18 F-FDG and 18 F-AIF-NOTA-Octreotide PET/CT Confirmed a Rare Case of Cutaneous Merkel Cell Carcinoma With a Solitary Local Nodal Metastasis.

ABSTRACT: Cutaneous Merkel cell carcinoma with local nodal metastasis is a rare entity. A 56-year-old man presented with a nontender left inguinal mass, and ultrasound-guided biopsy of this nodal mass confirmed nodal metastasis with strong neuroendocrine differentiation from cutaneous Merkel cell carcinoma. Staging 18 F-FDG PET/CT showed a solitary 3.9 × 6.8-cm hypermetabolic left groin mass with no other suspicious lesions elsewhere. To confirm the patient's eligibility for radical curative treatment, taking into consideration of its neuroendocrine differentiation, a subsequent 18 F-AIF-NOTA-octreotide PET/CT was performed, which demonstrated only solitary somatostatin receptor-positive left inguinal mass. The patient underwent radical treatment.

Incidental Detection of Adrenal Pheochromocytoma on 99mTc-DTPA Renal Dynamic Scintigraphy.

A 53-year-old man with a history of primary hypertension for over 8 years underwent Tc-DTPA renal dynamic scintigraphy to evaluate the renal function. The images revealed an unexpected focus of abnormally increased DTPA activity in the region superior to the upper pole of the right kidney. Subsequent MRIs confirmed an adrenal mass. The results of pathological examination and immunohistochemistry after the resection of the lesion were consistent with adrenal pheochromocytoma.

Unexpected Detection of Bone Metastases on Renal Dynamic Scintigraphy.

A 57-year-old man with renal mass underwent Tc-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid renal dynamic scintigraphy for evaluation of renal function. The blood flow phase images demonstrated a focus of abnormal increased tracer uptake in the region of the right lower quadrant. On the functional phase images, the activity became unimpressive gradually. This focus corresponded to an osteolytic lesion in the right ilium on the CT and MR images, which was a typical pattern of bone metastasis.

Incidentally polycystic kidney disease identified by SPECT/CT with post-therapy radioiodine scintigraphy in a patient with differentiated thyroid carcinoma: A case report.

RATIONALE: Post-therapy or diagnostic whole-body radioiodine scintigraphy is widely employed to evaluate the residual, recurrence, or metastases of differentiated thyroid carcinoma because of the high sensitivity and accuracy. However, it has pitfalls. PATIENT CONCERNS: We described a 63-year-old male with a history of papillary thyroid carcinoma who was referred for iodine-131 ablation therapy. The post-therapy iodine-131 whole-body images demonstrated abnormal increased uptake of the tracer in the regions of bilateral upper abdomen. DIAGNOSES: The single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) showed the abnormal Iactivity was corresponded to multiple irregular cystic low densities in the both kidneys on the low-dose computed tomography images, so the diagnosis of polycystic kidney disease was confirmed. INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOMES: The patient responded well to the lifestyle-based treatments. LESSONS: Polycystic kidney disease was one of the etiologies of the false-positive findings in the radioiodine scintigraphy.

Cloning and functional expression of a chitinase cDNA from the apple leaf miner moth Lithocolletis ringoniella.

Insect chitinase plays essential roles in chitin catabolism involved in digestion and molting during insect development. In the current work, we cloned a chitinase cDNA, LrCht5, from the apple leaf miner moth Lithocolletis ringoniella and characterized its amino acid sequence and protein properties. The L. ringoniella chitinase cDNA was 2136 bp in length with an open reading frame of 1737 bp that encodes a polypeptide of 579 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 64.4 kDa and pI of 5.49. The catalytic domain has several phosphorylation and glycosylation sites. The recombinant LrCht5 was expressed in Escherichia coli and the Spodoptera frugiperda cell line Sf9, and the LrCht5 expressed in insect cells exhibited chitinolytic activity. LrCht5 was most stable at pH 6.0 and 45°C. This work has potential application in the development of novel and more specific synthetic chitinase inhibitors for use as bioinsecticides.

[Antitumor effects of radioiodine labeled KH901 on nude mice bearing hepatoma].

In order to evaluate the biological activity in vitro and the antitumor effects of 131I-conditionally replicating oncolytic adenovirus KH901 on HepG2 human hepatoma xenografts, the leves of GM-CSF expression were determined by ELISA method. A panel of tumor and normal cells was infected with recombinant adenovirus KH901 at MOI of 10 PPC. The medium was harvested to determine the bioactivity of GM-CSF after 24 hours. Nude mice bearing HepG2 human hepatoma xenografts were given 131-KH901. Antitumor effects were assessed using endpoints of tumor growth delay. The data showed that after 24 hours 131-KH901 replicated hugely in tumor cells and produced significant amount of GM-CSF 183.27 +/- 6.90 pg/ml, while producing very small amount of GM-CSF 20.44 +/- 0.77 pg/ml in normal cells. In the treatment of tumor, 131I-KH901 showed higher restraint rate (71.3%) compared to 131I (22.7%) or KH901 (52.7%). Therefore, 131-KH901 can inhibit the growth of human hepatoma cell in nude mice and it may be a potential drug for treating liver cancer.

Combined effects of all-trans-retinoic acid and trichostatin A on the induction of differentiation of thyroid carcinoma cells.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The effectiveness rate of all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) is only about 30% in the clinical application of inducing thyroid carcinoma differentiation. In addition, there are severe toxic side effects, which limit its clinical application. Phase I-III clinical studies have been conducted on the combined application of two or more kinds of inductors in tumors. Nevertheless, the combination of RA with histone deacetylase inhibitors is rarely reported. This article studied the effects of differentiation for papillary thyroid carcinoma and follicular thyroid carcinoma cell lines induced by RA combined with trichostatin A (TSA), enhancing the effect of induction, while reducing the toxic side effects of a single drug, to provide a theoretical basis for preclinical trials. METHODS: After incubation with RA combined with TSA, K1 and FTC-133 were grouped into Group 1 (RA 10(-4) mol/L plus TSA 1.65 x 10(-7) mol/L), Group 2 (RA 1 x 10(-4) mol/L plus TSA 3.31 x 10(-7) mol/L), Group 3 (RA 10(-5) mol/L plus TSA 1.65 x 10(-7) mol/L), Group 4 (RA 1 x10(-5) mol/L plus TSA 3.31 x 10(-7) mol/L) by four varied concentrations and three time points (12 h, 24 h, and 48 h). The cell proliferation, conformation, toxic effect, and induced differentiation on K1 and FTC-133 cell lines were studied microscopically with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) to observe cell quantity and morphology, methyl-thiazolyl-tetrazolium (MTT) to calculate cell survival rates, and electrochemiluminescence analysis measuring in vitro thyroglobulin (Tg) levels. RESULTS: The research showed that K1 and FTC-133 cells had cell spacing increases, with an outer edge of smooth, nuclear chromatin condensation after RA combined TSA. Survival rate were assessed by an analysis of variance (ANOVA) by concentration and time point, F values of K1 and FTC-133 were 23.52 and 170.14, and 57.09 and 224.35, respectively. There were significant differences for both cells (P < 0.01). The SNK analysis indicated that survival rates were in the order of Group 2 < Group 1 < Group 4 < Group 3. Tg was also assessed by ANOVA, F values of K1 were 69.63 and 101.07, and F values of FTC-133 were 79.77 and 81.72 (P < 0.01). Group 1 was compared with Group 3 of K1 and FTC-133 by the least significant difference (LSD) method, and there was no statistical difference between the two group (P = 0.06, 0.2, respectively; P > 0.05), yet a significant difference was seen between the other Groups. CONCLUSIONS: Lower concentrations of RA combined with lower concentrations of TSA have both inhibited cell proliferation, decreased toxicity of the drugs, and increased the effect of K1 and FTC-133 cell differentiation. The mechanism of action may be that TSA has pretranscription DNA regulation and that RA has posttranscriptional signal regulation to enhance the effects of inhibited proliferation and differentiation of cells by transcription systems.

Imaging of radioiodine-labeled KH901, a tumor-specific oncolytic recombinant adenovirus, in nude mice with human hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To study the biodistribution and imaging of I/I-labeled KH901, a tumor-specific oncolytic recombinant adenovirus, in nude mice bearing human hepatocarcinoma. METHODS: KH901 was labeled with I/I according to the N-bromosuccinimide labeling method. The activity of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. After I-KH901 was injected into the tumor, the label was followed in different organs and tumor tissues in nude mice with hepatocellular carcinoma. I-KH901 was injected directly into the tumor of nude mice bearing hepatocellular carcinoma, and their concentrations were detected at different times on radionuclide images. RESULTS: The radiochemical purity of I/I-KH901 was over 95%. I-KH901 stimulated massive expression of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in tumor cells. Twenty-four hours after the addition of I-KH901, the concentrations of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor were 183.27+/-6.90 and 20.44+/-0.77 pg/ml in tumor and normal cells, respectively. I-KH901 was mainly distributed in the tumor and had a longer retention time, which was 14.93%ID/g at 24 h. Radionuclide imaging showed that the radioactive retention of I-KH901 in the tumor was significant. The tumor was shown clearly in the whole-body scan at 2 h after injection. CONCLUSION: I or I-KH901 concentrates specifically at the tumor site, which makes it a novel drug (combination of oncolytic adenovirus and radionuclide therapies) for the treatment of cancer.

[Effect of 131I-labeled recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-alpha on the nude mice bearing human hepatoma].

OBJECTIVE: To test the effect of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-alpha (rhTNF-alpha) labeled with 131I on tumor growth in the nude mice bearing human hepatoma. METHODS: The biological activity of 131I-rhTNF-alpha was tested through in vitro combination of the radioactive drug and SMMC-7721 cells. The BALB/c-nu/ nu mice model bearing human hepatoma were established by injecting single cell suspension of SMMC-7721 cells. When the tumor was 1 cm in diameter, the therapeutic experiment was carried out. Twenty-four nude mice bearing human hepatoma were divided into six groups according the area of tumor, weight and sex of the nude mice. After i. v administration of 131I-rhTNF-alpha, the body biodistribution of 131I-rhTNF-alpha was assessed during a short-term (30 min, 1 h, 6 h) and a long-term (12 h, 24 h, 48 h) period. The biological activity and tumor accumulation of 131I-rhTNF-alpha were investigated. In the end of the experiment, histopathologic examinations of tumor samples were undertaken. RESULTS: The combination of 131I-rhTNF-alpha with the human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells existed dose dependence and saturability. The 131I-rhTNF-alpha had satisfactory immunoreactivity. The 131I-rhTNF-alpha accumulated in tumor tissues well and kept stable for several days. The tumor tissues accumulated the highest radioactivity at 6 h, and still maintained 67.5% of that radioactivity at 48 h. The 131I-rhTNF-alpha administrated either intravenously or intratumorally could inhibit tumor growth. The 131I-rhTNF-alpha had similar radioactivity as the positive control (P>0.05), but greater radioactivity than the control groups including 131I, rhTNF-alpha and the negative groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The radioactive compound of 131I-rhTNF-alpha can inhibit and kill tumor cells, which demonstrates its potential for treating hepatocarcinoma.

[Iodination conditions of KH901, a tumor-specific oncolytic recombinant adenovirus, and its 125I-labeled compounds biodistribution in animals].

In this research was developed high efficiency method using 125I for directly labeling KH901, a tumor-specific oncolytic recombinant adenovirus, biodistribution of 125I-labeled compound in normal mice was investigated. 125I-KH901 was prepared by N-bromosuccinimide labeling method to find the optimal ratio of labeling response. The compounds were isolated and purified by Sephadex-G10 agarose and the radiochemical purity of compounds was analyzed by paper chromatography. The radioactivity biodistribution in mice was measured at different times after caudal vein injection with 0.1ml 125I-KH901. The labeling yield of 125I-KH901 was 78% and the radiochemical purity was 95% after purification by Sephadex-G10 agarose. Biodistribution revealed that the uptake of 125I-KH901 in liver was higher than in other organs at all time points of the experiment. 125I-KH901 was mainly concentrated in liver, kidneys, spleen and lung. It can be seen that N-bromosuccinimide labeling method is an optimal method with simple steps and high labeling yield in labeling KH901 with 125I. 125I-KH901 has a biodistribution trait which is an advantage to treating liver tumors.

[The diagnostic value of 99mTc-MIBI myocardial perfusion imaging for coronary artery disease: a systematic review].

This review aims to evaluate the quality of studies assessing the value of 99mTc-MIBI myocardial perfusion imaging in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. OVID (1956 to 2006), CBMdisc (1978 to 2006), CNKI (2005 to 2006) and VIP (2005 to 2006) for relevant studies in English and Chinese were searched and identified. Quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies (QUADAS) items were used. Studies were classified and Meta-disc software was used to analyze sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio for the pooled analysis and heterogeneity test, then Asymmetric SROC curves were drawn for those without heterogeneity. In 29 articles included, the results of the pooled analysis showed that, as for rest, exercise and drug myocardial perfusion imaging, the pooled LR + were 2.209, 4.334 and 5.508, the pooled LR- were 0.224, 0.141 and 0.195, and for dipyridamole myocardial perfusion imaging, the pooled LR+ and LR- were 5.031 and 0.193, respectively. Besides, for stress myocardial perfusion imaging among the patients without myocardial infarction history, the pooled LR+ and LR- were 6.176 and 0.199, respectively. The biases from the 29 studies were mainly due to diagnostic test results review bias; variations were probable and were correlated with the spectrum of disease and inclusion criteria; the quality of report was moderate. The conclusion is that 99mTc-MIBI stress MPI, especially dipyridamole MPI, is valuable for diagnosing coronary artery disease.

Feasibility of herpes simplex virus type 1 mutants labeled with radionuclides for tumor treatment.

For over one hundred years, viruses have been recognized as capable of killing tumor cells. At present, people are still researching and constructing more suitable oncolytic viruses for treating different malignant tumors. Although extensive studies have demonstrated that herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is the most potential oncolytic virus, therapies based on herpes simplex virus type 1 vectors still arouse bio-safety and risk management issues. Researchers have therefore introduced the new idea of treating cancer with HSV-1 mutants labeled with radionuclides, combining radionuclide and oncolytic virus therapies. This overview briefly summarizes the status and mechanisms by which oncolytic viruses kill tumor cells, discusses the application of HSV-1 and HSV-1 derived vectors for tumor therapy, and demonstrates the feasibility and prospect of HSV-1 mutants labeled with radionuclides for treating tumors.

[Progess on research of herpes simplex virus type 1 mutants for cancer therapy].

For a long time past viruses have been recognized as being tumoricidal. At present, researchers are still pursuing studies and constructing more suitable oncolytic viruses for treating different malignant tumors. Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) has been known as the most potential oncolytic virus among all the viruses. In this overview, we summarize the current situation of oncolytic viruses, the biology of HSV-1, its construction and application of its recombinant, and we debate on the feasibility and prospect of HSV-1 mutants labeled with radionuclides for cancer therapy.