Imaging 3.0: A scoping review.

We aim to provide a comprehensive summary of the current body of literature concerning the Imaging 3.0 initiative and its implications for patient care within the field of radiology. We offer a thorough analysis of the literature pertaining to the Imaging 3.0 initiative, emphasizing the practical application of the five pillars of the program, their cost-effectiveness, and their benefits in patient management. By doing so, we hope to illustrate the impact the Imaging 3.0 Initiative can have on the future of radiology and patient care.

Systematic Review on Magnetic Resonance Angiography with Vessel Wall Imaging for the Characterization of Symptomatic Carotid Artery Plaque.

BACKGROUND: To perform a systematic literature review to assess the usefulness of performing magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) with vessel wall imaging (VWI) sequences for the assessment of symptomatic carotid artery plaques and the identification of risky plaque features predisposing for stroke. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of the literature pertaining to MRA with VWI techniques in patients with carotid artery disease, focusing on symptomatic patients' plaque features and morphology. Independent reviewers screened and analyzed data extracted from eligible studies, and a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to appraise the quality of the design and content of the selected manuscripts to achieve an accurate interpretation. RESULTS: This review included nineteen peer-reviewed manuscripts, all of them including MRA and VWI assessments of the symptomatic carotid artery plaque. We focused on patients' comorbidities and reviewed plaque features, including intraplaque hemorrhage, a lipid-rich necrotic core, a ruptured fibrous cap, and plaque ulceration. CONCLUSIONS: MRA with VWI is a useful tool in the evaluation of carotid artery plaques. This imaging technique allows clinicians to identify plaques at risk of causing a neurovascular event. The presence of intraplaque hemorrhage, plaque ulceration, a ruptured fibrous cap, and a lipid-rich necrotic core are associated with neurovascular symptoms. The timely identification of these features could have a positive impact on neurovascular event prevention.

Systematically Assessing Natural Compounds' Wound Healing Potential with Spheroid and Scratch Assays.

Understanding cellular processes involved in wound healing is very important given that there are diseases, such as diabetes, in which wounds do not heal. To model tissue regeneration, we focus on two cellular processes: cellular proliferation, to replace cells lost to the wound, and cell motility, activated at the wound edges. We address these two processes in separate, drug responsive, in vitro models. The first model is a scaffold-free three-dimensional (3D) spheroid model, in which spheroids grow larger - to a certain extent - with increased time in culture. The second model, the scratch wound assay, is focused on cell motility. In conjunction with collagen staining, it analyzes changes to the coverage of the wound edge and wound bed. Our workflow gives insights into candidate compounds for wound healing as we show using manuka honey (MH) as an example. Spheroids are responsive to oxidative damage by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) which affects viability but mostly produces disaggregation. Conversely, MH supports spheroid health, shown by size measurements and viability. In two-dimensional scratch wound assays, MH helps close wounds with relative less collagen production and increases the loose cellular coverage adjacent to and within the wound. We use these methods in the undergraduate research laboratory as teaching and standardization tools, and we hope these will be useful in similar settings.

Skin Wound Healing: Refractory Wounds and Novel Solutions.

This overview of the current state of skin wound healing includes in vitro and in vivo approaches along with some recent clinical trials. From an introduction to wound healing, to tissue engineering as applied to the skin, we cover the basis for the current wound care techniques as well as novel and promising approaches. Special emphasis is given to refractory wounds which include wounds in diabetic patients. Natural compounds have been ever present in wound healing, and so we devote a section to highlighting current attempts to understand their mechanisms and to use them in novel ways.