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To determine whether liver lobe-based DCE-MRI can be used to detect the presence and Child-Pugh class of hepatitis B-related cirrhosis.Fifty-six cirrhotic patients with hepatitis B and 20 healthy participants underwent liver DCE-MRI, and the positive enhancement integral (PEI), time to peak (TTP), maximum slope of increase (MSI) and maximum slope of decrease (MSD) of the left lateral liver lobe (LLL), left medial liver lobe (LML), right liver lobe (RL), and caudate lobe (CL) were measured and analysed statistically to evaluate cirrhosis.TTP values of the LLL, LML, RL and CL were positively correlated with the Child-Pugh class of cirrhosis (r=0.452 to 0.55, all p0.05). PEI values of the LLL, LML, RL and CL, as well as the MSI of the CL and the MSD of the RL, were inversely correlated with the Child-Pugh class (r=-0.349 to -0.72, all p0.05). PEI values of the LLL and CL, or TTP values of the RL had the most area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.99 for identifying the presence of liver cirrhosis. The PEI of the RL had the largest AUC of 0.975 and 0.78 for distinguishing the Child-Pugh class A of cirrhosis from class B-C and class A-B of cirrhosis from class C, respectively.Liver lobe-based DCE-MRI parameters are associated with the presence and Child-Pugh class of hepatitis B-related cirrhosis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) derived parameters can be associated with tumour stage of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). METHODS: 60 patients with resectable oesophageal SCC and 20 healthy individuals underwent oesophageal DWI-using multi b-values with a 3.0 T MR system. Pure diffusion coefficient (D), perfusion-related incoherent microcirculation (D*), microvascular volume fraction (f) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were measured on DWI. Statistical analyses were performed to determine associations of DWI-derived parameters with T-stage. RESULTS: ADC (r = −0.842), D (r = −0.729), D* (r = −0.301) and f (r = −0.817) were negatively correlated with T-stage of oesophageal SCC (all p < 0.01), and the multinominal regression analyses revealed that IVIM-derived parameters including D (p = 0.038; odds ratio 0.05). By receiver operating characteristic analyses, f could be the best indicator for detecting oesophageal SCC with an area under receiver operating characteristic (AUC) of 0.964, especially T(1)-staged cancer with an AUC of 0.984, and for discriminating T(1)-stages between T(0–1) and T(2)(–)(3) with an AUC of 0.957, and between T(0)(–)(2) and T(3) with an AUC of 0.945 in comparison with any other DWI-derived parameter. CONCLUSIONS: IVIM derived parameters can be associated with T-stage of oesophageal SCC. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: (1) IVIM-derived parameters are negatively correlated with stage of oesophageal SCC. (2) Among IVIM-derived parameters, microvascular volume fraction helps detect and stage oesophageal SCC.

Purpose To investigate whether liver lobe based T2* values measured on gradient recalled echo T2*-weighted imaging are associated with the presence and Child-Pugh class of hepatitis B-related cirrhosis. Methods Fifty-six patients with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis and 23 healthy control individuals were enrolled in this study and underwent upper abdominal T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. T2* values of the left lateral lobe (LLL), left medial lobe (LML), right lobe (RL) and caudate lobe (CL) were measured on T2*-weighted imaging. Statistical analyses were performed to determine the association between liver lobe based T2* values and the presence and Child-Pugh class of cirrhosis. Results The T2* values of the LLL, LML and RL decreased with the progression of cirrhosis from Child-Pugh class A to C (r = -0.231, -0.223, and -0.395, respectively; all P < 0.05), except that of the CL (r = -0.181, P > 0.05). To a certain extent, Mann-Whitney U tests with Bonferroni correction for multigroup comparisons showed that the T2* values of the LLL, LML and RL could distinguish cirrhotic liver from healthy liver (all P < 0.05), whereas the T2* values of the CL could not (P > 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that the T2* value of the RL could best distinguish cirrhosis from healthy liver, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.713 among T2* values of the liver lobes, and that only the T2* value of the RL could distinguish Child-Pugh class C from A-B, with an AUC of 0.697 (all P < 0.05). Conclusion The T2* value of the RL can be associated with the presence and Child-Pugh class of hepatitis B-related cirrhosis.

A new labdane diterpene, (Z)-12,14-labdadien-15(16)-olide-17-oic acid (1), and a new natural cadinane sesquiterpene, 4-isopropyl-6-methyl-1-naphthalenemethanol (2), were isolated from the ethanolic extract of the rhizomes of Alpinia officinarum, together with three other products, galangin (3), kaempferol (4) and quercetin (5). Their structures were elucidated by using extensive spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1 and 2 showed no remarkable cytotoxic activity against HeLa and HepG2 cancer cell lines with IC50>50 μg mL− 1.

As one kind of infectious diseases of adrenal gland, adrenal tuberculosis can result in a life-threatening disorder which is called primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) due to the destruction of adrenal cortex. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) play significant roles in the diagnosis of this etiology of PAI based on the CT and MRI appearances of the adrenal lesions. In this mini-review, we intend to study the CT and MRI features of adrenal tuberculosis, which could be helpful to both endocrinologist and radiologist to establish a definitive diagnosis for adrenal tuberculosis resulting in PAI.

The analysis of gene networks is one of the hardest works in microarray analysis. Due to a lot of gene connection relations, it is complicated to analyze gene networks for understanding the evolution and functions of genomes. Gene team is a model for conserved gene clusters. However, it is defined on a genome of linear structure. In this paper, by transforming a gene network to a graph, we propose the concept of a gene group, i.e., closed genes according to their functions. An experimental study is proposed. We think this graph approach may be useful for finding closed genes.

Objective To explore the association between the blood oxygenation T2* values of resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs) and tumor stages. Materials and Methods This study included 48 ESCC patients and 20 healthy participants who had undergone esophageal T2*-weighted imaging to obtain T2* values of the tumors and normal esophagi. ESCC patients underwent surgical resections less than one week after imaging. Statistical analyses were performed to identify the association between T2* values of ESCCs and tumor stages. Results One-way ANOVA and Student-Newman-Keuls tests revealed that the T2* value could differentiate stage T1 ESCCs (17.7 ± 3.3 ms) from stage T2 and T3 tumors (24.6 ± 2.7 ms and 27.8 ± 5.6 ms, respectively; all ps < 0.001). Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis showed the suitable cutoff T2* value of 21.3 ms for either differentiation. The former statistical tests demonstrated that the T2* value could not differentiate between stages T2 and T3 (24.6 ± 2.7 ms vs. 27.8 ± 5.6 ms, respectively, p > 0.05) or between N stages (N1 vs. N2 vs. N3: 24.7 ± 6.9 ms vs. 25.4 ± 4.5 ms vs. 26.8 ± 3.9 ms, respectively; all ps > 0.05). The former tests illustrated that the T2* value could differentiate anatomic stages I and II (18.8 ± 4.8 ms and 26.9 ± 5.9 ms, respectively) or stages I and III (27.3 ± 3.6 ms). ROC analysis depicted the same cutoff T2* value of 21.3 ms for either differentiation. In addition, the Student's t test revealed that the T2* value could determine grouped T stages (T0 vs. T1–3: 17.0 ± 2.9 ms vs. 25.2 ± 6.2 ms; T0–1 vs. T2–3: 17.3 ± 3.0 ms vs. 27.1 ± 5.3 ms; and T0–2 vs. T3: 18.8 ± 4.2 ms vs. 27.8 ± 5.6 ms, all ps < 0.001). ROC analysis indicated that the T2* value could detect ESCCs (cutoff, 20 ms), and discriminate between stages T0–1 and T2–3 (cutoff, 21.3 ms) and between T0–2 and T3 (cutoff, 20.4 ms). Conclusion The T2* value can be an additional quantitative indicator for detecting ESCC except for stage T1 cancer, and can preoperatively discriminate between some T stages and between anatomic stages of this tumor.

In order to make use of the resources of total flavanone in pericarp of longan.The flavonids were extracted with ethanol. Used spectrophotometry to check the flavanone.The total flavanone in the pericarp was 1.101 mg/ml and the rate of recovery was 99.98%.The extraction and purifying methods in this experiment can get the outcome and the purity of the flavanone very high. This method is a purely physical process and has not any pollution. It is an ideal way to extract the flavanone of longan skin.