Solute-free water excretion and electrolyte-free water excretion are better terms than solute-free water clearance and electrolyte-free water clearance

International Urology and Nephrology -     

Automatic algorithm for correcting motion artifacts in time-resolved two-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography using convex projections.

Time-resolved contrast enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) may suffer from involuntary patient motion. It is noted that while MR signal change associated with motion is large in magnitude and has smooth phase variation in k-phase, signal change associated with vascular enhancement is small in magnitude and has rapid phase variation in k-space. Based upon this observation, a novel projection onto convex sets (POCS) algorithm is developed as an automatic iterative method to remove motion artifacts. The presented POCS algorithm consists of high-pass phase filtering and convex projections in both k-space and image space. Without input of detailed motion knowledge, motion effects are filtered out, while vasculature information is preserved. The proposed method can be effective for a large class of nonrigid motions, including through-plane motion. The algorithm is stable and converges quickly, usually within five iterations. A double-blind evaluation on a set of clinical MRA cases shows that a completely unsupervised version of the algorithm produces significantly better rank scores (P=0.038) when compared to angiograms produced manually by an experienced radiologist.     

Is terminology used effectively to convey diagnostic certainty in radiology reports?

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to assess the extent of agreement among radiologists and nonradiologists in perception of diagnostic certainty conveyed by words and phrases commonly used in radiology reports. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was performed in a large academic radiology department. To determine the commonly used terminology for conveying diagnostic certainty in radiology reports, 12 randomly selected radiologists from six different subspecialties were interviewed. The authors identified the 15 most commonly used words and phrases and included these in random order in a questionnaire sent to all staff radiologists (n = 45) and to 158 referring physicians. Physicians were asked to rank the 15 phrases in order of the diagnostic certainty conveyed by each, from 1 (most certain) to 15 (least certain), using each number only once. The kappa statistic was used to assess agreement in rank order among physicians. RESULTS: The questionnaire response rate was 76% (n = 34) for radiologists and 49% (n = 78) for nonradiologists. There was excellent agreement among radiologists (kappa = 0.95) and nonradiologists (kappa = 0.93) in the rank order for the phrase diagnostic of. Although there was good agreement (kappa = 0.45) among radiologists for the word unlikely, agreement among nonradiologists was poor (kappa = 0.27). There was very poor agreement among all physicians for the rank order of the other 13 phrases. CONCLUSION: Among radiologists and nonradiologists, concordance was poor regarding the diagnostic certainty associated with phrases commonly used in radiology reports. Because poor agreement could lead to suboptimal quality of care, the standardization of terminology would benefit all parties.     

Successful coronary artery bypass operation in a SARS-COV-2 infected patient with acute coronary syndrome

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is overwhelming healthcare resources and infrastructure worldwide. Earlier reports have demonstrated complicated postoperative courses and high fatality rates in patients undergoing emergent cardiothoracic surgery who were diagnosed postoperatively with COVID-19. These reports raise the possibility that active COVID-19 might precipitate a catastrophic pathophysiological response to infection in the postoperative period and lead to unfavorable surgical outcomes. Hence, it is imperative to screen patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection before surgery and to carefully monitor them in the postoperative period to identify any signs of active COVID-19. In this report, we present the successful outcome of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) operation in a patient with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection presenting with an acute coronary syndrome and requiring urgent surgical intervention. We employed a thorough strategy to identify subclinical COVID-19 disease, and after confirming the absence of active disease, proceeded with the CABG operation. The patient outcome was successful with the absence of any overt COVID-19 manifestations in the postoperative period.     

Influence of surface modification techniques on shear bond strength between different zirconia cores and veneering ceramics

PURPOSE

Veneering porcelain might be delaminated from underlying zirconia-based ceramics. The aim of this study was the evaluation of the effect of different surface treatments and type of zirconia (white or colored) on shear bond strength (SBS) of zirconia core and its veneering porcelain.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eighty zirconia disks (40 white and 40 colored; 10 mm in diameter and 4 mm thick) were treated with three different mechanical surface conditioning methods (Sandblasting with 110 µm Al₂O₃ particle, grinding, sandblasting and liner application). One group had received no treatment. These disks were veneered with 3 mm thick and 5 mm diameter Cercon Ceram Kiss porcelain and SBS test was conducted (cross-head speed = 1 mm/min). Two and one way ANOVA, Tukey''s HSD Past hoc, and T-test were selected to analyzed the data (α=0.05).

RESULTS

In this study, the factor of different types of zirconia ceramics (P=.462) had no significant effect on SBS, but the factors of different surface modification techniques (P=.005) and interaction effect (P=.018) had a significant effect on SBS. Within colored zirconia group, there were no significant differences in mean SBS among the four surface treatment subgroups (P=0.183). Within white zirconia group, "Ground group" exhibited a significantly lower SBS value than "as milled" or control (P=0.001) and liner (P=.05) groups.

CONCLUSION

Type of zirconia did not have any effect on bond strength between zirconia core and veneer ceramic. Surface treatment had different effects on the SBS of the different zirconia types and grinding dramatically decreased the SBS of white zirconia-porcelain.     

Evaluating the Prevalence of PTSD among Children and Adolescents after Earthquakes and Floods: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Psychiatric Quarterly - Our study systematically reviews articles about the prevalence of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among children and adolescents, aiming to evaluate its prevalence...