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Computer Methods in Biomechanics and... Jul 2024In the real world, the severity of traumatic injuries is measured using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and is often estimated, in finite element human computer...
In the real world, the severity of traumatic injuries is measured using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and is often estimated, in finite element human computer models, with the maximum principal strains (MPS) tensor. MPS can predict when a serious injury is reached, but cannot provide any AIS measures lower and higher from this. To overcome these limitations, a new organ trauma model (OTM2), capable of calculating the threat to life of any organ injured, is proposed. The OTM2 model uses a power method, namely peak virtual power, and defines brain white and grey matters trauma responses. It includes human age effect (volume and stiffness), localised impact contact stiffness and provides injury severity adjustments for haemorrhaging. The focus, in this case, is on realworld pedestrian brain injuries. OTM2 model was tested against three real-life pedestrian accidents and has proven to reasonably predict the post mortem (PM) outcome. Its AIS predictions are closer to the real-world injury severity than the standard maximum principal strain (MPS) methods currently used. This proof of concept suggests that OTM2 has the potential to improve forensic predictions as well as contribute to the improvement in vehicle safety design through the ability to measure injury severity. This study concludes that future advances in trauma computing would require the development of a brain model that could predict haemorrhaging.
PubMed: 38946517
DOI: 10.1080/10255842.2024.2368658 -
Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging :... Jul 2024Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that significantly impacts the lives of affected individuals and with increasing mortality rates. Early detection and... (Review)
Review
Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that significantly impacts the lives of affected individuals and with increasing mortality rates. Early detection and intervention are crucial for improving outcomes but the lack of validated biomarkers poses great challenges in such efforts. The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in schizophrenia enables the investigation of the disorder's etiological and neuropathological substrates in vivo. After decades of research, promising findings of MRI have been shown to aid in screening high-risk individuals and predicting illness onset, and predicting symptoms and treatment outcomes of schizophrenia. The integration of machine learning and deep learning techniques makes it possible to develop intelligent diagnostic and prognostic tools with extracted or selected imaging features. In this review, we aimed to provide an overview of current progress and prospects in establishing clinical utility of MRI in schizophrenia. We first provided an overview of MRI findings of brain abnormalities that might underpin the symptoms or treatment response process in schizophrenia patients. Then, we summarized the ongoing efforts in the computer-aided utility of MRI in schizophrenia and discussed the gap between MRI research findings and real-world applications. Finally, promising pathways to promote clinical translation were provided. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 3.
PubMed: 38946400
DOI: 10.1002/jmri.29470 -
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Jun 2024Serine is a major source of one-carbon units needed for the synthesis of nucleotides and the production of intramitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate...
PURPOSE
Serine is a major source of one-carbon units needed for the synthesis of nucleotides and the production of intramitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), and it plays an important role in cancer cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to develop a deuterium (H) MRS imaging method for imaging tumor serine metabolism.
METHODS
Sequential (H) spectra and spectroscopic images were used to monitor the metabolism of [2,3,3-H]serine in patient-derived glioblastoma cells in vitro and in tumors obtained by their orthotopic implantation in mouse brain.
RESULTS
[14,14-H] 5,10-methylene-tetrahydrofolate, [H]glycine, [H]formate, and labeled water were detected in cell suspensions and water labeling in spectroscopic images of tumors. Studies in cells and tumors with variable mitochondrial content and inhibitor studies in cells demonstrated that most of the labeled serine was metabolized in the mitochondria. Water labeling in the cell suspensions was correlated with formate labeling; therefore, water labeling observed in tumors could be used to provide a surrogate measure of flux in the pathway of one-carbon metabolism in vivo.
CONCLUSION
The method has the potential to be used clinically to select patients for treatment with inhibitors of one-carbon metabolism and subsequently to detect their early responses to such treatment.
PubMed: 38946234
DOI: 10.1002/mrm.30198 -
ACS Nano Jun 2024Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), the mainstay treatment of unresectable primary liver cancer that primarily employs nondegradable drug-loaded embolic agents to...
Biodegradable Microembolics with Nanografted Polyanions Enable High-Efficiency Drug Loading and Sustained Deep-Tumor Drug Penetration for Locoregional Chemoembolization Treatment.
Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), the mainstay treatment of unresectable primary liver cancer that primarily employs nondegradable drug-loaded embolic agents to achieve synergistic vascular embolization and locoregional chemotherapy effects, suffers from an inferior drug burst behavior lacking long-term drug release controllability that severely limits the TACE efficacy. Here we developed gelatin-based drug-eluting microembolics grafted with nanosized poly(acrylic acid) serving as a biodegradable ion-exchange platform that leverages a counterion condensation effect to achieve high-efficiency electrostatic drug loading with electropositive drugs such as doxorubicin (i.e., drug loading capacity >34 mg/mL, encapsulation efficiency >98%, and loading time <10 min) and an enzymatic surface-erosion degradation pattern (∼2 months) to offer sustained locoregional pharmacokinetics with long-lasting deep-tumor retention capability for TACE treatment. The microembolics demonstrated facile microcatheter deliverability in a healthy porcine liver embolization model, superior tumor-killing capacity in a rabbit VX2 liver cancer embolization model, and stabilized extravascular drug penetration depth (>3 mm for 3 months) in a rabbit ear embolization model. Importantly, the microembolics finally exhibited vessel remodeling-induced permanent embolization with minimal inflammation responses after complete degradation. Such a biodegradable ion-exchange drug carrier provides an effective and versatile strategy for enhancing long-term therapeutic responses of various local chemotherapy treatments.
PubMed: 38946122
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c00047 -
Igaku Butsuri : Nihon Igaku Butsuri... 2024A new quality assurance and control method for electrometers using a new current source, different from the method published in the guidelines for electrometers, has... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
[Verification of Response Uncertainty in Electrometers through Cross-Comparison with a Novel Current Source: A Comparative Study with Guidelines for Electrometers Used in Radiation Therapy Dosimeters].
BACKGROUND
A new quality assurance and control method for electrometers using a new current source, different from the method published in the guidelines for electrometers, has been reported. This current source uses dry batteries and exhibits excellent performance in terms of voltage, temperature, and time characteristics. The electrometer sensitivity coefficient can be calculated by comparing the sensitivity of one electrometer with that of another on the electrometer calibration coefficient that has been calibrated by a calibration laboratory in advance in both methods. The guideline method requires two or more sets of ionization chambers and electrometers in the facility. In contrast, our method does not use ionization chambers; therefore, the sensitivity ratio of the electrometer can be measured in any facility. This study compared the uncertainty of the electrometer sensitivity factor calculated using the new current source method (current method) with that calculated using a linear accelerator (LINAC) and ionization chambers (LINAC method) described in the electrometer guidelines.
METHOD
In this study, we used a current source that we invented previously by Kawaguchi Electric Works in Japan. The sensitivity ratios of the electrometers were measured with three manufacture's electrometers. The electrometer sensitivity factor was calculated by multiplying the electrometer calibration coefficient. The ionization chamber was 30013 (PTW), and the current source was the current obtained from 10 MV TrueBeam X-rays under calibration conditions. The mean value, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation were calculated. The time required to set up the ionization chamber for calculating the sensitivity ratio of the electrometer was also measured. The accuracy was confirmed by calculating the expanded uncertainty of the electrometer sensitivity coefficients.
RESULTS
The LINAC method had a maximum coefficient of variation of 0.072%. The gross time of the LINAC method was approximately 110 min. The current method had a maximum coefficient of variation of 0.0055% and took less than half the time taken by the LINAC method (35 min) because there was no waiting time for the ionization chamber to be set up and the applied voltage to stabilize under calibration conditions. The expanded uncertainties of the electrometer calibration coefficients were 0.36% and 0.36%, respectively.
CONCLUSION
The new cross-comparison method for electrometer sensitivity factors using a current source is more efficient and useful than the linear accelerator method described in the guidelines; furthermore, this method ensured accuracy for quality assurance and control of electrometers.
Topics: Uncertainty; Calibration; Radiation Dosimeters; Guidelines as Topic; Radiometry; Particle Accelerators
PubMed: 38945879
DOI: 10.11323/jjmp.44.2_21 -
Nanomedicine : Nanotechnology, Biology,... Jun 2024Nanophotothermolysis (NPhT) effect is considered to be an approach for the development of highly selective modalities for anticancer treatment. Herein, we evaluated an...
Nanophotothermolysis (NPhT) effect is considered to be an approach for the development of highly selective modalities for anticancer treatment. Herein, we evaluated an antitumor efficacy of NPhT with intravenously injected zinc phthalocyanine particles (ZnPcPs) in murine subcutaneous syngeneic tumor models. In S37 sarcoma-bearing mice a biodistribution of ZnPcPs was studied and the high antitumor efficacy of ZnPcPs-mediated NPhT was shown, including a response of metastatic lesions. The morphological investigation showed the main role of a local NPhT-induced vascular damage in the tumor growth and tumor spread inhibition. Murine tumors of different histological origin were not equally sensitive to the treatment. The results demonstrate a potential of ZnPcPs-mediated NPhT for treatment of surface tumors.
PubMed: 38945506
DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2024.102768 -
Biological Psychiatry Jun 2024Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a genetic condition associated with increased risk for social anxiety and avoidance. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we...
BACKGROUND
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a genetic condition associated with increased risk for social anxiety and avoidance. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we previously demonstrated aberrant neural activity responding to faces in young girls with FXS cross-sectionally. Here, we tested the hypothesis that abnormalities in neural activation and sensitization would increase with age in 65 girls with FXS, ages 5-16 years, relative to an age-matched control group of 52 girls who had comparable cognitive function and clinical symptoms.
METHODS
Functional NIRS data were collected at two time points, 2.8±0.6 years apart during a face-processing task. Linear mixed-effects models examined longitudinal neural profiles in girls with FXS and control. Correlational analysis was performed to examine associations between neural sensitization (increasing neural response to repeated stimuli), and clinical ratings.
RESULTS
In girls with FXS, 32 participants had one, and 24 had two fNIRS scans. In controls, 21 had one, and 29 had two fNIRS scans. Brain activations in the right middle and superior frontal gyri were higher in FXS than controls at both time points. Neural sensitization also increased in FXS at a higher rate than controls in the superior frontal gyrus when responding to upright faces. For the FXS group, sensitization in the superior frontal gyrus positively correlated with longitudinal increases in anxiety and social avoidance scores.
CONCLUSION
Girls with FXS show increasingly abnormal neural activation and sensitization responding to faces over time. Aberrant neural sensitization in girls with FXS is associated with longitudinal changes in anxiety and social skills.
PubMed: 38945386
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.06.020 -
Clinical Imaging Jun 2024As the field of medicine witnesses evolving attitudes towards work-life balance, barriers to family planning emerge as an important theme. Though these challenges have...
PURPOSE
As the field of medicine witnesses evolving attitudes towards work-life balance, barriers to family planning emerge as an important theme. Though these challenges have been investigated in many fields, there has been little work done on this subject within radiology. Here we present the first formal survey of radiologists on topics related to family planning.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this single-institution prospective study, a 40-question comprehensive survey was developed and distributed via email. Responses from 76 participants were analyzed.
RESULTS
Of the 76 respondents, a diverse number of ages, points in the career path, and practice settings were represented. A majority of respondents were male (52/76; 68 %) and married (56/75; 73.7 %). Respondents reported a miscarriage rate of 25 %, which is slightly higher than the reported rate for the general population of 20 %. Significantly more female respondents reported a negative stigma associated with being pregnant as a radiologist as compared to their male colleagues (60.9 % vs. 15.4 %; p < 0.001)). Male respondents reported significantly less parental leave than their female colleagues, most commonly reporting zero weeks of leave as compared to 10 weeks for female respondents (p < 0.001). Numerous respondents cited lack of childcare support as a major issue.
CONCLUSION
We have identified several key areas of concern, including a need for improving parental leave policies, addressing pregnancy stigma, and increasing access to childcare support. Overall, our study lays the groundwork for discussions and policy changes within radiology at both the institutional and national level to ensure the continued interest of trainees and satisfaction of radiologists.
PubMed: 38945060
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2024.110208 -
Cell Reports Jun 2024Heterogeneous resistance to immunotherapy remains a major challenge in cancer treatment, often leading to disease progression and death. Using CITE-seq and matched...
Heterogeneous resistance to immunotherapy remains a major challenge in cancer treatment, often leading to disease progression and death. Using CITE-seq and matched 40-plex PhenoCycler tissue imaging, we performed longitudinal multimodal single-cell analysis of tumors from metastatic melanoma patients with innate resistance, acquired resistance, or response to immunotherapy. We established the multimodal integration toolkit to align transcriptomic features, cellular epitopes, and spatial information to provide deeper insights into the tumors. With longitudinal analysis, we identified an "immune-striving" tumor microenvironment marked by peri-tumor lymphoid aggregates and low infiltration of T cells in the tumor and the emergence of MITFSPARCL1 and CENPF melanoma subclones after therapy. The enrichment of B cell-associated signatures in the molecular composition of lymphoid aggregates was associated with better survival. These findings provide further insights into the establishment of microenvironmental cell interactions and molecular composition of spatial structures that could inform therapeutic intervention.
PubMed: 38944836
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114392 -
Annals of Hepatology 2024
Topics: Humans; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Liver Neoplasms; Latin America; Treatment Outcome; Predictive Value of Tests
PubMed: 38944462
DOI: 10.1016/j.aohep.2024.101514