Objective The intra-cranial arteries are more affected in Asian ischemic stroke patients. We thought that tandem or diffuse arterial occlusive disease may be more common among patients with extracranial internal carotid artery (ICAex) occlusive disease. In the current study, the frequency of other co-existing extracranial artery ( EA) or intracranial artery ( IA) stenosis in patients with ICAex occlusive disease and its risk factors were studied. Method One hundred and ninety-eight consecutive patients with ischemic stroke or TIA who were admitted to our hospital from Jan 2001 to May 2008 and who had stenosis (70% ) or occlusion of ICAex were enrolled in the study. All the patients were examined with carotid duplex and transcranial Doppler (TCD). Among them, 75 patients were also examined with DSA, 52 patients with intracranial MRA and 25 patients with extra- and intra-cranial CTA. Extracranial artery stenosis or occlusion were diagnosed with DSA/CTA in 93 patients, and with carotid duplex only in 105 patients. Intracranial artery stenosis was diagnosed with DSA/MRA/CTA in 118 patients, and with TCD only in 80 patients. Patients with presumably cardioembolism such as atrial fibrillation were excluded. Results Among the 198 patients, 172 (86. 8% ) had other combined EA or IA stenosis. One hundred and thirty-five patients (135/198, 68.2%) had other combined EA stenosis, which were more frequently found in the contralateral ICAex (71/198, 35.9%). One hundred and twenty-three patients (123/198, 62. 1%) had combined IA stenosis, which were more frequently found in MCA (75/198, 37.9%). 52 (52/198, 26. 3% ) had ipsilateral terminal ICA and/or middle cerebral artery stenosis. Conclusion Tandem or diffuse arterial occlusive disease is common among patients with steno-occlusion of ICAex . Therefore, it is important to evaluate other EA and IA stenosis before CEA or CAS in Chinese patients.

Peptides that are composed of dextrorotary (d)-amino acids have gained increasing attention as a potential therapeutic class. However, our understanding of the in vivo fate of d-peptides is limited. This highlights the need for whole-body, quantitative tracking of d-peptides to better understand how they interact with the living body. Here, we used mouse models to track the movement of a programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-targeting d-dodecapeptide antagonist (DPA) using positron emission tomography (PET). More specifically, we profiled the metabolic routes of [⁶⁴Cu]DPA and investigated the tumor engagement of [⁶⁴Cu/⁶⁸Ga]DPA in mouse models. Our results revealed that intact [⁶⁴Cu/⁶⁸Ga]DPA was primarily eliminated by the kidneys and had a notable accumulation in tumors. Moreover, a single dose of [⁶⁴Cu]DPA effectively delayed tumor growth and improved the survival of mice. Collectively, these results not only deepen our knowledge of the in vivo fate of d-peptides, but also underscore the utility of d-peptides as radiopharmaceuticals.