Rosenbergwinkler7442
As the respondents' age increased, their perceived benefits and self-efficacy for app usage decreased.
Initiatives to stimulate the uptake of contact tracing apps should enhance perceived benefits and self-efficacy. A perceived barrier for some potential users is privacy concerns. Therefore, when developing and launching an app, clarification on how individuals' privacy will be protected is needed. To sustain perceived benefits in the long run, supplementary options could be integrated to inform and assist users.
Initiatives to stimulate the uptake of contact tracing apps should enhance perceived benefits and self-efficacy. A perceived barrier for some potential users is privacy concerns. Therefore, when developing and launching an app, clarification on how individuals' privacy will be protected is needed. To sustain perceived benefits in the long run, supplementary options could be integrated to inform and assist users.
We aimed to investigate the value of T1-weighted two-point Dixon technique and single-voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in diagnosis of multiple myeloma (MM) through quantifying fat content of vertebral marrow.
A total of 30 MM patients and 30 healthy volunteers underwent T1-weighted two-point Dixon and single-voxel MRS imaging. The fat fraction map (FFM) was reconstructed from the Dixon images using the equation FFM = Lip/In, where Lip represents fat maps and In represents in-phase images. #link# The fat fraction (FF) of MRS was calculated by using the integral area of Lip peak divided by the sum of integral area of Lip peak and water peak.
FF values measured by the Dixon technique and MRS were significantly decreased in MM patients (45.99%±3.39% and 47.63%±4.38%) compared with healthy controls (64.43%±0.96% and 76.22%±1.91%) (P < 0.001 with both methods). FF values measured by Dixon technique were significantly positively correlated to those measured by MRS in MM (r = 0.837, P < 0.001) and he stable technique for assessing bone marrow changes in MM patients than single-voxel MRS.
We aimed to evaluate whether rapid kV-switching dual energy CT (rsDECT) can discriminate between papillary renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and benign proteinaceous cysts (BPCs) based on iodine and water content.
Twenty-four patients with histopathologically proven papillary RCC and 38 patients with 41 BPCs were retrospectively included. Patients with BPCs were eligible for inclusion when the cysts were stable in size and appearance for at least 2 years or proved to be a cyst on ultrasound or MRI. GSK923295 supplier underwent delayed phase (70-90 s) rsDECT. Iodine and water content of each lesion was measured on the workstation.
Of papillary RCC patients, 4 (16%) were female and 20 (84%) were male. Mean tumor size was 39±20 mm. Mean iodine and water content was 2.08±0.7 mg/mL and 1021±14 mg/mL, respectively. Of BPC patients, 9 were female and 29 were male. Mean cyst size was 20±7 mm. Mean iodine and water content was 0.82±0.4 mg/mL and 1012±14 mg/mL, respectively. There were significant differences between iodine and water contents of papillary RCCs and BPCs (P < 0.001). The best cutoff of iodine content for differentiating papillary RCC from BPC was 1.21 mg/mL (area under the curve [AUC]=0.97, P < 0.001, sensitivity 96%, specificity 88%, positive predictive value [PPV] 82%, negative predictive value [NPV] 97%, accuracy 91%,); the best cutoff of water content was 1015.5 mg/mL (AUC=0.68, P = 0.016, sensitivity 83%, specificity 56%, PPV 52%, NPV 85%, accuracy 66%).
An iodine content threshold of 1.21 mg/mL accurately differentiates papillary RCC from BPCs on a single postcontrast rsDECT. Despite having a high sensitivity, water content has inferior diagnostic accuracy.
An iodine content threshold of 1.21 mg/mL accurately differentiates papillary RCC from BPCs on a single postcontrast rsDECT. Despite having a high sensitivity, water content has inferior diagnostic accuracy.Artificial intelligence (AI) has great potential to accelerate scientific discovery in medicine and to transform healthcare. In radiology, AI is about to enter into clinical practice and has a wide range of applications covering the whole diagnostic workflow. However, AI applications are not smooth sailing. It is crucial to understand the potential risks and hazards that come with this new technology. We have to implement AI in the best possible way to reflect the time-honored ethical and legal standards while ensuring the adequate protection of patient interests. These issues are discussed under the light of core biomedical ethics principles and principles for AI-specific ethical challenges while giving an overview of the statements that were proposed for the ethics of AI applications in radiology.
The role of computed tomography (CT)-guided gastrostomy tube placement is still evolving. It is a valuable alternative to guide gastrostomy tube placement in a few selected patients, who are not candidates for the established endoscopy- or fluoroscopy-guided gastrostomy tube placement. Our objective was to describe our institutional experience placing gastrostomy tubes using CT guidance and to conduct a review of literature for similar studies to provide the best current evidence on success rates and complications.
We identified gastrostomy tubes placed under CT guidance at our institution using a comprehensive case log. We also identified studies in the literature, through a systematic search of PubMed. In both the local and literature analyses, we recorded success and complication rates.
A total of 31 patients underwent 33 attempted CT-guided gastrostomy tube placements at our institution, with 32 successful procedures yielding a success rate of 97%. The overall rate of successful gastrostomy tube placement using CT-guidance was 94.9% (634/668), as reported in the existing literature.
CT-guidance is an effective method for gastrostomy tube placement and may play an important role in patients for whom endoscopic or fluoroscopic gastrostomy tube placement is not feasible.
CT-guidance is an effective method for gastrostomy tube placement and may play an important role in patients for whom endoscopic or fluoroscopic gastrostomy tube placement is not feasible.
We aimed to determine the relationship of abnormal labyrinthine signals on heavily T2-weighted three-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery imaging (HF sequence) with hearing impairment and prognosis in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL).
Patients with unilateral SSNHL underwent magnetic resonance imaging, including pre-contrast HF sequences and post-contrast HF sequences with a 4-hour scan delay after intravenous gadolinium injection. We measured the signal intensity ratio (SIR) of the vestibule and cochlea relative to the cerebellar medulla on post-contrast HF sequences, and analyzed the relationship of SIR with hearing impairment and prognosis.
Of 61 patients, 23 (37.7%) showed signal abnormalities on post-contrast HF sequences. Initial hearing loss and hearing recovery were worse in the HF+ group than in the HF- group (P < 0.05). Profound hearing loss was more common in the HF+ group (52.2% vs. 23.7%), while moderate hearing loss was more common in the HF- group (18.4% vs. 0.0%; P < 0.05 for both). The rate of partial recovery was higher in the HF- group (42.1%) than in the HF+ group (13.0%; P < 0.05). The SIRs of the vestibule and cochlea were positively correlated with the severity of hearing loss and hearing recovery, with higher SIRs indicating more severe hearing loss and poor recovery.
Labyrinthine signal abnormalities were found on post-contrast HF sequences in 37.7% of patients with SSNHL. These abnormalities were found only in patients with severe-to-profound hearing loss. Increased SIR indicated more severe hearing loss and poor prognosis.
Labyrinthine signal abnormalities were found on post-contrast HF sequences in 37.7% of patients with SSNHL. These abnormalities were found only in patients with severe-to-profound hearing loss. Increased SIR indicated more severe hearing loss and poor prognosis.
To assess the effectiveness and safety of autologous intraparenchymal blood patch (IBP) application in reducing the frequency of pneumothorax (PTX) after percutaneous transthoracic pulmonary core needle biopsy.
The records of patients who underwent the transthoracic pulmonary core needle biopsy procedure under CT guidance between January 2015 and October 2018 were screened retrospectively. Patients whose traversed pulmonary parenchymal length was ≥20 mm during biopsy were included in the study irrespective of lesion size. The IBP procedure was made a department policy in November 2017; patients who underwent biopsy after this date comprised the IBP group, while those who underwent the procedure before this date comprised the control group. IBP recipients received 2-5 mL of autologous blood injection to the needle tract. Demographic data, procedural reports, tomography images, and the follow-up records of patients were assessed.
A total of 262 patients were included in the study. Of the 91 patients that received an IBP, PTX developed in 13 (14.1%), with 7 (7.7%) requiring a thoracic tube. Of the 171 patients who did not receive an IBP, PTX developed in 45 (26.3%), with 19 (11.1%) requiring a thoracic tube. Patients who received an autologous IBP showed a significantly lower rate of PTX development versus those who did not (P = 0.01). Similarly, a significantly lower number of patients who received the blood patch required chest tube placement (P = 0.015).
Autologous IBP is a safe, inexpensive and easy to use method that reduces the rate of PTX development and thoracic tube application after percutaneous core needle biopsies of the lung.
Autologous IBP is a safe, inexpensive and easy to use method that reduces the rate of PTX development and thoracic tube application after percutaneous core needle biopsies of the lung.
Earlier imaging techniques for coronary artery disease (CAD) focused primarily on either morphological or functional assessment of CAD. However, dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) can be used to assess myocardial blood supply both morphologically and functionally. link2 We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of DECT in detecting morphological and functional components of CAD, using invasive coronary angiography (ICA) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) as reference standards.
Twenty-five patients with known or suspicious CAD and scheduled for ICA were investigated by DECT and SPECT. DECT was performed during the resting state using retrospective electrocardiography (ECG) gating. CT coronary angiography and perfusion images were generated from the same raw data. link3 All patients were evaluated for significant stenosis (≥50%) on both ICA and DECT coronary angiography, and for myocardial perfusion defects on SPECT and DECT perfusion. Comparison was done between ICA and DECT coronary angiogand SPECT as reference standards. In the same scan, DECT can accurately provide integrative imaging of coronary artery morphology and myocardial perfusion.Visual tracking is typically solved as a discriminative learning problem that usually requires high-quality samples for online model adaptation. It is a critical and challenging problem to evaluate the training samples collected from previous predictions and employ sample selection by their quality to train the model. To tackle the above problem, we propose a joint discriminative learning scheme with the progressive multistage optimization policy of sample selection for robust visual tracking. The proposed scheme presents a novel time-weighted and detection-guided self-paced learning strategy for easy-to-hard sample selection, which is capable of tolerating relatively large intraclass variations while maintaining interclass separability. Such a self-paced learning strategy is jointly optimized in conjunction with the discriminative tracking process, resulting in robust tracking results. Experiments on the benchmark datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed learning framework.