In vivo imaging and pharmacokinetics of percutaneously injected ultrasound and X-ray imageable thermosensitive hydrogel loaded with doxorubicin versus free drug in swine.

Intratumoral injections often lack visibility, leading to unpredictable outcomes such as incomplete tumor coverage, off-target drug delivery and systemic toxicities. This study investigated an ultrasound (US) and x-ray imageable thermosensitive hydrogel based on poloxamer 407 (POL) percutaneously delivered in a healthy swine model. The primary objective was to assess the 2D and 3D distribution of the hydrogel within tissue across three different needle devices and injection sites: liver, kidney, and intercostal muscle region.

Impact of Discordance Between Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Ultrasound Volume Measurements on Prostate Fusion Biopsy Outcomes.

Purpose: To determine whether the difference between MRI-based and ultrasound (US)-based volume measurements are associated with MRI/US-targeted fusion-guided biopsy outcomes.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective, single-center study involved 4177 consecutive patients biopsied between 2010 and 2023 using both MRI/US-targeted fusion and systematic biopsy. Biopsies were indicated because of elevated PSA levels or abnormal multiparametric MRI results.

Quantifying morphologic variations as an alternate to standard response criteria for unresectable primary liver tumors after checkpoint inhibition therapy.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of quantifying morphologic changes in tumors during immunotherapy, as a reflection of response or survival.

Methods And Materials: A retrospective single-center analysis was performed in patients with unresectable liver cancer previously enrolled in clinical trials combining immunotherapy (tremelimumab ± durvalumab) and locoregional treatment (either ablation or transarterial chemoembolization). Conventional response (RECIST 1.

Imaging and Pharmacokinetics of Percutaneously Injected Ultrasound and X-ray Imageable Thermosensitive Hydrogel loaded with Doxorubicin versus Free Drug in Swine.

Intratumoral injections often lack visibility, leading to unpredictable outcomes such as incomplete tumor coverage, off-target drug delivery and systemic toxicities. This study investigated an ultrasound (US) and x-ray imageable thermosensitive hydrogel based on poloxamer 407 (POL) percutaneously delivered in a healthy swine model. The primary objective was to assess the 2D and 3D distribution of the hydrogel within tissue across three different needle devices and injection sites: liver, kidney, and intercostal muscle region.

Perinatal outcome of immigrant women with and without refugee status compared to non-immigrant women: results of the pregnancy and obstetric care for refugees (PROREF) cross-sectional study.

Purpose: International studies show conflicting evidence regarding the perinatal outcome of immigrant women with and without refugee status compared to non-immigrant women. There are few studies about the situation in Germany. The research question of this article is: Is the perinatal outcome (Apgar, UApH (umbilical artery pH), NICU (neontatal intensive care unit) transfer, c-section rate, preterm birth, macrosomia, maternal anemia, higher degree perinatal tear, episiotomy, epidural anesthesia) associated with socio-demographic/clinical characteristics (migration status, language skills, household income, maternal education, parity, age, body mass index (BMI))?

Methods: In the Pregnancy and Obstetric Care for Refugees (PROREF)-study (subproject of the research group PH-LENS), funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), women giving birth in three centers of tertiary care in Berlin were interviewed with the modified Migrant Friendly Maternity Care Questionnaire between June 2020 and April 2022.

Ultrasound and x-ray imageable poloxamer-based hydrogel for loco-regional therapy delivery in the liver.

Intratumoral injections have the potential for enhanced cancer treatment efficacy while reducing costs and systemic exposure. However, intratumoral drug injections can result in substantial off-target leakage and are invisible under standard imaging modalities like ultrasound (US) and x-ray. A thermosensitive poloxamer-based gel for drug delivery was developed that is visible using x-ray imaging (computed tomography (CT), cone beam CT, fluoroscopy), as well as using US by means of integrating perfluorobutane-filled microbubbles (MBs).

Variations in Microwave Ablation Zones as a Function of Probe Spacing, Angulation, and Geometry.

Despite advancements in precision and effectiveness of microwave ablation for tumor management, accurately predicting ablation zone geometry and minimum ablation margin remains a major challenge. This pilot study aimed to elucidate the influence of probe configuration on the morphometry of resulting ablation zones using tissue-mimicking thermochromic phantoms. In vitro results from 12 ablations were analyzed: (a) a single-probe ablation (n = 1) and (b) dual-probe ablations (n = 11).

X-ray imageable, drug-loaded hydrogel that forms at body temperature for image-guided, needle-based locoregional drug delivery.

Liver cancer ranks as the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death globally. Direct intratumoral injections of anti-cancer therapeutics may improve therapeutic efficacy and mitigate adverse effects compared to intravenous injections. Some challenges of intratumoral injections are that the liquid drug formulation may not remain localized and have unpredictable volumetric distribution.

Smart goggles augmented reality CT-US fusion compared to conventional fusion navigation for percutaneous needle insertion.

Purpose: Targeting accuracy determines outcomes for percutaneous needle interventions. Augmented reality (AR) in IR may improve procedural guidance and facilitate access to complex locations. This study aimed to evaluate percutaneous needle placement accuracy using a goggle-based AR system compared to an ultrasound (US)-based fusion navigation system.

X-ray imageable, drug-loaded hydrogel that forms at body temperature for image-guided, needle- based locoregional drug delivery.

Liver cancer ranks as the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death globally. Direct intratumoral injections of anti-cancer therapeutics may improve therapeutic efficacy and mitigate adverse effects compared to intravenous injections. Some challenges of intratumoral injections are that the liquid drug formulation may not remain localized and have unpredictable volumetric distribution.

[Obstetric Care for Gestational Diabetes in Refugee and Immigrant Women in Comparison to Non-Immigrant Women in Berlin: an Analysis of Quantitative Data of the Pregnancy and Obstetric Care for Refugees (PROREF)-study].

Research Question: Are there differences in the frequency of gestational diabetes between women of self-defined refugee status (SDRS), immigrant women, and women born in Germany? Does the perinatal data of women with gestational diabetes (GDM) differ depending on the migration status?

Method: For the Pregnancy and Obstetric Care for Refugees (ProRef) study between June 2020 and April 2022, data was collected with the Migrant Friendly Maternity Care Questionnaire (MFMCQ) among women on the postpartum ward in three perinatal centers in Berlin. The data concerning GDM was statistically analyzed.

Results: Women of SDRS were tested for GDM (3.

Equal Alternatives or Lower Standards for Immigrant Women-Analyzing Obstetric Care for Immigrant Women in Berlin Within the Framework of Cultural Health Capital.

In obstetric clinics in Berlin, Germany, more than half of the women are immigrants. The main objective of the qualitative study was to explore the staff's experiences with obstetric care for immigrants and juxtapose it with the immigrants' comments on their birth experiences. We analyze potential differences along the framework of a cultural health capital (CHC).

Robust breast quantitative susceptibility mapping in the presence of silicone.

Purpose: To (a) develop a preconditioned water-fat-silicone total field inversion (wfsTFI) algorithm that directly estimates the susceptibility map from complex multi-echo data in the breast in the presence of silicone and to (b) evaluate the performance of wfsTFI for breast quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) in silico and in vivo in comparison with formerly proposed methods.

Methods: Numerical simulations and in vivo multi-echo gradient echo breast measurements were performed to compare wfsTFI to a previously proposed field map-based linear total field inversion algorithm (lTFI) with and without the consideration of the chemical shift of silicone in the field map estimation step. Specifically, a simulation based on an in vivo scan and data from five patients were included in the analysis.

Recommendations for collecting and analysing migration-related determinants in public health research.

Background: According to the definition of the German Federal Statistical Office, about every fourth person living in Germany has a so-called migration background (MB), i.e., the person or at least one of their parents was born without German citizenship.

Assessing breast density using the chemical-shift encoding-based proton density fat fraction in 3-T MRI.

Objectives: There is a clinical need for a non-ionizing, quantitative assessment of breast density, as one of the strongest independent risk factors for breast cancer. This study aims to establish proton density fat fraction (PDFF) as a quantitative biomarker for fat tissue concentration in breast MRI and correlate mean breast PDFF to mammography.

Methods: In this retrospective study, 193 women were routinely subjected to 3-T MRI using a six-echo chemical shift encoding-based water-fat sequence.

Influence of appropriate emergency department utilization and verbal communication on physicians' (dis)satisfaction with doctor-patient interactions with special consideration of migrational backgrounds.

In recent years, utilization of emergency departments (EDs) has increased continuously, both in Germany and internationally. Inappropriate use of EDs is believed to be partly responsible for this trend. The topic of doctor-patient interaction (DPI) has received little attention in research.

Hierarchical Multi-Resolution Graph-Cuts for Water-Fat-Silicone Separation in Breast MRI.

Water-fat separation is a non-linear non-convex parameter estimation problem in magnetic resonance imaging typically solved using spatial constraints. However, there is still limited knowledge on how to separate in vivo three chemical species in the presence of magnetic field inhomogeneities. The proposed method uses multiple graph-cuts in a hierarchical multi-resolution framework to perform robust chemical species separation in the breast for subjects with and without silicone implants.

Optimization of the BCLC Staging System for Locoregional Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Using Quantitative Tumor Burden Imaging Biomarkers at MRI.

Background Patients with intermediate- and advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represent a highly heterogeneous patient collective with substantial differences in overall survival. Purpose To evaluate enhancing tumor volume (ETV) and enhancing tumor burden (ETB) as new criteria within the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system for optimized allocation of patients with intermediate- and advanced-stage HCC to undergo transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Materials and Methods In this retrospective study, 682 patients with HCC who underwent conventional TACE or TACE with drug-eluting beads from January 2000 to December 2014 were evaluated.

Reasons for a Lower Rate of Epidural Anesthesia During Birth for Immigrant Women in the Eyes of Medical Staff: A Mixed-Methods Analysis.

Various studies have shown that immigrant women in comparison to non-immigrant women of the same parity have lower rates of epidural anesthesia (EDA). Data from two studies on immigrant obstetric care in Berlin, Germany were analyzed to answer the following question: What reasons do the medical staff see for the lower rate of EDA in immigrant women? Between May and August 2017, 34 interviews with obstetricians and midwives in four obstetric clinics in Berlin were conducted on the topic of obstetric care for immigrant women. After anonymizing the more than 20 h of interview material, transcripts were coded with MaxQDa and analyzed according to the qualitative content analysis.

Impact of Chemoembolic Regimen on Immune Cell Recruitment and Immune Checkpoint Marker Expression following Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization in a VX2 Rabbit Liver Tumor Model.

Purpose: To characterize the effects of commonly used transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) regimens on the immune response and immune checkpoint marker expression using a VX2 rabbit liver tumor model.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-four VX2 liver tumor-bearing New Zealand white rabbits were assigned to 7 groups (n = 3 per group) undergoing locoregional therapy as follows: (a) bicarbonate infusion without embolization, (b) conventional TACE (cTACE) using a water-in-oil emulsion containing doxorubicin mixed 1:2 with Lipiodol, drug-eluting embolic-TACE with either (c) idarubicin-eluting Oncozene microspheres (40 μm) or (d) doxorubicin-eluting Lumi beads (40-90 μm). For each therapy arm (b-d), a tandem set of 3 animals with additional bicarbonate infusion before TACE was added, to evaluate the effect of pH modification on the immune response.

Comparison of metabolic and immunologic responses to transarterial chemoembolization with different chemoembolic regimens in a rabbit VX2 liver tumor model.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of TACE using Lipiodol, Oncozene™ drug-eluting embolics (DEEs), or LUMI™-DEEs alone, or combined with bicarbonate on the metabolic and immunological tumor microenvironment in a rabbit VX2 tumor model.

Methods: VX2 liver tumor-bearing rabbits were assigned to five groups. MRI and extracellular pH (pH) mapping using Biosensor Imaging of Redundant Deviation in Shifts (BIRDS) were performed before and after intra-arterial therapy with conventional TACE (cTACE), DEE-TACE with Idarubicin-eluting Oncozene™-DEEs, or Doxorubicin-eluting LUMI™-DEEs, each with or without prior bicarbonate infusion, and in untreated rabbits or treated with intra-arterial bicarbonate only.

Placental weight in first generation migrant mothers in Germany. Do the length of stay, acculturation or migrant status play a role?

Introduction: Migration status affects perinatal outcomes. A small placenta is associated with placental dysfunction and poor outcomes. Placental weight and perinatal outcomes are influenced by migrant status, the length of stay and the level of acculturation in the host country.