bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Case 14.19
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

52-year-old woman with a sacral mass that was incidentally identified after minor trauma

Axial T1-weighted FSE images (Figure 14.19.1) and fat-suppressed T2-weighted FSE images (Figure 14.19.2) reveal a lobulated mass with marked T2 hyperintensity originating in the sacrum and having a large anterior soft tissue component. The mass is predominantly hypointense to skeletal muscle on the T1-weighted images, with smaller regions of increased signal intensity. Sagittal fat-suppressed T2-weighted FSE images (...
Case 14.21
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

26-year-old man with an acute onset of right leg redness and swelling

Axial fat-suppressed FSE T2-weighted images (Figure 14.21.1) demonstrate expansion of the right common and internal iliac veins by a heterogeneous tumor thrombus that extends toward the right ilium, where infiltrative increased signal intensity involves bone and the adjacent muscle. Axial postgadolinium 2D SPGR images (...
Case 14.26
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

64-year-old man with recently diagnosed prostate carcinoma and elevated alkaline phosphatase level; abdominal pelvic MRI was requested to screen for metastases in this patient with a severe allergy to iodinated CT contrast

Axial diffusion-weighted images (b=800 s/mm2) (Figure 14.26.1) reveal multiple small hyperintense lesions involving lower thoracic and lumbar vertebral bodies, bilateral ribs, and the left iliac bone. Anterior and posterior views from bone scintigraphy (...
Case 14.27
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

70-year-old man with lumbar and sacral pain

Coronal (Figure 14.27.1A and 14.27.1B) and axial (Figure 14.27.1C) T1-weighted FSE images and coronal (Figure 14.27.2A and 14.27.2B) and axial (Figure 14.27.2C) fat-suppressed T2-weighted FSE images demonstrate diffuse heterogeneous marrow replacement, most prominently on T1-weighted images, which show innumerable hypointense lesions. The lesions are mildly hyperintense on T2-weighted images....
Case 15.2
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

61-year-old woman on postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy with 1-year persistent, asymmetrical fullness in the left upper outer breast. Clinical examination and diagnostic mammography were unremarkable

The MIP image at peak enhancement with CAD color overlay (Figure 15.2.1) demonstrates mild background enhancement and a mass in the right breast. Axial water image (...
Case 15.4
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

66-year-old woman with invasive lobular carcinoma and LCIS of the right breast status post wide local excision about 15 months ago followed by radiation therapy

The axial subtracted image at peak enhancement with CAD color overlay (Figure 15.4.1) demonstrates postoperative and postradiation changes in the right breast without any worrisome kinetic enhancement. Axial noncontrast water (...
Case 15.12
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

43-year-old woman status post wide local excision of infiltrating ductal carcinoma in the left breast 7 weeks before this MRI, which was performed to rule out residual disease

The MIP images of the left breast at peak enhancement with (Figure 15.12.1A) and without (...
Case 15.14
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

36-year-old woman with a strong family history of breast cancer and a remote history of surgical excision of a 3-cm fibroadenoma at 16 years of age; this examination was performed as a baseline screening MRI

The MIP images of the left breast at peak enhancement with (...
Case 15.15
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

41-year-old woman with strong family history of breast cancer and a right breast stereotactic-guided biopsy of calcifications 6 months ago that demonstrated ALH. This patient subsequently underwent surgical excisional biopsy with no higher-grade lesion detected; MRI was performed for screening purposes in this high-risk patient...
Case 16.1
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

75-year-old man with drug-resistant hypertension

MIP image from 3D CE MRA of the abdomen (Figure 16.1.1) demonstrates severe stenosis of the right and left renal arteries. Axial postgadolinium fat-suppressed 3D SPGR image (Figure 16.1.2) reveals an enhancing right renal mass consistent with renal cell carcinoma....
Case 16.2
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

59-year-old man with a history of hypertension

MIP image from 3D CE MRA (Figure 16.2.1) reveals prominent beading of the mid-distal right main renal artery.

Fibromuscular dysplasia

FMD, first reported by Leadbetter and Burkland in 1938, is a nonatherosclerotic, noninflammatory vascular disorder that occurs most often in women aged 20 to 60 years. It commonly involves the renal and extracranial carotid arteries, although any vascular territory can be affected. The renal arteries are affected in 75% of FMD patients, with bilateral involvement in more than 35%. Renal artery aneurysms are a fairly common complication of renal FMD and have been reported in 9% of patients. The incidence of FMD in the extracranial carotid arteries is uncertain. It was long accepted that carotid artery FMD occurred in 25% to 30% of patients with FMD; however, a much higher incidence of 70% has been identified for the first 200 patients enrolled in the FMD international registry. Vertebral arteries are less commonly involved than the carotid arteries. The etiology of FMD is unknown, but speculation has centered on hormonal and genetic factors....
Case 16.4
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

71-year-old woman with gradually increasing dyspnea, atrial fibrillation, and pulmonary hypertension

Coronal fat-suppressed postgadolinium 3D SPGR images (Figure 16.4.1) reveal large varicosities replacing much of the right kidney. Note the enlarged left renal artery and vein and varicosities in the lower pole of the left kidney. Axial T1-weighted FSE images (...
Case 16.5
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

45-year-old woman with chronic unrelenting upper abdominal pain

Sagittal oblique partial volume MIP images from 3D CE MRA of the abdomen performed at end inspiration (Figure 16.5.1) and end expiration (Figure 16.5.2) demonstrate mild to moderate proximal narrowing of the celiac artery on the inspiratory view with severe stenosis on the expiratory view....
Case 16.7
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

60-year-old man with a history of hypertension and intermittent back and flank pain

Coronal oblique VR images from 3D CE MRA of the thoracoabdominal aorta (Figure 16.7.1) demonstrate compression and distortion of the lumen of the descending thoracic and upper abdominal aorta. Sagittal oblique reformatted images from MRA (...
Case 16.9
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

80-year-old man with a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repaired 1 year ago; noncontrast CT showed a periaortic mass in the upper abdomen

Partial volume MIP image from coronal 3D CE MRA of the abdomen (Figure 16.9.1) demonstrates a large hypointense round lesion adjacent to the aorta and right kidney without contrast enhancement. Venous phase partial volume MIP image from the same location (...
Case 16.13
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

35-year-old asymptomatic woman with a history of an abnormality on chest radiograph that was diagnosed when she was an infant

Chest radiograph (Figure 16.13.1) reveals a curvilinear density in the right lung extending toward the diaphragm. Note the enlargement of the right heart border. Posterior VR images from 3D CE MRA (...
Case 16.14
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

25-year-old woman with a history of high fevers and joint aches developing 1 week after childbirth; values for erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein are elevated

Axial ECG-gated black-blood proton density-weighted FSE images (Figure 16.14.1) show diffuse mild thickening of the aortic arch and ascending and descending aorta. Anterior (...
Case 16.15
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

32-year-old man with an abnormal left leg, multiple varicose veins, and a history of multiple prior deep vein thromboses and pulmonary emboli

Arterial phase (Figure 16.15.1A) and venous phase (Figure 16.15.1B) MIP images from time-resolved 3D MRA with a gadolinium blood pool contrast agent (gadofosveset trisodium [Ablavar]) demonstrate normal arterial anatomy with prominent varicosities posteriorly in the left pelvis and upper thigh on the venous phase image. Pseudostenosis of the common femoral veins bilaterally is likely a subtraction artifact. Axial FSE T2-weighted (...
Case 16.16
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

82-year-old woman with drug-resistant hypertension and a blood pressure discrepancy between upper and lower extremities

MIP image from 3D CE MRA of the thoracic aorta (Figure 16.16.1) shows an irregular filling defect in the distal thoracic aorta, which causes significant narrowing of the aorta. Coronal oblique reformatted image from the 3D CE MRA (...
Case 17.6
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

17-year-old woman with chronic pelvic pain

Axial FSE T1-weighted images (Figure 17.6.1) demonstrate intense signal loss along the anterior pelvis. Axial FSE T1-weighted images from an examination performed the year before (Figure 17.6.2) show much less prominent signal dropout. Axial images from the 3-plane localizers from each examination demonstrate anterior and posterior dielectric pads absent on the current examination (...
Case 17.10
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

54-year-old man with cirrhosis

Axial precontrast 3D SPGR image (Figure 17.10.1A) demonstrates a nodular hepatic contour and moderate splenomegaly. Postgadolinium arterial (Figure 17.10.1B), portal venous (Figure 17.10.1C), and equilibrium phase (Figure 17.10.1D) images reveal a finger superimposing the left side of the abdomen (and pointing toward 2 arterial phase enhancing nodules in the periphery of the right hepatic lobe). Axial 2D SPGR image (...
Case 17.19
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

60-year-old man with history of urothelial carcinoma

Coronal oblique early excretory phase images from gadolinium-enhanced 3D SPGR MR urogram (Figure 17.19.1) demonstrate multiple small filling defects within the left renal pelvis, with incomplete filling of the renal pelvis. Delayed images (Figure ...
Case 17.20
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

72-year-old man with cholangiocarcinoma in the distal common bile duct

VR image from 3D FRFSE MRCP (Figure 17.20.1) demonstrates moderately dilated intrahepatic ducts in the central right hepatic lobe, poorly visualized ducts in the medial left lobe, and dilated ducts in the lateral left lobe. There is an abrupt cutoff of the common bile duct near the pancreatic head, with a stent extending into the duodenum, and an apparent filling defect proximal to the obstruction. Notice also the dilated pancreatic duct. Axial fat-suppressed 3D SSFP images (...
Case 17.25
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

51-year-old man with a history of metastatic melanoma

Axial precontrast 3D SPGR images (Figure 17.25.1) reveal multiple T1 hyperintense lesions throughout the liver, representing melanoma metastases. Note also geographic decreased signal intensity in the left hepatic lobe, likely representing fibrotic changes from previous radiotherapy. Many of the lesions are more difficult to visualize on equilibrium phase images obtained 20 minutes after gadoxetate disodium (Eovist) administration (...
Case 17.29
Authors: Lee Christine U. , Glockner James F.
Published: December 2018

79-year-old woman with abdominal aortic aneurysm

Anterior and lateral VR images from 3D CE MRA (Figure 17.29.1) reveal a large aneurysm involving much of the abdominal aorta as well as severe stenosis or focal occlusion of the proximal celiac artery. Source image from the 3D CE MRA (...
Cold Turkey and Hot Vapes? A National Study of Young Adult Cigarette Cessation Strategies
Authors: Watkins Shannon Lea , Thrul Johannes , Max Wendy , Ling Pamela M
Published: December 2018

Introduction

Young adults have high smoking rates and low utilization of evidence-based smoking cessation strategies. We investigated smoking cessation intentions, strategy use, and socioeconomic predictors of strategy use among young adult smokers (age 18–24) and compared patterns with those of older adults (age 25–64).

Methods

We used a population-based sample from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study of young adult (n = 1,881) and older adult (n = 6,366) established smokers of conventional cigarettes at Wave 1 (2013–2014), who were surveyed at Wave 2 (2014–2015). Simple regression analysis compared intentions to quit between age groups. Among Wave 1 smokers who reported a Wave 2 quit attempt (young adults [YA] n = 748; older adults [OA] n = 2,068), bivariate and multinomial logistic regression estimated differences in use of behavioral support, pharmacotherapy, product substitution, and unassisted quit attempts. Interaction terms estimated age-group differences in relationships between predictors and cessation strategy use.

Results

Young adults planned to quit on a longer time frame, expressed lower interest in quitting, and were more confident they would be successful, compared with older adults. Young adults were significantly less likely to use pharmacotherapy (adjusted odds ratio: 0.15; confidence interval: 0.09, 0.24; reference: quitting unassisted). Both groups reported using product substitution (YA: 31.6%; OA: 28.5%), primarily with e-cigarettes, more than any evidence-based cessation strategy. Socioeconomic predictors of cessation strategy use did not differ between age groups.

Conclusions

More research on why young adult smokers underutilize evidence-based cessation support is needed, as are innovative efforts to increase intentions to quit and utilization of cessation assistance.

Implications

Young adulthood is a key transition time for tobacco use, and early cessation substantially reduces the risk of morbidity and mortality from smoking. In the context of high e-cigarette and polytobacco use, this study finds young adults have significantly less intention to quit than older adults and are less likely to use evidence-based cessation strategies to help quit. Innovative methods are needed to increase young adult intentions to quit and use of evidence-based cessation assistance.
The Taub–NUT Ambitoric Structure
Authors: Gauduchon Paul
Published: December 2018

This chapter shows the existence of an extremal ambitoric pair on C2, one of which is Ricci-flat and the other of which is Bochner-flat
Interprofessional Development of a Livestream Simulation Activity to Enhance an Undergraduate Nursing Research Course
Authors: Lanier Yzette , Bryant Kellie , Budin Wendy C. , Marsaglia Matthew , Resto David , Genee Jordan , Birk Kevin , Sultana Nadia , Carumba Ralph , Jaravata Jo Anne
Published: December 2018

The article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of an interactive simulation activity to enhance student engagement and comprehension of evidence-based practice principles. An interprofessional team of nurse educators, simulation experts, information technology specialists, and nursing informatics graduate students collaborated on the simulation design. The results of this project support the need to develop innovative learning strategies to facilitate nursing students’ understanding of the relevance of evidence-based practice research to improve patient outcomes.
ReActivate—A Goal-Orientated Rehabilitation Program for Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors
Authors: Smith Andrew , Murnane Andrew , Thompson Kate , Mancuso Sam
Published: December 2018

Background:

Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors tend to have poorer physical and mental health outcomes than their healthy peers or survivors of childhood cancer. This study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of ReActivate, an 8-week, group-based, goal-orientated rehabilitation program for AYA cancer survivors.

Methods:

A prospective, single-site cohort study was conducted of all AYA cancer survivors who self-referred to the ReActivate program. Participants were 21 (60%) males and 14 (40%) females, who ranged in age from 16 to 25 years (M = 21.05, SD = 2.62). Weekly group sessions comprised 1 hour of physical activity, followed by 1 hour of education or self-management sessions. The AYAs completed measures assessing physical functioning (ie, cardiovascular fitness, and muscular endurance and strength), psychosocial outcomes (ie, health-related quality of life), and occupational performance.

Results:

The ReActivate program was found to be feasible and acceptable, with an 87% completion rate and a median attendance rate of 7 sessions (range = 3-8). There were statistically significant increases across most of the physical functioning, health-related quality of life, and perceived occupational performance and satisfaction outcomes, with Cohen's d effect sizes ranging from small to large.

Conclusion:

The ReActivate program was feasible and acceptable and may have a positive effect on AYA cancer survivors' physical, psychosocial, and occupational functioning. While the findings require replication in a randomized controlled trial, the program has the capacity to optimize delivery of patient care and health resources by bridging the gap that currently exists between the acute and primary care settings.
A Laboratory Evaluation of Contextual Factors Affecting Ratings of Speech in Noise: Implications for Ecological Momentary Assessment
Authors: Jenstad Lorienne M. , Gillen Lise , Singh Gurjit , DeLongis Anita , Pang Flora
Published: December 2018

Objectives:

As hearing aid outcome measures move from retrospective to momentary assessments, it is important to understand how contextual factors influence subjective ratings. Under laboratory-controlled conditions, we examined whether subjective ratings changed as a function of acoustics, response timing, and task variables.

Design:

Eighteen adults (age 21 to 85 years; M = 51.4) with sensorineural hearing loss were fitted with hearing aids. Sentences in noise were presented at 3 overall levels (50, 65, and 80 dB SPL) and 3 signal to noise ratios (0, +5, and +10 dB signal to noise ratio [SNR]). Listeners rated three sound quality dimensions (intelligibility, noisiness, and loudness) under four experimental conditions that manipulated timing and task focus.

Results:

The quality ratings changed as the acoustics changed: intelligibility ratings increased with input level (p < 0.05); noisiness ratings increased at poorer SNRs (p < 0.05); and loudness ratings increased as input level increased (p < 0.05). Timing of rating was significant at the highest presentation level (80 dB SPL): Participants gave higher noise ratings while listening to the signal than afterward (p < 0.05). Presence of a secondary task had no significant effect on ratings (p > 0.1).

Conclusions:

The findings of this laboratory study provide evidence to support the conclusion that group-mean listener ratings of loudness, noisiness, and intelligibility change in predictable ways as level and SNR of the speech in noise stimulus are altered. They also provide weak evidence to support the conclusion that timing of the ratings (during or immediately after sound exposure) can affect noisiness ratings under certain conditions, but no evidence to support the conclusion that timing affects other quality ratings. There is also no evidence to support the conclusion that quality ratings are influenced by the presence of, or focus on, a secondary nonauditory task of the type used here.
Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Drug Monitoring of Direct-Acting Oral Anticoagulants: Where Do We Stand?
Authors: Wieland Eberhard , Shipkova Maria
Published: December 2018

For decades, oral anticoagulation has been based on vitamin K antagonist such as warfarin, which requires pharmacodynamic (PD) drug monitoring to guide the therapy. The drug effect is measured by the clotting test prothrombin time and expressed as international normalized ratio. New direct oral anticoagulants are increasingly used in fixed-dose regimens but are licensed without any therapy monitoring. However, extensive clinical experiences have demonstrated that interindividual variations in the response to the therapy with direct oral anticoagulants do exist. In situations such as bleeding or thrombosis, therapeutic drug monitoring could be useful. Unfortunately, global coagulation assays such as the prothrombin time or the activated partial thrombin time are not suitable for this purpose. To measure drug concentrations, more specific coagulation test can be used if they are externally calibrated with the respective drugs. For the direct thrombin inhibitor dabigatran etexilate, a calibrated diluted thrombin time or ecarin clotting time can be used, whereas for anti–factor Xa drugs such as rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban, and betrixaban, calibrated anti–factor Xa assays are appropriate. However, the gold standard to measure drug concentrations is LC-MS/MS. The variation in bleeding and thrombotic events noted with both drug classes under fixed-dose conditions suggests additional interindividual PD differences. Therefore, PD monitoring to individualize the therapy may be an option. For dabigatran, this is the inhibition of thrombin formation and for anti–factor Xa drugs, the inhibition of factor Xa activity, which can be followed using the functional assays mentioned above but without calibration. Alternatively, thrombin generation assays have been proposed for both drug classes. So far, not many clinical data have been published about the potentially beneficial effects of PD monitoring for dose individualization. The assay platforms for PD monitoring are present in many clinical laboratories, but efforts are needed to validate and standardize available assays to perform appropriate clinical trials.
MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND VISUAL ACUITY OF HIGHLY MYOPIC EYES WITH DIFFERENT SEVERITIES OF MYOPIC MACULOPATHY
Authors: Zhao Xiujuan , Ding Xiaoyan , Lyu Cancan , Li Songshan , Liu Bingqian , Li Tao , Sun Limei , Zhang Aiyuan , Lu Jinge , Liang Xiaoling , Jin Chenjin , Lu Lin
Published: December 2018

Purpose:

To investigate the morphological feature, visual acuity, and prevalence of macular complications in highly myopic eyes with different categories of myopic maculopathy (MM) according to the META-PM classification system.

Methods:

The clinical records of 1,132 consecutive patients (1,841 eyes) with high myopia (refractive error ≤ −6D and axial length ≥26.5 mm), who visited the High Myopia Clinic at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center from January 2014 to July 2017, were reviewed. Fundus photograph, optical coherence tomography, axial length, refractive error, and best-corrected visual acuity were measured in each patient. Myopic maculopathy was graded from fundus photographs according to the META-PM classification, including tessellated fundus (C1), diffuse chorioretinal atrophy (C2), patchy atrophy (C3), and macular atrophy (C4). Other macular complications, including foveoschisis, extrafoveal schisis, full-thickness macular hole, epiretinal membrane, lacquer cracks, Fuchs spot, choroidal neovascularization, macular hemorrhage, and dome-shaped macula, were also investigated.

Results:

Among the 1,841 eyes, 58 (3.15%) had no MM (C0), 779 (42.31%) had tessellated fundus only (C1), 524 (28.46%) had diffuse chorioretinal atrophy (C2), 352 (19.12%) had patchy chorioretinal atrophy (C3), and 128 (6.95%) had macular atrophy (C4). Age increased and best-corrected visual acuity became worse with the severity of MM (P < 0.01). Axial length was significantly longer with the severity of MM from C0 to C3 (P < 0.01), and spherical equivalent was greater with the severity of MM from C0 to C3 (P < 0.01) but was not different between C3 and C4 (P > 0.05). Subfoveal and parafoveal choroidal thicknesses were significantly thinner from C0 to C3 (P < 0.01). However, no significant difference was found between C3 and C4 in parafoveal choroidal thickness (P > 0.05). The complications were different among C0 to C4 correlated with MM (P < 0.01). The complications of foveoschisis, choroidal neovascularization, hemorrhage, lacquer cracks, Fuchs spot, dome-shaped macula, and epiretinal membrane were different between C1 and C2 (P < 0.01), but none of the complications were different between C3 and C4 (P > 0.05) except Fuchs spot (P = 0.009).

Conclusion:

The morphological and functional characteristics in eyes with high myopia were positively correlated with the severity of C0 to C3 MM. However, no morphological difference was found between C3 and C4. The absence of the progressive relationship between C3 and C4 might be determined.
Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty After Failed Penetrating Keratoplasty
Authors: Pierné Kévin , Panthier Christophe , Courtin Romain , Mazharian Adrien , Souedan Vael , Gatinel Damien , Saad Alain
Published: December 2018

Purpose:

To demonstrate the feasibility of Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) performed after previous penetrating keratoplasty (PK) failure and to describe primary outcomes.

Methods:

Twenty-eight eyes of 28 patients who underwent DMEK after primary PK failure between January 2013 and November 2017 were included in this single-center retrospective study. Best spectacle-corrected visual acuity, endothelial cell density, and the recipient's central corneal thickness were recorded preoperatively and at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery.

Results:

The main indications for primary PK were keratoconus (32%), Fuchs dystrophy (18%), and pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (14%). After a 6-month follow-up, best spectacle-corrected visual acuity was significantly improved in 26 patients (93%) with a mean gain of +0.59 ± 0.47 LogMAR (P < 0.0004). Mean pachymetry reduction was 110 ± 108 μm (P < 0.00003) at 6 months. Mean endothelial cell density was 2016 ± 288 cells/mm2 (P < 0.006), (24% decrease compared with preoperative values). Graft detachment (>1/3) was observed in 14 cases (50%) and rebubbling was needed (100% effective) during the first 2 weeks after surgery. Elevated intraocular pressure was reported in 5 cases. No early graft rejections were reported.

Conclusions:

In case of previous PK failure, DMEK is an alternative treatment to re-PK. A longer follow-up to ensure the long-term viability of the graft is needed.
Reading Ability in Primary Open-angle Glaucoma: Evaluation with Radner Reading Charts
Authors: Rolle Teresa , Dallorto Laura , Cafasso Riccardo , Mazzocca Roberto , Curto Daniela , Nuzzi Raffaele
Published: December 2018

SIGNIFICANCE

This study determined the impact of visual disabilities caused by glaucoma on the patient's everyday life and emphasized the importance of developing strategies to improve reading ability in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients.

PURPOSE

The purposes of this study were to investigate the reading performances of patients affected by POAG using the Italian version of the Radner Reading Charts and to test the presence of correlation between visual field (VF) damage and reading parameters.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional observational study, all patients underwent a complete ophthalmic evaluation including VF testing and evaluation of reading performance using the Radner Reading Charts. The parameters for testing reading performance were reading acuity in logRAD, reading speed in words per minute, maximum reading speed, critical print size, and reading mistakes. Primary open-angle glaucoma and healthy groups were compared using the Mann-WhitneyUtest. The correlation between VF and reading parameters in glaucomatous eyes was assessed using Spearman correlation analysis. Based on VF mean deviation, each POAG patient had differences in reading performance between his/her best and worst eyes when compared using the paired Wilcoxon test. Statistical significance was set atP≤ .05.

RESULTS

Eighty POAG patients and 60 healthy controls were enrolled. Glaucomatous subjects read slowly (166.63 ± 29.40 vs. 193.84 ± 26.20 words per minute,P< .0001) and made more mistakes than did healthy subjects. The critical print size for POAG patients was larger than the one for controls (0.52 ± 0.18 vs. 0.62 ± 0.16,P< .0001). Reading parameters showed a moderate correlation with VF mean deviation. The reading parameters were significantly impaired in the worst eye, and this result confirms the impact of VF loss on reading ability.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that glaucomatous patients read slowly and with more errors. Reading performances showed a good correlation with VF defect.
Visual exposure enhances stimulus encoding and persistence in primary cortex
Authors: Lazar Andreea , Lewis Christopher , Fries Pascal , Singer Wolf , Nikolic Danko
Published: December 2018

The brain adapts to the sensory environment. For example, simple sensory exposure can modify the response properties of early sensory neurons. How these changes affect the overall encoding and maintenance of stimulus information across neuronal populations remains unclear. We perform parallel recordings in the primary visual cortex of anesthetized cats and find that brief, repetitive exposure to structured visual stimuli enhances stimulus encoding by decreasing the selectivity and increasing the range of the neuronal responses that persist after stimulus presentation. Low-dimensional projection methods and simple classifiers demonstrate that visual exposure increases the segregation of persistent neuronal population responses into stimulus-specific clusters. These observed refinements preserve the representational details required for stimulus reconstruction and are detectable in post-exposure spontaneous activity. Assuming response facilitation and recurrent network interactions as the core mechanisms underlying stimulus persistence, we show that the exposure-driven segregation of stimulus responses can arise through strictly local plasticity mechanisms, also in the absence of firing rate changes. Our findings provide evidence for the existence of an automatic, unguided optimization process that enhances the encoding power of neuronal populations in early visual cortex, thus potentially benefiting simple readouts at higher stages of visual processing.
STATISTICAL LOCAL BINARY PATTERNS (SLBP): APPLICATION TO PROSTATE CANCER GLEASON SCORE PREDICTION FROM WHOLE SLIDE PATHOLOGY IMAGES
Authors: Xu Hongming , Hwang Tae Hyun
Published: December 2018

Computerized whole slide image analysis is important for assisting pathologists in cancer grading and predicting patient clinical outcomes. However, it is challenging to analyze whole slide image (WSI) at cellular level due to its huge size and nuclear variations. For efficient WSI analysis, this paper presents a general texture descriptor, statistical local binary patterns (SLBP), which is applied to prostate cancer Gleason score prediction from WSI. Unlike traditional local binary patterns (LBP) and many its variants, the presented SLBP encodes local texture patterns via analyzing both median and standard deviation over a regional sampling scheme, so that it can capture more micro- and macro-structure information in the image. Experiments on Gleason score prediction have been performed on 317 different patient cases selected from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) dataset. The presented SLBP descriptor provides over 80% accuracy on two class (grade <=7 vs grade >=8) distinction, which is superior to traditional texture descriptors such as histogram, Haralick and other state-of-art LBP variants.
The importance of selected markers of inflammation and blood-brain barrier damage for short-term post-stroke prognosis
Authors: Lasek-Bal Anetta , Jędrzejowska-Szypułka Halina , Student Sebastian , Warsz-Wianecka Aldona , Zaręba Katarzyna , Puz Przemysław , Bal Wiesław , Pawletko Katarzyna , Lewin-Kowalik Joanna
Published: December 2018

Acute cerebral ischemia triggers local and systemic immune response. The aims of this project was to assess the blood serum concentration of the markers of inflammation and markers of the blood brain barrier damage on the first day of ischemic stroke, and the mutual correlations between these marker levels. Methods Our prospective study included 138 patients with first-in-life stroke, who were analyzed according to: plasma concentration of the following markers on the first day of stroke: Il-2 and IL-6, S100B, TNF alfa, GRN, NSE, uPA, VEGF, BDNF, CRP, leucocyte and thrombocyte counts; their neurological status on the first day of stroke (NIHSS) and their functional status at 30 days following stroke (mRS). Result The study included 138 patients with mean age: 73.11 ± 11.48 [36-103]. Patients with a higher score on the NIHSS than those obtaining lower scores showed significantly higher concentrations of TNF-alpha, WBC, CRP, NSE, IL-6 and S100B. Patients with a higher score on the mRS than those obtaining lower scores showed significantly higher concentrations of WBC, CRP, GRN, IL-6, S100B. Factors with an independent influence on the neurological status on the first day of stroke were: sex, WBC, PLT, CRP, S100B and IL-6 levels. Atrial fibrillation, leukocyte count, CRP, NSA, uPA, interleukin 6 and S100B showed an independent impact on the functional status on the 30th day of stroke. Patients with symptomatic atherosclerosis of carotid/cerebral and/or coronary arteries, as compared to others, were older (p= 0.003) and had higher levels of CRP, Il-6, and S100B. In each case, the differences were statistically significant. Conclusions The concentration of Il-6 and S100B on the first day of stroke are significant for both the neurological status and the functional status in the acute period of the disease. Increased CRP and leukocyte count are associated with a worse prognosis regarding the course of acute stroke. The expression of pro-inflammatory agents and markers of blood-brain barrier damage in the acute phase of stroke is more prominent in patients with symptomatic atherosclerosis than in patients with no clinical features of atherosclerosis.
Video use in lecture classes: current practices, student perceptions and preferences
Authors: Alpert Frank , Hodkinson Chris S.
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Despite the expansion of e-learning, higher education still involves live lectures, which students often see as “boring”. Lecture classes can be made more engaging and effective by including videos. However, empirical research is yet to report on current video use in lectures, or on student perceptions of and preferences for videos. The purpose of this paper is to fill that knowledge gap.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-stage mixed-method study used focus groups to gain a rich understanding of student’s video experiences, preferences and the types of videos they are shown. These understandings were utilised in a detailed on-line survey questionnaire, which was completed by a diverse sample of 773 university students, who responded about their recent in-class video experiences.

Findings

Students report that about 87 per cent of lecture classes included one or more videos. This paper reports on instructor practices, develops a video typology and reports on students’ preferred frequency, type of video, video source, video length and existing vs preferred video integration methods.

Practical implications

The results provide useful information for educational administrators. Recommendations are made for effective use of videos in lectures by instructors.

Originality/value

This is the first qualitative and survey research investigating current practice and student perceptions of video use during lecture classes. The authors also conduct the first survey with a broad sample across universities and academic disciplines using the unit of analysis of videos seen per course last week. Typologies of sources of videos, instructional functions, video facilitation techniques and types of videos used during lectures are proposed and then measured.
The application of citation count regression to identify important papers in the literature on non-audit fees
Authors: Staszkiewicz Piotr
Published: December 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to show that when conducting a literature review, important papers can be identified by regressing citation counts on prior publications’ metadata.

Design/methodology/approach

The method developed in this paper applies citation count regression analysis to identify important papers that may be overlooked when conducting literature reviews on subject areas with a large population of studies.

Findings

The developed method reduces a literature down to a small sample of important papers for further narrative analysis.

Research limitations/implications

Although the most widely used citation count database was used for research, there is a risk that a paper is not indexed; thus, it would be out of the scope of the literature.

Practical implications

The developed method allows both preliminary selection of important papers for literature review, and robustness and completeness checks for already conducted narrative reviews.

Originality/value

This paper develops an automated search method for identification of important papers based on citation counts. This method allows for the reduction of big samples of research papers into smaller heterogenic subsamples. Like meta-analysis, this method is a quantitative technique that can enhance traditional narrative literature reviews.
The implementation of a nationwide anomaly screening programme improves prenatal detection of major cardiac defects: an 11‐year national population‐based cohort study
Authors: Hautala J , Gissler M , Ritvanen A , Tekay A , Pitkänen‐Argillander O , Stefanovic V , Sarkola T , Helle E , Pihkala J , Pätilä T , Mattila IP , Jokinen E , Räsänen J , Ojala T
Published: December 2018

Objective

To evaluate whether a nationwide prenatal anomaly screening programme improves detection rates of univentricular heart (UVH) and transposition of great arteries (TGA), and whether maternal risk factors for severe fetal heart disease affect prenatal detection.

Design

Population‐based cohort study.

Setting

Nationwide data from Finnish registries 2004–14.

Population

A total of 642 456 parturients and 3449 terminated pregnancies due to severe fetal anomaly.

Methods

Prenatal detection rates were calculated in three time periods (prescreening, transition and screening phase). The effect of maternal risk factors (obesity, in vitro fertilisation, pregestational diabetes and smoking) was evaluated.

Main outcome measures

Change in detection rates and impact of maternal risk factors on screening programme efficacy.

Results

In total, 483 cases of UVH and 184 of TGA were detected. The prenatal detection rate of UVH increased from 50.4% to 82.8% and of TGA from 12.3% to 41.0% (P < 0.0001). Maternal risk factors did not affect prenatal detection rate, but detection rate differed substantially by region.

Conclusions

A nationwide screening programme improved overall UVH and TGA detection rates, but regional differences were observed. Obesity or other maternal risk factors did not affect the screening programme efficacy. The establishment of structured guidelines and recommendations is essential when implementing the screening programme. In addition, a prospective screening register is highly recommended to ensure high quality of screening.

Tweetable abstract

Implementation of a nationwide prenatal anomaly screening improved detection rates of UVH and TGA.
Age Gelation, Sedimentation, and Creaming in UHT Milk: A Review
Authors: Anema Skelte G.
Published: December 2018

Demand for ultra‐high‐temperature (UHT) milk and milk protein‐based beverages is growing. UHT milk is microbiologically stable. However, on storage, a number of chemical and physical changes occur and these can reduce the quality of the milk. These changes can be sufficiently undesirable so as to limit acceptance or shelf life of the milk. The most severe changes in UHT milk during storage are age gelation, with an irreversible three‐dimensional protein network forming throughout, excessive sedimentation with a compact layer of protein‐enriched material forming rapidly at the bottom of the pack, and creaming with excessive fat accumulating at the top. For age gelation, it is known that at least two mechanisms can lead to gelation during storage. One mechanism involves proteolytic degradation of the proteins through heat‐stable indigenous or exogenous enzymes, destabilizing milk and ultimately forming a gel. The other mechanism is referred to as a physico‐chemical mechanism. Several factors are known to affect the physico‐chemical age gelation, such as milk/protein concentration, heat load during processing (direct compared with indirect UHT processes), and milk composition. Similar factors to age gelation are known to affect sedimentation. There are relatively few studies on the creaming of UHT milk during storage, suggesting that this defect is less common or less detrimental compared with gelation and sedimentation. This review focuses on the current state of knowledge of age gelation, sedimentation, and creaming of UHT milks during storage, providing a critical evaluation of the available literature and, based on this, mechanisms for age gelation and sedimentation are proposed.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding reveals strong discrimination among diverse marine habitats connected by water movement
Authors: Jeunen Gert‐Jan , Knapp Michael , Spencer Hamish G. , Lamare Miles D. , Taylor Helen R. , Stat Michael , Bunce Michael , Gemmell Neil J.
Published: December 2018

While in recent years environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding surveys have shown great promise as an alternative monitoring method, the integration into existing marine monitoring programs may be confounded by the dispersal of the eDNA signal. Currents and tidal influences could transport eDNA over great distances, inducing false‐positive species detection, leading to inaccurate biodiversity assessments and, ultimately, mismanagement of marine environments. In this study, we determined the ability of eDNA metabarcoding surveys to distinguish localized signals obtained from four marine habitats within a small spatial scale (<5 km) subject to significant tidal and along‐shore water flow. Our eDNA metabarcoding survey detected 86 genera, within 77 families and across 11 phyla using three established metabarcoding assays targeting fish (16S rRNA gene), crustacean (16S rRNA gene) and eukaryotic (cytochrome oxidase subunit 1) diversity. Ordination and cluster analyses for both taxonomic and OTU data sets show distinct eDNA signals between the sampled habitats, suggesting dispersal of eDNA among habitats was limited. Individual taxa with strong habitat preferences displayed localized eDNA signals in accordance with their respective habitat, whereas taxa known to be less habitat‐specific generated more ubiquitous signals. Our data add to evidence that eDNA metabarcoding surveys in marine environments detect a broad range of taxa that are spatially discrete. Our work also highlights that refinement of assay choice is essential to realize the full potential of eDNA metabarcoding surveys in marine biodiversity monitoring programs.
MPK‐1/ERK is required for the full activity of resveratrol in extended lifespan and reproduction
Authors: Yoon Dong Suk , Cha Dong Seok , Choi Yoorim , Lee Jin Woo , Lee Myon‐Hee
Published: December 2018

Resveratrol (RSV) extends the lifespan of various organisms through activation of sirtuin. However, whether RSV‐mediated longevity is entirely dependent upon sirtuin is still controversial. Thus, understanding additional mechanisms concerning the genetic requirements for the biological activity of RSV needs to be clarified to utilize the beneficial effects of RSV. In this study using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system, we found that MPK‐1 (an ERK homolog) signaling is necessarily required for RSV‐mediated longevity of sir‐2.1/sirtuin mutants as well as for wild‐type worms. We demonstrated that MPK‐1 contributes to RSV‐mediated longevity through nuclear accumulation of SKN‐1 in a SIR‐2.1/DAF‐16 pathway‐independent manner. The positive effect of RSV in regulating lifespan was completely abolished by RNA interference against mpk‐1 in the sir‐2.1 and daf‐16 mutants, strongly indicating that the MPK‐1/SKN‐1 pathway is involved in RSV‐mediated longevity, independently of SIR‐2.1/DAF‐16. We additionally found that RSV protected worms from oxidative stress via MPK‐1. In addition to organismal aging, RSV prevented the age‐associated loss of mitotic germ cells, brood size, and reproductive span through MPK‐1 in C. elegans germline. Therefore, our findings not only provide new mechanistic insight into the controversial effects of RSV on organismal longevity, but additionally have important implications in utilizing RSV to improve the outcome of aging‐related diseases.
IASB's independence in the due process: an examination of interest groups’ influence on the development of IFRS 9
Authors: Hewa Samindi Ishara , Mala Rajni , Chen Jinhua
Published: December 2018

This mixed‐method study examines whether and how the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) was influenced by interest groups during the development of the expected credit loss (ECL) model for IFRS 9 Financial Instruments. Content analysis of 327 comment letters revealed that the IASB was influenced. However, Fisher's exact test and chi‐square goodness‐of‐fit test showed that, to a greater extent, the influence was not significant. Furthermore, qualitative analyses of the arguments put forward by interest groups showed that as a result of interest groups’ inputs, accounting requirements for the ECL model were made more operational, less complex and potentially productive of more comparable financial information.
The effects of experience versus description of attributes on willingness‐to‐pay for beefsteaks
Authors: Palma Marco A. , Johnson Myriah D. , Anderson David P.
Published: December 2018

We study the influence of the market environment in the beef industry by setting up an experiment in which the economic setting is changed from a “market purchasing” setting to a “tasting experience repurchasing” setting. In the market purchasing setting, subjects respond to a stated choice experiment for beefsteaks while shopping at a grocery store. This setting appeals more to the homegrown “purchase intention” and the results show that participants place more value on credence attributes rather than sensory attributes. In the experience repurchasing setting, subjects respond to the same discrete choice experiment (DCE), but the task is performed in a tasting facility where participants taste several steak products before making their choices. The experience repurchasing treatment appeals more to repurchase intentions and the results show that participants valued more the physical and sensory attributes of the beefsteaks. The information provided in this article is useful for the beef industry to understand the key drivers of market penetration purchasing based on attribute descriptions and repurchase intention based on experiencing physical and sensory attributes of beefsteaks.