DFA-UNet: dual-stream feature-fusion attention U-Net for lymph node segmentation in lung cancer diagnosis.

In bronchial ultrasound elastography, accurately segmenting mediastinal lymph nodes is of great significance for diagnosing whether lung cancer has metastasized. However, due to the ill-defined margin of ultrasound images and the complexity of lymph node structure, accurate segmentation of fine contours is still challenging. Therefore, we propose a dual-stream feature-fusion attention U-Net (DFA-UNet). Firstly, a dual-stream encoder (DSE) is designed by combining ConvNext with a lightweight vision transformer (ViT) to extract the local information and global information of images; Secondly, we propose a hybrid attention module (HAM) at the bottleneck, which incorporates spatial and channel attention to optimize the features transmission process by optimizing high-dimensional features at the bottom of the network. Finally, the feature-enhanced residual decoder (FRD) is developed to improve the fusion of features obtained from the encoder and decoder, ensuring a more comprehensive integration. Extensive experiments on the ultrasound elasticity image dataset show the superiority of our DFA-UNet over 9 state-of-the-art image segmentation models. Additionally, visual analysis, ablation studies, and generalization assessments highlight the significant enhancement effects of DFA-UNet. Comprehensive experiments confirm the excellent segmentation effectiveness of the DFA-UNet combined attention mechanism for ultrasound images, underscoring its important significance for future research on medical images.

Resveratrol alleviates amyloid ß-induced neuronal apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress by circ_0050263/miR-361-3p/PDE4A axis during Alzheimer's disease.

Resveratrol (Res) has been identified to reduce neurodegeneration. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are stable noncoding RNAs that are considered to be ideal biomarkers for molecular targeting treatment. Here, this study focused on investigating the function and relationship of circ_0050263 and Res in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH was exposed to amyloid-ß (Aß) to induce AD cell model in vitro. Cell viability, apoptosis, and inflammatory reaction were evaluated by CCK-8 assay, flow cytometery, and ELISA analysis. The oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) were determined by detecting related markers. Levels of genes and proteins were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was adopted to verify the binding between miR-361-3p and circ_0050263 or PDE4A (Phosphodiesterase 4A). Subsequently, we found that Res treatment alleviated Aß-induced apoptosis, inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and ERS in SK-N-SH cells. Circ_0050263 is a stable circRNA, which was increased by Aß, but decreased by Res in SK-N-SH cells. Circ_0050263 overexpression reversed Res-induced neuroprotective effects. Mechanistically, circ_0050263 acted as a sponge for miR-361-3p, which targeted PDE4A. Circ_0050263 silencing abated Aß-induced neuronal injury, which were counteracted by following PDE4A overexpression. Moreover, PDE4A upregulation could attenuate Res-mediated neuroprotective effects. In all, Res alleviated Aß-induced neuronal apoptosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and ERS via circ_0050263/miR-361-3p/PDE4A axis, providing new insights for AD therapy.

Microwave ablation of multifocal primary liver cancer guided by real-time 3.0T MRI.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and efficacy of real-time 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) in the treatment of multifocal liver cancer. METHODS: A total of 76 lesions in 26 patients with multifocal liver cancer who underwent 3.0 T MRI-guided microwave ablation in our hospital from April 2020 to April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The technical success rate, average operation time, average ablation time, and complications were evaluated. The upper abdomen was reviewed by pre- and post-contrast enhanced MRI scan every 1 months after the operation. The short-term curative effect was evaluated according to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) criteria (2020 version), and the local control rate was calculated. RESULTS: All 76 lesions were successfully operated. The technical success rate was 100%, the average operation time was 103.58 ± 18.57 min, the average ablation time of a single lesion was 11.00 ± 4.05 min, and the average ablation power was 43.03 ± 4.45 W. There were no serious complications such as massive bleeding, liver failure, and infection after the operation, except in one case with a small amount of pleural effusion and one case with right upper abdominal pain. The average follow-up time was 13.88 ± 6.62 months. One patient died due to liver failure, and one lesion developed a local recurrence. The local control rate was 98.7%. CONCLUSIONS: MWA of multifocal liver cancer guided by real-time 3.0 T MRI is a safe and feasible technique and has excellent short-term efficacy.

Vitamin E reduces inflammation and improves cognitive disorder and vascular endothelial functions in patients with leukoaraiosis.

BACKGROUND: Leukoaraiosis (LA) is a disease manifested by demyelination and gliosis in white matter, mainly caused by cerebrovascular diseases. LA is closely related to the expression level of inflammatory factors, oxidative stress, and vascular endothelial dysfunction in patients. Vitamin E may play antioxidant and anti-inflammatory roles in various diseases. We aimed to explore the effects of vitamin E on the patients with LA. METHODS: A total of 160 patients with LA were recruited in this research. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), MMP-2, C-reactive protein (CRP), complement 3 (C3), C4, nitric oxide (NO), and endothelin (ET) levels were evaluated by ELISA. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used for cognitive impairment assessment. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations were analyzed by commercial kits. RESULTS: The levels of CRP, C3, and C4 significantly decreased in the serum of LA patients after the administration of vitamin E. The levels of MMP-2 and MPP-9 showed a significant decrease in the administered group. Vitamin E significantly inhibited the expression of MDA, while significantly upregulated the expression of SOD. Significant increase in NO production and significant downregulation of ET expression occurred in vitamin E groups. MMSE score was significantly increased by vitamin E. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, vitamin E showed effects on the alleviation of inflammatory response, oxidative stress, endothelial damage, and cognitive dysfunction. Thus, vitamin E could be a potential drug for the clinical treatment of LA patients.

Repeated High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Modulated Temporal Variability of Brain Regions in Core Neurocognitive Networks Over the Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients.

BACKGROUND: Early intervention of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) may be the most promising way for delaying or even preventing the progression to Alzheimer's disease. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that has been recognized as a promising approach for the treatment of aMCI. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we aimed to investigate the modulating mechanism of tDCS on the core neurocognitive networks of brain. METHODS: We used repeated anodal high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and assessed the effect on cognition and dynamic functional brain network in aMCI patients. We used a novel method called temporal variability to depict the characteristics of the dynamic brain functional networks. RESULTS: We found that true anodal stimulation significantly improved cognitive performance as measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment after simulation. Meanwhile, the Mini-Mental State Examination scores showed a clear upward trend. More importantly, we found significantly altered temporal variability of dynamic functional connectivity of regions belonging to the default mode network, central executive network, and the salience network after true anodal stimulation, indicating anodal HD-tDCS may enhance brain function by modulating the temporal variability of the brain regions. CONCLUSION: These results imply that ten days of anodal repeated HD-tDCS over the LDLPFC exerts beneficial effects on the temporal variability of the functional architecture of the brain, which may be a potential neural mechanism by which HD-tDCS enhances brain functions. Repeated HD-tDCS may have clinical uses for the intervention of brain function decline in aMCI patients.

Cognitive training program improves cognitive ability and daily living ability in elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a clinical syndrome of mild memory or other cognitive impairment without dementia and is a clinical transition state between normal aging and dementia. Careful and meticulous nursing intervention can improve the clinical symptoms of MCI and delay the progression of the disease. AIMS: This research aimed to evaluate the efficacy of cognitive function training interventions in elderly patients with MCI. METHODS: 106 patients were randomized into the intervention group or the control group. They received conventional nursing intervention and those in the intervention group received additional cognitive training program for 6 weeks. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), activities of daily living (ADL) scales, and Barthel index (BI) were evaluated before and 6 weeks after the intervention, as well as the serum levels of S100ß and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) at two time points. RESULTS: After intervention, the MMSE scores and MoCA scores in both groups were significantly increased and the score in the intervention group was significantly higher. In the intervention group, the performance of conventional nursing intervention and cognitive training program significantly increased the scores of ADL and BI (p < 0.001). The serum levels of NSE and S100ß in the intervention group were significantly lower. DISCUSSION: The performance of cognitive training program alleviated the brain tissue damage in elderly patients with MCI. CONCLUSIONS: The performance of cognitive training program in elderly patients with MCI improved their cognitive ability and daily living ability.

Clinical applications of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosis of renal lesions - a systematic review.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) is an established technique to detect the changes of the diffusion of water in biological tissues and reflect the pathophysiological process on the molecular level. It is a promising non-invasive imaging modality in detection of microstructural and functional changes in pathologies of kidney. To systematically review the research advancement of the DW-MRI in diagnosis of renal lesions, a systematic literature search was performed up to 8 October 2014 using the MEDLINE/PubMed and Embase databases for articles reporting on DW-MRI in diagnosis of renal lesions. Only articles with full data about DW-MRI application with potential implication in solving usually encountered clinical challenges about renal lesions were finally examined. The clinical application of DW-MRI allows a better understanding of some pathologic conditions of the kidney including renal insufficiency, renal artery stenosis, ureteral obstruction, foetal kidney disease, hydronephrosis and pyonephrosis. In addition, DW-MRI can also provide clinicians with the information of function evaluation of renal allograft and curative effect assessment of renal tumour. In summary, performance of renal DW-MRI, presuming that measurements are high quality, will further boost this modality, particularly for early detection of diffusion renal conditions, as well as more accurate characterization of renal lesions.

Solitary fibrous tumor of the salivary gland: A case report.

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are rare soft-tissue tumors of mesenchymal origin. Occasionally, these lesions have been indicated to associate with the salivary glands. Through the analysis of magnetic resonance imaging sequences, the present study reports a case of a solitary salivary gland lesion, demonstrating a well-circumscribed, soft-tissue tumor with marked signal changes and homogenous enhancement. SFT should be considered as a differential diagnosis when a solid mass exhibiting hypointensity on T1-weighted images and hyperintensity on T2-weighted images has been detected in the salivary gland. Due to the potentially malignant nature of SFTs, it is necessary for radiologists to improve their understanding of such lesions.

NIR photoresponsive drug delivery and synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy by monodispersed-MoS2-nanosheets wrapped periodic mesoporous organosilicas.

Two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 nanosheets have attracted increasing attention in recent years owing to their various fascinating properties, particularly excellent near-infrared (NIR) photothermal feature. In this study, we synthesized a novel NIR-light-triggered drug-delivery system by wrapping MoS2 nanosheets around doxorubicin (Dox)-loaded periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) and then decorating with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to form a PMO-Dox@MoS2-PEG nanoplatform for the first time. The obtained PMO-Dox@MoS2-PEG nanoplatforms had a uniform diameter (326 nm), high Dox loading capacity (160 µg mg-1 PMOs), excellent photothermal transformation ability, and good dispersibility in physiological conditions. Note that the Dox was almost completely blocked in the PMO-Dox@MoS2-PEG nanoplatforms, and the photothermal effect of the MoS2 nanosheets could efficiently trigger the release of Dox under an 808 nm laser irradiation. Simultaneously, the PMO-Dox@MoS2-PEG nanoplatforms realized a combined chemotherapy and photothermal therapy for liver cancer cells and breast cancer cells upon NIR laser irradiation. Compared with the single photothermal therapy or chemotherapy, the combined treatment had an improved synergistic therapeutic efficacy. We believe the NIR-light-triggered drug-delivery system with synergistic chemo-photothermal therapeutic property provides a promising strategy for cancer treatment.