Conditional Diffusion Models for Semantic 3D Medical Image Synthesis

This paper introduces Med-DDPM, an innovative solution using diffusion models for semantic 3D medical image synthesis, addressing the prevalent issues in medical imaging such as data scarcity, inconsistent acquisition methods, and privacy concerns. Experimental evidence illustrates that diffusion models surpass Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) in stability and performance, generating high-quality, realistic 3D medical images. The distinct feature of Med-DDPM is its use of semantic conditioning for the diffusion model in 3D image synthesis. By controlling the generation process through pixel-level mask labels, it facilitates the creation of realistic medical images. Empirical evaluations underscore the superior performance of Med-DDPM over GAN techniques in metrics such as accuracy, stability, and versatility. Furthermore, Med-DDPM outperforms traditional augmentation techniques and synthetic GAN images in enhancing the accuracy of segmentation models. It addresses challenges such as insufficient datasets, lack of annotated data, and class imbalance. Noting the limitations of the Frechet inception distance (FID) metric, we introduce a histogram-equalized FID metric for effective performance evaluation. In summary, Med-DDPM, by utilizing diffusion models, signifies a crucial step forward in the domain of high-resolution semantic 3D medical image synthesis, transcending the limitations of GANs and data constraints. This method paves the way for a promising solution in medical imaging, primarily for data augmentation and anonymization, thus contributing significantly to the field

Drawing from Grotowski and Beyond: Kuo Pao Kun’s Discourse on Audiences in Singapore in the 1980s

Much has been researched on Kuo Pao Kun’s multilingualism and multiculturalism. However, as one of one of the most important Asian dramatists, the analysis of Kuo’s discourse on audiences remains largely unexplored. There is a pressing need to understand the ways which theatre practitioners imagine audiences as it points to issues of subjectivity, audience participation and social engagement, especially in a neoliberal society like Singapore where people are often positioned as docile economic subjects. Among the many Asian and Western dramatists Kuo drew inspiration from, Jerzy Grotowski was pivotal. This essay seeks to address this gap by examining how the latter’s ideas was crucial to understanding how Kuo envisioned theatre and audiences alongside his artistic practice

Delayed Uterine Rupture After Fetal Reduction in a Case of Cornual Heterotopic Pregnancy

SummaryObjectiveAssisted reproductive technology has contributed to the rising rate of multiple and ectopic pregnancies. We report a case of heterotopic cornual pregnancy with delayed uterine rupture despite successful fetal reduction. To our knowledge, this has not been previously reported.Case ReportA 32-year-old woman, gravida 2, para 0, had secondary infertility. She had undergone laparoscopic tuboplasty for bilateral tubal obstruction and laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy for hydrosalpinx. Successful pregnancy was achieved after transfer of five frozen embryos for this pregnancy. At 7 weeks of gestation, routine pelvic sonography identified three gestational sacs, two in the intrauterine cavity and one in the right cornua. Fetal reduction with potassium chloride injection into the cornual pregnancy was performed at 8 weeks of gestation in a private clinic. At 13 weeks of gestation, she had sudden-onset low abdominal pain and hypovolemic shock. Emergency laparotomy revealed right cornual rupture, with a 3.4-cm translucent sac extruding into the peritoneal cavity. The uterus was repaired by simple closure of the right cornua. The twins survived the operation and were born smoothly at 34 weeks of gestation by cesarean section due to preterm labor and malpresentation.ConclusionUterine rupture can occur in women who have undergone successful fetal reduction for cornual heterotopic pregnancy

Acute Viral Hepatitis C-Induced Jaundice in Pregnancy

SummaryObjectiveAcute viral hepatitis C-induced jaundice in pregnancy is very rare and may be fatal. Here, we report a complicated case with acute hepatitis C-induced jaundice in pregnancy with successful managementCase ReportA 27-year-old pregnant woman, gravida 2, para 1, with gestational age of 36 weeks and 5 days, was referred to our hospital due to jaundice and elevated liver enzymes of undetermined cause. She had been suffering from general weakness, diarrhea and vomiting for 1 week, and jaundice with tea-colored urine for 3 days. At our medical center, acute viral hepatitis C-induced jaundice was suspected. Since her general condition deteriorated at 36 weeks and 6 days of gestation, we decided to induce labor. A male baby was born smoothly via the vaginal route, with birth weight 2,857 g, birth length 48.6 cm, and 1- and 5-minute Apgar scores of 7 and 9, respectively. Maternal condition improved dramatically after delivery and her serum liver enzymes and bilirubin levels gradually approached normal ranges.ConclusionMothers and fetuses with acute viral hepatitis C-induced jaundice during pregnancy are at great risk of mortality and morbidity. Timely termination may be one of the choices of treatment when fetal maturity has been reached and the maternal condition has deteriorated

Optimal Cropping Patterns for Profit Maximization Using a Linear Programming Model: a Case Study in Njawara Village, the Gambia

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchive

Diagnosis, Management, and Pathogenetic Studies in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Syndrome

A retrospective study of 224 patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) diagnosed between 1963 and 1988 was performed to 1) establish the diagnosis of MTC in early childhood, 2) establish the role of prophylactic regional lymphadenectomy in patients with MTC, 3) study the effect of chemotherapy on MTC patients with metastatic disease, 4) study the effect of somatostatin analog 201-995 (Sandoz Pharmaceuticals) on the frequency of diarrhea in MTC, and 5) locate the common region(s) of gene deletion on chromosome 1 and examine the loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 10 in tumors. Our data indicated that a progressive rise of serum calcitonin in early childhood (rather than the expected fall with age seen in normal subjects) is diagnostic of MTC. No differences in clinical course or prognosis were observed between patients with MTC localized to the thyroid who had prophylactic neck node dissection and those who did not. Conventional chemotherapy had no significant benefit in the treatment of patients with metastatic disease. The somatostatin analog was found to be an effeciive drug in the treatment of diarrhea associated with MTC. Allelic losses were frequently found in MTCs and pheochromocytomas, and the loss of DNA sequences in these tumors appeared to involve the distal third of the short arm of chromosome 1, with a common breakpoint at 1p32

Decision Support System For Safety Warning Of Bridge – A Case Study In Central Taiwan

This study aims at developing the decision support system (DSS) for safety warning of bridge. In the DSS, real-time and forecasted radar rainfalls are used to predict flood stage, velocity and scouring depth around bridge piers for one to three hours ahead. The techniques adopted in the DSS include (1) measurement and correction models of radar rainfall, (2) a grid-based distributed rainfall-runoff model for simulating reservoir inflows, (3) models for predicting flood stages, velocities and scouring depths around bridge piers, and (4) ultimate analysis approaches for evaluating safety of pier foundation. The DSS can support the management department to decide whether they should close bridges or not during floods. The proposed DSS gave a test-run during Typhoon Morakot in 2009 in Dajia River Basin, central Taiwan. The results show the DSS has reasonable performances during floods

Role of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I in the Autocrine Regulation of Cell Growth in TT Human Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Cells

Since the TT human medullary thyroid carcinoma cell line required fewer exogenous growth factors (serum), we investigated whether this line has an autocrine mechanism by examining the effects of antibodies directed toward insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and its receptor on TT cell growth in serum-free conditions. Treating cells with anti-IGF-I antibody for four days reduced the cell number by more than 50% compared with a nonimmune IgG control. Furthermore, a monoclonal antibody to the IGF-I receptor suppressed DNA synthesis when determined by a [3H]thymidine incorporation assay. Exogenous IGF-I (20 ng/mL) stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation in serum-free medium; approximately 70% of the IGF-I-induced stimulation was blocked by the presence of the receptor antibody. Treating TT cells with IGF-I for 48 hours increased the cell population in the S phase by 62% when analyzed by flow cytometry. These data suggest that TT cells might respond to endogenously produced IGF-I and therefore provide an in vitro model for autocrine regulation of human tumor cell growth by IGF-I

Burkitt's Lymphoma Mimicking a Primary Gynecologic Tumor

SummaryObjectiveBurkitt's lymphoma (BL) occurs mostly in children; bilateral ovarian involvement mimicking a gynecologic malignancy in adults is extremely rare. Here, we report a patient with BL mimicking a gynecologic tumorCase ReportA 50-year-old Taiwanese woman presented with the complaint of persistent lower abdominal distension with dull pain, easy satiety, and progressively increasing abdominal girth for 2 weeks. Amenorrhea was also noted for about 2 months, and her review of systems was negative for the common “B” symptoms associated with lymphoma. At our hospital, imaging studies revealed a huge pelvic mass (10.8 ×8.7 cm), suggesting a large subserous myoma or an ovarian tumor. Under the impression of pelvic mass, she underwent exploratory laparotomy. Primary ovarian sex-cord malignancy with cecum involvement was impressed by the primitive intraoperative frozen section report. Subsequently, an optimal cytoreductive operation with right hemicolectomy was performed. However, final histopathologic report was an extranodal multifocal BL.ConclusionAlthough extranodal BL in ovaries is a rare condition, it should be noted in the differential diagnosis of pelvic gynecologic malignancies