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Objective: To examine the association of tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) (rs1130409, rs1760944, rs2307486 and rs3136817) in APEX1 with the risk of severe radiation-induced pneumonitis (RP) after radiotherapy among Han Chinese patients with lung cancer. Methods: A total of 168 patients with lung cancer who were receiving radiotherapy were prospectively recruited. RP was evaluated according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. A case-control study was performed. The case group included patients with RP grade of ≥3, while the control group comprised patients with RP grades <3. Four tagSNPs of APEX1 were genotyped in 126 patients with complete follow-up by multi-SNaP-shot® (Genesky Biotechnologies Inc., Shanghai, China) genotyping assays. Results were assessed by a logistic regression model for RP risk and Mantal-Cox log-rank test for the cumulative RP probability by the genotypes. Results: rs1130409 was associated with severe RP. GT genotype of rs1130409 was significantly higher in patients with RP than in those of the control group [68.8% vs 41.8%; p = 0.025; resulting odds ratio (OR), 5.98], Patients with lung cancer bearing the G allele had a 5.83-fold higher risk of RP than those with the wild TT genotype [OR = 5.83; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.27-26.90; p = 0.024], and this was further confirmed by the binary regression adjusted by some confounding factors, including Karnofsky performance scale, concurrent chemotherapy-radiotherapy and lung volume receiving >30Gy (OR = 6.96; 95% CI, 1.36-35.77; p = 0.02). rs1130409 was also associated with the time to occurrence of severe RP (p = 0.04). Three-dimensional model APEX1 protein showed that rs!130409 is located in the random coil structure corresponding to the DNA repair function region. Advances in knowledge: rs1130409 of APEX1 can be a predictor of RP grades ≥3 among patients with lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Optic neuritis (ON) is defined as an inflammation of the optic nerve and provides a useful model for studying the effects of inflammatory demyelination of white matter. The aim of this study was to assess the diffusion changes in both the optic nerve and optic radiation in patients with acute and chronic ON using diffusion tensor (DT) MRI. Methods: 33 patients with idiopathic demyelinating optic neuritis (IDON) and 33 gender- and age-matched healthy controls were examined with DT-MRI and with T1 and T2 weighted MRI. Results: Compared with controls, both first-episode and recurrent patients with IDON in the acute stage showed significantly increased radial diffusivity (λ˔) and decreased mean fractional anisotropy (FA) in the affected nerves. Reduced FA, increased λ˔, mean diffusivity (MD) and axial diffusivity (λ‖) were determined in patients with subacute IDON. We found no significant difference in the directional diffusivity of optic radiation in patients whose disease had lasted less than 1 year compared with healthy controls. However, significant changes in the FA and lH of the optic radiation were detected in patients with disease duration of more than 1 year. Conclusion: These results show the great potential and capacity of DT-MRI measures as useful biomarkers and indicators for the evaluation ofmyelin injury in the visual pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ectopic pituitary adenomas (EPAs) are rare lesions. The purpose of this study was to describe the CT and MRI features of sphenoid sinus EPAs. Eight patients with histology-proven EPAs in the sphenoid sinus, all of whom underwent CT and MRI, were reviewed retrospectively. The following imaging features were analysed: (i) size, (ii) margin, (iii) CT attenuation characteristics and (iv) MRI signal intensity. In addition, the involvement of adjacent structures and the time-intensity curve (TIC) of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI were analysed. All EPAs had well-defined margins and showed no relationship to the intrasellar pituitary gland. The mean size was 28 mm (range, 20-46 mm). On non-enhanced CT, the lesions appeared isodense to grey matter in 7 (88%) patients and hypodense in 1 (12%) patient. Only two patients underwent post-contrast CT, and they showed moderate enhancement. On T1 weighted images, EPAs appeared isointense in 6 (75%) patients and hypointense in 2 (25%). On T2 weighted images, the lesions appeared hyperintense in 2 (25%) patients and isointense in 6 (75%). EPAs showed mild to moderate heterogeneous contrast enhancement and exhibited a cribriform-like appearance. Two patients underwent DCE MRI; the TIC showed a rapidly enhancing and slow washout pattern. The following features were also seen: an empty sella, bone changes and involvement of the cavernous sinus (5 patients; 62.5%). In conclusion, a high index of suspicion for EPA and a familiarity with the imaging findings may help to diagnose this rare entity accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytogenetic analysis of oocytes remaining unfertilized after in-vitro fertilization showed that the source of data obtained could be divided into degenerating and ‘healthy’ oocytes. The degenerating oocytes, which showed different degrees of chromosome breakage, accounted for a quarter of the total. They were found in older patients with a mean age of 35.0 years. The healthy oocytes without chromosome breaks were mostly haploid and fell into two main groups, those with a normal MII, 23, X chromosome complement, and those abnormal in which single chromatids replaced a whole chromosome. No oocytes hyperhaploid for an extra whole chromosome were found. We hypothesize that the single chromatids at second meiotic metaphase arise by precocious division of chromosome univalents at anaphase I (predivision) and that this may be the major mechanism for trisomy formation in man, rather than the non-disjunction of whole bivalents as generally assumed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]