The project "Barrierfree dEsign foR Teaching and Learning" (BERTL) aims to identify and reduce barriers in teaching, with a focus on Universal Design or Design for All. BERTL includes an analysis of ...the situation at the University, to identify barriers faced by people with disabilities, chronic diseases, and in different life situations The BERTL Simulation Lab and Toolbox will be developed based on the analysis to help identify and eliminate barriers in their courses, and the continuing education program. In the different phases of the project, pilot courses with different didactic concepts are analyzed, checked for barriers in teaching materials and course procedures also peer feedbacks are conducted. These results will be used to improve and expand the courses of the University Applied Science and the used didactic principles. Establishing a handbook and a training series at the University is also aim of this project as practice collection and sample courses to support lecturers. The project results will be used in teaching and made publicly available.
Abstract
The project "Barrierfree dEsign foR Teaching and Learning" (BERTL) aims to identify and reduce barriers in teaching, with a focus on Universal Design or Design for All. BERTL includes an ...analysis of the situation at the University, to identify barriers faced by people with disabilities, chronic diseases, and in different life situations The BERTL Simulation Lab and Toolbox will be developed based on the analysis to help identify and eliminate barriers in their courses, and the continuing education program. In the different phases of the project, pilot courses with different didactic concepts are analyzed, checked for barriers in teaching materials and course procedures also peer feedbacks are conducted. These results will be used to improve and expand the courses of the University Applied Science and the used didactic principles. Establishing a handbook and a training series at the University is also aim of this project as practice collection and sample courses to support lecturers. The project results will be used in teaching and made publicly available.
Abstract
The funded research Project HealthCONNECT implements measure to promote the term eHealth in teaching and means to ease the exchange of lecturers and students to perceive different views of ...this topic. This report introduces the activities that have been implemented, stresses challenges that were observed and derives suggestions how to establish a co-operation between different institutes of higher education. This includes the mutual participation and inclusion of lecturers in teaching and evaluation activities; spanning from assessing students’ projects till chairing master examinations. The co-operative organization and hosting of eHealth Summer Schools is another mean to share knowledge in the domain of eHealth with students and colleagues abroad. Such activities require a stable co-operation between the involved institutions that only can be build upon a trustworthy relationship between the lecturers as they are paving the way.
Objectives
To compare the contrast agent effect of a full dose and half the dose of gadobenate dimeglumine in brain tumours at 7 Tesla (7T) MR versus 3 Tesla (3T).
Methods
Ten patients with primary ...brain tumours or metastases were examined. Signal intensities were assessed in the lesion and normal brain. Tumour-to-brain contrast and lesion enhancement were calculated. Additionally, two independent readers subjectively graded the image quality and artefacts.
Results
The enhanced mean tumour-to-brain contrast and lesion enhancement were significantly higher at 7T than at 3T for both half the dose (91.8 ± 45.8 vs. 43.9 ± 25.3
p
= 0.010, 128.1 ± 53.7 vs. 75.5 ± 32.4
p
= 0.004) and the full dose (129.2 ± 50.9 vs. 66.6 ± 33.1
p
= 0.002, 165.4 ± 54.2 vs. 102.6 ± 45.4
p
= 0.004). Differences between dosages at each field strength were also significant. Lesion enhancement was higher with half the dose at 7T than with the full dose at 3T (
p
= .037), while the tumour-to-brain contrast was not significantly different. Subjectively, contrast enhancement, visibility, and lesion delineation were better at 7T and with the full dose. All parameters were rated as good, at the least.
Conclusion
Half the routine contrast agent dose at 7T provided higher lesion enhancement than the full dose at 3T which indicates the possibility of dose reduction at 7T.
Key Points
•
The contrast effect of gadobenate dimeglumine was assessed at 7T and 3T.
•
In brain tumours, contrast effect was higher at 7T than at 3T.
•
Tumour-to-brain contrast at 7T half dose and 3T full dose were comparable.
•
7T half dose lesion enhancement was higher than 3T full dose enhancement.
•
Our results indicate the possibility of contrast agent dose reduction at 7T.
Objectives
To test the feasibility and accuracy of MR-guided soft tissue tumour biopsy at 3T, using the dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) information from staging MRI for intralesional targeting.
...Methods
After obtaining written informed consent for this institutional review board-approved study, 53 patients with suspected soft tissue tumours prospectively underwent preoperative staging MRI at 3T, including DCE, and subsequent MR-guided core needle biopsy. In 44/53 cases, DCE was heterogeneous and was used for intralesional biopsy targeting. Surgical, whole-specimen histology was used as the gold standard in 43/44 patients and revealed 42 soft tissue tumours (24 men; 18 women; mean age, 52 years; range, 19 – 84).
Results
Final surgical histology revealed eight benign lesions, six tumours of intermediate dignity, and 28 malignancies. All malignancies had shown heterogeneous DCE. The diagnostic yield of the biopsies was 100 % (42/42). Histological accuracy rates of biopsy were 100 % in predicting the dignity (42/42; 95 % CI 0.916 – 1.000), 95.2 % for the tissue-specific entity (40/42; 95 % CI 0.847 – 0.987), and 90.5 % for the tumour grade (38/42; 95 % CI 0.779 – 0.962).
Conclusions
Our preliminary study indicates that biopsy of soft tissue tumours can be performed accurately and safely with DCE targeted MR-guidance at 3T, using a combined staging/biopsy MRI protocol.
Key Points
•
MR-guided soft tissue tumour biopsy using DCE for intralesional targeting is feasible.
•
Targeting by staging-MRI allows reliable planning of the biopsy approach.
•
The method seems accurate and safe as a combined staging/biopsy procedure in outpatients.
•
DCE-targeted biopsy seems useful in challenging large and heterogeneous tumours.
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