Immunological changes and recovery-related factors in older patients with colon cancer: A pilot trial.

Introduction: Immunity in older patients with colon cancer differs from that in younger patients. Specifically, concerns regarding postoperative recovery and immunity have prompted the development of personalized treatment options for older patients with colon cancer. This study aimed to assess the differences in immunological factor-related parameters and postoperative recovery between patients aged ≥70 years and < 70 years.

A device-dependent auto-segmentation method based on combined generalized and single-device datasets.

Background: Although generalized-dataset-based auto-segmentation models that consider various computed tomography (CT) scanners have shown great clinical potential, their application to medical images from unseen scanners remains challenging because of device-dependent image features.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the performance of a device-dependent auto-segmentation model based on a combined dataset of a generalized dataset and single CT scanner dataset.

Method: We constructed two training datasets for 21 chest and abdominal organs.

Whole Process of Standardization of Diffusion-Weighted Imaging: Phantom Validation and Clinical Application According to the QIBA Profile.

To use the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) as reliable biomarkers, validation of MRI equipment performance and clinical acquisition protocols should be performed prior to application in patients. This study aims to validate various MRI equipment and clinical brain protocols for diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) using commercial phantom, and confirm the validated protocols in patients' images. The performance of four different scanners and clinical brain protocols were validated using a Quantitative Imaging Biomarker Alliance (QIBA) diffusion phantom and cloud-based analysis tool.

Deep learning-based prediction of post-pancreaticoduodenectomy pancreatic fistula.

Postoperative pancreatic fistula is a life-threatening complication with an unmet need for accurate prediction. This study was aimed to develop preoperative artificial intelligence-based prediction models. Patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy were enrolled and stratified into model development and validation sets by surgery between 2016 and 2017 or in 2018, respectively.

Mapping Changes in Glutamate with Glutamate-Weighted MRI in Forced Swim Test Model of Depression in Rats.

Chemical exchange saturation transfer with glutamate (GluCEST) imaging is a novel technique for the non-invasive detection and quantification of cerebral Glu levels in neuromolecular processes. Here we used GluCEST imaging and H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H MRS) to assess in vivo changes in Glu signals within the hippocampus in a rat model of depression induced by a forced swim test. The forced swimming test (FST) group exhibited markedly reduced GluCEST-weighted levels and Glu concentrations when examined using H MRS in the hippocampal region compared to the control group (GluCEST-weighted levels: 3.

Sequence-Type Classification of Brain MRI for Acute Stroke Using a Self-Supervised Machine Learning Algorithm.

We propose a self-supervised machine learning (ML) algorithm for sequence-type classification of brain MRI using a supervisory signal from DICOM metadata (i.e., a rule-based virtual label).

Study of multistep Dense U-Net-based automatic segmentation for head MRI scans.

Background: Despite extensive efforts to obtain accurate segmentation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of a head, it remains challenging primarily due to variations in intensity distribution, which depend on the equipment and parameters used.

Purpose: The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an automatic segmentation method for head MRI scans using a multistep Dense U-Net (MDU-Net) architecture.

Methods: The MDU-Net-based method comprises two steps.

Radiologist's Guide to Evaluating Publications of Clinical Research on AI: How We Do It.

Literacy in research studies of artificial intelligence (AI) has become an important skill for radiologists. It is required to make a proper assessment of the validity, reproducibility, and clinical applicability of AI studies. However, AI studies are generally perceived to be more difficult for clinician readers to evaluate than traditional clinical research studies.

Association between visceral obesity and tumor recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma recipients undergoing liver transplantation.

Background: Excessive visceral obesity in recipients of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is associated with mortality, and a recent study reported the correlation between visceral adiposity of male LDLT recipients and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence. However, there is no study on the relationship between the donor's visceral adiposity and surgical outcomes in LDLT recipients. We investigated the association of the visceral-to-subcutaneous fat area ratio (VSR) in donors and recipients with HCC recurrence and mortality in LDLT.

Artificial Intelligence in Gastric Cancer Imaging With Emphasis on Diagnostic Imaging and Body Morphometry.

Gastric cancer remains a significant global health concern, coercing the need for advancements in imaging techniques for ensuring accurate diagnosis and effective treatment planning. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a potent tool for gastric-cancer imaging, particularly for diagnostic imaging and body morphometry. This review article offers a comprehensive overview of the recent developments and applications of AI in gastric cancer imaging.

Comprehensive Analysis for Anti-Cancer Target-Indication Prioritization of Placental Growth Factor Inhibitor (PGF) by Use of Omics and Patient Survival Data.

The expression of the placental growth factor (PGF) in cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment can contribute to the induction of angiogenesis, supporting cancer cell metabolism by ensuring an adequate blood supply. Angiogenesis is a key component of cancer metabolism as it facilitates the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to rapidly growing tumor cells. PGF is recognized as a novel target for anti-cancer treatment due to its ability to overcome resistance to existing angiogenesis inhibitors and its impact on the tumor microenvironment.

The effects of muscle mass and quality on mortality of patients with acute kidney injury requiring continuous renal replacement therapy.

This study examined the effects of muscle mass on mortality in patients with acute kidney injury requiring continuous renal replacement therapy. It was conducted in eight medical centers between 2006 and 2021. The data of 2200 patients over the age of 18 years with acute kidney injury who required continuous renal replacement therapy were retrospectively collected.

Prognostic artificial intelligence model to predict 5 year survival at 1 year after gastric cancer surgery based on nutrition and body morphometry.

Background: Personalized survival prediction is important in gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy based on large datasets with many variables including time-varying factors in nutrition and body morphometry. One year after gastrectomy might be the optimal timing to predict long-term survival because most patients experience significant nutritional change, muscle loss, and postoperative changes in the first year after gastrectomy. We aimed to develop a personalized prognostic artificial intelligence (AI) model to predict 5 year survival at 1 year after gastrectomy.

Impact of Sarcopenia on Clinical Course of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Korea.

Background And Aims: Reduced body muscle mass is a poor prognostic factor for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this study, we investigated the prevalence of sarcopenia at diagnosis and its clinical significance in Korean patients with IBD.

Methods: The prevalence of sarcopenia in IBD patients between June 1989 and December 2016 was investigated using a well-characterized referral center-based cohort.

Serial Changes in Body Composition and the Association with Disease Activity during Treatment in Patients with Crohn's Disease.

Objectives: To analyze serial changes in body composition and investigate the association between body composition changes and disease activity changes in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). Methods: Seventy-one patients with CD who had been treated and followed-up at our institution were included. Two to four computed tomography images were acquired at baseline, and the 2−5-year, 5−8-year, and last follow-ups were selected per patient for body composition and disease activity analyses.

Association of sex-specific donor skeletal muscle index with surgical outcomes in living donor liver transplantation recipients.

Background: A recent study reported a correlation between the muscle mass of male donors and graft failure in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) recipients. We investigated the association of sex-specific donor skeletal muscle index (SMI) with mortality and graft failure in LDLT recipients.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed 2750 sets of donors and recipients between January 2008 and January 2018.

Lifestyle interventions after colorectal cancer surgery using a mobile digital device: A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: In treating colorectal cancer, surgical techniques and adjuvant treatments have advanced over the past century, but relatively less attention has been given to improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Recent studies report a significant association between cancer recurrence and patient lifestyle after surgery, hence emphasizing the need to assist patients to reduce this risk through appropriate lifestyle choices. The proposed study will evaluate the effects of digital interventions on lifestyle after surgery for colorectal cancer using mobile applications.

Evolution of Radiological Treatment Response Assessments for Cancer Immunotherapy: From iRECIST to Radiomics and Artificial Intelligence.

Immunotherapy has revolutionized and opened a new paradigm for cancer treatment. In the era of immunotherapy and molecular targeted therapy, precision medicine has gained emphasis, and an early response assessment is a key element of this approach. Treatment response assessment for immunotherapy is challenging for radiologists because of the rapid development of immunotherapeutic agents, from immune checkpoint inhibitors to chimeric antigen receptor-T cells, with which many radiologists may not be familiar, and the atypical responses to therapy, such as pseudoprogression and hyperprogression.

Prognostic Value of Sarcopenia and Myosteatosis in Patients with Resectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Objective: The clinical relevance of myosteatosis has not been well evaluated in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), although sarcopenia has been extensively researched. Therefore, we evaluated the prognostic value of muscle quality, including myosteatosis, in patients with resectable PDAC treated surgically.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 347 patients with resectable PDAC who underwent curative surgery (mean age ± standard deviation, 63.

Deep Learning-Based Automatic Detection and Grading of Motion-Related Artifacts on Gadoxetic Acid-Enhanced Liver MRI.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a deep learning-based algorithm (DLA) for automatic detection and grading of motion-related artifacts on arterial phase liver magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials And Methods: Multistep DLA for detection and grading of motion-related artifacts, based on the modified ResNet-101 and U-net, were trained using 336 arterial phase images of gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver MRI examinations obtained in 2017 (training dataset; mean age, 68.6 years [range, 18-95]; 254 men).

The Impact of Myosteatosis Percentage on Short-Term Mortality in Patients with Septic Shock.

The impact of myosteatosis on septic patients has not been fully revealed. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the myosteatosis area and percentage on the 28-day mortality in patients with septic shock. We conducted a single center, retrospective study from a prospectively collected registry of adult patients with septic shock who presented to the emergency department and performed abdominal computed tomography (CT) from May 2016 to May 2020.

Impact of Baseline Muscle Mass and Myosteatosis on the Development of Early Toxicity During First-Line Chemotherapy in Patients With Initially Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer.

Objectives: Although chemotherapy is the only treatment option for metastatic pancreatic cancer (PDAC), patients frequently encounter adverse events during chemotherapy leading deterioration of patients' quality of life and treatment interruption. We evaluated the role of baseline CT-assessed body composition in predicting early toxicity during first cycle of the first-line chemotherapy in patients with metastatic PDAC.

Methods: This retrospective study included 636 patients with initially metastatic PDAC who underwent first-line chemotherapy from January 2009 to December 2019.

Transient severe motion artifacts on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI: risk factor analysis in 2230 patients.

Objectives: To determine risk factors for transient severe motion (TSM) artifact on arterial phase of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI using a large cohort.

Methods: A total of 2230 patients who underwent gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI was consecutively included. Two readers evaluated respiratory motion artifact on arterial phase images using a 5-point grading scale.

Development and validation of an ensemble artificial intelligence model for comprehensive imaging quality check to classify body parts and contrast enhancement.

Background: Despite the dramatic increase in the use of medical imaging in various therapeutic fields of clinical trials, the first step of image quality check (image QC), which aims to check whether images are uploaded appropriately according to the predefined rules, is still performed manually by image analysts, which requires a lot of manpower and time.

Methods: In this retrospective study, 1669 computed tomography (CT) images with five specific anatomical locations were collected from Asan Medical Center and Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital. To generate the ground truth, two radiologists reviewed the anatomical locations and presence of contrast enhancement using the collected data.

Larger Remaining Stomach Volume Is Associated With Better Nutrition and Muscle Preservation in Patients With Gastric Cancer Receiving Distal Gastrectomy With Gastroduodenostomy.

Purpose: Weight loss and deterioration in body composition are observed in patients with gastric cancer (GC) following gastrectomy. This study aimed to investigate the impact of residual stomach volume (RSV) on the nutritional status and body composition of patients with GC treated with distal gastrectomy.

Materials And Methods: In total, 227 patients who underwent minimally invasive distal gastrectomy with Billroth 1 anastomosis for stage I GC between February 2015 and May 2018 were enrolled.