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To improve the photocatalytic efficiency of niobium pentoxide (Nb 2 O 5) for the degradation of organic pollutants, a novel nano-fibriform C-modified Nb 2 O 5 (F–C/Nb 2 O 5) photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by niobium oxalate as precursor and nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) as template and carbon source. Vacuum induced self-assembly method was used to form the nano-fibriform morphology. Compared to ordinary C/Nb 2 O 5 and commercial Nb 2 O 5 , F–C/Nb 2 O 5 exhibited a typical three-dimensional nanorod structure with plenty of pores. The specific surface area of F–C/Nb 2 O 5 was 3 times that of C/Nb 2 O 5. The prepared F–C/Nb 2 O 5 exhibited a 3.01 eV bandgap and was able to be activated under visible light while that was unable for commercial Nb 2 O 5 with 3.19 eV bandgap. The F–C/Nb 2 O 5 showed the best photocatalytic efficiency in pH value ≤ 3. After cycling for 5 times, the photocatalytic efficiency of F–C/Nb 2 O 5 was still 2.4 times of the ordinary C/Nb 2 O 5 under visible light. Meanwhile, the self-assembly mechanism and photodegradation mechanism were proposed. This study provides a new strategy to form a special nano-fibriform C-modified niobium pentoxide with extremely high photocatalytic efficiency in aqueous solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to illustrate our specific findings for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) lesions on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). In this study, 21 patients at our hospitals with pathologically proven ICC and CEUS data were retrospectively enrolled. General clinical data of the patients, and features of lesions on conventional and contrast-enhanced ultrasound were recorded. Two experienced radiologists retrospectively reviewed all images by consensus. On gray-scale sonography, hypoechoic, isoechoic and hyperechoic lesions accounted for 85.7%, 9.5% and 4.8%, respectively, of all lesions. Hypovascular patterns were found for 95.2% of the lesions on color Doppler flow imaging. During the arterial phase of CEUS, heterogeneous hyperenhancement, homogeneous hyperenhancement, rim-like hyperenhancement, isoenhancement and hypoenhancement were observed for 61.9%, 19.0%, 9.5%, 4.8%, 4.8% of the lesions, respectively. During the portal venous and late phases, 85.7% and 95.2% of the lesions, respectively, exhibited hypoenhancement. In addition, 66.7% of the ICC lesions exhibited washed-out interiors but little decrease in enhancement at the periphery during the portal venous phase, resulting in the formation of a hyperenhanced peripheral rim. In conclusion, the rim sign in the portal venous phase of CEUS could help diagnose ICC. This trait could be related to the infiltrating growth pattern of ICC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organochlorine pesticides are widely used in agriculture, wood preservation, pulp bleaching and other fields, which increased the pollution risk of cultivated land. In this study, a typical organochlorine pesticides-2,4,6-TCP was conducted as the target pollutants to investigated the migration and transformation characteristics in different cultivated soils in China. The results indicated that the adsorption of 2,4,6-TCP in soil samples was in order: black soil＞laterite＞fluvo-aquic soil, and the maximum adsorption was 71.0870, 27.0575 and 6.1292 mg/kg, respectively. The dispersion coefficient of black soil, laterite and fluvo-aquic soil was 0.0329, 0.0501 and 0.0149, and the hysteretic factor R was 5.381, 1.455 and 2.238, respectively, indicating that the migration ability of 2,4,6-TCP in different cultivated soils samples was in order: black soil＞laterite＞fluvo-aquic soil. The fitting results of one-dimensional migration model indicated that the model well reflected the migration and transformation of 2,4,6-TCP in different cultivated soil samples. Meanwhile, the Two-dimensional migration model fitting results indicated that the maximum concentration of 2,4,6-TCP of different cultivated soil samples were found along the longitudinal flow direction, reaching 40% of the initial pollution concentration at 15 m, corresponding to the center of the pollutant plume. [Display omitted] • The kinetics of 2,4,6-TCP absorption and migration in cultivated soils in China were firstly investigated. • The adsorption of 2,4,6-TCP in three soil samples involved adsorption, diffusion and reaction. • The migration model was established to simulate the migration and transformation of 2,4,6-TCP in cultivated soils. • The findings provide solutions for the treatment of soil contaminated with organochlorine pesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Tc-99m- and I-131-labeled arginine-arginine-leucine (RRL) peptides have shown the feasibility of tumor imaging in our previous studies. However, there have been no reports using RRL peptide for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. In this study, RRL was radiolabeled with Ga-68 under optimized reaction conditions to develop a better specific and effective tumor imaging agent.Procedures: RRL was synthesized and conjugated to a bifunctional chelating agent (DOTA-NHS), then radiolabeled with Ga-68. Labeling yield was optimized by varying pH, temperature, and reaction time and the stability was evaluated in human fresh serum. Cellular uptakes of [68Ga]DOTA-RRL and FITC-conjugated RRL in HepG2 cells were evaluated using a gamma counter, confocal microscopy, and flow cytometry. PET images and biodistribution were performed in HepG2 tumor-bearing mice after injection of [68Ga]DOTA-RRL or [68Ga]GaCl3 at different time points. Further, blocking study was investigated using cold RRL.Results: The labeling yield of [68Ga]DOTA-RRL was 80.6 ± 3.9 % with a pH of 3.5-4.5 at 100 °C for 15 min. The cellular uptake of [68Ga]DOTA-RRL in HepG2 cells was significantly higher than that of [68Ga]GaCl3 (P < 0.05). Moreover, the high fluorescent affinity of FITC-conjugated RRL in HepG2 cells was shown using confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. After injection of [68Ga]DOTA-RRL in HepG2 tumor-bearing mice, tumor regions exhibited high radioactive accumulation over 120 min and the highest uptake at 30 min. After blocked with cold RRL, HepG2 tumors could not be visualized. [68Ga]GaCl3 was unable to show tumor images at any time point. The biodistribution results confirmed the PET imaging and blocking results.Conclusions: Our study successfully prepared [68Ga]DOTA-RRL with a high labeling yield under the optimized reaction conditions and demonstrated its potential role as a PET imaging agent for tumor-targeted diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A green low-cost wood-based biochar was prepared from wood powder. • Modified wood-based biochar was used as a carrier to prepare MBC@Cu 2 O. • MBC@Cu 2 O stably removed MO via adsorption-photocatalysis. • The mechanism of adsorption-photocatalytic degradation of MO was explored. To treat dye-containing wastewater, p-type semiconductor Cu 2 O nanoparticles supported by wood-based biochar (MBC@Cu 2 O) were prepared in this work. Benefiting from the synergistic effects of the wood-based biochar skeleton and Cu 2 O, MBC@Cu 2 O efficiently degraded methyl orange (MO) dye via an adsorption-photocatalytic mechanism. A series of analytical results showed that the MO adsorption process was well-described by the pseudo-second-order kinetics model, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 1610 mg/g. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of MO reached 94.5 % under visible light irradiation, and free-radical capture experiments confirmed that superoxide radicals ( · O 2 -) and hydroxyl radicals (OH) were the main active species involved in this process. The photocatalytic efficiency of MBC@Cu 2 O remained above 80 % after five reuse cycles. In addition, the adsorption and photocatalytic mechanisms were explored. The comprehensive results indicate that MBC@Cu 2 O, as a bifunctional adsorption-based photocatalytic composite, has great potential for removing anionic azo dyes from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reductive sulfur-containing by-products (S-BPs) released from industrial process mainly exist in the simple form of sulfide and sulfite. In this study, recent advances to remove and make full use of reductive S-BPs to achieve efficient contaminant removal and hydrogen production are critically reviewed. Sulfide, serves as both reductant and nucleophile, can form intermediates with the catalyst surface functional group through chemical interaction, efficiently promoting the catalytic reduction process to remove contaminants. Sulfite assisted catalytic process could be classified to the advanced reduction processes (ARPs) and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), mainly depending on the presence of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the solution. During ARPs, sulfite could generate reductive active species including hydrated electron (e aq -), hydrogen radical (H·), and sulfite radical (SO 3 •−) under the irradiation of UV light, leading to the efficient reduction removal of a variety of contaminants. During AOPs, sulfite could first produce SO 3 •− under the action of the catalyst or energy, initiating a series of reactions to produce oxysulfur radicals. Various contaminants could be effectively removed under the role of these oxidizing active species. Sulfides and sulfites could also be removed along with promoting hydrogen production via photocatalytic and electrocatalytic processes. Besides, the present limitations and the prospects for future practical applications of the process with these S-BPs are proposed. Overall, this review gives a comprehensive summary and aims to provide new insights and thoughts in promoting contaminant removal and hydrogen production through taking full advantage of reductive S-BPs. [Display omitted] • The prospects and challenges treasuring industrial sulfur by-products (S-BPs) are proposed. • Sulfide promotes electron transfer and reduction intermediates with carbon materials. • Active species in advanced reduction processes (ARPs) with S-BPs include e aq -, H·, and SO 3 •−. • Oxysulfur radicals are generated in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) with S-BPs. • Reductive S-BPs promote the photocatalytic and electrocatalytic hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • VIS/sulfite/Fe/g-C 3 N 4 (N 2) system shows promise in contaminant removal and sterilization. • The introduction of sulfite enhances the formation of SO 4 •− and •O 2 –. • The presence of NVs accelerates Fe3+/Fe2+ redox cycle. • Fe/g-C 3 N 4-x with rich NVs exhibits stronger interaction towards HSO 3 −. • A mechanism of synergy between Fe, NVs, and g-C 3 N 4 in sulfite activation is proposed. A novel Fe-modified g-C 3 N 4 with rich N vacancies (NVs) under N 2 calcination was developed to active sulfite for the efficient removal of contaminants and bacterial inactivation under visible light (VIS). The degradation rates of VIS/sulfite/Fe/g-C 3 N 4 (N 2) for acetaminophen (ACT) were 10.94, 4.88, and 2.85 times higher than those of VIS/Fe/g-C 3 N 4 (N 2), VIS/sulfite/g-C 3 N 4 (N 2), and VIS/sulfite/Fe/g-C 3 N 4 (CO 2), respectively. Escherichia coli (E. coli) with an initial concentration of 2.5 × 108 CFU/mL decreased by 6.1 and 8.4 log CFU/mL within 60 min and 80 min of inactivation, respectively. The activation of sulfite led to the generation of oxysulfur radicals, and the consumption of hole (h+) by sulfite inhibited its recombination with electron (e−), promoting the formation of superoxide radical (•O 2 –). The synergistic effect of Fe, NVs, and g-C 3 N 4 in VIS/sulfite/Fe/g-C 3 N 4 (N 2) system promoted the generation of oxysulfur radicals. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that NVs facilitated charge transfer from Fe to g-C 3 N 4 substrate, accelerating the Fe3+/Fe2+ and oxysulfur radical cycles. Fe/g-C 3 N 4 with rich NVs exhibited lower adsorption binding energy, faster charge transfer, and longer S-O bond length than pristine Fe/g-C 3 N 4 during sulfite adsorption. This work unraveled the synergistic mechanism of Fe, NVs, and g-C 3 N 4 , which provides new insights into heterogeneous photocatalysts on sulfite activation for water treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • W-BiVO 4-x /rGO exhibited high photocatalytic performance for CIP and CTC removal. • The presence of OVs significantly improved the generation of O 2 −. • BiVO 4 nanoparticles presented oriented growth on rGO surface assisted by microwave. • W doping and OVs brought about stronger interactions between BiVO 4 and rGO. • The synergistic effect of W doping, rGO, and OVs on BiVO 4 was clarified. A novel W doped BiVO 4 with rich oxygen vacancies (OVs) oriented on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) photocatalyst (W-BiVO 4-x /rGO) was developed by a simple one-step microwave hydrothermal method for efficient removal of ciprofloxacin (CIP) and chlortetracycline (CTC) under visible light. The synergistic effect of W doping, BiVO 4 with OVs, and rGO on the enhancement of photocatalytic activity was clarified from experimental and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations results. W doping significantly improved the density of photo-generated charge carriers. The introduction of rGO enlarged the specific surface area, expanded the light absorption range, and promoted the charge transfer of BiVO 4. OVs both narrowed the band gap and enhanced the generation of O 2 −. W doping and OVs both enhanced the interactions between BiVO 4 and rGO. The CIP degradation rate constant of W-BiVO 4-x /rGO photocatalyst was 1.73, 5.32, 6.43, and 10.70 times higher than those of W-BiVO 4 /rGO, BiVO 4 /rGO, W-BiVO 4 , and BiVO 4 , respectively. Besides, W-BiVO 4-x /rGO photocatalyst prepared by microwave hydrothermal method exhibited higher photocatalytic activity and better combination between materials. This study offers a new strategy to address the problem of antibiotic residues in wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A dual Z-scheme BiVO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 /NiFe 2 O 4 was developed with good visible light response. • The BiVO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 /NiFe 2 O 4 catalyst presented efficient removal performance of OFL. • This catalyst efficiently separated charge carriers and extended the range of visible light. • The magnetic property of BiVO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 /NiFe 2 O 4 catalyst facilitated the recovery of catalyst. • Transformation products and removal mechanisms of OFL were identified and proposed. Inefficient utilization of photo-induced charge carriers and low recyclability are limitations for photocatalyst to get access to the practical application. A novel ternary BiVO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 /NiFe 2 O 4 composite with dual Z-scheme heterojunction was successfully developed and constructed to enhance the separation of photo-induced charge carriers and the absorption range of visible light. The structure, composition, morphology, magnetic, and optical properties of this photocatalyst were investigated comprehensively. The photocatalytic performance, mechanism, and pathway of ofloxacin degradation under visible light were studied. Results indicated that the internal interaction between different semiconductors presented the successful fabrication of ternary composite, and its red shift of adsorption range of visible light contributed to an enhancement of photocatalytic ability. The as-prepared ternary composite exhibited highest photocatalytic removal rate constant for ofloxacin, which was 3.8, 16.3 and 71.2 times as much as that of the pure BiVO 4 , pure g-C 3 N 4 and pure NiFe 2 O 4 , respectively. The five successive recycling experiments exhibited the high photocatalytic stability of the as-prepared catalyst, with simple recovery operation due to its magnetic property. The holes and superoxide radicals dominated the photocatalytic degradation process of pollutants. A dual Z-scheme heterojunction other than conventional heterojunction was responsible for the enhancement on redox capacity and the separation of charge carriers. Different transformation products during ofloxacin photocatalytic degradation were identified and transformation pathway was put forward. This study provides a promising strategy on the application of visible-light-driven photocatalysts in water treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To assess the potential of using preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT to predict the prognosis of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) after nephrectomy.Methods: Sixty-nine patients with newly diagnosed ccRCC who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT prior to surgery were retrospectively reviewed. The metabolic parameters of maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and tumor-to-liver ratio (TLR) from 18F-FDG PET/CT were obtained. Clinicopathological characteristics, including the World Health Organization/the International Society of Urological Pathology (WHO/ISUP) grade, pathological tumor node metastasis (pTNM) stage, venous tumor thrombus, and so on, were acquired. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed to identify the prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS).Results: Of the 69 patients, 25 patients (36.2%) experienced disease progression during the follow-up period. In univariate analysis, the primary tumor size (>4.85 cm), pTNM stage (Ⅲ/Ⅳ), WHO/ISUP grade (G3/4), venous tumor thrombus, adjuvant therapy, SUVmax (>3.55), and TLR (>1.66) were found to correlate with the incidence of decreased DFS (P < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, TLR (P = 0.007, HR: 5.489, 95%CI: 1.605-18.774) and pTNM stage (P = 0.024, HR: 10.385, 95%CI: 1.361-79.238) were revealed to serve as independent prognostic predictors for DFS after adjustment for other variables. Only 3 cases (8.3%) with normal TLR showed disease progression, while 22 cases (66.7%) with elevated TLR experienced disease progression.Conclusion: ccRCC patients with preoperatively elevated TLR (>1.66) and high pTNM stages (Ⅲ/Ⅳ) had significantly unfavorable survival outcomes. These patients should be carefully monitored to detect the possibility of disease progression after nephrectomy as early as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel visible light-driven photocatalysts with high separation efficiency of the photo-induced charges urgently need to be developed. In this work, a Ce 0.7 Zr 0.3 O 2 @Bi 2 MoO 6 core-shell heterostructure photocatalyst and carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were fabricated via the hydrothermal method. Establishing a close surfacial contact between the CQD particles and this type-II heterojunction yielded the new CQDs/Ce 0.7 Zr 0.3 O 2 @Bi 2 MoO 6 optical catalytic material. Degradation of the Rhodamine B dye under visible-light irradiation was used to evaluate its catalytic performance. CQDs/Ce 0.7 Zr 0.3 O 2 @Bi 2 MoO 6 exhibited superior and stable activity, which can be attributed to the enrichment of surface oxygen vacancies, more easily driven by visible light, the excellent optical and electronic properties and a lower charge recombination. Various experiments demonstrated that the type-II charge transfer process facilitates the separation of electron-hole pairs at the Ce 0.7 Zr 0.3 O 2 @Bi 2 MoO 6 interface. CQDs can act as cocatalysts to further promote efficient charge separation and transfer in such structure. Moreover, this work presents a mechanism and major active species underlying the reaction on photocatalytic system. • Superior and stable photocatalytic activity for CQDs/Ce 0.7 Zr 0.3 O 2 @Bi 2 MoO 6. • It was more active than Ce 0.7 Zr 0.3 O 2 @Bi 2 MoO 6 heterojunction in visible region. • Wood-based CQDs promoted type-II charge transfer process. • h+ and.•O 2 − species facilitated the RhB degradation to proceed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction of an efficient bio-reductive dechlorination system remains challenging due to the narrow ecological niche and low-growth rate of organohalide-respiring bacteria during field remediation. In this study, a biochar-based organohalide-respiring bacterial agent was obtained, and its performance and effects on indigenous microbial composition, diversity, and inter-relationship in soil were investigated. A well-performing material, Triton X-100 modified biochar (BC 600-TX100 ), was found to have the superior average pore size, specific surface area and hydrophicity, compared to other materials. Interestingly, Pseudomonas aeruginosa CP-1, which is capable of 2,4,6-TCP dechlorination, showed a 348 times higher colonization cell number on BC 600-TX100 than that of BC600 after 7 d. Meanwhile, the dechlorination rate in soil showed the highest (0.732 d -1 ) in the BC 600-TX100 bacterial agent than in the other agents. The long-term performance of the BC 600-TX100 OHRB agent was also verified, with a stable dechlorination activity over six cycles. Soil microbial community analysis found the addition of the BC 600-TX100 OHRB agent significantly increased the relative abundance of genus Pseudomonas from 1.53 % to 11.2 %, and Pseudomonas formed a close interaction relationship with indigenous microorganisms, creating a micro-ecological environment conducive to reductive dechlorination. This study provides a feasible bacterial agent for the in-situ bioremediation of soil contaminated organohalides. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: Halogenated organic compounds are a type of toxic, refractory, and bio-accumulative persistent compounds widely existed in environment, widely detected in the air, water, and soil. In this study, we provide a feasible bacterial agent for the in-situ bioremediation of soil contaminated halogenated organic compounds. The application of biochar provides new insights for "Turning waste into treasure", which meets with the concept of green chemistry., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Context: Ultrasound (US) is the most economical and widely used method for detecting lesions in parathyroid regions. Identifying typically parathyroid adenomas as hypoechoic nodules with clear margins. However, 10 % of lesions exhibit atypical features, such as the dual concentric sign, and the cognition of them still needs to be improved., Objective: To promote understanding of clinical and histopathological features for parathyroid lesions with the dual concentric echo sign and to investigate its pathogenesis and methods for distinguishing from cervical lymph nodes to improve US diagnostic accuracy., Methods: Retrospectively, patients were categorized into three groups: Group 1, with 36 patients showing parathyroid lesions with dual concentric echo signs; Group 2, with 40 patients displaying classic hypoechoic parathyroid lesions; and Group 3, comprising 36 patients with identified lymph nodes, which were all examined from January 2018 to December 2019. The clinical data on demographics, clinical symptoms, serum levels, histopathologic findings, and US image characteristics were thoroughly reviewed., Results: According to the clinical data, no significant differences in demographics or lesion sizes were observed in Group 1 and Group 2 (p > 0.05). No significant variances were noted in biochemical markers, including PTH, T-25OHD, and ALP. However, a notable difference was identified in adjusted serum calcium levels, which were significantly lower in Group 1 compared to Group 2 (p < 0.05). Additionally, the proportion of asymptomatic patients was significantly higher in Group 1 compared to Group 2 (p < 0.05). Pathological examination revealed that all lesions with dual concentric echo signs were parathyroid adenomas. The isoechoic central region predominantly corresponded to areas of loose edema, while the hypoechoic peripheral layer was primarily associated with chief and/or oncocytic cells. By comparing the ultrasonography of Groups 1 and 3, the parathyroid lesions with dual concentric echo signs exhibited significant distinctions from lymph nodes in size, blood flow classification, vascular distribution, and anatomical location (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: The parathyroid lesions with dual concentric echo signs in US corresponded to specific histopathological manifestations and relatively mild clinical features in the patients, this finding may increase the likelihood of incidental detection of parathyroid lesions by US. Attention to the details of size, location, and blood flow, especially, may aid US physicians in differentiating parathyroid adenomas from cervical lymph nodes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objectives: To investigate the earliest optimal timing for positron emission tomography (PET) scans after 68 Ga-fibroblast activation protein inhibitor-04 ([ 68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04) injection., Methods: This prospective study enrolled patients who underwent 60-min dynamic 68 Ga-FAPI-04 total-body PET/CT scans; the images were reconstructed at 10-min intervals (G0-10, G10-20, G20-30, G30-40, G40-50, and G50-60), and the [ 68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 uptake patterns were evaluated. The standardised uptake value (SUV), liver signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and lesion-to-background ratios (LBRs) for different time windows were calculated to evaluate image quality and lesion detectability. The period from 30 to 40 min was then split into overlapping 5-min intervals starting 1 min apart for further evaluation. G50-60 was considered the reference., Results: A total of 30 patients with suspected malignant tumours were analysed. In the images reconstructed over 10-min intervals, longer acquisition times were associated with lower background uptake and better image quality. Some lesions could not be detected until G30-40. The lesion detection rate, uptake, and LBRs did not differ significantly among G30-40, G40-50, and G50-60 (all p > 0.05). The SUVmean and LBRs of primary tumours in the reconstructed images did not differ significantly among the 5-min intervals between 30 and 40 min; for metastatic and benign lesions, G34-39 and G35-40 showed significantly better SUVmean and LBR values than the other images. The G34-39 and G50-60 scans showed no significant differences in uptake, LBRs, or detection rates (all p > 0.05)., Conclusion: The earliest optimal time to start acquisition was 34 min after injection of half-dose [ 68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04., Clinical Relevance Statement: This study evaluated 68 Ga-fibroblast activation protein inhibitor-04 ([ 68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04) uptake patterns by comparing the image quality and lesion detection rate with 60-min dynamic [ 68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 total-body PET/CT scans and identified the earliest optimal scan time after [ 68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 injection., Key Points: • A prospective single-centre study showed that the earliest optimal time point to start acquisition was 34 min after injection of half-dose [ 68 Ga-fibroblast activation protein inhibitor-04 ( 68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04). • There were statistically significant differences in standardised uptake value, lesion-to-background ratios, and lesion detectability between scans before and after 34 min from the injection of [ 68 Ga]Ga-FAPI-04, but these values did not change further from 34 to 60 min after injection. • With a reasonable acquisition time, the image quality could still meet diagnostic requirements., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to European Society of Radiology.)

Abstract: A 72-year-old man presented with a painless penile mass for 3 months. Contrast-enhanced CT revealed heterogeneous enhancement, whereas 18 F-FDG PET/CT displayed inhomogeneous 18 F-FDG accumulation in the lesion without other abnormal activity. The histopathological examination from biopsied specimen confirmed the diagnosis of a plasmacytoma. However, the subsequent tests, including serum/urine immunofixation electrophoresis, serum/urine free light chain assay, and bone marrow smear/biopsy, did not show any abnormalities. The conclusive diagnosis was a solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma of the penis., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: Dedifferentiated liposarcoma is an extremely rare and highly malignant tumor. We demonstrated a case of a 75-year-old man with significantly PSMA-avid and mildly FDG uptake-dedifferentiated liposarcoma in the retroperitoneal area. The double-tracer (PSMA and FDG) PET scans could further contribute to differential diagnosis and the following treatment strategy for patients who were suspected with prostate cancer metastases and other malignant tumors simultaneously., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: This study was supported by the National High Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding (Interdepartmental Research Project of Peking University First Hospital) (2023IR50) and National High Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding (Scientific and Technological Achievements Transformation Incubation Guidance Fund Project of Peking University First Hospital:2023CX02)., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: A 72-year-old woman, who was a nonsmoker, presented with chest distress persisting for over 10 days. Plain chest CT revealed thickening of the left pleura accompanied by hydrothorax. Subsequent 18 F-FDG PET/CT showed irregular thickening involving the visceral, parietal, and interlobular pleura on the left side, with diffuse high avidity of 18 F-FDG. The left pleural mesothelioma was suspected initially, but pathological examination from biopsied specimen later confirmed a thoracic SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated tumor., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Nectin cell adhesion molecule 4 (nectin-4) is a transmembrane protein overexpressed on a variety of cancers and plays an important role in oncogenic and metastatic processes. The nectin-4-targeted antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin has been approved for treating locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer, but the efficacy in other types of cancer remains to be explored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of nectin-4-targeted PET imaging with 68 Ga-N188 as a noninvasive method to quantify membranous nectin-4 expression in multiple tumor types-an approach that may provide insight for patient stratification and treatment selection. Methods: Sixty-two patients with 16 types of cancer underwent head-to-head 68 Ga-N188 and 18 F-FDG PET/CT imaging for initial staging or detection of recurrence and metastases. Correlation between lesion SUV max and nectin-4 expression determined by immunohistochemistry staining was analyzed in 36 of 62 patients. Results: The SUV max of 68 Ga-N188 had a positive correlation with membranous nectin-4 expression in the various tumor types tested ( r = 0.458; P = 0.005), whereas no association was observed between the SUV max and cytoplasmic nectin-4 expression. The detection rates for patient-based analysis of 68 Ga-N188 and 18 F-FDG PET/CT examinations were comparable (95.00% [57/60] vs. 93.33% [56/60]). In patients with pancreatic cancer, 68 Ga-N188 exhibited a potential advantage for detecting residual or locally recurrent tumors; this advantage may assist in clinical decision-making. Conclusion: The correlation between nectin-4-targeted 68 Ga-N188 PET imaging and membranous nectin-4 expression indicates the potential of 68 Ga-N188 as an effective tool for selecting patients who may benefit from enfortumab vedotin treatment. The PET imaging results provided evidence to explore nectin-4-targeted therapy in a variety of tumors. 68 Ga-N188 may improve the restaging of pancreatic cancer but requires further evaluation in a powered, prospective setting., (© 2024 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) originates from primitive mesenchymal cells and is the most common soft tissue tumor in childhood. 18 F-fluoro-deoxyglucose ( 18 F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) has been reported to be valuable in RMS staging and risk stratification. Paratesticular RMS is a relatively uncommon form of RMS, most of which are of the embryonal histologic type. Paratesticular alveolar RMS is associated with aggressive behavior, high metastatic potential, and poor outcomes. To the best of our knowledge, 18 F-FDG PET/CT imaging findings of paratesticular alveolar RMS have never been described. Here, we report on a 16-year-old boy's rare paratesticular alveolar RMS with multiple metastases and its findings on 18 F-FDG PET/CT. This case also demonstrates the potential value of 18 F-FDG PET/CT in RMS staging and treatment decisions, and may aid in the differential diagnosis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Cancer Innovation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. on behalf of Tsinghua University Press.)

Laser-diode-based solid-state lighting is primarily used in state-of-the-art illumination systems. However, these systems rely on light-converting inorganic phosphors, which have low quantum efficiencies and complex manufacturing conditions. In this study, a mismatched refractive index strategy is proposed to directly convert natural bulk wood into a laser-driven wood diffuser using a simple delignification and polymer infiltration method. The resulting material has the potential to be used in laser-driven diffuse illumination applications. The optical performance of the laser-driven wood diffuser is optimized by changing the density of natural wood. The optimal coefficient of illuminance variation of the wood diffuser is as low as 17.7%, which is significantly lower than that of commercial diffusers. The illuminance uniformity is larger than 0.9, which is significantly higher than the ISO requirements for indoor workplace lighting. The laser damage threshold is 7.9 J cm -2 , which is considerably higher than those of the substrates of commercially available phosphors. Furthermore, the optimized wood diffuser exhibits outstanding mechanical properties, excellent thermal stability, tolerance to harsh environmental conditions, and low speckle contrast. These results show that the laser-driven wood diffuser is a promising laser-color converter that is suitable for indoor, long-distance outdoor, undersea, and other high-luminance laser lighting applications., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Excitons-bound electron-hole pairs-play a central role in light-matter interaction phenomena and are crucial for wide-ranging applications from light harvesting and generation to quantum information processing. A long-standing challenge in solid-state optics has been to achieve precise and scalable control over excitonic motion. We present a technique using nanostructured gate electrodes to create tailored potential landscapes for excitons in 2D semiconductors, enabling in situ wave function shaping at the nanoscale. Our approach forms electrostatic traps for excitons in various geometries, such as quantum dots, rings, and arrays thereof. We show independent spectral tuning of spatially separated quantum dots, achieving degeneracy despite material disorder. Owing to the strong light-matter coupling of excitons in 2D semiconductors, we observe unambiguous signatures of confined exciton wave functions in optical reflection and photoluminescence measurements. This work unlocks possibilities for engineering exciton dynamics and interactions at the nanometer scale, with implications for optoelectronic devices, topological photonics, and quantum nonlinear optics.

Staphylococcus aureus can cause localized infections such as abscesses and pneumonia, as well as systemic infections such as bacteremia and sepsis. Especially, methicillin-resistant S. aureus often presents multidrug resistance, which becomes a major clinical challenge. One of the most common reasons for methicillin-resistant S. aureus antibiotic resistance is the presence of biofilms. Natural antimicrobial peptides derived from different species have shown effectiveness in combating S. aureus biofilms. In this review, we summarize the inhibitory activity of antimicrobial peptides against S. aureus planktonic cells and biofilms. We also summarize the possible inhibitory mechanisms, involving cell adhesion inhibition, membrane fracture, biofilm disruption and DNA disruption. We believe this can provide the basis for further research against S. aureus biofilm-associated infections.

The ubiquity of refractory organic matter in aquatic environments necessitates innovative removal strategies. Sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation has emerged as an attractive solution, offering high selectivity, enduring efficacy, and anti-interference ability. Among many technologies, sulfite activation, leveraging its cost-effectiveness and lower toxicity compared to conventional persulfates, stands out. Yet, the activation process often relies on transition metals, suffering from low atom utilization. Here we introduce a series of single-atom catalysts (SACs) employing transition metals on g-C 3 N 4 substrates, effectively activating sulfite for acetaminophen degradation. We highlight the superior performance of Fe/CN, which demonstrates a degradation rate constant significantly surpassing those of Ni/CN and Cu/CN. Our investigation into the electronic and spin polarization characteristics of these catalysts reveals their critical role in catalytic efficiency, with oxysulfur radical-mediated reactions predominating. Notably, under visible light, the catalytic activity is enhanced, attributed to an increased generation of oxysulfur radicals and a strengthened electron donation-back donation dynamic. The proximity of Fe/CN's d-band center to the Fermi level, alongside its high spin polarization, is shown to improve sulfite adsorption and reduce the HOMO-LUMO gap, thereby accelerating photo-assisted sulfite activation. This work advances the understanding of SACs in environmental applications and lays the groundwork for future water treatment technologies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Objectives: To develop a nomogram using pretreatment ultrasound (US) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to predict the clinical response of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC) or locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC)., Methods: A total of 111 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) treated with NAC between October 2017 and February 2022 were retrospectively enrolled. The patients were randomly divided (7:3) into training and validation cohorts. The pretreatment US and CEUS features were reviewed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the independent predictors of clinical response in the training cohort. Then a prediction nomogram model based on the independent predictors was constructed. The area under the curve (AUC), calibration plot, C-index and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to assess the nomogram's performance, calibration, discrimination and clinical benefit., Results: The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the taller-than-wide shape in the longitudinal plane (odds ratio [OR]:0.20, p = 0.01), time from injection of contrast agent to peak enhancement (OR:3.64; p = 0.05) and Peak tumor / Peak normal (OR:1.51; p = 0.03) were independent predictors of clinical response to NAC. The predictive nomogram developed based on the above imaging features showed AUCs were 0.852 and 0.854 in the primary and validation cohorts, respectively. Good calibration was achieved in the training datasets, with C-index of 0.852. DCA verified the clinical usefulness of the nomogram., Conclusions: The nomogram based on pretreatment US and CEUS can effectively predict the clinical response of NAC in patients with BRPC and LAPC; it may help guide personalized treatment., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Influences of heavy metal exposure to the organohalide respiration process and the related molecular mechanism remain poorly understood. In this study, a non-obligate organohalide respiring bacterium, Pseudomonas sp. strain CP-1, was isolated and its molecular response to the five types of commonly existed heavy metal ions were thoroughly investigated. All types of heavy metal ions posed inhibitory effects on 2,4,6-trichlorophenol dechlorination activity and cell growth with the varied degree. Exposure to Cu (II) showed the most serious inhibitive effects on dechlorination even at the lowest concentration of 0.05 mg/L, while the inhibition by As (V) was the least with the removal kinetic constant k decreased to 0.05 under 50 mg/L. Further, multi-omics analysis found compared with Cu (II), As (V) exposure led to the insignificant downregulation of a variety of biosynthesis processes, which would be one possible account for the less inhibited activity. More importantly, the inhibited mechanisms on the organohalide respiration catabolism of strain CP-1 were firstly revealed. Cu (II) stress severely downregulated NADH generation during TCA cycle and electron donation of organohalide respiration process, which might decrease the reducing power required for organohalide respiration. While both Cu (II) and As (Ⅴ) inhibited substrate level phosphorylation during TCA cycle, as well as electron transfer and ATP generation during organohalide respiration. Meanwhile, CprA-2 was confirmed as the responsible reductive dehalogenase in charge of 2,4,6-TCP dechlorination, and transcriptional and proteomic studies confirmed the directly inhibited gene transcription and expression of CprA-2. The in-depth reveal of inhibitory effects and mechanism gave theoretical supports for alleviating heavy metal inhibition on organohalide respiration activity in groundwater co-contaminated with organohalides and heavy metals., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Strain provides a powerful method to study 2D monolayers and to tune their properties. The same approach also has great potential for van-der-Waals (vdW) heterostructures. However, we need to understand how strain can be applied to vertically stacked vdW structures, for which strain transfer from one layer to the next remains little explored. In our experiment, we fabricated vertical heterostructures consisting of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) monolayers that were deposited on a flexible substrate. These TMDC heterostructures allowed us to read out separately the strain in each monolayer by photoluminescence measurements. We find that, in TMDC heterostructures with large twist angles (>5°), strain transfer is limited. However, for aligned heterostructures with small twist angles (≤5°), near unity strain transfer efficiency is observed. We correlate this finding with the moiré domains formed in the aligned heterostructures by reconstruction.

Objectives: To comparatively evaluate the lesion-detecting ability of 2-[ 18 F]FDG total-body PET/CT (TB PET/CT) and conventional digital PET/CT., Methods: This study enrolled 67 patients (median age, 65 years; 24 female and 43 male patients) who underwent a TB PET/CT scan and a conventional digital PET/CT scan after a single 2-[ 18 F]FDG injection (3.7 MBq/kg). Raw PET data for TB PET/CT were acquired over the course of 5 min, and images were reconstructed using data from the first 1, 2, 3, and 4 min and the entire 5 min (G1, G2, G3, G4, and G5, respectively). The conventional digital PET/CT scan acquired in 2-3 min per bed (G0). Two nuclear medicine physicians independently assessed subjective image quality using a 5-point Likert scale and recorded the number of 2-[ 18 F]FDG-avid lesions., Results: A total of 241 lesions (69 primary lesions; 32 liver, lung, and peritoneum metastases; and 140 regional lymph nodes) among 67 patients with various types of cancer were analyzed. The subjective image quality score and SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) increased gradually from G1 to G5, and these values were significantly higher than the values at G0 (all p < 0.05). Compared to conventional PET/CT, G4 and G5 of TB PET/CT detected an additional 15 lesions (2 primary lesions; 5 liver, lung, and peritoneum lesions; and 8 lymph node metastases)., Conclusion: TB PET/CT was more sensitive than conventional whole-body PET/CT in detecting small (4.3 mm, maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max ) of 1.0) or low-uptake (tumor-to-liver ratio of 1.6, SUV max of 4.1) lesions., Clinical Relevance Statement: This study explored the gain of the image quality and lesion detectability of TB PET/CT, compared to conventional PET/CT, and recommended the appropriate acquisition time for TB PET/CT in clinical practice with an ordinary 2-[ 18 F] FDG dose., Key Points: • TB PET/CT increases the effective sensitivity to approximately 40 times that of conventional PET scanners. • The subjective image quality score and signal-to-noise ratio of TB PET/CT from G1 to G5 were better than those of conventional PET/CT. • 2-[ 18 F]FDG TB PET/CT with a 4-min acquisition time at a regular tracer dose detected an additional 15 lesions compared to conventional PET/CT., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to European Society of Radiology.)

Abstract: A 74-year-old man presented to the hospital complaining of weight loss, increasing fatigue, and blurred vision. The abdominal ultrasonography initially revealed a massive lesion in the mesentery, which was later confirmed by a contrast-enhanced CT scan. The 18 F-FDG PET/CT scan showed a single, solitary hypermetabolic mass. The patient was finally diagnosed with Waldenström macroglobulinemia with mesentery involvement by the histopathological examination., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The World Health Organization has recently published a list of 12 drug-resistant bacteria that posed a significant threat to human health, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( P. aeruginosa ) was among them. In China, P. aeruginosa is a common pathogen in hospital acquired pneumonia, accounting for 16.9-22.0%. It is a ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen that can infect individuals with weakened immune systems, leading to hospital-acquired acute and systemic infections. The excessive use of antibiotics has led to the development of various mechanisms in P. aeruginosa to resist conventional drugs. Thus, there is an emergence of multidrug-resistant strains, posing a major challenge to conventional antibiotics and therapeutic approaches. Antimicrobial peptides are an integral component of host defense and have been found in many living organisms. Most antimicrobial peptides are characterized by negligible host toxicity and low resistance rates, making them become promising for use as antimicrobial products. This review particularly focuses on summarizing the inhibitory activity of natural antimicrobial peptides against P. aeruginosa planktonic cells and biofilms, as well as the drug interactions when these peptides used in combination with conventional antibiotics. Moreover, the underlying mechanism of these antimicrobial peptides against P. aeruginosa strains was mainly related to destroy the membrane structure through interacting with LPS or increasing ROS levels, or targeting cellular components, leaded to cell lysis. Hopefully, this analysis will provide valuable experimental data on developing novel compounds to combat P. aeruginosa ., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Chen, Su, Yan, Yin and Liu.)

In order to elucidate the importance of grafting in the compatibilization process of silane coupling agents, poplar veneer was treated with silane coupling agents and grafted under different heating conditions. The treated veneers were used composited with PE film to prepare different plywood samples. XPS and WCA were used to analyze the effect of grafting conditions on the surface properties of the silane-treated veneer. The results showed that free silanols can physically be adsorbed onto all silane-treated veneer surfaces, forming hydrogen-Si-O-Si- bonds and therefore increasing the water contact angle. Only under heating conditions could the -Si-O-Si- be converted into covalent -Si-O-C- bonds, which helped to improve the bonding strength. When silane-treated veneer was grafted at 120 °C for 90 min, the tensile shear strength of plywood reached 1.03 MPa, meeting the requirements of GB/T 9846.3-2004 for outdoor materials. Enhanced interlock between silane-modified veneer and PE film was observed under the optimal grafting condition by SEM. The better interface structure allowed improvement of thermal stability. DMA results showed that the retention rate in storage modulus at 130 °C was 60% for the grafted sample, while the retention rate for the ungrafted sample was only 31%.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common microvascular complication of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus and often advances to end-stage renal disease. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis and progress of DN. Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) is considered as a promising candidate for the management of DN. But the antioxidant effects of H 2 S in DN have not been fully studied. In mouse model induced by high-fat diet and streptozotocin, GYY4137, a H 2 S donor, ameliorated albuminuria at weeks 6 & 8 and decreased serum creatinine at week 8, but not hyperglycemia. Renal nitrotyrosine and urinary 8-isoprostane were reduced along with the suppressed levels of renal laminin and kidney-injury-molecule 1. Renal NADPH oxidase (NOX) 2 was lower but heme oxygenase (HO) 2, paraoxonase (PON) 1, PON2 were higher in DN+GYY than DN group. NOX1, NOX4, HO1, superoxide dismutases 1-3 were similar between groups. Except for a rise at HO2, all the affected enzymes were unchanged in mRNA levels. The affected reactive-oxygen-species (ROS) enzymes were mainly located in the renal sodium-hydrogen-exchanger positive proximal tubules with similar distribution but changed immunofluorence in GYY4137 treated DN mice. Kidney morphological alterations in DN mice under light and electrical-microscopes were also improved by GYY4137. Thus, exogenous H 2 S administration may improve the renal oxidative damage in DN by reducing ROS production and enhancing ROS cleavage in kidney via the affected enzymes. This study may shed a light on therapeutic applications in diabetic nephropathy with H 2 S donors in the future., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Acetaminophen (AP) is a widely used antipyretic analgesic belonging to the class of PPCPs, which is difficult to be effectively degraded by traditional water treatment processes. However, photocatalytic technology may be an effective approach. Herein, B-doped TiO 2 photocatalytic materials were synthesized by sol-gel method, calcinated at 600℃ for 2 h, investigated by XRD, TEM, XPS, and other characterization methods. The photocatalytic efficiency and factors affecting the photocatalytic activity were assessed by degradation of AP under 365 nm UV light. Compared with undoped TiO 2 , 4%B-TiO 2 nanopowder has smaller grain size, higher porosity, and lower bandgap energy of 3.11 eV. Scavenging experiments and ESR results show that •OH is the principal active species. Hence, the degradation efficiency of AP is as high as 98.8% in 30 min when adopting 10-mg/L AP initial concentration and 1-g/L 4%B-TiO 2 loading, owing to efficient •OH generated by B-TiO 2 ., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

In this paper, Y-ZrO 2 -TiO 2 photocatalyst was prepared by sol-gel method, the titanium source was tetrabutyl titanate, and the precursors were zirconium nitrate pentahydrate and yttrium nitrate hexahydrate. For the photocatalytic effect of Y-ZrO 2 -TiO 2 to hydroquinone, these effects were investigated: doping ratios of Zr/Y, calcination conditions, pH, etc. And the materials were characterized by XRD, TEM-EDS, XPS, PL, ESR, etc. The results showed that the optimum preparation conditions of Y-ZrO 2 -TiO 2 photocatalyst were as follows: the molar ratio of doping was Ti: Zr: Y = 100:6:0.5, the calcination temperature was 500 °C, and the calcination time was 2 h; the optimum reaction conditions were as follows: the dosage of Y-ZrO 2 -TiO 2 was 1 g/L, and pH value was 6.96. The degradation rate of hydroquinone under 365-nm UV lamp for 50 min could reach 96.58%, while the degradation rates of pure TiO 2 , Y-TiO 2 , and ZrO 2 -TiO 2 under the same conditions were 33.95%, 79.55%, and 90.30%, respectively. It can be seen that the addition of elements Zr and Y improves the photocatalytic performance of TiO 2 ., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Bone metastasis has a significant influence on the prognosis of prostate cancer(PCa) patients. In this review, we discussed the current application of PCa bone metastasis diagnosis with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) computer-aided diagnosis(CAD) systems. A literature search identified articles concentrated on PCa bone metastasis and PET/CT or SPECT CAD systems using the PubMed database. We summarized the previous studies focused on CAD systems and manual quantitative markers calculation, and the coincidence rate was acceptable. We also analyzed the quantification methods, advantages, and disadvantages of CAD systems. CAD systems can detect abnormal lesions of PCa patients' 99m Tc-MDP-SPECT, 18 F-FDG-PET/CT, 18 F-NaF-PET/CT, and 68  Ga-PSMA PET/CT images automated or semi-automated. CAD systems can also calculate the quantitative markers, which can quantify PCa patients' whole-body bone metastasis tumor burden accurately and quickly and give a standardized and objective result. SPECT and PET/CT CAD systems are potential tools to monitor and quantify bone metastasis lesions of PCa patients simply and accurately, the future clinical application of CAD systems in diagnosing PCa bone metastasis lesions is necessary and feasible., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

18 F-FDG uptake rate constant K i is the main physiology parameter measured in dynamic PET studies. A model-independent graphical analysis using Patlak plot with plasma input function (PIF) is a standard approach used to estimate K i . The PIF is the 18 F-FDG time activity curve (TAC) in plasma that is obtained by serial arterial blood sampling. The purpose of the study is to evaluate a Patlak plot-based optimization approach with reduced blood samples for noninvasive quantification of dynamic 18 F-FDG PET imaging. Eight 60 min rhesus monkey brain dynamic 18 F-FDG PET scans with arterial blood samples were collected. The measured PIF (mPIF) was determined by arterial blood samples. TACs of seven cerebral regions of interest were generated from each study. With a given number of blood samples, the population-based PIF (pPIF) was determined by either interpolation or extrapolation method using scale calibrated population mean of normalized PIF. The optimal sampling scheme with given blood sample size was determined by maximizing the correlations between the K i estimated from pPIF and those obtained by mPIF. A leave-two-out cross-validation method was used for evaluation. The linear correlations between the K i estimates from pPIF with optimal sampling schemes and those from mPIF were: K i (pPIF 1 sample at 40 min) = 1.015 K i (mPIF) - 0.000, R 2  = 0.974; K i (pPIF 2 samples at 35 and 50 min) = 1.052 K i (mPIF) - 0.001, R 2  = 0.976; K i (pPIF 3 samples at 12, 40, and 50 min) = 1.030 K i (mPIF) - 0.000, R 2  = 0.985; and K i (pPIF 4 samples at 10, 20, 40, and 50 min) = 1.016 K i (mPIF)- 0.000, R 2  = 0.993. As the sample size became greater or equal to 4, the K i estimates from pPIF with the optimal protocol were almost identical to those from mPIF. The Patlak plot-based optimization approach is a reliable method to estimate PIF for noninvasive quantification of non-human primate dynamic 18 F-FDG PET imaging and is potentially extendable to further translational human studies.

Purpose: To explore the potential parameters from F-FDG PET/CT that might be associated with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation status in lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) patients., Methods: Data of the test cohort of 191 patients and the validation cohort of 55 patients with newly diagnosed ADC were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent F-FDG PET/CT scans and EGFR mutation tests prior to treatment. The metabolic parameters obtained from F-FDG PET/CT combining with clinical characteristics were analyzed by using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Then two cohorts were enrolled to validate the predictive model by area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC), respectively., Results: EGFR mutation-positive was seen of 33.0% (63/191) and 32.7% (18/55) in two cohorts, respectively. In univariate analysis, female, nonsmokers, metabolic parameters of primary tumor [mean standardized uptake value, metabolic tumor volume (pMTV), and total lesion glycolysis], non-necrosis of primary tumor, and serum tumor markers [carbohydrate antigen 19-9, squamous cell carcinoma antigen, and precursor of gastrin releasing peptide (proGRP)] were significantly relevant with EGFR mutation. In multivariate analysis with adjustment of age and TNM stage, pMTV (<8.13 cm), proGRP (≥38.44 pg/ml) and women were independent significant predictors for EGFR mutation. The AUC for the predictive value of these factors was 0.739 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.665-0.813] in the cohort of 191 patients and 0.716 (95% CI 0.567-0.865) in the cohort of 55 patients, respectively., Conclusion: Low pMTV (<8.13 cm) was an independent predictor and could be integrated with women and high proGRP (≥38.44 pg/ml) to enhance the discriminability on the EGFR mutation status in ADC patients.

Aim: To assess the potential of using preoperative 18 F-FDG PET/CT to predict the prognosis of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) after nephrectomy., Methods: Sixty-nine patients with newly diagnosed ccRCC who underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT prior to surgery were retrospectively reviewed. The metabolic parameters of maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and tumor-to-liver ratio (TLR) from 18 F-FDG PET/CT were obtained. Clinicopathological characteristics, including the World Health Organization/the International Society of Urological Pathology (WHO/ISUP) grade, pathological tumor node metastasis (pTNM) stage, venous tumor thrombus, and so on, were acquired. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed to identify the prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS)., Results: Of the 69 patients, 25 patients (36.2%) experienced disease progression during the follow-up period. In univariate analysis, the primary tumor size (>4.85 cm), pTNM stage (Ⅲ/Ⅳ), WHO/ISUP grade (G3/4), venous tumor thrombus, adjuvant therapy, SUVmax (>3.55), and TLR (>1.66) were found to correlate with the incidence of decreased DFS (P < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, TLR (P = 0.007, HR: 5.489, 95%CI: 1.605-18.774) and pTNM stage (P = 0.024, HR: 10.385, 95%CI: 1.361-79.238) were revealed to serve as independent prognostic predictors for DFS after adjustment for other variables. Only 3 cases (8.3%) with normal TLR showed disease progression, while 22 cases (66.7%) with elevated TLR experienced disease progression., Conclusion: ccRCC patients with preoperatively elevated TLR (>1.66) and high pTNM stages (Ⅲ/Ⅳ) had significantly unfavorable survival outcomes. These patients should be carefully monitored to detect the possibility of disease progression after nephrectomy as early as possible., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A 58-year-old woman experienced 4 months of headache, fatigue, and depression, as well as 1 week of confusion and hallucinations. F-FDG PET/CT showed numerous hypermetabolic lesions in the pituitary gland and stalk, dura mater, glossopharyngeal nerve, and cauda equina, as well as in cervical and mediastinal lymph nodes. Surgical biopsy of the mediastinal lymph node confirmed the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. The follow-up F-FDG PET/CT, performed at the eighth month after the treatment of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive agents, demonstrated complete remission of the previous hypermetabolic lesions.

A 48-year-old woman presented with refractory oral ulcers and skin rashes on the palms and trunk, diagnosed as paraneoplastic pemphigus. The chest x-ray revealed a mass in the right lower chest, and the F-FDG PET/CT scan showed the lesion in the right anterior-inferior mediastinum with intense F-FDG uptake, accompanied by right parasternal adenopathy and pleural effusion. The surgical pathology proved a follicular dendritic cell sarcoma, with right parasternal lymph node metastasis.

Recently, the incidence of invasive fungal infections has significantly increased. Candida albicans (C. albicans) is the most common opportunistic fungal pathogen that infects humans. The limited number of available antifungal agents and the emergence of drug resistance pose difficulties to treatment, thus new antifungals are urgently needed. Through their functions in DNA replication, DNA repair and transcription, histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs) perform essential functions relating to growth, virulence, drug resistance and stress responses of C. albicans . Here, we summarize the physiological and pathological functions of HATs/HDACs, potential antifungal targets and underlying antifungal compounds that impact histone acetylation and deacetylation. We anticipate this review will stimulate the identification of new HAT/HDAC-related antifungal targets and antifungal agents.

A 43-year-old woman presented with progressive muscle weakness and myalgia for 1 month. Laboratory tests revealed the elevation of myogenic enzymes. MRI of the thighs demonstrated a pattern of edema for inflammatory myopathy. Electromyography showed diffuse myopathic disorder, and muscle biopsy indicated polymyositis. F-FDG PET/CT was performed to investigate the potential paraneoplastic syndrome and revealed a soft tissue lesion with F-FDG avidity in the right anterior mediastinum, as well as diffusely increased activity throughout the body muscles. The patient's symptoms and biochemical abnormalities were gradually relieved after the tumor resection, and the histopathology indicated a type AB thymoma.

(1) Background: The great potential of RNA interference (RNAi)-based gene therapy is premised on the effective delivery of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to target tissues and cells. Hence, we aimed at developing and examining a novel integrin α v β₃-specific delivery carrier for targeted transfection of siRNA to malignant tumor cells; (2) Methods: Arginine-glycine-aspartate motif (RGD) was adopted as a tissue target for specific recognition of integrin α v β₃. To enable siRNA binding, a chimeric peptide was synthesized by adding nonamer arginine residues (9R) at the carboxy terminus of cyclic-RGD dimer, designated as c(RGD)₂-9R. The efficiency of 9R peptide transferring siRNA was biologically evaluated in vitro by flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, and Western blot; (3) Results: An optimal 10:1 molar ratio of c(RGD)₂-9R to siRNA was confirmed by the electrophoresis on agarose gels. Both the flow cytometry and confocal microscopy results testified that transfection of c(RGD)₂-9R as an siRNA delivery carrier was obviously higher than the naked-siRNA group. The results of Western blot demonstrated that these 9R peptides were able to transduce siRNA to HepG2 cells in vitro, resulting in efficient gene silencing; and (4) Conclusion: The chimeric peptide of c(RGD)₂-9R can be developed as an effective siRNA delivery carrier and shows potential as a new strategy for RNAi-based gene therapy.