Value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in microwave ablation treatment of symptomatic focal uterine adenomyosis

Xiao-Long Li,Jia-Xin Li,Song-Yuan Yu,Pei-Li Fan,Yun-Jie Jin,Er-Jiao Xu,Sai-Nan Guan,Er-Ya Deng,Qiu-Yan Li,Zheng-Biao Ji,Jiu-Ling Qi,Hui-Xiong Xu,China Alliance of Multi-Center Clinical Study for Ultra 대한초음파의학회 2024 ULTRASONOGRAPHY Vol.43 No.1

Purpose: This study evaluated the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (MWA) treatment of symptomatic focal uterine adenomyosis.Methods: This retrospective study was conducted between March 2020 and January 2023, enrolling 52 patients with symptomatic focal uterine adenomyosis who had undergone MWA. All patients were examined with CEUS before and after MWA. The non-perfused volume (NPV) was compared between CEUS and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCEMRI) following ablation. Therapeutic efficacy and safety were evaluated at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Additionally, this study explored the correlations between pre-treatment CEUS features and a volume reduction ratio indicating sufficient ablation, defined as 50% or more at the 3-month follow-up.Results: No significant differences in NPV were noted between CEUS and DCE-MRI immediately after MWA and during follow-up (all P>0.05). At the 3-month follow-up, the median VRRs for the uterus and adenomyosis were 33.2% and 63.9%, respectively. Sufficient ablation was achieved in 69.2% (36/52) of adenomyosis cases, while partial ablation was observed in the remaining 30.8% (16/52). The identification of non-enhancing areas on pre-treatment CEUS was associated with sufficient ablation (P=0.016). At the 12-month follow-up, significant decreases were observed in both the uterine and adenomyosis volumes (all P<0.001). Dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia were significantly alleviated at 12 months, and no major complications were encountered.Conclusion: CEUS can be used to evaluate the ablation zone of focal adenomyosis that has been treated with MWA, similarly to DCE-MRI. The identification of non-enhancing areas on pretreatment CEUS indicates satisfactory treatment outcomes. Purpose: This study evaluated the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (MWA) treatment of symptomatic focal uterine adenomyosis. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted between March 2020 and January 2023, enrolling 52 patients with symptomatic focal uterine adenomyosis who had undergone MWA. All patients were examined with CEUS before and after MWA. The non-perfused volume (NPV) was compared between CEUS and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE- MRI) following ablation. Therapeutic efficacy and safety were evaluated at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Additionally, this study explored the correlations between pre-treatment CEUS features and a volume reduction ratio indicating sufficient ablation, defined as 50% or more at the 3-month follow-up. Results: No significant differences in NPV were noted between CEUS and DCE-MRI immediately after MWA and during follow-up (all P>0.05). At the 3-month follow-up, the median VRRs for the uterus and adenomyosis were 33.2% and 63.9%, respectively. Sufficient ablation was achieved in 69.2% (36/52) of adenomyosis cases, while partial ablation was observed in the remaining 30.8% (16/52). The identification of non-enhancing areas on pre-treatment CEUS was associated with sufficient ablation (P=0.016). At the 12-month follow-up, significant decreases were observed in both the uterine and adenomyosis volumes (all P<0.001). Dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia were significantly alleviated at 12 months, and no major complications were encountered. Conclusion: CEUS can be used to evaluate the ablation zone of focal adenomyosis that has been treated with MWA, similarly to DCE-MRI. The identification of non-enhancing areas on pre- treatment CEUS indicates satisfactory treatment outcomes.

β-Catenin promotes long-term survival and angiogenesis of peripheral blood mesenchymal stem cells via the Oct4 signaling pathway

Wang Pengzhen,Deng Zhanyu,Li Aiguo,Li Rongsen,Huang Weiguang,Huang Weiguang,Chen Songsheng,Li Biao,Li Biao 생화학분자생물학회 2022 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.54 No.-

Stem cell therapy has been extensively studied to improve heart function following myocardial infarction; however, its therapeutic potency is limited by low rates of engraftment, survival, and differentiation. Here, we aimed to determine the roles of the β-catenin/Oct4 signaling axis in the regulation of long-term survival and angiogenesis of peripheral blood mesenchymal stem cells (PBMSCs). These cells were obtained from rat abdominal aortic blood. We showed that β-catenin promotes the self-renewal, antiapoptotic effects, and long-term survival of PBMSCs by activating the Oct4 pathway through upregulation of the expression of the antiapoptotic factors Bcl2 and survivin and the proangiogenic cytokine bFGF and suppression of the levels of the proapoptotic factors Bax and cleaved caspase-3. β-Catenin overexpression increased Oct4 expression. β-Catenin knockdown suppressed Oct4 expression in PBMSCs. However, β-catenin levels were not affected by Oct4 overexpression or knockdown. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays proved that β-catenin directly regulates Oct4 transcription in PBMSCs. In vivo, PBMSCs overexpressing β-catenin showed high survival in infarcted hearts and resulted in better myocardial repair. Further functional analysis identified Oct4 as the direct upstream regulator of Ang1, bFGF, HGF, VEGF, Bcl2, and survivin, which cooperatively drive antiapoptosis and angiogenesis of engrafted PBMSCs. These findings revealed the regulation of β-catenin in PBMSCs by the Oct4-mediated antiapoptotic/proangiogenic signaling axis and provide a breakthrough point for improving the long-term survival and therapeutic effects of PBMSCs.

Study on Coupling of Glass Powder and Steel Fiber as Silica Fume Replacement in Ultra-High Performance Concrete: Concrete Sleeper Admixture Case Study

Biao Li,Hao Li,Mohammad Siahkouhi,Guoqing Jing 대한토목학회 2020 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.24 No.5

To investigate the substitution of silica fume (SF) with the coupling of glass powder (GP) and steel fiber (STF), a concrete sleeper admixture (CSA) contains SF is considered as the reference concrete admixture. The use of high SF content in CSAs has negative effects on concrete rheology. Furthermore, it decreases the extensive use of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) in concrete markets that can mainly be caused by the limitation in available resources and the high cost of SF production. The substitution of SF with GP is insufficient; therefore, the possibility of using the coupling of GP and STF as a SF replacement has been researched. In this regard, 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% steel fiber by concrete volume and 5%, 10% and 15% glass powder and silica fume by weight of cement content have been investigated. It is found that concrete admixture with the coupling of STF and SF improves all the characteristics of the concrete. Additionally, the coupling effects of GP and STF are better than that of the SF and STF. Based on the synthetic consideration of the performance and cost, the combination of 10% GP and 1.5% STF is optimal in case of CSA mechanical performance.

One-Pot Synthesis of Cu2O Octahedron Particles and Their Catalytic Application

Biao Li,Dan Li,Lei Mu,양성익 대한화학회 2017 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.38 No.4

Facile Synthesis of Fluorescent Silver Nanoclusters as Simultaneous Detection and Remediation for Hg2+

Dan Li,Biao Li,이고은,양성익 대한화학회 2015 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.36 No.6

Diabetes Mellitus and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Population-Based Study

Sen Li,Jiaxin Wang,Biao Zhang,Xinyi Li,Yuan Liu 대한당뇨병학회 2019 Diabetes and Metabolism Journal Vol.43 No.3

Background: To investigate whether diabetes contributes to mortality for major types of diseases. Methods: Six National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data cycles (1999 to 2000, 2001 to 2002, 2003 to 2004, 2005 to 2006, 2007 to 2008, and 2009 to 2010) and their linked mortality files were used. A population of 15,513 participants was included according to the availability of diabetes and mortality status. Results: Participants with diabetes tended to have higher all-cause mortality and mortality due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, cerebrovascular disease, influenza and pneumonia, and kidney disease. Confounder-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models showed that both diagnosed diabetes category (yes or no) and diabetes status (diabetes, prediabetes, or no diabetes) were associated with all-cause mortality and with mortality due to cardiovascular disease, chronic lower respiratory diseases, influenza and pneumonia, and kidney disease. No associations were found for cancer-, accidents-, or Alzheimer’s disease-related mortality. Conclusion: The current study’s findings provide epidemiological evidence that diagnosed diabetes at the baseline is associated with increased mortality risk due to cardiovascular disease, chronic lower respiratory diseases, influenza and pneumonia, and kidney disease, but not with cancer or Alzheimer’s disease.

Study on Model of Factor Analysis Applied in the Risk Managementof Electronic Commerce Enterprise

Wang Biao,Li Jun-jiao 보안공학연구지원센터 2014 International Journal of u- and e- Service, Scienc Vol.7 No.5

The electronic commerce is playing a more and more important role in the operation of the entire national economy. The electronic commerce enterprise is facing more and more risks, including the risk between the enterprise, internal risk, external risk and enterprise and three categories. It will quantify these risks for the main factors affecting the analysis of enterprise risk and constructing model, to help enterprises to more effective risk management and become a research topic of many scholars. In this paper, by using the factor analysis method combined with financial data to construct enterprise assess their risk model, in order to provide some reference for the enterprise risk management.

The Anatomy of Reproductive Organs and the Pollination Biology of Viburnum macrocephalum

Jin Biao,Li Na,Jia Ni,Xiang Qibai,Wang Li 한국원예학회 2006 한국원예학회 기타간행물 Vol.- No.-

IRE1α protects against osteoarthritis by regulating progranulin-dependent XBP1 splicing and collagen homeostasis

Liang Li,Zhang Fengmei,Feng Naibo,Kuang Biao,Fan Mengtian,Chen Cheng,Pan Yiming,Zhou Pengfei,Geng Nana,Li Xingyue,Xian Menglin,Deng Lin,Li Xiaoli,Kuang Liang,Luo Fengtao,Tan Qiaoyan,Xie Yangli,Guo Fen 생화학분자생물학회 2023 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.55 No.-

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a full-joint, multifactorial, degenerative and inflammatory disease that seriously affects the quality of life of patients due to its disabling and pain-causing properties. ER stress has been reported to be closely related to the progression of OA. The inositol-requiring enzyme 1α/X-box-binding protein-1 spliced (IRE1α/XBP1s) pathway, which is highly expressed in the chondrocytes of OA patients, promotes the degradation and refolding of abnormal proteins during ER stress and maintains the stability of the ER environment of chondrocytes, but its function and the underlying mechanisms of how it contributes to the progression of OA remain unclear. This study investigates the role of IRE1α/ERN1 in OA. Specific deficiency of ERN1 in chondrocytes spontaneously resulted in OA-like cartilage destruction and accelerated OA progression in a surgically induced arthritis model. Local delivery of AdERN1 relieved degradation of the cartilage matrix and prevented OA development in an ACLT-mediated model. Mechanistically, progranulin (PGRN), an intracellular chaperone, binds to IRE1α, promoting its phosphorylation and splicing of XBP1u to generate XBP1s. XBP1s protects articular cartilage through TNF-α/ERK1/2 signaling and further maintains collagen homeostasis by regulating type II collagen expression. The chondroprotective effect of IRE1α/ERN1 is dependent on PGRN and XBP1s splicing. ERN1 deficiency accelerated cartilage degeneration in OA by reducing PGRN expression and XBP1s splicing, subsequently decreasing collagen II expression and triggering collagen structural abnormalities and an imbalance in collagen homeostasis. This study provides new insights into OA pathogenesis and the UPR and suggests that IRE1α/ERN1 may serve as a potential target for the treatment of joint degenerative diseases, including OA.

Experimental Investigation on Damage Behavior of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete under Compression

Lihua Xu,Biao Li,Xiaoxiao Ding,Yin Chi,Changning Li,Biao Huang,Yuchuan Shi 한국콘크리트학회 2018 International Journal of Concrete Structures and M Vol.12 No.7

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the stress–strain behavior and the damage mechanism of polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete (PFRC) under monotonic and cyclic compression. Fifty-four specimens for different fiber volume fractions and aspect ratios were tested. Acoustic emission (AE) technique was used to monitor the damage progression. The damage mechanism of concrete was analyzed based on the AE parametric analysis. The results show that the incorporation of polypropylene fiber (PF) has a positive effect on the monotonic and cyclic behaviors of concrete, especially for the post-cracking branch. The toughness and ultimate strain are enhanced and the performance degradation in terms of elastic stiffness and strength is alleviated by the addition of PF. However, PF has little influences on the plastic strain, and the damage process of concrete is mainly driven by the envelope strain. The effect of fiber volume fraction on the cyclic behavior of concrete shows more pronounced than that of aspect ratio. In addition, it is found from AE results that the damage, closely related to AE events, has a quick evolution just after the peak stress, with the AE hits having a concentrated release. The total amount of AE hits increases with increasing fiber volume fraction due to fiber pullout and sliding, while the concrete with fiber aspect ratio of 280 reaches the largest amount. Meanwhile, as substantiated by AE, the failure of PFRC shows an obvious shear mode, with shear cracks dominating the damage progression. Finally, a damage elasto-plastic model is developed to predict the monotonic and cyclic responses of PFRC and the prediction yields a fairly close estimation with experimental results.