Purpose To explore the value of 5.0T MRI arterial spin labeling and morphological indexes for staging chronic kidney disease(CKD).Materials and Methods Ninety-five patients with CKD in Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital from January to August 2024 were collected prospectively,all of whom underwent 5.0T MRI routine and arterial spin labeling examination with calculation of renal blood flow(RBF)and morphological evaluation.According to the estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR),the patients were categorized into early CKD group[eGFR 60-89 ml/(min?1.73 m2)]and intermediate-late CKD group[eGFR<59 ml/(min?1.73 m2)]and were further divided into stage 1-5.The differences in RBF between early and intermediate-late CKD patients were compared,and the differences in morphological indexes among different stages of CKD were also analyzed.Binary Logistic regression analysis was used to screen for independent influences on early or intermediate-late CKD staging.Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of RBF values and morphological indexes for early CKD.RBF in CKD stages 1-5 were compared,with Bonferroni pairwise comparisons.The correlation between RBF values and both clinical and morphological indexes were also assessed.Results Whether in CKD stage 2 or 5,morphological factors affecting CKD staging were renal parenchymal signal,renal corticomedullary demarcation,renal volume and renal envelope(χ2=53.715,73.368,36.488,56.688,35.630,39.499,28.520,32.632,all P<0.001).In CKD stage 2,the independent influences screened by multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis were renal parenchymal signal(P<0.001)and renal corticomedullary demarcation(P=0.021).Both renal RBF values in early CKD were significantly higher than that in intermediate-late CKD(Z=-5.975,-5.885,both P<0.001).The areas under the curve for diagnosing early CKD using mean RBF of both kidneys,morphological indexes,and the combination of mean RBF with renal morphological indexes were 0.854,0.932 and 0.951,respectively.RBF values for both kidneys showed statistically significant differences among the five CKD stages(left:H=48.738;right:H=48.102,both P<0.001)and between non-adjacent stages(all P<0.05).Both kidneys RBF values showed a positive correlation with renal parenchymal signal and renal corticomedullary demarcation(left:r=0.600,0.503;right:r=0.550,0.504,both P<0.001).Conclusion The integration of arterial spin labeling and morphological assessment on 5.0T MRI enables a noninvasive and precise functional and morphological evaluation of early renal damage in CKD patients,providing a foundation for subsequent clinical CKD staging.

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy of ultra-high field 5.0T MRI combined with histogram analysis for diagnosing prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.Materials and Methods This retrospective analysis included data from 63 patients with prostatic diseases at the Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital from January to May 2024,comprising 31 cases of prostate cancer and 32 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia.MRI sequences included T2WI,T1WI,diffusion-weighted imaging,intravoxel incoherent motion and T2 mapping.Histogram data of apparent diffusion coefficient,true diffusion coefficient,pseudo-diffusion coefficient,perfusion fraction and T2 relaxation time were calculated,and diagnostic efficacy was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.Results In prostate cancer,the 10th percentile,the 90th percentile,mean,median,and minimum values of histogram parameters from apparent diffusion coefficient,true diffusion coefficient,pseudo-diffusion coefficient,perfusion fraction and T2 mapping were significantly lower than those of benign prostatic hyperplasia(Z=-6.036--3.368,all P<0.05).Notably,the combined model of apparent diffusion coefficient,intravoxel incoherent motion and T2 mapping parameters achieved an the area under the curve of 0.987,with sensitivity and specificity of 96.77%and 96.87%,respectively.Conclusion This study confirms that 5.0T MRI histogram analysis technique demonstrates significant diagnostic efficacy in differentiating prostate cancer from benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Purpose To explore the value of 5.0T MRI arterial spin labeling and morphological indexes for staging chronic kidney disease(CKD).Materials and Methods Ninety-five patients with CKD in Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital from January to August 2024 were collected prospectively,all of whom underwent 5.0T MRI routine and arterial spin labeling examination with calculation of renal blood flow(RBF)and morphological evaluation.According to the estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR),the patients were categorized into early CKD group[eGFR 60-89 ml/(min?1.73 m2)]and intermediate-late CKD group[eGFR<59 ml/(min?1.73 m2)]and were further divided into stage 1-5.The differences in RBF between early and intermediate-late CKD patients were compared,and the differences in morphological indexes among different stages of CKD were also analyzed.Binary Logistic regression analysis was used to screen for independent influences on early or intermediate-late CKD staging.Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of RBF values and morphological indexes for early CKD.RBF in CKD stages 1-5 were compared,with Bonferroni pairwise comparisons.The correlation between RBF values and both clinical and morphological indexes were also assessed.Results Whether in CKD stage 2 or 5,morphological factors affecting CKD staging were renal parenchymal signal,renal corticomedullary demarcation,renal volume and renal envelope(χ2=53.715,73.368,36.488,56.688,35.630,39.499,28.520,32.632,all P<0.001).In CKD stage 2,the independent influences screened by multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis were renal parenchymal signal(P<0.001)and renal corticomedullary demarcation(P=0.021).Both renal RBF values in early CKD were significantly higher than that in intermediate-late CKD(Z=-5.975,-5.885,both P<0.001).The areas under the curve for diagnosing early CKD using mean RBF of both kidneys,morphological indexes,and the combination of mean RBF with renal morphological indexes were 0.854,0.932 and 0.951,respectively.RBF values for both kidneys showed statistically significant differences among the five CKD stages(left:H=48.738;right:H=48.102,both P<0.001)and between non-adjacent stages(all P<0.05).Both kidneys RBF values showed a positive correlation with renal parenchymal signal and renal corticomedullary demarcation(left:r=0.600,0.503;right:r=0.550,0.504,both P<0.001).Conclusion The integration of arterial spin labeling and morphological assessment on 5.0T MRI enables a noninvasive and precise functional and morphological evaluation of early renal damage in CKD patients,providing a foundation for subsequent clinical CKD staging.

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy of ultra-high field 5.0T MRI combined with histogram analysis for diagnosing prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.Materials and Methods This retrospective analysis included data from 63 patients with prostatic diseases at the Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital from January to May 2024,comprising 31 cases of prostate cancer and 32 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia.MRI sequences included T2WI,T1WI,diffusion-weighted imaging,intravoxel incoherent motion and T2 mapping.Histogram data of apparent diffusion coefficient,true diffusion coefficient,pseudo-diffusion coefficient,perfusion fraction and T2 relaxation time were calculated,and diagnostic efficacy was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.Results In prostate cancer,the 10th percentile,the 90th percentile,mean,median,and minimum values of histogram parameters from apparent diffusion coefficient,true diffusion coefficient,pseudo-diffusion coefficient,perfusion fraction and T2 mapping were significantly lower than those of benign prostatic hyperplasia(Z=-6.036--3.368,all P<0.05).Notably,the combined model of apparent diffusion coefficient,intravoxel incoherent motion and T2 mapping parameters achieved an the area under the curve of 0.987,with sensitivity and specificity of 96.77%and 96.87%,respectively.Conclusion This study confirms that 5.0T MRI histogram analysis technique demonstrates significant diagnostic efficacy in differentiating prostate cancer from benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Objective To investigate the prediction of diffusion kurtosis imaging(DKI)and intra voxel incoherent motion(IVIM)imaging global histogram parameters for the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC)in patients diagnosed with breast invasive ductal carcinoma.Methods A total of 69 patients with breast invasive ductal carcinoma confirmed by penetration pathology were retrospectively selected.Prior to undergoing NAC,all patients underwent sequential scans including MR conventional(T1WI,T2WI),dynamic contrast enhancement(DCE),DKI,and IVIM.After surgery,the patients were divided into significant group(40 patients)and non-significant group(29 patients)based on the efficacy of NAC,which was evaluated using the Miller-Payne(MP)grading method criteria.The differences in global histogram parameters of DKI[mean diffusivity(MD),mean kurtosis(MK)]and IVIM(D value,f value,D*value)between the significant group and the non-significant group were compared by the two-independent sample t-test and Mann-Whitney U test.In addition,the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was plotted,and Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy and correlation of DKI and IVIM global histogram parameters in predicting NAC efficacy.The DeLong test was used to compare whether there was statistical significance in area under the curve(AUC)differences among histogram parameters.Results The DKI MD value(90th percentile,mean,median,maximum,range,root mean square),IVIM D value(mean,range,root mean square,median)and D*value(entropy,90th percentile)of patients with breast invasive ductal carcinoma in the significant group with efficacy of NAC were higher than those in the non-significant group,while the DKI MK value(mean and median)were lower than those in the non-significant group,and all the differences mentioned above were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The AUC,sensitivity and specificity of DKI combined with IVIM global histogram parameters were the highest,which were 0.816,72.41％and 90.00％,respectively.MD value,D value and D*value were negatively correlated with the efficacy of NAC in breast invasive ductal carcinoma.MK value was positively correlated with NAC efficacy significance.Conclusion DKI combined with IVIM global histogram parameters can effectively predict the efficacy of NAC in patients with breast invasive ductal carcinoma and provide effective value for clinical NAC preoperative efficacy evaluation.

Objective:To investigate the effects of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBH) on the expression of second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase (Smac) and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) in mitochondrial pathway after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.Methods:From March to December in 2019, 45 healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham-operation, model and TBH groups. Rat models of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury were established by ligation of the left carotid artery. Rat neurological function was evaluated to exclude the rats that failed in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury induction. Ten rats were left in each group. At 0.5 and 12 hours after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, rats in the TBH group were treated by intragastric administration of 12.5 mg/kg TBH and those in the sham-operation and model groups were identically treated by intragastric administration of equal volume of 0.9% sodium chloride injection. After 24 hours of reperfusion, rat neurological function was assessed in each group. Then the rats were killed and the brains were harvested. Apoptosis of nerve cells was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) assay. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the brain tissue were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. XIAP- and Smac-positive cell count and protein expression were determined by immunohistochemical staining and western blot assay, respectively.Results:Rat neurological function score in the TBH group was significantly lower than that in the model group [(1.36 ± 0.49) points vs. (3.73 ± 0.97) points, t = 6.896, P < 0.001]. In the TBH group, a large number of apoptotic nerve cells were found in the ischemic cerebral cortex, but the number of apoptotic nerve cells in the TBH group was significantly smaller than that in the model group. In the model group, SOD level was significantly lower, MDA, TNF-α and IL-1β levels were significantly higher compared with the sham-operation group [SOD: (51.94 ± 3.46) U/mg vs. (70.68 ± 2.67) U/mg, t = 13.560, P < 0.001; MDA: (5.69 ± 0.78) nmol/mg vs. (1.20 ± 0.96) nmol/mg, t = 11.479, P < 0.001; TNF-α: (89.36 ± 9.84) pg/mg vs. (40.53 ± 4.35) pg/mg, t = 14.353, P < 0.001; IL-1β: (41.35 ± 6.79) pg/mg vs. (17.22 ± 2.31) pg/mg, t = 10.639, P < 0.001]. In the TBH group, SOD level was significantly higher, MDA, TNF-α and IL-1β levels were significantly lower compared with the model group [SOD: (51.94 ± 3.46) U/mg vs. (68.84 ± 5.03) U/mg, t = 8.754, P < 0.001; MDA: (5.69 ± 0.78) nmol/mg vs. (2.46 ± 0.48) nmol/mg, t = 11.153, P < 0.001; TNF-α: (89.36 ± 9.84) pg/mg vs. (57.64 ± 6.22) pg/mg, t = 8.617, P < 0.001; IL-1β: (41.35 ± 6.79) pg/mg vs. (23.84 ± 5.48) pg/mg, t = 6.346, P < 0.001]. XIAP- and Smac-positive cell count and protein expression in the model group were significantly greater than those in the sham-operation group [XIAP-positive cell count: (22.63 ± 4.37) vs. (12.39 ± 3.18), t = 5.992, P < 0.001, Smac-positive cell count: (47.58 ± 6.94) vs. (5.64 ± 1.35), t = 18.759, P < 0.001; XIAP protein expression: (0.53 ± 0.08) vs. (0.24 ± 0.05), t = 9.721, P < 0.001; Smac protein expression: (0.92 ± 0.15) > ( 0.36 ± 0.05), t = 11.200, P < 0.001 ]. In the TBH group, XIAP-positive cell count and XIAP protein expression were significantly higher and Smac-positive cell count and Smac protein expression were significantly lower compared with the model group [XIAP-positive cell count: (36.78 ± 5.26) vs. (22.63 ± 4.37), t = 6.543, P < 0.001, Smac-positive cell count: (31.74 ± 4.26) vs. (47.58 ± 6.94), t = 6.151, P < 0.001; XIAP protein expression: (0.79 ± 0.10) vs. (0.53 ± 0.08), t = 6.420, P < 0.001, Smac protein expression: (0.70 ± 0.09) vs. (0.92 ± 0.15), t = 3.977, P < 0.001]. Conclusion:TBH can effectively reduce neuronal apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, which may be related to the regulation of XIAP and Smac signaling pathways.

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of thymus in patients with COVID-19, and to analyze the CT features and dynamic changes of thymus.Methods:Data of 241 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 admitted to Chongqing Three Gorges Central Hospital from Jan. to Mar. 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, and 242 consecutive subjects were selected as the control group from Nov. to Dec. 2019. The thymus classification, size, and average CT values between COVID-19 patients and the control group were compared, as well as those among different clinical types for COVID-19 patients, before and after treatment, were analyzed.Results:① The attenuation of the thymus: 64.7% (156/241) complete fatty replacement thymus, 17.8% (43/241) predominantly fatty thymus, 11.2% (27/241) approximately one-half fatty and one-half soft-tissue-attenuation thymus, and 6.2% (15/241) predominantly soft-tissue thymus in COVID-19 patients were found. 48.3% (117/242) complete fatty replacement thymus, 25.6% (62/242) predominantly fatty thymus, 10.3% (25/242) approximately one-half fatty and one-half soft-tissue-attenuation thymus, and 15.7% (38/242) predominantly soft-tissue thymus were found in the control group. Complete fatty replacement thymus was an independent factor affecting COVID-19 in 40 to 59 years old patients ( OR=3.071, P=0.000) . The rate of complete fatty replacement thymus: severe or critical type > common type > mild type. ② Size: There was no statistical difference of the thymus size between COVID-19 patients and the control group ( P>0.05) , no statistical difference among the mild type, common type and severe or critical type ( P>0.05) , no statistical difference between before and after treatment ( P>0.05) , and there was no correlation with treatment duration ( r=0.047, r=0.071) . ③ Density: There was no statistical difference of the CT value of thymus between COVID-19 patients and the control group ( P>0.05) , no statistical difference among the mild, common and severe type ( P>0.05) . One patient had a 17 HU increase in thymus density after treatment, but there was no statistical difference in 78 patients in thymus CT values between before and after treatment ( P>0.05) , and there was no correlation with treatment duration (r=0.013) . Conclusions:COVID-19 patients have a high rate of complete fatty replacement thymus. And the heavier the clinical classification, the higher the rate of complete fatty replacement thymus. Complete fatty replacement thymus is a risk factor for COVID-19 patients in 40 to 59 years old.

Objective: To investigate the value of initial CT quantitative analysis of ground-glass opacity (GGO), consolidation, and total lesion volume and its relationship with clinical features for assessing the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Materials and Methods: A total of 84 patients with COVID-19 were retrospectively reviewed from January 23, 2020 to February 19, 2020. Patients were divided into two groups: severe group (n = 23) and non-severe group (n = 61). Clinical symptoms, laboratory data, and CT findings on admission were analyzed. CT quantitative parameters, including GGO, consolidation, total lesion score, percentage GGO, and percentage consolidation (both relative to total lesion volume) were calculated. Relationships between the CT findings and laboratory data were estimated. Finally, a discrimination model was established to assess the severity of COVID-19. Results: Patients in the severe group had higher baseline neutrophil percentage, increased high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and procalcitonin levels, and lower baseline lymphocyte count and lymphocyte percentage (p < 0.001). The severe group also had higher GGO score (p < 0.001), consolidation score (p < 0.001), total lesion score (p < 0.001), and percentage consolidation (p = 0.002), but had a lower percentage GGO (p = 0.008). These CT quantitative parameters were significantly correlated with laboratory inflammatory marker levels, including neutrophil percentage, lymphocyte count, lymphocyte percentage, hs-CRP level, and procalcitonin level (p < 0.05). The total lesion score demonstrated the best performance when the data cut-off was 8.2%. Furthermore, the area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity were 93.8% (confidence interval [CI]: 86.8–100%), 91.3% (CI: 69.6–100%), and 91.8% (CI: 23.0–98.4%), respectively. Conclusion CT quantitative parameters showed strong correlations with laboratory inflammatory markers, suggesting that CT quantitative analysis might be an effective and important method for assessing the severity of COVID-19, and may provide additional guidance for planning clinical treatment strategies.

Objective Toexplorethecorrelationbetween MRIcharacteristicsandaxillarylymphnode metastasisofmass-type breastcancer.Methods MRIcharacteristicsandpathologicalresultsofpostoperativeaxillarylymphnode metastasisin187cases withmass-typebreastcancerwereanalyzedretrospectively.Accordingtothenumberoflymphnodemetastases,allofthepatients weredividedintothefourgroups:pN0,pN1,pN2andpN3.Thecorrelationbetween MRIsignsand N pathologicalstagesineach groupwereanalyzed.Results Therewere108casesinpN0group,33casesinpN1group,22casesinpN2groupand24casesinpN3 groupI.nthedifferentgroups,therewere15,5,1and1casewithroundmassrespectively;8,1,1and0casewithlobularmasserespectively;85, 27,20and23caseswithirregularmasserespectively.Theshapeswerenotsignificantlydifferentamongthedifferentgroups(P>0.05)I.nthe differentgroups,therewere7,0,1and0casewithclearmarginrespectively;69,14,7and8caseswithirregularmarginrespectively;32,19,14and16caseswithspiculatedmarginrespectively.Themarginsweresignificantlydifferentamongthedifferentgroups(P<0.05)I.nthe differentgroups,therewere55,16,14and18caseswithheterogenousenhancementrespectively;43,14,5and6caseswithringenhancement respectively;3,1,1and0casewithcentralenhancementrespectively;7,2,2and0casewithseptumenhancement.Theenhancement patternswerenotsignificantlydifferentamongthedifferentgroups (P>0.05).ThenumbersofthemasswithtypeⅠ,ⅡandⅢtime-signalcurvesandtheADCvalueswerenotsignificantlydifferentamongthedifferentgroups(P>0.05).Conclusion MRIfeaturesof mass-typebreastcancershavelimitedvalueindeterminingaxillarylymphnodemetastasis.However,thespiculatedmarginofmassis valuableindeterminingaxillarylymphnodemetastasis.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a deep features-based model to classify benign and malignant breast lesions on full- filed digital mammography. METHODS: The data of full-filed digital mammography in both craniocaudal view and mediolateral oblique view from 106 patients with breast neoplasms were analyzed. Twenty-three handcrafted features (HCF) were extracted from the images of the breast tumors and a suitable feature set of HCF was selected using -test. The deep features (DF) were extracted from the 3 pre-trained deep learning models, namely AlexNet, VGG16 and GoogLeNet. With abundant breast tumor information from the craniocaudal view and mediolateral oblique view, we combined the two extracted features (DF and HCF) as the two-view features. A multi-classifier model was finally constructed based on the combined HCF and DF sets. The classification ability of different deep learning networks was evaluated. RESULTS: Quantitative evaluation results showed that the proposed HCF+DF model outperformed HCF model, and AlexNet produced the best performances among the 3 deep learning models. CONCLUSIONS The proposed model that combines DF and HCF sets of breast tumors can effectively distinguish benign and malignant breast lesions on full-filed digital mammography.
Breast Neoplasms ; classification ; diagnostic imaging ; Deep Learning ; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Mammography ; methods