Metastatic melanoma and pregnancy

Pregnancy after complete treatment of metastatic melanoma is an extremely rare event. We presented a case of a skin melanoma patient with lung and liver metastases who was treated by combined immunochemotherapy for the period of two years. A year and a half after the successful treatment, which resulted a complete remission of metastatic lesions she got pregnant and delivered a healthy baby girl

FMRI identification of eloquent language brain areas

Функционална магнетна резонанца (фМР), у последњој деценији дала је значајан допринос у испитивању различитих аспеката можданих функција како код здравог мозга тако и у различитим патолошким стањима. Сврха ове дисертације била је да испита могућности фМР у детекцији елоквентних говорних можданих зона како код здравих волонтера тако и код пацијената са туморима мозга. У групи здравих волонтера било је 12 испитаника, 6 мушкараца и 6 жена. Групу пацијената чинило је 17 испитаника (9 мушкараца и 8 жена) са туморима мозга Код свих испитаника начињени су фМР снимци ендокранијума за два различита стимулуса бројање у напред и бројање у назад, а потом су начињене фМР мапе активираних можданих зона. Поред тога начињене су и групне анализе за здраве испитанике и испитанике са туморима мозга као и групне анализе према полу у овиру обе групе испитаника. За све испитанике и оба стимулуса израчунат је индекс латерализације говора. Код здравих испитаника на задате стимулусе активирана је дистрибуирана мрежа можданих зона која је осим канонских говорних зона у инфериорном фронталном гирусу (ИФГ) и супериорном темпоралном гирусу (СТГ) подразумевала и активност у примарним моторним зонама, суплементној моторној зони, префронталним регијама, церебелуму и медијалним аспектима темпоралног режња а уочене су одређене разлике у одговору на задате стимулусе између мушкараца и жена. Индекс латерализације био је у складу са проценом латерализације говора за све посматране здраве испитанике. Код испитаника са туморима мозга осим примарних говорних зона у ИФГ и СТГ идентификована је активност у примарним моторним зонама, префронталним регијама, церебелуму и у медијалним аспектима темпоралног режња...Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in the last decade, has made significant contributions in the study of various brain functions in the healthy brain and in different pathological brain conditions as well. The purpose of this thesis was to explore the possibilities of fMRI in detection of eloquent language cortex in healthy volunteers and patients with brain tumors. In the group of healthy volunteers there were 12 subjects, 6 males and 6 females. In the patient group there were 17 patients, (9 males and 8 females) with brain tumors. For all participants fMR exam was made for two different stimuli, counting forward and counting backward. After that fMR maps of activated brain areas were made. In addition, group analysis for healthy individuals and patient with brain tumors were made, as well as group analysis according to gender for both groups. For all subjects and both stimulus laterality index was calculated. In healthy subject for both stimulus distributed network of cortical areas were detected. Besides of canonical language areas in inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and superior temporal girus (STG), activation in primary motor areas, supplementary motor areas, prefrontal region, cerebellum and medial temporal region were detected. There were some differences in response to given stimuli between females and males. Laterality index was consistent with the assessment of speech lateralization in all observed healthy subjects. In patients with brain tumors besides the brain areas identified in healthy volunteers, additional activity was observed in sensory motor areas, the occipital and parietal region. There were certain differences in brain responses for given stimuli between females and males in this group as well. Laterality index in patients with brain tumors were only partially in line with the evaluation of language lateralization in this group..

The influence of retrobulbar adipose tissue volume upon intraocular pressure in obesity

Background/Aim. It is known that glaucoma is associated with elevated intraocular pressure and obesity, yet the precise etiology remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a potential causality between the volume of retrobulbar adipose tissue and the level of intraocular pressure in obese subjects compared with non-obese. Methods. A total of 100 subjects were divided according to the body mass index (BMI), into two groups: normal weight (n = 50, BMI = 18-24.9 kg/m2) and obese (n = 50, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) subjects. Anthropometric measurements, body composition analysis, measurement of intraocular pressure, as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head at the level of the optic nerve, and the derived retrobulbar adipose tissue volume, were undertaken in all subjects. Results. The obese subjects, as compared with normal weight ones, had a significantly higher mean retrobulbar adipose tissue volume (6.23 cm3 vs 4.85 cm3, p < 0.01) and intraocular pressure (15.96 mmHg vs 12.99 mmHg, p < 0.01). Furthermore, intraocular pressure correlated positively with retrobulbar adipose tissue volume. Conclusion. In obese people, elevated intraocular pressure may be caused by changes in ocular blood flow, affected by the physical pressure exerted by higher retrobulbar adiposity, and/or by internal vascular changes secondary to complications of obesity. These findings indicate the need for more frequent measurement of intraocular pressure in obese individuals to earlier detect glaucoma, and in so doing prevent irreversible blindness

Breaking Barriers in Emerging Biomedical Applications

The recent global COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that the current healthcare system in modern society can hardly cope with the increased number of patients. Part of the load can be alleviated by incorporating smart healthcare infrastructure in the current system to enable patient’s remote monitoring and personalized treatment. Technological advances in communications and sensing devices have enabled the development of new, portable, and more power-efficient biomedical sensors, as well as innovative healthcare applications. Nevertheless, such applications require reliable, resilient, and secure networks. This paper aims to identify the communication requirements for mass deployment of such smart healthcare sensors by providing the overview of underlying Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Moreover, it highlights the importance of information theory in understanding the limits and barriers in this emerging field. With this motivation, the paper indicates how data compression and entropy used in security algorithms may pave the way towards mass deployment of such IoT healthcare devices. Future medical practices and paradigms are also discussed

Functional magnetic resonance imaging of cortical changes in a low-grade glioma patient

Introduction. New methods for studying brain functions have provided the new insights into human brain. It is really possible to study a cortical adaptation in adults who have sustained injury. We reported cortical changes in a left frontal low-grade glioma patient during disease progression and after reoperation by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Case report. The use of fMRI exams for localisation of eloquent motor and language areas were performed three times in a period of 15 months: seven years after initial tumor resection, eleven months later and three months after the reoperation. The first fMRI demonstrated cortical activation for motor tasks in the expected location of primary motor area while later examinations showed activations of both primary motor areas for right hand movement. The first exam language evaluation showed the left hemisphere dominance for both language tasks, while the second fMRI demonstrated the right hemisphere dominance for complex word generation task, but the left hemisphere remained dominant in simple language task. After the reoperation, language mapping revealed the left hemisphere dominance for both language tasks. Conclusion. fMRI evaluation of cortical changes in low-grade glioma patients may additionally optimize and individualize neurosurgical treatment