Customized Cutting Template to Assist Sternotomy in Pectus Arcuatum.

Purpose: Pectus arcuatum is an anterior chest wall deformity that requires transverse wedge sternotomy. Determining and delivering the correct cutting angle are crucial for successful correction. This report describes the early clinical experience with a novel cutting template technology able to deliver the optimal cutting angle.

Age-related changes in four-dimensional CMR-derived atrioventricular junction velocities and displacements: Implications for the identification of altered annular dynamics for ventricular function assessment.

Background: We determined the age-related changes in atrioventricular junction (AVJ) velocities and displacements by feature tracking cardiovascular magnetic resonance (FT-CMR) in a healthy community-based population. We also investigated the importance of age-matching for the identification of altered AVJ dynamics.

Methods: FT-CMR was performed in 230 controls (18-78 years) and in two patient groups each consisting of 40 subjects (group 1: 23-55 years, group 2: 56-80 years).

High-Resolution Chest Computed Tomography Imaging of the Lungs: Impact of 1024 Matrix Reconstruction and Photon-Counting Detector Computed Tomography.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate if a high-resolution photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD-CT) system with a 1024×1024 matrix reconstruction can improve the visualization of fine structures in the lungs compared with conventional high-resolution CT (HRCT).

Materials And Methods: Twenty-two adult patients referred for clinical chest HRCT (mean CTDI vol, 13.58 mGy) underwent additional dose-matched PCD-CT (mean volume CT dose index, 13.

A Novel Score Predicts HBV-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence After Hepatectomy: a Retrospective Multicenter Study.

Background: In China, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is an important causative factor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The contribution and interaction of fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score and total tumor volume (TTV) in association with HCC recurrence is unknown. A reliable point score based on the FIB-4 score, TTV, and differentiation grade was established to predict the postoperative recurrence of HBV-related HCC patients who underwent hepatic resection (HR).

Cardiac Image Segmentation Using Memory Persistence Methodology.

This paper presents a novel computer-aided framework for cardiac image segmentation using a methodology based on memory persistence. The primary concept is to mimic the process of human cognition in the segmentation of time-varying images (i.e.

Computational Platform Based on Deep Learning for Segmenting Ventricular Endocardium in Long-axis Cardiac MR Imaging.

This paper presents an automated computational platform based on deep learning (DL) approach for left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) endocardium segmentation in long-axis cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). The proposed method uses modified deep U-Net convolutional networks. We trained our model using 4800 images from 40 human subjects (20 healthy volunteers, 20 patients with various cardiac diseases) and validated the technique in 6000 images from 50 subjects (10 healthy volunteers, 40 patients).

BRMS1 coordinates with LSD1 and suppresses breast cancer cell metastasis.

Breast carcinoma metastasis suppressor gene 1 () encodes an inhibitor of metastasis and is reported in many types of tumor metastasis. However, the mechanism of BRMS1-mediated inhibition of breast cancer metastasis at the transcriptional level remains elusive. Here, we identified using affinity purification and mass spectrometry (MS) that BRMS1 is an integral component of the LSD1/CoREST corepressor complex.

Connection between Systemic Inflammation and Neuroinflammation Underlies Neuroprotective Mechanism of Several Phytochemicals in Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Oxidative damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuroinflammation are strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), and a substantial portion of elderly population at risk of these diseases requires nutritional intervention to benefit health due to lack of clinically relevant drugs. To this end, anti-inflammatory mechanisms of several phytochemicals such as curcumin, resveratrol, propolis, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and ginsenosides have been extensively studied. However, correlation of the phytochemicals with neuroinflammation or brain nutrition is not fully considered, especially in their therapeutic mechanism for neuronal damage or dysfunction.

Validation of a rapid semi-automated method to assess left atrial longitudinal phasic strains on cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: Abnormal left atrial (LA) function is a marker of cardiac dysfunction and adverse cardiovascular outcome, but is difficult to assess, and hence not, routinely quantified. We aimed to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of a fast method to measure long-axis LA strain and strain rate (SR) with standard cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) compared to conventional feature tracking (FT) derived longitudinal strain.

Methods: We studied 50 normal controls, 30 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and 100 heart failure (HF) patients, including 40 with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), 30 mid-range ejection fraction (HFmrEF) and 30 preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

Metabolic status and lifestyle factors associated with gallbladder polyps: a covariance structure analysis.

Background: Gallbladder Polyps (GBP) are highly prevalent in China; however, the etiology of GBP has not been clearly defined. This study explored the associations between lifestyle factors and GBP and whether it mediated by metabolic factors or not.

Methods: A total of 487 newly diagnosed GBP cases and 502 healthy controls were involved in this study.

Metabolomic correlates of aerobic capacity among elderly adults.

Background: Aerobic capacity is a powerful predictor of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, and it declines with advancing age.

Hypothesis: Since physical activity alters body metabolism, metabolism markers will likely differ between subjects with high vs low aerobic capacities.

Methods: Community-based participants without physician-diagnosed heart disease, stroke or cancer underwent same-day multimodal assessment of cardiovascular function (by echocardiography and magnetic resonance feature tracking of left atrium) and aerobic capacity by peak oxygen uptake (VO ) metrics.

The Adrenal Clock Prevents Aberrant Light-Induced Alterations in Circadian Glucocorticoid Rhythms.

The glucocorticoid (GC) rhythm is entrained to light-dark (LD) cycles via a molecular clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and is maintained by an adrenal clock synchronized by SCN-dependent signals. Targeted deletion of the core clock gene Bmal1 can disrupt adrenal clock function. The requirement of the adrenal clock to stabilize the circadian GC rhythm during exposure to aberrant LD cycles was determined using novel aldosterone synthase (AS)Cre/+::Bmal1Fl/Fl mice in which Bmal1 deletion occurred during postnatal adrenal transdifferentiation.

Randomly distributed embedding making short-term high-dimensional data predictable.

Future state prediction for nonlinear dynamical systems is a challenging task, particularly when only a few time series samples for high-dimensional variables are available from real-world systems. In this work, we propose a model-free framework, named randomly distributed embedding (RDE), to achieve accurate future state prediction based on short-term high-dimensional data. Specifically, from the observed data of high-dimensional variables, the RDE framework randomly generates a sufficient number of low-dimensional "nondelay embeddings" and maps each of them to a "delay embedding," which is constructed from the data of a to be predicted target variable.

Normal Values of Myocardial Deformation Assessed by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in a Healthy Chinese Population: A Multicenter Study.

Reference values on atrial and ventricular strain from cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) are essential in identifying patients with impaired atrial and ventricular function. However, reference values have not been established for Chinese subjects. One hundred and fifty healthy volunteers (75 Males/75 Females; 18-82 years) were recruited.

Observer Performance with Varying Radiation Dose and Reconstruction Methods for Detection of Hepatic Metastases.

Purpose To estimate the ability of lower dose levels and iterative reconstruction (IR) to display hepatic metastases that can be detected by radiologists. Materials and Methods Projection data from 83 contrast agent-enhanced CT examinations were collected. Metastases were defined by histopathologic analysis or progression and regression.

Exposure characterization and estimation of benchmark dose for cancer biomarkers in an occupational cohort of diesel engine testers.

Exposure to diesel engine exhaust (DEE) was associated with various adverse health effects including lung cancer. Particle size distribution and profiles of organic compounds in both particle and gas phases of DEE that could provide valuable insights into related health effects were measured in a diesel engine testing workshop. Concentrations of urinary 6 mono-hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs) in 137 DEE-exposed workers and 127 non-DEE-exposed workers were determined.

Material decomposition with prior knowledge aware iterative denoising (MD-PKAID).

Dual- or multi-energy CT, also known as spectral CT, obtains x-ray attenuation measurements at two or more energy spectra, allowing quantification of materials with different compositions. This process is known as material decomposition, which is the basis for a number of spectral CT applications. The conventional image-domain basis material decomposition is based on a least-squares fitting between the underlying material-specific images and the measured source spectral CT images (i.

Publisher Correction: Inactivating hepatic follistatin alleviates hyperglycemia.

In the version of this article originally published, the y axis labels in Fig. 4b,d were incorrect. In Fig.

Comparison of a Photon-Counting-Detector CT with an Energy-Integrating-Detector CT for Temporal Bone Imaging: A Cadaveric Study.

Background And Purpose: Evaluating abnormalities of the temporal bone requires high-spatial-resolution CT imaging. Our aim was to assess the performance of photon-counting-detector ultra-high-resolution acquisitions for temporal bone imaging and compare the results with those of energy-integrating-detector ultra-high-resolution acquisitions.

Materials And Methods: Phantom studies were conducted to quantify spatial resolution of the ultra-high-resolution mode on a prototype photon-counting-detector CT scanner and an energy-integrating-detector CT scanner that uses a comb filter.

Clinic-pathologic Features and Prognostic Analysis of Thyroid Cancer in the Older Adult: A SEER Based Study.

Age at diagnosis has been identified as a major determinant of thyroid cancer-specific survival. But the cut-off value for age was controversial. The interaction among gender, age and histologic subtypes needed to be answered.

Detection and Characterization of Renal Stones by Using Photon-Counting-based CT.

Purpose To compare a research photon-counting-detector (PCD) CT scanner to a dual-source, dual-energy CT scanner for the detection and characterization of renal stones in human participants with known stones. Materials and Methods Thirty study participants (median age, 61 years; 10 women) underwent a clinical renal stone characterization scan by using dual-energy CT and a subsequent research PCD CT scan by using the same radiation dose (as represented by volumetric CT dose index). Two radiologists were tasked with detection of stones, which were later characterized as uric acid or non-uric acid by using a commercial dual-energy CT analysis package.