RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES Normal-appearing stromal tissues surrounding breast tumors can harbor abnormalities that lead to increased risk of local recurrence. The objective of this study was to develop a new imaging methodology to characterize the signal patterns of stromal tissue and to investigate their association with recurrence-free survival following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. MATERIALS A...

OBJECTIVES To assess whether intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) followed by plasma exchange (PE) is more effective for patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome compared with IVIG alone. METHODS Retrospective chart review of 46 patients treated for Guillain-Barré syndrome between 1995 and 2005 was performed. Patients were divided into four subgroups based on treatment received (IVIG, PE, IVIG + PE...

INTRODUCTION Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a serious cardiovascular and pulmonary complication worldwide. We aimed to assess the implications of different computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) parameters in patients with acute PE. METHODS A retrospective observational study to include patients presented with clinical suspicious of PE who underwent CTPA was conducted. Patients' demogra...

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to elucidate the effectiveness of oral prednisolone (PSL) according to dosing regimen in 472 patients with myasthenia gravis (MG). METHODS We compared the clinical characteristics and PSL treatment between 226 patients who achieved minimal manifestations (MM) or better and 246 patients who remained improved (I) or worsened, according to the MG Foundation...

BACKGROUND This article examines the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in combat wounded, identifies risk factors for pulmonary embolism (PE), and compares the rate of PE in combat with previously reported civilian data. METHODS A retrospective review was performed of all U.S. military combat casualties in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom with a VTE recorded in t...

BACKGROUND It is unknown whether the observed increase in computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) utilization has resulted in increased detection of pulmonary emboli (PEs) with a less severe disease spectrum. METHODS Trends in utilization, diagnostic yield, and disease severity were evaluated for 4,048 consecutive initial CTPAs performed in adult patients in the emergency department ...

An antiadhesion barrier membrane is an important biomaterial for protecting tissue from postsurgical complications. However, there is room to improve these membranes. Recently, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) incorporated with hyaluronic acid (HA) as an antiadhesion barrier membrane and drug delivery system has been reported to provide excellent tissue regeneration and biocompatibility. The aim of...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE An adverse intrauterine environment may affect offspring growth and development. Our aim was to explore whether preeclampsia (PE) exposure in utero influences growth from birth to 13 years. METHODS In a nested case-control study, 229 children were exposed to PE (mild/moderate: n = 164, severe: n = 54) and 385 were unexposed. Length/height and weight were abstracted fr...

INTRODUCTION Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Acute right ventricular failure, which can be demonstrated by echocardiography, is known to be an adverse prognostic factor in patients with acute PE. However, this diagnostic test is not always available in emergency departments and it is also an operator-dependent investigation. This study aimed to invest...