Biophysical contrast sources for magnetic susceptibility and R2* mapping: A combined 7 Tesla, mass spectrometry and electron paramagnetic resonance study.

Iron is the most abundant trace metal in the human brain and consistently shown elevated in prevalent neurological disorders. Because of its paramagnetism, brain iron can be assessed in vivo by quantitative MRI techniques such as R* mapping and Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM). While Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) has demonstrated good correlations of the total iron content to MRI parameters in gray matter, the relationship to ferritin levels as assessed by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) has not been systematically analyzed.

High prevalence of intracranial arterial stenosis among acute ischemic stroke patients in a Brazilian center: a transcranial color-coded duplex sonography study.

Background:  There is limited data available regarding the prevalence of intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS) among acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients in Brazil and Latin America.

Objective:  The present study sought to investigate the frequency and predictors of ICAS among patients with AIS or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in a Brazilian center, with transcranial color-coded duplex sonography (TCCS) technique.

Methods:  Consecutive AIS and TIA patients, admitted to an academic public comprehensive stroke center in Brazil from February to December 2014, evaluated by TCCS were prospectively selected.

Temporal evolution of postsurgical bone repair in a rabbit model: A [99mTc]Tc-MDP scintigraphic study.

Bone regeneration is crucial for repairing bone tissue following various injuries. Research techniques that enable the study of metabolic changes in bone tissue under different conditions are important for understanding bone repair and remodeling. This study used bone scintigraphy to evaluate osteogenesis secondary to osteotomy in a preclinical model of New Zealand rabbits.

Clinical spectrum of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease in Brazil: a single-center experience.

Background:  Anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (anti-MOG) antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) is an immune-mediated neurological disorder with a broad spectrum of clinical presentation that is often difficult to distinguish from other demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

Objective:  To describe the clinical and paraclinical characteristics of MOGAD in a Brazilian tertiary center.

Methods:  We retrospectively reviewed the records of adult and pediatric patients who tested positive for anti-MOG antibodies and presented with clinical and radiological diseases compatible with MOGAD.

Web version of the protocol of the orofacial myofunctional evaluation with scores: usability and learning.

Purpose: The Orofacial Myofunctional Evaluation with Scores (OMES) protocol has been validated and used in clinical practice and research. The goals of this study were to develop, analyze and improve a version of OMES for the Web and to investigate the relationship between the usability judgments and the prior experience of the evaluators and whether using the interface promotes learning, as shown by the task completion time (TCT).

Methods: Study steps: 1) inspection of the prototype by the team; 2) evaluation of usability by three experienced speech-language pathologists (SLPs); and 3) evaluation of its usability by 12 SLPs with varying levels of experience in the use of OMES.

Features of lumbar spine texture extracted from routine MRI correlate with bone mineral density and can potentially differentiate patients with and without fragility fractures in the spine.

The use of routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to potentially assess skeletal fragility has been widely studied in osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate bone texture attributes (TA) from routine lumbar spine (LS) MRI and their correlation with vertebral fragility fractures (VFF) and bone mineral density (BMD). Sixty-four post-menopausal women were submitted to LS densitometry, total spine radiographs, and routine T2-weighted LS MRI.

Sagittal balance and intervertebral disc composition in patients with low back pain.

The aim of this study was to verify the relationship between quantitative T2 relaxation measurements of lumbar intervertebral discs (IVDs) and spinopelvic parameters in patients with chronic low back pain. The study was approved by the Clinical Hospital of the Ribeirao Preto Medical School (USP) Ethics Committee, and written consent was obtained from all patients. A total of 455 IVDs from 91 consecutive patients with chronic low back pain were included in this prospective study.

Evaluations of Repaired Artery Patency in Forearm Wounds Using the Allen Test, Handheld Doppler and Doppler Ultrasonography.

 The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the rate of patency in the postoperative period of arterial injuries of the forearm secondary to penetrating trauma. The injuries were subjected to primary repair and examined with the Allen test and a handheld Doppler device, and the results were later confirmed with Doppler ultrasonography.  Eighteen patients were included, with a total of 19 arterial lesions, 14 ulnar lesions, and 5 radial lesions; one patient had lesions on both forearms.

Hashtag bone: detrimental effects on bone contrast with metabolic benefits one and five years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Bone loss is a potential adverse consequence of rapid and sustained weight loss after bariatric surgery. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the bone mass, body fat distribution, and metabolic parameters in women submitted to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). The study included the following three groups: one group of lean women (control [C] group) and two groups of obese women, one evaluated one year (B1) and the other five years (B5) after RYGB.

Associação Brasileira de Hematologia, Hemoterapia e Terapia Celular Consensus on genetically modified cells. VIII: CAR-T cells: preclinical development - Safety and efficacy evaluation.

Currently, there are four CAR-T products commercially available on the market. CAR-T cells have shown high remission rates and they represent an effective treatment option for patients with resistant or refractory B cell malignancies. Approval of these cell therapy products came after an extended period of preclinical evaluation that demonstrated unprecedented efficacy in this difficult-to-treat patient population.

Associação Brasileira de Hematologia, Hemoterapia e Terapia Celular Consensus on genetically modified cells. V: Manufacture and quality control.

Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T), especially against CD19 marker, present in lymphomas and acute B leukemia, enabled a revolution in the treatment of hematologic neoplastic diseases. The manufacture of CAR-T cells requires the adoption of GMP-compatible methods and it demands the collection of mononuclear cells from the patient (or from the donor), generally through the apheresis procedure, T cell selection, activation, transduction and expansion ex vivo, and finally storage, usually cryopreserved, until the moment of their use. An important aspect is the quality control testing of the final product, for example, the characterization of its identity and purity, tests to detect any contamination by microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and mycoplasma) and its potency.

Eating disorders are associated with adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes: a systematic review.

Objective: To systematically review the literature focusing on obstetric and perinatal outcomes in women with previous or current eating disorders (EDs) and on the consequences of maternal EDs for the offspring.

Methods: The study was performed following the systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. PubMed, SciELO, and Cochrane databases were searched for non-interventional studies published in English or Portuguese from January 1980 to December 2020.

Pulmonary Vascular Volume Estimated by Automated Software is a Mortality Predictor after Acute Pulmonary Embolism.

Background: Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) has a variable clinical outcome. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is the gold standard for this diagnosis.

Objective: To evaluate if the pulmonary vascular volume (PVV) quantified by automated software is a mortality predictor after APE.

Association between socioeconomic markers and adult telomere length differs according to sex: Pro-Saúde study.

Understanding the social determinants of telomere length is critical to evaluate the risk of early biological aging. We investigated sex differences on the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and demographic markers and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in Brazilian adults. This cross-sectional study was conducted in a subsample (women=228; men=200) nested within the Pro-Saúde study, a prospective cohort study of university civil servants in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2012-2013).

Accuracy of the combined method (auscultation and pH measurement) and ultrasonography for confirmation of gastric tube placement: a study protocol for a prospective study.

Introduction: Patients using a nasogastric tube (NGT) are vulnerable to adverse events, therefore proper assessment of these patients, verification of the correct tube placement and constant monitoring by the nursing staff are strategies that can reduce adverse events and risks associated with the care. The aim of this study will be to assess the accuracy of the combined method (auscultation and pH measurement) and ultrasonography for confirmation of gastric tube placement compared with the X-ray method. A further aim will be to measure and provide evidence for the direct costs of each method of confirming NGT placement and to evaluate the impact of each method on the mean direct cost of the patient.

Association of bone mineral density with bone texture attributes extracted using routine magnetic resonance imaging.

Objective: Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-derived bone mineral density (BMD) often fails to predict fragility fractures. Quantitative textural analysis using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may potentially yield useful radiomic features to predict fractures. We aimed to investigate the correlation between BMD and texture attributes (TAs) extracted from MRI scans and the interobserver reproducibility of the analysis.

Management of acute stroke and urgent neurointerventional procedures during COVID-19 pandemic: recommendations on the Scientific Department on Cerebrovascular Diseases of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology, Brazilian Society of Cerebrovascular Diseases and Brazilian Society of Neuroradiology.

Introduction: Although the 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) pandemic poses new challenges to the healthcare system to provide support for thousands of patients, there is special concern about common medical emergencies, such as stroke, that will continue to occur and will require adequate treatment. The allocation of both material and human resources to fight the pandemic cannot overshadow the care for acute stroke, a time-sensitive emergency that with an inefficient treatment will further increase mortality and long-term disability.

Objective: This paper summarizes the recommendations from the Scientific Department on Cerebrovascular Diseases of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology, the Brazilian Society of Cerebrovascular Diseases and the Brazilian Society of Neuroradiology for management of acute stroke and urgent neuro-interventional procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic, including proper use of screening tools, personal protective equipment (for patients and health professionals), and patient allocation.

Manual and semiautomatic segmentation of bone sarcomas on MRI have high similarity.

The aims of this study were to evaluate the intra- and interobserver reproducibility of manual segmentation of bone sarcomas in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies and to compare manual and semiautomatic segmentation methods. This retrospective study included twelve osteosarcoma and eight Ewing sarcoma MRI studies performed prior to any therapeutic intervention. All cases were histopathologically confirmed.

Can the combination of internal iliac temporary occlusion and uterine artery embolization reduce bleeding and the need for intraoperative blood transfusion in cases of invasive placentation?

Objectives: Women with invasive placentation (IP) are at high risk of life-threatening hemorrhage. In the last two decades, less invasive surgical approaches combined with endovascular procedures have proven to be safe. Most case series describe the use of temporary balloon occlusion and embolization, either combined or not.

Discrepancies between clinical diagnoses and autopsy findings.

Autopsy examination is considered to be an essential element for medical auditing and teaching. Despite the significant progress in diagnostic procedures, autopsy has not always confirmed the clinical diagnosis. In the present study, we compared the diagnosis recorded on medical charts with reports of 96 autopsies performed at the University Teaching Hospital of the Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Botucatu, SP, Brazil, between 1975 and 1982, and of 156 autopsies performed at the same institution between 1992 and 1996.