Effects of subtle variation in forest canopy openness on cache pilferage and its implications for forest regeneration.

Scatter-hoarding rodents play important roles in plant regeneration and species coexistence in many forest ecosystems. Cache pilferage, the behavior of rodents seeking or relocating seeds cached by other individuals, is ubiquitous during the scatter-hoarding process. The effects of canopy openness on cache pilferage have received considerable attention, most of which have focused on the comparison between full canopy cover and completely open areas, such as forest gaps. However, little attention has been given to whether the subtle variation in forest canopy openness affects cache pilferage, although subtle variation in light environments exists in many forests, especially tropical and subtropical forests, where the overall canopy is large and the forest window is relatively small. Here, we directly tested these questions by simulating 400 artificial caches, each containing one seed from four selected tree species, in a subtropical forest in southwestern China. The overall canopy openness of the forest was relatively small (with a mean value of 11.1%), but subtle spatial variation still existed (ranging from 5.7% to 19.5%). Overall, caches with lower canopy openness were more likely to be pilfered and removed faster, although not all species showed the same pattern. Our study highlights that subtle variation in forest canopy openness, even in a closed primary forest, has significant effects on cache pilferage by rodents, which may influence the following seed germination and forest regeneration processes. Additionally, seedling species composition may further be altered because the canopy effects on cache pilferage are species-specific.

OTULIN-related conditions: Report of a new case and review of the literature using GenIA.

OTULIN encodes an eponymous linear deubiquitinase (DUB), which through the regulation of M1-Ub dynamics, is essential for controlling inflammation as a negative regulator of the canonical NF-κB signaling pathway. Biallelic loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in OTULIN cause an autosomal recessive condition named Otulin-Related Autoinflammatory Syndrome (ORAS), also known as Otulipenia or AutoInflammation, Panniculitis, and Dermatosis Syndrome (AIPDS). Monoallelic OTULIN LOF, also known as OTULIN Haploinsufficiency (OHI) or Immunodeficiency 107 (IMD107), has been linked to an incompletely penetrant, dominantly inherited susceptibility to invasive Staphylococcal infections. At the same time, a recent novel ORAS-like inflammatory syndrome was described in association with a heterozygous missense mutation that appears to exert dominant negative effects. In this manuscript, we report the identification of a novel homozygous missense mutation, c.595T>A; p.(Trp199Arg), in a Moroccan infant with an ORAS phenotype. We go on to systematically review the literature for OTULIN-related human disease phenotypes by using the GenIA database to collect, extract and harmonize all clinical, laboratory and functional data for published patients and variants. Our comprehensive synthesis of genotypic, phenotypic, and mechanistic data enables a more in-depth view of the diverse mechanisms and pathways by which the OTULIN pathogenic variants may lead to human immune disease. This review may help variant classification activities and the drafting of diagnostic and management guidelines; but it also identifies outstanding knowledge gaps and raises additional questions for future investigation.

The Unprecedented Biodegradable Polyzwitterion: A Removal-Free Patch for Accelerating Infected Diabetic Wound Healing.

Zwitterionic polymers have emerged as an important class of biomaterials to construct wound dressings and antifouling coatings over the past decade due to their excellent hydrophilicity. However, all the reported zwitterionic polymers as wound dressings are nondegradable because of noncleavable carbon─carbon bonding backbones, and must be removed periodically after treatment to avoid hypoxia in the wound, thus leading to potential secondary injury. In this work, a biodegradable polyzwitterion patch is fabricated for the first time by ring-opening polymerization of carboxybetaine dithiolane (CBDS), which is self-crosslinked via inter-amide hydrogen bonds and zwitterionic dipole-dipole interactions on the side chains. The unprecedented polyCBDS (PCBDS) patch demonstrates enough ductility owing to the intermolecular physical interactions to fully cover irregular wounds, also showing excellent biodegradability and antifouling performance resulted from the existence of disulfide bonds and carboxybetaine groups. Besides, the PCBDS degradation-induced released CBDS owns potent antioxidant and antibacterial activities. This PCBDS patch is used as a diabetic wound dressing, inhibiting bacterial adhesion on the external surface, and its degradation products can exactly kill bacteria and scavenge excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) at the wound site to regulate local microenvironment, including regulation of cytokine express and macrophage polarization, accelerating infected diabetic wound repair, and also avoiding the potential secondary injury.

Incorporation of ascorbic acid in chitosan-based coating combined with plasma-activated water: A technology for quality preservation of red grapes after simulated transportation.

Red grapes possess multiple bioactivities but are highly susceptible to spoilage due to the lack of efficient preservation techniques. Plasma-activated water (PAW) treatment and the incorporation of antioxidants in bio-based coatings are promising methods for preserving produce. In this study, we tested a novel combination by incorporating ascorbic acid (AA) into a chitosan-based edible coating (CH) and combining it with plasma-activated water (PAW) treatment (CA-PAW) before simulating transport vibrations to extend the shelf-life of red grapes. The results from storage at 4 °C for 20 d indicated that the CA-PAW treatment reduced microbial counts by 2.62 log10 CFU/g for bacteria, 1.72 log10 CFU/g for yeasts and molds, and 1.1 log10 CFU/g for coliforms, in comparison to the control group treated with sterile deionized water. Total phenols and total flavonoid content were the highest observed, at 111.2 mg GAE/100 g and 262.67 mg RE/100 g, respectively. This treatment also inhibited water migration and erosion, and reduced damage to cell structure. Microstructural observations revealed that the CH coating on the surface of red grapes diminished the degradation of bioactive components. In conclusion, the CA-PAW treatment effectively inhibited the adverse physiological changes caused by vibration and mechanical damage to red grapes, maintained their nutritional and sensory qualities, and extended the shelf life by at least 8 d.

Meta-analysis and systematic review of the relationship between sex and the risk or incidence of poststroke aphasia and its types.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse and discuss the association of gender differences with the risk and incidence of poststroke aphasia (PSA) and its types, and to provide evidence-based guidance for the prevention and treatment of poststroke aphasia in clinical practice. DATA SOURCES: Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched from January 1, 2002, to December 1, 2023. STUDY SELECTION: Including the total number of strokes, aphasia, the number of different sexes or the number of PSA corresponding to different sex. DATA EXTRACTION: Studies with missing data, aphasia caused by nonstroke and noncompliance with the requirements of literature types were excluded. DATA SYNTHESIS: 36 papers were included, from 19 countries. The analysis of 168,259 patients with stroke and 31,058 patients with PSA showed that the risk of PSA was 1.23 times higher in female than in male (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.19-1.29, P < 0.001), with a prevalence of PSA of 31% in men and 36% in women, and an overall prevalence of 34% (P < 0.001). Analysis of the risk of the different types of aphasia in 1,048 patients with PSA showed a high risk in females for global, broca and Wenicke aphasia, and a high risk in males for anomic, conductive and transcortical aphasia, which was not statistically significant by meta-analysis. The incidence of global aphasia (males vs. females, 29% vs. 32%) and broca aphasia (17% vs 19%) were higher in females, and anomic aphasia (19% vs 14%) was higher in males, which was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There are gender differences in the incidence and types of PSA. The risk of PSA in female is higher than that in male.

Neuronal ablation of GHSR mitigates diet-induced depression and memory impairment via AMPK-autophagy signaling-mediated inflammation.

Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS), and neuroinflammation has been shown to have detrimental effects on mood and cognition. The growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), the biologically relevant receptor of the orexigenic hormone ghrelin, is primarily expressed in the brain. Our previous study showed that neuronal GHSR deletion prevents high-fat diet-induced obesity (DIO). Here, we investigated the effect of neuronal GHSR deletion on emotional and cognitive functions in DIO. The neuron-specific GHSR-deficient mice exhibited reduced depression and improved spatial memory compared to littermate controls under DIO. We further examined the cortex and hippocampus, the major regions regulating cognitive and emotional behaviors, and found that the neuronal deletion of GHSR reduced DIO-induced neuroinflammation by suppressing proinflammatory chemokines/cytokines and decreasing microglial activation. Furthermore, our data showed that neuronal GHSR deletion suppresses neuroinflammation by downregulating AMPK-autophagy signaling in neurons. In conclusion, our data reveal that neuronal GHSR inhibition protects against DIO-induced depressive-like behavior and spatial cognitive dysfunction, at least in part, through AMPK-autophagy signaling-mediated neuroinflammation.

Low hysteresis zwitterionic supramolecular polymer ion-conductive elastomers with anti-freezing properties, high stretchability, and self-adhesion for flexible electronic devices.

The fabrication of stretchable ionic conductors with low hysteresis and anti-freezing properties to enhance the durability and reliability of flexible electronics even at low temperatures remains an unmet challenge. Here, we report a facile strategy to fabricate low hysteresis, high stretchability, self-adhesion and anti-freezing zwitterionic supramolecular polymer ion-conductive elastomers (ICEs) by photoinitiated polymerization of aqueous precursor solutions containing a newly designed zwitterionic monomer carboxybetaine ureido acrylate (CBUIA) followed by solvent evaporation. The resultant poly(carboxybetaine ureido acrylate) (PCBUIA) ICEs are highly stretchable and self-adhesive owing to the presence of strong hydrogen bonds between ureido groups and dipole-dipole interactions of zwitterions. The zwitterion groups on the polymer side chains and loaded-lithium chloride endow PCBUIA ICEs with excellent anti-freezing properties, demonstrating mechanical flexibility and ionic transport properties even at a low temperature (-20 °C). Remarkably, the PCBUIA ICEs demonstrate a low hysteresis (≈10%) during cyclic mechanical loading-unloading (≤500%), and are successfully applied as wearable strain sensors and triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) for energy harvesting and human motion monitoring. In addition, the PCBUIA ICE-based TENG was used as a wireless sensing terminal for Internet of Things smart devices to enable wireless sensing of finger motion state detection.

Distinct molecular profiles drive multifaceted characteristics of colorectal cancer metastatic seeds.

Metastasis of primary tumors remains a challenge for early diagnosis and prevention. The cellular properties and molecular drivers of metastatically competent clones within primary tumors remain unclear. Here, we generated 10-16 single cell-derived lines from each of three colorectal cancer (CRC) tumors to identify and characterize metastatic seeds. We found that intrinsic factors conferred clones with distinct metastatic potential and cellular communication capabilities, determining organ-specific metastasis. Poorly differentiated or highly metastatic clones, rather than drug-resistant clones, exhibited poor clinical prognostic impact. Personalized genetic alterations, instead of mutation burden, determined the occurrence of metastatic potential during clonal evolution. Additionally, we developed a gene signature for capturing metastatic potential of primary CRC tumors and demonstrated a strategy for identifying metastatic drivers using isogenic clones with distinct metastatic potential in primary tumors. This study provides insight into the origin and mechanisms of metastasis and will help develop potential anti-metastatic therapeutic targets for CRC patients.

Breast cancer screening and early diagnosis in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis on 10.72 million women.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of breast cancer among Chinese women has gradually increased in recent years. This study aims to analyze the situation of breast cancer screening programs in China and compare the cancer detection rates (CDRs), early-stage cancer detection rates (ECDRs), and the proportions of early-stage cancer among different programs. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies in multiple literature databases. Studies that were published between January 1, 2010 and June 30, 2023 were retrieved. A random effects model was employed to pool the single group rate, and subgroup analyses were carried out based on screening model, time, process, age, population, and follow-up method. RESULTS: A total of 35 studies, including 47 databases, satisfied the inclusion criteria. Compared with opportunistic screening, the CDR (1.32‰, 95% CI: 1.10‰-1.56‰) and the ECDR (0.82‰, 95% CI: 0.66‰-0.99‰) were lower for population screening, but the proportion of early-stage breast cancer (80.17%, 95% CI: 71.40%-87.83%) was higher. In subgroup analysis, the CDR of population screening was higher in the urban group (2.28‰, 95% CI: 1.70‰-2.94‰), in the breast ultrasonography (BUS) in parallel with mammography (MAM) group (3.29‰, 95% CI: 2.48‰-4.21‰), and in the second screening follow-up group (2.47‰, 95% CI: 1.64‰-3.47‰), and the proportion of early-stage breast cancer was 85.70% (95% CI: 68.73%-97.29%), 88.18% (95% CI: 84.53%-91.46%), and 90.05% (95% CI: 84.07%-94.95%), respectively. CONCLUSION: There were significant differences between opportunistic and population screening programs. The results of these population screening studies were influenced by the screening process, age, population, and follow-up method. In the future, China should carry out more high-quality and systematic population-based screening programs to improve screening coverage and service.

A system review of central nervous system tumors on children in China: epidemiology and clinical characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system (CNS) tumors are the most common solid tumors in children and the leading cause of cancer-related death in the latter. Currently, the incidence rate exceeds that of leukemia and ranks first in the incidence of malignant tumors in children. METHODS: The epidemiological data on childhood CNS tumors were collected from the Chinese Cancer Registry Annual Report. The annual percent change (APC) of incidence and mortality-rate changes were estimated via Joinpoint regression. Due to a lack of pertinent data, we performed a system review on the clinical-pathological characteristics in Chinese publications. RESULTS: There was no significant increase in the incidence rate (APC: -0.1, 95% CI: -1.5 to 1.3), but there was a significant increase in the mortality rate (APC: 1.8, 95% CI: 0.3 to 3.4) for childhood CNS tumors. In the subgroup analysis, there were significant increases in both the incidence and mortality rates in rural areas (APC in the incidence: 6.2, 95% CI: 2.4 to 10.2; APC in mortality: 4.4, 95% CI: 0.4 to 8.4). The most common location and type of childhood CNS were, respectively, the cerebral hemisphere (25.5%, 95% CI: 21.7% to 29.4%) and astrocytomas (26.8%, 95% CI: 23.9% to 29.6%). CONCLUSIONS: The epidemiological trends, and the relevant prediction, highlighted the need to pay continual attention to childhood CNS tumors, and the clinicopathology evinced its own distinctive characteristics. Timely detection and effective treatment must be further promoted regarding childhood CNS tumors with a view to decreasing the disease burden, especially in rural areas.

The efficacy and safety of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) Program in laparoscopic distal gastrectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Although ERAS Program had some advantages in laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG), its efficacy and safety remained unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of the ERAS group and the traditional care (TC) group in LDG. METHODS: Multiple databases were retrieved from 1 January 2000 to 30 April 2023. The risk ratio (RR), standardized mean difference (SMD) and their 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to estimate the results. RESULTS: Our meta-analysis contained 17 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studies, which comprised 1468 patients. Regarding efficacy, the ERAS group had significantly shorter postoperative time to first flatus (SMD = -1.29 [95% CI: -1.68, -0.90]), shorter time to first defecation (SMD = -1.26 [95% CI: -1.90, -0.61]), shorter hospital stays (SMD = -0.99 [95% CI: -1.34, -0.63]), and lower hospitalization costs (SMD = -1.17 [95% CI: -1.86, -0.48]) compared to the TC group. Furthermore, in the ERAS group, C-reactive protein levels were lower on postoperative days 1, 3 or 4, and 7; albumin levels were higher on postoperative days 3 or 4 and 7; and interleukin-6 levels were lower on postoperative days 1 and 3. Regarding safety, the overall postoperative complication rate was lower in the ERAS group (RR: 0.76 [95% CI: 0.60, 0.97]), but there was no significant difference in the individual postoperative complication rate. Other indicators were also not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The combination of ERAS Program with laparoscopy surgery was safe and effective for the perioperative management of patients with distal gastric cancer.

Prenatal MRI assessment of mediastinal shift angle as a feasible and effective risk stratification tool in isolated right-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a mediastinal shift angle (MSA) measurement method applicable to right-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia (RCDH) in fetal MRI and to validate the predictive value of MSA in RCDH. METHODS: Twenty-seven fetuses with isolated RCDH and 53 controls were included in our study. MSA was measured on MRI axial image at the level of four-chamber view of the fetal heart. The angle between the sagittal midline landmark line and the left boundary landmark line touching tangentially the lateral wall of the left ventricle was used to quantify MSA for RCDH. Appropriate statistical analyses were performed to determine whether MSA can be regarded as a valid predictive tool for postnatal outcomes. Furthermore, predictive performance of MSA was compared with that of lung area to head circumference ratio (LHR), observed/expected LHR (O/E LHR), total fetal lung volume (TFLV), and observed/expected TFLV (O/E TFLV). RESULTS: MSA was significantly higher in the RCDH group than in the control group. MSA, LHR, O/E LHR, TFLV, and O/E TFLV were all correlated with postnatal survival, pulmonary hypertension (PH), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy (p < 0.05). Value of the AUC demonstrated good predictive performance of MSA for postnatal survival (0.901, 95%CI: (0.781-1.000)), PH (0.828, 95%CI: (0.661-0.994)), and ECMO therapy (0.813, 95%CI: (0.645-0.980)), which was similar to O/E TFLV but slightly better than TFLV, O/E LHR, and LHR. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a measurement method of MSA for RCDH for the first time and demonstrated that MSA could be used to predict postnatal survival, PH, and ECMO therapy in RCDH. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Newly developed MRI assessment method of fetal MSA in RCDH offers a simple and effective risk stratification tool for patients with RCDH. KEY POINTS: • We developed a measurement method of mediastinal shift angle for right-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia for the first time and demonstrated its feasibility and reproducibility. • Mediastinal shift angle can predict more prognostic information other than survival in right-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia with good performance. • Mediastinal shift angle can be used as a simple and effective risk stratification tool in right-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia to improve planning of postnatal management.

Bcl-xL mediates interferon-beta secretion by protease-activated receptor 2 deficiency through the mitochondrial permeability transition pore in colorectal cancer metastasis.

Cellular plasticity and immune escape are synergistic drivers of tumor colonization in metastatic organs. Activation of protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) signaling promotes metastasis of colorectal carcinoma (CRC). The role of PAR2 in regulating the immune microenvironment and cancer progression remains unclear. We demonstrated that the regulation of liver metastasis by PAR2 requires a competent immune system. PAR2 knockdown enhanced liver infiltration of activated CD8+ T cells prior to metastatic foci formation in an interferon receptor-dependent manner. PAR2 depletion increased interferon (IFN)-ß production via the cGAS-STING and RIG-1 pathways. PAR2 inhibition increased mitochondrial permeability and cytosolic accumulation of mitochondrial DNA, which was reversed by Bcl-xL expression. Strikingly, shRNA against PAR2 with an immune checkpoint blocker (ICB) acted synergistically to suppress liver metastasis. Analysis of single-cell sequence data and 24 paired samples confirmed the regulatory effect of PAR2 on the metastatic immune environment in human CRC. Therefore, PAR2 signaling is involved in stabilizing the mitochondrial membrane and regulating the immune microenvironment through IFN-ß during liver metastasis in CRC. The synergistic effect of the PAR2 inhibitor and ICB provides a potential therapeutic strategy for metastatic CRC treatment.

Interfacial Electromigration for Analysis of Biofluid Lipids in Small Volumes.

Lipids are important biomarkers within the field of disease diagnostics and can serve as indicators of disease progression and predictors of treatment effectiveness. Although lipids can provide important insight into how diseases initiate and progress, mass spectrometric methods for lipid characterization and profiling are limited due to lipid structural diversity, particularly the presence of various lipid isomers. Moreover, the difficulty of handling small-volume samples exacerbates the intricacies of biological analyses. In this work, we have developed a strategy that electromigrates a thin film of a small-volume biological sample directly to the air-liquid interface formed at the tip of a theta capillary. Importantly, we seamlessly integrated in situ biological lipid extraction with accelerated chemical derivatization, enabled by the air-liquid interface, and conducted isomeric structural characterization within a unified platform utilizing theta capillary nanoelectrospray ionization mass spectrometry, all tailored for small-volume sample analysis. We applied this unified platform to the analysis of lipids from small-volume human plasma and Alzheimer's disease mouse serum samples. Accelerated electro-epoxidation of unsaturated lipids at the interface allowed us to characterize lipid double-bond positional isomers. The unique application of electromigration of a thin film to the air-liquid interface in combination with accelerated interfacial reactions holds great potential in small-volume sample analysis for disease diagnosis and prevention.

Design of an automatic landscape design system in smart cities based on vision computing.

In future smart cities, automatic landscape design can be viewed as a promising intelligent application to reduce the reliance on expert labors. As it is a kind of visual sensing activity, it is expected to develop a robust interaction platform with strong ability of visual information fusion. To deal with this issue, this paper integrates vision computing, and designs an automatic landscape design system in smart cities. The whole design framework can be attributed as three aspects of works: function analysis, structure design and implementation. Among, the visual information processing runs through the three aspects. Then, the generation process of landscape design is simulated in detail via a systematic case study. To prove the significance of visual information processing in our proposal, this article uses a model analysis method to compare the effects of traditional data processing technology and visual data processing technology. The analysis results show that vision computing technology provides technical support for landscape design. We also carry out some performance testing towards the designed automatic landscape design system, and evaluation results are demonstrated via visualization format. The designed automatic system is a proper prototype that can be developed to realistic engineering systems by some following completion.

[Analysis of a child with Verheij syndrome due to variant of PUF60 gene].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical phenotype and genetic variant in a child with Verheij syndrome (VRJS). METHODS: A child who had presented at the Soochow University Affiliated Children's Hospital and Wujiang District Children's Hospital in July 2022 for "elevated scapula since early childhood" was selected as the study subject. Peripheral blood samples of the child and his parents were collected and subjected to whole exome sequencing. Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing and bioinformatic analysis. RESULTS: The child had manifested elevated scapulae, torticollis, neck asymmetry, facial dysmorphism, dispersed café-au-lait spots, limited mobility of upper limbs and shoulder joints, and intellectual disability. Sequencing revealed that he has harbored a de novo heterozygous c.405dupT (p.Ile136Tyrfs*4) variant of the PUF60 gene. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), this variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+PS2_moderate+PM2_supporting). Combined his clinical features and result of genetic testing, the child was diagnosed with VRJS due to variant of the PUF60 gene. CONCLUSION: The clinical manifestations of VRJS include facial dysmorphism, intellectual disability, elevated scapulae, vertebral fusion, other skeletal malformations, without significant abnormalities of the heart, kidney, and eyes, which need to be distinguished from Klippel-Feil syndrome. Above finding has expended the mutation spectrum of the PUF60 gene and provided a reference for delineation of the genotype-phenotype correlation of the VRJS.

KRT15 in early breast cancer screening and correlation with HER2 positivity, pathological grade and N stage.

Objective: This study was designed to explore KRT15 dysregulation and its correlation with clinical characteristics among ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), DCIS with microinvasion (DCIS-MI) and invasive breast cancer (IBC) patients. Methods: KRT15 from lesion samples of 50 DCIS patients, 48 DCIS-MI patients and 50 IBC patients was detected by immunohistochemistry. Results: KRT15 discriminated IBC patients from DCIS patients (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.895; 95% CI = 0.836-0.954) and DCIS-MI patients (AUC = 0.707; 95% CI = 0.606-0.808). In DCIS patients, KRT15 was negatively correlated with pathological grade (p = 0.015). In DCIS-MI patients, KRT15 was positively related to estrogen receptor positivity but negatively associated with Ki-67 (both p < 0.05). In IBC patients, KRT15 was negatively linked to HER2 positivity, histological grade, N stage and tumor node metastasis stage (all p < 0.05). Conclusion: KRT15 assessment may help with early breast cancer screening.

The value of shear wave elasticity and shear wave dispersion imaging to evaluate the viscoelasticity of renal parenchyma in children with glomerular diseases.

BACKGROUND: To study the value of shear wave elasticity and shear wave dispersion imaging to evaluate the viscoelasticity of renal parenchyma in children with glomerular diseases. METHODS: Forty-three children with glomerular diseases were prospectively evaluated by shear wave elasticity (SWE) and shear wave dispersion imaging (SWD); 43 healthy volunteers served as the control group. The shear wave velocities (SWV) and the dispersion slopes were measured at the upper, middle, and lower poles of both kidneys. The analysis of mean SWV and mean dispersion slope in control and patient groups was used to further evaluate the value of SWE and SWD in the viscoelasticity of renal parenchyma in children with glomerular disease. RESULTS: The mean SWV in children with glomerular disease was higher than that in the healthy control group (1.61 ± 0.09 m/s vs. 1.43 ± 0.07 m/s, p < 0.001). Compared with healthy group, the mean dispersion slope in children with glomerular disease was significantly increased (13.5 ± 1.39 (m/s)/kHz vs. 12.4 ± 1.40 (m/s)/kHz, p < 0.001). Correlation analysis showed absence of correlation between the SWV and dispersion slope of occult blood, serum creatinine, 24-h urine protein, blood albumin, BMI and ROI box depth of children with glomerular disease. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that it is feasible to use SWE and SWD to evaluate the difference of viscoelasticity of the renal parenchyma between healthy children and those with glomerular disease.

Clinical value of quantitative analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pelvic tumors.

Background: Cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, and ovarian cancer are among the top 10 most common cancers in women, with ovarian cancer in particular being considered a "silent killer". Therefore, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment constitute important means of care for women's health. This study investigated the clinical value of the quantitative analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pelvic tumors. Methods: CEUS was performed on 151 patients with pelvic masses. Subsequently, a qualitative diagnosis was completed using the image enhancement features and tumor parameters. A multiparametric analysis of CEUS images was performed, which included the following parameters: arrival time (AT), time to peak (TTP), peak intensity (PI), and ascent slope (AS). In addition, the qualitative diagnostic efficiency of CEUS was assessed in a multiparametric analysis, and the results were compared with pathological findings. Results: The patients in the malignant group were older (P=0.001) and had larger lesion PI values (P<0.01) than those in the benign group. The PI difference (PId) and the AS difference (ASd) showed statistical differences (P<0.01) between the myometrium and lesion tissues in the same patient. Moreover, the PId and ASd showed the largest receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the ROC curve (AUC), with sensitivities of 90.9% and 91.7% and specificities of 86.4% and 72.5%, respectively. Conclusions: The quantitative analysis of CEUS provides a new, simpler, and more accurate method for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pelvic masses in clinical practice. The sensitivities and specificities of PId and ASd were higher compared to other parameters from the same patient.