Contrast enhancement patterns associated with acute stroke in moyamoya disease using MR vessel wall imaging.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) can provide valuable insights into the histopathological characteristics of moyamoya disease (MMD). However, the patterns of vessel wall contrast enhancement have not been well established. We aimed to identify the contrast enhancement patterns of the vessel walls associated with acute cerebral infarction using HR-MRI in MMD. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we conducted genetic tests for Ring Finger Protein 213 (RNF 213) and performed HR-MRI on patients suspected of having MMD. We analyzed wall enhancement patterns including concentric, eccentric, or mixed enhancement types, and the occurrence of acute cerebral infarction in patients who simultaneously tested positive for RNF 213 and exhibited definite features of MMD on HR-MRI. RESULTS: Among 306 patients who underwent RNF 213 tests for the evaluation of MMD, 56 showed positive RNF 213, and HR-MRI was performed on 32 of them. Among the patients with acute cerebral infarction, the incidence rate was significantly higher in the group with concentric wall enhancement compared to patients without acute cerebral infarction (73.3% vs. 17.0%, p < .002). Furthermore, the incidence was notably elevated, even in patients with pure concentric wall enhancement (40.0% vs. 5.9%, p = .033). The area under the curve (AUC) for the group with any concentric wall enhancement showed a significant result of .78 (95% confidence interval [CI]: .61-.95, p = .007), whereas the predictive ability for pure concentric wall enhancement did not reach significance (AUC = .67, 95% CI: .48-.86, p = .100). CONCLUSIONS: Concentric wall enhancement was a significant predictor of acute cerebral infarction in patients with MMD.

Effect of Matrix Size and Acquisition Mode on Image Quality and Radiation Dose of Ultra-High-Resolution CT of the Temporal Bone: An Anatomical Study.

Purpose: To compare image quality and radiation exposure between super- and ultra-high-resolution helical and super-high-resolution volumetric CT of the temporal bone. Methods: Six cadaveric temporal bone specimens were used to evaluate key temporal bone structures using the following CT reconstruction and acquisition modes: helical and single-volume acquisition modes in super-high resolution (0.25-mm slice thickness, 10242 matrix), and helical mode in ultra-high resolution (0.25-mm slice thickness, 20482 matrix). Two observers performed 5 previously described preoperative measurements, measured noise and signal-to-noise ratios for air, and noise for bone, and rated the visualization of 5 anatomical structures on a 4-point scale, for each reconstruction mode. Radiation dose exposure was recorded for each examination. Results: There was no significant difference between any of the quantitative or qualitative measurements in any of the reconstruction and acquisition modes. There was a slight increase in noise and a decrease in signal-to-noise ratio in the air using the single-volume mode (115 ± 13.1 HU and 8.37 ± 0.91, respectively) compared to the helicoidal super-high-resolution (92.4 ± 11.8 HU and 10.8 ± 1.26, respectively) and helicoidal ultra-high-resolution (91.1 ± 10.7 HU and 10.9 ± 1.39, respectively) modes (P < .002). The volumic CT dose index was 50.9 mGy with helical acquisition and 29.8 mGy with single-volume acquisition mode (P < .0001). Conclusion: The single-volume super-high-resolution acquisition mode allows a reduction in radiation dose exposure without compromising image quality compared to helical scanning, but with a slightly lower signal-to-noise ratio in air with the single-volume mode, while there was no difference in image quality between the helical super- and ultra-high-resolution modes.

Relevance of ineffective esophageal motility to striated esophageal muscle contraction: Studies with high-resolution manometry.

Striated esophageal muscle contraction (SEC) is important for pharyngeal swallowing and deglutition augmentation against aspiration. Its clinical relevance is unclear in patients with ineffective esophageal motility (IEM). In this study, we aimed to characterize and compare SEC in consecutive patients with and without IEM. All eligible patients were evaluated for SEC, primary and secondary peristalsis using high-resolution manometry (HRM) with one mid-esophageal injection port. Primary peristalsis was assessed with 10 5-mL liquid swallows and multiple rapid swallows (MRS), while secondary peristalsis was performed with rapid air injections of 20 mL. All peristatic parameters of HRM were measured, and SEC and its contractile integral (SECI) were evaluated. One hundred and forty patients (59.3% women, mean age 46.1 ± 13.1 years) were included. There was no difference in SECI between patients with and without IEM (p = 0.91). SECI was also similar between patients with and without secondary peristalsis for IEM (p = 0.63) or normal motility (p = 0.80). No difference in SECI was seen between patients with and without MRS for IEM (p = 0.55) or normal motility (p = 0.88). SECI was significantly higher in male patients than female patients in IEM patients (p = 0.01). SECI significantly correlated with age in patients with normal motility (r = -0.31, p = 0.01). Aging may have a negative impact on SEC in patients with normal motility, while gender difference in SECI occurs in IEM patients. Neither secondary peristalsis nor MRS influences SECI.

SV2A controls the surface nanoclustering and endocytic recruitment of Syt1 during synaptic vesicle recycling.

Following exocytosis, the recapture of plasma membrane-stranded vesicular proteins into recycling synaptic vesicles (SVs) is essential for sustaining neurotransmission. Surface clustering of vesicular proteins has been proposed to act as a 'pre-assembly' mechanism for endocytosis that ensures high-fidelity retrieval of SV cargo. Here, we used single-molecule imaging to examine the nanoclustering of synaptotagmin-1 (Syt1) and synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) in hippocampal neurons. Syt1 forms surface nanoclusters through the interaction of its C2B domain with SV2A, which are sensitive to mutations in this domain (Syt1K326A/K328A) and SV2A knockdown. SV2A co-clustering with Syt1 is reduced by blocking SV2A's cognate interaction with Syt1 (SV2AT84A). Surprisingly, impairing SV2A-Syt1 nanoclustering enhanced the plasma membrane recruitment of key endocytic protein dynamin-1, causing accelerated Syt1 endocytosis, altered intracellular sorting and decreased trafficking of Syt1 to Rab5-positive endocytic compartments. Therefore, SV2A and Syt1 are segregated from the endocytic machinery in surface nanoclusters, limiting dynamin recruitment and negatively regulating Syt1 entry into recycling SVs.

High-resolution oblique coronal MRI at optimal flexed-knee angle: a novel imaging method for enhanced anterior cruciate ligament tear diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: The accuracy of traditional knee MR imaging in diagnosing anterior cruciate ligament tears, especially partial tears, is relatively low, which may lead to misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of a novel imaging method, high-resolution oblique coronal MRI at an optimal flexed-knee Angle, for ACL tears. METHODS: 50 healthy volunteers were scanned with a scan-assisted device for the optimal flexion angle of ACL. For 92 knee trauma patients selected strictly according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, conventional extended-knee scans (control group) and high-resolution oblique coronal scans based on the optimal flexed-knee angle (experimental group) were conducted. Two observers rated ACL visibility blindly on a 5-point scale. Arthroscopy-defined outcomes determined diagnostic metrics for each method and sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were calculated. RESULTS: The average optimal flexion angle for healthy volunteers was approximately 30° (30.3° ± 5.0°). Imaging demonstrated complete visualization of the ACL in 96.7% of images in the experimental group versus 12.0% in the control group. The diagnostic indicators of the experimental group surpassed those of the control group: sensitivity (94.9% vs. 76.3%), specificity (97.0% vs. 81.8%), positive predictive value (98.2% vs. 88.2%), negative predictive value(91.4% vs. 65.9%), and accuracy (95.7% vs. 78.3%). ROC analysis indicated superior diagnostic performance in the experimental group, with an AUC of 0.945 compared with 0.776 for the control group (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: High-resolution oblique coronal imaging at the optimal 30° flexed-knee angle improved ACL visualization and diagnostic performance compared with conventional techniques.

A possible origin of the inverted vertebrate retina revealed by physical modeling.

The evolutionary origin of the inverted retina in the vertebrate eye is unknown. This paper explores a hypothetical evolutionary scenario that explains the unique orientation of the photoreceptors in the vertebrate retina. The proposed scenario follows the scientific accepted scenario for eye evolution and gradually builds up towards an eye prototype by considering light direction detection and increase in achievable spatial resolution as the driving forces. It suggests that eye retinas developed along two different morphological processes, an evagination process that results in the inverted retina in vertebrate eyes and an invagination process that results in a verted retina in cephalopod eyes. The development of the inverted vertebrate retina and eye prototype morphology is strongly substantiated by physics of vision. The proposed evolutionary sequence for vertebrate eye development is simple and has the full potential to explain the origin of the inverted retina and leads to an eye prototype enabling visual detection and orientation. It allows the emergence of eye structures like, extraocular muscles, tapetum lucidum, biconvex lens, cornea, and pupil. This study supports the suggestion that a primitive inverted retina in the predecessor of vertebrates is of ectodermal origin and available before neurulation occurred.

PSAR-SR: Patches separation and artifacts removal for improving super-resolution networks.

The success of the ClassSR has led to a strategy of decomposing images being used for large image SR. The decomposed image patches have different recovery difficulties. Therefore, in ClassSR, image patches are reconstructed by different networks to greatly reduce the computational cost. However, in ClassSR, the training of multiple sub-networks inevitably increases the training difficulty. Furthermore, decomposing images with overlapping not only increases the computational cost but also inevitably produces artifacts. To address these challenges, we propose an end-to-end general framework, named patches separation and artifacts removal SR (PSAR-SR). In PSAR-SR, we propose an image information complexity module (IICM) to efficiently determine the difficulty of recovering image patches. Then, we propose a patches classification and separation module (PCSM), which can dynamically select an appropriate SR path for image patches of different recovery difficulties. Moreover, we propose a multi-attention artifacts removal module (MARM) in the network backend, which can not only greatly reduce the computational cost but also solve the artifacts problem well under the overlapping-free decomposition. Further, we propose two loss functions - threshold penalty loss (TP-Loss) and artifacts removal loss (AR-Loss). TP-Loss can better select appropriate SR paths for image patches. AR-Loss can effectively guarantee the reconstruction quality between image patches. Experiments show that compared to the leading methods, PSAR-SR well eliminates artifacts under the overlapping-free decomposition and achieves superior performance on existing methods (e.g., FSRCNN, CARN, SRResNet, RCAN and CAMixerSR). Moreover, PSAR-SR saves 53%-65% FLOPs in computational cost far beyond the leading methods. The code will be made available: https://github.com/dywang95/PSAR-SR.

Psychophysiological and interpersonal effects of parallel group crafting: a multimodal study using EEG and ECG.

In occupational therapy, crafts and groups are used as therapeutic tools, but their electrophysiological effects have not been well described. This study aimed to investigate the effects of group crafting on the physiological synchrony (PS) of dyadic heartbeats and on the autonomic activity and electroencephalogram (EEG) of individuals. In this cross-sectional study, individuals' EEG and dyadic electrocardiogram (ECG) were measured during the task in a variety of conditions. The three conditions were alone, parallel, nonparallel. Autonomic activity from the subjects' ECG, PS from the dyadic ECG, and current source density from exact Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (eLORETA) from subjects' EEG were analyzed. Measurements from 30 healthy young adults showed that the parallel condition significantly increased subjects' parasympathetic activity and dyadic PS. Parallel condition and frontal midline theta influenced parasympathetic activity, whereas parasympathetic activity was not associated with PS. Dyadic lag value were correlated with frontal delta, beta, and gamma activity. The results suggest that crafting in parallel groups increases parasympathetic activity and PS through different mechanisms, despite the absence of direct interaction. They also explain the electrophysiological evidence for the use of crafts and groups in psychiatric occupational therapy, such as increased relaxation and PS.

Spontaneous resolution of hepatic artery aneurysms due to segmental arterial mediolysis.

In asymptomatic patients with lesions in SAM measuring <3 cm, conservative monitoring is an appropriate option, with the anticipation of uncomplicated recovery in some cases.

An integrative framework of conflict and control.

People regularly encounter various types of conflict. Here, we ask if, and, if so, how, different types of conflict, from lab-based Stroop conflicts to everyday-life self-control or moral conflicts, are related to one other. We present a framework that assumes that action-goal representations are hierarchically organized, ranging from concrete actions to abstract goals. The framework's key assumption is that conflicts involving more abstract goals (e.g., self-control/moral conflict) are embedded in a more complex action space; thus, to resolve such conflicts, people need to consider more associated goals and actions. We discuss how differences in complexity impact conflict resolution mechanisms and the costs/benefits of resolving conflicts. Altogether, we offer a new way to conceptualize and analyze conflict regulation across different domains.

Low-dose Ultra-high-resolution Photon-Counting Detector CT for Visceral Artery CT Angiography: A Preliminary Study.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To validate the image quality of low-dose ultra-high-resolution (UHR) scanning mode of photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT) for visceral artery computed tomography angiography (CTA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 57 patients each in the full dose (FD) and low-dose (LD) protocols, respectively, to undergo abdominal CT scans using the UHR mode on a PCD-CT system (NAEOTOM Alpha), between April 2023 and September 2023. Both the FD data and LD data were then reconstructed into two series of images: (a) 0.2 mm slice thickness, reconstruction kernel Bv48, quantum iterative reconstruction (QIR) 4; (b)1 mm slice thickness, Bv40, QIR 3. The signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) of seven arteries were objectively measured. The image noise, vessel sharpness, overall quality, and visibility of nine arteries were subjectively assessed by three radiologists. RESULTS: The SNRs and CNRs of 0.2 mm reconstruction set was inferior to that of 1 mm reconstruction set (p < 0.001 for all the arteries and noise), however, the image quality of 0.2 mm reconstruction set was higher than that of 1 mm reconstruction set in qualitative evaluation especially for tiny arteries in Volume-rendered (VR) image (p < 0.001). The SNRs and CNRs were not significantly higher for FD group than LD group on the same slice thickness except for SNRs of common hepatic artery, splenic artery and bilateral renal arteries in 0.2 mm reconstruction set. In the comparison on image quality between normal weight and overweight patients within the same reconstruction set, the results showed that low-dose scan did not significantly impact the image quality in overweight patients. The ratings of visibility of nine visceral arteries were not significantly different among FD and LD at the same thickness reconstruction set except for superior mesenteric artery (p = 0.002 and 0.007 for 0.2 mm and 1 mm reconstruction set in axial image; p = 0.002 and 0.007 for 0.2 mm and 1 mm reconstruction set in coronal image, respectively) and left gastric artery (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001 for 0.2 mm and 1 mm reconstruction set in VR image, respectively). CONCLUSION: The low-dose UHR scanning mode of PCD-CT has proven to be adequate for the clinical evaluation of visceral arteries. Utilizing a reconstruction with a slice thickness of 0.2 mm could enhance arterial depiction, particularly for small vessels.

Ultra-high Versus Standard Resolution Photon-Counting Detector CT Angiography for Imaging of Femoral Stents in a Cadaveric Perfusion Model.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the imaging performance and quality differences of PCD-CT in standard resolution mode (SR) versus ultra-high resolution mode (UHR) in the lower extremity runoff of dose-matched CTAs in a human cadaveric model. METHODS: Extracorporeal perfusion of the upper leg was established in one fresh-frozen human cadaver via inguinal and popliteal accesses using a peristaltic pump. Seven peripheral stents were deployed in the SFA. Photon-counting CTAs were performed under contrast perfusion in SR and UHR mode with dose-equivalent 120kVp acquisition protocols (low-/ medium-/ high-dose: CTDIVol=3, 5, 10 mGy) and reconstructed with four vascular convolution kernels. Lumen visibility and contrast-to-noise ratio were compared using analyses of variance. Subjective image quality was assessed using a pairwise, forced-choice comparison software. RESULTS: Lumen visibility was equal for SR and UHR at the used dose levels. CNR increase by UHR was significant for (ultra-)sharp convolution kernels BV60 (3 mGy; UHR vs. SR, 19.9 ± 1.9 vs. 15.7 ± 1.6, p < 0.046) and BV76 (8.0 ± 0.6 vs. 5.4 ± 0.3, p < 0.001). The relative CNR increase was higher for low-dose than high-dose scans (BV76: 48% vs. 36% at high dose, p < 0.033). The CNR of the low-dose scan in UHR mode was comparable to the high-dose scan in SR mode when the ultra-sharp kernel was used (8.0 ± 0.6 vs. 9.1 ± 1.1, p > 0.760). Among UHR examinations, a significant increase in CNR could only be measured in BV76 (8.0 ± 0.6 (3 mGy) vs. 12.4 ± 0.9 (10 mGy), p < 0.001). Readers preferred subjective image quality of UHR for all kernels with BV76 being ranked highest. CONCLUSION: The CNR increase in UHR mode is highest when combining low radiation dose and ultra-sharp reconstructions. Meanwhile, the subjective image quality in UHR mode generally supersedes SR images, suggesting further dose reduction potential.

A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis Examining the Facilitators and Barriers of Psychological Intervention Delivery in Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Teams.

BACKGROUND: Mental health crisis rates in the United Kingdom are on the rise. The emergence of community mental health models, such as Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Teams (CRHTTs), offers a vital pathway to provide intensive assessment and treatment to individuals in their homes, including psychological interventions. Previous qualitative literature has identified facilitators and barriers to the implementation of psychological interventions within CRHTT settings; however, a synthesis of this literature has not yet been conducted. To address this gap, a systematic review was undertaken with the aim of identifying the reported facilitators and barriers of implementing evidence-based psychological interventions in CRHTTs. METHOD: A systematic review and narrative synthesis were conducted. Studies were included if they examined the implementation of evidence-based psychological interventions in a CRHTT setting. The study population had to be 18 and over and could include healthcare professionals working in CRHTTs, service users of CRHTTs, or family and carers of CRHTT service users. Studies of any formal research methodology were included. Four databases were searched (MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, Embase and PsycINFO), along with Google Scholar, to identify eligible studies. RESULTS: Six studies were identified, using mixed qualitative and quantitative methodologies, with the predominant focus being the exploration of stakeholder perspectives on care implementation within CRHTTs, encompassing aspects including but not restricted to psychological care implementation. The literature was deemed to be of moderate to high quality. Facilitators included adapting psychological therapies, prioritizing the therapeutic relationship, increasing psychological skills and training of CRHTT staff and psychologically informed CRHTT models. The barriers identified included a medical model bias within teams, resource constraints and elements pertaining to CRHTT services. CONCLUSIONS: Further robust research in this area is imperative. We recommend that future research be implemented in the form of service evaluations and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and that the principles of implementation science be used to assess and develop the evidence base for psychological intervention delivery in CRHTTs.

Trabecular bone microstructure parameters as predictors for chronological age: a systematic review.

Estimating chronological age is crucial in forensic identification. The increased application of medical imaging in age analysis has facilitated the development of new quantitative methods for the macroscopic evaluation of bones. This study aimed to determine the association of age-related changes in the trabecular microstructure with chronological age for age estimation in forensic science through different non-invasive imaging techniques. This systematic review was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. An electronic search was performed with PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane databases as well as with a Google Scholar search. Qualitative synthesis was performed using the Anatomical Quality Assessment tool. A detailed literature search yielded 3467 articles. A total of 14 articles were ultimately included in the study. A narrative approach was employed to synthesize the data. Microcomputed tomography, high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography, and cone beam computed tomography have been used for the quantitative estimation of age. These imaging techniques aid in identifying the trabecular bone microarchitectural parameters for chronological age estimation. Age-related changes in trabecular bone included a decrease in the bone volume fraction, trabecular number, and connectivity density and an increase in trabecular separation. This study also revealed that morphometric indices vary with age and anatomical site. This study is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) with the registration number CDRD42023391873.

2D Super-Resolution Metrology Based on Superoscillatory Light.

Progress in the semiconductor industry relies on the development of increasingly compact devices consisting of complex geometries made from diverse materials. Precise, label-free, and real-time metrology is needed for the characterization and quality control of such structures in both scientific research and industry. However, optical metrology of 2D sub-wavelength structures with nanometer resolution remains a major challenge. Here, a single-shot and label-free optical metrology approach that determines 2D features of nanostructures, is introduced. Accurate experimental measurements with a random statistical error of 18 nm (λ/27) are demonstrated, while simulations suggest that 6 nm (λ/81) may be possible. This is far beyond the diffraction limit that affects conventional metrology. This metrology employs neural network processing of images of the 2D nano-objects interacting with a phase singularity of the incident topologically structured superoscillatory light. A comparison between conventional and topologically structured illuminations shows that the presence of a singularity with a giant phase gradient substantially improves the retrieval of object information in such an optical metrology. This non-invasive nano-metrology opens a range of application opportunities for smart manufacturing processes, quality control, and advanced materials characterization.

Comparison of cation and anion-mediated resolution enhancement of bioprinted hydrogels for membranous tissue fabrication.

Fabrication of engineered thin membranous tissues (TMTs) presents a significant challenge to researchers, as these structures are small in scale, but present complex anatomies containing multiple stratified cell layers. While numerous methodologies exist to fabricate such tissues, many are limited by poor mechanical properties, need for post-fabrication, or lack of cytocompatibility. Extrusion bioprinting can address these issues, but lacks the resolution necessary to generate biomimetic, microscale TMT structures. Therefore, our goal was to develop a strategy that enhances bioprinting resolution below its traditional limit of 150 µm and delivers a viable cell population. We have generated a system to effectively shrink printed gels via electrostatic interactions between anionic and cationic polymers. Base hydrogels are composed of gelatin methacrylate type A (cationic), or B (anionic) treated with anionic alginate, and cationic poly-L-lysine, respectively. Through a complex coacervation-like mechanism, the charges attract, causing compaction of the base GelMA network, leading to reduced sample dimensions. In this work, we evaluate the role of both base hydrogel and shrinking polymer charge on effective print resolution and cell viability. The alginate anion-mediated system demonstrated the ability to reach bioprinting resolutions of 70 µm, while maintaining a viable cell population. To our knowledge, this is the first study that has produced such significant enhancement in extrusion bioprinting capabilities, while also remaining cytocompatible.

Posterior approach to correct for focal plane offsets in lattice light-sheet structured illumination microscopy.

Significance: Lattice light-sheet structured illumination microscopy (latticeSIM) has proven highly effective in producing three-dimensional images with super resolution rapidly and with minimal photobleaching. However, due to the use of two separate objectives, sample-induced aberrations can result in an offset between the planes of excitation and detection, causing artifacts in the reconstructed images. Aim: We introduce a posterior approach to detect and correct the axial offset between the excitation and detection focal planes in latticeSIM and provide a method to minimize artifacts in the reconstructed images. Approach: We utilized the residual phase information within the overlap regions of the laterally shifted structured illumination microscopy information components in frequency space to retrieve the axial offset between the excitation and the detection focal planes in latticeSIM. Results: We validated our technique through simulations and experiments, encompassing a range of samples from fluorescent beads to subcellular structures of adherent cells. We also show that using transfer functions with the same axial offset as the one present during data acquisition results in reconstructed images with minimal artifacts and salvages otherwise unusable data. Conclusion: We envision that our method will be a valuable addition to restore image quality in latticeSIM datasets even for those acquired under non-ideal experimental conditions.

The prevalence of spontaneous resolution among pediatric trigger thumb: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Trigger thumb is a prevalent hand condition observed in children, and its management remains a topic of considerable debate, ranging from mere observation to surgical intervention. In recent times, there has been a growing interest in exploring nonoperative treatments as alternatives to surgical procedures for managing pediatric trigger thumb. Gaining insight into the prevalence of spontaneous resolution in pediatric trigger thumb is of paramount importance. However, the literature presents a wide variation in estimates regarding the prevalence of this spontaneous resolution, highlighting the need for further investigation and consensus. The aim of this review was to estimate the overall prevalence of spontaneous resolution among pediatric trigger thumb. METHODS: This study meticulously followed the PRISMA guidelines and registered in the PROSPERO. The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for all relevant studies up to May 2024.Inclusion criteria were studies reported only observation spontaneous resolution pediatric trigger thumb, aged up to 14 years, reported at least 10 thumbs and followed up time at least 3 months. Confounded intervention treatment measure studies were excluded. To synthesize the prevalence rates from individual studies, we employed a random-effects meta-analysis. In order to uncover the sources of heterogeneity and to compare prevalence estimates across different groups, we performed sensitivity and subgroup analyses. To meticulously evaluate the quality of the included studies, the Joanna Briggs Institute's quality assessment checklist was employed. Furthermore, to assess the heterogeneity among the studies, both Cochran's Q test and the I² statistic were utilized. RESULTS: A total of eleven studies were included for the final analysis, with 599 pediatric trigger thumbs. Our final meta-analysis showed that more than one-third of these pediatric trigger thumb cases resolved spontaneously, with a resolution rate of 43.5% (95% CI 29.6-58.6). Subgroup analyses showed that in terms of age at the first visit, the prevalence of spontaneous resolution in the less than 24 months group and in the 24 months or older group was 38.7%(95% CI 18.1-64.4)and 45.8%(95% CI 27.4-65.4), respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups(P = 0.690). When analyzing follow up time, the prevalence of spontaneous resolution in the 24 months or longer group and in the less than 24 months group was 58.9%(95% CI 41.6-74.2)and 26.8%(95% CI 14.7-43.8), respectively.There was significant statistical differences between the two groups(P = 0.009). Based on the initial severity of interphalangeal (IP) joint flexion contracture, the prevalence of spontaneous resolution in the 30 degrees or less group and in the other measurements group was 54.1%(95% CI 31.5-75.1)and 37.1%(95% CI 21.9-55.4), respectively.There was no significant difference between the two groups(P = 0.259). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that a significant proportion of pediatric trigger thumbs resolve spontaneously. This finding highlights the benefits of early observation in managing this condition. By prioritizing non-operative observation, both parents and surgeons are better equipped to make informed decisions regarding the treatment of pediatric trigger thumb, potentially reducing the need for surgical intervention.

In Vivo Monitoring of Nucleophagy in Caenorhabditis elegans.

The autophagy-lysosomal pathway enables the controlled degradation of cellular contents. Nucleophagy is the selective autophagic recycling of nuclear components upon delivery to the lysosome. Although methods to monitor and quantify autophagy as well as selective types of autophagy have been developed and implemented in cells and in vivo, methods monitoring nucleophagy remain scarce. Here, we describe a procedure to monitor the autophagic engagement of an endogenous nuclear envelope component, i.e., ANC-1, the nematode homologue of the mammalian Nesprins in vivo, utilizing super-resolution microscopy.

Quantitative Super-Resolution Imaging of ER-Phagy Initiation in Cells.

Selective autophagy of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER-phagy) is a mechanism that is necessary for degrading damaged ER components and preventing cells from experiencing ER stress. Various ER-phagy receptors orchestrate this process by building protein assemblies with dedicated functions. In order to understand the molecular building principles of ER-phagy, it is important to reveal the assembly of ER-phagy receptors in a temporal and functional context. However, direct visualization is hampered by the diffraction limit in light microscopy. Super-resolution microscopy (SRM) can bypass this limitation and resolve single proteins and nanoscale protein clusters in cells. In particular, DNA points accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography (DNA-PAINT) is a powerful technology that can resolve individual protein clusters in cells and provide information on their molecular composition. Here, we report a step-by-step protocol on how to utilize DNA-PAINT to perform super-resolution imaging of ER-phagy receptors in fixed cells. In addition, we provide a detailed explanation of image generation, cluster analysis, and molecular quantification.