ACTION: Augmentation and computation toolbox for brain network analysis with functional MRI.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been increasingly employed to investigate functional brain activity. Many fMRI-related software/toolboxes have been developed, providing specialized algorithms for fMRI analysis. However, existing toolboxes seldom consider fMRI data augmentation, which is quite useful, especially in studies with limited or imbalanced data.

Disentangled latent energy-based style translation: An image-level structural MRI harmonization framework.

Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been extensively employed across clinical and research fields, but often exhibits sensitivity to site effects arising from non-biological variations such as differences in field strength and scanner vendors. Numerous retrospective MRI harmonization techniques have demonstrated encouraging outcomes in reducing the site effects at image level. However, existing methods generally suffer from high computational requirements and limited generalizability, restricting their applicability to unseen MRIs.

Thiazole - A promising scaffold for antituberculosis agents and structure-activity relationships studies.

Research on thiazole derivatives has been a popular topic in medicine and one of the most active fields in heterocyclic chemistry. Pharmacological and industrial researchers have been studying thiazole-containing derivatives in great detail because they have a lot of biological uses. These compounds are one of the best examples of a five-membered heterocyclic compound that has a lot of potential and has had a lot of success in recent decades.

Contrastive machine learning reveals species -shared and -specific brain functional architecture.

A deep comparative analysis of brain functional connectome across species in primates has the potential to yield valuable insights for both scientific and clinical applications. However, the interspecies commonality and differences are inherently entangled with each other and with other irrelevant factors. Here we develop a novel contrastive machine learning method, called shared-unique variation autoencoder (SU-VAE), to allow disentanglement of the species-shared and species-specific functional connectome variation between macaque and human brains on large-scale resting-state fMRI datasets.

Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Induce Macrophage Secretion of ATP and HMGB1 to Enhance Irradiation-Led Immunogenic Cell Death.

ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and HMGB1 (high mobility group box 1 protein) are key players in treatments that induce immunogenic cell death (ICD). However, conventional therapies, including radiotherapy, are often insufficient to induce ICD. In this study, we explore a strategy using nanoparticle-loaded macrophages as a source of ATP and HMGB1 to complement radiation-induced intrinsic and adaptive immune responses.

A foundation model for enhancing magnetic resonance images and downstream segmentation, registration and diagnostic tasks.

In structural magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, motion artefacts, low resolution, imaging noise and variability in acquisition protocols frequently degrade image quality and confound downstream analyses. Here we report a foundation model for the motion correction, resolution enhancement, denoising and harmonization of MR images. Specifically, we trained a tissue-classification neural network to predict tissue labels, which are then leveraged by a 'tissue-aware' enhancement network to generate high-quality MR images.

Self-supervised graph contrastive learning with diffusion augmentation for functional MRI analysis and brain disorder detection.

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) provides a non-invasive imaging technique to study patterns of brain activity, and is increasingly used to facilitate automated brain disorder analysis. Existing fMRI-based learning methods often rely on labeled data to construct learning models, while the data annotation process typically requires significant time and resource investment. Graph contrastive learning offers a promising solution to address the small labeled data issue, by augmenting fMRI time series for self-supervised learning.

Acceleration of Simultaneous Multislice Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting With Spatiotemporal Convolutional Neural Network.

Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF) can be accelerated with simultaneous multislice (SMS) imaging for joint T and T quantification. However, the high inter-slice and in-plane acceleration in SMS-MRF causes severe aliasing artifacts, limiting the multiband (MB) factors to typically 2 or 3. Deep learning has demonstrated superior performance compared to the conventional dictionary matching approach for single-slice MRF, but its effectiveness in SMS-MRF remains unexplored.

Mapping rare protein-coding variants on multi-organ imaging traits.

Human organ structure and function are important endophenotypes for clinical outcomes. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common variants associated with phenotypes derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and body. However, the role of rare protein-coding variations affecting organ size and function is largely unknown.

Impact of white matter hyperintensity volume on cognition among US Mexican American adults.

Objective: Higher white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume is a marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. CVD risk factors increase risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Mexican Americans (MA) and individuals of other Hispanic/Latino heritages have higher risk for CVD and ADRD.

Reconfiguration of functional brain network organization and dynamics with changing cognitive demands in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Background: The pathophysiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by atypical brain network organization and dynamics. Although functional brain networks adaptively reconfigure across cognitive contexts, previous studies have largely focused on network dysfunction during the resting-state. This preliminary study examined how functional brain network organization and dynamics flexibly reconfigure across rest and two cognitive control tasks with different cognitive demands in 30 children with ADHD and 36 typically developing (TD) children (8-12 years).

Combination of polymeric micelle formulation of TGFβ receptor inhibitors and paclitaxel produces consistent response across different mouse models of Triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is notoriously difficult to treat due to the lack of targetable receptors and sometimes poor response to chemotherapy. The transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) family of proteins and their receptors (TGFRs) are highly expressed in TNBC and implicated in chemotherapy-induced cancer stemness. Here, we evaluated combination treatments using experimental TGFR inhibitors (TGFβi), SB525334 (SB), and LY2109761 (LY) with paclitaxel (PTX) chemotherapy.

Automatic Treatment Planning for Radiation Therapy: A Cross-Modality and Protocol Study.

Purpose: This study investigated the applicability of 3-dimensional dose predictions from a model trained on one modality to a cross-modality automated planning workflow. Additionally, we explore the impact of integrating a multicriteria optimizer (MCO) on adapting predictions to different clinical preferences.

Methods And Materials: Using a previously created 3-stage U-Net in-house model trained on the 2020 American Association of Physicists in Medicine OpenKBP challenge data set (340 head and neck plans, all planned using 9-field static intensity modulated radiation therapy [IMRT]), we retrospectively generated dose predictions for 20 patients.

Preliminary Study of Radionuclide-Labeled MerTK-Targeting PET Imaging Agents for the Diagnosis of Melanoma.

MerTK PET imaging holds potential as a promising approach for assessing tumor aggressiveness and monitoring treatment response. In this study, we synthesized a series of F- and Ga-labeled tracers derived from MerTK inhibitors for detection of MerTK expression. Among the synthesized agents, the dimeric compounds [Ga] and [Ga] demonstrated good and stability, high affinities to the MerTK receptor, and good MerTK-targeting specificity.

Attention-Enhanced Fusion of Structural and Functional MRI for Analyzing HIV-Associated Asymptomatic Neurocognitive Impairment.

Asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment (ANI) is a predominant form of cognitive impairment among individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The current diagnostic criteria for ANI primarily rely on subjective clinical assessments, possibly leading to different interpretations among clinicians. Some recent studies leverage structural or functional MRI containing objective biomarkers for ANI analysis, offering clinicians companion diagnostic tools.

Pyridine and Pyrimidine hybrids as privileged scaffolds in antimalarial drug discovery: A recent development.

Malaria continues to pose a significant threat to global health, which is exacerbated by the emergence of drug-resistant strains, necessitating the urgent development of new therapeutic options. Due to their substantial bioactivity in treating malaria, pyridine and pyrimidine have become the focal point of drug research. Hybrids of pyridine and pyrimidine offer a novel and promising avenue for developing effective antimalarial agents.

The Growing Little Brain: Cerebellar Functional Development from Cradle to School.

Despite the cerebellum's crucial role in brain functions, its early development, particularly in relation to the cerebrum, remains poorly understood. Here, we examine cerebellocortical connectivity using over 1,000 high-quality resting-state functional MRI scans of children from birth to 60 months. By mapping cerebellar topography with fine temporal detail for the first time, we show the hierarchical and contralateral organization of cerebellocortical connectivity from birth.

Dynamic Functional Connectome Harmonics.

Functional connectivity (FC) "gradients" enable investigation of connection topography in relation to cognitive hierarchy, and yield the primary axes along which FC is organized. In this work, we employ a variant of the "gradient" approach wherein we solve for the normal modes of FC, yielding functional connectome harmonics. Until now, research in this vein has only considered static FC, neglecting the possibility that the principal axes of FC may depend on the timescale at which they are computed.

SurfFlow: A Flow-Based Approach for Rapid and Accurate Cortical Surface Reconstruction from Infant Brain MRI.

The infant brain undergoes rapid changes in volume, shape, and structural organization during the first postnatal year. Accurate cortical surface reconstruction (CSR) is essential for understanding rapid changes in cortical morphometry during early brain development. However, existing CSR methods, designed for adult brain MRI, fall short in reconstructing cortical surfaces from infant MRI, owing to the poor tissue contrasts, partial volume effects, and rapid changes in cortical folding patterns.

Blending motor learning approaches for short-term adjustments to gait in people with Parkinson disease.

Rhythmic auditory cueing (RAC) using an isochronous metronome is an effective approach to immediately enhance spatiotemporal aspects of gait for people with Parkinson disease (PwPD). Whereas entraining to RAC typically occurs subconsciously via cerebellar pathways, the use of metronome frequencies that deviate from one's typical cadence, such as those used in rehabilitation, may require conscious awareness. This heightened awareness may increase cognitive load and limit the persistence of gait training gains.

Implant dynamics, inner structure, and their impact on drug release of in situ forming implants uncovered through CT imaging.

In situ forming implants (ISFIs) composed of biodegradable polymers and biocompatible solvents are generally designed for sustained drug release. In this study, a non-invasive computed tomography (CT) imaging approach is used to achieve real time imaging of ISFIs in vivo and in vitro using leuprolide acetate in situ forming implant as a model drug product. The process of implant formation, inner structure change and their impact on drug release were elucidated.

Distributed associations among white matter hyperintensities and structural brain networks with fluid cognition in healthy aging.

White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are associated with age-related cognitive impairment and increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. However, the manner by which WMHs contribute to cognitive impairment is unclear. Using a combination of predictive modeling and network neuroscience, we investigated the relationship between structural white matter connectivity and age, fluid cognition, and WMHs in 68 healthy adults (18-78 years).

Longitudinal tracking of perfluorooctanoic acid exposure on mammary epithelial cell spheroids by dynamic optical coherence tomography.

We investigated the morphology and intracellular motility of mammary epithelial cell (MCF10DCIS.com) spheroids cultured in 3D artificial extracellular matrix under perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) exposure. Dynamic optical coherence tomography (OCT) was employed for real-time, non-invasive imaging of these spheroids longitudinally over 12 days under PFOA exposures up to 500 µM.

Neuromodulation in Small Animal fMRI.

The integration of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with advanced neuroscience technologies in experimental small animal models offers a unique path to interrogate the causal relationships between regional brain activity and brain-wide network measures-a goal challenging to accomplish in human subjects. This review traces the historical development of the neuromodulation techniques commonly used in rodents, such as electrical deep brain stimulation, optogenetics, and chemogenetics, and focuses on their application with fMRI. We discuss their advantageousness roles in uncovering the signaling architecture within the brain and the methodological considerations necessary when conducting these experiments.