A swallowable X-ray dosimeter for the real-time monitoring of radiotherapy

Monitoring X-ray radiation in the gastrointestinal tract can enhance the precision of radiotherapy in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Here we report the design and performance, in the gastrointestinal tract of rabbits, of a swallowable X-ray dosimeter for the simultaneous real-time monitoring of absolute absorbed radiation dose and of changes in pH and temperature. The dosimeter consists of a biocompatible optoelectronic capsule containing an optical fibre, lanthanide-doped persistent nanoscintillators, a pH-sensitive polyaniline film and a miniaturized system for the wireless readout of luminescence. The persistent luminescence of the nanoscintillators after irradiation can be used to continuously monitor pH without the need for external excitation. By using a neural-network-based regression model, we estimated the radiation dose from radioluminescence and afterglow intensity and temperature, and show that the dosimeter was approximately five times more accurate than standard methods for dose determination. Swallowable dosimeters may help to improve radiotherapy and to understand how radiotherapy affects tumour pH and temperature.

High-Performance Nonfused Electron Acceptor with Precisely Controlled Side Chain Fluorination

Modification of the molecular packing of nonfullerene acceptors through fluorination represents one of the most promising strategies to achieve highly efficient organic solar cells (OSCs). In this work, three nonfused electron acceptors, namely, DTCBT-Fx (x = 0, 5, 9) with precisely controlled amounts of fluorine atoms in the side chains are designed and synthesized, and the effect of side chain fluorination is systematically studied. The results demonstrate that the light absorption, energy levels, molecular ordering, and film morphology could be effectively tuned by precisely controlling the side chain fluorination. DTCBT-F5 with an appropriate fluorine functionalization exhibits suitable miscibility with the donor polymer (PM6), leading to diminished charge recombination and improved charge carrier mobility. Consequently, a promising power conversion efficiency of 12.7% was obtained for DTCBT-F5-based solar cells, which outperforms those OSCs based on DTCBT-F0 (11.4%) and DTCBT-F9 (11.6%), respectively. This work demonstrates that precise control of the fluorine functionalization in side chains of nonfused electron acceptors is an effective strategy for realizing highly efficient OSCs.

Correlation analysis of bone metabolism indices and glycosylated hemoglobin in middle-aged and older adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

This study aimed to evaluate the association between bone metabolism indices and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in middle-aged and older adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We retrospectively analyzed 372 T2DM patients aged > 45 years who had attended the Endocrinology Department at our hospital (males, n = 192; postmenopausal females, n = 180). We collected data concerning patient characteristics, HbA1c levels, and bone metabolism indices (25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], β-isomerized C-terminal telopeptides, N-terminal osteocalcin [N-MID], procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide [P1NP], bone-specific alkaline phosphatase [BAP], calcium [Ca], and phosphorus [P]). Study patients were divided into 3 groups according to their HbA1c levels: Group A, HbA1c < 7.5%; Group B, HbA1c 7.5 to 8.9%; and Group C, HbA1c ≥ 9.0%. Pearson correlation was used to determine the correlation between HbA1c levels and the bone metabolism indices. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify factors influencing HbA1c in T2DM patients. Among the 3 groups, no differences were observed in 25(OH)D, β-CTx, Ca, or P indices among the 3 groups, whereas a statistically significant difference in N-MID was observed. Pearson correlation analysis showed an inverse correlation between HbA1c levels and N-MID and no correlation with other bone metabolism indices. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that N-MID was a factor influencing HbA1c levels after adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI). Serum N-MID levels negatively correlated with HbA1c levels in middle-aged and older adult men with T2DM. Therefore, high serum N-MID levels may contribute to blood glucose control in T2DM patients.

Insights into the Diffusion Behaviors of Water over Hydrophilic/Hydrophobic Catalysts During the Conversion of Syngas to High-Quality Gasoline

Although considerable efforts towards directly converting syngas to liquid fuels through Fischer-Tropsch synthesis have been made, developing catalysts with low CO2 selectivity for the synthesis of high-quality gasoline remains a big challenge. Herein, we designed a bifunctional catalyst composed of hydrophobic FeNa@Si-c and HZSM-5 zeolite, which exhibited a low CO2 selectivity of 14.3 % at 49.8 % CO conversion, with a high selectivity of 62.5 % for gasoline in total products. Molecular dynamic simulations and model experiments revealed that the diffusion of water molecules through hydrophilic catalyst was bidirectional, while the diffusion through hydrophobic catalyst was unidirectional, which were crucial to tune the water-gas shift reaction and control CO2 formation. This work provides a new fundamental understanding about the function of hydrophobic modification of catalysts in syngas conversion.

High-resolution contrast-enhanced MRI with three-dimensional fast spin echo improved the diagnostic performance for identifying pituitary microadenomas in Cushing's syndrome

OBJECTIVES

To assess the diagnostic performance of high-resolution contrast-enhanced MRI (hrMRI) with three-dimensional (3D) fast spin echo (FSE) sequence by comparison with conventional contrast-enhanced MRI (cMRI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (dMRI) with 2D FSE sequence for identifying pituitary microadenomas.

METHODS

This single-institutional retrospective study included 69 consecutive patients with Cushing's syndrome who underwent preoperative pituitary MRI, including cMRI, dMRI, and hrMRI, between January 2016 to December 2020. Reference standards were established by using all available imaging, clinical, surgical, and pathological resources. The diagnostic performance of cMRI, dMRI, and hrMRI for identifying pituitary microadenomas was independently evaluated by two experienced neuroradiologists. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curves (AUCs) were compared between protocols for each reader by using the DeLong test to assess the diagnostic performance for identifying pituitary microadenomas. The inter-observer agreement was assessed by using the κ analysis.

RESULTS

The diagnostic performance of hrMRI (AUC, 0.95-0.97) was higher than cMRI (AUC, 0.74-0.75; p ≤ .002) and dMRI (AUC, 0.59-0.68; p ≤ .001) for identifying pituitary microadenomas. The sensitivity and specificity of hrMRI were 90-93% and 100%, respectively. There were 78% (18/23) to 82% (14/17) of the patients, who were misdiagnosed on cMRI and dMRI and correctly diagnosed on hrMRI. The inter-observer agreement for identifying pituitary microadenomas was moderate on cMRI (κ = 0.50), moderate on dMRI (κ = 0.57), and almost perfect on hrMRI (κ = 0.91), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The hrMRI showed higher diagnostic performance than cMRI and dMRI for identifying pituitary microadenomas in patients with Cushing's syndrome.

KEY POINTS

• The diagnostic performance of hrMRI was higher than cMRI and dMRI for identifying pituitary microadenomas in Cushing's syndrome. • About 80% of patients, who were misdiagnosed on cMRI and dMRI, were correctly diagnosed on hrMRI. • The inter-observer agreement for identifying pituitary microadenomas was almost perfect on hrMRI.

Highly durable and sustainable copper-iron-tin-sulphide (Cu2FeSnS4) anode for Li-ion batteries: effect of operating temperatures

Operating temperatures considerably influence the energy storage mechanism of the anode of Li-ion batteries (LiBs). This effect must be comprehensively studied to facilitate the effective integration of LiBs in practical applications and battery management. In this study, we fabricated a novel anode material, i.e., copper-iron-tin-sulphide (Cu2FeSnS4, CFTS), and investigated the corresponding LiB performance at operating temperatures ranging from 10 °C to 55 °C. The CFTS anode exhibited a discharge capacity of 283.1 mA h g-1 at room temperature (25 °C), which stabilized to 174.0 mA h g-1 in repeated cycles tested at a current density of 0.1 A g-1. The discharge capacity at higher operating temperatures, such as 40 °C and 55 °C, is found to be 209.3 and 230.0 mA h g-1 respectively. In contrast, the discharge capacity decreased to 36.2 mA h g-1 when the temperature decreased to 10 °C. Electrothermal impedance spectroscopy was performed to determine the rate of chemical reactions, mobility of active species, and change in internal resistance at different operating temperatures. In terms of the cycle life, CFTS exhibited outstanding cycling stability for more than 500 charge/discharge cycles, with a 146% capacity retention and more than 80% coulombic efficiency. The electrochemical investigation revealed that the charge storage in the CFTS anode is attributable to capacitive-type and diffusion-controlled mechanisms.

Correlation analysis of quantitative MRI measurements of thigh muscles with histopathology in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy

OBJECTIVES

To validate the correlation between histopathological findings and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) fat fraction (FF) and water T2 mapping in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM).

METHODS

The study included 13 patients with histopathologically confirmed IIM who underwent dedicated thigh qMRI scanning within 1 month before open muscle biopsy. For the biopsied muscles, FF derived from the iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation quantitation (IDEAL-IQ) and T2 time from T2 mapping with chemical shift selective fat saturation were measured using a machine learning software. Individual histochemical and immunohistochemical slides were evaluated using a 5-point Likert score. Inter-reader agreement and the correlation between qMRI markers and histopathological scores were analyzed.

RESULTS

Readers showed good to perfect agreement in qMRI measurements and most histopathological scores. FF of the biopsied muscles was positively correlated with the amount of fat in histopathological slides (p = 0.031). Prolonged T2 time was associated with the degree of variation in myofiber size, inflammatory cell infiltration, and amount of connective tissues (p ≤ 0.008 for all).

CONCLUSIONS

Using the machine learning-based muscle segmentation method, a positive correlation was confirmed between qMRI biomarkers and histopathological findings of patients with IIM. This finding provides a basis for using qMRI as a non-invasive tool in the diagnostic workflow of IIM.

RELEVANCE STATEMENT

By using ML-based muscle segmentation, a correlation between qMRI biomarkers and histopathology was found in patients with IIM: qMRI is a potential non-invasive tool in this clinical setting.

KEY POINTS

• Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging measurements using machine learning-based muscle segmentation have good consistency and reproductivity. • Fat fraction of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) correlated with the amount of fat at histopathology. • Prolonged T2 time was associated with muscle inflammation in IIM.

Nano-chitin reinforced agarose hydrogels: Effects of nano-chitin addition and acidic gas-phase coagulation

Hydrogels based on natural polymers such as agarose usually show low applicability due to their weak mechanical properties. In this work, we developed a dual cross-linked agarose hydrogel by adding different amounts of TEMPO-oxidized nano-chitin (0-0.2 %) to agarose hydrogel matrices and then physically cross-linked under acidic gas-phase coagulation. The prepared hydrogels were characterized by FTIR, XRD, TGA, and SEM. The effects of nano-chitin addition and acidic gas-phase coagulation on the properties of agarose hydrogels, such as gel strength, swelling degree, rheological properties, and methylene blue (MB) adsorption capacity, were also studied. Structural characterizations confirmed that nano-chitin was successfully introduced into agarose hydrogels. The gel strength, storage modulus, and MB adsorption capacity of agarose hydrogels gradually increased with the increasing nano-chitin addition, whereas the swelling degree decreased. After acidic gas-phase coagulation, agarose/nano-chitin nanocomposite hydrogels exhibited improved gel strength and storage modulus, while the swelling degree and MB adsorption capacity were slightly reduced. The combination of oxidized nano-chitin and acidic gas-phase coagulation is expected to be an effective way to improve the properties of natural polymer hydrogels.

A pathogenic and recombinant infectious bronchitis virus variant (CK/CH/GX/202109) with multiorgan tropism

Despite vaccine use, novel strains and variants of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) have emerged continuously, leading to economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. This study aimed to characterize the IBV isolate CK/CH/GX/202109 from three yellow broilers in Guangxi, China. Recombination was shown to have occurred in regions of the 1ab gene. Compared to the whole genome of ck/CH/LGX/130530, which is genotypically related to tl/CH/LDT3-03, the 202109 strain had 21 mutations. The pathological assessment showed that this variant caused 30% and 40% mortality in 1-day-old chicks infected with oral and ocular inoculum, respectively. Nephritis, enlarged proventriculus, inflammation of the gizzard, and atrophy of the bursa of Fabricius were also observed at both 7 and 14 days post-infection (dpi). Viral loads in the trachea, proventriculus, gizzard, kidney, bursa, and cloacal swabs were higher at 7 dpi than at 14 dpi. Clinicopathological and immunohistochemical analyses revealed that this virus exhibited multiple organ tropisms capable of infecting the trachea, proventriculus, gizzard, kidney, bursa, ileum, jejunum, and rectum. Almost none of the 1-day-old infected chicks seroconverted until 14 dpi. While the virus was found in the ileum, jejunum, and rectum in the 28-day-old ocular group, the majority of 28-day-old infected chickens seroconverted at 10 dpi. These study findings demonstrate that recombination events and mutations during the evolution of IBV may greatly alter tissue tropism and emphasize the need for the continued surveillance of novel strains and variants in order to control this infection.

Development of a One-Step Real-Time TaqMan Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) Assay for the Detection of the Novel Variant Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (nVarIBDV) Circulating in China

The novel variant IBDV (nVarIBDV, especially genotype A2dB1) mainly affects broilers in China. It causes an infection characterized by the atrophy of the bursa, a decrease in the level of lymphocytes, proliferation of fibrous tissue around the follicle, and severe atrophy of the follicle in the bursa. Poultry vaccinated with live IBDV vaccines do not have the challenge present with bursa atrophy, which is misdiagnosed for nVarIBDV because of the lack of other gross clinical symptoms. The present study sought to explore the potential and reliability of the real-time TaqMan analysis method for the detection and discrimination of the nVarIBDV genotype from that of the non-nVarIBDV, especially in live vaccine strains. This method will help monitor vaccinated poultry to control and manage infection with the nVarIBDV IBDVs. The nucleotide polymorphism in the 5'-UTR region and the vp5/vp2 overlapping region of the segment A sequences of IBDV were used to establish a one-step real-time TaqMan reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method in this study. The results showed that the method accurately distinguished the nVarIBDV and non-nVarIBDV strains (especially live vaccine strains), and there were no cross-reactions with the infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), Newcastle disease virus (NDV), avian influenza virus (AIV), infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), fowlpox virus (FPV), Mycoplasma gallisepticum (M. gallisepticum), Mycoplasma synoviae (M. synoviae), and IBDV-negative field samples. The method showed a linear dynamic range between 10² and 10⁷ DNA copies/reaction, with an average R² of 0.99 and an efficiency of 93% for nVarIBDV and an average R² of 1.00 and an efficiency of 94% for non-nVarIBDV. The method was also used for the detection of 84 clinical bursae of chickens vaccinated with the live vaccine. The results showed that this method accurately distinguished the nVarIBDV and non-nVarIBDV strains (vaccine strains), compared with a strategy based on the sequence analysis of HVRs at the vp2 gene or the reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) for the vp5 gene. These findings showed that this one-step real-time TaqMan RT-PCR method provides a rapid, sensitive, specific, and simple approach for detection of infections caused by nVarIBDV and is a useful clinical diagnostic tool for identifying and distinguishing nVarIBDV from non-nVarIBDV, especially live vaccine strains.

Nanovesicles loaded with a TGF-β receptor 1 inhibitor overcome immune resistance to potentiate cancer immunotherapy

The immune-excluded tumors (IETs) show limited response to current immunotherapy due to intrinsic and adaptive immune resistance. In this study, it is identified that inhibition of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) receptor 1 can relieve tumor fibrosis, thus facilitating the recruitment of tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes. Subsequently, a nanovesicle is constructed for tumor-specific co-delivery of a TGF-β inhibitor (LY2157299, LY) and the photosensitizer pyropheophorbide a (PPa). The LY-loaded nanovesicles suppress tumor fibrosis to promote intratumoral infiltration of T lymphocytes. Furthermore, PPa chelated with gadolinium ion is capable of fluorescence, photoacoustic and magnetic resonance triple-modal imaging-guided photodynamic therapy, to induce immunogenic death of tumor cells and elicit antitumor immunity in preclinical cancer models in female mice. These nanovesicles are further armored with a lipophilic prodrug of the bromodomain-containing protein 4 inhibitor (i.e., JQ1) to abolish programmed death ligand 1 expression of tumor cells and overcome adaptive immune resistance. This study may pave the way for nanomedicine-based immunotherapy of the IETs.

Defect passivation and electron band energy regulation of a ZnO electron transport layer through synergetic bifunctional surface engineering for efficient quantum dot light-emitting diodes

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have been actively pursued as the most effective electron transport layer for quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) in light of their unique optical and electronic properties and low-temperature processing. However, the high electron mobility and smooth energy level alignment at QDs/ZnO/cathode interfaces cause electron over-injection, which aggravates non-radiative Auger recombination. Meanwhile, the abundant defects hydroxyl group (-OH) and oxygen vacancies (O_V) in ZnO NPs act as trap states inducing exciton quenching, which synergistically reduces the effective radiation recombination for degrading the device performance. Here, we develop a bifunctional surface engineering strategy to synthesize ZnO NPs with low defect density and high environmental stability by using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid dipotassium salt (EDTAK) as an additive. The additive effectively passivates surface defects in ZnO NPs and induces chemical doping simultaneously. Bifunctional engineering alleviates electron excess injection by elevating the conduction band level of ZnO to promote charge balance. As a result, state-of-the-art blue QLEDs with an EQE of 16.31% and a T₅₀@100 cd m^-2 of 1685 h are achieved, providing a novel and effective strategy to fabricate blue QLEDs with high efficiency and a long operating lifetime.

The role of miR-21 as a predictive biomarker and a potential target to improve the effects of chemoradiotherapy against head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

This study aimed to clarify whether circulating miR-21 represents a predictive biomarker in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) undergoing chemoradiotherapy, and to investigate the effect of miR-21 inhibitor for chemoradiation in human SCC cells. Plasma samples were obtained from 22 patients with HNSCC and 25 non-cancer volunteers. Plasma miR-21 expression was measured using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The effects of miR-21 inhibitor in human SCC cells were investigated by performing 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, flow cytometry and western blot analysis. As a result, plasma miR-21 expression was higher in HNSCC patients than in control patients (P < 0.001). Seven patients with recurrence showed significantly higher plasma miR-21 than the 15 patients without recurrence. And high miR-21 expression group showed poor overall survival. Moreover, miR-21 inhibition significantly enhanced cisplatin- or radiation-induced apoptosis. Western blot analysis suggested the programmed cell death 4 protein as a potential target of miR-21 in relation to apoptosis. In conclusion, this study provides new insights into the role of miR-21 as a predictive biomarker for HNSCC treated with chemoradiotherapy and suggests a potential target to improve the effects of chemoradiotherapy against HNSCC.

Rheumatoid meningitis: a rare neurological complication of rheumatoid arthritis

Objective

To describe the clinical and neuroimaging characteristics of rheumatoid meningitis (RM) in Chinese patients.

Methods

The patients admitted to our hospital with the diagnosis of RM in the past 8 years were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

Six patients with RM were identified among 933 patients admitted with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The symptoms of meningitis occurred after onset of arthritis in five patients and before onset in one. Headache (n=6), hyperacute focal neurological deficits (n=4) and seizures (n=3) were the most prevalent symptoms. The nadir modified Rankin Scale score was ≥3 in five patients. Rheumatoid factor was elevated in all patients, and interleukin-6 levels in cerebrospinal fluid were dramatically elevated in three of four tested patients. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed that the meninges were affected in all patients and the cerebral parenchyma was affected in one patient. The lesions were generally located in the frontoparietal region and showed restricted diffusion along the adjacent subarachnoid space. RM occurred during disease-modifying therapy in four patients. In the acute episode, three patients improved on tocilizumab and the other three improved on pulse corticosteroids. For maintenance therapy, two patients received combined therapy of tocilizumab and other immunosuppressive agents, one received adalimumab and methotrexate, and two received low-dose oral corticosteroids with an immunosuppressive agent. Five patients had a good outcome, and one died of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia after stabilization of his neurologic conditions. No relapse of RM occurred on immunotherapy during follow-up.

Conclusions

Chinese patients with RM share some remarkable clinical and neuroimaging features and respond well to appropriate immunotherapy. Tocilizumab could be a treatment option for this severe complication of RA.

X-ray-to-visible light-field detection through pixelated colour conversion

Light-field detection measures both the intensity of light rays and their precise direction in free space. However, current light-field detection techniques either require complex microlens arrays or are limited to the ultraviolet-visible light wavelength ranges^1-4. Here we present a robust, scalable method based on lithographically patterned perovskite nanocrystal arrays that can be used to determine radiation vectors from X-rays to visible light (0.002-550 nm). With these multicolour nanocrystal arrays, light rays from specific directions can be converted into pixelated colour outputs with an angular resolution of 0.0018°. We find that three-dimensional light-field detection and spatial positioning of light sources are possible by modifying nanocrystal arrays with specific orientations. We also demonstrate three-dimensional object imaging and visible light and X-ray phase-contrast imaging by combining pixelated nanocrystal arrays with a colour charge-coupled device. The ability to detect light direction beyond optical wavelengths through colour-contrast encoding could enable new applications, for example, in three-dimensional phase-contrast imaging, robotics, virtual reality, tomographic biological imaging and satellite autonomous navigation.

Antihyperlipidemic effect of Vaccinium dunalianum buds based on biological activity screening and LC-MS

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The buds of Vaccinium dunalianum Wight are used as folk medicine in the Yi settlement of the Yunnan Province, China. It has long been used as herbal tea in the local area owing to its effects of lowering blood lipids and body weight. However, there are only a few studies on its antihyperlipidemic effects, effective substances and mechanisms, especially its effectiveness in diet-induced hyperlipidemia.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aimed to elucidate the therapeutic effects, pharmacodynamic material bases, and mechanisms of V. dunalianum buds on diet-induced hyperlipidemia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemic Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat model was established. Rats were gavaged with different doses of aqueous extract of V. dunalianum(VDW) for 8 weeks and their sera and organ samples were collected. The antihyperlipidemic effect of VDW on SD rats was evaluated based on the biochemical indices and histopathological outcomes. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) was used to determine the main components in VDW, which were separated and purified using sequential chromatographic methods. Their chemical structures were determined using high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. 6'-O-caffeoyl-arbutin, as the principal component of VDW, was also evaluated for its antihyperlipidemic activity using an approach similar to that used for VDW. Lastly, the potential targets of VDW and 6'-O-caffeoyl-arbutin in lowering blood lipids were screened out using network pharmacology, and the selected targets were docked with arbutin derivatives. The expression of target proteins was determined using western blotting to illustrate the antihyperlipidemic mechanisms of VDW and 6'-O-caffeoyl-arbutin.

RESULTS

VDW reduced triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, alanine transaminase, and aspartate transaminase levels in the serum of modeled rats, and increased high-density lipoprotein levels. There was an improvement in steatoses, and lipid droplet accumulation decreased in vivo after VDW intervention. LC-MS revealed that VDW mainly contained arbutin and chlorogenic acid derivatives. Sixteen compounds were isolated and identified. 6'-O-caffeoyl-arbutin was the main compound of VDW (>21.67%) that showed obvious antihyperlipidemic effect with low hepatic damage at different doses. PTGS2, ADH1C, and MAOB were screened out using network pharmacology and they showed strong correlations with arbutin derivative through molecular docking. Results from WB showed that VDW and 6'-O-caffeoyl-arbutin could reduce blood lipid levels by reducing the protein expression of PTGS2, ADH1C, and MAOB.

CONCLUSIONS

6'-O-caffeoyl-arbutin was the main component of V. dunalianum buds. VDW and 6'-O-caffeoyl-arbutin could regulate blood lipid levels in the high-fat diet-induced rat model of hyperlipidemia without damaging their vital organs. Furthermore, they could regulate the expression of PTGS2, ADH1C, and MAOB proteins and play a role in lowering blood lipids. The findings of this study lay a foundation for the further development of V. dunalianum and 6'-O-caffeoyl-arbutin as health supplements or drugs for the management of hyperlipidemia.

Sesquiterpenoids from the fruits of Alpinia oxyphylla Miq. and their neuroprotective effect

The purpose of this study was to identify sesquiterpenoids from Alpinia oxyphylla Miq. fruits under the guidance of LC-MS, and to evaluate their neuroprotective effects on the H₂O₂-induced SH-SY5Y cells. A total of 35 sesquiterpenoids, including 10 previously unreported ones, were isolated from A. oxyphylla fruits. The neuroprotective effect studies showed that compounds 2, 3, 12, 13, 20, 22, 25, 26, and 35 can improve the viability rates of the H₂O₂-induced SH-SY5Y cells whose viability rates were ≥ 80% and were higher than that of the positive control. Furthermore, thorough activity studies showed that compounds 3, 13, 22, and 35 can inhibit the production of ROS (reactive oxygen species), and that compounds 13, 22, and 35 can reduce both MDA (Malondialdehyde) and NO levels in the damaged cells in displaying a neuroprotective effect. This study confirmed that the fruits of A. oxyphylla contained abundant sesquiterpenoids with potential neuroprotective effect.

Use of IDEAL-IQ in Quantifying Femoral Bone Marrow Involvement in Gaucher Disease

OBJECTIVE

To quantitatively measure femoral bone marrow involvement in patients with Gaucher disease (GD) by using fat fraction (FF) derived from the iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation quantitation (IDEAL-IQ) technique.

METHODS

Bilateral femora of 23 patients with type 1 GD receiving low-dose imiglucerase treatment were prospectively scanned using structural magnetic resonance imaging sequences and an IDEAL-IQ sequence. Femoral bone marrow involvement was evaluated by both semiquantification (bone marrow burden [BMB] score based on magnetic resonance imaging structural images) and quantification (FF derived from IDEAL-IQ) methods. These patients were further divided into subgroups according to whether they underwent splenectomy or had bone complications. The interreader agreement of measurements and the correlation between FF and clinical status were statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

In patients with GD, both BMB and FF evaluation of femora showed good interreader concordance (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.98 and 0.99, respectively), and FF highly correlated with BMB score (P < 0.001). The longer the duration of disease, the lower the FF (P = 0.026). Femoral FF was lower in subgroups with splenectomy or bone complications than those without splenectomy or bone complications (0.47 ± 0.08 vs 0.60 ± 0.15, 0.51 ± 0.10 vs 0.61 ± 0.17, respectively, both P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Femoral FF derived from IDEAL-IQ could be used to quantify femoral bone marrow involvement in patients with GD, and low bone marrow FF may predict worse outcomes of GD patients in this small-scale study.

Differentiation of Alzheimer’s Disease from Frontotemporal Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment Based on Arterial Spin Labeling Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study from PUMCH Dementia Cohort

Background: Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is helpful in early diagnosis and differential diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with advantages including no exposure to radioactivity, no injection of a contrast agent, more accessible, and relatively less expensive. Objective: To establish the perfusion pattern of different dementia in Chinese population and evaluate the effectiveness of ASL in differentiating AD from cognitive unimpaired (CU), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Methods: Four groups of participants were enrolled, including AD, FTD, MCI, and CU based on clinical diagnosis from PUMCH dementia cohort. ASL image was collected using 3D spiral fast spin echo–based pseudo-continuous ASL pulse sequence with background suppression and a high resolution T1-weighted scan covering the whole brain. Data processing was performed using Dr. Brain Platform to get cerebral blood flow (ml/100g/min) in every region of interest cortices. Results: Participants included 66 AD, 26 FTD, 21 MCI, and 21 CU. Statistically, widespread hypoperfusion neocortices, most significantly in temporal-parietal-occipital cortices, but not hippocampus and subcortical nucleus were found in AD. Hypoperfusion in parietal lobe was most significantly associated with cognitive decline in AD. Hypoperfusion in parietal lobe was found in MCI and extended to adjacent temporal, occipital and posterior cingulate cortices in AD. Significant reduced perfusion in frontal and temporal cortices, including subcortical nucleus and anterior cingulate cortex were found in FTD. Hypoperfusion regions were relatively symmetrical in AD and left predominant especially in FTD. Conclusion: Specific patterns of ASL hypoperfusion were helpful in differentiating AD from CU, MCI, and FTD.

Assessment of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy using a deep learning method for muscle T2 mapping segmentation

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the utility of an automatic deep learning (DL) method for segmentation of T2 maps in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) against healthy controls, and also the association of quantitative T2 values in patients with laboratory and pulmonary findings.

METHODS

Structural MRI and T2 mapping of bilateral thigh muscles from patients with IIM and healthy volunteers were segmented using dedicated software based on a pre-trained convolutional neural network. Incremental and federated learning were implemented for continuous adaptation and improvement. Muscle T2 values derived from DL segmentation were compared between patients and healthy controls, and T2 values of patients were further analyzed with serum muscle enzymes, and interstitial lung disease (ILD) which was diagnosed and graded based on chest HRCT.

RESULTS

Overall, 64 patients (27 patients with dermatomyositis, 29 with polymyositis, and 8 with antisynthetase syndrome (ASS)) and 10 healthy controls were included. By using DL-based muscle segmentation, T2 values generated from T2 maps accurately differentiated patients from those of controls (p < 0.001) with a cutoff value of 36.4 ms (sensitivity 96.9%, and specificity 100%). In patients with IIM, muscle T2 values positively correlated with all the serum muscle enzymes (all p < 0.05). ILD score of patients with ASS was markedly higher than that of those without ASS (p = 0.011), while dissociation between the severity of muscular involvement and ILD was observed (p = 0.080).

CONCLUSION

Automatic DL could be used to segment thigh muscles and help quantitatively assess muscular inflammation of IIM through T2 mapping.

KEY POINTS

• Muscle T2 mapping automatically segmented by deep learning can differentiate IIM from healthy controls. • T2 value, an indicator of active muscle inflammation, positively correlates with serum muscle enzymes. • T2 mapping can detect muscle disease in patients with normal muscle enzyme levels.

Correlation between 18F-FDG PET/MR parameters with the expression level of epidermal growth factor receptor and the diagnostic value of PET/MR in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Objective

To investigate the correlation between parameters of PET/MR and the expression level of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and to evaluate diagnostic efficacy of independent and combined PET/MR parameters for the expression level of EGFR.

Materials and methods

21 patients who had undergone PET/MR and been proven HNSCC pathologically were included in this retrospective study. The PET/MR sequences included 18-flurodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) PET, T1, T2-weighted imaging, DWI, ADC and DCE. Parameters including ADC_mean from DWI, Ktrans, Ve, Kep from DCE, and SUV_mean, SUV_max from PET were obtained. Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression level of EGFR. The associations between parameters of PET/MR and EGFR expression level were analyzed by Spearman's analysis. Logistic regression was utilized to establish the diagnostic model of EGFR expression level with PET/MR parameters. The efficacy of the independent and combined diagnostic model for EGFR expression level in HNSCC was analyzed by ROC curve. P value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

(1) Expression level of EGFR was correlated to SUV_mean with correlation coefficient of 0.47 (p = 0.05). (2) There was significant difference of SUV_mean between the EGFR high- and low-expression groups (p = 0.02). (3) Combination of PET/MR improved the diagnostic efficacy for expression level of EGFR, with AUC = 0.93.

Conclusion

There were different degrees of correlation between PET/MR parameters and EGFR expression level in HNSCC. Combination of PET/MR might improve diagnostic efficacy of EGFR expression level.

Effect of MnO2 Crystal Type on the Oxidation of Furfural to Furoic Acid

The base-free oxidation of furfural by non-noble metal systems has been challenging. Although MnO2 emerges as a potential catalyst application in base-free conditions, its catalytic efficiency still needs to be improved. The crystalline form of MnO2 is an important factor affecting the oxidation ability of furfural. For this reason, four crystalline forms of MnO2 (α, β, γ, and δ-MnO2) were selected. Their oxidation performance and surface functional groups were analyzed and compared in detail. Only δ-MnO2 exhibited excellent activity, achieving 99.04% furfural conversion and 100% Propo.FA (Only furoic acid was detected by HPLC in the product) under base-free conditions, while the furfural conversion of α, β, and γ-MnO2 was below 10%. Characterization by XPS, IR, O2-TPD and other means revealed that δ-MnO2 has the most abundant active oxygen species and surface hydroxyl groups, which are responsible for the best performance of δ-MnO2. This work achieves the green and efficient oxidation of furfural to furoic acid over non-noble metal catalysts.

InP/ZnS quantum dot photoluminescence modulation via in situ H2S interface engineering

InP quantum dots (QDs) are attracting significant interest as a potentially less toxic alternative to Cd-based QDs in many research areas. Although InP-based core/shell QDs with excellent photoluminescence properties have been reported so far, sophisticated interface treatment to eliminate defects is often necessary. Herein, using aminophosphine as a seeding source of phosphorus, we find that H₂S can be efficiently generated from the reaction between a thiol and an alkylamine at high temperatures. Apart from general comprehension that H₂S acts as a S precursor, it is revealed that with core etching by H₂S, the interface between InP and ZnS can be reconstructed with S^2- incorporation. Such a transition layer can reduce inherent defects at the interface, resulting in significant photoluminescence (PL) enhancement. Meanwhile, the size of the InP core could be further controlled by H₂S etching, which offers a feasible process to obtain wide band gap InP-based QDs with blue emission.

Evolution of Local Structural Motifs in Colloidal Quantum Dot Semiconductor Nanocrystals Leading to Nanofaceting

Colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) have shown remarkable promise for optoelectronics, energy harvesting, photonics, and biomedical imaging. In addition to optimizing quantum confinement, the current challenge is to obtain a better understanding of the critical processing steps and their influence on the evolution of structural motifs. Computational simulations and electron microscopy presented in this work show that nanofaceting can occur during nanocrystal synthesis from a Pb-poor environment in a polar solvent. This could explain the curved interfaces and the olivelike-shaped NCs observed experimentally when these conditions are employed. Furthermore, the wettability of the PbS NCs solid film can be further modified via stoichiometry control, which impacts the interface band bending and, therefore, processes such as multiple junction deposition and interparticle epitaxial growth. Our results suggest that nanofaceting in NCs can become an inherent advantage when used to modulate band structures beyond what is traditionally possible in bulk crystals.

Study of the microstructure of brain white matter in medial temporal lobe epilepsy based on diffusion tensor imaging

OBJECTIVES

To compare the white matter (WM) asymmetry in left and right medial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) with and without hippocampal sclerosis (HS+, HS-) and assess the correlation of preoperative asymmetry and the dynamics of WM fibers with surgical outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Preoperative MRI scans were collected from 58 mTLE patients (40 HS+, 18 HS-); 15 (11 HS+, 4 HS-) then underwent postoperative MRI scans. DTI parameters, including the fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusion coefficient (MD), axial diffusion coefficient (AD), and radial diffusion coefficient (RD), were extracted from 20 paired WM tracts by PANDA based on the JHU WM tractography atlas. The bilateral cerebral parameters and the pre- to postoperative changes in the DTI parameters of specific fiber tracts were compared. The asymmetry indexes (AIs) of paired fibers were also analyzed.

RESULTS

There were fewer asymmetrical WM fibers in HS- patients than in HS+ patients. The pattern of WM asymmetry differed between left and right mTLE patients. Differences in the FA AI of the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) were found in left HS+ patients with different surgical outcomes. All mTLE patients exhibited decreases in FA and increases in MD and RD in specific ipsilateral WM fibers. In International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) grade 1 patients, the MD values in the ipsilateral CGH increased over time, whereas the RD values in the ipsilateral ILF and the AD values in the ipsilateral ILF and UNC decreased. In ILAE grade 2-5 patients, the FA values in the ipsilateral cingulate gyrus part of the cingulum (CGC) increased over time.

CONCLUSION

The WM tract asymmetry was more extensive in HS+ patients than in HS- patients. The preoperative WM fiber AIs in left HS+ patients may be useful for surgical prognosis. Additionally, pre- to postoperative changes in WM fibers may help predict surgical outcomes.