Evaluation of sacral bone parameters in Sex determination by three – dimensional CT images

Introduction: Gender determination in forensic medicine plays an important role in determining the identity which is very important for both the present time and in the future. (Aim)Background: To improve sex determination using skeletal remains, morphometrical study of some bones can be helpful. The aim of this study is to assess the application of five parameters of sacral bone by means of Three – Dimensional (3D) images reconstructed by multi-slice Computed Tomography (CT) in sex determination of Iranian individuals.  Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on one hundred of Iranian people with equal number of men and women who have undergone Pelvic CT in radiology department of Hazrat Rasoul-Akram Hospital were included. Five anthropometric indices including S1 Perimeter, S1 Area, Anterior-posterior diameter (APD), Maximum transverse diameter (MTD) and Maximum breadth of sacral alae (MBA) of their sacral bone were measured using computed tomography (CT) three dimensional images with an accuracy of 0.01º and 0.01 mm and then the association of the measurements with the gender of individuals was studied. Conclusion:  No significant difference was observed between two gender groups in terms of age (P=0.678).&nbsp

A closer look at next generation sequencing (NGS) in breast cancer: A retrospective analysis

e13023 Background: Targeted cancer therapy has been posited to revolutionize treatment paradigms in oncology. There are, a paucity of data regarding the use of NGS in breast cancer (BC). Herein we report our experience with NGS in a consecutive series of BC patients. Methods: Using an IRB approved protocol, we retrospectively identified patients with BC treated at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMMSOM) who underwent NGS. Data were collected on demographics, tumor characteristics, genomic mutation profiles, and subsequent response to targeted therapy after 3 months. Results: Between January 2013 and April 2016, 101 BC patients underwent NGS. The mean age at diagnosis was 49. Ninety-one percent were stage IV, 6% were stage III, 2% were stage II, and 1% were stage I. Fifty percent had estrogen receptor (ER)+, HER2- tumors, 31% had triple-negative tumors, 13% had HER2+, ER+ tumors, and 6% had HER2+, ER- tumors. Ninety-six percent had at least one mutation, of which 78% had a targetable mutation. Sixteen patients received targeted therapy (TT). The average time between NGS and TT was 5 months ranging 0-22 months, during which seven patients received other systemic therapy. The most common reasons for not receiving TT were no actionable mutations (24%), not meeting criteria for an available clinical trial (14%), stable disease (SD) (13% ), lost to follow up (11%), physician decision (11%). Of the 16 patients who received TT, 7 patients had progression of disease, 3 died before response could be evaluated and presumably had no benefit, 2 discontinued TT due to side effects, 1 had SD, 1 had a partial response, and 2 were too early to be assessed. Conclusions: The majority of BC patients in our series had actionable mutations. However, TT was not offered to a significant number of patients for a multiplicity of reasons and the clinical benefit in those patients treated according to NGS findings was dismal. While NGS is surely a promising technology that should be utilized in combination with molecular tumor board, a host of reasons limit its usefulness at this time and its expense may well not justify its use outside of clinical trials

A discrete fracture network model for geometrical modeling of cylindrically folded rock layers

Geometrical characterization of discontinuities is a crucial step in determining the mechanical and hydraulic properties of rock masses. Discrete fracture network models are developed to model the geometric properties of discontinuities using the statistical distributions of these properties measured from core logging and outcrop mapping analyses. Among all of the discontinuity properties, shape is the most controversial. In previous discrete fracture network models, discontinuities have been considered to be limited or unlimited planes, but in reality curved discontinuities are also observed. Based on previous research, the planar assumption in rocks containing curved discontinuities leads to considerable errors in subsequent analyses. Curved discontinuities and reasons for their formation have not yet been specifically classified. However, it is obvious that there are several reasons for the creation of these types of discontinuities. Folding is the most common factor responsible for the generation of curved discontinuities. In this paper, a practical 3D geometric method is proposed to model folded rock layers. The method relies on Fourier analysis to model the folded layer and generates suitable input data for subsequent mechanical analysis via a purposely developed MATLAB script named RocFold. The applicability of the proposed model and script is tested by using an example of a typical folded structure in the Anjire mine, Iran. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.OAIID:RECH_ACHV_DSTSH_NO:T201634326RECH_ACHV_FG:RR00200001ADJUST_YN:EMP_ID:A076034CITE_RATE:2.569DEPT_NM:에너지시스템공학부EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:YN