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Aim: This study investigated the major factors contributing to the missed diagnosis of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) in fetal echocardiography. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the prenatal ultrasonic images of 32 fetuses with missed diagnoses of TAPVC, compared them with autopsy and postnatal surgical records, and summarized the most likely reasons leading to the missed diagnoses. Results: We studied a total of 157 fetuses with TAPVC, 32 (20.3%) of whom were missed in prenatal echocardiography. The main factors for the missed diagnoses of TAPVC in the 32 fetuses were anatomic variants leading to the formation of a false pulmonary venous horn‐like structure, the combination of TAPVC with other intracardiac anomalies, difficulty or inability to show the course and abouchement of TAPVC on conventional color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI), and excessive color flow gain, with a rate of approximately 53.1% (17/32). A decreased left atrial size and augmentation of the PLAS index may be indicators of false pulmonary venous horn‐like structure. Conclusion: False pulmonary venous horn‐like structures due to anatomic variants are a major factor in the missed diagnosis of fetal TAPVC. The presence of pulmonary venous horn‐like structure in a four‐chamber view does not completely exclude TAPVC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical use of the chemotherapeutic agent vincristine (VCR) is limited by chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CiPN). A new formulation of VCR encapsulated by nanoparticles has been proposed and developed to alleviate CiPN. We hypothesized in nonclinical animals that the nanoparticle drug would be less neurotoxic due to different absorption and distribution properties to the peripheral nerve from the unencapsulated free drug. Here, we assessed whether VCR encapsulation in nanoparticles alleviates CiPN using behavioral gait analysis (CatWalk), histopathologic and molecular biological (RT-qPCR) approaches. Adult male C57BL/6 mice were assigned to 3 groups (empty nanoparticle, nano-VCR, solution-based VCR, each n = 8). After 15 days of dosing, animals were euthanized for tissue collection. It was shown that intraperitoneal administration of nano-VCR (0.15 mg/kg, every other day) and the empty nanoparticle resulted in no changes in gait parameters; whereas, injection of solution-based VCR resulted in decreased run speed and increased step cycle and stance (P < 0.05). There were no differences in incidence and severity of degeneration in the sciatic nerves between the nano-VCR-dosed and solution-based VCR-dosed animals. Likewise, decreased levels of a nervous tissue-enriched microRNA-183 in circulating blood did not show a significant difference between the nano- and solution-based VCR groups (P > 0.05). Empty nanoparticle administration did not cause any behavioral, microRNA, or structural changes. In conclusion, this study suggests that the nano-VCR formulation may alleviate behavioral changes in CiPN, but it does not improve the structural changes of CiPN in peripheral nerve. Nanoparticle properties may need to be optimized to improve biological observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of our study was to highlight the conventional and contrast‐enhanced ultrasound (US) features of mummified thyroid nodules, which should help differentiate them from histologically proven papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). Methods: Thirty‐one patients with 33 mummified thyroid nodules, which showed suspicious US findings that were suggestive of malignancy, as well as 33 patients with 38 surgically confirmed PTCs were enrolled in this study. We evaluated the size, shape, margin, echogenicity, presence of shadowing and halo, presence of punctate echogenic foci, vascularity, and contrast enhancement parameters for each nodule. The final diagnosis of mummified thyroid nodules was confirmed via fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) or surgery. Results: Of the 33 mummified thyroid nodules, 9 (27.3%) were confirmed by surgery to be benign, and 24 (72.7%) were proven by FNA to be benign. A univariate analysis indicated that the mummified thyroid nodules more frequently showed wider‐than‐tall shapes, marked hypoechogenicity, the presence of posterior shadowing, the absence of nodular vascularity, hypoenhancement or no enhancement, and peak index and area under the curve indices of less than 1 in the findings of preoperative US and contrast‐enhanced US compared to PTCs. A multivariate analysis showed that marked hypoechogenicity and an area under the curve index of less than 1 were independent characteristics related to mummified nodules for discriminating from PTCs (all P < .05). Conclusions: Benign thyroid nodules may display shrinkage over time and may reveal malignant US features. Awareness of these findings and their connection with initial and follow‐up US examinations should help identify mummified thyroid nodules and to avoid surgical excision or unnecessary FNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]