1.Prenatal ultrasound manifestations and postnatal follow-up of fetuses with 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome.
Xiaofei LIU ; Ya'nan WANG ; Tizhen YAN ; Shengli ZHANG ; Yanchuan XIE ; Jiwu LOU ; Hongwei JIANG
Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics 2026;43(1):31-35
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the prenatal and postnatal phenotypes of 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) and enhance clinical understanding of this condition.
METHODS:
Data were collected from 86 fetuses diagnosed with 22q11.2DS at four prenatal diagnostic centers across China between January 2014 and August 2025. Prenatal imaging findings, pregnancy outcomes, and postnatal conditions were analyzed.
RESULTS:
Among the 86 fetuses, complete ultrasound data were available for 65 cases. Cardiovascular abnormalities were observed in 42 cases, thymic hypoplasia or aplasia in 7 cases, urinary system anomalies in 6 cases, nuchal translucency (NT) thickening in 7 cases, butterfly vertebrae, clubfoot, omphalocele and diaphragmatic hernia in 1 case each, cleft lip and palate in 2 cases, and ultrasound soft markers in 13 cases. The parents of 9 fetuses opted to continue with the pregnancy. Among these, 6 showed no significant ultrasound abnormalities and no related phenotypes postnatally, while the remaining 3 exhibited ultrasound anomalies with postnatal manifestations including developmental delay, immunodeficiency, and cardiac defects.
CONCLUSION
Fetuses with 22q11.2DS may exhibit various ultrasound abnormalities in multiple systems before and after birth. In addition to cardiovascular anomalies, they may also present with thymic hypoplasia or aplasia, thickened NT, and urinary abnormalities. Fetuses with thickened NT or thymic anomalies should be closely monitored, and thymic assessment should be included in routine prenatal imaging evaluations. For fetuses with 22q11.2DS who show no ultrasound abnormalities, the risk of developing severe phenotypes after birth is relatively low, but occult palate clefts and psychiatric disorders cannot be ruled out. Due to limitations in sample size and follow-up duration, above conclusions require further validation through large-scale prospective studies.
Humans
;
Female
;
Pregnancy
;
Ultrasonography, Prenatal
;
DiGeorge Syndrome/genetics*
;
Adult
;
Male
;
Follow-Up Studies
;
Fetus/diagnostic imaging*
;
Phenotype
;
Infant, Newborn
2.Genetic analysis and prenatal diagnosis of structural brain abnormalities associated with TUBB gene c.155A>G variant.
Yifan LIU ; Wei SONG ; Xinlian WANG ; Yan RUAN ; Meng ZHANG ; Yujiao CHEN ; Yan LIU ; Puqing ZHANG ; Li WANG ; Yousheng YAN
Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics 2026;43(2):136-142
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the genotype-phenotype correlation in a Chinese family with structural brain abnormalities due to variant of the TUBB gene.
METHODS:
A family undergoing prenatal diagnosis at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in October 2024 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data were collected. Amniotic fluid sample was subjected to chromosomal copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq). Trio whole-exome sequencing (Trio-WES) was carried out on the amniotic fluid and parental blood samples, and candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the hospital (Ethics No.: 2023-KY-076-01).
RESULTS:
Both prenatal ultrasound and fetal MRI showed deviation of brain midline, unilateral lateral ventriculomegaly, and bilateral gyral asymmetry. Trio-WES revealed that the fetus has harbored a maternally derived heterozygous missense variant of the TUBB gene [NM_178014.4: c.155A>G (p.N52S)]. Sanger sequencing confirmed that the woman and a previously terminated fetus both harbored the same variant. Both the proband and two fetuses exhibited similar neuroimaging abnormalities including midline deviation and asymmetrical gyri. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the variant was classified as likely pathogenic (PM2_Supporting+PS2_Moderate+PS3).
CONCLUSION
The heterozygous c.155A>G (p.N52S) variant was the TUBB gene probably underlay the pathogenesis of the structural brain abnormalities in this family. Above findings have expanded the phenotypic spectrum associated with the variant and facilitated the prenatal diagnosis for this family.
Humans
;
Female
;
Pregnancy
;
Prenatal Diagnosis
;
Tubulin/genetics*
;
Adult
;
Brain/diagnostic imaging*
;
Male
;
Pedigree
;
DNA Copy Number Variations/genetics*
;
Exome Sequencing
;
Genetic Association Studies
;
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
3.Genetic analysis of a de novo EFTUD2 variant causing Mandibulofacial dysostosis with microcephaly in a fetus.
Jianyu REN ; Xiaojiao GUAN ; Shuang LIU ; Yousheng YAN ; Shufa YANG
Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics 2026;43(4):288-294
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the genetic etiology of a fetus diagnosed with Mandibulofacial dysostosis with microcephaly (MFDM).
METHODS:
A fetus that underwent prenatal diagnosis at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, on May 19, 2025 was selected for analysis. Results of fetal ultrasound findings, chromosomal karyotyping, copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq), and whole-exome sequencing (WES) were collected. Sanger sequencing was performed for familial validation of the pathogenic variant. The Human Protein Atlas (HPA), STRING, and Simple ClinVar databases were queried to characterize the biological features of the candidate gene. Three-dimensional structures of the wild-type and variant proteins were modeled and analyzed, and the evolutionary conservation of the affected amino acid was assessed using UGENE. Prenatal phenotypes associated with EFTUD2 variants were summarized through a review of the literature. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University (Ethics No.: 2025-KY-029-01).
RESULTS:
At 23+2 weeks of gestation, ultrasound examination revealed bilateral microtia with low-set ears, mild micrognathia with a reduced mandibular-facial angle, a single umbilical artery, a slightly narrow aortic diameter, and trivial mitral regurgitation. Amniotic fluid karyotyping and CNV-seq showed no abnormalities. WES identified a de novo, previously unreported EFTUD2 variant, c.698dupA (p.V235Gfs*27), in the fetus. This frameshift variant is predicted to alter the structural integrity of the EFTUD2 protein. Literature review indicated that micrognathia and microtia or low-set ears are the most common sonographic features in fetuses with EFTUD2 variants, while secondary findings may include abnormal stomach bubble, cleft palate, single umbilical artery, gastrointestinal atresia, polyhydramnios, and reduced aortic diameter.
CONCLUSION
The EFTUD2: c.698dupA (p.V235Gfs*27) variant is likely the genetic cause underlying MFDM in this fetus.
Humans
;
Mandibulofacial Dysostosis/diagnostic imaging*
;
Microcephaly/diagnostic imaging*
;
Female
;
Pregnancy
;
Ribonucleoprotein, U5 Small Nuclear/chemistry*
;
Peptide Elongation Factors/chemistry*
;
Fetus
;
DNA Copy Number Variations/genetics*
;
Adult
;
Ultrasonography, Prenatal
4.Diagnostic and Therapeutic Role of Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) in a CT-Negative Occult Insulinoma
Chee Kit Tee ; Yong Siang Ng ; Noor Hafis Md Tob ; Norhaliza Mohd Ali
Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies 2026;41(S1):87-88
Introduction:
A negative computed tomography (CT) scan does not
preclude an insulinoma, as small lesions frequently remain
undetected on conventional imaging. This case highlights
the indispensable role of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)—
not just for localizing occult tumors, but as a definitive,
minimally invasive therapeutic alternative to high-risk
surgical resection.
Case:
A 39-year-old female with underlying hypertension
presented with a 5-month history of predominantly fasting
hypoglycemia (glucose <3.0 mmol/L) and neuroglycopenic
symptoms, fulfilling Whipple’s triad. A supervised 72-hour
fast confirmed endogenous hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia
at 31 hours, with a nadir glucose of 1.4 mmol/L, insulin
116 pmol/L, and C-peptide 821 pmol/L. Notably, contrastenhanced CT of the pancreas was reported as normal. To
overcome this, EUS was performed, successfully identifying
a hidden 19 × 18 mm lesion in the head of the pancreas,
intimately abutting the main pancreatic duct.
Despite medical therapy with diazoxide and strict dietary
modifications, her hypoglycemia remained refractory.
Given the tumor’s proximity to the main pancreatic duct,
surgical enucleation carried a prohibitively high risk of complications. Consequently, she underwent EUS-guided
radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Immediate post-procedure
outcomes demonstrated near-complete resolution of the
hypoglycemic episodes. Diazoxide was subsequently
stopped. Outpatient continuous glucose monitoring
confirmed sustained normoglycemia and marked symptom
resolution, with no procedure-related complications.
Conclusion
The absence of a pancreatic lesion on CT demands persistent clinical suspicion in cases of biochemically proven
hypoglycemia. EUS remains paramount for detecting occult
lesions missed by standard imaging. Importantly, EUSRFA serves as a highly effective, tissue-sparing alternative
to surgical resection for insulinomas, especially when
conventional surgery poses prohibitive anatomical risks.
Insulinoma
;
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
5.Small Lesion, Big Impact: EUS Localization and Ablation of a CT-Occult Insulinoma
Tharshini Indrajothy ; Vanusha Devaraja ; Goh Qing Ci ; Tay Yang Zet ; Patricia Lee Siow Ping
Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies 2026;41(S1):96-
Introduction:
Insulinoma is a rare functioning pancreatic neuroendocrine
tumor and the most common cause of endogenous
hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia. Although biochemical
confirmation is usually straightforward, tumor localization may be difficult when lesions are small and not detected
on conventional cross-sectional imaging. In such cases,
endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) plays an important role
in identifying occult lesions and facilitating definitive
treatment.
Case:
A 52-year-old female was admitted in April 2025 with
recurrent seizures secondary to hypoglycemia for 3
years, with increasing frequency over time. She fulfilled
Whipple’s triad, with documented capillary glucose of
1.8 mmol/L during an episode and symptom resolution
following glucose administration. A supervised prolonged
fasting test confirmed endogenous hyperinsulinemic
hypoglycemia, with plasma glucose 1.4 mmol/L, insulin 122
pmol/L, and C-peptide 1,010 pmol/L. Short Synacthen test
demonstrated adequate adrenal reserve. Due to persistent
hypoglycemia, she required high-dose diazoxide.
Contrast-enhanced computed tomography abdomen did
not reveal a pancreatic lesion but incidentally detected a
right ovarian teratoma. She underwent total abdominal
hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in
June 2025, with histopathology confirming a mature cystic
teratoma without malignancy. However, hypoglycemic
episodes persisted. Further evaluation with EUS in July
2025 identified a highly vascular isoechoic 8 × 8 mm lesion
in the pancreatic body. Fine-needle biopsy confirmed a
well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor (WHO grade 1)
with Ki-67 index of 2%. She subsequently underwent EUSguided radiofrequency ablation in August 2025. Follow-up
EUS in December 2025 showed post-ablation change, and
her hypoglycemic episodes resolved completely, allowing
diazoxide to be discontinued.
Conclusion
This case highlights the diagnostic challenge of occult
insulinoma in the presence of negative conventional
imaging. EUS was pivotal for tumor localization and tissue
diagnosis, while EUS-guided radiofrequency ablation
provided effective minimally invasive treatment in a
carefully selected patient.
Insulinoma
;
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
6.3D visualization-based classification of left intrahepatic vessels and its application in precision hepatectomy.
Jun ZHENG ; Zhihua WANG ; Xiaojun HU ; Xiang HE ; Yingfang FAN
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(5):1047-1055
OBJECTIVES:
To establish a three-dimensional (3D) visualization-based classification of the left hepatic portal vein (LHPV) and left hepatic vein (LHV) systems using 3D reconstruction technology to facilitate precise segmental/subsegmental resection of left liver lesions.
METHODS:
Thin-slice contrast-enhanced CT datasets from 244 patients were reconstructed using MI-3DV Works software. The spatial anatomy (origins, branching patterns, and spatial relationships) of the LHPV and LHV branches was analyzed to determine their 3D classifications and segmental liver divisions for guiding surgical planning for anatomical left liver resections.
RESULTS:
The 3D models of the third- and fourth-order branches of the LHPV and LHV were successfully reconstructed for all the 244 patients. Two types of the LHPV system were identified, where the LHPV either had independent origins [242 cases (99.1%)] or had right anterior portal branches arising from the LHPV trunk [2 cases (0.9%)]. 3D classifications identified two types of the Segment II of the LHPV (based on branch number), 3 types of the Segment III (by spatial distribution of the branches), compact vs dispersed types of the left lateral lobe (determined by Segment II/III branches proximity), 3 types of the Segment IV (by branch number and origin), and 3 types the fourth hilar vessels (transverse branches of the left portal vein) for their supplied segments. The LHV system had two drainage types into the inferior vena cava, and the umbilical fissure veins were classified into 3 types by drainage patterns and distance to the venous roots. These classifications combined with liver segmentations allowed individualized surgical planning for segment-specific resections.
CONCLUSIONS
The 3D classification of the LHPV and LHV provides valuable clinical guidance for precise anatomical resections of left liver lesions using liver segments or subsegments as anatomical units to enhance surgical accuracy and improve the outcomes of hepatobiliary surgery.
Humans
;
Hepatectomy/methods*
;
Imaging, Three-Dimensional
;
Hepatic Veins/anatomy & histology*
;
Portal Vein/anatomy & histology*
;
Liver/surgery*
;
Liver Neoplasms/blood supply*
;
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
;
Female
7.AConvLSTM U-Net: a multi-scale jaw cyst segmentation model based on bidirectional dense connection and attention mechanism.
Suqiang LI ; Zhouyang WANG ; Sixian CHAN ; Xiaolong ZHOU
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(5):1082-1092
OBJECTIVES:
We propose a multi-scale jaw cyst segmentation model, AConvLSTM U-Net, which is based on bidirectional dense connections and attention mechanisms to achieve accurate automatic segmentation of mandibular cyst images.
METHODS:
A dataset consisting of 2592 jaw cyst images was used. AConvLSTM U-Net designs a MBC on the encoding path to enhance feature extraction capabilities. A DPD was used to connect the encoder and decoder, and a bidirectional ConvLSTM was introduced in the jump connection to obtain rich semantic information. A decoding block based on scSE was then used on the decoding path to enhance the focus on important information. Finally, a DS was designed, and the model was optimized by integrating a joint loss function to further improve the segmentation accuracy.
RESULTS:
The experiment with AConvLSTM U-Net for jaw cyst lesion segmentation showed a MCC of 93.8443%, a DSC of 93.9067%, and a JSC of 88.5133%, outperforming all the other comparison segmentation models.
CONCLUSIONS
The proposed algorithm shows a high accuracy and robustness on the jaw cyst dataset, demonstrating its superior performance over many existing methods for automatic segmentation of jaw cyst images and its potential to assist clinical diagnosis.
Humans
;
Jaw Cysts/diagnostic imaging*
;
Algorithms
;
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods*
;
Neural Networks, Computer
8.Incomplete multimodal bone tumor image classification based on feature decoupling and fusion.
Qinghai ZENG ; Chuanpu LI ; Wei YANG ; Liwen SONG ; Yinghua ZHAO ; Yi YANG
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(6):1327-1335
OBJECTIVES:
To construct a bone tumor classification model based on feature decoupling and fusion for processing modality loss and fusing multimodal information to improve classification accuracy.
METHODS:
A decoupling completion module was designed to extract local and global bone tumor image features from available modalities. These features were then decomposed into shared and modality-specific features, which were used to complete the missing modality features, thereby reducing completion bias caused by modality differences. To address the challenge of modality differences that hinder multimodal information fusion, a cross-attention-based fusion module was introduced to enhance the model's ability to learn cross-modal information and fully integrate specific features, thereby improving the accuracy of bone tumor classification.
RESULTS:
The experiment was conducted using a bone tumor dataset collected from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University for training and testing. Among the 7 available modality combinations, the proposed method achieved an average AUC, accuracy, and specificity of 0.766, 0.621, and 0.793, respectively, which represent improvements of 2.6%, 3.5%, and 1.7% over existing methods for handling missing modalities. The best performance was observed when all the modalities were available, resulting in an AUC of 0.837, which still reached 0.826 even with MRI alone.
CONCLUSIONS
The proposed method can effectively handle missing modalities and successfully integrate multimodal information, and show robust performance in bone tumor classification under various complex missing modality scenarios.
Humans
;
Bone Neoplasms/diagnosis*
;
Multimodal Imaging/methods*
;
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
;
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
;
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods*
;
Algorithms
9.A multi-feature fusion-based model for fetal orientation classification from intrapartum ultrasound videos.
Ziyu ZHENG ; Xiaying YANG ; Shengjie WU ; Shijie ZHANG ; Guorong LYU ; Peizhong LIU ; Jun WANG ; Shaozheng HE
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(7):1563-1570
OBJECTIVES:
To construct an intelligent analysis model for classifying fetal orientation during intrapartum ultrasound videos based on multi-feature fusion.
METHODS:
The proposed model consists of the Input, Backbone Network and Classification Head modules. The Input module carries out data augmentation to improve the sample quality and generalization ability of the model. The Backbone Network was responsible for feature extraction based on Yolov8 combined with CBAM, ECA, PSA attention mechanism and AIFI feature interaction module. The Classification Head consists of a convolutional layer and a softmax function to output the final probability value of each class. The images of the key structures (the eyes, face, head, thalamus, and spine) were annotated with frames by physicians for model training to improve the classification accuracy of the anterior occipital, posterior occipital, and transverse occipital orientations.
RESULTS:
The experimental results showed that the proposed model had excellent performance in the tire orientation classification task with the classification accuracy reaching 0.984, an area under the PR curve (average accuracy) of 0.993, and area under the ROC curve of 0.984, and a kappa consistency test score of 0.974. The prediction results by the deep learning model were highly consistent with the actual classification results.
CONCLUSIONS
The multi-feature fusion model proposed in this study can efficiently and accurately classify fetal orientation in intrapartum ultrasound videos.
Humans
;
Female
;
Ultrasonography, Prenatal/methods*
;
Pregnancy
;
Fetus/diagnostic imaging*
;
Neural Networks, Computer
;
Video Recording
10.An lightweight algorithm for multi-dimensional optimization of intelligent detection of dental abnormalities on panoramic oral X-ray images.
Taotao ZHAO ; Ming NI ; Shunxing XIA ; Yuehao JIAO ; Yating HE
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(8):1791-1799
OBJECTIVES:
We propose a YOLOv11-TDSP model for improving the accuracy of dental abnormality detection on panoramic oral X-ray images.
METHODS:
The SHSA single-head attention mechanism was integrated with C2PSA in the backbone layer to construct a new C2PSA_SHSA attention mechanism. The computational redundancy was reduced by applying single-head attention to some input channels to enhance the efficiency and detection accuracy of the model. A small object detection layer was then introduced into the head layer to correct the easily missed and false detections of small objects. Two rounds of structured pruning were implemented to reduce the number of model parameters, avoid overfitting, and improve the average precision. Before training, data augmentation techniques such as brightness enhancement and gamma contrast adjustment were employed to enhance the generalization ability of the model.
RESULTS:
The experiment results showed that the optimized YOLOv11-TDSP model achieved an accuracy of 94.5%, a recall rate of 92.3%, and an average precision of 95.8% for detecting dental abnormalities. Compared with the baseline model YOLOv11n, these metrics were improved by 6.9%, 7.4%, and 5.6%, respectively. The number of parameters and computational cost of the YOLOv11-TDSP model were only 12% and 13% of those of the high-precision YOLOv11x model, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The lightweight YOLOv11-TDSP model is capable of highly accurate identification of various dental diseases on panoramic oral X-ray images.
Radiography, Panoramic/methods*
;
Humans
;
Algorithms
;
Tooth Abnormalities/diagnostic imaging*


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