Application of PET-LINAC in Biology-guided Radiotherapy / 中国医疗器械杂志

Biology-guided radiotherapy (BgRT) is a novel technique of external beam radiotherapy, combining positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) with a linear accelerator (LINAC). The key innovation is to utilize PET signals from tracers in tumor tissues for real-time tracking and guiding beamlets. Compared with a traditional LINAC system, a BgRT system is more complex in hardware design, software algorithm, system integration and clinical workflow. RefleXion Medical has developed the world's first BgRT system. Nevertheless, its actively advertised function, PET-guided radiotherapy, is still in the research and development phase. In this review study, we presented a number of issues related to BgRT, including its technical advantages and potential challenges.

Effects of mulberry leaf extract on the proliferation of islet β cells in pregnant diabetic rats / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective:To observe the effect of mulberry leaf extract on blood glucose and islet β cell proliferation in pregnant diabetic rats.Methods:The rat model of gestational diabetes mellitus was prepared. The 32 model rats were randomly divided into the model group, metformin group, low dose mulberry leaf extract group and high dose mulberry leaf extract group, 8 rats in each group. Eight normal pregnant mice were selected as the control group. The low and high dose groups received gavage of mulberry leaf extract 0.5 and 1.5 g/kg, respectively, the rats in the metformin group received gavage of 200 mg/kg metformin hydrochloride suspension, and the model group and the normal group received gavage of sterile normal saline of equal volume. The intervention continued for 4 weeks. The HE staining was used to observe rat pancreatic tissue pathology change. The fasting blood glucose level was measured by blood glucose meter. The TC, TG, LDL-C and HDL-C levels were measured by automatic biochemical detector. The fasting insulin level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the islet resistance index and insulin sensitivity index were calculated. The activity of SOD, CAT, GSH-pX and MDA level in serum were detected by radioimmunoassay. The MTT method was used to detect islet β cell proliferation, and the Western blot method was used to detect CDK4, pRB, E2F1 protein expression.Results:Compared with the model group, the low-dose and high-dose groups showed that the levels of FBG, TC, TG and LDL-C significantly decreased ( P<0.05), and the HDL-C levels significantly increased ( P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the low-dose and high-dose groups showed that fasting insulin and islet resistance index significantly decreased ( P<0.05), and insulin sensitivity index significantly increased ( P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the low-dose and high-dose groups showed that the levels of SOD (360.62 ± 27.96 U/ml, 401.62 ± 25.66 U/ml vs. 293.45 ± 31.36 U/ml), CAT (10.26 ± 2.07 U/ml, 12.26 ± 0.96 U/ml vs. 8.26 ± 2.44 U/ml), GSH-Px (790.23 ± 47.87 U/ml, 880.63 ± 40.62 U/ml vs. 716.62 ± 45.62 U/ml) significantly increased ( P<0.05), MDA (30.89 ± 3.28 mmol/ml, 40.42 ± 2.06 mmol/ml vs. 44.85 ± 5.33 mmol/ml) level significantly decreased ( P<0.05). After 48 h and 72 h of modeling, compared with the model group, the islet proliferation rate of the low-dose group and the high-dose group significantly increased ( P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the low-dose and high-dose groups showed that the CDK4 (1.15 ± 0.42, 1.35 ± 0.59 vs. 0.75 ± 0.22), pRB (1.11 ± 0.58, 1.54 ± 0.64 vs. 0.67± 0.20), E2F1 (1.06 ± 0.39, 1.27 ± 0.18 vs. 0.48 ± 0.12) protein expression significantly increased ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Mulberry leaf extract can effectively improve blood sugar, lipid and insulin levels in gestational diabetic rats, and promote the proliferation of pancreatic beta cells by regulating CDK4-pRB-E2F1 pathway-related proteins.