When multiple instance learning meets foundation models: Advancing histological whole slide image analysis.

Deep multiple instance learning (MIL) pipelines are the mainstream weakly supervised learning methodologies for whole slide image (WSI) classification. However, it remains unclear how these widely used approaches compare to each other, given the recent proliferation of foundation models (FMs) for patch-level embedding and the diversity of slide-level aggregations. This paper implemented and systematically compared six FMs and six recent MIL methods by organizing different feature extractions and aggregations across seven clinically relevant end-to-end prediction tasks using WSIs from 4044 patients with four different cancer types.

Enhanced accuracy and stability in automated intra-pancreatic fat deposition monitoring of type 2 diabetes mellitus using Dixon MRI and deep learning.

Purpose: Intra-pancreatic fat deposition (IPFD) is closely associated with the onset and progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We aimed to develop an accurate and automated method for assessing IPFD on multi-echo Dixon MRI.

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective study, 534 patients from two centers who underwent upper abdomen MRI and completed multi-echo and double-echo Dixon MRI were included.

Preliminary results of a novel sphincter-sparing technique-fistula occlusion with the internal sphincter flap (FOISF)-for high complex anal fistulas.

Background And Aim: High complex anal fistula is a clinical challenge for proctologists and a nightmare for patients. Although the sphincter-sparing approach seems an ideal surgical intervention, there remains room for improvement in treatment efficacy. Herein, we introduce an enhanced sphincter-sparing approach, namely the fistula occlusion with the internal sphincter flap (FOISF), for treating high complex anal fistulas.

Efficiency and safety of HAIC combined with lenvatinib and tislelizumab for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with high tumor burden: a multicenter propensity score matching analysis.

Purpose: The present work focused on assessing whether hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) combined with lenvatinib and tislelizumab was safe and effective on advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) showing high tumor burden.

Methods: In the present multicenter retrospective study, treatment-naive advanced HCC patients (BCLC stage C) showing high tumor burden (maximum diameter of intrahepatic lesion beyond 7 cm) treated with lenvatinib and tislelizumab with or without HAIC were reviewed for eligibility from June 2020 to June 2023. Baseline differences between groups were mitigated by propensity score matching (PSM).

A combined diagnostic model including middle rectal artery visualization for predicting lateral lymph node metastasis in rectal cancer.

Purpose: This study attempted to establish a combined diagnostic model encompassing visualization of the middle rectal artery (MRA) and other imaging features to improve the diagnostic efficiency of lateral lymph node (LLN) metastasis, which is crucial for clinical decision-making in rectal cancer.

Method: One hundred eleven patients receiving bilateral or unilateral lymph node dissection were enrolled, and 140 cases of LLN status on a certain unilateral pelvic sidewall were selected. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) was used to determine whether MRA was visible.

Comparative analysis of deep learning and radiomic signatures for overall survival prediction in recurrent high-grade glioma treated with immunotherapy.

Background: Radiomic analysis of quantitative features extracted from segmented medical images can be used for predictive modeling of prognosis in brain tumor patients. Manual segmentation of the tumor components is time-consuming and poses significant reproducibility issues. We compare the prediction of overall survival (OS) in recurrent high-grade glioma(HGG) patients undergoing immunotherapy, using deep learning (DL) classification networks along with radiomic signatures derived from manual and convolutional neural networks (CNN) automated segmentation.

3D synergistic tumor-liver analysis further improves the efficacy prediction in hepatocellular carcinoma: a multi-center study.

Background: Besides tumorous information, synergistic liver parenchyma assessments may provide additional insights into the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to investigate whether 3D synergistic tumor-liver analysis could improve the prediction accuracy for HCC prognosis.

Methods: A total of 422 HCC patients from six centers were included.

Diagnostic accuracy of preoperative MRI in assessing macrotrabecular-massive subtype of hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: To determine the value of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting macrotrabecular-massive hepatocellular carcinoma (MTM-HCC).

Materials And Methods: A search was conducted on PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library databases, and Embase for studies evaluating the performance of MRI in assessing MTM-HCC. The quality assessment of diagnostic studies (QUADAS-2) tool was used to assess the risk of bias.

Cross-sectional and longitudinal association of sleep patterns and aneurysmal vulnerability biomarkers on high-resolution magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging.

Background: Aneurysm wall enhancement (AWE) on vessel wall imaging (VWI) scans is a robust biomarker for aneurysmal vulnerability. This study aimed to explore the association of different sleep patterns with AWE and other vulnerability features.

Methods: Patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms were prospectively recruited.

Identifying major depressive disorder based on cerebral blood flow and brain structure: An explainable multimodal learning study.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers non-invasive assessments of brain structure and function for analyzing brain disorders. With the increasing accumulation of multimodal MRI data in recent years, integrating information from various modalities has become an effective strategy for improving the detection of brain disorders. This study focuses on identifying major depressive disorder (MDD) by using arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion MRI in conjunction with structural MRI data.

Chest tube provocative clamping in patients having moderate or intense air leaks after lung resection to accelerate recovery.

Background: Postoperative air leak is the most common complication after pulmonary resection. "Provocative clamping" was first described in 1992 in the context of guiding chest tube removal despite persistent air leak. However, early provocative clamping after pulmonary resection has not been evaluated.

The role of lymph node level ratio in predicting prognosis and the benefits of postoperative radiotherapy in patients with pathological N1 stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: To analyze the role of lymph node level ratio (LNLR) in predicting prognosis and the benefits of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in patients with pathological N1 (pN1) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Methods: Patients with pN1 HNSCC from January 2011 to February 2021 were included. Patients were grouped by the LNLR, lymph node yield (LNY), and lymph node ratio (LNR) and were analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox model.

Astragalus polysaccharide mediates lnc-GD2H to regulate proliferation and differentiation of C2C12 muscle cells under hypoxic condition.

Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) is a bioactive component of Astragalus species that shows protective effects on C2C12 muscle cell proliferation and differentiation under hypoxic conditions. In this study, EdU staining, cell scratch testing, quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, immunofluorescence analysis, and lnc-GD2H silencing were used to investigated the protective effects and mechanisms of action of APS against CoCl-induced hypoxic injury of muscle cells. Our results showed that APS promoted cell proliferation and increased the expression of lnc-GD2H, c-Myc, and Ki-67.

Prenatal Diagnosis of Caroli's Disease by Ultrasound and MRI Imaging.

Objective: To present the imaging features of Caroli's disease (CD) on prenatal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: This was a retrospective case series of prenatally diagnosed CD between 2017 and 2024. Clinical data from these cases were collected and reviewed.

Alcohol promotes CPT1A-induced lipid metabolism disorder to sentinel-regulate acute pancreatitis.

Background And Aims: Previous studies have confirmed that alcohol can increase the sensitivity of the pancreas to stressors and exacerbate the severity of pancreatitis when excessive alcohol intake is combined with other causes. In the current work, this study attempted to explore how does alcohol regulate cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis, especially before inflammation occurs.

Methods: Proteomics was performed to analyze the differentially expressed proteins in pancreatic tissues from a rat model of pancreatitis.

Evaluation of Intensive Statins and Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 Inhibitors on Intracranial Artery Plaque Stability: A Prospective Single-Arm Study.

Background: Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis is a leading cause of ischemic stroke and recurrent events due to plaque instability. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging identifies plaque enhancement as a key marker of instability. This study evaluated the efficacy of combined high-intensity statins and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors in plaque stabilization.

Mediterranean diet and dementia: MRI marker evidence from meta-analysis.

Background: Dementia is a growing public health concern with limited effective treatments. Diet may be a modifiable factor that significantly impacts brain health. Mediterranean diet (MeDi) has been suggested to be associated with brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) markers related to dementia, but the existing evidence is inconsistent.

Gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids signatures in postmenopausal osteoporosis patients: A retrospective study.

Studies have shown that gut microbiota (GM) and its metabolites, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), are associated with the development of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO). This study explored the clinical and laboratory evidence of the relationship of GM and SCFAs to PMO and attempted to determine the potential mechanism of action. 18 patients (Collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University between January 2021 and August 2021) were included in this retrospective study, including 10 PMO women and 8 healthy young women as the healthy control (HC) group from Guangzhou, China.

When acute myocardial infarction meets renal abscess: Case report and literature review.

Rationale: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the leading global cause of death from cardiovascular disease, and the mortality rate increases in the presence of comorbidities such as renal abscess. The treatment of AMI combined with renal abscess is challenging, especially in combination with urinary tract obstruction, as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) can lead to progression of the renal abscess and deterioration of renal function. Currently, there is no consensus on the treatment of renal abscess in AMI.

Harnessing the tumor microenvironment: targeted cancer therapies through modulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is integral to cancer progression, impacting metastasis and treatment response. It consists of diverse cell types, extracellular matrix components, and signaling molecules that interact to promote tumor growth and therapeutic resistance. Elucidating the intricate interactions between cancer cells and the TME is crucial in understanding cancer progression and therapeutic challenges.

Intra-Arterial Urokinase After Endovascular Reperfusion for Acute Ischemic Stroke: The POST-UK Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Persisting or new thrombi in the distal arteries and the microcirculation have been reported to limit the benefits of successful endovascular thrombectomy for patients with acute ischemic stroke. It remains uncertain whether intra-arterial thrombolysis by urokinase following near-complete to complete reperfusion by thrombectomy improves outcomes among patients with ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and adverse events of intra-arterial urokinase after near-complete to complete reperfusion by thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion.

Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII) and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR): A Strong Predictor of Disease Severity in Large-Artery Atherosclerosis (LAA) Stroke Patients.

Background: Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are novel inflammatory markers based on neutrophil, platelet and lymphocyte counts. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory vascular disease. This study aimed to verify the predictive value of the clinical parameters such as systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for the severity in Large Artery Atherosclerosis (LAA) stroke patients.

MAF1 inhibits hepatocarcinogenesis by fostering an immunostimulatory tumor microenvironment.

Background: The biological significance of MAF1, a tumor suppressor, in carcinogenesis and immune response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unreported. Understanding the underlying mechanisms by which MAF1 enhances anti-tumor immunity in HCC is crucial for developing novel immunotherapy strategies and enhancing clinical responses to treatment for patients with HCC.

Methods: Mice were subjected to hydrodynamic tail vein injections of transposon vectors to overexpress AKT/NRas, or c-Myc, with or without wild-type (WT) or mutant-activated (-4A) MAF1, or short-hairpin MAF1 (shMAF1).