Real-time ultrasonography-computed tomography fusion imaging for staging of hepatic metastatic involvement in patients with colorectal cancer: initial results from comparison to US seeing separate CT images and to multidetector-row CT alone.

Objectives: To prospectively evaluate the role of real-time ultrasonography (US)-computed tomography (CT) fusion imaging (US-CT) in comparison with US seeing separate CT images (US + CT) and multidetector-row CT (MDCT) for the correct staging of hepatic metastatic involvement in patients with colorectal cancer.

Methods: Sixty-four patients with newly diagnosed colorectal cancer and who were referred for abdominopelvic staging before primary tumor resection underwent same-day MDCT, US + CT, and US-CT. Examinations were evaluated on-site by 2 investigators in consensus.

Differentiation of benign from malignant focal splenic lesions using sulfur hexafluoride-filled microbubble contrast-enhanced pulse-inversion sonography.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to evaluate whether sonographic characterization of focal splenic lesions could be improved by using low mechanical index pulse-inversion sonography after sulfur hexafluoride-filled microbubble injection.

Materials And Methods: One hundred forty-seven splenic lesions (68 benign, 79 malignant) in 147 patients (81 men, 66 women; mean age, 51 years) underwent baseline gray-scale sonography and sulfur hexafluoride-enhanced low-acoustic-power pulse-inversion sonography (mechanical index < 0.1).

Low number of donor activating killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) genes but not KIR-ligand mismatch prevents relapse and improves disease-free survival in leukemia patients after in vivo T-cell depleted unrelated stem cell transplantation.

Background: The effect of natural killer (NK) cell alloreactivity on outcome of unrelated stem cell transplantation (SCT) remains controversial. Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) recognize human leukocyte antigen C and B epitopes on target cells, thereby regulating NK cell activity. The KIR genes are polymorphic and two broad haplotypes exist: KIR-haplotype A mainly encode for inhibitory receptors and only for one activating (KIR2DS4), whereas the group B haplotype encodes more for activating KIRs (KIR2DS1, KIR2DS2, KIR2DS3, KIR2DS5 und KIR3DS1).