Development of hydroxypropyl cellulose and graphene oxide modified molecularly imprinted polymers for separation and enrichment of podophyllotoxin.

A novel hydroxylpropyl cellulose (HPC) modified graphene oxide (GO)-based molecularly imprinted polymers (HPC-GO-MIP) have been developed as a solid phase extraction (SPE) material for the selective separation and extraction of podophyllotoxin. In this strategy, the cellulose with rich hydroxyl groups was introduced to form bi-functional monomers with methacrylic acid to provide more recognition sites for the improving of extraction efficiency, then GO was added as a two-dimensional substrate for MIP to improve the material morphology and surface area. The extraction performances of obtained HPC-GO-MIP material were tested, and the results prove its high efficiency and selectivity for podophyllotoxin extraction. The saturated adsorption capacity reached 23.1 µg/mg, and high enrichment efiiciency of 463.8 folds was realized under the premise of ensuring the recovery rate. The selective imprinting factor was much higher than those of kaempferol and quercetin, which were the main compounds in podophyllum fruit. Under the optimized SPE conditions, the HPC-GO-MIP based SPE-HPLC method showed the detection limit of 14.2 ng/mL for podophyllotoxin assay. When applied to podophyllum fruit samples, the material showed excellent ability of selective separation and enrichment of podophyllotoxin, and the relative standard deviations (RSD) of intra and inter batches were less than 8.1 % and 5.7 % in real samples detection. The HPC-GO-MIP SPE method broadened the application for high multiple extraction in trace analyte samples and provided a valuable solution to improve the selective separation and detection.

CT and MRI Findings of Solitary Extramedullary Plasmacytoma: A Series of Ten Case Reports and Review of Literature.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to analyze computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging features of patients with solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma. METHODS: Ten cases with solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma were included in this study. CT and MRI features of solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: This study included both males (n = 8) and females (n = 2), with a median age of 48 (range 21-72 years old). The organs or anatomical structures involved were nasopharynx (n = 3), orbit (n = 1), left tentorium (n = 1), nasal cavity and meatus (n = 2), small intestine and mesentery (n = 1), as well as posterior thoracic wall (n = 2). The median maximum diameter of the tumors was 3.2 cm (range 0.8- 15.2 cm). The tumor shapes were round (n = 7), stripped (n = 1), irregular (n = 1), and nodular (n = 1). The margin of the tumors was well-defined (n = 7) and partially well-defined (n = 3). There were 3 cases with bone destruction and 1 with a tissue invasion adjacent to the tumor, calcification (n = 1), and cystic degeneration (n = 2). Enlarged tumoral vessels (n = 4) could also be observed. The CT attenuation and MR signal intensity of tumors were heterogeneous (n = 4) and homogenous (n = 6). After the injection of the contrast agent, marked (n = 5), mild (n = 1), mild to moderate (n = 1), and delayed enhancement (n = 1) could be observed. CONCLUSION: A well-defined homogeneous solitary mass occurring at the head and neck with a marked enhancement, an adjacent tissue invasion, enlarged tumoral vessels, and bone destruction can indicate the diagnosis of solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma.

CT and MRI findings of intra-parenchymal and intra-ventricular schwannoma: a series of seven cases.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of patients with intra-parenchymal and intra-ventricular schwannoma. METHODS: The CT and MRI features of seven cases with intra-parenchymal and intra-ventricular schwannoma were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: There were four men and three women (median age, 25 years; range, 12-42 years) in this study. The median tumor size was 4.4 cm (range, 3.1-6.5 cm). The mass was, respectively, round in four cases (57.1%), lobulated in two cases (28.6%) and oval in one case (14.3%). All tumors were well-circumscribed. Septa in the mass could be observed in three cases (42.9%), and nodular calcification was observed in two cases (28.6%), which peritumoral edema (n = 3, 42.9%) and hydrocephalus (n = 3, 42.9%) could be observed. Most of these lesions (n = 6) presented iso-hypointensity on T1-weighted images and iso-hyperintensity on T2-weighted images, except one lesion showing low intensity on T2WI. In addition, a fluid-fluid level was observed in one case. After contrast agents' injection, all masses illustrated heterogeneously moderate to marked enhancement. CONCLUSIONS: A well-defined solid and cystic mass with calcification and moderate to marked delayed enhancement may be an objective account of intra-parenchymal or intra-ventricular schwannoma.

Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging may help identify patients with hepatocellular carcinoma eligible for treatment targeted at RAF1.

PURPOSE: The RAF1 expression affects prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with sorafenib. We examined the expression of sorafenib-targeted gene RAF1 to ascertain its relationship with gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics. We also explored the predictive potential of RAF1 expression markers in the treatment of HCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-five patients with HCC who underwent preoperative enhanced MRI scanning were included in this study. We analyzed the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of enhanced MRI findings in patients with HCC. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses were used to detect the protein and mRNA expression levels of RAF1 in HCC. Correlation and logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between these image features and the RAF1 gene expression levels in HCC. RESULTS: The IHC analysis indicated a significant difference in tumor thrombus group (P = 0.037), RT-PCR results revealed a significant between-group difference for both tumor margins (P = 0.033) and capsule (P = 0.04). Binary logistic regression analysis results suggest that independent MRI predictors were regular tumor margins [P = 0.035, odds ratio (OR) = 3.145, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.087-9.103] and thrombus (P = 0.046, OR = 4.421, 95% CI 1.024-19.08) with high RAF1expression; the tumor capsule was not an independent predictor. CONCLUSION: We found a correlation between MRI features and the RAF1 gene expression, Regular tumor margin and the presence of tumor thrombus are indicators of high RAF1 expression in HCC. Enhanced MRI may be useful for identifying patients with HCC eligible for targeted treatment.

OATP1B3 Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Correlates with Intralesional Gd-EOB-DTPA Uptake and Signal Intensity on Gd-EOB-DTPA-Enhanced MRI.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the predictive value of the OATP1B3 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for the gadolinium ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) uptake and the signal intensity (SI) in the hepatobiliary (HB) phase. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we analyzed 69 liver nodules of 64 patients who underwent Gd-EOB-DTPA enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before operation. Based on the SI in the HB phase, the patients were categorized into the hypointense HCC and iso- or hyperintense HCC groups. The OATP1B3 expression was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry. The differences between the expression of OATP1B3 and Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced magnetic resonance imaging between the two groups of hepatocellular carcinoma were compared. The relationship between the OATP1B3 expression and the SI and relative enhancement (RE) was analyzed. RESULTS: The examined HCC nodules were 59 hypointense HCC and 10 iso- or hyperintense. The relative expressions of OATP1B3, HB-phase signal, and the RE of the HB phase in iso- or hyperintense were significantly higher than those of the hypointense HCC, while the RE of the HB phase increased with an increase in the OATP1B3 expression (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The OATP1B3 expression in HCC can predict the uptake of Gd-EOB-DTPA and the SI of the HB phase. We believe that the evaluation of OATP1B3 expression will facilitate the comprehension of imaging performance of HCC in Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI.