Objective To evaluate the early appearance of SARS on chest CT scan and its role in the early diagnosis Methods Forty cases of SARS in keeping with the criteria of the Ministry of Health had chest CT scans within 7 days of onset of symptoms, and CR chest X-ray films were available as well These chest X-rays and CT images were retrospectively reviewed to determine if there were any abnormalities on the images The lesions on the chest CT images were then further analyzed in terms of the number, location, size, and density Results Positive abnormalities on chest CT scans were revealed in all 40 SARS cases Positive findings on CR chest films were showed in only 25 cases, equivocal in 6, and normal in 9 cases The main abnormalities seen on CT and X-rays were pulmonary infiltrations varied markedly in severity 70% cases had 1 or 2 lesions on chest CT scan, 30% cases had 3 or more lesions The lesions seen on chest CT scan tended to be ground-glass opacification, sometimes with consolidation which was very faint and inhomogeneous, easily missed on chest X-rays Typically the lesions were located in the periphery of the lung, or both central and peripheral lung, but very rare in a pure central location They were commonly in the shape of patch or ball Conclusions Chest CT scan is much more sensitive in detecting the lesions of the lung in SARS The early appearance of SARS on chest CT scan is characteristic but non-specific, indicating that chest CT scan plays a very important role in the early diagnosis and differential diagnosis of SARS

Objective To analyze the imaging findings of osteosarcomatosis, and to explore the value of imaging in the diagnosis of osteosarcomatosis.Methods Clinical data and imaging findings in 15 cases of osteosarcomatosis were reviewed.All of them had conventional X-ray films, 13 cases had CT scanning, 11 cases had ECT scanning, 5 cases had MR scanning, and 4 cases with DSA.Results Eight primary lesions were located in the distal femur, 5 in the proximal tibia, 1 in humerus, and 1 in clavicle.Secondary lesions were scattered in proximal tibia in 8, distal femur in 6, spine in 6, pelvis in 2, and other sites.The primary lesion showed typical X-ray finding of osteosarcoma, but lesions at other position showed mainly high density of osteogenesis in all 15 cases.In 13 cases, CT played an important role in defining the extent of the tumor and soft tissue masses.CT scanning was sensitive in detecting osteosclerotic lesions in the bone marrow.In 5 cases, MRI was useful in delineating the extent of tumor and soft tissues mass, as well as the extent of tumor in bone marrow.ECT had the capacity of showing the radionuclide concentration of tumor focus in the whole body in a single scan in 11 patients.Conclusion Osteosarcomatosis has multiple lesions all over the body.Imaging modalities including X-ray plain film, CT, MRI, and ECT are all important in finding the lesions and in diagnosing osteosarcomatosis.

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) represent a significant component of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) microenvironments which play a critical role in tumor progression and drug resistance. Tumor-on-a-chip technology has provided a powerful in vitro platform to investigate the crosstalk between activated HSCs and HCC cells by mimicking physiological architecture with precise spatiotemporal control. Here we developed a tri-cell culture microfluidic chip to evaluate the impact of HSCs on HCC progression. On-chip analysis revealed activated HSCs contributed to endothelial invasion, HCC drug resistance and natural killer (NK) cell exhaustion. Cytokine array and RNA sequencing analysis were combined to indicate the iron-binding protein LIPOCALIN-2 (LCN-2) as a key factor in remodeling tumor microenvironments in the HCC-on-a-chip. LCN-2 targeted therapy demonstrated robust anti-tumor effects both in vitro 3D biomimetic chip and in vivo mouse model, including angiogenesis inhibition, sorafenib sensitivity promotion and NK-cell cytotoxicity enhancement. Taken together, the microfluidic platform exhibited obvious advantages in mimicking functional characteristics of tumor microenvironments and developing targeted therapies.