Blood Oxygenation Level-dependent Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Breast Cancer： Correlation with Carbonic Anhydrase IX and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor

Background： Blood oxygenation level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging （BOLD-MRI） is a functional MRI technique which involves using the paramagnetic properties of deoxyhemoglobin to image the local tissue oxygen concentration. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether BOLD-MRI could evaluate hypoxia and angiogenesis of breast invasive ductal carcinoma （IDC）. Methods： Ninety-eight female patients with IDC were retrospectively included in this research. All patients underwent breast BOLD-MRI at 3.0 T before surgery. R2＊ values of BOLD-MR1 were measured. The expression of carbonic anhydrase IX （CA IX） and vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Spearman＇s correlation analysis was used to correlate R2＊ value with CA IX and VEGF levels. Results： Heterogeneous intensity on BOLD-MRI images was the main finding of IDCs. The mean R2＊ value was 52.8 ± 18.6 Hz. The R2＊ values in patients with axillary lymph node metastasis were significantly higher than the R2＊ values in patients without axillary lymph node metastasis （t = 2.882, P = 0.005）. R2＊ values increased with CA IX level and positively correlated with the level of CA 1X （r = 0.616, P 〈 0.001）; however, R2＊ value had no significantly correlation with the level of VEGF （r = 0.110, P = 0.281）. Conclusion： B OLD-MRI could noninvasively evaluate chronic hypoxia of IDC, but not angiogenesis.

Observation on effect of meridian stimulation on blood oxygenation level of brain by applying Near Infra Red Spectrum(NIRS)

Objective To observe the effect of stimulating Yinttang （印堂 EX-HN 3） and Baihui（百会 GV 20） with electroacupuncture （EA） on blood oxygenation level of brain and explore the feasibility of measuring the therapeutic effect of acupuncture by applying near infra red spectrum （NIRS）. Methods Ten participants semi-randomly selected from 158 adults （random test sequence） were stimulated with EA at the acupoints of EX-HN 3 and GV 20. Verbal fluency task was conducted before and after acupuncture, and changes in blood oxygenation level of cerebral cortex were tested by applying NIRS. Quantitative data were processed with JMP 10.0.2 software, and changes in waveforms of blood oxygenation level of brain before and after treatment were compared by applying NIRS. Results ① The mean of reacting dose （integral value） of blood oxygenation level of cerebral cortex of the 158 adults in the verbal fluency task was 10.6 ± 1.1, and the mean of the whole reacting dose of blood oxygenation level of cerebral cortex at 1/2 period of time during the test （centroids value） was 46.8 ± 1.6. ② In the EA group, the mean of integral value and centroids value of 10 adults were 8.4 ± 5.1 and 54.7± 12.2 before EA while 9.8±3.5 and 41.2±6.7 after EA. The integral value and centroids value of the EA group were closer to the mean of all the subjects. Conclusion It was found by NIRS that the blood oxygenation level of cerebral cortex could be regulated in bi- directional way by stimulating EX-HN 3 and GV 20 with EA, and a further research on whether it directly related to EA is to be made.

Experimental study on therapy of ultraviolet blood irradiation and oxygenation in acute soman intoxication in rabbits

Objective:To study the therapy effect of ultraviolet blood irradiation and oxygenation （UBIO） on blood AChe activity and lung injury due to acute soman intoxication in rabbits. Methods:Forty rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups: normal control group, intoxication group, routine therapy group and UBIO therapy group. Blood AChe activity and artery blood gas were analyzed 2 h after intoxication. ACP and AKP activities in BALF were determined respectively. Results:Blood AChe activity in intoxication group was lower than that in normal control group （P<0.05）. BALF ACP and AKP activities in intoxication group were higher than that in normal control group. Blood AChe activities in UBIO therapy group increased and were higher than that in intoxication and routine therapy groups. Compared with intoxication group, BALF ACP and AKP activities were decreased （P<0.05） in UBIO therapy group, while artery blood pH, PaO2 and SaO2 increased （P<0.05）. Conclusion: UBIO therapy can elevate blood AChe activity and alleviate lung injury induced by soman intoxication. So it may be a new way to treat acute soman intoxication.

Effect of ultraviolet blood irradiation and oxygenation on nerve function and function of the red blood cell membrane pump in patients with acute cerebral infarction

BACKGROUND： Ultraviolet blood irradiation and oxygenation （UBIO） has obtained better clinical effect in treating acute cerebral infarction, but the mechanism underlying this effect remains unclear. OBJECTIVE： To observe the effect of UBIO on the nerve function and activities of K^＋-Na^＋-ATPase and Ca2^＋-Mg2^＋-ATPase activities on the red blood cell （RBC） membrane of patients with acute cerebral infarction. DESIGN： A randomized and controlled study.SETTING： Department of Neurology, Xiangfan Central Hospital.PARTICIPANTS： From January 2000 to December 2001, excluding those above 70 years old, 58 cases of 700 patients with acute cerebral infarction admitted in the Department of Neurology, Xiangfan Central Hospital, were recruited and divided into two groups according to the random number table： UBIO treated group （n=28）, including 17 males and 11 females, aged 40-68 years; and control group （n=30）, including 20 males and 10 females, aged 44-69 years. All the patients agreed to participate in the therapeutic program and detected items. The general informations were comparable without obvious differences between the two groups （P 〉 0.05）.METHODS： ① The patients in both groups received routine treatments, besides, those in the UBIO treated group were given UBIO treatment by using the XL-200 type therapeutic apparatus produced in Shijiazhuang, whose ultraviolet wave was set at 253.7 nm with the energy density of 0.568 J/m^2 per second, UBIO treatment started from the second day after admission, once every other day, with a single course consisting of 5-7 treatments. ② In the UBIO treated group, the venous blood was sampled before and after the first, third and the completion of the treatment course respectively, the venous blood was taken at each corresponding time point in the control group. After centrifugation of the blood at 10 000 rounds per minute, the RBC membrane was separated and then the activities of K^＋-Na^＋-ATPase and Ca2^＋-Mg2^＋-ATPase were detected by means of phosphorus determination.③ The nerve function was scored before and after treatment in both groups with European stroke scale, which included 13 items, the total score was 0-100 points, the higher the score, the better the nerve function. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES ：①Score of European stroke scale before and after treatment in both groups.② Comparison of the activities of K^＋-Na^＋-ATPase and Ca2^＋-Mg2^＋-ATPase on RBC membrane between the two groups before treatment and after the first, third and the completion of the treatment. RESULTS： All the 58 patients with cerebral infarction were involved in the analysis of results.① The score of European stroke scale had no obvious difference between the two groups [（49.31±11.48）, （50.58±12.63）, P 〉 0.05], and it was obviously higher in the UBIO treated group than in the control group after treatment [84.66±13.75）, （77.05±11.17）, P 〈 0.05].②The activity of K^＋-Na^＋-ATPase on RBC membrane in the UBIO treated group was significantly increased after the first and third treatment as compared with before treatment [（31.56±19.25）, （27.64±15.83）, （17.67±13.83）, P 〈 0.01], it was still higher after the completion of the treatment than before treatment without obvious difference [（20.86±14.53）, P 〉 0.05]. After the first and third treatment, it was obviously higher in the UBIO treated group than in the control group [19.31±11.88）, （17.44±10.42）, P 〈 0.01]. ③ In the UBIO treated group, Ca2^＋-Mg2^＋-ATPase activity on RBC membrane significantly increased after the first treatment and remained higher than the pre-treatment level throughout the treatment [（27.49±14.72）, （17.41±4.82）, P 〈 0.01]. The activity of Ca2^＋-Mg2^＋-ATPase on RBC membrane was markedly higher in the UBIO treated group than in the control group after after the first, third and the completion of treatment respectively [（24.83±12.88）, （17.70±5.69）; （28.08±13.44）, （16.32±5.29）; （17.42±6.04）, P〈 0.05-0.01]. CONCLUSION： The effect of UBIO treatment against acute cerebral infarction may be mediated by the increased K^＋-Na^＋ ATPase and Ca2^＋-Mg2^＋-ATPase activities on RBC membrane, which enhances the RBC transformation ability so as to lower RBC aggregation and correct high blood viscosity.

The influence of ultraviolet blood irradiation and oxygenation on oxygen free radicals metabolism in rabbits with soman intoxication

Objective: To investigate the effect of ultraviolet blood irradiation and oxygenation (UBIO) on the metabolism of oxygen free radicals in rabbits with acute soman intoxication. Methods: One hundred rabbits were randomly divided into 5 groups: normal control group, intoxication group, routine therapy group. UBIO therapy group and combined therapy group. After 14 d, the concentration of malondiadehyde(MDA) and activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD), glutathionperoxidase(GSH-Px), catalase (CAT) and total antioxidative capacity (T-AOC) in serum were determined respectively. Results: Compared with the normal control group, the concentration of MDA and activity of CAT in the intoxication group were significantly higher (P < 0. 05). but SOD. GSH-Px activity and T-AOC were significantly lower (P<0. 05). After UBIO or combined therapy, serum MDA level was significantly lower in comparison with intoxication group (P<0. 05). but the activity of SOD. GSH-Px, CAT and T-AOC were higher than intoxication group(P<0. 05). Conclusion: There is an obvious oxygen free radical injury in rabbits with a-cute soman intoxication. UBIO can improve the antioxidation ability of rabbits and may be applied to treat acute soman intoxication as adjunctive therapy.

Research on Driver’s Fatigue Detection Based on Information Fusion

Driving fatigue is a physiological phenomenon that often occurs during driving.After the driver enters a fatigued state,the attentionis lax,the response is slow,and the ability todeal with emergencies is significantly reduced,which can easily cause traffic accidents.Therefore,studying driver fatigue detectionmethods is significant in ensuring safe driving.However,the fatigue state of actual drivers is easily interfered with by the external environment(glasses and light),which leads to many problems,such as weak reliability of fatigue driving detection.Moreover,fatigue is a slow process,first manifested in physiological signals and then reflected in human face images.To improve the accuracy and stability of fatigue detection,this paper proposed a driver fatigue detection method based on image information and physiological information,designed a fatigue driving detection device,built a simulation driving experiment platform,and collected facial as well as physiological information of drivers during driving.Finally,the effectiveness of the fatigue detection method was evaluated.Eye movement feature parameters and physiological signal features of drivers’fatigue levels were extracted.The driver fatigue detection model was trained to classify fatigue and non-fatigue states based on the extracted features.Accuracy rates of the image,electroencephalogram(EEG),and blood oxygen signals were 86%,82%,and 71%,separately.Information fusion theory was presented to facilitate the fatigue detection effect;the fatigue features were fused using multiple kernel learning and typical correlation analysis methods to increase the detection accuracy to 94%.It can be seen that the fatigue driving detectionmethod based onmulti-source feature fusion effectively detected driver fatigue state,and the accuracy rate was higher than that of a single information source.In summary,fatigue drivingmonitoring has broad development prospects and can be used in traffic accident prevention and wearable driver fatigue recognition.

Dependablity study on near-infrared parameters of blood oxygen and microvessel density of mammary gland phyma

Objective:To detect the reliability of near-infrared parameters of blood oxygen of mammary gland phyma from the microvessel density of tumor.Methods:181 cases of mammary gland phyma who had accepted the examination of the near-infrared TBO-I dual-wave length mammary gland phyma detector were classified by near-infrared parameters of blood oxygen,and were performed the pathologic examination to ascertain whether the tumor was benign or malignant.Among these cases,intratumoral microvessel density of 20 cases of malignant phyma and 20 cases of benign phyma were confirmed by S-P immunohistochemical method,then the relationship between near-infrared parameters and microvessel density were analyzed by medical statistics.Results:(1)The microvessel density and blood concentration of 28 cases of the"high blood" tumor were 24.56±8.110 and 1.891±0.850 respectively.The microvessel density and blood concentration of 12 cases of the"low blood"tumor were 17.98±8.729 and 0.698±0.283 respectively.There was significant difference between the"high blood"and"low blood"tumors(P<0.05).(2)The intratumoral microvessel density and blood concentration were linearly correlated respectively,and the linear correlation coefficient r=0.4208(P<0.05)in 40 cases of mammary gland phyma. Conclusion:The intratumoral microvessel density and blood concentration of benign or malignant mammary gland phyma were linearly correlated.Blood concentration(one of near-infrared parameters)is reliable to be used as diagnosis criterion of malignant mammary gland phyma.

Multispectral imaging of acute wound tissue oxygenation

This paper investigates the appropriate range of values for the transcutaneous blood oxygen saturation(StO2)of granulating tissues and the surrounding tissue that can ensure timely wound recovery.This work has used a multispectral imaging system to collect wound images at wave-lengths ranging between 520 nm and 600 nm with a resolution of 10 nm.As part of this research,a pilot study was conducted on three injured individuals with superfcial wounds of different wound ages at different skin locations.The S_(t)O_(2)value predicted for the examined wounds using the Extended Modified Lambert-Beer model revealed a mean S_(t)O_(2)of 61±10.3%compared to 41.6±6.2%at the surrounding tissues,and 50.1±1.53%for control sites.These preliminary results contribute to the existing knowledge on the possible range and variation of wound bed S_(t)O_(2)that are to be used as indicators of the functioning of the vasomotion system and wound health.This study has concluded that a high S_(t)O_(2)of approximately 60%and a large fuctuation in this value should precede a good progression in wound healing.

Changes and significance of retinal blood oxygen saturation and oxidative stress indexes in patients with diabetic retinopathy

BACKGROUND Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is a diabetic complication that can severely affect the patients’vision,eventually leading to blindness.DR is the most important manifestation of diabetic micro-vasculopathy and is mainly related to the course of diabetes and the degree of blood glucose control,while the age of diabetes onset,sex,and type of diabetes have little influence on it.AIM To explore the changes in blood oxygen saturation and oxidative stress indices of retinal vessels in patients with DR.METHODS In total,94 patients(94 eyes)with DR(DR group)diagnosed at Jianyang people’s Hospital between March 2019 and June 2020,and 100 volunteers(100 eyes)(control group)without eye diseases,were included in this study.Arterial and venous blood oxygen saturation,retinal arteriovenous vessel diameter,and serum oxidative stress indicators in the two groups were compared.Based on the stage of the disease,the DR group was divided into the simple DR and proliferative DR groups for stratified analysis.RESULTS The oxygen saturation of the retinal vessels in the DR group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.05).The retinal vessel diameters between the DR and control groups were not significantly different.The serum malondialdehyde(MDA)and 8-hydroxydehydroguanosine(8-OHdG)levels in the DR group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).The serum superoxide dismutase(SOD)and reduced glutathione(GSH)levels in the DR group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The oxygensaturation of the retinal vessels in the patients with proliferative DR was significantly higher thanthat in the patients with simple DR (P < 0.05). The retinal vessel diameter in patients with proliferativeDR was not significantly different from that of patients with simple DR (P > 0.05). SerumMDA and 8-OHdG levels in patients with proliferative DR were significantly higher than those inpatients with simple DR (P < 0.05). Serum SOD and GSH levels in patients with proliferative DRwere significantly lower than those in patients with simple DR (P < 0.05).CONCLUSIONIncreased blood oxygen saturation of retinal arteries and veins and increased oxidative stressdamage in patients with DR may be associated with decreased retinal capillary permeability andarterial oxygen dispersion, possibly reflecting the patient’s condition.

The Cross-talk between ROS and p38MAPKα in the Ex Vivo Expanded Human Umbilical Cord Blood CD133^+ Cells

This study investigated the correlation between and compared the effects of reactive oxygen species（ROS） and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase α（p38MAPKα） in the ex vivo expanded umbilical cord blood（hUCB） CD133＋ cells.hUCB CD133＋ cells were cultured in the hematopoietic stem cells（HSCs） culture medium with N-acetylcysteine（NAC,an anti-oxidant）,p38MAPKα-specific inhibitor（SB203580） or their combination.The levels of ROS and expression of phosphorylated p38MAPKα（p-p38） in CD133＋ cells were flow cytometrically detected.The efficacy of ex vivo expansion was evaluated by the density of CD133＋ cell sub-group colony-forming cells（CFC） and cobblestone area-forming cells（CAFC） assay.Our results showed decreased ROS levels in NAC,SB203580,and their combination treatment groups were almost 37%,48%,and 85%,respectively.Furthermore,SB203580 abrogated the activation of p38MAPKα more obviously than NAC.Moreover,the CD133＋ cells in SB203580 treatment group had a 21.93±1.36-fold increase,and 14.50±1.19-fold increase in NAC treatment group,but only 10.13±0.57-fold increase in control group.In addition,SB203580 treatment led a higher level increase in the number of CFU and CAFC than NAC did.These findings suggested that,in expanded CD133＋ cells,ROS activates p38MAPKα,which,in turn,induces ROS production,and p38MAPKα might be the most suitable regulator in ROS-p38MAPKα pathway for the promotion of HSCs ex vivo expansion.

Speed-resolved blood perfusion and oxygen saturation in human skin response to thermal stimulation

The functional status of vessels can be determined by assessing blood perfusion.By integrating diffuse reflectance spectroscopy(DRS)and Laser Doppler Flowmetry(LDF),the speed-resolved blood perfusion and blood oxygen saturation can be measured simultaneously by Enhanced Perfusion and Oxygen Saturation(EPOS).The dataset presented in this descriptor contains EPOS data recorded from a forearm point exposed to different levels of thermal stimulation,the classical LDF at control points,the R-R time series and data regarding the subjects’characteristics.All data were recorded from 60 recruited healthy subjects.Half of the subjects received different levels of thermal stimulation,and half of them were blank controls.We believe that this dataset will lead to the development of local blood perfusion methods that can be used to index vessel function assessments.This publicly available dataset will be beneficial to the microcirculation evaluation.

Multimodality magnetic resonance imaging in hepatic encephalopathy: An update

Hepatic encephalopathy(HE) is a neuropsychiatric complication of cirrhosis or acute liver failure. Currently, HE is regarded as a continuous cognitive impairment ranging from the mildest stage, minimal HE to overt HE. Hyperammonaemia and neuroinflammation are two main underlying factors which contribute to the neurological alterations in HE. Both structural and functional impairments are found in the white mater and grey mater involved in HE. Although the investigations into HE pathophysiological mechanism are enormous, the exact pathophysiological causes underlying HE remain controversial. Multimodality magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) plays an important role in helping to understand the pathological process of HE. This paper reviews the up-to-date multimodality MRI methods and predominant findings in HE patients with a highlight ofthe increasingly important role of blood oxygen level dependent functional MRI.

FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING STUDY OF THE BRAIN IN PATIENTS WITH AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS

Objective To study the activation changes of the brain in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis （ALS） while executing sequential finger tapping movement using the method of blood oxygenation level dependent （BOLD） functional magnetic resonance imaging （tMRI）. Methods Fifteen patients with definite or probable ALS and fifteen age and gender matched normal controls were enrolled. MRI was performed on a 3.0 Tesla scanner with standard headcoiL The functional images were acquired using a gradient echo single shot echo planar imaging （EPI） sequence. All patients and normal subjects executed sequential finger tapping movement at the frequency of 1-2 Hz during a block-design motor task. Structural MRI was acquired using a three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient echo （3D-FSPGR） sequence. The tMRI data were analyzed by statistical parametric mapping （SPM）. Results Bilateral primary sensorimotor cortex （ PSM）, bilateral premotor area （ PA）, bilateral supplementary motor area （SMA）, bilateral parietal region （ PAR）, contralateral inferior lateral premotor area （ ILPA）, and ipsilateral cerebellum showed activation in both ALS patients and normal controls when executing the same motor task. The activation areas in bilateral PSM, bilateral PA, bilateral SMA, and ipsilateral cerebellum were significantly larger in ALS patients than those in normal controls （ P 〈 0.05 ）. Extra activation areas including ipsilateral ILPA, bilateral posterior limb of internal capsule, and contralateral cerebellum were only detected in ALS patients. Conclusions Similar activation areas are activated in ALS patients and normal subjects while executing the same motor task. The increased activation areas in ALS patients may represent neural reorganization, while the extra activation areas in ALS patients may indicate functional compensation.

BOLD-fMRI study of auditory cortex in patients with tinnitus

Objective Blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-fMRI) was used to study activation signals in the brain cortex evoked by tone stimulation in patients with tinnitus for its potential utility as an objective indicator of tinnitus. Methods BOLD-fMRI examination was conducted in 7 patients with chronic tinnitus and 15 control subjects. The activation signal in the brain cortex was recorded. Results Significant activation was found in temporal lobe in control subjects, with greater signal volume and intensity on the contralateral than ipsilateral auditory cortex (P < 0.01). However, there was no discernable patterns in the anatomical location, volume and intensity of cortical activation signals in patients with chronic tinnitus. Conclusions Patients with chronic tinnitus may have abnormal neural activities in the auditory cortex.

Central swallowing in normal adults using functional magnetic resonance imaging

BACKGROUND： While brain-imaging studies in healthy adults have indicated that multiple cortical regions are involved in swallowing, these functional imaging techniques have not been extensively applied to the complete understand neurophysiology of swallowing in China. A full understanding of normal swallowing neurophysiology is important for improving functional outcomes for dysphagia due to neurologic disorders or damage with increasing age. Thus the interpretations of the functional contributions of various brain areas in swallowing should be scientifically researched. OBJECTIVE： To identify the activation and characteristic of swallowing center in healthy adults using functional magnetic resonance imaging. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： An uncontrolled neuroimaging study was performed at the Outpatient Clinic, Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University between March and November 2008. PARTICIPANTS： Ten healthy right-handed volunteers, aged over 20 years with a mean age of （34.2 ＋ 8.1） years, a range of 25-45 years and including five males and five females participated. A medical history was obtained from all potential subjects and all subjects were free of systemic diseases and neurological disorders. METHODS： The healthy volunteers were examined with event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging of blood oxygenation level-dependent while laryngeal swallow-related movements were recorded. Subjects were scanned during voluntary saliva swallowing and water bolus swallowing activation tasks. Data was processed using the General Linear Model. A voxel by voxel group comparison was performed using random effect analysis. Any cluster with a corrected P 〈 0.05 for spatial extent was considered significant. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The cerebral cortical activation maps of voluntary swallowing of saliva and swallowing of water bolus in healthy adults were observed. RESULTS： A multifocal cortical representation of swallowing was in the precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, insula, anterior cingulate gyrus, thalamus, basal ganglia and cerebellum, in a bilateral and asymmetrical manner, predominantly on the left hemisphere in the volunteers （P 〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION： Activation of the cortex during normal swallowing tasks may be functionally linked to basal nuclei, thalamus, and cerebellum, greatly appearing in the left hemisphere.

USING FUNCTIONAL NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY TO MEASURE COGNITIVE FUNCTION:WHEN WILL IT BECOME AN ACCEPTED CLINICAL TOOL FOR COGNITIVE AGING AND PRODROMAL DEMENTIA SCREENING?

This article presents a historical perspective of foundational studies utilizing near-infrared spectroscopy(NIRS)to measure the hemodynamics,oxygenation,and activation of the human brain cortex during cognitive tasks,called functional NIRS(fNIRS).It discusses studies representative of the diagnostic power and potential that fNIRS has shown for providing increased understanding of cognitive changes with aging and dementia.It concludes by discussing challenges that continue to confront the implementation of NIRS and fNIRS in clinical and translational research,in particular,the challenges to measure cognitive function and impairment in aged,chronically ill,and fragile subjects with or without dementia.It is written specifically in memoriam,honoring Britton Chance,therefore papers authored by him and his collaborative research family are weighted to illustrate the significant foundation and legacy he has left to this world.

Advanced imaging techniques in the therapeutic response of transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic liver disease. Transarterial chemoembolization(TACE) can significantly improve the survival rate of patients with HCC and is the first treatment choice for patients who are not suitable for surgical resections. The evaluation of the response to TACE treatment affects not only the assessment of the therapy efficacy but also the development of the next step in the treatment plan. The use of imaging to examine changes in tumor volume to assess the response of solid tumors to treatment has been controversial. In recent years, the emergence of new imaging technology has made it possible to observe the response of tumors to treatment prior to any morphological changes. In this article, the advances in studies reporting the use of computed tomography perfusion imaging, diffusionweighted magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), intravoxel incoherent motion, diffusion kurtosis imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, magnetic resonance perfusionweighted imaging, blood oxygen level-dependent MRI, positron emission tomography(PET)/computed tomography and PET/MRI to assess the TACE treatment response are reviewed.

Abnormal characterization of dynamic functional connectivity in Alzheimer’s disease

Numerous studies have shown abnormal brain functional connectivity in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease(AD)or amnestic mild cognitive impairment(aMCI).However,most studies examined traditional resting state functional connections,ignoring the instantaneous connection mode of the whole brain.In this case-control study,we used a new method called dynamic functional connectivity(DFC)to look for abnormalities in patients with AD and aMCI.We calculated dynamic functional connectivity strength from functional magnetic resonance imaging data for each participant,and then used a support vector machine to classify AD patients and normal controls.Finally,we highlighted brain regions and brain networks that made the largest contributions to the classification.We found differences in dynamic function connectivity strength in the left precuneus,default mode network,and dorsal attention network among normal controls,aMCI patients,and AD patients.These abnormalities are potential imaging markers for the early diagnosis of AD.

Compensatory recombination phenomena of neurological functions in central dysphagia patients

We speculate that cortical reactions evoked by swallowing activity may be abnormal in patients with central infarction with dysphagia. The present study aimed to detect functional imaging features of cerebral cortex in central dysphagia patients by using blood oxygen level-depen- dent functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques. The results showed that when normal controls swallowed, primary motor cortex （BA4）, insula （BA13）, premotor cortex （BA6/8）, supramarginal gyrus （BA40）, and anterior cingulate cortex （BA24/32） were activated, and that the size of the activated areas were larger in the left hemisphere compared with the right. In re- current cerebral infarction patients with central dysphagia, BA4, BA13, BA40 aild BA6/8 areas were activated, while the degree of activation in BA24/32 was decreased. Additionally, more areas were activated, including posterior cingulate cortex （BA23/31）, visual association cortex （BA18/19）, primary auditory cortex （BA41） and parahippocampal cortex （BA36）. Somatosen- sory association cortex （BA7） and left cerebellum in patients with recurrent cerebral infarction with central dysphagia were also activated. Experimental findings suggest that the cerebral cortex has obvious hemisphere lateralization in response to swallowing, and patients with recurrent cerebral infarction with central dysphagia show compensatory recombination phenomena of neurological functions. In rehabilitative treatment, using the favorite food of patients can stimu- late swallowing through visual, auditory, and other nerve conduction pathways, thus promoting compensatory recombination of the central cortex functions.