26 research outputs found
A synthetic wheat l-system to accurately detect and visualise wheat head anomalies
Greater knowledge of wheat crop phenology and growth and improvements in measurement are beneficial to wheat agronomy and productivity. This is constrained by a lack of public plant datasets. Collecting plant data is expensive and time consuming and methods to augment this with synthetic data could address this issue. This paper describes a cost-effective and accurate Synthetic Wheat dataset which has been created by a novel L-system, based on technological advances in cameras and deep learning. The dataset images have been automatically created, categorised, masked and labelled, and used to successfully train a synthetic neural network. This network has been shown to accurately recognise wheat in pasture images taken from the Global Wheat dataset, which provides for the ongoing interest in the phenotyping of wheat characteristics around the world. The proven Mask R-CNN and Detectron2 frameworks have been used, and the created network is based on the public COCO format. The research question is âHow can L-system knowledge be used to create an accurate synthetic wheat dataset and to make cost-effective wheat crop measurements?â
The clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of cetuximab (mono- or combination chemotherapy), bevacizumab (combination with non-oxaliplatin chemotherapy) and panitumumab (monotherapy) for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer after first-line chemotherapy (review of technology appraisal No.150 and part review of technology appraisal No. 118): a systematic review and economic model
Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK after breast and lung cancer. People with metastatic disease who are sufficiently fit are usually treated with active chemotherapy as first- or second-line therapy. Recently, targeted agents have become available including anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) agents, for example cetuximab and panitumumab, and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor agents, for example bevacizumab
Improved image recognition via Synthetic Plants using 3D Modelling with Stochastic Variations
This research extends previous plant modelling using L-systems by means of a novel arrangement comprising synthetic plants and a refined global wheat dataset in combination with a synthetic inference application. The study demonstrates an application with direct recognition of real plant stereotypes, and augmentation via a plant-wide stochastic growth variation structure. The study showed that the automatic annotation and counting of wheat heads using the Global Wheat dataset images provides a time and cost saving over traditional manual approaches and neural networks. This study introduces a novel synthetic inference application using a plant-wide stochastic variation system, resulting in improved structural dataset hierarchy. The research demonstrates a significantly improved L-system that can more effectively and more accurately define and distinguish wheat crop characteristics
Tunable Bifunctional Silyl Ether Cross-Linkers for the Design of Acid-Sensitive Biomaterials
Responsive polymeric biomaterials can be triggered to degrade using localized environments found in vivo. A limited number of biomaterials provide precise control over the rate of degradation, the release rate of entrapped cargo, and yield a material that is intrinsically non-toxic. Here we design non-toxic acid-sensitive biomaterials based on silyl ether chemistry. A host of silyl ether cross-linkers were synthesized and molded into relevant medical devices including Trojan horse particles, sutures, and stents. The resulting devices were engineered to degrade under acidic conditions known to exist in tumor tissue, inflammatory tissue, and within diseased cells. The implementation of silyl ether chemistry gave precise control over the rate of degradation, and depending upon the steric bulk around the silicon atom, afforded devices that could degrade over the course of hours, days, weeks, or months. These novel materials could be useful for numerous biomedical applications including drug-delivery, tissue repair, and general surgery
Simulation Modifies Prehension: Evidence for a Conjoined Representation of the Graspable Features of an Object and the Action of Grasping It
Movement formulas, engrams, kinesthetic images and internal models of the body in action are notions derived mostly from clinical observations of brain-damaged subjects. They also suggest that the prehensile geometry of an object is integrated in the neural circuits and includes the object's graspable characteristics as well as its semantic properties. In order to determine whether there is a conjoined representation of the graspable characteristics of an object in relation to the actual grasping, it is necessary to separate the graspable (low-level) from the semantic (high-level) properties of the object. Right-handed subjects were asked to grasp and lift a smooth 300-g cylinder with one hand, before and after judging the level of difficulty of a âgrasping for pouringâ action, involving a smaller cylinder and using the opposite hand. The results showed that simulated grasps with the right hand exert a direct influence on actual motor acts with the left hand. These observations add to the evidence that there is a conjoined representation of the graspable characteristics of the object and the biomechanical constraints of the arm
Local iontophoretic administration of cytotoxic therapies to solid tumors
Parenteral and oral routes have been the traditional methods of administering cytotoxic agents to cancer patients. Unfortunately, the maximum potential effect of these cytotoxic agents has been limited because of systemic toxicity and poor tumor perfusion. In an attempt to improve the efficacy of cytotoxic agents while mitigating their side effects, we have developed modalities for the localized iontophoretic delivery of cytotoxic agents. These iontophoretic devices were designed to be implanted proximal to the tumor with external control of power and drug flow. Three distinct orthotopic mouse models of cancer and a canine model were evaluated for device efficacy and toxicity. Orthotopic patient-derived pancreatic cancer xenografts treated biweekly with gemcitabine via the device for 7 weeks experienced a mean log2 fold change in tumor volume of â0.8 compared to a mean log2 fold change in tumor volume of 1.1 for intravenous (IV) gemcitabine, 3.0 for IV saline, and 2.6 for device saline groups. The weekly coadministration of systemic cisplatin therapy and transdermal device cisplatin therapy significantly increased tumor growth inhibition and doubled the survival in two aggressive orthotopic models of breast cancer. The addition of radiotherapy to this treatment further extended survival. Device delivery of gemcitabine in dogs resulted in more than 7-fold difference in local drug concentrations and 25-fold lower systemic drug levels than the IV treatment. Overall, these devices have potential paradigm shifting implications for the treatment of pancreatic, breast, and other solid tumors
Ten-year mortality, disease progression, and treatment-related side effects in men with localised prostate cancer from the ProtecT randomised controlled trial according to treatment received
Background
The ProtecT trial reported intention-to-treat analysis of men with localised prostate cancer randomly allocated to active monitoring (AM), radical prostatectomy, and external beam radiotherapy.
Objective
To report outcomes according to treatment received in men in randomised and treatment choice cohorts.
Design, setting, and participants
This study focuses on secondary care. Men with clinically localised prostate cancer at one of nine UK centres were invited to participate in the treatment trial comparing AM, radical prostatectomy, and radiotherapy.
Intervention
Two cohorts included 1643 men who agreed to be randomised and 997 who declined randomisation and chose treatment.
Outcome measurements and statistical analysis
Analysis was carried out to assess mortality, metastasis and progression and health-related quality of life impacts on urinary, bowel, and sexual function using patient-reported outcome measures. Analysis was based on comparisons between groups defined by treatment received for both randomised and treatment choice cohorts in turn, with pooled estimates of intervention effect obtained using meta-analysis. Differences were estimated with adjustment for known prognostic factors using propensity scores.
Results and limitations
According to treatment received, more men receiving AM died of PCa (AM 1.85%, surgery 0.67%, radiotherapy 0.73%), whilst this difference remained consistent with chance in the randomised cohort (p = 0.08); stronger evidence was found in the exploratory analyses (randomised plus choice cohort) when AM was compared with the combined radical treatment group (p = 0.003). There was also strong evidence that metastasis (AM 5.6%, surgery 2.4%, radiotherapy 2.7%) and disease progression (AM 20.35%, surgery 5.87%, radiotherapy 6.62%) were more common in the AM group. Compared with AM, there were higher risks of sexual dysfunction (95% at 6 mo) and urinary incontinence (55% at 6 mo) after surgery, and of sexual dysfunction (88% at 6 mo) and bowel dysfunction (5% at 6 mo) after radiotherapy. The key limitations are the potential for bias when comparing groups defined by treatment received and changes in the protocol for AM during the lengthy follow-up required in trials of screen-detected PCa.
Conclusions
Analyses according to treatment received showed increased rates of disease-related events and lower rates of patient-reported harms in men managed by AM compared with men managed by radical treatment, and stronger evidence of greater PCa mortality in the AM group.
Patient summary
More than 95 out of every 100 men with low or intermediate risk localised prostate cancer do not die of prostate cancer within 10 yr, irrespective of whether treatment is by means of monitoring, surgery, or radiotherapy. Side effects on sexual and bladder function are better after active monitoring, but the risks of spreading of prostate cancer are more common
Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world
Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality.
Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States.
Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis.
Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection
Functional and quality of life outcomes of localised prostate cancer treatments (prostate testing for cancer and treatment [ProtecT] study)
Objective
To investigate the functional and quality of life (QoL) outcomes of treatments for localised prostate cancer and inform treatment decision-making.
Patients and Methods
Men aged 50â69âyears diagnosed with localised prostate cancer by prostate-specific antigen testing and biopsies at nine UK centres in the Prostate Testing for Cancer and Treatment (ProtecT) trial were randomised to, or chose one of, three treatments. Of 2565 participants, 1135 men received active monitoring (AM), 750 a radical prostatectomy (RP), 603 external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) with concurrent androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) and 77 low-dose-rate brachytherapy (BT, not a randomised treatment). Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) completed annually for 6âyears were analysed by initial treatment and censored for subsequent treatments. Mixed effects models were adjusted for baseline characteristics using propensity scores.
Results
Treatment-received analyses revealed different impacts of treatments over 6âyears. Men remaining on AM experienced gradual declines in sexual and urinary function with age (e.g., increases in erectile dysfunction from 35% of men at baseline to 53% at 6âyears and nocturia similarly from 20% to 38%). Radical treatment impacts were immediate and continued over 6âyears. After RP, 95% of men reported erectile dysfunction persisting for 85% at 6âyears, and after EBRT this was reported by 69% and 74%, respectively (Pâ<â0.001 compared with AM). After RP, 36% of men reported urinary leakage requiring at least 1âpad/day, persisting for 20% at 6âyears, compared with no change in men receiving EBRT or AM (Pâ<â0.001). Worse bowel function and bother (e.g., bloody stools 6% at 6âyears and faecal incontinence 10%) was experienced by men after EBRT than after RP or AM (Pâ<â0.001) with lesser effects after BT. No treatment affected mental or physical QoL.
Conclusion
Treatment decision-making for localised prostate cancer can be informed by these 6-year functional and QoL outcomes
Incorporation and Controlled Release of Silyl Ether Prodrugs from PRINT Nanoparticles
Asymmetric bifunctional silyl ether (ABS) prodrugs of
chemotherapeutics
were synthesized and incorporated within 200 nm Ă 200 nm particles.
ABS prodrugs of gemcitabine were selected as model compounds because
of the difficulty to encapsulate a water-soluble drug within a hydrogel.
The resulting drug delivery systems were degraded under acidic conditions
and were found to release only the parent or active drug. Furthermore,
changing the steric bulk of the alkyl substituents on the silicon
atom could regulate the rate of drug release and, therefore, the intracellular
toxicity of the gemcitabine-loaded particles. This yielded a family
of novel nanoparticles that could be tuned to release drug over the
course of hours, days, or months