Effect of COVID-19 on computed tomography usage and critical test results in the emergency department: an observational study.

Background: The effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on new or unexpected radiologic findings in the emergency department (ED) is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of computed tomography (CT) critical test results in the ED.

Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study of ED CT usage at 4 Ontario hospitals (1 urban academic, 1 northern academic, 1 urban community and 1 rural community) over 1 month during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020) and over the same month 1 year earlier (April 2019; before the pandemic).

Pictorial review of vascular involvement and complex vascular reconstructions in borderline to minimally advanced pancreatic malignancies.

Purpose: To review borderline resectability criteria for pancreatic malignancies, show examples of few surgically treated minimally advanced pancreatic malignancies, discuss various complex vascular reconstructions, and highlight the imaging appearances.

Background: Often aggressive surgical approaches are used to treat borderline to minimally advanced pancreatic malignancies in specialist centers. As abdominal radiologists it is essential to have up-to-date knowledge to distinguish such tumors with accuracy and also be well versed with the various vascular reconstructions used in such surgeries.

Variations in the functional visual field for detection of lung nodules on chest computed tomography: Impact of nodule size, distance, and local lung complexity.

Purpose: To explore the characteristics that impact lung nodule detection by peripheral vision when searching for lung nodules on chest CT-scans.

Methods: This study was approved by the local IRB and is HIPAA compliant. A simulated primary (1°) target mass (2 × 2 × 5 cm) was embedded into 5 cm thick subvolumes (SV) extracted from three unenhanced lung MDCT scans (64 row, 1.

When the Appendix Is Not Seen on Ultrasound for Right Lower Quadrant Pain: Does the Interpretation of Emergency Department Physicians Correlate With Diagnostic Performance?

A survey was administered to 166 academic emergency department (ED) physicians to determine their interpretation and practice after receiving an ultrasound (US) report with nonvisualization of the appendix (NVA). Annual incidence of reported NVA from 2 academic hospitals was calculated for 2002-2013. A retrospective review of the same hospitals revealed that 291 (17.

Characterizing search, recognition, and decision in the detection of lung nodules on CT scans: elucidation with eye tracking.

Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of radiologists' search, recognition, and acceptance of lung nodules on computed tomographic (CT) images by using eye tracking.

Materials And Methods: This study was performed with a protocol approved by the institutional review board. All study subjects provided informed consent, and all private health information was protected in accordance with HIPAA.

Hyperosmotic stress regulates the distribution and stability of myocardin-related transcription factor, a key modulator of the cytoskeleton.

Hyperosmotic stress initiates several adaptive responses, including the remodeling of the cytoskeleton. Besides maintaining structural integrity, the cytoskeleton has emerged as an important regulator of gene transcription. Myocardin-related transcription factor (MRTF), an actin-regulated coactivator of serum response factor, is a major link between the actin skeleton and transcriptional control.