Application of electronic tongue in umami detection and soy sauce refining process.

The article systematically investigated the response behaviors of lipid-film equipped umami taste sensor to various umami compounds, including typical umami substances (umami amino acids, GMP, IMP, disodium succinate) and novel umami chemicals (umami peptide and Amadori rearrangement product of umami amino acid). The umami taste sensor has great specificity to all umami substances. Relationships between output values and concentrations of umami substances in certain ranges were consistent with Weber-Fechner law. The umami synergistic effect detected by the sensor was in great agreement with human sensory results as well, fitting logarithm model. Moreover, the taste profile mixing model of raw soy sauce was established using five different taste sensors and principal component analysis, realizing the simplification of soy sauce blending and acceleration of the soy sauce refining process. Thus, flexible design of the experimental procedure and multi-analysis of the sensor data is essential.

Capability of multidetector CT to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma-associated arterioportal shunt.

AIM: To investigate the capability of multidetector CT (MDCT) to diagnose HCC-associated arterioportal shunt (APS). METHODS: Two hundred and eighty-two patients with HCC received both thin-slice and enhancement MDCT scanning at early hepatic arterial phase, late hepatic arterial phase and portal venous phase, and digital subtract angiography (DSA) examination. Images were analyzed jointly by two experienced radiologists blinded to the opposite examination results, including the existence or not of APS, shunt locations, types and degrees of APS, with or without thrombosis. RESULTS: There were 56 APS associated with HCC, including 48 central, seven peripheral and one mixed, or 42 severe, seven moderate, seven mild APS. Forty-one severe, seven moderate and central APS were all revealed with MDCT and DSA. Seven mild and peripheral APS were all displayed with MDCT; only five of them displayed DSA, two faint shunt APS associated with massive HCC were missed. One mixed APS was demonstrated as severe combined with mild shunt with both MDCT and DSA. CONCLUSION: MDCT could diagnose not only DSA revealed APS, but also missed mild and peripheral APS with DSA due to faint shunt associated with massive HCC, is a simple, effective and noninvasive new technique for diagnosis of HCC-associated APS.

[Diagnostic capability of multidetector CT for arterioportal shunt in hepatocellular carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the capability of multidetector CT (MDCT) for the diagnosis of arterioportal shunt (APS) associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Two hundred and eighty-two patients with HCC were examined by both enhanced thin slice MDCT scanning in early hepatic arterial phase, late hepatic arterial phase, portal venous phase and digital subtraction angiography (DSA). The criteria for diagnosis of APS: (1) Earlier enhancement or stronger opacification of main portal trunk and/or the first order branches compared with that of superior mesenteric vein or splenic vein; (2) Earlier enhancement or stronger opacification of the second order and smaller portal venous branches compared with that of main portal trunk. The presence and degree of APS demonstrated with MDCT and DSA were analysed by double blind method. RESULTS: In 282 HCC patients, 56 were complicated with APS. MDCT demonstrated central APS in 48 patients with 41 severe and 7 moderate shunt, one revealing no APS by DSA due to the giant HCC focus. Among 7 patients with light peripheral APS, two lesions were not revealed by DSA due to faint shunt and the last lesion in the patient with mixed APS was revealed both by APS and DSA. CONCLUSION: Multidetector CT was a simple, effective and noninvasive new technique for the diagnosis of arterioportal shunt associated with hepatocellular carcinoma.

[Multidetector spiral CT findings of arteriovenous fistula associated with hepatocellular carcinoma].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: In clinical practice, a large number of patients might not undergo transcatheter hepatic angiography as a routine examination, which resulted in missed diagnosis of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and loss of embolism opportunity. The study was designed to investigate multidetector spiral CT (MDSCT) findings of AVF associated with HCC, so as to improve its diagnosis and differential diagnosis. METHODS: Thin-slice and dynamic enhancement MDSCT findings of AVF proved by digital subtraction angiography of 56 patients with HCC were analyzed. RESULTS: MDSCT demonstrated earlier enhancement of main portal trunks and/or the first order branches than superior mesenteric veins or spleen veins (n=31), 1 patient had early enhancement and strong enhancement of left hepatic vein with thromboses in it and upper part of inferior vena cava, 1 patient had transient patchy enhancement peripheral to HCC focus in late hepatic arterial phase and became isoattenuation at portal vein phase among them; stronger opacification of main portal trunks and/or the first order branches than superior mesenteric veins or spleen veins (n=18); earlier enhancement of the second order branches and smaller of portal veins than main portal trunks (n=4), stronger opacification of the second order branches and smaller of portal veins than main portal trunks (n=3), accompanying with transient patchy enhancement (n=3) or wedge-shaped enhancement (n=4) peripheral to HCC foci at late hepatic arterial phase and became isoattenuation at portal vein phase. Enhancement degrees of HCC foci and spleens were all decreased, and enhancement degrees of liver parenchyma without HCC foci were increased and heterogeneous in 49 patients with severe or moderate and central AVF. CONCLUSION: There are complex MDSCT findings of AVF associated with HCC, and its main manifestations are earlier enhancement and stronger opacification of portal veins and/or hepatic veins.

Study on hepatocellular carcinoma-associated hepatic arteriovenous shunt using multidetector CT.

AIM: To investigate multidetector CT (MDCT) findings of hepatocelluar carcinoma (HCC)- associated hepatic arteriovenous shunt (HAVS) and to evaluate their clinical significance. METHODS: Thin-slice and dynamic enhancement MDCT of HAVS was performed on 56 patients with HCC. MDCT findings, including those of portal veins, hepatic veins, superior mesenteric veins, splenic veins, HCC foci, liver parenchyma without HCC foci, spleens, and thromboses in portal veins and hepatic veins, were all confirmed by digital subtract angiography and analyzed. RESULTS: MDCT demonstrated earlier enhancement of main portal trunks and/or the first order branches than that of superior mesenteric veins or splenic veins (n=31). One patient had strong early enhancement of left hepatic vein with thromboses in left hepatic vein and upper part of inferior vena cava and 1 patient had transient patchy enhancement peripheral to HCC foci in late hepatic arterial phase among them. It demonstrated stronger opacification of main portal trunks and/or the first order branches than that of superior mesenteric veins or splenic veins (n=18), and earlier enhancement of the second order and smaller branches of portal veins than that of main portal trunks (n=4), stronger opacification of the second order and smaller branches of portal veins than that of main portal trunks (n=3), with transient patchy enhancement (n=3) or wedge-shaped enhancement (n=4) peripheral to HCC foci in late hepatic arterial phase. Enhancement degree of HCC foci was all decreased. As for 49 patients with severe or moderate shunts, enhancement degree of liver parenchyma without HCC foci was increased with heterogeneous density, but enhancement degree of spleens was decreased. There were thromboses in main portal trunks and/or the first order branches in 32 patients. CONCLUSION: The main MDCT findings of HCC-associated HAVS are earlier enhancement and stronger opacification of portal veins and/or hepatic veins. Understanding of these findings will contribute to the diagnosis and prognosis of the disease and improve therapy for the patients.