End2End Multi-View Feature Matching with Differentiable Pose Optimization

Erroneous feature matches have severe impact on subsequent camera pose estimation and often require additional, time-costly measures, like RANSAC, for outlier rejection. Our method tackles this challenge by addressing feature matching and pose optimization jointly. To this end, we propose a graph attention network to predict image correspondences along with confidence weights. The resulting matches serve as weighted constraints in a differentiable pose estimation. Training feature matching with gradients from pose optimization naturally learns to down-weight outliers and boosts pose estimation on image pairs compared to SuperGlue by 6.7% on ScanNet. At the same time, it reduces the pose estimation time by over 50% and renders RANSAC iterations unnecessary. Moreover, we integrate information from multiple views by spanning the graph across multiple frames to predict the matches all at once. Multi-view matching combined with end-to-end training improves the pose estimation metrics on Matterport3D by 18.5% compared to SuperGlue.Comment: ICCV 2023, project page: https://barbararoessle.github.io/e2e_multi_view_matching , video: https://youtu.be/uuLb6GfM9C

GANeRF: Leveraging Discriminators to Optimize Neural Radiance Fields

Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) have shown impressive novel view synthesis results; nonetheless, even thorough recordings yield imperfections in reconstructions, for instance due to poorly observed areas or minor lighting changes. Our goal is to mitigate these imperfections from various sources with a joint solution: we take advantage of the ability of generative adversarial networks (GANs) to produce realistic images and use them to enhance realism in 3D scene reconstruction with NeRFs. To this end, we learn the patch distribution of a scene using an adversarial discriminator, which provides feedback to the radiance field reconstruction, thus improving realism in a 3D-consistent fashion. Thereby, rendering artifacts are repaired directly in the underlying 3D representation by imposing multi-view path rendering constraints. In addition, we condition a generator with multi-resolution NeRF renderings which is adversarially trained to further improve rendering quality. We demonstrate that our approach significantly improves rendering quality, e.g., nearly halving LPIPS scores compared to Nerfacto while at the same time improving PSNR by 1.4dB on the advanced indoor scenes of Tanks and Temples.Comment: Video: https://youtu.be/EUWW8nUxpl

p53 suppresses type II endometrial carcinomas in mice and governs endometrial tumour aggressiveness in humans

Type II endometrial carcinomas are a highly aggressive group of tumour subtypes that are frequently associated with inactivation of the TP53 tumour suppressor gene. We show that mice with endometrium-specific deletion of Trp53 initially exhibited histological changes that are identical to known precursor lesions of type II endometrial carcinomas in humans and later developed carcinomas representing all type II subtypes. The mTORC1 signalling pathway was frequently activated in these precursor lesions and tumours, suggesting a genetic cooperation between this pathway and Trp53 deficiency in tumour initiation. Consistent with this idea, analyses of 521 human endometrial carcinomas identified frequent mTORC1 pathway activation in type I as well as type II endometrial carcinoma subtypes. mTORC1 pathway activation and p53 expression or mutation status each independently predicted poor patient survival. We suggest that molecular alterations in p53 and the mTORC1 pathway play different roles in the initiation of the different endometrial cancer subtypes, but that combined p53 inactivation and mTORC1 pathway activation are unifying pathogenic features among histologically diverse subtypes of late stage aggressive endometrial tumours

Down regulation of E-Cadherin (ECAD) - a predictor for occult metastatic disease in sentinel node biopsy of early squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity and oropharynx

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prognostic factors in predicting occult lymph node metastasis in patients with head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are necessary to improve the results of the sentinel lymph node procedure in this tumour type. The E-Cadherin glycoprotein is an intercellular adhesion molecule in epithelial cells, which plays an important role in establishing and maintaining intercellular connections.</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>To determine the value of the molecular marker E-Cadherin in predicting regional metastatic disease.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>E-Cadherin expression in tumour tissue of 120 patients with HNSCC of the oral cavity and oropharynx were evaluated using the tissue microarray technique. 110 tumours were located in the oral cavity (91.7%; mostly tongue), 10 tumours in the oropharynx (8.3%). Intensity of E-Cadherin expression was quantified by the Intensity Reactivity Score (IRS). These results were correlated with the lymph node status of biopsied sentinel lymph nodes. Univariate and multivariate analysis was used to determine statistical significance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>pT-stage, gender, tumour side and location did not correlate with lymph node metastasis. Differentiation grade (<it>p </it>= 0.018) and down regulation of E-Cadherin expression significantly correlate with positive lymph node status (<it>p </it>= 0.005) in univariate and multivariate analysis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggest that loss of E-cadherin expression is associated with increased lymhogeneous metastasis of HNSCC. E-cadherin immunohistochemistry may be used as a predictor for lymph node metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx.</p> <p><b>Level of evidence: 2b</b></p

The expression of the cancer testis antigen MAGE A4: A favorable prognostic biomarker in salivary gland carcinomas related to low tumor grading

Background Aim was to analyze the expression of different cancer testis antigens (CTA) and to assess its prognostic value in salivary gland carcinomas. Methods Patients with salivary gland carcinomas diagnosed 1994 to 2010 were included. Baseline characteristics, pathohistological, clinical, and outcome data were assessed. Tissue microarrays were constructed and immunohistochemistry for different CTA (NY-ESO1, NY-BR1, MAGE A1, MAGE A3, MAGE A4, MAGE C1/CT7, and MAGE C2/CT10) was performed. CTA expression was assessed and statistically correlated with pathological and outcome data. Results Expression rates of CTA in salivary gland tumors ranged from 0% to 40%. MAGE A4 expression was associated with a lower tumor grade tumor grading ( = .017), and a favorable recurrence-free ( = .003), disease-specific ( = .046) and overall survival ( = .028). Conclusions MAGE A4 is a highly significant prognostic marker in salivary gland carcinoma; its expression is associated with low-grade histology, a low rate of distant metastasis and a favorable survival. Level of Evidence 4

Computed tomography perfusion imaging of renal cell carcinoma: systematic comparison with histopathological angiogenic and prognostic markers

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to systematically analyze the correlation between computed tomography (CT) perfusion and histopathological angiogenic and prognostic markers in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifteen patients (12 men; mean age, 64.5 ± 9.4 years) with RCC underwent contrast-enhanced CT perfusion imaging (scan range, 10 cm; scan time, 40 seconds; dual-source 128-section CT) 1 day before surgery. The procedure for surgical specimen processing was modified to obtain an exact match with CT images. Microvessel density (MVD) was quantified by CD34 staining, and lymphatic vessel density (LVD) was stained with D2-40 antibodies. The CT perfusion values blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV), and flow extraction product (K) were calculated using the maximum-slope and a delay-corrected modified Patlak approach and were correlated to MVD and LVD. The relationship between CT perfusion and the prognostic markers pT stage, Fuhrman grade, and tumor necrosis was evaluated. RESULTS: Histopathology revealed varying high MVD but low or absent intratumoral LVD. The BF and BV of RCC, both including and excluding necrotic regions, showed significant correlations with MVD (r = 0.600-0.829, P < 0.05 each). Significant correlations between MVD and K were found only in small tumor areas exhibiting no necrosis (r = 0.550, P < 0.05). No significant correlation was found between BF, BV, and K with intratumoral LVD (P = 0.35-0.82). With higher pT stage and Fuhrman grade, BF, BV, and K were lower, similar to the MVD, but without reaching statistical significance. Blood flow, BV, and K were significantly higher in RCCs with less than 50% necrosis than in those with 50% or grater necrosis (P < 0.05 each). CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that BF and BV from CT perfusion reflect blood vessels of RCC. Computed tompgraphic perfusion parameters differ significantly depending upon the degree of tumor necrosis

Interleukin-33 expression indicates a favorable prognosis in malignant salivary gland tumors

The cytokine Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is abundantly expressed in epithelial barrier tissues. It is released after cell damage and supports the induction of immune responses. Here we characterized IL-33 protein expression by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays of benign (n = 65) and malignant (n = 153) salivary gland tumors and normal salivary gland tissues (n = 28) and associated it with disease outcome. We found nuclear IL-33 expression in normal salivary gland tissues, mainly in ductal myoepithelial cells. Most benign salivary gland tumors expressed IL-33, and all Warthin’s tumors showed strong and consistent IL-33 expression in the basally oriented cells of their bilayered epithelium. In the malignant group of neoplasms, however, nuclear IL-33 expression was limited to specific tumor entities, e.g. to epithelial-myopepithelial carcinomas (n = 9/11), acinic cell carcinomas (n = 13/27), oncocytic carcinomas (n = 2/2), and one cystadenocarcinoma. IL-33 expression in the combined group of malignant salivary gland neoplasms was significantly associated with favorable histologic parameters, lack of metastasis and longer overall survival, compared to IL-33 negative tumors. We conclude that IL-33 expression is a novel prognostic marker for malignant salivary gland tumors with potential use in clinical diagnostics