Household chaos during infancy and infant weight status at 12 months.

BACKGROUND: Infancy is a critical period for obesity prevention. Emerging evidence links household chaos to poor health outcomes, yet its impact on obesity in infancy is unknown. OBJECTIVES: We examined associations between household chaos when infants were 6 and 12 months and weight-for-length (WFL) z-score at 12 months, exploring potential mediation by infant sleep and screen time. METHODS: We examined 401 predominately Black women and infants in the southeastern United States. We conducted multivariable linear regressions examining household chaos and infant WFL z-score, assessing breastfeeding, sleep, screen time as potential mediators. RESULTS: Among infants, 69.7% were Black and 49.0% were female. Mean breasting duration was 3.7 months. Over half (50.4%) of families had annual household incomes <$20 000. After adjustment for potential confounders, household chaos was associated with infant WFL z-score (0.02; 95% CI 0.001, 0.04; p = 0.04) at 12 months. We did not observe associations between chaos and infant breastfeeding, sleep or screen time. CONCLUSIONS: Higher household chaos was associated with greater infant weight at 12 months, but there was no evidence of mediation by breastfeeding, sleep or screen time.

The choline/creatine ratio in five benign neoplasms: comparison with squamous cell carcinoma by use of in vitro MR spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The choline (Cho)/creatine (Cr) ratio has been shown to be a reliable proton MR spectroscopy metabolic marker for differentiating squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) from normal muscle in the upper aerodigestive tract. However, it is unclear whether the Cho/Cr ratio can be used to differentiate a malignant tumor from a benign neoplasm in the extracranial head and neck. Our purpose was to determine whether the Cho/Cr ratio can be used to differentiate benign from malignant tumors in this region. METHODS: In vitro one-dimensional proton MR spectroscopy (2,000/136,272 [TR/TE]) was performed at 11 T on tissue specimens obtained from glomus tumors (n = 3), inverting papilloma (n = 1), and schwannoma (n = 1). Cho/Cr area ratios were calculated and compared with similar, previously reported in vitro (11 T) findings and with samples of SCCA and normal muscle. RESULTS: The Cho/Cr ratio was elevated in relation to muscle in all benign tumors at TE = 136 (glomus tumors = 4.52, inverting papilloma = 3.85, schwannoma = 2.2) and at TE = 272 (glomus tumors = 8.01, inverting papilloma = 2.1, schwannoma = 4.28). The average Cho/Cr ratio for benign lesions was 3.92 (TE = 136) and 6.11 (TE = 272). The Cho/Cr ratio was significantly higher in benign tumors than in both SCCA and muscle. The average Cho/Cr ratio for muscle at TEs of 136 and 272 was 1.16 and 1.31, respectively, whereas for SCCA the average Cho/Cr ratio at TEs of 136 and 272 was 1.67 and 2.45, respectively. CONCLUSION: In our small group, the Cho/Cr ratio was significantly higher in benign tumors than in muscle and SCCA of the extracranial head and neck.

Contrast-enhanced 3D FISP MR angiography of the aortic arch ostia: preliminary results.

PURPOSE: The goal of this work was to evaluate three-dimensional (3D) contrast-enhanced MR angiography (MRA) for the detection of ostial stenoses of the aortic arch. METHOD: Sixteen patients with suspected carotid atherosclerotic disease prospectively underwent digital subtraction angiography of the aortic arch followed by contrast-enhanced MRA using a 3D fast imaging with steady-state precession (FISP) technique (TR = 5 ms, TE = 2 ms, flip angle = 30 degrees). Three neuroradiologists blindly measured stenoses on the catheter angiograms and MRA. Evaluation included the ostia of the innominate, left carotid, and left subclavian arteries. Any significant disagreement on catheter angiography was resolved by consensus. The MRA grades of each of the three observers were then compared with the consensus grades of the contrast angiogram. RESULTS: Forty-eight vessels were scored, of which five had significant stenoses. MRA demonstrated 100% sensitivity, 89% specificity, 52% positive predictive value, and 100% negative predictive value. The Bowker test for symmetry indicated no significant difference between conventional angiography and MRA scores (p = 0.32-0.75), and there was good agreement between the three observers (weighted kappa = 0.75-0.86). CONCLUSION: Contrast-enhanced 3D FISP MRA may be a useful imaging modality for the detection of significant stenoses at the ostia of the major aortic arch branches.

Evaluation of 201T1 SPECT for predicting early treatment response in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the extracranial head and neck treated with nonsurgical organ preservation therapy: initial results.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this work was to prospectively determine the ability of 210TI single photon emission CT (SPECT) to monitor treatment response in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCCA) treated with nonsurgical organ preservation. METHOD: Nine patients with HNSCCA underwent 201T1 SPECT before and 6 weeks after completion of nonsurgical organ preservation therapy. All cases were evaluated for uptake at the primary site before and after treatment. All tumors had abnormal radiotracer uptake on the pretreatment study. The posttreatment thallium studies were evaluated for uptake and correlated with local control at the primary site in all cases. RESULTS: All patients had abnormal thallium uptake on pretreatment studies. Of the nine patients, four cases were locally controlled by nonsurgical organ preservation therapy. All of these patients had no evidence of thallium uptake on posttreatment studies. Five cases failed treatment at the primary site. All five patients demonstrated abnormal radiotracer uptake at the primary site. CONCLUSION: Our initial results suggest that 201T1 SPECT may be an accurate technique for monitoring HNSCCA treated with nonsurgical organ preservation therapy.

Thallium-201 single-photon emission CT versus CT for the detection of recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Thallium-201 single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can be used to detect primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) of the head and neck. Nevertheless, there have very few studies performed to evaluate the ability of thallium-201 to depict recurrent SCCA. The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of thallium-201 SPECT with CT to enable detection of recurrent SCCA of the upper aerodigestive tract. METHODS: Thirty-three patients with a history of previously treated SCCA of the extracranial head and neck underwent thallium-201 SPECT imaging and contrast-enhanced CT. A neuroradiologist and nuclear medicine physician with knowledge of the primary site evaluated all thallium-201 studies for abnormal radiotracer uptake at the primary site. These results were correlated with histologic findings and clinical follow-up in all patients. All patients were followed up for a minimum of 2 years after completion of treatment. The McNemar test was used to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracy of thallium-201 SPECT was as follows: sensitivity, 88%; specificity, 94%; positive predictive value, 93%; and negative predictive value, 89%. The diagnostic accuracy of CT was as follows: sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 24%; positive predictive value, 55%; and negative predictive value, 100%. The diagnostic accuracy of thallium was superior to CT (P = .01). CONCLUSION: Thallium-201 SPECT is superior to CT for differentiating recurrent tumor from post-treatment changes and may complement CT in the evaluation of previously treated SCCA of the extracranial head and neck.

Evaluation of CSF leaks: high-resolution CT compared with contrast-enhanced CT and radionuclide cisternography.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Radiologic evaluation of CSF leaks is a diagnostic challenge that often involves multiple imaging studies with the associated expense and patient discomfort. We evaluated the use of screening noncontrast high-resolution CT in identifying the presence and site of CSF rhinorrhea and otorrhea and compared it with contrast-enhanced CT cisternography and radionuclide cisternography. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the imaging studies and medical records of all patients who were evaluated for CSF leak during a 7-year period. Forty-two patients with rhinorrhea and/or otorrhea underwent high-resolution CT of the face or temporal bone and then had CT cisternography and radionuclide cisternography via lumbar puncture. The results of the three studies were compared and correlated with the surgical findings in 21 patients. RESULTS: High-resolution CT showed bone defects in 30 of 42 patients (71%) with CSF leak. High-resolution, radionuclide cisternography and CT cisternography did not show bone defects or CSF leak for 12 patients (29%) who had clinical evidence of CSF leak. Among the 30 patients with bone defects, 20 (66%) had positive results of their radionuclide cisternography and/or CT cisternography. For the 21 patients who underwent surgical exploration and repair, intraoperative findings correlated with the defects revealed by high-resolution CT in all cases. High-resolution CT identified significantly more patients with CSF leak than did radionuclide cisternography and CT cisternography, with a moderate degree of agreement. CONCLUSION: Noncontrast high-resolution CT showed a defect in 70% of the patients with CSF leak. No radionuclide cisternography or CT cisternography study produced positive results without previous visualization of a defect on high-resolution CT. CT cisternography and radionuclide cisternography may be reserved for patients in whom initial high-resolution CT does not identify a bone defect or for patients with multiple fractures or postoperative defects.