Elastosonography and two-dimensional ultrasonography in diagnosis of axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer.

AIM: To compare diagnostic value of two-dimensional (2D) ultrasonography and elastosonography for suspected axillary lymph node metastasis of breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Elastosonography and 2D ultrasonography were performed on 78 axillary lymph nodes of 78 patients with suspected breast cancer. Scores of shape, long- to short-axis ratio, cortical thickness, and lymph node hilum were summed as the score of each lymph node at 2D ultrasonography, while a four-point scale was adopted for elasticity scoring. The combined score of each lymph node was obtained by summing the score at 2D ultrasonography and that at elasticity scoring. The strain ratio was calculated by comparison of the average strain of the lymph node with that of the subcutaneous tissue. Diagnostic efficacies of 2D ultrasonography, elasticity scoring, and the combined method were compared. RESULTS: There were 78 axillary lymph nodes, including 34 non-metastatic and 44 metastatic nodes. The elasticity scores of non-metastatic and metastatic axillary lymph nodes were 1.44±0.82 and 3.11±0.75, respectively (p<0.05). The difference in area under the operating characteristic curve (AUC) was statistically significant between 2D ultrasonography and the combined method (p<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 2D ultrasonography and elasticity scoring were 77.3% versus 86.4%, 76.5% versus 85.3%, and 76.9% versus 85.9%, respectively (all p>0.05), and those of the combined method were 93.2%, 73.5%, and 84.6%, respectively. There was a significant difference in sensitivity between 2D ultrasonography and the combined method (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Combined application of 2D ultrasonography with elastosonography can improve the diagnostic capability for metastatic axillary lymph node characterisation in breast cancer.

The prevalence of Parkinson's disease continues to rise after 80 years of age: a cross-sectional study of Chinese veterans.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine whether the prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) continues to rise after 80 years of age. METHODS: This is a two-stage, multi-center, cross-sectional study using a stratified cluster sampling approach was employed. Subjects included veterans at ≥ 60 years of age living in veterans' communities for at least one month in 18 major cities across China. In the first step, possible PD was screened using a PD screening scale. Demographic and relevant information were collected. In the second step, PD diagnosis was established using the United Kingdom Parkinson's Disease Society Brain Bank (UKPDSBB) diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: The study was conducted during the period from December 2009 to December 2012. The study included 277 veterans' communities. Among the approached 11,593 subjects, 9676 subjects, (9096 men, 580 women) responded. The response rate was 83.46%.The age was ≥ 80 years in 6722 (69.47%) subjects. A diagnosis of PD was established in 228 subjects (2.36%) in the entire sample. The rate of PD was 2.65% in those with an age of ≥ 80 years. The rate of PD increased with increasing age (0%, 1.84%, 2.60% and 3.68% in the subjects at < 70, 70-79, 80-89 and ≥ 90 years of age, respectively; χ2 = 10.891, p = 0.001 in chi-square test). The rate of PD was higher in men (2.44%) than in women (1.46%) on the surface. However, no significant difference was detected (p = 0.241). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of PD continues to increase beyond the age of 80 years. The prevalence of PD in Chinese veterans is not lower than that in other countries and regions.