What effective technique to differentiate radiation brain necrosis from a tumor progression in patients treated with radiation: A monocentric retrospective study combining the MRI TRAMs technique and the (F)-dopa PET/CT.

Purpose: Brain necrosis after radiotherapy is a challenging diagnosis, since it has similar radiological appearance on standard MRI to tumor progression. Consequences on treatment decisions can be important. We compare recent imaging techniques in order to adopt a reliable diagnostic protocol in doubtful situations.

Male breast cancer. A report of 71 cases.

Male breast cancer is rare; it constitutes 0.2-1.5% of all malignant tumours in men and 1% of all breast cancers.

Age-related changes in the elastic tissue of the human thoracic aorta.

Thirty human aortas with varying degrees of atheroma graded macroscopically according to the WHO classification were taken at autopsy from subjects of different ages (24-86 years). Study by light microscopy showed aortas with an intact wall (4 subjects, 25-46 years) with a thin intima and regular elastic layers, and aortas with varying degrees of modification of the wall, where the intima was of varying thickness and the elastic fibers showed varying degrees of damage (moderate lesions: 5 subjects, 35-52 yrs; severe lesions: 21 subjects, 26-86 yrs). From each aorta, a 4-cm segment from the tunica media, free of atheromatous lesions, was defatted and subjected to successive treatment with EDTA-Tris, 6 M guanidine-HCl-Tris, 6 M guanidine-HCl-Tris-DTE and collagenase.

Staining of elastic tissue by Verhoeff's iron hematoxylin.

The elastic system of normal human skin was studied by light and immunofluorescence. Oxytalan, elaunin et elastic fibers were stained by weigert, orcein, gomori and Verhoeff. By Verhoeff's method all elastic system of dermis is shown, with other three stains, only elaunic and elastic fibers are well visualized.