Initial Experience of 18F-FDG PET/MRI in Thymic Epithelial Tumors: Morphologic, Functional, and Metabolic Biomarkers.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the value of morphologic, functional, and metabolic biomarkers acquired concurrently at PET/MRI in patients with thymic epithelial tumors.

Patients And Methods: During 1 year, 9 patients with suspected thymic epithelial tumors at contrast-enhanced chest CT were prospectively enrolled and underwent preoperative 18F-FDG PET/MRI. Two chest radiologists prospectively reviewed the CT and MRI scans of PET/MRI in consensus, and 2 nuclear physicians reviewed the PET images.

Cooling the two-dimensional short spherocylinder liquid to the tetratic phase: Heterogeneous dynamics with one-way coupling between rotational and translational hopping.

We numerically demonstrate the transition from the isotropic liquid to the tetratic phase with quasilong-range tetratic alignment order (i.e., with nearly parallel or perpendicular aligned rods), for the cold two-dimensional (2D) short spherocylinder system before crystallization and investigate the thermal assisted heterogeneous rotational and translational micromotions.

Prediction of semitendinosus-gracilis graft diameter in children and adolescents using anthropometric measures.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the anthropometric and demographic measures of patients under 18 years can be used to predict the diameter of STG autograft in ACL reconstruction surgery.

Methods: Retrospective series of 169 patients under 18 years (112 men, 57 women, average age 15.8 years) underwent ACL reconstruction surgery with STG autograft.

The Feasibility of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in the Variant Airway Problems.

Introduction: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is widely used to treat respiratory distress during cardiac or respiratory arrest; moreover, its use is being extended to a wide variety of clinical fields. In this study we assess the utility of ECMO in the management of airway obstruction.

Patients And Methods: 15 patients underwent ECMO for airway obstruction.

Feasibility and response of concurrent weekly docetaxel with radical radiotherapy in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: (1) To study the feasibility, adverse effects and response of concurrent weekly Docetaxel with radical radiotherapy in inoperable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. (2) To assess the compliance and tolerance of weekly Docetaxel with radiotherapy.

Material And Methods: Twenty one patients with stage III and IV head and neck squamous cell carcinoma satisfying inclusion criteria were selected and treated with conventional external radiotherapy of 70Gy in 35 fractions with weekly concurrent Docetaxel (15mg/sqm), administered one hour before radiotherapy.

Suppressing turbulence of self-propelling rods by strongly coupled passive particles.

The strong turbulence suppression, mainly for large-scale modes, of two-dimensional self-propelling rods, by increasing the long-range coupling strength Γ of low-concentration passive particles, is numerically demonstrated. It is found that large-scale collective rod motion in forms of swirls or jets is mainly contributed from well-aligned dense patches, which can push small poorly aligned rod patches and uncoupled passive particles. The more efficient momentum transfer and dissipation through increasing passive particle coupling leads to the formation of a more ordered and slowed down network of passive particles, which competes with coherent dense active rod clusters.

Thrombomodulin promotes corneal epithelial wound healing.

Purpose: To determine the role of thrombomodulin (TM) in corneal epithelial wound healing, and to investigate whether recombinant TM epidermal growth factor-like domain plus serine/threonine-rich domain (rTMD23) has therapeutic potential in corneal epithelial wound healing.

Methods: TM localization and expression in the murine cornea were examined by immunofluorescence staining. TM expression after injury was also studied.

Coronary stenting with cardiogenic shock due to acute ascending aortic dissection.

A 65-year-old man developed chest pain under cardiogenic shock. Coronary angiography revealed severe stenosis from the ostium of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) to the left anterior descending artery (LAD). Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) identified a large hematoma that originated from the aorta and extended into the LAD, thereby compressing the true lumen.

Molecular Docking Study for Inhibitors of Aggregatibacter actinomycetamcomitans Toxins in Treatment of Aggressive Perioodontitis.

Introduction: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the periodontal tissues causing periodontal attachment loss and destruction of the alveolar bone which leads to mobility and loss of teeth. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) is a gram negative, capnophilic, coccobacillus that plays an important role in aggressive Periodontitis. Aa produces a variety of virulence factors that facilitate the colonization, invasion and destruction of the periodontal tissues.

Effect of Aerobic Exercise on CD4 Cell Count and Lipid Profile of HIV Infected Persons in North Eastern Nigeria.

Background: Literature consistently shows dearth of published data from developing countries on effect of exercise on HIV infected persons.

Objective: The study was aimed at determining effect of aerobic exercise on CD4 cell counts and lipid profile of HIV infected persons in Northeastern Nigeria.

Methods: Sample of convenience was employed to enroll volunteer and willing 91 HIV infected persons attending antiretroviral clinic at a tertiary hospital in Northeastern Nigeria.

Evaluation of humoral immunity and protective efficacy of biofilm producing Staphylococcus aureus bacterin-toxoid prepared from a bovine mastitis isolate in rabbit.

Mastitis is a one of the major diseases of dairy animals. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common microorganism associated with this dairy scourge. Cure rates of mastitis associated with this pathogen are appallingly low.

PHYTOPLASMAS IN POME FRUIT TREES: UPDATE OF THEIR PRESENCE AND THEIR VECTORS IN BELGIUM.

Among the numerous diseases that can attack pome fruit trees, apple proliferation and pear decline, both caused by a phytoplasma ('Candidatus Phytoplasma mali' (AP) and 'Ca. P. pyri' (PD), respectively), may result into important losses of quality and quantity of the crop.

Kinetic origin of grain boundary migration, grain coalescence, and defect reduction in the crystallization of quenched two-dimensional Yukawa liquids.

The kinetic origin of grain boundary migration, grain coalescence, and defect reduction in the crystallization of quenched two-dimensional Yukawa liquids are numerically investigated. It is found that, in grain coalescence, stick-slip cracking the region in front of the grain boundary into smaller subgrains corotating with small angle, followed by healing, is the key for aligning lattice misorientation and inducing grain boundary stick-slip advance. Cracking is initiated from the weakly interlocked dislocation along its Burgers vector, which in turn causes dislocation motion along the crack.

Changes in access to health services of the immigrant and native-born population in Spain in the context of economic crisis.

Aim: To analyze changes in access to health care and its determinants in the immigrant and native-born populations in Spain, before and during the economic crisis.

Methods: Comparative analysis of two iterations of the Spanish National Health Survey (2006 and 2012). Outcome variables were: unmet need and use of different healthcare levels; explanatory variables: need, predisposing and enabling factors.

Feasibility study of immediate pharyngeal cooling initiation in cardiac arrest patients after arrival at the emergency room.

Aim: Cooling the pharynx and upper oesophagus would be more advantageous for rapid induction of therapeutic hypothermia since the carotid arteries run in their vicinity. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of pharyngeal cooling on brain temperature and the safety and feasibility for patients under resuscitation.

Methods: Witnessed non-traumatic cardiac arrest patients (n=108) were randomized to receive standard care with (n=53) or without pharyngeal cooling (n=55).

Histopathological features of the gastroesophageal junction: an Eastern view.

The definition and features of the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) and the histopathologic features of the cardiac mucosa remain controversial. Most reports originate from western countries, which have different prevalence of GEJ adenocarcinoma and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) compared to eastern countries. Therefore, we investigated GEJ anatomic and histopathologic features by histological mapping in 30 esophagogastrectomy specimens of middle and lower esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Identification of genotypes of Influenza A virus in Malaysia.

Objective: Influenza is considered as an emerging disease until today. The present study was undertaken to determine the prevalent genotypes of Influenza A virus in Malaysia.

Methods: Influenza A virus was identified from respiratory specimens by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR).

Observation of self-excited acoustic vortices in defect-mediated dust acoustic wave turbulence.

Using the self-excited dust acoustic wave as a platform, we demonstrate experimental observation of self-excited fluctuating acoustic vortex pairs with ± 1 topological charges through spontaneous waveform undulation in defect-mediated turbulence for three-dimensional traveling nonlinear longitudinal waves. The acoustic vortex pair has helical waveforms with opposite chirality around the low-density hole filament pair in xyt space (the xy plane is the plane normal to the wave propagation direction). It is generated through ruptures of sequential crest surfaces and reconnections with their trailing ruptured crest surfaces.

Role of CT Imaging with Volume Reconstruction in Hemi Facial Hypertrophy: A Pediatric Case Report.

Hemifacial hypertrophy is a rare congenital disorder more common in males.It involves the soft tissue, hard bones and teeth of the face.Its etiology is unknown and multiple theories have been postulated.

Expression of the adaptor protein Tks5 in human cancer: prognostic potential.

Tks5 (tyrosine kinase substrate with 5 SH3 domains) is an adaptor protein which cooperates with Src tyrosine kinase to promote the formation of protease-enriched, actin-based projections known as invadopodia, which are utilized by invasive cancer cells to degrade the extracellular matrix (ECM). We previously identified a Src-Tks5-Nck pathway which promotes invadopodium formation and ECM proteolysis in melanoma and breast cancer cells. We therefore sought to investigate the significance of Tks5 expression in human cancers.

Bone Marrow-derived Cell Therapy for Oral Mucosal Repair after Irradiation.

Oral mucositis (ulcer) is a serious and painful side effect for patients with head and neck cancer following radiation therapy. However, current clinical strategies cannot efficiently prevent the occurrence of oral mucositis. In this study, we investigated whether bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) prevented the occurrence and/or decreased the severity of radiation-induced oral mucositis.

Predicting the invasion depth of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: comparison of endoscopic ultrasonography and magnifying endoscopy.

Objective: Predicting the invasion depth of superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC) is important when selecting among therapeutic strategies. The aim of this study was to compare magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI) with endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) for predicting the depth of tumor invasion in patients with SESCC.

Methods: This study enrolled 51 patients with SESCC (52 SESCC lesions) who underwent both ME-NBI and EUS at Pusan National University Hospital during 2010-2013.

Clinicopathologic factors influencing the accuracy of EUS for superficial esophageal carcinoma.

Aim: To identify clinicopathologic factors influencing the accuracy of a high-frequency catheter probe endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) for superficial esophageal carcinomas (SECs).

Methods: A total of 126 patients with endoscopically suspected SEC, who underwent EUS and curative treatment at Pusan National University Hospital during 2005-2013, were enrolled. We reviewed the medical records of the 126 patients and compared EUS findings with histopathologic results according to clinicopathologic factors.

Clinical implication of PET/MR imaging in preoperative esophageal cancer staging: comparison with PET/CT, endoscopic ultrasonography, and CT.

Unlabelled: This was a study to compare the diagnostic efficacies of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), CT, PET/MR imaging, and PET/CT for the preoperative local and regional staging of esophageal cancer, with postoperative pathologic stage used as the reference standard.

Methods: During 1 y, 19 patients with resectable esophageal cancer were enrolled and underwent preoperative EUS, CT, PET/CT, and PET/MR imaging. A chest radiologist and nuclear medicine physician retrospectively reviewed the images and assigned tumor and lymph node stages according to the seventh version of the TNM system and the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system.

Stress-induced microcracking and cooperative motion of cold dusty plasma liquids.

We investigate the microresponse of the quasi-two-dimensional dusty plasma liquid around freezing to the shear force from a laser beam through the center of the liquid cluster. It is found that the cold liquid can be viewed as a patchwork of crystalline ordered domains (CODs) which are solidlike but can be cracked and rearranged by weak thermal agitation and external stress, through COD rotations and drifting. Under weak external stress comparable to thermal agitation, the laser zone is not the preferred region mastering cracking initiation.