Effect of tube current on computed tomography radiomic features.

Variability in the x-ray tube current used in computed tomography may affect quantitative features extracted from the images. To investigate these effects, we scanned the Credence Cartridge Radiomics phantom 12 times, varying the tube current from 25 to 300 mA∙s while keeping the other acquisition parameters constant. For each of the scans, we extracted 48 radiomic features from the categories of intensity histogram (n = 10), gray-level run length matrix (n = 11), gray-level co-occurrence matrix (n = 22), and neighborhood gray tone difference matrix (n = 5).

The effect of anatomical modeling on space radiation dose estimates: a comparison of doses for NASA phantoms and the 5th, 50th, and 95th percentile male and female astronauts.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) performs organ dosimetry and risk assessment for astronauts using model-normalized measurements of the radiation fields encountered in space. To determine the radiation fields in an organ or tissue of interest, particle transport calculations are performed using self-shielding distributions generated with the computer program CAMERA to represent the human body. CAMERA mathematically traces linear rays (or path lengths) through the computerized anatomical man (CAM) phantom, a computational stylized model developed in the early 1970s with organ and body profiles modeled using solid shapes and scaled to represent the body morphometry of the 1950 50th percentile (PCTL) Air Force male.

Efficacy of venlafaxine for the long term treatment of chronic pain with associated major depressive disorder.

Background: This was an open-label, single-center study of the long-term efficacy and effectiveness of venlafaxine extended release (XR) in the treatment of chronic pain and depression in outpatients. All patients have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) of various types, with or without chronic pain, and had previously failed treatment with either tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Methods: Efficacy of treatment was determined using the 21-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-21), the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for the evaluation of pain, and a 12-item quality of life scale (QOL).