Background:
The present study aimed to investigate the possibility of using intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to quantitatively assess the early therapeutic effect of the analgesic–antitumor peptide BmK AGAP on breast cancer and also evaluate the medical value of a reduced distribution of four
b
-values.
Methods:
IVIM diffusion MRI using 10
b
-values and 4
b
-values (0–1,000 s/mm
2
) was performed at five different time points on
BALB/c
mice bearing xenograft breast tumors treated with BmK AGAP. Variability in
Dslow
,
Dfast
,
PF
, and
ADC
derived from the set of 10
b
-values and 4
b
-values was assessed to evaluate the antitumor effect of BmK AGAP on breast tumor.
Results:
The data showed that
PF
values significantly decreased in rBmK AGAP-treated mice on day 12 (
P
= 0.044).
PF
displayed the greatest AUC but with a poor medical value (AUC = 0.65). The data showed no significant difference between IVIM measurements acquired from the two sets of
b
-values at different time points except in the
PF
on the day 3. The within-subject coefficients of variation were relatively higher in
Dfast
and
PF
. However, except for a case noticed on day 0 in
PF
measurements, the results indicated no statistically significant difference at various time points in the rBmK AGAP-treated or the untreated group (
P
< 0.05).
Conclusion:
IVIM showed poor medical value in the early evaluation of the antiproliferative effect of rBmK AGAP in breast cancer, suggesting sensitivity in
PF
. A reduced distribution of four b-values may provide remarkable measurements but with a potential loss of accuracy in the perfusion-related parameter
PF
.
Systemic mycosis raging endemic, histoplasmosis has an increasing incidence with the advent of HIV-AIDS. The authors report a case of vertebra-medullar histoplasmosis mimicking tuberculous spondylodiscitis in a patient without proven immunosuppression. This was a patient who spent 3 years in a highly endemic area. He presented with signs of transverse myelitis. MRI of the lumbar spine showed a para-vertebral tumor lesion that partially infiltrated the spinal cord. The positive diagnosis of histoplasmosis was made by histomorphology, and symptoms were reduced with administration of itraconazole. These findings show the need for a proper coding of the management of patients living or having stayed in histoplasmosis endemic areas, whether they are immunocompromised or not.
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