Understanding cellular proliferation activity in breast cancer using multi-compartment model of transverse relaxation time mapping on 3T MRI.

Introduction: Precise understanding of proliferative activity in breast cancer holds significant value in the monitoring of neoadjuvant treatment, while current immunostaining of Ki-67 from biopsy or resected tumour suffers from partial sampling error. Multi-compartment model of transverse relaxation time has been proposed to differentiate intra- and extra-cellular space and biochemical environment but susceptible to noise, with recent development of Bayesian algorithm suggested to improve robustness. We hence hypothesise that intra- and extra-cellular transverse relaxation times using Bayesian algorithm might be sensitive to proliferative activity.

Differentiation of histological calcification classifications in breast cancer using ultrashort echo time and chemical shift-encoded imaging MRI.

Introduction: Ductal carcinoma (DCIS) accounts for 25% of newly diagnosed breast cancer cases with only 14%-53% developing into invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), but currently overtreated due to inadequate accuracy of mammography. Subtypes of calcification, discernible from histology, has been suggested to have prognostic value in DCIS, while the lipid composition of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids may be altered in synthesis with potential sensitivity to the difference between DCIS and IDC. We therefore set out to examine calcification using ultra short echo time (UTE) MRI and lipid composition using chemical shift-encoded imaging (CSEI), as markers for histological calcification classification, in the initial step towards application.

Peri-Tumoural Lipid Composition and Hypoxia for Early Immune Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer.

The deregulation of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated fatty acids (MUFAs, PUFAs, SFAs) from de novo synthesis and hypoxia are central metabolic features of breast tumour. Early response markers for neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) are critical for stratified treatment for patients with breast cancer, and restoration of lipid metabolism and normoxia might precede observable structural change. In this study, we hypothesised that peri-tumoural lipid composition and hypoxia might be predictive and early response markers in patients with breast cancer undergoing NACT.

A comprehensive benchmark of graph-based genetic variant genotyping algorithms on plant genomes for creating an accurate ensemble pipeline.

Background: Although sequencing technologies have boosted the measurement of the genomic diversity of plant crops, it remains challenging to accurately genotype millions of genetic variants, especially structural variations, with only short reads. In recent years, many graph-based variation genotyping methods have been developed to address this issue and tested for human genomes. However, their performance in plant genomes remains largely elusive.

Spatial heterogeneity of peri-tumoural lipid composition in postmenopausal patients with oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer.

Deregulation of lipid composition in adipose tissue adjacent to breast tumour is observed in ex vivo and animal models. Novel non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows rapid lipid mapping of the human whole breast. We set out to elucidate the spatial heterogeneity of peri-tumoural lipid composition in postmenopausal patients with oestrogen receptor positive (ER +) breast cancer.

Towards detection of early response in neoadjuvant chemotherapy of breast cancer using Bayesian intravoxel incoherent motion.

Introduction: The early identification of good responders to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) holds a significant potential in the optimal treatment of breast cancer. A recent Bayesian approach has been postulated to improve the accuracy of the intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) model for clinical translation. This study examined the prediction and early sensitivity of Bayesian IVIM to NACT response.

PASS-ALL study of paediatric-inspired versus adult chemotherapy regimens on survival of high-risk Philadelphia-negative B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia with allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

This PASS-ALL study was designed to explore the effect of paediatric-inspired versus adult chemotherapy regimens on survival of adolescents and young adults (AYA) with high-risk Philadelphia chromosome-negative B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (HR PH-ve B-cell ALL) eligible for allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The PASS-ALL study is a multicentre, observational cohort study, and 143 patients with HR B-cell PH-ve ALL were enrolled from five centres-77 patients allocated in the paediatric-inspired cohort and 66 in the adult cohort with comparable baseline characteristics. Of the 143 patients, 128 cases underwent allo-HSCT.

Mesenchymal stromal cells ameliorate chronic GVHD by boosting thymic regeneration in a CCR9-dependent manner in mice.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Mature donor T cells within the graft contribute to severe damage of thymic epithelial cells (TECs), which are known as key mediators in the continuum of acute GVHD (aGVHD) and cGVHD pathology. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are reportedly effective in the prevention and treatment of cGVHD.

Peri-tumoural spatial distribution of lipid composition and tubule formation in breast cancer.

Background: Response guided treatment in breast cancer is highly desirable, but the effectiveness is only established based on residual cellularity from histopathological analysis after surgery. Tubule formation, a key component of grading score, is directly associated with cellularity, with significant implications on prognosis. Peri-tumoural lipid composition, a potential marker, can be rapidly mapped across the entire breast using novel method of chemical shift-encoded imaging, enabling the quantification of spatial distribution.

Improvements on stability conditions and control design of Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy descriptor systems.

Several methods to improve stabilization conditions of Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy descriptor systems (TSFDS) are presented. First, we prove that with a modified non-quadratic fuzzy Lyapunov function and a PDC controller, stabilization problems of TSFDS are reformulated as checking negativity of "triple" fuzzy summations, and then relaxed methods of T-S fuzzy systems can be directly applied to descriptor systems. In the sequel, two relaxed methods are extended to TSFDS based on slack decision variables and Polya's Theorem, respectively, but these conditions are only sufficient.

Intra-tumoural lipid composition and lymphovascular invasion in breast cancer via non-invasive magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Objectives: Despite improved survival due to new treatments, the 10-year survival rate in patients with breast cancer is approximately 75%. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI), a prognostic marker independent from histological grade and stage, can only be fully determined at final histological examination. Lipid composition is deregulated in tumour via de novo lipogenesis, with alteration in lipogenic genes in LVI.

Phased-array combination of 2D MRS for lipid composition quantification in patients with breast cancer.

Lipid composition in breast cancer, a central marker of disease progression, can be non-invasively quantified using 2D MRS method of double quantum filtered correlation spectroscopy (DQF-COSY). The low signal to noise ratio (SNR), arising from signal retention of only 25% and depleted lipids within tumour, demands improvement approaches beyond signal averaging for clinically viable applications. We therefore adapted and examined combination algorithms, designed for 1D MRS, for 2D MRS with both internal and external references.

Lactate concentration in breast cancer using advanced magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Background: Precision medicine in breast cancer demands markers sensitive to early treatment response. Aerobic glycolysis (AG) upregulates lactate dehydrogenase A (LDH-A) with elevated lactate production; however, existing approaches for lactate quantification are either invasive or impractical clinically.

Methods: Thirty female patients (age 39-78 years, 15 grade II and 15 grade III) with invasive ductal carcinoma were enrolled.

Ponatinib therapy in recurrent Philadelphia chromosome-positive central nervous system leukemia with T315I mutation after Allo-HSCT.

Central nervous system leukemia (CNSL) relapse is relatively common among Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) leukemia patients who undergo allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The prognosis of patients is dismal for those with a BCR-ABL T315I mutation, which is resistant to TKIs including second-generation drugs. We assessed ponatinib for nine patients with recurrent Ph+ CNSL and a T315I mutation after allo-HSCT, including five patients with Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia and four with chronic myelogenous leukemia.

q-Space Imaging Yields a Higher Effect Gradient to Assess Cellularity than Conventional Diffusion-weighted Imaging Methods at 3.0 T: A Pilot Study with Freshly Excised Whole-Breast Tumors.

Purpose: To determine whether q-space imaging (QSI), an advanced diffusion-weighted MRI method, provides a higher effect gradient to assess tumor cellularity than existing diffusion imaging methods, and fidelity to cellularity obtained from histologic analysis.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective study, diffusion-weighted images were acquired from 20 whole-breast tumors freshly excised from participants (age range, 35-78 years) by using a clinical 3.0-T MRI unit.

Optimal Phased-Array Signal Combination For Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Measurement In Breast Cancer Using Multiple Quantum Coherence MR Spectroscopy At 3T.

Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), a key marker in breast cancer, is non-invasively quantifiable using multiple quantum coherence (MQC) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at the expense of losing half of the signal. Signal combination for phased array coils provides potential pathways to enhance the signal to noise ratio (SNR), with current algorithms developed for conventional brain MRS. Since PUFA spectra and the biochemical environment in the breast deviate significantly from those in the brain, we set out to identify the optimal algorithm for PUFA in breast cancer.

Metabolic and Structural Skeletal Muscle Health in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus-Related Fatigue: A Multimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Objective: To investigate the potential structural and metabolic role of skeletal muscle in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-related fatigue.

Methods: A case-control, multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study was conducted. Cases were patients with inactive SLE who reported chronic fatigue.

Intracranial compliance is associated with symptoms of orthostatic intolerance in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Symptoms of orthostatic intolerance (OI) are common in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and similar disorders. These symptoms may relate to individual differences in intracranial compliance and cerebral blood perfusion. The present study used phase-contrast, quantitative flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine intracranial compliance based on arterial inflow, venous outflow and cerebrospinal fluid flow along the spinal canal into and out of the cranial cavity.

Grey and white matter differences in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - A voxel-based morphometry study.

Objective: Investigate global and regional grey and white matter volumes in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and recent voxel-based morphometry (VBM) methods.

Methods: Forty-two patients with CFS and thirty healthy volunteers were scanned on a 3-Tesla MRI scanner. Anatomical MRI scans were segmented, normalized and submitted to a VBM analysis using randomisation methods.

Dating the period when intensive anthropogenic activity began to influence the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China.

Dating the start of intensive anthropogenic influence on ecosystems is important for identifying the conditions necessary for ecosystem recovery. However, few studies have focused on determining when anthropogenic influences on wetland began through sedimentary archives. To fill this critical gap in our knowledge, combustion sources and emission intensities, reconstructed via black carbon (BC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in two wetlands in the Sanjiang Plain in Northeast China.

Longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging in dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: Changes in the white matter of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been reported using diffusion weighted MRI, though few longitudinal studies have been done.

Methods: We performed diffusion weighted MRI twice, a year apart on 23 AD, 14 DLB, and 32 healthy control subjects. Mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) were calculated.

Cortical and Subcortical Changes in Alzheimer's Disease: A Longitudinal and Quantitative MRI Study.

Quantitative MRI provides important information about tissue properties in brain both in normal ageing and in degenerative disorders. Although it is well known that those with Alzheimer's disease (AD) show a specific pattern and faster rate of atrophy than controls, the precise spatial and temporal patterns of quantitative MRI in AD are unknown. We aimed to investigate neuroimaging correlates of AD using serial quantitative MRI.

T₁ mapping for assessment of myocardial injury and microvascular obstruction at one week post myocardial infarction.

Objectives: To compare 3T T1 mapping to conventional T2-weighted (T2W) imaging for delineating myocardial oedema one week after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and to explore the confounding effects of microvascular obstruction (MVO) on each technique.

Methods: T2W spectral attenuated inversion recovery and native T1 mapping were applied in 10 healthy volunteers and 62 STEMI patients, and late gadolinium enhancement was included for infarct localisation at 1 week and at 6 months post-STEMI. Segmental T1 values and T2W signal intensity ratios were calculated; oedema volumes and salvage indices were determined in patients using image thresholding-a receiver operator characteristic (ROC) derived T1 threshold, and a 2SD T2W threshold; and the results were compared between patients with/without MVO (n=35/27).