This DE CT virtual noncalcium technique can subtract calcium from cancellous bone, allowing bone marrow assessment and potentially making posttraumatic bone bruises of the knee detectable with CT.

The aim of this study was to define the imaging characteristics of primary and recurrent gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) in computed tomography with respect to the tumor size. Computed tomography was performed in 35 patients with histologically confirmed gastrointestinal stromal tumors and analyzed retrospectively by two experienced and independent radiologist. The following morphologic tumor characteristics of primary ( n=20) and ( n=16) recurrent tumors were evaluated according to tumor size, shape, homogeneity, density compared with liver, contrast enhancement, presence of calcifications, ulcerations, fistula or distant metastases and the anatomical relationship to the intestinal wall, and the infiltration of adjacent visceral organs. Small GIST (<5 cm) showed a sharp tumor margin with homogeneous density and structure on unenhanced and contrast-enhanced images, and were characterized by an intraluminal tumor growth. Intermediate sized GIST (>5-10 cm) demonstrated an irregular shape, inhomogeneous density on unenhanced and contrast-enhanced images, a combined intra- and extraluminal tumor growth with aggressive findings, and infiltration of adjacent organs in 9 primary diagnosed and 2 recurrent tumors. Large GIST (>10 cm), which were observed in 8 primary tumors and 11 recurrent tumors, showed an irregular margin with inhomogeneous density and aggressive findings, and were characterized by signs of malignancy such as distant and peritoneal metastases. Small recurrent tumors had a similar appearance as compared with large primary tumors. Computed tomography gives additional information with respect to the relationship of gastrointestinal stromal tumor to the gastrointestinal wall and surrounding organs, and it detects distant metastasis. Primary and recurrent GIST demonstrate characteristic CT imaging features which are related to tumor size. Aggressive findings and signs of malignancy are found in larger tumors and in recurrent disease. Computed tomography is useful in detection and characterization of primary and recurrent tumors with regard to tumor growth pattern, tumor size, and varied appearances of gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and indirectly gives hints regarding dignity and therefore prognostic outcome.

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A critical overview of different synthetic approaches to polyb-xylylene)s (PPXs) is coupled with perspectives on particular structure-property relationships and challenging applications. An attempt is made to emphasize the potential of different synthetic approaches to PPXs focused on different applications. Additionally, the synthesis and polymer analogous reactions of PPXs without leaving groups and functionalized PPXs (with leaving groups in the a-position) serving as processable precursors for non-processable polymers are evaluated.

The conversion of the alpha-helical, protease sensitive and noninfectious form of the prion protein (PrP(C)) into an insoluble, protease resistant, predominantly beta-sheeted and infectious form (PrP(Sc)) is the fundamental event in prion formation. In the present work, two soluble and stable intermediate structural states are newly identified for recombinant Syrian hamster PrP(90-231) (recPrP), a dimeric alpha-helical state and a tetra- or oligomeric, beta-sheet rich state. In 0.2% SDS at room temperature, recPrP is soluble and exhibits alpha-helical and random coil secondary structure as determined by circular dichroism. Reduction of the SDS concentration to 0.06% leads first to a small increase in alpha-helical content, whereas further dilution to 0.02% results in the aquisition of beta-sheet structure. The reversible transition curve is sigmoidal within a narrow range of SDS concentrations (0.04 to 0.02%). Size exclusion chromatography and chemical crosslinking revealed that the alpha-helical form is dimeric, while the beta-sheet rich form is tetra- or oligomeric. Both the alpha-helical and beta-sheet rich intermediates are soluble and stable. Thus, they should be accessible to further structural and mechanistic studies. At 0.01% SDS, the oligomeric intermediates aggregated into large, insoluble structures as observed by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Our results are discussed with respect to the mechanism of PrP(Sc) formation and the propagation of prions.