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A 64-year-old man was referred to our department after a small pancreatic cystic lesion was discovered on computed tomography performed to assess choledocholithiasis. Multiple standard imaging modalities, including endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), failed to reveal pancreatic masses, wall thickening, or mural nodules. Consequently, a benign pancreatic cystic lesion was suspected, and the patient underwent biannual imaging studies including rotating magnetic resonance imaging and EUS. Six years after the initial detection of the pancreatic cyst, wall thickening was observed, leading to a shortened observation period of once every 3 months. After 6.5 years, hypoechoic area surrounding the cyst, which could be interpreted as thickening of the cyst wall was observed, prompting distal pancreatectomy due to the suspicion of malignant disease. The histopathological examination revealed a unilocular mucinous cyst with a single layer of cuboidal cells and low-grade dysplasia. A fibrous proliferation of the polycystic stroma and no ovarian-type stroma was observed. Malignant cells were absent from the cystic epithelium and stroma. The final histopathological diagnosis was a simple mucinous cyst of the pancreatic tail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carotydinia, also called transient perivascular inflammation of the carotid artery (TIPIC) is a rare diagnostic entity related to an inflammation over the carotid bifurcation region. Despite the confusion about the definition of this term, neck pain remains the main symptom. Several articles revealed the relevance of imaging in the diagnosis of this disease. We report magnetic resonance and ultrasound images of a case with carotydinia, and also the elements that could eliminate differential diagnoses.

Asthma with fixed airway obstruction (FAO) is associated with significant morbidity and rapid decline in lung function, making its treatment challenging. Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) along with data postprocessing is a useful tool to obtain detailed information on airway structure, parenchymal function, and computational flow features. In this study, we aim to identify the structural and functional differences between asthma with and without FAO. The FAO group was defined by a ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) to forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC <0.7. Accordingly, we obtained two sets of QCT images at inspiration and expiration of asthma subjects without (N = 24) and with FAO (N = 12). Structural and functional QCT‐derived airway variables were extracted, including normalized hydraulic diameter, normalized airway wall thickness, functional small airway disease, and emphysema percentage. A one‐dimensional (1D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model considering airway deformation was used to compare the pressure distribution between the two groups. The computational pressures showed strong correlations with the pulmonary function test (PFT)‐based metrics. In conclusion, asthma participants with FAO had worse lung functions and higher‐pressure drops than those without FAO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: The increase in the incidence and the diagnostic limitations of pneumoconiosis have emerged as a public health concern. This study aimed to conduct a computed tomography (CT)- based quantitative analysis to understand differences in imaging results of pneumoconiosis according to disease severity. Methods: According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) guidelines, coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) are classified into five categories. CT images were obtained only at full inspiration and were quantitatively evaluated for airway structural variables such as bifurcation angle (θ), hydraulic diameter (Dh), wall thickness (WT), and circularity (Cr). Parenchymal functional variables include abnormal regions (emphysema, ground–glass opacities, consolidation, semi consolidation, and fibrosis) and blood vessel volume. Through the propensity score matching method, the confounding effects were decreased. Results: Category 4 demonstrated a reduced θ in TriLUL, a thicker airway wall in both the Trachea and Bronint compared to Category 0, and a decreased Cr in Bronint. Category 4 presented with higher abnormal regions except for ground–glass opacity and a narrower pulmonary blood vessel volume. A negative correlation was found between abnormal areas with lower Hounsfield units (HU) than the normal lung and the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 s/ forced vital capacity, with narrowed pulmonary blood vessel volume which is positively correlated with abnormal areas with upper HU than the normal lung. Conclusion: This study provided valuable insight into pneumoconiosis progression through a comparison of quantitative CT images based on severity. Furthermore, as there has been paucity of studies on the pulmonary blood vessel volume of the CWP, in this study, a correlation between reduced pulmonary blood vessel volume and regions with low HU values holds significant importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Asthma with fixed airway obstruction (FAO) is associated with significant morbidity and rapid decline in lung function, making its treatment challenging. Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) along with data postprocessing is a useful tool to obtain detailed information on airway structure, parenchymal function, and computational flow features. In this study, we aim to identify the structural and functional differences between asthma with and without FAO. The FAO group was defined by a ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) to forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC

Mesenteric artery dissection (D) and wall-thickening (WT) are rare vasculopathies that can lead to serious complications. This is a single center analysis of all patients evaluated for mesenteric arterial (celiac, superior (SMA) and/or inferior mesenteric (IMA)) D and/or WT from January 1, 2000, to January 31, 2020 at our hospital. Among the 101 included patients, the average age was 55.6 ± 13.6 years, mostly affecting men (62%). There were 20 celiac artery D, 8 WT, 15 D with WT, 15 SMA D, 7 WT, 8 D with WT, one IMA D, two WT, and 25 with multiple arterial involvement. Primary etiologies included segmental arterial mediolysis (SAM) (n = 17), isolated D (n = 17), localized vasculitis of the gastrointestinal tract (LVGT) (n = 16), fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) (n = 13), extension of thoracoabdominal aortic D (n = 12), and trauma (n = 12). Most (71%) patients presented with abdominal pain. Hypertension (55%), hyperlipidemia (33%) and tobacco use (31%) were prevalent. Management included conservative (22%), medical (47%), endovascular (19%), and/or open repair (12%) with high in-hospital survival (98%) and symptom relief (73%). Our paper complements the scarce literature addressing the diagnosis and management of rare mesenteric vasculopathies. Most patients improved with conservative management, reserving endovascular or surgical interventions for symptomatic patients with more complicated presentations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) has a high incidence in certain geographical regions. Morphologically, GBC presents as a mass replacing the gallbladder, a polypoidal lesion, or wall thickening. The incidence of preoperative diagnosis of wall thickening type of GBC is less well studied. The patterns of mural involvement and extramural spread are not well described in the literature. Additionally, wall thickening in the gallbladder does not always indicate malignancy and can be secondary to inflammatory or benign gallbladder diseases and extracholecystic causes and systemic pathologies. Objective reporting of gallbladder wall thickening will help us appreciate GBC's early features. In this review, we illustrate the imaging patterns of wall thickening type of GBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carotydinia, also called transient perivascular inflammation of the carotid artery (TIPIC) is a rare diagnostic entity related to an inflammation over the carotid bifurcation region. Despite the confusion about the definition of this term, neck pain remains the main symptom. Several articles revealed the relevance of imaging in the diagnosis of this disease. We report magnetic resonance and ultrasound images of a case with carotydinia, and also the elements that could eliminate differential diagnoses., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of University of Washington.)

Objective:The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of computed tomography enterography (CTE) in demonstrating luminal and extraluminal pathologies in patients diagnosed with Crohn’s disease (CD).Method:In 20 symptomatic patients histopathologically diagnosed with CD, CTE findings obtained after optimal bowel distension with oral contrast material were evaluated retrospectively. The involved segment was evaluated in terms of the presence of intestinal wall thickening (focal or diffuse), pathological contrast enhancement in the intestinal wall, increased vascularity in the intestinal mesentery, mesenteric lymphadenopathy, intraperitoneal fluid, enteric fistula, and intraabdominal abscess. In addition, evaluation was made in terms of extraintestinal findings that might be related to the disease.Results:A total of 20 patients (11 females, 9 males; age range: 24 to 61 years, mean age: 39.7±11.4 years) were included in the study. The most frequently affected intestinal segment was the terminal ileum (n=10, 50%). Pathological intestinal wall enhancement was detected in 14 patients (70%), mesenteric lymphadenopathy in 16 patients (80%), and comb sign in 15 patients (75%). Intraabdominal abscess was detected in 4 cases (20%) and enteric fistula in 4 cases (20%). Related to the disease, kidney stones in one patient and previous cholecystectomy findings in two patients were observed.Conclusion:CTE is a very effective method that can simultaneously monitor the intestinal and extraintestinal findings of the symptomatic patients with CD and guide the treatment choice.

Summary: Tree‐ring anatomy, microdensity and isotope records provide valuable intra‐annual information. However, extracting signals at that scale is challenged by the complexity of xylogenesis, where two major processes – cell enlargement and wall thickening – occur at different times and rates.We characterized the space‐for‐time association in the tree rings of three conifer species by examining the duration, overlapping, inter‐tree synchronicity and interannual stability during cell enlargement and wall thickening across regular tree‐ring sectors (portions of equal tangential width).The number of cells and cell differentiation rates determined the duration of sector formation, which augmented more rapidly throughout the ring for wall thickening than for enlargement. Increasing the number of sectors above c. 15 had a limited effect on improving time resolution because consecutive sector formation overlapped greatly in time, especially in narrow rings and during wall thickening. Increasing the number of sectors also resulted in lower synchronicity and stability of intermediate‐sector enlargement, whereas all sectors showed high synchronicity and stability during wall thickening.Increasing the number of sectors had a stronger effect on enhancing time‐series resolution for enlargement‐ than for wall‐thickening‐related traits, which would nevertheless produce more reliable intra‐annual chronologies as a result of the more similar calendars across trees and years in wall thickening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of this study was to assess the incremental value of myocardial wall motion and thickening compared with perfusion alone obtained from gated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in diagnosing myocardial viability in patients with ischemic heart failure. Methods: Eighty-three consecutive patients with ischemic heart failure who underwent both 99mTc-MIBI gated SPECT MPI and 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) myocardial metabolic imaging were retrospectively enrolled. SPECT/PET myocardial viability was defined as the reference standard. Segmental myocardial perfusion, wall motion, and thickening were measured by an automated algorithm from gated SPECT MPI. Univariate and stepwise multivariate analysis were conducted to establish an optimal multivariate model for predicting hibernating myocardium and scar. Results: Among the 1411 segments evaluated, 774 segments had normal perfusion and 637 segments had decreased perfusion. The latter were classified by 18F-FDG PET into 338 hibernating segments and 299 scarred segments. The multivariate regression analysis showed that the model that combined myocardial perfusion uptake with wall motion and thickening scores had the optimal predictive efficiency to distinguish hibernating myocardium from scar in the segments with decreased perfusion. The model had the largest C-statistic (0.753 vs 0.666, P < 0.0001), and the global chi-square was increased from 53.281 to 111.234 when compared with perfusion alone (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Assessment of myocardial wall motion and thickening in addition to conventional perfusion uptake in the segments with decreased perfusion enables better differentiation of hibernating myocardium from scar in patients with ischemic heart failure. Considering wide availability and high cost-effectiveness, regional myocardial function integrated with perfusion on gated SPECT MPI has great promise to become a clinical tool in the assessment of myocardial viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Atrioventricular plane displacement (AVPD) reflects longitudinal left ventricular (LV) systolic function, and wall thickening (WT) regional radial LV function. The temporal evolution of these measures after STEMI with CMR has not been evaluated. We aimed to investigate how AVPD and WT are affected globally and regionally from the sub-acute to the chronic phase after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods Healthy volunteers without cardiovascular disease and medication (controls, n = 20) and patients from the CHILL-MI study ( NCT01379261 ) prospectively underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 2–6 days and 6 months after STEMI (n = 77). CHILL-MI randomized STEMI-patients to cooling therapy initiated before reperfusion or standard of care. AVPD was measured at six points in three long axis cine images and wall thickening in short axis cine images. Infarction was quantified using late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and used to define infarct and remote segments. Results There were no difference in AVPD either at acute or chronic phase (p = 0.90 and p = 0.40) or WT (p = 0.85 and p = 0.99) between patients randomized to cooling therapy and standard of care. Therefore, the results are presented for the pooled cohort. Global AVPD was decreased in both the sub-acute (12 ± 2 mm, p

Abstract Background Dust exposure has been reported as a risk factor of pulmonary disease, leading to alterations of segmental airways and parenchymal lungs. This study aims to investigate alterations of quantitative computed tomography (QCT)-based airway structural and functional metrics due to cement-dust exposure. Methods To reduce confounding factors, subjects with normal spirometry without fibrosis, asthma and pneumonia histories were only selected, and a propensity score matching was applied to match age, sex, height, smoking status, and pack-years. Thus, from a larger data set (N = 609), only 41 cement dust-exposed subjects were compared with 164 non-cement dust-exposed subjects. QCT imaging metrics of airway hydraulic diameter (D h), wall thickness (WT), and bifurcation angle (θ) were extracted at total lung capacity (TLC) and functional residual capacity (FRC), along with their deformation ratios between TLC and FRC. Results In TLC scan, dust-exposed subjects showed a decrease of D h (airway narrowing) especially at lower-lobes (p

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Introduction: Malignant neoplasms of bowel particularly colorectal carcinomas are third commonest cause of death all over world. Computed Tomography (CT) plays a very important role in evaluation of malignant bowel neoplasms. CT examination for gastrointestinal tract evaluates the intestinal lumen along with demonstration of intestinal wall, adjacent tissues and solid viscera. Aim: To evaluate malignant neoplasms of small and large intestine and also to define the various CT findings in malignant bowel neoplasms, extra-intestinal involvement to stage intestinal neoplasms and to accurately characterise the tumour histologically as far as possible. Materials and Methods: A retrospective descriptive study included 38 patients who were proven to have malignancy of bowel on biopsy, underwent CT abdomen in major public hospital in a period of from November 2014 to May 2017 and evaluated for various CT findings in malignant bowel neoplasms in terms of involved intestine, length of diseased intestinal segment, degree of intestinal wall thickening, extra-intestinal involvement to stage bowel neoplasms and to accurately characterise the tumour histologically as far as possible. Data were tabulated and presented as frequency (n) and precentage (%). Results: In Small intestine, ileum is the commonest site of involvement seen in 5 cases (13%), whereas rectum 10 cases (26.3%) was the commonest site of involvement in large intestine. Short segment involvement of bowel is more common 27 cases (71.1%) than long segment involvement 11 cases (28.9%). Circumferential wall thickening is more common in 33 cases (86.8%) than eccentric wall thickening 5 cases (13.2%). Lymph nodal involvement was seen in 17 cases (44%) and metastasis to liver was also seen in 11 cases (28.9%). Local invasion with involvement of surrounding structures was seen in 4 cases (10.5%). Adenocarcinoma was the commonest histological subtype seen in the highest number of cases 23 cases (60.5%), followed by lymphoma in 9 (23.6%) of cases, mucinous adenocarcinoma in 4 (10.5%) cases and few cases of about 2 (5.2%) were Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour (GIST). Conclusion: Computed Tomography (CT) imaging findings like involved intestine, length of diseased intestinal segment, degree of intestinal wall thickening, extra intestinal involvement with respect to involvement of surrounding structures, lymph nodal involvement, distant metastasis along with histological type in most cases could be found, thus permitting tumour characterisation which can provide very useful guide in diagnosis of malignant neoplasms of small and large intestine.

Background: A low appropriate therapy rate indicates that a minority of patients will benefit from their implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Quantitative measurements from 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) may predict ventricular arrhythmia (VA) occurrence after ICD placement.Methods: We performed a prospective observational study and recruited patients who required ICD placement. Pre-procedure image scans were performed. Patients were followed up for VA occurrence. Associations between image results and VA were analyzed.Results: In 51 patients (33 males, 53.9 ± 17.2 years) analyzed, 17 (33.3%) developed VA. Compared with patients without VA, patients with VA had significantly larger values in scar area (17.7 ± 12.4% vs. 7.0 ± 7.9%), phase standard deviation (51.4° ± 14.0° vs. 34.0° ± 15.0°), bandwidth (172.9° ± 39.8° vs. 128.7° ± 49.9°), sum thickening score (STS, 29.5 ± 11.1 vs. 17.8 ± 13.2), and sum motion score (42.9 ± 11.5 vs. 33.0 ± 19.0). Cox regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that scar size, dyssynchrony, and STS were associated with VA occurrence (HR, 4.956, 95% CI 1.70-14.46).Conclusion: Larger left ventricular scar burden, increased dyssynchrony, and higher STS quantified by 18F-FDG PET may indicate a higher VA incidence after ICD placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Atrioventricular plane displacement (AVPD) reflects longitudinal left ventricular (LV) systolic function, and wall thickening (WT) regional radial LV function. The temporal evolution of these measures after STEMI with CMR has not been evaluated. We aimed to investigate how AVPD and WT are affected globally and regionally from the sub-acute to the chronic phase after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).Methods: Healthy volunteers without cardiovascular disease and medication (controls, n = 20) and patients from the CHILL-MI study ( NCT01379261 ) prospectively underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 2-6 days and 6 months after STEMI (n = 77). CHILL-MI randomized STEMI-patients to cooling therapy initiated before reperfusion or standard of care. AVPD was measured at six points in three long axis cine images and wall thickening in short axis cine images. Infarction was quantified using late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and used to define infarct and remote segments.Results: There were no difference in AVPD either at acute or chronic phase (p = 0.90 and p = 0.40) or WT (p = 0.85 and p = 0.99) between patients randomized to cooling therapy and standard of care. Therefore, the results are presented for the pooled cohort. Global AVPD was decreased in both the sub-acute (12 ± 2 mm, p < 0.001) and the chronic phase (13 ± 2 mm, p < 0.001) compared to controls (15 ± 2 mm) with a partial recovery of AVPD (p < 0.001) in the chronic phase. Patients with left anterior descending (LAD) and right coronary artery (RCA) infarcts had decreased AVPD in the chronic phase in both infarcted and remote segments. Mean WT was decreased in patients with LAD infarction both in the sub-acute and the chronic phase in both infarcted and remote segments. The decrease in WT in patients with RCA and left circumflex (LCx) infarcts was more affected in the infarcted segments, especially in the chronic phase.Conclusion: AVPD was a global rather than regional marker of cardiac function in this STEMI study and this may explain the prognostic importance of local measurements of mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE). The decrease in WT in remote myocardium even in the chronic phase needs to be taken into consideration when combining functional measurements with infarct quantification for diagnosis of post-ischemic stunning and hibernation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dust exposure has been reported as a risk factor of pulmonary disease, leading to alterations of segmental airways and parenchymal lungs. This study aims to investigate alterations of quantitative computed tomography (QCT)-based airway structural and functional metrics due to cement-dust exposure.Methods: To reduce confounding factors, subjects with normal spirometry without fibrosis, asthma and pneumonia histories were only selected, and a propensity score matching was applied to match age, sex, height, smoking status, and pack-years. Thus, from a larger data set (N = 609), only 41 cement dust-exposed subjects were compared with 164 non-cement dust-exposed subjects. QCT imaging metrics of airway hydraulic diameter (Dh), wall thickness (WT), and bifurcation angle (θ) were extracted at total lung capacity (TLC) and functional residual capacity (FRC), along with their deformation ratios between TLC and FRC.Results: In TLC scan, dust-exposed subjects showed a decrease of Dh (airway narrowing) especially at lower-lobes (p < 0.05), an increase of WT (wall thickening) at all segmental airways (p < 0.05), and an alteration of θ at most of the central airways (p < 0.001) compared with non-dust-exposed subjects. Furthermore, dust-exposed subjects had smaller deformation ratios of WT at the segmental airways (p < 0.05) and θ at the right main bronchi and left main bronchi (p < 0.01), indicating airway stiffness.Conclusions: Dust-exposed subjects with normal spirometry demonstrated airway narrowing at lower-lobes, wall thickening at all segmental airways, a different bifurcation angle at central airways, and a loss of airway wall elasticity at lower-lobes. The airway structural alterations may indicate different airway pathophysiology due to cement dusts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungicide-resistant Alternaria alternata impede the practical control of the Alternaria diseases in crop fields. This study aimed to investigate cytological fungicide resistance mechanisms of A. alternata against dicarboximide fungicide iprodione. A. alternata isolated from cactus brown spot was cultured on potato-dextrose agar (PDA) with or without iprodione, and the fungal cultures with different growth characteristics from no, initial and full growth were observed by light and electron microscopy. Mycelia began to grow from one day after incubation (DAI) and continued to be in full growth (control-growth, Con-G) on PDA without fungicide, while on PDA with iprodione, no fungal growth (iprodione-no growth, Ipr-N) occurred for the first 3 DAI, but once the initial growth (iprodione-initial growth, Ipr-I) began at 4–5 DAI, the colonies grew and expanded continuously to be in full growth (iprodione-growth, Ipr-G), suggesting Ipr-I may be a turning moment of the morphogenetic changes resisting fungicidal toxicity. Con-G formed multicellular conidia with cell walls and septa and intact dense cytoplasm. In Ipr-N, fungal sporulation was inhibited by forming mostly undeveloped unicellular conidia with degraded and necrotic cytoplasm. However, in Ipr-I, conspicuous cellular changes occurred during sporulation by forming multicellular conidia with double layered (thickened) cell walls and accumulation of proliferated lipid bodies in the conidial cytoplasm, which may inhibit the penetration of the fungicide into conidial cells, reducing fungicide-associated toxicity, and may be utilized as energy and nutritional sources, respectively, for the further fungal growth to form mature colonies as in Ipr-G that formed multicellular conidia with cell walls and intact cytoplasm with lipid bodies as in Con-G.

Rationale: The increase in the incidence and the diagnostic limitations of pneumoconiosis have emerged as a public health concern. This study aimed to conduct a computed tomography (CT)- based quantitative analysis to understand differences in imaging results of pneumoconiosis according to disease severity. Methods: According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) guidelines, coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) are classified into five categories. CT images were obtained only at full inspiration and were quantitatively evaluated for airway structural variables such as bifurcation angle (θ), hydraulic diameter (D h ), wall thickness (WT), and circularity (Cr). Parenchymal functional variables include abnormal regions (emphysema, ground-glass opacities, consolidation, semi consolidation, and fibrosis) and blood vessel volume. Through the propensity score matching method, the confounding effects were decreased. Results: Category 4 demonstrated a reduced θ in TriLUL, a thicker airway wall in both the Trachea and Bronint compared to Category 0, and a decreased Cr in Bronint. Category 4 presented with higher abnormal regions except for ground-glass opacity and a narrower pulmonary blood vessel volume. A negative correlation was found between abnormal areas with lower Hounsfield units (HU) than the normal lung and the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity, with narrowed pulmonary blood vessel volume which is positively correlated with abnormal areas with upper HU than the normal lung. Conclusion: This study provided valuable insight into pneumoconiosis progression through a comparison of quantitative CT images based on severity. Furthermore, as there has been paucity of studies on the pulmonary blood vessel volume of the CWP, in this study, a correlation between reduced pulmonary blood vessel volume and regions with low HU values holds significant importance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Pyo, Chau, Park and Choi.)

The most important role of ultrasound (US) in the management of gallbladder (GB) lesions is to detect lesions earlier and differentiate them from GB carcinoma (GBC). To avoid overlooking lesions, postural changes and high-frequency transducers with magnified images should be employed. GB lesions are divided into polypoid lesions (GPLs) and wall thickening (GWT). For GPLs, classification into pedunculated and sessile types should be done first. This classification is useful not only for the differential diagnosis but also for the depth diagnosis, as pedunculated carcinomas are confined to the mucosa. Both rapid GB wall blood flow (GWBF) and the irregularity of color signal patterns on Doppler imaging, and heterogeneous enhancement in the venous phase on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) suggest GBC. Since GWT occurs in various conditions, subdividing into diffuse and focal forms is important. Unlike diffuse GWT, focal GWT is specific for GB and has a higher incidence of GBC. The discontinuity and irregularity of the innermost hyperechoic layer and irregular or disrupted GB wall layer structure suggest GBC. Rapid GWBF is also useful for the diagnosis of wall-thickened type GBC and pancreaticobiliary maljunction. Detailed B-mode evaluation using high-frequency transducers, combined with Doppler imaging and CEUS, enables a more accurate diagnosis.

Purpose: To determine whether the assessment of regional wall thickening (WT) in addition to myocardial perfusion from stress supine acquisitions could compensate for the lack of prone acquisition and the corresponding decrease in the diagnostic performance of SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: The study group comprised 41 patients (123 vessels) with known or suspected CAD prospectively recruited for systematic prone and supine 201Tl stress SPECT MPI. The diagnostic performance of SPECT MPI was determined for various image sets including nongated supine images (supine NG), nongated combined prone and supine images (prone and supine NG) and gated supine images, allowing WT evaluation from NG images in addition to perfusion (supine NG + WT) using invasive coronary angiography and fractional flow reserve as the gold standards. Results: The rate of false positives was significantly higher among the supine NG images (20.8%) than among either the prone and supine NG or the supine NG + WT images (3.3% and 2.7%, respectively, P < 0.05 vs. supine NG). Consequently, specificity was higher for the prone and supine NG images than for the supine NG images (96.1% vs. 76.1%, P < 0.01) and was highest for the supine NG + WT images (96.8%, P not significant vs. prone and supine NG), without significant differences in sensitivity (80.0%, 86.6% and 73.3%, respectively, P not significant for all comparisons). Conclusion: The diagnostic performance of supine stress SPECT MPI is improved when WT assessment of ischaemic segments is used as an additional diagnostic criterion to values not significantly different from those with combined prone and supine acquisitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Die-less spinning can achieve the thin-walled parts with the regular shape of cone and cylinder or even some non-axisymmetric shapes. And it has advantages in forming some difficult demolding shapes. In this study, die-less spinning in a cone–cylinder combined hollow part and its forming mechanism were investigated. A ball-crown-shape roller was used to replace a conventional roller in the spinning process. The roller movement and spindle rotation were controlled by a computer numerical control spinning machine to achieve a planned roller path. The pass sets of tilted and horizontal lines were designed to form the cone and cylinder shape, respectively. Further, two methods were adopted to link the two forming pass sets and spin the cone–cylinder combined shape. One is to connect the cone and cylinder forming lines directly (Schemes A); the other is to connect the cone and cylinder forming lines by transition lines (Schemes B). The effects of two key parameters (roller path and feed ratio f) on the wrinkling and wall thickness distribution were analyzed. The product exhibited wrinkling on the wall using the roller path of Scheme A with f = 0.5 mm/r. f affected the occurrence of wrinkling considerably. Larger f made the flatness of the cylinder wall worse, no matter which roller path (in Scheme A or B) was used. When f was set to 0.25 mm/r (f was lower than L T1 in this study) with a blank thickness of 2.05 mm, wrinkling could be suppressed in the roller path of Scheme A. The product had an increasing thickness distribution on both the cone and the cylinder. The cylinder wall was even thicker than the disk blank with a blank thickness of 2.05 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to test whether relative apical sparing (RELAPS) of left ventricular (LV) longitudinal strain (LS) in cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is explained by regional differences in markers of amyloid burden (18F-florbetapir uptake by positron emission tomography [PET] and/or extracellular volume fraction [ECV] by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)]. Further knowledge of the pathophysiological basis for RELAPS can help understand the adverse outcomes associated with apical LS impairment. This was a prospective study of 32 subjects (age 62 ± 7 years; 50% males) with light chain CA. All subjects underwent two-dimensional echocardiography for LS estimation and 18F-florbetapir PET for quantification of LV florbetapir retention index (RI). A subset also underwent CMR (n = 22) for ECV quantification. Extracellular LV mass (LV mass*ECV) and total florbetapir binding (extracellular LV mass*florbetapir RI) were also calculated. All parameters were measured globally and regionally (base, mid, and apex). There was a significant base-to-apex gradient in LS (−7.4 ± 3.2% vs. −8.6 ± 4.0% vs. −20.8 ± 6.6%; p < 0.0001), maximal LV wall thickness (15.7 ± 1.9 cm vs. 15.4 ± 2.9 cm vs. 10.1 ± 2.4 cm; p < 0.0001), and LV mass (74.8 ± 21.2 g vs. 60.8 ± 17.3 g vs. 23.4 ± 6.2 g; p < 0.0001). In contrast, florbetapir RI (0.089 ± 0.03 μmol/min/g vs. 0.097 ± 0.03 μmol/min/g vs. 0.085 ± 0.03 μmol/min/g; p = 0.45) and ECV (0.53 ± 0.08 vs. 0.49 ± 0.08 vs. 0.49 ± 0.07; p = 0.15) showed no significant base-to-apex gradient in the tissue concentration or proportion of amyloid infiltration, whereas markers of total amyloid load, such as total florbetapir binding (3.4 ± 1.7 μmol/min vs. 2.8 ± 1.5 μmol/min vs. 0.93 ± 0.49 μmol/min; p < 0.0001) and extracellular LV mass (40.0 ± 15.6 g vs. 30.2 ± 10.9 g vs. 11.6 ± 3.9 g; p < 0.0001), did show a marked base-to-apex gradient. Segmental differences in the distribution of the total amyloid mass, rather than the proportion of amyloid deposits, appear to explain the marked regional differences in LS in CA. Although these 2 matrices are clearly related concepts, they should not be used interchangeably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Secondary growth is a process related to the formation of new cells that increase in size and wall thickness during xylogenesis. Temporal dynamics of wood formation influence cell traits, in turn affecting cell patterns across the tree ring. We verified the hypothesis that cell diameter and cell wall thickness are positively correlated with the duration of their differentiation phases. Methods Histological sections were produced by microcores to assess the periods of cell differentiation in black spruce [ Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.]. Samples were collected weekly between 2002 and 2016 from a total of 50 trees in five sites along a latitudinal gradient in Quebec (Canada). The intra-annual temporal dynamics of cell differentiation were estimated at a daily scale, and the relationships between cell traits and duration of differentiation were fitted using a modified von Bertalanffy growth equation. Key Results At all sites, larger cell diameters and cell wall thicknesses were observed in cells that experienced a longer period of differentiation. The relationship was a non-linear, decreasing trend that occasionally resulted in a clear asymptote. Overall, secondary wall deposition lasted longer than cell enlargement. Earlywood cells underwent an enlargement phase that lasted for 12 d on average, while secondary wall thickness lasted 15 d. Enlargement in latewood cells averaged 7 d and secondary wall deposition occurred over an average of 27 d. Conclusions Cell size across the tree ring is closely connected to the temporal dynamics of cell formation. Similar relationships were observed among the five study sites, indicating shared xylem formation dynamics across the entire latitudinal distribution of the species.The duration of cell differentiation is a key factor involved in cell growth and wall thickening of xylem, thereby determining the spatial variation of cell traits across the tree ring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present study aimed to assess CT and MR imaging findings of infection-free and benign second branchial cleft cysts (SBCCs).Methods: Eleven patients with histopathologically confirmed infection-free and benign SBCCs underwent preoperative contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) and/or MR imaging. We assessed qualitative (presence and extent of wall thickening, degree of contrast enhancement of the thickened wall on CECT images, and signal intensity of the thickened wall on T2-weighted images) and quantitative (maximum thickness of the thickened wall) imaging findings.Results: Eccentric and smooth wall thickening was observed in 11/11 (100%) patients. The wall thickening extent (percentage of the thickened wall to the circumference of the wall) was small (1%-25%) in 4/11 (36%), moderate (26%-50%) in 6/11 (54%), extensive (51%-75%) in 1/11 (9%), and diffuse (76%-100%) in 0/11 (0%) patients. Mild homogeneous enhancement of the thickened wall on CECT images was observed in 7/7 (100%) patients. The signal intensity of the thickened wall on T2-weighted images was isointense relative to that of normal lymph nodes in 7/8 (88%) and mildly hyperintense in 1/8 (12%) patient. The maximum thickness of the thickened walls ranged from 2 to 4 (mean 3.4) mm.Conclusions: Infection-free and benign SBCCs are identifiable as cysts with eccentric and smooth wall thickening on CECT and MR images. The wall thickness was almost always less than half of the wall circumference, isointense relative to normal lymph nodes, and showed mild homogeneous enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oscillometric noninvasive blood pressure measurement (ONBPM) is nowadays widely applied in health care. However, ONBPM has been found to exhibit large interindividual variability in accuracy. In the present study, we developed a theoretical model to describe the mechanics of the brachial arterial wall and particularly arterial stiffening dominated respectively by wall thickening and elastin degeneration. The model was incorporated into a cardiovascular-cuff model to investigate the effects of brachial arterial stiffening on the accuracy of ONBPM. It was found that wall-thickening-dominated arterial stiffening induced overestimate of the systolic pressure, whereas the elastin-degeneration-dominated arterial stiffening induced overestimate of both the systolic pressure and the diastolic pressure. The findings support the clinical observation that pseudo-hypertension is more prevalent in the elderly, and at the same time imply that arterial stiffness indices (e.g., compliance of artery, pulse wave velocity) assessed under the physiological pressure (generally between 70 and 150mmHg) conditions may be insufficient for assessing the accuracy of ONBPM.

Purpose: Although abdominal computed tomography (ACT) has high sensitivity and specificity in helping to detect appendicitis in pediatric patients, diagnostic challenges still exist for some cases despite undergoing ACT, and negative appendectomies still persist. The aim of this study was to elucidate some ACT findings that support true appendicitis for patients who had inconclusive preoperative ACT findings. Patients and methods: For the 49 patients whose preoperative ACT diagnoses were inconclusive (ten negative appendicitis; 39 true appendicitis), the ACT findings were retrospectively measured for the following features: appendiceal enlargement, presence of appendicolith or hyperdense materials in the appendix, periappendiceal fat inflammation, periappendiceal fluid collection, appendiceal wall thickening, appendiceal gas, and right lower quadrant lymphadenopathy. These features were compared between true appendicitis and negative appendicitis cases. Results: The presence of an enlarged appendix of diameter >8 mm or periappendiceal fat inflammation strongly correlated with true appendicitis, while the absence of appendiceal wall thickening or mesenteric lymphadenopathy correlated with negative appendicitis. Conclusion: If the ACT findings were inconclusive for patients suspected of having appendicitis, factors such as periappendiceal fat inflammation, an enlarged appendix, appendiceal wall thickening, and mesenteric lymphadenopathy should be cautiously assessed to discriminate true appendicitis from negative appendicitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim was to investigate wall thickening (WT) pattern of atherosclerotic basilar artery stenosis with three-dimensional volumetric isotropic turbo spin echo acquisition (3D VISTA), and the relationship with clinical characteristics. Twenty consecutive patients with atherosclerotic basilar artery stenosis were prospectively enrolled. All cross-sectional slices on VISTA images of basilar arteries were assessed, and classified as eccentric or concentric WT. Clinical characteristics and degree of stenosis were compared between the patients with different wall WT pattern. Wall abnormalities were identified in 568 cross-sectional slices in basilar arteries of 20 patients including eccentric WT in 497 (87.5 %) slices, and concentric WT in 71 (12.5 %) slices. In 11 of 20 patients, all the cross-sectional slices (293 slices) showed eccentric WT. In 9 of 20 patients, the cross-sectional slices (275 slices) showed both eccentric WT (204 slices, 74.2 %) and concentric WT (71 slices, 25.8 %). No lesion showed only concentric WT. At the slices of maximum luminal narrowing sites, only one patient showed concentric WT. Symptomatic stenosis was more common in the patients with mixed WT (eccentric and concentric), compared to patients with only eccentric WT (100 vs 54.5 %, p = 0.038). Atherosclerotic basilar artery stenosis could show both eccentric and concentric WT based on each slice analysis. Concentric WT was found in near half of the patients, but tended to locate in minimal slices. No lesion was entirely concentric. Lesions with mixed WT (concentric and eccentric) might represent advanced atherosclerosis with high risk of ischemic event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water transportation in plants has been an important issue in plant physiology and ecophysiology. Limited by experimental conditions, the flow patterns of water through xylem vessels, especially through the vessels with wall thickenings, is not easily perceived, and it is critical to understand the water transportation through plants. The aim of this study was to investigate the hydrodynamic properties and the detailed flow patterns occurring in xylem vessels with annular (helical)thickenings in order to obtain a functional interpretation of these structures. For this purpose, the flow of water through xylemvessels with wall thickenings was studied by adopting a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach here. For the computation approach, the Bernoulli mathematical model of the annular vessel was established based on the energy conservation law. According to the obtained mathematical model, the geometrical structures of vessel, such as the inner diameter of vessel, the distance between the thickenings, the height of thickenings, the width of thickenings and the inclination of thickenings, were the main factors that affected the vessel flow resistance. Numerical calculations based on shear stress transport (SST) k-ω turbulence model were implemented to simulate the flow in xylem vessels with various wall thickening structures. In the simulation experiments, we studied and analyzed various aspects, such as influences of inner diameter, distances among thickenings, heightsand widths of thickenings, and inclinations of thickenings to the flow resistance coefficient. The results showed that the fluid resistances depended largely on vessel diameters, distances among the thickenings, and heights of thickenings. When other parameters were initialized, with the increase of vessel inner diameter, the average flow raised, while the pressure drop and flow resistance coefficient decreased, for instance, the flow resistance coefficients ranged from 21050.1 to 811.9. With the increase of the distance among thickenings, the average flow remained unchanged, while the pressure drop and flow resistance coefficient decreased, for instance, the flow resistance coefficients ranged from 10078.9 to 2369.9. With the increase of heights of thickenings, the average flow remained unchanged, while the pressure drop and flow resistance coefficient increased, for instance, the flow resistance coefficients ranged from 2032.6 to 20452.1. In contrast, the width and inclination of thickenings had little effect on the fluid resistance of vessel. It was noteworthy that the wall thickenings in small vessels contributed a large fraction of resistance to flow, whereas the wall thickenings in vessels with larger diameter contributed a relatively small fraction of resistance to flow. For example, the flow fraction of resistance generated by the thickenings was 57.0% in a vessel with an inner diameter of 16 μm when given the thickening height of 2.3 μm, while it was reduced to 27.2% in a vessel with an inner diameter of 50 μm. Under the same condition of structural parameters, the flow resistance of annular vessels was closed to that of helical vessels, and the flow resistance difference between annular vessel and helical vessels was less than 0.5% with the increase of the vessel diameter. The results above suggested that it was appropriate for the proposed mathematical model to consider the structures with complex geometries, and it was suitable for the CFD model based on SST k-ω turbulence model to simulate the flow through wall thickening structures in plant vessel, and to acquire the flow field parameters for which it was difficult to obtain by experiments. The proposed numerical simulation method provides a valid tool for further studies on the hydrodynamic characteristics of the plant vessels. Further studies on the properties of vessel structures are required in order to obtain detailed information about the interaction between wall thickenings and other functionally structures such as pits, and perforation plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the differential diagnosis of gallbladder wall (GBW) thickening and determine the predictors of malignant GBW thickening. One hundred fifty-nine patients with GBW thickening, including 76 men and 83 women, from eight institutions were enrolled. CEUS was performed after injection of a sulfur hexafluoride microbubble-based ultrasound contrast agent. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to reveal independent predictors associated with malignant GBW thickening. The final diagnoses were 48 gallbladder carcinomas and 111 benign gallbladder diseases. Maximal thicknesses of the GBW in malignant and benign GBW thickening were 17.3 ± 5.2 (6–30) mm and 8.6 ± 5.1 (4–26) mm respectively ( p < 0.001). CEUS revealed significant differences in intra-lesional vessels, enhancement homogeneity, time to hypo-enhancement, inner layer discontinuity, outer layer discontinuity and adjacent liver involvement (all p -values < 0.05) between malignant and benign GBW thickening. Patient age > 46.5 y, focal GBW thickening, inner layer discontinuity and outer layer discontinuity were found to be associated with malignancy by multiple logistic regression analysis (all p -values < 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed Az values for patient age, focal GBW thickening, inner wall discontinuity and outer wall discontinuity of 0.709 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.627–0.790), 0.714 (95% CI: 0.630–0.798), 0.860 (95% CI: 0.791–0.928) and 0.858 (95% CI: 0.783–0.933), respectively. CEUS is useful in the differential diagnosis between malignant and benign GBW thickening. Focal GBW thickening, inner wall discontinuity and outer wall discontinuity observed on CEUS are diagnostic clues for malignant GBW thickening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We evaluated gated-SPECT using a Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CZT) camera for assessing global and regional left ventricular (LV) function. Methods: A phantom study evaluated the accuracy of wall thickening assessment using systolic count increase on both Anger and CZT (Discovery 530NMc) cameras. The refillable phantom simulated variable myocardial wall thicknesses. The apparent count increase (%CI) was compared to the thickness increase (%Th). CZT gated-SPECT was compared to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in 27 patients. Global and regional LV function (wall thickening and motion) were quantified and compared between SPECT and CMR data. Results: In the phantom study using a 5-mm object, the regression between %CI and %Th was significantly closer to the line of identity ( y = x) with the CZT ( R = 0.9955) than the Anger ( R = 0.9995, P = .03). There was a weaker correlation for larger objects ( P = .003). In patients, there was a high concordance between CZT and CMR for ESV, EDV, and LVEF (all CCC >0.80, P < .001). CZT underestimated %CI and wall motion (WM) compared to CMR ( P < .001). The agreement to CMR was better for WM than wall thickening. Conclusion: The Discovery 530NMc provided accurate measurements of global LV function but underestimated regional wall thickening, especially in patients with increased wall thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesenteric inflammatory veno-occlusive disease (MIVOD) is a rare cause of inflammatory enterocolitis whose clinical and imaging presentation can be confused with mesenteric venous thrombosis and inflammatory bowel disease. We report two cases of histologically proven MIVOD in patients presenting with abdominal pain and describe potentially useful distinguishing features at contrast-enhanced CT, including prominent small pericolonic arteries and veins but a diminutive or absent inferior mesenteric vein. Alerting referring clinicians to the possibility of this diagnosis may help avoid unnecessary anticoagulation and reduce diagnostic delay. Treatment of MIVOD is surgical resection, which is typically curative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between global wall thickening (GWT) obtained by gated-single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and echocardiographic measures [ejection fraction (EF), global longitudinal strain (GLS), and strain rate (GLSR)] and to compare their prognostic value for all-cause mortality. Methods and Results: Seventy-four patients with referral for dipyridamole myocardial perfusion SPECT were prospectively included and underwent transthoracic echocardiography to measure left ventricular EF, GLS, and GLSR. The strongest correlation with GWT was for EF ( R = 0.63, P < .001), followed by GLSR ( R = −0.57, P < .001) and GLS ( R = −0.53, P < .001). There were ten deaths over a period of 14.6 ± 5.7 months. Using the multivariate Cox analysis, summed stress score (HR 1.108; P = .023), EF (HR 1.01, P = .031), GLS (HR 1.593, P = .001), and GWT (HR 0.898, P = .034) remained independent predictors of mortality. Mean survival rate evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis was longer in patients with GWT ≥ 24% (21.9 ± 0.6 months) than those with GWT < 24% (13.6 ± 2.7 months; P < .001). Conclusions: GWT assessed is a highly sensitive tool to detect early myocardial systolic dysfunction and may bring additional prognostic information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]