In contrast, autophagic inhibition by 3-methyladenine partially normalized hypertension, proteinuria and placental angiogenic imbalance in PKCβ-inhibited mice. Our in vitro experiments demonstrated that PKCβ inhibition activated autophagy, thus blocking VEGFA-induced HUVEC tube formation and resulting in the significant upregulation of sFLT1 and downregulation of VEGFA in JEG-3 cells. Interpretation These data support a novel model in which autophagic activation due to PKCβ inhibition leads to the impairment of angiogenesis and eventually results in preeclampsia. Funding Shanghai Key Program of Clinical Science and Technology Innovation, National Natural Science Foundation of China and Shanghai Medical Center of Key Programs for Female Reproductive Diseases.Children, because of having an immature immune system, are usually more prone than the adults to the microbial infections and have more severe symptoms, which is especially true for the newborns, and very young children. However, the review of clinical data from the current COVID-19 pandemic indicates otherwise. We discuss here what are the main features and components of children’s immune system, the role of maternal transmission of immunity, and what are the possible explanations for the seemingly lower infection rate and severity of COVI-19 in children.Background and purpose Hypoxia is an essential metabolic marker that determines chemo- and radiation resistance in head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. Our exploratory analysis aimed to identify multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) parameters linked to hypoxia that might be used as surrogate for [18F]FMISO-PET in diagnosis and chemoradiation treatment (CRT) of HNSCC. Materials and methods 21 patients undergoing definitive CRT for HNSCC were prospectively imaged with serial [18F]FMISO-PET and 3 Tesla mpMRI for T1- and T2-weighted and dynamic contrast-enhanced perfusion and diffusion-weighted measurements (ktrans, ve, kep, ADC) in weeks 0, 2 and 5 and FDG-PET in week 0. [18F]FMISO-PET-derived hypoxic subvolumes (HSV) and complementary non-hypoxic subvolumes (nonHSV) were created for tumor and lymph nodes and projected on the mpMRI scans after PET/MRI co-registration. MpMRI and [18F]FMISO-PET parameters within HSVs and nonHSVs were statistically compared. Results FMISO-PET-based HSVs of the primary tumors on MRI were characterized by lower ADC at all time points (p = 0.012 at baseline; p = 0.015 in week 2) and reduced interstitial space volume fraction ve and perfusion ktrans at baseline (p = 0.006, p = 0.047) compared to nonHSVs. Hypoxic lymph nodes were characterized by significantly lower ADC values at baseline (p = 0.039), but not at later time points and a reduction in ktrans-based perfusion at week 2 (p = 0.018). Conclusion MpMRI parameters differ significantly between hypoxic and non-hypoxic tumor regions, defined on FMISO-PET/CT as gold standard and might represent surrogate markers for tumor hypoxia. These findings suggest that mpMRI may be useful in the future as a surrogate modality for hypoxia imaging in order to personalize CRT.Cancer management adapting to the current state of health during COVID-19 pandemic.•Collaborative strategic action plan for cancer management and workflow in a developing country.•Algorithm in cancer center management during COVID-19 in a developing country.•Measures to be adopted in cancer management and workflow after COVID-19 pandemic.Background and purpose This study presents Danish consensus guidelines for delineation of the heart and cardiac substructures across relevant Danish Multidisciplinary Cancer Groups. Material and methods Consensus guidelines for the heart and cardiac substructures were reached among 15 observers representing the radiotherapy (RT) committees of four Danish Multidisciplinary Cancer Groups. The guidelines were validated on CT scans of 12 patients, each with five independent contour sets. The Sørensen-Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), the distance between the centers of the arteries and the mean surface distance were used to evaluate the inter-observer variation. Results National guidelines for contouring the heart and cardiac substructures were achieved. The median DSC was 0.78-0.96 for the heart and the four cardiac chambers. For the four substructures of the left ventricle, the median DSC was 0.35-0.57. The coronary arteries were contoured in ten segments, with the best agreement for the left anterior descending coronary artery segments, with a median distance between the arteries ranging from 2.4-4.4 mm. The median variation was 3.7-12.8 mm for the right coronary artery segments and 3.7-6.2 mm for the left circumflex coronary artery segments, with the most pronounced inter-observer variation in the distal segment for all three coronary arteries. Conclusion National guidelines for contouring the heart and cardiac substructures were developed across relevant Danish Multidisciplinary Cancer Groups, where RT dose to the heart is of concern. The inter-observer contour overlap was best for the heart and chambers and decreased for smaller structures.Background and purpose Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common cancers in southern China and the first-line treatment is radiotherapy. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) can deliver high dose to cancer and low dose to normal tissue, but xerostomia is still one of the complications after IMRT. SBI-0206965 However, how the concentration of saliva electrolytes be affected by IMRT and the effects on the quality of life are still unknown. In this prospective study, 76 NPC patients were recruited from hospitals in Hong Kong to identify the change of saliva electrolytes and xerostomia-related quality of life before and after IMRT. Methods and materials Saliva and questionnaire were collected before IMRT, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after IMRT. The concentration of saliva electrolytes was detected using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Results Saliva flow rate significantly decreased after IMRT. Decrease in the mean value of pH was observed but the difference is not statistically significant.