Analog Filters Design for Improving Precision in Proton Sound Detectors

This paper analyzes how to improve the precision of ionoacoustic proton range verification by optimizing the analog signal processing stages with particular emphasis on analog filters. The ionoacoustic technique allows one to spatially detect the proton beam penetration depth/range in a water absorber, with interesting possible applications in real-time beam monitoring during hadron therapy treatments. The state of the art uses nonoptimized detectors that have low signal quality and thus require a higher total dose, which is not compatible with clinical applications. For these reasons, a comprehensive analysis of acoustic signal bandwidth, signal-to-noise-ratio and noise power/bandwidth will be presented. The correlation between these signal-quality parameters with maximum achievable proton range measurement precision will be discussed. In particular, the use of an optimized analog filter allows one to decrease the dose required to achieve a given precision by as much as 98.4% compared to a nonoptimized filter approach

Pancreatic nodule positive for 68-Ga-DOTAPEPTIDE-PET: NET or ectopic spleen? The importance of a good differential diagnosis

Abstract Background Accessory spleen is a congenital defect in which splenic tissue is present outside the spleen. In 20% of cases, accessory spleen is localized within the pancreatic tail, a condition known as IPAS. The identification of this benign anomaly, which affects about 2% of general population, is not easy because it is often mistaken for a pNET which is more common, at around 5%. A 68-Ga-DOTAPEPTIDE-PET normally identifies pNETs with high rate of sensitivity and specificity, but in some conditions, it produces false positives, including IPAS. Materials and tools A clinical case we recently encountered, prompted us to review the available medical literature on the topic. Typing "intrapancreatic accessory spleen" into PubMed database and limiting research to the last 10 years yielded 121 results from which we selected the most relevant articles for decision-making, with a brief explanation of the reasons for selecting those. Our analysis focused on the most critical and least descriptive articles, those which clearly indicated the importance of differential diagnosis by promoting the use of advanced investigations in case of pancreatic nodule suspected for IPAS. Ultimately, our objective was to update the available guidelines recommendations. Discussion and conclusions Despite concern in the medical literature, a differential IPAS diagnosis is still subordinate to other clinical, radiological, nuclear medicine, and cytological criteria. After reviewing the literature, we recommend that IPAS should always be considered as a possibility before diagnosis of pNET is made. IPAS should be suspected in the presence of the following findings: asymptomatic pancreatic nodule found incidentally, absence of laboratory findings of NETs, localization in the pancreatic tail, between 1 and 3 cm in size with well-defined margins, homogeneous enhancement, and similar attenuation to the spleen on CT and MRI. In these cases, the use of advanced investigations beyond 68-Ga-DOTAPEPTIDE-PET must be systematic. The recognition of IPAS is not only a diagnostic refinement, but it also avoids unnecessary surgery for the patient

Clinical characteristics and prognostic factors in COVID-19 patients aged ≥80 years

Aim: The aim of the present study was to describe the clinical presentation of patients aged ≥80 years with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and provide insights regarding the prognostic factors and the risk stratification in this population. Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective, observational study, carried out in a referral center for COVID-19 in central Italy. We reviewed the clinical records of patients consecutively admitted for confirmed COVID-19 over a 1-month period (1-31 March 2020). We excluded asymptomatic discharged patients. We identified risk factors for death, by a uni- and multivariate Cox regression analysis. To improve model fitting and hazard estimation, continuous parameters where dichotomized by using Youden's index. Results: Overall, 69 patients, aged 80-98 years, met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study cohort. The median age was 84 years (82-89 years is interquartile range); 37 patients (53.6%) were men. Globally, 14 patients (20.3%) presented a mild, 30 (43.5%) a severe and 25 (36.2%) a critical COVID-19 disease. A total of 23 (33.3%) patients had died at 30 days' follow up. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that severe dementia, pO2 ≤90 at admission and lactate dehydrogenase >464 U/L were independent risk factors for death. Conclusions: The present data suggest that risk of death could be not age dependent in patients aged ≥80 years, whereas severe dementia emerged is a relevant risk factor in this population. Severe COVID-19, as expressed by elevated lactate dehydrogenase and low oxygen saturation at emergency department admission, is associated with a rapid progression to death in these patients

Application of average volume assured pressure support (AVAPS) and ultrasound assessment in COVID-19 infection: real-life observation.

BACKGROUND: ARDS in COVID-19 patients admitted to Emergency Departments (ED) is characterized by reduced diaphragm motility and increased work of breathing (WOB) by accessory respiratory muscles. Reduced perfusion of compliant lungs as consequence of vascular abnormalities has been highlighted as possible explanation of typical hypoxemia. Non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) has been proposed to treat ARDS. AVAPS is a hybrid modality of NIMV combining features of pressure and volume ventilation. METHODS: we enrolled 38 patients with COVID-19 ARDS to whom we applied NIMV with AVAPS modality. We assessed Tidal Volume (TV), diaphragm excursion (DE) and PaO2/FiO2 before starting NIMV and after three (T3) and six hours (T6) of ventilation. RESULTS: Admissions to ICU were avoided in 68% of our patients. TV (627±147.6 vs. 747.1±226 mL, P<0.00005) and DE (21.8±5.4 vs. 17.9±6.1 mm, P<0.00005) already improved after three hours of AVAPS. TV (521.5±120 mL, P<0.00005), DE (25.8±6.9 mm, P<0.00005) and PaO2/FiO2 (197.3±75.3 vs. 158±67.7, P<0.005) significantly improved in our cohort of patients after six hours. CONCLUSIONS: NIMV with AVAPS modality can be confidently used in the clinical management of COVID-19 patients with ARDS, since AVAPS has positive effects on ventilation-perfusion matching and WOB. We recommend low PEEP value and ultrasound assessment of diaphragm motility and lung characteristics, although further studies are needed to individuate clinical features of NIMV best-responder patients

Performance of the new amplifier-shaper-discriminator chip for the ATLAS MDT chambers at the HL-LHC

The Phase-II Upgrade of the ATLAS Muon Detector requires new electronics for the readout of the MDT drift tubes. The first processing stage, the Amplifier-Shaper-Discriminator (ASD), determines the performance of the readout for crucial parameters like time resolution, gain uniformity, efficiency and noise rejection. An 8-channel ASD chip, using the IBM 130 nm CMOS 8RF-DM technology, has been designed, produced and tested. The area of the chip is 2.2 x 2.9 square mm size. We present results of detailed measurements as well as a comparision with simulation results of the chip behaviour at three different levels of detail

Occupational exposure to organic dust and risk of lymphoma subtypes in the EPILYMPH case-control study

Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the risk of lymphoma and its major subtypes in relation to occupational exposure to specific organic dusts. Methods: We explored the association in 1853 cases and 1997 controls who participated in the EpiLymph case–control study, conducted in six European countries in 1998–2004. Based on expert assessment of lifetime occupational exposures, we calculated the risk of the major lymphoma subtypes associated with exposure to six specific organic dusts, namely, flour, hardwood, softwood, natural textile, synthetic textile, and leather, and two generic (any types) groups: wood and textile dusts. Risk was predicted with unconditional regression modeling, adjusted by age, gender, study center, and education. Results: We observed a 2.1-fold increase in risk of follicular lymphoma associated with ever exposure to leather dust [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–4.20]. After excluding subjects who ever worked in a farm or had ever been exposed to solvents, risk of B-cell lymphoma was elevated in relation to ever exposure to leather dust [odd ratio (OR) 2.2, 95% CI 1.00–4.78], but it was not supported by increasing trends with the exposure metrics. Risk of Hodgkin lymphoma was elevated (OR 2.0, 95% CI 0.95–4.30) for exposure to textile dust, with consistent upward trends by cumulative exposure and three independent exposure metrics combined (P=0.023, and P=0.0068, respectively). Conclusions: Future, larger studies might provide further insights into the nature of the association we observed between exposure to textile dust and risk of Hodgkin lymphoma

Predictors of in-hospital mortality AND death RISK STRATIFICATION among COVID-19 PATIENTS aged 65 80 YEARs OLD

Introduction: To date, mainly due to age-related vulnerability and to coexisting comorbidities, older patients often face a more severe COVID-19. This study aimed to identify at Emergency Department (ED) admission the predictors of in-hospital mortality and suitable scores for death risk stratification among COVID-19 patients 65 80 years old. Methods: Single-centre prospective study conducted in the ED of an university hospital, referral center for COVID-19 in central Italy. We included 239 consecutive patients 65 80 years old with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. The primary study endpoint was all-cause in-hospital mortality. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was performed on significant variables at univariate analysis to identify independent risk factor for death. Overall performance in predicting mortality of WHO severity scale, APACHE II score, NEWS score, and CURB-65 was calculated. Results: Median age was 85 [82-89] and 112 were males (46.9%). Globally, 77 patients (32.2%) deceased. The presence of consolidations at chest x-ray and the hypoxemic respiratory failure were significant predictors of poor prognosis. Moreover, age 65 85 years, dependency in activities of daily living (ADL), and dementia were risk factors for death, even after adjusting for clinical covariates and disease severity. All the evaluated scores showed a fairly good predictive value in identifying patients who could experience a worse outcome. Conclusions: Among patients 65 80 years old hospitalized with COVID-19, not only a worse clinical and radiological presentation of the disease, but also the increasing age, dementia, and impairment in ADL were strong risk factors for in-hospital death, regardless of disease severit