Effectiveness and safety outcomes after long-term (54 weeks) vedolizumab therapy for Crohn's disease: a prospective, real-world observational study including patient-reported outcomes (POLONEZ II).

Background: The Crohn's Disease (CD) Activity Index (CDAI), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Questionnaire (IBDQ), and IBD-Fatigue (IBD-F) scale are useful patient-reported outcome (PRO) tools for assessing the treatment benefits of vedolizumab (VDZ) beyond clinical trial endpoints in patients with CD.

Objectives: To assess clinical response, clinical remission, steroid-free remission, changes from baseline for PROs, and safety in a real-world cohort of patients with moderate-to-severe active CD treated with VDZ.

Design: POLONEZ II was a multicenter, observational, prospective study across 10 Polish centers from April 2020 to October 2023 for 54 weeks in patients with CD eligible for reimbursed VDZ.

Intraorbital Retrobulbar Salivary Gland Choristoma: Presentation of a Unique Case and Review of the Literature.

Background:  A choristoma is defined as the accumulation of normal tissue in an abnormal location. Salivary gland choristomas are a rare entity that is most frequently described in the middle ear. However, there are a few reported cases of salivary gland choristomas in other locations like the pituitary gland and the optic nerve dural sheath.

Impact of non-contrast-enhanced imaging input sequences on the generation of virtual contrast-enhanced breast MRI scans using neural network.

Objective: To investigate how different combinations of T1-weighted (T1w), T2-weighted (T2w), and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) impact the performance of virtual contrast-enhanced (vCE) breast MRI.

Materials And Methods: The IRB-approved, retrospective study included 1064 multiparametric breast MRI scans (age: 52 ± 12 years) obtained from 2017 to 2020 (single site, two 3-T MRI). Eleven independent neural networks were trained to derive vCE images from varying input combinations of T1w, T2w, and multi-b-value DWI sequences (b-value = 50-1500 s/mm).

Complication rates after autologous cranioplasty following decompressive craniectomy.

Objective: The reimplantation of autologous bone grafts after decompressive craniectomy (DC) is still up for debate. The objective of this study was to analyze the surgical revision rate for autologous cranioplasties in our center, aiming to identify predictors for procedure-related-complications.

Methods: A retrospective single-center study was conducted for adult patients who underwent autologous cranioplasty after DC.

Tumor-Specific Alterations in Motor Cortex Excitability and Tractography of the Corticospinal Tract-A Navigated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study.

Background: Non-invasive brain mapping using navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) is a valuable tool prior to resection of malignant brain tumors. With nTMS motor mapping, it is additionally possible to analyze the function of the motor system and to evaluate tumor-induced neuroplasticity. Distinct changes in motor cortex excitability induced by certain malignant brain tumors are a focal point of research.

Time-domain diffuse correlation spectroscopy at large source detector separation for cerebral blood flow recovery.

Time-domain diffuse correlation spectroscopy (td-DCS) enables the depth discrimination in tissue's blood flow recovery, considering the fraction of photons detected with higher time of flight (TOF) and longer pathlength through the tissue. However, the recovery result depends on factors such as the instrument response function (IRF), analyzed TOF gate start time, gate width and the source-detector separation (SDS). In this research we evaluate the performance of the td-DCS technique at three SDSs of 1.

Resection of meningiomas located in motor eloquent areas - comparative analysis of navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation and conventional neuronavigation.

Background: Navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) has been established as a preoperative diagnostic procedure in glioma surgery, increasing the extent of resection and preserving functional outcome. nTMS motor mapping for the resection of motor eloquent meningiomas has not been evaluated in a comparative analysis, yet.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective matched-pair analysis for tumor location and size in meningioma patients with tumors located over or close to the primary motor cortex.

Acute-to-chronic subdural hematoma: radiographic and clinical progression from acute subdural hematoma.

Introduction: The pathogenesis of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) has not been completely understood. However, different mechanisms can result in space-occupying subdural fluid collections, one pathway can be the transformation of an original trauma-induced acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) into a CSDH.

Materials And Methods: All patients with unilateral CSDH, requiring burr hole trephination between 2018 and 2023 were included.

Significance of navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation and tractography to preserve motor function in patients undergoing surgery for motor eloquent gliomas.

Resection of gliomas in or close to motor areas is at high risk for morbidity and development of surgery-related deficits. Navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) including nTMS-based tractography is suitable for presurgical planning and risk assessment. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of postoperative motor status and the spatial relation to motor eloquent brain tissue in order to increase the understanding of postoperative motor deficits.

Lesion-conditioning of synthetic MRI-derived subtraction-MIPs of the breast using a latent diffusion model.

The purpose of this feasibility study is to investigate if latent diffusion models (LDMs) are capable to generate contrast enhanced (CE) MRI-derived subtraction maximum intensity projections (MIPs) of the breast, which are conditioned by lesions. We trained an LDM with n = 2832 CE-MIPs of breast MRI examinations of n = 1966 patients (median age: 50 years) acquired between the years 2015 and 2020. The LDM was subsequently conditioned with n = 756 segmented lesions from n = 407 examinations, indicating their location and BI-RADS scores.

Depth-selective method for time-domain diffuse reflectance measurements: validation study of the dual subtraction technique.

Research on the spatial distribution of sensitivity of time-domain near infrared diffuse reflectance measurement is reported in this paper. The main objective of the investigation is to validate theoretically calculated sensitivity profiles for a measurement geometry with two detectors and two sources in which sensitivity profiles of statistical moments of distributions of time of flight of photons (DTOFs) are spatially restricted to a region underneath the detectors. For this dual subtraction method, smaller sensitivities to changes appearing in the superficial layer of the medium were observed compared to the single distance and single subtraction methods.

Risk factors for prolonged length of stay after first single-level lumbar microdiscectomy.

Objective: The objective is to identify risk factors that potentially prolong the hospital stay in patients after undergoing first single-level open lumbar microdiscectomy.

Methods: A retrospective single-centre study was conducted. Demographic data, medical records, intraoperative course, and imaging studies were analysed.

Parkinson's Disease and Photobiomodulation: Potential for Treatment.

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and is increasing in incidence. The combination of motor and non-motor symptoms makes this a devastating disease for people with Parkinson's disease and their care givers. Parkinson's disease is characterised by mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal death in the substantia nigra, a reduction in dopamine, accumulation of α-synuclein aggregates and neuroinflammation.

Smart forecasting of artifacts in contrast-enhanced breast MRI before contrast agent administration.

Objectives: To evaluate whether artifacts on contrast-enhanced (CE) breast MRI maximum intensity projections (MIPs) might already be forecast before gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) administration during an ongoing examination by analyzing the unenhanced T1-weighted images acquired before the GBCA injection.

Materials And Methods: This IRB-approved retrospective analysis consisted of n = 2884 breast CE MRI examinations after intravenous administration of GBCA, acquired with n = 4 different MRI devices at different field strengths (1.5 T/3 T) during clinical routine.

A novel transcranial photobiomodulation device to address motor signs of Parkinson's disease: a parallel randomised feasibility study.

Background: Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disease with limited treatment options. Animal models and a proof-of-concept case series have suggested that photobiomodulation may be an effective adjunct treatment for the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The aim was to determine the safety and feasibility of transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) to reduce the motor signs of Parkinson's disease.

Dietary environmental factors shape the immune defense against Cryptosporidium infection.

Cryptosporidium is a leading cause of diarrheal-related deaths in children, especially in resource-poor settings. It also targets the immunocompromised, chronically infecting people living with HIV and primary immunodeficiencies. There is no vaccine or effective treatment.

Influence of clinical and tumor-specific factors on the resting motor threshold in navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Objective: Preoperative non-invasive mapping of motor function with navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) has become a widely used diagnostic procedure. Determination of the patient-individual resting motor threshold (rMT) is of great importance to achieve reliable results when conducting nTMS motor mapping. Factors which contribute to differences in rMT of brain tumor patients have not been fully investigated.

Multi-echo-based fat artifact correction for CEST MRI at 7 T.

Purpose: CEST MRI is influenced by fat signal, which can reduce the apparent CEST contrast or lead to pseudo-CEST effects. Our goal was to develop a fat artifact correction based on multi-echo fat-water separation that functions stably for 7 T knee MRI data.

Methods: Our proposed algorithm utilizes the full complex data and a phase demodulation with an off-resonance map estimation based on the Z-spectra prior to fat-water separation to achieve stable fat artifact correction.

Two-layered blood-lipid phantom and method to determine absorption and oxygenation employing changes in moments of DTOFs.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is an established technique for measuring tissue oxygen saturation (StO), which is of high clinical value. For tissues that have layered structures, it is challenging but clinically relevant to obtain StO of the different layers, e.g.

Neurodegenerative and Neurodevelopmental Diseases and the Gut-Brain Axis: The Potential of Therapeutic Targeting of the Microbiome.

The human gut microbiome contains the largest number of bacteria in the body and has the potential to greatly influence metabolism, not only locally but also systemically. There is an established link between a healthy, balanced, and diverse microbiome and overall health. When the gut microbiome becomes unbalanced (dysbiosis) through dietary changes, medication use, lifestyle choices, environmental factors, and ageing, this has a profound effect on our health and is linked to many diseases, including lifestyle diseases, metabolic diseases, inflammatory diseases, and neurological diseases.

Embolization of the middle meningeal artery vs. second surgery-treatment response and volume course of recurrent chronic subdural hematomas.

Background: Despite multiple studies on the embolization of the middle meningeal artery, there is limited data on the treatment response of recurrent chronic subdural hematomas (CSDH) to embolization and on the volume change.

Methods: We retrospectively compared the treatment response and volume change of recurrent CSDHs in a conventional group (second surgery) with an embolization group (embolization as stand-alone treatment) during the time-period from August 2019 until June 2022. Different clinical and radiological factors were assessed.

Real-world effectiveness and safety of vedolizumab induction therapy for ulcerative colitis: A prospective nationwide Polish observational study.

Background: Vedolizumab is recommended as a first-line biological treatment, along with other biological drugs, in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients in whom conventional therapy failed and as a second-line biological treatment following a failure of a tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) antagonist.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the real-world effectiveness and safety of vedolizumab induction therapy in UC patients treated in the scope of the National Drug Program (NDP) in Poland.

Material And Methods: The endpoints were the proportions of patients who reached clinical response, clinical remission and mucosal healing at week 14.