Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of the “double-low” scanning protocol (low tube voltage and low-concentration contrast agent) combined with the artificial intelligence iterative reconstruction (AIIR) algorithm for abdominal CT enhancement in patients with obesity and to identify the optimal AIIR reconstruction algorithm level.Methods:From April 2024 to July 2024, patients with a body mass index≥30.00 kg/m2 who underwent abdominal CT enhancement at the Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University were prospectively included. All patients were randomly assigned to groups A or B. Patients in Group A accepted the conventional scanning protocol (automatic tube voltage selection and a contrast agent concentration of 350 mg/ml) with reconstruction using the Karl 3D iterative reconstruction algorithm at levels 3-5. The “double-low” protocol (a fixed tube voltage of 80 kVp and a contrast agent concentration of 320 mg/ml) with AIIR algorithm reconstruction at levels 1-5 were performed in Group B. CT values and image noises were measured, including the right posterior liver lobe at the level of the first porta hepatis and subcutaneous fat at the third lumbar level during arterial and portal venous phases, abdominal aorta at the third lumbar vertebra during the arterial phase, and portal vein trunk during the portal-venous-phase. Radiation dose, total iodine intake, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and subjective image quality scores were recorded. The optimal reconstruction levels for arterial-phase and portal-venous-phase images were identified for each group by repeatedly measured ANOVA. The figure of merit (FOM) was calculated for the best images in both groups, and comparisons were made in terms of image quality, radiation dose, and iodine intake using an unpaired t-test or Wilcoxon test. Results:Overall, 150 patients with obesity were collected, and each group included 75 cases. In group A, compared with levels 3 and 4 ( P<0.001), the Karl 3D level 5 algorithm yielded significantly higher SNR, CNR values, and subjective scores, designating level 5 as the optimal reconstruction level. In group B, the AIIR level 4 algorithm achieved higher SNR and CNR values than level 5 and achieved higher subjective scores than levels 3 and 5 ( P<0.001), which means that level 4 was the optimal reconstruction level. Images reconstructed with AIIR level 4 in group B exhibited significantly higher CT, SNR, CNR, FOM values, and subjective scores than those reconstructed with Karl 3D level 5 in group A ( P<0.001). Compared with group A, the volume CT dose index values, dose-length product, and size-specific dose estimate based on water equivalent diameter in Group B were reduced by 56.75%, 58.29%, and 56, 71% during the arterial phase, and 56.70%, 58.27%, and 56.88% during the portal venous phase, respectively. Total iodine intake was significantly reduced by 10.71% in group B ( P<0.001). Conclusions:The “double-low” scanning protocol combined with AIIR algorithm significantly reduced radiation dose and iodine intake during abdominal CT enhancement in patients with obesity, without compromising image details, increasing noise, or altering image quality. AIIR level 4 was the optimal image reconstruction level for arterial-phase and portal-venous-phase in obese patients.

Objective To explore function-structure covariant patterns in Alzheimer's disease(AD)and mild cognitive impairment(MCI),and to investigate their associations with cognitive function and activities of daily living.Methods three-way parallel group independent component analysis(three-way pGICA),was used to identify the covariant patterns of resting-state functional MRI temporal data,gray matter density maps,and fractional anisotropy(FA)maps,and the differences between different groups were compared.Furthermore,the associations of covariant patterns with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic(MoCA_B)Scale scores and Activities of Daily Living Scale scores were analyzed.Results The function-structure covariant patterns in AD and MCI were characterized by the enhanced negative functional connectivity between the left posterior salience network and the right default mode network,the decreased gray matter density in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex,and the reduced FA values in the left superior corona radiata(correlations:P<0.001,FDR corrected).Compared with HC group,AD group showed significant abnormalities in all identified covariant patterns(P<0.01,FDR corrected),but MCI group only exhibited a significant decrease in gray matter density in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(P<0.05,FDR corrected).Additionally,AD group had significantly lower FA value in the left superior corona radiata than MCI group(P<0.05,FDR corrected).The loadings reflecting the degree of covariation were significantly correlated with the Activities of Daily Living Scale scores(P<0.05,FDR corrected)but not with MoCA_B Scale scores.Conclusion The function-structure covariant patterns in AD and MCI are consistent with the declines in activities of daily living.The multimodal fusion analysis(three-way pGICA)provides a novel approach to understand the brain damage mechanisms underlying the covariant evolution of MCI and AD.

Objective To investigate alterations in interhemispheric functional connectivity(FC)in the cerebral cortices connected via the corpus callosum in patients with Alzheimer's disease(AD),and to explore their relationships with cognitive function and activities of daily living.Methods Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 28 patients with Alzheimer's dementia(d-AD),47 patients with mild cognitive impairment(MCI),and 37 healthy controls(HC).Using a trancallosal tract template,32 pairs of homologous cortical brain regions directly connected to 32 subregions of the corpus callosum were selected as regions of interest for interhemispheric FC analysis.Further correlation analyses were performed between FC values in patient groups and their scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic(MoCA-B)Scale and the Activities of Daily Living(ADL)Scale.Results Compared with HC group,both MCI and d-AD groups exhibited hyperconnectivity(significantly increased FC)in interhemispheric non-homologous brain regions.Specifically,hyperconnectivity in the MCI group was scattered across the frontal,parietal,temporal,and occipital lobes,while in the d-AD group,it was concentrated within the precentral and postcentral gyri.Notably,hyperconnectivity involving the prefrontal and occipital lobes in the MCI group showed significant declines in the d-AD group.The interhemispheric homologous FC in the d-AD group reduced more significantly than the MCI group.Additionally,in the d-AD group,2 interhemispheric FC within the prefrontal lobe(between the bilateral orbital parts of the inferior frontal gyrus,and between the left medial frontal gyrus and the right middle frontal gyrus)were correlated with MoCA-B scores,and 2 FC(between the bilateral middle occipital gyri,and between the left inferior parietal lobule and the right middle frontal gyrus)were correlated with ADL scores.Conclusion MCI and d-AD exhibit distinct patterns of interhemispheric FC alterations,and the interhemispheric FC changes in AD patients are non-progressive.The close relationships between interhemispheric homologous/non-homologous FC and MoCA-B/ADL scores in d-AD patients provide an objective basis and reference for clinical neuromodulation.

Objective To explore function-structure covariant patterns in Alzheimer's disease(AD)and mild cognitive impairment(MCI),and to investigate their associations with cognitive function and activities of daily living.Methods three-way parallel group independent component analysis(three-way pGICA),was used to identify the covariant patterns of resting-state functional MRI temporal data,gray matter density maps,and fractional anisotropy(FA)maps,and the differences between different groups were compared.Furthermore,the associations of covariant patterns with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic(MoCA_B)Scale scores and Activities of Daily Living Scale scores were analyzed.Results The function-structure covariant patterns in AD and MCI were characterized by the enhanced negative functional connectivity between the left posterior salience network and the right default mode network,the decreased gray matter density in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex,and the reduced FA values in the left superior corona radiata(correlations:P<0.001,FDR corrected).Compared with HC group,AD group showed significant abnormalities in all identified covariant patterns(P<0.01,FDR corrected),but MCI group only exhibited a significant decrease in gray matter density in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(P<0.05,FDR corrected).Additionally,AD group had significantly lower FA value in the left superior corona radiata than MCI group(P<0.05,FDR corrected).The loadings reflecting the degree of covariation were significantly correlated with the Activities of Daily Living Scale scores(P<0.05,FDR corrected)but not with MoCA_B Scale scores.Conclusion The function-structure covariant patterns in AD and MCI are consistent with the declines in activities of daily living.The multimodal fusion analysis(three-way pGICA)provides a novel approach to understand the brain damage mechanisms underlying the covariant evolution of MCI and AD.

Objective To investigate alterations in interhemispheric functional connectivity(FC)in the cerebral cortices connected via the corpus callosum in patients with Alzheimer's disease(AD),and to explore their relationships with cognitive function and activities of daily living.Methods Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 28 patients with Alzheimer's dementia(d-AD),47 patients with mild cognitive impairment(MCI),and 37 healthy controls(HC).Using a trancallosal tract template,32 pairs of homologous cortical brain regions directly connected to 32 subregions of the corpus callosum were selected as regions of interest for interhemispheric FC analysis.Further correlation analyses were performed between FC values in patient groups and their scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic(MoCA-B)Scale and the Activities of Daily Living(ADL)Scale.Results Compared with HC group,both MCI and d-AD groups exhibited hyperconnectivity(significantly increased FC)in interhemispheric non-homologous brain regions.Specifically,hyperconnectivity in the MCI group was scattered across the frontal,parietal,temporal,and occipital lobes,while in the d-AD group,it was concentrated within the precentral and postcentral gyri.Notably,hyperconnectivity involving the prefrontal and occipital lobes in the MCI group showed significant declines in the d-AD group.The interhemispheric homologous FC in the d-AD group reduced more significantly than the MCI group.Additionally,in the d-AD group,2 interhemispheric FC within the prefrontal lobe(between the bilateral orbital parts of the inferior frontal gyrus,and between the left medial frontal gyrus and the right middle frontal gyrus)were correlated with MoCA-B scores,and 2 FC(between the bilateral middle occipital gyri,and between the left inferior parietal lobule and the right middle frontal gyrus)were correlated with ADL scores.Conclusion MCI and d-AD exhibit distinct patterns of interhemispheric FC alterations,and the interhemispheric FC changes in AD patients are non-progressive.The close relationships between interhemispheric homologous/non-homologous FC and MoCA-B/ADL scores in d-AD patients provide an objective basis and reference for clinical neuromodulation.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of the “double-low” scanning protocol (low tube voltage and low-concentration contrast agent) combined with the artificial intelligence iterative reconstruction (AIIR) algorithm for abdominal CT enhancement in patients with obesity and to identify the optimal AIIR reconstruction algorithm level.Methods:From April 2024 to July 2024, patients with a body mass index≥30.00 kg/m2 who underwent abdominal CT enhancement at the Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University were prospectively included. All patients were randomly assigned to groups A or B. Patients in Group A accepted the conventional scanning protocol (automatic tube voltage selection and a contrast agent concentration of 350 mg/ml) with reconstruction using the Karl 3D iterative reconstruction algorithm at levels 3-5. The “double-low” protocol (a fixed tube voltage of 80 kVp and a contrast agent concentration of 320 mg/ml) with AIIR algorithm reconstruction at levels 1-5 were performed in Group B. CT values and image noises were measured, including the right posterior liver lobe at the level of the first porta hepatis and subcutaneous fat at the third lumbar level during arterial and portal venous phases, abdominal aorta at the third lumbar vertebra during the arterial phase, and portal vein trunk during the portal-venous-phase. Radiation dose, total iodine intake, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and subjective image quality scores were recorded. The optimal reconstruction levels for arterial-phase and portal-venous-phase images were identified for each group by repeatedly measured ANOVA. The figure of merit (FOM) was calculated for the best images in both groups, and comparisons were made in terms of image quality, radiation dose, and iodine intake using an unpaired t-test or Wilcoxon test. Results:Overall, 150 patients with obesity were collected, and each group included 75 cases. In group A, compared with levels 3 and 4 ( P<0.001), the Karl 3D level 5 algorithm yielded significantly higher SNR, CNR values, and subjective scores, designating level 5 as the optimal reconstruction level. In group B, the AIIR level 4 algorithm achieved higher SNR and CNR values than level 5 and achieved higher subjective scores than levels 3 and 5 ( P<0.001), which means that level 4 was the optimal reconstruction level. Images reconstructed with AIIR level 4 in group B exhibited significantly higher CT, SNR, CNR, FOM values, and subjective scores than those reconstructed with Karl 3D level 5 in group A ( P<0.001). Compared with group A, the volume CT dose index values, dose-length product, and size-specific dose estimate based on water equivalent diameter in Group B were reduced by 56.75%, 58.29%, and 56, 71% during the arterial phase, and 56.70%, 58.27%, and 56.88% during the portal venous phase, respectively. Total iodine intake was significantly reduced by 10.71% in group B ( P<0.001). Conclusions:The “double-low” scanning protocol combined with AIIR algorithm significantly reduced radiation dose and iodine intake during abdominal CT enhancement in patients with obesity, without compromising image details, increasing noise, or altering image quality. AIIR level 4 was the optimal image reconstruction level for arterial-phase and portal-venous-phase in obese patients.

Natural products are essential sources of antitumor drugs. One such molecule, β-elemene, is a potent antitumor compound extracted from Curcuma wenyujin. In the present investigation, a series of novel 13,14-disubstituted nitric oxide (NO)-donor β-elemene derivatives were designed, with β-elemene as the foundational compound, and subsequently synthesized to evaluate their therapeutic potential against leukemia. Notably, the derivative labeled as compound 13d demonstrated a potent anti-proliferative activity against the K562 cell line, with a high NO release. In vivo studies indicated that compound 13d could effectively inhibit tumor growth, exhibiting no discernible toxic manifestations. Specifically, a significant tumor growth inhibition rate of 62.9% was observed in the K562 xenograft tumor mouse model. The accumulated data propound the potential therapeutic application of compound 13d in the management of leukemia.
Humans ; Mice ; Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Nitric Oxide Donors/pharmacology* ; Sesquiterpenes/pharmacology* ; Leukemia/drug therapy* ; Biological Assay ; Cell Proliferation

Objective To compare the bispectral index score ( BIS) correlationbetween standard frontal sensor position and an alternative zygomatic position under general anesthesia with propofol combined with remifentanil during neurosurgery. Methods Twenty patients undergoing neurosurgery were enrolled. Everyone received total intravenous anesthesia by target-controlled infusion of propofol and remifentanil. Two BISTM Quatro sensors mounted on the frontal and zygomatic regions were connected to BIS VistaTM monitors on each patient during general anesthesia.Data from each position were collected and analyzed at the time of awakening ( t1 ) , intubation ( t2 ) , incision ( t3 ) , the end of surgery ( t4 ) , and extubation ( t5 ) . Results At t1 , zygomatic BIS(88.95±6.42) was significantly lower than frontal BIS (84.85±9.64,P<0.01).But during anesthesia,different of BIS value was no statistical significance between the standard frontal position and an alternative zygomatic position(P>0.05). Scatter plot analysis revealed a significant correlation between BIS of frontal positionand that of zygomatic position( R2=0.892,P=0.000) . Conclusion During the anesthesia maintenance period,the zygomatic position can be availably used as an alternative position for monitoring if the operative field renders the standard frontal position unavailable.