Assessment of Solid Pulmonary Nodules or Masses Using Zero Echo Time MR Lung Imaging: A Prospective Head-to-Head Comparison With CT.

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the potential of zero echo time (ZTE) MR lung imaging in the assessment of solid pulmonary nodules or masses and diagnostic consistency to CT in terms of morphologic characterization. Methods: Our Institutional Review Board approved this prospective study. Seventy-one patients with solid pulmonary nodules or masses larger than 1 cm in diameter confirmed by chest CT were enrolled and underwent further lung ZTE-MRI scans within 7 days. ZTE-MRI and CT images were compared in terms of image quality and imaging features. Unidimensional diameter and three-dimensional volume measurements on both modalities were manually measured and compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Pearson's correlation analysis, and Bland-Altman analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with significant inter-modality variation of volume. Results: Fifty-four of 71 (76.1%) patients were diagnosed with lung cancer. Subjective image quality was superior in CT compared with ZTE-MRI (p < 0.001). Inter-modality agreement for the imaging features was moderate for emphysema (kappa = 0.50), substantial for fibrosis (kappa = 0.76), and almost perfect (kappa = 0.88-1.00) for the remaining features. The size measurements including diameter and volume between ZTE-MRI and CT showed no significant difference (p = 0.36 for diameter and 0.60 for volume) and revealed perfect inter-observer (ICC = 0.975-0.980) and inter-modality (ICC = 0.942-0.992) agreements. Multivariable analysis showed that non-smooth margin [odds ratio (OR) = 6.008, p = 0.015] was an independent predictor for the significant inter-modality variation of volume. Conclusion: ZTE lung imaging is feasible as a part of chest MRI in the assessment and surveillance for solid pulmonary nodules or masses larger than 1 cm, presenting perfect agreement with CT in terms of morphologic characterization.

[Design and Application of Perioperative Multi-center Data Center].

Based on 18 hospitals including the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital and Peking University People's Hospital, and based on the "Specifications for Perioperative Data", explore the construction and application of perioperative multi-center data centers in the era of medical big data. The use of data ferry technology avoids hidden safety hazards in hospitals, realizes the integration and sharing of perioperative medical data of various medical institutions, and forms a complete data chain combining patient medical data and follow-up data.

Raman study of impurity influence on active center in artemisinin.

The unusual endoperoxide bridge is believed to be the active center for artemisinin activations. Our Raman study indicated that the active center endoperoxide bridge is more significantly influenced by impurity than other parts in artemisinin molecule. This phenomenon provides a Raman spectroscopy method for quantitative measurement of impurity content basing on the relative intensity ratio analysis of characteristic vibrational modes. The proposed Raman method can be a good alternative to high performance liquid chromatography, which is a commonly applied technique for measuring impurity content. Also, the Raman method can provide additional information of impurity homogeneity. In addition, Raman imaging is presented for easy visualization of impurity content and homogeneity in artemisinin simultaneously.