TY  - JOUR
A1  - Weismann, Dirk
A1  - Möckel, Martin
A1  - Paeth, Heiko
A1  - Slagman, Anna
T1  - Modelling variations of emergency attendances using data on community mobility, climate and air pollution
JF  - Scientific Reports
N2  - Air pollution is associated with morbidity and mortality worldwide. We investigated the impact of improved air quality during the economic lockdown during the SARS-Cov2 pandemic on emergency room (ER) admissions in Germany. Weekly aggregated clinical data from 33 hospitals were collected in 2019 and 2020. Hourly concentrations of nitrogen and sulfur dioxide (NO2, SO2), carbon and nitrogen monoxide (CO, NO), ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5) measured by ground stations and meteorological data (ERA5) were selected from a 30 km radius around the corresponding ED. Mobility was assessed using aggregated cell phone data. A linear stepwise multiple regression model was used to predict ER admissions. The average weekly emergency numbers vary from 200 to over 1600 cases (total n = 2,216,217). The mean maximum decrease in caseload was 5 standard deviations. With the enforcement of the shutdown in March, the mobility index dropped by almost 40%. Of all air pollutants, NO2 has the strongest correlation with ER visits when averaged across all departments. Using a linear stepwise multiple regression model, 63% of the variation in ER visits is explained by the mobility index, but still 6% of the variation is explained by air quality and climate change.
KW  - cardiovascular diseases
KW  - environmental health
KW  - environmental impact
KW  - preclinical research
KW  - preventive medicine
KW  - reproductive disorders
KW  - respiratory signs and symptoms
Y1  - 2023
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357578
VL  - 13
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Gruschwitz, Philipp
A1  - Hartung, Viktor
A1  - Kleefeldt, Florian
A1  - Ergün, Süleyman
A1  - Lichthardt, Sven
A1  - Huflage, Henner
A1  - Hendel, Robin
A1  - Kunz, Andreas Steven
A1  - Pannenbecker, Pauline
A1  - Kuhl, Philipp Josef
A1  - Augustin, Anne Marie
A1  - Bley, Thorsten Alexander
A1  - Petritsch, Bernhard
A1  - Grunz, Jan-Peter
T1  - Standardized assessment of vascular reconstruction kernels in photon-counting CT angiographies of the leg using a continuous extracorporeal perfusion model
JF  - Scientific Reports
N2  - This study evaluated the influence of different vascular reconstruction kernels on the image quality of CT angiographies of the lower extremity runoff using a 1st-generation photon-counting-detector CT (PCD-CT) compared with dose-matched examinations on a 3rd-generation energy-integrating-detector CT (EID-CT). Inducing continuous extracorporeal perfusion in a human cadaveric model, we performed CT angiographies of eight upper leg arterial runoffs with radiation dose-equivalent 120 kVp acquisition protocols (CTDIvol 5 mGy). Reconstructions were executed with different vascular kernels, matching the individual modulation transfer functions between scanners. Signal-to-noise-ratios (SNR) and contrast-to-noise-ratios (CNR) were computed to assess objective image quality. Six radiologists evaluated image quality subjectively using a forced-choice pairwise comparison tool. Interrater agreement was determined by calculating Kendall’s concordance coefficient (W). The intraluminal attenuation of PCD-CT images was significantly higher than of EID-CT (414.7 ± 27.3 HU vs. 329.3 ± 24.5 HU; p < 0.001). Using comparable kernels, image noise with PCD-CT was significantly lower than with EID-CT (p ≤ 0.044). Correspondingly, SNR and CNR were approximately twofold higher for PCD-CT (p < 0.001). Increasing the spatial frequency for PCD-CT reconstructions by one level resulted in similar metrics compared to EID-CT (CNRfat; EID-CT Bv49: 21.7 ± 3.7 versus PCD-CT Bv60: 21.4 ± 3.5). Overall image quality of PCD-CTA achieved ratings superior to EID-CTA irrespective of the used reconstruction kernels (best: PCD-CT Bv60; worst: EID-CT Bv40; p < 0.001). Interrater agreement was good (W = 0.78). Concluding, PCD-CT offers superior intraluminal attenuation, SNR, and CNR compared to EID-CT in angiographies of the upper leg arterial runoff. Combined with improved subjective image quality, PCD-CT facilitates the use of sharper convolution kernels and ultimately bears the potential of improved vascular structure assessability.
KW  - experimental models of disease
KW  - preclinical research
KW  - translational research
Y1  - 2023
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357912
VL  - 13
ER  -