ner. Furthermore, IL-10 and TGF-β1 showed a synergic effect. Conclusion IL-10 and TGF-β1, the cytokines of regulatory T cells, suppress the formation and bone resorption function of the osteoclasts.

Adult ; Female ; Frontal Lobe ; physiopathology ; Frontotemporal Dementia ; diagnosis ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Treatment Outcome ; Tuberculoma, Intracranial ; complications

The dual energy CT (DECT) technology has been recently employed in the form of two X-ray sources of different energies to enhance the contrast between adjacent structures. Its use in the cardiac arena has been widely highlighted due to the higher temporal resolution. However, it may also be used in the craniocervical and peripheral vasculature for better differentiation between contrast-enhanced vascular lumina and calcified plaques, in the characterisation of ureteric stones, and in the evaluation of hepatic lesions. The objective of this paper is to revisit DECT physics, review the literature and discuss its use in CT neuroangiography with case illustrations from our institution, and impact on dose savings.
Cerebral Angiography ; Constriction, Pathologic ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; diagnosis ; Radiation Dosage ; Radiography, Dual-Energy Scanned Projection ; methods ; Review Literature as Topic ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods

The shoulder and axillary regions contain various complex anatomical structures in close proximity, many of which can give rise to neoplasms. Determining the origin and hence the exact diagnosis of advanced (diffuse) tumours in this region may become problematic. In view of the tumour morphology and the affected location in this case, we highlight the importance of Hodgkin lymphoma immunohistochemistry interpretation in a tumour which was initially suspected to be a soft tissue sarcoma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in treating chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in Hong Kong. METHODS: A single-blinded, randomized controlled trial design was adopted. Participants meeting inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to a treatment and a control group according to 1:1 ratio, resulting in an effective sample size of 99, with 50 and 49 patients in treatment and control group respectively. The same set of acupuncture points, which were selected according to traditional Chinese medicine theories, was applied in both groups, while conventional needle acupuncture was applied in treatment group and sham acupuncture (without skin penetration) was applied in control group. Schedule of treatment was the same in both groups, i.e. twice a week for 4 weeks. Key outcome measures were Chalder's Fatigue Scale, diagnostic criteria for CFS of the US's Centre for Disease Control and SF-12 health-related quality of life (HQOL) questionnaire. Adverse events, if any, were recorded. RESULTS: Improvements in physical and mental fatigue and HQOL in both groups were observed, but the improvements in treatment group were significantly bigger than in control group (P<0.01 or P<0.05). No adverse events occurred. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture is a safe, effective treatment for CFS.

Objective To investigate the ability of T2 mapping in early detection of the change of cartilage collagen by quantitative analysis.Methods 20 porcine patellae were randomly assigned into 4 groups,3 treated groups and 1 control group.The samples of 3 treated groups were respectively immersed in PBS with 100 mg/100 mL,1 50 mg/100 mL and 200 mg/100 mL typeⅡ collagenase for 4 h,whereas control group samples in PBS for 4 h.T2 relaxation times of superficial,deep and full layers of cartilage and mean densi-ty after Van Gieson stain were measured.The correlation of T2 relaxation times and mean density were statistically analyzed.Results Gross pathology showed all articular cartilages maintained intact after treatment.T2 relaxation times of superficial and full layers and mean density increased significantly in any treated group in comparison with control group(P <0.05).Significant differences in T2 relaxation times of superficial layers and mean density were found between any two treated groups,whereas no difference of T2 re-laxation time of full layers was found between 100 mg/100 mL and 1 50 mg/100 mL treated groups(P >0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed a close correlation(r=-0.837)between T2 relaxation times of full layers and mean density.Conclusion T2 map-ping can adequately detect the change of cartilage collagen in the early stage of osteoarthritis,and shows a good clinical application prospect.

Testing of hypothesis was affected by statistical analysis set division which was an important data management work before data base lock-in. Objective division of statistical analysis set under blinding was the guarantee of scientific trial conclusion. All the subjects having accepted at least once trial treatment after randomization should be concluded in safety set. Full analysis set should be close to the intention-to-treat as far as possible. Per protocol set division was the most difficult to control in blinded examination because of more subjectivity than the other two. The objectivity of statistical analysis set division must be guaranteed by the accurate raw data, the comprehensive data check and the scientific discussion, all of which were the strict requirement of data management. Proper division of statistical analysis set objectively and scientifically is an important approach to improve the data management quality.
Clinical Trials as Topic ; standards ; Databases, Factual ; Research Design ; standards ; Statistics as Topic

Missing data is a common but unavoidable issue in clinical trials. It not only lowers the trial power, but brings the bias to the trial results. Therefore, on one hand, the missing data handling methods are employed in data analysis. On the other hand, it is vital to prevent the missing data in the trials. Prevention of missing data should take the first place. From the perspective of data, firstly, some measures should be taken at the stages of protocol design, data collection and data check to enhance the patients' compliance and reduce the unnecessary missing data. Secondly, the causes of confirmed missing data in the trials should be notified and recorded in detail, which are very important to determine the mechanism of missing data and choose the suitable missing data handling methods, e.g., last observation carried forward (LOCF); multiple imputation (MI); mixed-effect model repeated measure (MMRM), etc.
Clinical Trials as Topic ; Data Collection ; methods ; standards ; Humans ; Models, Theoretical ; Research Design