I Seed Brachytherapy for Refractory Loco-Regional Recurrence of Non-Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer.

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of I seed brachytherapy as salvage treatment for recurrence from non-anaplastic thyroid cancer refractory to other modalities.

Methods: Between June 2006 and September 2019, fifteen patients with recurrent non-anaplastic thyroid cancer were treated with I seed brachytherapy. I seeds were implanted into the tumor under the guidance of CT and/or ultrasound images with the median prescription dose of 120 Gy (range, 100-140 Gy).

3D-Printed Template-Guided I Seed Brachytherapy: A Salvage Approach for Locoregional Refractory Recurrence of Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Background: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is typically treated with surgical resection, even in recurrent cases. However, some cases of recurrent PTC are refractory to the conventionally used locoregional radiotherapy and resection methods. I seed permanent brachytherapy has emerged as a promising alternative for such PTCs, but no effective brachytherapy protocol has been reported for tumors with a huge volume, liquefaction, necrosis, and skin invasion.

From Severe Herpes Zoster to Rare Suid Herpesvirus Encephalitis: A New Twist of the Genus Infection in Patients with Kidney Diseases.

Both the herpes zoster virus and suid herpesvirus type 1 (SuHV-1) belong to the Varicellovirus genus of the α-herpesviridae subfamily. They may cause opportunistic infections especially in patients with kidney diseases, varying from latent illness to overt lethality. Under these circumstances, impaired renal function is both the culprit for and victim of the infection.

Nocardiosis in Kidney Disease Patients under Immunosuppressive Therapy: Case Report and Literature Review.

The increased use of novel and powerful immunosuppressive drugs in kidney diseases may concomitantly expose the patients to higher risk of opportunistic infections, some of which still remain underdiagnosed thus mishandled. As such, we recently had a less prepared encounter of pulmonary nocardial infection in an ANCA-associated renal vasculitis patient under steroid therapy. Despite the use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials including micafungin, the infection was still unbridled and eventually culminated in lethal brain abscess.

Precision dose measurement of I seed in solid water through SPECT/CT detecting.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to study the feasibility of gamma-ray-detection-based precision dose measurement of I seed brachytherapy in solid water.

Materials And Methods: Seven group I seeds with different activities were put into a hole in the center of solid water individually. Each group had ten seeds, and the seed activity ranged from 1.

Predicting risk of pulmonary infection in patients with primary membranous nephropathy on immunosuppressive therapy: The AIM-7C score.

Aim: Pulmonary infection (PI) is the leading cause of death in patients with primary membranous nephropathy on immunosuppressive therapy. A rating score was thus developed to foresee the risk of PI in such patients.

Methods: We reviewed the charts of the pertinent patients treated during the past 3 years either with (n = 29) or without PI (n = 304).

Synergistical action of the β2 adrenoceptor and fatty acid binding protein 2 polymorphisms on the loss of glomerular filtration rate in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy.

Purpose: Since altered sympathetic nerve activity and insulin resistance are implicated in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetic nephropathy, we investigated the effect of polymorphic Arg16Gly and Gln27Glu in the β2 adrenoceptor gene and Ala54Thr in the fatty acid binding protein 2 gene on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in Chinese patients with the above disease.

Methods: A total of 552 diabetic subjects recruited from annual health examinations were studied. The eGFR was calculated from the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation for the Chinese.

Additive effect of polymorphisms in the β2 -adrenoceptor and NADPH oxidase p22 phox genes contributes to the loss of estimated glomerular filtration rate in Chinese.

Because increased oxidative stress may mediate the detrimental actions of enhanced sympathetic nervous activity on renal function and vice versa, we investigated the effect of the polymorphic Arg16Gly in the β2 -adrenoceptor (ADRB2) gene, Trp64Arg in the β3 -adrenoceptor (ADRB3) gene and C242T in the NADPH oxidase p22phox (CYBA) gene on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in a Chinese population. Initially recruited from different outpatient services of HeBei General Hospital in northern China, 668 individuals were finally included in the study, with complete demographic information. Laboratory tests were performed and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was derived from the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation for the Chinese population.