Rule-based semi-automated method to segment black hole multiple sclerosis lesions on post-gadolinium 2D T1-weighted brain images.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality and loss of healthy life years, ranking as the foremost factor in global disease burden and significantly contributing to health decline and elevated healthcare expenditures []. Although secondary prevention and management strategies for CVD have expanded and improved over recent decades, it continues to result in approximately 17.7 million deaths each year (31% of global deaths), meaning that in the United States, one out of every three deaths is attributed to CVD []. The gut microbiota is essential for human health, influencing various aspects such as immune function, metabolic regulation, and neurobehavioral traits. Numerous studies have previously highlighted the association between gut microbiota and cardiovascular disease, demonstrating that gut microbial communities can regulate cardiovascular system function and metabolism through metabolites such as bile acids and amino acids []. Given that diet is a key determinant of human gut microbial composition, changes in dietary habits can alter the gut microbiota, rendering dietary interventions an area of increasing interest. Recently, Kase et al. reviewed 106 articles regarding the relationship between adult diet and gut microbiota, conducting a comprehensive literature review that identified 14 dietary components influencing gut microbiota either positively or negatively []. They subsequently developed a novel gut microbiota diet index to assess diet quality associated with maintaining a healthy gut microbiota []. Furthermore, the Dietary Index for Gut Microbiota (DI-GM) demonstrates a positive correlation with urinary enterolignans and enterolactone (markers of gut microbiota diversity), suggesting an association between this index and gut microbiota diversity.