Immune Thrombocytopenia Could be an Independent Clinical Phenotype of Antiphospholipid Syndrome: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Patients with persistent positive antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) and immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) hardly develop thrombosis but share many similar characteristics with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS).

Methods: This is a prospective cohort study consecutively enrolling thrombocytopenic patients with continuous positive aPLs. Patients developing thrombotic events are classified as the APS group.

Probiotics for preventing gestational diabetes in overweight or obese pregnant women: A review.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the host. Specific probiotics or probiotic foods can be used to reduce the risk of diseases associated with aberrant gut microbiota composition. The incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has increased annually with the proportion of overweight and obese people.

Safety of Withholding Perioperative Hydrocortisone for Patients With Pituitary Adenomas With an Intact Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Pituitary adenoma is the second most common primary brain tumor. Perioperative hydrocortisone has been used for decades to avoid postoperative adrenal insufficiency. Recent studies suggest that withholding perioperative hydrocortisone may be safe for patients with an intact hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.

Myocardial Uptake of 68Ga-Pentixafor in a Patient With Systemic Amyloidosis.

A 55-year-old man presented with chest tightness and lower-limb edema for 1 year. Laboratory and imaging examinations suggested cardiac amyloidosis. Both 18F-FDG and 68Ga-pentixafor PET/CT showed increased uptake in the myocardium of the left ventricle, whereas the bone marrow had diffusely mild uptake of 68Ga-pentixafor without bone destruction.

Different Uptake of Ga-FAPI and F-FDG in Lymphadenopathy Caused by Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma in a Patient with Colon Cancer.

An 82-year-old man with a history of colon cancer was found with multiple lymphadenopathies and a pulmonary mass. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-FDG PET/CT) detected generalized hypermetabolic lymph nodes and an FDG-avid pulmonary mass. PET/CT with Ga-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) revealed intense uptake in the lung mass, consistent with metastatic disease from colon cancer.

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).

Detection of Potential Mutated Genes Associated with Common Immunotherapy Biomarkers in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

Microsatellite instability (MSI), high tumor mutation burden (TMB-H) and programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression are hot biomarkers related to the improvement of immunotherapy response. Two cohorts of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were collected and sequenced via targeted next-generation sequencing. Drug analysis was then performed on the shared genes using three different databases: Drugbank, DEPO and DRUGSURV.

A nationwide survey exploring physicians' and pharmacists' knowledge, awareness and perceptions regarding generic medicines in China.

Background: Generic medicines substitution is an important means to control rapid growth of pharmaceutical expenditures for the healthcare system in China. Acceptance and utilization of generic medicines is highly influenced by healthcare providers' perceptions. This study aimed to compare the knowledge, awareness and perceptions of generic medicines between physicians and pharmacists in China.

Baseline 18 F-FDG PET/CT May Portend the Prognosis of Patients With Waldenström Macroglobulinemia/Lymphoplasmacytic Lymphoma After First-Line Treatment.

Purpose: The outcome of patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia/lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (WM/LPL) is variable. We aim to study if baseline 18 F-FDG PET/CT has some prognostic significance in WM/LPL.

Methods: Thirty-three patients with newly diagnosed WM/LPL who underwent baseline 18 F-FDG PET/CT and received active treatment thereafter were recruited in this retrospective study.

Bentall procedure for retrograde type A dissection after endovascular repair in type A aortic dissection: A case report.

Rationale: The management of retrograde type A dissection (RTAD) after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for type A aortic dissection (TAAD) has rarely been reported. We report the management of RTAD after TEVAR with in situ fenestration for TAAD.

Patient Concerns: A 59-year-old man with TAAD had undergone TEVAR with in situ fenestration 4 months prior to presenting to our emergency room complaining of acute chest and back pain.

Proteomic Profiling of Cryoglobulinemia.

Objective: We aimed to explore and identify candidate protein biomarkers of cryoglobulinemia (CGE) in disease control patients with negative cryoglobulin (DC) or healthy controls (HCs).

Methods: The tandem mass tag (TMT)-labeled serum quantitative proteomics approach was used to identify differentially expressed proteins between the CGE and DC groups. Ingenuity pathway analysis was used for functional annotation of differentially expressed proteins.

Thrombocytopenia in primary antiphospholipid syndrome: association with prognosis and clinical implications.

Objectives: Thrombocytopenia, a frequent clinical manifestation in patients with APS, could be an independent predictor of recurrent thrombotic, obstetric and severe extracriteria events.

Methods: This single-centre prospective study enrolled 218 consecutive patients diagnosed with primary APS between 2010 and 2021. Thrombocytopenia was defined as a platelet count less than 100 × 109/L.

Baseline [F]FDG PET/CT may predict the outcome of newly diagnosed follicular lymphoma in patients managed with initial "watch-and-wait" approach.

Objectives: To investigate if baseline [F]FDG PET/CT can predict the outcome of follicular lymphoma (FL) in patients managed with an initial "watch-and-wait" approach.

Methods: Thirty-eight newly diagnosed FL patients who were managed with an initial "watch-and-wait" approach and undergone baseline [F]FDG PET/CT were retrospectively enrolled. The standard uptake value (SUV), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of FL lesions were measured on PET/CT.

Enhancing Performance of Breast Ultrasound in Opportunistic Screening Women by a Deep Learning-Based System: A Multicenter Prospective Study.

Purpose: To validate the feasibility of S-Detect, an ultrasound computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system using deep learning, in enhancing the diagnostic performance of breast ultrasound (US) for patients with opportunistic screening-detected breast lesions.

Methods: Nine medical centers throughout China participated in this prospective study. Asymptomatic patients with US-detected breast masses were enrolled and received conventional US, S-Detect, and strain elastography subsequently.

Secondary Gastrointestinal Amyloidosis With Increased 18 F-FDG Uptake as the Only Presentation in a Patient With Multiple Myeloma.

A 63-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain and hematochezia was referred for 18 F-FDG PET/CT for the underlying malignancy. PET/CT detected diffuse thickening of the bowel walls with intense radioactivity in the colons. She was later diagnosed with multiple myeloma and secondary gastrointestinal amyloidosis, and achieved complete response of myeloma and amyloidosis after 9 cycles of chemotherapy.

68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT Improves the Detection of Recurrent Myeloma in the Temporal Bone Masked by the Physiological 18F-FDG Uptake of the Brain and Extraocular Muscles.

A 71-year-old woman was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Baseline 18F-FDG and 68Ga-pentixafor PET/CT showed diffusely increased uptake in bone marrow, consistent with infiltrated myeloma. She had very good partial response after 9 cycles of chemotherapy.

Semi-quantitative measurements of chemokine receptor 4-targeted Ga-pentixafor PET/CT in response assessment of Waldenström macroglobulinemia/lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma.

Purpose: Ga-pentixafor PET/CT was reported to have a high sensitivity in detecting tumor involvement of Waldenström macroglobulinemia/lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (WM/LPL) in our previous study. We aimed to further investigate the semi-quantitative measurements of Ga-pentixafor PET/CT in response assessment in WM/LPL.

Methods: Fifteen patients with WM/LPL were recruited in a prospective cohort study and underwent both Ga-pentixafor and F-FDG PET/CT at baseline and post-treatment.

Knowledge, perceptions and practices of pharmacists regarding generic substitution in China: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To evaluate pharmacists' knowledge, perceptions and practices towards generic substitution in the 11 pilot locations in China.

Design: An online cross-sectional survey using questionnaires was conducted. A convenience sampling technique was implemented to recruit pharmacists.

In vivo visualization and characterization of inflamed intestinal wall: the exploration of targeted microbubbles in assessing NF-κB expression.

NF-κB, a critical cytokine of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), is a viable marker to reflect the inflammatory activity of the intestine. We aimed to develop NF-κB-targeted microbubbles (MBs) and perform molecular contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to quantify NF-κB expressions on the intestinal wall in IBD mice in vivo. In this study, NF-κB-targeted MBs were fabricated by connecting biotin-loaded NF-κB antibodies and avidin-loaded MBs.

Predicting the Risk of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Chinese Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Treatment and Research Group Cohort Study.

Objective: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, there is no algorithm to identify those at high risk. This study was undertaken to develop a prediction model for PAH in patients with lupus that provides individualized risk estimates.

Dynamic F-FDG PET imaging of liver lesions: evaluation of a two-tissue compartment model with dual blood input function.

Background: Dynamic PET with kinetic modeling was reported to be potentially helpful in the assessment of hepatic malignancy. In this study, a kinetic modeling analysis was performed on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) from dynamic FDG positron emission tomography/computer tomography (PET/CT) scans.

Methods: A reversible two-tissue compartment model with dual blood input function, which takes into consideration the blood supply from both hepatic artery and portal vein, was used for accurate kinetic modeling of liver dynamic F-FDG PET imaging.

The Importance of SPECT/CT in Preoperative Localization of Sentinel Lymph Nodes in 2 Patients With Acral Melanoma in the Foot.

A 68-year-old woman with melanoma in the left heel underwent sentinel node lymphoscintigraphy and radioguided biopsy. The sentinel node lymphoscintigraphy with SPECT/CT detected 3 foci of increased activity in the popliteal fossa and inguinal region. When coregistered to CT, the sentinel node was localized in the inguinal region, and the popliteal foci were considered tracer retention in lymphatic vessel.