Introduction:Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis are one of the critical complications in Fontan patients. However, there are no well-established non-invasive and quantitative techniques for evaluating liver abnormalities in Fontan patients. Intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging with MRI is a non-invasive and quantitative method to evaluate capillary network perfusion and molecular diffusion. The objective of this study is to assess the feasibility of intravoxel incoherent motion imaging in evaluating liver abnormalities in Fontan children.Materials and Methods:Five consecutive Fontan patients and four age-matched healthy volunteers were included. Fontan patients were 12.8 ± 1.5 years old at the time of MRI scan. Intravoxel incoherent motion imaging parameters (D, D*, and f values) within the right hepatic lobe were compared. Laboratory test, ultrasonography, and cardiac MRI were also conducted in the Fontan patients. Results of cardiac catheterization conducted within one year of the intravoxel incoherent motion imaging were also examined.Results:In Fontan patients, laboratory test and liver ultrasonography showed almost normal liver condition. Cardiac catheter and MRI showed good Fontan circulation. Cardiac index was 2.61 ± 0.23 L/min/m2. Intravoxel incoherent motion imaging parameters D, D*, and f values were lower in Fontan patients compared with controls (D: 1.1 ± 0.0 versus 1.3 ± 0.2 × 10−3 mm2/second (p = 0.04), D*: 30.8 ± 24.8 versus 113.2 ± 25.6 × 10−3 mm2/second (p < 0.01), and f: 13.2 ± 3.1 versus 22.4 ± 2.4% (p < 0.01), respectively).Conclusions:Intravoxel incoherent motion imaging is feasible for evaluating liver abnormalities in children with Fontan circulation.

Since diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for children are not currently established in Japan, the authors determined local DRLs for the full range of paediatric CT examinations in a single tertiary care children's hospital. A retrospective review of 4801 CT performance records for paediatric patients (<15 y old) who had undergone CT examinations from 2008 to 2011 was conducted. The most frequent examinations were of the head (52 %), followed by cardiac (15 %), temporal bone (9 %), abdomen (7 %), chest (6 %) and others (11 %). Approximately one-third of children received two or more CT scans. The authors' investigation showed that mean CTDIvol and DLP for head, chest and abdomen increased as a function of age. Benchmarking of the results showed that CTDIvol, DLP and effective dose for chest and abdomen examinations in this hospital were below average, whereas those for the head tended to be at or slightly above average of established DRL values from five countries. The results suggest that CT examinations as performed in a tertiary children's hospital in Japan are well optimised.

Nowadays, some sushi restaurants utilize long-term agedˆsh and shellˆsh sashimi as a foodstuŠ, as it is believed to have a unique texture and rich umami taste. However, changes in the quality ofˆsh and shellˆsh sashimi during long-term aging remain unclear. In this study, taste components and texture of long-term agedˆsh and shellˆsh sashimi were evaluated for comparison with those of conventional sashimi. Greater amberjack Seriola dumerili, oval squid Sepioteuthis lessoniana, marlin Kajikia audax, and white trevally Pseudocaranx dentex were used as sashimi materials. These samples were aged at 1°C for 13 to 31 days, respectively. All the sashimi samples before and after aging were obtained from sushi restaurants. Inosine 5′ monophosphate (IMP) content,ˆrmness, moisture content, and expressible drip decreased in the long-term aged sashimi samples, and conversely their free amino acid contents increased. K values of these samples were 46.7 76.5, and protein degradation was ob