Inter-scanner comparability of Z-scores for native myocardial T1 and T2 mapping.

Background: Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) native T1 and T2 mapping serve as robust, contrast-agent-free diagnostic tools, but hardware- and software-specific sources of variability limit the generalizability of data across CMR platforms, consequently limiting the interpretability of patient-specific parametric data. Z-scores are used to describe the relationship of observed values to the mean results as obtained in a sufficiently large normal sample. They have been successfully used to describe the severity of quantifiable abnormalities in medicine, specifically in children and adolescents.

MRI findings of epipericardial fat necrosis: As a rare cause of acute chest pain in a healthy man.

Epipericardial fat necrosis (EPFN) is a rare, benign cause of acute chest pain imitating symptoms of life-threatening diseases, such as acute coronary syndrome. Here We report a 37-year-old, healthy male presented to the emergency department (ED) with sudden-onset pleuritic chest pain after an isometric physical training. Initial cardiac workup included ECG, echocardiography was unremarkable, but diagnosis of an inflammatory process that involved the epipericardial fat tissue surrounding the heart was made by showing encapsulated fatty lesion, enhanced adjacent parietal pericardium using of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Enablers and barriers encountered by working-age and older adults with vision impairment who pursue braille training.

Purpose: We explored the experiences of working-age and older adults with acquired vision impairment who pursued braille rehabilitation training, and the facilitators and barriers they encountered throughout this process.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews of up to 90 min in length were conducted with 14 participants from across Canada who learned braille between the ages of 33 and 67 (Mdn = 46). Transcripts were analyzed by two researchers using interpretive phenomenological analysis.