OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of current, voltage and pH of donor chamber solution on the iontophoretic transport of ciprofloxacin. METHODS: An in vitro study was carried out to determine the iontophoretic permeability of ciprofloxacin through pig skin. Iontophoretic flux of ciprofloxacin through excised pig skin was determined using Valia-Chien two chamber diffusion cells. The permeability enhancement ratios in donor chamber solution of different pH under different currents and voltages were also measured. RESULTS: Iontophoretic flux of ciprofloxacin increased with increasing current and voltage. The effect of ciprofloxacin solution pH in the donor chamber on the iontophoretic transport was observed. When the pH of ciprofloxacin solution was 3.5, there was good iontophoretic permeability. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that electrical factor and pH of the donor chamber solution may be important factors for the iontophoretic permeability of ciprofloxacin.

Objective To evaluate if high energy spectral CT images of contrast-enhanced phase could replace the plain scan for radiation dose reduction in children with solid tumor in abdomen.Methods Thirty children with solid tumor in the abdomen underwent CT scan.Plain CT scan was performed as usual,and the contrast-enhanced scan was performed with spectral CT imaging mode.Eleven sets of monochromatic images were reconstructed from the enhanced spectral CT with energies from 40 to 140 keV with 10 keVinterval.CT values for liver,spleen,kidney,pancreas,muscle,vessel and tumors were measured on both the plain and contrast-enhanced spectral images and were statistically compared.Two board-certified radiologists reviewed both plain and contrast-enhanced spectral images for image quality,calcification and tumor characterization.Radiation dose was recorded(CTDIvol,DLP).Pair t test was used to analyze the difference.Results At 140 keV,CT values of the contrast-enhanced spectral images had good correlations with those of plain scan for various organs.The paired CT values between the 140 keV and plain phaseimages were (62.8± 1.1 vs.59.8±4.0),(69.4±2.6vs.63.1 ±5.6),(52.7 ±5.1 vs.51.4±4.0),(35.4± 5.9 vs.35.7 ±5.3),(51.4±8.6vs.50.0±5.7),(55.5±6.6vs.54.7±5.7) and (33.2± 10.4vs.35.4± 12.1) HU for vessel,liver,spleen,kidney,pancreas,muscleand tumor,respectively.There was no significant difference between two groups(t=0.335 to 2.127,P＞0.05).140 keV images of the contrast-enhanced spectral scan in pediatric tumor patients provided adequate image quality (4.4±0.8 points and 3.7±0.5 points)for describing solid tumor features and calcification.The radiation dose of plain phase and contrast-enhanced phase were [CTDIvol (1.6±0.8) mGy,DLP(46.4±36.8)mGy·cm and CTDIvol(12.7±0.1)mGy,DLP(378.6±91.4)mGy·cm.Conclusion It isfeasible to replace plain CT with 140 keV contrast-enhanced spectral images to reduce 10％ radiation dose.

Objective To investigate the effects of anticardiolipin antibodies positive serum from patients with recurrent pregnancy loss on the proliferation of BeWo cells as well as the modulation of heparin on the growth of BeWo cell.Methods Thirty patients with recurrent pregnancy loss whose anticardiolipin antibodies were positive and thirty healthy women with a history of term delivery were selected.Their sera were separately added to BeWo cell culture systems which contained either heparin or not.After 24 hours, the PCNA and 490 nm A value were detected by immunofluorescence and methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT),and the proliferation of BeWo cell was evaluated.Results In the culture systems with heparin and normal serum,normal serum,heparin and serum with positive autoantibody,serum with positive autoantibody,the mean fluorescence gray scale values of PCNA were 34.8?3.1,33.8?1.8,33.4?2.2 and 25.1?2.3,the 490 nm A values were 0.0560?0.0033,0.0535?0.0024,0.0524?0.0027 and 0.0350?0.0040,respectively.Conclusions The serum with anticardiolipin antibodies from patients with recurrent pregnancy loss can influence the prospective potency of BeWo cell,inhibit cell proliferation in vitro.Through this direct effect on biological behaviour of the trophoblastic cell,it will lead to recurrent pregnancy loss,whereas heparin can increase the ratio of pregnancy by reversing such effects in those patients.

Objective To observe the difference between skeletal age of hand and wrist and chronological age and explore the reliability of CHN radiographic atlas method to assess the skeletal age of hand and wrist in children and adolescent.Methods Total 1397 healthy children (666 boys,731 girls;age range,1.0-18.0 years old) with hand and wrist injury from 2007 to 2011 were selected.Forty groups (n =20 for boys and girls,respectively) were classified according to CHN radiographic atlas method.The radiographs of hand and wrist were assessed by CHN radiographic atlas method,the relations between skeletal age and chronological age were investigated by using Wilcoxon signed ranks test.Results According to the CHN radiographic atlas method,the difference in 1.0 to 3.9 years old,7.0 to 7.9 years old and 9.0 to 15.9 years old boy groups between skeletal age and the chronological age had statistical significance (P ＜0.05) ; the difference in 1.0 to 2.9 years old,8.0 to 11.9 years old,12.6 to 14.9 years old,and 17.0 to 18.0 years old girl groups between skeletal age and the chronological age had statistical significance (P ＜ 0.05).Besides,these skeletal age was higher than the chronological age.Conclusions Skeletal age assessed by the CHN radiographic atlas method in a majority of age groups was higher than chronological age.It should be cautious to estimate the contemporary Chinese children skeletal age of hand and wrist when using the CHN radiographic atlas method.

Objective To investigate the feasibility to reduce radiation doses on pediatric mutidetector abdominal CT using the adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction technique (ASIR) associated with automated tube current modulation technique(ATCM).Methods Thirty patients underwent abdominal CT with ATCM and the follow-up scan with ATCM cooperated with 40％ ASIR.ATCM was used with agedependent noise index (NI) settings: NI =9 for 0-5 year old and NI =11 for ＞ 5 years old for simple ATCM group,NI =11 for 0-5 year old and NI =15 for ＞5 years old for ATCM cooperated with 40％ ASIR group(AISR group).Two radiologists independently evaluated images for diagnostic quality and image noise with subjectively image quality score and image noise score using a 5-point scale.Interobserver agreement was assessed by Kappa test.The volume CT dose indexes (CTDIvol) for the two groups were recorded.Statistical significance for the CTDIvol value was analyzed by pair-sample t test.Results The average CTDIvol for the ASIR group was (1.38 ± 0.64) mGy,about 60％ lower than (3.56 ± 1.23) mGy for the simple ATCM group,and the CTDIvol of two groups had statistically significant differences.(t =33.483,P ＜ 0.05).The subjective image quality scores for the simple ATCM group were 4.43 ± 0.57 and 4.37 ±0.61,Kappa =0.878,P ＜ 0.01 (ASIR group: 4.70 ± 0.47 and 4.60 ± 0.50,Kappa =0.783,P ＜ 0.01),by two observers.The image noise score for the simple ATCM group were 4.03 ±0.56 and 3.83 ±0.53,Kappa =0.572,P ＜ 0.01 (ASIR group: 4.20 ± 0.48 and 4.10 ± 0.48,Kappa =0.748,P ＜ 0.01),by two observers.All images had acceptable diagnostic image quality.Conclusion Lower radiation dose can be achieved by elevating NI with ASIR in pediatric CT abdominal studies,while maintaining diagnostically acceptable images.

on,size and the extent structures of atrial septal defect on line.

Calcinosis ; complications ; Decalcification Technique ; Humans ; Meningeal Neoplasms ; complications ; Meningioma ; complications ; Specimen Handling ; methods ; Ultrasonics

Objective To explore the CT features of infantile hepatic hemangioendothelioma (IHH).Methods CT imaging features of 16 IHH patients confirmed by surgical pathology and clinical diagnosis were retrospectively reviewed.Results Of 16 patients,there were single lesion in 10 cases and multiple lesions in 6 cases.All the lesions were rich in blood supply,and the arterial phase showed obviously rings enhanced.Some linear enhancement towards to the center below the annular enhancement of solitary lesions were found.There were patchy enhancement in annular enhancement center area,and the area of enhancement obvious increasing in venous phase and delayed phase in 4 cases with multiple lesions,enhancement mode was similar to single lesion in 1 case with multiple lesions.The lesions of IHH Ⅱ were small and multiple,and showed intermittent line shaped edge enhancement;some lesions below the linear enhancement showed small nodular enhancement and the area of nodular enhancement enlarged in venous phase,the range of linear enhancement was not obvious.Conclusion CT manifestations of IHH have some characteristics,and the enhancement of CT is more important in the diagnosis of this disease.

Objective To analyze CT and MR features of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST)of children. Methods Sixteen patients with histologically proven MPNST were retrospectively reviewed.There were 8 male and 8 female, ages from 0.3 to 11.0 years, and median age was 2.5 years. Sixteen cases were performed with CT plain scan, and eight cases with CT enhancement scans, and three with MR examination. The imaging data were analyzed by two highly experienced doctors and obtained agreements after mutual consultation. Results Among 16 cases, 3 cases were located at neck, 5 cases at waist and back,3 cases at abdominal and pelvic, 2 cases at foot, 1 case at left clavicle, 1 case at right mediastinum, 1 case at right orbit. Fifteen cases appeared as solid masses and 1 case showed a diffuse growth. CT plain scan showed 8 cases were solid-appearing masses and 7 cases were cystic-solid mass. Enhanced CT showed enhancement of solid component was moderate to marked and gradually delayed enhanced while cystic component had no any enhancement. One was located on the left side of the neck and appeared as diffuse growth. Two cases of solid mass type appeared as hypo-intensity on T1WI and hyper-intensity on T2WI, and obviously high signal intensity of cystic component on T2WI, and with significantly heterogeneous enhanced.One case with diffuse growth appeared as hypo-intensity on T1WI and slightly hyper-intensity on T2WI, and with significantly enhanced. Sixteen cases appeared as invasive growth, 11 caseswith multiple organic metastases and recurrences, and 4 cases with neurofibromatosis type I and scoliosis.Conclusion CT and MR appearances of MPNST have certain characteristic features, and can demonstrateaggressive performance and multiple organic metastases, which is helpful for definite diagnosis and treatment plan.