MUSCULOSKELETAL IMAGINGM RI of the sacroiliac (SI) joints is the imaging standard used to detect sacroiliitis in patients with spondyloarthritis (1). Bone marrow edema of the SI joints plays a key role in diagnosis but has limited sensitivity (65%) and specificity (75%) (1-3). Erosions of the SI joints are less prevalent in the setting of spondyloarthritis, with lower sensitivity (54%) but much higher specificity (95%) (2). T1-weighted MRI scans are obtained to depict structural lesions, such as erosions, which are notoriously difficult to demonstrate (2,4).CT also demonstrates erosions, as it enables clear visualization of bone due to its much higher x-ray attenuation. The combined use of MRI and CT is applied in radiation therapy planning (5) and orthopedic surgery (6,7). However, performing both CT and MRI increases patient burden, adds ionizing radiation, and introduces complex workflows. It would be useful to generate synthetic CT (sCT) data demonstrating bone anatomy from MRI scans. Different techniques to generate sCT data were developed in the past decade, mainly for radiation therapy guidance (8,9) and PET/MRI attenuation correction (10,11).In this study, we evaluate an sCT data generation method aiming at specific visualization of the osseous morphology by Hounsfield unit estimation (12). The MRI-based sCT is a deep learning-based technology, performing three-dimensional (3D) MRI to CT mapping and generating CT-like images from an axial 3D T1-weighted radiofrequency spoiled multiple gradient-echo (T1MGE) sequence. This technology was clinically validated in the cervical spine and pelvis (12-14).

Etomidate plus propofol had few effects on respiration and circulation in patients undergoing gastroscopy and was more safe and effective than propofol alone.

Corneal alkali burns are a serious clinical problem that often leads to permanent visual impairment. In this process, transforming growth factor (Tgf)-beta1 is upregulated and involved in the response to corneal injury and the process of corneal stromal scarring. To develop an efficient compound to inhibit Tgf-beta1 in the cornea, we designed GB1201, a pyrrole-imidazole (PI) polyamide targeting rat Tgf-beta1 gene promoter to the activator protein-1 (AP-1) binding site. GB1201 showed a high binding affinity to the target DNA sequence in the gel mobility shift and Biacore assays. GB1201 significantly inhibited the rat Tgf-beta1 gene promoter activity in HEK (human embryonic kidney) 293 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Topically administrated GB1201 was distributed immediately to the nuclei of all cell layers of the cornea and remained for 24 hours. A corneal alkali burn model in rats was used to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of GB1201. GB1201 suppressed the upregulation of Tgf-beta1 in the burned cornea, both in the mRNA and protein levels. Moreover, daily treatment with GB1201 for a week significantly improved the corneal tissue wound healing, reduced corneal stromal scarring, and prevented corneal haze formation. Our data suggest that PI polyamide may open new opportunities for therapeutic intervention in the treatment of chemically burned corneas.