Caliper, contrast enhanced-ultrasound or laser speckle contrast imaging: Techniques to follow mice melanoma growth.

Due to morphological characteristics, metastatic melanoma is a cancer for which vascularization is not a diagnostic criterion. Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) and contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) are two imaging techniques that will be explored in this study, which aims to confirm these two techniques for monitoring tumor vascularization. B16F10 cells were xenografted to C57BL/6 mice treated with anti-PD1 or 0.9% NaCl. Tumor volume was measured daily while CEUS and LSCI were performed weekly. LSCI and CEUS analyses showed a decrease in tumor perfusion in both groups of mice. Although both CEUS and LSCI are useful for measuring tumor volume, LSCI appears to be more robust and effective for monitoring tumor microcirculation. Non-invasive investigations are needed to better predict tumor vascularization: CEUS and LSCI have a good applicability in a mice model.

Lower Extremity Arterial Disease and Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Study of Exercise-Induced Arterial Ischemia in 5197 Patients Complaining of Claudication.

Only few studies have analyzed the associations of lower extremity artery disease (LEAD) with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), although it is expected to be a frequent association. With exercise-oximetry, we determined the presence of exercise-induced regional blood flow impairment (ischemia) in 5197 different patients complaining of claudication and referred for treadmill testing. We recorded height, weight, age, sex, ongoing treatments, cardiovascular risk factor (diabetes, high blood pressure, current smoking habit), and history of suspected or treated LSS and/or lower limb revascularization. An ankle-brachial index at rest < 0.90 or >1.40 on at least one side was considered indicative of the presence of LEAD (ABI+). Ischemia was defined as a minimal DROP (Limb-changes minus chest-changes from rest) value < −15 mmHg during exercise oximetry. We analyzed the clinical factors associated to the presence of exercise-induced ischemia in patients without a history of LSS, using step-by-step linear regression, and defined a score from these factors. This score was then tested in patients with a history of LSS. In 4690 patients without a history of (suspected, diagnosed, or treated) LSS, we observed that ABI+, male sex, antiplatelet treatment, BMI< 26.5 kg//m2, age ≤ 64 years old, and a history of lower limb arterial revascularization, were associated to the presence of ischemia. The value of the score derived from these factors was associated with the probability of exercise-induced ischemia in the 507 patients with a history of LSS. This score may help to suspect the presence of ischemia as a factor of walking impairment in patients with a history of lumbar spinal stenosis.