CT-based Hounsfield unit values reflect the degree of steatohepatitis in patients with low-grade fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide. Ultrasound, the most used tool for diagnosing NAFLD, is operator-dependent and shows suboptimal performance in patients with mild steatosis. However, few studies have been conducted on whether alternative noninvasive methods are useful for diagnosing mild hepatic steatosis. Also, little is known about whether noninvasive tests are useful for grading the severity of hepatic steatosis or the degree of intrahepatic inflammation. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate whether the HSI, the FLI and HU values in CT could be used to discriminate mild hepatic steatosis and to evaluate the severity of hepatic steatosis or the degree of intrahepatic inflammation in patients with low-grade fatty liver disease using liver biopsy as a reference standard. METHODS: Demographic, laboratory, CT imaging, and histological data of patients who underwent liver resection or biopsy were analyzed. The performance of the HSI, HU values and the FLI for diagnosing mild hepatic steatosis was evaluated by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Whether the degree of hepatic steatosis and intrahepatic inflammation could be predicted using the HSI, HU values or the FLI was also analyzed. Moreover, we validate the results using magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction as an another reference standard. RESULTS: The AUROC for diagnosing mild hepatic steatosis was 0.810 (p < 0.001) for the HSI, 0.732 (p < 0.001) for liver HU value, 0.802 (p < 0.001) for the difference between liver and spleen HU value (L-S HU value) and 0.813 (p < 0.001) for the FLI. Liver HU and L-S HU values were negatively correlated with the percentage of hepatic steatosis and NAFLD activity score (NAS) and significantly different between steatosis grades and between NAS grades. The L-S HU value was demonstrated the good performance for grading the severity of hepatic steatosis and the degree of intrahepatic inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: The HU values on CT are feasible for stratifying hepatic fat content and evaluating the degree of intrahepatic inflammation, and the HSI and the FLI demonstrated good performance with high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing mild hepatic steatosis.

Volumetric Splenomegaly in Patients With Polycythemia Vera.

BACKGROUND: Non-palpable splenomegaly in patients with polycythemia vera (PV) has seldom been addressed. In this retrospective study, we evaluated non-palpable, volumetric splenomegaly defined based on age- and body surface area (BSA)-matched criteria in patients with PV diagnosed according to the 2016 World Health Organization diagnostic criteria. METHODS: Patients with PV who underwent abdominal computed tomography (CT) and who had palpable splenomegaly at diagnosis from January 1991 to December 2020 at Chungnam National University Hospital were enrolled. The spleen volume of each patient was determined by volumetric analysis of abdominal CT and adjusted for the patient's age and BSA. Then the degree of splenomegaly was classified as no splenomegaly, borderline volumetric splenomegaly, overt volumetric splenomegaly, or palpable splenomegaly. RESULTS: Of the 87 PV patients enrolled, 15 (17.2%) had no splenomegaly, whereas 17 (19.5%), 45 (51.7%), and 10 (11.5%) had borderline volumetric, overt volumetric, and palpable splenomegaly, respectively. The degree of splenomegaly did not affect the cumulative incidence of thrombotic vascular events (10-year incidence: 7.7%, 0%, 22.3%, and 50.7%, respectively, P = 0.414). By contrast, splenomegaly tended to adversely affect myelofibrotic transformation (10-year cumulative incidence: 0%, 0%, 7.1%, and 30.3%, respectively, P = 0.062). Moreover, the cumulative incidence of myelofibrotic transformation was significantly higher in patients with overt volumetric or palpable splenomegaly than those with no or borderline volumetric splenomegaly (10-year incidence: 0% vs. 10.3%, respectively; 15-year incidence: 0% vs. 26.3%, respectively, P = 0.020). Overall survival (OS) differed among patients with different degrees of splenomegaly (15-year OS: 100%, 78.6%, 71.7%, and 51.9%, respectively, P = 0.021). CONCLUSION: The degree of splenomegaly, including volumetric splenomegaly, based on age- and BSA-matched reference spleen volumes at diagnosis reflects disease progression in PV patients. Therefore, volumetric splenomegaly should be evaluated at the time of diagnosis and taken into consideration when predicting the prognosis of patients with PV.

Significance of sonographically detected bladder debris in children less than 2 years old with febrile urinary tract infection.

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between bladder debris found on renal and bladder ultrasonography (RBUS) and the first febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) episode in children under 2 years old. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of children aged <2 years with the first febrile UTI. We recorded bladder debris on RBUS and other findings (blood test, urinalysis, and urine culture). Other RBUS findings (renal pelvis debris, renal parenchymal change, wall thickening, and renal collecting system [RCS] dilatation) were recorded. Patients were divided into the debris (D) and non-D groups. RESULTS: Of 128 patients (boys: girls = 81:47, mean age = 5.6 ± 4.2 months), 24 (18.8%) had bladder debris. The mean C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were higher in the D group (6.1 ± 4.0 vs 4.3 ± 3.5, P = .03). Twenty-one patients in the D group (87.5%) had hematuria (odds ratio = 3.706, 95% confidence interval = 1.035-13.267, P = .04). No significant differences were seen in the urine culture results between both groups. Significant associations were seen between bladder debris and other RBUS findings such as debris in renal pelvis, renal parenchymal change, and RCS wall thickening. CONCLUSION: Bladder debris on RBUS is a common finding in children aged <2 years during the first febrile UTI. Bladder debris was related to higher CRP levels, hematuria and sonographic findings, but not to urine culture results.

Combination of CT findings can reliably predict radiolucent common bile duct stones: a novel approach using a CT-based nomogram.

OBJECTIVES: To identify CT features that reliably predict the presence of radiolucent common bile duct (CBD) stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 112 patients (mean age, 60.6 years) with clinically suspected CBD stones that were not visible on CT. All patients had undergone CT followed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to confirm the presence (n = 66) or absence (n = 46) of CBD stones. Two radiologists independently evaluated the CT images. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify demographic, laboratory, and CT predictors for CBD stones. We developed a nomogram based on these results and assessed its performance. RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, CBD diameter ≥ 8 mm (odds ratio [OR], 10.12; p < 0.001), pericholecystic fat infiltration (OR, 3.76, p = 0.014), and papillitis (OR, 2.85; p < 0.049) were independent CT predictors of CBD stones. Combination of all three features had a specificity of 100%. Of these features, CBD diameter ≥ 8 mm was the best single predictor. The CT-based nomogram had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.847 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.777-0.916) and an accuracy of 77.7% (95% CI, 69.1-84.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of significant CT features (CBD diameter ≥ 8 mm, pericholecystic fat infiltration, and papillitis) translated into a nomogram allows a reliable estimation of CBD stone presence. It may serve as a decision support tool to determine whether to proceed to further diagnostic tests or treatment option. KEY POINTS: • CBD diameter ≥ 8 mm (odds ratio [OR] = 10.12, p < 0.001), pericholecystic fat infiltration (OR = 3.76, p = 0.014), and papillitis (OR = 2.85, p = 0.049) were independent predictors of radiolucent CBD stones. • A CBD diameter ≥ 8 mm was the best predictor of CBD stones. • A nomogram based on a combination of these three CT signs predicted the presence of CBD stones and helped classify patients that should go immediately to ERCP, those who require a further investigation, and those who can safely be managed conservatively.

Apparent diffusion coefficient as a potential marker for tumour differentiation, staging and long-term clinical outcomes in gallbladder cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the correlation between tumour differentiation or stage of gallbladder cancer (GBC) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), as well as to assess whether ADC value can predict long-term disease-free survival (DFS) after surgery. METHODS: This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board and the requirement for informed consent was waived. Between March 2008 and June 2016, 79 patients who underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with diffusion-weighted image and subsequent surgery for GBC were included in this study. Correlations between quantitative ADC values and tumour differentiation or stage based on the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) were assessed using Spearman's correlation analysis. Prognostic factors for DFS were identified with multivariate Cox regression analysis using imaging and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: All patients were classified as having well- (n = 18), moderately (n = 35) or poorly differentiated GBCs (n = 26). The ADC value of GBCs was significantly correlated with tumour differentiation and AJCC stage (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Sixty-nine patients were followed up for 2.0-92.4 months (median, 23.5 months). On multivariate analysis, the significant prognostic factor for DFS was not tumour differentiation or AJCC stage but a binary tumour ADC value (hazard ratio, 4.29; p = 0.009). DFS rates were significantly different according to the classification of tumour ADC value (cut-off value = 1.04 × 10-3 mm2/s; p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: The ADC value of GBCs was significantly correlated with tumour differentiation as well as AJCC stage. In addition, it predicted long-term outcomes after surgery in patients with GBC. KEY POINTS: • ADC values of GBC and tumour differentiation were negatively correlated. • Lower ADC values of GBC were significantly correlated with higher tumour stage. • Tumour ADC value could be useful for risk stratification of GBC patients.

Hepatic neuroendocrine tumour: Apparent diffusion coefficient as a potential marker of prognosis associated with tumour grade and overall survival.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the correlation between grade of hepatic neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) according to the 2010 World Health Organization (WHO) classification and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and to assess whether ADC value can predict overall survival (OS) after diagnosis of hepatic NETs. METHODS: The study included 63 patients who underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with diffusion-weighted images for the evaluation of hepatic NETs. The correlation between qualitative and quantitative MR imaging findings, including ADC values, and WHO classifications was assessed. The association between ADC value and OS was analyzed. RESULTS: The ADC values and WHO classification of hepatic NETs were moderately negatively correlated in a statistically significant manner (ρ = -0.57, p < 0.001). The OS rates were significantly different according to the ADC value (low ADC vs. high ADC, p = 0.006) as well as WHO classifications (G1+ G2 vs. G3, p = 0.038). However, multivariate analysis revealed that the only independent predictor for OS was a low ADC value (hazard ratio: 3.37, p = 0.010). CONCLUSION: There was a significant correlation between the ADC value of hepatic NETs and the WHO tumour grade. Additionally, the ADC value of a hepatic NET might be more accurate than the current WHO tumour grade for predicting OS. KEY POINTS: • ADC values of hepatic NET and WHO tumour grade were negatively correlated. • Lower ADC values of hepatic NET were significantly correlated with worse OS. • ADC value might be more accurate than WHO grade for predicting OS.

CT Predictors of Unfavorable Clinical Outcomes of Acute Right Colonic Diverticulitis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively assess CT predictors of unfavorable outcomes of medical treatment in patients with right colonic diverticulitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 394 patients with right colonic diverticulitis diagnosed on the basis of CT findings from January 2010 through August 2013, we included 328 (190 men, 138 women; mean age, 41.3 ± 12.6 years) who had undergone medical treatment as inpatients. Two radiologists retrospectively reviewed the following CT findings associated with diverticulitis: number of diverticula per 10 cm of colon; length and thickness of affected colonic wall; diameter of inflamed diverticulum and abscess; presence of pericolic fluid collection, spilled feces, and contained air; and extent of fatty infiltration. Logistic regression analysis and the Cox proportional hazards regression model were used to determine significant variables predictive of unfavorable outcomes, including surgery after failed medical treatment, recurrence, and prolonged hospital stay. RESULTS: Of the 328 patients, nine underwent surgery after failed medical treatment. Of the other 319 patients, 35 had recurrence and 49 had a prolonged hospital stay. The spilled feces sign (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 111; p < 0.001) and serum WBC count (adjusted OR, 1.3; p = 0.047) were independent predictors of the need for surgery. More than five multiple diverticula per 10 cm of colon was significantly associated with recurrence (adjusted hazard ratio, 4.1; p < 0.001). Abscess larger than 4 cm (adjusted OR, 18.2; p = 0.01) and inflamed diverticulum larger than 2 cm (adjusted OR, 3.7; p = 0.001) were independent predictors of prolonged hospital stay. CONCLUSION: Some specific CT findings can be useful predictors of unfavorable clinical outcomes of right colonic diverticulitis.

Differential diagnosis of pancreatic cancer from other solid tumours arising from the periampullary area on MDCT.

PURPOSE: To investigate CT features and differential diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma compared to other solid tumours arising in the periampullary area. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and ninety-five patients with pathologically proven, solid periampullary tumours, including pancreatic adenocarcinoma (n = 98), neuroendocrine tumours (n = 52), gastrointestinal stromal tumours (n = 31), and solid pseudopapillary neoplasms (n = 14), underwent preoperative CT. Two radiologists reviewed CT features and rated the possibility of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: Statistically common findings for pancreatic adenocarcinoma included: patient age >50 years; ill-defined margin; completely solid mass; homogeneous enhancement; hypoenhancement on arterial and venous phases; atrophy; and duct dilatation. Statistically common findings for GIST included: heterogeneous enhancement; hyperenhancement on arterial and venous phases; rim enhancement; and prominent feeding arteries. The hyperenhancement on arterial and venous phases is statistically common in NET, and heterogeneous enhancement, hypoenhancement on the arterial and venous phases are statistically common in SPN. Diagnostic performance of CT for differentiating pancreatic adenocarcinomas from other solid periampullary tumours was 0.962 and 0.977 with excellent interobserver agreement (κ = 0.824). CONCLUSION: CT is useful not only for differentiating pancreatic adenocarcinoma form other solid tumours but also for differentiating between other solid tumours, including NET, SPN, and GIST, arising in the periampullary area. KEY POINTS: • Periampullary tumours arise within 2 cm of major duodenal papilla. • Many mass-forming periampullary tumours can be completely removed by minimal surgery. • Accurate differentiation of pancreatic adenocarcinoma from other solid tumours is important. • CT is useful for differentiating pancreatic adenocarcinoma from other solid tumours. • CT is useful for characterization of periampullary tumours other than adenocarcinomas.

Inter- and intra-individual comparative study of two gadolinium-based agents: A pilot study.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the acute adverse events rate and enhancement properties of gadoterate meglumine (Dotarem(®)) and gadobenate dimeglumine (MultiHance(®)) in a small-scale controlled double-blinded study, using inter- and intra-individual comparisons. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-one randomly selected patients were scanned with Dotarem(®). The rate of adverse reactions, qualitative and quantitative image evaluation was performed vs. a control group of 46 patients who underwent MultiHance(®) over the same 1-month time period (population 1), and 27 patients who underwent both Dotarem(®) and MultiHance(®)-enhanced body MRI studies within an 18-month period (population 2). Data were subjected to statistical analysis. RESULTS: Only 1 mild acute adverse event (vomiting) was observed in population 1 (with Dotarem(®)). Blinded assessment of image quality was good for both agents in all patients. Population 1 showed significantly higher liver percentage enhancement with MultiHance(®) (p < 0.0001). There was a trend to higher pancreas-to-liver enhancement with Dotarem(®), significant in population 2 (p = 0.0333). CONCLUSION: This small-scale multi-blinded study characterizes a strategy to objectively assess intravenous contrast agents, which may be an ideal method to evaluate whether a new contrast agent should be introduced for clinical use at any institution, and to re-evaluate the agent in standard use. Whenever available, intra-individual assessment may be ideal.

Self-supervised multi-modal training from uncurated images and reports enables monitoring AI in radiology.

The escalating demand for artificial intelligence (AI) systems that can monitor and supervise human errors and abnormalities in healthcare presents unique challenges. Recent advances in vision-language models reveal the challenges of monitoring AI by understanding both visual and textual concepts and their semantic correspondences. However, there has been limited success in the application of vision-language models in the medical domain. Current vision-language models and learning strategies for photographic images and captions call for a web-scale data corpus of image and text pairs which is not often feasible in the medical domain. To address this, we present a model named medical cross-attention vision-language model (Medical X-VL), which leverages key components to be tailored for the medical domain. The model is based on the following components: self-supervised unimodal models in medical domain and a fusion encoder to bridge them, momentum distillation, sentencewise contrastive learning for medical reports, and sentence similarity-adjusted hard negative mining. We experimentally demonstrated that our model enables various zero-shot tasks for monitoring AI, ranging from the zero-shot classification to zero-shot error correction. Our model outperformed current state-of-the-art models in two medical image datasets, suggesting a novel clinical application of our monitoring AI model to alleviate human errors. Our method demonstrates a more specialized capacity for fine-grained understanding, which presents a distinct advantage particularly applicable to the medical domain.

Rare Case of Large Hemolymphangioma in the Small Bowel Mesentery: A Case Report.

Hemolymphangioma or hemangiolymphangioma is a rare venolymphatic vascular malformation composed of proliferations or networks of vascular spaces including the lymphatics, capillaries, veins, or arteries. The small bowel is a rare location for hemolymphangioma, and the small bowel mesentery is an even rarer site. Herein, we report a surgically confirmed large complex hemolymphangioma in the small bowel mesentery in a 55-year-old male.

Noninvasive Assessment of Liver Fibrosis with ElastPQ in Patients with Chronic Viral Hepatitis: Comparison Using Histopathological Findings.

Chronic viral hepatitis is a major cause of chronic liver disease leading to liver fibrosis. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of elastography point quantification (ElastPQ), transient elastography (TE), and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet count ratio index (APRI) for the staging of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic viral hepatitis using histopathological findings as a reference standard. For 122 patients with chronic viral hepatitis, diagnostic performance was evaluated using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) analysis and correlations were determined using Spearman's correlation coefficient. The AUROC of ElastPQ for the diagnosis of the fibrosis stage ≥ F2 was 0.917 with a cut-off value of 3.935. There was a significant positive correlation between the different stages of histologic liver fibrosis and stiffness values obtained using ElastPQ, TE, and APRI (ρ = 0.556, ρ = 0.657, ρ = 0.375, respectively; p < 0.001). ElastPQ showed a higher diagnostic accuracy than APRI, resembling that of TE; AUROC values of ElastPQ, TE, and APRI were 0.917, 0.964, and 0.896, respectively, for a fibrosis stage ≥ F2. ElastPQ is a promising noninvasive technique with a diagnostic accuracy comparable with that of TE for the evaluation of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.

Splenic Infarction in Patients with Philadelphia-negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms.

Objective We retrospectively analyzed the prevalence and clinical features of splenic infarctions in patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (Ph- MPNs). Patients Patients diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia (ET), polycythemia vera (PV), prefibrotic/early primary myelofibrosis (pre-PMF), or PMF from January 1996 to October 2020 in Chungnam National University Hospital, Daejeon, Korea, were reviewed. Results A total of 347 patients (143 ET, 129 PV, 44 pre-PMF, and 31 PMF patients; 201 men and 146 women) with a median age of 64 (range 15-91) years old were followed up for a median of 4.7 (range 0.1-26.5) years. Fifteen (4.3%) patients exhibited splenic infarctions at the diagnosis. These were most common in PMF patients (12.9%), followed by pre-PMF (9.1%) and PV (5.4%) patients. Multifocal infarcts (60.0%) were most common, followed by solitary (33.3%) and extensive infarcts (6.7%). The cumulative incidence of thrombosis in patients with splenic infarctions tended to be higher than in those lacking infarctions (10-year incidence 46.7% vs. 21.0% in PV; p=0.215; 33.3% vs. 17.9% in pre-PMF; p=0.473) patients, but statistical significance was lacking. Palpable splenomegaly (hazard ratio 14.89; 95% confidence interval 4.00-55.35; p<0.001) was the only independent risk factor for splenic infarction. During follow-up, 5 (1.4%) patients developed splenic infarctions. Conservative treatment adequately controlled the symptoms; no serious complications were noted in any patient. Conclusion Splenic infarctions occurred most frequently in patients with PMF; it was rare in patients with ET. The clinical courses were generally mild.

Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the pancreas - multimodality imaging findings with serial imaging follow-up: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the pancreas is extremely rare and has an extremely poor prognosis. Although a few cases of sarcomatoid carcinoma of pancreas have been reported, most are focused on a histopathological review. To the best of our knowledge, there are no reports documenting multimodality imaging characteristics and chronological changes with emphasis on radiologic features. CASE SUMMARY: A 64-year-old woman was admitted to Chungnam National University Hospital with acute appendicitis. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a 2.6 cm × 2.8 cm multilobular cystic mass in the pancreatic tail. The pancreatic lesion showed suspected mural nodules and thin septa. Hence, mucinous cystic neoplasm of pancreas was considered. After 7 mo, the patient was readmitted for repeated epigastric abdominal pain and nausea. Follow-up contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a marked enlargement (5.4 cm × 4 cm), with a predominant internal solid component. The mass showed low signal intensity on a T1-weighted image and heterogeneously intermediate high signal intensity on a T2-weighted image. It showed diffusion restriction and peripheral rim enhancement on an arterial phase image, and progressive enhancement on portal venous and delayed phase images. Distal pancreatectomy was performed. Based on the morphology and immunohistochemical staining of the specimen, pancreatic sarcomatoid carcinoma was diagnosed. CONCLUSION: We present the computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography computed tomography findings, pathologic features, and chronological changes for preoperative diagnosis.

Volumetric splenomegaly in patients with essential thrombocythemia and prefibrotic/early primary myelofibrosis.

Non-palpable, volumetric splenomegaly at diagnosis was evaluated using computed tomography in patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET) and prefibrotic/early primary myelofibrosis (pre-PMF) based on 2016 World Health Organization guidelines. Each patient's spleen volume was adjusted for their age and body surface area. The degree of splenomegaly was classified as no, borderline volumetric, overt volumetric, or palpable splenomegaly. Seventy-six patients with ET (median age, 62.5 years) and 19 patients with pre-PMF (median age, 65 years) were followed up for a median of 2.4 years (range 0.1-17.6 years) and 4.2 years (range 0.2-19.6 years), respectively. Spleen volume was significantly greater in pre-PMF patients than in ET patients (377.9 ± 92.2 cm3 vs. 224.9 ± 115.2 cm3, P < 0.001). No, borderline volumetric, overt volumetric, and palpable splenomegaly were found in 42 (55.3%), 24 (31.6%), 10 (13.2%), and 0 (0%) patients with ET, respectively, and in 0 (0%), 8 (42.1%), 19 (52.6%), and 1 (5.2%) patient with pre-PMF, respectively (P < 0.001). Volumetric splenomegaly did not affect thrombosis-free survival in patients with ET or those with pre-PMF. This study indicates that all patients with pre-PMF present with splenomegaly, whereas half of the patients with ET have a normal-sized spleen at diagnosis.

HGF and BMP-7 ameliorate high glucose-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of peritoneal mesothelium.

Over time, peritoneal dialysis results in functional and structural alterations of the peritoneal membrane, but the underlying mechanisms and whether these changes are reversible are not completely understood. Here, we studied the effects of high levels of glucose, which are found in the dialysate, on human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs). We found that high concentrations of glucose induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of HPMC, suggested by decreased expression of E-cadherin and increased expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin, fibronectin, and type I collagen and by increased cell migration. Normalization of glucose concentration on day 2 reversed the phenotypic transformation, but the changes were irreversible after 7 d of stimulation with high glucose. In addition, exposure of HPMC to high glucose resulted in a decreased expression of the antifibrotic cytokines, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and bone morphogenic protein 7 (BMP-7). Exogenous treatment with HGF resulted in a dosage-dependent prevention of high glucose-induced EMT. Both BMP-7 peptide and gene transfection with an adenoviral vector of BMP-7 also protected HPMCs from EMT. Furthermore, adenoviral BMP-7 transfection decreased peritoneal EMT and ameliorated peritoneal thickening in an animal model of peritoneal dialysis. In summary, high concentrations of glucose induce a reversible EMT of HPMCs, associated with decreased production of HGF and BMP-7. Treatment of HPMCs with HGF or BMP-7 blocks high glucose-induced EMT, and BMP-7 ameliorates peritoneal fibrosis in an animal model of peritoneal dialysis.

Diffuse Sclerosing Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in a Child: A Case Report.

The diffuse sclerosing variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (DSPTC) is uncommon. Herein, we report a rare case of DSPTC in a 9-year-old girl who initially presented with a painless diffuse goiter. Thyroid peroxidase antibody testing yielded positive results, and the initial clinical diagnosis was Hashimoto's thyroiditis. However, thyroid ultrasonography revealed characteristic findings of DSPTC, which was confirmed through the postoperative histopathological diagnosis. Although thyroid cancers are rare in the pediatric population, DSPTC should be included in the differential diagnosis of goiter in these patients. Moreover, ultrasonography may prevent a diagnostic delay and facilitate the detection of a concomitant malignancy.

[Comparision between proximal gastrectomy and total gastrectomy in early gastric cancer].

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical outcome of proximal and total gastrectomy regarding reflux esophagitis, nutritional state, and anemia in early gastric cancer. METHODS: 94 patients with early gastric cancer were included from January 2001 to January 2007 at Chungnam National University Hospital. Of whom 40 patients (31 men and 9 woman) had proximal gastrectomy (PG) and 54 patients (44 men and 10 woman) had total gastrectomy (TG). We reviewed all their medical and surgical record with surveying for gastrointestinal symptoms and reflux symptoms over the phone. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between basic, surgical, and histopathologic characteristics. Bile reflux symptoms and heart burn symptoms were more common and severe in the TG group. The incidences of endoscopically detected reflux esophagitis were about 60% in the TG group and about 30% in the PG group. The hemoglobin levels were significantly higher in the PG group after the operation and were gradually decreased in the TG as the time went. The levels of laboratory variables such as total protein, albumin, and total cholesterol were lower in the TG group than in the PG group after the operation. However, stoma stricture after operation developed in the PG group more often than in the TG group, and esophageal balloon dilatations were performed more frequently in the PG group. CONCLUSIONS: PG is favorable for proximal early gastric cancer in terms of reduced reflux esophagitis, anemia, and malnutrition except the stricture at esophagogastrostomy site.

Assessment of liver fibrosis with gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI: comparisons with transient elastography, ElastPQ, and serologic fibrosis markers.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the diagnostic performance of gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasonography (US)-based elastography, and serologic fibrosis markers in assessing the stage of liver fibrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 67 patients (55 male and 12 female; mean age 62.5 years) who underwent gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI and liver stiffness measurements before liver biopsy or surgery between January 2014 and January 2018. Measurements were performed using transient elastography (TE), ultrasound shear wave elastography point quantification (ElastPQ), and blood tests. The following MRI-based fibrosis markers were assessed: contrast enhancement index (CEI), liver-spleen contrast ratio (LSC), liver-portal vein contrast ratio (LPC), and signal intensity ratio (SIR). The diagnostic performances of fibrosis markers were compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), with histopathologic fibrosis stage as the reference standard. RESULTS: The fibrosis stages were F0-F1 (n = 17), F2 (n = 7), F3 (n = 20), and F4 (n = 23). MRI-based fibrosis markers negatively correlated with histologic stage: CEI (r = -0.786); LSC (r = - 0.718); LPC (r = - 0.448); and SIR (r = - 0.617; all P < 0.001). For diagnosis of either significant liver fibrosis (≥ F2) or cirrhosis (F4), the CEI provided better diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.898 and 0.881) than the aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) (AUC = 0.699 and 0.715; all P < 0.05). The CEI displayed similar diagnostic accuracy for ≥ F2 or F4 when using TE (AUC = 0.866 and 0.884, both P > 0.05) or ElastPQ [AUC = 0.751 (P = 0.021) and AUC = 0.786 (P = 0.234)]. CONCLUSIONS: The CEI measured by gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI allows the staging of liver fibrosis, with a diagnostic accuracy comparable to that of TE and superior to that of ElastPQ or APRI.