Characterisation of indeterminate focal breast lesions on grey-scale ultrasound: role of ultrasound elastography.

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to evaluate the role of ultrasound (US) elastography in characterising focal breast lesions classified as indeterminate on B-mode US. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-four focal breast lesions, 64 benign and 20 malignant (mean diameter, 15.1 mm), detected but not characterised on B-mode US in 72 women, Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) US category 3 (n=56) or category 4 (n=28), were studied with US elastography and classified in consensus by two radiologists according to a five-point colour scale. Sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) of US elastography compared with conventional US were calculated in relation to microhistology (n=67) and cytology (n=17), which were used as the reference standard. RESULTS: A total of 65/84 (77.4%) lesions were correctly classified as benign or malignant using US elastography, whereas the remaining 19/84 (22.6%) were incorrectly assessed. There were no statistically significant differences between US elastography and B-mode US with regard to sensitivity (70% vs. 68.4%), specificity (79.6% vs. 78.5%), PPV (51.8% vs. 48.1%) and NPV 89% vs. 89.5% (p>0.5). By contrast, a statistically significant difference was noted in the evaluation of BI-RADS 3 lesions, in which US elastography had 50% sensitivity, 86% specificity, 30% PPV and 93.5% NPV compared with BI-RADS 4 lesions (78.6%, 57.1%, 64.7% and 72.7%) (p<0.5). CONCLUSIONS: The high NPV of US elastography may help reduce the use of biopsy in BI-RADS 3 lesions, but its low PPV in BI-RADS 4 lesions does not allow avoidance of biopsy on the basis of the US elastographic score alone in this group of lesions.

Efficacy of terbinafine compared to lanoconazole and luliconazole in the topical treatment of dermatophytosis in a guinea pig model.

The in vivo efficacy of terbinafine was compared to lanoconazole and luliconazole in the topical treatment of dermatophytosis caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes using a guinea pig model. Topical antifungal treatment commenced three days post-infection, and each agent was applied once daily for seven consecutive days. Upon completion of the treatment period, evaluations of clinical and mycological efficacies were performed, as was scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. Data showed that while all tested antifungals demonstrated significant mycological efficacy in terms of eradicating the fungi over untreated control, terbinafine and luliconazole showed superior clinical efficacy compared to lanoconazole (P-values < 0.001 & 0.003, respectively). Terbinafine demonstrated the highest clinical percent efficacy. SEM analysis revealed hairs from terbinafine and lanoconazole-treated animals had near complete clearance of fungi, while samples from luliconazole-treated animals were covered with debris and few conidia. This study demonstrates that, in general, terbinafine possessed similar efficacy to lanoconazole and luliconazole in the treatment of dermatophytosis. Terbinafine tended to have superior clinical efficacy compared to the azoles tested, although this difference was not statistically significant against luliconazole. This apparent superiority may be due to the fungicidal activity of terbinafine compared to the fungistatic effect of the other two drugs.

Assessing the understanding of biobank participants.

Biobanks have been developed as a tool to better understand the genetic basis of disease by linking DNA samples to corresponding medical information. The broad scope of such projects presents a challenge to informed consent and participant understanding. To address this, 200 telephone interviews were conducted with participants in the NUgene Project, Northwestern University's biobank. Interviews included a modified version of the "quality of informed consent measure" (QuIC) and semi-structured questions which were analyzed thematically for 109 of the interviews. The QuIC, originally applied to cancer clinical trials, objectively assessed some of the components of informed consent for a biobank, and interview questions provided rich data to assist in interpreting participant understanding. The best understood domains included: the nature of the study, benefit to future patients, and the voluntary nature of participation. Lower knowledge scores included: potential risks and discomforts, experimental nature of the research, procedures in the event of study-related injury, and confidentiality issues. Qualitatively, confidentiality protections of the study were described as good by most (>50%). Although some cited concerns with employer (12%) or insurance discrimination (25%), most considered the risks to privacy low (25%) or none (approximately 60%). Only 10% of participants explicitly stated they had no expectation for personal benefit, and when asked whether they expected to be contacted with study results, respondents were split between having no expectation (39%), being hopeful for results (37%) and expecting to be contacted with results (12%). These findings are informative to those establishing and implementing biobanks, and to the IRBs reviewing such studies.

[Longitudinal echocardiographic study of HIV positive patients]. / Studio ecocardiografico longitudinale in pazienti HIV positivi.

BACKGROUND: From May 1992 to June 1996 the authors have studied a group of 39 subjects with positive anti-HIV, with echo 2D color Doppler examination, to evaluate with semi-annual controls, the wide variety of cardiac complications in the various phases of clinical evolution of the illness. METHODS: At the moment of recruiting, all the subjects with HIV infection were asymptomatic A1 (HIV + As). The patients whose average age was 29 +/- 5, were composed of 60% drug addicts, 17% homosexuals, 8% haemophiliacs and for the 15% heterosexual. RESULTS: The most frequent cardiac complications are represented by hypokinesia of the left ventricle (h-aLV) and by pericardial effusion (PE); more rarely of endocardial vegetations (EV), dilatation of the left ventricle (dLV) and tricuspid insufficiency (TI). The entity of damage and the number of cases observed, are correlated with the grade of clinical severity of the illness. CONCLUSIONS: In accordance with the literature data, cardiac pathologies, particularly in the first phases of the illness, are asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic, making the clinical-instrumental observation of the patient useful also in cardiology.

Evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function by pulmonary venous and mitral flow velocity patterns in endurance veteran athletes.

More and more older people exercise endurance training. Physical activity regularly exercised has been proven to exert beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. The aim of the present study was to investigate left ventricular diastolic function by analysis of the pulmonary venous flow velocity pattern (PVFVP) in conjunction with the mitral flow velocity pattern (MFVP) in endurance veteran athletes. The study was performed in 15 trained veteran athletes (mean age 60 +/- 10) and 15 sedentary older subjects (mean age 61 +/- 7). Between the two groups there were no differences of age, body surface area and blood pressure. All subjects were without evidence of cardiovascular diseases. They underwent transthoracal pulsed Doppler echocardiography and the following parameters were measured: early (E) and late (A) peak diastolic filling velocities from mitral flow and E/A ratio; peak forward flow velocities during systole (S) and diastole (D) and peak reverse flow velocity at atrial contraction (Ar) from right upper pulmonary vein. The peak early diastolic filling and E/A ratio resulted significantly increased in the veteran athletes compared with the older sedentary subjects (E 80.0 +/- 13.6 and 62.2 +/- 8.2, respectively, p < 0.01; E/A 1.20 +/- 0.1 and 0.90 +/- 0.1, respectively, p < 0.001), whereas there were no significant differences m the PVFVP between the two groups. Heart rate at rest was significantly lower in the veteran athletes compared with sedentary older subjects (58.3 +/- 8 and 72.8 +/- 7.6, respectively, p < 0.001). These data demonstrate an improvement of left ventricle diastolic function in endurance veteran athletes (E/A ratio > 1 ) in comparison with sedentary older subjects (E/A ratio > 1). Analysis of PVFVP suggests that the left atrial contribution to left ventricular filling increases with aging without any significant differences between the two groups. Therefore, left atrial function, i.e., the main determinant of PVFVP is not likely influenced by training. In conclusion, physical activity was found to attenuate alterations in the cardiovascular system that occur in advanced age by an improvement of left ventricular diastolic filling. These changes at rest may be due to a decreased sympathetic tone, as well as to an improvement of intrinsic properties of myocardium of the endurance veteran athletes.

Importance of training in prevention of the decline of physical performance in elderly sedentary persons and veteran athletes.

Thirty-five male veteran athletes were studied between 55 and 79 years of age, having exercised track-and-field sports in the amateur class for at least 15 years without interruption. These athletes were divided into power and endurance groups. The subjects examined were compared to a male control group of 30 elderly, healthy persons aged between 51 and 77 years, leading a sedentary lifestyle. All the subjects were submitted to a standard protocol using BOSCO ERGOJUMP. These trials permitted us to evaluate in the laboratory the explosive power of the inferior limbs, maximal alactic and lactic capacities. The results obtained suggest interesting correlations between the unwinding of physical activity and a deterioration of explosive and anaerobic power, above all in subjects over 65 years of age. Therefore, a regular training program could attenuate the modifications and the age-associated decline.

[Echographic study of cryptorchidism]. / L'indagine ecografica nel criptorchidismo.

The authors, after a nosologic review of cryptorchidism, illustrate their positive diagnostic experience with ultrasound. Limits as well as clinical advantages, in relation to the diagnosis and follow-up, are also described.