Important Diagnostic Tool For Detection Research Articles

Is the Impact Breast Implants with RFID Have on MRI Quality Investigated Thoroughly Enough?

Is the Impact Breast Implants with RFID Have on MRI Quality Investigated Thoroughly Enough?

Patch Testing Results From the Massachusetts General Hospital Contact Dermatitis Clinic, 2007-2016.

Patch testing is the criterion standard for diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). The aim of the study was to report the trends of patch testing results with the standard series at Massachusetts General Hospital from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2016, compared with previous data from 1998 to 2006 and from 1990 to 2006 and those reported by the North American Contact Dermatitis Group. Data were collected and analyzed from retrospective chart reviews, focusing on 50 allergens in our standard series. A total of 2373 patients were patch tested. One or more positive reactions were observed in 1428 patients (60.2%), and 1153 patients (48.6%) had a final primary diagnosis of ACD. Top 5 allergens were nickel (19.8%), fragrance mix I (14.6%), Myroxylon pereirae (balsam of Peru) (13.5%), neomycin (9.4%), and bacitracin (7.7%). Sensitization frequencies statistically increased over time for 3 allergens: nickel, neomycin, and propylene glycol, and decreased for 5 allergens: formaldehyde, paraben mix, thiuram mix, n-isopropyl-N-phenyl-4-phenylenediamine, and epoxy resin (P ≤ 0.001). Surveillance of ACD trends is essential to detect emerging sensitizers. Patch testing is an important diagnostic tool for detection of ACD to commonly encountered and potential allergens.

18F-FLUOROESTRADIOL PET/CT IN DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF LUNG LESIONS IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS: CASE REPORTS

Background. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide. Despite significant advances in breast cancer treatment, more than 50 % of patients develop recurrence following completion of treatment. If there is a suspicion of disease progression, the differential diagnosis of metastatic tumor and non-metastatic lesion using the standard imaging methods can be difficult. A modern approach to the detection and assessment of the extension of recurrent disease is individual evaluation of the biological characteristics of the tumor, including determination of the status of estrogen receptors with the goal of adequate treatment. PET/CT with 18F-fluoroestradiol in patients with hormone-dependent breast cancer can be used to determine the expression of estrogen receptors (RE) in tumor tissue and assess the presence of receptor-positive metastases throughout the body in a single study. Case description. We report the cases of 55-year-old and 57-year-old women with hormone-dependent breast cancer after standard treatment (surgery, radiation therapy and hormone therapy). During hormone therapy, lung lesions were detected in both patients. To assess the activity of these lesions, 18F-fluoroestradiol PET/CT was used. In the first case, a low uptake of 18F-FDG was observed. In the other case, no18F-FDG uptake was found. Given that both patients had hormone-dependent breast cancer, it was decided to perform PET/CT with 18F-fluoroestradiol (18F-FES) to evaluate the expression of ER. In the first case, the 18F-FES uptake was detected in all lesions that indicated the evidence of metastases. Histological examination confirmed the evidence of metastatic tumor. In the second case, no uptake of 18FFES was detected in the foci and the patient was followed-up for 6 months. Computed tomography showed decrease in the size of lesions.Conclusion. The use of 18F-FES PET/CT can be an important diagnostic tool for detection of disease progression in patients with hormone-dependent breast cancer. In case of detection of positive foci on 18F-FES PET/CT scans, hormone therapy for breast cancer can be administered without invasive procedures for verifying the diagnosis.

Comparação entre tomografia computadorizada e mediastinoscopia na avaliação do envolvimento ganglionar mediastínico no carcinoma brônquico não de pequenas células

OBJETIVO: Avaliar o rendimento da tomografia computadorizada torácica, em relação à mediastinoscopia, na detecção de metástases ganglionares mediastinais em pacientes portadores de carcinoma brônquico analisando o rendimento dessa e identificando as regiões mais problemáticas. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Analisamos 195 pacientes portadores de carcinoma brônquico, buscando-se comparar os achados entre tomografia computadorizada torácica e mediastinoscopia com biópsia. RESULTADOS: Em relação às metástases nodais mediastinais, 33,9% tinham doença metastática ganglionar peribrônquica e/ou hilar ipsilateral, 46,1% possuíam metástases mediastinais ipsilaterais e/ou subcarinais e 20% apresentavam doença metastática mediastinal e/ou hilar contralateral, escalênica ou supraclavicular. As regiões com melhores valores de sensibilidade foram traqueobrônquica direita, paratraqueal direita alta e paratraqueal esquerda alta. As regiões nodais com melhores resultados de especificidade foram paratraqueal esquerda alta, paratraqueal direita alta e regiões traqueobrônquicas. CONCLUSÃO: A tomografia computadorizada torácica mostrou-se importante ferramenta diagnóstica na detecção de anormalidades em gânglios mediastinais; entretanto, a natureza neoplásica desses gânglios deve ser conferida por mediastinoscopia, ou até mesmo por toracotomia, a fim de que a correta decisão quanto ao tratamento possa ser tomada.

Production of gamma-interferon by peripheral blood mononuclear cells: an important diagnostic tool for detection of subclinical paratuberculosis.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from noninfected control cows and from cows with either subclinical or clinical paratuberculosis (Johne's disease). Cells were incubated for 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours in complete medium with the following mitogens: concanavalin A (ConA), phytohemagglutinin-P (PHAP), pokeweed mitogen (PWM), and Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide. In addition, cells were incubated for the same time periods with a Mycobacterium paratuberculosis sonicate (MpS) and live and heat-killed M. paratu-berculosis at 10:1 bacteria: cell ratio. After incubation, cell-free supernatants were analyzed for gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN) production. Cells from subclinical cows produced significantly higher levels of gamma-IFN than did cells from clinical animals after stimulation with mitogens ConA, PHAP, and PWM. Levels of gamma-IFN produced by noninfected control animals generally followed the pattern of those of subclinical animals. After incubation with MpS, significantly greater quantities of gamma-IFN were produced by cells isolated from subclinical animals than by cells from clinical cows and noninfected controls. Stimulation of cells with heat-killed or live M. paratuberculosis evoked a similar response. This study indicates that gamma-IFN production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in response to M. paratuberculosis antigen may be an important diagnostic tool for the detection of paratuberculosis in subclinically affected animals.