Objective To investigate the value of MRI of the sternal end of clavicle in bone age assessment in Chinese population,especially its applicability in the determination of criminal responsible age.Methods A total of 431 patients aged from 10.00 to 29.99 years with neck or chest MRI were retrospectively collected.According to the Schmeling grading method,the epiphyseal development of the clavicle MRI was divided into five grades.The consistency of methods was evaluated.The correlation and general descriptive analysis between MRI grades and age was analyzed.The sex difference was analyzed.Curve fitting was used to establish a nonlinear model between age and grades.Results The grades of clavicle MRI showed a significant age-related trend(Figure 2),and the correlation was 0.861(0.887 in males and 0.840 in females).Except for grade 1,there was no significant difference between males and females in other grades.The minimum age of male grade 3 was greater than 14 years old,and the minimum age of female grade 3 was greater than 16 years old.The minimum age in grade 4 and grade 5 was over 18 years old in both sexes.The best curve fitting model was cubic model for both sexes(R2=0.805 for men and 0.722 for women).Conclusion Clavicle MRI can be used for the assessment of bone age in Chinese population.Complete epiphyseal plate closure can be used as a reliable indicator for the determination of age at 18 years old,and it is expected to achieve radiation-free forensic bone age assessment.

Pyroptosis is a form of programmed cell death characterized by prominent inflammatory responses.As a classic chronic inflammatory disease,atherosclerosis(As)has been demonstrated to exhibit specific expression of multiple pyroptosis-related proteins within plaques.Accumulating evidence indicates that pyroptosis plays a crucial regulatory role in the initiation and progression of As.This review primarily focuses on three key cell types involved in As—endothelial cell,macrophage,and vascular smooth muscle cell(VSMC),and systematically summarizes their pyroptotic mechanisms and contributions to atherosclerotic development.Furthermore,we comprehensively summarize current advances in anti-atherosclerotic drugs and bioactive compounds targeting pyroptosis,aiming to provide theoretical foundations and research perspectives for developing novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of As.

Purpose To evaluate the diagnostic value of three-dimensional amide proton transfer weighted imaging(APTWI)in distinguishing benign from malignant bone tumors and the diagnostic efficacy of APTWI combined with diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI).Materials and Methods Sixty-nine patients with pelvic and lower extremity bone tumors,confirmed by puncture or surgical pathology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University,were prospectively collected from April 2022 to July 2023.On the relevant parameter maps of APTWI and DWI,the asymmetric magnetization transfer rate at a chemical shift of 3.5 ppm[MTRasym(3.5 ppm)]and apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)values corresponding to the lesions were measured,respectively.Comparative analysis of differences in each parameter was conducted,and the diagnostic efficacy of these parameters alone and in combination was compared.Results Among 69 bone tumor,24 were benign cases and 45 malignant cases.MTRasym(3.5 ppm)of malignant bone tumors was higher than that of benign tumors[(2.974±0.630)%vs.(2.215±0.963)%],while ADC values of malignant bone tumors were lower than those of benign tumors[(1.143±0.406)×10-3 s/mm2 vs.(1.757±0.449)×10-3 s/mm2],with significant differences between the two groups(t=3.532,-5.645;P<0.001).Receiver operating characteristic curve showed that MTRasym(3.5 ppm),ADC values,and their combination exhibited good performance in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant bone tumors,with the area under the curve being 0.765,0.841 and 0.874,respectively.There were no statistically significant differences in the area under the curve between the combined APTWI-DWI and either APTWI or DWI alone in diagnosing benign and malignant bone tumors(combined vs.APTWI:Z=1.873,P=0.064;combined vs.DWI:Z=1.333,P=0.167).The diagnostic specificity of combined APTWI-DWI was significantly higher than that of APTWI alone(96%vs.56%,P=0.001),but there was no statistically significant difference compared with DWI alone(96%vs.80%,P=0.189).Conclusion APTWI and DWI,either alone or in combination,could serve as effective imaging indicators for distinguishing benign from malignant bone tumors.The combination of APTWI and DWI shows a trend of achieving higher diagnostic efficacy and diagnostic specificity in differentiating benign from malignant bone tumors,thus holding potential clinical application value.

Pyroptosis is a form of programmed cell death characterized by prominent inflammatory responses.As a classic chronic inflammatory disease,atherosclerosis(As)has been demonstrated to exhibit specific expression of multiple pyroptosis-related proteins within plaques.Accumulating evidence indicates that pyroptosis plays a crucial regulatory role in the initiation and progression of As.This review primarily focuses on three key cell types involved in As—endothelial cell,macrophage,and vascular smooth muscle cell(VSMC),and systematically summarizes their pyroptotic mechanisms and contributions to atherosclerotic development.Furthermore,we comprehensively summarize current advances in anti-atherosclerotic drugs and bioactive compounds targeting pyroptosis,aiming to provide theoretical foundations and research perspectives for developing novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of As.

Purpose To evaluate the diagnostic value of three-dimensional amide proton transfer weighted imaging(APTWI)in distinguishing benign from malignant bone tumors and the diagnostic efficacy of APTWI combined with diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI).Materials and Methods Sixty-nine patients with pelvic and lower extremity bone tumors,confirmed by puncture or surgical pathology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University,were prospectively collected from April 2022 to July 2023.On the relevant parameter maps of APTWI and DWI,the asymmetric magnetization transfer rate at a chemical shift of 3.5 ppm[MTRasym(3.5 ppm)]and apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)values corresponding to the lesions were measured,respectively.Comparative analysis of differences in each parameter was conducted,and the diagnostic efficacy of these parameters alone and in combination was compared.Results Among 69 bone tumor,24 were benign cases and 45 malignant cases.MTRasym(3.5 ppm)of malignant bone tumors was higher than that of benign tumors[(2.974±0.630)%vs.(2.215±0.963)%],while ADC values of malignant bone tumors were lower than those of benign tumors[(1.143±0.406)×10-3 s/mm2 vs.(1.757±0.449)×10-3 s/mm2],with significant differences between the two groups(t=3.532,-5.645;P<0.001).Receiver operating characteristic curve showed that MTRasym(3.5 ppm),ADC values,and their combination exhibited good performance in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant bone tumors,with the area under the curve being 0.765,0.841 and 0.874,respectively.There were no statistically significant differences in the area under the curve between the combined APTWI-DWI and either APTWI or DWI alone in diagnosing benign and malignant bone tumors(combined vs.APTWI:Z=1.873,P=0.064;combined vs.DWI:Z=1.333,P=0.167).The diagnostic specificity of combined APTWI-DWI was significantly higher than that of APTWI alone(96%vs.56%,P=0.001),but there was no statistically significant difference compared with DWI alone(96%vs.80%,P=0.189).Conclusion APTWI and DWI,either alone or in combination,could serve as effective imaging indicators for distinguishing benign from malignant bone tumors.The combination of APTWI and DWI shows a trend of achieving higher diagnostic efficacy and diagnostic specificity in differentiating benign from malignant bone tumors,thus holding potential clinical application value.

Objective To investigate the value of MRI of the sternal end of clavicle in bone age assessment in Chinese population,especially its applicability in the determination of criminal responsible age.Methods A total of 431 patients aged from 10.00 to 29.99 years with neck or chest MRI were retrospectively collected.According to the Schmeling grading method,the epiphyseal development of the clavicle MRI was divided into five grades.The consistency of methods was evaluated.The correlation and general descriptive analysis between MRI grades and age was analyzed.The sex difference was analyzed.Curve fitting was used to establish a nonlinear model between age and grades.Results The grades of clavicle MRI showed a significant age-related trend(Figure 2),and the correlation was 0.861(0.887 in males and 0.840 in females).Except for grade 1,there was no significant difference between males and females in other grades.The minimum age of male grade 3 was greater than 14 years old,and the minimum age of female grade 3 was greater than 16 years old.The minimum age in grade 4 and grade 5 was over 18 years old in both sexes.The best curve fitting model was cubic model for both sexes(R2=0.805 for men and 0.722 for women).Conclusion Clavicle MRI can be used for the assessment of bone age in Chinese population.Complete epiphyseal plate closure can be used as a reliable indicator for the determination of age at 18 years old,and it is expected to achieve radiation-free forensic bone age assessment.

Objective:To investigate the value of nomogram based on radiomics features of CT enterography (CTE) combined with clinical characteristics to predict secondary loss of response (SLOR) after infliximab (IFX) treatment in patients with Crohn′s disease (CD).Methods:This study was a case-control study. Clinical and imaging data of 155 patients with CD diagnosed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from March 2015 to July 2022 were retrospectively collected. The patients were divided into a training set ( n=108) and a testing set ( n=47) in the ratio of 7∶3 by stratified sampling method. All patients were treated according to the standardized protocol and were classified as SLOR (43 in the training set and 18 in the testing set) and non-SLOR (65 in the training set and 29 in the testing set) according to treatment outcome. Based on the data from the training group, independent clinical predictors of SLOR after IFX treatment were screened in the clinical data using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to establish a clinical model. Intestinal phase images were selected to be outlined layer by layer along the margin of the lesion to obtain the volume of the region of interest to extract the radiomics features. The radiomics features were screened using univariate analysis and the minimum absolute shrinkage and selection operator to establish the radiomics model. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to build a combined clinical-radiomics model based on the screened clinical independent predictors and radiomics characters, then a nomogram was drawn. The predictive efficacy of the 3 models for SLOR after IFX treatment was assessed by receiver operating characteristic curves, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. The decision curve analysis was applied to evaluate the clinical utility of the models. Results:Disease duration ( OR=1.983, 95% CI 1.966-2.000, P=0.046) and intestinal stenosis ( OR=1.246, 95% CI 1.079-1.764, P=0.015) were identified as the independent predictors of SLOR in the clinical data, and a clinical model was established. Totally 9 radiomics features were included in the radiomics model. The AUCs of clinical, radiomics, and combined models for predicting SLOR after IFX treatment in CD patients were 0.691 (95% CI 0.591-0.792), 0.896 (95% CI 0.836-0.955), and 0.910 (95% CI 0.855-0.965) in the training set, and 0.722 (95% CI 0.574-0.871), 0.866 (95% CI 0.764-0.968), and 0.889 (95% CI 0.796-0.982) in the testing set. Decision curve analysis in the testing set showed higher net clinical benefits for both the radiomics model and combined model than the clinical model, and combined model had higher net clinical benefits than the radiomics model over most threshold probability intervals. Conclusions:CTE-based radiomics model can effectively predict SLOR after IFX treatment in patients with CD, and a combined model by incorporating clinical characteristics of disease duration and intestinal stenosis can further improve the predictive efficacy.

Objective To explore the value of 3D amide proton transfer weighted imaging(APTWI),diffusion weighted imaging(DWI)and the combination for differentiating benign and malignant bone and soft tissue tumors.Methods Non-contrast MRI,APTWI and DWI of pelvis or lower extremity were prospectively acquired in 96 patients with bone and soft tissue tumors.MTRasym and ADC maps were obtained based on APTWI and DWI calculation with an offset of 3.5 ppm,respectively,and the maximum asymmetric magnetization transfer rate(MTRasym)(MTRasymmax),the mean MTRasym(MTRasymmean)and the minimum MTRasym(MTRasymmin),as well as the maximum apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)(ADCmax),the mean ADC(ADCmean)and the minimum ADC(ADCmin)values were measured.The above parameters were compared between benign and malignant tumors.Then receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn,and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to evaluate the efficacy of APTWI,DWI and the combination.Results Among 96 patients,there were 41 benign and 55 malignant pelvic or lower limb bone and soft tissue tumors.In benign tumors,MTRasym(3.5 ppm)values,including MTRasymmax.MTRasymmean and MTRasymmin were significantly higher,whereas ADC values including ADCmax,ADCmeanand ADCmin were significantly lower than those in malignant tumors(all P＜0.05).AUC of MTRasymmax and ADCmin for differentiating benign and malignant bone and soft tissue tumors was 0.791 and 0.873,respectively,being not statistically different(P=0.122),but both lower than that of their combination(AUC=0.944,P＜0.001,P=0.041).Conclusion APTWI combined with DWI had high efficacy for differentiating benign and malignant bone and soft tissue tumors.

Objective:To describe the epidemiological characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in preschool children and explore the risk factors for severe pneumonia.Methods:Epidemiological data of 279 preschool children with RSV infection were investigated. The children were screened for severe pneumonia and separated into ordinary and severe types. General data and laboratory test data from both groups were compared, and binary logistic regression model analysis was applied to determine the risk factors for severe pneumonia.Results:Preschool children with RSV infection were mostly male (63.08%), <6 months old (65.95%) and had poor living environment (53.05%), with main symptoms of cough (91.04%) and wheezing (69.18%), the lung auscultation was mainly characterized by wheezing (86.74%), and imaging findings were mainly patchy shadows (76.34%), the onset season was concentrated in autumn (31.18%) and winter (43.37%). The detection rate of severe pneumonia in 279 pediatric patients was 20.27% (56/279). The proportions of onset season being autumn or winter, low birth weight infants, history of respiratory infections within 3 months, delayed treatment, neutrophils count <10×10 9/L, C-reactive protein≥10 mg/L, procalcitonin≥1.5 ng/mL, albumin<30 g/L, CD4 + /CD8 + <1.2 in the severe types were higher than those in the normal types ( P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the onset season was autumn or winter ( OR=2.316, 95% CI: 1.235-4.345), low birth weight infants ( OR=2.679, 95% CI: 1.442-4.977), history of respiratory infections within 3 months ( OR=2.815, 95% CI: 1.539-5.148), delayed treatment ( OR=2.869, 95% CI: 1.581-5.206), low albumin<30 g/L ( OR=2.756, 95% CI: 1.495-5.080), and low CD4 + /CD8 + <1.2 ( OR=3.016, 95% CI: 1.695-5.366) were risk factors for severe RSV pneumonia in preschool children ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Autumn and winter, low birth weight infants, history of respiratory infections within 3 months, delayed treatment, low albumin, and low CD4 + /CD8 + are related to the occurrence of severe RSV pneumonia in preschool children. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the attention to the condition of preschool RSV infected children with the above risk factors, and actively intervene in controllable factors to reduce the risk of severe pneumonia.

This article reported a case of pyruvate dehydrogenase E1-α deficiency suggested by abnormal brain development during prenatal ultrasound imaging. Prenatal ultrasound revealed a mild enlargement of bilateral cerebral ventricles and the possibility of intracranial hemorrhage in the fetus at 25 +1 weeks of gestation. MRI showed the fetus with absent corpus callosum, enlarged bilateral cerebral ventricles and paraventricular cysts. After genetic counseling and careful consideration, the couple opted for pregnancy termination. To clarify the cause of the disease, whole-exome sequencing was performed on the fetal skin to detect possible variants, and which revealed a frameshift mutation c.924_930dup(p.R311Gfs*5) in exon 10 of the PDHA1 gene. Sanger sequencing confirmed the mutation was a de novo pathogenic variant, indicating that the fetus was affected by pyruvate dehydrogenase E1-α deficiency.