Automatic Registration of Structural Brain MR Images to MNI Image Space

23nd Signal Processing and Communications Applications Conference (SIU) -- MAY 16-19, 2015 -- Inonu Univ, Malatya, TURKEYWOS: 000380500900068Disease diagnosis has been made by experts examining the images obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique, the disease process is observed using images taken at different times. Brain MR images are registered to the standard brain atlases because the human brain has a complex structure and varies from person to person. Corpus Callosum (CC) has a big importance for medical image registration because it can be easily distinguished on T1-weighted structural brain MR images and does not vary prominently between individuals. In this study, from the midsagittal brain MR image that belongs to the patient CC is detected fully automatically via Valley Matching (VM) Algorithm. The contribution of this study is registration of patient's MR image onto the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) image space by using automatically detected reference points.Dept Comp Engn & Elect & Elect Engn, Elect & Elect Engn, Bilkent Uni

Three techniques for automatic extraction of corpus callosum in structural midsagittal brain MR images: Valley Matching, Evolutionary Corpus Callosum Detection and Hybrid method

WOS: 000336474900011Corpus callosum (CC) is an important structure for medical image registration. We propose three novel fully automated for the extraction of CC. Our first algorithm, Valley matching (VM), is based on fixed searched range in histogram processing and uses prior anatomical information for locating CC. The second one, Evolutionary CC Detection (ECD), based on genetic algorithm presents a new fitness function that uses anatomical ratios, instead of fixed prior knowledge without the need for preprocessing. The final one, called Evolutionary Valley Matching (EVM), takes advantages of the strong points of the first and second algorithms. The search space defined for ECD is reduced by VM which uses crowding method to find the peaks in the multi-modal histogram. Another important contribution of this study is that there is no existing method using genetic algorithm for extracting CC. Our proposed algorithms perform with the success rates up to 95.5%. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Tracheopathia Osteochondroplastica Two Unusual Cases

We describe 2 unusual cases of tracheopathia osteochondroplastica (TPO), one of them presenting with lung carcinoma and the other at an uncommon age. A 74-year-old man presented with chronic bronchitis and a left lower lobe lesion as detected on chest computed tomography. Flexible bronchoscopy revealed multiple calcified nodular lesions involving the anterior-lateral walls of the trachea and main bronchi. Histologic analysis of the tracheal nodules confirmed the presence of TPO. Squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed by transthoracic needle aspiration of the pulmonary nodule. The relevance of coexistence of these 2 conditions remains unknown. Our second case was in a young man who presented with persistent cough and a chest computed tomography scan revealing multiple tracheal nodules. Numerous hard tracheal nodules distributed around the lower trachea and main bronchi were observed at flexible bronchoscopy. When the cough and dyspnea persists despite conventional empiric treatment, uncommon tracheobronchial pathologies, such as TPO, should be considered

Patients with recurrent tuberculosis in Istanbul: reactivation?, reinfection?

28th International Congress of the European-Respiratory-Society (ERS) -- SEP 15-19, 2018 -- Paris, FRANCEWOS: 000455567106407…European Respiratory So

Self-Management Plans for Asthma Control and Predictors of Patient Compliance

Objective. To evaluate the impact of peak flow or symptom-based self-management plans on asthma control and patients' quality of life and to determine the main psychosocial factors that affect compliance with these plans. Methods. The study sample consisted of 63 patients with persistent asthma outpatients. Data collection included demographics, pulmonary functions, symptom scores, and asthma control parameters recorded over the previous 2 consecutive years. A standard asthma self-management education program including personal action plans was given to the patients who were randomly divided into peak flow meter (PFM) (n = 31) or symptom-based (n = 32) action plan groups. Patients were then assessed prospectively for various study outcomes including symptoms, drug compliance, psychiatric co-morbidities, quality of life, and asthma control over the next 12 months. Psychiatric co-morbidities were assessed using Rotter's Internal and External Locus of Control Scale (RIELCS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), Spielberger State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Short Form-36 (SF-36). Results. Of the 63 patients (79% female; mean age 43), 85% of them had moderately or severely persistent asthma. Baseline demographics, clinical parameters, psychiatric diagnosis, and quality of life were not different between groups. Personal asthma plans increased optimal asthma control significantly. Emergency visits, antibiotic treatments, systemic corticosteroid treatments, and unscheduled visits were fewer than the previous year. Control parameters were better in the PFM group. After the self-management education, the quality of life dimensions, i.e., vitality, total mental and general scores of both groups increased. Frequency of psychiatric co-morbidities decreased from 61.9% to 49.2%. However, state anxiety levels were increased in both groups. These increases were statistically significant in the PFM group. Compliance with the action plans was better in the PFM group. Higher BDI scores were associated with worse compliance. No statistically significant association was found between demographic parameters and the compliance. Although the compliance had decreased in both groups after 6 months, this decrease was greater in the symptom group. Higher RIELCS and mental health scores were associated with better compliance. Conclusion. Introduction of self-management plans improved illness control and quality of life in asthma patients. Use of the PFM and the presence of higher RIELCS and lower BDI scores can be used to predict compliance with the action plans

Relation between hand grip strength, respiratory muscle strength and spirometric measures in male nursing home residents

Adverse-outcomes related to sarcopenia are mostly mentioned as physical disability. As the other skeletal muscles, respiratory muscles may also be affected by sarcopenia. Respiratory muscle strength is known to affect pulmonary functions. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relations between extremity muscle strength, respiratory muscle strengths and spirometric measures in a group of male nursing home residents. Among a total of 104 male residents, residents with obstructive measures were excluded and final study population was composed of 62 residents. Mean age was 70.5 +/- 6.7 years, body mass index: 27.7 +/- 5.3 kg/m(2) and dominant hand grip strength: 29.7 +/- 6.5 kg. Hand grip strength was positively correlated with maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) (r = 0.35, p < 0.01 and r = 0.26, p < 0.05, respectively). In regression analysis, the only factor related to MIP was hand grip strength; among spirometric measures only parameter significantly related to grip strength was peak cough flow (PCF). The association of PCF with grip strength disappeared when MIP alone or "MIP and MEP'' were included in the regression analysis. In the latter case, PCF was significantly associated only with MIP. We found peripheric muscle strength be associated with MIP and PCF but not with MEP or any other spirometric parameters. The relation between peripheral muscle strength and PCF was mediated by MIP. Our findings suggest that sarcopenia may affect inspiratory muscle strength earlier or more than the expiratory muscle strength. Sarcopenia may cause decrease in PCF in the elderly, which may stand for some common adverse respiratory complications