高催乳素血症的垂体CT表现

80例临床疑垂体肿瘤的高催乳素血症患者进行了直接增强鞍区冠状扫描。本文着重介绍检查方法及CT表现,并探讨高催乳素血症与垂体病变的关系,影响病灶显示的因素及临床意义。     

听骨链和迷路螺旋CT三维重建技术初步临床应用报告

目的探讨听骨链和迷路螺旋ＣＴ三维重建技术的临床应用和局限性。方法采用薄层螺旋扫描（层厚１．０ｍｍ）、小视野（ＦＯＶ＝５ｃｍ）、密集重建（间隔０．１ｍｍ）技术，对１４例正常和１５例中耳病变患者行听骨链和迷路三维重建成像，包括多平面重组（ＭＰＲ）、最小密度或最大密度投影（ＭｉｎＩＰ或ＭａｘＩＰ）和表面成像（ＳＳＤ）。结果１４例正常患者中对其中１３例听骨链及８例迷路进行三维重建，听骨链重建显示锤骨柄和砧骨长突平行共同指向蜗岬，砧镫关节呈“Ｌ”形影，迷路三维重建显示耳蜗和三个半规管。１３例中耳炎患者中９例胆脂瘤形成，显示听骨链不同程度的破坏，２例先天中耳畸形显示听骨链发育异常。结论螺旋ＣＴ三维重建技术有利于中耳畸形和其他耳部病变的诊断，但尚存在重建时间长、损失部分信息等缺点，有待进一步改善。     

Improving on National Quality Indicators of Breast Cancer Care in a Large Public Hospital as a Means to Decrease Disparities for African American Women

Background

In April 2007, the National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed the first nationally recognized hospital-based performance measures for stage I, II, and III breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to document compliance with the 3 NQF breast quality indicators during 2 time intervals in a metropolitan public hospital.

Materials and Methods

Tumor registry and medical records were used to identify patient demographics and treatments before (2005–2006) and after (2008) implementations in 2007 as a result of the NQF audit. Program changes included: hiring a dedicated medical oncology nurse practitioner, requiring the radiation oncology case manager to attend weekly multidisciplinary conferences, educating Patient Navigators of the importance of multimodal care, and providing support groups for patients addressing importance of completion of all treatment options.

Results

A total of 213 female patients were diagnosed with and treated for stage I, II, or III breast cancer in 2005–2006 and 2008. Of these, 189 (89%) were African American (AA) women. Also, 70 patients of 86 (81.3%) received radiation therapy, 60 of 77 (77.9%) received or were considered for adjuvant chemotherapy, and 124 of 144 (86.1%) for hormonal therapy according to NQF indicators. After 2007, patients receiving radiation therapy increased from 75.8 to 95.8%. Patients receiving or considered for adjuvant chemotherapy or hormonal therapy increased from 73.7 to 93.7% and from 84.1 to 90.0%, respectively.

Conclusions

NQF breast cancer indicators provided a mechanism to improve compliance of multimodal treatment in our center. Raising awareness of these indicators in the multidisciplinary conference, hiring dedicated personnel, and educating patients has led to major improvements in breast cancer care.     

Quantification of angiogenesis by CT perfusion imaging in liver tumor of rabbit

BACKGROUND:Tumor angiogenesis is essential for primary and metastatic tumor growth.Computed tomography perfusion(CTP)is a new imaging method,made possible by the recent development of fast CT scanners and improved data analysis techniques,which allows measurement of the physiologic and hemodynamic properties of tissue vasculature.This study aimed to evaluate CTP in the quantification of angiogenesis and to assess the relationship between tissue perfusion parameters and microvascular density(MVD)and vascular...     

Is fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of multiple thyroid nodules justified?

Background: The clinical management of patients with solitary thyroid nodule is well established; however, the evaluation of patients with multiple thyroid nodules is controversial. The aim of this study was to assess if there is a correlation between the risk of malignancy and number of thyroid nodules. Design: The study cohort included 2884 patients (2410 females and 474 males) with 3274 thyroid nodules that underwent FNA under ultrasound guidance between November 1997 and April 2004. Multiple thyroid nodules were aspirated in 360 patients; 2 in 332 (291 females, 41 males), 3 nodules in 26 (23 females, 3 males), and 4 nodules in 2 patients (1 female, 1 male). Subsequent information regarding the histological diagnosis was obtained in the cases that underwent surgical excision. Results: The average age for patients with single or multiple nodules was the same (51 yr). The FNA specimens were diagnosed as benign (n=1663, 51%), neoplasm (n=880, 27%), suspicious for neoplasm or papillary carcinoma (n=234, 7%), malignant (n=187, 6%), and non-diagnostic (n=310, 9%). Surgical excision was performed in 1135 patients: 993 patients with single nodules and 142 patients with multiple nodules. The surgical pathology diagnosis was benign in 656 nodules (52%) and malignant in 596 nodules (48%). In the malignant category 153 tumors were papillary microcarcinoma (<1 cm). Excluding these cases, the malignancy rate was 39% in patients with single nodules, 41% with two nodules, and 21% with three nodules. Conclusions: The cancer risk is similar for patients with one or two nodules over 1 cm and decreases with three or more thyroid nodules.     

BRCA1 proteins regulate growth of ovarian cancer cells by tethering Ubc9

Mutation in the BRCA1 gene is associated with increased risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. In sporadic ovarian tumors, BRCA1 dysfunction is thought to be common. BRCA1 is a nuclear-cytoplasm shuttling protein. Our group has previously reported that BRCA1 proteins, unlike K109R and cancer-predisposing mutant C61G BRCA1 proteins, bind the sole SUMO E2-conjugating enzyme Ubc9. In this study, we examined the result of altered Ubc9 binding and knockdown on the sub-cellular localization and growth inhibitory function of BRCA1 proteins in ovarian cancer cells. Using live imaging of YFP, RFP-tagged BRCA1 and BRCA1a proteins, our results show enhanced cytoplasmic localization of K109R and C61G mutant BRCA1 proteins in ES-2, NIHOVCAR3 and UWB 1.289 ovarian cancer cells. Down-regulation of Ubc9 in ovarian cancer cells using Ubc9 siRNA resulted in cytoplasmic localization of BRCA1 and BRCA1a proteins. These mutant BRCA1a proteins were impaired in their capacity to inhibit growth of ES-2 ovarian cancer cells. Several ovarian cancer cells, including a BRCA1-null ovarian cancer cell line, showed higher levels of expression of Ubc9. This is the first study demonstrating the physiological link between loss of Ubc9 binding and loss of growth suppression of disease-associated mutant BRCA1a proteins in ovarian cancer cells. BRCA1, by turning off or on Ubc9 binding, regulates growth of ovarian cancers.