Objective To explore the imaging characteristics of testicular germ cell tumors and to improve the MRI diagnostic level. Methods MRI and clinical data of 25 cases confirmed testicular germ cell tumor by pathological examination were retrospectively analyzed. All the 25 cases were performed plain scan of MRI,and 16 patients underwent MRI enhanced scan.The size,morphology,signal intensity, adjacent structures,enhancement figure and tumor supplying artery were assessed and the histopathological findings were servered as the standard of reference.Results In the all 25 testicular germ cell tumors,10 cases were seminoma,8 cases showed homogeneous low signal intensity,2 cases of seminoma were low signal intensity on T2 WI,furthermore 5 cases performed poor nodular enhance-ment,2 cases performed homogeneous enhancement,4 cases performed fibrous septa enhancement.4 cases were yolk sac tumor ap-peared equal-low signal on T1 WI,slightly high signal intensity on T2 WI and progressive enhancement.Mature teratoma,pidermoid cyst and mixed germ cell tumor were 3 cases respectively,the MRI demonstrated mixed low signal intensity on T1 WI and mixed high signal on T2 WI.2 cases were embryonal carcinoma demonstrated middle-low signal intensity on T1 WI,and mixed low signal intensity on T2 WI.The two cases revealed bleeding signal intensity and septa enhancement.Conclusion MRI can be used to diagnose germ cell tumors with high accuracy,and provides essential information for pathological type,stage and differential diagnosis.

Objective To prospectively determine the feasibility of high-resolution in vivo MR imaging in the evaluation of esophageal carcinoma invasion at 3.0 T.Methods One hundred and eighteen patients with esophageal carcinoma,proven by the gastroscopic biopsy,were prospectively studied using 3.0 T MR.The esophageal specimens were sectioned transversely to keep consistent in the orientation with the MR images,the histopathological stage was made and the thickness of the tumor on the largest diameter of the slice were measured.The MR images were reviewed in the transverse plane.According to the seventh American joint committee on cancer,the MR stage was made and the tumor's thickness was measured.The MR images and the histopathological slices were matched.The staging diagnostic efficacy of the MR imaging was evaluated with the histopathological results as the standard reference,Kappa test was used to compare the stage of MR imaging with that at the histopathological analysis.Bland-Altman scatterplots were used to compare the thickness of tumor measured on the MR images with that at the histopathological measurement.Results Ninety seven cases(82.2％,97/118) of MR stage were accurately made,including 7 T1a,15 T1b,18 T2,25 T3 and 32 T4a cases,furthermore,14 cases were over staged and 7 cased were underestimated.The MR stage was highly consistent with the histopathological stage (Kappa=0.772).The sensitivity for the staging of high-resolution MR imaging at 3.0 T was 58.3％(7/12) to 100.0％(32/32),the specificity was 95.3％ (82/86) to 98.1％ (104/106),and the accuracy was 91.5％ (108/118) to 96.6％ (114/118),respectively.Bland-Altman scatterplots demonstrated that the discrepancy of the mean thickness between the value obtained by three radiologists respectively and the histopathological analysis were 2.0,2.6 and 2.1 mm,which demonstrated a good consistency.Conclusion High-resolution MR images obtained at 3.0 T can be used to evaluate the depth of carcinoma invasion and provide excellent diagnostic accuracy for preoperative staging.

Objective To observe the influence of ratio of endoscope-sheath diameter on renal pelvic pressure during PCNL.Methods The model of 24 isolated adult porcine kidneys were used to imitate percutaneous nephrolithotomy from September 2016 to June 2017.Each tract was established (F12,F14 and F16).Three kinds of endoscopes (F8 all-seeing needle percutaneous nephroscope,F6/7.5 and F8/ 9.8 rigid ureteroscope),input a 200μm laser,were adopted.There were 8 combinations,and 3 kidneys were used for each one.Renal pelvic pressure was measured 3 times repeatedly in every combination with steady irrigation (50,100,150,200,250,300,350,400,450,500 cmH2O).Results The linear equations,ratios of endoscope-sheath diameter and highest renal pelvic pressures for each combination were:F8-F12,Pr =0.026 P0-1.533,0.67,12.2 ± 0.54;F6/7.5-F 12,Pr =0.112 P0-5.001,0.92,51.2 ± 0.93;F8-F 14,Pr =0.010P0 + 1.067,0.58,6.2 ± 0.48;F6/7.5-F14,Pr =0.020P0 + 1.000,0.79,10.8 ± 0.46;F8/9.8-F14,Pr =0.144P0 +20.933,0.87,84.7 ± 1.17;F8-F16,Pr =0.005P0 + 1.067,0.50,2.8 ±0.34;F6/7.5-F16,Pr =0.009P0 + 0.533,0.68,5.1 ± 0.32;F8/9.8-F16,Pr =0.020P0 + 2.200,0.75,12.6 ± 0.56.The combinations of F6/7.5-F12 and F8/9.8-F14 might lead to a high renal pelvic pressure without proper irrigation (＜401.7 cmH2O for F6/7.5-F12;＜ 132.4 cmH2O for F8/9.8-F14).Conclusion In order to keep a safe pressure,a proper ratio of endoscope-sheath diameter (＜ 0.80) and appropriate irrigation must be considered.

Objective:To investigate the application of Folly urethral catheter in transvastatal resection of adhesion (TCRA) and its preventive effect on prevention of re-adhesion.Methods:A total of 78 patients with intrauterine adhesions admitted to the Department of gynecology and obstetrics of the Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University from March 2018 to March 2019 were selected as the study objects.The prospective study was conducted and divided into two groups according to the computer random number method.In the control group, 39 cases were treated by TCRA combined with intrauterine placement of contraceptive ring, while in the observation group, 39 cases were treated by hysteroscopic adhesion separation operation combined with Folly catheter placement.The curative effect, intrauterine adhesions, menstrual improvement score, recurrence and pregnancy were compared before and 6 months after operation.Results:The total effective rate of the observation group was 94.87% (37/39), and that of the control group was 79.49% (31/39), The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ 2=4.129, P<0.05). The score of intrauterine adhesions was (22.14±2.57) in the control group and (1.76±0.87) in the observation group, and (23.05±3.08), (1.81±0.60) in the observation group, there was no significant difference between the two groups( t=1.417, 0.295; all P>0.05). At 3 months after operation, the scores of intrauterine adhesions and menstrual states in the control group were (17.63±2.88) and (1.07±0.38), respectively, and those in the observation group were (14.27±3.52) and (0.53±0.21), the difference between the two groups was statistically significant( t=4.614, 7.767, all P<0.001). There were significant differences in the scores of intrauterine adhesions and menstrual state before and after operation in the observation group ( t=7.297, 4.539, all P<0.001). There were significant differences in the scores of intrauterine adhesions and menstrual states before and after operation in the observation group ( t=11.723, 12.575, all P<0.001). The recurrence rate was 23.08% (9/39) in the observation group and 46.15% (18/39) in the control group at 6 months after operation.The difference was statistically significant ( P=0.032). The pregnancy rate of the observation group was observed.12.82% (5/39), 7.69% (3/39) in the control group, the difference was not statistically significant( P=0.455). Conclusion:Hysteroscopic adhesion separation combined with Folly catheter placement for the treatment of intrauterine adhesions can significantly improve the short-term efficacy, prevent re-adhesion, and better regulate the menstrual cycle.

Objective:To investigate the protective effect and mechanisms of umbilical cord tissue transplantation on radiation-induced learning and memory impairment in rats.Methods:Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into three groups with 20 in each group: control group, model group (whole brain X-ray irradiation, dose 20 Gy) and treatment group (whole brain X-ray irradiation, dose 20 Gy + umbilical cord tissue transplantation). The changes of body mass were observed, and the learning and memory of rats were observed by water maze test on the 14th and 28th day after irradiation, the neuron state of hippocampus was observed by HE staining, and the expressions of NF-κB pathway related proteins and IL-6 in hippocampus were detected by Western blot.Descriptive analysis and hypothesis testing were processed by SPSS 17.0.Results:(1) On the 28th day, the escaping latency in the water maze experiment of the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the control group and lower than that of the model group (control group: (11.77±3.02) s, model group: (23.75±3.27)s, treatment group: (18.49±2.32)s; t=3.940, -2.943, both P<0.05); the number of crossing platform in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group and higher than that in the model group (control group: (7.20±0.84), model group (3.60±1.14 ), treatment group (5.00±1.00); t=-3.773, 2.064, both P<0.05). (2)HE staining showed that the neurons in the control group were arranged orderly and the cytoplasm was transparent.The neurons in the model group were arranged disorderly and the contraction of the cell body was triangular or irregular.The number of neurons in the treatment group was less than that in the model group. (3) On the 14th day, the relative expression of TLR4 in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group and lower than that in the model group (control group: (0.69±0.03), model group: (1.06±0.11), treatment group: (0.90±0.04); t=7.275, -2.368, both P<0.05). The relative expression of NF-κB p65 in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group and lower than that in the model group (control group: (1.67±0.12), model group: (2.08 ±0.06), treatment group: (1.93±0.08); t=3.236, -2.684, both P<0.05). The relative expression of IL-6 in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group and lower than that in the model group (control group: (0.77±0.08), model group: (1.12±0.07), treatment group: (0.95±0.06); t=3.274, -3.495, both P<0.05). The relative expression of Bcl-2 / Bax in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group and higher than that in the model group (control group: (1.40±0.52), model group: (0.48±0.06), treatment group: (0.72±0.0 3); t=-2.263, 6.350, both P<0.05). The expression trend of IL-6 and Bcl-2 / Bax protein on the 28th day was the same as that on the 14th day. Conclusion:Cord tissue transplantation can improve the learning and memory impairment caused by radiotherapy, which may be related with the inhibition of inflammation caused by radiotherapy.

Objective:To investigate the value of serum miR-143 level combined with MRI in predicting the early response to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in cervical cancer.Methods:A total of 85 patients with pathologically confirmed cervical cancer underwent conventional MRI, intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI), and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) before CCRT. The biopsy tissues and serum samples were collected. The differential expression of miRNA in the biopsy tissues was determined by microarray chip. The expression level of miR-143 in the serum samples was analyzed by qRT-PCR. All patients were divided into the non-residual and residual tumor groups according to post-treatment MRI. Pre-treatment clinical factors, MRI parameters and miR-143 between two groups were statistically analyzed by the univariate and multivariate analyses. The optimal thresholds and predictive performance for post-treatment incidence of residual tumors were estimated by drawing the ROC curve.Results:At one month after CCRT, there were 52 patients in the non-residual tumor group and 33 patients in the residual tumor group. In the residual tumor group, pre-treatment FIGO staging, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), D and V e were significantly higher (all P<0.05), whereas K trans value was significantly lower ( P<0.001) when compared to those in the non-residual tumor group. The miRNA array analysis showed that there were 16 miRNAs with differential expression levels between two groups (all P<0.05). Among them, the increase of miR-143 was the most significant in the residual tumor group. Compared with the residual tumor group, the expression level of serum miR-143 was significantly down-regulated in the non-residual tumor group ( P=0.002). Compared with the SiHa cells, the expression level of miR-143 in the SiHa-R cells was significantly up-regulated ( P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that only miR-143, D, K trans and V e were the independent prognostic factors. The combination of multi-parametric MRI and miR-143 exhibited the highest predictive performance (AUC=0.975), with a sensitivity of 84.8% and a specificity of 96.2%. Conclusion:The combination of multi-parametric MRI with miR-143 further improves the predictive performance for residual tumors after CCRT, which contributes to the personalized treatment of cervical cancer.

BACKGROUNDThe diagnosis of liver fibrosis is a difficult task at any time using conventional clinical imaging. Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) can be used to investigate both diffusion and perfusion changes in tissues. This study was designed to determine the value of IVIM in the diagnosis and staging of liver fibrosis.

METHODSIVIM examinations were performed on a GE 3.0T MR scanner in 25 patients with liver fibrosis and 25 healthy volunteers as the control group. Patients with liver fibrosis diagnosis were confirmed by pathology and staged on a scale of F0-4. The standard ADC values and the values of a biexponential model (slow ADC (Dslow), fast ADC (Dfast) and fraction of fast ADC (FF)) were measured in three liver regions per person. The mean standard ADC values, Dslow values, Dfast values and FF values from the study group were compared among the right posterior hepatic lobe, right anterior hepatic lobe and medial segment of the left lobe. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and independent-samples t-tests were used to calculate the mean standard ADC values, Dslow values, Dfast values and FF values from the study group and the control group. Spearman rho correlation analysis was used for the stage of liver fibrosis. The liver fibrosis stages between the groups F0-1 and F2-4, the groups F0-2 and F3-4 were compared.

RESULTSAmong the liver fibrosis, there was no significant difference in the mean standard ADC values, Dslow values, Dfast values, and FF values obtained from the right posterior hepatic lobe, right anterior hepatic lobe and medial segment of the left lobe. Using ROC analysis, the Area Under the Curve (AUC) values of standard ADC, Dslow, Dfast, FF were all between 0.7 to 0.9. The mean standard ADC values, Dslow values, Dfast values and FF values of the liver in the study group were significantly lower than the values in the control group (P < 0.05). As the stage of the fibrosis increased, the values decreased by Spearman rho correlation analysis. The mean values (standard ADC, Dslow, Dfast, and FF) of liver fibrosis stages between the groups F0-1 and F2-4, the groups F0-2 and F3-4 showed significant differences (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSIVIM can reflect the conditions of perfusion and diffusion in liver fibrosis and thus distinguish between normal liver and liver fibrosis. The IVIM technique may serve as a valuable tool for detecting and characterizing liver fibrosis, and monitoring its progression in a noninvasive manner.

Adult ; Aged ; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis ; diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged