Multiparametric MRI-based whole-liver radiomics for predicting early-stage liver fibrosis in rabbits.

Objectives: To develop and validate a whole-liver radiomic model using multiparametric MRI for predicting early-stage liver fibrosis (LF) in rabbits.

Methods: A total of 134 rabbits (early-stage LF, n = 91; advanced-stage LF, n = 43) who underwent liver magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), hepatobiliary phase, dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE), intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM), diffusion kurtosis imaging, and T2* scanning were enrolled and randomly allocated to either the training or validation cohort. Whole-liver radiomic features were extracted and selected to develop a radiomic model and generate quantitative Rad-scores.

Simultaneous liver steatosis, fibrosis and iron deposition quantification with mDixon quant based on radiomics analysis in a rabbit model.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of simultaneous quantification of liver fibrosis, liver steatosis and abnormal iron deposition using mDixon Quant based on radiomics analysis, and to eliminate the interference among different histopathologic features.

Methods: One hundred and twenty rabbits that were administered CCl4 for 4-16 weeks and a cholesterol rich diet for the initial 4 weeks in the experimental group and 20 rabbits in the control group were examined using mDixon. Radiomics features of the whole liver were extracted from PDFF and R2* and radiomics models for discriminating steatosis: S0-S1 vs.

Effect of Iron Deposition on Native T1 Mapping and Blood Oxygen Level Dependent for the Assessment of Liver Fibrosis in Rabbits With Carbon Tetrachloride Intoxication.

Rationale And Objectives: This study aimed to explore the effect of iron deposition on native T1 mapping and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) imaging in detecting liver fibrosis (LF) in a rabbit model.

Materials And Methods: An LF group (n = 100) was established by subcutaneously injecting 50% carbon tetrachloride (CCl) oil solution, and 20 normal rabbits composed a control group. Native T1 mapping and BOLD were performed, and the T1 and R* quantitative parameters were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and multiple logistic regression analyses, with histopathological results and liver iron content (LIC) serving as reference standards.

Collagen deposition in the liver is strongly and positively associated with T1rho elongation while fat deposition is associated with T1rho shortening: an experimental study of methionine and choline-deficient (MCD) diet rat model.

Background: A number of questions concerning the histological mechanism of elongated T1rho in liver fibrosis remain unanswered. Using a rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced with methionine and choline-deficient (MCD) diet, the primary aim of this study is to clarify whether collagen deposition causes liver T1rho elongation.

Methods: There were 45 rats in the NAFLD model group and 8 rats in the control group.

Staging liver fibrosis on multiparametric MRI in a rabbit model with elastography, susceptibility-weighted imaging and T1ρ imaging: a preliminary study.

Background: Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), and T1ρ are three techniques for staging of liver fibrosis (LF).

Purpose: To assess the value of MRE, SWI, and T1ρ imaging in staging LF.

Material And Methods: Sixty rabbits were injected with 50% CCloil solution, whereas 20 rabbits were given normal saline.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI with Gd-EOB-DTPA for the quantitative assessment of early-stage liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride in rabbits.

Purpose: To explore quantitative parameters obtained by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE MRI) with Gd-EOB-DTPA in discriminating early-stage liver fibrosis (LF) in a rabbit model.

Materials And Methods: LF was established in 60 rabbits by the injection of 50% CCl oil solution, whereas 30 rabbits served as the control group. All rabbits underwent pathological examination to determine the LF stage using the METAVIR classification system.

[Recent advances in biosynthetic pathway and synthetic biology of taxol].

Taxol, a kind of terpenoid secondary metabolite produced by Taxus brevifolia, is an effective anticancer drug that manufacture relies mainly on the extraction form plants. In order to solve the resource shortage, a lot of work has been done to develop the alternative method. Recently, using synthetic biology to realize heterologous biosynthesis of the precursors of taxol has become a hotspot.

[Advance in transcriptomic studies of ginseng species].

There are many valuable medicinal plants in Ginseng genus belonging to Araliaceae. Among them, Panax ginseng, P. quinquefolium and P.

[Advance in biosynthesis of terpenoid indole alkaloids and its regulation in Catharanthus roseus].

Catharanthus roseus can produce a variety of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIA), most of which exhibit strong pharmacological activities. Hence, biosynthesis and regulation of TIA have received recent attention. 3α (S)-strictosidine is an important node in TIA biosynthesis, which is a condensation product of secologanin and tryptamine.

[Advance in flavonoids biosynthetic pathway and synthetic biology].

Flavonoids are the valuable components in medicinal plants, which possess a variety of pharmacological activities, including anti-tumor, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. There is an unambiguous understanding about flavonoids biosynthetic pathway, that is,2S-flavanones including naringenin and pinocembrin are the skeleton of other flavonoids and they can transform to other flavonoids through branched metabolic pathway. Elucidation of the flavonoids biosynthetic pathway lays a solid foundation for their synthetic biology.

[Strategies of elucidation of biosynthetic pathways of natural products].

Elucidation of the biosynthetic pathways of natural products is not only the major goal of herb genomics, but also the solid foundation of synthetic biology of natural products. Here, this paper reviewed recent advance in this field and put forward strategies to elucidate the biosynthetic pathway of natural products. Firstly, a proposed biosynthetic pathway should be set up based on well-known knowledge about chemical reactions and information on the identified compounds, as well as studies with isotope tracer.

[Key technologies in synthetic biology of natural products].

Natural products with complex and diverse structures are the major sources of new drugs. The biosynthesis of natural products is considered to be one of the best ways to solve the problems of complex and scarce natural products. DNA assembly technology and genome editing technology are two key technologies in the emerging interdisciplinary field of synthetic biology.

Complete chloroplast genome sequence of the medicinal plant .

We report the complete chloroplast genome sequence of , a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, which produces triterpenoid saponins similar to Panax ginseng. The assembled chloroplast genome (cpDNA) was 157,654 bp in length and structurally divided into four distinct regions, namely, large single copy region (86,794 bp), small single copy region (18,654 bp) and a pair of inverted repeat regions (26,103 bp). A total of 143 genes were annotated, including 87 protein-coding genes, 10 tRNA genes and 46 rRNA genes.

Comparison of magnetic resonance elastography and diffusion-weighted imaging for staging hepatic fibrosis.

Background: To compare the diagnostic values of magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in staging hepatic fibrosis (HF) in an animal model.

Methods: This study consisted of 44 rabbits served as HF group and 9 normal rabbits. HF group was divided into two subgroups: Group A (n = 32) and Group B (n = 12).

Diffusion tensor imaging study of the anterior limb of internal capsules in neuroleptic-naive schizophrenia.

Rationale And Objectives: Abnormalities in brain structure have been implicated in psychosis. Herein, we investigated the differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) and average diffusion coefficient (ADC) in the bilateral anterior limb of internal capsules between neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients and appropriately matched healthy controls.

Materials And Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging was performed with a 1.

[Triple-phase helical CT in the differential diagnosis between small hepatocellular carcinoma and small hepatic cavernous hemangioma].

Objective: To scrutinize the enhancement pattern at hepatic arterial phase (HAP), portal venous phase (PVP) and delayed phase (DP) by helical CT examination in order to differentiate small hepatocellular carcinoma (SHCC) from small hepatic cavernous hemangioma (SHCH).

Methods: In 38 patients (41 lesions) with SHCC and 35 patients (45 lesions) with SHCH, the images at HAP, PVP and DP were recorded as to the characteristic of enhancements with the average CT value at the HAP monitored and compared.

Results: The enhancement patterns of SHCC at the HAP, PVP, and DP were assessed as hyper-hypo-hypodense in 20 lesions, hyper-iso-hypodense in 6 lesions, hyper-hyper-hypodense in 3 lesions, hyper-iso-isodense in 5 lesions, iso-hypo-hypodense in 3 lesions, and hypo-hypo-hypodense in 4 lesions.