Unequivocal Identification of Spin-Triplet and Spin-Singlet Superconductors with Upper Critical Field and Flux Quantization.

Spin-triplet superconductors play central roles in Majorana physics and quantum computing but are difficult to identify. We show the methods of kink-point upper critical field and flux quantization in superconducting rings can unequivocally identify spin-singlet, spin-triplet in centrosymmetric superconductors, and singlet-triplet admixture in noncentrosymmetric superconductors, as realized in γ-BiPd, ß-Bi_{2}Pd, and α-BiPd, respectively. Our findings are essential for identifying triplet superconductors and exploring their quantum properties.

Associations between paternal versus maternal parenting behaviors and child and adolescent internalizing problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

There is a large evidence base supporting an important role of parenting behavior in influencing youth mental health; however, this literature often fails to capture the potentially unique and interactive role of mothers and fathers. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the role of maternal and paternal parenting behaviors in relation to child and adolescent internalizing problems. Following PRISMA (2020) guidelines, 88 studies were identified. Of these, 47 studies and upward of 65 parent-behavior and child-outcome combinations were examined. Findings indicated a unique role of maternal overprotection in the prediction of child anxiety symptoms. For other parenting behaviors, largely similar associations were found for maternal and paternal parenting behaviors with child and adolescent anxiety, depressive symptoms and broader internalizing problems. There was preliminary support for the interaction of maternal and paternal parenting being important in predicting youth symptoms. Although findings did not strongly substantiate differences in the effects of maternal and paternal parenting practices, with only one significant difference identified, further research would benefit from stronger representation of fathers, to enable a more rigorous and comprehensive understanding of each parent's role, and their interactive influence on internalizing outcomes of their children.

New insights on commemoration of the dead through mortuary and architectural use of pigments at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Turkey.

The cultural use of pigments in human societies is associated with ritual activities and the creation of social memory. Neolithic Çatalhöyük (Turkey, 7100-5950 cal BC) provides a unique case study for the exploration of links between pigments in burials, demographic data and colourants in contemporary architectural contexts. This study presents the first combined analysis of funerary and architectural evidence of pigment use in Neolithic Anatolia and discusses the possible social processes underlying the observed statistical patterns. Results reveal that pigments were either applied directly to the deceased or included in the grave as a burial association. The most commonly used pigment was red ochre. Cinnabar was mainly applied to males and blue/green pigment was associated with females. A correlation was found between the number of buried individuals and the number of painted layers in the buildings. Mortuary practices seem to have followed specific selection processes independent of sex and age-at-death of the deceased. This study offers new insights about the social factors involved in pigment use in this community, and contributes to the interpretation of funerary practices in Neolithic Anatolia. Specifically, it suggests that visual expression, ritual performance and symbolic associations were elements of shared long-term socio-cultural practices.

Direct Correlation Function of a Crystalline Solid.

Direct correlation functions (DCFs), linked to the second functional derivative of the free energy with respect to the one-particle density, play a fundamental role in a statistical mechanics description of matter. This holds, in particular, for the ordered phases: DCFs contain information about the local structure including defects and encode the thermodynamic properties of crystalline solids; they open a route to the elastic constants beyond low temperature expansions. Via a demanding numerical approach, we have explicitly calculated for the first time the DCF of a solid: based on the fundamental measure concept, we provide results for the DCF of a hard sphere crystal. We demonstrate that this function differs at coexistence significantly from its liquid counterpart-both in shape as well as in its order of magnitude-because it is dominated by vacancies. We provide evidence that the traditional use of liquid DCFs in functional Taylor expansions of the free energy is conceptually wrong and show that the emergent elastic constants are in good agreement with simulation-based results.

Probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle inhibits IL-6 and MAPK-mediated cardiac hypertrophy during STZ-induced diabetes in rats.

Escherichia coli Nissle (EcN), a probiotic bacterium protects against several disorders. Multiple reports have studied the pathways involved in cardiac hypertrophy. However, the effects of probiotic EcN against diabetes-induced cardiac hypertrophy remain to be understood. We administered five weeks old Wistar male (271±19.4 g body weight) streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats with 109 cfu of EcN via oral gavage every day for 24 days followed by subjecting the rats to echocardiography to analyse the cardiac parameters. Overexpressed interleukin (IL)-6 induced the MEK5/ERK5, JAK2/STAT3, and MAPK signalling cascades in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Further, the upregulation of calcineurin, NFATc3, and p-GATA4 led to the elevation of hypertrophy markers, such as atrial and B-type natriuretic peptides. In contrast, diabetic rats supplemented with probiotic EcN exhibited significant downregulated IL-6. Moreover, the MEK5/ERK5 and JAK2/STAT3 cascades involved during eccentric hypertrophy and MAPK signalling, including phosphorylated MEK, ERK, JNK, and p-38, were significantly attenuated in diabetic rats after supplementation of EcN. Western blotting and immunofluorescence revealed the significant downregulation of NFATc3 and downstream mediators, thereby resulting in the impairment of cardiac hypertrophy. Taken together, the findings demonstrate that supplementing probiotic EcN has the potential to show cardioprotective effects by inhibiting diabetes-induced cardiomyopathies.

The molecular functions of Biodentine and mineral trioxide aggregate in lipopolysaccharide-induced inflamed dental pulp cells.

AIM: To explore the proliferation, adhesion and differentiation response and the underlying mechanisms that occur in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflamed dental pulp cells (DPCs) in contact with Biodentine and mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). METHODOLOGY: The DPCs were isolated from three healthy donors and named DPC-H1 to DPC-H3. The DPCs were pre-cultured with 2 or 5 µg mL-1 LPS for 24 h to induce inflammation. The expression of inflammation marker miR-146a was detected by q-PCR. The normal and LPS-induced DPCs were further treated with 0.14 mg mL-1 Biodentine or 0.13 mg mL-1 MTA for 24 h. MTT assay and adhesion assay were used to analyse the changes of cell phenotypes. DSPP, AKT and ERK expressions were detected by Western blotting. The data were analysed by Mann-Whitney test or two-way anova. Differences were considered statistically significant when P < 0.05. RESULTS: In LPS-induced DPCs, Biodentine and MTA treatment neither induced nor aggravated LPS-induced inflammation, but their presence did increase the expression of the odontogenic differentiation marker DSPP. Under 2 or 5 µg mL-1 LPS-induced inflammation, Biodentine and MTA promoted the proliferation of DPC cells, and significantly in DPC-H2 (P < 0.0001 for both reagents). With the treatment of 2 µg mL-1 LPS, the cell adhesion of DPCs on the fibronectin-coated culture plates was increased significantly by Biodentine (P = 0.0413) and MTA (P < 0.0001). Biodentine and MTA regulated cell adhesion on the fibronectin-coated culture plates (P < 0.0001 for both reagents) and proliferation (P < 0.0001 for both reagents) via the AKT pathway. However, the AKT pathway was not involved in the expression of DSPP induced by Biodentine and MTA. CONCLUSION: Biodentine and MTA enhanced the proliferation, adhesion and differentiation of LPS-induced DPCs. The proliferation and adhesion process induced by Biodentine and MTA was via the AKT pathway. However, the cellular differentiation process might not use the same pathway, and this needs to be explored in future studies.

MRI findings for diagnosis of postoperative foreign body granulomas versus recurrent tumours in patients of brain tumour surgery.

AIM: To evaluate the postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of intracranial foreign body granulomas (FBGs) and true recurrent tumours (RTs) and thus lead to a basis for management decision-making. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two patients with previous brain tumour surgery were diagnosed clinically with RT and underwent surgery. Re-operative pathology revealed FBG in eight patients and RT in 14 patients. MRI findings before the initial operation were compared to those before the re-operation. RESULTS: Features of FBGs versus RTs on MRI were as follows: (1) mean lesion size: 1.3 ± 0.7 (0.5-2.6) versus 3.2 ± 1.7 (1.1-6.3) cm (p=0.001, odds ratio [OR] = 4.18); (2) hypointensity on T2-weighted imaging (WI): 6/8 (75%) versus 0/14 (0%; p<0.001, OR=75.4); (3) non-restricted diffusion on diffusion-WI (DWI): 6/8 (75%) versus 2/14 (14.3%; p=0.008, OR=18); and (4) "ring and bubble" appearance on contrast-enhanced T1WI: 7/8 (87.5%) versus 2/14 (14.3%; p=0.001, OR=42). In comparison with their original tumours, the FBGs in the FBG group showed significantly lower T2 signal intensity, lower signal on DWI, and more cases of non-restricted diffusion on DWI (p=0.04, 0.04, 0.04, respectively). CONCLUSION: On brain MRI, FBGs can be differentiated from RTs by their relatively smaller size, hypointensity on T2WI, lack of restricted diffusion on DWI, and "ring and bubble" appearance on contrast-enhanced T1WI. Comparing the MRI findings of the focal lesion in the tumour bed with those of the original tumour is suggested to enhance diagnostic confidence.

Algorithmic robustness to preferred orientations in single particle analysis by CryoEM.

The presence of preferred orientations in single particle analysis (SPA) by cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryoEM) is currently one of the hurdles preventing many structural analyses from yielding high-resolution structures. Although the existence of preferred orientations is mostly related to the grid preparation, in this technical note, we show that some image processing algorithms used for angular assignment and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction are more robust than others to these detrimental conditions. We exemplify this argument with three different data sets in which the presence of preferred orientations hindered achieving a 3D reconstruction without artifacts or, even worse, a 3D reconstruction could never be achieved.

Management of colorectal anastomotic stricture with multidiameter balloon dilation: long-term results.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative colorectal anastomotic strictures are quite common. As such, many techniques have been available to address such a problem, one of which is endoscopic dilation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes following endoscopic dilation using a multidiameter balloon. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on patients with postoperative anastomotic stenosis treated with endoscopic dilation using a multidiameter balloon at our institution, in January 2005-December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed, excluding those with tumor recurrence. Perioperative factors, complications, and recurrence rates were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 40 patients, (22 males and 18 females, mean age 64.6 ± 10.7 years, range 33-84 years). The median follow-up period was 56 months (interquartile range 22.5-99 months). Only 1 complication occurred, micro-perforation due to guided wire injury, which was managed conservatively. Five (12.5%) patients developed restenosis and underwent repeat balloon dilation. None of the five recurrences required more aggressive management, such as redo anastomosis. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic multidiameter balloon dilation is a safe and effective method for treating benign colorectal anastomotic strictures.

False-positive Aspergillus galactomannan immunoassays associated with intravenous human immunoglobulin administration.

OBJECTIVES: Evidence of false-positive galactomannan enzyme immunoassay (GM-EIA) results associated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) administration is scarce. Here, we aimed to determine the false-positive rate of GM-EIA after IVIG administration and to identify the related factors. METHODS: Standard GM-EIA was performed using diluted and pure human IVIG samples with and without heat treatment. We also included adult patients who had at least one GM-EIA result within 1 week of IVIG administration for analysis. Those who had prior invasive aspergillosis within 1 year before IVIG therapy were excluded. The clinical characteristics and galactomannan index (GMI) kinetics between patients with false-positive and true-positive GMI were compared. RESULTS: All diluted and pure IVIG samples tested positive for GM. Heat treatment resulted in the considerable elevation of GMI. Of 48 patients with positive GM-EIA results within 1 week of IVIG administration, 22 (45.8%) were considered to have false-positive antigenaemia (false-positive group, FPG). After the completion of IVIG administration, a decline in GMI was observed in all FPG patients but in only 18 out of 26 patients (69.2%) with true-positive results (true-positive group, TPG). By 7, 14, and 18 days of IVIG administration, GMI reverted to negative values in 7/15 (46.7%), 18/20 (90%) and 22/22 (100%) FPG patients, respectively, and 6/24 (25%), 14/24 (58.3%), and 16/26 (61.5%) of TPG patients, respectively. The TPG was more likely to have two or more consecutively positive GMIs after IVIG administration than the FPG (adjusted odds ratio, 9.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.99-40.9). CONCLUSIONS: IVIG treatment may produce false-positive GM-EIA results. A positive GMI among patients receiving human IVIG should be interpreted with caution.

Analytical classical density functionals from an equation learning network.

We explore the feasibility of using machine learning methods to obtain an analytic form of the classical free energy functional for two model fluids, hard rods and Lennard-Jones, in one dimension. The equation learning network proposed by Martius and Lampert [e-print arXiv:1610.02995 (2016)] is suitably modified to construct free energy densities which are functions of a set of weighted densities and which are built from a small number of basis functions with flexible combination rules. This setup considerably enlarges the functional space used in the machine learning optimization as compared to the previous work [S.-C. Lin and M. Oettel, SciPost Phys. 6, 025 (2019)] where the functional is limited to a simple polynomial form. As a result, we find a good approximation for the exact hard rod functional and its direct correlation function. For the Lennard-Jones fluid, we let the network learn (i) the full excess free energy functional and (ii) the excess free energy functional related to interparticle attractions. Both functionals show a good agreement with simulated density profiles for thermodynamic parameters inside and outside the training region.

Intraductal Carcinoma of Salivary Gland Originating from an Intraparotid Lymph Node: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Salivary gland intraductal carcinoma (IDC) is rare. We present the second case of IDC originating from an intraparotid lymph node (LN) with a more detailed description of the histogenesis, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and updated molecular information. CASE REPORT: An 87-year-old male had a tumour nodule over the left parotid tail for about 20 years. Physical examinations revealed a 4.5 cm soft, non-tender and fixed mass. After the left parotidectomy, pathology confirmed the diagnosis of IDC arising within an intraparotid lymph node. The cystic component of the tumour was lined by single to multilayered ductal cells with micropapillary growth pattern. The solid part showed intraductal proliferation of neoplastic cells in solid, cribriform, micropapillary and Roman bridge-like structure. By immunohistochemistry (IHC), the tumour cells were positive for S-100, CK (AE1/AE3), mammaglobin, SOX10, and estrogen receptor (ER), with myoepithelial cell rimming highlighted by positive p63 and calponin IHC stains. The prognosis of this patient is excellent after complete excision. DISCUSSION: The mechanism of salivary gland tumour arising in the intra-parotid gland LN was assumed to be related to salivary duct inclusion within the intraparotid gland LN which is a normal occurrence during embryology development. Although the terminology may raise some confusion about the relationship between IDC and conventional salivary duct carcinoma (SDA), they are different in immunophenotype and clinicopathologic features. IDC is characterised by S100 (+) ER (+) with predominant intraductal growth and excellent prognosis; while SDC features S100 (-) androgen receptor (+) with predominant invasive growth and aggressive behavior. Recent discovery of recurrent RET gene rearrangement in IDC but not SDC also supports that IDC is not precursor lesion of the SDC.

Economic impact and cost-effectiveness of fracture liaison services: a systematic review of the literature.

Fracture liaison services (FLS), implemented in different ways and countries, are reported to be a cost-effective or even a cost-saving secondary fracture prevention strategy. This presumed favorable cost-benefit relationship is encouraging and lends support to expanded implementation of FLS per International Osteoporosis Foundation Best Practice Standards. This study summarizes the economic impact and cost-effectiveness of FLS implemented to reduce subsequent fractures in individuals with osteoporosis. This systematic review identified studies reporting economic outcomes for FLS in osteoporotic patients aged 50 and older through a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central, and PubMed of studies published January, 2000 to December, 2016. Grey literature (e.g., Google scholar, conference abstracts/posters) were also hand searched through February 2017. Two independent reviewers screened titles and abstracts and conducted full-text review on qualified articles. All disagreements were resolved by discussion between reviewers to reach consensus or by a third reviewer. In total, 23 qualified studies that evaluated the economic aspects of FLS were included: 16 cost-effectiveness studies, 2 cost-benefit analyses, and 5 studies of cost savings. Patient populations varied (prior fragility fracture, non-vertebral fracture, hip fracture, wrist fracture), and FLS strategies ranged from mail-based interventions to comprehensive nurse/physician-coordinated programs. Cost-effectiveness studies were conducted in Canada, Australia, USA, UK, Japan, Taiwan, and Sweden. FLS was cost-effective in comparisons with usual care or no treatment, regardless of the program intensity or the country in which the FLS was implemented (cost/QALY from $3023-$28,800 US dollars (USD) in Japan to $14,513-$112,877 USD in USA. Several studies documented cost savings. FLS, implemented in different ways and countries, are reported to be cost-effective or even cost-saving. This presumed favorable cost-benefit relationship is encouraging and lends support to expanded implementation of FLS per International Osteoporosis Foundation Best Practice Standards.

[The combined interpretation schemes including VCA-IgA, EA-IgA and Rta-IgG in the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

Objective:To compare the performances of VCA-IgA, EA-IgA and Rta-IgG in the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and find the most appropriate combined interpretation scheme. Method:The current study included a total of 346 subjects. Ninety-six subjects were nasopharyngeal carcinoma cases which were pathologically verified by the biopsy under electronic laryngoscope. The remaining 250 subjects, who received EBV tests at the same period, were normal healthy individuals without nasopharyngeal carcinoma. VCA-IgA, EA-IgA and Rta-IgG were detected in all cases. The clinial data were analyzed retrospectively. Result:Best cutoff points of VCA-IgA, EA-IgA and Rta-IgG in the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma were 1.37 s/co, 0.706 s/co and 0.817 s/co; the sensitivities were 88.5%,49.0% and 65.6%; the specificities were 88.8%,96.0% and 95.2%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of VCA-IgA was significantly higher than that of EA-IgA and Rta-IgG (P<0.05). Three combined interpretation schemes were developed based on the VCA-IgA: ①VCA-IgA+EA-IgA; ②VCA-IgA+Rta-IgG; ③VCA-IgA+EA-IgA+Rta-IgG. Compared to the VCA-IgA, all the combined interpretation schemes had increased sensitivities and decreased specificities. The scheme 3 had the highest sensitivity. And the scheme 2 had the highest Youden index, and a comparable diagnosis accuracy to that of VCA-IgA (P>0.05). Conclusion:VCA-IgA, EA-IgA and Rta-IgG were all helpful indicators in the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. VCA-IgA was more accurate than the EA-IgA and Rta-IgG. Combined interpretation schemes were helpful in improving the sensitivity. Because the clinical symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma are often insidious and the missed diagnosis by serological examination may lead to serious consequences. It is of clinical value to adopt the combined interpretation schemes to improve the diagnostic sensitivity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Early improvement in PANSS-30, PANSS-8, and PANSS-6 scores predicts ultimate response and remission during acute treatment of schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: PANSS-8 and PANSS-6 are derived from the 30-item Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-30). We investigate whether PANSS-8 or PANSS-6 is a reliable, valid, sensitive to change measure, and scalable, and whether early improvement using them can predict response/remission. METHOD: Data were from 3 trials for 270 schizophrenia inpatients receiving antipsychotics. Internal consistency, validity, sensitivity to change, and scalability using PANSS-30, PANSS-8, and PANSS-6 at each assessment were examined. Early improvement was defined as at least 20% reduction of PANSS-30, PANSS-8, or PANSS-6 scores at week 2. Response was defined as at least 40% reduction of PANSS-30 and remission as a score of PANSS-8 ≤ 3 on each item at endpoint. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine which rating scale had better discriminative capacity. RESULTS: PANSS-8 and PANSS-6 showed acceptable internal consistency, were highly correlated with PANSS-30, and had sensitivity to change. PANSS-8 and PANSS-6 were scalable at each assessment, except for PANSS-6 at baseline. Early improvement using PANSS-8 or PANSS-6 had comparable predictive values with that of PANSS-30 for response/remission. CONCLUSION: PANSS-8 and PANSS-6 are clinically useful measures. Early improvement, regardless of whether PANSS-30, PANSS-8, or PANSS-6 is used, is a statistically significant predictor of response/remission.

microRNA-142-3p inhibits apoptosis and inflammation induced by bleomycin through down-regulation of Cox-2 in MLE-12 cells.

microRNA (miR)-142-3p is implicated in malignancy and has been identified as a biomarker for aggressive and recurrent lung adenocarcinomas. This study aimed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of miR-142-3p on apoptosis and inflammation induced by bleomycin in MLE-12 cells. MLE-12 cells were first transfected either with miR-142-3p mimic or miR-142-3p inhibitor and then the cells were exposed to 50 µg/mL of bleomycin. Thereafter, cell viability, apoptosis and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines were assessed using CCK-8, flow cytometry, RT-PCR and western blot analyses. Cox-2, PI3K, AKT and mTOR expressions were detected by western blotting after bleomycin was administered together with NS-398 (an inhibitor of Cox-2). As a result, cell viability was significantly decreased, as well as apoptosis and the expression of IL-1 and TNF-α were remarkably increased after 50 and 100 µg/mL of bleomycin administration. miR-142-3p overexpression alleviated bleomycin-induced apoptosis and overproduction of these two pro-inflammatory cytokines, while miR-142-3p suppression exhibited completely opposite results. Up-regulation of Cox-2 and inactivation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR were found in bleomycin-pretreated cells, while these abnormal regulations were partially abolished by miR-142-3p overexpression and NS-398. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that miR-142-3p overexpression protected bleomycin-induced injury in lung epithelial MLE-12 cells, possibly via regulating Cox-2 expression and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. These findings provide evidence that miR-142-3p may be a therapeutic strategy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) treatment.

Methods to Study Lysosomal AMPK Activation.

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a master regulator of metabolic homeostasis. It is activated by the upstream kinase LKB1 (liver kinase B1) when the AMP/ATP ratio is increased during starvation or heightened exercises. Based on reconstitution experiments using purified individual proteins, AMPK was demonstrated to be directly phosphorylated on its conserved residue Thr172 by LKB1, which was promoted by increased levels of AMP. However, recent studies have engendered a paradigm shift for how AMPK is activated inside the cell or animal tissues, unraveling that AXIN binds to LKB1 and tethers it to AMPK located on the surface of late endosome and lysosome (hereafter, only lysosome is discussed) in response to glucose starvation. Moreover, AXIN extends its interaction with the v-ATPase-Ragulator complex, which is paradoxically also required for activation of mTORC1 despite the fact that the two kinases AMPK and mTORC1 are inversely activated. Here, we summarize the experimental procedures of the assays for translocation of AXIN/LKB1 to the detergent-resistant lipid fractions of lysosomal membrane and the assembly of AMPK-activating complexes thereon. These methods will be useful for determining whether AMPK activation induced by various metabolic stresses or by pharmacological stimuli is mediated by the v-ATPase-Ragulator-AXIN/LKB1 axis.

Assessment of treatment response in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis using advanced magnetic resonance imaging.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging-derived measures of liver fat and volume are emerging as accurate, non-invasive imaging biomarkers in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Little is known about these measures in relation to histology longitudinally. AIM: To examine any relationship between MRI-derived proton-density fat-fraction (PDFF), total liver volume (TLV), total liver fat index (TLFI), vs. histology in a NASH trial. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a 24-week randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 50 patients with biopsy-proven NASH randomised to oral ezetimibe 10 mg daily (n = 25) vs. placebo (n = 25). Baseline and post-treatment anthropometrics, biochemical profiling, MRI and biopsies were obtained. RESULTS: Baseline mean PDFF correlated strongly with TLFI (Spearman's ρ = 0.94, n = 45, P < 0.0001) and had good correlation with TLV (ρ = 0.57, n = 45, P < 0.0001). Mean TLV correlated strongly with TLFI (ρ = 0.78, n = 45, P < 0.0001). After 24 weeks, PDFF remained strongly correlated with TLFI (ρ = 0.94, n = 45, P < 0.0001), maintaining good correlation with TLV (ρ = 0.51, n = 45, P = 0.0004). TLV remained strongly correlated with TLFI (ρ = 0.74, n = 45, P < 0.0001). Patients with Grade 1 vs. 3 steatosis had lower PDFF, TLV, and TLFI (P < 0.0001, P = 0.0003, P < 0.0001 respectively). Regression analysis of changes in MRI-PDFF vs. TLV indicates that 10% reduction in MRI-PDFF predicts 257 mL reduction in TLV. CONCLUSIONS: The MRI-PDFF and TLV strongly correlated with TLFI. Decreases in steatosis were associated with an improvement in hepatomegaly. Lower values of these measures reflect lower histologic steatosis grades. MRI-derived measures of liver fat and volume may be used as dynamic and more responsive imaging biomarkers in a NASH trial, than histology.