Image-based biomechanical models of the musculoskeletal system

Finite element modeling is a precious tool for the investigation of the biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system. A key element for the development of anatomically accurate, state-of-the art finite element models is medical imaging. Indeed, the workflow for the generation of a finite element model includes steps which require the availability of medical images of the subject of interest: segmentation, which is the assignment of each voxel of the images to a specific material such as bone and cartilage, allowing for a three-dimensional reconstruction of the anatomy; meshing, which is the creation of the computational mesh necessary for the approximation of the equations describing the physics of the problem; assignment of the material properties to the various parts of the model, which can be estimated for example from quantitative computed tomography for the bone tissue and with other techniques (elastography, T1rho, and T2 mapping from magnetic resonance imaging) for soft tissues. This paper presents a brief overview of the techniques used for image segmentation, meshing, and assessing the mechanical properties of biological tissues, with focus on finite element models of the musculoskeletal system. Both consolidated methods and recent advances such as those based on artificial intelligence are described

A fresh look at spinal alignment and deformities: Automated analysis of a large database of 9832 biplanar radiographs

We developed and used a deep learning tool to process biplanar radiographs of 9,832 non-surgical patients suffering from spinal deformities, with the aim of reporting the statistical distribution of radiological parameters describing the spinal shape and the correlations and interdependencies between them. An existing tool able to automatically perform a three-dimensional reconstruction of the thoracolumbar spine has been improved and used to analyze a large set of biplanar radiographs of the trunk. For all patients, the following parameters were calculated: spinopelvic parameters; lumbar lordosis; mismatch between pelvic incidence and lumbar lordosis; thoracic kyphosis; maximal coronal Cobb angle; sagittal vertical axis; T1-pelvic angle; maximal vertebral rotation in the transverse plane. The radiological parameters describing the sagittal alignment were found to be highly interrelated with each other, as well as dependent on age, while sex had relatively minor but statistically significant importance. Lumbar lordosis was associated with thoracic kyphosis, pelvic incidence and sagittal vertical axis. The pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis mismatch was found to be dependent on the pelvic incidence and on age. Scoliosis had a distinct association with the sagittal alignment in adolescent and adult subjects. The deep learning-based tool allowed for the analysis of a large imaging database which would not be reasonably feasible if performed by human operators. The large set of results will be valuable to trigger new research questions in the field of spinal deformities, as well as to challenge the current knowledge

PET/CT Imaging in Mouse Models of Myocardial Ischemia

Different species have been used to reproduce myocardial infarction models but in the last years mice became the animals of choice for the analysis of several diseases, due to their short life cycle and the possibility of genetic manipulation. Many techniques are currently used for cardiovascular imaging in mice, including X-ray computed tomography (CT), high-resolution ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and nuclear medicine procedures. Cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) allows to examine noninvasively, on a molecular level and with high sensitivity, regional changes in myocardial perfusion, metabolism, apoptosis, inflammation, and gene expression or to measure changes in anatomical and functional parameters in heart diseases. Currently hybrid PET/CT scanners for small laboratory animals are available, where CT adds high-resolution anatomical information. This paper reviews mouse models of myocardial infarction and discusses the applications of dedicated PET/CT systems technology, including animal preparation, anesthesia, radiotracers, and images postprocessing

Gamma-Ray Burst observations by the high-energy charged particle detector on board the CSES-01 satellite between 2019 and 2021

In this paper we report the detection of five strong Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) by the High-Energy Particle Detector (HEPD-01) mounted on board the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES-01), operational since 2018 on a Sun-synchronous polar orbit at a $\sim$ 507 km altitude and 97$^\circ$ inclination. HEPD-01 was designed to detect high-energy electrons in the energy range 3 - 100 MeV, protons in the range 30 - 300 MeV, and light nuclei in the range 30 - 300 MeV/n. Nonetheless, Monte Carlo simulations have shown HEPD-01 is sensitive to gamma-ray photons in the energy range 300 keV - 50 MeV, even if with a moderate effective area above $\sim$ 5 MeV. A dedicated time correlation analysis between GRBs reported in literature and signals from a set of HEPD-01 trigger configuration masks has confirmed the anticipated detector sensitivity to high-energy photons. A comparison between the simultaneous time profiles of HEPD-01 electron fluxes and photons from GRB190114C, GRB190305A, GRB190928A, GRB200826B and GRB211211A has shown a remarkable similarity, in spite of the different energy ranges. The high-energy response, with peak sensitivity at about 2 MeV, and moderate effective area of the detector in the actual flight configuration explain why these five GRBs, characterised by a fluence above $\sim$ 3 $\times$ 10$^{-5}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ in the energy interval 300 keV - 50 MeV, have been detected.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal (ApJ

Towards a Muon Collider

A muon collider would enable the big jump ahead in energy reach that is needed for a fruitful exploration of fundamental interactions. The challenges of producing muon collisions at high luminosity and 10 TeV centre of mass energy are being investigated by the recently-formed International Muon Collider Collaboration. This Review summarises the status and the recent advances on muon colliders design, physics and detector studies. The aim is to provide a global perspective of the field and to outline directions for future work.Comment: 118 pages, 103 figure

Towards a muon collider

A muon collider would enable the big jump ahead in energy reach that is needed for a fruitful exploration of fundamental interactions. The challenges of producing muon collisions at high luminosity and 10 TeV centre of mass energy are being investigated by the recently-formed International Muon Collider Collaboration. This Review summarises the status and the recent advances on muon colliders design, physics and detector studies. The aim is to provide a global perspective of the field and to outline directions for future work

Erratum: Towards a muon collider

The original online version of this article was revised: The additional reference [139] has been added. Tao Han’s ORICD ID has been incorrectly assigned to Chengcheng Han and Chengcheng Han’s ORCID ID to Tao Han. Yang Ma’s ORCID ID has been incorrectly assigned to Lianliang Ma, and Lianliang Ma’s ORCID ID to Yang Ma. The original article has been corrected

Towards a muon collider

A muon collider would enable the big jump ahead in energy reach that is needed for a fruitful exploration of fundamental interactions. The challenges of producing muon collisions at high luminosity and 10 TeV centre of mass energy are being investigated by the recently-formed International Muon Collider Collaboration. This Review summarises the status and the recent advances on muon colliders design, physics and detector studies. The aim is to provide a global perspective of the field and to outline directions for future work