Advantages of CT nano-contrast agent in tumor diagnosis: A retrospective study.

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this retrospective study was to explore the advantages of computed tomography (CT) nano-contrast agent in tumor diagnosis.A total of 100 patients with malignant tumor who were diagnosed in Shaanxi Province Public Hospital between January 2018 and January 2019 were included in this retrospective study. They were randomly divided into observation and control groups with 50 patients in each group. The patients in the observation group used new type of nano-contrast agent for examination, and the patients in the control group used traditional iohexol contrast agent for examination. The detection rate, misdiagnosis rate, and incidence of adverse reactions were observed. In addition, single photon emission computed tomography or CT scan was performed on patients to observe the radioactive concentration.The detection rate was 100% in the observation group and 84% in the control group, and the difference between the 2 groups was statistically significant (χ2 = 8.763, P = .001). The incidence of adverse reactions was 2% in the observation group and 30% in the control group, and the difference between the 2 groups was significantly different (χ2 = 12.683, P = .000). The radioactive concentration in the observation group was markedly higher than that in the control group (t = 19.692, P = .001).The use of CT nano-contrast agent in tumor diagnosis had higher detection rate of tumor and radioactive concentration, and it had lower misdiagnosis rate and adverse reaction rate than traditional iohexol contrast agent.

Interhemispheric resting-state functional connectivity abnormalities in type 2 diabetes patients.

BACKGROUND: There has been a considerable focus on the changes of functional connections between brain regions in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by previous resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) studies. However, little is known about the function of brain information integration between the two hemispheres of the brain. This study explores differences in interhemispheric coordination between T2DM patients and normal control (NC) subjects using the voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) method. We also assess whether differences in VMHC were relevant to cognitive dysfunction in T2DM patients. METHODS: Sixty-nine T2DM patients and 69 NC subjects were enrolled (matched for age, sex and education level). All participants underwent cognitive assessments. VMHC between brain regions was obtained by rs-fMRI analysis. Partial correlation analysis (after controlling for age, sex and education level) was used to explore the correlation between VMHC value and neuropsychological tests. RESULTS: Compared with NC subjects, T2DM patients exhibited significantly lower VMHC in the medial orbitofrontal gyrus cortex (mOFC), anterior cingulate gyrus, inferior parietal lobe, superior and middle temporal gyrus (MTG), middle occipital gyrus, and superior occipital gyrus. Moreover, after applying Bonferroni correction, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score and VMHC value for the MTG were significantly positively correlated in T2DM patients. In contrast, T2DM patients exhibited higher VMHC in the cerebellum posterior lobe and tonsil and inferior temporal gyrus than the NCs. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that functional coordination between homotopic brain regions is generally impaired in T2DM patients. In brain regions with decreased VMHC in the default mode network (DMN), MTG impairment could serve as a critical node for T2DM-related cognitive dysfunction. Furthermore, the increased VMHC observed in the cerebellum and inferior temporal gyrus might indicate a functional coordination mechanism.

[Relationship between Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Gene Polymorphism and Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque: A Study Based on Vessel Wall Magnetic Resonance Imaging].

Objective To investigate the relationship between angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE) gene polymorphism and carotid plaque composition,vessel wall morphology,and clinical symptoms based on vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging. Methods Totally 75 hypertensive patients(75 internal carotid artery plaques) with maximum plaque thickness≥1.5 mm,according to the ACE insertion(I) or deletion(D) gene polymorphism,were divided into ACE 2 genotype group(n=37) and ACE ID/DD genotype group(n=38). The influences of plaque composition,vessel wall morphology,clinical symptoms,and use of ACE inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker(ACEI/ARB) on vessel wall morphology were analyzed. Results Compared with ACE 2 genotype group,the ACE ID/DD genotype group had significantly higher incidence of ischemic stroke(Χ2=3.921,P=0.048). The plaque composition and vessel wall morphology showed no significant difference between these two groups. Inside ACE ID/DD genotype group,the carotid remodeling index was significantly lower in users of ACEI/ARB than non-users of ACEI/ARB(1.85±0.60 vs. 2.48±0.40;t=3.854,P=0.001).Conclusion In primary hypertension,ACE ID/DD genotype may be associated with carotid atherosclerotic plaque.

A MicroRNA Expression Signature In Taxane-anthracycline-Based Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Response.

There is an unmet clinical need to identify biomarkers for breast cancer neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Here, using miRNA TaqMan Low-Density Arrays (TLDA), we analyzed the miRNA expression profile in pre-treatment needle aspiration tumor samples from patients who received taxane-anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Although, in an unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis, the total miRNA expression profile could not generate a tree with clear distinction between pathologic complete response (pCR) and non-pCR classes, we found that elevated expression of miR-125b and miR-141 was associated with non-pCR. In vitro experiments indicated that inhibition of miR-125b and miR-141 expression reduced cellular survival in response to taxane-anthracycline treatment. Furthermore, co-transfection with miR-125b and miR-141 mimics increased resistance of MCF7 and BT549 cells to taxane-anthracycline induced cytotoxicity. Pathway analyses indicated that many of the target proteins of miR-125b are involved in apoptotic pathways and cell cycle control. Together, we provide evidence that elevated miR-125b and 141 expression predicts a poor clinical responsiveness of taxane-anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Absence of caveolin-1 expression in carcinoma-associated fibroblasts of invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast predicts poor patient outcome.

Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) expression in stromal carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) has been associated with tumor progression and clinical outcome. This study was undertaken to assess its prognostic significance in invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast (IMPC), a tumor with abundant stromal CAFs and a high tendency for nodal metastasis and poor outcome. Cav-1 expression was studied by immunohistochemistry in a group of 86 cases of IMPC along with a control group of 105 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma, not otherwise specified (IDC-NOS). Our results indicate that absence of Cav-1 expression in CAFs of IMPC is more common than in IDC-NOS (57 %, 49/86 vs. 36 %, 38/105). The absence of expression was associated with larger tumor size and higher lymph node stage (P < 0.05) of IMPC. Univariate analysis suggested absence of Cav-1 in CAFs to be a candidate independent predictor of reduced progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 3.945, 95 % CI = 1.717-9.063, P = 0.001), which was confirmed by multivariable analysis (P = 0.018). In patients with IMPC spreading to local lymph nodes, loss of stromal Cav-1 predicted a fourfold increase in risk for shortened PFS. In contrast, no significant difference of tumor epithelial Cav-1 expression was found between IMPC and IDC-NOS, and the expression of tumor Cav-1 was not significantly associated with the prognosis of patients with IMPC. Absence of Cav-1 expression in CAFs is a strong prognostic factor for IMPC patients, and it may further subgroup the patients with lymph node metastasis to guide clinical management.

PI3K expression and PIK3CA mutations are related to colorectal cancer metastases.

AIM: To assess the significance of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) in colorectal cancer (CRC) and toxicity of LY294002 in CRC cells with different metastatic abilities. METHODS: Sixty formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded CRC tumor specimens were investigated. Adjacent normal colonic mucosa specimens from 10 of these cases were selected as controls. PI3K protein was detected by immunohistochemistry and PIK3CA mutations were investigated by gene sequencing analysis. A flow-cytometry-based apoptosis detection kit was used to determine PI3K inhibitor-induced apoptosis in CRC cell lines SW480 and SW620. Expression of phosphorylated protein kinase B in CRC cell lines was detected by Western blotting. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the proportion of primary lesions (30%, 18/60) vs metastatic lesions (46.7%, 28/60) that were positive for PI3K (P < 0.05). Mutations were detected in exon 9 (13.3%) and exon 20 (8.3%). Out of 60 cases, seven mutations were identified: two hotspot mutations, C.1633G>A resulting in E545A, and C.3140A>G resulting in H1047R; two novel missense mutations C.1624G>A and C.3079G>A; and three synonymous mutations (C.1641G>A, C.1581C>T and C.3027T>A). Exposure of SW480 cells to PI3K inhibitor for 48 h resulted in a significant increase of apoptotic cells in a dose-dependent manner [3.2% apoptotic cells in 0 µmol/L, 4.3% in 5 µmol/L, 6.3% in 10 µmol/L (P < 0.05), and 6.7% in 20 µmol/L (P < 0.05)]. Moreover, PI3K inhibitor induced a similar significant increase of apoptotic cells in the SW620 cell line for 48 h [3.3% apoptotic cells in 0 µmol/L, 13.3% in 5 µmol/L (P < 0.01), 19.2% in 10 µmol/L (P < 0.01), and 21.3% in 20 µmol/L (P < 0.01)]. CONCLUSION: High PI3K expression is associated with CRC metastasis. PI3K inhibitor induced apoptosis in CRC cells and displayed strong cytotoxicity for highly metastatic cells. PI3K inhibition may be an effective treatment for CRC.

Rapid quantitation of lamivudine-resistant mutants in lamivudine treated and untreated patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

BACKGROUND: Long-term lamivudine treatment induces emergence of lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV) in a significant number of patients with chronic HBV infection. Rapid and quantitative methods to determine the percentage of lamivudine-resistant mutants in total HBV are important during lamivudine therapy. METHODS: We established a quantitative real-time PCR method with selective primers and TaqMan probe to detect the percentage of lamivudine-resistant mutants in total HBV without the need of external DNA standards. This percentage was calculated as the PCR efficiency raised to the differences between threshold cycle number (DeltaCt) of mutant and control reactions. Clones of the HBV polymerase gene containing the different YMDD variants were diluted in series and tested. Serum samples from 145 lamivudine-treated and 98 untreated patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection were analyzed using this method and compared with DNA sequencing. RESULTS: As little as 0.1% mutant plasmids in 10(6)-10(9) copies/ml of wild-type plasmids were detected. Among the 145 patients treated with lamivudine, 42 of them had mutants with percentages of 5-100%. In six discordant results between real-time PCR and DNA sequencing, real-time PCR detected mutants with percentages of 5-20%, which were concordant with subclone sequencing. Five of 98 lamividine-untreated patients had mutants of 10-20% in wild-type virus populations. Compared to DNA sequencing, real-time PCR was fast and cost-effective. CONCLUSION: This real-time PCR is a rapid, sensitive and cost-effective method for relative quantitation of YMDD mutants of HBV.

Detection of YMDD mutants using universal template real-time PCR.

AIM: To establish a rapid and accurate method for the detection of lamivudine-resistant mutations in hepatitis B virus and monitor of lamivudine resistance during lamivudine treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. METHODS: We established a real-time PCR method using a universal template and TaqMan probe to detect YMDD mutants. Variants of YVDD and YIDD were tested by individual reactions (reaction V and reaction I) and total hepatitis B viruses were detected in another reaction for control (reaction C). Results were determined by deltaCt < 3.5 (deltaCt = Ct of reaction V or I - Ct of reaction C). Clones of the HBV polymerase gene containing different YMDD mutations were tested. Serum samples from 163 lamivudine-treated patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection were detected using this method and the results were confirmed by DNA sequencing. RESULTS: As many as 1000 copies per milliliter of wide-type plasmid were detected and nonspecific priming was excluded. In the 163 samples from patients treated with lamivudine, lamivudine-resistant mutations were detected in 51 samples. CONCLUSION: This universal real-time PCR is a rapid and accurate method for quantification of YMDD mutants of HBV virus in lamivudine-treated patients and can be used to monitor lamivudine-resistant mutations before and during lamivudine therapy.

[Relationship between condylar marrow signal abnormalities and temporomandibular joint pain].

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between condylar marrow signal abnormalities and joint pain. METHODS: Oblique sagittal T1 and T2 weighted MR imaging at closed mouth was obtained from 88 joints of 44 patients who complained of unilateral TMJ pain. The condylar marrow signal of pain-free side served as self-control. All patients rated their pain levels by a visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: Of 44 painful joints, 11(25% joints showed condylar marrow signal abnormalities, all of which were edema pattern. While there had condylar marrow signal abnormalities only in 2 (4.5%) of 44 pain-free TMJs. There was significant correlation between joint pain and condylar marrow signal abnormalities (P<0.01). The VAS score of patients with and without condylar marrow signal abnormalities was respectively 39.5+/-27.5 and 42.6+/-21.9, There was no correlation between them (P=0.696). CONCLUSION: Temporomandibular joint pain is closely correlated with condylar marrow signal abnormalities, but the pain degree has no association with it.