An automated system for lung nodule detection in low-dose computed tomography

A computer-aided detection (CAD) system for the identification of pulmonary nodules in low-dose multi-detector helical Computed Tomography (CT) images was developed in the framework of the MAGIC-5 Italian project. One of the main goals of this project is to build a distributed database of lung CT scans in order to enable automated image analysis through a data and cpu GRID infrastructure. The basic modules of our lung-CAD system, a dot-enhancement filter for nodule candidate selection and a neural classifier for false-positive finding reduction, are described. The system was designed and tested for both internal and sub-pleural nodules. The results obtained on the collected database of low-dose thin-slice CT scans are shown in terms of free response receiver operating characteristic (FROC) curves and discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures; Proceedings of the SPIE Medical Imaging Conference, 17-22 February 2007, San Diego, California, USA, Vol. 6514, 65143

Computer-aided detection of pulmonary nodules in low-dose CT

A computer-aided detection (CAD) system for the identification of pulmonary nodules in low-dose multi-detector helical CT images with 1.25 mm slice thickness is being developed in the framework of the INFN-supported MAGIC-5 Italian project. The basic modules of our lung-CAD system, a dot enhancement filter for nodule candidate selection and a voxel-based neural classifier for false-positive finding reduction, are described. Preliminary results obtained on the so-far collected database of lung CT scans are discussed.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures; Proceedings of the CompIMAGE - International Symposium on Computational Modelling of Objects Represented in Images: Fundamentals, Methods and Applications, 20-21 Oct. 2006, Coimbra, Portuga

Assessing environmental awareness towards protection of the Alps: a case study

The paper focuses on environmental awareness towards the protection of Alpine areas, and presents the results of a research aimed at assessing people\u2019s awareness in regards to certain topical environmental issues such as protected areas, ecological connectivity, and wildlife. The study area is the Julian Prealps Natural Park, in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia (Northeast Italy). In order to obtain a measure of \u201cenvironmental awareness\u201d, the Rasch model was applied. It allowed us first to identify which items are most suitable for this. The results obtained show that people are quite aware of some issues, e.g. that wellbeing is related to greener areas and that they can change things to solve environmental problems. We also found that it is easier to agree with items relating to the environment in general than with more specific issues, probably due to a lack of knowledge. However, the provision of pertinent information, in our case on ecological connectivity, can increase the level of environmental awareness. The model also showed that the level varies according to certain sociodemographic characteristics, particularly gender and age. These results could serve as a starting point for planning effective information activities aimed at raising environmental awareness and, possibly, bolstering participation in initiatives for protecting Alpine areas

Three-dimensional numerical simulation of a failed coronary stent implant at different degrees of residual stenosis. Part I: Fluid dynamics and shear stress on the vascular wall

The influence of the degree of residual stenosis on the hemodynamics inside coronary arteries is investigated through three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations. The present paper, which is the first of a series of two, focuses on the influence that the degree of residual stenosis (DOR) has on the fluid dynamics and the shear stresses acting on the stent and the artery wall. The pulsatile nature of the blood flow and its non-Newtonian features are taken into account. Four models of artery are investigated. The results show that the wall shear stress (WSS) increases monotonically, but not linearly, with the DOR

Three-dimensional numerical simulation of a failed coronary stent implant at different degrees of residual stenosis. Part II: Apparent viscosity and wall permeability

The influence of the degree of residual stenosis (DOR) on the hemodynamics inside coronary arteries is investigated through three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations. The vascular wall permeability is investigated and the effect of the non-Newtonian viscosity discussed. The results agree in predicting an abrupt increase in wall permeability above 45% DOR, indicating that the implant could lead to a massive restenosis. This behavior is considered to be due to the shift of the regions involved by low and oscillatory wall shear stress (WSS), from the zone adjacent to the struts toward the center of the stent meshes

A Computer-Aided Detection system for lung nodules in CT images

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in developed countries. To support radiologists in the identification of early-stage lung cancers, we propose a Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) system, composed by two different procedures: VBNACADI devoted to the identification of small nodules embedded in the lung parenchyma (internal nodules) and VBNACADJP devoted the identification of nodules originating on the pleura surface (juxta-pleural nodules). The CAD system has been developed and tested on a dataset of low-dose and thin-slice CT scans collected in the framework of the first Italian randomized and controlled screening trial (ITALUNG-CT). This work has been carried out in the framework of MAGIC-5 (Medical Application on a Grid Infrastructure Connection), an Italian collaboration funded by Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) and Ministero dell’Universit`a e della Ricerca (MIUR), which aims at developing models and algorithms for a distributed analysis of biomedical images, by making use of the GRID services

Proteome-Wide Effect of 17-β-Estradiol and Lipoxin A4 in an Endometriotic Epithelial Cell Line.

Endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age. This chronic, gynecological inflammatory disease results in a decreased quality of life for patients, with the main symptoms including chronic pelvic pain and infertility. The steroid hormone 17-β Estradiol (E2) plays a key role in the pathology. Our previous studies showed that the anti-inflammatory lipid Lipoxin A4 (LXA4) acts as an estrogen receptor-alpha agonist in endometrial epithelial cells, inhibiting certain E2-mediated effects. LXA4 also prevents the progression of endometriosis in a mouse model via anti-proliferative mechanisms and by impacting mediators downstream of ER signaling. The aim of the present study was therefore to examine global proteomic changes evoked by E2 and LXA4 in endometriotic epithelial cells. E2 impacted a greater number of proteins in endometriotic epithelial cells than LXA4. Interestingly, the combination of E2 and LXA4 resulted in a reduced number of regulated proteins, with LXA4 mediating a suppressive effect on E2-mediated signaling. These proteins are involved in diverse pathways of relevance to endometriosis pathology and metabolism, including mRNA translation, growth, proliferation, proteolysis, and immune responses. In summary, this study sheds light on novel pathways involved in endometriosis pathology and further understanding of signaling pathways activated by estrogenic molecules in endometriotic epithelial cells

Are leukocyte and platelet abnormalities and complete blood count ratios potential prognostic markers in canine sepsis?

Background: Sepsis is a common disease in which early diagnosis and prognosis assessment are the main aims in order to arrange a prompt and effective treatment. Objectives: (1) To compare leukogram parameters (WBC, segmented and band neutrophils,lymphocytes,monocytes),plateletcount(PLT),meanplateletvolume(MPV), and some leukocyte/platelet ratio such as NLR, NBNLR, PLR, and MLR between dogs with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and sepsis. (2) To investigate any difference in the trend of these latter parameters between survivors and non-survivors septic dogs. Animals: 57 dogs with confirmed sepsis and 57 dogs with non-septic SIRS. Methods: A review of the medical records was conducted in order to find dogs with sepsis. Sepsis was defined as the presence of an infectious focus with fulfillment of systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria (SIRS). Septic dogs had to have a CBC at admission and another CBC within 48h from the previous timepoint. Purebreds with CBC breed-related abnormalities were excluded, together with dogs without confirmed sepsis and dogs with only a single CBC. NLR, NBNLR, PLR, and MLR were calculated. Univariate analysis of all blood parameters studied was assessed between SIRS and septicdogs. Generalized Estimating Equations models for repeated measures were used to test if the blood parameters studied were modified between survivors and non-survivors in the septic group. Results: Septic dogs had lower median segmented neutrophils count and NLR compared to SIRSdogs (p=0.02andp=0.04, respectively).Lastly,septicdogs hada higherprevalenceoftoxicneutrophilthanSIRSdogs(p=0.01).Wefoundthatfora1-unit increase of PLR and MLR, the risk of death increased by 50.5 and 60%, respectively. Conclusion and Clinical Importance: Evaluation of NLR at hospital admission may be a useful marker of inflammation, although it showed low sensitivity in differentiating SIRS and septic dogs. The monitoring of some CBC parameters, especially PLR and MLR may be useful in the establishment of prognosis in septic dogs

How solid is our knowledge of solid walls? - Comparing energy savings through three different methods

Recent UK-based studies have shown a performance gap between the energy performance of buildings calculated using tabulated thermophysical properties of solid walls and that estimated from in-situ measurements. Solid-walled buildings have been targeted by UK Government policies and incentive schemes to meet climate change mitigation targets and improve the efficiency of the building stock, as they are less efficient and more expensive to treat than cavity walls. Since it is common practice to estimate energy use and potential savings for buildings retrofit assuming standard values from the literature, the performance gap may have serious implications on the decision-making and the cost-effectiveness of energy-saving interventions. The aim of this paper is to compare and contrast the results obtained from three different methods for estimating normalised dwelling energy demand: a) the UK energy performance certificate (EPC) method, which uses the standard assessment procedure (SAP) with tabulated inputs (the business as usual case); b) the SAP calculated using empirical air change rates from pressure tests and U-values estimated analysing monitored data with a Bayesian-based dynamic method developed by the authors; c) a normalised annual consumption (NAC) method based on empirical energy consumption data from smart meter and weather data. The analysis is performed on a sample of dwellings from the Energy Saving Trust “Solid Wall Field Trials” dataset. Results show that EPC estimates are systematically higher (between 7.5% and 22.0%) than SAP. Conversely, the NAC displayed a large range of relative differences (between -77% and +99%) compared to the EPC. This raises questions about the relative merits and purpose of the EPC and SAP bottom up methods compared to the smart-meter data-driven NAC method. Further research is suggested using SAP 2009 to isolate the thermal component of energy demand and compare it directly with the NAC component