Evaluation of automated measurement of left ventricular volume by novel real-time 3-dimensional echocardiographic system: Validation with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and 2-dimensional echocardiography

AbstractBackgroundTraditional 3-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) with volumetric scanning technique requires several heart cycles for full-volume acquisition and complicated manual contouring of left ventricular (LV) endocardium. The new real-time 3DE (RT3DE) system allows acquisition of an instantaneous full-volume dataset in a single heart cycle and automated measurement of LV volume by the algorithm software. However, it has not been evaluated adequately whether automated measurement by RT3DE has better agreement with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) than 2-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) with CMR.PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of automated measurement of LV volume using RT3DE compared with 2DE and CMR.Methods and resultsForty-four consecutive patients who underwent RT3DE, 2DE, and CMR were evaluated in this study. The feasibility of automated measurement by RT3DE was 93.2% and the mean operation time was 6min. LV volume and ejection fraction (EF) from semi-automated measurement [end-diastolic volume: r=0.96, limits of agreement (LOA) −30.5 to 39.3ml; end-systolic volume: r=0.97, LOA −22.6 to 32.7ml; EF: r=0.90, LOA −16.1 to 14.2%, respectively] had better agreement with CMR than those from 2DE (r=0.87, LOA −50.5 to 72.2ml; r=0.93, LOA −34.1 to 65.2ml; r=0.89, LOA −20.9 to 10.0%, respectively).ConclusionSemi-automated measurement by RT3DE has better agreement with CMR than 2DE in LV volume and EF. In addition, it is simple to operate and acceptable in feasibility for the clinical setting although there may be room for further learning required to incorporate small hypertrophic LV into the automated algorithm software

Design-thinking skill enhancement in virtual reality: A literature study

As a methodology, design thinking involves practicing “a way of thinking” that non-designers can use as a source of inspiration instead being limited to a group of professional designers. This methodology has gained research attention because of the growing demands for social innovation and sustainability. The general public is expected to gain design-thinking skills through training or by applying design-thinking tools. Virtual reality (VR) is considered a potential tool to help accelerate augmenting design-thinking skills because it allows users to have embodied and immersive experiences. This study reviews existing literature on how VR has been used to enhance design-thinking skills. The general features of the publications such as the year of publication, design-thinking stages, VR types, targeted participants, and publication fields are analyzed for determining the latest trends and scenarios under this research topic. Further, a thematic analysis that follows creative enhancement structures is conducted to understand the role of VR in enhancing design-thinking skills, and future research directions are discussed based on the results. The review concludes that VR has the potential to enhance creativity in many aspects. Moreover, it highlights the need of gaining deeper understanding about 1) art, humanities, and societal perspectives; 2) cognition processes in VR; 3) emphasizing and defining stages in the design-thinking process; 4) technological improvements combined with the Metaverse; and 5) hybrid of the virtual and real worlds

Label-free observation of tissues by high-speed stimulated Raman spectral microscopy and independent component analysis

SPIE BiOS, 2013, San Francisco, California, United StatesYasuyuki Ozeki, Yoichi Otsuka, Shuya Sato, Hiroyuki Hashimoto, Wataru Umemura, Kazuhiko Sumimura, Norihiko Nishizawa, Kiichi Fukui, Kazuyoshi Itoh, "Label-free observation of tissues by high-speed stimulated Raman spectral microscopy and independent component analysis," Proc. SPIE 8588, Multiphoton Microscopy in the Biomedical Sciences XIII, 858806 (22 February 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.200277

Intestinal Obstruction Due to Mesenteric Inflammatory Veno-occlusive Disease : A Case Report and Summary of the Literature

Article信州医学雑誌 69(3) : 141-147(2021)departmental bulletin pape

seurat: SPH scheme extended with ultraviolet line radiative transfer

We present a novel Lyman alpha (Ly α) radiative transfer code, seurat (SPH scheme Extended with Ultraviolet line RAdiative Transfer), where line scatterings are solved adaptively with the resolution of the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH). The radiative transfer method implemented in seurat is based on a Monte Carlo algorithm in which the scattering and absorption by dust are also incorporated. We perform standard test calculations to verify the validity of the code; (i) emergent spectra from a static uniform sphere, (ii) emergent spectra from an expanding uniform sphere, and (iii) escape fraction from a dusty slab. Thereby, we demonstrate that our code solves the Lyα radiative transfer with sufficient accuracy. We emphasize that seurat can treat the transfer of Lyαphotons even in highly complex systems that have significantly inhomogeneous density fields. The high adaptivity of seurat is desirable to solve the propagation of Lyα photons in the interstellar medium of young star-forming galaxies likeLyα emitters (LAEs). Thus, seurat provides a powerful tool to model the emergent spectra of Lyα emission, which can be compared to the observations of LAEs.Lyα radiative transfer with sufficient accuracy. We emphasize that seurat can treat the transfer of Lyα photons even in highly complex systems that have significantly inhomogeneous density fields. The high adaptivity of seurat is desirable to solve the propagation of Lyα photons in the interstellar medium of young star-forming galaxies like Lyα emitters (LAEs). Thus, seurat provides a powerful tool to model the emergent spectra of Lyα emission, which can be compared to the observations of LAEs

Integration of In Vivo Genotoxicity and Short-term Carcinogenicity Assays Using F344 gpt Delta Transgenic Rats: In Vivo Mutagenicity of 2,4-Diaminotoluene and 2,6-Diaminotoluene Structural Isomers

An important trend in current toxicology is the replacement, reduction, and refinement of the use of experimental animals (the 3R principle). We propose a model in which in vivo genotoxicity and short-term carcinogenicity assays are integrated with F344 gpt delta transgenic rats. Using this model, the genotoxicity of chemicals can be identified in target organs using a shuttle vector λ EG10 that carries reporter genes for mutations; short-term carcinogenicity is determined by the formation of glutathione S-transferase placenta form (GST-P) foci in the liver. To begin validating this system, we examined the genotoxicity and hepatotoxicity of structural isomers of 2,4-diaminotoluene (2,4-DAT) and 2,6-diaminotoluene (2,6-DAT). Although both compounds are genotoxic in the Ames/Salmonella assay, only 2,4-DAT induces tumors in rat livers. Male F344 gpt delta rats were fed diet containing 2,4-DAT at doses of 125, 250, or 500 ppm for 13 weeks or 2,6-DAT at a dose of 500 ppm for the same period. The mutation frequencies of base substitutions, mainly at G:C base pairs, were significantly increased in the livers of 2,4-DAT–treated rats at all three doses. In contrast, virtually no induction of genotoxicity was identified in the kidneys of 2,4-DAT–treated rats or in the livers of 2,6-DAT–treated rats. GST-P–positive foci were detected in the livers of rats treated with 2,4-DAT at a dose of 500 ppm but not in those treated with 2,6-DAT. Integrated genotoxicity and short-term carcinogenicity assays may be useful for early identifying genotoxic and nongenotoxic carcinogens in a reduced number of experimental animals

Effect of predictive sign of acceleration on heart rate variability in passive translation situation: preliminary evidence using visual and vestibular stimuli in VR environment

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>We studied the effects of the presentation of a visual sign that warned subjects of acceleration around the yaw and pitch axes in virtual reality (VR) on their heart rate variability.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Synchronization of the immersive virtual reality equipment (CAVE) and motion base system generated a driving scene and provided subjects with dynamic and wide-ranging depth information and vestibular input. The heart rate variability of 21 subjects was measured while the subjects observed a simulated driving scene for 16 minutes under three different conditions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>When the predictive sign of the acceleration appeared 3500 ms before the acceleration, the index of the activity of the autonomic nervous system (low/high frequency ratio; LF/HF ratio) of subjects did not change much, whereas when no sign appeared the LF/HF ratio increased over the observation time. When the predictive sign of the acceleration appeared 750 ms before the acceleration, no systematic change occurred.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The visual sign which informed subjects of the acceleration affected the activity of the autonomic nervous system when it appeared long enough before the acceleration. Also, our results showed the importance of the interval between the sign and the event and the relationship between the gradual representation of events and their quantity.</p

シュウチュウ チリョウシツ ニ オケル シュウハスウ カイセキ オ モチイタ オト カンキョウ ノ ジッタイ チョウサ

入院患者にとって病院の病室は、治療の場であると同時に療養生活の場である。病室には多くの医療機器が使用されていることで、療養の場が妨げられ、不穏状態に陥る患者も多い。特に集中治療室（ICU病棟）は、常に何らかの騒音が発生している。従来の騒音対策は、音圧レベルに着目した対策が主なものとされ、音の周波数への対策は実施されていない。そこで本研究は、ICU病棟内の騒音を測定し、その周波数分析からICU病棟の音環境の改善に向けた基礎資料を得ることを目的とした。ICU病棟内の2点（オープンフロア、 個室）に騒音計を設置した。測定項目は、騒音レベルと発生している騒音の周波数分析から得られた帯域通過音圧レベルとした。音圧レベルでは、オープンフロアは平均50dB、個室では平均80dB以上の騒音レベルであった。周波数解析では、オープンフロア、個室ともに100Hz以下の 低周波音が平均50dB以上発生していた。従って、音圧レベルに着目するだけではなく、「周波数」の観点からも療養環境の改善について、検討する必要性が見出された。For hospitalized patients, the hospital room is the place of treatment as well as the place of recuperation. As many medical devices are used in the sick room, there are many patients who are prevented from recuperating and become restlessness. Especially in the intensive care unit (ICU), some kind of noise is always generated. As the traditional measures against the noise, focusing on the sound level are mainly considered, and countermeasures against the sound frequency have not been implemented. Therefore, this study aimed to measure the noise in the ICU and to obtain basic data for improving the sound environment of the ICU from its frequency analysis. We installed a sound level meter at two points (open floor, private room) in the ICU. The measurement items were the A-weighted sound pressure level and the band levels of the noise. At the sound pressure level, the average of the open floor was 50 dB and a private room was 80 dB. In the frequency analysis, both the open floor and the private room had an average of 50 dB or more of low frequency sounds of 100 Hz or less. Therefore, not only pay attention to the sound pressure level, but also need to consider the improvement of the medical care environment from the viewpoint of "frequency"