Real time vein visualization using near-infrared imaging

Vein visualization is one of the most researched biomedical technique. Although the concept behind the technique is not complicated, the vein pattern acquisition method and the design and implementation of image processing algorithms become challenging. Nowadays, the major challenge faced by the medical practitioners is the difficulty in accessing subcutaneous veins for intra-venous injections due to various factors like low visibility of vein by naked eyes and patients with too narrow veins. Failure during venipuncture may lead to several problems like bruises, bleeding and rashes. Therefore, the real time vein visualization system is developed accordance with the objective of visualizing subcutaneous veins which is to assist medical practitioners by providing them visual guidance during venipuncture process. This system is developed based on near-infrared imaging and is connected to the monitor screen. The development stage includes edge detection, vein segmentation and vein visualization. Evolutionary prototyping method is used to develop the system and to ensure the quality of the final system through a few prototype refinement cycles. OpenCV library is also used for its real-time functionalities. The functionality of the system is evaluated through a series of planned system tests. The experimental results show that the proposed system is able to show the veins pattern

An application of hybrid swarm intelligence algorithms for dengue outbreak prediction

Dengue fever is a hazardous infectious disease which is channeled by Aedes mosquito. A serious infection of dengue may lead to a potentially lethal complication, known as severe dengue, which includes Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever and shock syndrome. In recent decades, this disease becomes a global burden which has grown dramatically around the world. Unfortunately, until today, a specific anti-viral medicine for dengue is still undiscovered. Therefore, it is a huge responsibility to the community in finding an effective solution to prevent a widespread of this disease in advance. Concerning this matter, this study presents an application of hybrid Swarm Intelligence (SI) algorithms for a dengue outbreak prediction. For simulation purposes, a monthly dengue cases time series data in the area of Indonesia were employed, which are fed to four hybrid SI algorithms, namely Moth Flame Optimization (MFO), Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO), Firefly Algorithm (FA) and Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm. These algorithms are individually hybrid with Least Squares Support Vector Machines. Guided by Mean Square Error (MSE) and Root Mean Square Percentage Error (RMSPE), findings of the study indicate that the identified hybrid algorithms were able to produce competitive result, with a slightly favor to ABCLSSVM

No relation between EFHC2 gene polymorphism and Idiopathic generalized epilepsy.

Background: Idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) is an epilepsy form without an underlying brain lesion or neurological indication or symptom. Recent investigations on the genetic origins of IGE and its subtypes report that certain mutations of various ion and non-ion channels genes in the central nervous system may be associated with IGE. Purpose: In this study we evaluated the relation between IGE and S430Y polymorphism in EFHC2 gene in a Turkish population. Material/Methods: The study enrolled 96 healthy volunteers (47 male, 49 female), served as controls, and 96 IGE patients (41 male, 55 female), IGE diagnosis was confirmed in the neurology department. DNA extractions were performed. The presence of S430Y polymorphism in the exon 9 of EFHC2 gene were analyzed by Real-Time PCR. The findings obtained from the control and patient groups were compared. Results: In the patient group there was one heterozygous male with 685 T>C mutation. In the control group, there were two objects with 685 T>C mutation; one heterozygous male, one heterozygous female. 662 G>A mutation was determined in neither controls nor patients. Conclusion: In our series of 96 IGE patients and 96 healthy controls, there was no relation between S430Y polymorphism in EFHC2 gene and IGE presence

Temporal causality and the dynamics of crime in Turkey

This study is concerned with understanding of the factors of aggregate, nonviolent and violent crime categories in Turkey for the period 1965-2009. The determinants of all crime categories are related to selected socio-economic factors. Bounds testing approach to cointegration is employed to test the existence of long-run relationship amongst the variables. Cointegration analysis yields the major contributors of crime are income and unemployment. The direction of causalities between the variables are established using within and out of sample causality tests. The findings from this study present the dynamics of aggregate, violent and non-violent crimes to design and implement any relevant policy measures to combat them

Analysis of opo cis-regulatory landscape uncovers Vsx2 requirement in early eye morphogenesis

The self-organized morphogenesis of the vertebrate optic cup entails coupling the activation of the retinal gene regulatory network to the constriction-driven infolding of the retinal epithelium. Yet the genetic mechanisms underlying this coordination remain largely unexplored. Through phylogenetic footprinting and transgenesis in zebrafish, here we examine the cis-regulatory landscape of opo, an endocytosis regulator essential for eye morphogenesis. Among the different conserved enhancers identified, we isolate a single retina-specific element (H6_10137) and show that its activity depends on binding sites for the retinal determinant Vsx2. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments and ChIP analyses reveal that Vsx2 regulates opo expression through direct binding to this retinal enhancer. Furthermore, we show that vsx2 knockdown impairs the primary optic cup folding. These data support a model by which vsx2, operating through the effector gene opo, acts as a central transcriptional node that coordinates neural retina patterning and optic cup invagination in zebrafish.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Loss of the BMP Antagonist, SMOC-1, Causes Ophthalmo-Acromelic (Waardenburg Anophthalmia) Syndrome in Humans and Mice

Ophthalmo-acromelic syndrome (OAS), also known as Waardenburg Anophthalmia syndrome, is defined by the combination of eye malformations, most commonly bilateral anophthalmia, with post-axial oligosyndactyly. Homozygosity mapping and subsequent targeted mutation analysis of a locus on 14q24.2 identified homozygous mutations in SMOC1 (SPARC-related modular calcium binding 1) in eight unrelated families. Four of these mutations are nonsense, two frame-shift, and two missense. The missense mutations are both in the second Thyroglobulin Type-1 (Tg1) domain of the protein. The orthologous gene in the mouse, Smoc1, shows site- and stage-specific expression during eye, limb, craniofacial, and somite development. We also report a targeted pre-conditional gene-trap mutation of Smoc1 (Smoc1tm1a) that reduces mRNA to ∼10% of wild-type levels. This gene-trap results in highly penetrant hindlimb post-axial oligosyndactyly in homozygous mutant animals (Smoc1tm1a/tm1a). Eye malformations, most commonly coloboma, and cleft palate occur in a significant proportion of Smoc1tm1a/tm1a embryos and pups. Thus partial loss of Smoc-1 results in a convincing phenocopy of the human disease. SMOC-1 is one of the two mammalian paralogs of Drosophila Pentagone, an inhibitor of decapentaplegic. The orthologous gene in Xenopus laevis, Smoc-1, also functions as a Bone Morphogenic Protein (BMP) antagonist in early embryogenesis. Loss of BMP antagonism during mammalian development provides a plausible explanation for both the limb and eye phenotype in humans and mice

Updating the approaches to define susceptibility and resistance to anti-tuberculosis agents: implications for diagnosis and treatment

11 páginas, 2 figuras, 1 tablaInappropriately high breakpoints have resulted in systematic false-susceptible AST results to anti-TB drugs. MIC, PK/PD and clinical outcome data should be combined when setting breakpoints to minimise the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance.I. Comas was supported by PID2019-104477RB-I00 from the Spanish Science Ministry and by ERC (CoG 101001038)Peer reviewe