Choi SY, et al. Korean J Radiol. 2012 May-Jun;13(3):300-306. http://dx.doi.org/10.3348/kjr.2012.13.3.300

Impaired processing of working memory information is one of the cognitive deficits seen in patients with schizophrenia. This study aims at corroborating the differences in the brain activities involved in the process of working memory between patients with schizophrenia and the controls. Twelve patients with schizophrenia and 11 controls participated in the study. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess cortical activities during the performance of a two-back verbal working memory paradigm using the Korean alphabet as mnemonic content. Group analysis revealed that inferior fontal, middle frontal, and superior temporal region showed decreased cortical activities in the patient group compared to those of the controls. This study showed a decreased activation in inferior fontal (BA 47), middle frontal (BA 6), and superior temporal (BA 22/38) neural networks from the patient group and confirmed the earlier findings on the impaired working memory of schizophrenic patients in the fMRI investigation.

To evaluate the computed tomographic (CT) features of peritoneal leiomyosarcomatosis (PL) originating from gastrointestinal leiomyosarcoma and compare the CT features of primary gastrointestinal leiomyosarcomas between patients with and those without PL. The authors reviewed the medical and surgical-pathology records and the CT scans of 89 patients with gastrointestinal leiomyosarcoma to determine the prevalence of PL. Also, the CT scans of the patients with PL were evaluated for the morphologic appearance of peritoneal lesions. The CT features of the primary tumors were compared between the patients with and those without PL. Student t and Fisher exact tests were performed. Metastases were present in 39 patients. PL was seen in 25 patients. Other metastatic sites included liver in 26 patients, lymph nodes in 11, lungs in three, and bone in one. In the 25 patients with PL, CT findings included multiple discrete peritoneal nodules in 22 patients and massive peritoneal lesions in three. Smudged omental infiltration was combined with other findings in 10 patients. The sites of the peritoneal masses were mesentery in 18 patients, omentum in 11, paracolic gutters in 11, pelvic cavity in eight, perihepatic space in three, and perisplenic space in one. Four patients had ascites. There were statistically significant differences in size of primary tumor (mean diameter, 12.5 cm vs 9.2 cm) (P =.01) and prevalence of exophytic growth of primary tumor (P =.02) between the patients with and those without PL. CT findings can indicate PL in the differential diagnosis. The prevalence of PL appears to be higher when it originates from large primary tumors.

Choi MH, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2016 Feb;31(Suppl 1):S55-S58. http://dx.doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2016.31.S1.S55