Objective To investigate the feasibility of utilizing visceral abdominal adiposity tissue (VAT) volume quantification using MRI to predict type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods Forty-eight subjects including 15 T2DM (T2DM group),17 impaired glucose tolerance (IGT,IGT group) and 16 normal glucose tolerance (NGT,NGT group) were enrolled in this study.All subjects underwent upper abdominal iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least square estimation-image quantification (IDEAL-IQ) MRI scanning.VAT volume of the second and third lumber vertebral body ranges (VATV L2,VATV L3),sum of VATV L2 and L3 (total VATV),hepatic and pancreatic fat were measured in fat fraction mapping of T1WI IDAEL-IQ sequence on post-processing workstation.The accuracy of predicting T2DM using VAT was evaluated by Logistic regression equation via ROC curve.Results The mean of VATV L2,VATV L3 and total VATV in T2DM group were significantly higher than those of IGT group and NGT group (P＜0.05),while there were no significant difference of these metrics between IGT group and NGT group (P＞0.05).Taking 460.34 ml as the cut-off value for VATV L2 to predict T2DM,sensitivity was 73.33％,specificity was 75.76％ and accuracy was 75.00％,respectively.Taking 429.46 ml as the cut-off value for VATV L3 to predict T2DM,sensitivity was 86.67％,specificity was 72.73％ and accuracy was 77.08％,respectively.Taking 887.83 ml as the cut-off value for total VATV to predict T2DM,the sensitivity,specificity and accuracy were 86.67％,72.73％ and 77.08％,respectively.Only VATV L3 was enrolled by Logistic regression equation (P=0.01,OR=1.01),and the sensitivity,specificity and total accuracy of prediction for T2DM were 80.00 ％,88.20 ％,and 84.40 ％,respectively.Conelnsion It is feasible to utilize VAT volume quantification with MRI to predict T2DM.VATV L3 is a better predictor.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder associated with both genetic and environmental risks. Neuroimaging approaches have been widely employed to parse the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying ASD, and provide critical insights into the anatomical, functional, and neurochemical changes. We reviewed recent advances in neuroimaging studies that focused on ASD by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), or single-positron emission tomography (SPECT). Longitudinal structural MRI has delineated an abnormal developmental trajectory of ASD that is associated with cascading neurobiological processes, and functional MRI has pointed to disrupted functional neural networks. Meanwhile, PET and SPECT imaging have revealed that metabolic and neurotransmitter abnormalities may contribute to shaping the aberrant neural circuits of ASD. Future large-scale, multi-center, multimodal investigations are essential to elucidate the neurophysiological underpinnings of ASD, and facilitate the development of novel diagnostic biomarkers and better-targeted therapy.

Hypoxia conditioning could increase the survival of transplanted neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) in rats with cerebral ischemia but could also hinder neuronal differentiation partly by suppressing mitochondrial metabolism. In this work, the mitochondrial metabolism of hypoxia-conditioned NPCs (hcNPCs) was upregulated via the additional administration of resveratrol, an herbal compound, to resolve the limitation of hypoxia conditioning on neuronal differentiation. Resveratrol was first applied during the in vitro neuronal differentiation of hcNPCs and concurrently promoted the differentiation, synaptogenesis, and functional development of neurons derived from hcNPCs and restored the mitochondrial metabolism. Furthermore, this herbal compound was used as an adjuvant during hcNPC transplantation in a photothrombotic stroke rat model. Resveratrol promoted neuronal differentiation and increased the long-term survival of transplanted hcNPCs. 18-fluorine fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and rotarod test showed that resveratrol and hcNPC transplantation synergistically improved the neurological and metabolic recovery of stroke rats. In conclusion, resveratrol promoted the neuronal differentiation and therapeutic efficiency of hcNPCs in stroke rats via restoring mitochondrial metabolism. This work suggested a novel approach to promote the clinical translation of NPC transplantation therapy.
Animals ; Brain Ischemia/drug therapy* ; Cell Differentiation ; Hypoxia ; Neurons ; Rats ; Resveratrol/pharmacology*