Multislice spiral CT images combined with CEA and lymphocyte-to-neutrophil ratio predict recurrence and post-operative metastasis of rectal cancer.

To explore the early predictors of post-operative recurrence and metastasis of rectal cancer, analyse the associated risk, and construct a model. Retrospective collection. Four hundred patients with rectal cancer underwent surgical resection and pathological diagnosis from September 2013 to September 2014. During the post-operative period, the patients were tested by imaging examination, serum tumour markers, and routine blood follow-up for at least 3 years. Preoperative CT examination of tumour size, lymphocyte-to-neutrophil ratio, and CEA were significant biomarkers for predicting recurrence and/or metastasis of post-operative rectal cancer. The stratified threshold of the lesion size cut-off point in CT images of patients with rectal cancer was 18.75 cm3, the cut-off point value of the lymphocyte-to-neutrophil ratio was 0.33, and the CEA cut-off point value was 16.97 ng/ml. We used the cut-off point to perform stratified survival analysis to obtain two K-M curves and conduct a log-rank test. The Cox multivariate risk regression results were as follows: preoperative CT images of lesion size, lymphocyte-to-neutrophil ratio, and CEA. The AUC of the normogram model for the prediction of post-operative recurrence and metastasis of rectal cancer is 0.939. Preoperative CT examination of tumour size can predict post-operative recurrence and metastasis of rectal cancer and can be used to analyse its risk. The lymphocyte-to-neutrophil ratio and CEA can also predict post-operative tumour recurrence and metastasis risk.

Diagnostic accuracy of glioma pseudoprogression identification with positron emission tomography imaging: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is a promising molecular neuroimaging technique and has been proposed as one of the criteria for glioma management. However, there is some controversy concerning the diagnostic accuracy of PET using different radiotracers to differentiate between glioma pseudoprogression (PsP) and true progression (TPR). The purpose of this meta-analysis was to systematically evaluate the methodological quality and clinical value of original studies for distinguishing PsP from TPR in glioma. Methods: The Medline, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception until September 1, 2022. Retrieved clinical studies only investigated the PsP cases but did not include the cases of radiation necrosis or other treatment-related changes. Eligible studies were screened for data extraction and evaluated by 2 independent reviewers using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 (QUADAS-2) tool. A random effects model was used to describe summary receiver operating characteristics. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were applied to identify any sources of heterogeneity. Results: The meta-analysis included 20 studies, comprising 317 (30.9%) patients with PsP and 708 (69.1%) with TPR. The summary sensitivity and specificity of general PET for identifying PsP were 0.86 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.77-0.91] and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.79-0.88), respectively. The statistical heterogeneity was explained by sample size, study design, World Health Organization (WHO) grade, gold standard, and radiotracer type. The summary sensitivity and specificity of O-(2-18F-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine (18F-FET PET) were 0.80 (95% CI: 0.68-0.88) and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.75-0.85), respectively. The maximum tumor-to-brain ratio (TBRmax) and the mean tumor-to-brain ratio (TBRmean) both showed excellent diagnostic performance in 18F-FET studies, the summary sensitivity was 0.83 (95% CI: 0.72-0.91) and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.65-0.98), respectively, and the specificity was 0.76 (95% CI: 0.68-0.84) and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.64-0.88), respectively. Conclusions: PET imaging is generally accurate in identifying glioma PsP. Considering the credibility of meta-evidence and the practicability of using radiotracer, 18F-FET PET holds the highest clinical value, while TBRmax and TBRmean should be regarded as reliable parameters. PET used with the radiotracers and multiple-parameter combinations of PET with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and radiomics analysis have broad research and application prospects, whose diagnostic values for identifying glioma PsP warrant further investigation.

Low intensity pulsed ultrasound ameliorates Adriamycin-induced chronic renal injury by inhibiting ferroptosis.

OBJECTIVE: It is very important to develop a new therapeutic strategy to cope with the increasing morbidity and mortality of chronic kidney disease (CKD). As a kind of physical therapy, low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has remarkable anti-inflammatory and repair-promoting effects and is expected to become a new therapeutic method for CKD. This study aims to clarify the treatment effect of LIPUS on CKD-related renal inflammation and fibrosis, and to further explore the potential signal network of LIPUS treatment for ameliorating chronic renal injury. METHODS: A rat model simulating the progress of CKD was established by twice tail-vein injection of Adriamycin (ADR). Under anesthesia, bilateral kidneys of CKD rats were continuously stimulated by LIPUS for four weeks. The parameters of LIPUS were 1.0 MHz, 60 mW/cm2, 50% duty cycle and 20 min/d. RESULTS: LIPUS treatment effectively inhibited ADR-induced renal inflammation and fibrosis, and improved CKD-related to oxidative stress and ferroptosis. In addition, the therapeutic effect of LIPUS is closely related to the regulation of TGF-ß1/Smad and Nrf2/keap1/HO-1 signalling pathways. DISCUSSION: This study provides a new direction for further mechanism research and lays an important foundation for clinical trials.

Peripheral nerve repair: monitoring by using gadofluorine M-enhanced MR imaging with chitosan nerve conduits with cultured mesenchymal stem cells in rat model of neurotmesis.

PURPOSE: To observe the longitudinal changes of nerve repair in rats after tissue-engineered construct implantation at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and to determine whether the enhanced nerve regeneration with use of tissue-engineered constructs could be monitored with gadofluorine M-enhanced MR imaging or nerve T2 relaxation time measurement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All experimental protocols were approved by the institutional Animal Use and Care Committee. Tissue-engineered constructs were prepared by seeding mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into chitosan nerve tubes. Thirty-six rats with sciatic nerve transection injury underwent nerve tube implantation with (n = 18) or without (n = 18) MSC seeding. Sequential T2 measurement, gadofluorine M-enhanced MR imaging, and sciatic function index measurement were performed over an 8-week follow-up period, with histologic assessments performed at regular intervals. T2 relaxation times and signal intensity at gadofluorine M-enhanced T1-weighted imaging were measured and were compared by using repeated-measures analysis of variance followed by the Student-Neuman-Keuls post-hoc test for multiple pairwise comparisons. RESULTS: Nerve T2 relaxation times and gadofluorine M enhancement, as well as functional changes, showed a similar time course. Nerves implanted with MSC-seeded tubes achieved slightly better functional recovery and enhanced nerve regeneration while showing a slower return to baseline T2 relaxation time and a more rapid decline in gadofluorine M enhancement compared with nerves implanted with chitosan tubes alone. T2 values of the distal portion of transected nerves showed a more rapid return to baseline level than did gadofluorine M enhancement. CONCLUSION: Peripheral nerve repair with use of tissue-engineered constructs can be monitored by using gadofluorine M-enhanced MR imaging and T2 relaxation time measurements. T2 relaxation time seems more sensitive than gadofluorine M-enhanced MR imaging for detecting nerve regeneration.

Brain structure analysis of different age groups of Diannan small-ear pigs.

The objective of the study is to investigate the brain development and atrophy of Diannan small-ear pigs in different ages using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A total of 12 Diannan small-ear pigs were included and divided into the young group, adult group, and middle-and-old age (M&O) group according to their age. The brain structure of pigs was scanned using MRI, and the brain data obtained were statistically analyzed by signal conversion and image reconstruction. Compared with the young group, the signals of most brain structures in the adult group and M&O group were significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Compared with the adult group, the signal intensity of the right caudate nucleus and the right lateral ventricle in the M&O group was significantly increased, while the signal intensity of other regions was almost significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Compared with the young group, both adult and M&O groups had some degree of brain atrophy. Brain atrophy in the precuneus and the inferior temporal gyrus was more predominant in the M&O group in comparison with the adult group. The present study demonstrated that the brain signal of Diannan small-ear pigs gradually diminished with age, while the degree of brain atrophy was the opposite, providing the basic data on the brain of Diannan small-ear pigs.