Multi view based imaging genetics analysis on Parkinson disease

Longitudinal studies integrating imaging and genetic data have recently become widespread among bioinformatics researchers. Combining such heterogeneous data allows a better understanding of complex diseases origins and causes. Through a multi-view based workflow proposal, we show the common steps and tools used in imaging genetics analysis, interpolating genotyping, neuroimaging and transcriptomic data. We describe the advantages of existing methods to analyze heterogeneous datasets, using Parkinson\u2019s Disease (PD) as a case study. Parkinson's disease is associated with both genetic and neuroimaging factors, however such imaging genetics associations are at an early investigation stage. Therefore it is desirable to have a free and open source workflow that integrates different analysis flows in order to recover potential genetic biomarkers in PD, as in other complex diseases

APPLICATION OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY TO BRAIN ANATOMY

This paper presents an on-going interdisciplinary collaboration to advance brain connectivity studies. Despite the evolution of noninvasive methods to investigate the brain connectivity structure using the diffusion magnetic resonance, in the neuroscientific community there is an open debate how to collect quantitative information of the main neuroanatomical tracts. Information on the structure and main pathways of brain's white matter are generally derived by manual dissection of the brain ex-vivo. This paper wants to present a photogrammetric method developed to support the collection of metric information of the main pathways, or set of fibres, of the white matter of brain. For this purpose, multi-temporal photogrammetric acquisitions, with a resolution better than 100 microns, are performed at different stages of the brain's dissection, and the derived dense point clouds are used to annotate the stem, i.e., the region where there is a greater density of fibres of a given pathway, and termination points of several neuroanatomical tracts, i.e. fibres

Pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis complicating abdominal penetrating injury : case report and review of the literature

Pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis is a rare condition usually associated with endocarditis or spinal surgery. However, it may also occur following abdominal penetrating trauma with associated gastrointestinal perforation. Diagnosis might be challenging and appropriate treatment is essential to ensure a positive outcome. In trans-abdominal trauma, 48 hours of broad-spectrum antibiotics is generally recommended for prophylaxis of secondary infections. A case report of vertebral osteomyelitis complicating trans-colonic injury to the retroperitoneum is presented and clinical management is discussed in the light of literature review

Quantum-secured time transfer between precise timing facilities: a field trial with simulated satellite links

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs), such as GPS and Galileo, provide precise time and space coordinates globally and constitute part of the critical infrastructure of modern society. To reliably operate GNSS, a highly accurate and stable system time is required, such as the one provided by several independent clocks hosted in Precise Timing Facilities (PTFs) around the world. The relative clock offset between PTFs is periodically measured to have a fallback system to synchronize the GNSS satellite clocks. The security and integrity of the communication between PTFs is of paramount importance: if compromised, it could lead to disruptions to the GNSS service. Therefore, securing the communication between PTFs is a compelling use-case for protection via Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), since this technology provides information-theoretic security. We have performed a field trial demonstration of such a use-case by sharing encrypted time synchronization information between two PTFs, one located in Oberpfaffenhofen (Germany) and one in Matera (Italy)—more than 900 km apart. To bridge this large distance, a satellite-QKD system is required, plus a “last-mile” terrestrial link to connect the optical ground station (OGS) to the actual location of the PTF. In our demonstration, we have deployed two full QKD systems to protect the last-mile connection at both locations and have shown via simulation that upcoming QKD satellites will be able to distribute keys between Oberpfaffenhofen and Matera, exploiting already existing OGSs

Validation analysis of the novel imaging-based prognostic radiomic signature in patients undergoing primary surgery for advanced high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC)

Background Predictive models based on radiomics features are novel, highly promising approaches for gynaecological oncology. Here, we wish to assess the prognostic value of the newly discovered Radiomic Prognostic Vector (RPV) in an independent cohort of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) patients, treated within a Centre of Excellence, thus avoiding any bias in treatment quality. Methods RPV was calculated using standardised algorithms following segmentation of routine preoperative imaging of patients (n = 323) who underwent upfront debulking surgery (01/2011-07/2018). RPV was correlated with operability, survival and adjusted for well-established prognostic factors (age, postoperative residual disease, stage), and compared to previous validation models. Results The distribution of low, medium and high RPV scores was 54.2% (n = 175), 33.4% (n = 108) and 12.4% (n = 40) across the cohort, respectively. High RPV scores independently associated with significantly worse progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 1.69; 95% CI:1.06–2.71; P = 0.038), even after adjusting for stage, age, performance status and residual disease. Moreover, lower RPV was significantly associated with total macroscopic tumour clearance (OR = 2.02; 95% CI:1.56–2.62; P = 0.00647). Conclusions RPV was validated to independently identify those HGSOC patients who will not be operated tumour-free in an optimal setting, and those who will relapse early despite complete tumour clearance upfront. Further prospective, multicentre trials with a translational aspect are warranted for the incorporation of this radiomics approach into clinical routine

Reporting quality of randomized trials in the diet and exercise literature for weight loss

BACKGROUND: To adequately assess individual studies and synthesize quantitative research on weight loss studies, transparent reporting of data is required. The authors examined the reporting quality of randomized trials in the weight loss literature, focusing exclusively on subject characteristics as they relate to enrollment, allocation, and follow-up. METHODS: An extensive literature review, which included a computerized search of the MEDLINE database, manual searches of bibliographic references, and cross-referencing of 92 review articles was conducted. A checklist, based on CONSORT recommendations, was used to collect information on whether or not authors reported age, gender, co-morbid disease, medication use, race/ethnicity, and postmenopausal status. Also tracked was whether or not initial and final sample size was reported and stratified by gender. RESULTS: Of 604 possible articles, 231 articles met eligibility criteria. Important subject characteristics were not reported as the following breakdown indicates: age (11%), gender (4%), race/ethnicity (86%), co-morbid disease states (34%), and medication use (92%). Additionally, 21% of articles failed to report initial sample size by gender while 69% neglected to report final sample size by gender. CONCLUSION: Inadequate reporting can create difficulties with interpretation and can lead to biased results receiving false credibility. The quality of reporting for weight loss studies needs considerable improvement

Effects of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases on left ventricular structure and function: a study protocol

BACKGROUND: Experimental evidences suggest an increased collagen deposition in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). In particular, large amounts of collagen type I, III and V have been described and correlated to the development of intestinal fibrotic lesions. No information has been available until now about the possible increased collagen deposition far from the main target organ. In the hypothesis that chronic inflammation and increased collagen metabolism are reflected also in the systemic circulation, we aimed this study to evaluate the effects on left ventricular wall structure by assessing splancnic and systemic collagen metabolism (procollagen III assay), deposition (ultrasonic tissue characterization), and cardiac function (echocardiography) in patients with different long standing history of IBD, before and after surgery. METHODS: Thirty patients affected by active IBD, 15 with Crohn and 15 with Ulcerative Colitis, submitted to surgery will be enrolled in the study in a double blind fashion. They will be studied before the surgical operation and 6, 12 months after surgery. A control group of 15 healthy age and gender-matched subjects will also be studied. At each interval blood samples will be collected in order to assess the collagen metabolism; a transthoracic echocardiogram will be recorded for the subsequent determination of cardiac function and collagen deposition. DISCUSSION: From this study protocol we expect additional information about the association between IBD and cardiovascular disorders; in particular to address the question if chronic inflammation, through the altered collagen metabolism, could affect left ventricular structure and function in a manner directly related to the estimated duration of the disease

brainlife.io: A decentralized and open source cloud platform to support neuroscience research

Neuroscience research has expanded dramatically over the past 30 years by advancing standardization and tool development to support rigor and transparency. Consequently, the complexity of the data pipeline has also increased, hindering access to FAIR data analysis to portions of the worldwide research community. brainlife.io was developed to reduce these burdens and democratize modern neuroscience research across institutions and career levels. Using community software and hardware infrastructure, the platform provides open-source data standardization, management, visualization, and processing and simplifies the data pipeline. brainlife.io automatically tracks the provenance history of thousands of data objects, supporting simplicity, efficiency, and transparency in neuroscience research. Here brainlife.io's technology and data services are described and evaluated for validity, reliability, reproducibility, replicability, and scientific utility. Using data from 4 modalities and 3,200 participants, we demonstrate that brainlife.io's services produce outputs that adhere to best practices in modern neuroscience research