Breast ultrasound imaging systems performance evaluation using novel Contrast-Detail (C-D) and Anechoic-Target (A-T) phantoms.

Unlabelled: Ultrasound imaging plays an important role in the early detection and management of breast cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the imaging performance of a range of clinically-used breast ultrasound systems using a set of novel spherical lesion contrast-detail (C-D) and anechoic-target (A-T) phantoms.

Methods: C-D and A-T phantoms were imaged using a range of clinical breast ultrasound systems and imaging modes.

Microbiota transplant for hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis: The THEMATIC trial.

Background: Preventing hepatic encephalopathy (HE) recurrence in cirrhosis, which is associated with an altered gut-liver-brain axis, is an unmet need. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is beneficial in phase-1 studies, but route and dose-related questions remain.

Methods: We performed a phase-2 randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, clinical trial of capsule and enema FMT in cirrhosis and HE on lactulose and rifaximin.

A novel sweat sensor detects inflammatory differential rhythmicity patterns in inpatients and outpatients with cirrhosis.

Patients with cirrhosis have high systemic inflammation (TNFα, CRP, and IL-6) that is associated with poor outcomes. These biomarkers need continuous non-invasive monitoring, which is difficult with blood. We studied the AWARE sweat-sensor to measure these in passively expressed sweat in healthy people (N = 12) and cirrhosis (N = 32, 10 outpatients/22 inpatients) for 3 days.

Kinetics of human insulin degradation in the solid-state: An investigation of the effects of temperature and humidity.

With the increasing development of oral peptide dosage forms, a comprehensive understanding of factors affecting peptide drug stability in the solid-state is critical. This study used human insulin, as a model peptide, to examine the individual and interactive effects of temperature and humidity on its solid-state stability. Insulin was stored at temperature (25 °C, 40 °C, and 6 °C) and humidity (1 %, 33 % and 75 %) over 6 months.