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The magnesium-based hydrogen storage alloy has a very good prospect to be applied in the market of lightweight automobile due to its merits of light weight, excellent discharge performance, long cycle life, and large hydrogen storage capacity. However, existing studies on magnesium-based hydrogen storage alloy have a series of shortcomings such as the insufficient works in terms of model reasonability analysis, heat transfer behavior analysis, heat control scheme design, and comparative experiment analysis, etc. In view of these problems, this paper studied the thermal effect and heat control strategy of the Mg-based Hydrogen Storage Alloy (MHSA) system for lightweight automobile. At first, this paper constructed numerical models for the fluid-solid coupled heat exchange region and the heat conduction region in the system; then, based on the law of energy conservation, a heat transfer behavior model of the MHSA system was established and used to analyze the thermal effect of the system. After that, according to the driving process of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, the working process of the MHSA system was further analyzed to study the heat control process. Next, this paper proposed a new idea for the heat control of the MHSA system, gave a few tips for the simulations, and presented the flow of the heat control scheme of the system. At last, the experimental results were given and analyzed.

Both acromegaly and tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) are rare diseases caused by an excess hormone secreted by neuroendocrine neoplasms, which are growth hormone (GH) and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), respectively. GH elevates phosphate reabsorption via the effect of insulin-like factor 1 (IGF-1), while FGF23 inhibits phosphate reabsorption and reduces serum phosphate level markedly. A patient who developed a typical acromegaly appearance but was accompanied with height loss and hypophosphatemia for 2 years visited our hospital. Laboratory investigations showed GH and IGF-1 hypersecretion, as well as hypophosphatemia caused by renal phosphate wasting. Magnetic resonance image revealed a pituitary somatotroph adenoma. Octreoscan scintigraphy also found a causative tumor on the right foot for hypophosphatemia. Then, he underwent resection of the tumor on the right foot. His serum phosphate returned to normal immediately but elevated gradually. Then, we removed the pituitary adenoma of the patient, and the GH and phosphate levels returned to the normal range. Here, we report the first case with acromegaly combined with TIO, the changing process of his phosphate concentration suggests an interesting concurrent effect of excess GH and FGF23 in this rare condition.

To optimize the heat dissipation performance of microelectronic equipment, optical instrument, and optoelectronic devices, it’s necessary to explore the heat transfer mechanism of the nanostructure in them, however, due to the limitation of the research objects, there isn’t a uniform simulation method for the thermo-physical properties of such nanostructure. Therefore, this paper aims to study the thermo-physical properties of nanostructure in microelectronic equipment. At first, by structuring Si super lattice nanowires in a specific direction and then using the Ge atoms to replace the Si atoms in the nanowires, this paper built a model for the periodic Si/Ge super lattice nanowires. Then, this paper performed integral operation on the dynamic equations of the two types of atoms using the time integration algorithm to attain the trajectories of Si and Ge atoms in the nanowire structure of the microelectronic equipment, and discussed the influence of the size and geometrical shape of the cross section of nanowires on thermal conductivity. After that, this paper simulated the structure of the nano-scale SiC material, selected appropriate cut-off radius, and optimized the structure of the nanostructure model based on the Discover Minimization module. At last, the thermal conductivity of the nanostructure was calculated and its thermo-physical properties were analyzed.

Background Akabane virus (AKAV) is a Culicoides-borne Orthobunyavirus that is teratogenic to the fetus of cattle and small ruminant species. Objective This study aimed to develop an effective diagnostic assay for the detection of AKAV using produced monoclonal antibody (mAb). Method First, the mAb against N protein of AKAV was produced and characterized by Western blot (WB) and indirect immunofluorescence (IFA) assays. Then, the linear epitope of AKAV N protein against the mAb was identified and the mAb was applied to establish a double-antibody sandwich ELISA (DAS-ELISA). Results One AKAV N-reactive monoclonal mAb was generated and designated as 2D3. WB and IFA assays indicated that 2D3 could react with both recombinant N protein and AKAV isolate TJ2016. The linear epitope recognized by mAb 2D3 was located at amino acids 168–182 of AKAV N protein. The DAS-ELISA established on based mAb 2D3 was able to detect both the purified AKAV N protein (with a detection limit of 6.25 ng/mL) and AKAV-infected cell culture supernatant (with a detection limit of 250 TCID50/mL). Conclusions Taken together, we successfully prepared a mAb 2D3 against AKAV N protein and identified its corresponding linear epitope, and then established a DAS-ELISA for the detection of AKAV antigen. Highlights A produced mAb against AKAV N protein was used to define a linear epitope of AKAV and establish a DAS-ELISA for AKAV antigen detection.

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the performance of 131I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) imaging to detect nonmetastatic extra-adrenal paragangliomas at their respective sites (abdominal vs. thoracic vs. head and neck vs. urinary bladder), and compare it with that of 99mTc-hydrazinonicotinyl-tyr3-octreotide (HYNIC-TOC) scintigraphy. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 235 patients with nonmetastatic extra-adrenal paragangliomas who underwent preoperative 131I-MIBG imaging or 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy. Of all 235 patients, 145 patients underwent both imaging procedures, 16 patients 131I-MIBG imaging only and 74 patients 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy only. Results The overall sensitivity of 131I-MIBG and 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC imaging to detect extra-adrenal paragangliomas regardless of tumor sites was 75.8% (122/161) and 67.6% (148/219), respectively (P = 0.082). However, when stratified by tumor sites, 131I-MIBG imaging showed a significant improvement in the detection of extra-adrenal abdominal paragangliomas with a sensitivity of 90.3% (103/114), which was significantly higher than that of 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy (67.6% (96/142); P = 0.000). In addition, the intensity of tracer uptake in the extra-adrenal abdominal paragangliomas with 131I-MIBG imaging was evidently higher than with 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy. The sensitivity of 131I-MIBG imaging and 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy to detect urinary bladder, head and neck, and thoracic paragangliomas were 18.7 vs. 18.5% (P = 1.000); 17.4% vs. 84.6% (P = 0.000) and 60% vs. 94.4% (P = 0.030), respectively. Conclusions 131I-MIBG imaging could become the first-line investigation modality in patients with extra-adrenal abdominal paragangliomas. However, 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy has high sensitivity and is superior to 131I-MIBG imaging for detecting head & neck and thoracic paraganglioma. Both 131I-MIBG imaging and 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy have poor performance for detecting urinary bladder paragangliomas.

The current guidelines state that the functional imaging choice in the evaluation of metastatic pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL) is 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT. 18 F-meta-fluorobenzylguanidine ( 18 F-MFBG) is a new PET tracer and an analog of meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG). This study aimed to compare 18 F-MFBG and 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT in patients with metastatic PPGL.Twenty-eight patients with known metastatic PPGL were prospectively recruited for this study. All patients underwent both 18 F-MFBG and 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT studies within 1 week. Lesion numbers detected were compared between these 2 studies.18 F-MFBG PET/CT was positive for detecting metastases in all patients, whereas positive results of 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT were in 27 (96.4%) patients. A total of 686 foci of metastatic lesions were detected by both 18 F-MFBG and 68 Ga-DOTATATE imaging. In addition, 33 foci of abnormal activity were only detected by 18 F-MFBG, whereas 16 foci were only shown on 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT.Our data suggest that 18 F-MFBG PET/CT is an effective imaging method in the evaluation of metastatic PPGL and could be alternative of 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT in this clinical setting.

Akabane virus (AKAV) is a Culicoides-borne Orthobunyavirus that is teratogenic to the fetus of cattle and small ruminant species. To develop an effective diagnostic assay for the detection of AKAV, we generated and characterized one AKAV N-reactive monoclonal antibody (mAb) which was designated as 2D3. Western blot and indirect immunofluorescence assays indicated that 2D3 could react with both recombinant N protein and AKAV isolate TJ2016. The linear epitope recognized by mAb 2D3 was located at amino acids 168-182 of AKAV N protein. Then, mAb 2D3 was applied to establish a double antibody sandwich ELISA (DAS-ELISA), which was able to detect both the purified AKAV N protein (with detection limit of 6.25 ng/ml ) and AKAV-infected cell culture supernatant (with detection limit of 250 TCID /ml). Taken together, the successfully prepared mAb and the preliminarily established DAS-ELISA provide valuable materials and a promising method for the serological diagnosis of AKAV.

A 27-year-old woman with known malignant pheochromocytoma was enrolled in a clinical trial to compare efficacy of 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT and 18F-MFBG PET/CT. Images from both studies detected similar number of the metastatic lesions. In addition, both studies detected more lesions than 131I-MIBG imaging.

METHODS Seventy-six patients who had surgically removed tumors that caused osteomalacia were included in this retrospective investigation. All patients underwent both 18F-FDG and 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT prior to surgery. The prognostic value of presurgical FDG PET/CT study was determined with 5-year follow-up. RESULTS In the presurgical evaluation, 68Ga-DOTATATE detected lesions in all 76 patients. However, FDG PET/CT was positive in only 25 among all 76 patients. Following surgical removal of the causative tumor, all 76 patients had symptomatic relief and normalization of the serum phosphate level initially. However, 15 of 76 cases (19.7%) had recurrent hypophosphatemia and became symptomatic again during the follow-up. Among these 15 patients with recurrence, 11 (73.3%) had recurrent lesions at the original location of the resected causative tumors, whereas 4 were in other locations due to malignant nature of the primary tumor. Interestingly, 14 of these 15 patients with recurrent disease had positive presurgical FDG PET/CT findings with an incident ratio of 56.0% (14 of 25). In contrast, only 1 patient with recurrent disease had negative presurgical FDG PET/CT scan with an incident ratio of 1.9% (1 of 51), significantly less than the positive presurgical FDG PET/CT group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS A positive presurgical FDG PET/CT suggests increased likelihood for possible recurrence of TIO after surgical resection. In contrast, when a causative tumor detected by 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT does not have elevated activity on FDG PET/CT, the chance of recurrence is very small.

Background The zinc finger BED-type containing six knockout (ZBED6-KO) pigs were created to improve economic traits by increasing the expression of insulin-like growth factor 2. They were generated by CRISPR/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) technology and a single-base deletion of ZBED6 was found. An efficient and rapid method was needed to detect this type of pig. Objective This study aimed to develop a high-resolution melting (HRM) method to detect ZBED6-KO pigs. Methods An unlabeled probe and two primers were designed to develop the HRM method. The limit of detection, specificity, and accuracy of the established method were tested by the constructed plasmid and DNA extracts of tissue specimens. Results The limit of detection by the established method was 102 copies/µL. The HRM method with an unlabeled probe showed good specificity and high accuracy. Conclusions The established HRM analysis with an unlabeled probe showed it to be a highly effective, rapid, and reliable method to distinguish ZBED6-KO pigs from wild-type pigs. Highlights It is the first time that HRM analysis with an unlabeled probe has been used in the detection of genome editing pigs by the CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

MIBG scintigraphy is the imaging choice in the evaluation of pheochromocytoma and neuroblastoma. 131 I-MIBG uptake by gastrointestinal stromal tumors was rare. Here we report a case in which an increased 131 I-MIBG activity in an endoluminal gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor was noted.

A 74-year-old woman with a history of suspected tumor-induced osteomalacia underwent 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy to search potential culprit tumor. The images showed one in the middle shaft of left femur without corresponding morphology change on the CT portion of the subsequent SPECT/CT images. The patient declined surgical exploration of the left femur. Another activity was in the right breast, which was resected and pathologically confirmed as breast carcinoma. Postsurgically, the patient's symptoms were not improved. Four years later, a repeat 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy showed more prominent activity in the left femur with gross abnormality on the corresponding CT images.

Viral diseases represent one of the major threats for salmonids aquaculture. Early detection and identification of viral pathogens is the main prerequisite prior to undertaking effective prevention and control measures. Rapid, sensitive, efficient and portable detection method is highly essential for fish viral diseases detection. Biosensor strategies are highly prevalent and fulfill the expanding demands of on-site detection with fast response, cost-effectiveness, high sensitivity, and selectivity. With the development of material science, the nucleic acid biosensors fabricated by semiconductor have shown great potential in rapid and early detection or screening for diseases at salmonids fisheries. This paper reviews the current detection development of salmonids viral diseases. The present limitations and challenges of salmonids virus diseases surveillance and early detection are presented. Novel nucleic acid semiconductor biosensors are briefly reviewed. The perspective and potential application of biosensors in the on-site detection of salmonids diseases are discussed.

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly spread over the world since its emergence. Although the dominant route of SARS-CoV-2 infection is respiratory, a number of studies revealed infection risk from contaminated surfaces and products, including porcine-derived food and other products. The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak has been severely threatening public health, and disrupting porcine products trade and the pig industry. Swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV), which was responsible for large-scale, fatal disease in piglets, emerged in 2017 and has caused enormous economic losses in the pig industry. Currently, reverse transcription real-time PCR (RT-rPCR) is the gold standard method for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis and is most commonly used for SADS-CoV detection. However, inaccurate detection of the SARS-CoV-2 infection obtained by RT-rPCR is increasingly reported, especially in specimens with low viral load. Objective This study aimed to develop an accurate reverse transcription droplet digital PCR (RT-ddPCR) assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and SADS-CoV simultaneously. Methods Two pairs of primers and one double-quenched probe targeting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDRP) region of the open reading frame 1ab (ORF1ab) gene of SARS-CoV-2 and the corresponding ORF1ab region of SADS-CoV were designed to develop the RT-ddPCR assay. The sensitivity, specificity, repeatability, and reproducibility were tested using complementary RNAs (cRNAs) and clinical specimens. Results The detection limits of RT-ddPCR were 1.48 ± 0.18 and 1.38 ± 0.17 copies in a 20 μL reaction for SARS-CoV-2 and SADS-CoV cRNAs, respectively (n = 8), showing approximately 4- and 10-fold greater sensitivity than the RT-rPCR assay. This assay also exhibited good specificity, repeatability, and reproducibility. Conclusion The established RT-ddPCR assay was shown to be a highly effective, accurate, and reliable method for the sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 and SADS-CoV. Highlights This RT-ddPCR assay could be used to detect both SARS-CoV-2 and SADS-CoV in a sample with one double-quenched probe, and is also the first reported RT-ddPCR assay for SADS-CoV detection.

Vaginal paraganglioma is very rare. Most patients first presented irregular heavy menses and abnormal vaginal bleeding. The accurate diagnosis can only be made pathologically. Here we report a case of paraganglioma arising from vaginal wall in a 44-year-old woman who only presented catecholamine-related symptoms. The lesion had negative 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC (hydrazinonicotinyl-Tyr3-octreotide) activity but positive on 131I MIBG scan. Paraganglioma was highly suspected, which was confirmed by pathological and immunohistochemical findings after surgical resection of the lesion.

The proposed algorithm could support accurate localization of lung disease. To develop and validate an automated deep learning model combined with a post-processing algorithm to segment six pulmonary anatomical regions in chest computed tomography (CT) images acquired during positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans. The pulmonary regions have five pulmonary lobes and airway trees.Patients who underwent both PET/CT imaging with an extra chest CT scan were retrospectively enrolled. The pulmonary segmentation of six regions in CT was performed via a convolutional neural network (CNN) of DenseVNet architecture with some post-processing algorithms. Three evaluation metrics were used to assess the performance of this method, which combined deep learning and the post-processing method. The agreement between the combined model and ground truth segmentations in the test set was analyzed.A total of 640 cases were enrolled. The combined model, which involved deep learning and post-processing methods, had a higher performance than the single deep learning model. In the test set, the all-lobes overall Dice coefficient, Hausdorff distance, and Jaccard coefficient were 0.972, 12.025 mm, and 0.948, respectively. The airway-tree Dice coefficient, Hausdorff distance, and Jaccard coefficient were 0.849, 32.076 mm, and 0.815, respectively. A good agreement was observed between our segmentation in every plot.The proposed model combining two methods can automatically segment five pulmonary lobes and airway trees on chest CT imaging in PET/CT. The performance of the combined model was higher than the single deep learning model in each region in the test set.

The purpose of this study is to compare the sensitivity ofA total of 19 patients with suspected TIO were prospectively recruited in this study. Each patient underwent whole-body PET/CT scan 40-60 min postinjection usingAmong the 19 patients with TIO who were included in this study, culprit tumors from all patients were confirmed pathologically.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT04689893.

Objective We aim to propose a deep learning-based method of automated segmentation of eight brain anatomical regions in head computed tomography (CT) images obtained during positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans. The brain regions include basal ganglia, cerebellum, hemisphere, and hippocampus, all split into left and right. Materials and methods We enrolled patients who underwent both PET/CT imaging (with an extra head CT scan) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The segmentation of eight brain regions in CT was achieved by using convolutional neural networks (CNNs): DenseVNet and 3D U-Net. The same segmentation task in MRI was performed by using BrainSuite13, which was a public atlas label method. The mean Dice scores were used to assess the performance of the CNNs. Then, the agreement and correlation of the volumes of the eight segmented brain regions between CT and MRI methods were analyzed. Results 18 patients were enrolled. Four of the eight brain regions obtained high mean Dice scores (> 0.90): left (0.978) and right (0.912) basal ganglia and left (0.945) and right (0.960) hemisphere. Regarding the agreement and correlation of the brain region volumes between two methods, moderate agreements were observed on the left (ICC: 0.618, 95% CI 0.242, 0.835) and right (ICC: 0.654, 95% CI 0.298, 0.853) hemisphere. Poor agreements were observed on the other regions. A moderate correlation was observed on the right hemisphere (Spearman’s rho 0.68, p = 0.0019). Lower correlations were observed on the other regions. Conclusions The proposed deep learning-based method performed automated segmentation of eight brain anatomical regions on head CT imaging in PET/CT. Some regions obtained high mean Dice scores and the agreement and correlation results of the segmented region volumes between two methods were moderate to poor.

Tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) is rare paraneoplastic disorder generally caused by small benign neoplasm. Somatostatin receptor imaging has emerged as imaging of the choice in the localization of the causative tumors in new patients with clinical diagnosis of TIO. An accurate localization of the causative tumor using somatostatin receptor imaging followed by successful surgical removal offers cure of the disease. In small percentage of the patients, however, there can be recurrent disease after the surgery. In this retrospective investigation, we tried to assess whether somatostatin receptor imaging using Tc-HYNIC-TOC (Tc-hydrazinonicotinyl-Tyr3-octreotide) is also useful in patients with recurrent TIO after initial successful surgery.The images of Tc-HYNIC-TOC images and clinical charts of total 18 patients with suspected recurrent TIO were retrospectively reviewed. The image findings were compared with the clinical chart, which include clinical follow-up and subsequent imaging and surgery.Among all 18 patients, Tc-HYNIC-TOC imaging results were negative in 5 of them. Among these 5 patients with negative imaging study, the causes of recurrent symptoms and hypophosphatemia in 3 patients were eventually found unrelated to TIO. Tc-HYNIC-TOC successfully identified either recurrent causative tumors in the same location (n = 10) or different causative tumor in other locations (n = 3) in 13 patients, which rendered a sensitivity of 86.7% (13 of 15).The efficacy of Tc-HYNIC-TOC imaging in the evaluation of patients with potential recurrent TIO is compatible to that with new patients who never received surgical resection for the culprit tumors. It can play an important role in known TIO patients who were suspected to have recurrent disease.

To investigate the clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of sinonasal tumors associated with tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO).Retrospective case series.Single tertiary center.We studied the clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of 43 patients (22 male, 21 female) who had lesions in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinus associated with TIO and underwent surgery between August 2006 and November 2019.The mean ± SD duration between the onset of symptoms and surgery was 3.9 ± 2.6 years. The most common tumor site was the ethmoid sinus (76.7%), and the skull base was involved in 12 cases. Phosphaturic mesenchymal tumors were diagnosed in 41 patients, among whom there was 1 multifocal case. Another 2 cases involved odontogenic fibroma and hemangiofibroma, respectively. Serum phosphorus normalized in 39 cases within 4.4 ± 2.3 days, and serum fibroblastic growth factor 23 normalized within 1 day; clinical symptoms, however, gradually improved within several months after the first operation. There was no significant difference in the recovery rate between endoscopic and open surgery (Most sinonasal tumors associated with TIO are located in the ethmoid sinus, and the skull base is involved in some cases. Complete excision of the tumor leads to recovery, and endoscopic surgery could achieve recovery rates similar to those of open surgery.

Background Channel catfish virus disease (CCVD) has resulted in great economic losses and has restricted the development of fisheries. There is therefore, a need for rapid and efficient diagnostic methods to control the spread of CCVD. Objective A colloidal gold immunochromatographic strip has been developed for the detection of CCVD. Methods In this study, a colloidal gold immunochromatographic strip for channel catfish virus (CCV) detection was developed using the monoclonal antibody 8B6 conjugated with colloidal gold as the detector antibody. A rabbit anti-CCV antibody was used as the capture complex at the test line, and a goat anti-mouse IgG antibody was used as the capture antibody at the control line. The strip was characterized in its specificity, sensitivity, and stability. In addition, an infection experiment was performed to test the applicability of the test strip. Result The strip was able to detect concentrations of the virus (104 tissue culture infective dose (TCID50)/mL) and showed analytical specificity when tested against other viral pathogens. The strips were still usable after 30 days of storage at 60°C. It was possible to detect CCV experimentally in infected fish within 10–15 min of using the strip. Conclusions The strip can be used as a rapid and convenient tool for on-site diagnosis to control outbreaks and the spread of CCVD. Highlights The immunochromatographic strip was the first to be developed and applied for the detection of CCVD.

Adrenal Castleman disease is very rare. We reported image findings of a right adrenal mass in a 75-year-old man on Tc-HYNIC-TOC scan and FDG PET/CT. There was obviously elevated Tc-HYNIC-TOC activity, but the intensity of FDG activity was remarkable. Pheochromocytoma was initially suspected. However, pathology from resected specimen showed adrenal Castleman disease.

Pediatric SAPHO syndrome is regarded as the equivalent of chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis or chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical features and treatment options for Chinese pediatric patients with SAPHO syndrome.We conducted a single-center, retrospective study on a sample of 24 pediatric patients with SAPHO syndrome who were diagnosed at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from April 2014 to August 2018. The demographic, clinical, laboratory, imaging, histological, and therapeutic data were collected and analyzed.A total of 15 boys and 9 girls were included. The mean age of onset of bone and skin symptoms was 11.7 ± 3.8 and 14.4 ± 2.7 years, respectively. The mean follow-up period was 39.2 months. Seventeen patients had skin manifestations (46% had severe acne, 100% were boys; 21% had palmoplantar pustulosis, 100% were girls). Bone lesions were localized in four of the following major regions: anterior chest wall (42%), mandible (29%), peripheral bones (50%), and spine and sacroiliac joints (21%). Six patients had been treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, 10 with bisphosphonate, 10 with a tumor necrosis factor-α antagonist, and 1 with glucocorticoids, with variable responses. A total of 70% of the patients had complete remission after bisphosphonate or TNF-α antagonist therapy.Pediatric patients with SAPHO syndrome have different characteristics from other cohorts in the sex ratio, frequency of mandibular involvement, and sex distribution of skin lesions. Bisphosphonate and TNF-α antagonists show a favorable response in pediatric SAPHO syndrome treatment. Key points •Being the first study that describes an Asian pediatric SAPHO case series. •Chinese pediatric patients with SAPHO syndrome have different characteristics from Chinese adult patients and Caucasian pediatric patients.

Backgrounds Whole-body bone scintigraphy (WBBS) and MRI are widely used in assessment of patients with synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome. However, the value of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in SAPHO syndrome was unclear. The aim of this study was to characterize the manifestation of SAPHO syndrome on 18F-FDG PET/CT and explore its relationship with clinical symptoms and WBBS. Methods Twenty-six patients who suffered from SAPHO syndrome and had undergone whole-body 18F-FDG PET/CT were recruited in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2004 to 2016. Clinical manifestations and laboratory findings were recorded for all patients. Imaging data on 18F-FDG PET/CT and WBBS were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Results All the 26 patients (20 females and 6 males) exhibited skeletal abnormalities on 18F-FDG PET/CT. Multiple skeletal lesions affecting the anterior chest wall or spine with low to moderate 18F-FDG uptake and coexistence of osteolysis and osteosclerosis presented as the typical features of SAPHO syndrome. Sixteen (61.5%) patients had abnormal 18F-FDG uptake outside the osteoarticular system. PET scan had moderate to substantial agreement with CT and WBBS in revealing lesions in the anterior chest wall and axial skeleton. Nonetheless, the correlation between increased 18F-FDG uptake and clinical symptoms was weak. Conclusions SAPHO syndrome exhibits characteristic features on 18F-FDG PET/CT. It showed comparable capacity in revealing skeletal lesions with bone scintigraphy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13018-018-0795-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This study aimed to establish an event-specific multiplex PCR system using microsatellite markers and fluorescently labeled primers to detect six different genetically modified (GM) animal lines, including human lactoferrin GM cattle, human lysozyme GM cattle, human α-lactalbumin GM cattle, myostatin knockout pigs, phytase GM pigs, and ω-3 fatty acid desaturase gene GM pigs. Four different microsatellite loci for species identification, along with six GM animal-specific fragments, were selected as targets for primer design. The capillary gel electrophoresis results of multiplex PCR showed that the target fragments were amplified successfully. This high-throughput multiplex PCR detection system can be applied for the inspection and quarantine of GM animals.

A 39-year-old previously healthy woman presented possible hematuria. An ultrasound examination showed right adrenal mass and suggested pheochromocytoma. A Tc-HYNIC-TOC SPECT/CT was performed, which incidentally detected situs inversus totalis and suspicion of polysplenia without definite normal spleen in the right upper abdomen. In order to differentiate the polysplenia from other etiologies, a heat-damaged Tc RBC scintigraphy was performed. The images showed significant activity in the multiple soft tissue nodules in the posterior right abdomen, consistent with ectopic polysplenia.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between iliolumbar lymph nodes (LNs), inguinal LNs, and unilateral pelvic cancer-related lymphedema by retrospective analysis of lymphoscintigraphy data.Ninety-six patients (3 men and 93 women; mean age, 53.3 ± 11.3 years) with pelvic cancer-related lymphedema were enrolled in this retrospective study. Lymphoscintigraphy was performed at 1 hour and 4 to 6 hours after injection. The visualization of inguinal LNs and iliolumbar LNs were recorded.According to statistical analysis, the display of inguinal LNs in lymphoscintigraphy has a significant negative correlation with ipsilateral lower limb lymphedema (P .01, r = -0.561). However, there is no correlation between the show of iliolumbar LNs and ipsilateral lower extremity lymphedema (P = .056, r = -0.138). When lymphoscintigraphy was performed at 1 hour after injection, there were 13 out of 96 patients without inguinal LNs revealed on imaging, but at 4 to 6 hours after injection, inguinal LNs were seen in lymphoscintigraphy.The drainage function of inguinal LNs has a significant negative correlation with ipsilateral pelvic cancer-related lymphedema. Treatment dedicated to restoring the drainage function of LNs in the inguinal region may effectively relieve lymphedema. The image acquisition at 4 to 6 hours after injection is necessary for significant additional information.

A 45-year-old woman, who had endoscopic parathyroidectomy 5 years ago for a right inferior parathyroid adenoma, underwent 99mTc-MIBI scan for the evaluation of recurrent parathyroidism. The images did not identify any abnormal uptake in the neck. Instead, an abnormal activity in the right upper chest wall was noted, which was located in a soft tissue nodule inseparable from the right pectoralis major muscle on SPECT/CT images. Pathology confirmed parathyroid tissue.