Radiomic Features of the Nigrosome-1 Region of the Substantia Nigra: Using Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping to Assist the Diagnosis of Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease.

The loss of nigrosome-1, which is also referred to as the swallow tail sign (STS) in T2-weighted iron-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), has recently emerged as a new biomarker for idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD). However, consistent recognition of the STS is difficult due to individual variations and different imaging parameters. Radiomics might have the potential to overcome these shortcomings.

Learning-based single-step quantitative susceptibility mapping reconstruction without brain extraction.

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) estimates the underlying tissue magnetic susceptibility from MRI gradient-echo phase signal and typically requires several processing steps. These steps involve phase unwrapping, brain volume extraction, background phase removal and solving an ill-posed inverse problem relating the tissue phase to the underlying susceptibility distribution. The resulting susceptibility map is known to suffer from inaccuracy near the edges of the brain tissues, in part due to imperfect brain extraction, edge erosion of the brain tissue and the lack of phase measurement outside the brain.

Whole-lesion histogram and texture analyses of breast lesions on inline quantitative DCE mapping with CAIPIRINHA-Dixon-TWIST-VIBE.

Purpose: To investigate the diagnostic capability of whole-lesion (WL) histogram and texture analysis of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI inline-generated quantitative parametric maps using CAIPIRINHA-Dixon-TWIST-VIBE (CDTV) to differentiate malignant from benign breast lesions and breast cancer subtypes.

Materials And Methods: From February 2018 to November 2018, DCE MRI using CDTV was performed on 211 patients. The inline-generated parametric maps included K, k, V, and IAUGC.

Reversible and the irreversible structural alterations on brain after resolution of hypercortisolism in Cushing's disease.

The adverse effects of hypercortisolism on the human brain have been highlighted in previous studies of Cushing's disease (CD). However, the reversibility of brain damage after the resolution of hypercortisolism remains unclear. Thus, we studied the potential volumetric reversibility in biochemically remitted CD patients.

Regional High Iron in the Substantia Nigra Differentiates Parkinson's Disease Patients From Healthy Controls.

Iron is important in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD) specifically related to degeneration of the substantia nigra (SN). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to measure brain iron in the entire structure but this approach is insensitive to regional changes in iron content. The goal of this work was to use quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and R2 to quantify both global and regional brain iron in PD patients and healthy controls (HC) to ascertain if regional changes correlate with clinical conditions and can be used to discriminate patients from controls.

Diagnostic accuracy of intracoronary optical coherence tomography-derived fractional flow reserve for assessment of coronary stenosis severity.

Aims: A novel method for computation of fractional flow reserve (FFR) from optical coherence tomography (OCT) was developed recently. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a new OCT-based FFR (OFR) computational approach, using wire-based FFR as the reference standard.

Methods And Results: Patients who underwent both OCT and FFR prior to intervention were analysed.

Investigation of anterior cingulate cortex gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate-glutamine levels in obsessive-compulsive disorder using magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a relatively common and disabling psychiatric disorder whose pathophysiology is incompletely understood. In this study, we utilized magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in an effort to provide a better understanding of the role of brain gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate in the pathophysiology of OCD. We hypothesized that beyond the separate effects of these neurotransmitter systems, a disruption in the balance between GABA and glutamate could be particularly relevant to OCD.

Impact of nasopharyngeal irradiation and gadolinium administration on changes in T signal intensity of the dentate nucleus in nasopharyngeal malignancy patients without intracranial abnormalities.

Background: Irradiation has been found to increase T signal intensity (SI) of the dentate nucleus (DN) by accelerating the gadolinium deposition in patients after multiple gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) administrations. Several reports have focused on this phenomenon in patients with brain tumors; however, data in patients receiving irradiation with no intracranial abnormalities (NIAs) are lacking.

Purpose: To explore how nasopharyngeal irradiation affected SI changes on unenhanced T -weighted imaging (T WI) in the DN in nasopharyngeal malignancy (NPM) patients who presented with NIAs and who had multiple injection doses (IDs) of linear GBCAs.

Clinical features and outcomes of pulmonary lymphoma: A single center experience of 180 cases.

Background: Pulmonary lymphoma arises primarily from the lung, which is extremely rare, or be secondarily involved by lymphoma. The clinical features, management, and prognostic factors have not been clearly identified.

Methods: Sixty-three patients with primary pulmonary lymphoma (PPL) and 117 patients with secondary pulmonary lymphoma (SPL) treated in our institution between June 2003 and December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed.

Contribution of epicardial and abdominopelvic visceral adipose tissues in Chinese adults with impaired glucose regulation and diabetes.

Aims: To quantify epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in Chinese adults with impaired glucose regulation (IGR) or diabetes and compare the contributions of EAT and VAT to the occurrence of IGR and diabetes with those of traditional obesity indices.

Methods: Cardiac and abdominopelvic noncontrast computed tomographic images of 668 individuals were used to measure EAT and VAT volume. Multivariable logistic regression and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to illustrate the contributions of these tissues.

Epigenetic control of Foxp3 in intratumoral T-cells regulates growth of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Capability of tumor cells to impede immune response are largely associated with their interaction and regulation of CD4+CD25+ forkhead box transcription factor (Foxp)3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells, which suppress cytotoxic T cell-mediated immunity in the tumor microenvironment. Foxp3 level is critical for development and phenotypic maintenance of Treg, and is regulated by transcriptional control and epigenetic modification. Here, we showed that higher percentage of intratumoral Treg cells was positively correlated with lower Foxp3 promoter methylation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and both of them were associated with higher tumor grade, larger tumors, and poor prognosis of the patients.

Gold nanoparticles modulate the crosstalk between macrophages and periodontal ligament cells for periodontitis treatment.

The regeneration of lost periodontal apparatus in periodontitis treatment remains a clinical challenge due to the limited regenerative capacity of cementum, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone in periodontitis condition. For periodontal tissue regeneration, it is essential to regulate the inflammatory response and the subsequent differentiation of periodontal cells under the condition due to the infectious nature of the disease. In this study, it was noted that 45 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) could exhibit significant anti-inflammatory effect and improve the periodontal inflammatory microenvironment via regulating inflammatory and regenerative cytokine production and modulating macrophage polarization, subsequently affect the differentiation of human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs).

PITUITARY STALK THICKENING IN A LARGE COHORT: TOWARD MORE ACCURATE PREDICTORS OF PITUITARY DYSFUNCTION AND ETIOLOGY.

To summarize the characteristics of patients with pituitary stalk thickening, analyze the association between pituitary stalk width and hypopituitarism, and develop a diagnostic model to differentiate neoplastic and inflammatory origins. A total of 325 patients with pituitary stalk thickening in a tertiary teaching hospital between January 2012 and February 2018 were enrolled. Basic characteristics and hormonal status were evaluated.

Big GABA II: Water-referenced edited MR spectroscopy at 25 research sites.

Accurate and reliable quantification of brain metabolites measured in vivo using H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a topic of continued interest. Aside from differences in the basic approach to quantification, the quantification of metabolite data acquired at different sites and on different platforms poses an additional methodological challenge. In this study, spectrally edited γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) MRS data were analyzed and GABA levels were quantified relative to an internal tissue water reference.

Abnormal Dynamic Functional Connectivity Associated With Subcortical Networks in Parkinson's Disease: A Temporal Variability Perspective.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by dysfunction in distributed functional brain networks. Previous studies have reported abnormal changes in static functional connectivity using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, the dynamic characteristics of brain networks in PD is still poorly understood.

Computerized cognitive training for Chinese mild cognitive impairment patients: A neuropsychological and fMRI study.

Background: Computerized multi-model training has been widely studied for its effect on delaying cognitive decline. In this study, we designed the first Chinese-version computer-based multi-model cognitive training for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients. Neuropsychological effects and neural activity changes assessed by functional MRI were both evaluated.

Extraction of the toluene exposure biomarkers hippuric acid and methylhippuric acid using a magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer, and their quantitation by LC-MS/MS.

A magnetic polymer was molecularly imprinted with hippuric acid (HA) to obtain a nanomaterial with an architecture of type FeO@SiO@MIP. It was used as a sorbent for magnetic solid phase extraction of HA and methylhippuric acids (2-MHA, 3-MHA, 4-MHA) from urine samples. The respective imprinting factor are 4.

Initial exploration of coronary stent image subtraction using dual-layer spectral CT.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of coronary stent image subtraction using spectral tools derived from dual-layer spectral computed tomography (CT).

Methods: Forty-three patients (65 stents) who underwent coronary CT angiography using dual-layer spectral CT were included. Conventional, 50-keV (kilo electron-volt), 100-keV, and virtual non-contrast (VNC) images were reconstructed from the same cardiac phase.

Effects of mammalian target of rapamycin on proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation of myoblasts undergoing mechanical stress.

Myoblasts characterize by the potential to transform into skeletal muscle, and involve in processes of proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is an important protein of PI3K signaling pathway in muscle metabolism and physiology. This study aimed to investigate effects of mTOR on proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation of myoblasts undergoing mechanical stress.

Diagnostic value of T1ρ and T2 mapping sequences of 3D fat-suppressed spoiled gradient (FS SPGR-3D) 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging for osteoarthritis.

Three-dimensional fat-suppressed spoiled gradient magnetic resonance imaging can be used to observe cartilages with high resolution.To quantify and compare the T1ρ and T2 relaxation times of the knee articular cartilage between healthy asymptomatic adults and patients with osteoarthritis (OA).This was a retrospective study of 53 patients with symptomatic OA (6 males and 47 females; aged 57.

Reproducible detection of nigral iron deposition in 2 Parkinson's disease cohorts.

Background: Previous studies investigating nigral iron accumulation used T or T *-weighted contrasts to define the regions of interest (ROIs) in the substantia nigra with mixed results. Because these contrasts are not sensitive to neuromelanin, ROIs may have inadvertently missed the SNpc. An approach sensitive to neuromelanin should yield consistent results.

Alteration of clot architecture using bone substitute biomaterials (beta-tricalcium phosphate) significantly delays the early bone healing process.

When a bone substitute biomaterial is implanted into the body, the material's surface comes into contact with circulating blood, which results in the formation of a peri-implant hematoma or blood clot. Although hematoma formation is vital for the early bone healing process, knowledge concerning the biomaterial-induced structural properties of blood clots is limited. Here, we report that implantation of beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) in a bone defect healing model in rats resulted in significantly delayed early bone healing compared to empty controls (natural healing).