5,089 research outputs found
Blood group and Rhesus antigens among Blood donors attending the Central Blood Bank, Sudan
Background: It is well known that the Rhesus system remains the second most clinically important blood group system after the ABO. There is no published work regarding the frequency of various Rhesus antigens among Sudanese population.Objectives: In order to minimize Rhesus allo-immunization among blood recipients a cross sectional study was conducted to determine the frequency of various Rhesus antigens among the blood donors attending the Central Blood Bank in Khartoum.Methods: Two hundred male blood donors were enrolled in the study. ABO and Rhesus typing were performed using the classical slide method and gel micro typing system.Results: The frequency percentage of ABO blood phenotypes in the total samples were as follows: O(51.5%), A (29.5%), B (16%), and AB (6%); whereas the frequency percentage of Rh antigens were D (93%), e (79.5%), c (68.5%), C, (27%), E (18.5%).Conclusion: We concluded that the frequency of the Rh antigens can be shown in this order D > e > c > C > E. Special precautions need to be undertaken to minimize any possible allo-immunization by such antigens.Keywords: Frequency, Rhesus antigens, phenotyping, Blood group
Toward Sharing Brain Images: Differentially Private TOF-MRA Images With Segmentation Labels Using Generative Adversarial Networks
Sharing labeled data is crucial to acquire large datasets for various Deep Learning applications. In medical imaging, this is often not feasible due to privacy regulations. Whereas anonymization would be a solution, standard techniques have been shown to be partially reversible. Here, synthetic data using a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) with differential privacy guarantees could be a solution to ensure the patient's privacy while maintaining the predictive properties of the data. In this study, we implemented a Wasserstein GAN (WGAN) with and without differential privacy guarantees to generate privacy-preserving labeled Time-of-Flight Magnetic Resonance Angiography (TOF-MRA) image patches for brain vessel segmentation. The synthesized image-label pairs were used to train a U-net which was evaluated in terms of the segmentation performance on real patient images from two different datasets. Additionally, the Fréchet Inception Distance (FID) was calculated between the generated images and the real images to assess their similarity. During the evaluation using the U-Net and the FID, we explored the effect of different levels of privacy which was represented by the parameter ϵ. With stricter privacy guarantees, the segmentation performance and the similarity to the real patient images in terms of FID decreased. Our best segmentation model, trained on synthetic and private data, achieved a Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) of 0.75 for ϵ = 7.4 compared to 0.84 for ϵ = ∞ in a brain vessel segmentation paradigm (DSC of 0.69 and 0.88 on the second test set, respectively). We identified a threshold of ϵ <5 for which the performance (DSC <0.61) became unstable and not usable. Our synthesized labeled TOF-MRA images with strict privacy guarantees retained predictive properties necessary for segmenting the brain vessels. Although further research is warranted regarding generalizability to other imaging modalities and performance improvement, our results mark an encouraging first step for privacy-preserving data sharing in medical imaging
BRAVE-NET: Fully Automated Arterial Brain Vessel Segmentation in Patients With Cerebrovascular Disease
Introduction: Arterial brain vessel assessment is crucial for the diagnostic process
in patients with cerebrovascular disease. Non-invasive neuroimaging techniques, such
as time-of-flight (TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) imaging are applied in
the clinical routine to depict arteries. They are, however, only visually assessed. Fully
automated vessel segmentation integrated into the clinical routine could facilitate the
time-critical diagnosis of vessel abnormalities and might facilitate the identification of
valuable biomarkers for cerebrovascular events. In the present work, we developed and
validated a new deep learning model for vessel segmentation, coined BRAVE-NET, on a
large aggregated dataset of patients with cerebrovascular diseases.
Methods: BRAVE-NET is a multiscale 3-D convolutional neural network (CNN) model
developed on a dataset of 264 patients from three different studies enrolling patients
with cerebrovascular diseases. A context path, dually capturing high- and low-resolution
volumes, and deep supervision were implemented. The BRAVE-NET model was
compared to a baseline Unet model and variants with only context paths and deep
supervision, respectively. The models were developed and validated using high-quality
manual labels as ground truth. Next to precision and recall, the performance was
assessed quantitatively by Dice coefficient (DSC); average Hausdorff distance (AVD);
95-percentile Hausdorff distance (95HD); and via visual qualitative rating.
Results: The BRAVE-NET performance surpassed the other models for arterial brain
vessel segmentation with a DSC = 0.931, AVD = 0.165, and 95HD = 29.153. The
BRAVE-NET model was also the most resistant toward false labelings as revealed by the
visual analysis. The performance improvement is primarily attributed to the integration
Hilbert et al. Fully-Automated Arterial Brain Vessel Segmentation
of the multiscaling context path into the 3-D Unet and to a lesser extent to the deep
supervision architectural component.
Discussion: We present a new state-of-the-art of arterial brain vessel segmentation
tailored to cerebrovascular pathology. We provide an extensive experimental validation
of the model using a large aggregated dataset encompassing a large variability of
cerebrovascular disease and an external set of healthy volunteers. The framework
provides the technological foundation for improving the clinical workflow and can serve
as a biomarker extraction tool in cerebrovascular diseases
Measurement of the eta-Meson Mass using psi(2S) --> eta J/psi
We measure the mass of the eta meson using psi(2S) --> eta J/psi events
acquired with the CLEO-c detector operating at the CESR e+e- collider. Using
the four decay modes eta --> gamma gamma, 3pi0, pi+pi-pi0, and pi+pi-gamma, we
find M(eta)=547.785 +- 0.017 +- 0.057 MeV, in which the first uncertainty is
statistical and the second systematic. This result has an uncertainty
comparable to the two most precise previous measurements and is consistent with
that of NA48, but is inconsistent at the level of 6.5sigma with the much
smaller mass obtained by GEM.Comment: 10 pages postscript,also available through
http://www.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS/2007/, Submitted to PR
Suppressed Decays of D_s^+ Mesons to Two Pseudoscalar Mesons
Using data collected near the Ds*+ Ds- peak production energy Ecm = 4170 MeV
by the CLEO-c detector, we study the decays of Ds+ mesons to two pseudoscalar
mesons. We report on searches for the singly-Cabibbo-suppressed Ds+ decay modes
K+ eta, K+ eta', pi+ K0S, K+ pi0, and the isospin-forbidden decay mode Ds+ to
pi+ pi0. We normalize with respect to the Cabibbo-favored Ds+ modes pi+ eta,
pi+ eta', and K+ K0S, and obtain ratios of branching fractions: Ds+ to K+ eta /
Ds+ to pi+ eta = (8.9 +- 1.5 +- 0.4)%, Ds+ to K+ eta' / Ds+ to pi+ eta' = (4.2
+- 1.3 +- 0.3)%, Ds+ to pi+ K0S / Ds+ to K+ K0S = (8.2 +- 0.9 +- 0.2)%, Ds+ to
K+ pi0 / Ds+ to K+ K0S = (5.0 +- 1.2 +- 0.6)%, and Ds+ to pi+ pi0 / Ds+ to K+
K0S < 4.1% at 90% CL, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic,
respectively.Comment: 9 pages postscript,also available through
http://www.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS/2007/, Submitted to PR
Measurement of the Decay Constant using $D_S^+ --> ell^+ nu
We measure the decay constant fDs using the Ds -> l+ nu channel, where the l+
designates either a mu+ or a tau+, when the tau+ -> pi+ nu. Using both
measurements we find fDs = 274 +-13 +- 7 MeV. Combining with our previous
determination of fD+, we compute the ratio fDs/fD+ = 1.23 +- 0.11 +- 0.04. We
compare with theoretical estimates.Comment: 6 pages postscript,also available through
http://www.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS/2007
Search for Lepton Flavor Violation in Upsilon Decays
In this Letter we describe a search for lepton flavor violation (LFV) in the
bottomonium system. We search for leptonic decays of Upsilon(nS)(n=1,2, and 3)
into muon and tau using the data collected with the CLEO III detector. We
identify the tau lepton using its leptonic decay into electron and utilize
multidimensional likelihood fitting with PDF shapes measured from independent
data samples. We report our estimates of 95% CL upper limits on LFV branching
fractions of Upsilon mesons. We interpret our results in terms of the exclusion
plot for the energy scale of a hypothetical new interaction versus its
effective LFV coupling in the framework of effective field theory.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, available through
http://www.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS/, submitted to PR
Measurement of Absolute Hadronic Branching Fractions of D Mesons and e^+ e^- --> D D-bar Cross Sections at the psi(3770)
Using 281 /pb of e^+ e^- collisions recorded at the psi(3770) resonance with
the CLEO-c detector at CESR, we determine absolute hadronic branching fractions
of charged and neutral D mesons using a double tag technique. Among
measurements for three D^0 and six D^+ modes, we obtain reference branching
fractions B(D^0 --> K^-pi^+) = (3.891 +- 0.035 +- 0.059 +- 0.035)% and B(D^+
--> K^-pi^+pi^+) = (9.14 +- 0.10 +- 0.16 +- 0.07)%, where the first uncertainty
is statistical, the second is all systematic errors other than final state
radiation (FSR), and the third is the systematic uncertainty due to FSR. We
include FSR in these branching fractions by allowing for additional unobserved
photons in the final state. Using an independent determination of the
integrated luminosity, we also extract the cross sections sigma(e+e- --> D^0
D^0-bar) = (3.66+- 0.03 +- 0.06) nb and sigma(e+e- --> D^+ D^-) = (2.91+- 0.03
+- 0.05) nb at a center of mass energy, E_cm = 3774 +- 1 MeV.Comment: 47 pages, postscript also available through this
http://www.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS/2007/, to be published in PRD, updated
branching fractions using B(KS0 --> pi+ pi-) from PDG 2007, and updated text
in response to the PRD reviewe
Molecular markers of anti-malarial drug resistance in Lahj Governorate, Yemen: baseline data and implications
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This is an investigation of anti-malarial molecular markers coupled with a therapeutic efficacy test of chloroquine (CQ) against falciparum malaria in an area of unstable malaria in Lahj Governorate, Yemen. The study was aimed at assessment of therapeutic response to CQ and elucidation of baseline information on molecular markers for <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>resistance against CQ and sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between 2002 and 2003 the field test was conducted according to the standard WHO protocol to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of CQ in 124 patients with falciparum malaria in an endemic area in Lahj Governorate in Yemen. Blood samples collected during this study were analysed for <it>P. falciparum </it>chloroquine resistance transporter gene (<it>pfcrt</it>)-76 polymorphisms, mutation <it>pfcrt-</it>S163R and the antifolate resistance-associated mutations dihydrofolate reductase (<it>dhfr</it>)-C59R and dihydropteroate synthase (<it>dhps</it>)-K540E. Direct DNA sequencing of the <it>pfcrt </it>gene from three representative field samples was carried out after DNA amplification of the 13 exons of the <it>pfcrt </it>gene.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Treatment failure was detected in 61% of the 122 cases that completed the 14-day follow-up. The prevalence of mutant <it>pfcrt </it>T76 was 98% in 112 amplified pre-treatment samples. The presence of <it>pfcrt </it>T76 was poorly predictive of <it>in vivo </it>CQ resistance (PPV = 61.8%, 95% CI = 52.7-70.9). The prevalence of <it>dhfr </it>Arg-59 mutation in 99 amplified samples was 5%, while the <it>dhps </it>Glu-540 was not detected in any of 119 amplified samples. Sequencing the <it>pfcrt </it>gene confirmed that Yemeni CQ resistant <it>P. falciparum </it>carry the old world (Asian and African) CQ resistant haplotype CVIETSESI at positions 72,73,74,75,76,220,271, 326 and 371.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first study to report baseline information on the characteristics and implications of anti-malarial drug resistance markers in Yemen. It is also the first report of the haplotype associated with CQR <it>P. falciparum </it>parasites from Yemen. Mutant <it>pfcrt</it>T76 is highly prevalent but it is a poor predictor of treatment failure in the study population. The prevalence of mutation <it>dhfr</it>Arg59 is suggestive of emerging resistance to SP, which is currently a component of the recommended combination treatment of falciparum malaria in Yemen. More studies on these markers are recommended for surveillance of resistance in the study area.</p
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