Background. Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is diagnostic standard for thyroid nodules. However, the influence of size on FNAC accuracy remains unclear especially in too small or too large thyroid nodules. The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the effect of nodule size on FNAC accuracy. Methods. All consecutive patients who underwent thyroidectomy for nodules in 2010 were enrolled. FNAC results (according to the Bethesda system) were compared to pathological diagnosis. The nodules were categorized into groups A–E on the basis of maximal diameter on ultrasound (≤0.5, >0.5–1, >1-2, >2–4, and >4 cm, resp.). Results. There were 502 cases with 690 nodules. Overall FNAC sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 95.4%, 98.2%, 99.4%, 86.4%, and 96.0%, respectively. False-negative rates (FNRs) of groups A–E were 3.2%, 5.1%, 1.3%, 13.3%, and 50%, respectively. Accuracy rates of groups A–E were 96.8%, 94.8%, 99%, 94.7%, and 87.5%, respectively. Conclusion. Although accuracy rates of FNAC in thyroid nodules smaller than 0.5 cm are comparable to the other group, thyroid nodules larger than 4 cm with benign cytology carry a higher risk of malignancy, which suggest that those should be considered for intensive follow-up or repeated biopsy.

This retrospective study was designed to compare prognostic relevance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings before and after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT). From 2002 to 2010, 399 patients who underwent surgery after CRT for rectal cancer (≥T3) and had adequate pre-CRT (mr) and post-CRT (ymr) MRI findings were examined. Factors examined included tumour (T), lymph node (N), mesorectal fascia (MRF), extramural venous invasion (EMVI), and tumour regression grade (TRG). Two Cox proportional hazard models were created using mr and ymr findings separately for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and local recurrence rate (LRR). Among mr findings, only mrEMVI was a significant prognostic factor for OS and DFS. Among ymr findings, ymrN, ymrMRF, and ymrEMVI were significant prognostic factors for OS and DFS, whereas ymrMRF and ymrEMVI were significant prognostic factors for LRR. C-indices tended to be higher for ymr findings than for mr findings (OS, 0.682 vs. 0.635; DFS, 0.660 vs. 0.631; LRR, 0.701 vs. 0.617). Survival outcomes of patients having all ymr risk factors were significantly poor (5-year OS, 52.4%; 5-year DFS, 38.1%; 5-year LRR, 27.7%). ymr findings showed better prognostic significance than mr findings. Among ymr findings, ymrN, ymrMRF, and ymrEMVI were independent prognostic factors for oncologic outcomes.

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Continuous exercise and bright light affect brain function, particularly in seasonal affective disorders. However, the underlying mechanism of action remains unclear. In this study, we examined whether low-intensity treadmill exercise and 4 weeks of bright light exposure change the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT (PI3K/AKT) pathway, protein kinase C (PKC), extracellular signalregulated kinases (ERK1/2), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element-binding protein (CREB), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) in the brain of 5-week old Sprague-Dawley male rats by performing western blot analysis. We demonstrated that BDNF expression significantly increased with exercise and light exposure compared to a control group. Moreover, we found that the expression levels of PI3K, PKC, p-ERK1/2, p-CREB, p-AKT, and VEGF increased significantly in the hippocampus and cortex with exercise and light exposure compared to the levels from a control group. However, phosphorylated GSK-3β level was unchanged, and even slightly decreased with exercise and light exposure. These results suggest that low-intensity treadmill exercise and bright light exposure induce BDNF expression and activate its downstream kinase signaling pathway, which in turn activate CREB-mediated transcription of neurotrophic factors and may stimulate neurogenesis and improve neuronal functions.

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