Evaluating the impact of dose monitoring software alerts on radiation dose reduction in computed tomography: A systematic review.

Introduction: Radiation Dose Monitoring Software (DMS) tools have been developed to monitor doses and alert computed tomography (CT) users of high radiation exposure. However, the causal factors for alerts and the impact of DMS in dose optimisation are poorly understood.

Aim: This review aims to identify high-dose CT examinations triggering alerts and their determinants, and to assess if the alerts from DMS help to reduce CT dose levels.

Misdiagnosed for 14 Years: Adenosine Deaminase 2 (ADA2) Deficiency in a Teen Mimicking Polyarteritis Nodosa.

The deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 (DADA2) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by loss of function mutations in the ADA2 gene (previously the CECR1 gene) on chromosome 22q11. The clinical spectrum of the disease is remarkably broad, and its presentations mimic features of polyarteritis nodosa, such as livedoid rash, hematological abnormalities (e.g.

Biophysical analyses of various interval training sets at critical swimming velocity.

Background: Critical swimming velocity (CV) is widely used as an index for setting intensity in endurance training (IT). This study aimed to examine the effects of varying repetitive swimming distances on physiological and stroke parameters during IT at CV.

Methods: Eleven male national-level collegiate swimmers participated in all-out 200 and 400 m front crawl swims to determine the CV.

Automated quality control analysis for American College of Radiology (ACR) digital mammography (DM) phantom images.

Purpose: To develop and validate an automated software analysis method for mammography image quality assessment of the American College of Radiology (ACR) digital mammography (DM) phantom images.

Methods: Twenty-seven DICOM images were acquired using Fuji mammography systems. All images were evaluated by three expert medical physicists using the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) mammography quality control guideline.

AI for interpreting screening mammograms: implications for missed cancer in double reading practices and challenging-to-locate lesions.

Although the value of adding AI as a surrogate second reader in various scenarios has been investigated, it is unknown whether implementing an AI tool within double reading practice would capture additional subtle cancers missed by both radiologists who independently assessed the mammograms. This paper assesses the effectiveness of two state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI) models in detecting retrospectively-identified missed cancers within a screening program employing double reading practices. The study also explores the agreement between AI and radiologists in locating the lesions, considering various levels of concordance among the radiologists in locating the lesions.

Effect of Ethanol Vapor Inhalation Treatment on Lethal Respiratory Viral Infection With Influenza A.

Ethanol (EtOH) effectively inactivates enveloped viruses in vitro, including influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Inhaled EtOH vapor may inhibit viral infection in mammalian respiratory tracts, but this has not yet been demonstrated. Here we report that unexpectedly low EtOH concentrations in solution, approximately 20% (vol/vol), rapidly inactivate influenza A virus (IAV) at mammalian body temperature and are not toxic to lung epithelial cells on apical exposure.

Low-energy scanning transmission electron microscopy applied to ice-embedded biological macromolecules.

In this report, we applied annular bright-field and annular dark-field low-energy (30 keV) scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging to a vitreous ice-embedded biological macromolecule, T4 phage, to investigate the applicability of these methods for morphological investigation and sample screening. Multiple camera lengths were examined to find the optimal acceptance angle for both modes. Image clarity differed substantially between the modes, with the presence of ice also strongly influencing the quality of acquired micrographs.

Imaging Breast Microcalcifications Using Dark-Field Signal in Propagation-Based Phase-Contrast Tomography.

Breast microcalcifications are an important primary radiological indicator of breast cancer. However, microcalcification classification and diagnosis may be still challenging for radiologists due to limitations of the standard 2D mammography technique, including spatial and contrast resolution. In this study, we propose an approach to improve the detection of microcalcifications in propagation-based phase-contrast X-ray computed tomography of breast tissues.

Physiological Responses and Stroke Variables during Arm Stroke Swimming Using Critical Stroke Rate in Competitive Swimmers.

The current study examined the physiological responses and stroke variables at critical stroke rate (CSR), 105% CSR, and 110% CSR in order to utilize CSR for prescription arm stroke swimming. Nine male national-level collegiate swimmers performed an all-out 200 m and 400 m for determining the CSR. Participants performed three sets of 6 × 100 m (with 10 s of rest between each bout), the stroke rate for each set was enforced at CSR, 105% CSR, and 110% CSR.

Quasi-Liquid Surfaces for Sustainable High-Performance Steam Condensation.

Sustainable high-performance steam condensation is critical to reducing the size, weight, and cost of water and energy systems. It is well-known that dropwise condensation can provide a significantly higher heat-transfer coefficient than filmwise condensation. Tremendous efforts have been spent to promote dropwise condensation by achieving a nonwetting state on superhydrophobic surfaces and a slippery state on liquid-infused surfaces, but these surfaces suffer from severe durability challenges.

Designing a breast support device for phase contrast tomographic imaging: getting ready for a clinical trial.

Objective: To design a device that can support the breast during phase-contrast tomography, and characterise its fit parameterisation and comfort rating.

Methods: 27 participants were recruited to trial a system for breast support during simulated phase contrast imaging, including being positioned on a prone imaging table while wearing the device. Participants underwent a photogrammetry analysis to establish the geometric parameterisations.

Global processing provides malignancy evidence complementary to the information captured by humans or machines following detailed mammogram inspection.

The information captured by the gist signal, which refers to radiologists' first impression arising from an initial global image processing, is poorly understood. We examined whether the gist signal can provide complementary information to data captured by radiologists (experiment 1), or computer algorithms (experiment 2) based on detailed mammogram inspection. In the first experiment, 19 radiologists assessed a case set twice, once based on a half-second image presentation (i.

The effect of hemoperfusion on the outcome, clinical and laboratory findings of patients with severe COVID-19: a retrospective study.

Hemoperfusion is a method of blood filtering to remove toxins and inflammatory factors. Cytokine storms and high levels of inflammatory factors play a role in the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The present study aims to evaluate the effect of hemoperfusion on the clinical and laboratory findings and outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19.

Effect of x-ray energy on the radiological image quality in propagation-based phase-contrast computed tomography of the breast.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in developing and developed countries and is responsible for 15% of women's cancer deaths worldwide. Conventional absorption-based breast imaging techniques lack sufficient contrast for comprehensive diagnosis. Propagation-based phase-contrast computed tomography (PB-CT) is a developing technique that exploits a more contrast-sensitive property of x-rays: x-ray refraction.

Reading High Breast Density Mammograms: Differences in Diagnostic Performance between Radiologists from Hong Kong SAR/Guangdong Province in China and Australia.

Background: Variations in the performance of radiologists reading mammographic images are well reported, but key parameters explaining such variations in different countries are not fully explored. The main aim of this study is to investigate performances of Chinese (Hong Kong SAR and Guangdong Province) and Australian radiologists in interpreting dense breast mammographic images.

Methods: A test set, contained 60 mammographic examinations with high breast density, was used to assess radiologists' performance.

Dark-field signal extraction in propagation-based phase-contrast imaging.

A method for extracting the dark-field signal in propagation-based phase-contrast imaging is proposed. In the case of objects consisting predominantly of a single material, or several different materials with similar ratios of the real decrement to the imaginary part of the complex refractive index, the proposed method requires a single image for extraction of the dark-field signal in two-dimensional projection imaging. In the case of three-dimensional tomographic imaging, the method needs only one image to be collected at each projection angle.

Physiological Responses and Swimming Technique During Upper Limb Critical Stroke Rate Training in Competitive Swimmers.

The aim of this study was to examine how arm stroke swimming with critical stroke rate (CSR) control would influence physiological responses and stroke variables in an effort to identify a new swimming training method. Seven well-trained male competitive swimmers (19.9 ± 1.

Propagation-based x-ray phase-contrast tomography of mastectomy samples using synchrotron radiation.

Purpose: Propagation-based phase-contrast computed tomography (PB-CT) is a method for three-dimensional x-ray imaging that utilizes refraction, as well as absorption, of x rays in the tissues to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the resultant images, in comparison with equivalent conventional absorption-only x-ray tomography (CT). Importantly, the higher SNR is achieved without sacrificing spatial resolution or increasing the radiation dose delivered to the imaged tissues. The present work has been carried out in the context of the current development of a breast CT imaging facility at the Australian Synchrotron.

Free propagation phase-contrast breast CT provides higher image quality than cone-beam breast-CT at low radiation doses: a feasibility study on human mastectomies.

In this study we demonstrate the first direct comparison between synchrotron x-ray propagation-based CT (PB-CT) and cone-beam breast-CT (CB-CT) on human mastectomy specimens (N = 12) including different benign and malignant lesions. The image quality and diagnostic power of the obtained data sets were compared and judged by two independent expert radiologists. Two cases are presented in detail in this paper including a comparison with the corresponding histological evaluation.

Corrigendum: Does Severity of Alzheimer's Disease Contribute to Its Responsiveness to Modifying Gut Microbiota? A Double Blind Clinical Trial.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.

Improved sample dispersion in cryo-EM using "perpetually-hydrated" graphene oxide flakes.

For many macromolecular complexes, the inability to uniformly disperse solubilized specimen particles within vitreous ice films precludes their analysis by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Here, we introduce a sample preparation process using "perpetually-hydrated" graphene oxide flakes as particle support films, and report vastly improved specimen dispersion. The new method introduced in this study incorporates hydrated graphene oxide flakes into a standard sample preparation regime, without the need for additional tools or devices, making it a cost-effective and easily adoptable alternative to currently available sample preparation approaches.

X-Ray Phase-Contrast Technology in Breast Imaging: Principles, Options, and Clinical Application.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to review different x-ray phase-contrast breast imaging techniques and their potential application in clinical settings.

Conclusion: Phase-contrast imaging depicts not only the absorption contrast but also the refraction contrast of the transmitted x-ray beam. Early data suggest that this new modality may overcome some of the diagnostic limitations associated with current clinically available mammography systems and that it has potential for improving breast cancer detection.

Improved sample dispersion in cryo-EM using "perpetually-hydrated" graphene oxide flakes.

For many macromolecular complexes, the inability to uniformly disperse solubilized specimen particles within vitreous ice films precludes their analysis by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Here, we introduce a sample preparation process using "perpetually-hydrated" graphene oxide flakes as particle support films, and report vastly improved specimen dispersion. Furthermore, we provide evidence that the presence of graphene oxide flakes in vitreous ice results in a significant reduction in electron beam-induced specimen decomposition.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Intensive Care Unit Survivors: Experience of a Multidisciplinary Outpatient Clinic in a Teaching Hospital.

Objectives: To describe the experience of an outpatient clinic with the multidisciplinary evaluation of intensive care unit survivors and to analyze their social, psychological, and physical characteristics in a low-income population and a developing country.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Adult survivors from a general intensive care unit were evaluated three months after discharge in a post-intensive care unit outpatient multidisciplinary clinic over a period of 6 years (2008-2014) in a University Hospital in southern Brazil.

Efficacy of a Simple Formulation Composed of Nematode-Trapping Fungi and Bidens pilosa var. radiata Scherff Aqueous Extracts (BPE) for Controlling the Southern Root-Knot Nematode.

We tested a formulation composed of a mixture of Bidens pilosa var. radiata extract (BPE) and nematode-trapping fungi for its effects on Meloidogyne incognita. In earlier evaluations of the effects of plant extracts on the hyphal growth of 5 species of nematode-trapping fungi with different capture organs (traps), the growth of all species was slightly inhibited.