Application of ultrasound markers measured at different time points of COH cycle in the prediction of ovarian response for individualised ovulation induction.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of ultrasound markers measured at different time points of the controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) cycle on ovarian response and outcome indicators in the IVF-ET cycle. According to the oestrogen level and the number of retrieved oocytes, patients who planned for COH treatment were separated into low-response group, normal and high-response group. The ovarian stromal artery flow parameters on the day of pituitary down-regulation, day 1, day 7, day 10, and the day of hCG injection were collected prospectively.

Ultrasound Responsive Magnetic Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle-Loaded Microbubbles for Efficient Gene Delivery.

: Gene therapy is an important therapeutic strategy for cancer. Nanoparticles are used for noninvasive gene delivery, which has great potential in tumor therapy. However, it is a challenge to construct a targeted gene delivery vector with high gene delivery efficiency, good biocompatibility, and multiple functions.

Early ultrasound diagnosis of conjoined twins at eight weeks of pregnancy: A case report.

Background: Conjoined twins are a rare occurrence, and the majority of these malformations are detected during second trimester screening.

Case Summary: Herein we report a case of conjoined twins, which was diagnosed by ultrasound at 8 wk gestation and was normal at 7 wk gestation. The two fetuses shared one heart and were diagnosed as thoracopagus twins.

Inducing Tumor Cell Apoptosis: Mediated Survivin miRNA by Ultrasound and Cationic Lipid Contrast Agent.

Background: Non-viral delivery systems is a promising method for gene or drug delivery. Polyethyleneimine (PEI) is a double-edged sword. It internalizes itself into the cell through endocytosis and promotes gene transfer efficiency.

Endogenous Labile Iron Pool-Mediated Free Radical Generation for Cancer Chemodynamic Therapy.

Current chemodynamic therapy (CDT) primarily relies on the delivery of transition metal ions with Fenton activity to trigger hydroxyl radical production from hydrogen peroxide. However, administration of an excess amount of exogenous Fenton-type heavy metals may cause potential adverse effects to human health, including acute and chronic damages. Here, we present a new CDT strategy that uses intracellular labile iron pool (LIP) as the endogenous source of Fenton-reactive metals for eliciting free radical generation, and the discovery of hydroperoxides (R'OOH) as an optimal LIP-mediated chemodynamic agent against cancer.

Zwitterionic-to-cationic charge conversion polyprodrug nanomedicine for enhanced drug delivery.

Zwitterionic surface modification is a promising strategy for nanomedicines to achieve prolonged circulation time and thus effective tumor accumulation. However, zwitterion modified nanoparticles suffer from reduced cellular internalization efficiency. A polyprodrug-based nanomedicine with zwitterionic-to-cationic charge conversion ability (denoted as ZTC-NMs) was developed for enhanced chemotherapeutic drug delivery.

Altered Functional Connectivity in the Motor and Prefrontal Cortex for Children With Down's Syndrome: An fNIRS Study.

Children with Down's syndrome (DS) might exhibit disrupted brain functional connectivity in the motor and prefrontal cortex. To inspect the alterations in brain activation and functional connectivity for children with DS, the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) method was applied to examine the brain activation difference in the motor and prefrontal cortex between the DS and typically developing (TD) groups during a fine motor task. In addition, small-world analysis based on graph theory was also carried out to characterize the topological organization of functional brain networks.

Encapsulation of phycocyanin by prebiotics and polysaccharides-based electrospun fibers and improved colon cancer prevention effects.

To preserve bioactivity and achieve colon targeted release of phycocyanin (PC), the polysaccharides-based electrospun fiber mat (EFM) containing PC and prebiotics was prepared and characterized. In vitro release tests confirmed the colon targeting behavior of PC, in particular, faster release of PC was achieved due to the addition of prebiotics. Ritger-Peppas model confirmed that the release of PC in simulated colon fluids follows a mechanism of anomalous transport (non-Fickian).

Cooperation of endogenous and exogenous reactive oxygen species induced by zinc peroxide nanoparticles to enhance oxidative stress-based cancer therapy.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating anticancer agents can act through two different mechanisms: (i) elevation of endogenous ROS production in mitochondria, or (ii) formation/delivery of exogenous ROS within cells. However, there is a lack of research on the development of ROS-generating nanosystems that combine endogenous and exogenous ROS to enhance oxidative stress-mediated cancer cell death. A ROS-generating agent based on polymer-modified zinc peroxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) was presented, which simultaneously delivered exogenous HO and Zn capable of amplifying endogenous ROS production for synergistic cancer therapy.

Enhanced Antitumor Efficacy by a Cascade of Reactive Oxygen Species Generation and Drug Release.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can be used not only as a therapeutic agent for chemodynamic therapy (CDT), but also as a stimulus to activate release of antitumor drugs, achieving enhanced efficacy through the combination of CDT and chemotherapy. Here we report a pH/ROS dual-responsive nanomedicine consisting of β-lapachone (Lap), a pH-responsive polymer, and a ROS-responsive polyprodrug. In the intracellular acidic environment, the nanomedicine can realize pH-triggered disassembly.

Update on thyroid ultrasound: a narrative review from diagnostic criteria to artificial intelligence techniques.

Objective: Ultrasound imaging is well known to play an important role in the detection of thyroid disease, but the management of thyroid ultrasound remains inconsistent. Both standardized diagnostic criteria and new ultrasound technologies are essential for improving the accuracy of thyroid ultrasound. This study reviewed the global guidelines of thyroid ultrasound and analyzed their common characteristics for basic clinical screening.

Gadolinium Metallofullerene-Based Activatable Contrast Agent for Tumor Signal Amplification and Monitoring of Drug Release.

Activatable imaging probes are promising to achieve increased signal-to-noise ratio for accurate tumor diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive imaging technique with excellent anatomic spatial resolution and unlimited tissue penetration depth. However, most of the activatable MRI contrast agents suffer from metal ion-associated potential long-term toxicity, which may limit their bioapplications and clinical translation.

Tumor-Specific Drug Release and Reactive Oxygen Species Generation for Cancer Chemo/Chemodynamic Combination Therapy.

The combination of chemotherapeutic drugs and reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a promising strategy to achieve improved anticancer effect. Herein, a nanomedicine (LaCIONPs) that can achieve tumor-specific chemotherapeutic drug release and ROS generation is developed for cancer chemo/chemodynamic combination therapy. The LaCIONPs are constructed by encapsulation of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) and β-lapachone (La) in nanostructure assembled by hydrogen peroxide (HO)-responsive polyprodrug and pH-responsive polymer.

Research of Gene Delivery Mediated by Ultrasound, Microbubble and Folate-modified Chitosan Nanoparticles.

Objective: To study transfection efficiency of folate-modified chitosan (FACS) nanoparticles as a non-viral vector delivering pEGFP-C3plasmid (FA-CS/P) to 293T cells with or without the combination of ultrasound and microbubble.

Method: pEGFP-C3 was used as a reporter gene and FA-CS nanoparticles, which were prepared by complex coagulation method, were used as biological carriers. Transfection efficiency to 293T cells mediated by FA-CS/P nanoparticles, ultrasound (US) and microbubble (MB) was assessed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry.

Preparation of Cationic Lipid-coated Ultrasound Contrast Agents and Noninvasive Gene Transfection Via Ultrasound-targeted Microbubble Destruction.

Purpose: Ultrasound contrast agents involving a therapeutic drug applied during enhanced imaging can be used for targeted therapy. The preparation of contrast agents is a precondition and basis for the use of multifunctional contrast agents in molecular imaging.

Methods: This study uses thin-film hydration-mechanical vibration to carry out the preliminary preparation of a cationic contrast agent (CCA); characterizes the particle diameter, potential, distribution, and concentration of the agents; and optimizes the factors affecting the preparation of the agents.

Ultrasound Technology for Molecular Imaging: From Contrast Agents to Multimodal Imaging.

Ultrasound (US) takes advantage of ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) to further increase the sensitivity and specificity of monitoring at the cellular level, which has had a considerable effect on the modern molecular imaging field. Gas-filled microbubbles (MBs) as UCAs in the bloodstream generate resonant volumetric oscillations in response to rapid variations in acoustic pressure, which are related to both the acoustic parameters of applied ultrasound and the physicochemical properties of the contrast agents. Nanoscale UCAs have been developed and have attracted much attention due to their utility in detecting extravascular lesions.

Ultrasound in neonatal lung disease.

Lung diseases in neonates can be life-threatening condition and may result in respiratory failure and death. Chest X-ray is a traditional diagnostic technique that results in radiation exposure to patients. Lung ultrasound is a user-friendly imaging technique that has been increasingly used in clinical practice in recent years and presents the advantages of real-time imaging and without radiation.

[A novel method for quantitative measurement of orbital fat volume based on magnetic resonance images].

Objective: To establish a new method for rapid and quantitative measurement of orbital fat volume based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data.

Methods: We collected MRI data from normalized mold and patients with the diagnosis of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). The cross-sectional areas of the orbital fat on each MR image slice were measured to calculate the fat volume on each slice and then the total orbital fat volume.

Protective effects of Momordica grosvenori extract against lipid and protein oxidation-induced damage in dried minced pork slices.

The experiment was conducted to assess the protective effects of Momordica grosvenori extract (MGE) against lipid and protein oxidation-induced damage in vacuum-packed dried minced pork slices stored at room temperature for 21days. Antioxidant activity of MGE was evaluated by measuring its radical scavenging activities and reducing power with progressive concentrations from 40 to 200g/L. MGE was added to the dried minced pork slices at 7, 10 or 15g/100g.

[Calculation of orbital fat volumes for determining treatment timing for thyroid- associated ophthalmopathy].

Objective: To analyze the relationship between orbital fat volume and the progression and prognosis of thyroid- associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) and determine the optimal treatment timing for TAO.

Methods: The clinical data were collected from 35 patients (70 orbits) with a definite diagnosis of TAO between January, 2016 and December, 2016. The correlation between orbital fat volume and the clinical parameters was evaluated.

Microbubbles: A Novel Strategy for Chemotherapy.

Background: Ultrasound microbubbles have conventionally been used for diagnostic purposes. In recent years, however, new types of microbubbles have emerged as important carriers for drug delivery. Moreover, studies have shown that ultrasound microbubbles can serve as valuable and noninvasive tools in cancer therapy; thus the use of ultrasound microbubbles to deliver chemotherapeutic drugs to malignant tissues is a promising possibility.

Mulberry anthocyanin biotransformation by intestinal probiotics.

This study was designed to evaluate mulberry anthocyanins bioconversion traits for intestinal probiotics. Five intestinal beneficial bacteria were incubated with mulberry anthocyanins under anaerobic conditions at 37°C, and bacterial β-glucosidase activity and anthocyanin level were determined. Results demonstrated that all strains could convert mulberry anthocyanins to some extent.