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Background: Complex and high-risk surgical complications pose pressing challenges in the clinical implementation and advancement of endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR). Successful perforation repair under endoscopy, thereby avoiding surgical intervention and postoperative complications such as peritonitis, are pivotal for effective EFTR., Aim: To investigate the effectiveness and safety of EFTR assisted by distal serosal inversion under floss traction in gastric submucosal tumors., Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients with gastric and duodenal submucosal tumors treated with EFTR assisted by the distal serosa inversion under dental floss traction from January 2023 to January 2024 was conducted. The total operation time, tumor dissection time, wound closure time, intraoperative bleeding volume, length of hospital stay and incidence of complications were analyzed., Results: There were 93 patients, aged 55.1 ± 12.1 years. Complete tumor resection was achieved in all cases, resulting in a 100% success rate. The average total operation time was 67.4 ± 27.0 min, with tumor dissection taking 43.6 ± 20.4 min. Wound closure times varied, with gastric body closure time of 24.5 ± 14.1 min and gastric fundus closure time of 16.6 ± 8.7 min, showing a significant difference ( P < 0.05). Intraoperative blood loss was 2.3 ± 4.0 mL, and average length of hospital stay was 5.7 ± 1.9 d. There was no secondary perforation after suturing in all cases. The incidence of delayed bleeding was 2.2%, and the incidence of abdominal infection was 3.2%. No patient required other surgical intervention during and after the operation., Conclusion: Distal serosal inversion under dental-floss-assisted EFTR significantly reduced wound closure time and intraoperative blood loss, making it a viable approach for gastric submucosal tumors., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Oxidative stress is the imbalanced redox status between oxidant production and their scavengers leading to intestinal physiological dysfunction. However, the role of systemic and local oxidative status during neonatal calf diarrhea is not known. This study assessed systemic (serum) and local (fecal) oxidative status when calves either naturally developed diarrhea or naturally recovered. Healthy calves were enrolled in the study at d 18 of age, and their health status was monitored from the enrollment. Based on their enteric health status on d 21 and 28, calves were grouped as continuous diarrhea from d 21 to 28 (n = 14), diarrhea at d 21 but recovered at d 28 (DH group, n = 19), healthy at d 21 but developed diarrhea at d 28 (HD group, n = 15), and healthy throughout the study (HH group, n = 16). Serum and fecal samples were collected at d 21 and 28 from all calves in the morning 2 h after feeding. Dynamics of oxidative stress indicators including reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), H 2 O 2 , 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHDG), glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant capacity and inflammatory indicators TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-γ were evaluated using serum samples. In addition, fecal oxidative stress indicators ROS and MDA were measured. Serum ROS, MDA, 8-OHDG, as well as fecal ROS and MDA, were higher, whereas serum CAT and H 2 O 2 were lower in diarrheic calves than those of healthy calves. Serum ROS, MDA, and 8OHDG and fecal ROS and MDA increased in the HD group from d 21 to 28 as they developed diarrhea. In contrast, all these oxidative stress markers decreased in the DH group from d 21 to 28 as they recovered. However, serum H 2 O 2 had an opposite changing trend, which became lower in the HD group and higher in the DH group at d 28. In conclusion, both systemic and local oxidative stress markers and cytokine profiles altered as calves moved from being healthy to having diarrhea or vice versa. Serum ROS, MDA, and 8-OHDG can be used to develop biomarkers to screen calves prone to enteric infections during the preweaning period., (Copyright © 2024 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To evaluate the expression profile of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) and explore their potential mechanism of action., Methods: The gene expression profiles (GSE153555, GSE148219, GSE199718) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and FastQC was run for quality control checks. After filtering and classifying candidate lncRNAs by differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and weighted co-expression networks (WGCNA) in GSE153555, we predicted the potential cis- or trans-regulatory target genes of differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) by using FEELnc and established the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network by miRanda, more over functional enrichment was analyzed using the ClusterProfiler package in R Bioconductor. The hub cis- or trans-regulatory genes were verified in GSE148219 and GSE199718 respectively., Results: There were 340 up-regulated lncRNAs identified in AS group compared with the control group (|log 2 Fold Change| ≥ 1.0 and P adj ≤ 0.05), and 460 down-regulated lncRNAs. Based on target gene prediction and co-expression network construction, twelve Long non-coding RNAs (CDKN2B-AS1, AC244453.2, APCDD1L-DT, SLC12A5-AS1, TGFB3, AC243829.4, MIR4435-2HG, FAM225A, BHLHE40-AS1, LINC01614, AL356417.2, LINC01150) were identified as the hub cis- or trans-regulatory genes in the pathogenesis of CAVD which were validated in GSE148219 and GSE19971. Additionally, we found that MIR4435-2HG was the top hub trans-acting lncRNA which also plays a crucial role by ceRNA pattern., Conclusion: LncRNAs may play an important role in CAVD and may provide a new perspective on the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease. Further studies are required to illuminate the underlying mechanisms and provide potential therapeutic targets., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy and adverse reactions of Jiawei Maxing Shigan Tang (JMST; a modified decoction of ephedra, apricot kernel, gypsum, and licorice) combined with western medicine in the symptomatic treatment of COVID-19., Methods: In this study, we retrospectively collected the basic data of 48 patients with COVID-19 who were discharged from our hospital between January 20 and February 28, 2020. Besides, the blood routines, biochemical indexes, nucleic acid detection results, clinical symptoms, lung imaging improvements, adverse reactions, and other clinical data of these patients before and after treatment were recorded. Finally, we drew comparisons between the outcomes and adverse reactions of patients in the combined treatment group (therapeutic regimen recommended by authoritative guidelines and supplemented by JMST) and the conventional treatment group (therapeutic regimen recommended by authoritative guidelines)., Results: There were no significant differences in age, gender, clinical classification, and underlying medical conditions between the combined treatment group (28 cases) and the conventional treatment group (20 cases). However, the combined treatment group presented superior results to the conventional treatment group in several key areas. For instance, patients produced negative nasal/throat swab-based nucleic acid detection results in a shorter time, clinical symptoms were more effectively alleviated, and the absorption time of lung exudation was shorter ( P < 0.05). Furthermore, the combined treatment group had a shorter length of stay (LOS) and faster lymphocyte recovery duration than the conventional treatment group, although the differences were not statistically significant. Moreover, there were no significant differences concerning gastrointestinal reaction, hepatic injury, renal impairment, myocardial injury, and other adverse reactions between the two groups., Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that JMST combined with the recommended therapeutic regimen enhances the recovery of COVID-19 patients without increasing the risk of adverse reactions. Therefore, this therapy promotes positive outcomes for COVID-19 patients., 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 © 2022 Wu, Tang, Zhang, Fu and Fu.)

Nanoparticle delivery systems have been shown to improve the therapeutic efficacy of anti-cancer drugs, including a variety of drugs for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the current systems show some limitations, and the delivery of more effective nanoparticle systems for anti-HCC drugs with better targeting ability are needed. Here, we created paclitaxel (PTX)/norcantharidin (NCTD)-loaded core-shell lipid nanoparticles modified with a tumor neovasculature-targeted peptide (Ala-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly, APRPG) and investigated their anti-tumor effects in HCC. Core-shell-type lipid nanoparticles (PTX/NCTD-APRPG-NPs) were established by combining poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-wrapped PTX with phospholipid-wrapped NCTD, followed by modification with APRPG. For comparison, PTX-loaded PLGA nanoparticles (PTX-NPs) and PTX/NCTD-loaded core-shell-type nanoparticles without APRPG (PTX/NCTD-NPs) were prepared. The in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor effects were examined in HepG2 cells and tumor-bearing mice, respectively. Morphological and release characterization showed that PTX/NCTD-APRPG-NPs were prepared successfully and achieved up to 90% release of PTX in a sustained manner. Compared with PTX/NCTD-NPs, PTX/NCTD-APRPG-NPs significantly enhanced the uptake of PTX. Notably, the inhibition of proliferation and migration of hepatoma cells was significantly higher in the PTX/NCTD-APRPG-NP group than those in the PTX-NP and PTX/NCTD-NP groups, which reflected significantly greater anti-tumor properties as well. Furthermore, key molecules in cell proliferation and apoptosis signaling pathways were altered most in the PTX/NCTD-APRPG-NP group, compared with the PTX-NP and PTX/NCTD-NP groups. Collectively, PTX/NCTD-loaded core-shell lipid nanoparticles modified with APRPG enhance the effectiveness of anti-HCC drugs and may be an effective system for the delivery of anti-HCC drugs., 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 © 2022 Xie, Fu, Hua, Zhou, Chen, Li, Yao, Cai, Ge, Zhou and Wu.)

Objective: T cell lymphomas are associated with an aggressive worse prognosis. This study is designed to assess T cell lymphomas using 18F-FDG PET/CT., Methods: Sixty-four patients with newly diagnosed T cell lymphomas underwent PET/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans, 47 cases who were fully followed up were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were recorded for prognosis. We measured the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in all cases, analyzed the correlation between SUVmax and survival and other clinicopathologic parameters. Kaplan-Meier log-rank tests were then used to compare the survival of high and low PET/CT parameter groups, and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was carried out to identify predictors of OS and PFS., Results: With a median follow-up of 26.5 (range 0.7-117.5) months, the 1-, 2- and 3-year OS were 75.6, 61.7 and 49.2%, and PFS were 49.3, 39.9 and 29.9%, respectively in 47 patients. Among them, 33 cases progressed with a median time of 9.5 (0.7-115.0) months, and 26 patients died with a median survival time of 26.5 (0.7-117.5) months. Multivariate analysis showed the following independent prognostic factors for OS: age >60 years (P = 0.002), SUVmax >9.7 (P = 0.009) and extranodal involvement of more than one site (P = 0.018). In addition, lactate dehydrogenase level (P = 0.003) and B symptoms (P = 0.018) were independent risk factors for PFS., Conclusion: Pretherapy SUVmax may serve as an independent predictor of outcome in patients with newly diagnosed T cell lymphomas., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a type of primary large vessel vasculitis. Th1, Th17, and Tfh cells have been reported to be associated with TA relapse. However, the relationship between regulatory T cells (Tregs) and TA remains unclear., Objective: To analyze the levels of circulating lymphocytes, especially Treg cells (CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 + T cells) and serum cytokines in TA patients and explore their relationship with their changes and TA disease activity., Methods: A total of 57 TA patients and 43 sex- and age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. According to NIH standards, 36 patients had active disease status. Flow cytometry combined with counting was used to detect the absolute numbers and ratios of Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cells in the peripheral blood of all the subjects. Magnetic bead-based multiplex immunoassay was used to detect cytokines., Results: Compared to HCs, the absolute number and proportion of peripheral Treg cells in TA patients was significantly decreased, while Th17 cells were significantly increased. Furthermore, compared to the inactive group, the TA active group had significantly increased levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, but lower IL-10 levels. The absolute number of Th2 cells was negatively associated with platelet (PLT) and NIS scores in TA patients. The proportion of Th2 cells was negatively associated with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate in TA patients. After treatment, Treg cells were markedly increased., Conclusion: There was a Th17-Treg cell imbalance with a significant reduction in peripheral Treg cells and an increase in Th17 cells in TA patients compared to the HCs. The levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, and TNF-α appeared to be related to disease activity., 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 © 2021 Jia, Fu, Wang, Luo, Yan, Cao, Yan-Liu, Xie, Liu, Gao and Li.)

Background: This study sought to compare the efficacy of minimally invasive rotatory resection plus catheter drainage and puncture abscess aspiration in the treatment of lactational breast abscess., Methods: The data of 80 patients with lactational breast abscess at the Department of Mammary Gland, Tianjin Central Hospital of Gynecology Obstetrics, from January 2019 to January 2020 were retrospectively collected. The patients were divided into the minimally invasive group (n=30) and the abscess aspiration group (n=50). Clinical data, including age, parity, preoperative body temperature, postpartum time, time of abscess cavity generation, diameter and position of abscess cavity, intraoperative drainage, bleeding, recovery time, and satisfaction score, were collected and compared between the 2 groups of patients., Results: The baseline data between the 2 groups were not significantly different. The minimally invasive group had a higher single drainage volume and single bleeding volume (P<0.05), and lower cumulative pain score (P<0.05); the cumulative bleeding volume did not differ significantly between the 2 groups (P>0.05). For the abscess cavities with a diameter ≤5 cm, the single drainage volume, single bleeding volume, and single pain score in the minimally invasive group were significantly higher than those in the abscess aspiration group (P<0.05); the total drainage volume was similar between the 2 groups (P>0.05). For the abscess cavities with a diameter >5 cm, the single drainage volume and single bleeding volume in the minimally invasive group were significantly higher than those in the abscess aspiration group (P<0.05), while the cumulative bleeding volume, single pain score, and cumulative pain score were lower in the minimally invasive group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in total drainage between the 2 groups (P>0.05)., Conclusions: When the abscess cavity is ≤5 cm in diameter and the abscess is superficial, puncture and abscess aspiration may be more advantageous than the minimally invasive rotatory resection plus catheter drainage. When the abscess cavity is >5 cm in diameter and there are multiple abscesses or deep large abscess, the efficacy of minimally invasive rotary resection plus catheter drainage may be better than the puncture and abscess aspiration., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://dx.doi.org/10.21037/gs-21-729). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Gland Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Background: Drainage is essential for source control of the infection in a pelvic abscess. The purpose of this study was to report 2 cases of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided drainage of the pelvic abscess and review the literature of different modalities of EUS-guided drainage of pelvic abscess., Case Presentation: A 60-year-old male developed a pelvic abscess 1 month after laparoscopic complete tumor resection. An abdominal CT showed a mass shadow (about 7.1 cm × 5.1 cm) in the right pelvic region. Another case was an 85-year-old male who developed a pelvic abscess 3 days after recurrent tumor resection of multiple organs. The CT showed pelvic effusion and gas accumulation (approximately 6.5 cm × 4.2 cm), and the intestinal tube above the small intestinal anastomosis was dilated with effusion. A 19G-A puncture needle was used to puncture the abscess. An 8-mm cylindrical balloon was inserted, followed by a 10 Fr-3 cm double pigtail stent and an 8.5 Fr drainage tube. After EUS-guided drainage of pelvic abscess, the symptoms disappeared without recurrence., Conclusions: EUS-guided drainage is an effective and safe method for treating pelvic abscesses as long as the drainage modality is appropriately selected based on the etiology, size, and mucus viscosity of the abscess., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Juniperus (Cupressaceae, Pinales) plants are widely distributed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China. The leaves and twigs of at least 8 Juniperus species ( J. pingii, J. pingii var . wilsonii, J. squamata, J. recurva var. coxii, J. saltuaria, J. indica, J. tibetica and J. convallium var. microsperma ) have been used as the Tibetan medicine Xuba . At present, it is difficult to distinguish among the original species of Xuba based only on their similar morphological characteristics. However, in our previous studies, 4 Xuba samples from different Juniperus species exhibited significant differences in both anticomplementary activity in vitro and anti-inflammatory effects on acute lung injury in vivo. To identify the effective original species of Xuba reliably, in this study, we developed a sequencing-based DNA molecular technology to distinguish 14 populations of 8 Juniperus species collected from Tibet region, using trnS-G, trnD - T, and petN-psbM genomic regions to build phylogenetic trees. In addition, their anticomplementary activities were evaluated. The results showed that combined sequence of these 3 genomic regions could identify 8 Juniperus species clearly and clustered individuals of one species but from different locations, whichever phylogenetic tree was constructed. Moreover, the anticomplementary activities of the 8 species were clustered into 2 groups. Among them, J. saltuaria and J. recurva var. coxii , which formed an independent branch apart from the other 6 species in phylogenetic trees, were the most potent (CH 50 : 0.029 - 0.032 mg/mL). Consequently, DNA identification of Juniperus using the combined sequence could provide beneficial guidance for further efficacy evaluation and quality control of Xuba ., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To explore the application of axillary reverse mapping (ARM) in breast cancer sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), and to collect and record patient's data during operation. Through the specific experimental data, the anatomical location and morphology of the intercostal brachial nerve (ICBN) and the anatomic relationship of the axillary lymph nodes were analyzed to accurately locate the anatomical division of the axillary fossa of sentinel lymph node (SLN) and ARM lymph nodes. Methods: The technique of methylene blue staining for SLN combined with indocyanine green fluorescent staining for axillary reverse mapping was used to analyze the patients of Tianjin Central Hospital of Gynecology Obstetrics from June 2017 to June 2018. The clinical data of 35 patients with T1-2N0M0 breast cancer were analyzed. Results: Of the 35 patients, two cases were excluded from metastatic carcinoma of the SLN. Thirty-three cases were included in the data analysis. Three cases of ICBN were located 0-2.0 cm (9.09%) from the lower edge of the iliac vein, 27 cases were located at 2.0-4.0 cm (81.82%), and 3 cases of ICBN were located greater than 4.0 cm (9.09%). In the region of 0-2.0 cm from the lower edge of the iliac vein, 1-2 ARM lymph nodes were found in 5 cases; in the 2.0-4.0 cm area, SLN was found in 33 cases, 4 of which found 1 coincident lymph node; at>4.0 cm ARM lymph nodes and overlapping lymph nodes were not found in the cm region, and 1-2 SLNs were found in 3 cases. Conclusions: Individual ICBNs vary greatly, with different shapes and distances from the lower edge of the axillary vein. The axillary region below the iliac vein can be divided into three regions: ARM region (0-2.0 cm); SLN region (2.0-4.0 cm); and sentinel gate region (>4.0 cm). The position 2.0 cm from the lower edge of the iliac vein can be used as the boundary between the ARM lymph node and the SLN. 4. There is a certain proportion of coincidence rate between SLN and ARM lymph nodes.

Introduction: Prion disease is a form of neurodegenerative disease caused by the misfolding and aggregation of cellular prion protein (PrP C ). The neurotoxicity of the misfolded form of prion protein, PrP Sc still remains understudied. Here we try to investigate this issue using a metabolomics approach., Objectives: The intention was to identify and quantify the small-in-size and water-soluble metabolites extracted from mice brains infected with the Rocky Mountain Laboratory isolate of mouse-adapted scrapie prions (RML) and track changes in these metabolites during disease evolution., Methods: A total of 73 mice were inoculated with RML prions or normal brain homogenate control; brains were harvested at 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 days post-inoculation (dpi). We devised a high-efficiency metabolite extraction method and used nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to identify and quantify 50 metabolites in the brain extracts. Data were analyzed using multivariate approach., Results: Brain metabolome profiles of RML infected animals displayed continuous changes throughout the course of disease. Among the analyzed metabolites, the most noteworthy changes included increases in myo-inositol and glutamine as well as decreases in 4-aminobutyrate, acetate, aspartate and taurine., Conclusion: We report a novel metabolite extraction method for lipid-rich tissue. As all the major metabolites are identifiable and quantifiable by magnetic resonance spectroscopy, this study suggests that tracking of neurochemical profiles could be effective in monitoring the progression of neurodegenerative diseases and useful for assessing the efficacy of candidate therapeutics.

Routine test of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), such as glucose concentrations, chloride ion, protein and leukocyte, as well as color, turbidity and clot, were important indicators for intracranial infection. However, there were no models to predict the intracranial infection with these parameters. We collected data of 221 cases with CSF positive-culture and 50 cases with CSF negative culture from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, China. SPSS17.0 software was used to establish the model by adopting seven described indicators, and P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Meanwhile, 40 cases with positive-culture and 10 cases with negative-culture were selected to verify the sensitivity and specificity of the model. The results showed that each parameter was significant in the model establishment (P < 0.05). To extract the above seven parameters, the interpretation model C was established, and C = 0.952-0.183 × glucose value (mmol/L) - 0.024 × chloride ion value (mmol/L)- 0.000122 × protein value (mg/L) - 0.0000859 × number of leukocytes per microliter (× 10 6 /L) + 1.354 × color number code + 0.236 × turbidity number code + 0.691 × clot number code. In addition, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the model were 85.0 and 100%, respectively. The combining application of seven physicochemical parameters of CSF might be of great value in the diagnosis of intracranial infection for adult patients.

Background: Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic flower is a medicinal plant for the treatment of diseases in China. The present study was carried out to scientifically validate the gastroprotective activity and clarify the possible mechanism of the total flavones from Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic flower is a medicinal plant for the treatment of diseases in China. The present study was carried out to scientifically validate the gastroprotective activity and clarify the possible mechanism of the total flavones from., Methods: Gastric ulcer was induced in mice by oral administration of ethanol. The gastroprotective activity of TFA was evaluated by the gastric ulcer index and histological examinations. The gastric tissue was collected in the form of homogenate. The level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH), the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and protein content were measured. Western blotting for the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, TNF- α , and NF- κ B(p65) was also carried out. The effect of TFA was compared with that of standard antiulcer drug omeprazole (100 mg/kg)., Results: This gastroprotective effect of TFA could be attributed to the increase in the activity of SOD and GSH and decrease in the levels of MDA and also decrease in the levels of Bax, TNF- α , and NF- κ B(p65) was also carried out. The effect of TFA was compared with that of standard antiulcer drug omeprazole (100 mg/kg)., Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrated that TFA could significantly attenuate ethanol-induced gastric injury via antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic effects., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article., (Copyright © 2020 Jun Zhang et al.)

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of 18 F-FDG PET/CT and tumor markers (CEA,CA19-9,CA24-2) in detection for recurrence and metastasis of postoperative colorectal moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma., Methods: Fifty-five patients were enrolled in this study. All of the patients were tested with serum CEA within 2 weeks when they underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT scan, and some patients were tested with serum CA19-9 and CA24-2 simultaneously. According to the pathology and clinical results of their follow-up, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of 18 F-FDG PET/CT and tumor markers were calculated based on different divided groups, respectively., Results: According to the pathology and the results of their clinical follow-up, the sensitivity of 18 F-FDG PET/CT, CEA, CA19-9, CA24-2 and the combination of those three tumor markers were 95.74%, 68.09%, 28.57%, 40.00% and 74.47%, respectively. The specificity of 18 F-FDG PET/CT, CEA, CA19-9, CA24-2 and the combination of those three tumor markers were 75.00%, 50.00%, 66.67%, 71.43% and 50.00%, respectively. The positive predictive valueof 18 F-FDG PET/CT, CEA, CA19-9, CA24-2 and the combination of those three tumor markers were 95.74%, 88.89%, 85.71%, 88.89% and 89.74%, respectively. The negative predictive value of 18 F-FDG PET/CT, CEA, CA19-9, CA24-2 and the combination of those three tumor markers were 75.00%, 26.67%, 11.42%, 17.24%, 25.00%, respectively. The accuracy of 18 F-FDG PET/CT, CEA, CA19-9, CA24-2 and the combination of those three tumor markers were 92.73%, 65.47%, 32.65%, 44.68% and 70.91%, respectively. There were 2 cases of false positive and 2 cases of false negative in 18 F-FDG PET/CT., Conclusion: 18 F-FDG PET/CT has high value in detecting recurrence and metastasis of postoperative colorectal carcinoma. Tumor markers have the positive value to imply the recurrence and metastasis of postoperative colorectal carcinoma and are useful to indicate when to perform the 18 F-FDG PET/CT. The combination of tumor markers could improve the diagnostic efficiency to some extent.

Prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders caused by the misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrP C ). Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome is an inherited prion disease with one early-onset allele (HRdup) containing an eight-amino-acid insertion; this LGGLGGYV insert is positioned after valine 129 (human PrP C sequence) in a hydrophobic tract in the natively disordered region. Here we have characterized the structure and explored the molecular motions and dynamics of HRdup PrP and a control allele. High-resolution NMR data suggest that the core of HRdup has a canonical PrP C structure, yet a nascent β-structure is observed in the flexible elongated hydrophobic region of HRdup. In addition, using mouse PrP C sequence, we observed that a methionine/valine polymorphism at codon 128 (equivalent of methionine/valine 129 in human sequence) and oligomerization caused by high protein concentration affects conformational exchange dynamics at residue G130. We hypothesize that with the β-structure at the N-terminus, the hydrophobic region of HRdup can adopt a fully extended configuration and fold back to form an extended β-sheet with the existing β-sheet. We propose that these structures are early chemical events in disease pathogenesis., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Key Message: Seed germination rate and oil content can be regulated at theGDSL transcriptional level by eitherAtGDSL1 orBnGDSL1 inB. napus. Gly-Asp-Ser-Leu (GDSL)-motif lipases represent an important subfamily of lipolytic enzymes, which play important roles in lipid metabolism, seed development, abiotic stress, and pathogen defense. In the present study, two closely related GDSL-motif lipases, Brassica napus GDSL1 and Arabidopsis thaliana GDSL1, were characterized as functioning in regulating germination rate and seed oil content in B. napus. AtGDSL1 and BnGDSL1 overexpression lines showed an increased seed germination rate and improved seedling establishment compared with wild type. Meanwhile, the constitutive overexpression of AtGDSL1 and BnGDSL1 promoted lipid catabolism and decreased the seed oil content. While RNAi-mediated suppression of BnGDSL1 (Bngdsl1) in B. napus improved the seed oil content and decreased seed germination rate. Moreover, the Bngdsl1 transgenic seeds showed changes in the fatty acid (FA) composition, featuring an increase in C18:1 and a decrease in C18:2 and C18:3. The transcriptional levels of six related core enzymes involved in FA mobilization were all elevated in the AtGDSL1 and BnGDSL1 overexpression lines, but strongly suppressed in the Bngdsl1 transgenic line. These results suggest that improving the seed germination and seed oil content in B. napus could be achieved by regulating the GDSL transcriptional level.

To explore pathogenesis in a young Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker Disease (GSS) patient, the corresponding mutation, an eight-residue duplication in the hydrophobic region (HR), was inserted into the wild type mouse PrP gene. Transgenic (Tg) mouse lines expressing this mutation (Tg.HRdup) developed spontaneous neurologic syndromes and brain extracts hastened disease in low-expressor Tg.HRdup mice, suggesting de novo formation of prions. While Tg.HRdup mice exhibited spongiform change, PrP aggregates and the anticipated GSS hallmark of a proteinase K (PK)-resistant 8 kDa fragment deriving from the center of PrP, the LGGLGGYV insertion also imparted alterations in PrP's unstructured N-terminus, resulting in a 16 kDa species following thermolysin exposure. This species comprises a plausible precursor to the 8 kDa PK-resistant fragment and its detection in adolescent Tg.HRdup mice suggests that an early start to accumulation could account for early disease of the index case. A 16 kDa thermolysin-resistant signature was also found in GSS patients with P102L, A117V, H187R and F198S alleles and has coordinates similar to GSS stop codon mutations. Our data suggest a novel shared pathway of GSS pathogenesis that is fundamentally distinct from that producing structural alterations in the C-terminus of PrP, as observed in other prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and scrapie.

Activity-guided fractionation for complement inhibitors led to the isolation of 24 known compounds from Anchusa italica. Chemical types include eight megastigmane compounds, five triterpenoid compounds, five lignan compounds, three flavonoid compounds, two alkaloid compounds and one phenthyl alcohol compound. Among which, a lignan (medioresinol), an alkaloid (5-hydroxypyrrolidin-2-one) and a flavonoid (5-hydroxyl-3', 4', 6, 7-tetramethoxy flavone) exhibited better anticomplementary effects with CH 50 values ranging from 0.07 to 0.82 mM, which are plausible candidates for developing potent anticomplementary agents.

Activity-guided fractionation for complement inhibitors led to the isolation of 22 known compounds from Viola kunawarensis. Chemical types include six sterol compounds, three coumarin compounds, five megastigmane compounds, two triterpenoid compounds, two phenylpropanoid compounds, one chlorophyll, one amide, and two lipid compounds. Among which, two sterols (stigmasta-4-ene-3β,6β-diol and saringosterone), one amide (aurantiamide acetate) and a norsesquiterpenoid (solalyratin B) exhibited better anti-complementary effects with CH 50 values ranging from 0.02 to 0.08 mM, which are plausible candidates for developing potent anti-complementary agents.

The fast detection of terahertz radiation is of great importance for various applications such as fast imaging, high speed communications, and spectroscopy. Most commercial products capable of sensitively responding the terahertz radiation are thermal detectors, i.e., pyroelectric sensors and bolometers. This class of terahertz detectors is normally characterized by low modulation frequency (dozens or hundreds of Hz). Here we demonstrate the first fast semiconductor-based terahertz quantum well photodetectors by carefully designing the device structure and microwave transmission line for high frequency signal extraction. Modulation response bandwidth of gigahertz level is obtained. As an example, the 6.2-GHz modulated terahertz light emitted from a Fabry-Pérot terahertz quantum cascade laser is successfully detected using the fast terahertz quantum well photodetector. In addition to the fast terahertz detection, the technique presented in this work can also be used for optically characterizing the frequency stability of terahertz quantum cascade lasers, heterodyne detections and photomixing applications.

Terahertz imaging has many important potential applications. Due to the failure of Si readout integrated circuits (ROICs) and the thermal mismatch between the photo-detector arrays and the ROICs at temperatures below 40 K, there are big technical challenges to construct terahertz photo-type focal plane arrays. In this work, we report pixel-less photo-type terahertz imagers based on the frequency up-conversion technique. The devices are composed of terahertz quantum-well photo-detectors (QWPs) and near-infrared (NIR) light emitting diodes (LEDs) which are grown in sequence on the same substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. In such an integrated QWP-LED device, photocurrent in the QWP drives the LED to emit NIR light. By optimizing the structural parameters of the QWP-LED, the QWP part and the LED part both work well. The maximum values of the internal and external energy up-conversion efficiencies are around 20% and 0.5%. A laser spot of a homemade terahertz quantum cascade laser is imaged by the QWP-LED together with a commercial Si camera. The pixel-less imaging results show that the image blurring induced by the transverse spreading of photocurrent is negligible. The demonstrated pixel-less imaging opens a new way to realize high performance terahertz imaging devices.

Objective: To analyze the efficiency of diuretic renography in the management of unilateral ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) patients, by observing the affected kidney relative renal function (RRF) and drainage in the period of follow-up., Methods: In the study, 76 patients diagnosed as unilateral UPJO were retrospectively collected. Diuretic renography was performed on all the patients initially, and during the period of follow-up. No morphological or functional abnormalities were detected on the contralateral kidney. Changes of affected renal RRF and drainage were observed during the follow-up period. The correlations of initial RRF (RRFinitial) and drainage type with RRF improvement were analyzed., Results: In the operative group (57 cases), the RRFinitial of affected kidney was 40.81%±12.96%, and the RRF in the last follow-up (RRFrecent) was 44.63%±13.21% (P<0.05). Drainage improvements was found in 54.00% of the obstructive patients (27/50), and unchanged in 71.43% of the non-obstructive patients (5/7). In the conservative group (19 cases), the RRFinitial was 46.47%±12.84%, and the RRFrecent was 46.95%±11.86% (P>0.05). One obstructive patient (1/10) was found with improved drainage, and the other 9 obstructive patients (9/10) and all of the non-obstructive patients (9/9) were observed with unchanged drainage. Four patients with deteriorated RRF in the conservative group received surgery. There were no significant differences in the changes of affected renal RRF in different RRFinitial and drainage types in both operative and conservative groups., Conclusion: Diuretic renography could be effectively applied in the follow-up of unilateral UPJO patients. Operation could improve affected kidney's RRF, and better some patients' drainage conditions. However, for those patients with no or minor clinical symptoms, conservative management could be accepted if RRF remains stable during the period of follow up.

Brassica napus seed is a lipid storage organ containing approximately 40% oil, while its leaves contain many kinds of lipids for many biological roles, but the overall amounts are less than in seeds. Thus, lipid biosynthesis in the developing seeds and the leaves is strictly regulated which results the final difference of lipids. However, there are few reports about the molecular mechanism controlling the difference in lipid biosynthesis between developing seeds and leaves. In this study, we tried to uncover this mechanism by analyzing the transcriptome data for lipid biosynthesis. The transcriptome data were de novo assembled and a total of 47,216 unigenes were obtained, which had an N50 length and median of 1271 and 755 bp, respectively. Among these unigenes, 36,368 (about 77.02%) were annotated and there were 109 up-regulated unigenes and 72 down-regulated unigenes in the developing seeds lipid synthetic pathway after comparing with leaves. In the oleic acid pathway, 23 unigenes were up-regulated and four unigenes were down-regulated. During triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis, the key unigenes were all up-regulated, such as phosphatidate phosphatase and diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase. During palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid synthesis in leaves, the unigenes were nearly all up-regulated, which indicated that the biosynthesis of these particular fatty acids were more important in leaves. In the developing seeds, almost all the unigenes in the ABI3VP1, RKD, CPP, E2F-DP, GRF, JUMONJI, MYB-related, PHD and REM transcript factor families were up-regulated, which helped us to discern the regulation mechanism underlying lipid biosynthesis. The differential up/down-regulation of the genes and TFs involved in lipid biosynthesis in developing seeds and leaves provided direct evidence that allowed us to map the network that regulates lipid biosynthesis, and the identification of new TFs that are up-regulated in developing seeds will help us to further elucidate the lipids biosynthesis pathway in developing seeds and leaves.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in fever of unknown origin (FUO) in a Chinese hospital., Methods: The records of 51 patients with FUO (32 men and 19 women; mean age 54 years with a range between 3 and 81 years) were analyzed retrospectively. All the patients were examined by ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scan and the results were compared with the final diagnosis which was established by additional procedures including pathology, laboratory examination, and clinical follow-up for more than 3 months. The t test was used for statistical analysis., Results: A final diagnosis was established for 48 patients, including 32 patients with infectious diseases, 9 with malignancies, and 7 with non-infectious inflammatory diseases. By FDG PET scan alone, the rates of true positive, false positive, false negative, and true negative were 52.9%, 27.5%, 17.6%, and 2.0%, respectively. By FDG PET/CT scan, the rates of true positive, false positive, false negative, and true negative were 70.6%, 27.5%, 2.0%, and 0, respectively. ¹⁸F-PET/CT had a sensitivity of 97.3% (36/37), specificity of 0 (0/14), and accuracy of 70.6% (36/51) in FUO, especially a high sensitivity and accuracy of 100% (9/9) in the diagnosis of malignant tumor. Moreover, the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in tumor was significant higher than that in infection (3.7 ± 2.7 vs. 7.7 ± 3.5, P=0.001, t=3.6), which implied that SUVmax might be useful in differential diagnosis in FUO., Conclusion: FDG PET/CT is a valuable imaging tool for the identification and location of the potential lesion in FUO and is helpful for the etiological diagnosis, especially in the diagnosis of malignant lesions.

Objective: To observe improved effects of Jingjin acupuncture on fine activity of hemiplegic hand in recovery period of stroke., Methods: Fifty cases were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 25 cases in each one. Regular western medicine treatment, rehabilitation training and regular acupuncture (in which Shuigou (GV 26), Baihui (GV 20), Neiguan (PC 6), etc. were selected) were applied in both groups. Additionally, muscles in palm side of affected hand, dorsal metacarpophalangeal joints and proximal interphalangeal joints were treated with acupuncture in the observation group, once every other day and electroacupuncture was applied when arrival of qi was acquired. Baxie (EX-UE 9) in the affected hand were needled in the control group, and electroacupuncture was added when arrival of qi was acquired. Ten days of treatment was considered a treatment course, and after two courses Lindmark score, Brunnstrom movement function grade, joint range of hand and Barthel index (BI) were observed in two groups., Results: Compared before the treatment, the Lindmark score in two groups were both improved after the treatment (both P < 0.01). Compared with the control group, the motor coordination ability, sensory function and total score of Lindmark in observation group were obviously improved (differences before and after treatment: 8.24 +/- 3.07 vs 6.84 +/- 2.43, 3.52 +/- 2.33 vs 2.16 +/- 2.12, 11.76 +/- 3.55 vs 9.00 +/- 3.62, all P < 0.05). The Brunnstrom movement function grade was significantly improved in both groups after treatment (both P < 0.01), which was more obvious in the observation group (P < 0.05). The joint range of hemiplegic hand was improved in both groups after treatment (both P < 0.01), which was more obvious in the observation group [differences before and after treatment: (25.35 +/- 10.91) degrees vs (18.65 +/- 7.86) degrees, p < 0.05]. The score of BI was also significantly improved after treatment in two groups (both P < 0.01)., Conclusion: The Jingjin acupuncture could effectively improve fine activity of hemiplegic hand in recovery period of stroke prove daily life ability.

Ginkgo biloba is a dioecious tree and its extract is a complex mixture that has been used for thousands of years to treat a variety of ailments in traditional Chinese medicine. The aim of this study was to present our observations on the inhibitory effects of different Ginkgo biloba extracts on human breast cancer cell proliferation and growth. Our results demonstrated that treatment of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells with Ginkgo biloba leaves and ginkgo fruit extract inhibited cell proliferation. It was also observed that this inhibition was accompanied by the enhancement of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1B1 expression in MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, treatment with ginkgo fruit extract resulted in a higher CYP1B1 expression in MDA-MB-231 cells compared to treatment with the Ginkgo biloba leaves extract. Our results suggested that the inhibitory effects of the Ginkgo biloba extract on estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer proliferation and the induction of CYP1B1 expression may be exerted through an alternative pathway, independent of the estrogen receptor or the aryl hydrocarbon receptor pathway.

Five new organogermanium sesquioxides have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and IR spectra. All the compounds were tested for antitumor activities against KB, HCT, and Bel cells in vitro. Compound 5 (gamma-thiocarbamido propyl germanium sesquioxide) showed excellent antitumor activity, and its inhibition yield to KB, HCT, and Bel cells was 92.9%, 84.9%, and 70.9%, respectively. A rapid method was described for the labeling compound 5 with (99m)Tc, and the optimum labeling conditions were investigated. The labeling yield is above 90% in pH 7.0, 20 degrees C, reaction time greater than 10 minutes, 1 mg of compound 5, and 0.075 approximately 0.1 mg of SnCl(2). The biodistribution of (99m)Tc labeled compound 5 in nude mice bearing human colonic xenografts was studied. The result showed that the tumor uptakes were 0.73, 0.97, 0.87, and 0.62 ID%/g at 1-hour, 3-hour, 6-hour, and 20-hour postinjection, respectively. T/NT (the uptake ratio for per gram of tumor over normal tissues) was 18.3 for tumor versus brain and 5.81 for tumor versus muscle at 20-hour postinjection. The tumor clearance was slow. The results showed that compound 5 may be developed to be a suitable cancer therapeutic agent.

Aim: Currently, the widely adopted renal dynamic imaging in clinical practice uses Gates' method to calculate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), but many researchers have proven that Gates' method may result in bias. Thus, this article explores alternative improved formulae to calculate GFR by renal dynamic imaging., Methods: Three hundred and sixty-seven patients were selected and their GFR values were measured using renal dynamic imaging and the two-plasma method with 99mTc-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (99mTc-DTPA) as the imaging agent. With the two-plasma GFR as reference value, two equations were obtained from linear and non-linear regression analyses between the renal uptake percentage and two-plasma GFR. The 367 patients were divided into two random groups, with the first group used to derive the regression formulae and the second to verify the formulae. Finally, all patients were studied to derive the formulae to calculate GFR. The comparison of our formulae with the commonly used Gates' formula was conducted by the Bland-Altman method., Results: The linear and non-linear GFR formulae were as follows: GFR (ml/min/1.73 m2)=(631.633 x renal uptake percentage - 2.040) x 1.73/BSA (BSA, body surface area) and GFR (ml/min/1.73 m2)=(-1996.585 x renal uptake percentage2 + 1013.526 x renal uptake percentage - 12.739) x 1.73/BSA, respectively. The biases of the GFR values calculated using the linear and non-linear formulae and Gates' formula relative to the two-plasma GFR were -2.5 +/- 19.1 ml/min/1.73 m2, -2.0 +/- 19.3 ml/min/1.73 m2 and 3.4 +/- 19.4 ml/min/1.73 m2, respectively., Conclusions: The GFR values calculated using our new formulae correlate better with the reference GFR value than does GFR calculated by Gates' formula, and the GFR values measured using the non-linear formula are more accurate than those obtained using the linear formula.

Aim: To investigate the role of norepinephrine in the development of short-term myocardial hibernation., Methods: Hearts were removed from rats and set up as isometrically beating or short-term hibernation models. The hearts were perfused with modified Krebs-Henseleit buffer under a controlled perfusion pressure. The myocardial ultrastructure was examined, and the content of ATP, phosphocreatine, and glycogen in myocardium, the extent of myocyte apoptosis, and the amount of Bcl-2 and Bax products were determined after 120-min ischemia assessed by TUNEL and immunocytochemistry., Results: There was no significant difference between the reserpinized hearts and the NS control group with respect to heart function, myocardial ultrastructure, ATP, phosphocreatine, or glycogen content, myocyte apoptosis, or amount of Bax or Bcl-2 products. However, relative to the normal saline group, in the norepinephrine-treated hearts, heart function, and myocardial ultrastructure deteriorated significantly, apoptosis and amount of Bax product increased significantly, and the ATP, phosphocreatine, and glycogen content decreased significantly, as did the amount of Bcl-2 product., Conclusion: Myocardial norepinephrine does not contribute to the development of short-term hibernation, but that exogenous NE can induce progressive decreases in coronary flow and cardiac performance, which might result from the increases in apoptosis and necrosis. Norepinephrine may be an important factor in the deterioration of myocardial structure and function during hibernation, and that anti-adrenergic treatment may be helpful for the development and sustainment of short-term myocardial hibernation.

Objective: To investigate the clinical value of dual-phase imaging of 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) using single photon emission computed tomography with coincidence detection (SPECT with coincidence) for differentiating benign and malignant lesions., Methods: Thirty patients with unknown lesions from June 2003 to March 2004 in our hospital were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent dual-phase imaging of 18F-FDG SPECT with coincidence. The early images were obtained 60 min post injection. And the patients were divided into 2 groups, one receiving delayed scans at 210 min after 18F-FDG injection and the other at 270 min. Lesion status was determined by pathologic findings or by clinical follow-up., Results: Forty-eight lesions (30 malignant and 18 benign lesions verified by pathologic findings or clinical follow-up) of 30 patients were detected by dual-phase imaging, in which there were 29 true positive results, 15 true negative, 3 false positive and 1 false negative. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of dual-phase imaging were 96.7%, 83.3%, 91.6%, 90.6%, and 93.8%, respectively. Those of early imaging and CT were 93.3%, 72.2%, 85.4%, 84.8%, 86.7% and 76.9%, 57.1%, 70.0%, 76.9%, 57.1%, respectively. The T/NT of all malignant lesions (except 1 false negative case) in delayed imaging were significantly increased (t=-3.071, P<0.01). However, there were no statistical differences in the T/NT of benign lesions (t=0.398, P=0.695) between early and delayed imagings., Conclusion: Dual-phase imaging of FDG SPECT with coincidence provides benefit for differentiating benign and malignant lesions.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of lipopolysaccharide pretreatment on blocking the development of lipopolysaccharide (E.Coli O(55):B(5)) induced acute lung injury. The activity of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in alveolar macrophages was assessed to elucidate its mechanism., Methods: Thirty-six Wistar rats were divided into three groups: normal saline (A), lipopolysaccharide (B), lipopolysaccharide preconditioning (C). Rat model of acute lung injury was reproduced by administering intraperitoneally lipopolysaccharide in a dose of 6 mg/kg. Group A and B served as control. In the test group (group C) lipopolysaccharide was given intraperitoneally 0.5 mg/kg, 0.5 mg/kg and 1.0 mg/kg consecutively for 3 days before lipopolysaccharide challenge. Four hours after lipopolysaccharide/normal saline administration, the animals were killed. Blood gas was measured. And total protein of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was calculated by measuring the radioactivity of (99)Tc labeled serum albumin. Wet/dry ratios of the lungs of each group were determined. The nuclear protein of the alveolar macrophages was extracted from BALF, and the activity of NF-kappaB was assayed with electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Microscopic examination of the lung was done., Results: In group C, partial pressure of oxygen in artery (PaO(2)) was significantly higher than that in group B, and total protein content of BALF was significantly lower in group A and C than that in group B. Activity of NF-kappaB in group C was higher than group A and B., Conclusion: Lipopolysaccharide pretreatment can reduce the severity of acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide challenge. This phenomenon may be related with change in the activity of NF-kappaB of the alveolar macrophages.

Objective: To investigate clinical value of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) coincidence imaging (SPECT/PET) in diagnosis and treatment of lymphoma., Methods: (18)F-FDG metabolic imaging was performed in eighteen patients NHL before and after treatment using a Vertex(Plus) EPIC MCD/AC from ADAC Company. The findings of (18)F-FDG metabolic images were analyzed in qualitative and semi-quantitative ways. (18)F-FDG images were compared with synchronous routine images such as ultrasonography and CT., Results: Thirty studies were performed in 18 patients with NHL in this study. There were 21 true positives, 6 true negatives, 2 false positives and 1 false negative. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were 90.0%, 95.5%, 75.0%, 91.3%, and 85.7%, respectively. (18)F-FDG imaging led to a change of 16.7% in clinical staging, and 46.7% in management. The PPV and NPV of recurrence detected by (18)F-FDG SPECT/PET were 100% and 80.0%, while these of CT were 50.0% and 25.0% after therapy. Four of five patients with negative entered clinical complete remission (CR), whereas all the 11 patients with abnormal (18)F-FDG uptake relapsed or reprogressed. Progression-free survival (PFS) with negative (18)F-FDG was 16 - 47 months (median: 28.7 months) and PFS with positive was 3 - 46 months (median: 8.3 months)., Conclusion: SPECT/PET (18)F-FDG metabolic imaging plays an important role in clinical diagnosis and treatment of NHL.