Prognostic usefulness of clinical features and pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters in patients with angiosarcoma.

Background: To investigate the prognostic value of clinical features and metabolic parameters in pretreatment 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/X-ray computed tomography (PET/CT) scans of patients with angiosarcoma, a rare neoplasm that has not been well characterized. Methods: In this retrospective study, 19 patients with a histopathologically confirmed diagnosis of angiosarcoma who had undergone pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT scans were enrolled. We recorded the age at presentation, sex, underlying diseases, sites of primary tumors, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score, time from onset to diagnosis, laboratory examinations, sites and sizes of primary tumors, treatment modalities, histologic features and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), average SUV (SUVavg), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of primary tumors and the whole body. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses for overall survival were performed according to the metabolic parameters and other clinical variables. Results: Patients ranged in age from 27 to 79 years (median: 59 years) with different angiosarcoma types covering all tumor grades and subtypes. Seven (7/19) patients had anemia of varying degrees of severity. Lymph node metastases (n=10) and/or distant metastases (n=11) of angiosarcoma were common. Bone or bone marrow (10/19) and lung (8/19) were the most common distant metastatic organs. Patients with bone metastases, low hemoglobin levels and high ferritin levels had significantly poorer overall survival than those with non-bone metastases, normal hemoglobin levels and normal ferritin levels by the log-rank test, with P values of 0.027, 0.030 and 0.015, respectively. Patients with multiple organ metastases had significantly poorer overall survival than those with single organ metastasis (log-rank P=0.008). In multivariate survival analysis, only whole-body metabolic tumor volume using SUVmax cut-off value of 2.5 (wMTV2.5) was a significant independent prognostic factor. For wMTV2.5, 870.3 cm3 was the best cut-off point to discriminate between a good and poor prognosis (log-rank P=0.01). Conclusions: The systemic 18F-FDG PET/CT with high sensitivity and specificity has significant advantages in the evaluation of angiosarcoma, particularly in detecting occult metastases. Bone metastases on 18F-FDG PET/CT, low hemoglobin levels and high ferritin levels were all associated with a poorer prognosis. MTV2.5 of the whole body is a significant independent metabolic prognostic factor for overall survival in patients with angiosarcoma.

Unusual disseminated Talaromyces marneffei infection mimicking lymphoma in a non-immunosuppressed patient in East China: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Talaromyces marneffei infection is an important opportunistic infection associated with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, it is unusual in patients with non-AIDS and other non-immunosuppressed conditions. We report a case of delayed diagnosis of disseminated T. marneffei infection in non-AIDS, non-immunosuppressive and non-endemic conditions. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a previously healthy 24-year-old man who complained of a 3-month history of intermittent diarrhea and a recent week of uncontrollable high fever. The HIV antibody test was negative. Enhanced abdominal computed tomography (CT) and integrated 18F-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose position emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) both suspected malignant lymphoma. However, a large number of yeast-like cells were found in macrophages in cervical lymph node samples by hematoxylin and eosin stain and silver hexamine stain. Subsequent blood culture suggested T. marneffei infection. Metagenomic Next Generation Sequencing (mNGS) results suggested T. marneffei as the dominant pathogen. Unfortunately, the patient continued to develop acute liver failure and died due to adverse events associated with amphotericin B. CONCLUSIONS: Early diagnosis in HIV-negative patients who are otherwise not immunosuppressed and endemic poses a serious challenge. T. marneffei infection is an FDG-avid nonmalignant condition that may lead to false-positive FDG PET/CT scans. Nevertheless, integrated FDG PET/CT is necessary in patients with fever of unknown origin in the early period to perform earlier biopsy for histopathology and culture in highly avid sites and to avoid delays in diagnosis and treatment.

[Research on multifunctional fitness monitor based on FFT and photoelectric sensor].

This paper proposes a multifunctional fitness monitor based on FFT and photoelectric sensor, which uses pulse-type and non-invasive detection method to complete the analysis of the human blood oxygen saturation and heart rate. The system collects the absorption of red and infrared light absorbed by fingertip, then by programmable gain amplifier and the Fast Fourier analysis, it extracts the amplitude, frequency of the AC signal. PIC24FJ128GA010 is used to complete the collection, automatic gain judgment and signal processing. Finally, the result is calibrated by pulse blood oxygen emulator. Furthermore, it realizes the pedometer function based on three axles acceleration sensors MMA7260, which enhances fitness monitor's usability and allows people to obtain dynamic physiological signs when exercising.