In addition to barium swallow, the health screening center of our hospital has started meansuring serum pepsinogen (PG) levels in the stomach cancer screening tests since 1998 if patients wish to receive the PG test. During the past five years, 94 gastric cancer cases were detected by both methods. The average detection ratio worked out at 79.8% for the barium method and 71.3% for the PG method. Of the 94 cases, 51.1% tested positive by both methods. The positivity ratio was 28.7% for the barium method alone and 20.2% for the pepsinogen method alone. In other words, it follows that nearly half of the cancer cases have been picked out by either of the two techniques. Therefore, it could be said that the two methods serve as complementary one to the other. Thus, it was confirmed that using the PG method together with the barium method is worthwhile.The hitting ratio of positive reaction was high in patients at level 2 and upward when checked according to PG levels, and in patients whose initial test results were negative and later shifted to level 2 or level 4 with the lapse of time. These findings suggest that it is feasible to presupposed a group of people at higher risk for developing gastric cancer.
Phosphatidylglycerols ; Pepsinogen A ; Stomach Cancer ; Serum ; Barium

Our aim was to study the scan protocol of 16 DAS (Data Acquisition System) multidetector-row CT (MDCT) and to ascertain whether we could reduce radiation exposure and scanning time, while maintaing image quality in the Virtual endoscopy (VE).We made a mimic gastrointestinal tract and examined the result by changing a scan protocol of 16 DAS MDCT.We found that a reduction of radiation exposure and scanning time depended on slice width, angle of the table, rotation time, table speed, mAs/slice and resolution.The study confirmed that it was possible to use the scan protocol of MDCT with a radiographic dose of 40% and scanning time of 50%, without changing image quality in the VE.
Radiation ; amsonic acid ; Protocols documentation ; Endoscopy ; Accident due to exposure to weather conditions

BACKGROUND: Recently, the prevalence of food allergies during childhood is increasing, with fruits being common allergens. However, data on allergens that cause fruit and vegetable allergies and pollen-food allergy syndrome (PFAS) in childhood are relatively few. This study aimed to examine the allergens in fruit and vegetable allergies in pediatric patients and to determine the association between fruit and vegetable allergies and PFAS.OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the current status of fruit and vegetable allergies in Japanese children.METHODS: This was a multicenter case series observational study. The participants included children aged <15 years who developed allergic symptoms after eating fruits and vegetables and subsequently received treatment in the Pediatric Department of 6 hospitals in the Osaka Prefecture in Japan during the study period from August 2016 to July 2017. Participants' information was obtained using a questionnaire, and data were obtained by performing several types of allergy tests using blood samples.RESULTS: A total of 97 children (median age, 9 years; 56 males) were included in the study. Apple was the most common allergen, followed by peach, kiwi, cantaloupe, and watermelon. A total of 74 participants (76%) exhibited allergic symptoms due to PFAS; moreover, pathogenesis-related protein-10 (PR-10) was the most common allergen superfamily. On the contrary, in the group where neither PR-10 nor profilin was sensitized, kiwi and banana were the most common allergens, and the age of onset was lower than that in the PFAS group. Specific antibody titer was significantly associated with Birch for Bet v1 and latex for Bet v2 (r = 0.99 and r = 0.89).CONCLUSION: When we examine patients with fruit and vegetable allergies, we should first consider PFAS even in childhood specifically for children greater than 4 years old.
Age of Onset ; Allergens ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Betula ; Child ; Citrullus ; Clinical Study ; Cucumis melo ; Eating ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Fruit ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Japan ; Latex ; Musa ; Observational Study ; Prevalence ; Profilins ; Prunus persica ; Rhinitis ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal ; Vegetables

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of energy of virtual monochromatic images (VMIs) and the strength of iterative reconstruction on computed tomography (CT) number, image noise, and visual evaluation. Low keV VMIs improve the CT number of the contrast agent but also increases image noise, making them difficult to use. However, the adoption of iterative reconstruction has made low keV VMIs possible to use. We scanned a phantom containing dilute contrast agent with single energy (SE) and dual energy (DE) scanned images, comparing CT number, image noise (SD), and the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). The CT number and SD of 40 keV VMIs were 2.8 and 2.4 times higher, respectively, than those of 120-kV CT images. VMIs showed an inferior CNR compared with SE images due to increased image noise. The higher the strength of iterative reconstruction, the higher the visual evaluation score. Visual evaluation scores were highest at 50 keV. Low-keV VMIs are greatly affected by increased image noise. But by taking into the effects of parameters such as tube voltage and strength of iterative reconstruction, low keV VMIs can improve the visualization of blood vessels and reduce the use of contrast agent.