Evolution of Severe Closed Head Injury: Assessing Ventricular Volume and Behavioral Measures at 30 and 90 Days Post-Injury.

Assessing functional outcomes in Severe Closed Head Injury (SCHI) is complex due to brain parenchymal changes. This study examines the Ventricles to Intracranial Volume Ratio (VBR) as a metric for these changes and its correlation with behavioral scales. Thirty-one SCHI patients were included.

Baseline extracellular vesicle TGF-β is a predictive biomarker for response to immune checkpoint inhibitors and survival in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are an effective therapeutic strategy, improving the survival of patients with lung cancer compared with conventional treatments. However, novel predictive biomarkers are needed to stratify which patients derive clinical benefit because the currently used and highly heterogenic histological PD-L1 has shown low accuracy. Liquid biopsy is the analysis of biomarkers in body fluids and represents a minimally invasive tool that can be used to monitor tumor evolution and treatment effects, potentially reducing biases associated with tumor heterogeneity associated with tissue biopsies.

Extracellular vesicle PD-L1 dynamics predict durable response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors and survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) changed the therapeutic landscape of patients with lung cancer. However, only a subset of them derived clinical benefit and evidenced the need to identify reliable predictive biomarkers. Liquid biopsy is the non-invasive and repeatable analysis of biological material in body fluids and a promising tool for cancer biomarkers discovery.

Development of a fluorogenic ADAMTS-7 substrate.

The extracellular protease ADAMTS-7 has been identified as a potential therapeutic target in atherosclerosis and associated diseases such as coronary artery disease (CAD). However, ADAMTS-7 inhibitors have not been reported so far. Screening of inhibitors has been hindered by the lack of a suitable peptide substrate and, consequently, a convenient activity assay.

Radiomic Detection of EGFR Mutations in NSCLC.

Radiomics is defined as the use of automated or semi-automated post-processing and analysis of multiple features derived from imaging exams. Extracted features might generate models able to predict the molecular profile of solid tumors. The aim of this study was to develop a predictive algorithm to define the mutational status of EGFR in treatment-naïve patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Apparent diffusion coefficient and tumor volume measurements help stratify progression-free survival of bevacizumab-treated patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine whether apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) bi-component curve-fitting histogram analysis and volume percentage change (VPC) prior to bevacizumab treatment can stratify progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) on first recurrence.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 17 patients with recurrent GBM who received bevacizumab and fotemustine ( = 13) or only bevacizumab ( = 4) on first recurrence at our institution between December 2009 and July 2015. Both T2/FLAIR abnormalities and enhancing tumor on T1 images were mapped to the ADC images.

Overcoming metallic artefacts from orthopaedic wrist volar plating on a low-field MRI scanner.

Purpose: To quantitatively compare the artefact reduction between standard and metallic artefact reduction (MAR) fast spin echo (FSE) T2 sequences in a low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner (0.3 T) in patients with titanium volar wrist plating.

Materials And Methods: Sixteen patients with fractures of the distal radius, treated with titanium volar wrist plating and screws, were examined using a dedicated 0.

Quality assurance of ultrasound systems: current status and review of literature.

Diagnostic ultrasound (US) images can be obtained from a quality device, in optimal working conditions, combined with the capable actions of the operator in tweaking the equipment's characteristics. The quality assurance (QA) is the topic of this review article, and it is addressed in an US practice through proper selection of the equipment when purchasing, and through care and preventive maintenance of the machine for ensuring accurate performance. For optimal US system functioning, QA steps carried out on the basis of a scheduled program are needed in any US practice or department.

Current concepts in tumor imaging with whole-body MRI with diffusion imaging (WB-MRI-DWI) in multiple myeloma and lymphoma.

Whole-body MRI (WB-MRI) with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can now be used to stage and restage multiple myeloma (MM) and lymphoma. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the standard tool to detect BM involvement (BMI). The 2016 diagnostic criteria of the International Myeloma Working Group identify WB-MRI and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) as the most sensitive imaging techniques for detecting skeletal and extra-skeletal MM invasion, respectively.

Can neuroimaging differentiate PFO and AF-related cardioembolic stroke from the other embolic sources? Clinical-radiological correlation on a retrospective study.

Purpose: The aim of this retrospective study was to map the specific ischemic lesion patterns of distribution in patent foramen ovale-related stroke (PFO-stroke) and atrial fibrillation-related stroke (AF-stroke) in patients with idiopatic ischemic stroke.

Materials And Methods: 750 ischaemic strokes were screened on basis of diagnostic imaging and tests: patients with known causes were excluded. 171 patients with unknown cause were selected and divided in two groups: AF-stroke (43 patients) and PFO-stroke (128 patients).

Predictive value of pre-treatment apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in radio-chemiotherapy treated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: This study aimed at evaluating the role of "baseline" apparent diffusion coefficent (ADC), in patients affected by head and neck cancer treated with radio-chemotherapy, as a potential marker of response to therapy.

Methods: Fifty-seven patients underwent pretreatment ADC maps. Minimum, maximum, and medium ADC were computed.

Prognostic value of relative cerebral blood volume in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme treated with bevacizumab.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess whether the early monitoring of the effects of bevacizumab in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) using perfusional dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after the beginning of antiangiogenic therapy is predictive of treatment response.

Methods: Thirteen patients with recurrent GBM underwent perfusion MRI with relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) mapping before (T0) and after the beginning (T1) of bevacizumab treatment. Recurrence Regions of Interest (RoIs) were positioned on the enhancing component of tumoral tissue revealed by postcontrast T1-weighted images.

Comparison of retrospective PET and MRI-DWI (PET/MRI-DWI) image fusion with PET/CT and MRI-DWI in detection of cervical and endometrial cancer lymph node metastases.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of retrospective image fusion of PET/MRI-DWI with that of PET/CT and MRI-DWI alone in detecting metastatic lymph nodes in patients with cervical and endometrial carcinoma.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-seven patients with endometrial (n = 14) and cervical (n = 13) cancer who had undergone preoperative MRI-DWI and PET/CT for staging were retrospectively evaluated. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of PET/CT, MRI-DWI, and PET/MRI-DWI image fusion were calculated on a per-patient basis and on a per-node basis.

Staging of Primary Abdominal Lymphomas: Comparison of Whole-Body MRI with Diffusion-Weighted Imaging and (18)F-FDG-PET/CT.

Background. The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of whole-body MRI with diffusion-weighted sequences (WB-DW-MRI) with that of (18)F-FDG-PET/CT in the staging of patients with primary gastrointestinal lymphoma. Methods.

Combined multimodal co-registration of PET/CT and MRI images increases diagnostic accuracy in squamous cell carcinoma staging.

Objectives: The purpose of our study was to assess the diagnostic value of multi-modal imaging through co-registration of short tau inversion recovery (STIR) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) MRI with (18)FDG-PET/CT in T and N staging of head and neck tumours.

Materials And Methods: 25 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who had undergone MRI and PET/CT before treatment were retrospectively evaluated. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of PET/CT, MRI and their combined use were assessed in T and N staging.

Can neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin help depict early contrast material-induced nephropathy?

Purpose: To evaluate the utility of serum and urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in depicting an event of contrast material-induced nephropathy (CIN) in patients who received iodinated contrast media, gadoterate meglumine, or radiopharmaceutical technetium-99m ((99m)Tc) and to evaluate the protective effect exerted by isotonic saline infusion, sodium bicarbonate administration, or N-acetylcysteine administration.

Materials And Methods: Institutional ethics committee approval was given, and informed consent was obtained. One hundred twenty patients were enrolled in a prospective study and divided into three groups: iomeprol group, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging group (gadoterate meglumine), and renal scintigraphy group ((99m)Tc).

The AGROBOT project.

The aim of this paper is to illustrate the AGROBOT project. This project was initiated to develop a complete robotic system for the production cycle of tomato plants in a greenhouse environment. The robot architecture is based on a vehicle carrying the picking arm (a six degrees of freedom anthropomorphic arm with a gripper/hand), the head with the two micro cameras (for the color stereoscopic vision system) and the VME rack for the complete control of the system.