Efficacies of Bifidobacterium and Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Rats With Chronic Hepatic Encephalopathy Assessed by [F]PBR146 Imaging of Neuroinflammation.

Neuroinflammation significantly contributes to hepatic encephalopathy (HE). The radiotracer [F]PBR146 is used for in vivo imaging of neuroinflammation. Promising treatments like Bifidobacterium (BIF) and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) are being explored for HE.

Imaging-Based Brain Frailty Predicts Unfavorable Outcomes in Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Brain frailty is characterized by imaging biomarkers of chronic cerebrovascular injury. Whether brain frailty improves the prediction of acute ischemic stroke complications and prognosis requires further study.

Methods: This multicenter, retrospective study included patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large-vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation.

Performance of 3-T Nonenhanced Whole-Heart bSSFP Coronary MR Angiography: A Comparison with 3-T Modified Dixon Water-Fat Separation Sequence.

Purpose To compare the performance of improved nonenhanced whole-heart balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) coronary MR angiography (CMRA) with that of the modified Dixon (mDixon) water-fat separation method at 3-T imaging. Materials and Methods From September 2023 to December 2023, patients with suspected coronary artery disease who underwent bSSFP and mDixon CMRA after coronary CT angiography (CCTA) were consecutively recruited. The two sequences' acquisition success rates, subjective image quality scores, objective image quality measurements, and diagnostic performance for coronary stenosis with CCTA as the reference standard were analyzed.

Location-Specific Net Water Uptake and Malignant Cerebral Edema in Acute Anterior Circulation Occlusion Ischemic Stroke.

Background And Purpose: Early identification of malignant cerebral edema (MCE) in patients with acute ischemic stroke is crucial for timely interventions. We aimed to identify regions critically associated with MCE using the ASPECTS to evaluate the association between location-specific net water uptake (NWU) and MCE.

Materials And Methods: This multicenter, retrospective cohort study included patients with acute ischemic stroke following large anterior circulation occlusion.

Discrepancies in ASPECTS obtained by artificial intelligence and experts: Associated factors and prognostic implications.

Purpose: The differences between the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) obtained by experts and artificial intelligence (AI) software require elucidation. We aimed to characterize the discrepancies between the ASPECTS obtained by AI and experts and determine the associated factors and prognostic implications.

Methods: This multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study included patients showing acute ischemic stroke caused by large-vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation.

Characterizing Typhoon-related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Based on Multimodal Fusion of Structural, Diffusion, and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Diagnosing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using only single-modality images is controversial. We aimed to use multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combining structural, diffusion, and functional MRI to possibly provide a more comprehensive viewpoint on the decisive characteristics of PTSD patients. Typhoon-exposed individuals with (n = 26) and without PTSD (n = 32) and healthy volunteers (n = 30) were enrolled.

Increased regional Hurst exponent reflects response inhibition related neural complexity alterations in pediatric bipolar disorder patients during an emotional Go-Nogo task.

Fractal patterns have been shown to change in resting- and task-state blood oxygen level-dependent signals in bipolar disorder patients. However, fractal characteristics of brain blood oxygen level-dependent signals when responding to external emotional stimuli in pediatric bipolar disorder remain unclear. Blood oxygen level-dependent signals of 20 PBD-I patients and 17 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were extracted while performing an emotional Go-Nogo task.

Examining the association between posttraumatic stress disorder and disruptions in cortical networks identified using data-driven methods.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with lower cortical thickness (CT) in prefrontal, cingulate, and insular cortices in diverse trauma-affected samples. However, some studies have failed to detect differences between PTSD patients and healthy controls or reported that PTSD is associated with greater CT. Using data-driven dimensionality reduction, we sought to conduct a well-powered study to identify vulnerable networks without regard to neuroanatomic boundaries.

Burden and distribution of monosodium urate deposition in patients with hyperuricemia and gout: a cross-sectional Chinese population-based dual-energy CT study.

Background: To investigate the distribution and burden of monosodium urate (MSU) deposition in hyperuricemia and gout patients with dual-energy computed tomography (DECT).

Methods: A total of 1,936 consecutive patients from January 1, 2009, to September 15, 2017, underwent DECT examinations in Jinling Hospital. Of these, 1,294 patients were excluded due to other clinical diagnoses (n=1,041), inappropriate locations (n=82), poor-quality images (n=105), training cases (n=30) and duplicated data (n=36).

Altered whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity and brain network topology in typhoon-related post-traumatic stress disorder.

Background: Altered resting-state functional connectivity has been found in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the alteration of resting-state functional connectivity at whole-brain level in typhoon-traumatized individuals with PTSD remains largely unknown.

Objectives: To investigate changes in whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity and brain network topology in typhoon-traumatized subjects with and without PTSD.

FFR CT and Static Computed Tomography Myocardial Perfusion Imaging for Therapeutic Decision-making and Prognosis in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of integrated evaluation of resting static computed tomography perfusion (CTP) and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA)-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR CT ) on therapeutic decision-making and predicting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with suspected coronary artery disease.

Materials And Methods: In this post hoc analysis of a prospective trial of CCTA in patients assigned to either CCTA or CCTA plus FFR CT arms, 500 patients in the CCTA plus FFR CT arm were analyzed. Both resting static CTP and FFR CT were evaluated by using the conventional CCTA.

Structural basis of human PRPS2 filaments.

Background: PRPP synthase (PRPS) transfers the pyrophosphate groups from ATP to ribose-5-phosphate to produce 5-phosphate ribose-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP), a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of several metabolites including nucleotides, dinucleotides and some amino acids. There are three PRPS isoforms encoded in human genome. While human PRPS1 (hPRPS1) and human PRPS2 (hPRPS2) are expressed in most tissues, human PRPS3 (hPRPS3) is exclusively expressed in testis.

Incremental value of enhanced plaque length for identifying intracranial atherosclerotic culprit plaques: a high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging study.

Objectives: Besides plaque enhancement grade, the incremental value of enhancement-related high-resolution MRI features in defining culprit plaques needs further evaluation. This study was focused on assessing whether plaque enhancement features contribute to culprit plaque identification and further risk stratification.

Methods: We retrospectively studied patients who experienced an acute ischaemic stroke and transient ischaemic attack due to intracranial atherosclerosis from 2016 to 2022.

The prognostic value of CT-derived fractional flow reserve in coronary artery bypass graft: a retrospective multicenter study.

Objectives: To investigate the predictive value of CT-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR) in anastomosis occlusion after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

Methods: Patients undergoing CABG with both pre- and post-operative coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) were retrospectively included. Preoperative CCTA studies were used to evaluate anatomical and FFR information of target vessels.

Influence of temporal resolution on computed tomography feature-tracking strain measurements.

Purpose: Temporal resolution significantly affects strain values demonstrated by Magnetic resonance feature-tracking and speckle-tracking echocardiography. We investigated the influence of R-R interval reconstruction increments on left ventricular (LV) and left atrial (LA) strain measurements of Computed tomography feature-tracking (CT-FT).

Methods: Subjects who underwent retrospective electrocardiogram-gated coronary CT angiography (CCTA) were retrospectively included, and CCTA images were reconstructed in 5% and 10% steps throughout the entire cardiac cycle (0-100% R-R interval).

Optimal Measurement Sites of Coronary-Computed Tomography Angiography-derived Fractional Flow Reserve: The Insight From China CT-FFR Study.

Objectives: To investigate the optimal measurement site of coronary-computed tomography angiography-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR CT ) for the assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the whole clinical routine practice.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective multicenter study included 396 CAD patients who underwent coronary-computed tomography angiography, FFR CT , and invasive FFR. FFR CT was measured at 1 cm (FFR CT -1 cm), 2 cm (FFR CT -2 cm), 3 cm (FFR CT -3 cm), and 4 cm (FFR CT -4 cm) distal to coronary stenosis, respectively.

Predicting cognitive impairment in chronic kidney disease patients using structural and functional brain network: An application study of artificial intelligence.

Objective: To develop and validate artificial intelligence models for the prediction of cognitive impairment in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients using structural and functional brain network.

Methods: This study retrospectively recruited 621 CKD patients and 625 healthy controls in Jinling hospital and 57 CKD patients in Hainan hospital. These CKD patients were divided into cognitive function impairment (CFI) group and non-CFI group based on diagnostic criteria.