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The CoxOy/AC catalysts were prepared by wet impregnation method for toluene oxidation removal from air. The thermal stability of cobalt nitrate and Co oxide on the activated carbon (AC) support sur...

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often caused by chronic liver infection or inflammation. Searching for potential immunotherapy targets will aid the early diagnosis and treatment of HCC. Methods Firstly, detailed HCC data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. GDCRNATools was used for the comprehensive analysis of RNA sequencing data. Subsequently, the CIBERSORT package was used to estimate infiltration scores of 22 types of immune cells in complex samples. Furthermore, hub genes were identified via weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. In addition, multiple databases were used to validate the expression of hub gene in the tumor tissue. Finally, prognostic, diagnostic and immunohistochemical analysis of key hub genes was performed. Results In the present study, 9 hub genes were identified using WGCNA and PPI network analysis. Furthermore, the expression levels of 9 genes were positively correlated with the infiltration levels of CD8-positive T (CD8+ T) cells. In multiple dataset validations, the expression levels of CCL5, CXCR6, CD3E, and LCK were decreased in cancer tissues. In addition, survival analysis revealed that patients with LCK low expression had a poor survival prognosis (P Conclusion The identification of CCL5, CXCR6, CD3E and LCK may be helpful in the development of early diagnosis and therapy of HCC. LCK may be a potential prognostic biomarker for immunotherapy for HCC.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to indicate the risk factors of atrial fibrillation (AF) in thyrotoxic patients receiving radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy after antithyroid drug and other medication. METHODS This study was a retrospective cohort study. Thyrotoxic patients were divided into two groups, with or without AF. Clinical features were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses of data from thyrotoxic patients were performed to evaluate the probability of AF. RESULTS The following clinical factors were found to be correlated with AF: age, gender, duration of hyperthyroidism, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and levels of platelets, creatinine, uric acid (UA), and certain liver enzymes. According to the multiple logistic regression model, age and levels of UA, direct bilirubin (DBIL), and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) were important risk factors for predicting AF. ROC analysis showed that DBIL levels were predictive of AF, with a specificity of 0.813, a sensitivity of 0.767, and an area under the curve of 0.8515 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Older age and levels of UA, DBIL, and GGT influenced the occurrence of AF in thyrotoxic patients receiving RAI. DBIL level was an important factor in predicting AF in patients with hyperthyroidism. Thus, thyrotoxic patients who have the above-mentioned risk factors should undergo routine pulse palpation should be considered for active antithyroid drug therapy.

BackgroundThere are no definite recommendations on the optimal time of initiating radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients in current relevant guidelines. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the timing of initiating radioiodine adjuvant therapy (RAT) and the clinical outcomes based on dynamic follow-ups and assessments in intermediate- to high-risk DTC patients.MethodsA total of 206 patients with intermediate- to high-risk DTC receiving RAT of 150 mCi were retrospectively reviewed. According to the time interval (TI: between thyroidectomy and initial RAT), the patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1: TI < 3 months (n=148), and Group 2: TI ≥ 3 months (n=58). The RAT therapy response was evaluated as excellent response (ER), indeterminate response (IDR), biochemical incomplete response (BIR), structural incomplete response (SIR). The univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to screen out factors associated with incomplete response (IR= BIR+SIR). Finally, the prognostic nomogram was used to explain IR rates as a valuable tool in clinical practice.ResultsResponse to initial RAT was significantly different between 2 groups during dynamic follow-ups (all Pvs 63.5, 52.0 vs 73.9, 64.4 vs 80.3, all Pvs 14.9, 36.0 vs 9.7, 12.2 vs 3.9, all PP=0.001), soft tissue invasion (HR: 7.35, 95%CI: 1.624-33.296, P=0.010), higher sTg (HR: 7.21, 95%CI: 1.991-26.075, P=0.003) were manifested to be independent risk factors for IR. The nomogram showed that soft tissue invasion, sTg, and TI were the top 3 contributors to the IR.ConclusionsEarly RAT is associated with greater biochemical response but has no impact on SIR. Delayed initial RAT (≥3 months after thyroidectomy) related to IR in intermediate- to high-risk DTC.

Objectives We aim to evaluate a deep learning (DL) model and radiomic model for preoperative differentiation of nodular cryptococcosis from solitary lung cancer in patients with malignant features on CT images. Materials and methods We retrospectively recruited 319 patients with solitary pulmonary nodules and suspicious signs of malignancy from three hospitals. All lung nodules were resected, and one by one radiologic-pathologic correlation was performed. A three-dimensional DL model was used for tumor segmentation and extraction of three-dimensional radiomic features. We used the Max-Relevance and Min-Redundancy algorithm and the eXtreme Gradient Boosting algorithm to select the nodular radiomics features. We proposed a DL local-global model, a DL local model and radiomic model to preoperatively differentiate nodular cryptococcosis from solitary lung cancer. The DL local-global model includes information of both nodules and the whole lung, while the DL local model only includes information of solitary lung nodules. Five-fold cross-validation was used to select and validate these models. The prediction performance of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and calibration curve. A new loss function was applied in our deep learning framework to optimize the area under the ROC curve (AUC) directly. Results 295 patients were enrolled and they were non-symptomatic, with negative tumor markers and fungus markers in blood tests. These patients have not been diagnosed by the combination of CT imaging, laboratory results and clinical data. The lung volume was slightly larger in patients with lung cancers than that in patients with cryptococcosis (3552.8 ± 1184.6 ml vs 3491.9 ± 1017.8 ml). The DL local-global model achieved the best performance in differentiating between nodular cryptococcosis and lung cancer (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.88), which was higher than that of the DL local model (AUC = 0.84) and radiomic (AUC = 0.79) model. Conclusion The DL local-global model is a non-invasive diagnostic tool to differentiate between nodular cryptococcosis and lung cancer nodules which are hard to be diagnosed by the combination of CT imaging, laboratory results and clinical data, and overtreatment may be avoided.

BackgroundSerum thyroglobulin (Tg) serves as a sensitive and easily available tumor marker for patients with metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma (m-DTC). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the predictive value of suppressed Tg changes (Δsup-Tg) and/or stimulated Tg changes (Δsti-Tg) to evaluate the efficacy of radioiodine therapy (RT).MethodsWe studied 117 patients with m-DTC who received RT. Δsup-Tg and Δsti-Tg were compared after the first RT in different therapeutic response groups and a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the cut-off values to predict non-remission. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to investigate the effects of 17 observed factors on the efficacy of RT.ResultsA total of 218 RT events in 117 patients with m-DTC were analyzed. After the last RT, the remission rate was 70.94% (83/117), and the proportion of remission events accounted for 74.77% (163/218). ROC curve analysis showed that the cut-off values for Δsup-Tg and Δsti-Tg after the first RT to predict the non-remission of RT were 21.54% and 27.63%, respectively. Age, the size of the metastasis, the maximum count of target metastatic lesions and the average count of contralateral non-target tissue on tomographic imaging (Tmax/NTmean) of the first RT, and Δsup-Tg after the first RT were identified as independent factors associated with RT efficacy.ConclusionsTg response was valuable to predict RT efficacy for patients with m-DTC. Age, the size of the metastasis, Tmax/NTmean, and Δsup-Tg after the first RT were verified as independent predictive factors of RT efficacy.

Janus kinases (JAKs) are intracellular tyrosine kinases which play a key role in the signal pathways of many cytokines, such as type l interferons (IFNs), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-12 and IL-23.1 All these cytokines participate in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Hence, inhibition of JAK signals has provided an attractive therapeutic option in SLE. Tofacitinib can inhibit JAK1/JAK3 and has been proved effective in rheumatoid arthritis (RA),2 psoriatic arthritis and ulcerative colitis. Evidence in murine lupus have shown that tofacitinib can decrease the levels of anti-double-stranded (ds) DNA and proteinuria, remit nephritis and skin rash.3 A case report proved that tofacitinib could decrease anti-dsDNA levels in inactive SLE complicated by RA.4 A phase II randomised controlled trial reported modest efficacy of a JAK1/2 inhibitor, baricitinib, in ameliorating lupus arthritis.5 To better understand the efficacy of tofacitinib in SLE, we describe, to our knowledge for the first time, the efficacy of tofacitinib 5 mg …

The waste biomass was used as raw materials to prepare activated carbon adsorbents with micro-mesoporous structure. And the prepared activated carbon adsorbents were used to adsorption remove toluene from air, which can achieve the goal of “treat waste with waste”. In this paper, biomass activated carbon adsorbents with micro‒mesoporous structure were prepared by two-stage process of “low temperature carbonization‒high temperature activation” using waste biomass as raw materials and H3PO4 as activator. The obtained results show that the activation temperature can significantly affect the structural characteristics, graphitization degree and surface chemical properties of the prepared adsorbents, and the toluene adsorption and regeneration performances of the adsorbent are significantly affected by its physicochemical properties. High thermal desorption temperature (100 °C) can destroy the strong interaction between the oxygen atoms of the oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of the adsorbent and the p-electrons of toluene aromatic ring, thus realizing the desorption of corresponding adsorbed toluene molecules. The low heat treatment temperature of 60 °C can destroy the strong adsorption from narrow micropores for toluene and π‒π conjugation effect between the adsorbent and toluene molecules, which can realize the corresponding adsorbed toluene molecules to be desorbed. When the activation temperature is 650 °C, the activated carbon adsorbent with surface area of 1006.2 m2/g, micro-mesoporous structure and mesoporous proportion of 65.5% can be prepared. The adsorption capacity of toluene can reach 417.0 mg/g, and the toluene thermal desorption regeneration can be realized at 60 °C. The results indicate that it is a promising adsorbent material for toluene removal from air

RAD52 motif containing 1 (RDM1) encodes the RAD52 protein involved in DNA double-strand break repair and recombination events. However, the importance of RDM1 in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is largely unknown. In the present study, we examined the role of RDM1 in thyroid cancer. The RDM1 expression in PTC patients was examined using immunohistochemistry. The expression levels of RDM1 mRNA in thyroid cancer cells were measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Lentivirus-mediated small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were used to knock down the RDM1 expression in the K1 and TPC1 cells. Then, changes in the RDM1 target gene expression were determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Cell proliferation was examined by a high content screening assay. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometric analysis and MTT analysis. We showed that the RDM1 expression was higher in PTC tissue compared to pericarcinous tissue. RDM1 mRNA was found to be expressed by qRT-PCR. Using a lentivirus-based RNA interference (RNAi) approach, the RDM1 expression was significantly inhibited. The inhibition of RDM1 expression by RNAi significantly impaired cell proliferation, increased apoptosis and arrested cells in the G2/M phase. These data showed that RDM1 was highly expressed in PTC tissue and thyroid cancer cell lines. Moreover, RDM1 may play an important role in cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis of human PTC cells.

// Ruiguo Zhang 1 , Guizhi Zhang 1 , Renfei Wang 1 , Jian Tan 1 , Yajing He 1 and Zhaowei Meng 1 1 Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China Correspondence to: Jian Tan, email: tanpost@163.com Keywords: Graves’ disease, effective half-life, radioiodine therapy, iodine uptake, predictive model Received: June 27, 2017 Accepted: August 07, 2017 Published: September 12, 2017 ABSTRACT Purpose: Calculation of effective thyroidal half-life (Teff) of iodine-131( 131 I) is cumbersome and tedious. The aim of this study was to investigate factors that could be used to predict Teff and to develop a Teff prediction model in Graves’ disease patients. Methods: A total of 256 patients with GD were involved in this study. We investigated the influences of age, gender, disease duration, thyroid weight, antithyroid drugs, antithyroid drugs discontinuation period (ADP), thyroid function indexes, thyroid autoantibodies, thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibody (TRAb) level and radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU) values before 131 I therapy on Teff, applying univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Teff correlated negatively with thyroid peroxidase antibody, TRAb and thyroid weight, as well as positively with 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour RAIU. Additionally, a longer ADP (especially≥ 14d) or without antithyroid drugs before 131 I therapy led to a longer Teff. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that 24-hour and 72-hour RAIU were statistically significant predictors of Teff ( P

Rapid iodine-131(131I) turnover in the thyroid gland is an important feature of Graves’ disease (GD) and also a strong predictor of radioiodine therapy failure. The aim of this study was to explore the predictors of rapid 131I turnover. The clinical data on 2543 patients were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on present or absent with rapid 131I turnover defined as a 4-hour to 24-hour 131I uptake ratio of ≥1. Overall, 590 cases (23.2%) had a rapid 131I turnover. In the univariate analysis, gender, age, FT3/FT4 concentration, disease duration, with or without antithyroid drugs (ATD), time of ATD, thyroid weight and thyroid textures displayed significant differences. Cutoff values of age, FT3 and thyroid weight to predict rapid 131I turnover were 38 years, 35 pmol/l and 56 g by receiver operating characteristic curves. Binary logistic regression analysis further revealed higher probability of rapid 131I turnover in patients with thyroid weight ≥56 g (odds ratio [OR]:3.7, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.032–4.559), age 3 concentration ≥35 pmol/l (OR:7.6, 95%CI: 5.857–8.563) and females (OR:2.2, 95%CI: 1.757–2.791). In conclusion, larger goiters, younger age, higher FT3 concentration and females are independently associated with rapid 131I turnover in GD patients.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) comprises approximately 2% of all thyroid cancers, and its median survival rate remains poor because of its resistance to conventional therapy. Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-targeted therapeutics-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles represent a major advance for angiogenesis imaging and inhibition in lethal cancers. In the present study, we aimed to assess whether 131I-labeled anti-VEGFR2 targeted mesoporous silica nanoparticles would have antitumor efficacy in an ATC tumor-bearing nude mouse model. Using in vitro and in vivo studies, we investigated the increased targeting ability and retention time in the anti-VEGFR2 targeted group using confocal microscopy and a γ counter. The tumor tissue radioactivity of the anti-VEGFR2 targeted group at 24 and 72 h after intratumoral injection was significantly higher than that of the non-targeted groups (all P

microRNAs (miRNAs) have been determined to be associated with cancer progression and metastasis. Mir-139 is located on 11q13.4 and exhibits anti-oncogenic and anti-metastatic activity in human cancers. It is downregulated in various malignant tumor types. In the present study, the potential functions and targets of miR-139 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were explored. Using a combinational analysis of four miRNA target prediction tools and biological experiments, it was determined that Topoisomerase I (TOP1) is a direct target of miR-139 in HCC. Several traditional topoisomerase inhibitors have demonstrated anticancer activity, but their side effects outnumbered their anticancer potential. The present study determined that overexpression of miR-139 significantly inhibits HCC cell proliferation (P

BACKGROUND Although radioiodine therapy (RIT) efficacy is thoroughly validated for Graves disease (GD), there is a lack of research on the predictive factors of RIT, especially the optimal thyroid-absorbed dose (TD) with a shorter effective half-life (Teff ≤5 days). The goal of this study was to explore the predictive value of TD in GD patients receiving RIT with a shorter Teff. MATERIAL AND METHODS We studied 208 GD patients receiving RIT with a shorter Teff. Plotting the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve verified the accuracy of TD for predicting RIT efficacy in GD patients. In addition, we conducted univariate and multivariate analyses to investigate the influence of 14 factors, including thyroid weight, TD, 24-h radioiodine uptake rate (RAIU), the highest RAIU, thyrotrophin receptor antibody level, thyroglobulin antibody level, thyroid peroxidase antibody level, and others, on curative effects of RIT. RESULTS Of the 208 study participants, complete remission and the total effectiveness rates were 68.3% and 92.3%, respectively. The threshold value of TD to predict RIT efficacy was 70.2 Gy, based on ROC analysis. Univariate analysis showed that 24-h RAIU, Teff, total iodine dose, iodine dose per gram of thyroid tissue, TD, and thyrotropin receptor antibody level were significantly associated with RIT efficacy. Multivariate analysis indicated that 24-h RAIU, total iodine dose, iodine dose per gram of thyroid tissue, and TD were significant independent predictors of RIT efficacy. CONCLUSIONS Predicting RIT efficacy from TD with a shorter Teff was feasible in GD patients, and TD above 70.2 Gy had an especially high predictive accuracy.

Biodiesel was prepared with microalgae oil under supercritical methanol condition. The calorific value, chemical composition, molecular structure, and fuel behaviors of the as-prepared biodiesel were characterized by several means. All the results show that most fuel performances of the product oil resemble those of the fossil diesel except for the low-temperature performance. The product oil has long molecular chains and many unsaturated double-bond structures. In this meaning, the biodiesel is suitable to be mixed with fossil diesel or to be added to pour point depressant for industrial application.

Objective Remnant thyroid ablation is crucial in the management of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. However, the optimal dose of radioactive I for ablation is still controversial. This study aimed to compare the success rate of different activities of I for postoperative remnant ablation in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and to determine the optimal dose. Patients and methods Sources were retrieved from the Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar until March 2014. All RCTs that assessed the efficacy of different doses of I for ablation were selected. After data extraction, statistics were performed by Review Manager 5.2 software. Results Seventeen RCTs were considered eligible, involving 3737 patients. The overall methodological quality of the studies was good. The rate of successful remnant ablation of low versus moderate I activities (risk ratio [RR], 0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80-1.00; P = 0.06) and moderate versus high I activities (RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.89-1.00; P = 0.05) showed no significant differences. However, high I activities had 11% higher successful ablation rate than low activities with an RR of 0.89 (95% CI, 0.81-0.97; P = 0.008), which was significant. Conclusions We summarized all available randomized evidence to demonstrate that high dose of I was significantly better than low dose to achieve successful remnant thyroid ablation.

The aim of the present study was to assess the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), thyroid radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU), thyroid scintigraphy and thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb) levels in the differential diagnosis between Graves' disease (GD) and painless thyroiditis (PT). A total of 102 patients with GD and 37 patients with PT were enrolled in the study. DWI was obtained with a 3.0-T magnetic resonance scanner, and ADC values were calculated. RAIU and thyroid scintigraphy were performed. Tissue samples were obtained from patients with GD (6 cases) following thyroidectomy, and from patients with PT (2 cases) following biopsy. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn, optimal cut-off values were selected, and the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were assessed. It was found that the ADC, TRAb and RAIU were significantly higher in GD than in PT (P0.900. RAIU was the reference method. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV were 96.078, 91.892, 95.000, 97.059 and 89.474% for ADC, and 88.235, 75.676, 84.892, 90.909 and 70.000% for TRAb, after the optimal thresholds of 1.837×10−3 mm2/sec and 1.350 IU/ml were determined respectively. Histopathology showed that tissue cellularity in PT was much higher than in GD due to massive lymphocytic infiltration. The results of the present study indicate that RAIU, ADC and TRAb are of diagnostic value for differentiating between GD and PT. DWI has great potential for thyroid pathophysiological imaging because it reflects differences in tissue cellularity between GD and PT.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) usually has a lower malignancy rate and better prognosis than other types of thyroid cancer. It tends to spread through the lymphatic system, and the percentage of lymph node metastasis to the neck is 50–70% in patients at the time of diagnosis. Iodine-131 (131I) whole-body scanning is very valuable in the diagnosis and positioning of functional metastatic lesions. However, a variety of comprehensive test results are frequently required to make an appropriate judgment. The present case report describes the case of a patient with PTC where a benign lesion of the pharynx was misdiagnosed as functional metastasis. Some remnant thyroid tissue and an abnormal accumulation of 131I in the oropharynx and at the right side of the neck were observed by 131I whole-body scanning one week after the first therapeutic dose. Following the second therapeutic dose, quasi-circular trapping of 131I by the pharynx persisted. Magnetic resonance imaging enhanced scanning of the oropharynx showed markedly uneven enhancement inside the lesion, and it was considered as a metastatic lesion. However, the serological test results of the patient revealed that there was no increase in the thyroglobulin level and did not support the diagnosis of progressive disease. Therefore, a biopsy on the lesion was conducted under local anesthesia. The histopathological examination exhibited salivary gland tissue and chronic inflammation. Thus, it was necessary to analyze the imaging results, as well as serologic testing outcomes and pathological findings comprehensively, in order to make the correct diagnosis.

Overt hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can lead to hyperuricemia. However, few data are available regarding the association between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and hyperuricemia, especially from the perspective of gender impact. This study aimed to investigate the association between subclinical thyroid disorders and hyperuricemia with emphasized focuses on differences resulting from different gender. Eleven thousand four hundred forty-six healthy subjects (6870 male, 4576 female) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study, with exclusions of known thyroid, renal, hepatic, gastrointestinal, or oncological diseases. Clinical data including anthropometric measurements, thyroid function, uric acid, renal and liver function were collected. The associations between thyroid function and hyperuricemia of males and females were analyzed separately. Prevalence of hyperuricemia was substantially higher in male (23.17%) than that in female (9.11%). Serum uric acid was correlated well with various factors, especially with creatinine, whose coefficients were 0.283 and 0.386 for males and females. The significantly elevated risk for hyperuricemia was observed in mild hypothyroidism male participants with an odd ratio of 1.49 (1.10-2.02), whereas no statistical risk was found in female. No meaningful risk was found in mild hyperthyroidism participants. Estimated glomerular filtration rate was significantly depressed in both genders with mild hypothyroidism, while obviously increased in both genders with mild hyperthyroidism. For hyperuricemia, mild hypothyroidism is a risk factor in males while it is not in females. This difference could be caused by the protective effect of estrogen in females. Monitoring serum uric acid in subclinical hypothyroidism is more necessary in males.

We aimed to compare effectiveness of Wenxin Keli (WK) and sotalol in assisting sinus rhythm (SR) restoration from paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) caused by hyperthyroidism, as well as in maintaining SR. We randomly prescribed WK (18 g tid) or sotalol (80 mg bid) to 91 or 89 patients. Since it was not ethical not to give patients antiarrhythmia drugs, no control group was set. Antithyroid drugs were given to 90 patients (45 in WK group, 45 in sotalol group);131I was given to 90 patients (46 in WK group, 44 in sotalol group). Three months later, SR was obtained in 83/91 or 80/89 cases from WK or sotalol groups(P=0.762). By another analysis, SR was obtained in 86/90 or 77/90 cases from131I or ATD groups(P=0.022). Then, we randomly assigned the successfully SR-reverted patients into three groups: WK, sotalol, and control (no antiarrhythmia drug was given) groups. After twelve-month follow-up, PAF recurrence happened in 1/54, 2/54, and 9/55 cases, respectively. Log-Rank test showed significant higher PAF recurrent rate in control patients than either treatment(P=0.06). We demonstrated the same efficacies of WK and sotalol to assist SR reversion from hyperthyroidism-caused PAF. We also showed that either drug could maintain SR in such patients.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to examine the radioprotective effect of vitamin E on salivary glands after radioactive iodine (I) therapy in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eighty-two patients with differentiated thyroid cancer were enrolled in this study. They were divided randomly into four groups (control group: 22 cases, group A: 23 cases, group B: 22 cases, and group C: 15 cases) before postsurgical ablation therapy with 100 mCi I. The patients in groups A, B, and C received vitamin E 100, 200, and 300 mg/day orally, respectively, for a duration of 1 week before to 4 weeks after I therapy. Salivary gland function was assessed using salivary gland scintigraphy immediately before and 6 months after I therapy. Uptake fraction (UF), uptake index (UI), excretion fraction (EF), and excretion ratio (ER) of each salivary gland were measured and compared. RESULTS On comparison between before and after I therapy in the control group, there was a significant decrease in UF of both right and left parotid glands (all P

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the first radioactive iodine (131I) therapy on functions of salivary glands in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). There were 36 consented patients with DTC enrolled in this study, who received 3.7 GBq (100mCi) 131I for ablation after total thyroidectomy. Salivary gland function was assessed using salivary gland scintigraphy in two phases, one 4 hours before and the other 6 months after 131I therapy (both under thyrotropin stimulation condition). Quantitative parameters including uptake fraction (UF), uptake index (UI), excretion fraction (EF), and excretion ratio (ER) were measured and compared. Blood parameters were also compared. Associations between sex and outcome of the first 131I therapy as well as individual salivary gland function were measured. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Sum test and χ2 test were used for statistical analysis. When compared between pre-ablation and post-ablation, UF of bilateral parotid and submandibular glands were significantly increased (all P

Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) is the main post-operative tumor biomarker for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). However, the presence of thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) can interfere with Tg level and invalidate the test. In this study, we aimed to investigate the predicative value of midkine (MK) as a cancer biomarker for DTC patients with positive TgAb before the first 131I therapy. MK levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 151 recruited DTC patients after exercising strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. There were 28 TgAb positive DTC patients with metastases and 123 DTC patients without metastases. The value of pre-131I-ablative MK to predict metastasis was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves in these two groups of patients. MK levels in the TgAb positive DTC patients were significantly higher than the DTC patients without metastases. ROC showed good predictability of MK, with an area under the curve of 0.856 (P

Radiation safety is an integral part of targeted radionuclide therapy. The aim of this work was to study the external dose rate and retained body activity as functions of time in differentiated thyroid carcinoma patients receiving 131I therapy. Seventy patients were stratified into two groups: the ablation group (A) and the follow-up group (FU). The patients’ external dose rate was measured, and simultaneously, their retained body radiation activity was monitored at various time points. The equations of the external dose rate and the retained body activity, described as a function of hours post administration, were fitted. Additionally, the release time for patients was calculated. The reduction in activity in the group receiving a second or subsequent treatment was more rapid than the group receiving only the initial treatment. Most important, an expeditious method was established to indirectly evaluate the retained body activity of patients by measuring the external dose rate with a portable radiation survey meter. By this method, the calculated external dose rate limits are 19.2, 8.85, 5.08 and 2.32 μSv·h−1 at 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 m, respectively, according to a patient’s released threshold level of retained body activity &lt, 400 MBq. This study is beneficial for radiation safety decision-making.

The purpose of this study was to systematically provide a database for estimating radiation dose of individuals nearby (131)I-treated hyperthyroid patients. External dose rates were measured on 48 hyperthyroid patients using a survey meter in front of patients' thyroid glands. The initial measurement was recorded within 30 min post radioiodine administration at 0.3 m, 0.6 m, 1 m, and 2 m. Follow-up measurements were carried out up to 12 d post radioiodine administration. In addition, ambient dose rates of different locations such as wards, patients' washrooms, medical staffs' workplaces, and corridors were also measured. The Na131I treatment dose administered in this study ranged from 74-555 MBq. Significant positive correlation between dose rate at 1 m and the administered dose was found in this study. The normalized external dose rates at 0.3 m were 0.234 µSv h(-1) MBq(-1) at 0.5 h, 0.325 µSv h(-1) MBq(-1) at 4 h, 0.308 µSv h(-1) MBq(-1) at 6 h, 0.301 µSv h(-1) MBq(-1) at 24 h, 0.259 µSv h(-1) MBq(-1) at 48 h, 0.234 µSv h(-1) MBq(-1) at 72 h, 0.224 µSv h(-1) MBq(-1) at 96 h, 0.186 µSv h(-1) MBq(-1) at 120 h, and 0.158 µSv h(-1) MBq(-1) at 144 h, respectively. With these results, the authors estimated radioactive radiation dose for the public and medical staffs near (131)I-treated hyperthyroid patients. This study is beneficial for radiation safety decision-making.

131I treatment is an important management method for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Unsuccessful 131I ablation drastically affects the prognosis of the patients. This study aimed to analyze potential predictive factors influencing the achievement of a disease-free status following the first 131I therapy. This retrospective review included 315 DTC patients, and multiple factors were analyzed. Tumor size, pathological tumor stage, lymph node (LN) metastasis, distant metastasis, American Thyroid Association recommended risks, pre-ablation thyroglobulin (Tg), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) displayed significant differences between unsuccessful and successful group. Cutoff values of Tg and TSH to predict a successful outcome were 3.525 ng/mL and 99.700 uIU/ml by receiver operating characteristic curves analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that tumor stage T3 or T4, LN metastasis to N1b station, intermediate and high risks, pre-ablation Tg ≥ 3.525 ng/ml and TSH 1 (LN metastasis) −0.236 X2 (Tg) + 0.015 X3 (TSH). This study demonstrated LN metastasis, pre-ablation Tg and TSH were the most powerful predictors for achieving a disease-free status by the first 131I therapy.

Radioactive iodine (RAI) is considered to be related with hematologic changes. This study aimed to evaluate influence of the first RAI ablation on peripheral complete blood count (CBC) in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Data of CBC at baseline and 6 months after RAI were obtained in 385 patients with DTC with approximately 3700 MBq 131I (ranging 2220–7585 MBq). Further comparison was done in 196 patients with 1-month postablation data available. Routine blood examinations were performed to determine impact of RAI on white blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin, platelet, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte in both sexes. Continuous variables were compared by paired t tests and independent samples t test, and categorical variables were compared by chi-square analysis. Data with repeated measurements were analyzed by analysis of variance. The first RAI after thyroidectomy was associated with mild, yet significant declines in WBC, platelet, and lymphocyte, which persisted for 6 months. One month after RAI, significant declines were found in all CBC, including RBC and hemoglobin (all P

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the potential link between thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) titers and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) aggressiveness. Materials and methods This retrospective study included 122 patients who had undergone total thyroidectomy and neck central area lymph dissection followed by radioactive iodine (RAI) ablation for PTC between July 2012 and July 2014. The parameters included clinical characteristics of PTC, TgAb levels and tumor histopathological characteristics. Then, BRAFV600E and NF-κB expression in 113 PTC patients in our hospital were examined by immunohistochemistry. Results and discussion The group of TgAb-positive PTC patients more frequently presented with lymph node metastases (80.0% vs 61.2%, p = 0.000), distant metastases (10.0% vs 1.9%, p = 0.000), more RAI ablation treatments in their treatment history (344.4 ± 88.2 vs 222.5 ± 91.1, p = 0.003) and imaging-documented disease (20.0% vs 7.8%, p = 0.000) after two years’ follow-up. We also found that protein expression levels of BRAFV600E and NF-κB were greater in TgAb-positive patients compared with TgAb-negative PTC patients ( p = 0.005, p = 0.001). Immunoreactivity scores of BRAFV600E and NF-κB in TgAb-positive PTC patients with bilateral tumor foci, lymph node metastases, HT and imaging-documented disease was highest. Multivariate analysis revealed that lymph node metastases significantly correlated with NF-κB levels and TgAb levels (p = 0.004, p = 0.014). Conclusion The expression levels of BRAFV600E and NF-κB were significantly greater in TgAb-positive than in TgAb-negative PTC patients. In PTC, overexpression of NF-κB, as well as positive TgAb, may be a risk factor for cervical lymph node metastasis.

The catalytic properties of Ni, Co, and Co-Ni supported activated carbon (AC) catalysts for oxidation for the removal of carbon monoxide (CO) in H 2 -rich gas are investigated. Results show that Co x O y /AC and CoO–NiO/AC exhibit higher catalytic activity than NiO/AC and that CoO–NiO/AC gives high CO conversion of above 99.5% at a wide reaction temperature region of 413–463 K. The addition of nickel oxide (NiO) can lead to enriched CoO species on the surface of CoO-NiO/AC. The higher catalytic activity and selectivity of CoO-NiO/AC compared with Co x O y /AC can be attributed to NiO playing an important role.

Although green fluorescent protein (GFP) labeling is widely accepted as a tracking method, much remains uncertain regarding the retention of injected GFP-labeled cells implanted in ischemic organs. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of GFP for identifying and tracking implanted bone marrow- mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) and the effect of GFP on the paracrine actions of these cells. MSCs isolated from rat femur marrow were transduced with a recombinant adenovirus carrying GFP. After transplantation of the GFP-labeled BM-MSCs into the infarct zone of rat hearts, the survival, distribution, and migration of the labeled cells were analyzed at 3, 7, 14, and 28 days. To evaluate the effect of GFP on the paracrine actions of BM-MSCs, Western blot analysis was performed to detect the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), b fibroblast growth factor (b FGF), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2). GFP was successfully expressed by BM-MSCs in vitro. At 14 days after cell transplantation the GFP-positive cells could not be detected via confocal microscopy. By using a GFP antibody, distinct GFP-positive cells could be seen and quantitative analysis showed that the expression volume of GFP was 6.42 ± 0.92 mm(3) after 3 days, 1.24 ± 0.76 mm(3) after 7 days, 0.33 ± 0.03 mm(3) after 14 days, and 0.09 ± 0.05 mm(3) after 28 days. GFP labeling did not adversely affect the paracrine actions of BM-MSCs. GFP labeling could be used to track MSC distribution and their fate for at least 28 days after delivery to rat hearts with myocardial infarction, and this stem cell tracking strategy did not adversely affect the paracrine actions of BM-MSCs.

The relationship between thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and hyperlipidemia is still a topic of debate. We aimed to explore the impact of gender and age on the association between serum TSH and lipid profile in a large cohort of Chinese. This cross-sectional study enrolled 13,915 participants (8565 male, 5350 female), who self-reported as healthy without any known previous diseases. Clinical data including anthropometric measurements, thyroid function, and other serum parameters were collected. The associations between TSH and hyperlipidemia of males and females were analyzed separately after dividing TSH and age into subgroups. Odds ratio for hyperlipidemia was calculated by binary logistic regression models. Young males had significantly higher prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and high serum low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol than females, yet after menopause, females had higher prevalence than males. TSH was positively associated with hyperlipidemia independent of thyroid hormones. Males showed more reduced risks of hyperlipidemia in low TSH concentrations, while females demonstrated more enhanced risks of hyperlipidemia in high TSH concentrations. For instance, if TSH was lower than 0.3 μIU/mL, the risks of developing hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia in males were only 0.198 (P 0.05), respectively. If TSH was higher than 4.0 μIU/mL, women displayed significantly higher risks of developing hypertriglyceridemia than the reference TSH risks (P

The relationship between thyroid dysfunction and metabolic syndrome (MS) is complex. We aimed to explore the impact of gender and age on their association in a large Chinese cohort. This cross-sectional study enrolled 13,855 participants (8532 male, 5323 female), who self-reported as healthy without any known previous diseases. Clinical data including anthropometric measurements, thyroid function, and serum metabolic parameters were collected. The associations between thyroid function and MS of both genders were analyzed separately after dividing thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and age into subgroups. MS risks were calculated by binary logistic regression models. Young males had significantly higher MS prevalence than females, yet after menopause, females had higher prevalence than males. Females had higher incidence of thyroid dysfunction than males. By using TSH quartiles as the categorical variables and the lowest quartile as reference, significantly increased MS risk was demonstrated in quartile 4 for males, yet quartiles 3 and 4 for females. By using FT3 quartiles as the categorical variables, significantly increased MS risk was demonstrated in quartile 2 to 4 for females only. By using age subgroups as the categorical variables, significantly increased MS risk was shown in both genders, with females (4.408–58.455) higher than males (2.588–4.943). Gender and age had substantial influence on thyroid function and MS. Females with high TSH and high FT3 had higher MS risks than males. Aging was a risk for MS, especially for females. Urgent need is necessary to initiate interventional programs.

The cholesterol-lowering properties of Auricularia auricula are commonly attributed to the presence of polysaccharides based on previous research. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of ethanol extract of A. auricula (AAE) on hypercholesterolemia in ICR mice. AAE contained more than 16% (g/g) polyphenolic compounds, excluding other interfering factors such as polysaccharides, water-soluble fibre and protein. Thirty-six mice were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 12). The experimental group was fed cholesterol-enriched diet (CED) with oral administration of AAE (150 mg/kg/d b.w.) for 8-week, normal control group and CED control group received either a regular diet (RD) or CED along with oral administration of equal volume distilled water. Serum lipid profiles and antioxidant status were measured in addition to fecal neutral cholesterol and bile acids. AAE showed a remarkable hypocholesterolemic effect, improving antioxidant status, decreasing the level of total cholesterol and atherosclerosis index, increasing the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and fecal excretion of bile acids. No apparent effects on serum triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fecal excretion of neutral cholesterol and feeding efficiency were observed among all groups. These results indicated that A. auricula functional components, which prevented hypercholesterolemia contained polyphenolic compounds, in addition to polysaccharides.

Iodine-131 (I-131) treatment and subsequent whole body iodine-131 scans (WBSs) are important in the management of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Nevertheless, false positive benign lesions in WBS should be interpreted with reliable anatomic imaging methodologies to differentiate from true metastases. We report a DTC case with a concurrent thyroglossal duct cyst (TDC), which is relatively uncommon compared with an accompanying lingual thyroid. After thyroid remnant ablation, subsequent posttherapeutic WBS showed a stable I-131 avid lesion in the neck despite cumulative dosage of 346 mCi I-131. Low level of thyroglobulin indicated that the lesion should be from thyroid origin, yet only a small amount of thyroid remnant should be contained. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography were performed and revealed a dumbbell-shaped TDC. Part of the lesion was behind the hyoid bone, part of it protruded to the anterior surface of the thyroid cartilage, and the isthmus penetrated through the thyrohyoid membrane. Although the shape of this TDC reflects the route of the thyroglossal duct in embryological perspective, its coincidence with DTC is rarely documented. Our case also proved that the possibility of concurrent TDC should be considered as the cause of residual thyroglobulin for an I-131 avid lesion in the midline anterior cervical area, which could show great resistance to I-131 therapy.

The gallotannins of Galla chinensis (Chinese gallotannins, CGTs) were identified using LC–MS, and their numbers of isomers in different extracts of Galla chinensis were determined. The antioxidant activities of CGTs with different degree of galloylation were evaluated in four antioxidant systems. Their antioxidant activities increased with increasing number of galloyl groups in all four antioxidant tests. CGTs had a dose–response relationship at the low concentrations (15–60 μg/mL) in the β-carotene–linoleic acid system assay. The antibacterial activity of CGTs against Salmonella typhimurium (Gram negative) and Bacillus cereus (Gram positive) was assessed using the paper disc diffusion method. Hexa-hepta-galloylglucopyranoses (6–7GGs) showed the best antibacterial activities. In general, 6–7GGs possessed antioxidant and antibacterial activities greater than BHT, Trolox, or Ethylparaben. Moreover, an insight on the structure–activity relationship of CGTs is discussed.

The gallotannins of Galla chinensis (GAC) were extracted consecutively by five solvents of different polarity, and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the extracts were evaluated. All of the ether-, ethyl acetate-, ethanol-, and water-extracts presented remarkable antioxidant abilities in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), β-carotene linoleic acid system, and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of these extracts against 3 species of gram-positive bacteria, 3 species of gram-negative bacteria, and 3 species of fungi were also determined using the agar dilution method. All of the extracts showed excellent antibacterial activities, but no antifungal activities. The gallotannins in different extracts were analyzed by the HPLC and HPLC-ESI-MS. The results indicated that the extracts with weaker polarity contained gallotannins with higher molecular weight, and had stronger antioxidant and antibacterial activities.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Ginsenosides, the major active ingredients of Panax ginseng, produce a variety of pharmacological or physiological responses with effects on the central and peripheral nervous systems. Aim of the Study In this report, we investigated the effects of ginsenoside Rg2 on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion induced impairment of neurological responses, memory and caudate-putamen neuronal apoptosis in a vascular dementia (VD) rat model. Materials and Methods Neurological evaluation was performed 24 h after reperfusion and Y-maze memory performance was assessed at 48 h after reperfusion. Immunocytochemical techniques were employed to check the protein expression of BCL-2, BAX, heat shock protein 70 and P53, which are related with cell apoptosis. Results Neurological responses and memory ability of the ginsenoside Rg2 or nimodipine groups improved significantly compared with the VD group. The expression of BCL-2 and HSP70 were decreased, while BAX and P53 were increased in the VD model. The expression of BCL-2 and HSP70 proteins were increased, while BAX and P53 decreased after ginsenoside Rg2 (2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg) and nimodipine (50 μg/kg) treatment compared with the VD group. The study suggests that ginsenoside Rg2 improved neurological performance and memory ability of VD rats through mechanisms related to anti-apoptosis. Conclusions The capacity for ginsenoside Rg2 to modulate the expression of apoptotic related proteins suggests that ginsenoside Rg2 may represent a potential treatment strategy for vascular dementia or other ischemic insults.

A 53-year-old female patient presented with lumbar and pelvic pain. The 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography scintigraphy showed extensive bone destruction with hypermetabolic osteolysis, with increased 18F-FDG uptake. The histological examination of the pubic bone lesion revealed a metastatic tumor. Neither chemotherapy nor radiotherapy could control the condition. More than a year later, the patient underwent a total thyroidectomy with cervical lymph node clearance. The histological examination revealed a papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) in the left lobe with capsular invasion. 131I treatment with thyroid hormone withdrawal followed. The 131I whole-body scintigraphy showed extensive uptake in the basic thyroid deposits, most bones and both lungs. Three months after the 131I treatment, the patient succumbed to cachexia. The present case indicated that not all PTMCs have excellent prognosis and that, despite being rare, clinically significant metastases can arise from a PTMC.

Polyphenols are functional components in apples and can be separated into four groups by Sephadex LH-20 as epicatechin, procyanidolic oligomers, chlorogenic acid and procyanidolic polymers. Antioxidant activities of each group were determined by FRAP and DPPH radical scavenging assay. It was found that procyanidolic oligomers and procyanidolic polymers influenced the total polyphenols content (measured by Folin–Ciocalteu method) much more in Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Fuji and Guoguang four apple cultivars. The Fe-reducing activity of procyanidolic oligomers in the four apple cultivars increased significantly during the development while the other three compounds changed irregularly. And the Fe-reducing activities of epicatechin and procyanidin contributed much more to the total Fe-reducing activities during the fruit development in the four apple cultivars. The DPPH scavenging activities of four compounds in Jonagold and Golden Delicious decreased during fruit development and that of Fuji and Guoguang changed irregularly. Chlorogenic acid was the main contributor in Jonagold, Golden Delicious and Fuji to the total scavenging activity. In Guoguang, it was procyanidolic oligomers that contributed much to the total scavenging activity.

To assess the efficacy of radioiodine therapy (RIT) and investigate the prognostic factors for patients with pulmonary metastasis secondary to differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) through a retrospective study. A total of 80 patients with radioactive iodine-131 (131I)-avid pulmonary metastasis from DTC treated with 131I from 2007 to 2014 at our institution entered the study. Treatment response was mainly measured by two parameters: serum thyroglobulin (Tg) levels and post-therapeutic 131I whole-body scan (WBS). Treatment variables were assessed for statistical significance using the univariate and multivariate analyses. A receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was also plotted to verify the accuracy of predictors. Of these 80 patients, the overall effective rate was 72.5% (58/80), the rates for complete response (CR), partial response (PR), and no response (NR) were 20.0%, 52.5%, and 27.5%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that gender, pulmonary nodule size, absence or presence of extrapulmonary distant metastases, age, and Tg level at diagnosis were significantly associated with 131I therapy efficacy. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that older patients (odds ratio [OR]:1.481, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.457–2.091, P = .020), subjects with higher Tg levels at diagnosis (OR: 1.046, 95% CI: 1.016–1.119, P = .014), and those with extrapulmonary distant metastases (OR: 1.185, 95%CI: 1.025–1.463, P = .020) had a higher probability of poor prognosis. The optimal cutoffs for age and Tg level to predict 131I therapy efficacy for DTC with lung metastases were 46 years old and 55.50 ng/mL, respectively, based on ROC analysis. This study indicated that most DTC patients with pulmonary metastases can obtain partial or complete remission after RIT, while older patients with higher Tg levels at diagnosis and extrapulmonary distant metastases more likely show poor prognosis.

Hepatic dysfunction is often observed in patients with Graves’ hyperthyroidism. The aims of this study were to investigate the risk factors for hepatic dysfunction and to analyze the efficacy of 131I (radioactive iodine-131) treatment. In total, 2385 patients with Graves’ hyperthyroidism (478 males, 1907 females; age 42.8 ± 13.5 years) were involved in our study. Of these, 1552 cases with hepatic dysfunction received 131I treatment. All clinical data were retrospectively reviewed to explore the risk factors associated with hepatic dysfunction using logistic regression analysis. Furthermore, we observed thyroid and liver function indices for the 1552 subjects at 3, 6 and 12 months after 131I treatment, in order to evaluate efficacy. Overall, 65% patients were affected by hepatic dysfunction. The most common abnormality was elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP), of which the prevalence was 52.3%. The percentages of hepatocellular injury type, bile stasis, and mixed type were 45.8%, 32.4%, and 21.8%, respectively. Both univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that age, duration of Graves hyperthyroidism, free triiodothyronine (FT3)level, and thyrotrophin receptor antibody (TRAb) concentration were the most significant risk factors predicting hepatic dysfunction. Additionally, the patients with mild hepatic dysfunction, or hepatocellular injury type were more likely to attain normal liver function after 131I treatment. Furthermore, after 131I treatment, liver function was more likely to return to normal in the cured group of patients compared with the uncured group. Older patients and cases with a longer history of Graves’ hyperthyroidism, higher FT3 or TRAb concentration were more likely to be associated with hepatic dysfunction, and the prognosis of hepatic dysfunction was closely associated with the outcomes of Graves’ hyperthyroidism after 131I treatment.