0000000000696087
AUTHOR
Muhammad Naeem
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) vs. non-HCC: accuracy and reliability of Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System v2018
PURPOSE: The Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) was created to standardize the diagnostic criteria for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and has undergone multiple revisions including a recent update in 2018 (v2018). The primary aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic performance and interrater reliability (IRR) of LI-RADS v2018 for distinguishing HCC from non-HCC primary hepatic malignancy in patients ‘at-risk’ for HCC. A secondary aim was to assess the impact of changes introduced in the v2018 diagnostic algorithm. METHODS: This retrospective study combined a 10-year experience of pathologically-proven primary liver malignancies from two large liver transplant cente…
Fabrication and characterization of ZnO/Zn2TiO4/ZnAl2O4 composite films by using magnetron sputtering with ceramic targets
Abstract Transparent conducting oxides (TCO), including ZnO/Zn2TiO4/ZnAl2O4 composite films, are of considerable importance in optoelectronic applications. We fabricated composite film assisted with DC magnetron sputtering using ceramic target material (ZnO, TiO2, and Al2O3 powders mixture). The influence of processing gases composition (0–50% O2–Ar) on film characteristics, including structural, optical, and electronic properties, is assessed. All films contain hexagonal wurtzite ZnO structure and ZnAl2O4, Zn2TiO4 spinel phases, with (002), (100), and (101) as dominant orientation by increasing oxygen contents. The transmittance of deposited films is above 81% (except for 50% oxygen), and …
Expanding the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) v2018 diagnostic population: performance and reliability of LI-RADS for distinguishing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from non-HCC primary liver carcinoma in patients who do not meet strict LI-RADS high-risk criteria
Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be diagnosed using imaging criteria in patients at high-risk for HCC, according to Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) guidelines. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic performance and inter-rater reliability (IRR) of LI-RADS v2018 for differentiating HCC from non-HCC primary liver carcinoma (PLC), in patients who are at increased risk for HCC but not included in the LI-RADS ‘high-risk’ population. Methods This retrospective HIPAA-compliant study included a 10-year experience of pathologically-proven PLC at two liver transplant centers, and included patients with non-cirrhotic hepatitis C infection, non-cir…
SARS-CoV-2 infection and venous thromboembolism after surgery: an international prospective cohort study
SARS-CoV-2 has been associated with an increased rate of venous thromboembolism in critically ill patients. Since surgical patients are already at higher risk of venous thromboembolism than general populations, this study aimed to determine if patients with peri-operative or prior SARS-CoV-2 were at further increased risk of venous thromboembolism. We conducted a planned sub-study and analysis from an international, multicentre, prospective cohort study of elective and emergency patients undergoing surgery during October 2020. Patients from all surgical specialties were included. The primary outcome measure was venous thromboembolism (pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis) within 30 da…
Comparative efficiency of green and conventional bonds pre- and during COVID-19: An asymmetric multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis
Abstract Motivated by the lack of research on price efficiency dynamics of green bonds and the impact of the COVID-19 on the pricing of fixed-income securities, this study investigates the comparative efficiency of green and conventional bond markets pre- and during the COVID-19 pandemic applying asymmetric multifractal analysis. Specifically, the multifractal scaling behaviour is examined separately during upward and downward trends in bond markets using the asymmetric multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (A-MF-DFA) approach. The empirical findings confirm the presence of asymmetric multifractality in the green and traditional bond markets. Not surprisingly, inefficiency in both bon…
Assessment of primary liver carcinomas other than hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with LI-RADS v2018: comparison of the LI-RADS target population to patients without LI-RADS-defined HCC risk factors
To determine whether the LI-RADS imaging features of primary liver carcinomas (PLCs) other than hepatocellular carcinoma (non-HCC PLCs) differ between patients considered high risk (RF+) versus not high risk (RF−) for HCC and to compare rates of miscategorization as probable or definite HCC between the RF+ and RF− populations. This retrospective study included all pathology-proven non-HCC PLCs imaged with liver-protocol CT or MRI from 2007 to 2017 at two liver transplant centers. Patients were defined per LI-RADS v2018 criteria as RF+ or RF−. Two independent, blinded readers (R1, R2) categorized 265 lesions using LI-RADS v2018. Logistic regression was utilized to assess for differences in i…
Surface modification of AISI-304 steel by ZnO synthesis using cathodic cage plasma deposition
Abstract Zinc-oxide (ZnO), a solid lubricant coating, can increase the wear resistance of steels by working as a self-lubricant. In this study, ZnO film is synthesized using the cathodic cage plasma deposition (CCPD) technique, using galvanized steel cathodic cage (steel cage with zinc coating). The effect of gas composition (H2 is added in Ar-O2) is investigated to optimize the film properties. The surface hardness is increased more than twice in each processing condition. The deposited film shows ZnO phases for samples treated with low hydrogen contents and a combination of ZnO and magnetite phase (Fe3O4) with higher hydrogen contents. The thickness of film reduced from 1.28 μm to 0.5 μm …