Radiating blood flow signal: A new ultrasound feature of thyroid carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To summary radiating blood flow signals and evaluate their diagnostic value in differentiating benign and malignant thyroid nodules. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively recruited consecutive patients undergoing US at 4 hospitals from 2018 to 2022. In a training dataset, the correlations of US features with malignant thyroid nodules were assessed by multivariate logistic analysis. Multivariate logistic regression models involving the ACR TI-RADS score, radiating blood flow signals and their combination were built and validated internally and externally. The AUC with 95% asymptotic normal confidence interval as well as sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), and positive predictive value (PPV) with 95% exact binomial confidence intervals were calculated. RESULTS: Among 2475 patients (1818 women, age: 42.47 ± 11.57; 657 men, age: 42.16 ± 11.69), there were 3187 nodules (2342 malignant nodules and 845 benign nodules). Radiating blood flow signals were an independent risk factor for diagnosing thyroid carcinoma. In the training set, the AUC of the model using the combination of radiating blood flow signals and the ACR TI-RADS score (0.95 95 % CI: [0.94, 0.97]; P < 0.001) was significantly higher than that of the ACR TI-RADS model (0.91 [0.89, 0.93]). In the two internal validation sets and the external validation set, the AUCs of the combination model were 0.97 [0.96, 0.98], 0.92 [0.88, 0.96], and 0.91 [0.86, 0.95], respectively, and were all significantly higher than that of the ACR TI-RADS score (0.92 [0.90, 0.95], 0.86 [0.81, 0.91], 0.84 [0.79, 0.89]; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Radiating blood flow is a new US feature of thyroid carcinomas that can significantly improve the diagnostic performance vs. the ACR TI-RADS score.

Thymic carcinoid with multiple bone metastases: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Thymic carcinoid (TC) is a rare entity among anterior mediastinal malignancies. TCs are neuroendocrine carcinomas that constitute approximately 2%-5% of all thymic epithelial tumors. CASE SUMMARY: The study reported a rare TC with multiple bone metastases. A 77-year-old man presented with a 2-month history of lower back pain and weight loss of 5 kg. Magnetic resonance imaging scans revealed damage to the lumbar spine, sacrocaudal vertebrae and iliac crest, suggesting bone metastasis; computed tomography (CT) scan of the thorax showed a calcified anterior mediastinal mass; positron emission tomography-CT demonstrated multiple abnormal bone signals; and laboratory work-up showed no endocrine abnormalities. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy revealed predominantly single small, round to oval cells with scant cytoplasm and some loose clusters, suggesting endocrine manifestations. The pathological diagnosis was atypical carcinoid, which tend to originate from the thymus and was classified as intermediate-highly invasive. The patient underwent anlotinib-targeted therapy. Anlotinib (12 mg) was administered daily for 2 wk, after which the patient was allowed to rest for 21 d. Follow-up CT after one year demonstrated that the tumor had shrunk by approximately 29% after therapy. Treatment has a long stable disease benefit of more than 2.5 years. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrated that anlotinib is a promising treatment regimen for patients with TC and multiple bone metastases.

Measuring Human Auditory Evoked Fields with a Flexible Multi-Channel OPM-Based MEG System.

BACKGROUND: Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a non-invasive imaging technique for directly measuring the external magnetic field generated from synchronously activated pyramidal neurons in the brain. The optically pumped magnetometer (OPM) is known for its less expensive, non-cryogenic, movable and user-friendly custom-design provides the potential for a change in functional neuroimaging based on MEG. METHODS: An array of OPMs covering the opposite sides of a subject's head is placed inside a magnetically shielded room (MSR) and responses evoked from the auditory cortices are measured. RESULTS: High signal-to-noise ratio auditory evoked response fields (AEFs) were detected by a wearable OPM-MEG system in a MSR, for which a flexible helmet was specially designed to minimize the sensor-to-head distance, along with a set of bi-planar coils developed for background field and gradient nulling. Neuronal current sources activated in AEF experiments were localized and the auditory cortices showed the highest activities. Performance of the hybrid optically pumped magnetometer-magnetoencephalography/electroencephalography (OPM-MEG/EEG) system was also assessed. CONCLUSIONS: The multi-channel OPM-MEG system performs well in a custom built MSR equipped with bi-planar coils and detects human AEFs with a flexible helmet. Moreover, the similarities and differences of auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) and AEFs are discussed, while the operation of OPM-MEG sensors in conjunction with EEG electrodes provides an encouraging combination for the exploration of hybrid OPM-MEG/EEG systems.

Detection and analysis of MEG signals in occipital region with double-channel OPM sensors.

BACKGROUND: Magnetoencephalography (MEG) has high temporal and spatial resolution and good spatial accuracy in determining the locations of source activity among most non-invasive imaging. The recently developed technology of optically-pumped magnetometer (OPM) has sensitivity comparable to that of the superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) used in commercial MEG system. NEW METHOD: Double-channel OPM-MEG system detects human photic blocking of alpha rhythm at the occipital region of skull in the magnetically shielded environment via a wearable whole-cortex 3D-printed helmet. RESULTS: The alpha rhythm can be detected by the OPM-MEG system, the MEG signals are undoubtedly caused by photic blocking and similar with the results measured by SQUID magnetometer. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: Due to the dependency of current commercial whole-cortex SQUID-MEG system on the liquid helium, the separation from the liquid helium space to the human head is usually at least a few centimeters. The wearable OPM-MEG system, however, can significantly improve the detection efficiency since its sensors can be mounted close to scalp, normally less than 1 cm. CONCLUSIONS: OPM-MEG system successfully detects alpha rhythm blocked by light stimulation and works well in the home-made magnetically shielded environment. OPM-MEG system shows a substitute for the traditional MEG system.

True hermaphroditism with dysgerminoma: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: True hermaphroditism is a rare and usually sporadic disorder. It is defined by the presence of both ovarian and testicular tissues together as ovotestis. PATIENT CONCERNS: In this study, we reported a rare true hermaphroditism case with dysgerminoma. A 49-year-old woman developed masses in both inguinal regions for 30 years. Recently 3 months, the patient found that the size of mass in her left inguinal region was significantly increased. DIAGNOSIS: After surgical resection, the results of immunohistochemical examination in left mass revealed a dysgerminoma with positive expression of placental alkaline phosphatase and octamer-binding transcription factor 3/4, and right mass was a cryptorchidism. Chromosomal analysis revealed the karyotype 46, XY. Combined immunohistochemical and karyotype analysis, a diagnosis of true hermaphroditism with dysgerminoma was made. INTERVENTIONS: Radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy after tumor resection was used to improve her prognosis. Hormone replacement therapy with conjugated estrogen and medroxyprogesterone acetate were used to maintain her female characteristics. OUTCOMES: The patient underwent hormonal replacement and has been well for 6 months. CONCLUSION: The positive expression of placental alkaline phosphatase and octamer-binding transcription factor 3/4 could be 2 diagnosis markers of dysgerminoma. Surgery combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy could improve the prognosis of dysgerminoma. Moreover, hormone replacement therapy with conjugated estrogen and medroxyprogesterone acetate was very helpful to maintain the female characteristic of patients with true hermaphroditism.

Study of antibacterial activity of ZnZnbisporphyrin complexes and its free components on Staphylococcus aureus by microcalorimetry.

The antibacterial effect of Zn(II), tetraphenyl porphyrin (TPP), propdioxyl bridged tetraphenyl bisporphyrin 1, and its metallobisporphyrin complexes (ZnMnbisporphyrin 2 and ZnZnbisporphyrin 3) towards Staphylococcus aureus growth was investigated by microcalorimetry at 37 degrees C. Differences in their capacities to inhibit the growth metabolism of S. aureus were observed. By analyzing the power-time curves, crucial parameters such as the rate constant of bacterial growth (k), inhibitory ratio (I), and generation time (t (G)) were determined. The growth rate constant (k) of S. aureus (in the log phase) in the presence of the drugs decreased linearly with increasing concentrations of the complexes. The sequence of the antibacterial activities of these compounds tested was 3 > 2 > 1 > Zn(II) > TPP. ZnZnbisporphyrin 3 is proposed to benefit from the synergetic effects of Zn(II) and 1.