Magnetic Resonance Imaging Biomarkers of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is essential in the management of musculoskeletal (MSK) tumors. This review delves into the diverse MRI modalities, focusing on anatomical, functional, and metabolic sequences that provide essential biomarkers for tumor detection, characterization, disease extent determination, and assessment of treatment response. MRI's multimodal capabilities offer a range of biomarkers that enhance MSK tumor evaluation, aiding in better patient management.

Horseshoe kidney with teratoid type of Wilms tumor: a rare case report.

BACKGROUND: Horseshoe kidney is the most common renal fusion anomaly, and Wilms tumor is the most frequent renal malignancy in children. The occurrence of Wilms tumor in association with horseshoe kidney is a scarce anomaly. However, the arising of a teratoid type, which is a rare variant of Wilms tumor in a horseshoe kidney, is exceptionally unique. CASE PRESENTATION: This report presents a 5-year-old male admitted with horseshoe kidney involved by a large heterogeneous calcified mass that was diagnose on biopsy as Wilms tumor blastemal dominant. According to the local and regional extension and metastatic tumor in the lungs, the patient underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and then surgery. Post-operative pathologic findings confirmed the diagnosis of teratoid Wilms tumor. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of renal anomalies associated with a malignancy might be more frequent in the clinical environment. There are numerous differential diagnoses for renal tumors and masses, but the possibility of exceptional anomalies should not be denied, and clinicians should be prepared for these occasions. Although studies propose that chemotherapy has a trivial effect on teratoid Wilms tumors, it is essential to evaluate the tumor for any possibility of regression in non-teratoid regions before proceeding to upfront tumoral resection.

Axial T1-weighted imaging of the lumbar spine: a redundancy or an asset?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic value of axial T1-weighted imaging for patients suffering from lower back pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 100 consecutive lumbar spine MRIs obtained in patients with chronic low back pain were reviewed in two sessions: First, readers viewed core sequences (sagittal T1-weighted, STIR and T2-weighted, and axial T2-weighted) with axial T1-weighted sequences, and second, readers viewed cores sequences alone. Readers recorded the presence of disc degeneration, nerve root compromise, facet joint arthritis, and stenosis at each lumbar spine level as well as the presence of lipoma of filum terminale (LFT), spondylolisthesis, transitional vertebrae, and fractures. The McNemar, Wilcoxon signed-rank, and student T tests were utilized. RESULTS: For 100 studies, 5 spine levels were evaluated (L1-L2 through L5-S1). There were cases of disc disease (444/500 bulges, 56/500 herniations), nerve root compromise (1/500 nerve enlargement, 36/500 contact only, 20/500 displacement or compression), facet arthritis (438/500), stenosis (58/500 central canal, 64/500 lateral recess, 137/500 neuroforaminal), 6/100 LFTs, and other abnormalities (58/500 spondylolisthesis, 10/100 transitional vertebrae, 10/500 fracture/spondylolysis). There was no difference in diagnostic performance between the interpretation sessions (with and without axial T1-weighted imaging) at any level (p > 0.05), although four small additional LFTs were identified with axial T1-weighted imaging availability. CONCLUSION: There was no clinically significant difference in the interpretation of lumbar spine MRI viewed with and without axial T1-weighted imaging, suggesting that the axial T1-weighted sequence does not add diagnostic value to routine lumbar spine MRI.

The effects of LactoCare synbiotic administration on chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation in children with ALL: A double-blind randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Synbiotics are supplements containing probiotics and prebiotics and potentially have a stronger effect in modulating the gut microbiota than probiotics or prebiotics alone. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of LactoCare synbiotic administration on chemotherapy-induced diarrhea (CID), nausea, vomiting, and constipation in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who receiving maintenance chemotherapy. METHODS: This double-blind clinical trial was performed on 113 children with ALL. The patients were randomly assigned into two groups to receive either 5 × 109 CFU LactoCare synbiotic administration or placebo (58 patients in the LactoCare-treatment group and 55 patients in the placebo group), twice a day for 7 days. The number of times CID, vomiting, nausea, and constipation were recorded in the first week after the beginning of receiving LactoCare and the placebo. RESULTS: In the LactoCare-treatment group, CID was present in 3.7% and 1.8% of patients on the first and second days, respectively, and no CID was observed on the third to seventh days (p < .05). While in the placebo group, the rate of patients with CID on the second, third, and fourth days was 11.5%, 13.5%, and 11.5%, respectively, and less than 10% on the first, fifth, sixth, and seventh days. It was observed that the rate of constipation in the LactoCare-treatment group was significantly lower than in the placebo group. The difference between the groups was about 14% on the third day, which increased to about 20% on the sixth day (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The use of synbiotic supplements in this study reduced CID in patients. This study supports the concept that the use of synbiotic supplements will be an easy and effective way to reduce CID in ALL patients.

Polyneuropathy Associated with Age of Starting the Transfusion and Serum Ferritin Level in Iranian Patients with Thalassemia Major and Intermedia.

Considering the importance of managing patients with ß-thalassemia and the importance of early detection of disease complications, we examined the rate of sensorimotor neuropathy in patients with ß-thalassemia and the risk factors related to it. This cross-sectional study included 44 blood transfusion-dependent ß-thalassemia patients aged 5 years and older. Nerve conduction studies (NCSs) were performed via standard procedures for both motor and sensory nerves. Neuropathy was observed in 14 patients (31.8%). NCS results for sensorimotor nerves in patients were within normal range. In motor NCS results, increased ulnar nerve amplitude was observed in patients with increasing age, and peroneal nerve delay in patients with an increase in serum ferritin level (p < 0.05). In sensory NCS results, delayed ulnar and sural nerves latencies were found in patients with an increase in serum ferritin level (p < 0.05). We provide data that sensorimotor neuropathy exists in thalassemia patients. It seems that with the increase of serum ferritin level and the age of patients, neuropathy becomes more obvious, while other factors such as gender, body mass index, and the number of transfusions may not be associated with neuropathy.

Applications of Machine Learning in Facial Cosmetic Surgeries: A Scoping Review.

OBJECTIVE: To review the application of machine learning (ML) in the facial cosmetic surgeries and procedures METHODS AND MATERIALS: Electronic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, ArXiv and Cochrane databases for the studies published until August 2022. Studies that reported the application of ML in various fields of facial cosmetic surgeries were included. The studies' risk of bias (ROB) was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool and NIH tool for before and after studies. RESULTS: From 848 studies, a total of 29 studies were included and categorized in five groups based on the aim of the studies: outcome evaluation (n = 8), face recognition (n = 7), outcome prediction (n = 7), patient concern evaluation (n = 4) and diagnosis (n = 3). Total of 16 studies used public data sets. ROB assessment using QUADAS-2 tool revealed that six studies were at low ROB, five studies were at high ROB, and others had moderate ROB. All studies assessed with NIH tool showed fair quality. In general, all studies showed that using ML in the facial cosmetic surgeries is accurate enough to benefit both surgeons and patients. CONCLUSION: Using ML in the field of facial cosmetic surgery is a novel method and needs further studies, especially in the fields of diagnosis and treatment planning. Due to the small number of articles and the qualitative analysis conducted, we cannot draw a general conclusion about the impact of ML in the sphere of facial cosmetic surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

The physical and psychological outcomes of art therapy in pediatric palliative care: A systematic review.

Background: The integration of art therapy in health care is a growing trend in the care of cancer patients. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the physical and mental benefits of art in children with cancer. Materials and Methods: A systematic review of English articles using Google Scholar, MEDLINE via PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Web of Science was conducted. Relevant keywords for cancer, child, art therapy and their synonyms were used accordingly. All searches were conducted to December 31, 2021.Relevant articles were included studies published in English and involving children aged 0-18 years. Studies evaluated the effects of art therapy in children with cancer. Results: Seventeen studies had inclusion criteria, of which 12 studies were performed by clinical trial and 5 studies were performed by quasi-experimental method. Sixteen studies evaluated one type of art-therapy intervention, while one study used a combination of art-therapy approaches.The results showed that art-based interventions in the physical dimension lead to more physical activity, stability in breathing, and heart rate, and these children reported less pain. In the dimensions of psychology had less anxiety, depression, and anger but at the same time had a better quality of life and more coping-related behaviors. Conclusion: It seems that the use of art therapy in pediatric palliative care with cancer can have good physical and psychological results for the child, but it is suggested to evaluate the effects of these interventions in children at the end of life.

Cancer in Iran 2008 to 2025: Recent incidence trends and short-term predictions of the future burden.

Policymakers require estimates of the future number of cancer patients in order to allocate finite resources to cancer prevention, treatment and palliative care. We examine recent cancer incidence trends in Iran and present predicted incidence rates and new cases for the entire country for the year 2025. We developed a method for approximating population-based incidence from the pathology-based data series available nationally for the years 2008 to 2013, and augmented this with data from the Iranian National Population-based Cancer Registry (INPCR) for the years 2014 to 2016. We fitted time-linear age-period models to the recent incidence trends to quantify the future cancer incidence burden to the year 2025, delineating the contribution of changes due to risk and those due to demographic change. The number of new cancer cases is predicted to increase in Iran from 112 000 recorded cases in 2016 to an estimated 160 000 in 2025, a 42.6% increase, of which 13.9% and 28.7% were attributed to changes in risk and population structure, respectively. In terms of specific cancers, the greatest increases in cases are predicted for thyroid (113.8%), prostate (66.7%), female breast (63.0%) and colorectal cancer (54.1%). Breast, colorectal and stomach cancers were the most common cancers in Iran in 2016 and are predicted to remain the leading cancers nationally in 2025. The increasing trends in incidence of most common cancers in Iran reinforce the need for the tailored design and implementation of effective national cancer control programs across the country.

Acute transverse myelitis after SARS-CoV-2 infection: a rare complicated case of rapid onset paraplegia.

A 63-year-old Caucasian male, known case of controlled type 2 diabetes, chronic renal failure, and ischemic heart disease, was presented with weakness and loss of movement in lower limbs, an absent sensation from the chest below, constipation, and urinary retention. About 4 days before these symptoms, he experienced a flu-like syndrome. Suspicious for COVID-19, his nasopharyngeal specimen's reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) resulted positive. Chest X-ray and HRCT demonstrated severe pulmonary involvement. Immediately, he was admitted to the emergency ward, and the treatment was started according to the national COVID-19 treatment protocol. Subsequently, diagnostic measures were taken to investigate the patient's non-heterogeneous peripheral (spinal) neuromuscular manifestations. Brain CT scan and MRI were normal, but spinal MRI with gadolinium contrast showed extensive increased T2 signal involving central gray matter and dorsal columns, extended from C7 to T12 with linear enhancement in the sagittal plane, posteriorly within the mid and lower thoracic cord. The CSF specimen demonstrated pleocytosis, positive RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2, and elevated IgG index. Clinical presentation, MRI, CSF, and laboratory findings prioritized the acute transverse myelitis (ATM) as a probable complication of COVID-19 infection over other differential diagnoses. Intravenous methylprednisolone and, subsequently, IV human immunoglobulin were added to the treatment regimen. In the end, the complete resolution of dysesthesia, urinary retention, and constipation were achieved. After continuous and extended respiratory and motor rehabilitation programs, he was discharged asymptomatic.

Human platelet antigens polymorphisms; association to the development of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Recently, human platelet antigens (HPAs) polymorphisms are found to play a role in susceptibility to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and fibrosis progression. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the possible association between the HPAs polymorphisms with liver fibrosis progression in HCV patients. HPAs polymorphisms genotyping was performed in HCV patients (n = 71) by Sequence-specific primers-polymerase chain reaction. Fibrosis progression was evaluated using the Metavir scoring system and liver biopsy, and the patients were assigned to two groups, namely, G1 (n = 35) that included patients with F1 (portal fibrosis without septa) or F2 (few septa) and G2 (n = 36) that comprised patients with F3 (numerous septa) or F4 (cirrhosis). The data analyses were performed using Pearson's χ2 test. The genotype frequency of HPA-3ab was significantly higher in G1 patients than in G2 patients (P = 0.015). No statistically significant differences were found between the patient groups (G1 and G2) regarding the distributions of the allelic and genotypic frequencies of the HPA-1, -2, -4, -5, and -15 systems. Multivariate logistic regression showed an independent association between the genotype HPA-3aa/BB and severe fibrosis (F3-F4), when compared with genotype HPA-3ab, independent of the viral genotype, high alanine transaminase, sex, age, time of infection, diabetes, and high cholesterol as risk factors. The present study suggested that the HPA-3ab genotype could be noticed as a potential protecting factor against hepatic fibrosis. Therefore, the antigenic variation of integrins might be considered as a part of the coordinated inflammatory process involved in the progression of liver fibrosis.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 5,6,7-trimethoxy-N-aryl-2-styrylquinolin-4-amines as potential anticancer agents and tubulin polymerization inhibitors.

A new series of styrylquinolines was designed and synthesized as anticancer agents and tubulin polymerization inhibitors. The in vitro anticancer activity of the synthesized quinolines was evaluated against four human cancer cell lines including A-2780 (human ovarian carcinoma), A-2780/RCIS (cisplatin resistant human ovarian carcinoma), MCF-7 (human breast cancer cells), MCF-7/MX (mitoxantrone resistant human breast cancer cells) and normal Huvec cells. Generally, among the forty-eight newly synthesized quinolines, compounds possessing N-trimethoxy phenyl showed stronger cytotoxic activity with IC50 values ranging from 0.38 to 5.01 µM against all four cancer cell lines. Compounds 9VII-c and 9IV-c showed significant cytotoxic activity on A-2780 cancer cells, stronger than the other compounds and comparable to reference drug CA-4. Compound 9IV-c possessing 3,4-dimethoxystyryl and N-trimethoxy phenyl groups demonstrated potent cytotoxic effects with IC50 values ranging from 0.5 to 1.66 µM on resistant cancer cells as well as their parental cells. Annexin V binding staining assay in A-2780 and MCF-7/MX cancer cells, revealed that compound 9IV-c induced early and late apoptosis. Compounds 9IV-c and 9VII-b, inhibited tubulin polymerization similar to CA4. Finally, molecular docking studies of 9IV-c and 9VII-b into the colchicine-binding site of tubulin displayed the possible interactions of these compounds with tubulin.

Intravenous injection of autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells on the gene expression and plasma level of CCL5 in refractory rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most prevalent autoimmune disease, in which CCL2 and CCL5 are critically involved. The objective was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on the foregoing chemokines in RA patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen RA patients were evaluated in terms of clinical manifestations, paraclinical factors, gene expression, and plasma levels of CCL2 and CCL5 prior to treatment and 1 and 6 months after intervention. Real-time-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were employed to assess the gene expression and plasma levels of CCL2 and CCL5 at different time points after MSC therapy. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 16 and Prism 7. RESULTS: The CCL2 gene expression had statistically significantly increased (P = 0.034), and its plasma level had insignificantly reduced after 1 month. Furthermore, the gene expression and plasma level of CCL5 had statistically significantly decreased (P = 0.032, P < 0.001). The CCL5 gene expression had statistically significantly increased after 6 months (P = 0.001) and its plasma level had insignificantly reduced. CONCLUSION: The most significant inhibitory effects of MSC therapy on the gene expression and plasma level of CCL5 were observed at the end of 1 month. The differences between the gene expression and protein levels during the treatment might be related to microRNA effects or the insufficient number of MSC injection.

Assessing the risk factors before pregnancy of preterm births in Iran: a population-based case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth is a major cause of prenatal and postnatal mortality particularly in developing countries. This study investigated the maternal risk factors associated with the risk of preterm birth. METHODS: A population-based case-control study was conducted in several provinces of Iran on 2463 mothers referred to health care centers. Appropriate descriptive and analytical statistical methods were used to evaluate the association between maternal risk factors and the risk of preterm birth. All tests were two-sided, and P values < 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean gestational age was 31.5 ± 4.03 vs. 38.8 ± 1.06 weeks in the case and control groups, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis showed a statistically significant association between preterm birth and mother's age and ethnicity. Women of Balooch ethnicity and age ≥ 35 years were significantly more likely to develop preterm birth (OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.01--2.44 and OR: 9.72; 95% CI: 3.07-30.78, respectively). However, no statistically significant association was observed between preterm birth and mother's place of residence, level of education, past history of cesarean section, and BMI. CONCLUSION: Despite technological advances in the health care system, preterm birth still remains a major concern for health officials. Providing appropriate perinatal health care services as well as raising the awareness of pregnant women, especially for high-risk groups, can reduce the proportion of preventable preterm births.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel benzo[c]acridine-diones as potential anticancer agents and tubulin polymerization inhibitors.

A new series of novel benzo[c]acridine-diones possessing pharmacophoric elements of antitubulins with central dihydropyridine bridge were designed and synthesized as potential anticancer agents and tubulin polymerization inhibitors. The cytotoxic activity of the synthesized compounds was evaluated against eight cancer cell lines including MCF-7, A2780, HeLa, HepG2, DU145, A549, PC3, and LNCAP cancer cells and normal cells human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) through 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, wherein ß-lapachone and combretastatin A-4 were used as positive controls. Some of our compounds (4c and 4g) showed significant cytotoxic activity on cancer cells with IC50 values in the range of 5.23-24.32 µM. None of the synthesized compounds showed significant cytotoxicity on normal HUVEC cells. Among all investigated derivatives, compound 4g showed promising greater antiproliferative activity against all tested cancer cells with the highest sensitivity observed for the PC3 cell line. Results from the flow cytometry analysis of PC3 and MCF-7 cancer cells treated with 4g showed an induced cell-cycle arrest at G2/M, and therefore induced apoptosis which occurred at low concentration of test compound, whereas annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide staining assay in the aforementioned cancer cell lines treated with 4g showed that 4g can cause necrosis in PC3 and MCF-7 cancer cells at higher concentration. Compound 4g proved to be an inhibitor of tubulin polymerization in a mode similar to that of colchicine and in a dose-dependent manner. Molecular docking studies of 4g into the colchicine-binding site of tubulin exhibited a possible mode of interaction between this compound and tubulin.

Superior adaptation of aerobic rice under drought stress in Iran and validation test of linked SSR markers to major QTLs by MLM analysis across two years.

Drought is one of the biggest challenges for rice (Oryza sativa L.) production in rainfed areas. Developing "aerobic rice" cultivars could be a valuable alternative to irrigated/rainfed areas. During 2010-2013, 115 rice genotypes, including non-local cultivars and aerobic rice genotypes, were evaluated and 31 rice genotypes were screened, while 21 Iranian lowland rice cultivars (52 genotypes) were investigated under non-stress and drought conditions at the University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran, in 2014 and 2017. The results revealed the superiority of high yielding genotypes, namely Neda (6.202 t ha- 1), IR82639-B-B-140-1 (6.020 t ha- 1), and IR82635-B-B-82-2 (5.75 t ha- 1) under non-stress, Panda (4.512 t ha- 1), and IR82639-B-B-140-1 (4.08 t ha- 1), under drought stress conditions. Based on the molecular markers evaluation using identified SSR markers linked to major QTLs different important traits specially drought stress, IR 82639-B-B-140-1 showed the highest genetic distance with high-quality Iranian lowland cultivars, which could be considered as a donor for the development of new cultivars. Moreover, the assignment of rice genotypes based on Jaccard distance clustering was in agreement with the grouping of structure analysis. The validation test using MLM analysis in this natural population revealed the most important significant associations that were identified under drought conditions. These are: the associations between RM306, RM319, RM511, RM28166, and RM11943 with different grain yield (GY)-related traits simultaneously and stable across both years. These markers, which were verified in a natural population across 2 years, could be considered as the potential markers for use in marker-assisted breeding and to improve the grain yield of rice.

Cloning and characterization of Halomonas elongata L-asparaginase, a promising chemotherapeutic agent.

L-asparaginase has been used in the treatment of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) for more than 30 years. Rapid clearance of the enzyme from blood stream and its L-glutaminase-dependent neurotoxicity has led to searching for new L-asparaginases with more desirable properties. In the present study, L-asparaginase coding gene of Halomonas elongata was isolated, expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and characterized. The purified protein was found to have a molecular mass of 39.5 kDa and 1000-folds more activity towards L-asparagine than L-glutamine. Enzyme-specific activity towards L-asparagine was determined to be 1510 U/mg, which is among the highest reported values for microbial L-asparaginases. K m , Vmax, and k cat values were 5.6 mM, 2.2 µmol/min, and 1.96 × 103 1/S, respectively. Optimum temperature was found to be 37 °C while the enzyme showed maximum activity at a wide pH range (from 6 to 9). Enzyme half-life in the presence of human serum at 37 °C was 90 min which is three times higher when compared with reported values for E. coli L-asparaginase. Enzyme showed cytotoxic effects against Jurkat and U937 cell lines with an IC50 of 2 and 1 U/ml, respectively. Also, no toxic effects on human erythrocytes and Chinese hamster ovary cell lines were detected, and just minor inhibitory effects on human umbilical vein endothelial cells were observed. This is the first report describing the therapeutic potentials of a recombinant L-asparaginase isolated from a halophilic bacterium as an anticancer agent.

Bipolar transurethral vaporization: a superior procedure in benign prostatic hyperplasia: a prospective randomized comparison with bipolar TURP.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcomes of bipolar transurethral vaporization of the prostate (TUVP) with bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a prospective randomized trial, 88 patients with moderate to severe lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) underwent bipolar TUVP (N = 39) or bipolar TURP (N = 49) from October 2010 to November 2011. The inclusion criteria were age > 50 years, prostate volume of 30-80 mL, serum PSA < 4 ng/mL, IPSS ≥ 20, Qmax ≤ 10 mL/s and failed medical therapy. The perioperative and postoperative outcomes were evaluated and the IPSS and Qmax were assessed preoperatively and 3 months after procedure in all cases. RESULTS: Both groups were similar in patient age, prostate volume, preoperative IPSS and Qmax. The TUVP group had significantly lower mean values of operative time, hospital stay, catheterization period, irrigation fluid volume and serum hemoglobin, creatinine, sodium and potassium changes compared with TURP group. No significant differences were seen between two groups regarding complications (TUVP = 10.3%; TURP = 12.2%) and modified Clavien classification of complications. No TUR syndrome, obturator reflex or epididymitis occurred in both groups. Re-hospitalization and transfusion due to clot retention (N = 2) and urethral stricture (N = 1) were reported only in the TURP group. Three patients experienced urinary retention after catheter removal in the TUVP group. Two patients were re-catheterized temporarily and one patient required repeat bipolar TUVP. Three months after surgery, two groups had significant improvement in IPSS and Qmax. But the TUVP group had significantly lower IPSS and higher Qmax than TURP group. CONCLUSIONS: Bipolar TUVP is a safe, effective and low cost procedure among minimally invasive surgeries of BPH. Compared with bipolar TURP, the bipolar TUVP had similar complications, better perioperative and postoperative outcomes, superior hemostasis and higher efficacy.

Bone Reporting and Data System (Bone-RADS) and Other Proposed Practice Guidelines for Reporting Bone Tumors.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this article is to review the different bone tumor radiology reporting systems [Bone Reporting and Data System (Bone-RADS), Osseous Tumor Reporting and Data System (OT-RADS), Solitary Bone Tumor Imaging Reporting and Data System (BTI-RADS), and Radiological Evaluation Score for Bone Tumors (REST)] and summarize their advantages and disadvantages. METHODS: A selective search of PubMed was performed for literature regarding the definition and discussion of bone tumor reporting systems. No time frame was selected, but the search was particularly focused on current literature on musculoskeletal radiology lexicon. RESULTS: To date, four major reporting systems has been proposed to standardize and systematize the reporting of imaging studies of bone tumors: Bone-RADS, OT-RADS, BTI-RADS, and REST. Both Bone-RADS and OT-RADS aid in the characterization and management of bone lesions on CT and MRI. OT-RADS and REST can be applied to MRI and radiography, respectively. CONCLUSION: Radiologists play a central role in the detection and characterization of asymptomatic (or incidentally detected) and symptomatic bone tumors. There are several existing bone tumor reporting systems with various advantages and disadvantages including emphasis on lesion characterization as well as management of incidentally detected bone lesions. KEY POINTS: · Four bone tumor reporting systems have been proposed thus far.. · Bone-RADS guides management of incidental bone lesions on CT and MRI.. · OT-RADS guides management of bone lesions on MRI with high accuracy.. · BTI-RADS classifies bone tumors on CT and MRI..

A wearable system to assist impaired-neck patients: Design and evaluation.

Patients with neurological disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral palsy, often face challenges due to head-neck immobility. The conventional treatment approach involves using a neck collar to maintain an upright head position, but this can be cumbersome and restricts head-neck movements over prolonged periods. This study introduces a wearable robot capable of providing three anatomical head motions for training and assistance. The primary contributions of this research include the design of an optimized structure and the incorporation of human-robot interaction. Based on human head motion data, our primary focus centered on developing a robot capable of accommodating a significant range of neutral head movements. To ensure safety, impedance control was employed to facilitate human-robot interaction. A human study was conducted involving 10 healthy subjects who participated in an experiment to assess the robot's assistance capabilities. Passive and active modes were used to evaluate the robot's effectiveness, taking into account head-neck movement error and muscle activity levels. Surface electromyography signals (sEMG) were collected from the splenius capitis muscles during the experiment. The results demonstrated that the robot covered nearly 85% of the overall range of head rotations. Importantly, using the robot during rehabilitation led to reduced muscle activation, highlighting its potential for assisting individuals with post-stroke movement impairments.