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To efficiently remove all recurrent lymph nodes (rLNs) and minimize complications, we developed a combination approach that consisted of 68Gallium prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) ligand positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and integrated indocyanine green (ICG)-guided salvage lymph node dissection (sLND) for rLNs after radical prostatectomy (RP). Nineteen patients were enrolled to receive such treatment. 68Ga-PSMA ligand PET/CT was used to identify rLNs, and 5 mg of ICG was injected into the space between the rectum and bladder before surgery. Fluorescent laparoscopy was used to perform sLND. While extensive LN dissection was performed at level I, another 5 mg of ICG was injected via the intravenous route to intensify the fluorescent signal, and laparoscopy was introduced to intensively target stained LNs along levels I and II, specifically around suspicious LNs, with 68Ga-PSMA ligand PET/CT. Next, both lateral peritonea were exposed longitudinally to facilitate the removal of fluorescently stained LNs at levels III and IV. In total, pathological analysis confirmed that 42 nodes were rLNs. Among 145 positive LNs stained with ICG, 24 suspicious LNs identified with 68Ga-PSMA ligand PET/CT were included. The sensitivity and specificity of 68Ga-PSMA ligand PET/CT for detecting rLNs were 42.9% and 96.6%, respectively. For ICG, the sensitivity was 92.8% and the specificity was 39.1%. At a median follow-up of 15 (interquartile range [IQR]: 6–31) months, 15 patients experienced complete biochemical remission (BR, prostate-specific antigen [PSA] 0.2 ng ml−1. Therefore, 68Ga-PSMA ligand PET/CT integrating ICG-guided sLND provides efficient sLND with few complications for patients with rLNs after RP.

We screened 104 snakes with respiratory disease, collected from 52 snake farms in Guangxi Province, China, for pathogens. Ferlaviruses were detected in 70 of 104 lung samples by reverse-transcription PCR; 34 of 52 of the snake farms were positive for ferlaviruses. No reovirus, adenovirus, sunshine virus, or nidovirus was detected in any of the snakes. We obtained 96 bacterial isolates from snake organs, of which the most commonly isolated species were Salmonella (18) and Proteus (16). Sequence analysis, based on 27 partial RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene ( L) sequences, revealed that ferlaviruses from Guangxi and the known GenBank strains clustered together and formed 3 genogroups. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid homologies of ferlaviruses were 84.3–100% and 95.0–100% within groups, respectively, and 77.0–81.6% and 90.4–95.2% between groups, respectively. Ferlaviruses from Guangxi had close genetic relationships with the known GenBank strains. Our results indicate that ferlaviruses are common in snakes with respiratory disease on the farms of Guangxi that we sampled, and that ferlavirus molecular epidemiology is both diverse and complex.

Background/aims The effects of microRNA-423 on proliferation and drug resistance of breast cancer cells were explored, the downstream target genes of miR-423 and the targeted regulatory relationship between them were studied. Methods RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of miR-423 in breast cancer tissues and cell lines, and the transfection efficiency of miR-423 inhibitory vector miR-423-inhibitor was constructed and verified. CCK-8 and colony formation assays were used to examine the effect of miR-423 on tumor cell proliferation. Target gene prediction and screening and luciferase reporter assay were used to verify downstream target genes of miR-432. The mRNA and protein expression of miR-423target gene ZFP36 was detected by RT-qPCR and Western blotting. Results The expression of miR-423 was significantly higher than that in normal tissues. Compared to the non-malignant mammary epithelial cell line MCF-10A, the expression of miR-423 was significantly raised in MCR-7 and MCF-7/ADR cells. ZFP36 was a downstream target gene of miR-423 and negatively correlated with the expression of miR-423 in breast cancer. The knockdown of miR-423 can significantly enhance the cytotoxicity of the drug, increase the apoptotic rate of MCF-7/ADR cells. miR-423 was capable of activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway leading to chemoresistance and proliferation, whereas overexpression of ZFP36 reduced drug resistance and proliferation. Conclusion miR-423 acted as an oncogene to promote tumor cell proliferation and migration. ZFP36 was a downstream target gene of miR-423, and miR-423 inhibited the expression of ZFP36 via Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway of breast cancer cells.

Background Recently, the roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) in human diseases have been unveiled, this research was conducted to explore the impacts of lncRNA SET-binding factor 2-antisense RNA1 (SBF2-AS1), miR-143 and resistance to ralstonia solanacearum 1 (RRS1) on breast cancer (BC) development. Methods The expression of SBF2-AS1, miR-143 and RRS1 in BC tissues, as well as in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines were assessed. Subsequently, the cells were transfected with miR-143 mimics or/and silenced or overexpressed SBF2-AS1 plasmids, and their negative controls. Then the proliferation, colony formation ability, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, invasion and migration of the cells were assessed through gain- and loss-of-function experiments. Furthermore, the tumor growth, ki-67 expression and apoptosis in vivo were observed by subcutaneous tumorigenesis in nude mice. Binding relation between SBF2-AS1 and miR-143, and that between miR-143 and RRS1 were confirmed. Results SBF2-AS1 and RRS1 were amplified, while miR-143 was reduced in BC tissues and cells. Reduced SBF2-AS1 and elevated miR-143 could repress the proliferation, invasion and migration via restraining RRS1 expression. Moreover, knockdown of SBF2-AS1 up-regulated miR-143 to promote the apoptosis of BC cells by downregulating RRS1, resulting in a prohibitive effect on the tumorigenesis and progression of BC. Results of in vivo experiments indicated that the inhibited SBF2-AS1 and overexpressed miR-143 could restrict BC cell proliferation and promote apoptosis, and decelerate tumor growth in xenografts. Conclusion We have discovered in this study that down-regulated SBF2-AS1 could inhibit tumorigenesis and progression of BC by up-regulation miR-143 and repressing RRS1, which provides basic therapeutic considerations for a novel target against BC.

Metastasis is one of the most threatening aspects of cervical cancer. We developed a method to intraoperatively map the primary tumor, metastasis and metastatic sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs), providing real-time intraoperative guidance in cervical cancer. Methods: TMTP1, a tumor metastasis targeting peptide, was employed to modify the indocyanine green (ICG)-loaded poly (ethylene glycol)- poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PEG-PLGA) micelles. The cervical cancer subcutaneous tumor model and lung metastasis model were established to determine the active targeting of ICG-loaded TMTP1-PEG-PLGA micelles (ITM) for the primary tumor and occult metastasis of cervical cancer. Human cervical cancer HeLa cells engineered by firefly luciferase were injected into the right hocks of BALB/c nude mice to develop the SLN metastasis model. The ITM and control ICG-loaded PEG-PLGA micelles (IM) were injected into the right hind footpads in the SLN metastasis model, and the migration and retention of micelles were recorded under near-infrared fluorescence. K14-HPV16 transgenic mice were also used to detect the image capability of ITM to target cancerous lesions. Results: ITM could actively target imaging of the primary tumor and cervical cancer metastasis. ITM quickly diffused from the injection site to SLNs along lymphatic capillaries and remained in the SLNs for 12 h. Moreover, ITM specifically accumulated in the tumor metastatic SLNs (T-SLNs), which could be successfully distinguished from normal SLNs (N-SLNs). Conclusion: ITM could achieve active targeting of the primary tumor, metastasis and T-SLNs, providing precise and real-time intraoperative guidance for cervical cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) represents the most commonly diagnosed malignancy among women. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can be transferred by extracellular vesicles (EVs) to participate in BC progression. This study demonstrated that SNHG16 expression was significantly increased in BC tissues and cells. Overexpression of SNHG16 promoted the migration, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of BC cells. SNHG16 was carried by EVs. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that SNHG16 regulated PPAPDC1A expression by sponging miR-892b, which was confirmed by RNA-fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), RT-qPCR, dual-luciferase gene reporter assay, and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP). MDA-MB-157 and HS578T cells were transfected with pcDNA3.1-SNHG16, miR-892b-mimic, or si-PPAPDC1A for functional rescue experiments in vitro, and the cells were treated with MDA-MB-231 cell-derived EVs. The results confirmed that enhanced miR-892b expression partially eliminated the increase of migration, invasion, and EMT of BC cells mediated by SNHG16 or EVs. The lung metastasis model in nude mice was established by injecting HS578T cells via tail vein. The results showed that si-SNHG16 reduced the metastatic nodules and decreased the vimentin expression. In conclusion, EVs derived from BC cells transferred SNHG16 via the miR-892b/PPAPDC1A axis, thus promoting EMT, migration, and invasion of BC.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of severe respiratory disease in children under 2 years of age, and responsible for substantial disease burden in infants and elder people in either developed or developing countries 1,2 . RSV has only been circulating among humans, though it was first isolated from chimpanzees 3 . Here we report natural infections of RSVs (40%) in Malayan pangolins ( Manis javanica ) with high identity (99.3-99.8%) to human strains by comparing entire genomes. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that five pangolin RSVs belonged to RSV-A ON1 and seven to RSV-B BA genotypes, which are currently prevalent in humans. Three substitutions existed in pangolin RSV-B fusion protein subunit, which involves binding of viral glycoprotein with the receptor. We firstly identified natural infections of human RSVs in non-primate animals, and implied that people should kept away from pangolins to prevent mutual transmission of pathogens between humans and the animals.

Background Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are novel regulatory molecules in breast cancer development. LncRNA LUCAT1 is a potential tumor promoter in human cancers. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of LUCAT1 in human breast cancer tissues and cells. Methods A total of 31 breast cancer patients who underwent tumor resection, but without chemo- or radiotherapy or acute lung/heart/kidney diseases, provided tumor and adjacent normal tissues. Bioinformatic analysis, qRT-PCR, and luciferase reporter assay were carried out during the study. Results qRT-PCR analysis indicated that, compared with the adjacent tissues and MCF-10A normal breast epithelial cells, LUCAT1 was markedly up-regulated in the breast cancer tissues and five BC cell lines, including MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, MDA-MB-435, SKBR3, and MCF-7. The knockdown of LUCAT1, through the transfection of small interfering RNA (siRNA) specific to LUCAT1, resulted in inhibition of proliferation in breast cancer cells. The expression levels of miR-181a-5p were decreased in the breast cancer tissues and five BC cell lines. Bioinformatic analysis and luciferase reporter assay suggested the interaction between miR-181a-5p and LUCAT1. In addition, the effects of LUCAT1 on promoting cell proliferation were attenuated by overexpression of miR-181a-5p through the transfection of miR-181a-5p mimic. Moreover, bioinformatics and luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-181a-5p targeted the 3′-UTR region of KLF6 and KLF15 mRNA, which were two tumor suppressor genes. LUCAT1/miR-181a-5p axis regulated the expression of KLF6 and KLF15 both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions Our data indicate that LUCAT1/miR-181a-5p axis can serve as a novel therapeutic target in breast cancer.

War and natural disaster have been spurs to the creation of rehabilitation services. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a different question for existing rehabilitation services: how best to respond to a disaster that is anticipated from afar, but whose shape has yet to take full form?Applying the 5-phase crisis management model ofContingency rehabilitation planning can be framed in a 5-phase crisis management model that includes (i) signal detection; (ii) prevention/preparedness; (iii) damage limitation; (iv) recovery; and (v) learning. We have reported the impact of COVID-19 on rehabilitation services within a Scottish context and shared some of our learning.COVID-19 has challenged healthcare worldwide and has served as an amplifier for the recognised ill effects of poverty and inequality. As rehabilitation clinicians, we are in a position to continue advocating for people facing disability, and also seeking and responding to signals of COVID-19's late effects in both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients alike. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION COVID-19 has resulted in unprecedented challenges in rehabilitation service planning. Contingency rehabilitation planning can be framed in a 5-phase crisis management model of

The purposes of this study were to explore combined effects of storage temperature, time and atmosphere on survival and thermal inactivation of pathogenic Salmonella Enteritidis PT 30 with nonpathogenic E. coli ATCC 25922 as a surrogate inoculated to low-moisture almond powder. A thermal death time test heating block system (TDT-HBS) was used to rapidly determine thermal inactivation of E. coli ATCC 25922. Surviving populations and D75-values of E. coli ATCC 25922 in the almond powder with 6.0% w.b. were determined monthly for 12-month storage under three packaging atmosphere conditions at −20, 4, and 24 °C. The results showed that survival and thermal inactivation curves of E. coli ATCC 25922 fitted well to both Weibull and first-order-kinetic models, respectively. The effects of storage atmosphere on reducing surviving populations and D75-values of E. coli ATCC 25922 became more remarkable as the storage temperature increased. The reductions of 2.55 log CFU/g for surviving populations and 31.2% for D75-values were observed after 12-months storage at 24 °C under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), and holding for 50.4 min at 75 °C could reach at least 4-log reductions of E. coli ATCC 25922, which are required by the USDA for safe exportation. Storage under MAP at ambient temperature may hold potential to inhibit surviving populations and reduce thermal resistance of S. Enteritidis PT 30 in low-moisture almond powder.

Water activity (aw) and heating rate have shown important effects on the thermo-tolerance of pathogens in low moisture foods during thermal treatments. In this study, three strains were selected to compare the heat resistance in walnut shell powder and finally the most heat resistant S. aureus ATCC 25923 was chosen to investigate the influence of aw and heating rate using a heating block system (HBS). The results showed that S. aureus ATCC 25923 became more thermo-tolerant at lower aw. The D-values of S. aureus ATCC 25923 increased with decreasing water activity and heating rates (

Liver damage and fibrosis are precursors of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In HCC patients, sorafenib-a multikinase inhibitor drug-has been reported to exert anti-fibrotic activity. However, incomplete inhibition of RAF activity by sorafenib may also induce paradoxical activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in malignant cells. The consequence of this effect in non-malignant disease (hepatic fibrosis) remains unknown. This study aimed to examine the effects of sorafenib on activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), and develop effective therapeutic approaches to treat liver fibrosis and prevent cancer development. Methods: We first examined the effects of sorafenib in combination with MEK inhibitors on fibrosis pathogenesis in vitro and in vivo. To improve the bioavailability and absorption by activated HSCs, we developed CXCR4-targeted nanoparticles (NPs) to co-deliver sorafenib and a MEK inhibitor to mice with liver damage. Results: We found that sorafenib induced MAPK activation in HSCs, and promoted their myofibroblast differentiation. Combining sorafenib with a MEK inhibitor suppressed both paradoxical MAPK activation and HSC activation in vitro, and alleviated liver fibrosis in a CCl4-induced murine model of liver damage. Furthermore, treatment with sorafenib/MEK inhibitor-loaded CXCR4-targeted NPs significantly suppressed hepatic fibrosis progression and further prevented fibrosis-associated HCC development and liver metastasis. Conclusions: Our results show that combined delivery of sorafenib and a MEK inhibitor via CXCR4-targeted NPs can prevent activation of ERK in activated HSCs and has anti-fibrotic effects in the CCl4-induced murine model. Targeting HSCs represents a promising strategy to prevent the development and progression of fibrosis-associated HCC.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between SF3B1 mutations and the prognoses of patients with breast cancer. Clinical and SF3B1 mutation data from The Cancer Genome Atlas were analyzed. SF3B1 mutations were evaluated as prognostic factors in all breast cancer patients and specific subgroups through Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses. We also investigated the relationship between traditional parameters and SF3B1 mutations. Receiver operating characteristics curves were used to analyze common risk factors for their sensitivity and specificity in predicting SF3B1 mutations. SF3B1 mutations were a poor prognostic factor in luminal B and progesterone receptor (PR)-negative breast cancer (P < 0.01). Age at diagnosis and estrogen receptor (ER) status were associated with SF3B1 mutations in all breast cancers (P < 0.01) and in luminal B and PR-negative subgroups (P < 0.01). The age at diagnosis and ER status combined had a higher sensitivity and specificity for predicting SF3B1 mutations than each factor alone. SF3B1 mutations are a poor prognostic factor in luminal B and PR-negative breast cancer patients. These mutations are significantly associated with age at diagnosis and ER status. SF3B1 mutations may therefore be a novel therapeutic target for breast cancer patients.

The application of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the screening and diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) has improved the clinical management of PCa patients. However, the PSA assay has been faced with criticism due to its potential association with over-diagnosis and subsequent overtreatment of indolent patients. Matrix metalloproteinase-26 (MMP26) is a member of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and has been reported to be highly expressed in many cancers. This investigation evaluated the potential of serum MMP26 as a biomarker for PCa. The level of serum MMP26 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 160 subjects including PCa group (n=80), benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) group (n=40) and control group (n=40). Furthermore, we evaluated the expression of MMP26 in tissues by immunohistochemistry. The results showed the serum MMP26 levels were significantly higher in PCa group than in BPH group and control group. Similarly, the MMP26 protein was positive in PCa tissues and negative in BPH tissues and control tissues. In conclusion, these results suggested MMP26 could be used as a potential serum biomarker in the diagnosis of PCa.

Low quality of life, depression and poor quality of sleep are associated with increased mortality in hemodialysis patients. It is not clear which factor has the highest predictive power and what the core element is to explain the predictability. We thus conducted a prospective cohort study that included 151 hemodialysis adults. Three traits of interest were assessed by World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire, an abbreviated version (WHOQOL-BREF), Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire, and Athens Insomnia Scale, respectively. They were followed for more than 3 years and the all-cause mortality was 30.5%. The prevalence of quality of life at the lowest tertile, depression and poor quality of sleep was 19.9%, 43.0% and 74.2%, respectively. Discriminant analysis showed the standardized coefficient of each factor as 0.813, −0.289 and 0.066, indicating the highest discriminating power by quality of life to predict mortality. Question 15 “how well are you able to get around?” in the physical health domain of WHOQOL-BREF independently associated a hazard ratio of mortality 0.623 (95% confidence interval 0.423-0.918). Subjective perception of overall quality of life was more related to psycho-social-environmental factors. In conclusion, mobility is an independent and powerful predictor to long term mortality in patients on chronic hemodialysis.

// Rui Wei 1 , Mengqin Lv 1, * , Fei Li 1 , Teng Cheng 1 , Zhengzhong Zhang 1 , Guiying Jiang 1 , Ying Zhou 1 , Ruiqiu Gao 1 , Xiao Wei 1 , Jicheng Lou 1 , Xizi Wu 1 , Danfeng Luo 1 , Xiangyi Ma 1 , Jin Jiang 2 , Ding Ma 1 and Ling Xi 1 1 Cancer Biology Research Center, Key Laboratory of The Ministry of Education, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China 2 Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, TX, Dallas, USA * Co-first author Correspondence to: Ling Xi, email: lxi@tjh.tjmu.edu.cn Keywords: ovarian cancer, hedgehog signaling, cancer associated fibroblasts, VEGF-C, lymphangiogenesis Received: October 07, 2016 Accepted: May 01, 2017 Published: June 27, 2017 ABSTRACT Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a pivotal role in the development and progression of many human cancers. Recent studies have shown that Hedgehog (Hh) signalling modulates the stromal microenvironment and prepares a suitable niche for tumour metastasis. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying CAF-mediated lymphangiogenesis have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, our goal is to illustrate whether Hh ligands can activate Hh signalling in CAFs in a paracrine fashion and elucidate the effect of CAFs on lymphangiogenesis. We determined here that Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) secreted by ovarian cancer (OC) cells activated Hh signalling in CAFs and promoted the proliferation of CAFs. Moreover, we co-injected SHH-overexpressing OC cells and CAFs in a xenograft model and found that the CAFs accelerated tumourigenesis and lymphangiogenesis in OC. Mechanistically, we found that SHH secreted by the OC cells induced VEGF-C expression in CAFs. Inhibition of Hh signalling in CAFs decreased VEGF-C expression and diminished the positive role of CAFs in supporting tumourigenesis and lymphangiogenesis in a murine xenograft model. Our results demonstrate that CAFs constitute a supportive niche for cancer lymphangiogenesis via the Hh/VEGF-C signalling axis and provide evidence for the clinical application of Hh inhibitors in the treatment of OC.

While most patients with an acquired brain injury (ABI) receive appropriate post-acute care and rehabilitation via established pathways from critical care units and tertiary neurosciences centres, a small number of these patients do fall through the cracks and end up in the general medical ward.

Reported outbreaks and recalls related to spices, including an on-going recall of cinnamon involved apple chips, reveal a need to understand thermal inactivation of Salmonella in spices. Recent studies have documented quantitative relationships between water activity (aw) and thermal resistance of Salmonella in a wide range of low-moisture foods. Such quantitative data are useful in developing effective thermal treatments. However, the influence of aw on thermal inactivation of Salmonella in spices has not been systematically studied. Cinnamon is known for its antimicrobial effect on pathogenic bacteria. We hypothesized that the synergetic effect of heat and the natural antimicrobial compounds in cinnamon would reduce the intensity of thermal treatments for cinnamon compared to that for other low-moisture foods. This study investigated the thermal resistance of Salmonella Enteritidis PT 30 in ground cinnamon at three inactivation temperatures (70, 75 and 80 °C). The log10 D-values of S. Enteritidis PT 30 in ground cinnamon decreased linearly with increasing aw and treatment temperature. By comparing the log10 D-values obtained in ground cinnamon with the reported log10 D80°C-values of S. Enteritidis PT 30 in other low-moisture foods, we found that the thermal treatments at 70 °C for S. Enteritidis PT 30 in cinnamon powder was roughly equivalent to the treatments at 80 °C for the same bacterial strain in other low-moisture foods, such as wheat flour and egg powders. Thus, milder thermal treatments can be used for the control of Salmonella in cinnamon powder, and perhaps other spices or herbs that contain antimicrobial compounds, for better retention of product quality.

Salmonella outbreaks related to consumption of raw almonds have forced nut industry to seek effective pasteurization processes. Radio frequency (RF) treatment is a potential pasteurization method for controlling Salmonella while maintaining product quality. Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 is nonpathogenic and can be used as a surrogate of pathogenic Salmonella when their thermo-tolerances are equivalent. Since thermal resistance of target pathogens can be reduced by raising water activity in dry samples, the aim of this study was to explore the application of RF treatments to control E. coli ATCC 25922 in pre-washed in-shell almonds without quality losses. A 6 kW, 27.12 MHz RF heating system was used to rapidly pasteurize 1.7 kg washed in-shell almonds together with hot air heating at 55 °C. To meet effective pasteurization requirements and maintain almond quality, the RF treatment protocol was obtained by using an electrode gap of 10.5 cm for pasteurization, 12 cm for drying, and followed by forced room air cooling in 3 cm thick samples. The results showed that the RF heating at the electrode gap of 10.5 cm for 1.5 min achieved 5-log reductions of E. coli ATCC 25922 and the followed RF drying for 8.5 min reduced the moisture content of almond shell back to 5.08% w.b. Kernel color, peroxide value, weight loss, fatty acid value and fatty acid composition of RF treated almonds met good quality standard used by almond industry. Therefore, RF treatments are an effective and rapid heating method to control Salmonella in pre-washed in-shell almonds.

Reinforced concrete structures are easily corroded in the Salt Lake areas of China, especially in harsh environmental circumstance, such as freezing-thawing cycles, wetting-dry, et al, thus causing a lot of damage problems (concrete deterioration and steel bars corrosion). This research investigation was a research study which was to solve the corrosion problem of reinforced concrete structures under the chloride environmental circumstance through the electrochemical performance and mechanical properties test of the reinforced mortar specimens, the effect of single or compound doping of two organic and two inorganic corrosion inhibitors to the electrode potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and mechanical properties of the reinforced mortar were investigated. The experimental conclusion demonstrated that the organic or inorganic corrosion inhibitors after single and compound doping showed some degree influence on the electrode potential and mechanical properties of the reinforced mortar specimens. Meanwhile, when the ratio of triethanolamine (TEA):triisopropanolamine (TIPA) was 7:3, sodium monofluorophosphate (MFP):sodium molybdate was 5:5, the compressive strength and flexural strength of mortar after curing for 28 days were greater than 90%, it indicated that these proportions showed the best corrosion resistance performance of steel bars. Therefore, these proportions of corrosion inhibitors could be used in reinforced concrete structures. The significant was that these results could provide theoretical guidance and technical basis for the study of corrosion damage of reinforced concrete structures in the future.

Background Breast cancer was dangerous to women health. A growing number of evidences indicate that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have many functions in the development and progression of breast cancer and may serve as the markers of diagnosis or prognosis. BLACAT1 is one of lncRNA and the roles of it in breast cancer is not clear. In this study, it is aimed to explore the roles and molecular mechanisms of BLACAT1 in breast cancer. Results We found BLACAT1 took part in breast cancer cell aggressive phenotype. The real-time PCR result showed that BLACAT1 was up-regulated in tumor tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. The molecular mechanism experiments demonstrated that BLACAT1 down-regulation suppressed the proliferation and metastasis of human breast cancer cells by regulating miR-150-5p targeting CCR2. The clinical studies indicated that lack of BLACAT1 was related to tumor size, metastasis. Conclusion: The present study verified the involvement of the BLACAT1 in the mediation of cell survival and metastasis through miR-150-5p targeting CCR2 in breast cancer cells.

Inpatient specialist neurorehabilitation in the United Kingdom is based on providing a service to "working-age" adults (65 years), with little evidence for outcomes for older adults involved with these services.The aim of this study is to determine any difference in outcome after inpatient neurorehabilitation between younger and older adults assessed as having rehabilitation potential.A two-centre retrospective review was performed comparing patients aged65 and≥65 years by diagnostic group in terms of length of stay, changes in UK Functional Independence Measure+Functional Assessment Measure (UK FIM+FAM) scores and discharge destination.Six hundred and sixteen patients (32%≥65 years) were included. The 2 age groups did not differ in length of stay (median difference 7 days, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2 to 15, P=0.112), but both UK FIM+FAM change and efficiency were higher for the older than younger group (median difference 7, 95% CI 2-13, P=0.006 and 0.10, 0.01-0.19, P=0.031 respectively). Older age was associated with discharge to long-term care (6%65 years; 11%≥65 years, xOlder adults considered to have rehabilitation potential may have greater functional gains from inpatient specialist inpatient rehabilitation than younger adults. Age alone should not exclude admission to inpatient specialist neurorehabilitation.

Depression is more common in many medical conditions than among the general population and is associated with an increased risk of mortality. We aimed to determine whether somatic symptoms of depression were more predictive of mortality than affective and cognitive symptoms in hemodialysis patients. We conducted a prospective cohort study in which the survival outcomes of 151 subjects were followed for more than 3 years. Depression was assessed with the Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire (TDQ). Subjects with TDQ scores 19–54 (correlated with clinically significant depressive symptoms) and those with scores 15–18 had higher 3-year mortality rates than the two groups with lower scores (40.0%, 46.7%, 16.0% and 19.6%, p = 0.021, ANOVA). Affective and cognitive symptoms, including sadness, tenseness, indecisiveness and low self-confidence, and one somatic item (bodily discomfort) were associated with mortality. Affective and cognitive symptoms affected quality of life more than somatic symptoms. The somatic subscale was associated with female gender, low income and education, dialysis vintage, and low serum creatinine and albumin levels, whereas the affective and cognitive subscale was associated with less education and a low serum albumin level. In conclusion, affective and cognitive symptoms of depression may better predict long-term mortality in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis than somatic symptoms.

Growing evidences have shown that the IL-6/IL-6R signal pathway promotes the tumor growth, angiogenesis, invasion and migration in various cancers, especially for epithelial ovarian cancer. Hence, including anti-IL-6 antibody (Siltuximab) and anti-IL-6R antibody (Tocilizumab), more and more therapeutic drugs targeting IL-6/IL-6R pathway were developed to block their activity. The molecular imaging of IL-6R is a significant factor for predicting tumor response to IL-6/IL-6R targeted drugs. However, few probes targeting IL-6R were designed and used for the specific detection. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a novel radiotracer, (99m)Tc-HYNIC-Aca-LSLITRL, for SPECT imaging of interleukin-6 receptor. The expression of IL-6R was determined by western blot, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. HYNIC-Aca-LSLITRL and HYNIC-Aca-TLQASIL were synthesized, and then were labeled with 99mTc. The stability and the cell-binding assay were performed. Ovarian tumor xenografts were established and subjected to SPECT imaging after injection of these two radiopharmaceuticals with or without excess primary peptides. The biodistribution of these two radiotracers was performed in nude mice bearing C13K tumors. (99m)Tc-HYNIC-Aca-LSLITRL and (99m)Tc-HYNIC-Aca-TLQASIL were obtained in >95 % labeling yield with favorably stability. In vitro studies demonstrated that the interleukin-6 receptor was overexpressed in ovarian cancer C13K cells. The SPECT imaging of interleukin-6 receptor and biodistribution studies showed that (99m)Tc-HYNIC-Aca-LSLITRL had higher tumor uptake and significantly lower kidney accumulation compared to (99m)Tc-HYNIC-Aca-TLQASIL. (99m)Tc-HYNIC-Aca-LSLITRL could be a promising agent for SPECT imaging of interleukin-6 receptor of ovarian cancer especially for those anti-IL-6R drugs under clinical trials, such as tocilizumab.

XPNPEP2 is a proline hydrolytic enzyme that hydrolyzes several biologically active peptides and causes a loss of substrate activity. However, its function in cancer is still unknown. Our study showed that XPNPEP2 expression was significantly upregulated in cervical cancer tissues compared with normal cervical tissues and cervical intraepithelial neoplasm tissues. Statistical analysis showed that XPNPEP2 expression was associated with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage and lymph node metastasis. Overexpression of XPNPEP2 in SiHa and HeLa cells promoted cell invasion and migration without affecting cell proliferation and apoptosis. Mechanistically, we found that XPNPEP2 facilitated cervical cancer cell invasion and migration by inducing epithelial–mesenchymal transition. Furthermore, we demonstrated that XPNPEP2 had significant effects on the metastasis of xenografted tumors in vivo. Collectively, our findings identify the novel function of XPNPEP2 in the metastasis of cervical cancer and suggest that XPNPEP2 could be a novel potential therapeutic target for the treatment of cervical cancer.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) has become a leading contributor to the global burden of disease; however, there are currently no reliable biological markers or physiological measurements for efficiently and effectively dissecting the heterogeneity of MDD. Here we propose a novel method based on scalp electroencephalography (EEG) signals and a robust spectral-spatial EEG feature extractor called kernel eigen-filter-bank common spatial pattern (KEFB-CSP). The KEFB-CSP first filters the multi-channel raw EEG signals into a set of frequency sub-bands covering the range from theta to gamma bands, then spatially transforms the EEG signals of each sub-band from the original sensor space to a new space where the new signals (i.e., CSPs) are optimal for the classification between MDD and healthy controls, and finally applies the kernel principal component analysis (kernel PCA) to transform the vector containing the CSPs from all frequency sub-bands to a lower-dimensional feature vector called KEFB-CSP. Twelve patients with MDD and twelve healthy controls participated in this study, and from each participant we collected 54 resting-state EEGs of 6 s length (5 min and 24 s in total). Our results show that the proposed KEFB-CSP outperforms other EEG features including the powers of EEG frequency bands, and fractal dimension, which had been widely applied in previous EEG-based depression detection studies. The results also reveal that the 8 electrodes from the temporal areas gave higher accuracies than other scalp areas. The KEFB-CSP was able to achieve an average EEG classification accuracy of 81.23% in single-trial analysis when only the 8-electrode EEGs of the temporal area and a support vector machine (SVM) classifier were used. We also designed a voting-based leave-one-participant-out procedure to test the participant-independent individual classification accuracy. The voting-based results show that the mean classification accuracy of about 80% can be achieved by the KEFP-CSP feature and the SVM classifier with only several trials, and this level of accuracy seems to become stable as more trials (i.e.

Contaminated condiments with low water activity (aw) have encouraged the scientific community to study effective thermal methods of inactivating pathogens. The aim of this study was to identify whether microbial thermo-tolerance in red pepper powder was affected by water activity, treatment temperature and particle size of samples. Effects of three bacterial strains and particle size on the heat resistance were analyzed based on the orthogonal experiment method. Samples with particle size ranging from 0.45 to 1.00 mm and the most thermal resistance bacterial strain of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 after comparing with two salmonella strains were chosen to study thermal inactivation kinetics in red pepper powder at three aw levels with four temperatures. The results indicated an increase of microbial thermal resistance with increasing mean particle sizes of red pepper powder. Logarithmic microbial inactivation was fitted by primary models in which the lower aw and temperature resulted in larger D-values. Mafart's modified Bigelow model combined with primary models provided acceptable predictions of microbial inactivation performance under the given test conditions. When aw levels were higher, E. coli ATCC 25922 was easier to kill at relatively lower temperatures. These findings may assist pepper powder manufacturers and regulatory agencies in designing effective pasteurization processes to ensure product safety.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a technology in which a somatic nucleus is transferred into the cytoplasm of a matured oocyte – reconstructed embryos have the capacity to develop to term. Why somatic cells can be reprogrammed by oocytes – the answer for this question must exist in the cytoplasm of matured oocytes. In this review, totipotent characters of matured oocytes were discussed, which may confer matured oocytes with the capacity to reprogram somatic nucleus. Moreover, the procedure of SCNT also makes a possibility for somatic nucleus to be reprogrammed by oocytes. Compared with fertilized embryos, embryos derived from SCNT exhibit low developmental ability; the barricades in reprogramming process and their possible reasons were also discussed. This review maybe can benefit the mechanism research of SCNT technology and can make contribution for improving the efficiency of this technology.

Abdominal aortic calcification (AC) has been reported to be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in hemodialysis patients but is rarely discussed in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We examined the independent predictors and predictive power for survival of AC in prevalent PD patients.AC was detected by computed tomography (CT) and represented as the percentage of the total aortic cross-section area affected by AC (%AC). The predictors of %AC ≥ 15 were examined by multiple logistic regression analysis. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to determine the hazard ratios associated with high %AC. A total of 183 PD patients were recruited to receive CT scans and divided into group 1 (%AC15, n = 97), group 2 (%AC ≥ 15, n = 41), and group 3 (diabetic patients, n = 45). Group 1 patients had lower osteoprotegerin (OPG) levels than group 2 patients (798 ± 378 vs. 1308 ± 1350 pg/mL, p0.05). The independent predictors for %AC ≥ 15 included the atherogenic index, OPG, and C-reactive protein (CRP). The age-adjusted hazard ratios associated with %AC ≥ 15 were 3.46 (p = 0.043) for mortality and 1.90 (p = 0.007) for hospitalization.%AC can predict mortality and morbidity in non-diabetic PD patients, and 15% is a good cut-off value for such predictions. There are complex associations among mineral metabolism, inflammation, and dyslipidemia in the pathogenesis of AC.

Background Cdc42 is a small guanosine-5′-triphosphatase of the Rho family and plays essential roles in the establishment of cellular polarity and tight junctions in epithelial cells. Adenomatous polyposis coli-associated exchange factor (Asef) is a canonical guanine nucleotide exchange factor of Cdc42 and renders Cdc42 to be guanosine-5′-triphosphate bound and activated. The expression patterns and their significance in human renal diseases are unknown. Methods We examined the expression of Cdc42 and Asef in kidney biopsy specimens of 15 patients and in normal kidney tissue using immunofluorescence and correlated the expression patterns with the clinical characteristics. We also analyzed the coexpression pattern of Ki-67, a marker indicating cell division, and Asef in selected patients. Results Expression of Asef and Cdc42 together was associated with tubular injury with 100% specificity. Expression of Asef, regardless of Cdc42, also showed a significant diagnostic odds ratio for the presence of the injury. Expression of Asef was associated with lower estimated glomerular filtration rate at the time of biopsy and larger area of interstitial fibrosis. All Ki-67–expressing tubular cells expressed Asef. Conclusions Induction of Asef and Cdc42 in the renal tubules is a cellular response to injury. Asef induction seems a necessary step for injured tubular cells to enter cell cycle.

We report on a 12-year-old female patient with lipoprotein glomerulopathy (LPG) who was proven to be heterozygous for ApoE2 Kyoto (Arg25Cys). Her family members have the same variant but do not have obvious signs of renal function impairment. Six months of treatment with a statin caused significant clinical improvement in the lipid profile, proteinuria, and renal function. Our case suggests that administration of a statin is a potential therapeutic strategy for improving nephrotic syndrome in patients with LPG.

The mechanisms of aquatic plant defense against salinity were studied by long-term exposure of Spirodela polyrhiza (greater duckweed) to NaCl. In this study, the effects of 200 mM NaCl on greater duckweed were evaluated after 6 and 12 days of treatment, while plant growth was measured every day. High concentration of NaCl caused an inhibition of plant growth, reduced in the content of photosynthetic pigments, increased lipid peroxidation, and enhanced the entire antioxidant defense. The responses of five antioxidant enzymes showed that ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activities were the most enhanced after NaCl exposure, catalase moderately, and glutathione reductase least. The content of soluble proteins was decreased, while ascorbic acid was drastically increased. In NaCl-treated fronds, the appearance of two NaCl-induced polypeptides with apparent molecular weight of 16 and 21 kDa, as well as the accumulation of two polypeptides with molecular weights 18 and 27 kDa, were observed in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). NaCl also led to accumulation of the heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and induced an isoform of the glutamine synthetase (GS1) expression. Our results suggest that in S. polyrhiza, different adaptive mechanisms are involved in counter balancing high doses of a particular toxicant (sodium chloride). The possible application of the examined biomarkers in ecotoxicological research is discussed.

Background: In the treatment of nail psoriasis, standardized therapeutic regimens are currently lacking. Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of indigo naturalis oil extract in patients with nail psoriasis. Methods: Patients with nail psoriasis applied indigo naturalis oil extract on affected nails twice daily for 24 weeks. Efficacy was evaluated using the Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI) and modified target NAPSI for the single most severely affected nail. Results: Twenty-eight out of 32 patients completed the study. The mean NAPSI was 36.1 ± 14.7 at baseline and decreased to 14.9 ± 11.1 at week 24 while the mean modified target NAPSI was 11.7 ± 3.9 at baseline and decreased to 3.6 ± 3.2 at week 24. Conclusions: Indigo naturalis oil extract appeared to improve nail psoriasis. Although preliminary, these results indicate that it could provide a novel therapeutic option for nail psoriasis, a disease notoriously difficult to treat.

Peritoneal fibrosis (PF), including simple sclerosis and encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS), is a serious complication in patients on long-term peritoneal dialysis. Tamoxifen has successfully been used in treating EPS; however, the mechanism of tamoxifen in treating EPS fibrosis disorders remains unclear. This study demonstrates a possible antifibrotic mechanism of tamoxifen. A bleach-induced PF rat model was applied as the in vivo treatment target. Tamoxifen was intraperitoneally injected daily to treat PF. The PF scores and thickness of the submesothelial zone over the liver surface were measured as indicators for the severity of PF. Human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMC) were used as an in vitro model to test the antifibrotic effect of tamoxifen. Gene expressions of transforming growth factors-β (TGF-β), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and collagen were investigated using quantitative polymerase chain reactions. In HPMC, tamoxifen showed paradoxical effects between collagen I and TGF-β. Tamoxifen also inhibited TGF-β-induced collagen and CTGF. The possible antifibrotic effect of tamoxifen is through inhibiting CTGF to block collagen synthesis, although it enhances TGF-β which increases fibrosis. These results provide a possible molecular mechanism for tamoxifen.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and its specific G-protein-coupled receptors have mitogen-like activities in cellular signal transduction. At the intracellular level, LPA is produced by phospholipase A1 (PLA1) or PLA2; at the extracellular level, LPA is produced by autotaxin/lysophospholipase D. Lipid phosphate phosphatases (LPPs) dephosphorylate LPA and thereby attenuate LPA signaling. Chronic kidney diseases (CKDs) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are significant public health issues throughout the world. In these conditions, there is a production and accumulation of transforming growth factor (TGF-β) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), leading to accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins and renal fibrosis. In addition, CKD risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and activation of the renin-angiotensin- aldosterone system can lead to overexpression of the TGF-β-CTGF-collagen/fibronectin axis and thereby accelerate formation of renal fibrosis. More than five LPA receptors (LPA1 - LPA5) have been identified and have been shown to be expressed in different tissues. LPA1 mediates lung and renal fibrosis following injury, and Ki16425 has been shown to be an antagonist of the LPA1 receptor and an attenuator of fibrosis formation. In this review, we provide a brief update on the concepts of renal fibrosis and the pathogenetic roles of the different LPA signaling pathways, discuss some recent patents on pharmaceuticals that disrupt these pathways, and introduce some pilot studies that have explored the therapeutic potentials of LPA receptor antagonists for management of renal fibrosis.

The structure of a mammalian kidney is parsed into large collections of polarized nephrons, and each segment is home to a diverse community of cells that specialize in renal endocrine and excretory functions. Early developmental lengthening and diversification of nephron segments along a proximal--distal axis initiate all subsequent facets of tubular growth and function. Morphogenic cues and biochemical interactions that are critical to this process are starting to emerge. The underlying principles of regional cell signaling and transcriptional control organizing early segmentation are the subject of this review.

The phenomenon that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protects cell from injury yet its enzymatic product, iron, may facilitate generation of free radical has been long puzzling. Here we establish a functional connection between ferritin heavy chain (FHC) and HO-1. In human lupus nephritis HO-1 and FHC are colocalized within the glomeruli. In rodent anti-Thy1 (thymocyte antigen 1) induced glomerulonephritis, heme oxygenase blockade lowers the expression of FHC and accelerates mesangial cell death. Stimulation of heme oxygenase in cultured rat mesangial cell enhances its resistance to hydrogen peroxide, whereas FHC knockdown by RNA interference compromises this salutary effect. RNA interference of HO-1 makes the cell more susceptible to hydrogen peroxide, which can be rescued by forced expression of wild-type FHC but not mutants that lose the capacity of iron storage and ferroxidase activity. Phosphorylation of JunD was not sustained in these cells. Microarray analysis identifies four candidate transcriptional factors that may regulate the HO-1-induced transcription of FHC. Our results support the role of FHC in neutralizing the iron toxicity as well as mediating the protective effect of HO-1 in response to oxidative stress.

In this paper, we study on the cooperation of the virtual digital surgery design technology, three-dimensional navigation and high-precision robot, aiming to implement the preoperative design content more accurately. In this system, virtual digital surgery design acts as the “brain” to provide position and motion information. Three-dimensional navigation system can carry out tasks such as registering coordinates, offering intraoperative navigation, measuring and verification. Besides, because of the advantages in accuracy and stability, high-precision intelligent manipulator UR5 can assist doctors in improving the operating accuracy and quality. This system can implement the virtual digital operation plan in world space to insure that surgery can be operated more accurately and satisfactory. Preliminary experiments for orthognathic surgery have been carried out to analyze the reliability of this system.

Notch signaling is involved in pronephros development in Xenopusand in glomerulogenesis in mice. However, owing to early lethality in mice deficient for some Notch pathway genes and functional redundancy for others, a role for Notch signaling during early stages of metanephric development has not been defined. Using an antibody specific to the N-terminal end ofγ-secretase-cleaved Notch1, we found evidence for Notch1 activation in the comma and S-shaped bodies of the mouse metanephros. We therefore cultured mouse metanephroi in the presence of a γ-secretase inhibitor, N-S-phenyl-glycine-t-butyl ester (DAPT), to block Notch signaling. We observed slightly reduced ureteric bud branching but normal mesenchymal condensation and expression of markers indicating that mesenchyme induction had occurred. However, fewer renal epithelial structures were observed, with a severe deficiency in proximal tubules and glomerular podocytes, which are derived from cells in which activated Notch1 is normally present. Distal tubules were present but in reduced numbers, and this was accompanied by an increase in intervening, non-epithelial cells. After a transient 3-day exposure to DAPT, proximal tubules expanded, but podocyte differentiation failed to recover after removal of DAPT. These observations suggest that γ-secretase activity, probably through activation of Notch,is required for maintaining a competent progenitor pool as well as for determining the proximal tubule and podocyte fates.

Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who are on hemodialysis have high risk of vascular diseases. Our study sought to examine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs) could reduce the frequencies of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in patients receiving hemodialysis using the medication possession ratio (MPR) method of analysis. This retrospective cohort study identified cases of ESRD with dialysis from the National Health Insurance Research Database between 1999 and 2006, and used Cox-regression methods to evaluate risk of poor outcomes. Primary outcomes, including death from any cause, and secondary outcomes, including admission for stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure, were examined. Compared to the nonuser group, the adjusted HRs for mortality of the nonadherence group and the adherence group were 0.81 (95% CI: 0.76–0.86) and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.86–1.13), respectively. Cardiovascular events were more frequent in patients with ESRD receiving ACEIs /ARBs than in nonusers. Compared with nonusers, the hazard of secondary outcome significantly increased in the nonadherence group or adherence group in 10 years follow-up. Compared with patients with diabetes or chronic kidney disease, patients on hemodialysis may not experience the same cardiovascular and cerebrovascular benefits from ACEIs/ARBs use.

Introduction TMTP1 (NVVRQ) is a novel tumor-homing peptide, which specifically targets tumor metastases, even at the early stage of occult metastasis foci. Fusing TMTP1 to therapeutic peptides or proteins can increase its anti-cancer efficacy both in vivo and in vitro. Here, we labeled TMTP1 with 99m Tc to evaluate its targeting properties in an ovarian cancer xenograft tumor mouse model and a gastric cancer xenograft mouse model. Methods The invasion ability of SKOV3 and highly metastatic SKOV3.ip cell lines were performed by the Transwell Invasion Assays, and then Rhodamine-TMTP1 was used to detect its affinity to these two cells. Using the co-ligand ethylenediamine- N , N ′-diacetic acid (EDDA) and the bifunctional chelator 6-hydrazinonicotinic acid (HYNIC), the TMTP1 peptide was labeled with 99m Tc. A cell-binding assay was performed by incubating cancer cells with 99m Tc-HYNIC-TMTP1 with or without an excess dose of cold HYNIC-TMTP1. To evaluate the probe in vivo, nude mice bearing SKOV3, SKOV3.ip and MNK-45 tumor cells were established and subjected to SPECT imaging after injection with 99m Tc-HYNIC-TMTP1. Ex vivo γ-counting of dissected tissues from the mice was used to evaluate its biodistribution. Results 99m Tc-HYNIC-TMTP1 was successfully synthesized. The radiotracer also exhibited high hydrophilicity and excellent stability in vitro and in vivo. It has strong affinity to highly metastatic cancer cell lines but not to poorly metastatic cell lines. After mice were injected with 99m Tc-HYNIC-TMTP1, non-invasive SPECT imaging detected SKOV3.ip and MNK-45 xenograft tumors but not SKOV3 xenograft tumors. This result can be inhibited by excess HYNIC-TMTP1. The uptake of 99m Tc-HYNIC-TMTP1 in SKOV3.ip xenograft tumors was 0.182±0.017% ID/g at 2h p.i. with high renal uptake (74.32±15.05% ID/g at 2h p.i.). Conclusion 99m Tc-HYNIC-TMTP1 biodistribution and SPECT imaging demonstrated its ability to target highly metastatic tumors. Therefore, metastasis can be non-invasively investigated by SPECT imaging using 99m Tc-HYNIC-TMTP1. Meanwhile, this radiotracer has some shortages in the low % ID/g of tumors and high accumulation in the kidney.