Effect of Aerated Compost Tea on the Growth Promotion of Lettuce, Soybean, and Sweet Corn in Organic Cultivation.

This study investigated the chemical characteristics and microbial population during incubation of four kinds of aerated compost teas based on oriental medicinal herbs compost, vermicompost, rice straw compost, and mixtures of three composts (MOVR). It aimed to determine the effects of the aerated compost tea (ACT) based on MOVR on the growth promotion of red leaf lettuce, soybean and sweet corn. Findings showed that the pH level and EC of the compost tea slightly increased based on the incubation time except for rice straw compost tea.

Effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and menopause on risk of progression of cervical dysplasia in human immune-deficiency virus- (HIV-) infected women.

Background: More HIV-infected women are reaching older age and menopause, but there is limited information on cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs) on these women.

Methods: To assess the effect of HAART and menopause on SILs in HIV-infected women, we reviewed the results of Papanicolaou (Pap) tests obtained between 1991 and 2011 on 245 women. Progression to SILs was determined by comparing Pap test results.

Fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography for evaluation of indeterminate lung nodules: assigning a probability of malignancy may be preferable to binary readings.

Objective: To assess the diagnostic value of fluorine-18 fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) using standard uptake values (SUV) in the differential diagnoses of indeterminate pulmonary nodules. Specifically, we assessed the probability of malignancy for various SUV ranges, and compared the diagnostic efficacy of SUV with and without correction for partial volume effects on the basis of lesion size.

Methods: The FDG-PET scans performed on 158 patients with biopsy-proven pulmonary lesions seen on computed tomography (CT) scan were retrospectively reviewed.

Appearance of descended superior parathyroid adenoma on SPECT parathyroid imaging.

Unlabelled: An ectopic superior parathyroid adenoma (SPA) descends inferoposteriorly and can migrate to the posterior mediastinum. It often appears on sestamibi planar parathyroid imaging as an inferior lesion, which can be misleading to inexperienced surgeons. Its correct identification before surgery will be of great help for correct surgical planning.

Patterns of red marrow in the adult femur.

Purpose: Conversion of red marrow (RM) to fatty marrow in the skeleton of the lower extremities begins at the distal end, ie, feet, and progresses proximally with distal bone marrow (ie, tibia) being converted more rapidly than proximal bone marrow (ie, femur). However, in an individual long bone, conversion begins in the diaphysis and progresses both distally and proximally (more rapidly toward the distal side). In a normal adult's femur, RM is present in the proximal one third or less.

Lymphoscintigraphy and triangulated body marking for morbidity reduction during sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer.

Current trends in patient care include the desire for minimizing invasiveness of procedures and interventions. This aim is reflected in the increasing utilization of sentinel lymph node biopsy, which results in a lower level of morbidity in breast cancer staging, in comparison to extensive conventional axillary dissection. Optimized lymphoscintigraphy with triangulated body marking is a clinical option that can further reduce morbidity, more than when a hand held gamma probe alone is utilized.

Using the intraoperative hand held probe without lymphoscintigraphy or using only dye correlates with higher sensory morbidity following sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer: a review of the literature.

Background: There are no studies that have directly investigated the incremental reduction in sensory morbidity that lymphoscintigraphy images (LS) and triangulated body marking or other skin marking techniques provide during sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) compared to using only the probe without LS and skin marking or using only dye. However, an indirect assessment of this potential for additional sensory morbidity reduction is possible by extracting morbidity data from studies comparing the morbidity of SLNB to that of axillary lymph node dissection.

Methods: A literature search yielded 13 articles that had data on sensory morbidity at specific time points on pain, numbness or paresthesia from SLNB that used radiotracer and probe or used only dye as a primary method of finding the sentinel node (SN).

Focally increased activity in the lateral aspect of the mid cervical spine on bone scintigraphy is almost always benign in nature.

Objectives: Abnormal bone scan findings in the spine are often nonspecific. The confidence level for the differential diagnosis between metastases and benign or degenerative changes may vary depending on their appearance, location or intensity. The recognition of a specific pattern for certain benign conditions and its subcategorization will increase the credibility of bone scan interpretation while retaining a high level of sensitivity.