Differentiation of prostate cancer lesions in the Transition Zone by diffusion-weighted MRI

Objective: To differentiate prostate cancer lesions in transition zone by diffusion-weighted-MRI (DW-MRI). Methods: Data from a total of 63 patients who underwent preoperative DWI (b of 0â1000 s/mm2) were prospectively collected and processed by a monoexponential (DWI) model and compared with a biexponential (IVIM) model for quantitation of apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs), perfusion fraction f, diffusivity D and pseudo-diffusivity D*. Histogram analyses were performed by outlining entire-tumor regions of interest (ROIs). These parameters (separately and combined in a logistic regression model) were used to differentiate lesions depending on histopathological analysis of Magnetic Resonance/transrectal Ultrasound (MR/TRUS) fusion-guided biopsy. The diagnostic ability of differentiate the PCa from BHP in TZ was analyzed by ROC regression. Histogram analysis of quantitative parameters and Gleason score were assessed with Spearman correlation. Results: Thirty (30 foci) cases of PCa in PZ and 33 (36 foci) cases of BPH were confirmed by pathology. Mean ADC, median ADC, 10th percentile ADC, 90th percentile ADC, kurtosis and skewness of ADC and mean D values, median D and 90th percentile D differed significantly between PCa and BHP in TZ. The highest classification accuracy was achieved by the mean ADC (0.841) and mean D (0.809). A logistic regression model based on mean ADC and mean D led to an AUC of 0.873, however, the difference is not significant. There were 7 Gleason 6 areas, 9 Gleason 7 areas, 8 Gleason 8 areas, 5 Gleason 9 areas and 2 Gleason 10 areas detected from the 31 prostate cancer areas, the mean Gleason value was(7.5 ± 1.2). The mean ADC and mean D had correlation with Gleason score(r = â0.522 and r = â0.407 respectively, P < 0.05). Conclusion: The diagnosis efficiency of IVIM parameters was not superior to ADC in the diagnosis of PCa in TZ. Moreover, the combination of mean ADC and mean D did not perform better than the parameters alone significantly; It is feasible to stratify the pathological grade of prostate cancer by mean ADC. Keywords: Prostate cancer, Prostate biopsy, DWI, IVIM, MR/TRUS, Transition zon

Mobilization of Cadmium and Arsenic During Anoxic-Oxic Alteration in Paddy Soils: A Vital Role of Manganese

Flooding and drainage of paddy fields can induce the activation of soil cadmium (Cd)/arsenic (As), which will accumulate in rice grains and threaten human health. Mn oxides influence soil Cd and As availability, but few detailed studies have been reported on how Mn redox simultaneously affects Cd and As mobility during flooding and drainage. Two paddy soils with various Mn contents were incubated under three redox conditions, namely 30-d reduction, 30-d oxidation and 20-d reduction subsequent with 10-d oxidation, to investigate Cd and As migration. During reduction, the soil abundant in native Mn oxides possessed more high-valence Mn oxides, which promoted As oxidation and retarded the reductive dissolution of Fe (oxyhydro)oxides, thereby decreasing As mobility. Cd mobility mainly depended on the conversion between Fe-Mn oxides-bound Cd and exchangeable Cd. The high Mn content was conducive to decreasing Cd mobilization. Furthermore, the oxidation of As in soils was linked with a Fenton-like effect. The generated hydroxyl radicals (•OH) decreased with oxidation and the oxidation of Mn(II) by •OH inhibited As migration but promoted Cd activation. In summary, the mobility of Cd and As was lower in Mn rich soils, which may involve the immobilization, oxidation and catalytic effects of Mn oxides. Cd mobility mainly relied on the conversion between Fe-Mn oxides-bound Cd and exchangeable Cd.The redox dependence of Mn played a key role in controlling Cd and As migration in paddy soils.Soils containing higher content of Mn oxides possessed lower mobility of Cd and As.The oxidative effect of •OH on Mn(II) inhibited As mobility but promoted Cd activation. Cd mobility mainly relied on the conversion between Fe-Mn oxides-bound Cd and exchangeable Cd. The redox dependence of Mn played a key role in controlling Cd and As migration in paddy soils. Soils containing higher content of Mn oxides possessed lower mobility of Cd and As. The oxidative effect of •OH on Mn(II) inhibited As mobility but promoted Cd activation.</p

Regulation of Ion Homeostasis for Enhanced Tumor Radio‐Immunotherapy

Abstract Intra/extracellular ion content affects the growth and metastasis of tumor cells, as well as the efficacy of various antitumor therapies. Herein, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (CAI) is loaded onto pH‐responsive calcium carbonate (CaCO3) nanoparticles and then modify theses nanoparticles with liposomes to obtain biocompatible CaCO3/CAI@Lipsome (CCL) for enhance tumor radio‐immunotherapy. CCL can specially decompose in tumor microenvironment, releasing calcium ion (Ca2+) and CAI, as well as increasing the pH value of extracellular fluid. CAI restrains the flow of hydrogen ion (H+) inside and outside the tumor cells, resulting in the reversal of tumor acidic microenvironment and the increase of intracellular H+, both of which can improve the sensitivity of tumor to radiotherapy. Afterward, the increased intracellular H+ together with radiotherapy‐causes reactive oxygen species promotes calcium influx, leading to cellular calcium overload. Moreover, the CCL‐tailored content of H+ and Ca2+ strengthens radiotherapy‐induced immunogenic cell death and dendritic cell maturation, amplifying systemic anti‐tumor adaptive immunity. Meanwhile, macrophages in the CCL‐treated tumors are polarized from pro‐tumor M2 to anti‐tumor M1 under X‐ray exposure, owing to the neutralization of tumor acidic microenvironment and enhances Ca2+ content. Therefore, multi‐directional regulation of the intra/extra tumor cell pH/calcium by simple nano‐preparation would provide a powerful way to improve the efficacy of radio‐immunotherapy