Amide Proton Transfer-Weighted Imaging in Assessing the Aggressive and Proliferative Potential of Bladder Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ki-67 and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) are known oncogenes involved in bladder cancer (BCa) patient risk stratification. Preoperative assessment of their expression level can assist in clinical treatment decision-making. Recently, amide proton transfer-weighted (APTw) MRI has shown promising potential in the diagnosis of several malignancies. However, few studies reported the value of APTw imaging in evaluating Ki-67 and HER2 status of BCa. PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility of APTw MRI in assessing the aggressive and proliferative potential regarding the expression levels of Ki-67 and HER2 in BCa. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. SUBJECTS: 114 patients (mean age, 64.78 ± 11.93 [SD] years; 97 men) were studied. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: APTw MRI acquired by a three-dimensional fast-spin-echo sequence at 3.0 T MRI system. ASSESSMENT: Patient pathologic findings, included histologic grade and the expression status of Ki-67 and HER2, were reviewed by one uropathologist. The APTw values of BCa were independently measured by two radiologists and were compared between high-/low-tumor grade group, high-/low-Ki-67 expression group, and high-/low-HER2 expression group. STATISTICAL TESTS: The interclass correlation coefficient, independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman's rank correlation, and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis were used. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Significantly higher APTw values were found in high-grade BCa patients (7.72% vs. 4.29%, P < 0.001), high-Ki-67 expression BCa patients (8.40% vs. 3.25%, P < 0.001) and HER2 positive BCa patients (8.24% vs. 5.40%, P = 0.001). APTw values were positively correlated with Ki-67 (r = 0.769) and HER2 (r = 0. 356) expression status. The area under the ROC curve of the APTw values for detecting Ki-67 and HER2 expression status were 0.883 (95% CI: 0.790-0.945) and 0.713 (95% CI: 0.592-0.816), respectively. DATA CONCLUSIONS: APTw MRI is a potential method to assess the biological and proliferation potential of BCa. TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Chicken Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3ß Suppresses Innate Immune Responses and Enhances Avian Leukosis Virus Replication in DF-1 Cells.

Glycogen synthase kinase 3ß (GSK3ß) is a widely distributed multifunctional serine/threonine kinase. In mammals, GSK3ß regulates important life activities such as proinflammatory response, anti-inflammatory response, immunity, and cancer development. However, the biological functions of chicken GSK3ß (chGSK3ß) are still unknown. In the present study, the full-length cDNA of chGSK3ß was first cloned and analyzed. Absolute quantification of chicken chGSK3ß in 1-day-old specific-pathogen-free birds has shown that it is widely expressed in all tissues, with the highest level in brain and the lowest level in pancreas. Overexpression of chGSK3ß in DF-1 cells significantly decreased the gene expression levels of interferon beta (IFN-ß), IFN regulatory factor 7 (IRF7), Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5), MX-1, protein kinase R (PKR), and oligoadenylate synthase-like (OASL), while promoting the replication of avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J). Conversely, levels of most of the genes detected in this study were increased when chGSK3ß expression was knocked down using small interfering RNA (siRNA), which also inhibited the replication of ALV-J. These results suggest that chGSK3ß plays an important role in the antiviral innate immune response in DF-1 cells, and it will be valuable to carry out further studies on the biological functions of chGSK3ß. IMPORTANCE GSK3ß regulates many life activities in mammals. Recent studies revealed that chGSK3ß was involved in regulating antiviral innate immunity in DF-1 cells and also could positively regulate ALV-J replication. These results provide new insights into the biofunction of chGSK3ß and the virus-host interactions of ALV-J. In addition, this study provides a basis for further research on the function of GSK3 in poultry.

[Evaluation of occlusal reconstruction and cone-beam CT measurement of temporomandibular joint in patients with severe tooth wear].

PURPOSE: To explore the correlation between increased vertical dimensions and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) spaces of patients with severe tooth wear after occlusal reconstruction treatment. METHODS: The TMJ spaces and the condylar positions of 30 patients were measured by cone-beam CT (CBCT) before and after treatment. SPSS 19.0 software package was used to analyze the anterior, superior and posterior space of TMJ. Independent sample t test was utilized to evaluate the correlation between vertical dimension and TMJ spaces. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between TMJ spaces of two sides, the data of two sides were combined for further analysis. The mean anterior interspace, superior interspace, posterior interspace was (2.01±0.52)mm, (3.15±0.94)mm, (2.70±0.98)mm before treatment, and (2.03±0.35)mm, (3.46±0.74)mm, (2.79±0.58)mm after treatment, respectively. Based on calculating the In(P/A) and linear ratio(LR), condylar position moved backward for 52% patients before treatment. After occlusal reconstruction, the reduction rate of anterior displacement of condyle was 86.7%. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to restoring its vertical dimensions of patients with severe tooth wear, the condyle should be induced to appropriate position to prevent TMJ symptoms.