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Background Glomerular diseases (GDs) place a significant burden on patients and health-care systems, and they are a leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) globally. There is no national register for GDs in Egypt, and the outcomes of GDs are not extensively examined. As a result, studying GDs patterns and outcomes, as well as the association between chronic renal injury at presentation and GDs outcome, was of great interest. Methods Patients with biopsy-proven GDs, presenting to an Egyptian tertiary care center were enrolled and prospectively followed-up for 6 months, death or reaching ESRD. Chronic renal damage was assessed at diagnosis by the total renal chronicity. Results Sixty-six individuals with biopsy-confirmed GDs were enrolled in the study. The most common reasons for a renal biopsy were unexplained kidney function decrease (62%), followed by subnephrotic (23%) and nephrotic presentation (15%). The most common histological patterns were diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis (GN), membranoproliferative GN (MPGN), and sclerosing GN. Primary and secondary GDs made up 30.3% and 69.7% of the cases, respectively. At the end of the 6-month follow-up, 28 patients had recovered their renal function, 19 had advanced to ESRD, and 7 had died. The most significant predictors of renal recovery were hemoglobin level and the total renal chronicity score. Conclusion In this tertiary care center Egyptian cohort, secondary GDs appear to be more frequent than primary GDs, diffuse proliferative GN was the most common histopathological pattern, and rapid renal recovery was not the rule in this short period. The renal chronicity score could accurately predict the renal outcome. Trial Registration: Approval for this study was granted by the Mansoura Faculty of Medicine Institutional Research Board (IRB) (approval no. MD/17.05.13).

Background: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide. It has poor prognosis especially in locally advanced tumours. Treatment of pancreatic tumours remains a challenge regarding their growth into the adjacent anatomical and vascular structures. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) plays an important role in diagnosing of patients with resectable and borderline resectable tumours. Evaluation of borderline resectable tumours should involve the accurate identification of the relationship between the tumour and the surrounding vessels and other vital struc-tures. Aim of Study: Evaluation of the role of CT angiography in the assessment of tumor vascular relationship in patients with pancreatic tumors in order to choose the proper treatment decision. Material and Methods: This study is a prospective study which was conducted in the Radiology Department of Man-soura University Hospital over the period from August 2016 to September 2019. This study included 79 patients, their ages ranged from 45 to 74 years old with mean age 58.3 years old. All patients were referred from oncology Center of Mansoura University and outpatient surgery clinics. The study was approved by our institution's ethics committee, and all patients gave their informed consent before inclusion in the study. CT scans were obtained with a MDCT scanner (Aquilion 64, Toshiba Medical Systems). CT protocols for pancreatic imaging vary at different institutions but typically include a multiphasic technique with a very thin section imaging and multiplanar reconstruction. Contrast enhanced images include: A late arterial or pancreatic phase and a portal or venous phase after injection of 100-120mL of intravenous non-ionic water soluble contrast material usually at rate of 4-5mL/sec. Results: This study included 79 patients, their ages ranged from 45 to 74 years old with mean age was 58.3 years. The most common affected site in the pancreas was the pancreatic head (47 lesions). All the lesions in our study were histopatho-logical proven malignant. The most common histopathological type in our study was pancreatic adenocarcinoma representing 61 lesions (77.21%). As regards the CT appearance of the pancreatic masses, most of the lesions were hypodense (71lesions). Detailed evaluation by CT angiography showed that the hepatic artery was involved in 35 cases, the SMA in 49 cases, the celiac trunk in 29 cases and the gartroduodenal artery in 47 cases. There was no arterial vascular involvement in 25 cases. Finally as regards the anatomical variations; accessory right hepatic artery was detected in 11 cases, Accessory left hepatic artery in 12 cases, replaced left hepatic artery in 14 cases, replaced right hepatic artery in 10 cases, replaced common hepatic artery in 9 cases and 23 cases showed no anatomical variants. Conclusion: Multidetector CT with CT angiography plays a major role in the diagnosis and staging of pancreatic carci-noma. The use of standardized technique and radiologic reporting method can improve the evaluation of the tumor-vessel relationship and precisely evaluate the arterial anatom-ical variants.

Background: Breast cancer is one of the major causes of death among females, its early diagnosis allow better prognosis and prolonged survival rates of the patients. Post contrast dynamic MRI is the most sensitive method for breast cancer detection which has also good diagnostic performance for evaluation of different breast pathological lesions. Magnetic Resonance (MR) spectroscopy is a functional MRI technique which is used to study the metabolic profile of different breast lesions to improve the diagnostic accuracy of MRI especially in BIRADS 4 breast lesions in order to reduce the unnecessary biopsies.Aim of Study: Evaluation of the role of multi-voxel MR spectroscopy in the recategorization of BIRADS 4 breast lesions when combined with Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI).Material and Methods: This study included 63 patients, their ages ranged from 28 to 73 years old with mean age 46.7 years old. All the patients included in this study were subjected to history, clinical examination, MRI examination and his-topathology. Initially the included breast lesions were catego-rized as BIRADS 4 by conventional post contrast dynamic MRI techniques, and then we added the results of the magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging to detect whether the spec-troscopic data can improve the diagnostic accuracy of the MRI study. Finally the reported diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological specimens obtained after excision biopsy and core needle biopsy. We used 1.5 T MRI system and the sequences performed included T1 & T2 pulse sequences, STIR and dynamic contrast enhanced MRI followed by MRS for the suspected lesions. For statistical analysis we used T-test and ROC curve.Results: This study included 63 female patients, their ages ranged from 28 to 73 years old with mean age 46.7 years old. All the breast lesion were categorized as BI-RADS 4 breast lesions based on the Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) then after magnetic resonance spectroscopy the breast lesions were re-categorized into BIRADS 3, 4 and 5 categories. Finally the results were compared to the histopathological results. The most common clinical presentation is palpable mass. We had 33 pathologically proven benign lesions and 30 pathologically proven malignant lesions. The diagnosis was downgraded into BIRADS 3 in 29 cases and upgraded into BIRADS 5 in 28 cases and in 6 cases there was no change in the BIRADS 4 categorization after MRS. During MRS examination the choline resonance peak was detected at a frequency of 3.23ppm, and the choline SNR was measured at cut off value of 2. There were statistically significant differences between malignant and benign breast lesions, the choline SNR measured 6.31±0.99 (mean ± SD) in the malignant lesions and it measured 1.902±0.47 (mean ± SD) in the benign lesions. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy measured 81.3%, 62.6%, 76.5%, 67.1% and 73.4% for the DCE-MRI and measured 87.9%, 89.1%, 85.2%, 88.9% and 94.8% for combined assessment by MRS and DCE-MRI.Conclusion: Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging can be problem solving method for BIRADS 4 breast lesions when combined with dynamic contrast enhanced MRI to improve its diagnostic accuracy.

Background Regional nodal recurrence (RNR) in patients diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has increased. Variable immunohistochemical (IHC) markers have been studied for predicting the likelihood of PTC for recurrence. We aimed to clarify the IHC expression of p53, Ecadherin and BRAF as potential markers of RNR in PTC. Method 145 (73 study group and 72 control group) patients with PTC were analyzed retrospectively between January 2010 and June 2017. Further classification to a specific histological variant was done, and IHC expression of p53, Ecadherin and BRAF was analyzed both in the primary tumor and in nodal recurrence. Results Regarding the risk of RNR, we found certain clinicopathologic features as elder age ≥55 years, tumor size >1 cm, presence of microscopic extrathyroid extension, presence of lymphovascular emboli, and conventional papillary subtype. Furthermore, IHC results for negative E-cadherin, and positive P53 and BRAF are significant risk factors, while radioactive iodine (RAI) adjuvant therapy decrease recurrence risk. Conclusion We found several risk factors for RNR in PTC diagnosed patients, all of which are easily achievable in clinical settings. In this regard, we suggested that patients with specific clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features have strict follow up for early detection of RNR as it has a great impact on their survival.

Purpose To assess the role of 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in the confirmation of pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer. Material and methods Forty-seven cases (53.72 ± 8.53 years) were evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 1H-MRS with choline (Cho) signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measured followed by histopathology and ROC analyses. Results Twelve patients had complete response, and 35 patients had residual disease. Mean age was 53.72 ± 8.53 years. The mean tumour size before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) was 4.21 ± 0.99 cm and after NAC was 0.9 ± 0.44 cm.Positive total choline signal (tCho) was detected in all cases. The mean Cho SNR before NAC was 9.53 ± 1.7 and after NAC was 2.53 ± 1.3. The Cho SNR cut-off point differentiating between pathologic complete response (pCR) and the non pCR was 1.95. Dynamic MRI showed 83.3% sensitivity, 65.7% specificity, 45.5% positive predictive value, 92.0% negative predictive value, and 70.2% diagnostic accuracy. Combined evaluation done by using the dynamic MRI and 1H-MRS showed 91.5% diagnostic accuracy with 75.0% sensitivity, 97.1% specificity, 75% positive predictive value, and 91.9% negative predictive value. ROC curves of Cho SNR showed statistically significant differences between non pCR and pCR with AUC was 0.955, 82.9% sensitivity, 91.7% specificity, 96.7% positive predictive value, 64.7% negative predictive value, and 85.11% diagnostic accuracy. Conclusions 1H-MRS improves the diagnostic accuracy in the prediction of the pCR after NAC.

Background and Aims Impaired autophagy in the kidney resulted in podocyte loss and massive proteinuria in diabetic nephropathy. Improvement of autophagy by activation of mTORC1 and reduction of AMPK and Sirt1 may be a novel therapeutic option for the suppression of diabetic nephropathy. Method This experimental work was carried out on 48 adult male Sprague dawely rats. The total duration of the study was 10 weeks. All investigation and intervention were carried out at 3 time points, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 10 weeks. The rats were randomly divided into healthy control group (n = 12) and 3 induced diabetic groups (n = 12 each), the three groups were the non-treated, treated with rapamycin and treated with rapamycin and metformin. To study autophagy, we use electron microscopy and immunohistochemical staining of kidney tissue with LC3 antibody Results Diabetic rats treated with rapamycin alone or rapamycin and metformin showed lower level of proteinuria and almost normal serum creatinine through all intervals of the study. Also, their Kidney tissue showed increased autophagosomes and high expression of LC3 compared to diabetic rats. There are no significant differences between both treated groups in terms of induction of autophagy during the experiment period. Conclusion we concluded that using a small dose of rapamycin for short duration in early diabetic rats is beneficial in halting the course of diabetic nephropathy, adding metformin to rapamycin aiming to potentiate its effect on autophagy seems to be less beneficial.

Purpose: to demonstrate role of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in diagnosis of pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD) using fraction anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). Material and methods: Prospective study done on 35 CKD patients (19 boys, 16 girls; mean age 12.2±2.7 years) and 19 age and sex-matched volunteers. Patients with sclerotic (n = 25) and non-sclerotic (n= 10) CKD that underwent DTI of kidney. Results: Mean FA of renal cortex/ medulla in CKD (0.20±0.07, and 0.18±0.08) was significantly lower (p = 0.001) from volunteers (0.27±0.08, 0.31±0.09). Cutoff renal FA of cortex/ medulla used for diagnosis of CKD was 0.23, and 0.22 with AUC of 0.828, 0.828 and accuracy of 82.9%, 80.7%. Mean ADC of renal cortex/ medulla in CKD (1.98±0.23 and 2.03±0.23 X10-3mm2/s) was significantly higher (p = 0.001) that of volunteers (1.65±0.134 and 1.68±0.16 X10-3mm2/s. Cutoff renal ADC of cortex/medulla used to diagnosis of CKD were 1.75 and 1.85X10-3mm2/s with AUC of 0.828, 0.910, 0.828 and 0.81 and accuracy of 82.9%, 84.1%, 80.7% and 79.5%. FA of renal cortex/medulla in sclerotic CKD was significantly different (p = 0.001) than non-sclerotic CKD (0.26±0.07 and 0.25±0.08). The FA of renal cortex/medulla in CKD patients correlated with serum creatinine (r = -0.468; p = 0.000, r =-0.381; p = 0.001), e GFR (r = 0.364; p = 0.002, r = 0.318; p = 0.007). Conclusion: FA and ADC of renal cortex/ medulla can help in diagnosis of CKD, FA cortex/ medulla predicts sclerotic CKD and correlated with some of serum biomarkers.

Background and Aims Glomerular diseases (GDs) impose a substantial burden on patients and health care systems, and they are considered a major cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide. Morbidity and mortality have shown to be substantially higher in patients with GDs than in the general population. In Egypt, there is yet no available national registry for GDs, and GDs outcome is not adequately studied. Therefore, it is of considerable interest to study patterns and outcomes of GDs in our locality. Method Patients with features suggesting GDs presenting to Mansoura nephrology and dialysis unit (MNDU) were recruited in this study between 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2018, and those with biopsy-proven GDs were prospectively followed up for a minimum of 6 months or until either death or reaching ESRD. ESRD was defined as initiation of long-term dialysis or eGFR persistently Results Sixty-six patients (21 males and 45 females) with biopsy-proven GDs were included and completed the required period of follow up. The median age of the studied patients was 32 years (IQR 23 - 46.45). Fifty percent of the cases had hypertension and only one patient had was diabetic. The main indications for renal biopsy were unexplained kidney function decline (62%) followed by subnephrotic (23%) and nephrotic presentation (15%). Diffuse proliferative GN followed by MPGN and sclerosing GN were the most frequently encountered histopathological patterns. Primary and secondary GDs constituted 30.3% and 69.7% respectively. Lupus nephritis (LN) was the most common cause of secondary GDs and class IV LN was the most frequently encountered class accounting for 16 cases (51.6%) of patients with lupus. By the end of 6-month follow up, renal recovery was achieved in 30 patients (45.5%), 21 patients (31.8%) progressed to ESRD and 7 patients (10.6%) had died. Urban residency and total renal chronicity score were the most significant predictors of renal recovery. Conclusion Diffuse proliferative GN is the most common histopathological pattern, and secondary GDs, particularly those related to lupus, are more frequently encountered than primary GDs in our center. Unfortunately, quick complete recovery is not the rule and is possibly predictable by less chronic changes in biopsy.

Purpose To assess the role of 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in the confirmation of pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer. Material and methods Forty-seven cases (53.72 ± 8.53 years) were evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 1H-MRS with choline (Cho) signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measured followed by histopathology and ROC analyses. Results Twelve patients had complete response, and 35 patients had residual disease. Mean age was 53.72 ± 8.53 years. The mean tumour size before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) was 4.21 ± 0.99 cm and after NAC was 0.9 ± 0.44 cm.Positive total choline signal (tCho) was detected in all cases. The mean Cho SNR before NAC was 9.53 ± 1.7 and after NAC was 2.53 ± 1.3. The Cho SNR cut-off point differentiating between pathologic complete response (pCR) and the non pCR was 1.95. Dynamic MRI showed 83.3% sensitivity, 65.7% specificity, 45.5% positive predictive value, 92.0% negative predictive value, and 70.2% diagnostic accuracy. Combined evaluation done by using the dynamic MRI and 1H-MRS showed 91.5% diagnostic accuracy with 75.0% sensitivity, 97.1% specificity, 75% positive predictive value, and 91.9% negative predictive value. ROC curves of Cho SNR showed statistically significant differences between non pCR and pCR with AUC was 0.955, 82.9% sensitivity, 91.7% specificity, 96.7% positive predictive value, 64.7% negative predictive value, and 85.11% diagnostic accuracy. Conclusions 1H-MRS improves the diagnostic accuracy in the prediction of the pCR after NAC.