These results suggest that IL-19 plays a role in the complex pathological cytokine network in psoriasis.

Objective: To survey the accuracy of fetal gender determination during the first-trimester screening and scan for congenital anomalies. Method: A prospective observational study was performed on 496 singleton pregnancies at the first-trimester ultrasound screening. The doctor was certified by The Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF). Ultrasound examination was performed on a GE Voluson 730 Pro transabdominally between 11-13 + 6 weeks. Both transverse and mid-sagittal planes of section of the fetal genital tubercle were done to identify the gender. The subsequent gender at birth was obtained from the karyotyping reports or the hospital birth records. Results: During the study 496 patients requested gender information at the time of first-trimester screening. Of those patients where it was possible to determine gender (441 out of 496) the scan achieved an overall success rate of 92.3% in correctly identifying gender. It was found that both transverse and mid-sagittal planes to identify fetal gender were necessary to improve determination. When the crownrump length was 45.0-56.0 mm, the accuracy rate was 75.4%, when the crown-rump length was 57.0-67.0 mm, the accuracy rate was 92.0% (P < 0.001), when the crown-rump length was 68.0-84.0 mm, the accuracy rate was rose to 98.3% (P < 0.001). The fetal gender accuracy rate for male fetus was slightly better than female (93.4% vs 91.2%) but is not statistically significant. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the 11-13 + 6 weeks scan achieved an overall adjusted accuracy of 82.1% in correctly determining fetus gender. The gestation age of the fetus had a material effect on the accuracy rate of gender determination. P01.46The incidence and characteristics of first-trimester fetal lateral neck cysts J. Bellver, C. Lara, I. Alcover, F. F. Correa, A. Pellicer, J. Remohí, V. Serra Unidad de Medicina Materno-Fetal, Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad, Universidad de Valencia, SpainObjective: To investigate the incidence and epidemiologic characteristics of fetal lateral neck cysts (FLNC) in the 11-13 weeks scan. Methods: A total of 3075 fetuses were scanned at our institution, between April 2001 and March 2006, for first-trimester Down syndrome screening. Ultrasound examinations were performed transvaginally and completed afterwards by the abdominal route. Results: FLNC were detected in 20 fetuses (incidence 0.65%). Diagnoses were performed mainly by transvaginal ultrasound between 12 + 4 and 13 + 4 weeks. There were 16 singleton and 4 twin fetuses. Thirteen were naturally conceived and 7 achieved after in vitro fertilization, two of them using ovum donation. FLNC were bilateral in 12 cases and unilateral in the remaining 8 (mainly left-sided). The mean (range) diameter was 3.2 mm (0.4-6.4 mm). Most were associated with a normal nuchal translucency (NT) measurement (16/20). The remaining 4 cases had a NT > p95 (2.5-3.7 mm). Other associated findings were: absent nasal bone (1 case), abnormal ductus venosus flow (2 cases) and mild bilateral renal pyelectasis (2 cases). Only 3 ...

BackgroundTo evaluate the experience of induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiationwith helical tomotherapy (HT) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).MethodsBetween August 2006 and December 2009, 28 patients with pathological proven nonmetastatic NPC were enrolled. All patients were staged as IIB-IVB. Patients were first treated with 2 to 3 cycles of induction chemotherapy with EP-HDFL (Epirubicin, Cisplatin, 5-FU, and Leucovorin). After induction chemotherapy, weekly based PFL was administered concurrent with HT. Radiation consisted of 70 Gy to the planning target volumes of the primary tumor plus any positive nodal disease using 2 Gy per fraction.ResultsAfter completion of induction chemotherapy, the response rates for primary and nodal disease were 96.4% and 80.8%, respectively. With a median follow-up after 33 months (Range, 13-53 months), there have been 2 primary and 1 nodal relapse after completion of radiotherapy. The estimated 3-year progression-free rates for local, regional, locoregional and distant metastasis survival rate were 92.4%, 95.7%, 88.4%, and 78.0%, respectively. The estimated 3-year overall survival was 83.5%. Acute grade 3, 4 toxicities for xerostomia and dermatitis were only 3.6% and 10.7%, respectively.ConclusionHT for locoregionally advanced NPC is feasible and effective in regard to locoregional control with high compliance, even after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. None of out-field or marginal failure noted in the current study confirms the potential benefits of treating NPC patients by image-guided radiation modality. A long-term follow-up study is needed to confirm these preliminary findings.

Objective: To examine the performance of first-trimester screening test combining several fetal sonographic and maternal biochemical markers for major aneuploidy in a Chinese population. Methods: This was a prospective study performed over 5 years between January 2005 and December 2010 in Taiwan, with 20,586 cases that had a combination of a variety of sonographic markers and maternal serological β-human chorionic gonadotropin and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A levels assessed at first trimester screening between 11⁺⁰ and 13⁺⁶ weeks of gestation. The risk of aneuploidy was calculated using algorithm software developed by Fetal Medicine Foundation, London. Fetal karyotyping was performed when the prenatal screening showed a risk of 1/300 or higher. All cases were followed for fetal outcome. Results: The study population was divided into four groups according to the screening strategy performed. The combination of maternal serological biochemistry and nuchal translucency measurement had a 66.7% detection rate of trisomy 21. Addition of nasal bone status increased the detection rate of trisomy 21 to 88.2%. Inclusion of tricuspid regurgitation flow showed an 87.5% detection rate of trisomy 21. Further inclusion of ductus venosus flow increased the detection rate of trisomy 21 to 100%. Incorporating more markers greatly increased the detection rate and decreased the false-positive rate (FPR). Conclusion: Extension of first-trimester screening to include more sonographic markers greatly increased the sensitivity and decreased FPR for detection of chromosomal abnormalities. Such screening strategy is effective in clinical practice for the Chinese ethnic population.

Objectives: Mutation of the exon 3 of CTNNB1, the coding gene of β-catenin, is a crucial molecular mechanism leading to aberrant activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which is highly associated with the carcinogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The prevalence and clinical significance of CTNNB1 mutations in advanced HCC remain unclear. Methods: Patients with advanced HCC and available pathologic tissues (either obtained when diagnosed at advanced or early stages) were enrolled in this study. Direct sequencing of exon 3 of CTNNB1 was performed to detect somatic mutations. The associations between CTNNB1 mutations and clinicopathologic features were analyzed. Results: A total of 115 patients were enrolled, among whom 78 (67.8%) had chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Twenty-one (18.3%) patients were found to have CTNNB1 mutations, all of which were missense mutations. The CTNNB1 mutation rates were similar among pathologic tissues obtained at advanced and early stages (17.5 and 20.0%, respectively). Patients aged over 60 years were more likely to have CTNNB1 mutations than patients younger than 60 years (32.6 vs. 8.7%, p = 0.001). The mutations were not associated with survival or other clinicopathologic features. Conclusion: In patients with advanced HCC, CTNNB1 mutations were not prognostically significant. No apparent increase of CTNNB1 mutations occurred during the progression of HCC.