Relative and combined performance of mammography and ultrasonography for breast cancer screening in the general population: a pilot study in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.

Background: Breast cancer screening by mammography is thought to be effective in reducing breast cancer mortality while ultrasonography is not accepted as a population screening modality, although the latter has been suggested to be useful in detection of cancer in the dense breast, relatively more typical for a younger woman.

Methods: Mammography with medio-lateral oblique view was offered on trial in 1999-2000 for 3453 female residents in Tochigi prefecture who also underwent clinical breast examination and ultrasonography. The municipalities that provided cancer screening were informed of the final diagnosis for women with positive findings in the screening trial by doctors who performed the diagnostic evaluation.

Mortality and morbidity in peripheral neuropathy associated Churg-Strauss syndrome and microscopic polyangiitis.

Objective: Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) are commonly characterized by systemic necrotizing vasculitis and frequent occurrence of axonal neuropathy. We investigated whether the neuropathy in these 2 diseases reveals differences in clinicopathologic features and predicts survival and functional outcome.

Methods: We compared 30 patients with CSS associated neuropathy with 26 patients with MPA associated neuropathy in terms of clinical, laboratory, electrophysiologic, and outcome data.