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ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the agreement between explosive detection dog (EDD) handlers and a team of veterinarians in assessing body condition score (BCS) and muscle condition score (MCS), hypothesizing significant BCS differences between handlers and veterinarians, and no significant MCS differences in healthy active duty EDDs.MethodsThis prospective study analyzed variance and inter-rater intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of agreement within BCS and MCS assessments collected from the 43 EDDs by four blinded graders; the EDDs’ respective handler and three veterinarians with varying levels of veterinary expertise.ResultsThe results of the study showed that 74.4% of the EDD population was graded as ideal BCS (4 or 5 out of 9) by the handlers compared to 67.44% by the members of the veterinary team; however, the graders scored different subsets of individual EDDs as ideal. Normal MCS (3 out of 3) was assessed in 86.05% (n = 37) of EDDs by the handlers versus in 70.54% by the veterinary team.ConclusionThis study highlights the importance of standardized training and guidelines for BCS and MCS assessments in working dogs to improve agreement between all members of the healthcare team.

Abstract Background Heavy smokers are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and may benefit from individualized risk quantification using routine lung cancer screening chest computed tomography. We investigated the prognostic value of deep learning-based automated epicardial adipose tissue quantification and compared it to established cardiovascular risk factors and coronary artery calcium. Methods We investigated the prognostic value of automated epicardial adipose tissue quantification in heavy smokers enrolled in the National Lung Screening Trial and followed for 12.3 (11.9–12.8) years. The epicardial adipose tissue was segmented and quantified on non-ECG-synchronized, non-contrast low-dose chest computed tomography scans using a validated deep-learning algorithm. Multivariable survival regression analyses were then utilized to determine the associations of epicardial adipose tissue volume and density with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (myocardial infarction and stroke). Results Here we show in 24,090 adult heavy smokers (59% men; 61 ± 5 years) that epicardial adipose tissue volume and density are independently associated with all-cause (adjusted hazard ratios: 1.10 and 1.38; P

Abstract Background Autistic and non-autistic individuals often differ in how they perceive and show emotions, especially in their ability and inclination to infer other people’s feelings from subtle cues like facial expressions. Prominent theories of autism have suggested that these differences stem from alterations in amygdala functioning and that amygdala hypoactivation causes problems with emotion recognition. Thus far, however, empirical investigations of this hypothesis have yielded mixed results and largely relied on relatively small samples. Methods In a sample of 72 autistic and 79 non-autistic participants, we conducted a study in which we used the Hariri paradigm to test whether amygdala activation during emotional face processing is altered in autism spectrum disorder, and whether common mental disorders like depression, ADHD or anxiety disorders influence any potential alterations in activation patterns. Results We found no evidence for differences in amygdala activation, neither when comparing autistic and non-autistic participants, nor when taking into account mental disorders or the overall level of functional impairment. Limitations Because we used one basic emotion processing task in a Dutch sample, results might not generalise to other tasks and other populations. Conclusions Our results challenge the view that autistic and non-autistic processing of emotional faces in the amygdala is vastly different and call for a more nuanced view of differences between non-autistic and autistic emotion processing.

A new synthetic method for the synthesis of C-substituted [RC(O)CH2-CB11H11]− carborate anions has been developed. The reaction of [closo-B11H11]2− with terminal alkynes in the presence of a copper catalyst leads to insertion into the boron cluster, and C-substituted [RC(O)CH2-CB11H11]− carborate anions are formed. These reactions are strongly dependent on the reaction conditions, the solvents, and the alkynes used. The alkynes HCCCO2Et, HCCCO2Me, and HCCCONH2 lead to the formation of [NH2C(O)CH2-CB11H11]− as the final product in aqueous ammonia solution. In contrast, the reaction using the alkyne HCCCOMe yields [MeC(O)CH2-CB11H11]−. The products have been fully characterized by multinuclear NMR and IR spectroscopy as well as mass spectrometry. The crystal structures of K[NH2C(O)CH2-CB11H11] and [NEt3CH2Cl][NH2C(O)CH2-CB11H11] have been determined.

While computed tomography (CT)-guided liver biopsies are commonly performed using unenhanced images, contrast-enhanced images are beneficial for challenging puncture pathways and lesion locations. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of CT-guided biopsies for intrahepatic lesions using unenhanced, intravenous (IV)-enhanced, or intra-arterial Lipiodol-marked CT for lesion marking.