Correlating SPECT-CT activity in cervical facet joints with positive response to cervical medial branch blocks.

Introduction: Cervical facet arthritis is a significant source of neck pain and impaired function that is amenable to treatment with medial branch radiofrequency neurotomy (RFN). Identifying appropriate patients for this treatment requires integration of information from the history, physical exam and diagnostic imaging, but the current diagnostic standard for facet-mediated pain is positive comparative medial branch blockade (MBB). SPECT-CT has recently been evaluated as a potential predictor of positive medial branch blocks with mixed results.

Correlating SPECT-CT activity in lumbar facet joints with response to lumbar medial branch and L5 dorsal ramus blocks.

Introduction: Lumbar facet arthritis is a significant source of back pain and impaired function that is amenable to treatment with medial branch radiofrequency neurotomy (RFN). Identifying appropriate patients for this treatment requires integration of information from the history, physical exam, and diagnostic imaging, but the current diagnostic standard for facet-mediated pain is positive comparative medial branch blocks (MBBs). Lumbar SPECT-CT has recently been evaluated as a potential predictor of positive MBBs with mixed results.

Large-area, self-healing block copolymer membranes for energy conversion.

Membranes are widely used for separation processes in applications such as water desalination, batteries and dialysis, and are crucial in key sectors of our economy and society. The majority of technologically exploited membranes are based on solid polymers and function as passive barriers, whose transport characteristics are governed by their chemical composition and nanostructure. Although such membranes are ubiquitous, it has proved challenging to maximize selectivity and permeability independently, leading to trade-offs between these pertinent characteristics.

Computer-aided diagnosis improves characterization of Barrett's neoplasia by general endoscopists (with video).

Background And Aims: Characterization of visible abnormalities in patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE) can be challenging, especially for inexperienced endoscopists. This results in suboptimal diagnostic accuracy and poor interobserver agreement. Computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) systems may assist endoscopists.

Qualification of a flow cytometry-based method for the evaluation of cytotoxicity of GTA002 natural killer cell therapy.

Background: Natural Killer (NK) cell-based therapies represent a ground-breaking opportunity for the treatment of solid tumors and hematological malignancies. NK cell manufacturing under good manufacturing practice (GMP) is complex and requires attentive assessment the product's safety and efficacy through quality control (QC). Release testing includes monitoring of cell expansion, differentiation, purity, phenotype, and cytotoxicity.

Improving referral rates for smoking cessation: A multifaceted intervention aimed at radiation oncologists.

Objective: Continuation of smoking after a cancer diagnosis increases the burdensome side effects from cancer treatment, and decreases the chances of cure. Smoking cessation may improve oncological outcomes in cancer patients. This study aims to evaluate if radiation oncologists can be motivated by a smoking cessation awareness intervention to discuss smoking status more frequently and increase the referral rate for smoking cessation-support.

The effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions after cancer diagnosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: patients with cancer who smoke have more side effects during and after treatment, and a lower survival rate than patients with cancer who quit smoking. Supporting patients with cancer to quit smoking should be standard care. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the most effective smoking cessation method for patients diagnosed with cancer.

A deep learning system for detection of early Barrett's neoplasia: a model development and validation study.

Background: Computer-aided detection (CADe) systems could assist endoscopists in detecting early neoplasia in Barrett's oesophagus, which could be difficult to detect in endoscopic images. The aim of this study was to develop, test, and benchmark a CADe system for early neoplasia in Barrett's oesophagus.

Methods: The CADe system was first pretrained with ImageNet followed by domain-specific pretraining with GastroNet.

Polymersome-based protein drug delivery - quo vadis?

Protein-based therapeutics are an attractive alternative to established therapeutic approaches and represent one of the fastest growing families of drugs. While many of these proteins can be delivered using established formulations, the intrinsic sensitivity of proteins to denaturation sometimes calls for a protective carrier to allow administration. Historically, lipid-based self-assembled structures, notably liposomes, have performed this function.

Bioplastics for Food Packaging: Environmental Impact, Trends and Regulatory Aspects.

The demand to develop and produce eco-friendly alternatives for food packaging is increasing. The huge negative impact that the disposal of so-called "single-use plastics" has on the environment is propelling the market to search for new solutions, and requires initiatives to drive faster responses from the scientific community, the industry, and governmental bodies for the adoption and implementation of new materials. Bioplastics are an alternative group of materials that are partly or entirely produced from renewable sources.

The effectiveness of inter-municipal cooperation for integrated sustainable waste management: A case study in Ecuador.

There is an increasing awareness that effective waste management is essential for transitioning towards a circular economy and achieving sustainable development goals. Scholars have studied inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) as a governance solution with the potential to generate economies of scale and reduce financial costs in waste management. However, previous research has not yet focused on measuring the effectiveness of different types of cooperation on social and environmental outcomes.

SPECT-CT as a Predictor of Pain Generators in Patients Undergoing Intra-Articular Injections for Chronic Neck and Back Pain.

Background: The ability to accurately predict pain generators for chronic neck and back pain remains elusive.

Objective: We evaluated whether injections targeted at foci with uptake on single-photon emission computerized tomography-computed tomography (SPECT-CT) were associated with improved outcomes in patients with chronic neck and back pain.

Methods: A retrospective review was completed on patients undergoing SPECT-CT for chronic neck and back pain between 2016 and 2020 at a tertiary academic center.

Development and internal validation of an algorithm to predict intraoperative risk of inadvertent hypothermia based on preoperative data.

Intraoperative hypothermia increases perioperative morbidity and identifying patients at risk preoperatively is challenging. The aim of this study was to develop and internally validate prediction models for intraoperative hypothermia occurring despite active warming and to implement the algorithm in an online risk estimation tool. The final dataset included 36,371 surgery cases between September 2013 and May 2019 at the Vienna General Hospital.

Where I Belong: Identification Processes of Young Volunteers in Super-Diverse Cities.

In the context of super-diverse cities, scholars and policy makers are increasingly interested in the potential of volunteering to establish identification for newcomers and locals alike. In this paper, we address the question of how young volunteers in Rotterdam and Vienna negotiate belonging within their super-diverse surroundings. Our exploratory study builds on a cross-national research project in which we collected qualitative interview data from volunteering youth.

Barrett's esophagus surveillance in a prospective Dutch multi-center community-based cohort of 985 patients demonstrates low risk of neoplastic progression.

Background And Aims: Barrett's esophagus (BE) is accompanied by an increased risk of developing esophageal cancer. Accurate risk-stratification is warranted to improve endoscopic surveillance. Most data available on risk factors is derived from tertiary care centers or from cohorts with limited surveillance time or surveillance quality.

The Green Lean Amine Machine: Harvesting Electric Power While Capturing Carbon Dioxide from Breath.

As wearable technologies redefine the way people exchange information, receive entertainment, and monitor health, the development of sustainable power sources that capture energy from the user's everyday activities garners increasing interest. Electric fishes, such as the electric eel and the torpedo ray, provide inspiration for such a power source with their ability to generate massive discharges of electricity solely from the metabolic processes within their bodies. Inspired by their example, the device presented in this work harnesses electric power from ion gradients established by capturing the carbon dioxide (CO ) from human breath.

Functional Polyethylenes by Organometallic-Mediated Radical Polymerization of Biobased Carbonates.

Partly or fully renewable (co)polymers are gaining interest in both academia and industry. Polyethylene is a widely used polymer, classically derived from fossil fuels, with a high versatility stemming from the introduction of comonomers altering the mechanical properties. The introduction of renewable functionalities into this polymer is highly attractive to obtain functional, tunable, and at least partially renewable polyethylenes.

Progress Toward Sustainable Reversible Deactivation Radical Polymerization.

The recent focus of media and governments on renewability, green chemistry, and circular economy has led to a surge in the synthesis of renewable monomers and polymers. In this review, focussing on renewable monomers for reversible deactivation radical polymerizations (RDRP), it is highlighted that for the majority of the monomers and polymers reported, the claim to renewability is not always accurate. By closely examining the sustainability of synthetic routes and the renewability of starting materials, fully renewable monomers are identified and discussed in terms of sustainability, polymerization behavior, and properties obtained after polymerization.

Psychometric Properties of the Multidimensional Impression of Change in a Cohort of Pediatric Patients With Pain.

Objectives: This study assessed the utility of the Multidimensional Patient Impression of Change (MPIC) questionnaire in a pediatric pain population after interdisciplinary treatment.

Design: Observational study with retrospective chart review. The observed treatment program included psychological counseling, relaxation training, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and physician management.

Structural MRI Analysis of Chronic Pain Patients Following Interdisciplinary Treatment Shows Changes in Brain Volume and Opiate-Dependent Reorganization of the Amygdala and Hippocampus.

Objective: The present study examined pre- to post-treatment changes in volumes for brain structures known to be associated with pain processing (thalamus, caudate, putamen, pallidum, hippocampus, amygdala, and accumbens) following an interdisciplinary pain management program.

Design: Twenty-one patients participating in a four-week interdisciplinary pain management program completed the study. The program consisted of individual and group therapies with the following disciplines: physical therapy, occupational therapy, pain psychology, biofeedback/relaxation training, nursing lectures, and medical management.

Long-term safety, objective and subjective outcomes of laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy without peritoneal closure.

Introduction And Hypothesis: The laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (LSC) is performed to support DeLancey's level I in patients with pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Although several studies have been conducted on the safety, objective and subjective outcomes of LSC, the specific effect of retroperitonealisation of mesh is unknown. This study is aimed at analysing the safety, objective and subjective outcomes of the LSC without peritoneal closure of mesh.

Electronic Health Program to Empower Patients in Returning to Normal Activities After General Surgical and Gynecological Procedures: Intervention Mapping as a Useful Method for Further Development.

Background: Support for guiding and monitoring postoperative recovery and resumption of activities is usually not provided to patients after discharge from the hospital. Therefore, a perioperative electronic health (eHealth) intervention ("ikherstel" intervention or "I recover" intervention) was developed to empower gynecological patients during the perioperative period. This eHealth intervention requires a need for further development for patients who will undergo various types of general surgical and gynecological procedures.