Intravitreal injection of Ozurdex(®) implant in patients with persistent diabetic macular edema, with six-month follow-up

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal dexamethasone injections in diabetic macular edema (DME). METHODS: A 700 μg slow-release intravitreal dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex®) was placed in the vitreal cavity of 17 patients (19 eyes) affected with persistent DME. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was assessed through Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS). Central macular thickness (CMT) was measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. BCVA and CMT examinations were carried out at baseline (T0) and repeated after three days, one month (T1), three months (T3), four months (T4), and six months (T6) post injection. RESULTS: Dexamethasone implant induced an improvement in ETDRS at T1, T3, T4, and T6 post injection. CMT was reduced at T1, T3, and T4, while at T6, CMT values were not statistically different from baseline. No complications were observed during the follow-up. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that dexamethasone implant is effective in reducing DME symptoms within a six-month frame

Inspiratory fraction as a marker of skeletal muscle dysfunction in patients with COPD

AbstractBackgroundAn inspiratory capacity to total lung capacity (IC/TLC) ratio of ≤25% has emerged as a better marker of mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. The relationship among the IC/TLC ratio to lower extremity skeletal muscle function remains unknown.MethodsThirty-five men with moderate to severe COPD were divided into those with IC/TLC≤25% (n=16) and >25% (n=19). The subjects were tested for thigh muscle mass volume (MMT), maximal strength, power output of the lower extremities, and physical activity.ResultsTotal MMT in the IC/TLC<25% group was significantly lower (413.91±89.42cm3) (p<0.001) than in the IC/TLC>25% group (575.20±11.76cm3). In the IC/TLC≤25% group, maximal strength of the lower extremities and muscle peak power output of the lower extremities were 36–56% lower (p<0.01) than among the patients in the IC/TLC>25% group.ConclusionIC/TLC≤25% is associated with reduced maximal strength and peak power output of the lower extremities. IC/TLC≤25% may have an important clinical relevance as an index to determine peripheral muscle dysfunction

Exploring CT Texture Parameters as Predictive and Response Imaging Biomarkers of Survival in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma Treated With PD-1 Inhibitor Nivolumab: A Pilot Study Using a Delta-Radiomics Approach

In the era of artificial intelligence and precision medicine, the use of quantitative imaging methodological approaches could improve the cancer patient’s therapeutic approaches. Specifically, our pilot study aims to explore whether CT texture features on both baseline and first post-treatment contrast-enhanced CT may act as a predictor of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in metastatic melanoma (MM) patients treated with the PD-1 inhibitor Nivolumab. Ninety-four lesions from 32 patients treated with Nivolumab were analyzed. Manual segmentation was performed using a free-hand polygon approach by drawing a region of interest (ROI) around each target lesion (up to five lesions were selected per patient according to RECIST 1.1). Filtration-histogram-based texture analysis was employed using a commercially available research software called TexRAD (Feedback Medical Ltd, London, UK; https://fbkmed.com/texrad-landing-2/) Percentage changes in texture features were calculated to perform delta-radiomics analysis. Texture feature kurtosis at fine and medium filter scale predicted OS and PFS. A higher kurtosis is correlated with good prognosis; kurtosis values greater than 1.11 for SSF = 2 and 1.20 for SSF = 3 were indicators of higher OS (fine texture: 192 HR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.32–0.96, p = 0.03; medium texture: HR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.29–0.99, p = 0.04) and PFS (fine texture: HR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.29–0.95, p = 0.03; medium texture: HR = 0.49, 209 95% CI = 0.25–0.96, p = 0.03). In delta-radiomics analysis, the entropy percentage variation correlated with OS and PFS. Increasing entropy indicates a worse outcome. An entropy variation greater than 5% was an indicator of bad prognosis. CT delta-texture analysis quantified as entropy predicted OS and PFS. Baseline CT texture quantified as kurtosis also predicted survival baseline. Further studies with larger cohorts are mandatory to confirm these promising exploratory results

Caratterizzazione metrologica di un sistema di tracking uomo-oggetti per applicazioni di robotica collaborativa

Negli ultimi anni, il panorama industriale ha subito un forte cambiamento, muovendosi sempre più rapidamente verso processi automatizzati e intelligenti nell’ottica della quarta Rivoluzione Industriale, definita oggi anche come Industry 4.0. Tale approccio significa essere in grado di monitorare i processi aziendali in tempo reale, in modo da implementare soluzioni di coordinazione in grado di restituire valore aggiunto alla produzione. Le attività devono essere svolte in piena sicurezza per l’operatore, che si trova a dover condividere lo stesso spazio di lavoro con un robot industriale. Per tale ragione, risulta di vitale importanza studiare l’affidabilità di un sistema che, sfruttando le informazioni di colore e di profondità di una telecamera RGB-D, determini in tempo reale la presenza di persone e oggetti e ne restituisca la posizione nello spazio. A tal proposito, la presente memoria descrive le metodologie adottate per la caratterizzazione metrologica del sistema descritto in [1], in grado di affrontare le tematiche affrontate utilizzando due Kinect di seconda generazione (Kinect v2) basate su tecnologia TOF, considerate ancora oggi la scelta migliore in termini di qualità/prezzo