Determinants of cough-related quality of life in interstitial lung diseases.

Background: Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) include a wide range of diseases impacting lung parenchyma and leading to fibrosis and architectural distortion. Chronic cough and dyspnea are common symptoms which affect the quality of life (QoL) in ILD patients. The mechanisms of cough in ILD patients are still unknown.

Two Sides of the Same Coin in Female Borderline Personality Disorder: Self-Reported Guilt and Shame and Their Neurofunctional Correlates.

Objective: Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) report to be especially prone to social emotions like shame and guilt. At the same time, these emotions seem to play an important role in BPD pathology. The present study aimed to deepen the knowledge about the processes behind shame and guilt in patients with BPD.

Cancer detection rate of breast-MR in supplemental screening after negative mammography in women with dense breasts. Preliminary results of the MA-DETECT-Study after 200 participants.

Background: Due to increased cancer detection rates (CDR), breast MR (breast MRI) can reduce underdiagnosis of breast cancer compared to conventional imaging techniques, particularly in women with dense breasts. The purpose of this study is to report the additional breast cancer yield by breast MRI in women with dense breasts after receiving a negative screening mammogram.

Methods: For this study we invited consecutive participants of the national German breast cancer Screening program with breast density categories ACR C & D and a negative mammogram to undergo additional screening by breast MRI.

Intra- and inter-reader reproducibility in quantitative coronary plaque analysis on coronary computed tomography angiography.

Purpose: Coronary artery plaque burden, low attenuation non-calcified plaque (LAP), and pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) on coronary CT angiography (CCTA), have been linked to future cardiac events. The purpose of this study was to evaluate intra- and inter reader reproducibility in the quantification of coronary plaque burden and its characteristics using an artificial intelligence-enhanced semi-automated software.

Materials And Methods: A total of 10 women and 6 men, aged 52 (IQR 49-58) underwent CCTA using a Siemens Somatom Force, Somatom Definition AS and Somatom Definition Flash scanners.

Fatigue-Related Changes of Daily Function: Most Promising Measures for the Digital Age.

Background: Fatigue is a prominent symptom in many diseases and is strongly associated with impaired daily function. The measurement of daily function is currently almost always done with questionnaires, which are subjective and imprecise. With the recent advances of digital wearable technologies, novel approaches to evaluate daily function quantitatively and objectively in real-life conditions are increasingly possible.

Imaging-based characterization of tumoral heterogeneity for personalized cancer treatment.

With personalized tumor therapy, understanding and addressing the heterogeneity of malignant tumors is becoming increasingly important. Heterogeneity can be found within one lesion (intralesional) and between several tumor lesions emerging from one primary tumor (interlesional). The heterogeneous tumor cells may show a different response to treatment due to their biology, which in turn influences the outcome of the affected patients and the choice of therapeutic agents.

A multivariate curve resolution analysis of multicenter proton spectroscopic imaging of the prostate for cancer localization and assessment of aggressiveness.

In this study, we investigated the potential of the multivariate curve resolution alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) algorithm for analyzing three-dimensional (3D) H-MRSI data of the prostate in prostate cancer (PCa) patients. MCR-ALS generates relative intensities of components representing spectral profiles derived from a large training set of patients, providing an interpretable model. Our objectives were to classify magnetic resonance (MR) spectra, differentiating tumor lesions from benign tissue, and to assess PCa aggressiveness.

Screening and diagnostic breast MRI: how do they impact surgical treatment? Insights from the MIPA study.

Objectives: To report mastectomy and reoperation rates in women who had breast MRI for screening (S-MRI subgroup) or diagnostic (D-MRI subgroup) purposes, using multivariable analysis for investigating the role of MRI referral/nonreferral and other covariates in driving surgical outcomes.

Methods: The MIPA observational study enrolled women aged 18-80 years with newly diagnosed breast cancer destined to have surgery as the primary treatment, in 27 centres worldwide. Mastectomy and reoperation rates were compared using non-parametric tests and multivariable analysis.

Artificial intelligence for advanced analysis of coronary plaque.

The field of coronary plaque analysis is advancing including more quantitative analysis of coronary artery diseases such as plaque burden, high-risk plaque features, computed tomography-derived fractional flow reserve, and radiomics. Although these biomarkers have shown great promise for the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiac patients in a research setting, many of these advanced analyses are labour and time intensive and therefore hard to implement in daily clinical practice. Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasing role in supporting the quantification of these new biomarkers.

Evaluation of vessel-wall contrast-enhancement on high-resolution MRI in European patients with Moyamoya disease.

Objectives: Data regarding MR vessel-wall imaging (VWI) in patients with Moyamoya disease (MMD) is sparse, particularly in non-asian cohorts. We contribute data regarding the frequency of vessel wall contrast-enhancement (VW-CE) and its potential clinical significance in a European patient group.

Materials And Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of MMD who were examined by VWI were included in the study.

Pediatric computed tomography doses in Germany from 2016 to 2018 based on large-scale data collection.

Purpose: Accumulating evidence from epidemiological studies that pediatric computed tomography (CT) examinations can be associated with a small but non-zero excess risk for developing leukemia or brain tumor highlights the need to optimize doses of pediatric CT procedures. Mandatory dose reference levels (DRL) can support reduction of collective dose from CT imaging. Regular surveys of applied dose-related parameters are instrumental to decide when technological advances and optimized protocol design allow lower doses without sacrificing image quality.

Quantitative differentiation of minimal-fat angiomyolipomas from renal cell carcinomas using grating-based x-ray phase-contrast computed tomography: An ex vivo study.

Background: The differentiation of minimal-fat-or low-fat-angiomyolipomas from other renal lesions is clinically challenging in conventional computed tomography. In this work, we have assessed the potential of grating-based x-ray phase-contrast computed tomography (GBPC-CT) for visualization and quantitative differentiation of minimal-fat angiomyolipomas (mfAMLs) and oncocytomas from renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) on ex vivo renal samples.

Materials And Methods: Laboratory GBPC-CT was performed at 40 kVp on 28 ex vivo kidney specimens including five angiomyolipomas with three minimal-fat (mfAMLs) and two high-fat (hfAMLs) subtypes as well as three oncocytomas and 20 RCCs with eight clear cell (ccRCCs), seven papillary (pRCCs) and five chromophobe RCC (chrRCC) subtypes.

Inflammatory myositis-associated interstitial lung disease can be distinguished from that associated with other connective tissue diseases.

Background: Acute onset of interstitial lung disease (ILD) has been described in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM), but controlled studies about this issue are sparse. The aim of this study was to compare disease onset, demographics, and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) patterns in IIM-ILD and other connective tissue disease (CTD)-ILDs.

Methods: Clinical and radiological data of 22 IIM-ILD and 132 other CTD-ILD patients was retrospectively gathered from hospital registries between January 2000 and November 2019.

Learning Needle Placement in Soft Tissue With Robot-assisted Navigation.

Background/aim: The aim of this phantom study was to evaluate the learning curves of novices practicing how to place a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)-guided needle using a novel robotic assistance system (RAS).

Materials And Methods: Ten participants performed 18 punctures each with random trajectories in a phantom setting, supported by a RAS over 3 days. Precision, duration of the total intervention, duration of the needle placement, autonomy, and confidence of the participants were measured, displaying possible learning curves.

Towards a network control theory of electroconvulsive therapy response.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is arguably the most effective intervention for treatment-resistant depression. While large interindividual variability exists, a theory capable of explaining individual response to ECT remains elusive. To address this, we posit a quantitative, mechanistic framework of ECT response based on Network Control Theory (NCT).

Evaluation of Accuracy and Performance of a Novel, Fully Gantry Integrated 3D Laser System for Computed Tomography Guided Needle Placement: A Phantom Study.

The purpose of this phantom study was to compare the accuracy, speed and technical performance of CT guided needle placement using a conventional technique versus a novel, gantry integrated laser guidance system for both an expert and a novice. A total of 80 needle placements were performed in an abdominal phantom using conventional CT guidance and a laser guidance system. Analysis of pooled results of expert and novice showed a significant reduction of time (277 vs.

Embolization of an incomplete isolated right segmental hepatic duct injury (incomplete IRSHDI)-A case report.

Iatrogenic bile duct injuries remain a substantial problem in gastrointestinal surgery, especially if discovered later in the postoperative period. Herein, we report a case of an unusual bile leak following laparoscopic cholecystectomy consisting of an isolated right segmental hepatic duct injury of segment 5 together with an additional bile leak of a small duct connecting the gallbladder fossa with the common bile duct. We call this situation an incomplete isolated right segmental hepatic duct injury.

Septal myocardial scar burden predicts the response to cardiac contractility modulation in patients with heart failure.

We hypothesized that myocardial septal scarring, assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) using late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), at the site of cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) lead placement may predict treatment response. Eligible heart failure (HF) patients underwent LGE CMR imaging before CCM device implantation. The response to CCM therapy at follow-up was determined by a change in NYHA class and echocardiographic left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) assessment.

Myeloma bone disease imaging on a 1st-generation clinical photon-counting detector CT vs. 2nd-generation dual-source dual-energy CT.

Objective: Subjective and objective image quality comparison of bone microstructure and disease-related abnormalities in multiple myeloma patients using a 1st-generation dual-source photon-counting detector CT(DS-PCD-CT) and a 2nd-generation dual-source dual-energy (energy-integrating detector) CT (DS-EID-CT).

Methods: Fifty multiple myeloma patients (mean age 67.7 ± 10.

Effects of age and sex on outcomes of the Q-Motor speeded finger tapping and grasping and lifting tests-findings from the population-based BiDirect Study.

Background: Q-Motor is a suite of motor tests originally designed to assess motor symptoms in Huntington's disease. Among others, Q-Motor encompasses a finger tapping task and a grasping and lifting task. To date, there are no systematic investigations regarding effects of variables which may affect the performance in specific Q-Motor tests , and normative Q-Motor data based on a large population-based sample are not yet available.