The Development of a Permanent Implantable Spacer with the Function of Size Adjustability for Customized Treatment of Regurgitant Heart Valve Disease.

The Pivot Mandu is an innovative device featuring a leak-tight adjustable 3D balloon spacer, incorporating inner mesh support, an outer e-PTFE layer, and a compliant balloon in the middle layer with a specialized detachable system. To assess its feasibility, proof of concept was rigorously evaluated through bench testing and survival porcine animal experiments. The results demonstrated successful remote inflation of the balloon system, with the balloon spacer exhibiting sustained patent and functional integrity over an extended observation period of up to 6 months. A noteworthy feature of the newly designed 3D balloon spacer is its capability for easy size adjustment during procedures, enhancing its adaptability and practicality in clinical settings. This three-layered 3D balloon spacer, with its established long-term patency, exhibits highly encouraging outcomes that hold promise in overcoming the current limitations of spacer devices for heart valve diseases. Given the compelling results from preclinical investigations, the translation of the Pivot Mandu into human trials is strongly warranted.

Reducing Moisture Absorption in Polypropylene Nanocomposites for Automotive Headlamps Using Hydrophobicity-Modified Graphene/Montmorillonite.

Polypropylene (PP) is used as a housing material in automotive headlamps but can cause fogging as a result of absorbed moisture and temperature differences between the exterior and interior of the housing. In this study, PP was combined with a graphene/montmorillonite hybrid (MMT-G) to yield a nanocomposite with reduced moisture absorption. Crucially, the modified nanofiller had low hydrophilicity and good compatibility with the PP matrix. Notably, the water contact angle of the MMT-G improved by 676%. Furthermore, the maximum moisture absorption of the PP/MMT-G nanocomposites was reduced by up to 11.22% compared to that of commercial PP composites, and the weight of the headlamp housing was decreased by 3.6%. Therefore, the designed nanocomposites are expected to help mitigate headlamp fogging while slightly reducing the housing weight.

Ultrasound-guided needle biopsy of large thyroid nodules: Core needle biopsy yields more reliable results than fine needle aspiration.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to compare the false negative rate, sensitivity and false positive rate of ultrasound (US)-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) with those of US-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) for large thyroid nodules ≥2.0 cm, which reportedly have an increased risk of thyroid malignancy. METHODS: We retrospectively studied surgically confirmed thyroid nodules that had preoperative US-guided FNA or CNB between March 2005 and December 2013. We reviewed nodule size, sonographic features, cytohistologic results, and final surgical pathology. We assessed false negative rates, sensitivity, and false positive rates by biopsy method and nodule size for diagnosis of thyroid malignancy. We assessed complications for procedures. RESULTS: US-guided CNB showed better diagnostic performance, in terms of lower false negative rates and greater sensitivity, than US-guided FNA in large thyroid nodules. There was no significant difference in false positive rate according to biopsy methods in large thyroid nodules. The false negative rates of large thyroid nodules (≥2.0 cm) were higher than those of small nodules (<2.0 cm). There were no major complications, and no significant differences in complication according to biopsy methods. CONCLUSION: US-guided CNB improved the false negative rate and sensitivity for large nodules. Therefore, US-guided CNB can be considered a useful diagnostic method for large thyroid nodules that might reduce the risk of unnecessary diagnostic surgery.

Recent Surface Water Extent of Lake Chad from Multispectral Sensors and GRACE.

Consistent observations of lakes and reservoirs that comprise the majority of surface freshwater globally are limited, especially in Africa where water bodies are exposed to unfavorable climatic conditions and human interactions. Publicly available satellite imagery has increased the ability to monitor water bodies of various sizes without much financial hassle. Landsat 7 and 8 images were used in this study to estimate area changes around Lake Chad. The Automated Water Extraction Index (AWEI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were compared for the remote sensing retrieval process of surface water. Otsu threshold method was used to separate water from non-water features. With an overall accuracy of ~96% and an inter-rater agreement (kappa coefficient) of 0.91, the MNDWI was a better indicator for mapping recent area changes in Lake Chad and was used to estimate the lake’s area changes from 2003⁻2016. Extracted monthly areas showed an increasing trend and ranged between ~1242 km² and 2231 km² indicating high variability within the 13-year period, 2003⁻2016. In addition, we combined Landsat measurements with Total Water Storage Anomaly (TWSA) data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites. This combination is well matched with our estimated surface area trends. This work not only demonstrates the importance of remote sensing in sparsely gauged developing countries, it also suggests the use of freely available high-quality imagery data to address existing lake crisis.

Diagnostic Usefulness of Combination of Diffusion-weighted Imaging and T2WI, Including Apparent Diffusion Coefficient in Breast Lesions: Assessment of Histologic Grade.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the diagnostic values of a combination of diffusion-weighted imaging and T2-weighted imaging (DWI-T2WI) with dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI), and to evaluate the correlation of DWI with the histologic grade in breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study evaluated a total of 169 breast lesions from 136 patients who underwent both DCE-MRI and DWI (b value, 1000s/mm2). Morphologic and kinetic analyses for DCE-MRI were classified according to the Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System. For the DWI-T2WI set, a DWI-T2WI score for lesion characterization that compared signal intensity of DWI and T2WI (benign: DWI-T2WI score of 1, 2; malignant: DWI-T2WI score of 3, 4, 5) was used. The diagnostic values of DCE-MRI, DWI-T2WI set, and combined assessment of DCE and DWI-T2WI were calculated. RESULTS: Of 169 breast lesions, 48 were benign and 121 were malignant (89 invasive ductal carcinoma, 24 ductal carcinoma in situ, 4 invasive lobular carcinoma, 4 mucinous carcinoma). The mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of invasive ductal carcinoma (0.92 ± 0.19 × 10-3 mm2/s) and ductal carcinoma in situ (1.11 ± 0.13 × 10-3 mm2/s) was significantly lower than the value seen in benign lesions (1.36 ± 0.22 × 10-3 mm2/s). The specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and accuracy of DWI-T2WI set and combined assessment of DCE and DWI-T2WI (specificity, 87.5% and 91.7%; PPV, 94.3% and 96.2%; accuracy, Az = 0.876 and 0.922) were significantly higher than those of the DCE-MRI (specificity, 45.8%; PPV, 81.7%; accuracy, Az = 0.854; P < .05). A low ADC value and the presence of rim enhancement were associated with a higher histologic grade cancer (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Combining DWI, T2WI, and ADC values provides increased accuracy for differentiation between benign and malignant lesions, compared with DCE-MRI. A lower ADC value was associated with a higher histologic grade cancer.

The Association between Motor Laterality and Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The relationship between the side of motor symptoms and cognitive impairment has rarely been reported in Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to estimate the influence of motor laterality on cognition in PD patients. METHODS: We enrolled 67 patients with PD, and they were divided into two groups according to side of symptom onset or predominant motor symptom presentation (right and left). Right-sided PD (RPD, 40) and left-sided PD (LPD, 27) patients underwent a neuropsychological battery exploring memory, attention/working memory, frontal/executive, visuospatial, and language functions. Student's t-test and Chi-square test have been carried out to compare the clinical and neuropsychological data between two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in any neuropsychological test between the RPD and LPD groups, except for digit forward span test. RPD patients scored lower on the digit forward span test than LPD patients (5.43±9.49 vs. 6.15±1.38, p=0.045). CONCLUSIONS: RPD patients seem to experience more difficulties in attention and working memory than did LPD patients. The laterality of motor symptoms is not a major determinant for cognitive impairment in PD patients but, we should consider differences of cognitive deficits depending on the side of motor symptoms to treat patients with PD.

Association between Hypertriglyceridemia and Lacunar Infarction in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Although recent studies have shown that the elevation of serum triglyceride (TG) is related to the increased incidence of ischemic stroke, the relationship between hypertriglyceridemia and subtypes of ischemic stroke is largely unknown. This study attempted to evaluate whether hypertriglyceridemia is associated with lacunar stroke in diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: A total of 2141 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled from March 2005 to April 2014, excluding the subjects with undetermined/other determined etiology or no lipid data. We compared the lipid profiles among stroke subtypes. The estimated serum TG levels and the interaction between DM and stroke subtypes were determined by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and Tukey's multiple comparison. RESULTS: In ANCOVA test, the difference of estimated TG between DM and non-DM patients was largest in small-vessel occlusion (SVO; 159.7 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 143.2-176.2] versus 122.4 [95% CI, 106.1-138.7]), and a significant interaction was observed between DM and stroke subtypes for TG levels (P = .013) but not for total cholesterol (P = .363), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = .171), or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = .231). By Tukey's multiple comparison, SVO was consistently associated with DM for serum TG levels (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: In acute ischemic stroke with DM, serum TG level was significantly associated with lacunar infarction adjusting for other lipid profiles and vascular risk factors. Further studies are warranted to reveal the pathophysiologic implication of hypertriglyceridemia for lacunar infarction in type 2 DM.

Thyroid nodules ≤ 5 mm on ultrasonography: are they "leave me alone" lesions?

The incidence of small thyroid malignancy has increased. However, there is no evidence-based guideline for managing thyroid nodules ≤ 5 mm on ultrasonography (US). We evaluated how to manage thyroid nodules ≤ 5 mm. Thyroid nodules ≤ 5 mm in size on US that had undergone surgery and US-guided fine-needle aspiration were eligible. A total of 3,117 thyroid nodules in 3,012 patients were included. The size changes of malignant and benign nodules during follow-up were evaluated. Thyroid malignancies were classified according to follow-up and surgery time within and after 12 months. Clinico-pathological characteristics were compared. Of 3,117 nodules, 1,639 nodules in 1,619 patients were benign and 1,478 in 1,427 were malignant. Only 5.8 and 1.2 % of malignant nodules and 6.8 and 4.2 % of benign nodules increased in size when a 2-mm and 3-mm change on US were referenced. Of 1,079 patients with an index malignancy ≤ 5 mm, extrathyroidal extension, lymph node metastasis, recurrence, and mortality were not significantly different between patients with and without follow-up and between patients with surgery within 12 months and after 12 months. None of the patients who underwent surgery had distant metastasis and none died of thyroid malignancy. In thyroid nodules ≤ 5 mm found on US, US-FNA could be recommended in cases of increased size during US follow-up if lateral LNM was not found because a delay in surgery did not impact cancer recurrence and mortality.

Clinical Implication of Highly Sensitive Detection of the BRAFV600E Mutation in Fine-Needle Aspirations According to the Thyroid Bethesda System in Patients With Conventional Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the additional diagnostic yield of the mutation test and evaluated the frequency of the BRAF mutation in conventional PTC (cPTC) according to ultrasound (US) features and the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (BSRTC) based on the BRAFV600E mutation status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During the study period, 279 patients who underwent FNA with an additional BRAFV600E mutation test were diagnosed as cPTC after surgery. We analyzed the association between the mutation and several clinical factors. RESULTS: Of the 279 cPTCs, 250 (89.6%) had the BRAFV600E mutation. The BRAF mutation test was helpful in diagnosing an additional 19% (53/279) of cPTCs. The frequency of the BRAF mutation in cPTCs with suspicious US features was higher than that of cPTCs with negative US features regardless of the BSRTC. CONCLUSIONS: Suspicious US features may be helpful in deciding whether an additional BRAFV600E mutation test should be done in thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology.

Implication of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in cryptogenic ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) is a predictor for atrial fibrillation (AF). This study was aimed to investigate whether LVDD in cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CS) could be a clue to stroke mechanism. METHODS: The clinical and echocardiographic findings of 1589 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack between 2004 and 2013 were reviewed. LVDDs among stroke subtypes were graded by transthoracic echocardiography into 4 groups by severity: normal, abnormal relaxation (grade I), pseudonormal (grade II), and restrictive diastolic filling (grade III), whereas severe LVDD was defined as grade III. We classified the lesion pattern of CS into cardioembolism-mimic or non-cardioembolism-mimic and determined whether cardioembolism-mimic lesions were associated with severe LVDD. RESULTS: The fraction of severe LVDD in CS was not different from that of stroke with AF (27.3% versus 37.1%; P=0.173) but was significantly higher than that of stroke without AF (27.3% versus 13.4%; P=0.008). Cardioembolism-mimic CS had more severe LVDD than non-cardioembolism-mimic CS (41.4% versus 11.5%; P=0.013). LVDD of grade II (odds ratio, 4.37; 95% confidence interval, 2.99-6.41) and grade III (odds ratio, 5.60; 95% confidence interval, 3.42-9.17) were independently related to stroke with AF after adjusting covariates. CONCLUSIONS: The severe LVDD could be a predictor of stroke with AF, and its frequency was similar between CS and stroke with AF. Cardioembolism-mimic CS had significantly more severe LVDD than non-cardioembolism-mimic CS. LVDD could be helpful to discriminate the stroke mechanism in the patients with acute CS.

Real-time elastography in the evaluation of diffuse thyroid disease: a study based on elastography histogram parameters.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of quantitative histogram parameters using real-time tissue elastography (RTE) in the diagnosis of patients with diffuse thyroid disease. One hundred and sixteen patients (mean age, 43.7 ± 10.97 y) who had undergone pre-operative staging ultrasonography and RTE were included. For each patient, 11 parameters were obtained from RTE images, from which the "elastic index" was calculated. Diagnostic performance of the elastic index and that of the 11 parameters on RTE were calculated and compared. Of the 116 patients, 31 had diffuse thyroid disease and 85 had normal thyroid parenchyma. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (A(z)) of MEAN (average relative value) elasticity was high (0.737), without significant differences from other elasticity values. Diagnostic performance of the elastic index was higher than the MEAN, A(z) = 0.753, without significance (p = 0.802). In conclusion, RTE using the elastic index was found to have good diagnostic performance and may be useful in the diagnosis and management of patients with diffuse thyroid disease.

Can ultrasound be as a surrogate marker for diagnosing a papillary thyroid cancer? Comparison with BRAF mutation analysis.

PURPOSE: We investigated the merit of ultrasound (US) features and BRAF(V600E) mutation as an additional study of cytology and compared the diagnostic performances of cytology alone, cytology with US correlation, cytology with BRAFV600E mutation, and a combination of cytology, US, and BRAFV600E mutation all together. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 185 patients (mean age, 48.4 years; range 20-77 years) with 191 thyroid nodules who underwent US-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) with an additional BRAFV600E mutation test. Three radiologists highly experienced in thyroid imaging retrospectively reviewed US images and classified each nodule into two categories (positive for malignancy or negative for malignancy). Interobserver variability (IOV) of US assessment between the three readers was estimated using the generalized kappa statistic of Landis and Koch. We also calculated the diagnostic performances of these studies. RESULTS: There were 131 cases of malignancy (131/191, 68.6%) and 60 cases of benign nodules (60/191, 31.4%). In terms of IOV of US assessment, the generalized kappa value was 0.242, indicating fair agreement was reached. The combination of cytology with BRAFV600E showed higher specificity (100%) and positive predictive value (PPV) (100%) compared to the combination of cytology, BRAFV600E, and US (specificity 28.3%, 66.7%, 68.3%; PPV 74.6%, 86.6%, 86.8%, respectively; p<0.001). However, cytology with BRAFV600E showed lower sensitivity (84.7%) than cytology with BRAFV600E and US (96.2%, 98.5%, 95.4%, respectively; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Considering the diagnostic performance and low reproducibility of US, the combination of FNA with BRAFV600E is the most reliable and objective method for diagnosing thyroid malignancy.

Additional BRAF mutation analysis may have additional diagnostic value in thyroid nodules with "suspicious for malignant" cytology alone even when the nodules do not show suspicious US features.

The BRAF(V600E) mutation test has been more effective in thyroid nodules with suspicious US features than ones without suspicious features. Therefore, we investigated the role of the BRAF(V600E) mutation as an additional study to cytology in diagnosing a thyroid nodule without suspicious US features. This study was performed at Severance hospital from December 2010 through February 2012. During this period, 2,650 patients with 2,918 nodules underwent FNA with an additional BRAF(V600E) mutation test. Among them, we excluded thyroid nodules with suspicious US features. Finally, 485 thyroid nodules in 466 patients (mean age 50.3 years; range 9-80 years) were included in this study. We compared the differences between patients with malignant and benign thyroid nodules. We evaluated the detection rates of the BRAF(V600E) mutation according to the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (BSRTC). There were 60 (60/485, 12.4 %) malignant and 425 (425/485, 87.6 %) benign nodules. The detection rate of the BRAF(V600E) mutation in thyroid nodules without suspicious US features was only 6.6 % (32/485). Most had malignant cytology (62.5 %, 20/32). For nodules without malignant cytology, only 12 nodules (2.6 %, 12/462) had the BRAF mutation. Among the 12 nodules, nine nodules were suspicious for malignancy on cytology. Additional BRAF mutation analysis shows additional diagnostic value in thyroid nodules with "suspicious for malignant" cytology alone even when the nodules do not show suspicious US features. Therefore, the test should be selectively performed in thyroid nodules without suspicious US features, considering cost-effectiveness as well as diagnostic accuracy.

Adventitial cystic disease of the femoral vein: a case report with the CT venography.

Fewer than 20 cases of adventitial cystic disease of the vein have been reported in the worldwide literature. This small number of reported cases may be due not only to the disease's low incidence, but also to the difficulty in making the proper diagnosis. Many techniques have been used to investigate this disease, but venography has been the traditional diagnostic tool. In this report we present a case of adventitial cystic disease that was well demonstrated by CT venography.

Centrosome impairments and consequent cytokinesis defects are possible mechanisms of taxane drugs.

Taxol and taxotere are two of the most promising anticancer drugs. To determine the mechanisms responsible for cell death after exposure to low doses of taxane, PC3 cells were treated with taxol and taxotere, and observed with immunofluoroscence microscopy. Pericentriolar material dissociation and blockage of normal centrosome separation were found to result in two different abnormal spindle types; multipolar and monopolar spindles, respectively. The majority of abnormal spindles induced by taxol were monopolar spindles, whereas taxotere mostly induced abnormal multipolar spindles. Consequently, monopolar spindle mitosis resulted in cleavage failure, while multipolar spindle mitosis led to the formation of both cleavage failure and multipolar cell division. Multinucleation characterized interphase cells which had undergone cytokinesis defects. These cells subsequently became giant multinucleated cells after several rounds of cell cycle with sustained cleavage failure, and were gradually eliminated through cell death.