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This study's purpose was to confirm the observed underexpression of miRNA-410 in glioma tissues and several glioma cells by Quantitative RT-PCR. Our findings suggest that epigenetic alterations occurring at the promoter region of miR-410 may be responsible for the reduced expression of miR-410 in glioma. The occurrence of DNA methylation in the miR-410 promoter was verified to be more prevalent through glioma tissues contrasted to adjacent non-tumor brain tissues through the utilization of methylation-specific PCR and CpG bisulfite sequencing sites in the miR-410 promoter region. Accordantly, miR-410 expression in glioma cell lines was observed to be significantly lesser in comparison to that of the human fetal glial cell line. In addition, it was demonstrated through gain- and loss-of-function investigations that miR-410 exerts significant regulation over cell growth, cell cycle development, and glioma cell apoptosis. The findings of the Luciferase reporter assay and western blot analysis indicate that miR-410 has a direct effect on the 3'-UTR of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), thereby inhibiting its expression within glioma cells. Besides, our clinical investigation indicates a negative association between miR-410 expression and STAT3 within the glioma tissues of humans. In aggregate, the data provided in this investigation indicates that miR-410 is subjected to underexpression via DNA methylation. Furthermore, it has been observed to perform its function as a tumor suppressor in glioma cells through direct targeting of STAT3. The previously mentioned results could potentially have significant implications for the advancement of a new therapeutic approach for treating glioma.

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Objective:To assess the current situation, advantages, and difficulties of standardized management in Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials (IIT).Methods:This article summarized the requirements and policies for clinical research management, the development of clinical research domestically and internationally, the achievements and advantages of clinical research management development in China, and the main problems and difficulties with the standardized IIT management in China, and compiled the experiences and models of several medical institutions in IIT management.Results:While China has a large number of clinical medical publications and is ranked high in the world, the quality of the publications needs to be further improved. Domestic management requirements for IIT were gradually improving, providing a basis for medical institutions to implement standardized management throughout the lifecycle of IIT, and achieve certain progress. However, there were still challenges in the departmental divisions, the unification of management standards, whole-process management and quality control, the scientific review, high-risk project management, and registration.Conclusions:Drawing on the excellent experience of domestic medical institutions, measures including identifying a primary responsible department, establishing unified supervision and inspection standards, and implementing a whole life cycle management may help overcome the challenges in IIT management and improve the quality and efficiency of IIT management.

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Transverse sinus is an important pathway of intracranial venous reflux,which is also crucial for maintaining cerebral circulation and stabilizing intracranial pressure.Transverse sinus stenosis(TSS)is the most common variation of transverse sinus,which might lead to changes in sinus hemodynamics and pressure and closely related to idiopathic intracranial hypertension,pulsatile tinnitus and chronic headache.The progresses in imaging researches of transverse sinus stenosis were reviewed in this article.

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Objective:To evaluate the scientificity, transparency and applicability of the Chinese guidelines and consensuses in medical imaging published in 2022 by the STAR scale.Methods:Medical imaging guidelines and consensuses were searched in CNKI, Wanfang data, CMB, Chinese Medical Journal Network, and Medline (PubMed). The publication date was selected from January 1 to December 31, 2022. Each guideline or consensus was independently evaluated and cross-checked by two evaluators using STAR scale.Results:A total of 65 guidelines and consensus that were published as Chinese or English were included, including 15 guidelines and 50 consensuses. Some guidelines and consensus have distinct disciplinary characteristics with topics such as artificial intelligence (4 articles) and Evidence-Based Medical Imaging-Medical Imaging Clinical Appropriateness (EB-MICA, 4 articles). In all guidelines and consensuses, the highest score was 89.9, the lowest was 3.6, and the M( Q1, Q3) was 25.0 (20.8, 35.4). There was no statistical difference in the scores of guidelines and consensuses ( P=0.383). The highest scoring areas were recommendation opinions (reporting rate of 56.0%), working groups (reporting rate of 38.2%), and clinical issues (reporting rate of 36.7%), while the lowest scoring areas were proposal (reporting rate of 9.6%), registration (reporting rate of 10.8%), and consensus methods (reporting rate of 21.8%). Conclusion:It is recommended that guidelines and consensuses initiators of medical imaging strengthen the learning of evidence-based medicine methods, such as STAR tools, in order to further improve the quality of guidelines and consensuses of medical imaging.

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To meet China′s requirements for scientific and technological innovation and high-quality development in the new era, it is imperative to actively implement the innovation-driven development strategy and build high-level research hospitals. Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University has been working to build a research hospital since 2018. The hospital promoted discipline construction through the development mode of discipline clusters, made the research wards as a platform, adopted the " shared comprehensive service" mode to improve the quality and efficiency of clinical research, and strengthened talent cultivation through such key measures as a new talent recruitment system. The mode has proved successful in such aspects as improving the ranking of scientific and technological value of hospitals and disciplines, introducing high-level talents, and outputting scientific and technological achievements, supporting by research wards for other departments of the hospital, and improving the efficiency and quality of clinical trials. Such a mode can provide reference for general hospitals in building research hospitals.

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BACKGROUND@#The effect of arteriosclerotic intracranial arterial vessel wall enhancement (IAVWE) on downstream collateral flow found in vessel wall imaging (VWI) is not clear. Regardless of the mechanism underlying IAVWE on VWI, damage to the patient's nervous system caused by IAVWE is likely achieved by affecting downstream cerebral blood flow. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of arteriosclerotic IAVWE on downstream collateral flow.@*METHODS@#The present study recruited 63 consecutive patients at the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2021 to November 2021 with underlying atherosclerotic diseases and unilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) M1-segment stenosis who underwent an magnetic resonance scan within 3 days of symptom onset. The patients were divided into 4 groups according to IAVWE and the stenosis ratio (Group 1, n = 17; Group 2, n = 19; Group 3, n = 13; Group 4, n = 14), and downstream collateral flow was analyzed using three-dimensional pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling (3D-pCASL) and RAPID software. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores of the patients were also recorded. Two-factor multivariate analysis of variance using Pillai's trace was used as the main statistical method.@*RESULTS@#No statistically significant difference was found in baseline demographic characteristics among the groups. IAVWE, but not the stenosis ratio, had a statistically significant significance on the late-arriving retrograde flow proportion (LARFP), hypoperfusion intensity ratio (HIR), and NIHSS scores ( F = 20.941, P <0.001, Pillai's trace statistic = 0.567). The between-subject effects test showed that IAVWE had a significant effect on the three dependent variables: LARFP ( R2 = 0.088, F = 10.899, P = 0.002), HIR ( R2 = 0.234, F = 29.354, P <0.001), and NIHSS ( R2 = 114.339, F = 33.338, P <0.001).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Arteriosclerotic IAVWE significantly reduced downstream collateral flow and affected relevant neurological deficits. It was an independent factor affecting downstream collateral flow and NIHSS scores, which should be a focus of future studies.@*TRIAL REGISTRATION@#ChiCTR.org.cn, ChiCTR2100053661.

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Objective:To re-identify the anatomical features of singular nerve canal (SNC) through observing and measuring the morphological characteristics of SNC using ultra-high resolution CT (U-HRCT).Methods:The U-HRCT images of 52 human head specimens (104 ears) from December 2019 to January 2020 were obtained. The best standard cross-sectional and coronal images of SNC were reconstructed. The morphology of the main trunk and branches of the SNC were observed. According to the number of turning points, the trunks of SNC were divided into single turning point type, double turning point type and no turning point type. According to the branch morphology, the branched SNC were divided into bifurcated type, confluent type, side branch type and bilateral branch type. The diameter, angle and length of each section of the posterior canal ampulla (PCA) of the main trunk, the turning point and the internal auditory meatus (IAM) were measured. Independent sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test was used to test group differences of main trunk diameter of the SNC with or without branches. Results:Totally 104 ears of 52 cases were divided into single turning point type of 79 ears, double turning point type of 20 ears and no turning point type of 5 ears. The bilateral morphological classification was the same in 30 cases (60 ears), including 24 cases of single turning point type (48 ears), 5 cases of double turning point type (10 ears), and 1 case of no turning point type (2 ears). The ear morphology on both sides was different in 22 cases (44 ears). The diameters of the PCA, the turning point and the IAM of SNC with single turning point type were (0.31±0.07), (0.40±0.10), (0.46±0.10) mm, respectively, and the angles were 60.5°±7.8°, 120.3°±9.6°, 38.3°±7.5° respectively. And the length of the PCA and the IAM in the SNC with single turning point type were (1.95±0.38), (2.31±0.68) mm, respectively. The diameters of the PCA, the turning point near the PCA, the turning point near the IAM and the IAM of SNC with double turning point type were (0.32±0.09), (0.38±0.09), (0.47±0.12), (0.47±0.13) mm, and the angle were 60.9° (57.3°, 64.9°), 117.9°±12.3°, 129.6°±12.4°, 41.7° (32.9°, 79.5°), respectively. The length of the PCA, the IAM and the distance between these two turning points were (1.78±0.31), 0.65 (0.46, 1.15), 0.96 (0.80, 1.15) mm, respectively. The diameters of the PCA and the IAM of SNC without turning point type were (0.20±0.01) and (0.50±0.12) mm. The angles with the PCA and the IAM in these cases were 58.4°±9.6° and 46.2°±5.1°, and the length was (3.61±0.32) mm. A total of 48 ears had branches, including bifurcated type (36 ears), confluence type (4 ears), side branch type (5 ears) and bilateral branch type (3 ears). In the SNC group with single turning point, the diameter of the turning point in the cases without branches was wider than that of cases with branches ( t=2.11, P=0.039). However, there was no significant difference in the diameter of each section between these two subgroups of SNC cases with double turning point type. Conclusions:U-HRCT is able to clearly show the SNC, the imaging features of whom are variable and should be re-understood.

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Objective:To evaluate the reporting quality of clinical practice guidelines in medical imaging.Methods:Medical imaging guidelines were searched in CNKI, Wanfang data, CBM, Web of Science, PubMed, and other guideline-related websites. The search period is from January 1, 2017 to February 26, 2022. According to the reporting items for practice guidelines in healthcare (RIGHT) checklist, two researchers separately extracted information from the included guidelines and evaluated the reporting quality, and cross-checked them.Results:Eighteen guidelines in Chinese were included. The average reporting rate was (56.2±14.3) %. The reporting rate of basic information in Domain 1 (75.9%, 82/108) and other information in Domain 7 (68.5%, 37/54) were the highest, while funding and declaration and management of interests in Domain 6 (25.0%, 18/72) had the lowest reporting rate. The included guidelines had a lower reporting rate in item 2 (executive summary of recommendations, 27.8%, 5/18), item 11a (type of systematic review on which the guideline is based, 5.6%, 1/18), item 14a (patient preferences and values, 22.2%, 4/18), item 15 (evidence to decision processes recommendations, 22.2%, 4/18), and item 16 (external review, 16.7%, 3/18).Conclusions:The overall reporting quality of medical imaging guidelines needs to be improved. It is recommended that future guideline developers master the guideline research and evaluation tools, such as the RIGHT statement, and fully report the details and key information to improve the transparency and comprehensiveness of the guidelines.

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OBJECTIVE: We aim to investigate the feasibility of using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to evaluate changes in extraocular muscles (EOMs) and lacrimal gland (LG) in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) and to evaluate disease severity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 74 participants, including 17 healthy controls (HCs), 22 patients with mild TAO, and 35 patients with moderate-severe TAO, underwent 3-Tesla DTI to measure fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of the EOMs and LG. Ophthalmological examinations, including visual acuity, exophthalmos, intraocular pressure, and fundoscopy, were performed. FA and MD values were compared among patients with different disease severity. Multiple linear regression was adopted to predict the impact of clinical variables on DTI parameters of orbital soft tissue. RESULTS: TAO patients' EOMs and LG showed significantly lower FA values and higher MD compared to HCs' (P < 0.05). Moderate-severe TAO patients' EOMs and LG had dramatically lower FA and higher MD compared with HCs (P < 0.05). In addition, only the DTI parameters of the medial rectus were considerably different between mild and moderate-severe TAO patients (P = 0.017, P = 0.021). Multiple linear regression showed that disease severity had a significant impact on the DTI parameters of orbital soft tissue. CONCLUSION: DTI is a useful tool for detecting microstructural changes in TAO patients' orbital soft tissue. DTI findings, especially medial rectus DTI parameters, can help to indicate the disease severity in TAO patients.

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Objective@#To evaluate microstructural damage in high myopia (HM) patients using 3T diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). @*Materials and Methods@#This prospective study included 30 HM patients and 33 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) with DKI. Kurtosis parameters including kurtosis fractional anisotropy (FA), mean kurtosis (MK), axial kurtosis (AK), and radial kurtosis (RK) as well as diffusion metrics including FA, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity derived from DKI were obtained. Group differences in these metrics were compared using tract-based spatial statistics. Partial correlation analysis was used to evaluate correlations between microstructural changes and disease duration. @*Results@#Compared to HCs, HM patients showed significantly reduced AK, RK, MK, and FA and significantly increased AD, predominately in the bilateral corticospinal tract, right inferior longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and left thalamus (all p < 0.05, threshold-free cluster enhancement corrected). In addition, DKI-derived kurtosis parameters (AK, RK, and MK) had negative correlations (r = -0.448 to -0.376, all p < 0.05) and diffusion parameter (AD) had positive correlations (r = 0.372 to 0.409, all p < 0.05) with disease duration. @*Conclusion@#HM patients showed microstructural alterations in the brain regions responsible for motor conduction and visionrelated functions. DKI is useful for detecting white matter abnormalities in HM patients, which might be helpful for exploring and monitoring the pathogenesis of the disease.

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Objective:To explore the incidence and occurrence time of gallstone disease after bariatric surgery.Methods:Retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 187 patients with morbid obesity who underwent bariatric surgery in the Department of General Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from Dec. 2017 to Aug. 2019. All patients did not receive prophylactic ursodeoxycholic acid. All patients were underwent abdominal ultrasound and MRI examination preoperatively, and at least one abdominal ultrasound, MRI examination postoperatively. The incidence and occurrence time of gallstones and biliary sludge in patients with different bariatric surgery were analyzed respectively. Measurement data conforming to the normal distribution were described as mean ± standard deviation ( Mean± SD). Measurement data consistent with skewed distribution were described as median (lower quartile, upper quartile). Counting data were described as a percentage (%). Kruskal-Wallis test was used for comparison among groups, and then Bonferroni correction was used for pairwise comparison. Results:The follow-up time was up to Dec. 31, 2020, with a median follow-up time of 27.0 (22.0, 31.0) months. Thirty-four patients (18.2%, 34/187) developed gallstones after bariatric surgery. Individually, it was 18.0%(30/167) in LSG group, 22.2%(2/9) in LRYGB group, 11.1%(1/9) in LOAGB group and 50.0%(1/2) in LOAGB revisional surgery group. Eighteen patients (9.6%, 18/187) were found biliary sludge formation, among which 8.4% (14/167), 22.2% (2/9), and 22.2% (2/9) underwent LSG, LRYGB, and LOAGB, respectively. The rates of weight loss and BMI loss in patients with postoperative gallstone-formation were 21.4 (18.7, 23.6)% and 21.4 (18.6, 23.5) %, respectively. Three patients (1.6%, 3/187) had newly developed symptomatic gallstones, and all of them underwent LSG. The mean occurrence time for biliary sludge and gallstone was 85.5 (28.8, 98.8) and 103.5 (93.0, 179.3) days, respectively. Statistical difference in occurrence time was only found between postoperative gallstone and biliary sludge formation ( P=0.009). Conclusion:Without drug intervention, the incidence of gallstone after bariatric surgery was about 18.2% (34/187), which requires close clinical attention. Abdominal ultrasonography and the T2WI sequence of upper abdominal MRI can help to diagnose gallstone and monitor its changes.

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Objective@#To evaluate microstructural damage in high myopia (HM) patients using 3T diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). @*Materials and Methods@#This prospective study included 30 HM patients and 33 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) with DKI. Kurtosis parameters including kurtosis fractional anisotropy (FA), mean kurtosis (MK), axial kurtosis (AK), and radial kurtosis (RK) as well as diffusion metrics including FA, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity derived from DKI were obtained. Group differences in these metrics were compared using tract-based spatial statistics. Partial correlation analysis was used to evaluate correlations between microstructural changes and disease duration. @*Results@#Compared to HCs, HM patients showed significantly reduced AK, RK, MK, and FA and significantly increased AD, predominately in the bilateral corticospinal tract, right inferior longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and left thalamus (all p < 0.05, threshold-free cluster enhancement corrected). In addition, DKI-derived kurtosis parameters (AK, RK, and MK) had negative correlations (r = -0.448 to -0.376, all p < 0.05) and diffusion parameter (AD) had positive correlations (r = 0.372 to 0.409, all p < 0.05) with disease duration. @*Conclusion@#HM patients showed microstructural alterations in the brain regions responsible for motor conduction and visionrelated functions. DKI is useful for detecting white matter abnormalities in HM patients, which might be helpful for exploring and monitoring the pathogenesis of the disease.

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To determine the neural mechanism underlying the effects of sound therapy on tinnitus, we hypothesize that sound therapy may be effective by modulating both local neural activity and functional connectivity that is associated with auditory perception, auditory information storage or emotional processing. In this prospective observational study, 30 tinnitus patients underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans at baseline and after 12 weeks of sound therapy. Thirty-two age- and gender-matched healthy controls also underwent two scans over a 12-week interval; 30 of these healthy controls were enrolled for data analysis. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation was analysed, and seed-based functional connectivity measures were shown to significantly alter spontaneous local brain activity and its connections to other brain regions. Interaction effects between the two groups and the two scans in local neural activity as assessed by the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation were observed in the left parahippocampal gyrus and the right Heschl's gyrus. Importantly, local functional activity in the left parahippocampal gyrus in the patient group was significantly higher than that in the healthy controls at baseline and was reduced to relatively normal levels after treatment. Conversely, activity in the right Heschl's gyrus was significantly increased and extended beyond a relatively normal range after sound therapy. These changes were found to be positively correlated with tinnitus relief. The functional connectivity between the left parahippocampal gyrus and the cingulate cortex was higher in tinnitus patients after treatment. The alterations of local activity and functional connectivity in the left parahippocampal gyrus and right Heschl's gyrus were associated with tinnitus relief. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging can provide functional information to explain and 'visualize' the mechanism underlying the effect of sound therapy on the brain.

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Objective:To verify the ability of the newly developed ultra-high resolution CT (U-HRCT) for displaying the fine bony anatomy of temporal bone.Methods:The cone-beam CT architecture was used on U-HRCT. The focus size of X-ray generator was 0.27 mm × 0.29 mm, the rated tube voltage was 60-100 kV, and the unit size of flat panel detector was 0.074 8 mm×0.074 8 mm. From October to December 2019, 16 adult head specimens (32 temporal bones, provided by Huanghe University of Science and Technology) were imaged using U-HRCT. The scanning mode was small-field-of-view and high-resolution scanning for unilateral temporal bone. The scanning parameters were: voltage 100 kV, current 3.5 mA, rotation time 40 s, reconstructed field of view 65 mm×65 mm, voxel size 0.1 mm×0.1 mm×0.1 mm, layer number 370, slice thickness 0.1 mm, and slice interval 0.1 mm. The ultimate spatial resolution of the system was detected using a phantom with line pair card, after the scanning with the same parameters. Through multi-planar reconstruction and minimum intensity projection method, a total of 6 anatomical positions of 4 structures (stapes footplate, cochlear axis bottom, vestibular aqueduct internal orifice and isthmus, cochlear aqueduct internal orifice and auditory sac segment) were scored with 1-3 points. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare the difference of bilateral scores of each structure.Results:The phantom test results showed that the ultimate spatial resolution of the system was ≥4.0 lp/mm. The scores of stapes footplate, cochlear axis bottom and vestibular aqueduct internal orifice were ≥2 points, with a display rate of 100%. The display rates of vestibular aqueduct isthmus, cochlear aqueduct internal orifice and auditory sac segment were 87.5% (28/32), 71.9% (23/32) and 53.1% (17/32), respectively. There were no significant differences in left and right scores of all anatomical structures ( P>0.05). Conclusion:The newly developed U-HRCT has good display ability for fine bony anatomy of temporal bone and has great clinical application potential.

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Previous resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have shown neural connectivity alterations after the treatment of tinnitus. We aim to study the value of the baseline functional connectivity features of neural network nodes to predict outcomes of sound therapy through adjusted narrow band noise. The fMRI data of 27 untreated tinnitus patients and 27 matched healthy controls were analyzed. We calculated the graph-theoretical metric degree centrality (DC) to characterize the functional connectivity of the neural network nodes. Therapeutic outcomes are determined by the changes in the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) score after a 12-week intervention. The connectivity of 10 brain nodes in tinnitus patients was significantly increased at baseline. The functional connectivity of right insula, inferior parietal lobule (IPL), bilateral thalami, and left middle temporal gyrus was significantly modified with the sound therapy, and such changes correlated with THI changes in tinnitus patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses revealed that the measurements from the five brain regions were effective at classifying improvement after therapy. After age, gender, and education correction, the adjusted area under the curve (AUC) values for the bilateral thalami were the highest (left, 0.745; right, 0.708). Our study further supported the involvement of the fronto-parietal-cingulate network in tinnitus and found that the connectivity of the thalamus at baseline is an object neuroimaging-based indicator to predict clinical outcome of sound therapy through adjusted narrow band noise.

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BACKGROUND: Tinnitus is considered to be triggered by aberrant neural activity in the brain. Sound therapy is regarded as a reasonable management option for tinnitus treatment and has been applied in the clinical setting for decades. HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that sound therapy, a commonly used tinnitus treatment method, would alter the functional connectivity (FC) of brain regions in tinnitus models. STUDY TYPE: Longitudinal. POPULATION: Resting-state functional MRI data were collected from 27 tinnitus patients before and after 12 weeks of sound therapy. Twenty-seven age- and sex-matched healthy controls were also longitudinally scanned at the 12-week timepoint. FIELD STRENGTH: 3.0T MRI system and echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence, 3D brain volume imaging (BRAVO) sequence. ASSESSMENT: Functional connectivity strength (FCS), a graph-theoretical-based analytic method, was applied to analyze the FC features in the whole brain. STATISTICAL TESTS: Student's t-test and chi-square test were used for analyses between two groups. A two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) followed by post-hoc analyses was performed to determine differences of FC. RESULTS: The interaction effect between the two groups and two scans on FCS was observed in the bilateral thalami and left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The fitted FCS values in the bilateral thalami were significantly higher in tinnitus patients at baseline and decreased to a relatively normal range after sound therapy compared with healthy controls. Conversely, the fitted FCS values in the left ACC were within the normal range, but increased after treatment (1.08 ± 0.29, P < 0.02); however, there was no change in the control group. Importantly, significant correlations were observed between the FCS changes in the right thalamus (P = 0.028), the FC of the right thalamus-right inferior frontal gyrus (P = 0.015), and symptomatic improvement. DATA CONCLUSION: Sound therapy may modulate the brain network by altering the gating function of the thalamus as well as enhancing the tinnitus-canceling system. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 Technical Efficacy Stage: 4 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;50:1731-1741.

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BACKGROUND: There have been recent efforts to characterize brain functional activity features in patients with pulsatile tinnitus (PT). These efforts have revealed evidence of aberrant functional connectivity (FC) of the right middle temporal gyrus (MTG) in PT patients with prolonged disease duration. PURPOSE: To assess the possible predictive effect of aberrant FC of MTG in PT patients with prolonged disease duration. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. POPULATION: Thirty-four patients with recent-onset PT (RPTIN), 24 patients with long-term PT (LPTIN), and 35 age-, gender-, and education-matched healthy controls were enrolled. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3.0T MRI system and echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequence, 3D brain volume imaging (BRAVO) sequence. ASSESSMENT: Functional MRI data preprocessing was performed in Data Processing & Analysis for Brain Imaging (DPABI) and Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) 8. The FC analyses were conducted using the software REST. STATISTICAL TESTS: One-way analysis of covariance was conducted between three groups with age and gender as covariates, and post-hoc analysis was used to identify the sources of group effects. Pearson's correlation analysis was conducted for the z-values of altered FC strength in the PT group and the clinical data. RESULTS: Among hubs belonging to the executive control network, the default mode network (DMN), and limbic network, the strength of FC was mainly decreased in the patient groups compared with normal controls (P < 0.05). Relative to RPTIN patients and normal controls, LPTIN patients were further characterized by significantly decreased FC between several short-range brain regions adjacent to the seed (P < 0.05). Finally, disease duration was negatively correlated with decreased FC between the seed and right fusiform gyrus/parahippocampal gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus, and right MTG (a brain area adjacent to the seed region). DATA CONCLUSION: Long-term reactions to PT mainly involved weakened short-range FC, especially within a functional network in the right temporal lobe. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018.

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The German ( Kooperation für Transoarenz und Qualit?t im Gesundheitswesen, KTQ) certification system was officially launched in Germany in December 2001. Over ten years′ development proves that the KTQ certification system as a high standard medical management system. The authors introduced its background, the update of certification content and procedures, and explained its characteristics and advantages.These insights provide valuable references for establishing a professional and efficient quality certification system, suitable for China′s social and economic development level.

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Objective To investigate the current status of overcrowding in emergency departments of Tertiary level A hospitals in order to discover and analyze key factors limiting the performance efficiency of staff to raise a suggestion of improvements.Methods The data regarding the distribution of the total number of available beds and total number of patients registered were collected from 19 tertiary level A hospitals to construct a regression model correlating variables including number of patients waiting,time of appointment and number of patients delivered by ambulances.The national grading system of crowdedness for emergency departments was used to estimate the NEDOCS_ BJ value for Beijing Friendship Hospital.Results Statistical analyses of key factors hampering the work efficiency and correlation between ESI triage and clinical decisions revealed overcrowding in the emergency department in a pattern across hospitals and time periods.The extent of overcrowding can be alleviated by way of increase in performance efficiency.Conclusions The proposed improvements regarding the hierarchical medical system,the development of treatment plans,and working procedure were recommended.

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Objective To establish clinical quality control method with testing the birdcage head coils and setting up the action limits.Methods Three different MR devices (GE 1.5T HDi,GE 3.0T HD and GE 3.0T 750W) and corresponding birdcage coils were tested.Axial T1WI was performed to scan ACR phantom.SNR,percent image uniformity (PIU) and percent signal ghosting (PSG) were measured for six times,and the mean values and standard deviations (SD) were calculated.Based on the results,the action limits for each parameter were set.Results The mean value of SNR for the three devices was 262.14,280.47 and 474.24,and SD was 18.43,29.67 and 29.95,respectively;the action limits were ≥225.28,≥221.13 and ≥414.34,respectively;the mean value of PIU for the three devices was 95.00％,83.17％ and 84.33％,SD was 0.63％,1.17％ and 0.82％,respectively;the action limits were ≥93.74％,≥82.00％ (corrected) and ≥82.69％,respectively.The mean value of PSG for the three devices was 0.11％,0.07％ and 0.14％,SD was 0.12％,0.03％ and 0.11％,respectively;the action limits were ≤0.35％,≤0.13％ and ≤0.36％,respectively.Conclusion All of SNR,PIU and PSG for three MR devices were consistent with the action limits in this study.