MLL4 Regulates the Progression of Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer by Regulating the PI3K/AKT/SOX2 Axis / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

Purpose@#Mixed-lineage leukemia protein 4 (MLL4/KMT2D) is a histone methyltransferase, and its mutation has been reported to be associated with a poor prognosis in many cancers, including lung cancer. We investigated the function of MLL4 in lung carcinogenesis. @*Materials and Methods@#RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) in A549 cells transfected with control siRNA or MLL4 siRNA was performed. Also, we used EdU incorporation assay, colony formation assays, growth curve analysis, transwell invasion assays, immunohistochemical staining, and in vivo bioluminescence assay to investigate the function of MLL4 in lung carcinogenesis. @*Results@#We found that MLL4 expression was downregulated in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues and tended to decrease with disease stage progression. We analyzed the transcriptomes in control and MLL4- deficient cells using high-throughput RNA deep sequencing (RNA-seq) and identified a cohort of target genes, such as SOX2, ATF1, FOXP4, PIK3IP1, SIRT4, TENT5B, and LFNG, some of which are related to proliferation and metastasis. Our results showed that low expression of MLL4 promotes NSCLC cell proliferation and metastasis and is required for the maintenance of NSCLC stem cell properties. @*Conclusion@#Our findings identify an important role of MLL4 in lung carcinogenesis through transcriptional regulation of PIK3IP1, affecting the PI3K/AKT/SOX2 axis, and suggest that MLL4 could be a potential prognostic indicator and target for NSCLC therapy.

Primary inflammatory myofibroblastic sarcoma of the bladder: a case report / 中华泌尿外科杂志

The incidence of inflammatory myofibroblastic sarcoma is low, and bladder origin is more rare. We reported a 58-year-old patient with painless gross hematuria for one week. Total abdominal CT examination showed soft tissue mass in the anterior wall of the bladder, which was considered as bladder cancer, and bladder tumor resection was performed. Postoperative pathology showed inflammatory myofibroblastic sarcoma. Therefore, radical cystectomy was performed because of the high degree of malignancy. There was no recurrence during 3 years follow-up.

Quantitative evaluation of sternocleidomastoid muscle fibrosis after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on mapping technique of MRI / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the feasibility and clinical value of MRI quantitative evaluation technique in detecting sternocleidomastoid muscle fibrosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radiotherapy.Methods:From August 2019 to March 2021, 45 patients with clinically confirmed NPC after radiotherapy and 30 healthy controls who underwent physical examination in Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University were enrolled in our study. According to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (RTOG/EORTC) classification criteria of late radiation reactions respectively, the sternocleidomastoid muscle injury in the NPC group was divided into grade Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ, which included 8, 32 and 5 patients respectively. All patients underwent T 1 mapping and T 2 mapping imaging of the neck. Firstly, the mapping images of sternocleidomastoid muscle between the two groups were analyzed and compared. Using NUMARIS/4 software of Siemens image post-processing workstation, the region of interest was manually drawn along the edge of sternocleidomastoid muscle at the level of laryngeal chamber in axial mapping diagram. Then, T 1 and T 2 values and the long and short diameters of sternocleidomastoid muscle were measured respectively. Finally, the differences of the parameters between the two groups were compared by independent sample t-test, Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the relationship between the average T 1 and T 2 values of bilateral sternocleidomastoid muscles and the grade of late radiation injury. Results:Compared with the control group, the shape of sternocleidomastoid muscle in the NPC group was smaller in shape, with irregular edge and uneven increase of T 1 mapping color scale. There was no significant difference in muscle signal in T 2 mapping. The T 1 values of left and right sternocleidomastoid muscles in the NPC group were (1 524.7±97.6) and (1 496.5±93.2) ms respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the normal control group [(1 231.5±85.3) and (1 275.9±90.9) ms] ( P<0.05), and the T 2 values of left and right sternocleidomastoid muscles in the NPC group were (28.4±4.8) and (28.4±3.6) ms respectively, which were lower than those in the normal control group [(30.4±3.5) and (30.4±3.5) ms] ( P<0.05). The long and short diameters of bilateral sternocleidomastoid muscles in the NPC group were shorter than those in the control group ( P<0.05). The average T 1 and T 2 values of bilateral sternocleidomastoid muscles in NPC patients after radiotherapy were (1 510.6±95.4) and (28.4±4.2) ms respectively, The T 1 value was positively correlated with the classification of advanced radiation injury ( r=0.78, P<0.001), and T 2 value was negatively correlated with the level of advanced radiation injury ( r=-0.87, P<0.001). Conclusion:Mapping quantitative evaluation technique can noninvasively and objectively detect and evaluate sternocleidomastoid muscle fibrosis after NPC radiotherapy, which has potential clinical application value.

A prediction model based on contrast-enhanced MRI radiomics and clinical features for early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after radical resection / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To develop a prediction model based on imaging features by contrast-enhanced MRI radiomics combined with clinical features for early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after radical resection.Methods:A retrospective study was carried out on 109 HCC patients who underwent radical resection at the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from January 2015 to December 2020. Of 109 patients enrolled in this study, there were 96 males and 13 females, aged (58.3±10.7) years. Based on whether there was recurrence within 12 months after operation, the patients were divided into the early recurrence group ( n=31) and the control group ( n=78). These 109 patients were then randomly divided into the validation set ( n=23) and the training set ( n=86) at a ratio of 1∶4. Based on preoperative multi-phase contrast-enhanced MRI scanning, the tumor lesions were delineated on the Radcloud platform, and 1 409 quantitative radiomic features were extracted. Dimension reduction and screening of these features were carried out using variance threshold, SelectKBest and LASSO. Combined with clinical features (alpha fetoprotein, tumor size), several prediction model were established through machine learning. The predictive efficiencies of these models were evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, accuracy rate, recall rate and balanced F score. Results:The proportions of irregular tumor shape and unclear tumor boundary, as well as maximum tumor diameter in the early recurrence group were significantly higher than that in the control group, but the proportion of pseudocapsule was significantly lower than that in the control group (all P<0.05). A total of 465 features were screened from the 1 409 features using the variance threshold method, followed by 38 features were screened using the method of SelectKBest. Finally 7 optimal radiomic features were screened based on the LASSO method. When combined with clinical features, 5 prediction models were established through machine learning. These models were support vector machine, Gaussian naive bayes, logistic regression, Multinomial naive bayes and K-nearest neighbor (KNN), respectively. Among these 5 models, the prediction efficiency of the KNN model was relatively highest, with the area under the ROC curve, accuracy rate, recall rate and balanced F score being 0.90, 0.98, 0.74 and 0.84 in the training set, and 0.76, 0.92, 0.75 and 0.83 in the verification set, respectively. Thus, the KNN model was selected as the best prediction model in this study. Conclusion:The prediction model of KNN was developed for early recurrence of HCC after radical resection based on preoperative contrast-enhanced MRI radiomics combined with clinical features.

Application of dual-energy CT in differential diagnosis of lung metastases and benign nodules in breast cancer / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the application value of dual-energy CT in the differential diagnosis of lung metastases and benign nodules in breast cancer.Methods:The data of 96 patients with pathology-confirmed breast cancer at the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from March 2017 to June 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. All patients received dual-energy chest CT scans within 2 weeks before surgery. All 96 patients were female, aged 31-84 (56±12) years. A total of 207 pulmonary nodules from 96 patients were classified into 81 lung metastases and 126 benign nodules according to pathological findings. Conventional CT features [longest diameter, boundary, location and CT value difference between arterial and venous phases (ΔCT) of nodules] and dual-energy CT parameters [standardized iodine concentration (NIC), slope of energy spectrum (λ HU) and normalized effective atomic number (nZ eff) in arterial and venous phases] were analyzed and measured. The χ 2 test, independent samples t test and Kruskal-Wallis rank-sum test were used to analyze the differences of conventional CT features and dual-energy CT parameters between lung metastases and benign nodules. First, the least shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression method was used to screen conventional CT features and dual-energy CT parameters, and then logistic regression analysis was performed to screen out independent risk factors for lung metastases. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the efficacy of CT parameters alone and logistic model in differentiating lung metastases from benign lung nodules. Results:There were statistically significant differences between lung metastases and benign nodules in longest diameter, ?CT, NIC, λ HU and nZ eff in arterial and venous phases (all P<0.05). LASSO regression and binary logistic regression analysis showed that the venous phase λ HU (OR=59.413, 95%CI 14.233-248.002, P<0.001) and the venous phase nZ eff (OR=4.508, 95%CI 2.787-7.290, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for predicting lung metastases. Among them, the venous phase λ HU had the highest diagnostic efficiency, with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.794 and an accuracy of 74.88%. The AUC of the logistic model constructed by combining the venous phase λ HU and the venous phase nZ eff could reach 0.958, and the accuracy was improved to 92.27%, which was significantly higher than the efficacy of the two alone ( Z=6.02, 9.54, all P<0.001). Conclusion:Dual-energy CT has great application value in the identification of lung metastases and benign nodules in patients with breast cancer, especially when combined with venous phase λ HU and venous phase nZ eff, the diagnostic efficiency is further improved.

Efficacy and safety of programmed death-1 inhibitor combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization in the treatment of huge primary liver cancer / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of programmed death-1 (PD1) inhibitor combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in the treatment of huge primary liver cancer.Methods:From June 2016 to December 2019, the clinical data of 31 patients with huge primary liver cancer enrolled in the Central Hospital of Lishui were retrospectively collected and analyzed. The tumor size ranged from 10.1 to 18.8 cm, with an average of (14.2±2.3) cm. The patients were divided into TACE group (TACE treatment, 18 cases) and combined group (one week after TACE, patients receiving a dose of 200 mg PD1 inhibitor administration every 21 days, 13 cases), according to whether patients receiving PD1 inhibitors. The patients were followed up. The disease control rate (DCR) were compared between the two groups using Mann-Whitney U test. The median overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) were calculated by Kaplan-Meier method. Results:The DCR in combined group (53.8%, 7/13) was higher than that in TACE group (22.2%, 4/18), and the difference was statistically significant ( Z=-2.13, P=0.04). The median PFS (5.0 months) in combined group was longer than that in TACE group (3.0 months), the difference was statistically significant (χ2=4.39, P=0.04). The median OS (15 months) in combined group was longer than that in control group (9 months), and the difference was statistically significant (χ2=5.51, P=0.02). Conclusion:The combine PD1 inhibitors with TACE is an effective and safe therapy for huge primary liver cancer.

One-Step Rapid Quantification of SARS-CoV-2 Virus Particles via Low-Cost Nanoplasmonic Sensors in Generic Microplate Reader and Point-of-Care Device

The spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the ongoing global pandemics has led to infections of millions of people and losses of many lives. The rapid, accurate and convenient SARS-CoV-2 virus detection is crucial for controlling and stopping the pandemics. Diagnosis of patients in the early stage infection are so far limited to viral nucleic acid or antigen detection in human nasopharyngeal swab or saliva samples. Here we developed a method for rapid and direct optical measurement of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles in one step nearly without any sample preparation using a spike protein specific nanoplasmonic resonance sensor. We demonstrate that we can detect as few as 30 virus particles in one step within 15 minutes and can quantify the virus concentration linearly in the range of 103 vp/ml to 106 vp/ml. Measurements shown on both generic microplate reader and a handheld smartphone connected device suggest that our low-cost and rapid detection method may be adopted quickly under both regular clinical environment and resource-limited settings.

Machine learning-based CT radiomics model for predicting hospital stay in patients with pneumonia associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection: A multicenter study

ObjectivesTo develop and test machine learning-based CT radiomics models for predicting hospital stay in patients with pneumonia associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. DesignCross-sectional SettingMulticenter ParticipantsA total of 52 patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and their initial CT images were enrolled from 5 designated hospitals in Ankang, Lishui, Zhenjiang, Lanzhou, and Linxia between January 23, 2020 and February 8, 2020. As of February 20, patients remained in hospital or with non-findings in CT were excluded. Therefore, 31 patients with 72 lesion segments were included in the final analysis. InterventionCT radiomics models based on logistic regression (LR) and random forest (RF) were developed on features extracted from pneumonia lesions in training and inter-validation datasets. The predictive performance was further evaluated in test dataset on lung lobe- and patients-level. Main outcomesShort-term hospital stay ([≤]10 days) and long-term hospital stay (>10 days). ResultsThe CT radiomics models based on 6 second-order features were effective in discriminating short- and long-term hospital stay in patients with pneumonia associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, with areas under the curves of 0.97 (95%CI 0.83-1.0) and 0.92 (95%CI 0.67-1.0) by LR and RF, respectively, in the test dataset. The LR model showed a sensitivity and specificity of 1.0 and 0.89, and the RF model showed similar performance with sensitivity and specificity of 0.75 and 1.0 in test dataset. ConclusionsThe machine learning-based CT radiomics models showed feasibility and accuracy for predicting hospital stay in patients with pneumonia associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Efficacy and safety of short-term interval transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation sequential therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of short-term transcatheter arterial chemoembolization （TACE）-radiofrequency ablation （RFA） sequential therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:The clinical data of 117 patients with advanced HCC enrolled in the Central Hospital of Lishui from March 2010 to January 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received TACE and RFA sequential therapy. The patients were divided into 2 groups including short interval group (interval≤7 d, 61 cases) and long interval group (interval>7 d, 56 cases) according to interval between TACE and RFA. The difference of response rate was analyzed by Wilcoxon test. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to calculate the overall survival (OS) time and progression free survival (PFS) time.The risk factors of TACE-RFA sequential therapy were tested using Cox multivariate analysis. The complications in the two groups were compared using χ 2 test. Results:The response rate in the short interval group (72.1%, 43/61) was significantly higher than that in the long interval group (41.1%，23/56) with significant difference ( Z=-2.50, P=0.01). The median PFS in the short interval group (14.9 months) was longer than that in the long interval group (9.1 months). The difference of PFS survival curve between the 2 groups was statistically significant (χ2 =5.90, P=0.01).The median OS in the short interval group (34.7 months) was longer than that in the long interval group (20.3 months). The difference of OS survival curve between the 2 groups was statistically significant (χ2 =6.60, P=0.01). Cox multivariate analysis showed that tumor size [hazard ratio (HR)=2.42, P<0.01], cirrhosis (HR=2.04, P<0.01), interval (HR=0.44, P<0.01), aspartate aminotransferase (HR=1.71, P=0.03) were the independent risk factors for advanced HCC.There were no significant differences in the complication incidence between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Short-term interval TACE-RFA sequential therapy as a protective factor is efficient and safe for advanced HCC treatment.

The value of tumor blood supply characteristics of arterial phase in evaluating the prognosis of patients with intrahepatic mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the correlation between the enhancement characteristics in arterial phase and the prognosis of patients with massive intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IMCC).Methods:The imaging and clinical data of 92 patients with IMCC who were pathologically confirmed and underwent enhanced MRI or CT in Central Hospital of Lishui from June 2004 to February 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the enhancement pattern of the primary lesion in the arterial phase, patients were divided into rich arterial blood supply group （17 cases） and deficient arterial blood supply group （75 cases）. The clinical data and imaging features of these patients were studied. Differences between measurement data and count data between the two groups were compared using t test and Fisher test. Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test were used to analyze overall survival. The Cox regression multivariate analysis was used to study the relationship between the variables and the risk of death. Result:The enlargement of lymph nodes, long diameter of the primary lesion, CA19-9, treatment and HPD around the primary lesion in arterial phase were statistically different in the two groups ( P<0.05), others were no statistical difference. CA19-9>200 U/ml, lymph node enlargement, HPD around the primary lesion in arterial phase and deficient arterial blood supply were independent factors for the prediction of prognosis in IMCC patients with surgery ( P values were 0.008, 0.002, 0.049 and 0.005, respectively). Lymph node enlargement and deficient arterial blood supply were independent risk factors for the prediction of prognosis in IMCC patients with surgery ( P values are 0.049 and 0.045, respectively). Conclusion:The blood supply characteristics of arterial phase are independent factors for the prognosis of patients with IMCC.

Diagnostic value of low dose dual-source CT cerebral perfusion imaging in patients with hyperacute cerebral infarction / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To evaluate image quality and radiation dosage of CT cerebral perfusion (CTP) imaging of 70 kV with different tube current and scanning passes and its diagnostic value for hyperacute cerebral infarction.Methods:A total of 190 patients with suspected hyperacute cerebral infarction in Lishui Central Hospital of Zhejiang Province from December 2017 to February 2019 were selected prospectively, and all patients were divided into 4 groups according to random number table and received non-contrast CT examination and dual-source CT cerebral perfusion imaging with 70 kV protocol simultaneously within 6 hours after the onset of symptoms: group A, 120 mA, 21 scanning time points; group B, 100 mA, 21 scanning time points; group C, 100 mA, 17 scanning time points; group D, 80 mA, 21 scanning time points. The values of perfusion parameters such as cerebral blood flow (CBF), crerbral blood volume (CBV), mean transit time (MTT), time to peak (TTP) were acquired. Image quality was evaluated and effective dose (ED) was recorded. The quantitative variables of image quality and radiation dosage were compared between four groups using one-way analysis of variance test.Results:There was no differences between groups on the CBF, CBV, MTT, TTP maps for all CTP values ( P>0.05), and all images could meet the diagnostic requirements. The subjective image quality score of vessel sharpness and overall image quality of both internal carotid artery and middle cerebral artery and the degree of noise of internal carotid in artery in group A was higher than that in group D ( P<0.05). The score of vessel sharpness of internal carotid in artery ingroup A was higher than those in both groups B and C ( P<0.05). The scores of vessel sharpness of both internal carotid artery and middle cerebral artery internal carotid in artery ingroups B and C were higher than that in group A ( P<0.05). The mean EDs of non-contrast CT in group A, B, C, D were 1.10, 2.11, 1.76, 1.42, 1.40 mSv; compared to group A, ED was reduced approximately 16.6% (0.35/2.11), 32.7% (0.69/2.11) and 33.6% (0.71/2.11), respectively ( P<0.05). The diagnostic accuracy of low dose dual source CTP for detecting hyperacute cerebral infarction was 93.5% (172/184), while that of non-contrast CT was 52.2% (96/184);for detecting hyperacutelacunar cerebral infarction, it was 72.1% (31/43) and 16.3% (7/43) respectively ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Appropriate reduction of tube current (100 mA) and scanning passes (17 scanning time points) can reduce the radiation dosage and acquire comparable image quality for 70 kV protocol CTP. Compared with non-contrast CT, low dose dual-source CTP is more sensitive to hyperacute cerebral infarction, especially hyperacute lacunar cerebral infarction.

Correlation analysis between short-term invasive recurrence and functional MRI after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To explore and clarify the correlation between short-term aggressive intrasegmental recurrence (AIR) and functional magnetic resonance imaging after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:A retrospective analysis of 1 262 patients with HCC who underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in our hospital from January 2012 to June 2018, all patients were confirmed by pathology as HCC, of which 30 patients were found to have AIR during radiographic follow-up within 3 months after surgery, another 35 patients with disease progression who were controlled in a short period of time were randomly selected as the control group. All the enrolled patients underwent dynamic enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) scanning before surgery, and the differences in clinical data, lesion location, and functional magnetic resonance parameters between the two groups were compared, and their correlation with AIR after RFA was analyzed. Chi-square test, t test and Pearson test were used. Results:The lesions in the AIR group were significantly more in the Ⅰand Ⅳsegments than that in the control group ( P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in other liver segments ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the lesion morphology between the two groups ( P>0.05), and there was a significant difference in the early enhancement pattern of the lesions ( P<0.05), and the early arterial enhancement rate and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value of the AIR group were significantly lower than the control group ( P<0.05). Further correlation analysis found that early enhancement of the arterial artery, early arterial enhancement rate, ADC value and lesion location were associated with AIR and were positively correlated, r values were 0.455, 0.633, 0.518, 0.375 and 0.287 ( P<0.05). Conclusion:The short-term AIR and functional imaging parameters (arterial early enhancement, early arterial enhancement rate, ADC value) and the liver segment (Ⅰ and Ⅳ) were highly correlated with radiofrequency ablation.

Diagnostic value of low dose dual-source CT cerebral perfusion imaging in patients with hyperacute cerebral infarction / 中华放射学杂志

Objective@#To evaluate image quality and radiation dosage of CT cerebral perfusion (CTP) imaging of 70 kV with different tube current and scanning passes and its diagnostic value for hyperacute cerebral infarction.@*Methods@#A total of 190 patients with suspected hyperacute cerebral infarction in Lishui Central Hospital of Zhejiang Province from December 2017 to February 2019 were selected prospectively, and all patients were divided into 4 groups according to random number table and received non-contrast CT examination and dual-source CT cerebral perfusion imaging with 70 kV protocol simultaneously within 6 hours after the onset of symptoms: group A, 120 mA, 21 scanning time points; group B, 100 mA, 21 scanning time points; group C, 100 mA, 17 scanning time points; group D, 80 mA, 21 scanning time points. The values of perfusion parameters such as cerebral blood flow (CBF), crerbral blood volume (CBV), mean transit time (MTT), time to peak (TTP) were acquired. Image quality was evaluated and effective dose (ED) was recorded. The quantitative variables of image quality and radiation dosage were compared between four groups using one-way analysis of variance test.@*Results@#There was no differences between groups on the CBF, CBV, MTT, TTP maps for all CTP values (P>0.05), and all images could meet the diagnostic requirements. The subjective image quality score of vessel sharpness and overall image quality of both internal carotid artery and middle cerebral artery and the degree of noise of internal carotid in artery in group A was higher than that in group D (P<0.05). The score of vessel sharpness of internal carotid in artery ingroup A was higher than those in both groups B and C (P<0.05). The scores of vessel sharpness of both internal carotid artery and middle cerebral artery internal carotid in artery ingroups B and C were higher than that in group A (P<0.05). The mean EDs of non-contrast CT in group A, B, C, D were 1.10, 2.11, 1.76, 1.42, 1.40 mSv; compared to group A, ED was reduced approximately 16.6% (0.35/2.11), 32.7% (0.69/2.11) and 33.6% (0.71/2.11), respectively (P<0.05). The diagnostic accuracy of low dose dual source CTP for detecting hyperacute cerebral infarction was 93.5% (172/184), while that of non-contrast CT was 52.2% (96/184);for detecting hyperacutelacunar cerebral infarction, it was 72.1% (31/43) and 16.3% (7/43) respectively (P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#Appropriate reduction of tube current (100 mA) and scanning passes (17 scanning time points) can reduce the radiation dosage and acquire comparable image quality for 70 kV protocol CTP. Compared with non-contrast CT, low dose dual-source CTP is more sensitive to hyperacute cerebral infarction, especially hyperacute lacunar cerebral infarction.

Correlation analysis between short-term invasive recurrence and functional MRI after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华放射学杂志

Objective@#To explore and clarify the correlation between short-term aggressive intrasegmental recurrence (AIR) and functional magnetic resonance imaging after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).@*Methods@#A retrospective analysis of 1 262 patients with HCC who underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in our hospital from January 2012 to June 2018, all patients were confirmed by pathology as HCC, of which 30 patients were found to have AIR during radiographic follow-up within 3 months after surgery, another 35 patients with disease progression who were controlled in a short period of time were randomly selected as the control group. All the enrolled patients underwent dynamic enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) scanning before surgery, and the differences in clinical data, lesion location, and functional magnetic resonance parameters between the two groups were compared, and their correlation with AIR after RFA was analyzed. Chi-square test, t test and Pearson test were used.@*Results@#The lesions in the AIR group were significantly more in the Ⅰand Ⅳsegments than that in the control group (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in other liver segments (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the lesion morphology between the two groups (P>0.05), and there was a significant difference in the early enhancement pattern of the lesions (P<0.05), and the early arterial enhancement rate and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value of the AIR group were significantly lower than the control group (P<0.05). Further correlation analysis found that early enhancement of the arterial artery, early arterial enhancement rate, ADC value and lesion location were associated with AIR and were positively correlated, r values were 0.455, 0.633, 0.518, 0.375 and 0.287 (P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#The short-term AIR and functional imaging parameters (arterial early enhancement, early arterial enhancement rate, ADC value) and the liver segment (Ⅰ and Ⅳ) were highly correlated with radiofrequency ablation.

Comparison and differentiation between intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and atypical liver abscess in MRI / 中华放射学杂志

Objective To access the value of MRI in differential diagnosis between intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and atypical hepatic abscess. Methods Retrospectively collecting and analyzing the clinical and MRI imaging data of 19 patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and 17 patients with atypical hepatic abscess, confirmed by reexamination after anti‐inflammation therapy, surgery or puncture etiology, from June 2011 to July 2018 in Central Hospital of Lishui City.They were divided into ICC and abscess groups.All patients underwent routine liver plain MRI, DWI and contrast‐enhanced MR scan. The MRI features of the two groups (including morphology, boundary, cystic change and necrosis, pseudocapsule, hemorrhage, lipid composition, the signature of lesion in different phases of MRI and surrounding tissue) were studied. Fisher exact test and t test were used. Result This study showed that there was statistical difference between the two groups in the following aspects, the presence of cystic degeneration, the degree of annular enhancement in arterial phase, the homogeneous enhancement in portal venous phase and balanced phase and the central filling enhancement sign (P<0.05).The results showed that necrotic cystic lesion was more common in the abscess group (15/17 cases) than in the ICC group (0/19 cases);in the cases with annular enhancement in arterial phase,the degree of enhancement in the ICC group (13/16 cases) was higher than that in the abscess group (2/9 cases); the enhancement of the central parenchyma of lesion on out‐of‐phase images (1/19 cases) was slower in the ICC group than that in the abscess group (14/17 cases);and the ICC group was likely to present as central filling enhancement compared to the abscess group. Conclusion The presence of cystic lesions in DWI, the enhancement degree of marginal parenchyma, the enhancement speed of central parenchyma and the whole enhancement pattern are essential signs for differentiating intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and atypical hepatic abscess. 图1 女,53岁,右肝脓肿.病灶最大径4.0 cm,病灶中的小囊变区在DWI上呈高信号(↑) 图2 女,39岁,右肝脓肿.病灶最大径3.1 cm,病灶中的小囊变区在DWI上呈高信号(↑) 图3 女,66岁,右肝肝内胆管细胞癌(ICC).病灶最大径5.3 cm,横轴面T2WI病灶整体呈不均匀高信号,内见相对更高信号的富黏液区(↑) 图4 男,45岁,右肝ICC.病灶最大径5.8 cm,横轴面T2WI病灶整体呈高低混杂信号,内见散在片状低信号的凝固性坏死区(↑) 图5 与图1为同一患者.横轴面T2WI病灶实质部分呈均匀高信号,小囊变区呈明显高信号(↑) 图6 与图2为同一患者.横轴面T2WI病灶实质部分呈等信号,小囊变区呈明显高信号(↑)图7 与图3为同一患者.增强扫描动脉期横轴面示病灶边缘轻度不规则环形强化 图8 与图4为同一患者.增强扫描动脉期横轴面示病灶强化环有多处中断征象(↑) 图9,10 男,45岁,右肝ICC.病灶最大径5.8 cm,增强扫描动脉期横轴面(图9)示病灶边缘局部显著环形强化,局部强化环明显中断(↑).平衡期横轴面像(图10)示病灶中央有填充强化 图11 与图3,7为同一患者.平衡期横轴面示病灶内富黏液区出现轻微中央填充强化(↑) 图12 与图4、8为同一患者.平衡期横轴面像示病灶中央有填充强化 图13,14 男,59岁,右肝脓肿.病灶最大径4.3 cm,动脉期横轴面像(图13)示脓壁散在强化,周围见片状异常灌注.平衡期横轴面像(图14)示脓壁均匀强化,其内囊变区无强化 图15 与图2,6为同一患者.平衡期横轴面像示脓壁均匀强化呈相对等信号,其内囊变区无强化(↑) 图16 与图1,5为同一患者.平衡期横轴面像示脓壁均匀强化呈相对等信号,其内囊变区无强化(↑)

The feasibility of the applications of dual-low-dose with low tube voltage for head and neck CT angiography / 中华放射学杂志

Objective To explore the clinical value of the dual-low-dose with low tube voltage for head and neck CTA. Methods One hundred and sixty patients who were clinically suspected head and neck vascular disease underwent CTA procedure were propective selected, and whose body mass index (BMI) was also lower than 25 kg/m2. Forty cases were randomly selected as conventional group(120 kV,150 mAs, iodine 320 mg/ml), the other 120 cases were as the low dose group. The low dose group divided into three subgroups according to the random number table method, which were low iodine group (37 cases;120 kV,150 mAs, iodine 270 mg/ml), low tube voltage group (42 cases;100 kV,150 mAs, iodine 320 mg/ml) and low iodine and tube voltage group (41 cases;100 kV,150 mAs, iodine 270 mg/ml). The carotid bifurcated CT value, standard deviation (SD), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), iodine intake and effective radiation dose (ED) of the four groups were recorded,all data undertook statistical analysis useing one-way ANOVA. Meanwhile, the subjective image quality score was applied to evaluate the image quality, and the differences among groups were compared by Wilcoxon signed ranks test. Results The image quality score were (2.85±0.19),(2.33 ± 0.34),(2.26 ± 0.32),(2.87 ± 0.22) in the four groups, and there was no statistical difference between groups(P>0.05).The carotid bifurcated CT value were respectively (380±30),(314±27),(514±52) and (425±28) HU in conventional, low iodine, low tube voltage and dual-low-dose groups, and the iodine intake were (18.85±2.10), (15.75±1.78), (18.53±1.98), (15.62±1.92) g, the ED of the four groups were (1.74±0.14), (1.73± 0.11), (1.32 ± 0.08) and (1.35 ± 0.09) mSv, the difference were all statistically significant (P<0.01). Furthermore, the iodine intake and the effective radiation dose in dual-low-dose group were significantly lower than the conventational group. Conclusions Head-and-neck CTA with dual-low-dose scan can provide same quality images as using 100 kV and high dose iodine contrast agent, and which also significantly reduced the ED and iodine intake greatly. Thus, this scanning program has great clinical value.

Primary clinical application of Y-shaped jogged stent in patients with malignant hilar biliary obstruction / 中华放射学杂志

Objective To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of Y-shaped jogged stent in patients with malignant hilar biliary obstruction. Methods During the period of January 2010 to June 2015,We retrospectively reviewed 98 cases of malignant hilar biliary obstruction who were received implantation of biliary tract stent. 17 consecutive patients who were treated with Y-shaped jogged stent were identified (group A) during January 2012 to June 2015. Group A was carefully matched according to patients' age, sex, type of tumor, stage, type of biliary obstruction, level of bilirubin at diagnosis, presence of metastasis and treatment, and 17 patients who were underwent unilateral stent placement alone with PTCD were chosen as control group (group B). Patients' baseline characteristics, stenting strategy, complications, stent patency time and survival rates were analyzed, and continuous variables of the two groups were compared using Student's t-test. Categorical variables were analyzed using the Fisher exact test. Results Y-shaped jogged stent implantation group and control groups were closely matched in terms of patients' age, sex, type of tumor, stage, type of biliary obstruction, level of bilirubin at diagnosis, presence of metastasis and treatment ( P>0.05). The bilirubin decreased rate in the two groups was 88.2%and 53.0%respectively (P<0.05). The median time of stent patency after stent implantation was(7.3 ± 1.0)months and(5.7 ± 0.9) months respectively (χ2=4.04,P=0.044), and the median survival time was(9.1 ± 1.5)months and(7.2 ± 1.1)months (χ2=4.60,P=0.032), with significant difference according to Kaplan-Meier analysis. There were no severe complications such as massive hemorrhage, perforation, biliary fistula and severe pancreatitis, which were associated with stent implantation. Conclusions The application of Y-shaped jogged stent is safe, feasible and effective in patients with malignant hilar biliary obstruction. It can relieve the clinical symptoms of biliary obstruction effectively with prolongation of stent patency time and survival rate significantly.

Effect of radiation dose of dual-source computed tomography dual energy single-phase enhanced scan in patients with esophageal cancer: a perspective study / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective To investigate the eftect of radiation dose of dual-source computed tomography (CT) dual energy single-phase enhanced scan in patients with esophageal cancer.Methods The prospective study was conducted.The clinicopathological data of 56 patients with esophageal cancer who were admitted to the Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University between January 2015 and December 2016 were collected.All the patients were divided into the experimental group (undergoing dual-source CT dual energy single-phase enhanced scan) and control group (undergoing dual-phase CT enhanced scan) bv randomised block method.TNM classification of esophageal cancer (Seventh Edition) published by American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) was used as a standard TNM staging.Two observers independently read films.All the patients underwent radical resection of esophageal cancer or palliative surgery,and then received adjuvant radiochemotherapy.Follow-up using outpatient examination and telephone interview was performed to detect postoperative survival of patients up to March 2017.Observation indicators:(1) consistencies of T staging,N staging and M staging;(2) accuracies of T staging,N staging and M staging (pathological results as a gold standard);(3) radiation dose of CT scan;(4) treatment and follow-up situations.The Kappa test was used for evaluating the consistency,κ≥0.75 as a good consistency,0.40≤κ＜0.75 as a normal consistency and κ＜0.40 as a poor consistency.Comparisons of count data and ratio were done by the chi-square test.Comparisons of measurement data were analyzed by the t test.Results A total of 50 patients were enrolled in the study,including 25 in the experimental group and 25 in the control group.(1) Consistencies of T staging,N staging and M staging:all the 50 patients finished successfully CT scans.Two observers considered that consistencies of T staging,N staging and M staging in the 2 groups were normal (κ =0.452,0.618,0.729,P＜0.05).Consistencies of N staging and M staging were superior to T staging.(2) The pathological results were used as a gold standard.Accuracies of T staging,N staging and M staging in the experimental and control groups were 72％,76％ and 88％,84％ and 92％,88％,respectively,with no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups (x2 =0.10,0.37,0.50,P＞0.05).(3) Radiation dose of CT scan:volume CT dose index (CTDIvol),dose length production (DLP) and effective radiation dose (E) were (10.35±2.01) mGy,(400.63± 34.13) mGy · cm,(5.61 ± 0.47) mSv in the experimental group and (3.55 ± 0.60)mGy,(140.66± 10.89) mGy · cm,(1.98±0.17) mSv in the control group,respectively.There were statistically significant differences in CTDIvol and E between the 2 groups (t =16.23,36.30,P＜0.05).(4) Treatment and follow-up situations:of 50 patients,43 patients received treatments,including 32 undergoing radical resection (11 receiving postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy),6 undergoing palliative surgery,3 receiving single radiotherapy and 2 receiving single chemotherapy.Thirty-six of 43 patients were followed up for 3-18 months,with a median time of 6 months.During follow-up,1-year survival rate was 61.1％.Conclusion Dual-source CT dual energy single-phase enhanced scan in patients with esophageal cancer cannot reduce accuracy of TNM staging,but decreased effectively radiation dose.

The application of Omaha system in the clinical nursing for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with TACE / 介入放射学杂志

Objective To discuss the clinical application value of Omaha system-based targeting nursing care for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who were treated with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE).Methods A total of 60 advanced HCC patients,who were planned to receive TACE,were prospectively and randomly divided into the control group (n=30) and the observation group (n=30).Routine nursing mode was adopted for the patients in the control group,while Omaha system nursing model was employed for the patients in the observation group.The patients of the observation group were evaluated with Omaha system at the time of admission,the key common problems were screened out and targeted nursing measures were employed.Meanwhile,on the days of admission and discharge all the patients of both groups were asked to fill in the forms of Hamilton depression scale (HAMD-17),Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA),social support rating scale (SSQ) and numerical pain rating scale (NRS);and the degrees of depression,anxiety,social support and pain were respectively assessed.Results Both nursing modes could improve the degrees of depression and anxiety as well as the social support system of HCC patients,but the curative effect of these two aspects in the observation group were obviously better than those in the control group (P＜0.05).No statistically significant difference in the improvement of pain degree existed between the two nursing models,but Omaha system-based targeting nursing mode could alleviate the patient's pain to a certain extent.Conclusion For patients with advanced HCC,Omaha system-based targeting nursing care can alleviate the patient's negative emotion and promote the patients to establish effective social support system,this nursing mode is superior to conventional nursing mode.Therefore,Omaha system-based targeting nursing has great application potential in clinical practice.

Clinical efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization combined with ;radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma under liver capsular / 中华放射学杂志

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) under liver capsular. Methods Forty three patients with 62 lesions of HCC under liver capsular received TACE followed by CT?guided percutaneous RFA after 1 to 2 weeks were analyzed retrospectively. The subjects were observed and follow?up imaging with enhanced MRI was performed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy after combined treatment. The patients were followed up for 10 to 69 months. The patients with residual lesions received a second RFA, the patients with recurrence or new lesions received another TACE combined with RFA. The overall survival rates, median survival time and median time to progression were calculated by using Kaplan?Meier. Results A total of 55 TACE and 68 ablations were performed in 43 patients with 62 lesions. The procedure was successfully accomplished in all patients. The complete ablation rate after the first ablation was 90.3%(56/62). The 1, 3, 5?year overall survival rates were 95.3%, 78.1%and 43.9%, the median survival time was 58 months and the median time to progression was 32 months. Conclution For the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma under liver capsular, TACE combined with RFA is safe and effective.