Feasibility of simplified Patlak parametric imaging with scaled population-based input function on pancreatic cancer.

Background: This study evaluates the feasibility of using a simplified Patlak parametric imaging technique with a scaled population-based input function (sPBIF) in pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Twenty-six patients underwent multi-bed, multi-pass [F]FDG PET/CT scans, from which both dynamic and static PET images were reconstructed. Patlak parametric images were generated from the dynamic PET series using both the image-derived input function (IDIF) and the sPBIF.

Impact of In-Hospital Quality of Care Improvement Initiative on Secondary Prevention of Acute Coronary Syndrome in Six Months After Patient Discharge: A Large Stepped Wedge- and Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Patients discharged after acute coronary syndrome experience a high risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) within the first 6 months. We examined whether a quality of care improvement initiative implemented in hospitals affects clinical preventive management and outcomes after discharge.

Methods: We used data from the third phase of the CPACS-3 study (Clinical Pathways for Acute Coronary Syndromes in China), a large stepped wedge- and cluster-randomized trial conducted from 2011 to 2015, to evaluate the effectiveness of an in-hospital quality of care improvement program on the composite score of preventive medication use and the risk of MACE in 6 months after discharge among acute coronary syndrome survivors.

Automatic detecting multiple bone metastases in breast cancer using deep learning based on low-resolution bone scan images.

Whole-body bone scan (WBS) is usually used as the effective diagnostic method for early-stage and comprehensive bone metastases of breast cancer. WBS images with breast cancer bone metastasis have the characteristics of low resolution, small foreground, and multiple lesions, hindering the widespread application of deep learning-based models. Automatically detecting a large number of densely small lesions on low-resolution WBS images remains a challenge.

[F]F-FES PET for diagnosis, staging, and endocrine therapy prediction in ER-positive breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: This meta-analysis evaluates the diagnostic and staging accuracy of [F]F-FES PET/CT, its ability to detect estrogen receptor (ER) positivity, and its effectiveness in predicting response to endocrine therapy in ER-positive (ER+) breast cancer. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase (OVID), and Web of Science databases was conducted for studies published between 2013 and June 2024. Studies involving ER + breast cancer patients who underwent [F]F-FES PET/CT were included.

[Tc]Tc-MY6349 Probe for Trop2-Targeted SPECT Imaging: From Preclinical to Pilot Clinical Study.

The trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (Trop2) is markedly overexpressed in breast cancers, with a particularly high incidence in triple-negative breast cancer. The therapeutic relevance of Trop2 expression is underscored by the approval of an antibody-drug conjugate for triple-negative breast cancer treatment. However, there is no a predictive technique for accurate whole-body mapping of Trop2 expression in patients.

Evaluating a novel quantitative assay for HIV-1 VL among Chinese individuals infected with HIV.

Monitoring viral load (VL) is essential for HIV/AIDS treatment management. China's reliance on costly imported VL assays limits accessibility. In this study, we evaluated the Revvity, a novel quantitative PCR-based HIV-1 VL assay developed in China, against the Roche Cobas assay for qualitative and quantitative concordance using concordance, linear regression, and Bland-Altman analysis.

High-resolution reconstruction of April-September precipitation and major extreme droughts in China over the past ∼530 years.

Extreme drought events have increased, causing serious losses and damage to the social economy under current warming conditions. However, short-term meteorological data limit our understanding and projection of these extremes. With the accumulation of proxy data, especially tree-ring data, large-scale precipitation field reconstruction has provided opportunities to explore underlying mechanisms further.

Covalent targeted radioligands potentiate radionuclide therapy.

Targeted radionuclide therapy, in which radiopharmaceuticals deliver potent radionuclides to tumours for localized irradiation, has addressed unmet clinical needs and improved outcomes for patients with cancer. A therapeutic radiopharmaceutical must achieve both sustainable tumour targeting and fast clearance from healthy tissue, which remains a major challenge. A targeted ligation strategy that selectively fixes the radiopharmaceutical to the target protein in the tumour would be an ideal solution.

Chemokine Receptor 4-Targeted PET/CT With 68 Ga-Pentixather Detects More Lesions Than 68 Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT in Multiple Myeloma.

An 83-year-old woman with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) was enrolled in our 68 Ga-pentixather and 68 Ga-pentixafor PET/CT trial for evaluation of tumor burden. 68 Ga-pentixather PET/CT detected more focal bone lesions, and the uptake levels of focal bone lesions on 68 Ga-pentixather PET/CT were higher than those on 68 Ga-pentixafor PET/CT. This suggests that 68 Ga-pentixather PET/CT may be an alternative imaging modality and more sensitive in detecting MM lesions than 68 Ga-pentixafor PET/CT.

Comparing the clinical value of baseline [ Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT and [F]F-FDG PET/CT in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: additional prognostic value of the distal pancreatitis.

Purpose: Anatomical and molecular staging strategies are needed for the personalized treatment of localized pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This study evaluated the performance of [ Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 and [F]F-FDG PET/CT on the disease staging and prognostic value of patients with localized PDAC on contrast-enhanced (CE)-CT images.

Methods: Patients with suspected localized PDAC on CE-CT were recruited for static [ Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 and [F]F-FDG and PET/CT, and select patients underwent simultaneous 60-min dynamic  Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT.

A 2.5° × 2.5° gridded drought/flood grades dataset for eastern China during the last millennium.

Hydroclimate reconstruction for the last millennium is essential to understand the differences in hydroclimate extremes and their causes under cold/warm conditions. In this study, the first gridded drought/flood grades (D/F grades) dataset in eastern China (EC) during the last millennium was generated. This D/F grades dataset mainly consisted of two components.

Increased 18 F-Fluoroestradiol Uptake of Radiation Pneumonitis in a Patient With Metastatic Breast Cancer.

A 42-year-old woman diagnosed with de-novo stage IV breast cancer underwent 18 F-fluoroestradiol (FES) PET/CT to evaluate the estrogen receptor status of metastatic lesions. The largest pulmonary nodule showed obvious FES uptake, consistent with pulmonary metastases from breast cancer. Interestingly, the images revealed a striking accumulation of FES in ground-glass attenuation in the left lobe of lung, suggestive of radiation pneumonitis.

Prognostic value of preoperative [ Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT in patients with resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in correlation with immunohistological characteristics.

Purpose: Our aim was to assess the prognostic value of [ Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 positron emission tomography (PET) uptake in PDAC and to evaluate the correlation between in vivo lesional radioactivity with pathological characteristics of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed treatment-naïve PDAC patients who underwent preoperative [ Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT followed by pancreatectomy. The tracer uptake was determined as maximum tumor standardized uptake value (SUV), FAPI-avid tumor volume (FTV), total lesion FAP expression (TLF) as well total pancreatic uptake (TSUV), total FAPI-avid pancreatic volume (FPV), and total pancreatic FAP expression (TPF).

Case report: F-FES PET/CT predicted treatment responses of second-line and third-line CDK4/6 inhibitors after disease progression on first-line CDK4/6 inhibitor in a HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer patient.

Background: Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) has become the commonest first-line treatment of hormonal receptor positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HR+/HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, therapy is quite individualized after progression of disease (PD) when CDK4/6i fails. Estrogen receptor (ER) status of metastatic lesions of bone, lung or liver might be different from the primary tumor and biopsy of metastatic lesions was invasive and not always available.

ACTH-Independent Cushing's Syndrome Caused by an Ectopic Adrenocortical Adenoma in the Renal Hilum.

We report a rare case of Cushing's syndrome induced by an ectopic adrenocortical adenoma. A 57-year-old woman was diagnosed with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-independent Cushing's syndrome based on clinical manifestation and laboratory information. She was found to have a mass in the left renal hilum via contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT).

The Performance Comparison of F-FDG PET/MRI and F-FDG PET/CT for the Identification of Pancreatic Neoplasms.

Purpose: To determine the optimal imaging tool for clinical evaluation of pancreatic neoplasm by comparing the performance of F-FDG PET/MRI and PET/CT.

Procedures: Patients with suspected pancreatic neoplasms underwent PET/MRI and PET/CT in the same day prior to resection or endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration. Histology served as the golden standard of lesion classification.

Cost-Effectiveness of a Household Salt Substitution Intervention: Findings From 20 995 Participants of the Salt Substitute and Stroke Study.

Background: SSaSS (Salt Substitute and Stroke Study), a 5-year cluster randomized controlled trial, demonstrated that replacing regular salt with a reduced-sodium, added-potassium salt substitute reduced the risks of stroke, major adverse cardiovascular events, and premature death among individuals with previous stroke or uncontrolled high blood pressure living in rural China. This study assessed the cost-effectiveness profile of the intervention.

Methods: A within-trial economic evaluation of SSaSS was conducted from the perspective of the health care system and consumers.

Factors Associated With the Use of a Salt Substitute in Rural China.

Importance: Lowering sodium intake reduces blood pressure and may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The use of reduced-sodium salt (a salt substitute) may achieve sodium reduction, but its effectiveness may be associated with the context of its use.

Objective: To identify factors associated with the use of salt substitutes in rural populations in China within the Salt Substitute and Stroke Study, a large-scale cluster randomized trial.

Historical and recent change in extreme climate over East Asia.

This is an extended editors' commentary on the topical collection "Historical and recent change in extreme climate over East Asia", which collects a total of 15 papers related to the change and variability of extreme climate events in East Asia over the last few hundreds years. The extreme climate events are broadly classified into three categories: temperature and extreme warmth/coldness, precipitation and floods/droughts and western North Pacific typhoons. This commentary briefly summarizes the main findings presented in each paper in this topical collection, and outlines the implications of these findings for monitoring, detecting and modeling of regional climate change and for studying climate change impacts and adaptability.

Effect of Salt Substitution on Cardiovascular Events and Death.

Background: Salt substitutes with reduced sodium levels and increased potassium levels have been shown to lower blood pressure, but their effects on cardiovascular and safety outcomes are uncertain.

Methods: We conducted an open-label, cluster-randomized trial involving persons from 600 villages in rural China. The participants had a history of stroke or were 60 years of age or older and had high blood pressure.

Protocol for the economic evaluation of the China Salt Substitute and Stroke Study (SSaSS).

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Reducing dietary salt consumption is a potentially cost-effective way to reduce blood pressure and the burden of CVD. To date, economic evidence has focused on sodium reduction in food industry or processed food with blood pressure as the primary outcome.