ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between 18-FDG positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT), histological necrosis, and prognosis after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). PATIENTS: From January 2007 through December 2013, 81 patients with HCC and liver cirrhosis were included in our liver transplantation program. For this study we selected patients who underwent 18-FDG PET/CT pre-TACE and post-TACE. All patients underwent liver transplantation within 8 weeks after PET/CT. RESULTS: Twenty patients with a median age of 58 years (range, 46-69 years) underwent an 18-FDG PET/CT before and after TACE. The median Standardized Uptake Value (SUV) before TACE was 3.8 (range, 2.6-8.7), with a median post-TACE SUV of 0% (range, 0-4). Among patients whose post-TACE SUV decreased to <3, >70% necrosis was observed upon study of a hepatectomy sample, with a survival rate of 100% and 80% at 1 and 3 years, respectively. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, performance of an 18-FDG PET/CT before and after TACE with comparison of SUV values among patients with HCC awaiting OLT provided valuable information regarding the effectiveness of TACE.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/therapy , Chemoembolization, Therapeutic/methods , Liver Cirrhosis/therapy , Liver Neoplasms/therapy , Liver Transplantation , Aged , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/complications , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/diagnostic imaging , Combined Modality Therapy , Female , Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 , Humans , Liver Cirrhosis/complications , Liver Neoplasms/complications , Liver Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Male , Middle Aged , Multimodal Imaging , Necrosis , Positron-Emission Tomography , Prognosis , Radiopharmaceuticals , Retrospective Studies , Survival Rate , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Treatment Outcome , Vascular Surgical ProceduresABSTRACT
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) is the most threatening pest of palms worldwide. The potential of gamma-irradiated males to spread a pathogenic strain of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Ascomycota: Clavicipitaceae) to control this pest was studied. First, the effects of gamma irradiation (15 and 25 Gy) on the mating success and performance of adult males irradiated at age one day were studied in the laboratory. Although male longevity decreased after irradiation (118.6 vs. 244.7 days for irradiated and control males, respectively) and their testes suffered from the treatment, fecundity of mated females did not depend on the irradiation status of the male (86.8 ± 5.5 eggs in 15 days). However, egg hatching was significantly lower in couples with irradiated males (31.4% vs. 86.5% for irradiated and control couples, respectively), and this value decreased after a second mating (6.1% vs. 85.9%). Therefore, irradiation did not affect male sexual competiveness but sperm quality. Second, a semi-field assay was carried out to evaluate infestation in young Phoenix canariensis caused by different combinations of couples with irradiated and/or B. bassiana-challenged males. The number of immature stages found in infested palms was significantly higher when females mated with untreated males and lower when mated with irradiated males (either B. bassiana-infected or not). Some females from the fungus-challenged treatments showed post-mortem hyphal growth, and this horizontal transmission proves that irradiated males could act as a vector for B. bassiana and should be considered as a new method to improve the biological control of R. ferrugineus.
Subject(s)
Beauveria , Pest Control, Biological/methods , Weevils/microbiology , Animals , Arecaceae , Copulation/radiation effects , Female , Insect Vectors/radiation effects , Longevity/radiation effects , Male , Reproduction/radiation effects , Weevils/radiation effectsABSTRACT
The weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is an important pest of palms. It has recently colonized the Mediterranean Basin where it is a serious problem on ornamental Phoenix canariensis (hort. ex Chabaud) palms. The efficacy of an insecticidal paint based on chlorpyrifos and pyriproxyfen in a microencapsulated formulation (Inesfly IGR FITO, Industrias Químicas Inesba S.L., Paiporta, Spain) against this weevil has been studied. Laboratory results proved that pyriproxyfen has no effect against R. ferrugineus when applied in this microencapsulated formulation. Semifield trials dismissed Inesfly IGR FITO as a curative insecticide but showed the potential of this product in the preventative control of R. ferrugineus in palms. One single application could prevent infestation for up to 6 mo with a mean efficacy of 83.3%.
