Evaluation of calcified carotid atheroma on panoramic radiographs and Doppler ultrasonography in an older population

Yusuf Atalay,1 Fatih Asutay,1 Kamil Serkan Agacayak,2 Mahmut Koparal,3 Fahri Adali,4 Belgin Gulsun2 1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, 2Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, 3Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Adiyaman University, Adiyaman, 4Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the reliability of panoramic radiograph (PR) as a screening tool for the detection of calcified carotid atheroma (CCA) by comparing it with Doppler ultrasonography (DU) examination. A second aim was to evaluate the relationship among CCA, systemic diseases, smoking, and body mass index in an older population.Materials and methods: A total of 1,650 PRs of patients aged over 45 years (736 males and 914 females) were randomly selected. All the patients had been referred to the Faculty of Dentistry, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey, during 2013–2014 for routine PR screening. Medical data were collected from the archival records of the dental school. The patients were divided into two groups: Group A (study group), CCA findings were confirmed by DU (n=59); and Group B (control group), CCA findings were not confirmed by DU (n=34).Results: Of the 1,650 individuals, 93 (5.63%) were detected to have CCA on PR. The population consisted of 43 males and 50 females with mean age of 59.84±10.92 years. No difference was determined in respect of CCA between the sexes (P=0.745). There was a significant difference between Group A and Group B in respect of hypertension (P=0.004). But there was no difference between Group A and Group B in respect of age (P=0.495), BMI (P=0.756), diabetes (P=0.168), and smoking (P=0.482) distribution.Conclusion: Although PR cannot be used as an initial diagnostic method when searching for CCA, dentists should be aware of CCA on a routine PR, particularly in older patients who may also have the risk factors of obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and smoking. Recognizing of CCA especially in hypertensive patients could potentially increase the length and quality of life for individuals. Keywords: panoramic radiograph, calcified carotid atheroma, atherosclerosis, risk factors, ultrasonography&nbsp

Retrospective Analysis of Echinococcosis in an Endemic Region of Turkey, a Review of 193 Cases

Background: The hydatidosis is endemic in our region. Some of the recent studies revealed that hydatid cyst prevalence is decreasing gradually in Turkey. The aim of this study was to investigate the actual preva­lence of hydatidosis in an endemic region of Turkey, and to share our experiences in the medical and surgi­cal management of hydatidosis.Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from the records of 193 patients who had a diagnosis of hydatidosis, and admitted to Diyarbakir Education and Research Hospital. Imaging techniques, histology and serology were used for diagnosis.Results: From records of 772 cystic patients whose cysts were localized in the lung and liver, 193 (25%) of them were diagnosed with cyst hydatidosis. Lung hydatidosis was found statistically significant among these cases (Chi-square=24.88, P< 0.0001). Postoperative recurrence was detected in seven (3.62%) pa­tients. All postoperative recurrences were observed in the consequent three years period.Conclusion: The prevalence of hydatidosis is still high in southeast Turkey and not only in children but also in adult cases in our region lung hydatidosis is frequent corresponding with other organ hydatidosis. We also found that the most risky period in recurrence rates is the consequent post-operative three years. According to our experiences, transthoracic approach in lung hydatidosis, external drainage, and cystec­tomy in liver hydatidosis is safe and effective choices in surgical treatment

A Phase II, Multicenter, Single-Arm Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Deferasirox after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children with Beta-Thalassemia Major

We conducted a prospective, phase II, multicenter, single-arm study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of deferasirox in patients age >2 to 1000 mu g/L; cardiac MRI T2* = 5 mg/g). Patients received deferasirox at an initial dose of 10 mg/kg/day, with up-titration to a maximum of 20 mg/kg/day. The study continued for 52 weeks and included a total of 27 patients (mean age, 9.1 +/- 3.8 years; 70.4% male). One patient (3.7%) was lost to follow-up. The majority of patients (n = 20; 74.1%) were able to achieve the intended dose of 20 mg/kg/day. No deaths occurred. A total of 134 adverse events (AEs) were reported in 25 patients (92.6%) during the study. The majority of patients had grade 1 or 2 AEs, with only 8 patients (29.6%) experiencing grade 3 AEs. Only 10 AEs occurring in 4 patients (14.8%) were suspected to be related to deferasirox (ALT/AST increase, n = 4; urinary tract infection, n = 1). The deferasirox dose had to be adjusted or interrupted for 6 AEs occurring in 4 patients (14.8%). A total of 6 serious AEs occurred in 3 patients (11.1%), none of which were suspected to be related to deferasirox. From baseline to week 52, there were decreases in median concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), from 30.0 to 17.0 IU/L, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), from 35.5 to 26.0 IU/L. Median serum creatinine and cystatin C concentrations were similar at baseline and week 52. There was a continuous and significant decrease in median serum ferritin level from 1718.0 mu g/L at baseline to 845.3 mu g/L following 52 weeks of therapy (P<.001); 9 patients (33.3%) achieved a level of <500 mu g/L. There was also a significant decrease in median LIC (from 8.6 to 4.1 mg/g; P<.001) and an increase in median cardiac T2* (from 26.0 to 28.0 ms; P=.520) from baseline to week 52. Our findings indicate that deferasirox treatment at doses up to 20 mg/kg/day reduces the iron burden in children with TM post-HSCT, with a manageable safety profile. (C) 2017 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.WoSScopu

A Phase II, Multicenter, Single-Arm Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Deferasirox after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children with beta-Thalassemia Major

We conducted a prospective, phase II, multicenter, single-arm study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of deferasirox in patients age >2 to <18 years with beta-thalassemia major (TM) who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and had evidence of iron overload (serum ferritin >1000 mu g/L; cardiac MRI T2{*} <20 ms, or liver iron concentration {[}LIC; by MRI R2] >= 5 mg/g). Patients received deferasirox at an initial dose of 10 mg/kg/day, with up-titration to a maximum of 20 mg/kg/day. The study continued for 52 weeks and included a total of 27 patients (mean age, 9.1 +/- 3.8 years; 70.4\% male). One patient (3.7\%) was lost to follow-up. The majority of patients (n = 20; 74.1\%) were able to achieve the intended dose of 20 mg/kg/day. No deaths occurred. A total of 134 adverse events (AEs) were reported in 25 patients (92.6\%) during the study. The majority of patients had grade 1 or 2 AEs, with only 8 patients (29.6\%) experiencing grade 3 AEs. Only 10 AEs occurring in 4 patients (14.8\%) were suspected to be related to deferasirox (ALT/AST increase, n = 4; urinary tract infection, n = 1). The deferasirox dose had to be adjusted or interrupted for 6 AEs occurring in 4 patients (14.8\%). A total of 6 serious AEs occurred in 3 patients (11.1\%), none of which were suspected to be related to deferasirox. From baseline to week 52, there were decreases in median concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), from 30.0 to 17.0 IU/L, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), from 35.5 to 26.0 IU/L. Median serum creatinine and cystatin C concentrations were similar at baseline and week 52. There was a continuous and significant decrease in median serum ferritin level from 1718.0 mu g/L at baseline to 845.3 mu g/L following 52 weeks of therapy (P<.001); 9 patients (33.3\%) achieved a level of <500 mu g/L. There was also a significant decrease in median LIC (from 8.6 to 4.1 mg/g; P<.001) and an increase in median cardiac T2{*} (from 26.0 to 28.0 ms; P=.520) from baseline to week 52. Our findings indicate that deferasirox treatment at doses up to 20 mg/kg/day reduces the iron burden in children with TM post-HSCT, with a manageable safety profile. (C) 2017 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation

Accuracy of an Artificial Intelligence Deep Learning Algorithm Implementing a Recurrent Neural Network with Long Short-term Memory for the Automated Detection of Calcified Plaques from Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of a novel fully automated deep learning (DL) algorithm implementing a recurrent neural network (RNN) with long short-term memory (LSTM) for the detection of coronary artery calcium (CAC) from coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) data. Materials and Methods: Under an IRB waiver and in HIPAA compliance, a total of 194 patients who had undergone CCTA were retrospectively included. Two observers independently evaluated the image quality and recorded the presence of CAC in the right (RCA), the combination of left main and left anterior descending (LM-LAD), and left circumflex (LCx) coronary arteries. Noncontrast CACS scans were allowed to be used in cases of uncertainty. Heart and coronary artery centerline detection and labeling were automatically performed. Presence of CAC was assessed by a RNN-LSTM. The algorithm's overall and per-vessel sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were calculated. Results: CAC was absent in 84 and present in 110 patients. As regards CCTA, the median subjective image quality, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio were 3.0, 13.0, and 11.4. A total of 565 vessels were evaluated. On a per-vessel basis, the algorithm achieved a sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of 93.1% (confidence interval [CI], 84.3%-96.7%), 82.76% (CI, 74.6%-89.4%), and 86.7% (CI, 76.8%-87.9%), respectively, for the RCA, 93.1% (CI, 86.4%-97.7%), 95.5% (CI, 88.77%-98.75%), and 94.2% (CI. 90.2%-94.6%), respectively, for the LM-LAD, and 89.9% (CI, 80.2%-95.8%), 90.0% (CI, 83.2%-94.7%), and 89.9% (CI, 85.0%-94.1%), respectively, for the LCx. The overall sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were 92.1% (CI, 92.1%-95.2%), 88.9% (CI. 84.9%-92.1%), and 90.3% (CI, 88.0%-90.0%), respectively. When accounting for image quality, the algorithm achieved a sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of 76.2%, 87.5%, and 82.2%, respectively, for poor-quality data sets and 93.3%, 89.2% and 90.9%, respectively, when data sets rated adequate or higher were combined. Conclusion: The proposed RNN-LSTM demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy for the detection of CAC from CCTA