Prognostic Value of Semi-Quantitative 18F-FDG PET/CT Parameters in Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Objective:To assess the prognostic value of maximum standardized uptake value(SUVmax),metabolic tumor volume(MTV),and total lesion glycolysis(TLG)determined by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography(18F-FDG PET/CT)imaging in Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients.Methods:A total of 148 Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients diagnosed with lymph node biopsy from October 2014 to October 2015 were retrospectively analyzed followed by categorizing into good(125 cases)and poor(23 cases)prognosis groups.The chi-squared test was used to analyze the clinicopathological characteristics of Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients with the semi-quantitative 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters;the Spearman method was used to analyze the correlation between the semi-quantitative parameters and clinicopathological features of Hodgkin’s lymphoma;receiver operating characteristic curve was used to analyze the predictive value of the semi-quantitative parameters for poor prognosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients.Results:Mean SUVmax,MTV,and TLG of the 148 cases of Hodgkin’s lymphoma were 7.26±2.38,12.46±3.14 cm3,and 76.83±18.56 g,respectively.Significant variations in the Ann Arbor stage and clinical classification were observed with different levels of semi-quantitative parameters(P<0.05).The semi-quantitative parameters were not correlated with age and gender(P>0.05)but positively correlated with Ann Arbor stage and clinical classification(P<0.05).These parameters in the poor prognosis group were higher than those in the good prognosis group(P<0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of SUVmax,MTV,and TLG in predicting the poor prognosis group was 0.881,0.875,and 0.838,with cut-off values of 7.264,12.898 cm3,and 74.580g,as well as specificity of 88.8%,84.0%,and 78.4%,and sensitivity of 87.0%,87.0%,and 78.3%,respectively;the AUC of the combined prediction was 0.986,with a specificity of 97.6%and sensitivity of 86.3%.Conclusion:The semi-quantitative 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters provide valuable insights for Hodgkin’s lymphoma prognosis assessment.

EXTINCTION OF A DISCRETE COMPETITIVE SYSTEM WITH BEDDINGTON-DEANGELIS FUNCTIONAL RESPONSE AND THE EFFECT OF TOXIC SUBSTANCES

In this paper, we consider a discrete competitive system with BeddingtonDe Angelis functional response and the effect of toxic substances. By constructing some suitable Lyapunov type extinction functions, sufficient conditions which guarantee the extinction of a species and global attractivity of the other one are obtained. Our results not only supplement and improve but also generalize some existing ones. Numerical simulations show the feasibility of our results.

An infrared thermographic analysis of the sensitization acupoints of women with primary dysmenorrhea

OBJECTIVE:To explore the sensitization acupoints of women with primary dysmenorrhea(PD)by comparing infrared radiation temperatures between acupoints and non-acupoints.METHODS:We tested 10 acupoints of every woman with PD and healthy subjects on premenstrual,menstrual,and postmenstrual days using an infrared imaging device.The primary outcome was the absolute value of body surface temperature difference(AVTD)between the left and right sides of the same testing point.RESULTS:A total of 58 PD patients and 57 healthy volunteers completed the test from May 2016 to May 2017.Compared with the healthy group,we observed a significant reduction and increase in the AVTD in Taichong(LR3)and Sanyinjiao(SP6),respectively,during menstrual days in the PD group(P=0.01;P=0.04);while during postmenstrual days,all AVTDs of Shuiquan(KI5),Diji(SP8),and Xuehai(SP10)were diminished in the PD group(P=0.01;P=0.03;P=0.01,respectively).No significant differences in AVTD were detected at any other points or testing times.CONCLUSIONS:Compared with the healthy group,the AVTDs of Taichong(LR3),Sanyinjiao(SP6),Shuiquan(KI5),Diji(SP8),and Xuehai(SP10)at menstruationrelevant points of PD patients were sensitized,providing a reference for the selection of acupoints in the treatment of PD.

Positive Ground State Solutions fora Critical Nonlocal Problem in Dimension Three

In this paper,we are interested in the following nonlocal problem with critical exponent{-(a-b∫Ω|▽u|2dx)△u=λ|u|p-2+|u|4u,u=0,x∈Ω,x∂∈Ω,where a,b are positive constants,2<p<6,Ωis a smooth bounded domain in R^(3)andλ>O is a parameter.By variational methods,we prove that problem has a positive ground state solution up forλ>0 sufficiently large.Moreover,we take b as a parameter and study the asymptotic behavior of ub when b↘O.