OBJECTIVE To asses the value of second-look ultrasound (US) for identifying BIRADS 3 (Breast Imaging Reporting Data System) mammary lesions detected by breast Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS From April 2008 to May 2009 330 breast MRI were performed of which 60 patients are classified as BIRADS 3. 84 lesions underwent second-look US and percutaneous vacuum biopsy Vacora...

Background. Accurate assessment of irradiated neck in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) is essential. Fine-needle aspiration cytology is often performed for suspicious lesions but it is limited by its low negative predictive value (NPV). We postulated that F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (PET/CT) can overcome this l...

BACKGROUND In epidemiologic studies, cancer stage is an important predictor of outcomes. However, cancer stage is typically unavailable in medical insurance claims datasets, thus limiting the usefulness of such data for epidemiologic studies. Therefore, we sought to develop an algorithm to predict cancer stage based on covariates available from claims-based data. METHODS We identified a cohor...

Ubiquicidin (UBI) [29-41] is a synthetic cationic antimicrobial peptide that preferentially binds to bacterial cell membrane at the site of infection. We aimed to assess diagnostic value of 99mTc-UBI [29-41] as a radiopharmaceutical in differentiation of bacterial infection from sterile inflammation in suspected orthopedic implants. Nine patients suspected for orthopedic implant infection, all ...

In order to evaluate the performance of a molecular Hain line probe assay (Hain LPA) for rapid detection of rifampicin and isoniazid resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in China, 1612 smear positive patients were consecutively enrolled in this study. Smear positive sputum specimens were collected for Hain LPA and conventional drug susceptibility testing (DST). The sensitivity and specifici...

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of qualitative analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in discrimination of adnexal masses which were undetermined by conventional ultrasound (US). A total of 120 patients underwent transabdominal CEUS. The initial enhancement time and intensity compared with the uterine myometrium, contrast agent distribution patterns and dynamic change...

BACKGROUND To assess the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of intraoperative gross examination (IGE) of uterine specimens in determining deep myometrial invasion and cervical invasion compared to final histology. MATERIALS AND METHODS The clinical, surgical and histological data of all FIGO stage I-II endometrial cancer (E...

UNLABELLED Diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) remains a challenge. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of T-SPOT.TB test on cerebrospinal fluid mononuclear cells (CSFMCs) for suspected TBM patients. 43 consecutive patients with suspected TBM were enrolled in the study from June 2011 to September 2014. T-SPOT.TB was performed on both CSFMCs and peripheral blood mononuclear cells ...