[Research Progress of Magnetic Resonance Imaging-based Radiomics in Prostate Cancer].

Radiomics can extract high-throughput and quantitative image features from medical images and mine the information related to the pathophysiology of tumors,which can help clinical decision-making and improve the diagnostic and predictive performance.Radiomics has been widely used in the study of prostate cancer (PCa),demonstrating application values in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis,pathology classification,invasion assessment,efficacy prediction,and prognosis analysis of PCa.Here we reviewed the recent research progress of magnetic resonance imaging-based radiomics in PCa.

A reappraisal of adult thoracic and abdominal surface anatomy via CT scan in Chinese population.

Accurate surface anatomy is essential for safe clinical practice. There are numerous inconsistencies in clinically important surface markings among and within contemporary anatomical reference texts. The aim of this study was to investigate key thoracic and abdominal surface anatomy landmarks in living Chinese adults using computed tomography (CT). A total of 100 thoracic and 100 abdominal CT scans were examined. Our results indicated that the following key surface landmarks differed from current commonly-accepted descriptions: the positions of the tracheal bifurcation, azygos vein termination, and pulmonary trunk bifurcation (all below the plane of the sternal angle at vertebral level T5-T6 in most individuals); the superior vena cava formation and junction with the right atrium (most often behind the 1st and 4th intercostal spaces, respectively); and the level at which the inferior vena cava and esophagus traverse the diaphragm (T10 and T11, respectively). The renal arteries were most commonly at L1; the midpoint of the renal hila was most frequently at L2; the 11th rib was posterior to the left kidney in only 29% of scans; and the spleen was most frequently located between the 10th and 12th ribs. A number of significant sex- and age-related differences were noted. The Chinese population was also compared with western populations on the basis of published reports. Reappraisal of surface anatomy using modern imaging tools in vivo will provide both quantitative and qualitative evidence to facilitate the clinical application of these key surface landmarks.

[Pathogenesis of dry age-related macular degeneration: updates].

Dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the major causes of blindness in the elderly population and it is the consequence of interactions of multiple factors. Although the pathogenesis of dry AMD hasn't been fully elucidated, much progress has been made in the genetics, inflammation, oxidative stress, aging of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells and metabolic changes. Identification of dry AMD related genes and predisposing loci facilitates the development of risk evaluation of dry AMD. Presence of ß-amyloid in the drusen implies similarities between AMD and other degenerative diseases. Dysfunction of complement system, discovery of Nod-like receptor family containing pyrin domain 3 inflammasome and the concept of parainflammation reinforce the role of inflammation. Oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and decreased autophagy capacity, which are related to aging of RPE cells, demonstrate the critical role of it and metabolic changes in the pathogenesis.

Awareness of Age-related Macular Degeneration and Its Risk Factors among Beijing Residents in China.

BACKGROUND: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of irreversible blindness, and awareness of this disease is important in the prevention of blindness. However, lack of public awareness of AMD was shown in previous studies, and there was no report of AMD awareness in the Mainland of China. Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess the awareness of AMD and its risk factors among Beijing residents in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional, computer-assisted, telephone investigation was conducted to measure the awareness of AMD among Beijing residents. All the contacts of potential respondents were randomly generated by computer. Only those above 18 years of age and willing to participate in the study were included. The questionnaire for the study was modified from the AMD Alliance International Global Report. Pearson's Chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to identify the factors that affected the knowledge of AMD. RESULTS: Among 385 Beijing residents who agreed to participate, the awareness of AMD was 6.8%, far below than that of cataract and glaucoma. Participants who were above 30 years of age (odds ratio [OR] 6.17, confidence interval [CI] 1.44-26.57), with experience of health-related work (OR 8.11, CI 3.25-20.27), and whose relatives/friends or themselves suffering from AMD (OR 32.18, CI 11.29-91.68) had better AMD awareness. Among those familiar with AMD, only 35% of them identified smoking as a risk factor, and only 23.1% of the residents believed that smoking could lead to blindness. CONCLUSIONS: The sample of Chinese population had limited knowledge of AMD. Educational programs need to be carried out to raise public awareness of AMD.