Medicine
-
Observational Study
The influence of RS738409 I148M polymorphism of patatin-like phospholipase domain containing 3 gene on the susceptibility of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
We aimed to elucidate the frequency of polymorphic genotypes and alleles of patatin-like phospholipase domain containing 3 rs738409 polymorphism and its possible associations with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in a cohort from Turkey. We enrolled 200 patients diagnosed with NAFLD and genotyped for rs738409 I148M polymorphism by real-time polymerase chain reaction, particularly by melting curve analysis. SPSS analysis software was used for statistical significance. ⋯ Our results demonstrate in a cohort from Turkey that rs738409 C > G polymorphism (I148M) of patatin-like phospholipase domain containing 3 gene is significantly able to affect individuals to have NAFLD in unadjusted regression model. Consistent with the previous studies in other populations, our study group showed a significantly higher risk of having NAFLD in unadjusted regression model but not in the adjusted model indicating that non-genetic factors such as age and sex may be responsible for the association. However, independent studies need to validate our findings with a larger group of NAFLD patients, as well as in different ethnic cohorts.
-
Anti-PD-1 antibody is the standard therapy for treatment-resistant gastric cancer, but only a limited number of patients respond. Additionally, cases of hyper-progressive disease (HPD) in which tumor growth accelerates after anti-PD-1 antibody administration have been reported; however, the biological mechanism has not been elucidated. ⋯ The findings suggest the possibility that PD-L1-positive M2 macrophage might contribute to acceleration of tumor growth with anti-PD-1 therapy in the present case.
-
The purpose of this phantom study is to compare radiation dose and image quality of abdominal computed tomography (CT) scanned with different tube voltages and tube currents, reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP), hybrid iterative reconstruction (IR) and deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR) algorithms. A total of 15 CT scans of whole body phantoms were taken with 3 different tube voltages and 5 different tube currents. The images were reconstructed with FBP, 30% and 50% hybrid IR adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR-V), and low, medium and high strength DLIR algorithms. ⋯ The DLIR algorithms generated better quality images than ASIR-V algorithms in all the data sets. In addition, among the data sets reconstructed with DLIR algorithms, image quality was the best at the medium strength level, followed by low and high. This phantom study suggests that DLIR algorithms may be considered as a new reconstruction technique by reducing radiation dose while maintaining the image quality of abdominal CTs.
-
Radiomics contributes to the extraction of undetectable features with the naked eye from high-throughput quantitative images. In this study, 2 predictive models were constructed, which allowed recognition of poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, the effectiveness of the as-constructed signature was investigated in HCC patients. ⋯ The classification accuracy in the training and validation cohorts were 79.4% and 74.5%, respectively, for model 2. In the training cohort, the AUC was 0.721, while it was 0.681 in the validation cohort. The MRI-based radiomics signature and clinical model can distinguish HCC patients that belong in a low differentiation group from other patients, which helps in the performance of personal medical protocols.
-
Observational Study
Salt intake causes B-type natriuretic peptide elevation independently of blood pressure elevation in the general population without hypertension and heart disease.
Excessive salt intake causes hypertension and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is synthesized and released from the ventricle, and is a surrogate marker reflecting various CVDs. Moreover, when a slight BNP elevation is shown, it leads to a poor prognosis in the general population. ⋯ Moreover, multiple linear regression analyses revealed that plasma BNP levels showed a significant positive association with daily salt intake levels after adjustments. Plasma BNP levels were significantly and positively associated with daily salt intake after adjustment in the general population. Plasma BNP levels may be a surrogate marker reflecting salt-induced heart diseases.