Germ Tube Formation of Candida albicans in Corn Meal Broth Using the Non-Slip Slide Glass Incubation Method

Candida albicans IFO 1385 yeast cells dominantly develop germ tubes in a dilute corn meal broth at 37°C. For germ tube (GT) development the broth concentration is optimal at 75% of the original, and the inoculum is optimal at 105 cells/mL. Incubation procedures were compared and the non-slip slide glass incubation (NSSI) method was found to be more available than the tube incubation method or slid-covered slide glass incubation method. The GT formation was completed in 1 to 2 h in the NSSI method and clear-cut GTs were observed under optical microscopy. GTs were formed in all 111 test-strains of C. albicans but not at all in other species of Candida. Therefore, under optimal conditions, the rate of identifying C. albicans is 100%, demonstrating that GT detection with the NSSI method is a rapid and reliable identification method. The humid NSSI method is suited for continuous observation of a GT. The initially formed GT elongated to resemble a true hypha, attaching no chlamydoconidium. The hypha subsequently dissociated yeast-like cells

Diagnostic Value of DCE-MRI for Differentiating Malignant Adnexal Masses Compared with Contrast-enhanced-T1WI

Purpose: To compare the diagnostic performance of dynamic contrast-enhanced-MR (DCE-MR) and delayed contrast-enhanced (CE)-MRI added to unenhanced MRI, including diffusion weighted image (DWI) for differentiating malignant adnexal tumors, conducting a retrospective blinded image interpretation study. Methods: Data of 80 patients suspected of having adnexal tumors by ultrasonography between April 2008 and August 2018 were used for the study. All patients had undergone preoperative MRI and surgical resection at our institution. Four radiologists (two specialized in gynecological radiology and two non-specialized) were enrolled for blinded review of the MR images. A 3-point scale was used: 0 = benign, 1 = indeterminate, and 2 = malignant. Three imaging sets were reviewed: Set A, unenhanced MRI including DWI; Set B, Set A and delayed CE-T1WI; and Set C, Set A and DCE-MRI. Imaging criteria for benign and malignant tumors were given in earlier reports. The diagnostic performance of the three imaging sets of the four readers was calculated. Their areas under the curve (AUCs) were compared using the DeLong method. Results: Accuracies of Set B were 81%–88%. Those of Set C were 81%–85%. The AUCs of Set B were 0.83 and 0.89. Those of Set C were 0.81–0.86. For two readers, Set A showed lower accuracy and AUC than Set B/Set C (less than 0.80), although those were equivalent in other readers. No significant difference in AUCs was found among the three sequence sets. Intrareader agreement was moderate to almost perfect in Sets A and B, and substantial to almost perfect in Set C. Conclusion: DCE-MR showed no superiority for differentiating malignant adnexal tumors from benign tumors compared to delayed CE-T1WI with conventional MR and DWI