Objective To investigate the feasibility of MR angiography of the dorsalis pedis artery (DPA),the first dorsal metatarsal artery (FDMA) and the branches at the first toe web by threedimensional time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) sequence.Methods Forty three patients with suspected or known soft tissue diseases of the ankle and foot were examined retrospectively by MR TRICKS sequence.Two experienced radiologists independently evaluated the visualization performance of DPA,FDMA and its branches with maximum intensity projection.Kappa analysis was performed for the image evaluation of the two radiologists.Consensus scores were obtained if the two radiologists had different scores.Clinical classification of FDMA was carried out for patients with scores equal to,or more than 2 points after imaging evaluation.FDMA was categorized according to its location (superficial,intramuscular,infra-muscular,absent),diameter (large,medium and small) and branching pattern at the toe web (ramifying type,main trunk type and fine small branch).Results The scoring results of the two radiologists indicated a high agreement (Kappa value =0.895,P ＜ 0.05).TRICKS images can clearly show the arterial filling of DPA,FDMA and its branches.The final consensus scores were as follows:8 patients had 4 grade and 22 patients 3 grade,8 patients 2 grade and 5 patients 1 grade.Clinical classification of FDMA for 38 patients(arterial scales ≥2 point):(1) Location:superficial (8 patients),intramuscular (23 patients),intramuscular (7 patients) ; (2) Diameter at the midpoint of FDMA:large (2 patients),medium (25 patients),and small (11 patients); (3)Branching pattern at the toe web:ramifying type (11 patients),main trunk type (5 patients),fine branch (14 patients).Conclusion MR TRICKS sequences are valuable in the evaluation of the DPA and FDMA and its branches,which can provide useful anatomical information for classification of FDMA.

Objective To evaluate MR diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)and MR perfusion-weighted imaging(PWI) in differentiating benign from malignant soft tissue tumors by comparing the related parameters. Methods Fifty patients with soft tissue tumors verified by pathology( benign 24, malignant 26) underwent DWI and dynamic contrast-enhanced T2 * -weighted PWI. DWI and PWI data of benign and malignant soft tissue tumors were acquired at the workstation and their difference was analyzed with t-test. The diagnostic accordance rate was verified with x2-test. Subjective overall performance of two techniques were evaluated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results ADC values of benign and malignant tumors were (2. 03±0. 36) × 10-3 mm2/s, ( 1.52±0. 39) × 10-3 mm2/s,respectively. The signal intensity decrease of them during the first-pass perfusion (SIdecrease ) were ( 13.54 ± 3.37 )%, (47. 57 ± 5. 21 ) % ,respectively. The maximum linearity slope rate of TIC ( SSmax ) of them were ( 5.51 ± 2. 54 ) %, (7.94 ± 3. 33) %, respectively. There were significant differences between benign and malignant tumors of ADC value and SIdecrease ( t = 2. 515,2. 938 ;P < 0. 05 ), while there was no significant difference in SSmax (t = 1. 272,P >0. 05). When the threshold of ADC value was 1. 866 × mm2/s, sensitivity and specificity for determining malignant tumors were 84. 6% (22/26)and 83.3% (20/24). When the threshold of SIdecrease was 40. 33% ,sensitivity and specificity for determining malignant tumors were 88. 5% (23/26)and 75.0% (18/24). In type Ⅰa of TIC,the proportion of benign soft tissue tumor was 3/24 and malignant tumor was 20/26. In type Ⅰb , benign tumor was 14/24 and malignant tumor was 3/26. In type Ⅰc, malignant tumor was 3/26. In type Ⅱ ,benign tumor was 7/24. The diagnostic accordance rate of DWI and PWI were 84. 0% (42/50) and 82. 0% (41/50), respectively. There was no significant difference between them ( x2 = 0. 8, P >0. 05). The accuracies of them were 81.7% , 83. 6% respectively by the area under the ROC curve (AUC). The sensitivity of PWI in diagnosing malignant soft tissue tumors was higher. Conclusions ADC value and SIdecrease are Valllable diagnostic parameters in differentiating benign and malignant soft tissue tumors. The threshold of these parameters for diagnosing malignant soft tissue tumors are 1. 866 × 10-3 mm2/s and 40. 33%, respectively. The type of TIC can help to distinguish malignant tumors from benign tumors, while the SSmax can not. The accuracies of DWI and PWI in the diagnosis of malignant soft tissue tumors are moderate. Compared with DWI, PWI should be selected firstly because of its higher sensitivity in diagnosing malignant tumors.

Objective To evaluate multiple magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques in the differentiation of benign and malignant soft tissue tumors by comparing different information from MR perfusion-weighted Imaging (MR-PWI) and 1 HMR spectroscopy (1 H-MRS).Methods Forty patients with soft tissue tumors underwent conventional MR imaging,dynamic contrast-enhanced T2*-weighted MR-PWI and 1 H proton MR spectroscopy.The differences of perfusion and 1 H-MRS parameters of benign and malignant tumors were analyzed with t test.Results There was significant difference between benign and malignant tumoral tissues of BF value and Cho/Cr ratio(t=2.531,2.927,P < 0.05),while BV,MTT,Cho,Cr or Lip peak value were not.TIC was different between benign group (Ib) and malignant group (Ia).When the threshold value of BF was 4.35 ml ·100 mg-1·min-1,sensitivity and specificity for determining malignant tumors were 81.8%(18/22),72.2%(13/18),respectively.When the threshold value of Cho/Cr ratio was 3.22,Sensitivity and specificity for determining malignant tumors were 86.4% (19/22),88.9% (16/18),respectively.The abnormal wave crest is detected at 2.0-2.1ppm in 5 malignant tumors (2 malignant schwannoma and 3 malignant fibrous histiocytoma),while the other 35 cases were not.Conclusion The BF value and Cho/Cr ratio were both valuable diagnostic parameters in differentiating benign and malignant soft tissue tumors.TIC was helpful to distinguish malignant tumors from benign tumors,while the sensitivity and specificity of 1 H-MRS in diagnosing malignant soft tissue tumors were both higher.

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of renal artery angiography with interpolated finite impulse response (IRFR) sequence on 1.5T MR. Methods A total of 122 subjects underwent MR scan with IFIR sequence. On axial image of IFIR, bilateral signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and breath artifact of renal artery were measured and 3D maximum intensity projection (MIP) images were reconstructed on workstation ADW 4.3, and each branch was scored according to its displaying quality. Influence of SNR, age and breath artifact on the displaying of renal artery were compared and analyzed. Results Renal segmental artery could be seen in 112 subjects (91.80%). Among them, segmental artery was showed clearly in 78 subjects (63.93%), post-segmental artery was showed in 54 subjects (44.26%) and branches of post-segmental artery was showed in 22 subjects (18.03%). There was statistical difference of renal artery scores mean rank between ≥60 years group and ＜60 years group (49.25 vs 67.48, P=0.006), as well as between the group without and with breath artifact (66.66 vs 43.35, P=0.002). No statistical difference of SNR was found among renal artery scores from 1-5 (P=0.177). Conclusion IFIR sequence is simple and safe for renal artery angiography on 1.5T MR, and different grades of renal artery branch can be showed clearly.

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of multi-parameter MRI in diagnosing ovarian endometrial cysts. Methods Pelvic MRI of 68 patients with confirmed pathological diagnosis were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into ovarian endometriosis (35 patients with 42 lesions, group A) and other cystic lesions (33 patients with 38 lesions , group B).The signal intensity value of T1WI, T2WI of cyst fluid and iliopsoas, ADC value, phase values and R2*values were obtained, cyst fluid/iliopsoas ratios (T1R and T2R) were calculated. The non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was employed to compare parameter values between the two groups. The values of diagnostic performance were analyzed by using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Use the Logistics regression parameters of diagnostic efficacy to select the highest Youden index for the best parameter association after combining the parameters step by step. Results The median of T1R, T2R, ADC, phase, T1R and R2*values for group A were 3.39, 5.28, 1.20×10-3 mm2/s,2.19×10-2, 15.08 Hz respectively, and that of group B were 0.91, 10.85, 2.64×10-3mm2/s,2.67×10-2, 3.01 Hz, respectively. There were statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.01).The AUC of T1R, T2R, ADC value, phase values and R*2 value were 0.930, 0.874, 0.891, 0.685 and 0.924 respectively, and there was no difference among them (P>0.05). When combining T1R, ADC value, R2*value together, the Youden index (0.849 7) was highest. Conclusion Combining T1R, ADC and R2* values can provide an effective way to discriminate endometrial ovarian cyst from other ovary cystic lesions.

Objective To explore the relationship between the characteristics of dynamic contrastenhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) and the stages of endometrial cancer.Methods A retrospective analysis of DCE-MRI manifestation in 55 patients with scratch-pathologically confirmed endometrial cancer was performed.All patients were divided into different groups according to differentiation,muscle layer infiltration,cervix involvement and metastasis.The enhanced rate,including the arterial phase relative signal increase ratio (ARSI％),the maximal relative signal increase ratio (MRSI％) and the signal enhancement ratio (SER％),was calculated at different time (i.e.16 s,32 s,48 s,64 s and 300 s),respectively.Time-intensity curves (TIC) of lesions were also obtained and divided into 4 subtypes.Two sample t test was performed to compare the MRSI％ among groups,and the Mann-Whitney U test was performed in ARSI％ and SER％ as well.Results The early phase enhanced rate of normal tissue was 894 ± 355,higher than that of tumor 716 ± 215 (t =-2.911,P ＜ 0.01).The delayed phase enhanced rate of normal tissue was 1111 ± 289,higher than that of tumor 803-± 289 (t =-4.926,P ＜ 0.01).ARSI％ of low differentiation group (n =16,M =1.07％) was higher than that of middle to high differentiation group (n =39,M=0.36％).ARSI％ of deep muscle layer infiltration group (n =19,M =0.76％) was higher than that of no muscle layer infiltration group (n =36,M =0.32％).ARSI％ of cervix involvement group (n =27,M =0.84％) was higher than that of no cervix involvement group (n =28,M =0.25％).SER％ of cervix involvement group (n =27,M =2.90％) was higher than that of no involvement group (n =28,M =1.40％) and SER％ of parauterine involvement and metastasis group (n =7,M =2.03％) was higher than that of uterine involvement group (n =48,M =1.60％).The differences between these groups were statistically significant (Z =-2.038,-2.260,-2.172,-2.695 and-2.621 respectively,P ＜ 0.05).Based on the TIC types,type Ⅰ occurred in 13 tumors (23.6％),type Ⅱ in 22 tumors (40％),type Ⅲ in 9 tumors (16.4％),and type Ⅳ in 11 tumors (20％).Conclusions Based on TIC curves,most of endometrial cancers showed significant enhancement which reflected of their rich blood supply.The parameters of DCE-MRI is helpful in staging of uterus tumors.

Objective:To investigate the expression and significance of B cell activating factor (BAFF) and a proliferation-inducing ligand ( APRIL) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia ( ALL).Methods:The mRNA and protein expressions in ALL.

Objective To investigate the effects of berberine on tumor-associated macrophages (TAM)and the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)of intestinal polyps in Apc(Min/+) mice.Methods A total of 20 Apc(Min/+) mice,four weeks old,were equally divided into the control group and the berberine group,10 in each group.The mice of the control group drank plain water,while the mice of berberine group drank water with 0.1 % berberine.After 12 weeks,all the mice were sacrificed.The intestine and colon were isolated,and the numbers of polyps were counted.The expression of F4/80,inducible nitric oxide synthase-2 (iNOS),macrophage mannose receptor (MR)and COX-2 was detected by immunohisto-chemistry method.The relative expression of COX-2 at protein level was measured by Western blotting. The t test was performed for comparison between two independent groups.Results The total number of intestinal polyps,the number of small intestinal polyps and the number of colon polyps of the berberine group (11 .50±2.05 ,10.50±1 .77 and 1 .00±0.46,respectively)were all less than those of the control group (30.63±1 .69,28.00±2.00 and 2.63±0.74,respectively),and the differences were statistically significant (t=16.727,16.952 and 3.162,P =0.001 ,0.001 and 0.010,respectively).The percentage of F4/80 positive cells in the stroma of polyps of the berberine group ((17.40 ±4.23 )%)was less than that of the control group ((31 .24±6.34)%),and the difference was statistically significant (t =5 .327, P =0.043).The percentage of iNOS positive cells in the stroma of polyps of the berberine group ((7.43± 1 .78 )%) was higher than that of the control group ((2.72±0.68)%), and the difference was statistically significant (t=7.335 ,P =0.004).The percentage of MR positive cells in stroma of polyps of the berberine group ((19.52±1 .54)%)was less than that of the control group ((12.63±0.68)%),and the difference was statistically significant (t=5 .634,P =0.016).The percentage of COX-2 positive cells in stroma of polyps of berberine group ((3.38 ± 0.51 )%)was less than that of the control group ((7.60±0.57 )%),and the difference was statistically significant (t = 7.234,P = 0.001 ).The relative expression of COX-2 at protein level of polyps of the berberine group was lower than that of the control group. Conclusion Berberine may take the role in inhibiting the growth of intestinal polyps in Apc(Min/+) mice through interfering the differentiation of TAM in polyps and suppression the expression of COX-2.

Objective:To detect the expression of microRNA-218 (miR-218) in human acute lymphocyte leukemia (ALL) T lymphocytes ( CCRF-CEM) ,explore its effects on the biological features of CCRF-CEM cells and the expression of its target gene c-kit, so as to provide new insights for leukemia treatment.Methods: Using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction ( qRT-PCR) ,we detected the expression of miR-218 in the normal peripheral blood T lymphocytes and CCRF-CEM cells.Forty-eight hours after the miR-218 mimic was transfected into the CCRF-CEM cells,the expression of miR-218 in the CCRF-CEM cells was detected by qRT-PCR.The effect of miR-218 on the CCRF-CEM cell viability was detected using MTT.The effect of miR-218 on the proliferation and apoptosis of CCRF-CEM cell was analyzed using flow cytometry.c-kit gene was identified to be a target gene of miR-218 by luciferase reporter enzyme system,and the effect of miR-218 on the expression of KIT protein in cells were determined using Western blot.Results:As shown by qRT-PCR,compared with that in the normal peripheral blood T lymphocytes,the expressions of miR-218 in ALL T lymphocytes cell lines were significantly decreased ( P<0.01 ) .Compared with the control group, the expression of miR-218 increase significantly in CCRF-CEM cells transfected with miR-218 mimic for 48 hours ( P<0.01).MTT showed that the cell viability decreased significantly after the over-expression of miR-218 in the CCRF-CEM cells ( P<0.05 ) .Flow cytometry showed that the S-phase fraction significantly declined after the over-expression of miR-218 ( P<0.01 ) , and meanwhile the apoptosis of cells also significantly increased (P<0.01).Luciferase reporter gene assay showed that,compared with the control group,the relative luciferase activity significantly declined in the miR-218 mimic transfection group (P<0.01).Compared with the control group,the expression of KIT protein in the CCRF-CEM cells transfected with miR-218 mimic for 48 hours significantly decreased ( P<0.01).Conclusion:The expression of miR-218 decreases in ALL T lymphocytes cell lines.MiR-218 can negatively regulate the expression of KIT protein,inhibit the proliferation and increase the apoptosis of CCRF-CEM cells.Treatment based on the enhanced expression of miR-218 may be a promising strategy for leukemia.

Objective To investigate the value of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI)quantitative parameters in evaluating patholog-ical grade of cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC).Methods The DKI images of 45 patients with CSCC were analyzed retrospec-tively.According to the results of pathology,22 cases were divided into poorly differentiated group and 23 cases well-moderately dif-ferentiated group.The DKI parameters of two groups were measured by two observers,which included mean kurtosis (MK),axial kurtosis (Ka),radial kurtosis (Kr),fractional anisotropy of kurtosis (FAk),mean diffusivity (MD),axial diffusivity (Da),radial diffusivity (Dr)and fractional anisotropy (FA).The intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC)was used to test the consistency of the parameters measured results on two observers.The two independent samples t test was used to compare the parameters of two groups,and the ROC curve was used to evaluate the effectiveness of each parameter in order to evaluate the poorly differentiated CSCC and find the boundary values.Results The data consistency of two observers were good (ICC>0.75).The MK,Ka and Kr values on poorly differentiated CSCC were greater than that on well-moderately differentiated (P<0.05),the MD,Da and Dr values were less than that on well-moderately differentiated (P<0.05),the FAk and FA values had no difference (P>0.05).Thearea un-der curve (AUC)of MK,Ka,Kr,MD,Da and Dr values to diagnose poorly differentiated CSCC were 0.914,0.831,0.865,0.850, 0.778 and 0.865,respectively.The boundary values of diagnosing poorly differentiated CSCC were MK≥0.973,Ka≥1.075,Kr≥0.823, MD≤0.974μm2/ms,Da≤1.185μm2/ms and Dr≤0.762μm2/ms,respectively.Conclusion DKI can effectively predict the patho-logical grading of CSCC,which has a good clinical application prospects.