Editorial: state of the art body composition profiling: advances in imaging modalities and patient outcomes

In the last years, body composition (BC) analysis has emerged as a ground-breaking tool that can provide helpful data about nutritional status, in addition to more conventional indicators, as albumin value and body mass index. Recent data disclosed that distinct patterns of BC are associated with different outcomes, in particular in oncologic patients. Hence, we proposed this research topic, on one side, to expand knowledge about the imaging techniques to evaluate BC assessment, ranging from the most conventional ones to the most advanced (including artificial intelligence-aided techniques); on the other, to assess the effects of BC on different outcome indicators, as post-operative or chemotherapy-related complications and survival. In our research topic, we published eight papers: 3 focused on liver diseases, 1 on pancreatic cancer, 1 on ovarian cancer, 1 on lung cancer, 1 on breast cancer and 1 on radiotherapy, thus highlighting the wide variety of fields in which the clinical role of BC is under evaluation

Quasifission and fusion-fission in massive nuclei reactions. Comparison of reactions leading to the Z=120 element

The yields of evaporation residues, fusion-fission and quasifission fragments in the $^{48}$Ca+$^{144,154}$Sm and $^{16}$O+$^{186}$W reactions are analyzed in the framework of the combined theoretical method based on the dinuclear system concept and advanced statistical model. The measured yields of evaporation residues for the $^{48}$Ca+$^{154}$Sm reaction can be well reproduced. The measured yields of fission fragments are decomposed into contributions coming from fusion-fission, quasifission, and fast-fission. The decrease in the measured yield of quasifission fragments in $^{48}$Ca+$^{154}$Sm at the large collision energies and the lack of quasifission fragments in the $^{48}$Ca+$^{144}$Sm reaction are explained by the overlap in mass-angle distributions of the quasifission and fusion-fission fragments. The investigation of the optimal conditions for the synthesis of the new element $Z$=120 ($A$=302) show that the $^{54}$Cr+$^{248}$Cm reaction is preferable in comparison with the $^{58}$Fe+$^{244}$Pu and $^{64}$Ni+$^{238}$U reactions because the excitation function of the evaporation residues of the former reaction is some orders of magnitude larger than that for the last two reactions.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Dandy-Walker malformation: is the "tail sign" the key sign?

OBJECTIVE.To demonstrate the value of the "tail sign" in the assessment of Dandy-Walker Malformation (DWM). METHODS: A total of 31fetal MRI, performed before 24 weeks of gestation after second-line US examination between May 2013 and September 2014, were examined retrospectively. All MRI examinations were performed using a 1.5 Tesla magnet without maternal sedation. RESULTS: MRI diagnosed 15/31 cases of Dandy-Walker Malformation, 6/31 cases of vermian partial caudal agenesis, 2/31 of vermian hypoplasia, 4/31 of vermian malrotation, 2/31 of Walker-Warburg Syndrome, 1/31 of Blake pouch cyst, 1/31 of rhombencephalosynapsis. All data were compared with fetopsy results, Fetal MR after the 30th week or postnatal MRI; the follow up depended on the maternal decision to terminate or continue pregnancy. In our review study we found the presence of the "tail sign"; this sign was visible only in Dandy-Walker Malformation and Walker-Warburg Syndrome. CONCLUSION: The "tail sign" could be helpful in the difficult differential diagnosis between Dandy Walker, vermian malrotation, vermian hypoplasia and vermian partial agenesis

Radiomics in cervical and endometrial cancer

Radiomics is an emerging field of research that aims to find associations between quantitative information extracted from imaging examinations and clinical data to support the best clinical decision. In the last few years, some papers have been evaluating the role of radiomics in gynecological malignancies, mainly focusing on ovarian cancer. Nonetheless, cervical cancer is the most frequent gynecological malignancy in developing countries and endometrial cancer is the most common in western countries, The purpose of this narrative review is to give an overview of the latest published papers evaluating the role of radiomics in cervical and endometrial cancer, mostly evaluating association with tumor prognostic factors, with response to therapy and with prediction of recurrence and distant metastasis

Computed tomography–based body composition in patients with ovarian cancer: association with chemotoxicity and prognosis

PurposeTo assess the association between computed tomography (CT)-derived quantitative measures of body composition profiling and chemotherapy-related complications, in terms of dose reduction, premature discontinuation of chemotherapy, and cycle delays in patients with ovarian cancer. Secondary purposes were to evaluate associations between sarcopenia and survival, and to evaluate differences in body composition profiling at baseline and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Materials and MethodsThe study population was retrospectively selected from a database of patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer (any stage) referred to our Institution between Feb 2011 and Mar 2020. Clinical data were recorded, and CT images at the level of the 3(rd) lumbar vertebra were stored. By using specific software, skeletal muscle area (SMA), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and skeletal muscle density (SMD) were extracted. Skeletal muscle index (SMI) was then calculated. Statistical analysis was performed by logistic regression models to identify body composition features predictive of dose reduction, premature end of chemotherapy, and cycle delays. Kaplan-Meier analyses were performed to assess overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The log-rank test was used to determine differences in OS and PFS between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients. Wilcoxon test was performed to compare body composition features before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). ResultsSixty-nine patients were included. A significant association was found between VAT and cycle delays (OR = 1.01, z = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.00-1.02, p < 0.05), between SMA and early discontinuation of chemotherapy (OR = 1.03, z = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.00-1.05, p < 0.05), and between mean SMD and cycle delays (OR = 0.92, z = -2.70, 95%CI: 0.87-0.98, p < 0.01). No significant difference emerged for OS in sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients, nor in CT body composition features before and after NACT. ConclusionsIn ovarian cancer patients, CT-derived body composition profiling might predict the risk of chemotoxicity. In particular, VAT and SMD are associated with chemotherapy cycle delays, and SMA with early discontinuation of chemotherapy

Single Event Upset tests and failure rate estimation for a front-end ASIC adopted in high-flux-particle therapy applications

none8A 64 channels Application Specific Integrated Circuit, named TERA09, designed in a 0.35 m technology for particle therapy applications, has been characterized for Single Event Upset probability. TERA09 is a current-to-frequency converter that offers a wide input range, extending from few nA to hundreds of A, with linearity deviations in the order of a few percent. This device operates as front-end readout electronics for parallel plate ionization chambers adopted in clinical applications. This chip is going to be located beside the monitor chamber, thus not directly exposed to the particle beam. For this reason, no radiation hardening techniques were adopted during the microelectronics design. The intent of the test reported in this paper is to predict the TERA09 upset rate probability in a real application scenario. Due to the fact that TERA09 has an extended digital area with registers and counters, it is interesting to estimate the effect of the secondary neutron field produced during the treatment. The radiation damage test took place at the SIRAD facility of the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics in Padova, Italy. The SIRAD facility allows to study the CMOS upset rate as a function of the energy deposited during irradiation. By irradiating the chip with ions of different Linear Energy Transfer, it is possible to calculate the single event effect cross-section as a function of the deposited energy. It resulted that the minimum deposited energy in a CMOS silicon sensitive volume of , responsible for a Single Event Upset probability higher than zero, is 690 keV. In the last part of the paper, we calculated the expected upset probability in a typical clinical environment, knowing the fluence of secondary, backward-emitted neutrons. Considering as an example a treatment room located at the CNAO particle therapy center in Pavia, the expected upset rate for TERA09 is events/year. Using a redundant and independent monitor chamber, the upset probability expected during one detector readout is lower than , as explained in the document.noneFausti, F.; Mazza, G.; Giordanengo, S.; Hammad Ali, O.; Manganaro, L.; Monaco, V.; Sacchi, R.; Cirio, R.Fausti, F.; Mazza, G.; Giordanengo, S.; Hammad Ali, O.; Manganaro, L.; Monaco, V.; Sacchi, R.; Cirio, R