Accelerating spin-echo EPI through combined patterned multislice excitation and simultaneous multislice acquisition.

Purpose: To demonstrate further acceleration of spin echo MRI by combining the simultaneous multi-slice approach with the recently introduced patterned multislice excitation (PME) technique and evaluate application for rapid diffusion-weighted MRI.

Theory And Methods: Implementation at 3T involved the design of RF pulses simultaneously acting on four separate slices within hardware limits on peak amplitude. This was accomplished by time-shifted sub-pulses and a dedicated switching scheme of the slice-select gradient.

Genetic Links Between Gastrointestinal Disorders and Kidney Stone Disease: Insights from Genome-Wide Cross-Trait Analysis.

Background: Epidemiological associations between kidney stone disease (KSD) and gastrointestinal disorders have been reported, and intestinal homeostasis plays a critical role in stone formation. However, the underlying intrinsic link is not adequately understood. This study aims to investigate the genetic associations between these two types of diseases.

Dependence of brain-tissue R on MRI field strength.

Purpose: To quantify T relaxation in the brain at 3 T and 7 T to study its field dependence and correlation with iron content, and to investigate whether iron can be separated from other sources of T relaxation based on this field dependence.

Methods: Nine subjects were scanned at both field strengths with the same acquisition technique, which used multiple gradient-echo sampling of a spin echo. This allowed for separation of T relaxation from static dephasing by B field inhomogeneities and the effects of radiofrequency refocusing imperfections.

Reproducible, data-driven characterization of sleep based on brain dynamics and transitions from whole-night fMRI.

Understanding the function of sleep requires studying the dynamics of brain activity across whole-night sleep and their transitions. However, current gold standard polysomnography (PSG) has limited spatial resolution to track brain activity. Additionally, previous fMRI studies were too short to capture full sleep stages and their cycling.

Arousal threshold reveals novel neural markers of sleep depth independently from the conventional sleep stages.

Reports of sleep-specific brain activity patterns have been constrained by assessing brain function as it related to the conventional polysomnographic sleep stages. This limits the variety of sleep states and underlying activity patterns that one can discover. The current study used all-night functional MRI sleep data and defined sleep behaviorally with auditory arousal threshold (AAT) to characterize sleep depth better by searching for novel neural markers of sleep depth that are neuroanatomically localized and temporally unrelated to the conventional stages.

Reproducible, data-driven characterization of sleep based on brain dynamics and transitions from whole-night fMRI.

Understanding the function of sleep requires studying the dynamics of brain activity across whole-night sleep and their transitions. However, current gold standard polysomnography (PSG) has limited spatial resolution to track brain activity. Additionally, previous fMRI studies were too short to capture full sleep stages and their cycling.

Tumor-derived exosomal PD-L1: a new perspective in PD-1/PD-L1 therapy for lung cancer.

Exosomes play a crucial role in facilitating intercellular communication within organisms. Emerging evidence indicates that a distinct variant of programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1), found on the surface of exosomes, may be responsible for orchestrating systemic immunosuppression that counteracts the efficacy of anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) checkpoint therapy. Specifically, the presence of PD-L1 on exosomes enables them to selectively target PD-1 on the surface of CD8+ T cells, leading to T cell apoptosis and impeding T cell activation or proliferation.

Pentamidine-loaded gelatin decreases adhesion formation of flexor tendon.

Background: Prevention of adhesion formation following flexor tendon repair is essential for restoration of normal finger function. Although many medications have been studied in the experimental setting to prevent adhesions, clinical application is limited due to the complexity of application and delivery in clinical translation.

Methods: In this study, optimal dosages of gelatin and pentamidine were validated by gelatin concentration test.

An autophagy-associated diagnostic signature based on peripheral blood for antibody-mediated rejection in renal transplantation.

Background: Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) emerged as a major cause of graft loss in renal transplantation. Needle biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosis of ABMR in renal allografts. Thus, noninvasive diagnosis methods of ABMR with high accuracy are urgently needed to prevent unnecessary biopsies.

Advanced detection of cervical cancer biomarkers using engineered filamentous phage nanofibers.

Cervical cancer is a major global health concern, characterized by its high incidence and mortality rates. The detection of tumor markers is crucial for managing cancer, making treatment decisions, and monitoring disease progression. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PDL-1) are key targets in cervical cancer therapy and valuable biomarkers in predicting treatment response and prognosis.

FRS2 regulated by miR-429 and miR-206 promotes angiogenesis in osteosarcoma.

FRS2 has demonstrated oncogenic roles in various malignancies, including liposarcoma and giant cell tumor of bone. However, its role in osteosarcoma remains less understood, and the upstream regulatory molecules influencing FRS2 remain unclear. This study aims to explore the clinical implications and biological function of FRS2 in osteosarcoma, and the potential regulatory microRNAs (miRNAs) governing its expression.

Circular RNA CircSATB2 facilitates osteosarcoma progression through regulating the miR-661/FUS-mediated mRNA of ZNFX1.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs which take part in the regulation of the initiation and development of different types of cancer. Numerous studies have demonstrated that circRNAs are involved in the progression of osteosarcoma (OS) as well. Thus, we put our emphasis on the exploration of crucial circRNAs in the process of OS initiation and progression.

Accelerated multislice MRI with patterned excitation.

Purpose: Accelerate multislice 2D MRI by using RF pulses that simultaneously act on different slices to combine contrast preparation and image acquisition.

Theory And Methods: MRI applications often require the use of multiple RF pulses to generate desired contrast and prepare the signal for readout. Examples are the use of inversion prepulses to generate T contrast, or the use of spin-echo preparations to generate T or diffusion contrast.

In vivo self-assembly and delivery of VEGFR2 siRNA-encapsulated small extracellular vesicles for lung metastatic osteosarcoma therapy.

The prognosis of lung metastatic osteosarcoma (OS) remains disappointing. siRNA-based gene silencing of VEGFR2 is a promising treatment strategy for lung metastatic OS, but there is a lack of safe and efficient delivery systems to encapsulate siRNAs for in vivo administration. This study presented a synthetic biological strategy that remolds the host liver with synthesized genetic circuits for efficient in vivo VEGFR2 siRNA delivery.

Analysis of risk factors related to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a retrospective study based on 31,718 adult Chinese individuals.

Objective: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide. This study guides the prevention and diagnosis of NAFLD by analyzing its risk factors and the diagnostic value of each index for NAFLD.

Method: We collected the clinical information of adults individuals who underwent physical examination in the Physical Examination Center of Qingpu Branch of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, from January 2016 to January 2020, including gender, age, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), indirect bilirubin (IBIL), fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL).

Shared biological mechanisms of depression and obesity: focus on adipokines and lipokines.

Depression and obesity are both common disorders currently affecting public health, frequently occurring simultaneously within individuals, and the relationship between these disorders is bidirectional. The association between obesity and depression is highly co-morbid and tends to significantly exacerbate metabolic and related depressive symptoms. However, the neural mechanism under the mutual control of obesity and depression is largely inscrutable.

Long Noncoding RNAs in Ovarian Cancer-Functions and Clinical Applications.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA molecules with a length of more than 200 nt that have been discovered in recent years. LncRNAs can participate in regulating gene expression and various biological activities through multiple pathways, such as at the epigenetic level, transcriptional level, and posttranscriptional level. In recent years, with the increasing understanding of lncRNAs, a large number of studies have shown that lncRNAs are closely related to ovarian cancer and participate in its occurrence and development, providing a new method to investigate ovarian cancer.

Predicting prognosis and clinical efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade therapy interferon-alpha response in muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) can prompt durable and robust responses in multiple cancers, involving muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, only a limited fraction of patients received clinical benefit. Clarifying the determinants of response and exploring corresponding predictive biomarkers is key to improving outcomes.

Integrated analysis of cell-specific gene expression in peripheral blood using ISG15 as a marker of rejection in kidney transplantation.

Background: Allograft kidney rejection can lead to graft dysfunction and graft loss. Protocol biopsy poses additional risk for recipients with normal renal function. The transcriptome of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) contains tremendous information and has potential application value for non-invasive diagnosis.

Enhancing Functional Recovery after Segmental Nerve Defect Using Nerve Allograft Treated with Plasma-Derived Exosome.

Background: Nerve injuries can result in detrimental functional outcomes. Currently, autologous nerve graft offers the best outcome for segmental peripheral nerve injury. Allografts are alternatives, but do not have comparable results.

Identification of RALA as a Therapeutic Target and Prognostic Predictor of Osteosarcoma.

Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary aggressive sarcoma of bone, with massive aberrant expression of oncogenes related to the development of OS. RALA, a kind of small Ras-like guanosine triphosphatases, has been identified as a potential therapeutic target in several types of tumor, but its role in OS remains largely unknown.

Methods: Abnormal expression of RALA was proven in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET), and RNA-sequence of samples and cell lines.

Sesquiterpene lactones-enriched fractions from Kitag alleviate RA by regulating M1 macrophage polarization NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathway.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease, characterized by activated M1-like macrophage in the joint. Kitag () is a traditional medicinal plant that has long been used to treat RA and other immune diseases in China. Fractions of were separated based on polarity.

Prognostic nomogram based on the lymph node metastasis indicators for patients with bladder cancer: A SEER population-based study and external validation.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the prognostic value of multiple lymph node metastasis (LNM) indicators and to develop optimal prognostic nomograms for bladder cancer (BC) patients.

Methods: BC patients were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 2004 and 2015, and randomly partitioned into training and internal validation cohorts. Genomic and clinical data were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) as external validation cohort.