Acta Academiae Medicinae Sinica

Objective To prospectively evaluate the correlation between intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM)-derived parameters and CT perfusion parameters as well as the pathological grade in insulinoma. Methods A total of 55 patients with suspected insulinoma undergoing IVIM and CT perfusion scans were prospectively enrolled. The images were post-processed to obtain IVIM parameters including apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC),diffusion (D),perfusion correlated diffusion (D*),and f,and CT perfusion parameters including blood flow (BF),blood volume (BV),and permeability (PM). The pathological specimens were stained to obtain pathological parameters including the grading,ki-67 index,and the mitotic count. The IVIM derived parameters of normal pancreas including head,body,and tail as well as that of the pancreatic insulinoma were compared. The correlation between IVIM parameters and CT perfusion parameters as well as the pathological parameters was analyzed. Results ADC and D values of pancreatic tail were significantly lower than those of the pancreatic head and neck (all P<0.001). There were significant differences in all IVIM parameters between insulinoma and normal pancreas (all P<0.001). The ADC and f value of the normal pancreas was positively correlated with BF (r=0.437,P=0.003;r=0.357,P=0.010). There is no correlation between the remaining IVIM parameters and the CT perfusion parameters as well as between IVIM parameters and pathological parameters (all P>0.05). Conclusions IVIM parameters differ at different anatomical parts of normal pancreas. IVIM parameters can distinguish normal pancreatic parenchyma from insulinoma. The ADC value is weakly correlated with BF.

Objective To investigate the risk factors associated with acute renal failure (ARF) after thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) surgery. Methods A total of 156 patients underwent TAAA repair between January 2009 and December 2017. Renal failure was defined based on the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria. The patients were divided into ARF group and non-ARF group based on the presence/absence of postoperative ARF. The risk factors of ARF were analyzed by univariate analysis and multivariate logistic analysis. Results The subjects included 111 males and 45 females aged (40.4±10.9) years (range:19-65 years). The surgical reasons included aortic dissection (n=130,83.3%),aneurysm (n=22,14.1%),and pseudoaneurysm (n=4,2.6%). The degrees of repair included Crawford extent I in 6 patients (3.8%),extent Ⅱ in 128 patients (82.1%),extent Ⅲ in 20 patients (12.8%),and extent Ⅳ in 2 patients(1.3%). There were 3 patients presented with aortic rupture and 6 patients received emergent operations. Nine patients (5.8%) died within 30 days after surgery,and 8 patients (5.1%) suffered from permanent paraplegia. Thirty-six patients (23.1%) had ARF after surgery,and 18 of them needed dialysis. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that smoking (OR =2.637,95%CI=1.113-6.250,P=0.028),packed red blood cell usage in operation (≥6 U) (OR =5.508,95%CI=2.144-11.930,P=0.000),reoperation for bleeding (OR=3.529,95%CI=1.298-9.590,P=0.013) were independent risk factors for ARF after TAAA repair. Conclusion Smoking,packed red blood cell usage in operation (≥6 U),reoperation for bleeding are the independent risk factors of ARF after TAAA surgery.

Objective To compare the differences in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) between brucella spondylitis (BS) groups at different stages before treatment and the normal control group and to evaluate the change trend of ADC value and FA value at different time points before and after treatment. Methods Totally 53 patients suspected of BS by conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and later confirmed as BS patients by serological tests were enrolled in this study. These patients underwent conventional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging scans,and the ADC value and FA value were measured. Independent sample t test was used to compare the ADC value and FA value between the BS group and the control group,the ADC value and FA value between the BS group at each stage. Repeated measurement ANOV was used to compare the ADC values and FA values at different time points before and after treatment. Results FA imaging showed that the color code of BS was different from that of the normal control group,and the color code of FA imaging showed increased singal. The ADC values of BS in the acute,subacute,and chronic stages [(1.45±0.02)×10 ^-3 mm ²/s,(1.35±0.03)×10 ^-3 mm ²/s,(1.26±0.05)×10 ^-3 mm ²/s,respectively] were significantly higher than those in the control group [(1.06±0.09) ×10 ^-3 mm ²/s](t=2.538,P=0.009;t=1.998,P=0.032;t=1.575,P=0.004),and the FA value (0.55±0.02,0.65±0.03,0.71±0.04,respectively) were significantly lower than those of the control group (0.78±0.02) (t=2.440,P=0.012; t=1.847,P=0.041;t=2.102,P=0.003). Repeated measurement analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences in ADC values and FA values at different time points before and after treatment in the acute,subacute,and chronic stages (ADC:F=12.100,P<0.001;F=8.439,P=0.005;F=9.704,P=0.004,respectively;FA:F=7.080,P=0.002;F=6.607;P=0.003;F=8.868,P=0.001,respectively). The ADC values at different time points after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment or at a previous time point after treatment (F=332.14,P<0.001),and the FA values were significantly higher than those before treatment or at a previous time point after treatment (F=134.26,P<0.001). Conclusions FA color code can intuitively display differences in BS and normal vertebral bodies and show change of color code before and after treatment. Also,the ADC values and FA values can quantitatively reveal differences between BS and normal vertebral body in different time points and quantify BS vertebral lesion changes before and after treatment. In particular,in BS patients who are recovering from treatment,it can quantify microscopic edema. Therefore,diffusion tensor imaging may be useful objective indicator in evaluating the effectiveness of a specific treatment for BS.

Objective To investigate the DNA methylation in ZNF772 promoter region and its mRNA and protein expressions and analyze the clinical significance of DNA methylation of ZNF772 gene in cervical cancer. Methods Cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) tissues were harvested from three patients (SCC group),and normal cervical tissues from healthy individuals of the same age were used as the control group. Hyper-methylation and lower transcripts were screened by whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) and RNA sequencing. Furthermore,in 40 cervical tissue samples in SCC group and 45 normal cervical tissues in the control group,DNA methylation status and mRNA expression of ZNF772 were measured by using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and bisulfite sequencing polymerase chain reaction (BSP). The protein expression was detected by immunohistochemistry. In the SCC group,the potential relationships of DNA methylation status in ZNF772 promoter and mRNA expression with the clinicopathological parameters of cervical cancer were analyzed. Results As shown by WGBS and RNA sequencing,the abnormal DNA methylated gene ZNF772 was associated with mRNA expression. RT-qPCR verified that the mRNA expression of ZNF772 was significantly lower in SCC group than in control group (t=8.351,P=0.016). Immunohistochemistry further confirmed that the positive expression of ZNF772 protein was down-regulated in SCC group (t=3.802,P=0.005). BSP showed that the DNA methylation rate of ZNF772 promoter region (-420,-422 locus) in SCC group was significantly higher than that in control group (χ ²=8.566,P=0.038;χ ²=6.332,P=0.043). Spearman correlation analysis showed that,in SCC group,DNA hypermethylation in ZNF772 promoter was negatively correlated with the mRNA expression (r=-0.351,P=0.045;r=-0.349,P=0.032) and was significantly correlated with HPV16/18 infection,tumor size,World Health Organization pathological grade,and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics clinical stage (P=0.018,P=0.012,P=0.009,and P=0.035,respectively). Conclusion The DNA hypermethylation in the promoter region of ZNF772 gene is involved in the occurrence and development of cervical cancer.

Objective To investigate the association of pancreatic steatosis with coronary atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods Patients with T2DM who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography(CCTA)in our center due to chest pain were enrolled from January 2016 to February 2019. According to the CCTA findings,patients were divided into normal group,mild-to-moderate coronary atherosclerosis group and severe coronary atherosclerosis group. CT attenuation of pancreas and spleen was measured on abdominal non-enhanced CT,and the CT attenuation indexes including the difference between pancreatic and splenic attenuation (P-S) and the ratio of pancreas-to-spleen attenuation (P/S) were calculated. Analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis rank test were used to assess differences among each group. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors of severe coronary stenosis. The accuracy of P/S in predicting severe coronary artery stenosis was assessed by receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results A total of 173 consecutive T2DM patients were enrolled. These patients included 27 patients with normal coronary artery (15.6%),124 patients with mild to moderate stenosis (71.7%),and 22 patients with severe stenosis (12.7%). There were significant differences in CT attenuation of pancreas (Z=11.543,P=0.003),P-S (Z=11.152,P=0.004) and P/S (Z=11.327,P=0.004) among normal coronary artery group,mild and moderate stenosis group,and severe stenosis group. The CT attenuation of pancreatic head,body,and tail significantly differed in patients with coronary artery stenosis (Z=14.737,P=0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors,multiple Logistic regression showed that P/S (OR=0.062,95%CI=0.008-0.487,P=0.008) was still significantly associated with the severe coronary artery stenosis. The area under the ROC curve of P/S for the diagnosis of severe coronary artery stenosis was 0.701,and the optimal cutoff point was 0.660. Conclusion CT attenuation of pancreas and CT attenuation indexes are associated with the severity of coronary stenosis in T2DM patients,suggesting that pancreatic steatosis may be used as one of the indicators for predicting severe coronary artery stenosis.

Objective To systematically review the effects of probiotic supplementation on the prevention and treatment of asthma. Methods A computerized literature search was conducted in CNKI,CBM,VIP,Wanfang,PubMed,Embase,Cochrane Library,and Web of Science from their inception to February,2019 to collect all relevant studies. Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Results Twelve studies were included in the systematic review of the value of probiotics in asthma prevention. The results showed that probiotic supplementation was not significantly associated with a lower risk of asthma (RR=0.95,95%CI=0.82-1.11) or wheeze (RR=0.99,95%CI=0.88-1.11). Subgroup analyses based on interventions did not show significant differences. Six studies were included in the systematic review of the role of probiotics in asthma treatment. The results showed that probiotic supplementation improved pulmonary function and asthma control in asthmatic patients. However,more studies are needed to validate this effect. Moreover,further studies are needed to clarify the effect of probiotics on the immune markers and the use of asthmatic drugs in asthmatic patients. Conclusions Based on the currently available literature,probiotic supplementation can not prevent asthma or wheeze. However,it may improve pulmonary function and asthma control in asthmatic patients,although further studies are needed.

Objective To explore the value of conventional ultrasound combined with shear-wave elastography in the quantitative evaluation of sciatic nerve crush injury in rabbit models. Methods Forty healthy male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into four groups (n=10 in each group):three crush injury (CI) groups (2,4,and 8 weeks after crush) and control group (without injury). The thickness and stiffness of the crushed sciatic nerves and denervated triceps surae muscles were measured at different time points and compared with histopathologic parameters. Inter-reader variability was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficients. Results Compared with the control group,the inner diameters of the sciatic nerves significantly increased in the 2-week CI group [(1.65±0.34) mm vs. (0.97±0.15) mm,P=0.00] but recovered to the nearly normal level in the 8-week CI group [(1.12±0.18) mm vs. (0.97±0.15) mm,P=0.06];however,compared with control group [(8.75±1.02)kPa],the elastic modulus of the nerves increased significantly in all the CI groups [2-week:(14.77±2.53) kPa;4-week:(19.12±3.46) kPa;and 8-week:(28.39±5.26) kPa;all P=0.00];pathologically,massive hyperplasia of collagen fibers were found in the nerve tissues. The thickness of denervated triceps surae muscle decreased gradually,and the elastic modulus decreased 2 weeks after injury but increased gradually in the following 6 weeks;pathologically,massive hyperplasia of collagen fibers and adipocytes infiltration were visible,along with decreased muscle wet-weight ratio and muscle fiber cross-sectional area. The inter-reader agreements were good. Conclusion Conventional ultrasound combined with shear-wave elastography is feasible for the quantitative evaluation of the morphological and mechanical properties of crushed nerves and denervated muscles.

Objective To investigate the clinical manifestations and laboratory characteristics of 6 cases of pemphigoid nodularis (PN). Method The clinical and laboratory data of 6 patients with PN admitted to the Department of Dermatology,Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2016 to August 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Results PN mainly occurred in middle-aged and elderly people,with an average age of (58±16) years. Eosinophils were elevated in 4 patients. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) level was (530±672) kU/L in five patients. Direct immunofluorescence showed IgG and/or C3 deposition on basal membrane zone. Indirect immunofluorescence showed positive IgG anti-basement membrane zone,with a titer of 1:40-1:320. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed the anti-BP180 antibodies were positive [24-85 U/ml,average(43±26) U/ml] in 5 patients. None of the patients had neurological disorders. One patient was lost to follow-up. The disease recurred in 3 of 5 patients during the follow-up,and two patients still received maintenance corticosteroids. Conclusions PN mainly occurs in middle-aged and elderly individuals. It is featured by elevated eosinophils and total IgE and relatively low anti-BP180 antibody titers. Recurrence is common but PN is less likely to be associated with neurological diseases.

Objective To explore the chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) features in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) complicated with pulmonary involvement. Methods Totally 161 patients with RA with lung involvement were collected from June 2014 to May 2018. The chest HRCT findings were retrospectively analyzed. According to the imaging features as well as the results of history taking,pulmonary function test,pathology,and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid test,RA-related lung diseases (RA-LD) were classified and their clinical characteristics were compared. Results These 161 RA-LD patients (56 males and 105 females) whose mean age at diagnosis was (60.7±12.8) years (14-85 years) included 87 cases of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) (including 16 cases of possible UIP),44 cases of non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP),10 cases of organizing pneumonia,7 cases of lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia,9 cases of small airway disease (SAD) (including 8 cases of bronchiolitis obliterans and 1 case of follicular bronchiolitis),and 4 other lung manifestations (including 3 cases of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage and 1 case of rheumatoid nodules). The UIP group had the oldest average age [(63.3±12.1) years old] and the highest smoking rate (41.4%). The SAD group had the youngest average age [(54.7±15.1) years old] and there was no smoking history. There were significant differences between these two groups (P=0.020,P<0.001). Seventy patients (43.5%) with RA-LD were complicated with pleural lesions. Conclusions RA involving the lung is common and has varied imaging manifestations,with interstitial lung diseases (mainly UIP and NSIP) being the most important manifestations. RA patients should undergo lung HRCT as early as possible to identify the lung involvement and related types.

Objective To investigate the association between chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depressive-like behavior in rats and expressions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and S100β in the hippocampal and prefrontal cortex. Methods Rats were randomly assigned to three groups:saline control group,saline+CUMS group,and citalopram +CUMS group. CUMS was used for depression modeling in rats. Depressive-like behavior in rats were evaluated by open-field test,sucrose preference test,and novel object recognition test. S100β and BDNF expressions were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Rats in the saline+CUMS group had significantly lower score in sucrose preference [(52.48±13.14)%],basic motor tasks [(845.8±371.4)s],fine motor tasks [(565.6±211.9)s],and longer resting time [(282.6±11.8)s] compared to the control group [(84.30±6.15)% (t=7.49,P=0.000),(1239.1±281.6)s (t=2.83,P=0.008),(801.8±150.9)s (t=3.05,P=0.003),(268.2±12.8)s (t=2.72,P=0.001)]. Compared with the citalopram+CUMS group,rats from the saline+CUMS group also showed significantly lower results in sucrose preference [(80.55±11.31)%,t=5.39,P=0.000],basic motor tasks [(1156.4±314.7)s,t=2.13,P=0.031],and fine motor tasks [(736.1±150.0)s,t=2.21,P=0.008]. There were no significant differences in the expression of hippocampal and prefrontal BDNF between these two groups,but rats from the saline+CUMS group expressed significantly higher levels of S100β compared to rats from the citalopram+CUMS group [(13.22±2.23) ng/g vs. (10.55±2.72) ng/g,t=2.67,P=0.014]. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the expression of S100β was positively correlated with the expression of BDNF in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus (r=0.35,P=0.034;r=0.36,P=0.034).The novel object recognition index was positively correlated with the expression of BDNF in the hippocampus(r=0.38,P=0.021),and the duration of fine-motor activities was negatively correlated with S100β in the prefrontal cortex (r=-0.36,P=0.037). Conclusions Different types of depressive behaviors in rats induced by CUMS are associated with the selective expression of S100β and BDNF in two different brain cortex. S100β protein and BDNF may independently participate in the pathogenesis of depression.

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of non-contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (NCE-MRA) on a 3.0T scanner. Methods Totally 36 volunteers and 24 patients with clinically suspected coronary artery disease underwent NCE-MRA. The quality of the NCE-MRA images was graded for each segment on a four-point scale. The subjects were divided into two groups according to image quality. The age,body mass index (BMI),heart rate,end-expiratory diaphragm displacement,and respiratory diaphragm motion amplitude were evaluated and compared. Results The average image quality score of every segment was above 2 points. The proximal and middle segments of left anterior descending artery had significantly higher quality scores than the distal segments (P=0.000) and the proximal segment of left circumflex coronary artery had significantly higher quality scores than the distal segments (P=0.000),the proximal segment of right coronary artery also had a significant higher quality score than its distal segment (P=0.001). The image quality was good in 38 subjects (64.4%). The heart rate [(66.35±9.39) beat/min vs. (75.32±11.67) beat/min] (P=0.002) and the body mass index [(24.72±3.33) kg/m ² vs. (27.82±3.61) kg/m ²] (P=0.002) were significantly different between the good image quality group and the poor image quality group. The end-expiratory diaphragm displacement in good image quality group was (4.43±2.07)mm,which was significantly lower than that in poor image quality group [(9.26±7.62)mm](P=0.013). The respiratory diaphragm motion amplitude [(21.35±6.02) mm] in good image quality group was significantly lower than that in poor image quality group [(30.68±14.20)mm](P=0.012). Conclusion NCE-MRA on 3.0T is a feasible tool for visualization of the proximal and middle segments of coronary arteries,and the image quality can be optimized by controlling heart rate and respiration in the future.

Objective To tailor the subsequent treatment and follow-up strategy,this study dynamically assessed the response to initial therapy in non-distant metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients with intermediate and high risk. Methods A total of 184 non-distant metastatic DTC patients (intermediate-risk 111 cases and high-risk 73 cases) were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Based on the results of initial response assessment (6-12 months after initial therapy),patients were divided into two groups:excellent response (ER) group (n=113) and non-excellent response (non-ER) group (n=71). We compared the differences in clinicopathological features between these 2 groups and evaluated the changes of dynamic response to therapy at the initial and final assessments after initial therapy in all patients. Results Compared with the ER group,the non-ER group showed a larger tumor size (U=2771.500,P=0.000),higher proportion of extrathyroidal invasion (χ ²=4.070,P=0.044),and higher preablative-stimulated thyroglobulin levels (U=1367.500,P=0.000). ER was achieved in 31% of patients in the initial non-ER group [including indeterminate response (IDR) and biochemical incomplete response (BIR)] at the final follow-up only by thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy,among which 63.6% were with intermediate risk (especially the patients with IDR) and 36.4% at high risk. In addition,5.2%(6/113) of patients in the initial ER group were reassessed as IDR,BIR,or even structural incomplete response at the end of the follow-up (among which one patient developed into cervical lymph node recurrence,as confirmed by pathology);the TSH level in these patients fluctuated at 0.56-10.35 μIU/ml and was not corrected in time during the follow-up after initial therapy. Conclusions Some of non-distant metastatic DTC patients with intermediate and high risks who presented initial non-ER may achieve ER only by TSH suppression therapy over time;in contrast,the patients presented initial ER may develop into non-ER without normalized TSH suppression therapy. The dynamic risk assessment system may provide a real-time assessment of recurrence risk and tailor the subsequent treatment and follow-up strategies.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of long non-coding RNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) in gastric cancer caused by helicobacter pylori (HP) infection. Methods The expression of PVT1 was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in HP-infected normal gastric epithelial cells GES-1. Gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 was transfected with PVT1 small interfering RNA and co-cultured with HP,and then the inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α),interleukin (IL) -1β,IL-6 and IL-8 were detected. After PVT1 was knocked down,the effects of PVT1 on the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells were examined by cell scratch assay. RNA-pulldown combined with mass spectrometry was used to detect the protein binding to PVT1,and the result of mass spectrometry was verified by RNA-pulldown combined with Western blot. Results In HP-infected normal gastric epithelial cells GES-1,quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that PVT1 was significantly up-regulated (t=7.160,P=0.019). PVT1 was knocked down in gastric cancer cells,and then infected with HP. The expressions of inflammatory factors including TNF-α (t=3.899,P=0.011),IL-1β (t=14.610,P=0.000),and IL-8 (t=6.557,P=0.001) were significantly inhibited. Although PVT1 knockdown had no significant effect on the proliferation ability of gastric cancer cells,it inhibited the migration of cells. PVT1 might interact with RPS8 protein. Conclusion PVT1 may act as a pro-inflammatory factor and regulate gastric cancer caused by HP infection.

Objective To obtain ultrasound and thermal tomography images of breast cancer during its growth and to assess the value of thermal tomography in detecting breast cancer. Methods Breast cancer models were established with NOD/SCID mice and SD rats. These animal models were examined by thermal tomography,plain ultrasound,and contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Tumor tissues were stained with CD34 to explore the relationship between tumor heat production and vascular pathology. Results Thermal tomography detected breast cancer 2-4 days earlier than ultrasound. The expression of CD34 in tumor tissues was increased,along with thickened,increased,and irregular blood vessels. Conclusion Thermal tomography can detect early breast cancer and is a promising tool for screening breast cancer.

Artificial intelligence (AI) represents the latest wave of computer revolution and is considered revolutionary technology in many industries including healthcare. AI has been applied in medical imaging mainly due to the improvement of computational learning,big data mining,and innovations of neural network architecture. AI can improve the efficiency and accuracy of imaging diagnosis and reduce medical cost;also,it can be used to predict the disease risk. In this article we summarize and analyze the application of AI in musculoskeletal imaging.

Insulin resistance refers to a pathological condition in which cells fail to respond sufficiently to insulin,leading to impaired glucose uptake and utilization. In recent years,some skin diseases have been found to be associated with metabolic syndrome,and insulin resistance is considered to be the most important pathophysiological feature of the metabolic syndrome. Recent literatures have described the role of insulin resistance in the pathogenesis of these skin diseases. This article elucidates the mechanisms of insulin resistance involved in skin diseases.

Ubiquitin is a small molecule protein consisting of 76 amino acids,widely found in eukaryotic cells. The process by which ubiquitin binding to a specific protein is called ubiquitination. Deubiquitination is the reversed process of ubiquitination. Ubiquitination stimulates downstream signal,including complex assembly,protein conformation and activity changes,proteolysis,autophagy,guilt,chromatin remodeling,and DNA repair. More than 80% of eukaryotic protein degradation is mediated by the ubiquitination system,and ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis is an extremely complex process involving many biomolecular processes. By regulating protein homeostasis,ubiquitination can also regulate a variety of biological processes including cell cycle,cell proliferation,and apoptosis,which are closely related to tumorigenesis and progression. Many abnormalities of androgen receptor (AR) including AR gene amplification,mutation,shear mutation,and AR activity enhancement are closely related to prostate cancer progression. In particular,prostate cancer progression is regulated by the ubiquitination/deubiquitination processes. This article summarizes the recent research advances in the roles of ubiquitination/deubiquitination in AR abnormalities and prostate cancer.

Atherosclerosis (AS) is the main pathological basis for the occurrence of many vascular diseases and has a strong association with metabolic syndrome. Peripheral arterial diseases caused by AS have high morbidities and mortalities but lack still effective treatment. AS animal models are highly valuable for research on peripheral arteriosclerotic diseases. While small and medium AS animal models based on high-fat feeding and balloon injuries have been successfully established,few literatures have described the creation of large animal models for AS treatment. This article elucidates the current methods for creating medium and large animal models of peripheral atherosclerotic disease,with an attempt to further promote the clinical translation of AS treatment research.

Bladder cancer has high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Its incidence is high in western countries and has shown an increasing trend in China. While radical cystectomy combined with pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) is the standard treatment for bladder cancer,the optimal range of PLND remains controversial. In addition,the prognostic value of lymph node factors is also unclear. This article reviews research advances in PLND.

Endometrial receptivity has become the main cause of in vitro fertilization and pregnancy outcomes in infertile patients,bringing large psychological damage and economic loss to the patients and their family. In recent years,the role of non-coding RNA has increasingly been recognized. The relationship between non-coding RNA and endometrial receptivity is reviewed in this article.

Fibrous meningioma is a common subtype of meningioma. Contrast-enhanced scan typically shows evident homogeneous enhancement,while ring enhancement has not been described. In this article,we report a case of fibrous meningioma with ring enhancement in cerebellopontine angle region.

Nuclear protein of the testis midline carcinoma (NMC) is a rare malignant tumor that is mostly located in the upper trachea,mediastinal midline,and paravertebral midline,and few literature has described the imaging features of NMC in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. In this article we summarize the clinical,radiologic,and pathologic data of one case of pathologically confirmed NMC in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinus by focusing on its CT and magnetic resonance imaging features.