Comparison of Reduced and Full Field of View in Diffusion-Weighted MRI on Image Quality: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Reduced field of view (rFOV) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in MRI shows potential for enhanced image quality compared with traditional full field of view (fFOV) DWI. Evaluating rFOV DWI's impact on image quality is important for clinical adoption. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of rFOV DWI in improving image quality, focusing on artifact reduction, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement, and lesion detectability. STUDY TYPE: Meta-analysis. POPULATION: Systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science ending in January 2024. Thirteen studies with 765 participants focusing on DWI quality using rFOV was analyzed. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: SS-EPI, Rtr-SS-EPI, 2D-SS-EPI at 3.0 T. ASSESSMENT: Two investigators performed the data extraction. QUADAS-2 assessed bias. The image quality assessment of rFOV and fFOV DWI were compared. STATISTICAL TESTS: Standardized mean difference (SMD) was utilized to evaluate and standardize MRI image quality. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic and publication bias was evaluated with Egger's test. RESULTS: The QUADAS-2 analysis revealed that most studies exhibited a low risk of bias and minimal concerns regarding applicability. Statistical analysis indicated that rFOV DWI yielded higher subjective image quality scores (SMD = 0.535, 95% CI: 0.339, 0.731, I2 = 45.7%) compared with fFOV DWI and was more effective in reducing artifacts (SMD = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.209, 0.672, I2 = 42.3%) than fFOV DWI. However, a decrease in SNR was noted with rFOV DWI (SMD = -0.670, 95% CI: -1.187 to -0.152, I2 = 87.9%). Additionally, rFOV DWI demonstrated enhancements in lesion visibility (SMD = 0.432, 95% CI: -1.187, -0.152, I2 = 53.1%) and anatomical details (SMD = 0.598, 95% CI: 0.121, 1.075, I2 = 90.8%). DATA CONCLUSION: rFOV DWI enhances MRI image quality by reducing artifacts and improving lesion visibility with a SNR trade-off. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.

Pyroptosis in cancer treatment and prevention: the role of natural products and their bioactive compounds.

Targeting programmed cell death (PCD) has been emerging as a promising therapeutic strategy in cancer. Pyroptosis, as a type of PCDs, leads to the cleavage of the gasdermin family and the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors. Gasdermin D (GSDMD) and gasdermin E (GSDME) are the two main executors of pyroptosis. Pyroptosis in tumor and immune cells is essential for tumor progression. Natural products, especially Chinese medicinal herb and their bioactive compounds have recently been regarded as anti-tumor agents that regulate cell pyroptosis under different circumstances. Here, we review the underlying mechanisms of natural products that activate pyroptosis in tumor cells and inhibit pyroptosis in immune cells. Pyroptosis activation in tumor cells leads to tumor cell death, yet pyroptosis inhibition in immune cells may prevent tumor occurrence. Elucidation of the signaling pathways involved in pyroptosis contributes to the understanding of the anti-tumor role of natural products and their potential clinical applications. Therefore, we outline a promising strategy for cancer therapy and prevention using natural products via modulation of pyroptosis.

The prognostic value of zonal origin in clinically localized prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Correlation between zonal origin of clinically localized prostate cancer (PC) and biochemical recurrence (BCR) after treatment is still controversial. Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of published articles to investigate the prognostic value of zonal origin in clinically localized PC. Literature was searched from Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science, from inception to Nov 1st, 2022. The risk of BCR was compared between PC originating from transition zone with peripheral zone. Relative risk (RR) was pooled in a random-effects model. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were conducted to assess the source of heterogeneity. Results: 16 cohorts and 19,365 patients were included. PC originating from transition zone was associated with a lower risk of BCR (RR, 0.79, 95%CI; 0.69-0.92, I2, 76.8%). The association was consistent in studies with median follow-up time ≥60 months (RR, 0.65; 95%CI, 0.48 to 0.88, I2 56.8%), studies with NOS score ≥8 (RR, 0.70; 95%CI, 0.62 to 0.80, I2 32.4%), and studies using multivariate regression model (RR, 0.57; 95%CI, 0.48 to 0.69, I2 23%). Discussion: This meta-analysis supported that transition zone origin was an independent prognostic factor of a better biochemical result in clinically localized prostate cancer after treatment. Systematic review registration: 10.37766/inplasy2023.11.0100, identifier INPLASY2023110100.

Up-to-Date Imaging and Diagnostic Techniques for Prostate Cancer: A Literature Review.

Prostate cancer (PCa) faces great challenges in early diagnosis, which often leads not only to unnecessary, invasive procedures, but to over-diagnosis and treatment as well, thus highlighting the need for modern PCa diagnostic techniques. The review aims to provide an up-to-date summary of chronologically existing diagnostic approaches for PCa, as well as their potential to improve clinically significant PCa (csPCa) diagnosis and to reduce the proliferation and monitoring of PCa. Our review demonstrates the primary outcomes of the most significant studies and makes comparisons across the diagnostic efficacies of different PCa tests. Since prostate biopsy, the current mainstream PCa diagnosis, is an invasive procedure with a high risk of post-biopsy complications, it is vital we dig out specific, sensitive, and accurate diagnostic approaches in PCa and conduct more studies with milestone findings and comparable sample sizes to validate and corroborate the findings.

Sirt3 restricts tumor initiation via promoting LONP1 deacetylation and K63 ubiquitination.

BACKGROUND: Sirtuin 3 (Sirt3) is a controversial regulator of carcinogenesis. It residents in the mitochondria and gradually decays during aging. In this study, we tried to investigate the role of Sirt3 in carcinogenesis and to explore its involvement in metabolic alteration. METHODS: We generated conditional intestinal epithelium Sirt3-knockout mice by crossing ApcMin/+; Villin-Cre with Sirt3fl/fl (AVS) mice. The deacetylation site of Lon protease-1 (LONP1) was identified with Mass spectrometry. The metabolic flux phenotype was determined by Seahorse bioanalyzer. RESULTS: We found that intestinal epithelial cell-specific ablation of Sirt3 promotes primary tumor growth via stabilizing mitochondrial LONP1. Notably, we newly identified that Sirt3 deacetylates human oncogene LONP1 at N terminal residue lysine 145 (K145). The LONP1 hyperacetylation-mutant K145Q enhances oxidative phosphorylation to accelerate tumor growth, whereas the deacetylation-mutant K145R produces calorie-restriction like phenotype to restrain tumorigenesis. Sirt3 deacetylates LONP1 at K145 and subsequently facilitates the ESCRT0 complex sorting and K63-ubiquitination that resulted in the degradation of LONP1. Our results sustain the notion that Sirt3 is a tumor-suppressor to maintain the appropriate ubiquitination and degradation of oncogene LONP1. CONCLUSION: Sirt3 represents a targetable metabolic checkpoint of oncogenesis, which produces energy restriction effects via maintaining LONP1 K145 deacetylation and subsequent K63 ubiquitination.

Dahuang Fuzi Baijiang decoction restricts progenitor to terminally exhausted T cell differentiation in colorectal cancer.

Obesity increases the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) by 30%. The obese tumor microenvironment compromises antitumor immunity by eliciting exhausted T cells (Tex). Hypothesizing that Dahuang Fuzi Baijiang decoction (DFB) is a combined classical prescription from the "Synopsis of Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber". We first determined that DFB regresses tumor growth in high-fat diet-induced obese mice by expanding the TIM3- subset with intermediate expression of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1int TIM3- ) and restricting the PD-1hi TIM3+ subset. Transcription factor 1 (TCF1) is highly expressed in the PD-1int TIM3- subset but is absent in PD-1hi TIM3+ cells. We next confirmed that progenitor PD-1int TCF+ cells robustly produce tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and interferon-γ, whereas terminally differentiated PD-1int TCF+ cells have defects in generating TNFα. With transgenic ob/ob mice, we found that DFB produces cooperative efficacy with anti-PD-1 (αPD-1) by limiting the PD-1hi Tim3+ subset and amplifying the PD-1int TCF+ population. Finally, we defined the recombinant chemokine C-C-motif receptor 2 (CCR2)+ CD8+ subset as terminal Tex and identified that the differentiation from progenitor to terminal Tex is driven, at least in part, by the chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2)/CCR2 axis. The CCR2 inhibitor enhances the response to αPD-1 by promoting the counts of progenitor Tex. Altogether, DFB dampens CCL2 and preserves progenitor Tex in the obese microenvironment to restrain CRC progression. These findings provide unambiguous evidence that the traditional Chinese formula DFB can prevent tumor progression by modulating adaptive immunity and establish a strong rationale for further clinical verification.

Bufarenogin induces intrinsic apoptosis via Bax and ANT cooperation.

Toads have high medicinal value and have been used for medicinal purposes since the Tang Dynasty period (7th-10th Century AD). Bufarenogin, an active anti-tumor constituent of toad venom, shows anti-tumor activity. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of bufarenogin on the growth and metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC), particularly its effects on mediating intrinsic signaling pathways that initiate apoptosis. An orthotopic CRC model was established in nude mice via surgical orthotopic implantation to investigate tumor growth. Immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting assays were performed to evaluate protein expression. The in vitro results revealed the anti-proliferative effect of bufarenogin against CRC cells. Bufarenogin caused cell death via apoptosis, as revealed by Annexin V/7-amino-actinomycin D double staining, which was verified using a pan-caspase inhibitor. Bufarenogin induced B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein (Bax)-dependent intrinsic apoptosis, as demonstrated by mitochondrial translocation of Bax and cytoplasm release of HCT116 wild-type cells and cytochrome C (soluble pro-apoptotic factors). Additionally, we showed that adenine-nucleotide translocator interacted with Bax. Bufarenogin induced intrinsic apoptosis through the cooperation of Bax and adenine-nucleotide translocator and inhibited the metastasis and growth of orthotopical CRC cells.

The Beneficial Effects of Raffinee in Permanent Occulted Stroke Mice.

Ischemic stroke is a major cause of disability and mortality globally. Although thrombolytic therapy is routinely adopted in cases of ischemic stroke, various alternative natural neuroprotectants are also used as effective adjuvant therapies to recover neurofunction following ischemic stroke. Raffinee, a natural fermented product with strong antioxidant and neuroprotective activities, has antiatherogenic effects in animals and has exhibited neuroprotective effects in a clinical trial by recovering motor and sensory function following spinal cord lesion. This study reveals the advantageous effects of Raffinee on PC12 cells by decreasing hypoxia-induced apoptosis in mice with permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) by increasing the levels of neurotrophic factors such as S100ß, reducing serum inflammatory factors such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-9/MMP-2 ratio, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin (IL)-6 level, and increasing IL-10 levels. Significantly reduced brain infarct volume along with a favorable survival ratio was observed for pMCAO mice that received Raffinee, suggesting a neuroprotective potential of Raffinee in cases of acute ischemic stroke by suppressing apoptosis.

Attenuated Effects of Deep-Sea Water on Hepatic Apoptosis in STZ-Induced Diabetic Rats.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder and increasing evidences have indicated a connection between DM and hepatic abnormality. Deep-sea water (DSW) has been applied in many fields, especially in medicine; herein, we investigated the influence of DSW on hepatic apoptosis in streptozocin (STZ)-induced diabetes rats. Our experimental results firstly demonstrated the beneficial effects of 1×DSW, 2×DSW and 3×DSW in alleviating hepatic apoptosis in STZ-induced diabetic rats. We demonstrated that 1×DSW, 2×DSW and 3×DSW significantly suppressed the caspase-3 activity and TUNEL-positive cells in livers of STZ-induced diabetic rats. Significant reductions of both Fas-dependent and mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic molecules were also detected in livers of STZ-induced diabetic rats receiving DSW. Additionally, apoptotic signaling molecules such as phosphorylated IκB-α and NF-κB were significantly reduced in livers of DSW-treated STZ-induced diabetic rats. These findings indicate hepatic protective effects of DSW on DM and suggest DSW as a possible ingredient for health food.