Synthesis and Evaluation of [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-HFn for PET Imaging of Transferrin Receptor 1 Expression in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

As recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common cause of death among patients with NPC, there is an urgent clinical need for the development of precision diagnosis to guide personalized treatment. Recent emerging evidence substantiates the increased expression of transferrin receptor 1 (also known as cluster of differentiation 71, CD71) within tumor tissues and the inherent targeting capability of natural heavy-chain ferritin (HFn) toward CD71. This study aimed to synthesize and assess a radiotracer ([64Cu]Cu-NOTA-HFn) designed to target CD71 for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in an NPC tumor-bearing mouse model. The entire radiolabeling process of [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-HFn was completed within 15 min with high yield (>98.5%) and high molar activity (72.96 ± 21.33 GBq/µmol). The in vitro solubility and stability experiments indicated that [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-HFn had a high water solubility (log P = -2.42 ± 0.52, n = 6) and good stability in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) for up to 48 h. The cell saturation binding assay indicated that [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-HFn had a nanomolar affinity (Kd = 10.9 ± 6.1 nM) for CD71-overexpressing C666-1 cells. To test the target engagement in vivo, prolonged-time PET imaging was performed at 1, 6, 12, 24, and 36 h postinjection (p.i.) of [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-HFn to C666-1 NPC tumor-bearing mice. The C666-1 tumors could be visualized by [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-HFn and blocked by nonradiolabeled HFn. PET imaging quantitative analysis demonstrated that the uptake of [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-HFn in C666-1 tumors peaked at 6 h p.i. and the best radioactive tumor-to-muscle ratio was 10.53 ± 3.11 (n = 3). Ex vivo biodistribution assay at 6 h p.i. showed that the tumor uptakes were 1.43 ± 0.23%ID/g in the nonblock group and 0.92 ± 0.2%ID/g in the block group (n = 3, p < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining confirmed positive expression of CD71 and the uptake of HFn in C666-1 tumor tissues. In conclusion, our experiments demonstrated that [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-HFn possesses a very high target engagement for CD71-positive NPC tumors and provided a fundamental basis for further clinical translation.

Comparative Effectiveness of MRI, 4D-CT and Ultrasonography in Patients with Secondary Hyperparathyroidism.

Objective: Accurate preoperative localization of abnormal parathyroid glands is crucial for successful surgical management of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of preoperative MRI, 4D-CT, and ultrasonography (US) in localizing parathyroid lesions in patients with SHPT. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of prospectively collected data from a tertiary-care hospital and identified 52 patients who received preoperative MRI and/or 4D-CT and/or US and/or 99mTc-MIBI and subsequently underwent surgery for SHPT between May 2013 and March 2020. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of each imaging modality to accurately detect enlarged parathyroid glands were determined using histopathology as the criterion standard with confirmation using the postoperative biochemical response. Results: A total of 198 lesions were identified intraoperatively among the 52 patients included in this investigation. MRI outperformed 4D-CT and US in terms of sensitivity (P < 0.01), specificity (P = 0.455), PPV (P = 0.753), and NPV (P = 0.185). The sensitivity and specificity for MRI, 4D-CT, and US were 90.91%, 88.95%, and 66.23% and 58.33%, 63.64%, and 50.00%, respectively. The PPV of combined MRI and 4D-CT (96.52%) was the highest among the combined 2 modalities. The smallest diameter of the parathyroid gland precisely localized by MRI was 8×3 mm, 5×5 mm by 4D-CT, and 5×3 mm by US. Conclusion: MRI has superior diagnostic performance compared with other modalities as a first-line imaging study for patients undergoing renal hyperparathyroidism, especially for ectopic or small parathyroid lesions. We suggest performing US first for diagnosis and then MRI to make a precise localization, and MRI proved to be very helpful in achieving a high success rate in the surgical treatment of renal hyperparathyroidism in our own experience.

Reactivation of PPARα alleviates myocardial lipid accumulation and cardiac dysfunction by improving fatty acid ß-oxidation in Dsg2-deficient arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), a fatal heart disease characterized by fibroadipocytic replacement of cardiac myocytes, accounts for 20% of sudden cardiac death and lacks effective treatment. It is often caused by mutations in desmosome proteins, with Desmoglein-2 (DSG2) mutations as a common etiology. However, the mechanism underlying the accumulation of fibrofatty in ACM remains unknown, which impedes the development of curative treatment. Here we investigated the fat accumulation and the underlying mechanism in a mouse model of ACM induced by cardiac-specific knockout of Dsg2 (CS-Dsg2 -/-). Heart failure and cardiac lipid accumulation were observed in CS-Dsg2 -/- mice. We demonstrated that these phenotypes were caused by decline of fatty acid (FA) ß-oxidation resulted from impaired mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling. Rapamycin worsened while overexpression of mTOR and 4EBP1 rescued the FA ß-oxidation pathway in CS-Dsg2 -/- mice. Reactivation of PPARα by fenofibrate or AAV9-Pparα significantly alleviated the lipid accumulation and restored cardiac function. Our results suggest that impaired mTOR-4EBP1-PPARα-dependent FA ß-oxidation contributes to myocardial lipid accumulation in ACM and PPARα may be a potential target for curative treatment of ACM.

A Positron Emission Tomography Tracer Targeting the S2 Subunit of SARS-CoV-2 in Extrapulmonary Infections.

Tracking the pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in live subjects may help estimate the spatiotemporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vivo. This study developed a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer of the S2 subunit of spike (S) protein for imaging SARS-CoV-2. A pan-coronavirus inhibitor, EK1 peptide, was synthesized and radiolabeled with copper-64 after being conjugated with 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triyl-triacetic acid (NOTA). The in vitro stability tests indicated that [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-EK1 was stable up to 24 h both in saline and in human serum. The binding assay showed that [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-EK1 has a nanomolar affinity (Ki = 3.94 ± 0.51 nM) with the S-protein of SARS-CoV-2. The cell uptake evaluation used HEK293T/S+ and HEK293T/S- cell lines that showed that the tracer has a high affinity with the S-protein on the cellular level. For the in vivo study, we tested [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-EK1 in HEK293T/S+ cell xenograft-bearing mice (n = 3) and pseudovirus of SARS-CoV-2-infected HEK293T/ACE2 cell bearing mice (n = 3). The best radioactive xenograft-to-muscle ratio (X/Nxenograft 8.04 ± 0.99, X/Npseudovirus 6.47 ± 0.71) was most evident 4 h postinjection. Finally, PET imaging in the surrogate mouse model of beta-coronavirus, mouse hepatic virus-A59 infection in C57BL/6 J mice showed significantly enhanced accumulation in the liver than in the uninfected mice (1.626 ± 0.136 vs 0.871 ± 0.086 %ID/g, n = 3, P < 0.05) at 4 h postinjection. In conclusion, our experimental results demonstrate that [64Cu]Cu-NOTA-EK1 is a potential molecular imaging probe for tracking SARS-CoV-2 in extrapulmonary infections in living subjects.

Application of Dynamic 18F-FDG PET/CT for Distinguishing Intrapulmonary Metastases from Synchronous Multiple Primary Lung Cancer.

It has been a big challenge to distinguish synchronous multiple primary lung cancer (sMPLC) from primary lung cancer with intrapulmonary metastases (IPM). We aimed to assess the clinical application of dynamic 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with multiple lung cancer nodules. We enrolled patients with multiple pulmonary nodules who had undergone dynamic 18F-FDG PET/CT and divided them into sMPLC and IPM groups based on comprehensive features. The SUVmax, fitted K i value based on dynamic scanning, and corresponding maximum diameter (D max) from the two largest tumors were determined in each patient. We determined the absolute between-tumor difference of SUVmax/D max and K i /D max (ΔSUVmax/D max; ΔK i /D max) and assessed the between-group differences. Further, the diagnostic accuracy was evaluated by ROC analysis and the correlation between ΔSUVmax/D max and ΔK i /Dmax from all groups was determined. There was no significant difference for ΔSUVmax/D max between the IPM and sMPLC groups, while the IPM group had a significantly higher ΔK i /Dmax than the sMPLC group. The AUC of ΔK i /D max for differentiating sMPLC from IPM was 0.80 (cut-off value of K i = 0.0059, sensitivity 79%, specificity 75%, p < 0.001). There was a good correlation (Pearson r = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.79-0.96, p < 0.0001) between ΔSUVmax/D max and ΔK i /D max in the IPM group but not in the sMPLC group (Pearson r = 0.45, p > 0.05). Dynamic 18F-FDG PET/CT could be a useful tool for distinguishing sMPLC from IPM. K i calculation based on Patlak graphic analysis could be more sensitive than SUVmax in discriminating IPM from sMPLC in patients with multiple lung cancer nodules.

SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin attenuates cardiac fibrosis and inflammation by reverting the HIF-2α signaling pathway in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

Excessive cardiac fibrosis and inflammation aberrantly contribute to the progressive pathogenesis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM). Whether sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i), as a new hypoglycemic drug, benefits ACM remains unclear. Cardiomyocyte-specific Dsg2 exon-11 knockout and wild-type (WT) littermate mice were used as the animal model of ACM and controls, respectively. Mice were administered by gavage with either SGLT2i dapagliflozin (DAPA, 1 mg/kg/day) or vehicle alone for 8 weeks. HL-1 cells were treated with DAPA to identify the molecular mechanism in vitro. All mice presented normal glucose homeostasis. DAPA not only significantly ameliorated cardiac dysfunction, adverse remodeling, and ventricular dilation in ACM but also attenuated ACM-associated cardiac fibrofatty replacement, as demonstrated by the echocardiography and histopathological examination. The protein expressions of HIF-2α and HIF-1α were decreased and increased respectively in cardiac tissue of ACM, which were compromised after DAPA treatment. Additionally, NF-κB P65 and IκB phosphorylation, as well as fibrosis indicators (including TGF-ß, α-SMA, Collagen I, and Collagen III) were increased in ACM. However, these trends were markedly suppressed by DAPA treatment. Consistent with these results in vitro, DAPA alleviated the IκB phosphorylation and NF-κB p65 transcriptional activity in DSG2-knockdown HL-1 cells. Interestingly, the elective HIF-2α inhibitor PT2399 almost completely blunted the DAPA-mediated downregulation of indicators concerning cardiac fibrosis and inflammation. SGLT2i attenuated the ACM-associated cardiac dysfunction and adverse remodeling in a glucose-independent manner by suppressing cardiac fibrosis and inflammation via reverting the HIF-2α signaling pathway, suggesting that SGLT2i is a novel and available therapy for ACM.

Loss-of-function Mutations K11E or E271K Lead to Novel Tumor Suppression, Implicate Nucleolar Helicase DDX24 Oncogenicity.

Purpose: Mutations (K11E or E271K) of DEAD-box RNA helicase 24 (DDX24) were related to multi-organ venous lymphatic malformation syndrome (MOVLD). However, the relationship between these mutations and DDX24-function still remains unknown. Understanding whether K11E and E271K cause "loss-of-function" or "gain-of-function" for DDX24 is significant for related diseases. DDX24 was reported to be related to tumors closely, thus this study aims to explore how K11E and E271K affect DDX24-function in tumor proliferation. Methods: Cell lines stably expressing wild-type DDX24, K11E-DDX24, E271K-DDX24, along with vector only based on Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) and Balb/c tumor-bearing mice models were constructed. Then immunofluorescence staining, proliferation assay and colony formation assay in vitro and 18F-FDG PET/CT-scan were performed. Finally, the tumor tissues were collected to perform transcriptome sequencing to predict the potential mechanism. Results: Contrasted with CHO-WT-DDX24, CHO-K11E-DDX24 or CHO-E271K-DDX24 showed a decreased number of nucleoli, a slower proliferation rate and a lower colony formation rate significantly. Moreover, mice, inoculated with CHO-K11E-DDX24 or CHO-E271K-DDX24 cells, showed lower tumor formation rate, slower tumor growth rate, better prognosis, reduced standard uptake value and Ki of glucose in subcutaneous tumors. Sequencing indicated CHO-K11E-DDX24 or CHO-E271K-DDX24 caused increasing expression of TNF or chemokines and alteration in immune-related signal pathways. Conclusion: K11E or E271K mutation could lead to "loss-of-function" of DDX24 in cell proliferation and tumor bearing mice, which may be acted by non-specific immune killing to inhibit tumor growth.

Digenic heterozygous mutations of KCNH2 and SCN5A induced young and early-onset long QT syndrome and sinoatrial node dysfunction.

INTRODUCTION: Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a life-threatening inherited channelopathy, and prolonged QT intervals easily trigger malignant arrhythmias, especially torsades de pointes and ventricular fibrillation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The proband with overlapped phenotypes of LQTS and sinoatrial node dysfunction underwent some necessary examinations, including echocardiography, electrocardiogram (ECG), and Holter monitoring. Next, whole-exome sequencing was performed, and candidate genes were validated by Sanger sequencing. RNA secondary structure and protein physical-chemical parameter analyses were used to predict the possible structural change of the proteins induced by the mutations. RESULTS: We identified the digenic heterozygous mutations of KCNH2 p.307_308del (NM_001204798, c.921_923del) and SCN5A p.R1865H (NM_001160160, c.G5594A) in the female and young proband (II: 1) of LQTS and ventricular fibrillation with repeat syncope at rest. Subsequently, she occurred with obvious sinus arrest with persistent ventricular pacing of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. The heterozygous SCN5Ap.R1865H was carried by her father and sister but not carried by I:2. II:1 carried with KCNH2 p.307_308del as a de novo mutation, but not existed in other family members. RNA secondary structure of KCNH2 p.307_308del showed a false regional double helix, and its amino acids' hydrophobicity was significantly weakened. For the Nav 1.5 protein property, SCN5A p.R1865H slightly increased the molecular weight and aliphatic index but reduced the instability index. CONCLUSIONS: The digenic heterozygous KCNH2 and SCN5A mutations were associated with young early-onset long QT syndrome and sinoatrial node dysfunction.

Transcription factor CDX2 up-regulates proto-oncogenic miR-744 via a promoter activation mechanism in non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: The role of caudal-related homeobox 2 (CDX2) in the pathogenesis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mRNA (message RNA) expression of CDX2 in NSCLC, and to determine its relationship with miR-744 (microRNA744) and its potential as a biomarker of NSCLC. METHODS: MiR-744 is overexpressed in A549, H460, and H1299 cell lines. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression. A chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) essay was performed to determine the CDX2 binding sites. We then conducted a luciferase reporter essay to analyze interaction between MiR-744 and 3'UTRs (the 3' untranslated sequences). The migration and Boyden chamber method were used to study cell mobility. RESULTS: In this study, we found that ectopic CDX2 increased the expression of miR-744, while the attenuation of CDX2 reduced the expression of miR-744 by qRT-PCR. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed that CDX2 directly binds to the promoter of miR-744. The luciferase reporter assay further verified the binding sites of -347 to -358 bp in the most likely promoter like sequence of miR-744. CDX2-induced up-regulation of miR-744 can significantly promote the migration and invasion of NSCLC cells, while overexpression CDX2 is sufficient to rescue the migration and invasion capacity of these cells following knockdown of miR-744. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, our results confirmed for the first time the regulatory mechanism of CDX2 on miR-744 transcription and provided a potential mechanism for CDX2 as an oncogene in lung cancer.

Overlap phenotypes of the left ventricular noncompaction and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with complex arrhythmias and heart failure induced by the novel truncated DSC2 mutation.

BACKGROUND: The left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) is a rare subtype of cardiomyopathy associated with a high risk of heart failure (HF), thromboembolism, arrhythmia, and sudden cardiac death. METHODS: The proband with overlap phenotypes of LVNC and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) complicates atrial fibrillation (AF), ventricular tachycardia (VT), and HF due to the diffuse myocardial lesion, which were diagnosed by electrocardiogram, echocardiogram and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Peripheral blood was collected from the proband and his relatives. DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of proband for high-throughput target capture sequencing. The Sanger sequence verified the variants. The protein was extracted from the skin of the proband and healthy volunteer. The expression difference of desmocollin2 was detected by Western blot. RESULTS: The novel heterozygous truncated mutation (p.K47Rfs*2) of the DSC2 gene encoding an important component of desmosomes was detected by targeted capture sequencing. The western blots showed that the expressing level of functional desmocollin2 protein (~ 94kd) was lower in the proband than that in the healthy volunteer, indicating that DSC2 p.K47Rfs*2 obviously reduced the functional desmocollin2 protein expression in the proband. CONCLUSION: The heterozygous DSC2 p.K47Rfs*2 remarkably and abnormally reduced the functional desmocollin2 expression, which may potentially induce the overlap phenotypes of LVNC and HCM, complicating AF, VT, and HF.

Young and early-onset dilated cardiomyopathy with malignant ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death induced by the heterozygous LDB3, MYH6, and SYNE1 missense mutations.

BACKGROUND: The whole exome sequencing (WES) with targeted gene analysis is an effective diagnostic tool for cardiomyopathy. The early-onset sudden cardiac death (SCD) was commonly associated with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) induced by pathogenic genetic mutations. METHODS: In a Chinese Han family, the patient of 24 years old occurred with early-onset and DCM and died of SCD associated with ICD storms induced by repetitive ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/F). Genomic DNA samples of peripheral blood were conducted for WES and Sanger sequence. Then, we performed bioinformatics analysis for 200 genes susceptible to cardiomyopathies and arrhythmias. Further, we analyzed how the potential pathogenic mutations affecting the secondary structure, hydrophobicity, and phosphorylation of amino acids, protein properties, and their joint pathogenicity by ProtParam, SOPMA, and ORVAL algorisms. The protein-protein interaction was analyzed by STRING algorism. RESULTS: The mutations of LDB3 p.M456R, MYH6 p.S180Y, and SYNE1 p.S4607F were identified as "Damaging/Deleterious." The SYNE1 (p.S4607F) increased one of alpha helix and decreased one of beta sheet. The LDB3 (p.M456R) reduced one of beta sheet and increased one of beta turn. The MYH6 (p.S180Y) decreased two of beta sheets and four of beta turns, but significantly increased twelve coils. The hydrophobicity of amino acid residues and their adjacent sequences were decreased by LDB3 (p.M456R) and MYH6 (p.S180Y), and significantly increased by SYNE1 (p.S4607F). The mutations of LDB3 (p.M456R), SYNE1 (p.S4607F), and MYH6 (p.S180Y) resulted in the phosphorylation changes of the corresponding amino acid sites or the nearby amino acid sites. The pairwise combinations of LDB3, MYH6, and SYNE1 mutations have the high probability of causing disease, especially the highest probability for SYNE1 and LDB3 mutations. There was obviously indirect interaction of the proteins encoded by SYNE1, LDB3, and MYH6. CONCLUSIONS: The multiple heterozygous mutations of SYNE1, LDB3, and MYH6 may be associated with young and early-onset of DCM and SCD.

The clinical value of bedside ultrasound in predicting the severity of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19).

BACKGROUND: To summarise the ultrasound manifestations of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) patients with lung lesions and explore the clinical value of bedside ultrasound in the identification of patients at risk of progression to severe disease. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled 31 patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to our hospital from January 18 to February 5, 2020. Lung ultrasounds were performed in all cases to evaluate the ultrasound manifestations of the patient's lung lesions and to determine the lung ultrasound scores (LUS). The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used for the multifactor analysis of 7 candidate parameters, including the LUS and the oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive value of the LUS. RESULTS: Lung ultrasound images of COVID-19 patients mainly reflected the presence of interstitial pulmonary lesions (90.3%, 28/31). The lung lesions were primarily distributed in the subpleural and peripheral pulmonary zones. Multivariate analyses identified the oxygenation index, the LUS, and the lymphocyte count as factors related to the progression to severe-critical disease in COVID-19 patients (P<0.05). With a cut-off value of 9.5, the area under the ROC curve was 0.910. The LUS showed a sensitivity and specificity of 81.3% and 93.0%, respectively (P≤0.001), with an overall accuracy of 75%. CONCLUSIONS: The lung ultrasound findings in COVID-19 patients were mainly and specifically manifested as interstitial lesions involving the peripheral zones of the lung. In addition, ultrasound imaging could predict the likelihood of COVID-19 patients progressing to severe disease, thereby allowing for early intervention. Thus, lung ultrasounds have great clinical value in monitoring and evaluating COVID-19 patients.

Association between Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Bone Mineral Density in HIV-Infected Patients Receiving Long-term TDF-Based Antiretroviral Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Tenofovir (TDF) has a detrimental effect on bone mineral density (BMD), while nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with a lower BMD. OBJECTIVE: To help understand the mutual effects of NAFLD and TDF on BMD, this study was designed to explore the potential association between NAFLD and BMD in HIV-infected patients receiving long-term TDF-based antiretroviral therapy (ART). METHODS: A total of 89 HIV-infected patients who received TDF-based ART for more than three years were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. We measured BMD using an ultrasonic bone density apparatus, and liver ultrasonography was performed to determine the severity of the fatty liver. The association of NAFLD with BMD was examined using multiple logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Patients with NAFLD showed a worse BMD status than those without NAFLD. The incidence rates of osteopenia (42.86% versus 25.93%) and osteoporosis (17.14% versus 3.70%) were significantly higher in HIV-infected patients with NAFLD than in those without NAFLD. After multivariate adjustment, the odds ratio (OR) for patients with NAFLD exhibiting a worse BMD status compared with those without NAFLD was 4.49 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.42, 14.15). CONCLUSION: Based on our results, NAFLD was significantly associated with a worse BMD status, including osteopenia and osteoporosis, in HIV patients after receiving long-term TDF-based ART. Furthermore, we may want to avoid using TDF for ART in HIV-infected patients with NAFLD.

Metformin and oxyphotodynamic therapy as a novel treatment approach for triple-negative breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Treatment for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains a significant challenge due to a lack of targeted therapies. While photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been utilized as a treatment approach for several types of cancer, oxyphotodynamic therapy (OPDT) is a novel method that improves treatment efficacy by increasing local oxygen concentration. Metformin (MET) has been demonstrated utility as an anti-tumor agent by acting through the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway. We hypothesized that MET in combination with heme, a byproduct of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), may increase cytotoxicity for cancer treatment. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic effect of MET and ALA with PDT or OPDT on TNBC tumorigenic cells. METHODS: The treatment efficacy and phototoxicity of PDT or OPDT were determined using a cell viability assay. PDT/OPDT experiments were carried out in nine groups based on different combinations and concentrations of ALA and/or MET. To calculate the synergistic effect by compuSyn soft for different groups, cells were incubated with ALA and/or MET at the following concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.5,1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 32 mM). The fluorescence of ALA-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) and MitoTracker Green were observed under a confocal microscope. RESULTS: The optimized therapeutic concentration ratio of ALA and MET was determined to be 1:1. The inhibition of cancer growth (IC50) for each group was 14.03, 10.62, 7.71, 18.27, 22.09, 23.96, 4.57, 10.20, and 8.18 mM, respectively. The combination index (CI) values (fa =0.5) of the last three combination groups (groups 7, 8, and 9) were 0.44, 1.70, and 1.47, respectively. PpIX fluorescence intensity of group 9 (ALA-MET-OPDT group) remained the highest among all groups, indicating an enhanced therapeutic effect. CONCLUSIONS: This study introduces OPDT as a novel anti-tumor therapy for TNBC. Furthermore, the combined use of ALA and MET had a synergistic anti-tumor effect in TNBC cells when combined with OPDT.

A Clinical Study of Noninvasive Assessment of Lung Lesions in Patients with Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) by Bedside Ultrasound.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to explore the clinical value of noninvasive assessment of bedside ultrasound in the diagnosis of lung lesions of Coronavirus Disease-19. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 30 patients with Coronavirus Disease-19 admitted to our hospital from January 18 to February 5, 2020, were selected as the research subjects. All cases were examined by lung ultrasound and CT. Lung lesions were reviewed by blinded observers, with imaging scores being used to analyze the ultrasound findings of lung lesions in patients with Coronavirus Disease-19 and with chest CT being used as the reference standard. The clinical value of ultrasound in the noninvasive assessment of lung lesions was evaluated. RESULTS: Lung ultrasound signs in patients with Coronavirus Disease-19 were mainly manifested as interstitial pulmonary edema (90.0 %, 27/30) and pulmonary consolidations (20.0 %, 6/30). The lung lesions were mainly distributed in the subpleural and peripheral pulmonary zones. The lower lobe and the dorsal region had a greater tendency to be involved. There was moderate agreement (Kappa = 0.529) between the noninvasive assessment of bedside ultrasound for lung lesions in patients with Coronavirus Disease-19 and CT. The ultrasound scores to evaluate mild, moderate and severe lung lesions exhibited sensitivity of 68.8 % (11/16), 77.8 % (7/9), 100.0 % (2/2), specificity of 85.7 % (12/14), 76.2 % (16/21), 92.9 % (26/28), and diagnostic accuracy of 76.7 % (23/30), 76.7 % (23/30), 93.3 % (28/30), respectively. The follow-up dynamic ultrasound examination showed that the condition of all patients worsened gradually, with the ultrasound scores of lung lesions increasing to varying degrees. CONCLUSION: Though the diagnostic efficacy of bedside ultrasound is relatively low for mild to moderate patients, it is high for severe patients. Bedside ultrasound has important clinical significance for noninvasive assessment and dynamic observation of lung lesions in patients with Coronavirus Disease-19, which is worth further consideration.

Long non-coding RNA UCA1 promotes breast cancer by upregulating PTP1B expression via inhibiting miR-206.

BACKGROUND: The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 (UCA1) is involved in various cancers and often functions through microRNAs. The pro-survival protein PTP1B is known to play important roles in cancer development. However, the connection between UCA1 and PTP1B in breast cancer is not well studied. METHODS: In this study, we first evaluated the correlation between UCA1 level and PTP1B expression in breast tissues, which showed the expression of PTP1B were much higher in the breast tumor tissues than in the peritumor normal tissues. The UCA1 level was positively associated with PTP1B expression in breast tumor tissues. RESULTS: We observed that UCA1 could up-regulate PTP1B expression in breast cancer cells. We also found that miR-206 could inhibit the expression of PTP1B by directly binding to the 3'-UTR of its mRNA. Interestingly, UCA1 could increase the expression of PTP1B through sequestering miR-206 at post-transcriptional level. The results also suggested that UCA1-induced PTP1B expression facilitated the proliferation of breast cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that UCA1 can up-regulates PTP1B to enhance cell proliferation through sequestering miR-206 in breast cancer. Our finding provides new insights into the mechanism of breast cancer regulation by UCA1, which could be a potential target for breast cancer treatment.Trial registration 2012N5hSYSU48573. Registered at Oct 12, 2012.

Protection of skin with subcutaneous administration of 5% dextrose in water during superficial radiofrequency ablation in a rabbit model.

PURPOSE: This study was to evaluate the efficacy of subcutaneous administration of 5% dextrose in water (D5W), to prevent skin injury during radiofrequency (RF) ablation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four rabbits were divided into three groups: a pre-injection group, a perfusion group, and a control group. Ablative zones were created in the superficial part of the thigh muscle for 6 min. A needle was placed subcutaneously for injection of D5W, and a thermal sensor was positioned nearby for real-time temperature monitoring. The sizes of the ablative zones were measured by contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, and severity of the observed skin injury were scored semi-quantitatively and compared. RESULTS: The highest temperature, the duration of the temperature above 50 °C, and the rise time of the post-procedure temperature were all highest in the control group (p < 0.001), while these values were lower in the perfusion group than those in the pre-injection group (p < 0.001). Post-procedure skin injury was most severe in the control group (p < 0.001). On post-procedure day 1, no significant difference was found between the skin injury of the pre-injection group and the perfusion group (p = 0.091), while the skin injury of the perfusion group was less severe than that of the pre-injection group on post-procedure day 14 (p = 0.004). No significant difference was found in the sizes of the ablative zones among the groups (p = 0.720). CONCLUSION: Subcutaneous perfusion with D5W is effective in protecting the skin against burns during RF ablation without compromising the effect of ablation.

Effect of interferon-gamma on hepatic fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B virus infection: a randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatic fibrosis due to chronic HBV infection has enormous socioeconomic impact. Besides strategies targeting virus elimination, prevention or reversal of liver fibrosis is amenable. Given the antifibrotic activity of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), a randomized open-labeled multicenter trial was initiated to test IFN-gamma in HBV infection. METHODS: HBsAg-positive patients with biopsy proven hepatic fibrosis (n = 99, stages 2-4, Scheuer criterion) were treated with diammone-glycyrrhizinate and potassium-magnesium aspartate. Sixty-six randomly assigned patients were treated with 50 mug IFN-gamma intramuscularly on a daily basis for 3 months and on alternate days the subsequent 6 months. Efficacy was evaluated by liver biopsy and serologic markers. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients in the IFN-gamma group and 29 patients in the control group completed the study. The hepatic fibrosis score was significantly reduced in 63% of IFN-gamma treated patients compared with 24.1% in the control group by using a semiquantitative scoring system evaluating both liver architecture and fibrotic deposits. Mean values for the total fibrosis score decreased from 13.8 +/- 5.8 to 10.1 +/- 5.1 in the IFN-gamma group (P = .0001), whereas they were unchanged in control subjects (13.2 +/- 6.8 vs 12.6 +/- 4.8, P = .937). The Scheuer system showed 12 out of 54 patients improved >or=1 stage(s) in the IFN-gamma group compared with 1 of 29 in the control group. Antifibrotic activity might be attributed to decreased transforming growth factor-beta signaling via phosphorylated Smad2 and reduced number of activated, alpha-smooth muscle actin positive hepatic stellate cells. CONCLUSIONS: IFN-gamma treatment for 9 months improves fibrosis scores in patients with chronic HBV infection most likely by antagonizing profibrogenic transforming growth factor-beta effects.