PI-RADS v2.1 evaluation of prostate "nodule in nodule" variants: clinical, imaging, and pathological features.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the correlation among the imaging features of prostate "nodule in nodule," clinical prostate indices, and pathology results. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the prostate images from 47 male patients who underwent MRI scans and pathological biopsy from January 2022 to July 2023. Two radiologists (R1/R2) evaluated the morphology and signal intensity of the "nodule in nodule" in a double-blind manner and calculated the PI-RADS v2.1 score, which was compared with clinical prostate indices and pathological results. RESULTS: 34.04% (16/47) of patients were pathologically diagnosed with clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). Total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA), free/t PSA, PSA density (PSAD), and prostate gland volume (PGV) were significantly different between csPCa patients and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients with prostate "nodule in nodule". R1/R2 detected 17/17 prostate "nodule in nodule" pathologically confirmed as csPCa on MRI; 10.60% (16/151) (R1) and 11.11% (17/153) (R2) had diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) PI-RADS v2.1 score of 4, and 0.66% (1/151) (R1) had a score of 3. The percentages of encapsulated, circumscribed, and atypical nodules and obscured margins were 0.00% (0/151), 0.00% (0/151), 5.96% (9/151), and 5.30% (8/151), respectively, for R1, and 0.00% (0/153), 0.00% (0/153), 5.88% (9/153), and 4.58% (7/153) for R2. CONCLUSION: When the inner nodules of "nodule in nodule" lesions in PI-RADS v2.1 category 1 in the TZ show incomplete capsulation or obscured margins, they are considered atypical nodules and might be upgraded to PI-RADS v2.1 category 3 if they exhibit marked diffusion restriction. However, further validation is needed. CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: This study first analyzed the relationship between clinical and pathological findings and the size, margin, and multimodal MRI manifestations of the prostate "nodule in nodule." These findings could improve the diagnostic accuracy of PI-RADS v2.1 for prostate lesions. KEY POINTS: • The margin of the prostate inner nodules affects the PI-RADS v2.1 score. • The morphology of prostate "nodule in nodule" is related to their pathology. • The PI-RADS v2.1 principle requires consideration of prostate "nodule in nodule" variants.

MRI Plain Scan: A Tool in the Management of Cervical Cancer during Pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in staging and treatment of cervical cancer in pregnancy, and to evaluate the benefit of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) during neoadjuvant chemotherapy management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study. Patients were divided into two groups according to the stage of cervical cancer. The mean term of pregnancy at the time of the diagnosis was the early second trimester (range 10-27 weeks) and the median age was 33 years (range 26-40 years). The abdominal and pelvic MRI images and clinical data of these patients were reviewed. Tumor size, local tumor spread, and nodal involvement were evaluated using an MRI dataset. The treatment and follow-up imaging were analyzed as well, and the ADC was measured before and after the chemotherapy. RESULTS: 16 patients with histopathologically confirmed cervical cancer during pregnancy were retrospectively enrolled. 7 patients were diagnosed with local cervical cancer (FIGO stage IAI) and designated as early stage group, as the lesion was invisible on MRI. In this group, pregnancies were allowed to continue until cesarean delivery (CD) at 38-41 weeks. The other 9 patients presenting with local or extensive cervical cancer (FIGO stage IB2-IIA2) were designated as the advanced-stage group. The lesion could be measured and analyzed on MRI. They were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in pregnancy. Among them, 6 patients underwent TP regimen (paclitaxel 135~175 mg/m2 plus cisplatin 70~75 mg/m2), while 3 patients received TC regimen (paclitaxel 135~175 mg/m2 plus carboplatin AUC=5). NACT was performed for 1 to 2 courses before surgery. ADC demonstrated significant differences before and after chemotherapy administered during pregnancy (1.06 ± 0.12 sec/mm2 vs. 1.34 ± 0.21 sec/mm2). CONCLUSION: MRI has been found to be helpful in staging cervical cancer in pregnancy. Patients with stage IA confirmed by MRI can choose conservative treatment and continue the pregnancy until term birth. MRI can dynamically monitor the efficacy of chemotherapy for patients with stage IB and above during pregnancy. ADC value can have a potential role in the evaluation of chemotherapy efficacy.

Corrigendum to "A Collaborative Brain-Computer Interface Framework for Enhancing Group Detection Performance of Dynamic Visual Targets".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2022/4752450.].

Hemodynamic changes and neuronal damage detected by 9.4 T MRI in rats with chronic cerebral ischemia and cognitive impairment.

INTRODUCTION: The bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) rat model is an ideal animal model for simulating the pathology of chronic brain hypoperfusion in humans. However, dynamic changes in neuronal activity, cellular edema, and neuronal structural integrity in vivo after BCCAO have rarely been reported. The purpose of this study is to use a 9.4 T MRI to explore the pathophysiological mechanisms of vascular dementia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into two groups: the sham group and the model group (n = 6 for each group). Rats were subjected to MRI using T2*WI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and DWI sequences by MRI at the following six time points: presurgery and 6 h, 3 days, 7 days, 21 days, and 28 days postsurgery. Then, the T2*, fractional anisotropy (FA), and average apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were measured in the bilateral cortices and hippocampi. After MRI scanning, all rats in both groups were subjected to the Y-maze test, novel object recognition test, and open-field test to assess their learning, memory, cognition, and locomotor activity. RESULTS: The T2*, FA, and ADC values in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus decreased sharply at 6 h after BCCAO in the model group compared with those of the sham group. By Day 28, the T2* and ADC values gradually increased to close to those in the sham group, but the FA values changed little, and the rats in the model group had worse learning, memory, and cognition and less locomotor activity than the rats in the sham group. CONCLUSIONS: The BCCAO is an ideal rat model for studying the pathophysiological mechanisms of vascular dementia.

The role of three-dimensional MRI in the differentiation between angular pregnancy and interstitial pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: In clinical practice it is an ongoing challenge to distinguish between angular pregnancy and interstitial pregnancy. With the three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) being increasingly used, it is worth exploring its role in differentiating angular pregnancy from interstitial pregnancy. This study aims to investigate how 3D MRI can help reveal the differences between these two special pregnancies in the early diagnosis. METHODS: We reviewed and analyzed the 3D MRI images of 50 patients with interstitial pregnancy and 55 patients with angular pregnancy retrospectively. Imaging features were identified to compare these two special pregnancies, and the ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) analysis was conducted to assess the diagnostic performance. RESULTS: The significant differences of the 3D MRI imaging features between interstitial pregnancy and angular pregnancy were found in the outline of uterus cavity (p < 0.001), involvement of junctional zone (p < 0.001), the signal of surroundings (p = 0.005), the relationship with round ligament (p = 0.042), and the overlying myometrial thickness (p = 0.041). Furthermore, the multivariate logistic regression analysis identified a series of significant indicators for angular pregnancy, including the junctional zone involvement, being-surrounded by hyper/iso-intensity on 3D images, and the asymmetric outline of uterus cavity. Combining these three imaging features, the AUC (Area under the Curve) of ROC curve was 0.87 in distinguishing interstitial pregnancy from angular pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that 3D MRI can help distinguish angular pregnancy from interstitial pregnancy in clinical practice, with the advantages that conventional MRI or ultrasound does not have. Through the significant image features, 3D MRI plays an important role in improving the timing of diagnosis, avoiding unnecessary interventions, and preventing hemorrhage in clinical practice.

A Collaborative Brain-Computer Interface Framework for Enhancing Group Detection Performance of Dynamic Visual Targets.

The superiority of collaborative brain-computer interface (cBCI) in performance enhancement makes it an effective way to break through the performance bottleneck of the BCI-based dynamic visual target detection. However, the existing cBCIs focus on multi-mind information fusion with a static and unidirectional mode, lacking the information interaction and learning guidance among multiple agents. Here, we propose a novel cBCI framework to enhance the group detection performance of dynamic visual targets. Specifically, a mutual learning domain adaptation network (MLDANet) with information interaction, dynamic learning, and individual transferring abilities is developed as the core of the cBCI framework. MLDANet takes P3-sSDA network as individual network unit, introduces mutual learning strategy, and establishes a dynamic interactive learning mechanism between individual networks and collaborative decision-making at the neural decision level. The results indicate that the proposed MLDANet-cBCI framework can achieve the best group detection performance, and the mutual learning strategy can improve the detection ability of individual networks. In MLDANet-cBCI, the F1 scores of collaborative detection and individual network are 0.12 and 0.19 higher than those in the multi-classifier cBCI, respectively, when three minds collaborate. Thus, the proposed framework breaks through the traditional multi-mind collaborative mode and exhibits a superior group detection performance of dynamic visual targets, which is also of great significance for the practical application of multi-mind collaboration.

Effect of different reconstruction algorithms on coronary artery calcium scores using the reduced radiation dose protocol: a clinical and phantom study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms on coronary artery calcium (CAC) score quantification using the reduced radiation dose (RRD) protocol in an anthropomorphic phantom and in patients. METHODS: A thorax phantom, containing 9 calcification inserts with varying hydroxyapatite (HA) densities, was scanned with the reference protocol [120 kv, 80 mAs, filtered back projection (FBP)] and RRD protocol (120 kV, 20-80 mAs, 5 mAs interval) using a 256-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner. Raw data were reconstructed with different reconstruction algorithms [iDose4 levels 1-7 and iterative model reconstruction (IMR) levels 1-3]. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and Agatston score (AS) were calculated for each image series. The correction factor was derived from linear regression analysis between the reference image series and other image series with different parameters. Additionally, 40 patients were scanned with the RRD protocol (50 mAs) and reconstructed with FBP, iDose4 level 4, and IMR level 2. AS was calculated for the 3-group image series, and was corrected by applying a correction factor for the IMR group. The agreement of risk stratification with different reconstruction algorithms was also analyzed. RESULTS: For the phantom study, the iDose4 and IMR groups had significantly higher SNR and CNR than the FBP group (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the total AS after comparing image series reconstructed with iDose4 (level 1-7) and FBP (all P>0.05), while AS from the IMR (level 1-3) image series were lower than the FBP group (all P<0.05). The tube current of 50 mAs was determined for the clinical study, and the correction factor was 1.14. For the clinical study, the median AS from the iDose4 and IMR groups were both significantly lower compared to the FBP image series [(112.89 (63.01, 314.09), 113.22 (64.78, 364.95) vs. 118.59 (65.05, 374.48), both P<0.05]. After applying the correction factor, the adjusted AS from the IMR group was not significantly different from that of the FBP group [126.48 (69.62, 355.85) vs. 118.59 (65.05, 374.48), P=0.145]. Moreover, the agreement in risk stratification between FBP and IMR improved from 0.81 to 0.85. CONCLUSIONS: The RRD CAC scoring scan using the IMR reconstruction algorithm is clinically feasible, and a correction factor can help reduce the AS underestimation effect.

The relationship between TEM8 and early diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: To explore the TEM8 expression in patients with lung cancer and its relationship with clinical pathology and prognosis, and to analyze the diagnostic value of TEM8. METHODS: A total of 204 patients with lung cancer diagnosed and treated in Zhongmeng Hospital Zhalantun and the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University from March 2013 to February 2016 were enrolled in the study group, and 203 healthy subjects in the control group. qRT-PCR technique was applied to detect the TEM8 expression. Combined with clinical information, the diagnostic value of TEM8 for lung cancer and the correlation of clinical characteristics of TEM8 were analyzed. The 3-year survival curves of patients with low and high TEM8 expressions were compared. RESULTS: The expression in the study group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). When the cut-off value was 1.125, the sensitivity, specificity and AUC of TEM8 in the diagnosis of lung cancer were 50.00%, 98.00% and 0.726 respectively. The TEM8 expression also differs when in smoking, lymphatic metastasis, TNM stage, differentiation degree and pleural invasion classification (P<0.050). 132 patients were included in the survival group and 72 patients were included in the death group. There was a difference between the two groups in the effect of TEM8 on the prognosis (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: TEM8 showed high expression in the study group. TEM8 had good diagnostic efficacy and was expected to be an excellent indicator for early clinical diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer.

Access to Substituted Thiophenes through Xanthate-Mediated Vinyl C(sp2)-Br Bond Cleavage and Heterocyclization of Bromoenynes.

An environmentally sustainable strategy for the chemoselective heterocyclization of bromoenynes through a transition-metal-free sulfuration/cyclization process is reported. Using inexpensive and safe EtOCS2K as a thiol surrogate and tetrabutylphosphonium bromide and H2O as a mixed solvent, the reaction provided a range of substituted thiophenes in moderate to good yields. In addition, 2,3,4,5-tetrasubstituted thiophenes were able to be prepared under mild reaction conditions by electrophilic heterocyclization with NH4I and EtOCS2K in good yields.

Dynamically Modulating Plasmonic Field by Tuning the Spatial Frequency of Excitation Light.

Based on the Fourier transform (FT) of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), the relation between the displacement of the plasmonic field and the spatial frequency of the excitation light is theoretically established. The SPPs' field shifts transversally or longitudinally when the spatial frequency components f x or f y are correspondingly changed. The SPPs' focus and vortex field can be precisely located at the desired position by choosing the appropriate spatial frequency. Simulation results are in good agreement with the theoretical analyses. Dynamically tailoring the plasmonic field based on the spatial frequency modulation can find potential applications in microparticle manipulation and angular multiplexed SPP focusing and propagation.

Fast Classification of Geographical Origins of Honey Based on Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Multivariate Analysis.

Traceability of honey is highly required by consumers and food administration with the consideration of food safety and quality. In this study, a technique named laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was used to fast trace geographical origins of acacia honey and multi-floral honey. LIBS emissions from elements of Mg, Ca, Na, and K had significant differences among different geographical origins. The clusters of honey from different geographical origins were visualized with principal component analysis. In addition, support vector machine (SVM) and linear discrimination analysis (LDA) were used to quantitively classify the origins. The results indicated that SVM performed better than LDA, and the discriminant results of multi-floral honey were better than acacia honey. The accuracy and mean average precision for multi-floral honey were 99.7% and 99.7%, respectively. This study provided a fast approach for geographical origin classification, and might be helpful for food traceability.

Mid-Infrared Lasing in Lead Sulfide Subwavelength Wires on Silicon.

Vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth of nanoscale or subwavelength scale semiconductor wires (nanowires) has been proven to be an important and effective approach to producing high-quality, substrate insensitive photonic materials with a flexible and ever-expanding coverage of wavelengths for lasing and other photonic applications. However, the materials and lasing demonstrations have so far been limited to mostly ultraviolet to visible wavelengths, with a few exceptions in the short-wavelength infrared range. A further extension to longer wavelengths (such as mid-infrared, MIR) using narrower band gap semiconductors encounters severe challenges: the ever decreasing radiative efficiency due to the Auger and other nonradiative channels with wavelengths demands extremely high material quality and significantly narrows the material choices. This situation is very unsatisfactory, given many important applications that demand materials and lasers of subwavelength scales for MIR wavelengths in an integrated platform, especially on silicon. Here we report our results on lasing demonstration in MIR (3-4 µm) based on a unique combination of high-quality material growth on a silicon substrate and the choice of an intrinsically strong MIR material in lead sulfide (PbS). Lasing is demonstrated from single wires both on the original silicon substrate and on the sapphire substrates after transferring, with sizes of lasing wires down to below half of the normalized volume (volume of wires divided by the wavelength cubed) and operating temperature up to 180 K. Such subwavelength wire lasers could be important for a wide range of MIR applications on silicon-based integrated photonic platforms, such as chemical and environmental sensing, free-space communications, and many others.

Optimization of Pan-Pim Kinase Activity and Oral Bioavailability Leading to Diaminopyrazole (GDC-0339) for the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma.

Pim kinases have been targets of interest for a number of therapeutic areas. Evidence of durable single-agent efficacy in human clinical trials validated Pim kinase inhibition as a promising therapeutic approach for multiple myeloma patients. Here, we report the compound optimization leading to GDC-0339 (16), a potent, orally bioavailable, and well tolerated pan-Pim kinase inhibitor that proved efficacious in RPMI8226 and MM.1S human multiple myeloma xenograft mouse models and has been evaluated as an early development candidate.

Decreased apparent diffusion coefficient in the placentas of monochorionic twins with selective intrauterine growth restriction.

OBJECTIVES: The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was associated with the onset of intrauterine growth restriction in singleton pregnancies. However, the correlation of ADC with selective intrauterine growth restriction (sIUGR) of monochorionic (MC) twin pregnancies remained unknown. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association of ADC with sIUGR in MC twin pregnancies by exploring diffusion weighted MR imaging (DWI). METHODS: Fifty-one MC twin pregnancies, consisting 19 cases of sIUGR and 32 cases without sIUGR, were re-analyzed by DWI. ADCs were quantitated from two regions of interest, surrounding the insertion of the umbilical cord of placenta for each twin. A rADC (ADClarger twin/ADCsmaller twin) in each placenta was also evaluated. Then ADCs and rADCs were compared between cases with and without sIUGR. RESULTS: The ADC in cases with sIUGR was significantly decreased compared with cases without sIUGR (1.846 × 103 vs 2.471 × 103 mm2/s, p < 0.001). The rADC in cases with sIUGR was significantly increased (1.346 vs 1.053, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The ADC decreases and the rADC increases in the placentas of MC twins with sIUGR, suggesting that diffusion in the placenta is restricted in pregnancies with sIUGR.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the CD40 gene associate with the disease susceptibility and severity in knee osteoarthritis in the Chinese Han population: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: This study explored the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CD40 gene, rs4810485 G > T and rs1883832 C > T, as well as disease susceptibility and severity in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) in the Chinese Han population. METHOD: Peripheral venous blood was collected from 133 KOA patients (KOA group) and 143 healthy people (control group) from December 2012 to November 2013. The patients in the KOA group were classified into mild, moderate and severe groups according to disease severity. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to test the genotypes of all subjects. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the risk factors for KOA. RESULTS: The KOA group was significantly different from the control group in living environment (P < 0.05). The KOA group had a lower frequency of TT genotype and T allele distribution of rs4810485 G > T compared with the control group, and rs4810485 G > T TT genotype and T allele may associate with low incidence of KOA (all P < 0.05). Besides, T allele and mutant homozygous TT genotype of rs1883832 C > T increased the susceptibility to KOA. Genotype and allele distribution of rs4810485 G > T and rs1883832 C > T were significantly different among the mild, moderate and severe groups (P < 0.05). There were more patients with rs4810485 G > T GG genotype and rs1883832 C > T TT genotype in the severe group than other genotypes of these two SNPs. According to binary logistic regression analysis, rs4810485 G > T TT genotype could alleviate disease severity in KOA, rs1883832 C > T TT genotype increase the severity of KOA and living environment is an important external factor that affects KOA severity. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide evidences that rs4810485 G > T and rs1883832 C > T in the CD40 gene may be associated with disease susceptibility and severity in KOA.

Cesarean section scar diverticulum evaluation by saline contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging: The relationship between variable parameters and longer menstrual bleeding.

AIM: This study was conducted to determine a more accurate imaging method for the diagnosis of cesarean scar diverticulum (CSD) and to identify the parameters of CSD strongly associated with prolonged menstrual bleeding. METHODS: We enrolled 282 women with a history of cesarean section (CS) who presented with prolonged menstrual bleeding between January 2012 and May 2015. Transvaginal ultrasound, general magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and contrast-enhanced MRI were used to diagnose CSD. Five parameters were compared among the imaging modalities: length, width, depth and thickness of the remaining muscular layer (TRM) of CSD and the depth/TRM ratio. Correlation between the five parameters and days of menstrual bleeding was performed. Finally, multivariate analysis was used to determine the parameters associated with menstrual bleeding longer than 14 days. RESULTS: Contrast-enhanced MRI yielded greater length or width or thinner TRM of CSD compared with MRI and transvaginal ultrasound. CSD size did not significantly differ between women who had undergone one and two CSs. Correlation analysis revealed that CSD (P = 0.038) and TRM (P = 0.003) lengths were significantly associated with days of menstrual bleeding. Longer than 14 days of bleeding was defined by cut-off values of 2.15 mm for TRM and 13.85 mm for length. TRM and number of CSs were strongly associated with menstrual bleeding longer than 14 days. CONCLUSIONS: CE-MRI is a relatively accurate and efficient imaging method for the diagnosis of CSD. A cut-off value of TRM of 2.15 mm is the most important parameter associated with menstrual bleeding longer than 14 days.

The Expression of Osteopontin and Wnt5a in Articular Cartilage of Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis and Its Correlation with Disease Severity.

Objectives. This study is undertaken to investigate the relation between osteopontin (OPN) and Wnt5a expression in the progression and pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). Methods. 50 cartilage tissues from knee OA patients and normal controls were divided into four groups of severe, moderate, minor, and normal lesions based on the modified grading system of Mankin. Immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR were utilized to analyze the OPN and Wnt5a expression in articular cartilage. Besides, the relations between OPN and Wnt5a expression and the severity of OA were explored. Results. OPN and Wnt5a could be identified in four groups' tissues. Amongst the groups, the intercomparisons of OPN expression levels showed statistical differences (P < 0.01). Besides, the intercomparisons of Wnt5a expression degrees showed statistical differences (P < 0.05), except that between the minor and normal groups (P > 0.05). The scores of Mankin were demonstrated to relate to OPN expression (r = -0.847, P < 0.01) and Wnt5a expression in every group (r = -0.843, P < 0.01). Also, a positive correlation can be observed between the OPN and Wnt5a expression (r = 0.769, P < 0.01). Conclusion. In articular cartilage, the expressions of OPN and Wnt5a are positively related to progressive damage of knee OA joint. The correlation between Wnt5a and OPN might be important to the progression and pathogenesis of knee OA.

[Clinical research of transvaginal repair of cesarean scar diverticulum].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical effect of transvaginal repair of cesarean scar diverticulum (CSD). METHODS: Totally 64 patients of CSD in the First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University between Mar. 2013 and Sept. 2014 underwent transvaginal repair of CSD were reviewed retrospectively and followed. RESULT: All the patients had a prolonged period, and the duration was (14.8 ± 3.5) days; all the patients were received the transvaginal repair of CSD, there was no intra-operative complications, the procedures were successfully performed in all patients. The mean operation time was (67 ± 12) minutes, the mean blood loss was (53 ± 32) ml, and the mean length of hospital stay was (4.0 ± 1.1) days. All patients were followed after the operation, the duration of menstruation was (8.1 ± 3.5) days shorter in average, which was statistically significant (P < 0.01); the operation effective rate was 94% (60/64) to assess the clinic syptoms, the operation effective rate was 95% (61/64) for anatomic assessment. The distance of the CSD from the serosa became thicker after surgery significantly, the distance was thicker (3.4 ± 0.4) mm compared with preoperation (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Transvaginal repair of CSD offers minimal invasiveness, good exposure and accurate resection. It is worth to be popularized in the treatment of patients with CSD.

Probing Mechanisms of CYP3A Time-Dependent Inhibition Using a Truncated Model System.

Time-dependent inhibition (TDI) of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes may incur serious undesirable drug-drug interactions and in rare cases drug-induced idiosyncratic toxicity. The reactive metabolites are often generated through multiple sequential biotransformations and form adducts with CYP enzymes to inactivate their function. The complexity of these processes makes addressing TDI liability very challenging. Strategies to mitigate TDI are therefore highly valuable in discovering safe therapies to benefit patients. In this Letter, we disclose our simplified approach toward addressing CYP3A TDI liabilities, guided by metabolic mechanism hypotheses. By adding a methyl group onto the α carbon of a basic amine, TDI activities of both the truncated and full molecules (7a and 11) were completely eliminated. We propose that truncated molecules, albeit with caveats, may be used as surrogates for full molecules to investigate TDI.

X-ray dose reduction in abdominal computed tomography using advanced iterative reconstruction algorithms.

OBJECTIVE: This work aims to explore the effects of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) algorithms in reducing computed tomography (CT) radiation dosages in abdominal imaging. METHODS: CT scans on a standard male phantom were performed at different tube currents. Images at the different tube currents were reconstructed with the filtered back-projection (FBP), 50% ASiR and MBIR algorithms and compared. The CT value, image noise and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) of the reconstructed abdominal images were measured. Volumetric CT dose indexes (CTDIvol) were recorded. RESULTS: At different tube currents, 50% ASiR and MBIR significantly reduced image noise and increased the CNR when compared with FBP. The minimal tube current values required by FBP, 50% ASiR, and MBIR to achieve acceptable image quality using this phantom were 200, 140, and 80 mA, respectively. At the identical image quality, 50% ASiR and MBIR reduced the radiation dose by 35.9% and 59.9% respectively when compared with FBP. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced iterative reconstruction techniques are able to reduce image noise and increase image CNRs. Compared with FBP, 50% ASiR and MBIR reduced radiation doses by 35.9% and 59.9%, respectively.