Future of non-invasive graft evaluation:A systematic review of proteomics in kidney transplantation

BACKGROUND Despite the developments in the field of kidney transplantation,the already existing diagnostic techniques for patient monitoring are considered insufficient.Protein biomarkers that can be derived from modern approaches of proteomic analysis of liquid biopsies(serum,urine)represent a promising innovation in the monitoring of kidney transplant recipients.AIM To investigate the diagnostic utility of protein biomarkers derived from proteomics approaches in renal allograft assessment.METHODS A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines,based on research results from the PubMed and Scopus databases.The primary focus was on evaluating the role of biomarkers in the non-invasive diagnosis of transplant-related com-plications.Eligibility criteria included protein biomarkers and urine and blood samples,while exclusion criteria were language other than English and the use of low resolution and sensitivity methods.The selected research articles,were categorized based on the biological sample,condition and methodology and the significantly and reproducibly differentiated proteins were manually selected and extracted.Functional and network analysis of the selected proteins was performed.RESULTS In 17 included studies,58 proteins were studied,with the cytokine CXCL10 being the most investigated.Biological pathways related to immune response and fibrosis have shown to be enriched.Applications of biomarkers for the assessment of renal damage as well as the prediction of short-term and long-term function of the graft were reported.Overall,all studies have shown satisfactory diagnostic accuracy of proteins alone or in combination with conventional methods,as far as renal graft assessment is concerned.CONCLUSION Our review suggests that protein biomarkers,evaluated in specific biological fluids,can make a significant contribution to the timely,valid and non-invasive assessment of kidney graft.

Advancements in non-invasive diagnosis of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer(GC),a multifaceted and highly aggressive malignancy,represents challenging healthcare burdens globally,with a high incidence and mortality rate.Although endoscopy,combined with histological examination,is the gold stan-dard for GC diagnosis,its high cost,invasiveness,and specialized requirements hinder widespread use for screening.With the emergence of innovative techno-logies such as advanced imaging,liquid biopsy,and breath tests,the landscape of GC diagnosis is poised for radical transformation,becoming more accessible,less invasive,and more efficient.As the non-invasive diagnostic techniques continue to advance and undergo rigorous clinical validation,they hold the promise of sig-nificantly impacting patient outcomes,ultimately leading to better treatment results and improved quality of life for patients with GC.

Observation on the Effect of Non-Invasive Ventilator Combined with Conventional Therapy in the Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Complicated with Respiratory Failure

Objective:To explore the clinical effect of a non-invasive ventilator combined with conventional therapy in the treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)combined with respiratory failure.Methods:68 patients with COPD combined with respiratory failure treated in our hospital from September 2021 to October 2023 were selected as the research subjects.Using the random number table method,they were divided into a control group and an experimental group of 34 cases each.The control group received conventional symptomatic treatment,and the experimental group received non-invasive ventilator treatment based on the control group.The clinical effects,blood gas indicators(partial pressure of carbon dioxide(PaCO_(2)),partial pressure of oxygen(PaO_(2)),arterial oxygen saturation(SaO_(2))),lung function(forced expiratory volume in 1 second(FEV1),forced vital capacity(FVC),6 min walking distance),complications,and inflammatory factor levels(c-reactive protein(CRP),interleukin-6(IL-6),neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR))of the two groups of patients were observed.Results:(1)The clinical efficacy of the patients in the experimental group(33/97.06%)was more significant as compared with the control group(25/73.53%)(P<0.05);(2)After treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups of patients in terms of FEV1,FEV1/FVC,6-minute walking distance,PaO_(2)and SaO_(2)all increased in the experimental group as compared to that of the control group(P<0.05);(3)After treatment,the PaCO_(2),CRP,IL-6,and NLR of the two groups of patients decreased,and the decrease in the experimental group was higher than that of the control group(P<0.05);(4)The patients’complication rate in the experimental group(2/5.88%)was lower as compared to that of the control group(9/26.46%)(P<0.05).Conclusion:Non-invasive ventilators combined with conventional therapy achieved good clinical results in treating patients with COPD and respiratory failure.

Analysis of the Effect of Non-Invasive Positive Pressure Ventilation in Emergency Treatment of Severe Bronchial Asthma with Respiratory Failure

Objective:This study aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation(NIPPV)in patients with severe bronchial asthma combined with respiratory failure.Methods:90 patients with severe bronchial asthma combined with respiratory failure between September 2022 and December 2023 were selected for the study and randomly divided into the experimental group(NIPPV-assisted treatment)and the control group.The differences between the two groups were compared in terms of total effective rate of treatment,days of clinical symptom disappearance,days of hospitalization,lung function indexes,incidence of adverse reactions,and quality of life.Results:Patients in the experimental group had a significantly higher total effective rate of treatment(97.78%)than the control group(75.56%).In terms of pulmonary function indexes,patients in the experimental group showed significant improvement after treatment,especially the increase in forced expiratory volume and forced vital capacity,while these improvements were not as obvious in the control group.In addition,the incidence of adverse reactions was significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group,suggesting that the application of NIPPV is relatively safe.Quality of life assessment also showed that patients in the experimental group had significantly better quality of life than the control group after treatment.Conclusion:This study demonstrated the effectiveness of NIPPV as an adjunctive treatment for severe bronchial asthma combined with respiratory failure.NIPPV can improve lung function,reduce the incidence of adverse effects,increase the overall effectiveness of the treatment,and contribute to the improvement of patients'quality of life.Therefore,NIPPV should be regarded as an effective and safe treatment in clinical management,especially in patients with severe bronchial asthma combined with respiratory failure,where its application has potential clinical significance.

Exploring non-invasive diagnostics for metabolic dysfunctionassociated fatty liver disease

The population with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)is increasingly common worldwide.Identification of people at risk of progression to advanced stages is necessary to timely offer interventions and appropriate care.Liver biopsy is currently considered the gold standard for the diagnosis and staging of MAFLD,but it has associated risks and limitations.This has spurred the exploration of non-invasive diagnostics for MAFLD,especially for steatohepatitis and fibrosis.These non-invasive approaches mostly include biomarkers and algorithms derived from anthropometric measurements,serum tests,imaging or stool metagenome profiling.However,they still need rigorous and widespread clinical validation for the diagnostic performance.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy in non-invasive neuromodulation

Non-invasive cerebral neuromodulation technologies are essential for the reorganization of cerebral neural networks,which have been widely applied in the field of central neurological diseases,such as stroke,Parkinson’s disease,and mental disorders.Although significant advances have been made in neuromodulation technologies,the identification of optimal neurostimulation paramete rs including the co rtical target,duration,and inhibition or excitation pattern is still limited due to the lack of guidance for neural circuits.Moreove r,the neural mechanism unde rlying neuromodulation for improved behavioral performance remains poorly understood.Recently,advancements in neuroimaging have provided insight into neuromodulation techniques.Functional near-infrared spectroscopy,as a novel non-invasive optical brain imaging method,can detect brain activity by measuring cerebral hemodynamics with the advantages of portability,high motion tole rance,and anti-electromagnetic interference.Coupling functional near-infra red spectroscopy with neuromodulation technologies offe rs an opportunity to monitor the cortical response,provide realtime feedbac k,and establish a closed-loop strategy integrating evaluation,feedbac k,and intervention for neurostimulation,which provides a theoretical basis for development of individualized precise neuro rehabilitation.We aimed to summarize the advantages of functional near-infra red spectroscopy and provide an ove rview of the current research on functional near-infrared spectroscopy in transcranial magnetic stimulation,transcranial electrical stimulation,neurofeedback,and braincomputer interfaces.Furthermore,the future perspectives and directions for the application of functional near-infrared spectroscopy in neuromodulation are summarized.In conclusion,functional near-infrared spectroscopy combined with neuromodulation may promote the optimization of central pellral reorganization to achieve better functional recovery form central nervous system diseases.

FibroScan-aspartate transaminase:A superior non-invasive model for diagnosing high-risk metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis

BACKGROUND Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)with hepatic histological NAFLD activity score≥4 and fibrosis stage F≥2 is regarded as“at risk”non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH).Based on an international consensus,NAFLD and NASH were renamed as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease(MASLD)and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis(MASH),respectively;hence,we introduced the term“high-risk MASH”.Diagnostic values of seven non-invasive models,including FibroScan-aspartate transaminase(FAST),fibrosis-4(FIB-4),aspartate transaminase to platelet ratio index(APRI),etc.for high-risk MASH have rarely been studied and compared in MASLD.AIM To assess the clinical value of seven non-invasive models as alternatives to liver biopsy for diagnosing high-risk MASH.METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on 309 patients diagnosed with NAFLD via liver biopsy at Beijing Ditan Hospital,between January 2012 and December 2020.After screening for MASLD and the exclusion criteria,279 patients wereincluded and categorized into high-risk and non-high-risk MASH groups.Utilizing threshold values of each model,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value(PPV),and negative predictive values(NPV),were calculated.Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to evaluate their diagnostic efficacy based on the area under the curve(AUROC).RESULTS MASLD diagnostic criteria were met by 99.4%patients with NAFLD.The MASLD population was analyzed in two cohorts:Overall population(279 patients)and the subgroup(117 patients)who underwent liver transient elastography(FibroScan).In the overall population,FIB-4 showed better diagnostic efficacy and higher PPV,with sensitivity,specificity,PPV,NPV,and AUROC of 26.9%,95.2%,73.5%,72.2%,and 0.75.APRI,Forns index,and aspartate transaminase to alanine transaminase ratio(ARR)showed moderate diagnostic efficacy,whereas S index and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase to platelet ratio(GPR)were relatively weaker.In the subgroup,FAST had the highest diagnostic efficacy,its sensitivity,specificity,PPV,NPV,and AUROC were 44.2%,92.3%,82.1%,67.4%,and 0.82.The FIB-4 AUROC was 0.76.S index and GPR exhibited almost no diagnostic value for high-risk MASH.CONCLUSION FAST and FIB-4 could replace liver biopsy as more effectively diagnostic methods for high-risk MASH compared to APRI,Forns index,ARR,S index,and GPR;FAST is superior to FIB-4.

Predicting hepatocellular carcinoma: A new non-invasive model based on shear wave elastography

BACKGROUND Integrating conventional ultrasound features with 2D shear wave elastography(2D-SWE)can potentially enhance preoperative hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)predictions.AIM To develop a 2D-SWE-based predictive model for preoperative identification of HCC.METHODS A retrospective analysis of 884 patients who underwent liver resection and pathology evaluation from February 2021 to August 2023 was conducted at the Oriental Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital.The patients were divided into the modeling group(n=720)and the control group(n=164).The study included conventional ultrasound,2D-SWE,and preoperative laboratory tests.Multiple logistic regression was used to identify independent predictive factors for RESULTS In the modeling group analysis,maximal elasticity(Emax)of tumors and their peripheries,platelet count,cirrhosis,and blood flow were independent risk indicators for malignancies.These factors yielded an area under the curve of 0.77(95%confidence interval:0.73-0.81)with 84%sensitivity and 61%specificity.The model demonstrated good calibration in both the construction and validation cohorts,as shown by the calibration graph and Hosmer-Lemeshow test(P=0.683 and P=0.658,respectively).Additionally,the mean elasticity(Emean)of the tumor periphery was identified as a risk factor for microvascular invasion(MVI)in malignant liver tumors(P=0.003).Patients receiving antiviral treatment differed significantly in platelet count(P=0.002),Emax of tumors(P=0.033),Emean of tumors(P=0.042),Emax at tumor periphery(P<0.001),and Emean at tumor periphery(P=0.003).CONCLUSION 2D-SWE’s hardness value serves as a valuable marker for enhancing the preoperative diagnosis of malignant liver lesions,correlating significantly with MVI and antiviral treatment efficacy.

A Review on Combined Strategy of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation and Robotic Therapy

Stroke is a major cause of death and disability among adults in China,and an efficient rehabilitation strategy has been an urgent demand for post-stroke rehabilitation.The non-invasive brain stimulation(NBS)can modulate the excitability of the cerebral cortex and provide after-effects apart from immediate effects to regain extremity motor functions,whereas robotic therapy provides high-intensity and long-duration repetitive movements to stimulate the cerebral cortex backward.The combined strategy of the two techniques is widely regarded as a promising application for stroke patients with dyskinesia.Transcranial magnetic stimulation(TMS)and transcranial electrical stimulation(TES)are important methods of NBS.Their recovery principles,stimulation parameters,and clinical applications have been summarized.The combined treatments of rTMS/tDCS and robotic therapy are analyzed and discussed to overcome the application barriers of the two techniques.The future development trend and the key technical problems are expounded for the clinical applications.

Recent developments in non-invasive methods for assessing metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease

The prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)is increasing,affecting over one-third of the global population and contributing to significant morbidity and mortality.Diagnosing MAFLD,especially with advan-ced fibrosis,remains challenging due to the limitations of liver biopsy,the current gold standard.Non-invasive tests are crucial for early detection and management.Among these,the fibrosis-4 index(Fib-4)is widely recommended as a first-line test for screening for liver fibrosis.Advanced imaging techniques,including ultrasound-based elastography and magnetic resonance elastography,offer high accuracy but are limited by cost and availability.Combining biomarkers,such as in the enhanced liver fibrosis score and FibroScan-AST score,enhances diagnostic precision and is recommended to further stratify patients who are considered to be intermediate or high risk from the Fib-4 score.We believe that the future lies in the combined use of biomarkers to improve diagnostic accuracy.

Non-invasively differentiate non-alcoholic steatohepatitis by visualizing hepatic integrin αvβ3 expression with a targeted molecular imaging modality

BACKGROUND Non-invasive methods to diagnose non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH),an inflammatory subtype of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD),are currently unavailable.AIM To develop an integrin αvβ3-targeted molecular imaging modality to differentiate NASH.METHODS Integrinαvβ3 expression was assessed in Human LO2 hepatocytes Scultured with palmitic and oleic acids(FFA).Hepatic integrinαvβ3 expression was analyzed in rabbits fed a high-fat diet(HFD)and in rats fed a high-fat,high-carbohydrate diet(HFCD).After synthesis,cyclic arginine-glycine-aspartic acid peptide(cRGD)was labeled with gadolinium(Gd)and used as a contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)performed on mice fed with HFCD.RESULTS Integrin αvβ3 was markedly expressed on FFA-cultured hepatocytes,unlike the control hepatocytes.Hepatic integrin αvβ3 expression significantly increased in both HFD-fed rabbits and HFCD-fed rats as simple fatty liver(FL)progressed to steatohepatitis.The distribution of integrinαvβ3 in the liver of NASH cases largely overlapped with albumin-positive staining areas.In comparison to mice with simple FL,the relative liver MRI-T1 signal value at 60 minutes post-injection of Gd-labeled cRGD was significantly increased in mice with steatohepatitis(P<0.05),showing a positive correlation with the NAFLD activity score(r=0.945;P<0.01).Hepatic integrin αvβ3 expression was significantly upregulated during NASH development,with hepatocytes being the primary cells expressing integrin αvβ3.CONCLUSION After using Gd-labeled cRGD as a tracer,NASH was successfully distinguished by visualizing hepatic integrin αvβ3 expression with MRI.

Non-invasive electrical stimulation as a potential treatment for retinal degenerative diseases

More than 38.5 million people are estimated to be affected by blindness worldwide in 2020(Flaxman et al., 2017). Among the diseases that cause visual impairment, refractive errors are typically corrected with glasses and cataract with surgery. The leading causes of irreversible blindness nowadays are usually degenerative diseases related to the retina and its extending optic nerves.

Advances in the Research Application of Ultrasound Non-Invasive Stress-Strain Loop Technology in Cardiovascular Diseases

The ultrasound pressure-strain loop (PSL) technique is a non-invasive method of examining myocardial work, which takes into account the effect of cardiac afterload on deformation and combines the overall longitudinal strain force of the left ventricle with the changes in the left ventricular pressure, allowing earlier detection of possible subclinical cardiac damage in patients, and a more accurate and non-invasive assessment of the patient’s myocardial work performance. In this article, we will discuss the progress of PSL applications in cardiovascular diseases.

Ensemble for evaluating diagnostic efficacy of non-invasive indices in predicting liver fibrosis in untreated hepatitis C virus population

BACKGROUND Hepatitis C virus(HCV)infection progresses through various phases,starting with inflammation and ending with hepatocellular carcinoma.There are several invasive and non-invasive methods to diagnose chronic HCV infection.The invasive methods have their benefits but are linked to morbidity and complications.Thus,it is important to analyze the potential of non-invasive methods as an alternative.Shear wave elastography(SWE)is a non-invasive imaging tool widely validated in clinical and research studies as a surrogate marker of liver fibrosis.Liver fibrosis determination by invasive liver biopsy and non-invasive SWE agree closely in clinical studies and therefore both are gold standards.AIM To analyzed the diagnostic efficacy of non-invasive indices[serum fibronectin,aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index(APRI),alanine aminotransferase ratio(AAR),and fibrosis-4(FIB-4)]in relation to SWE.We have used an Artificial Intelligence method to predict the severity of liver fibrosis and uncover the complex relationship between non-invasive indices and fibrosis severity.METHODS We have conducted a hospital-based study considering 100 untreated patients detected as HCV positive using a quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction assay.We performed statistical and probabilistic analyses to determine the relationship between non-invasive indices and the severity of fibrosis.We also used standard diagnostic methods to measure the diagnostic accuracy for all the subjects.RESULTS The results of our study showed that fibronectin is a highly accurate diagnostic tool for predicting fibrosis stages(mild,moderate,and severe).This was based on its sensitivity(100%,92.2%,96.2%),specificity(96%,100%,98.6%),Youden’s index(0.960,0.922,0.948),area under receiver operating characteristic curve(0.999,0.993,0.922),and Likelihood test(LR+>10 and LR-<0.1).Additionally,our Bayesian Network analysis revealed that fibronectin(>200),AAR(>1),APRI(>3),and FIB-4(>4)were all strongly associated with patients who had severe fibrosis,with a 100% probability.CONCLUSION We have found a strong correlation between fibronectin and liver fibrosis progression in HCV patients.Additionally,we observed that the severity of liver fibrosis increases with an increase in the non-invasive indices that we investigated.

Non-invasive electrical brain stimulation:from acute to late-stage treatment of central nervous system damage

Non-invasive brain current stimulation（NIBS） is a promising and versatile tool for inducing neuroplasticity,protection and functional rehabilitation of damaged neuronal systems.It is technically simple,requires no surgery,and has significant beneficial effects.However,there are various technical approaches for NIBS which influence neuronal networks in significantly different ways.Transcranial direct current stimulation（t DCS）,alternating current stimulation（ACS） and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation（r TMS） all have been applied to modulate brain activity in animal experiments under normal and pathological conditions.Also clinical trials have shown that t DCS,r TMS and ACS induce significant behavioural effects and can – depending on the parameters chosen – enhance or decrease brain excitability and influence performance and learning as well as rehabilitation and protective mechanisms.The diverse phaenomena and partially opposing effects of NIBS are not yet fully understood and mechanisms of action need to be explored further in order to select appropriate parameters for a given task,such as current type and strength,timing,distribution of current densities and electrode position.In this review,we will discuss the various parameters which need to be considered when designing a NIBS protocol and will put them into context with the envisaged applications in experimental neurobiology and medicine such as vision restoration,motor rehabilitation and cognitive enhancement.

A Study on Near-Infrared Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Concentration Regression Prediction Based on PSO-MKL-SVR

To improve the accuracy of predicting non-invasive blood glucose concentration in the near-infrared spectrum, we utilized the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to optimize hyperparameters for the Multi-Kernel Learning Support Vector Machine (MKL-SVR). With these optimized hyperparameters, we established a non-invasive blood glucose regression model, referred to as the PSO-MKL-SVR model. Subsequently, we conducted a comparative analysis between the PSO-MKL-SVR model and the PSO-SVR model. In a dataset comprising ten volunteers, the PSO-MKL-SVR model exhibited significant precision improvements, including a 16.03% reduction in Mean Square Error and a 0.29% increase in the Squared Correlation Coefficient. Moreover, there was a 0.14% higher probability of the Clark’s Error Grid Analysis falling within Zone A. Additionally, the PSO-MKL-SVR model demonstrated a faster operational speed compared to the PSO-SVR model.

Non-Invasive Treatment to Grade 1 Essential Hypertension by Percutaneous Laser and Electric Pulse to Acupoint with Music:A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective： To study a non-drug therapy for hypertension disease by combining percutaneous laser and electric pulse stimulation to acupoint with music, and to test the efficiency of the combining treatment to grade 1 essential hypertension. Methods： A total of 174 patients with grade 1 essential hypertension were randomly assigned to 3 groups with a random number table after Chinese medicine（CM） syndrome differentiation： the photoelectric and musical treatment group（Group 1, with a self-developed multi-mode audio frequency pulse photoelectric therapeutic apparatus）, acupuncture group（Group 2）, and oral placebo group（Group 3）, 58 cases per group. The curative effect of each group was evaluated by the changes of blood pressure and CM syndrome integral before and after treatment. Results： Compared with Group 3, there were significant decrease of blood pressure and CM syndrome integral in Group 1 and Group 2（P〈0.01）. Compared with Group 2, Group 1 showed the highest decrease in systolic pressure（P〈0.017）. The total effective rate of anti-hypertension in Group 1（91.38%, 53/58） was significantly higher than that in Group 2（74.13%, 43/58） and Group 3（18.97%, 11/58, P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）; and that in Group 2 was also significantly higher than that in Group 3（P〈0.01）. There were significant difference in the total effective rate of CM syndrome integral in both Group 1（93.10%, 54/58） and Group 2（84.48%, 49/58） as compared with Group 3（17.24%, 10/58, P〈0.01）, while there was no significant difference between Group 1 and Group 2（P〉0.05）. Conclusions： The multi-mode audio frequency pulse photoelectric therapeutic apparatus, combining music, laser and electric pulse stimulation, is clinically useful for grade 1 essential hypertension. This ＂three in one＂ therapy method is non-invasive, easy and simple to handle. It is expected to be popularized as a new alternative treatment.

Application of non-invasive ventilator in the treatment of acute heart failure merged with respiratory failure in ICU

Objective:To observe the application effect of non-invasive ventilator in the treatment of acute heart failure merged with respiratory failure in ICU.Methods:A total of 80 patients with acute heart failure merged with respiratory failure who were admitted in ICU from January, 2015 to January, 2016 were included in the study and randomized into the observation group and the control group with 40 cases in each group. The patients in the two groups were given routine treatments after admission. On this basis, the patients in the observation group were given non-invasive ventilator. The patients in the control group were given continuous low flow oxygen inhalation. PaO2, pH, PaCO2, SaO2, and PaO2/FiO2 before and after treatment between the two groups were compared. The serum NT-pro BNP and cTnI levels before treatment, 24 h and 48 h after treatment in the two groups were compared.Results:The comparison of PaO2, pH, PaCO2, SaO2, and PaO2/FiO2 before treatment between the two groups was not statistically significant. PaO2, pH, SaO2, and PaO2/FiO2 after treatment in the two groups were significantly elevated, while PaCO2 was significantly reduced when compared with before treatment. PaO2, pH, SaO2, and PaO2/FiO2 after treatment in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group, while PaCO2 was significantly lower than that in the control group. The comparison of NT-pro BNP and cTnI levels before treatment between the two groups was not statistically significant. NT-pro BNP and cTnI levels 12 h and 24 h after treatment in the two groups were significantly elevated when compared with before treatment. NT-pro BNP and cTnI levels 12 h and 24 h after treatment in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group.Conclusions:Non-invasive ventilator in the treatment of acute heart failure merged with respiratory failure can effectively improve the ventilation function, reduce NT-pro BNP and cTnI levels, and is of great significance in enhancing the rescued effect.

Is ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT a Valid Non-Invasive Predictor for Regression Grade after Neoadjuvant Treatment in Patients with NSCLC Stage III?

Introduction: CT alone cannot provide sufficient information referring to response after neoadjuvant therapy in a timely manner. To evaluate the role of 18F-FDG-PET after neoadjuvant chemoradiation as a valid, non-invasive predictor for early therapy response and its effect on survival as compared to histopathologic tumor response, data of 32 of 210 randomized patients with NSCLC stage IIIA/IIIB, who were treated in a?prospective randomized controlled multicenter trial (LUCAS- MD), were re-evaluated. Material and Methods: For 32 patients with NSCLC stage IIIA (44%) IIIB (56%) neoadjuvant treatment consisted of two to three cycles of chemotherapy (225 mg/m2 paclitaxel and carboplatin AUC 6 d1q22) and concomitant chemoradiation (50 mg/m2 paclitaxel and carboplatin AUC 2 d1, d8, d15;1.5 Gy b.i.d. up to 45 Gy). Documentation of involved lymph node stations as detected by 18F-FDG-PET/CT and lymph node sampling during surgery according to the IASLC lymph node mapping (2009). Evaluation of histological regression grade (RG) according to Junker et al. (2001) and correlation with?18F-FDG-PET/CT for primary tumor and each lymph node station. Calculation of disease free survival using Kaplan-Meier estimates and log rank tests. Results: Actuarial tumor specific survival for the 32 patients with concomitant chemoradiation plus?chemotherapy: complete vs. incomplete metabolic remission prior to surgery after 60 months:?40% vs. 24% (p?= 0.018). RG III/IIb (no/less than 10% of vital tumor cells) vs. RG IIa/I (more than 10% vital tumor cells) after 60 months: 46% vs. 15% (p?= 0.006). 18/32 (56%) patients had RG III/IIb, 8/32 (25%) patients had regression grade III. 1/8 pts. with RG III were in the 18F-FDG- PET/CT false positive, 10 pts. with RG IIb (i.e. all pts. with RG IIb) were in the 18F-FDG-PET/CT false negative. One patient with RG IIa was in the 18F-FDG-PET/CT false negative. Hence, the cut-off level in detecting vital tumor cells by 18F-FDG-PET/CT after neoadjuvant chemoradiation for NSCLC is about 10%. Conclusion: Histological regression grading correlates well with metabolic remission as detected by 18F-FDG-PET. Thus, 18F-FDG-PET precedes CT in measuring the tumor response and may predict long-term therapeutic outcome in patients with stage III NSCLC. Invasive staging procedures may be avoided and patients who will not profit from resection due to insufficient downstaging after neoadjuvant treatment will be easily detected by using 18F-FDG-PET as standard imaging in workup and evaluation of treatment response.