α-Subunit Tyrosine Phosphorylation Is Required for Activation of the Large Conductance Ca-Activated Potassium Channel in the Rabbit Sphincter of Oddi.

Large conductance Ca-activated potassium (BK) channels are regulated by intracellular free Ca concentrations ([Ca]i) and channel protein phosphorylation. In hypercholesterolemia (HC), motility impairment of the sphincter of Oddi (SO) is associated with abnormal [Ca]i accumulation in smooth muscle cells of the rabbit SO (RSOSMCs), which is closely related to BK channel activity. However, the underlying mechanisms regulating channel activity remain unclear.

Optimizing the radiomics-machine-learning model based on non-contrast enhanced CT for the simplified risk categorization of thymic epithelial tumors: A large cohort retrospective study.

Purpose: This study aimed to establish and compare the radiomics machine learning (ML) models based on non-contrast enhanced computed tomography (NECT) and clinical features for predicting the simplified risk categorization of thymic epithelial tumors (TETs).

Experimental Design: A total of 509 patients with pathologically confirmed TETs from January 2009 to May 2018 were retrospectively enrolled, consisting of 238 low-risk thymoma (LRT), 232 high-risk thymoma (HRT), and 39 thymic carcinoma (TC), and were divided into training (n = 433) and testing cohorts (n = 76) according to the admission time. Volumes of interest (VOIs) covering the whole tumor were manually segmented on preoperative NECT images.

Incidence of Cerebral Infarction in Northwest China From 2009 to 2018.

Background: There is a lack of epidemiological analysis of patients with cerebral infarction in northwest China. In the present investigation, we conducted a retrospective analysis to collect information on epidemiological characteristics of patients with cerebral infarction in five provinces of northwest China and the Shanxi Province of patients who were hospitalized in the Tangdu Hospital. This project should provide a scientific basis for active prevention and treatment of cerebral infarction.

Classification of Prostate Transitional Zone Cancer and Hyperplasia Using Deep Transfer Learning From Disease-Related Images.

Purpose The diagnosis of prostate transition zone cancer (PTZC) remains a clinical challenge due to their similarity to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) on MRI. The Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNNs) showed high efficacy in diagnosing PTZC on medical imaging but was limited by the small data size. A transfer learning (TL) method was combined with deep learning to overcome this challenge.

Differentiation of Pseudoprogression from True Progressionin Glioblastoma Patients after Standard Treatment: A Machine Learning Strategy Combinedwith Radiomics Features from T-weighted Contrast-enhanced Imaging.

Background: Based on conventional MRI images, it is difficult to differentiatepseudoprogression from true progressionin GBM patients after standard treatment, which isa critical issue associated with survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of machine learning using radiomics modelfrom T-weighted contrast enhanced imaging(TCE) in differentiating pseudoprogression from true progression after standard treatment for GBM.

Methods: Seventy-sevenGBM patients, including 51 with true progression and 26 with pseudoprogression,who underwent standard treatment and TCE, were retrospectively enrolled.

Perfusion, Diffusion, Or Brain Tumor Barrier Integrity: Which Represents The Glioma Features Best?

Purpose: This study aims to incorporate informative histogram indicator analyses and advanced multimodal MRI parameters to differentiate low-grade gliomas (LGGs) from high-grade gliomas (HGGs) and to explore the features associated with patients' survival.

Patients And Methods: A total of 120 patients with pathologically confirmed LGGs or HGGs receiving conventional and advanced MRI such as three-dimensional arterial spin labeling (3D-ASL), intravoxel incoherent motion-diffusion weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI), and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) were included. The mean and histogram indicators from advanced MRI were calculated from the entire tumor.

Multi-modal MRI Reveals the Neurovascular Coupling Dysfunction in Chronic Migraine.

Previous studies reported that long-term nociceptive stimulation could result in neurovascular coupling (NVC) dysfunction in brain, but these studies were based mainly on unimodal imaging biomarkers, thus could not comprehensively reflect NVC dysfunction. We investigated the potential NVC dysfunction in chronic migraine by exploring the relationship between neuronal activity and cerebral perfusion maps. The Pearson correlation coefficients between these 2 maps were defined as the NVC biomarkers.

Disturbed neurovascular coupling in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: Evidence from a comprehensive fMRI analysis.

Background: Previous studies presumed that the disturbed neurovascular coupling to be a critical risk factor of cognitive impairments in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but distinct clinical manifestations were lacked. Consequently, we decided to investigate the neurovascular coupling in T2DM patients by exploring the MRI relationship between neuronal activity and the corresponding cerebral blood perfusion.

Methods: Degree centrality (DC) map and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) map were used to represent neuronal activity.

Optimizing Texture Retrieving Model for Multimodal MR Image-Based Support Vector Machine for Classifying Glioma.

Background: Accurate glioma grading plays an important role in patient treatment.

Purpose: To investigate the influence of varied texture retrieving models on the efficacy of grading glioma with support vector machine (SVM).

Study Type: Retrospective.

Glioma Grading on Conventional MR Images: A Deep Learning Study With Transfer Learning.

Accurate glioma grading before surgery is of the utmost importance in treatment planning and prognosis prediction. But previous studies on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images were not effective enough. According to the remarkable performance of convolutional neural network (CNN) in medical domain, we hypothesized that a deep learning algorithm can achieve high accuracy in distinguishing the World Health Organization (WHO) low grade and high grade gliomas.

Structural and functional brain changes in perimenopausal women who are susceptible to migraine: a study protocol of multi-modal MRI trial.

Background: As a common clinical symptom that often bothers midlife females, migraine is closely associated with perimenopause. Previous studies suggest that one of the most prominent triggers is the sudden decline of estrogen during perimenopausal period. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is widely used to prevent this suffering in perimenopausal women, but effective diagnostic system is lacked for quantifying the severity of the diseaase.

Radiomics strategy for glioma grading using texture features from multiparametric MRI.

Background: Accurate glioma grading plays an important role in the clinical management of patients and is also the basis of molecular stratification nowadays.

Purpose/hypothesis: To verify the superiority of radiomics features extracted from multiparametric MRI to glioma grading and evaluate the grading potential of different MRI sequences or parametric maps.

Study Type: Retrospective; radiomics.

Gender differences in functional connectivities between insular subdivisions and selective pain-related brain structures.

Background: The incidence of pain disorders in women is higher than in men, making gender differences in pain a research focus. The human insular cortex is an important brain hub structure for pain processing and is divided into several subdivisions, serving different functions in pain perception. Here we aimed to examine the gender differences of the functional connectivities (FCs) between the twelve insular subdivisions and selected pain-related brain structures in healthy adults.

Structural and advanced imaging in predicting MGMT promoter methylation of primary glioblastoma: a region of interest based analysis.

Background: The methylation status of oxygen 6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter has been associated with treatment response in glioblastoma(GBM). Using pre-operative MRI techniques to predict MGMT promoter methylation status remains inconclusive. In this study, we investigated the value of features from structural and advanced imagings in predicting the methylation of MGMT promoter in primary glioblastoma patients.

Intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted MR imaging parameters predict pathological classification in thymic epithelial tumors.

We evaluated the performance of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) parameters for preoperatively predicting the subtype and Masaoka stage of thymic epithelial tumors (TETs). Seventy-seven patients with pathologically confirmed TETs underwent a diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) sequence with 9 b values. Differences in the slow diffusion coefficient (D), fast perfusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) IVIM parameters, as well as the multi b-value fitted apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCmb), were compared among patients with low-risk (LRT) and high-risk thymomas (HRT) and thymic carcinomas (TC), and between early stage (stages I and II) and advanced stage (stages III and IV) TET patients.

Combination of IVIM-DWI and 3D-ASL for differentiating true progression from pseudoprogression of Glioblastoma multiforme after concurrent chemoradiotherapy: study protocol of a prospective diagnostic trial.

Background: Standard therapy for Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) involves maximal safe tumor resection followed with radiotherapy and concurrent adjuvant temozolomide. About 20 to 30% patients undergoing their first post-radiation MRI show increased contrast enhancement which eventually recovers without any new treatment. This phenomenon is referred to as pseudoprogression.

The Close Exposure to Radiology Program: Educational Benefits to Medical Students.

Background: Radiology clerkships during medical school provide a suboptimal training experience in the Chinese medical doctor training program. Staff radiologists are heavily occupied with clinic tasks which decreases teaching quality. The close exposure to radiology program (CERP) is a novel pathway designed to improve teaching quality, yet students' expectations of the potential benefits of such a program and their willingness to join CERP still have not been investigated among Chinese medical students.

Multimodal MRI for early diabetic mild cognitive impairment: study protocol of a prospective diagnostic trial.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a risk factor for dementia. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an intermediary state between normal cognition and dementia, often occurs during the prodromal diabetic stage, making early diagnosis and intervention of MCI very important. Latest neuroimaging techniques revealed some underlying microstructure alterations for diabetic MCI, from certain aspects.

Proliferative phenotype of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells plays a critical role in the overexpression of CTGF in the bleomycin-injured rat.

The pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is not very clear, with evidence for the involvement of both inflammation and aberrant vascular remodeling (associated with angiogenesis). Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs), which play a major role in inflammation, secrete cytokines that promote the transformation and collagen synthesis of fibroblasts. Moreover, angiogenesis is characterized by PMVEC proliferation.

Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells from bleomycin-induced rats promote the transformation and collagen synthesis of fibroblasts.

Accumulation and activation of myofibroblasts are the hallmark of progressive pulmonary fibrosis, and the resident fibroblasts are the major source of myofibroblasts. However, the key factors involved in the transformation of fibroblasts are unknown. Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs), major effector cells against pathogenesis in early stages of the disease, can secrete cytokines to induce the differentiation of mesenchymal cells.