Objective To evaluate diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) sequence and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in dif-ferentiation of various solid focal liver lesions (SFLL )commonly encountered .Methods 142 cases with 158 SFLLs underwent breath-hold diffusion weighted imaging (DWI)(b = 500 s/mm2 ) using a 1 .5 Tesla MR scanner .The cases included 7 cases of imma-tured abscesses ,12 cases of FNHs ,74 cases of hepatic cell cancer ,26 cases of cholangiocarcinomaes and 39 cases of metastasises . The signal intensity on DWI ,ADC value and the difference for each type of SFLLs were measured and analyzed .Results 24 cases of SFLLs were manifested as high signal intensity ,132 cases of SFLLs manifested as slightly high signal intensity and only 2 cases of SFLLs manifested as iso-signal intensity on DWI sequence .The mean ADC value ( × 10 - 3 mm2 /s)for immatured abscesses , FNHs ,HCCs ,cholangiocarcinomaes ,metastasises were (1 .48 ± 0 .23) ,(1 .75 ± 0 .26) ,(1 .23 ± 0 .43) ,(1 .47 ± 0 .35) ,(1 .36 ± 0 .33) ,respectively .The difference in ADC values between FNH patients and other SFLLs patients showed statistically significant (P< 0 .01) ,while HCCs immatured abscesses and malignant SFLLs showed no statistical significance (P> 0 .05) .Conclusion The signal intensity on DWI and ADC values may be helpful for diagnosing solid focal liver lesions .

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of protein kinase CK2 gene silencing on the radiosensitization in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells and its possible mechanism.

METHODSRNA interference (RNAi) technique was used to down-regulate the protein kinase CK2alpha expression in 5-8F cells, and clonogenic assay was employed to observe the changes in the radiosensitivity of the cells. DNA double-strand break was assessed by immunofluorescence staining of gamma-H2AX foci, and the cell apoptosis was examined using Annexin V-FITC/PI double-staining flow cytometry.

RESULTSCK2alpha protein was successfully silenced by siRNA. CK2alpha knockdown significantly decreased the clonogenic activity and increased the radiosensitivity of the NPC cells. After a 15-min exposure of the cells to 1 Gy radiation, significant difference occurred in the gamma-H2AX foci between CK2alpha knockdown cells and the control cells (P<0.01). CK2alpha silencing significantly increased the cell apoptosis after the exposure (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSProtein kinase CK2 plays an important role in the radiosensitivity of the NPC cells, and suppression of its expression might be a potential therapeutic approach of cancer.

Animals ; Annexin A5 ; metabolism ; Casein Kinase II ; deficiency ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Histones ; genetics ; Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; RNA Interference ; RNA, Small Interfering ; genetics ; Radiation Tolerance ; genetics ; Transfection

Objective: To compare the accuracy of the original-mirror alignment algorithm and a landmark-independent method in constructing the midsagittal plane (MSP) of the cone beam computed tomography in patients with facial deformities, so as to provide a theoretical basis for symmetric analysis. Methods: The study was approved by the hospital ethics committee. Cone beam computed tomography data of 30 patients with facial deformities were obtained, and the output was saved in DICOM format. The scan data were imported into Mimics 21.0; after segmentation, three-dimensional (3D) skull models were reconstructed. Furthermore, the 3D scan data of skulls were transformed into mirror skull models using Geomagic Studio 2014 reverse engineering software. The MSP of each skull was generated using both the original-mirror alignment algorithm and the landmark-independent method. Original-mirror alignment algorithm: the original skull model and its mirror model were combined, and the new data to calculate the MSP (S1) of the original data in Geomagic Studio 2014 were obtained. Landmark-independent method: the following anatomical landmarks were determined using Mimics 21.0: nasion (N), crista galli (CG), sella (S), basion (Ba), vomer (V), posterior nasal spine (PNS), incisive foramen (IF), and anterior nasal spine (ANS). The MSP (S2) of best fit was then found by minimizing the mean square distance of these eight anatomical landmarks to a plane in Geomagic Studio 2014. The results of the S1 and S2 models constructed using the original-mirror alignment algorithm and the landmark-independent method, respectively, were scored subjectively by five senior maxillofacial surgeons, and a paired t-test was performed for the two groups. The internal consistency analysis was performed based on secondary experiments to verify the repeatability of the expert evaluation method. Results: The average scores of the S1 and S2 models were 65.73 and 75.90, respectively. The average score of the model constructed using the landmark-independent method was significantly higher than that of the model constructed using the original-mirror alignment algorithm (P<0.01). Furthermore, the results of the internal consistency analysis showed that the expert evaluation method had good reliability and validity. Conclusion In patients with facial deformities, the MSP constructed using the landmark-independent method is superior to that constructed using the original-mirror alignment algorithm. This study provides a theoretical basis for maxillofacial symmetry analysis in clinical settings and is clinically feasible.