752 research outputs found
BUbble Flow Field: a Simulation Framework for Evaluating Ultrasound Localization Microscopy Algorithms
Ultrasound contrast enhanced imaging has seen widespread uptake in research
and clinical diagnostic imaging. This includes applications such as vector flow
imaging, functional ultrasound and super-resolution Ultrasound Localization
Microscopy (ULM). All of these require testing and validation during
development of new algorithms with ground truth data. In this work we present a
comprehensive simulation platform BUbble Flow Field (BUFF) that generates
contrast enhanced ultrasound images in vascular tree geometries with realistic
flow characteristics and validation algorithms for ULM. BUFF allows complex
micro-vascular network generation of random and user-defined vascular networks.
Blood flow is simulated with a fast Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solver
and allows arbitrary input and output positions and custom pressures. The
acoustic field simulation is combined with non-linear Microbubble (MB) dynamics
and simulates a range of point spread functions based on user-defined MB
characteristics. The validation combines both binary and quantitative metrics.
BFF's capacity to generate and validate user-defined networks is demonstrated
through its implementation in the Ultrasound Localisation and TRacking
Algorithms for Super Resolution (ULTRA-SR) Challenge at the International
Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS) 2022 of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE). The ability to produce ULM images, and the availability of a
ground truth in localisation and tracking enables objective and quantitative
evaluation of the large number of localisation and tracking algorithms
developed in the field. BUFF can also benefit deep learning based methods by
automatically generating datasets for training. BUFF is a fully comprehensive
simulation platform for testing and validation of novel ULM techniques and is
open source.Comment: 10 Pages, 9 Figure
Y-STR Haplotypic Polymorphisms for the Hakka Population in West China and Its Phylogenic Comparison with Other Chinese Populations
The Hakkas, undergone a series of great migrations, are usually identified with people who speak the Hakka language or share at least same Hakka ancestry. As the largest Hakka dialect island in West China, the Dongshan region was closely linked with the great migration wave of Hakka. However, the paternal genetic profiles of Dongshan Hakka have never been revealed. In the present study, 41 Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (Y-STR) loci included in the SureID® PathFinder Plus Kit were analyzed in 353 unrelated male individuals (171 Hakka and 182 Han) of Sichuan Province, China. By analyzing 166 different haplotypes among Dongshan Hakkas and 176 different haplotypes among Sichuan Han males, haplotype diversity (HD) of the Hakka population was calculated as 0.9997 with a discrimination capacity (DC) of 0.9708. HD and DC were 0.9996 and 0.9670 for the Sichuan Han population, respectively. Most of the Y-STR loci were highly informative in both populations except DYS645. The genetic relationships were evaluated by comparing the Hakka population with 11 other groups that are relevant to the migration routes of Hakkas. The results of the MDS plot and phylogenetic tree indicate that the Dongshan Hakka population was closely related to Han nationalities from Anhui, Jiangxi, and Fujian Provinces
3D Super-Resolution Ultrasound with Adaptive Weight-Based Beamforming
Super-resolution ultrasound (SRUS) imaging through localising and tracking
sparse microbubbles has been shown to reveal microvascular structure and flow
beyond the wave diffraction limit. Most SRUS studies use standard delay and sum
(DAS) beamforming, where large main lobe and significant side lobes make
separation and localisation of densely distributed bubbles challenging,
particularly in 3D due to the typically small aperture of matrix array probes.
This study aims to improve 3D SRUS by implementing a low-cost 3D coherence
beamformer based on channel signal variance, as well as two other adaptive
weight-based coherence beamformers: nonlinear beamforming with p-th root
compression and coherence factor. The 3D coherence beamformers, together with
DAS, are compared in computer simulation, on a microflow phantom, and in vivo.
Simulation results demonstrate that the adaptive weight-based beamformers can
significantly narrow the main lobe and suppress the side lobes for modest
computational cost. Significantly improved 3D SR images of microflow phantom
and a rabbit kidney are obtained through the adaptive weight-based beamformers.
The proposed variance-based beamformer performs best in simulations and
experiments.Comment: Ultrasound localisation microscopy (ULM), super-resolution,
contrast-enhanced ultrasound, 3D beamformin
Ultrafast 3-D Super Resolution Ultrasound using Row-Column Array specific Coherence-based Beamforming and Rolling Acoustic Sub-aperture Processing: In Vitro, In Vivo and Clinical Study
The row-column addressed array is an emerging probe for ultrafast 3-D
ultrasound imaging. It achieves this with far fewer independent electronic
channels and a wider field of view than traditional 2-D matrix arrays, of the
same channel count, making it a good candidate for clinical translation.
However, the image quality of row-column arrays is generally poor, particularly
when investigating tissue. Ultrasound localisation microscopy allows for the
production of super-resolution images even when the initial image resolution is
not high. Unfortunately, the row-column probe can suffer from imaging artefacts
that can degrade the quality of super-resolution images as `secondary' lobes
from bright microbubbles can be mistaken as microbubble events, particularly
when operated using plane wave imaging. These false events move through the
image in a physiologically realistic way so can be challenging to remove via
tracking, leading to the production of 'false vessels'. Here, a new type of
rolling window image reconstruction procedure was developed, which integrated a
row-column array-specific coherence-based beamforming technique with acoustic
sub-aperture processing for the purposes of reducing `secondary' lobe
artefacts, noise and increasing the effective frame rate. Using an {\it{in
vitro}} cross tube, it was found that the procedure reduced the percentage of
`false' locations from 26\% to 15\% compared to traditional
orthogonal plane wave compounding. Additionally, it was found that the noise
could be reduced by 7 dB and that the effective frame rate could be
increased to over 4000 fps. Subsequently, {\it{in vivo}} ultrasound
localisation microscopy was used to produce images non-invasively of a rabbit
kidney and a human thyroid
Protective Efficacy Against Acute and Chronic Toxoplasma gondii Infection Induced by Immunization With the DNA Vaccine TgDOC2C
Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous intracellular apicomplexan parasite that can cause zoonotic toxoplasmosis. Effective vaccines against T. gondii infection are necessary to prevent and control the spread of toxoplasmosis. The present study analyzed the B-linear epitopes of T. gondii DOC2 (TgDOC2) protein and then cloned the C-terminus of the TgDOC2 gene (TgDOC2C) to construct the pVAX-TgDOC2C eukaryotic vector. After intramuscular injection of pVAX-TgDOC2C, immune responses were monitored. Two weeks after the last immunization, the protective effects of pVAX-TgDOC2C against acute and chronic toxoplasmosis were evaluated by challenges with T. gondii RH tachyzoites (genotype I) and PRU cysts (genotype II). The DNA vaccine elicited strong humoral and cellular immune responses with high levels of IgG antibody, IL-2 and IFN-γ production compared to those of the controls. The percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in mice immunized with pVAX-TgDOC2C was significantly increased compared to that of mice injected with empty pVAX I or PBS. After acute infection with 103 lethal tachyzoites, mice immunized with pVAX-TgDOC2C survived longer (12.5 days) than mice treated with pVAX I (8 days) and PBS (7.5 days). Mice immunized with pVAX-TgDOC2C had significantly less brain cysts (1600.83 ± 284.61) compared to mice immunized with pVAX I (3016.67 ± 153.84) or PBS (3100 ± 246.98). Together, these results demonstrated that TgDOC2C confers protective immunity against T. gondii infection and may be a promising candidate antigen for further development of an effective multicomponent vaccine for veterinary use against toxoplasmosis in livestock animals
3D acoustic wave sparsely activated localization microscopy with phase change contrast agents
Objective
The aim of this study is to demonstrate 3-dimensional (3D) acoustic wave sparsely activated localization microscopy (AWSALM) of microvascular flow in vivo using phase change contrast agents (PCCAs).
Materials and Methods
Three-dimensional AWSALM using acoustically activable PCCAs was evaluated on a crossed tube microflow phantom, the kidney of New Zealand White rabbits, and the brain of C57BL/6J mice through intact skull. A mixture of C3F8 and C4F10 low-boiling-point fluorocarbon gas was used to generate PCCAs with an appropriate activation pressure. A multiplexed 8-MHz matrix array connected to a 256-channel ultrasound research platform was used for transmitting activation and imaging ultrasound pulses and recording echoes. The in vitro and in vivo echo data were subsequently beamformed and processed using a set of customized algorithms for generating 3D super-resolution ultrasound images through localizing and tracking activated contrast agents.
Results
With 3D AWSALM, the acoustic activation of PCCAs can be controlled both spatially and temporally, enabling contrast on demand and capable of revealing 3D microvascular connectivity. The spatial resolution of the 3D AWSALM images measured using Fourier shell correlation is 64 μm, presenting a 9-time improvement compared with the point spread function and 1.5 times compared with half the wavelength. Compared with the microbubble-based approach, more signals were localized in the microvasculature at similar concentrations while retaining sparsity and longer tracks in larger vessels. Transcranial imaging was demonstrated as a proof of principle of PCCA activation in the mouse brain with 3D AWSALM.
Conclusions
Three-dimensional AWSALM generates volumetric ultrasound super-resolution microvascular images in vivo with spatiotemporal selectivity and enhanced microvascular penetration
A new species of Trychosis Förster (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae), with a key to the species known from China
A new species of Ichneumonidae, Trychosis naolihense Meng & Ren, sp. nov., is described and illustrated. Specimens were collected from Naolihe National Natural Reserve, Heilongjiang Province, China. A key to the currently known species from China is provided
Fully endoscopic transforaminal discectomy for thoracolumbar junction disc herniation with or without calcification under general anesthesia: Technical notes and preliminary outcomes
ObjectiveTo evaluate the feasibility, safety, and outcomes of percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy (PETD) for thoracolumbar junction disc herniation (TLDH) with or without calcification.MethodsThis study included 12 patients diagnosed with TLDH with or without calcification who met the inclusion criteria and underwent surgery for PETD from January 2019 to December 2021. The mean patient age, operation time, hospitalization time, time in bed, and complications were recorded. Patients were followed up for at least 9 months. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores for low-back and leg or thoracic radicular pain and modified Japanese Orthopedic Association score (m-JOA) scores were preoperatively evaluated, at 1 day and 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively or at last follow-up. The modified MacNab criteria were used to evaluate clinical efficacy at 12 months postoperatively or at last follow-up.ResultsThe mean patient age, operation time, hospitalization time, and time in bed were 53 ± 13.9 years, 101.3 ± 9.2 min, 4.5 ± 1.3 days, and 18.0 ± 7.0 h, respectively. The mean VAS scores of low-back and leg or thoracic radicular pain improved from 5.8 ± 1.5 and 6.5 ± 1.4 to 2.0 ± 0.9 and 1.3 ± 0.5, respectively (P < 0.05). The m-JOA score improved from 7.5 ± 1.2 to 10.0 ± 0.7 (P < 0.05). The overall excellent–good rate of the modified MacNab criteria was 83.3%. No severe complications occurred.ConclusionFully endoscopic transforaminal discectomy and ventral decompression under general anesthesia is a safe, feasible, effective, and minimally invasive method for treating herniated discs with or without calcification at thoracolumbar junction zone
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