Rapid quantification of the adulteration of pomegranate juices by Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics.

The juice drink industry has repeatedly been exposed to adulteration. Unscrupulous producers, for example, use cheap juice for substitution in the pursuit of more significant economic benefits, which presents a tremendous challenge for the control of the quality of drinks. The objective of this study was to apply Raman spectroscopy combined with chemometrics to rapidly quantify the adulteration concentration of apple juice or grape juice in pomegranate juice. Two supervised learning algorithms: partial least squares regression (PLSR) and support vector machine regression (SVR) were used to analyze the Raman spectra of 114 samples. The coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), and residual prediction deviation (RPD) of the prediction set when using PLSR and SVR to predict the adulterated concentration of apple juice in pomegranate juice were 0.9357 and 0.9465, 6.446% and 5.974%, 3.945 and 4.322, respectively. The R2, RMSE, and RPD of the prediction set when using PLSR and SVR to predict the adulteration concentration of grape juice in pomegranate juice were 0.9501 and 0.9502, 6.334% and 5.571%, and 4.475 and 4.481, respectively. It was concluded that Raman spectroscopy combined with chemometrics has excellent potential for application as a rapid quantitative method to detect adulterated concentrations of pomegranate juice.

Rapid quantification of goat milk adulteration with cow milk using Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics.

As goat milk has a higher economic value compared to cow milk, the phenomenon of adulterating goat milk with cow milk appears in the market. In this study, the potential of Raman spectroscopy along with chemometrics was investigated for the authentication and quantitation of liquid goat milk adulterated with cow milk. First, the results of principal component analysis (PCA) showed that there were differences between the Raman spectra of cow and goat milk, which made quantitative experiments possible. For quantification, three different brands of cow milk and goat milk were selected randomly and adulterated goat milk with cow milk at the proportion of 5-95%. 342 samples were used for the construction of the partial least squares regression (PLSR) model with 80% for the calibration set and 20% for the prediction set. The PLSR model showed excellent performance in quantifying the level of adulteration, for the prediction set, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9781, root mean square error (RMSE) of 3.82%, and a ratio of prediction to deviation (RPD) of 6.8. The results demonstrated the potential of Raman spectroscopy as a rapid, low cost and non-destructive analytical tool for detecting adulteration in goat milk.

Curcumin Prevents Diabetic Osteoporosis through Promoting Osteogenesis and Angiogenesis Coupling via NF-κB Signaling.

Diabetic osteoporosis (DOP) is a metabolic disease which is characterized by impaired bone microarchitecture and reduced bone mineral density resulting from hyperglycemia. Curcumin, an effective component extracted from Curcuma longa, exhibits antioxidation, regulation of bone metabolism and hypoglycemic effects. The BMSC-mediated osteogenesis and angiogenesis coupling seems to be important in bone formation and regeneration. We aimed to explore the effect of curcumin on BMSC-mediated osteogenesis-angiogenesis coupling in high glucose conditions and underlying mechanisms. Our results showed that high glucose impaired the osteogenic and proangiogenic ability of BMSCs and that curcumin pretreatment rescued the BMSC dysfunction induced by high-concentration glucose. Inhibition of the high glucose-activated NF-κB signaling pathway has been found to contribute to the protective effects of curcumin on high glucose-inhibited coupling of osteogenesis and angiogenesis in BMSCs. Furthermore, accelerated bone loss and decreased type H vessels were observed in diabetic osteoporosis mice models. However, curcumin treatment prevented bone loss and promoted vessel formation in diabetic osteoporosis mice. Based on these results, we concluded that curcumin ameliorated diabetic osteoporosis by recovering the osteogenesis and angiogenesis coupling of BMSCs in hyperglycemia, partly through inhibiting the high glucose-activated NF-κB signaling pathway.

Thermally aggravated photo-bleaching of BAC-Al in bismuth/erbium co-doped optical fiber.

The thermal effect upon the photo-bleaching of bismuth/erbium co-doped optical fiber (BEDF) containing Al has been investigated. The photo-bleaching effects of aluminum related bismuth active center (BAC-Al) in BEDF are studied from room temperature (RT) up to 350°C under the irradiation of a 980 nm laser. No visible bleaching of the luminescence associated with BAC-Al was observed at RT, but significant bleaching appeared at higher temperatures above 150°C under the same irradiation power. The underlying mechanism of significant thermal aggravation of photo-bleaching is discussed, and its impact needs to be considered in the design and application of optical amplifiers and lasers using Al-doped BEDF.

BAC activation by thermal quenching in bismuth/erbium codoped fiber.

We have investigated the thermal quenching effect on the bismuth active center (BAC) in a Bi/Er co-doped fiber (BEDF). The effects from varying quenching conditions are studied and discussed. We report, for the first time to our knowledge, a significant BAC activation achieved by thermal quenching. We observed that the peak luminescence at ∼1405 nm of the BAC associated with silica (BAC-Si) could be enhanced more than two times by thermal quenching. The experimental results indicate that thermal quenching could be an effective way for BAC activation of bismuth-doped fibers.

Formononetin Enhances the Tumoricidal Effect of Everolimus in Breast Cancer MDA-MB-468 Cells by Suppressing the mTOR Pathway.

BACKGROUND: Formononetin, an active ingredient isolated from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Astragalus membranaceus, has anticancer and chemoresistance-reducing biological activities. We evaluated the efficacy of formononetin in improving the tumoricidal effect of everolimus by suppressing the mTOR pathway in breast cancer cells. METHODS: Cell survival was assessed using an MTT assay. Apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry. Proteins related to the mTOR pathway were detected and assessed using real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. Results. The results showed that formononetin enhances the efficacy of everolimus in suppressing breast cancer cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. The combination of formononetin and everolimus resulted in a 2-fold decrease in tumor volume and a 21.6% decrease in cell survival. The apoptosis ratio in cells treated with formononetin and everolimus increased by 27.9%. Formononetin and everolimus also inhibited the expression of p-mTOR and p-P70S6K and increased the expression of PTEN and p-4EBP-1. Notably, formononetin alone inhibited p-Akt expression but not everolimus. CONCLUSIONS: Formononetin enhances the tumoricidal effect of everolimus by inhibiting the activity of Akt.

Radiation-induced reversible thermal effect in Er3+/Yb3+-codoped silica fibers.

We observed an induced thermal effect in Er3+/Yb3+-codoped silicate fibers (EYDFs) after gamma radiation. It is further found that the induced thermal effect is reversible under room temperature. This is the first report, to the best of our knowledge, on such a radiation-induced reversible thermal effect on EYDFs. This phenomenon, ascribed to radiation effect on EYDFs, can be used to design a novel fiber-optic temperature sensor with tailored properties.

Overexpression of ANGPTL2 and LILRB2 as predictive and therapeutic biomarkers for metastasis and prognosis in colorectal cancer.

LILRB2 is an inhibitory receptor involved in immune cells. A variety of cancer cells have been observed to express LILRB2, which has been related to development of cancers. Recently, ANGPTL2 was found to be bound to LILRB2 as a high affinity ligand. Expression and function of LILRB2 and ANGPTL2 in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unknown. To explore differential expression, 364 CRCs, 5 adenomas, and 205 normal samples for LILRB2 and 338 CRCs, 5 adenomas, and 232 normal samples for ANGPTL2 were studied in Oncomine and GEO databases. We noted that LILRB2 was significantly increased in CRC compared to adenoma and normal tissues. ANGPTL2 was higher in adenoma than normal tissues and further increased in CRC than adenoma. Copy number of LILRB2 and ANGPTL2 DNA was also more increased in CRC than in normal tissue. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry analysis of 155 pairs of primary CRC and normal tissues verified the positive rates of LILRB2 and ANGPTL2 were 87.10% (135/155) and 97.44% (151/155) in CRC, with almost no expression in normal tissues. LILRB2 and ANGPTL2 were significantly associated with tumor size, worse cell differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and advanced disease stage. Levels of ANGPTL2 were adversely related to survival of CRC patients, consistent with results in GEPIA (TCGA data) database. Moreover, a significant positive correlation was found between LILRB2 and ANGPTL2 in CRC. These findings suggest that ANGPTL2 and LILRB2 play an important role in CRC occurrence and progression. ANGPTL2 and LILRB2 could serve as novel biomarkers for treatment and prognosis of CRC.

MiR-31 is involved in the high glucose-suppressed osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells by targeting Satb2.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease that gives rise to impaired bone remodeling. Increasing evidences have shown that miRNAs are associated with osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. However, the underlying mechanism that links DM-induced HG conditions and impaired osteogenic differentiation capacity of periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) still remains unclear. In this study, we found that diabetic mice with increased miR-31 level in periodontal ligaments exhibited greater bone loss. In vitro, the high expression of miR-31 is associated with the impaired osteogenic differentiation ability of PDLSCs in high glucose environment. Furthermore, miR-31 inhibitors increased mineralized bone matrix formation and raised Runx2, Osx and OCN expression at both mRNA and protein levels. However, PDLSCs pretreated with miR-31 mimics decreased bone matrix formation and reduced Runx2, Osx and OCN expression level in high glucose microenvironment. Moreover, Satb2 was identified as a target of miR-31 which directly binds to its 3'-untranslated region. To further elucidate the effect of Satb2 in miR-31-mediated osteogenic differentiation, PDLSCs were transfected with Satb2 siRNA and miR-31 inhibitors. The results showed that Satb2 siRNA inhibited osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs in HG, whereas miR-31 inhibitors reversed the repression of osteogenic differentiation in Satb2 siRNA transfected PDLSCs. Taken together, these results demonstrate that miR-31 is involved in the high glucose-suppressed osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs by targeting Satb2.

Preventive effects of vitamin D treatment on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Patients with pulmonary fibrosis often have low vitamin D levels, the effects of which are largely unknown. We here report that early vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced the severity of pulmonary fibrosis and inflammatory cell accumulationin in the bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model on supplementary days 14, 21 and 28 (P < 0.001). Vitamin D supplementation also prevented some ultrastructural changes in response to bleomycin administration, including basement membrane thickening, interstitial fibrin deposition and microvilli flattening or disappearance on days 14, 21 and 28, and lamellar body swelling or vacuolation on days 21 and 28. The bleomycin group had rising hydroxyproline level on days 14, 21 and 28, whereas the vitamin D treatment group showed consistently lower hydroxyproline level but still higher than that of the control group (P < 0.001). Our immunohistochemistry and densitometry analyses showed less staining for α-smooth muscle actin, a myofibroblast marker, in the vitamin D group compared to the bleomycin group (P < 0.001). Thus, vitamin D treatment could prevent bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by delaying or suppressing ultrastructural changes, as well as attenuating hydroxyproline accumulation and inhibiting myofibroblastic proliferation. These data further our understanding of the roles of vitamin D in pulmonary fibrogenesis and in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.

Multiple-image authentication with a cascaded multilevel architecture based on amplitude field random sampling and phase information multiplexing.

A multiple-image authentication method with a cascaded multilevel architecture in the Fresnel domain is proposed, in which a synthetic encoded complex amplitude is first fabricated, and its real amplitude component is generated by iterative amplitude encoding, random sampling, and space multiplexing for the low-level certification images, while the phase component of the synthetic encoded complex amplitude is constructed by iterative phase information encoding and multiplexing for the high-level certification images. Then the synthetic encoded complex amplitude is iteratively encoded into two phase-type ciphertexts located in two different transform planes. During high-level authentication, when the two phase-type ciphertexts and the high-level decryption key are presented to the system and then the Fresnel transform is carried out, a meaningful image with good quality and a high correlation coefficient with the original certification image can be recovered in the output plane. Similar to the procedure of high-level authentication, in the case of low-level authentication with the aid of a low-level decryption key, no significant or meaningful information is retrieved, but it can result in a remarkable peak output in the nonlinear correlation coefficient of the output image and the corresponding original certification image. Therefore, the method realizes different levels of accessibility to the original certification image for different authority levels with the same cascaded multilevel architecture.

Histology subtypes and polyp size are associated with synchronous colorectal carcinoma of colorectal serrated polyps: a study of 499 serrated polyps.

Sessile serrated adenomas (SSA) and traditional serrated adenomas (TSA) are considered as precursors of colorectal cancer, and are often diagnostic challenges. Their true prevalence is masked by significant inter-observer variations. To investigate the true prevalence and synchronous colorectal carcinoma (sCRC) of colorectal serrated polyps (CSP) and their associated factors, we first retrospectively identified all colorectal polyps collected at our institution between June 1995 and May 2013. After centrally reclassifying all CSP to reduce inter-observer variations, Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the potential factors. Among the included 5501 colorectal polyps, 499 CSP of 428 patients were identified and studied, including 353 hyperplastic polyps (HP, 70.7%), 80 SSA (16.0%), 61 TSA (12.2%) and 5 mixed polyp (1.0%). Diagnostic disagreements were found in 68 CSP (13.63% of CSP). SSA and TSA were more often larger than 5 mm and in proximal colon than HP. SSA were also more likely associated with older age (p=0.005), size ≥5 mm (p<0.001) and ≥3 polyps (p=0.004) than HP in distal colon, but only more likely associated with older age (p=0.006) in proximal colon. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that CSP with sCRC, compared with CSP without sCRC, were linked to CSP size ≥1 cm (vs <1 cm, odds ratio [OR] 4.412, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.684-11.556, P=0.003) and a diagnosis of SSA or TSA (vs HP, OR 6.194, 95% CI 1.870-20.513, P=0.003 and OR 6.754, 95% CI 1.981-23.028, P=0.002, respectively), but not age, gender, polyp number and polyp shape. SSA and TSA are similarly often associated with sCRC (P=0.460). In conclusion, histology subtypes and polyp size may serve as markers for sCRC of CSP. SSA and TSA may warrant careful endoscopic examinations and similar follow-up intervals.

Resveratrol ameliorates experimental periodontitis in diabetic mice through negative regulation of TLR4 signaling.

AIM: To investigate the therapeutic effects of resveratrol (RSV) on periodontitis in diabetic mice and to explore the underlying mechanisms in vitro. METHODS: Experimental periodontitis was induced in db/db mice by ligature application of porphyromonas gingivalis. The mice were treated with RSV (20 mg/kg, p.o.) daily for 4 weeks. Alveolar bone loss, proinflammatory cytokines and TLR4 expression in the gingival tissue were measured. Cultured gingival epithelial cells (GECs) were used for in vitro studies. The transcriptional activity of TLR4 downstream signaling was analyzed using Western blotting. RESULTS: RSV administration significantly decreased the blood glucose levels, and ameliorated alveolar bone loss in db/db mice with experimental periodontitis. RSV administration also suppressed the high levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and TLR4 in gingival tissue of the mice. In the GECs incubated in high glucose medium, TLR4 expression was substantially upregulated, which was partly blocked in the presence of RSV. Lipopolysaccharides markedly increased the expression and secretion of IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α in the GECs cultured in high glucose medium, which was also partly blocked in the presence of RSV. Furthermore, RSV significantly suppressed the phosphorylation of TLR4 downstream factors NF-κB p65, p38MAPK, and STAT3. CONCLUSION: RSV exerts protective effects against experimental periodontitis in db/db mice via negative regulation of TLR4 signaling.

[The expressions and meanings of BMP-7 and TGF-ß in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expressions of cytokines in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and in idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (INSIP); To discuss expressions and meanings of bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) in IPF and IPF. METHODS: Selected 47 cases of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP), which were diagnosed by clinical-radiologic-pathologic (CRP), and classified into two groups which were group IPF (25 IPF) and group INSIP (22 INSIP, including 6 cellular pattern and 16 fibrosing pattern). The normal lung tissues were collected as the control group: The fresh tissues were made to detect more than 114 kinds of cytokines' expressions via Oligo GEArray gene microarray technology. Made a tissue microarray which applied EnVision immunohistochemistry technology to detect the expressions of BMP-7 and TGF-ß in both kinds of IIPs. The two groups of patients were followed-up visited around 5 to 8 years and the survival curves were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: According to gene microarray results, these two groups were up-expression in TGF family,IL family and TNF family. Most of BMP members were down-expression, in comparison with the control group, except BMP-5,BMP-8B and BMP-15. As the tissue microarray results demonstrated, compared with normal lung tissues,BMP-7 expressed decreasingly in IPF and INSIP groups (t1 = 27.618, P < 0.001; t2 = -12.404, P < 0.001). The expression of IPF were lower than INSIP (t = 5.387, P < 0.05); In INSIP group, patients of cellular pattern expressed BMP-7 more than fibrosing pattern's (t = -5.341, P < 0.001). There were dramatically increasing expressions of TGF-ß in IPF and INSIP, when compared with the control group (t1 = 23.393, P < 0.001; t2 = -13.445, P < 0.001) and it presented negative correlation with BMP-7(group IPF: r = -0.771, P < 0.001; group INSIP: r = -0.729, P < 0.001). (3) Clinical follow-up data showed, the stability(improvement), deterioration and death rates of the group IPF and the group INSIP were, respectively, 0(0%), 2 (8%), 23 (92%) and 15 (68.1%), 3 (13.6%), 4 (18.2%). The results were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). The median survival time of the part with higher BMP-7 expression and the part with relatively lower BMP-7 expression, in the group IPF, were 110.8 and 66.4 months (t = -2.686, P < 0.05); In the group INSIP, were 146.4 and 74.9 months (t = -3.037, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cellular cytokines presented different expression profiles in IPF and INSIP patients. Differently with highly activated TGF-ß, BMP-7 was inhibited in IIP patients, which would remind the degree of fibrosis and prognosis of IIP. BMP-7 would be expected to be a novel target for IIP pathogenesis and prognostic research.

Curcumin inhibits oral squamous cell carcinoma proliferation and invasion via EGFR signaling pathways.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is an effective molecular target of anti-cancer therapies. Curcumin is known to inhibit growth, invasion and metastasis by downregulating EGFR expression in some cancer cells. However, the mechanism underlying the effect of curcumin in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of curcumin on proliferation and invasion in SCC-25 cell line. We also explored the effect of curcumin on the activition of EGFR and its downstream signaling molecules Akt, ERK1/2 and STAT3. Furthermore, we examined the inhibition effect of curcumin on EGF-induced EGFR phosphorylation and SCC-25 cells invasion. Our results showed that curcumin inhibited SCC-25 cells proliferation and induced G2/M phase arrest in a dose-dependent manner. Curcumin also inhibited SCC-25 cells invasion and downregulated MMP-2, MMP-9, uPA and uPAR expression. We further revealed that curcumin regulated the p-EGFR and EGFR downstream signaling molecules including Akt, ERK1/2 and STAT3. Finally, our data showed that crucumin reduced the EGF-induced phosphorylation of EGFR and suppressed EGF-triggered SCC-25 cells invasion. Taken together, our results suggest that curcumin reduced SCC-25 cells proliferation and invasion through inhibiting the phosphorylation of EGFR and EGFR downstream signaling molecules Akt, ERK1/2 and STAT3.

Pulmonary benign metastasizing leiomyoma: a case report.

Pulmonary benign metastasizing leiomyoma (PBML) is a rare entity usually occurring in females with history of uterine leiomyoma, and it is preferential to metastasize to the lung and appears as a histopathologic benign tumor of smooth muscle origin. In this article, the clinical and pathological data from 1 patient with PBML were analyzed. Chest CT scan showed that multiple well-defined nodules in the both lobes of the lungs. The tumor cells in the lung were well differentiated, and the pattern of tumor was similar to the original tumor. IHC identified it originated from smooth muscle cells, consistent with the diagnosis of PBML. Positive staining of estrogen and progestogen receptors was detected in both the leiomyoma and the metastasizing lesions. During two years of observation, pulmonary function parameters were within normal limits and there was no evidence of tumor recurrence.

[Immunohistochemical classification and prognosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in China].

OBJECTIVE: To study the immunohistochemical classification and prognosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). METHODS: A total of 148 cases of DLBCL were classified into germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) and non-GCB/activated B-cell-like (ABC) subtypes by Hans, Choi and Tally immunohistochemical stain algorithms. The clinical features and survival data of GCB and non-GCB/ABC subtypes were compared. Multivariate analysis about clinical features and results of immunohistochemical stain algorithms was carried out by using Cox regression, with overall survival as the outcome. RESULTS: The prevalence of GCB subtype was significantly lower than that of non-GCB/ABC subtype, as classified by whichever algorithms in the 148 DLBCL cases studied. The prevalence of GCB subtype by Tally algorithm was lowest. The prevalence of GCB subtype (19 cases, 16.7%) was also significantly lower than non-GCB/ABC subtype (95 cases, 83.3%; P = 0.000 1) in the 114 (77.0%) concordant cases by the three algorithms. There was no difference between GCB and non-GCB/ABC subtypes by the three algorithms in five-year overall survival rate and survival curve of the 80 DLBCL patients with follow-up data available (P > 0.05). Primary gastric DLBCL tended to show a higher prevalence of GCB subtype, a better five-year overall survival rate and survival curve than the other groups. Multivariate analysis showed that patient age (HR = 1.036, P = 0.001) and tumor stage (HR = 1.997, P = 0) were also significantly adverse predictors of overall survival. CONCLUSION: The Hans, Choi and Tally immunohistochemical stain algorithms cannot effectively classify Chinese DLBCL into different prognostic subtypes. Primary gastric DLBCL has different immunophenotype and outcome, as compared with DLCBL in other sites.

Rural residents in China are at increased risk of exposure to tick-borne pathogens Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis.

As emerging tick born rickettsial diseases caused by A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis have become a serious threat to human and animal health throughout the world. In particular, in China, an unusual transmission of nosocomial cases of human granulocytic anaplasmosis occurred in Anhui Province in 2006 and more recent coinfection case of A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis was documented in Shandong Province. Although the seroprevalence of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (former human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, HGE) has been documented in several studies, these data existed on local investigations, and also little data was reported on the seroprevalence of human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME) in China. In this cross-sectional epidemiological study, indirect immunofluorescence antibody assay (IFA) proposed by WHO was used to detect A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis IgG antibodies for 7,322 serum samples from agrarian residents from 9 provinces/cities and 819 urban residents from 2 provinces. Our data showed that farmers were at substantially increased risk of exposure. However, even among urban residents, risk was considerable. Seroprevalence of HGA and HME occurred in diverse regions of the country and tended to be the highest in young adults. Many species of ticks were confirmed carrying A. phagocytophilum organisms in China while several kinds of domestic animals including dog, goats, sheep, cattle, horse, wild rabbit, and some small wild rodents were proposed to be the reservoir hosts of A. phagocytophilum. The broad distribution of vector and hosts of the A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis, especially the relationship between the generalized susceptibility of vectors and reservoirs and the severity of the disease's clinical manifestations and the genetic variation of Chinese HGA isolates in China, is urgently needed to be further investigated.

Prediction of nodal involvement in primary rectal carcinoma without invasion to pelvic structures: accuracy of preoperative CT, MR, and DWIBS assessments relative to histopathologic findings.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the accuracy of preoperative computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging with background body signal suppression (DWIBS) in the prediction of nodal involvement in primary rectal carcinoma patients in the absence of tumor invasion into pelvic structures. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Fifty-two subjects with primary rectal cancer were preoperatively assessed by CT and MRI at 1.5 T with a phased-array coil. Preoperative lymph node staging with imaging modalities (CT, MRI, and DWIBS) were compared with the final histological findings. RESULTS: The accuracy of CT, MRI, and DWIBS were 57.7%, 63.5%, and 40.4%. The accuracy of DWIBS with higher sensitivity and negative predictive value for evaluating primary rectal cancer patients was lower than that of CT and MRI. Nodal staging agreement between imaging and pathology was fairly strong for CT and MRI (Kappa value = 0.331 and 0.348, P<0.01) but was relatively weaker for DWIBS (Kappa value = 0.174, P<0.05). The accuracy was 57.7% and 59.6%, respectively, for CT and MRI when the lymph node border information was used as the criteria, and was 57.7% and 61.5%, respectively, for enhanced CT and MRI when the lymph node enhancement pattern was used as the criteria. CONCLUSION: MRI is more accurate than CT in predicting nodal involvement in primary rectal carcinoma patients in the absence of tumor invasion into pelvic structures. DWIBS has a great diagnostic value in differentiating small malignant from benign lymph nodes.

Optical identity authentication scheme based on elliptic curve digital signature algorithm and phase retrieval algorithm.

An optical identity authentication scheme based on the elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA) and phase retrieval algorithm (PRA) is proposed. In this scheme, a user's certification image and the quick response code of the user identity's keyed-hash message authentication code (HMAC) with added noise, serving as the amplitude and phase restriction, respectively, are digitally encoded into two phase keys using a PRA in the Fresnel domain. During the authentication process, when the two phase keys are presented to the system and illuminated by a plane wave of correct wavelength, an output image is generated in the output plane. By identifying whether there is a match between the amplitude of the output image and all the certification images pre-stored in the database, the system can thus accomplish a first-level verification. After the confirmation of first-level verification, the ECDSA signature is decoded from the phase part of the output image and verified to allege whether the user's identity is legal or not. Moreover, the introduction of HMAC makes it almost impossible to forge the signature and hence the phase keys thanks to the HMAC's irreversible property. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations both validate the feasibility of our proposed scheme.