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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, characterized by social communication disability and stereotypic behavior. This study aims to investigate the impact of prenatal exposure to 1‐nitropyrene (1‐NP), a key component of motor vehicle exhaust, on autism‐like behaviors in a mouse model. Three‐chamber test finds that prenatal 1‐NP exposure causes autism‐like behaviors during the weaning period. Patch clamp shows that inhibitory synaptic transmission is reduced in medial prefrontal cortex of 1‐NP‐exposed weaning pups. Immunofluorescence finds that prenatal 1‐NP exposure reduces the number of prefrontal glutamate decarboxylase 67 (GAD67) positive interneurons in fetuses and weaning pups. Moreover, prenatal 1‐NP exposure retards tangential migration of GAD67‐positive interneurons and downregulates interneuron migration‐related genes, such as Nrg1, Erbb4, and Sema3F, in fetal forebrain. Mechanistically, prenatal 1‐NP exposure reduces hydroxymethylation of interneuron migration‐related genes through inhibiting ten‐eleven translocation (TET) activity in fetal forebrain. Supplement with alpha‐ketoglutarate (α‐KG), a cofactor of TET enzyme, reverses 1‐NP‐induced hypohydroxymethylation at specific sites of interneuron migration‐related genes. Moreover, α‐KG supplement alleviates 1‐NP‐induced migration retardation of interneurons in fetal forebrain. Finally, maternal α‐KG supplement improves 1‐NP‐induced autism‐like behaviors in weaning offspring. In conclusion, prenatal 1‐NP exposure causes autism‐like behavior partially by altering DNA hydroxymethylation of interneuron migration‐related genes in developing brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is an effective and widely used method in gene expression studies. Selection of appropriate reference genes is key to generating reliable data using this technique and there are no published studies regarding the selection of reliable reference genes in the genus Primula. In this study, 10 candidate reference genes (28S, ACT, TUA, TUB, HIS, GAPDH, RPL18a, STPP, CSD and RNA pol II), were chosen from the transcriptome database in Primula forbesii Franch., and their expression levels were assessed by qRT-PCR in different flower developmental stages and different organs. Four software programs; geNorm, NormFinder, Bestkeeper, and Ref-Finder were used to validate the stability and suitability of potential reference genes. Comprehensive results showed that GAPDH was the most stable reference gene for P. forbesii, while TUA and TUB were the most unstable ones in flower development and different organs, respectively. Finally, to illustrate the usefulness of the top-ranked reference genes, the expression profile of the P. forbesii linalool synthase/nerolidol synthase gene (PfLIS/NES) was analysed, which highlighted the importance of proper reference gene selection. This work represents the first systematic study of reference gene stability in Primula and lays the foundation for future research into Primula gene expression patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The bladder wall may thicken resulting from chronic inflammation after initial treatment (transurethral resection [TUR] or neoadjuvant chemotherapy), which may mimic the feature of recurrent or residual bladder tumors (RBT). Therefore, it is critical to discriminate RBT from benign lesions after initial treatment.Purpose: To investigate whether diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) could discriminate RBT from post-therapy bladder inflammatory lesions.Study Type: Retrospective.Subjects: Fifty patients diagnosed with bladder cancer underwent TUR or received neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Field Strength/sequence: 3.0T MRI/conventional T1 -weighted imaging (T1 WI), T2 WI, and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with nine b-values ranging from 0-2000 s/mm2 .Assessment: Mean diffusion coefficients (MDa , MDb , and MDc ) and mean kurtosis values (MKa , MKb , and MKc ) were obtained from three different measurement methods. The region of interest (ROI) was placed 1) to encompass the entire portion of the thickening bladder wall or to portions that were the most restricted, with a b-value of 2) 2000 s/mm2 or 3) 1000 s/mm2 .Statistical Tests: The independent-samples t-test was used to compare the differences between RBT and the inflammatory group. Differences in DKI parameters were analyzed by comparing the areas under the receiver-operator characteristic curves (AUCs).Results: In patients with RBT, the MD (MDa , MDb , MDc ) values were significantly lower and the MK (MKa , MKb , MKc ) values were significantly higher than those in patients in the inflammatory lesions group (all P < 0.01). The AUC of MKb (0.934) was significantly larger than those of MDb , MKa , and MKc (0.793, P < 0.05; 0.694, P < 0.01; 0.719, P < 0.01, respectively).Data Conclusion: MK obtained from DKI provided better performance than conventional DWI in distinguishing RBT from inflammatory lesions after bladder cancer treatment. MK calculated with high b-values setting provided better performance in differentiation.Level Of Evidence: 1 Technical Efficacy Stage 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC, Stage T1 or lower) is treated with transurethral resection (TUR), while muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC, Stage T2 or more) requires neoadjuvant chemotherapy before radical cystectomy. Hence, preoperative differentiation is vital.Purpose: To investigate whether intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can differentiate NMIBC from MIBC and to assess whether there were correlations between IVIM parameters and the Ki-67 labeling index (LI).Study Type: Retrospective.Subjects: Thirty-six patients diagnosed with bladder cancer confirmed by histopathological findings.Field Strength/sequence: 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) DWI with eight b-values ranging from 0 to 1000 s/mm2 .Assessment: Molecular diffusion coefficient (D), perfusion-related diffusion coefficient (D*), perfusion fraction (f), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were calculated by biexponential and monoexponential models fits, respectively.Statistical Tests: Comparisons were made between the MIBC and NMIBC group, and differences were analyzed by comparing the areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUCs). The correlations between these parameters and Ki-67 LI were assessed by Spearman's rank correlation analysis.Results: The ADC and D value were significantly lower in patients with MIBC compared to those with NMIBC (P < 0.01). No significant (P > 0.05) differences were observed in D* and f. The AUC of D value (0.894) was significantly (P < 0.05) larger than the ADC value (0.786), with sensitivities and specificities of 95% and 87.5% (D) and 80% and 68.7% (ADC), respectively. In addition, the D and ADC values were significantly correlated with Ki-67 LI (r = -0.785, r = -0.643, respectively; both P < 0.01).Data Conclusion: The D value obtained from IVIM exhibited better performance than conventional DWI for distinguishing NMIBC from MIBC and may serve as a potential imaging biomarker for bladder cancer invasion.Level Of Evidence: 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:1054-1060. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: T2* relaxation is a primary determinant of image contrast with Gradient echo (GRE) sequences, and it has been widely used across body regions. Purpose: To compare the diagnostic performance of T2* mapping in combination with T2-weighted (T2W) imaging to T2W imaging alone for prostate cancer (PCa) detection. Material and Methods: The study included 31 patients (mean age, 62 ± 3 years; age range, 45-78 years) who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3.0T and histological examination. Three observers with varying experience levels reviewed T2W imaging alone, T2* mapping alone, and T2W imaging combined with T2* mapping. A five-point scale was used to assess the probability of PCa in each segment on MR images. Statistical analysis was performed using Z tests after adjusting for data clustering. Results: The area under the curve (AUC) of T2W imaging and T2* mapping data (observer 1, 0.93; observer 2, 0.90; observer 3, 0.77) was higher than T2W imaging (observer 1, 0.84; observer 2, 0.79; observer 3, 0.69) for all observers (P < 0.01 in all comparisons). The AUC of T2W imaging and T2* mapping data was higher for observers 1 and 2 than for observer 3 (P < 0.01). The sensitivity and specificity of T2W imaging and T2* mapping data (observer 1, 95%, 85%; observer 2, 90%, 83%; and observer 3, 82%, 63%, respectively) was higher than T2W imaging (observer 1, 78%, 79%; observer 2, 76%, 72%; observer 3, 74%, 51%, respectively) for all observers (P < 0.01 for observer 1; P < 0.01 for observers 2 and 3). Conclusion: The addition of T2* mapping to T2W imaging improved the diagnostic performance of MRI in PCa detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]