Evaluating the Cumulative Benefit of Inspiratory CT, Expiratory CT, and Clinical Data for COPD Diagnosis and Staging through Deep Learning.

Purpose To measure the benefit of single-phase CT, inspiratory-expiratory CT, and clinical data for convolutional neural network (CNN)-based chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) staging. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included inspiratory and expiratory lung CT images and spirometry measurements acquired between November 2007 and April 2011 from 8893 participants (mean age, 59.6 years ± 9.

Overcoming barriers to HIV prevention: population health considerations on optimizing PrEP access.

The HIV epidemic remains a critical public health priority in the United States. The Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative seeks to reduce HIV diagnoses by 75% by 2025 and by 90% by 2030. Certain demographic groups-including transgender women, cisgender Black women, and Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men-are disproportionately affected by HIV.

Brief Report: Methylation-Based ctDNA Serial Monitoring Correlates With Immunotherapy Response in NSCLC.

Purpose: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can reflect the genetic and epigenetic composition of malignancies and can serve as a noninvasive biomarker for cancer diagnostics and monitoring. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of a methylation-based ctDNA assay as a predictive tool in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) anti-PD1 based immunotherapy monitoring.

Methods: We evaluated a cohort of 20 patients with NSCLC treated with anti-PD1 based immunotherapy that had both baseline and follow-up blood draws as well as outcome data available.

Simulating clinical features on chest radiographs for medical image exploration and CNN explainability using a style-based generative adversarial autoencoder.

Explainability of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) is integral for their adoption into radiological practice. Commonly used attribution methods localize image areas important for CNN prediction but do not characterize relevant imaging features underlying these areas, acting as a barrier to the adoption of CNNs for clinical use. We therefore propose Semantic Exploration and Explainability using a Style-based Generative Adversarial Autoencoder Network (SEE-GAAN), an explainability framework that uses latent space manipulation to generate a sequence of synthetic images that semantically visualizes how clinical and CNN features manifest within medical images.

Bolus tracking from pulsed x-ray projections: A feasibility study using a five-dimensional cardiac CT contrast dynamics model.

Background: Cardiac computed tomography (CT) exams are some of the most complex CT exams due to the need to carefully time the scan when the heart chambers are near the peak contrast concentration. With current "bolus tracking" and "timing bolus" techniques, after contrast medium is injected, a target vessel or chamber is scanned periodically, and images are reconstructed to monitor the opacification. Both techniques have opportunities for improvement, such as reducing the contrast medium volume, the exam time, the number of manual steps, and improving the robustness of correctly timing the peak opacification.

Somatosensory cortex and body representation: Updating the motor system during a visuo-proprioceptive cue conflict.

The brain's representation of hand position is critical for voluntary movement. Representation is multisensory, relying on both visual and proprioceptive cues. When these cues conflict, the brain recalibrates its unimodal estimates, shifting them closer together to compensate.

Fast Non-contrast MR Angiography Using a Zigzag Centric k - k k-space Trajectory and Exponential Refocusing Flip Angles with Restoration of Longitudinal Magnetization.

Purpose: Fresh blood imaging (FBI) utilizes physiological blood signal differences between diastole and systole, causing a long acquisition time. The purpose of this study is to develop a fast FBI technique using a centric k - k k-space trajectory (cFBI) and an exponential refocusing flip angle (eFA) scheme with fast longitudinal restoration.

Methods: This study was performed on 8 healthy subjects and 2 patients (peripheral artery disease and vascular disease) with informed consent, using a clinical 3-Tesla MRI scanner.

Promoting Collaborative Scholarship During the COVID-19 Pandemic Through an Innovative COVID-19 Data Explorer and Repository at Yale School of Medicine: Development and Usability Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a surge of research publications spanning epidemiology, basic science, and clinical science. Thanks to the digital revolution, large data sets are now accessible, which also enables real-time epidemic tracking. However, despite this, academic faculty and their trainees have been struggling to access comprehensive clinical data.

Application of Differential Subsampling with Cartesian Ordering in Evaluating Left Ovarian Venous Reflux for Pretreatment Planning for Pelvic Venous Disorders.

The diagnosis of a common cause of chronic pelvic pain can be made by visualizing reflux in the ovarian veins. Fluoroscopic venography is the gold standard for diagnosing ovarian vein reflux, but it is an invasive technique that exposes patients to ionizing radiation. MRI, with its lack of ionizing radiation and capability of high-temporal and spatial-resolution vascular imaging, has the potential to provide similar diagnostic information.

The role of explicit knowledge in compensating for a visuo-proprioceptive cue conflict.

It is unclear how explicit knowledge of an externally imposed mismatch between visual and proprioceptive cues of hand position affects perceptual recalibration. The Bayesian causal inference framework might suggest such knowledge should abolish the visual and proprioceptive recalibration that occurs when individuals perceive these cues as coming from the same source (their hand), while the visuomotor adaptation literature suggests explicit knowledge of a cue conflict does not eliminate implicit compensatory processes. Here we compared visual and proprioceptive recalibration in three groups with varying levels of knowledge about the visuo-proprioceptive cue conflict.

Clinical Validation of a Deep Learning-Based Software for Lumbar Bone Mineral Density and T-Score Prediction from Chest X-ray Images.

Screening for osteoporosis is crucial for early detection and prevention, yet it faces challenges due to the low accuracy of calcaneal quantitative ultrasound (QUS) and limited access to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans. Recent advances in AI offer a promising solution through opportunistic screening using existing medical images. This study aims to utilize deep learning techniques to develop a model that analyzes chest X-ray (CXR) images for osteoporosis screening.

Hypoxia-Induced Long Noncoding RNA HIF1A-AS2 Regulates Stability of MHC Class I Protein in Head and Neck Cancer.

Intratumoral hypoxia not only promotes angiogenesis and invasiveness of cancer cells but also creates an immunosuppressive microenvironment that facilitates tumor progression. However, the mechanisms by which hypoxic tumor cells disseminate immunosuppressive signals remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that a hypoxia-induced long noncoding RNA HIF1A Antisense RNA 2 (HIF1A-AS2) is upregulated in hypoxic tumor cells and hypoxic tumor-derived exosomes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Correction: Developing and Testing the Usability of a Novel Child Abuse Clinical Decision Support System: Mixed Methods Study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/51058.].

Developing and Testing the Usability of a Novel Child Abuse Clinical Decision Support System: Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Despite the impact of physical abuse on children, it is often underdiagnosed, especially among children evaluated in emergency departments (EDs). Electronic clinical decision support (CDS) can improve the recognition of child physical abuse.

Objective: We aimed to develop and test the usability of a natural language processing-based child abuse CDS system, known as the Child Abuse Clinical Decision Support (CA-CDS), to alert ED clinicians about high-risk injuries suggestive of abuse in infants' charts.

Characterizing cardiac contractile motion for noninvasive radioablation of ventricular tachycardia.

Background: Respiratory motion management strategies are used to minimize the effects of breathing on the precision of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for ventricular tachycardia, but the extent of cardiac contractile motion of the human heart has not been systematically explored.

Objective: We aim to assess the magnitude of cardiac contractile motion between different directions and locations in the heart.

Methods: Patients with intracardiac leads or valves who underwent 4-dimensional cardiac computed tomography (CT) prior to a catheter ablation procedure for atrial or ventricular arrhythmias at 2 medical centers were studied retrospectively.

Acupuncture for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Current interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are efficacious, yet effectiveness may be limited by adverse effects and high withdrawal rates. Acupuncture is an emerging intervention with positive preliminary data for PTSD.

Objective: To compare verum acupuncture with sham acupuncture (minimal needling) on clinical and physiological outcomes.

Gut complement induced by the microbiota combats pathogens and spares commensals.

Canonically, the complement system is known for its rapid response to remove microbes in the bloodstream. However, relatively little is known about a functioning complement system on intestinal mucosal surfaces. Herein, we report the local synthesis of complement component 3 (C3) in the gut, primarily by stromal cells.

Protein Disorder in Plant Stress Adaptation: From Late Embryogenesis Abundant to Other Intrinsically Disordered Proteins.

Global climate change has caused severe abiotic and biotic stresses, affecting plant growth and food security. The mechanical understanding of plant stress responses is critical for achieving sustainable agriculture. Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are a group of proteins without unique three-dimensional structures.

A review: Hydrochar as potential adsorbents for wastewater treatment and CO adsorption.

To valorize the biomass and organic waste, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) stands out as a highly efficient and promising pathway given its intrinsic advantages over other thermochemical processes. Hydrochar, as the main product obtained from HTC, is widely applied as a fuel source and soil conditioner. Aside from these applications, hydrochar can be either directly used or modified as bio-adsorbents for environmental remediation.