Short-term outcomes of radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma using cone-beam computed tomography for planning and image guidance.

Background: Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and a minimally invasive alternative to hepatectomy for treating tumour recurrence. RFA is often performed using contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) and/or ultrasonography. In recent years, angiographic systems with flat panel image detectors and advanced image reconstruction algorithms have broadened the clinical applications of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), including RFA.

Lactate dehydrogenase is a prognostic indicator in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated by sorafenib: results from the real life practice in HBV endemic area.

Purpose: Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which was an indirect marker of hypoxia, was a potentially prognostic factor in several malignancies. There is a lack of evidence about the prognostic value of serum LDH level in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) receiving sorafenib treatment from hepatitis B virus endemic areas.

Materials And Methods: A total of 119 HBV-related HCC patients treated by sorafenib from a Chinese center were included into the study.

[Biodegradation Characteristics and Kinetics of p-nitrophenol by Strain Arthrobacter sp. CN2].

To investigate the application potential of the p-nitrophenol-degrading bacterium Arthrobacter sp. CN2 in practice, the effects of pH, salinity and additional carbon source were determined, and the degradation kinetics of p-nitrophenol was analyzed. Strain CN2 could degrade p-nitrophenol efficiently in a wide range of pH (7.

[Value of multi-slice helical CT in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of thyroid lesions].

Objective: To investigate the value of multi-slice helical CT in the differentiation of benign from malignant thyroid lesions.

Methods: The multi-slice helical CT images of 72 patients with 82 thyroid lesions were prospectively studied. The CT features including the margin, density of the lesion and cervical lymph node enlargement were evaluated double-blindly.