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Background/objectives: Nutritional deficiencies remain significant public health issues in older populations globally. This study evaluates the burden, trends, and cross-country inequalities of four common nutritional deficiencies (protein-energy malnutrition, iodine deficiency, vitamin A deficiency, and dietary iron deficiency) in older adults from 1990 to 2021., Methods: Age-standardised prevalence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) of these deficiencies in people aged ≥ 65 years at global, regional, and national levels were estimated from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021. Cross-country inequalities in disease burden were quantified using the slope index and concentration index, standard health equity methods recommended by the World Health Organization., Results: Globally, age-standardised prevalence rates of protein-energy malnutrition increased from 1407.16 per 100 000 population in 1990 to 2015.58 in 2021, with an AAPC of 1.18 (1.08-1.28), showing significant changes in 2015 and 2019, which were turning points in the joinpoint regression. Age-standardised prevalence rates of iodine, vitamin A, and dietary iron deficiencies decreased, with AAPCs of -0.49 (-0.53 to -0.44), -3.24 (-3.27 to -3.20), and - 0.14 (-0.17 to -0.12), respectively. Except for an increase in the DALY rate of vitamin A deficiency (AAPC 0.40), the DALY rates of the other three deficiencies decreased. Inequality in the burden of protein-energy malnutrition and iodine deficiency between high- and low-income countries narrowed, while inequality for vitamin A and dietary iron deficiencies remained stable. Age-standardised DALY rates for all deficiencies decreased as sociodemographic index increased., Conclusions: The global status of nutritional deficiency among older adults has improved since 1990, but the increasing prevalence of protein-energy malnutrition requires attention. Additionally, cross-country health inequalities persist, necessitating more efficient public health measures., Competing Interests: Declarations. Institutional review board: For the utilising of deidentified data in GBD study, a waiver of informed consent has been approved by the University of Washington Institutional Review Board. Informed consent: The institutions that conducted the surveys were responsible for obtaining informed consent from the participants. Clinical trial number: not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Background: Epidural analgesia is the most effective analgesic method during labor. Butorphanol administered epidurally has been shown to be a successful analgesic method during labor. However, no comprehensive study has examined the safety and efficacy of using butorphanol as an epidural analgesic during labor., Aim: To assess butorphanol's safety and efficacy for epidural labor analgesia., Methods: The PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Google Scholar databases will be searched from inception. Other types of literature, such as conference abstracts and references to pertinent reviews, will also be reviewed. We will include randomized controlled trials comparing butorphanol with other opioids combined with local anesthetics for epidural analgesia during labor. There will be no language restrictions. The primary outcomes will include the visual analog scale score for the first stage of labor, fetal effects, and Apgar score. Two independent reviewers will evaluate the full texts, extract data, and assess the risk of bias. Publication bias will be evaluated using Egger's or Begg's tests as well as visual analysis of a funnel plot, and heterogeneity will be evaluated using the Cochran Q test, P values, and I 2 values. Meta-analysis, subgroup analysis, and sensitivity analysis will be performed using RevMan software version 5.4. This protocol was developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Protocols statement, and the PRISMA statement will be used for the systematic review., Results: This study provides reliable information regarding the safety and efficacy of using butorphanol as an epidural analgesic during labor., Conclusion: To support clinical practice and development, this study provides evidence-based findings regarding the safety and efficacy of using butorphanol as an epidural analgesic during labor., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To document the epidemiology, presentation, clinical interventions, and outcomes of paediatric glaucoma in Hong Kong., Methods: This multicentre territory-wide retrospective study was performed by reviewing charts of patients with paediatric glaucoma in six clusters of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority and The Chinese University of Hong Kong from 2006 to 2015., Results: This study included 150 eyes of 98 patients with paediatric glaucoma (presenting age: 5.2±5.7 years). Of them, 35 eyes (23.3%) had primary congenital glaucoma, 22 eyes (14.7%) had juvenile open-angle glaucoma, and 93 eyes (62.0%) had secondary glaucoma. The most prevalent types of secondary glaucoma were lens-related after cataract extraction (18.0%), Axenfeld-Rieger anomaly (5.3%), uveitis (5.3%), Sturge-Weber syndrome (4.7%), and traumatic (3.3%). The most common clinical presentations were parental concerns (20.7%) including cloudy cornea (12.7%) and tearing/photophobia (8.0%), followed by poor visual acuity (18.0%), high intraocular pressure (13.3%), and strabismus (6.0%). The follow-up duration was 8.46±6.51 years. Furthermore, 63.2% of eyes with primary glaucoma and 45.2% of eyes with secondary glaucoma were treated surgically. The final visual acuity was 0.90±0.98 LogMAR; intraocular pressure was 18.4±6.6 mm Hg; and number of glaucoma medications was 2.22±1.61., Conclusion: Primary congenital glaucoma was most prevalent, followed by juvenile open-angle glaucoma and aphakic glaucoma. Most eyes with primary glaucoma required surgical treatment. Parental concerns were important clinical presentations. Basic assessments by healthcare providers to identify glaucoma signs (eg, poor visual acuity, high intraocular pressure, and strabismus) warranted prompt referral to an ophthalmologist., Competing Interests: All authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest.

Background: Nodular fasciitis (NF) is a benign disease originating from fascial tissue and most commonly occurs in the extremities, followed by the trunk, head, and neck. NF of the head and neck occurs mainly in the face and neck, and it has not been reported in the occipital region., Case Summary: A 30-year-old man was admitted because of a mass in the left occipital region. Imaging examination revealed a soft tissue nodule in the left occipital area. An enhanced magnetic resonance imaging scan showed characteristic inverted target and fascial tail signs. Histopathological analysis showed a large amount of spindle cell proliferation, and immunohistochemistry showed positive expression of SMA in the spindle cells in the lesion. Finally, nodular fasciitis was diagnosed., Conclusion: NF of the head and neck is rare, but the possibility of NF should be considered when nodules or masses with rapid subcutaneous growth are found and tenderness in the head and neck is present. Imaging examination, in combination with clinical manifestations and histopathological examination, can improve the diagnostic accuracy for the disease. After diagnosis, local surgical resection is the first choice of treatment., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose., (©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) is a rare malignant mesenchymal tumor. Early in the disease, the findings on magnetic resonance imaging are similar to those of leiomyoma. When the lesion involves both vascular and cardiac tissue, it might be misdiagnosed as intravenous leiomyomatosis, which is not common in the clinic., Case Summary: We present the case of a 34-year-old female patient with tumor embolus, which extended from the right iliac vein and ovarian vein to the inferior vena cava (IVC), and then to the right atrium and right ventricle, and finally protruded into the pulmonary artery. The patient had undergone a hystero-myomectomy 7 years previously. Based on the findings of the imaging examinations, the diagnosis of intravenous leiomyomatosis was considered preoperatively. The patient then underwent complete resection of the endovascular and intracardiac tumor embolus. The postoperative pathology results confirmed metastatic ESS with endovascular and intracardiac involvement. The patient was discharged from hospital in good condition, and there was no sign of recurrence 5 mo after the operation., Conclusion: Extending from the iliac vein and ovarian vein to the IVC, this metastatic ESS invaded both vascular and cardiac tissues. For patients with ESS involving vascular and cardiac tissues, pathological examinations are essential for the differential diagnosis, such as intravenous leiomyomatosis. In addition, due to the high recurrence rate of ESS, long-term and close follow-up evaluation is necessary., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and prognosis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) complicated with coronary vulnerable plaque (VP). Method: Consecutive patients were included who had undergone coronary artery CT angiography (CCTA) from January 1, 2011 to January 30, 2015 at the First People's Hospital of Neijiang. NAFLD was diagnosed according to the liver imaging findings (liver/spleen CT ratio≤1.0) and clinical data. Baseline data, diagnosis, vulnerable plaque were recorded and followed up. The end points included all-cause death rate, cardiac death rate, non-fatal myocardial infarction rate, and elective coronary revascularization rate. Result: A total of 1 069 patients were eventually recruited in this study, including 316 (29.6%) cases diagnosed as NAFLD. In patients with NAFLD, 130 (41.1%) cases had vulnerable plaque, which was significantly higher than 217 of 753 non-NAFLD patients (28.8%) ( P< 0.01). The percentages of spotty calcification, low attenuation plaque, positive remodeling and napkin ring sign in NAFLD cohort were 36.5%, 14.2%, 17.6% and 6.8% respectively, while those corresponding in non-NAFLD cohort were 18.4%, 6.3%, 5.8% and 3.2% respectively. The proportion of each vulnerable feature in NAFLD cohort was significantly higher than that in the non-NAFLD cohort, with P values of 0.016, 0.028, 0.019 and 0.042, respectively. The cardiac mortality rate in NAFLD group was significantly higher than and that of non-NAFLD group (7.0% vs. 3.6%, P= 0.044). Multivariate Cox analysis suggested that NAFLD was not an independent risk factor for cardiac death. NAFLD subgroup ( n= 316) was divided into VP positive group (NAFLD+VP+, n= 130) and VP negative group (NAFLD+VP-, n= 186). The mean follow-up time was 4.6±1.3 years. All-cause mortality rate, cardiac death rate, elective coronary artery reconstruction rate, non-fatal myocardial infarction rate in NAFLD+VP+group were 20.8%, 12.3%, 25.4%, 13.8% respectively, which were significantly higher than those corresponding rates in NAFLD+VP-group (5.9%, 3.2%, 8.6%, 6.5%) ( P< 0.01, 0.002,<0.01, and 0.032 respectively). Conclusion: The incidences of cardiac mortality, elective coronary revascularization, and non-fatal myocardial infarction are significantly higher in patients with NAFLD than those without. NAFLD combined with vulnerable plaque of coronary arteries predicts worse prognosis.

Cerebral syphilitic gumma is a rarely reported disease of the central nervous system. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important diagnostic method for syphilitic gumma. The present study aimed to describe and characterize neuroimaging results from 6 patients with pathologically diagnosed cerebral syphilitic gumma. The 6 patients (age, 32-61 years) underwent brain CT and MRI, with 1 patient also undergoing whole-body 2-deoxy-2-(fluorine-18)fluoro-D-glucose-positron emission tomography/CT (18F-FDG PET/CT). Non-enhanced CT, conventional T1 weighted imaging (T1WI) and T2WI, diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and gadolinium-enhanced T1WI images were acquired for all patients. The CT and MRI scans were retrospectively reviewed by two experienced radiologists for consensus on the location, number, size, T1WI, T2WI and DWI signal intensity characteristics, extent of vasogenic oedema, and enhancement patterns. In total, the 6 patients exhibited 10 lesions, nine of which were located in the cerebral hemisphere, primarily in the grey matter. The remaining lesion was located in the fourth ventricle, leading to mild-to-moderate hydrocephalus. The diameters of the identified 10 lesions ranged from 0.9-6.5 cm, with a mean diameter of 3.9 cm. The main feature observed in CT was low density and in MRI the features were T1WI and DWI hypointensity and T2WI hyperintensity. A single case exhibited syphilis gumma with massive haemorrhage. Ring-like or strip-like signs (n=5), accompanied by the dural tail sign (n=2) and homogeneous enhancement (n=1), were noted on T1WI with gadolinium. The 18F-FDG PET/CT performed in one patient of a cerebral syphilis gumma revealed low uptake and metabolism. The present study indicated that gadolinium-enhanced MRI combined with 18F-FDG PET/CT and laboratory examinations are helpful in distinguishing cerebral syphilitic gumma from brain tumors and infectious diseases, therefore avoiding unnecessary surgery., (Copyright: © Li et al.)

Purpose: Only a few studies have investigated the brain morphology abnormalities in structural MRI in patients with drug-naïve idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) and mainly focused on brain volume changes. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the changes in three morphologic measurement differences including cortical thickness, cortical volume, and surface area using FreeSurfer in a pediatric cohort of recent-onset, drug-naïve IGE., Methods: Forty-five recent-onset, drug-naïve patients diagnosed with IGE and 32 demographically matched healthy controls were recruited. All participants underwent structural MRI scans with a 3.0 T MR system. FreeSurfer, an automated cortical surface reconstruction toolbox, was applied to compare the cortical morphology between patients and controls. The brain regions with significant group differences after multiple comparison correction were extracted in common space for each patient, and then correlated with their clinical characteristics (including onset age, duration of epilepsy, and mini-mental state examination (MMSE)) using partial correlation analysis with age, sex and intracranial volume as covariates., Results: Compared with controls, IGE patients showed decreased cortical thickness in the left rostral middle frontal gyrus, decreased cortical volume in the right cuneus and left superior frontal gyrus that extended to the precentral gyrus, and decreased surface area in the right cuneus and right inferior parietal gyrus. None of these regions showed significant relationships with clinical measurements in the patient group., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that cortical thickness, cortical volume, and surface area changes occurred in the early stage of IGE. These findings provide structural neuroimaging evidence underlying the pathology of IGE., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Experiments were performed to study the transformation, migration and outcome of residual bodies (RBs) in the seminiferous tubules of the rat testes. One part of the testes from adult Sprague-Dawley rats was used to generate paraffin sections to observe RBs and RB precursors through specific staining, and the other part of the testes was used to generate ultrathin sections to observe RBs under a transmission electron microscope. Deep blue particles of different sizes were observed in some seminiferous tubules through specific staining for RBs and RB precursors. These particles first appeared in the seminiferous tubules at stage I of the spermatogenic cycle, and after spermiation, the particles travelled rapidly towards the deeper region of the seminiferous epithelium and soon appeared close to the basement membrane of the seminiferous tubule. All of the particles in the tubules disappeared at stage IX. Using transmission electron microscopy, components of different electron densities were observed in the RBs on the surface of the seminiferous epithelium, all of which gradually formed in the cytoplasm of spermatozoon in later stages of spermiogenesis. After the spermatozoa were released, the RBs in the epithelium travelled quickly to the edge of the tube and were gradually transformed into lipid inclusions. These lipid inclusions ultimately became lipidlike particles. The lipidlike particles were discharged into the interstitial tissue. RBs initiate their own digestive process before their formation during spermiation in the rat testes. After spermiation, the RBs transform into lipid inclusions and finally into lipidlike particles. These lipidlike particles can be eliminated from the seminiferous tubules., (© 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Objectives: To investigate the correlations between abnormal features on liver magnetic resonance (MR) T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) imaging and the pathological findings in chronic hepatitis B., Materials and Methods: Sixty-seven patients with chronic hepatitis B and 18 normal controls who were undergone an abdominal MR imaging were analyzed retrospectively. Patchy hyperintensities, linear and reticular hyperintensities in liver and periportal edema on T2WI and abnormal intrahepatic enhancement signals on DCE imaging were noted. The correlations between the abnormal features detected on hepatic T2WI and DCE imaging, and the levels of inflammatory activity and fibrosis were determined., Results: Logistic regression analysis showed increased patchy hyperintensities (B = 1.869, P = 0.001) on T2WI and patchy enhancement (B = 1.596, P = 0.004) at the arterial phase along with increased inflammatory activity. However, linear and reticular hyperintensities (B = 2.356, P = 0.000) on T2WI, and meshwork enhancement (B = 2.191, P = 0.000) at the equilibrium phase, all correlated with fibrosis. Moreover, periportal edema mainly correlated with the inflammatory activities (B = 2.635, P = 0.001)., Conclusions: In chronic hepatitis B patients, patchy hyperintensities on T2WI, periportal edema, and patchy enhancement at the arterial phase can predict moderate-to-severe inflammatory activities, whereas intrahepatic linear and reticular hyperintensities on T2WI, and meshwork enhancement at the equilibrium phase can predict moderate-to-severe fibrosis.

The aim of the present meta-analysis was to evaluate the diagnostic value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in differentiating metastatic from non-metastatic lymph nodes in patients with lung cancer. A systematic literature search was performed to identify eligible original studies. The quality of included studies was assessed using 'quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies' (QUADAS-2). Meta-analysis was performed to pool sensitivity and specificity, to calculate the positive likelihood ratio (PLR), the negative likelihood ratio (NLR) and the diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and to construct the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve. The homogeneity, threshold effect and publication bias were also investigated. Meta-regression analysis was performed to identify the sources of heterogeneity. A total of 10 studies with 11 datasets met the inclusion criteria, which comprised 796 patients with a total of 2,433 lymph nodes. The pooled diagnostic sensitivity was 0.78 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.74-0.81] and the pooled diagnostic specificity was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.86-0.89). The PLR, NLR, and DOR were 7.11 (95% CI: 4.39-11.52), 0.24 (95% CI: 0.18-0.33), and 31.14 (95% CI: 17.32-55.98), respectively. The area under the SROC curve was 0.90. No publication bias was found (bias=-0.15, P=0.887). Notable heterogeneity was, however, observed, and patient selection, type of lung cancer, number of enrolled lymph nodes, reference standard, B-value and the type of scanner were the sources of heterogeneity (P<0.05). No significant threshold effect was identified (P=0.537). In conclusion, DWI has been revealed to be a valuable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modality, with good diagnostic performance for distinguishing metastatic from non-metastatic lymph nodes in patients with lung cancer. Therefore, DWI may be a useful supplement to conventional MRI techniques.

Angiomyolipoma is a benign mesenchymal tumor, most commonly arising from the kidney. With the exception of the liver, extrarenal angiomyolipoma is an infrequent entity that may be misdiagnosed as other tumors. Angiomyolipoma occurring in the skeleton is an extremely rare occurrence and often difficult to differentiate from other bone diseases. We herein present a case of angiomyolipoma in the rib of a 44-year-old male patient, a highly unusual location for this type of tumor. Angiomyolipoma of the skeleton usually exhibits an infiltrative tendency. Although this clinical entity is rare, angiomyolipoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of skeletal lesions, particularly in patients presenting with imaging findings of fat within the lesions.

Background: The goal of this study was to identify the nature of the inclusion bodies that have been found in HeLa cells (cervical cancer immortal cell line) by electron microscope and to determine whether the major capsid protein (L1) of human papillomavirus (HPV) can be expressed in HPV-positive uterine cervix cancer cells., Methods: HPV L1 protein expression in HeLa cells was detected with anti-HPV L1 multivalent mice monoclonal antibody and rabbit polyclonal anti-HPV L1 antibody by ELISA, light microscope immunohistochemistry, electron microscope immunocytochemistry and Western blotting assays. Reverse transcriptional PCR (RT-PCR) was performed to detect the transcription of L1 mRNA in HeLa cells. The immortalized human keratinocyte HeCat was used as the negative control., Results: HPV L1 proteins reacted positively in the lysate of HeLa cells by ELISA assays. HRP labeled light microscope immunohistochemistry assay showed that there was a strong HPV L1 positive reaction in HeLa cells. Under the electron microscope, irregular shaped inclusion bodies, assembled by many small and uniform granules, had been observed in the cytoplasm of some HeLa cells. These granules could be labeled by the colloidal gold carried by HPV L1 antibody. The Western blotting assay showed that there was a L1 reaction strap at 80-85 kDa in the HeLa cell lysates, hence demonstrating the existence of HPV18 L1 in HeLa cells. RT-PCR assay showed that the L1 mRNA was transcribed in HeLa cells., Conclusions: The inclusion bodies found in the cytoplasm of HeLa cells are composed of HPV18 L1 protein. Since HeLa cell line is a type of cervical cancer cells, this implies that HeLa cells have the ability to express HPV L1 proteins.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to characterise gallbladder wall oedema and correlate it with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging., Materials and Methods: Sixty-seven patients who were clinically and histologically diagnosed with CHB and 18 healthy individuals without any history of liver disease underwent abdominal MR imaging. Hepatic inflammation (grade 0-4) and fibrosis (stage 0-4) for patients were assessed histologically. Gallbladder wall oedema was noted., Results: Twelve patients showed gallbladder wall oedema on MR imaging, including six with grade 3 and six with grade 4 disease. There was a statistically significant difference for the presence of gallbladder wall oedema among groups with grade 0-4 (p=0.000), but not between groups with grades 3 and 4 (p=0.729). Gallbladder wall oedema was related to moderate-severe inflammatory activity (p<0.05), alanine transaminase (ALT) (p=0.012) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (p=0.027) levels but not to fibrosis or other laboratory data, including serum quantitative DNA for hepatitis B virus (HBV), with the p=0.105-0.846. Sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of hepatic moderate-severe inflammation using gallbladder wall oedema were 33.33% and 100%, respectively., Conclusions: Gallbladder wall oedema for patients with CHB can be specifically demonstrated on MR imaging and is correlated with hepatic moderate-severe inflammatory activity, elevated ALT and AST levels but not with fibrosis or other laboratory data, including viremia.

Aim: To assess the value of enlarged perihepatic lymph nodes in determining hepatic histopathology for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)., Methods: Sixty-seven patients who were clinically and histologically diagnosed with CHB and 18 healthy subjects without history of liver disease underwent abdominal MRI. Histological diagnosis and hepatic inflammation (grade 0-4) and fibrosis (stage 0-4) were assessed by a simplified system for scoring in chronic viral hepatitis. The major imaging protocol included an axial breath-hold fat suppressed fast spoiled gradient echo T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), axial breath-trigger fat suppressed fast recovery fast spin echo T2WI, and axial and coronal fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition. Perihepatic lymph nodes larger than 5 mm in shortest diameter were noted., Results: The numbers and size indexes of lymph nodes greater than 5 mm in shortest diameter in hepatic hilum suggested inflammatory activity for subjects with grade 2 or higher, with a high accuracy of diagnosis (the area under the curves > 0.9, P < 0.001). The numbers of lymph nodes were 2 or more with a sensitivity of 87.27%, a specificity of 90.00%, an accuracy of 88.24%, a positive predictive value of 94.12%, and a negative predictive value of 79.41% in patients with grade 2 or higher, and the size indexes were no less than 180 mm(2) with a sensitivity of 83.64%, a specificity of 100%, an accuracy of 89.41%, a positive predictive value of 100%, and a negative predictive value of 76.92%. The numbers and size indexes of lymph nodes were not correlated with hepatic fibrosis. The signal intensity indexes of lymph nodes were no significant correlation with histological grading or staging of liver., Conclusion: The numbers and size indexes of enlarged perihepatic lymph nodes for patients with CHB suggest inflammatory activity for subjects with grade 2 or higher.

A portable rectal near infrared (NIR) scanning polarization imaging unit with an optical fiber-based rectal probe, designated as a Photonic Finger (PF), was designed, developed, built and tested. PF was used to image and locate the three dimensional (3D) positions of abnormal prostate tissue embedded inside normal prostate tissue. An inverse image reconstruction algorithm, namely Optical Tomography using Independent Component Analysis (OPTICA) was developed to unmix the signal from targets (cancerous tissue) embedded in a turbid media (normal tissue) in the backscattering imaging geometry. The Photonic Finger combined with OPTICA was ex vivo tested to characterize different target(s) inside different tissue medium, including cancerous prostate tissue embedded inside large pieces of normal tissue. This new developed instrument, Photonic Finger, may provide an alternative imaging technique, which is accurate, of high spatial resolution and non-or-less invasive for prostate cancers screening.

Objective: To study the clinicalpathologic features of intracranial multiple lesions., Methods: The clinical, radiologic and pathologic features of intracranial multiple lesions in 62 cases during the period from 2005 to 2009 in Xuanwu Hospital were retrospectively reviewed., Results: There were 32 males and 30 females in 62 cases. The mean age of seize onset and duration of disease were 37.4-year-old and 11.6 months, respectively. The lesions could affect cerebral hemisphere, basal ganglia, brain stem, cerebellum and other parts, most lesions were located above the tentorium. Pathological diagnosis as follows: 13 patients with glioma; metastatic tumors in 13 cases; 12 cases of central nervous system infection; immune-mediated inflammatory demyelinating disease in 8 cases; 5 cases of primary lymphoma of central nervous system; primary angiitis of the central nervous system 3 cases; mitochondrial encephalopathy 2 cases; vein thrombosis in 2 cases; Rosai-Dorfman disease in 2 cases; 2 case of radiation encephalopathy. Among them, mitochondrial encephalopathy and vein thrombosis lesions located in the cortex; metastatic tumor and blood-borne infection mainly involving junction of grey and white matter; glioma, radiation encephalopathy and demyelinating disease include white matter lesions; vascular inflammation showed cortical and subcortical white matter lesions., Conclusions: A variety of tumor and non-neoplastic diseases can be expressed in intracranial multiple lesions, which gliomas, metastatic tumor and central nervous system infections are more common. In order to improve the diagnosis of intracranial multiple lesions, active work in the brian biopsy, study the clinical, imaging and pathological findings must be closely.

The native fluorescence spectra of retinoic acid (RA)-treated and untreated human breast cancerous cells excited with the selective wavelengths of 300 nm and 340 nm were measured and analyzed using a blind source separation method namely Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF). The results show that the fluorophores of human malignant breast cells change their compositions when they are treated with RA. The reduced contribution from tryptophan, NADH and flavin to the fluorescence of the treated breast cancerous cells was observed in comparison with that of the untreated cells. The results indicate that the decrease of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the RA-treated cells. The possible clinical applications of this native fluorescence study are discussed.

Objective: To investigate the immunohistochemical expression of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 gene (IDH1) R132H in glioma and its diagnostic utility., Methods: Immunohistochemical study of IDH1R132H expression was performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples of 75 gliomas, including 33 cases of grade II, 20 cases of grade III and 22 cases of grade IV tumors. Six cases of pilocytic astrocytoma and 12 cases of gliosis were used as controls., Results: Nineteen in 33 cases of grade II (57.6%), 8 in 20 cases of grade III (40.0%), 6 in 22 cases of grade IV (27.3%) showed positive cytoplasmic staining of IDH1R132H. Scattered invasive glioma cells at the tumor periphery also expressed IDH1R132H. Gliomas involving the frontal lobe showed more strong IDH1R132H staining. In contrast, none of the pilocytic astrocytomas and gliosis showed IDH1R132H staining. Moreover, the rate of p53 immunopositivities were 42.4% (14/33) in grade II, 65.0% (13/20) in grade III and 77.3% (17/22) in grade IV gliomas. There were no statistic correlations between expression of IDH1R132H and p53., Conclusion: IDH1R132H tends to express preferentially in low-grade gliomas, and it thus may serve as a valuable marker in distinguishing low grade gliomas from gliosis.

The fluorescence spectra of human cancerous and normal prostate tissues obtained by the selective excitation wavelength of 340 nm were measured. The contributions of principle biochemical components to tissue fluorescence spectra were investigated using the method of multivariate curve resolution with alternating least squares. The results show that there is a reduced contribution from the emission of collagen and increased contribution from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) in cancerous tissues as compared with normal tissue. This difference is attributed to the changes of relative contents of NADH and collagen during cancer development. This research may present a potential native biomarker for prostate cancer detection.

The ectopic thyroid tissue is the result of abnormality in embryological development and migration. Ectopic thyroid tissue located in or adjacent to the gallbladder wall is extremely rare with only two cases reported since 1969. These cases were all identified incidentally by pathological examination after cholecystectomy for acute or chronic cholecystitis. We here report a case of ectopic thyroid tissue presenting as a gallbladder mass in a 60-year-old woman who underwent cholecystectomy. Ectopic thyroid tissue in the gallbladder wall was confirmed by histopathology.

Collision tumors are composed of two histologically distinct neoplasms which present at one location. Collision of a malignant tumor originating outside the central nervous system with a primary intracranial neoplasm is a rare event. Here we report on a CPA schwannoma containing a metastasis of adenocarcinoma in a 57-years old woman. Searching for the primary tumor resulted in the detection of a carcinoma in the superior lobe of the left lung.

Leigh syndrome is a mitochondrial disease of infancy and early childhood and is rare in adults. We report an autopsy case of adult Leigh syndrome of 15 years duration in a 32-year-old man with a familial history of the disease. His initial symptom was clumsiness followed by dullness, and dysphasia and dysarthria appeared in the last 3 months. His brother had similar symptoms and died at the age of 27 years. His sister is also demented. Cranial MRI revealed abnormal signals in the bilateral putamen and tegmentum of the brainstem. Neuropathologically, there were symmetrical, well-demarcated necrotizing lesions with proliferation of capillaries in the putamen, caudate nucleus and thalamus, as well as in the periaqueductal gray matter of the midbrain and tegmentum of the pons. It seems that the lesions in the putamen were more severe and older than those of the brainstem, the latter having numerous macrophage infiltrations. Neuronal loss and gliosis were also observed in the substantia nigra and cerebellar cortex. This is the first autopsy-confirmed familial adult Leigh syndrome in China. The clinicopathological features are presented together with a literature review.

The Cypate-Bombesin Peptide Analogue Conjugate (Cybesin) was used as a prostate tumor receptor-targeted contrast agent. The absorption and fluorescence spectra of Cybesin were measured and shown to exist in the NIR tissue "optical window". The spectral polarization imaging of Cybesin-stained prostate cancerous and normal tissues shows that prostate cancerous tissue takes-up more Cybesin than that of prostate normal tissue, making Cybesin a potential marker of prostate cancer.

Objective: This paper was to explore the expressions of bcl-2, c-myc genes and the relationship between them in bone marrow from patients with acute leukemia (AL)., Methods: In situ hybridization was used to detect bcl-2 and c-myc mRNA. Immune cytochemistry was used to detect bcl-2 and c-myc protein., Results: The expressions of bcl-2, c-myc mRNA and proteins were significantly increased in AL; There were not significant differences in bcl-2 mRNA and protein, c-myc mRNA and protein between the patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia and acute nonlymphocytic leukemia; There were linear correlations between bcl-2 mRNA and bcl-2 protein, between c-myc mRNA and c-myc protein, between bcl-2 mRNA and c-myc mRNA, between bcl-2 protein and c-myc protein., Conclusion: bcl-2 and c-myc genes play an important role in pathogenesis and the development of AL.

An ultraviolet to visible acousto-optic tunable filter was used to measure native fluorescence images from in vitro breast tissues at different wavelengths. Pseudocolor maps based on fluorescence images at two wavelengths were used to separate normal and abnormal regions in human breast tissues in vitro, providing diagnostic information. © 1998 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

Genetic aberrations were examined to assess the possible roles that p53 and retinoblastoma susceptibility genes might have played in the development of small cell cervical carcinomas. Cervical cancer tissues from 12 patients with small cell cervical carcinoma that were free of human papillomavirus were analyzed. The presence of mutational alterations were examined by polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism and by direct DNA sequencing. None of 12 small cell cervical carcinomas were found to contain mutations in regions of p53 and retinoblastoma susceptibility genes that were functionally important and where most mutations, in human tumors have been found. Furthermore, there was no evidence indicative of loss of heterozygosity of chromosome region 17p13 (in which p53 is located) in these tumors. These data seem to suggest that whereas mutant type of p53 and retinoblastoma susceptibility genes may exhibit "oncogenic" function in many human tumors, mutational inactivation of these genes may not be an important feature in the carcinogenic development of human papillomavirus-negative small cell cervical carcinomas.

To improve our understanding of the relationship and possible associations between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the development of cervical malignancies, the presence of multiple types of HPV DNA sequences in cervical carcinoma was determined in Chinese citizens living in two different geographical locations where the incidences of cervical carcinoma are either relatively low or extremely high. HPV DNA sequences were found in 88.5% (54 of 61) of Chinese cervical carcinoma patients living in Taiwan, where the prevalence of cervical carcinoma is 23.7 per 100,000 women. In contrast, in LueYang in Shanxi province, an area with a very high prevalence of cervical carcinoma (1,026 per 100,000 women), only 57.1% (28 of 49) of Chinese cervical carcinoma patients were found to be infected with genital HPV. This result seems to suggest that either the presence of HPV may have different implications in different populations or HPV infection may not be the only factor that determines the development of cervical carcinoma, at least in certain geographical areas. Recently acquired transient or chronic persistent HPV infection may have a different outcome with regard to cervical carcinogenesis. Alternatively, other factors, such as host determinants, may play a role in the development of cervical carcinoma.

Intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy offers a new method for diagnosing head and neck cancers. By establishing a unique spectral fingerprint for benign tissue, one can readily identify subtle changes in tissue based on altered spectral patterns. The authors applied this technology to a multicellular tumor spheroid (MTS) model and obtained baseline spectral data. A cohort of MTS was treated with the chemopreventive agent retinoic acid (RA) to determine its effect on tumor cells. Excitation and emission spectroscopy were performed on the samples. Spectroscopic scans demonstrated consistently that RA-treated MTS exhibit a decrease in the peak associated with reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and an increase in the peaks associated with flavins, tryptophan, and cytokeratins when compared to controls. These findings are suggestive of alterations in cellular electron transport, an increase in proteins incorporating tryptophan, and a decrease in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the RA-treated cells. A discussion of the potential clinical applications of intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy is included.

DNA was prepared from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 114 Chinese with low erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume and analyzed by allele-specific DNA amplification for the presence of mutant alleles in the beta-globin gene that account for about 90% of beta-thalassemia in Chinese. A total of 9 mutations of the five most frequent mutant alleles were detected in 8 individuals. All mutant sequences were confirmed later by DNA sequencing. However, no mutation of these mutant alleles was detected in the remaining 106 individuals with low erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume including 22 who also had Hb A2 content of 6.0% or more. Our results seem to suggest that the presence of beta-thalassemia allele does not correlate very well with red blood cell indices and that direct DNA analysis by allele-specific DNA amplification is an accurate method to identify beta-thalassemia heterozygotes.

The native fluorescence spectra, intensity dependence on sperm density, relaxation decay time, and polarization were investigated on spermatozoa and their components (sperm heads and sperm tails) under laser excitation.

Studies of Raman scattering, fluorescence and time-resolved light scattering were conducted on cancer and normal biomedical media. Fourier transform Raman spectroscopic measurements were performed on human normal, benign and cancerous tissues from gynecological (GYN) tracts. A comparison of the intensity differences between various Raman modes as well as the number of Raman lines, enables one to distinguish normal GYN tissues from diseased tissues. Fluorescence spectroscopic measurements on human breast tissues show that the ratio of fluorescence intensity at 340 nm to that at 440 nm can be used to distinguish between cancerous and non-cancerous tissues. Separate studies on normal and cancerous breast cell lines show spectral differences. The measurements of back-scattered ultrafast laser pulses from human breast tissues show differences in the scattered pulse profiles for different tissues. These studies show that various optical techniques have the potential to be used in medical diagnostic applications.

Deoxyribonucleic acid sequences of human ZFY (zinc-finger-Y) gene, a Y-chromosome-specific gene and candidate for the testis-determining factor, has been identified by an in vitro enzymatic deoxyribonucleic acid amplification method in peripheral blood specimens of women pregnant with male fetuses. This technique permits detection of ZFY gene deoxyribonucleic acid sequences in as few as a single male cell among 1,000,000 female cells. Maternal blood results were confirmed by amplification of ZFY gene deoxyribonucleic acid sequences in chorionic villus cells and by karyotyping in 33 of 36 pregnant women. There was no false-positive male result, and two of the three blood specimens with false-negative results were obtained from pregnant women at a very early gestational age. With properly designed guidelines, this deoxyribonucleic acid amplification method may be an alternative to determine the fetal sex for those pregnancies at risk for X-linked genetic disorders.

The angular and temporal distributions of light scattered around the backward direction from biological tissues are measured. An enhancement of scattered light intensity around the backward direction, which is associated with the weak photon localization, is observed. The transport mean free path l(t) and the absorption length l(a) of the light in biological tissue can be obtained from the angular line shape of the coherent peak. The values l(t) and l(a) can also be obtained from the temporal profile of the scattered pulse.

The origin of the differences in the fluorescence spectra obtained from cancerous and normal human breast and lung tissues is explored experimentally. The fluorescence spectra from chemically treated normal tissues were measured to give information on the source of the spectral differences. The pulsed fluorescence spectra photoexcited by the second and third harmonic of a 10-ps pulse from Nd:glass laser are reported for normal and cancerous tissues of breast and lung.

Steady-state spectra, time-resolved spectroscopic, and excitation spectra from human cancer and normal tissues have been measured. Spectroscopic differences between normal and cancerous tissues have been found that could be used as a basis for an instrument for the early detection of cancer.