Rational Design of Triazinone Derivatives with Low Bee Toxicity Based on the Binding Mechanism of Neonicotinoids to Apis mellifera.

Bees, one of the most vital pollinators in the ecosystem and agriculture, are currently threatened by neonicotinoids. To explore the molecular mechanisms of neonicotinoid toxicity to bees, the different binding modes of imidacloprid, thiacloprid, and flupyradifurone with nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) α1ß1 and cytochrome P450 9Q3 (CYP9Q3) were studied using homology modeling and molecular dynamics simulations. These mechanisms provided a basis for the design of compounds with a potential low bee toxicity. Consequently, we designed and synthesized a series of triazinone derivatives and assessed their bioassays. Among them, compound 5a not only displayed substantially insecticidal activities against Aphis glycines (LC50 = 4.40 mg/L) and Myzus persicae (LC50 = 6.44 mg/L) but also had low toxicity to Apis mellifera. Two-electrode voltage clamp recordings further confirmed that compound 5a interacted with the M. persicae nAChR α1 subunit but not with the A. mellifera nAChR α1 subunit. This work provides a paradigm for applying molecular toxic mechanisms to the design of compounds with low bee toxicity, thereby aiding the future rational design of eco-friendly nicotinic insecticides.

Sex differences in fetal brain functional network topology.

The fetal period is a critical stage in brain development, and understanding the characteristics of the fetal brain is crucial. Although some studies have explored aspects of fetal brain functional networks, few have specifically focused on sex differences in brain network characteristics. We adopted the graph theory method to calculate brain network functional connectivity and topology properties (including global and nodal properties), and further compared the differences in these parameters between male and female fetuses. We found that male fetuses showed an increased clustering coefficient and local efficiency than female fetuses, but no significant group differences concerning other graph parameters and the functional connectivity matrix. Our study suggests the existence of sex-related distinctions in the topological properties of the brain network at the fetal stage of development and demonstrates an increase in brain network separation in male fetuses compared with female fetuses.

Association Between Myocardial Oxygenation and Fibrosis in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Analysis by Rest Oxygenation-Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial hypoxia has been demonstrated in many cardiomyopathies and is related to development of myocardial fibrosis. However, myocardial hypoxia and its association with myocardial fibrosis are understudied in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)-associated cardiomyopathy. PURPOSE: To evaluate myocardial hypoxia by oxygenation-sensitive (OS) cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and further explore its association with fibrosis. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. SUBJECTS: Ninety-one DMD boys (8.78 ± 2.32) and 30 healthy boys (9.07 ± 2.30). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3 T, Balanced steady-state free procession, Modified Look-Locker inversion recovery sequence and Single-shot phase-sensitive inversion recovery sequence. ASSESSMENT: Cardiac MRI data, including left ventricular functional, segmental native T1, and oxygenation signal-intensity (SI) according to AHA 17-segment model, were acquired. Patients were divided into LGE+ and LGE- groups. In patients with LGE, all segments were further classified as positive or negative segments by segmentally presence/absence of LGE. STATISTICAL TESTS: Variables were compared using Student's t, Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis test and one-way analysis of variance. Bivariate Pearson or Spearman correlation were calculated to determine association between oxygenation SI and native T1. Variables with P < 0.10 in the univariable analysis were included in multivariable model. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to assess the performance of OS in diagnosing myocardial hypoxia. RESULTS: The myocardial oxygenation SI of DMD was significantly decreased in all segments compared with normal controls, and more obvious in the LGE+ segments (0.46 ± 0.03 vs. 0.52 ± 0.03). For patients with and without LGE, myocardial oxygenation SI were significantly negatively correlated with native T1 in all segments (r = -0.23 to -0.42). The inferolateral oxygenation SI was a significant independent associator of LGE presence (adjusted OR = 0.900). DATA CONCLUSION: Myocardial hypoxia evaluated by the OS-Cardiac-MRI indeed occurs in DMD and associate with myocardial fibrosis, which might be used as a biomarker in assessing myocardial damage in DMD. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.

Influence of polyether ether ketone coping crown on the adaptation of implant abutment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of polyether ether ketone coping crown on the adaptation of implant abutment. Methods: The vitro study was conducted at the department of Prosthodontics, Hainan Stomatological Hospital, China, from October 2021 to March 2022, and comprised patients undergoing implant surgery on first molar. Patients were divided into two groups, with group A patients receiving polyether ether ketone coping crowns, and group B receiving zirconia crowns. Replica technique was used to replicate the gap between the crowns and the abutments. The thickness of the silicone film was measured under the stereomicroscope, and the gap between the groups was compared. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. RESULTS: In group A, mean marginal gap was 82.43±25.00µm, and mean overall gap was 85.45±33.75µm. In group B, the corresponding values were 65.09±11.69µm and 78.04±26.67µm. There was a significant difference in the adaptation between the groups at the marginal and overall measurement points (p<0.05). Conclusion: Marginal and internal adaptations of polyether ether ketone coping crown for abutment could be considered clinically acceptable.

Novel implementation of cardiac magnetic resonance first-pass perfusion imaging for semi-quantitatively evaluating microvascular dysfunction in paediatric patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to assess myocardial microcirculation dysfunction via cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) first-pass perfusion imaging in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). METHODS: In total, 67 children with DMD and 15 controls who underwent contrast-enhanced CMR first-pass perfusion imaging were enrolled in this study. CMR first-pass perfusion and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) sequences were acquired. Further, the global, regional, and coronary artery distribution area perfusion indexes (PI), upslope (%BL), maximum signal intensity (MaxSI), time to maximum signal intensity (TTM), and baseline SI were analysed. The perfusion parameters of the LGE positive (+), LGE negative (-), and control groups were compared. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to assess the association between myocardial microcirculation and conventional cardiac function and LGE parameters. RESULTS: The LGE+ group had a significantly lower global and apical-ventricular MaxSI than the control group (all P < .05). The left anterior descending arterial (LAD), left circumflex coronary arterial (LCX), and right coronary arterial (RCA) segments of the LGE+ group had a lower upslope and MaxSI than those of the control group (all P < .05). The LAD segments of the LGE- group had a lower MaxSI than those of the control group (41.10 ± 11.08 vs 46.36 ± 13.04; P < .001). The LCX segments of the LGE- group had a lower PI and upslope than those of the control group (11.05 ± 2.84 vs 12.46 ± 2.82; P = .001; 59.31 ± 26.76 vs 68.57 ± 29.99; P = .002). Based on the correlation analysis, the upslope, MaxSI, and TTM were correlated with conventional cardiac function and LGE extent. CONCLUSIONS: Paediatric patients with DMD may present with microvascular dysfunction. This condition may appear before LGE and may be correlated with coronary artery blood supply and LGE extent. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: First-pass perfusion parameters may reveal the status of myocardial microcirculation and reflect the degree of myocardial injury at an earlier time in DMD patients. Perfusion parameters should be analysed not only via global or base, middle, and apical segments but also according to coronary artery distribution area, which may detect myocardial microvascular dysfunction at an earlier stage, in DMD patients with LGE-.

Altered dynamic functional and effective connectivity in drug-naive children with Tourette syndrome.

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a developmental neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary tics, the neurological basis of which remains unclear. Although traditional resting-state MRI (rfMRI) studies have identified abnormal static functional connectivity (FC) in patients with TS, dynamic FC (dFC) remains relatively unexplored. The rfMRI data of 54 children with TS and 46 typically developing children (TDC) were analyzed using group independent component analysis to obtain independent components (ICs), and a sliding-window approach to generate dFC matrices. All dFC matrices were clustered into two reoccurring states, the state transition metrics were obtained. We conducted Granger causality and nodal topological analyses to further investigate the brain regions that may play the most important roles in driving whole-brain switching between different states. We found that children with TS spent more time in state 2 (PFDR < 0.001), a state characterized by strong connectivity between ICs, and switched more quickly between states (PFDR = 0.025) than TDC. The default mode network (DMN) may play an important role in abnormal state transitions because the FC that changed the most between the two states was between the DMN and other networks. Additionally, the DMN had increased degree centrality, efficiency and altered causal influence on other networks. Certain alterations related to executive function (r = -0.309, P < 0.05) and tic symptom ratings (r = 0.282; 0.413, P < 0.05) may represent important aspects of the pathophysiology of TS. These findings facilitate our understanding of the neural basis for the clinical presentation of TS.

Comparison between diaphragmatic-navigated and self-navigated coronary magnetic resonance angiography at 3T in pediatric patients with congenital coronary artery anomalies.

Background: Coronary magnetic resonance angiography (CMRA) is being increasingly used in pediatric patients with congenital coronary artery anomalies (CAAs). However, the data on the free-breathing self-navigation technique, which has the potential to simplify the acquisition plan with a high success rate at 3T, remain scarce. This study investigated the clinical application value of self-navigated (sNAV) CMRA at 3T in pediatric patients with suspected CAAs and compared it to conventional diaphragmatic-navigated (dNAV) CMRA. Methods: From April 2019 to March 2022, we enrolled 65 pediatric patients (38 males and 27 females; mean age 8.5±4.4 years) with suspected CAAs in this prospective study. All patients underwent both dNAV and sNAV sequences in random order with gradient recalled echo (GRE) sequence during free breathing, with 39 (20 males and 19 females; mean age 10.2±3.6 years) of them additionally undergoing coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) or invasive coronary angiography (ICA). We measured and compared the success rate, scan time, visual score of the 9 main coronary artery segments, vessel sharpness, and vessel length between the two sequences. The diagnostic accuracy was compared using CCTA or ICA as a reference. Results: The success rate of sNAV-CMRA (65/65, 100%) was higher than that of dNAV-CMRA (61/65, 93.8%) (P<0.001), and the scan time of sNAV-CMRA (7.3±2.5 min) was significantly shorter than that of dNAV-CMRA (9.1±3.6 min) (P=0.002). The acquisition efficiency of dNAV-CMRA was 40.5%±12.9%, while for sNAV-CMRA, 100% acquisition efficiency was achieved. There was no significant difference in vessel length of any of the coronary arteries, visual score, or vessel sharpness of the left circumflex coronary artery (LCX) between the two sequences (all P values >0.050). The visual score and vessel sharpness of the right coronary artery and left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) were significantly improved in dNAV-CMRA compared with sNAV-CMRA (all P values <0.050). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for the detection of CAAs were not significantly different between the two sequences (all P values >0.050). Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that both sNAV and dNAV in CMRA provide clinical application value in pediatric patients with CAAs and have similar diagnostic performance. Although the image quality of sNAV-CMRA is slightly inferior compared to that of dNAV-CMRA, sNAV-CMRA allows for a simpler scanning procedure.

Study on the positivity rate and influencing factors of anxiety in pregnant women during the first fetal magnetic resonance examination: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the positive rate and related influencing factors of anxiety screening in pregnant women during the first fetal magnetic resonance examination. METHODS: A total of 303 pregnant women who met the criteria for magnetic resonance pregnancy examination in a Grade III maternity hospital from December 2021 to December 2022 were included by the convenience sampling method. A cross-sectional survey was conducted before the examination using the General Situation Questionnaire and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). RESULTS: The positive rate of anxiety was 31.02% (94/303), and the average score of anxiety was 45.71±9.84. Univariate analysis results showed that age, educational level, occupation, place of residence, per capita monthly income, and number of pregnancies were related to the anxiety status of pregnant women in the fetal magnetic resonance examination (P<0.05). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that the factor of college degree [OR: 2.168, 95% CI: (1.119, 4.273)] in the classification of cultural level and country factor [OR: 2.162, 95% CI: (1.066, 4.385)] in the classification of place of residence had an impact on the anxiety score of pregnant women in the fetal magnetic resonance examination (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The positive rate of anxiety screening of pregnant women before the first prenatal magnetic resonance examination is high. A low education level and living in the countryside will increase the probability of anxiety in pregnant women during magnetic resonance examination. Based on the above research results, it is suggested that medical institutions pay attention to the mental health of pregnant women, improve mental health care services, and reduce the adverse psychological problems caused by prenatal examination.

Rational design, synthesis and binding mechanisms of novel benzyl geranate derivatives as potential eco-friendly aphid repellents.

BACKGROUND: The push-pull strategy is considered as a promising eco-friendly method for pest management. Plant volatile organic compounds (PVOCs) act as semiochemicals constitute the key factor in implementing this strategy. Benzyl alcohol and geraniol, as functional PVOCs, were reported to regulate insect behavior, showing the potential application in pest control. Using geraniol as lead, a geraniol derivative 5i with fine repellent activity was discovered in our previous work. In order to explore novel, eco-friendly aphid control agents, a series of benzyl geranate derivatives was designed and synthesized using 5i as the lead and benzyl alcohol as the active fragment. RESULTS: Benzyl alcohol was firstly evaluated to have repellent activity to Acyrthosiphon pisum. Based on this repellent fragment, a series of novel benzyl geranate derivatives was rationally designed and synthesized using a scaffold-hopping strategy. Among them, compound T9, with a binding affinity (Kd = 0.43 µm) and a substantial repellency of 64.7% against A. pisum, is the most promising compound. Molecule docking showed that hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonding interactions substantially influenced the binding affinity of compounds with ApisOBP9. Additionally, T9 exhibited low-toxicity to honeybees and ladybugs. CONCLUSION: Using a simple scaffold-hopping strategy combined with active fragment benzyl alcohol, a new derivative T9, with high aphid-repellency and low-toxicity to nontarget organisms, can be considered as a novel potential eco-friendly aphid control agent for sustainable agriculture. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

A short neuropeptide F analog (sNPF), III-2 may particularly regulate juvenile hormone III to influence Spodoptera frugiperda metamorphosis and development.

Allatostatin (AS) or Allatotropin (AT) is a class of insect short neuropeptide F (sNPF) that affects insect growth and development by inhibiting or promote the synthesis of juvenile hormone (JH) in different insects. III-2 is a novel sNPF analog derived from a group of nitroaromatic groups connected by different amino acids. In this study, we found that III-2 showed high insecticidal activity against S. frugiperda larvae with a LC50 of 18.7 mg L-1. As demonstrated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), III-2 particularly facilitated JH III and hindered 20E synthesis in S. frugiperda. The results of RNA-Seq and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) showed that III-2 treatment promoted the expression of key genes such as SfCYP15C1 in JH synthesis pathway and inhibited the expression of SfCYP314A1 and other genes in the 20E synthetic pathway. Significant differences were also observed in the expression of the genes related to cuticle formation. We report for the first time that sNPF compounds specifically interfere with the synthesis and secretion of a certain JH in insects, thus affecting the ecdysis and growth of insects, and leading to death. This study may provide a new plant conservation concept for us to seek the targeted control of certain insects based on specific interference with different JH.

Target-Based Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel 1,2,4-Triazolone Derivatives as Potential nAChR Modulators.

Novel agrochemicals have been successfully developed using target-based drug design (TBDD). To discover a novel, efficient, and highly selective nicotinic insecticide candidate, we developed a unified pharmacological model using TBDD by studying the binding modes of 11 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) modulators with acetylcholine binding protein (AChBP) targets for the first time. This model was used to design and develop a series of 1,2,4-triazolone derivatives. Bioassays demonstrated excellent insecticidal activities against Aphis glycines of compounds 4k (LC50 = 4.95 mg/L) and 4q (LC50 = 3.17 mg/L), and low toxicities to Apis mellifera. Additionally, compound 4q was stably bound to Aplysia californica AChBP, which was consistent with the pharmacological model obtained via molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. Therefore, compound 4q could be a potential lead candidate targeting nAChR. The explicit pharmacological model of nAChR modulators with Ac-AChBP in this study may facilitate the future rational design of eco-friendly nicotinic insecticides.

Precise Regulation of Juvenile Hormone III R-Stereoisomer Synthesis by Apis mellifera through Specifically Binding Methyl-(2E,6E)-farnesoate and Strictly Controlling Its Titer.

Juvenile hormone III (JH III) is a crucial hormone synthesized exclusively as R-stereoisomer in most insects. Herein, we established a mature Tris-HCl culture system for essential biochemical reactions and applied stable instrumental detection methods to analyze JH III, methyl farnesoate (MF) and juvenile hormone acid (JHA) using UPLC-MS/MS. Our results revealed that the R-JH III terminal synthesis pathway in Apis mellifera follows the "esterify then epoxidize" sequence, with precise methyl-(2E,6E)-farnesoate titer regulation and its spatial cis-trans isomerism, achieving selective R-JH III synthesis. Furthermore, we observed that the preferred generation of S/R-JH III chiral enantiomers varied depending on the spatial cis-trans isomerism of different MFs. Our results suggest that S-JH III could theoretically exist in insects, offering a novel perspective for understanding the synthesis mechanism of diverse complex juvenile hormones in different insect species.

Three-dimensional ultrashort echo time magnetic resonance imaging in pediatric patients with pneumonia: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: UTE has been used to depict lung parenchyma. However, the insufficient discussion of its performance in pediatric pneumonia compared with conventional sequences is a gap in the existing literature. The objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of 3D-UTE with that of 3D T1-GRE and T2-FSE sequences in young children diagnosed with pneumonia. METHODS: Seventy-seven eligible pediatric patients diagnosed with pneumonia at our hospital, ranging in age from one day to thirty-five months, were enrolled in this study from March 2021 to August 2021. All patients underwent imaging using a 3 T pediatric MR scanner, which included three sequences: 3D-UTE, 3D-T1 GRE, and T2-FSE. Subjective analyses were performed by two experienced pediatric radiologists based on a 5-point scale according to six pathological findings (patchy shadows/ground-glass opacity (GGO), consolidation, nodule, bulla/cyst, linear opacity, and pleural effusion/thickening). Additionally, they assessed image quality, including the presence of artifacts, and evaluated the lung parenchyma. Interrater agreement was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Differences among the three sequences were evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS: The visualization of pathologies in most parameters (patchy shadows/GGO, consolidation, nodule, and bulla/cyst) was superior with UTE compared to T2-FSE and T1 GRE. The visualization scores for linear opacity were similar between UTE and T2-FSE, and both were better than T1-GRE. In the case of pleural effusion/thickening, T2-FSE outperformed the other sequences. However, statistically significant differences between UTE and other sequences were only observed for patchy shadows/GGO and consolidation. The overall image quality was superior or at least comparable with UTE compared to T2-FSE and T1-GRE. Interobserver agreements for all visual assessments were significant and rated "substantial" or "excellent." CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, UTE MRI is a useful and promising method for evaluating pediatric pneumonia, as it provided better or similar visualization of most imaging findings compared with T2-FSE and T1-GRE. We suggest that the UTE MRI is well-suited for pediatric population, especially in younger children with pneumonia who require longitudinal and repeated imaging for clinical care or research and are susceptible to ionizing radiation.

S-dinotefuran affects the social behavior of honeybees (Apis mellifera)and increases their risk in the colony.

The toxic effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on honeybees is a global concern, whereas little is known about the effect of stereoisomeric pesticides among honeybee social behavior. In this study, we investigated the effects of stereoisomeric dinotefuran on honeybee social behavior. We found that honeybees exhibit a preference for consuming food containing S-dinotefuran, actively engage in trophallaxis with S-dinotefuran-consuming peers, and consequently acquire higher levels of S-dinotefuran compared with R-dinotefuran. In comparison to R-dinotefuran, S-dinotefuran stimulates honeybees to elevate their body temperature, thereby attracting more peers for trophallaxis. Transcriptome analysis revealed a significant enrichment of thermogenesis pathways due to S-dinotefuran exposure. Additionally, metabolome data indicated that S-dinotefuran may enhance body temperature by promoting lipid synthesis in the lysine degradation pathway. Consequently, body temperature emerges as a key factor influencing honeybee social behavior. Our study is the first to highlight the propensity of S-dinotefuran to raise honeybee body temperature, which prompts honeybee to preferentially engage in trophallaxis with peers exhibiting higher body temperatures. This preference may lead honeybees to collect more dinotefuran-contaminated food in the wild, significantly accelerating dinotefuran transmission within a population. Proactive trophallaxis further amplifies the risk of neonicotinoid pesticide transmission within a population, making honeybees that have consumed S-dinotefuran particularly favored within their colonies. These findings may contribute to our understanding of the higher risk associated with neonicotinoid use compared with other pesticides.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of the flower thrips Frankliniella intonsa.

As an economically important insect pest, the flower thrips Frankliniella intonsa (Trybom) causes great damage to host plants by directly feeding and indirectly transmitting various pathogenic viruses. The lack of a well-assembled genomic resource has hindered our understanding of the genetic basis and evolution of F. intonsa. In this study, we used Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) long reads and High-through chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) linked reads to construct a high-quality reference genome assembly of F. intonsa, with a total size of 225.5 Mb and a contig N50 of 3.37 Mb. By performing the Hi-C analysis, we anchored 91.68% of the contigs into 15 pseudochromosomes. Genomic annotation uncovered 17,581 protein-coding genes and identified 20.09% of the sequences as repeat elements. BUSCO analysis estimated over 98% of genome completeness. Our study is at the first time to report the chromosome-scale genome for the species of the genus Frankliniella. It provides a valuable genomic resource for further biological research and pest management of the thrips.

Longitudinal changes in magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers of the gluteal muscle groups and functional ability in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a 12-month cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered an objective biomarker of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), but the longitudinal progression of MRI biomarkers in gluteal muscle groups and their predictive value for future motor function have not been described. OBJECTIVE: To explore MRI biomarkers of the gluteal muscle groups as predictors of motor function decline in DMD by characterizing the progression over 12 months. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 112 participants with DMD were enrolled and underwent MRI examination of the gluteal muscles to determine fat fraction and longitudinal relaxation time (T1). Investigations were based on gluteal muscle groups including flexors, extensors, adductors, and abductors. The North Star Ambulatory Assessment and timed functional tests were performed. All participants returned for follow-up at an average of 12 months and were divided into two subgroups (functional stability/decline groups) based on changes in timed functional tests. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression methods were used to explore the risk factors associated with future motor function decline. RESULTS: For the functional decline group, all T1 values decreased, while fat fraction values increased significantly over 12 months (P<0.05). For the functional stability group, only the fat fraction of the flexors and abductors increased significantly over 12 months (P<0.05). The baseline T1 value was positively correlated with North Star Ambulatory Assessment and negatively correlated with timed functional tests at the 12-month follow-up (P<0.001), while the baseline fat fraction value was negatively correlated with North Star Ambulatory Assessment and positively correlated with timed functional tests at the 12-month follow-up (P<0.001). Multivariate regression showed that increased fat fraction of the abductors was associated with future motor function decline (model 1: odds ratio [OR]=1.104, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.026~1.187, P=0.008; model 2: OR=1.085, 95% CI: 1.013~1.161, P=0.019), with an area under the curve of 0.874. CONCLUSION: Fat fraction of the abductors is a powerful predictor of future motor functional decline in DMD patients at 12 months, underscoring the importance of focusing early on this parameter in patients with DMD.

Simultaneous Detection and Distribution of Five Juvenile Hormones in 58 Insect Species and the Absolute Configuration in 32 Insect Species.

Juvenile hormone (JH) plays an important role in regulating various insect physiological processes. Herein, a novel method (chiral and achiral) for the simultaneous detection of five JHs was established by processing a whole insect without complicated hemolymph extraction. The proposed method was used to determine the distribution of JHs in 58 insect species and the absolute configuration of JHs in 32 species. The results showed that JHSB3 was uniquely synthesized in Hemiptera, JHB3 was unique to Diptera, and JH I and JH II were unique to Lepidoptera. JH III was present in most insect species surveyed, with social insects having generally higher JH III titers. Interestingly, JHSB3 and JHB3, both double epoxidation JHs, were found in insects with sucking mouthparts. The absolute conformation of JH III and the 10C of the detected JHs were all R stereoisomers.

The potential of 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging for the evaluation of fetal anomalies of the great vessels.

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the diagnosis of anomalies of the fetal great arteries with comparison to fetal ultrasound, and to compare image quality between 1.5 T and 3.0 T MRI in fetal imaging of the great arteries. Methods: We compared the results of postnatal exam or surgery and evaluated the application value of prenatal 1.5 T MRI in the assessment of fetal great-vessel anomalies. To further determine the diagnostic potential of 1.5 T MRI, 23 pregnant women with suspected fetal cardiovascular abnormalities who had undergone ultrasound and 3.0 T MRI were enrolled and compared, respectively. Results: Prenatal MRI was superior to ultrasound in demonstrating aortic arch and branch abnormalities (sensitivity, 92.86% vs. 83.33%; specificity, 66.67% vs. 20%). The mean quality ratings for fetal MRI at 1.5 T was higher than 3.0 T (P < 0.001). Other than the fast scan speed afforded by 3.0 T MRI, the signal noise ratio (SNR) of 1.5 T MRI were higher than those of 3.0 T MRI; however, the difference in contrast to noise ratio (CNR) between the two imaging modalities was not statistically significant. Conclusions: 1.5 T MRI can achieve an overall assessment of fetal great-vessel anomalies, especially aortic arch and branch abnormalities. Therefore, 1.5 T MRI can be considered a supplementary imaging modality for the prenatal assessment of extracardiac great vessels malformations.

Clinical significance of enlarged cardiophrenic lymph nodes by CT in advanced ovarian cancer.

Aim: This study aims to assess the clinical influence of enlarged cardiophrenic lymph nodes (CPLN) on staging computed tomography (CT) among patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 320 patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer who underwent staging CT from May 2008 to January 2019. The CPLN diameter was the average of two radiologists' measurements. Enlarged CPLN was defined as a short-axis diameter of ≥5 mm. Clinical and imaging findings, management decisions, and progression-free survival(PFS) were compared between patients with and without enlarged CPLN. Results: Enlarged CPLN was found in 129 (40.3%) patients, which was significantly associated with more pelvic peritoneal carcinomatosis (odds ratio [OR]: 6.61 with 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.51-28.99), and involved the greater omentum (OR: 6.41, 95% CI: 3.05-13.46), spleen capsule nodules (OR: 2.83, 95% CI: 1.58-5.06), and liver capsule nodules (OR: 2.55, 95% CI: 1.57-4.17). The optimal cytoreduction rates did not differ between patients with and without enlarged CPLN (p = 0.656). The presence of enlarged CPLN had a significant negative influence on PFS (median PFS, 23.5 vs. 80.6 months, respectively, CPLN ≥5 mm versus <5 mm; p = 0.023) in patients with no RD after primary debulking surgery, but no adverse effect on PFS among patients with RD (median PFS, 28.0 vs. 24.4 months, respectively, CPLN ≥5 mm versus <5 mm; p = 0.359). However, enlarged CPLN on staging CT did not affect PFS in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with (median PFS, 22.4 vs. 23.6 months, respectively, CPLN ≥5 mm versus <5 mm; p = 0.360) or without RD (median PFS, 17.7 vs. 23.3 months, respectively, CPLN ≥5 mm versus <5 mm; p = 0.400). The enlarged CPLN showed a decreased trend in 81.6% (n = 80) of the patients with enlarged CPLN. No significant difference was found in PFS (p = 0.562) between patients with decreased and increased in the size of CPLN. Conclusions: Enlarged CPLN on staging CT is associated with more abdominal disease but is not reliable in predicting complete resection. Enlarged CPLN awareness is necessary for patients with a primary chance of complete resection of abdominal disease.