Esaote, one of the world leaders in the manufacturing of medical imaging equipment, and Barco, a global leader in healthcare imaging, have combined their expertise to offer unparalleled ultrasound imaging performance in radiology.

MyLabTM9, the flagship ultrasound system in radiology and shared services recently launched by Esaote, defines a new standard in increasing the value of your investment. At the core of the system design stands a new concept of clarity in image quality, together with performance and workflow improvement for more efficient and informed healthcare.

The new MyLabTM9 evo 2.0 was presented in preview at the ECR 2018 in Vienna, February 28th ‐ March 4th.

“We are keen to keep investing in delivering the best quality with no compromise: that’s why we selected Barco, one of the most accredited partners in radiology to boost performance in the Esaote’s MyLabTM9 top-end product,” said Luca Bombino, Global Product Marketing Manager.

In addition to new advanced features and hi‐tech transducers, the new system configuration includes the latest state‐of‐the‐art 24” Eonis® display engineered by Barco ‐ which reflects Esaote’s continuous investment in radiology.

The high‐quality Eonis display presents sharp, bright images and exceptional colours with high contrast for perfect visualization of ultrasound images.

The display’s unique front consistency sensor automatically aligns the image quality every time the display is switched on and maintains the luminance for consistent image quality and brightness.

“Our partnership with Esaote is a clear demonstration of our mission to co‐create technology solutions for integrated care. By combining our expertise in diagnostic visualization with the skillset of partners such as Esaote, we are convinced we can enable better health outcomes for more people,” said Mark Bultinck, VP Sales EMEA for Barco Healthcare.

Developed to provide ultra‐quality ultrasound technology to hospitals, clinics and private practices, the MyLabTM9 offers smart upgradability, remote serviceability, long‐term maintenance options and transducer compatibility.

www.esaote.comwww.barco.com

Flushing the bladder with a common chemotherapy drug immediately after surgery significantly reduces the chances of bladder cancer returning, according to a major study by SWOG, an international clinical trials network funded by the National Cancer Institute.
The research was led by Edward M. Messing, MD, a SWOG investigator and professor of urology, and a professor of oncology and pathology, at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and a physician at the Wilmot Cancer Institute.
The study notes this may be the first phase III trial in the U.S. to show a benefit from this treatment strategy in two decades. European and Canadian urologists have been using it for years, with their own clinical trial data to support the procedure.
“The real importance of this study is that we now have a readily available drug that’s fairly inexpensive, well-tolerated, and effective,” Messing said. “One of the biggest issues with low-grade bladder cancer is that it frequently returns. I know some patients who have to undergo four surgeries a year, and if we can cut down on these recurrences, we will save a lot of people a lot of pain, money, and time lost to recovery.”
The study says the findings “support using this therapy,” but adds that further research is needed to compare various chemotherapy agents for their effectiveness. About 80,000 Americans a year are diagnosed with bladder cancer, and the low-grade non-muscle invasive form makes up about half of the new cases annually. A JAMA editorial on the work states: "The thoughtfully designed, executed, and interpreted study by Messing et al provides important results for patients and physicians alike, to the extent that the investigators focused on a problem with meaningful implications for individual patients, population health, and the value of care."
The SWOG team conducted the randomized, double-blind clinical trial involving 406 eligible patients at 23 cancer centers.
Surgeons removed all cancerous tissue with a procedure known as TURBT, or transurethral resection of bladder tumour. Then, 201 patients received the chemotherapy drug, gemcitabine, mixed with saline, administered via catheter to the bladder area within three hours after surgery. Gemcitabine works by blocking new DNA and killing any dividing cells. It’s used to treat several other cancers, including advanced bladder cancer, but had not been studied in this setting among low-grade cancer patients. The second group of 205 patients received saline alone.
Researchers followed all patients for four years — the time period when most bladder cancers return — seeking to discover which treatment strategy worked better. The results were clear: A 34 percent reduction in the risk of recurrence for patients receiving the gemcitabine infusion. Sixty-seven patients in the gemcitabine group, or 35 percent, experienced a recurrence, compared with 91 patients in the saline group, or 47 percent.

SWOGwww.swog.org/news-events/news/2018/05/08/simple-step-reduces-bladder-cancer-recurrence

Researchers have developed a new way to magnetise molecules found naturally in the human body, paving the way for a new generation of low-cost magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology that would transform our ability to diagnose and treat diseases including cancer, diabetes and dementia.
While still in the early stages, the research reported has made significant steps towards a new MRI method with the potential to enable doctors to personalise life-saving medical treatments and allow real-time imaging to take place in locations such as operating theatres and GP practices.
MRI, which works by detecting the magnetism of molecules to create an image, is a crucial tool in medical diagnostics.
However, current technology is not very efficient – a typical hospital scanner will effectively detect only one molecule in every 200,000, making it difficult to see the full picture of what’s happening in the body.
Improved scanners are now being trialled in various countries, but because they operate in the same way as regular MRI scanners – using a superconducting magnet – these new models remain bulky and cost millions to buy.
The research team, based at the University of York, has discovered a way to make molecules more magnetic, and therefore more visible – an alternative method which could produce a new generation of low-cost and highly sensitive imaging techniques.
Professor Simon Duckett from the Centre for Hyperpolarisation in Magnetic Resonance at the University of York said "What we think we have the potential to achieve with MRI what could be compared to improvements in computing power and performance over the last 40 years. While they are a vital diagnostic tool, current hospital scanners could be compared to the abacus, the recent development of more sensitive scanners takes us to Alan Turing’s computer and we are now attempting to create something scalable and low-cost that would bring us to the tablet or smartphone".
The research team has found a way to transfer the "invisible" magnetism of parahydrogen – a magnetic form of hydrogen gas – into an array of molecules that occur naturally in the body such as glucose, urea and pyruvate.
Using ammonia as a carrier, the researchers have been able to "hyperpolarise" substances such as glucose without changing their chemical composition, which would risk them becoming toxic.
It is now theoretically possible that these magnetised, non-harmful substances could be injected into the body and visualised.
Because the molecules have been hyperpolarized there would be no need to use a superconducting magnet to detect them – smaller, cheaper magnets or even just the Earth’s magnetic field would suffice.
If the method were to be successfully developed it could enable a molecular response to be seen in real time and the low-cost, nontoxic nature of the technique would introduce the possibility of regular and repeated scans for patients.
These factors would improve the ability of the medical profession to monitor and personalise treatments, possibly resulting in more successful outcomes for individuals.
"In theory, it would provide an imaging technique that could be used in an operating theatre," added Duckett. "For example, when a surgeon extracts a brain tumour from a patient they aim to remove all the cancerous tissue while at the same time removing as little healthy tissue as possible. This technique could allow them to accurately visualise cancerous tissue at a far greater depth there and then."
The research also has the potential to bring MRI to countries in the developing world that don’t have the uninterrupted power supplies or infrastructure to operate current scanners.
As well as its applications in medicine and general healthcare, the method could also provide benefits to the chemical and pharmaceutical industries in addition to environmental and molecular science.
ecancer newsecancer.org/news/13106-researchers-unlocking-potential-for-next-generation-medical-scanning.php

A newly developed machine learning model can accurately predict which patients are most likely to benefit from prostate multiparametric MRI (mpMRI), according to a study.
With mpMRI increasingly used for prostate cancer detection, this machine learning model can aid in patient selection to optimize resource utilization and reduce unnecessary costs, according to Zachary Nuffer of the University of Rochester Medical Center, who will present his findings at the ARRS 2018 Annual Meeting.
A total of 811 prostate mpMRI examinations from four tertiary care centres with mpMRI expertise were used to develop a support vector machine model for predicting PI-RADS category 4 or 5 lesions on the basis of patient age, prostate specific antigen, and prostate volume. Patients either had no prior prostate biopsy or had a negative prior prostate biopsy. The model was developed on the Microsoft Azure Machine Learning platform and can be accessed at birch.azurewebsites.net. The model was then tested prospectively on 42 patients.
The model showed 73% accuracy for predicting PI-RADS category 4 or 5 lesions on the basis of 10-fold cross validation. Prospective validation of the model demonstrates a sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 82% for a cutoff threshold of 43% for predicting PI-RADS category 4 or 5 lesions.
With educational activities representing the entire spectrum of radiology, ARRS will host leading radiologists from around the world at the ARRS 2018 Annual Meeting, April 22–27, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. For more information, visit: www.arrs.org/am18.
ARRSarrs.org/ARRSLIVE/Pressroom/PressReleases/2018_03_21_01.aspx

Researchers investigating a key signalling protein in Huntington’s disease describe deleterious effects on heart function, going beyond the disease’s devastating neurological impact. By adjusting protein levels affecting an important biological pathway, the researchers improved heart function in experimental animals, shedding light on the biology of this fatal disease.
“Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Huntington’s disease patients, but its biology remains poorly understood,” said study leader Beverly L. Davidson, PhD, Director of the Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where she is an expert on gene therapy for inherited brain disorders. “Better knowledge of the underlying biology of Huntington’s disease will improve the development of effective therapies.”
Huntington’s disease (HD) is an incurable, inherited disease with progressive loss of brain cells and motor function, usually beginning in midlife. A defective gene produces repeated copies of a protein called huntingtin, or HTT. The mutant HTT protein (mHTT) particularly damages a brain region called the striatum, resulting in involuntary movements and severe cognitive and emotional disturbances.
Because mHTT disrupts multiple fundamental processes in cells throughout the body, it impairs multiple organ systems. The current study focused on heart function in mouse models of HD. The mutant protein mHTT disrupts functioning along the mTORC1 pathway, named for the signalling protein complex mTORC1 that promotes cellular growth and metabolism.
Researchers already knew that mTORC1 function plays a key role in the neurology of HD. The current study showed that mTORC1 activity was lower in HD mice than in healthy mice. The HD mice also had smaller-than-normal hearts. Crucially, the study team found that HD mice were less able to adapt to stress on their hearts, and had higher mortality from that stress.
When the researchers restored mTORC1 activation in the HD mice by using genetic techniques to knock down the mutant HTT protein, the mice were better able to adapt to cardiac stress and had higher survival over the course of the study.
“If the mHTT protein has a similar effect on human hearts as in the mice, it may explain the heart-related mortality seen in HT patients,” said Davidson, adding that future studies in HT should investigate that question. Given that there are currently clinical trials of HTT-lowering therapy in Huntington’s disease patients, it is important to better understand how HD affects organs outside the central nervous system.
In addition, some researchers propose using mTORC1 inhibitors to treat HD, but the new study suggests that this approach could cause unintended effects on cardiac function. “We know from our previous studies that improving mTORC1 functioning may have a protective effect in HD, but this would require carefully adjusting the pathway to restore normal mTORC1 levels,” said Davidson.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphiahttps://tinyurl.com/y9g68vfe