Diffuse FDG uptake in the bilateral lungs: hypersensitivity pneumonitis supported by low-dose CT findings.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an interstitial lung disease resulting from an immune-mediated response in susceptible and sensitized individuals to various inhaled antigens in the environment. Imaging diagnosis is usually based on high-resolution CT findings. Here, we present a 49-year-old man with a history of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma presented with fever and occasional cough. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) revealed diffuse FDG uptake in the bilateral lungs. Expiratory low-dose CT simultaneously performed in PET scanning revealed centrilobular nodules and air trapping in ground glass opacities (GGO). Our imaging diagnosis was acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP). Based on the results of his clinical course, blood laboratory tests, and bronchoscopy, he was diagnosed with acute HP. Diffuse pulmonary FDG uptake can be seen in the patients with acute HP. In addition, expiratory low-dose CT findings of centrilobular nodules and air trapping in GGO may be helpful for accurate diagnosis of acute HP.

Usefulness of black-blood magnetic resonance angiography generated from vessel wall imaging after the stent-assisted treatment of intracranial arterial diseases.

PURPOSE: After stent-assisted treatment for intracranial diseases, three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography is a noninvasive follow-up method, but susceptibility artifacts prevent accurate evaluations of stented arteries. Sampling perfection with application-optimized contrast using different flip angle evolution (SPACE) sequence often used for vessel wall imaging is less susceptible to susceptibility artifacts, since it is a spin-echo sequence. Hence, we evaluated the feasibility of black-blood magnetic resonance angiography generated from vessel wall imaging data obtained using the SPACE sequence in the depiction of stented arteries by comparing with three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography and digital subtraction angiography. METHODS: Our study group comprised 11 consecutive patients. For both three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography and black-blood magnetic resonance angiography, the contrast ratio obtained from the stented artery and the normal artery proximal to the stent were calculated. And the depiction of stented arteries was visually evaluated. Additionally, the relative diameter index obtained from the stented artery and the normal artery proximal to the stent were calculated for three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography, black-blood magnetic resonance angiography and digital subtraction angiography. RESULTS: The contrast ratio of the stented artery was significantly lower than that of the normal artery on three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography, but no significant difference was seen using black-blood magnetic resonance angiography. Regarding both the diameter index and the visual assessment score, black-blood magnetic resonance angiography was significantly better than three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography. On black-blood magnetic resonance angiography, the diameter index was equal to that of digital subtraction angiography, and the flow signal was homogeneous and continuous in most the cases.

[Feasibility Study for the Development of an Application for Simulated Virtual Reality Radiation Therapy Experiences Using Android and iOS Devices].

Using virtual reality (VR) technology such as head-mounted displays, users can be immersed in a virtual world and perceive it as reality. In radiation therapy departments, pretreatment patients and students rarely observe treatment rooms and treatment devices, making it difficult to understand the overall flow of radiation therapy. In this study, to facilitate the understanding and teaching of radiation therapy, we suggest the implementation of VR technology and develop software compatible with VR to enable a pertinent comprehension of radiation therapy. With versatility and accessibility in mind, the software is developed as an application for Android and iOS devices.Omnidirectional movies in treatment rooms were acquired from both the patient view and a third-person view using an omnidirectional camera. The Android/iOS devices used were AQUOS R (SHARP), iPhone 7 Plus (Apple), and iPad air (Apple). The software was developed using Unity 2018.4.7f (Unity Technologies). The main components of the software were as follows: (i) a home window featuring a user interface with which people can access arbitrarily rooms by tapping on floor maps or a list of treatment rooms, (ii) a snapshot mode providing 2D images of a treatment room as a slide show, and (iii) a movie mode displaying omnidirectional movies from the patient view or a third-person view. The virtual radiation therapy experience was executed by attaching the Android/iOS devices to 3D VR goggles (SAMONIC).The main components of the application operated in good conjunction on the Android/iOS devices, and live viewing in the virtual world ran smoothly with the VR technology. However, there were resolution limitations due to the specs of the camera and the devices. It will therefore be necessary to adjust the resolution and the frame rate according to the performance of the relevant devices. The application is instructive for both patients and students because the virtual radiation therapy experience is immersive when using the VR technology. In addition, the developed software can transfer data in a single package and has the ability to substitute images and omnidirectional movies with those appropriate for diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine departments. Therefore, the developed application is highly versatile.

Characterization of platelet-activating factor-induced cutaneous edema and erythema in dogs.

OBJECTIVE To characterize platelet-activating factor (PAF)-induced edema and erythema in the skin of dogs and compare those reactions with histamine-induced cutaneous reactions. ANIMALS 6 healthy Beagles. PROCEDURES Experiments were performed at ≥ 2-week intervals. Each dog received ID injections (5 µg/site) of PAF C16, PAF C18, lyso-PAF, and histamine. Edema (mean diameter) and erythema scores (none, mild, moderate, or severe) were assessed 30 minutes after the injections. Dogs received ID injections of PAF and histamine each with various concentrations of WEB 2086 (PAF receptor antagonist) or underwent ID testing with PAF and histamine before and 3 hours after oral administration of cetirizine hydrochloride or prednisolone (at 2 doses each). RESULTS ID injections of PAF C16 and PAF C18, but not lyso-PAF, induced comparable levels of edema and erythema. The PAF-induced edema and erythema peaked at 30 minutes and lasted for 6 hours after the injection; histamine-induced edema and erythema peaked at 30 minutes and lasted for 3 hours after the injection. Edema sizes and erythema scores were significantly smaller and lower, respectively, for PAF than for histamine. The WEB 2086 inhibited PAF-induced but not histamine-induced edema and erythema. Cetirizine slightly, but significantly, repressed PAF-induced edema and erythema as well as histamine-induced cutaneous reactions. Prednisolone suppressed both PAF-induced and histamine-induced edema and erythema. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE In canine skin, the duration of PAF-induced inflammation was longer than that of histamine-induced inflammation. The PAF- and histamine-induced cutaneous reactions were effectively suppressed by oral administration of prednisolone. The importance of PAF in dogs with anaphylaxis and allergic disorders warrants further investigation.

Influence of glucocorticoids on a time-of-day-dependent variation in intradermal reactivity to histamine in dogs.

The objectives of this study were to determine daily variation in intradermal reactivity to histamine in dogs and to evaluate a potential influence of glucocorticoids on reactivity. Wheal sizes formed after intradermal injections of histamine were measured every 6 h during a single 24 h period in six healthy dogs. To determine whether glucocorticoids were implicated in daily variation, intradermal reactivity to histamine was evaluated at 9:00 h and at 21:00 h during a single day in dogs that received oral prednisolone (a synthetic glucocorticoid) or oral trilostane (an inhibitor of endogenous glucocorticoid synthesis). Finally, the time required for the histamine reaction to diminish after an intravenous injection of hydrocortisone was also assessed. A significant time-of-day-dependent variation in intradermal reactivity to histamine was detected in dogs, with a larger wheal size observed at 9:00 h than at 21:00 h. Administration of prednisolone or trilostane disrupted this variation. Intradermal reactivity to histamine was significantly reduced 6 h after an intravenous injection of hydrocortisone. These results suggest that glucocorticoid secretion from the adrenal glands could be involved in the regulation of daily variation in histamine-mediated reactions in dogs.

Time-of-day-dependent variations of scratching behavior and transepidermal water loss in mice that developed atopic dermatitis.

Scratching and skin barrier dysfunctions are pivotal features and therapeutic targets of atopic dermatitis (AD); however, time-of-day-dependent variations of these characteristics remain unclear. NC/Tnd mice have been shown to exhibit severe scratching behavior and skin barrier disruption together with the development of spontaneous atopic dermatitis when they are raised under air-uncontrolled environment. In the present study, time-of-day-dependent variations of scratching behavior and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) were evaluated in NC/Tnd mice that developed moderate to severe AD. Analysis of the mice for 24 hr revealed that scratching frequency and duration were increased from in the afternoon to the nocturnal period when locomotor activity was low, and scratching behavior was decreased in the morning. The highest scratching frequency and duration were 3.8- and 4.1-fold increases in the lowest scratching frequency and duration, respectively. In addition, TEWL on the dorsal skin lesion was decreased in the diurnal period, while that was increased in the nocturnal period. The highest TEWL was a 1.3-fold increase in the lowest TEWL. Significant daily variations were detected in scratching frequency and duration and TEWL. These results indicate that NC/Tnd mice are an appropriate mouse model to investigate time-of-day-dependent variations of scratching behavior and skin barrier dysfunctions associated with AD.

Gold nanoparticle inclusion into protein nanotube as a layered wall component.

We describe the synthesis, structure, and catalytic activity of human serum albumin (HSA) nanotubes (NTs) including gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as a layered wall component. The NTs were fabricated as an alternating layer-by-layer assembly of AuNP and HSA admixture (a negatively charged part) and poly-l-arginine (PLA, a positively charged part) into a track-etched polycarbonate membrane (400 nm pore diameter) with subsequent dissolution of the template. SEM images showed the formation of uniform hollow cylinders of (PLA/AuNP-HSA)3 with a 426 ± 12 nm outer diameter and 65 ± 7 nm wall thickness. Transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray measurements revealed high loading of AuNPs in the tubular wall. HSAs bind strongly onto the individual AuNP (K = 1.25 × 10(9) M(-1)), generating a core-shell AuNP-HSA corona, which is the requirement of the robust NT formation. Calcination of the (PLA/AuNP-HSA)3 NTs at 500 °C under air yielded red solid NTs composed of thermally fused AuNPs. From the mass decrease by heat treatment, we calculated the weight of the organic components (PLA and HSA) and thereby constructed a six-layer model of the tube. The (PLA/AuNP-HSA)3 NTs serve as a heterogeneous catalyst for reduction of 4-nitrophenol with sodium borohydrate. Furthermore, implantation of the stiff (PLA/AuNP-HSA)3 NTs vertically onto glass plate produced uniformly cylindrical tube arrays.

Electrochemical characterization of enzymatic activity of yeast cells entrapped in a poly(dimethylsiloxane) microwell on the basis of limited diffusion system.

A highly sensitive and quantitative analysis was performed using a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microwell array in a scanning electrochemical microscopy setup. A microelectrode with a relatively large seal radius was used to cover the top of the cylindrical PDMS microwell (96 pL). The voltammogram for 4 mM ferrocyanide resulted in a charge value of 38 nC, suggesting that almost 100% of the reductant in the microwell was converted to the oxidation current. When genetically modified yeast cells were entrapped in the microwell, the accumulation of p-aminophenol (PAP) produced by expressing beta-galactosidase (betaGAL) was successfully observed.