Microfluidic one-step synthesis of Fe3O4-chitosan composite particles and their applications

This paper demonstrates a simple and easy approach for the one-step synthesis of Fe₃O₄-chitosan composite particles with tadpole-like shape. The length and diameter of the particles were adjustable from 638.3 μm to ca. 798 μm (length), and from 290 μm to 412 μm (diameter) by varying the flow rate of the dispersed phase. Mitoxantrone was used as the model drug in the drug release study. The encapsulation rate of the drug was 71% for chitosan particles, and 69% for magnetic iron oxide-chitosan particles, respectively. The iron oxide-chitosan composite particles had a faster release rate (up to 41.6% at the third hour) than the chitosan particles (about 24.6%). These iron oxide-chitosan composite particles are potentially useful for biomedical applications, such as magnetic responsive drug carriers, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enhancers, in the future.     

Dynamic PET/CT imaging of 18F-(2S, 4R)4-fluoroglutamine in healthy volunteers and oncological patients

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging - The purpose of this study was to compare dynamic 18F-FGln PET/CT images of healthy subjects and cancer patients and explore the best...     

Childhood insulinoma masquerading as seizure disorder

A 9 year old girl presented with seizures, weight gain and early morning behavioural changes. She had been commenced on anticonvulsants and was subsequently diagnosed with hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia. This case demonstrates the importance of blood glucose monitoring in children presenting with new‐onset seizures and/or with early morning or fasting behavioural changes, the challenges in localizing the lesion, as well as the difficulties in achieving normoglycaemia prior to, and immediately following, surgery.     

Evaluation of serum anti-mullerian hormone as a biomarker of early ovarian aging in young women undergoing IVF/ICSI cycle

Objective: To determine whether or not the level of serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is related to early ovarian aging in young women (< 35 years of age) undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: An IVF laboratory in a university hospital in Taiwan. Patient (s): 70 young women (< 35 years of age) with low level of serum AMH (< 2 ng/ml) and 104 young women with level of serum AMH (≥ 2 ng/ml) who underwent IVF/ICSI cycles between January 2011 and November 2012 were enrolled. Intervention (s): None. Main outcome measure (s): Number of oocytes, fertilization rate, embryo quality, cycle cancellation rate, clinical pregnancy/abortion rate, and perinatal/infant outcomes. Results: The clinical pregnancy rate per transfer was favorable (low AMH group vs. normal AMH group [47.2% and 47.9%]) for women < 35 years of age, including women with a low serum AMH. Similarly, the live birth rate per transfer (low AMH group vs. normal AMH group [37.7% and 35.4%]) and perinatal outcomes were also comparable between the two groups. A significantly higher cycle cancellation was noted in the low AMH group than the normal AMH group (24.2% vs. 7.6%). Conclusion: Although early ovarian aging should be taken into consideration for young and infertile women with low AMH level than expected, our results suggest that low serum AMH level may suggest early ovarian aging in accelerated oocyte loss only, but may not fully represent “early ovarian aging” based on the favorable outcomes of pregnancy.     

Short Communication New 5-HT1A receptor antagonist: [3H]p-MPPF

A new 5-HT_1A receptor antagonist ligand, [³H]p-MPPF, 4-(2′-methoxy-)-phenyl-1-[2′-(N-2′-pyridyl)-p-fluorobenzamido]ethyl-piperazine, was prepared and characterized. It demonstrated high affinity and selectivity toward 5-HT_1A receptors (K_d = 0.34 ± 0.12 nM and B_max = 145 ± 35 fmol/mg protein in rat hippocampal membrane homogenates). The binding is not sensitive to 100 μM Gpp(NH)p. Initial autoradiography studies of rat brain sections exhibit regional localization consistent with the known 5-HT_1A receptor distribution. This potential 5-HT_1A antagonist ligand may provide a powerful tool for 5-HT_1A receptor pharmacology studies in the central nervous system. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

A three-dimensional printing navigational template combined with mixed reality technique for localizing pulmonary nodules

OBJECTIVESLocalizing non-palpable pulmonary nodules is challenging for thoracic surgeons. Here, we investigated the accuracy of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology combined with mixed reality (MR) for localizing ground glass opacity-dominant pulmonary nodules.Open in a separate windowMETHODSIn this single-arm study, we prospectively enrolled patients with small pulmonary nodules (<2 cm) that required accurate localization. A 3D-printing physical navigational template was designed based on the reconstruction of computed tomography images, and a 3D model was generated through the MR glasses. We set the deviation distance as the primary end point for efficacy evaluation. Clinicopathological and surgical data were obtained for further analysis.RESULTSSixteen patients with 17 non-palpable pulmonary nodules were enrolled in this study. Sixteen nodules were localized successfully (16/17; 94.1%) using this novel approach with a median deviation of 9 mm. The mean time required for localization was 25 ± 5.2 min. For the nodules in the upper/middle and lower lobes, the median deviation was 6 mm (range, 0–12.0) and 16 mm (range, 15.0–20.0), respectively. The deviation difference between the groups was significant (Z = −2.957, P = 0.003). The pathological evaluation of resection margins was negative.CONCLUSIONSThe 3D printing navigational template combined with MR can be a feasible approach for localizing pulmonary nodules.     

Incidence and risk factors for pulmonary mycosis in kidney transplantation

IntroductionPulmonary mycosis, a severe complication following kidney transplantation, is associated with a high rate of mortality. The incidence of and independent risk factors for its development have not been well studied.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 2573 kidney transplant recipients. Patients were divided into case and control groups based on a diagnosis of pulmonary mycosis. The recipient baseline characteristics, posttransplant complications, immunosuppressive regimens and antibiotic usages were analyzed to identify independent risk factors.ResultsThe total incidence of pulmonary mycosis among kidney recipients was 2.1%. Upon univariate analysis, patients in the case group differed significantly from the controls based upon: older age, higher retransplantation rate, longer dialysis time, induction with ATG or anti-CD25 monoclonal antibodies, maintenance treatment with FK506 or MMF, broad-spectrum antibiotics, higher incidences of acute rejection episodes, DGF, impaired liver function, leukopenia, cytomegalovirus infection, and delayed incisional healing (P < .05). Multivariate analysis showed that older age, retransplantation, ATG induction, FK506/MMF, broad-spectrum antibiotics, leukopenia, and delayed incisional healing were independent risk factors for pulmonary mycosis.ConclusionsThe use of more potent immunosuppressive regimens seems to increase the rate of pulmonary mycosis. Patients who have five or more independent risk factors are at high risk for developing pulmonary mycosis.