OBJECTIVETo assess the feasibility of endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) in the differential diagnosis of malignant and benign lesions based on the two characteristic echo features of malignancy.

METHODSEBUS images from 102 patients undergoing bronchoscopy for peripheral lung lesions were analyzed. The sensitivity and specificity were determined for each echo feature, namely the halo sign and low-level echoes that indicated malignancy, or their combination in diagnosing malignant and benign lesions.

RESULTSLow-level echoes showed a sensitivity of 89.46% and a specificity of 83% in the diagnosis of malignancy, both higher than those of the halo sign (69.51% and 65%, respectively). The presence of either of the two echo features had a diagnostic sensitivity of 94.6% for malignant lesions, and the coexistence of the two features had a specificity of 93% for a diagnosis of malignant lesions.

CONCLUSIONEBUS is a useful adjunctive modality for lung cancer diagnosis, especially in cases where peripheral lung lesions are invisible in conventional bronchoscopy.

Diagnosis, Differential ; Endosonography ; methods ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; Pneumonia ; diagnostic imaging ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Objective: On the basis of the dominant frequency index of functional connectivity, the "brain age" analysis method was used to explore abnormal development patterns of sensorimotor networks in boys with autism spectrum disorder(ASD). Methods: The resting state functional magnetic resonance data (7-12 years old) for 105 boys with ASD and 102 matched boys with normal development from the ABIDE public database were screened. Functional connection networks in different frequency bands of sensorimotor related brain regions were constructed for each individual, and the frequency of the strongest connection were constructed as the optimal frequency of the connection. Brain age analysis was used to explore the difference between brain age and chronological age in boys with ASD. Results: The brain sensorimotor network of boys with ASD showed an abnormal development pattern of overdevelopment followed by underdevelopment, and the transition between the two patterns occurred at approximately 7.8 years of age. Older boys with ASD (older than 10 years) whose underdevelopment trend was suppressed had lower ASD severity( r=-0.43, P < 0.05 ). Conclusion The brain sensorimotor network in boys with ASD has an abnormal development process, and the brain chronological age difference in the sensorimotor network has potential as a neuroimaging marker to measure the development of ASD.