Utility of enteral nutrition via percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography drainage catheterization in late-stage malignant obstructive jaundice.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the clinical benefits of establishing an enteral nutrition (EN) pathway via percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography drainage (PTCD) catheterization in patients with late-stage malignant obstructive jaundice (MOJ).Methods: We selected 30 patients diagnosed as having late-stage MOJ with malnutrition. A dual-lumen biliary-enteral nutrition tube was placed via PTCD along with a biliary stent implantation. Postoperative EN was provided, and we observed the time taken for tube placement, its success rate, complications, and therapeutic efficacy.Results: Tube placement was successful in all 30 patients with an average procedural time of 5.7 ± 1.4 min with no tube placement complications. Compared to preoperative measures, there was a significant improvement in postoperative jaundice reduction and nutritional indicators one month after the procedure (p < 0.05). Post-placement complications included tube perileakage in 5 cases, entero-biliary reflux in 4 cases, tube blockage in 6 cases, tube displacement in 4 cases, accidental tube removal in 3 cases, and tube replacement due to degradation in 8 cases, with tube retention time ranging from 42 to 314 days, averaging 124.7 ± 37.5 days. All patients achieved the parameters for effective home-based enteral nutrition with a noticeable improvement in their quality of life.Conclusion: In this study, we found that the technique of establishing an EN pathway via PTCD catheterization was minimally invasive, safe, and effective; the tube was easy to maintain; and patient compliance was high. It is, thus, suitable for long-term tube retention in patients with late-stage MOJ.

Intratumoral and peritumoral MRI radiomics nomogram for predicting parametrial invasion in patients with early-stage cervical adenocarcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a comprehensive nomogram based on MRI intra- and peritumoral radiomics signatures and independent risk factors for predicting parametrial invasion (PMI) in patients with early-stage cervical adenocarcinoma (AC) and adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC). METHODS: A total of 460 patients with IB to IIB cervical AC and ASC who underwent preoperative MRI examination and radical trachelectomy/hysterectomy were retrospectively enrolled and divided into primary, internal validation, and external validation cohorts. The original (Ori) and wavelet (Wav)-transform features were extracted from the volumetric region of interest of the tumour (ROI-T) and 3mm- and 5mm-peritumoral rings (ROI-3 and ROI-5), respectively. Then the Ori and Ori-Wav feature-based radiomics signatures from the tumour (RST) and 3 mm- and 5 mm-peritumoral regions (RS3 and RS5) were independently built and their diagnostic performances were compared to select the optimal ones. Finally, the nomogram was developed by integrating optimal intra- and peritumoral signatures and clinical independent risk factors based on multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: FIGO stage, disruption of the cervical stromal ring on MRI (DCSRMR), parametrial invasion on MRI (PMIMR), and serum CA-125 were identified as independent risk factors. The nomogram constructed by integrating independent risk factors, Ori-Wav feature-based RST, and RS5 yielded AUCs of 0.874 (0.810-0.922), 0.885 (0.834-0.924), and 0.966 (0.887-0.995) for predicting PMI in the primary, internal and external validation cohorts, respectively. Furthermore, the nomogram was superior to radiomics signatures and clinical model for predicting PMI in three cohorts. CONCLUSION: The nomogram can preoperatively, accurately, and noninvasively predict PMI in patients with early-stage cervical AC and ASC. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: The nomogram can preoperatively, accurately, and noninvasively predict PMI and facilitate precise treatment decisions regarding chemoradiotherapy or radical hysterectomy in patients with early-stage cervical AC and ASC. KEY POINTS: The accurate preoperative prediction of PMI in early-stage cervical AC and ASC can facilitate precise treatment decisions regarding chemoradiotherapy or radical hysterectomy. The nomogram integrating independent risk factors, Ori-Wav feature-based RST, and RS5 can preoperatively, accurately, and noninvasively predict PMI in early-stage cervical AC and ASC. The nomogram was superior to radiomics signatures and clinical model for predicting PMI in early-stage cervical AC and ASC.

Deep Learning Nomogram for the Identification of Deep Stromal Invasion in Patients With Early-Stage Cervical Adenocarcinoma and Adenosquamous Carcinoma: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: Deep stromal invasion (DSI) is one of the predominant risk factors that determined the types of radical hysterectomy (RH). Thus, the accurate assessment of DSI in cervical adenocarcinoma (AC)/adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) can facilitate optimal therapy decision. PURPOSE: To develop a nomogram to identify DSI in cervical AC/ASC. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. POPULATION: Six hundred and fifty patients (mean age of 48.2 years) were collected from center 1 (primary cohort, 536), centers 2 and 3 (external validation cohorts 1 and 2, 62 and 52). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 5-T, T2-weighted imaging (T2WI, SE/FSE), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI, EPI), and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging (CE-T1WI, VIBE/LAVA). ASSESSMENT: The DSI was defined as the outer 1/3 stromal invasion on pathology. The region of interest (ROI) contained the tumor and 3 mm peritumoral area. The ROIs of T2WI, DWI, and CE-T1WI were separately imported into Resnet18 to calculate the DL scores (TDS, DDS, and CDS). The clinical characteristics were retrieved from medical records or MRI data assessment. The clinical model and nomogram were constructed by integrating clinical independent risk factors only and further combining DL scores based on primary cohort and were validated in two external validation cohorts. STATISTICAL TESTS: Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, or Chi-squared test were used to compare differences in continuous or categorical variables between DSI-positive and DSI-negative groups. DeLong test was used to compare AU-ROC values of DL scores, clinical model, and nomogram. RESULTS: The nomogram integrating menopause, disruption of cervical stromal ring (DCSRMR), DDS, and TDS achieved AU-ROCs of 0.933, 0.807, and 0.817 in evaluating DSI in primary and external validation cohorts. The nomogram had superior diagnostic ability to clinical model and DL scores in primary cohort (all P < 0.0125 [0.05/4]) and CDS (P = 0.009) in external validation cohort 2. DATA CONCLUSION: The nomogram achieved good performance for evaluating DSI in cervical AC/ASC. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Diffusion Weighted Imaging-Based Histogram in Predicting Mesenchymal Transition High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) findings in predicting mesenchymal transition (MT) high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with HGSOC were enrolled from May 2017 to December 2020, who underwent pelvic MRI including DWI (b = 0,1000 s/mm2) before surgery, and were assigned to the MT HGSOC or non-MT HGSOC group according to histopathology results. Clinical characteristics and MRI features including DWI-based histogram metrics were assessed and compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the significant variables associated with MT HGSOC - these variables were then incorporated into a predictive nomogram, and ROC curve analysis was subsequently carried out to evaluate diagnostic performance. RESULTS: A total of 81 consecutive patients were recruited for pelvic MRI before surgery, including 37 (45.7%) MT patients and 44 (54.3%) non-MT patients. At univariate analysis, the features significantly related to MT HGSOC were identified as absence of discrete primary ovarian mass, pouch of Douglas implants, ovarian mass size, tumor volume, mean, SD, median, and 95th percentile apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values (all p < 0.05). At multivariate analysis, the absence of discrete primary ovarian mass {odds ratio (OR): 46.477; p = 0.025}, mean ADC value ≤ 1.105 (OR: 1.023; p = 0.009), and median ADC value ≤ 1.038 (OR: 0.982; p = 0.034) were found to be independent risk factors associated with MT HGSOC. The combination of all independent criteria yielded the largest AUC of 0.82 with a sensitivity of 83.87% and specificity of 66.67%, superior to any of the single predictor alone (p ≤ 0.012). The predictive C-index nomogram performance of the combination was 0.82. CONCLUSION: The combination of absence of discrete primary ovarian mass, lower mean ADC value, and median ADC value may be helpful for preoperatively predicting MT HGSOC.

IL-6 Promoter Hypomethylation Acts As a Diagnostic Biomarker in Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: New biomarkers are needed to detect hepatocellular carcinoma at an earlier stage and to individualize treatment strategies. IL-6 has been proven to be associated with liver cancer in numerous studies. Aim: To evaluate the value of the IL-6 promoter methylation level as a noninvasive biomarker for the diagnosis of liver cancer. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 165 patients with HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 198 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 31 healthy controls were involved. The methylight was detected the methylation level of the IL-6 promoter in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), clinical and laboratory parameters were obtained. Results: IL-6 promoter methylation levels were significantly lower in patients with HCC (median 53.59%, interquartile range 52.01-54.75%) than in those with CHB (median 56.05%, interquartile range 54.65-57.67%; P<0.001). The level of IL-6 mRNA in patients with HCC (median 0.371, interquartile range 0.173-0.671) was significantly higher than that in patients with CHB (median 0.203, interquartile range 0.108-0.354; P<0.001) and HCs (median 0.189, interquartile range 0.140-0.262; P=0.001). Meanwhile, the PMR value of IL-6 was notably negatively correlated with the mRNA expression level (Spearman's R=-0.201, P<0.001). The IL-6 PMR value of HCC patients in age (Spearman's R=0.193, P=0.026) and TBIL (Spearman's R=0.186, P=0.032) were very weak correlated. At the same time, the level of IL-6 promoter methylation was also an independent factor in the development of liver cancer. When the IL-6 promoter methylation level was used to diagnose HCC, its detective value was superior to AFP [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) 0.773 vs. 0.686, P=0.027], And the combined use of AFP and IL-6 methylation level can improve the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (p=0.011). Conclusion: IL-6 promoter hypomethylation is present in hepatocellular carcinoma, and it may be used as a noninvasive biomarker to detect early liver cancer.

Clinical characteristics and postoperative outcomes of systemic artery-to-pulmonary vessel fistula in hemoptysis patients.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes on the success of bronchial arterial embolization (BAE) in patients with and without systemic artery-to-pulmonary vessel fistula (SA-PF) and to evaluate the feasibility of CTA in the assessment of SA-PF. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 420 consecutive patients that underwent BAE for hemoptysis control in our hospital from September 2011 to May 2019. The clinical characteristics, preprocedural CTA findings, BAE procedural findings, and follow-up outcomes were collected. Patients were divided into two groups according to DSA findings: patients with SA-PF and those without. RESULTS: A total of 184 (43.7%) patients presented with SA-PF. Pneumonia was less likely to be the concomitant condition in patients with SA-PF (p < 0.001). The mean number of culprit arteries per patient was significantly higher in patients with SA-PF compared to that in patients without SA-PF (p = 0.017). The SA-PF patients saw a greater probability of recurrence (HR: 2.782, 95% CI: 1.617-4.784, p < 0.001). SA-pulmonary venous fistula (SA-PVF) favored lower hemoptysis recurrence rate (HR: 0.199, 95%CI: 0.052-0.765, p = 0.019). SA-pulmonary artery fistula (SA-PAF) can be detected by optimized CTA protocol with a detection rate of 65.3% (49/75). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of SA-PF is an independent risk factor predicting early recurrence of hemoptysis after BAE. SA-PVF seems to be a protective factor for longer hemoptysis control compared to SA-PAF. Optimized preprocedural CTA is a reliable examination to identify SA-PAF. KEY POINTS: • The appearance of SA-PF is associated with a greater probability of early recurrent hemoptysis after bronchial artery embolization. • The presence of SA-PVF seems to be a protective factor for longer hemoptysis control after BAE compared to SA-PAF. • Optimized CTA protocol seems to be a promising auxiliary examination to detect SA-PAF.

CT-guided transthoracic pulmonary artery catheterization: an experimental study in a porcine model.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the safety and feasibility of CT-guided transthoracic pulmonary artery catheterization (TPAC) in a porcine model. METHODS: Procedures were conducted on ten mature Bama miniature pigs. After anesthesia, chest CT was performed in the left lateral decubitus position to determine the puncture route. Under the guidance of multiple CT scans, the introducer sheath was inserted from the right chest wall of the pig into the right pulmonary artery using the Seldinger technique. Then, a catheter connected with a transducer was inserted into the sheath to measure the pulmonary artery pressure. Finally, an active approximator was used to close the puncture site on the pulmonary artery. The pigs were followed up for 8 weeks to evaluate the operation-related complications and survival. RESULTS: Ten of 11 CT-guided TPAC procedures were successfully performed on ten pigs, rendering a technical success rate of 90.9%. One pig had hemoptysis while the needle was being inserted during the first operation, and a second procedure was successfully conducted 17 days later. Other complications, including pulmonary bleeding along the needle track (3 of 11; 27.3%), unclosed pulmonary artery puncture sites (3 of 10; 30%), pneumothorax (1 of 11; 9.1%), and hemopericardium (1 of 11; 9.1%), spontaneously resolved without complication-specific treatment. The mean pulmonary arterial pressure was 32 ± 17.6 mmHg. All animals survived the procedure and reached the end of the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: CT-guided TPAC is feasible and safe in a porcine model, serving as a potential alternative pathway for pulmonary artery intervention. KEY POINTS: • TPAC is feasible and safe in a porcine model, serving as a potential alternative pathway for pulmonary artery intervention. • This novel approach allows for faster access to the pulmonary artery, and it might be easier to operate the tip of the catheter to super-select the intent branch of the pulmonary artery. • TPAC can be an alternative pulmonary artery intervention pathway in patients with mechanical right-heart valves, great-vessel transposition, and other obstacles.

Development of MRI-Based Radiomics Model to Predict the Risk of Recurrence in Patients With Advanced High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of our study was to develop a radiomics model based on preoperative MRI and clinical information for predicting recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with advanced high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC). MATERIALS AND METHODS. This retrospective study enrolled 117 patients with HGSOC, including 90 patients with recurrence and 27 without recurrence; 1046 radiomics features were extracted from T2-weighted images and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images using a manual segmentation method. L1 regularization-based least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was performed to select features, and the synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) was used to balance our dataset. A support vector machine (SVM) classifier was used to build the classification model. To validate the performance of the proposed models, we applied a leave-one-out cross-validation method to train and test the classifier. Cox proportional hazards regression, Harrell concordance index (C-index), and Kaplan-Meier plots analysis were used to evaluate the associations between radiomics signatures and RFS. RESULTS. The fusion radiomics-based model yielded a significantly higher AUC value of 0.85 in evaluating RFS than the model using contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging features alone or T2-weighted imaging features alone (AUC = 0.79 and 0.74 and p = .02 and .01, respectively). Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed significant differences between high and low recurrence risk in patients with HGSOC by different models. The fusion model combining radiomics features and clinical information showed higher performance than the clinical model (C-index = 0.62 and 0.60, respectively). CONCLUSION. The proposed MRI-based radiomics signatures may provide a potential way to develop a prediction model and can help identify patients with advanced HGSOC who have a high risk of recurrence.

Prediction of Platinum-based Chemotherapy Response in Advanced High-grade Serous Ovarian Cancer: ADC Histogram Analysis of Primary Tumors.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the feasibility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram analysis of primary advanced high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) to predict patient response to platinum-based chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 70 patients with 102 advanced stage HGSOCs (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages III-IV) who received standard treatment of primary debulking surgery followed by the first line of platinum-based chemotherapy were retrospectively enrolled. Patients were grouped as platinum-resistant and platinum-sensitive according to whether relapse occurred within 6 months. Clinical characteristics, including age, pretherapy CA125 level, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, residual tumor, and histogram parameters derived from whole tumor and solid component such as ADCmean; 10th, 20th, 25th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 75th, 80th, 90th percentiles; skewness and kurtosis, were compared between platinum-resistant and platinum-sensitive groups. RESULTS: No significantly different clinical characteristics were observed between platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant patients. There were no significant differences in any whole-tumor histogram-derived parameters between the two groups. Significantly higher ADCmean and percentiles and significantly lower skewness and kurtosis from the solid-component histogram parameters were observed in the platinum-sensitive group when compared with the platinum-resistant group. ADCmean, skewness and kurtosis showed moderate prediction performances, with areas under the curve of 0.667, 0.733 and 0.616, respectively. Skewness was an independent risk factor for platinum resistance. CONCLUSION: Pretreatment ADC histogram analysis of primary tumors has the potential to allow prediction of response to platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with advanced HGSOC.

Electromagnetically induced transparency metamaterial with polarization independence and multi-transmission windows.

In this paper, an electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) metamaterial with the performances of polarization independence and multi-transmission windows is proposed. First, we design an EIT with a single transmission window, which is composed of an H-shaped structure and two split-ring resonators (SRRs). Then, by sequentially rotating the unit by 90°, a new EIT structure with rotational symmetry is obtained. The results show that the new EIT structure has the characteristics of polarization independence and multiple transmission windows, and each transmission window has a high maximum transmittance and group index. The first transmission window has a maximum group index of 88.9 and 98.9% maximum transmission. The maximum group indices of the second and third transmission windows are 117.9 and 215.3, and the peak transmissions are 89.9% and 97.4%, respectively. The multiple transmission windows with polarization independence widen the application scope of the proposed EIT metamaterial and are suitable for high-performance slow-wave devices with the above two requirements.

Whole solid tumor volume histogram parameters for predicting the recurrence in patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma: a feasibility study on quantitative DCE-MRI.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative prediction of the recurrence of epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) can guide the clinical treatment and improve the prognosis. However, there are still no reliable predictive biomarkers. PURPOSE: To evaluate whether whole solid tumor volume histogram parameters measured from quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) can predict the recurrence in patients with EOC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We followed up 56 patients with surgical and histopathologically diagnosed EOC who underwent quantitative DCE-MRI scans. The differences of the histogram parameters between patients with and without recurrence were compared. Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson's Chi-squared test, or Fisher's exact test, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: All histogram parameters of Ktrans, kep, and ve were not significantly different between EOC patients with and without recurrence (P>0.05). For 30 patients with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC), the histogram parameters of Ktrans (mean and 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th percentiles) and kep (mean and 50th percentile) in 12 patients with recurrence were significantly lower than those in 18 patients without recurrence (all P<0.05). ROC curves showed that the 5th percentile of Ktrans had the largest area under the curve (AUC) of 0.792 for predicting the recurrence in patients with HGSOC. When the threshold value was ≤0.0263/min, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 100%, 66.7%, and 80%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Instead of predicting the recurrence of EOC, whole solid tumor volume quantitative DCE-MRI histogram parameters could predict the recurrence of HGSOC and may be potential biomarkers for the prediction of HGSOC recurrence.

Quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging for the preliminary prediction of the response to gemcitabine-based chemotherapy in advanced pancreatic ductal carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To investigate the role of the quantitative parameters of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging (DCE-MRI) in the prediction of the response to chemotherapy in pancreatic ductal carcinoma (PDC). METHOD: Forty patients with histologically confirmed PDC who underwent quantitative DCE-MRI were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were divided into groups of responders and nonresponders. DCE-MRI parameters, including the volume transfer constant (Ktrans), the extracellular extravascular volume fraction (ve), the rate constant (kep) and the initial area under the concentration curve in 60 s (iAUC60), were measured and compared. DCE-MRI parameters were obtained from different ROIs. RESULTS: The values of Ktrans in responders with peripheral, whole tumor slice, and adjacent non-tumorous region ROIs were significantly higher than those in nonresponders (P = 0.015, 0.043, and 0.025, respectively). Responders showed a significantly higher kep with peripheral area ROI compared with nonresponders (P =  0.013). Ve and iAUC60 with all ROIs were not significantly different between responders and nonresponders (P = 0.140-0.968). Kep with periphery ROI showed the highest area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.806, but there were no statistical differences when compared with values of Ktrans.There were statistically significant differences for DCE-MRI parameters among four ROIs (all P <  0.05). All parameters showed good to excellent intra and interobserver agreement. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI might be a potential predictor of response to gemcitabine in patients with PDC. Perfusion parameters were diverse depending on the location of the ROI on different tumoral and peritumoral areas.

Value of normalized apparent diffusion coefficients in differentiating between borderline and malignant epithelial ovarian tumors.

PURPOSE: To compare the diagnostic performance of normalized apparent diffusion coefficients (nADCs) of different references with that of ADCs at differentb factors in differentiating borderline epithelial ovarian tumors (BEOTs) from malignant epithelial ovarian tumors (MEOTs). METHOD: This retrospective study included 53 BEOTs and 148 MEOTs. Conventional magnetic resonance and diffusion-weighted imaging withb factors of 800 and 1000s/mm2 were performed. ADC was measured three times at solid components of tumors, gluteus maximus muscle (GMM), iliopsoas muscle (IM) and urine and then averaged. ADCtumor, nADCs were then obtained. Differences and the diagnostic performance of ADCtumor and nADCs between BEOTs and MEOTs with different b factors were compared. RESULTS: ADCtumor, nADCs regardless of b factors were significantly higher in BEOTs than MEOTs. The diagnostic performance of nADCurine regardless of b factors was significantly larger than that of nADCGMM and nADCIM. There was no significant difference in the diagnostic performance between ADCtumor and nADCurine regardless of b factors. A significantly lower ADCtumor and a larger diagnostic performance for ADCtumor was found with a b factor of 1000s/mm2 than 800 s/mm2. There were no significant differences in nADCurine of BEOTs or MEOTs or in the diagnostic performance of nADCurine with b factors between 800 and 1000s/mm2. CONCLUSIONS: ADCtumor and nADCs were both capable of differentiating BEOTs from MEOTs. nADCurine was the best of all nADCs and was superior to ADCtumor because of its stable performance in differentiating BEOTs from MEOTs, regardless of b factors.

Analysis of Drought Tolerance and Associated Traits in Upland Cotton at the Seedling Stage.

(1) Background: Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the most important natural fiber worldwide, and it is extensively planted and plentifully used in the textile industry. Major cotton planting regions are frequently affected by abiotic stress, especially drought stress. Drought resistance is a complex, quantitative trait. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) constitutes an efficient method for dissecting the genetic architecture of complex traits. In this study, the drought resistance of a population of 316 upland cotton accessions was studied via GWAS. (2) Methods: GWAS methodology was employed to identify relationships between molecular markers or candidate genes and phenotypes of interest. (3) Results: A total of 8, 3, and 6 SNPs were associated with the euphylla wilting score (EWS), cotyledon wilting score (CWS), and leaf temperature (LT), respectively, based on a general linear model and a factored spectrally transformed linear mixed model. For these traits, 7 QTLs were found, of which 2 each were located on chromosomes A05, A11, and D03, and of which 1 was located on chromosome A01. Importantly, in the candidate regions WRKY70, GhCIPK6, SnRK2.6, and NET1A, which are involved in the response to abscisic acid (ABA), the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and the calcium transduction pathway were identified in upland cotton at the seedling stage under drought stress according to annotation information and linkage disequilibrium (LD) block analysis. Moreover, RNA sequencing analysis showed that WRKY70, GhCIPK6, SnRK2.6, and NET1A were induced by drought stress, and the expression of these genes was significantly different between normal and drought stress conditions. (4) Conclusions: The present study should provide some genomic resources for drought resistance in upland cotton. Moreover, the germplasm of the different phenotypes, the detected SNPs and, the potential candidate genes will be helpful for molecular marker-assisted breeding studies about increased drought resistance in upland cotton.

Role of proton MR spectroscopy in the differentiation of borderline from malignant epithelial ovarian tumors: A preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Due to the overlapping imaging appearances between borderline and malignant epithelial ovarian tumors (EOTs), borderline EOTs often represent a diagnostic challenge on conventional MRI. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1 H-MRS) might have potential to differentiate borderline from malignant tumors. PURPOSE: To investigate the ability of 1 H-MRS to differentiate borderline from malignant EOTs. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. POPULATION: In all, 278 patients with adnexal masses. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 1.5 T Siemens Avanto MRI system and 1 H-MRS using a point-resolved spectroscopy sequence (PRESS). ASSESSMENT: Resonance peak integrals of the most common metabolites were analyzed and compared between the two groups. STATISTICAL TESTS: The ratios of metabolites between borderline and malignant EOTs were compared with the Mann-Whitney U-test. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine their differential diagnosis performances. RESULTS: In the solid components of borderline and malignant EOTs, the mean Cho/Cr, NAA/Cr, and NAA/Cho ratios were 4.4 ± 1.1 and 9.9 ± 2.8; 10.4 ± 3.0 and 2.2 ± 1.0; and 2.4 ± 0.7 and 0.3 ± 0.1, respectively (all P < 0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) were 91%, 100%, and 0.98 for the Cho/Cr ratio; 100%, 98%, and 0.99 for the NAA/Cr ratio; and 100%, 100%, and 1.00 for the NAA/Cho ratio, respectively. In the cystic components, the mean Cho/Cr, NAA/Cr, and NAA/Cho ratios were 3.2 ± 0.8 and 5.1 ± 1.2; 9.1 ± 3.4 and 2.3 ± 1.4; and 2.9 ± 1.2 and 0.5 ± 0.4, respectively (all P < 0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC were 84%, 82%, and 0.89 for the Cho/Cr ratio; 94%, 97%, and 0.99 for the NAA/Cr ratio; and 94%, 97%, and 0.99 for the NAA/Cho ratio, respectively. DATA CONCLUSION: The NAA/Cho ratio is a reliable biomarker for differentiating borderline from malignant EOTs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;49:1684-1693.

The value of MR-detectable ipsilateral ovaries in characterizing the origin and malignancy of an adnexal tumors.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging morphological relationship between adnexal tumors and the ipsilateral ovaries to characterize the origin and malignancy of tumors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinical and MR imaging data of 496 adnexal tumors confirmed by histology (ovary tumors, n = 400, non-ovarian tumors, n = 96; benign tumors, n = 183, borderline tumors, n = 120, and malignant tumors, n = 193) were retrospectively analyzed. The presence and shape of the ipsilateral ovaries within the context of adnexal tumors of different origins, malignancies and configurations were evaluated. The relationships between the presence of the ipsilateral ovary and patient age, menstrual status and tumor size were also analyzed. RESULT: The ipsilateral ovary was detected on MRI in 23% (90/400) of ovarian tumors and in 45% (43/96) of non-ovarian tumors (p < 0.001). A normal ovoid morphology of the ipsilateral ovary was found in only 7% (26/400) of ovarian tumors and in 26% (25/96) of non-ovarian tumors (p < 0.001). The ipsilateral ovary was detectable in 38% (69/183) of benign tumors, 35% (42/120) of borderline tumors, and 11% (22/193) of malignant tumors (p < 0.001); in 24% (24/101) of cystic tumors, 27% (49/179) of mixed cystic-solid tumors and 28% (60/216) of solid tumors (p = 0.737); and in 40% (120/303) of adnexal tumors in premenopausal patients and 7% (13/193) of adnexal tumors in postmenopausal patients (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Detection of the ipsilateral ovary contributes to the localization and characterization of adnexal tumors. The ipsilateral ovary can be detected more frequently in non-ovarian tumors and in benign or borderline ovarian tumors.

The value of MRI for differentiating benign from malignant sex cord-stromal tumors of the ovary: emphasis on diffusion-weighted MR imaging.

BACKGROUND: To investigate MRI for differentiating benign from malignant sex cord-stromal tumors of the ovary (SCSTs) emphasizing on the value of diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. METHODS: This retrospective study included 29 benign SCSTs in 28 patients and 13 malignant SCSTs in 13 patients. DW imaging as well as conventional MR imaging was performed. Signal intensity on DW imaging was assessed and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value was measured. In addition, T2 signal intensity and contrast enhancement pattern were also assessed and compared between benign and malignant SCSTs. RESULTS: Both of the T2 hypointensity and mild enhancement were specific to benign SCSTs. The majority of malignant SCSTs showed high signal intensity on DW imaging, whereas most benign SCSTs showed low or moderate signal intensity (p = 0.000). Fibromas were the tumors with the lowest observed ADC value (0.470 × 10- 3 mm2/s). Sclerosing stromal tumors were the tumors with the highest observed ADC value (2.291 × 10- 3 mm2/s). ADC value of solid component was significantly lower in malignant SCSTs (0.825 ± 0.129 × 10- 3 mm2/s) than in benign SCSTs (1.343 ± 0.528 × 10- 3 mm2/s) when fibromas were excluded (p = 0.024). T2, DCE and DW imaging has a limited value on the differential diagnosis of the benign and malignant SCSTs with an accuracy of 69.0%,71.4% and 78.1% respectively. Combination of T2, DCE and DW imaging permitted the distinction with an accuracy of 88.0%. CONCLUSIONS: It is more helpful for distinction of the benign and malignant SCSTs by combining of T2, DCE and DW imaging than using each of the three sequences independently.

Isolation, purification, characterization and antioxidant activity of polysaccharides from the stem barks of Acanthopanax leucorrhizus.

A novel water-soluble polysaccharide (named ALP-1) was successfully isolated from the stem barks of Acanthopanax leucorrhizus by hot-water extraction, and further purified by Cellulose DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-100 chromatography. The structure of ALP-1 was characterized by HPLC, HPGPC, partial acid hydrolysis, periodate oxidation, Smith degradation, methylation, together with UV, IR and NMR spectral analysis. The antioxidant activities also were evaluated in vitro. Structural analysis revealed that ALP-1 was a homogeneous galactan with the average molecular weight of 169 kDa, composed of galactose, glucose, mannose and arabinose in a molar ratio of 6.1:2.1:1.1:1.0, owning a backbone structure of 1,6-linked α-d-Galp residues with some branches of α-d-Manp-(1 → 3)-α-l-Araf residues at O-3 and α-d-Galp residues at O-4 of 1,6-linked α-d-Galp. Antioxidant assay showed that ALP-1 exhibited strong DPPH and HO scavenging activities, as well as ferric-reducing antioxidant power. These results provide a scientific basis for the further use of polysaccharides from A. leucorrhizus.

Quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging for differentiating benign, borderline, and malignant ovarian tumors.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of quantitative DCE-MRI for characterizing ovarian tumors. METHODS: We prospectively assessed the differences of quantitative DCE-MRI parameters (Ktrans, kep, and ve) among 15 benign, 28 borderline, and 66 malignant ovarian tumors; and between type I (n = 28) and type II (n = 29) of epithelial ovarian carcinomas (EOCs). DCE-MRI data were analyzed using whole solid tumor volume region of interest (ROI) method, and quantitative parameters were calculated based on a modified Tofts model. The non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson's chi-square test, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), variance test, and receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The largest Ktrans and kep values were observed in ovarian malignant tumors, followed by borderline and benign tumors (all P < 0.001). Kep was the better parameter for differentiating benign tumors from borderline and malignant tumors, with a sensitivity of 89.3% and 95.5%, a specificity of 86.7% and 100%, an accuracy of 88.4% and 96.3%, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.94 and 0.992, respectively, whereas Ktrans was better for differentiating borderline from malignant tumors with a sensitivity of 60.7%, a specificity of 78.8%, an accuracy of 73.4%, and an AUC of 0.743. In addition, a combination with kep could further improve the sensitivity to 78.9%. The median Ktrans and kep values were significantly higher in type II than in type I EOCs. CONCLUSION: DCE-MRI with volume quantification is a technically feasible method, and can be used for the differentiation of ovarian tumors and for discriminating between type I and type II EOCs.

MRI features and score for differentiating borderline from malignant epithelial ovarian tumors.

PURPOSE: To identify the MRI features of borderline epithelial ovarian tumors (BEOTs) and to differentiate BEOTs from malignant epithelial ovarian tumors (MEOTs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical and MRI data of 89 patients with a BEOT and 109 patients with a MEOT proven by surgery and histopathology were retrospectively reviewed. MRI features, including bilaterality, size, shape, margin, cystic-solid interface, configuration, papillae or nodules, signal intensity, enhancement, presence of an ipsilateral ovary, peritoneal implants and ascites were analyzed and compared. Based on the odds ratio (OR) values, the significant risk features for BEOTs were scored as 3 (OR≈∞), 2 (5≤OR<∞) or 1 (OR<5). RESULTS: There were 89 BEOT patients with 113 tumors [mean size of (13±6.7)cm], with bilateral ovary involvement in 24 cases. There were 109 MEOT patients with 142 tumors [(9.3±4.2)cm] with bilateral ovary involvement in 33 cases. There were eight significant risk factors for BEOTs, including round or oval shape (OR=2.714), well-defined margins (OR=3.318), clear cystic-solid interfaces (OR=5.593), purely cystic (OR=15.206), predominantly cystic with papillae or nodules (OR=2.579), exophytic papillae or nodules (OR=5.351), branching papilla (OR≈∞) and the presence of an ipsilateral ovary (OR≈∞). Based on the scoring of the eight risk factors, a cut-off score of 3.5 yielded a differential sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 82%, 85% and 84%, respectively. CONCLUSION: In contrast to MEOTs, BEOTs frequently had the following features on MRI: round or oval, with well-defined margins and clear cystic-solid interfaces, purely cystic or predominantly cystic with papillae or nodules, branching or exophytic papillae, with the presence of an ipsilateral ovary. MRI can reveal the distinct morphological features of BEOTs and MEOTs and facilitate their discrimination.