Sarcopenia is associated with reduced survival in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing sorafenib treatment.

Background: Sarcopenia has been associated with poor outcomes in patients with cirrhosis and solid tumours.

Objective: Analyse the influence of sarcopenia on survival and treatment duration in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with sorafenib.

Methods: We conducted a multicentre, retrospective study on 96 patients with advanced HCC treated with sorafenib, all with available abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan within 30 days from treatment start.

Computational study of the fluid-dynamics in carotids before and after endarterectomy.

In this work, we provide a computational study of the effects of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) on the fluid-dynamics at internal carotid bifurcations. We perform numerical simulations in real geometries of the same patients before and after CEA, using patient-specific boundary data obtained by Echo-Color Doppler measurements. We analyze four patients with a primary closure and other four where a patch was used to close arteriotomies.

Diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhosis by dynamic contrast imaging: the importance of tumor cell differentiation.

Unlabelled: Dynamic contrast imaging techniques are considered the standard of care for the radiological diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhosis. However, the accuracy of radiological diagnosis depends largely on the degree of arterial hypervascularization, which increases with tumor size. Owing to the interplay and prognostic relevance of tumor vascularization and cell differentation, we asked ourselves whether tumor grade also affects the outcome of radiological diagnosis.

The diagnostic and economic impact of contrast imaging techniques in the diagnosis of small hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhosis.

Background: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CE-US), contrast CT scan and gadolinium dynamic MRI are recommended for the characterisation of liver nodules detected during surveillance of patients with cirrhosis with US.

Aim: To assess the sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic accuracy and economic impact of all possible sequential combinations of contrast imaging techniques in patients with cirrhosis with 1-2 cm liver nodules undergoing US surveillance.

Patients/methods: 64 patients with 67 de novo liver nodules (55 with a size of 1-2 cm) were consecutively examined by CE-US, CT, MRI, and a fine-needle biopsy (FNB) as diagnostic standard.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy in Parkinson's disease and parkinsonian syndromes.

This paper looks at the use of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for diagnostic and research purposes in Parkinson's disease and parkinsonian syndromes. The review considers both proton MRS (1H MRS) and phosphorus MRS (31 P MRS) studies. MRS is useful for diagnostic purposes, helping to differentiate Parkinson's disease from other parkinsonian syndromes.

VCAM-1 expression on dystrophic muscle vessels has a critical role in the recruitment of human blood-derived CD133+ stem cells after intra-arterial transplantation.

Recently our group demonstrated the myogenic capacity of human CD133(+) cells isolated from peripheral blood when delivered in vivo through the arterial circulation into the muscle of dystrophic scid/mdx mice. CD133(+) stem cells express the adhesion molecules CD44, LFA-1, PSGL-1, alpha4-integrins, L-selectin, and chemokine receptor CCR7. Moreover these cells adhere in vitro to VCAM-1 spontaneously and after stimulation with CCL19.