Minimal positional substring cover is a haplotype threading alternative to Li and Stephens model.

The Li and Stephens (LS) hidden Markov model (HMM) models the process of reconstructing a haplotype as a mosaic copy of haplotypes in a reference panel. For small panels, the probabilistic parameterization of LS enables modeling the uncertainties of such mosaics. However, LS becomes inefficient when sample size is large, because of its linear time complexity. Recently the PBWT, an efficient data structure capturing the local haplotype matching among haplotypes, was proposed to offer a fast method for giving some optimal solution (Viterbi) to the LS HMM. Previously, we introduced the minimal positional substring cover (MPSC) problem as an alternative formulation of LS whose objective is to cover a query haplotype by a minimum number of segments from haplotypes in a reference panel. The MPSC formulation allows the generation of a haplotype threading in time constant to sample size (O(N)). This allows haplotype threading on very large biobank-scale panels on which the LS model is infeasible. Here, we present new results on the solution space of the MPSC. In addition, we derived a number of optimal algorithms for MPSC, including solution enumerations, the length maximal MPSC, and h-MPSC solutions. In doing so, our algorithms reveal the solution space of LS for large panels. We show that our method is informative in terms of revealing the characteristics of biobank-scale data sets and can improve genotype imputation.

Fast inference of genetic recombination rates in biobank scale data.

Although rates of recombination events across the genome (genetic maps) are fundamental to genetic research, the majority of current studies only use one standard map. There is evidence suggesting population differences in genetic maps, and thus estimating population-specific maps, are of interest. Although the recent availability of biobank-scale data offers such opportunities, current methods are not efficient at leveraging very large sample sizes. The most accurate methods are still linkage disequilibrium (LD)-based methods that are only tractable for a few hundred samples. In this work, we propose a fast and memory-efficient method for estimating genetic maps from population genotyping data. Our method, FastRecomb, leverages the efficient positional Burrows-Wheeler transform (PBWT) data structure for counting IBD segment boundaries as potential recombination events. We used PBWT blocks to avoid redundant counting of pairwise matches. Moreover, we used a panel-smoothing technique to reduce the noise from errors and recent mutations. Using simulation, we found that FastRecomb achieves state-of-the-art performance at 10-kb resolution, in terms of correlation coefficients between the estimated map and the ground truth. This is mainly because FastRecomb can effectively take advantage of large panels comprising more than hundreds of thousands of haplotypes. At the same time, other methods lack the efficiency to handle such data. We believe further refinement of FastRecomb would deliver more accurate genetic maps for the genetics community.

Historic dog Furs Unravel the Origin and Artificial Selection of Modern Nordic Lapphund and Elkhound dog Breeds.

The origins and extreme morphological evolution of the modern dog breeds are poorly studied because the founder populations are extinct. Here, we analyse eight 100 to 200 years old dog fur samples obtained from traditional North Swedish clothing, to explore the origin and artificial selection of the modern Nordic Lapphund and Elkhound dog breeds. Population genomic analysis confirmed the Lapphund and Elkhound breeds to originate from the local dog population, and showed a distinct decrease in genetic diversity in agreement with intense breeding. We identified eleven genes under positive selection during the breed development. In particular, the MSRB3 gene, associated with breed-related ear morphology, was selected in all Lapphund and Elkhound breeds, and functional assays showed that a SNP mutation in the 3'UTR region suppresses its expression through miRNA regulation. Our findings demonstrate analysis of near-modern dog artifacts as an effective tool for interpreting the origin and artificial selection of the modern dog breeds.

A congenital hydrocephalus-causing mutation in Trim71 induces stem cell defects via inhibiting Lsd1 mRNA translation.

Congenital hydrocephalus (CH) is a major cause of childhood morbidity. Mono-allelic mutations in Trim71, a conserved stem-cell-specific RNA-binding protein, cause CH; however, the molecular basis for pathogenesis mediated by these mutations remains unknown. Here, using mouse embryonic stem cells as a model, we reveal that the mouse R783H mutation (R796H in human) alters Trim71's mRNA substrate specificity and leads to accelerated stem-cell differentiation and neural lineage commitment. Mutant Trim71, but not wild-type Trim71, binds Lsd1 (Kdm1a) mRNA and represses its translation. Specific inhibition of this repression or a slight increase of Lsd1 in the mutant cells alleviates the defects in stem cell differentiation and neural lineage commitment. These results determine a functionally relevant target of the CH-causing Trim71 mutant that can potentially be a therapeutic target and provide molecular mechanistic insights into the pathogenesis of this disease.

CircularSTAR3D: a stack-based RNA 3D structural alignment tool for circular matching.

The functions of non-coding RNAs usually depend on their 3D structures. Therefore, comparing RNA 3D structures is critical in analyzing their functions. We noticed an interesting phenomenon that two non-coding RNAs may share similar substructures when rotating their sequence order. To the best of our knowledge, no existing RNA 3D structural alignment tools can detect this type of matching. In this article, we defined the RNA 3D structure circular matching problem and developed a software tool named CircularSTAR3D to solve this problem. CircularSTAR3D first uses the conserved stacks (consecutive base pairs with similar 3D structures) in the input RNAs to identify the circular matched internal loops and multiloops. Then it performs a local extension iteratively to obtain the whole circular matched substructures. The computational experiments conducted on a non-redundant RNA structure dataset show that circular matching is ubiquitous. Furthermore, we demonstrated the utility of CircularSTAR3D by detecting the conserved substructures missed by regular alignment tools, including structural motifs and conserved structures between riboswitches and ribozymes from different classes. We anticipate CircularSTAR3D to be a valuable supplement to the existing RNA 3D structural analysis techniques.

Exceptional Rate Performances of Li-Rich Mn-Based Cathodes Enabled by Boron-Based Additives-Driven Self-Optimized Interface.

Li-rich Mn-based cathode material (LRM), as a promising cathode for high energy density lithium batteries, suffers from severe side reactions in conventional lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6)-based carbonate electrolytes, leading to unstable interfaces and poor rate performances. Herein, a boron-based additives-driven self-optimized interface strategy is presented to dissolve low ionic conductivity LiF nanoparticles at the outer cathode electrolyte interface, leading to the optimized interfacial components, as well as the enhanced Li ion migration rate in electrolytes. Being attributed to these superiorities, the LRM||Li battery delivers a high-capacity retention of 92.19% at 1C after 200 cycles and a low voltage decay of 1.08 mV/cycle. This work provides a new perspective on the rational selection of functional additives with an interfacial self-optimized characteristic to achieve a long lifespan LRM with exceptional rate performances.

Lipidomics and mass spectrometry imaging unveil alterations in mice hippocampus lipid composition exposed to hypoxia.

Lipids are components of cytomembranes that are involved in various biochemical processes. High-altitude hypoxic environments not only affect the body's energy metabolism, but these environments can also cause abnormal lipid metabolism involved in the hypoxia-induced cognitive impairment. Thus, comprehensive lipidomic profiling of the brain tissue is an essential step toward understanding the mechanism of cognitive impairment induced by hypoxic exposure. In the present study, mice showed reduced new-object recognition and spatial memory when exposed to hypobaric hypoxia for 1 day. Histomorphological staining revealed significant morphological and structural damage to the hippocampal tissue, along with prolonged exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. Dynamic lipidomics of the mouse hippocampus showed a significant shift in both the type and distribution of phospholipids, as verified by spatial lipid mapping. Collectively, a diverse and dynamic lipid composition in mice hippocampus was uncovered, which deepens our understanding of biochemical changes during sustained hypoxic exposure and could provide new insights into the cognitive decline induced by high-altitude hypoxia exposure.

High Safety Electrolyte Design for Enabling High Energy-Density System of LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2//Phosphorus by Simultaneously Adjusting Dual Electrode/Electrolyte Interfaces.

The demand for state-of-the-art high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries is increasing. However, the low specific capacity of electrode materials in conventional full-cell systems cannot meet the requirements. Ni-rich layered oxide cathodes such as Li(Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1)O2 (NCM811) have a high theoretical specific capacity of 200 mAh g-1, but it is always accompanied by side reactions on the electrode/electrolyte interface. Phosphorus anode possesses a high theoretical specific capacity of 2596 mAh g-1, but it has a huge volume expansion (≈300%). Herein, a highly compatible and secure electrolyte is reported via introducing an additive with a narrow electrochemical window, Lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate (LiDFOB), into 1 m LiPF6 EC/DMC with tris (2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) phosphate (TFEP) as a cosolvent. LiDFOB participates in the formation of organic/inorganic hybrid electrode/electrolyte interface layers at both the cathode and anode sides. The side reactions on the surface of the NCM811 cathode and the volume expansion of the phosphorus anode are effectively alleviated. The NCM811//RP full cell in this electrolyte shows high capacity retention of 82% after 150 cycles at a 0.5C rate. Meanwhile, the electrolyte shows non-flammability. This work highlights the importance of manipulating the electrode/electrolyte interface layers for the design of lithium-ion batteries with high energy density.

RNAMotifComp: a comprehensive method to analyze and identify structurally similar RNA motif families.

MOTIVATION: The 3D structures of RNA play a critical role in understanding their functionalities. There exist several computational methods to study RNA 3D structures by identifying structural motifs and categorizing them into several motif families based on their structures. Although the number of such motif families is not limited, a few of them are well-studied. Out of these structural motif families, there exist several families that are visually similar or very close in structure, even with different base interactions. Alternatively, some motif families share a set of base interactions but maintain variation in their 3D formations. These similarities among different motif families, if known, can provide a better insight into the RNA 3D structural motifs as well as their characteristic functions in cell biology. RESULTS: In this work, we proposed a method, RNAMotifComp, that analyzes the instances of well-known structural motif families and establishes a relational graph among them. We also have designed a method to visualize the relational graph where the families are shown as nodes and their similarity information is represented as edges. We validated our discovered correlations of the motif families using RNAMotifContrast. Additionally, we used a basic Naïve Bayes classifier to show the importance of RNAMotifComp. The relational analysis explains the functional analogies of divergent motif families and illustrates the situations where the motifs of disparate families are predicted to be of the same family. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Source code publicly available at https://github.com/ucfcbb/RNAMotifFamilySimilarity.

Syllable-PBWT for space-efficient haplotype long-match query.

MOTIVATION: The positional Burrows-Wheeler transform (PBWT) has led to tremendous strides in haplotype matching on biobank-scale data. For genetic genealogical search, PBWT-based methods have optimized the asymptotic runtime of finding long matches between a query haplotype and a predefined panel of haplotypes. However, to enable fast query searches, the full-sized panel and PBWT data structures must be kept in memory, preventing existing algorithms from scaling up to modern biobank panels consisting of millions of haplotypes. In this work, we propose a space-efficient variation of PBWT named Syllable-PBWT, which divides every haplotype into syllables, builds the PBWT positional prefix arrays on the compressed syllabic panel, and leverages the polynomial rolling hash function for positional substring comparison. With the Syllable-PBWT data structures, we then present a long match query algorithm named Syllable-Query. RESULTS: Compared to the most time- and space-efficient previously published solution to the long match query problem, Syllable-Query reduced the memory use by a factor of over 100 on both the UK Biobank genotype data and the 1000 Genomes Project sequence data. Surprisingly, the smaller size of our syllabic data structures allows for more efficient iteration and CPU cache usage, granting Syllable-Query even faster runtime than existing solutions. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: https://github.com/ZhiGroup/Syllable-PBWT. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

RaPID-Query for fast identity by descent search and genealogical analysis.

MOTIVATION: Due to the rapid growth of the genetic database size, genealogical search, a process of inferring familial relatedness by identifying DNA matches, has become a viable approach to help individuals finding missing family members or law enforcement agencies locating suspects. A fast and accurate method is needed to search an out-of-database individual against millions of individuals. Most existing approaches only offer all-versus-all within panel match. Some prototype algorithms offer one-versus-all query from out-of-panel individual, but they do not tolerate errors. RESULTS: A new method, random projection-based identity-by-descent (IBD) detection (RaPID) query, is introduced to make fast genealogical search possible. RaPID-Query identifies IBD segments between a query haplotype and a panel of haplotypes. By integrating matches over multiple PBWT indexes, RaPID-Query manages to locate IBD segments quickly with a given cutoff length while allowing mismatched sites. A single query against all UK biobank autosomal chromosomes was completed within 2.76 seconds on average, with the minimum length 7 cM and 700 markers. RaPID-Query achieved a 0.016 false negative rate and a 0.012 false positive rate simultaneously on a chromosome 20 sequencing panel having 86 265 sites. This is comparable to the state-of-the-art IBD detection method TPBWT(out-of-sample) and Hap-IBD. The high-quality IBD segments yielded by RaPID-Query were able to distinguish up to fourth degree of the familial relatedness for a given individual pair, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values are at least 97.28%. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The RaPID-Query program is available at https://github.com/ucfcbb/RaPID-Query.

RAFFI: Accurate and fast familial relationship inference in large scale biobank studies using RaPID.

Inference of relationships from whole-genome genetic data of a cohort is a crucial prerequisite for genome-wide association studies. Typically, relationships are inferred by computing the kinship coefficients (ϕ) and the genome-wide probability of zero IBD sharing (π0) among all pairs of individuals. Current leading methods are based on pairwise comparisons, which may not scale up to very large cohorts (e.g., sample size >1 million). Here, we propose an efficient relationship inference method, RAFFI. RAFFI leverages the efficient RaPID method to call IBD segments first, then estimate the ϕ and π0 from detected IBD segments. This inference is achieved by a data-driven approach that adjusts the estimation based on phasing quality and genotyping quality. Using simulations, we showed that RAFFI is robust against phasing/genotyping errors, admix events, and varying marker densities, and achieves higher accuracy compared to KING, the current leading method, especially for more distant relatives. When applied to the phased UK Biobank data with ~500K individuals, RAFFI is approximately 18 times faster than KING. We expect RAFFI will offer fast and accurate relatedness inference for even larger cohorts.

Response Surface Optimization of Polysaccharides from Jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora [Mart.] O.Berg) Fruits: Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction, Structure Properties, and Antioxidant/Hypoglycemic Activities.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) method proves to be more effective compared to traditional extraction methods. In the present study, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine the optimal process parameters for extracting polysaccharides (U-MCP) from jaboticaba fruit using UAE. The optimum extraction conditions were ultrasonic time 70 min, extraction temperature 60 °C, and power 350 W. Under these conditions, the sugar content of U-MCP was 52.8 %. The molecular weights of the ultrasound-assisted extracted U-MCP ranged from 9.52×102 to 3.27×103  Da, and consisted of five monosaccharides including mannose, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, and arabinose. Moreover, in vitro antioxidant and hypoglycaemic assay revealed that U-MCP has prominent anti-oxidant activities (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, hydroxyl radicals and 2,2'-Azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic Acid Ammonium Salt) (ABTS) radicals scavenging activities) and hypoglycemic activities (α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition activities).

High-Density Electroencephalogram Facilitates the Detection of Small Stimuli in Code-Modulated Visual Evoked Potential Brain-Computer Interfaces.

In recent years, there has been a considerable amount of research on visual evoked potential (VEP)-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). However, it remains a big challenge to detect VEPs elicited by small visual stimuli. To address this challenge, this study employed a 256-electrode high-density electroencephalogram (EEG) cap with 66 electrodes in the parietal and occipital lobes to record EEG signals. An online BCI system based on code-modulated VEP (C-VEP) was designed and implemented with thirty targets modulated by a time-shifted binary pseudo-random sequence. A task-discriminant component analysis (TDCA) algorithm was employed for feature extraction and classification. The offline and online experiments were designed to assess EEG responses and classification performance for comparison across four different stimulus sizes at visual angles of 0.5°, 1°, 2°, and 3°. By optimizing the data length for each subject in the online experiment, information transfer rates (ITRs) of 126.48 ± 14.14 bits/min, 221.73 ± 15.69 bits/min, 258.39 ± 9.28 bits/min, and 266.40 ± 6.52 bits/min were achieved for 0.5°, 1°, 2°, and 3°, respectively. This study further compared the EEG features and classification performance of the 66-electrode layout from the 256-electrode EEG cap, the 32-electrode layout from the 128-electrode EEG cap, and the 21-electrode layout from the 64-electrode EEG cap, elucidating the pivotal importance of a higher electrode density in enhancing the performance of C-VEP BCI systems using small stimuli.

Self-Assembly Behavior, Aggregation Structure, and the Charge Carrier Transport Properties of S-Heterocyclic Annulated Perylene Diimide Derivatives.

The construction of high-performance n-type semiconductors is crucial for the advancement of organic electronics. As an attractive n-type semiconductor, molecular systems based on perylene diimide derivatives (PDIs) have been extensively investigated over recent years. Owing to the fascinating aggregated structure and high performance, S-heterocyclic annulated PDIs (SPDIs) are receiving increasing attention. However, the relationship between the structure and the electrical properties of SPDIs has not been deeply revealed, restricting the progress of PDI-based organic electronics. Here, we developed two novel SPDIs with linear and dendronized substituents in the imide position, named linear SPDI and dendronized SPDI, respectively. A series of structural and property characterizations indicated that linear SPDI formed a long-range-ordered crystalline structure based on helical supramolecular columns, while dendronized SPDI, with longer alkyl side chains, formed a 3D-ordered crystalline structure at a low temperature, which transformed into a hexagonal columnar liquid crystal structure at a high temperature. Moreover, no significant charge carrier transport signal was examined for linear SPDI, while dendronized SPDI had a charge carrier mobility of 3.5 × 10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1 and 2.1 × 10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1 in the crystalline and liquid crystalline state, respectively. These findings highlight the importance of the structure-function relationship in PDIs, and also offer useful roadmaps for the design of high-performance organic electronics for down-to-earth applications.

High-Efficiency Separator Capacity-Compensation Strategy Applied to Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are expected to replace partial reliance on lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in the field of large-scale energy storage as well as low-speed electric vehicles due to the abundance, wide distribution, and easy availability of sodium metal. Unfortunately, a certain amount of sodium ions are irreversibly trapped in the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer during the initial charging process, causing the initial capacity loss (ICL) of the SIBs. A separator capacity-compensation strategy is proposed, where the capacity compensator on the separator oxidizes below the high cut-off voltage of the cathode to provide additional sodium ions. This strategy shows attractive advantages, including adaptability to current production processes, no impairment of cell long-cycle life, controlled pre-sodiation degree, and strategy universality. The separator capacity-compensation strategy is applied in the NaNi1/3 Fe1/3 Mn1/3 O2 (NMFO)||HC full cell and achieve a compensated capacity ratio of 18.2%. In the Na3 V2 (PO4 )3 (NVP)||HC full cell, the initial reversible specific capacity is increased from 61.0 mAh g-1 to 83.1 mAh g-1 . The separator capacity-compensation strategy is proven to be universal and provides a new perspective to enhance the energy density of SIBs.

Separator with Nitrogen-Phosphorus Flame-Retardant for LiNix Coy Mn1- x - y O2 Cathode-Based Lithium-Ion Batteries.

With the pursuit of high-energy-density for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the hidden safety problems of batteries have gradually emerged. LiNix Coy Mn1- x - y O2 (NCM) is considered as an ideal cathode material to meet the urgent needs of high-energy-density batteries. However, the oxygen precipitation reaction of NCM cathode at high temperature brings serious safety concerns. In order to promote high-safety lithium-ion batteries, herein, a new type of flame-retardant separator is prepared using flame-retardant (melamine pyrophosphate, MPP) and thermal stable Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP). MPP takes the advantage of nitrogen-phosphorus synergistic effect upon the increased internal temperature of LIBs, including the dilution effect of noncombustible gas and the rapidly suppression of undesirable thermal runaway. The developed flame-retardant separators show negligible shrinkage over 200 °C and it takes only 0.54 s to extinguish the flame in the ignition test, which are much superior to commercial polyolefin separators. Moreover, pouch cells are assembled to demonstrate the application potential of PVDF-HFP/MPP separators and further verify the safety performance. It is anticipated that the separator with nitrogen-phosphorus flame-retardant can be extensively applied to various high-energy-density devices owing to simplicity and cost-effectiveness.

RNAMotifContrast: a method to discover and visualize RNA structural motif subfamilies.

Understanding the 3D structural properties of RNAs will play a critical role in identifying their functional characteristics and designing new RNAs for RNA-based therapeutics and nanotechnology. While several existing computational methods can help in the analysis of RNA properties by recognizing structural motifs, they do not provide the means to compare and contrast those motifs extensively. We have developed a new method, RNAMotifContrast, which focuses on analyzing the similarities and variations of RNA structural motif characteristics. In this method, a graph is formed to represent the similarities among motifs, and a new traversal algorithm is applied to generate visualizations of their structural properties. Analyzing the structural features among motifs, we have recognized and generalized the concept of motif subfamilies. To asses its effectiveness, we have applied RNAMotifContrast on a dataset of known RNA structural motif families. From the results, we observed that the derived subfamilies possess unique structural variations while holding standard features of the families. Overall, the visualization approach of this method presents a new perspective to observe the relation among motifs more closely, and the discovered subfamilies provide opportunities to achieve valuable insights into RNA's diverse roles.

Digital measurement and correlation analysis of coronal and sagittal anatomic parameters in the radiographs of adolescent patients with idiopathic scoliosis.

OBJECTIVE: To use digital software to measure the morphologic and anatomic parameters of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Differences and correlations among different parameters were compared to provide an anatomic basis for the selection of treatment methods and preoperative evaluation of AIS. METHODS: Spinal radiographs were taken from 300 boys and girls (age, 10-18 years) suffering from idiopathic scoliosis in four grade-A hospitals in Inner Mongolia. After screening, 120 cases with complete imaging data were assessed. Imaging data were transferred to a work station (Dr Wise™). The anatomic indices of the Cobb Angle, CVA, AVT, TS, CA, CPT, CSI, FPT, CCA, TK, LL, SS, PT, and PI were measured. RESULTS: There were significant differences in AVT between different grades and types of scoliosis (F = 34.079, P = 0.000; χ2 = 23.379, P = 0.000). AVT was a protective factor, and the smaller the AVT, the less severe was the scoliosis. Compared with adolescents with mild or moderate scoliosis, the Cobb angle of adolescents with severe scoliosis was negatively correlated with CCA, LL, and SS (r = - 0.641, p < 0.05; r = - 0.695, p < 0.01; r = - 0.814, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Some of the anatomic parameters in the coronal and sagittal planes of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis were significantly different according to the severity and type of scoliosis. Significant correlations were found between more anatomic indices in adolescents with severe scoliosis than in adolescents suffering from mild or moderate scoliosis.

Diagnostic Significance of DCE-MRI-Related Quantitative Parameters for Nasal Cavity and Sinus Tumors.

Objective: Our aim was to explore the diagnostic value of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI)-related quantitative parameters for benign and malignant nasal cavity and sinus tumors. Methods: A total of 78 patients with nasal sinus tumors admitted to People's Hospital of Qingdao Chengyang District in China were enrolled in our study, Of the patients, 41 were diagnosed as having benign tumors and 37 as having malignant tumors by pathological diagnosis. All patients received DCE-MRI scans before surgery to derive time-intensity curves (TICs) and related quantitative parameters (flux rate constant [Kep], transfer constant [Ktrans], extravascular volume fraction [Ve]). The diagnostic surgical pathology results were used as the gold standard to analyze the diagnostic effect of TIC and related quantitative parameters of DCE-MRI, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to determine the values of each parameter in predicting nasal sinus tumors. Results: The percentage of class I in the benign group was significantly higher than in the malignant group (P < .05); the percentage of class III in the benign group was significantly lower than in the malignant group (P < .05); the percentage of class II in the 2 groups was comparable (P > .05). Kep, Ktrans and Ve in the benign group were 0.338±0.124, 0.061±0.035 and 0.532±0.138, respectively; Kep, Ktrans and Ve in the malignant group were 0.785±0.211, 0.441±0.125 and 0.327±0.048, respectively. The levels of Kep and Ktrans were significantly lower in the benign group than in the malignant group (all P < .05); the levels of Ve were significantly higher in the benign group than in the malignant group (P < .05). The optimal Kep cut-off value for predicting malignant nasal sinus tumors was 0.510 min-1, with a sensitivity of 81.4% and specificity of 89.5%; the optimal Ktrans cut-off value for predicting malignant nasal sinus tumors was 0.206 min-1, with a sensitivity of 84.3% and specificity of 89.7%; the optimal Ve cut-off value for predicting malignant nasal sinus tumors was 0.384 min-1, with a sensitivity of 71.8% and specificity of 82.4%. Conclusion: DCE-MRI-related quantitative parameters are ideal for the diagnosis of benign and malignant nasal sinus tumors. This modality provides more data for the identification of the nature of the tumor, and thus merits clinical promotion and application.