New concept on an integrated interior magnetic resonance imaging and medical linear accelerator system for radiation therapy.

Image guidance plays a critical role in radiotherapy. Currently, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is routinely used in clinics for this purpose. While this modality can provide an attenuation image for therapeutic planning, low soft-tissue contrast affects the delineation of anatomical and pathological features.

Renal myolipoosteoma: A distinctive lesion in a child.

We describe a distinctive renal tumor, a myolipoosteoma (MLO), in an 11-year-old boy who presented with a 6-month history of slight right flank intermittent pain. A gross examination revealed a well-defined, 5.5 cm mass with bone-like consistency.

Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma: Radiological features, prognostic factors and survival statistics in 23 patients.

Background: Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma is a rare, highly malignant tumor with a poor survival. There are many confusing issues concerning the imaging feature that can facilitate early diagnosis and the factors that might be related to outcomes.

Methods: Twenty-three patients with dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma confirmed by pathology were retrospectively reviewed from 2008 to 2015.

A retrospective study of lymphatic transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous/deep inferior epigastric perforator flaps for breast cancer treatment-induced upper-limb lymphoedema.

Breast cancer-related lymphoedema (BCRL) is a common and intractable complication. To evaluate the possible complications of using lymphatic transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous/deep inferior epigastric perforator (TRAM/DIEP) flaps for breast reconstruction and BCRL treatment, 20 patients with moderate or severe BCRL were retrospectively enrolled between November 2012 and October 2014. 10 patients had undergone lymphatic TRAM/DIEP flap surgery were assigned to the surgery group.

High-kVp Assisted Metal Artifact Reduction for X-ray Computed Tomography.

In X-ray computed tomography (CT), the presence of metallic parts in patients causes serious artifacts and degrades image quality. Many algorithms were published for metal artifact reduction (MAR) over the past decades with various degrees of success but without a perfect solution. Some MAR algorithms are based on the assumption that metal artifacts are due only to strong beam hardening and may fail in the case of serious photon starvation.

(125)I Seed Permanent Implantation as a Palliative Treatment for Stage III and IV Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and safety of percutaneous (125)I seed permanent implantation for advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma from toxicity, tumor response, and short-term outcome.

Methods: (125)I seeds implant procedures were performed under computed tomography for 34 patients with advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma. We observed the local control rate, overall survival, and acute or late toxicity rate.

Protective Role of Hinokitiol Against HO-Induced Injury in Human Corneal Epithelium.

Purpose: We recently found that hinokitiol has anti-inflammatory activity in human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells. Herein, we investigated the protective role of hinokitiol against HO-induced injury in HCE cells and the mechanisms that underlie its action.

Methods: HCE cells were incubated with different concentrations of hinokitiol or dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), which served as a vehicle control, before HO stimulus.

Spectral X-Ray CT Image Reconstruction with a Combination of Energy-Integrating and Photon-Counting Detectors.

The purpose of this paper is to develop an algorithm for hybrid spectral computed tomography (CT) which combines energy-integrating and photon-counting detectors. While the energy-integrating scan is global, the photon-counting scan can have a local field of view (FOV). The algorithm synthesizes both spectral data and energy-integrating data.

Nuclear Factor Kappa B Activation and Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor Transactivational Effects of Chemical Components of the Roots of Polygonum multiflorum.

Background: Polygonum multiflorum is well-known as "Heshouwu" in traditional Chinese herbal medicine. In Northeast Asia, it is often used as a tonic to prevent premature aging of the kidney and liver, tendons, and bones and strengthening of the lower back and knees.

Objective: To research the anti-inflammatory activities of components from P.

X-ray CT geometrical calibration via locally linear embedding.

For X-ray computed tomography (CT), geometric calibration and rigid patient motion compensation are inter-related issues for optimization of image reconstruction quality. Non-calibrated system geometry and patient movement during a CT scan will result in streak-like, blurring and other artifacts in reconstructed images. In this paper, we propose a locally linear embedding based calibration approach to address this challenge under a rigid 2D object assumption and a more general way than what has been reported before.

Sinogram-based attenuation correction in PET/CT.

In a typical positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) system, the attenuation correction is necessary for PET image reconstruction, which involves a transformation from the CT Hounsfield units (HU) to its linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) at 511 keV. This transformation is usually aided by an empirical bilinear function, followed by the forward projection of the transformed attenuation image. In this paper, we propose a direct method that calculates attenuation factors from CT projections, without using a reconstructed CT image.

Baicalein inhibits the migration and invasion of colorectal cancer cells via suppression of the AKT signaling pathway.

The anticancer effect of baicalein has been known for a number of years. However, its anti-metastatic effect and associated mechanisms in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unclear. The present study investigated the hypothesis that treatment with baicalein may inhibit the proliferation, motility and invasion of human CRC cell lines via regulation of the protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway.

miR-139 Functions as An Antioncomir to Repress Glioma Progression Through Targeting IGF-1 R, AMY-1, and PGC-1β.

Gliomas are the most common primary malignant brain tumor with poor prognosis, characterized by a highly heterogeneous cell population, extensive proliferation, and migration. A lot of molecular mechanisms regulate gliomas development and invasion, including abnormal expression of oncogenes and variation of epigenetic modification. MicroRNAs could affect cell growth and functions.

Vessel Dilation Attenuates Endothelial Dysfunction Following Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion in Hyperglycemic Rats.

Objectives: Dynamically observe cerebral vascular changes in hyperglycemic rats in vivo and explore the effect of diabetes on endothelial function after ischemic stroke.

Background: Diabetes affects both large and small vessels in the brain, but the dynamic process and mechanism are unclear.

Methods: We investigated the structural and functional changes of brain vasculature in living hyperglycemic rats and their impact on stroke outcomes via a novel technique: synchrotron radiation angiography.

Simultaneous CT-MRI Reconstruction for Constrained Imaging Geometries Using Structural Coupling and Compressive Sensing.

Objective: A unified reconstruction framework is presented for simultaneous CT-MRI reconstruction.

Methods: In an ideal CT-MRI scanner, CT and MRI acquisitions would occur simultaneously, and would be inherently registered in space and time. Alternatively, separately acquired CT and MRI scans can be fused to simulate an instantaneous acquisition.

A new phenolic derivative with soluble epoxide hydrolase and nuclear factor-kappaB inhibitory activity from the aqueous extract of Acacia catechu.

One novel phenolic compound, (4S,5R)-4-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5-(3-oxobutyl)dihydrofuran-2(3H)-one (1), as well as 12 known compounds (2-13) was obtained from the aqueous extract of Acacia catechu and their chemical structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis. Compounds 8 and 9 exhibited significant soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitory activities with IC50 values of 26.6 ± 0.

High-Resolution and Quantitative X-Ray Phase-Contrast Tomography for Mouse Brain Research.

Imaging techniques for visualizing cerebral vasculature and distinguishing functional areas are essential and critical to the study of various brain diseases. In this paper, with the X-ray phase-contrast imaging technique, we proposed an experiment scheme for the ex vivo mouse brain study, achieving both high spatial resolution and improved soft-tissue contrast. This scheme includes two steps: sample preparation and volume reconstruction.

Spherical grating based x-ray Talbot interferometry.

Purpose: Grating interferometry is a state-of-the-art x-ray imaging approach, which can acquire information on x-ray attenuation, phase shift, and small-angle scattering simultaneously. Phase-contrast imaging and dark-field imaging are very sensitive to microstructural variation and offers superior contrast resolution for biological soft tissues. However, a common x-ray tube is a point-like source.

Talbot interferometry with curved quasi-periodic gratings: towards large field of view X-ray phase-contrast imaging.

X-ray phase-contrast imaging based on grating interferometry has become a common method due to its superior contrast in biological soft tissue imaging. The high sensitivity relies on the high-aspect ratio structures of the planar gratings, which prohibit the large field of view applications with a diverging X-ray source. Curved gratings allow a high X-ray flux for a wider angular range, but the interference fringes are only visible within ~10° range due to the geometrical mismatch with the commonly used flat array detectors.

Vision 20/20: Simultaneous CT-MRI--Next chapter of multimodality imaging.

Multimodality imaging systems such as positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) and MRI-PET are widely available, but a simultaneous CT-MRI instrument has not been developed. Synergies between independent modalities, e.g.

MicroRNA-498 Inhibition Enhances the Differentiation of Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Podocyte-Like Cells.

Podocyte depletion is a key event in the progression of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) resulting in nephrotic proteinuria and renal failure, but the treatment options are limited to dialysis and renal transplantation. So there is an urgent need for renal regenerative therapies. Generation of podocytes from human stem cells is regarded as a promising therapeutic strategy to repair or regenerate the damaged kidneys; however, the reliable induction system remains a challenge.

Soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitory activity of anthraquinone components from Aloe.

Aloe is a short-stemmed succulent herb widely used in traditional medicine to treat various diseases and as raw material in cosmetics and heath foods. In this study, we isolated and identified two new anthraquinone derivatives, aloinoside C (6) and aloinoside D (7), together with six known compounds from an aqueous dissolved Aloe exudate. Their structures were identified by spectroscopic analysis.

Effect of Iodine Intake on p14ARF and p16INK4a Expression in Thyroid Papillary Carcinoma in Rats.

Background: Iodine intake is related to thyroid disease. This study investigated the effect of the amount of iodine intake on p14ARF and p16INK4a expression of thyroid papillary carcinoma in rats.

Material And Methods: A cohort of 240 SD rats were randomly divided into control group, low iodine, normal iodine, and high iodine groups (n=60 per group).

Endostatin improves cancer-associated systemic syndrome in a lung cancer model.

Cancer-associated systemic syndrome (CASS) is characterized by a constellation of symptoms, including progressive weight loss, anemia, endocrine disorders, gastrointestinal dysfunction, muscle and adipose atrophy, hepatic peliosis and kidney failure. The present study assesses the effects of endostatin on CASS and any possible underlying mechanism in tumor-bearing mice. The results showed that the inoculation of Lewis lung carcinoma cells into mice led to CASS that was characterized by a notable decrease in body weight, severe anemia phenotype, disordered biochemistry, hepatosplenomegaly, and a marked increase in serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin-6 (IL-6).

Endogenous acetylcholine increases alveolar epithelial fluid transport via activation of alveolar epithelial Na,K-ATPase in mice.

The contribution of endogenous acetylcholine to alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) and related molecular mechanisms were explored. AFC was measured in Balb/c mice after vagotomy and vagus nerve stimulation. Effects of acetylcholine chloride on AFC in Kunming mice and Na,K-ATPase function in A549 alveolar epithelial cells also were determined.