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Background and Objective: Internal derangement of knee (IDK) is a common problem following knee trauma. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) extensively is used to diagnose the ligamentous and meniscal injuries, but the use of ultrasonography remains controversial. Previous studies showed different results about the usefulness of sonography (IDK). This study was done to determine diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in comparison with magnetic resonance imaging in patients with knee trauma. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was done on internal knee disorders of 73 patients with knee trauma who referred to MRI center of Imam Khomeini hospital in Sari, Iran during 2009-10. Three radiologists independently reported the ultrasonography and MRI of the patients. Results: The study population comprised of 61 (83.6%) men and 12 (16.4%) women, 91.9% of patients were less than 40 years old. The joint pain was the most common complaint (89%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of ultrasonography for the lateral meniscus was 100%, 97.14%, 60%, 100%, for the medial meniscus were 61.90%, 94.23% ,81.25%, 85.96%, for the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) was 65%, 100%, 100%, 70.21% and for the medial collateral ligament (MCL) was 100%, 94.28, %42.86 and 100%. Conclusion: This study showed that the high specificity of ultrasonography as a noninvasive and inexpensive method to exclude the ACL and meniscal lesion. Ultrasonography can reasonably be applied for screening of internal derangement of knee in the absence of MRI, especially in urgent conditions. In clinical setting of highly suspicious of ACL and meniscal tear, MRI is preferred due to low sensitivity of sonography.

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Background and Objective: Although multiple sclerosis is a disease affecting white matter of brain and spinal cord, but involvement of basal ganglions in some studies demonstrated a decrease in T2 sequence signals. This study was done to assess signal intensity of basal ganglions in T2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in multiple sclerosis Materials and Methods: This case – control study was done on 30 multiple sclerosis patients and 30 controls in Imam Reza hospital, Kermanshah, Iran, during 2010. MRI images of multiple sclerosis of patients and control group were matched according to age and sex. The basal ganglia signals were identified based on involvement areas, number of plaques, and brain atrophy in T2 and flair sequences. Data were analyzed using SPSS-16, Chi-Square, Fisher exact test and independent t-tests. Results: Among the case group, 10 patients (33.3%) demonstrated low signals in right thalamus and 14 patients (46.7%) in left thalamus, which was statistically significant compared with control group (P<0.001). The presence of plaques in right and left globus pallidus was observed in 4 (13.3%) and 7 patients (23.3%) respectively. The presence of plaques in right and left thalamus was observed in 10 patients (33.3%) and 14 patients (46.7%) respectively, which was significant compared with control group (P<0.001). The presence of brain atrophy was observed in 18 patients (60%) in case groups and in one patient (3.3%) in control group (P<0.001). Conclusion: This study indicated that reduction of T2 signals in thalamus is a valuable finding in multiple sclerosis patients and it may facilitate the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

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Background and Objective: The vertebra is the most common site of bone metastases. Diagnosis of metastases particularly in the early stages can improve patients’ prognosis and therapy. This study was done to compare the diagnostic value of magnetic resonance imaging and bone scan for the diagnosis of vertebral metastases. Methods: This descriptive study was done on 43 patients with any types of primary cancer. Patients underwent spinal magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear scan. Bone scan results were considered as the gold standard. The sensitivity and specificity were calculated for magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear scan. Results: The magnetic resonance imaging diagnosed 19 cases of thoracic vertebral metastases which previously diagnosed as negative by bone scan. Sensitivity and specificity of magnetic resonance imaging compared to bone scan was 90.7% and 95.6%, respectively. The magnetic resonance imaging diagnosed 4 cases of lumbar vertebral metastases which were reported negative in bone scan. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging in compare to bone scan were 97.6%, 97% and 97.2%, respectively. Conclusion: In diagnosis of vertebral metastases, the magnetic resonance imaging is more sensitive than bone scan.

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Background and Objective: Demyelinating lesions, widespread tissue damage, and neuronal connectivity impairments in white matter are associated with reduced cognitive decline in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. These findings are particularly prominent in the corpus callosum of the brain. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine secreted by regulatory T cells (Tregs) with anti-inflammatory properties and can inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines produced by macrophages and T cells. IL-6 is a multifunctional cytokine involved in the immune system of autoimmune diseases. The IL-6 gene consists of 5 exons, 4 introns, and a proximal promoter region located on the 7p21 chromosomal locus in humans. This study aimed to determine the effects of IL-10 (-1082/-819) and IL-6 (-174) gene polymorphisms on corpus callosum changes in women with MS.
Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 40 women with MS aged 20-40 years referring to Golestan and Kowsar Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) centers in Gorgan and 20 women without MS, autoimmune or inflammatory diseases over 40 years during 2015. Ten mL of blood was taken from the subjects for genotyping. Additionally, DNA extraction was performed using the phenol-chloroform method, and DNA genotyping was performed using the sequence specific primer-polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR) method. Brain MRI images of the subjects were employed to measure the corpus callosum and to investigate the relationship with the investigated polymorphisms.
Results: After performing the tests and obtaining different IL-6, IL-10 (-819), and IL-10 (-1082) genotypes, no significant statistical correlation was observed between IL genotypes in the case and control groups. Additionally, no significant correlation was observed between the different IL-6, IL-10 (-819), and IL-10 (-1082) genotypes and changes in the size of different parts of the corpus callosum, including rostrum width, splenium width, body width, the ratio of body length to anteroposterior length, and the ratio of body length to maximum height between the case and control groups. Reductions in the variables of rostrum width, splenium width, body width, the ratio of body width to anteroposterior length, and the ratio of body width to maximum height were significant in both case and control groups (P<0.05). Only the reduction in splenium width was significantly associated with the occurrence of MS (P<0.009, odds ratio [OR]=2.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]=4.51-1.22).
Conclusion: There was no relationship between the morphometric changes of reduced corpus callosum and the changes in IL-6, IL-10 (-819), and IL-10 (-1082) genotypes in patients with MS.