Ultrasound-guided non-targeted liver core biopsy: comparison of the efficacy of two different core needle biopsy systems using an ex-vivo animal model and retrospective review of clinical experience.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of two 18-gauge core needle biopsy systems, the Achieve® (Merit Medical) and the Marquee® (BD Bard), using an ex-vivo animal liver model and retrospective review of clinical experience.

Methods: Sixty ex-vivo liver biopsy samples were obtained using the Achieve® (n = 30) and the Marquee® (n = 30) needles. In addition, 20 liver biopsy samples from 20 patients obtained using the Achieve® (n = 10) and Marquee® (n = 10) were compared retrospectively.

[Low detection rate and therapeutic success of tuberculosis in a prison in EcuadorBaixo recrutamento de pacientes e sucesso no tratamento da tuberculose em uma prisão do Equador].

Objective: Evaluate the control of pulmonary tuberculosis in a detention center and identify the risk factors associated with unsuccessful treatment in the largest prison in Ecuador.

Methods: Surveillance data from the prison and a cohort of inmates diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) between 2015 and 2016 were analyzed. Records without treatment outcome information were excluded.

CT and MR imaging evaluation of living liver donors.

Preoperative cross-sectional imaging evaluation of potential living liver donors allows to exclude donors with an increased risk for morbidity and mortality, and to assure that a suitable graft for the recipient can be obtained, minimizing the risk of complications in both the donor and the recipient. CT is routinely performed to delineate the anatomy of the liver, relevant vasculature, and liver volumes in whole right or left lateral segment donation. MR imaging is the gold standard for the assessment of biliary anatomy and allows a better quantification of hepatic steatosis compared to CT.

Cost-effectiveness of dual-energy CT versus multiphasic single-energy CT and MRI for characterization of incidental indeterminate renal lesions.

Purpose: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of DECT versus multiphasic CT and MRI for characterizing small incidentally detected indeterminate renal lesions using a Markov Monte Carlo decision-analytic model.

Background: Incidental renal lesions are commonly encountered due to the increasing utilization of medical imaging and the increasing prevalence of renal lesions with age. Currently recommended imaging modalities to further characterize incidental indeterminate renal lesions have some inherent drawbacks.

[Tuberculosis in children and adolescents in Ecuador: analysis of reporting, disease characteristics and treatment outcomeTuberculose em crianças e adolescentes no Equador: análise da notificação, características da doença e resultados do tratamento].

Objectives: To estimate the tuberculosis (TB) burden in children under 15 years of age and to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics and the results of the anti-tuberculosis treatment in Ecuador.

Methods: A retrospective study was carried out using data from the national TB programm for 2015 and 2016. The rate and percentage of cases of childhood TB were estimated and the disease characteristics and treatment outcome were described according to age categories: 0-4, 5-9 and 10-14 years.

Factors associated with mortality in persons co-infected with tuberculosis and HIV in Suriname: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To identify socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with mortality among persons with tuberculosis (TB) and TB/HIV co-infection in Suriname.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study using data from the national TB and HIV databases for 2010 - 2015. The survival probability of TB and TB/HIV co-infected patients was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier estimates and the log-rank test.

Determinants of sputum smear nonconversion in smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Suriname, 2010 - 2015.

Objective: To identify factors associated with sputum smear nonconversion in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in Suriname.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted using routinely-collected surveillance data of PTB cases reported in January 2010 - December 2015 and recorded in the database of the National Tuberculosis Program of Suriname. Cases were smear-positive PTB patients whose sputum results were negative 2 months after treatment initiation.

A novel immature natural killer cell subpopulation predicts relapse after cord blood transplantation.

Natural killer (NK) cells are highly heterogeneous, with vast phenotypic and functional diversity at the single-cell level. They are involved in the innate immune response against malignant and virus-infected cells. To understand the effect of NK diversity during immune recovery on the antitumor response after cord blood transplantation (CBT), we used high-dimensional mass cytometry and the metrics of NK cell diversity to study the NK cell repertoire in serial samples from 43 CBT recipients.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Palpable Abdominal Mass-Suspected Neoplasm.

Palpable abdominal masses may arise from the abdominal cavity or the abdominal wall. The differential diagnosis is broad for each variant ranging from benign lipomas, inflammatory processes, to malignant tumors. The imaging approach to diagnosis varies by location.

Is tuberculosis elimination a feasible goal in Colombia by 2050?

Colombia has an underreporting of 30% of the total cases, according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimations. In 2016, successful tuberculosis (TB) treatment rate was 70%, and the mortality rate ranged between 3.5% and 10%.

Inflammatory Cell Differentiation and Chemotaxis and Extracellular Tissue Repair Markers Are Correlated with Pulmonary Dysfunction in HIV Infected Individuals Presenting with Community-Acquired Pneumonia.

Prior studies have shown that HIV patients develop permanent pulmonary dysfunction following an episode of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, the mechanism causing pulmonary dysfunction remains an enigma. HIV patients experience chronic inflammation.

Local Tumor Control and Patient Outcome Using Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: iRECIST as a Potential Substitute for Traditional Criteria.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether, compared with traditional criteria, the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1 for immune-based therapeutics (iRECIST) improves prediction of local tumor control and survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Fifty-one HCC lesions (mean size, 3.

Predictive model for chaplain taxonomy patterns identified through latent class analysis among infants in a pediatric inpatient setting.

This study investigated patterns of spiritual care provided to inpatient infants and their parents, based on a taxonomy developed to describe spiritual care activities provided by chaplains. Data from 821 visits with 433 patients were included in the analyses. We applied a data-driven statistical approach, Latent Class Analysis (LCA), to identify patterns of taxonomy items that may be used for spiritual care.

Evaluation of Intraindividual Contrast Enhancement Variability for Determining the Maximum Achievable Consistency in CT.

The purpose of this study was to quantify temporal variability in vascular and parenchymal enhancement within the same patient and to determine technique-related factors contributing to this variability. We identified 100 patients who underwent four CT scans within 12 months with identical acquisition and contrast injection parameters. Enhancement was recorded in the abdominal aorta, main portal vein, liver parenchyma, and subcutaneous fat.

Reproducibility of CT Radiomic Features within the Same Patient: Influence of Radiation Dose and CT Reconstruction Settings.

Background Results of recent phantom studies show that variation in CT acquisition parameters and reconstruction techniques may make radiomic features largely nonreproduceable and of limited use for prognostic clinical studies. Purpose To investigate the effect of CT radiation dose and reconstruction settings on the reproducibility of radiomic features, as well as to identify correction factors for mitigating these sources of variability. Materials and Methods This was a secondary analysis of a prospective study of metastatic liver lesions in patients who underwent staging with single-energy dual-source contrast material-enhanced staging CT between September 2011 and April 2012.

Adapting Health through Early Awareness and Learning Program into a New Faith-Based Organization Context.

Background: Black churches serve as a trusted source of health information. Church congregants who are community health advisors (CHAs) can play a significant role in underserved communities.

Objectives: To describe 1) a community engagement program between an academic medical center and faith-based organizations (FBOs) in which a health care chaplain plays a central role, and 2) an adaptation of the original Health through Early Awareness and Learning (HEAL) educational program that trains CHAs in FBOs in other underserved communities.

A Simulation Paradigm for Evaluation of Subtle Liver Lesions at Pediatric CT: Performance and Confidence.

Purpose: To create and validate a systematic observer performance platform for evaluation of simulated liver lesions at pediatric CT and to test this paradigm to measure the effect of radiation dose reduction on detection performance and reader confidence.

Materials And Methods: Thirty normal pediatric (from patients aged 0-10 years) contrast material-enhanced, de-identified abdominal CT scans obtained from July 1, 2012, through July 1, 2016, were retrospectively collected from the clinical database. The study was exempt from institutional review board approval.

Correlation of preoperative imaging characteristics with donor outcomes and operative difficulty in laparoscopic donor nephrectomy.

This study aimed to understand the relationship of preoperative measurements and risk factors on operative time and outcomes of laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. Two hundred forty-two kidney donors between 2010 and 2017 were identified. Patients' demographic, anthropomorphic, and operative characteristics were abstracted from the electronic medical record.

Nitric oxide impacts bovine sperm capacitation in a cGMP-dependent and cGMP-independent manner.

We aimed to elucidate whether NO acts in in vitro sperm capacitation in bovine via cGMP/PKG1 pathway. For this, cryopreserved bovine sperm were capacitated in vitro with 20 µg/ml heparin (Control) plus treatments: 1 mM L-arginine (L-arg, NO precursor), 50 µM Rp-8-Bromo-β-phenyl-1,N -ethenoguanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphorothioate (Rp-8-Br-cGMPS, selective inhibitor of the binding site for cGMP in PKG1), 1 mM 2-Phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide (PTIO, NO scavenger), and the combinations of L-arg + RP-8-Br-cGMPS and L-arg + PTIO. Sperm motility and vigour were determined by phase-contrast microscopy, capacitation status by chlortetracycline staining, and the intracellular concentration of cGMP was measured by ELISA.

MicroRNA profiling in kidney in pigs fed ochratoxin A contaminated diet.

OTA is a toxic metabolite produced by fungus belonging to Aspergillus and Penicillium genera. Kidney is the main target of this toxin; OTA is considered as one of the etiological factors at the origin of the human Balkan endemic nephropathy. microRNA are short non-coding transcrips (18-22 nucleotides in length) regulating key cellular processes.

Validation of algorithmic CT image quality metrics with preferences of radiologists.

Purpose: Automated assessment of perceptual image quality on clinical Computed Tomography (CT) data by computer algorithms has the potential to greatly facilitate data-driven monitoring and optimization of CT image acquisition protocols. The application of these techniques in clinical operation requires the knowledge of how the output of the computer algorithms corresponds to clinical expectations. This study addressed the need to validate algorithmic image quality measurements on clinical CT images with preferences of radiologists and determine the clinically acceptable range of algorithmic measurements for abdominal CT examinations.