To assess the utility of a volumetric low-dose computed tomography (CT) thorax (LDCTT) protocol at a dose equivalent to a posteroanterior (PA) and lateral chest radiograph for surveillance of cystic ...fibrosis (CF) patients.
A prospective study was undertaken of 19 adult patients with CF that proceeded to LDCTT at 12 and 24 months following initiation of ivacaftor. A previously validated seven-section, low-dose axial CT protocol was used for the 12-month study. A volumetric LDCTT protocol was developed for the 24-month study and reconstructed with hybrid iterative reconstruction (LD-ASIR) and pure iterative reconstruction (model-based IR LD-MBIR). Radiation dose was recorded for each scan. Image quality was assessed quantitatively and qualitatively, and disease severity was assessed using a modified Bhalla score. Statistical analysis was performed and p-values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Volumetric LD-MBIR studies were acquired at a lower radiation dose than the seven-section studies (0.08 ± 0.01 versus 0.10 ± 0.02 mSv; p=0.02). LD-MBIR and seven-section ASIR images had significantly lower levels of image noise compared with LD-ASIR images (p<0.0001). Diagnostic acceptability scores and depiction of bronchovascular structures were found to be acceptable for axial and coronal LD-MBIR images. LD-MBIR images were superior to LD-ASIR images for all qualitative parameters assessed (p<0.0001). No significant change was observed in mean Bhalla score between 1-year and 2-year studies (p=0.84).
The use of a volumetric LDCTT protocol (reconstructed with pure IR) enabled acquisition of diagnostic quality CT images, which were considered extremely useful for surveillance of CF patients, at a dose equivalent to a PA and lateral chest radiograph.
•CF may be evaluated with CT at a radiation dose equivalent to a chest radiograph.•Low dose thoracic CT may be acquired with a mean ED of 0.08 ± 0.01mSv.•Compared with ASIR, MBIR images demonstrate superior objective image parameters.
The aim of this study was to assess and compare the effects of CT image reconstruction techniques on low-dose CT image quality using phantoms.
Anthropomorphic torso and spatial/contrast-resolution ...phantoms were scanned at decreasing tube currents between 400 and 10 mA. CT thorax and abdomen/pelvis series were reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP) alone, combined 40% adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction & FBP (ASIR40), and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) (resolution-preference 05 (RP05) and RP20 in the thorax and RP05 and noise-reduction 05 (NR05) in the abdomen). Two readers rated image quality quantitatively and qualitatively.
In thoracic CT, objective image noise on MBIR RP05 data sets outperformed FBP at 200, 100, 50 and 10 mA and outperformed ASIR40 at 50 and 10 mA (p < 0.001). MBIR RP20 outperformed FBP at 50 and 10 mA and outperformed ASIR40 at 10 mA (p < 0.001). Compared with both FBP and ASIR40, MBIR RP05 demonstrated significantly better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at 10 mA. In abdomino-pelvic CT, MBIR RP05 and NR05 outperformed FBP and ASIR at all tube current levels for objective image noise. NR05 demonstrated greater SNR at 200, 100, 50 and 10 mA and RP05 demonstrated greater SNR at 50 and 10 mA compared with both FBP and ASIR. MBIR images demonstrated better subjective image quality scores. Spatial resolution, low-contrast detectability and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were comparable between image reconstruction techniques.
CTs reconstructed with MBIR have lower image noise and improved image quality compared with FBP and ASIR. These effects increase with reduced radiation exposure confirming optimal use for low-dose CT imaging.
•CT images reconstructed with MBIR have improved image noise and quality compared with FBP and ASIR.•The greatest differences in image noise and quality are observed at the ultra-low dose level.•CT imaging with MBIR has the potential to significantly reduce radiation exposure.
Optimization of image quality and patient radiation dose is achieved in part by positioning the patient at the isocenter of the CT gantry. The aim of this study was to establish whether there was ...increased isocenter misalignment (IM) in CT colonography (CTC) scans by comparing patient position during the prone part of a CTC to patient position during renal stone protocol CT (CT-KUB) and patient position during the supine part of a CTC to patient position during abdominopelvic CT (CT-AP).
Two hundred and twenty two consecutive outpatient adult CTC studies performed between January and December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Automated dose-tracking software was used to quantify IM in the x and y planes. Renal stone CT-KUB (n = 100) and standard CT-AP (n = 100) were used as comparison studies.
IM during CTC was significantly greater in the y-axis compared with the x-axis for both prone (p = 0.002) and supine (p < 0.001) scanning. IM was significantly greater during prone CTC compared with CT-KUB (p = 0.008) and during supine CTC compared with CT-AP (p = 0.0001). IM was shown to be slightly greater in studies performed by more experienced radiographers (p = 0.04). IM was not associated with patient age, gender or size (p > 0.05 for all).
Isocenter misalignment is greater during CT colonography compared with CT-KUB or CT-AP. Strategies for improving patient positioning could include radiographer education and automated patient centering solutions.
•Isocenter misalignment during CT results in decreased image quality and increased radiation dose.•Isocenter misalignment is greater during CTC compared with CT-KUB or CT-AP.•Isocenter misalignment was marginally increased in studies performed by more experienced radiographers.•Ongoing radiographer education and audit may improve patient positioning.
Government policies relating to red meat production take account of the carbon footprint, environmental impact, and contributions to human health and nutrition, biodiversity and food security. This ...paper reviews the impact of grazing on these parameters and their interactions, identifying those practices that best meet governments’ strategic goals. The recent focus of research on livestock grazing and biodiversity has been on reducing grazing intensity on hill and upland areas. Although this produces rapid increases in sward height and herbage mass, changes in structural diversity and plant species are slower, with no appreciable short-term increases in biodiversity so that environmental policies that simply involve reductions in numbers of livestock may not result in increased biodiversity. Furthermore, upland areas rely heavily on nutrient inputs to pastures so that withdrawal of these inputs can threaten food security. Differences in grazing patterns among breeds increase our ability to manage biodiversity if they are matched appropriately to different conservation grazing goals. Lowland grassland systems differ from upland pastures in that additional nutrients in the form of organic and inorganic fertilisers are more frequently applied to lowland pastures. Appropriate management of these nutrient applications is required, to reduce the associated environmental impact. New slurry-spreading techniques and technologies (e.g. the trailing shoe) help reduce nutrient losses but high nitrogen losses from urine deposition remain a key issue for lowland grassland systems. Nitrification inhibitors have the greatest potential to successfully tackle this problem. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are lower from indoor-based systems that use concentrates to shorten finishing periods. The challenge is to achieve the same level of performance from grass-based systems. Research has shown potential solutions through the use of forages containing condensed tannins or establishing swards with a high proportion of clover and high-sugar grasses. Relative to feeding conserved forage or concentrates, grazing fresh grass not only reduces GHG emissions but also enhances the fatty acid composition of meat in terms of consumer health. It is possible to influence biodiversity, nutrient utilisation, GHG emissions and the nutritional quality of meat in grass-based systems, but each of these parameters is intrinsically linked and should not be considered in isolation. Interactions between these parameters must be considered carefully when policies are being developed, in order to ensure that strategies designed to achieve positive gains in one category do not lead to a negative impact in another. Some win-win outcomes are identified.
Differential cross sections for π−p and π+p elastic scattering were measured at five energies between 19.9 and 43.3 MeV. The use of the CHAOS magnetic spectrometer at TRIUMF, supplemented by a range ...telescope for muon background suppression, provided simultaneous coverage of a large part of the full angular range, thus allowing very precise relative cross section measurements. The absolute normalisation was determined with a typical accuracy of 5%. This was verified in a simultaneous measurement of muon proton elastic scattering. The measured cross sections show some deviations from phase shift analysis predictions, in particular at large angles and low energies. From the new data we determine the real part of the isospin forward scattering amplitude.
Summary
The increased incidence of diabetes, coupled with the introduction of alternative delivery methods that rely on higher doses, is expected to result in a substantial escalation in the demand ...for affordable insulin in the future. Limitations in the capacity and economics of production will make it difficult for current manufacturing technologies to meet this demand. We have developed a novel expression and recovery technology for the economical manufacture of biopharmaceuticals from oilseeds. Using this technology, recombinant human precursor insulin was expressed in transgenic plants. Plant‐derived insulin accumulates to significant levels in transgenic seed (0.13% total seed protein) and can be enzymatically treated in vitro to generate a product with a mass identical to that of the predicted product, DesB30‐insulin. The biological activity of this product in vivo and in vitro was demonstrated using an insulin tolerance test in mice and phosphorylation assay performed in a mammalian cell culture system, respectively.
Study of τ−→KSπ−ντ decay at Belle Epifanov, D.; Aihara, H.; Aulchenko, V. ...
Physics letters. B,
10/2007, Letnik:
654, Številka:
3-4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
We present a study of the decay τ−→KSπ−ντ using a 351 fb−1 data sample collected with the Belle detector. The analysis is based on 53,110 lepton-tagged signal events. The measured branching fraction ...B(τ−→KSπ−ντ)=(0.404±0.002(stat.)±0.013(syst.))% is consistent with the world average value and has better accuracy. An analysis of the KSπ− invariant mass spectrum reveals contributions from the K∗(892)− as well as other states. For the first time the K∗(892)− mass and width have been measured in τ decay: M(K∗(892)−)=(895.47±0.20(stat.)±0.44(syst.)±0.59(mod.)) MeV/c2, Γ(K∗(892)−)=(46.2±0.6(stat.)±1.0(syst.)±0.7(mod.)) MeV. The K∗(892)− mass is significantly different from the current world average value.
We report the observation of a narrow charmoniumlike state produced in the exclusive decay process B+/--->K+/-pi(+)pi(-)J/psi. This state, which decays into pi(+)pi(-)J/psi, has a mass of ...3872.0+/-0.6(stat)+/-0.5(syst) MeV, a value that is very near the M(D0)+M(D(*0)) mass threshold. The results are based on an analysis of 152M B-Bmacr; events collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance in the Belle detector at the KEKB collider. The signal has a statistical significance that is in excess of 10sigma.
We report on a search for the lepton flavor violating τ−→μ−γ and τ−→e−γ decays based on 535 fb−1 of data accumulated at the Belle experiment. No signal is found and we set 90% confidence level upper ...limits on the branching ratios B(τ−→μ−γ)<4.5×10−8 and B(τ−→e−γ)<1.2×10−7.
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