18F-FDG PET/CT could satisfactorily show pancreatic and extra-pancreatic lesions in AIP, which can be mistaken for pancreatic cancer (PC). This study aimed to identify 18F-FDG PET/CT findings that might differentiate AIP from PC. FDG-PET/CT findings of 26 AIP and 40 PC patients were reviewed. Pancreatic and extra-pancreatic lesions related findings, including maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) and patterns of FDG uptake, were identified and compared. All 26 patients with AIP had increased pancreatic FDG uptake. Focal abnormal pancreatic FDG activities were found in 38/40 (95.00%) PC patients, while longitudinal were found in 18/26 (69.23%) AIP patients. SUVmax was significantly different between AIP and PC, both in early and delayed PET/CT scans (p < 0.05). AUCs were 0.700 (early SUVmax), 0.687 (delayed SUVmax), 0.683 (early lesions/liver SUVmax), and 0.715 (delayed lesion/liver SUVmax). Bile duct related abnormalities were found in 12/26 (46.15%) AIP and 10/40 (25.00%) PC patients, respectively. Incidentally, salivary and prostate gland SUVmax in AIP patients were higher compared with those of PC patients (p < 0.05). In males,an inverted “V” shaped high FDG uptake in the prostate was more frequent in AIP than PC patients (56.00%, 14/25 vs. 5.71%, 2/35). Increased FDG activity in extra-pancreatic bile duct was present in 4/26 of AIP patients, while was observed in none of the PC patients. Only in AIP patients, both diffuse pancreatic FDG accumulation and increased inverted “V” shaped FDG uptake in the prostate could be found simultaneously. 18F-FDG PET/CT findings might help differentiate AIP from PC.

Vitamin A is essential for brain function, in addition to its important roles in vision, immunity, and reproduction. Previous studies have shown that retinoic acid (RA), the bioactive form of vitamin A, is involved in the regulation of various intracellular responses related to biological rhythms. RA is reported to affect the circadian rhythm by binding to RA receptors, such as receptors in the circadian feedback loops in the mammalian suprachiasmatic nucleus. However, evidence of the impacts of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) on biological rhythms is limited, and most of the related studies were conducted on animals. In this review, we described the physiological functions of biological rhythms and physiological pathways/molecular mechanisms regulating the biological rhythms. We then discussed the current understanding of the associations of VAD with biological rhythm disorders/diseases (sleep disorders, impairments in learning/memory, emotional disorders, and other immune or metabolism diseases) and summarized the currently proposed mechanisms (mainly by retinoid nuclear receptors and related proteins) for the associations. This review may help recognize the role of VAD in biological rhythm disorders and stimulate clinical or epidemiological studies to confirm the findings of related animal studies.

Mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles with various morphologies can be easily synthesized and controlled. In mice with subcutaneous ATC, intravenous injection of ¹³¹I-CPDA can achieve the robust antitumor effects.