Objective:To establish an automated labeling method of 18F-AlF-1, 4, 7-triazocyclohexane-1, 4, 7-triacetic acid- D-Phe1-Tyr3-Thr8-octreotide (NOTATATE) and perform neuroendocrine tumor (NET) imaging. Methods:Based on the GE-FASTLab2 synthesis module, 18F-AlF-NOTATATE was automatically prepared by one-step chelation labeling with aluminum fluoride, and its labeling conditions were optimized. The product quality was analyzed. One patient (male, 47 years old) with lower rectal segment NET and one patient (female, 52 years old) with pancreatic NET underwent 18F-AlF-NOTATATE PET/CT imaging. Results:18F-AlF-NOTATATE was successfully prepared with a total synthesis time of 35 min. The optimized radiochemical yield was (23.8±3.1)% (without decay correction, n=3), the radioactivity was (4.63±0.68) GBq, and the radiochemical purity was >95%. The stability was good, and the product quality met the requirements. 18F-AlF-NOTATATE showed clear imaging in the patient with rectal segment NET, with SUV max of 13.3 and tumor/liver ratio of 3.3. Metastatic lesions in the liver, lymph nodes, and ribs showed high SUV max and tumor/liver ratios. The imaging of the pancreatic NET patient showed an abnormal increase in local radioactive uptake at the uncinate process of the pancreatic head, with SUV max of 5.6 and SUV max of 6.3 and the tumor/liver ratio of 2.3 after 2-hours imaging. Conclusions:Using the GE-FASTLab2 synthesis module, 18F-AlF-NOTATATE can be prepared with high activity. The preparation is simple, the method is stable, and the product has high radiochemical purity. 18F-AlF-NOTATATE exhibits good imaging performance in NET patients, providing valuable information for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis evaluation.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of extracorporeal shock wave on the phosphoproteomics of the spinal cord in rats with diabetic neuralgia.Methods:Thirty-six healthy male SPF-grade Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 2 months, weighing 200-250 g, were divided into 3 groups ( n=12 each) using the random number table method: control group (group C), diabetic neuralgia group (group D), and extracorporeal shock wave + diabetic neuralgia group (group E). The rats were continuously fed a common diet in group C, while the rats were fed a high-sugar and high-fat diet for 8 weeks in D and E groups. Streptozotocin 35 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected, and the successful induction of diabetic neuralgia was defined as the blood glucose >14.6 mmol/L and the mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal paw withdrawal latency (TWL) ≤85% of baseline values. Group E received extracorporeal shock wave treatment after developing the model, with 1, 000 shocks per session at a frequency of 10 Hz and an energy of 1.0 bar, once per week for a total of 4 sessions. The MWT and TWL were measured before developing the model (T 0) and at 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after developing the model (T 1-T 4). After the last extracorporeal shock wave treatment, the rats were anesthetized and sacrificed, and lumbar spinal cord tissues were obtained for proteomic analysis and for detection of the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) (by immunohistochemistry). Results:Compared with group C, the MWT and TWL were significantly decreased at T 1-T 4 in D and E groups ( P<0.05). Compared with group D, the MWT and TWL were significantly increased at T 1-T 4 in group E ( P<0.05). The results of phosphoproteomics screening revealed 284 differentially phosphorylated proteins in D and C groups, 282 in E and C groups, and 303 in E and D groups ( P<0.05). The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of GFAP, IL-1β and TNF-α was significantly up-regulated in group D compared with group C ( P<0.05); the expression of GFAP, IL-1β and TNF-α was significantly down-regulated in group E compared with group D ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The mechanism by which extracorporeal shock wave alleviates diabetic neuralgia is related to inhibition of astrocyte activation and excessive phosphorylation of mGluR5 in rats.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with Vibrio vulnificus infection, share diagnosis and treatment experience, and establish a rapid diagnosis procedure for this disease. Methods:This study was a retrospective case series study. From January 2009 to November 2022, 11 patients with Vibrio vulnificus infection who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the Department of Burns and Wound Repair of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Affiliated to Southern Medical University. The gender, age, time of onset of illness, time of admission, time of diagnosis, route of infection, underlying diseases, affected limbs, clinical manifestations and signs on admission, white blood cell count, hemoglobin, platelet count, C-reactive protein (CRP), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), creatinine, procalcitonin, albumin, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and blood sodium levels on admission, culture results and metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) results of pathogenic bacteria and the Vibrio vulnificus drug susceptibility test results during hospitalization, treatment methods, length of hospital stay, and outcomes of all patients were recorded. Comparative analysis was conducted on the admission time and diagnosis time of patients with and without a history of exposure to seawater/marine products, as well as the fatality ratio and amputation of limbs/digits ratio of patients with and without early adequate antibiotic treatment. For the survived patients with hand involvement, the hand function was assessed using Brunnstrom staging at the last follow-up. Based on patients' clinical characteristics and treatment conditions, a rapid diagnosis procedure for Vibrio vulnificus infection was established. Results:There were 7 males and 4 females among the patients, aged (56±17) years. Most of the patients developed symptoms in summer and autumn. The admission time was 3.00 (1.00, 4.00) d after the onset of illness, and the diagnosis time was 4.00 (2.00, 8.00) d after the onset of illness. There were 7 and 4 patients with and without a history of contact with seawater/marine products, respectively, and the admission time of these two types of patients was similar ( P>0.05). The diagnosis time of patients with a history of contact with seawater/marine products was 2.00 (2.00, 5.00) d after the onset of illness, which was significantly shorter than 9.00 (4.25, 13.00) d after the onset of illness for patients without a history of contact with seawater/marine products ( Z=-2.01, P<0.05). Totally 10 patients had underlying diseases. The affected limbs were right-hand in 8 cases, left-hand in 1 case, and lower limb in 2 cases. On admission, a total of 9 patients had fever; 11 patients had pain at the infected site, and redness and swelling of the affected limb, and 9 patients each had ecchymosis/necrosis and blisters/blood blisters; 6 patients suffered from shock, and 2 patients developed multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. On admission, there were 8 patients with abnormal white blood cell count, hemoglobin, and albumin levels, 10 patients with abnormal CRP, procalcitonin, and NT-proBNP levels, 5 patients with abnormal creatinine and blood sodium levels, and fewer patients with abnormal platelet count, ALT, and AST levels. During hospitalization, 4 of the 11 wound tissue/exudation samples had positive pathogenic bacterial culture results, and the result reporting time was 5.00 (5.00, 5.00) d; 4 of the 9 blood specimens had positive pathogenic bacterial culture results, and the result reporting time was 3.50 (1.25, 5.00) d; the mNGS results of 7 wound tissue/exudation or blood samples were all positive, and the result reporting time was 1.00 (1.00, 2.00) d. The three strains of Vibrio vulnificus detected were sensitive to 10 commonly used clinical antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and amikacin, etc. A total of 10 patients received surgical treatment, 4 of whom had amputation of limbs/digits; all patients received anti-infection treatment. The length of hospital stay of 11 patients was (26±11) d, of whom 9 patients were cured and 2 patients died. Compared with that of the 6 patients who did not receive early adequate antibiotic treatment, the 5 patients who received early adequate antibiotic treatment had no significant changes in the fatality ratio or amputation of limbs/digits ratio ( P>0.05). In 3 months to 2 years after surgery, the hand function of 8 patients was assessed, with results showing 4 cases of disabled hands, 2 cases of incompletely disabled hands, and 2 cases of recovered hands. When a patient had clinical symptoms of limb redness and swelling and a history of contact with seawater/marine products or a pre-examination triage RiCH score of Vibrio vulnificus sepsis ≥1, the etiological testing should be initiated immediately to quickly diagnose Vibrio vulnificus infection. Conclusions:Vibrio vulnificus infection occurs most frequently in summer and autumn, with clinical manifestations and laboratory test results showing obvious infection characteristics, and may be accompanied by damage to multiple organ functions. Both the fatality and disability ratios are high and have a great impact on the function of the affected limbs. Early diagnosis is difficult and treatment is easily delayed, but mNGS could facilitate rapid detection. For patients with red and swollen limbs accompanied by a history of contact with seawater/marine products or with a pre-examination triage RiCH score of Vibrio vulnificus sepsis ≥1, the etiological testing should be initiated immediately to quickly diagnose Vibrio vulnificus infection.

Objective To observe the effect of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in regulating endothelial cell phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) expression on lower ex-tremity vascular lesion and its possible mechanism.Methods Twenty-four 2-month-old healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into the three groups:control group (group A),diabetes angiopathy group (group B),diabetes angiopathy+ESWT group (group C).The group B and C were fed with high fat and high sugar and intraperitoneally injected with streptozotocin 60 mg/kg to establish the rat model of diabetes vascular lesion. The group C received ESWT at 1 week (T1),2 weeks (T2),3 weeks (T3) and 4 weeks (T4) after modeling,and the blood stream velocity of rat femoral artery vascular lesion area and vascular internal diameter were measured at T4 by ultrasound.At the end of ESWT,the rats were immediately killed for taking their femoral arteries and gastrocnemius.The structures of the femoral arteries in each group were observed under electron microscopy.Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of PTEN,PI3K and Akt proteins,while qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression levels of PTEN mRNA.Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression level of CD31 in gastrocnemius muscle .Results The peak systolic flow velocity and end-dias-tolic flow velocity of femoral artery at T4 in group B and C were significantly lower than those in group A (P<0.05),but group C was higher than group B (P<0.05).The internal diameter of femoral artery had no statistical difference among 3 groups (P>0.05).The PTEN expression level in group B and group C was sig-nificantly lower than that in group A (P<0.05),while group C was higher than group B (P<0.05).The ex-pression levels of PI3K and Akt in group B were higher than those in group A (P<0.05),and group C was lower than group B (P<0.05).The PTEN mRNA expression level in group B and group C was significantly lower than that in group A (P<0.05),but group C was higher than group B (P<0.05).Under electron mi-croscopy,it was observed that after ESWT,the endothelial cell damage in group C was obvious when com-pared with group B.The CD31 expression level in group B and group C was significantly lower than that in group A (P<0.05),but group C was higher than group B (P<0.05).Conclusion ESWT could improve the vascular function,increase the peak velocity during systolic period of femoral artery in diabetes rats and im-prove the microvessel density of gastrocnemius muscle by up-regulating PTEN in lower extremity artery and down-regulating PI3K and Akt in diabetes rats.

Objective To investigate the relationship between spicy diet and uremic pruritus(UP)in the patients with maintenance haemodialysis(MHD).Methods A total of 403 patients receiving the treat-ment in the blood purification center of this hospital from December 2023 to February 2024 were selected as the study subjects and grouped by the sum of the scores of frequency and degree of pepper intake.The visual analogue rating scale(VAS)was used to conduct the preliminary pruritus score in all patients,and the pa-tients with the score＞0 point conducted the multidimensional evaluation by the 14-item uremic skin pruritus scale.The blood routine and itch-related blood biochemical indexes levels of all patients were measured.Results There were 65 cases in the bland diet group,119 cases in the mild spicy diet group and 219 cases in the spicy diet group,and there was no significant difference in the number of genders between the groups(P＞0.05).There were statistically significant differences in age,dialysis age and lymphocyte count among the groups(P＜0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the degree of pruritus among the groups(Z=9.301,P=0.157),but it was seen that the proportion of moderate and severe pruritus in the mild spicy diet group and the spicy diet group was decreased,and the proportions of no pruritus and mild pruritus showed the increasing trend.The itching score of the bland diet group was higher than that of the mildly spicy diet group and spicy diet group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05),but there was no statistically significant difference between the mild spicy diet group and spicy diet group(P＞0.05).There was a statistically significant difference in the itch score of the patients aged 40-60 years in each group(P＜0.05),and there was no statistically significant difference in the itch score between the patients aged＞60 years old and＜40 years old in each group(P＞0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the itch-related blood biochemical indexes among the groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion The spicy diet may reduce the degree of pruritus in patients with MHD,moreover which is not affected by the age and other factors,and may be associated with lymphocyte level decrease in the patients.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical application potential of a novel prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeted PET tracer 68Ga-PSMA-NYM032 in patients diagnosed initially with prostate cancer. Methods:A total of 63 patients (age (68.7±8.7) years) with suspected prostate cancers who received 68Ga-PSMA-NYM032 PET/CT imaging in Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University between March 2022 and January 2023 were enrolled prospectively. The diagnostic efficiency of 68Ga-PSMA-NYM032 PET/CT imaging was evaluated in a patient-centered manner. The ROI was drawn to obtain SUV max by semi-quantitative analysis with visual analysis, and the diagnostic threshold of SUV max was obtained by ROC curve analysis. The correlations of SUV max in primary foci with total prostate specific antigen (tPSA) and Gleason score (GS) were analyzed by Spearman rank correlation analysis. Based on the D′Amico risk stratification (prostate specific antigen (PSA)>20 μg/L and ≤20 μg/L, GS>7 and ≤7), the detection rates of metastases by 68Ga-PSMA-NYM032 PET/CT imaging in different stratifications were analyzed by Fisher exact test, and the differences between SUV max of metastases in different stratifications were determined by Mann-Whitney U test. Results:The accuracy of 68Ga-PSMA-NYM032 PET/CT imaging was 92.06%(58/63), the sensitivity was 96.55%(28/29), the specificity was 88.24%(30/34), the positive predictive value was 87.50%(28/32), the negative predictive value was 96.77%(30/31), and the optimal SUV max threshold was 6.9. 68Ga-PSMA-NYM032 showed varying degrees of high uptake in the primary foci of prostate cancer, and SUV max were positively correlated with tPSA and GS ( rs values: 0.657, 0.592, P values: <0.001, 0.001). Stratified analysis showed a statistically significant difference in the detection rate of bone metastases by 68Ga-PSMA-NYM032 PET/CT between the GS>7 and GS≤7 subgroups (9/17 vs 1/12; P=0.019), while no statistical significances were observed in the detection rates of bone metastases or lymph node metastases of another subgroups (all P>0.05). In addition, none of the differences in SUV max of metastases in patients with different stratifications were statistically significant ( z value: from -1.57 to -0.50, all P>0.05). Conclusions:68Ga-PSMA-NYM032 PET/CT imaging has good diagnostic efficacy for prostate cancer, and it may provide a new strategy for the precise diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. Besides, GS stratification may affect the detection rate of bone metastases by 68Ga-PSMA-NYM032 PET/CT imaging.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of intravenous infusion of lidocaine on the efficacy of conventional treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.Methods:Forty-four patients with rheumatoid arthritis of either sex, aged 32-85 yr, weighing 40-76 kg, who were admitted to the Department of Pain and Nephrology in our hospital from September 2019 to September 2020, were divided into 2 groups ( n=22 each) according to the random number table method: control group (C group) and lidocaine group (L group). Both groups received conventional treatment.When visual analogue scale (VAS) score ≥5, glucocorticoid (GC) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were taken orally to maintain the VAS score ≤4.In group L, 0.2% lidocaine hydrochloride injection 3 mg/kg (diluted with 0.9% sodium chloride injection 500 ml) was intravenously infused at a rate of 25 ml/h for 2 h, once a day, for 5 consecutive days, based on the conventional treatment.The VAS score, 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28 score), simplified disease activity index score (SDAI score), consumption of GC and NSAIDs and adverse reactions were recorded before treatment (T 1) and at 1, 4 and 8 weeks after treatment (T 2-4). The temperature of the pain area of the affected joint was evaluated through infrared thermal imaging at T 1 and T 2. Results:Compared with the baseline at T 1, VAS score, DAS28 score and SDAI score were significantly decreased at each time point, and the temperature of the pain area of the affected joint at T 2 was decreased in the two groups ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in VAS score, DAS28 score and SDAI score at each time point between two groups ( P>0.05). Compared with group C, the consumption of GC and NSAIDs was significantly decreased, and the temperature of the pain area of the dorsum of both hands and the dorsum of right foot at T 2 and incidence of adverse reactions were decreased in group L ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Intravenous infusion of lidocaine can optimize the efficacy of conventional treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective:To evaluate the value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis and treatment of primary breast lymphoma (PBL). Methods:Clinical data and 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging data of 6 patients (all females, age 46-79 years) with pathologically diagnosed primary breast diffuse large B cell lymphoma (PB-DLBCL) in Xishan People′s Hospital of Wuxi City and Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University from July 2015 to October 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. A total of 10 18F-FDG PET/CT scans were done for primary staging (6 scans of 6 patients), evaluation of treatment response (3 scans of 2 patients), and recurrence detection (1 scan of 1 patient). 18F-FDG PET/CT image analysis was performed qualitatively (visually) and semi-quantitatively (SUV max). Treatment response was evaluated by Deauville scores. Results:All 6 patients were diagnosed pathologically as PB-DLBCL (3 patients by core needle biopsy, 3 patients by biopsy after lumpectomy). All 6 patients were staged using baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT before chemotherapy. For 3 patients diagnosed by core needle biopsy, baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT showed unilateral breast lesion with high FDG uptake (SUV max: 23.0, 52.9, and 33.6). For 3 postoperative patients, baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT showed flocculent soft tissue density in the operative area with low FDG uptake (SUV max: 3.4, 2.2 and 2.0). Patient No.2 showed a large left breast mass with left axillary lymph node involvement by baseline PET/CT, and multiple nodular uptakes in bilateral breast (Deauville score of 4) after 4 courses of chemotherapy and negative result (Deauville score of 1) after 3 courses of new chemotherapy regimens by PET/CT. Patient No.4 showed right breast lesion and right axillary lymph nodes by routine preoperative imaging examination, but left breast lesion by postoperative PET/CT. According to the results of 18F-FDG PET/CT, patient No.4 was with complete response (Deauville score of 1) after treatment, but recurrence (Deauville score of 5) occurred after 7 months follow-up. Conclusion:18F-FDG PET/CT can play an important role in every step of management (diagnosis and staging, treatment response evaluation and detection of recurrence) in patients with PB-DLBCL.

Objective:To explore the expressions of programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and clinicopathological characteristics in post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in children, with the aim of clarifying whether checkpoint inhibition of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors may serve as a therapy option.Methods:The clinical data of 13 cases of PTLD after allo-HSCT pathologically confirmed in Shenzhen Children′s Hospital from January 1, 2012 to December 30, 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.The detection was performed by immunohistochemical staining by MaxVision? method, Epstein-Barr virus(EBV) in situ hybridization and lymphoma gene rearrangement.The relationship between the expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 and the clinicopathological characteristics of PTLD were analyzed.Results:The expression of PD-1 was not correlated with gender, age, primary diseases, histopathological types, transplantation mode and the expression of EBV in situ hybridization (all P>0.05). The expression of PD-L1 was correlated with histopathological types ( P<0.05). Furthermore, the expression rate of PD-L1 on severe β-thalassemia was significantly higher than that of severe aplastic anemia [90.0%(9/10 cases) vs. 66.7%(2/3 cases)] and monomorphic PTLD was higher than that of polymorphic PTLD [100.0%(2/2 cases) vs. 83.3%(5/6 cases)]. Moreover, the positive PTLD in EBV was higher than the negative PTLD in EBV [90.9%(10/11 cases) vs. 50.0%(1/2 cases)]. The positive rates of PD-1 and PD-L1 in 13 cases with PTLD were 46.2%(6/13 cases) and 61.5%(8/13 cases) in tumor cells, 92.3% (12/13 cases) and 76.9% (10/13 cases) in microenvironmental cells, and 84.6%(11/13 cases) in EBV, respectively. Conclusions:PD-L1 has a higher positive rate in tumor cells with monomorphic PTLD; and routine staining for PD-1 and PD-L1 can be performed in all types of PTLD when standard immunotherapy and chemotherapy are ineffective.

Objective:To prepare 18F-Alfatide Ⅱ automatically based on the improved CFN-100 fluorine multifunctional module and assess its PET/CT imaging in prostate cancer patients. Methods:A certain volume (200-500 μl) of fluoride ion was separated into the reaction tube by a fluoride ion separator and reacted with the labeled precursor l, 4, 7-triazacylononane-1, 4, 7-triacetic acid-E[(polyethylene glycol) 4-cyclo(Arg-Gly-Asp- D-Phe-Tyr)] 2(NOTA-E[PEG 4-c(RGDfk)] 2) (lyophilized kit). In the aqueous phase, 18F was chelated with aluminum. After being separated and purified by C18 column, 18F-Alfatide Ⅱ was prepared automatically. The radiochemical yield and its quality were analyzed. Quality control was carried out and 18F-Alfatide Ⅱ PET/CT imaging was performed in 2 patients (72 and 66 years old)with prostate cancer. Results:18F-Alfatide Ⅱ was prepared automatically by the improved CFN-100 fluorine multifunctional module combined with a double channel-fluorine ion separation device. 18F-Alfatide Ⅱ was synthetized in about 30 min, with radiochemical yield of (28±3)% (non-decay corrected, n=6). The radiochemical purity of the product was more than 98%, the specific activity was 2.8×10 7 MBq/mmol and the nuclear purity was >99%. PET/CT imaging of 2 patients showed that 18F-Alfatide Ⅱ were highly concentrated in prostate cancer lesions with the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max) of 35.6 and 5.0, respectively. Conclusion:18F-Alfatide Ⅱ can be prepared successfully by improved CFN-100 fluorine multifunctional module with stable synthesis method, short synthesis time and high radiochemical yield, which can be highly concentrated in prostate cancer.