GRAVEN: a database of teaching method that applies gestures to represent the neurosurgical approach's blood vessels and nerves.

BACKGROUND: In this era of rapid technological development, medical schools have had to use modern technology to enhance traditional teaching. Online teaching was preferred by many medical schools. However due to the complexity of intracranial anatomy, it was challenging for the students to study this part online, and the students were likely to be tired of neurosurgery, which is disadvantageous to the development of neurosurgery. Therefore, we developed this database to help students learn better neuroanatomy. MAIN BODY: The data were sourced from Rhoton's Cranial Anatomy and Surgical Approaches and Neurosurgery Tricks of the Trade in this database. Then we designed many hand gesture figures connected with the atlas of anatomy. Our database was divided into three parts: intracranial arteries, intracranial veins, and neurosurgery approaches. Each section below contains an atlas of anatomy, and gestures represent vessels and nerves. Pictures of hand gestures and atlas of anatomy are available to view on GRAVEN ( www.graven.cn ) without restrictions for all teachers and students. We recruited 50 undergraduate students and randomly divided them into two groups: using traditional teaching methods or GRAVEN database combined with above traditional teaching methods. Results revealed a significant improvement in academic performance in using GRAVEN database combined with traditional teaching methods compared to the traditional teaching methods. CONCLUSION: This database was vital to help students learn about intracranial anatomy and neurosurgical approaches. Gesture teaching can effectively simulate the relationship between human organs and tissues through the flexibility of hands and fingers, improving anatomy interest and education.

Ammonia stripping by in situ biogas self-circulation to upgrade continuous thermophilic and mesophilic digestion of hydrothermal high-solid sludge.

High-solid anaerobic digestion of hydrothermal sewage sludge has been developed. In order to upgrade the process by focusing on ammonia inhibition, a simply-equipped stripping system without additional alkali or heat supply was introduced by in situ biogas self-circulation. As the determined limit of total ammonia nitrogen at 1500 mg/L and 1000 mg/L for the mesophilic (MAD) and thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD) respectively and stripping rate at 5 L/min, continuous MAD and TAD was conducted in parallel. The stripping system successfully polished up the ammonia inhibition, and methanogenic capability of the TAD was promoted to approximately 90.0 % of the potential. Intermittent stripping mode proved usable. More frequent stripping was inevitable for the TAD as compared to the MAD. Hydraulic retention time below 20 d resulted in failure of the stripping mode due to rapid ammonia generation. Overall, this technology was practical in upgrading high-solid sludge digestion by effective ammonia control.

Direct synthesis of a lithium carboxymethyl cellulose binder using wood dissolving pulp for high-performance LiFePO4 cathodes in lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Li) is a promising novel water-based binder for lithium-ion batteries. The direct synthesis of CMC-Li was innovatively developed using abundant wood dissolving pulp materials from hardwood (HW) and softwood (SW). The resulting CMC-Li-HW and CMC-Li-SW binders possessed a suitable degree of substitutions and excellent molecular weight distributions with an appropriate quantity of long- and short-chain celluloses, which facilitated the construction of a reinforced concrete-like bonding system. When used as cathode binders in LiFePO4 batteries, they uniformly coated and dispersed the electrode materials, formed a compact and stable conductive network with high mechanical strength and showed sufficient lithium replenishment. The prepared LiFePO4 batteries exhibited good mechanical stability, low charge transfer impedance, high initial discharge capacity (∼180 mAh/g), high initial Coulombic efficiency (99 %), excellent cycling performance (<3% loss over 200 cycles) and good rate capability, thereby outperforming CMC-Na and the widely used cathode binder polyvinylidene fluoride.

A quantum synthetic aperture radar image denoising algorithm based on grayscale morphology.

The quantum denoising technology efficiently removes noise from images; however, the existing algorithms are only effective for additive noise and cannot remove multiplicative noise, such as speckle noise in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. In this paper, based on the grayscale morphology method, a quantum SAR image denoising algorithm is proposed, which performs morphological operations on all pixels simultaneously to remove the noise in the SAR image. In addition, we design a feasible quantum adder to perform cyclic shift operations. Then, quantum circuits for dilation and erosion are designed, and the complete quantum circuit is then constructed. For a 2n×2n quantum SAR image with q grayscale levels, the complexity of our algorithm is O (n+q). Compared with classical algorithms, it achieves exponential improvement and also has polynomial-level improvements than existing quantum algorithms. Finally, the feasibility of our algorithm is validated on IBM Q.

Coupling nano and atomic electric field confinement for robust alkaline oxygen evolution.

The alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a promising avenue for producing clean fuels and storing intermittent energy. However, challenges such as excessive OH- consumption and strong adsorption of oxygen-containing intermediates hinder the development of alkaline OER. In this study, we propose a cooperative strategy by leveraging both nano-scale and atomically local electric fields for alkaline OER, demonstrated through the synthesis of Mn single atom doped CoP nanoneedles (Mn SA-CoP NNs). Finite element method simulations and density functional theory calculations predict that the nano-scale local electric field enriches OH- around the catalyst surface, while the atomically local electric field improves *O desorption. Experimental validation using in situ attenuated total reflection infrared and Raman spectroscopy confirms the effectiveness of the nano-scale and atomically electric fields. Mn SA-CoP NNs exhibit an ultra-low overpotential of 189 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and stable operation over 100 hours at ~100 mA cm-2 during alkaline OER. This innovative strategy provides new insights for enhancing catalyst performance in energy conversion reactions.

One-step creation of CMS lines using a BoCENH3-based haploid induction system in Brassica crop.

Heterosis utilization in a large proportion of crops depends on the use of cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) tools, requiring the development of homozygous fertile lines and CMS lines1. Although doubled haploid (DH) technology has been developed for several crops to rapidly generate fertile lines2,3, CMS lines are generally created by multiple rounds of backcrossing, which is time consuming and expensive4. Here we describe a method for generating both homozygous fertile and CMS lines through in vivo paternal haploid induction (HI). We generated in-frame deletion and restored frameshift mutants of BoCENH3 in Brassica oleracea using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. The mutants induced paternal haploids by outcrossing. We subsequently generated HI lines with CMS cytoplasm, which enabled the generation of homozygous CMS lines in one step. The BoCENH3-based HI system provides a new DH technology to accelerate breeding in Brassica and other crops.

The association between functional disability and depressive symptoms among older adults: Findings from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).

BACKGROUND: Previous research has shown that depressive symptoms in older adults was associated with functional disability, including basic activities of daily living (BADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). However, little is known about the impact of different patterns of functional disability and new-onset functional disability on subsequent depressive symptoms. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of various patterns of functional disability and new-onset functional disability on depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults aged 60 years and above. METHOD: The study included 3242 older adults from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), which was conducted from 2011 to 2018. Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the associations between patterns of functional disability and depressive symptoms. The associations were also examined in the population with new-onset functional disability. RESULT: During 15,321 person-years of follow-up, 946 depressive symptoms occurred. The hazard ratios (HRs) of depressive symptoms were 1.29 (95 % confidence intervals [CI]: 1.05-1.58) for IADLs disability, 1.22 (95 % CI: 0.75-1.55) for BADLs disability, and 1.78 (95 % CI: 1.41-2.22) for both IADLs and BADLs disabilities. In the analysis of new-onset functional disability, the HRs were 1.50 (95 % CI: 1.06-2.13) for onset IADLs disability, 1.28 (95 % CI: 0.85-1.91) for onset BADLs disability, and 1.69 (95 % CI: 1.03-2.76) for both onset BADLs and IADLs disabilities. LIMITATIONS: Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, which has limitations in diagnosing clinical depression. CONCLUSION: Functional disability increases the risk of depressive symptoms, particularly impaired IADLs function. Psychological care for older adults with functional disability should be strengthened.

Ultra-fast synthesis of hierarchical SAPO-11 molecular sieves with the assistance of hydroxyl radicals.

Considering the traditional time-consuming synthesis route and diffusion-limited micropore system of SAPO-11 (i.e., SAPO-11W), a hydroxyl radical assisted method has been developed to prepare hierarchical SAPO-11 within 5 min (i.e., SAPO-11M). Compared to previous reports, the unique contribution is to induce hydroxyl radicals by exposing carbon materials to microwave irradiation in an oxygen-containing atmosphere. Carbon materials play a dual role as mesopore filler and hydroxyl radical initiator. When employed to prepare deoxygenation catalysts for stearic acids, a higher selectivity for C15-C18 and isomers is observed due to the mild acidity of SAPO-11M. The Lewis-rich acidity of SAPO-11M exhibits an electron deficiency to interact with the hydroxyl oxygen atoms and promotes the hydrodeoxygenation of stearic acids with excellent atom economy. These results are important for opening up a new prospect of synthesizing SAPO molecular sieves (e.g., SAPO-11 and SAPO-5) by an efficient and facile route.

Chronic low salinity stress rescued masculinization effect in farmed Cynoglossus semilaevis population.

Salinity, being an indispensable abiotic factor crucial for the survival of marine organisms, has demonstrated diverse alterations globally in response to the current trend of global warming. In this study, the effect of chronic low salinity stress on teleosts' sex differentiation was investigated using Cynoglossus semilaevis, an economically important fish with both genetic and environmental sex determination system. The cultivation experiment was conducted employing artificially simulated seawater of 20 ppt and ambient sea water of 30 ppt to rear juveniles C. semilaevis. Throughout the experiment, the growth performance was assessed and the histology of gonadal development was examined, a significantly lower masculinization rate was observed in LS group. To gain further insights, transcriptome analysis was conducted using raw reads obtained from 53 libraries derived from gonads of 55 days post fertilization (dpf) and 100 dpf juveniles in both LS and CT groups. GO/KEGG enrichment were further proceeded, Terms and pathways involved in reproduction ability, germ cell proliferation, immune function, steroid metabolism etc., were illuminated and a possible crosstalk between HPI and HPG axis was proposed. WGCNA was conducted and two hub genes, hspb8-like and Histone H2A.V were exhibited to be of great significance in the changes of masculinization rate. Our findings provided solid reference for sex differentiation study of GSD + ESD species in a constantly changing ocean environment, as well as practice guiding significance for the environmental management for the culture of C. semilaevis.

Dendritic cell therapy for neurospoagioma: Immunomodulation mediated by tumor vaccine.

Neurospagioma, arising from different glial cells such as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and ependymal cells, stands as the prevalent intracranial tumor within the central nervous system. Among its variants, glioblastoma (GBM) represents the most aggressive form, characterized by a notably high occurrence rate and a discouragingly low survival prognosis. The formidable challenge posed by glioblastoma underscores its critical importance as a life-threatening ailment. Currently, clinical approaches often involve surgical excision along with a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, these treatments frequently result in a notable recurrence rate, accompanied by substantial adverse effects that significantly compromise the overall prognosis. Hence, there is a crucial need to investigate novel and dependable treatment strategies. Dendritic cells (DCs), being specialized antigen-presenting cells (APCs), hold a significant position in both innate and adaptive immune responses. Presently, DC vaccines have gained widespread application in the treatment of various tumors, including neurospoagioma. In this review, we summarize the immunomodulatory effects and related mechanisms of DC vaccines in neurospoagioma as well as the progress of clinical trials to propose possible challenges of DC vaccines and new development directions.

Hierarchical Spatial Confinement Unlocking the Storage Limit of MoS2 for Flexible High-Energy Supercapacitors.

Molybdenum sulfide (MoS2) is a promising electrode material for supercapacitors; however, its limited Mo/S edge sites and intrinsic inert basal plane give rise to sluggish active electronic states, thus constraining its electrochemical performance. Here we propose a hierarchical confinement strategy to develop ethylene molecule (EG)-intercalated Co-doped sulfur-deficient MoS2 (Co-EG/SV-MoS2) for efficient and durable K-ion storage. Theoretical analyses suggest that the intercalation-confined EG and lattice-confined Co can enhance the interfacial K-ion storage capacity while reducing the K-ion diffusion barrier. Experimentally, the intercalated EG molecules with mildly reducing properties induced the creation of sulfur vacancies, expanded the interlayer spacing, regulated the 2H-1T phase transition, and strengthened the structural grafting between layers, thereby facilitating ion diffusion and ensuring structural durability. Moreover, the Co dopants occupying the initial Mo sites initiated charge transfer, thus activating the basal plane. Consequently, the optimized Co-EG/SV-MoS2 electrode exhibited a substantially improved electrochemical performance. Flexible supercapacitors assembled with Co-EG/SV-MoS2 delivered a notable areal energy density of 0.51 mW h cm-2 at 0.84 mW cm-2 with good flexibility. Furthermore, supercapacitor devices were integrated with a strain sensor to create a self-powered system capable of real-time detection of human joint motion.

A novel loss function to reproduce texture features for deep learning-based MRI-to-CT synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Studies on computed tomography (CT) synthesis based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have mainly focused on pixel-wise consistency, but the texture features of regions of interest (ROIs) have not received appropriate attention. PURPOSE: This study aimed to propose a novel loss function to reproduce texture features of ROIs and pixel-wise consistency for deep learning-based MRI-to-CT synthesis. The method was expected to assist the multi-modality studies for radiomics. METHODS: The study retrospectively enrolled 127 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. CT and MRI images were collected for each patient, and then rigidly registered as pre-procession. We proposed a gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM)-based loss function to improve the reproducibility of texture features. This novel loss function could be embedded into the present deep learning-based framework for image synthesis. In this study, a typical image synthesis model was selected as the baseline, which contained a Unet trained mean square error (MSE) loss function. We embedded the proposed loss function and designed experiments to supervise different ROIs to prove its effectiveness. The concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) of the GLCM feature was employed to evaluate the reproducibility of GLCM features, which are typical texture features. Besides, we used a publicly available dataset of brain tumors to verify our loss function. RESULTS: Compared with the baseline, the proposed method improved the pixel-wise image quality metrics (MAE: 107.5 to 106.8 HU; SSIM: 0.9728 to 0.9730). CCC values of the GLCM features in GTVnx were significantly improved from 0.78 ± 0.12 to 0.82 ± 0.11 (p < 0.05 for paired t-test). Generally, > 90% (22/24) of the GLCM-based features were improved compared with the baseline, where the Informational Measure of Correlation feature was improved the most (CCC: 0.74 to 0.83). For the public dataset, the loss function also shows its effectiveness. With our proposed loss function added, the ability to reproduce texture features was improved in the ROIs. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method reproduced texture features for MRI-to-CT synthesis, which would benefit radiomics studies based on image multi-modality synthesis.

Pretreatment information-aided automatic segmentation for online magnetic resonance imaging-guided prostate radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: It is necessary to contour regions of interest (ROIs) for online magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided adaptive radiotherapy (MRIgART). These updated contours are used for online replanning to obtain maximum dosimetric benefits. Contouring can be accomplished using deformable image registration (DIR) and deep learning (DL)-based autosegmentation methods. However, these methods may require considerable manual editing and thus prolong treatment time. PURPOSE: The present study aimed to improve autosegmentation performance by integrating patients' pretreatment information in a DL-based segmentation algorithm. It is expected to improve the efficiency of current MRIgART process. METHODS: Forty patients with prostate cancer were enrolled retrospectively. The online adaptive MR images, patient-specific planning computed tomography (CT), and contours in CT were used for segmentation. The deformable registration of planning CT and MR images was performed first to obtain a deformable CT and corresponding contours. A novel DL network, which can integrate such patient-specific information (deformable CT and corresponding contours) into the segmentation task of MR images was designed. We performed a four-fold cross-validation for the DL models. The proposed method was compared with DIR and DL methods on segmentation of prostate cancer. The ROIs included the clinical target volume (CTV), bladder, rectum, left femur head, and right femur head. Dosimetric parameters of automatically generated ROIs were evaluated using a clinical treatment planning system. RESULTS: The proposed method enhanced the segmentation accuracy of conventional procedures. Its mean value of the dice similarity coefficient (93.5%) over the five ROIs was higher than both DIR (87.5%) and DL (87.2%). The number of patients (n = 40) that required major editing using DIR, DL, and our method were 12, 18, and 7 (CTV); 17, 4, and 1 (bladder); 8, 11, and 5 (rectum); 2, 4, and 1 (left femur head); and 3, 7, and 1 (right femur head), respectively. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient of dosimetry parameters between the proposed method and ground truth was 0.972 ± 0.040, higher than that of DIR (0.897 ± 0.098) and DL (0.871 ± 0.134). CONCLUSION: This study proposed a novel method that integrates patient-specific pretreatment information into DL-based segmentation algorithm. It outperformed baseline methods, thereby improving the efficiency and segmentation accuracy in adaptive radiotherapy.

Round Window Niche Veil is Visible on High-Resolution Computed Tomography and a Predictor of Local Drug Efficacy to Inner Ear.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the morphologies and effect of the round window niche veil (RWNV) on local drug delivery efficacy and develop diagnostic criteria on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). METHODS: Patients diagnosed with otosclerosis, bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss or vestibular schwannoma were enrolled from 2019 to 2022, receiving temporal bone HRCT scanning, and anatomic variations of RWMV were summarized intraoperative. For patients with vestibular schwannoma, 1 mL of dexamethasone solution (4 mg/mL) was administered via facial recess during operation, and samples of perilymph were collected to analyze. The diagnostic criteria of RWNV on HRCT were developed and verified. RESULTS: A total of 85 patients were enrolled. RWNV was observed in 54 cases intraoperatively with an incidence of 63.5% (95% CI, 52.9%-73.0%). The median perilymph concentrations were 4.86-fold higher in the group without RWNV than with RWNV (p < 0.0001). RWNV could be visualized on HRCT with a window width of 3500-4500 HU and a window level of 300-500 HU. The characteristic features were as follows: (1) a thin soft tissue shadow could be seen at the entrance of the round window niche (RWN); (2) it was visible in at least 2 consecutive layers along the upper margin of RWN from top to bottom; (3) it was discontinuous with the adjacent bone margin. The sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic criteria were 77.8% and 93.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: RWNV could reduce local dexamethasone diffusion efficacy to the inner ear, which could be diagnosed on HRCT and used as a predictor of local drug delivery efficacy to the inner ear. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 134:1396-1402, 2024.

Histone lactylation-derived LINC01127 promotes the self-renewal of glioblastoma stem cells via the cis-regulating the MAP4K4 to activate JNK pathway.

Gliomas are the most prevalent and aggressive brain tumors, exhibiting high proliferation, abnormal glycolysis, and poor prognosis. LncRNAs act as regulatory molecules and play crucial roles in the malignant behaviors of GBM cells, including cell self-renewal. However, the regulatory mechanisms involved are largely unknown. In this study, we performed bioinformatics analysis to explore NF-κB pathway-related lncRNAs. ECAR and qRT-PCR were used to measure the relationship between glycolytic activity and lncRNA expression. Assays such as RIP-PCR and ChIP-PCR were employed to reveal the regulatory mechanisms of the lncRNA. Neurosphere formation and limiting dilution assays were performed to evaluate the self-renewal capacity of GBM cells. In our study, we identified an NF-κB pathway-related lncRNA named LINC01127 in GBM, which was found to be associated with poor progression of GBM. Functionally, the NF-κB pathway promoted warburg effect, which, in turn, induced the lactylation of H3 histone and increased the expression of LINC01127. Consequently, this enhancement of LINC01127 expression led to the promotion of self-renewal in GBM cells. Furthermore, LINC01127 regulated MAP4K4 expression in cis by directly guiding POLR2A to the MAP4K4 promoter regions, thereby leading to JNK pathway activation, and ultimately modulating the self-renewal of GBM cells. Moreover, the activated JNK pathway promoted the phosphorylation of IκBα. Overall, targeting LINC01127-mediated axis impeded orthotopic tumor growth in GBM xenografts. Taken together these results revealed that warburg effect-induced histone lactylation drives NF-κB-related LINC01127 expression, thereby promoting the self-renewal of GBM cells through the MAP4K4/JNK/NF-κB axis, and providing substantial evidence that LINC01127 might provide a novel therapeutic strategy for GBM patients.

Celastrol suppresses human pancreatic cancer via m6A-YTHDF3-mediated downregulation of Claspin and Bcl-2.

BACKGROUND: Celastrol has been revealed to exhibit anticancer pharmacological activity, however, the molecular mechanisms of celastrol involved in pancreatic cancer remain to be further elucidated. The present study was to illustrate whether celastrol suppresses pancreatic cancer through modulating RNA m6A modification. METHODS: Effect of celastrol treatment on the malignant phenotypes of pancreatic cancer cells was evaluated by CCK-8 assay, EdU assay, colony formation assay, flow cytometry analysis and subcutaneous xenograft experiments. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis was carried out to analyze the genes differentially expressed in celastrol-treated pancreatic cancer cells. RT-qPCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were employed to evaluate the expression of the indicated genes. RNA dot blot and quantification of total RNA m6A modification assays, MeRIP-qPCR assay, RIP-qPCR assay, RNA stability and protein stability assays were applied to evaluate the regulatory mechanism of celastrol treatment in pancreatic cancer cells. RESULTS: We demonstrated that celastrol suppressed cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro, and decreased tumor growth in vivo. Specifically, Bcl-2, Claspin, METTL3 and YTHDF3 were identified as the potential targets of celastrol treatment in pancreatic cancer cells. Moreover, our results indicated that celastrol treatment downregulated METTL3 and decreased m6A levels of Claspin and Bcl-2 mRNA, leading to the degradation of Claspin and Bcl-2 mRNA in pancreatic cancer cells. Furthermore, we revealed that celastrol treatment downregulated Claspin and Bcl-2, at least in part, in an m6A-YTHDF3-mediated manner in pancreatic cancer cells. CONCLUSION: Our study highlighted a novel mechanism underlying celastrol-induced cellular proliferation inhibition and apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells via m6A-YTHDF3-mediated downregulation of Claspin and Bcl-2.

Performance of DNA methylation analysis in the detection of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or worse (CIN3+): a cross-sectional study.

It is commonly accepted that host genes show high methylation in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 3 (CIN3) or worse (CIN3+). However, study quality varies, as does the clinical performance of markers in different populations. We aimed to validate candidate gene DNA methylation with standardized testing methods in the same batch of samples. We first compared the performance of 16 DNA methylation markers for detecting CIN3+ in the 82-sample training set, including 24 subjects with ≤ CIN1, 10 subjects with CIN2, 23 subjects with CIN3, and 25 subjects with cervical cancer (CC). Then five methylation markers were selected and subsequently validated among an independent set of 74 subjects, including 47 subjects with ≤ CIN1, 13 subjects with CIN2, 6 subjects with CIN3, and 8 subjects with CC. The results in the validation set revealed that methylation analysis of the SOX1 (SOX1m) showed a superior level of clinical performance (AUC = 0.879; sensitivity = 85.7%; specificity = 90.0%). SOX1m had better accuracy than cytology, with a reduced referral rate (23.0% vs. 31.4%) and a lower number of overtreatment (5 vs. 13) cases among high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV)-positive women. Importantly, among hrHPV-positive and SOX1m-negative women, only 1 CIN3 patient was at risk for follow-up after 1 year, whereas 1 CIN3 patient and 1 CC patient were at risk among hrHPV-positive and cytology-negative women. In this investigation, we screened 16 reported methylation markers to provide a basis for future studies related to potential precancerous lesion/cancer methylation markers in the Chinese population. The study also revealed that SOX1m has optimal CIN3+ detection performance, suggesting that it may be a promising biomarker for detecting CIN3+ in the Chinese population.

Comprehensive evaluation of similarity between synthetic and real CT images for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-to-computed tomography (CT) synthesis studies based on deep learning have significantly progressed, the similarity between synthetic CT (sCT) and real CT (rCT) has only been evaluated in image quality metrics (IQMs). To evaluate the similarity between synthetic CT (sCT) and real CT (rCT) comprehensively, we comprehensively evaluated IQMs and radiomic features for the first time. METHODS: This study enrolled 127 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who underwent CT and MRI scans. Supervised-learning (Unet) and unsupervised-learning (CycleGAN) methods were applied to build MRI-to-CT synthesis models. The regions of interest (ROIs) included nasopharynx gross tumor volume (GTVnx), brainstem, parotid glands, and temporal lobes. The peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and structural similarity (SSIM) were used to evaluate image quality. Additionally, 837 radiomic features were extracted for each ROI, and the correlation was evaluated using the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC). RESULTS: The MAE, RMSE, SSIM, and PSNR of the body were 91.99, 187.12, 0.97, and 51.15 for Unet and 108.30, 211.63, 0.96, and 49.84 for CycleGAN. For the metrics, Unet was superior to CycleGAN (P < 0.05). For the radiomic features, the percentage of four levels (i.e., excellent, good, moderate, and poor, respectively) were as follows: GTVnx, 8.5%, 14.6%, 26.5%, and 50.4% for Unet and 12.3%, 25%, 38.4%, and 24.4% for CycleGAN; other ROIs, 5.44% ± 3.27%, 5.56% ± 2.92%, 21.38% ± 6.91%, and 67.58% ± 8.96% for Unet and 5.16% ± 1.69%, 3.5% ± 1.52%, 12.68% ± 7.51%, and 78.62% ± 8.57% for CycleGAN. CONCLUSIONS: Unet-sCT was superior to CycleGAN-sCT for the IQMs. However, neither exhibited absolute superiority in radiomic features, and both were far less similar to rCT. Therefore, further work is required to improve the radiomic similarity for MRI-to-CT synthesis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was a retrospective study, so it was free from registration.

LINC01806 Promotes Breast Cancer Growth and Metastasis via Sponging miR-1286 to Disinhibit ZEB1 Expression.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most abundant and aggressive cancer that impacts millions of women with poorly understood mechanisms. Here, we aimed to investigate the function of LINC01806 in BC development. Human BC tissues and nearby normal specimens were taken from diagnosed BC patients. The expression levels of LINC01806, miR-1286, ZEB1, and EMT-related markers were evaluated by qRT-PCR and western blotting. FISH was used to visualize the subcellular localization of LINC01806. The viability, proliferation, migration and invasion capacities of BC cells were assessed by MTT, colony formation, and transwell assays. Interactions among LINC01806, miR-1286 and ZEB1 were validated by dual luciferase assay. The unpaired Student t-test (for two groups) or one-way ANOVA following with Tukey post-hoc test (for more than three groups) was employed for statistical analysis. LINC01806 level was elevated in BC tissues. Knockdown of LINC01806 suppressed EMT process and BC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. LINC01806 co-localized and directly bound with miR-1286 in the cytoplasm. MiR-1286 inhibitor blocked the effects of LINC01806 knockdown on BC cell EMT, proliferation and migration. MiR-1286 targeted ZEB1 and overexpression of ZEB1 blocked the regulatory functions of miR-1286 mimics in BC. LINC01806 facilitates EMT and accelerates BC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via acting as miR-1286 sponge to disinhibit ZEB1 expression.