1,720,967 research outputs found
Incidentally detected increased FDG uptake in bowel and its correlation with hystopathological data: our experience in a case series study.
No full textWhen an intense intestinal FDG accumulation occurs, especially if focal, it can be referred to either physiological intestinal activity or bowel disease, thus leading to a radical change in patient's prognosis. Within a year, we recommended a colonoscopy to 103 of 7365 patients who were subjected to a total body FDG PET/CT. In a case-series study, we re-evaluated the patients and their lesions if already investigated with colonoscopy and biopsy. Only 18 patients were included in our study, but in none of them biopsy was negative and 3 adenocarcinomas, 8 adenomas, 5 inflammatory patterns, 1 hyperplastic polyp and 1 eosinophilic infiltrate were diagnosed. In 16 patients, no suspicion was present and diagnosis was absolutely incidental. Besides, among the three major groups (adenocarcinomas, adenomas and phlogosis), SUVmax values were significantly different. Adenocarcinomas are linked with high SUVmax values (ranging from 8.3 to 20.2) and large size (ranging from 26 to 43 mm). PET/CT sensitivity is low in detecting adenomas, being 71.4% if they are larger than 6 mm and 50% if SUVmax is lower than 4.9. SUVmax values in inflammatory lesions can range from 5.7 to 12. Colorectal cancer is still the second leading cause of cancer death, for this reason in many countries screening programs have been approved and colonoscopy is considered the golden standard. PET/CT cannot be considered as a screening test, but if it incidentally reveals intestinal abnormalities, this data cannot be underestimated and colonoscopy is highly recommended
Usefulness and limitations of (99m)Tc-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid scintigraphy in the aetiological diagnosis of amyloidotic cardiomyopathy.
No full textPurpose We previously reported in a small series of patients that 99mTc-3, 3-diphosphono-1, 2-propanodicarboxylic acid ( 99mTc-DPD) scintigraphy tested positive in transthyretin-related (TTR) (both mutant and wild-type) but not in primary (AL) amyloidotic cardiomyopathy (AC). We extended our study to a larger cohort of patients with AC. Methods We evaluated (1) 45 patients with TTR-related AC (28 mutant and 17 wild-type), (2) 34 with AL-related AC and (3) 15 non-affected controls. Myocardial uptake of 99mTc-DPD (740 MBq i.v.) was semiquantitatively and visually assessed at 5 min and at 3 h. Results Heart retention (HR) and heart to whole-body retention ratio (H/WB) of late 99mTc-DPD uptake were higher among TTR-related AC (HR 7.8%; H/WB 10.4) compared with both unaffected controls (HR 3.5%; H/WB 5.7; p< 0.0001) and AL-related AC (HR 4.0%; H/WB 6.1; p< 0.0001). For the diagnosis of TTR-related AC, positive and negative predictive accuracy of visual scoring of cardiac retention were: 80 and 100% (visual score ≥1); 88 and 100% (visual score ≥2); and 100 and 68% (visual score = 3). At adjusted linear regression analysis, TTR aetiology turned out to be the only positive predictor of increasing 99mTc-DPD uptake in terms of both HR [β 2.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5-3.5; p<0.0001] and H/WB (β 3.5, 95% CI 2.1-4.9; p<0.0001). Conclusion While 99mTc-DPD scintigraphy was confirmed to be useful for differentiating TTR from AL-related AC, diagnostic accuracy was lower than previously reported due to a mild degree of tracer uptake in about one third of AL patients. 99mTc-DPD scintigraphy can provide an accurate differential diagnosis in cases of absent or intense uptake evaluated by visual score
Noninvasive etiologic diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis using (99m)tc-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic Acid scintigraphy.
No full textWe investigated the diagnostic accuracy of (99m)Tc-3,3- diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid ((99m)Tc-DPD) scintigraphy for differentiation of monoclonal immunoglobulin light-chain (AL) and transthyretin (TTR)-related cardiac amyloidosis. BACKGROUND: Differential diagnosis between TTR-related and AL amyloidosis is often complex and time-consuming. METHODS: Patients under routine observation with TTR-related/AL
systemic amyloidosis and echocardiographic evidence of cardiac involvement were studied with (99m)Tc-DPD scintigraphy. RESULTS: Patients with cardiac involvement of TTR-related (group A; n = 15) and AL (group B; n = 10) etiology were comparable for left ventricular mass and renal function. Heart and heart/whole-body tracer retention were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in group
A as compared with group B and with 10 unaffected controls. At visual scoring, cardiac (99m)Tc-DPD uptake was present in all group A patients and absent in all group B patients; thus, using genotyping/immunohistochemistry as the reference
technique, the accuracy of (99m)Tc-DPD scintigraphy for distinction of TTR-related and AL etiology was 100%. Cardiac (99m)Tc-DPD uptake was also absent among unaffected controls. Using echocardiography as the reference standard for
recognition of cardiac involvement, sensitivity and specificity of scintigraphy were both 100% for group A patients; in group B, sensitivity was 0% and specificity was 100% (accu racy, 50%). Eleven patients with myocardial (99m)Tc-DPD uptake underwent (99m)Tc-methylene diphosphonate ((99m)Tc-MDP)
scintigraphy; all patients showed a (99m)Tc-MDP myocardial visual score of 0. CONCLUSIONS: Etiology is a third major cause-in addition to type of organ-involved (soft-tissue/heart) and tracer type-of scintigraphic variability in cardiac amyloidosis. This is a highly relevant consideration for future studies. We conclude that (99m)Tc-DPD scintigraphy is a useful step in the workup of the differential diagnosis of TTR versus AL etiology in patients with
documented cardiac amyloidosis
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Selecrive myocardial uptake of 99mTc-DPD in transthyretin-related amyloidosis: implication for recognition of cardia involvement and differential diagnosis with AL amyloidosis.
No full textNoninvasive etiologic diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis using (99m)tc-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic Acid scintigraphy
No full textWe investigated the diagnostic accuracy of (99m)Tc-3,3- diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid ((99m)Tc-DPD) scintigraphy for differentiation of monoclonal immunoglobulin light-chain (AL) and transthyretin (TTR)-related cardiac amyloidosis. BACKGROUND: Differential diagnosis between TTR-related and AL amyloidosis is often complex and time-consuming. METHODS: Patients under routine observation with TTR-related/AL
systemic amyloidosis and echocardiographic evidence of cardiac involvement were studied with (99m)Tc-DPD scintigraphy. RESULTS: Patients with cardiac involvement of TTR-related (group A; n = 15) and AL (group B; n = 10) etiology were comparable for left ventricular mass and renal function. Heart and heart/whole-body tracer retention were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in group
A as compared with group B and with 10 unaffected controls. At visual scoring, cardiac (99m)Tc-DPD uptake was present in all group A patients and absent in all group B patients; thus, using genotyping/immunohistochemistry as the reference
technique, the accuracy of (99m)Tc-DPD scintigraphy for distinction of TTR-related and AL etiology was 100%. Cardiac (99m)Tc-DPD uptake was also absent among unaffected controls. Using echocardiography as the reference standard for
recognition of cardiac involvement, sensitivity and specificity of scintigraphy were both 100% for group A patients; in group B, sensitivity was 0% and specificity was 100% (accu racy, 50%). Eleven patients with myocardial (99m)Tc-DPD uptake underwent (99m)Tc-methylene diphosphonate ((99m)Tc-MDP)
scintigraphy; all patients showed a (99m)Tc-MDP myocardial visual score of 0. CONCLUSIONS: Etiology is a third major cause-in addition to type of organ-involved (soft-tissue/heart) and tracer type-of scintigraphic variability in cardiac amyloidosis. This is a highly relevant consideration for future studies. We conclude that (99m)Tc-DPD scintigraphy is a useful step in the workup of the differential diagnosis of TTR versus AL etiology in patients with
documented cardiac amyloidosis
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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