Notes

Major hepatic fundamentally hyperattenuating lesions from unenhanced CT: Not necessarily calcifications.
Purpose To evaluate diagnostic performance of PACS-based quantitative gray-scale ultrasound as an objective method in evaluation of pediatric thyroiditis. Methods Quantitative measurements of the echo-intensity level of the thyroid were obtained from ultrasound images, retrospectively using a PACS-based tool in 37 children with the tissue-proven diagnosis. Thyroid/muscle ratio was calculated by dividing the mean echo intensity of thyroid by that of adjacent strap muscle. Heterogeneity index (HI) was calculated by dividing thyroid standard deviation (SD) by thyroid mean values. For qualitative evaluation, two radiologists independently reviewed ultrasounds twice for the presence of thyroiditis. A consensus session was performed for patients for whom there was disagreement. Intra- and inter-observer reliability were assessed. Thyroid/muscle ratio and HI were correlated with final pathology. Results Lymphocytic thyroiditis was found by histopathology in 19/37 (51%). No significant difference between thyroiditis and normal thyroid groups was found for either thyroid/muscle ratio (1.51 and 1.62, respectively, p = .82) or HI (0.23 and.23, respectively, p = .37). A larger proportion of patients for whom the consensus review indicated thyroiditis were confirmed by histopathology than would be expected by chance alone (12/19 (63%), p = .03). There was fair inter-observer agreement (κ with 95% confidence intervals of 0.36 (0.14-0.57), p = .004) and slight intra-observer agreement for each radiologist (κ with 95% confidence intervals of 0.13 (0.17-0.43), p = .39 and 0.17 (0.15-0.49), p = .31). Conclusion Quantitative gray-scale echo intensity analysis of US was not sufficient to diagnose thyroiditis in a pediatric population. Consensus qualitative analysis of ultrasound was more consistent with pathological diagnosis.Since first recognized in July 2019, numerous cases of a lung illness associated with electronic-cigarette use or vaping particularly tetrahydrocannabinol in adolescents and adults have been reported. As of January 2020, the Center for Disease Control has reported over 2500 cases of electronic-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI), including 60 deaths. Affected patients most commonly present with respiratory or gastrointestinal complaints although neurological symptoms including headache, confusion and lethargy have been reported. We present a new as yet unpublished finding in the brain of a previously healthy teenage boy with EVALI. Brain imaging may be warranted in this patient population.Purpose We aim to share our experience with implementation of a simple checklist to improve workflow and safety in patients scheduled for outpatient CT. Methods After identification of several recurrent problems leading to study delays or cancellation, a pre-CT checklist to be used by designated CT technologist in advance of patients' scheduled appointment was designed with input from CT technologists, radiologists, schedulers and nurses. Results Implementation of the checklist led to further actions in 25.9% of cases. The most common actions were calls to referring providers to modify or clarify an order (24.3%), followed by verification of proper premedication in patients with allergy to iodinated contrast (12.7%) and contacting the radiologist for protocolling (12.7%). Conclusions Implementation of a pre-CT checklist that can be tailored to individual practices has potential to improve patients' safety and experience as well as providing a more efficient clinical operation. Summary sentence We present an easy-to-implement checklist to maximize CT throughput in an outpatient setting that can be customized to the needs of individual institutions and has the potential to improve patients' safety and experience.In this study, we proposed 'switching ultrasonic amplitude' as a new strategy of applying ultrasonic energy to prepare a hybrid of buckminsterfullerene (C60) and gallium oxide (Ga2O3), C60/Ga2O3. T-DM1 In the proposed method, we switched the ultrasonic amplitude from 25% to 50% (by 5% amplitude per 10 min, within 1 h of ultrasonic irradiation) for the sonochemical treatment of a heterogeneous aqueous mixture of C60 and Ga2O3 by a probe-type ultrasonic horn operating at 20 kHz. We found that compared to the conventional techniques associated with high amplitude oriented ultrasonic preparation of functional materials, switching ultrasonic amplitude can better perform in preparing C60/Ga2O3 with respect to avoiding titanium (Ti) as an impurity generating from the tip erosion of a probe-type ultrasonic horn during high amplitude ultrasonic irradiation in an aqueous medium. Based on SEM/EDX analysis, the quantity of Ti (wt.%) in C60/Ga2O3 prepared by the proposed technique of switching ultrasonic amplitude was found to be 1.7% less than that prepared at 50% amplitude of ultrasonic irradiation. The particles of C60/Ga2O3 prepared by different modes of amplitude formed large (2-12 μm) aggregates in their solid phase.Whereas, in the aqueous medium, they were found to disperse in their nano sizes. The minimum particle size of the as-synthesized C60/Ga2O3 in an aqueous medium prepared by the proposed method of switching ultrasonic amplitude reached to approximately 467 nm. Comparatively, the minimum particle sizes were approximately 658 nm and 144 nm, using 25% and 50% amplitude, respectively. Additionally, Ga2O3 went under hydration during ultrasonic irradiation. Moreover, due to the electron cloud interference from C60 in the hybrid structure of C60/Ga2O3, the vibrational modes of Ga2O3 were Raman inactive in C60/Ga2O3.Cavitation intensity has already been used to character the activity or strength of cavitation, and several methods are developed to measure the cavitation intensity. However, the previous definitions of cavitation intensity are often either vague or biased. In this paper, from the point of view of energy, the authors proposed a generalized definition of cavitation intensity, derived an approximate formula to calculate the cavitation intensity and discussed its measure method.Nitric oxide (NO) is a multifunctional signalling molecule and a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in physiological and pathophysiological processes. In physiological conditions, NO regulates cell survival, differentiation and proliferation of neurons. It also regulates synaptic activity, plasticity and vesicle trafficking. NO affects cellular signalling through protein S-nitrosylation, the NO-mediated posttranslational modification of cysteine thiols (SNO). SNO can affect protein activity, protein-protein interaction and protein localization. Numerous studies have shown that excessive NO and SNO can lead to nitrosative stress in the nervous system, contributing to neuropathology. In this review, we summarize the role of NO and SNO in the progression of neurodevelopmental, psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, with special attention to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We provide mechanistic insights into the contribution of NO in diverse brain disorders. Finally, we suggest that pharmacological agents that can inhibit or augment the production of NO as well as new approaches to modulate the formation of SNO-proteins can serve as a promising approach for the treatment of diverse brain disorders.Divalent copper and iron cations have been acknowledged for their catalytic roles in physiological processes critical for homeostasis maintenance. Being redox-active, these metals act as cofactors in the enzymatic reactions of electron transfer. However, under pathophysiological conditions, owing to their high redox potentials, they may exacerbate stress-induced injury. This could be particularly hazardous to the liver - the main body reservoir of these two metals. Surprisingly, the involvement of Cu and Fe in liver pathology still remains poorly understood. Hypoxic stress in the tissue may act as a stimulus that mobilizes these ions from their hepatic stores, aggravating the systemic injury. Since ischemia poses a serious complication in liver surgery (e.g. transplantation) we aimed to reveal the status of Cu and Fe via spectroscopic analysis of mouse ischemic liver tissue. Herein, we establish a novel non-surgical model of focal liver ischemia, achieved by applying light locally when a photosensitizer is adre not propagated systemically.Introduction When confronted to stress or pathological conditions, the mitochondria overproduce reactive species that participate in the cellular dysfunction. These organelles are however difficult to target with antioxidants. A feature of mitochondria that can be used for this is the negatively charged compartments they form. Most of mitochondrion-targeting antioxidants are therefore cationic synthetic molecules. Our hypothesis is that such mitochondriotropic traits might also exists in natural molecules. Aim We tested here whether sinapine, a natural phenolic antioxidant-bearing a permanent positive charge, can target mitochondria to modulate mitochondrial oxidative stress. Methods Experiments were performed in-vitro, in-cellulo, ex-vivo, and in-vivo, using cardiac tissue. The sinapic acid -lacking the positively-charged-choline-moiety present in sinapine-was used as a control. Sinapine entry into mitochondria was investigated in-vivo and in cardiomyocytes. We used fluorescent probes to detect cytosolic (H2eseed species, effectively (i) enters within the mitochondria, (ii) selectively decreases the level of mitochondrial oxidative stress and, (iii) efficiently limits ROS production during cardiac ischemia-reperfusion.Introduction We investigated the main effects of shift work and sleep duration on cancer incidence, and effect modification of the shift work-cancer incidence association by sleep duration. Methods Shift work and sleep duration were assessed among 21,804 participants from Alberta`s Tomorrow Project. Incident cases of breast, prostate, colorectal and lung cancers were identified through registry linkage. Results Having worked ≥6 years of rotating shift work (HR = 1.59, 95 % CI = 1.07, 2.37; P = 0.02) and having ever worked night shifts were associated with an increased risk of lung cancer (HR=1.71, 95 % CI=1.18, 2.47; P = 0.01), whereas having ever worked night shifts was associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer in the latency-adjusted model only (HR=0.70, 95 % CI=0.51, 0.98; P = 0.04). No associations were found between shift work or sleep duration on the risks of breast and colorectal cancers. Some evidence of effect modification by sleep duration for the rotating shift work-lung cancer incidence association was noted (P = 0.06), with stratified analyses revealing borderline increased risk of lung cancer in participants with ≥6 years of rotating shift work and 9 h of sleep/day (HR=2.99, 95 % CI=1.12, 7.97; P = 0.03). No additional evidence of effect modification by sleep duration for shift work and cancer incidence was noted. Discussion A consistent association between shift work employment and lung cancer risk was noted in this Canadian sample. Furthermore, some evidence of effect modification of the rotating shift work-lung cancer risk association by sleep duration was noted.Background Excess brain cancers observed after computed tomography (CT) scans could be caused by ionizing radiation. However, as scans are often used to investigate symptoms of brain cancer, excess cancers could also be due to reverse causation bias. We used finite mixture models (FMM) to differentiate CT exposures that are plausibly causal from those due to reverse causation. Methods Persons with at least one CT scan exposure and a subsequent diagnosis of brain cancer were selected from a cohort of 11 million young Australians. We fitted FMMs and used the posterior probability to inform the choice of exclusion periods. We validated our findings using a separate clinical dataset describing the time between first symptoms and brain cancer diagnosis (pre-diagnostic symptomatic interval; PSI). Results The cohort included 1028 persons with a diagnosed brain tumor and exposed to a total of 1,450 CT scans. The best-fitting model was a generalized linear mixture model using the exponential distribution with three latent classes and two covariates (age at exposure and year of exposure).
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