Reconstruction Kernel Optimization for Ultra-High-Resolution Photon-Counting Detector Computed Tomography of the Lung.

Background: The latest generation of computed tomography (CT) systems based on photon-counting detector promises significant improvements in several clinical applications, including chest imaging.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to evaluate the image quality of ultra-high-resolution (UHR) photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT) of the lung using four sharp reconstruction kernels.

Material And Methods: This retrospective study included 25 patients (11 women and 14 men; median age, 71 years) who underwent unenhanced chest CT from April to May 2023.

Thrombosis, Translational Medicine, and Biomarker Research: Moving the Needle.

Arterial and venous thromboembolism are leading causes of morbidity and death worldwide. Despite significant advances in the diagnosis, prognostication, and treatment of thrombotic diseases over the past 3 decades, the adoption of findings stemming from translational biomarker research in clinical practice remains limited. Biomarkers provide an opportunity to enhance our understanding of pathophysiological processes and optimize treatment strategies.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction and With Reduced Ejection Fraction According to the Prognostic Nutritional Index: Findings From PARADIGM-HF and PARAGON-HF.

Background: The importance of nutritional status is underappreciated in patients with heart failure (HF). This study aimed to describe the range of the prognostic nutrition index (PNI), and the clinical characteristics and outcomes according to PNI, in patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The primary outcome was the composite of HF hospitalization or cardiovascular death.

The relationship between anticholinergic burden and frailty in the year preceding a diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies.

Introduction: Little is known regarding the relationship between anticholinergic medications and frailty in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

Methods: Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale (ACB) and Claims-based Frailty Index scores were calculated for 12 months prior to the dementia diagnosis using electronic medical record and claims data. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between ACB and odds of frailty.

A Young Man with Chest Pain.

Acalculous cholecystitis is a life-threatening diagnosis that is more commonly associated with ill patients in the ICU. We present a case of acute acalculous cholecystitis (ACC) in an otherwise healthy 18-year-old man who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with right-sided chest pain that was ultimately diagnosed with point of care ultrasound (POCUS). This case demonstrates the importance of conducting a thorough history and physical as well as the importance of POCUS to aid in clinical decision making and its value in diagnosing acute biliary pathology in the ED.

National Study Examining Excellence and Value in Physical Therapist Residency Education: Part 2-A Call to Action.

This Perspective provides a crucial set of actions with corresponding recommendations aimed at propelling the physical therapy profession toward excellence in residency education. The conceptual model includes elements of excellence in the delivery and outcomes of physical therapist residency education and the domain of value experienced by stakeholders impacted by physical therapist residency education. Linked to the conceptual model, the 15 actions, and 28 recommendations draw from (1) the Physical Therapist Residency Excellence and Value (PT-REV) study, (2) the Physical Therapist Education for the 21st Century (PTE-21) study, and (3) research in the learning sciences.

Optimized Whole-Slide-Image H&E Stain Normalization: A Step Towards Big Data Integration in Digital Pathology.

In the medical diagnostics domain, pathology and histology are pivotal for the precise identification of diseases. Digital histopathology, enhanced by automation, facilitates the efficient analysis of massive amount of biopsy images produced on a daily basis, streamlining the evaluation process. This study focuses in Stain Color Normalization (SCN) within a Whole-Slide Image (WSI) cohort, aiming to reduce batch biases.

Effect of cigarette smoke exposure and cessation on regional diffusion properties in rat intervertebral discs.

Background: Cigarette smoking is a recognized risk factor for orthopedic disorders, particularly intervertebral disc (IVD) degenerative disease. However, the IVD pathophysiology, especially the spatial-temporal remodeling progression in the context of cigarette smoking, remains unclear. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap through a quantitative assessment of IVD structural composition and diffusion properties using a Sprague-Dawley rat model.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy as a Form of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: Diagnosis, Drugs, and Procedures.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a complex and heterogeneous cardiac disorder characterized by cardiac hypertrophy disproportionate to loading stimuli (e.g. hypertension or aortic stenosis).

Hemodynamic markers independent of pulmonary capillary wedge pressure can discriminate between pre and postcapillary exercise-induced pulmonary hypertension.

The discrimination between pre and postcapillary exercise-induced pulmonary hypertension relies on accurate measurement of pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, which can be unreliable. We found that exercise pulmonary artery compliance and right atrial pressure (AUC 0.88, 0.

A 12-Year Analysis of Demand and Supply for Hand Surgery Training in the United States.

Introduction: The consistent recruitment of quality applicants is critical to the integrity of the US surgical workforce. This study assesses the demand and supply for hand surgery training in the US.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis of US hand surgery fellowship applicants from 2012 to 2023.

Fun with electricity: A novel ballistics gelatin model with LED tracking for ultrasound needle guidance.

Background: Use of ultrasound (US) for procedural needle guidance can improve success rates, safety, and accuracy. Often, training is performed on task trainers, which can be prohibitively expensive. Determining undesired needle placement is difficult when the needle is poorly visualized with US.

Genetically proxied IL-6 signaling and risk of Alzheimer's disease and lobar intracerebral hemorrhage: A drug target Mendelian randomization study.

Introduction: Evidence suggests that higher C-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with lower risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Whether interleukin (IL)-6 signaling, an active pharmacological target upstream of CRP, is associated with these amyloid-related pathologies remains unknown.

Methods: We used 26 CRP-lowering variants near the IL-6 receptor gene to perform Mendelian randomization analyses for AD (111,326 cases, 677,663 controls) and ICH (1545 cases, 1481 controls).

Low Ventricular Stiffness Is Associated With Suboptimal Outcomes in Patients With a Single Right Ventricle After the Fontan Operation: A Novel Phenotype.

Background: Despite a rigorous screening process, including cardiac catheterization, a subset of patients with a single right ventricle (SRV) demonstrates suboptimal short-term outcomes after the Fontan operation. The goal of this study was to perform a comprehensive assessment of diastolic function in pre-Fontan patients with an SRV using invasive reference-standard measures and determine their associations with post-Fontan outcomes.

Methods And Results: Children aged 2 to 6 years with SRV physiology undergoing pre-Fontan heart catheterization were recruited prospectively.

: A condensed step-up dosing schedule of teclistamab for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Teclistamab is a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed bispecific T-cell engager approved for relapsed-refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and Immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) are well-documented treatment -related adverse events of teclistamab. The prescribing information recommends step-up dosing on days 1, 4, and 7 with 48-72 h of inpatient observation after each dose to monitor for CRS.