Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Thrombocyte-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Predictor of Severe and Moderate/Mild Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Patients: Preliminary Results.

Introduction: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) represents a major cause of mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU). The inflammatory response is escalated by the cytokines and chemokines released by neutrophils, therefore the search for quantifying the impact of this pathophysiological mechanism is imperative. Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are indicators of systemic inflammation, widely accessible, inexpensive, and uncomplicated parameters.

Total Psoas Area and Psoas Density Assessment in COVID-19 Patients Using CT Imaging - Could Muscle Mass Alteration During Intensive Care Hospitalization be Determined?

Background: Since its debut, as reported by the first published studies, COVID-19 has been linked to life-threatening conditions that needed vital assistance and admission to the intensive care unit. Skeletal muscle is a core element in an organism's health due to its ability to keep energy balance and homeostasis. Many patients with prolonged hospitalization are characterized by a greater probability prone to critical illness myopathy or intensive care unit-acquired weakness.

LC-MS/MS assisted biomonitoring of ropivacaine and 3-OH-ropivacaine after plane block anesthesia for cardiac device implantation.

Ropivacaine is a popular local anesthetic used for regional anesthesia or for pain management. Although designed as an enantiomerically pure drug, an aspect that reduces the adverse effects, its toxicological effects are still a risk. As such, biomonitoring to assure appropriate dosage and bioavailability are essential to avoid complications during or post-surgery.

Efficacy of 3D VIBE Dixon fat quantification for differentiating clear-cell from non-clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.

Aim: To assess the efficacy of three-dimensional (3D) volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with Dixon quantification for differentiating clear-cell from non-clear-cell types of renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Materials And Methods: The 3D VIBE Dixon renal MRI examinations of 44 patients with 45 histologically confirmed RCCs was analysed. The fat fractions and signal intensity indexes (SI) of the solid portions of clear-cell and non-clear-cell RCCs were measured and compared using Student's t-test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Bone Mass, Microstructure, and Strength Can Discriminate Vertebral Fracture in Patients on Long-Term Steroid Treatment.

Context: Measurement of areal bone mineral density (aBMD) by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was able to predict fracture risk. High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) yields additional information about volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), microarchitecture, and strength that may increase our understanding of fracture susceptibility.

Objective: To ascertain whether vBMD, microarchitecture, and estimated bone strength derived from HR-pQCT can discriminate vertebral fractures in patients with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) independent of aBMD.

Hypertension management research priorities from patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers: A report from the Hypertension Canada Priority Setting Partnership Group.

Patient- and stakeholder-oriented research is vital to improving the relevance of research. The authors aimed to identify the 10 most important research priorities of patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers (family physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and dietitians) for hypertension management. Using the James Lind Alliance approach, a national web-based survey asked patients, caregivers, and care providers to submit their unanswered questions on hypertension management.

A qualitative study of the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of people exposed to diesel exhaust at the workplace in British Columbia, Canada.

Purpose: To identify exposure-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of individuals occupationally exposed to diesel exhaust (DE); to reveal strengths, knowledge gaps and misperceptions therein.

Methods: A Mental Models approach was used to gather information about current scientific understanding of DE exposure hazards and the ways in which exposure can be reduced. Thirty individuals in British Columbia who were regularly exposed to occupational DE were interviewed.

Correlation between apparent diffusion coefficient and histopathology subtypes of osteosarcoma after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Background Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has made limb-salvage surgery possible for the patients with osteosarcoma. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) has been used to monitor chemotherapy response. Purpose To correlate the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values with histopathology subtypes of osteosarcoma after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Preliminary study of diffusion-weighted MRI in the preoperative diagnosis of cystitis glandularis.

Aim: To assess the efficacy of diffusion-weighted (DWI) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in distinguishing cystitis glandularis (CG) from bladder urothelial carcinoma.

Materials And Methods: Ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), conventional MRI, and DWI of 30 patients with histopathologically confirmed CG were analysed retrospectively and the imaging findings were correlated to the findings at histology.

Results: Ultrasound was non diagnostic in 11/18 and misdiagnosed malignancy in 7/18; CT was non diagnostic in 6/10 and misdiagnosed malignancy in 4/10; MRI was non diagnostic in 0 and misdiagnosed malignancy in 4/5 respectively.

Diesel exhaust augments allergen-induced lower airway inflammation in allergic individuals: a controlled human exposure study.

Rationale: Traffic-related air pollution has been shown to augment allergy and airway disease. However, the enhancement of allergenic effects by diesel exhaust in particular is unproven in vivo in the human lung, and underlying details of this apparent synergy are poorly understood.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that a 2 h inhalation of diesel exhaust augments lower airway inflammation and immune cell activation following segmental allergen challenge in atopic subjects.

Assessment of Activity of Crohn Disease by Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

To assess the diagnostic efficacy of diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) for evaluating inflammatory activity in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). A total of 47 CD patients underwent MR enterography (MRE) and DWI using 3 b values of 50, 400, and 800 s/mm. Apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) of inflamed and normal bowel wall were calculated.

Multiparametric 3-T MRI for differentiating low-versus high-grade and category T1 versus T2 bladder urothelial carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to determine an optimal multiparametric MRI protocol for characterizing tumors of low versus high grade and differentiating tumors as T1 versus T2 for preoperative staging of bladder urothelial carcinoma. SUBJECTS AND METHODS.

Diagnostic and post-treatment CT appearance of biopsy proven mixed Cryptococcus and Candida cholangitis.

Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida are common opportunistic pathogens of human. There is very limited literature on Cryptococcus neoformans cholangitis or Candida cholangitis in immunocompetent patient while mixed Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida cholangitis has not been reported in the literature ever before. We hereby report the imaging findings of a case of mixed Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida cholangitis in an immunocompetent boy.

MR diffusion tensor imaging of normal kidneys.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of normal kidneys and the influence of hydration state.

Materials And Methods: Ten healthy volunteers underwent renal DTI after fasting for 12 hours and 4 hours, without fasting, and following water diuresis. Medullary and cortical apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values were measured and compared in the four different states of hydration.

PM10-stimulated airway epithelial cells activate primary human dendritic cells independent of uric acid: application of an in vitro model system exposing dendritic cells to airway epithelial cell-conditioned media.

Background And Objective: Airway epithelial cells represent the first line of defence against inhaled insults, including air pollution. Air pollution can activate innate immune signalling in airway epithelial cells leading to the production of soluble mediators that can influence downstream inflammatory cells. Our objective was to develop and validate a model of dendritic cell exposure to airway epithelial cell-conditioned media.

Value of normalized apparent diffusion coefficient for estimating histological grade of vesical urothelial carcinoma.

Aim: To compare the efficacy of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and normalized ADC (nADC) for estimating the histological grade of vesical urothelial carcinoma and to identify an optimal reference for nADC calculation.

Materials And Methods: Thirty patients with histologically confirmed vesical urothelial carcinomas underwent preoperative diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) of the pelvis. nADC of the tumour was calculated as ADC (tumour)/ADC (reference) using urine in the bladder lumen, and the obturator internus and gluteus maximus muscles as reference.

Anti-oxidant N-acetylcysteine diminishes diesel exhaust-induced increased airway responsiveness in person with airway hyper-reactivity.

Background: Inhalation of diesel exhaust (DE) at moderate concentrations causes increased airway responsiveness in asthmatics and increased airway resistance in both healthy and asthmatic subjects, but the effect of baseline airway responsiveness and anti-oxidant supplementation on this dynamic is unknown.

Objectives: We aimed to determine if changes in airway responsiveness due to DE are attenuated by thiol anti-oxidant supplementation, particularly in those with underlying airway hyper-responsiveness.

Methods: Participants took N-acetylcysteine (600 mg) or placebo capsules three times daily for 6 days.

3T magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging in chronic kidney disease.

Objective: To investigate the relationship of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values with renal function on 3T diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in chronic kidney disease.

Materials And Methods: Twenty healthy volunteers and 29 patients with CKD underwent DTI. The relationship among ADC, FA, and renal function was analyzed.

The effects of golimumab on subclinical atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness in ankylosing spondylitis—a randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial.

Objective: Our aim was to ascertain the efficacy of golimumab compared with placebo in the prevention of atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness in AS.

Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study was performed in which AS patients were treated with golimumab (n = 20) and placebo (n = 21) for 12 months. Patients from the placebo group who failed to achieve a 20% response to Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society criteria (ASAS20) at 6 months received open-label golimumab.

Diffusion-weighted MRI in bladder carcinoma: the differentiation between tumor recurrence and benign changes after resection.

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) in differentiating recurrent tumor from chronic inflammation and fibrosis after cystectomy or transurethral resection of bladder cancer.

Methods: Eleven patients with suspected tumor recurrence underwent pelvic DWI and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI at 3 months to 7 years following bladder cancer resection. The diagnosis was histologically confirmed in all patients by transurethral or cystoscopic resection of 27 lesions within 2 weeks of MR examinations.

MicroRNA expression in response to controlled exposure to diesel exhaust: attenuation by the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine in a randomized crossover study.

Background: Adverse health effects associated with diesel exhaust (DE) are thought to be mediated in part by oxidative stress, but the detailed mechanisms are largely unknown. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally and may respond to exposures such as DE.

Objectives: We profiled peripheral blood cellular miRNAs in participants with mild asthma who were exposed to controlled DE with and without antioxidant supplementation.

Sixty-four-slice computed tomography angiography of perigastric veins with image fusion.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and clinical value of 64-slice computed tomography angiography (CTA) with image fusion for demonstrating the perigastric venous anatomy.

Methods: Twenty-six patients with gastric cancer underwent abdominal CTA examinations. Computed tomography angiography of stomach and perigastric veins and arteries were reconstructed and fused using volume-rendering technique.