Biomechanical Implications of Mass Loading in a Swine Model of Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure.

In obesity, excess weight of the chest and abdomen (mass loading) decreases lung volume and can worsen acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF). We investigated whether positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) fully reverses the effects of mass loading on lung volume and respiratory mechanics in an AHRF swine model. Eighteen Yorkshire pigs were studied: six healthy, eight pre- and post-injury, and four post-injury only.

Nanophotonic Thermal Management in X-ray Tubes.

In X-ray tubes, more than 99% of the kilowatts of power supplied to generate X-rays via bremsstrahlung is lost as heat in the anode. Therefore, thermal management is a critical barrier to the development of more powerful X-ray tubes with higher brightness and spatial coherence, which are needed to translate imaging modalities such as phase-contrast imaging to the clinic. In rotating anode X-ray tubes, the most common design, thermal radiation is a bottleneck that prevents efficient cooling of the anode─the hottest part of the device by far.

Tiny Joints, Big Clues: Neonatal Septic Polyarthritis as a Rare Presentation of Late-Onset Streptococcus agalactiae Sepsis.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS), or Streptococcus agalactiae, is a significant cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality, with late-onset disease (LOGBS) typically manifesting as bacteremia or meningitis. Osteoarticular infections, particularly septic polyarthritis, are exceedingly rare but potentially devastating complications of LOGBS. We report a rare case of LOGBS presenting as septic polyarthritis in a 28-day-old term male neonate.

Clinical Applications of Portable CT Scanners.

Portable Computed Tomography (CT) scanners have revolutionized diagnostic imaging by bringing advanced imaging capabilities directly to the point of care in critical settings such as intensive care units, operating rooms, ambulances, and other resource-limited environments. Integrating portable CT into clinical workflows improves patient outcomes through immediate, on-site imaging, eliminating the risks and delays associated with intra-hospital transportation. These systems are indispensable in critical care, reducing complications and time to diagnosis while enabling timely interventions for life-threatening conditions such as intracranial hemorrhage.

Realistic wave-optics simulation of X-ray dark-field imaging at a human scale.

X-ray dark-field imaging (XDFI) has been explored as a superior alternative to conventional X-ray imaging for diagnosing many pathologic conditions. However, a simulation tool capable of reliably predicting clinical XDFI images at a human scale, is currently lacking. In this paper, we demonstrate, to the best of our knowledge, the first human-scale XDFI simulation.

Task based evaluation of sparse view CT reconstruction techniques for intracranial hemorrhage diagnosis using an AI observer model.

Sparse-view computed tomography (CT) holds promise for reducing radiation exposure and enabling novel system designs. Traditional reconstruction algorithms, including Filtered Backprojection (FBP) and Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction (MBIR), often produce artifacts in sparse-view data. Deep Learning Reconstruction (DLR) offers potential improvements, but task-based evaluations of DLR in sparse-view CT remain limited.

Novel approach in treatment of osteomyelitis: salvage therapy with levonadifloxacin.

Background: Melioidosis, caused by , is a deadly infection with a case fatality rate of 10%-50%. Osteomyelitis, a rare manifestation, is particularly challenging due to diagnostic delays, misidentification, limited bone penetration of antibiotics and frequent relapses. Antibiotic intolerance emerges as a significant hurdle, with up to 26%-51% of patients developing severe allergies to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, along with intolerability to ceftazidime and meropenem.

Predictive Value of CT Perfusion in Spatially and Volumetrically Identifying Ischemic Penumbra Against Final Infarct Size in Anterior Circulation Stroke With and Without Successful Reperfusion.

Background And Purpose: CT perfusion is important for acute ischemic stroke imaging and treatment, but defining the ischemic penumbra and infarct core remains debated. This study examined the relationship between initial hypoperfused tissue and final infarct in acute anterior circulation occlusion patients, stratified by reperfusion status, to assess CT perfusion's predictive spatial and volumetric accuracy and re-evaluate its role in prognostication, nuanced clinical decision making, and novel pathophysiology research in the new large core era.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective single-center study included patients diagnosed with anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke who underwent CT perfusion between 05/2021-02/2024.

Exploring bias in spectral CT material decomposition: a simulation-based approach.

Introduction -: Computed tomography (CT) imaging has seen significant advancements with the introduction of spectral CT, which improves material differentiation by acquiring images at multiple energy levels. Photon-counting CT (PCCT) is an emerging technique to implement spectral CT with photon counting detectors that may discriminate detected photon energies to different energy bins. Material differentiation is achieved by decomposing the acquired data into two-material models such as brain/bone or brain/iodine.

Geospatial mapping and cluster analysis of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in drinking water of semi-arid areas.

Ensuring universal access to safe drinking water remains a global challenge, especially in semi-arid regions facing water scarcity, pollution, inadequate infrastructure, and rapid urbanization. The present study aimed to assess drinking water quality by analysing antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) and their spatial distribution, identifying contamination hotspots using integrated physicochemical, microbial, and advanced geospatial assessments on 122 samples collected from surface and groundwater of semi-arid areas with key physicochemical parameters analysed using standard methods.

Noise Controlled CT Super-Resolution with Conditional Diffusion Model.

Improving the spatial resolution of CT images is a meaningful yet challenging task, often accompanied by the issue of noise amplification. This article introduces an innovative framework for noise-controlled CT super-resolution utilizing the conditional diffusion model. The model is trained on hybrid datasets, combining noise-matched simulation data with segmented details from real data.

Distinct Functional MRI Connectivity Patterns and Cortical Volume Variations Associated with Repetitive Blast Exposure in Special Operations Forces Members.

Background Special operations forces members often face multiple blast injuries and have a higher risk of traumatic brain injury. However, the relationship between neuroimaging markers, the cumulative severity of injury, and long-term symptoms has not previously been well-established in the literature. Purpose To determine the relationship between the frequency of blast injuries, persistent clinical symptoms, and related cortical volumetric and functional connectivity (FC) changes observed at brain MRI in special operations forces members.

Head CT Scan Motion Artifact Correction via Diffusion-Based Generative Models.

Head motion is a major source of image artifacts in head computed tomography (CT), degrading the image quality and impacting diagnosis. Image-domain-based motion correction is practical for routine use since it doesn't rely on hard-to-obtain CT projection data. However, existing convolutional neural network (CNN)-based methods tend to over-smooth images, particularly in cases of moderate to severe 3D motion artifacts.

Photon-Counting CT: Technology, Current and Potential Future Clinical Applications, and Overview of Approved Systems and Those in Various Stages of Research and Development.

Photon-counting CT (PCCT) has emerged as a transformative technology, with the potential to herald a new era of clinical capabilities. This review provides an overview of the current status and potential future developments of PCCT, including basic physics principles and technical implementation by different vendors, with special attention to applications that have not, to date, been emphasized in the literature. The technologic underpinnings that distinguish PCCT scanners from traditional energy-integrating detector (EID) CT scanners with dual-energy capability are discussed.

Phenotypic and molecular methods of carbapenemase detection: Can we break the chain and preserve the carbapenems?

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the top ten public health threats faced by humanity. Carbapenems are currently the last option β-lactam antibiotics for treatment of both hospital and community acquired infections. The rapid rise and spread of carbapenem resistant organisms (CRO) is a global concern highlighting the need for early detection and isolation of patients.

Prevalence of Microbiologically Confirmed Female Genital Tuberculosis in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Faridabad, Haryana, India.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of microbiologically confirmed female genital tuberculosis (FGTB) infection in patients attending a tertiary care hospital in North India.

Materials And Methods: A total of 623 endometrial biopsy samples were processed in the mycobacteriology laboratory from the outpatient and inpatient gynecology departments between May 2022 and February 2024. Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) smear was performed on all samples.

Mobile photon counting detector CT with multi material decomposition methods for neuroimaging of patients in intensive care unit.

The photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD-CT) is a promising new technology that provides more spectral information in medical imaging. PCD-CT enables bedside imaging in the neuro intensive care unit (neuro ICU) for patients with life-threatening conditions such as brain hemorrhage and ischemic stroke. The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate a multi-material decomposition algorithm available on PCD-CT, dubbed MD Plus, to differentiate between contrast agent and hemorrhage in hyperdense lesions.

Superimposed Wavefront Imaging of Diffraction-enhanced X-rays: sparsity-aware CT reconstruction from limited-view projections.

Purpose: In this paper, we describe an algebraic reconstruction algorithm with a total variation regularization (ART + TV) based on the Superimposed Wavefront Imaging of Diffraction-enhanced X-rays (SWIDeX) method to effectively reduce the number of projections required for differential phase-contrast CT reconstruction.

Methods: SWIDeX is a technique that uses a Laue-case Si analyzer with closely spaced scintillator to generate second derivative phase-contrast images with high contrast of a subject. When the projections obtained by this technique are reconstructed, a Laplacian phase-contrast tomographic image with higher sparsity than the original physical distribution of the subject can be obtained.

Portable head CT motion artifact correction via diffusion-based generative model.

Portable head CT images often suffer motion artifacts due to the prolonged scanning time and critically ill patients who are unable to hold still. Image-domain motion correction is attractive for this application as it does not require CT projection data. This paper describes and evaluates a generative model based on conditional diffusion to correct motion artifacts in portable head CT scans.

Dual diagnosis and their care pathways for help-seeking: A multicenter study from India.

Background: Understanding pathways to dual diagnosis (DD) care will help organize DD services and facilitate training and referral across healthcare sectors.

Aim: The aim of our study was to characterize the stepwise healthcare and other contacts among patients with DD, compare the characteristics of the first contact persons with common mental disorder (CMD) versus severe mental illness (SMI), and estimate the likelihood of receiving appropriate DD treatment across levels of contacts.

Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study in eight Indian centers included newly enrolled patients with DD between April 2022 and February 2023.

REACT: a randomized trial to assess the efficacy and safety of clazosentan for preventing clinical deterioration due to delayed cerebral ischemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Objective: Ischemic complications account for significant patient morbidity following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). The Prevention and Treatment of Vasospasm with Clazosentan (REACT) study was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of clazosentan, an endothelin receptor antagonist, in preventing clinical deterioration due to delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) in patients with aSAH.

Methods: REACT was a prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, phase 3 study.