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Worldwide Radiation Dose in Coronary Artery Disease Diagnostic Imaging

Among patients worldwide with suspected CoronaryArteryDisease, median radiation doses exceeded guideline thresholds (9 mSv) for 21% undergoing nuclear cardiology studies and 44% undergoing CCTA, with dose differences up to 500% across regions.

The findings suggest considerable opportunities to improve cardiac imaging quality and safety through harmonized protocols and technology upgrades.

Question How does radiation dose from cardiac diagnostic testing vary worldwide?

Findings In this cross-sectional study in 101 countries including 19 302 patients, radiation doses varied significantly between imaging tests and among patients receiving the same tests across centers, regions, and country income strata. This was especially pronounced for coronary computed tomography angiography, for which median dose in low-and lower-middle–income countries was more than 280% of that in high-income countries and median dose in Africa was more than 500% of that in Western Europe.

Meaning Current radiation doses for cardiac testing exceeded 9 mSv for 21% of patients undergoing nuclear cardiology studies and for 44% undergoing coronary computed tomography angiography, identifying critical needs for training, standardized protocols, and updated equipment to reduce radiation worldwide.

Surprising finding in the eye may explain how we see in low light

A new Yale School of Medicine (YSM) study has uncovered surprising new details about how our eyes process what we see. When we look at something, our visual system breaks down different aspects of the scene—such as color, contrast, and motion—and processes those components separately. It’s called parallel visual processing and it’s what allows our brains to work out what we’re seeing so quickly.

This separation of information starts in the retina, and scientists have thought that separation is maintained as the information travels through the visual system. But in a study published in Neuron, researchers have found that information channels are more integrated than previously thought. This may help cells process weak visual signals, such as low-light conditions, the researchers say.

“We found that while different channels can deliver their own features, they’re also interconnected by underlying electrical circuitry,” says Yao Xue, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the department of ophthalmology and visual science at YSM and the study’s first author.

The mainz resilience assessment in childhood cancer (MRAcc): development of a novel age-specific patient-reported outcome measure to assess resilience in childhood cancer patients

During intensive cancer treatment, children, adolescents and young adults are exposed to numerous toxicities and psychosocial stressors that can cause psychosocial distress and impair mental health. The maintenance or rapid recovery of mental health during and after exposure to significant stressors has been defined as resilience. To date, resilience research has focused primarily on cross-sectional assessment of specific, trait-like resilience factors and concepts in long-term survivors of childhood cancer, typically omitting the influence of context-specific biopsychosocial stressors and resilience dynamics throughout treatment. Little is known about outcome-based resilience and mental health resources in childhood cancer patients undergoing cancer treatment. In addition, specific instruments for age-appropriate assessment of resilience in childhood cancer patients are lacking. To address this gap, within the EU Horizon 2020-funded FORTEe project, we developed a novel self-report instrument for longitudinal assessment of resilience in children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer, featuring age-appropriate items tailored to their specific contexts.

An interdisciplinary team of psychologists, psychiatrists and pediatric oncologists developed an age-appropriate self-report instrument to assess resilience longitudinally in children, adolescents, and young adults undergoing cancer treatment. Following current resilience research frameworks, resilience is defined as the ratio of changes in mental health problems to stressor exposure. Accordingly, the measure comprises two domains: mental health problems (anxiety, depression, distress, fatigue) and stressor exposure (daily hassles, cancer-related stressors), with stressors rated for both frequency and intensity.

The Mainz Resilience Assessment in Childhood Cancer (MRAcc) consists of three age-specific versions (children 5–11 years, adolescents 12–17 years, young adults 18–21 years), each including the sections: ‘Emotions & Distress’, ‘Fatigue’, and ‘Situations & Experienced Stress’. It is available in German and English and uses either five-point-Likert scales or visual analogue scales presented as thermometers.

Long non-coding RNA may be a promising therapeutic target for cancer

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that a specific long non-coding RNA activates oncogenic signaling pathways in prostate cancer cells and drives tumor progression, underscoring its potential as a therapeutic target, according to a recent study published in Nature Communications. Rendong Yang, Ph.D., associate professor of Urology and a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, was co-corresponding author of the study.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a type of RNA with transcripts that contain more than 200 nucleotides and play a central role in regulating gene expression, most notably in cancer progression. While previous work has identified many cancer-associated lncRNAs, the mechanisms by which lncRNAs influence cancer progression have remained unknown due to lncRNAs’ cell type-specific and tissue-specific gene expression patterns.

In the current study, the scientists aimed to uncover cellular interactions between super-enhancers—clusters of regulatory DNA elements that drive high levels of transcription—and lncRNAs by studying RNA sequencing data from patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

New Simulations Preserve Quantum Rules While Modelling Complex Materials

Until now, accurately modelling both spin and orbital motion in materials with spin-orbit coupling meant sacrificing computational speed. A new mixed quantum-classical model, based on Koopman wavefunctions, overcomes this limitation, accurately simulating these dynamics even where traditional methods fail. The approach reproduces full quantum results, particularly when a harmonic potential is present, opening new avenues for materials design.

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