Phonological properties of logographic words modulate brain activation in bilinguals: a comparative study of Chinese characters and Japanese Kanji.

The brain networks for the first (L1) and second (L2) languages are dynamically formed in the bilingual brain. This study delves into the neural mechanisms associated with logographic-logographic bilingualism, where both languages employ visually complex and conceptually rich logographic scripts. Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, we examined the brain activity of Chinese-Japanese bilinguals and Japanese-Chinese bilinguals as they engaged in rhyming tasks with Chinese characters and Japanese Kanji. Results showed that Japanese-Chinese bilinguals processed both languages using common brain areas, demonstrating an assimilation pattern, whereas Chinese-Japanese bilinguals recruited additional neural regions in the left lateral prefrontal cortex for processing Japanese Kanji, reflecting their accommodation to the higher phonological complexity of L2. In addition, Japanese speakers relied more on the phonological processing route, while Chinese speakers favored visual form analysis for both languages, indicating differing neural strategy preferences between the 2 bilingual groups. Moreover, multivariate pattern analysis demonstrated that, despite the considerable neural overlap, each bilingual group formed distinguishable neural representations for each language. These findings highlight the brain's capacity for neural adaptability and specificity when processing complex logographic languages, enriching our understanding of the neural underpinnings supporting bilingual language processing.

Understanding the structural contributions to the functional properties of chestnut starch high in resistant starch type-2.

BACKGROUND: Chestnut has recently attracted attention because of its exceptional functional properties, which are mainly influenced by the structural properties of chestnut starch (CS). In this study, ten varieties of chestnut from the northern, southern, eastern, and western regions of China were selected, and their functional properties, including thermal properties, pasting properties, in vitro digestibility, and multi-scale structural characteristics were characterized. The relationship between structure and functional properties was clarified. RESULTS: In the varieties that were studied, the pasting temperature of CS was in the range of 67.2-75.2 °C and the pastes displayed diverse viscosity characteristics. Slowly digestible starch (SDS), and resistant starch (RS) of CS were in the range of 17.17-28.78% and 61.19-76.10%, respectively. Chestnut starch from north-eastern China exhibited the highest RS content of 74.43-76.10%. Structural correlation analysis revealed that smaller size distribution, fewer B2 chains, and thinner lamellae thickness contributed to higher RS content. Meanwhile, CS with smaller granules, more B2 chains, and thicker amorphous lamellae displayed lower peak viscosities, stronger resistance to shear, and higher thermal stability. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study clarified the relationship between the functional properties and the multi-scale structure of CS, revealing the structural contributions to its high RS content. These findings provide significant information and basic data for use in the creation of nutritional chestnut food. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

FSIP1 regulates autophagy in breast cancer.

Fibrous sheath interacting protein 1 (FSIP1) is a cancer antigen expressed in the majority of breast cancer tissues and is associated with poor prognosis. However, the role of FSIP1 in the progression and drug sensitivity of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has not been explored. Here, we show that FSIP1 deficiency by shRNA-mediated knockdown or CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knockout significantly inhibits the proliferation and invasion of TNBC cells and impairs chemotherapy-induced growth inhibition in vivo. Computational modeling predicted that FSIP1 binds to ULK1, and this was established by coimmunoprecipitation. FSIP1 deficiency promoted autophagy, enhanced AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling, and decreased mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Wnt/ß-catenin activity. In contrast, knockdown of AMPK or inhibition of autophagy restored the sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs in TNBC cells. Our findings uncover a role of FSIP1 as well as mechanisms underlying FSIP1 action in drug sensitivity and may, therefore, aid in design of TNBC therapies.

Existing contradictions and suggestions: flipped classroom in radiology courses of musculoskeletal disease under Chinese medical educational mode from medical imaging student perspective.

BACKGROUND: Flipped classrooms have already begun to be used in many universities aboard, and they now make up for some of the short comings of the traditional classroom. We introduced the concept of flipped classrooms into a radiology class in China and evaluated the students' performance to find out whether it was a better learning method. Furthermore, we have attempted to identify the problems of application of flipped classrooms (as practiced under the Chinese education system) and make suggestions. METHODS: Facilities made videos and prepared clinical cases and short lectures for the flipped classroom. A total of 55 undergraduate radiology students were asked to finish pre-class learning and pre-learning assessment, participate in a flipped classroom about bone malignant tumours, and complete questionnaires. Teachers were also need to finish the survey. RESULTS: 1) The students showed good performances in the pre-learning assessment. The mean scores for three pre-learning assessment were 89.77, 96.54, and 93.71, respectively; the median scores were 90, 97.5, and 94, respectively. 2) After they attended the flipped classroom, their mastery of knowledge (case-solving skills, basic feature command, comparison ability, and overall knowledge command) showed improvements; after flipped classroom, the scores for these knowledge factors improved to 81.25, 85.42, 85.42, and 85.42%, respectively, compared to the scores they obtained before taking the flipped classroom (1.25, 68.75, 64.58, and 72.92% respectively). 3) The students' discussion time and student-teacher-communication time increased, and the students' questions were solved satisfactorily. 4) CTDI-CV showed no improvement in critical thinking skills after taking the course. 5) The time spent in previewing (pre-class video watching, material reading, and pre-learning assessment) increased significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Flipped classrooms, when tested in a radiology classroom setting, show many advantages, making up for some inadequacies of didactic classrooms. They provide students with better learning experiences. We can continue to practice flipped classroom methods under the curriculum, but we still need to make improvements to make it more suitable for the Chinese medical education mode.

Assessment of cerebral blood flow in neonates and infants: A phase-contrast MRI study.

Abnormal cerebral blood flow (CBF) is implicated in several neonatal and infant diseases. However, measurement of CBF in this population remains difficult and has not been used in routine clinical MRI. Arterial spin labeling (ASL) methods suffer from both low SNR and poor quantification when applied to very young children. Furthermore, rapid change in brain physiology in this age range makes it difficult to choose sequence parameters such as labeling pulse flip angle and post labeling delay. Phase-contrast (PC) MRI is another approach to measure flow. It provides fast and reliable global CBF assessment, and has great promises in pediatric applications. In this study, we aimed to apply PC-MRI technique for CBF quantification in neonates and infants up to 18 months of age. We first compared several implementations of time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiogram for the visualization of brain's feeding arteries, which provides anatomical information for the positioning of PC-MRI scans. We then measured flow velocity and CBF of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and vertebral artery (VA) in 21 subjects (age 34-114 gestational weeks, 3 females, 18 males), using six encoding velocities (Venc) in each vessel. In ICA, peak arterial flow velocity was 10.2 cm/s at birth and increased to 56.0 cm/s at 18 months old. These values were 4.5-36.3 cm/s, respectively, for VA. CBF after accounting for brain volume revealed a significant (p < 0.001) age-related increase from 13.1 to 84.7 ml/100  g/min within the first 18 months after birth. Based on the peak flow velocity, we provided age-specific recommendations for Venc selection in PC-MRI when one only has time for one scan. The present study used a multi-Venc scheme to determine flow velocities in major feeding arteries of infant brain and may lay a foundation for accurate measurement of whole-brain CBF in this population.

Relationship between topological efficiency in white matter structural networks with cerebral oxygen metabolism in young adults.

The relationship between the topological characteristics of the white matter (WM) network have been shown to be related to neural development, intelligence, and various diseases; however, few studies have been conducted to explore the relationship between topological characteristics of the WM network and cerebral metabolism. In a recent study we investigated the relationship between WM network topological and metabolic metrics of the cerebral parenchyma in healthy volunteers using the newly developed T2-relaxation-under-spin-tagging (TRUST) magnetic resonance imaging technique and graph theory approaches. Ninety-six healthy adults (25.5 ±â€¯1.8 years of age) were recruited as volunteers in the current study. The cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2), oxygen extraction fraction, and the global topological metrics of the WM network (global efficiency [Eglob], local efficiency, and small-worldliness) were assessed. A stepwise multiple linear regression model was estimated. CMRO2 was entered as the dependent variable. The topological and demographic parameters (age, gender, FIQ, SBP, gray matter volume, and WM volume) were entered as independent variables in the model. The final performing models were comprised of predictors of Eglob, FIQ, and age (adjusted R2 values were 0.489 [L-AAL] and 0.424 [H-1024]). Our study initially revealed a relationship between Eglob and cerebral oxygen metabolism in healthy young adults.

Amide proton transfer imaging to evaluate the grading of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix: A comparative study using 18 F FDG PET.

BACKGROUND: Amide proton transfer (APT) imaging has shown great potential value in the diagnosis of cancer, but has yet not been applied in cervical carcinoma patients. PURPOSE: To investigate the utility of APT imaging in estimating histologic grades of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix (SCCC), compared with the standardized uptake value (SUV). STUDY TYPE: Prospective. POPULATION: Thirty-one patients with SCCC (median age 51 years) were included. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: Ingenia 3.0 T CX, Axial T1 -weighted imaging (T1 WI), Axial T2 WI, 3D turbo spin echo sequence for APT imaging. ASSESSMENT: Patient pathology was confirmed by surgery and the patients were divided into three groups based on histologic grades: Grade 1 (n = 9), Grade 2 (n = 12), and Grade 3 (n = 10). The APT signal intensity (APT SI), maximum SUV (SUVmax ) and mean SUV (SUVmean ) for each grade were assessed by experienced radiologists in a blinded manner. STATISTICAL TESTS: The obtained parameters were compared by one-way analysis of variance with Tukey honest significant difference post-hoc test. The correlations between the parameters and histologic grades were analyzed by Spearman's correlation coefficient. The Pearson correlation coefficients of the APT SI with the SUVmax and SUVmean were also calculated. RESULTS: The APT SIs for the three grades were significantly different (P = 0.0002). The APT SIs of Grade 2 and Grade 3 had significant differences (P = 0.009). The Spearman correlation coefficients for the correlations between the parameters and histological grade were as follows: APT SI: 0.684 (P = 0.00002), SUVmax : 0.318 (P = 0.082), and SUVmean : 0.261 (P = 0.157). The Pearson correlation coefficients of the APT SI with the SUVmax and SUVmean were 0.108 (P = 0.564) and 0.178 (P = 0.337), respectively. DATA CONCLUSION: The APT SI was positively correlated with the SCCC grades. APT imaging maybe a promising method for predicting SCCC histologic grades. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;50:261-268.

Actinidia arguta (Hardy Kiwi) Root Extract Exerts Anti-cancer Effects via Mcl-1-Mediated Apoptosis in Cholangiocarcinoma.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a highly aggressive and chemoresistant liver malignancy. Thus, identification of strategies to overcome insensitivity to apoptosis and growth inhibition is a growing focus of research in this malignancy. This study evaluated the potential anti-cancer effects of an ethanol extract from the Actinidia arguta (Hardy Kiwi) root (RAE) on CCA. Our data demonstrated that RAE decreased cell viability and induced apoptosis by activation of Caspase 3, Caspase 8, and Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in two CCA cell lines. RAE induced a decrease in Mcl-1 in cultured CCA cells and in xenograft CCA tumors. Administration of RAE every other day led to significant growth inhibition in tumor burden xenograft CCA mice. Western blotting analysis of paired human CCA and normal adjacent tissues from the same patient revealed that CCA tissues exhibited significantly higher Mcl-1 expression than normal tissues. Taken together, our findings demonstrated the anti-cancer effects of RAE on CCA both in vitro and in vivo. These data suggest that RAE may be a promising anti-CCA agent and could be beneficial in the treatment of CCA through the targeting of Mcl-1.

Accurate and rapid screening model for potential diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Prediction or early diagnosis of diabetes is crucial for populations with high risk of diabetes. METHODS: In this study, we assessed the ability of five popular classifiers (J48, AdaboostM1, SMO, Bayes Net, and Naïve Bayes) to identify individuals with diabetes based on nine non-invasive and easily obtained clinical features, including age, gender, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, history of cardiovascular disease or stroke, family history of diabetes, physical activity, work stress, and salty food preference. A total of 4205 data entries were obtained from annual physical examination reports for adults in the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University during January-April 2017. Weka data mining software was used to identify the best algorithm for diabetes classification. RESULTS: The results indicate that decision tree classifier J48 has the best performance (accuracy = 0.9503, precision = 0.950, recall = 0.950, F-measure = 0.948, and AUC = 0.964). The decision tree structure shows that age is the most significant feature, followed by family history of diabetes, work stress, BMI, salty food preference, physical activity, hypertension, gender, and history of cardiovascular disease or stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that decision tree analyses can be applied to screen individuals for early diabetes risk without the need for invasive tests. This procedure will be particularly useful in developing regions with high epidemiological risk and poor socioeconomic status, and enable clinical practitioners to rapidly screen patients for increased risk of diabetes. The key features in the tree structure could further facilitate diabetes prevention through targeted community interventions, which can potentially improve early diabetes diagnosis and reduce burdens on the healthcare system.

Pancreatic Stiffness Quantified with MR Elastography: Relationship to Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula after Pancreaticoenteric Anastomosis.

Purpose To describe the relationship between conventional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging parameters and MR elastography of the pancreas in association with pancreatic histologic features and occurrence of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF). Materials and Methods Patients who underwent preoperative MR imaging (MR elastography and diffusion-, T1-, and T2-weighted imaging) followed by pancreatectomy with pancreaticoenteric anastomosis were included. The relationships between preoperative MR imaging parameters, demographic data, and intraoperative factors with POPF risk were analyzed with logistic regression analyses. The correlation of MR imaging parameters with histologic characteristics was evaluated with multivariate regression analysis. Results A total of 112 patients (64 men, 48 women; median age, 58 years) were evaluated. Forty-two patients (37.5%) developed POPF and 20 (17.9%) developed high-grade POPF (grades B and C). Lower pancreatic stiffness (≤1.43 kPa; odds ratio [OR], 9.196; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.92, 43.98), nondilated main pancreatic duct (MPD) diameter (<3 mm; OR, 7.298; 95% CI: 1.51, 35.34), and larger stump area (≥211 mm2; OR, 9.210; 95% CI: 1.53, 55.26) were risk factors for POPF. Lower pancreatic stiffness (≤1.27 kPa; OR, 8.389; 95% CI: 1.88, 37.41) was the only independent predictor of high-grade POPF. Log-transformed pancreatic stiffness was independently associated with fibrosis (ß = 0.060; 95% CI: 0.052, 0.068), acinar atrophy (ß = 0.015; 95% CI: 0.003, 0.028), and lipomatosis (ß = -0.016; 95% CI: -0.026, -0.006). Conclusion Preoperative MR assessment of pancreatic stiffness, MPD diameter, and stump area are important predictors of POPF.

Differentiation of benign and malignant solid pancreatic masses using magnetic resonance elastography with spin-echo echo planar imaging and three-dimensional inversion reconstruction: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the diagnostic performance of MR elastography (MRE) and compare it with serum CA19-9 in differentiating malignant from benign pancreatic masses, with emphasis on differentiating between pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and mass-forming pancreatitis (MFP). METHODS: We performed a prospective, consecutive, 24-month study in 85 patients with solid pancreatic masses confirmed by histopathologic examinations. The mass stiffness and stiffness ratio (calculated as the ratio of mass stiffness to the parenchymal stiffness) were assessed. The diagnostic accuracy was analysed by calculating the area under the ROC curve (AUROC). RESULTS: The final diagnosis included 54 malignant tumours (43 patients with PDAC) and 31 benign masses (24 patients with MFP). The stiffness ratio showed better diagnostic performance than the mass stiffness and serum CA19-9 for the differentiation between malignant and benign masses (AUC: 0.912 vs. 0.845 vs. 0.702; P = 0.026, P < 0.001) and, specifically, between PDAC and MFP (AUC: 0.955 vs. 0.882 vs. 0.745; P = 0.026, P = 0.003). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of stiffness ratio for the differentiation of PDAC and MFP were all higher than 0.9. CONCLUSIONS: MRE presents an effective and quantitative strategy for non-invasive differentiation between PDAC and MFP based on their mechanical properties. KEY POINTS: • 3D MRE is useful for calculating stiffness of solid pancreatic tumours. • Stiffness ratio outperformed stiffness and CA19-9 for differentiating PDAC from MFP. • Incorporation of 3D MRE into a standard MRI protocol is recommended.

Noninvasive imaging of brain oxygen metabolism in children with primary nocturnal enuresis during natural sleep.

A series of studies have revealed that nocturnal enuresis is closely related to hypoxia in children with primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE). However, brain oxygen metabolism of PNE children has not been investigated before. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in whole-brain cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2 ), cerebral blood flow (CBF), and oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) in children suffering from PNE. We used the newly developed T2-relaxation-under-spin-tagging (TRUST) magnetic resonance imaging technique. Neurological evaluation, structural imaging, phase-contrast, and the TRUST imaging method were applied in children with PNE (n = 37) and healthy age- and sex-matched control volunteers (n = 39) during natural sleep to assess whole-brain CMRO2 , CBF, OEF, and arousal from sleep scores. Results showed that whole-brain CMRO2 and OEF values of PNE children were higher in controls, while there was no significant difference in CBF. Consequently, OEF levels of PNE children were increased to maintain oxygen supply. The elevation of OEF was positively correlated with the difficulty of arousal. Our results provide the first evidence that high oxygen consumption and high OEF values could make PNE children more susceptible to hypoxia, which may induce cumulative arousal deficits and make them more prone to nocturnal enuresis. Hum Brain Mapp 38:2532-2539, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Early diagnosis and severity assessment of acute pancreatitis (AP) using MR elastography (MRE) with spin-echo echo-planar imaging.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) in comparison to contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) for early diagnosis and prediction of severity in acute pancreatitis (AP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional prospective study included 76 patients with suspected AP who underwent both CE-CT and 3.0T MRE within 24 hours of hospital admission. Pancreatic stiffness, CT severity index (CTSI), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE)-II, and Bedside Index for Severity in AP (BISAP) scores were comparatively evaluated using data from the first 24 hours of admission, and diagnosis and severity of AP were confirmed according to the revised Atlanta Classification (2012). The accuracy of MRE for predicting disease severity was compared with that of CE-CT and the clinical scoring systems using area under the receiver-operating curve (AUC) analysis. RESULTS: AP was confirmed in 56/76 patients (73.7%). Pancreatic stiffness values of >1.47 kPa showed significantly better diagnostic performance than CE-CT (AUC: 0.993 vs. 0.818, P < 0.001) along with greater sensitivity (96.4% vs. 78.6%, P = 0.006) and accuracy (96.1% vs. 81.6%, P = 0.007). Ten patients (10/76; 13.2%) had clinically severe AP. The accuracy of pancreatic stiffness >2.47 kPa was comparable to that of the CTSI, APACHE-II and BISAP scores for predicting severe AP (accuracy = 85.5%, 75.0%, 88.2%, and 78.9%, respectively). The pairwise comparisons were not significant after Bonferroni correction (P < 0.008 [0.05/6]), with P values of 0.008 (MRE vs. CTSI), 0.823 (MRE vs. APACHE-II) and 0.414 (MRE vs. BISAP). CONCLUSION: Early MRE is a useful, noninvasive method for both diagnosis and early severity assessment of AP. We recommend MRE at hospital admission for initial evaluation of AP. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;46:1311-1319.

Diffusion tensor MR imaging characteristics of cerebral white matter development in fetal pigs.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the anisotropic features of fetal pig cerebral white matter (WM) development by magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging, and to evaluate the developmental status of cerebral WM in different anatomical sites at different times. METHODS: Fetal pigs were divided into three groups according to gestational age: E69 (n = 8), E85 (n = 11), and E114 (n = 6). All pigs were subjected to conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging using a GE Signa 3.0 T MRI system (GE Healthcare, Sunnyvale, CA, USA). Fractional anisotropy (FA) was measured in deep WM structures and peripheral WM regions. After the MRI scans,the animals were sacrificed and pathology sections were prepared for hematoxylin & eosin (HE) staining and luxol fast blue (LFB) staining. Data were statistically analyzed with SPSS version 16.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Mean FA values for each subject region of interest (ROI), and deep and peripheral WM at different gestational ages were calculated, respectively, and were plotted against gestational age with linear correlation statistical analyses. The differences of data were analyzed with univariate ANOVA analyses. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in FAs between the right and left hemispheres. Differences were observed between peripheral WM and deep WM in fetal brains. A significant FA growth with increased gestational age was found when comparing E85 group and E114 group. There was no difference in the FA value of deep WM between the E69 group and E85 group. The HE staining and LFB staining of fetal cerebral WM showed that the development from the E69 group to the E85 group, and the E85 group to the E114 group corresponded with myelin gliosis and myelination, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: FA values can be used to quantify anisotropy of the different cerebral WM areas. FA values did not change significantly between 1/2 way and 3/4 of the way through gestation but was then increased dramatically at term, which could be explained by myelin gliosis and myelination ,respectively.

Magnetic Resonance Elastography for the Evaluation of Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis B and C by Using Both Gradient-Recalled Echo and Spin-Echo Echo Planar Imaging: A Prospective Study.

OBJECTIVES: Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) with three-dimensional spin-echo echo planar imaging (3D-SE-EPI) is a newly emerging noninvasive method for assessing liver fibrosis. We hypothesized that 3D-SE-EPI might have better diagnostic accuracy than conventional two-dimensional gradient-recalled echo (2D-GRE). METHODS: We prospectively included 179 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) or C (CHC) who underwent both MRE and liver biopsy. Liver stiffness was measured by both 3D-SE-EPI and 2D-GRE for staging biopsy-proven liver fibrosis (using METAVIR scores). A receiver-operating characteristic analysis using the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to compare the diagnostic performance in predicting liver fibrosis between these two techniques, and compared them to serum markers of fibrosis. RESULTS: The technical failure rate of 3D-SE-EPI (2.2%, n=4/179) was lower compared with 2D-GRE (8.3%, n=15/179). The stiffness measured by 3D-SE-EPI was slightly lower compared with 2D-GRE, with the mean difference of 0.57 kPa (Bland and Altman plot, 95% limits of agreement: -0.32 and 1.45 kPa). AUCs for the characterization of ≥F1, ≥F2, ≥F3, and F4 were 0.957 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.913-0.983), 0.971 (0.932-0.991), 0.991 (0.961-0.999), and 0.979 (0.942-0.995) for 3D-SE-EPI, which was slightly higher compared with the AUCs for 2D-GRE at each fibrosis stage (0.948 (0.901-0.977), 0.959 (0.915-0.981), 0.979 (0.943-0.995), and 0.976 (0.938-0.994), respectively), although none reached statistical significance (P=0.160-0.585). In an "intention-to-diagnose" analysis, the diagnostic accuracy (the proportion of well-classified patients) by EPI (86.7-91.3%, n=169) was higher compared with GRE (80.9-82.1%, n=158) after applying optimal cutoffs. Both 3D-SE-EPI and 2D-GRE performed better than serum fibrosis markers. CONCLUSIONS: With respect to 2D-GRE, 3D-SE-EPI has the advantage of lower failure rate with equivalent high diagnostic performance for staging liver fibrosis in CHB/CHC patients, and thus more helpful for those challenging cases in 2D-GRE.

The anticancer effects of Resina Draconis extract on cholangiocarcinoma.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a relatively rare, heterogeneous malignant tumor with poor clinical outcomes. Because of high insensitivity to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, there are no effective treatment options. Efforts to identify and develop new agents for prevention and treatment of this deadly disease are urgent. Here, we assessed the apoptotic cytotoxicity of Resina Draconis extract (RDE) using in vitro and in vivo assays and identified the mechanisms underlying antitumor effects of RDE. RDE was obtained via vacuum distillation of Resina Draconis with 75 % ethanol. The ethanol extract could inhibit CCA cell proliferation and trigger apoptotic cell death in both QBC939 and HCCC9810 cell lines in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. RDE treatment resulted in intracellular caspase-8 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase protease activation. RDE significantly downregulated antiapoptotic protein survivin expression and upregulated proapoptotic protein Bak expression. RDE also inhibited CCA tumor growth in vivo. We observed that human CCA tissues had much higher survivin expression than did paired adjacent normal tissue. Taken together, the current data suggested that RDE has anticancer effects on CCA, and that RDE could function as a novel anticancer agent to benefit patients with CCA.

Radiation dose reduction in cardiovascular CT angiography with iterative reconstruction (AIDR 3D) in a swine model: a model of paediatric cardiac imaging.

AIM: To investigate the potential dose reduction in cardiovascular computed tomography angiography (CTA) in a swine model using 320-detector volume CT with adaptive iterative dose reduction in three dimensions (AIDR 3D) reconstruction to maintain a comparable image quality (IQ) to that reconstructed by a conventional filtered back projection (FBP) algorithm. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twenty-four mini-pigs underwent cardiovascular CTA four times at 80 KVp and different tube currents. An automatic exposure control (AEC) system was used and the noise index (NI) was predetermined at a standard deviation (SD) of 20 (Method A, routine dose), and 25, 30, 35 (Methods B-D) to reduce the dose gradually. Method A was reconstructed with FBP. Methods B-D were reconstructed using AIDR 3D (strong). Two radiologists graded IQ by reviewing both cardiac and vascular structures using a five-point scale. Quantitative IQ parameters of image noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were measured and compared. A receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to select a radiation reduction threshold and maintain comparable IQ (score ≥4). RESULTS: Method B and C had significantly lower image noise (p<0.0001), higher CNR and SNR than Method A (p<0.0001). Compared with Method A (noise: 52.7±8.3; SNR: 11.7±2.8; and CNR: 9.9±2.7), Method C had comparable subjective IQ and higher objective IQ (noise: 38.9±6.1; SNR: 16.3±3.5; and CNR: 13.5±3.3). The results of the ROC curve showed that Method C (SD30) was the optimal dose threshold to maintain a comparable subjective IQ (AUC: 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.80-0.90). The effective dose (ED) of Method C was reduced by 49%, compared to that of Method A (0.33±0.08 mSv versus 0.65±0.15 mSv). CONCLUSION: AIDR 3D at a strong level combined with an AEC system can potentially reduce the ED by 49% and maintain an IQ comparable to that achieved using a routine-dose and FBP reconstruction in mini-pig cardiovascular CTA.

Diffusion-weighted MRI findings in Sjögren's syndrome: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Parotid glands diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in Sjögren's syndrome patients have provided conflicting results currently. PURPOSE: To determine if parotid gland DWI using a small region of interest (ROI) can provide diagnosis and assess therapeutic efficacy in Sjögren's syndrome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-three women with Sjögren's syndrome, five with dry mouth who did not meet diagnostic criteria for Sjögren's syndrome, and 11 healthy volunteers (controls) were evaluated with DWI. All participants received routine T1-weighted (T1W) imaging and T2-weighted (T2W) fat-suppressed imaging, and DWI. The SI ratios (SIRs) and ADC ratios (ADCRs) for parotid gland/spinal cord were then calculated. Approximately 8-10 round ROIs measuring approximately 5 mm(2) were placed on each lobe of the parotid gland, and the signal intensity (SI) was measured while avoiding fat, ducts, and blood vessels. A ROI encompassing the entire lobe of the parotid gland was also used to measure SI. RESULTS: Using 5 mm(2) ROIs significantly higher DWI SIRs were noted in participants with Sjögren's syndrome compared with either participants with dry mouth without Sjögren's syndrome or healthy volunteers (all, P <0.001). The difference was not related to the presence of fat. No differences were noted when the larger ROI was used. In addition, parotid gland from untreated Sjögren's participants showed significantly higher SIRs compared with those from treated participants (P = 0.015). CONCLUSION: A small ROI DWI can provide morphological and functional information on the parotid gland in Sjögren's syndrome patients, and can aid in the diagnosis and evaluation of therapeutic efficacy.

TNRC9 rs12443621 and FGFR2 rs2981582 polymorphisms and breast cancer risk.

BACKGROUND: This study is to investigate the association of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) rs2981582, trinucleotide-repeat-containing 9 (TNRC9) rs3803662, rs12443621, and leukocyte-specific protein 1 (LSP1) rs3817198 polymorphisms with breast cancer and mammographic density in Han Chinese population. METHODS: TaqMan Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) Genotyping Assays and unconditional logistic regression analysis were used to examine these SNPs in 105 breast cancer cases and 382 controls. RESULTS: The genotype frequencies of rs12443621 and rs2981582 were significantly different between controls and cases (P=0.017 and 0.006, respectively). Subjects carrying G allele of rs12443621 had increased breast cancer risk (AG vs AA: OR=2.017, 95% CI=0.910-4.471; GG vs AA: OR=2.684, 95% CI=1.318-5.463). Subjects carrying an allele of rs2981582 had reduced breast cancer risk (GA vs GG: OR=0.444, 95% CI=0.262-0.752; AA vs GG: OR=0.579, 95% CI=0.342-0.983). rs3803662 and rs3817198 SNPs did not significantly differ between cases and controls (P=0.408 and 0.116, respectively). Interestingly, the AA genotype of rs2981582 was also associated with reduced mammographic densities (P=0.0092, 95% CI=0.334-0.926). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the GG genotype of rs12443621 is associated with increased breast cancer risk whereas the GA and AA genotypes of rs2981582 are reduced risk in Han Chinese population.