As a classic theranostic radiopharmaceutical, radioiodine (
I) has been utilized in the management of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) for more than 8 decades, and the refinement of its clinical ...practice has been raised recently. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of a diagnostic (Dx)
I scan in optimizing the indication of initial radioiodine oncolytic treatment (ROT) for metastatic DTC by predicting therapeutic outcomes.
A total of 100 patients (Dx positive, n=29; Dx negative, n=71) were eligible for patient-based analysis. The matching rate was 83.0% between the Dx and the post-therapeutic scans (kappa = 0.648, P<0.001). The biochemical remission rate and structural shrinkage rate induced by the initial ROT in the Dx-positive group were, respectively, greater than those in the Dx-negative group (83.3% vs. 17.4%, P<0.001; 37.9% vs. 4.2%, P<0.001). Notably, the predictive values of positive Dx scans for ROT responsiveness and negative Dx scans for ROT nonresponsiveness reached up to 89.7% and 84.5%, respectively.
This Dx scan approach seems viable in characterizing the
I-avidity of metastatic DTC and plays a pivotal role in optimizing the indication of initial ROT for metastatic DTC.
As a classic theranostic radiopharmaceutical, radioiodine (131I) has been utilized in the management of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) for more than 8 decades, and the refinement of its clinical ...practice has been raised recently. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of a diagnostic (Dx) 131I scan in optimizing the indication of initial radioiodine oncolytic treatment (ROT) for metastatic DTC by predicting therapeutic outcomes.
A total of 100 patients (Dx positive, n=29; Dx negative, n=71) were eligible for patient-based analysis. The matching rate was 83.0% between the Dx and the post-therapeutic scans (kappa = 0.648, P<0.001). The biochemical remission rate and structural shrinkage rate induced by the initial ROT in the Dx-positive group were, respectively, greater than those in the Dx-negative group (83.3% vs. 17.4%, P<0.001; 37.9% vs. 4.2%, P<0.001). Notably, the predictive values of positive Dx scans for ROT responsiveness and negative Dx scans for ROT nonresponsiveness reached up to 89.7% and 84.5%, respectively.
This Dx scan approach seems viable in characterizing the 131I-avidity of metastatic DTC and plays a pivotal role in optimizing the indication of initial ROT for metastatic DTC.
•Dx scan using 74 MBq of 131I is feasible without stunning effect.•Dx scan strongly agrees with the Rx scan in assessing the 131I-avidity of metastatic DTC.•Dx scan optimizes the indication of initial ROT by predicting therapeutic outcomes.
The in-plane resistivity rho and thermal conductivity kappa of the FeAs-based superconductor KFe2As2 single crystal were measured down to 50 mK. We observe non-Fermi-liquid behavior rho(T) ...approximately T{1.5} at H{c{2}}=5 T, and the development of a Fermi liquid state with rho(T) approximately T{2} when further increasing the field. This suggests a field-induced quantum critical point, occurring at the superconducting upper critical field H{c{2}}. In zero field, there is a large residual linear term kappa{0}/T, and the field dependence of kappa_{0}/T mimics that in d-wave cuprate superconductors. This indicates that the superconducting gaps in KFe2As2 have nodes, likely d-wave symmetry. Such a nodal superconductivity is attributed to the antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations near the quantum critical point.
Bladder cancer (BCa) is the fourth most common urological malignancy in the world, it has become the costliest cancer to manage due to its high rate of recurrence and lack of effective treatment ...modalities. As a natural byproduct of cellular metabolism, reactive oxygen species (ROS) have an important role in cell signaling and homeostasis. Although up-regulation of ROS is known to induce tumorigenesis, growing evidence suggests a number of agents that can selectively kill cancer cells through ROS induction. In particular, accumulation of ROS results in oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in cancer cells. So, ROS is a double-edged sword. A modest level of ROS is required for cancer cells to survive, whereas excessive levels kill them. This review summarizes the up-to-date findings of oxidative stress-regulated signaling pathways and transcription factors involved in the etiology and progression of BCa and explores the possible therapeutic implications of ROS regulators as therapeutic agents for BCa.
Despite research advances, studies on predictive models of colorectal cancer (CRC) remain scarce and none have evaluated signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling.
To develop ...an effective prognostic signature for and evaluate its association with immune microenvironment.
Comprehensive analysis based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases with experimental validation.
Gene expression and clinical profiles of CRC patients were extracted from the databases. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with prognostic values were used to construct a signature. Immune cell infiltration and composition were further evaluated by TIMER, single-sample gene set enrichment (ssGSEA) and CIBERSORT analyses. The impact of the hub gene Caveolin-1 (CAV1) on cell proliferation, apoptosis, senescence and tumor angiogenesis was experimentally validated.
The five gene-based STAT signaling-related prognostic signature was significantly associated with CRC survival, and the nomogram was with improved prognostic efficacy than the conventional TNM stage. The STAT signaling-related signature was correlated with tumor immune microenvironment. CAV1 was further identified as the hub gene within the signature. CAV1 inhibits the proliferation and induces the apoptosis as well as senescence of CRC cells. In addition, the tumor angiogenesis of CRC can be suppressed by CAV1 overexpression.
The STAT signaling-related signature effectively predicts the prognosis and regulates tumor immune microenvironment in CRC. Our study underscores the role of STAT regulator, CAV1, as an important tumor-suppressor in CRC carcinogenesis. Modulating STAT and its regulators could be a promising strategy for CRC in clinical practice.
Effective diagnostic methods for detecting latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) are important for its eradication. A number of studies have evaluated the use of interferon-γ-induced protein 10 ...(IP-10), which is elevated after tuberculosis infection, as a biomarker for LTBI, but conclusive results regarding its effectiveness have not been reported.
Our objective was to assess the diagnostic value of IP-10 for LTBI.
We searched the PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases to find eligible studies.
We included cohort, case–control and cross-sectional studies that evaluated IP-10 in LTBI participants in comparison with tuberculin skin tests (TST) and interferon-γ release assays (IGRA).
Individuals with LTBI and uninfected participants.
IP-10 (index test) compared with TST and IGRA (reference standard) for diagnosing LTBI.
PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched up to June 2018. A hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) model was used to evaluate the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and HSROC curve for the diagnostic efficiency of IP-10.
Twelve studies including 1023 participants and 1122 samples were included. The overall pooled sensitivity was 0.85 (95% CI 0.80–0.88), specificity was 0.89 (95% CI 0.84–0.92), PLR was 7.55 (95% CI 5.20–10.97), NLR was 0.17 (95% CI 0.13–0.22) and DOR was 44.23 (95% CI 28.86–67.79), indicating a high accuracy for diagnosing LTBI. Based on a meta-regression analysis, high-burden countries, study design, IP-10 method, reference standard and the IP-10 cut-off could not explain the heterogeneity (p >0.05).
Our results suggested that IP-10 is a promising biomarker for the diagnosis of LTBI.
The relative importance of atomic defects and electron transfer in explaining conductivity at the crystalline LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface has been a topic of debate. Metallic interfaces with similar ...electronic properties produced by amorphous oxide overlayers on SrTiO3 Y. Chen et al., Nano Lett. 11, 3774 (2011); S. W. Lee et al., Nano Lett. 12, 4775 (2012) have called in question the original polarization catastrophe model N. Nakagawa et al., Nature Mater. 5, 204 (2006). We resolve the issue by a comprehensive comparison of (100)-oriented SrTiO3 substrates with crystalline and amorphous overlayers of LaAlO3 of different thicknesses prepared under different oxygen pressures. For both types of overlayers, there is a critical thickness for the appearance of conductivity, but its value is always 4 unit cells (around 1.6 nm) for the oxygen-annealed crystalline case, whereas in the amorphous case, the critical thickness could be varied in the range 0.5 to 6 nm according to the deposition conditions. Subsequent ion milling of the overlayer restores the insulating state for the oxygen-annealed crystalline heterostructures but not for the amorphous ones. Oxygen post-annealing removes the oxygen vacancies, and the interfaces become insulating in the amorphous case. However, the interfaces with a crystalline overlayer remain conducting with reduced carrier density. These results demonstrate that oxygen vacancies are the dominant source of mobile carriers when the LaAlO3 overlayer is amorphous, while both oxygen vacancies and polarization catastrophe contribute to the interface conductivity in unannealed crystalline LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures, and the polarization catastrophe alone accounts for the conductivity in oxygen-annealed crystalline LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures. Furthermore, we find that the crystallinity of the LaAlO3 layer is crucial for the polarization catastrophe mechanism in the case of crystalline LaAlO3 overlayers.
Scleral lenses (SLs) are large-diameter rigid contact lenses that are a mainstay treatment for eyes with corneal irregularities. In recent years, there has been increased interest in the role of ...managing dry eye disease (DED) with SLs, as many patients with DED have reported symptomatic relief with SL wear. The role of SLs for DED management when there are associated corneal irregularities is supported by individual case reports and studies. This has prompted practitioners to begin advocating using SLs in DED cases, even in the absence of associated corneal irregularities and other ocular surface diseases (OSDs). There have also been discussions on potentially placing SLs earlier in the treatment hierarchy of DED, where it currently sits at a more advanced level of intervention (Step 3) in the TFOS DEWS II Report. This review will present the currently available, albeit sparse, evidence that supports and suggests this practice, as well as ancillary evidence supporting the purported benefits of SL wear in DED. The advantages of SL wear, such as corneal healing, absence of tear evaporation and contact lens dehydration, and improved visual acuity with associated increased wear comfort, and how this will benefit DED patients will be explored. Conversely, the challenges associated with fitting SLs in DED patients, including increased midday fogging, poor wettability, and subjective patient satisfaction, will also be presented, as well as a discussion on the key considerations for SL fitting in this population. Overall, while more research is needed to support the use of SLs in DED patients without associated corneal irregularities and other forms of OSD, the use of these lenses may prove to have a potentially wider role given their reported ancillary benefits in these populations.
Summary
Background
Low and high birthweight is known to increase the risk of acute and longer‐term adverse outcomes, such as stillbirth, infant mortality, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular ...diseases. Gestational dyslipidaemia is associated with a numbers of adverse birth outcomes, but evidence regarding birthweight is still inconsistent to reliably inform clinical practice and treatment recommendations.
Objective
The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between maternal gestational dyslipidaemia and neonatal health outcomes, namely, birthweight, metabolic factors and inflammatory parameters.
Methods
We searched systematically Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL Plus and Cochrane Library up to 1 August 2016 (with an updated search in MEDLINE at the end of July 2017) for longitudinal studies that assessed the association of maternal lipid levels during pregnancy with neonatal birthweight, or metabolic and inflammatory parameters up to 3 years old.
Results
Data from 46 publications including 31,402 pregnancies suggest that maternal high triglycerides and low high‐density‐lipoprotein cholesterol levels throughout pregnancy are associated with increased birthweight, higher risk of large for gestational age and macrosomia and lower risk of small‐for‐gestational age. The findings were consistent across the studied populations, but stronger associations were observed in women who were overweight or obese prior to pregnancy.
Conclusions
This meta‐analysis suggested that the potential under‐recognized adverse effects of intrauterine exposure to maternal dyslipidaemia may warrant further investigation into the relationship between maternal dyslipidaemia and birthweight in large prospective cohorts or in randomized trials.
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