Dobutamine-induced alterations in internal carotid artery blood flow and cerebral blood flow in healthy adults.

Purpose: Dobutamine, a sympathomimetic agent, is widely used clinically, influencing cardiac output, heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP), which may impact cerebral blood flow (CBF), critical for brain metabolism. However, the effects of dobutamine on CBF and internal carotid artery (ICA) blood flow remain unclear, with contradictory reported in both clinical and animal studies. It is necessary to investigate the effects of dobutamine on cervical and cerebral hemodynamics.

Altered Brain Structural Reorganization and Hierarchical Integrated Processing in Obesity.

The brain receives sensory information about food, evaluates its desirability and value, and responds with approach or withdrawal. The evaluation process of food in the brain with obesity may involve a variety of neurocircuit abnormalities in the integration of internal and external information processing. There is a lack of consistency of the results extant reported for aberrant changes in the brain with obesity that prohibits key brain alterations to be identified.

The Value of Thyroid Ultrasound Computer-Aided Diagnosis System in the Evaluation of Thyroid Nodules With Concurrent Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.

Objective: To investigate the value of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system in assessing thyroid nodules concurrent with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT).

Methods: Totally 148 patients with 193 thyroid nodules were enrolled. A radiologist assessed the nodules using a thyroid ultrasound CAD system.

SCD leads to the development and progression of acute myocardial infarction through the AMPK signaling pathway.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is myocardial necrosis caused by acute coronary ischemia and hypoxia. It can be complicated by arrhythmia, shock, heart failure and other symptoms that can be life-threatening. A multi-regulator driven dysfunction module for AMI was constructed.

Hierarchical integrated processing of reward-related regions in obese males: A graph-theoretical-based study.

Abnormal activities in reward-related regions are associated with overeating or obesity. Preliminary studies have shown that changes in neural activity in obesity include not only regional reward regions abnormalities but also impairments in the communication between reward-related regions and multiple functional areas. A recent study has shown that the transitions between different neural networks are nonrandom and hierarchical, and that activation of particular brain networks is more likely to occur after other brain networks.

Ultrasound Surveillance of Abnormal Cervical Lymph Nodes in Patients With Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma After Surgery.

Objectives: To document the changing trends of abnormal cervical lymph nodes (LNs) in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) who had serial follow-up ultrasound (US) scans after surgery and to determine how these node abnormalities progress in real time.

Methods: Ultrasound findings from 568 consecutive patients with PTC who were monitored postoperatively were reviewed. Abnormal LNs were classified as either suspicious or indeterminate according to the European Thyroid Association guidelines.

Abnormal Regional Neural Activity and Reorganized Neural Network in Obesity: Evidence from Resting-State fMRI.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate regional neural activity and regulation of patterns in the reorganized neural network of obesity and explore the correlation between brain activities and eating behavior.

Methods: A total of 23 individuals with obesity and 23 controls with normal weight were enrolled. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired using 3.

Precise Detection of Gene Mutations in Fine-Needle Aspiration Specimens of the Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma Using Next-Generation Sequencing.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) to detect mutations in BRAF, RAS, TERT promoter, and TP53 genes in ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy samples of the papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC).

Methods: A total of 135 FNA samples out of 135 patients with suspected PTMC were submitted for mutation testing using NGS. NGS was successfully performed in 114 specimens, while the remaining 21 samples were excluded due to insufficient amount/poor quality of DNA and sequencing failure.

Integration of Neural Reward Processing and Appetite-Related Signaling in Obese Females: Evidence From Resting-State fMRI.

Background: The reward-related regions have been considered a crucial component in the regulation of eating behavior. Furthermore, appetite-related regions associated with reward can influence eating behaviors through altered functional activity related to food in brain areas associated with emotion, memory, sensory processing, motor function, and cognitive control.

Purpose: To investigate the key nodes in obese females of reward-related regions and, based on key nodes, to evaluate the directionality of functional connectivity between key nodes and appetite-related regions.

Follow-up study of high-dose praziquantel therapy for cerebral sparganosis.

Background: Cerebral sparganosis is the most serious complication of human sparganosis. Currently, there is no standard for the treatment of inoperable patients. Conventional-dose praziquantel therapy is the most reported treatment.

The clinical presentation and collateral pathway development of congenital absence of the internal carotid artery.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical presentation, risks, and collateral pathway development of the congenital absence of the internal carotid artery (ICA).

Methods: Sixty-four patients (10 new patients and 54 patients from the relevant literature) were studied. Data on demographic, clinical, and radiologic features were collected, followed by an analysis of the risks associated with ICA agenesis.

Optical characterization of Tm(3+) doped Bi2O3-GeO2-Ga2O3 glasses in absence and presence of BaF2.

In this paper, Two new Bi2O3-GeO2-Ga2O3 glasses (one presence of BaF2) doped with 1mol% Tm2O3 were prepared by melt-quenching technique. Differential thermal analysis (DTA), the absorption, Raman, IR spectra and fluorescence spectra were measured. The Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters, emission cross section, absorption cross section, and gain coefficient of Tm(3+) ions were comparatively investigated.

Poly-l-lactic acid/amorphous calcium phosphate bioabsorbable stent causes less inflammation than poly-l-lactic acid stent in coronary arteries.

Aim: Poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) based bioabsorbable stents with or without amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) were implanted and compared the inflammation in coronary arteries.

Methods: 6 PLLA and 6 PLLA/ACP based paclitaxel-eluting stents were randomly implanted into the coronary arteries of 12 healthy mini-pigs. The segments with stent were used to evaluate inflammation score and endothelialization score by hematoxylin-eosin staining.

In vitro evidence of baicalein's inhibition of the metabolism of zidovudine (AZT).

Background: Herb-drug interaction (HDI) has been regarded as a key factor limiting the clinical application of herbs and drugs.

Aims: Potential baicalein-zidovudine (AZT) interaction was predicted in the present study.

Methods: In vitro evaluation of baicalein's inhibition towards human liver microsomes (HLMs)-catalyzed metabolism of zidovudine (AZT) was performed.

Influence of racemic higenamine on the sinus node.

The aim of this study was to explore the mechanism of racemic higenamine in the treatment of sick sinus syndrome (SSS). A total of 40 New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into normal sinus node and damaged sinus node (SND) groups, and each group was randomly divided into treatment and control groups (n=10). The SND model was established by formaldehyde wet dressing of the sinus node area.