Objective To include patients with clinical data matched by propensity scores and to explore the value of 18F-fluorode-oxyglucose(18F-FDG)PET/CT metabolic parameters and radiomics in differentiating benign and malignant solitary pulmonary nod-ule(SPN).Methods A total of 54 patients with SPN(27 benign and 27 malignant)were retrospectively selected,all of them under-went 18F-FDG PET/CT scans.Then the metabolic parameters were analyzed,and the metabolic parameters model was established.After delineating the lesion,imaging features were selected through variance and correlation analysis.The logistic regression was used to build the model,and balance accuracy(bACC)was used to compare the performance of the models.The correlation between meta-bolic parameters and radiomics features was analyzed.Results The maximum standardized uptake value(SUVmax),total lesion uptake(TLU),and coefficient of variation(COV)of malignant were higher than those of benign(P＜0.05).SUVmax and COV had positive predictive value for malignant lesions[odds ratio(OR)＞1,P＜0.05].There was no statistical difference between the performance of the metabolic parameters model and the radiomics model(P＞0.05).There was a strong correlation between radiomics features and metabolic parameters.Conclusion After propensity score matching,metabolic parameters and radiomics show no statistical difference in differentiating benign from malignant SPN.

Objective To include patients with clinical data matched by propensity scores and to explore the value of 18F-fluorode-oxyglucose(18F-FDG)PET/CT metabolic parameters and radiomics in differentiating benign and malignant solitary pulmonary nod-ule(SPN).Methods A total of 54 patients with SPN(27 benign and 27 malignant)were retrospectively selected,all of them under-went 18F-FDG PET/CT scans.Then the metabolic parameters were analyzed,and the metabolic parameters model was established.After delineating the lesion,imaging features were selected through variance and correlation analysis.The logistic regression was used to build the model,and balance accuracy(bACC)was used to compare the performance of the models.The correlation between meta-bolic parameters and radiomics features was analyzed.Results The maximum standardized uptake value(SUVmax),total lesion uptake(TLU),and coefficient of variation(COV)of malignant were higher than those of benign(P＜0.05).SUVmax and COV had positive predictive value for malignant lesions[odds ratio(OR)＞1,P＜0.05].There was no statistical difference between the performance of the metabolic parameters model and the radiomics model(P＞0.05).There was a strong correlation between radiomics features and metabolic parameters.Conclusion After propensity score matching,metabolic parameters and radiomics show no statistical difference in differentiating benign from malignant SPN.

BACKGROUND:In recent years,the application of exosomes of periodontal ligament stem cells in periodontal tissue regeneration engineering has been widely studied,but the effect of exosomes on periodontal ligament stem cells derived from inflammatory environment is still unclear.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of exosomes secreted by periodontal ligament stem cells from healthy and inflammatory environments on the proliferation and differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells from inflammatory environments.METHODS:Human periodontal ligament stem cells from healthy and inflammatory tissues were isolated and cultured by enzyme digestion method.Exosomes were extracted from two kinds of periodontal ligament stem cells using ultracentrifugation.Passage 3 periodontal ligament stem cells derived from inflammatory tissue were selected and cultured in three groups.Cells in the blank group were cultured routinely.The healthy exosome group was added with exosomes secreted by peripheral ligament stem cells derived from healthy tissue.The inflammatory exosome group was added with exosomes secreted by human periodontal ligament stem cells derived from inflammatory tissue.Cell proliferation and cloning were detected.The expression of alkaline phosphatase,the formation of mineralized nodules,and the expression of mRNA and protein of genes related to osteogenesis were detected under osteogenic differentiation.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) CCK-8 assay and clonal formation test showed that compared with the blank group,two kinds of exosomes could promote the proliferation and colony formation of periodontal ligament stem cells from inflammatory tissue (P<0.05),and the effect of the healthy exosome group was stronger than that of the inflammatory exosome group (P<0.05).(2) Alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red staining showed that compared with the blank group,the two kinds of exosomes could promote the expression of alkaline phosphatase and the formation of mineralized nodules in periodontal ligament stem cells from inflammatory tissue,and the promoting effect of the healthy exosome group was stronger than that of the inflammatory exosome group.RT-PCR and western blot assay showed that compared with the blank group,the two kinds of exosomes could promote the expression of alkaline phosphatase,RUNX2,and type Ⅰ collagen mRNA and protein in periodontal ligament stem cells from inflammatory tissue (P<0.05).The promoting effect of the healthy exosome group was stronger than that of the inflammatory exosome group (P<0.05).(3) The results showed that exosomes secreted by human periodontal ligament stem cells could promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells derived from inflammatory environments,and the promoting effect of exosomes secreted by human periodontal ligament stem cells derived from healthy tissues was better than that from human periodontal ligament stem cells derived from inflammatory tissues.

Objective To investigate the effects of different contrast injection schemes on the image quality of triple-rule-out com-puted tomography angiography(TRO-CTA).Methods A total of 691 patients with acute chest pain who underwent TRO-CTA exami-nation from multiple centers were prospectively selected and randomly divided into mixed group and unmixed group according to dif-ferent contrast injection methods.The image quality of aorta,pulmonary artery and coronary artery in the two groups was evaluated subjectively and objectively and the radiation dose was calculated.Results There were no significant differences in subjective image quality scores,aorta and coronary CT values,signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)between the two groups(P>0.05),while there were significant differences in pulmo-nary CT values,SNR,CNR and radiation dose between the two groups(P<0.05).Conclusion The utilization of a mixed contrast injection scheme in TRO-CTA can satisfy diagnostic require-ments while ensuring a low proportional dosage and reduced radiation dose,which has clinical application value.

Objective The application of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in the precise diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer(PCa)is gradually increasing.This study aimed to explore the predictive value of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT for positive surgical margins after radical prostatectomy(RP).Methods A total of 173 PCa patients who were pathologically confirmed and underwent RP in our hospital from July 2020 to August 2023 were retrospectively recruited.All patients underwent 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT whole-body imaging before surgery.According to the postoperative pathological results,they were divided into a negative surgical margin group with 83 cases and a positive surgical margin group with 90 cases.The differences in age,SUVmax,SUVmean,preoperative total prostate specific antigen(tPSA),prostate specific antigen density(PSAD),prostate volume,Gleason score,and clinical T staging between the groups were compared,and the risk factors were further analyzed by Logistic regression.Results The preoperative tPSA(Z=-3.252,P=0.001),SUVmax(Z=2.531,P=0.011),and clinical T staging(P=0.018)were all lower in the negative surgical margin group than in the positive surgical margin group.PSAD(OR=3.492,95％CI:1.095-11.133,P=0.035),SUVmax(OR=1.036,95％CI:1.003-1.070,P=0.034),and clinical T staging(OR=3.364,95％CI:1.117-10.133,P=0.045)were independent risk factors for positive surgical margins.Conclusion 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT has certain predictive value for positive surgical margins after RP in PCa patients.High PSAD,high SUVmax and high clinical T stage were independent risk factors for predicting positive margin after PR surgery,thus providing some reference for the clinical treatment strategy of PCa patients.

Neurogenic bladder(NB)is one of the most challenging urinary system disorders,with spinal cord injury(SCI)being an important etiological factor.Animal models provide crucial tools for investigating the pathogenesis,therapeutic strategies,and novel drug screening for NB subsequent to SCI.We reviewed and synthesized recent literature on NB animal models after SCI from both domestic and international sources.This review summarizes and analyzes research advancements using these models in terms of animal species,SCI segments,modeling techniques,and evaluation indicators,with the aim of offering insights and guidance for future experimental research based on animal models of NB following SCI.

Objective To construct a radiomics model to improve the discriminatory ability of 18 F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT for focal prostate cancer.Methods We retrospectively collected data from 74 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer by biopsy at The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University between July 2020 and April 2024.These patients had focal radionuclide accumulation observed on 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT,with the median age of 71 years.Among them,42 patients had a Gleason score＜8 and 32 patients had a Gleason score ≥8.An external validation set was randomly selected based on the timing of examination,while the remaining patients were randomly divided into training and test sets at a 7∶3 ratio.Region of interest(ROI)were semi-automatically drawn on registered images,manually adjusted,and symmetrically shifted to contralateral non-tumor tissue.We made variance and correlation analyses to choose features,and built models with Logistic regression and compared the results with those of visual evaluation.Receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curves were drawn to compare model performance,and subgroup analysis was performed to identify optimal features for distinguishing tumor tissue,based on Gleason score,serum total prostate specific antigen(tPSA)levels,and lesion location.Results A total of eight features were selected.The area under the curve(AUC)for visual evaluation,testing set,and external validation set were 0.858,0.933,and 0.891,respectively.The sensitivity was 0.757,0.800 and 0.917;the specificity was 0.960,0.800 and 0.792,respectively.Subgroup analysis showed that the radiomic features 10percentile and skewness had a high value in tumor differentiation.In tumor tissues,the 10percentile values were higher than in non-tumor tissues across all groups(P-values were 0.012,0.002,＜0.001,＜0.001,＜0.001,and＜0.001).When tPSA≤10 ng/mL and Gleason score ≥8,there was no statistically significant difference in skewness between tumor and non-tumor tissues(P=0.08).When tPSA ≥20 ng/mL,the skewness of non-tumor tissue was slightly higher than that of tumor tissue,but the difference was not statistically significant(P-values were 0.285 and 0.791).When the tumor was located in the posterior part of the prostate(left posterior and right posterior),the skewness was significantly higher in tumor tissue than in non-tumor tissue(P-values＜0.001 for both).Conclusion The radiomics model had better sensitivity and accuracy than visual evaluation in distinguishing focal prostate cancer tumors from non-tumor tissues,but visual evaluation had higher specificity.Skewness and 10percentile had a high value in differential diagnosis.

The central amygdala (CeA) is a crucial modulator of emotional, behavioral, and autonomic functions, including cardiovascular responses. Despite its importance, the specific circuit by which the CeA modulates blood pressure remains insufficiently explored. Our investigations demonstrate that photostimulation of GABAergic neurons in the centromedial amygdala (CeM^GABA), as opposed to those in the centrolateral amygdala (CeL), produces a depressor response in both anesthetized and freely-moving mice. In addition, activation of CeM^GABA axonal terminals projecting to the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) significantly reduces blood pressure. These CeM^GABA neurons form synaptic connections with NTS neurons, allowing for the modulation of cardiovascular responses by influencing the caudal or rostral ventrolateral medulla. Furthermore, CeM^GABA neurons targeting the NTS receive dense inputs from the CeL. Consequently, stimulation of CeM^GABA neurons elicits hypotension through the CeM-NTS circuit, offering deeper insights into the cardiovascular responses associated with emotions and behaviors.
Animals ; GABAergic Neurons/physiology* ; Male ; Central Amygdaloid Nucleus/physiopathology* ; Hypotension/physiopathology* ; Mice ; Blood Pressure/physiology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Solitary Nucleus/physiology* ; Photic Stimulation ; Neural Pathways/physiology*

Complement C3 plays a critical role in periodontitis. However, its source, role and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In our study, by analyzing single-cell sequencing data from mouse model of periodontitis, we identified that C3 is primarily derived from periodontal fibroblasts. Subsequently, we demonstrated that C3a has a detrimental effect in ligature-induced periodontitis. C3ar^-/- mice exhibited significantly less destruction of periodontal support tissues compared to wild-type mice, characterized by mild gingival tissue damage and reduced alveolar bone loss. This reduction was associated with decreased production of pro-inflammatory mediators and reduced osteoclast infiltration in the periodontal tissues. Mechanistic studies suggested that C3a could promote macrophage polarization and osteoclast differentiation. Finally, by analyzing single-cell sequencing data from the periodontal tissues of patients with periodontitis, we found that the results observed in mice were consistent with human data. Therefore, our findings clearly demonstrate the destructive role of fibroblast-derived C3 in ligature-induced periodontitis, driven by macrophage M1 polarization and osteoclast differentiation. These data strongly support the feasibility of C3a-targeted interventions for the treatment of human periodontitis.
Animals ; Osteoclasts/cytology* ; Periodontitis/metabolism* ; Cell Differentiation ; Mice ; Fibroblasts/metabolism* ; Macrophages ; Disease Models, Animal ; Complement C3/metabolism* ; Humans ; Disease Progression ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Male ; Mice, Knockout