To identify the role of spinal cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 in the development and maintenance of postoperative pain, we examined the changes of COX-1 protein expression in lumbar spinal cord by immunohistochemistry and Western blot technique in rat plantar incision model at different time points (pre-incision or 2 h, 4 h, 6 h,12 h, 1 d, 2 d, 3 d, 5 d and 7 d after incision). We also studied the anti-allodynic effects of the COX inhibitors by intrathecal administration of non-selective COX inhibitors (ketorolac), selective COX-1 (SC-560) or COX-2 inhibitor (NS-398) immediately or 2 h, 24 h after incision. The mechanical allodynia was evaluated by using paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) response to mechanical stimulation on pre-incision, 2 h, 1 d, 2 d, 3 d, 5 d and 7 d after incision or 30 min after drug treatment. The result showed that COX-1 immunoreactive cells mainly focused in the superficial laminae of lumbar spinal dorsal horn and expression of spinal COX-1 protein increased after incision, peaked at 4 h (P＜0.01) and lasted for 12 h. Postoperative treatment with both SC-560 and ketorolac significantly alleviating the mechanical allodynia induced by skin incision, but NS-398 had no such effect. This study demonstrates that spinal COX-1 involves in the development and maintenance of postoperative hypersensitivity and intrathecal COX-1 inhibitor has anti-allodynic effect on incision pain in the rat.

Recent studies on the role of viable myocardium in revascularization are hot spots.The definition of viable myocardium,multimodality imaging in the assessment of myocardial viability,Meta analyses related to the value of viable myocardium in revascularization,prospective randomized trials,and factors affecting the prognosis of patients after revascularization are reviewed in this article.

Purpose:To sutdy the clinical value of 99m Tc MIBI scintimammography in the differential diagnosis between breast cancer and benign breast tumor and lymph node involvement. Methods:68 female patients with breast masses underwent 99m Tc MIBI breast scintigraphy. The images were acquired 10 min after injection of 740 MBq 99m Tc MIBI intravenously. The intravenous injection was performed into an antecubital vein in the arm on the side opposite to the breast mass. Results:38 of 68 patients were breast carcinoma, among them 34 were detected using 99m Tc MIBI scintimammography. Of 30 patients with benign lesions, 3 were positive. The sensitivity and specificity of 99m Tc MIBI scintimammography in detecting breast cancer was 89.5% and 90% respectively. 6 of 8 with pathologically proven metastatic lymph node involvement were detected. Conclusions: 99m Tc MIBI scintimammography is a highly sensitive method in the detection of breast cancer. This study also show the potential value of the procedure to detect lymph node mvolvement.

PurposeSmart neuro attenuation correlation (SNAC) is a new method of calculated attention correction. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of SNAC on the quality and standardized uptake value of brain imaging with PET/CT.Materials and Methods Fifty-eight patients who underwent systematic scan with18F-FDG PET/CT were analyzed retrospectively. CT attenuation correlation (CTAC) and SNAC brain PET images were reconstructed respectively. All images were analyzed by visual assessment and Scenium software and the results of the two methods were compared with regard to image contrast, homogeneity and mean SUV at different cerebral regions. Moreover, the correlation of the mean SUV of the two methods was further analyzed.Results There was no significant visual difference of contrast and uniformity between SNAC and CTAC. The Scenium analysis shows that the contrast of SNAC images were slightly higher than that of CTAC, but the difference were not statistically significant (4.19±1.11vs. 4.08±1.03,t=0.764,P>0.05). The uniformity of SNAC images were slightly lower than that of CTAC (1.00vs. 0.83). The mean SUV at various brain regions measured by SNAC was greater than that by CTAC, but both were significantly correlated (r=0.978,P<0.01), and the linear regression analysis also demonstrated that the results were consistent (R2=0.959). Compared with that measured by CTAC, the average percentage difference of SUV measured by SNAC was 8.45±4.71, but it varied greatly at 10 brain regions (-8.56-27.93). The analysis of variance presented significant differences in the average percentage difference of SUV at different brain regions (F=119.084,P<0.01), while the average percentage difference at the outer slices was greater than that at the central slices. Conclusion No significant difference exists in image quality between SNAC and CTAC. Although the mean SUV at different brain regions measured by SNAC may increase by various degrees, it is significantly associated with the results measured by CTAC. Moreover, SNAC simplifies the process of examination and reduces radiation dose, which is beneficial to patients as a qualitative method.

Objective To investigate the influence of discontinuance of methimazole (MMI) and propylthiouracil (PTU) on 24 h radioactive iodine uptake(RAIU) in normal rats.Methods A total of 66 female SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups by simple random sampling method.MMI group (30 rats) received MMI with a dose of 0.6 mg·ml-1·d-1 orally for 2 weeks, PTU group (30 rats) received PTU with a dose of 6 mg·ml-1·d-1 orally for 2 weeks.At 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 d after MMI or PTU was discontinued, 6 rats were sacrificed to measure 24 h RAIU respectively.The control group (6 rats) received normal saline with a dose of 1 ml/d orally for 2 weeks, and then they were sacrificed to measure 24 h RAIU too.Data were analyzed with two-sample t test or t′ test.Results Thyroid 24 h RAIU in normal rats was (14.6±4.3)%.The 24 h RAIU on 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 d was (4.6±0.7)%, (24.2±7.2)%, (13.1±2.9)%, (14.1±2.6)%, (16.1±3.7)% respectively after MMI withdrawal.The 24 h RAIU was significantly lower than that in control group at day 1 (t′=5.55, P<0.01), higher at day 3 (t=-2.83, P<0.05), and returned to the normal level at day 5, 7, 9 (t=0.68, 0.24,-0.67, all P>0.05).The 24 h RAIU on 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 d was (1.9±0.8)%, (3.3±1.2)%, (7.7±2.4)%, (29.0±4.0)%, (17.1±4.8)% respectively after PTU withdrawal.It was lower than that in control group (t=7.01, 6.10, 3.40, all P<0.05) at day 1, 3, 5, and higher at day 7 (t=-5.97, P<0.01).The 24 h RAIU of 9 d showed no difference when compared with that in control group (t=-0.95, P>0.05).Conclusions MMI and PTU can inhibit the iodine uptake of thyroid, the 24 h RAIU returns to normal level at day 5 after withdrawal of MMI and at day 9 after withdrawal of PTU in euthyroid rats.

18F-FDG PET or PET/CT plays an important role in the differential diagnosis of rheumatic disease.By imaging evaluation of glucose metabolism,18F-FDG PET or PET/CT can identify disease activity and distribution.It can also evaluate treatment response of rheumatic disease based on the change of glucose metabolism between baseline and follow-up studies.This article reviews the clinical application of 18F-FDG PET or PET/CT in rheumatoid arthritis (RA),seronegative spondylarthropathy (SpA),large vessel vasculitis (LVV),polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and adult onset Still's disease (AOSD).

Objective To investigate the value of Cedars-Sinai quantitative gated SPECT (QGS) phase analysis for left ventricular synchrony assessment in healthy subjects.Methods Seventy-four healthy subjects (41 males,33 females,average age:(60±13) years) underwent both rest and exercise 99Tcm-MIBI G-MPI.QGS software was used to analyze the reconstructed rest gated SPECT images automatically,and then the parameters of left ventricular synchrony including phase bandwidth (BW) and phase standard deviation (SD) were obtained.The influences of gender and age (age＜60 years,n =36; age ≥ 60 years,n =38) on left ventricular systolic synchronicity were analyzed.The phase angle for original segmental contraction was measured to determine the onset of the ventricular contraction using 17-segment model.Forty healthy subjects were selected by simple random sampling method to evaluate the intra-observer and interobserver repeatability of QGS phase analysis software.Two-sample t test and linear correlation analysis were used to analyze the data.Results The BW and SD of left ventricular in healthy subjects were (37.22 ±11.71)°,(11.84±5.39)° respectively.Comparisons between male and female for BW and SD yielded no statistical significance (BW:(36.00±9.70)°,(38.73±13.84)°; SD:(11.88±5.56)°,(11.79±5.26)°; t=0.96 and-0.07,both P＞0.05) ; whereas the older subjects (age≥60 years) had larger BW than the others (age＜60 years ; (39.95± 12.65) °,(34.33± 10.00) ° ; t =-2.11,P＜0.05) and no statistical significance was shown for SD between the two age groups ((11.18±4.31) °,(12.54±6.33) ° ; t =1.08,P＞0.05).Of the 74 subjects,the mechanical activation started from the ventricular base to apex in 54 subjects (73％),and from apex to base in only 20 subjects (27％).High repeatability of phase analysis was observed for both intra-observer and inter-observer (r=0.867-0.906,all P＜0.001).Conclusions Good left ventricular segmental synchrony is shown in healthy subjects.No gender difference exists for ventricular synchrony assessment.Age (＜60 years) is important for better synchrony.Cedars-Sinai QGS cardiac phase analysis software is valuable in quantitative assessment of left ventricular synchrony with high repeatability.

PurposeCurrent conventional imaging methods X-ray, CT, MRI and ultrasound for rheumatic diseases are mostly local site imaging, rather than systemic display, thus is difficult to show the whole picture of the diseases, this study aims to explore the18F-FDG PET/CT findings of rheumatic diseases and its preliminary clinical value. Materials and Methods18F-FDG PET/CT imaging findings and clinical data of 18 patients with rheumatic diseases confirmed by clinical diagnosis were retrospectively analyzed, and 18F-FDG uptake of lesions was observed.Results Among all the 18 patients with rheumatic diseases: four cases were with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 5 cases with takayasu arteritis (TA), 2 cases with adult onset Still’s disease (AOSD), 1 case with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and 6 cases with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Findings of PET/CT: RA showed increased FDG uptake in multiple bigger joints such as shoulder joint, elbow, hip, wrist joint, and part palm finger joints, with no bone abnormalities in CT; TA displayed as diffusely increased uptake of FDG the aorta and its major branches vascular wall while CT showed multiple arterial wall irregular thickening with dot or strip calcification, and in one case, the vascular wall FDG uptake decreased obviously after one year treatment, the SUVmax of left clavicle dropped from 6.8 to 3.2; AOSD showed diffusely increased FDG uptake in spleen and bone marrow, while CT had no obvious spleen and bone abnormalities; PMR showed increased uptake of FDG in the atlantoaxial joint, shoulder joint, sternoclavicular joint, hip joint, pubic symphysis, ischial tuberosity and lesions around lumbar spinous process; only 1 case of 6 AS patients showed left acetabular articular surface hyperplasia and sclerosis with increased FDG uptake, while CT showed spinal multiple vertebral bone hyperplasia and sclerosis as bamboo change in all of 6 AS cases, with normal FDG metabolism. Conclusion18F-FDG PET/CT is helpful for the diagnosis of rheumatic diseases, because it can be used to display the lesion extent, reflect its activity, and also to evaluate the effect of the treatments.

Objective To prepare monoclonal antibodies specific to lactate dehydrogenase of Plasmodiun falciparum. Methods The Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) gene was amplified from whole blood of malaria patients by PCR and cloned into expression vector pGEX-3X. Recombinant pLDH protein was expressed and purified, and used for immunizing mice to prepare monoclonal antibodies (McAbs). The McAbs were characterized by Western blotting analysis. Results The Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase gene was amplified and cloned into expression vector pGEX-3X. The recombinant pLDH plasmid was expressed in E.coli) BL-21 cells. 15 cell lines of McAbs with high titer against pLDH were obtained using the recombinant pLDH as immunogen. Western blotting analysis showed that these McAbs recognized a Mr 33 000 of native Plasmodiun falciparum protein without cross-reaction with constituents of red blood cell of febrile patients from endemic area of malaria. Conclusion Fifteen hybridoma cell lines secreting high titer of McAb specific to Plasmodium falciparum LDH were established based on the recombinant pLDH.

OBJECTIVETo assess the left ventricular (LV) systolic synchrony by phase analysis of gated myocardial perfusion imaging (GMPI) with SPECT/CT in patients with old myocardial infarction (OMI) and further to identify independent predictors for LV dyssynchrony.

METHODSSeventy-six OMI patients and seventy-four healthy volunteers (control group) underwent resting GMPI from October 2010 to September 2013 in our hospital were included in this study. The left ventricular systolic synchrony parameters including phase histogram bandwidth (BW) and phase standard deviation (SD) were obtained by Cedars-Sinai quantitative gated SPECT (QGS) phase analysis technique, and LV cardiac function was also measured. The extent of myocardial perfusion defect was analyzed by the Quantitative Perfusion SPECT (QPS) software. The value of BW and SD were compared between OMI and the control groups, between LVEF ≤ 35% and LVEF > 35% groups in OMI patients. Dyssynchrony was defined when the BW exceeded the abnormality threshold derived from a normal control group (threshold = x ± 2s for normal BW).

RESULTS(1) The BW ((91.3 ± 58.6)° vs. (37.2 ± 11.7)°) and SD ((27.3 ± 20.8)° vs. (11.8 ± 5.4)°) were significantly higher and the LVEF was significantly lower in OMI group than in the normal control group (all P < 0.01). In addition, BW ((136.0 ± 52.9)° vs. (51.0 ± 24.0)°) and SD ((38.7 ± 21.3)° vs. (17.1 ± 14.0)°) were significantly higher in patients with LVEF ≤ 35% than in patients with LVEF > 35% (all P < 0.001). (2) Dyssynchrony (BW > 60.6°) prevalence was 57.9% (44/76) in OMI patients. Compared with the synchrony group, LVEF was significantly lower, while the left ventricular end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, summed motion score, summed thickening score and extent were significantly higher in dyssynchrony group (all P < 0.001). (3) Additionally, dyssynchrony prevalence was significantly higher in patients with LVEF ≤ 35% compared with patients with LVEF > 35% (91.7% (33/36) vs. 27.5% (11/40), P < 0.001). (4) Pearson correlation analysis showed that LVEF was negatively correlated with BW (r = -0.807, P < 0.001). (5) Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the extent of myocardial perfusion defect was an independent predictor for dyssynchrony in OMI patients (OR = 1.076, 95% CI: 1.015-1.141, P = 0.015).

CONCLUSIONSGMPI phase analysis can reliably reflect left ventricular systolic synchrony. The left ventricular systolic dyssynchrony in OMI patients is significantly increased. Left ventricular dyssynchrony is closely related to LVEF. The extent of myocardial perfusion defect (Extent) is an independent predictor for left ventricular systolic dyssynchrony in OMI patients.

Case-Control Studies ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; physiopathology ; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging ; Stroke Volume ; Systole ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left ; Ventricular Function, Left