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Objective: To assess the value of feature-tracking cardiac magnetic resonance (FT-CMR) imaging in the quantitative evaluation of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed medical records of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) diagnosed in the Department of Cardiology of Hubei No.3 People’s Hospital of Jianghan University from April 2020 to April 2022, who underwent feature-tracking cardiac magnetic resonance (FT-CMR) examination. Based on the electrocardiogram (ECG) findings, patients were divided into ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (n=52) and non-STEMI (NSTEMI) (n=48) groups. We compared myocardial strain parameters between the two groups and applied the Pearson’s test to reveal any correlations between the left ventricular myocardial strain parameters and the number of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) positive segments; we assessed the clinical value of FT-CMR for predicting STEMI using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: The number of LGE-positive segments in the STEMI group was significantly higher than that in the NSTEMI group. The myocardial radial, circumferential and longitudinal strains in the STEMI group were significantly lower than those in the NSTEMI group (p

To explore the relationship between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level and infection risk in elderly stage 5 kidney disease (CKD) patients. This study retrospectively analyzed all 378 patients with grade 5 CKD over 60 years old treated in the Nephrology Department of our hospital from February 2014 to July 2019, including 286 cases with infection and 92 cases without. According to LDL-C levels, the patients were divided into three groups (Tertile 1-Tertile 3). Basic patient data and laboratory test results were collected for all three groups for analysis. The incidence of infection showed a gradually decreasing trend in the three groups (from 80.2, 78.6 to 68.3%), along with increasing LDL-C levels from Tertile 1 to Tertile 3, although the differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.075). After fully adjusting for confounding factors, the risk of infection was significantly reduced (OR = 0.646, 95% CI 0.420–0.993, p = 0.046) with increasing LDL-C levels. For the LDL-C levels of the three groups, the rising trend of LDL-C was significantly associated with the reduction in infection risk (OR = 0.545, 95% CI 0.317–0.937, p = 0.028). Curve fitting revealed that LDL-C levels were linearly negatively associated with the risk of infection, and the relationship between the two was not affected by the other factors (p for interaction: 0.567–1.000). LDL-C level is linearly negatively associated with the risk of infection in elderly patients with stage 5 CKD.

BACKGROUND: To explore the association between the glucose metabolism level of lung ground-glass nodules (GGNs), as revealed by (18)F-flurodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) imaging, and the invasive pathological growth pattern of early lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent PET/CT examination and surgical resection due to persistent GGNs, which were confirmed to be early lung adenocarcinoma by postoperative pathology examination. After adjusting for confounding factors and performing stratified analysis, we explored the association between the maximum standard uptake value of PET (SUVmax) and the invasive pathological growth pattern of early stage lung adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: The proportions of invasive adenocarcinoma (INV) in the SUVmax of Tertile 1, Tertile 2, and Tertile 3 were 52.7%, 73.3%, and 87.1%, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the risk of INV gradually increased as the GGN SUVmax increased [odds ratio (OR): 1.520, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.044–2.213, P=0.029]. This trend was statistically significant (OR: 1.678, 95% CI: 1.064–2.647, P=0.026), especially in Tertile 3 vs. Tertile 1 (OR: 4.879, 95% CI: 1.349–17.648, P=0.016). Curve fitting showed that the SUVmax and INV risk were linearly and positively associated. The association was consistent in different subgroups based on GGN number, type, shape, edge, bronchial sign, vacuole sign, pleural depression sign, diameters, and consolidation-to-tumor ratio, suggesting that there was no significant interaction between different grouping parameters and the association (P for interaction range = 0.129–0.909). CONCLUSIONS: In FDG PET, the glucose metabolism level (SUVmax) of lung GGNs is independently associated with INV risk, and this association is linear and positive.

Background Sublobar resection is suitable for peripheral cT1N0M0 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The traditional PET-CT criterion (lymph node size ≥1.0 cm or SUVmax ≥2.5) for predicting lymph nodes metastasis (LNM) has unsatisfactory performance. Objective We explore the clinical role of preoperative SUVmax and the size of the primary lesions for predicting peripheral cT1 NSCLC LNM. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 174 peripheral cT1 NSCLC patients underwent preoperative 18F-FDG PET-CT and divided into the LNM and non-LNM group by pathology. We compared the differences of primary lesions' baseline characteristics between the two groups. The risk factors of LNM were determined by univariate and multivariate analysis, and we assessed the diagnostic efficacy with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value (NPV). Results Of the enrolled cases, the incidence of LNM was 24.7%. The preoperative SUVmax >6.3 or size >2.3 cm of the primary lesions were independent risk factors of peripheral cT1 NSCLC LNM (ORs, 95% CIs were 6.18 (2.40-15.92) and 3.03 (1.35-6.81). The sensitivity, NPV of SUVmax >6.3 or size >2.3 cm of the primary lesions were higher than the traditional PET-CT criterion for predicting LNM (100.0 vs. 86.0%, 100.0 vs. 89.7%). A Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed a goodness-of-fit (P = 0.479). Conclusions The excellent sensitivity and NPV of preoperative of the SUVmax >6.3 or size >2.3 cm of the primary lesions based on 18F-FDG PET-CT might identify the patients at low-risk LNM in peripheral cT1 NSCLC.

To investigate the association between squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCAg) level and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status in Chinese lung adenocarcinoma patients.We retrospectively analyzed 293 patients with lung adenocarcinoma, divided into EGFR mutant group (n = 178) and EGFR wild-type group (n = 115). The general data and laboratory parameters of the two groups were compared. We used univariable and multivariable logistic regression to analyze the association between SCCAg level and EGFR mutation. Generalized additive model was used for curve fitting, and a hierarchical binary logistic regression model was used for interaction analysis.Squamous cell carcinoma antigen level in the EGFR wild-type group was significantly higher than that in the mutant group (p 0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, we found that elevated SCCAg was associated with a lower probability of EGFR mutation, with an OR of 0.717 (95% CI: 0.543-0.947, p = 0.019). For the tripartite SCCAg groups, the increasing trend of SCCAg was significantly associated with the decreasing probability of EGFR mutation (p for trend = 0.015), especially for Tertile 3 versus Tertile 1 (OR = 0.505; 95% CI: 0.258-0.986; p = 0.045). Curve fitting showed that there was an approximate linear negative relationship between continuous SCCAg and EGFR mutation probability (p = 0.020), which was first flattened and then decreased (p 0.001). The association between the two was consistent among different subgroups, suggesting no interaction (all p 0.05).There is a negative association between SCCAg level and EGFR mutation probability in Chinese lung adenocarcinoma patients.

BACKGROUND: To develop and verify a prediction model for distinguishing malignant from benign ground-glass nodules (GGNs) combined with clinical characteristics and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) parameters. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 170 patients (56 males and 114 females) with GGNs who underwent PET/CT and high-resolution CT examination in our hospital from November 2011 to December 2019. The clinical and imaging data of all patients were collected, and the nodules were randomly divided into a derivation set and a validation set. For the derivation set, we used multivariate logistic regression to develop a prediction model for distinguishing benign from malignant GGNs. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the model, and the data in the validation set were used to verify the prediction model. RESULTS: Among the 170 patients, 197 GGNs were confirmed via postoperative pathological examination or clinical follow-up. There were 21 patients with 27 GGNs in the benign group and 149 patients with 170 GGNs in the adenocarcinoma group. A total of five parameters, including the patient’s sex, nodule location, margin, pleural indentation, and standardized uptake value (SUV) index (the ratio of nodule SUVmax to liver SUVmean), were selected to develop a prediction model for distinguishing benign from malignant GGNs. The area under the curve (AUC) of the model was 0.875 in the derivation set, with a sensitivity of 0.702 and a specificity of 0.923. The positive likelihood ratio was 9.131, and the negative likelihood ratio was 0.322. In the validation set, the AUC of the model was 0.874, which was not significantly different from the derivation set (P=0.989). CONCLUSIONS: This study developed and validated a prediction model based on (18)F-FDG PET/CT imaging and clinical characteristics for distinguishing malignant from benign GGNs. The model showed good diagnostic efficacy and high specificity, which can improve the preoperative diagnosis of high-risk GGNs.

Previous studies have reported that long non‑coding (lnc) RNA FGD5‑antisense 1 (FGD5‑AS1) promotes tumor proliferation, migration and invasion. Therefore, the present study aimed to elucidate the biological role and underlying molecular mechanisms of FGD5‑AS1 in cisplatin (DDP) resistance of lung adenocarcinoma (LAD) cells. The results demonstrated that FGD5‑AS1 was highly expressed in DDP‑resistant LAD tissues and cells. Knockdown of FGD5‑AS1 decreased the proliferative, migratory and invasive abilities of DDP‑resistant LAD cells. Moreover, it was identified that FGD5‑AS1 acted as a molecular sponge for microRNA (miR)‑142, and FGD5‑AS1 enhanced the resistance of A549/DDP cells to DDP by directly interacting with miR‑142. Programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD‑L1) was also found to be a key effector of the FGD5‑AS1/miR‑142 axis to regulate the chemoresistance of DDP‑resistant LAD cells. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that FGD5‑AS1 increased DDP resistance of LAD via the miR‑142/PD‑L1 axis, which may offer a novel treatment strategy for patients with DDP‑resistant LAD.

Background: The incidence of ground-glass nodules (GGNs) in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated lung adenocarcinoma is significantly higher. For multiple GGNs, invasive detection is difficult to achieve. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an ideal non-invasive examination method to predict the EGFR mutation status in GGNs patients. Radiomics-based machine learning (ML) has been applied in various tumors. However, no predictive models based on 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomics features have been used to identify the EGFR mutation status in lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as GGNs. We amied to explore the predictive value of combining 18F-FDG PET/CT based radiomics and ML methods in distinguishing the mutation status of EGFR in lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as GGNs.Results: Among the 106 nodules, 81 had EGFR mutations (76.4%). There were no significant differences in general data, morphological characteristics, and PET/CT parameters between the EGFR mutation group and the wild group (P>0.05). Among the four models in the test set, XGBoost showed the best performance (AUC=0.798, 95%CI: 0.627-0.904) and was significantly better than Random Forest (AUC=0.680, 95%CI: 0.509-0.822) (Z=2.122, P=0.034).Conclusion: The combination of 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomics and machine learning methods is a potential non-invasive method for predicting the EGFR mutation status of GGNs lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Sublobar resection is not suitable for patients with pathological invasiveness [including lymph node metastasis (LNM), visceral pleural invasion (VPI), and lymphovascular invasion (LVI)] of peripheral clinical T1 (cT1) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), while primary tumor maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(max)) on (18)F-FDG PET-CT is related to pathological invasiveness, the significance differed among different institutions is still challenging. This study explored the relationship between the tumor-to-blood standardized uptake ratio (SUR) of (18)F-FDG PET-CT and primary tumor pathological invasiveness in peripheral cT1 NSCLC patients. METHODS: This retrospective study included 174 patients with suspected lung neoplasms who underwent preoperative (18)F-FDG PET-CT. We compared the differences of the clinicopathological variables, metabolic and morphological parameters in the pathological invasiveness and less-invasiveness group. We performed a trend test for these parameters based on the tertiles of SUR. The relationship between SUR and pathological invasiveness was evaluated by univariate and multivariate logistics regression models (included unadjusted, simple adjusted, and fully adjusted models), odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. A smooth fitting curve between SUR and pathological invasiveness was produced by the generalized additive model (GAM). RESULTS: Thirty-eight point five percent of patients had pathological invasiveness and tended to have a higher SUR value than the less-invasiveness group [6.50 (4.82–11.16) vs. 4.12 (2.04–6.61), P

Background To establish and validate 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT-based radiomics model and use it to predict the intermediate-high risk growth patterns in early invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC). Methods Ninety-three ground-glass nodules (GGNs) from 91 patients with stage I who underwent a preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT scan and histopathological examination were included in this study. The LIFEx software was used to extract 52 PET and 49 CT radiomic features. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm was used to select radiomic features and develop radiomics signatures. We used the receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) to compare the predictive performance of conventional CT parameters, radiomics signatures, and the combination of these two. Also, a nomogram based on conventional CT indicators and radiomics signature score (rad-score) was developed. Results GGNs were divided into lepidic group (n = 18) and acinar-papillary group (n = 75). Four radiomic features (2 for PET and 2 for CT) were selected to calculate the rad-score, and the area under the curve (AUC) of rad-score was 0.790, which was not significantly different as the attenuation value of the ground-glass opacity component on CT (CTGGO) (0.675). When rad-score was combined with edge (joint model), the AUC increased to 0.804 (95% CI [0.699–0.895]), but which was not significantly higher than CTGGO (P = 0.109). Furthermore, the decision curve of joint model showed higher clinical value than rad-score and CTGGO, especially under the purpose of screening for intermediate-high risk growth patterns. Conclusion PET/CT-based radiomics model shows good performance in predicting intermediate-high risk growth patterns in early IAC. This model provides a useful method for risk stratification, clinical management, and personalized treatment.

Purpose Thermogenesis of brown adipose tissue (BAT) is controlled by central modulating mechanisms, although changes in brain metabolism of BAT-positive subjects with different genders are still unclear. We hypothesized that changes in regional cerebral glucose metabolic activity were associated with BAT activities, and this association differed in different genders. Methods Brain glucose metabolism of 26 BAT-positive and 26 BAT-negative healthy subjects was compared using a brain fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET scan, and gender differences in BAT-related brain functional networks and effect of sex hormones were assessed by comparing the brain PET images of BAT-positive and BAT-negative subjects of different genders and postmenopausal female subjects. Results Compared with controls, BAT-positive male subjects had a significant hypermetabolic area in the right extranuclear and significant hypometabolic areas in the right inferior parietal lobule and right inferior frontal gyrus; while at the same threshold, BAT-positive female subjects had richer hypermetabolic regions, including bilateral limbic lobes, bilateral frontal lobes, right cerebellum, left sublobar, and right parietal lobe. However, BAT-positive postmenopause female subjects only showed significant hypometabolic regions in left lingual gyrus. Conclusions BAT-related brain functional networks are different between male and female subjects. Female networks are more significant and more concentrated while male networks are smaller and more dispersed, and these gender differences may be related to sex hormones.

Background Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a multisystem disease that affects the liver and a variety of extra-hepatic organ systems. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between hepatic steatosis and glucose metabolism in liver and extra-hepatic tissues and organs. Methods The whole body 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) images of 191 asymptomatic tumor screening patients were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with the ratio of spleen/liver CT densities > 1.1 were defined to have NAFLD, and their clinical symptoms, laboratory markers, FDG uptake in a variety of tissues and organs including heart, mediastinal blood pool, liver, spleen, pancreas, and skeletal muscle, as well as abdominal adipose tissue volumes including visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volume and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) volume were compared with those of the non-NAFLD patients and used to analyze the independent correlation factors of NAFLD. Results Among the 191 patients, 33 (17.3%) were NAFLD, and 158 (82.7%) were non-NAFLD. There was no significant correlation between the mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean) and CT density of liver as well as the ratio of spleen/liver CT densities. Hepatic steatosis, but not FDG intake, was more significant in NAFLD patients with abnormal liver function than those with normal liver function. Compared with the non-NAFLD patients, NAFLD patients had significantly reduced myocardial glucose metabolism, but significantly increased mediastinal blood pool, spleen SUVmean and abdominal adipose tissue volumes (including VAT and SAT volumes) (P r = 0.366 with hepatic CT density and − 0.236 with the ratio of spleen/liver CT densities, P Conclusions NAFLD is a systemic disease that can lead to the change of glucose metabolism in some extra-hepatic tissues and organs, especially the myocardium.

Objectives We aimed to investigate predictive factors of occult lymph node metastasis and to explore the diagnostic value of various standardized uptake value (SUV) parameters using fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET/CT) in predicting occult lymph node metastasis of clinical N0 non-small cell lung cancer patients. Methods We retrospectively analyzed PET/computed tomography parameters of tumor and clinical data of 124 clinical N0 non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent both preoperative F-FDG PET/computed tomography and anatomical pulmonary resection with systematic lymph node dissections. The SUVmax, SUVmean, metabolic total volume, and total lesion glycolysis of the primary tumor was automatically measured on the PET/computed tomography workstation. Standardized uptake ratio (SUR) were derived from tumor standardized uptake value divided by blood SUVmean (B-SUR) or liver SUVmean (L-SUR), respectively. Results According to postoperative pathology, 19 (15%) were diagnosed as occult lymph node metastasis among 124 clinical N0 non-small cell lung cancer patients. On univariate analysis, carcinoembryonic antigen, cytokeratin 19 fragment, lobulation, and all PET parameters were associated with occult lymph node metastasis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and negative predictive value of L-SURmax were the highest among all PET parameters (0.778, 94.7%, and 98.4%, respectively). On multivariate analysis, carcinoembryonic antigen, cytokeratin 19 fragment, and L-SURmax were independent risk factors for predicting occult lymph node metastasis. Compared to L-SURmax alone and the combination of carcinoembryonic antigen and cytokeratin 19 fragment, the model consisting of three independent risk factors achieved a greater area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.901 vs. 0.778 vs. 0.780, P = 0.021 and 0.0141). Conclusions L-SURmax showed the most powerful predictive performance than the other PET parameters in predicting occult lymph node metastasis. The combination of three independent risk factors (carcinoembryonic antigen, cytokeratin 19 fragment, and L-SURmax) can effectively predict occult lymph node metastasis in clinical N0 non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Objective Insulin resistance can increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction and dementia. Our purpose is to use 18F-FDG PET imaging to explore the effect of insulin resistance on brain glucose metabolism in cognitively normal subjects. Methods A total of 189 cognitively normal subjects who underwent PET examinations were enrolled. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was used to evaluate the presence of insulin resistance. Multivariate linear regression and generalized additive models were used to analyze the association between HOMA-IR and glucose metabolism in the whole brain and evaluate the effects of various covariates. The SPM12 software was used to evaluate the regional effect of insulin resistance on brain glucose metabolism. Results After being fully adjusted for confounding factors, HOMA-IR showed an approximately linear negative correlation with brain glucose metabolism (β = -0.219, T = -3.331, P = 0.021). Compared with normal subjects, insulin-resistant subjects had reduced glucose metabolism in bilateral middle temporal gyrus, bilateral middle frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus, right cuneiform lobe and bilateral cerebellar regions. In cognitively normal subjects, systemic insulin resistance has a significant effect on brain glucose metabolism. Conclusions 18F-FDG brain PET imaging could be helpful for the early diagnosis and treatment of changes in brain glucose metabolism caused by insulin resistance.

Purpose This work aims to train, validate, and test a dual-stream three-dimensional convolutional neural network (3D-CNN) based on fluorine 18 (18F)-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT to distinguish benign lesions and invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC) in ground-glass nodules (GGNs). Methods We retrospectively analyzed patients with suspicious GGNs who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT in our hospital from November 2011 to November 2020. The patients with benign lesions or IAC were selected for this study. According to the ratio of 7:3, the data were randomly divided into training data and testing data. Partial image feature extraction software was used to segment PET and CT images, and the training data after using the data augmentation were used for the training and validation (fivefold cross-validation) of the three CNNs (PET, CT, and PET/CT networks). Results A total of 23 benign nodules and 92 IAC nodules from 106 patients were included in this study. In the training set, the performance of PET network (accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.92 ± 0.02, 0.97 ± 0.03, and 0.76 ± 0.15) was better than the CT network (accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.84 ± 0.03, 0.90 ± 0.07, and 0.62 ± 0.16) (especially accuracy was significant, P-value was 0.001); in the testing set, the performance of both networks declined. However, the accuracy and sensitivity of PET network were still higher than that of CT network (0.76 vs. 0.67; 0.85 vs. 0.70). For dual-stream PET/CT network, its performance was almost the same as PET network in the training set (P-value was 0.372–1.000), while in the testing set, although its performance decreased, the accuracy and sensitivity (0.85 and 0.96) were still higher than both CT and PET networks. Moreover, the accuracy of PET/CT network was higher than two nuclear medicine physicians [physician 1 (3-year experience): 0.70 and physician 2 (10-year experience): 0.73]. Conclusion The 3D-CNN based on 18F-FDG PET/CT can be used to distinguish benign lesions and IAC in GGNs, and the performance is better when both CT and PET images are used together.

Xinshui Wang,1 Lijuan Jiang,2 Xiaonan Shao3 1Department of Endocrinology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, 213003, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, 213003, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, 213003, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Lijuan JiangDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, 213003, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-0-13776885831Fax +86-0519-86621235Email czyyjlj@126.comBackground: To explore the relationship between insulin resistance and osteoporosis risk in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods: A total of 234 T2DM patients were retrospectively analyzed, and their lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) and insulin resistance using C-peptide-based homeostasis model of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR (CP)] were assessed. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression methods were used to evaluate the association between HOMA-IR (CP) and osteoporosis, and subgroup analysis was performed on female and male patients.Results: After fully adjusting the covariates, the association between HOMA-IR (CP) and osteoporosis was only significant in female patients (P = 0.022); the interaction effect with gender was significant (P for interaction < 0.05). Curve fitting showed that the relationship between HOMA-IR (CP) and osteoporosis in women was nonlinear. When HOMA-IR (CP) is < 4.00, its effect on osteoporosis was not significant (P = 0.474); when HOMA-IR (CP) is > 4.00, the risk of osteoporosis increased significantly, with OR = 26.88 (95% CI: 2.75– 262.69, P = 0.005). The relationship between insulin resistance and osteoporosis risk in T2DM patients is significantly affected by gender.Conclusion: The higher the degree of insulin resistance in female patients, the greater the risk of osteoporosis, but the two are not linearly associated.Keywords: type 2 diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, osteoporosis, bone mineral density, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance

To evaluate the diagnostic value of circulating microRNA-1 (miR-1) in early coronary artery plaque rupture in patients with stable coronary artery disease (SCAD).A prospective cohort study was conducted. Sixty-seven patients with SCAD admitted to the department of cardiology of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January to June in 2019 were enrolled. All patients had completed coronary angiography (CAG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) single stent implantation or only CAG was performed according to the CAG results. Blood samples were collected before (0 hour) and 3 hours after the procedure. The expression of plasma miR-1 was detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and electrocardiogram was used to detect cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels. The difference of miR-1 and cTnI levels in PCI or CAG patients before and after procedure were compared, and the value for early diagnosis of coronary artery plaque rupture in SCAD patients was evaluated. The diagnostic efficacy was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve).There were 38 CAG patients and 29 PCI patients. There were no significant differences in gender, age, previous history (without hypertension history) and baseline data of cardiac function between the two groups. The expression of miR-1 after PCI was significantly higher than that before PCI [2Circulating miR-1 might have the value for early diagnosis of coronary artery plaque rupture in SCAD patients.

AIM To establish reference intervals (RIs) for maternal blood and umbilical cord blood procalcitonin (PCT) in healthy Chinese women in late pregnancy. METHODS One hundred and twenty-seven healthy Chinese women in late pregnancy, including 70 vaginal deliveries and 57 cesarean section deliveries, were retrospectively analyzed. These pregnant women gave birth to 58 male infants and 69 female infants. Another 127 age-matched healthy women who were not pregnant were enrolled as the control group. PCT levels in maternal blood, umbilical cord blood and control blood were determined using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. The RIs of PCT were defined using an intermediate 95% interval. RESULTS The RIs for maternal blood and umbilical cord blood PCT were 0.020-0.075 ng/mL and 0.020-0.159 ng/mL, respectively. The cord blood PCT level was not significantly different between different delivery methods (P > 0.05). In contrast, the umbilical cord blood PCT in female newborns was higher than that in male newborns (0.088 ± 0.046 ng/mL vs 0.072 ± 0.030 ng/mL, P

Background: The early diagnosis of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains a challenge. Methods: The study consecutively enrolled patients who had suffered from chest pain within 3 h whose electrocardiogram had no elevation in the ST segment. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 2, and the diagnostic criteria for NSTEMI were defined according to the recommended guideline. Circulating microRNA-1 was collected and determined by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: A total of 456 patients with suspected NSTEMI were included. There were 115 patients in the CKD group, including 67 with NSTEMI, 20 with stable angina, 7 with unstable angina, 18 with heart failure, and 3 with other disorders. Compared with the NSTEMI group, the non-NSTEMI group just had significant differences in microRNA-1 and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) (both p < 0.05). The relative expression of microRNA-1 was significantly increased in the NSTEMI group as compared with that in the other disease groups (all p < 0.05). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis suggested that microRNA-1 and hs-cTnI had advantages in the early diagnosis of NSTEMI with CKD (AUC [area under the ROC curve] 0.879 and 0.812, respectively, both p < 0.05). Compared with that in the non-CKD group, the accuracy of microRNA-1 was almost as good in the CKD group (84.3 vs. 89.4%, p > 0.05). However, the diagnostic accuracy of hs-cTnI was significantly decreased (79.1 vs. 91.5%, p < 0.05), as was its specificity (75.0 vs. 95.5%, p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the correlation between microRNA-1 and eGFR (p > 0.05), but a statistically significantly negative correlation between hs-cTnI and eGFR (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Circulating microRNA-1 is capable of early diagnosis of NSTEMI in patients with CKD suffering from chest pain.

Background Severe burn sepsis can lead to high mortality. We explored the valuable prognostic indicators for severe burn sepsis with inhalation lesion. Methods Thirty-eight severe burn patients with sepsis who were admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from August 2014 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 22 patients were assigned to the death group and 16 patients to the survival group. Their general information, vital signs, and blood index including serum procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels at admission, diagnosis of sepsis, and 1-week post-diagnosis of sepsis were compared. Results Patients in the death group were older and had lower platelet count (PLT) at diagnosis of sepsis and 1-week post-diagnosis as well as higher PCT level at 1-week post-diagnosis than patients in the survival group (all p Conclusion Age, PLT at diagnosis of sepsis, and 1-week post-diagnosis as well as PCT level at 1-week post-diagnosis are indicators for the evaluation of prognosis of severe burn sepsis with inhalation lesion. Among them, PLT at diagnosis has the greatest prognostic value. In addition, age can predict the patients’ mortality and survival time after sepsis.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to establish a prediction model based on the maternal laboratory index score (Lab-score) for histologic chorioamnionitis (HCA) in patients with prelabor rupture of membranes (PROM) during late pregnancy. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sixty-nine cases of pregnant women with PROM were retrospectively analyzed. The general information and laboratory indicators were compared between the HCA (n=22) and non-HCA (n=47) groups. A multivariate logistic regression method was used to establish the prediction model. We plotted the receiver operating characteristic curve and calculated the area under the curve (AUC). The clinical effectiveness of each model was compared by decision curve analysis. RESULTS Only C-reactive protein (CRP) in the laboratory index predicted HCA, but its diagnostic efficacy was not ideal (AUC=0.651). Then, we added CRP to the platelet/white blood cell count ratio and triglyceride level to construct the Lab-score. Based on the Lab-score, important clinical parameters, including body mass index, diastolic blood pressure, and preterm birth, were introduced to construct a complex joint prediction model. The AUC of this model was significantly larger than that of CRP (0.828 vs. 0.651, P=0.035), but not significantly different from that of Lab-score (0.828 vs. 0.724, P=0.120). Considering the purpose of HCA screening, the net benefit of the complex model was better than that of Lab-score and CRP. CONCLUSIONS The complex model based on Lab-score is useful in the clinical screening of high-risk populations with PROM and HCA during late pregnancy.

Background To establish and validate 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT-based radiomics model and use it to predict the intermediate-high risk growth patterns in early invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC). Methods Ninety-three ground-glass nodules (GGNs) from 91 patients with stage I who underwent a preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT scan and histopathological examination were included in this study. The LIFEx software was used to extract 52 PET and 49 CT radiomic features. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm was used to select radiomic features and develop radiomics signatures. We used the receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) to compare the predictive performance of conventional CT parameters, radiomics signatures, and the combination of these two. Also, a nomogram based on conventional CT indicators and radiomics signature score (rad-score) was developed. Results GGNs were divided into lepidic group (n = 18) and acinar-papillary group (n = 75). Four radiomic features (2 for PET and 2 for CT) were selected to calculate the rad-score, and the area under the curve (AUC) of rad-score was 0.790, which was not significantly different as the attenuation value of the ground-glass opacity component on CT (CTGGO) (0.675). When rad-score was combined with edge (joint model), the AUC increased to 0.804 (95% CI [0.699–0.895]), but which was not significantly higher than CTGGO (P = 0.109). Furthermore, the decision curve of joint model showed higher clinical value than rad-score and CTGGO, especially under the purpose of screening for intermediate-high risk growth patterns. Conclusion PET/CT-based radiomics model shows good performance in predicting intermediate-high risk growth patterns in early IAC. This model provides a useful method for risk stratification, clinical management, and personalized treatment.

Supplementary material 2. Significance of PET/CT texture features between lepidic group and acinar-papillary group

Supplementary material 1. Report on image processing and radiomic features extraction

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to explore the value of FDG PET combined with high-resolution CT (HRCT) in predicting the pathologic subtypes and growth patterns of early lung adenocarcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the PET/CT data on ground-glass nodules (GGNs) resected from patients with stage IA lung adenocarcinoma. The efficacy of PET maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) combined with HRCT signs in prediction of histopathologic subtype and growth pattern of lung adeno-carcinoma was evaluated. RESULTS. SUVmax was significantly higher in GGNs with invasive HRCT signs. The diameter of GGN (odds ratio, 1.660; p = 0.000) and the difference in attenuation value (odds ratio, 1.012; p = 0.011) between ground-glass components and adjacent lung tissues were independent predictors of FDG uptake by GGNs. SUVmax was higher in invasive adenocarcinoma than in adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS)-minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) (median SUVmax, 2.0 vs 1.1; p = 0.008). An SUVmax of 2.0 was the optimal cutoff value for differentiating invasive adenocarcinoma from AIS-MIA. Acinar-papillary adenocarcinoma had a higher SUVmax than lepidic adenocarcinoma (median SUVmax, 2.1 vs 1.3; p = 0.037). An SUVmax of 1.4 was the optimal cutoff value for differentiating the growth pattern of adenocarcinoma. Use of PET/CT with HRCT significantly improved efficacy for differentiating invasive adeno-carcinoma from AIS-MIA. However, use of HRCT cannot significantly improve the diagnostic efficacy of FDG PET in the evaluation of tumors with different growth patterns. CONCLUSION. FDG PET can be used to predict the histopathologic subtypes and growth patterns of early lung adenocarcinoma. Combined with HRCT, it has value for predicting invasive histopathologic subtypes but no significance for predicting invasive growth patterns.

Objective To analyze the FDG-PET and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) features of early lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as solitary ground-glass opacity nodules (GGNs), and to establish a new risk model for predicting the invasiveness of early lung adenocarcinoma. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data of clinical stage IA lung adenocarcinoma patients who received preoperative PET/CT and HRCT examination. Patients were divided into invasive adenocarcinoma (IVA) group and preinvasive minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) group. The correlations between FDG-PET parameters, HRCT parameters and histopathological invasiveness, and their predictive efficacy were analyzed. A mathematical model for predicting histopathological invasiveness of early lung adenocarcinoma was established and assessed. Results This study enrolled 56 patients, 48 were in IVA group and 8 were in preinvasive MIA group. Compared with those in preinvasive MIA group, GGNs in IVA group showed larger diameter, higher ground-glass opacity (GGO) density and more pleural indentation signs (70.8%) on HRCT; they also showed higher maximum standardized uptake value (SUV) and SUV index on FDG-PET (P = 0.001-0.037). Logistic regression analysis found a risk model for predicting IVA of solitary GGNs that were established by CTGGO and SUV index. Receiver operating characteristic curves showed that this model had the highest area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity and accuracy (AUC, 0.948; sensitivity, 95.8%; specificity, 87.5%; accuracy, 94.6%). Conclusion Using HRCT combined with FDG-PET to establish the corresponding mathematical prediction model has the potential to identify IVA in early lung adenocarcinoma preoperatively.

Left ventricular (LV) remodeling has adverse effects on the prognosis of patients with myocardial infarction (MI). The aim of this study is to identify the risk factors of LV remodeling in MI patients by radionuclide myocardial imaging. This retrospective study consisted of 92 patients who had a history of definite prior MI on ECG and underwent both resting gated single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and positron emission tomography (PET) myocardial metabolism imaging. LV remodeling was defined as > mean + 2SD of LV end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVi) in the normal database. LV enlargement, cardiac dysfunction, wall thickening abnormalities expressed as summed thickening score (STS) were more severe in the old MI patients as compared to those with subacute MI. STS (Odds ratio, 1.296; P = .004) and the proportion of segments with reduced wall thickening in segments with normal perfusion (Odds ratio, 1.110; P = .001) were identified as the independent factors of LV remodeling in subacute and old MI patients in the multivariate binary regression model. Total perfusion deficit (TPD), viable myocardium, scar, and the proportion of segments with reduced wall thickening in segments with decreased perfusion showed strong correlation with LV remodeling in the univariate regression model as well. LV remodeling in old MI patients is more extensive and severe than that in subacute MI patients. LV wall thickening abnormalities as expressed by STS and the proportion of segments with reduced wall thickening in segments with normal perfusion are the independent risk factors of LV remodeling in MI patients.

To investigate the predictive value of procalcitonin (PCT) in patients with stage 1–4 and stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD). Five hundred and forty-one CKD inpatients were retrospectively analyzed and divided into CKD stage 1–4 (CKD1–4) and CKD stage 5 (CKD5) groups. Each group was further divided into non-infection, local infection, and sepsis subgroups. The clinical characteristics and inflammatory indexes of each subgroup including PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC), and neutrophil percentage (N%) were compared, and the receiver operating characteristic curves to predict local infection and sepsis were plotted. Our research showed that the incidence and severity of infection in CKD5 group were significantly higher than those of CKD1–4 group; the baseline PCT level in CKD patients increased as renal function decreased and strongly correlated with CKD staging (r = 0.749); for CKD1–4 group, PCT, WBC, and N% could predict sepsis with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.956, 0.854, and 0.917, respectively, but only CRP could predict local infection with AUC of 0.729, and for CKD5 group, only PCT and CRP could predict local infection with AUC of 0.715 and 0.780, respectively, and only PCT and N% could predict sepsis with AUC of 0.823 and 0.683, respectively. The baseline PCT level of CKD patients is negatively correlated with renal function. In both CKD1–4 and CKD5 patients, the predictive value of PCT for local infection is not as good as that of CRP, while it has a significant advantage in predicting sepsis.

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of two-step irradiance schedule in relieving pain during PDT of CA. Methods The study was a prospective, controlled trial of 141 CA patients who were randomly divided into Group A (two-step irradiance schedule) and Group B (single-dose cold compress). The numeric rating scales (NRS) of patients’ pain were recorded at 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes during each PDT. Results The efficacy of PDT and NRS scores of patients in the two groups were compared. There was no significant difference in gender, age, lesion site, and disease course between the two groups (P > 0.05). In addition, the cure rate of patients in the two groups was not significantly different (97.1% vs. 95.8%, χ2 = 0.000, P = 1.000). However, the NRS scores at different time points and number of PDT sessions were significantly different (F = 198.233 and 165.224, respectively, P

Aim The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) with gelatin sponge (GS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particles for cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP). Methods A total of 35 patients with CSP, who were classified into either the GS group (n = 22) or the PVA group (n = 13), underwent TAE and postoperative ultrasound-guided curettage. Their hospital stay, first-scheme success rate, intra-curettage blood loss, serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) level, and other indicators were simultaneously recorded. During the follow-up period, time for the serum β-hCG level to return to normal, time for the return of menstrual cycle, and menstrual blood volume were recorded. Results Compared with the GS group, patients in the PVA group: (i) were older; (ii) had greater number of abortions or curettages, and had longer times since last cesarean (P 0.05); (iv) had lower, but not significantly different, hemorrhage rate (7.7% vs 36.4%, P = 0.066); (v) had a significantly higher serum β-hCG level at discharge and a smaller drop in serum β-hCG level from admission to discharge (P 0.05); (vii) had a shorter time for the return of menstrual cycle (P = 0.012); and (viii) had a significantly higher incidence of abnormal menstrual blood volume reduction (50.0% vs 8.3%, P = 0.034). Conclusion TAE with either GS or PVA particles for CSP treatment had relatively good efficacy. During the selection of the ideal embolic agent, the patient's age, hemorrhage risk, and requirement for protecting ovarian function and reserving fertility should be comprehensively considered.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the high metabolic characteristics of uterine fibroids in fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) PET/computed tomographic imaging and the underlying mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 47 patients with uterine fibroids who underwent PET/computed tomographic imaging and ultrasound examination from November 2011 to May 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. The characteristics of F-FDG uptake by uterine fibroids were analyzed and their correlations with age, menopause, menstrual cycle, hormone indexes, tumor markers as well as the number and maximum diameter of fibroids in ultrasound images were explored using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS (a) The total positive F-FDG uptake rate and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) were 40.4% (19/47) and 4.38±2.57 (1.74-10.81), respectively, in patients with uterine fibroids; (b) univariate analysis showed that age, menopause, estrogen, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone as well as the number of fibroids were correlated positively with F-FDG uptake in uterine fibroids (P

To explore the values of C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) in identifying infection and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Patients with SLE and infection from April 2015 to January 2018 were included in this study. We compared the clinical characteristics and biomarkers between different groups and calculated the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity of the corresponding biomarkers. Logistic regression analysis was performed on the variables exhibiting significant differences in univariate analysis. A total of 177 SLE patients were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into noninfected-inactive group, noninfected-active group, infected-inactive group, and infected-active group. CRP level of infected-inactive group was significantly higher than noninfected-inactive group (P .05). Multivariate analysis showed that CRP (>24.0 mg/L) was the only independent risk factor for SLE infection (odds ratio, OR = 2.896, P = .032). PCT level of infected-active group was significantly higher than infected-inactive group (P .05). SLE active group had shorter disease course, lower infection rate, higher PCT level, and lower platelet count (PLT). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that PCT (>0.048 ng/mL) and PLT (96 months) was independent protective factor (OR = 0.169, P

To explore the significance of circulating miRNA-1 (miR-1) released within 3 h after the onset of acute chest pain in the diagnosis and prognosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).A total of 337 patients with acute chest pain within 3 h were enrolled in this study and divided into AMI group and non-AMI group. The AMI diagnostic efficacy of miR-1 was determined and compared with that of cardiac troponin I (cTnI). The patients were followed up for 720 d after treatment. The significance of circulating miR-1 in AMI prognosis was assessed using univariate and COX regression analysis.There were 174 patients in AMI group, 163 in non-AMI group. Circulating miR-1 level was significantly higher in AMI group than in non-AMI group (P 0.001). The AMI diagnostic efficacy of miR-1 and cTnI were similar (P 0.05). We established two AMI diagnostic models, the AUC values of which were larger than that of cTnI or miR-1 (P 0.05). When miR-1 combined with CK-MB, cTnI, and other clinical and laboratory parameters (model 2), the AUC was the largest (AUC: 0.961) and had the highest diagnostic efficiency. Circulating miR-1, Killip classification, and treatment method were influencing factors for AMI prognosis (P 0.05).Circulating miR-1 within 3 h of acute chest pain has the potential diagnostic value for AMI, and which is an independent risk factor for the prognosis of AMI and can be used to predict AMI prognosis.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the predictive value of procalcitonin (PCT) for infection in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A retrospective analysis of 178 patients with T2DM who were divided into non-infection, local infection and sepsis groups was conducted; in conjunction with 33 healthy control patients. Clinicopathological characteristics and inflammatory indicators were compared between the four groups. Patients in the non-infection group exhibited significantly higher PCT levels compared with healthy controls (P=0.002). In addition, PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count and neutrophil percent were significantly different amongst patients with T2MD across different infection groups (all P local infection group > non-infection group (all P

Background Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a multisystem disease that affects the liver and a variety of extra-hepatic organ systems. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between hepatic steatosis and glucose metabolism in liver and extra-hepatic tissues and organs. Methods The whole body 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) images of 191 asymptomatic tumor screening patients were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with the ratio of spleen/liver CT densities > 1.1 were defined to have NAFLD, and their clinical symptoms, laboratory markers, FDG uptake in a variety of tissues and organs including heart, mediastinal blood pool, liver, spleen, pancreas, and skeletal muscle, as well as abdominal adipose tissue volumes including visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volume and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) volume were compared with those of the non-NAFLD patients and used to analyze the independent correlation factors of NAFLD. Results Among the 191 patients, 33 (17.3%) were NAFLD, and 158 (82.7%) were non-NAFLD. There was no significant correlation between the mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean) and CT density of liver as well as the ratio of spleen/liver CT densities. Hepatic steatosis, but not FDG intake, was more significant in NAFLD patients with abnormal liver function than those with normal liver function. Compared with the non-NAFLD patients, NAFLD patients had significantly reduced myocardial glucose metabolism, but significantly increased mediastinal blood pool, spleen SUVmean and abdominal adipose tissue volumes (including VAT and SAT volumes) (P