White matter microstructural impairments in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A mean apparent propagator MRI study.

BACKGROUND: White matter (WM) impairment is a hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This study evaluated the capacity of mean apparent propagator magnetic resonance imaging (MAP-MRI) for detecting ALS-related WM alterations. METHODS: Diffusion images were obtained from 52 ALS patients and 51 controls. MAP-derived indices [return-to-origin/-axis/-plane probability (RTOP/RTAP/RTPP) and non-Gaussianity (NG)/perpendicular/parallel NG (NG⊥/NG||)] were computed. Measures from diffusion tensor/kurtosis imaging (DTI/DKI) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) were also obtained. Voxel-wise analysis (VBA) was performed to determine differences in these parameters. Relationship between MAP parameters and disease severity (assessed by the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R)) was evaluated by Pearson's correlation analysis in a voxel-wise way. ALS patients were further divided into two subgroups: 29 with limb-only involvement and 23 with both bulbar and limb involvement. Subgroup analysis was then conducted to investigate diffusion parameter differences related to bulbar impairment. RESULTS: The VBA (with threshold of P < 0.05 after family-wise error correction (FWE)) showed that ALS patients had significantly decreased RTOP/RTAP/RTPP and NG/ NG⊥/NG|| in a set of WM areas, including the bilateral precentral gyrus, corona radiata, posterior limb of internal capsule, midbrain, middle corpus callosum, anterior corpus callosum, parahippocampal gyrus, and medulla. MAP-MRI had the capacity to capture WM damage in ALS, which was higher than DTI and similar to DKI/NODDI. RTOP/RTAP/NG/NG⊥/NG|| parameters, especially in the bilateral posterior limb of internal capsule and middle corpus callosum, were significantly correlated with ALSFRS-R (with threshold of FWE-corrected P < 0.05). The VBA (with FWE-corrected P < 0.05) revealed the significant RTAP reduction in subgroup with both bulbar and limb involvement, compared with those with limb-only involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Microstructural impairments in corticospinal tract and corpus callosum represent the consistent characteristic of ALS. MAP-MRI could provide alternative measures depicting ALS-related WM alterations, complementary to the common diffusion imaging methods.

Evaluation of GELTAMO-IPI for Patients with Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the prognostic value of GELTAMO-IPI for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).@*METHODS@#The clinical data of 238 newly diagnosed DLBCL patients treated in Shanxi Cancer Hospital from September 2011 to March 2016 were collected retrospectively, the risk stratification and prognostic evaluation of the patients were analyzed according to GELTAMO-IPI. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of the patients were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method, COX regression analysis was used to compare the risk of death and progress in each risk group. Harrell's C statistics was used to compare the prognostic stratification ability of each model.@*RESULTS@#The 3-year OS rate statistics showed that both IPI and GELTAMO-IPI could distinguish low risk group and Low-intermediate risk group, but the prognosis stratification ability of IPI was better (IPI: HR=5.085, P0.05). GELTAMO-IPI could distinguish High-intermediate risk group from high risk group (GELTAMO-IPI: HR=2.966, P50%). The results of Harrell's C statistics showed the C-index of IPI and GELTAMO-IPI was 0.687 and 0.721 (P<0.001); the C-index of the predicted PFS was 0.672 and 0.700 (P<0.001). It was suggested that the prognostic stratification ability of GELTAM0-IPI be superior to that of IPI, R-IPI, NCCN-IPI.@*CONCLUSION@#GELTAMO-IPI can make a clear distinction between DLBCL patients with different prognosis, especially for high-risk patients, and the prognostic stratification ability of GELTAMO-IPI is significantly better than that of IPI.