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Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome is an extremely rare autoimmune disease with complex and diverse clinical manifestations. Cutaneous necrosis is one of its rare clinical features. However, interventions for this manifestation are not standardized and lack evidence, which increases treatment difficulty. Here, study authors report the successful care and follow-up of a 46-year-old female patient with nephrotic syndrome and catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome complicated by full-thickness cutaneous necrosis of the dorsum of the right hand that lasted more than 4 months and 1 month prior to wound treatment, respectively. Study authors set up an interprofessional team, including a nephrologist, a vascular surgeon, and two specialist wound care nurses to provide holistic wound care and treat her complex systemic conditions. After 84 days of treatment, which involved removing necrotic tissue with autolytic wound debridement, reducing inflammation with hydrofiber dressings containing silver, and promoting re-epithelialization with hydrocolloid paste and systemic medications, the wound healed successfully. Authors followed up with the patient at 1, 4, 6, 11, and 19 months after healing. The quality of scar was monitored, and the function of her right hand recovered normally.

Distance-dependent magnetic resonance tuning (MRET) technology enables the sensing and quantitative imaging of biological targets in vivo, with the advantage of deep tissue penetration and fewer interactions with the surroundings as compared with those of fluorescence-based Forster resonance energy transfer. However, applications of MRET technology in vivo are currently limited by the moderate contrast enhancement and stability of T1-based MRET probes. Here we report a new two-way magnetic resonance tuning (TMRET) nanoprobe with dually activatable T1 and T2 magnetic resonance signals that is coupled with dual-contrast enhanced subtraction imaging. This integrated platform achieves a substantially improved contrast enhancement with minimal background signal and can be used to quantitatively image molecular targets in tumours and to sensitively detect very small intracranial brain tumours in patient-derived xenograft models. The high tumour-to-normal tissue ratio offered by TMRET in combination with dual-contrast enhanced subtraction imaging provides new opportunities for molecular diagnostics and image-guided biomedical applications.

Nanocarriers have great potential to enhance drug delivery efficiency and therapeutic effect for various cancers. However, premature drug leakage and non-specific targeting still limit the delivery efficiency. Here, we present a smart on-demand targeting nanotheranostic system (PO-PB@SPIOs) with stimuli-responsive releasing property to improve the delivery efficiency for ovarian cancer. This delivery system prevents premature drug leakage via boronate ester linkages and shields the targeting moieties (phenylboronic acid) from non-specific binding when circulating in the blood. The PO-PB@SPIOs would release the tumor-targeting payload (PB) in response to the tumor microenvironment. Then, PB was able to target the overexpressed sialic acids on tumor cells. The significant improvement of delivery efficiency was demonstrated in vivo by a significantly enhanced signal in near-infrared-fluorescence (NIRF)/magnetic-resonance (MR) imaging (5-fold higher) and a remarkable photo-thermal therapeutic effect (complete cure rate (CCR) up to 80%). Furthermore, due to the on-demand targeting and stimuli-responsive releasing strategy, this nanotheranostic system shows a greater delivery efficiency even than the active-targeting small molecules or control nanoformulations. We believe this delicate design has great potential to develop novel drug nanoformulation.

It is difficult to distinguish solitary of fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma (SFT/HPC) from atypical meningioma (AM) by conventional imaging.As far as we know,diffusion weighting imaging may identify them effectively.The purpose of this study was to determine the role of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values to distinguish and predict prognosis of solitary of fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma (SFT/HPC) (WHOII) and atypical meningioma (AM).Preoperative diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of 30 cases with histopathologic and immunhistochemical testified SFT/HPC WHOII (n= 11) and AM (n= 19) were performed retrospectively. The ADC values of lesion, peritumoral edema, normal white matter and lesion NADC ratio (lesion ADC values/ADC values of normal white matter (NWN ADC)) were compared. The immunhistochemical markers (Ki-67, CD34, Vim, EMA, GFAP, S-100, PR, CD56) were compared. The correlation between the ADC values and Ki-67 index was evaluated.The mean lesion ADC values of SFT/HPC (1.15 ± 0.04 × 10-3 mm2/s) was significantly higher than that of AM (0.80 ± 0.04 × 10-3 mm2/s) (t= 23.824, p0.05). The mean NADC ratio was lower for AM (1.03 ± 0.06) compared with SFT/HPC (1.51 ± 0.05) (t= 23.105, p0.05). The mean edema ADC for SFT/HPC (1.47 ± 0.06 × 10-3 mm2/s) was lower compared with AM (1.68 ± 0.05 × 10-3 mm2/s) (t=-9.926, p0.05 ). There was no statistical difference between the two groups of NWM ADC (t=-1.475, p0.05) . The mean Ki-67 of SFT/HPC (7.18 ± 2.60%) was lower than the mean Ki-67 of AM (13.58 ± 4.50%) (t=-4.934, p0.05). The CD34 showed statistically differences between two groups (X2= 13.659, p0.05). The EMA also showed statistically differences between two groups (X2= 4.474, p0.05). Vim,GFAP, S-100, PR, CD56 showed no statistical difference in the two group (p0.05). The pearson analysis indicated that there was a negative correlation between lesion ADC and Ki-67 in SFT/HPC group (r=-0.770, p0.05) and AM group (r=-0.727, p0.05). There was also a negative correlation between lesion NADC ratio and Ki-67 in SFT/HPC group (r=-0.673, p0.05) and AM group (r=-0.707, p0.05). There was a positive correlation between edema ADC and Ki-67 in SFT/HPC group (r= 0.819, p0.05) and AM group (r= 0.942, p0.05). Furthermore,there was no correlation between NWM A DC and Ki-67 in SFT/HPC group (r=-0.403, p0.05) and AM group (r= 0.202, p0.05).The lesion ADC, lesion NADC ratio and edema ADC can distinguish the SFT/HPC WHO II from AM and be helpful to predict prognosis of the two tumors before operation. Further more, histopathologic and immunhistochemical can make a definite diagnosis of the two tumors.

Image quality assessment (IQA) models aim to establish a quantitative relationship between visual images and their perceptual quality by human observers. IQA modeling plays a special bridging role between vision science and engineering practice, both as a test-bed for vision theories and computational biovision models, and as a powerful tool that could potentially make profound impact on a broad range of image processing, computer vision, and computer graphics applications, for design, optimization, and evaluation purposes. IQA research has enjoyed an accelerated growth in the past two decades. Here we present an overview of IQA methods from a Bayesian perspective, with the goals of unifying a wide spectrum of IQA approaches under a common framework and providing useful references to fundamental concepts accessible to vision scientists and image processing practitioners. We discuss the implications of the successes and limitations of modern IQA methods for biological vision and the prospect for vision science to inform the design of future artificial vision systems., 24 pages, 6 figures. Annual Review of Vision Science

Nanotheranostics with integrated diagnostic and therapeutic functions show exciting potentials towards precision nanomedicine. However, targeted delivery of nanotheranostics is hindered by several biological barriers. Here, we report the development of a dual size/charge- transformable, Trojan-Horse nanoparticle (pPhD NP) for delivery of ultra-small, full active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) nanotheranostics with integrated dual-modal imaging and trimodal therapeutic functions. pPhD NPs exhibit ideal size and charge for drug transportation. In tumour microenvironment, pPhD NPs responsively transform to full API nanotheranostics with ultra-small size and higher surface charge, which dramatically facilitate the tumour penetration and cell internalisation. pPhD NPs enable visualisation of biodistribution by near-infrared fluorescence imaging, tumour accumulation and therapeutic effect by magnetic resonance imaging. Moreover, the synergistic photothermal-, photodynamic- and chemo-therapies achieve a 100% complete cure rate on both subcutaneous and orthotopic oral cancer models. This nanoplatform with powerful delivery efficiency and versatile theranostic functions shows enormous potentials to improve cancer treatment., Size and charge can significantly affect delivery of therapeutic agents to tumours. Here, the authors report on nanoparticles optimised for delivery to the tumour which release smaller particles and change charge in the tumour microenvironment to optimise tumour penetration and cellular uptake.

Despite its great promise in non-invasive treatment of cancers, magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) is currently limited by the insensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for visualization of small tumors, low efficiency of invivo ultrasonic energy deposition, and damage to surrounding tissues. We hereby report the development of an active targeting nano-sized theranostic superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) platform for significantly increasing the imaging sensitivity and energy deposition efficiency using a clinical MRgFUS system. The surfaces of these PEGylated SPIO nanoparticles (NPs) were decorated with anti-EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) monoclonal antibodies (mAb) for targeted delivery to lung cancer with EGFR overexpression. The potential of these targeted nano-theranostic agents for MRI and MRgFUS ablation was evaluated invitro and invivo in a rat xenograft model of human lung cancer (H460). Compared with nontargeting PEGylated SPIO NPs, the anti-EGFR mAb targeted PEGylated SPIO NPs demonstrated better targeting capability to H460 tumor cells and greatly improved the MRI contrast at the tumor site. Meanwhile, this study showed that the targeting NPs, as synergistic agents, could significantly enhance the efficiency for invivo ultrasonic energy deposition in MRgFUS. Moreover, we demonstrated that a series of MR methods including T2-weighted image (T2WI), T1-weighted image (T1WI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and contrast-enhanced T1WI imaging, could be utilized to noninvasively and conveniently monitor the therapeutic efficacy in rat models by MRgFUS.

Diabetes is often associated with impairments in brain functioning. However, the injury of specific functioning areas of the brain is not clear. To address this problem, the present study was designed to investigate possible brain functioning change in specific brain areas, particularly in areas associated with vision function, in patients with proliferative and nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR and NPDR) using the diffusion-weighted imaging technology. Conventional MRI was performed in 45 diabetic patients, 30 of whom had diabetic retinopathy (DR) involvement (half PDR, and half NPDR) and 15 of whom were diabetic patients without retinopathy and with normal ophthalmologic examination. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were calculated in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), cingulated gyrus, thalamus, dorsomedial and dorsolateral frontal cortex, and corona radiate. The ADC values of the OFC, cingulated gyrus, and visual cortex were significantly increased in patients with PDR and NPDR compared with both patients without retinopathy and the control group (P

Background To compare dual energy CT iodine imaging and standardized iodine concentration before and after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for esophageal cancer and evaluate the efficacy of CRT for EC by examining DECT iodine maps and standard CT values. Methods The clinical data of 45 patients confirmed by pathology with newly diagnosed esophageal cancer who underwent concurrent CRT from February 2012 to January 2017 in our department of radiology were collected. All patients underwent dual-source dual-energy CT (DECT) before and after CRT. Normalized iodine concentration (NIC) and normalized CT (NCT) corresponding to the overall cancer lesion and its maximum cross-sectional area were observed and compared. Additionally, 30 healthy individuals were compared as control group. After treatment, the patients were divided into two groups according to RECIST1.1: treatment effective group and ineffective group. Results There were 33 patients (CR 9, PR 24) in the effective group and 12 patients (SD 12, PD 0) in the ineffective group. There was no significant difference in the NIC-A, NIC-V, NCT-A and NCT-A indexes between the effective group (B group) and the ineffective group (C group) before treatment (P > 0.05). After the treatment, the above-mentioned indexes in the effective group of patients were significantly lower than before treatment, and compared with the ineffective group, the NIC-A, NIC-V, NCT-A and NCT-V values of the effective group were significantly lower than those of ineffective group (P 0.05). Conclusion Using DECT iodine map, the changes of NIC and NIC before and after CRT in patients with esophageal cancer can evaluate the effect of CRT, and does not increase the radiation dose, so it is suitable for clinical use.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles were extensively employed for theranostic applications, due to their good biocompatibility and excellent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) properties. However, these particles typically require surface modification due to their hydrophobic surfaces caused by the oil-phase surfactants used in the fabrication and the drug loading on their surface is usually limited. Here, we provided a novel and facile approach to conveniently perform surface modification of SPIO while simultaneously loading a large amount of drug. By synthesizing an amphiphilic irinotecan-based compound, which hydrophobic tail enabled to insert into the SPIOs assembly, an excellent SPIO-based theranostic nanomedicine (SPIO@IR) was formed. The SPIO@IR can not only extensively improve the drug efficacy, but also enable to visualize themselves by MRI in the biological system.

The efficacy of therapeutics for brain tumors is seriously hampered by multiple barriers to drug delivery, including severe destabilizing effects in the blood circulation, the blood-brain barrier/blood-brain tumor barrier (BBB/BBTB), and limited tumor uptake. Here, a sequential targeting in crosslinking (STICK) nanodelivery strategy is presented to circumvent these important physiological barriers to improve drug delivery to brain tumors. STICK nanoparticles (STICK-NPs) can sequentially target BBB/BBTB and brain tumor cells with surface maltobionic acid (MA) and 4-carboxyphenylboronic acid (CBA), respectively, and simultaneously enhance nanoparticle stability with pH-responsive crosslinkages formed by MA and CBA in situ. STICK-NPs exhibit prolonged circulation time (17-fold higher area under curve) than the free agent, allowing increased opportunities to transpass the BBB/BBTB via glucose-transporter-mediated transcytosis by MA. The tumor acidic environment then triggers the transformation of the STICK-NPs into smaller nanoparticles and reveals a secondary CBA targeting moiety for deep tumor penetration and enhanced uptake in tumor cells. STICK-NPs significantly inhibit tumor growth and prolong the survival time with limited toxicity in mice with aggressive and chemoresistant diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. This formulation tackles multiple physiological barriers on-demand with a simple and smart STICK design. Therefore, these features allow STICK-NPs to unleash the potential of brain tumor therapeutics to improve their treatment efficacy.

Conventional drug delivery systems contain substantial amounts of excipients such as polymers and lipids, typically with low drug loading capacity and lack of intrinsic traceability and multifunctionality . Here, we report fully active pharmaceutical ingredient nanoparticles (FAPIN) which were self-assembled by minimal materials, but seamlessly orchestrated versatile theranostic functionalities including: i) self-delivery: no additional carriers were required, all components in the formulation are active pharmaceutical ingredients; ii) self-indicating: no additional imaging tags were needed. The nanoparticle itself was composed of 100% imaging agents , so that the stability, drug release, subcellular dispositions, biodistribution and therapeutic efficacy of FAPINs can be readily visualized by ample imaging capacities, including energy transfer relay dominated, dual-color fluorogenic property, near-infrared fluorescence imaging and magnetic resonance imaging; and iii) highly effective trimodality cancer therapy, encompassing photodynamic-, photothermal- and chemo-therapies . FAPINs were fabricated with very simple material (a photosensitizer-drug conjugate), unusually achieved ∼10 times better in vitro antitumor activity than their free counterparts, and were remarkably efficacious in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) glioblastoma multiforme animal models. Only two doses of FAPINs enabled complete ablation of highly-malignant PDX tumors in 50% of the mice.

To investigate the effectiveness of the conservative therapy for symptomatic isolated celiac artery dissection (ICAD). Patients with symptomatic ICAD diagnosed on CT between February 2006 and June 2016 at three institutions were included. During the study period, a total of 24 patients (22 men, 2 women) were included in this retrospective study. Patients most commonly presented with epigastric pain (n = 21) or back pain (n = 3). Initial CT findings included celiac arterial calcification (n = 3); compression of the true lumen (n = 24), including stenosis of the true lumen

The purpose of this study was to develop folic acid (FA)-modified iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs) for targeted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of H460 lung carcinoma cells. Water-dispersible Fe3O4 NPs synthesized via a mild reduction method were conjugated with FA to generate FA-targeted Fe3O4 NPs. The specificity of FA-targeted Fe3O4 NPs to bind FA receptor was investigated in vitro by cellular uptake and cell MRI and in vivo by MRI of H460 tumors. The formed NPs displayed good biocompatibility and ultrahigh r 2 relaxivity (440.01/mM/s). The targeting effect of the NPs to H460 cells was confirmed by in vitro cellular uptake and cell MRI. H460 tumors showed a significant reduction in T2 signal intensity at 0.85 h, which then recovered and returned to control at 2.35 h. The results indicate that the prepared FA-targeted Fe3O4 NPs have potential to be used as T2 negative contrast agents in targeted MRI.

Aim To explore the altered spontaneous cerebral activity patterns and impaired functional regions in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) based on the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) algorithm. Materials and methods Twenty-one patients with DR (mean age, 54.9±9.9 years; 11 females) and 17 healthy control subjects (54.8±5.7 years; 9 females) were prospectively studied. The DR patients underwent laboratory tests. All individuals underwent a neuropsychological test. The differences in the ALFF values between the two groups were compared. The relationships between ALFF values and clinical measurements were analysed using a multiple-factor analysis. Results Compared to the controls, the DR group showed significantly increased ALFF values in the bilateral occipital gyrus, right lingual gyrus, and precuneus, and decreased values in the right posterior/anterior cerebellar lobe and the parahippocampal, fusiform, superior temporal, inferior parietal, and angular gyrus. Furthermore, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores were negatively correlated with decreased ALFF values in the right occipital lobe of the DR group, while increased ALFF values in the right precuneus and lingual gyrus were found to be positively correlated with glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Conclusions Patients with DR showed spontaneous cerebral activity abnormalities in many cerebral regions that were associated with cognitive impairments. HbA1c levels altered spontaneous cerebral activity in DR patients.