Histogram analysis of apparent diffusion coefficient predicts response to radiofrequency ablation in hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective: The aim of this study was to predict tumor progression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) treated with radiofrequency ablation(RFA) using histogram analysis of apparent diffusion coefficients(ADC).Methods: Breath-hold diffusion weighted imaging(DWI) was performed in 64 patients(33 progressive and 31 stable) with biopsy-proven HCC prior to RFA. All patients had pre-treatment magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)and follow-up computed tomography(CT) or MRI. The ADC values(ADC_(10), ADC_(30_, ADC_(median) and ADC_(max))were obtained from the histogram's 10 th, 30 th, 50 th and 100 th percentiles. The ratios of ADC_(10), ADC_(30_,ADCmedian and ADCmax to the mean non-lesion area-ADC(RADC_(10), RADC_(30_, RADC_(median), and RADC_(max)) were calculated. The two patient groups were compared. Key predictive factors for survival were determined using the univariate and multivariate analysis of the Cox model. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed, and pairs of survival curves based on the key factors were compared using the log-rank test.Results: The ADC_(30_, ADCmedian, ADCmax, RADC_(30_, RADC_(median), and RADC_(max) were significantly larger in the progressive group than in the stable group(P<0.05). The median progression-free survival(PFS) was 22.9 months for all patients. The mean PFS for the stable and progressive groups were 47.7±1.3 and 9.8±1.3 months,respectively. Univariate analysis indicated that RADC_(10), RADC_(30_, and RADC_(median) were significantly correlated with the PFS [hazard ratio(HR)=31.02, 43.84, and 44.29, respectively, P<0.05 for all]. Multivariate analysis showed that RADCmedian was the only independent predictor of tumor progression(P=0.04). And the cutoff value of RADC_(median) was 0.71.Conclusions: Pre-RFA ADC histogram analysis might serve as a useful biomarker for predicting tumor progression and survival in patients with HCC treated with RFA.

Stretchable graded multichannel self-powered respiratory sensor inspired by shark gill

Respiratory sensing provides a simple,non-invasive,and efficient way for medical diagnosis and health monitoring,but it relies on sensors that are conformal,accurate,durable,and sustainable working.Here,a stretchgll structure can convert transverse elastic deformation into longitudinal elastic deformation during stretching.able,multichannel respiratory sensor inspired by the structure of shark gill cleftis reported.The bionic shark Combining the optimized bionic shark gll structure with the piezoelectric and the triboelectric effect,the bionic shark gill respiratory sensor(BSG-RS)can produce a graded electrical response to different tensile strains.Based on this feature,BSG-RS can simultaneously monitor the breathing rate and breathing depth of the human body accurately,and realize the effective recognition of the different human body's breathing state under the supporting software,With good stretchability,wearabilit,acuracy,and long-term stability(50,0oo cycles),BSG-RS is expected to be applied as self-powered smart wearables for mobile medical diagnostic analysis in the future.

Hybrid nanogenerator based closed-loop self-powered low-level vagus nerve stimulation system for atrial fibrillation treatment

Atrial fibrillation is an “invisible killer” of human health. It often induces high-risk diseases, such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure. Fortunately, atrial fibrillation can be diagnosed and treated early. Low-level vagus nerve stimulation(LL-VNS) is a promising therapeutic method for atrial fibrillation. However, some fundamental challenges still need to be overcome in terms of flexibility,miniaturization, and long-term service of bioelectric stimulation devices. Here, we designed a closedloop self-powered LL-VNS system that can monitor the patient’s pulse wave status in real time and conduct stimulation impulses automatically during the development of atrial fibrillation. The implant is a hybrid nanogenerator(H-NG), which is flexible, light weight, and simple, even without electronic circuits,components, and batteries. The maximum output of the H-NG was 14.8 V and 17.8 μA(peak to peak). In the in vivo effect verification study, the atrial fibrillation duration significantly decreased by 90% after LLVNS therapy, and myocardial fibrosis and atrial connexin levels were effectively improved. Notably, the anti-inflammatory effect triggered by mediating the NF-κB and AP-1 pathways in our therapeutic system is observed. Overall, this implantable bioelectronic device is expected to be used for self-powerability,intelligentization, portability for management, and therapy of chronic diseases.

A wearable noncontact free-rotating hybrid nanogenerator for self-powered electronics

Self-powerability is a new trend in the development of portable devices.Harvesting biomechanical energy to power personal information electronics is of great significance.In this work,we report a wearable noncontact freerotating hybrid nanogenerator(WRG),which is constituted by a triboelectric nanogenerator and an electromagnetic generator.A continuous output over 2 seconds can be achieved during one instantaneous incentive by external force,which is improved by two orders of magnitude compared to other wearable nanogenerators due to its unique mechanical energy storage design.The WRG can be integrated into shoes to generate an output energy of 14.68 mJ in each stepping,which meets the power requirements of most personal information electronics.The wireless sensor,GPS,and smartphone can be powered by the WRG continuously.The WRG is expected to be applied in self-powered information electronics extensively in the future.

Self-powered technology for next-generation biosensor

Owing to their potential for diagnosis and remote healthcare monitoring,biosensors are a major research focus for the medical industry.In general,biosensors contain two key components:a biological component and a physical or chemical transducing device.As a typical convergence technology,biosensor integrates the principles and technologies of biology.

Cerebral functional abnormalities in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy:an observational magnetic resonance resting-state study

Background:Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is sensitive to radiotherapy (RT).However,neurocognitive complications such as memory loss and learning and attention deficits emerge in the survivors of NPC who received RT.It remains unclear how radiation affects patient brain function.This pilot study aimed at finding cerebral functional alterations in NPC patients who have received RT.Methods:From September 2014 to December 2016,42 individuals,including 22 NPC patients and 20 normal volunteer controls in National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital,Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences,and Peking Union Medical College,were recruited in this study.All patients received resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans and neurocognitive tests 1 day before the initiation of RT (baseline) and 1 day after the completion of RT;the 20 normal controls were also subjected to the same scans and tests.The amplitude of the low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in blood oxygen level-dependent signals and functional connectivity (FC) were used to characterize cerebral functional changes.Independent t test,paired t test,and analysis of variances were used to obtain statistical significance across groups.Results:After RT,NPC patients showed significantly decreased ALFF values in the calcarine sulcus,lingual gyrus,cuneus,and superior occipital gyrus and showed significantly reduced FC mainly in the default mode network (P < 0.05,corrected by AlphaSim).Relative to the controls,ALFF was decreased in the lingual gyrus,calcarine sulcus,cingulate cortex,medial prefrontal gyrus (P < 0.05,corrected by AlphaSim),and FC reduction was found in multiple cerebellar-cerebral regions,including the cerebellum,parahippocampus,hippocampus,fusiform gyrus,inferior frontal gyrus,inferior occipital gyrus,precuneus,and cingulate cortex (P < 0.001,corrected by AlphaSim).Conclusions:Cerebral functional alterations occur immediately after RT.This study may provide an explanation for the cognitive deficits in the morphologically normal-appearing brains of NPC patients after RT and may contribute to the understanding of the complex mechanism of RT.

Widespread arginine phosphorylation in human cells——a novel protein PTM revealed by mass spectrometry

Arginine phosphorylation(p Arg)is recently discovered as a ubiquitous protein N-phosphorylation in bacteria.However,its prevalence and roles in mammalian cells remain largely unknown due to the lack of established workflow and the inherent lability of phosphoramidate(P–N)bond.Emerging evidences suggest that N-phosphorylation may extensively exist in eukaryotes and play crucial roles.We report a phosphoproteomic workflow,which allows for the first time revealing the widespread occurrence of p Arg in human cells by mass spectrometry.By virtue of this approach,we identified 152 high-confidence p Arg sites derived from 118 proteins.Remarkably,the discovered p Arg phosphorylation motif and gene ontology hint a possible cellular function of arginine phosphorylation which may regulate the favorability of propeptide convertase substrate.The obtained p Arg dataset paves a way for a better understanding of the biological functions of eukaryotic p Arg in the future.

The first technology can compete with piezoelectricity to harvest ultrasound energy for powering medical implants

Sustainable operation of implanted medical devices is essential for clinic applications.However,limited battery capacity is a key challenge for most implantable medical electronics[1].Higher-capacity battery is not an ideal choice,because battery capacity is usually linearly dependent on battery volume[2].New energy harvesters have been developed as promising alternative solutions,which extracted energy from the ambient environment and biosystem for powering implantable devices[3],However,the energy reclaimed from body and ambient environment also have power lim让ation,such as thermal gradient and bioelectric potential.Delivery ultrasound or RF energy into the body and generate electrical power by a converter is a reliable solution.