Rosario Megna - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Rosario Megna
Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease, Sep 12, 2023
Background: The prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors shows different age-specifi... more Background: The prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors shows different age-specific patterns. It is not known whether the prognostic impact of risk factors is similarly age-specific. We evaluated the profiles of cardiovascular risk factors and their prognostic impact on coronary artery disease (CAD) in relation to age. Methods: We included 3667 patients with suspected or known CAD undergoing stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). We evaluated the risk for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) within three years from the index MPI in patients belonging to three groups according to age tertile distribution: <59, 59-68, and >68 years. Gender, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, family history of CAD, smoking, angina, dyspnea, previous CAD, and MPI outcome were assessed as risk factors by a multivariable Cox's regression. Results: The three-year risk of MACE increased progressively with age and was 9%, 13%, and 18% for each group, respectively (p < 0.0001). Dyspnea and abnormal MPI outcome were significant risk factors for all age groups. Diabetes and smoking were significant from the age of 59 onwards, while hypertension resulted significant for patients older than 68 years. Conclusions: The number of risk factors was significantly associated with the occurrence of MACE increase with age. It is noteworthy that a personal history of CAD was not useful for risk stratification, while MPI results were.
Monte Carlo simulation studies of the timing calibration accuracy required by the NEMO underwater neutrino telescope
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Apr 1, 2009
The results of Monte Carlo simulation studies of the timing calibration accuracy required by the ... more The results of Monte Carlo simulation studies of the timing calibration accuracy required by the NEMO underwater neutrino telescope are presented. The NEMO Collaboration is conducting a long term R&amp;D activity toward the installation of a km3 apparatus in the Mediterranean Sea. An optimal site has been found and characterized at 3500m depth off the Sicilian coast. Monte Carlo simulation
Global Health Research and Policy, Oct 9, 2020
The first outbreak of COVID-19 in Italy occurred during the second half of February 2020 in some ... more The first outbreak of COVID-19 in Italy occurred during the second half of February 2020 in some areas in the North of the country. Due to the high contagiousness of the infection, further spread by asymptomatic people, Italy has become in a few weeks the country with the greatest number of infected people in the world. The large number of severe cases among infected people in Italy led to the hospitalization of thousands of patients, with a heavy burden on the National Health Service. Methods: We analyzed data provided daily by Italian Authorities for the period from 24 February 2020 to 30 March 2020. Considering such information, we developed a forecast model in real-time, based on the cumulative loglogistic distribution. Results: A total of 101,739 infected individuals were confirmed until 30 March 2020, of which 14,620 recovered or discharged, and 11,591 deaths. Until the same date patients quarantined at home were 43,752, whereas hospitalized patients were 31,776, of which 3981 in intensive care. The active cases (i.e. the number of patients not yet recovered until that date) were 75,528. The forecast model estimated a number of infected persons for Italy of 234,000 about, and a duration of the epidemic of approximately 4 months. Conclusions: One month after the first outbreaks there seemed to be the first signs of a decrease in the number of infections, showing that we could be now facing the descending phase of the epidemic. The forecast obtained thanks to our model could be used by decision-makers to implement coordinative and collaborative efforts in order to control the epidemic. The pandemic due to novel Coronavirus must be a warning for all countries worldwide, regarding a rapid and complete dissemination of information, surveillance, health organization, and cooperation among the states.
Research Article Evaluation of Growth Patterns and Body Composition in C57Bl/6J Mice Using Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry
Copyright © 2014 Sara Gargiulo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creati... more Copyright © 2014 Sara Gargiulo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The normal growth pattern of female C57BL/6J mice, from 5 to 30 weeks of age, has been investigated in a longitudinal study. Weight, body surface area (BS), and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated in forty mice. Lean mass and fat mass, bone mineral content (BMC), and bone mineral density (BMD) were monitored by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Weight and BS increased linearly (16.15 ± 0.64–27.64 ± 1.42 g; 51.13 ± 0.74–79.57 ± 2.15 cm2,
In this paper the Channeler Ant Model (CAM) and some results of its applications to the analysis ... more In this paper the Channeler Ant Model (CAM) and some results of its applications to the analysis of medical images are described. The CAM is an algorithm able to segment 3D structures with different shapes, intensity and background. It makes use of virtual ant colonies and exploits their natural capabilities to modify the environment and communicate with each other by pheromone deposition. Its performance has been validated with the segmentation of 3D artificial objects and it has been already used successfully in lung nodules detection on Computer Tomography images. This work tries to evaluate the CAM as a candidate to solve the quantitative segmentation problem in Magnetic Resonance brain images: to evaluate the percentage of white matter, gray matter and cerebrospinal fluid in each voxel.
AIMS Medical Science, 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic initially hit Italy at the end of February 2020. In the following two years... more The COVID-19 pandemic initially hit Italy at the end of February 2020. In the following two years, there were about 13 million diagnosed cases and more than 150000 deaths. For this period, we have performed a study that evaluates and compares the impacts on public health of the SARS-CoV-2 waves at the national and regional levels. Based on contagion trends, we considered four pandemic waves. For each wave, we also analyzed a restricted time interval of one month around the peak. We found an underestimation of diagnosed cases and a saturation of available intensive care unit (ICU) beds during the first wave. The second wave had a more significant impact on public health, highlighting that the system of physical distancing measures was less effective than the lockdown implemented during the first wave. Instead, during the first three peaks, the incidence of ICU bed occupancy was superimposable. In general, odds ratios of case fatality rate showed a more significant risk for males than...
Astroparticle Physics, Nov 1, 2006
In 2005, the ANTARES Collaboration deployed and operated at a depth of 2500 m a so-called Mini In... more In 2005, the ANTARES Collaboration deployed and operated at a depth of 2500 m a so-called Mini Instrumentation Line equipped with Optical Modules (MILOM) at the ANTARES site. The various data acquired during the continuous operation from April to December 2005 of the MILOM confirm the satisfactory performance of the Optical Modules, their front-end electronics and readout system, as well as the calibration devices of the detector. The in-situ measurement of the Optical Module time response yields a resolution better than 0.5 ns. The performance of the acoustic positioning system, which enables the spatial reconstruction of the ANTARES detector with a precision of about 10 cm, is verified. These results demonstrate that with the full ANTARES neutrino telescope the design angular resolution of better than 0.3 • can be realistically achieved.
Analisi a richiesta di CT polmonari con il CAD M5 attraverso servizi WEB. In: Libro degli abstract
Special Session on Thoracic CAD
International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery, May 26, 2010
Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine
Traditional approach for predicting coronary artery disease (CAD) is based on demographic data, s... more Traditional approach for predicting coronary artery disease (CAD) is based on demographic data, symptoms such as chest pain and dyspnea, and comorbidity related to cardiovascular diseases. Usually, these variables are analyzed by logistic regression to quantifying their relationship with the outcome; nevertheless, their predictive value is limited. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the value of different machine learning (ML) techniques for the evaluation of suspected CAD; having as gold standard, the presence of stress-induced ischemia by 82Rb positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) ML was chosen on their clinical use and on the fact that they are representative of different classes of algorithms, such as deterministic (Support vector machine and Naïve Bayes), adaptive (ADA and AdaBoost), and decision tree (Random Forest, rpart, and XGBoost). The study population included 2503 consecutive patients, who underwent MPI f...
Journal of Nuclear Cardiology
Background Cardiovascular risk models are based on traditional risk factors and investigations su... more Background Cardiovascular risk models are based on traditional risk factors and investigations such as imaging tests. External validation is important to determine reproducibility and generalizability of a prediction model. We performed an external validation of t the Japanese Assessment of Cardiac Events and Survival Study by Quantitative Gated SPECT (J-ACCESS) model, developed from a cohort of patients undergoing stress myocardial perfusion imaging. Methods We included 3623 patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease undergoing stress single-photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging at our academic center between January 2001 and December 2019. Results In our study population, the J-ACCESS model underestimated the risk of major adverse cardiac events (cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and severe heart failure requiring hospitalization) within three-year follow-up. The recalibrations and updated of the model slightly improved...
Applied Sciences
Coronary artery calcification and sarcopenia may have a relevant prognostic impact in oncological... more Coronary artery calcification and sarcopenia may have a relevant prognostic impact in oncological and non-oncological patients. The use of freeware software is promising for quantitative evaluation of these parameters after whole-body positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and might be useful for one-stop shop risk stratification without additional radiation ionizing burden and further charges to health care costs. In this study, we compared two semiautomatic freeware software tools (Horos Medical Image software and LIFEx) for the assessment of coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and muscle mass in 40 patients undergoing whole-body PET/CT. The muscle areas obtained by the two software programs were comparable, showing high correlation with Lin’s concordance coefficient (0.9997; 95% confidence intervals: 0.9995–0.9999) and very good agreement with Bland–Altman analysis (mean difference = 0.41 cm2, lower limit = −1.06 cm2, upper limit = 1.89) was also found. For C...
Comparison of three freeware software packages for 18F-FDG PET texture feature calculation
Japanese Journal of Radiology
Purpose To compare texture feature estimates obtained from 18 F-FDG-PET images using three differ... more Purpose To compare texture feature estimates obtained from 18 F-FDG-PET images using three different software packages. Methods PET images from 15 patients with head and neck cancer were processed with three different freeware software: CGITA, LIFEx, and Metavol. For each lesion, 38 texture features were extracted from each software package. To evaluate the statistical agreement among the features across packages a non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test was used. Differences in the features between each couple of software were assessed using a subsequent Dunn test. Correlation between texture features was evaluated via the Spearman coefficient. Results Twenty-three of 38 features showed a significant agreement across the three software ( P < 0.05). The agreement was better between LIFEx vs. Metavol (36 of 38) and worse between CGITA and Metavol (24 of 38), and CGITA vs. LIFEx (23 of 38). All features resulted correlated ( ρ > = 0.70, P < 0.001) in comparing LIFEx vs. Metavol. Seven of 38 features were found not in agreement and slightly or not correlated ( ρ < 0.70, P < 0.001) in comparing CGITA vs. LIFEx, and CGITA vs. Metavol. Conclusion Some texture discrepancies across software packages exist. Our findings reinforce the need to continue the standardization process, and to succeed in building a reference dataset to be used for comparisons.
Additional file 2 of First month of the epidemic caused by COVID-19 in Italy: current status and real-time outbreak development forecast
Additional file 2.
Analisi a richiesta di CT polmonari con il CAD M5 attraverso servizi WEB. In: Libro degli abstract
A new CAD system for lung nodule detection on low dose CT validated on publicly research database
International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery, 2010
Purpose Conventional chest X-ray is still the most common radiological imaging to detect pulmonar... more Purpose Conventional chest X-ray is still the most common radiological imaging to detect pulmonary metastases and nodules. The detection rate of such nodules, however, is limited due to different experiences of the radiologists and depends furthermore critically on the image quality. The role of conventional X-ray as a screening tool is critically discussed [1]. The enhanced and automated detection of pulmonary nodules but also the automated detection of other alterations of the lung including fibrotic and emphysematic structures is, thus of essential importance. In order to achieve a reliable and accurate analysis computer-based image analysis quality might offer additional help. Currently available CAD-solutions will shortly be discussed within this invited lecture with special focus on clinical results and further needs of development. Methods Recently established CAD-solutions offer the opportunity of an automated detection of pulmonary nodules, there is no software-based limita...
External validation of the CRAX2MACE model in an Italian cohort of patients with suspected coronary artery disease undergoing stress myocardial perfusion imaging
Journal of Nuclear Cardiology, 2021
Prevention and development of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques reduced morbidity and mortali... more Prevention and development of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques reduced morbidity and mortality for coronary artery disease (CAD). In this context, the cardiovascular risk assessment for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 2-year (CRAX2MACE) model for prediction of 2-year major adverse cardiac events was developed. We performed an external validation of this model. We included 1003 patients with suspected CAD undergoing stress-rest single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging at our academic center between March 2015 and April 2019. Considering the occurrence of MACE (death from any cause, acute myocardial infarction, or late coronary revascularization), for the CRAX2MACE model the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.612 and the Brier score was 0.061. The Hosmer–Lemeshow test estimated a non-optimal fit (χ2 28, P < .001). Considering only hard events (cardiac death, acute myocardial infarction), the external validation of the CRAX2MACE model revealed a Brier score of 0.053 and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.621. Hosmer–Lemeshow test was calculated by deciles and showed a poor fit (χ2 31, P < .001). CRAX2MACE model had a limited value for predicting 2-year major adverse cardiovascular events in an external validation cohort of patients with suspected CAD.
Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, 2019
International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 2016
income quartile (HR Z 0.92, 95% CI Z 0.88 to 0.95). Compared to patients who did not undergo surg... more income quartile (HR Z 0.92, 95% CI Z 0.88 to 0.95). Compared to patients who did not undergo surgery or receive definitive RT, surgery and RT combined was associated with a larger decrease in mortality (HR Z 0.60, 95% CI Z 0.53 to 0.69) than surgery alone (HR Z 0.75, 95% CI Z 0.71 to 0.80) or RT alone (HR Z 0.74, 95% CI Z 0.62 to 0.88). Patients with higher Charlson co-morbidity score, Medicaid/Medicare insurance (compared to private insurance), and non-epithelial histology had decreased survival. Conclusion: The rate of definitive radiation therapy utilization for nonmetastatic malignant pleural mesothelioma has remained low over the past decade. Patients who received definitive RT had improved OS compared to patients who did not in this retrospective national cancer registry-based analysis, suggesting a role for increased utilization of this modality, especially in the advent of improved radiation treatment delivery techniques. Surgical resection, receipt of chemotherapy, and treatment at an academic facility were also associated with improved survival.
AIP Conference Proceedings, 2005
The ARGO-YBJ experiment, currently under construction at the YangBaJing Laboratory (Tibet, P.R. C... more The ARGO-YBJ experiment, currently under construction at the YangBaJing Laboratory (Tibet, P.R. China, 4300 m a.s.l.), could be upgraded with a large (∼ 2500 m 2) muon detector both to extend the sensitivity to γ-ray sources to energies greater than ∼ 20 TeV and to perform a cosmic ray primary composition study. In this paper we present an evaluation of the rejection power for proton-induced showers achievable with the upgraded ARGO-YBJ detector. Minimum detectable γ-ray fluxes are calculated for different experimental setups.
Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease, Sep 12, 2023
Background: The prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors shows different age-specifi... more Background: The prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors shows different age-specific patterns. It is not known whether the prognostic impact of risk factors is similarly age-specific. We evaluated the profiles of cardiovascular risk factors and their prognostic impact on coronary artery disease (CAD) in relation to age. Methods: We included 3667 patients with suspected or known CAD undergoing stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). We evaluated the risk for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) within three years from the index MPI in patients belonging to three groups according to age tertile distribution: <59, 59-68, and >68 years. Gender, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, family history of CAD, smoking, angina, dyspnea, previous CAD, and MPI outcome were assessed as risk factors by a multivariable Cox's regression. Results: The three-year risk of MACE increased progressively with age and was 9%, 13%, and 18% for each group, respectively (p < 0.0001). Dyspnea and abnormal MPI outcome were significant risk factors for all age groups. Diabetes and smoking were significant from the age of 59 onwards, while hypertension resulted significant for patients older than 68 years. Conclusions: The number of risk factors was significantly associated with the occurrence of MACE increase with age. It is noteworthy that a personal history of CAD was not useful for risk stratification, while MPI results were.
Monte Carlo simulation studies of the timing calibration accuracy required by the NEMO underwater neutrino telescope
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Apr 1, 2009
The results of Monte Carlo simulation studies of the timing calibration accuracy required by the ... more The results of Monte Carlo simulation studies of the timing calibration accuracy required by the NEMO underwater neutrino telescope are presented. The NEMO Collaboration is conducting a long term R&amp;D activity toward the installation of a km3 apparatus in the Mediterranean Sea. An optimal site has been found and characterized at 3500m depth off the Sicilian coast. Monte Carlo simulation
Global Health Research and Policy, Oct 9, 2020
The first outbreak of COVID-19 in Italy occurred during the second half of February 2020 in some ... more The first outbreak of COVID-19 in Italy occurred during the second half of February 2020 in some areas in the North of the country. Due to the high contagiousness of the infection, further spread by asymptomatic people, Italy has become in a few weeks the country with the greatest number of infected people in the world. The large number of severe cases among infected people in Italy led to the hospitalization of thousands of patients, with a heavy burden on the National Health Service. Methods: We analyzed data provided daily by Italian Authorities for the period from 24 February 2020 to 30 March 2020. Considering such information, we developed a forecast model in real-time, based on the cumulative loglogistic distribution. Results: A total of 101,739 infected individuals were confirmed until 30 March 2020, of which 14,620 recovered or discharged, and 11,591 deaths. Until the same date patients quarantined at home were 43,752, whereas hospitalized patients were 31,776, of which 3981 in intensive care. The active cases (i.e. the number of patients not yet recovered until that date) were 75,528. The forecast model estimated a number of infected persons for Italy of 234,000 about, and a duration of the epidemic of approximately 4 months. Conclusions: One month after the first outbreaks there seemed to be the first signs of a decrease in the number of infections, showing that we could be now facing the descending phase of the epidemic. The forecast obtained thanks to our model could be used by decision-makers to implement coordinative and collaborative efforts in order to control the epidemic. The pandemic due to novel Coronavirus must be a warning for all countries worldwide, regarding a rapid and complete dissemination of information, surveillance, health organization, and cooperation among the states.
Research Article Evaluation of Growth Patterns and Body Composition in C57Bl/6J Mice Using Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry
Copyright © 2014 Sara Gargiulo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creati... more Copyright © 2014 Sara Gargiulo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The normal growth pattern of female C57BL/6J mice, from 5 to 30 weeks of age, has been investigated in a longitudinal study. Weight, body surface area (BS), and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated in forty mice. Lean mass and fat mass, bone mineral content (BMC), and bone mineral density (BMD) were monitored by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Weight and BS increased linearly (16.15 ± 0.64–27.64 ± 1.42 g; 51.13 ± 0.74–79.57 ± 2.15 cm2,
In this paper the Channeler Ant Model (CAM) and some results of its applications to the analysis ... more In this paper the Channeler Ant Model (CAM) and some results of its applications to the analysis of medical images are described. The CAM is an algorithm able to segment 3D structures with different shapes, intensity and background. It makes use of virtual ant colonies and exploits their natural capabilities to modify the environment and communicate with each other by pheromone deposition. Its performance has been validated with the segmentation of 3D artificial objects and it has been already used successfully in lung nodules detection on Computer Tomography images. This work tries to evaluate the CAM as a candidate to solve the quantitative segmentation problem in Magnetic Resonance brain images: to evaluate the percentage of white matter, gray matter and cerebrospinal fluid in each voxel.
AIMS Medical Science, 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic initially hit Italy at the end of February 2020. In the following two years... more The COVID-19 pandemic initially hit Italy at the end of February 2020. In the following two years, there were about 13 million diagnosed cases and more than 150000 deaths. For this period, we have performed a study that evaluates and compares the impacts on public health of the SARS-CoV-2 waves at the national and regional levels. Based on contagion trends, we considered four pandemic waves. For each wave, we also analyzed a restricted time interval of one month around the peak. We found an underestimation of diagnosed cases and a saturation of available intensive care unit (ICU) beds during the first wave. The second wave had a more significant impact on public health, highlighting that the system of physical distancing measures was less effective than the lockdown implemented during the first wave. Instead, during the first three peaks, the incidence of ICU bed occupancy was superimposable. In general, odds ratios of case fatality rate showed a more significant risk for males than...
Astroparticle Physics, Nov 1, 2006
In 2005, the ANTARES Collaboration deployed and operated at a depth of 2500 m a so-called Mini In... more In 2005, the ANTARES Collaboration deployed and operated at a depth of 2500 m a so-called Mini Instrumentation Line equipped with Optical Modules (MILOM) at the ANTARES site. The various data acquired during the continuous operation from April to December 2005 of the MILOM confirm the satisfactory performance of the Optical Modules, their front-end electronics and readout system, as well as the calibration devices of the detector. The in-situ measurement of the Optical Module time response yields a resolution better than 0.5 ns. The performance of the acoustic positioning system, which enables the spatial reconstruction of the ANTARES detector with a precision of about 10 cm, is verified. These results demonstrate that with the full ANTARES neutrino telescope the design angular resolution of better than 0.3 • can be realistically achieved.
Analisi a richiesta di CT polmonari con il CAD M5 attraverso servizi WEB. In: Libro degli abstract
Special Session on Thoracic CAD
International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery, May 26, 2010
Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine
Traditional approach for predicting coronary artery disease (CAD) is based on demographic data, s... more Traditional approach for predicting coronary artery disease (CAD) is based on demographic data, symptoms such as chest pain and dyspnea, and comorbidity related to cardiovascular diseases. Usually, these variables are analyzed by logistic regression to quantifying their relationship with the outcome; nevertheless, their predictive value is limited. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the value of different machine learning (ML) techniques for the evaluation of suspected CAD; having as gold standard, the presence of stress-induced ischemia by 82Rb positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) ML was chosen on their clinical use and on the fact that they are representative of different classes of algorithms, such as deterministic (Support vector machine and Naïve Bayes), adaptive (ADA and AdaBoost), and decision tree (Random Forest, rpart, and XGBoost). The study population included 2503 consecutive patients, who underwent MPI f...
Journal of Nuclear Cardiology
Background Cardiovascular risk models are based on traditional risk factors and investigations su... more Background Cardiovascular risk models are based on traditional risk factors and investigations such as imaging tests. External validation is important to determine reproducibility and generalizability of a prediction model. We performed an external validation of t the Japanese Assessment of Cardiac Events and Survival Study by Quantitative Gated SPECT (J-ACCESS) model, developed from a cohort of patients undergoing stress myocardial perfusion imaging. Methods We included 3623 patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease undergoing stress single-photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging at our academic center between January 2001 and December 2019. Results In our study population, the J-ACCESS model underestimated the risk of major adverse cardiac events (cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and severe heart failure requiring hospitalization) within three-year follow-up. The recalibrations and updated of the model slightly improved...
Applied Sciences
Coronary artery calcification and sarcopenia may have a relevant prognostic impact in oncological... more Coronary artery calcification and sarcopenia may have a relevant prognostic impact in oncological and non-oncological patients. The use of freeware software is promising for quantitative evaluation of these parameters after whole-body positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and might be useful for one-stop shop risk stratification without additional radiation ionizing burden and further charges to health care costs. In this study, we compared two semiautomatic freeware software tools (Horos Medical Image software and LIFEx) for the assessment of coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and muscle mass in 40 patients undergoing whole-body PET/CT. The muscle areas obtained by the two software programs were comparable, showing high correlation with Lin’s concordance coefficient (0.9997; 95% confidence intervals: 0.9995–0.9999) and very good agreement with Bland–Altman analysis (mean difference = 0.41 cm2, lower limit = −1.06 cm2, upper limit = 1.89) was also found. For C...
Comparison of three freeware software packages for 18F-FDG PET texture feature calculation
Japanese Journal of Radiology
Purpose To compare texture feature estimates obtained from 18 F-FDG-PET images using three differ... more Purpose To compare texture feature estimates obtained from 18 F-FDG-PET images using three different software packages. Methods PET images from 15 patients with head and neck cancer were processed with three different freeware software: CGITA, LIFEx, and Metavol. For each lesion, 38 texture features were extracted from each software package. To evaluate the statistical agreement among the features across packages a non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test was used. Differences in the features between each couple of software were assessed using a subsequent Dunn test. Correlation between texture features was evaluated via the Spearman coefficient. Results Twenty-three of 38 features showed a significant agreement across the three software ( P < 0.05). The agreement was better between LIFEx vs. Metavol (36 of 38) and worse between CGITA and Metavol (24 of 38), and CGITA vs. LIFEx (23 of 38). All features resulted correlated ( ρ > = 0.70, P < 0.001) in comparing LIFEx vs. Metavol. Seven of 38 features were found not in agreement and slightly or not correlated ( ρ < 0.70, P < 0.001) in comparing CGITA vs. LIFEx, and CGITA vs. Metavol. Conclusion Some texture discrepancies across software packages exist. Our findings reinforce the need to continue the standardization process, and to succeed in building a reference dataset to be used for comparisons.
Additional file 2 of First month of the epidemic caused by COVID-19 in Italy: current status and real-time outbreak development forecast
Additional file 2.
Analisi a richiesta di CT polmonari con il CAD M5 attraverso servizi WEB. In: Libro degli abstract
A new CAD system for lung nodule detection on low dose CT validated on publicly research database
International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery, 2010
Purpose Conventional chest X-ray is still the most common radiological imaging to detect pulmonar... more Purpose Conventional chest X-ray is still the most common radiological imaging to detect pulmonary metastases and nodules. The detection rate of such nodules, however, is limited due to different experiences of the radiologists and depends furthermore critically on the image quality. The role of conventional X-ray as a screening tool is critically discussed [1]. The enhanced and automated detection of pulmonary nodules but also the automated detection of other alterations of the lung including fibrotic and emphysematic structures is, thus of essential importance. In order to achieve a reliable and accurate analysis computer-based image analysis quality might offer additional help. Currently available CAD-solutions will shortly be discussed within this invited lecture with special focus on clinical results and further needs of development. Methods Recently established CAD-solutions offer the opportunity of an automated detection of pulmonary nodules, there is no software-based limita...
External validation of the CRAX2MACE model in an Italian cohort of patients with suspected coronary artery disease undergoing stress myocardial perfusion imaging
Journal of Nuclear Cardiology, 2021
Prevention and development of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques reduced morbidity and mortali... more Prevention and development of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques reduced morbidity and mortality for coronary artery disease (CAD). In this context, the cardiovascular risk assessment for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 2-year (CRAX2MACE) model for prediction of 2-year major adverse cardiac events was developed. We performed an external validation of this model. We included 1003 patients with suspected CAD undergoing stress-rest single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging at our academic center between March 2015 and April 2019. Considering the occurrence of MACE (death from any cause, acute myocardial infarction, or late coronary revascularization), for the CRAX2MACE model the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.612 and the Brier score was 0.061. The Hosmer–Lemeshow test estimated a non-optimal fit (χ2 28, P < .001). Considering only hard events (cardiac death, acute myocardial infarction), the external validation of the CRAX2MACE model revealed a Brier score of 0.053 and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.621. Hosmer–Lemeshow test was calculated by deciles and showed a poor fit (χ2 31, P < .001). CRAX2MACE model had a limited value for predicting 2-year major adverse cardiovascular events in an external validation cohort of patients with suspected CAD.
Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, 2019
International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 2016
income quartile (HR Z 0.92, 95% CI Z 0.88 to 0.95). Compared to patients who did not undergo surg... more income quartile (HR Z 0.92, 95% CI Z 0.88 to 0.95). Compared to patients who did not undergo surgery or receive definitive RT, surgery and RT combined was associated with a larger decrease in mortality (HR Z 0.60, 95% CI Z 0.53 to 0.69) than surgery alone (HR Z 0.75, 95% CI Z 0.71 to 0.80) or RT alone (HR Z 0.74, 95% CI Z 0.62 to 0.88). Patients with higher Charlson co-morbidity score, Medicaid/Medicare insurance (compared to private insurance), and non-epithelial histology had decreased survival. Conclusion: The rate of definitive radiation therapy utilization for nonmetastatic malignant pleural mesothelioma has remained low over the past decade. Patients who received definitive RT had improved OS compared to patients who did not in this retrospective national cancer registry-based analysis, suggesting a role for increased utilization of this modality, especially in the advent of improved radiation treatment delivery techniques. Surgical resection, receipt of chemotherapy, and treatment at an academic facility were also associated with improved survival.
AIP Conference Proceedings, 2005
The ARGO-YBJ experiment, currently under construction at the YangBaJing Laboratory (Tibet, P.R. C... more The ARGO-YBJ experiment, currently under construction at the YangBaJing Laboratory (Tibet, P.R. China, 4300 m a.s.l.), could be upgraded with a large (∼ 2500 m 2) muon detector both to extend the sensitivity to γ-ray sources to energies greater than ∼ 20 TeV and to perform a cosmic ray primary composition study. In this paper we present an evaluation of the rejection power for proton-induced showers achievable with the upgraded ARGO-YBJ detector. Minimum detectable γ-ray fluxes are calculated for different experimental setups.