An open environment CT-US fusion for tissue segmentation during interventional guidance.

Therapeutic ultrasound (US) can be noninvasively focused to activate drugs, ablate tumors and deliver drugs beyond the blood brain barrier. However, well-controlled guidance of US therapy requires fusion with a navigational modality, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or X-ray computed tomography (CT). Here, we developed and validated tissue characterization using a fusion between US and CT. The performance of the CT/US fusion was quantified by the calibration error, target registration error and fiducial registration error. Met-1 tumors in the fat pads of 12 female FVB mice provided a model of developing breast cancer with which to evaluate CT-based tissue segmentation. Hounsfield units (HU) within the tumor and surrounding fat pad were quantified, validated with histology and segmented for parametric analysis (fat: -300 to 0 HU, protein-rich: 1 to 300 HU, and bone: HU>300). Our open source CT/US fusion system differentiated soft tissue, bone and fat with a spatial accuracy of ∼1 mm. Region of interest (ROI) analysis of the tumor and surrounding fat pad using a 1 mm(2) ROI resulted in mean HU of 68±44 within the tumor and -97±52 within the fat pad adjacent to the tumor (p<0.005). The tumor area measured by CT and histology was correlated (r(2) = 0.92), while the area designated as fat decreased with increasing tumor size (r(2) = 0.51). Analysis of CT and histology images of the tumor and surrounding fat pad revealed an average percentage of fat of 65.3% vs. 75.2%, 36.5% vs. 48.4%, and 31.6% vs. 38.5% for tumors <75 mm(3), 75-150 mm(3) and >150 mm(3), respectively. Further, CT mapped bone-soft tissue interfaces near the acoustic beam during real-time imaging. Combined CT/US is a feasible method for guiding interventions by tracking the acoustic focus within a pre-acquired CT image volume and characterizing tissues proximal to and surrounding the acoustic focus

Microbubble tunneling in gel phantoms

Insonified microbubbles were observed in vessels within a gel with a Young’s modulus similar to that of tissue, demonstrating shape instabilities, liquid jets, and the formation of small tunnels. In this study, tunnel formulation occurred in the direction of the propagating ultrasound wave, where radiation pressure directed the contact of the bubble and gel, facilitating the activity of the liquid jets. Combinations of ultrasonic parameters and microbubble concentrations that are relevant for diagnostic imaging and drug delivery and that lead to tunnel formation were applied and the resulting tunnel formation was quantified

The Non-coplanar 6-Li(p,pd)4-He Reaction at 120 and 200 MeV

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHy 87-1440

Impact of chronic kidney disease on case ascertainment for hospitalised acute myocardial infarction: an English cohort study

OBJECTIVES: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) case ascertainment improves for the UK general population using linked health data sets. Because care pathways for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) change based on disease severity, AMI case ascertainment for these people may differ compared with the general population. We aimed to determine the association between CKD severity and AMI case ascertainment in two secondary care data sets, and the agreement in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between the same data sets. METHODS: We used a cohort study design. Primary care records for people with CKD or risk factors for CKD, identified using the National CKD Audit (2015-2017), were linked to the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP, 2007-2017) and Hospital Episode Statistics (HES, 2007-2017) secondary care registries. People with an AMI recorded in either MINAP, HES or both were included in the study cohort. CKD status was defined using eGFR, derived from the most recent serum creatinine value recorded in primary care. Moderate-severe CKD was defined as eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, and mild CKD or at risk of CKD was defined as eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or eGFR missing. CKD stages were grouped as (1) At risk of CKD and Stages 1-2 (eGFR missing or ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2), (2) Stage 3a (eGFR 45-59 mL/min/1.73 m2), (3) Stage 3b (eGFR 30-44 mL/min/1.73 m2) and (4) Stages 4-5 (eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m2). RESULTS: We identified 6748 AMIs: 23% were recorded in both MINAP and HES, 66% in HES only and 11% in MINAP only. Compared with people at risk of CKD or with mild CKD, AMIs in people with moderate-severe CKD were more likely to be recorded in both MINAP and HES (42% vs 11%, respectively), or MINAP only (22% vs 5%), and less likely to be recorded in HES only (36% vs 84%). People with AMIs recorded in HES only or MINAP only had increased odds of death during hospitalisation compared with those recorded in both (adjusted OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.32 to 1.96 and OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.26 to 2.04, respectively). Agreement between eGFR at AMI admission (MINAP) and in primary care was poor (kappa (K) 0.42, SE 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: AMI case ascertainment is incomplete in both MINAP and HES, and is associated with CKD severity

Adult Hypophosphatasia : a disease where the clinical complications could be avoided by careful evaluation of patients

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer via the DOI in this recordOsteoporosis Conference 2018 Birmingham, UK 2 – 4 December 201