Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator Receptor as a Potential PET Biomarker in Glioblastoma.

Unlabelled: Glioblastoma is one of the most malignant types of human cancer, and the prognosis is poor. The development and validation of novel molecular imaging biomarkers has the potential to improve tumor detection, grading, risk stratification, and treatment monitoring of gliomas. The aim of this study was to explore the potential of PET imaging of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) in glioblastoma.

Clinical Relevance of Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress.

Significance: Oxidative stress is considered to be an important component of various diseases. A vast number of methods have been developed and used in virtually all diseases to measure the extent and nature of oxidative stress, ranging from oxidation of DNA to proteins, lipids, and free amino acids.

Recent Advances: An increased understanding of the biology behind diseases and redox biology has led to more specific and sensitive tools to measure oxidative stress markers, which are very diverse and sometimes very low in abundance.

Simultaneous evaluation of brain tumour metabolism, structure and blood volume using [(18)F]-fluoroethyltyrosine (FET) PET/MRI: feasibility, agreement and initial experience.

Purpose: Both [(18)F]-fluoroethyltyrosine (FET) PET and blood volume (BV) MRI supplement routine T1-weighted contrast-enhanced MRI in gliomas, but whether the two modalities provide identical or complementary information is unresolved. The aims of the study were to investigate the feasibility of simultaneous structural MRI, BV MRI and FET PET of gliomas using an integrated PET/MRI scanner and to assess the spatial and quantitative agreement in tumour imaging between BV MRI and FET PET.

Methods: A total of 32 glioma patients underwent a 20-min static simultaneous PET/MRI acquisition on a Siemens mMR system 20 min after injection of 200 MBq FET.

Early changes in perfusion of glioblastoma during radio- and chemotherapy evaluated by T1-dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: The survival times of patients with glioblastoma differ widely and biomarkers that would enable individualized treatment are needed. The objective of this study was to measure changes in the vascular physiology of tumor using T1-dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) in patients with glioblastoma during early stages of radio- and chemotherapy (Tx) and explore possible correlations with treatment outcomes.

Material And Methods: An exploratory prospective study was planned.

The optimum ratio of standardized ileal digestible leucine to lysine for 8 to 12 kg female pigs.

The objective of the study was to estimate Leu requirement for weaned piglets to balance indispensable AA in reduced CP diets. A dose-response experiment was conducted to estimate the standardized ileal digestible (SID) Leu to Lys ratio required for the maximum growth of young pigs after weaning. In this study, 96 female pigs (initial BW of 8 kg) were allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments with 16 individually penned pigs per treatment.

Systemic oxidative stress to nucleic acids is unaltered following radioiodine therapy of patients with benign nodular goiter.

Background: Little is known about the whole body oxidative stress burden following radioactive iodine ((131)I) therapy of thyroid diseases.

Methods: We studied 17 patients with benign nodular goiter treated with (131)I therapy. The targeted thyroid dose was 50 Gy in 11 patients pretreated with 0.

Requirement of standardized ileal digestible valine to lysine ratio for 8- to 14-kg pigs.

The objective was to define the Val requirement for weaned piglets in the context of reducing the dietary protein content. A dose-response experiment was conducted to estimate the standardized ileal digestible (SID) Val to Lys ratio required to support the optimum growth of post-weaned piglets. In this study, 96 pigs weighing 8 kg were allotted to one of six dietary treatments (16 pigs for each dietary treatment) and were housed individually.

Exposure to topical chloramphenicol during pregnancy and the risk of congenital malformations: a Danish nationwide cohort study.

Purpose: To investigate whether exposure to topical chloramphenicol in the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with congenital malformations.

Methods: The authors conducted a nationwide cohort study including all women giving live birth between 1997 and 2011 in Denmark. All women redeeming at least one prescription of chloramphenicol eye drops or eye ointment during the first 84 days of pregnancy were identified.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine in somatically healthy schizophrenia patients treated with atypical antipsychotics: a case-control study.

Background: Schizophrenia is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of the nitric oxide synthase, and the L-arginine:ADMA ratio are markers of endothelial dysfunction that predict mortality and adverse outcome in a range of cardiovascular disorders. Increased ADMA levels may also lead to increased oxidative stress.

18F-FET microPET and microMRI for anti-VEGF and anti-PlGF response assessment in an orthotopic murine model of human glioblastoma.

Background: Conflicting data exist for anti-cancer effects of anti-placental growth factor (anti-PlGF) in combination with anti-VEGF. Still, this treatment combination has not been evaluated in intracranial glioblastoma (GBM) xenografts. In clinical studies, position emission tomography (PET) using the radiolabeled amino acid O-(2-18F-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine (18F-FET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) add complementary but distinct information about glioma growth; however, the value of 18F-FET MicroPET combined with MicroMRI has not been investigated preclinically.

Use of quinine and mortality-risk in patients with heart failure--a Danish nationwide observational study.

Purpose: Leg cramps are common in patients with heart failure. Quinine is frequently prescribed in low doses to these patients, but safety of this practice is unknown. We studied the outcomes associated with use of quinine in a nationwide cohort of patients with heart failure.

Effects of Acidifying Pig Diets on Emissions of Ammonia, Methane, and Sulfur from Slurry during Storage.

Ammonia (NH) volatilization from intensive livestock production is a threat to natural ecosystems. This study investigated pig diet manipulation by 1% (w/w) benzoic acid (BA) amendment and lowering of dietary electrolyte balance through substituting 1.4% (w/w) CaCO with 2.

Dark-field X-ray microscopy for multiscale structural characterization.

Many physical and mechanical properties of crystalline materials depend strongly on their internal structure, which is typically organized into grains and domains on several length scales. Here we present dark-field X-ray microscopy; a non-destructive microscopy technique for the three-dimensional mapping of orientations and stresses on lengths scales from 100 nm to 1 mm within embedded sampling volumes. The technique, which allows 'zooming' in and out in both direct and angular space, is demonstrated by an annealing study of plastically deformed aluminium.

Urinary markers of nucleic acid oxidation and cancer in type 2 diabetes.

Aims/hypothesis: We investigated whether urinary markers of nucleic acid oxidation are associated with an increased risk of cancer in type 2 diabetes patients.

Methods: Urine samples from 1381 newly diagnosed diabetes patients were assayed for the oxidatively modified guanine nucleosides 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine (8-oxoGuo). Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the relationship between the urinary markers and cancer incidence.

Targeting transcriptional addictions in small cell lung cancer with a covalent CDK7 inhibitor.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive disease with high mortality, and the identification of effective pharmacological strategies to target SCLC biology represents an urgent need. Using a high-throughput cellular screen of a diverse chemical library, we observe that SCLC is sensitive to transcription-targeting drugs, in particular to THZ1, a recently identified covalent inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 7. We find that expression of super-enhancer-associated transcription factor genes, including MYC family proto-oncogenes and neuroendocrine lineage-specific factors, is highly vulnerability to THZ1 treatment.

The effect of short-term, high-dose oral N-acetylcysteine treatment on oxidative stress markers in cystic fibrosis patients with chronic P. aeruginosa infection -- a pilot study.

Background: Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection have increased oxidative stress as a result of an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species caused by inflammation and their inactivation by the impaired antioxidant systems. Supplementation with anti-oxidants is potentially beneficial for CF patients.

Methods: The effect of 4 weeks of oral N-acetylcysteine (NAC) treatment (2400 mg/day divided into two doses) on biochemical parameters of oxidative stress was investigated in an open-label, controlled, randomized trial on 21 patients; 11 patients in the NAC group and 10 in the control group.

The impact of bevacizumab treatment on survival and quality of life in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains one of the most devastating tumors, and patients have a median survival of 15 months despite aggressive local and systemic therapy, including maximal surgical resection, radiation therapy, and concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide. The purpose of antineoplastic treatment is therefore to prolong life, with a maintenance or improvement of quality of life. GBM is a highly vascular tumor and overexpresses the vascular endothelial growth factor A, which promotes angiogenesis.

Microbial phytase addition resulted in a greater increase in phosphorus digestibility in dry-fed compared with liquid-fed non-heat-treated wheat-barley-maize diets for pigs.

The objective was to evaluate the effect of microbial phytase (1250 FTU/kg diet with 88% dry matter (DM)) on apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of phosphorus (P) in pigs fed a dry or soaked diet. Twenty-four pigs (65±3 kg) from six litters were used. Pigs were housed in metabolism crates and fed one of four diets for 12 days; 5 days for adaptation and 7 days for total, but separate collection of feces and urine.

Elimination of ascorbic acid after high-dose infusion in prostate cancer patients: a pharmacokinetic evaluation.

Treatment with high-dose intravenous (IV) ascorbic acid (AA) is used in complementary and alternative medicine for various conditions including cancer. Cytotoxicity to cancer cell lines has been observed with millimolar concentrations of AA. Little is known about the pharmacokinetics of high-dose IV AA.

Exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in early pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage.

Objective: To investigate whether exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in early pregnancy is associated with miscarriage.

Methods: This was a nationwide cohort study identifying all registered pregnancies in Denmark from 1997 to 2010. All births were identified using the Medical Birth Registry, and all records of induced abortion or miscarriage were gathered from the National Hospital Register.

Elevated levels of urinary markers of oxidatively generated DNA and RNA damage in bipolar disorder.

Objectives: The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying bipolar disorder and its multi-system nature are unclear. Oxidatively generated damage to nucleosides has been demonstrated in metabolic disorders; however, the extent to which this occurs in bipolar disorder in vivo is unknown. We investigated oxidatively generated damage to DNA and RNA in patients with bipolar disorder and its relationship with the affective phase compared with healthy control subjects.

Effect of pH and recombinant barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) endoprotease B2 on degradation of proteins in soaked barley.

Nonfermented soaking of barley feedstuff has been established as an in vitro procedure prior to the feeding of pigs as it can increase protein digestibility. In the current study, two feed cultivars of barley (Finlissa and Zephyr) were soaked in vitro either nonbuffered or buffered at pH 3.6 and 4.

Antipsychotics and associated risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Antipsychotic drugs have been associated with sudden cardiac death, but differences in the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) associated with different antipsychotic drug classes are not clear. We identified all OHCAs in Denmark (2001-2010). The risk of OHCA associated with antipsychotic drug use was evaluated by conditional logistic regression analysis in case-time-control models.

The use of longitudinal 18F-FET MicroPET imaging to evaluate response to irinotecan in orthotopic human glioblastoma multiforme xenografts.

Objectives: Brain tumor imaging is challenging. Although 18F-FET PET is widely used in the clinic, the value of 18F-FET MicroPET to evaluate brain tumors in xenograft has not been assessed to date. The aim of this study therefore was to evaluate the performance of in vivo 18F-FET MicroPET in detecting a treatment response in xenografts.