Confronting hidden COVID-19 burden: a telemedical solution for elective urological outpatient clinics

Maintaining high-quality care for urological patients is a challenge during and after the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We observe an increasing volume of postponed elective visits at our tertiary care hospital, holding the risk for deterioration of non-emergency disease conditions. As it is unclear for how long the pandemic will last, we propose to implement telehealth as a solution to provide regular symptom monitoring compatible with social distancing guidelines during the pandemic and beyond. Telemedical assessment and prioritizing of high-risk patients for individual consults at outpatient services will have to be aligned with available outpatient capacity and local outbreak severity

iRECIST: how to do it

Background iRECIST for the objective monitoring of immunotherapies was published by the official RECIST working group in 2017. Main body Immune-checkpoint inhibitors represent one of the most important therapy advancements in modern oncology. They are currently used for treatment of multiple malignant diseases especially at advanced, metastatic stages which were poorly therapeutically accessible in the past. Promising results of recent studies suggest that their application will further grow in the near future, particularly when used in combination with chemotherapy. A challenging aspect of these immunotherapies is that they may show atypical therapy response patterns such as pseudoprogression and demonstrate a different imaging spectrum of adverse reactions, both of which are crucial for radiologists to understand. In 2017 the RECIST working group published a modified set of response criteria, iRECIST, for immunotherapy, based on RECIST 1.1 which was developed for cytotoxic therapies and adapted for targeted agents. Conclusion This article provides guidance for response assessment of oncologic patients under immunotherapy based on iRECIST criteria

Case Report: Sudden very late-onset near fatal PD1 inhibitor-associated myocarditis with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest after >2.5 years of pembrolizumab treatment

IntroductionImmune checkpoint inhibitors have advanced the outcomes of many different types of cancer. A rare but extraordinarily severe complication of these agents resembles immune checkpoint inhibitor-related myocarditis, which typically occurs within the first few weeks after treatment initiation with a mortality of 25%–50%.Case reportA 57-year-old woman had uneventfully received pembrolizumab for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer for over 2.5 years and was admitted after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation. After successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the initial diagnostic work-up showed elevated cardiac enzymes and a limited left-ventricular ejection fraction, while coronary angiography did not show relevant stenosis. Despite cardiac MRI being unsuggestive of myocarditis, myocardial biopsies were obtained and histologically confirmed anti-PD-1 antibody-associated myocarditis. After the initiation of prednisone at 1 mg/kg body weight, the patient gradually recovered and was discharged three weeks later with markedly improved cardiac function.ConclusionThis case resembles the first description of a very late onset irMyocarditis, occurring over 2.5 years after the start of treatment. It demonstrates the importance of contemplating that severe immune-related toxicities with a sudden onset clinical presentation may occur even after long uneventful periods of anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. Furthermore, it underlines the critical importance of myocardial biopsies in this setting, especially when cardiac MRI remains inconclusive. Moreover, it demonstrates the necessity and benefits of early immunosuppressive treatment if immune-related myocarditis is considered a differential diagnosis

ChatGPT yields low accuracy in determining LI-RADS scores based on free-text and structured radiology reports in German language

BackgroundTo investigate the feasibility of the large language model (LLM) ChatGPT for classifying liver lesions according to the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) based on MRI reports, and to compare classification performance on structured vs. unstructured reports.MethodsLI-RADS classifiable liver lesions were included from German written structured and unstructured MRI reports with report of size, location, and arterial phase contrast enhancement as minimum inclusion requirements. The findings sections of the reports were propagated to ChatGPT (GPT-3.5), which was instructed to determine LI-RADS scores for each classifiable liver lesion. Ground truth was established by two radiologists in consensus. Agreement between ground truth and ChatGPT was assessed with Cohen's kappa. Test-retest reliability was assessed by passing a subset of n = 50 lesions five times to ChatGPT, using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).Results205 MRIs from 150 patients were included. The accuracy of ChatGPT at determining LI-RADS categories was poor (53% and 44% on unstructured and structured reports). The agreement to the ground truth was higher (k = 0.51 and k = 0.44), the mean absolute error in LI-RADS scores was lower (0.5 ± 0.5 vs. 0.6 ± 0.7, p < 0.05), and the test-retest reliability was higher (ICC = 0.81 vs. 0.50), in free-text compared to structured reports, respectively, although structured reports comprised the minimum required imaging features significantly more frequently (Chi-square test, p < 0.05).ConclusionsChatGPT attained only low accuracy when asked to determine LI-RADS scores from liver imaging reports. The superior accuracy and consistency throughout free-text reports might relate to ChatGPT's training process.Clinical relevance statementOur study indicates both the necessity of optimization of LLMs for structured clinical data input and the potential of LLMs for creating machine-readable labels based on large free-text radiological databases

Compressed SENSE accelerated 3D single-breath-hold late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance with isotropic resolution: clinical evaluation

AimThe purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical application of Compressed SENSE accelerated single-breath-hold LGE with 3D isotropic resolution compared to conventional LGE imaging acquired in multiple breath-holds.Material & MethodsThis was a retrospective, single-center study including 105 examinations of 101 patients (48.2 ± 16.8 years, 47 females). All patients underwent conventional breath-hold and 3D single-breath-hold (0.96 × 0.96 × 1.1 mm3 reconstructed voxel size, Compressed SENSE factor 6.5) LGE sequences at 1.5 T in clinical routine for the evaluation of ischemic or non-ischemic cardiomyopathies. Two radiologists independently evaluated the left ventricle (LV) for the presence of hyperenhancing lesions in each sequence, including localization and transmural extent, while assessing their scar edge sharpness (SES). Confidence of LGE assessment, image quality (IQ), and artifacts were also rated. The impact of LV ejection fraction (LVEF), heart rate, body mass index (BMI), and gender as possible confounders on IQ, artifacts, and confidence of LGE assessment was evaluated employing ordinal logistic regression analysis.ResultsUsing 3D single-breath-hold LGE readers detected more hyperenhancing lesions compared to conventional breath-hold LGE (n = 246 vs. n = 216 of 1,785 analyzed segments, 13.8% vs. 12.1%; p < 0.0001), pronounced at subendocardial, midmyocardial, and subepicardial localizations and for 1%–50% of transmural extent. SES was rated superior in 3D single-breath-hold LGE (4.1 ± 0.8 vs. 3.3 ± 0.8; p < 0.001). 3D single-breath-hold LGE yielded more artifacts (3.8 ± 1.0 vs. 4.0 ± 3.8; p = 0.002) whereas IQ (4.1 ± 1.0 vs. 4.2 ± 0.9; p = 0.122) and confidence of LGE assessment (4.3 ± 0.9 vs. 4.3 ± 0.8; p = 0.374) were comparable between both techniques. Female gender negatively influenced artifacts in 3D single-breath-hold LGE (p = 0.0028) while increased heart rate led to decreased IQ in conventional breath-hold LGE (p = 0.0029).ConclusionsIn clinical routine, Compressed SENSE accelerated 3D single-breath-hold LGE yields image quality and confidence of LGE assessment comparable to conventional breath-hold LGE while providing improved delineation of smaller LGE lesions with superior scar edge sharpness. Given the fast acquisition of 3D single-breath-hold LGE, the technique holds potential to drastically reduce the examination time of CMR

Erratum to: Methods for evaluating medical tests and biomarkers

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s41512-016-0001-y.]

Evidence synthesis to inform model-based cost-effectiveness evaluations of diagnostic tests: a methodological systematic review of health technology assessments

Background: Evaluations of diagnostic tests are challenging because of the indirect nature of their impact on patient outcomes. Model-based health economic evaluations of tests allow different types of evidence from various sources to be incorporated and enable cost-effectiveness estimates to be made beyond the duration of available study data. To parameterize a health-economic model fully, all the ways a test impacts on patient health must be quantified, including but not limited to diagnostic test accuracy. Methods: We assessed all UK NIHR HTA reports published May 2009-July 2015. Reports were included if they evaluated a diagnostic test, included a model-based health economic evaluation and included a systematic review and meta-analysis of test accuracy. From each eligible report we extracted information on the following topics: 1) what evidence aside from test accuracy was searched for and synthesised, 2) which methods were used to synthesise test accuracy evidence and how did the results inform the economic model, 3) how/whether threshold effects were explored, 4) how the potential dependency between multiple tests in a pathway was accounted for, and 5) for evaluations of tests targeted at the primary care setting, how evidence from differing healthcare settings was incorporated. Results: The bivariate or HSROC model was implemented in 20/22 reports that met all inclusion criteria. Test accuracy data for health economic modelling was obtained from meta-analyses completely in four reports, partially in fourteen reports and not at all in four reports. Only 2/7 reports that used a quantitative test gave clear threshold recommendations. All 22 reports explored the effect of uncertainty in accuracy parameters but most of those that used multiple tests did not allow for dependence between test results. 7/22 tests were potentially suitable for primary care but the majority found limited evidence on test accuracy in primary care settings. Conclusions: The uptake of appropriate meta-analysis methods for synthesising evidence on diagnostic test accuracy in UK NIHR HTAs has improved in recent years. Future research should focus on other evidence requirements for cost-effectiveness assessment, threshold effects for quantitative tests and the impact of multiple diagnostic tests

Erratum to: Methods for evaluating medical tests and biomarkers

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s41512-016-0001-y.]

Tissue engineering of human salivary gland using epithelial and microvascular endothelial cells on a decellularized porcine matrix

Eine ausgeprägte Mundtrockenheit, Xerostomie, entsteht häufig durch eine irreversible Funktionseinschränkung der Speicheldrüsen. Diese ist unter anderem durch die Einnahme bestimmter Medikamente, Autoimmunerkrankungen, fortgeschrittenes Alter oder die Bestrahlungstherapie von Tumoren der Kopf-Hals-Region bedingt, wobei letztere eine der häufigsten Ursachen darstellt. Konsequenzen der eingeschränkten Drüsenfunktion sind herabgesetzte Speichelflussraten, eine Reduktion des Mund-pH-Werts, eine veränderte Elektrolyt- und Immunglobulin-Zusammensetzung des Speichels und somit eine Verringerung des Infektionsschutzes. Die resultierenden Komplikationen erstrecken sich von Karies und rezidivierenden Infektionen bis hin zu Pilzbesiedelungen der Mundschleimhaut. Diese schränken die Lebensqualität der Patienten stark ein und führen häufig zu Therapieunterbrechungen. Fast die Hälfte der Patienten leidet unter Depressionen oder psychischen Belastungszuständen. Es gibt wenige Therapieansätze zur Behandlung der postradiogenen Xerostomie: Pilocarpin erhöht zwar die Speichelflussraten, hat jedoch keinen signifikanten Effekt auf die Lebensqualität. Die operative Translokation der Glandula submandibularis hat den Weg in die klinische Routine noch nicht gefunden, während die intensitätsmodulierte Bestrahlung (IMRT) nicht für jeden Patienten geeignet ist; beide zeigen jedoch einen positiven Effekt auf die Lebensqualität. Gentechnische und stammzellbasierte Ansätze zur Regeneration des Drüsengewebes befinden sich im Experimentalstadium. Somit ergibt sich ein dringender Bedarf an innovativen Optionen zur Behandlung der postradiogenen Xerostomie. Das Tissue Engineering, die Erstellung einer künstlichen Speicheldrüse aus körpereigenen Zellen, böte hier ein potentielles Behandlungskonzept. Diese Studie soll deshalb untersuchen, ob humane Speicheldrüsenepithelzellen (hSEZ) auf einer Matrix aus dezellularisiertem, porzinem Jejunum, der sogenannten Small intestinal submucosa + mucosa (SIS-muc), kultiviert werden können. Können die Zellen innerhalb der Wachstumsperiode wichtige physiologische Differenzierungsmarker beibehalten? Kann die Produktion von α-Amylase, einem der wichtigsten Enzyme des menschlichen Speichels, erhalten werden? Welchen Einfluss hat die Kokultur mit mikrovaskulären Endothelzellen (mvEZ)? Und zuletzt: Ist dezellularisierter Schweinedarm eine potentiell geeignete Matrix für das Tissue Engineering der menschlichen Speicheldrüse? Zunächst erfolgte die Entnahme von humanem Speicheldrüsengewebe, woraus hSEZ isoliert wurden. Diese wurden dann sowohl in Mono- als auch in Kokultur mit mvEZ auf die SIS-muc aufgebracht und auf dieser kultiviert. Die SIS-muc wurde aus kurzen Schweinedarm-Segmenten gewonnen, die in einem mehrstufigen Verfahren dezellularisiert wurden. Die besiedelte SIS-muc wurde mittels konventioneller sowie Immunfluoreszenzfärbungen, Raster- und Transmissionsektronenmikroskopie (REM/TEM) sowie quantitativer Polymerasekettenreaktion (qPCR) untersucht, darüber hinaus erfolgte die Messung der α-Amylase-Enzymaktivität. Histologisch sowie in der REM zeigte sich sowohl in der Mono- als auch in der Kokultur eine konfluente Besiedelung der SIS-muc mit hSEZ. In der Kokultur formten mvEZ einen Monolayer auf der serosalen Matrixseite. Bei der Charakterisierung der hSEZ zeigte sich in den Immunfluoreszenzaufnahmen eine starke Ausprägung von Zytokeratin, α-Amylase und Aquaporin-5 und eine moderate Ausprägung von Claudin-1. Bei der Untersuchung der Funktion der α-Amylase konnte in der Kokultur von hSEZ mit mvEZ eine im Gegensatz zur Mono- und 2D-Kultur signifikant erhöhte Enzymaktivität der α-Amylase nachgewiesen werden. In der qPCR-Analyse der α-Amylase-Genexpression war die 3D-Kultur der 2D-Kultur überlegen. Die vorliegende Arbeit zeigt, dass die Kultur von hSEZ auf der SIS-muc möglich ist. Es konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass die Zellen in 3D-Kultur spezifische Differenzierungsmerkmale beibehalten, die in der 2D-Kultur teils verloren gehen und dass hSEZ in Kokultur mit mvEZ eine gegenüber der Monokultur signifikant erhöhte Produktion von α-Amylase aufweisen. Diese Arbeit liefert die Datengrundlage für zukünftige Studien im dynamischen Bioreaktor-Modell (BioVaSc), die auf dem Weg zur klinischen Translation notwendig sind. Somit stellt sie einen wichtigen Schritt in Richtung einer auf Tissue Engineering basierten Therapie der belastenden Xerostomie dar.Xerostomia or dryness of the mouth often results from irreversible loss of function of the salivary glands. This medical condition can either be induced by certain drugs, autoimmune diseases, high age or radiotherapy of head and neck cancer with the latter being one of the most common causes. Impaired glands lead to a decrease in saliva flow rate as well as pH level inside the mouth and cause an alteration in the composition of saliva (e.g. electrolytes, immunoglobulins) lowering its anti-inflammatory capacity. Complications imply caries and recurring infections as well as mycosis of the oral cavity which negatively impact the patients’ quality of life, often leading to therapy interruptions. Moreover, almost half of the patients suffer from depression or other mental disorders. The treatment of radiogenic xerostomia is based on only a few therapeutic approaches currently available: Pilocarpin increases saliva flow rate yet does not significantly improve the patiens’ quality of life or reduce mucositis. Although indicating positive effects on quality of life, operative translocation of the submandibular gland has not yet been established in the clinical routine, while intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is not suitable for every patient. On the other hand, genetic or stem-cell-based approaches for regeneration of salivary gland tissue are still at an experimental stage. Thus, there is a strong demand for innovative options for the treatment of radiation-induced xerostomia which could potentially be supplied by an approach based on the tissue engineering of the salivary gland using autologous cells. The aim of this study is to investigate, whether human salivary gland epithelial cells (hSGEs) can be cultured on a scaffold made from decellularized porcine jejunum, the so-called small intestinal submucosa (SIS-muc). Do the cells maintain the expression of certain cellular markers over the given cell culture time? Can the production of α-amylase, a key enzyme of human saliva, be perpetuated? And lastly: Is the SIS-muc an appropriate scaffold for the tissue engineering (TE) of the human salivary gland? To examine this, human salivary gland tissue was obtained and salivary gland epithelial cells were isolated. The cells were cultured both in mono- and co-culture with microvascular endothelial cells (mvECs) on the SIS-muc. Colonized SIS-muc was analyzed in H&E and immunofluorescence stainings, scanning- and transmission electron microscopy as well as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Furthermore, enzyme activity of α-amylase was quantified. H&E stainings as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a confluent cell layer of hSGECs on the scaffold both in mono-and co-culture. Immunofluorescence stainings indicated a strong expression of cytoceratin, α-amylase and aquaporin-5 and a moderate expression of claudin-1. Enzyme assay revealed that SGECs co-cultured with mvECs yielded a significantly increased activity of α-amylase compared to the monocultured cells. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) indicated an increase in α-amylase gene expression in 3D-culture compared to 2D-culture. This study shows that hSGECs can successfully be cultured on the SIS-muc and maintain important cellular markers which partly vanish in 2D-culture. Moreover, co-culture with mvECs increased α-amylase enzyme activity of hGECs compared to monoculture. Those results significantly contribute to the base of evidence needed for following studies focusing on dynamic cell culture using the BioVaSc which are necessary to evaluate the possibilities for clinical translation. Thus, this study takes an important step towards a tissue engineering-based therapy of the burdensome xerostomia

Radiological monitoring of immunotherapy in renal cell carcinoma

Zusammenfassung In der Radiologie stellen die Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST 1.1) die aktuell am weitesten etablierten Bewertungskriterien fur das standardisierte Therapiemonitoring bei soliden Tumoren von klassischen zytostatischen und zytotoxischen Tumortherapien dar. Der zunehmende Einsatz von Immuncheckpointinhibitoren in der Therapie des metastasierten Nierenzellkarzinoms stellt das radiologische Therapiemonitoring durch das Auftreten atypischer Ansprechmuster und immuntherapiespezifischer Nebenwirkungen vor besondere Herausforderungen. Hier konnen angepasste Kriterien, wie beispielsweise immune RECIST (iRECIST), bei der Verlaufsbeurteilung des Nierenzellkarzinoms helfen, sowohl innerhalb als auch au ss erhalb klinischer Studien atypische Verlaufe unter Immuncheckpointinhibitortherapie zu erfassen. Abstract The Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST 1.1) currently represent the most widely established evaluation criteria for standardised therapy monitoring in solid tumours treated with traditional cytostatic and cytotoxic tumour therapies. The increasing use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the therapy of metastatic renal cell carcinoma poses special challenges for radiological therapy monitoring due to the presence of atypical response patterns and immunotherapy-specific side-effects. Adapted criteria such as immune RECIST (iRECIST) can help in the follow-up assessment of renal cell carcinoma to detect atypical courses of disease under immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy both within and outside of clinical trials