OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET)/CT for the diagnosis and management of lung nodules.

METHODSTwenty patients were evaluated: 15 with suspected cancer and 5 confirmed cancer. PET/CT scans were performed by discovery LS-PET/CT system.

RESULTS(1) The diagnostic accuracy of PET/CT was 100% in these 20 patients. Of 15 patients with suspected cancer, 7 were diagnosed as having benign disease and 8 malignant. All the 5 patients with confirmed cancer were all FDG positive. Of 11 single lesions on CT, 3 were positive by PET/CT images, 6 of 8 with positive CT images were diagnosed as having metastasis to the tissue outside the lung and the other 2 were metastatic. (2) After PET/CT scanning, the therapy scheme of 16 out of 20 patients were changed, and continual observation was practiced in 2, 3 were treated by anti-inflammation regimen, 2 by operation, 4 by local radiotherapy, 3 by chemotherapy only, 4 by radiotherapy plus chemotherapy or operation. (3) The radiotherapists made use of PET/CT fusion imaging for positioning in 8 patients who were indicated for radiotherapy. One of them who had received MM50 one course of intensity medulated conformal radiotherapy was re-examined by PET/CT after one and half months, the former parenchymal nodule disappeared and the glucose metabolism returned to normal. Two of them were finally operated after the surgeons have decided an operative approach on estimation of extent of lesion by the PET/CT fusion images. Pathological results showed no cancer cell involvement in the specimen margin or the local lymph nodes.

CONCLUSION(1) PET/CT is better in discriminating malignant from benign lung nodules than CT only. (2) PET/CT scanning facilitates an accurate assessment of response in clinical staging and neoadjuvant therapy scheme of lung cancer. (3) PET/CT fusion imaging provides an accurate biological target for radiotherapy and confirms the operation plan and extent of surgery.

Adult ; Aged ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule ; diagnostic imaging ; therapy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of microtubule depolymerization of myocardial cells on distribution and activity of mitochondria, and energy metabolism of cells in adult rats.

METHODSMyocardial cells of SD adult rats and SD suckling rats were isolated and cultured. They were divided into adult and suckling rats control groups (AC and SC, normally cultured without any stimulating factor), adult and suckling rats microtubule depolymerization agent groups (AMDA and SMDA, cultured with 8 micromol/L colchicine containing nutrient solution for 30 minutes) according to the random number table. (1) The expression of polymerized beta tubulin in myocardial cells of adult and suckling rats was detected with Western blot. (2) Myocardial cells of rats in AC and AMDA groups were collected. The expression of cytochrome c was detected with Western blot. Distribution of voltage-dependent anion channels (VDAC) and polymerized beta tubulin in myocardial cells were observed with immunofluorescent staining. Mitochondrial inner membrane potential was determined with immunocytochemical method. Activity of myocardial cells was detected with MTT method. Contents of ATP, adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and energy charge of cells were determined with high performance liquid chromatography.

RESULTS(1) The expression of polymerized beta tubulin:in AMDA group it was 0.52 + or - 0.07, which was obviously lower than that (1.25 + or - 0.12) in AC group (F = 31.002, P = 0.000); in SMDA group it was 0.76 + or - 0.12, which was significantly lower than that (1.11 + or - 0.24) in SC group (F = 31.002, P = 0.000), but was obviously higher than that in AMDA group (F = 31.002, P = 0.009). (2) The expression of cytochrome c in AC group was 0.26 + or - 0.03, which was obviously lower than that (1.55 + or - 0.13) in AMDA group (t = -24.056, P = 0.000). (3) Immunofluorescent staining result: in AC group, microtubules of myocardial cells were in linear tubiform, distributed in parallel with myocardial fiber; VDAC staining result showed that mitochondria were in granular form, distributed in the same direction as microtubules. In AMDA group, the normal distribution regularity of microtubules was destroyed, with weakened immune fluorescence intensity, microtubules structure indistinct, continuity lost, rough in appearance, and the distribution of mitochondria became disrupted. (4) Mitochondrial inner membrane potential in AC group fluorescent intensity was 1288 + or - 84, which was obviously higher than that (331 + or - 27) in AMDA group (t = 26.508, P = 0.000). (5) Cellular activity: in AC group absorbance value was 1.75 + or - 0.11, which was obviously lower than that (0.81 + or - 0.07) in AMDA group (t = 17.348, P = 0.000). (6) Energy metabolism: compared with those in AC group, content of ATP decreased, contents of ADP and AMP increased, and ATP/ADP value and energy charge decreased in AMDA group.

CONCLUSIONSMicrotubules and mitochondria distribute in the same direction in normal myocardial cells in adult rats. After microtubule depolymerization, mitochondria are arranged in disorder fashion; cytochrome c leaks from mitochondria; mitochondrial membrane potential, energy supply, and cellular activity decrease in the myocardial cells.

Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Energy Metabolism ; Male ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; Microtubules ; metabolism ; Mitochondria, Heart ; metabolism ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tubulin ; metabolism

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of the Trabectome for Chinese glaucoma patients.

MethodsThis was a multicenter, retrospective, observational study. Glaucoma patients, except those with neovascular glaucoma, with/without a visually significant cataract were enrolled. The patients received Trabectome or a combined surgery with phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation. The primary outcome evaluation was a reduction in intraocular pressure (IOP), and the secondary outcomes were a reduction in glaucoma medication, the 2-year success percentages, and complications. Success was defined as an IOP <21 mmHg and at least a 20% IOP reduction from baseline after 3 months for any two consecutive visits, without additional glaucoma surgery. The data were processed using the R Stats Package version 3.0.0. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare the postoperative IOP and the number of glaucoma medications with baselines. The Kaplan-Meier test was used to calculate the 2-year success percentage. The risk factors related to Trabectome failure were determined by logistic regression.

ResultsA total of 120 glaucoma patients were enrolled. The Trabectome efficiently reduced the IOP from a baseline of 22.8 ± 1.34 mmHg to 17.6 ± 0.96 mmHg, and the use of glaucoma medications from 2.2 ± 0.17 mmHg to 1.4 ± 0.21 in a 2-year follow-up (both, P < 0.01). The overall success percentage was 80%. No risk factor related to Trabectome failure was identified. No vision-threatening complication was observed. Ten patients, who required secondary glaucoma surgery, all reached the target IOP.

ConclusionsIn a 2-year follow-up, Trabectome was an efficient and safe procedure for Chinese glaucoma patients.

Immunotherapy has emerged as one of the major modalities for clinical cancer therapy, along with surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapy. However, tumor-targeted delivery of immune therapeutics is challenged by a series of barriers including non-specific release, poor tumor penetration capacity, and insufficient cellular uptake of the therapeutic regimens, which seriously restricted the efficiency and efficacy of immunotherapy. To address above challenges, nanosized drug delivery systems (NDDS) have been extensively exploited to achieve tumor-targeted delivery of immunotherapy drugs. It has been well investigated that solid tumors are of unique characteristics including acidic, hypoxic and enzymatic extracellular microenvironment. Meanwhile, the tumor cells are of acidic, reductant and reactive oxygen species intracellular microenvironment. In recent years, a large variety of tumor microenvironment-activatable NDDS have been exploited to respond specifically to the stimulus of extracellular or intracellular tumor microenvironment for enhancing the accumulation, retention and penetration in the tumor tissue. These NDDS were also employed to promote intracellular uptake and tunable drug release inside the tumor cells. In this review article, we summarized the recent progress of our laboratory using the tumor microenvironment-activatable NDDS for immune efficient therapeutics delivery, and improved cancer immunotherapy. We also briefly discussed the challenges and provided perspective of NDDS-based cancer immunotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical treatment outcomes and the changes of the outcomes over time in extremely preterm twins in Guangdong Province, China. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for 269 pairs of extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks who were admitted to the department of neonatology in 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 2008 to December 2017. According to the admission time, they were divided into two groups: 2008-2012 and 2013-2017. Besides, each pair of twins was divided into the heavier infant and the lighter infant subgroups according to birth weight. The perinatal data of mothers and hospitalization data of neonates were collected. The survival rate of twins and the incidence rate of complications were compared between the 2008-2012 and 2013-2017 groups. RESULTS: Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of severe asphyxia and smaller head circumference at birth (P<0.05). The mortality rates of both of the twins, the heavier infant of the twins, and the lighter infant of the twins were lower in the 2013-2017 group compared with the 2008-2012 group (P<0.05). Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of pulmonary hemorrhage, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage (P-IVH), and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and a higher incidence rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a significant increase in the survival rate over time in extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks in the 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province. The incidences of severe asphyxia, pulmonary hemorrhage, PDA, P-IVH, and NRDS decrease in both the heavier and lighter infants of the twins, but the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia increases. With the improvement of diagnosis and treatment, the multidisciplinary collaboration between different fields of fetal medicine including prenatal diagnosis, obstetrics, and neonatology is needed in the future to jointly develop management strategies for twin pregnancy.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology* ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome