Altered cortical thickness and structural covariance networks in chronic low back pain.

Background: Despite regional brain structural changes having been reported in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP), the topological properties of structural covariance networks (SCNs), which refer to the organization of the SCNs, remain unclear. This study applied graph theoretical analysis to explore the alterations of the topological properties of SCNs, aiming to comprehend the integration and separation of SCNs in patients with CLBP.

Methods: A total of 38 patients with CLBP and 38 healthy controls (HCs), balanced for age and sex, were scanned using three-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.

Algorithm of automatic identification of diabetic retinopathy foci based on ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscopy.

Aim: To propose an algorithm for automatic detection of diabetic retinopathy (DR) lesions based on ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO).

Methods: The algorithm utilized the FasterRCNN (Faster Regions with CNN features)+ResNet50 (Residua Network 50)+FPN (Feature Pyramid Networks) method for detecting hemorrhagic spots, cotton wool spots, exudates, and microaneurysms in DR ultra-widefield SLO. Subimage segmentation combined with a deeper residual network FasterRCNN+ResNet50 was employed for feature extraction to enhance intelligent learning rate.

Altered volume of the amygdala subregions in patients with chronic low back pain.

Background: Neuroimaging studies have suggested a pivotal role for the amygdala involvement in chronic low back pain (CLBP). However, the relationship between the amygdala subregions and CLBP has not yet been delineated. This study aimed to analyze whether the amygdala subregions were linked to the development of CLBP.

Abnormal Spontaneous Neural Activity in Parkinson's Disease With "pure" Apathy.

Background: Apathy is one of the most common non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, its pathophysiology remains unclear.

Methods: We analyzed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data acquired at a 3.

Alterations of regional homogeneity in Parkinson's disease with "pure" apathy: A resting-state fMRI study.

Background: Apathy is a prevalent and debilitating neuropsychiatric syndrome in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, its neural mechanisms are still unclear.

Methods: Forty-six de novo, drug-naïve, non-demented PD patients without depressive or anxious symptoms, of whom 26 were apathetic (PD-A) and 20 were not (PD-NA) according to the Apathy Scale (AS), and 23 matched healthy control (HC) subjects were enrolled in this study.

Dissecting the Genetic Architecture of Melon Chilling Tolerance at the Seedling Stage by Association Mapping and Identification of the Elite Alleles.

Low temperature is an important abiotic stress that negatively affects morphological growth and fruit development in melon ( L.). Chilling stress at the seedling stage causes seedling injury and poor stand establishment, prolonging vegetative growth and delaying fruit harvest.

Time-dependent expression of PEDF and VEGF in blood serum and retina of rats with oxygen-induced retinopathy.

The effects of the balance changes of pigment epithelium growth factor (PEDF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in whole-body and retinal tissue on rats with oxygen-induced retinopathy were investigated. Forty-eight neonatal SD rats at the age of 7 days were randomly divided into 4 groups. The neonatal rats in experimental groups were exposed to 75% to 80% oxygen for 5 days and then to normal air, and those in control groups were kept feeding in normal air.

Lung squamous cell carcinoma metastasizing to the nasopharynx following bronchoscopy intervention therapies: a case report.

Metastatic carcinoma to the nasopharynx is extremely rare, and few cases have been reported in the literature. In the present report, we describe the case of a patient with a mass in the nasopharynx found by bronchoscopy. Our patient was a 61-year-old man receiving multiple bronchoscopy intervention therapies for advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), which was histopathologically confirmed.

Effect of intensity modulated radiotherapy combined with s-1-based chemotherapy in locally advanced gastric cancer patients.

Background: The optimal radiotherapy technique and combination with systemic therapy in locally advanced gastric cancer patients are far from being resolved despite the fact that radiochemotherapy is becoming more attractive in contemporary clinical practice.

Patients And Methods: 40 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer received intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) at a dosage of 45-50.4 Gy concurrent with chemotherapy using S-1 solely or with a combination of oxaliplatin.

Gastric and duodenal squamous cell carcinoma: metastatic or primary?

Either metastatic or primary squamous cell carcinoma in the gastrointestinal tract is extremely rare, with very few cases reported in the literature. In this paper, we report a case in which the patient presented with dysphagia during the course of radiotherapy for recurrent lung cancer in a mediastinal lymph node. Although the dysphagia mimicked radiation esophagitis, the ultimate cause proved to be gastric and duodenal metastases from primary lung squamous cell carcinoma.

[Effect of protamine on VEGF expression in vitreous and serum of rats with diabetic].

Objective: To study the effect of protamine on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in vitreous and serum of rats with diabetic.

Methods: 110 rats were included in the study, with 10 rats for normal control and the other 100 for diabetic models that induced by Streptozocin intraperitoneal injection. Then 80 rats with diabetic were used as eight groups: three groups (T1, T2 and T3) for intravitreal injection of protamine (50 microg protamine in 5 microL), and the other five groups were used as control.

Prognostic impact of vascular endothelial growth factor-A expression in resected gallbladder carcinoma.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) expression and other confirmed prognostic factors in predicting clinical outcomes after the resection of gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). Between January 1999 and January 2006, a total of 84 consecutive and non-selected patients who underwent resection for GBC were retrospectively reviewed. Of the 84 patients studied, 45 cases (53.

[Effects of travoprost on actin cytoskeleton and β-catenin in the human trabecular meshwork cells treated with Dexamethasone].

Objective: To investigate the effect of travoprost on changes of actin cytoskeletal and β-catenin protein in the cultured human trabecular meshwork (HTM) cells treated with dexamethasone (DEX).

Methods: It was a control experiment study. The HTM cells were cultured in vitro and divided into control group, DEX (1 × 10(-6) mol/L) group, travoprost (1 × 10(-6) mol/L) group, and DEX (1 × 10(-6) mol/L) plus travoprost (1 × 10(-6) mol/L) group.

Adjuvant radiotherapy for gallbladder cancer: a dosimetric comparison of conformal radiotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

Aim: To assess the efficacy and toxicity of conformal radiotherapy (CRT) and compare with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in the treatment of gallbladder cancer.

Methods: Between November 2003 and January 2010, 20 patients with gallbladder cancer were treated with CRT with or without chemotherapy after surgical resection. Preliminary survival data were collected and examined using both Kaplan-Meier and actuarial analysis.

Depletion of the proteasome subunit PSMA7 inhibits colorectal cancer cell tumorigenicity and migration.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths throughout the world. Recently, we reported that proteasome subunit PSMA7 located on 20q13 amplicon was overexpressed and associated with liver metastasis of colorectal cancer. The results indicate that PSMA7 may play an important role in the colorectal cancer progression and provide a unique target site for the development of therapeutic drugs.

Port site and distant metastases of gallbladder cancer after laparoscopic cholecystectomy diagnosed by positron emission tomography.

We report port site and distant metastases of unsuspected gallbladder cancer after laparoscopic cholecystectomy diagnosed by positron emission tomography (PET) in two patients. Patient 1, a 72-year-old woman was diagnosed as cholelithiasis and cholecystitis and received laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Unsuspected gallbladder cancer was discovered with histological result of well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder infiltrating the entire wall.

Three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy combined with FOLFOX4 chemotherapy for unresectable recurrent rectal cancer.

Aim: To investigate the effect of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3-DCRT) in combination with FOLFOX4 chemotherapy for unresectable recurrent rectal cancer.

Methods: Forty-eight patients with unresectable recurrent rectal cancer were randomized and treated by 3-DCRT or 3-DCRT combined with FOLFOX4 chemotherapy between September 2001 and October 2003. For the patients without prior radiation history, the initial radiation was given to the whole pelvis by traditional methods with tumor dose of 40 Gy, followed by 3-DCRT for the recurrent lesions to the median total cumulative tumor dose of 60 Gy (range 56-66 Gy); for the post-radiation recurrent patients, 3-DCRT was directly given for the recurrent lesions to the median tumor dose of 40 Gy (36-46 Gy).

Expression of a novel immunoglobulin gene SNC73 in human cancer and non-cancerous tissues.

Aim: To investigate the expression of immunoglobulin gene SNC73 in malignant tumors and non-cancerous normal tissues.

Methods: Expression level of SNC73 in tumors and non-cancerous tissues from the same patient was determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (RT-PCR-ELISA) in 90 cases of malignant tumors, including colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and liver cancer. Analysis on the correlation of SNC73 expression with sex, age, site, grade of differentiation, depth of invasion, and metastases in colorectal cancer patients was made.

Pre-operative radiochemotherapy of locally advanced rectal cancer.

Aim: To evaluate results of pre-operative radiochemotherapy followed by surgery for 15 patients with locally advanced un-resectable rectal cancer.

Methods: 15 patients with advanced non-resectable rectal cancer were treated with pre-operative irriadiation of 40-46 Gy plus concomitant chemotherapy (5-FU+LV and 5'-DFuR) (RCS group). For comparison, 27 similar patients, treated by preoperative radiotherapy (40-50 Gy) plus surgery were served as control (RS group).