Contrast Enhanced Spectral Mammography:A Review

Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) provides low-energy 2D mammographic images comparable to standard digital mammography and a post-contrast recombined image to assess tumor neovascularity similar to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The utilization of CESM in the United States is currently low but could increase rapidly given many potential indications for clinical use. This article discusses historical background and literature review of indications and diagnostic accuracy of CESM to date. CESM is a growing technique for breast cancer detection and diagnosis that has levels of sensitivity and specificity on par with contrast-enhanced breast MRI. Because of its similar performance and ease of implementation, CESM is being adopted for multiple indications previously reserved for MRI, such as problem-solving, disease extent in newly diagnosed patients, and evaluating the treatment response of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Preparation and Characterization of Fish Protein Isolate from Tiger Tooth Croaker (Otholithus ruber) Obtained through PH Shift Method

Development of Fish Protein Isolate (FPI) from tiger tooth croaker (Otholithus ruber) fish meat using the pH shift method was carried out during this study. Tiger tooth croaker was used as raw material because of their abundance and comparatively low price. During the study, the physical characteristics and proximate composition of the fresh fish were analysed. The average length of fish was 19.95 cm and weighed 94.6 g. respectively. FPI treated at different pH treatments (2.5, 4, 7, 11.5 and 12.5) were analyzed for proximate composition, peroxide value and functional characteristics. In the present work, Tiger tooth croaker (Otolithes ruber) fish was found to be suitable for fish protein isolate production using acid or alkali processing and isoelectric precipitation. During storage at ambient temperature for 120 days in a 200 gauge LDPE pouch, Fish Protein Isolates treated at different pH treatments (2.5, 4, 7, 11.5 and 12.5) indicated an increase in moisture content, reduction in protein and lipid content and no significant reduction in ash content. The total protein content was specifically high for pH 7 followed by pH 12.5, 11.5, 4 and 2.5. The effect of different pH on PV of fish protein isolates showed increasing content with increasing storage. The functional properties such as water-holding capacity (WHC), oil-holding capacity (OHC), emulsifying capacity (EC) and foam measurements (Foaming capacity (FC) and foam stability (FS) exhibit high values for all the samples of fish protein isolates. The quality attribute of functional properties of all fish protein isolates samples showed a trend of decreasing during the storage of 120 days

Management of Hypertension in Patients during Percutaneous Dialysis Access Interventions

Not infrequently, interventionalists are faced with a patient with increased blood pressure who is about to undergo a dialysis access intervention such as tunneled hemodialysis catheter, percutaneous balloon angioplasty, or declotting procedure for a clotted arteriovenous access. This can frequently create a dilemma as functional dialysis access is needed to provide dialysis therapy and delaying treatment could result in a life-threatening situation, particularly in the presence of hyperkalemia. This article investigates hypertension in patients undergoing percutaneous dialysis access interventions and provides guidance to their management

Heterogeneity in Intratumoral Regions with Rapid Gadolinium Washout Correlates with Estrogen Receptor Status and Nodal Metastasis

Purpose: To evaluate heterogeneity within tumor subregions or “habitats” via textural kinetic analysis on breast dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) for the classification of two clinical prognostic features; 1) estrogen receptor (ER)-positive from ER-negative tumors, and 2) tumors with four or more viable lymph node metastases after neoadjuvant chemotherapy from tumors without nodal metastases. Materials and Methods: Two separate volumetric DCE-MRI datasets were obtained at 1.5T, comprised of bilateral axial dynamic 3D T1-weighted fat suppressed gradient recalled echo-pulse sequences obtained before and after gadolinium-based contrast administration. Representative image slices of breast tumors from 38 and 34 patients were used for ER status and lymph node classification, respectively. Four tumor habitats were defined based on their kinetic contrast enhancement characteristics. The heterogeneity within each habitat was quantified using textural kinetic features, which were evaluated using two feature selectors and three classifiers. Results: Textural kinetic features from the habitat with rapid delayed washout yielded classification accuracies of 84.44% (area under the curve [AUC] 0.83) for ER and 88.89% (AUC 0.88) for lymph node status. The texture feature, information measure of correlation, most often chosen in cross-validations, measures heterogeneity and provides accuracy approximately the same as with the best feature set. Conclusion: Heterogeneity within habitats with rapid washout is highly predictive of molecular tumor characteristics and clinical behavior. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2015;42:1421–1430

Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in households with children with asthma and allergy: A prospective surveillance study

BACKGROUND: Whether children and people with asthma and allergic diseases are at increased risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is unknown. OBJECTIVE: Our aims were to determine the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in households with children and to also determine whether self-reported asthma and/or other allergic diseases are associated with infection and household transmission. METHODS: For 6 months, biweekly nasal swabs and weekly surveys were conducted within 1394 households (N = 4142 participants) to identify incident SARS-CoV-2 infections from May 2020 to February 2021, which was the pandemic period largely before a vaccine and before the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Participant and household infection and household transmission probabilities were calculated by using time-to-event analyses, and factors associated with infection and transmission risk were determined by using regression analyses. RESULTS: In all, 147 households (261 participants) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The household SARS-CoV-2 infection probability was 25.8%; the participant infection probability was similar for children (14.0% [95% CI = 8.0%-19.6%]), teenagers (12.1% [95% CI = 8.2%-15.9%]), and adults (14.0% [95% CI = 9.5%-18.4%]). Infections were symptomatic in 24.5% of children, 41.2% of teenagers, and 62.5% of adults. Self-reported doctor-diagnosed asthma was not a risk factor for infection (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.04 [95% CI = 0.73-1.46]), nor was upper respiratory allergy or eczema. Self-reported doctor-diagnosed food allergy was associated with lower infection risk (aHR = 0.50 [95% CI = 0.32-0.81]); higher body mass index was associated with increased infection risk (aHR per 10-point increase = 1.09 [95% CI = 1.03-1.15]). The household secondary attack rate was 57.7%. Asthma was not associated with household transmission, but transmission was lower in households with food allergy (adjusted odds ratio = 0.43 [95% CI = 0.19-0.96]; P = .04). CONCLUSION: Asthma does not increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Food allergy is associated with lower infection risk, whereas body mass index is associated with increased infection risk. Understanding how these factors modify infection risk may offer new avenues for preventing infection

A common polymorphism in the Intelectin-1 gene influences mucus plugging in severe asthma.

Funder: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)By incompletely understood mechanisms, type 2 (T2) inflammation present in the airways of severe asthmatics drives the formation of pathologic mucus which leads to airway mucus plugging. Here we investigate the molecular role and clinical significance of intelectin-1 (ITLN-1) in the development of pathologic airway mucus in asthma. Through analyses of human airway epithelial cells we find that ITLN1 gene expression is highly induced by interleukin-13 (IL-13) in a subset of metaplastic MUC5AC+ mucus secretory cells, and that ITLN-1 protein is a secreted component of IL-13-induced mucus. Additionally, we find ITLN-1 protein binds the C-terminus of the MUC5AC mucin and that its deletion in airway epithelial cells partially reverses IL-13-induced mucostasis. Through analysis of nasal airway epithelial brushings, we find that ITLN1 is highly expressed in T2-high asthmatics, when compared to T2-low children. Furthermore, we demonstrate that both ITLN-1 gene expression and protein levels are significantly reduced by a common genetic variant that is associated with protection from the formation of mucus plugs in T2-high asthma. This work identifies an important biomarker and targetable pathways for the treatment of mucus obstruction in asthma

A common polymorphism in the Intelectin-1 gene influences mucus plugging in severe asthma

By incompletely understood mechanisms, type 2 (T2) inflammation present in the airways of severe asthmatics drives the formation of pathologic mucus which leads to airway mucus plugging. Here we investigate the molecular role and clinical significance of intelectin-1 (ITLN-1) in the development of pathologic airway mucus in asthma. Through analyses of human airway epithelial cells we find that ITLN1 gene expression is highly induced by interleukin-13 (IL-13) in a subset of metaplastic MUC5AC+ mucus secretory cells, and that ITLN-1 protein is a secreted component of IL-13-induced mucus. Additionally, we find ITLN-1 protein binds the C-terminus of the MUC5AC mucin and that its deletion in airway epithelial cells partially reverses IL-13-induced mucostasis. Through analysis of nasal airway epithelial brushings, we find that ITLN1 is highly expressed in T2-high asthmatics, when compared to T2-low children. Furthermore, we demonstrate that both ITLN-1 gene expression and protein levels are significantly reduced by a common genetic variant that is associated with protection from the formation of mucus plugs in T2-high asthma. This work identifies an important biomarker and targetable pathways for the treatment of mucus obstruction in asthma