Investigating the relationship between intracranial atherosclerotic plaque remodelling and diabetes using high-resolution vessel wall imaging.

BACKGROUND: Intracranial atherosclerosis, a leading cause of stroke, involves arterial plaque formation. This study explores the link between plaque remodelling patterns and diabetes using high-resolution vessel wall imaging (HR-VWI). AIM: To investigate the factors of intracranial atherosclerotic remodelling patterns and the relationship between intracranial atherosclerotic remodelling and diabetes mellitus using HR-VWI. METHODS: Ninety-four patients diagnosed with middle cerebral artery or basilar artery atherosclerosis were enrolled. Their basic clinical data were collected, and HR-VWI was performed. The vascular area at the plaque (VAMLN) and normal reference vessel (VAreference) were delineated and measured using image postprocessing software, and the Remodelling index (RI) was calculated. According to the value of the RI, the patients were divided into a positive remodelling (PR) group, intermediate remodelling (IR) group, negative remodelling (NR) group, PR group and non-PR (N-PR) group. RESULTS: The PR group exhibited a higher prevalence of diabetes and serum cholesterol levels than the IR and NR groups [45.2%, 4.54 (4.16, 5.93) vs 25%, 4.80 ± 1.22 and 16.4%, 4.14 (3.53, 4.75), respectively, P < 0.05]. The diabetes incidence was also significantly greater in the PR group than in the N-PR group (45.2% vs 17.5%, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the PR group displayed elevated serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels compared to the N-PR group [1.64 (1.23, 2.33) and 4.54 (4.16, 5.93) vs 4.54 (4.16, 5.93) and 4.24 (3.53, 4.89), P < 0.05]. Logistic regression analysis revealed diabetes mellitus as an independent influencing factor in plaque-PR [odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 3.718 (1.207-11.454), P < 0.05]. CONCLUSION: HR-VWI can clearly show the morphology and signal characteristics of intracranial vascular walls and plaques. Intracranial atherosclerotic plaques in diabetic patients are more likely to show PR, suggesting poor plaque stability and a greater risk of stroke.

Application of dual-layer spectral detector computed tomography to evaluate the expression of Ki-67 in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Compared with traditional computed tomography (CT), dual-layer spectral detector CT (SDCT) shows significant improvement in imaging soft tissues of the digestive tract. This work aimed to explore the application of SDCT to evaluate the expression of the molecular marker Ki-67 in colorectal cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the imaging data of the SDCT (IQon Spectral CT; Philips Healthcare) of 45 patients with colorectal cancer in our centre. We used Spearman's test for the imaging parameters (reconstruction of 40, 70, and 100 keV virtual monoenergetic images [VMIs] and the slope of the Hounsfield unit attenuation plot [VMI Slope] based on venous phase CT images, the arterial phase iodine concentration [AP-IC] and venous phase iodine concentration [VP-IC], and the effective atomic number [Z effect]) and correlation analysis for the Ki-67 index. Multivariate logistic regression was used to eliminate confounding factors. We evaluated the expression level of Ki-67 and drew the receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: The 40-keV VMI, VMI Slope, and AP-IC were found to better reflect the Ki-67 index in patients with colorectal cancer with statistical significance. The 40-keV VMI (r = -0.612, p < 0.001) and VMI Slope (r = -0.523, p < 0.001) were negatively correlated with the Ki-67 index, and AP-IC (r = 0.378, p = 0.010) was positively correlated with the Ki-67 index. The other indexes (p > 0.05) were not statistically significant. The SDCT parameters demonstrated good performance, with area under curves of 0.785 for 40-keV VMI and 0.752 for AP-IC. CONCLUSION: The SDCT parameters 40-keV VMI and AP-IC can be used for preliminary evaluation of the Ki-67 index in colorectal cancer.

MR imaging features of Lhermitte-Duclos disease: Case reports and literature review.

RATIONALE: Lhermitte-Duclos disease (LDD) is a rare tumor of the nervous system with a typical "tiger striped'" sign, but its features on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are still inconclusive. PATIENT CONCERNS: To explore the characteristics of LDDs using fMRI. DIAGNOSES: We report 3 cases of pathologically confirmed LDDs. INTERVENTIONS: Three patients underwent brain tumor surgery. OUTCOMES: All the patients had a good prognosis. LESSONS: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and susceptibility-weighted imaging combined with conventional MRI can be used to better diagnose LDDs. Perfusion-weighted imaging is not specific for distinguishing cerebellar tumors. The combined application of fMRI and conventional MRI can improve the accuracy of LDD diagnoses.

Corona Virus International Public Health Emergencies: Implications for Radiology Management.

The outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pneumonia was reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in December 2019 and has spread internationally. This article discusses how radiology departments can most effectively respond to this public health emergency.