Impact of adrenocorticotropin hormone administration on the endocrinology, estrus onset, and ovarian function of weaned sows.

Chronic stress affects the reproductive health of mammals; however, the impact of adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) level elevation during chronic stress on the reproduction of weaned sows remains unclear. In this study, nine weaned sows with the same parturition date were randomly divided into control group (n = 4) and ACTH group (n = 5). Each group received intravenous administration of ACTH three times daily for 7 days. Blood samples were collected every 3 h after injection. A radioimmunoassay was used to measure the concentrations of cortisol, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), progesterone (P4) and estradiol-17ß (E2) in the blood. Estrus was determined according to changes in the vulva and the boar contact test. The mRNA expressions of glucocorticoid receptor, FSH receptor, LH receptor (LHR) in the corpus luteum (CL) were detected by qRT-PCR. The results showed that ACTH administration substantially delayed the initiation of estrus and the pre-ovulatory LH peak. The sows of control group ovulated within 10 days and the ovulation rate was 100%, while it was 60% in the ACTH group. Two sows of ACTH group showed pseudo-estrus. The E2 concentrations significantly decreased in the ACTH group at 36 h, 42 h and 66 h of the experimental period. The P4 concentrations in the ACTH group significantly decreased at 132, 138, and 147 h of the experimental period. ACTH significantly reduced the LHR mRNA expression in CLs. In conclusion, long-term repeated ACTH administration affects the endocrinology, estrus onset, and ovarian function of weaned sows.

Intraarterial contrast-enhanced ultrasound to predict the short-term tumour response of hepatocellular carcinoma to Transarterial chemoembolization with Lipiodol.

BACKGROUND: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is an effective locoregional therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is difficult to predict the tumour response (TR) of TACE intraprocedurally. The aim of this study was to predict the TR after TACE (1-3 months) in HCC patients using intraprocedural intraarterial contrast enhanced ultrasound (IA-CEUS). METHODS: In this case-control study, consecutive patients who received TACE in our hospital from September 2018 to May 2019 were enrolled. IA-CEUS was performed before and after TACE. Postoperative contrast-enhanced liver MRI was performed 1-3 months after TACE as the gold standard. According to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (mRECIST), ultrasonic manifestations were compared between the complete remission (CR) group and non-CR group by univariate and multivariate analyses. A logistic predictive model was established and validated, and its diagnostic efficiency was evaluated. RESULTS: Forty-four patients with sixty-one lesions were enrolled in the study. Multivariate analysis identified, the risk factors as a large lesion diameter (OR: 1.84; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.009, 3.080; P = 0.020), a larger dimension of non-enhancing area in superior mesenteric artery (SMA)-CEUS than the size in B-mode ultrasound preoperatively (OR: 3.379; 95% CI: 1.346,8.484; P = 0.010), presence of corona enhancement in hepatic artery (HA)-CEUS postoperatively (OR: 6.642; 95% CI: 1.214, 36.331; P = 0.029), and decreased corona enhancement thickness (per centimetre) postoperatively (OR: 0.025; 95% CI: 0.006,0.718; P = 0.025). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of the predictive model was 0.904 (95% CI: 0.804, 0.966; P < 0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 81.08, 91.67, 85.25, 93.75, and 75.86%, respectively. Leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) showed that the accuracy was 77.05%. CONCLUSIONS: Intraprocedural IA-CEUS can be used to predict the TR in HCC patients after TACE.

Molecular simulation of CH4/CO2/H2O competitive adsorption on low rank coal vitrinite.

The competitive adsorptions of CH4/CO2/H2O on coal vitrinite (DV-8, C214H180O24N2) were computed based on density function theory (DFT) and grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC). The adsorption process reaches the saturation state after adsorbing 17 CH4s, 22 CO2s, and 35 H2Os per C214H180O24N2 respectively. The optimal configurations of CH4-vitrinite, CO2-vitrinite, and H2O-vitrinite respectively manifest as aromatic1/T2/rT3 (1 adsorption location, 2 adsorption sites and T here represents sites above the carbon atom and the heteroatom, 3 adsorption orientation and rT here means the orientations of three hydrogen atoms pointing to vitrinite), aromatic/T/v (v represents the orientations perpendicular to the plane of vitrinite), and aromatic/rV/T (rV represents an oxygen atom pointing to the vitrinite surface). The GCMC results show that high temperature is not conducive to the vitrinite's adsorption of adsorbates and the adsorption capacity order is H2O > CO2 > CH4 (263-363 K) in the one-component, binary, and ternary adsorbate systems. The optimal configurations of vitrinite are similar to graphite/graphene, while ΔE is significantly lower than graphite/graphene. Simulation data are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Influence and control of spherical aberration in polishing off-axis aspherical mirrors by the stressed method.

The redundant spherical aberration of deformation can be caused by the weight of the stressed mirror polishing (SMP) apparatus in the continuous polishing (CP) process, and the elastic model to correct the spherical aberration by exerting center lateral loading is proposed. Subsequently, the analytic solution of mirror deformation is given by using a piecewise method. Next, the variation trend of mirror deformation with the loading force and the loading area size by the center lateral loading method is discussed. Following corresponding simulation calculation is carried out using finite element analysis (FEA) software. And the FEA result is compared with analytical solution. The experiment for the edge-loading force case is accomplished. Furthermore, a comparison between theoretical calculation and experiment results is provided. All of these verify the validity of the theoretical model and the analytic solution. Finally, we introduce another method called the bending mirror technique for correcting additional spherical aberration of mirror deformation, calculating and acquiring the optimum inner radius for bending and the corresponding surface residual error.

Isolation, Culture and Identification of Porcine Skeletal Muscle Satellite Cells.

The objective of this study was to establish the optimum protocol for the isolation and culture of porcine muscle satellite cells. Mononuclear muscle satellite cells are a kind of adult stem cell, which is located between the basal lamina and sarcolemma of muscle fibers and is the primary source of myogenic precursor cells in postnatal muscle. Muscle satellite cells are a useful model to investigate the mechanisms of muscle growth and development. Although the isolation and culture protocols of muscle satellite cells in some species (e.g. mouse) have been established successfully, the culture system for porcine muscle satellite cells is very limited. In this study, we optimized the isolation procedure of porcine muscle satellite cells and elaborated the isolation and culture process in detail. Furthermore, we characterized the porcine muscle satellite cells using the immunofluorecence. Our study provides a reference for the isolation of porcine muscle satellite cells and will be useful for studying the molecular mechanisms in these cells.

[Construction of sh-rpS6 lentivirus vectors and its effect on proliferation in lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell lines].

OBJECTIVE: To construct the sh-rpS6 lentivirus vector targeting ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6) and explore its effect on proliferation in lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell lines. METHODS: Sequences targeting the rpS6 gene were selected. The double strand shRNA oligo was ligated to pGCsil-GFP lentivirus vector and transformed into E. coli. The resulting recombinant vector was verified by sequencing. After transfection and lentivirus packing, the viral particles were collected and infected A549 cells. After selection of GFP positive cells by FACS, mRNA and protein expression levels of rpS6 were determined by real time PCR and Western blot. In the following experiment, the proliferation changes of A549 cell lines after the interference by sh-rpS6 was investigated by using CCK-8 kit. RESULTS: The sequencing result confirmed that pGCsil-sh-rpS6-GFP vector was successfully developed. Stably transfected A549 cell lines by sh-rpS6 were selected through FACS, with a selection ratio of 86.80%. The silencing effects of sh-rpS6 were determined by real time PCR and Western blot, suggesting that mRNA and protein expression of rpS6 in the targeted cells reduced by (79.72 +/- 6.83) % and (83.77 +/- 12.13) %, significantly lower than those of control groups. In vitro showed the cell proliferation with sh-rpS6 was significantly slower than that of controls (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The constructed sh-rpS6 lentivirus vector could inhibit the expression of rpS6 in A549 cell lines effectively and significantly slow the cell proliferation in vitro.

[Construction and expression of recombinant lentiviral vectors of AKT2,PDK1 and BAD].

OBJECTIVE: To construct human protein kinase B (ATK2), phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1) and bcl-2-associated death protein (BAD) lentiviral expression vector, and to determine their expressions in 293T cells. METHODS: Total RNA was extracted from lung cancer tissues. The full-length coding regions of human ATK2, BAD and PDK1 cDNA were amplified via RT-PCR using specific primers, subcloned into PGEM-Teasy and then sequenced for confirmation. The full-length coding sequence was cut out with a specific restriction enzyme digest and subclone into pCDF1-MCS2-EF1-copGFP. The plasmids were transfected into 293T cells using the calcium phosphate method. The over expression of AKT2, BAD and PDK1 were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: AKT2, PDK1 and BAD were subcloned into pCDF1-MCS2-EF1-copGFP, with an efficiency of transfection of 100%, 95%, and 90% respectively. The virus titers were 6.7 x 10(6) PFU/mL in the supernatant. After infection, the proteins of AKT2, PDK1 and BAD were detected by Western blot. CONCLUSION: The lentivial vector pCDF1-MCS2-EF1-copGFP containing AKT2, BAD and PDK1 were successfully constructed and expressed in 293T cells.

Enhanced differentiation potential of human amniotic mesenchymal stromal cells by using three-dimensional culturing.

The therapeutic potential of human amniotic mesenchymal stromal cells (hAMSCs) remains limited because of their differentiation towards mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) following adherence. The aim of this study was to develop a three-dimensional (3-D) culture system that would permit hAMSCs to differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells. hAMSCs were isolated from human amnions of full-term births collected after Cesarean section. Immunocytochemistry, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry analyses were undertaken to examine hAMSC marker expression for differentiation status after adherence. Membrane currents were determined by patch clamp analysis of hAMSCs grown with or without cardiac lysates. Freshly isolated hAMSCs were positive for human embryonic stem-cell-related markers but their marker profile significantly shifted towards that of MSCs following adherence. hAMSCs cultured in the 3-D culture system in the presence of cardiac lysate expressed cardiomyocyte-specific markers, in contrast to those maintained in standard adherent cultures or those in 3-D cultures without cardiac lysate. hAMSCs cultured in 3-D with cardiac lysate displayed a cardiomyocyte-like phenotype as observed by membrane currents, including a calcium-activated potassium current, a delayed rectifier potassium current and a Ca(2+)-resistant transient outward K(+) current. Thus, although adherence limits the potential of hAMSCs to differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells, the 3-D culture of hAMSCs represents a more effective method of their culture for use in regenerative medicine.

Ring-like enhancement on Contrast-Enhanced ultrasound may correlate well with histopathological capsule of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Comparison with the enhancing capsule on Gadopentetate-enhanced MRI.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the correlation of ring-like enhancement (RE) on contrast-enhanced ultrasound with Sonazoid (S-CEUS) with the fibrous capsule of HCC, and compared it with the enhancing capsule on Gadopentetate-enhanced MRI (Gd-MRI). METHOD: Consecutive patients with pathologically-proven resected HCCs from January 2021 to December 2021 were reviewed in this retrospective study. Preoperatively, the RE on the S-CEUS and the enhancing capsule on Gd-MRI were evaluated for each lesion. We analyzed the correlation of the presence, integrity, and thickness of imaging features with the histopathological fibrous capsule. The diagnostic performance to recognize the capsule between two modalities was compared by the McNemar test. RESULTS: Ninety-one patients (mean age, 58.30 ± 11.13 years; 82 men) with ninety-seven HCCs (mean size, 4.67 ± 2.70 cm) were reviewed. The RE on S-CEUS correlated with the presence of the fibrous capsule (P = 0.006). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 92.05 %, 44.44 %, and 82.47 %, respectively, which was not different from Gd-MRI (P = 0.388). The integrity of RE in the post-vascular phase correlated with the integrity of the fibrous capsule (P = 0.018), whose diagnostic performance was not statistically different from Gd-MRI (P > 0.999). The thickness shown both on S-CEUS and Gd-MRI was thicker than that in histopathology (P < 0.001), and the thickness on Gd-MRI was not statistically different from that in the vascular phase of S-CEUS (P = 0.563), but thinner than that in the post-vascular phase (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the Gd-MRI, RE on S-CEUS had a similarly well correlation with the presence and integrity of fibrous capsule of HCC.

A Nomogram Based on Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound to Predict the Microvascular Invasion in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to establish and validate a contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) nomogram for pre-operative microvascular invasion (MVI) prediction in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and compare it with the nomogram based on gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (Gd-MRI). METHODS: A total of 251 patients with a single HCC were enrolled in this prospective study, including 176 patients in the training cohort and 75 patients in the validation cohort. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) with Sonazoid and Gd-MRI was performed pre-operatively. Post-operative histopathology was the gold standard for MVI. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was performed to determine independent risk factors for MVI. Nomograms based on CEUS and Gd-MRI were established, and their discrimination, calibration and decision curve analysis were evaluated and compared. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression revealed that arterial circular enhancement, non-enhancing area and thick ring-like enhancement in the post-vascular phase were independent risk factors for MVI. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the nomogram were 0.841 (0.779-0.892) and 0.914 (0.827-0.966) in the training and validation cohorts, with no significant difference compared with the Gd-MRI nomogram (p = 0.294, 0.321). The C-indexes were 0.821 and 0.870 in the training and validation cohorts. Decision curve analysis revealed that the CEUS nomogram had better clinical applicability than the Gd-MRI nomogram when the threshold probability was between 0.35 and 0.95. CONCLUSION: The CEUS-based nomogram was available for predicting MVI in HCC, and its predictive performance was not inferior to that of Gd-MRI.

Widespread protein N-phosphorylation in organism revealed by SiO2@DpaZn beads based mild-acidic enrichment method.

Protein phosphorylation is one of the most commonly studied and ubiquitous post-translational modifications (PTMs), and defining site-specific phosphorylation is essential to understand basic and disease biology. However, the chemical properties and biological activities hamper the detection of non-canonical N-phosphorylation from biological samples, and the study of N-phosphorylation over the last half century has lagged behind canonical O-phosphorylation. Here, a mild-acidic method based-on SiO2@DpaZn beads was developed for protein N-phosphorylation sites identification. The method was verified as an effective complement for neutral enrichment science the stability of N-phosphorylation varied with the protein context. We firstly verified the feasibility of the mild-acidic enrichment strategy by standard peptides. Totally, 301 and 1476 N-phosphorylation sites were identified from E. coli and HeLa, respectively, verifying the robust of the method. The results greatly enriched N-phosphorylation site database. Furthermore, the method provided the peptide sequence motif of the N-phosphorylation sites and the biological functions of the identified proteins. The work represented an important step forward in studying the role of N-phosphorylation and other labile phosphorylation.

Prognostic impact of Raf-1 and p-Raf-1 expressions for poor survival rate in non-small cell lung cancer.

Overexpression of Raf-1 has commonly been observed in solid tumors including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The objective of this study was to investigate whether overexpression of Raf-1, phosphorylated-Raf-1 (p-Raf-1) or both correlates with poor survival rate in NSCLC patients and to explore associations between expression of these proteins and NSCLC cell fate both in vitro and in vivo. Expression of Raf-1 and p-Raf-1 were detected by immunohistochemistry in tumor specimens from 152 NSCLC patients and associations between their expression and the clinicopathological characteristics were assessed. Five-year median survival rate of patients were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test and Cox regression. Cell fate was compared between normal tumor cells and those with Raf-1 silencing, in both the adenocarcinoma cell line A549 and xenografted mice that were infected with the A549 cell line. The incidence of overexpression of both Raf-1 and p-Raf-1 in NSCLC was much higher than normal control (P < 0.05), and the survival rate of patients with positive expression of Raf-1, p-Raf-1 or both was found to be significantly lower than the negative group (P < 0.05). Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed Raf-1 (P = 0.000, P = 0.010), p-Raf-1 (P = 0.004, P = 0.046), or both (P = 0.001, P = 0.016) was good prognostic markers for poor survival rate in NSCLC patients. Suppression of Raf-1 inhibited tumorigenesis by inducing apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. These findings demonstrate that overexpression of Raf-1, p-Raf-1 or both could be considered as a new independent prognostic biomarker for poor survival rates for NSCLC patients.

Tissue and serum galectin-1 expression in patients with colorectal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To observe the expressing model of galectin-1 in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) progress. METHODOLOGY: The expression of galectin-1 in peritumor, adenoma and CRC tissues using immunohistochemistry, western-blotting and RT-PCR was detected. Serum galectin-1 concentrations were detected by ELISA. RESULTS: Galectin-1 intensities in peritumor, adenoma and CRC tissues increased serially. Galectin- 1 expressed in the extracellular matrix of peritumor and pathological colorectal tissues mainly, while almost none was detected in colorectal epithelia. Different colorectal tissues expressed galectin-1 with different intensities. Non-parametric tests showed increased galectin-1 intensities were in peritumor, adenoma and carcinoma tissues (p<0.001). The over-expressing rates of galectin-1 in CRCs from Dukes A to D stage were increased significantly (p<0.001). Differently expressing intensities of galectin-1 were in different invasive locations of CRCs. RT-PCR showed that no statistically significant differences of galectin-1 mRNA were observed among peritumor colorectal tissue, adenoma and CRC tissues (p>0.05). Serum concentrations of galectin-1 decreased from healthy individuals to Dukes D CRCs. The differences between any of the groups were significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Stronger intensities of galectin-1 protein in the extracellular matrix of CRC tissues than those of peritumor and adenoma tissues, with no significant differences in the mRNA levels of galectin-1. Interestingly, serum galectin- 1 concentrations in patients with CRC decreased significantly. Above all, we presume that overexpression of galectin-1 protein in the CRCs is derived possibly from secreted galectin-1 from other normal tissues that cumulate in the stroma.

[An analysis of the clinicopathological features and misdiagnosis of 16 adults pulmonary sequestration].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinicopathological features of adult pulmonary sequestration and summarize the misdiagnosis experiences. METHODS: Data of 16 cases of adult pulmonary sequestration (18 years), who were confirmed by surgery and biopsy in our hospital were collected and reviewed. RESULTS: The median age of all the patients was 38.5 years. The female seemed to be more likely to suffer from adult pulmonary sequestration (n = 12) with cough to be the most frequent symptom (n = 9). CT scans revealed most of the lesions were located in the left lower lobes of the lungs (n = 9). Half of the lesions were characterized by pulmonary cyst-like changes and/or multiple cystic bronchiectasis (n = 8), followed by soft tissue mass in or out of the lung fields (n = 7). Enhanced CT scans showed abnormal arteries from the systemic circulation. Only two cases were diagnosed as pulmonary sequestration correctly in the primary diagnosis. The remaining were mostly misdiagnosed as pulmonary cyst-like changes with bronchiectasis (n = 6) or tumors (n = 6). According to the findings during surgery, 13 cases were intralobar pulmonary sequestrations; 3 cases were extralobars, whose tissues were all detected dysplasia and chronic inflammatory by histopathological examinations. CONCLUSIONS: The misdiagnosis rate of pulmonary sequestration is high because of its non-specific clinical symptoms. Since it is characterized by abnormal arteries and pulmonary dysplasia, enhanced CT scans should be used as a preferred screening method for suspected cases, especially for those middleaged patients with cystic or mass-like lesions in the left lower lobes of the lungs.

[Application value of low-dose computed tomography for the screening of lung cancer in high-risk group].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the value of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) in early screening of lung cancer in high-risk group. METHODS: LDCT was performed in 1551 adults over 40-years old (male 1054, female 497) for the screening of lung cancer in Examination Center of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and the subjects were divided into high-risk group and non-high-risk group according to risk factors of lung caner. The detection rates of lung lesion and lung cancer in these two groups were carefully analyzed. RESULTS: In the people over 40-years old,the detection rate of pulmonary lesions by LDCT was 54.41% (844/1551), the detection rate of nodules was 29.4% (456/1551). Detection rate of lung cancer was 0.51% (8/1551), while it was 1.21% (7/577) in high-risk group, and 2.01% (6/298) in heavy smoker group. The difference of lung cancer detection rate was significant (P < 0.05). When stratified with the number of risk factors, the detection rate of lung cancer by LDCT was 0.10% (1/974) in the subjects without any high-risk factors, 0.98% (5/506) in the subjects with one high-risk factor and 2.86% (2/70) in the subjects with more high-risk factors, and the differences were stastatically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: LDCT can detect asymptomatic lung cancer sensitively with low radiation dose, which could be helpful for the screening of lung cancer.

Application of the natural orifice specimen extraction surgery I-type E method combined with 3D laparoscopy in sphincter-preserving surgery of low rectal cancer.

Purpose: Analysis of the clinical efficacy of the application of the NOSES I-type E method combined with 3D laparoscopy in sphincter-preserving surgery of low rectal cancer. Method: A retrospective analysis of 109 patients who underwent laparoscopic low rectal cancer surgery for anus preservation without preventive stoma admitted to the Department of Colorectal Surgery in Shanxi Provincial Cancer Hospital between January 2017 and May 2019. The 109 cases comprised 52 cases treated with the NOSES I-type E method (NOSES I-type E group) and 57 cases treated with the Dixon method (Dixon group). In the NOSES I-type E group, 25cases underwent 3D laparoscopic surgery (group A) and 27 cases underwent 2D laparoscopic surgery (group B). The general clinical data, perioperative indicators, three-day postoperative pain score, postoperative pathological conditions, complications, return visit to assess the 1-year postoperative anal function, 3-year local recurrence and distant metastasis, and survival were compared among the groups. Result: The distance between the tumor and the anal verge was significantly different between NOSES I-type E group and the Dixon group (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference between group A and group B (P > 0.05). The exhaust time, eating time, drainage tube removal time, hospitalization costs, hospitalization time, and the number of days of analgesic administration were significantly different between NOSES I-type E group and the Dixon group (P < 0.05), while group A had no significant difference compared to group B (P > 0.05). There were significant differences in difficulty urinating between group A and B (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference between NOSES I-type E group and the Dixon group (P > 0.05). Anastomotic leakage in NOSES I-type E group were significantly lower than those in the Dixon group (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference between group A compared to group B (P > 0.05). Anal stenosis, rectal Prolapse and colon retraction in NOSES I-type E group were significantly higher than those in Dixon group (P < 0.05), there was no significant difference between group A compared to group B (P > 0.05). Anastomotic bleeding in Dixon group occurred in higher frequency than in NOSES I-type E group (P < 0.05). The pain scores of patients in NOSES I-type E group in the first three days after operation were significantly lower than those in Dixon group (P < 0.05),while there was no significant difference between group A and group B (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in postoperative pathology, 1-year postoperative anal function score, 3-year recurrence rate and overall survival rate among the groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The NOSES I-type E method is a safe and effective sphincter-preserving operation for low rectal cancer and its combination with 3D laparoscopy may have better neurological protection which is worth of clinical application.

Discrepancy of contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic pattern with two contrast agents in steatohepatitic subtype hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is one of the important imaging modalities for diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Sonovue and Sonazoid are the third-generation of ultrasound contrast agents that have been commercialized and widely used in clinical applications. This study introduces the imaging differences between these two agents in vascular phases for the first time. A 54-year-old man clinical suspected liver cancer. He had chronic hepatitis B for more than 20 years. The result of alpha-fetoprotein was 36.45µg/L (normal< 20µg/L). The imaging pattern of CEUS with Sonovue was "fast-in and fast-out" performance, while the pattern of "fast-out" was absent after portal phase with Sonazoid, even in Kupffer phase. The lesion was diagnosed as lipid-rich HCC by contrast-enhanced MRI. After liver resection, pathology revealed that it was hepatocellular carcinoma contained poor-differentiated steatohepatitis subtype and moderate-differentiated microtrabecular subtype. The imaging difference mainly existed in the part of steatohepatitis subtype. Steatohepatitis subtype HCC can be showed as "fast-in and no wash-out" characteristic in Sonazoid CEUS. Though the mechanism remains not fully clarified, this different enhancing pattern may provide a potential for the supplement of the guidelines and differential of steatohepatitis subtype HCC.

Diagnostic study on clinical feasibility of an AI-based diagnostic system as a second reader on mobile CT images: a preliminary result.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) has breathed new life into the lung nodules detection and diagnosis. However, whether the output information from AI will translate into benefits for clinical workflow or patient outcomes in a real-world setting remains unknown. This study was to demonstrate the feasibility of an AI-based diagnostic system deployed as a second reader in imaging interpretation for patients screened for pulmonary abnormalities in a clinical setting. Methods: The study included patients from a lung cancer screening program conducted in Sichuan Province, China using a mobile computed tomography (CT) scanner which traveled to medium-size cities between July 10th, 2020 and September 10th, 2020. Cases that were suspected to have malignant nodules by junior radiologists, senior radiologists or AI were labeled a high risk (HR) tag as HR-junior, HR-senior and HR-AI, respectively, and included into final analysis. The diagnosis efficacy of the AI was evaluated by calculating negative predictive value and positive predictive value when referring to the senior readers' final results as the gold standard. Besides, characteristics of the lesions were compared among cases with different HR labels. Results: In total, 251/3,872 patients (6.48%, male/female: 91/160, median age, 66 years) with HR lung nodules were included. The AI algorithm achieved a negative predictive value of 88.2% [95% confidence interval (CI): 62.2-98.0%] and a positive predictive value of 55.6% (95% CI: 49.0-62.0%). The diagnostic duration was significantly reduced when AI was used as a second reader (223±145.6 vs. 270±143.17 s, P<0.001). The information yielded by AI affected the radiologist's decision-making in 35/145 cases. Lesions of HR cases had a higher volume [309.9 (214.9-732.5) vs. 141.3 (79.3-380.8) mm3, P<0.001], lower average CT number [-511.0 (-576.5 to -100.5) vs. -191.5 (-487.3 to 22.5), P=0.010], and pure ground glass opacity rather than solid. Conclusions: The AI algorithm had high negative predictive value but low positive predictive value in diagnosing HR lung lesions in a clinical setting. Deploying AI as a second reader could help avoid missed diagnoses, reduce diagnostic duration, and strengthen diagnostic confidence for radiologists.

Healing effects of rebamipide and omeprazole in Helicobacter pylori-positive gastric ulcer patients after eradication therapy: a randomized double-blind, multinational, multi-institutional comparative study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A recent placebo-controlled trial showed that rebamipide, which is a mucosal-protective antiulcer agent, promoted gastric ulcer healing without affecting the Helicobacter pylori status. We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial to compare the healing effects of rebamipide and the proton-pump inhibitor omeprazole in H. pylori-positive gastric ulcers after H. pylori eradication therapy. METHODS: After completion of 1 week of eradication therapy, 132 patients with H. pylori-positive gastric ulcer were enrolled in 5 Chinese and 4 Korean institutions. Patients were randomly assigned to take either 20 mg of omeprazole (n = 63) or 300 mg of rebamipide (n = 65) daily for 7 weeks. Healing was defined as complete recovery and S1 and S2 stage ulcer according to the Sakita-Miwa classification. RESULTS: Healing rates at 12 weeks were 81.5% (53/65) and 82.5% (52/63) in the rebamipide and omeprazole groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in treatment efficacy, as evidenced by gastric ulcer healing rates (absolute difference -1.0%; 95% confidence interval -10.7 to 8.7; p = 0.88). The H. pylori eradication rate and ulcer healing rate did not differ between the groups, the latter regardless of eradication outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Rebamipide is as effective as omeprazole in treating of H. pylori-positive gastric ulcer after eradication therapy.

T2 mapping of articular cartilage in knee osteoarthritis using a magnetic resonance staging.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate T2 mapping of articular cartilage in knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: Totally 38 healthy subjects (group H) and 53 OA patients received scoring with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC)and underwent T2 mapping of tibiofemoral articular cartilages. The T2 values in 10 subregions of the cartilages were measured. Patients in the OA group were further divided into OA1 group and OA2 group using the modified Magnetic Resonance Recht Grading System. In OA group, the fat-suppressed three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient echo MRI was performed to obtain the modified Whole-Organ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score (WORMS). The differences of T2 values among group H, group OA1, and group OA2 were compared. The correlation between T2 value and WORMS/WOMAC scores was analyzed. The intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of measurement was calculated. RESULTS: The T2 values in all the subregions ranged 43.9-53.6ms in group H, 41.1-55.0 ms in group OA1, and 45.6-56.1ms in group OA2. T2 values in group OA2 were significantly higher in central medial femoral subregion, central medial, and lateral tibial subregions compared with group H, also significantly higher in central medial femoral subregion, anterior and central medial tibial subregions compared with group OA1 (P<0.05). T2 values were significantly correlated with WORMS scores (R=0.307-0.811, P<0.01) except in posterior lateral femoral subregion, but not with WOMAC scores. The correlation coefficients for intra- and inter-observer measurement showed good reproducibility (R>0.740, P<0.05) except in anterior lateral tibial subregion for inter-observer of measurement. CONCLUSION: T2 mapping can differentiate the OA severity of knee cartilage using a magnetic resonance staging, and therefore can be a sensitive technique for monitoring the severity of OA.