Navigate biopsy with ultrasound under augmented reality device: Towards higher system performance.

PURPOSE: Biopsies play a crucial role in determining the classification and staging of tumors. Ultrasound is frequently used in this procedure to provide real-time anatomical information. Using augmented reality (AR), surgeons can visualize ultrasound data and spatial navigation information seamlessly integrated with real tissues. This innovation facilitates faster and more precise biopsy operations. METHODS: We have developed an augmented reality biopsy navigation system characterized by low display latency and high accuracy. Ultrasound data is initially read by an image capture card and streamed to Unity via net communication. In Unity, navigation information is rendered and transmitted to the HoloLens 2 device using holographic remoting. Concurrently, a retro-reflective tool tracking method is implemented on the HoloLens 2, enabling the simultaneous tracking of the ultrasound probe and biopsy needle. Distinct navigation information is provided during in-plane and out-of-plane punctuation. To evaluate the effectiveness of our system, we conducted a study involving ten participants, assessing puncture accuracy and biopsy time in comparison to traditional methods. RESULTS: Ultrasound image was streamed from the ultrasound device to augmented reality headset with 122.49±11.61ms latency, while only 16.22±11.25ms was taken after data acquisition from image capture card. Navigation accuracy reached 1.23±0.68mm in the image plane and 0.95±0.70mm outside the image plane, within a depth range of 200 millimeters. Remarkably, the utilization of our system led to 98% and 95% success rate in out-of-plane and in-plane biopsy, among ten participants with little ultrasound experience. CONCLUSION: To sum up, this paper introduces an AR-based ultrasound biopsy navigation system characterized by high navigation accuracy and minimal latency. The system provides distinct visualization contents during in-plane and out-of-plane operations according to their different characteristics. Use case study in this paper proved that our system can help young surgeons perform biopsy faster and more accurately.

Construction of Trisubstituted Hydrazones via Base-Mediated Cascade Condensation N-Alkylation.

A practical base-promoted tandem condensation N-alkylation reaction for the formation of trisubstituted hydrazones has been developed employing aldehydes and hydrazines with alkyl halides. Crucially, this reaction successfully overcomes chemoselectivity problems, allowing for the reaction of multiple components in a one-pot manner. Halo- and heterofunctional groups, as well as free hydroxyl and amino groups, are tolerated in this transformation to produce a wide range of trisubstituted hydrazones in good to excellent yields.

A sustainable metal-free and additive-free olefination route to N-heteroazaarenes from methyl-substituted heterocycles and amines.

A green and sustainable metal-free, additive-free olefination approach is proposed for the facile synthesis of various unsaturated N-heteroazaarenes from simple methyl-substituted heteroarenes and amines. The developed protocol employs only air as the sole oxidant and provides a useful strategy for obtaining various E-selective conjugated heterocyclic olefins. This provides a useful strategy for application in generating grams of a variety of unsaturated N-heteroazaarenes (up to 20.33 grams) and the synthetic imaging agents of STB-8 (2.40 gram) with high regioselectivity in one pot.

Hypoconnectivity of the Amygdala in Patients with Low-Back-Related Leg Pain Linked to Individual Mechanical Pain Sensitivity: A Resting-State Functional MRI Study.

Purpose: To explore resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the amygdala in patients with low-back-related leg pain (LBLP). Patients and Methods: For this prospective study, a total of 35 LBLP patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs) were included and underwent functional MRI and clinical assessments. Then, patients with LBLP were divided into acute LBLP (aLBLP) and chronic LBLP (cLBLP) subgroups. We further evaluated the between-group rsFC differences using left and right amygdala seeds in a whole-brain voxel analysis strategy. Finally, we performed correlation analysis between the rsFC values of altered regions and clinical indices. Results: Compared to HCs, hypoconnectivity of the amygdala was observed in LBLP patients (P < 0.01, with correction). The amygdala's rsFC pattern was different between aLBLP and cLBLP patients: decreased the amygdala's FC to the right putamen, to the right paracentral lobule (PCL), or to the right posterior temporal lobe in aLBLP patients, while right amygdala to the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the left postcentral gyrus (PoCG) in cLBLP patients. Correlation analysis showed that lower rsFC of the left amygdala to the right PCL was correlated with the von Frey filament (vF) test values of the left lumbar (p = 0.025) and right lumbar (p = 0.019) regions, and rsFC of the right amygdala to the left PoCG was correlated with lower vF test values of the left lumbar (p = 0.017), right lumbar spine (p = 0.003); to right PoCG was correlated with calf (p = 0.015); the rsFC of the right amygdala to bilateral ACC was negatively correlated with the pain rating index (p = 0.003). Conclusion: LBLP patients showed amygdala hypoconnectivity, and the altered pattern of amygdala rsFC was different in the acute and chronic phases. Moreover, the amygdala hypoconnectivity was related to individual mechanical sensitivity (vF test) in LBLP patients.

Circulation of multiple Rickettsiales bacteria in ticks from Sichuan province, Southwest China.

During 2021, 403 ticks including Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis, Ixodes ovatus, Ixodes acutitarsus, and Rhipicephalus microplus were collected from three sites (590, 310, and 576 km away from each other) in Sichuan Province, China. A total of nine Rickettsiales species were identified in them, including three Rickettsia spp., five Anaplasma spp., and one Ehrlichia sp. Anaplasma ovis and a novel Rickettsia sp. named "Candidatus Rickettsia liangshanensis" were characterized in I. ovatus ticks from Liangshan, with positive rates of 11.11% and 45.56%, respectively. Anaplasma capra (13.33%) and Anaplasma bovis (15.33%) were detected in H. qinghaiensis ticks from Maerkang. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA, gltA, and groEL gene sequences indicated that the A. bovis strains were divided into two groups. Additionally, a novel Ehrlichia species named "Candidatus Ehrlichia maerkangensis" was identified. It is closely related to "Candidatus Ehrlichia zunyiensis" which was previously reported in Berylmys bowersi rats from Zunyi City, Southwest China. In R. microplus from Mianyang, "Candidatus Rickettsia jingxinensis" was detected with a high prevalence (92.99%). Notably, a variant of R. raoultii was identified in I. acutitarsus (33.33%). This may be the first Rickettsiales bacterium reported in I. acutitarsus. Our results reveal the remarkable biodiversity of Rickettsiales in this area. Some of these bacteria are human pathogens, indicating the potential exposure risk to local people.

Rickettsia sp. and Anaplasma spp. in Haemaphysalis longicornis from Shandong province of China, with evidence of a novel species "Candidatus Anaplasma Shandongensis".

Haemaphysalis longicornis is one of the most dominant and widespread tick species in China. This species mainly infests wild animals and occasionally attacks humans, and has been associated with the transmission of a variety of zoonotic pathogens including spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR), severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia spp. and Theileria spp.. Although there are increasing reports of various pathogens associated with H. longicornis, some neglected pathogens in certain areas still need to be studied. In this study, a total of 171 H. longicornis ticks were collected from goats in three locations of Shandong Province, Eastern China (Zibo, Linyi, and Qingdao cities), and subsequently screened for the presence of Rickettsia, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia bacteria. A total of four bacterial species were identified and characterized. "Candidatus Rickettsia jingxinensis" was detected in one tick specimen from Zibo city. Of 98 ticks from Linyi city, 63.27% (62/98) were tested positive for Anaplasma capra and 5.10% (5/98) were positive for Anaplasma bovis. Interestingly, a novel Anaplasma species was detected and characterized in one tick specimen from Zibo and one other from Linyi, respectively. Genetic and phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S, gltA, groEL, and msp4 genes indicated that it was divergent from all known Anaplasma species but mostly related to A. phagocytophilum and "Cadidatus Anaplasma boleense". Based on where it was first detected, we named it "Candidatus Anaplasma shandongensis".

Copper-Catalyzed Highly Selective Hydrosilylation of Silyl or Boryl Alkene: A Method for Preparing Chiral Geminated Disilyl and Borylsilyl Reagents.

The copper-catalyzed highly selective hydrosilylation of silyl or boryl alkene has been developed. This chemistry could afford a practical method for preparing chiral geminated disilyl and borylsilyl reagents, which are useful organosilanes and versatile synthons for organic synthesis. The experimental data suggested that this reaction could be compatible with a variety of functional groups. Furthermore, the utility of the gem-dimetal compounds, which could be prepared by this chemistry, has been well illustrated by further transformations.

MS or not MS: T2-weighted imaging (T2WI)-based radiomic findings distinguish MS from its mimics.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic vasculopathy, particularly small-vessel disease, may mimic multiple sclerosis (MS) located in the periventricular or subcortical region on magnetic resonance (MR) examinations and should be included in the differential diagnosis of MS-like lesions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of a T2-weighted imaging (T2WI)-based radiomic signature to distinguish MS lesions from lesions corresponding to ischemic demyelination, which often mimics MS on MRI. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in 38 patients (627 lesions) with MS and 914 patients (2466 lesions) with lesions mimicking ischemic demyelination in the periventricular or subcortical region. All patients underwent 3 T MRI. A total of 472 radiomic features were extracted from the T2WI data of each patient. Intraclass correlation coefficients were used to select the features with excellent stability and repeatability. Then, we used the minimum-redundancy maximum-relevance (mRMR) and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithms for feature selection. After feature selection, various classifiers (including logistic regression, decision tree, AdaBoost, random forest (RF), or support vector machine (SVM)) were trained. The performance of each classifier was validated in the test set by determining the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: Nine features were selected to distinguish MS lesions from the similar lesions of ischemic demyelination. The radiomic signature showed a significant difference between the MS and ischemic demyelination patients (p < 0.01). RF and SVM were overfitted. The LASSO logistic regression model was the best-performing radiomic model,with an AUC, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.900 (95% CI: 0.883-0.918), 87.0%, 58.9% and 95.2%, respectively, in the training set and 0.828 (95% CI: 0.791-0.864), 87.7%, 53.6% and 94.4%, respectively, in the validation set. CONCLUSION: The T2WI-based radiomic signature can effectively differentiate MS patients from patients with MS-like lesions due to ischemic demyelination.

Effect of the Minor C Allele of CNTN4 rs2619566 on Medial Hypothalamic Connectivity in Early-Stage Patients of Chinese Han Ancestry with Sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical symptoms such as major defects in energy metabolism may involve the hypothalamus in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. Our recent study discovered that the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of rs2619566, rs79609816 and rs10260404 are associated with sporadic ALS (sALS). Thus, this study aims to investigate the hypothalamic functional reorganization and its association with the above polymorphisms risk alleles in sALS patients of Chinese Han ancestry. METHODS: Forty-four sALS patients (28 males/16 females) and 40 healthy subjects (HS; 28 males/12 females) underwent resting-state functional MRI, genotyping and clinical assessments. A two-sample t test (P < 0.01, GRF correction at P < 0.05) was performed to compare hypothalamic connectivity for group-level analysis in disease diagnosis and genotype, and then the genotype-diagnosis interaction effect was assessed. Finally, Spearman correlation analyses were performed to assess the relationship between the altered functional connectivity and their clinical characteristics. RESULTS: The sALS patients showed a short disease duration (median = 12 months). Regarding the diagnosis effect, the sALS patients showed widespread hypothalamic hyperconnectivity with the left superior temporal gyrus/middle temporal gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus, and left precuneus/posterior cingulate gyrus. For the genotype effect of SNPs, hyperconnectivity was observed in only the medial hypothalamus when the sALS patients harboring the minor C allele of rs2619566 in contactin-4 (CNTN4), while the sALS patients with the TT allele showed a hyperconnectivity network in the right lateral hypothalamus. This connectivity pattern was not observed in other SNPs. No significant genotype-diagnosis interaction was found. Moreover, altered functional connectivity was not significantly correlated with clinical characteristics (P : 0.11-0.90). CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated widespread hypothalamic hyperconnectivity in sALS. The risk allele C of the CNTN4 gene may therefore influence functional reorganization of the medial hypothalamus. The effects of the CNTN4 rs2619566 polymorphism may exist in the hypothalamic functional connectivity of patients with sALS.

Ethylene-regulated asymmetric growth of the petal base promotes flower opening in rose (Rosa hybrida).

Flowers are the core reproductive structures and key distinguishing features of angiosperms. Flower opening to expose stamens and gynoecia is important in cases where pollinators much be attracted to promote cross-pollination, which can enhance reproductive success and species preservation. The floral opening process is accompanied by the coordinated movement of various floral organs, particularly petals. However, the mechanisms underlying petal movement and flower opening are not well understood. Here, we integrated anatomical, physiological, and molecular approaches to determine the petal movement regulatory network using rose (Rosa hybrida) as a model. We found that PETAL MOVEMENT-RELATED PROTEIN1 (RhPMP1), a homeodomain transcription factor (TF) gene, is a direct target of ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE3, a TF that functions downstream of ethylene signaling. RhPMP1 expression was upregulated by ethylene and specifically activated endoreduplication of parenchyma cells on the adaxial side of the petal (ADSP) base by inducing the expression of RhAPC3b, a gene encoding the core subunit of the Anaphase-Promoting Complex. Cell expansion of the parenchyma on the ADSP base was subsequently enhanced, thus resulting in asymmetric growth of the petal base, leading to the typical epinastic movement of petals and flower opening. These findings provide insights into the pathway regulating petal movement and associated flower-opening mechanisms.�.

Nickel-Catalyzed Highly Selective Hydroalkenylation of Alkenyl Boronic Esters to Access Allyl Boron.

Allyl boron derivatives are valuable building blocks in the synthesis of natural products and bioactive molecules. Herein, a practical strategy of nickel-catalyzed highly selective hydroalkenylation of alkenyl boronic esters was developed. Under the mild reaction conditions, a variety of allyl boronic esters were accessed with excellent chemo- and regioselectivity. The mechanism of this transformation was illustrated by control experiments and kinetic studies.

Syntheses and characterization of dinuclear and tetranuclear AgI supramolecular complexes generated from symmetric and asymmetric molecular clips containing oxadiazole rings.

A new asymmetric ligand, 5-{3-[5-(4-methylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]phenyl}-2-(pyridin-3-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (L5), which contains two oxadiazole rings, was synthesized and characterized. The assembly of symmetric 2,5-bis(pyridin-3-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (L1) and asymmetric L5 with AgCO2CF3 in solution yielded two novel AgI complexes, namely catena-poly[[di-µ-trifluoroacetato-disilver(I)]-bis[µ-2,5-bis(pyridin-3-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole]], [Ag2(C2F3O2)2(C12H8N4O)2]n or [Ag2(µ2-O2CCF3)2(L1)2]n (1), and bis(µ3-5-{3-[5-(4-methylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]phenyl}-2-(pyridin-3-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole)tetra-µ3-trifluoroacetato-tetrasilver(I) dichloromethane monosolvate, [Ag4(C2F3O2)4(C22H15N5O2)2]·CH2Cl2 or [Ag2(µ3-O2CCF3)2(L5)]2·CH2Cl2 (2). Complex 1 displays a one-dimensional ring-chain motif, where dinuclear Ag2(CF3CO2)2 units alternate with Ag2(L1)2 macrocycles. This structure is different from previously reported Ag-L1 complexes with different anions. Complex 2 features a tetranuclear supramolecular macrocycle, in which each ligand adopts a tridentate coordination mode with the oxadiazole ring next to the p-tolyl ring coordinated and that next to the pyridyl ring free. Two L5 ligands are bound to two Ag1 centres through two oxadiazole N and two pyridyl N atoms to form a macrocycle. The other two oxadiazole N atoms coordinate to the two Ag2 centres of the Ag2(O2CCF3)4 dimer. Each CF3CO2- anion adopts a µ3-coordination mode, bridging the Ag1 and Ag2 centres to form a tetranuclear silver(I) complex. This study indicates that the donor ability of the bridging oxadiazole rings can be tuned by electron-withdrawing and -donating substituents. The emission properties of ligands L1 and L5 and complexes 1 and 2 were also investigated in the solid state.

Responses of rose RhACS1 and RhACS2 promoters to abiotic stresses in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.

KEY MESSAGE: Promoter activities of RhACS1 and RhACS2 , two rose genes involved in ethylene biosynthesis, are highly sensitive to various abiotic stresses in an organ-specific manner. Our previous studies indicated that two rose (Rosa hybrida) 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase genes, RhACS1 and RhACS2, play a role in dehydration-induced ethylene production and inhibition of cell expansion in rose petals. Here, both RhACS1 and RhACS2 promoters were analyzed using histochemical staining and glucuronidase synthase (GUS) gene reporter activity assays following their introduction into transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants. It was found that the promoter activities of both genes were strong throughout the course of development from young seedlings to mature flowering plants in various organs, including hypocotyls, cotyledons, leaves, roots and lateral roots. RhACS1 promoter activity was induced by drought in both rosette leaves and roots of transgenic A. thaliana lines, but was reduced following a re-hydration treatment. In contrast, RhACS2 promoter activity was decreased by drought in rosette leaves, while its response pattern was similar to that of RhACS1 in roots. A mannitol treatment induced the activity of both the RhACS1 and RhACS2 promoters, indicating that both genes are also regulated by osmotic stress. In addition, RhACS2 appeared to be abscisic acid (ABA)-inducible, while RhACS1 was less sensitive to ABA. Finally, four truncated sequences of the RhACS1 promoter were generated and GUS activity assays demonstrated that deleting a 327 bp region between bp 862 and -535 resulted in a substantial decrease of the promoter activity. Taken together, our results suggest that the RhACS1 and RhACS2 promoters respond to abiotic stresses in a developmentally regulated and spatially specific manner.

Arabidopsis AtSUC2 and AtSUC4, encoding sucrose transporters, are required for abiotic stress tolerance in an ABA-dependent pathway.

Sucrose transporters (SUCs or SUTs) play a central role, as they orchestrate sucrose allocation both intracellularly and at the whole plant level. Previously, we found AtSUC4 mutants changing sucrose distribution under drought and salt stresses. Here, we systematically examined the role of Arabidopsis AtSUC2 and AtSUC4 in response to abiotic stress. The results showed significant induction of AtSUC2 and AtSUC4 in salt, osmotic, low temperature and exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) treatments by public microarray data and real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses. The loss-of-function mutation of AtSUC2 and AtSUC4 led to hypersensitive responses to abiotic stress and ABA treatment in seed germination and seedling growth. These mutants also showed higher sucrose content in shoots and lower sucrose content in roots, as compared with that in wild-type plants, and inhibited the ABA-induced expression of many stress- and ABA-responsive genes, especially ABFs and ABF-downstream and upstream genes. The loss-of-function mutant of AtSUC3, a unique putative sucrose sensor, reduced the expression of AtSUC2 and AtSUC4 in response to abiotic stresses and ABA. These findings confirmed that AtSUC2 and AtSUC4 are important regulators in plant abiotic stress tolerance that use an ABA signaling pathway, which may be crossed with sucrose signaling.