Current Status Regarding Tumour Progression, Surveillance, Diagnosis, Staging, and Treatment Of HCC: A Literature Review

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignant tumour of the liver, and is globally considered to be a major causes of cancer-associated mortality. The early diagnosis of HCC improves overall survival through the application of suitable treatment options. This article presents some of the techniques for the surveillance of HCC like ultrasonography and the use of tumour biomarkers such as α-fetoprotein (AFP), DesGamma-Carboxy Prothrombin (DCP) and others. Included in the discussion will be diagnostic methods like computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), contrast enhancement ultrasound (CEUS), and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography hybrid with computed tomography (FDG PET/CT). Current molecular pathogenesis related to HCC and the molecular steps that determine the transition from benign to malignancy are also analysed. The HCC stages which depends on the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) algorithm are also discussed. Finally, this review article discusses the present therapeutic and treatment options for HCC such as resection, transplantation, or ablation used to treat early stage cancer. Also included will be trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and Sorafenib for patients with intermediate and advanced-stage cancer, respectively

Effect of Gray Value Discretization and Image Filtration on Texture Features of the Pancreas Derived from Magnetic Resonance Imaging at 3T

Radiomics of pancreas magnetic resonance (MR) images is positioned well to play an important role in the management of diseases characterized by diffuse involvement of the pancreas. The effect of image pre-processing configurations on these images has been sparsely investigated. Fifteen individuals with definite chronic pancreatitis (an exemplar diffuse disease of the pancreas) and 15 healthy individuals were included in this age- and sex-matched case-control study. MR images of the pancreas were acquired using a single 3T scanner. A total of 93 first-order and second-order texture features of the pancreas were compared between the study groups, by subjecting MR images of the pancreas to 7 image pre-processing configurations related to gray level discretization and image filtration. The studied parameters of intensity discretization did not vary in terms of their effect on the number of significant first-order texture features. The number of statistically significant first-order texture features varied after filtering (7 with the use of logarithm filter and 3 with the use of Laplacian of Gaussian filter with 5 mm σ). Intensity discretization generally affected the number of significant second-order texture features more markedly than filtering. The use of fixed bin number of 16 yielded 42 significant second-order texture features, fixed bin number of 128–38 features, fixed bin width of 6–24 features, and fixed bin width of 42–26 features. The specific parameters of filtration and intensity discretization had differing effects on radiomics signature of the pancreas. Relative discretization with fixed bin number of 16 and use of logarithm filter hold promise as pre-processing configurations of choice in future radiomics studies in diffuse diseases of the pancreas

Effect of nano-silica slurry on engineering, X-ray, and γ-ray attenuation characteristics of steel slag high-strength heavyweight concrete

High molar mass materials (nano-silica slurry [NSS] and aggregate of steel furnace slag [ASFS]) can improve concrete shielding properties. However, only a few studies have been reported in this regard. Hence, this paper aims to determine the effect of NSS and ASFS on the properties of the resulting steel slag heavyweight concrete (SSHWC). The use of NSS in this study is a novel contribution. Furthermore, the maximum percentage of NSS to be introduced into the concrete for maximum effect was also optimized. This study also implemented an investigation program with six concrete mixtures prepared using ASFS as the primary by-product aggregate. The engineering, X-ray, and γ-ray attenuation characteristics of the SSHWC were evaluated. The results showed that the addition of NSS in SSHWC at the optimal content of 3% by weight of cement improved the X-ray shielding by 6.4%. Besides, all the concrete’s engineering and γ-rays’ properties were enhanced correspondingly