Review of recent research on hepatitis C therapy for 54th annual meeting of the American association for the study of liver diseases

[Crohn's disease].

Objective: The aim was to formulate clinical practice guidelines for pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL). Participants: The Task Force included a chair selected by the Endocrine Society Clinical Guidelines Subcommittee (CGS), seven experts in the field, and a methodologist. The authors received no corporate funding or remuneration. Evidence: This evidence-based guideline was developed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system to describe both the strength of recommendations and the quality of evidence. The Task Force reviewed primary evidence and commissioned two additional systematic reviews. Consensus Process: One group meeting, several conference calls, and e-mail communications enabled consensus. Committees and members of the Endocrine Society, European Society of Endocrinology, and Americal Association for Clinical Chemistry reviewed drafts of the guidelines. Conclusions: The Task Force recommends that initial biochemical testing for PPGLs shou...

/pdf/pheochromocytoma-and-paraganglioma-an-endocrine-society-4ij7m1t7fo.pdf

Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma: An endocrine society clinical practice guideline

https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/downloads/00000227t

ACC/AHA/ASNC guidelines for the clinical use of cardiac radionuclide imaging--executive summary: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (ACC/AHA/ASNC Committee to Revise the 1995 Guidelines for the Clinical Use of Cardiac Radionuclide Imaging)

ContextFocal pulmonary lesions are commonly encountered in clinical practice,
and positron emission tomography (PET) with the glucose analog 18-fluorodeoxyglucose
(FDG) may be an accurate test for identifying malignant lesions.ObjectiveTo estimate the diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET for malignant focal pulmonary
lesions.Data SourcesStudies published between January 1966 and September 2000 in the MEDLINE
and CANCERLIT databases; reference lists of identified studies; abstracts
from recent conference proceedings; and direct contact with investigators.Study SelectionStudies that examined FDG-PET or FDG with a modified gamma camera in
coincidence mode for diagnosis of focal pulmonary lesions; enrolled at least
10 participants with pulmonary nodules or masses, including at least 5 participants
with malignant lesions; and presented sufficient data to permit calculation
of sensitivity and specificity were included in the anaylsis.Data ExtractionTwo reviewers independently assessed study quality and abstracted data
regarding prevalence of malignancy and sensitivity and specificity of the
imaging test. Disagreements were resolved by discussion.Data SynthesisWe used a meta-analytic method to construct summary receiver operating
characteristic curves. Forty studies met inclusion criteria. Study methodological
quality was fair. Sample sizes were small and blinding was often incomplete.
For 1474 focal pulmonary lesions of any size, the maximum joint sensitivity
and specificity (the upper left point on the receiver operating characteristic
curve at which sensitivity and specificity are equal) of FDG-PET was 91.2%
(95% confidence interval, 89.1%-92.9%). In current practice, FDG-PET operates
at a point on the summary receiver operating characteristic curve that corresponds
approximately to a sensitivity and specificity of 96.8% and 77.8%, respectively.
There was no difference in diagnostic accuracy for pulmonary nodules compared
with lesions of any size (P = .43), for semiquantitative
methods of image interpretation compared with qualitative methods (P = .52), or for FDG-PET compared with FDG imaging with a modified
gamma camera in coincidence mode (P = .19).ConclusionsPositron emission tomography with 18-fluorodeoxyglucose is an accurate
noninvasive imaging test for diagnosis of pulmonary nodules and larger mass
lesions, although few data exist for nodules smaller than 1 cm in diameter.
In current practice, FDG-PET has high sensitivity and intermediate specificity
for malignancy.

Accuracy of Positron Emission Tomography for Diagnosis of Pulmonary Nodules and Mass Lesions: A Meta-analysis

Cystic lymphangioma is a rare malformation characterized by cystic structure deriving from detachment of lymph sacs from venous drainage systems (1). The cystic variant of lymphangioma is included in the general classification of lymphangiomas according to Landing and Farber (2) enclosing the capillary and venous variant, characterized respectively by dilatation of capillary and sinusoidal lymphatic vessels (the latter with continued growth of the stromal component) which remain connected to the lymphatic network; The cystic variant instead is unconnected with the lymphatic network, characterized by several spaces filled with proteinaceous and chylous material which contains lymphocytes and sometimes red blood cells (3).

/pdf/a-case-of-lower-neck-cystic-lymphangioma-correlative-us-ct-2ik35ynjow.pdf

A case of lower-neck cystic lymphangioma: correlative US, CT and MR imaging findings

Context Lymphoepithelial cyst of the pancreas is a rare benign lesion which often presents as an incidental radiological finding, but may cause symptoms, such as abdominal pain and nausea. It can occur at any location in the pancreas. The differential diagnosis includes primary splenic cysts, pseudocysts, mucinous cystic neoplasms of the pancreas, left adrenal cysts, duplication cysts and retroperitoneal cysts. Some of these diagnoses can be excluded by MRI; however, for the final diagnosis, fine needle aspiration or surgical resection may be necessary. Case report We report a rare case of a pancreatic lymphoepithelial cyst in an asymptomatic 63-year-old man, discovered in a clinical follow-up for colon cancer. In particular, we describe the unique " cheerios-like " appearance of the lesion which has never before been reported. Conclusion This particular finding could help in the differential diagnosis of this benign lesion from other pancreatic masses. Image:  T2-weighted axial MR image showing a complex mass consisting of multiple sub-centimeter nodules, with a " cheerios-like " appearance.

/pdf/lymphoepithelial-pancreatic-cyst-an-atypical-benign-16plyoy3f7.pdf

Lymphoepithelial pancreatic cyst: an atypical benign pancreatic mass presenting with a "cheerios-like" appearance.

FDG-PET and recurrent colorectal cancer

Simple Summary Radiomics could increase the value of medical images for oncologic patients, allowing for the identification of novel imaging biomarkers and building prediction models. Unfortunately, despite the many promises and encouraging findings, the translation of radiomics into clinical practice appears as a distant goal. Indeed, challenges such as generalizability and reproducibility are slowing down the process and must be faced with a rigorous and robust radiomic methodology. In this review, we turn the spotlight to the methodological complexity of radiomics, providing an outline of dos and don’ts aimed at facilitating state-of-the-art research. Abstract Imaging plays a crucial role in the management of oncologic patients, from the initial diagnosis to staging and treatment response monitoring. Recently, it has been suggested that its importance could be further increased by accessing a new layer of previously hidden quantitative data at the pixel level. Using a multi-step process, radiomics extracts potential biomarkers from medical images that could power decision support tools. Despite the growing interest and rising number of research articles being published, radiomics is still far from fulfilling its promise of guiding oncologic imaging toward personalized medicine. This is, at least partly, due to the heterogeneous methodological quality in radiomic research, caused by the complexity of the analysis pipelines. In this review, we aim to disentangle this complexity with a stepwise approach. Specifically, we focus on challenges to face during image preprocessing and segmentation, how to handle imbalanced classes and avoid information leaks, as well as strategies for the proper validation of findings.

/pdf/oncologic-imaging-and-radiomics-a-walkthrough-review-of-c36546jt.pdf

Simone Maurea

Papers

A case of lower-neck cystic lymphangioma: correlative US, CT and MR imaging findings

Lymphoepithelial pancreatic cyst: an atypical benign pancreatic mass presenting with a "cheerios-like" appearance.

FDG-PET and recurrent colorectal cancer

Oncologic Imaging and Radiomics: A Walkthrough Review of Methodological Challenges

MRI radiomics: A machine learning approach for the risk stratification of endometrial cancer patients.