Detection of Spinal Cord Multiple Sclerosis Lesions Using a 3D-PSIR Sequence at 1.5 T.

PURPOSE: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a prevalent autoimmune inflammatory disease. Besides cerebral manifestations, an affection of the spinal cord is typical; however, imaging of the spinal cord is difficult due to its anatomy. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of a 3D PSIR pulse sequencing at a 1.5 T magnetic field strength for both the cervical and thoracic spinal cord. METHODS: Phase sensitive inversion recovery (PSIR), short tau inversion recovery (STIR) and T2-weighted (T2-w) images of the spinal cord of 50 patients were separately evaluated by three radiologists concerning the number and location of MS lesions. Furthermore, lesion to cord contrast ratios were determined for the cervical and thoracic spinal cord. RESULTS: Of the lesions 54.81% were located in the cervical spinal cord, 42.26% in the thoracic spinal cord and 2.93% in the conus medullaris. The PSIR images showed a higher sensitivity for lesion detection in the cervical and thoracic spinal cord (77.10% and 72.61%, respectively) compared to the STIR images (58.63% and 59.10%, respectively) and the T2-w images (59.95% and 59.52%, respectively). The average lesion to cord contrast ratio was significantly higher in the PSIR images compared to the STIR images (p < 0.001) and the T2-w images (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Evaluation of the spinal cord with a 3D PSIR sequence at a magnetic field strength of 1.5 T is feasible with a high sensitivity for the detection of spinal MS lesions for the cervical as well as the thoracic segments. In combination with other pulse sequences it might become a valuable addition in an advanced imaging protocol.

Establishing state of motion through two-dimensional foot and shoe print analysis: A pilot study.

According to the College of Podiatry, footprints rank among the most frequent forms of evidence found at crime scenes, and the recent ascension of forensic podiatry reflects the importance of footwear and barefoot traces in contemporary forensic practice. In this context, this pilot study focused on whether it is possible to distinguish between walking and running states using parameters derived from two-dimensional foot or shoe prints. Eleven subjects moved along four tracks (barefoot walking; barefoot running; footwear walking; footwear running) while having their bare feet or footwear stained with artificial blood and their footstep patterns recorded. Contact stains and associated bloodstain patterns were collected, and body movements were recorded through three-dimensional motion capture. Barefoot walking prints were found to be larger than barefoot static prints (1.789±0.481cm; p<0.001) and barefoot running prints (0.635±0.405cm; p=0.006). No correlation was observed for footwear prints. Running trials were more associated with the presence of both passive and cast off stains than walking trials, and the quantity of additional associated stains surrounding individual foot and shoe prints was also higher in running states. Furthermore, a previously proposed equation predicted speed with a high degree of accuracy (within 6%) and may be used for clinical assessment of walking speed. Contact stains, associated bloodstain patterns and stride length measurements may serve to ascertain state of motion in real crime scene scenarios, and future studies may be capable of designing statistical frameworks which could be used in courts of law.

Percepções de médicos sobre diagnóstico clínico de pneumonias comunitárias na infância / Perceptions of physicians on clinical and radiological diagnosis of comunity-acquired pneumonias in children

Identificar diferentes linhas de raciocínio clínico e condutas de médicos num hospital pediátrico acerca de um caso hipotético de PAC não complicada. Estudo qualitativo, descritivo e transversal. Amostra intencional, não probabilística, composta por doze profissionais. Coleta de dados pela apresentação de hipotético caso clínico pediátrico sob a forma de entrevista semi-estruturada. Análise dos dados utilizando-se as diretrizes britânica e americanas vigentes como bases conceituais. Estudo aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa do hospital pediátrico abordado. Entre os dados obtidos, a maioria dos entrevistados solicitou a radiografia de tórax e não mudou sua conduta, independente do laudo radiográfico. No geral, os profissionais valorizaram anamnese e exame físico bem feitos, e que uma radiografia de tórax dificilmente alteraria uma conduta quando PAC não complicada e ambulatorial. Deficiente relação médico-paciente na emergência, local da consulta, preocupação com defesa médica e verificação de complicações foram algumas justificativas dadas. A solicitação de exames complementares raramente altera a conduta terapêutica. Devido à grande importância epidemiológica, é imperativo novos estudos visando compreender condutas discrepantes às diretrizes vigentes.

To identify the different lines of clinical thought and medical practice in a pediatric hospital concerning a hypothetical case of non-complicated CAP. A qualitative, descriptive and transversal study. Intentional and non-probability sampling, and twelve physicians were included. Data collection was derived from a hypothetical pediatric clinical case organized as a semi-structured interview. Data analysis conceptually based on the current British and American guidelines. This research was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the respective hospital. Among the data obtained, most of the interviewed subjects did request a chest radiography and did not change their decision making, regardless of radiological report. Overall, the physicians emphasized history and a good physical examination, and that a chest radiography hardly would change the decision making when PAC is non-complicated. A deficient doctor-patient relationship, an inadequate ambient, legal concerns and the assessment of possible complications were some of the reasons given. The request of complementary exams rarely changes the clinical decision making. Due to a great epidemiological importance, it is imperative that future research attempts to outline the discrepancies between practice and current guidelines.