Purpose:To evaluate the role of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the detection of breast cancers, and to correlate the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value with prognostic factors. Materials and Methods:Sixty-seven women with invasive cancer underwent breast MRI. Histological specimens were analyzed for tumor size and grade, and expression of estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors, c-erbB-2, p53, Ki-67, and epidermal growth factor receptors. The computed mean ADC values of breast cancer and normal breast parenchyma were compared. Relationships between the ADC values and prognostic factors were determined using Wilcoxon signed rank test and Kruskal-Wallis test.Results: DWI detected breast cancer as a hyperintense area in 62 patients (92.5 %). A statistically significant difference in the mean ADC values of breast cancer (1.09 Ϯ 0.27 ϫ 10 Ϫ5 mm 2 /s) and normal parenchyma (1.59 Ϯ 0.27 ϫ 10 Ϫ5 mm 2 /s) was detected (P Ͻ 0.0001). There were no correlations between the ADC value and prognostic factors. However, the median ADC value was lower in the ER-positive group than the ER negative group, and this difference was marginally significant (1.09 ϫ 10 Ϫ5 mm 2 /s versus 1.15 ϫ 10 Ϫ5 mm 2 /s, P ϭ 0.053). Conclusion:The ADC value was a helpful parameter in detecting malignant breast tumors, but ADC value could not predict patient prognosis. DYNAMIC CONTRAST MATERIAL-enhanced MRI, which gives information on morphology and kinetics and has higher sensitivity, is frequently used to identify additional lesions and to determine the extent of tumor before surgery (1). In recent years, some studies have attempted to differentiate between benign and malignant tumors using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) (2-9). DWI is a specific modality that visualizes the microstructural characteristics of water diffusion in biological tissues. The microscopic motion includes the molecular diffusion of water and blood microcirculation in capillary networks; therefore, both diffusion and perfusion affect apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values (2,10). The ADC value was determined to be lower in cancer compared with normal parenchyme or benign breast tumor (2-9). Many studies have attempted to predict treatment response and prognosis in patients with breast cancer. It has been disclosed that there are traditional prognostic factors such as tumor grade and molecular markers such as estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) (11). Of these prognostic factors, the histologic grade of the tumor and the Ki-67 proliferation index reflect the cellularity (5,8,12,13), and c-erbB-2 and ER are thought to be associated with perfusion (14,15). We have speculated that these prognostic factors can affect the ADC value.To our knowledge, no studies have examined the correlation between the ADC value and prognostic factors. The objectives of the current study are to examine the clinical usefulness of DWI for the detection of invasive cancer, and to determine whether the ADC value can be a new prognostic factor for patients with...

Systemic inflammatory markers derived from peripheral blood cell, such as the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR), have been demonstrated as prognostic markers in several types of malignancy. Here, we investigated and compared the association between systemic inflammatory markers and survival and developed a prognostic nomogram in breast cancer patients. We reviewed the clinical and pathological records of 661 patients diagnosed with invasive breast carcinoma between 1993 and 2011. The NLR, dNLR, PLR and LMR in the immediate preoperative period were assessed. We analyzed the relationship between these inflammatory markers and clinicopathologic variables, disease-specific survival (DSS), and disease-free survival (DFS) in patients. A nomogram was developed to predict 3- and 5-year DSS for breast cancer. In the univariate analysis, high NLR, dNLR, PLR and low LMR were all significantly associated with poor DSS and DFS. In the multivariate analysis, only the PLR (HR 3.226, 95% CI 1.768–5.885 for DSS and HR 1.824, 95% CI 1.824–6.321 for DFS) was still identified as an independent predictor of outcomes. A subgroup analysis revealed that the PLR was the sole independent marker predicting poor DSS in patients with lymph node metastasis (HR 2.294, 95% CI 1.102–4.777) and with luminal subtype (HR 4.039, 95% CI 1.905–8.562). The proposed nomogram, which includes the PLR, shows good accuracy in predicting DSS with a concordance index of 0.82. PLR is an indicator of systemic inflammation as a part of the host immune response. As an independent prognostic factor, an elevated preoperative PLR is superior to the NLR, dNLR, and LMR in predicting clinical outcomes in patients with breast cancer. Moreover, the nomogram incorporating the PLR could accurately predict individualized survival probability in breast cancer.

Alzheimer's disease patients display neuropathological lesions, including the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide and neurofibrillary tangles. Although the mechanisms causing the neurodegenerative process are largely unknown, increasing evidence highlights a critical role of immunity in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, we investigated the role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) on Alzheimer's disease progression. First, we explored the effect of Tregs (CD4+CD25+ T cells) and Teffs (CD4+CD25− T cells) in an adoptive transfer model. Systemic transplantation of purified Tregs into 3xTg-AD mice improved cognitive function and reduced deposition of Aβ plaques. In contrast, adoptive transfer of Teffs diminished behavioral function and cytokine production. Next, we transiently depleted Treg population using an anti-CD25 antibody (PC61). Depletion of Tregs for four months resulted in a marked aggravation of the spatial learning deficits of six-month-old 3xTg-AD mice. Additionally, it resulted in decreasing glucose metabolism, as assessed by positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-2 fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([F-18] FDG) neuroimaging. Importantly, the deposition of Aβ plaques and microglia/macrophage was increased in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions of the Treg depleted 3xTg-AD compared to the vehicle-treated 3xTg-AD group. Our finding suggested that systemic Treg administration ameliorates disease progression and could be an effective Alzheimer's disease treatment.

The development of a wireless undulatory tadpole robot using ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuators is presented. In order to improve the thrust of the tadpole robot, a biomimetic undulatory motion of the fin tail is implemented. The overall size of the underwater microrobot prototype, shaped as a tadpole, is 96 mm in length, 24 mm in width, and 25 mm in thickness. It has one polymer fin tail driven by the cast IPMC actuator, an internal (wireless) power source, and an embedded controller. The motion of the tadpole microrobot is controlled by changing the frequency and duty ratio of the input voltage. Experimental results show that this technique can accurately control the steering and swimming speed of the proposed underwater tadpole robot.

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