Performance Evaluation of an Automated Peritoneal Dialysis Solution Generation System in Patients Using Automated Peritoneal Dialysis.

Introduction: Most patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) in the United States are on automated PD (APD) utilizing several liters of PD solution daily for their treatment. The ordering, delivery, and storage of PD solutions can be challenging and is an important factor that can dissuade patients from doing PD. The generation of PD solutions at home is a strategy that could potentially be used to overcome this problem.

Intraindividual variability in sleep among athletes: A systematic review of definitions, operationalizations, and key correlates.

Via systematic review with narrative synthesis of findings, we aimed to document the ways by which researchers have defined, operationalized, and examined sleep variability among athletes. We identified studies in which scholars examined intraperson variability in sleep among athletes via a search of six databases (Web of Science, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, CINHAL Plus, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global) using a protocol that included keywords for the target outcome (sleep*), population (athlet* OR sport*), and outcome operationalization (variability OR variation OR "standard deviation" OR fluctuate OR fluctuation OR stability OR instability OR reactivity OR IIV OR intraindividual). We complemented this primary search with citation searching of eligible articles.

Agreement between Breast Percentage Density Estimations from Standard-Dose versus Synthetic Digital Mammograms: Results from a Large Screening Cohort Using Automated Measures.

Purpose To evaluate agreement between automated estimates of breast density made from standard-dose versus synthetic digital mammograms in a large cohort of women undergoing screening. Materials and Methods This study received institutional review board approval with waiver of consent. A total of 3668 negative (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System category 1 or 2) digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) screening examinations consecutively performed over a 4-month period at one institution for which both standard-dose and synthetic mammograms were available for analysis were retrospectively analyzed.

Breast parenchymal patterns in processed versus raw digital mammograms: A large population study toward assessing differences in quantitative measures across image representations.

Purpose: With raw digital mammograms (DMs), which retain the relationship with x-ray attenuation of the breast tissue, not being routinely available, processed DMs are often the only viable means to acquire imaging measures. The authors investigate differences in quantitative measures of breast density and parenchymal texture, shown to have value in breast cancer risk assessment, between the two DM representations.

Methods: The authors report data from 8458 pairs of bilateral raw ("FOR PROCESSING") and processed ("FOR PRESENTATION") DMs acquired from 4278 women undergoing routine screening evaluation, collected with DM units from two different vendors.

Inhibition of ileal bile acid uptake protects against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in high-fat diet-fed mice.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the Western world, and safe and effective therapies are needed. Bile acids (BAs) and their receptors [including the nuclear receptor for BAs, farnesoid X receptor (FXR)] play integral roles in regulating whole-body metabolism and hepatic lipid homeostasis. We hypothesized that interruption of the enterohepatic BA circulation using a luminally restricted apical sodium-dependent BA transporter (ASBT) inhibitor (ASBTi; SC-435) would modify signaling in the gut-liver axis and reduce steatohepatitis in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice.

Implementation of Synthesized Two-dimensional Mammography in a Population-based Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Screening Program.

Purpose To evaluate the early implementation of synthesized two-dimensional (s2D) mammography in a population screened entirely with s2D and digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) (referred to as s2D/DBT) and compare recall rates and cancer detection rates to historic outcomes of digital mammography combined with DBT (referred to as digital mammography/DBT) screening. Materials and Methods This was an institutional review board-approved and HIPAA-compliant retrospective interpretation of prospectively acquired data with waiver of informed consent. Compared were recall rates, biopsy rates, cancer detection rates, and radiation dose for 15 571 women screened with digital mammography/DBT from October 1, 2011, to February 28, 2013, and 5366 women screened with s2D/DBT from January 7, 2015, to June 30, 2015.

Association between Breast Parenchymal Complexity and False-Positive Recall From Digital Mammography Versus Breast Tomosynthesis: Preliminary Investigation in the ACRIN PA 4006 Trial.

Rationale And Objectives: We investigate associations between measures of mammographic parenchymal complexity and false-positive (FP) recall from screening with digital mammography (DM) versus digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 541 women recruited by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network 4006 trial, designed to evaluate callback and detection rates from screening with DM versus combined DM and DBT. Of these, 68 and 56 were FPs based on DM alone versus the combined DM/DBT readings, respectively.

Racial Differences in Quantitative Measures of Area and Volumetric Breast Density.

Background: Increased breast density is a strong risk factor for breast cancer and also decreases the sensitivity of mammographic screening. The purpose of our study was to compare breast density for black and white women using quantitative measures.

Methods: Breast density was assessed among 5282 black and 4216 white women screened using digital mammography.

The Impact of Acquisition Dose on Quantitative Breast Density Estimation with Digital Mammography: Results from ACRIN PA 4006.

Purpose To investigate the impact of radiation dose on breast density estimation in digital mammography. Materials and Methods With institutional review board approval and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance under waiver of consent, a cohort of women from the American College of Radiology Imaging Network Pennsylvania 4006 trial was retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent breast screening with a combination of dose protocols, including standard full-field digital mammography, low-dose digital mammography, and digital breast tomosynthesis.

A Comparison of Athletic Movement Among Talent-Identified Juniors From Different Football Codes in Australia: Implications for Talent Development.

Woods, CT, Keller, BS, McKeown, I, and Robertson, S. A comparison of athletic movement among talent-identified juniors from different football codes in Australia: implications for talent development. J Strength Cond Res 30(9): 2440-2445, 2016-This study aimed to compare the athletic movement skill of talent-identified (TID) junior Australian Rules football (ARF) and soccer players.

Preliminary evaluation of the publicly available Laboratory for Breast Radiodensity Assessment (LIBRA) software tool: comparison of fully automated area and volumetric density measures in a case-control study with digital mammography.

Introduction: Breast density, commonly quantified as the percentage of mammographically dense tissue area, is a strong breast cancer risk factor. We investigated associations between breast cancer and fully automated measures of breast density made by a new publicly available software tool, the Laboratory for Individualized Breast Radiodensity Assessment (LIBRA).

Methods: Digital mammograms from 106 invasive breast cancer cases and 318 age-matched controls were retrospectively analyzed.

Parenchymal texture analysis in digital mammography: robust texture feature identification and equivalence across devices.

An analytical framework is presented for evaluating the equivalence of parenchymal texture features across different full-field digital mammography (FFDM) systems using a physical breast phantom. Phantom images (FOR PROCESSING) are acquired from three FFDM systems using their automated exposure control setting. A panel of texture features, including gray-level histogram, co-occurrence, run length, and structural descriptors, are extracted.

Parenchymal texture analysis in digital mammography: A fully automated pipeline for breast cancer risk assessment.

Purpose: Mammographic percent density (PD%) is known to be a strong risk factor for breast cancer. Recent studies also suggest that parenchymal texture features, which are more granular descriptors of the parenchymal pattern, can provide additional information about breast cancer risk. To date, most studies have measured mammographic texture within selected regions of interest (ROIs) in the breast, which cannot adequately capture the complexity of the parenchymal pattern throughout the whole breast.

Associations between breast density and a panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms linked to breast cancer risk: a cohort study with digital mammography.

Background: Breast density and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have both been associated with breast cancer risk. To determine the extent to which these two breast cancer risk factors are associated, we investigate the association between a panel of validated SNPs related to breast cancer and quantitative measures of mammographic density in a cohort of Caucasian and African-American women.

Methods: In this IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant study, we analyzed a screening population of 639 women (250 African American and 389 Caucasian) who were tested with a validated panel assay of 12 SNPs previously associated to breast cancer risk.

The use of the Gail model, body mass index and SNPs to predict breast cancer among women with abnormal (BI-RADS 4) mammograms.

Introduction: Mammography screening results in a significant number of false-positives. The use of pretest breast cancer risk factors to guide follow-up of abnormal mammograms could improve the positive predictive value of screening. We evaluated the use of the Gail model, body mass index (BMI), and genetic markers to predict cancer diagnosis among women with abnormal mammograms.

Feasibility study of particulate extracellular matrix (P-ECM) and left ventricular assist device (HVAD) therapy in chronic ischemic heart failure bovine model.

Myocardial recovery with left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support is uncommon and unpredictable. We tested the hypothesis that injectable particulate extracellular matrix (P-ECM) with LVAD support promotes cell proliferation and improves cardiac function. LVAD, P-ECM, and P-ECM + LVAD therapies were investigated in chronic ischemic heart failure (IHF) calves induced using coronary embolization.

Breast density and parenchymal texture measures as potential risk factors for Estrogen-Receptor positive breast cancer.

Accurate assessment of a woman's risk to develop specific subtypes of breast cancer is critical for appropriate utilization of chemopreventative measures, such as with tamoxifen in preventing estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer. In this context, we investigate quantitative measures of breast density and parenchymal texture, measures of glandular tissue content and tissue structure, as risk factors for estrogen-receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. Mediolateral oblique (MLO) view digital mammograms of the contralateral breast from 106 women with unilateral invasive breast cancer were retrospectively analyzed.

Emphysema predicts hospitalisation and incident airflow obstruction among older smokers: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Emphysema on CT is common in older smokers. We hypothesised that emphysema on CT predicts acute episodes of care for chronic lower respiratory disease among older smokers.

Materials And Methods: Participants in a lung cancer screening study age ≥ 60 years were recruited into a prospective cohort study in 2001-02.

VO Reserve vs. Heart Rate Reserve During Moderate Intensity Treadmill Exercise.

VO and heart rate (HR) are widely used when determining appropriate training intensities for clinical, healthy, and athletic populations. It has been shown that if the % reserve (%R) is used, rather than % of max, HR and VO can be used interchangeably to accurately prescribe exercise intensities. Thus, heart rate reserve (HRR) can be prescribed if VO reserve (VOR) is known.

Mammographic parenchymal patterns as an imaging marker of endogenous hormonal exposure: a preliminary study in a high-risk population.

Rationale And Objectives: Parenchymal texture patterns have been previously associated with breast cancer risk, yet their underlying biological determinants remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the potential of mammographic parenchymal texture as a phenotypic imaging marker of endogenous hormonal exposure.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed.

Reader variability in breast density estimation from full-field digital mammograms: the effect of image postprocessing on relative and absolute measures.

Rationale And Objectives: Mammographic breast density, a strong risk factor for breast cancer, may be measured as either a relative percentage of dense (ie, radiopaque) breast tissue or as an absolute area from either raw (ie, "for processing") or vendor postprocessed (ie, "for presentation") digital mammograms. Given the increasing interest in the incorporation of mammographic density in breast cancer risk assessment, the purpose of this study is to determine the inherent reader variability in breast density assessment from raw and vendor-processed digital mammograms, because inconsistent estimates could to lead to misclassification of an individual woman's risk for breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: Bilateral, mediolateral-oblique view, raw, and processed digital mammograms of 81 women were retrospectively collected for this study (N = 324 images).

Estimation of breast percent density in raw and processed full field digital mammography images via adaptive fuzzy c-means clustering and support vector machine segmentation.

Purpose: The amount of fibroglandular tissue content in the breast as estimated mammographically, commonly referred to as breast percent density (PD%), is one of the most significant risk factors for developing breast cancer. Approaches to quantify breast density commonly focus on either semiautomated methods or visual assessment, both of which are highly subjective. Furthermore, most studies published to date investigating computer-aided assessment of breast PD% have been performed using digitized screen-film mammograms, while digital mammography is increasingly replacing screen-film mammography in breast cancer screening protocols.

Quantitative assessment and classification of tissue-based biomarker expression with color content analysis.

Context: The use of computer aids has been suggested as a way to reduce interobserver variability that is known to exist in the interpretation of immunohistochemical staining in pathology. Such computer aids should be automated in their usage but also they should be trained in an automated and reproducible fashion.

Objective: To present a computer aid for the quantitative analysis of tissue-based biomarkers, based on color content analysis.