Antiviral activity of flavonol against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) remains one of the major causative microorganisms of viral diarrhea in piglets worldwide, with no approved drugs for treatment. We identified a natural molecule, flavonol, which is widely found in tea, vegetables and herbs. Subsequently, the antiviral activity of compound flavonol was evaluated in Vero cells and IPEC-J2 cells, and its anti-PEDV mechanism was analyzed by molecular docking and molecular dynamics. The results showed that flavonol could effectively inhibit viral progeny production, RNA synthesis and protein expression of PEDV strains in a dose-dependent manner. When flavonol was added simultaneously with viral infection in Vero cells, it demonstrated potent anti-PEDV activity by affecting the viral attachment and internalization phases. Similarly, in IPEC-J2 cells, flavonol effectively inhibited PEDV infection at different stages of infection, except for the release phase. Moreover, flavonol mainly interacts with PEDV Mpro through hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic forces, and the complex formed by it has high stability. Importantly, flavonol also showed broad-spectrum activity against other porcine enteric coronaviruses such as TGEV and PDCoV in vitro. These findings suggest that flavonol may exert antiviral effects by interacting with viral Mpro, thereby affecting viral replication. This means that flavonol is expected to become a potential drug to prevent or treat porcine enteric coronavirus.

Preparation of high-affinity and high-specificity monoclonal antibody and development of ultra-sensitive immunoassay for the detection of 1-aminohydantoin, the metabolite of nitrofurantoin.

1-Aminohydantoin (AHD), the residual marker of nitrofurantoin, is usually detected after derivatisation using the derivatisation reagent 2-nitrobenzaldehyde. Avoiding the antibody recognition of the derivatisation reagent is essential for the accurate detection of AHD residues. In this paper, a novel hapten called hapten D was designed, and then, a monoclonal antibody that did not recognise 2-nitrobenzaldehyde was prepared based on this novel hapten. An ultra-sensitive indirect competitive enzyme linked-immunosorbent assay (icELISA) was established under optimal conditions. The 50% inhibition concentration and limit of detection of AHD were 0.056 and 0.0060 ng/mL, respectively, which improved the sensitivity by 9-37-fold compared with the previously reported icELISA methods. The average recovery rates were 88.1%-97.3%, and the coefficient of variation was <8.6%. The accuracy and reliability of the icELISA were verified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. These results demonstrated that the developed icELISA is a useful and reliable tool.

Rapid immunoassays for the detection of quinoxalines and their metabolites residues in animal-derived foods: A review.

Quinoxalines are a class of veterinary drugs with antibacterial and growth-promoting functions. They are often widely used to treat and prevent animal diseases and are illegally used as animal growth promoters to increase economic benefits. Quinoxalines could be easily metabolized in animals to various residue markers and remain in animal-derived foods, which would pose a serious threat to human health. Consequently, it is necessary to detect the residues of quinoxalines and their metabolites. This article reviewed and evaluated immunoassays for quinoxalines and their metabolites in animal-derived foods, mainly including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, fluorescence immunosorbent assays, immunochromatography, and surface plasmon resonance biosensors. In addition, we deeply explored the design of haptens for quinoxalines and their metabolites and analyzed the effect of haptens on antibody performance. This paper aims to provide guidance and references for their accurate and sensitive detection, thereby ensuring food safety and human public health.

A sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of pymetrozine in vegetable, cereal, and meat.

Pymetrozine is a neonicotinoid insecticide with high efficacy against aphids and planthoppers, and has been used worldwide. To monitor its residue in food, a highly specific and sensitive monoclonal antibody (McAb) was prepared, and an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) was developed to detect pymetrozine, with a 50% inhibition value (IC50) of 7.70 µg/L. The McAb showed little affinity for acetamiprid, hexazinone, metamitron, nitenpyram, metribuzin, and imidacloprid. The limits of detection (LOD) calculated from the analysis of broccoli, cabbage, wheat, maize, rice, chicken, fish, and crayfish samples were from 1.56 to 2.72 µg/kg and the average recoveries were from 81.25 to 103.19%. icELISA was confirmed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). These results demonstrated that the optimised icELISA is a convenient and effective analytical tool for monitoring pymetrozine residues in food.

Complete genomic sequence analysis and intestinal tissue localization of a porcine Kobuvirus variant in China.

Porcine kobuvirus (PKV) infection is very common in both healthy pigs and diarrhea pigs throughout the world. However, there is no proof that it causes diarrhea, and little is known about its role in diarrhea. There are only a few reports concerning porcine kobuvirus separation at present, which makes investigating its invasion and pathogenesis mechanisms difficult. This study sequenced the entire genome of a porcine kobuvirus strain termed "Wuhan2020" after it was isolated from intestinal tissue samples of healthy piglets. The analysis results revealed that it shared the most resemblance with the WUH1 strain (89.5%) and belonged to the same evolutionary branch as the Hungarian strain S-1-SUN. The PKV was located using the in situ hybridization (ISH) approach, which revealed that it was colonized in intestinal villus epithelial cells and lymphocytes in the Peyer's patch. In general, we analyzed the genetic evolution of PKV, discovered PKV susceptible cells and determined PKV localization in the intestine of infected pigs, providing a reference for future research.

Feasibility analyses of virtual models and 3D printing for surgical simulation of the double-outlet right ventricle.

Accurate diagnosis and surgical selection of the double-outlet right ventricle (DORV) is both critical and difficult. Virtual models and three-dimensional (3D) printing have been used to provide morphological copies to doctors as reference. However, the existing methods have shortcomings in visualization of the surgical results, optimal surgical design, and accurate surgical scheme measurements. To overcome this problem, we performed surgical predictions by designing the intraventricular baffle and ventricular septal defect patch to evaluate surgical options and using 3D printing to guide the trimming of the baffle or patch. A complete set of processes including scanning, modeling, designing, 3D printing, and guiding the trimming of the baffle for the diagnosis and surgical planning of DORV was established. Six cases were used to evaluate the feasibility of this method. The average rate of misdiagnosis of the six cases by computed tomography and echocardiography was 42.5%, which was reduced to 4.6% when the diagnosis was established using the virtual models and 3D printing as auxiliary tools. The approach effectively improved diagnostic accuracy, guided the operation, and simplified the process of patch trimming. The proposed method can thus be used for improving the surgical simulation and guiding of the DORV surgery.

Study of the effect of intestinal immunity in neonatal piglets coinfected with porcine deltacoronavirus and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus.

Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) have often been detected simultaneously in piglets with coronavirus diarrhea. However, the intestinal immune response to the interaction between circulating PDCoV and PEDV is unknown. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the intestinal immunity of neonatal piglets that were exposed first to PDCoV and then to PEDV. The amounts and distribution of CD3+ T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, and goblet cells (GCs) in the small intestine were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and periodic acid-Schiff staining, respectively. The expression levels of pattern recognition receptors and downstream mediator cytokines were analyzed by qPCR and ELISA. The results showed that the numbers of GCs, CD3+ T lymphocytes, and B lymphocytes in the duodenum and jejunum of the PDCoV + PEDV coinoculated piglets were increased compared with those of piglets inoculated with PEDV alone. The piglets in the PDCoV + PEDV group had significantly upregulated IFN-α and IFN-λ1 compared with the PEDV single-inoculated piglets. These results suggest that PDCoV + PEDV-coinfected piglets can activate intestinal antiviral immunity more strongly than piglets infected with PEDV alone, which provides new insight into the pathogenesis mechanism of swine enteric coronavirus coinfection that may be used for vaccination in the future.

Comparison of blood pool and myocardial 3D printing in the diagnosis of types of congenital heart disease.

The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of blood pool and myocardial models made by stereolithography in the diagnosis of different types of congenital heart disease (CHD). Two modeling methods were applied in the diagnosis of 8 cases, and two control groups consisting of experts and students diagnosed the cases using echocardiography with computed tomography, blood pool models, and myocardial models. The importance, suitability, and simulation degree of different models were analyzed. The average diagnostic rate before and after 3D printing was used was 88.75% and 95.9% (P = 0.001) in the expert group and 60% and 91.6% (P = 0.000) in the student group, respectively. 3D printing was considered to be more important for the diagnosis of complex CHDs (very important; average, 87.8%) than simple CHDs (very important; average, 30.8%) (P = 0.000). Myocardial models were considered most realistic regarding the structure of the heart (average, 92.5%). In cases of congenital corrected transposition of great arteries, Williams syndrome, coronary artery fistula, tetralogy of Fallot, patent ductus arteriosus, and coarctation of the aorta, blood pool models were considered more effective (average, 92.1%), while in cases of double outlet right ventricle and ventricular septal defect, myocardial models were considered optimal (average, 80%).

Effect of 3D-printed hearts used in left ventricular outflow tract obstruction: a multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to explore the application value of a three-dimensional (3D)-printed heart in surgery for left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction. METHODS: From August 2019 to October 2021, 46 patients with LVOT obstruction underwent surgical treatment at our institution. According to the treatment method, 22 and 24 patients were allocated to the experimental and control groups, respectively. In the experimental group, each patient's 3D-printed heart model was used for simulated preoperative surgery, and then the Morrow operation was performed. In the control group, only the Morrow operation was performed, without simulated preoperative surgery using a 3D-printed heart model. The intraoperative and postoperative data of patients in the two groups were recorded, and the clinical data of patients were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The operation time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, intraoperative blood loss, hospitalization time, LVOT pressure difference (LVP), postoperative interventricular septal thickness (IST), aortic regurgitation (AR), systolic anterior motion (SAM), and postoperative left ventricular flow velocity (LVFV) were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The inner diameter of the left ventricular outflow tract (IDLV) was larger in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the postoperative ejection fraction, atrioventricular block rate or complication rate between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: A 3D-printed heart model for simulated surgery in vitro is conducive to formulating a more reasonable surgical plan and reducing the trauma and duration of surgery, thereby promoting the recovery and maintenance of the heart.

A Novel Metabolite as a Hapten to Prepare Monoclonal Antibodies for Rapid Screening of Quinoxaline Drug Residues.

Quinoxalines (Qx) are chemically synthesized antibacterial drugs with strong antibacterial and growth-promoting effects. Qx is heavily abused by farmers, resulting in large residues in animal-derived foods, which pose a serious threat to human health. Desoxyquinoxalines (DQx), which have the highest residue levels, have been identified as the major toxicant and have become a new generation of residue markers. In this study, we prepared monoclonal antibodies (mAb) based on a new generation metabolite (desoxymequindox, DMEQ) and establish an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) for the rapid determination of Qx residues in food. The mAb exhibited high sensitivity with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) and a linear range of 2.84 µg/L and 0.8-12.8 µg/L, respectively. Additionally, the cross-reactivity (CR) of the mAb showed that it recognized multiple DQx to varying levels. The limits of detection (LOD), limits of quantification (LOQ), and recoveries for the ic-ELISA assay of pork, swine liver, swine kidney, chicken, and chicken liver were 0.48-0.58 µg/kg, 0.61-0.90 µg/kg, and 73.7-107.8%, respectively, and the coefficients of variation (CV) were less than 11%. The results of the ic-ELISA showed a good correlation with LC-MS/MS in animal-derived foods. This suggests that this analytical method can be used for the rapid screening of QX residues.

Feasibility Analysis of 3D Printing With Prenatal Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Fetal Abnormalities.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility and accuracy of 3D printing with prenatal three-dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) in the diagnosis of fetal abnormalities. METHODS: Fetuses initially diagnosed with various abnormalities were included in this retrospective study. The fetuses were examined by 3DUS, modeled, and 3D printed, and the dimensional accuracy of the 3D prints was analyzed. The effectiveness, demand, necessity of 3D printing, and the diagnostic accuracy of different methods were analyzed based on questionnaire responses from 40 senior ultrasound doctors and 40 postgraduate students. RESULTS: A total of 12 fetuses with cleft lip and palate, spinal, heart, or brain abnormalities were included for detailed assessment. All deviations (mean deviation: 0.1 mm) between the original images and the final 3D prints lay within the consistency boundary (-1.12, 1.31 mm) (P > .05). In the subsequent analyses, 90.8% of the doctors and 94.2% of the students strongly agreed that 3D printing could precisely represent and depict fetal abnormalities. The average misdiagnosis rate of the doctors decreased from 5% to 0.4% after the application of 3D printing combined with 3DUS in comparison with 3DUS alone, and the corresponding value for the students dropped from 17.9% to 5.2%. CONCLUSIONS: The errors in modeling and 3D printing based on 3DUS were within acceptable limits, and 3D printing improved the diagnosis of various fetal abnormalities.

Coinfection of porcine deltacoronavirus and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus altered viral tropism in gastrointestinal tract in a piglet model.

Coinfection of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) is one of common findings in diarrheal piglets that cause massive economic losses to the pig industry globally. However, the mechanism of the co-infection is unclear. In this study, neonatal non-colostrum-fed piglets were exposed orally with a single infection of PDCoV or PEDV, or coinfection of PDCoV and PEDV. Clinically all viral infected piglets developed watery diarrhea and dehydration in 24 h post-exposure (hpe) and were succumbed to viral diarrhea disease and euthanized at 72 hpe. Histopathologically, acute gastroenteritis is evident in all viral infected piglet. Immunohistochemistry, RNAscope and RT-qPCR demonstrated that PEDV tropism changes from epithelial cells of small intestine to gastric epithelial cells and macrophages in Peyer's patches in the ileum. These findings suggest that coinfection of PDCoV and PEDV can alter PEDV tropism that may affect the outcome of viral disease in piglets. This animal model can be used for the pathogenesis and vaccination of viral coinfection in piglet in the future.

Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Characteristics of Renal Pelvis Urothelial Carcinoma and Its Relationship with Microvessel Density.

We studied the characteristics of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in renal pelvic urothelial carcinomas and explored its performance in assessing microvessel density (MVD) of tumor tissues. We retrospectively analyzed the characteristics of 125 cases, which were confirmed pathologically to be renal pelvic urothelial carcinomas using CEUS. We performed CEUS and found that most tumors presented with an enhanced mode of "slow-in (mean = 16.7 ± 2.6 s, range: 12-25 s), hypo-enhancement and fast-out (mean = 69.3 ± 16.2 s, range: 42-113 s)." However, the wash-in pattern, homogeneity and wash-out pattern observed with CEUS was not correlated with pT stage and grade (p > 0.05). But advanced-pT-stage and high-grade tumors had a higher peak enhancement than early-pT-stage and low-grade tumors (p < 0.01). Peak enhancement obtained with CEUS can be used to evaluate the pT stage and grade of renal pelvic urothelial carcinomas more effectively. The MVD of those tissues was observed using immunohistochemical staining of cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34). MVD in the advanced-pT-stage and high-grade groups was significantly higher than that in the early-pT-stage and low-grade groups (p < 0.01). As tumor pT stage and grade improved, CEUS peak enhancement intensity and MVD of tumors also exhibited an upward trend. CEUS peak enhancement intensity has the potential to determine MVD of renal pelvic urothelial carcinomas.

Initial Experience of the Application of Automated Tube Potential Selection Technique in High-pitch Dual-source CT Angiography of Whole Aorta Using Third-generation Dual-source CT Scanner.

Objective To evaluate the application of automated tube potential selection technique in high-pitch dual-source CT aortic angiography on a third-generation dual-source CT scanner. Methods Whole aorta angiography were indiated in 59 patients,who were divided into 2 groups using a simple random method:in group 1 there were 31 patients who underwent the examination with automated tube potential selection using a vascular setting with a preferred image quality of 288 mA/100 kV;in group 2 there were 28 patients who underwent the examination with a tube voltage of 100 kV and automated tube current modulation using a reference tube current of 288 mA. Both groups were scanned on a third generation dual-source CT device operated in dual-source high-pitch ECG-gating mode with a pitch of 3.0,collimation of 2×192×0.6 mm,and a rotation time of 0.25 s. Iterative reconstruction algorithm was used. For group 1,the volume and flow of contrast medium and chasing saline were adapted to the tube voltage. For group 2,a contrast material bolus of 45 ml with a flow of 4.5 ml/s followed by a 50 ml saline chaser at 5 ml/s was used. CTA scan was automatically started using a bolus tracking technique at the level of the original part of aorta after a trigger threshold of 100 HU was reached. The start delay was set to 6 s in both groups. Effective dose (ED),signal to noise ratio (SNR),contrast to noise ratio (CNR),and subjective diagnostic quality of both groups were evaluated. Results The mean ED were 21.3% lower (t=-3.099,P=0.000) in group 1 [(2.48±0.80) mSv] than in group 2 [(3.15±0.86) mSv]. Two groups showed no significant difference in attenuation,SD,SNR,or CNR at all evaluational parts of aorta (ascending aorta,aortic arch,diaphragmatic aorta,or iliac bifurcation)(all P>0.05). There was no significant difference in subjective diagnostic quality values of two groups [(1.41±0.50) scores vs. (1.39±0.50) scores;W=828.5,P=0.837]. Conclusion Compared with automated tube current modulation,the automated tube potential selection technique in aorta CT angiography on a third-generation dual-source CT can dramatically reduce radiation dose without affecting image quality.

Initial Experience of the Application of Third-generation Dual-source CT Scanner in High-pitch Angiography of Aorta.

Objective To evaluate the value of third-generation dual-source CT scanner in application of high-pitch aorta CT angiography(CTA). Methods Totally 59 patients clinically indicated for whole aorta angiography were divided into 2 groups using a simple random method:in group 1 there were 28 patients who underwent the examination on a third-generation dual-source CT device,with a collimation of 2×192×0.6 mm and a rotation time of 0.25 s;in group 2 there were 31 patients who underwent the examination on a second generation dual-source CT device,with a collimation of 2×128×0.6 mm and a rotation time of 0.28 s. Both groups were given the examination operated in dual-source high-pitch ECG-gating mode with a pitch of 3.0,a tube voltage of 100 kV,and automated tube current modulation using a reference tube current of 288 mA. A contrast material bolus of 45 ml with a flow of 4.5 ml/s followed by a 50 ml saline chaser in 5.0 ml/s was used. CTA scan was automatically started using a bolus tracking technique at the level of the original part of aorta after a trigger threshold of 100 HU was reached. The start delay was set to 6 s in both groups. Effective dose(ED),signal to noise ratio (SNR),contrast to noise ratio (CNR),and subjective diagnostic quality of both groups were evaluated. Results The mean ED were 19.44% lower (t=-3.989,P=0.000) in group 1 [(3.15±0.86)mSv] than in group 2 [(3.91±0.60)mSv]. These two groups showed no significant differences in SNR or CNR (all P >0.05). The subjective diagnostic quality values also showed no significant difference between two groups [(1.39±0.50)scores vs. (1.45±0.51)scores;W=814.5,P=0.651].Conclusion Compared with the second-generation dual-source CT scanner,the third-generation dual-source CT scanner in whole aorta CTA can remarkably reduce the radiation dose without affecting image quality.

Correlation Between Dual-energy and Perfusion CT in Patients with Focal Liver Lesions Using Third-generation Dual-source CT Scanner.

Objective To compare measurements of dual-energy CT iodine map parameters and liver perfusion CT parameters in patients with focal liver lesions using a third-generation dual-source CT scanner. Methods Between November 2015 and August 2016,33 patients with non-cystic focal lesions of liver were enrolled in this study. CT examinations were performed with a third-generation dual-source CT. The study CT protocol included a perfusion CT and dual-energy arterial and portal venous scans,with a time interval of 15 minutes. Iodine attenuation was measured at five region of interests including areas of high,medium,and low density within the lesion,as well as right and left liver parenchyma from the iodine map,while arterial liver perfusion (ALP),portal venous liver perfusion (PVP),and hepatic perfusion index (HPI) at the same location were measured from perfusion CT. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the relationship between iodine attenuation and perfusion parameters. Results The iodine attenuation at arterial phase showed significant intra-individual correlation with ALP (r=0.812,95% CI=0.728-0.885,P<0.001)and PVP (r=-0.209,95% CI=-0.323--0.073,P=0.007),but not significantly correlated with HPI (r=0.058,95% CI=0.046-0.498,P=0.461). The iodine attenuation at portal venous phase showed significant correlation with PVP (r=0.214,95% CI=0.072-0.361,P=0.005) but not with HPI(r=0.036,95% CI=-0.002-0.242,P=0.649). The mean effective dose of arterial phase and portal venous phase of dual-energy CT together [(3.53±1.17)mSv] was significantly lower than that of the perfusion CT [(14.53±0.45)mSv](t=25.212,P<0.001). Conclusion Iodine attenuation from arterial phase of dual energy CT demonstrates significant correlation with ALP and PVP,and iodine attenuation from portal venous phase demonstrates significant correlation with PVP.

Feasibility Study of Low-dose Prostate CT Perfusion on Third-generation Dual-source CT.

Objective To investigate the feasibility of using low-dose prostate CT perfusion (pCTP)on a third-generation dual-source CT. Methods Nine patients with elevated prostate-specific antigen underwent pCTP before having prostate biopsy. We measured the blood flow (BF),blood volume (BV),mean transit time (MTT),permeability surface (PS),and time to peak(TTP)of both lesions and normal prostate tissue. The effective dose (ED)was calculated. Results Of the 9 cases,6 were prostate cancers and 3 were prostate hyperplasia with chronic inflammation. The average ED of the 9 pCTPs was (3.5±0.3)mSv. The BF (t=4.64,P<0.001),BV (t=3.27,P<0.001),and PS (t=3.58,P=0.004)of prostate cancer were significantly higher than those of normal prostate tissue and TTP (t=-1.26,P<0.001)of prostate cancer was significantly lower than that of normal prostate tissue. BF (t=3.96,P=0.001)and PS (t=2.91,P=0.021)of prostate hyperplasia with chronic inflammation were also significantly higher and TTP (t=-1.19,P<0.001)was significantly lower than those of normal prostate tissue. TTP of prostate cancer was significantly lower than that of prostate hyperplasia with chronic inflammation (t=-2.56,P=0.049). Conclusion sLow-dose pCTP is feasible on third-generation dual-source CT. The BF,PS,and TTP differ among prostate cancer,prostate hyperplasia with chronic inflammation,and normal prostate tissue.

High-pitch low-dose abdominopelvic CT with tin-filtration technique for detecting urinary stones.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate urinary stone detection, radiation exposure, image quality, breathing-motion artifacts, and scanning time with high-pitch tin filter-based abdominopelvic CT. METHODS: Sixty-three consecutive patients with urolithiasis underwent non-enhanced abdominopelvic CT with both regular (120 kV, pitch 0.6) and low-dose (Sn150kV, pitch 3.0) protocols on a third-generation dual-source CT. Stone characteristics, image noise (SD), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), subjective image quality on a 5-point likert scale breathing-motion artifacts, and scanning time were evaluated. Volume CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length product (DLP), effective dose (ED) were compared. RESULTS: A total of 157 urinary stones were detected by regular protocol; 154 were correctly identified by low-dose protocol with an overall detection rate of 98.1%. No significant differences were observed in SD, SNR, or subjective image quality between two protocols (P > 0.05). Compared to regular protocol, CTDIvol and ED were 56.6% (7.19 vs. 3.12 mGy, P < 0.001) and 55.6% (5.25 vs. 2.33 mSv, P < 0.001) lower; scanning time was 89.5% (7.9 vs. 0.83, P < 0.001) shorter; and breathing-motion artifacts were fewer (8 vs. 0 patients) with low-dose protocol. CONCLUSIONS: High-pitch abdominopelvic CT with Sn150kV substantially reduced radiation exposure and scanning time, while maintained stone detection and image quality and prevented breathing-motion artifacts.

Impact of target area selection in 125 Iodine seed brachytherapy on locoregional recurrence in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous implantation of 125 Iodine radioactive seeds requires the precise arrangement of seeds by tumor shape. We tested whether selecting target areas, including subclinical areas around tumors, can influence locoregional recurrence in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHOD: We divided 82 patients with NSCLC into two groups. Target areas in group 1 (n = 40) were defined along tumor margins based on lung-window CT. Target areas in group 2 (n = 42) were extended by 0.5 cm in all dimensions outside tumor margins. Preoperative plans for both groups were based on a treatment plan system, which guided 125 I seed implantation. Six months later, patients underwent chest CT to evaluate treatment efficacy (per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1). We compared locoregional recurrences between the groups after a year of follow-up. We then used the treatment plan system to extend target areas for group 1 patients by 0.5 cm (defined as group 3 data) and compared these hypothetical group 3 planned seeds with the actual seed numbers used in group 1 patients. RESULTS: All patients successfully underwent implantation; none died during the follow-up period. Recurrence was significantly lower in group 2 than in group 1 ( P < 0.05). Group 1 patients and group 3 data significantly differed in seed numbers ( P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Our results imply that extending the implantation area for 125 I seeds can decrease recurrence risk by eradicating cancerous lymph-duct blockades within the extended areas.

[Value of enhanced computed tomography in the diagnosis of adrenal hemangioma].

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the computed tomography (CT) findings of adrenal hemangioma. METHOD: The CT findings of 9 patients with pathologically proved adrenal hemangioma from June 2008 to March 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: All the tumors were located unilaterally, with 4 in the left and 5 in the right. The tumors were 1.5-8.4 cm in size with complete capsule and well-defined contour. Among these nine tumors, six were round or ovoid, while the other three had irregular shapes. Plain scan showed mixed density in 8 and cystic change in 1. After contrast enhancement, six tumors manifested with inhomogeneous enhancement and the other three without enhancement. For three cases who underwent multi-phase enhanced CT scans, irregular enhancement at the periphery of the masses were showed in artery phase, and centripetal filling with contrast medium to the center of masses were showed in the portal and delayed phases. CONCLUSIONS: Hemangioma is a rare benign tumor of the adrenal gland. CT findings are diverse, and the preoperative misdiagnosing rate can be high. Multi-phase enhanced CT scan may show characteristic features of adrenal hemangioma and help achieve correct preoperative diagnosis.