bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development and validation of CT‐based radiomics nomogram for the classification of benign parotid gland tumors
Authors: Zheng Menglong , Chen Qi , Ge Yaqiong , Yang Liping , Tian Yulong , Liu Chang , Wang Peng , Deng Kexue 
Published: October 2022

AbstractPurposeAccurate preoperative diagnosis of parotid tumor is essential for the formulation of optimal individualized surgical plans. The study aims to investigate the diagnostic performance of radiomics nomogram based on contrast‐enhanced computed tomography (CT) images in the differentiation of the two most common benign parotid gland tumors.MethodsOne hundred and ten patients with parotid gland tumors including 76 with pleomorphic adenoma (PA) and 34 with adenolymphoma (AL) confirmed by histopathology were included in this study. Radiomics features were extracted from contrast‐enhanced CT images of venous phase. A radiomics model was established and a radiomics score (Rad‐score) was calculated. Clinical factors including clinical data and CT features were assessed to build a clinical factor model. Finally, a nomogram incorporating the Rad‐score and independent clinical factors was constructed. Receiver operator characteristics (ROC) curve was generated and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated to quantify the discriminative performance of each model on both the training and validation cohorts. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was conducted to evaluate the clinical usefulness of each model.ResultsThe radiomics model showed good discrimination in the training cohort [AUC, 0.89; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.80–0.98] and validation cohort (AUC, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.77–1.00). The radiomics nomogram showed excellent discrimination in the training cohort (AUC, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96–1.00) and validation cohort (AUC, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.88–1.00) and displayed better discrimination efficacy compared with the clinical factor model (AUC, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88–0.99) in the training cohort (p < 0.05). The DCA demonstrated that the combined radiomics nomogram provided superior clinical usefulness than clinical factor model and radiomics model.ConclusionsThe CT‐based radiomics nomogram combining Rad‐score and clinical factors exhibits excellent predictive capability for differentiating parotid PA from AL, which might hold promise in assisting radiologists and clinicians in the exact differential diagnosis and formulation of appropriate treatment strategy.
Hyperia: A novel methodology of developing anthropomorphic breast phantoms for X‐ray imaging modalities – Part I: Concept and initial findings
Authors: Ikejimba Lynda , Farooqui Asma , Ghazi Peymon 
Published: October 2022

AbstractPurposeTo introduce a novel methodology for developing anthropomorphic breast phantoms for use in X‐ray‐based imaging modalities.Methods“Hyperization” is a quasi‐stippling mapping operation in which regions of varying grayscale values in a 2D image are transformed into regions of varying holes on a surface. The holes can be cut or engraved on the sheet of paper using a high‐resolution laser cutter/engraver. In hyperization, the main parameters are the size and the distance between the holes. Here, we introduce the concept and chronicle the development and characterization of a proof‐of‐concept prototype. In this study, we hypothesized that a resulting “Hyperia” phantom would be a realistic representative of a patient's breast tissue: it would exhibit similar X‐ray properties and show textural complexities. We used breast computed tomography (bCT) images of real patients as the input models. Using a previously developed segmentation method, the input CT images were segmented into different tissue classes (skin, adipose, and fibroglandular). The segmented images were then “Hyperized”. A series of Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to find the optimal hyperization parameters. Different laser cutter/engraver systems and substrate materials were explored to find a viable option for developing an entire Hyperia breast phantom. The resulting phantom was imaged on a prototype breast CT system, and the resulting images were evaluated based on physical properties and similarity to the original patient data.ResultsThe simulation results indicate close similarities – both in the distribution of different tissue types and the resulting CT numbers – between the patient bCT image and the bCT of the Hyperia phantom, regardless of the breast size and density: the Pearson correlation coefficient (ρ) ranged from 0.88 in a BIRADS A breast to 0.94 in BIRADS C and D breasts (ρ of 1.00 suggests perfect structural similarity), and the volumetric mean squared error ranged from 0.0033 (in BIRADS D breast) to 0.0059 (in BIRADS A), suggesting good agreement between the resulting CT numbers. For fabricating the slices, the office paper was found to be an optimal substrate material, with the Hyperization parameters of (α, β) = (0.200 mm, 0.400 mm).ConclusionA novel phantom can be used for X‐ray‐based breast cancer imaging systems. The main advantage is that only one material is used for creating a contrast between different tissue types in an image.
A feasibility study on deep‐neural‐network‐based dose‐neutral dual‐energy digital breast tomosynthesis
Authors: Kim Hyeongseok , Lee Hoyeon , Lee Seoyoung , Choi Young‐Wook , Choi Young Jin , Kim Kee Hyun , Seo Wontaek , Shin Choul Woo , Cho Seungryong 
Published: October 2022

AbstractBackgroundDiagnostic performance based on x‐ray breast imaging is subject to breast density. Although digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is reported to outperform conventional mammography in denser breasts, mass detection and malignancy characterization are often considered challenging yet.PurposeAs an improved diagnostic solution to the dense breast cases, we propose a dual‐energy DBT imaging technique that enables breast compositional imaging at comparable scanning time and patient dose compared to the conventional single‐energy DBT.MethodsThe proposed dual‐energy DBT acquires projection data by alternating two different energy spectra. Then, we synthesize unmeasured projection data using a deep neural network that exploits the measured projection data and adjacent projection data obtained under the other x‐ray energy spectrum. For material decomposition, we estimate partial path lengths of an x‐ray through water, lipid, and protein from the measured and the synthesized projection data with the object thickness information. After material decomposition in the projection domain, we reconstruct material‐selective DBT images. The deep neural network is trained with the numerical breast phantoms. A pork meat phantom is scanned with a prototype dual‐energy DBT system to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed imaging method.ResultsThe developed deep neural network successfully synthesized missing projections. Material‐selective images reconstructed from the synthesized data present comparable compositional contrast of the cancerous masses compared with those from the fully measured data.ConclusionsThe proposed dual‐energy DBT scheme is expected to substantially contribute to enhancing mass malignancy detection accuracy particularly in dense breasts.
Interventions to improve tolerability of local anesthetic intradetrusor Botulinum toxin injections: A systematic review
Authors: Faure Walker Nicholas , Macpherson Finn , Tasleem Ali , Rampal Tarannum 
Published: October 2022

AbstractIntroductionIntradetrusor BotulinumtoxinA (BTA) injections are recommended for patients with overactive bladder (OAB) refractory to lifestyle changes and medical intervention. It is preferable to perform injections using a flexible cystoscope under local anesthetic (LA) rather than under spinal or general anesthetic owing to the associated anesthetic risks, increased costs, and need for repeated inpatient admission. Injections under LA can be difficult to tolerate for some patients. This review aims to assess interventions that may improve the tolerability of intradetrusor BTA injections under LA.MethodsA systematic review was performed using Ovid of Embase + Embase classic and MEDLINE® ALL in November 2021. Articles were included if they reported objectively measured pain scores during LA intradetrusor BTA injections for refractory OAB. The risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane risk of bias tools. Meta‐analysis was not performed owing to the heterogeneity of outcome measures.ResultsTen studies were included in this review with a total of 429 participants. The review identified alkalinized lidocaine, electromotive drug administration (EMDA), opiate suppositories, lidocaine bladder instillations, number of injections, and dose of BTA as interventions aimed at improving tolerability.ConclusionEMDA of intravesical alkalinized lidocaine, intravesical, alkalinized lidocaine without EMDA, and a reduction in the number of injection site were all associated with improvements in patient tolerability during LA BTA injections. Further research should address which subgroups of patients find the procedure most painful and would benefit most from these interventions.
Mixed urinary incontinence: Are there effective treatments?
Authors: Game Xavier , Dmochowski Roger , Robinson Dudley 
Published: October 2022

AbstractThe aim of this debate article is to discuss whether effective treatments are available for mixed urinary incontinence (MUI). Because patients with MUI have both stress and urgency urinary incontinence (SUI and UUI) episodes and current treatment guidelines currently recommend treating the predominant symptom first, this article presents standard and emerging treatments for both SUI and UUI before discussing how well these treatments meet the medical needs of patients with MUI. Standard treatments presented include noninvasive options such as lifestyle changes and pelvic floor exercises, pharmacological agents, and surgery. Treatment of all three types of urinary incontinence (UI) is usually initiated with noninvasive options, after which treatment options diverge based on UI subtype. Multiple pharmacological agents have been developed for the treatment of UUI and overactive bladder, whereas surgery remains the standard option for SUI and stress‐predominant MUI. The divide between UUI and SUI options seems to be propagated in emerging treatments, with most novel pharmacological agents still targeting UUI and even having SUI and stress‐predominant MUI as exclusion criteria for participation in clinical trials. Considering that current treatment options focus almost exclusively on treating the predominant symptom of MUI and that emerging pharmacological treatments exclude patients with stress‐predominant MUI during the development phase, effective treatments for MUI are lacking both in standard and emerging practice. Ideally, agents with dual mechanisms of action could provide symptom benefit for both the stress and urgency components of MUI.
Treatment patterns in women with urinary urgency and/or urgency urinary incontinence in the symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network Observational Cohort Study
Authors: Bretschneider Carol Emi , Liu Qian , Smith Abigail R. , Kirkali Ziya , Amundsen Cindy L. , Lai Henry , Geynisman‐Tan Juila , Kirby Anna , Cameron Anne P. , Helmuth Margaret E. , Griffith James W. , Jelovsek John Eric ,   the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) Observational Cohort Study Group
Published: October 2022

AbstractBackgroundLimited epidemiological data exist describing how patients engage with various treatments for overactive bladder (OAB). To improve care for patients with OAB, it is essential to gain a better understanding of how patients interface with OAB treatments longitudinally, that is, how often patients change treatments and the pattern of this treatment change in terms of escalation and de‐escalation.ObjectivesTo describe treatment patterns for women with bothersome urinary urgency (UU) and/or urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) presenting to specialty care over 1 year.Study DesignThe Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) study enrolled adult women with bothersome UU and/or UUI seeking care for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) between January 2015 and September 2016. An ordinal logistic regression model was fitted to describe the probabilities of escalating or de‐escalating level of treatment during 1‐year follow‐up.ResultsAmong 349 women, 281 reported UUI and 68 reported UU at baseline. At the end of 1 year of treatment by a urologist or urogynecologist, the highest level of treatment received by participants was 5% expectant management, 36% behavioral treatments (BT), 26% physical therapy (PT), 26% OAB medications, 1% percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation, 3% intradetrusor onabotulinum toxin A injection, and 3% sacral neuromodulation. Participants using BT or PT at baseline were more likely to be de‐escalated to no treatment than participants on OAB medications at baseline, who tended to stay on medications. Predictors of the highest level of treatment included starting level of treatment, hypertension, UUI severity, stress urinary incontinence, and anticholinergic burden score.ConclusionsTreatment patterns for UU and UUI are diverse. Even for patients with significant bother from OAB presenting to specialty clinics, further treatment often only involves conservative or medical therapies. This study highlights the need for improved treatment algorithms to escalate patients with persistent symptoms, or to adjust care in those who have been unsuccessfully treated.
Total fluid intake, caffeine, and other bladder irritant avoidance among adults having urinary urgency with and without urgency incontinence: The Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN)
Authors: Cameron Anne P. , Helmuth Margaret E. , Smith Abigail R. , Lai H. Henry , Amundsen Cindy L. , Kirkali Ziya , Gillespie Brenda W. , Yang Claire C. , Clemens J. Quentin ,   the LURN Study Group
Published: October 2022

AbstractIntroductionCaffeine has long been vilified as a cause for urinary urgency incontinence (UUI) along with other potential bladder irritants such as carbonation, alcohol, and acidic juices. The objective of this study was to assess the fluid intake behavior of people with urgency, UUI, and those with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) without UUI or urgency to assess if they avoided certain potential bladder irritants or had different fluid intake. We hypothesized that patients with UUI would avoid caffeine as a self‐management method more so than these other two groups.MethodsTreatment‐seeking men and women with LUTS in the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) Observational Cohort study completed a baseline 3‐day voiding and intake diary. “Complete” diaries had 3 days of data and no missing intake or voided volumes. Beverages with any caffeine, alcohol, carbonation, or acidic juice were identified and the total volume was recorded as well as the type of beverage containing caffeine to calculate the daily caffeine dose.ResultsFour hundred and ninety‐one participants (277 men and 214 women) with a median age of 63 had complete diaries. Urinary urgency was more prevalent in women than men (79% vs. 55%, p < 0.0001) as was UUI (84% vs. 47%, p < 0.0001). Total fluid intake over 3 days was lower among the urgency group versus the nonurgency group (median [interquartile range] 5.2 [4.0–6.8] L vs. 5.7 [4.3–7.0] L, p = 0.028) and the UUI group compared to the urgency without incontinence group were less likely to consume alcohol (26% vs. 37%, p = 0.04).After adjusting for sex, BMI, age, and total intake volume, UUI participants had 54% lower odds of consuming any caffeine (odds ratio = 0.46, 95% confidence interval = 0.22–0.96, p = 0.04) than those without incontinence, but among those that did consume caffeine, no difference in the volume of caffeinated beverages or milligrams of caffeine consumed was detected between those with UUI and those with urgency without incontinence. No difference in carbonation or acidic juice intake was detected between groups.ConclusionsIndividuals with urgency consume a lower volume of fluid than those without urgency. UUI participants more often abstain from caffeine, but among those that consume caffeine, the dose is similar to those without UUI. One explanation for these results is that only a subset of individuals with urgency or UUI are caffeine sensitive.
The bladder contractility and bladder outlet obstruction indices in adult men: Results of a global Delphi consensus study
Authors: Sinha Sanjay , Finazzi‐Agrò Enrico , Dmochowski Roger Roman , Hashim Hashim , Iacovelli Valerio 
Published: October 2022

AbstractAimsThis Delphi study was planned to examine global expert consensus with regard to utility, accuracy, and categorization of Bladder Contractility Index (BCI) and Bladder Outlet Obstruction Index (BOOI) and the related evidence.MethodsTwenty‐eight experts were invited to answer the two‐round survey including three foundation questions and 15 survey questions. Consensus was defined as ≥75% agreement. The ordinal scale (0–10) in round 1 was classified into “strongly agree,” “agree,” “neutral,” “disagree,” and “strongly disagree” for the final round. A systematic search for evidence was conducted for therapeutic studies that have examined outcome stratified by the indices in men.ResultsNineteen experts participated in the survey with 100% completion. Consensus was noted with regard to 6 of 19 questions. Experts strongly agreed with utility of quantifying bladder contractility and bladder outflow obstruction with near unanimity regarding the latter. There was consensus that BCI and BOOI were accurate, that BCI was clinically useful, and for defining severe bladder outflow obstruction as BOOI > 80. Systematic search yielded 69 publications (BCI 45; BOOI 50). Most studies examined the indices as a continuous variable or by standard cutoffs (BCI 100, 150; BOOI 20, 40).ConclusionThere is general agreement among experts on need for indices to quantify bladder contractility and bladder outflow obstruction as well as with regard to accuracy and utility of BCI and BOOI indices. Few studies have examined the discriminant power of existing cutoffs or explored new ones. This is an extraordinary knowledge gap in the field of urology.
Improved robust filter synthesis combining linear matrix inequalities and heuristic algorithms
Authors: de Souza Ruhan Pontes Policarpo , Agulhari Cristiano Marcos , Goedtel Alessandro , Bugatti Pedro Henrique 
Published: October 2022

AbstractThis article introduces an alternative and less conservative filter design procedure applied to continuous time uncertain systems. In order to provide a reduction in conservatism and an norm improvement, the proposed technique avoids the conventional convexification procedure—which uses structure restrictions and slack variables. Instead, it defines an unconstrained structure. The proposed technique consists of a hybrid procedure, combining the application of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) with heuristic optimization algorithms (HOAs). The HOAs, specifically genetic algorithms, are used to optimize terms that could cause bilinearities, subsequently evaluated by LMIs and generating the desired filter. Numerical examples and a comparison with other methodologies are presented, testifying to the proposed method's efficacy and the performance.
Enroling around—Reconfiguring place and space in the wake of a new reception centre in a small rural town
Authors: Välimaa Mira , Vähä‐Savo Valtteri , Hiitola Johanna 
Published: October 2022

AbstractThe paper examines how a small rural town Kauhava, Finland, is reconfigured in the wake of a reception centre being established. Drawing on the conceptual toolbox of thesociology of associations, we find that regardless of attitudes towards asylum seekers, people springing into action and enroling others leads to theproblematisationandintensificationof place. This involves turning public and private spaces into contested places. Competing definitions of community and identity emerge. While new identities are configured, new associations and ways of linking actors and places together also take form. The paper examines how the micropolitics of place and belonging are carried out in practice, and what types of mechanisms bring about or prevent new conjunctions and transformations in places. The data consist of interviews in Kauhava with town officials, reception centre volunteers, opponents of the centre and refugees who have stayed in the town.
“I try to encourage my students to think, read, and talk science” intelligible identities in university teachers' figured worlds of higher education biology
Authors: Günter Katerina Pia , Ahnesjö Ingrid , Gullberg Annica 
Published: October 2022

AbstractHigher education biology is often imagined, perceived, and described as having reached gender equality in terms of who gets to participate in disciplinary practices. However, like any other natural science discipline, higher education biology is a world whose landscapes are shaped by (re)productions of historical, cultural, and social norms. We explore these norms through the lens of identity, asking what identities are recognized by university biology teachers at a large Swedish university, analyzing 94 teaching statements written when applying for faculty positions in biology. We argue that in and through teaching statements, university biology teachers negotiate and perform overarching academic and disciplinary norms and discourses with the goal to present themselves as intelligible candidates. As statements of value, they thereby display implicit and explicit identities recognized in worlds of higher education biology. Using a discourse analytical framework, we identified two university teacher identities imagined as intelligible: Research Science Teachers and Facilitating Science Teachers. Research Science Teachers position research and associated masculine‐coded competences as anchor points of biology practice. They consider researchers to be ultimate knowers and consequently to be best suitable for university teaching with the goal to recruit students into research. Facilitating Science Teachers, even though aware of the hegemonic position of research, disentangle imaginaries of what makes a researcher from what makes a university teacher. They transgress dominant imaginaries of research as the ultimate competence for themselves and students, and create spaces for alternative identity work. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of (re)productive processes in science education, providing perspectives of how to together infract intergenerational (re)productions of hegemonic norms of doing science. Additionally, this study provides further evidence that higher education biology is not a gender‐neutral higher education landscape.