Erector Spinae Muscle to Epicardial Visceral Fat Ratio on Chest CT Predicts the Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Background: Chest computed tomography (CT) is a valuable tool for diagnosing and predicting the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and assessing extrapulmonary organs. Reduced muscle mass and visceral fat accumulation are important features of a body composition phenotype in which obesity and muscle loss coexist, but their relationship with COVID-19 outcomes remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between the erector spinae muscle (ESM) to epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) ratio (ESM/EAT) on chest CT and disease severity in patients with COVID-19.

Frequency of anti-IgLON5 disease in patients with a typical clinical presentation of progressive supranuclear palsy/corticobasal syndrome.

Serum anti-IgLON5 antibodies, which were tested in 223 patients meeting the diagnostic criteria for progressive supranuclear palsy/corticobasal syndrome (PSP/CBS), were negative in all patients. Our study suggests that the frequency of anti-IgLON5 disease is extremely rare in patients with typical presentation of PSP/CBS.

Possible involvement of vitamin K insufficiency in the progression of cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the vertebral column (OPLL) is a disease characterised by ectopic bone formation in the spinal ligament that causes progressive neurological impairment. However, there are no suitable treatments for OPLL. Here, we compared the general characteristics and haemostasis of patients with OPLL and those with cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Hyperintense lesions of the middle cerebellar peduncle and beyond: a pictorial essay.

The middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP) is the largest afferent system of the cerebellum and consists of fibres from the cortico-ponto-cerebellar tract. Specifically, several relevant diseases can present with hyperintensity in the MCP on T2-weighted/fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (T2/FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging sequences, including multiple sclerosis; acute disseminated encephalomyelitis; neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder; progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy; hepatic encephalopathy; osmotic demyelination syndrome; multiple system atrophy; fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome; megalencephalic leucoencephalopathy with subcortical cysts; spinocerebellar ataxias; hemi-pontine infarct with trans-axonal degeneration; and diffuse midline glioma with the histone H3K27M mutation. The aim of this pictorial review is to discuss the imaging findings that are relevant for the differential diagnosis of diseases presenting with MCP hyperintensity on T2/FLAIR sequences.

Coronary Artery Calcification on Chest Computed Tomography as a Predictor of Cardiovascular Adverse Events in Patients With COVID-19 - A Multicenter Retrospective Study in Japan.

Background: Coronary artery calcification (CAC) detected through chest computed tomography (CT) strongly predicts cardiovascular events in asymptomatic individuals undergoing primary prevention. Few studies with limited sample sizes have investigated the predictive value of CAC for cardiovascular complications in COVID-19. This study examined the impact of CAC on cardiovascular complications using a large-scale COVID-19 database.