701 research outputs found
Stability, Structure and Scale: Improvements in Multi-modal Vessel Extraction for SEEG Trajectory Planning
Purpose Brain vessels are among the most critical landmarks that need to be assessed for mitigating surgical risks in stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) implantation. Intracranial haemorrhage is the most common complication associated with implantation, carrying signi cant associated morbidity. SEEG planning is done pre-operatively to identify avascular trajectories for the electrodes. In current practice, neurosurgeons have no assistance in the planning of electrode trajectories. There is great interest in developing computer assisted planning systems that can optimise the safety pro le of electrode trajectories, maximising the distance to critical structures. This paper presents a method that integrates the concepts of scale, neighbourhood structure and feature stability with the aim of improving robustness and accuracy of vessel extraction within a SEEG planning system. Methods The developed method accounts for scale and vicinity of a voxel by formulating the problem within a multi-scale tensor voting framework. Feature stability is achieved through a similarity measure that evaluates the multi-modal consistency in vesselness responses. The proposed measurement allows the combination of multiple images modalities into a single image that is used within the planning system to visualise critical vessels. Results Twelve paired datasets from two image modalities available within the planning system were used for evaluation. The mean Dice similarity coe cient was 0.89 ± 0.04, representing a statistically signi cantly improvement when compared to a semi-automated single human rater, single-modality segmentation protocol used in clinical practice (0.80 ±0.03). Conclusions Multi-modal vessel extraction is superior to semi-automated single-modality segmentation, indicating the possibility of safer SEEG planning, with reduced patient morbidity
Selection bias in the reported performances of AD classification pipelines.
The last decade has seen a great proliferation of supervised learning pipelines for individual diagnosis and prognosis in Alzheimer's disease. As more pipelines are developed and evaluated in the search for greater performance, only those results that are relatively impressive will be selected for publication. We present an empirical study to evaluate the potential for optimistic bias in classification performance results as a result of this selection. This is achieved using a novel, resampling-based experiment design that effectively simulates the optimisation of pipeline specifications by individuals or collectives of researchers using cross validation with limited data. Our findings indicate that bias can plausibly account for an appreciable fraction (often greater than half) of the apparent performance improvement associated with the pipeline optimisation, particularly in small samples. We discuss the consistency of our findings with patterns observed in the literature and consider strategies for bias reduction and mitigation
1-(4-Benzyloxy-2-hydroxyphenyl)ethanone
The title compound, C15H14O3, has been obtained from the reaction of 2,4-dihydroxyacetophenone, potassium carbonate and benzyl bromide. The remaining hydroxy group is involved in an intramolecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond. In the crystal, intermolecular C—H⋯O contacts occur
Excessive thoracic computed tomographic scanning in sarcoidosis
Background: The clinical value of computed tomographic (CT) scanning of the chest in the initial assessment of sarcoidosis was investigated. Methods: One hundred consecutive patients referred to the sarcoidosis outpatient services of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York from 1990 to 1992 with a presumptive diagnosis of sarcoidosis were studied. The diagnosis was subsequently confirmed in all by a positive tissue biopsy sample or the Kveim-Siltzbach test. Clinical and laboratory data of each patient were reviewed. Chest radiographs were classified according to the classical stages of sarcoidosis. Thirty five of the 100 patients had a CT scan of the chest performed before presentation. The CT scans were compared with the presenting clinical data and standard chest radiographs in order to determine if they yielded useful additional information regarding diagnosis or treatment. Results: The chest CT scan revealed no additional clinically relevant information compared with conventional chest radiographs in any of the 35 studies performed. In two patients mediastinal adenopathy was detected by CT scan which was not seen on standard radiographs. Two patients thought to exhibit hilar adenopathy and pulmonary infiltrations by standard radiography had no parenchymal disease on the CT scan. Bilateral parenchymal infiltrates were seen in one patient which were interpreted as unilateral infiltrates by standard radiographs. The variance between conventional radiographs and CT scans in these five patients was not clinically valuable. Conclusions: CT scans of the chest do not add clinically useful information to the standard chest radiographs in the initial assessment of sarcoidosis in patients presenting with the typical standard radiological patterns. CT scanning of the thorax is indicated in patients with proven or suspected sarcoidosis when the standard chest radiographs are normal or not typical of sarcoidosis, when signs or symptoms of upper airway obstruction are present, when the patient has haemoptysis, if there is a suspicion of a complicating second intrathoracic disease, or the patient is a candidate for lung transplantation
Malignancy risk analysis in patients with inadequate fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the thyroid
Background
Thyroid fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is the standard diagnostic modality for thyroid nodules. However, it has limitations among which is the incidence of non-diagnostic results (Thy1). Management of cases with repeatedly non-diagnostic FNAC ranges from simple observation to surgical intervention. We aim to evaluate the incidence of malignancy in non-diagnostic FNAC, and the success rate of repeated FNAC. We also aim to evaluate risk factors for malignancy in patients with non-diagnostic FNAC.
Materials and Methods
Retrospective analyses of consecutive cases with thyroid non diagnostic FNAC results were included.
Results
Out of total 1657 thyroid FNAC done during the study period, there were 264 (15.9%) non-diagnostic FNAC on the first attempt. On repeating those, the rate of a non-diagnostic result on second FNAC was 61.8% and on third FNAC was 47.2%. The overall malignancy rate in Thy1 FNAC was 4.5% (42% papillary, 42% follicular and 8% anaplastic), and the yield of malignancy decreased considerably with successive non-diagnostic FNAC. Ultrasound guidance by an experienced head neck radiologist produced the lowest non-diagnostic rate (38%) on repetition compared to US guidance by a generalist radiologist (65%) and by non US guidance (90%).
Conclusions
There is a low risk of malignancy in patients with a non-diagnostic FNAC result, commensurate to the risk of any nodule. The yield of malignancy decreased considerably with successive non-diagnostic FNAC
The effect of grain size on electrical transport and magnetic properties of La0.9Te0.1MnO3
The effect of grain size on structural, magnetic and transport properties in
electron-doped manganites La0.9Te0.1MnO3 has been investigated. All samples
show a rhombohedral structure with the space group at room temperature. It
shows that the Mn-O-Mn bond angle decreases and the Mn-O bond length increases
with the increase of grain size. All samples undergo paramagnetic
(PM)-ferromagnetic (FM) phase transition and an interesting phenomenon that
both magnetization and the Curie temperature decrease with increasing grain
size is observed, which is suggested to mainly originate from the increase of
the Mn-O bond length . Additionally, obviously increases with decreasing grain
size due to the increase of both the height and width of tunneling barriers
with decreasing the grain size. The results indicate that both the intrinsic
colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) and the extrinsic the extrinsic interfacial
magnetoresistance (IMR) can be effectively tuned in La0.9Te0.1MnO3 by changing
grain size.Comment: 15 pages,4 figures. Solid state communications 132(2004)83-8
A meta-analytic review of stand-alone interventions to improve body image
Objective
Numerous stand-alone interventions to improve body image have been developed. The
present review used meta-analysis to estimate the effectiveness of such interventions, and
to identify the specific change techniques that lead to improvement in body image.
Methods
The inclusion criteria were that (a) the intervention was stand-alone (i.e., solely focused on
improving body image), (b) a control group was used, (c) participants were randomly
assigned to conditions, and (d) at least one pretest and one posttest measure of body
image was taken. Effect sizes were meta-analysed and moderator analyses were conducted.
A taxonomy of 48 change techniques used in interventions targeted at body image
was developed; all interventions were coded using this taxonomy.
Results
The literature search identified 62 tests of interventions (N = 3,846). Interventions produced
a small-to-medium improvement in body image (d+ = 0.38), a small-to-medium reduction in
beauty ideal internalisation (d+ = -0.37), and a large reduction in social comparison tendencies
(d+ = -0.72). However, the effect size for body image was inflated by bias both within
and across studies, and was reliable but of small magnitude once corrections for bias were
applied. Effect sizes for the other outcomes were no longer reliable once corrections for
bias were applied. Several features of the sample, intervention, and methodology moderated
intervention effects. Twelve change techniques were associated with improvements in
body image, and three techniques were contra-indicated.
Conclusions
The findings show that interventions engender only small improvements in body image, and
underline the need for large-scale, high-quality trials in this area. The review identifies effective
techniques that could be deployed in future interventions
Pbx1 activates Fgf10 in the mesenchyme of developing lungs
Insufficiency of surfactants is a core factor in respiratory distress syndrome, which causes apnea and neonatal death, particularly in preterm infants. Surfactant proteins are secreted by alveolar type II cells in the lung epithelium, the differentiation of which is regulated by Fgf10 elaborated by the adjacent mesenchyme. However, the molecular regulation of mesenchymal Fgf10 during lung development has not been fully understood. Here, we show that Pbx1, a homeodomain transcription factor, is required in the lung mesenchyme for the expression of Fgf10. Mouse embryos lacking Pbx1 in the lung mesenchyme show compact terminal saccules and perinatal lethality with failure of postnatal alveolar expansion. Mutant embryos had severely reduced expression of Fgf10 and surfactant genes (Spa, Spb, Spc, and Spd) that are essential for alveolar expansion for gas exchange at birth. Molecularly, Pbx1 directly binds to the Fgf10 promoter and cooperates with Meis and Hox proteins to transcriptionally activate Fgf10. Our results thus show how Pbx1 controls Fgf10 in the developing lung
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