Design and application of virtual simulation teaching platform for intelligent manufacturing.

Aiming at the practical teaching of intelligent manufacturing majors faced with lack of equipment, tense teachers and other problems such as high equipment investment, high material loss, high teaching risk, difficult to implement internship, difficult to observe production, difficult to reproduce the results, and so on, we take the electrical automation technology, mechatronics technology and industrial robotics technology majors of intelligent manufacturing majors as an example, and design and establish a virtual simulation teaching platform for intelligent manufacturing majors by using the cloud computing platform, edge computing technology, and terminal equipment synergy. The platform includes six major virtual simulation modules, including virtual simulation of electrician electronics and PLC control, virtual and real combination of typical production lines of intelligent manufacturing, dual-axis collaborative robotics workstation, digital twin simulation, virtual disassembly of industrial robots, virtual simulation of magnetic yoke axis flexible production line. The platform covers the virtual simulation teaching content of basic principle experiments, advanced application experiments, and advanced integration experiments in intelligent manufacturing majors. In order to test the effectiveness of this virtual simulation platform for practical teaching in engineering, this paper organizes a teaching practice activity involving 246 students from two parallel classes of three different majors. Through a one-year teaching application, we analyzed the data on the grades of 7 core courses involved in three majors in one academic year, the proportion of participation in competitions and innovative activities, the number of awards and certificates of professional qualifications, and the subjective questionnaires of the testers. The analysis shows that the learners who adopt the virtual simulation teaching platform proposed in this paper for practical teaching are better than the learners under the traditional teaching method in terms of academic performance, proportion of participation in competitions and innovative activities, and proportion of awards and certificates by more than 13%, 37%, 36%, 27% and 22%, respectively. Therefore, the virtual simulation teaching platform of intelligent manufacturing established in this paper has obvious superiority in solving the problem of "three highs and three difficulties" existing in the practical teaching of engineering, and according to the questionnaire feedback from the testers, the platform can effectively alleviate the shortage of practical training equipment, stimulate the interest in learning, and help to broaden and improve the knowledge system of the learners.

Utilize multi-metabolic parameters as determinants for prediction of skeletal muscle mass quality in elderly type2 diabetic Chinese patients.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia, an age-related disorder characterized by loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, is recently recognized as a complication in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Skeletal muscles play a crucial role in glycemic metabolism, utilizing around 80% of blood glucose. Accordingly, we aimed to explore the relationship between glucose metabolism and muscle mass in T2DM. METHODS: We employed the AWGS 2019 criteria for diagnosing low muscle mass and 1999 World Health Organization (WHO) diabetes diagnostic standards. This study included data of 191 individuals aged 60 and above with T2DM of Shanghai Pudong Hospital from November 2021 to November 2022. Fasting C-peptide (FPCP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) and postprandial 2-hour C-peptide (PPCP), glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), glycated albumin (GA), serum lipids spectrum, renal and hepatic function, hemoglobin, and hormone were measured. Based on the findings of univariate analysis, logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were established. RESULTS: Participants with low muscle mass had significantly lower alanine and aspartate aminotransferase, and both FPCP and PPCP levels (P < 0.05). Compared with those without low muscle mass, low muscle mass group had significantly higher FPG, HbA1c, GA levels (P < 0.05). Body fat (BF, OR = 1.181) was an independent risk factor for low muscle mass. PPCP (OR = 0.497), BMI (OR = 0.548), and female (OR = 0.050) were identified as protective factors for low skeletal muscle. The AUC of BMI was the highest, followed by the PPCP, gender and BF (0.810, 0.675, 0.647, and 0.639, respectively), and the AUC of the combination of the above four parameters reached 0.895. CONCLUSIONS: In this cross-sectional study, BMI, Female, and PPCP associated with T2DM were protective factors for low muscle mass. BF was associated with T2DM and risk factor for low muscle mass.

A sodium alginate intervention strategy to enhance therapeutic effects of bone-targeted alpha therapy via remodeling 223RaCl2 distribution.

Radium-223 dichloride is the first approved alpha particle-emitting radiopharmaceutical for patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer with symptomatic bone metastases and no known visceral metastases. A large percentage of intestinal enrichment and a slow clearance rate were the main causes of gastrointestinal adverse events after 223RaCl2 administration. The molecular weight of sodium alginate in aqueous solution was determined to be 656 kDa. Sodium alginate exhibits a higher affinity for adsorbing Ra2+ compared to other metal ions belonging to the second main group. Sodium alginate as low as 0.5 g/rat reduced intestinal damage by remodeling 223RaCl2 distribution without affecting bone resorption. Intestinal villi were preserved and enterocyte activity was maintained after sodium alginate intervention. Sodium alginate reduced DNA oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation and maintained endogenous antioxidant status by increasing superoxide dismutase levels and total antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, sodium alginate treatment mitigated DNA damage and apoptosis. The administration of sodium alginate effectively maintained the integrity of the intestinal microbiota, which had undergone perturbations due to radiation exposure. This study demonstrated that sodium alginate could be applied to reduce the adverse effects caused by radiation exposure to the intestine during 223RaCl2-treated and reduced intestinal damage resulted from 223RaCl2 accumulation without affecting bone uptake.

Alpha-Emitter Radium-223 Induces STING-Dependent Pyroptosis to Trigger Robust Antitumor Immunity.

Radium-223 (223 Ra) is the first-in-class alpha-emitter to mediate tumor eradication, which is commonly thought to kill tumor cells by directly cleaving double-strand DNA. However, the immunogenic characteristics and cell death modalities triggered by 223 Ra remain unclear. Here, it is reported that the 223 Ra irradiation induces the pro-inflammatory damage-associated molecular patterns including calreticulin, HMGB1, and HSP70, hallmarks of tumor immunogenicity. Moreover, therapeutic 223 Ra retards tumor progression by triggering pyroptosis, an immunogenic cell death. Mechanically, 223 Ra-induced DNA damage leads to the activation of stimulator of interferon genes (STING)-mediated DNA sensing pathway, which is critical for NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent pyroptosis and subsequent DCs maturation as well as T cell activation. These findings establish an essential role of STING in mediating alpha-emitter 223 Ra-induced antitumor immunity, which provides the basis for the development of novel cancer therapeutic strategies and combinatory therapy.

Cell cycle-regulated ApiAP2s and parasite development: the Toxoplasma paradigm.

The cell division cycle of T. gondii is driven by cyclically expressed ApiAP2 transcription factors (AP2s) that promote gene sets (regulons) associated with specific biological functions. AP2s drive other AP2s, thereby propelling the progressive gene expression waves defining the lytic cycle. AP2s can act as dimers by themselves, in combination with other AP2s (constitutive or cyclical) or in complexes with epigenetic factors. Exit from the cell cycle into either the extracellular state or differentiation into bradyzoites results in major changes in gene expression. Surprisingly, both transitions lead to expression of a shared set of unique AP2s that suggest a shared stress response that, governed by the specific conditions, leads to different outcomes.

Disentangling in-vivo microstructural changes of white and gray matter in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The microstructural characteristics of white and gray matter in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the early-stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remain unclear. This study aimed to systematically identify the microstructural damages of MCI/AD in studies using neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), and explore their correlations with cognitive performance. Multiple databases were searched for eligible studies. The 10 eligible NODDI studies were finally included. Patients with MCI/AD showed overall significant reductions in neurite density index (NDI) of specific white matter structures in bilateral hemispheres (left hemisphere: -0.40 [-0.53, -0.27], P < 0.001; right: -0.33 [-0.47, -0.19], P < 0.001), involving the bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), uncinate fasciculus (UF), the left posterior thalamic radiation (PTR), and the left cingulum. White matter regions exhibited significant increased orientation dispersion index (ODI) (left: 0.25 [0.02, 0.48], P < 0.05; right: 0.27 [0.07, 0.46], P < 0.05), including the left cingulum, the right UF, and the bilateral parahippocampal cingulum (PHC), and PTR. Additionally, the ODI of gray matter showed significant reduction in bilateral hippocampi (left: -0.97 [-1.42, -0.51], P < 0.001; right: -0.90 [-1.35, -0.45], P < 0.001). The cognitive performance in MCI/AD was significantly associated with NDI (r = 0.50, P < 0.001). Our findings highlight the microstructural changes in MCI/AD were characterized by decreased fiber orientation dispersion in the hippocampus, and decreased neurite density and increased fiber orientation dispersion in specific white matter tracts, including the cingulum, UF, and PTR. Moreover, the decreased NDI may indicate the declined cognitive level of MCI/AD patients.

Predictors of pregnancy stress and psychological birth trauma in women undergoing vaginal delivery: a cross-sectional study in China.

BACKGROUND: Psychological birth trauma exhibits a high incidence worldwide, resulting in a wide range of negative impacts on mothers, infants, couples, families and society at large through the maternal-centered ripple effect. However, there is currently limited research on psychological birth trauma in China. Social support and pregnancy stress are important influencing factors of psychological birth trauma. Consequently, this study aimed to explore predictors of pregnancy stress and psychological birth trauma in women undergoing vaginal delivery in China. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed at a single medical center between December 2021 and May 2022 in Hangzhou, China. Participants were selected using a convenience sampling technique. A total of 351 postpartum women within one week after vaginal delivery were included. Questionnaires were used to collect sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics and scores on the Pregnancy Stress Rating Scale (PSRS), City Birth Trauma Scale (City BiTS), Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) and Family Adaptation Partnership Growth Affection and Resolve index (Family APGAR). Both univariate analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted to assess predictors of pregnancy stress and psychological birth trauma. RESULTS: The median (IQR) of PSRS and City BiTS scores were 10.00 (14.00) and 3.00 (9.00), respectively. The incidence of postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder was 4.0% (14/351). Parity, social support, family support and level of education were predictors of pregnancy stress. Delivery complications, psychological traumatic event, pregnancy stress and family support were predictors of psychological birth trauma (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Pregnancy stress is related to social support, family support and some sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics. Psychological birth trauma is correlated with delivery complications, psychological traumatic event, pregnancy stress and family support. Consequently, enhancing social support, especially family support, for pregnant women as a means of reducing pregnancy stress can effectively prevent psychological birth trauma.

Spontaneous cervical epidural haematoma mimicking stroke: a case report and literature review.

Spontaneous spinal epidural haematoma (SSEH) is a rare disease that requires emergency decompression or haematoma evacuation to prevent permanent neurological deficits. Hemiparesis is an extremely rare presentation of SSEH, commonly misdiagnosed as stroke. With the help of case studies and references, this paper comprehensively discusses the effective methods to distinguish SSEH from stroke and provides theoretical support and ideas for rapid and accurate identification of SSEH. Herein, we report on the case of a 51-year-old man with SSEH who presented with acute hemiparesis and posterior neck pain. Cervical computed tomography (CT) revealed cervical degeneration. A carotid CT angiogram revealed a high-density mass in the C2-C5 right posterolateral epidural region. Cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging showed SSEH. The patient was conservatively treated and discharged following a full recovery. Rapid identification of SSEH continues to present a great challenge for neurologists. A soft tissue CT scan can be used to quickly and accurately identify SSEH; however, in the absence of cranial signs, Brown-Sequard syndrome, Lhermitte's sign and Horner syndrome should be used to differentiate SSEH from stroke.

Detection and Application of Wearable Devices Based on Internet of Things in Human Physical Health.

In order to improve the detection function of wearable intelligent devices in the Internet of things and facilitate people to control a variety of information such as heart rate, exercise state, blood oxygen saturation, and so on, the scientific detection of human physical health based on wearable devices based on Internet of things technology is proposed. Through the combination of software- and hardware-related functional modules, the real-time detection of human physical health information can be effectively realized. Firstly, the detection principle of optical capacitance product pulse wave signal and the waveform characteristics of pulse wave are introduced, and then the application scenarios and advantages of wearable devices are further introduced; then, the convolutional neural network for pulse wave signal denoising and the basic principle of self-encoder are introduced; finally, the regression prediction method and support vector machine method for pulse wave signal feature extraction are introduced in detail. The pulse wave based on optical capacitance product is removed to improve the waveform quality of pulse wave signal. Firstly, the system software development environment is briefly described. Then, the software design of watch terminal master device based on MSP432 and belt terminal slave device based on MSP430 are described in detail, and the detailed program implementation flow of each key technology in the system is given. In addition, the fall detection algorithm based on threshold discrimination is studied, and the program implementation of the algorithm is also described in detail. Finally, the system is tested. The results show that normal state mainly include normal walking, jogging, and fast sitting, and the accuracy rate is 97%, 95%, and 93%, respectively. For fall state, the experimenter needs to simulate various possible fall states, and the accuracy rate is 95%, 93%, and 95%, respectively, which verifies the detection accuracy of the algorithm. The system can automatically turn on the satellite positioning function when the user's physical sign parameters are abnormal or the user's current fall dangerous situation occurs, and send the current position information and alarm content information through the GSM module, so that the dangerous situation can be found and handled at the first time.

Effects of Mood Regulation on Sociodemographic Status, Exercise Pattern, and Physical Conditions of Chinese Adults and the Elderly.

Objective: This study focused on mood regulations and their association with sociodemographic status, exercise pattern, and physical conditions of adults and older adults in China who did not undergo interventions. Method: Data were based on the 2016 to 2018 Guangdong National Physique Monitoring data, in which 5242 participants aged 20-69 years were recruited. Multiple statistical analysis methods, such as descriptive and logistic regression analyses, were used to study each exercise motivation and its association with influencing factors, including sociodemographic characteristics, exercise measurements, and physical conditions. An exercise index for mental health was also used to investigate the number and types of people who were more likely to meet the index. Results: We observed that 44.9% (2355/5242) of participants did not engage in physical exercise in this study. Only older participants (40 to 69 years old) and those with an average level of education (high school/technical secondary school) showed a significant association with exercising for mood regulation. Few people met the index that is good for mental health (16.64% [872/5242] met index 1, and 2.84% (149/5242) met index 2), and higher education showed a significant association with a reduction in the mental health burden and the prevention of depression. Conclusion: This study found that motivating people to be more active and educating them on the potential mental health benefits of exercise could help them to exercise more.

Computed Tomography Density and ß-Amyloid Deposition of Intraorbital Optic Nerve May Assist in Diagnosing Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease: A 18F-Flutemetamol Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Study.

Objective: The aim was to study whether the computed tomography (CT) density and ß-amyloid (Aß) level of intraorbital optic nerve could assist in diagnosing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: A total of sixty subjects were recruited in our study, including nine normal control (NC) subjects (i.e., 4 men and 5 women), twenty four MCI subjects (i.e., 11 men and 13 women), and twenty seven AD subjects (i.e., 14 men and 13 women). All subjects conducted 18F-flutemetamol amyloid positron emission tomography (PET)/CT imaging. Blinded to the clinical information of the subjects, two physicians independently measured and calculated the standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) of the bilateral occipital cortex, SUVR of the bilateral intraorbital optic nerve, and CT density of the bilateral intraorbital optic nerve by using GE AW 4.5 Workstation. Results: Between AD and NC groups, the differences of the bilateral intraorbital optic nerve SUVR were statistically significant; between AD and MCI groups, the differences of the left intraorbital optic nerve SUVR were statistically significant. Between any two of the three groups, the differences in the bilateral intraorbital optic nerve density were statistically significant. The bilateral occipital SUVR was positively correlated with the bilateral intraorbital optic nerve SUVR and negatively correlated with the bilateral intraorbital optic nerve density. Bilateral intraorbital optic nerve SUVR was negatively correlated with the bilateral intraorbital optic nerve density. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of multiple logistic regression was 0.9167 (for MCI vs. NC) and 0.8951 (for AD vs. MCI). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were positively associated with the intraorbital optic nerve density and were negatively associated with the intraorbital optic nerve SUVR. The regression equation of MoCA was y = 16.37-0.9734 × x 1 + 0.5642 × x 2-3.127 × x 3 + 0.0275 × x 4; the R 2 was 0.848. The regression equation of MMSE was y = 19.57-1.633 × x 1 + 0.4397 × x 2-1.713 × x 3 + 0.0424 × x 4; the R 2 was 0.827. Conclusion: The CT density and Aß deposition of the intraorbital optic nerve were associated with Aß deposition of the occipital cortex and the severity of cognitive impairment. The intraorbital optic nerve CT density and intraorbital optic nerve Aß deposition could assist in diagnosing MCI and AD.

Regional cerebral perfusion in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment: effect of cerebral small vessel disease.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effort of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) on regional cerebral perfusion in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using NeuroGam™ software and evaluate the capability of brain perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in distinguishing MCI with and without CSVD. METHODS: 34 amnestic MCI subjects entered this study, conducting neuropsychological tests, MRI and 99mTechnetium ethyl cystine dimer brain perfusion SPECT imaging. All subjects were divided into those with CSVD and those without CSVD. Perfusion value was measured with Brodmann area (BA) mapping in these two groups. Automated software (NeuroGam™) was used for semi-quantitative analyses of perfusion value and comparison with normal database. RESULTS: Compared with normal database, perfusion levels in BAs 23-left, 28 and 36-left of MCI without CSVD group had great deviations, while perfusion levels in BAs 21, 23, 24, 25, 28, 36, 38 and 47-left of MCI with CSVD group had great deviations. Furthermore, compared with CSVD group, there was significantly lower perfusion value in BA 7-left (P < 0.001) in MCI without CSVD group. CONCLUSIONS: CSVD could interact with pathological changes related to AD, exacerbating hypoperfusion in BAs 21, 23, 28, 36, 38 while compensating for cerebral blood perfusion disorder in BA 7-left in MCI patients. Meanwhile, MCI patients with CSVD shared similar hypoperfusion with vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) in BAs 24, 25 and 47L. Brain perfusion SPECT may help improve our ability to differentiate MCI with and without CSVD.

Computed Tomography for Detecting Patent Foramen Ovale: A Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been regarded as a potential source of cryptogenic stroke, which was conventionally detected by transesophageal echocardiography. Cardiac computed tomography (CCT) is a promising, noninvasive test for detection of PFO. We sought to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic performance of CCT in detecting PFO. METHODS: PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Wanfang from inception to June 2020 were searched for relevant studies comparing CCT and transesophageal echocardiography as the reference standard in detecting PFO. A bivariate model was used to pool sensitivity and specificity and to construct summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves. RESULTS: A total of seven studies with 483 patients were included in this meta-analysis. For the diagnosis of PFO, CCT had a mean sensitivity and specificity of 0.70 [95% CI:0.58, 0.79] and 0.97 [95% CI: 0.95, 0.99]. The SROC analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.97. CONCLUSION: CCT shows good diagnostic accuracy in detecting PFO with relatively high sensitivity and specificity. CCT could be considered a noninvasive alternative to transesophageal echocardiography for detecting PFO.

The Extracellular Milieu of Toxoplasma's Lytic Cycle Drives Lab Adaptation, Primarily by Transcriptional Reprogramming.

Evolve and resequencing (E&R) was applied to lab adaptation of Toxoplasma gondii for over 1,500 generations with the goal of mapping host-independent in vitro virulence traits. Phenotypic assessments of steps across the lytic cycle revealed that only traits needed in the extracellular milieu evolved. Nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in only one gene, a P4 flippase, fixated across two different evolving populations, whereas dramatic changes in the transcriptional signature of extracellular parasites were identified. Newly developed computational tools correlated phenotypes evolving at different rates with specific transcriptomic changes. A set of 300 phenotype-associated genes was mapped, of which nearly 50% is annotated as hypothetical. Validation of a select number of genes by knockouts confirmed their role in lab adaptation and highlights novel mechanisms underlying in vitro virulence traits. Further analyses of differentially expressed genes revealed the development of a "pro-tachyzoite" profile as well as the upregulation of the fatty acid biosynthesis (FASII) pathway. The latter aligned with the P4 flippase SNP and aligned with a low abundance of medium-chain fatty acids at low passage, indicating this is a limiting factor in extracellular parasites. In addition, partial overlap with the bradyzoite differentiation transcriptome in extracellular parasites indicated that stress pathways are involved in both situations. This was reflected in the partial overlap between the assembled ApiAP2 and Myb transcription factor network underlying the adapting extracellular state with the bradyzoite differentiation program. Overall, E&R is a new genomic tool successfully applied to map the development of polygenic traits underlying in vitro virulence of T. gondii. IMPORTANCE It has been well established that prolonged in vitro cultivation of Toxoplasma gondii augments progression of the lytic cycle. This lab adaptation results in increased capacities to divide, migrate, and survive outside a host cell, all of which are considered host-independent virulence factors. However, the mechanistic basis underlying these enhanced virulence features is unknown. Here, E&R was utilized to empirically characterize the phenotypic, genomic, and transcriptomic changes in the non-lab-adapted strain, GT1, during 2.5 years of lab adaptation. This identified the shutdown of stage differentiation and upregulation of lipid biosynthetic pathways as the key processes being modulated. Furthermore, lab adaptation was primarily driven by transcriptional reprogramming, which rejected the starting hypothesis that genetic mutations would drive lab adaptation. Overall, the work empirically shows that lab adaptation augments T. gondii's in vitro virulence by transcriptional reprogramming and that E&R is a powerful new tool to map multigenic traits.

Predictive Control-Based Completeness Analysis and Global Calibration of Robot Vision Features.

This paper provides an in-depth study and analysis of robot vision features for predictive control and a global calibration of their feature completeness. The acquisition and use of the complete macrofeature set are studied in the context of a robot task by defining the complete macrofeature set at the level of the overall purpose and constraints of the robot vision servo task. The visual feature set that can fully characterize the macropurpose and constraints of a vision servo task is defined as the complete macrofeature set. Due to the complexity of the task, a part of the features of the complete macrofeature set is obtained directly from the image, and another part of the features is obtained from the image by inference. The task is guaranteed to be completely based on a robust calibration-free visual serving strategy based on interference observer that is proposed to complete the visual serving task with high performance. To address the problems of singular values, local minima, and insufficient robustness in the traditional scale-free vision servo algorithm, a new scale-free vision servo method is proposed to construct a dual closed-loop vision servo structure based on interference observer, which ensures the closed-loop stability of the system through the Q-filter-based interference observer, while estimating and eliminating the interference consisting of hand-eye mapping model uncertainty and controlled robot input interference. The equivalent interference consisting of hand-eye mapping model uncertainty, controlled robot input interference, and detection noise is estimated and eliminated to obtain an inner-loop structure that presents a nominal model externally, and then an outer-loop controller is designed according to the nominal model to achieve the best performance of the system dynamic performance and robustness to optimally perform the vision servo task.

Correction to: A phase 2, open-label, multi-center study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT to detect Parkinson's disease.

The corresponding author of the article would like to remove "Jian Wang" in the author group.

A phase 2, open-label, multi-center study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT to detect Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy and safety of 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT in diagnosing Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT imaging was performed in 34 healthy controls and 96 PD patients 2.5 h later after injection. The striatal image was evaluated visually and semi-quantitively. Sensitivity and specificity of 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT were analyzed according to Hoehn and Yahr scale (HYS). Based on HYS, the PD patients were divided into mild (HYS 1-2) and moderate (HYS 3-5) groups. The uptake ratios of striatum (ST) and cerebellum (CB) in contralateral, ipsilateral and bilateral striatum in different groups were calculated and analyzed. The safety was assessed. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT to discriminate PD patients from healthy subjects were 98.96% and 94.12% and it has perfect agreement with HYS (κ = 0.94, p < 0.001). The sensitivity to diagnose mild and moderate PD was 43.42% and 95% separately. The uptake ratio in PD patients was significantly lower than that in healthy controls (1.37 ± 0.13 vs 1.68 ± 0.18, p < 0.001). And the uptake ratio in contralateral side was markedly reduced in unilateral PD patients as compared with the ipsilateral side (1.50 ± 0.20 vs 1.46 ± 0.21, p < 0.001). The striatal uptakes in affected striatum and bilateral striatum were reduced with increasing disease severity between healthy control versus mild stage versus moderate stage in the affected striatum and bilateral striatum in PD patients. No serious adverse events or death was observed after injecting 99mTc-TRODAT-1. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that 99mTc-TRODAT-1 was a safety radiotracer which can be used in clinic to diagnose PD using SPECT.

Evaluation of 99mTC-ECD SPECT/CT brain Imaging with NeuroGam analysis in Moyamoya disease after surgical revascularization.

To evaluate the clinical value of NeuroGam software in assessing the brain foci perfusion changes by TC-ECD single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) brain imaging in patients with Moyamoya Disease (MMD).Seventy-two patients with MMD who underwent superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass combined with encephalo-duro-myo-synangiosis (EDMS) surgical revascularization were included. Baseline and follow-up TC-ECD SPECT/CT brain scans were performed on all patients at least twice before and after operation. Pre- and post-SPECT dicom images were reoriented into Talairach space using NeuroGam Software package. Additional visual analysis was performed. Differences mean pixel value between pre- and post- operation brain perfusion were assessed with paired t test and McNemar test.Significant differences in the number of hypoperfusion foci were found between visual assessment and NeuroGam aided assessment. More hypoperfusion foci were found by NeuroGam software aided assessment in the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital lobe, thalamus, basal ganglia and cerebellum before and after surgery (P < .0001). According to NeuroGam software assessment, the perfusion of frontal, parietal, temporal lobe, anterior and middle cerebral regions on the operative side significantly improved before and after surgery (t = -3.734, t = -3.935, t = -5.099, t = -4.006, t = -5.170, all P < .001). However, no significant differences were found in the occipital lobe (t = -1.962, P = .054), thalamus (t = 1.362, P = .177), basal ganglia (t = -2.394, P = .019), and cerebellum (t = 1.383, P = .171) before and after surgery.The NeuroGam software provides a quantitative approach for monitoring surgical effect of MMD in a variable time (3-12 months after surgery). It could discover the perfusion changes that are neglected in conventional visual assessment.

Early monitoring of osteoporosis treatment response by technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate bone scan.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate (Tc-MDP) bone scan and the bone mineral density (BMD) test in monitoring the efficacy of osteoporosis (OP) treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 50 women with OP were prospectively enrolled in this study from January 2011 to October 2016 in our hospital. All the patients underwent a Tc-MDP whole-body bone scan and the BMD test before and after alendronate sodium treatment at 3, 6, 12 and 18 months, respectively. Bone metabolism rate on the Tc-MDP bone scan was analysed and expressed as the region-of-interest (ROI) ratio of target bones (L1-L4 vertebrae and femoral neck) to the control right tibia shaft, which was subsequently compared with the bone mass on BMD test at each time point of the treatment. RESULTS: The mean ROI ratio of the L1 vertebra on the Tc-MDP bone scans decreased significantly starting at 3 months and continued to decrease at 6, 12 and 18 months, respectively (P<0.001). The mean ROI ratio decreased significantly starting at 6 months at the L2 (P<0.001) and L3 (P<0.001) and starting at 12 months at the L4 (P<0.001) and the right femoral head (P<0.001), respectively. In contrast, the BMD levels of the L1, L2, L3 and L4 vertebrae and the femoral neck increased significantly after 12, 12, 18, 18 and 18 months alendronate treatment respectively. CONCLUSION: Tc-MDP bone scan can detect the alendronate therapeutic efficacy for OP much earlier than the BMD test.