Objective To discuss the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up visit mode of thyroid carcinoma showing thymus-like elements (CASTLE). Mothods For a systematic review of a case with CASTLE, the domestic and overseas literature was searched to analyze final diagnosis, treatment and follow-up visit indexes of that case. Results For CASTLE, the pathology combined with immunohistochemistry was the only method for final diagnosis, the operation was the main treatment, and the ultrasound as well as the computed tomography (CT) could be the follow-up visiting indexes. Conclusion CASTLE is a special kind of thyroid carcinoma, which is different from differentiated thyroid carcinoma in diagnosis, treatment and follow-up visit.
Using the AGREE Ⅱ standard, this paper interpretated from methodological perspective of the Korean Guidelines for Appropriate use of cardiac CT which was made by Korean Society of Radiology and the Korean Society of Cardiology.
Objective To systematically evaluate AFP as the diagnostic standard for Chinese primary liver cancer (PLC). Methods A comprehensive electronic search and additional manual tracking were performed to retrieve relevant studies on AFP in diagnosis of Chinese PLC. All studies were divided into three groups according to the cutoff value of AFP: 20 or 25 ?g/L, 200 ?g/L, 400 ?g/L (Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively). The data about the accuracy of the included studies were extracted for further heterogeneity studies; statistical pooling and SROC (summary receiver operating characteristics) were analyzed using MetaDisc 1.4 software. Results Twenty studies which were selected from 1,062 references met the inclusion criteria. Heterogeneity (except for threshold effect) was found within the three groups. A Meta-analysis was performed using the random effect model. Compared with the other two groups, the specificity of Group 3 (AFP 400 ?g/L) was the highest (0.977, 95%CI 0.967 to 0.985) and sensitivity was the lowest (0.422, 95%CI 0.403 to 0.441). The values of LR+ and dOR were lower than those of Group 2 (AFP 200?g/L) (17.691: 19.669; 32.820: 53.599, respectively). Area under curve (AUC) of SROC and Q index of Group 3 were also lower than those of Group 2 (0.6575: 0.832 3; 0.633 8: 0.782 2, respectively). Conclusion Four-hundred ?g/L of AFP as the diagnostic standard for PLC is not good enough, and we suggest that 200 ?g/L may be better than 400 ?g/L for PLC diagnosis.
This study was an interpretation study based on the standard of AGREEⅡ. It analyzed methodological perspective of the International Evidence-Based Recommendations for Focused Cardiac Ultrasound determined by the International Conference on Focused Cardiac UltraSound (IC-FoCUS).