Sciatic neurosteatosis: Relationship with age, gender, obesity and height.

AIM: To evaluate inter-reader performance for cross-sectional area and fat quantification of bilateral sciatic nerves on MRI and assess correlations with anthropometrics. METHODS: In this IRB-approved, HIPPA-compliant study, three readers performed a cross-sectional analysis of 3T lumbosacral plexus MRIs over an 18-month period. Image slices were evaluated at two levels (A and B). The sciatic nerve was outlined using a free hand region of interest tool on PACS. Proton-density fat fraction (FF) and cross-sectional areas were recorded. Inter-reader agreement was assessed using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Spearman correlation coefficients were used for correlations with age, BMI and height and Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to assess gender differences. RESULTS: A total of 67 patients were included in this study with male to female ratio of 1:1. Inter-reader agreement was good to excellent for FF measurements at both levels (ICC=0.71-0.90) and poor for sciatic nerve areas (ICC=0.08-0.27). Positive correlations of sciatic FF and area were seen with age (p value<0.05). Males had significantly higher sciatic intraneural fat than females (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Fat quantification MRI is highly reproducible with significant positive correlations of sciatic FF and area with age, which may have implications for MRI diagnosis of sciatic neuropathy. KEY POINTS: • MR proton density fat fraction is highly reproducible at multiple levels. • Sciatic intraneural fat is positively correlated with increasing age (p < 0.05). • Positive correlations exist between bilateral sciatic nerve areas and age (p < 0.05). • Males had significantly higher sciatic intraneural fat than females (p < 0.05).

A Pilot to Implement Chronic Care Management Services at an Academic Medical Center.

Objective: Chronic Care Management (CCM) for patients requires care coordination. Our aim was to describe a pilot to implement CCM services within our house call program. We aimed to identify processes and verify reimbursement. Design: Pilot study and retrospective review of patients participating in CCM. Setting and Participants: Non-face-to face delivery of CCM services at an academic center. Sixty-five and over with two or more chronic conditions expected to last at least 12 month or until the death of the patient from July 15th, 2019 to June 30, 2020. Methods: We identified patients using a registry. If consent given, a care plan was documented in the chart and shared with the patient. The nurse would then call the patient during the month to follow up on the care plan. Results: Twenty-three patients participated. Mean age was 82 years. Majority were white (67%). One thousand sixty-six dollars ($1,066) were collected for CCM. Co-pay for traditional MCR was $8.47. Most common chronic disease diagnoses were hypertension, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, dementia with behavior and psychological disturbance, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Conclusion and Implications: CCM services offer additional revenue source for practices that provide care coordination for chronic disease management.

Androgen Deprivation Therapy Differentially Impacts Bone and Muscle in the Short Term in Physically Active Men With Prostate Cancer.

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a cornerstone of advanced prostate cancer (PCa) therapy. Its use is associated with a loss of bone mineral density (BMD) and a greater risk of falls and osteoporotic fractures. In this prospective cohort study, we examined the impact of ADT on muscle and bone strength in men initiating ADT for PCa. Participants were evaluated at three time points: immediately before (week 0), and 6 and 24 weeks after ADT initiation. Study measures included fasting blood levels (for markers of muscle and bone metabolic activity), MRI and QCT imaging (for muscle fat content, and bone density and architecture), and validated clinical tests of muscle strength and gait. Sixteen men completed all study visits. At baseline and throughout the study, participants exercised a median of four times/week, but still experienced weight gain (+2.0 kg at week 24 versus week 0, p = 0.004). Biochemically, all men sustained dramatic early and persistent reductions in sex hormones post-ADT, along with a progressive and significant increase in serum C-telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX, +84% at week 24 versus week 0). There was a trend for rise in serum sclerostin (p = 0.09) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) (p = 0.08), but no significant change in serum myostatin (p = 0.99). Volumetric BMD by QCT declined significantly at the femoral neck (-3.7% at week 24 versus week 0), particularly at the trabecular compartment. On MRI, there were no significant changes in thigh muscle fat fraction. On physical testing, men developed weaker grip strength, but experienced no worsening in lower extremity and lumbar spine muscle strength, or on functional tests of gait. In conclusion, in physically active men, ADT for 24 weeks results in a significant increase in bone resorption and reduction in BMD, but nonsignificant changes in thigh muscle quality (on imaging) or strength and gait (on functional testing). © 2021 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

CT bone density analysis of low-impact proximal femur fractures using Hounsfield units.

AIM: To quantify and compare changes in bone mineral density (BMD) via CT analysis in patients with and without spontaneous femoral fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive series of patients with CT imaging for spontaneous femoral fractures were compared to the age and gender matched controls. Bone density fixed region of interest measurements were obtained at the site of the fracture, proximally at the femoral head, and distally at the lesser trochanter in fracture patients and controls. Inter- and intrapatient comparisons were performed, including Chi-square and t-test analyses. RESULTS: 24 spontaneous fractures and 25 controls were analyzed with no significant differences in mean age, gender, or body mass index. There were differences in the bone density between the fracture and contralateral non-fracture sides at (p = 0.0001) and distal (p < 0.0001) to the fracture. Proximal and distal bone density differences existed between case fracture and control non-fracture sites (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0001), and between the case non-fracture and control non-fracture sites (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001). The reliability for measurements was good to excellent proximally (ICC = 0.63-0.87), moderate to excellent at the fracture site (ICC = 0.43-0.78), and fair to good distal (ICC = 0.24-0.68) to the fracture site. CONCLUSION: Patients with spontaneous femoral fractures exhibit lower bone density than the asymptomatic controls. Bone insufficiency is best demonstrated proximal or distal to, rather than at the fracture site.

Pelvic muscle size and myosteatosis: Relationship with age, gender, and obesity.

PURPOSE: To evaluate interreader performance in the measurement of the cross-sectional area and myosteatosis of pelvic skeletal muscles using fat quantification magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and correlate with patient anthropomorphic characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant retrospective cross-sectional study was performed. Between January and April 2016, 61 patients (26 males and 35 females) underwent a lumbosacral plexus 3T MRI with a modified three-dimensional spoiled gradient echo sequence dedicated to fat quantification (mDixon Quant; Philips Healthcare). Two independent reviewers outlined muscle cross-sectional area on axial images using a freehand region of interest tool and documented proton-density fat fraction (FF) and muscle area (cm2) of the psoas, gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, and rectus femoris muscles on each side. Interreader agreement was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and correlation between the measurements and subject's age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) was assessed using multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Excellent interreader agreement was obtained (ICC ≥0.74) for all muscle groups except for the left gluteus medius area and right psoas FF which showed good agreement (0.65 and 0.61, respectively). Statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) positive correlation was seen between the gluteal muscle FF and area with BMI, and rectus muscle FF with age and BMI. Statistically significant negative correlation between the rectus femoris area and age was also observed. CONCLUSION: Fat quantification MRI is a highly reproducible imaging technique for the assessment of myosteatosis and muscle size. Intramuscular FF and cross-sectional area were correlated with age and BMI across multiple muscle groups.

A Team Disclosure of Error Educational Activity: Objective Outcomes.

Medical errors can involve multiple team members. Few curricula are being developed to provide instruction on disclosing medical errors that include simulation training with interprofessional team disclosure. To explore more objective evidence for the value of an educational activity on team disclosure of errors, faculty developed and assessed the effectiveness of a multimodal educational activity for learning team-based disclosure of a medical error. This study employed a methodological triangulation research design. Participants (N = 458) included students enrolled in academic programs at three separate institutions. The activity allowed students to practice team communication while: (1) discussing a medical error within the team; (2) planning for the disclosure of the error; and (3) conducting the disclosure. Faculty assessed individual student's change in knowledge and, using a rubric, rated the performance of the student teams during a simulation with a standardized family member (SFM). Students had a high level of preexisting knowledge and demonstrated the greatest knowledge gains in questions regarding the approach to disclosure (P < .001) and timing of an apology (P < .001). Both SFMs and individual students rated the team error disclosure behavior highly (rho = 0.54; P < .001). Most participants (more than 80%) felt the activity was worth their time and that they were more comfortable with disclosing a medical error as a result of having completed the activity. This activity for interprofessional simulation of team-based disclosure of a medical error was effective for teaching students about and how to perform this type of important disclosure.

Detrimental effect of systemic vascular risk factors on brain hemodynamic function assessed with MRI.

Background and purpose Vascular risk factors have been associated with decreased cerebral blood flow (CBF) but this is etiologically nonspecific and may result from vascular insufficiency or a response to decreased brain metabolic activity. We apply new MRI techniques to measure oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption (CMRO2), hypothesizing that decreased CBF related to these vascular risk factors will be associated with increased OEF, confirming a primary vascular insufficiency. Methods 3T MRI was obtained on 70 community-based participants in this IRB-approved study with informed consent, with previous assessment of systolic blood pressure, hypertension medication, elevated serum triglycerides, low serum HDL, and diabetes mellitus. CBF was measured using phase contrast adjusted for brain volume (ml/100 g/min), OEF (%) was obtained from T2-Relaxation-Under-Spin-Tagging (TRUST), and CMRO2 (µmol/100 g/min) was derived using the Fick principle. Stepwise linear regression identified optimal predictors of CBF with age, sex, and hematocrit included for adjustment. This predictive model was then evaluated against OEF and CMRO2. Results Hypertriglyceridemia was associated with low CBF and high OEF. High systolic blood pressure was associated with high CBF and low OEF, which was primarily attributable to those with pressures above 160 mmHg. Neither risk factor was associated with significant differences in cerebral metabolic rate. Conclusion Low CBF related to hypertriglyceridemia was accompanied by high OEF with no significant difference in CMRO2, confirming subclinical vascular insufficiency. High CBF related to high systolic blood pressure likely reflected limitations of autoregulation at higher blood pressures.

Reduced hippocampal functional connectivity in Alzheimer disease.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if functional connectivity of the hippocampus is reduced in patients with Alzheimer disease. DESIGN: Functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging was used to investigate coherence in the magnetic resonance signal between the hippocampus and all other regions of the brain. PARTICIPANTS: Eight patients with probable Alzheimer disease and 8 healthy volunteers. RESULTS: Control subjects showed hippocampal functional connectivity with diffuse cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar sites, while patients demonstrated markedly reduced functional connectivity, including an absence of connectivity with the frontal lobes. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a functional disconnection between the hippocampus and other brain regions in patients with Alzheimer disease.

How Common Are Pulmonary and Hepatic Adverse Effects in Older Adults Prescribed Nitrofurantoin?

OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency of serious pulmonary and hepatic adverse events (AEs) in persons aged 65 and older prescribed nitrofurantoin. DESIGN: Retrospective electronic health record (EHR) audit of nitrofurantoin prescriptions and associated AEs. SETTING: Urban academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: All inpatients and outpatients aged 65 and older prescribed nitrofurantoin from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2014. MEASUREMENTS: The number of nitrofurantoin prescriptions and pulmonary and hepatic AEs associated with nitrofurantoin use was acquired by data extraction from EHRs. RESULTS: Of 3,400 individuals aged 65 and older prescribed nitrofurantoin during the study period, 641 were identified as possibly having one of five targeted symptoms or disease complications (pulmonary and hepatic) associated with nitrofurantoin. After a detailed chart audit, 89% were deemed to have no adverse reaction, 7% had a minor side effect or allergy, and 3.9% met criteria for suspicion of a nitrofurantoin-induced AE, five of whom were rated as being highly suspicious for nitrofurantoin toxicity; four of the five were identified with pulmonary toxicity and one with hepatotoxicity. Four of five of these individuals used nitrofurantoin chronically. CONCLUSION: Nitrofurantoin was prescribed for 3,400 individuals aged 65 and older during the 5-year study period. Serious side effects appeared to be uncommon, but chronic use appeared to be at greater risk.