Neural correlates of pain acceptance and the role of the cerebellum: Functional connectivity and anatomical differences in individuals with headaches versus matched controls.

Background: Despite functional connectivity network dysfunction among individuals with headaches, no studies have examined functional connectivity neural correlates and anatomical differences in coping with headaches.

Methods: This study investigated inter-individual variability in whole-brain functional connectivity and anatomical differences among 37 individuals with primary headaches and 24 age- and gender-matched controls, and neural correlates of psychological flexibility (PF) that was previously found to contribute to headache adjustment. Participants (84% women; M headache severity = 4/10; M age = 43 years) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scans and completed questionnaires to examine global and subnetwork brain areas, and their relations with PF components, controlling for age, gender, education, and head-motion.

A Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study on Polarity Subphenotypes in Bipolar Disorder.

Although magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has provided in vivo measurements of brain chemical profiles in bipolar disorder (BD), there are no data on clinically and therapeutically important onset polarity (OP) and predominant polarity (PP). We conducted a proton MRS study in BD polarity subphenotypes, focusing on emotion regulation brain regions. Forty-one euthymic BD patients stratified according to OP and PP and sixteen healthy controls (HC) were compared.

Prediction of remaining surgery duration in laparoscopic videos based on visual saliency and the transformer network.

Background: Real-time prediction of the remaining surgery duration (RSD) is important for optimal scheduling of resources in the operating room.

Methods: We focus on the intraoperative prediction of RSD from laparoscopic video. An extensive evaluation of seven common deep learning models, a proposed one based on the Transformer architecture (TransLocal) and four baseline approaches, is presented.

Extended Analysis of Raman Spectra Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Colorectal Abnormality Classification.

Raman spectroscopy (RS) techniques are attracting attention in the medical field as a promising tool for real-time biochemical analyses. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms with RS has greatly enhanced its ability to accurately classify spectral data in vivo. This combination has opened up new possibilities for precise and efficient analysis in medical applications.

Shedding Light on Colorectal Cancer: An In Vivo Raman Spectroscopy Approach Combined with Deep Learning Analysis.

Raman spectroscopy has emerged as a powerful tool in medical, biochemical, and biological research with high specificity, sensitivity, and spatial and temporal resolution. Recent advanced Raman systems, such as portable Raman systems and fiber-optic probes, provide the potential for accurate in vivo discrimination between healthy and cancerous tissues. In our study, a portable Raman probe spectrometer was tested in immunosuppressed mice for the in vivo localization of colorectal cancer malignancies from normal tissue margins.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Diffusion Tensor Imaging-Tractography in Resective Brain Surgery: Lesion Coverage Strategies and Patient Outcomes.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-tractography and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have dynamically entered the presurgical evaluation context of brain surgery during the past decades, providing novel perspectives in surgical planning and lesion access approaches. However, their application in the presurgical setting requires significant time and effort and increased costs, thereby raising questions regarding efficiency and best use. In this work, we set out to evaluate DTI-tractography and combined fMRI/DTI-tractography during intra-operative neuronavigation in resective brain surgery using lesion-related preoperative neurological deficit (PND) outcomes as metrics.

Concordance of verbal memory and language fMRI lateralization in people with epilepsy.

Background And Purpose: This work investigates verbal memory functional MRI (fMRI) versus language fMRI in terms of lateralization, and assesses the validity of performing word recognition during the functional scan.

Methods: Thirty patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy underwent verbal memory, visuospatial memory, and language fMRI. We used word encoding, word recognition, image encoding, and image recognition memory tasks, and semantic description, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension language tasks.

Dose optimization of 2D X-ray image acquisition protocols in image-guided radiotherapy.

Purpose: In contemporary radiotherapy, patient positioning accuracy relies on kV imaging. This study aims at optimizing planar kV image acquisition protocols regarding patient dose without degrading image quality.

Materials And Methods: An image quality test-object was placed in-between PMMA plates, suitably arranged to model head or pelvis.

Risk assessment for the optimization of the grid of a telemetric network monitoring system.

The goal of this work was to develop a methodology for risk assessment in case of an accident originating from a nuclear power plant, and consequently, to improve the relevant radiation monitoring network. In specific, the study involved risk estimation in Greece from a transboundary nuclear power plant accident. The tool employed was JRODOS (Java-based Real-time Decision Support), which is a system for off-site emergency management of radioactive material in the environment.

Impact of Light Conditions on Visual Performance following Premium Pseudophakic Presbyopia Corrections.

The primary objective of this study was to objectively compare the visual performance of patients following premium pseudophakic presbyopia corrections in different light combinations for near- and intermediate-vision activities of daily living (ADLs). This is a prospective, comparative study. A total of 75 patients populated three study groups: G1-patients with bilateral trifocal implantation, G2-patients with bilateral bifocal implantation, and G3-patients with bilateral monofocal implantation.

Biochemical differentiation between cancerous and normal human colorectal tissues by micro-Raman spectroscopy.

Human colorectal tissues obtained by ten cancer patients have been examined by multiple micro-Raman spectroscopic measurements in the 500-3200 cm range under 785 nm excitation. Distinct spectral profiles are recorded from different spots on the samples: a predominant 'typical' profile of colorectal tissue, as well as those from tissue topologies with high lipid, blood or collagen content. Principal component analysis identified several Raman bands of amino acids, proteins and lipids which allow the efficient discrimination of normal from cancer tissues, the first presenting plurality of Raman spectral profiles while the last showing off quite uniform spectroscopic characteristics.

Hippocampal Metabolic Alterations in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study.

Background: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been overwhelmingly applied to motor regions to date and our understanding of frontotemporal metabolic signatures is relatively limited. The association between metabolic alterations and cognitive performance in also poorly characterised.

Material And Methods: In a multimodal, prospective pilot study, the structural, metabolic, and diffusivity profile of the hippocampus was systematically evaluated in patients with ALS.

Predominant polarity as a neurobiological specifier in bipolar disorder: Evidence from a multimodal neuroimaging study.

Background: While predominant (PP) and onset polarity (OP) have considerable clinical and treatment implications in bipolar disorder (BD), the neurobiological underpinnings of PP and OP from a radiological perspective remain largely unknown. The main objective of this study is to investigate the neuroanatomical profile of polarity subphenotypes (PP and OP) in euthymic BD patients, using a standardized multimodal neuroimaging protocol to evaluate regional gray matter (GM) volumes, cortical thickness, as well as white matter (WM) integrity of major projection, commissural and association tracts.

Methods: Forty-two euthymic BD patients stratified for PP and OP and 42 healthy controls (HC) were included in this computational neuroimaging study to comprehensively characterize gray and white matter alterations.

Coincidence summing corrections using PENELOPE/PENNUC Monte Carlo code for volume sources of different densities.

This work aims at providing a Monte-Carlo based methodology for calculating true coincidence correction (TCC) factors for volume sources of varying density. All simulations were carried out using the most recent version of Monte Carlo code PENELOPE. The main program PENMAIN was used for the calculation of full energy peak efficiencies.

Diffusion Tensor Imaging as a Prognostic Tool for Recovery in Acute and Hyperacute Stroke.

Stroke represents a major cause of mortality and long-term disability among adult populations, leaving a devastating socioeconomic impact globally. Clinical manifestation of stroke is characterized by great diversity, ranging from minor disability to considerable neurological impairment interfering with activities of daily living and even death. Prognostic ambiguity has stimulated the interest for implementing stroke recovery biomarkers, including those provided by structural neuroimaging techniques, i.

FDXR Gene Expression after Radiation Exposure of Pediatric Patients Undergoing Interventional Cardiology Procedures.

Background: Ferredoxin reductase (FDXR) has already been reported as a promising biomarker for estimating radiation doses in radiotherapy. This study aimed to investigate the responsiveness of FDXR on pediatric population exposed to ionizing radiation (X-rays) during pediatric interventional cardiology (IC) procedures.

Patients And Methods: Peripheral blood was collected by venipuncture from 24 pediatric donors before and 24 hours after the IC procedure.

Spatial distribution of the imaging dose and characterization of the scatter radiation contribution in CyberKnife radiosurgery.

Purpose: The imaging dose for intra- and extra-cranial CyberKnife radiosurgery applications was calculated and the scattered radiation reaching the digital detectors was quantified and analyzed with regard to its origin.

Methods: The image guidance subsystem of the CyberKnife was modeled based on vendor-provided information. The emitted X-ray energy spectrum for 120 kV was estimated using the SpekPy software tool.

Impact of personality on the decision process and on satisfaction rates in pseudophakic presbyopic correction.

Purpose: To explore the impact of personality on the decision process and satisfaction rates in pseudophakic presbyopic correction.

Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Greece.

Design: Prospective, comparative study.

Neurometabolic Alterations in Motor Neuron Disease: Insights from Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has contributed important academic insights in motor neuron diseases (MNDs), particularly in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Over the past three decades momentous methodological advances took place, including the emergence of high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) platforms, multi-voxel techniques, whole-brain protocols, novel head-coil designs, and a multitude of open-source imaging suites. Technological advances in MRS are complemented by important conceptual developments in MND, such as the recognition of the importance of extra-motor brain regions, multi-timepoint longitudinal study designs, assessment of asymptomatic mutation carriers, description of genotype-associated signatures, and the gradual characterisation of non-ALS MND phenotypes.

Geometric distortion assessment in 3T MR images used for treatment planning in cranial Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy.

Magnetic Resonance images (MRIs) are employed in brain Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy (SRS/SRT) for target and/or critical organ localization and delineation. However, MRIs are inherently distorted, which also impacts the accuracy of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging/Computed Tomography (MRI/CT) co-registration process. In this phantom-based study, geometric distortion is assessed in 3T T2-weighted images (T2WIs), while the efficacy of an MRI distortion correction technique is also evaluated.

Comparison of MRI Features of Fat Fraction and ADC for Early Treatment Response Assessment in Participants with Multiple Myeloma.

Background An imaging-based predictor of response could provide prognostic information early during treatment course in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Purpose To investigate if very early changes in bone marrow relative fat fraction (rFF) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram metrics, occurring after one cycle of induction therapy in participants with newly diagnosed MM, could help predict overall best response status. Materials and Methods This prospective study included participants with MM who were enrolled between August 2014 and December 2017.

Target localization accuracy in frame-based stereotactic radiosurgery: Comparison between MR-only and MR/CT co-registration approaches.

Purpose: In frame-based Gamma Knife (GK) stereotactic radiosurgery two treatment planning workflows are commonly employed; one based solely on magnetic resonance (MR) images and the other based on magnetic resonance/computed tomography (MR/CT) co-registered images. In both workflows, target localization accuracy (TLA) can be deteriorated due to MR-related geometric distortions and/or MR/CT co-registration uncertainties. In this study, the overall TLA following both clinical workflows is evaluated for cases of multiple brain metastases.

Raman Spectroscopy: A Personalized Decision-Making Tool on Clinicians' Hands for In Situ Cancer Diagnosis and Surgery Guidance.

Accurate in situ diagnosis and optimal surgical removal of a malignancy constitute key elements in reducing cancer-related morbidity and mortality. In surgical oncology, the accurate discrimination between healthy and cancerous tissues is critical for the postoperative care of the patient. Conventional imaging techniques have attempted to serve as adjuvant tools for in situ biopsy and surgery guidance.

A Holographic Augmented Reality Interface for Visualizing of MRI Data and Planning of Neurosurgical Procedures.

The recent introduction of wireless head-mounted displays (HMD) promises to enhance 3D image visualization by immersing the user into 3D morphology. This work introduces a prototype holographic augmented reality (HAR) interface for the 3D visualization of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data for the purpose of planning neurosurgical procedures. The computational platform generates a HAR scene that fuses pre-operative MRI sets, segmented anatomical structures, and a tubular tool for planning an access path to the targeted pathology.