Micro- and macro-changes in early-stage type 2 diabetes mellitus without cognitive impairment: a diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and surface-based morphometry (SBM) study.

Introduction: Brain structure and function changes are considered major brain damages in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which likely has a close relationship with cognitive impairment. Many previous studies have shown by using brain structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods that brain white and gray matter are damaged in T2DM, leading to cognitive impairment. Researches neglected patients of T2DM without cognitive dysfunction might also have brain changes.

Association of CIDEB gene promoter methylation with overweight or obesity in adults.

Objective: To explore the association of the methylation level of cell death-inducing DFF45-like effector B (CIDEB) gene promoter with overweight or obesity in the abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and omental adipose tissue (OAT) of adults.

Methods: A total of 61 patients undergoing abdominal surgery in the hospital were selected with an average age of 51.87 years.

Apparent diffusion coefficient values of cryptorchid testes and malignant transformation of cryptorchidism (MTC) (seminoma) in postpubertal patients.

Objectives: Diffusion-weighted imaging signal contrast can be quantified by apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, which reflect the diffusion properties of the examined tissue and are helpful for identifying pathology. To determine ADC values of cryptorchid testes in post-pubertal patients and assess performance for characterizing cryptorchid testes.

Methods: The medical records from 35 patients with unilateral scrotal vacuity were retrospectively reviewed.

Noninvasive Detection of Extracellular pH in Human Benign and Malignant Liver Tumors Using CEST MRI.

Purpose: In this study, we aimed to use 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is clinically available, to determine the extracellular pH (pHe) of liver tumors and prospectively evaluate the ability of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI to distinguish between benign and malignant liver tumors.

Methods: Different radiofrequency irradiation schemes were assessed for ioversol-based pH measurements at 3T. CEST effects were quantified using the asymmetric magnetization transfer ratio (MTRasym) at 4.

Glutamate Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (GluCEST) Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Pre-clinical and Clinical Applications for Encephalitis.

Background: Encephalitis is a common central nervous system inflammatory disease that seriously endangers human health owing to the lack of effective diagnostic methods, which leads to a high rate of misdiagnosis and mortality. Glutamate is implicated closely in microglial activation, and activated microglia are key players in encephalitis. Hence, using glutamate chemical exchange saturation transfer (GluCEST) imaging for the early diagnosis of encephalitis holds promise.

Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging for Detection of Early Brain Changes in Parkinson's Disease.

We aimed to evaluate microscale changes in the bilateral red nucleus and substantia nigra of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) using diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). Twenty-six patients with PD [mean age, 62.5 ± 8.

Imaging of glutamate in acute traumatic brain injury using chemical exchange saturation transfer.

Background: Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) is an important contrast mechanism in the field of magnetic resonance imaging. Herein, we used CEST for glutamate (GluCEST) imaging to evaluate the Glu alterations in acute mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) and correlated such alterations with the cognitive outcome at 1-month postinjury.

Methods: Thirty-two patients with well-documented mild-to-moderate TBI and 15 healthy controls (HC group) underwent 3.

An Amyloid-β Targeting Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer Probe for Detection of Alzheimer's Disease.

A reliable and reproducible detection of Aβ deposits would be beneficial for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the present study, the feasibility of applying chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) for Aβ deposit detection using angiopep-2 as a probe was evaluated, and it was demonstrated that CEST could detect angiopep-2 and Aβ-angiopep-2 aggregates . Furthermore, APP/PS1 mice injected with angiopep-2 exhibited a significantly higher CEST effect when compared with controls.

APT Weighted MRI as an Effective Imaging Protocol to Predict Clinical Outcome After Acute Ischemic Stroke.

To explore the capability of the amide-proton-transfer weighted (APTW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of clinical neurological deficit at the time of hospitalization and assessment of long-term daily functional outcome for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We recruited 55 AIS patients with brain MRI acquired within 24-48 h of symptom onset and followed up with their 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score. APT weighted MRI was performed for all the study subjects to measure APTW signal quantitatively in the acute ischemic area (APTW) and the contralateral side (APTW).

Mapping the Changes of Glutamate Using Glutamate Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (GluCEST) Technique in a Traumatic Brain Injury Model: A Longitudinal Pilot Study.

Glutamate excitoxicity plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury (TBI) through the initiation of secondary injuries. Glutamate chemical exchange saturation transfer (GluCEST) MRI is a newly developed technique to noninvasively image glutamate in vivo with high sensitivity and spatial resolution. The aim of the present study was to use a rat model of TBI to map changes in brain glutamate distribution and explore the capability of GluCEST imaging for detecting secondary injuries.

Downregulated lncRNA HOXA11-AS Affects Trophoblast Cell Proliferation and Migration by Regulating RND3 and HOXA7 Expression in PE.

The long noncoding RNA HOXA11-AS displays abnormal expression in numerous human diseases. However, its function and biological mechanisms remain unclear in preeclampsia (PE). In this study, we report that HOXA11-AS is significantly downregulated in preeclamptic placental tissues and could contribute to the occurrence and development of PE.

Anthropometric indices as surrogates for estimating abdominal visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue: A meta-analysis with 16,129 participants.

Aim: To seek anthropometric indices that estimate visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT and SAT) by meta-analysis and comparing the predictive efficacy based on different characteristics of participants.

Methods: PubMed, PubMed Central, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang databases were searched for publications containing correlation coefficients of VAT and/or SAT with waist circumference (WC) and/or body mass index (BMI). The overall or subgroup pooled results were analyzed by meta and metafor packages of R with random effects model.

Microstructural and Neurochemical Changes in the Rat Brain After Diffuse Axonal Injury.

Background: Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is one of the devastating types of traumatic brain injury, but is difficult to detect on conventional imaging in its early stages.

Purpose: To test the technical feasibility and diagnostic value of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and glutamate chemical exchange saturation transfer (GluCEST) imaging in the brain after DAI.

Study Type: Prospective.

Neck circumference may be a valuable tool for screening individuals with obesity: findings from a young Chinese population and a meta-analysis.

Background: Central obesity and overweight/obesity can result in various chronic non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes mellitus. Waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI) are widely used to measure obesity despite their limitations. For example, WC and BMI cannot be measured in pregnant women and subjects with abdominal ascites or masses.

The polymorphism of rs266729 in adiponectin gene and type 2 diabetes mellitus: A Meta-Analysis.

Genome-wide association studies and meta-analyses indicate that the polymorphism of rs266729 in adiponectin gene increases the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); however, these study methods have not been able to identify the underlying genetic effect on the development of T2DM. A genetic model-free approach was conducted to determine the underlying genetic model of inheritance of T2DM because of rs266729 in adiponectin gene.We searched available studies on the association between the rs266729 in adiponectin gene and T2DM in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Body mass index had different effects on premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer risks: a dose-response meta-analysis with 3,318,796 subjects from 31 cohort studies.

Background: There is sufficient evidence supporting a relationship between increased body mass index (BMI) and an increased risk for breast cancer among postmenopausal women. However, most studies have found a decreased risk for premenopausal breast cancer. This study was conducted to find out the different effects of BMI on the risk of breast cancer among premenopausal and postmenopausal women, and explore the potential factors that influence the associations.

The long non-coding RNA PVT1 represses ANGPTL4 transcription through binding with EZH2 in trophoblast cell.

Despite progress in diagnostics and treatment for preeclampsia, it remains the foremost cause of maternal and foetal perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Over recent years, various lines of evidence have emphasized long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) which function as an innovative regulator of biological behaviour, as exemplified by proliferation, apoptosis and metastasis. However, the role of lncRNAs has not been well described in preeclampsia.

The lncRNA TUG1 modulates proliferation in trophoblast cells via epigenetic suppression of RND3.

Due to limited treatment options, pre-eclampsia (PE) is associated with fetal perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. During the causes of PE, failure of uterine spiral artery remodeling which might be related to functioning abnormally of trophoblast cells, result in the occurrence and progression of PE. Recently, abnormal expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), as imperative regulators involved in human diseases progression (included PE), which has been indicated by increasing evidence.

Quantitative assessment of optic nerve in patients with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy using reduced field-of-view diffusion tensor imaging.

Purpose: To quantitatively analyze the optic nerve alterations in chronic Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) using reduced field-of-view diffusion tensor imaging (rFOV-DTI) and evaluate the correlation of diffusion parameters with visual functional and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness.

Methods: Twenty-five patients (50 affected optic nerves) with chronic LHON and 28 healthy controls (56 normal optic nerves) were enrolled. The rFOV-DTI was performed in the bilateral optic nerves for all the subjects.

Haplotype-based interaction of the PPARGC1A and UCP1 genes is associated with impaired fasting glucose or type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the PPARGC1A and UCP1 genes on impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the haplotype-based interaction between these genes.A cross-sectional study was conducted by cluster sampling in Henan province, China. Based on the level of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and the history of T2DM, the participants were divided into 2 groups; 83 individuals were in the IFG+DM group (those with IFG or T2DM) and 445 individuals were in the NFPG group (those with normal FPG).

Extracellular pH is a biomarker enabling detection of breast cancer and liver cancer using CEST MRI.

Extracellular pH (pHe) decrease is associated with tumor growth, invasion, metastasis, and chemoresistance, which can be detected by chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Here, we demonstrated that ioversol CEST MRI can be exploited to achieve pHe mapping of the liver cancer microenvironment. In in vitro studies, we firstly explored whether ioversol signal is pH-dependent, and calculated the function equation between the CEST effects of ioversol and pH values, in the range of 6.

[Relationship between uncoupling protein 1 gene promoter methylation and obesity in adult].

Objective: To observe the relationship between the methylation status in promoter region of uncoupling protein 1( UCP1) gene and obesity.

Methods: A casecontrol study based on the hospital consisted 116 people was carried out, according to the body mass index( BMI), the subjects were divided into two groups, the overweight and obesity group with 50 samples( BMI≥24. 0) and the normal weight group with 66 samples( 18.

A New Schiff Base Chemodosimeter for Fluorescent Imaging of Ferric Ions in Living Cells.

A new and efficient chemodosimeter for ferric ions has been developed. The visual and fluorescent behaviors of the compound toward various metal ions were investigated: ferric ions are distinguished from other cations by selective color change and unusual fluorescence enhancement in mixed aqueous solution. Fluorescence microscopy experiments showed that this receptor is effective for detection of Fe(3+) in vitro, developing a good image of the biological organelles.