Breast mass detection by US: a phantom study

Phantoms were used to compare imaging of various masses in the glandular region for two types of breasts. In one type, normal glandular tissue contains no fat clumps; in the other type, randomly distributed spherical fat clumps exist. The size distribution and number of fat clumps per unit volume in the phantoms represented those found in actual normal glandular tissue. For a 5-cm path length between the scanning window of the phantom and the centers of the masses, the presence of the fat clumps caused distortions and deviations of the beam, resulting in image distortion. This degradation was reduced when successive slabs of the material containing the fat clumps were removed. Image degradation appeared to be less severe when a 2.25 (rather than a 3.5) MHz transducer was used. The results show that the thickness of tissue containing fat clumps between the scanning transducer and a mass plays a role in the detectability of masses and diagnostic usefulness of the image of a breast. This suggests that imaging of the breast in the compressed configuration should be performed regardless of whether the freely suspended breast is imaged. Also, transducers of lower nominal frequency may have an important role in breast imaging.     

Pitfall in MR imaging of lymphadenopathy after lymphangiography

In two patients examined with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging after lymphangiography, opacified pelvic lymph nodes could not be distinguished from subcutaneous or retroperitoneal fat because of the short T1 and long T2 relaxation times of lymphangiographic contrast media. Opacified nodes removed from one patient had relaxation times similar to those of fat. Thus, assessment of lymphadenopathy with MR imaging should be performed before lymphangiography to obviate this potential pitfall.     

The efficacy of physiotherapy upon shoulder function following axillary dissection in breast cancer,a randomized controlled study

Background  

Many patients suffer from severe shoulder complaints after breast cancer surgery and axillary lymph node dissection. Physiotherapy has been clinically observed to improve treatment of these patients. However, it is not a standard treatment regime. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of physiotherapy treatment of shoulder function, pain and quality of life in patients who have undergone breast cancer surgery and axillary lymph node dissection.     

蒽环类药对白血病及淋巴瘤患儿的心脏毒性

蒽环类药对白血病及淋巴瘤患儿的心脏毒性翟力平吴吴长根马伴吟陈伟达蒽环类化疗药（包括阿霉素、柔红霉素）引起心脏毒性已经是众所周知，但由于在肿瘤治疗中的重要作用，至今尚无满意的药物可以替代。据认为对儿童心毒性更敏感。如何掌握儿童治疗与心毒性之间的关系，...     

Hormone-induced refractoriness to mammary carcinogenesis in Wistar- Furth rats

One of the most consistent results in the epidemiology of human breast cancer is the inverse relationship of risk and early full-term parity. The goal of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms through which early full-term pregnancy protects the breast from cancer development. We used Wistar-Furth (WF) rats as our experimental system and mimicked pregnancy using estrogen and progesterone (E/P). Sexually mature female rats were treated with steroid hormones for 21 days and after 28 days of gland involution, the rats were administered MNU. Rats that received a high dose of 20 microg E and 20 mg P exhibited an 82% reduction in the incidence of mammary adenocarcinomas as compared to the rats receiving only blank pellets. Decreasing doses of E/P were partially protective suggesting that complete differentiation of the gland was not required for refractoriness. We measured the RNA expression levels of several target genes involved in the regulation of mammary cell proliferation and/or differentiation including estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR), cyclins D1 and D2, the cell cycle inhibitors p16, p21 and p27, and the tumor suppressor p53. At the time of MNU treatment we found no significant differences in the expression of these genes, with the possible exception of p21, indicating that hormone treatment did not result in constitutive changes in expression levels. The numbers of apoptotic cells were low and comparable in the hormone exposed and age-matched virgin gland (AMV) at the time of carcinogen challenge and remained low for 8 days after MNU treatment. The number of BrdU-labeled cells at the time of carcinogen challenge were also low in both the AMV (1.8%) and hormone exposed (0.8%) animals. In contrast, cell proliferation in the AMV (5.7%) was significantly different from both the parous involuted (1.2%) and the E/P-treated involuted (1.5%) animals 8 days after MNU treatment. We interpret these data to indicate that hormone treatment results in mammary epithelial cells that have persistent alterations in intracellular pathways governing proliferation responses to carcinogens.      

Platelet function in autoimmune (idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura

Platelets play an essential role in the formation of haemostatic plugs. The quantitative defect of platelets in autoimmune (idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) can result in bleeding complications, but most ITP patients have platelets with normal or enhanced function. Platelets in ITP are large, young, so-called "stress" platelets with increased platelet-associated autoimmune antibody (immunoglobulin G). Young stress platelets are more functional platelets, and their presence may account for bleeding times in ITP patients that are shorter than would be predicted on the basis of the patients' (low) platelet counts. Some ITP patients have significant mucocutaneous bleeding with platelet counts >50 × 10⁹ l⁻¹; this may be due to qualitative platelet dysfunction (e.g. brought about by inhibitory antiplatelet autoantibodies).     

Correlates of prone infant sleeping position by period of birth

Intervention to avoid the prone sleeping position during infancy has occurred in various countries after evidence that it increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). This study examined cohort data to determine if correlates of the prone position differed by period of birth, before intervention (1 May 1988 to 30 April 1991) compared with after intervention (1 May 1991 to 30 April 1992). The usual prone sleeping position was more closely associated with the following factors after intervention: teenage motherhood, low maternal education, paternal unemployment, unmarried motherhood, non-specialist antenatal care, not reading books to prepare for a baby, poor smoking hygiene, and bottle feeding. For example, the association of usual prone position with being unmarried shown by the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 0.54 (0.47 to 0.63) in the period before intervention and 1.92 (1.18 to 3.15) in the period after intervention. The alteration in correlates of the prone position reported here provide an example to support the theoretical concept that well known 'modifiable' risk factors for disease tend to be associated with each other in both populations and individuals. This phenomenon was not evident in the population before intervention, that is, before the prone sleeping position became a well known SIDS risk factor.