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Background and purpose: According to the classic cognitive behavioral theory proposes, dysfunctional goal‐directed and habit control systems are considered central to the pathogenesis of dependent behavior and impair recovery from addictions. The functional connectivity (FC) of the brain circuits for goal‐directed or habitual behavior has not been clearly reported in tobacco‐dependent groups. Smoking is one of the factors in the formation of atherosclerosis. Studies have shown that the thickness of carotid intima‐media (cIMT) is associated with attention‐executive‐psychomotor functioning. Therefore, we hypothesized whether cIMT in tobacco‐dependent individuals is associated with changes in the FC of the dual‐system network. Methods: A total of 29 male tobacco‐dependent subjects (tobacco‐dependent group) (mean age: 64.20 years, standard deviation [SD]: 4.81 years) underwent resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs‐fMRI). Exactly 28 male nonsmokers (control group) (mean age: 61.95 years, SD: 5.52 years) were also recruited to undergo rs‐fMRI. We used the dorsolateral striatum (putamen) and dorsomedial striatum (caudate) as regions of interest for whole‐brain resting‐state connectivity to construct habitual and goal‐directed brain networks, respectively. In addition, all participants were evaluated by carotid artery ultrasound to obtain the cIMT values. Then, we compared the dual‐system brain networks between the tobacco dependence and control groups and the relationship between cIMT and imbalance of dual‐system brain networks in tobacco dependence. Results: The results showed a reduction in the connection between the caudate and precuneus and an increased connection between the putamen and prefrontal cortex; and supplementary motor area. The bilateral connectivity between the caudate and inferior frontal gyrus showed a significant negative correlation with the cIMT, and no positive correlation was observed with cIMT in the brain region that connects to the caudate. However, for the putamen, increased connectivity with the inferior temporal and medial frontal gyri was strongly associated with a high cIMT. Conclusions: The results indicate that the formation of tobacco dependence behavior is related to changes in the dual‐system brain network. Carotid sclerosis is associated with the weakening of the goal‐directed network and enhancement of the habit network in tobacco dependence. This finding suggests that tobacco dependence behavior and clinical vascular diseases are related to changes in brain functional networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of the study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy and accuracy of coaxial biopsy puncture applied to make a diagnosis in 76 patients diagnosed with focal ground-glass density nodule (GGN).Materials and Methods: In total, 76 patients were diagnosed with pure GGN (pGGN), 24 males and 52 females, aged (52 ± 1.2) years on average (range: 47-72 years). All patients underwent computed tomography (CT)-guided coaxial biopsy puncture to localize the position and measure the size of pGGN. The maximal diameter of the pGGN and the length of puncture needle into the lung were quantitatively measured. The diagnostic accuracy rate of CT-guided biopsy was subsequently validated by histological pathological examination. The incidence of postoperative complications was observed after biopsy.Results: The pGGN diameter was measured from 5 to 45 mm, 21 mm on average. The pGGN depth ranged from 0 to 48 mm with a mean depth of 15 mm. Compared with the final diagnosis, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy rates of CT-guided needle aspiration biopsy in the diagnosis of pGGN were calculated as 97.3% (54/56), 85.0% (17/20), and 93.4% (71/76), respectively. Fourteen cases (18.4%) suffered from slight pneumothorax, 17 (22.4%) with mild errhysis surrounding the biopsy needle or lesions.Conclusion: CT-guided needle aspiration biopsy yields higher diagnostic accuracy and similar postoperative complications compared with the conventional histological diagnosis. For those undiagnosed by conventional CT scan and nontolerable of surgery, CT-guided needle aspiration biopsy serves as a safe and effective intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a green and efficient aqueous-phase method for the synthesis of thiosulfonates, which has the benefits of no need for catalysts or redox reagents and a short reaction time, providing a method with great economic value for synthesizing thiosulfonates. Furthermore, 3-Sulfenylindoles can be easily synthesized using this method, which expands the potential applications of this reaction., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)