Salvia guidongensis sp. nov.: unraveling a critical evolutionary link in East Asian Salvia from Central China integrating morphology, phylogeny, and plastid genomics.

Introduction: Salvia L., representing the largest genus within the mint family, is noted for its global distribution of approximately 1000 species, with East Asia, and particularly China, recognized as a critical center of diversity for the genus. Methods: Our research was conducted through extensive fieldwork in Guidong County, Hunan Province, China, where we identified a previously undescribed species of Salvia. The identification process involved detailed morphological observations, phylogenetic analyses, and plastid genomics. Results: The newly discovered species, Salvia guidongensis, exhibits unique characteristics not commonly observed in the East Asian lineage of Salvia, including dual floral colors within natural populations-either pale purple or pale yellow. Morphologically, while it shares similarities with members of sect. Glutinaria, S. guidongensis is distinct in its floral morphology, stature, and specific foliar traits. Phylogenetic analysis places S. guidongensis in a unique clade within the East Asian lineage of Salvia, suggesting it may serve as an important evolutionary link. Additionally, we explored the plastome features of S. guidongensis, comparing them with those of closely related species. Discussion: The discovery of S. guidongensis not only entriches the taxonomic tapestry of Salvia but also provides critical insights into the biogeography and evolutionary pathways of the genus in East Asia. By integrating morphological and molecular data, we validate the novel status of S. guidongensis and highlight its significance in bridging taxonomic and evolutionary gaps within Sect. Glutinaria of Salvia.

Noninvasive prediction of perineural invasion in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma by clinicoradiological features and computed tomography radiomics based on interpretable machine learning: a multicenter cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Perineural invasion (PNI) of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a strong independent risk factor for tumour recurrence and long-term patient survival. However, there is a lack of noninvasive tools for accurately predicting the PNI status. The authors develop and validate a combined model incorporating radiomics signature and clinicoradiological features based on machine learning for predicting PNI in ICC, and used the Shapley Additive explanation (SHAP) to visualize the prediction process for clinical application. METHODS: This retrospective and prospective study included 243 patients with pathologically diagnosed ICC (training, n =136; external validation, n =81; prospective, n =26, respectively) who underwent preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography between January 2012 and May 2023 at three institutions (three tertiary referral centres in Guangdong Province, China). The ElasticNet was applied to select radiomics features and construct signature derived from computed tomography images, and univariate and multivariate analyses by logistic regression were used to identify the significant clinical and radiological variables with PNI. A robust combined model incorporating radiomics signature and clinicoradiological features based on machine learning was developed and the SHAP was used to visualize the prediction process. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to compare prognostic differences between PNI-positive and PNI-negative groups and was conducted to explore the prognostic information of the combined model. RESULTS: Among 243 patients (mean age, 61.2 years ± 11.0 (SD); 152 men and 91 women), 108 (44.4%) were diagnosed as PNI-positive. The radiomics signature was constructed by seven radiomics features, with areas under the curves of 0.792, 0.748, and 0.729 in the training, external validation, and prospective cohorts, respectively. Three significant clinicoradiological features were selected and combined with radiomics signature to construct a combined model using machine learning. The eXtreme Gradient Boosting exhibited improved accuracy and robustness (areas under the curves of 0.884, 0.831, and 0.831, respectively). Survival analysis showed the construction combined model could be used to stratify relapse-free survival (hazard ratio, 1.933; 95% CI: 1.093-3.418; P =0.021). CONCLUSIONS: We developed and validated a robust combined model incorporating radiomics signature and clinicoradiological features based on machine learning to accurately identify the PNI statuses of ICC, and visualize the prediction process through SHAP for clinical application.

Fluorinated Polyimide/Allomelanin Nanocomposites for UV-Shielding Applications.

A series of highly fluorinated polyimide/allomelanin nanoparticles (FPI/AMNPs) films were prepared with FPI as the matrix and AMNPs as the filler. Due to the formation of hydrogen bonds, significantly reinforced mechanical and UV-shielding properties are acquired. Stress-strain curves demonstrated a maximum tensile strength of 150.59 MPa and a fracture elongation of 1.40% (0.7 wt.% AMNPs), respectively, 1.78 and 1.56× that of pure FPI. The measurements of the UV-vis spectrum, photodegradation of curcumin and repeated running tests confirmed the splendid UV-shielding capabilities of FPI/AMNPs films. The enhancement mechanisms, such as synergistic UV absorption of the charge transfer complexes in FPI and AMNPs and photothermal conversion, were the reasons for its exceptional UV shielding. The excellent comprehensive properties above enable FPI/AMNPs nanocomposites to be potential candidates in the field of UV shielding.

Nomogram development and validation to predict Ki-67 expression of hepatocellular carcinoma derived from Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI combined with T1 mapping.

Objective: As an important biomarker to reflect tumor cell proliferation and tumor aggressiveness, Ki-67 is closely related to the high early recurrence rate and poor prognosis, and pretreatment evaluation of Ki-67 expression possibly provides a more accurate prognosis assessment and more better treatment plan. We aimed to develop a nomogram based on gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with T1 mapping to predict Ki-67 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: This two-center study retrospectively enrolled 148 consecutive patients who underwent preoperative Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI T1 mapping and surgically confirmed HCC from July 2019 to December 2020. The correlation between quantitative parameters from T1 mapping, ADC, and Ki-67 was explored. Three cohorts were constructed: a training cohort (n = 73) and an internal validation cohort (n = 31) from Shunde Hospital of Southern Medical University, and an external validation cohort (n = 44) from the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, South China University of Technology. The clinical variables and MRI qualitative and quantitative parameters associational with Ki-67 expression were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. A nomogram was developed based on these associated with Ki-67 expression in the training cohort and validated in the internal and external validation cohorts. Results: T1rt-Pre and T1rt-20min were strongly positively correlated with Ki-67 (r = 0.627, r = 0.607, P < 0.001); the apparent diffusion coefficient value was moderately negatively correlated with Ki-67 (r = -0.401, P < 0.001). Predictors of Ki-67 expression included in the nomogram were peritumoral enhancement, peritumoral hypointensity, T1rt-20min, and tumor margin, while arterial phase hyperenhancement (APHE) was not a significant predictor even included in the regression model. The nomograms achieved good concordance indices in predicting Ki-67 expression in the training and two validation cohorts (0.919, 0.925, 0.850), respectively. Conclusions: T1rt-Pre and T1rt-20min had a strong positive correlation with the Ki-67 expression in HCC, and Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI combined with T1 mapping-based nomogram effectively predicts high Ki-67 expression in HCC.

Comparative and Phylogenetic Analyses of Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Scrophularia incisa Complex (Scrophulariaceae).

The Scrophularia incisa complex is a group of closely related desert and steppe subshrubs that includes S. incisa, S. kiriloviana and S. dentata, which are the only S. sect. Caninae components found in Northwest China. Based on earlier molecular evidence, the species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships within this complex remain poorly resolved. Here, we characterized seven complete chloroplast genomes encompassing the representatives of the three taxa in the complex and one closely related species, S. integrifolia, as well as three other species of Scrophularia. Comparative genomic analyses indicated that the genomic structure, gene order and content were highly conserved among these eleven plastomes. Highly variable plastid regions and simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified. The robust and consistent phylogenetic relationships of the S. incisa complex were firstly constructed based on a total of 26 plastid genomes from Scrophulariaceae. Within the monophyletic complex, a S. kiriloviana individual from Pamirs Plateau was identified as the earliest diverging clade, followed by S. dentata from Tibet, while the remaining individuals of S. kiriloviana from the Tianshan Mountains and S. incisa from Qinghai-Gansu were clustered into sister clades. Our results evidently demonstrate the capability of plastid genomes to improve phylogenetic resolution and species delimitation, particularly among closely related species, and will promote the understanding of plastome evolution in Scrophularia.

Smilax weniae, a New Species of Smilacaceae from Limestone Areas Bordering Guizhou and Guangxi, China.

A new species, Smilax weniae (Smilacaceae), from Southwest China, is described and illustrated. The new species bears peltate leaves, which was previously a unique feature of S. luei. However, it differs from the latter by having a broad ovate leaf blade, longer peduncle, and sexual dimorphic flowers. Further phylogenetic analyses revealed that the new species were placed in a unique position in a subclade of Old World Smilax based on ptDNA and nrITS sequences. Combining detailed morphological comparisons and molecular evidence, we validated that S. weniae is an undescribed new species. Moreover, the plastome characteristics of S. weniae are reported.

The complete chloroplast genome of balsam aster (Aster ageratoides Turcz. var. scaberulus (Miq.) Ling., Asteraceae).

The first complete chloroplast genome of Aster ageratoides Turcz. var. scaberulus (Miq.) Ling. is reported in this study. The total chloroplast genome size of A. ageratoides var. scaberulus was 153,071 bp and comprised of a large single-copy region (LSC with 84,896 bp), a small single-copy region (SSC with 18,269 bp), and two inverted repeat regions (IR with 24,953 bp). A total of 122 genes were included in the genome, including 83 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 37 tRNA genes. Eleven protein-coding genes had intron (ycf3, clpP and rps12 gene contained two introns. Further phylogenomic analysis of Asteraceae, including 13 taxa, was conducted for the placement of A. ageratoides var. scaberulus.

Analysis of petrous apex meningocele associated with meningioma: is there any relation with chronic intracranial hypertension?

PURPOSE: Petrous apex meningocele (PAM) is an uncommon cystic lesion involving the petrous apex. The underlying cause of PAM may be related to chronic elevated intracranial pressure. The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between PAM and meningioma and between PAM and other intracranial hypertension findings. METHODS: Two hundred seventy-eight consecutive patients with meningiomas were retrospectively studied. Fifty age- and gender-matched controls were also enrolled in this study. The incidence of PAM, empty sella, tortuosity of the optic nerve, and hydrops of optic nerve sheath was evaluated. The maximum width, area, volume of each PAM, or Meckel's cave and volume of meningioma were measured in controls and patients, separately. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-nine (57.19%) patients were detected with coexistent PAMs. One hundred twenty-five patients had bilateral PAMs, 34 had unilateral lesions, and the remaining 119 did not have PAM. Two subjects (4/50) had unilateral PAMs in normal controls. The maximum width, area, volume of PAM, or Meckel's cave were significantly larger in the patients with bilateral PAM group than those in the unilateral PAM group, in the group without PAM, and those in control group (p = 0.000). The volume of meningioma was positively correlated with the PAM volume (r = 0.48). There was a positive correlation for the incidence between PAM and (1) empty sella (r = 0.901) and (2) tortuosity of the optic nerves and hydrops of the optic sheath (r = 0.825). CONCLUSION: Coexistence of PAMs with meningiomas is not rare in incidence, and it suggests a potential role for chronically elevated intracranial pressure and disturbance of CSF circulation in their pathophysiology.

Impaired topological architecture of brain structural networks in idiopathic Parkinson's disease: a DTI study.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is considered as a neurodegenerative disorder of the brain central nervous system. But, to date, few studies adopted the network model to reveal topological changes in brain structural networks in PD patients. Additionally, although the concept of rich club organization has been widely used to study brain networks in various brain disorders, there is no study to report the changed rich club organization of brain networks in PD patients. Thus, we collected diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data from 35 PD patients and 26 healthy controls and adopted deterministic tractography to construct brain structural networks. During the network analysis, we calculated their topological properties, and built the rich club organization of brain structural networks for both subject groups. By comparing the between-group differences in topological properties and rich club organizations, we found that the connectivity strength of the feeder and local connections are lower in PD patients compared to those of the healthy controls. Furthermore, using a network-based statistic (NBS) approach, we identified uniformly significantly decreased connections in two modules, the limbic/paralimbic/subcortical module and the cognitive control/attention module, in patients compared to controls. In addition, for the topological properties of brain network topology in the PD patients, we found statistically increased shortest path length and decreased global efficiency. Statistical comparisons of nodal properties were also widespread in the frontal and parietal regions for the PD patients. These findings may provide useful information to better understand the abnormalities of brain structural networks in PD patients.

Altered modular organization of intrinsic brain functional networks in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Although previous studies reported altered topology of brain functional networks in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), the modular organization of brain functional networks in PD patients remains largely unknown. Using the resting-state functional MRI (R-fMRI) and graph theory, we examined the modular organization of brain functional networks in 32 unmedicated patients with early-to-mid motor stage PD and 31 healthy controls. Compared to the controls, the PD patients tended to show decreased integrity and segregation, both within and between modules. This was inferred by significantly increased intra-modular characteristic path length (L p) within four modules: mPFC, SN, SMN, and FPN, decreased inter-modular functional connectivity (FC) between mPFC and SN, SMN, and VN, and decreased intra-modular clustering in the PD patients. Intra-modular characteristic path length within the mPFC showed significantly positive correlation with general cognitive ability in the PD group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that FC between mPFC and SN had the highest significant accuracy in differentiating the patients from the controls. Our findings may provide new insight in understanding the pathological changes that underlie impairment in cognition and movement in Parkinson's disease.

Delayed leukoencephalopathy of non-small cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases underwent whole brain radiation therapy.

To explore the incidence, MR imaging findings, dynamic developing process of delayed leukoencephalopathy (DLE) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with brain metastases patients who undergone whole brain radiation (WBRT) therapy, we retrospectively reviewed 48 NSCLC patients who underwent WBRT for brain metastases from January 2010 through June 2015 and had evaluable magnetic resonance imaging after treatment. The DLE were graded using a scale to evaluate T2-FLAIR (fluid attenuated image recovery) images: grade 1 = little or no white matter hyperintensity, grade 2 = limited periventricular hyperintensity and grade 3 = diffuse white matter hyperintensity. 48 NSCLC patients with brain metastases were enrolled. The median age of these patients was 55.7 years (range 33-75 years). The median follow-up was 12 months. The characteristic MR imaging of DLE in those patients was bilaterally diffuse white matter T2 hyperintensity around the periventricular areas without enhancement, sparing from U-fiber, callosum and gray matter structure. The incidence of DLE developed 6.25% (3/48), 30.00% (12/40), 48.39% (15/31), 61.90% (13/21), 85.71% (6/7), 100% (3/3) in those patients who were followed up for 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 36 months, respectively. Through increased understanding of it, it may be possible to help clinicians develop further therapeutic strategies to maximize benefit while limiting potential long term toxicities. These data supplement existing reports regarding the late effects of WBRT in NSCLC patients with brain metastasis.

Discriminative analysis of Parkinson's disease based on whole-brain functional connectivity.

Recently, there has been an increasing emphasis on applications of pattern recognition and neuroimaging techniques in the effective and accurate diagnosis of psychiatric or neurological disorders. In the present study, we investigated the whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity patterns of Parkinson's disease (PD), which are expected to provide additional information for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of this disease. First, we computed the functional connectivity between each pair of 116 regions of interest derived from a prior atlas. The most discriminative features based on Kendall tau correlation coefficient were then selected. A support vector machine classifier was employed to classify 21 PD patients with 26 demographically matched healthy controls. This method achieved a classification accuracy of 93.62% using leave-one-out cross-validation, with a sensitivity of 90.47% and a specificity of 96.15%. The majority of the most discriminative functional connections were located within or across the default mode, cingulo-opercular and frontal-parietal networks and the cerebellum. These disease-related resting-state network alterations might play important roles in the pathophysiology of this disease. Our results suggest that analyses of whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity patterns have the potential to improve the clinical diagnosis and treatment evaluation of PD.

The putaminal abnormalities on 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging: can they separate parkinsonism-predominant multiple system atrophy from Parkinson's disease?

BACKGROUND: The putaminal abnormalities detected on 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), such as putaminal atrophy, slit-like hyperintense rim, and hypointensity in the putamen on T2-weighted (T2W) imaging are important signs on differentiating multiple system atrophy with parkinsonism (MSA-P) from Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the putaminal abnormalities may have different manifestations on 3.0 T from those on 1.5 T. PURPOSE: To investigate the diagnostic value of putaminal abnormalities on 3.0 T MRI for differentiating MSA-P from PD. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included a MSA-P group (9 men, 9 women), a PD group (12 men, 14 women), and a control group (11 men, 13 women). All subjects were examined with 3.0 T MRI using the conventional protocol. Putaminal atrophy, T2-hypointensity in the dorsolateral putamenat, and a slit-like hyperintense rim on the lateral putamen were evaluated in each subject. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the slit-like hyperintense rim (P = 0.782) or T2-hypointensity in the dorsolateral putamen (P = 0.338) among the three groups. Bilateral putaminal atrophy was found in 44.4% (8 of 18) of the MSA-P patients, in only 7.7% (2 of 26) of the PD patients, and in none of the controls. The proportion of subjects with putaminal atrophy was significantly higher in the MAS-P group (P = 0.008) and control group (P < 0.001). The specificity and sensitivity of putaminal atrophy for distinguishing MSA-P from PD was 92.3% and 44.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The signal changes in the putamen on T2W imaging on 3.0 T MRI, including slit-like hyperintense rim and putaminal hypointensity, are not specific signs for MSA-P. Putaminal atrophy is highly specific for differentiating MSA-P from PD and healthy controls, but its insufficient sensitivity limits its diagnostic value.

Endogenous n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids protect against imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like inflammation via the IL-17/IL-23 axis.

The beneficial effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on psoriasis have been reported in rats, mice and humans, but the specific mechanisms involved have not been well defined. The present study utilized the fat-1 mouse, a transgenic model that can endogenously convert n-6 FAs into n-3 PUFAs, to directly determine if the outcomes of psoriasis were correlated with n-3 PUFAs. Wild-type (WT) and fat-1 mice, which were treated daily with imiquimod (IMQ) cream or control cream on the shaved right ear and dorsal skin, were fed the same diet. The severity of inflammation of the ear and dorsal skin was scored according to the clinical Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and epidermal hyperplasia was measured by H&E staining. The expression of inflammatory factors in the epidermis was analyzed by immunohistochemical analysis. Flow cytometry and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to measure the differences in the content of inflammatory factors in the blood serum and to determine which of CD4+ T cells were present in the spleen between IMQ-induced fat-1 mice and WT mice. Fat-1 IMQ-induced mice exhibited significantly lower levels of inflammatory cell-like T helper 17 cells (Th17 cells) and higher levels of regulatory T cells (Treg cells) in the spleen as compared with the WT IMQ-induced mice. n-3 fatty acids stimulated Th17 cells to produce lower levels of inflammatory factors, including interleukin (IL)-17, IL-22, IL-23 and stimulated Treg cells to produce higher anti-inflammatory factors, such as Foxp3. In conclusion, the present study provides further insight into the mechanisms involved in preventing inflammation in psoriasis-like mice by n-3 PUFAs using a fat-1 transgenic mouse model.