ABSTRACT
Schizophrenia is a complex and severe mental disorder,the precise cause of which remains unknown.Circular RNA(circRNA),a type of non-coding RNA with a loop-like structure,is abundant in eukaryotic cell transcriptomes.Recent advancements in molecular genetics have allowed researchers to gain a better understanding of circRNA's expression profile and biological functions.These molecules play critical roles in various biological processes,including regulation of gene expression,synaptic plasticity,and cognitive flexibility.Due to its high concentration in the mammalian brain,circRNA is involved in neurodevelopment and the maintenance of neural function.Changes in circRNA levels,both within and outside of cells,have been linked to numerous neuro-psychiatric disorders,including schizophrenia.As such,circRNA has a crucial and distinctive function in neuro-psychiatric disorders.Given its characteristics,biological functions,and regulatory roles in diseases,researchers are exploring the abnormal expression of circRNA in schizophrenia and its connection to the onset and progression of the disease.Among them,exosomal circRNA,due to its high stability,disease specificity,and abundant content,is poised to become a potential biological marker for diagnosing schizophrenia.This article provides an extensive overview of the recent circRNA and schizophrenia research,discussing the possibility of using exosomal circRNA as a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for schizophrenia.
ABSTRACT
Objective To compare gross tumor volume (GTV) of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) according to MRI and FDG PET/CT and to investigated four fixed threshold methods to delineate the GTV using FDG PET/CT.Methods Fifty patients with primary biopsy-proven NPC were prospectively were enrolled into the study.FDG PET/CT scans and MRI were carried out within one week prior to pretreatment,respectively.The GTV was named GTV-MRI (GTV were delineated according to MRI),GTV-PETvis,GTV-PET30,GTV-PET40,GTV-PET50 (GTV was delineated according to the PET-based GTVs obtained by visual interpretationor,by percentage of the SUVmax (30％,40％,50％) thresholds,respectively).The differences were compared among the GTV-MRI,GTV-PETvis,GTV-PET30,GTV-PET40 and GTV-PET50 in different by Wilcoxon test.Results Of 50 patients,the median of volume descending order were: GTV-MRI 27.8 cm3,GTV-PETvis 22.2 cm3,GTV-PET30 22.7 cm3,GTV-PET40 14.4 cm3 and GTV-PET50 9.0 cm3.However,there was no significant difference between GTV-PETvis and GTV-PET30 (Z=-0.05,P=0.958),as well as GTV-MRI and GTV-PETvis or GTV-PET30 in 25 patients who were T1-2 stage (Z =-0.93,-0.93,P=0.353,O.353),the other GTVs were all different in 50 patients' (Z=-5.74-2.09,P =0.000-0.037).Conclusions All the GTVs delineated by the different methods of using FDG PET/CT were less than the GTV delineated by MRI.The potential advantages with the GTV-PETvis or GTV-PET30 delineated by FDG PET/CT are reduction of biological metabolic tumor volume in GTV delineation and reduction of the size of the GTV in NPC patients.