 0.87 in the internal test set and 0.82, 0.83, and 0.69 in the external test set, respectively. In addition, the LE model performed more satisfactorily than the RC model. CONCLUSION: CEM radiomics features can effectively predict breast cancer molecular subtypes preoperatively, and the LE+RC model has the best predictive performance.

The Surfactant Role on a Droplet Passing through a Constricted Microchannel in a Pressure-Driven Flow: A Lattice Boltzmann Study.

The role of surfactants in the flow of a droplet driven by a pressure gradient through a constricted microchannel is simulated by using our recently developed lattice Boltzmann method. We first study the surfactant role on a droplet flowing through a microchannel with a shrunken square section under different surfactant concentrations and capillary numbers (i.e., imposed pressure gradients). As the surfactant concentration increases, the droplet flow regime first changes from the flow regime I of the droplet getting stuck at the entrance of the constricted channel to the flow regime II of the droplet flowing through the constricted channel with breakup, and then to the flow regime III of the droplet flowing through the constricted channel without breakup. As the capillary number increases, the surfactant role on the number of mother droplets breaking up and the time of mother droplets completely flowing through the constricted section tend to decrease, suggesting that the surfactant effects are gradually weakened. Then, a phase diagram describing how the surfactant concentration and capillary number affect the droplet flow regime is presented. As the surfactant concentration increases, the critical capillary number that distinguishes droplet flow regimes I from II gradually decreases, while the critical capillary number that distinguishes droplet flow regimes II from III first increases and then decreases.

Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury in rabbits evaluated with quantitative susceptibility mapping: an animal study.

Background: There were no effective noninvasive methods to diagnose renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), which is a major clinical problem. The objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of the quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) technique in evaluating the dynamic changes in the renal IRI process. Methods: A total of 36 New Zealand rabbits were randomly assigned to the IRI group (n=30) and the sham group (n=6). All rabbits underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination, including T2-weighted imaging and QSM before the operation (pre-IRI) and 1, 12, 24, and 48 h after the operation (IRI-1h, IRI-12h, IRI-24h, and IRI-48h, respectively). Regions of interest were manually delineated in the outer medulla. All specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). The pathological score of renal injury and the average optical density value of GPX4 were calculated. The repeated measurement analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Spearman correlation analysis were used to compare the differences between the susceptibility values and determine the correlation. Results: In the IRI group, the susceptibility values of the outer medulla at the pre-IRI, IRI-1h, IRI-12h, IRI-24h, and IRI-48h time points were (42.83±7.83)×10-3, (-5.33±6.28)×10-3, (6.50±3.94)×10-3, (12.00±3.74)×10-3, and (22.00±6.81)×10-3 ppm, respectively. The susceptibility values significantly differed among the different time points (P<0.001). The susceptibility values had a negative correlation with the scores of cell edema (ρ=-0.61; P=0.002) and the average optical density value of GPX4 (ρ=-0.70; P<0.001). The susceptibility values had a positive correlation with iron content (ρ=0.79; P<0.001), the scores of cell necrosis (ρ=0.71; P<0.001), interstitial inflammation (ρ=0.60; P=0.002), cast (ρ=0.75; P<0.001), and the total pathological score of renal injury (ρ=0.51; P=0.01). Conclusions: QSM can be used as a noninvasive method to assess the dynamic changes of the outer medulla in the early stage of renal IRI in rabbits.

Experimental evidence that cuckoos choose host nests following an egg matching strategy.

The arms race between brood parasites and their hosts provides a classic model to study coevolution. Hosts often reject the parasitic egg, and brood parasites should therefore select host nests in which the colour of the eggs best matches that of their own. Although this hypothesis has received some support, direct experimental evidence is still lacking. Here, we report on a study of Daurian redstarts, which show a distinct egg-colour dimorphism, with females laying either blue or pink eggs. Redstarts are often parasitized by common cuckoos, which lay light blue eggs. First, we showed that cuckoo eggs were more similar in spectral reflectance to the blue than to the pink redstart egg morph. Second, we report that the natural parasitism rate was higher in blue than in pink host clutches. Third, we performed a field experiment in which we presented a dummy clutch of each colour morph adjacent to active redstart nests. In this set-up, cuckoos almost always chose to parasitize a blue clutch. Our results demonstrate that cuckoos actively choose redstart nests in which the egg colour matches the colour of their own eggs. Our study thus provides direct experimental evidence in support of the egg matching hypothesis.

Brood parasitism risk drives birds to breed near humans.

Urbanization is transforming ecosystems at a global scale and at an increasing rate,1,2 and its profound consequences for wildlife have been well documented.3,4,5,6 Understanding how animals thrive in the urban environment and how this environment affects (co-)evolutionary processes remains an important challenge.7 Urban environments can provide resources such as food or nest sites (e.g., cavities)10,8,9 and also reduce exposure to predators.11,12 For some species, urban environments may also affect susceptibility to brood parasitism,13,14 but this has never been tested experimentally. Here, we use a combination of field observations and experimental manipulations to show that Daurian redstarts, Phoenicurus auroreus, a common host of the common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, nest in proximity to humans to avoid brood parasitism. First, redstarts were more likely to be parasitized with increasing distance to the nearest building. Second, redstarts adjusted their nesting location in response to a seasonally predictable change in the risk of brood parasitism. Third, experimentally simulating the presence of cuckoos during a period when they are naturally absent increased the likelihood that redstarts nested indoors or closer to human settlements. These findings suggest that redstarts actively choose to place their nest in the vicinity of a human residence as a defense against cuckoos. Our study exemplifies how animals take advantage of the urban environment by using it as a novel line of defense against detrimental interspecific interactions.

Behavioral laterality is correlated with problem-solving performance in a songbird.

Cerebral lateralization, which is often reflected in an individual's behavioral laterality (e.g., handedness and footedness), may bring animals certain benefits such as enhanced cognitive performance. Although the lateralization-cognition relationship has been widely studied in humans and other animals, current evidence supporting their relationship is ambiguous and warrants additional insights from more studies. Moreover, the lateralization-cognition relationship in non-human animals has been mostly studied in human-reared populations, and investigations of wild populations are particularly scarce. Here, we test the footedness of wild-caught male yellow-bellied tits (Pardaliparus venustulus) and investigate its association with their performance in learning to solve a toothpick-pulling problem and a drawer-opening problem. The tested birds showed an overall trend to gradually spent less time solving the problems, implying that they learned to solve the problems. Left- and right-footed individuals showed no significant differences in the latency to explore the experimental apparatuses and in the proportions that completed and did not complete the tasks. However, the left-footed individuals learned faster than the right-footed individuals in the drawer-opening experiment, indicating a potential cognitive advantage associated with left-footedness. These results contribute to the understanding of the behavioral differences between differently footed individuals and, in particular, the relationship between lateralization and cognitive ability in wild animals.

Value of T2 Mapping in the Dynamic Evaluation of Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of T2 mapping in the dynamic quantitative evaluation of renal ischemia- reperfusion injury (IRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight healthy New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into IRI group (n = 40) and control group (n = 8). Rabbits in the IRI group underwent left renal artery clamping for 60 minutes. Rabbits underwent MRI examinations (T2WI and T2 mapping) before and 1, 12, 24, and 48 hours after IRI. The inter-observer and intra-observer reproducibility of the T2 values were assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Correlations between the T2 value of the renal outer medulla and injury scores were assessed by Spearman correlation analysis. The repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare the differences in T2 values of the IRI and control group across the different time points. RESULTS: Both of the intra-observer (ICC = 0.97, 95% CI 0.95-0.99) and inter-observer reproducibility (ICC = 0.92, 95% CI 0.86-0.96) were excellent for T2 values. The T2 value of the renal outer medulla was moderately positive correlated with tubular epithelial edema (ρ = 0.686, p < 0.001). In IRI group, T2 values of the renal outer medulla were increase at 1 h after IRI (p = 0.001) and were decrease from 1 h to 12 h (p = 0.002). At 1 h after IRI, the T2 values of the renal outer medulla for the IRI group were higher than those for the control group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: T2 mapping can reflect the dynamic changes of renal parenchyma in an animal model of IRI and be used to assess the early renal IRI.

Evaluating the Histopathology of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma by Intravoxel Incoherent Motion-Diffusion Weighted Imaging Comparing With Diffusion-Weighted Imaging.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the differences between intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in evaluating the histopathological characters of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled 50 patients with PDAC confirmed by pathology from December 2018 to May 2020. All patients underwent DWI and IVIM-DWI before surgeries. Patients were classified into low- and high-fibrosis groups. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), diffusion coefficient (D), false diffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) were measured by two radiologists, respectively in GE AW 4.7 post-processing station, wherein ADC values were derived by mono-exponential fits and f, D, D* values were derived by biexponential fits. The tumor tissue was stained with Sirius red, CD34, and CK19 to evaluate fibrosis, microvascular density (MVD), and tumor cell density. Furthermore, the correlation between ADC, D, D*, and f values and histopathological results was analyzed. RESULTS: The D values were lower in the high-fibrosis group than in the low-fibrosis group, while the f values were opposite. Further, no statistically significant differences were detected in ADC and D* values between the high- and low-fibrosis groups. The AUC of D and f values had higher evaluation efficacy in the high- and low-fibrosis groups than ADC values. A significant negative correlation was established between D values, and fibrosis and a significant positive correlation were observed between f values and fibrosis. No statistical difference was detected between DWI/IVIM parameters values and MVD or tumor cell density except for the positive correlation between D* values and tumor cell density. CONCLUSIONS: D and f values derived from the IVIM model had higher sensitivity and diagnostic performance for grading fibrosis in PDAC compared to the conventional DWI model. IVIM-DWI may have the potential as an imaging biomarker for predicting the fibrosis grade of PDAC.

Host personality predicts cuckoo egg rejection in Daurian redstarts Phoenicurus auroreus.

In species that are subject to brood parasitism, individuals often vary in their responses to parasitic eggs, with some rejecting the eggs while others do not. While some factors, such as host age (breeding experience), the degree of egg matching and the level of perceived risk of brood parasitism have been shown to influence host decisions, much of the variation remains unexplained. The host personality hypothesis suggests that personality traits of the host influence its response to parasitic eggs, but few studies have tested this. We investigated the relationship between two personality traits (exploration and neophobia) and a physiological trait (breathing rate) of the host, and egg-rejection behaviour in a population of Daurian redstarts Phoenicurus auroreus in northeast China. We first show that exploratory behaviour and the response to a novel object are repeatable for individual females and strongly covary, indicating distinct personality types. We then show that fast-exploring and less neophobic hosts were more likely to reject parasitic eggs than slow-exploring and more neophobic hosts. Variation in breathing rate-a measure of the stress-response-did not affect rejection behaviour. Our results demonstrate that host personality, along the bold-shy continuum, predicts the responses to parasitic eggs in Daurian redstarts, with bold hosts being more likely to reject parasitic eggs.

Can R2 ' mapping evaluate hypoxia in renal ischemia reperfusion injury quantitatively? An experimental study.

PURPOSE: To explore if R2 ' mapping can assess renal hypoxia in rabbits with ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI). METHODS: Forty rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups according to the clipping time: the sham group and 45 min, 60 min, and 75 min for the mild, moderate, and severe groups (with n = 10 each group), respectively. Intravenous furosemide (FU) was administered 24 h after IRI. All rabbits were performed 5 times (IRIpre , IRI24h , FU5min , FU12min , and FU24min ) with a 3.0 Tesla MR. The R2 ' values and the hypoxic scores were then recorded. The repeated measurement analysis of variance and Spearman correlation analysis was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Compared to the baseline, the medullary R2 ' values increased significantly 24 h after the IRI (baseline 19.31 ± 1.21 s-1 , mild group 20.05 ± 1.26 s-1 , moderate group 25.38 ± 1.38 s-1 , and severe group 25.79 ± 1.10 s-1 ; each P < .001). FU led to a significant decrease in the medullary R2 ' value (sham group 11.17 ± 4.33 s-1 , mild group 7.80 ± 0.74 s-1 , moderate group 3.92 ± 0.28 s-1 , and severe group 3.82 ± 0.23 s-1 ; each P < .05). Quantitative hypoxic scores revealed significant differences among the 4 groups in the outer medulla (P < .001 each). The medullary R2 ' differences (before and after intravenous FU) were significantly correlated with the hypoxic scores, respectively (P < .001). CONCLUSION: R2 ' mapping can evaluate the renal hypoxia in the procession of IRI in rabbits and might serve as a quantitative biomarker for IRI.

Whole-liver histogram analysis of blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging in evaluating hepatic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: To explore whole-liver histogram analysis (HA) with blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-fMRI) in evaluating and diagnosing hepatic fibrosis (HF) in a CCl4-induced rabbit model. METHODS: One hundred rabbits were classified as CCl4-induced HF groups (n=80) and control group (n=20), and were scheduled for BOLD-fMRI examination on a 3.0T scanner. Whole-liver HA metrics, including the mean, median, skewness, kurtosis, inhomogeneity, entropy, and nth percentiles, were extracted from the R2* map. Parameters were compared among the different HF stages using receivers operating characteristic analysis and Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS: In all, 17, 18, 19, 17, and 15 rabbits were pathologically diagnosed as F0, F1, F2, F3, and F4, respectively. HA parameters, including the median, inhomogeneity, entropy, and the 75th and 90th percentiles of the BOLD R2* map, demonstrated significant positive correlations with the fibrosis stage (r=0.226-0.718, P≤0.039). The 75th percentiles demonstrated higher diagnostic efficacy than the other HA parameters in fibrosis staging, with an AUC value of 0.86 for ≥ F1, 0.87 for ≥ F2, 0.87 for ≥ F3, and 0.86 for ≥ F4. CONCLUSIONS: BOLD-fMRI HA provides increased diagnostic performance in staging HF, especially for the 75th percentiles.

Evaluation of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury by magnetic resonance imaging texture analysis: An experimental study.

PURPOSE: To explore the value of MRI texture analysis in evaluating the presence and severity of early renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). METHODS: Healthy New Zealand rabbits were used (IRI group, N = 54; control group, N = 8). Rabbits in the IRI group underwent left renal artery clamping for 60 minutes. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed before and at 1, 12, 24, and 48 hours after IRI. The relationship between MRI texture features and histopathology parameters was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficients. The diagnostic performance of texture features in kidney differentiation at different time points was assessed by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: T2 WI_S(3,-3)Inverse_Difference_Moment had the strongest correlation with brush border destruction, tubular epithelial edema, necrosis, and cast (r = 0.56, -0.58, 0.62, and 0.69, respectively; all P < .001). BOLD_S(4,-4)Correlation had the strongest correlation with interstitial inflammatory cell infiltration (r = 0.63, P < .001). SWI_S(4,4)Difference_Entropy had the strongest correlation with microvessel density (r = 0.61, P < .001). The areas under the curve for T2 WI_S(3,-3)Inverse_Difference_Moment, SWI_S(4,4)Difference_Entropy, and BOLD_S(4,-4)Correlation in kidney differentiation before IRI and that at 1 and 12 hours after reperfusion were 0.76, 0.72, and 0.70, respectively; the values before IRI and at 24 and 48 hours after reperfusion were 0.84, 0.81, and 0.69, respectively. The area under the curve for T2 WI_S(3,-3)Inverse_Difference_Moment in kidney differentiation at 1 and 12 hours after reperfusion and that at 24 and 48 hours after reperfusion was 0.66. CONCLUSION: Magnetic resonance imaging texture analysis can be used for evaluating the presence and severity of early renal IRI.

Value of Gd-EOB-DTPA-Enhanced MRI and Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Detecting Residual Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Drug-Eluting Bead Transarterial Chemoembolization.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the value of gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in diagnosing residual hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-two patients (50 men, 12 women; mean age, 56.8 ± 1.4 years) with 74 HCCs who underwent Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and DWI in 1-2-month intervals after DEB-TACE were retrospectively studied. Imaging features derived from Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and DWI were analyzed and compared between residual HCCs and necrotic tumors. The sensitivity and specificity of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and DWI with quantitative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in diagnosing residual HCCs were calculated and compared, based on the reference standard of pathology and/or angiography. RESULTS: Thirty-three residual HCCs and 41 necrotic tumors were diagnosed. Residual HCCs presented characteristics of arterial hypervascularity (90.91%) and DWI hyperintensity (78.78%), which were of importance in differentiating necrotic tumors (p< 0.05). DWI showed lower sensitivity (78.79% vs. 96.97%, p< 0.001) and specificity (78.05% vs. 100%, p< 0.001) than Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI in diagnosing residual HCCs after DEB-TACE. Residual HCCs had a significantly higher mean ADC value than necrotic tumors (1.30 ± 0.32 × 10-3 mm2/s vs. 1.55 ± 0.50 × 10-3 mm2/s, p< 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for identifying residual HCCs demonstrated that the threshold ADC value of 1.25 × 10-3 mm2/s had 84.85% sensitivity and 87.80% specificity. CONCLUSION: Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI is superior to DWI in diagnosing residual HCCs after DEB-TACE, and arterial hypervascularity and DWI hyperintensity are important imaging features in distinguishing residual HCCs from necrotic tumors.

The relationship between abnormal cortical activity in the anterior cingulate gyrus and cognitive dysfunction in patients with end- stage renal disease: a fMRI study on the amplitude of low- frequency fluctuations.

BACKGROUND: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients often have cognitive dysfunction. The abnormal changes in the brains of ESRD patients are difficult to detect with routine imaging examination. Cognitive performance scales are also not an ideal tool because assessments using these scales can be subjective and might be difficult to administer in some ESRD patients. Functional magnetic resonance has the advantages of non-radiation, multidirectional imaging, good repeatability. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and an amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) algorithm, this study characterized spontaneous brain activity and explored its relationship with cognitive function in ESRD patients. The aim of this study was to provide objective functional imaging evidence to reveal the pathophysiological mechanism of cognitive dysfunction in ESRD patients. METHODS: This study recruited 35 ESRD patients and 25 healthy controls (HC) who were matched to the ESRD group by age, sex, and years of education. All study subjects were examined by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and rs-fMRI. Data Processing & Analysis of Brain Imaging (DPABI) V4.3 software was used to preprocess the data to obtain ALFF maps. The ALFF value of the cingulate gyrus was compared between the ESRD and HC groups. Subsequently, the correlation between the ALFF value of the cingulate gyrus and the MoCA score was analyzed in ESRD patients. RESULTS: Compared with the HC group, the ESRD group had a significantly lower MoCA score (P<0.05). The ALFF values of the anterior and middle cingulate gyri were significantly lower in the ESRD patients (Gaussian random field (GRF) corrected, voxel-level significance: P<0.001, cluster-level significance: P<0.05). No increased ALFF was observed in any brain regions. The ALFF values of the bilateral anterior cingulate gyri were positively correlated with the MoCA scores (r=0.768, 0.625, GRF corrected, voxel-level significance: P<0.01, cluster-level significance: P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ESRD showed impaired spontaneous brain activity in the bilateral anterior and middle cingulate gyri, suggesting that ALFF of the anterior cingulate gyrus may be an imaging indicator of cognitive dysfunction in ESRD patients.

Footedness predicts escape performance in a passerine bird.

Behavioral lateralization, which is associated with the functional lateralization of the two brain hemispheres, commonly exists in animals and can provide an individual with benefits such as enhanced cognition and dual tasking. Lateral bias in limb use, as a type of behavioral lateralization, occur in many species, but the reasons for the coexistence of left- and right-biased individuals in a population remain poorly understood. We examined the footedness of male yellow-bellied tits (Pardaliparus venustulus) when they used feet to clamp mealworms against a perch, and tested its association with other fitness-related behavioral traits (i.e., feeding efficiency, exploration tendency, and escape performance). We expected differently footed individuals to have respective advantages in these behaviors and thereby coexist ("respective advantage" hypothesis). We found their footedness repeatable, and there was no population-level bias. While no associations of feeding efficiency and exploration tendency with footedness were detected, the right-footed individuals were found to be harder to catch than the other individuals. Future studies need to investigate the reasons for the right-footed individuals' superior escape performance. Moreover, the escape advantage for being right-footed and the lack of population-level bias in footedness in male yellow-bellied tits suggest that the benefits related to left footedness also remain to be explored.

Susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) for evaluating renal dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a preliminary study using SWI parameters and SWI-based texture features.

BACKGROUND: Susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) could reflect tissue blood oxygen levels, and then whether it could be used to evaluate renal injury remains to be further studied. This study aimed to examine the performance of SWI parameters and SWI-based texture features in evaluating renal dysfunction of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: Forty-five patients with T2DM were included. With the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), the patients were divided into non-moderate-severe renal injured group (non-msRI, eGFR >60 mL/min/1.73 m2) and moderate-severe renal injured group (msRI, eGFR ≤60 mL/min/1.73 m2). The 3 SWI parameters and 16 SWI-based texture features between non-msRI and msRI were compared. The correlation between the parameters and BUN, Scr was analyzed. RESULTS: The signal intensity ratio of the medulla to psoas muscle (MPswi) was significantly lower than the signal intensity ratio of the cortex to psoas muscle (CPswi) in non-msRI and msRI group (t=8.619, 3.483, respectively, P<0.05). MPswi was higher, and the signal intensity ratio of the cortex to the medulla (CMswi), Skewness, Correlation were lower in msRI than in non-msRI (P<0.05). These parameters showed similar diagnostic efficacies for msRI (P>0.05), and AUCs were 0.703-0.854. CMswi was an independent protective factor for msRI (OR =0.026, P=0.003). MPswi and CMswi were correlated with BUN (r=0.416, -0.545, P<0.05). CMswi and Correlation were correlated with Scr (r=-0.645, -0.411, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SWI was valuable for assessing renal dysfunction, which may be helpful for the evaluation of moderate-severe renal injured patients with T2DM.

A new solution model for cardiac medical image segmentation.

BACKGROUND: Calculation methods have a critical role in the precise sorting of medical images. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a widely used approach in the clinical centers and for other medical applications as it can disentangle optimization errors in attached spaces. In this work, a new model for image segmentation is proposed through an improved optimization algorithm. METHODS: A novel multi-objective algorithm was configured, named "multi-objective mathematical programming" (MOMP), based on the normalized normal constraint method (NNCM). In this model, the proposed algorithm was applied to evaluate the robustness of the suggested model through including the synthetic images of objects with various concavities and Gaussian noise. This model segments the individuals' heart and the left ventricle from data sets of sequentially evaluated tomography and magnetic resonance images. To objectively and quantifiably assess the presentation of the medical image segmentations based on regions outlined by experts and the graph cut method, a set of distance and resemblance metrics were implemented. RESULTS: The numerical results obtained in experimental test cases demonstrate the validity and superiority of the proposed model through better segmentation accuracy and stability. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that the proposed MOMP method can outperform all traditional models in terms of segmentation accuracy and stability, and is thus appropriate for use in medical imaging.