Objective To investigate the pulmonary imaging findings and the clinical characteristics of ANCA-associated vasculitis.Methods 16 patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis confirmed by pathology in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively,all patients underwent 1 6-sclice high resolution chest CT scans.The clinical manifestations and lung CT findings of the patients were analyzed.Results The mean age of 1 6 patients (7 male and 9 female)was 62.7 (ranged from 56 to 83).The onset time of the disease was ranged for 1 weeks to 2 years,and it was characterized as multiple organs involvement accompanied by kidney damage with different degrees.The clinical respiratory symptoms inluded fever and cough.The lung HRCT features of ANCA-associated vasculitis were as follows:patchy shadow in 14 cases (87.5%),streak one in 12 (75%),nodular one in 3 (18.8%),cavities in 4 (25%),emphysema and pulmonary bullae in 6 (37.5%),tree-in-bud in 6 (37.5%),pleural effusion in 4 (25%),mediastinal lymph nodes enlargement in 3 (18.8%), pleural thickening in 6 (37.5%),cellular-like in 5 (31.3%),bronchiectasis in 6 (37.5%),round-glass opacity in 10 (62.5%)and reticulate changes in 8 (50%).Some patients were treated by the glucocorticoid (a hormone steroid)or by it in combination with immunosuppressant, and the clinical symptoms were improved and some lesions on X-ray images were significantly reduced or disappeared.Conclusion ANCA-associated vasculitis usually occurs in the majority of middle or old age without gender difference.Multiple organs are easily involved and the lesions in lung may be misdiagnosed as infection.Early CT diagnosis and timely treatment may improve the prognosis.

Objective To investigate the ground glass appearance of solitary nodules of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma of the CT imaging features.Methods A retrospective analysis of 20 cases with pathologically proved with a ground glass appearance of solitary nodules of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma of the clinical and imaging data of CT.Results 20 cases of solitary nodules of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma without obvious clinical symptoms ;location:the upper lobe of the left lung in 10 cases,right upper lobectomy in 5 cases,3 cases of the right middle lobe,lower lobe of the left lung in 2 cases; all lesions were located at the lung periphery,both ground glass opacity nodules,14 of them patients with lesions of the peripheral see spiculation in 5 cases,vacuole sign,8 cases with air bronchogram,16 cases with pleural indentation,10 cases of vascular convergence sign etc..In 20 cases the lesion enhancement scan after the lesion showed no enhancement.In all cases,through the CT dynamic observation,no obvious change in lesion size,lesion slightly higher density,finally performed lobectomy pathologically diagnosed non mucoid alveolar cell carcinoma.Conclusion the ground glass appearance of solitary nodules of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma progress is slow,dynamic imaging observation helps to confirm the diagnosis.

BACKGROUND:The methylprednisolone pulse therapy in early period of spinal cord injury can attenuate the pathological degree of spinal cord injury, however no breakthrough was found within recent 20 years.
OBJECTIVE:To observe the protection effects of sodium aescinate on the nerve cellapoptosis and expression of glial fibrial ary acidic protein (GFAP) in the early spinal cord injured rats.
METHODS:Spinal cord injury models were established with the modified Al en’s method in 180 Sprague-Dawley rats, and were randomly divided into three groups, with 60 rats in each group. Immediately after injury, the rats in three groups were intraperitoneal y injected with sodium aescinate (5 mg/kg), methylprednisolone (100 mg/kg) and equal saline, respectively, once per day. At 8 hours, 24 hours, 96 hours and 7 days, 14 days after injury, rats were sacrificed and the injured segments were resected for hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining, the nerve cellapoptosis and GFAP expression were detected.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The apoptotic nerve cells were seen at 8 hours after injury and the number of apoptotic cells reached the peak at 7 days, the edema was attenuated at 14 days without less nerve cellapoptosis in al groups, significantly fewer apoptotic nerve cells can be seen in sodium aescinate and methylprednisolone groups compared with the control group (P<0.05) at each time. The expression of GFAP was increased in the time dependant manner in al groups, the increase was slow in methylprednisolone group but sharp in sodium aescinate group and control group within 96 hours. There was no difference between control group and sodium aescinate group within 24 hours (P>0.05), which was lower than methylprednisolone group (P<0.05);after 96 hours, methylprednisolone group and sodium aescinate group were both significantly lower than control group (P<0.05). Furthermore, the decreasing expression was observed in al groups after 7 days. Sodium ascinate has obvious protection effects on nerve cells in spinal cord injured rats and promotes neurological function through decreasing GFAP expression after injury. The efficacy of sodium ascinate is equal to that of methylprednisolone within 2 hours.

Objective To explore the application value of dazzle speed dual-source dual-energy CT imaging in head and neck arteries. Methods Total 96 patients were enrolled into two groups randomly in this study. Fourty-eight pa tients were scanned the dual-energy scanning mode (140 kV/Sn80 kV,210/105 mAs) in group A. The other 48 patients were scanned in a tranditional Neuro-DSA mode (120 kV/245 mAs) in group B. The CT volume dose index (CTDI vol) and the subjective image quality score were compared between two groups. Results The difference of the subjective im age quality score was significant between the two groups(P<0.05), the effective dose of group A was decreased by 25%compared with the dose of group B [(7.54±0.05) mGy vs (10.67±0.08) mGy). Conclusion Radiation dose is lower, image quality is better in the dazzle speed dual-source double energy imaging of the head and neck vascular when compared to the conventional Neuro-DSA imaging. But excessive?subtraction angiography exists in the bone of the skull base, the technology needs to be improved.