Motor impairment after stroke is related to the integrity of the corticospinal tract (CST). However, considerable variability in motor impairment remains unexplained. To increase the accuracy in evaluating long-term motor function after ischemic stroke, we tested the hypothesis that combining diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and gray matter (GM) volumetry can better characterize long-term motor deficit than either method alone in patients with chronic stroke. We recruited 31 patients whose Medical Research Council strength grade was ≤ 3/5 in the extensor muscles of the affected upper extremity in the acute phase. We used the Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer (UE-FM) assessment to evaluate motor impairment, and as the primary outcome variable. We computed the fractional anisotropy ratio of the entire CST (CSTratio) and the volume of interest ratio (VOIratio), between ipsilesional and contralesional hemispheres, to explain long-term motor impairment. The results showed that CSTratio, VOIratio of motor-related brain regions, and VOIratio in the temporal lobe were correlated with UE-FM. A multiple regression model including CSTratio and VOIratio of the caudate nucleus explained 40.7% of the variability in UE-FM. The adjusted R2 of the regression model with CSTratio as an independent variable was 29.4%, and that of using VOIratio of the caudate nucleus as an independent variable was 23.1%. These results suggest that combining DTI and GM volumetry may achieve better explanation of long-term motor deficit in stroke patients, than using either measure individually. This finding may provide guidance in determining optimal neurorehabilitative interventions.

In the present study, a thermophilic anaerobic bacterial consortium YTY-70 that produced thermostable b-galactosidase was isolated from a hot spring in Yongtai (Fujian, China). Based on 16S rRNA sequences, we concluded that Caldicellulosiruptor was the predominant genus in the studied bacterial consortium. Subsequently, a thermostable b-galactosidase gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase. The recombinant enzyme exhibited a maximum activity at an optimum pH of 7.0 and an optimum temperature of 75 C. It had a high activity across a broad pH range (between pH 5.0 and pH 9.0) and high thermal stability at temperatures up to 90 C. The activity of the recombinant b-galactosidase was enhanced by TritonX-100, Tween-20 and 1 mmol/L 2-mercaptoethanol, while it was inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, sodium dodecyl sulphate, phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride and 10 mmol/L 2-Me. The enzyme's catalytic function was enhanced by the following metal ions: Na C , K Fe 3C and Li C . The thermostable b-galactosidase might be a promising candidate for use in food industries, particularly for the dairy industry and biosynthesis of galacto-oligosaccharides, due to its high thermostability and broad pH range.

A 36-year-old woman with a history of papillary thyroid cancer underwent radioiodine remnant ablation using 131I. Postablation whole body 131I scintigraphy revealed increased activity not only in the thyroid bed but also in the right upper thigh. SPECT/CT images localized the activity to the metallic implants of the right femur, implanted 3 years earlier after the right femoral cyst resection.

Primary bone lymphoma without classic nodal lesions or advanced disease may be mistaken for other osseous diseases, especially when involving a single bone site. In this patient, a series of imaging modalities including MRI, bone scan, and 18F-FDG PET/CT revealed only 1 solitary osseous lytic lesion with abnormal uptake in the third thoracic vertebra, suggesting a primary skeletal malignancy. The subsequent histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. After chemotherapy, he achieved an excellent clinical and metabolic response.

PurposeTo prospectively determine the diagnostic performance of low-dose CT (LDCT) with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) technique for the detection of urinary stone disease.ResultsThe average DLP and ED was 408.16 ± 119.04 mGy and 6.12 ± 1.79 mSv in CDCT, and 138.19 ± 76.87 mGy and 2.07 ± 1.15 mSv in LDCT, respectively. The dose reduction rate of LDCT was nearly 66.1% for both DLP and ED (P < 0.05). LDCT–80% ASIR images showed great image quality (mean score = 4.09), which was similar to CDCT-FBP images (mean score = 4.17) (P > 0.05), but higher than LDCT-FBP images (mean score = 2.77) (P < 0.05).Materials and Methods70 consetutive patients with clinically suspected urolithiasis underwent non-enhanced CT. Followed by both conventional-dose CT (CDCT) and low-dose CT (LDCT) scans. Automatic tube current modulation (ATCM) scanning was used, with a noise index setting of 13 in CDCT and 25 in LDCT. Reconstructions were performed with filtered back projection (FBP) and different settings of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction [ASIR(40%, 60%, 80%)]. Urinary calculi (size, location, number), image quality (scale 1–5), image noise (scale 1–3) and diagnostic confidence levels (scale 1–3) were evaluated and measured by two radiologists independently. Radiation dose was recorded by calculating dose length product (DLP) and effective dose (ED). Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney U test and Paired t tests.ConclusionsLDCT with ASIR can reduce the radiation dose while maintain relatively high image quality in the diagnosis of urinary stone diseases.