RGD-Targeted Ultrasound Contrast Agent for Longitudinal Assessment of Hep-2 Tumor Angiogenesis In Vivo.

Objective: To prepare arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD)-targeted ultrasound contrast microbubbles (MBs) and explore the feasibility of their use in assessing dynamic changes in αvβ3 integrin expression in a murine model of tumor angiogenesis.

Methods: RGD peptides were conjugated to the surfaces of microbubbles via biotin-avidin linkage. Microbubbles bearing RADfK peptides were prepared as controls.

Acoustic radiation force impulse imaging for non-invasive assessment of renal histopathology in chronic kidney disease.

Objective: To investigate the stiffness values obtained by acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) quantification in assessing renal histological fibrosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: 163 patients with CKD and 32 healthy volunteers were enrolled between June 2013 and April 2014. ARFI quantification, given as shear wave velocity (SWV), was performed to measure renal parenchyma stiffness.

Meta-analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the differentiation of benign and malignant breast lesions.

Background: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a non-invasive method for the assessment of breast lesions. The accuracy of CEUS in diagnosing of breast cancer has never been systematically assessed.

Purpose: To determine the overall performance of CEUS in the differentiation of benign and malignant breast lesions using meta-analysis.