The image quality, lesion detectability, and acquisition time of 18F-FDG total-body PET/CT in oncological patients.

PURPOSE: The purpose was to investigate the effects of short acquisition time on the image quality and the lesion detectability of oncological 18F-FDG total-body PET/CT. METHODS: Nineteen oncological patients (6/13 women/men, age 65.6 ± 9.4 years) underwent total-body PET/CT on uEXPLORER scanner using 3D list mode. The administration of 18F-FDG was weight-based (4.4 MBq/kg). The acquisition time was 900 s, and PET data were reconstructed into 900-, 180-, 120-, 60-, 30-, and 18-s duration groups. The subjective PET image quality was scored using a 5-point scale (5, excellent; 1, poor) in 3 perspectives: overall quality, noise, and lesion conspicuity. The objective image quality was evaluated by SUVmax and standard deviation (SD) of the liver, SUVmax of the tumor, and tumor-to-background ratio (TBR). The lesion detectability was the percentage of identifiable lesions in the groups of 180 to 18 s using the group 900 s as reference. RESULTS: Our results showed that sufficient and acceptable subjective image quality could be achieved with 60- and 30-s groups, and good image quality scores were given to 180- and 120-s groups without significant difference. For shortened acquisition time, SD was increased, while SUVmax of tumor and TBR remained unchanged. The lesion detectability was decreased with shorter acquisition time, but the detection performance could be maintained until the 60-s group compared with the 900-s group, although the image quality degraded. CONCLUSION: The total-body PET/CT can significantly shorten the acquisition time with maintained lesion detectability and image quality.

A Highly Solvent-Stable Metal-Organic Framework Nanosheet: Morphology Control, Exfoliation, and Luminescent Property.

Compared to bulk metal-organic framework (MOF), 2D MOF nanosheets have gained intensive research attention due to their ultrathin thickness and large surface area with highly accessible active sites. However, structural deterioration and morphological damage have impeded producing high-quality MOF nanosheets during exfoliation. Here, first a new layered bulk MOF ZSB-1 is synthesized and several solvents such as isopropanol, methanol, n-hexyl alcohol, and N,N-dimethylformamide are surveyed to examine their performance for the exfoliation of layered ZSB-1. As a result, a highly solvent-stable metal-organic framework rectangular nanosheet retaining undamaged morphology is obtained by the soft-physical method in n-hexyl alcohol. Theoretical simulations reveal that the strong interaction energy between n-hexyl alcohol and MOF layers is responsible for the best exfoliation performance of making the bulk MOF into nanosheets. In addition, ZSB-1 shows a tunable fluorescence peak position, fluorescent lifetime, and quantum yield by simply changing the solvent and morphology. Besides, the ZSB-1 was selected as a fluorescence sensor to detect metal ions, and ZSB-1 nanosheet exhibits excellent sensing ability for Fe3+ . It is worth noting that the ZSB-1 nanosheet has better detection limit performance of 0.054 × 10-6 m than that of its bulk counterpart.

Prognostic Value of ALT, AST, and AAR in Hepatocellular Carcinoma with B-Type Hepatitis-Associated Cirrhosis after Radical Hepatectomy.

BACKGROUND: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and AST to ALT ratio (AAR) were shown to be associated with prognosis in some groups of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, their clinicopathologic and prognostic roles in HCC patients with B-type hepatitis-associated cirrhosis (HBAC) have not been comprehensively investigated. The present study aimed to address the issues. METHODS: A total of 125 patients with HCC and HBAC after radical hepatectomy were included. The correlations of ALT, AST, and AAR with clinicopathologic parameters, overall/recurrence-free survival, overall/early recurrence, and post-recurrence survival were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: ALT and AST, which positively correlated with each other, had significant relationships with tumornode-metastasis (TNM) stage and Edmondson-Steiner grade. In univariate analyses, ALT and AST were predictive for early recurrence, overall and recurrence-free survival, while ALT and AST was associated with overall recurrence and post-recurrence survival, respectively. However, only AST was marginally significant in multivariate tests for early recurrence and post-recurrence survival. As for AAR, no significant prognostic relevance was found. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that ALT and AST, but not AAR, might be potential predictors of post-resectional outcome in HCC with HBAC. These effects might depend on their associations with crucial clinicopathologic variables.

Exploring the Detection of Metal Ions by Tailoring the Coordination Mode of V-Shaped Thienylpyridyl Ligand in Three MOFs.

By employing a rational design approach, we synthesized three luminescent metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) 1-3 affording different coordination modes of V-shaped thienylpyridyl ligand. Their application in detecting metal ions was explored, and the mechanism was inferred. And the result exhibits that MOF 3 is a dual-responsive luminescent probe for Fe3+ and Al3+ ions.

Early recurrence in large hepatocellular carcinoma after curative hepatic resection: prognostic significance and risk factors.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: So far, prognostic significance and risk factors of early recurrence after curative resection in large hepatocellular carcinoma (LHCC) remain unclear. The present study aimed to answer these questions. METHODOLOGY: Clinical, pathologic and follow-up data of consecutive 116 patients with LHCC (>5cm) after curative resection were collected and analyzed. The recurrence pattern of LHCC was also compared with that of 55 patients with small HCC (SHCC, ≤5cm). RESULTS: Forty-five patients (38.8%) with LHCC developed recurrence within 1 year after surgery (defined as early recurrence), with a significantly higher ratio contrast to those with SHCC. Univariate analysis showed that age, HBsAg positivity, satellite nodule, TNM stage, resection extent and early recurrence served as significant indicators of post-recurrence overall survival in recurrent LHCC. In addition, only early recurrence was proven to be significant in multivariate Cox regression test. On the other hand, age, HBsAg positivity, portal vein tumor thrombosis, microvascular invasion, TNM stage, Edmondson-Steiner grade and resection extentwere related to early recurrence in LHCC. Among them, microvascular invasion and Edmondson-Steiner grade were independent predictors. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with early recurrence carried very poor post-recurrence prognosis in LHCC. The microvascular involvement and differentiation grade might be particularly helpful for prediction of early recurrence.

Risk factors of microvascular invasion, portal vein tumor thrombosis and poor post-resectional survival in HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Microvascular invasion (MVI) and portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) associated factors in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were previously shown. However, those for HBV-related HCC remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate the risk factors of MVI, PVTT and poor prognosis in this type of HCC. METHODOLOGY: Consecutive 130 patients with HBV-related HCC were enrolled. The impact of variables on MVI, PVTT and post-resectional survival was determined by uni- and multi-variate analyses. RESULTS: By Chi-square analysis, Edmondson-Steiner grade and tumor size were related to MVI, whereas Edmondson-Steiner grade and MVI were associated with PVTT. Logistic regression identified Edmondson-Steiner grade as the sole independent determinant of MVI, but none is significant for PVTT. Tumor size carried high sensitivity and negative predictive value in prediction of MVI. Survival estimation revealed that Edmondson-Steiner grade, tumor size, PVTT, MVI, satellite nodule, TNM stage and AFP level were prognostic for overall and disease-free survival, but only Edmondson-Steiner grade was of independent implication for both. Besides, tumor size independently predicted overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: In HBV-related HCC, differentiation degree might play an important role in vascular involvement, tumor size might be helpful in primary screening of MVI, differentiation and tumor size might be particularly significant as prognostic markers.

BRAFV600E mutation does not predict lymph node metastases and recurrence in Chinese papillary thyroid microcarcinoma patients.

OBJECT: Previous studies suggest BRAFV600E mutation is a marker for poor prognosis in papillary thyroid cancer, however, its ability to further risk stratify papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) remains controversial. We aimed to explore the association between BRAFV600E mutation and the clinicopathological features and recurrence in Chinese PTMC patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 2094 PTMC patients who underwent surgery and had a valid BRAFV600E mutation test result. Among them, 1292 patients had complete follow-up data. The mutation incidence was determined. Moreover, the clinicopathological characteristics, disease-free survival (DFS), and response to therapy distribution were compared between the mutation and non-mutation groups. RESULTS: BRAFV600E mutation was observed in 90.6 % of all patients and 89.2 % of patients with complete follow-up data. No significant difference was observed in lymph node metastases (LNM) number categories between the mutation and non-mutation groups among all patients (P = 0.329) and 1292 patients (P = 0.408). Neither the 3-year DFS (97.9 % vs. 98.0 %, P = 0.832) nor the response to therapy distribution (P > 0.05) indicated a significant difference between the mutation and non-mutation groups. The 3-year DFS differs among patients having different LNM number categories (99.8 % vs. 98.5 % vs. 77.3 %, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that high-volume (over 5) LNM (Total thyroidectomy (TT): OR = 4.000, 95 % CI 2.390-6.694, P < 0.001; Unilateral thyroidectomy (UT): OR = 4.183, 95 % CI 1.565-11.190, P = 0.004), rather than BRAFV600E mutation (P > 0.05), was an independent risk factor of response to therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that BRAFV600E mutation could not accurately predict LNM or the recurrence of Chinese PTMC patients. Moreover, high-volume LNM is significantly associated with PTMC prognosis.

Collective total synthesis of englerin†A and B, orientalol†E and F, and oxyphyllol: application of the organocatalytic [4+3] cycloaddition reaction.

The concise collective total synthesis of englerin A and B, orientalol E and F, and oxyphyllol has been accomplished in 10-15 steps, with the total synthesis of orientalol E and oxyphyllol being achieved for the first time. The success obtained was enabled by the realization of the [4+3] cycloaddition reaction of 9 and 10. Other features of the synthesis include 1) the intramolecular Heck reaction to access the azulene core, 2) the epoxidation-S(N)2' reduction sequence to access the allylic alcohol, 3) the efficient regioselective and stereoselective formal hydration of the bridging C=C bond in the synthesis of englerins, and 4) the late-stage chemo- and stereoselective C-H oxidation in the synthesis of orientalol E. The total synthesis of these natural products has enabled the structural revision of oxyphyllol and established the absolute stereochemical features of the organocatalytic [4+3] cycloaddition reaction. The identification of 5 as the natural product oxyphyllol, the success in converting 5 to orientalol E, along with the fact that englerins and oxyphyllol were isolated from plants of the same genus Phyllanthus gives support to our proposed biosynthetic pathways. This work may enable detailed biological evaluations of these natural products and their analogues and derivatives, especially of their potential in the fight against renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Risk factors of poor prognosis and portal vein tumor thrombosis after curative resection of solitary hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Predictors of poor prognosis of solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (SHCC), a subgroup encompassing most patients with the malignancy, are still controversial. Hence, risk factors for portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) in SHCC are obscure. The present study was designed to address this issue. METHOD: Clinicopathological and follow-up data for 156 consecutive patients with SHCC following curative hepatic resection were analyzed using uni- and multi-variate analyses. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that PVTT, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, Edmondson-Steiner grade and preoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level were associated with the overall and disease-free survival, whereas tumor size only influenced the overall survival. In multivariate Cox regression tests, Edmondson-Steiner grade and TNM stage were independent prognostic markers for both overall and disease-free survival. In addition, the Chi-square test showed that AFP level and Edmondson-Steiner grade were correlated with PVTT. Among them, only Edmondson-Steiner grade was shown to be of independent significance for PVTT in multi-variate logistic regression analysis. Additionally, AFP, the sole preoperative factor for PVTT, was not adequately sensitive and specific. CONCLUSIONS: Factors relating to post-surgical prognosis and PVTT in SHCC are all tumor-related. Of these, Edmondson-Steiner grade and TNM stage might be of particular importance in survival analysis. In addition, accurate prediction of PVTT by clinicopathological parameters before surgery remains difficult.

Integrated Surface Modulation of Ultrahigh Ni Cathode Materials for Improved Battery Performance.

Ni-rich layered cathodes with ultrahigh nickel content (≥90%), for example LiNi0.9 Co0.1 O2 (NC0.9), are promising for next-generation high-energy Li-ion batteries (LIBs), but face stability issues related to structural degradation and side reactions during the electrochemical process. Here, surface modulation is demonstrated by integrating a Li+ -conductive nanocoating and gradient lattice doping to stabilize the active cathode efficiently for extended cycles. Briefly, a wet-chemistry process is developed to deposit uniform ZrO(OH)2 nanoshells around Ni0.905 Co0.095 (OH)2 (NC0.9-OH) hydroxide precursors, followed by high temperature lithiation to create reinforced products featuring Zr doping in the crust lattice decorated with Li2 ZrO3 nanoparticles on the surface. It is identified that the Zr4+ infiltration reconstructed the surface lattice into favorable characters such as Li+ deficiency and Ni3+ reduction, which are effective to combat side reactions and suppress phase degradation and crack formation. This surface control is able to achieve an optimized balance between surface stabilization and charge transfer, resulting in an extraordinary capacity retention of 96.6% after 100 cycles at 1 C and an excellent rate capability of 148.8 mA h g-1 at 10 C. This study highlights the critical importance of integrated surface modulation for high stability of cathode materials in next-generation LIBs.

The significance of serum AFP cut-off values, 20 and 400 ng/mL in curatively resected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis might be of difference.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The significance of preoperative serum a-fetoprotein (AFP) level in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with different modalities remains controversial. Besides, many cut-off values have been used. The present study aims to clarify significance of two major ones in HCC with cirrhosis. METHODOLOGY: One hundred and thirty eight consecutive cirrhotic patients with HCC after curative resection are included. The correlations between serum AFP level and clinicopathological parameters and patient survival are evaluated and compared when 400ng/mL and 20ng/mL are set as cut-off points. RESULTS: Serum AFP level is associated with more clinicopathological variables of HCC under the cut-off value of 400ng/mL, than that of 20ng/ mL. However, serum AFP level under the cut-off value of 20ng/mL is of significant prognostic impact for both overall and tumor-free survival, whereas that under 400ng/mL is not. CONCLUSIONS: The two cut-off values of preoperative AFP levels might be of different implications in cirrhotic patients with HCC after curative resection. Therefore, these might be adopted differentially in HCC.

Discrimination of MSA-P and MSA-C by RT-QuIC analysis of olfactory mucosa: the first assessment of assay reproducibility between two specialized laboratories.

BACKGROUND: Detection of the pathological and disease-associated alpha-synuclein (αSynD) in the brain is required to formulate the definitive diagnosis of multiple system atrophy (MSA) and Parkinson's disease (PD). We recently showed that αSynD can be detected in the olfactory mucosa (OM) of MSA and PD patients. For this reason, we have performed the first interlaboratory study based on α-synuclein Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion (αSyn_RT-QuIC) analysis of OM samples collected from PD and MSA patients with the parkinsonian (MSA-P) and cerebellar (MSA-C) phenotypes. METHODS: OM samples were prospectively collected from patients with a probable diagnosis of MSA-P (n = 20, mean disease duration 4.4 years), MSA-C (n = 10, mean disease duration 4 years), PD (n = 13, mean disease duration 8 years), and healthy control subjects (HS) (n = 11). Each sample was analyzed by αSyn_RT-QuIC in two independent specialized laboratories, one located in Italy (ITA-lab) and one located in the USA (USA-lab). Both laboratories have developed and used harmonized αSyn_RT-QuIC analytical procedures. Results were correlated with demographic and clinical data. RESULTS: The αSyn_RT-QuIC analysis reached a 96% interrater agreement of results (IAR) between laboratories (Kappa = 0.93, 95% CI 0.83-1.00). In particular, αSyn_RT-QuIC seeding activity was found in the OM of 9/13 patients with PD (sensitivity 69%, IAR 100%) and 18/20 patients with MSA-P (sensitivity 90%, IAR 100%). Interestingly, samples collected from patients with MSA-C did not induce αSyn_RT-QuIC seeding activity, except for one subject in USA-lab. Therefore, we found that MSA-P and MSA-C induced opposite effects. Regardless of disease diagnosis, the αSyn_RT-QuIC seeding activity correlated with some clinical parameters, including the rigidity and postural instability. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides evidence that OM-αSynD may serve as a novel biomarker for accurate clinical diagnoses of PD, MSA-P, and MSA-C. Moreover, αSyn_RT-QuIC represents a reliable assay that can distinguish patients with MSA-P from those with MSA-C, and may lead to significant advancements in patients stratification and selection for emerging pharmacological treatments and clinical trials.

LCSGJ-T classification, 6th or 5th edition TNM staging did not independently predict the long-term prognosis of HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma after radical hepatectomy.

BACKGROUND: The 6th edition tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging (TNM-6) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was recommended. Besides, Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan (LCSGJ)-T classification has been recently proposed. However, these newly established staging systems should be further verified in different subgroups of HCC patients. The current study mainly aimed to validate the predictive power of these novel criteria in a cohort of patients with hepatitis B virus-related HCC after radical hepatectomy. As a control, the 5th edition TNM staging (TNM-5) was also evaluated. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Clinicopathological and follow-up data of consecutive 142 patients with HBV-related HCC undergoing radical hepatectomy were reviewed. The impact of variables on prognosis was determined by uni- and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: By univariate analysis, LCSGJ-T classification, TNM-6, and TNM-5 were almost significantly prognostic, except for TNM-5 for disease-free survival. Meanwhile, tumor size>or=5 cm, alpha-fetoprotein>400 ng/mL, high Edmondson-Steiner grade, presence of microvascular invasion, portal vein tumor thrombosis, satellite nodule, and resection margin

Risk factors of recurrence and poor survival in curatively resected hepatocellular carcinoma with microvascular invasion.

BACKGROUND: Microvascular invasion (MVI) is a significant sign of the invasive property and a strong predictor of poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a life-threatening malignancy. However, recurrence-associated and post-surgical long-term prognosis-associated factors in HCC with MVI remain unknown. OBJECTIVES: To address the abovementioned issues, based on a Chinese patient cohort with HCC after curative hepatic resection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The patient cohort consisted of 62 consecutive patients with HCC and MVI who underwent curative hepatic resection. The associations between clinicopathologic variables and recurrence, as well as patient overall/disease-free survival, were uniand multivariately evaluated. RESULTS: Univariate χ2 test identified hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity, high Edmondson-Steiner grade and male gender as risk factors of recurrence, whereas Edmondson-Steiner grade and HBsAg positivity were significant or marginally significant in the multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis. Subsequently, univariate log-rank test showed that Edmondson-Steiner grade, HBsAg positivity and Child-Pugh grade were associated with overall and/or disease-free survival. Among them, the independent prognostic impact of Edmondson-Steiner grade and HBsAg positivity for both overall and disease-free survival were proven in the multivariate Cox regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggested that Edmondson-Steiner grade and HBsAg positivity might serve as useful indicators of recurrence and pessimistic prognosis in HCC with MVI.

The prognostic value and non-invasive predictors of splenomegaly in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma following curative resection.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic value and non-invasive predictors of splenomegaly in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after curative resection remain unknown. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prognostic value and non-invasive predictors of splenomegaly in cirrhotic patients with HCC after curative resection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The medical records of 78 patients with HCC and liver cirrhosis who underwent curative resection were retrospectively reviewed. The influence of spleen size, measured with clinically routine ultrasonography (USG), on overall and disease-free survival was evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. The efficiency of some frequently used blood-derived liver function parameters and non-invasive fibrosis markers to predict splenomegaly was also assessed. RESULTS: It was shown that tumor size >5 cm, the presence of microvascular invasion, tumor-node metastasis (TNM) stage III-IVA of the tumor, spleen size >11.45 cm, and age ≤52 years were associated with poor overall survival and/or disease-free survival in univariate analyses (all p < 0.05). In multivariate analyses, spleen size was identified as an independent predictor for both overall and disease-free survival (p < 0.001 and p = 0.012, respectively). On the other hand, platelet count, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to platelet ratio index (APRI) and Fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) scores were significantly different between small and large spleen groups (p = 0.026, 0.003 and 0.003, respectively), while statistical differences for albumin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), AST, total bilirubin, AST to ALT ratio (AAR), and age-platelet index (API) were not found. Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, high powers of platelet count, APRI and FIB-4 in splenomegaly prediction were confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: Splenomegaly, which can be predicted by some non-invasive variables, serves as a strong determinant for postresectional prognoses of cirrhotic patients with HCC.

[Evaluation of the quality of human settlement in downtown Fuzhou based on multi-source data]. / åŸºäºŽå¤šæºæ•°æ®çš„ç¦å·žå¸‚ä¸­å¿ƒåŸŽåŒºäººå± çŽ¯å¢ƒè´¨é‡è¯„ä»·.

The objective evaluation of human settlement in cities helps find the problems exposed in urban development and make targeted adjustments to improve urban environment. Taking the downtown of Fuzhou as the research area, the residential area as the research unit, using multi-source data such as meteorological monitoring data, remote sensing imagery, map points of interest data (POI), and land planning data, we constructed monitoring system of urban human settlement from four aspects: environmental health and comfort, traffic convenience, city safety, and life conve-nience. The TOPSIS method was used to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of human settlement. The results showed that the human settlement level of downtown Fuzhou was quite different, which was high in the central area and low in the peripheral areas. The human settlement index was high in the middle of the urban area, low in the eastern and southern areas, with mixed high and low values in the western and northern areas. In each index layer, the characteristics of high-high agglomeration and low-low agglomeration of traffic convenience and life convenience were consistent with the distribution of high and low value clusters of the human settlement. Convenient transportation and complete service facilities had a greater impact on human settlement. The environmental health and comfort were characterized by interior low and edge high of the city, while city safety was characterized by interior high and edge low.

Both the 5th and 6th editions of TNM staging system fail to independently predict long-term prognosis after radical hepatectomy in hepatocellular carcinoma sized > or = 5 cm.

OBJECTIVE: To validate the predictive power of the 5th and 6th editions of TNM staging system (TNM-5, TNM-6) in a Chinese patient cohort with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) sized > or = 5 cm after radical hepatectomy. METHODS: Consecutive 121 patients with HCC sized > or = 5 cm undergoing radical hepatectomy between January 1995 and December 2002 were included. The impact of clinicopathological variables on prognosis was determined by univariate and multivariate analyses, after excluding 2 perioperative deaths. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, TNM-5 stage did not show prognostic significance for overall or disease-free survival, as opposed to TNM-6 stage, Edmondson-Steiner grade, portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT), vascular invasion, satellite nodule, Child-Pugh grade, and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity. When these significant variables were entered in multivariate analysis, Edmondson-Steiner grade was the sole independent prognosticator for both overall and disease-free survival, whereas Child-Pugh grade independently influenced disease-free survival. However, TNM-6 stage lost its predictive potential in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Neither TNM-5 nor TNM-6 staging system is revealed to be independently prognostic in patients with HCC sized > or = 5 cm after radical hepatectomy. Therefore, TNM-6 calls for more support in many subsets of HCC patients.

Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 Increases the Predictive Efficiency of α-Fetoprotein for Prognosis of Resected Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) is a classical biomarker for both diagnosis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its predictive efficiency for prognosis remains unsatisfactory. This study explores whether integrating AFP and carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9/carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) increase its prognostic efficiency in HCC. A total of 67 HCC patients with complete record of AFP, CA19-9, and CEA, who underwent radical hepatectomy, were included. The sole and combined evaluations for prognostic significance of the three markers were performed. In the first, it was found by one-factor analysis that AFP was a univariate prognostic indicator for disease-free survival, but not overall survival, whereas CEA and CA19-9 were not statistically significant, although the latter was of marginally predictive significance for disease-free survival. Subsequently, it was revealed that combined evaluation of AFP and CA19-9, rather than AFP and CEA, distinguished overall and disease-free survival more effectively, compared with single ones. However, this combination was not significant in multivariate Cox regression analysis, thus needing further validation, especially in large-scale prospective investigations. The addition of vascular invasion to AFP/CA19-9 combination might provide enhanced predictive power for disease-free survival. Collectively, these results preliminarily suggest that CA19-9 increases the predictive efficiency of AFP for prognosis of HCC after resection.

[Evaluation of myocardial viability with 201Tl/18F-FDG DISA-SPECT technique in patients with acute myocardial infarction after emergent intracoronary autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells transplantation].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the myocardial viability with (201)Tl/(18)F-FDG DISA-SPECT technique in patients with acute myocardial infarction underwent emergent intracoronary autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells (BM-MNC) transplantation. METHODS: Patients with first acute myocardial infarction underwent emergent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either intracoronary transplantation of autologous BM-MNC (n = 20) or to sodium chloride concluding heparin (control, n = 20) via a micro infusion catheter group immediately after PCI. Change in global left ventricular function (LVEF measured by echocardiography) and the myocardial viability detected by (201)Tl/(18)F-FDG DISA-SPECT from baseline and 6-months post transplantation were analyzed. RESULTS: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was improved in both groups and the absolute increase (DeltaLVEF) in BM-MNC group was significantly higher than that in control group (7.6% +/- 2.8% vs. 3.0% +/- 2.8%, P < 0.001). In addition, the absolute decrease of myocardial infusion defect detected by (201)Tl SPECT was more significant in BM-MNC group than that in control group (6.7% +/- 3.0% vs. 2.6% +/- 2.6%, P < 0.001) and the number of mismatched segments (indicating viable myocardium) detected by (18)F-FDG SPECT in border zone was also significantly higher in BM-MNC group than that in control group. CONCLUSION: Improved myocardial viability and reduced myocardial infusion defect post emergent intracoronary transplantation of autologous BM-MNC in patients with acute myocardial infarction could be detected by (201)Tl/(18)F-FDG DISA-SPECT technique.

Edmondson-Steiner grade: A crucial predictor of recurrence and survival in hepatocellular carcinoma without microvascular invasio.

BACKGROUND: Microvascular invasion (MVI), an important pathologic parameter, has been proven to be a powerful predictor of long-term prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, prognostic factors in HCC without MVI remain unknown. The present study aimed to identify the risk factors of recurrence and poor post-resectional survival in this type of HCC. METHODS AND METHODS: A total of 109 patients with MVI-absent HCC underwent radical hepatectomy were enrolled. The influence of clinicopathologic variables on recurrence and patient survival was assessed using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Chi-square test found that Edmondson-Steiner grade and satellite nodule were significantly associated with recurrence, while the former was the single marker for early recurrence. Stepwise logistic regression analysis demonstrated the independent predictive role of Edmondson-Steiner grade for recurrence. On the other hand, Edmondson-Steiner grade, serum AFP level and satellite nodule were significant for overall and disease-free survival in univariate analysis, whereas tumor size was linked to disease-free survival. Of the variables, Edmondson-Steiner grade, serum AFP level and satellite nodule were independent indicators. CONCLUSIONS: Edmondson-Steiner grade, a histological classification, carries robust prognostic implications for all the endpoints for prognosis, thus being potential to be a crucial prognosticator in HCC without MVI.