Coronary Artery Lumen Segmentation Using Location-Adaptive Threshold in Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography: A Proof-of-Concept.

Objective: To compare the lumen parameters measured by the location-adaptive threshold method (LATM), in which the inter- and intra-scan attenuation variabilities of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) were corrected, and the scan-adaptive threshold method (SATM), in which only the inter-scan variability was corrected, with the reference standard measurement by intravascular ultrasonography (IVUS).

Materials And Methods: The Hounsfield unit (HU) values of whole voxels and the centerline in each of the cross-sections of the 22 target coronary artery segments were obtained from 15 patients between March 2009 and June 2010, in addition to the corresponding voxel size. Lumen volume was calculated mathematically as the voxel volume multiplied by the number of voxels with HU within a given range, defined as the lumen for each method, and compared with the IVUS-derived reference standard.

Normal and Abnormal Postoperative Imaging Findings after Gastric Oncologic and Bariatric Surgery.

Surgical resection remains the primary choice of treatment and the only potentially curative option for gastric carcinoma, and is increasingly performed laparoscopically. Gastric resection represents a challenging procedure, with a significant morbidity and non-negligible postoperative mortality. The interpretation of imaging after gastric surgery can be challenging due to significant modifications of the normal anatomy.

Awakening effects of blue-enriched morning light exposure on university students' physiological and subjective responses.

We investigated physiological and subjective responses to morning light exposure of commercially available LED lighting with different correlated colour temperatures to predict how LED-based smart lighting employed in future learning environments will impact students. The classical markers of the circadian system (melatonin and cortisol), as well as the subjective perception of sleepiness, mood, and visual comfort, were compared. Fifteen university students underwent an hour of morning light exposure to both warm (3,500 K) and blue-enriched (6,500 K) white lights at recommended illuminance levels for classrooms and lecture halls (500 lux).

Rapid naked-eye detection of Gram-positive bacteria by vancomycin-based nano-aggregation.

Development of a rapid, point-of-care assay for diagnosing bacterial infections is crucial for subsequent treatment of the patient and preventing the overuse of antibiotics. Herein, we describe a rapid, one-step colorimetric assay based on the formation of nano-aggregates using nanobeads targeting Gram-positive bacteria. Vancomycin was immobilized onto blue-colored polymeric nanobeads to induce specific and multivalent binding with the Gram-positive bacterial cell wall and subsequent agglomeration.

Noninvasive assessment of hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B viral infection using magnetic resonance elastography.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) for staging hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

Materials And Methods: Patients with chronic HBV infection who were suspected of having focal or diffuse liver diseases (n = 195) and living donor candidates (n = 166) underwent MRE as part of the routine liver MRI examination. We measured liver stiffness (LS) values on quantitative shear stiffness maps.

Magnetic resonance imaging spectrum of solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas.

Objective: To describe the magnetic resonance imaging spectrum of solid pseudopapillary tumors (SPTs), with an emphasis on solid SPTs.

Methods: Thirty-two patients with proven SPTs with preoperative magnetic resonance were included. The SPTs were classified into 3 types: solid, cystic, and mixed; and 2 radiologists analyzed the images regarding the morphologic features and enhancement pattern.

MR elastography for noninvasive assessment of hepatic fibrosis: reproducibility of the examination and reproducibility and repeatability of the liver stiffness value measurement.

Purpose: To determine the reproducibility of MR elastography (MRE) and the reproducibility and repeatability of the stiffness measurement of MRE in the staging of liver fibrosis.

Materials And Methods: Ninety-four patients, who underwent liver MRE, were included in this study. The patients were classified into group 1 (n = 47) and group 2 (n = 47) according to our knowledge of their histologic hepatic fibrosis (HF) stage.

Quantification of hepatic macrosteatosis in living, related liver donors using T1-independent, T2*-corrected chemical shift MRI.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic implications of the iterative decomposition of water and fat using echo-asymmetry and the least-squares estimation (IDEAL) technique to detect hepatic steatosis (HS) in potential liver donors using histopathology as the reference standard.

Materials And Methods: Forty-nine potential liver donors (32 male, 17 female; mean age, 31.7 years) were included.

Magnetic resonance imaging findings of the mass-forming type of autoimmune pancreatitis: comparison with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: To determine the characteristic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of mass-forming autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), which allow its differentiation from pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC).

Materials And Methods: MR images of 37 patients with either pathologically proven, mass-forming AIPs (n = 9) or PACs (n = 28) were retrospectively reviewed. The pancreatic MR protocol included unenhanced images, contrast-enhanced dynamic images, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and MR-cholangiopancreatography (MRCP).

Gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for differentiating small hepatocellular carcinomas (< or =2 cm in diameter) from arterial enhancing pseudolesions: special emphasis on hepatobiliary phase imaging.

Objectives: To determine the characteristic enhancing features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and arterial-enhancing pseudolesion (AEP) on gadoxetic acid (Primovist)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to assess its performance compared with that of multirow detector computed tomography (MDCT) for differentiating small HCC (< or =2 cm in diameter) from AEP in cirrhotic liver.

Materials And Methods: A total of 69 patients with 97 small, arterial enhancing hepatic lesions (0.5-2 cm in diameter), ie, 44 HCCs and 53 AEPs, detected on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI, were included in this study.