Objective: To optimize the technology and process for recovering immune cells from discarded leukocyte filter through reverse flushing, and to investigate the effects of different reverse flushing solutions and physical conditions (temperature, soaking, and ultrasound) on the cell recovery rate. Additionally, to evaluate the feasibility and quality of isolating and culturing NK cells from the recovered cells. Methods: Normal saline, PBS, and PBS-EDTA were used as reverse flushing solutions to backwash the filter, and the white blood cell recovery rates were compared. The reverse flushing efficiency was optimized by adjusting the temperature of the reverse flushing solution, filter soaking treatment and ultrasonic treatment. The Ficoll separation method was employed to isolate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from the elution solution and conduct in vitro expansion and culture. Lymphocyte subsets were identified and quantified using flow cytometry. Results: The physiological saline served as the backflush fluid was the most stable. The reverse temperature had a significant impact on the recovery rate of white blood cell subgroups. The recovery rates of lymphocytes and monocytes at 37℃ were significantly higher than those at 4℃ [(35.56±5.55)% vs (22.88±0.31)%, (32.42±4.82)% vs (8.00±1.6)%, t=5.581 and 5.758, respectively, both P<0.001)], and at 25℃ [(35.56±5.55)% vs (22.42±6.13)%, t=5.904, P<0.001; (32.4±4.82)% vs (21.11±1.23)%, t=2.629, P=0.030)]. The recovery rates of white blood cell subgroups after 37℃ immersion were higher than those after direct reverse flow at 37℃, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The recovery rate of cells after ultrasonic immersion at 25℃ was further increased compared to that after immersion at 25℃, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The purity of the NK cells obtained through sorting reached (94.2±4.5)%, and the viability was (94.8±0.9)%. After 15 days of culture, the cell count was expanded approximately 450 times, yielding more than 10 /mL highly active NK cells. Conclusion: By optimizing the backflushing process, immune cells can be efficiently recovered from discarded filters. The 37℃ backflow liquid has the best backflow effect; soaking and ultrasonic treatment can be used as auxiliary methods to improve recovery rates. The NK cells from this source have high purity, good activity, and strong expansion ability, and can be used as a reliable cell source for immunotherapy research, and in line with the circular economy concept of resource reuse.

Objective:To apply statistical process control (SPC) techniques to the quality assurance of non-normal radiotherapy plans through Johnson transformation, establishing patient-specific tolerance and action limits based on treatment sites and dose/distance assessment criteria, thereby enhancing the intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) verification accuracy and dose delivery precision.Methods:In this study, 951 gamma analysis data of patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) executed on the Halcyon accelerator platform were selected and categorized into six groups based on treatment sites, including brain (102 cases), head and neck (100 cases), breast (229 cases), lung (154 cases), esophagus (223 cases), and pelvic (143 cases) groups. The six groups of data were statistically analyzed through Anderson-Darling normality tests ( α = 0.05) using Minitab 21 software. Non-normal data were transformed into normal data through Johnson transformation and then were used to establish treatment site-specific tolerance and action limits, which were compared with the Shewhart control charts based on normal distributions. Results:The PSQA result of the six groups all exhibited non-normal distributions ( P < 0.05). Through Johnson transformation, the tolerance and action limits for the head and neck, breast, lung, esophagus, and pelvic areas under the 3%/2 mm criterion ranged from 95.13% to 96.16% and 94.19% to 95.91%, respectively. In contrast, the tolerance and action limits ranged from 91.15% to 94.86% and 89.94% to 94.78% under the 2%/2 mm criterion. Directly applying Shewhart control charts without normality assumptions yielded higher tolerance limits compared to the application of Johnson transformation, increasing the false positive rate in the non-normal PSQA process. Conclusions:Applying the SPC techniques directly to a non-normal process can lead to an increased false alarm rate and wrong process interpretation. The SPC techniques combined with Johnson transformation enable more effective monitoring of a non-normal PSQA process, facilitating timely identification of potential factors that may lead to an out-of-control process based on the treatment site-specific limits.

Objective:To construct nomogram model based on lymph node imaging parameters for predicting the risk of lymph node metastasis in lung malignancies.Methods:From November 2020 to September 2022, 34 patients (23 males, 11 females, age (65.8±6.8) years) diagnosed with lung malignancies by pathology at the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University were prospectively collected. Based on enhanced CT and 99Tc m-hydrazinonicotinamide-(polyethylene glycol) 4-E((polyethylene glycol) 4-c((Arg-Gly-Asp)fK)) 2 (HYNIC-PEG 4-E(PEG 4-c(RGDfK)) 2; 3PRGD 2)SPECT/CT imaging, referring to the mediastinal lymph node zoning standards formulated by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, lymph nodes with clear pathological properties and imaging locations were included in the study. Lymph nodes were randomly divide into a training group and a validation group at a ratio of 7∶3. Differences of imaging parameters between positive and negative lymph node metastasis were compared by independent-sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test or χ2 test. Parameters with statistical differences were incorporate into the multivariate logistic regression equation, and a joint variable diagnostic model for predicting lymph node metastasis was generated. The potential of the model was evaluate by ROC curve analysis, calibration, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results:Among 34 patients with malignant lung tumors, 11 had lymph node metastasis. A total of 174 lymph nodes met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into a training group of 114 nodes and a validation group of 60 nodes. In the training group and validation group, there were statistically significant differences in lymph node length, lymph node short diameter, lymph node length/short diameter, necrosis, lymph node to mediastinal blood pool radioactive count ratio (T/B), lymph node to liver radioactive count ratio (T/L), lymph node to muscle radioactive count ratio (T/M), and lymph node enhancement mode between patients with positive and negative lymph node metastasis ( χ2 values: 3.89-34.06, t values: 2.31-3.87, Z values: from -3.63 to -2.30, all P<0.05). The lymph node edge was different only in the training group ( χ2=5.62, P=0.018). Finally, the lymph node length/short diameter, edge, necrosis, T/B, T/L, T/M, and lymph node enhancement modes were included in the multivariate logistic regression prediction model, with the AUCs of 0.878 and 0.949 in the training and validation groups, respectively. The calibration curve showed good consistency between the predicted results and the actual results, and DCA showed that the nomogram had clinical practicality. Conclusion:The nomogram model constructed based on the imaging parameters of lymph nodes can evaluate the risk of lymph node metastasis in patients with lung malignancies, providing a convenient and objective tool for determining staging and developing treatment plans.

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP), highly expressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts, is closely related to changes in the tumor microenvironment. Radionuclide-labeled FAP inhibitor (FAPI) is a novel tumor therapeutic agent targeting FAP. It can specifically bind to FAP and emit radiation-killing signals, and has been gradually applied to tumor radionuclide internal radiation therapy (IRT). This review summarizes the research progress of various FAP-targeted radiopharmaceuticals in tumor radionuclide IRT, aiming to gain a deeper understanding of their intrinsic properties and promote broader clinical applications.

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is overexpressed not only in cancer-associated fibroblasts, but also in bone and joint diseases. With the continuous expansion of the application range of radionuclide labeled FAP inhibitor (FAPI) PET/CT imaging, it has gradually shown a good potential in the clinical diagnosis and efficacy evaluation of bone and joint diseases. This paper reviews the animal and clinical studies of radionuclide-labeled FAPI PET/CT imaging in the diagnosis and treatment of bone and joint diseases like tumors, inflammation, Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) and so on, aiming to further explore the characteristics of FAPI and expand the scope of clinical application.

The human norepinephrine transporter(hNET)is expressed in neural crest-derived tumors, such as neuroblastoma, pheochromocytoma, and paraganglioma. 18F-meta-fluorobenzylguanidine (MFBG) has high affinity and specificity for hNET, and has been gradually applied to PET/CT imaging in neural crest-derived tumors. The application of 18F-MFBG PET/CT imaging in the diagnosis and treatment of neural crest-derived tumors is reviewed in this article.

Molecular probes targeting the 18×10 3 translocator protein (TSPO) have the ability to identify and monitor tissue inflammation. Their application has expanded from neurological disorders to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), showing promising clinical translational potential in both diagnosis and therapeutic evaluation. This paper introduces the application and value of PET imaging using various generations of TSPO-targeted molecular probes in CVD, including atherosclerosis, acute myocardial infarction, large vessel vasculitis, and others.

Objective:To construct nomogram model based on lymph node imaging parameters for predicting the risk of lymph node metastasis in lung malignancies.Methods:From November 2020 to September 2022, 34 patients (23 males, 11 females, age (65.8±6.8) years) diagnosed with lung malignancies by pathology at the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University were prospectively collected. Based on enhanced CT and 99Tc m-hydrazinonicotinamide-(polyethylene glycol) 4-E((polyethylene glycol) 4-c((Arg-Gly-Asp)fK)) 2 (HYNIC-PEG 4-E(PEG 4-c(RGDfK)) 2; 3PRGD 2)SPECT/CT imaging, referring to the mediastinal lymph node zoning standards formulated by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, lymph nodes with clear pathological properties and imaging locations were included in the study. Lymph nodes were randomly divide into a training group and a validation group at a ratio of 7∶3. Differences of imaging parameters between positive and negative lymph node metastasis were compared by independent-sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test or χ2 test. Parameters with statistical differences were incorporate into the multivariate logistic regression equation, and a joint variable diagnostic model for predicting lymph node metastasis was generated. The potential of the model was evaluate by ROC curve analysis, calibration, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results:Among 34 patients with malignant lung tumors, 11 had lymph node metastasis. A total of 174 lymph nodes met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into a training group of 114 nodes and a validation group of 60 nodes. In the training group and validation group, there were statistically significant differences in lymph node length, lymph node short diameter, lymph node length/short diameter, necrosis, lymph node to mediastinal blood pool radioactive count ratio (T/B), lymph node to liver radioactive count ratio (T/L), lymph node to muscle radioactive count ratio (T/M), and lymph node enhancement mode between patients with positive and negative lymph node metastasis ( χ2 values: 3.89-34.06, t values: 2.31-3.87, Z values: from -3.63 to -2.30, all P<0.05). The lymph node edge was different only in the training group ( χ2=5.62, P=0.018). Finally, the lymph node length/short diameter, edge, necrosis, T/B, T/L, T/M, and lymph node enhancement modes were included in the multivariate logistic regression prediction model, with the AUCs of 0.878 and 0.949 in the training and validation groups, respectively. The calibration curve showed good consistency between the predicted results and the actual results, and DCA showed that the nomogram had clinical practicality. Conclusion:The nomogram model constructed based on the imaging parameters of lymph nodes can evaluate the risk of lymph node metastasis in patients with lung malignancies, providing a convenient and objective tool for determining staging and developing treatment plans.

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP), highly expressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts, is closely related to changes in the tumor microenvironment. Radionuclide-labeled FAP inhibitor (FAPI) is a novel tumor therapeutic agent targeting FAP. It can specifically bind to FAP and emit radiation-killing signals, and has been gradually applied to tumor radionuclide internal radiation therapy (IRT). This review summarizes the research progress of various FAP-targeted radiopharmaceuticals in tumor radionuclide IRT, aiming to gain a deeper understanding of their intrinsic properties and promote broader clinical applications.

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is overexpressed not only in cancer-associated fibroblasts, but also in bone and joint diseases. With the continuous expansion of the application range of radionuclide labeled FAP inhibitor (FAPI) PET/CT imaging, it has gradually shown a good potential in the clinical diagnosis and efficacy evaluation of bone and joint diseases. This paper reviews the animal and clinical studies of radionuclide-labeled FAPI PET/CT imaging in the diagnosis and treatment of bone and joint diseases like tumors, inflammation, Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) and so on, aiming to further explore the characteristics of FAPI and expand the scope of clinical application.