Active Contour Based Segmentation Techniques for Medical Image Analysis

Image processing is a technique which is used to derive information from the images. Segmentation is a section of image processing for the separation or segregation of information from the required target region of the image. There are different techniques used for segmentation of pixels of interest from the image. Active contour is one of the active models in segmentation techniques, which makes use of the energy constraints and forces in the image for separation of region of interest. Active contour defines a separate boundary or curvature for the regions of target object for segmentation. The contour depends on various constraints based on which they are classified into different types such as gradient vector flow, balloon and geometric models. Active contour models are used in various image processing applications specifically in medical image processing. In medical imaging, active contours are used in segmentation of regions from different medical images such as brain CT images, MRI images of different organs, cardiac images and different images of regions in the human body. Active contours can also be used in motion tracking and stereo tracking. Thus, the active contour segmentation is used for the separation of pixels of interest for different image processing

Lack in Periodontal Care of Patients Suffering from Severe Heart Diseases—Results after 12 Months Follow-Up

Background: To assess whether the standardized recommendation of patients with heart failure (HF), left-ventricular assist device (LVAD) and heart transplantation (HTx) to visit their dentist leads to improved oral conditions after 12 months. Methods: Patients from the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Leipzig Heart Centre, Germany were examined at baseline and after 12 months. A dental (decayed-, missing-, and filled-teeth index (DMF-T)) and periodontal examination (periodontal probing depth, clinical attachment loss) was performed. At baseline, patients received a standardized recommendation to visit their dentist. At follow-up, a standardized questionnaire regarding the dental consultation was applied. Results: Eighty-eight participants (HTx: 31, LVAD: 43, HF: 14) were included. The majority of patients (79.5%) followed the recommendation to visit their dentist. Within the total cohort, periodontal treatment need was significantly reduced from 91% (baseline) to 75% (follow-up; p 0.05). Conclusions: The simple recommendation to visit the dentist appears not enough to obtain sufficient dental and periodontal conditions in patients with severe heart diseases. Thereby, a lack in periodontal treatment of patients with HF, HTx and LVAD was identified, making interdisciplinary dental special care programs recommendable

Abstracts from the 20th International Symposium on Signal Transduction at the Blood-Brain Barriers

https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138963/1/12987_2017_Article_71.pd

Histopathological assessment of calcification and inflammation of calcific aortic valves from patients with and without diabetes mellitus

Background. Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the most common valvular heart disease and likely evolves from inflammatory pre-conditions in the valve. Type II diabetes mellitus (DMII) has been associated with pathogenesis of CAVD, however, the mechanism initiating CAVD in DMII is not well understood and the human valve pathology in DMII has not been described. We therefore performed quantitative histological analyses of aortic valves of CAVD patients with and without DMII. Methods. CAVD human aortic valves (n=45) obtained after surgical valve replacement were examined macroscopically with gross measurements of calcified areas. Inflammation and calcification were assessed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining. Results. Calcification was increased in diabetic patients according to gross measurements (p<0.01) and alizarin red staining (p=0.05). Early calcification markers, including Runx2 (p=0.02) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP, p=0.03) were significantly elevated in diabetic patients. Furthermore, in diabetic patients we found significantly increased expression of annexin II (p=0.04) and annexin V (p=0.04), both of which are thought to play a role in microcalcification formation via apoptosis or extracellular vesicle release. Macrophage numbers were comparable in both groups (p=0.41), while the expression of the pro-inflammatory protein S100A9 (p<0.01) was significantly decreased in diabetic individuals. Evaluation of lymphocytes revealed similar CD8 (p=0.45) and CD4 (p=0.92) T cell counts in diabetic and non-diabetic aortic valves. Conclusion. Aortic valves from diabetic patients show more calcification, while inflammation is similar in both patient populations. Considering the generally accepted theory of an inflammation-dependent mechanism of calcification, these data suggest that in patients with CAVD requiring valve replacement, diabetic patients could be molecularly in a more advanced disease stage with a higher grade of mineralization than non-diabetic patien

Improving awareness among health science college students regarding stem cell transplantation and donation willingness

Background: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HSCTs) is a lifesaving treatment for many pediatric patients, but still there is a shortage in the number of stem cell donors in the Arab world. Improve health science students' knowledge and attitude about donation behaviour will positively help in the increase in the number of stem cell donors. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the effect of implementing an educational module on improving awareness among health science college students regarding hematopoietic stem cells transplantation and donation willingness. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used on a convenience sample of all Saudi students (256) at the faculty of nursing and faculty of applied medical sciences affiliated to Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia (KSA). The researchers developed a self-administered electronic questionnaire that includes three parts. First: Demographic characteristics of the studied students; Second: Students’ knowledge about hematopoietic stem cells transplantation and willingness for donation; Third: Students’ attitude about hematopoietic stem cells transplantation. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the studied students' total mean score of knowledge level and attitude level regarding stem cell transplantation. Also, highly positive correlation between knowledge and attitude before and after the implantation of the educational module. Conclusion: The implementation of an educational module for the health college students had improved their knowledge and attitude regarding pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and donation willingness with a highly significant positive correlation between their knowledge level and attitude. Recommendations: This study recommended the addition of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation topic to health college students’ curriculum for improving their knowledge