Synchronous pancreatic cancer and pancreatic serous cystic neoplasm: A case report.

Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant digestive tract tumour with a poor prognosis. We herein report the case of a 58-year-old female who presented, in June 2019, because of upper abdominal discomfort after eating. Initially, the patient was diagnosed with chronic non-atrophic gastritis with erosion and multiple gastric polyps by gastroscopic examination. Subsequently, CT and MRI examinations revealed that dilatation of the pancreatic duct and low-density nodular shadows enhanced in the neck and body of the pancreas. Endoscopic ultrasonography identified the echo foci in the same position. Additionally, a high-level of CA19-9 in the patient's serum was noted, which was a tumour marker of pancreatic cancer. Finally, the patient was diagnosed with poorly differentiated pancreatic cancer with squamous carcinoma and plasmacytoid microcystic adenoma. In conclusion, imaging examination has exhibited a vital functional role in the diagnosis of many cancers, which help gain valuable treatment time and prolong the life of patients.

Fluorescent/SERS dual-sensing and imaging of intracellular Zn2.

A fluorescent and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) dual-mode probe is developed for imaging of intracellular Zn2+ based on N-(2-(bis(pyridine-2-ylmethyl)amino)ethyl)-2-mercaptoacetamide (MDPA) modified gold nanoparticles (MDPA-GNPs). Benefiting from the chelation-enhanced fluorescence (CHEF) between MDPA-GNPs and Zn2+, the fluorescent intensities of MDPA-GNPs are substantially enhanced with the increment of Zn2+ concentrations, which can be clearly observed by the naked eye. Under physiological conditions, the probe exhibits a stable response for Zn2+ from 1 µM to 120 µM, with a detection limit of 0.32 µM in aqueous solutions. The resultant MDPA-GNPs can be used for ultrasensitive SERS detection of Zn2+ because of the strong inter-particle plasmonic coupling generated in the process of Zn2+-triggered MDPA-GNPs self-aggregation, with a low detection limit of 0.28 pM, which is eight order of magnitude lower than the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)-defined limit (76 µM) in drinkable water. More importantly, the proposed probe can be applied for efficient detection of intracellular Zn2+ with excellent biocompatibility and cellular imaging capability. Therefore, a highly sensitive and selective nanosensor has been demonstrated for both reliable quantitative detection of Zn2+ in aqueous solution and real-time imaging of intracellular Zn2+, suggesting its significant potential utility in bioanalysis and biomedical detection in the future.

Headspace-Sampling Paper-Based Analytical Device for Colorimetric/Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Dual Sensing of Sulfur Dioxide in Wine.

This study demonstrates a novel strategy for colorimetric/surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) dual-mode sensing of sulfur dioxide (SO2) by coupling headspace sampling (HS) with paper-based analytical device (PAD). The smart and multifunctional PAD is fabricated with a vacuum filtration method in which 4-mercaptopyridine (Mpy)-modified gold nanorods (GNRs)-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hybrids (rGO/MPy-GNRs), anhydrous methanol, and starch-iodine complex are immobilized into cellulose-based filter papers. The resultant PAD exhibits a deep-blue color with a strong absorption peak at 600 nm due to the formation of an intermolecular charge-transfer complex between starch and iodine. However, the addition of SO2 induces the Karl Fischer reaction, resulting in the decrease of color and increase of SERS signals. Therefore, the PAD can be used not only as a naked-eye indicator of SO2 changed from blue to colorless but also as a highly sensitive SERS substrates because of the SO2-triggered conversion of Mpy to pyridine methyl sulfate on the GNRs. A distinguishable change in the color was observed at a SO2 concentration of 5 µM by the naked eye, and a detection limit as low as 1.45 µM was obtained by virtue of UV-vis spectroscopy. The PAD-based SERS method is effective over a wide range of concentrations (1 µM to 2000 µM) for SO2, and the detection limit for SO2 is found to be 1 µM. The HS-PAD based colorimetric/SERS method is applied for the determination of SO2 in wine, and the detection results match well with those obtained from the traditional Monier-Williams method. This study not only offers a new method for on-site monitoring of SO2 but also provides a new strategy for designing of paper-based sensing platform for a wide range of field-test applications.

Griess reaction-based paper strip for colorimetric/fluorescent/SERS triple sensing of nitrite.

This study demonstrates a novel strategy for colorimetric/fluorescent/surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) triple-mode sensing of nitrite based on Griess reaction modulated gold nanorods (GNRs)-Azo-gold nanoparticles (GNPs) (GNRs-Azo-GNPs) assembly. The p-aminothiophenol (PATP)-capped GNRs (GNRs@PATP) and 1,8-diaminonaphthalene (DAP)-modified GNPs (GNPs@DAP) are first synthesized through Au-S and Au-N bonds, respectively. Upon being excited at 365nm, the dispersion of GNRs-GNPs (GNRs@PATP and GNPs@DAP) emits cyan fluorescence. Next, the addition of nitrite into the GNRs-GNPs induces the formation of GNRs-Azo-GNPs assembly, resulting in the enhancement of color and decrease of fluorescence. Therefore, the GNRs-Azo-GNPs assembly can not only be used as a naked-eye indicator of nitrite changed from orange-yellow to purple, but also as a highly selective ''fluorescence quenching'' probe due to the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between azo-moiety and DAP. The limit of detection (LOD) for nitrite is 0.05µM by colorimetry and 0.01µM by fluorescence. Meanwhile, the GNRs-Azo-GNPs assembly possesses controllable core-satellites nanostructures and enables on-field SERS detection of nitrite with the LOD of 0.8nM. More importantly, the GNRs-GNPs sensing system can not only be used as a paper-based test strip for on-site fast screening of nitrite with a high sensitivity and selectivity, but also as a SERS substrate for reliable quantitative analysis of nitrite. This study offers a new method for on-site visual detection of nitrite in human urine and meat products, as well as provides a strategy for designing multi-mode sensing platform for various applications.

Gastrointestinal hemorrhage due to ileal metastasis from primary lung cancer.

We report a patient with small intestinal metastasis from lung squamous cell carcinoma. A 66-year-old man who underwent radical lung cancer surgery was admitted to our hospital. Before starting his fifth cycle of chemotherapy, he was found to have a positive fecal occult blood test. Abdominal computed tomography scan revealed an ileal tumor with mesenteric lymph node enlargement. He underwent laparoscopic resection of the involved small intestine and mesentery. Histopathological analysis confirmed metastasis from lung cancer. We conducted a review of the literature and 64 documented cases of small intestinal metastasis from lung cancer were found. The pathologic diagnosis, clinical presentation, site of metastasis, and survival time in these cases were reviewed.

Evaluation of human cytomegalovirus-specific CD8+ T-cells in allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients using pentamer and interferon-γ-enzyme-linked immunospot assays.

BACKGROUND: Reactivation of latent human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a frequent complication following allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Evaluation of the quantity and function of HCMV-specific CD8+ T-cell responses after HSCT may play a crucial role in the prevention of HCMV reactivation. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the mechanism of HCMV-specific T-cell immune responses after HSCT in HCMV-specific CD8+ T cells. STUDY DESIGN: HCMV-specific CD8+ T cells were quantified using human leucocyte antigen (HLA) pentamer staining and functionally analysed by interferon-γ-enzyme-linked immunospot (IFN-γ-ELISPOT) assay with a pp65495-503 peptide in recipients four years after HSCT. RESULTS: The absolute number of pp65495-503-specific CD8+ T cells did not differ significantly (p>0.05) between samples with antigenaemia and those without antigenaemia given a mean of 54.5/µl and 40.5/µl, respectively, in 21 HLA-A* 0201 patients after HSCT. The level of pp65495-503-specific CD8+ T cells>20/µl of peripheral blood was maintained 90 days after transplantation. There was a significant difference in the spot count of IFN-γ-secreting T cells between samples with antigenaemia (mean, 507/2.5×10(5)PBMCs) and those without antigenaemia (mean, 216/2.5×10(5)PBMCs; p<0.05). CONCLUSION: pp65495-503-specific CD8+ T cells may not be sufficient to control HCMV reactivation in recipients after HSCT. However, the combination of pentamer and IFN-γ-ELISPOT assays may be valuable for evaluating HCMV-specific CD8+ T cells. Further studies on HCMV-specific T-cell immune responses continue to be performed for the prevention of persistent HCMV reactivation.

Association of human cytomegalovirus viremia with human leukocyte antigens in liver transplantation recipients.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) reactivation is a common complication after liver transplantation (LT). Here, we investigated whether human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matching was related to HCMV infection and subsequent graft failure after LT for hepatitis B virus  cirrhosis. This retrospective study reviewed 91 LT recipients. All the patients were grouped according to HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-DR locus matching. Clinical data were collected, including complete HLA-typing, HCMV viremia, graft failure, and the time of HCMV viremia. HLA typing was performed using a sequence-specific primer-polymerase chain reaction  kit. HCMV was detected by pp65 antigenemia using a commercial kit. The incidence of HCMV infection post-LT was 81.32%. Graft failure was observed in 16 of 91 (17.6%) patients during the 4-year study. The incidence of HCMV viremia was 100% (5/5), 91.4% (32/35), and 72.5% (37/51) in HLA-A two locus, one locus, and zero locus compatibility, respectively. Nevertheless, the degree of the HLA-A, HLA-B, or HLA-DR match did not influence the time of HCMV viremia, graft failure, or the time of graft failure after a diagnosis of HCMV viremia (all P > 0.05). An interesting discovery was that the risk of HCMV viremia tended to be higher in patients with better HLA-A compatibility. Graft failure, time of HCMV viremia, and graft failure after a diagnosis of HCMV viremia appear to be independent of HLA allele compatibility.

[The study on high-resolution HLA and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) viremia in bone marrow transplantation recipients].

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between high-resolution HLA-A * 1101, HLA-A * 0201, HLA-A * 2402, HLA-B * 4001, HLA-DRB1 * 0901 with HCMV pp65 antigenemia after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in China. METHODS: 48 recipients doing BMT during 2009. 2-2010. 10 were selected in my hospital; HCMV pp65 was detected by ELISA or immunohistochemical methods. The frequency of HLA-A * 1101, HLA-A * 0201, HLA-A * 2402, HLA-B * 4001, HLA-DRB1 * 0901 alleles were determined by Polymerase chain reaction-sequence based typing (PCR - SBT). RESULTS: (1) The BMT recipients were HCMV pp65 antigenic positive(100%); (2) The positive rate of HLA-A * 1101, HLA-A * 0201, HLA-A * 2402, HLA-B * 4001 showed no obvious difference between 12 lower antigenemia group and 36 higher antigenemia group, the positive rate: HLA-A * 1101 were 33.3% (8/24) and 20.8% (15/72), HLA-A * 0201 were 4.2% (1/24) and 13.9% (10/72), HLA-A * 2402 were 12.5% (3/24) and 19.4% (14/72), HLA-B* 4001 were 16.7% (4/24) and 12.5% (9/72); (3) HLA-DRB1 * 0901 positive rate in higher antigenemia group was higher than the lower (P = 0.048), the positive rate were 4.2% (1/24) and 19.4% (14/72); (4) HLA-DRB1 * 0901 recipients were higher pp65 antigenemia than HLA-A * 2402 recipients (P = 0.007) and HLA-A * 1101 recipients (P = 0.028), HLA-A * 0201 recipients were higher pp65 antigenemia than HLA-A * 2402 (P = 0.02), the pp65 antigenemia showed no obvious difference among the rest of high-resolution HLA groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: HLA-DRB1 * 0901 alleles might be correlated with BMT recipients happened higher pp65 antigenemia, HLA-A * 2402 alleles might be correlated with BMT recipients happened lower pp65 antigenemia.