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BACKGROUND: Two-dimensional (2D) - shear wave elastography (SWE) has made promising advances in the diagnostic of breast lesions. However, few studies have assessed whether the diagnostic effectiveness of different platforms employing 2D-SWE is equal or different. OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic effectiveness of 2D-SWE techniques from two different systems in differentiating malignant breast lesions from benign ones. METHODS: A total of 84 breast lesions were retrospectively analyzed by experienced radiologists using 2D-SWE on two ultrasound systems, i.e. system-1 (LOGIQ E9 system, GE Healthcare, Wauwatosa, WI, USA), and system-2 (Aixplorer US system, SuperSonic Imagine, Aix-en-Provence, France). Qualitative and quantitative parameters including color sign, the maximum elasticity modulus values (E-max), the mean elasticity modulus values (E-mean) and standard deviation (E-sd) of elasticity modulus values in two 2D-SWE systems were analyzed. The diagnostic performance between system-1 and system-2 were evaluated in terms of the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs). RESULTS: Among the 84 lesions in this study, 66 (78.6%) were benign and 18 (21.4%) were malignant. E-max in system-1 showed the best diagnostic performance with a cut-off value of 174.5 kPa with the associated sensitivity and specificity of 100.0% and 80.3% respectively. Meanwhile, E-sd in system-2 displayed the best diagnostic performance with a cut-off value of 12.7 kPa, with the associated sensitivity and specificity of 94.4% and 80.3% respectively. The diagnostic performance of the two 2D-SWE systems was not statistically different according to receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis of E-max, E-mean, and E-sd. CONCLUSION: For identifying breast lesions, system-1 and system-2 appear to be similar in diagnostic performance. However, different cut-off values for different parameters might be selected to obtain the best diagnostic performance for the two 2D-SWE systems.

The function of periodontal ligament (PDL) cells may be affected by estrogen. PDL cells synthesize the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) and its decoy receptor, namely, osteoprotegerin (OPG), which directly controls osteoclastogenesis. The primary aim of this study was to investigate how estrogen affects the expression of OPG and RANKL in human PDL (hPDL) cells.We used a short interfering RNA technique to inhibit estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) expression in hPDL cells; the cells were cultured with a saturating concentration of 17beta-estradiol (10(7) M) for 48 hours. Changes in the expression of OPG and RANKL were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and supported by Western blot analysis.Estradiol caused an increase in OPG expression and decreased RANKL expression in hPDL cells. However, it had no effect on the expression of OPG and RANKL in hPDL-siERbeta (the short interfering RNA to block ER beta) cells.Estrogen may play an important role in exerting antiresorptive effects on alveolar bone, at least in part, by increasing the expression level of OPG versus that of RANKL via ERbeta in hPDL cells.

Evidence from allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation indicates a possible immune response against leukemia-associated antigens in patients with either acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, autologous immune responses are less evident. We have developed a method using sequential modulation of growth factors (SMGF) to generate specific anti-AML T-cells from primary cultures of mononuclear cells (MNCs) from patients with AML. This culture method induces greater degrees of antigen presentation by inducing dendritic cell (DC) differentiation of AML in the presence of autologous lymphocytes, which are then expanded by interleukin (IL)-2 and costimulatory molecule ligation. MNCs consisting of 92.3% +/- 5.1% AML blasts and 3.4% +/- 3.2% CD3+ T-cells were obtained from AML patients (n = 12) and cultured in AIM-V medium with IL-4 and recombinant granulocyte-monocyte colony-stimulating factor. Recombinant IL-2 was added on day 8. On day 21, culture conditions were changed to anti-CD3/anti-CD28 monoclonal antibodies and IL-2. By day 42, 354 +/- 182-fold CD3+ T-cell expansion had occurred. Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte assays demonstrated that these T-cells caused significant lysis of autologous leukemia cells and AML cell lines, but not of cells of other lineages, in an HLA class I-dependent manner. Specific Vbeta subgroups (Vbeta3, -7, and -12a), possibly representing T-cell clones specific to AML-specific antigens, were expanded in the cultures of cells from 3 AML patients. SMGF can be used to induce and expand autologous T-cells with HLA class I-dependent antileukemia potential from the peripheral blood of AML patients. Adoptive transfer of these expanded T-cells to patients is a possible therapeutic approach for further study. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2002;8(10):557-68.

CD123 (alpha-subunit of IL-3 receptor) expression on primitive and committed human hematopoietic cells was studied by multicolor sorting and single-cell culture. The sources of cells included fetal liver (FLV), fetal bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, adult bone marrow and mobilized peripheral blood. Three subsets of CD34+ cells were defined by the levels of surface CD123: CD123negative, CD123low, and CD123bright. Coexpression of lineage markers showed that a majority of CD34+CD123bright cells were myeloid and B-lymphoid progenitors, while erythroid progenitors were mainly in the CD34+CD123negative subset. The CD34+CD123low subset contained a heterogeneous distribution of early and committed progenitor cells. Single CD34+ cells from the CD123 subsets were cultured in a cytokine cocktail of stem cell factor, interleukin 3 (IL-3), IL-6, GM-CSF, erythropoietin, insulin-like growth factor-1, and basic fibroblast growth factor. After 14 days of incubation, a higher cloning efficiency (CE) was observed in the CD34+CD123negative and CD34+CD123low fractions (37+/-23% and 44+/-23%, respectively) than in the CD34+CD123bright fraction (15+/-21%). Using previously published criteria that colonies containing dispersed, translucent cells (dispersed growth pattern, DGP) were derived from primitive cells and that colonies composed solely of clusters were from committed cells, early precursors were distributed evenly in the CD34+CD123negative and CD34+CD123low subsets. When CD38 and CD90 (Thy-1) were used for further characterization of CD34+ cells from FLV, CE increased from 37+/-23% in CD123negative to 70+/-19% in CD123negativeCD38- and from 44+/-23% in CD123low to 66+/-19% in CD123lowCD38-. No significant increase in CE or DGP progenitors was observed when CD34+ cells were sorted by CD90 and CD123. We concluded that: A) high levels of CD123 were expressed on B-lymphoid and myeloid progenitors; B) early erythroid progenitors had little or no surface CD123, and C) primitive hematopoietic cells are characterized by CD123negative/low expression.

To investigate the relationship between glaucoma and Moscow Eye Microsurgery Complex (Moroz) keratoprosthesis.Analysis and retrospective review of consecutive clinical case series. A total of 90 patients had a Moroz keratoprosthesis implantation between Apr, 2000 and Jun, 2011 at our hospital.Fifteen eyes of 15 patients were included in this research. Twelve eyes were identified glaucoma before Moroz keratoprosthesis surgery, and 3 eyes developed glaucoma afterward.Intraocular pressure (IOP), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and treatment of glaucoma were recorded at 1 to 3 months after the Moroz keratoprosthesis implantation.Moroz keratoprosthesis surgery improved vision dramatically in the majority of patients in our study. The most common preoperative corneal diagnosis was alkali burn (8 eyes, 53.3%), which maybe the risk factor of secondary glaucoma after keratoprosthesis surgery.Five of these 15 patients received cyclocryotherapy after the surgery to control elevated IOP. BCVA decreased from 0.8 to 0.2, 0.25 to light perception, 0.3 to 0.1, 0.2 to hand movement, and 0.25 to counting fingers, respectively.Moroz keratoprosthesis caused glaucoma in only a small number of patients.Visual field, optic nerve appearance and IOP were the main diagnostic modalities after Moroz keratoprosthesis implantation.

Objective To investigate the effect of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) on osteoblastic differentiation function of human periodontal ligament (hPDL) cells by measuring the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the production of osteocalcin (OCN) in vitro. Design We employed a short interfering RNA (siRNA) technique to inhibit ERβ expression in hPDL cells; the cells were cultured with a saturating concentration of 17β-estradiol (10−7 M). ALP activity was analysed by colorimetric assay using ALP kit and the amount of OCN was assessed by osteocalcin ELISA kit. Results It was shown that estradiol significantly enhanced the ALP activity and the production of OCN in hPDL cells. However, the ALP activity and the production of OCN in hPDL-siERβ cells were not significantly changed after estradiol treatment. Conclusions These results indicate that ERβ may play important roles in estrogen-induced effects on osteoblastic differentiation function of PDL cells and estrogen influences the bone formation capacity of PDL cells mainly via ERβ.