Design of target specific peptide inhibitors using generative deep learning and molecular dynamics simulations.

We introduce a computational approach for the design of target-specific peptides. Our method integrates a Gated Recurrent Unit-based Variational Autoencoder with Rosetta FlexPepDock for peptide sequence generation and binding affinity assessment. Subsequently, molecular dynamics simulations are employed to narrow down the selection of peptides for experimental assays.

Head-to-Head Comparison of 2 Paclitaxel-Coated Balloons for Femoropopliteal Lesions.

Background: There is a scarcity of published head-to-head comparisons between different paclitaxel-coated angioplasty balloons. More prospective safety data to support the health care economic reimbursement processes are needed.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to report the safety and efficacy of the Passeo-18 Lux drug-coated balloon (DCB) (Biotronik AG) for the treatment of symptomatic peripheral artery disease caused by stenosis, restenosis, or occlusion of the femoral and/or popliteal arteries.

Is Additive Manufacturing an Environmentally and Economically Preferred Alternative for Mass Production?

The manufacturing sector accounts for a large percentage of global energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and there is growing interest in the potential of additive manufacturing (AM) to reduce the sector's environmental impacts. Across multiple industries, AM has been used to reduce material use in final parts by 35-80%, and recent publications have predicted that AM will enable the fabrication of customized products locally and on-demand, reducing shipping and material waste. In many contexts, however, AM is not a viable alternative to traditional manufacturing methods due to its high production costs.

Methodology of the BIOPACT RCT, a Multi-center, Randomized, Non-inferiority Trial Evaluating Safety and Efficacy of Passeo-18 Lux Drug-Coated Balloon (DCB) of Biotronik Compared to the Medtronic IN.PACT Admiral DCB in the Treatment of Subjects with Lesions of the Femoropopliteal Artery.

Purpose: Although effectiveness and safety of many different paclitaxel coated balloons in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are extensively studied, there is a lack of direct head-to-head comparison studies. To meet this need and to avoid potential "class-effects", the BIOPACT was set up. The purpose is to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the Passeo-18 Lux DCB (Biotronik) for treatment of patients with symptomatic PAD due to femoropopliteal lesions.

Percutaneous transhepatic biliary puncture simulator: a cord network prototype.

Background: The aim of this study was to present a percutaneous transhepatic biliary puncture simulator that can be used without radiation exposure and that reflects the conventional anatomy of the biliary ducts and its vicinity structures.

Methods: An anatomically based model of the biliary tree was developed using a cord network fixed to a wooden frame. The skin, ribs, intercostal muscles, and right lower lobe pleura were simulated using foam sponge, plastic tubes, a polystyrene foam panel, and an air pad, respectively.

Temperature-induced configuration changes in hydrogel-coated coils and their relevance in embolization procedures.

Background: The present study attempted to demonstrate how the configuration of hydrogel-coated coils is influenced by different temperature exposures. Thirty detachable hydrogel-coated coils were evaluated in an in vitro water immersion test under five different temperature ranges (22.6 °C, 37 °C, 40-50 °C, 50-60 °C, and 60-70 °C).

Nano-Hydroxyapatite Airborne-Particle Abrasion System as an Alternative Surface Treatment Method on Intraorally Contaminated Titanium Discs.

The aim of this study was to test the nano-hydroxyapatite powder decontamination method on intraorally contaminated titanium discs and to compare this method with current decontamination methods in the treatment of peri-implantitis. Contaminated discs were assigned to six treatment groups (n = 10 each): titanium hand curette; ultrasonic scaler with a plastic tip (appropriate for titanium); ultrasonic scaler with a plastic tip (appropriate for titanium) + HO; short-term airflow system (nano-hydroxyapatite airborne-particle abrasion for 30 seconds); long-term airflow system (nano-hydroxyapatite airborne-particle abrasion for 120 seconds); Er:YAG laser (120 mJ/pulse at 10 Hz). There were also two control groups (n = 10 each): contaminated disc (negative control) and sterile disc (positive control).

Soft tissue deformation tracking by means of an optimized fiducial marker layout with application to cancer tumors.

Objective: Interventional radiology methods have been adopted for intraoperative control of the surgical region of interest (ROI) in a wide range of minimally invasive procedures. One major obstacle that hinders the success of procedures using interventional radiology methods is the preoperative and intraoperative deformation of the ROI. While fiducial markers (FM) tracing has been shown to be promising in tracking such deformations, determining the optimal placement of the FM in the ROI remains a significant challenge.

Reconstruction of a Deformed Tumor Based on Fiducial Marker Registration: A Computational Feasibility Study.

Interstitial photodynamic therapy has shown promising results in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer. In this therapy, systemic administration of a light-sensitive drug is followed by insertion of multiple laser fibers to illuminate the tumor and its margins. Image-based pretreatment planning is employed in order to deliver a sufficient light dose to the complex locally advanced head-and-neck cancer anatomy, in order to meet clinical requirements.

Establishing Local Diagnostic Reference Levels in IR Procedures with Dose Management Software.

Purpose: To obtain local diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) in diagnostic and therapeutic IR procedures with dose management software to improve radiation protection.

Materials And Methods: Dose data of various vascular and nonvascular IR procedures performed within 18 months were collected and analyzed with dose management software. To account for different levels of complexity, procedures were subdivided into simple, standard, and difficult procedures as graded by interventional radiologists.

Combined Use of a Patient Dose Monitoring System and a Real-Time Occupational Dose Monitoring System for Fluoroscopically Guided Interventions.

Purpose: To determine the effect on patient radiation exposure of the combined use of a patient dose monitoring system and real-time occupational dose monitoring during fluoroscopically guided interventions (FGIs).

Materials And Methods: Patient radiation exposure, in terms of the kerma area product (KAP; Gy ∙ cm(2)), was measured in period 1 with a patient dose monitoring system, and a real-time occupational dose monitoring system was additionally applied in period 2. Mean/median KAP in 19 different types of FGIs was analyzed in both periods for two experienced interventional radiologists combined as well as individually.

Survival after trepanation-Early cranial surgery from Late Iron Age Switzerland.

Trepanation is defined as the intentional perforation of the cranial vault with removal of a piece of skull bone. In Europe, trepanation is known to have been practiced at least since the Neolithic, and it can still be found today in East African native tribes. Two skulls with lesions from the Late Iron Age site Münsingen-Rain (420-240 BC) were investigated.

Improving Patient Safety: Implementing Dose Monitoring Software in Fluoroscopically Guided Interventions.

Purpose: To assess whether dose monitoring software can be successfully implemented in fluoroscopically guided interventions and to provide dose data based on levels of complexity.

Materials And Methods: After launching the software (DoseWatch; GE Healthcare Systems, Buc, France), data were collected for 6 months and analyzed by means of kerma-area product (KAP; Gy/cm(2)), cumulative air kerma (KA,R; Gy), and fluoroscopic time (minutes). Data analysis was executed by level of complexity as graded by the operators.

Rigor mortis at the myocardium investigated by post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging.

Introduction: Post-mortem cardiac MR exams present with different contraction appearances of the left ventricle in cardiac short axis images. It was hypothesized that the grade of post-mortem contraction may be related to the post-mortem interval (PMI) or cause of death and a phenomenon caused by internal rigor mortis that may give further insights in the circumstances of death.

Method And Materials: The cardiac contraction grade was investigated in 71 post-mortem cardiac MR exams (mean age at death 52 y, range 12-89 y; 48 males, 23 females).

Contrast agents and ionization with respect to safety for patients and doctors.

In hemodialysis patients, radiographic imaging with iodinated contrast medium (ICM) application plays a central role in the diagnosis and/or follow-up of disease-related conditions. Therefore, safety aspects concerning ICM administration and radiation exposure have a great impact on this group of patients. Current hardware and software improvements including the design and synthesis of modern contrast compounds allow the use of very small amounts of ICM in concert with low radiation exposure.

Regional Radiation Pneumonitis After SIRT of a Subcapsular Liver Metastasis: What is the Effect of Direct Beta Irradiation?

We herein present a patient undergoing selective internal radiation therapy with an almost normal lung shunt fraction of 11.5%, developing histologically proven radiation pneumonitis. Due to a predominance of pulmonary consolidations in the right lower lung and its proximity to a large liver metastases located in the dome of the right liver lobe a Monte Carlo simulation was performed to estimate the effect of direct irradiation of the lung parenchyma.

Disastrous Portal Vein Embolization Turned into a Successful Intervention.

Portal vein embolization (PVE) may be performed before hemihepatectomy to increase the volume of future liver remnant (FLR) and to reduce the risk of postoperative liver insufficiency. We report the case of a 71-year-old patient with hilar cholangiocarcinoma undergoing PVE with access from the right portal vein using a mixture of n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate and ethiodized oil. During the procedure, nontarget embolization of the left portal vein occurred.

A robotic needle-positioning and guidance system for CT-guided puncture: Ex vivo results.

Purpose: To test the feasibility of a robotic needle-guidance platform during CT-guided puncture ex vivo.

Material And Methods: Thin copper wires inserted into a torso phantom served as targets. The phantom was placed on a carbon plate and the robot-positioning unit (RPU) of the guidance platform (iSYS Medizintechnik GmbH, Kitzbuehel, Austria) was attached.

Characterization and differentiation of body fluids, putrefaction fluid, and blood using Hounsfield unit in postmortem CT.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the ranges of Hounsfield unit (HU) found in body fluids, putrefaction fluids, and blood on postmortem CT and how these ranges are affected by postmortem interval, temperatures, and CT beam energy. Body fluids, putrefaction fluids, and blood from a total of 53 corpses were analyzed to determine the ranges of HU values from postmortem CT images that were taken prior to autopsy. The fluids measured in CT images were obtained at autopsy and examined in terms of macroscopic and microscopic appearances.

Quantification of popliteal artery deformation during leg flexion in subjects with peripheral artery disease: a pilot study.

Purpose: To quantify the in vivo deformations of the popliteal artery during leg flexion in subjects with clinically relevant peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Methods: Five patients (4 men; mean age 69 years, range 56-79) with varying calcification levels of the popliteal artery undergoing endovascular revascularization underwent 3-dimensional (3D) rotational angiography. Image acquisition was performed with the leg straight and with a flexion of 70°/20° in the knee/hip joints.

Radiation exposure in CT-guided interventions.

Purpose: To investigate radiation exposure in computed tomography (CT)-guided interventions, to establish reference levels for exposure, and to discuss strategies for dose reduction.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed 1576 consecutive CT-guided procedures in 1284 patients performed over 4.5 years, including drainage placements; biopsies of different organs; radiofrequency and microwave ablations (RFA/MWA) of liver, bone, and lung tumors; pain blockages, and vertebroplasties.

The effect of Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation on titanium discs with microtextured surface morphology.

Both mechanical and chemical methods can be used to clean and decontaminate implant surfaces. Incomplete debridement of infected tissue and failure to clear endotoxins can result in graft failure and a return of the defect. Recently, lasers have gained popularity for sterilizing and cleaning implant surfaces.

The "embowire" technique: concept and description of a novel embolization technique for narrow vessels.

We describe a new, useful embolization technique applied to occlude narrow vessel branches (≤ 1.5 mm (0.06") in diameter) by deployment of one hydrocoil, through a microcatheter, in a way similar to the way in which one might navigate through the vascular lumen with a guidewire.

Effects of Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation on the surface characteristics of titanium discs: an in vitro study.

Lasers are used to modify the surfaces of dental implants or to decontaminate exposed implant surfaces. However, research is lacking on whether the laser causes any change on the surfaces of titanium implants. We aimed to determine the effects of laser treatment on the surface characteristics of titanium discs.