Volume and Permeability of White Matter Hyperintensity on Cognition: A DCE Imaging Study of an Older Cohort With and Without Cognitive Impairment.

Background: The impact of blood-brain barrier (BBB) leakage on white matter hyperintensity (WMH) subtypes (location) and its association with clinical factors and cognition remains unclear.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between WMH volume, permeability, clinical factors, and cognition in older individuals across the cognitive spectrum.

Study Type: Prospective, cross-sectional.

Artificial intelligence-based CT-free quantitative thyroid SPECT for thyrotoxicosis: study protocol of a multicentre, prospective, non-inferiority study.

Introduction: Technetium thyroid uptake (TcTU) measured by single-photon emission CT/CT (SPECT/CT) is an important diagnostic tool for the differential diagnosis of Graves' disease and destructive thyroiditis. Artificial intelligence (AI) may reduce CT-induced radiation exposure by substituting the role of CT in attenuation correction (AC) and thyroid segmentation, thus realising CT-free SPECT. This study aims to compare the diagnostic accuracy for the differential diagnosis of thyrotoxicosis between CT-free SPECT and SPECT/CT.

PET/MRI and Novel Targets for Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer, with its global prevalence and impact on women's health, necessitates effective early detection and accurate staging for optimal patient outcomes. Traditional imaging modalities such as mammography, ultrasound, and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) play crucial roles in local-regional assessment, while bone scintigraphy and F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-FDG PET/CT) aid in evaluating distant metastasis. Despite the proven utility of F-FDG PET/CT in various cancers, its limitations in breast cancer, such as high false-negative rates for small and low-grade tumors, have driven exploration into novel targets for PET radiotracers, including estrogen receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2, fibroblast activation protein, and hypoxia.

Effect of Rowachol on the Gallbladder Dysmotility Disorder Based on Gallbladder Ejection Fraction.

: Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the preferred treatment method in patients who experience typical biliary pain with or without gallstones, medical treatment has not been extensively studied. Rowachol is a potent choleretic agent, comprising six cyclic monoterpenes. This study aimed to investigate the clinical improvement and changes in gallbladder ejection fraction (GBEF) by Rowachol treatment in patients with typical biliary pain.

FDG PET/CT Maximum Tumor Dissemination to Predict Recurrence in Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

Purpose: We investigated the prognostic value of maximum tumor dissemination (Dmax), the distance between malignant lesions that were farthest apart, as assessed by fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT), and other clinical factors in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).We investigated the prognostic value of maximum tumor dissemination (Dmax), the distance between malignant lesions that were farthest apart, as assessed by fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT), and other clinical factors in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Methods: Patients who underwent FDG PET/CT for initial staging and treatment response evaluation of DLBCL were reviewed retrospectively.

Association of True Positivity with Serum Prostate-Specific Antigen Levels and Other Clinical Factors in Indeterminate PSMA-RADS-3A Lesions Identified on F-DCFPyL PET/CT Scans.

The use of prostate-specific membrane antigen targeted PET imaging for the evaluation of prostate cancer has increased significantly in the last couple of decades. When evaluating these imaging findings based on the PSMA reporting and data system version 1.0, which categorize lesions based on their likelihood of prostate cancer involvement, PSMA-RADS-3A lesions are commonly seen, which are indeterminate for the presence of disease.

FDG PET/CT to Predict Recurrence of Early Breast Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.

This study investigated the prognostic value of FDG PET/CT radiomic features for predicting recurrence in patients with early breast invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). The medical records of consecutive patients who were newly diagnosed with primary breast IDC after curative surgery were reviewed. Patients who received any neoadjuvant treatment before surgery were not included.

Correlation between salivary gland ultrasonography and scintigraphy in primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Objective: To compare findings on salivary gland ultrasonography (SGUS) and salivary gland scintigraphy (SGS) in patients with primary SS (pSS).

Methods: The study cohort included patients newly diagnosed with pSS who underwent SGUS and SGS at the same time at our tertiary care hospital. Baseline demographics, laboratory data, clinical data and SGUS and SGS findings were collected.

Morphological changes in the trabecular meshwork and Schlemm's canal after treatment with topical intraocular pressure-lowering agents.

Glaucoma treatment is usually initiated with topical medication that lowers the intraocular pressure (IOP) by reducing the aqueous production, enhancing the aqueous outflow, or both. However, the effect of topical IOP-lowering medications on the microstructures of the aqueous outflow pathway are relatively unknown. In this retrospective, observational study, 56 treatment-naïve patients with primary open-angle glaucoma were enrolled.

Effects of Trabecular Meshwork Width and Schlemm's Canal Area on Intraocular Pressure Reduction in Glaucoma Patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of baseline trabecular meshwork (TM) and Schlemm's canal (SC) microstructures on intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction amount in treatment-naïve patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Methods: A total 69 eyes of POAG patients who had not been treated with IOP-lowering agent were enrolled in this retrospective study. The patients had been prescribed topical IOP-lowering agent and used it for 1 year.

Effect of prostaglandin analogues on anterior scleral thickness and corneal thickness in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma.

Prostaglandin (PG) analogues are usually prescribed as a first-line therapy in patients with glaucoma because of its once-daily dosing benefit and effective intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction. However, the mechanism of PG analogues is not completely understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of PG analogues on the anterior scleral thickness (AST) in treatment-naïve eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma using anterior segment optical coherence tomography.

Effect of Point-Spread Function Reconstruction for Indeterminate PSMA-RADS-3A Lesions on PSMA-Targeted PET Imaging of Men with Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET) is emerging as an important modality for imaging patients with prostate cancer (PCa). As with any imaging modality, indeterminate findings will arise. The PSMA reporting and data system (PSMA-RADS) version 1.

Learning fuzzy clustering for SPECT/CT segmentation via convolutional neural networks.

Purpose: Quantitative bone single-photon emission computed tomography (QBSPECT) has the potential to provide a better quantitative assessment of bone metastasis than planar bone scintigraphy due to its ability to better quantify activity in overlapping structures. An important element of assessing the response of bone metastasis is accurate image segmentation. However, limited by the properties of QBSPECT images, the segmentation of anatomical regions-of-interests (ROIs) still relies heavily on the manual delineation by experts.

GANGLION CELL-INNER PLEXIFORM LAYER THICKNESS IN EYES WITH NONEXUDATIVE AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION OF DIFFERENT DRUSEN SUBTYPES.

Purpose: We sought to investigate the ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness in eyes with nonexudative age-related macular degeneration.

Methods: We classified eyes into four categories-pachydrusen, soft drusen, subretinal drusenoid deposit (SDD), and soft drusen with SDD-and compared the baseline mean macular GCIPL thickness according to the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study grid and its change between groups.

Results: We classified 53, 29, 36, and 34 eyes into the four categories, respectively.

Semiquantitative analysis of sacroiliac joint to sacrum ratio of bone scintigraphy to predict spinal progression in early axial spondyloarthritis: a pilot study.

Objectives: To investigate whether bone scintigraphy with semiquantitative analysis in patients with early axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) has prognostic value for predicting spinal structural progression of these patients after 2 years.

Methods: The records of 53 patients with early axSpA who underwent baseline bone scintigraphy were reviewed retrospectively. The sacroiliac joint to sacrum (SIS) ratio of bone scintigraphy was measured for semiquantitative analysis, and modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spinal Score (mSASSS) and syndesmophyte growth were calculated at baseline and after 2 years.

FEATURES OF THE MACULAR AND PERIPAPILLARY CHOROID AND CHORIOCAPILLARIS IN EYES WITH NONEXUDATIVE AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.

Purpose: We investigated macular and peripapillary choroidal thickness (CT) and flow voids in the choriocapillaris in eyes with nonexudative age-related macular degeneration.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with nonexudative age-related macular degeneration and classified their eyes into three categories: pachydrusen, drusen, and subretinal drusenoid deposit. Mean macular and peripapillary CT and choriocapillaris flow void area were compared among the three groups.

Radioembolization for the Treatment of Primary and Metastatic Liver Cancers.

Radioembolization using Y microspheres (glass or resin) has been introduced as an effective intraarterial therapy for unresectable primary and metastatic liver cancers. Although the basic therapeutic effect of chemoembolization results from ischemia, the therapeutic efficacy of radioembolization comes from radiation. Furthermore, compared with surgical resection and local ablation therapy, radioembolization is available with less limitation on the sites or number of liver cancers.

Improved detection of metastatic lymph nodes in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma by combined interpretation of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography/computed tomography.

Background: We sought to evaluate the diagnostic performance of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (F-FDG PET/CT) in the detection of metastatic lymph nodes by combined interpretation of PET/CT images in patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods: Two hundred three patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma underwent F-FDG PET/CT before oesophagectomy and lymph node dissection. Maximum standardized uptake value (SUV), mean Hounsfield unit (HU), short axis diameter (size), and visual CT attenuation (high, iso-, low) were evaluated on noncontrast CT and PET images following PET/CT scan.

FDG PET/CT to predict the curability of endoscopic resection for early gastric cancer.

Purpose: We evaluated the value of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) as a complementary imaging modality to endoscopy to predict the curability of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early gastric cancer (EGC).

Methods: The institutional review board approved this retrospective study with a waiver of informed consent. The records of patients who underwent FDG PET/CT for initial routine staging of gastric cancer from January 2012 to October 2017 were reviewed retrospectively.

Multigenerational effects of maternal cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy on sperm counts of F1 and F2 male offspring.

Animal models and human studies showed that in utero cigarette smoke exposure decreases sperm counts of offspring. This study used a mouse model to investigate the effects of maternal exposure to cigarette smoke on reproductive systems in F1 and F2 male offspring. Female ICR mice were exposed either to clean air or to cigarette smoke during pregnancy at the post-implantation stage.

Angiotensin II facilitates neointimal formation by increasing vascular smooth muscle cell migration: Involvement of APE/Ref-1-mediated overexpression of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1.

Angiotensin II (Ang II) is implicated in the development of cardiovascular disorders including hypertension and atherosclerosis. However, the role of Ang II in the interaction between apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease/redox factor-1 (APE/Ref-1) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) signals in relation to vascular disorders remains to be clarified. This study aimed to determine whether APE/Ref-1 plays a role in epigenetic regulation of the S1P receptor (S1PR) in response to Ang II in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration and vascular neointima formation.