Computed Tomography Texture Analysis of Carotid Plaque as Predictor of Unfavorable Outcome after Carotid Artery Stenting: A Preliminary Study

Novel biomarkers are advocated to manage carotid plaques. Therefore, we aimed to test the association between textural features of carotid plaque at computed tomography angiography (CTA) and unfavorable outcome after carotid artery stenting (CAS). Between January 2010 and January 2021, were selected 172 patients (median age, 77 years; 112/172, 65% men) who underwent CAS with CTA of the supra-aortic vessels performed within prior 6 months. Standard descriptors of the density histogram were derived by open-source software automated analysis obtained by CTA plaque segmentation. Multiple logistic regression analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and the area under the ROC (AUC) were used to identify potential prognostic variables and to assess the model performance for predicting unfavorable outcome (periprocedural death or myocardial infarction and any ipsilateral acute neurological event). Unfavorable outcome occurred in 17/172 (10%) patients (median age, 79 years; 12/17, 70% men). Kurtosis was an independent predictor of unfavorable outcome (odds ratio, 0.79; confidence interval, 0.65–0.97; p = 0.029). The predictive model for unfavorable outcome including CTA textural features outperformed the model without textural features (AUC 0.789 vs 0.695, p = 0.004). In patients with stenotic carotid plaque, kurtosis derived by CTA density histogram analysis is an independent predictor of unfavorable outcome after CAS.

Selective Arterial Embolization of Renal Angiomyolipoma: Efficacy, Tumor Volume Reduction and Complications

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and complications of selective arterial embolization in renal angiomyolipoma and to identify predictive factors for tumor rupture.Materials and Methods: Overall, 21 patients with 25 renal angiomyolipoma (AML) underwent selective arterial embolization (SAE) between January 2008 and June 2019, comprising 15 cases involving prophylaxis embolization of a tumor >4 cm diameter and 10 involving embolization for a ruptured tumor. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) was performed pre- and post-SAE, using the 2D tumor diameter in the ruptured AMLs. Three-dimensional volumetry and density histogram were performed for determining the total tumor volume, fat, and angiomyogenic component reduction in the unruptured AMLs. The predictive factors for tumor rupture, the treatment outcome and complications were analyzed. Results: The clinical success rate was 84% (21/25 cases) and the technical success rate was 96% (24/25 cases). The 3D volume post-SAE within 1-3 months showed a greater decrement of the enhanced angiomyogenic component than the fat component, with median percentages of -62.2% and -18.4%, respectively (p-value = 0.333). Minor complications were post-embolization syndrome (5 case, 20%) and minimal renal infarction (4 cases, 16%). Renal abscesses were the major complications (3 cases, 12%). A factor associated with tumor rupture was the presence of an intra-tumoral aneurysm (p-value < 0.05).Conclusion: SAE is an effective treatment for renal AML with a high technical and clinical success rate and limited complications. Three-dimensional volume measurement and density histogram analysis might be better tools than two-dimensional CT to evaluate post-SAE response, which is crucial for management planning.

New Paradigm of Personalized Glycemic Control Using Glucose Temporal Density Histograms

Background: Current methods used to assess glycemic control use averaged measures and provide little information on the glycemic pathology of the patients. In this article we propose visual tools and their related mathematical formulas that allow for improved characterization of the glycemic behavior and achieve better glycemic control. Methods: We present a reanalysis of published data, based on SMBG measurements from clinical trials of both men and women older than 18 years who were either healthy volunteers, prediabetes, or type 1 or type 2 diabetes. New graphic visualizations of glycemia as well as mathematical formulas that describe the glycemic behavior are presented and described, as well as suggested methods for their use to improve glycemic control. Results: Patients with different problems in their glycemic control had different histogram shapes. In addition, patients who had the same HbA1c level at the time of the trial revealed significantly different glucose histograms with different shapes, variability and glycemic burden. The derived graphic visualizations provided information about the temporal evolution of the glycemic control. Conclusions: A paradigm change of the existing model of diabetes control is proposed, shifting from standardized treatment algorithms based on HbA1c follow-up to a new controlling approach that is based on the personal glucose density histogram. The histogram is an informative, detailed tool for the current patient glycemic behavior, and a future histogram can be targeted for a successful treatment. In addition, the glucose burden and the glucose severity index are proposed as informative markers for successful treatment. This is applicable to any glycemic data, by means of invasive and noninvasive glucometers.

Difference of the Gas Density Histograms in and out of spiral arms in Milky Way Galaxy

Abstract“Gas Density Histogram (GDH)” is an observational counterpart of the probability density function (PDF) of the gas density of interstellar medium (ISM). We used 12CO data in (l, b) = (29&deg;, 0) region from “FOREST unbiased galactic imaging survey with Nobeyama 45-m telescope (FUGIN)”, which is a large coverage survey in three CO (1-0) lines. Using the kinetic distance, we estimated the volume density of the voxel from the observed column density. The resultant GDHs of the inter-arm regions show lognormal or lognormal-like, but those in the spiral arm regions show flat-top shape.

Gas density histograms of galaxies: the observational density probability function of the interstellar gas density

In the steady state, the probability density function (PDF) of the gaseous interstellar matter (ISM) can be observed as a gas density histogram (GDH) of all cells in the system. We made GDHs of the Milky Way Galaxy (MWG) using Galactic plane surveys in CO lines. We found that the GDH in the MWG is log-normal which suggests that the density structure of the molecular gas is a result of many stochastic processes. Using the Nobeyama CO atlas, we made GDHs of nearby galaxies but in column density. Although some galaxies show log-normal, the others show completely different shapes, suggesting that the density structure of galaxies may be different from galaxy to galaxy.