BackgroundPosttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is a serious complication after pediatric liver transplantation (pLT), which may lead to death. F-18-FDG PET/CT is rarely considered in PTLD after pLT and lacks clear diagnostic guidelines, especially in the differential diagnosis of nondestructive PTLD. The aim of this study was to find a quantifiable F-18-FDG PET/CT index to identify nondestructive PTLD after pLT. MethodsThis retrospective study collected the data of patients who underwent pLT, postoperative lymph node biopsy, and F-18-FDG PET/CT at Tianjin First Central Hospital from January 2014 to December 2021. Quantitative indexes were established using lymph node morphology and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax). ResultsA total of 83 patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in this retrospective study. To distinguish between PTLD-negative cases and nondestructive PTLD cases, according to the receiver operating characteristic curve, (the shortest diameter of the lymph node at the biopsy site [SDL]/the longest diameter of the lymph node at the biopsy site [LDL])*(SUVmax at the biopsy site [SUVmaxBio]/SUVmax of the tonsils [SUVmaxTon]) had the maximum area under the curve (0.923; 95% confidence interval: 0.834-1.000), and the cutoff value was 0.264 according to the maximum value of Youden's index. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 93.6%, 94.7%, 97.8%, 85.7%, and 93.9%, respectively. Conclusions(SDL/LDL)*(SUVmaxBio/SUVmaxTon) has good sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive values, and accuracy, and can be used as a good quantitative index for the diagnosis of nondestructive PTLD.

Rationale: Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is a serious complication after pediatric liver transplantation (pLT), which may lead to death. F-FDG PET/CT is rarely considered in PTLD after pLT and lacks clear diagnostic guidelines, especially in the differential diagnosis of non-destructive PTLD. The aim of this study was to find a quantifiable F-FDG PET/CT index to identify non-destructive PTLD after pLT. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study collected the data of patients who underwent pLT, postoperative lymph node biopsy, and F-FDG PET/CT at Tianjin First Central Hospital from January 2014 to December 2021. Quantitative indexes were established using lymph node morphology and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax). Results: A total of 83 patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in this retrospective study. To distinguish between PTLD-negative cases and non-destructive PTLD cases, according to the receiver operating characteristic curve, [the shortest diameter of the lymph node at the biopsy site (SDL)/the longest diameter of the lymph node at the biopsy site (LDL)]*[SUVmax at the biopsy site (SUVmaxBio)/SUVmax of the tonsils (SUVmaxTon)] had the maximum area under the curve (0.923; 95% confidence interval, 0.834–1.000), and the cut-off value was 0.264 according to the maximum value of Youden’s index. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 93.6%, 94.7%, 97.8%, 85.7%, and 93.9%, respectively. Conclusions: (SDL/LDL)*(SUVmaxBio/SUVmaxTon) has good sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive values, and accuracy, and can be used as a good quantitative index for the diagnosis of non-destructive PTLD.

Background. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lacks effective treatments and has a poor prognosis. Therefore it is needed to develop more effective drug targets. Kinesin family member 11 (KIF11) has been reported to affect the progression of several cancers, and its high expression associates with the prognosis of patients. However, the relevant mechanisms of KIF11 in HCC progression have not been studied. Method. Through the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of patients’ specimens, we determined that KIF11 was highly expressed in HCC tissues and associated with prognosis. We established a KIF11 stably depleted hepatoma cell line, through cell-cloning experiments and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays to detect the effects on proliferation in vitro. The role of KIF11 in promoting cell proliferation was verified in mice. Result. The expression of KIF11 was negatively correlated with the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) and positively correlated with tumor size of HCC patients. KIF11 depletion inhibits cell proliferation and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion. KIF11 can be used as a positive correlation marker for HCC prognosis and served as a potential therapeutic target.