This paper aims to investigate the value of diffusiion weighted imaging (DWI) and different apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) methods to predict the curative effects of neoadjuvant chempotherapy (NAC) for breast cancer. From March 2010 to December 2012, seventy-one patients were pathologically confirmed invasive breast cancer by needle puncture biopsy received before surgery, and underwent magnetic resonance before and after NAC, the ADC were measured by mean ADC method and lower ADC method. The pathologic response after NAC was divided to major histological response (MHR) group and non-major histological response (NMHR) group according to Miller & Payne system. Results displayed that ADC values obtained before NAC, at the end of the second cycle of NAC, and after whole course of treatment, had good correlations between mean and lower ADC methods (the Pearson's correlation=0.699, 0.749 and 0.895, respectively). Significant difference in ADC obtained both with mean and lower ADC methods could be found between MHR and NMHR groups after the second cycle of NAC (P< 0.05). After the second cycle of NAC, significant difference in the change rate of ADC could be found between MHR and NMHR groups by using lower ADC method (P<0.05), but not be found by using mean ADC method (P >0.05). In conclusion, DWI could monitor the pathologic changes of breast cancer after NAC, and the lower ADC method might be used to evaluate the curative effect of NAC with the change rate of ADC.
Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Neoadjuvant Therapy

We studied the actions of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in differentiating breast tumors. From January 2010 to February 2012, we retrospectively analyzed data of 95 cases with breast tumor pathologically confirmed from DWI and DCE-MRI. We compared the ADC value, time-intensity curve (TIC) and DCE-MRI parameters between breast tumors, and calculated the sensitivity and specificity for differentiating breast tumors. The results were as follows: (1) On DWI, mean ADC value of malignant tumor was lower than that of benign tumor (P < 0.05). For differentiating breast malignant tumors from benign neoplasm, a cut-off ADC value of 1.2 x 10(-3) mm2/s achieved a sensitivity of 74.1% and specificity of 70.3%. (2) On DCE-MRI, early enhancement ratio (EER) value of malignant tumor was higher than that of benign tumor whereas value of time to peak (Tpeak) and maximal enhancement ratio (SImax) were lower than that of benign tumor (all P < 0.05). As for TIC, type II and III were more frequently seen in malignant tumor than in benign tumor whereas type I was more common in benign tumor than in malignant tumor (all P < 0.05). For differentiating breast malignant tumors from benign neoplasm, DCE-MRI obtained a sensitivity of 89.7% and specificity of 70.3%. (3) For differentiating breast malignant tumors from benign neoplasm, ADC value together with TIC obtained a sensitivity of 79.3% and specificity of 78.4%. Malignant or benign breast tumors could have their own unique characteristics on DWI and DCE-MRI. These characteristics might be helpful for differentiating these tumors.
Breast Neoplasms ; classification ; diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

The chemical properties of characteristic components are significant to the manufacturing quality control of big brand traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, the Huangjing Zanyu Capsules were used as the research carrier to determine the content of five characteristic components including icraiin, emodin, schisandrin A, 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside, and osthole simultaneously by high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). The results showed that the chemical properties of five cha-racteristic components had a good linear relationship(r>0.999 9) within the quantitative range; the relative standard deviations(RSD) was 0.11%-2.0% and 0.25%-2.8% respectively for intra-day and inter-day precision; the RSD of repeatability was 1.8%-2.6%; the RSD of stability within 48 hours was 0.19%-2.8%, and the average recovery rate was 95.52%-100.1%, all meeting the requirements of pharmaceutical quantitative analysis. Additionally, the interval estimation method was used to directly reflect the distribution of samples with abnormal chemical properties of characteristic components, and the results showed ten samples were detected beyound the 95% control line of confidence level. Multivariate statistical process control(MSPC) method was used to monitor the abnormal samples of Huangjing Zanyu Capsules collectively, and the results showed that two samples were beyond the 95% control line of Hotelling's T~2 and three samples beyond the 95% control line of squared prediction error(SPE), indicating consistent quality control of Huangjing Zanyu Capsules. In conclusion, the proposed method is not only accurate and efficient but also a compensation for the traditional single-component quality control method, providing a scientific basis for the quality control in manufacturing process of Huangjing Zanyu Capsules. Furthermore, it could also serve as a reference method for the quality control in manufacturing big brand traditional Chinese medicine.
Capsules ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Quality Control