Brown Adipose Tissue Can Be Activated or Inhibited within an Hour before 18F-FDG Injection: A Preliminary Study with MicroPET

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is emerging as a potential target for treating human obesity. It has been indicated that BAT is rich in innervations of sympathetic nerve control. Using 18F-FDG microPET imaging, this study aims at evaluating how factors related to sympathetic activation/inhibition changed BAT metabolism of mice. BAT 18F-FDG uptake were semiquantitatively evaluated in different groups of mice under temperature (cold or warm stimulus) or pharmacological interventions (norepinephrine, epinephrine, isoprenaline, or propranolol) and were compared with the corresponding controls. It was found that BAT activation can be stimulated by cold exposure (P = 1.96 × 10−4), norepinephrine (P = .002), or both (P = 2.19 × 10−6) within an hour before 18F-FDG injection and can also be alleviated by warming up (P = .001) or propranolol lavage (P = .027). This preliminary study indicated that BAT function could be evaluated by 18F-FDG PET imaging through short-term interventions, which paved the way for further investigation of the relationship between human obesity and BAT dysfunction

68Ga-NOTA-Evans Blue PET/CT findings in lymphangioleiomyomatosis compared with 99mTC-ASC lymphoscintigraphy: a prospective study

Abstract Background Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare multisystem disease characterized by cystic lung disease and extrapulmonary manifestations, including lymphatic system disorder. The objective of this study was to investigate the findings of 68Ga-NOTA-Evans Blue (NEB) PET/CT in LAM and compare it with that of 99mTc-ASC lymphoscintigraphy. Methods Ten patients diagnosed with LAM according to the American Thoracic Society/Japanese Respiratory Society guidelines for LAM were recruited in this study. PET/CT acquisition was performed at 20 to 40 min after subcutaneous injection of 68Ga-NEB into the first interdigital spaces of both feet (0.3 ml, 37 MBq/foot). All subjects also underwent 99mTc-antimony sulfide colloid (ASC) lymphoscintigraphy within a week for comparison. Results 68Ga-NEB PET/CT displayed various lymphatic system abnormalities in 10 (100%) of 10 patients. These included pulmonary lymphatic abnormalities in 10 (100%) of 10 patients, enlarged lymph nodes in 5 (50%), lymphangioleiomyomas in 2 (20%), dilation of the lumbar trunk and/or iliac lymph vessels in 5 (50%), thoracic duct dilation in 2 (20%), chylous effusion in 1 (10%). For pulmonary lymphatic abnormalities, the positive rates of 68Ga-NEB PET/CT and 99mTc-ASC lymphoscintigraphy were 100% (10/10) and 10% (1/10), respectively (P < 0.001). As for the 7 patients with extrapulmonary lymphatic manifestations, 68Ga-NEB PET/CT also presented more information than 99mTc-ASC lymphoscintigraphy. Conclusion 68Ga-NEB PET/CT visualized pulmonary lymphatic abnormality and displayed extrapulmonary lymphatic system disorders of LAM, and might play a role in the diagnosis and evaluation of the disease. 68Ga-NEB PET/CT is advantageous over conventional 99mTc-ASC lymphoscintigraphy in LAM by providing more detailed information of lymphatic dysfunction

Advances in the Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis of Lymphangioleiomyomatosis

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare, multisystemic, low-grade neoplasm character-ized by diffuse cystic lesions in the lung.In recent years, emerging imaging examination such as 68Ga-NEB PET-CT scan provides efficient and precise non-invasive diagnostic methods to detect lymphatic circulation abnormalities in LAM patients. The long-term efficacy and safety of sirolimus for LAM has accumulated further evidence, and genetic profiling studies have unveiled more information of genetic mechanisms. Prognosis of LAM has been much improved. We briefly reviewed the research advances of LAM in China and other countires

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) in Chinese perch Siniperca chuatsi and their circadian rhythm responses to cadmium exposure

Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) function as fatty acid chaperones, and they play a key role in lipid metabolism. The diversity of fabp gene family members is important for different fatty acid absorption and transport. In the present study, we identified 13 fabp genes from Chinese perch (Siniperca chuatsi). The spatiotemporal expression profiles of these 13 Sc-fabp genes, their circadian rhythm expression characteristics in intestine, and transcriptional regulation under cadmium exposure were investigated. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the teleost-specific genome duplication event made a contribution to the expansion of Sc-fabp genes. The protein coding regions of all the 13 Sc-fabp genes were composed of 4 exons. These 13 genes exhibited similar protein length, but a low identity in protein sequences. The tissue expression profiles of most fabp genes in Chinese perch (Sc-fabp2a, Sc-fabp2b, Sc-fabp3, Sc-fabp6a, Sc-fabp7a, and Sc-fabp7b) were consistent with those of their orthologous genes in mammalian, but the Sc-fabp1, Sc-fabp6ba, and Sc-fabp6bb showed distinct tissue expression patterns from their orthologous genes in mammalian. The total expression level of Sc-fabps was increased with embryonic development, but it was decreased significantly after hatching. Sc-fabp1, Sc-fabp3, Sc-fabp11a, and Sc-fabp11b were the mainly expressed subtypes in embryonic development stages. Under natural conditions, the expression of these 4 subtypes Sc-fabp1, Sc-fabp2a, Sc-fabp2b, and Sc-fabp6a exhibited significant circadian rhythm in intestine, and their peak expression levels were observed from ZT 8.83 h to ZT 13.54 h. Cadmium exposure resulted in the up-regulation of fabp gene expression and the loss of circadian rhythm in Chinese perch intestine. Our results provide reference for further investigation of the biological functions of fabp gene subtypes in fish

Middle-class Chinese parental expectations for their children's education

Of family variables contributing to children's school achievement, parent expectation was singled out by researchers to be the most salient and powerful force. Existing literatures have reported that Chinese parents overseas highly expect for their children's education, and actively involve themselves in associated activities. Based on information collected from 322 questionnaire survey and 30 face-to-face interviews with parents, this research attempted to investigate what expectations Chinese parents in Mainland China have for their children's education, and how to understand their educational expectations for their children, then to add in-depth understandings of Chinese parent involvement into the growing literature

Is response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) effective in patient selection for radical resection after neoadjuvant immunotherapy with advanced NSCLC?

Abstract Background Neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy has been used to treat locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Several systems have been developed for response evaluation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) and propose modified RECIST (mRECIST). Methods Eligible patients received chemotherapy combined with personalized neoadjuvant immunotherapy. Radical resection was subsequently performed for potentially resectable tumors evaluated by RECIST. The resected specimens were evaluated to determine the response to neoadjuvant therapy. Results A total of 59 patients received radical resection following neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy. According to RECIST, four patients had complete remission, 41 had partial remission, and 14 had progressive disease. Postoperative pathological examination showed 31 patients achieved complete pathological remission, and 13 achieved major pathological remission. The final pathological results were uncorrelated with RECIST assessment (p = 0.086). The ycN stage and pN stage were irrelevant (p < 0.001). When the cutoff of sum of diameters (SoD) is 17%, the Youden's index reached its highest value. A correlation was found between mRECIST and final pathological results. Patients with squamous cell lung cancer showed higher proportions in objective response (OR) (p < 0.001) and complete pathological remission (CPR) (p = 0.001). A shorter time to surgery (TTS) was correlated with a better OR (p = 0.014) and CPR (p = 0.010). The decrease in SoD was correlated with better OR (p = 0.008) and CPR (p = 0.002). Conclusions mRECIST was effective for patient selection for radical resection after neoadjuvant immunotherapy with advanced NSCLC. Two modifications were suggested for RECIST: (1) the cutoff value was adjusted to 17% for partial remission. (2) Changes in lymph nodes on computed tomography were eliminated. A shorter TTS, a larger decrease in SoD and squamous cell lung cancer (vs. adenocarcinoma) were correlated with better pathological responses