Automated processing of series of micro-CT scans

For some applications of high-resolution X-ray Tomography (micro-CT) scanning, a large set of similar samples is to be analyzed in order to obtain statistically significant results. The complete process, including the micro-CT scan itself, the reconstruction and the analysis is almost identical for every sample. However, in a typical workflow every step is manually performed for every individual sample. This could be optimised by automation of this process, which results in less human intervention and thus a smaller cost and a lower risk to human error. We developed a reliable method to semi-automatically scan several stacked samples and automatically reconstruct the resulting series of data sets. The reconstruction step includes the manual reconstruction of one data set in order to optimize the reconstruction parameters, which can then be used for the rest of the batch. In future work, the automatic handling of the next step in the micro-CT workflow, 3D analysis, will also be improved

Upper respiratory tract symptoms and salivary immunoglobulin A of elite female gymnasts : a full year longitudinal field study

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of upper respiratory tract symptoms (URS) in elite female gymnasts during a training season. In addition, we aimed to observe the extent to which salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) is associated with URS in these athletes, including potential effects of the season and timing of sample collection. Over one year, 18 elite female gymnasts completed URS and fatigue questionnaires weekly and provided 1 mL of saliva after a minimum 36 h of rest (morning or afternoon) to measure relative sIgA concentration (= mean absolute sIgA value of the week divided by the mean absolute sIgA value of the weeks without URS). Mean weekly URS and mean relative sIgA values per gymnast correlated negatively (r = -0.606, P = 0.022). Most URS were noted in the most fatigued gymnasts (7.4 ± 10.1 vs. 2.5 ± 5.6 (P < 0.001) for ‘normal’ and 2.1 ± 3.7 (P = 0.001) for ‘better than normal’ rested). In spring, relative sIgA was higher compared to autumn (112 ± 55 vs. 89 ± 41%, P < 0.001) and winter (92 ± 35%, P = 0.001), while during summer, relative sIgA appeared higher compared to autumn (110 ± 55 vs. 89 ± 41%, P = 0.016). The interaction effect with timing of sample collection showed higher relative sIgA values in morning samples in spring and summer compared to afternoon samples, with the inverse observed in autumn and winter (F = 3.565, P = 0.014). During a gymnastics season, lower relative sIgA values were linked to higher susceptibility to URS in elite gymnasts. However, relative sIgA values were influenced by season and timing of sample collection and thus should be considered when interpreting sIgA data

First clinical trial of nitinol self-expanding everolimus-eluting stent implantation for peripheral arterial occlusive disease

BackgroundA novel self-expanding drug-eluting stent was designed to slowly release everolimus to prevent restenosis following peripheral arterial intervention. The purpose of the first-in-human Superficial Femoral Artery Treatment with Drug-Eluting Stents (STRIDES) trial was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this device for the treatment of symptomatic superficial femoral and proximal popliteal arterial occlusive disease.Methods and ResultsOne hundred four patients were enrolled at 11 European investigative centers in a prospective, nonrandomized, single-arm trial. The patients had severe symptomatic vascular disease, including a significant proportion of patients with critical limb ischemia (17%), diabetes (39%), and single-vessel outflow (26%). The mean lesion length was 9.0 ± 4.3 cm. Ninety-nine percent of patients were available for 12-month follow-up, including duplex imaging in 90% and arteriography in 83%. Clinical improvement, defined as a sustained decrease in Rutherford-Becker clinical category, was achieved in 80% of patients. Primary patency (freedom from ≥50% in-stent restenosis) was 94 ± 2.3% and 68 ± 4.6% at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Plain radiographic examination of 122 implanted devices at 12 months revealed no evidence for stent fracture.ConclusionsThe everolimus-eluting self-expanding nitinol stent can be successfully implanted in patients with severe peripheral arterial disease with favorable outcomes and clinical improvements observed in the majority of patients