Folic Acid-Conjugated CuFeSe2 Nanoparticles for Targeted T2-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Computed Tomography of Tumors In Vivo.

BACKGROUND: Development of new long-circulating contrast agents for computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of different biological systems still remains a great challenge. Here, we report the synthesis of folic acid (FA)-targeted CuFeSe2 nano-contrast agent for CT and MRI imaging in vitro and in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS: In our study, CuFeSe2 was fabricated through a facile and green aqueous reaction and then further aminated through silanization. The amine-functionalized CuFeSe2-NH2 nanoparticles enable the covalent conjugation of folate-conjugated polyethylene glycol (FA-PEG-COOH) as a targeting ligand onto their surface, which could improve the dispersion and endue the targetability of nanoparticles, respectively. The formed multifunctional CuFeSe2-PEG-FA nanoparticles were characterized via different techniques, which exhibited outstanding dispersion, good biocompatibility and excellent FA-targeted capability. Meanwhile, the nanoparticles were quite safe in the given concentration range as confirmed by in vitro and in vivo toxicity assay. Importantly, CuFeSe2-PEG-FA nanoparticles were successfully applied in CT/MRI dual-modality imaging in vitro and in vivo, which showed a better imaging performance and targeted capability. CONCLUSION: Therefore, the constructed CuFeSe2-PEG-FA nanoparticles have a great potential as an efficient contrast agent for dual-modality imaging of different biological systems.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of metastatic lymph nodes in patients with lung cancer: A meta-analysis.

The aim of the present meta-analysis was to evaluate the diagnostic value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in differentiating metastatic from non-metastatic lymph nodes in patients with lung cancer. A systematic literature search was performed to identify eligible original studies. The quality of included studies was assessed using 'quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies' (QUADAS-2). Meta-analysis was performed to pool sensitivity and specificity, to calculate the positive likelihood ratio (PLR), the negative likelihood ratio (NLR) and the diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and to construct the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve. The homogeneity, threshold effect and publication bias were also investigated. Meta-regression analysis was performed to identify the sources of heterogeneity. A total of 10 studies with 11 datasets met the inclusion criteria, which comprised 796 patients with a total of 2,433 lymph nodes. The pooled diagnostic sensitivity was 0.78 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.74-0.81] and the pooled diagnostic specificity was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.86-0.89). The PLR, NLR, and DOR were 7.11 (95% CI: 4.39-11.52), 0.24 (95% CI: 0.18-0.33), and 31.14 (95% CI: 17.32-55.98), respectively. The area under the SROC curve was 0.90. No publication bias was found (bias=-0.15, P=0.887). Notable heterogeneity was, however, observed, and patient selection, type of lung cancer, number of enrolled lymph nodes, reference standard, B-value and the type of scanner were the sources of heterogeneity (P<0.05). No significant threshold effect was identified (P=0.537). In conclusion, DWI has been revealed to be a valuable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modality, with good diagnostic performance for distinguishing metastatic from non-metastatic lymph nodes in patients with lung cancer. Therefore, DWI may be a useful supplement to conventional MRI techniques.

The role of 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT in the evaluation of primary cutaneous lymphoma.

Primary cutaneous lymphoma (PCL) is the second most common type of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including both cutaneous T-cell and B-cell lymphomas. PCL comprises numerous subtypes and thus has myriad clinical presentations in the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Accurate classification and staging are important for making treatment recommendations for PCL and will further impact patient prognosis significantly. We review the role of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) PET (F-FDG PET) and F-FDG PET with computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis, staging, tumor biological evaluation, treatment response assessment, and early recurrence surveillance of PCL. Although F-FDG PET and PET/CT do not seem to adequately distinguish the plaque, patch, or erythroderma cutaneous lesions of PCL, the imaging modalities are superior to CT, MRI, and other nuclear medicine methods in detecting both the cutaneous and the extracutaneous lesions of PCL. The available literature addressing the clinical role of F-FDG PET and PET/CT in patients with PCL is promising for the use of the modalities in staging, tumor biological evaluation, biopsy guidance, early treatment response assessment, and recurrence surveillance. However, more data are needed to better specify the role of F-FDG PET and PET/CT in the management of PCL.