Digitaalisten röntgenlaitteiden hallinta - kuvanlaadun varmistus ja optimointi : toiminnallinen opinnäytetyö

Evidence-Based Quality in Radiographic Imaging (EBQR) on Metropolia Ammatikorkeakoulun Radiografian ja sädehoidon koulutusohjelman verkkokurssi jota tarjotaan tällä hetkellä vain englanniksi. Tämän toiminnallisen opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli kääntää suomeksi kaksi osiota kyseisestä verkko-opetuskokonaisuudesta. Aihe nousi esiin suomenkielisen materiaalin tarpeesta röntgenhoitaja opiskelijoille. Käännöstyön lisäksi tässä opinnäytetyössä käsitellään EBQR-kurssin historiaa, teoriaa ionisoivasta säteilystä, käännöstyöstä, digitaalisesta röntgenkuvantamisesta ja näyttöön perustuvasta työtavasta. Tuottaakseen kliinisesti riittävän laadukkaita röntgenkuvia pienimmällä mahdollisella säteilyannoksella tulee röntgenhoitajan päätösten perustua näyttöön perustuvaan työtapaan ja verifioituun tieteelliseen tietoon. Potilaan saaman säteilyannoksen ja optimaalisen kuvanlaadun oikeaa arviointia tarvitaan optimointityössä. Työssä käännettiin suomenkielistä oppimismateriaalia kahteen EBQR-verkkokurssin moduuliin yhteistyössä niiden kirjoittajien kanssa. Käännetyt moduulit ovat Digitaalisten röntgenlaitteiden hallinta ja Kuvanlaadun varmistus ja optimointi. Käännöstyössä otettiin huomioon radiografiatyön konteksti sekä kohdeyleisö röntgenhoitajien ammattikunta Suomessa. Käännetyt moduulit luovutetaan Metropolia Ammattikorkeakoulun radiografian ja sädehoidon koulutusohjelman käyttöön.Managing digital radiography equipment : assuring and optimizing image quality. Evidence-based quality in radiographic imaging is a web course offered by Metropolia University of applied sciences. The objective of this functional Bachelor’s thesis is to translate two sections of the Evidence-Based Quality in Radiographic imaging - course. The subject emerged from the need of material in Finnish for radiography students. In addition to the translation work this thesis also includes the history of the EBQR-course, theory about ionizing radiation, digital radiography and evidence-based way of working. In order to produce clinically sufficient radiographic images with the lowest dose possible a radiographers’ decisions have to be grounded in evidence-based way of thinking and verified scientific knowledge. Accurate assessment of patient radiation risk and optimal image quality are needed in the optimization of the radiation dose in radiographic imaging. In this thesis English learning material in EBQR-course was translated to Finnish in collaboration with the writers. The translated modules are Managing digital radiography equipment and Assuring and optimizing image quality. In the translation work the context of radiography and the target audience of radiographic nurses in Finland were taken into account. The translated material is given to Metropolia University of Applied Sciences to be utilized in the Degree Programme of Radiography and Radiotherapy

Julkaisujen hyödyntäminen Animalia ry:n tekemässä vaikuttamistyössä

Tämän opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli tehdä eläinsuojelujärjestö Animalialle työkalu heidän omien julkaisujensa paremman hyödyntämisen tueksi. Animalia ry tuottaa vuosittain useita laadukkaita julkaisuja. Haasteena on ollut se, että valmiin julkaisun potentiaalia vaikuttamistyön tukena on hyödynnetty vajavaisesti. Työkalusta tuli tehdä mahdollisimman selkeä ja helposti hyödynnettävissä oleva, jotta se otettaisiin esiin aina uuden julkaisun levitystä ja hyödyntämistä suunniteltaessa. Vastaava tilanne on todennäköisesti usealla kolmannen sektorin toimijalla. Järjestöt tuottavat asiantuntijamateriaalia ja raportteja, tekevät tai teettävät tutkimuksia ja esitteitä, mutta niiden hyödyntäminen voi jäädä vajavaiseksi. Myös muut kuin eläinsuojelualan toimijat voivat hyötyä tehdystä työkalusta. Aineistonkeruumenetelmänä oli Animalian työntekijöille pidetty työpaja, jossa pohdittiin yhdessä tapoja, miten aiempia julkaisuja on tähän mennessä hyödynnetty ja ideoitiin uudenlaisia toimenpiteitä tulevia julkaisuja ajatellen. Nämä toimenpiteet koottiin yhdessä julkaisujen mahdollisten kohderyhmien kanssa ristiintaulukointimenetelmällä yhteen, ja tämän pohjalta työstettiin lopullinen työkalu. Valmis työkalu on Excel-taulukko, josta työntekijöiden on helppo poimia julkaisukohtaisesti parhaiten hyödynnettävissä olevat toimenpiteet. Työn tietoperusta koostuu järjestöjen hyödyntämistä vaikuttamistyön menetelmistä. Näitä ovat esimerkiksi lobbaus, verkossa vaikuttaminen ja median hyödyntäminen.The aim of this thesis was to develop a tool that would support better utilization of the animal rights’ organization Animalia ry’s publications in their advocacy work. They publish several high-quality publications yearly. The challenge has been that the publications have not reached their full potential when it comes to the advocacy work that Animalia does. The tool was to be as clear and user friendly as possible to serve the needs of the subscriber. Similar challenges may be faced by other actors in the third sector which means that the tool could also serve their interests. Non-profit organizations often publish professional publications including different kinds or materials, research reports and brochures, but they may not be utilized efficiently. The data collection method was a workshop held for the Animalia employees. The key steps of the workshop were to list ways that publications have been utilized to this point and to brainstorm new ideas for the utilization of future publications. These two lists were gathered together with the possible target groups of publications to a cross-reference table based on which the tool was developed. The final tool which was developed is an Excel spreadsheet which will make it easy for the employees to pick the most useful methods for each publication. The theory section of this thesis consists of different methods used in advocacy work. These methods include for example lobbying, online work and utilization of the mass media

Dendra2 Photoswitching through the Mammary Imaging Window

In the last decade, intravital microscopy of breast tumors in mice and rats at single-cell resolution1-4 has resulted in important insights into mechanisms of metastatic behavior such as migration, invasion and intravasation of tumor cells5, 6, angiogenesis3 and immune cells response7-9. We have recently reported a technique to image orthotopic mammary carcinomas over multiple intravital imaging sessions in living mice10. For this, we have developed a Mammary Imaging Window (MIW) and optimized imaging parameters for Dendra211 photoswitching and imaging in vivo. Here, we describe the protocol for the manufacturing of MIW, insertion of the MIW on top of a tumor and imaging of the Dendra2- labeled tumor cells using a custom built imaging box. This protocol can be used to image the metastatic behavior of tumor cells in distinct microenvironments in tumors and allows for long term imaging of blood vessels, tumor cells and host cells

Methods in Mammary Gland Development and Cancer: the second ENDBC meeting - intravital imaging, genomics, modeling and metastasis

The second meeting of the European Network for Breast Development and Cancer (ENBDC) on 'Methods in Mammary Gland Development and Cancer' was held in April 2010 in Weggis, Switzerland. The focus was on genomics and bioinformatics, extracellular matrix and stroma-epithelial cell interactions, intravital imaging, the search for metastasis founder cells and mouse models of breast cancer

Inhibition of ErbB kinase signalling promotes resolution of neutrophilic inflammation

Neutrophilic inflammation with prolonged neutrophil survival is common to many inflammatory conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There are few specific therapies that reverse neutrophilic inflammation, but uncovering mechanisms regulating neutrophil survival is likely to identify novel therapeutic targets. Screening of 367 kinase inhibitors in human neutrophils and a zebrafish tail fin injury model identified ErbBs as common targets of compounds that accelerated inflammation resolution. The ErbB inhibitors gefitinib, CP-724714, erbstatin and tyrphostin AG825 significantly accelerated apoptosis of human neutrophils, including neutrophils from people with COPD. Neutrophil apoptosis was also increased in Tyrphostin AG825 treated-zebrafish in vivo. Tyrphostin AG825 decreased peritoneal inflammation in zymosan-treated mice, and increased lung neutrophil apoptosis and macrophage efferocytosis in a murine acute lung injury model. Tyrphostin AG825 and knockdown of egfra and erbb2 by CRISPR/Cas9 reduced inflammation in zebrafish. Our work shows that inhibitors of ErbB kinases have therapeutic potential in neutrophilic inflammatory disease.Animal science

Imaging the Impact of Chemically Inducible Proteins on Cellular Dynamics In Vivo

The analysis of dynamic events in the tumor microenvironment during cancer progression is limited by the complexity of current in vivo imaging models. This is coupled with an inability to rapidly modulate and visualize protein activity in real time and to understand the consequence of these perturbations in vivo. We developed an intravital imaging approach that allows the rapid induction and subsequent depletion of target protein levels within human cancer xenografts while assessing the impact on cell behavior and morphology in real time. A conditionally stabilized fluorescent E-cadherin chimera was expressed in metastatic breast cancer cells, and the impact of E-cadherin induction and depletion was visualized using real-time confocal microscopy in a xenograft avian embryo model. We demonstrate the assessment of protein localization, cell morphology and migration in cells undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal and mesenchymal-epithelial transitions in breast tumors. This technique allows for precise control over protein activity in vivo while permitting the temporal analysis of dynamic biophysical parameters

Gene expression meta-analysis identifies metastatic pathways and transcription factors in breast cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Metastasis is believed to progress in several steps including different pathways but the determination and understanding of these mechanisms is still fragmentary. Microarray analysis of gene expression patterns in breast tumors has been used to predict outcome in recent studies. Besides classification of outcome, these global expression patterns may reflect biological mechanisms involved in metastasis of breast cancer. Our purpose has been to investigate pathways and transcription factors involved in metastasis by use of gene expression data sets.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We have analyzed 8 publicly available gene expression data sets. A global approach, "gene set enrichment analysis" as well as an approach focusing on a subset of significantly differently regulated genes, GenMAPP, has been applied to rank pathway gene sets according to differential regulation in metastasizing tumors compared to non-metastasizing tumors. Meta-analysis has been used to determine overrepresentation of pathways and transcription factors targets, concordant deregulated in metastasizing breast tumors, in several data sets.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The major findings are up-regulation of cell cycle pathways and a metabolic shift towards glucose metabolism reflected in several pathways in metastasizing tumors. Growth factor pathways seem to play dual roles; EGF and PDGF pathways are decreased, while VEGF and sex-hormone pathways are increased in tumors that metastasize. Furthermore, migration, proteasome, immune system, angiogenesis, DNA repair and several signal transduction pathways are associated to metastasis. Finally several transcription factors e.g. E2F, NFY, and YY1 are identified as being involved in metastasis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>By pathway meta-analysis many biological mechanisms beyond major characteristics such as proliferation are identified. Transcription factor analysis identifies a number of key factors that support central pathways. Several previously proposed treatment targets are identified and several new pathways that may constitute new targets are identified.</p