Introduction: The presence of an artificial urinary sphincter can be overlooked resulting in inadvertent urethral catheterization and cuff erosion. A hard-stop best practice advisory was created in the electronic medical record to alert for the presence of an artificial urinary sphincter. We evaluated its utilization and impact on patient outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudy Design: Retrospective cohort study OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the 2-year radiological outcome and revision rates in patients with ASD treated with either PSO or PLIF, when PLIF was used to improve sagittal balance.
Methods: In 2016, PLIF was introduced at our institution as an alternative method when restoring lumbar lordosis. We analyzed two cohorts of patients with ASD undergoing either: PSO in 2010-2015 or PLIF in 2016-2020, retrospectively.
Significance: Nicotine-containing products, labelled as being 'tobacco-free' nicotine (TFN), are marketed to consumers as alternatives to conventional tobacco products. Little is known about these emerging products and their contents.
Methods: Moisture, total nicotine and pH content were analysed in 70 commercially available TFN products, covering five different types (lozenges, chewing gum, loose leaf, toothpicks and pouches).
Biomimetic hydroxyapatites are widely explored for their potential applications in the repair of mineralized tissues, particularly dental enamel, which is acellular and, thus, not naturally reformed after damage. Enamel is formed with a highly-controlled hierarchical structure, which is difficult to replicate up to the macroscale. A biomimetic approach is thus warranted, based on the same principles that drive biomineralization in vivo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Obstet Gynecol Scand
October 2024
Introduction: Preterm delivery (PTD) is the leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age. Cervical shortening detected by ultrasound can be used to predict PTD, but prediction is not perfect, and complementary diagnostic markers are needed. Recently, specific plasma microribonucleic acid (miRNAs) detected in early second trimester were shown to be associated with spontaneous PTD in high-risk women with a singleton pregnancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study addresses the potential of machine learning in predicting treatment recommendations for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Using an IRB-approved retrospective study of patients discussed at a multidisciplinary tumor board, clinical and imaging variables were extracted and used in a gradient-boosting machine learning algorithm, XGBoost. The algorithm's performance was assessed using confusion matrix metrics and the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Our primary aim was to identify radiomic ultrasound features that can distinguish benign from malignant adnexal masses with solid ultrasound morphology, and primary invasive from metastatic solid ovarian masses, and to develop ultrasound-based machine learning models that include radiomics features to discriminate between benign and malignant solid adnexal masses. Our secondary aim was to compare the diagnostic performance of our radiomics models with that of the ADNEX model and subjective assessment by an experienced ultrasound examiner.
Methods: This is a retrospective observational single center study.
Background: In addition to the diagnostic accuracy of imaging methods, patient-reported satisfaction with imaging methods is important.
Objective: To report a secondary outcome of the prospective international multicenter Imaging Study in Advanced ovArian Cancer (ISAAC Study), detailing patients' experience with abdomino-pelvic ultrasound, whole-body contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), and whole-body diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (WB-DWI/MRI) for pre-operative ovarian cancer work-up.
Methods: In total, 144 patients with suspected ovarian cancer at four institutions in two countries (Italy, Czech Republic) underwent ultrasound, CT, and WB-DWI/MRI for pre-operative work-up between January 2020 and November 2022.
Objectives: To evaluate the ability of the Assessment of Different NEoplasias in the adneXa (ADNEX) model and the International Ovarian Tumour Analysis (IOTA) two-step strategy to predict malignancy in adnexal masses detected in an outpatient low-risk setting, and to estimate the risk of complications in masses with benign ultrasound morphology managed using clinical and ultrasound follow-up.
Methods: This single-center study was performed at Hospital Universitari Dexeus, Barcelona, Spain, using interim data from the ongoing prospective observational IOTA Phase-5 (IOTA5) study. The primary aim of the IOTA5 study is to describe the cumulative incidence of complications during follow-up of adnexal masses classified as benign on ultrasound examination.
Objectives: To conduct a systematic review of studies externally validating the ADNEX (Assessment of Different Neoplasias in the adnexa) model for diagnosis of ovarian cancer and to present a meta-analysis of its performance.
Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of external validation studies.
Data Sources: Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and Europe PMC, from 15 October 2014 to 15 May 2023.
Forensic Sci Int Synerg
December 2023
Skills and knowledge gaps frequently exist between forensic educational programs and practical forensic laboratory needs. An educational outreach project involving three post-secondary academic institutions and a large multidisciplinary forensic laboratory was created to provide lectures to students, enable mentorship with forensic scientists, and provide an interactive experience within the forensic laboratory. Mentorship mixer exercises encouraged meaningful interactions between students and scientists, creating opportunities for practical discussion on employment requirements, optimal class selections based on students' interests and forensic science requirements, and better understanding of the daily tasks and duties of operational forensic scientists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Assessing malignancy risk is important to choose appropriate management of ovarian tumors. We compared six algorithms to estimate the probabilities that an ovarian tumor is benign, borderline malignant, stage I primary invasive, stage II-IV primary invasive, or secondary metastatic.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study used 5909 patients recruited from 1999 to 2012 for model development, and 3199 patients recruited from 2012 to 2015 for model validation.
Objective: To describe the clinical and ultrasound characteristics of recurrent granulosa cell and Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors.
Methods: This was a retrospective observational study performed at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, IRCCS, Rome (Gemelli center), Italy.
Background: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ) promotes inflammation and carcinogenesis in many organs, but the underlying mechanisms remains elusive. In stomachs, PPARδ significantly increases chemokine Ccl20 expression in gastric epithelial cells while inducing gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC). CCR6 is the sole receptor of CCL20.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur aim was to compare the inter-rater agreement about transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with regard to diagnosing adenomyosis and for assessing various predefined imaging features of adenomyosis, in the same set of women. The study cohort included 51 women, prospectively, consecutively recruited based on a clinical suspicion of adenomyosis. MRIs and TVS videoclips and 3D volumes were retrospectively assessed by four experienced radiologists and five experienced sonographers, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Correct diagnosis of ovarian cancer results in better prognosis. Adnexal lesions can be stratified into the Ovarian-Adnexal Reporting and Data System (O-RADS) risk of malignancy categories with either the O-RADS lexicon, proposed by the American College of Radiology, or the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) 2-step strategy.
Objective: To investigate the diagnostic performance of the O-RADS lexicon and the IOTA 2-step strategy.
Objective: Previous work has suggested that the ultrasound-based benign simple descriptors (BDs) can reliably exclude malignancy in a large proportion of women presenting with an adnexal mass. This study aimed to validate a modified version of the BDs and to validate a two-step strategy to estimate the risk of malignancy, in which the modified BDs are followed by the Assessment of Different NEoplasias in the adneXa (ADNEX) model if modified BDs do not apply.
Methods: This was a retrospective analysis using data from the 2-year interim analysis of the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) Phase-5 study, in which consecutive patients with at least one adnexal mass were recruited irrespective of subsequent management (conservative or surgery).
Background: Intrauterine infection and inflammation caused by microbial transfer from the vagina are believed to be important factors causing spontaneous preterm delivery (PTD). Multiple studies have examined the relationship between the cervicovaginal microbiome and spontaneous PTD with divergent results. Most studies have applied a DNA-based assessment, providing information on the microbial composition but not transcriptional activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia (E.) coli have been widely described as the cause of treatment failures in humans around the world. The origin of human infections with these microorganisms is discussed controversially and in most cases hard to identify.
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