Association of white matter hyperintensities with migraine features and prognosis.

BACKGROUND: White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are frequently detected in migraine patients. However, their significance and correlation to migraine disease burden remain unclear. This study aims to examine the correlation of WMHs with migraine features and explore the relationship between WMHs and migraine prognosis. METHODS: A total of 69 migraineurs underwent MRI scans to evaluate WMHs. Migraine features were compared between patients with and without WMHs. After an average follow-up period of 3 years, these patients were divided into two groups, according to the reduction of headache frequency: improved and non-improved groups. The percentage and degree of WMHs were compared between these two groups. RESULTS: A total of 24 patients (34.8%) had WMHs. Patients with WMHs were significantly older (39.0 ± 7.9 vs. 30.6 ± 10.4 years, P < 0.001) and had a longer disease duration (median: 180.0 vs. 84.0 months, P = 0.013). Furthermore, 33 patients completed the follow up period (15 patients improved and 18 patients did not improve). Patients in the non-improved group had a higher frequency of WMHs (55.6% vs. 13.3%, P = 0.027) and median WMHs score (1.0 vs. 0.0, P = 0.030). CONCLUSIONS: WMHs can predict unfavorable migraine prognosis. Furthermore, WMHs may have a closer association with age than migraine features.

[Preoperative evaluation of vascular involvement and general resectability of pancreatic carcinoma by using 64-slice spiral computed tomographical angiography].

OBJECTIVE: To assess for preoperative evaluation of 64-slice spiral computed tomographical angiography (64-SCTA) to predict vascular involvement and general resectability of pancreatic malignant tumors. METHODS: The material of 64-SCTA in 34 cases were retrospectively analyzed. Preoperative imaging findings were correlated with intraoperative and histopathologic results. RESULTS: For the arterial tumor invasion based on 64-SCTA findings, 1 grade was in 8 cases; 2 grade, 6 cases; 3 grade, 8 cases; 4 grade, 10 cases;5 grade, 2 cases.Regarding respectability, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) were 92.9%, 95.0%,94.1%, 92.9%, 95.0%. Kappa value was 0.879 (P < 0.01). Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.943 (P < 0.01). For the venous tumor infiltration, 1 grade was in 0 case; 2 grade, 6 cases; 3 grade, 6 cases; 4 grade, 13 cases; 5 grade, 9 cases. Regarding respectability, these values for those tumors with vein invasion were 78.6%, 95.0%, 88.2%, 91.7%, 86.4%. Kappa value was 0.752 (P < 0.01). ROC analysis showed an AUC of 0.927 (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: 64-SCTA can provide reliable information for vascular involvement and general resectability of pancreatic malignant tumors. 64-SCTA has high value in clinical application.

First report on identification and genomic analysis of a novel porcine circovirus (porcine circovirus 4) in cats.

Porcine circovirus type 4 (PCV4) is an emerging circovirus, which has been detected in domestic pigs across various provinces in China and Korea. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether cats are susceptible to PCV4. For this purpose, we collected 116 cat samples from animal hospitals in Sichuan Province, China, between 2021 and 2022. Using a SYBR Green-based real-time PCR assay, we detected PCV4 in 5 out of the 116 clinical samples, indicating a positive rate of 4.31% (5/116) and confirming the presence of PCV4 in cats from Sichuan Province, China. Moreover, we successfully sequenced and analyzed the complete genome of one PCV4 strain (SCGA-Cat) along with 60 reference sequences deposited in the GenBank database. SCGA-Cat exhibited high nucleotide homology (98.2-99.0%) with PCV4 strains from other species, including dogs, pigs, dairy cows, and fur animals. Notably, the SCGA-Cat strain from cats clustered closely with a PCV4 strain derived from a pig collected in Fujian Province, China. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first report on the molecular detection of PCV4 in cats worldwide, which prompted us to understand the genetic diversity and cross-species transmission of the ongoing PCV4 cases. However, further investigations are needed to explore the association between PCV4 infection and clinical syndromes in cats.