The Role Of Rs12901499 Polymorphism In Association With Smad3 Gene And Osteoarthritis Susceptibility: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis is regarded as one of the most frequent disorders of musculoskeletal, which is characterized by the degeneration of articular cartilage and loss of cartilage of the joints. However, the relationship of OA susceptibility with rs12901499 polymorphism in SMAD3 is controversial. Although multiple studies have investigated the correlation of rs12901499A/G polymorphism in SMAD family member 3 (SMAD3) andosteoarthritis (OA) susceptibility, the results from previous studies remain controversial and unsolved. A meta-analysis utilizing fixed and random effects model was performed to clarify the association. METHODS: Eligible studies were systematically searched from PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and EMBASE on April 17, 2019 for reporting the correlation of rs12901499 polymorphism and osteoarthritis susceptibility. Pooled Odds ratio of 95% confidence interval was performed to estimate the strength of relationship of rs12901499 polymorphism and osteoarthritis susceptibility. Publication bias was detected by Begg's test and STATA 11.0 software was used to evaluate statistical analysis. RESULTS: Seven case-control papers involving eight studies from Caucasian and Asian populations were included. A significant increase in osteoarthritis susceptibility was found in recessive, homozygous and allele models. Stratified analysis on ethnicity suggested that the polymorphism with increased risk of OA only in Asians under allele model. Stratified analysis related to population-based studies indicated the increased risk of OA with polymorphism in recessive, homozygous, allele and dominant models. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis demonstrated that there may be a weak association of rs12901499 polymorphism and OA susceptibility. Due to the limited size of sample and given ethnic groups, more studies need to validate the result in future.

Diffusion tensor imaging revealed different pathological processes of white matter hyperintensities.

BACKGROUND: Although increasing evidence showed the correlations between white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) and cognitive impairment, the relationship between them is still modest. Many researchers began to focus on the variation caused by the heterogeneity of WMH. We tried to explore the pathological heterogeneity in WMH by using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), so as to provide a new insight into the future research. METHODS: Diffusion weighted images (DWIs) of the brain were acquired from 73 patients with WMH and 18 healthy controls, which were then modeled by DTI. We measured fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) of white matter of the periventricular frontal lobe (pFL), periventricular occipital lobe (pOL), periventricular parietal lobe (pPL) and deep centrum ovales (dCO), and grouped these measures according to the Fazekas scale. Then we compared the DTI metrics of different regions with the same Fazekas scale grade. RESULTS: Significantly lower FA values (all p < 0.001), and higher MD (all p < 0.001) and RD values (all p < 0.001) were associated with WMH observed in the periventricular frontal lobe (pFL) compared to all other regions with the same Fazekas grades. The AD of WMH in the pFL was higher than that of pPL and dCO, but the differences between groups was not as high as of MD and RD, as indicated by the effect size. In the normal control group, DTI metrics between pFL and other regions were not significantly different or less significant different. The difference of DTI metrics of WMH between pPL, pOL and dCO was lower than that of normal white matter, as indicated by the effect size. CONCLUSION: Distinct pathological processes can be revealed by DTI between frontal periventricular WMH and other regions. These processes may represent the effects of severe demyelination within the frontal periventricular WMH.

An evidence-based approach to assess the accuracy of intravoxel incoherent motion imaging for the grading of brain tumors.

BACKGROUND: Differentiation of high-grade gliomas (HGGs) and low-grade gliomas (LGGs) is an important clinical problem because treatment strategies vary greatly. This study was performed to investigate the potential diagnostic value of incoherent intravoxel motion imaging (IVIM) to distinguish HGG from LGG by meta-analysis. METHODS: A computerized search of the literature was performed using the free-access PubMed database, Web of Science, and Chinese biomedical database, and relevant articles until September 18, 2018 that used IVIM to distinguish HGG from LGG were included. All analyses were performed using Review Manager 5.3 and Stata. Mean difference (MD) at 95% confidence interval (CI) of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), diffusion coefficient value (D), perfusion fraction value (f), and perfusion coefficient value (D*) were summarized. RESULTS: Nine studies were used for general data pooling. In the tumor parenchyma (TP) regions, subgroup analysis revealed D* in HGG is higher than in LGG (MD = 1.19, P = .002), and D in HGG is lower than in LGG (MD = -1.06, P = .001). However, no significant difference in f (MD = 0.89, P = .056) was detected between HGG and LGG. In the white matter regions, HGG had higher D* (MD = 0.76, P = .04) compared with LGG, while no marked differences between the D value (P = .07) and f (P = .09) values. CONCLUSION: The present meta-analysis shows that the ADC, D, and D* values derived from IVIM may be useful in differentiating HGG from LGG. Considering the small sample of this study, we need to be cautious when interpreting the results of this study. Other prospective and large-sample randomized controlled trials were needed to establish the value of IVIM in differentiating HGG from LGG.

Chondroblastoma Of The Lumbar Vertebra.

Chondroblastoma is an uncommon and benign bone tumour. No more than 10 cases of lumbar chondroblastoma have been reported in the past 20 years. To describe the clinical presentations and radiological features of a rare case of chondroblastoma of the lumbar spine, this study reports one case involving the third lumbar vertebrae. A 22-year-old female presented with left lower back pain and numbness. CT revealed tumour infiltration of the third lumbar vertebrae and left psoas major displacement, which was found to be a chondroblastoma by surgery. Lumbar chondroblastomas are very rare which seem to be aggressive on imaging findings; with soft tissue extension, thin sclerotic rim and bony destruction. When encountering a vertebral lesion that seems to be aggressive on imaging findings, we must be aware of the possibility of chondroblastoma.

Intraspinal bronchogenic cyst: Series of case reports and literature review.

PURPOSE: Spinal bronchogenic cysts (SBCs) are rare congenital lesions. The clinical and imaging characteristics and treatment of SBCs are not well known. We studied three cases of SBCs retrospectively, which were registered in our department and analyzed eight case reports which were all published in English, focusing on providing a deeper knowledge of SBCs. METHODS: Three patients with SBCs registered in our department were retrospectively reviewed. Eight reported SBCs cases published from 1992 to 2015 were enrolled in our study. Imaging diagnosis was confirmed by computed tomography (CT), MRI, and computed tomography angiography (CTA). All of our patients and reviewed cases had undergone surgical resection and the final diagnosis was made by pathological examination. RESULTS: Five lesions were located at the cervical spinal canal. Most patients presented with pain in the limbs and back, which might be related to compression of the spinal cord and the reduced blood supply of the anterior spinal artery. The signal intensity on MRI was correlated with cystic fluid traits to a large extent. Seven lesions were partially removed because of the adhesions to the nearby spinal cord. All reported cases had no recurrence in the later follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: SBCs can occur anywhere in the spinal canal, but they are more likely to present at the cervical canal and might be present along with some developmental malformations of the spine. We emphasize the role of CT and MRI findings in the disease diagnosis. It is recommended that the lesion should be removed as completely as possible.

The alteration of gray matter volume and cognitive control in adolescents with internet gaming disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has been investigated by many behavioral and neuroimaging studies, for it has became one of the main behavior disorders among adolescents. However, few studies focused on the relationship between alteration of gray matter volume (GMV) and cognitive control feature in IGD adolescents. METHODS: Twenty-eight participants with IAD and twenty-eight healthy age and gender matched controls participated in the study. Brain morphology of adolescents with IGD and healthy controls was investigated using an optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) technique. Cognitive control performances were measured by Stroop task, and correlation analysis was performed between brain structural change and behavioral performance in IGD group. RESULTS: The results showed that GMV of the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), precuneus, supplementary motor area (SMA), superior parietal cortex, left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), left insula, and bilateral cerebellum decreased in the IGD participants compared with healthy controls. Moreover, GMV of the ACC was negatively correlated with the incongruent response errors of Stroop task in IGD group. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the alteration of GMV is associated with the performance change of cognitive control in adolescents with IGD, which indicating substantial brain image effects induced by IGD.