1,720,979 research outputs found
Perineal and pelvic aggressive angiomyxoma: spontaneous regression after hormonal replacement therapy withdrawal assessed by 3T magnetic resonance
Aggressive angiomyxoma (AA) is a rare mesenchymal tumour which mainly arises in the soft tissue of the pelvis and perineum in women of reproductive age. AA usually shows an aggressive behaviour, with a high rate of incomplete surgical excision and post-surgical recurrence. Most cases of AA exhibit oestrogen and/or progesterone receptors; in these cases, maintenance of a hypo-oestrogenic state can be helpful in the medical management of this tumour. We describe a case of spontaneous reduction in size of an AA during a 6-month period of hormonal replacement therapy withdrawal, assessed by MRI using a 3T magnet
Post-sternotomy pain syndrome following cardiac surgery. case report
Over 2 million people undergo sternotomy worldwide for heart surgery each year, and many develop post-sternotomy pain syndrome (PSPS) which persists in the anterior thorax. In some patients, PSPS lasts for many years or suddenly reappears a long time after the sternotomy. The exact etiology of PSPS is unknown. This article presents a case report of a patient with a diagnosis of PSPS (after cardiac surgery 4 years prior) for whom an osteopathic approach was used, which successfully eliminated the pain. In a previous study, we demonstrated that this osteopathic procedure could reduce sternal pain associated with a recent surgical wound. Further efforts are needed to understand the reasons for PSPS. In light of new scientific data, these osteopathic techniques could contribute to a multidisciplinary approach to solve the proble
Multifocal bilateral desmoid tumour of perirenal tissues with peribiliary localization
Desmoid tumour (DT) is an unusual, benign tumour, more frequently observed in patients with familial polyposis and pregnant females. It usually presents as a single mass lesion, more frequently showing a compressive rather than an infiltrative growth pattern. We report a case of a 70-year-old male presenting with a multifocal, bilateral infiltrative DT of the perirenal tissue, with involvement of the choledochus wall. The patient was partly treated with tamoxifen and docetaxel, but both therapies were discontinued in accordance with the patient’s decision owing to mild toxicity; however, a CT examination performed 3 months later showed an unexpected remarkable reduction of the tumour at all sites. At 1 year follow-up, new pathologic tissue was visible surrounding the right renal pelvis and the calices
MRI-guided focused ultrasound surgery in musculoskeletal diseases: the hot topics
MRI-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) is a minimally invasive treatment guided by the most sophisticated imaging tool available in today's clinical practice. Both the imaging and therapeutic sides of the equipment are based on non-ionizing energy. This technique is a very promising option as potential treatment for several pathologies, including musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders. Apart from clinical applications, MRgFUS technology is the result of long, heavy and cumulative efforts exploring the effects of ultrasound on biological tissues and function, the generation of focused ultrasound and treatment monitoring by MRI. The aim of this article is to give an updated overview on a "new" interventional technique and on its applications for MSK and allied sciences
Comparison of magnetic resonance spectroscopy, proton density fat fraction and histological analysis in the quantification of liver steatosis in children and adolescents
AIM:
To establish a threshold value for liver fat content between healthy children and those with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with liver biopsy serving as a reference standard.
METHODS:
The study was approved by the local ethics committee, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants and their legal guardians before the study began. Twenty-seven children with NAFLD underwent liver biopsy to assess the presence of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The assessment of liver fat fraction was performed using MRI, with a high field magnet and 2D gradient-echo and multiple-echo T1-weighted sequence with low flip angle and single-voxel point-resolved 1H MR-Spectroscopy (1H-MRS), corrected for T1 and T2* decays. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to determine the best cut-off value. Lin coefficient test was used to evaluate the correlation between histology, MRS and MRI-PDFF. A Mann-Whitney U-test and multivariate analysis were performed to analyze the continuous variables.
RESULTS:
According to MRS, the threshold value between healthy children and those with NAFLD is 6%; using MRI-PDFF, a cut-off value of 3.5% is suggested. The Lin analysis revealed a good fit between the histology and MRS as well as MRI-PDFF.
CONCLUSION:
MRS is an accurate and precise method for detecting NAFLD in children
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound for the treatment of painful bone metastases: role of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI in the assessment of clinical outcome
Purpose: To assess the correlation between functional MRI, including ADC values obtained from DWI and DCE, and clinical outcome in patients with bone metastases treated with MRgFUS. Methods and materials: Twenty-three patients with symptomatic bone metastases underwent MRgFUS treatment (ExAblate 2100 system InSightec) for pain palliation. All patients underwent clinical and imaging follow-up examinations at 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score was used to evaluate treatment efficacy in terms of pain palliation while ADC maps obtained by DWI sequences, and DCE data were used for quantitative assessment of treatment response at imaging. Spearman Correlation Coefficient Test was calculated to assess the correlation between VAS, ADC and DCE data. Results: All treatments were performed successfully without adverse events. On the basis of VAS score, 16 (69.6 %) patients were classified as complete clinical responders, 6 (26.1 %) as partial responders and only one (4.3 %) was classified as a non-responder. The mean VAS score decreased from 7.09 ± 1.8 at baseline to 2.65 ± 1.36 at 1 month, 1.04 ± 1.91 at 3 months and 1.09 ± 1.99 at 6 months (p 0.01). Conclusion: In patients with painful bone metastases treated with MRgFUS, ADC and Ktrans variation observed in the ablated lesions correlate with VAS values and may play a role as objective imaging marker of treatment response
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