Liver fibrosis estimated using extracellular volume fraction obtained from dual-energy CT as a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma after sustained virologic response: A preliminary case-control study.

Purpose: To assess hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk after sustained virologic response (SVR) through clinical data analyses, including evaluation of liver fibrosis using the extracellular volume fraction (ECV) obtained from dual-energy computed tomography (DECT).

Methods: Ninety-two patients (52 men and 40 women; mean age, 69.9 years) with hepatitis C virus infection after SVR underwent DECT of the liver (3-minute equilibrium-phase images) between January 2020 and March 2022.

A case of focal nodular hyperplasia-like lesion presenting unusual signal intensity on the hepatobiliary phase of gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance image.

Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) or FNH-like lesions of the liver are benign lesions that can be mostly diagnosed by hepatobiliary phase gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Accurate imaging diagnosis is based on the fact that most FNHs or FNH-like lesions show characteristic hyper- or isointensity on hepatobiliary phase images. We report a case of an FNH-like lesion in a 73-year-old woman that mimicked a malignant tumor.

Assessment of Arterial Transit Time and Cerebrovascular Reactivity in Moyamoya Disease by Simultaneous PET/MRI.

We investigated the relationship between MRI-arterial spin labeling (ASL) parameters and PET-cerebral blood flow (CBF)/cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) simultaneously obtained by PET/MRI in Moyamoya disease. Twelve patients underwent O-water PET/MRI with the acetazolamide (ACZ) challenge test. PET-CBF and PET-CVR were measured using O-water PET.

Diagnostic performance of abbreviated gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance protocols with contrast-enhanced computed tomography for detection of colorectal liver metastases.

Background: Although contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using gadoxetic acid has been shown to have higher accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for the detection and characterization of hepatic metastases compared with other modalities, the long examination time would limit the broad indication. Several abbreviated enhanced MRI (Ab-MRI) protocols without dynamic phases have been proposed to achieve equivalent diagnostic performance for the detection of colorectal liver metastases. However, an optimal protocol has not been established, and no studies have assessed the diagnostic performance of Ab-MRI combined with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT), which is the preoperative imaging of colorectal cancer staging in clinical settings, to determine the best therapeutic strategy.

Multiplexed ISSR genotyping by sequencing distinguishes two precious coral species (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Coralliidae) that share a mitochondrial haplotype.

Background: Precious corals known as coralliid corals (Anthozoa: Octocorallia) play an important role in increasing the biodiversity of the deep sea. Currently, these corals are highly threatened because of overfishing that has been brought on by an increased demand and elevated prices for them.The deep sea precious corals and are distributed in Japanese waters and have distinct morphological features: (1) the terminal branches of the colony form of are very fine, while those of are blunt and rounded, (2) the autozooids of are arranged in approximately four rows, while those of are clustered in groups.

Previous Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment to Increase the Efficacy of Docetaxel and Ramucirumab Combination Chemotherapy.

Background/aim: For immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-pretreated patients, docetaxel and ramucirumab (DOC+RAM) combination therapy may be more effective compared to patients not receiving ICI treatment.

Patients And Methods: From June 2013 to July 2018, 39 patients with advanced/recurrent non-small cell lung cancer underwent DOC+RAM therapy. We analyzed the efficacy and safety of DOC+RAM therapy based on the presence (pre-ICI+) or absence (pre-ICI-) of ICI pretreatment history.

Evaluation of retained products of conception using pulsed continuous arterial spin-labeling MRI: clinical feasibility and initial results.

Objectives: We evaluated the vascularity of retained products of conception (RPOC) using arterial spin-labeling magnetic resonance imaging (ASL-MRI) to clarify the clinical feasibility of this approach.

Materials And Methods: A pulsed-continuous ASL sequence with echo-planar imaging (EPI) acquisitions was used. Ten consecutive patients with RPOC were enrolled.

Comparison of gastrointestinal adverse effects of ketoprofen between adult and young cats.

This study elucidated differences in predisposition to the gastrointestinal adverse effects of ketoprofen between young and adult cats. Ketoprofen was administered subcutaneously (2.0 mg/kg, s.

Therapeutic and adverse effects of flunixin-meglumine in adult and young cats.

In this study, we elucidated the difference in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug sensitivities between young and adult cats on therapeutic and adverse effects. In the prevention of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced hyperthermia using flunixin-meglumine, young (<3 months old) and adult (>12 months old) cats of both sexes were given LPS (0.3 µg/kg, i.

Soluble dietary fiber protects against nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced damage to the small intestine in cats.

Purpose: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) often cause ulcers in the small intestine in humans, but there are few effective agents for treatment of small intestinal ulcers. We found that soluble dietary fibers (SDFs), such as pectin, could prevent the formation of small intestinal lesions induced by indomethacin (IND) in cats. To elucidate the mechanism of protection by SDFs, we examined the viscosities of SDFs and the effects of pectin on gastrointestinal absorption of IND and intestinal hypermotility induced by IND.

A green fluorescent protein fused to rice prolamin forms protein body-like structures in transgenic rice.

Prolamins, a group of rice (Oryza sativa) seed storage proteins, are synthesized on the rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and deposited in ER-derived type I protein bodies (PB-Is) in rice endosperm cells. The accumulation mechanism of prolamins, which do not possess the well-known ER retention signal, remains unclear. In order to elucidate whether the accumulation of prolamin in the ER requires seed-specific factors, the subcellular localization of the constitutively expressed green fluorescent protein fused to prolamin (prolamin-GFP) was examined in seeds, leaves, and roots of transgenic rice plants.