Role of shear wave elastography ultrasound in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Purpose: A study of shear wave elastography (SWE) for evaluation of skin stiffness in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients. The purpose of this study was to measure the skin stiffness and thickness in patients with scleroderma using shear wave elastography.

Methods: Prospective data collections of skin stiffness and thickness using SWE in SSc and control groups.

Imaging of a glomus tumor of the liver in a child.

Glomus tumors occur preferentially in the subcutaneous tissue of the fingers and toes, but are extremely rare in visceral organs. Although, there have been several reports of glomus tumors in the liver in adult patients, there have yet been no publications reporting glomus tumors of the liver in children. Here, we report a case of an 11-year-old girl who was admitted with a 2-week history of progressive dyspnea on exertion and vomiting.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatic fibrosis among perinatally HIV-monoinfected Asian adolescents receiving antiretroviral therapy.

To assess and compare the prevalence of persistent hepatic abnormalities, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and/or hepatic fibrosis, among perinatally HIV-monoinfected Asian adolescents with history of abnormal hepatic enzymes to those without, using noninvasive diagnostic tools. A multicenter cohort study was conducted in Thailand and Indonesia. Adolescents aged 10-25 years who were on antiretroviral treatment (ART), had virologic suppression (HIV RNA<400 copies/mL within the past 6 months), and had no history of chronic hepatitis B/C infection were enrolled.

Mapping abnormal subcortical neurodevelopment in a cohort of Thai children with HIV.

Alterations in subcortical brain structures have been reported in adults with HIV and, to a lesser extent, pediatric cohorts. The extent of longitudinal structural abnormalities in children with perinatal HIV infection (PaHIV) remains unclear. We modeled subcortical morphometry from whole brain structural magnetic resonance imaging (1.

Teleconsultation ultrasonography: a new weapon to combat cholangiocarcinoma.

Although cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is usually a rare cancer, in northeast Thailand it kills 20 000 or more people every year. The prognosis is very poor owing to late stage diagnosis, with palliative treatment often representing the only option. In this area of predominantly rural Thailand, CCA is associated with infection with the liver fluke, , which is classified as a group 1 carcinogen.

Prevalence and predictors of cardiac and liver iron overload in patients with thalassemia: A multicenter study based on real-world data.

Prevalence of cardiac and liver iron overload in patients with thalassemia in real-world practice may vary among different regions especially in the era of widely-used iron chelation therapy. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of cardiac and liver iron overload in and the management patterns of patients with thalassemia in real-world practice in Thailand. We established a multicenter registry for patients with thalassemia who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as part of their clinical evaluation.

Development and validation of a breast cancer risk prediction model for Thai women: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Breast cancer risk prediction models are widely used in clinical practice. They should be useful in identifying high risk women for screening in limited-resource countries. However, previous models showed poor performance in derived and validated settings.

Risk factors of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The etiology of breast cancer might be explained by 2 mechanisms, namely, differentiation and proliferation of breast epithelial cells mediated by hormonal factors. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to update effects of risk factors for both mechanisms. MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched up to January 2011.

Comparison between the radiographic findings in pulmonary tuberculosis of children with or without HIV infection.

Objective: Identify the difference between radiographic findings in children with pulmonary tuberculosis with and without HIV infection.

Material And Method: The authors retrospectively reviewed the chest radiography of 93 children (under 15 years of age) with pulmonary tuberculosis between January 2000 and June 2005. Fifty-two of the children had an HIV co-infection while the remaining 41 children did not.

Clinical factors predictive of PCR positive in pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza virus infection.

Objective: Pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza virus (H1N1) has been spreading globally. Clinical features might be predictive and may be different among countries. Even though the PCR test is a confirmatory test for this viral infection, it is expensive and limited in most Thai health care facilities.

Helical CT assessment on hilar cholangiocarcinoma: comparison value of arterial phase and portovenous phase correlation.

Objective: To study the correlation between the findings of hilar cholangiocarcinoma in hepatic arterial phase and portal venous phase. Attention will focus on whether the arterial phase imaging shows more detail than portal phase imaging.

Material And Method: Descriptive study design with retrospective data collection in Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University.

Cystic fibrosis in three northeast Thai infants is CF really a rare disease in the Thai population?

The authors report on three infants with cystic fibrosis (CF), with different genotypes, presenting with different clinical manifestations, but having similar abnormal serum electrolytes (i.e. hyponatremia, severe hypochloremia and metabolic alkalosis).

Missed appointments at a tuberculosis clinic increased the risk of clinical treatment failure.

We investigated the charts of 381 new smear-positive tuberculosis patients at Khon Kaen Medical School during 1997-2001 using World Health Organization definitions to evaluate associations among treatment success or failure (defaulted, failed, died, or not evaluated) and tuberculosis clinic contact, demographics and clinical characteristics of the patients. Multinomial logistic regression was used for three-category outcome analysis: treatment success, transferred-out and clinical treatment failure. The treatment success and clinical treatment failure rates were 34.

Ultrasound screening for Opisthorchis viverrini-associated cholangiocarcinomas: experience in an endemic area.

In Thailand, liver cancer is the most common malignancy in males and the third most common among females. In the Northeast region, cholangiocarcinoma (CHCA) is the prevalent type, with Opisthorchis viverrini (OV), an endemic liver fluke, being considered the cause. We evaluated the role of ultrasound (U/S) for cholangiocarcinoma screening as part of a larger cohort to characterize the linkage between liver fluke infestation and CHCA in Khon Kaen (Northeast Thailand).

Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy caused by azathioprine in systemic lupus erythematosus.

The authors report a case of systemic lupus erythematosus with posterior leukoencephalopathy who presented with headache, tonic-clonic seizure, loss of consciousness and bilateral loss of vision, after taking azathioprine for three weeks. The patient had hypertension with normal eye grounds. The brain CT showed a hypodensity lesion at both bilateral occipital lobes, mainly in the white matter The symptoms and follow-up MRI were improved after the control of hypertension and discontinuation of azathioprine.

Singh index screening for femoral neck osteoporosis.

The present study included 130 elderly women living in Khon Kaen, Thailand, and all but one underwent both DEXA-BMD and AP radiographs of the left hip joint. The mean (SD) of age, weight, height and BMI of the 129 participants was 72.5 (5.

Predictive CT features in ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Objective: To evaluate the CT findings including size of aneurysm, hyperattenuation crescent sign and focal discontinuity of mural calcification to predict the risk of ruptured aneurysm.

Material And Method: Records of 27 patients, who underwent Multislices Computed Tomography (MDCT) and required operative repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm from July 2000 to July 2003 were retrospectively reviewed Two radiologists evaluated the images by consensus, analyzing the aneurysm size, hyperattenuation crescent sign, and focal discontinuity of mural calcification.

Results: The authors found that the mean maximum AP diameters of the aneurysm in the ruptured and nonruptured group were 6.

Pulmonary tuberculosis in a child presenting with acute hemoptysis.

We report on a tuberculous child whose only presenting symptom was acute hemoptysis. His chest radiograph revealed a mass-like lesion occupying the posterior basal segment of the right lower lung field. Multidetector computerized tomography (MDCT) of the chest showed a hypodense mass supplied by the bronchial artery and drained by the pulmonary vein.

Randomized trial of atorvastatin in improving endothelial function in diabetics without prior coronary disease and having average cholesterol level.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether HMGCoA reductase inhibitor with atorvastatin can modulate endothelial function in type II diabetics having average cholesterol and no prior cardiovascular disease.

Material And Method: Type II diabetics, with no prior cardiovascular events and total cholesterol at admission of < or = 200 mg/dl or LDL < or = 140 mg/dl, were randomized to placebo (n = 20) or atorvastatin 20 mg daily (n = 22) for 30 weeks. Brachial artery endothelium-dependent dilatation or flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and endothelium-independent dilatation or nitroglycerine-mediated dilatation (NTGMD) were measured at baseline and after thirty weeks of treatment.

Aortoesophageal fistula: a life-threatening cause of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage in double aortic arch, a case report.

The authors present the case of a 2-month-old infant with double aortic arch that developed massive bright red upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage from aortoesophageal fistula (AEF) after prolonged endotracheal and nasogastric intubation. Emergency thoracotomy with AEF and double aortic arch repaired were done successfully under cardiopulmonary bypass. Due to tracheomalacia and left phrenic nerve injury, tracheal extubation could not be done until 1 month after correction of the vascular ring.

Comparison of high-resolution computed tomography with pulmonary function testing in symptomatic smokers.

Purpose: To compare high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of lungs with pulmonary function in smokers diagnosed with emphysema.

Material And Method: The authors retrospectively reviewed 17 patients with a history of smoking and dyspnea, who underwent HRCT of the lungs and pulmonary function testing. HRCT scores were determined and compared to pulmonary function (FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and DLCO).

Pleuropulmonary blastoma in a child presenting with spontaneous pneumothorax.

The authors described a 27-month-old boy with the diagnosis of pleuropulmonary blastoma who presented with spontaneous pneumothorax. The child was admitted to our hospital with the chief complaint of respiratory distress for 8 months. Initial chest X-ray revealed tension pneumothorax on the right side.