Confocal laser endomicroscopy in gastrointestinal diseases

Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) is a novel endoscopic technique permitting in vivo microscopy (optical biopsies) of the gastrointestinal mucosa. CLE has been studied in a multitude of diseases of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract, including Barrett's esophagus, gastric inflammation and cancer, celiac disease, colorectal adenoma and carcinoma, and inflammatory bowel diseases. CLE has recently evolved and been studied for bile duct and liver imaging. CLE has shown overall high accuracy and enabled smart, targeted biopsies rather than untargeted sampling. Furthermore, the availability of real time microscopic information during endoscopy has immediate impact on therapeutic decisions and guides endoscopic interventions. CLE is also a unique tool for observation of (patho-)physiologic events in their natural environment (functional imaging) and has been linked to molecular imaging of gastrointestinal neoplasia in vivo, thereby broadening our understanding of mucosal pathology in clinical and basic science

Interobserver variability in organ delineation on radiotherapy treatment planning for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A dosimetric and prognostic analysis

Background and purposeThis study aimed to analyze the impact of interobserver variability (IOV) on clinical dosimetry and prognosis, specifically investigating the correlation between IOV and clinical prognosis in the context of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).Materials and methodsTwelve NPC patients who underwent IMRT were selected. Four radiotherapy physicians from two different-tier cancer centers independently delineated target volumes and organs at risk (OARs) for each patient. These delineations were compared against gold standard structures from a regional cancer center. The IOV among physicians and its effect on clinical and prognosis were analyzed. The relationships between the IOV, dosimetry, and prognosis were investigated using spearman’s correlation analysis.ResultsThe target volume and OARs delineation differed significantly among physicians. This variability led to reduced prescription dose coverage (PDC) of the planning target volume (PTV) and increased doses to OARs, impacting tumor control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP). Compared to standard delineations, all four physicians showed decreased TCPs (average decrease in ΔTCP >1%) and a significant increase in NTCPs of OARs. The relative volume difference (ΔV) of target volumes correlated strongly with ΔPDC (R=0.686) and ΔTCP (R=0.703). Moreover, in the validation set, ΔV also strongly correlated with ΔTCP (R = 0.778).ConclusionSubstantial IOV in delineating NPC target volumes and OARs for IMRT was observed. This variability affects plan optimization, dose distribution, and clinical prognosis. ΔV can serve as a risk predictor for assessing delineation variability in NPC radiotherapy treatment planning

Probe-Based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy to Guide Real-Time Endoscopic Therapy in Barrett's Esophagus with Dysplasia

Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) is a novel imaging technique which utilizes a low-power laser light passed through a fiber-optic bundle, within a miniprobe that is advanced into the working channel, to obtain microscopic images of the mucosa. This allows the endoscopist to evaluate the microarchitecture of the gastrointestinal epithelium in real time. At this time pCLE cannot replace histopathology, but it can provide diagnostic information as well as guide therapeutic management in patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE) with high-grade dysplasia (HGD). We describe a retrospective case series in which four patients with BE and biopsy-proven HGD underwent endoscopy with pCLE to direct real-time endoscopic ablation therapy and/or endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), which was performed in conjunction with pCLE. All four patients had pCLE showing features of HGD. After either EMR or radiofrequency ablation (RFA), pCLE was again used to evaluate the margins after therapy to assure accuracy. In one case, pCLE had features of dysplasia at the margin and further repeat EMR was immediately performed. Another case had a normal-appearing esophagus, but pCLE found features of BE in discrete areas and targeted biopsies were performed, which confirmed BE. This patient subsequently underwent RFA therapy of the residual areas of BE. In conclusion, in patients with BE and dysplasia, pCLE is an effective tool used to target biopsies, guide endoscopic therapy and assess the accuracy of EMR or RFA

Stabilization of Prussian blue with polyaniline and carbon nanotubes in neutral media for in vivo determination of glucose in rat brains

This study demonstrates a new electrochemical microbiosensor for selectivein vivomonitoring of glucose in rat brains.</p

The promotion of Festuca sinensis heavy metal stress tolerance mediated by Epichloë endophyte

Abstract Background: Festuca sinensis is a perennial grass of the genus Festuca, which has strong stress tolerance and high adaptability. F. sinensis normally symbiotic with Epichloë endophyte. In order to evaluate the possibility of F. sinensis-endophyte association as bioremediation grass in heavy metal polluted soils, the effects and mechanism of the F. sinensis-endophyte interaction under heavy metal stress was investigated. Results: The growth performance and physiology variations of F. sinensis with (E+) and without endophyte (E-) were evaluated after they were subjected to Zn2+ and Cd2+ treatments. The results showed that heavy metal treatments had significant effects on plants as the growth indices of plants under Zn2+ and Cd2+ treatments had significant differences compared with plants under control treatment (P&lt;0.05). Zn2+ treatment had positive effects on plants whereas Cd2+ treatment had negative effects. The plants under Cd2+ treatment produced more lolitrem B (P&lt;0.05). Endophyte increased host heavy metal stress tolerance by promoting host growth as the E+ plants had significantly higher plant height, tiller number, root length (P&lt;0.05). Endophyte also promoted host Zn2+ ion absorbing and induced more endogenous hormone production (P&lt;0.05). Conclusions: These results suggested that Epichloë regulated host growth and physiology to improve association tolerance to environmental conditions.</jats:p

The Promotion of Festuca sinensis under Heavy Metal Treatment Mediated by Epichloë Endophyte

To more clearly clarify the relationship between the Epichloë endophyte and its host, F. sinensis, the effects of Epichloë endophyte on F. sinensis performance under heavy metal treatment was investigated. The growth performance and physiology variations of F. sinensis with (E+) and without the endophyte (E−) were evaluated after they were subjected to Zn2+ and Cd2+ treatments. The results showed that heavy metal treatments had significant effects on plants, as the performance of plants under Zn2+ and Cd2+ treatments was significantly different with plants under control treatment (p &lt; 0.05). Cd2+ treatments showed a hormesis effect, whereas Zn2+ did not. The endophyte increased host heavy metal stress tolerance by promoting host growth as the E+ plants had significantly higher plant height, tiller number, root length (p &lt; 0.05). The endophyte also promoted ion uptake by the host and induced endogenous hormone production (p &lt; 0.05). These results suggested that the Epichloë endophyte regulated host growth and physiology to improve association tolerance to environmental conditions. This study provides another example that the Epichloë endophyte can increase plant tolerance to metal stress.</jats:p

The Promotion of Festuca sinensis under Heavy Metal Treatment Mediated by Epichloë Endophyte

To more clearly clarify the relationship between the Epichloë endophyte and its host, F. sinensis, the effects of Epichloë endophyte on F. sinensis performance under heavy metal treatment was investigated. The growth performance and physiology variations of F. sinensis with (E+) and without the endophyte (E−) were evaluated after they were subjected to Zn2+ and Cd2+ treatments. The results showed that heavy metal treatments had significant effects on plants, as the performance of plants under Zn2+ and Cd2+ treatments was significantly different with plants under control treatment (p &lt; 0.05). Cd2+ treatments showed a hormesis effect, whereas Zn2+ did not. The endophyte increased host heavy metal stress tolerance by promoting host growth as the E+ plants had significantly higher plant height, tiller number, root length (p &lt; 0.05). The endophyte also promoted ion uptake by the host and induced endogenous hormone production (p &lt; 0.05). These results suggested that the Epichloë endophyte regulated host growth and physiology to improve association tolerance to environmental conditions. This study provides another example that the Epichloë endophyte can increase plant tolerance to metal stress