Objectives To provide an initial assessment of white matter (WM) integrity with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and the accompanying volumetric changes in WM and grey matter (GM) through volumetric analyses of young children with Down's syndrome (DS). Methods Ten children with DS and eight healthy control subjects were included in the study. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) were used in the DTI study for whole-brain voxelwise analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of WM. Volumetric analyses were performed with an automated segmentation method to obtain regional measurements of cortical volumes. Results Children with DS showed significantly reduced FA in association tracts of the fronto-temporo-occipital regions as well as the corpus callosum (CC) and anterior limb of the internal capsule (p < 0.05). Volumetric reductions included total cortical GM, cerebellar GM and WM volume, basal ganglia, thalamus, brainstem and CC in DS compared with controls (p < 0.05). Conclusion These preliminary results suggest that DTI and volumetric analyses may reflect the earliest complementary changes of the neurodevelopmental delay in children with DS and can serve as surrogate biomarkers of the specific elements of WM and GM integrity for cognitive development. Key Points• DS is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability.• WM and GM structural alterations represent the neurological features of DS.• DTI may identify the earliest aging process changes.• DTI-volumetric analyses can serve as surrogate biomarkers of neurodevelopment in DS.

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We determined a positive correlation between MPV and Gensini and SYNTAX scores. Therefore, this simple haematology test can be used in determining cardiovascular disease burden besides other risk factors during routine clinical practice. For further information about this topic, large-scale studies are needed.

ObjectiveTotal bilirubin (TB) was recently recognized as an endogenous anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant molecule. Uric acid (UA) takes part in cardiovascular diseases by inducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction. We assessed the relationship between serum TB levels, serum UA levels, and inflammatory status assessed by neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (N/L) and arterial stiffness and arterial wave reflection in patients with a clinical diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD).MethodsWe included 145 consecutive patients admitted with stable angina pectoris (SAP) or acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Blood samples were drawn at admission for complete blood count and biochemistry. Non-invasive pulse waveform analysis for the determination of augmentation index (AIx) and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurements were performed with the commercially available SphygmoCor system.ResultsWhen patients were divided into tertiles of PWV and AIx, median N/L and median serum UA levels were the highest and mean TB levels were the lowest in the third tertile (p<0.001 for all). AIx and PWV were positively associated with serum UA and N/L and negatively associated with serum TB levels (p<0.001 for all). After adjustments for age, gender, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and presence of diabetes, significant correlations persisted for N/L, UA, and TB in ACS patients (p<0.05). In the SAP group, TB was significantly negatively correlated with AIx and PWV, and UA was significantly positively correlated with PWV (p<0.05).ConclusionN/L ratio and serum UA and TB levels might be used to risk-stratify patients with respect to arterial stiffness in CAD patients, especially in the presence of ACS.

In order to establish national diagnostic reference levels for mammography examinations, entrance skin air kerma, entrance skin dose and average glandular doses (AGDs) were calculated for a total of 25 624 cranio-caudal (CC) and mediolateral oblique (MLO) projections of 6309 patients for 40–49 and 50–64 age groups. The average entrance skin air kerma and entrance skin dose values for both age groups were found to be higher in MLO projections compared with CC projections. The minimum and maximum values of AGDs were determined as 0.4 and 7.9 mGy for both projections. The maximum numbers of AGDs for CC and MLO projections were calculated in the range of 1.1–1.5 and 1.6–2.0 mGy, respectively. The third quartile values of AGDs were calculated for each compressed breast thickness between 20 and 99 mm. The first national diagnostic reference levels of the country were established for each 10-mm compressed breast thickness in mammography examinations.