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Top fDi Performers 2019

A look at the results of fDi’s rankings throughout 2019 finds that Singapore and New York dominated the year’s league tables, followed by Shanghai, Tokyo and London




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Welcome to GeForce NOW Performance: Priority Members Get Instant Upgrade

This GFN Thursday, the GeForce NOW Priority membership is getting enhancements and a fresh name to go along with it. The new Performance membership offers more GeForce-powered premium gaming — at no change in the monthly membership cost. Gamers having a hard time deciding between the Performance and Ultimate memberships can take them both for Read Article




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A Perfect Picture of Saving Faith (Galatians 4:21–5:1)

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.




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A Perfect Picture of Saving Faith, Part 2 (Galatians 4:21–5:1)

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.




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The Perfect Model of a Spirit-Empowered Life (Galatians 5:16–26)

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.




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Perfecting the Saints (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.




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Divine Barriers to Superficial Seekers (Mark 10:17-22)

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.




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PICS: Counterfeit goods valued at R2million seized, 24 Pakistani nationals arrested, in latest Fordsburg raid




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Hurricane Rafael strengthens to powerful Category 3 storm as it heads to Cuba

HAVANA — Rafael strengthened Wednesday into a powerful Category 3 hurricane ahead of its expected landfall in western Cuba, where it was forecast to bring "life-threatening" storm surges, winds and flash floods.  The storm, which knocked out power and dumped rain on the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, is expected to hit the Isle of Youth in the coming hours and make landfall later on Wednesday.  Classes and public transport were suspended on parts of the island as authorities issued an alarm for the incoming weather for the west of the country. Workers secured buildings and cleaned up garbage along Havana's coastline in preparation for floods. Authorities also canceled flights in certain areas like Havana and Varadero. Thousands of people in the west of the island were evacuated as a prevention measure.  "Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," warned the National Hurricane Center in Miami.  The storm was located about 65 kilometers (40 miles) east-southeast of the Isle of Youth and around 135 kilometers (84 miles) south-southeast of Havana. It had maximum sustained winds of 185 kph (115 mph) and was moving northwest at 22 kph (14 mph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.  Forecasters expected the storm to later weaken over Cuba, but emerge in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane.  Cubans have already been struggling with blackouts while recovering from another hurricane two weeks ago that killed at least six people in the eastern part of the island.  The U.S. State Department issued an advisory for Cuba on Tuesday afternoon, offering departure flights to non-essential staff and American citizens, and advising others to "reconsider travel to Cuba due to the potential impact of Tropical Storm Rafael."  On Tuesday morning, the Cuban Civil Defense called on Cubans to prepare as soon as possible, because when the storm makes landfall "it's important to stay where you are."  Silvia Perez, a 72-year-old retiree living in a coastal area of Havana, was among those scrambling to prepare. As other neighbors moved appliances and other furniture from ground floor homes, worried about floods, Perez stocked up on water and food.  "This is a night I don't want to sleep through, between the battering air and the trees," Perez said. "I'm scared for my friends and family."  A hurricane warning was in effect on Wednesday for a portion of the Cayman Islands and the Cuban provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, Matanzas and the Isle of Youth.  A tropical storm warning was in effect for the Cuban provinces of Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus and Ciego de Avila, as well as the lower and middle Florida Keys from Key West to west of the Channel 5 Bridge, and Dry Tortugas.  The storm on Tuesday knocked out power in parts of Jamaica and unleashed flooding and landslides. The Jamaica Public Service, the island's electricity provider, said in a statement late Tuesday that impassable roads were preventing crews from restoring power in some areas.  Power outages were reported across the Cayman Islands after a direct hit late Tuesday, and schools remained closed on Wednesday.  "While conditions have improved on Grand Cayman, residents are advised to exercise extreme caution on the roads and near coastlines as rough seas and residual flooding risks may persist," the government said in a statement.  Heavy rainfall also was expected to spread north into Florida and nearby areas of the southeast U.S. during the middle to late part of the week. The Hurricane Center predicted storm surges in Florida could reach 1 to 3 feet in Dry Tortugas and 1 to 2 feet in the Lower Florida Keys. A few tornadoes also were expected Wednesday over the Keys and southwestern Florida.  Rafael is the 17th named storm of the season.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted the 2024 hurricane season was likely to be well above average, with between 17 and 25 named storms. The forecast called for as many as 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes.  An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of them hurricanes and three major hurricanes. 




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Gauteng police arrest seven suspected victims of human trafficking linked to counterfeit food




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Powerful Promises




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Sudan: Political Actors Condemn Further Airstrikes On Darfur

[Dabanga] Airstrikes killed dozens and injured others in Nyala and neighbouring Beleil in South Darfur and Mellit, El Koma, and Kabkabiya in North Darfur on Saturday and Sunday, according to a Radio Dabanga listener. Multiple political actors and groups have condemned the "random" air raids.




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Church and independent schools outperform state schools in computer literacy

Females perform better than males • Malta’s computer literacy score is within international average for computer literacy and substantially below average in computational thinking




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Australia: Fanning the Flames of Warming and Warfare

Australia is a case study for how the West prioritizes fossil fuels and military intervention over developing alternative energy and regional accord.




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Online gambling outperforms the brick-and-mortar scene worldwide

Online gambling platforms are always open, meaning you can gamble when you feel like it




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What is Special about Enterprise Performance in North-East People's Republic of China?

This paper examines enterprise performance in the North-East region of the People's Republic of China.



  • Publications/Papers and Briefs

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Corporate Governance in the Republic of Korea and Its Implications for Firm Performance

This paper is part of a cross-country study on corporate governance in Asia. A consensus has yet to be reached about exactly what factors were behind the crisis of 1998 and how these factors interacted in bringing about the crisis.



  • Publications/Papers and Briefs

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alm performance center installation guide

alm performance center installation guide




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81134a performance verification user guide

81134a performance verification user guide




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alm performance center guide

alm performance center guide




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81110a with 81112a perf test p91 user guide

81110a with 81112a perf test p91 user guide




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Leveraging Lessons Learned from India’s Unified Payments Interface for Digital Transformation in Asia and the Pacific

This brief shows how India sparked a digital payments boom and boosted financial inclusion through the introduction of its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and outlines ways countries in the region can ramp up their own digital transformation.




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We now know how kestrels stay perfectly still while hovering

Two nankeen kestrels have been filmed flying in a wind tunnel to learn how the raptors keep their heads in a fixed position under turbulent conditions




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Lights on surfboards and wetsuits could deter shark attacks

Experiments show that illuminating the underside of a decoy seal reduces attacks by great white sharks, revealing a possible strategy to protect surfers and swimmers




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Why our location in the Milky Way is perfect for finding alien life

Our arm of the Milky Way is filled with older, metal-rich stars. New research suggests these might provide the best conditions for life to form on their planets




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Why midlife is the perfect time to take control of your future health

The lifestyle choices you make in middle age play a particularly important role in how your brain ages




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X-ray laser fires most powerful pulse ever recorded

The Linac Coherent Light Source in California fired an X-ray pulse that lasted only a few hundred billionths of a billionth of a second but carried nearly a terawatt of power




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How the weird and powerful pull of black holes made me a physicist

When I heard Stephen Hawking extol the mysteries of black holes, I knew theoretical physics was what I wanted to do. There is still so much to learn about these strange regions, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein




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Jets of liquid bounce off hot surfaces without ever touching them

Droplets of fluid have been known to hover above a hot surface, but a new experiment suggests the same can happen to tiny jets of liquid too




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Distant dwarf planet Makemake might have a surprising ice volcano

A small world in the outer solar system appears to have volcanic activity possibly spurred by liquid water




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Lights on surfboards and wetsuits could deter shark attacks

Experiments show that illuminating the underside of a decoy seal reduces attacks by great white sharks, revealing a possible strategy to protect surfers and swimmers




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Jets of liquid bounce off hot surfaces without ever touching them

Droplets of fluid have been known to hover above a hot surface, but a new experiment suggests the same can happen to tiny jets of liquid too




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Good Nutrition Can Boost School Performance, Expert Says

Title: Good Nutrition Can Boost School Performance, Expert Says
Category: Health News
Created: 8/25/2013 9:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/26/2013 12:00:00 AM




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Hospitals Increasingly Give Powerful Clot-Buster for Stroke

Title: Hospitals Increasingly Give Powerful Clot-Buster for Stroke
Category: Health News
Created: 8/23/2013 12:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/26/2013 12:00:00 AM




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Readmission Rates for Children May Not Reflect Hospital Performance

Title: Readmission Rates for Children May Not Reflect Hospital Performance
Category: Health News
Created: 8/27/2013 9:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/27/2013 12:00:00 AM




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Too Many Unnecessary Thyroid Biopsies Performed, Experts Say

Title: Too Many Unnecessary Thyroid Biopsies Performed, Experts Say
Category: Health News
Created: 8/26/2013 4:36:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/27/2013 12:00:00 AM




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Study: Aspirin Might Work Instead of Warfarin for Deep Vein Clots

Title: Study: Aspirin Might Work Instead of Warfarin for Deep Vein Clots
Category: Health News
Created: 8/26/2014 12:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 8/27/2014 12:00:00 AM




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Brief Drop in Blood Sugar at Birth Tied to Poorer School Performance

Title: Brief Drop in Blood Sugar at Birth Tied to Poorer School Performance
Category: Health News
Created: 8/24/2015 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/25/2015 12:00:00 AM




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Most Don't Need 'Bridging' When They Stop Warfarin Temporarily

Title: Most Don't Need 'Bridging' When They Stop Warfarin Temporarily
Category: Health News
Created: 8/26/2015 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/27/2015 12:00:00 AM




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Get Cooking With Elegant, Flavorful Scallops

Title: Get Cooking With Elegant, Flavorful Scallops
Category: Health News
Created: 8/26/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/26/2019 12:00:00 AM




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Rheumatoid Factor (RF)

Title: Rheumatoid Factor (RF)
Category: Procedures and Tests
Created: 1/28/2002 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/25/2022 12:00:00 AM




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Many Older Women Have Active Sex Lives, But Menopause Can Interfere

Title: Many Older Women Have Active Sex Lives, But Menopause Can Interfere
Category: Health News
Created: 5/18/2022 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/19/2022 12:00:00 AM




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Performance Evaluation of the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT-4) on the Family Medicine In-Training Examination

Objective:

In this study, we sought to comprehensively evaluate GPT-4 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer)’s performance on the 2022 American Board of Family Medicine’s (ABFM) In-Training Examination (ITE), compared with its predecessor, GPT-3.5, and the national family residents’ performance on the same examination.

Methods:

We utilized both quantitative and qualitative analyses. First, a quantitative analysis was employed to evaluate the model's performance metrics using zero-shot prompt (where only examination questions were provided without any additional information). After this, qualitative analysis was executed to understand the nature of the model's responses, the depth of its medical knowledge, and its ability to comprehend contextual or new information through chain-of-thoughts prompts (interactive conversation) with the model.

Results:

This study demonstrated that GPT-4 made significant improvement in accuracy compared with GPT-3.5 over a 4-month interval between their respective release dates. The correct percentage with zero-shot prompt increased from 56% to 84%, which translates to a scaled score growth from 280 to 690, a 410-point increase. Most notably, further chain-of-thought investigation revealed GPT-4’s ability to integrate new information and make self-correction when needed.

Conclusions:

In this study, GPT-4 has demonstrated notably high accuracy, as well as rapid reading and learning capabilities. These results are consistent with previous research indicating GPT-4's significant potential to assist in clinical decision making. Furthermore, the study highlights the essential role of physicians' critical thinking and lifelong learning skills, particularly evident through the analysis of GPT-4's incorrect responses. This emphasizes the indispensable human element in effectively implementing and using AI technologies in medical settings.




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What a wonderful world! [Special Section: Symposium Outlook]

The world of cancer science is moving toward a paradigm shift in making connections with neuroscience. After decades of research on genetic instability and mutations or on the tumor microenvironment, emerging evidence suggests that a malignant tumor is able to hijack and use the brain and its network of peripheral and central neurons as disrupters of homeostasis in the body. Whole-body homeostasis requires brain–body circuits to maintain survival and health via the processes of interoception, immunoception, and nociception. It is now likely that cancer disturbs physiological brain–body communication in making bidirectional brain tumor connections.




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Cancer neuroscience at the brain-body interface [Special Section: Symposium Outlook]

Our approaches toward understanding cancer have evolved beyond cell-intrinsic and local microenvironmental changes within the tumor to encompass how the cancer interfaces with the entire host organism. The nervous system is uniquely situated at the interface between the brain and body, constantly receiving and sending signals back and forth to maintain homeostasis and respond to salient stimuli. It is becoming clear that various cancers disrupt this dialog between the brain and body via both neuronal and humoral routes, leading to aberrant brain activity and accelerated disease. In this outlook, I discuss this view of cancer as a homeostatic challenge, emphasize cutting-edge work, and provide outstanding questions that need to be answered to move the field forward.




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The noninvasive ventilation outcomes score in patients requiring NIV for COPD exacerbation without prior evidence of airflow obstruction

Introduction

Exacerbation of COPD complicated by respiratory acidaemia is the commonest indication for noninvasive ventilation (NIV). The NIV outcomes (NIVO) score offers the best estimate of survival for those ventilated. Unfortunately, two-thirds of cases of COPD are unrecognised, and patients may present without COPD having been confirmed by spirometry.

Methods

In the 10-centre NIVO validation study there was no pre-admission spirometry in 111 of 844 consecutive patients (termed "clinical diagnosis" patients). We compared the performance of the NIVO, DECAF and CURB-65 scores for in-hospital mortality in the clinical diagnosis cohort. Usual clinical practice was not influenced, but confirmation of COPD in the year following discharge was captured.

Results

In the clinical diagnosis cohort, in-hospital mortality was 19.8% and rose incrementally across the NIVO risk categories, consistent with the NIVO validation cohort. NIVO showed good discrimination in the clinical diagnosis cohort: area under the receiver operating curve 0.724, versus 0.79 in the NIVO validation cohort. At 1 year after discharge, 41 of 89 clinical diagnosis patients had undertaken diagnostic spirometry; 33 of 41 had confirmation of airflow obstruction (forced expiratory volume in 1 s/(forced) vital capacity <0.7), meaning the diagnosis of COPD was incorrect in 19.5% of cases.

Discussion

These data support the use of the NIVO score in patients with a "clinical diagnosis" of COPD. NIVO can help guide shared decision-making, assess risk-adjusted outcomes by centre and challenge prognostic pessimism. Accurate diagnosis is critical to ensure that acute and long-term treatment is optimised; this study highlights failings in the follow-up of such patients.




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Nonclinical Pharmacokinetics Study of OLX702A-075-16, N-Acetylgalactosamine Conjugated Asymmetric Small Interfering RNA (GalNAc-asiRNA) [Articles]

In this study, the nonclinical pharmacokinetics of OLX702A-075-16, an RNA interference therapeutic currently in development, were investigated. OLX702A-075-16 is a novel N-acetylgalactosamine conjugated asymmetric small-interfering RNA (GalNAc-asiRNA) used for the treatment of an undisclosed liver disease. Its unique 16/21-mer asymmetric structure reduces nonspecific off-target effects without compromising efficacy. We investigated the plasma concentration, tissue distribution, metabolism, and renal excretion of OLX702A-075-16 following a subcutaneous administration in mice and rats. For bioanalysis, high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection was used. The results showed rapid clearance from plasma (0.5 to 1.5 hours of half-life) and predominant distribution to the liver and/or kidney. Less than 1% of the liver concentration of OLX702A-075-16 was detected in the other tissues. Metabolite profiling using liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry revealed that the intact duplex OLX702A-075-16 was the major compound in plasma. The GalNAc moiety was predominantly metabolized from the sense strand in the liver, with the unconjugated sense strand of OLX702A-075-16 accounting for more than 95% of the total exposure in the rat liver. Meanwhile, the antisense strand was metabolized by the sequential loss of nucleotides from the 3'-terminus by exonuclease, with the rat liver samples yielding the most diverse truncated forms of metabolites. Urinary excretion over 96 hours was less than 1% of the administered dose in rats. High plasma protein binding of OLX702A-075-16 likely inhibited its clearance through renal filtration.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

This study presents the first comprehensive characterization of the in vivo pharmacokinetics of GalNAc-asiRNA. The pharmacokinetic insights gained from this research will aid in understanding toxicology and efficacy, optimizing delivery platforms, and improving the predictive power of preclinical species data for human applications.




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Characterizing the Distribution of a Stimulator of Interferon Genes Agonist and Its Metabolites in Mouse Liver by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Imaging Mass Spectrometry [Special Section on New and Emerging Areas and Technologies in Drug Met

A STING (stimulator of interferon genes) agonist GSK3996915 under investigation in early discovery for hepatitis B was orally dosed to a mouse model for understanding the parent drug distribution in liver, the target organ. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) was used to quantify the distribution of GSK3996915 in liver collected from mice administered a single oral dose at 90 mg/kg. GSK3996915 was detected with a zonal distribution localized in the portal triad and highly concentrated in the main bile ducts, indicating clearance through biliary excretion. High spatial resolution imaging showed the distribution of the parent drug localized to the cellular populations in the sinusoids, including the Kupffer cells. Additionally, a series of drug-related metabolites were observed to be localized in the central zones of the liver. These results exemplify the potential of utilizing MALDI IMS for measuring not only quantitative drug distribution and target exposure but also drug metabolism and elimination in a single suite of experiments.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

An integrated imaging approach utilizing matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI IMS) complemented with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and histology was used to address the question of target exposure at the cellular level. Localized quantification of the parent drug in the target organ and identification of potential metabolites in the context of tissue histology were also achieved in one experimental suite to support characterization of pharmacokinetic properties of the drug in the early discovery stage.:




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The Updated Registry of Fast Myocardial Perfusion Imaging with Next-Generation SPECT (REFINE SPECT 2.0)

The Registry of Fast Myocardial Perfusion Imaging with Next-Generation SPECT (REFINE SPECT) has been expanded to include more patients and CT attenuation correction imaging. We present the design and initial results from the updated registry. Methods: The updated REFINE SPECT is a multicenter, international registry with clinical data and image files. SPECT images were processed by quantitative software and CT images by deep learning software detecting coronary artery calcium (CAC). Patients were followed for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) (death, myocardial infarction, unstable angina, late revascularization). Results: The registry included scans from 45,252 patients from 13 centers (55.9% male, 64.7 ± 11.8 y). Correlating invasive coronary angiography was available for 3,786 (8.4%) patients. CT attenuation correction imaging was available for 13,405 patients. MACEs occurred in 6,514 (14.4%) patients during a median follow-up of 3.6 y (interquartile range, 2.5–4.8 y). Patients with a stress total perfusion deficit of 5% to less than 10% (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR], 2.42; 95% CI, 2.23–2.62) and a stress total perfusion deficit of at least 10% (unadjusted HR, 3.85; 95% CI, 3.56–4.16) were more likely to experience MACEs. Patients with a deep learning CAC score of 101–400 (unadjusted HR, 3.09; 95% CI, 2.57–3.72) and a CAC of more than 400 (unadjusted HR, 5.17; 95% CI, 4.41–6.05) were at increased risk of MACEs. Conclusion: The REFINE SPECT registry contains a comprehensive set of imaging and clinical variables. It will aid in understanding the value of SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging, leverage hybrid imaging, and facilitate validation of new artificial intelligence tools for improving prediction of adverse outcomes incorporating multimodality imaging.




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Arterial Spin-Labeling Perfusion Lightbulb Sign: An Imaging Biomarker of Pediatric Posterior Fossa Hemangioblastoma [CLINICAL PRACTICE]

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

Hemangioblastoma is a rare vascular tumor that occurs within the central nervous system in children. Differentiating hemangioblastoma from other posterior fossa tumors can be challenging on imaging, and preoperative diagnosis can change the neurosurgical approach. We hypothesize that a "lightbulb sign" on the arterial spin-labeling (ASL) sequence (diffuse homogeneous intense hyperperfusion within the solid component of the tumor) will provide additional imaging finding to differentiate hemangioblastoma from other posterior fossa tumors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

In this retrospective comparative observational study, we only included pathology-proved cases of hemangioblastoma, while the control group consisted of other randomly selected pathology-proved posterior fossa tumors from January 2022 to January 2024. Two blinded neuroradiologists analyzed all applicable MRI sequences, including ASL sequence if available. ASL was analyzed for the lightbulb sign. Disagreements between the radiologists were resolved by a third pediatric neuroradiologist. 2 and Fisher exact test were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS:

Ninety-five patients were enrolled in the study; 57 (60%) were boys. The median age at diagnosis was 8 years old (interquartile range: 3–14). Of the enrolled patients, 8 had hemangioblastoma, and 87 had other posterior fossa tumors, including medulloblastoma (n = 31), pilocytic astrocytoma (n = 23), posterior fossa ependymoma type A (n = 16), and other tumors (n = 17). The comparison of hemangioblastoma versus nonhemangioblastoma showed that peripheral edema (P = .02) and T2-flow void (P = .02) favor hemangioblastoma, whereas reduced diffusion (low ADC) (P = .002) and ventricular system extension (P = .001) favor nonhemangioblastoma tumors. Forty-two cases also had ASL perfusion sequences. While high perfusion favors hemangioblastoma (P = .03), the lightbulb sign shows a complete distinction because all the ASL series of hemangioblastoma cases (n = 4) showed the lightbulb sign, whereas none of the nonhemangioblastoma cases (n = 38) showed the sign (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS:

Lightbulb-like intense and homogeneous hyperperfusion patterns on ASL are helpful in diagnosing posterior fossa hemangioblastoma in children.