Performance and reading time of lung nodule identification on multidetector CT with or without an artificial intelligence-powered computer-aided detection system.

AIM: To compare the performance and reading time of different readers using automatic artificial intelligence (AI)-powered computer-aided detection (CAD) to detect lung nodules in different reading modes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and fifty multidetector computed tomography (CT) datasets containing 340 nodules ≤10 mm in diameter were collected retrospectively. A CAD with vessel-suppressed function was used to interpret the images. Three junior and three senior readers were assigned to read (1) CT images without CAD, (2) second-read using CAD in which CAD was applied only after initial unassisted assessment, and (3) a concurrent read with CAD in which CAD was applied at the start of assessment. Diagnostic performances and reading times were compared using analysis of variance. RESULTS: For all readers, the mean sensitivity improved from 64% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 62%, 66%) for the without-CAD mode to 82% (95% CI: 80%, 84%) for the second-reading mode and to 80% (95% CI: 79%, 82%) for the concurrent-reading mode (p<0.001). There was no significant difference between the two modes in terms of the mean sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for both junior and senior readers and all readers (p>0.05). The reading time of all readers was significantly shorter for the concurrent-reading mode (124 ± 25 seconds) compared to without CAD (156 ± 34 seconds; p<0.001) and the second-reading mode (197 ± 46 seconds; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: In CAD for lung nodules at CT, the second-reading mode and concurrent-reading mode may improve detection performance for all readers in both screening and clinical routine practice. Concurrent use of CAD is more efficient for both junior and senior readers.

Significance and positive predictive values of mammographic findings in the Asia-Pacific region: a single-centre study in Taiwan.

AIM: To report positive predictive values (PPVs) of mammographic findings (MFs) of a screening cohort in Taiwan with a view to providing radiologists around the world with adequate information for assessing MFs before recommending biopsy for Asian women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2014 and June 2017, 18,449 women received screening mammography at Tri-Service General Hospital (TSGH). Of these women, 1,622 exhibited specific MFs, namely mass (n=518), microcalcification (n=668), focal asymmetry (FA; n=462), and architectural distortion (AD; n=117). The distribution and PPVs of each MF were calculated after stratification based on cancer type, age, and breast density. RESULTS: The age group with the highest proportion of women was 50-59 years (48.1%), and most women presented with dense breasts (68.6%). The most common MF in the recalled women was microcalcification (41.2%) and the least common was AD (7.2%). AD was the most predictive MF for overall breast cancers, invasive carcinomas, and carcinomas in situ. Microcalcification was the second most predictive MF among recalled women for predicting overall breast cancers; however, it was less predictive than mass and FA in women who received a biopsy recommendation or underwent biopsy. CONCLUSION: AD can indicate the likelihood of breast cancer development in Asian women with abnormal screening results. Benign breast diseases are more likely to occur in women recommended for or receiving breast biopsy owing to microcalcification than to mass or FA.

Low-Voltage Metal-Oxide Thin Film Transistors Using P-Type Tin-Oxide Semiconductors.

In this paper, the effect of channel annealing and oxygen flow rate in P-type tin-monoxide (SnO) thin film transistor (TFT) was investigated to reach the process compatibility with n-type oxide-based TFT. The optimized P-type SnO TFT with a small threshold voltage of -0.1 V, a high field-effect mobility of 4 cm² V-1 s-1 and an on/off current ratio of >10² was proposed. From the experimental results, the 150 °C channel annealing revealed a metallic behavior but a semiconductor-like property at a higher 200 °C that was favorable for transistor rectification. Besides, the higher oxygen flow rate was also helpful for improving device mobility and driving current, but shows a slight increase in off-state leakage, which is unavoidable due to the increase of grain in SnO channel.

Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with a novel colonic irrigation system: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Medical treatments for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are often disappointing. A colonic irrigation system, the Ashong colonic irrigation apparatus (ACIA), was designed as a patient-administered device for defecation disorders. This pilot study evaluated the efficacy and safety of ACIA for IBS. METHODS: Eighteen patients, 12 with constipation-dominant IBS (IBS-C) and 6 with diarrhea-dominant IBS (IBS-D) group, were studied. Patients were randomized into treatments of 1-4 weeks. Colonic irrigation was performed twice daily for 6 consecutive days per week. To determine the response to treatment, bowel movement frequency, stool consistency, abdominal pain, patient satisfaction with bowel movements, and distress/discomfort due to symptoms were assessed. RESULTS: The scores of abdominal pain (p < 0.001), satisfaction (p < 0.001), and distress/discomfort (p < 0.001) improved significantly. The frequency of bowel movements in the IBS-C group increased from 1.68 to 3.78 times per week (p < 0.001). The occurrence of Bristol Stool Scale type 1 and 2 stool passage decreased from 45 to 13 % (p = 0.009) in the IBS-C group and type 6 and 7 stools decreased from 62 to 28 % (p = 0.005) in the IBS-D group. Only mild adverse events occurred, and all patients completed treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Colonic irrigation with ACIA is safe and can improve abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea associated with IBS. Patients were more satisfied with their bowel movements and found their symptoms were less disturbing. Larger studies on long-term efficacy and quality of life and on placebo effects are needed.

Experimental study of fat grafting under negative pressure for wounds with exposed bone.

BACKGROUND: The combination of fat grafting and negative pressure (VAC) therapy represents a synergistic interaction of all essential components for wound healing. The aim of this experimental study was to determine whether it could promote healing of wounds with exposed bone. METHODS: Full-thickness wounds with denuded bone in Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with either polyurethane foam dressing, fat grafting alone, polyurethane foam dressing with VAC, or polyurethane foam dressing with VAC combined with a single, or two administrations of fat graft. Wound healing kinetics, tissue growth, cell proliferation (Ki-67) and angiogenesis (platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 and α-smooth muscle actin) were investigated. Messenger RNA levels related to angiogenesis (vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF)), profibrosis (platelet-derived growth factor A and transforming growth factor ß), adipocyte expression (fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) 4 and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ), and extracellular matrix remodelling (collagen I) were measured in wound tissues. RESULTS: Wounds treated by VAC combined with fat grafting were characterized by cell proliferation, neoangiogenesis and maturation of functional blood vessels; they showed accelerated granulation tissue growth over the denuded bone compared with VAC- or foam dressing-treated wounds. Fat grafting alone over denuded bone resulted in complete necrosis. Expression of angiogenesis markers (VEGF and b-FGF) and adipocyte expression factors (FABP-4) was upregulated in wounds treated with VAC combined with fat grafting. CONCLUSION: Fat grafting with VAC therapy may represent a simple but effective clinical solution for a number of complex tissue defects, and warrants testing in clinical models. SURGICAL RELEVANCE: The combination of fat grafting and vacuum therapy represents a synergistic interaction of regenerative cells, hospitable wound matrix and stimulating micromechanical forces. It could accelerate complex wound healing through cell proliferation, neoangiogenesis and maturation of functional blood vessels. The efficacy of a multimodal wound healing approach is established in this experimental model; it could easily be translated into clinical trials of treatment for difficult wounds.

The Role of Oxygen Vacancies on Switching Characteristics of TiO(x) Resistive Memories.

Using oxygen vacancy rich (VO-rich) TiO(x) dielectric with high work function Ni electrode, large resistance window of > 10x and narrow current distribution were realized in the Ni/VO-rich TiO(x)/TaN resistive random access memory (RRAM) device. It can be ascribed to the formation and rupture of conducting filaments by the percolation of VOs and Ti interstitials. Moreover, the effects of annealing treatment and top electrode on resistive switching properties were investigated. The device with VO-deficient TiO(x) after annealing reduces the defects and exhibits small window and low switching currents. The device with low work function Ti top electrode provides low barrier to increase reset currents and the randomly distributed filamentary paths forms near the Ti causes wide current distribution.

The first record, tagging and release of a neonatal whale shark Rhincodon typus in Taiwan.

On 27 October 2013, a Rhincodon typus was apparently chased by a group of Caranx ignobilis into nearshore waters near Green Island (Ludao), east of Taiwan. A fisherman brought it back to port where it was kept in a small sea pen until release. The R. typus was 78 cm total length, and was tagged and released on 29 October 2013.

Association between glomerular filtration rate and plasma N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide concentration in dogs.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between plasma N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide concentration and glomerular filtration rate in dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dogs were classified into four categories by bodyweight. Dogs were divided into four groups (Groups 1 to 4) based on glomerular filtration rate estimates using plasma iohexol clearance per bodyweight category. Generalised linear models were built to explore the relationship between plasma N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide concentration and glomerular filtration rate and the effect of confounders on plasma N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide concentration. RESULTS: Fifty-three dogs were included (Group 1, 25; Group 2, seven; Group 3, five; and Group 4, 16). The medians (interquartile range) N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations for Groups 1 to 4 were 7224 pg/mL (4766 to 10,254 mg/dL), 8958 pg/mL (4935 to 11,271 mg/dL), 9280 pg/mL (9195 to 10,384 mg/dL) and 12,683 pg/mL (9133 to 19,217 mg/dL), respectively. Group 4, estimated to have the highest reduction in glomerular filtration rate, had a higher plasma N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide concentration than Groups 1 to 3. Based on the final generalised linear model, influencing factors for plasma N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide concentration were plasma iohexol clearance (-0.136; 95% confidence interval, -0.227 to -0.046) and bodyweight (-0.058; 95% confidence interval, -0.098 to -0.018). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide concentration is associated with the glomerular filtration rate.

Relationship of initial glucose level and all-cause death in patients with ischaemic stroke: the roles of diabetes mellitus and glycated hemoglobin level.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Previous studies demonstrated that post-stroke hyperglycemia was associated with poor outcome in non-diabetic patients. However, evidence was inconclusive amongst patients with diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between initial glucose levels and mortality amongst patients with acute ischaemic stroke, and further, to assess whether the association varied by diabetes mellitus and glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c) ) levels. METHODS: Data were collected from the medical records of 1277 first-ever stroke patients admitted to the emergency room between January 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009. Cox regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between initial glucose level and mortality. RESULTS: Compared with the lowest quartile of initial glucose level, a significant association with all-cause death [hazard ratio (HR), 2.18; 95% CI, 1.36-3.48] and cardiovascular death (HR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.01-3.61) was seen in the highest quartile. In non-diabetic subgroup, those patients within the highest quartile of initial glucose level had a 3.29-fold relative risks (RR) [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.62-6.68] for all-cause and a 2.54-fold RR (95% CI, 1.43-8.77) for cardiovascular death compared with those within the lowest quartile. However, the association between initial glucose levels and the risk of death was not significant amongst those with diabetes (P for interaction = 0.01). In addition, the risk amongst patients with diabetes varied by the HbA(1c) levels. CONCLUSIONS: A significant association was confirmed between initial glucose level and mortality in non-diabetic ischaemic stroke patients. The possible relationship between initial glucose level, HbA(1c) level, and mortality amongst ischaemic stroke patients with diabetes warrants further research.

Atypical ductal hyperplasia of the breast diagnosed by ultrasonographically guided core needle biopsy.

PURPOSE: We analysed the ultrasonographic (US) features of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) of the breast diagnosed by US-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) with the aim of identifying factors that affect the underestimation of ADH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 134 ADH lesions sampled by US-guided CNB were reviewed retrospectively. All lesions were evaluated for pattern, size, lesion characteristics and margins, and the corresponding surgical outcome or imaging follow-up was obtained. Each patient's clinical and radiological features were analysed to identify factors involved in ADH underestimation. RESULTS: The prevalence of malignancy in each pattern of lesions following surgical excision was 32/81 (40%) for solid masses, 14/31 (45%) for ductal patterns, 5/17 (29%) for complex cystic lesions and 2/5 (40%) for architectural distortions. Based on the results of surgical and US follow-up, none of the category 3 lesions was proven to be a malignancy. Malignancy was found in 17 (21%) of the 80 BI-RADS (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System) category 4a lesions, 20 (74%) of the 27 category 4b lesions, 12 (92%) of the 13 category 4c lesions, and four (100%) of the four category 5 lesions. Lesions with a higher US assessment category, lacking circumscribed margins, or a mammographic finding of suspected malignancy were all significantly associated with underestimation (p < 0.05 for each). CONCLUSION: US is useful in evaluating ADH lesions and in clarifying the indication for biopsy of these lesions. Familiarity with the frequency associated with malignancy for each feature will improve the utility of US in the work-up of these breast abnormalities.

Fisheries, management and conservation of the whale shark Rhincodon typus in Taiwan.

The Taiwanese government introduced a catch-and-report system for the whale shark Rhincodon typus in 2001, and in the following year limited the total allowable catch (TAC) to 80 individuals. This limit was reduced over the following years, reaching a low of 30 individuals in 2007. In November 2007, a comprehensive ban on R. typus fishing came into effect and protection measures were adopted for the species. This study measured and recorded the total length (L(T) ), body mass and sex of 810 R. typus, using fisheries and other released data for the period 1995-2008. The mean L(T) of individuals caught from June to October was smaller than that for individuals caught from November to May. Mean annual catches in set nets were higher in south-western Taiwan than in other regions of Taiwan. The sex ratio showed that males were caught more frequently than females in Taiwanese waters, indicating sex segregation. For the first time, the stock structure, conservation and management regulation of R. typus in the north-west Pacific Ocean have been reviewed. The results provide a useful resource for future assessment of the possible development of R. typus ecotourism in Taiwan.

Cystic pulmonary tuberculoma.

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is a medical and social problem, particularly in developing countries. Early diagnosis and treatment is important. Chest radiography is usually the first diagnostic tool when there is a suspicion of pulmonary TB. A computed tomography (CT) scan provides more accurate information on the extent and distribution of pulmonary TB. We present here a young, immunocompetent male patient with unusual imaging findings for pulmonary TB. We discuss the clinical presentation and management.

Influence of age on PPV of sonographic BI-RADS categories 3, 4, and 5.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this retrospective study was to calculate the positive predictive value (PPV) of sonographic Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) categories 3, 4, and 5 in different age groups to investigate whether age influences the PPV of the BI-RADS category in breast ultrasound. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From our sonography-guided core biopsy database of breasts between 2006 and 2008, we identified 2817 BI-RADS category 3, 4, and 5 lesions with known pathological diagnosis in 2587 women, all of whom underwent the earlier breast assessment via ultrasound with a sonographic BI-RADS lexicon and later sonography-guided core biopsy. All lesions were classified into three age groups (< 45, 45 - 59, and > 59 years). The age-related PPVs of each BI-RADS category among three age groups were calculated on the basis of pathological diagnoses and were compared using a χ(2)-test. RESULTS: The overall PPV of each BI-RADS category was 2.2 % in category 3, 6.5 % in category 4a, 35.2 % in category 4b, 79.6 % in category 4c, and 99.6 % in category 5. The age-related PPVs of category 3 varied significantly among the three age groups (0.9 % versus 3.9 % versus 2.0 % p = 0.048), and notably, the age-related PPV in group 2 was higher than the others. Additionally, there was a significant positive association between the age-related PPVs and increasing age in categories 4a and 4b (4a, p < 0.0001 and 4b, p = 0.0139), but not in categories 4c and 5 (4c, p = 0.1853 and 5, p = 0.2871). CONCLUSION: The incidence of female breast cancer differs not only in different sonographic BI-RADS categories, but also in different age groups. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the special age group that we found for sonographic BI-RADS categories 3, 4a, and 4b.

Mediastinitis and mediastinitis-like symptoms associated with mal-positioning of a Port-A catheter.

Mediastinitis is a life-threatening condition and would appear to have been rarely reported as arising as a central-venous catheter-associated complication. Here we report on one cancer patient featuring a Port-A catheter tip positioned within the innominate vein, who developed mediastinitis and mediastinitis-like symptoms subsequent to chemotherapeutic-agent infusion through this catheter. The relevant literature pertaining to this condition was reviewed, and the possible pathophysiology of the condition was discussed.

Role of serum sodium in assessing hospital mortality in cancer patients with spontaneous tumour lysis syndrome inducing acute uric acid nephropathy.

Spontaneous tumour lysis syndrome (STLS) inducing acute uric acid nephropathy, a rare and neglected disease, presents more insidiously than conventional post-treatment tumour lysis syndrome. Although STLS is a serious and potentially fatal complication in patients with neoplastic disorders, few investigations have addressed the relevance of clinical and laboratory features in assessing prognosis. A retrospective study was conducted, reviewing the records of all patients who developed acute renal failure (ARF) at Chang Gung memorial hospital between 1 July 1999 and 30 June 2003. STLS-induced acute uric acid nephropathy was identified in 12 of 1072 ARF patients (1.1%) during the study period. All patients had advanced stage tumours with large tumour burden, and 66.7% of cases had abdominal organ involvement. All 12 hyperuricemic patients became oliguric despite conservative therapy, and remained hyperuricemic (21.6 +/- 5.2 mg/dl) before dialysis therapy. Diuresis developed in eight patients (66.7%), with associated resolution of hyperuricemia, azotemia and metabolic derangements following dialysis initiation. Overall hospital mortality was 58.3%. Death in most patients was related to hyponatremia and hypoalbuminemia on admission. The serum sodium was found to have the best Youden index (0.86) and highest overall prediction accuracy (93%). Moreover, serum sodium and serum albumin for individual patients were significantly and positively correlated (r = 0.617, p = 0.032). This investigation confirms a grave prognosis for cancer patients with STLS inducing acute uric acid nephropathy. Hyponatremia and hypoalbuminemia on the first day of admission indicate poor prognosis in such patients.

KHC-4 inhibits ß-catenin expression in prostate cancer cells.

KHC-4 is a 2-phenyl-4-quinolone analogue that exhibits anticancer activity. Aberrant activation of ß-catenin signaling contributes to prostate cancer development and progression. Therefore, targeting ß-catenin expression could be a useful approach to treating prostate cancer. We found that KHC-4 can inhibit ß-catenin expression and its signaling pathway in DU145 prostate cancer cells. Treatment with KHC-4 decreased total ß-catenin expression and concomitantly decreased ß-catenin levels in both the cytoplasm and nucleus of cells. KHC-4 treatment also inhibited ß-catenin expression and that of its target proteins, PI3K, AKT, GSK3ß and TBX3. We monitored the stability of ß-catenin with the proteasomal inhibitor, MG132, in DU145 cells and found that MG132 reversed KHC-4-induced proteasomal ß-catenin degradation. We verified CDK1/ß-catenin expression in KHC-4 treated DU145 cells. We found that roscovitine treatment reversed cell proliferation by arresting the cell cycle at the G2/M phase and ß-catenin expression caused by KHC-4 treatment. We suggest that KHC-4 inhibits ß-catenin signaling in DU145 prostate cancer cells.

Involvement of Bcl-X(L) deamidation in E1A-mediated cisplatin sensitization of ovarian cancer cells.

The adenovirus E1A protein has been shown to be involved in the potentiation of apoptosis induced by chemotherapeutic agents, yet the molecular events of E1A-mediated apoptosis are not very clear. A recent report has suggested that deamidation of the Bcl-X(L) protein inhibits its antiapoptotic ability and leads to apoptosis induced by alkylating agents in Rb-deficient tumor cells. Since Rb is known to interact with E1A, which interrupts Rb's normal function, we examined Bcl-X(L) deamidation and cell death induced by cisplatin in E1A transfectants. We found that the E1A transfectants became sensitive to cisplatin-induced apoptosis compared to the parental cells, SKOV3.ip1. Our data show that cisplatin treatment induced the modification of Bcl-X(L) in the E1A transfectants in dosage and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, phosphatase treatment had no effect on the level of Bcl-X(L) modification, whereas alkaline lysis buffer appeared to induce the same modification of Bcl-X(L). Ectopic expression of the deamidated forms of Bcl- X(L) in SKOV3.ip1 cells revealed that the modification to the Bcl- X(L) protein molecules was deamidation. Expression of the E1A mutant (dl1108) which contains deletion at CR2 domain suppressed Bcl-X(L) deamidation and apoptosis induced by cisplatin. We also found that expression of the nondeamidated Bcl-X(L) protected E1A transfectants from apoptosis. These findings suggest that Bcl-X(L) deamidation contributes to E1A-mediated cisplatin sensitization in SKOV3.ip1 cells.

Phosphorylation of cofilin-1 by ERK confers HDAC inhibitor resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma cells via decreased ROS-mediated mitochondria injury.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer. Despite the availability of several treatment strategies, resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, which limits the effectiveness of anticancer drugs, is a major problem in cancer therapy. In this study, we used a histone deacetylases inhibitor (HDACi) to establish drug-resistant HCC cells and further analyzed the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of resistance in HCC cells. Compared with the parental cells, HDACi-resistant cells showed high metastatic and pro-survival abilities. Two-dimensional electrophoresis data showed that the cofilin-1 (CFL-1) protein was altered in HDACi-resistant cells and was highly expressed in resistant cells compared with parental cells. The molecular function of CFL-1 is actin depolymerization, and it is involved in tumor metastasis. In this study, we showed that CFL-1 inhibition decreased cell migration and increased cell apoptosis in HDACi-resistant cells. We observed that HDACi induced ROS accumulation in cells and apoptosis via promotion of the CFL-1 interaction with Bax and CFL-1 translocation to the mitochondria, resulting in cytochrome C release. Importantly, phosphorylation of CFL-1 by activated extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) confers strong protection against HDAC inhibitor-induced cell injury. p-CFL-1 shows a loss of affinity with Bax and will not translocate to mitochondria, stably remaining in the cytoplasm. These results indicate that phosphorylation to inactivate CFL-1 decreased the chemosensitivity to HDAC inhibitors and resulting in drug resistance of HCC cells.

Evaluating Instantaneous Perfusion Responses of Parotid Glands to Gustatory Stimulation Using High-Temporal-Resolution Echo-Planar Diffusion-Weighted Imaging.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Parotid glands secrete and empty saliva into the oral cavity rapidly after gustatory stimulation. However, the role of the temporal resolution of DWI in investigating parotid gland function remains uncertain. Our aim was to design a high-temporal-resolution echo-planar DWI pulse sequence and to evaluate the instantaneous MR perfusion responses of the parotid glands to gustatory stimulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study enrolled 21 healthy volunteers (M/F = 2:1; mean age, 45.2 ± 12.9 years). All participants underwent echo-planar DWI (total scan time, 304 seconds; temporal resolution, 4 s/scan) on a 1.5T MR imaging scanner. T2WI (b = 0 s/mm2) and DWI (b = 200 s/mm2) were qualitatively assessed. Signal intensity of the parotid glands on T2WI, DWI, and ADC was quantitatively analyzed. One-way ANOVA with post hoc group comparisons with Bonferroni correction was used for statistical analysis. P < .05 was statistically significant. RESULTS: Almost perfect interobserver agreement was achieved (κ ≥ 0.656). The parotid glands had magnetic susceptibility artifacts in 14.3% (3 of 21) of volunteers during swallowing on DWI but were free from perceptible artifacts at the baseline and at the end of scans on all images. Increased ADC and reduced signal intensity of the parotid glands on T2WI and DWI occurred immediately after oral administration of lemon juice. Maximal signal change of ADC (24.8% ± 10.8%) was significantly higher than that of T2WI (-10.1% ± 5.2%, P < .001). The recovery ratio of ADC (100.71% ± 42.34%) was also significantly higher than that of T2WI (22.36% ± 15.54%, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Instantaneous parotid perfusion responses to gustatory stimulation can be quantified by ADC by using high-temporal-resolution echo-planar DWI.

In vitro calcium deposition by rachitic rat matrix vesicles: nucleoside triphosphate supported calcium deposition.

The present study was designed to test whether ATP at serum levels can support matrix vesicle-mediated Ca deposition while the final Ca x P ion product is maintained at or below serum or cartilage fluid levels. Rachitic rat epiphyseal cartilage matrix vesicles (40 micrograms protein/ml) in a simple calcifying solution (without exogenously added Pi) containing 50 mM Tris, pH 7.6 at 37 degrees C, 0.1 M NaCl, 1.35 mM CaCl2, 1 mM ATP, deposited about 500 nmol Ca/mg protein after 5 h. The amount of Ca deposited increased with increases in incubation time, concentrations of ATP, Ca2+, hydroxide, and matrix vesicle protein. UTP, GTP, and CTP were equally effective in supporting Ca deposition by matrix vesicles. ATP-alpha,beta-methylene and ATP-beta,gamma-methylene were inhibitory for ATP-dependent Ca deposition. Experiments with limiting amounts of ATP and Ca2+ available in the calcifying solution indicated that ATP concentration at serum levels, in the presence of Ca x P ion products at serum or cartilage fluid levels, can support matrix vesicle-mediated Ca deposition.