Repeatability of Multiparametric Prostate MRI Radiomics Features

In this study we assessed the repeatability of the values of radiomics features for small prostate tumors using test-retest Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (mpMRI) images. The premise of radiomics is that quantitative image features can serve as biomarkers characterizing disease. For such biomarkers to be useful, repeatability is a basic requirement, meaning its value must remain stable between two scans, if the conditions remain stable. We investigated repeatability of radiomics features under various preprocessing and extraction configurations including various image normalization schemes, different image pre-filtering, 2D vs 3D texture computation, and different bin widths for image discretization. Image registration as means to re-identify regions of interest across time points was evaluated against human-expert segmented regions in both time points. Even though we found many radiomics features and preprocessing combinations with a high repeatability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) > 0.85), our results indicate that overall the repeatability is highly sensitive to the processing parameters (under certain configurations, it can be below 0.0). Image normalization, using a variety of approaches considered, did not result in consistent improvements in repeatability. There was also no consistent improvement of repeatability through the use of pre-filtering options, or by using image registration between timepoints to improve consistency of the region of interest localization. Based on these results we urge caution when interpreting radiomics features and advise paying close attention to the processing configuration details of reported results. Furthermore, we advocate reporting all processing details in radiomics studies and strongly recommend making the implementation available

Two approaches to white matter nuclear magnetic resonance : water diffusion and inhaled laser-polarized xenon

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Whitaker College of Health Sciences and Technology, 1997.Includes bibliographical references (p. 107-115).by Sharon Peled.Ph.D

Two-tensor Fiber Tractography

Estimating white matter fiber pathways from a diffusion tensor MRI dataset has many important applications in medical research. However, the standard approach of performing tracking on single-tensor estimates per voxel is confounded by regions of multiple pathways in different directions. Building on previous work for estimating multiple tensors from MR value partitioning, we present here a two-tensor fiber tractography method that estimates two tensors from the acquired MR values, interpolated at each step of the path, and follows the tensor most aligned with the current direction. The method is verified on a synthetic dataset and applied to two locations of fiber crossing in an in vivo diffusion MR

Superresolution in MRI: application to human white matter fiber tract visualization by diffusion tensor imaging. Magn Reson Med 2001;45:29– 35

A superresolution algorithm was applied to spatially shifted, single-shot, diffusion-weighted brain images to generate a new image with increased spatial resolution. Detailed two-dimensional white matter fiber tract maps of the human brain resulting from application of the technique are shown. The method provides a new means for improving the resolution in cases where k-space segmentation is difficult to implement. Diffusion-weighted imaging and diffusion tensor imaging in vivo stand to benefit in particular because the necessity of obtaining high-resolution scans is matched by the difficulty in obtaining them. Magn Reson Me

UDP-4-Keto-6-Deoxyglucose, a Transient Antifungal Metabolite, Weakens the Fungal Cell Wall Partly by Inhibition of UDP-Galactopyranose Mutase

Can accumulation of a normally transient metabolite affect fungal biology? UDP-4-keto-6-deoxyglucose (UDP-KDG) represents an intermediate stage in conversion of UDP-glucose to UDP-rhamnose. Normally, UDP-KDG is not detected in living cells, because it is quickly converted to UDP-rhamnose by the enzyme UDP-4-keto-6-deoxyglucose-3,5-epimerase/-4-reductase (ER). We previously found that deletion of the er gene in Botrytis cinerea resulted in accumulation of UDP-KDG to levels that were toxic to the fungus due to destabilization of the cell wall. Here we show that these negative effects are at least partly due to inhibition by UDP-KDG of the enzyme UDP-galactopyranose mutase (UGM), which reversibly converts UDP-galactopyranose (UDP-Galp) to UDP-galactofuranose (UDP-Galf). An enzymatic activity assay showed that UDP-KDG inhibits the B. cinerea UGM enzyme with a Ki of 221.9 µM. Deletion of the ugm gene resulted in strains with weakened cell walls and phenotypes that were similar to those of the er deletion strain, which accumulates UDP-KDG. Galf residue levels were completely abolished in the Δugm strain and reduced in the Δer strain, while overexpression of the ugm gene in the background of a Δer strain restored Galf levels and alleviated the phenotypes. Collectively, our results show that the antifungal activity of UDP-KDG is due to inhibition of UGM and possibly other nucleotide sugar-modifying enzymes and that the rhamnose metabolic pathway serves as a shunt that prevents accumulation of UDP-KDG to toxic levels. These findings, together with the fact that there is no Galf in mammals, support the possibility of developing UDP-KDG or its derivatives as antifungal drugs

Evaluation of the corrosion resistance of AISI 316 stainless steel filters

In this investigation, the corrosion resistance of AISI 316 SS filters prepared with powders in the size ranges 74-44 µm and 210-105 µm and compacted with pressures of 300 MPa and 400 MPa has been evaluated in naturally aerated 0.5 M H2SO4 solution at 25 °C. Weight loss of filters manufactured with compacting pressure of 400 MPa were significantly higher than that of filters compacted at 300 MPa. The filter compacted at 400 MPa had higher carbon and nitrogen contents compared to those compacted at 300 MPa. The former also had chromium rich precipitates and oxides in the grain boundaries. The pores in filters compacted at 400 MPa were smaller than in filters compacted at 300 MPa. Smaller pores favor the formation of concentration cells and consequently, increased crevice corrosion

Single-shot diffusion measurement in laser-polarised gas

A single-shot pulsed gradient stimulated echo sequence is introduced to address the challenges of diffusion measurements of laser polarized 3 He and 129 Xe gas. Laser polarization enhances the NMR sensitivity of these noble gases by >10 3 , but creates an unstable, nonthermal polarization that is not readily renewable. A new method is presented which permits parallel acquisition of the several measurements required to determine a diffusive attenuation curve. The NMR characterization of a sample's diffusion behavior can be accomplished in a single measurement, using only a single polarization step. As a demonstration, the diffusion coefficient of a sample of laser-polarized 129 Xe gas is measured via this method

Resolving crossings in the corticospinal tract by two-tensor streamline tractography:method and clinical assessment using fMRI

An inherent drawback of the traditional diffusion tensor model is its limited ability to provide detailed information about multidirectional fiber architecture within a voxel. This leads to erroneous fiber tractography results in locations where fiber bundles cross each other. This may lead to the inability to visualize clinically important tracts such as the lateral projections of the corticospinal tract. In this report, we present a deterministic two-tensor eXtended Streamline Tractography (XST) technique, which successfully traces through regions of crossing fibers. We evaluated the method on simulated and in vivo human brain data, comparing the results with the traditional single-tensor and with a probabilistic tractography technique. By tracing the corticospinal tract and correlating with fMRI-determined motor cortex in both healthy subjects and patients with brain tumors, we demonstrate that two-tensor deterministic streamline tractography can accurately identify fiber bundles consistent with anatomy and previously not detected by conventional single tensor tractography. When compared to the dense connectivity maps generated by probabilistic tractography, the method is computationally efficient and generates discrete geometric pathways that are simple to visualize and clinically useful. Detection of crossing white matter pathways can improve neurosurgical visualization of functionally relevant white matter areas