Towards development of automatic path planning system in image-guided neurosurgery

With the advent of advanced computer technology, many computer-aided systems have evolved to assist in medical related work including treatment, diagnosis, and even surgery. In modern neurosurgery, Magnetic Resonance Image guided stereotactic surgery exactly complies with this trend. It is a minimally invasive operation being much safer than the traditional open-skull surgery, and offers higher precision and more effective operating procedures compared to conventional craniotomy. However, such operations still face significant challenges of planning the optimal neurosurgical path in order to reach the ideal position without damage to important internal structures. This research aims to address this major challenge. The work begins with an investigation of the problem of distortion induced by MR images. It then goes on to build a template of the Circle of Wills brain vessels, realized from a collection of Magnetic Resonance Angiography images, which is needed to maintain operating standards when, as in many cases, Magnetic Resonance Angiography images are not available for patients. Demographic data of brain tumours are also studied to obtain further understanding of diseased human brains through the development of an effect classifier. The developed system allows the internal brain structure to be ‘seen’ clearly before the surgery, giving surgeons a clear picture and thereby makes a significant contribution to the eventual development of a fully automatic path planning system

Sensing and Signal Processing in Smart Healthcare

In the last decade, we have witnessed the rapid development of electronic technologies that are transforming our daily lives. Such technologies are often integrated with various sensors that facilitate the collection of human motion and physiological data and are equipped with wireless communication modules such as Bluetooth, radio frequency identification, and near-field communication. In smart healthcare applications, designing ergonomic and intuitive human–computer interfaces is crucial because a system that is not easy to use will create a huge obstacle to adoption and may significantly reduce the efficacy of the solution. Signal and data processing is another important consideration in smart healthcare applications because it must ensure high accuracy with a high level of confidence in order for the applications to be useful for clinicians in making diagnosis and treatment decisions. This Special Issue is a collection of 10 articles selected from a total of 26 contributions. These contributions span the areas of signal processing and smart healthcare systems mostly contributed by authors from Europe, including Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and Netherlands. Authors from China, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Ecuador are also included

Socioeconomic inequalities in Zambia's public health care delivery system

Includes bibliographical references.In this thesis, equality is considered as the absence of differences in utilization among individuals of different socioeconomic status while equity is taken to mean that individuals in equal need of health care should use the same amount of care, irrespective of their socioeconomic status. Using the above definitions, this thesis, examines equity/inequality in the utilization of public health care in Zambia. Concentration curves, concentration indices and horizontal equity indices were used for this purpose. This thesis focuses specifically on public health care that is subsidized by the Government. It is anticipated that the findings of this thesis will broaden the knowledge base on health care utilization inequities in Africa

In silico simulation of tumor cell proliferation and movement based on biochemical models of mapk cascade

Systems biology allows analytical investigation of intracellular dynamics, analyzing complex processes and taking into account the interactions among the various subsystems. In this study, biochemical models describing the behavior of regulatory molecular networks were created and interfaced with a simulation system able to reproduce motility and proliferation of eukaryotic cell cultures. The primary focus was on MAPK cascades, particularly Erk1/2 activation by growth factors and mitogens such as EGF through tyrosine kinase receptors (RTKs) as Egfr, which represent a fundamental signal transduction and regulatory network affecting many cellular processes, including proliferation, motility, differentiation and survival. Erk1/2 predicted levels were related to reactions representing the progression of the cell cycle and used to modulate cell growth in a cell simulator. The biochemical model was built starting from literature data and a database of estimated protein concentrations representative of different cell types and experimental conditions and may be run for prolonged time frames and in various experimental conditions, including a vast array of cell lines. A software tool developed on purpose is able to run the model and interface with the cell simulator

Comprehensive LC-MS/MS analysis of the saliva metabolome in association to oral health status: a population-based study

Periodontitis is one of the most prevalent oral diseases worldwide caused by multifactorial interactions between host and oral bacteria. Altered cellular metabolism of host and microbes releases a number of intermediary end-products known as metabolites. Recently, there is an increasing interest in identifying metabolites from oral fluids like saliva to widen the understanding of the complex pathogenesis of periodontitis. It is believed, that some metabolites might serve as indicators toward early detection and screening of periodontitis and perhaps even for monitoring its prognosis in the future. Because contemporary periodontal screening methods are deficient, there is an urgent need for novel approaches in periodontal screening procedures. To this end we associated oral parameters (clinical attachment level, periodontal probing depth, supragingival plaque, supragingival calculus, number of missing teeth, and removable denture) with a large set of salivary metabolites (n=383) obtained by mass spectrometry among a subsample (n=909) of non-diabetic participants of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-Trend-0). Linear regression analyses were performed in age-stratified groups and adjusted for potential confounders. A multifaceted image of associated metabolites (n=107) with considerable differences according to age groups was revealed. In the young (20-39 years) and middle-aged groups (40-59 years), we found metabolites predominantly associated with periodontal variables; whereas among the older subjects (60 + years), tooth loss was strongly associated with metabolite levels. Metabolites associated with periodontal variables were clearly linked to tissue destruction, host- defence mechanisms and bacterial metabolism. Across all age groups, the bacterial metabolite phenylacetate was significantly associated with periodontal variables. Our results revealed alterations of the salivary metabolome in association with age and oral health status. Among our comprehensive panel of metabolites, periodontitis was significantly associated with the bacterial metabolite phenylacetate, a promising substance for further biomarker research.Parodontitis zählt zu den hochprävalenten oralen Erkrankungen und betrifft Millionen von Menschen auf der ganzen Welt. Sie beeinträchtigt die Lebensqualität der Betroffenen negativ durch Einschränkungen in verschiedenen funktionellen und ästhetischen Aspekten. Darüber hinaus besteht der Verdacht, dass Parodontitis ein Risikofaktor im Zusammenhang mit der Entstehung von weit verbreiteten systemischen Erkrankungen darstellt. Bis jetzt gibt es noch keine zuverlässigen, reproduzierbaren Screeningtests für den klinischen Alltag. Parodontitis wird noch immer anhand von eindeutigen, klinisch sichtbaren (gerötetes Zahnfleisch, Zahnfleischblutung, gelockerte Zähne, Zahnfleischrückgang), messbaren (vergrößerte Sondierungstiefen) oder röntgenologischen Befunden diagnostiziert, welche in der Regel in bereits fortgeschrittenen Stadien der Erkrankung zu finden sind. Aufgrund dieser Defizite in der Früherkennung von Parodontitis beschäftigt sich die Forschung zunehmend mit der Suche nach passenden Biomarkern, welche als diagnostische Werkzeuge dienlich sein könnten. Dabei rückt zunehmend neben der Genomik und Proteomik auch die Metabolomik in den Fokus der wissenschaftlichen Untersuchungen. Parodontitis wird durch multifaktorielle Interaktionen zwischen dem Menschen und bestimmten pathogenen Keimen der Mundhöhle verursacht. Dabei produzieren Wirt und Bakterium verschiedene Zwischen- oder Endprodukte, sogenannte Metabolite. Es wird angenommen, dass einige dieser Metaboliten als Indikatoren für die Früherkennung und das Screening von Parodontitis eignen könnten. In diesem Zusammenhang assoziierten wir orale Parameter (klinisches Attachment-Level, Parodontal-Sondierungstiefe, supragingivale Plaque, supragingivale Zahnstein, Anzahl der fehlenden Zähne und herausnehmbaren Zahnersatz) mit einer großen Menge von Speichelmetaboliten (n=383), die durch Massenspektrometrie aus einer Probandengruppe (n=909) von nicht-diabetischen Teilnehmern der Gesundheitsstudie in Pommern (SHIP-Trend-0) gewonnen wurden. Lineare Regressionsanalysen wurden in nach Alter geschichteten Gruppen durchgeführt und mögliche Störfaktoren bereinigt. Insgesamt fanden wir 107 Metabolite, die zu unseren untersuchten oralen Variablen assoziiert waren. Dabei zeigten sich erheblichen Unterschieden zwischen den Altersgruppen. In der Gruppe der Jüngeren (20-39 Jahre) und der Gruppe mittleren Alters (40-59 Jahre) fanden wir Metabolite, die überwiegend mit parodontalen Variablen assoziiert waren. Bei den älteren Probanden (>60 Jahre) war jedoch der Zahnverlust stark mit den gefundenen Metaboliten assoziiert. Die mit Parodontitis assoziierten Metaboliten standen eindeutig im Zusammenhang mit Gewebezerstörung, Wirtsabwehrmechanismen und bakteriellem Stoffwechsel. In allen drei Altersgruppen war der bakterielle Metabolit Phenylacetat signifikant positiv mit den Parodontitis-Variablen assoziiert. Um zu spezifizieren, ob unsere gefundenen Metabolite aus dem lokalen Stoffwechsel innerhalb der Mundhöhle stammen oder es sich um Stoffe aus dem Blutplasma handelt (die über die Sulcusflüssigkeit in den Speichel gelangt sind oder bei der Speichelentstehung bereits translatiert wurden) führten wir zusätzlich eine umfangreiche Plasmametabolomanalyse bei den Probanden durch. Anhand der Ergebnisse lies sich keine Übereinstimmung finden, was für einen Ursprung der mit Parodontitis assoziierten Metabolite aus dem lokalen oralen Stoffwechsel spricht. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigten deutlich die Veränderungen des Speichelmetaboloms im Zusammenhang mit Alter und dem allgemeinen Gesundheitszustand der Mundhöhle. Durch die Kombination mit Plasma-Metabolomik-Analysen können wir außerdem die systemischen Auswirkungen unserer Ergebnisse beurteilen. Nicht zuletzt waren die Level des Speichelmetaboliten Phenylacetate über alle Altersbereiche hinweg konsistent mit Variablen der Parodontitis assoziiert wodurch dieser einen potenziellen Marker für das Screening darstellt. Unsere umfassende Arbeit dient als Referenz für zukünftige Forschungen in Fall-Kontroll-Studien zu Parodontitis und liefert wichtige Hinweise für die Exploration von Speichelproben für die Biomarker-Forschung im Allgemeinen

The Encyclopedia of Neutrosophic Researchers - vol. 1

This is the first volume of the Encyclopedia of Neutrosophic Researchers, edited from materials offered by the authors who responded to the editor’s invitation. The authors are listed alphabetically. The introduction contains a short history of neutrosophics, together with links to the main papers and books. Neutrosophic set, neutrosophic logic, neutrosophic probability, neutrosophic statistics, neutrosophic measure, neutrosophic precalculus, neutrosophic calculus and so on are gaining significant attention in solving many real life problems that involve uncertainty, impreciseness, vagueness, incompleteness, inconsistent, and indeterminacy. In the past years the fields of neutrosophics have been extended and applied in various fields, such as: artificial intelligence, data mining, soft computing, decision making in incomplete / indeterminate / inconsistent information systems, image processing, computational modelling, robotics, medical diagnosis, biomedical engineering, investment problems, economic forecasting, social science, humanistic and practical achievements