We conducted a randomized trial to evaluate effectiveness of Centchroman in control of mastalgia and compared it with Danazol. Research Question-Is proportion of pain relief achieved by Centchroman similar to or inferior to that achieved by Danazol? In a randomized controlled trial of Centchroman vs. Danazol in mastalgia, 81 patients with mastalgia were studied. Thirty-nine patients were randomized to Danazol arm and 42 in Centchroman arm. The treatment was given for 12 weeks, followed by observation for 12 weeks. The pain was measured by visual analogue scale (VAS) of 0-10. At 12 weeks 89.7% women achieved reduction in pain score to ≤3 in Centchroman group (pvalue 0.001). In Danazol group 69.44% women achieved reduction in pain score to ≤ 3 (p=0.001). Three months after stopping therapy, Centchroman was more effective in pain score reduction at 24 weeks as compared to Danazol (p=0.019). Centchroman is an effective, safe and inexpensive alternative to Danazol for treatment of mastalgia.

The role of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in the diagnosis of breast cancer and its association with molecular biomarkers was investigated in 259 patients with breast cancer, 67 with benign pathology, and 54 healthy volunteers using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) at 1.5 T. In 59 breast cancer patients, dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCEMRI) was also acquired. Mean ADC of malignant lesions was significantly lower (1.02 ± 0.17 × 10−3 mm2/s) compared to benign (1.57 ± 0.26 × 10−3 mm2/s) and healthy (1.78 ± 0.13 × 10−3 mm2/s) breast tissues. A cutoff ADC value of 1.23 × 10−3 mm2/s (sensitivity 92.5%; specificity 91.1%; area under the curve 0.96) to differentiate malignant from benign diseases was arrived by receiver operating curve analysis. In 10/59 breast cancer patients, indeterminate DCE curve was seen, while their ADC value was indicative of malignancy, implying the potential of the addition of DWI in increasing the specificity of DCEMRI data. Further, the association of ADC with tumor volume, stage, hormonal receptors [estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor (HER2)], and menopausal status was investigated. A significant difference was seen in tumor volume between breast cancer patients of stages IIA and IIIA, IIB and IIIA, and IIB and III (B + C), respectively (P < 0.05). Patients with early breast cancer (n = 52) had significantly lower ADC and tumor volume than those with locally advanced breast cancer (n = 207). No association was found in ADC and tumor volume with the menopausal status. Breast cancers with ER−, PR−, and triple-negative (TN) status showed a significantly larger tumor volume compared to ER+, PR+, and non-triple-negative (nTN) cancers, respectively. Also, TN tumors showed a significantly higher ADC compared to ER+, PR+, and nTN cancers. Patients with ER− and TN cancers were younger than those with ER+ and nTN cancers. The present study demonstrated that ADC may increase the diagnostic specificity of DCEMRI and be useful for treatment management in clinical setting. Additionally, it provides an insight into characterization of molecular types of breast cancer and may serve as an indicator of metabolic reprograming underlying tumor proliferation.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumours (PNETs) are a rare group of extremely aggressive small round cell tumours. Most commonly, they occur within the central nervous system. However, they also sporadically involve extracranial sites (peripheral PNETs). The chest wall is the most common of these sites, the imaging features of which have been well described in earlier studies. The present pictorial essay illustrates the imaging features of PNETs at various extracranial locations.

Vitamin D insufficiency is common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and may contribute to mineral bone disease. In a prospective interventional study, we estimated the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25OHD] < 30 ng/ml), and examined the effect of high-dose (600,000 IU) cholecalciferol supplementation after 6 weeks on serum 25OHD and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in children with CKD stages 2-4. Forty-two children (86% boys) with a mean age of 7.7 ± 3.8 (range 2--5) years were studied. Thirty-seven children (82.1%) had vitamin D insufficiency; 18 (42.8%) had 25OHD < 16 ng/ml. The median 25OHD increased significantly from 16.7 (95% CI 11.3, 19.8) to 46.2 (34.5, 44.6) ng/ml in patients with vitamin D insufficiency (P <0.001). The median PTH decreased significantly from 51.3 (95% CI 46.7, 71.5) to 37.1 (29.0, 54.6) pg/ml (P = 0.003). Nineteen patients (47.5%) had >30% reduction in the PTH after supplementation. Serum calcium, phosphorus, and estimated GFR did not change significantly. We conclude that vitamin D insufficiency is highly prevalent in children with CKD stages 2-4. High-dose cholecalciferol is safe and effective in correcting vitamin D insufficiency and results in a significant reduction in PTH levels in vitamin D-insufficient children.

Long-term antibiotic prophylaxis with TMP-SMX is associated with increased risk of symptomatic UTI compared to placebo in children with grade I-IV VUR.

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Objectives-To describe the sonoelastographic characteristics of the normal endometrium, myometrium, and cervix and to assess their variability with age and different menstrual phases.Methods-A total of 56 women were enrolled in this prospective study, who underwent transvaginal ultrasound examinations, including B-mode imaging and shear wave elastography. The elasticity parameters (in kilopascals) of the normal endometrium, myometrium, and cervix were studied. The variability of the mean elasticity value of the endometrium in different menstrual phases and age groups was analyzed. The variability of the mean elasticity of the cervix across different age groups was also studied.Results-The mean age of the participants was 40 years (range, 25-69 years). The normal mean elasticity values AE SDs were 25.54 AE 8.56 kPa for the endometrium, 40.24 AE 8.59 kPa for the myometrium, and 18.90 AE 4.22 kPa for the cervix. A mean endometrial-to-myometrial elasticity ratio was calculated, which was found to be 0.65 AE 0.22. There was no significant difference in the mean endometrial elasticity values for women in different menstrual phases (P = .176) or in different age groups (P = .376). There was no significant difference in the mean cervical elasticity with age (P = .192).Conclusions-Shear wave elastography is a promising adjunct to ultrasound for the evaluation of the uterus, and the results from this study may provide normal data, which may further help in diagnosing various uterine diseases.

Dyslipidemia was prevalent and cIMT significantly elevated in pre-dialysis pediatric CKD, indicating increased cardiovascular risk. Elevated LDL cholesterol predicted increased cIMT, strengthening the association between dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis in early CKD.