[Quantification of brain developmental trajectories based on histogram parameters at slice of the anterior and posterior horns of the lateral ventricles on routine brain MRI in normal children aged 0 to 5 years].

Objective: To investigate the value of histogram parameters in quantifying brain development trajectory at slice of anterior and posterior horns of lateral ventricles on conventional brain MRI in normal children aged 0-5 years. Methods: Routine brain MRI data [apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map, T1-weighted imaging (T1WI), and T2-weighted imaging (T2WI)] were retrospectively collected from 300 children aged 0-5 years who underwent MRI at Children 's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from April 2014 to November 2021, 154 males and 146 females, aged [M (Q1, Q3) ] 35.57(17.98,50.66)months. According to the random sampling method, they were divided into training set (n=240) and validation set (n=60) in a ratio of 8∶2. The training set was divided into 6 groups according to age:≤0.5 years, 24 persons; >0.5-≤1 years,21 persons; >1-≤2 years,31 persons; >2-≤3 years,44 persons; >3-≤4 years,42 persons; >4-≤5 years,78 persons. MRIcron software was used to delineate the whole brain at the level of the anterior and posterior horns of the lateral ventricles of the three MRI data as the region of interest. Then gray histograms and their parameters [including mean, maximum, minimum, skewness, kurtosis, mode, variance, and percentiles at 5% intervals from 10% to 95%(10th-95th) ]were obtained. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to assess consistency of intra-observer and inter-observer measurement. Representative parameters were selected by Spearman correlation analysis and curve fitting. The linear regression coefficient ß represented development rates at different ages. The selected curve regression models were applied to the validation set, and the reliability of the model was evaluated with accuracy. Results: Intra-observer and inter-observer histogram measurement parameters were generally in good consistency (ICC>0.800, all P<0.001). Histogram parameters ADC 10th-65th, T1WI 55th-80th and T2WI 10th-45th were highly correlated with age (∣r∣≥0.700, 0.600 and 0.600 respectively; all P<0.001). ADC 30th and T2WI 10th had the greatest goodness of fit (R²=0.871, 0.873; both P<0.001). Map of brain development trends showed that ADC 30th and T2WI 10th decreased with age. ADC 30th changed rapidly before the age of 2 years, most significantly within 6 months, and the rate of decrease slowed down after 2 years old. T2WI 10th decreased rapidly within 1 year, and moderately after 1 year old. The curve regression models of ADC 30th and T2WI 10th had higher accuracy in validation set [93% (56/60) and 95% (57/60), respectively]. Conclusion: Histogram parameters can quantify brain developmental trajectories at slice of anterior and posterior horns of lateral ventricles on conventional MRI in normal children aged 0-5 years, and obtain the brain development curves reflecting this slice of this age group.

Environmental impacts of nitrogen emissions in China and the role of policies in emission reduction.

Atmospheric reactive nitrogen (Nr) has been a cause of serious environmental pollution in China. Historically, China used too little Nr in its agriculture to feed its population. However, with the rapid increase in N fertilizer use for food production and fossil fuel consumption for energy supply over the last four decades, increasing gaseous Nr species (e.g. NH3 and NOx) have been emitted to the atmosphere and then deposited as wet and dry deposition, with adverse impacts on air, water and soil quality as well as plant biodiversity and human health. This paper reviews the issues associated with this in a holistic way. The emissions, deposition, impacts, actions and regulations for the mitigation of atmospheric Nr are discussed systematically. Both NH3 and NOx make major contributions to environmental pollution but especially to the formation of secondary fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which impacts human health and light scattering (haze). In addition, atmospheric deposition of NH3 and NOx causes adverse impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems due to acidification and eutrophication. Regulations and practices introduced by China that meet the urgent need to reduce Nr emissions are explained and resulting effects on emissions are discussed. Recommendations for improving future N management for achieving 'win-win' outcomes for Chinese agricultural production and food supply, and human and environmental health, are described. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Air quality, past present and future'.

[Classification of the types of pediatric posterior fossa brain tumors based on routine MRI using wavelet transformation analysis of whole tumor].

Objective: To evaluate the classification of the types of pediatric posterior fossa brain tumors based on routine MRI (T(1)WI, T(2)WI and ADC) using wavelet transformation analysis of whole tumor. Methods: MRI images of medulloblastoma (n=59), ependymoma (n=13) and pilocytic astrocytoma (n=27) confirmed by pathology before treatments in Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2014 to February 2019 were enrolled in this retrospective study as well as the clinical data of age, gender and symptoms. Registration was performed among the three sequences and wavelet features of ROI were acquired. Afterwards, the top ten features were ranked and trained among groups by using random forest classifier. Finally, the results were compared and analyzed according to the classification. Results: The top ten contribution three sequences and wavelet features of ROI were acquired from the ADC sequence. The random forest classifier achieved 100% accuracy on training data and was validated best accuracy (86.8%) when combined of first and third wavelet features. The sensitivity was 100%, 94.8%, 76.9%, and the specificity was 97.6%, 88.0%, 98.8% respectively. Conclusions: Features based on wavelet transformation of ADC sequence of entire tumor can provide more quantitative information, which could provide help in the differential diagnosis of pediatric posterior fossa brain tumors. The optimum combination to distinguish three pediatric posterior fossa brain tumors is sixth and twelfth wavelet features of ADC sequence.

Silencing FOXA1 gene regulates liver cancer cell apoptosis and cell proliferation.

OBJECTIVE: Liver cancer emerged as a major health problem, and it accounts for leading cancer-related death worldwide. Due to recurrence and metastatic behavior, it is challenging to be controlled and managed. Understanding the regulative role of different proteins, which regulates liver cancer in various pathological stages, is essential to be investigated. In this study, we analyzed the correlation between Foxa1 suppression along with apoptosis and cancer stem cell proliferation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CD133+ cells were used to induce the initial and advanced stage of liver cancer. Histology was used to study and confirm the tissue complications associated with initial, advanced and Foxa1 silenced liver cancer tissues. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to quantify Foxa1, CD133 expression. TUNEL assay was performed to study apoptosis. RESULTS: Initially using CD133+ cells, we successfully developed a mouse model with the initial and advanced stage of liver cancer upon 4 and 8 weeks incubation. Histologically, as the tumor progress, it shows more proliferative cells with disorganized tissue structure. Foxa1 silencing aids in recovering from initial liver cancer, but it has only limited effects with advanced liver cancer. The apoptosis process is enhanced in initial liver cancer, and Foxa1 silenced tissue when compared with the advanced stage of liver cancer. Foxa1 silencing also suppresses the cancer stem cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our results reveal the critical role of Foxa1 in regulating apoptosis and liver cancer stem cells.

Preliminary Experience with Stent-Assisted Coiling of Aneurysms Arising from Small (<2.5 mm) Cerebral Vessels Using The Low-Profile Visualized Intraluminal Support Device.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The Low-Profile Visualized Intraluminal Support (LVIS) stent is a new device recently introduced for the treatment of wide-neck intracranial aneurysms. This single-center study presents the authors' preliminary experience using the LVIS stent to treat saccular aneurysms with parent arteries smaller than 2.5 mm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aneurysms with a LVIS stent used in a small parent vessel (<2.5 mm in diameter) between October 2014 and April 2016 were included. Procedure-related complications, angiographic results, clinical outcomes, and midterm follow-up data were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 22 patients was studied, including 5 ruptured and 17 unruptured aneurysms. Most of the aneurysms were located in the anterior circulation (90.9%). Stent placement in the parent arteries measuring 1.7-2.4 mm in diameter (mean, 2.1 mm) was successful in 100% of cases. Procedure-related complication developed in 1 patient (4.5%) who presented with aneurysm rupture. No permanent morbidity and mortality occurred. Immediate angiographic outcome showed complete occlusion in 8 aneurysms (36.4%), neck residual in 8 (36.4%), and residual aneurysm in 6 (27.3%). All patients underwent angiographic follow-up at a mean of 8.3 months, which revealed complete occlusion in 18 (81.8%) patients, neck remnant in 3 (13.6%), and residual sac in 1 (4.5%). No recanalization of the target aneurysm was observed. There was 1 case with asymptomatic in-stent stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary results show that the deployment of LVIS stents in small vessels is feasible, safe, and effective in the midterm. Larger studies with long-term follow-up are needed to validate our promising results.

[The influence of depression degree on regulatory T cells in patients with non-M3 acute myeloid leukemia].

Objective: To investigate the influence of depression levels on regulatory T cells (Tregs) in patients with non-M3 acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Methods: A total of 63 patients with primarily diagnostic non-M3 AML and 25 healthy controls were enrolled, and the levels of depression by using HADM score and the percentages of Tregs by flow cytometry were evaluated in pre-treatment and post-treatment, respectively. Results: After every course of chemotherapy, the percentages of Tregs of PBMNC in AML showed the higher level of (6.48±1.81)% than those of (4.99±1.29)% in control (P= 0.001). There was no difference among different levels of depression groups after the first cycle. However, the percentages of Tregs increased with the worse of depression after the second and third cycles. Partial correlation analysis after adjusting age indicated that the percentages of Tregs showed no correlation with the levels of depression after the first cycle (correlation coefficient, 0.120, P=0.345), and showed the positive correlation with depression levels after the second and third cycles (correlation coefficient, 0.619 and 0.614, all P values <0.05). Conclusion: The depression levels showed an association with the percentages of Tregs in patients with non-M3 AML, which could be observed only after the second cycles of chemotherapy.

Intra-aneurysmal microcatheter looping technique for stent-assisted embolization of complex intracranial aneurysms.

The endovascular treatment of wide-necked, large and giant aneurysms remains challenging. This retrospective study investigated the feasibility and safety of an intra-aneurysmal microcatheter looping technique for stent-assisted embolization of complicated intracranial aneurysms.This technique was used for 31 patients with complicated cerebral aneurysms from January 2007 to November 2013. The clinical and angiographic results were retrospectively evaluated.The target aneurysms were successfully treated in all cases (100%). A flow diverter was used in seven procedures. There were no aneurysmal perforations or ischemic complications, except for a microguidewire perforation of the distal vessel in one case. Among the 24 cases with conventional stent-assisted embolization, complete embolization or neck residual was obtained in 21 cases. Partial occlusion occurred in three cases.In conclusion, the intra-aneurysmal microcatheter looping technique is a safe and feasible alternative treatment of complicated intracranial aneurysms. This approach is a reasonable choice for patients and leads to successful outcomes.

Skin immune response in the zebrafish, Danio rerio (Hamilton), to Aeromonas hydrophila infection: a transcriptional profiling approach.

Skin plays an important role in innate immune responses to bacterial infection, but its molecular mechanism remains unclear in fish. The transcriptional profiling of the skin immune response to Aeromonas hydrophila infection of the zebrafish, Danio rerio (Hamilton), was performed by Affymetrix microarray analysis. The results showed that 538 genes were differentially expressed, of which 388 genes were up-regulated and 150 genes were down-regulated. The expression patterns for 106 representative genes were observed to be up-regulated in zebrafish skin at 24 and 36 h post-infection, and gene expression changes were clearly greater at 36 h. Gene Ontology classification indicated that 222 genes were significantly associated with the skin immunity, including complement activation, acute-phase response, stress response, chemotaxis and apoptosis. Further Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed that the significant pathways included MAPK, p53, Wnt, TGF-ß, Notch, ErbB, JAK-STAT, VEGF, mTOR and Calcium signalling in skin immune responses, and several genes (e.g. akt2l, frap1, nras, rac1, xiap) were found to be involved in signalling networks. Moreover, expression changes in nine selected genes were verified by real-time qPCR analysis. This is the first known report on transcriptome analysis in the skin of zebrafish against the pathogen A. hydrophila.

Elevated serum levels of interleukin 21 are associated with disease severity in patients with psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is an immune disorder involving numerous cytokines. Recent studies have shown that interleukin (IL)-21 plays an important role in a variety of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. It is highly expressed in psoriatic plaques and promotes the proliferation of epidermis in mice. It seems that IL-21 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. However, whether or not it is elevated in the peripheral blood of patients with psoriasis and is associated with disease severity is unclear. Therefore, our study focuses on serum IL-21 levels and their correlation with disease severity. OBJECTIVES: To detect serum IL-21 levels in patients with psoriasis and investigate the correlation between these and the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from patients with plaque psoriasis and from healthy control subjects. Serum IL-21 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 37 patients with psoriasis and 37 healthy controls. The PASI scores of patients with psoriasis and their correlation with serum IL-21 levels were evaluated. RESULTS: Serum IL-21 levels were higher in patients with psoriasis than in healthy controls (P < 0·01). Serum IL-21 levels were positively correlated with PASI scores in the patients with psoriasis (r = 0·471, P < 0·01). CONCLUSIONS: Serum IL-21 levels in patients with psoriasis are elevated and positively correlate with PASI scores. These results indicate that IL-21 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

The enhanced electrogenerated chemiluminescence of Ru(bpy)3(2+) by glutathione on a glassy carbon electrode modified with some porphine compounds.

It has been found that the electrochemical activity of glutathione was increased greatly at the glassy carbon electrodes modified with 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphine ruthenium(II) carbenyl (RuTPP), meso-tetraphenylporphine copper(II) complex (CuTTP) and hemin. It has been also found that glutathione would enhance the electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of Ru(bpy)3(2+) at a hemin glassy carbon electrode; the enhanced ECL intensity was linear with the concentration of glutathione in the range of 1 x 10(-7)-1 x 10(-4) mol l-1, based on which method for determination of glutathione has been developed. The detection limit of glutathione was 2 x 10(-8) mol l-1, and the relative standard deviation for 1 x 10(-6) mol l-1 glutathione was 2.7%. The mechanism for this ECL system has been proposed.

Impaired expression of long-term potentiation in hippocampal slices 4 and 48 h following mild fluid-percussion brain injury in vivo.

The effect of fluid percussion brain injury on hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) was investigated in hippocampal slices in vitro. Mild to moderate (1.7-2.1 atm) lateral fluid percussion head injury or sham operation was produced in rats 4 or 48 h prior to harvesting brain slices from the ipsilateral hippocampus. Field excitatory post-synaptic potentials (fEPSPs) were recorded in stratum radiatum of hippocampal subfield CA1 in response to electrical stimulation of the Schaffer collaterals. The initial slope of fEPSPs was used to investigate changes in synaptic strength prior to and following 100 or 200 Hz (1 s) tetanic stimulation. TBI significantly inhibited expression of LTP in hippocampal slices in vitro. Post-tetanus fEPSP slopes increased more than 100% in hippocampal slices from sham-operated animals but less than 50% in slices from rats following TBI. The data suggest that changes in functional synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus may contribute to cognitive disorders associated with TBI (traumatic brain injury). The data also indicate that TBI-induced effects on hippocampal LTP are robust and may be investigated in the hippocampal slice preparation in vitro.

An epidemiological study of risk factors for lung cancer in Guangzhou, China.

Lung cancer has been on a rapid rise worldwide during the last three or four decades, in part due to modern social habits and unhealthy lifestyles. Although smoking, air pollution, and certain types of occupational exposure have been recognized as the major risk factors for lung cancer, the significance of each of these factors appears to vary with sex, country, and with region within a given country. In the case of nonsmoking females, some risk factors for lung cancer remain to be identified. In the city of Guangzhou, lung cancer is one of the five leading tumors and the rate has been increasing steadily in both males and females since the 1970s. In this report, more than 6000 cases of lung cancer deaths, accumulated over the past 9 years, were analyzed. The severity of air pollution and cigarette smoking were positively correlated with the incidence of lung cancer deaths. Analysis of levels of SO2 and NOx suggests that the major source of indoor air pollution came from cooking. Two studies were performed in order to determine the relative contribution and importance of smoking, indoor air pollution and occupational exposure as risk factors for the rising incidence of lung cancer. The first was a population-based case-control study involving 849 subjects (566 males and 283 females). The second study was based on the data made available by the Third National Census survey, in which the standardized mortality rate (SMR) and population attributable risk (PAR) for lung cancer due to occupational exposure for the population in Guangzhou were analyzed. Results of these two studies show that: in females, indoor air pollution, derived primarily from burning coal, was found to be a highly significant risk factor for lung cancer. In males, however, cigarette smoking and occupational exposure were significantly associated with lung cancer. To further elucidate the contribution of indoor air pollution as a risk factor for lung cancer in nonsmoking females, two additional case-control studies were performed in 1985 and 1986. The 1985 study involved 120 nonsmokers (28 males, 92 females) in which the influence of such lifestyle factors as: personal history of nonmalignant respiratory diseases, fresh vegetable consumption, lifetime occupation and occupational exposure histories, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), degree of indoor air pollution, general conditions of home residence, cooking practices and environments, and family history of cancer were first individually assessed and then collectively subjected to multiple conditional regression analysis for evaluation as risk factors for lung cancer. The 1986 study involved 75 cases of never-smoking females in which the aim was to investigate the influence of exposure to spousal smoke as a risk factor for lung cancer. These studies suggest that consumption of fresh vegetables was a "protective" factor for lung cancer in both males and females. In females, indoor air pollution and size of the kitchen were risk factors for lung cancer, whereas ETS exposure, respiratory disease history, family history of cancer, living conditions, use of cooking fuel, and participation in cooking, were not statistically associated with female lung cancer deaths. Occupational exposure was also correlated with the incidence of female lung cancer deaths. In males, chemists had the highest SMR, whereas in females, homemakers had the highest SMR. In males, the most common lung cancer cell type was squamous cell carcinoma, whereas in females adenocarcinoma was the most predominant type. The factors affecting the distribution of histologic lung cancer cell types were also investigated and discussed.