To explore the potential of IR-PEG-FA (IPF), a near-infrared two-region (NIR-II) small-molecule organic probe, for intraoperative navigation in hepatocellular carcinoma and to perform in vivo near- infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging studies and ex vivo and in vivo biosafety assessments.

Based on the research of the group, a NIR-II small molecule organic probe targeting specific biomarkers of hepatocellular carcinoma was constructed by chemical synthesis. The effects of the nanoprobe on the activities of hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines BEL-7402, HepG-2, HuH-7 and normal hepatocytes HL-7702 were detected by MTT assay; the in vivo biocompatibility of the nanoprobe was evaluated by haemolysis assay, acute toxicity assay and blood biochemistry assay; the in situ hepatocellular carcinoma model was established in mice, and divided into IPF experimental group, IP control group and saline control group. The experimental group was injected with IPF in the tail vein, and the control group was injected with IP and saline in the tail vein, and the specific tumour targeting of their nanoprobe IPF was subsequently detected by using NIR-II window imaging; finally, real-time navigational resection of hepatocellular tumours was performed under the NIRF operation window.

The nanoprobe IPF has no obvious toxicity to BEL-7402, HepG-2, HuH-7 and HL-7702 cells, and the haemolysis rate is below the safety limit of 3%, and it did not cause any significant erythrocyte damage; there is no abnormal behaviour or death of the mice in the acute toxicity test, and there is no obvious effect on the normal structure and function of the important organs (heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys); the liver and kidney functions of mice are all within the normal range. Using IPF nanoprobes for liver tumour cell labelling, the fluorescent signals of hepatocellular carcinoma cells were observed under the NIRF window, and the fluorescent signals in the resected area disappeared after the surgery.

NIR-II small molecule organic probe IPF has good cell safety, excellent biocompatibility, and can efficiently label hepatocellular carcinoma cells, possessing the potential of intraoperative navigation in hepatocellular carcinoma, which provides an idea and a reference for the research related to hepatocellular carcinoma treatment.

To improve the reconstructed image quality of low-count positron emission tomography (PET) imaging based on deep learning method and explore the generalization performance of the proposed method on different noise levels.

Using the dataset from the MICCAI 2022 UDPET Challenge, the hierarchical vector quantized variational autoencoder (HVQ-VAE) method was proposed to denoise low-count PET images with different dose reduction factors (DRFs). The denoising efficacy was quantitatively evaluated via metrics such as normalized root mean square error, structural similarity, and peak signal-to-noise ratio, as well as through visual assessments, against the Gaussian filter as baseline mothod.

When the DRF of low-count PET images was 20, the overall image quality was improved by 13% after Gaussian filtering, and 20% after denoising by HVQ-VAE. At a DRF of 50, the proposed approach outperformed the Gaussian filter, delivering a 24% quality improvement compared to its 11%. At the DRF of 100, the HVQ-VAE method marked 36% improvement in overall image quality, as opposed to the 12% achieved with the Gaussian filter.

The HVQ-VAE method, as part of our proposed technique, has demonstrated a marked denoising effect on total-body ultra-low-count PET images across diverse noise levels. This research opens up novel avenues for reducing radiation exposure risks while ensuring maintenance of image fidelity.

To establish a comprehensive model based on sagittal T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) combined with different peritumoral characteristics and clinical risk factors for the prediction of parametrial invasion in stage IB-IIB cervical cancer.

Confirmed by postoperative pathology, a total of 180 patients with stage IB-IIB cervical cancer were enrolled from Xixian Campus of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine from January 2018 to April 2024. All the patients they received preoperative MRI examination and radical hysterectomy with systematic pelvic lymph node dissection and retrospectively analyzed. The radiomics features were extracted from the volumetric region of interest of the tumor (ROI) and 1 mm-, 2 mm-, 3 mm-, 4 mm-, 5 mm-, 6 mm-peritumoural rings (ROI-1, ROI-2, ROI-3, ROI-4, ROI-5, ROI-6) of the sagittal T2WI, respectively, and were selected by Pearson analysis and LASSO regression. Different feature-based radiomics models were independently built and their predictive performances were compared to select the optimal ones. Finally, the comprehensive model was developed based on optimal radiomics characteristics and clinical independent risk factors. And the predictive performance, calibration degree and application value of the models were evaluated by the ROC curve, calibration curves and the decision curve analysis (DCA).

Four effective radiomics features, obtained from the peritumoral regions with 3 mm distances, had the best predictive performance, achieving an AUC of 0.980 and 0.770 in the training and internal validation cohorts, respectively. The maximum tumor diameter and platelet count were identified as independent clinical risk factors. The clinical model established by maximum tumor diameter and platelet count had the second predictive performance, with AUC of 0.860 and 0.673, respectively. The combined model constructed by integrating independent risk factors and four effective radiomics features from the peritumoral regions with 3 mm distances had more stable predictive performance, with an AUC of 0.952 and 0.939, respectively. After calibration curve and decision curve analysis, the intratumoral binding 3 mm around the tumor omics model had higher calibration degree and greater clinical net benefit.

The combined model based on intratumoral peritumoral radiomics and clinical parameters of MRI can better predict the preoperation of stage IB- IIB cervical cancer, which has important clinical significance for guiding the individualized treatment of patients.

To explore the application of deep learning combined with the Chinese thyroid imaging reporting and data system (C-TIRADS) in the risk stratification management of thyroid nodules classified as 4a.

A total of 179 patients with thyroid nodules treated at Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital from December 2018 to October 2022 were included, divided into benign (n=76) and malignant groups (n=103) based on pathological results. All patients underwent ultrasound examination and were diagnosed using C-TIRADS guidelines and deep learning. Multiple factor Logistic regression analysis was used to obtain independent predictive indicators; the accuracy of predictive variables was assessed using the ROC curve.

Multiple factor Logistic analysis showed that the structural, directional, edge, echo, focal strong echo, and age characteristics of thyroid nodule images are independent indicators for predicting the nature of thyroid nodules (P < 0.05). With pathological results as the gold standard, the complete consistency rate of deep learning combined with C-TIRADS with pathological results was 96.65%, and the Kappa value was 0.932, indicating good consistency; the consistency rate, specificity, and positive predictive value of the combined diagnosis for thyroid nodules classified as 4a were significantly higher than those of deep learning and C-TIRADS (P < 0.05). The sensitivity and negative predictive value of the combined diagnosis for the disease were higher than those of deep learning (P < 0.001), but the difference with C-TIRADS was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the AUCs for C-TIRADS, deep learning, and combined diagnosis were 0.873, 0.819, and 0.967, respectively; compared with Az=0.5, the differences were all statistically significant (P < 0.001).

C-TIRADS has a high sensitivity in the risk stratification management of thyroid nodules classified as 4a, and combined with deep learning for auxiliary diagnosis, it can accurately distinguish between benign and malignant thyroid nodules, with high diagnostic efficacy.

To evaluate the consistency of radiomic features of the healthy liver across multiple CT scanners and to investigate the impact of image-based and feature-based harmonization methods on the results.

Abdominal CT examinations of 243 healthy adults (Optima CT660: n=83, Revolution 512 CT: n=56, Emotion 16: n=69, Definition AS+CT: n=35) were retrospectively collected from January 1, 2015 to January 1, 2023 at four CT scanners of Ganzhou People's Hospital. For each patient, a 30 mm diameter three-dimensional region of interest was delineated in the liver parenchyma at the portal vein level, and 93 radiomic features were extracted using Pyradiomics. Mean centering, Z-Score, resampling, histogram matching, and ComBat methods were used to harmonize inter-device differences. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the consistency of features between two different scanners before and after applying harmonization methods, and Cohen's d value was calculated to assess the effect size of different methods.

The overall consistency of liver radiomic features was 55.38%, with 87.10% consistency among devices from the same manufacturer and 39.52% among devices from different manufacturers. After harmonization with mean centering, Z-Score, resampling, histogram matching, and ComBat methods, the proportions of consistent features were 44.82%, 68.82%, 66.49%, 76.52%, 100%, respectively; the d values were -0.57, 0.62, 0.57, 0.78, 1.59, respectively.

The consistency of liver CT radiomic features is poor between different devices, maintaining good consistency only among scanners from the same manufacturer. Image-based and feature-based harmonization methods can effectively reduce feature variation caused by different CT manufacturers and device models. Among these methods, resampling and histogram matching depend on specific parameter settings and the selection of reference images. The feature-based ComBat harmonization performs best, ensuring that all features remain consistent across different devices, which positively impacts future cross-device or cross-center studies.

To investigate the application value of 256-slice CT and MRI in the preoperative staging diagnosis of rectal cancer.

A total of 86 patients with rectal cancer confirmed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University from August 2019 to May 2023 were collected in the study, the postoperative pathological findings served as the gold standard, and all patients underwent a multi-layer spiral CT scan and functional MRI imaging before surgery. It was done to comprehensively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of MRI and 256-slice CT for preoperative T staging and lymph node metastasis of rectal cancer.

The postoperative results of T staging are as follows: 37, 39, 10 cases were identified as stage T1-2, T3 and T4, respectively. The MRI accurately diagnosed 33, 35, 9 cases of stage T1-2, T3 and T4, respectively, while CT accurately diagnosed 27, 29, 8 cases of stage T1-2, T3 and T4, respectively. The pathological results demonstrated that 62 cases exhibited evidence of lymph node metastasis, 50 cases exhibited positive findings on MRI and 36 cases exhibited positive findings on CT. In accordance with the pathological gold standard, the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MRI in detecting stage T1-2, T3, T4 and lymph node metastasis of rectal cancer were superior to those of CT. Furthermore, the diagnostic outcomes of MRI in each stage were consistent with the pathological results, and the Kappa value was higher than that of CT.

Compared with 256-slice CT, MRI is more accurate in the preoperative diagnostic analysis of rectal cancer, providing more precise imaging reference materials for patients.

To analyze the imaging characteristics of whole-body bone scintigraphy and SPECT/CT in SAPHO syndrome and to investigate the diagnostic value of the two examination methods in SAPHO syndrome.

The clinical, whole-body bone scintigraphy, and SPECT/CT data of 41 patients with SAPHO syndrome admitted to Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University from January 2017 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.

Among the 41 patients, 56% had a combination of skin lesions, and the proportions of patients with elevated ESR, CPR, C3 complement, and C4 complement were 63%, 59%, 17%, and 6%, respectively, while 14% were HLA-B27 positive. The whole-body bone scintigraphy showed that there were 6 cases of anterior chest wall involvement, 1 case of thoracic vertebra involvement, 1 case of thoracolumbar and bilateral sacroiliac joint involvement, and the remaining 33 cases of multisite involvement, in the order of the anterior chest wall (95%), spine (58%), sacroiliac joints (46%), joints of the limbs (22%), ribs (12%), pubis (7%), ischium (5%), femur and skull (2% each). Nineteen cases underwent SPECT/CT tomography of the chest and lumbosacral.The anterior chest wall lesions were mainly located in the sternoclavicular joints and the first sternocostal joints, and the "bullhead sign" was a characteristic manifestation of the disease. The spinal lesions were mostly distributed in the thoracolumbar spine, and the osteosclerosis of the anterior corners of the vertebral body was more specific. Sacroiliac joints were mostly involved bilaterally and on the surface of the ilium and mostly showed osteophytic sclerosis.

Whole-body bone scintigraphy can comprehensively evaluate the whole-body bone and joint involvement. SPECT/CT combines the metabolic information of bone tomography and the anatomical information of CT at the same time. The combination of the two is of great value in the early diagnosis, accurate localization, and disease assessment of SAPHO syndrome.

To explore the diagnostic value of high-frequency ultrasonography in the incidence of anterior talofibular ligament injury with different degrees and peripheral ligament injury, aimed at providing an imaging basis for the clinicians to formulate the diagnostic and treatment plan.

A total of 829 patients with anterior talofibular ligament injury diagnosed by high-frequency ultrasound in the Southern District of the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (Anhui Provincial Hospital) from January 2021 to October 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The ligament thickness of the anterior talofibular ligament and the calcaneofibular ligament were analyzed when the anterior talofibular ligament was damaged in different degrees, and the damage of the anterior talofibular ligament, the calcaneofibular ligament, and the peripheral ligaments were observed at the same time.

In the case of incomplete anterior talofibular ligament injury, the thickness of left and right calcaneofibular ligament injury was 1.76±0.48 mm and 1.89±0.56 mm (P < 0.05). The thickness of the anterior talofibular ligament was 1.83±0.53 mm and 2.14±0.55 mm for incomplete and complete injury of the anterior talofibular ligament (P < 0.001). The injury degree of anterior talofibular ligament had statistical significance on the injury of calcaneofibular ligament and superior retinaculum (P < 0.05).

A complete rupture of the anterior talofibular ligament injury can cause significant thickening of the calcaneofibular ligament, and the thickness of the right calcaneofibular ligament will be significantly thickened due to the presence of a right--sided dominance during exercise. Injury of the anterior talofibular ligament is more likely to cause combined injury of the calcaneofibular ligament. Therefore the superior retinaculum, and special attention should be paid to whether there is a combined injury during the examination.

To analyze the reasons for missed and misdiagnosis of unroofed coronary sinus syndrome (UCSS) by transthoracic echocardiography and propose corresponding solutions.

A retrospective analysis was performed on 12 patients with UCSS who underwent surgical treatment in the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC from 2015 to March 2024, including 7 males and 5 females, aged from 3 to 74 years old. The echocardiographic results of the patients were compared, and the included patients were divided into an ultrasound diagnosis group and an ultrasound missed and misdiagnosis group. The preoperative echocardiographic video data of the patients were analyzed, and the specific signs were recorded and analyzed. According to the display of the coronary sinus, it was divided into four types: clear display, suspicious, blurred, and not clearly visible/not visible. The display rate of each section was calculated, the reasons for missed and misdiagnosis were analyzed, and the echocardiographic characteristics of the UCSS were summarized.

There were 8 cases in the ultrasound diagnosis group, with a diagnostic accuracy rate of 66.7%, 1 case of ultrasound missed diagnosis, with a missed diagnosis rate of 8%, and 3 cases of misdiagnosed, with a misdiagnosis rate of 25%. In patients diagnosed with UCSS, the display rate of commonly used sections showing CS was higher than that in the missed or misdiagnosed group. Among them, the non-standard section of the right ventricular inflow tract could be displayed in all patients diagnosed with TTE, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05).

Ultrasound physicians' understanding of anatomy, pathophysiology, and hemodynamics of UCSS, as well as the observation of various sections of CS, are essential for accurate diagnosis of the disease. Transthoracic echocardiography is an excellent screening and even diagnostic method for the disease, and it helps to reduce the misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis rates of the disease.

To evaluate the value of radiomics model in distinguishing grade Ⅱ and Ⅲ of gliomas from T2-weighted MRI images.

159 gliomas patients (Mayo Clinic, October 2002- August 2011), who underwent non-enhanced MRI and tumor grades confirmation from the Cancer Genome Atla (TCIA) data portal, including grade Ⅱ (n=104) and Ⅲ (n=55) of gliomas. Patients were divided into training cohorts (n=111) and validation cohorts (n=48) in a ratio of 7:3. Gliomas were imported into the ITK-SNAP to manually delineate volume of interest (VOI) on T2-weighted images. The delineated data was imported into A.K software (Artificial Intelligence Kit v.3.1.0.R, GE Company) to extract tumor radiomics features. A total of 396 features were extracted, and the main features included 6 categories including Histogram, GLCM, GLSZM, RLM, Form Factor, Haralick. LASSO regression was used for feature screening. A formula was generated using a linear combination of selected features that were weighted by their respective LASSO coefficient. A radiomics score was calculated for each patient by the formula. The predictive accuracy of radiomics model was quantified by AUC in both cohorts. The calibration degree of the radiomics was evaluated by Hosmer-Lemeshow test. The clinical usefulness of the radiomics model was assessed by decision curve analysis.

Four radiomics features were chosen to build a radiomics model that distinguished grade Ⅱ and Ⅲ of gliomas with an AUC, sensitivity, specificity and CD of 0.723, 75%, 89%, 0.120 in training cohort; and 0.800, 73%, 82%, 0.561 in the validation cohort, respectively. When the threshold probability of DCA is 0.17%-0.99%, the classification of lower grade glioma by radiomics model is better than that of all patients as grade Ⅱ and Ⅲ.

The radiomics model based on T2-weighted MRI images can distinguish grade Ⅱ and Ⅲ of lower grade gliomas, providing a non-invasive technique for developing a surgical plan and prognosis for gliomas patients.

The application value of analyzing the characteristics of multimodal ultrasound combined with fine needle aspiration and constructing a nomogram model to predict cervical lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

We collected data from 86 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma at our hospital. These patients were categorized into metastatic and non-metastatic groups based on their postoperative cervical lymph node pathology results. Through univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, we identified independent predictors for cervical lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer. Subsequently, a nomogram was constructed to predict the risk of cervical lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer.

Gender, elasticity score, nodule margin, maximum nodule diameter, blood flow grade, A-SD, the elasticity ratio (Shell/A), and puncture displacement were identified as independent influencing factors for lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer post-screening (P < 0.05). The area under the ROC curve was 0.975 (95% CI: 0.944-1.000), with a sensitivity of 90.01%, specificity of 100%, and an accuracy of 95.39%; The equation for the ROC curve was 5.885×elasticity score-3.201×gender+0.158×nodule margin+6.718×blood flow grade+0.37×maximum nodule diameter+0.481×A-SD+0.901×puncture displacement-40.165×elasticity ratio Shell/A. The HL test and calibration curve indicated that the model exhibits good calibration; The decision curve analysis demonstrated that the ROC curve provided the greatest clinical efficacy at the same prediction probability.

Constructing a column chart to predict lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer is helpful for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

To study the effects of glycemic-related indexes and glycemic control on MRI white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

A retrospective case-control study was used. A total of 149 T2DM patients admitted to Xuzhou Central Hospital from July 2022 to December 2023 were enrolled in this study, and they were divided into the glycemic control attainment group (HbA1c < 7%, n=66) and the non-attainment group (HbA1c≥7%, n=83) according to the level of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and the craniocerebral MRI and related hematological examination results completed during hospitalization were collected from all patients. ITK-SNAP software was used to outline the patients' WMH and derive the volume. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the correlation between glycemic control and WMH volume in T2DM patients.

The HbA1c level of T2DM patients was correlated with WMH volume. WMH volume, duration of T2DM, hypertension, fasting blood glucose, 2 h postprandial blood glucose, fasting insulin, and triglyceride in the glycemic control non-attainment group were all higher than those in the attainment group (P < 0.05). The multiple linear regression analysis after correcting for age, gender and other risk factors suggested that there was a linear relationship between WMH volume and glycemic control in T2DM patients.

Glycemic control in T2DM patients is an important influence on WMH volume, and those with poorer glycemic control are susceptible to higher WMH volumes, which provides a basis for intensifying preventive strategies and monitoring of early treatment in individuals at risk for WMH-related morbidity.

To analyze characteristics of vaginal ultrasonography and their correlation with clinical symptoms in patients with adenomyosis.

A retrospective analysis was performed on the 86 patients with adenomyosis (adenomyosis group) and 86 patients with hysteromyoma (hysteromyoma group) in the hospital between January 2020 and January 2023. All patients underwent transvaginal ultrasonography to record examination results and characteristics of vaginal ultrasonography. According to average of lesions volume, patients were divided into large lesion group and small lesion group. The results of transvaginal ultrasonography between adenomyosis group and hysteromyoma group, as well as the clinical manifestations between large lesion group and small lesion group were compared.

In terms of vaginal ultrasonography characteristics in patients with adenomyosis, direct characteristics were as follows: uterine cysts, island-like high-echo ultrasonogram in muscular layer, linear or spore-like high echoes under endometrium, while indirect characteristics were as follows: asymmetric thickening of muscles in anterior and posterior uterine walls, louver-like sound shadow, spherical uterus, penetrating vessels in lesions, irregular binding belt or interruption of binding belt echo, unclear grading of endometrium and binding belt. In patients with hysteromyoma, findings of vaginal ultrasonography included localized low-echo area, clear boundary, hypoechoic pseudocapsule and annular or semi-annular blood flow. Among the 86 patients with adenomyosis, there were 35 cases (40.70%) with hypermenorrhea, 42 cases (48.84%) with menostaxis, 31 cases (36.05%) with abnormal vaginal bleeding, 33 cases (38.37%) with dysmenorrhea, 6 cases (6.98%) with constipation and 4 cases (4.65%) with frequent urination. Among the 86 patients with adenomyosis, there were 57 cases in large lesion group and 29 cases in small lesion group. The incidence of hypermenorrhea, menostaxis and abnormal vaginal bleeding in large lesion group was higher than that in small lesion group (P < 0.05).

The detection effect of transvaginal ultrasonography is good in patients with adenomyosis. Hypermenorrhea, menostaxis and abnormal vaginal bleeding have certain correlation with the development of patients' condition.Vaginal ultrasonography findings combined with clinical symptoms can be applied to diagnose the disease and provide certain guidance.

To systematically evaluate the application effect of virtual reality(VR) technology on preoperative anxiety in pediatric patients undergoing general anesthesia surgery, and to provide evidence for the standardized and effective application of VR technology in clinical practice.

Randomized controlled trials and clinical controlled trials of preoperative anxiety intervention in pediatric patients undergoing general anesthesia surgery using VR technology were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, OVID (JBI) EBP Database, Web of Science, CINAHL, CBM, CNKI, Wanfang Data, and VIP Database. The quality of literatures were evaluated using the Cochrane Bias Risk Assessment Tool 2.0, and meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software.

A total of 12 studies involving 984 patients were included. The meta-analysis results showed that compared with traditional methods, the application of VR technology significantly reduced preoperative anxiety of pediatric patients, especially at the time of anesthesia induction (MD=-0.79, 95%CI: -0.98~-0.61, P < 0.01), and improved anesthesia induction compliance in pediatric patients (RR=0.46, 95% CI: 0.30~0.70, P < 0.01), but had no significant effect on the level of emergence agitation during the recovery period(MD=-0.14, 95% CI: -0.64~0.36, P=0.28). There was currently no clear conclusion on whether VR technology can affect the incidence of agitation in pediatric patients during the recovery period, postoperative behavioral changes, pain levels, vital signs, parental/guardian anxiety levels or satisfaction, and the application of anesthetic analgesic drugs.

The application of VR technology can effectively alleviate preoperative anxiety in pediatric patients, especially at the time of anesthesia induction, improve anesthesia induction compliance in pediatric patients, and ensure the safe conduct of surgery. It is an effective auxiliary intervention. However, whether it can reduce the need for anesthetic and analgesic drugs, postoperative behavioral changes, and the incidence of emergence agitation during recovery period in pediatric patients, stabilize vital signs in pediatric patients, reduce pain levels in pediatric patients, alleviate anxiety in parents/guardians, and improve satisfaction in parents/guardians remains inconclusive.