Characterization and Genomics of Pectinolytic Bacteria Isolated from Soft Rot Symptomatic Produce.

Bacterial soft rot causes major crop losses annually and can be caused by several species from multiple genera. These bacteria have a broad host range and often infect produce through contact with soil. The main genera causing bacterial soft rot are and , both of which have widespread geographical distribution.

MRI characteristics predict risk of pathological upgrade in patients with ISUP grade group 1 prostate cancer.

Objective: This study aims to analyse multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) characteristics of patients diagnosed with ISUP grade group (GG) 1 prostate cancer (PC) on initial target plus systematic MRI/TRUS fusion-guided biopsy and investigate histopathological progression during follow-up.

Methods: A retrospective single-centre cohort analysis was conducted on consecutive patients with mpMRI visible lesions (PI-RADS ≥ 3) and detection of ISUP-1-PC at the time of initial biopsy. The study assessed clinical, mpMRI, and histopathological parameters.

A summary of the main themes and findings presented at the ASM Intermountain Branch meeting (2024).

The annual meeting for the Intermountain Branch was held in April 2024 on the campus of Brigham Young University. There were 127 branch members from Utah, Idaho, and Nevada who attended the meeting and were composed of undergraduate students, graduate or medical students, and faculty. This report highlights the diversity of, and the emerging trends in, the research conducted by American Society for Microbiology members in the Intermountain Branch.

Sodium MRI of the Lumbar Intervertebral Discs of the Human Spine: An Ex Vivo Study.

Background: Lower back pain affects 75%-85% of people at some point in their lives. The detection of biochemical changes with sodium (Na) MRI has potential to enable an earlier and more accurate diagnosis.

Purpose: To measure Na relaxation times and apparent tissue sodium concentration (aTSC) in ex-vivo intervertebral discs (IVDs), and to investigate the relationship between aTSC and histological Thompson grade.

Two for One-Combined Morphologic and Quantitative Knee Joint MRI Using a Versatile Turbo Spin-Echo Platform.

Quantitative MRI techniques such as T2 and T1ρ mapping are beneficial in evaluating knee joint pathologies; however, long acquisition times limit their clinical adoption. MIXTURE (Multi-Interleaved X-prepared Turbo Spin-Echo with IntUitive RElaxometry) provides a versatile turbo spin-echo (TSE) platform for simultaneous morphologic and quantitative joint imaging. Two MIXTURE sequences were designed along clinical requirements: "MIX1", combining proton density (PD)-weighted fat-saturated (FS) images and T2 mapping (acquisition time: 4:59 min), and "MIX2", combining T1-weighted images and T1ρ mapping (6:38 min).

Disease Course and Pulmonary Involvement of COVID-19 during the Delta Variant Period in Germany: A Comparative Study of Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Patients at a Tertiary Hospital.

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Comparison of compositional MRI techniques to quantify the regenerative potential of articular cartilage: a preclinical minipig model after osteochondral defect treatments with autologous mesenchymal stromal cells and unseeded scaffolds.

Background: The field of orthopedics seeks effective, safer methods for evaluating articular cartilage regeneration. Despite various treatment innovations, non-invasive, contrast-free full quantitative assessments of hyaline articular cartilage's regenerative potential using compositional magnetic resonance (MR) sequences remain challenging. In this context, our aim was to investigate the effectiveness of different MR sequences for quantitative assessment of cartilage and to compare them with the current gold standard delayed gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) measurements.

Deep Learning-Based Denoising of CEST MR Data: A Feasibility Study on Applying Synthetic Phantoms in Medical Imaging.

Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a novel method for analyzing biomolecule concentrations in tissues without exogenous contrast agents. Despite its potential, achieving a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is imperative for detecting small CEST effects. Traditional metrics such as Magnetization Transfer Ratio Asymmetry (MTR) and Lorentzian analyses are vulnerable to image noise, hampering their precision in quantitative concentration estimations.

MRI characteristics and oncological follow-up of patients with ISUP grade group 4 or 5 prostate cancer.

Objectives: To analyze multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) characteristics of patients with International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade group (GG) 4 or 5 prostate cancer (PC) and to correlate MRI parameters with the occurrence of biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy (RPE).

Methods: In this single-center cohort study consecutive patients with mpMRI and ISUP GG 4 or 5 PC were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical, MR-guided biopsy, and diagnostic mpMRI parameter were assessed.

Dynamic assessment of scapholunate ligament status by real-time magnetic resonance imaging: an exploratory clinical study.

Objective: Clinical-standard MRI is the imaging modality of choice for the wrist, yet limited to static evaluation, thereby potentially missing dynamic instability patterns. We aimed to investigate the clinical benefit of (dynamic) real-time MRI, complemented by automatic analysis, in patients with complete or partial scapholunate ligament (SLL) tears.

Material And Methods: Both wrists of ten patients with unilateral SLL tears (six partial, four complete tears) as diagnosed by clinical-standard MRI were imaged during continuous active radioulnar motion using a 1.

First experience with real-time magnetic resonance imaging-based investigation of respiratory influence on cardiac function in pediatric congenital heart disease patients with chronic right ventricular volume overload.

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is often associated with chronic right ventricular (RV) volume overload. Real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enables the analysis of cardiac function during free breathing.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of respiration in pediatric patients with CHD and chronic RV volume overload.

Insights into the Age Dependency of Compositional MR Biomarkers Quantifying the Health Status of Cartilage in Metacarpophalangeal Joints.

(1) Background: We aim to investigate age-related changes in cartilage structure and composition in the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints using magnetic resonance (MR) biomarkers. (2) Methods: The cartilage tissue of 90 MCP joints from 30 volunteers without any signs of destruction or inflammation was examined using T1, T2, and T1ρ compositional MR imaging techniques on a 3 Tesla clinical scanner and correlated with age. (3) Results: The T1ρ and T2 relaxation times showed a significant correlation with age (T1ρ: Kendall-τ-b = 0.

Contrast medium free selective adrenal vein sampling in the management of primary aldosteronism.

Background: To analyze contrast free adrenal vein sampling (AVS) for differentiating unilateral from bilateral disease in patients diagnosed with hypertension due to primary aldosteronism (PA).

Methods: Consecutive patients with PA and subsequent contrast medium free AVS between April 2015 and March 2020 were retrospectively included. Cross-sectional imaging (CSI), AVS and clinical data were analyzed regarding diagnostic performance.

calf - Software for CEST Analysis with Lorentzian Fitting.

Analysis of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI data requires sophisticated methods to obtain reliable results about metabolites in the tissue under study. CEST generates z-spectra with multiple components, each originating from individual molecular groups. The individual lines with Lorentzian line shape are mostly overlapping and disturbed by various effects.

Influence of benign prostatic hyperplasia patterns detected with MRI on the clinical outcome after prostatic artery embolization.

Background: To investigate the influence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patterns detected with MRI on clinical outcomes after prostatic artery embolization (PAE).

Materials & Methods: This retrospective study included 71 consecutive patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the prostate followed by PAE at a single centre. MRI scans were evaluated and BPH patterns were determined according to Wasserman type and a modified BPH classification.

Patient-derived models: Advanced tools for precision medicine in neuroblastoma.

Neuroblastoma is a childhood cancer derived from the sympathetic nervous system. High-risk neuroblastoma patients have a poor overall survival and account for ~15% of childhood cancer deaths. There is thus a need for clinically relevant and authentic models of neuroblastoma that closely resemble the human disease to further interrogate underlying mechanisms and to develop novel therapeutic strategies.

Adaptive IoU Thresholding for Improving Small Object Detection: A Proof-of-Concept Study of Hand Erosions Classification of Patients with Rheumatic Arthritis on X-ray Images.

In recent years, much research evaluating the radiographic destruction of finger joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using deep learning models was conducted. Unfortunately, most previous models were not clinically applicable due to the small object regions as well as the close spatial relationship. In recent years, a new network structure called RetinaNets, in combination with the focal loss function, proved reliable for detecting even small objects.

Clinically relevant treatment of PDX models reveals patterns of neuroblastoma chemoresistance.

Chemotherapy resistance and relapses are common in high-risk neuroblastoma (NB). Here, we developed a clinically relevant in vivo treatment protocol mimicking the first-line five-chemotherapy treatment regimen of high-risk NB and applied this protocol to mice with -amplified NB patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). Genomic and transcriptomic analyses were used to reveal NB chemoresistance mechanisms.

Evaluation of Sodium Relaxation Times and Concentrations in the Achilles Tendon Using MRI.

Sodium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to evaluate the change in the proteoglycan content in Achilles tendons (ATs) of patients with different AT pathologies by measuring the Na signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). As Na SNR alone is difficult to compare between different studies, because of the high influence of hardware configurations and sequence settings on the SNR, we further set out to measure the apparent tissue sodium content (aTSC) in the AT as a better comparable parameter. Ten healthy controls and one patient with tendinopathy in the AT were examined using a clinical 3 Tesla (T) MRI scanner in conjunction with a dual tuned H/Na surface coil to measure Na SNR and aTSC in their ATs.

Lorentzian-Corrected Apparent Exchange-Dependent Relaxation (LAREX) Ω-Plot Analysis-An Adaptation for qCEST in a Multi-Pool System: Comprehensive In Silico, In Situ, and In Vivo Studies.

Based on in silico, in situ, and in vivo studies, this study aims to develop a new method for the quantitative chemical exchange saturation transfer (qCEST) technique considering multi-pool systems. To this end, we extended the state-of-the-art apparent exchange-dependent relaxation (AREX) method with a Lorentzian correction (LAREX). We then validated this new method with in situ and in vivo experiments on human intervertebral discs (IVDs) using the Kendall-Tau correlation coefficient.

Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer for Lactate-Weighted Imaging at 3 T MRI: Comprehensive In Silico, In Vitro, In Situ, and In Vivo Evaluations.

Based on in silico, in vitro, in situ, and in vivo evaluations, this study aims to establish and optimize the chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging of lactate (Lactate-CEST—LATEST). To this end, we optimized LATEST sequences using Bloch−McConnell simulations for optimal detection of lactate with a clinical 3 T MRI scanner. The optimized sequences were used to image variable lactate concentrations in vitro (using phantom measurements), in situ (using nine human cadaveric lower leg specimens), and in vivo (using four healthy volunteers after exertional exercise) that were then statistically analyzed using the non-parametric Friedman test and Kendall Tau-b rank correlation.

Comparison of cardiac volumetry using real-time MRI during free-breathing with standard cine MRI during breath-hold in children.

Background: Cardiac real-time magnetic resonance imaging (RT-MRI) provides high-quality images even during free-breathing. Difficulties in post-processing impede its use in clinical routine.

Objective: To demonstrate the feasibility of quantitative analysis of cardiac free-breathing RT-MRI and to compare image quality and volumetry during free-breathing RT-MRI in pediatric patients to standard breath-hold cine MRI.

To Contrast or Not to Contrast? On the Role of Contrast Enhancement in Hand MRI Studies of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Currently, clinical indications for the application of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA) in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are increasingly being questioned. Consequently, this study aimed to evaluate the additional diagnostic value of contrast enhancement in MRI of the hand in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Thirty-one patients with RA (mean age, 50 ± 14 years (range, 18-72 years)) underwent morphologic MRI scans on a clinical 3 T scanner.