Development and assessment of a Microsoft Kinect based system for imaging the breast in three dimensions

Three-dimensional surface imaging technologies have been used in the planning and evaluation of breast reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. The aim of this study was to develop a 3D surface imaging system based on the Microsoft Kinect and assess the accuracy and repeatability with which the system could image the breast. A system comprising two Kinects, calibrated to provide a complete 3D image of the mannequin was developed. Digital measurements of Euclidean and surface distances between landmarks showed acceptable agreement with manual measurements. The mean differences for Euclidean and surface distances were 1.9 mm and 2.2 mm, respectively. The system also demonstrated good intra- and inter-rater reliability (ICCs > 0.999). The Kinect-based 3D surface imaging system offers a low-cost, readily accessible alternative to more expensive, commercially available systems, which have had limited clinical use

The accuracy of breast volume measurement methods: a systematic review

Breast volume is a key metric in breast surgery and there are a number of different methods which measure it. However, a lack of knowledge regarding a method’s accuracy and comparability has made it difficult to establish a clinical standard. We have performed a systematic review of the literature to examine the various techniques for measurement of breast volume and to assess their accuracy and usefulness in clinical practice. Each of the fifteen studies we identified had more than ten live participants and assessed volume measurement accuracy using a gold-standard based on the volume, or mass, of a mastectomy specimen. Many of the studies from this review report large (> 200 ml) uncertainty in breast volume and many fail to assess measurement accuracy using appropriate statistical tools. Of the methods assessed, MRI scanning consistently demonstrated the highest accuracy with three studies reporting errors lower than 10% for small (250 ml), medium (500 ml) and large (1,000 ml) breasts. However, as a high-cost, non-routine assessment other methods may be more appropriate

Clinical improvements following bilateral anterior capsulotomy in treatment-resistant depression

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a programme of lesion surgery carried out on patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). This was a retrospective study looking at clinical and psychometric data from 45 patients with TRD who had undergone bilateral stereotactic anterior capsulotomy surgery over a period of 15 years, with the approval of the Mental Health Act Commission (37 with unipolar depression and eight with bipolar disorder). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) before and after surgery was used as the primary outcome measure. The Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale was administered and cognitive aspects of executive and memory functions were also examined. We carried out a paired-samples t test on the outcome measures to determine any statistically significant change in the group as a consequence of surgery. Patients improved on the clinical measure of depression after surgery by −21.20 points on the BDI with a 52% change. There were no significant cognitive changes post-surgery. Six patients were followed up in 2013 by phone interview and reported a generally positive experience. No major surgical complications occurred. With the limitations of an uncontrolled, observational study, our data suggest that capsulotomy can be an effective treatment for otherwise TRD. Performance on neuropsychological tests did not deteriorate

Upstaging nodal status in colorectal cancer using ex vivo fluorescence sentinel lymph node mapping: preliminary results

Background: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping using near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging is a recent technique to improve nodal staging in several tumors. The presence of colorectal cancer (CRC) micro-metastases has recently been defined as N1 disease and no longer as N1mi, determining the need for adjuvant chemotherapy. In CRC, the reported rate of SLN micro-metastases detected by ultrastaging techniques is as high as 30%. The aim of this prospective study is to report the preliminary results of the sensitivity analysis of NIRF imaging for ex vivo SLN mapping and the research of micro-metastases in CRC, in patients with node-negative disease (NND). Material and methods: On the specimen of 22 CRC patients, 1 mL of ICG (5 mg/mL) was injected submucosally around the tumor to identify SLNs. NND SLNs were further investigated with ultrastaging techniques. Results: Three-hundred and sixty-three lymph nodes were retrieved (59 SLNs; mean per case: 2.7). The detection, sensitivity and false-negative rate were 100%, 100% and 0% respectively. Ultrastaging investigations showed no micro-metastases in the NND SLNs. Conclusions: The ex vivo SLN fluorescence-based detection in CRC was confirmed to be easy to perform and reliable. In this preliminary results report of an ongoing study, the SLN assay was congruent with the nodal status, as confirmed by histological investigations

Chemical Speciation of Strontium, Americium, and Curium in High Level Waste: Predictive Modeling of Phase Partitioning During Tank Processing

In this research program, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Florida State University (FSU) are investigating the speciation of strontium and americium/curium in the presence of selected organic chelating agents (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), N-(2-hydroxyethyl) aethylenediaminetriacetic acid (HEDTA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), and iminodiacetic acid (IDA)) over ranges of hydroxide, carbonate, ionic strength, and competing metal ion concentrations present in high-level waste tanks. The project is composed of integrated research tasks that approach the problem of chemical speciation using macroscopic thermodynamic measurements of metal-ligand competition reactions, molecular modeling studies to identify structures or complexes of unusual stability, and mass spectrometry measurements of complex charge/mass ratio that can be applied to mixed metal-chelate systems. This fundamental information is then used to develop thermodynamic models, which allow the prediction of changes in chemical speciation and solubility that can occur in response to changes in tank processing conditions. In this way, we can develop new approaches that address fundamental problems in aqueous speciation and at the same time provide useful and practical information needed for tank processing

The development of a low cost 3D surface imaging system to measure breast volume: defining minimum standards using an adapted Delphi consensus study

Breast reconstructive surgery has become an accepted part of the patient pathway for breast cancer patients requiring mastectomy. Yet the UK National Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction Audit (2011)(1) identified that one in four women were not satisfied with how their unclothed breasts looked after delayed reconstructive surgery. Women with an intact breast after surgery are generally referred for whole breast irradiation, radiotherapy increases the risk of these women developing breast oedema

Tumor-associated antigen human chorionic gonadotropin beta contains numerous antigenic determinants recognized by in vitro-induced CD8+ and CD4+ T lymphocytes.

The beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG beta) is markedly overexpressed by neoplastic cells of differing histological origin including those present in colon, breast, prostate and bladder tumors. We have previously shown that some patients with hCG beta-producing urothelial tumors have circulating T cells that proliferate in response to hCG beta. To make a comprehensive study of hCG beta as a potential target for cancer immunotherapy, we investigated whether hCG beta peptides could induce CD4+ or CD8+ T-cell responses in vitro. By stimulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from three donors with mixtures of overlapping 16-mer synthetic peptides analogous to portions of either the hCG beta 20-71 or the hCG beta 102-129 region, we established six CD4+ T-cell lines that proliferated specifically in response to five distinct determinants located within these two hCG beta regions. Three antigenic determinants (hCG beta 52-67, 106-121 and 114-125) were presented by HLA-DR molecules, while the two other antigenic determinants (hCG beta 48-63 and 56-67) were presented by HLA-DQ molecules. Interestingly, one T-cell line specific for peptide hCG beta 106-121 recognized hCG beta peptides comprising, at position 117, either an alanine or an aspartic acid residue, with the latter residue being present within the protein expressed by some tumor cells. In addition, three other hCG beta-derived peptides that exhibited HLA-A*0201 binding ability were able to stimulate CD8+ cytotoxic T cells from two HLA-A*0201 donors. These three immunogenic peptides corresponded to regions hCG beta 40-48, hCG beta 44-52 and hCG beta 75-84. Our results indicate that the tumor-associated antigen hCG beta possesses numerous antigenic determinants liable to stimulate CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, and might thus be an effective target antigen for the immunotherapy of hCG beta-producing tumors

Single view silhouette fitting techniques for estimating tennis racket position

Stereo camera systems have been used to track markers attached to a racket, allowing its position to be obtained in three-dimensional (3D) space. Typically, markers are manually selected on the image plane, but this can be time-consuming. A markerless system based on one stationary camera estimating 3D racket position data is desirable for research and play. The markerless method presented in this paper relies on a set of racket silhouette views in a common reference frame captured with a calibrated camera and a silhouette of a racket captured with a camera whose relative pose is outside the common reference frame. The aim of this paper is to provide validation of these single view fitting techniques to estimate the pose of a tennis racket. This includes the development of a calibration method to provide the relative pose of a stationary camera with respect to a racket. Mean static racket position was reconstructed to within ±2 mm. Computer generated camera poses and silhouette views of a full size racket model were used to demonstrate the potential of the method to estimate 3D racket position during a simplified serve scenario. From a camera distance of 14 m, 3D racket position was estimated providing a spatial accuracy of 1.9 ± 0.14 mm, similar to recent 3D video marker tracking studies of tennis