Histogram Analysis of Diffusion Kurtosis Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Diagnosis of Hepatic Fibrosis

Ruo-Fan Sheng,Kai-Pu Jin,Li Yang,He-Qing Wang,Hao Liu,Yuan Ji,Cai-Xia Fu,Meng-Su Zeng 대한영상의학회 2018 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.19 No.5

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic value of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) histogram analysis in hepatic fibrosis staging. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six rats were divided into carbon tetrachloride-induced fibrosis groups (6 rats per group for 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks) and a control group (n = 12). MRI was performed using a 3T scanner. Histograms of DKI were obtained for corrected apparent diffusion (D), kurtosis (K) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). Mean, median, skewness, kurtosis and 25th and 75th percentiles were generated and compared according to the fibrosis stage and inflammatory activity. Results: A total of 35 rats were included, and 12, 5, 5, 6, and 7 rats were diagnosed as F0–F4. The mean, median, 25th and 75th percentiles, kurtosis of D map, median, 25th percentile, skewness of K map, and 75th percentile of ADC map demonstrated significant correlation with fibrosis stage (r = -0.767 to 0.339, p < 0.001 to p = 0.039). The fibrosis score was the independent variable associated with histogram parameters compared with inflammatory activity grade (p < 0.001 to p = 0.041), except the median of K map (p = 0.185). Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of D were larger than K and ADC maps in fibrosis staging, although no significant differences existed in pairwise comparisons (p = 0.0512 to p = 0.847). Conclusion: Corrected apparent diffusion of DKI histogram analysis provides added value and better diagnostic performance to detect various liver fibrosis stages compared with ADC.

Prognosis and Management for Gallbladder Cancer with Hepatic Invasion: Long-term Results of 139 Patients from a Single Center in China

Qu, Kai,Chang, Hu-Lin,Liu, Si-Nan,Liu, Chang,Xu, Xin-Sen,Wang, Rui-Tao,Zhou, Lei,Tian, Feng,Wei, Ji-Chao,Tai, Ming-Hui,Meng, Fan-Di Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.3

Objective: To improve the diagnosis of primary gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) with/without hepatic metastases by analyzing our experience of different GBC treatment in our patients. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out to analyze the clinical data of the 139 patients with GBC who underwent hepatic resection in our unit from January 2003 to December 2007. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether they demonstrated hepatic invasion. Tumor presentation, surgical modes, and prognosis of each patient were retrospectively reviewed. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were employed to compare the survival rates of those patients undergoing different surgical procedures. Results: Of the 139 patients, 46 were men and 93 were women with the male to female ratio of 1:2.0. Their ages were ranged from 35 to 86 years with a mean age of $62.8{\pm}10.4$ years. There were 73 patients complicated with hepatic invasion (group A), and no hepatic invasion occurred in the other 66 patients (group B). Compared with the group B, the patients with hepatic invasion suffered lower differentiation of tumor (p=0.000), more advanced Nevin staging (p=0.008) and poorer prognosis (p=0.013). Radical resection were more frequently performed in group B (75.76%) than in group A (45.20%) with better outcomes (p=0.000). Conclusion: GBC patients complicated with hepatic invasion had poorer prognosis than those without invasion in long-term follow-ups. Radical resection might result in a satisfied prognosis in patients without hepatic invasion, but appears less favorable than palliative resection in those who were complicated with hepatic invasion.

De novo assembly and transcriptome analysis of differentially expressed genes relevant to variegation in hawthorn flowers

Wei Ji,Wei Zhao,Rong‑Chen Liu,Xiao‑Bo Jiao,Kai Han,Zhong‑Yi Yang,Mei‑Ying Gao,Rui Ren,Xiu‑Juan Fan,Ming‑Xia Yang 한국식물생명공학회 2019 Plant biotechnology reports Vol.13 No.6

Flower color variegation has been observed in many plant species. However, pink flowers on the white-blooming hawthorn trees found by our group earlier have never been reported. To better understand the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in variegated hawthorn flowers, white and pink flowers at different developmental stages (S1 and S2) underwent transcriptome sequencing separately. Approximately 34.28 Gb of high-quality data were obtained and assembled into 100,013 unigenes with an average length of 706.93 bp. These unigenes were further subjected to functional annotation and biochemical pathway analysis, and DEGs of two types of hawthorn flowers at different developmental stages were studied. Based on the enrichment analysis of DEGs, eight anthocyanin-modified enzyme genes or other enzyme genes that indirectly affect anthocyanin synthesis (5AT, 3GGT , and AI, β-Glu, two Aux/IAAs, two PODs), eight structural genes (UFGT, DFR, CHI, two F3Hs, and three PALs), and three transcription factors (one MYB and two bHLHs) were also identified. We randomly selected 15 genes, and the trends in the expression levels of these genes in the organs of white and pink flowers at different developmental stages were verified by quantitative real-time PCR. Mass sequence data obtained by RNA-seq of variegated hawthorn flowers provided basic sequence information and a unique opportunity to uncover the genetic mechanisms under-lying flower color variegation.

Gallbladder Cancer: a Subtype of Biliary Tract Cancer Which is a Current Challenge in China

Qu, Kai,Liu, Si-Nan,Chang, Hu-Lin,Liu, Chang,Xu, Xin-Sen,Wang, Rui-Tao,Zhou, Lei,Tian, Feng,Wei, Ji-Chao,Tai, Ming-Hui,Meng, Fan-Di Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.4

Biliary tract cancers, broadly described as malignancies that arise from the biliary tract epithelia, are usually divided into two major clinical phenotypes: cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer, differing in etiopathogenesis, risk factors, and perhaps molecular and genetic signatures. Atypical symptoms and lack of tumor biomarkers make it difficult to diagnose in early stages. At the time of presentation, few patients are candidates for potentially curative surgical resection. We here assessed and compared features of a total of 150 cases divided into extra- and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas and gallbladder cancers (GBC). Althought there were no significant differences in serum tumour marker levels, GBC patients had the poorest prognosis. Furthermore, gallbladder cancer respond poorly to chemotherapy or radiation therapy and approximately half of untreated patients died within 10 months. Therefore, treatment for patients with gallbladder cancer is still in challenge. Outcomes and survival of these patients had improved little over the past three decades - a period in which new successful treatments have greatly contributed to the prolonged patient survival for many other cancers.

AUTOMATIC DETECTION AND EXTRACTION ALGORITHM OF INTER-GRANULAR BRIGHT POINTS

Feng, Song,Ji, Kai-Fan,Deng, Hui,Wang, Feng,Fu, Xiao-Dong The Korean Astronomical Society 2012 Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society Vol.45 No.6

Inter-granular Bright Points (igBPs) are small-scale objects in the Solar photosphere which can be seen within dark inter-granular lanes. We present a new algorithm to automatically detect and extract igBPs. Laplacian and Morphological Dilation (LMD) technique is employed by the algorithm. It involves three basic processing steps: (1) obtaining candidate "seed" regions by Laplacian; (2) determining the boundary and size of igBPs by morphological dilation; (3) discarding brighter granules by a probability criterion. For validating our algorithm, we used the observed samples of the Dutch Open Telescope (DOT), collected on April 12, 2007. They contain 180 high-resolution images, and each has a $85{\times}68\;arcsec^2$ field of view (FOV). Two important results are obtained: first, the identified rate of igBPs reaches 95% and is higher than previous results; second, the diameter distribution is $220{\pm}25km$, which is fully consistent with previously published data. We conclude that the presented algorithm can detect and extract igBPs automatically and effectively.

Geft is dispensable for the development of the second heart field

( Xiong Wei Fan ),( Ning Hou ),( Kai Ji Fan ),( Jia Jia Yuan ),( Xiao Yang Mo ),( Yun Deng ),( Yong Qi Wan ),( Yan Teng ),( Xiao Yang ),( Xius Han Wu ) 생화학분자생물학회 (구 한국생화학분자생물학회) 2012 BMB Reports Vol.45 No.3

Geft is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor, which can specifically activate Rho family of small GTPase by catalyzing the exchange of bound GDP for GTP. Geft is highly expressed in the excitable tissue as heart and skeletal muscle and plays important roles in many cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, migration, and cell fate decision. However, the in vivo role of Geft remains unknown. Here, we generated a Geft conditional knockout mouse by flanking exons 5-17 of Geft with loxP sites. Cre-mediated deletion of the Geft gene in heart using Mef2c-Cre transgenic mice resulted in a dramatic decrease of Geft expression. Geft knockout mice develop normally and exhibit no discernable phenotype, suggesting Geft is dispensable for the development of the second heart field in mouse. The Geft conditional knockout mouse will be a valuable genetic tool for uncovering the in vivo roles of Geft during development and in adult homeostasis. (BMB reports 2012; 45(3): 153-158)

Study on the Flexural Performance of Prestressed Concrete Solid Square Piles and Resilient Clamping Connections

Yunsheng Xu,Zhongfan Chen,Ji Fan,Zhiqiang Li,Kai Zhang,Xuesong Tu 대한토목학회 2023 KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Vol.27 No.1

The length of a single prestressed square pile is usually between 6 and 15 meters. For square piles larger than 15 meters, increasing the pile length is generally achieved by a mechanical connection. Currently, the longitudinal reinforcement ratios of square piles are the same, resulting in steel waste. To reduce steel usage in prestressed concrete solid square piles and improve construction efficiency, the safe and reliable use of two different reinforced square piles connected by resilient clamping must be ensured. In this paper, the bending test of a single square pile with different reinforcements is initially carried out. Then, the tensile performance of the resilient clamping connection joint is verified, and finally, a bending test is carried out on prestressed square piles with different reinforcements. The load?displacement curves, flexural bearing capacities and crack developments of the components are studied. The test results show that increasing the longitudinal reinforcement ratio of a single prestressed concrete solid square pile improves its crack and bending resistance to a certain extent. Resilient clamping connects the prestressed square piles with the same reinforcement and different reinforcements, and their crack resistance and bending resistance are almost the same, which demonstrates that the resilient clamping connection of different reinforcement square piles has application value. At the end of the test, the joints were intact, and the pile body was damaged before the resilient clamping connections, which indicated that the resilient clamping connections were safe and reliable and could be used as connecting joints for square piles. The failure of square piles goes through three stages: an elastic stage, a working stage with cracks and a failure stage. Compared with a single square pile, there is no obvious yield stage for a resilient clamping connected square pile.

Long-term Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients after Hepatectomy

Zhou, Lei,Liu, Chang,Meng, Fan-Di,Qu, Kai,Tian, Feng,Tai, Ming-Hui,Wei, Ji-Chao,Wang, Rui-Tao Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.2

Background: The hepatocellular carcinoma is very common in China. Our aim in this report was to investigate clinical and pathological factors based on the current decade data that could influence prognosis of HCC patients after hepatectomy. Methods: Between 2002 and 2009, all patients undergoing hepatectomy for HCC were followed up and reviewed retrospectively. Prognostic factors were studied by univariate and multivariate analysis, with Kaplan-Meier and Cox multivariate survival analyses. Results: Complete clinicopathologic and follow-up data were available for 114 patients. The estimated cumulative survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 yr were 84.6%, 60.2% and 51.8%, respectively. On univariate analysis, key prognostic factors were AFP level, GGT level, tumor size, number of tumors, portal vein invasion, liver cirrhosis status and TNM stage. In the multivariate analysis, tumor size, GGT level, liver cirrhosis status and portal vein invasion were significantly associated with patients' prognosis. Conclusion: Through follow-up of a relatively large cohort of Chinese patients, tumor size, GGT level, liver cirrhosis status, portal vein invasion were revealed as important factors for long-term survival after hepatectomy. Early diagnosis for tumor and the improvement of liver function before surgery are important ways to improve the prognosis.

NVST Data Archiving System Based On FastBit NoSQL Database

Ying Bo Liu,Feng Wang,Kai-fan Ji,Hui Deng,Wei Dai,Bo Liang 한국천문학회 2014 Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society Vol.47 No.3

The New Vacuum Solar Telescope (NVST) is a 1-meter vacuum solar telescope that aims to observe the fine structures of active regions on the Sun. The main tasks of the NVST are high resolution imaging and spectral observations, including the measurements of the solar magnetic field. The NVST has been collecting more than 20 million FITS files since it began routine observations in 2012 and produces a maximum observational records of 120 thousand files in a day. Given the large amount of files, the effective archiving and retrieval of files becomes a critical and urgent problem. In this study, we implement a new data archiving system for the NVST based on the Fastbit Not Only Structured Query Language (NoSQL) database. Comparing to the relational database (i.e., MySQL; My Structured Query Language), the Fastbit database manifests distinctive advantages on indexing and querying performance. In a large scale database of 40 million records, the multi-field combined query response time of Fastbit database is about 15 times faster and fully meets the requirements of the NVST. Our study brings a new idea for massive astronomical data archiving and would contribute to the design of data management systems for other astronomical telescopes.

OBSERVATIONS OF EUV RECURRING JETS IN AN ACTIVE REGION CONFINED BY CORONAL LOOPS

Yan-Fang Zheng,Feng Wang,Kai-fan Ji,Hui Deng 한국천문학회 2013 Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society Vol.46 No.5

Recurring jets, which are jets ejected from the same site, are a peculiar type among various solar jet phenomena. We report such recurring jets ejecting from the same site above an active region on January 22, 2012 with high-resolution multi-wavelength observations from Solar Dynamics Observatory(SDO). We found that the recurring jets had velocities, lengths and lifetimes, but had similar directions. The visible brightening appeared at the jet base before each jet erupted. All the plasma produced by the recurring jets could not overcome the large coronal loops. It seemed that the plasma ejecting from the jet base was confined and guided by preexisting coronal loops, but their directions were not along the paths of the loops. Two of the jets formed crossing structures with the same preexisting filament. We also examined the photospheric magnetic field at the jet base, and observed a visible flux emergence, convergence and cancellation. The four recurring jets all were associated with the impulsive cancellation between two opposite polarities occurring at the jet base during each eruption. In addition, we suggest that the fluxes, flowing out of the active region, might supply the energy for the recurring jets by examining the SDO/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) successive images. The observational results support the magnetic reconnection model of jets.