New Approaches for Data-mining and Classification of Mental Disorder in Brain Imaging Data

Brain imaging data are incredibly complex and new information is being learned as approaches to mine these data are developed. In addition to studying the healthy brain, new approaches for using this information to provide information about complex mental illness such as schizophrenia are needed. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) are two well-known neuroimaging approaches that provide complementary information, both of which provide a huge amount of data that are not easily modelled. Currently, diagnosis of mental disorders is based on a patients self-reported experiences and observed behavior over the longitudinal course of the illness. There is great interest in identifying biologically based marker of illness, rather than relying on symptoms, which are a very indirect manifestation of the illness. The hope is that biological markers will lead to earlier diagnosis and improved treatment as well as reduced costs. Understanding mental disorders is a challenging task due to the complexity of brain structure and function, overlapping features between disorders, small numbers of data sets for training, heterogeneity within disorders, and a very large amount of high dimensional data. This doctoral work proposes machine learning and data mining based algorithms to detect abnormal functional network connectivity patterns of patients with schizophrenia and distinguish them from healthy controls using 1) independent components obtained from task related fMRI data, 2) functional network correlations based on resting-state and a hierarchy of tasks, and 3) functional network correlations in both fMRI and MEG data. The abnormal activation patterns of the functional network correlation of patients are characterized by using a statistical analysis and then used as an input to classification algorithms. The framework presented in this doctoral study is able to achieve good characterization of schizophrenia and provides an initial step towards designing an objective biological marker-based diagnostic test for schizophrenia. The methods we develop can also help us to more fully leverage available imaging technology in order to better understand the mystery of the human brain, the most complex organ in the human body

Effect of particle size and slag content on the early hydration of interground blended cements

Three blended cements prepared by intergrinding 6-35% slag with clinker and gypsum, and a control portland cement, were sieved to yield 0-10 mu m, 10-30 mu m, 30-50 mu m, and >50 mu m subgroups. Clinker/slag/gypsum contents, and oxide compositions of the subgroups differed significantly from the unsieved cements. Fine subgroups always contained more gypsum and had lower slag-to-clinker ratios than coarse subgroups. Heat evolution was investigated up to 48 h using isothermal calorimetry. Contribution of slag to early heat evolution was limited. 0-10 mu m particles evolved up to 5-10% of their heat in the first 30 min. Particle size affected the peak rate of heat evolution but not its timing. A linear relationship was observed between heat evolved from 0 to 24 h and from 24 h to 48 h. Median size or slag content of subgroups affected the positions of data points on this line. Heat evolved up to 24 h (or 48 h) was found to be closely related to particle size. Rate of heat development does not appear to be strongly influenced by particle size above -30 mu m

Ambient concentrations and source apportionment of PCBs and trace elements around an industrial area in Izmir, Turkey

Atmospheric concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and trace elements were measured at two sites (Industrial and Urban) located around the Aliaga industrial region, Izmir, Turkey. Average Sigma 36PCB concentrations were 3136 824 and 1371 +/- 642 pg m(-3) for summer and winter periods, respectively in the Industrial site and they were 314 +/- 129 and 847 +/- 610 pg m(-3) in the Urban site. The elemental content showed that the PM10 measured at the Industrial site was dominated by terrestrial elements and trace elements emitted by the iron-steel plants (Fe, Zn and Pb). The elemental profile at the Urban site was typical for Aegean Region that was dominated by terrestrial elements (Ca, Al, Mg) and sea salt (Na). Sources of particle-phase PCBs and trace elements were identified using factor analysis (FA) and were apportioned by chemical mass balance (CMB) model. FA suggested that the steel industry, fuel oil combustion, or the nearby vinyl chloride process in the petrochemical plant, and soil were significant PCB sources. CMB results showed that at the Industrial site, the contribution of steel industry and soil to particle-phase PCBs were 71% and 22%, respectively, while at the Urban site, the contributions were 33% and 49%, respectively. Steel industry was also the dominant contributor for trace elements around the site. Fugacity calculations in air and soil showed that the soil acts as a secondary source to the atmosphere for low molecular weight PCBs especially in summer and as a sink for the higher molecular weight ones. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Cryptococcal meningitis in a non-HIV patient with solid organ transplantation

Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is often associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Recently, this microorganism has been increasingly identified in HIV-negative patients. CM cases are encountered in HIV-negative individuals, especially secondary to liver disease, solid organ transplantation (SOT), tuberculosis, lymphoproliferative diseases with T-cell-mediated immunological disorders, long-term corticosteroid use, malignancies, diabetes mellitus, and sarcoidosis. Our patient is an HIV-negative, SOT case with CM. It should be considered that CM can also occur in HIV-negative patients. As in our case, patients receiving long-term immunosuppressive therapy should be evaluated for CM, and renal functions should be closely monitored during treatment. There is a need for more case reports on the subject, especially in CM detected HIV-negative patients, due to the different treatment protocols and challenging clinical conditions compared to HIV-positive cases

The relationship between total atrial conduction time and left atrial global strain in patients with psoriasis vulgaris

Cetin, Mustafa/0000-0001-6342-436X; duman, hakan/0000-0002-1441-7320WOS: 000472793500006PubMed: 31360181Introduction: Psoriasis vulgaris is a chronic, multisystem disease that results in the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) over time. in this study, our goal was to assess predictors of AF in patients with psoriasis, including total atrial conduction time (TACT) and left atrial global longitudinal strain (LAGLS). Material and methods: A total of 80 individuals, including 40 psoriasis patients and 40 healthy controls, were enrolled in the study. A physical examination was performed, biochemical parameters were studied, and Holter electrocardiography was carried out. Conventional echocardiography, atrial tissue Doppler, and speckle tracking echocardiography were recorded. Results: No significant difference was observed between psoriasis patients and healthy controls with regard to age, and the average duration of psoriasis was 5.7 years. High-sensitivity C reactive protein levels were higher in the patient group compared to the control group (respectively, group 1: 1 +/- 0.8; group 2: 0.6 +/- 0.3, p < 0.05). Atrial arrhythmia was not detected in the Holter ECG monitoring. A significant moderate negative correlation between TACT and LAGLS (r = -0.57, p < 0.05) was observed, and there was a significant moderate positive correlation between the duration of disease and TACT (r = 0.52, p < 0.05). Conclusions: in the current study, we determined that LAGLS decreased, TACT was prolonged, and P-wave dispersion increased in patients with psoriasis. the current results may improve predictions of AF risk in psoriasis patients in clinical practice

An echocardiographic predictor of contrast-induced nephropathy following percutaneous coronary intervention in acute coronary syndrome: aortic valve sclerosis

Cetin, Mustafa/0000-0001-6342-436X; duman, hakan/0000-0002-1441-7320WOS: 000514958900001PubMed: 32075450Objective. Aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) is closely related to endothelial dysfunction. the association of AVS with contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is unknown. We planned to investigate the relationship of AVS besides known parameters with CIN. Design. Baseline characteristics, biochemical values, and AVS of 292 consecutive patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) that underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were analyzed. Results. Fifty-three patients (18.2%) had CIN. Patients with CIN were older, less likely to be smokers, and had more prevalent prior bypass surgery, higher Mehran score, creatinine, and uric acid concentrations than those without CIN. AVS was more prevalent in patients with CIN. Logistic regression analysis including all related parameters identified Mehran score (OR = 1.036, p = .033), uric acid concentration (OR = 1.244, p = .023), and AVS (OR: 2.223, p = .027) as independent predictors of CIN. Conclusion. AVS is independently associated with CIN in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. AVS may help to identify high-risk patients for CIN, who would benefit from preventive measures

Enhanced disease characterization through multi network functional normalization in fMRI

Conventionally, structural topology is used for spatial normalization during the preprocessing of fMRI. The co-existence of multiple intrinsic networks which can be detected in the resting brain are well studied. Also, these networks exhibit temporal and spatial modulation during cognitive task versus rest which shows the existence of common spatial excitation patterns between these identified networks. Previous work (Khullar S et al., 2011) has shown that structural and functional data may not have direct one-to-one correspondence and functional activation patterns in a well-defined structural region can vary across subjects even for a well-defined functional task. The results of this study and the existence of the neural activity patterns in multiple networks motivates us to investigate multiple resting-state networks as a single fusion template for functional normalization for multi groups of subjects. We extend the previous approach (Khullar S et al., 2011) by co-registering multi group of subjects (healthy control and schizophrenia patients) and by utilizing multiple resting-state networks (instead of just one) as a single fusion template for functional normalization. In this paper we describe the initial steps towards using multiple resting-state networks as a single fusion template for functional normalization. A simple wavelet-based image fusion approach is presented in order to evaluate the feasibility of combining multiple functional networks. Our results showed improvements in both the significance of group statistics (healthy control and schizophrenia patients) and the spatial extent of activation when a multiple resting-state network applied as a single fusion template for functional normalization after the conventional structural normalization. Also, our results provided evidence that the improvement in significance of group statistics lead to better accuracy results for classification of healthy controls and schizophrenia patients

Epicardial Adipose Tissue Predicts Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Independently of Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference

Cetin, Mustafa/0000-0001-6342-436X; Durakoglugil, Emre/0000-0001-5268-4262; Erdogan, Turan/0000-0003-2986-5457; duman, hakan/0000-0002-1441-7320WOS: 000456489000005PubMed: 30713398Background: Visceral obesity is strongly associated with atherosclerosis. Even though waist circumference (WC) is the most common assessment method of total visceral adipose tissue and cardiometabolic risk, this method lacks direct measurement of adipose tissue and has better correlation to subcutaneous fat rather than visceral fat. We intended to investigate whether epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is clinically superior to body mass index (BMI) and WC in predicting Framingham risk score (FRS) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). Methods: Our study included 331 patients who were admitted to our outpatient clinic for risk factor assessment. We calculated BMI, FRS, and WC, and the patients underwent echocardiographic and carotid examinations to measure EAT and CIMT. the metabolic syndrome (MS) score was calculated by summing the MS risk factor scores. Results: the area under the curve values of EAT were similar to FRS and higher than those of weight, BMI, and WC for both increased CIMT and the presence of carotid plaque. Male gender, age, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level, and EAT thickness were independent predictors of CIMT, whereas male gender, age, WC, uric acid concentration, and EAT significantly predicted the presence of carotid plaque. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has a stronger correlation with CIMT than BMI and WC, and it was a significant predictor of increased CIMT and the presence of carotid plaque. Additional data are required to clarify the diagnostic and therapeutic role of EAT in managing obese patients, and to decrease their cardiometabolic risk

Zwiększona ilość tkanki tłuszczowej nasierdziowej u osób ze zwolnionym przepływem wieńcowym

Background: Slow coronary flow (SCF) is an angiographic finding characterised by delayed opacification of epicardial coronary arteries without obstructive coronary disease. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), localised beneath the visceral pericardium, is a metabolically active endocrine and paracrine organ with possible interactions within the heart. EAT and low-grade inflammation play major roles in the atherosclerotic vascular processes and may be important in other coronary pathologies such as SCF. Aim: To investigate whether EAT and C-reactive protein (CRP) are increased in patients with isolated SCF compared to normal subjects. Methods: The present study was cross-sectional and observational, consisting of 66 individuals who underwent coronary angiography with a suspicion of coronary artery disease and who had angiographically normal coronary arteries of varying coronary flow rates. The relationship between EAT, CRP and SCF phenomenon was investigated. Thirty-three patients with isolated SCF (mean age: 56 &#177; 10 years) and 33 age- and gender-matched control participants with normal coronary flow (NCF), but without SCF, (mean age: 55 &#177; 10 years) were included in the study. Results: EAT thickness was significantly increased in the SCF group compared to the NCF group (7.1 &#177; 2.7 vs. 4.7 &#177; 1.9 mm, p < 0.001). Body mass index (BMI, p < 0.001) and the percentage of isolated SCF (p = 0.002) were significantly higher in patients with increased EAT thickness. CRP was not related to SCF. When we performed multiple logistic regression analysis, only increased EAT thickness was related to the presence of SCF (OR 1.720, 95% CI 1.175&#8211;2.516, p = 0.005) independent of BMI and CRP. Conclusions: This study revealed, for the first time, a significant increase in EAT thickness in patients with SCF compared to NCF. We believe that further studies are needed to clarify the role of adipose tissue in patients with SCF.Wstęp: Zwolniony przepływ wieńcowy (SCF) jest nieprawidłowością stwierdzaną w koronarografii, charakteryzującą się opóźnionym zacienieniem tętnic nasierdziowych, bez obecności obstrukcyjnej choroby tętnic wieńcowych. Nasierdziowa tkanka tłuszczowa (EAT), znajdująca się pod blaszką trzewną osierdzia, jest narządem metabolicznym o aktywności endokrynnej i parakrynnej, mogącym wpływać na serce. Zapalenie o niewielkim nasileniu i EAT odgrywają istotną rolę w procesie powstawania miażdżycowych zmian naczyniowych i mogą mieć istotne znaczenie w innych patologiach wieńcowych, np. w SCF. Cel: Celem badania było ustalenie, czy u pacjentów z izolowanym SCF wartości EAT i białka C-reaktywnego (CRP) są obniżone w porównaniu z wartościami obserwowanymi u osób zdrowych. Metody: Do badania, mającego przekrojowy i obserwacyjny charakter, włączono 66 pacjentów poddanych koronarografii z powodu podejrzenia choroby wieńcowej, u których stwierdzono angiograficznie prawidłowe tętnice wieńcowe i zróżnicowane prędkości przepływu. Przeanalizowano zależności między wartościami EAT i CRP oraz występowaniem SCF. Do badania włączono 33 osoby z izolowanym SCF (średni wiek: 56 &#177; 10 lat) i 33 osoby z prawidłowym przepływem wieńcowym (NCF) dopasowane pod względem płci i wieku, które stanowiły grupę kontrolną (średni wiek: 55 &#177; 10 lat). Wyniki: Grubość EAT była istotnie zwiększona w grupie z SCF w porównaniu z osobami z NCF (7,1 &#177; 2,7 v. 4,7 &#177; 1,9 mm; p < 0,001). Wskaźnik masy ciała (p < 0,001) i odsetek pacjentów z izolowanym SCF (p = 0,002) były istotnie wyższe w grupie osób ze zwiększoną grubością EAT. Nie stwierdzono zależności między CRP i SCF. W wieloczynnikowej analizie regresji logistycznej wykazano, że jedynym parametrem związanym z obecnością SCR była zwiększona grubość EAT (OR 1,720; 95% CI 1,175&#8211;2,516; p = 0,005), niezależnie od wartości CRP i wskaźnika masy ciała. Wnioski: W niniejszym badaniu po raz pierwszy wykazano, że u pacjentów z SCF grubość EAT jest istotnie zwiększona w porównaniu z osobami z NCF. Należy przeprowadzić dalsze badania w celu wyjaśnienia roli tkanki tłuszczowej u chorych z SCF