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Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) with arterial tortuosity syndrome (ATS) is a rare hereditary condition characterized by elongation and tortuosity of the medium- and large-sized arteries, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary artery stenosis, and constriction or narrowing of the aorta. Considering the non-specific indications and the overlap of ATS with other disorders of the connective tissue such as Williams Beuren syndrome (elastin), Marfan syndrome (fibrillin-1) and Ehlers Danlos syndrome (Type III collagen), it is vital to keep a high diagnostic suspicion in the analysis of the condition. We therefore report on a rare occurrence of coarctation of the aorta with arterial tortuosity syndrome in a teenage female who initially presented with severe resistant hypertension, providing additional literature to aid in the differential diagnosis of COA with ATS. Cinematic rendering delivered a markedly enhanced view of the condition, allowing for greater accuracy in the diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

System reliability models typically use average equipment failure rates. Even if these models are calibrated based on historical reliability indices, all-like components within a calibrated region remain homogeneous. This paper presents a new method of customizing failure rates using equipment inspection data. This allows available inspection information to be reflected in system models, and allows for calibration based on interruption distributions rather than mean values. The paper begins by presenting a method to map equipment inspection data to a normalized condition score, and suggests a formula to convert this score into failure probability. The paper concludes by applying this methodology to a test system based on an actual distribution system, and shows that the incorporation of condition data leads to richer reliability models. Index Terms--Equipment failure rate modeling, inspection-based ranking, predictive reliability assessment.

The claim of register theory is that there is cross-dialectal similarity in linguistic choices across texts from the same register because language used in a register serves a specific communicative purpose in a given situational context. In this empirical study, the sentence was investigated across a specialized corpus of editorials from Ghanaian and British newspapers with the hope of ascertaining the similarities or otherwise in this aspect of language use across native and nonnative dialects of English. In the light of Biber and Conrad's (2009) model of register, we argue that quantitative dominance of specific sentence types and consistency in their distributional patterns across the two sociocultural contexts are indicative that those dominant sentence types are functional to the editorial register. The data reveal that in spite of a few distributional discrepancies, which reflect regional adjustments in situational and cultural contexts, sentence types are generally similarly distributed across editorials from the two socio-cultural contexts, with declarative and complex sentence types being consistently dominant across the two texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With several studies recording a higher percentage of complications in the first hour of post‐biopsy, this study sought to evaluate the safety in the reduction in post‐biopsy patient monitoring time after computed tomography (CT)‐guided thoracic biopsies, providing a basis for further research. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study involving patients who were referred to our centre for CT‐guided thoracic biopsies from January 2010 to December 2017. Patients who presented with no complications immediately after the post‐biopsy CT scan were given 30 min of post‐biopsy care after which they were discharged, and given a hot line to call in case of any complication. There was also a follow‐up call by a nurse after 24 h to inquire about any complication and general condition of the patients. Results: A total of 440 core needle thoracic biopsies were performed within the period of the study. The most common thoracic region indicated for biopsy was mediastinal (n = 240, 54.5%), followed by lung (n = 185, 42.0%). Complications were recorded at a rate of 6.4% (n = 28), with 4.1% (n = 18) been pneumothorax and pulmonary haemorrhage and haemoptysis accounting for 2.3% (n = 10). No relevant complications were recorded in patients who presented with no complications immediately after the post‐biopsy CT scan (n = 374, 85%). Conclusions: Findings from this initial study have shown that thirty minutes of post‐biopsy care could be sufficient for patients present with no complications immediately after a post‐procedural scan in CT‐guided thoracic biopsies; providing a basis for similar algorithms to be explored in a randomised control study to substantiate the observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a corpus-based study which sought to investigate the use of the complex sentence and its immediate internal clause combining mechanisms across three genres from the written components of the Ghanaian and British versions of the International Corpus of English. The study is based on the theoretical argumentation from functional register perspective that the distribution of linguistic elements across genres is functionally motivated. Texts examined were sampled from Academic Natural Science, Academic Social Science and Administrative Writing. The complex sentence received the attention of this study because it was the dominant structural sentence type across the three genres from these two native and nonnative contexts, a phenomenon we have argued in this study to be functionally motivated. An investigation of two internal clause combing dynamics among the three genres reveals that whereas the Academic Natural Science genres across Ghanaian and British corpora rely a lot on adverbial clauses, the Ghanaian and British academic social and administrative genres vary in their clause combining preferences, a phenomenon we have associated with genre-internal variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital infiltrating lipomatosis of the face (CILF) is a rare lipomatous lesion, commonly seen in childhood, and it is characterized by collections of mature, unencapsulated adipose tissues that infiltrate facial soft and hard tissues. The lesion is seen as an overgrowth of bone and soft tissue and is generally present clinically as slow-growing painless masses. In this case report, we described one case of CILF, which is one of the first cases reported in Ghana and Africa as a whole, along with a literature review on the diagnosis and current treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Distribution of coronary artery calcium (CAC) has been determined in different heterogeneous populations in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Based on findings showing that geography and culture can influence CAC scoring beyond traditional race groups, we determined the distribution of CAC in a homogenous black African population to provide an initial basis for a larger CAC score study in Africa. Methods and results: This is a preliminary study using computed tomography to determine the CAC scores within a black African population who were referred to our center. Other information on patients were recorded through a combination of one-on-one interviews and medical records. A total of 170 patients were involved in our study, including 60.6% males, with an average age of 53.9 ± 9.2 years. The majority (78.8%) had a zero calcium score, with patients within the age group of 55��64 years dominating the non-zero calcium score population. Males were found to have higher calcium levels compared to females, and coronary artery calcification and prevalence steadily rose with the increasing age. However, P-values of 0.328 and [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of minimally invasive treatments for early-stage breast cancer is increasing. Microwave thermal ablation (MWA), a minimally invasive technique, has been studied for treating small breast cancer lesions. However, long-term evidence on its efficacy as a sole treatment is limited, as most studies combine MWA with other therapies and post-treatment surgical excision. This report details the case of an 83-year-old African patient who declined surgery and systemic therapies, opting for MWA using the TATOpro system as the sole treatment for contralateral breast cancer with axillary lymph node metastasis. The report includes a one-year follow-up, assessing disease recurrence with MRI and ultrasound. The findings highlight MWA's potential as an innovative and efficacious breast cancer treatment, emphasizing the need for adaptable strategies in oncology., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Committee on Human Research, Publication, and Ethics of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology issued approval CHRPE/RC/028/20. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Asafu Adjaye Frimpong et al.)

Objective This study explores the correlation between shear wave elastography (SWE) features and histopathological grades and subtypes in breast cancer, aiming to enhance diagnostic accuracy and personalized treatment strategies. Methods The study retrospectively analyzed 59 consecutive women with breast cancer who underwent breast ultrasound with SWE. SWE parameters and histopathologic information, including histological type and grade, were recorded. Qualitative and quantitative SWE findings were analyzed, and B-mode findings were evaluated. Sociodemographic and clinical factors and B-mode findings were assessed as predictors of elastography stiffness using logistic regression analysis. Results Of the 59 participants diagnosed with breast cancer, invasive ductal carcinoma of no special type (IDC-NST) was predominantly found in 50 (84.7%) cases, followed by invasive medullary carcinoma in 5 (8.5%) cases. The majority of participants belonged to the 50-59 age group, comprising 19 (32.2%) patients. Histopathological grading revealed grade II tumors in 27 (45.8%) cases and grade III tumors in 24 (40.7%) cases. Notably, grade III tumors exhibited higher tissue stiffness compared to grade II tumors. Out of 36 stiff lesions, 30 (83.3%%) were IDC-NST while 3 (8.3%) were invasive medullary carcinoma. A significant association was observed between higher histopathological grade (grade III) and increased tissue stiffness (p < 0.05). Furthermore, among participants with stiff lesions, 21 (58.3%) exhibited color defects while 4 (23.5%) cases with soft lesions also displayed color defects Conclusion The correlation between SWE findings and histopathological grades and subtypes underscores the potential of SWE as a valuable tool for predicting tumor aggressiveness and characterizing specific subtypes. SWE enhances diagnostic accuracy and complements traditional imaging modalities, holding promise for personalized treatment strategies., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology issued approval CHRPE/RC/028/20. The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Committee on Human Research Publication and Ethics (CHRPE), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (CHRPE/RC/028/20). All patients waived informed consent for their data to be used for research purposes, and all patient information was anonymized and de-identified prior to analysis to ensure confidentiality. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Asafu Adjaye Frimpong et al.)

Background: There is significant variability in the pathogenetic characteristics of prostate cancer (PCa) across different anatomical zones. This study aims to understand the metastatic risk associated with these zonal predispositions among African men., Methods: This hospital-based retrospective observational study included 120 biopsy-confirmed PCa patients examined between 2019 and 2023. Data on cancer history, sociodemographic, and clinical characteristics were collected from medical records. A logistic regression model was used to identify predictors of metastasis., Results: The majority of PCa lesions were found in the left (60.0%) and right peripheral zones (55.8%), followed by the left (42.5%) and right transitional zones (41.7%). Lesions in the anterior fibromuscular stroma (crude odds ratio (cOR): 3.27, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13-9.47; p = 0.029), central gland (cOR: 5.38, 95% CI: 1.40-20.60; p = 0.014), and diffuse infiltration involving whole gland (cOR: 6.78, 95% CI: 1.17-30.07; p = 0.032) were associated with significantly increased odds of metastasis. Lesions in the anterior fibromuscular stroma were a marginally independent predictor of metastasis (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 28.14, 95% CI: 0.96-822.46; p = 0.053)., Conclusions: This study underscores the variability in metastatic risk of PCa lesions across different anatomical zones in African men. Lesions in the anterior fibromuscular stroma, central gland, and diffuse infiltration involving the whole gland have higher odds of metastasis. These findings highlight the need for targeted diagnostic and therapeutic strategies based on lesion localization to improve PCa management in this population., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Committee on Human Research, Publication, and Ethics at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology issued approval CHRPE/RC/028/20. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Asafu Adjaye Frimpong et al.)

Objectives:  To document our initial experience using whole-body diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (WB-DWI/MRI) and bi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (bpMRI) as a single exam in the staging of biopsy-proven prostate cancers., Methods: This retrospective study involved 120 African men with biopsy-confirmed prostate cancer (PCa). All the participants had a single exam that included both a bpMRI and a WB-DWI/MRI. The results were analyzed based on the American Urological Association's risk stratification system and evaluated using descriptive statistics., Results: The combined imaging approach confirmed PCa in all cases, identifying pelvic lymph node metastases in 21 (17.5%) patients. Among 72 high-risk patients, bpMRI+WB-DWI/MRI detected pelvic lymph node metastases in 18 (25.0%), bone metastases in 15 (20.8%), retroperitoneal lymph node metastases in six (8.3%), and extraprostatic extension in 18 (25%), with no solid organ metastases observed., Conclusion: The combination of WB-DWI/MRI and bpMRI in a single-step approach demonstrates diagnostic potential in primary prostate cancer staging for high-risk groups, with the added advantage of shorter examination times, lower patients' costs, and elimination of the risks of adverse events associated with the use of contrast agents and exposure to radiation., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Asafu Adjaye Frimpong et al.)