Accuracy of T1-weighted chemical-shift MR imaging for the differentiation between benign and malignant adrenal masses was blindly assessed among three radiologists.
MR imaging was performed at 1.5 T ...in 50 patients with 58 adrenal masses, proved benign (n = 38) or malignant (n = 20) based on surgery or growth (malignant) or stable size (benign) for at least 1 year. In-phase spin-echo sequences or in-phase breath-hold fast multiplanar spoiled gradient-recalled echo (FMPSPGR) sequences with a TE of 4.2 msec were compared with opposed-phase breath-hold FMPSPGR sequences with a TR/TE of 35-155/2.2-2.9 and a 90 degrees flip angle for the detection of lipid in adrenal masses. Three radiologists who were blinded to diagnosis and clinical data independently rated the likelihood of a benign adrenal lesion on a five-point scale of confidence.
Mean sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value for a definite or probable diagnosis of a benign lesion by the three readers were 87%, 92%, and 95%, respectively. At the highest (definite) confidence of a benign lesion, the mean positive predictive value was 99%, with lower sensitivity (54%). Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves for the three radiologists were .98 (95% confidence interval CI = .94-1.00), .96 (CI = .91-1.00), and .95 (CI = .89-1.00). Interobserver variation for the diagnosis of a benign mass was low (kappa = .79).
Chemical-shift imaging using breath-hold opposed-phase T1-weighted MR images is a reliable and reproducible technique for the diagnosis of most benign adrenal masses at the highest threshold of confidence.
Methylmercury (MeHg
+
) is a neurotoxicant abundantly present in the environment. The long-term effects of MeHg
+
have been investigated in rodents, yet data on the long-term or persisted toxicity of ...MeHg
+
in invertebrates is scanty. Here, we examined the acute, intermediate, and chronic effects upon dietary administration of MeHg
+
in nymphs of
Nauphoeta cinerea
. Besides, the potential reversibility of the toxic effects of MeHg
+
after a detoxification period was evaluated. Nymphs were exposed to diets containing 0 (control), 2.5, 25, and 100 μg MeHg
+
/g of diet for 10, 30, and 90 days. Additional groups of nymphs were fed with the same dose of MeHg
+
for 30 days and then were subjected to a detoxification period for 60 days. The nymphs exposed to 100 μg MeHg
+
/g succumbed to a high mortality rate, along with multiple biochemical (increase of reactive oxygen species production and glutathione S-transferase activity, as well as decrease in the acetylcholinesterase activity) and behavioral alterations. We observed delayed mortality rate and behavioral alterations in nymphs exposed to 100 μg MeHg
+
/g for 30 days and subsequently subjected to 60 days of detoxification. However, the biochemical alterations did not persist throughout the detoxification period. In conclusion, our results established the persistent toxic effect of MeHg
+
even after a prolonged detoxification period and evidenced the use of
N. cinerea
as an alternative model to study the toxicity of MeHg
+
.
PCR DNA amplification of IgH genes was performed on liver biopsy samples of 42 unselected hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive patients. Genotypic analysis and signal amplification by branched DNA were ...used to characterize and quantitate HCV RNA genomic sequences. Intraportal lymphoid follicle-like structures were isolated from surrounding hepatocytes by microdissection technique. IgH VDJ PCR products were cloned and sequenced. IgH VDJ gene rearrangements were detected in the liver of 26 (62%) patients. Unequivocal monoclonal or oligoclonal patterns of B cell expansions were found in 14 (33.3%) and 12 (28.6%) patients, respectively. Patients with intrahepatic B cell monoclonal expansions showed liver HCV RNA levels higher than those with oligoclonal or polyclonal features (1106.4 +/- 593.5 vs 677.3 +/- 424.3 vs 406.2 +/- 354.3 pg HCV RNA/g tissue; p = 0.048 and p = 0.001, respectively). Although a single dominant band was obtained with total DNA, characterization of DNA recovered from intraportal inflammatory aggregates resulted in the detection of multiple IgH VDJ gene rearrangements, pointing to an oligoclonal pattern of lymphoproliferation. Cloning and sequence analyses showed that B cell clonalities were differently distributed in adjacent portal tracts of the same liver area. In addition, HCV RNA genomic sequences could be consistently amplified from each of the portal inflammatory aggregates examined. These data support the concept that in chronic HCV infection the intrahepatic B cell repertoire is frequently clonally restricted and that HCV may have a direct role in sustaining in situ B cell proliferation.
Contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) of the breast has been investigated for over 10 years. The reports of sensitivity for cancer detection have generally been greater than 90 %. However, estimates of ...specificity have varied greatly. Differing results are due to differences in study populations, technical methods and criteria for interpretation. Early and marked signal rise, detected using dynamic imaging technique following contrast administration, is the MRI hallmark of cancer. However, some malignant lesions may enhance slowly or minimally, and a variety of benign lesions may enhance rapidly with marked signal intensity. High resolution techniques generally requiring longer acquisition times are more likely to depict the slowly enhancing malignancies at the cost of a decrease in specificity due to lack of temporal resolution. This disadvantage may be offset by the improved visualization of lesion morphology with high resolution images. This report reviews the methods and results of the leading investigators of breast MRI.
New chalcogenobiotin derivatives were synthesized and tested against Bladder Carcinoma 5637 cells with tellurium biotin derivatives displaying effective antiproliferative activity. Additionally, the ...tellurium biotin derivatives also demonstrated antioxidant activity as well as no toxicity in in vitro or in vivo studies.
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Approximately 90% of bladder carcinomas are of the urothelial carcinoma type, which are characterized by high rates of recurrence and predisposition to progress to invasive tumors, representing one of the most costly neoplasms for health systems. Intravesical chemotherapy is a standard for the treatment of non-invasive bladder cancer. However, chemotherapy is usually aggressive and cytotoxic, which increases the death rates caused by cancer. Heterocyclic compounds which exhibit favorable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties may enhance drug affinity for a target protein by targeting the treatment. Thus, this work presents the synthesis, characterization, and in vitro biological evaluation of new antioxidant (inhibition of lipid peroxidation, scavenging of free radical DPPH, and thiol peroxidase-like activity) and antiproliferative chalcogenobiotin derivatives and tests them against bladder carcinoma 5637 cells. A prominent response was obtained for the selected compounds, with tellurium biotin derivatives displaying effective antioxidant and antiproliferative activity. The effective compounds also demonstrated no toxicity in in vitro or in vivo studies.
Functional traits determine an organism's performance in a given environment and as such determine which organisms will be found where. Species respond to local conditions, but also to larger scale ...gradients, such as climate. Trait ecology links these responses of species to community composition and species distributions. Yet, we often do not know which environmental gradients are most important in determining community trait composition at either local or biogeographical scales, or their interaction. Here we quantify the relative contribution of local and climatic conditions to the structure and composition of functional traits found within bromeliad invertebrate communities. We conclude that climate explains more variation in invertebrate trait composition within bromeliads than does local conditions. Importantly, climate mediated the response of traits to local conditions; for example, invertebrates with benthic life‐history traits increased with bromeliad water volume only under certain precipitation regimes. Our ability to detect this and other patterns hinged on the compilation of multiple fine‐grained datasets, allowing us to contrast the effect of climate versus local conditions. We suggest that, in addition to sampling communities at local scales, we need to aggregate studies that span large ranges in climate variation in order to fully understand trait filtering at local, regional and global scales.
The antagonism of mercury toxicity by selenium has been well documented. Mercury is a toxic metal, widespread in the environment. The main target organs (kidneys, lungs, or brain) of mercury vary ...depending on its chemical forms (inorganic or organic). Selenium is a semimetal essential to mammalian life as part of the amino acid selenocysteine, which is required to the synthesis of the selenoproteins. This chapter has the aim of disclosing the role of selenide or hydrogen selenide (Se
or HSe
) as central metabolite of selenium and as an important antidote of the electrophilic mercury forms (particularly, Hg
and MeHg). Emphasis will be centered on the neurotoxicity of electrophile forms of mercury and selenium. The controversial participation of electrophile mercury and selenium forms in the development of some neurodegenerative disease will be briefly presented. The potential pharmacological use of organoseleno compounds (Ebselen and diphenyl diselenide) in the treatment of mercury poisoning will be considered. The central role of thiol (-SH) and selenol (-SeH) groups as the generic targets of electrophile mercury forms and the need of new in silico tools to guide the future biological researches will be commented.
The compound probability density function (pdf) is investigated for the ability of its parameters to classify masses in ultrasonic B scan breast images. Results of 198 images (29 malignant and 70 ...benign cases and two images per case) are reported and compared to the classification performance reported by us earlier in this journal. A new parameter, the speckle factor, calculated from the parameters of the compound pdf was explored to separate benign and malignant masses. The receiver operating characteristic curve for the parameter resulted in an A(z) value of 0.852. This parameter was combined with one of the parameters from our previous work, namely the ratio of the K distribution parameter at the site and away from the site. This combined parameter resulted in an A(z) value of 0.955. In conclusion, the parameters of the K distribution and the compound pdf may be useful in the classification of breast masses. These parameters can be calculated in an automated fashion. It should be possible to combine the results of the ultrasonic image analysis with those of traditional mammography, thereby increasing the accuracy of breast cancer diagnosis.
To assess accuracy of three different magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques, including the endorectal coil, in staging prostate cancer.
MR imaging was performed in 213 patients with prostate ...cancer with a conventional body coil, with fat suppression and a body coil, and with an endorectal coil. Radiologists identified tumor invasion into periprostatic tissues, neurovascular bundles, and seminal vesicles. Each technique was evaluated separately, and in a subset of 74 patients the three techniques were evaluated together. Images obtained with the two body-coil techniques were read in combination with images obtained with the endorectal coil (combination A) and alone (combination B).
Overall accuracy for conventional body-coil, fat-suppressed body-coil, and endorectal-coil MR was 61%, 64%, and 54%, respectively. Overall group accuracy for combinations A and B was 57% and 61%. Considerable interreader variability was found for combination A.
No technique was highly accurate for staging early prostate cancer. Individual radiologists did achieve a high degree of staging accuracy with the endorectal-coil and body-coil combination.
The K-distribution had been introduced as a valid model to represent the statistics of the envelope of the backscattered echo from phantom and tissue. This paper investigates the efficacy of the ...parameters of this statistical model; namely, the effective number and the effective cross-section, to characterize breast lesions as benign or malignant. Based on the normalized values of the effective number and the effective scattering cross-section, images containing benign and malignant masses were classified for a data set from 52 patients having breast masses/lesions. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were then obtained to test the classification based on these two parameters. The results indicate that the parameters of the K-distribution may be useful in classification of the breast lesions as benign and malignant.
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