Unusual application of twinkling artifact.

Introduction: The aim of this paper is to show how to improve diagnostic accuracy using CDUS and twinkling artifact in patients experiencing discomfort due to the presence of small FBs in the soft tissues not clearly visible at US grayscale examination.

Materials And Methods: We enrolled 7 adult patients presenting with small (2-4 mm) superficial FBs located in the subcutaneous and muscle tissues, barely or not detectable on US grayscale. All patients underwent US grayscale and CDUS examinations.

Combined effect of ultrasound and vacuum impregnation for the modification of apple tissue enriched with aloe vera juice.

The aim of the work was to investigate how ultrasonic (US) treatment impacts on the physical and chemical properties of vacuum-impregnated apples. Apple slices were subjected to vacuum impregnation (VI) in an Aloe vera juice solution without additional treatments, serving as the reference material. Alternatively, ultrasound (US) treatments, at frequencies of 25 or 45 kHz, and durations of 10, 20, or 30 min, were employed as a pre-treatments before the VI process.

Effect of the Pulsed Electric Field Treatment on Physical, Chemical and Structural Changes of Vacuum Impregnated Apple Tissue in Aloe Vera Juices.

Vacuum impregnation (VI) stands as a diffusion-driven food processing method that has found recent application within the food industry, particularly for the cold formulation of fortified food products. Pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment can affect the food structure, influencing therefore the mass transfer phenomena during the further processing. Thus, the study aimed at investigating the effect of PEF treatment on selected physicochemical properties of vacuum-impregnated apples.

Developments in Plant Proteins Production for Meat and Fish Analogues.

In recent years, there have been significant developments in plant proteins production for meat and fish analogues. Some of the key developments include the use of new plant protein sources such as soy, legumes, grains, potatoes, and seaweed, as well as insect proteins, leaf proteins, mushrooms, and microbial proteins. Furthermore, to improve the technological and functional properties of plant proteins, they can be subjected to traditional and unconventional treatments such as chemical (glycosylation, deamidation, phosphorylation, and acylation), physical (pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, high hydrostatic pressure, dynamic high-pressure treatment, and cold plasma), and biological (fermentation and enzymatic modification).

Diagnostic Performance of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in the Evaluation of Small Renal Masses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Ultrasound (US) is a highly sensitive imaging tool in the detection of renal masses. However, the detection rate of small renal masses (SRMs) (<4 cm) is still limited. In this scenario, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a relatively novel, but increasingly utilized, diagnostic modality which aims to increase the overall diagnostic ability in the identification of SRMs.

What Is the Malignant Potential of Small (<2 cm), Nonpalpable Testicular Incidentalomas in Adults? A Systematic Review.

Context: Unlike palpable lumps, a large number of nonpalpable testicular lesions found incidentally at ultrasound in asymptomatic postpuberal males are either benign tumours or non-neoplastic lesions. The prevalence of malignancy, however, is appraised based on small case series. Dedicated studies report a large number of patients, and systematic review articles are lacking.

Rheological and Viscoelastic Properties of Chitosan Solutions Prepared with Different Chitosan or Acetic Acid Concentrations.

Chitosan (Ch) is a partially crystalline biopolymer, insoluble in pure water but soluble in acid solutions. It has attracted interest from researchers to prepare solutions using different acid types and concentrations. This research aims to study both the effect of chitosan (Ch) or acetic acid (Ac) concentrations, at different temperatures, on rheological and viscoelastic properties of Ch solutions.

Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound Compared with MRI and CT in the Evaluation of Post-Renal Transplant Complications.

Renal transplantation (RT) is the treatment of choice for end-stage renal disease, significantly improving patients' survival and quality of life. However, approximately 3-23% of patients encounter post-operative complications, and radiology plays a major role for their early detection and treatment or follow-up planning. CT and MRI are excellent imaging modalities to evaluate renal transplant post-operative course; nevertheless, they are both associated with a high cost and low accessibility, as well as some contraindications, making them not feasible for all patients.

Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) in the Evaluation of Renal Masses with Histopathological Validation-Results from a Prospective Single-Center Study.

Background: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in characterizing between malignant and benign renal lesions confirmed by histological examination.

Methods: Overall, 110 patients, for a total of 118 renal masses previously identified at CT and MRI underwent CEUS. An expert radiologist evaluated morphological, qualitative and quantitative parameters.

Role of multiparametric ultrasound in testicular focal lesions and diffuse pathology evaluation, with particular regard to elastography: Review of literature.

Background: Ultrasound is the main requested technique for the assessment of traumatic, vascular, neoplastic, and inflammatory testicular pathology. Moreover, the role of ultrasound has broadened over the years along with the introduction of new techniques, such as contrast enhanced ultrasound and ultrasound elastography.

Objective: An updated representation of the pre-existing Literature evidence for multiparametric ultrasound imaging with particular regard to elastography, in the evaluation of focal and diffuse testicular pathologies, has been presented.

Varicocoele. Classification and pitfalls.

Background: Varicocoeles have been considered for a long time potentially correctable causes for male infertility, even though the correlation of this condition with infertility and sperm damage is still debated.

Objective: To present a summary of the evidence evaluation for imaging varicocoeles, to underline the need for a standardized examination technique and for a unique classification, and to focus on pitfalls in image interpretation.

Methods: Based on the evidence of the literature, the current role of ultrasound (US) imaging for varicocoeles has been reported and illustrated, with emphasis on examination technique, classification, and pitfalls.

An unusual location of hand, foot and mouth disease.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a childhood febrile disease. Oral lesions and papulovesicular lesions on the hands and feet are the clinical signs of the disease. In our case, a 17-year-old boy presented to the emergency department, where he was diagnosed with HFMD.

Diagnostic imaging in COVID-19 pneumonia: a literature review.

In December 2019 in Wuhan (China), a bat-origin coronavirus (2019-nCoV), also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified, and the World Health Organization named the related disease COVID-19. Its most severe manifestations are pneumonia, systemic and pulmonary thromboembolism, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and respiratory failure. A swab test is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of COVID-19 despite the high number of false negatives.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound after successful cryoablation of benign and malignant renal tumours: how long does tumour enhancement persist?

Introduction: To investigate how long successfully ablated tumours take to become completely avascular at CEUS after cryoablation.

Methods: Ninety-five patients had percutaneous cryoablation of 103 renal tumours investigated at CEUS on post-operative day one. If the lesion was avascular, a contrast-CT/MR was scheduled six months after the procedure, while CEUS was repeated if the lesion still displayed enhancement, until the disappearance of intralesional vascularity.

Role of Contrast-Enhanced Voiding Urosonography in the Evaluation of Renal Transplant Reflux - Comparison with Voiding Cystourethrography and a New Classification.

Unlabelled: Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is a common urological complication in renal transplant patients.

The Aim: of this study is to evaluate the performance of contrast-enhanced voiding urosonography (CEvUS) in the diagnosis and classification of reflux into the renal allograft, to evaluate and classify VUR into the allograft using voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) and CEvUS, to compare the two methods, and to propose a new classification of reflux into the allograft based on CEvUS and VCUG assessment, in line with the international reflux grading system.

Materials And Methods:  From January 2017 to July 2019, 84 kidney transplant patients were enrolled.

EFSUMB 2020 Proposal for a Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound-Adapted Bosniak Cyst Categorization - Position Statement.

The well-established Bosniak renal cyst classification is based on contrast-enhanced computed tomography determining the malignant potential of cystic renal lesions. Ultrasound has not been incorporated into this pathway. However, the development of ultrasound contrast agents coupled with the superior resolution of ultrasound makes it possible to redefine the imaging of cystic renal lesions.

Duplex ultrasound versus CT angiography for the treatment planning of lower-limb arterial disease.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of duplex sonography (DUS) compared with that of computed tomography angiography (CTA) in detecting occlusion and stenosis in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in candidate patients for endovascular revascularization with intraprocedural digital subtraction angiography (DSA).

Methods: The study involved 94 patients suffering from PAD who were candidates for endovascular procedures requiring DSA. They were all submitted preoperatively to DUS and CTA.

Multiparametric ultrasound in the evaluation of kidney disease in elderly.

After the age of 30 years, GFR progressively declines at an average rate of 8 mL/min/1.73 m/decade. A problem of advanced age is that the evaluation of renal function on the basis of indicators valid in young adults, such as creatininemia, is unreliable.

Multiparametric MRI Multiparametric US in the Detection of Prostate Cancer.

Background/aim: The aim of the study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI), multiparametric ultrasound (mpUS) and US/MRI fusion imaging techniques in the detection of prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: A total of 82 patients with persistently high prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels after medical therapy were prospectively evaluated. All patients underwent digital rectal examination, mpMRI, mpUS and prostate biopsy.

MRI ultrasound fusion biopsy in prostate cancer detection: Are randomized clinical trials reproducible in everyday clinical practice?

Introduction:: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI)-ultrasound (US) fusion-targeted biopsies (TB) in men with primary and repeated biopsies comparing the cancer detection rate (CDR) of random biopsies (RB) + TB versus only TB.

Methods:: The present study is a real-life study on patients with primary and prior negative prostate biopsies with suspicious PCa. A total of 130 men with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value >2.

Treatment of Metastatic, Castration-resistant, Docetaxel-resistant Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review of Literature With a Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.

Introduction: To compare the efficacy of abiraterone acetate, enzalutamide, cabazitaxel and Radium-223 in the treatment of castration-resistant, docetaxel-resistant metastatic prostate cancer.

Methods: An indirect comparison of Overall Survival (OS) and time to PSA progression among abiraterone acetate, enzalutamide, cabazitaxel and Radium-223 was performed with a network metaanalysis. OS in the entire population of patients was the primary endpoint.

Tc-HMPAO brain SPECT in the monitoring of cerebral vasculitis therapy.

Objective: The central nervous system (CNS) may be involved in a variety of inflammatory diseases of the blood vessels, generally known as vasculitis. The clinical diagnosis of such involvement in early stages is difficult, since a mild cognitive impairment can be the only symptom. It was hypothesized that brain-perfusion SPECT would be able to reveal CNS involvement and to monitor the course of the disease.

Diagnostic imaging and CEUS findings in a rare case of Desmoid-type fibromatosis. A case report.

Desmoid-type fibromatosis (DF), also known as aggressive fibromatosis, is a locally aggressive benign fibroblastic neoplasm that can infiltrate or recur but cannot metastasize. It is rare, with an estimated annual incidence of two to four new cases per million people. Most DFs occur sporadically, but it may also be associated with the hereditary syndrome familial adenomatous polyposis.

The EFSUMB Guidelines and Recommendations for the Clinical Practice of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) in Non-Hepatic Applications: Update 2017 (Short Version).

The updated version of the EFSUMB guidelines on the application of non-hepatic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) deals with the use of microbubble ultrasound contrast outside the liver in the many established and emerging applications.

The EFSUMB Guidelines and Recommendations for the Clinical Practice of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) in Non-Hepatic Applications: Update 2017 (Long Version).

The updated version of the EFSUMB guidelines on the application of non-hepatic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) deals with the use of microbubble ultrasound contrast outside the liver in the many established and emerging applications.