Staging liver fibrosis with various diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging models

BACKGROUND Diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI)has been developed to stage liver fibrosis.However,its diagnostic performance is inconsistent among studies.Therefore,it is worth studying the diagnostic value of various diffusion models for liver fibrosis in one cohort.AIM To evaluate the clinical potential of six diffusion-weighted models in liver fibrosis staging and compare their diagnostic performances.METHODS This prospective study enrolled 59 patients suspected of liver disease and scheduled for liver biopsy and 17 healthy participants.All participants underwent multi-b value DWI.The main DWI-derived parameters included Mono-apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)from mono-exponential DWI,intravoxel incoherent motion model-derived true diffusion coefficient(IVIM-D),diffusion kurtosis imaging-derived apparent diffusivity(DKI-MD),stretched exponential model-derived distributed diffusion coefficient(SEM-DDC),fractional order calculus(FROC)model-derived diffusion coefficient(FROC-D)and FROC model-derived microstructural quantity(FROC-μ),and continuous-time random-walk(CTRW)model-derived anomalous diffusion coefficient(CTRW-D)and CTRW model-derived temporal diffusion heterogeneity index(CTRW-α).The correlations between DWI-derived parameters and fibrosis stages and the parameters’diagnostic efficacy in detecting significant fibrosis(SF)were assessed and compared.RESULTS CTRW-D(r=-0.356),CTRW-α(r=-0.297),DKI-MD(r=-0.297),FROC-D(r=-0.350),FROC-μ(r=-0.321),IVIM-D(r=-0.251),Mono-ADC(r=-0.362),and SEM-DDC(r=-0.263)were significantly correlated with fibrosis stages.The areas under the ROC curves(AUCs)of the combined index of the six models for distinguishing SF(0.697-0.747)were higher than each of the parameters alone(0.524-0.719).The DWI models’ability to detect SF was similar.The combined index of CTRW model parameters had the highest AUC(0.747).CONCLUSION The DWI models were similarly valuable in distinguishing SF in patients with liver disease.The combined index of CTRW parameters had the highest AUC.

Effect of Hot Environment on Strength and Heat Transfer Coefficient of Nano-Clay Concrete Paper Title

This study selected water-cement ratio 0.5 and slump 16 cm for ACI mix design, and used nano- clay to replace 0.1%, 0.3% and 0.5% of cement by weight to make cylinder and angle column specimens. The effects of different high temperatures on the compressive strength and heat transfer coefficient were tested, and the ignition loss of nano-clay cement paste was measured. The results showed that an appropriate replacement of nano-clay for 0.3% - 0.5% of cement can enhance the strength and heat transfer coefficient of concrete, especially 0.3% replacement. The 0.1% nano- clay replacement for cement reduces the strength and heat transfer coefficient of concrete. When the ambient temperature exceeds 300?C, the nano-clay concrete strength begins to decline, and the heat transfer coefficient decreases greatly, the effect of hot environment on the strength trend of nano-clay concrete is similar to that on normal concrete. When the nano-clay replaces cement by 0% - 0.5%, the ignition loss is approximately in exponential and logarithmic relationships to the compressive strength respectively when the ignition loss is smaller than and greater than 6%.

Protective effects of carbenoxolone are associated with attenuation of oxidative stress in ischemic brain injury

Accumulating evidence has suggested that the gap junction plays an important role in the determination of cerebral ischemia, but the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In this study, we assessed the effect of a gap-junction blocker, carbenoxolone （CBX）, on ischemia/reperfusion-induced brain injury and the possible mechanisms. By using the transient cerebral ischemia model induced by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 24 h, we found that pre-administration of CBX （25 mg/kg, intracerebroventricular injection, 30 min before cerebral ischemic surgery） diminished the infarction size in rats. And this was associated with a decrease of reactive oxygen species generation and inhibition of the activation of astrocytes and microglia. In PC12 cells, H202 treatment induced more coupling and apoptosis, while CBX partly inhibited the opening of gap junctions and improved the cell viability. These results suggest that cerebral ischemia enhances the opening of gap junctions. Blocking the gap junction with CBX may attenuate the brain injury after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion by partially contributing to amelioration of the oxidative stress and apoptosis.