Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

We propose a strategy to reduce unnecessary prostate biopsies in Chinese patients with total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA) >10 ng ml -1 and Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) scores between 1 and 3. Clinical data derived from 517 patients of The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC (Hefei, China) from January 2020 to December 2023 who met the screening criteria for the study were retrospectively collected. Independent predictors were identified via univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The diagnostic capacity of clinical variables was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC). A prostate biopsy strategy was developed via risk stratification. Of the 517 patients, 17/348 (4.9%) with PI-RADS 1-2 were diagnosed with clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa), and 27/169 (16.0%) patients with PI-RADS 3 were diagnosed with csPCa. The appropriate prostate-specific antigen density (PSAD) cut-off values were 0.45 ng ml -2 for PI-RADS 1-2 patients and 0.3 ng ml -2 for PI-RADS 3 patients. The appropriate prostate volume (PV) cut-off values were 40 ml for PI-RADS 1-2 patients and 50 ml for PI-RADS 3 patients. The prostate biopsy strategy based on PSAD and PV developed in this study can reduce unnecessary prostate biopsies in patients with tPSA >10 ng ml -1 and PI-RADS 1-3. In the study, 66.5% (344/517) patients did not need to undergo prostate biopsy, at the expense of missing only 1.7% (6/344) patients with csPCa.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen/blood* ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Prostate/diagnostic imaging* ; Unnecessary Procedures/statistics & numerical data* ; Biopsy/statistics & numerical data* ; China ; ROC Curve

Greater trochanteric pain syndrome(GTPS)is a disease caused by structural lesions of the muscles,fascia,ligaments,and bursae near the greater trochanter of the femur.GTPS causes lateral hip joint pain,severely affecting patients' quality of life.Ultrasound has many advantages,such as real-time diagnosis,portable operation,non-radiation,and high resolution,demonstrating a high application value in the diagnosis and interventional therapy of GTPS.This article reviews the current status of ultrasound in the diagnosis and interventional therapy of GTPS and prospects its application.
Humans ; Ultrasonography ; Femur/diagnostic imaging* ; Hip Joint/diagnostic imaging* ; Arthralgia/therapy*

ObjectiveTo clone the gene of Marmota himalayana type ‍Ⅰ interferon receptor β subunit （mhIFNAR2）， and to perform antibody preparation and functional identification. MethodsRT-PCR was used for amplification in the spleen tissue of Marmota himalayana to obtain the sequence， which was cloned to the prokaryotic expression vector pRSET-B to express the recombinant protein. Electrophoresis and Western blot were used for identification. BALB/c mice were immunized with the recombinant protein to prepare the polyclonal antibody of its extracellular domain； immunohistochemistry， immunofluorescence assay， and Western Blot were used for identification， and the method of siRNA blockade was used to investigate its function. An analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test was used for comparison between two groups. ResultsA fragment of mhIFNAR2 （149‍ ‍—‍ ‍1 ‍300 bp） was obtained from spleen tissue， which showed the highest homology of 98.05% in marmot. A prokaryotic expression plasmid was successfully constructed for expression of the extracellular domain of the mhIFNAR2_{（50-181aa）} and was named pRSET-B.mhIFNAR2， and the recombinant protein expressed by this plasmid had a molecular weight of 27 kD， a purity of about 95% after purification， and a concentration of 160 μg/mL. After BALB/c mice were immunized with the purified recombinant protein， 1∶1 000 specific polyclonal antibodies were obtained， and immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence assay showed the expression in cell membrane and cytoplasm. Among the three siRNAs synthesized， the siRNA starting from the 277 locus （siRNA277） could silence the expression of target genes and weaken the interferon signaling pathway compared with the blank control group and the negative control group （both P<0.05）. ConclusionThe fragment of mhIFNAR2 is obtained， and the polyclonal antibody for the extracellular domain of mhIFNAR2 is successfully prepared， with relatively high titer and specificity， and can be used for immunohistochemistry， immunofluorescence assay， and Western blot.

BACKGROUND:Studies have shown that there is a close association between spinal cord injury and ferroptosis,and that tetramethylpyrazine has the function of regulating redox reactions. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the regulatory effect of tetramethylpyrazine on ferroptosis in rats with spinal cord injury and its mechanism. METHODS:Thirty-six female specific pathogen-free Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group,model group and tetramethylpyrazine group,with 12 rats in each group.Animal models of spinal cord injury were established using the modified Allen's method in the latter two groups.No treatment was given in the sham-operated group,while rats in the model and tetramethylpyrazine groups were given intraperitoneal injection of normal saline and tetramethylpyrazine solution,once a day,for 28 days. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The Basso,Beattie&Bresnahan Locomotor Rating Scale score in the tetramethylpyrazine group was lower than that in the sham-operated group but higher than that in the model group after 14,21,and 28 days of treatment(P＜0.05).After 28 days of treatment,hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that in the model group,the spinal cord tissue of rats showed cavity formation,necrotic tissue and inflammatory infiltration with fibrous tissue formation;in the tetramethylpyrazine group,the area of spinal cord tissue defects was smaller,and inflammatory infiltration and fibrous tissue formation were less than those in the model group.After 28 days of treatment,Prussian blue staining showed that a large amount of iron deposition was seen in the spinal cord tissue of rats in the model group,and less iron deposition was seen in the spinal cord tissue of rats in the tetramethylpyrazine group than in the model group.After 28 days of treatment,the levels of glutathione and superoxide dismutase in the rat spinal cord tissue were decreased(P＜0.05)and the level of malondialdehyde was increased in the model group compared with the sham-operated group(P＜0.05);the levels of glutathione and superoxide dismutase in the rat spinal cord tissue were increased(P＜0.05)and the level of malondialdehyde was decreased in the tetramethylpyrazine group compared with the model group(P＜0.05).After 28 days of treatment,qRT-PCR and western blot assay showed that the mRNA and protein levels of glutathione peroxidase 4,ferritin heavy chain,and ferroportin in the rat spinal cord tissue in the model group were decreased compared with those in the sham-operated group(P＜0.05),while the mRNA and protein levels of glutathione peroxidase 4,ferritin heavy chain,and ferroportin in the rat spinal cord tissue in the tetramethylpyrazine group were increased compared with those in the model group(P＜0.05).Immunofluorescence staining showed that after 28 days of treatment,the neuronal nuclei positive staining in the spinal cord of rats was the most in the sham-operated group and the least in the model group.To conclude,tetramethylpyrazine can improve motor function and play a neuroprotective role in rats with spinal cord injury by regulating ferroptosis.

The occurrence of benign prostate hyperplasia(BPH)was related to disrupted sex steroid hormones,and metformin(Met)had a clinical response to sex steroid hormone-related gynaecological disease.How-ever,whether Met exerts an antiproliferative effect on BPH via sex steroid hormones remains unclear.Here,our clinical study showed that along with prostatic epithelial cell(PEC)proliferation,sex steroid hormones were dysregulated in the serum and prostate of BPH patients.As the major contributor to dysregulated sex steroid hormones,elevated dihydrotestosterone(DHT)had a significant positive rela-tionship with the clinical characteristics of BPH patients.Activation of adenosine 5'-monophosphate(AMP)-activated protein kinase(AMPK)by Met restored dysregulated sex steroid hormone homeostasis and exerted antiproliferative effects against DHT-induced proliferation by inhibiting the formation of androgen receptor(AR)-mediated Yes-associated protein(YAP1)-TEA domain transcription factor(TEAD4)heterodimers.Met's anti-proliferative effects were blocked by AMPK inhibitor or YAP1 over-expression in DHT-cultured BPH-1 cells.Our findings indicated that Met would be a promising clinical therapeutic approach for BPH by inhibiting dysregulated steroid hormone-induced PEC proliferation.