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In this article, we discuss conventional and new advanced techniques in fetal MRI, provide an overview of the normal appearance of fetal anatomy, depict a series of general fetal abnormities among different organs. Although ultrasonography (US) shows the first-line option for fetal imaging, the rapid development of ultrafast MRI sequences has facilitated the tremendous improvement in fetus imaging, which is now regarded as an excellent modality for charactering fetal structures and relevant pathology and a supplementary to US when malformations are suspected.

BACKGROUND Arterial spin labeling (ASL) has been proven to be effective in ischemia-induced acute kidney injury (AKI); however, validation of ASL magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is limited in AKI in the presence of cirrhosis. PURPOSE To investigate the feasibility of ASL in revealing renal blood flow (RBF) changes in kidney injury in the presence of cirrhosis and to assess its value in the early diagnosis of disease. STUDY TYPE Longitudinal. ANIMAL MODEL Rats were randomized into baseline group (N = 3), sham surgery group (N = 18), and common bile duct ligation (BDL) group (N = 48). All groups were divided into six subgroups based on different sacrificed time points. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 3 T scanner, prototypic pulsed ASL sequence using flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery preparation, half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo sequence. ASSESSMENT RBF measurement was performed by ASL. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) score, Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α) score, peritubular capillar (PTC) density, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, serum total bilirubin, total bile acids, serum creatinine (Scr), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were harvested. STATISTICAL TESTS Analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and receiver operating characteristic curves were performed. P

To explore the feasibility of single-direction diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for assessing the fetal corpus callosum (CC). This prospective study included 67 fetuses with normal CC and 35 fetuses suspected with agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC). The MR protocols included HASTE, TrueFISP, and single-direction DWI. Two radiologists independently evaluated the optimal visibility and the contrast ratio (CR) of the normal fetal CC. The Chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the proportions of “good” visibility (score ≥ 3, and the CC was almost/entirely visible) between single-direction DWI and HASTE/TrueFISP. The CR difference between single-direction DWI and HASTE/TrueFISP was detected using the paired t-test. The diagnostic accuracies were determined by comparison with postnatal imaging. In fetuses suspected of ACC, we measured and compared the length and area of the mid-sagittal CC in the single-direction DWI images. The proportion of “good” visibility in single-direction DWI was higher than that in HASTE/TrueFISP, with p < 0.0001. The mean CR from single-direction DWI was also higher than that of TrueFISP and HASTE (both with p < 0.0001). The diagnostic accuracy of the single-direction DWI combined with HASTE/TrueFisp (97.1%, 34/35) was higher than that of the Haste/TrueFISP (74.3%, 26/35) (p = 0.013). The length and area of the PACC (p < 0.001, p = 0.001, respectively) and HCC (p < 0.001, p = 0.018, respectively) groups were significantly lower than those of the normal group. The single-direction DWI is feasible in displaying fetal CC and can be a complementary sequence in diagnosing ACC. • We suggest a simple method for the display of the fetal CC. • The optimal visibility and contrast ratio from single-direction DWI were higher than those from HASTE and TrueFISP. • The diagnostic accuracy of the single-direction DWI combined with HASTE/TrueFISP sequences (97.1%, 34/35) was higher than that of the Haste/TrueFISP (74.3%, 26/35).

Background and Purpose: Aneurysmal wall enhancement (AWE) on vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging (VW-MRI) has been described as a new imaging biomarker of unstable unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs). Previous studies of symptomatic UIAs are limited due to small sample sizes and lack of AWE quantification. Our study aims to investigate whether qualitative and quantitative assessment of AWE can differentiate symptomatic and asymptomatic UIAs. Methods: Consecutive patients with UIAs were prospectively recruited for vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging at 3T from October 2014 to October 2019. UIAs were categorized as symptomatic if presenting with sentinel headache or oculomotor nerve palsy directly related to the aneurysm. Evaluation of wall enhancement included enhancement pattern (0=none, 1=focal, and 2=circumferential) and quantitative wall enhancement index (WEI). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify the parameters associated with symptoms. Results: Two hundred sixty-seven patients with 341 UIAs (93 symptomatic and 248 asymptomatic) were included in this study. Symptomatic UIAs more frequently showed circumferential AWE than asymptomatic UIAs (66.7% versus 17.3%, P P P =0.01; odds ratio=3.32 for WEI [95% CI, 1.51–7.26], P =0.003). The combination of AWE pattern and WEI had an area under the curve of 0.91 to identify symptomatic UIAs, with a sensitivity of 95.7% and a specificity of 73.4%. Conclusions: In a large cohort of UIAs with vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging, both AWE pattern and WEI were independently associated with aneurysm-related symptoms. The qualitative and quantitative features of AWE can potentially be used to identify unstable intracranial aneurysms.

OBJECTIVES To assess the value of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging including intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) MRI in differentiating the severity of hepatic warm ischemia-reperfusion injury (WIRI) in a rabbit model. METHODS Fifty rabbits were randomly divided into a sham-operation group and four test groups (n = 10 for each group) according to different hepatic warm ischemia times. IVIM, DTI and BOLD MRI were performed on a 3 T MR scanner with 11 b values (0 to 800 s/mm2), 2 b values (0 and 500 s/mm2) on 12 diffusion directions, multiple-echo gradient echo (GRE) sequences (TR/TE, 75/2.57-24.25 ms), respectively. IVIM, DTI and BOLD MRI parameters, hepatic biochemical and histopathological parameters were compared. Pearson and Spearman correlation methods were performed to assess the correlation between these MRI parameters and laboratory parameters. Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were compiled to determine diagnostic efficacies. RESULTS True diffusion (Dslow), pseudodiffusion (Dfast), perfusion fraction (PF), mean diffusivity (MD) significantly decreased, while R2* significantly increased with prolonged warm ischemia times, and significant differences were found in all of biochemical and histopathological parameters (all P

Rationale and Objectives To evaluate the feasibility of simultaneous multislice (SMS)-accelerated, readout-segmented echo-planar imaging (rs-EPI, RESOLVE) with the use of special-purpose coils for head and neck assessment, particularly in patients diagnosed with head and neck malignant tumors, through comparison with the conventional RESOLVE and RESOLVE with readout partial-Fourier technique (RESOLVE-RPF). Materials and Methods Twenty-five healthy volunteers and 24 patients with histologically proven malignant head and neck tumors were included in this prospective study. The MR exam included conventional RESOLVE, RESOLVE-RPF, prototypic SMS-RESOLVE, and prototypic SMS-RESOLVE with special-purpose coils (SMS-RESOLVE + Coils), acquired at b-values of both 0 and 800 s/mm2. Image quality was evaluated qualitatively (reader score) and quantitatively (tumor distortion, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), SNR efficiency) and compared. For volunteer imaging, the image quality of target tissues at three different typical levels (oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, and thyroid level) were evaluated. For patient imaging, the image quality of primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes was evaluated. Results The acquisition time was 3:37 minutes for RESOLVE, 2:58 minutes for RESOLVE-RFP, 2:01 minutes for SMS-RESOLVE and 2:01 minutes for SMS-RESOLVE + Coils, with a 44% reduction compared to the conventional RESOLVE. No significant differences in the reader scores, tumor distortion, or ADC values of the lesions were found among the protocols. The SNR and CNR at the oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal level of SMS-RESOLVE + Coils were markedly improved and significantly higher than those of RESOLVE, as well as the SNR, SNR efficiency of tumors and lymph nodes. No significant differences in quantitative measurements were found at the thyroid level. Conclusion SMS-RESOLVE + Coils protocol is an effective and promising approach to optimally reducing the total acquisition time, and could be a good alternative with a superior SNR and SNR efficiency in comparison with conventional RESOLVE. However, the limited application in the lower neck region needs further investigation.

We aimed to investigate differential characteristics of plaque in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and hemodynamics in patients with ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA), and to develop a predictive model for the presence of ischemic stroke and neurological impairment.Sixty-seven patients with acute ischemic events in MCA territory who underwent high-resolution vessel wall imaging between September 2016 and August 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were assigned to either the stroke group or TIA group, according to diffusion-weighted imaging and neurological examination. Plaque characteristics and anterograde score (AnS) were calculated. Tmax6.0-s volume was acquired by RApid Processing of perfusIon and Diffusion software. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were performed to establish a predictive model for irreversible infarction occurrence and clinical severity.Forty-five patients were assigned to the stroke group, and 22 were assigned to the TIA group. Plaque length, intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), enhancement, AnS, and Tmax6.0-s volumes were significantly different between the two groups (p0.05). IPH and AnS were independent predictors for patients with stroke (p = 0.020 and 0.034, respectively). Tmax6.0-s volume, IPH, hypertension, and AnS were associated with high National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores (all p0.05, R = 0.725, and adjusted RIPH and AnS are useful in predicting stroke occurrence. Tmax6.0-s volume, IPH, hypertension, and AnS are associated with neurological impairment of the patients.• Ischemic stroke and TIA patients have different plaque characteristics and hemodynamics. • Intraplaque hemorrhage and anterograde score have high diagnostic efficiency for ischemic stroke. • The combination of Tmax6.0-s volume, intraplaque hemorrhage, hypertension, and anterograde score can predict the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores of patients.

The purpose of this study was to investigate cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes in hemodialysis patients with arterial spin labeling (ASL) and to correlate these changes with clinical risk factors and neurocognitive function. Thirty-two hemodialysis patients and 35 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited in this prospective study. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was performed to evaluate neurocognitive function. Pulsed ASL was performed to measure CBF. Two independent sample t-test was used to explore the CBF difference between the patients and HCs. Multiple stepwise regression was used to investigate the risk factors for CBF in patients. Correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between the MMSE scores and CBF changes with and without adjusting for anemia status. Compared to HCs, the hemodialysis patients showed significantly increased CBF in some neurocognition-related cerebral regions (all P

BACKGROUND The application value of T2 mapping in evaluating cervical cancer (CC) features remains unclear. PURPOSE To investigate the role of T2 values in evaluating CC classification, grade, and lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) in comparison to apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and to compare synthetic T2 -weighted (T2 W) images calculated from T2 values to conventional T2 W images for CC staging. STUDY TYPE Retrospective. POPULATION Sixty-three patients with histopathologically confirmed CC. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 3T, conventional T2 W turbo spin-echo, diffusion-weighted echo-planar, and accelerated T2 mapping sequence. ASSESSMENT T2 and ADC values between different pathological features of CC were compared. The diagnostic accuracies of conventional and synthetic T2 W images in staging were also compared. STATISTICAL TESTS Parameters were compared using an independent t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and the chi-square test. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed. RESULTS The T2 values varied significantly between well/moderately differentiated and poorly differentiated tumors ([92.8 ± 9.5 msec] vs. [83.8 ± 9.5 msec], P

Background and Purpose— This study aims to investigate the association between the characteristics of atherosclerotic plaques of middle cerebral artery and recurrent ischemic stroke using magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging. Methods— One hundred and five patients with ischemic stroke attributed to middle cerebral artery plaque underwent high-resolution black-blood magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging. They were divided into group 1, with the first episode of acute stroke (imaging within 4 weeks of stroke, n=44); group 2, with recurrent acute stroke (n=29); and group 3, with chronic stroke (imaging after 3 months of stroke, n=32). Plaque characteristics including plaque area, plaque burden, contrast-enhancement ratio, eccentricity, and degree of stenosis were measured and compared across 3 groups. Association between plaque characteristics and recurrent strokes was investigated by multivariate analysis. Results— Plaque burden was significantly greater in recurrent stroke group than the other 2 groups (median: group 2, 82.7%, versus group 1, 76.3%, and group 3, 73.4%; P =0.001). Patients with acute stroke had higher enhancement ratio than patients with chronic stroke (median: group 1, 1.59, and group 2, 1.90, versus group 3, 1.33; P =0.014). Comparing to first-onset acute stroke patients, recurrent stroke patients were older, more likely with female sex and hypertension, and had higher plaque burden. After adjustment of clinical factors, plaque burden was the only independent imaging feature associated with recurrent stroke (odds ratio, 2.26, per 10% increase [95% CI, 1.03–4.96]; P =0.042). Conclusions— Higher plaque burden of middle cerebral artery identified on magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging is independently associated with recurrent ischemic stroke.

To explore changes of cerebral gray matter volumes (GMV) in hemodialysis patients, the clinical risk factors for GMV changes, and the relationship between GMV changes and neuropsychological tests results. Eighty-eight hemodialysis patients and seventy-six healthy controls (HCs) were recruited in this study. Fifty patients underwent follow-up magnetic resonance, blood biochemical examinations, and neuropsychological test (1.75±0.55 years). Changes in GMV between patients and HCs, longitudinal GMV changes in patients were explored. The clinical risk factors for the longitudinal GMV changes, the correlations between longitudinal GMV changes and neuropsychological tests changes in hemodialysis patients were analyzed. Compared to HCs, the hemodialysis patients had diffusely decreased in GMV (with age, sex, and total intracranial volume [TIV] as covariates, PPPPP=0.02). The decreased left caudate volumes were positively correlated with reduced MMSE scores in hemodialysis patients (rs=0.437, P=0.033). Hemodialysis patients had diffused GM atrophy over time, which was related to cognitive impairment.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the morphologic features and neurodevelopmental outcomes of individuals prenatally diagnosed with a periventricular pseudocyst (PVPC).Methods: Pregnant women with a fetus prenatally diagnosed with PVPC by MRI were enrolled in this retrospective study. The fetuses with PVPCs were divided into group 1 (isolated PVPC) and group 2 (PVPC with additional findings). The surviving infants underwent brain MRI examinations and the Gesell Developmental Scale (GDS) test after birth. Independent sample t-tests were used to compare the differences in the developmental quotient (DQ) between group 1 and group 2. We also analyzed the correlations among the DQ, location (unilateral/bilateral), size (diameter), and number (single/multiple) of the PVPCs in group 1 using Lasso regression.Results: In total, 131 infants (group 1: 78 infants, group 2: 53 infants) underwent MRI examinations after birth, and 97 infants (group 1: 59 infants, group 2: 38 infants) underwent the GDS test. Upon follow-up, the sizes of the cysts had become smaller or disappeared after birth. The average DQ in group 2 was lower than that in group 1 (all with p < 0.001). In group 1, the location (unilateral/bilateral), size (diameter), and number (single/multiple) of the PVPC did not affect the DQ.Conclusions: The PVPCs became smaller or disappeared after birth. Isolated PVPCs usually have a normal presentation after birth regardless of the location, number, or size. For PVPCs with additional findings, the neurodevelopmental outcomes were inferior to those in isolated PVPCs.

Background and Purpose: 3D pointwise encoding time reduction magnetic resonance angiography (PETRA-MRA) is a promising non-contrast magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) technique for intracranial stenosis assessment but it has not been adequately validated against digital subtraction angiography (DSA) relative to 3D-time-of-flight (3D-TOF) MRA. The aim of this study was to compare PETRA-MRA and 3D-TOF-MRA using DSA as the reference standard for intracranial stenosis assessment before and after angioplasty and stenting in patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis.Materials and Methods: Sixty-two patients with MCA stenosis (age 53 ± 12 years, 43 males) underwent MRA and DSA within a week for pre-intervention evaluation and 32 of them had intracranial angioplasty and stenting performed. The MRAs' image quality, flow visualization within the stents, and susceptibility artifact were graded on a 1–4 scale (1 = poor, 4 = excellent) independently by three radiologists. The degree of stenosis was measured by two radiologists independently on DSA and MRAs.Results: There was an excellent inter-observer agreement for stenosis assessment on PETRA-MRA, 3D-TOF-MRA, and DSA (ICCs > 0.90). For pre-intervention evaluation, PETRA-MRA had better image quality than 3D-TOF-MRA (3.87 ± 0.34 vs. 3.38 ± 0.65, P < 0.001), and PETRA-MRA had better agreement with DSA for stenosis measurements compared to 3D-TOF-MRA (r = 0.96 vs. r = 0.85). For post-intervention evaluation, PETRA-MRA had better image quality than 3D-TOF-MRA for in-stent flow visualization and susceptibility artifacts (3.34 ± 0.60 vs. 1.50 ± 0.76, P < 0.001; 3.31 ± 0.64 vs. 1.41 ± 0.61, P < 0.001, respectively), and better agreement with DSA for stenosis measurements than 3D-TOF-MRA (r = 0.90 vs. r = 0.26). 3D-TOF-MRA significantly overestimated the stenosis post-stenting compared to DSA (84.9 ± 19.7 vs. 39.3 ± 13.6%, p < 0.001) while PETRA-MRA didn't (40.6 ± 13.7 vs. 39.3 ± 13.6%, p = 0.18).Conclusions: PETRA-MRA is accurate and reproducible for quantifying MCA stenosis both pre- and post-stenting compared with DSA and performs better than 3D-TOF-MRA.

Purpose Clinical approach for staging cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) depends on the duration from symptom onset to clinical diagnosis, which is subjective and may be incorrect. To investigate if T1-weighted signal characteristics of the thrombus can be used for staging the thrombus on segment level and predicting endovascular therapy outcome. Methods Ninety-one CVST patients underwent non-contrast-enhanced T1-weighted 3D variable-flip-angle fast-spin-echo (T1-SPACE) and 29 of them received endovascular therapy. We divided the 91 patients into acute, subacute, and chronic CVST stage according to the clinical approach, and then analyzed the T1 weighted signal characteristics (i.e., thrombus shape and signal intensity) of the thrombus at each stage. To investigate the endovascular therapy outcome associated with the thrombus stage and signal characteristics, we evaluated the thrombolytic ratio on patient level and recanalization rate on segment level, respectively. Results The thrombi at acute or chronic stage were depicted as isointense signals but as hyperintense signals at subacute stage. Compared to the thrombus at acute stage, the thrombus at chronic stage was contractive and can be distinguished. Developing thrombi at transition periods of acute-to-subacute or subacute-to-chronic stage were found appearing mixed iso-/hyper-intense signals. On patient’s level, the patients at earlier stage had higher thrombolytic ratio (acute: 80.7 ± 18.3%, subacute: 62.6 ± 36.3%, chronic: 22.9 ± 24.2%). On segment level, the thromboembolic segments of isointense or mixed iso-/hyper-intense thrombi at non-chronic stage had good thrombolytic outcome. Conclusion T1-weighted signal characteristics of the thrombus can be used for staging CVST and predicting the endovascular therapy outcome.

Study Objectives The relationship of iron with cognitive and motor impairment in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) remains unknown. Methods Twenty-nine (29) patients and 28 healthy controls (HCs) underwent susceptibility weighted imaging and susceptibility mapping. These images were used to evaluate the nigrosome-1 (N1) sign in the substantia nigra (SN), global and regional high-iron (RII) content, and volume of subcortical nuclei. Results The number of iRBD patients with N1 loss (12) was significantly higher than HCs (2) (p = 0.005). Compared with HCs, the iRBD patients had reduced volume of the right caudate nucleus (RCN) (p < 0.05, false discovery rate [FDR] correction) but no significant changes in global and RII iron of the subcortical nuclei (all p > 0.05, FDR correction). Multiple regression analysis revealed that: for cognitive function, the RII iron of the RCN was significantly correlated with visuospatial function and the global iron of the right dentate nucleus (RDN) was correlated with memory function; for motor function, the RII iron of the left DN (LDN) and global iron of the left CN correlated with the Alternate-Tap test (left, average), the global iron of the LDN correlated with the Alternate-Tap test (right), and the global iron of the left GP correlated with the 3-m Timed Up and Go test (all p < 0.05, FDR correction). Conclusions Our exploratory analysis found that iRBD patients had a higher incidence of N1 loss and reduced RCN volume after FDR correction. Cognitive and motor impairment were associated with iron deposition in several cerebral nuclei after FDR correction.

The study aimed to analyze the feasibility of a radial turbo-spin-echo (TSE) T2 mapping to differentiate the histological grades and lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) of cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) in comparison with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).A total of 58 patients with CSCC and 40 healthy volunteers underwent T2 mapping and DWI before therapy. The T2 and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were calculated using different tumor characteristics. The differences, efficacies and correlations between parameters were determined.The T2 and ADC values were significantly different between CSCC and normal cervical stroma (both p 0.05). Poorly differentiated (G3) tumor showed lower T2 and ADC values than well differentiated (G1) and moderately differentiated (G2) tumor (all p 0.05). The T2 values were significantly lower in LVSI-positive CSCC than LVSI-negative CSCC (p 0.05). No significant difference was found in ADC values for LVSI status (p = 0.561). The area under the ROC (AUC) for T2 and ADC values to distinguish G1/G2 and G3 tumor were 0.741 and 0.763, respectively. The AUC for T2 and ADC values to distinguish LVSI-positive and LVSI-negative CSCC were 0.877 and 0.537, respectively. The T2 and ADC values were negatively correlated with the tumor grades (r = -0.402 and r = -0.339, respectively).Radial TSE T2 mapping is feasible for CSCC. Similar to ADC values, quantitative T2 values could serve as a noninvasive biomarker to predict histological grades preoperatively. Moreover, T2 values could determine the presence of LVSI better than ADC values.

Purpose To compare integrated slice-specific dynamic shimming (iShim) diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and single-shot echo-planar imaging (SS-EPI) DWI in image quality and pathological characterization of rectal cancer. Materials and methods A total of 193 consecutive rectal tumor patients were enrolled for retrospective analysis. Among them, 101 patients underwent iShim-DWI (b = 0, 800, and 1600 s/mm2) and 92 patients underwent SS-EPI-DWI (b = 0, and 1000 s/mm2). Qualitative analyses of both DWI techniques was performed by two independent readers; including adequate fat suppression, the presence of artifacts and image quality. Quantitative analysis was performed by calculating standard deviation (SD) of the gluteus maximus, signal intensity (SI) of lesion and residual normal rectal wall, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values (generated by b values of 0, 800 and 1600 s/mm2 for iShim-DWI, and by b values of 0 and 1000 s/mm2 for SS-EPI-DWI) and image quality parameters, such as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of primary rectal tumor. For the primary rectal cancer, two pathological groups were divided according to pathological results: Group 1 (well-differentiated) and Group 2 (poorly differentiated). Statistical analyses were performed with p Results Compared with SS-EPI-DWI, significantly higher scores of image quality were obtained in iShim-DWI cases (P background was significantly reduced on b = 1600 s/mm2 images and ADC maps of iShim-DWI. Both SNR and CNR of b = 800 s/mm2 and b = 1600 s/mm2 images in iShim-DWI were higher than those of b = 1000 s/mm2 images in SS-EPI-DWI. In primary rectal cancer of iShim-DWI cohort, SIlesion was significantly higher than SIrectum in both b = 800 and 1600 s/mm2 images. ADC values were significantly lower in Group 2 (0.732 ± 0.08) × 10− 3 mm2/s) than those in Group 1 ((0.912 ± 0.21) × 10− 3 mm2/s). ROC analyses showed significance of ADC values and SIlesion between the two groups. Conclusion iShim-DWI with b values of 0, 800 and 1600 s/mm2 is a promising technique of high image quality in rectal tumor imaging, and has potential ability to differentiate rectal cancer from normal wall and predicting pathological characterization.

Group recommendation has received great attention owing to its practical value in real applications. However, group members are implicit and groups are formed occasionally in some scenarios. Existing solutions for latent group recommendation assumes a user belongs to a specific group, and totally ignore the possible correlation between the user' $s$ preferences and other groups' preferences. In addition, existing methods cannot deal with new items cold-start problem effectively because they only focus on which items are favored by the group without considering the hidden related information between items. These weaknesses usually lead to poor performance of latent group recommendation. To address the problems above, this paper proposes a latent group recommendation method based on double fuzzy clustering and matrix tri-factorization (DFCMTF -LGR). Firstly, this method utilizes unsupervised learning to implement potential feature extraction and double fuzzy clustering for users and items. Secondly, a novel matrix tri-factorization method is presented to adjust the membership of user-to-group, item-to-item category, and the incidence of group-to-item category is obtained. Finally, latent groups are detected according to user-to-group membership, and group rating can be generated in accordance with group-to-item category incidence matrix and item-to-item category membership. Experimental results on real datasets demonstrate that our proposed DFCMTF-LGR has better performance compared with state-of-the art methods.

Agricultural land fragmentation has an important impact on ecosystem services, especially food production. However, the relationship between land fragmentation and production diversification remains controversial and requires further analysis. This study characterized the dynamics of land fragmentation and production diversification in Zhejiang Province, China, from 1995 to 2015 using remote sensing, landscape metrics, and a diversification assessment approach. The results showed that Zhejiang Province experienced increasing fragmentation of agricultural landscapes and profound diversification of agricultural production. Fragmentation had a significant negative effect on grain crop production, but it had a significant positive effect on production diversification. These findings showed that fragmentation is an important driver of the diversification of agriculture and contributes to increased dietary diversity in local households. Therefore, we believe that when addressing land fragmentation issues, both the positive and negative impacts of fragmentation in different local conditions and circumstances should be taken into account. Our findings will provide scientific support for land consolidation management and agricultural land resource protection.

To quantitatively evaluate the volume of the ischemic penumbra using susceptibility-weighted imaging and mapping (SWIM) of asymmetrical prominent cortical veins (APCVs) in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Eighty-five eligible patients with acute ischemic stroke on admission within 12 h from symptom onset were studied. The APCVs on SWIM were quantitatively (SWI-volume) and semi-quantitatively (SWI-Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score, SWI-ASPECTS) evaluated to calculate mismatch. To assess the diagnostic efficacy of APCVs on SWIM, comparative analyses were performed between SWIvolume-DWI mismatch and SWIASPECTS-DWI mismatch, using PWI-DWI mismatch as a reference. Correlations were calculated between the mismatches, as well as between SWI-volume and time-to-maximum (Tmax) > 6 s volume. Additionally, each of these mismatches was correlated with the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The sensitivity, negative predictive value, and accuracy of SWIvolume-DWI mismatch were demonstrably higher than SWIASPECTS-DWI mismatch (100% vs. 53.7%, 100% vs. 9.5%, 97.7% vs. 54.5%, respectively). A significant positive correlation was found between SWIvolume-DWI and PWI-DWI mismatch (r = 0.691, p 6 s volume (r = 0.786, p < 0.001). A significant negative correlation was found between SWIvolume-DWI mismatch and NIHSS (r = − 0.360, p = 0.022), as well as between SWIASPECTS-DWI mismatch and NIHSS (r = − 0.499, p = 0.001). SWIvolume-DWI mismatch had higher diagnostic efficacy than SWIASPECTS-DWI mismatch in defining the ischemic penumbra and showed good consistency with PWI-DWI mismatch in acute ischemic stroke. Quantitation of APCVs using SWIM provided an accurate method for determining hypoperfusion and provided a reliable method to reflect the hypoxia of penumbra. • SWI volume -DWI mismatch has higher diagnostic efficacy than SWI ASPECTS -DWI mismatch in defining the ischemic penumbra. • SWI volume -DWI mismatch shows good consistency with PWI-DWI mismatch in managing penumbra in acute ischemic stroke. • Quantitation of APCV volume using SWIM provided an accurate method for determining the hypoperfusion area and provided a reliable method to reflect the hypoxia of penumbra.

Background: A rapid lateral flow test (Peptest) to detect pepsin in saliva/sputum has been considered as a valuable method for diagnosing laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The aim of this meta-analysis is to analyze the utility of Peptest for diagnosis of LPR and GERD. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochran Library (from January 1980 to 26 January 2020) were searched for pepsin in saliva for LPR/GERD diagnosis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio, and area under the curve data were summarized to examine the accuracy. Results: A total of 16 articles that included 2401 patients and 897 controls were analyzed. The pooled sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of GERD/LPR with Peptest were 62% (95% confidence interval [CI] 49%–73%) and 74% (95% CI 50%–90%), respectively. The summarized diagnostic odds ratio and area under the curve were 5.0 (95% CI 2–19) and 0.70 (95% CI 0.66–0.74), respectively. Conclusion: Peptest shows moderate diagnostic value for LPR and GERD. More studies with standard protocols should be done to verify its usefulness.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Not all tandem occlusions diagnosed on traditional vascular imaging modalities, such as MRA, represent actual complete ICA occlusion. This study aimed to explore the utility of high-resolution vessel wall imaging in identifying true ICA tandem occlusions and screening patients for their suitability for endovascular recanalization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with no signal in the ICA on MRA were retrospectively reviewed. Two neuroradiologists independently reviewed their high-resolution vessel wall images to assess whether there were true tandem occlusions and categorized all cases into intracranial ICA occlusion, extracranial ICA occlusion, tandem occlusion, or near-occlusion. DSA classified patient images into the same 4 categories, which were used as the comparison with high-resolution vessel wall imaging. The suitability for recanalization of occluded vessels was evaluated on high-resolution vessel wall imaging compared with DSA. RESULTS: Forty-five patients with no ICA signal on MRA who had available high-resolution vessel wall imaging and DSA images were included. Among the 34 patients (34/45, 75.6%) with tandem occlusions on DSA, 18 cases also showed tandem occlusions on high-resolution vessel wall imaging. The remaining 16 patients, intracranial ICA, extracranial ICA occlusions and near-occlusions were found in 2, 6, and 8 patients, respectively, on the basis of high-resolution vessel wall imaging. A total of 20 cases (20/45, 44.4%) were considered suitable for recanalization on the basis of both DSA and high-resolution vessel wall imaging. Among the 25 patients deemed unsuitable for recanalization by DSA, 11 were deemed suitable for recanalization by high-resolution vessel wall imaging. CONCLUSIONS: High-resolution vessel wall imaging could allow identification of true ICA tandem occlusion in patients with an absence of signal on MRA. Findings on high-resolution vessel wall imaging can be used to screen more suitable candidates for recanalization therapy.

Land suitability analysis is an important step in land use planning for livestock development because of its high efficiency to allocate livestock farms to the most suitable land areas and minimize adverse effects on environment. This study aimed to use two multi-criteria analysis approaches: Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) and Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA), to comparatively evaluate and map land use suitability for livestock production in Hangzhou metropolitan area, China. The evaluation used eight factors as suitability criteria, relating to topographic, environmental, human factors, and socio-economic data. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method and GIS techniques were integrated into the evaluation models to create the land suitability map. The results of WLC approach showed that 11.4% of the total area was highly suitable for livestock production while 48.6% was unsuitable. Of these, areas located far from central city had higher suitability, while areas close to the urban district, drinking water source area, ecological and natural conservation area, had lower suitability. Sensitivity analysis indicated this expert suitability results for livestock production were robust. Indirect validations conducted by mutual comparisons of suitability maps computed using the WLC and OWA approaches demonstrated 90.4% of the overall agreement with a kappa coefficient of 0.857, indicating that both methods provide very similar spatial land use suitability distributions. Ecological fitness was evaluated by comparing the suitability analysis result with a previous livestock development planning and several recommendations aimed at improving the long-term livestock development plans were made for Hangzhou.

We consider the optimal financing (capital injections) and dividend payment problem for a Brownian motion model in the case of restricted dividend rates. The company has no obligation to inject capitals and therefore, the bankruptcy risk is present. Capital injections, if any, will incur both fixed and proportional transaction costs and dividend payments incur proportional transaction costs. The aim is to find the optimal strategy to maximize the expected present value of dividend payments minus the total cost of capital injections up to the time of bankruptcy. The problem is formulated as a mixed impulse-regular control problem. We address the problem via studying three cases of two auxiliary functions. We derive important analytical properties of the auxiliary functions and use them to study the value function and then identify the optimal control strategy. We show that the optimal dividend control is of threshold type and the optimal financing strategy prescribes to either never inject capitals or inject capitals only when the surplus reaches 0 with a fixed lump sum amount.

BACKGROUND Liposomal prostaglandin E1 (Lipo-PGE1) treatment should protect against hepatic warm ischemia-reperfusion injury (WIRI). Improved methods are needed for the noninvasive evaluation of hepatic responses to prophylactic Lipo-PGE1 pretreatment approaches. PURPOSE To demonstrate that multiparametric MRI measurements permit noninvasive differentiation of Lipo-PGE1 treatment outcomes in a hepatic WIRI animal model. STUDY TYPE Animal study. ANIMAL MODEL Seventy rabbits were randomly divided into a sham-operated group (A0), warm ischemia groups experiencing increasing periods of ischemia (A1-A3), and corresponding intervention groups (I1-I3) (n = 10 for each group). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE Imaging was performed at 3T using a multiecho gradient echo (GRE) sequence (repetition time / echo time [TR/TE], 75/2.57-24.25 msec) for R2* blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) measurements, free-breathing single-shot echo-planar imaging (ss-EPI) sequence with two b-values (0 and 500 s/mm2 ) in 12 diffusion directions for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and a free-breathing ss-EPI sequence with eight b-values (0 to 800 s/mm2 ) for intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) measurements. ASSESSMENT The BOLD-derived parameter (R2*), DTI-derived parameters (ADC, FA), and IVIM-derived parameters (Dslow, Dfast, and PF) were calculated for comparisons between treatment groups and correlation to ALT, AST, and LDH levels. STATISTICAL TESTS One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent sample t-test, Spearman correlation, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were performed. RESULTS Histopathology confirmed the validity of the WIRI model and the efficacy of intervention with clear structure and morphology differences between the different ischemia times and between the Lipo-PGE1 treatment and control groups. Prolonged warm ischemia times resulted in higher R2* and FA values and gradually lower ADC, Dslow, Dfast, and PF values (all P

Background Reduced flow into the brain or decreased jugular venous outflow from the brain may serve as a potential biomarker for Parkinson's disease (PD). Our goal was to compare the presence of vascular abnormalities, flow, and increases in midbrain iron content (a hallmark of the disease) in patients with PD. Methods A total of 85 PD patients and 85 healthy controls (HCs) were imaged at 3T. We assessed vascular abnormalities using magnetic resonance (MR) venography, average cerebral blood flow using 2D flow quantification, and substantia nigra iron content using susceptibility mapping. Results Fifty-two percent (52%) of the PD subjects showed venous structural and functional abnormalities in the two most severe categories, while ony 14% of the HC group showed these abnormalities. Total arterial flow (tA) was significantly lower for the PD group (10.9 ± 1.8 ml/s) compared to the HCs (11.6 ± 2.1 ml/s) (t = 2.28, p = 0.02). Of the PD patients (HCs), 42% (14%) had little flow on the left side. PD patients had higher heart rates and lower perfusion and the lower perfusion correlated with increased iron content in the substantia nigra. Conclusion Some PD patients showed abnormal left internal jugular veins, lower tA, higher heart rates, and lower perfusion relative to HCs. These indicators could serve as early biomarkers for PD and create new avenues for future studies regarding the etiology of PD.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease with a progressive loss of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra (SN). To further evaluate its pathophysiology, accurate animal models are needed. The current study aims to verify the impact of a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) bilateral microinjection into the SN on gastrointestinal symptoms in rats and confirm that the 6-OHDA rat model is an appropriate tool to investigate the mechanisms of Parkinsonian GI disorders. Immunohistochemistry, digital X-ray imaging, short-circuit current, FITC-dextran permeability and ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry were used in this study. The results indicated that the dopaminergic neurons in SN and fibres in the striatum were markedly reduced in 6-OHDA rats. The 6-OHDA rats manifested reductions in occupancy in a rotarod test and increases in daily food debris but no difference in body mass or daily consumption. Compared with control rats, faecal pellets and their contents were significantly decreased, whereas gastric emptying and intestinal transport were delayed in 6-OHDA rats. The increased in vivo FITC-dextran permeability and decreased intestinal transepithelial resistance in the model suggest attenuated barrier function in the digestive tract in the PD model. Moreover, inflammatory factors in the plasma showed that pro-inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-8 were significantly increased in 6-OHDA rats. Collectively, these findings indicate that the model is an interesting experimental tool to investigate the mechanisms involved in the progression of gastrointestinal dysfunction in PD.

Land acquisition and resettlement (LAR) is an important step in urban development. As one of the ‘externalities of development’, LAR conflicts have affected social stability and development in rural areas of China. With social conflict research shifting from value identity to resource allocation, few studies have examined the relationship between the spatial injustice of urban public resources and LAR conflict. To mitigate this research gap and formulate effective policies, this study aims to reinterpret the obstacles of LAR conflicts from the perspective of the spatial injustice of urban public facilities allocation in Hangzhou City by examining 195 administrative litigation cases. Spatial accessibility was used for estimating the spatial justice of urban public resources allocation. A classification and regression tree (CART) model was applied to identify the advantage and disadvantage factors behind LAR conflict, and explored the logical and structural relationships among these factors. Results showed that a spatial mismatch between the spatial behavior preferences of human activity and the spatial injustice of urban public resources allocation had significantly accelerated LAR conflicts. When the spatial behavior preferences of human activity and spatial distribution of urban public resources correspond to each other pre- and after LAR, basic rights to social space are safeguarded and various groups can equitably share spatial resources. There are no conflicts. Conversely, respondents expressed a high level of dissatisfaction in comparison to their pre-LAR conditions, and LAR conflict undeniably occurs. This approach also proposes some good LAR policies by regulating the spatial injustice of urban public resources allocation associated with LAR with the aim of long-term urban sustainable development for Hangzhou.

Accurately quantifying the variation of urban green space is the prerequisite for fully understanding its ecosystem services. However, knowledge about the spatiotemporal dynamics of urban green space is still insufficient due to multiple challenges that remain in mapping green spaces within heterogeneous urban environments. This paper uses the city of Hangzhou to demonstrate an analysis methodology that integrates sub-pixel mapping technology and landscape analysis to fully investigate the spatiotemporal pattern and variation of hierarchical urban green space patches. Firstly, multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis was applied to time series Landsat data to derive green space coverage at the sub-pixel level. Landscape metric analysis was then employed to characterize the variation pattern of urban green space patches. Results indicate that Hangzhou has experienced a significant loss of urban greenness, producing a more fragmented and isolated vegetation landscape. Additionally, a remarkable amelioration of urban greenness occurred in the city core from 2002 to 2013, characterized by the significant increase of small-sized green space patches. The green space network has been formed as a consequence of new urban greening strategies in Hangzhou. These strategies have greatly fragmented the built-up areas and enriched the diversity of the urban landscape. Gradient analysis further revealed a distinct pattern of urban green space landscape variation in the process of urbanization. By integrating both sub-pixel mapping technology and landscape analysis, our approach revealed the subtle variation of urban green space patches which are otherwise easy to overlook. Findings from this study will help us to refine our understanding of the evolution of heterogeneous urban environments.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand spatial and temporal variations of soil organic carbon (SOC) under rapid urbanization and support soil and environmental management.

Parkinson's disease (PD) has been characterized by dopaminergic neuron degeneration in the substantia nigra (SN) accompanied by pathology of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV). PD patients have often experienced gastrointestinal dysfunctions, such as gastroparesis. However, the mechanism underlying these symptoms in PD patients is not clear. In the present study, we investigated alterations of cholinergic and catecholaminergic neurons in the DMV and gastric motor function in rats microinjected with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) bilaterally into the SN (referred to as 6-OHDA rats) and explored possible mechanisms. A strain gauge force transducer was used to record gastric motility in vivo. Expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was evaluated by immunofluorescence and western blot analysis. Acetylcholine (Ach) content was measured using ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS) analysis. After treatment with 6-OHDA for 6 weeks, 6-OHDA rats exhibited decreased ChAT and enhanced TH expression in the DMV and decreased Ach content in the gastric muscular layer. Delayed gastric emptying and impaired gastric motility in vivo were observed in 6-OHDA rats. The results of the present study indicated that decreased ChAT and enhanced TH expression in the DMV may be correlated with the development of delayed gastric emptying and impaired gastric motility, which may be partly due to the decreased Ach release from the vagus.

With respect to the inevitable mis-registration and shadow effects on change detection analysis, we propose objectbased post-classification of the Multivariate Alteration Detection components (OB-MAD). Very high spatial resolution images of drained, managed wetland ponds were used to compare the proposed OB-MAD method with three commonly used classification methods in terms of minimizing the influence of mis-registration and shadow on the change detection analysis: (a) the traditional MAD method with thresholds (Threshold-MAD), (b) a pixel-based postclassification of MAD components with decision tree analysis (PB-MAD), and (c) a traditional object-based postclassification method (OB-traditional). The OB-MAD method, which utilizes shape and textural information of objects derived from MAD components, produced the highest accuracy with respect to wetland change detection and successfully minimized the influence from the geometric distortion and shadow on the changed area.

We study the optimal financing and dividend distribution problem with restricted dividend rates in a diffusion type surplus model, where the drift and volatility coefficients are general functions of the level of surplus and the external environment regime. The environment regime is modeled by a Markov process. Both capital injection and dividend payments incur expenses. The objective is to maximize the expectation of the total discounted dividends minus the total cost of the capital injection. We prove that it is optimal to inject capital only when the surplus tends to fall below 0 and to pay out dividends at the maximal rate when the surplus is at or above the threshold, dependent on the environment regime.

Multiple policy projects have changed land use and land cover (LULC) in China’s rural regions over the past years, resulting in two types of rural settlements: new-fashioned and old-fashioned. Precise extraction of and discrimination between these two settlement types are vital for sustainable land use development. It is difficult to identify these two types via remote sensing images due to their similarities in spectrum, texture, and geometry. This study attempts to discriminate different types of rural settlements by using a spatial contextual information extraction method based on Gaofen 2 (GF-2) images, which integrate hierarchical multi-scale segmentation and landscape analysis. A preliminary LULC map was derived by using only traditional spectral and geometrical features from a finer scale. Subsequently, a vertical connection was built between superobjects and subobjects, and landscape metrics were computed. The vertical connection was used for assigning landscape contextual information to subobjects. Finally, a classification phase was conducted, in which only multi-scale contextual information was adopted, to discriminate between new-fashioned and old-fashioned rural settlements. Compared with previous studies on multi-scale contextual information, this paper employs landscape metrics to quantify contextual characteristics, rather than traditional spectral, textural, and topological relationship information, from superobjects. Our findings indicate that this approach effectively identified and discriminated two types of rural settlements, with accuracies over 80% for both producers and users. A comparison with a conventional top-down hierarchical classification scheme showed that this novel approach improved accuracy, precision, and recall. Our results confirm that multi-scale contextual information with landscape metrics provides valuable spatial information for classification, and indicates the practicability, applicability, and effectiveness of this synthesized approach in distinguishing different types of rural settlements.

British Petroleum (BP) Company, generally regarded as BP, is one of the world's distinguished international oil and gas companies. BP specializes in making and selling useful products which are generated from oil and natural gas. This report begins with brief overview and sustainability situation of BP. After that, the particular progress towards sustainability achieved at BP is analysed and critically evaluated through sustainability change matrix. On the basis of stressing its sustainability position, general direction of sustainability change process could be shaped. During the change process, influential factors for sustainability change progress in BP will be listed. This is followed by recommendations put forward accordingly. Finally, this section embraces change strategies and specific sustainability actions in BP as well. In order to reach the strategic position, sustainability programs are designed and presented step by step.

We have demonstrated that under physiological conditions CCK acts through vagal high-affinity CCK-A receptors to mediate pancreatic secretion. In this study, we evaluated the vagal afferent response to endogenous CCK in rats and defined the CCK-receptor affinity states and the vagal-receptive field responsive to CCK stimulation using electrophysiological studies. Experiments were performed on anesthetized rats prepared with bile-pancreatic fistula. Plasma CCK levels were elevated by diverting bile-pancreatic juice (BPJ). The single-unit discharge of sensory neurons supplying the gastrointestinal tract was recorded from the nodose ganglia. All units studied were either silent or they had a very low resting discharge frequency. Thirty-two single units were studied extensively; seven were shown to be stimulated by diversion of BPJ (2.6 ± 2 impulses/min at basal to 40 ± 12 impulses/min after diversion). Acute subdiaphragmatic vagotomy or perivagal capsaicin treatment abolished the response. The CCK-A-receptor antagonist CR-1409, but not the CCK-B antagonist L-365260, blocked the vagal response to endogenous CCK stimulation. Infusion of the low-affinity CCK-receptor antagonist CCK-JMV-180 completely blocked the vagal afferent response to the diversion of BPJ in three of seven rats tested but had no effect on the response in the remaining four. In a separate study, we demonstrated that gastric, celiac, or hepatic branch vagotomy abolished the response in different subgroups of neurons. In conclusion, under physiological conditions, CCK acts on both high- and low-affinity CCK-A receptors present on distinct vagal afferent fibers. The vagal CCK-receptor field includes the regions innervated by the gastric, celiac, and hepatic vagal branches. This study provides electrophysiological evidence that vagal CCK receptors are present on the vagal gastric, celiac, and hepatic branches and may occur in high- and low-affinity states.

We study the dividend optimization problem for a company where surplus in the absence of dividend payments follows a Cramer–Lundberg process compounded by constant force of interest. The company controls the times and amounts of dividend payments subject to reserve constraints that dividends are not payable if the surplus is below b0 and that a dividend payment, if any, cannot reduce the surplus to a level below b0, and its objective is to maximize the expected total discounted dividends. We show how the optimality can be achieved under the constraints and construct an optimal strategy of a band type.

Nitrogen deficiency can seriously reduce yield, while over-fertilization can result problems such as excess nutrient runoff and groundwater pollution. Hence, efficient methods for assessing crop nitrogen status are needed to enable more optimal fertilizer management. The ability to quantify the different nitrogen application rates by crops using digital images taken from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was investigated in comparison with ground-based hyperspectral reflectance and chlorophyll content data from 140 plots on a managed field. This research utilized new UAV system, comprised of remote-controlled helicopter (Hercules II) and digital camera (EOS 30D), was used to characterize spatial and temporal variation in crop production. Digital information was extracted based on an object-oriented segmentation method, and the color parameter was reduced and represented using principal component analysis (PCA). An estimating model was established after analyzing the relationship between the optimal color parameter and ground-based measurements. Model testing demonstrated that unknown samples could be associated with the controlled nitrogen application rates (0, 60, 90, and 120 kg N·hm−2 ): 91.6% %; N1 (60 kg N·hm−2 ): 70.83%; N2 (90 kg N·hm−2 ): 86.7%; N3 (120 kg N·hm−2 ): 95%. Overall, this result proved to provide a cost-effective and accurate way and the UAV was an exploratory and predictive tool when applied to quantify different status of nitrogen. In addition, it indicated that the application of digital image from UAV to the problem of estimating different nitrogen rates is promising.Copyright © 2009 by ASME

Background & Aims: Low grade gastrointestinal inflammation is a potent etiologic factor for developing irritable bowel syndrome. We have shown that Th1 and Th2 cytokines have opposing effect on intestinal muscle contraction via 5-HT signaling in the nematode infection and T cell-mediated enteropathy. In this study, we evaluated the gastrointestinal transit In Vivo and compared to the contraction study In Vitro, and investigated the effect of Th1/Th2 cytokines on smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in T cell-mediated persistent gut motor dysfunction model. In addition, we investigated the cytokine-induced intracellular signaling mechanism toward the gut motor dysfunction. Further, the improvement of hyper-contractility by a Japanese traditional medicine daikenchuto (DKT) (Kono T et al., Surgery 146:837-4

Measures of colonic motility included organ bath physiology to determine circular muscle contractility in response to acetylcholine (ACh 10-6 10-4 M) expressed as AUC in gm*sec, stool output expressed in gm weight/12 hrs and intracolonic pressure measurements expressed as AUC in mmHg*sec. Results. In WT mice, the circular muscle contractile response was significantly greater at the beginning of the dark cycle as compared with the beginning of the light cycle for increasing doses of ACh: 4995 ± 990 vs 3063 ± 690, 8536 ± 1231 vs 4721 ± 1187 and 7486 ± 1153 vs 5197 ± 1296 gm*sec, respectively; P 0.05. Similarly, stool output and intracolonic pressure activity were attenuated in PER1PER2 KO mice kept in constant darkness but not in WT mice. Conclusion. Measures of colonic motility vary with the time of day. Persistence of these temporal changes in WT mice in constant darkness suggests that colonic motility is circadian. Attenuation of these temporal changes in PER1PER2 KO mice suggests that these changes are mediated by clock genes. These findings have important implications for the regulation of colonic motility and may provide insight into the mechanism underlying gastrointestinal symptoms in those individuals in whom the biological clock is perturbed (shift-workers, time-zone travelers).