RESUMO
Background: The aim was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of DECT in diagnosing Achilles tendon tears, using MRI as the reference for diagnosis. Methods: This feasibility study conducted prospectively at a single center included consecutive patients suffering from ankle pain who underwent DECT and MRI between April 2023 and October 2023. A total of three radiologists, blinded to the patient's clinical data, assessed the images. Achille Tendon injuries were diagnosed in case of thickened and inflamed tendons or in case of a partial or complete tear. Diagnostic accuracy values of DECT were calculated using a multi-reader approach. Inter-observer agreement was calculated using k statistics. Results: The final study population included 22 patients (mean age 48.5 years). At MRI, Achille's tendon lesion was present in 12 cases (54.5%) with 2 cases of complete rupture, 8 cases of partial tear (5 with tendon retraction), and 2 cases of tendon thickening. The mean thickness of injured tendons was 10 mm. At DECT, R1 was allowed to correctly classify 20/22 cases (90.9%), R2 19/22 cases (86.4%), and R3 18/22 cases (81.8%). At DECT, the mean thickness of the positively scored tendon was 10 mm for R1, 10.2 mm for R2, and 9.8 mm for R3. A very good agreement was achieved with regard to the evaluation of tears (k = 0.94), thickness (k = 0.96), and inflammatory changes (k = 0.82). Overall agreement was very good (k = 0.88). Conclusions: DECT showed a good diagnostic performance in identifying Achille's tendon tears, with respect to MRI.
RESUMO
The international literature emphasizes the importance of physical activity (PA) in the first steps after cancer surgery. The regular practice of physical exercise causes positive adaptations on several functional capacities, with positive consequences on patients' quality of life. This project aims to evaluate the effect of a post-operative training protocol, structured by taking into account both cancer-related issues and the presence of comorbidities, on functional capacities and quality of life of breast cancer survivors. Therefore, it was necessary to create a synergy between oncologists (referring physicians), sport medicine physicians (risk stratification and exercise prescription) and kinesiologists (trainers). Thirty-five post-surgery BC patients decided on a voluntary basis to attend an online Adapted PA (APA) protocol for 4 months, twice a week (APA Group) or Usual Care Group (UC Group). Functional capacity of the APA Group significantly increased, by 13.1% (p = 0.000), whereas perceived exertion decreased by 19.7% (p = 0.020). In the same group, the general health evaluated through the questionnaire EORTC-QLQ-C30 increased (p = 0.050). No differences were found in the UC Group. Operation Phalco, creating a network between oncologists, sports medicine physicians and kinesiologists, confirms the importance of structuring a post-operative path where APA should be included as early as possible in the cancer patient care.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the combined sonographic and clinical effects of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) and extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) versus BoNT-A alone in children with cerebral palsy. METHODS: Ten children with spastic cerebral palsy were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group 1 received BoNT-A injection into the spastic muscles of the affected limbs plus three ESWT sessions. Group 2 received BoNT-A alone. Assessment was performed before and 1 month after injection. Sonographic outcomes were injected muscles echo intensity and their hardness percentage, and clinical outcomes the modified Ashworth scale and the Tardieu scale. RESULTS: At 1-month evaluation, significant differences in the injected muscles percentage of hardness (P = 0.021) and the modified Ashworth scale (P = 0.001) were found between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the hypothesis that the combined effects of BoNT-A and ESWT derive from their respective action on neurological and non-neural rheological components in spastic muscles.
Assuntos
Toxinas Botulínicas Tipo A/farmacologia , Paralisia Cerebral/terapia , Espasticidade Muscular/terapia , Fármacos Neuromusculares/farmacologia , Som , Adolescente , Toxinas Botulínicas Tipo A/administração & dosagem , Paralisia Cerebral/complicações , Paralisia Cerebral/tratamento farmacológico , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Terapia Combinada , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Espasticidade Muscular/tratamento farmacológico , Espasticidade Muscular/etiologia , Fármacos Neuromusculares/administração & dosagem , Método Simples-CegoRESUMO
Proton therapy is a type of particle therapy which utilizes a beam of protons to irradiate diseased tissue. The main difference with respect to conventional radiotherapy (X-rays, γ-rays) is the capability to target tumors with extreme precision, which makes it possible to treat deep-seated tumors and tumors affecting noble tissues as brain, eyes, etc. However, proton therapy needs high-energy cyclotrons and this requires sophisticated control-supervision schema to guarantee, further than the prescribed performance, the safety of the patients and of the operators. In this paper we present the modeling and simulation of the irradiation process of the PROSCAN facility at the Paul Scherrer Institut. This is a challenging task because of the complexity of the operation scenario, which consists of deterministic and stochastic processes resulting from the coordination-interaction among diverse entities such as distributed automatic control systems, safety protection systems, and human operators.