[Research progress and prospects of the application of radiographic imaging in the precise diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma].

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly heterogeneous kind of malignant tumor with a high recurrence rate and low five-year survival rate, which has become one of the major public health issues in China. Currently, HCC is the only solid tumor that can be solely diagnosed based on epidemiological history and typical imaging features without preoperative pathological confirmation. The paradigm for HCC imaging diagnosis has shifted in recent years from anatomy to function, from macroscopic to microscopic, and from diagnosis to prediction in the context of precision medicine, making it possible to study the microscopic processes such as HCC genes and their metabolic laws from the perspective of qualitative and quantitative imaging, thereby providing more accurate biological and imaging information for elucidating the occurrence, development, and clinical treatment decisions of HCC.This paper reviews the research progress of HCC imaging in recent years, demonstrating the rapid horizontal development and enormous potential of imaging in the vertical follow-up of HCC precision diagnosis and treatment. Simultaneously, it also puts forward the shortcomings of current HCC imaging research and looks forward to future development directions in order to be more accurately used in clinical decision support systems.

[Consistency evaluation of target heart rate determined by anaerobic threshold and by resting heart rate in patients with coronary artery disease after percutaneous coronary intervention].

Objective: To evaluate the consistency on the determination of target heart rate by simple calculation method based on resting heart rate and by anaerobic threshold method in cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) for patients with coronary artery disease after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: This study was a diagnostic test. Patients with coronary artery disease who underwent the first PCI in the Department of Cardiology of Peking University People's Hospital from October 2011 to April 2021 were enrolled. Patients were further divided into subgroups according to gender, age (<60 years group and ≥60 years group), with or without myocardial infarction history (myocardial infarction group and angina pectoris group) and whether ß blockers were applied. The general clinical data of patients, resting heart rate (RHR) and anaerobic threshold heart rate in CPET were collected through the electronic medical record system. The simple target rate (RHR plus 20 or 30 bpm) and the target rate calculated by anaerobic threshold (anaerobic threshold heart rate minus 10 bpm) were both calculated in each patient. Consistency test of target heart rate derived by above the two methods was shown by intra-class correlation (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots. Results: A total of 439 patients were included, age was (56.2±8.8) years, body mass index was (25.77±2.34) kg/m2, there were 382 males (87.0%). The target heart rate determined by anaerobic threshold method was (90.0±11.8)bpm, and the simple target heart rate determined by RHR plus 20 bpm was (91.0±8.4)bpm. There was no significant difference on the target heart rate derived from the two calculation methods (P=0.091). The simple target heart rate determined by RHR plus 30 bpm was (101.0±8.4)bpm, which was significant higher than that determined by anaerobic threshold method (P<0.001). In the following analysis, RHR plus 20 bpm was defined as the simple target heart rate. The ICC value of target heart rate determined by anaerobic threshold and resting rate plus 20 bpm was 0.529(95%CI 0.458-0.593, P<0.001). Bland-Altman plots analysis showed that the ratio of the simple target heart rate and the target heart rate determined by anaerobic threshold method was 1.03±0.11 and the 95% limits of agreement (LOA) were 0.812-1.245. In the subgroup of patients aged<60 years (n=247), the ICC value was 0.492, the ratio by Bland-Altman plots analysis was 1.02±0.11 and LOA was 0.814-1.234; in the subgroup of patients aged ≥60 years (n=192), the ICC value was 0.566, the ratio by Bland-Altman plots analysis was 1.03±0.11 and LOA was 0.810-1.260. In male subgroup(n=382), the ICC value was 0.540, the ratio by Bland-Altman plots analysis was 1.03±0.11 and LOA was 0.813-1.246; in female subgroup(n=57), the ICC value was 0.445, the ratio by Bland-Altman plots analysis was 1.03±0.11 and LOA was 0.810-1.240.In myocardial infarction subgroup (n=186), the ICC value was 0.568, the ratio by Bland-Altman plots analysis was 1.02±0.11 and LOA was 0.810-1.227; in angina pectoris subgroup (n=253), the ICC value was 0.495, the ratio by Bland-Altman plots analysis was 1.04±0.11 and LOA was 0.813-1.260. In the subgroup of patients with ß blockers (n=353), the ICC value was 0.520, the ratio by Bland-Altman plots analysis was 1.03±0.11 and LOA was 0.810-1.252; in the subgroup of patients without ß blockers (n=86), the ICC value was 0.570, the ratio by Bland-Altman plots analysis was 1.02±0.10 and LOA was 0.821-1.219. Conclusions: The simple target heart rate determined by RHR plus 20 bpm is consistent with the target heart rate determined by anaerobic threshold in patients with coronary artery disease after PCI. But the simple target heart rate determined by RHR plus 20 bpm can't replace the target heart rate determined by anaerobic threshold in this patient cohort.

[Influencing factors of exercise tolerance in patients with myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention revascularization in acute phase].

Objective: The aim of the study was to explore the influencing factors of exercise tolerance in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) revascularization in acute state. Methods: A total of 112 patients with first MI undergoing PCI revascularization in acute state and completing cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) were enrolled. Exercise capacity was evaluated by peak oxygen consumption percentage (VO(2 peak)%) in CPET. Patients were divided into normal exercise capacity (NEC) group (n=40) and abnormal (AEC) group (n=72) according to VO(2 peak)% value. Clinical manifestations, histories of hypertension and diabetes, medications, coronary arterial angiography and echocardiography findings of patients were compared. The onsets of diabetes and blood glucose levels during the period of CPET were evaluated in the MI patients with diabetes. The patients were followed up for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (admission due to chest pain, re-revascularization, re-infarction and all-cause death) within 24 months after PCI. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine influencing factors for exercise tolerance. Results: The ratio of diabetes, type C lesions in the AEC group were higher than those in the NEC group (diabetes: 37.5% vs. 17.5%; type C lesions: 69.4% vs. 42.5%, respectively, all P<0.05). The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients in the AEC group was lower than that in the NEC group [(60.6±10.0)% vs. (65.0±8.2)%, P=0.019]. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that history of diabetes and history of type C lesions were the independent risk factors for the declined exercise capacity in the MI patients after PCI revascularization (OR=3.14, 95%CI 1.167-8.362, P=0.023; OR=3.32, 95%CI 1.444-7.621, P<0.01). Among the MI patients with diabetes, the duration of diabetes in the AEC group was significantly longer than that in the NEC group[(7.7±3.6)years vs. (5.0±2.4)years] and the proportions of subjects reaching target levels of fasting plasma glucose (40.7% vs. 57.1%) and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c) (55.6% vs. 71.4%) in this group were significantly lower than those in the NEC group (all P<0.05). A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that reaching HbA1c target was an independent predictor of improved exercise tolerance in MI patients with diabetes who received PCI (OR=2.518, 95%CI 1.395-7.022, P=0.021). No significant differences were observed in incidence of admission due to chest pain, re-revascularization and re-infarction between the two groups within 24 months after PCI between the groups. Conclusions: Diabetes and type C lesions are independent risk factors of declined exercise capacity in patients with first myocardial infarction who received revascularization in acute state. Reaching target HbA1c is independent factor of improved exercise capacity in patients with myocardial infarction and diabetes.

Prediction of prostate cancer aggressiveness with a combination of radiomics and machine learning-based analysis of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI.

AIM: To investigate whether the combination of radiomics and automatic machine learning-based classification of original images from multiphase dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can predict prostate cancer (PCa) aggressiveness before biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty consecutive biopsy-confirmed PCa patients were included. Biopsy was performed within 4 weeks after the DCE-MRI examinations. According to the time-signal-intensity curve, lesion segmentation was performed on the first and on the strongest phase of the enhancement on the original DCE-MRI images, and 1,029 quantitative radiomics features were calculated automatically from each lesion, wherein there were three datasets available (Dataset-F, Dataset-S and Dataset-FS). The variance threshold method, select k-best method and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm were used to reduce the feature dimensions. Five machine learning approaches leveraging cross-validation were employed, and the clinical value of each model was evaluated by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Correlation analysis was performed between the features of the machine learning model that achieved the best classification performance and the Gleason score (GS) of the PCa lesion. RESULTS: Eight, four, and 16 features were selected as optimal subsets in Dataset-F, -S and -FS, respectively. Among all three datasets, logistic regression (LR)-based analysis with Dataset-FS had the highest predication efficacy (AUC=0.93). Ten features in Dataset-FS showed significantly positively correlation with GS. The model performance of Dataset-F was generally better than that in Dataset-S. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of radiomics and machine learning-analysis based analysis of the union of the first and strongest phases of original DCE-MRI images can predict PCa aggressiveness non-invasively, accurately, and automatically.

[Diagnostic value of D-dimer combined with Wells score for suspected pulmonary embolism].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of conventional and age-adjusted D-dimer cut-off value combined with 2-level Wells score for diagnosis of suspected pulmonary embolism. METHODS: In the study, 335 patients with suspected pulmonary embolism who visited Peking University People's Hospital were enrolled retrospectively, then 274 patients with age over fifty years were chosen. The 2-level Wells score was applied to evaluate the clinical probability of pulmonary embolism, the diagnostic value of traditional D-dimer cut-off value (500 µg/L) and age adjusted D-dimer cut-off value (age×10 µg/L above 50 years) combined with Wells score no greater than 4 were compared. Computed tomography pulmonary arteriography (CTPA) was considered as the gold standard for diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. RESULTS: (1) The area under a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) in analysis of the combination of Wells score no greater than 4 and traditional D-dimer cut-off value was 0.764 (95%CI: 0.703-0.818). On the other hand, the AUC in a ROC analysis of the combination of Wells Score no greater than 4 and age-adjusted D-dimer cut-off value was 0.814 (95%CI:0.756-0.863). These two results did not differ statistically (Z=0.05, P=0.121). (2) The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and Youden index of the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism of the combination of traditional D-dimer cut-off value and 2-level Wells Score were 100%, 48.9%, 28.8%, 100%, and 0.49, respectively. Meanwhile, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and Youden index of the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism of the combination of age-adjusted D-dimer cut-off value and 2-level Wells Score were 97.4%, 62.3%, 35.5%, 99.1%, and 0.60, respectively. Compared with using traditional D-dimer cut-off value, using age-adjusted D-dimer cut-off value could improve the diagnosis specificity (traditional D-dimer cut-off value group: 48.9%, age-adjusted D-dimer cut-off value group: 62.3%) of pulmonary embolism without reducing the sensitivity (traditional D-dimer cut-off value group: 100%, age-adjusted D-dimer cut-off value group: 99.1%). (3) Among the 222 patients with Wells Score no greater than 4, 90 patients were with D-dimer less than traditional cut-off value (500 µg/L), and 25 patients (account for 11.3% of all 222 patients) were with D-dimer between traditional cut-off value and age-adjusted cut-off value. CONCLUSION: The application of age-adjusted D-dimer cut-off value can improve the diagnostic specificity of pulmonary embolism in patients over 50 years, without reducing the sensitivity. It can be used for ruling out suspected pulmonary embolism safely.

Value of texture analysis based on enhanced MRI for predicting an early therapeutic response to transcatheter arterial chemoembolisation combined with high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM: To evaluate the potential value of texture analysis (TA) based on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for predicting an early response of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who were treated with transcatheter arterial chemoembolisation (TACE) combined with high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with HCC (n=89) who underwent contrast-enhanced MRI at 1.5 T 1 week before and 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after TACE/HIFU were included in this retrospective study. Early responses were evaluated by two radiologists according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Cancer of the Liver (RECICL). An independent Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney U-test were used to compare the TA parameters between the complete response (CR) group and the non-complete response (NCR) group. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the predictive value of the NCR lesions. RESULTS: Among the 89 patients, 58 showed CR and 31 showed NCR. Before TACE/HIFU, the CR group showed higher uniformity and energy but lower entropy than the NCR group (p<0.05). After TACE/HIFU, the CR group showed higher uniformity and energy but lower entropy and skewness than the NCR group (p<0.05). The logistic regression and ROC curve analyses showed that the entropy before TACE/HIFU and the skewness and entropy 1 week after TACE/HIFU were predictors of an early response. CONCLUSION: TA parameters based on contrast-enhanced MRI images 1 week before and after TACE/HIFU may act as imaging biomarkers to predict an early response of patients with HCC.

Changes of axial and radial diffusivities in cerebral white matter led by normal aging.

PURPOSE: Purpose of the study is to reveal the changes of directional diffusion in cerebral white matter (WM) by normal aging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-nine volunteers were recruited to examine the changes in the directional diffusion of cerebral white matter (WM) due to normal aging. RESULTS: No significant difference between the older and younger group (P>.05) was detected in the axial diffusivity (λ(ll)) of any of the regions of interest (ROI), while radial diffusivity (λ(perpendicular)) was significantly higher in the older group (P<.05) except for occipital lobe WM. CONCLUSION: λ(ll) and λ(perpendicular) may be used as in vivo markers that differentially and specifically reflect the WM changes of normal aging.

Proteomic identification of differentially expressed proteins in curcumin-treated MCF-7 cells.

Curcumin (CM), a well-known dietary pigment derived from Curcuma longa L., possess anticancer activities against a variety of tumors including human breast carcinoma. In combination with docetaxel, CM has been used in breast cancer management in the clinic. In order to explore the possible mechanism of anticancer activity of CM, in the present study, we aimed to identify proteins involved in the anticancer activity of CM in human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 using the two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE)-based proteomic analysis. MCF-7 cells were cultured at 37°C in an atmosphere of 5.0% CO(2). All the following experiments were repeated three times. Cell viability assay showed that after a 48-h incubation CM dose-dependently inhibited cell growth with an IC(50) value of 47.42 µM. Treatment of CM at 47.42 µM for 48 h induced apoptosis as determined by nuclear morphologic changes of Hoechst stained cells and flow cytometric analysis of Annexin V-FITC/PI stained cells. Proteomic analysis identified 12 differentially expressed proteins which contributed to multiple functional activities such as DNA transcription, mRNA splicing and translation, amino acid synthesis, protein synthesis, folding and degradation, lipid metabolism, glycolysis, and cell motility. Among them 7 proteins were up-regulated and 5 down-regulated. The up-regulated ones were verified by quantitative real-time PCR. The down-regulated proteins, TDP-43, SF2/ASF and eIF3i, as well as up-regulated ones, 3-PGDH, ERP29, and platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase IB subunit beta positively contribute to the anticancer activity of CM in MCF-7 cells. These molecules are implicated in the bioactivities of CM for the first time. The findings of this study would shed new insights for systematically understanding the mechanisms of CM in breast cancer intervention.

GaN nanowire functionalized with atomic layer deposition techniques for enhanced immobilization of biomolecules.

We report the use of atomic layer deposition (ALD) coating as a nanobiosensor functionalization strategy for enhanced surface immobilization that may enable higher detection sensitivity. Three kinds of ALD coating films, Al(2)O(3), TiO(2), and SiO(2), were grown on the gallium nitride nanowire (GaN NW) surfaces and characterized with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and vacuum Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results from HRTEM showed that the thicknesses of ALD-Al(2)O(3), ALD-TiO(2) and ALD-SiO(2) coatings were 4-5 nm, 5-6 nm, and 12-14 nm, respectively. Results from FTIR showed that the OH contents of these coatings were, respectively, ∼6.9, ∼7.4, and ∼9.3 times that of piranha-treated GaN NW. Furthermore, to compare protein attachments on the different surfaces, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-biotin was grafted on the OH-functionalized GaN NW surfaces through active Si-Cl functional groups. Streptavidin protein molecules were then attached to the biotin ends via specific binding. The immobilized streptavidin molecules were examined with scanning electron microscopy, HRTEM, and fluorescent imaging. Results from HRTEM and energy-dispersive X-ray revealed that the nitrogen concentrations on the three ALD coatings were significantly higher than that on the piranha-treated surface. Results from fluorescent imaging further showed that the protein attachments on the Al(2)O(3), TiO(2), and SiO(2) ALD coatings were, respectively, 6.4, 7.8, and 9.8 times that of piranha-treated surface. This study demonstrates that ALD coating can be used as a functionalization strategy for nanobiosensors because it is capable of creating functional groups with much higher density compared to widely used acid modifications, and among the three ALD coatings, ALD-SiO(2) yielded the most promising results in OH content and protein attachment.

Antioxidative activities and the total phenolic contents of tonic Chinese medicinal herbs.

Chinese medicated diet is an everyday practice in China. In this study, 16 commonly used soup making tonic Chinese medicinal herbs were selected for antioxidative capacities by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and the total phenolic contents of these herbal extracts were measured by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. It confirmed that drinking tonic soups could supplement total antioxidants intake. Amongst the tested herbal extracts, extracts of Canarium album Raeusch., Flos caryophylli and Fructus amomi were found to have the highest antioxidative activities in both DPPH and FRAP assays. Their antioxidative activities were comparable to ascorbic acid and butylated hydroxytoluene. Thus, these herbs are safe and inexpensive sources of natural antioxidants. A significant relationship between the antioxidative effects and total phenolic contents were found, indicating phenolic compounds are the major contributor of antioxidative capacities of these herbs. In addition, a strong correlation between DPPH assay and FRAP assay implied that antioxidants in these herbs were capable of scavenging free radicals and reducing oxidants.

[The research on the expression of rabbit defensin (NP-1) gene in transgenic tomato].

Rabbit defensin NP-1 is one kind of alpha-defensins. It is composed of 33 amino acids. It was firstly extracted from polymorphonnuclear neutrophile of rabbits. It displayed resistance to bacteria, fungi and virus, especially high resistance to bacteria. In our experiments NP-1 gene was constructed into a plant expression vector. Eight transgenic plants containing the rabbit defensin gene (NP-1) were obtained through agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The transgenic plants were analysized by PCR, Southern hybridization, Northern dot blot hybridization and in vitro microbicidical activity against E. coli and Fusarium oxysporum. The results showed that NP-1 gene was transformed into the tomato, and the transgene displayed physiological-level expression. The transgenic tomato also showed resistance to pathogen Fusarium oxysporum in vivo. Our experiments paved a way for pathogen resistance breeding of tomato.

Percutaneous transluminal excimer laser coronary angioplasty. Clinical report of six cases.

Six patients with 95% to 100% occluded atherosclerotic lesions underwent percutaneous transluminal excimer laser coronary angioplasty (PTELCA). Among them, 5 were male and 1 was female; their age ranged from 28 to 66 years. Four patients had LAD stenosis and 2 LCX lesions. Acute angiographic and clinical success was achieved in all patients but one, with a success rate of 83.3%. It was demonstrated that PTELCA is a safe and effective therapy for selected patients with coronary artery disease.