Introduction: Localised renal masses are an increasing burden on healthcare due to the rising number of cases. However, conventional imaging cannot reliably distinguish between benign and malignant renal masses, and renal mass biopsies are unable to characterise the entirety of the tumour due to sampling error, which may lead to delayed treatment or overtreatment. There is an unmet clinical need to develop novel imaging techniques to characterise renal masses more accurately.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHyperpolarised magnetic resonance imaging (HP-C-MRI) has shown promise as a clinical tool for detecting and characterising prostate cancer. Here we use a range of spatially resolved histological techniques to identify the biological mechanisms underpinning differential [1-C]lactate labelling between benign and malignant prostate, as well as in tumours containing cribriform and non-cribriform Gleason pattern 4 disease. Here we show that elevated hyperpolarised [1-C]lactate signal in prostate cancer compared to the benign prostate is primarily driven by increased tumour epithelial cell density and vascularity, rather than differences in epithelial lactate concentration between tumour and normal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground Impaired glucose metabolism is characteristic of several types of dementia, preceding cognitive symptoms and structural brain changes. Reduced glucose uptake in specific brain regions, detected using fluorine 18 (F) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET, is a valuable diagnostic marker in Alzheimer disease (AD). However, the use of F-FDG PET in clinical practice may be limited by equipment availability and high cost.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To study the reproducibility of Na magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements from breast tissue in healthy volunteers.
Methods: Using a dual-tuned bilateral Na/H breast coil at 3-T MRI, high-resolution Na MRI three-dimensional cones sequences were used to quantify total sodium concentration (TSC) and fluid-attenuated sodium concentration (FASC). B-corrected TSC and FASC maps were created.
Objectives: To assess the feasibility of sodium-23 MRI for performing quantitative and non-invasive measurements of total sodium concentration (TSC) and relaxation in a variety of abdominal organs.
Materials And Methods: Proton and sodium imaging of the abdomen was performed in 19 healthy volunteers using a 3D cones sequence and a sodium-tuned 4-rung transmit/receive body coil on a clinical 3 T system. The effects of B non-uniformity on TSC measurements were corrected using the double-angle method.
MRI with hyperpolarized (HP) C agents, also known as HP C MRI, can measure processes such as localized metabolism that is altered in numerous cancers, liver, heart, kidney diseases, and more. It has been translated into human studies during the past 10 years, with recent rapid growth in studies largely based on increasing availability of hyperpolarized agent preparation methods suitable for use in humans. This paper aims to capture the current successful practices for HP MRI human studies with [1-C]pyruvate - by far the most commonly used agent, which sits at a key metabolic junction in glycolysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKratom () is an herb that is sold over the counter in both pill and liquid forms. It contains opioid and stimulant properties and is used for relaxation as well as for weaning off opioid addictions. While a few adverse effects of kratom have been already reported, mainly with concerns around its toxicity, very little is known about it.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Hospitals have implemented various wellness interventions to offset the negative effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on emergency physician morale and burnout. There is limited high quality evidence regarding effectiveness of hospital-directed wellness interventions, leaving hospitals without guidance on best practices. We sought to determine intervention effectiveness and frequency of use in the spring/summer 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Hospitals have implemented innovative strategies to address overcrowding by optimizing patient flow through the emergency department (ED). Vertical split flow refers to the concept of assigning patients to vertical chairs instead of horizontal beds based on patient acuity.
Objective: Evaluate the impact of vertical split flow implementation on ED Emergency Severity Index (ESI) level 3, patient length of stay, and throughput at a community hospital.
There is increasing evidence to support the use of temozolomide therapy for the treatment of metastatic phaeochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PPGL) in adults, particularly in patients with mutations. In children however, very little data is available. In this report, we present the case of a 12-year-old female with a SDHB-related metastatic paraganglioma treated with surgery followed by temozolomide therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To investigate the relationship between magnetization transfer (MT) imaging and tissue macromolecules in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) and whether MT ratio (MTR) changes following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT).
Methods: This was a prospective observational study. 12 HGSOC patients were imaged before treatment.
Hyperpolarised [1-C]pyruvate MRI (HP-C-MRI) is an emerging metabolic imaging technique that has shown promise for evaluating prostate cancer (PCa) aggressiveness. Accurate tumour delineation on HP-C-MRI is vital for quantitative assessment of the underlying tissue metabolism. However, there is no consensus on the optimum method for segmenting HP-C-MRI, and whole-mount pathology (WMP) as the histopathological gold-standard is only available for surgical patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeuterium metabolic imaging (DMI) and hyperpolarized C-pyruvate MRI (C-HPMRI) are two emerging methods for non-invasive and non-ionizing imaging of tissue metabolism. Imaging cerebral metabolism has potential applications in cancer, neurodegeneration, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and inborn errors of metabolism. Here we directly compare these two non-invasive methods at 3 T for the first time in humans and show how they simultaneously probe both oxidative and non-oxidative metabolism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), also known as concussion, many patients with chronic symptoms (>3 months post injury) receive conventional imaging such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, these modalities often do not show changes after mTBI. We studied the benefit of triaging patients with ongoing symptoms >3 months post injury by quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) and then completing a brain single positron emission computed tomography (SPECT) to aid in diagnosis and early detection of brain changes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the community, there is a need to more objectively evaluate the response of common chronic psychiatric disorders to treatment. Brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) indirectly measures cerebral functional activity by uptake of a radiotracer, which follows regional cerebral blood flow. Brain 3D Thresholded SPECT scans are thresholded three dimensional images derived from brain SPECT data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic has caused significant disruptions in the clinical operations of hospitals as well as clinical education, training, and research at academic centers. New York State was among the first and largest epicenters of the pandemic, resulting in significant disruptions across its 29 emergency medicine (EM) residency programs. We conducted a cross-sectional observational study of EM residency programs in New York State to assess the impact of the pandemic on resident education and training programs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic displaced newly matched emergency medicine "pre-interns" from in-person educational experiences at the end of medical school. This called for novel remote teaching modalities.
Objective: This study assesses effectiveness of a multisite Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) sub-competency-based curricular implementation on Slack during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.