Objective To evaluate blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) MRI on assessing renal damage after injection of iodine contrast medium with a 3.0 T system. Methods Routine MRI examination,including T1WI and T2WI, and BOLD MRI were performed in 29 SD rats with a 3.0 T system before the injection of iodine contrast agent and 20 min, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h after the injection, respectively. T2 * and R2 * ( = 1/T2 * ) measurements were obtained in the cortex, inner and outer medulla of kidney,respectively. The results obtained before contrast agent administration were considered as the self-controls.AVONA test were used for the comparison of R2 * values in different parts of both kidneys before contrast agent administration. Two-sample t test was used to compare R2 * values before and at each time point after contrast agent administration, and R2 * values in different parts of the kidneys. Results Before contrast agentadministration, R2 * values in outer medulla in both sides of kidney [R2 *left oM = (31.76 ± 2.73 ) / s,R2 * right OM = (32.77±3.07) /s] were higher than those in cortex [R2 * left c=(30.20±3.48) /s,R2 * right c = (28.84 ±3.11 )/s] and in inner medulla [ R2 * letf IM = (29.54 ± 2.42) /s, R2 * right IM =(28.37±2.80) /s ] ( F = 3.357 and 14.961, P＜ 0.05 ). There was no statistical significance in R2 *values in the three parts between left and right kidney, including cortex, outer and inner medulla (P＞0.05). After contrast agent administration, R2* values in outer medulla changed obviously, which reached to the peak values at 20 minutes after contrast agent administration [R2* left OM = ( 43.57 ± 3.84 )/s,R2*right OM= (44.58±3.13) /s] and dropped from 24 hours [R2*left OM = (42.07 ±4.82) /s,R2* right OM = (42.89±3.40) /s]. R2* values in inner medulla and cortex only presented slight changes.Conclusion R2* values reflected the changes of oxygen content in renal cortex and medulla quantitatively,which helped for detecting medullar ischemia and hypoxia. BOLD MR imaging could offer a feasible method for evaluating oxygen metabolism and renal injury in cortex and medulla.

Objective: To observe the conditions of the activating areas in the brain evoked by needling Shenmen (HT 7) acupoint. Methods: Twelve healthy young volunteers were needled at Shenmen (HT 7) acupoint with rotating and twisting techniques. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was adopted to detect the brain activating areas, TR/TE/FA=3560 ms/50 ms/90°. After scanning, the images were dealt with SPM2. Results: Needling Shenmen (HT 7) primarily activated BA2 and BA1 of the gyms postcentralis in right-sided frontal lobe, BA47 of left-sided inferior frontal gyms and BA43 of left-sided gyms postcentralis, and also activated BA40 of inferior parietal lobule in right-sided parietal lobe, BA22 of gyrus temporalis superior in left-sided lobus temporalis, and BA40 of right-sided insula; however, the sham acupoints could not activate these nucleus. Conclusion: Needling Shenmen (HT 7) can activate the relevant functional areas in the brain.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is an advanced method of precision radiotherapy for tumors. In BNCT, 10B enriched boron carriers enter and gather within tumor cells, then a thermal neutron beam triggers the 10B (n, α) 7Li reaction to release alpha and 7Li particle with low energy, which can kill tumor cells. Compared with conventional radiotherapy, BNCT has the characteristics of higher biological effect, more precise targeting, less damage to normal tissues and less treatment times. In this article, recent progress and existing problems of BNCT-related clinical research were reviewed.

Objective:To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of classic human astrovirus (HAstV) among children under five years old with acute diarrhea, and to understand the role of HAstV in children acute diarrhea.Methods:A total of 1 010 fecal specimens were collected in 1 010 outpatients under five years old with acute diarrhea admitted to Children′s Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai from January 2012 to December 2016. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or PCR was used for screening classic HAstV, group A rotavirus, norovirus and adenovirus. Genotypes of classic HAstV were determined by nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic tree analysis.Results:The overall positive rate of classic HAstV was 2.7%(27/1 010). The detection rates of classic HAstV from 2012 to 2016 were 6.9%(10/144), 3.5%(5/144), 2.1%(3/144), 1.5%(4/265) and 1.6%(5/313), respectively. Almost 96.3%(26/27) of children infected with HAstV were 0 to 36 months of age. The prevalence of classic HAstV infections displayed a typical autumn/winter seasonality except in 2016. All the positive classic HAstV strains were genotyped as HAstV-1 with two lineages of HAstV-1a and HAstV-1b. Among them, the lineage of HAstV-1a was the predominant subtype (63.0%, 17/27). There were 77.8%(21/27) of the children with acute diarrhea only infected with classic HAstV, whereas for the remaining cases a variety of other enteric viruses were detected (three cases co-infected with HAstV and group A rotavirus, two cases co-infected with HAstV and adenovirus, and one case co-infected with HAstV, group A rotavirus and adenovirus).Conclusions:Children infected with HAstV are mainly less than 36 months of age. Although the genotype of classic HAstV detected in this study is single, but the lineages are in a state of dynamic change. Long-time and continuous monitor for the epidemiology of classic HAstV is needed to avoid outbreak of diarrhea in children.

Chemotherapy is among the limited choices approved for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at intermediate and advanced stages. Preferential and prolonged drug exposure in diseased sites is required to maximize the therapeutic index of the drug. Here, we report an injectable supramolecular peptide hydrogel as an intraperitoneal depot for localized and sustained release of triptolide for the treatment of orthotopic HCC. We chose peptide amphiphile C-GNNQQNYKD-OH-based nanofibers as gelators and carriers for triptolide. Sustained triptolide release from the hydrogel was achieved over 14 days , with higher accumulation in and cytotoxicity against human HCC Bel-7402 in comparison with L-02 fetal hepatocytes. After intraperitoneal injection, the hydrogel showed prolonged retention over 13 days and preferential accumulation in the liver, realizing HCC growth inhibition by 99.7 ± 0.1% and animal median survival extension from 19 to 43 days, without causing noticeable pathological changes in the major organs. These results demonstrate that injectable peptide hydrogel can be a potential carrier for localized chemotherapy of HCC.