Deep learning-based whole-body characterization of prostate cancer lesions on [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT in patients with post-prostatectomy recurrence.

PURPOSE: The automatic segmentation and detection of prostate cancer (PC) lesions throughout the body are extremely challenging due to the lesions' complexity and variability in appearance, shape, and location. In this study, we investigated the performance of a three-dimensional (3D) convolutional neural network (CNN) to automatically characterize metastatic lesions throughout the body in a dataset of PC patients with recurrence after radical prostatectomy. METHODS: We retrospectively collected [68 Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT images from 116 patients with metastatic PC at two centers: center 1 provided the data for fivefold cross validation (n = 78) and internal testing (n = 19), and center 2 provided the data for external testing (n = 19). PET and CT data were jointly input into a 3D U-Net to achieve whole-body segmentation and detection of PC lesions. The performance in both the segmentation and the detection of lesions throughout the body was evaluated using established metrics, including the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) for segmentation and the recall, precision, and F1-score for detection. The correlation and consistency between tumor burdens (PSMA-TV and TL-PSMA) calculated from automatic segmentation and artificial ground truth were assessed by linear regression and Bland‒Altman plots. RESULTS: On the internal test set, the DSC, precision, recall, and F1-score values were 0.631, 0.961, 0.721, and 0.824, respectively. On the external test set, the corresponding values were 0.596, 0.888, 0.792, and 0.837, respectively. Our approach outperformed previous studies in segmenting and detecting metastatic lesions throughout the body. Tumor burden indicators derived from deep learning and ground truth showed strong correlation (R2 ≥ 0.991, all P < 0.05) and consistency. CONCLUSION: Our 3D CNN accurately characterizes whole-body tumors in relapsed PC patients; its results are highly consistent with those of manual contouring. This automatic method is expected to improve work efficiency and to aid in the assessment of tumor burden.

Preoperative Subtyping of WHO Grade 1 Meningiomas Using a Single-Shot Ultrafast MR T2 Mapping.

BACKGROUND: Meningioma subtype is crucial in treatment planning and prognosis delineation, for grade 1 meningiomas. T2 relaxometry could provide detailed microscopic information but is often limited by long scanning times. PURPOSE: To investigate the potential of T2 maps derived from multiple overlapping-echo detachment imaging (MOLED) for predicting meningioma subtypes and Ki-67 index, and to compare the diagnostic efficiency of two different region-of-interest (ROI) placements (whole-tumor and contrast-enhanced, respectively). STUDY TYPE: Prospective. PHANTOM/SUBJECTS: A phantom containing 11 tubes of MnCl2 at different concentrations, eight healthy volunteers, and 75 patients with grade 1 meningioma. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3 T scanner. MOLED, T2-weighted spin-echo sequence, T2-dark-fluid sequence, and postcontrast T1-weighted gradient echo sequence. ASSESSMENT: Two ROIs were delineated: the whole-tumor area (ROI1) and contrast-enhanced area (ROI2). Histogram parameters were extracted from T2 maps. Meningioma subtypes and Ki-67 index were reviewed by a neuropathologist according to the 2021 classification criteria. STATISTICAL TESTS: Linear regression, Bland-Altman analysis, Pearson's correlation analysis, independent t test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test with Bonferroni correction, and multivariate logistic regression analysis with the P-value significance level of 0.05. RESULTS: The MOLED T2 sequence demonstrated excellent accuracy for phantoms and volunteers (Meandiff = -1.29%, SDdiff = 1.25% and Meandiff = 0.36%, SDdiff = 2.70%, respectively), and good repeatability for volunteers (average coefficient of variance = 1.13%; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.877). For both ROI1 and ROI2, T2 variance had the highest area under the curves (area under the ROC curve = 0.768 and 0.761, respectively) for meningioma subtyping. There was no significant difference between the two ROIs (P = 0.875). Significant correlations were observed between T2 parameters and Ki-67 index (r = 0.237-0.374). DATA CONCLUSION: MOLED T2 maps can effectively differentiate between meningothelial, fibrous, and transitional meningiomas. Moreover, T2 histogram parameters were significantly correlated with the Ki-67 index. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

OsCOL5 suppresses heading through modulation of Ghd7 and Ehd2, enhancing rice yield.

KEY MESSAGE: OsCOL5, an ortholog of Arabidopsis COL5, is involved in photoperiodic flowering and enhances rice yield through modulation of Ghd7 and Ehd2 and interactions with OsELF3-1 and OsELF3-2. Heading date, also known as flowering time, plays a crucial role in determining the adaptability and yield potential of rice (Oryza sativa L.). CONSTANS (CO)-like is one of the most critical flowering-associated gene families, members of which are evolutionarily conserved. Here, we report the molecular functional characterization of OsCOL5, an ortholog of Arabidopsis COL5, which is involved in photoperiodic flowering and influences rice yield. Structural analysis revealed that OsCOL5 is a typical member of CO-like family, containing two B-box domains and one CCT domain. Rice plants overexpressing OsCOL5 showed delayed heading and increases in plant height, main spike number, total grain number per plant, and yield per plant under both long-day (LD) and short-day (SD) conditions. Gene expression analysis indicated that OsCOL5 was primarily expressed in the leaves and stems with a diurnal rhythm expression pattern. RT-qPCR analysis of heading date genes showed that OsCOL5 suppressed flowering by up-regulating Ghd7 and down-regulating Ehd2, consequently reducing the expression of Ehd1, Hd3a, RFT1, OsMADS14, and OsMADS15. Yeast two-hybrid experiments showed direct interactions of OsCOL5 with OsELF3-1 and OsELF3-2. Further verification showed specific interactions between the zinc finger/B-box domain of OsCOL5 and the middle region of OsELF3-1 and OsELF3-2. Yeast one-hybrid assays revealed that OsCOL5 may bind to the CCACA motif. The results suggest that OsCOL5 functions as a floral repressor, playing a vital role in rice's photoperiodic flowering regulation. This gene shows potential in breeding programs aimed at improving rice yield by influencing the timing of flowering, which directly impacts crop productivity.

A colorimetric sensing strategy based on chitosan-stabilized platinum nanoparticles for quick detection of α-glucosidase activity and inhibitor screening.

α-Glucosidase (α-Glu) is implicated in the progression and pathogenesis of type II diabetes (T2D). In this study, we developed a rapid colorimetric technique using platinum nanoparticles stabilized by chitosan (Ch-PtNPs) to detect α-Glu activity and its inhibitor. The Ch-PtNPs facilitate the conversion of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) into oxidized TMB (oxTMB) in the presence of dissolved O2. The catalytic hydrolysis of 2-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid (AA-2G) by α-Glu produces ascorbic acid (AA), which reduces oxTMB to TMB, leading to the fading of the blue color. However, the presence of α-Glu inhibitors (AGIs) hinders the generation of AA, allowing Ch-PtNPs to re-oxidize colorless TMB back to blue oxTMB. This unique phenomenon enables the colorimetric detection of α-Glu activity and AGIs. The linear range for α-Glu was found to be 0.1-1.0 U mL-1 and the detection limit was 0.026 U mL-1. Additionally, the half-maximal inhibition value (IC50) for acarbose, an α-Glu inhibitor, was calculated to be 0.4769 mM. Excitingly, this sensing platform successfully detected α-Glu activity in human serum samples and effectively screened AGIs. These promising findings highlight the potential application of the proposed strategy in clinical diabetes diagnosis and drug discovery.

Rapid high-fidelity T 2 * mapping using single-shot overlapping-echo acquisition and deep learning reconstruction.

PURPOSE: To develop and evaluate a single-shot quantitative MRI technique called GRE-MOLED (gradient-echo multiple overlapping-echo detachment) for rapid T 2 * $$ {T}_2^{\ast } $$ mapping. METHODS: In GRE-MOLED, multiple echoes with different TEs are generated and captured in a single shot of the k-space through MOLED encoding and EPI readout. A deep neural network, trained by synthetic data, was employed for end-to-end parametric mapping from overlapping-echo signals. GRE-MOLED uses pure GRE acquisition with a single echo train to deliver T 2 * $$ {T}_2^{\ast } $$ maps less than 90 ms per slice. The self-registered B0 information modulated in image phase was utilized for distortion-corrected parametric mapping. The proposed method was evaluated in phantoms, healthy volunteers, and task-based FMRI experiments. RESULTS: The quantitative results of GRE-MOLED T 2 * $$ {T}_2^{\ast } $$ mapping demonstrated good agreement with those obtained from the multi-echo GRE method (Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.991 and 0.973 for phantom and in vivo brains, respectively). High intrasubject repeatability (coefficient of variation <1.0%) were also achieved in scan-rescan test. Enabled by deep learning reconstruction, GRE-MOLED showed excellent robustness to geometric distortion, noise, and random subject motion. Compared to the conventional FMRI approach, GRE-MOLED also achieved a higher temporal SNR and BOLD sensitivity in task-based FMRI. CONCLUSION: GRE-MOLED is a new real-time technique for T 2 * $$ {T}_2^{\ast } $$ quantification with high efficiency and quality, and it has the potential to be a better quantitative BOLD detection method.

Molecular imaging of fibroblast activity in pressure overload heart failure using [68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT.

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate whether [68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT could characterize the early stages of cardiac fibrosis in pressure overload heart failure. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats underwent abdominal aortic constriction (AAC) (n = 12) and sham surgery (n = 10). All rats were scanned with [68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT at 2, 4, and 8 weeks after surgery. The expression of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) in the myocardium was detected by immunohistochemistry. [68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 PET signal and FAP expression were compared between two groups. RESULTS: Compared with the sham group, the AAC group presented with decreased ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS) and increased left ventricular internal dimensions in diastole (LVIDd) and systole (LVIDs) at 4 and 8 weeks (all p < 0.01). The AAC group showed higher [68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 accumulation in the heart than the sham group at 2, 4, and 8 weeks, and FAPI increased significantly from 2 to 8 weeks (all p < 0.001). Immunohistochemistry confirmed the higher density of the FAP+ area in the AAC group. The intensity of the [68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 correlated with the density of the FAP+ area (p < 0.001). The expression of the [68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 at 4 weeks correlated with the deterioration of cardiac function at 8 weeks (EF: R = - 0.87; FS: R = - 0.72; LVIDd: R = 0.77; LVIDs: R = 0.79; all p < 0.001). The AAC group also showed an increased [68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 signal in the liver, peaking at 4 weeks and then declining. Cardiac and liver PET signals correlated at 4 weeks in the AAC group (R = 0.69, p = 0.0010), suggesting an early fibrotic link between organs. A combination of the [68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 intensity in the heart and liver at 4 weeks better predicted the deterioration of cardiac function at 8 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: The activated fibroblasts in the heart and liver after pressure overload can be monitored by [68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT, which reveals an early fibrotic link in cardio-liver interactions and could better predict nonischemic heart failure prognosis.

Free-breathing and instantaneous abdominal T2 mapping via single-shot multiple overlapping-echo acquisition and deep learning reconstruction.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a real-time abdominal T2 mapping method without requiring breath-holding or respiratory-gating. METHODS: The single-shot multiple overlapping-echo detachment (MOLED) pulse sequence was employed to achieve free-breathing T2 mapping of the abdomen. Deep learning was used to untangle the non-linear relationship between the MOLED signal and T2 mapping. A synthetic data generation flow based on Bloch simulation, modality synthesis, and randomization was proposed to overcome the inadequacy of real-world training set. RESULTS: The results from simulation and in vivo experiments demonstrated that our method could deliver high-quality T2 mapping. The average NMSE and R2 values of linear regression in the digital phantom experiments were 0.0178 and 0.9751. Pearson's correlation coefficient between our predicted T2 and reference T2 in the phantom experiments was 0.9996. In the measurements for the patients, real-time capture of the T2 value changes of various abdominal organs before and after contrast agent injection was realized. A total of 33 focal liver lesions were detected in the group, and the mean and standard deviation of T2 values were 141.1 ± 50.0 ms for benign and 63.3 ± 16.0 ms for malignant lesions. The coefficients of variance in a test-retest experiment were 2.9%, 1.2%, 0.9%, 3.1%, and 1.8% for the liver, kidney, gallbladder, spleen, and skeletal muscle, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Free-breathing abdominal T2 mapping is achieved in about 100 ms on a clinical MRI scanner. The work paved the way for the development of real-time dynamic T2 mapping in the abdomen. KEY POINTS: • MOLED achieves free-breathing abdominal T2 mapping in about 100 ms, enabling real-time capture of T2 value changes due to CA injection in abdominal organs. • Synthetic data generation flow mitigates the issue of lack of sizable abdominal training datasets.

Head-to-head comparison of prostate-specific membrane antigen PET and multiparametric MRI in the diagnosis of pretreatment patients with prostate cancer: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To compare prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET with multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) in the diagnosis of pretreatment prostate cancer (PCa). METHODS: Pubmed, Embase, Medline, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched for eligible studies published before June 22, 2022. We assessed risk of bias and applicability by using QUADAS-2 tool. Data synthesis was performed with Stata 17.0 software, using the "midas" and "meqrlogit" packages. RESULTS: We included 29 articles focusing on primary cancer detection, 18 articles about primary staging, and two articles containing them both. For PSMA PET versus mpMRI in primary PCa detection, sensitivities and specificities in the per-patient analysis were 0.90 and 0.84 (p<0.0001), and 0.66 and 0.60 (p <0.0001), and in the per-lesion analysis they were 0.79 and 0.78 (p <0.0001), and 0.84 and 0.82 (p <0.0001). For the per-patient analysis of PSMA PET versus mpMRI in primary staging, sensitivities and specificities in extracapsular extension detection were 0.59 and 0.66 (p =0.005), and 0.79 and 0.76 (p =0.0074), and in seminal vesicle infiltration (SVI) detection they were 0.51 and 0.60 (p =0.0008), and 0.93 and 0.96 (p =0.0092). For PSMA PET versus mpMRI in lymph node metastasis (LNM) detection, sensitivities and specificities in the per-patient analysis were 0.68 and 0.46 (p <0.0001), and 0.91 and 0.90 (p =0.81), and in the per-lesion analysis they were 0.67 and 0.36 (p <0.0001), and 0.99 and 0.99 (p =0.18). CONCLUSION: PSMA PET has higher diagnostic value than mpMRI in the detection of primary PCa. Regarding the primary staging, mpMRI has potential advantages in SVI detection, while PSMA PET has relative advantages in LNM detection. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: The integration of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET into the diagnostic pathway may be helpful for improving the accuracy of prostate cancer detection. However, further studies are needed to address the cost implications and evaluate its utility in specific patient populations or clinical scenarios. Moreover, we recommend the combination of PSMA PET and mpMRI for cancer staging. KEY POINTS: • Prostate-specific membrane antigen PET has higher sensitivity and specificity for primary tumor detection in prostate cancer compared to multiparametric MRI. • Prostate-specific membrane antigen PET also has significantly better sensitivity and specificity for lymph node metastases of prostate cancer compared to multiparametric MRI. • Multiparametric MRI has better accuracy for extracapsular extension and seminal vesicle infiltration compared to ate-specific membrane antigen PET.

Genome-wide association study of eigenvectors provides genetic insights into selective breeding for tomato metabolites.

BACKGROUND: Long-term domestication and intensive breeding of crop plants aim to establish traits desirable for human needs, and characteristics related to yield, disease resistance, and postharvest storage have traditionally received considerable attention. These processes have led also to negative consequences, as is the case of loss of variants controlling fruit quality, for instance in tomato. Tomato fruit quality is directly associated to metabolite content profiles; however, a full understanding of the genetics affecting metabolite content during tomato domestication and improvement has not been reached due to limitations of the single detection methods previously employed. Here, we aim to reach a broad understanding of changes in metabolite content using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) with eigenvector decomposition (EigenGWAS) on tomato accessions. RESULTS: An EigenGWAS was performed on 331 tomato accessions using the first eigenvector generated from the genomic data as a "phenotype" to understand the changes in fruit metabolite content during breeding. Two independent gene sets were identified that affected fruit metabolites during domestication and improvement in consumer-preferred tomatoes. Furthermore, 57 candidate genes related to polyphenol and polyamine biosynthesis were discovered, and a major candidate gene chlorogenate: glucarate caffeoyltransferase (SlCGT) was identified, which affected the quality and diseases resistance of tomato fruit, revealing the domestication mechanism of polyphenols. CONCLUSIONS: We identified gene sets that contributed to consumer liking during domestication and improvement of tomato. Our study reports novel evidence of selective sweeps and key metabolites controlled by multiple genes, increasing our understanding of the mechanisms of metabolites variation during those processes. It also supports a polygenic selection model for the application of tomato breeding.

Genome-wide association analysis reveals a novel QTL CsPC1 for pericarp color in cucumber.

BACKGROUND: Cucumber is an important melon crop in the world, with different pericarp colors. However, the candidate genes and the underlying genetic mechanism for such an important trait in cucumber are unknown. In this study, a locus controlling pericarp color was found on chromosome 3 of cucumber genome. RESULTS: In this study, the light green inbred line G35 and the dark green inbred line Q51 were crossed to produce one F2 population. Consequently, we identified a major locus CsPC1 (Pericarp color 1). Next, we mapped the CsPC1 locus to a 94-kb region chromosome 3 which contains 15 genes. Among these genes, Csa3G912920, which encodes a GATA transcription factor, was expressed at a higher level in the pericarp of the NIL-1334 line (with light-green pericarp) than in that of the NIL-1325 line (with dark-green pericarp). This study provides a new allele for the improvement of cucumber pericarp color. CONCLUSION: A major QTL that controls pericarp color in cucumber, CsPC1, was identified in a 94-kb region that harbors the strong candidate gene CsGATA1.

Single-shot multi-parametric mapping based on multiple overlapping-echo detachment (MOLED) imaging.

Multi-parametric quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (mqMRI) allows the characterization of multiple tissue properties non-invasively and has shown great potential to enhance the sensitivity of MRI measurements. However, real-time mqMRI during dynamic physiological processes or general motions remains challenging. To overcome this bottleneck, we propose a novel mqMRI technique based on multiple overlapping-echo detachment (MOLED) imaging, termed MQMOLED, to enable mqMRI in a single shot. In the data acquisition of MQMOLED, multiple MR echo signals with different multi-parametric weightings and phase modulations are generated and acquired in the same k-space. The k-space data is Fourier transformed and fed into a well-trained neural network for the reconstruction of multi-parametric maps. We demonstrated the accuracy and repeatability of MQMOLED in simultaneous mapping apparent proton density (APD) and any two parameters among T2, T2*, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in 130-170 ms. The abundant information delivered by the multiple overlapping-echo signals in MQMOLED makes the technique potentially robust to system imperfections, such as inhomogeneity of static magnetic field or radiofrequency field. Benefitting from the single-shot feature, MQMOLED exhibits a strong motion tolerance to the continuous movements of subjects. For the first time, it captured the synchronous changes of ADC, T2, and T1-weighted APD in contrast-enhanced perfusion imaging on patients with brain tumors, providing additional information about vascular density to the hemodynamic parametric maps. We expect that MQMOLED would promote the development of mqMRI technology and greatly benefit the applications of mqMRI, including therapeutics and analysis of metabolic/functional processes.

Molecular imaging on ACE2-dependent transocular infection of coronavirus.

A transocular infection has been proved as one of the main approaches that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) invades the body, and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) plays a key role in this procedure. Dynamic and quantitative details on virus distribution are lacking for virus prevention and drug design. In this study, a radiotraceable pseudovirus packed with an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene, 125 I-CoV, was prepared and inoculated in the unilateral eye of humanized ACE2 (hACE2) mice or ACE2-knockout (ACE2-KO) mice. Single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography images were acquired at multiple time points to exhibit ACE2-dependent procedures from invasion to clearance. Positron emission tomography (PET) and western blot were performed to quantify ACE2 expression and verify the factors affecting transocular infection. For the transocular infection of coronavirus (CoV), the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), lungs, intestines, and genital glands were the main targeted organs. Due to the specific anchor to ACE2-expressed host cells, virus concentrations in genital glands, liver, and lungs ranked the top three most and stabilized at 3.75 ± 0.55, 3.30 ± 0.25, and 2.10 ± 0.55% inoculated dose (ID)/mL at 48 h post treatment. Meanwhile, ACE2-KO mice had already completed the in vivo clearance. In consideration of organ volumes, lungs (14.50 ± 3.75%ID) and liver (10.94 ± 0.71%ID) were the main in-store reservoirs of CoV. However, the inoculated eye (5.52 ± 1.85%ID for hACE2, 5.24 ± 1.45%ID for ACE2-KO, p > 0.05) and the adjacent brain exhibited ACE2-independent virus infection at the end of 72 h observation, and absolute amount of virus played a key role in host cell infection. These observations on CoV infection were further manifested by infection-driven intracellular EGFP expression. ACE2 PET revealed an infection-related systematic upregulation of ACE2 expression in the organs involved in RAAS (e.g., brain, lung, heart, liver, and kidney) and the organ that was of own local renin-angiotensin system (e.g., eye). Transocular infection of CoV is ACE2-dependent and constitutes the cause of disturbed ACE2 expression in the host. The brain, genital glands, and intestines were of the highest unit uptake, potentially accounting for the sequelae. Lungs and liver were of the highest absolute amount, closely related to the respiratory diffusion and in vivo duplication. ACE2 expression was upregulated in the short term after infection with CoV. These visual and quantitative results are helpful to fully understanding the transocular path of SARS-CoV-2 and other CoVs.

Comparison of the diagnostic efficacy of 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET/MR and 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with pancreatic cancer.

PURPOSE: We sought to assess the performance of 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET/MR for the diagnosis of primary tumours as well as metastatic lesions in patients with pancreatic cancer and to compare the results with those of 18F-FDG PET/CT. METHODS: Prospectively, we evaluated 33 patients suspected to have pancreatic adenocarcinoma, of whom thirty-two were confirmed by histopathology, and one had autoimmune pancreatitis confirmed by needle biopsy and glucocorticoid treatment. Within 1 week, each patient underwent both 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET/MR and 18F-FDG PET/CT. Comparisons of the detection abilities for primary tumours, lymph nodes, and metastases were conducted for the two imaging approaches. The original maximum standard uptake values (SUVmax) and normalised SUVmax (SUVmax/SUVbkgd) of paired lesions on 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET/MR and 18F-FDG PET/CT were measured and compared. RESULTS: Thirty pancreatic cancer patients and three pancreatitis patients were enrolled. 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET/MR and 18F-FDG PET/CT exhibited equivalent (100%) detection rates for primary tumours. The original/normalised SUVmax of primary tumours on 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET was markedly higher than that on 18F-FDG (p < 0.05). Sixteen pancreatic cancer patients had pancreatic parenchymal uptake, whereas 18F-FDG PET images showed parenchymal uptake in only four patients (53.33% vs. 13.33%, p < 0.001). 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET detected more positive lymph nodes than 18F-FDG PET (42 vs. 30, p < 0.001), while 18F-FDG PET was able to detect more liver metastases than 68 Ga-FAPI-04 (181 vs. 104, p < 0.001). In addition, multisequence MR imaging helped explain ten pancreatic cancers that could not be definitively revealed due to 68 Ga-FAPI-04 inflammatory uptake and identified more liver metastases than 18F-FDG (256 vs. 181, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET might be better than 18F-FDG PET in the detection of suspicious lymph node metastases. MR multiple sequence imaging of 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET/MR was helpful for explaining pancreatic lesions in patients with obstructive inflammation and detecting tiny liver metastases.

Co(OH)2/MXene-Ti3C2 nanocomposites with triple-enzyme mimic activities as hydrogel sensing platform for on-site detection of hypoxanthine.

Novel Co(OH)2/MXene-Ti3C2 nanocomposites with oxidase (OXD)-mimic, peroxidase (POD)-mimic, and catalase (CAT)-mimic activities were prepared by a simple two-step method. The Co(OH)2/MXene-Ti3C2 nanocomposites with triple-enzyme mimic activities were embedded into sodium alginate (SA) gels for the first time to fabricate a target-responsive hydrogel-assisted assay. The catalytic mechanism and steady-state kinetics of Co(OH)2/MXene-Ti3C2 nanocomposites were investigated. Subsequently, hypoxanthine (Hx) was catalyzed by xanthine oxidase (XOD) to form H2O2, which reacts with 3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl-benzidine (TMB) in the presence of Co(OH)2/MXene-Ti3C2 nanocomposites to form a blue oxide (ox-TMB) in the hydrogel. The visible color change of the hydrogel with the increase of Hx concentration can be recognized through a smartphone App to transfer the red (R), green (G), and blue (B) values for the quantitative determination of  Hx, with a detection range from 5 to 250 µM, and detection limit of 0.2 µM. The method was applied to the determination of Hx content in different aquatic products. The spiked recoveries of the aquatic products were from 94.1 to 106.4%, and the relative standard deviations (RSD) were less than 5.4%. Our results show that the Co(OH)2/MXene-Ti3C2 nanocomposites hydrogel-assisted colorimetric biosensor is cost-effective, sensitive, and selective and has excellent application prospects for in-the-field determination of Hx.

A high-continuity and annotated tomato reference genome.

BACKGROUND: Genetic and functional genomics studies require a high-quality genome assembly. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), an important horticultural crop, is an ideal model species for the study of fruit development. RESULTS: Here, we assembled an updated reference genome of S. lycopersicum cv. Heinz 1706 that was 799.09 Mb in length, containing 34,384 predicted protein-coding genes and 65.66% repetitive sequences. By comparing the genomes of S. lycopersicum and S. pimpinellifolium LA2093, we found a large number of genomic fragments probably associated with human selection, which may have had crucial roles in the domestication of tomato. We also used a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population to generate a high-density genetic map with high resolution and accuracy. Using these resources, we identified a number of candidate genes that were likely to be related to important agronomic traits in tomato. CONCLUSION: Our results offer opportunities for understanding the evolution of the tomato genome and will facilitate the study of genetic mechanisms in tomato biology.

Fine mapping and candidate gene analysis of qRN5a, a novel QTL promoting root number in rice under low potassium.

KEY MESSAGE: qRN5a, a novel QTL for increasing root number under low K in rice, was fine mapped to a 48.8-kb region on chromosome 5, and LOC_Os05g27980 is the most likely candidate gene. Potassium (K) is a mineral nutrient essential for plant growth and development, but the molecular mechanism for low-K (LK) tolerance in rice remains poorly understood. In our previous study, the quantitative trait locus (QTL) qRN5a for root number (RN) under LK was identified in the chromosome segment substitution line CSSL35 carrying segments from XieqingzaoB in the genetic background of Zhonghui9308 (ZH9308). CSSL35 developed more roots than ZH9308 under LK at the seedling stage, and qRN5a was initially located within a 1,023-kb genomic region. In this study, to understand the molecular basis of qRN5a, a large F2:3 (BC5F2:3) population obtained from crossing CSSL35 and ZH9308 was constructed for fine mapping. High-resolution linkage analysis narrowed down qRN5a to a 48.8-kb interval flanked by markers A99 and A139. Seven putative candidate genes were annotated in the delimited region, and three genes (Os05g0346700, LOC_Os05g27980, and LOC_Os05g28000) had nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding sequence between the two parents. Expression analysis suggests that LOC_Os05g27980, which encodes a LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES domain-containing protein, is a positive regulator of RN under LK and is the most likely candidate gene for qRN5a. Moreover, we found that qRN5a promotes expression of OsIAA23 and represses OsHAK5 expression in root tissues to promote root initiation in CSSL35 under LK conditions. Additional investigations on OsHAK5 in rice are needed to elucidate the basis of changing root architecture under different K+ concentrations. qRN5a is useful for marker-assisted selection to develop an ideotype with improved root architecture in rice under K deficiency.

Salvianolic Acid A Ameliorates Early-Stage Atherosclerosis Development by Inhibiting NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation in Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats.

Salvianolic acid A (SAA), an important bioactive polyphenolic acid found in Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, may be used for treating metabolic disorders due to its anti-inflammatory activity. Since chronic inflammation plays an important role in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complicated with atherosclerosis (AS), SAA may have beneficial effects on AS. Here, we evaluated the effects of SAA on metabolic disorders in male Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats induced by a high-fat diet and Vitamin D3 injections. Compared with the model group, the SAA high dosage (1 mg/kg) group exhibited decreased hemoglobin A1C levels but unchanged blood glucose levels. The disrupted lipid profiles were ameliorated by SAA, with significantly decreased levels of blood cholesterol, LDL-C and triglyceride. The protective effects of SAA against early AS were further confirmed by histopathological examination of aortic tissues. In addition, we observed that SAA decreased serum hs-CRP levels and suppressed the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB signaling in aortic tissues of ZDF rats. Collectively, our results demonstrate the potential of SAA to alleviate AS and T2DM in ZDF rats as a result of its anti-inflammatory effects.

Royal Jelly Ameliorates Behavioral Deficits, Cholinergic System Deficiency, and Autonomic Nervous Dysfunction in Ovariectomized Cholesterol-Fed Rabbits.

Estrogen deficiency after menopause is associated with autonomic nervous changes, leading to memory impairment and increased susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Royal jelly (RJ) from honeybees (Apis mellifera) has estrogenic activity. Here, we investigated whether RJ can improve behavior, cholinergic and autonomic nervous function in ovariectomized (OVX) cholesterol-fed rabbits. OVX rabbits on high-cholesterol diet were administered with RJ for 12 weeks. The results showed that RJ could significantly improve the behavioral deficits of OVX cholesterol-fed rabbits and image structure of the brain. RJ reduced body weight, blood lipid, as well as the levels of amyloid-beta (Aß), acetylcholinesterase (AchE), and malonaldehyde (MDA) in the brain. Moreover, RJ also increased the activities of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the brain, and enhanced heart rate variability (HRV) and Baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) in OVX cholesterol-fed rabbits. Furthermore, RJ was also shown to reduce the content of Evans blue and the expression levels of Aß, beta-site APP cleaving enzyme 1(BACE1), and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), and increase the expression level of LDL(low density lipoprotein) receptor-related protein 1 (LRP-1) in the brain. Our findings suggested that RJ has beneficial effects in neurological disorders of postmenopausal women, which were associated with reducing cholesterol and Aß deposition, enhancing the estrogen levels and the activities of cholinergic and antioxidant systems, and ameliorating the blood⁻brain barrier (BBB) permeability and restoring autonomic nervous system.

NK4 inhibits the proliferation and induces apoptosis of human rheumatoid arthritis synovial cells.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by proliferation and insufficient apoptosis of synovial cells. NK4 is a hepatocyte growth factor antagonist and is implicated in cell proliferation, viability, and apoptosis of many tumour cells. This study aimed to investigate the role of NK4 in the regulation of human RA synovial cell proliferation and apoptosis. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) isolated from RA patients and MH7A synovial cells were subjected to MTT, flow cytometry, and Western blot analysis. We found that NK4 suppressed cell proliferation through cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and induced apoptosis in RA synovial cells. Furthermore, NK4 altered the expression of cell cycle and apoptosis-related proteins such as cyclin D1, cyclin B1, PCNA, p21, p53, Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved caspase-9, and cleaved caspase-3. Additionally, NK4 reduced the phosphorylation level of NF-κB p65 and upregulated the expression of sirt1, but did not change the levels of p38 and p-p38 in RA-FLS and MH7A cells. In conclusion, NK4 inhibits the proliferation and induces apoptosis of human RA synovial cells. NK4 is a promising therapeutic target for RA. We demonstrated that NK4 inhibited cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis and arresting cell cycle in RA-FLS and MH7A cells. The apoptotic effects of NK4 may be mediated in part by decreasing Bcl-2 protein level, increasing Bax and caspase 3 protein levels, and inhibiting NF-κB signalling in RA-FLS and MH7A cells. These findings reveal potential mechanism underlying the role of NK4 in RA synovial cells and suggest that NK4 is a promising agent for RA treatment.

Veronicastrum axillare Alleviates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury via Suppression of Proinflammatory Mediators and Downregulation of the NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

Veronicastrum axillare is a traditional medical plant in China which is widely used in folk medicine due to its versatile biological activities, especially for its anti-inflammatory effects. However, the detailed mechanism underlying this action is not clear. Here, we studied the protective effects of V. axillare against acute lung injury (ALI), and we further explored the pharmacological mechanisms of this action. We found that pretreatment with V. axillare suppressed the release of proinflammatory cytokines in the serum of ALI mice. Histological analysis of lung tissue demonstrated that V. axillare inhibited LPS-induced lung injury, improved lung morphology, and reduced the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in the lungs. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory actions of V. axillare were investigated in vitro. We observed that V. axillare suppressed the mRNA expression of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), IL-6, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in RAW264.7 cells challenged with LPS. Furthermore, pretreatment of V. axillare in vitro reduced the phosphorylation of p65 and IκB-α which is activated by LPS. In conclusion, our data firstly demonstrated that the anti-inflammatory effects of V. axillare against ALI were achieved through downregulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway, thereby reducing the production of inflammatory mediators.