Search

Recent promising trials that use low-dose CT for the early detection of lung cancer have reinvigorated the interest in screening approaches. At the same time the development of fast image acquisition techniques, such as multislice CT, have sparked renewed interest in cardiac imaging within the radiological community. In addition to special cardiac capabilities, multislice CT has several other features such as high acquisition speed and low-dose requirements that may make this modality a universal radiological screening tool. Non-invasive disease detection is the radiologist's domain. In this paper we identify criteria for effective screening and apply these criteria to screening approaches with multislice CT when used for detection of three disease entities: colon cancer; lung cancer; and cardiovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is a method of visualizing the vessels of the body with the intravenous injection of contrast material. Improvements in computers, television systems, and image intensifiers have contributed to the increased image quality of DSA. With DSA, the vessels such as the carotid bifurcations and the intracranial vasculature can be visualized with a 2-3% concentration of contrast material, while with conventional angiography, the concentration of contrast in vessels is 40-50%. Using IV DSA, visualization of the carotid bifurcations is of good or excellent quality 85% of the time. In a high percentage of these cases, IV DSA replaces conventional angiography, although for imaging of the intracranial vessels, IV DSA is not as good as conventional angiography. In most tumor patients, however, conventional intracranial angiography is not needed because IV DSA combined with computed tomography gives sufficient information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer assistance with contrast angiography has yielded a new technique of intravenous Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA). DSA has become a useful adjunct to the evaluation and treatment of patients with vascular lesions of the neck and skull base. This paper will discuss the technique of the DSA study and the types of lesions that it will demonstrate. The combination of a DSA scan and a sector scan, performed as an outpatient, allows a complete evaluation of patients with neck vascular lesions and skull base tumors without hospitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, dynamics of double-pulse laser produced t itanium plasma was studied both directly using optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and indirectly from morphological properties of deposited thin films. Both approaches yield consistent results. Ablated material was deposited in a form of thin film on the Si substrate. During deposition, plasma dynamics was monitored using optical emission spectroscopy with spatial and temporal resolutions. The influence of ablation mode (single and double) and delay time τ (delay between first and second pulses in double-pulse mode) on plasma dynamics and consequently on morphology of deposited Ti-films was studied using X-ray reflectivity and atomic force microscopy. Delay time τ was varied from 170 ns to 4 μs. The results show strong dependence of both emission signal and Ti-film properties, such as thickness, density and roughness, on τ . In addition, correlation of average density and thickness of film is observed. These results are discussed in terms of dependency of angular distribution and kinetic energy of plasma plume particles on τ . Advantages of using double-pulse laser deposition for possible application in thin film production are shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects on vacuum packaged and non-packaged beef longissimus samples exposed to atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) generated at different powers were studied over a 10 day period of vacuum-, and a subsequent 3 day period of aerobic storage. Exposure of non-covered beef samples under high power ACP conditions resulted in increased a*, b*, Chroma and Hue values, but ACP treatment of packaged loins did not impact colour (L*, a*, b*, Chroma, Hue), lipid peroxidation, sarcoplasmic protein denaturation, nitrate/nitrite uptake, or myoglobin isoform distribution. Colour values measured after 3 days of aerobic storage following unpackaging (i.e. 20 days post-mortem) were similar and all compliant with consumer acceptability standards. Exposure to ACP of the polyamide-polyethylene packaging film inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus , Listeria monocytogenes and two Escherichia coli strains resulted in > 2 log reduction without affecting the integrity of the packaging matrix. Results indicate that ACP can reduce microbial numbers on surfaces of beef packages without affecting characteristics of the packaged beef. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanogold is an emerging material for enhancing surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), which enables the detection of hazardous analytes at trace levels. This study presents a simple, single-step plasma synthesis method to control the size and yield of Au nanoparticles by using plasma-liquid redox chemistry. The pin-based argon plasma reduces the Au 3+ precursor in under 5 min, synthesizing Au spherical particles ranging from ∼20 nm at 0.025 mM to ∼90 nm at 1.0 mM, in addition to plate-like particles occurring at concentrations of 0.25-1.0 mM. The enhanced SERS responses correlated with the UV-vis absorption and reflectance profiles, which can be attributed to synergistic plasmonic hotspots created by the sphere-sphere, plate-sphere, and plate-plate nanogold interactions. This nanogold mixture, combined with gold-plated CPU grid pin arrays, facilitated the detection of trace explosives, including aromatic (TNT, TNB, and TNP) and aliphatic (RDX, PETN, and HMX) compounds. We demonstrate that stabler aliphatic analytes, associated with lower vapor pressure (10 -8 -10 -11 atm), exhibit smaller signal fluctuations (RSD ∼ 6-10%) compared to their more volatile (10 -5 atm) aromatic (RSD ∼ 12-17%) counterparts at similar analyte concentrations. The calculated limit of detection (LoD) was found to be ∼2-6 nM and ∼600-900 pM for aromatic and aliphatic explosives, respectively. Finally, we show that the poorer performance of aromatic explosives under the same sensing conditions affects SERS-PCA separation, which can then be improved either by a machine learning approach (PCA with k-NN classification) or by consideration of a specific NO 2 symmetric stretching fingerprint range.

Pluripotent stem cells possess a unique nuclear architecture characterized by a larger nucleus and more open chromatin, which underpins their ability to self-renew and differentiate. Here, we show that the nucleolus-specific RNA helicase DDX18 is essential for maintaining the pluripotency of human embryonic stem cells. Using techniques such as Hi-C, DNA/RNA-FISH, and biomolecular condensate analysis, we demonstrate that DDX18 regulates nucleolus phase separation and nuclear organization by interacting with NPM1 in the granular nucleolar component, driven by specific nucleolar RNAs. Loss of DDX18 disrupts nucleolar substructures, impairing centromere clustering and perinucleolar heterochromatin (PNH) formation. To probe this further, we develop NoCasDrop, a tool enabling precise nucleolar targeting and controlled liquid condensation, which restores centromere clustering and PNH integrity while modulating developmental gene expression. This study reveals how nucleolar phase separation dynamics govern chromatin organization and cell fate, offering fresh insights into the molecular regulation of stem cell pluripotency., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The use of reusable flexible endoscopes has increased dramatically over the past decade, however despite improvements in endoscope reprocessing, the continued emergence of endoscopy-associated outbreaks as a result of multi-drug resistant bacteria has highlighted the need for a new approach to disinfection. Here, the use of plasma activated liquids (PALs) for the elimination of mixed species biofilm contamination within the working channels of endoscopes was evaluated. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma was used to chemically activate water and a commercially available pH buffered peracetic acid to create PALs. Polytetrafluoroethylene endoscope surrogate test pieces were contaminated with clinically relevant mixed species biofilms. The efficacy of PALs for the decontamination of narrow lumens was compared against the commercial disinfectant. Plasma activation was found to increase the antibiofilm capabilities of pH buffered peracetic acid by introducing reactive chemical species into the solution. Disinfection of endoscopic test pieces with plasma activated disinfectant (PAD) resulted in a 7.30 log 10 reduction of biofilm contamination in 5 min, surpassing the 4.39 log 10 reduction observed with the currently used endoscope disinfection method. PAD also resulted in reduced regrowth and recolonization of the surface of the endoscopic test pieces. Minimal changes to the surface morphology and composition were observed following exposure to PAD in comparison to the commercial disinfectant, suggesting the developed approach is no more aggressive than current disinfection approaches., Competing Interests: Declarations Competing interests NN, VS, MM, MJH and JLW have no competing interests to declare. TJ and SE are employed by Olympus Surgical Technologies Europe, Olympus Winter & Ibe GmbH and provided endoscope test pieces and pH buffered peracetic acid., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The accurate and rapid identification of explosives and their toxic by-products is an important aspect of safety protocols, forensic investigations and pollution studies. Herein, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is used to detect different explosive molecules using an improved substrate design by controllable oxidation of the tungsten surface and deposition of Au layers. The resulting furrow-like morphology formed at the intersection of the tungsten Wulff facets increases nanoroughness and improves the SERS response by over 300 % compared to the untreated surface. The substrate showed excellent reproducibility with a relative standard deviation of less than 15 % and a signal recovery of over 95 % after ultrafast Ar/O 2 plasma cleanings. The detection limit for the "dried on a surface" measurement case was better than 10 -8 M using the moving scanning regime and an acquisition time of 10 s, while for the "water droplets on a surface" scenario the LoD is 10 -7 , which is up to 2 orders of magnitude better than the UV-Vis spectroscopy method. The substrates were successfully used to classify the molecular fingerprints of HMX, Tetryl, TNB and TNT, demonstrating the efficiency of a sensor for label-free SERS screening in the practice of monitoring traces of explosives in the water medium., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Signaling pathways drive cell fate transitions largely by changing gene expression. However, the mechanisms for rapid and selective transcriptome rewiring in response to signaling cues remain elusive. Here we use deep learning to deconvolve both the sequence determinants and the trans-acting regulators that trigger extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)-induced decay of the naive pluripotency mRNAs. Timing of decay is coupled to embryo implantation through ERK-MEK phosphorylation of LIN28A, which repositions pLIN28A to the highly A+U-rich 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) termini of naive pluripotency mRNAs. Interestingly, these A+U-rich 3'UTR termini serve as poly(A)-binding protein (PABP)-binding hubs, poised for signal-induced convergence with LIN28A. The multivalency of AUU motifs determines the efficacy of pLIN28A-PABP convergence, which enhances PABP 3'UTR binding, decreases the protection of poly(A) tails and activates mRNA decay to enable progression toward primed pluripotency. Thus, the signal-induced convergence of LIN28A with PABP-RNA hubs drives the rapid selection of naive mRNAs for decay, enabling the transcriptome remodeling that ensures swift developmental progression., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Due to their capacity to mediate repetitive protein interactions, intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are crucial for the formation of various types of protein-RNA complexes. The functions of IDRs are strongly modulated by post-translational modifications (PTMs). Phosphorylation is the most common and well-studied modification of IDRs, which can alter homomeric or heteromeric interactions of proteins and impact their ability to phase separate. Moreover, phosphorylation can influence the RNA-binding properties of proteins, and recent studies demonstrated its selective impact on the global profiles of protein-RNA binding and regulation. These findings highlight the need for further integrative approaches to understand how signalling remodels protein-RNA networks in cells., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Study Design: Cross-sectional retrospective observational study., Objective: To evaluate the reliability and clinical utility of the Modic changes (MC) grading score., Method: Patients from the Danish national spine registry, DaneSpine, scheduled for lumbar discectomy were identified. MRI of patients with MC were graded based on vertical height involvement: Grade A (<25%), Grade B (25%-50%), and Grade C (>50%). All MRIs were reviewed by 2 physicians to evaluate the reliability of the MC grade., Results: Of 213 patients included, 142 patients had MC, 71 with MC-1 and 71 with MC-2; 34% were Grade A, 45% were Grade B, and 21% were Grade C. MC grade demonstrated substantial intra-rater (κ = .68) and inter-rater (κ = .61) reliability. A significantly higher proportion (n = 40, 57%) of patients with MC-1 had a severe MC grade compared to patients with MC-2 (n = 30, 43%, P < .001). Severe MC grade was associated with the presence of severe lumbar disc degeneration (DD) (Pfirrmann grade = V, P = .024), worse preoperative ODI (52.49 vs 44.17, P = .021) and EQ-5D scores (.26 vs .46, P = .053). MC alone including type was not associated with a significant difference in patient-reported outcomes ( P > .05)., Conclusion: The MC grade score was demonstrated to have substantial intra- and inter-observer reliability. Severe MC grade was associated with both severe DD and MC type, being more prevalent in patients with MC-1. The MC grade was also significantly associated with worse disability and reduced health-related quality of life. Results from the study suggest that MC grade is more clinically important than MC type., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Bisphenols are widely recognised as toxic compounds that potentially threaten the environment and public health. Here we report the use of cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) to remove bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) from aqueous systems. Additionally, methanol was added as a radical scavenger to simulate environmental conditions. After 480 s of plasma treatment, 15-25 % of BPA remained, compared to > 80 % of BPS, with BPA being removed faster (-k t = 3.4 ms -1 , half-life = 210 s) than BPS (-k t = 0.15 ms -1 , half-life 4700 s). The characterisation of plasma species showed that adding a radical scavenger affects the formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, resulting in a lower amount of ˙OH, H 2 O 2 , and NO 2 - but a similar amount of NO 3 - . In addition, a non-target approach enabled the elucidation of 11 BPA and five BPS transformation products. From this data, transformation pathways were proposed for both compounds, indicating nitrification with further cleavage, demethylation, and carboxylation, and the coupling of smaller bisphenol intermediates. The toxicological characterisation of the in vitro HepG2 cell model has shown that the mixture of transformation products formed during CAP is less toxic than BPA and BPS, indicating that CAP is effective in safely degrading bisphenols., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Aggregation of the Tar DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) is a pathological hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia and likely contributes to disease by loss of nuclear function. Analysis of TDP-43 function in knockout zebrafish identified an endothelial directional migration and hypersprouting phenotype during development prior lethality. In human umbilical vein cells (HUVEC) the loss of TDP-43 leads to hyperbranching. We identified elevated expression of FIBRONECTIN 1 ( FN1 ), the VASCULAR CELL ADHESION MOLECULE 1 ( VCAM1 ), as well as their receptor INTEGRIN α4β1 ( ITGA4B1 ) in HUVEC cells. Importantly, reducing the levels of ITGA4, FN1 , and VCAM1 homologues in the TDP-43 loss-of-function zebrafish rescues the angiogenic defects indicating the conservation of human and zebrafish TDP-43 function during angiogenesis. Our study identifies a novel pathway regulated by TDP-43 important for angiogenesis during development., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Hipke, Pitter, Hruscha, van Bebber, Modic, Bansal, Lewandowski, Orozco, Edbauer, Bonn, Haass, Pohl, Montanez and Schmid.)

Unwelcomed biofilms are problematic in food industries, surgical devices, marine applications, and wastewater treatment plants, essentially everywhere where there is moisture. Very recently, label-free advanced sensors such as localized and extended surface plasmon resonance (SPR) have been explored as tools for monitoring biofilm formation. However, conventional noble metal SPR substrates suffer from low penetration depth (100-300 nm) into the dielectric medium above the surface, preventing the reliable detection of large entities of single or multi-layered cell assemblies like biofilms which can grow up to a few micrometers or more. In this study, we propose using a plasmonic insulator-metal-insulator (IMI) structure (SiO 2 -Ag-SiO 2 ) with a higher penetration depth based on a diverging beam single wavelength format of Kretschmann configuration in a portable SPR device. An SPR line detection algorithm for locating the reflectance minimum of the device helps to view changes in refractive index and accumulation of the biofilm in real-time down to 10 -7 RIU precision. The optimized IMI structure exhibits strong penetration dependence on wavelength and incidence angle. Within the plasmonic resonance, different angles penetrate different depths, showing a maximum near the critical angle. At the wavelength of 635 nm, a high penetration depth of more than 4 μm was obtained. Compared to a thin gold film substrate, for which the penetration depth is only ∼200 nm, the IMI substrate provides more reliable results. The average thickness of the biofilm after 24 h of growth was found to be between 6 and 7 μm with ∼63% live cell volume, as estimated from confocal microscopic images using an image processing tool. To explain this saturation thickness, a graded index biofilm structure is proposed in which the refractive index decreases with the distance from the interface. Furthermore, when plasma-assisted degeneration of biofilms was studied in a semi-real-time format, there was almost no effect on the IMI substrate compared to the gold substrate. The growth rate over the SiO 2 surface was higher than on gold, possibly due to differences between surface charge effects. On the gold, the excited plasmon generates an oscillating cloud of electrons, while for the SiO 2 case, this does not happen. This methodology can be utilized to detect and characterize biofilms with better signal reliability with respect to concentration and size dependence., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Interrater reliability of Modic changes is subject to variables which affect consistency in reporting. Given the importance of Modic change identification for basivertebral nerve ablation (BVNA) candidacy, interrater reliability for this specific cohort has not yet been reported. Twenty lumbar magnetic resonance images of potential basivertebral nerve candidates were independently reviewed by two neuroradiologists and two interventional spine physiatrists for the presence and characterization of Modic changes. The kappa value of their agreement on the presence of Modic changes was 0.52 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.37-0.67), whereas agreement on the type of Modic change was 0.51 (95% CI 0.37-0.65). Using an alternative methodology for measuring interrater reliability (Gwet's AC1) yielded the identification of the presence of Modic changes at AC1 0.51 (95% CI 0.36-0.66), whereas agreement on the type of Modic change was AC1 0.75 (95% CI 0.66-0.83). While less common, AC1 may be preferred in the appropriate cohort to kappa as it mitigates some of the pitfalls to which kappa values may be victim. Ultimately, our results are in-line with previous reports of interrater reliability results for Modic changes in other cohorts and should serve to caution those who perform BVNA regarding interrater agreement of the imaging crux of the procedure., (© 2022 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

N6 -methyladenosine (m6A) is a widely studied and abundant RNA modification. The m6A mark regulates the fate of RNAs in various ways, which in turn drives changes in cell physiology, development, and disease pathology. Over the last decade, numerous methods have been developed to map and quantify m6A sites genome-wide through deep sequencing. Alternatively, m6A levels can be quantified from a population of RNAs using techniques such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry or thin layer chromatography. However, many methods for quantifying m6A levels involve extensive protocols and specialized data analysis, and often only a few samples can be handled in a single experiment. Here, we developed a simple method for determining relative m6A levels in mRNA populations from various sources based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent-based assay (m6A-ELISA). We have optimized various steps of m6A-ELISA, such as sample preparation and the background signal resulting from the primary antibody. We validated the method using mRNA populations from budding yeast and mouse embryonic stem cells. The full protocol takes less than a day, requiring only 25 ng of mRNA. The m6A-ELISA protocol is quick, cost-effective, and scalable, making it a valuable tool for determining relative m6A levels in samples from various sources that could be adapted to detect other mRNA modifications., (© 2023 Ensinck et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the RNA Society.)

It is shown that surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) can identify bacteria based on their genomic DNA composition, acting as a "sample-distinguishing marker". Successful spectral differentiation of bacterial species was accomplished with nanogold aggregates synthesized through single-step plasma reduction of the ionic gold-containing vapored precursor. A high enhancement factor (EF = 10 7 ) in truncated coupled plasmonic particulates allowed SERS-probing at nanogram sample quantities. Simulations confirmed the occurrence of the strongest electric field confinement within nanometric gaps between gold dimers/chains from where the molecular fingerprints of bacterial DNA fragments gained photon scattering enhancement. The most prominent Raman modes linked to fundamental base-pair molecular vibrations were deconvoluted and used to proceed with nitrogenous base content estimation. The genomic composition (percentage of guanine-cytosine and adenine-thymine) was successfully validated by third-generation sequencing using nanopore technology, further proving that the SERS technique can be employed to swiftly specify bioentities by the discriminative principal-component statistical approach.

Background: Emerging literature supports the use of basivertebral nerve ablation (BVNA) for a specific cohort of patients with chronic low back pain and Type 1 or Type 2 Modic changes from vertebral levels L3-S1. The early literature warrants further evaluation. Studies establishing the efficacy of BVNA use highly selective patient criteria., Objective: Provide a first estimate of the prevalence of BVNA candidates in a spine clinic over a year using the foundational studies patient selection criteria?, Methods: A retrospective review of four fellowhsip trained spine physiatrists patient encounters at a large academic medical center using relevant ICD-10 codes to isolate chronic low back pain without radiating symptoms from January 1, 2019 to January 1, 2020. Charts were then reviewed by a team of physicians for exclusionary criteria from the foundational studies which have demonstrated benefit from BVNA. MRI's from qualifying charts which did not meet exclusionary criteria were then independently reviewed by four physician for localization and characterization of Modic changes., Results: The relevant diagnostic codes query yielded 338 unique patient records. Based on exclusionary criteria or lack of imaging availability, 318 charts were eliminated. The remaining 20 charts qualified for imaging review. There were 11 charts in which there was 100% agreement between all reviewers regarding the presence and either Type 1 or Type 2 Modic changes between vertebral levels L3 to S1. Accordingly, the prevalence of eligibility for BVNA was 3% (11/338, 95% CI 1-5%)., Conclusion: The population which may benefit from BVNA is small. Our study demonstrated that over a year, the prevalence for BVNA candidacy using the foundational studies criteria was 3% (95% CI 1% - 5%). While physicians may be tempted to use less stringent selection criteria in practice, upon doing so they cannot cite the foundational studies as evidence for the outcomes they expect to achieve. Those outcomes will require more studies which formally assess the benefits of BVNA when selection criteria are relaxed., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Developing novel, fast and efficient ecologically benign processes for removing organic contaminants is important for the continued development of water treatment. For this reason, this study investigates the implementation of Cold Atmospheric pressure Plasma (CAP) generated in ambient air as an efficient tool for the removal of Bisphenol A (BPA) and Bisphenol S (BPS)-known endocrine disrupting compounds in water and wastewater, by monitoring degradation kinetics and its transformation products. The highest removal efficiencies of BPA (>98%) and BPS (>70%) were obtained after 480 s of CAP exposure. A pseudo-first-order kinetic revealed that BPA (-k t = 4.4 ̶ 9.0 ms -1 ) degrades faster than BPS (-k t = 0.4 ̶ 2.4 ms -1 ) and that the degradation is also time- and CAP power-dependent, while the initial concentration or matrix type had a negligible effect. This study also tentatively identified three previously reported and one novel transformation product of BPA and four novel transformation products of BPS. Their postulated structures suggested similar breakdown mechanisms, i.e., hydroxylation followed by ring cleavage. The results demonstrate that CAP technology is an effective process for the degradation of both BPA and BPS without the need for additional chemicals, indicating that CAP is a promising technology for water and wastewater remediation worthy of further investigation and optimization., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Modic change grading is heterogeneous, inconsistent, and lacks a single nomenclature across the published literature. A new method of Modic change classification has been established by Dr. Peter Udby which hopes to unify how Modic changes are classified while also adding grading of the cranial/caudal extent of the Modic change across the vertebral body from the respective endplate involved to best capture the clinically relevant information of Modic changes., Methods: Twenty magnetic resonance images of potential basivertebral nerve ablation candidates were independently reviewed by two board-certified and fellowship trained neuroradiologist and two board-certified and fellowship-trained interventional spine physiatrists for the presence and characterization of Modic changes using the newly described Udby classification. 100% agreement of all four reviewers of Modic change presence, Type, and Udby classification was required to be classified as agreement. There were 480 total data points each with 10 unique choices to compare across the four independent reviewers., Results: The kappa value of their agreement was 0.5899 (95% CI 0.4860-0.6939)., Conclusion: This study, requiring unanimous agreement between 4 physicians in application of the Udby classification, demonstrated an interrater reliability score of 0.5899 (95% CI 0.4860-0.6939). While this figure provides a first estimate, larger scale research is necessary before definitive claims regarding the interrater agreement validity of the Udby characterization system may be made., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Author(s).)