Pre-operative enhanced magnetic resonance imaging combined with clinical features predict early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after radical resection

BACKGROUND Indentifying predictive factors for postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)has great significance for patient prognosis.AIM To explore the value of gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid(Gd-EOB-DTPA)enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)combined with clinical features in predicting early recurrence of HCC after resection.METHODS A total of 161 patients with pathologically confirmed HCC were enrolled.The patients were divided into early recurrence and non-early recurrence group based on the follow-up results.The clinical,laboratory,pathological results and Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI imaging features were analyzed.RESULTS Of 161 patients,73 had early recurrence and 88 were had non-early recurrence.Univariate analysis showed that patient age,gender,serum alpha-fetoprotein level,the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage,China liver cancer(CNLC)stage,microvascular invasion(MVI),pathological satellite focus,tumor size,tumor number,tumor boundary,tumor capsule,intratumoral necrosis,portal vein tumor thrombus,large vessel invasion,nonperipheral washout,peritumoral enhancement,hepatobiliary phase(HBP)/tumor signal intensity(SI)/peritumoral SI,HBP peritumoral low signal and peritumoral delay enhancement were significantly associated with early recurrence of HCC after operation.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that patient age,MVI,CNLC stage,tumor boundary and large vessel invasion were independent predictive factors.External data validation indicated that the area under the curve of the combined predictors was 0.861,suggesting that multivariate logistic regression was a reasonable predictive model for early recurrence of HCC.CONCLUSION Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI combined with clinical features would help predicting the early recurrence of HCC after operation.

Role of pulmonary perfusion magnetic resonance imaging for the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension:A review

Among five types of pulmonary hypertension,chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension(CTEPH)is the only curable form,but prompt and accurate diagnosis can be challenging.Computed tomography and nuclear medicine-based techniques are standard imaging modalities to non-invasively diagnose CTEPH,however these are limited by radiation exposure,subjective qualitative bias,and lack of cardiac functional assessment.This review aims to assess the methodology,diagnostic accuracy of pulmonary perfusion imaging in the current literature and discuss its advantages,limitations and future research scope.

Three-Tesla magnetic resonance elastography for hepatic fibrosis:Comparison with diffusion-weighted imaging and gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

AIM: To evaluate the feasibility of 3-Tesla magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) for hepatic fibrosis and to compare that with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.

Mammography combined with breast dynamic contrast-enhanced-magnetic resonance imaging for the diagnosis of early breast cancer

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the application of mammography combined with breast dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(DCE-MRI) for the diagnosis of early breast cancer. Methods Mammography and DCE-MRI were performed for 120 patients with breast cancer(malignant, 102; benign; 18). Results The sensitivity of mammography for early diagnosis of breast cancer was 66.67%, specificity was 77.78%, and accuracy was 68.33%. The sensitivity of MRI for early diagnosis of breast cancer was 94.12%, specificity was 88.89%, and accuracy was 93.33%. However, the sensitivity of mammography combined with DCE-MRI volume imaging with enhanced water signal(VIEWS) scanning for early diagnosis of breast cancer was 97.06%, specificity was 94.44%, and accuracy was 96.67%. Conclusion Mammography combined with DCE-MRI increased the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of diagnosing early breast cancer.

Magnetic field enhanced radio frequency ion source and its application for Si-incorporation diamond-like carbon film preparation

Various ion sources are key components to prepare functional coatings,such as diamond-like carbon(DLC)films.In this article,we present our trying of surface modification on basis of Si-incorporation diamond-like carbon(Si-DLC)produced by a magnetic field enhanced radio frequency ion source,which is established to get high density plasma with the help of magnetic field.Under proper deposition process,a contact angle of 111°hydrophobic surface was achieved without any surface patterning,where nanostructure SiC grains appeared within the amorphous microstructure.The surface property was influenced by ion flow parameters as well as the resultant surface microstructure.The magnetic field enhanced radio frequency ion source developed in this paper was useful for protective film applications.

Enhanced Magnetic and Dielectric Properties in Low-Content Tb-Doped BiFeO3 Nanoparticles

Bi1-xTbxFeO3 （x = 0, 0.01, 0.03 and 0.05） nanoparticles are synthesized by the sol-gel method. A single phase perovskite rhombohedral structure of all the samples is established from the Rietveld refined XRD patterns. The substitution of Tb^3＋ ions to Bi^3＋ decreases the particle size and enhances the ferromagnetic properties of this system. Interestingly a large maximum magnetization value of 1.73emu/g at 50kOe can be observed in 1% Tb-doped sample at 300 K. The decrease in band gap may result from the reduced particle size, while the leakage current density also decreases, which is mainly explained by the variation of oxygen vacancies.

Interplay between out-of-plane magnetic plasmon and lattice resonance for modified resonance lineshape and near-field enhancement in double nanoparticles array

Two-dimensional double nanoparticle （DNP） arrays are demonstrated theoretically, supporting the interaction between out-of-plane magnetic plasmons and in-plane lattice resonances, which can be achieved by tuning the nanoparticle height or the array period due to the height-dependent magnetic resonance and the periodicity-dependent lattice resonance. The interplay between the two plasmon modes can lead to a remarkable change in resonance lineshape and an improvement on magnetic field enhancement. Simultaneous electric field and magnetic field enhancement can be obtained in the gap region between neighboring particles at two resonance frequencies as the interplay occurs, which presents “open” cavities as electromagnetic field hot spots for potential applications on detection and sensing. The results not only offer an attractive way to tune the optical responses of plasmonic nanostructure, but also provide further insight into the plasmon interactions in periodic nanostructure or metamaterials comprising multiple elements.

Magnetic emission intensity enhancement for amorphous alloys by constructing a multi-phase structure withα-Fe nanocrystals

The perturbation in the magnetic field generated by the rotation or oscillation of magnetic domains in magnetic materials can emit low-frequency electromagnetic waves,which are expected to be used in low-frequency communications.However,the magnetic emission intensity,defined by the perturbation ability,of current commercially applied amorphous alloys,such as Metglas,cannot meet the application requirements for low-frequency antennas due to the domain motion energy loss.Herein,a multi-phase Metglas amorphous alloy was constructed by incorporatingα-Fe nanocrystals using rapid annealing to manipulate the domain movement.It was found that 3.89 times higher magnetic emission intensity is obtained compared to the pristine due to the synergism of the deformation and displacement mechanisms.Moreover,the low-frequency magnetic emission performance verification was carried out by preparing magnetoelectric composites as the antenna vibrator by assembling the alloy and macro piezoelectric fiber composites(MFC).Enhancements of magnetic emission intensity are found at 93.3%and 49.2%at the first and second harmonic frequencies compared with the unmodified alloy vibrator.Therefore,the approach leads to the development of high-performance communication with a novel standard for evaluation.

Application of contrast-enhanced intraoperative ultrasonography in the decision-making about hepatocellular carcinoma operation

AIM:To evaluate the detection and differentiation ability of contrast-enhanced intraoperative ultrasonography(CE-IOUS) in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) operations.METHODS:Clinical data of 50 HCC patients were retrospective analyzed.The sensitivity,specificity,false negative and false positive rates of contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(CE-MRI),IOUS and CEIOUS were calculated and compared.Surgical strategy changes due to CE-IOUS were analyzed.RESULTS:Lesions detected by CE-MRI,IOUS and CEIOUS were 60,97 and 85 respectively.The sensitivity,specificity,false negative rate,false positive rate of CEMRI were 98.2%,98.6%,98.6%,60.0%,respectively;for IOUS were 50.0%,90.9%,1.8%,1.4%,respectively;and for CE-IOUS were 1.4%,40.0%,50.0%,9.1%,respectively.The operation strategy of 9(9/50,18.0%) cases was changed according to the results of CE-IOUS.CONCLUSION:Compared with CE-MRI,CE-IOUS performs better in detection and differentiation of small metastasis and regenerative nodules.It plays an important role in the decision-making of HCC operation.

Towards Understanding Paleosols in Southern Levantine Eolianites:Integration of Micromorphology,Environmental Magnetism and Mineralogy

The paper addresses the controversial question of the role of clay-sized dust in the formation of paleosols in coastal eolianites, Israel. At the Habonim type section, the pedocomplex dated by archaeology and luminescence to 45-135 ka ago shows at least three paleosols, not separated by non-soil sediments. The oldest reddish paleosol （apparently related to MIS 5） is magnetically enhanced, leached from carbonates, with signs of bioturbation and strongly aged clay coatings. The reddening is due to very fine, -20 nm, poorly crystallized, superparamagnetic （SP） hematite, as determined by Mossbauer studies. In subsoil, lithorelics of eolianite are found. Over time, the soil surface aggraded due to accelerated fine dust accumulation alongside local slope wash. On younger materials formed magnetically depleted vertisols, dominated by smectite-type expandable paramagnetic clays. In thin sections, vertisols exhibit strong stipple-speckled and striated b-fabric due to shrink-swell processes, impregnative calcite nodules and Fe-Mn redistribution. The uppermost hydric vertisol shows the strongest expression of juxtaposed features of recurrent calcite and Fe precipitation. This paleosol developed on colluvial soil materials, as evidenced by mixing of clay coated and uncoated grains of quartz and calcite allochems. M6ssbauer spectra show high amounts of Fe（III） incorporated in the clay structure, low amounts of SP goethite and absence of SP hematite. Whilst magnetic susceptibility drops in vertisols to minimal values, increase. The latter along ferrimagnetie grain sizes with differences in the hierarchy of microfabric features is taken as indication for lithologic discontinuities which may have resulted from continuous, albeit variable and low-intensity, input of eolian clay from both remote Saharan and local sources, roughly dated to the earlier to middle part of the Last Glacial.

Enhancing magnetic dipole emission with magnetic metamaterials

Magnetic dipole（MD） transitions are important for a range of technologies from quantum light sources and displays to lasers and bio-probes. However, the typical MD transitions are much weaker than their electric counterparts and are usually neglected in practical applications. Herein, we experimentally demonstrate that the MD transitions can be significantly enhanced by the well-developed magnetic metamaterials in the visible optical range. The magnetic metamaterials consist of silver nanostrips and a thick silver film, which are separated with an Eu3＋：polymethyl methacrylate（PMMA） film. By controlling the thickness of the Eu3＋：PMMA film, the magnetic resonance has been tuned to match the emission wavelength of MDs. Consequently,the intensity of MD emission has been significantly increased by around 30 times at the magnetic resonance wavelength, whereas the intensity of electric dipole emission is well-preserved. The corresponding numerical calculations reveal that the enhancement is directly generated by the magnetic resonance, which strongly increases the magnetic local density of states around the MD emitter and can efficiently radiate the MD emission into the far field. This is the first demonstration, to the best of our knowledge, that MD transitions can be improved by an additional degree of magnetic freedom, and we believe this research shall pave a new route towards bright magnetic emitters and their potential applications.

Diagnostic Value of Quantitative Parameters of DCE-MRI in Endometrial Carcinoma and Its Correlation with Clinicopathological Factors

In the study,108 patients with endometrial cancer were selected as the observation group,and 105 patients with benign endometrial lesions were selected as the control group.After DCE-MRI examination,it was found that the volume transfer constant(K^(trans)),rate constant(K_(e))and extracellular space volume ratio(V_(e))in the observation group were higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).The area under curve(AUC)of combined K^(trans),K_(e) and V_(e) values in the diagnosis of endometrial cancer was 0.841.The values of K^(trans),K_(e )and V_(e) were positively correlated with the clinical stage and the degree of muscular invasion,but negatively correlated with the degree of differentiation(P<0.05).The results of the study suggested that DCE-MRI quantitative parameters have a certain value in the differential diagnosis of endometrial cancer,which helped to further distinguish the degree of muscular invasion,clinical stage,and differentiation of endometrial cancer patients.

Analysis of Control Characteristic for the Drive System of Electric Transit Bus

The drive control system of the permanent magnetic direct current motor with the enhanced magnetism windings used in the electric transit bus is developed. The mathematics model of the drive control system for this motor is established. The new mode that the added exiting magnetism field could be weakened and the speed of the motor could be controlled automatically is proposed and realized. The method of root locus design is applied to analyze the acceleration control characteristic. The results of simulation show that the new drive motor control system has extraordinary response characteristic and adjustable performance. Experiments of vehicle running show that the drive control system's antijamming ability is strong and the adjustable performance is fast and smooth, it can meet the demand of power characteristic very well.

Fully Automatic Scar Segmentation for Late Gadolinium Enhancement MRI Images in Left Ventricle with Myocardial Infarction

Numerous methods have been published to segment the infarct tissue in theleft ventricle, most of them either need manual work, post-processing, or suffer from poorreproducibility. We proposed an automatic segmentation method for segmenting the infarct tissue irleft ventricle with myocardial infarction. Cardiac images of a total of 60 diseased hearts (55 humanhearts and 5 porcine hearts) were used in this study. The epicardial and endocardial boundariesof the ventricles in every 2D slice of the cardiac magnetic resonance with late gadoliniumenhancement images were manually segmented. The subsequent pipeline of infarct tissuesegmentation is fully automatic. The segmentation results with the automatic algorithm proposed inthis paper were compared to the consensus ground truth. The median of Dice overlap between ourautomatic method and the consensus ground truth is 0.79. We also compared the automatic methodwith the consensus ground truth using different image sources from diferent centers with diferentscan parameters and different scan machines. The results showed that the Dice overlap with thepublic dataset was 0.83, and the overall Dice overlap was 0.79. The results show that our method isrobust with respect to different MRI image sources, which were scanned by different centers withdifferent image collection parameters. The segmentation accuracy we obtained is comparable toor better than that of the conventional semi-automatic methods. Our segmentation method may beuseful for processing large amount of dataset in clinic.

Unveiling the intrinsic properties of single NiZnFeO_x entity for promoting electrocatalytic oxygen evolution

Although considerable research efforts have been devoted to the design and development of non-noble electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction(OER), substantial enhancement of OER performance with commercial-scale water electrolysis remains a big challenge. This could result from the difficulties in detecting the intrinsic properties and overlooking the assembly process for electrochemical OER process. Here, we employ a microjet collision method to investigate the intrinsic OER activities of individual NiZnFeO_x entities with and without a moderate magnetic field. Our results demonstrate that single NiZnFeO_x nanoparticles(NPs) show the excellent OER performance with a lowest onset potential(~1.35 V vs. RHE) and a greatest magnetic enhancement(~118%) among bulk materials, single agglomerations and NPs. Furthermore, we explore the utility of theoretical investigation by density functional theory(DFT)calculations for studying OER process on NiZnFeO_x surfaces without and with spin alignment, indicating monodispersed NiZnFeO_xNPs with totally spin alignment facilitates the OER process under the external magnetic field. It is found that the well-dispersion of NiZnFeO_x NPs would increase the electrical conductivity and the surface spin state, resulting in promoting their OER activities. This work provides a test for uncovering the essential roles of NPs assembly to a significant promotion of their magnet-assisted OER.

Role of Diffusion-weighted and Contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Differentiating Activity of Ankylosing Spondylitis

Background： Previous studies showed that combining apparent diffusion coefficient （ADC） value with the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada （SPARCC） index value might provide a reliable evaluation of the activity of ankylosing spondylitis （AS）, and that contrast-enhanced （CE） magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） is unnecessary. However, the results were based on confirming only a small random sample. This study aimed to assess the role of CE-MRI in differentiating the disease activity of AS by comparingADC value with a large sample. Methods： A total of l 15 patients with AS were enrolled in accordance with Bath AS Disease Activity Index and laboratory indices, and 115 patients were divided into two groups, including active group （n = 69） and inactive group （n 46）. SPARCC, ASI, and ADC values were obtained from the short tau inversion recovery （STIR）, diffusion-weighted imaging （DWI）, and CE-MRI, respectively. One-way analysis of variance and receiver operating characteristic analysis were performed for all parameters. Results： The optimal cutoff values （with sensitivity, specificity, respective area under the curve, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio） for the differentiation between active and inactive groups are as follows： SPARCC = 6 （72.06%, 82.61%, 0.836, 4.14, 0.34）; ASI （%） 153 （80.6%, 84.78%, 0.819, 5.3, 0.23）; ADC value - 1.15 × 10 3 mm2/s （72.73% 81.82%, 0.786, 4, 0.33）. No statistical differences were found among the predictive values of SPARCC, △SI, and ADC. Multivariate analysis showed no significant difference between the combination of SPARCC and ADC values with and without ASI. Conclusions： Using large sample, we concluded that the combination of STIR and DWI would play significant roles in assessing the disease activity, and CE-MRI sequence is not routinely used in imaging of AS to avoid renal fibrosis and aggravation of kidney disease.

Classification of breast lesions based on a dual S-shaped logistic model in dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

This study proposes a novel dual S-shaped logistic model for automatically quantifying the characteristic kinetic curves of breast lesions and for distinguishing malignant from benign breast tumors on dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance (MR) images.D(,) is the diagnostic parameter derived from the logistic model.Significant differences were found in D(,) between the malignant benign groups.Fisher's Linear Discriminant analysis correctly classified more than 90% of the benign and malignant kinetic breast data using the derived diagnostic parameter (D(,)).Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the derived diagnostic parameter (D(,)) indicated high sensitivity and specificity to differentiate malignancy from benignancy.The dual S-shaped logistic model was effectively used to fit the kinetic curves of breast lesions in DCE-MR.Separation between benign and malignant breast lesions was achieved with sufficient accuracy by using the derived diagnostic parameter D(,) as the lesion's feature.The proposed method therefore has the potential for computer-aided diagnosis in breast tumors.

Magnetic-field enhanced high-thermoelectric performance in topological Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 crystal

Thermoelectric materials can be used to convert heat to electric power through the Seebeck effect. We study magneto-thermoelectric figure of merit （ZT） in three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Cd3A 5 2 crystal. It is found that enhancement of power factor and reduction of thermal conductivity can be realized at the same time through magnetic field although magnetoresistivity is greatly increased. ZT can be highly enhanced from 0.17 to 1.1 by more than six times around 350 K under a perpendicular magnetic field of 7 T. The huge enhancement of ZT by magnetic field arises from the linear Dirac band with large Fermi velocity and the large electric thermal conductivity in CdsA 5 2. Our work paves a new way to greatly enhance the thermoelectric performance in the quantum topological materials.

Distinctive magnetic resonance imaging findings of hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatitis C virus eradication with direct-acting antivirals

Aim:The aim of the present study was to evaluate the characteristics of the magnetic resonance imaging features of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)that developed early after the eradication of hepatitis C virus(HCV)by direct-acting antiviral(DAA)treatment.Methods:This study included 26 patients who achieved sustained viral response with DAA and developed HCC thereafter within one year(DAA-SVR HCC).The radiologic characteristics of these patients were evaluated by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging,including diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI)and T2-weighted imaging(T2WI).For comparison,80 HCC patients with positive HCV RNA(HCV-positive HCC)were included.Among 42 patients where tumor biopsy was available,histological grade and radiologic findings were compared.Results:The rates of high intensity on DWI and T2WI were significantly higher in DAA-SVR HCC compared to HCV-positive HCC(DWI:100%vs.67.5%,P<0.001T2WI:92.6%vs.67.5%,P=0.01).HCC with high intensity on DWI or T2WI was more likely to have moderately or poorly differentiated HCC compared to well-differentiated HCC(DWI:69.7%vs.30.3%,P=0.02;T2WI:66.7%vs.27.3%,P=0.03).Conclusion:High intensity on DWI and hyperintensity on T2WI were distinctive features of HCC that developed within one year after the end of DAA treatment.

Myocardial fibrosis detection in arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy by 3. 0T magnetic resonance imaging

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) is characterized by fibro-fatty replacement of the right ventricle.However,the feasibility and significance of myocardial fibrosis detec-ted by delayed enhancement (DE) using 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in.ARVD /C is seldomly studied.Methods Twenty-seven consecutive patients were prospectively evaluated for ARVD /C.Magnetic reso-nance imaging was performed on a 3.0T scanner.Ten minutes after intravenous administration of 0.2 mmol /kg of gadodiamide,DE-MRI was obtained.Diagnosis of ARVD /C was based upon the Task Force criteria and in-cluded MRI findings.Results Seventeen(59% ) of 27 patients met the Task Force criteria for ARVD /C.Right ven-tricle DE was found in all (100% ) ARVD /C patients compared with none (0%) of the 10 patients without ARVD /C (P <0.001) .Additional left ventricular DE was found in 8/17 ARVD/C patients while without left ventricular mor-phological and functional abnormalities detected by echocardiography or MRI.Conclusions DE using 3.0T MRI could effectively detect myocardial fibrosis in the right and left ventricular myocardium in ARVD /C patients.Detection of myocardial fibrosis may have an important clinical significance in ARVD/C diagnosis.Histological left ventricle in-volvement may be easily missed by echocardiography.