OC04.04 : A machine-learning algorithm to distinguish benign and malignant adnexal tumours from ultrasound images

The accurate preoperative diagnosis of adnexal tumours as benign or malignant is pivotal to optimise patient management. We developed a Machine Learning (ML) Algorithm to characterise adnexal tumours as benign or malignant from ultrasound images

Ultrasonography and translational research in preoperative diagnosis and differentiation of adnexal lesions

Ovarian cancer is the most aggressive and lethal gynaecological malignant neoplasm. It is a "silent killing disease", often diagnosed at an advanced stage, with an overall 5-year survival rate of only 40%, a high recurrence rate and a high mortality rate, as around 80% of patients will die of the disease. Therefore, more efforts are needed to improve the preoperative early and accurate detection of adnexal lesions, which would significantly improve the prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer. The first tool we have for this purpose is transvaginal ultrasonography, which is the most common and one of the best imaging exams for the assessment of adnexal tumours. To date, the International Ovarian Tumour Analysis (IOTA) is the largest prospective multicentre international analysis in the literature on ultrasound diagnosis of adnexal lesions. In two recent meta-analyses, it has been confirmed that the IOTA models outperform the other preoperative diagnostic models. Our overall aim is to develop a new diagnostic algorithm based on clinical, ultrasound features and biomarkers, in order to improve the preoperative diagnosis of all types of adnexal pathology, improving the detection, the management and the prognosis of patients with adnexal tumours. On one hand, we will investigate new ultrasound features in a specific group of masses, which are particularly difficult to be preoperatively assessed, even by an expert ultrasound examiner (i.e. the unilocular masses with papillary projections). On the other hand, we will investigate new biomarkers in the bloodstream of patients with adnexal lesions. These new variables will be integrated in the IOTA models, in order to improve their performance and accuracy in the preoperative diagnosis of adnexal tumours. For this last purpose, we will investigate circulating tumour DNA and immune cells. Preliminary but limited reports have been published about the detection of circulating DNA in the blood of ovarian cancer patients. Moreover, it is now well established that the immune system is an important regulator in the development of cancer. We will evaluate the ratios of immune cells (e.g. effector T cells (Teff), regulatory T cells (Treg), myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC), and tumor-associated macrophages (TAM)) in patients with ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is the most aggressive and lethal gynaecological malignant neoplasm. It is a "silent killing disease", often diagnosed at an advanced stage, with an overall 5-year survival rate of only 40%, a high recurrence rate and a high mortality rate, as around 80% of patients will die of the disease. Therefore, more efforts are needed to improve the preoperative early and accurate detection of adnexal lesions, which would significantly improve the prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer. The first tool we have for this purpose is transvaginal ultrasonography, which is the most common and one of the best imaging exams for the assessment of adnexal tumours. To date, the International Ovarian Tumour Analysis (IOTA) is the largest prospective multicentre international analysis in the literature on ultrasound diagnosis of adnexal lesions. In two recent meta-analyses, it has been confirmed that the IOTA models outperform the other preoperative diagnostic models. Our overall aim is to develop a new diagnostic algorithm based on clinical, ultrasound features and biomarkers, in order to improve the preoperative diagnosis of all types of adnexal pathology, improving the detection, the management and the prognosis of patients with adnexal tumours. On one hand, we will investigate new ultrasound features in a specific group of masses, which are particularly difficult to be preoperatively assessed, even by an expert ultrasound examiner (i.e. the unilocular masses with papillary projections). On the other hand, we will investigate new biomarkers in the bloodstream of patients with adnexal lesions. These new variables will be integrated in the IOTA models, in order to improve their performance and accuracy in the preoperative diagnosis of adnexal tumours. For this last purpose, we will investigate circulating tumour DNA and immune cells. Preliminary but limited reports have been published about the detection of circulating DNA in the blood of ovarian cancer patients. Moreover, it is now well established that the immune system is an important regulator in the development of cancer. We will evaluate the ratios of immune cells (e.g. effector T cells (Teff), regulatory T cells (Treg), myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC), and tumor-associated macrophages (TAM)) in patients with ovarian cancer.status: publishe

Giunto trave-colonna

Giunto trave-colonna in acciaio, resistente a momento, per edifici a telaio sismo-resistenti. Grazie all\u2019impiego di connessioni ad attrito, il giunto \ue8 dissipativo, smontabile e privo di saldature/forature su travi e colonne. La dissipazione consente di ridurre i costi di riparazione mentre smontabilit\ue0 e assenza di saldature/forature permettono di riutilizzare gli elementi strutturali

Giunto trave-colonna decostruibile

Giunto di connessione di una trave (2) in acciaio ad una colonna (1) in acciaio, le quali trave (2) e colonna (1) presentano ciascuna un’anima (20, 10) e ali (21, 11) a formare una sezione a doppia T. Il giunto comprende una pluralità di elementi a pinza (5), di cui almeno un elemento a pinza (5) atto a serrarsi su almeno un’ala (21) della trave (2) e almeno un elemento a pinza (5) atto a serrarsi su almeno un’ala (11) della colonna (1). Il giunto comprende inoltre una pluralità di piatti esterni (50) atti ad essere posti a contatto con lo sviluppo esterno delle ali (11, 21) della colonna (1) o della trave (2). Ciascun piatto esterno (50) è provvisto di almeno due elementi a pinza (5), essendo ciascun elemento a pinza (5) costituito dal piatto esterno (50) e da mezzi di serraggio amovibile con un corrispondente piatto interno (51), in modo tale per cui ciascun piatto esterno (50) è collegato ad una coppia di piatti interni (51) atti ad essere posti a contatto con lo sviluppo interno di entrambe le ali (21, 11) della trave (2) o della colonna (1). Sono inoltre previsti uno o più elementi a sella (3) costituiti da due piatti esterni (50) fissati tra loro in modo ortogonale ed atti ad essere posti a contatto con lo sviluppo esterno delle ali (11, 21) rispettivamente della colonna (1) e della trave (2

The Role of Life Cycle Structural Engineering in the Transition towards a Sustainable Building Renovation: Available Tools and Research Needs

Given the current climate emergency and the ambitious targets of carbon emissions reduction, retrofitting strategies on existing buildings typically include reducing energy demand, decarbonising the power supply, and addressing embodied carbon stored in materials. This latter point redefines the role of engineers in the transitions towards a sustainable construction sector, being they responsible for designing low impact, sustainable and carbon neutral solutions. A Life Cycle Structural Engineering (LCSE) approach, inspired by the principles of Life Cycle Thinking (LCT), should thus be adopted for the sustainable renovation of existing buildings. Only recently have pioneering approaches been proposed, tackling multifaceted buildings’ needs, such as those related to energy consumption as well as seismic safety, but often disregarding LCT principles. This study presents a redefinition of the concept of LCSE for sustainable construction and a comprehensive review of available methods and tools to operationalise the LCSE approach in practice, focusing on the consideration of LCT principles in the retrofitting design process, integration of seismic loss estimation and environmental impact assessment, and implementation of integrated retrofitting strategies. The greatest ambition of this work is thus to boost a paradigm shift for building engineers towards an interdisciplinary perspective in building assessment and retrofitting

New biomarkers in the diagnosis of ovarian pathology

status: publishe