Can gadoxetic acid–enhanced magnetic resonance imaging be used to avoid liver biopsy in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease?

BACKGROUND Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)is a major cause of liver disease worldwide.The diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH),the most severe form of NAFLD,is crucial and has prognostic and therapeutic implications.However,currently this diagnosis is based on liver biopsy and has several limitations.AIM To evaluate the performance of gadoxetic acid–enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(GA-MRI)in differentiating isolated steatosis from NASH in patients with NAFLD.METHODS In this prospective study,56 patients with NAFLD(18 with isolated steatosis and 38 with NASH)underwent GA-MRI.The contrast enhancement index(CEI)was calculated as the rate of increase of the liver-to-muscle signal intensity ratio from before and 20 min after intravenous GA administration.Between-group differences in mean CEI were examined using Student's t test.The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve and the diagnostic performance of gadoxetic acid–enhanced magnetic resonance imaging were evaluated.RESULTS The mean CEI for all subjects was 1.82±0.19.The mean CEI was significantly lower in patients with NASH than in those with isolated steatosis(P=0.008).Two CEI cut-off points were used:<1.66(94%specificity)to characterize NASH and>2.00(89%sensitivity)to characterize isolated steatosis.CEI values between 1.66 and 2.00 indicated liver biopsy,and the procedure could be avoided in 40%of patients with NAFLD.CONCLUSION GA-MRI is an effective noninvasive method that may be useful for the differentiation of NASH from isolated steatosis,and could help to avoid liver biopsy in patients with NAFLD.

Optical Decontamination of Large Areas Containing Airborne Microorganisms at Different Phases of Growth

Background:Microorganisms transferred by water,air,and human such as bacteria and viruses can reach inanimate surfaces with high rates of contamination.In general,the objectives of the research were to evaluate the decontamination of large areas such as floors,using a mobile device with ultraviolet C light at different delivery times and also to evaluate these microbial loads in stationary or latent phases.Material and methods:The microbial inactivation effects of this device were measured through the recovery of viable bacteria in different points of the applied area.Results:A significant microbial reduction(p≤0.05)of 60-87%was obtained in general for all groups and for groups with stationary phase reductions of 100%.Conclusions:microbial inactivation with UV-C ultraviolet light administration rates presents the possibility of potential use on surfaces of large areas for the decontamination of microorganisms in latent and stationary phases.

Acute Tonsillopharyngitis: Photosensitizer Fluorescence-Guided in Topical Therapy

Background: As is observed in acute respiratory pandemics characterized by inflammation of the oropharynx, microbial transmission caused by viruses and bacteria through the upper respiratory tract can quickly affect the lower respiratory tract due to its ease of transmission, The challenges are presented in the development of an adequate lighting system to prevent infections of the upper respiratory treatment and highlight the importance of following the procedure due to fluorescence decay from the given light dose. Methods: for this purpose, our study evaluated the lighting distribution on the oropharynx established and determined under simulation by TracePro software. The photobleaching (PB) is obtained by different fluorescence analysis methods of photosensitizer (PS) in formulation located in the oropharynx and tonsils. A blue light emission system at 450 nm was studied to improve the distribution, uniformity, and ray’s incidence. The PB of the PS was investigated using two different methods for detecting fluorescence in the oropharynx by quantifying the active portion of the PS assessed by fluorescence spectroscopy for patients with pharyngotonsillitis by consuming 2.25 mg of curcumin in formulation after applying light by analysis of images in Software MatLab. Results: The lighting device showed a uniformity of 82% in the oropharynx. In healthy volunteers, the minimum energy of photodegradation of curcumin is 0.2 and the maximum energy is 17.4 J/cm2. We observed intensities of blue and green emission of the analyzed fluorescence images related to PS through fluorescence measurements. Conclusions: We conclude that the pharyngotonsillitis infections can be treated by using an adequate distribution of light in the oropharynx and by activating photosensitizing agents in the infection sites supported by the fluorescence of the compound.

Quantum vortices get stretched

Since its discovery, superfluidity [1,2] remains one of the most remarkable phenomena in quantum physics. The onset of the quantum regime in liquid helium is visually striking, when the fluid flows without dissipation or detaches from a rotating bucket, remaining still upon soft rotations. The same phenomenon is present in the context of ultracold bosonic quantum gases where, most of the time, superfluidity walks hand-in-hand with the transition to Bose−Einstein condensation [3].