Definition of an automated Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) system for the comparison of dermoscopic images of pigmented skin lesions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>New generations of image-based diagnostic machines are based on digital technologies for data acquisition; consequently, the diffusion of digital archiving systems for diagnostic exams preservation and cataloguing is rapidly increasing. To overcome the limits of current state of art text-based access methods, we have developed a novel content-based search engine for dermoscopic images to support clinical decision making.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To this end, we have enrolled, from 2004 to 2008, 3415 caucasian patients and collected 24804 dermoscopic images corresponding to 20491 pigmented lesions with known pathology. The images were acquired with a well defined dermoscopy system and stored to disk in 24-bit per pixel TIFF format using interactive software developed in C++, in order to create a digital archive.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The analysis system of the images consists in the extraction of the low-level representative features which permits the retrieval of similar images in terms of colour and texture from the archive, by using a hierarchical multi-scale computation of the Bhattacharyya distance of all the database images representation with respect to the representation of user submitted (query).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The system is able to locate, retrieve and display dermoscopic images similar in appearance to one that is given as a query, using a set of primitive features not related to any specific diagnostic method able to visually characterize the image. Similar search engine could find possible usage in all sectors of diagnostic imaging, or digital signals, which could be supported by the information available in medical archives.</p

p66Shc deficiency in the Eμ-TCL1 mouse model of chronic lymphocytic leukemia enhances leukemogenesis by altering the chemokine receptor landscape

The Shc family adaptor p66Shc acts as a negative regulator of proliferative and survival signals triggered by the B Cell Receptor and, by enhancing the production of reactive oxygen species, promotes oxidative stress-dependent apoptosis. Additionally, p66Shc controls the expression and function of chemokine receptors that regulate lymphocyte traffic. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells have a p66Shc expression defect which contributes to their extended survival and correlates with poor prognosis. We have analyzed the impact of p66Shc ablation on disease severity and progression in the mouse model of chronic lymphocytic leukemia Eμ-TCL1. We show that Eμ-TCL1/p66Shc-/- mice develop an aggressive disease that has an earlier onset, a higher incidence and leads to earlier death compared to Eμ-TCL1 mice. Eμ-TCL1/p66Shc-/- mice display substantial leukemic cell accumulation in both nodal and extranodal sites. The target organ selectivity correlates with an upregulation of chemokine receptors whose ligands are expressed therein. This also applies to chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells, where chemokine receptor expression and extent of organ infiltration were found to inversely correlate with their p66Shc expression levels. p66Shc expression declined with disease progression in Eμ-TCL1 mice and could be restored by treatment with the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor Ibrutinib. Our results highlight p66Shc deficiency as an important factor in chronic lymphocytic leukemia progression and severity and underscore p66Shc expression as a relevant therapeutic target

Quantum gravity phenomenology at the dawn of the multi-messenger era—A review

The exploration of the universe has recently entered a new era thanks to the multi-messenger paradigm, characterized by a continuous increase in the quantity and quality of experimental data that is obtained by the detection of the various cosmic messengers (photons, neutrinos, cosmic rays and gravitational waves) from numerous origins. They give us information about their sources in the universe and the properties of the intergalactic medium. Moreover, multi-messenger astronomy opens up the possibility to search for phenomenological signatures of quantum gravity. On the one hand, the most energetic events allow us to test our physical theories at energy regimes which are not directly accessible in accelerators; on the other hand, tiny effects in the propagation of very high energy particles could be amplified by cosmological distances. After decades of merely theoretical investigations, the possibility of obtaining phenomenological indications of Planck-scale effects is a revolutionary step in the quest for a quantum theory of gravity, but it requires cooperation between different communities of physicists (both theoretical and experimental). This review, prepared within the COST Action CA18108 “Quantum gravity phenomenology in the multi-messenger approach”, is aimed at promoting this cooperation by giving a state-of-the art account of the interdisciplinary expertise that is needed in the effective search of quantum gravity footprints in the production, propagation and detection of cosmic messengers.publishedVersio

Quantum gravity phenomenology at the dawn of the multi-messenger era-A review

The exploration of the universe has recently entered a new era thanks to the multi-messenger paradigm, characterized by a continuous increase in the quantity and quality of experimental data that is obtained by the detection of the various cosmic messengers (photons, neutrinos, cosmic rays and gravitational waves) from numerous origins. They give us information about their sources in the universe and the properties of the intergalactic medium. Moreover, multi-messenger astronomy opens up the possibility to search for phenomenological signatures of quantum gravity. On the one hand, the most energetic events allow us to test our physical theories at energy regimes which are not directly accessible in accelerators; on the other hand, tiny effects in the propagation of very high energy particles could be amplified by cosmological distances. After decades of merely theoretical investigations, the possibility of obtaining phenomenological indications of Planck-scale effects is a revolutionary step in the quest for a quantum theory of gravity, but it requires cooperation between different communities of physicists (both theoretical and experimental). This review, prepared within the COST Action CA18108 "Quantum gravity phenomenology in the multi-messenger approach", is aimed at promoting this cooperation by giving a state-of-the art account of the interdisciplinary expertise that is needed in the effective search of quantum gravity footprints in the production, propagation and detection of cosmic messengers. (C) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Quantum gravity phenomenology at the dawn of the multi-messenger era -- A review

The exploration of the universe has recently entered a new era thanks to the multi-messenger paradigm, characterized by a continuous increase in the quantity and quality of experimental data that is obtained by the detection of the various cosmic messengers (photons, neutrinos, cosmic rays and gravitational waves) from numerous origins. They give us information about their sources in the universe and the properties of the intergalactic medium. Moreover, multi-messenger astronomy opens up the possibility to search for phenomenological signatures of quantum gravity. On the one hand, the most energetic events allow us to test our physical theories at energy regimes which are not directly accessible in accelerators; on the other hand, tiny effects in the propagation of very high energy particles could be amplified by cosmological distances. After decades of merely theoretical investigations, the possibility of obtaining phenomenological indications of Planck-scale effects is a revolutionary step in the quest for a quantum theory of gravity, but it requires cooperation between different communities of physicists (both theoretical and experimental). This review is aimed at promoting this cooperation by giving a state-of-the art account of the interdisciplinary expertise that is needed in the effective search of quantum gravity footprints in the production, propagation and detection of cosmic messengers

Soluzione d’angolo

A piece of architecture can be investigated in search of a geometrical model which explanes the rules of its nature and the way they become real in the act of building. Some topics often arise and the answers proposed by architects in various periods let one understand how geometry has been one of the useful tools to get to ingenious and unpredictable results, as can be seen in architectures frome every time.In the present case an architecture from late Renaissance (the octagonal pavilion in the convent of San Placido Calonerò near Messina) has been analyzed, due to its unusual angular solution, not much considered in literature; its geometry acquires a role strongly confirmative, generating, with a clear logic, a metamorphosis of the conventional architectural principle.Un brano di architettura può essere indagato alla ricerca di un modello geometrico che spieghi le regole della sua conformazione e il modo come sono state sostanziate nell’atto costruttivo. Alcuni temi si presentano sempre e le soluzioni prospettate da architetti di periodi diversi fanno capire come la geometria sia stata uno degli strumenti utili per raggiungere soluzioni originali e imprevedibili, come si può verificare nelle architetture di ogni epoca.In questo caso è stata analizzata la soluzione angolare inconsueta, poco considerata in letteratura, di un’architettura tardorinascimentale (padiglione ottagonale del convento di S. Placido Calonerò nei pressi di Messina); in essa la geometria assumeva un ruolo fortemente conformativo, producendo, con logica serrata, una metamorfosi sul tradizionale canone architettonico

Metabolomics and medical practice

High resolution NMR spectroscopy, currently known as " metabolomics", is a technology enabling the rapid, noninvasive and low cost determination of low molecular weigh metabolites (e.g. aminoacids) in biological fluids such as plasma, urine, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid and others. According to Nicholson "Metabolomics is the quantitative measurement of the dynamic multiparametric metabolic response of living systems to pathophysiological stimuli or genetic modification". Over the past 10 years this technology made it possible to discover of a number of lesser-known organ-specific metabolites that has been demonstrated to be reliable indicators of both organ function and viability. Consequently metabolomics has been used, with interesting results, for the functional evaluation of many organs (kidney, liver, heart), drug toxicity and post-transplant monitoring. The international literature demonstrates a growing interest for this technology and its capabilities

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF CALLUNA VULGARIS

Antimicrobial activity of several (aqueous, ethanolic, ethereal) extracts of Calluna vulgaris aerial parts were studied in vitro, in camparison with some of its pure compounds (arbutin, hydroquinone, ursolic acid), against clinically-isolated bacteria and yeasts. Only aqueous extract was active in that inhibited the growth of some microorganisms (S. aureus, S. epidermidis, C. albicans, C. neoformans). Among pure compounds ursolic acid markedly inhibited the growth of S. aureus

Value of MRI performed with phased-array coil in the diagnosis and pre-operative classification of perianal and anal fistulas (Ruolo della RM eseguita con bobina phased array nella diagnosi e stadiazione preoperatoria delle fistole anali e perianali)

PURPOSE: To assess the value of MRI performed with phased-array coil in the diagnosis and preoperative staging of perianal and anal fistulas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 20 patients (13 with Crohn's disease) with clinical evidence or suspicion of anal fistulas underwent pelvic MRI (1.5 T) performed with phased-array coil. Images were obtained in the axial and coronal planes using TSE T2-weighted high resolution sequences with and without fat suppression, T2-weighted HASTE and T1-weighted FLASH sequences, with and without fat suppression, before and after gadolinium enhancement. The following parameters were considered: presence of a fistula and relation with the sphincters, and presence of abscesses or complications. All patients underwent surgery. The MRI and surgical findings were assessed using the Park's fistula-in-ano classification and the St. James MR imaging classification of perianal fistulas. Surgery was considered the gold standard. RESULTS: MRI documented no evidence of fistula in 2 patients, intersphinteric fistulas in 5 (grade 1 and 2 St. James), trans-sphincteric fistulas in 9 (grade 3 and 4 St. James), translevator in 2 (grade 5) and complex ano-rectum-vaginal fistulas in 2. Concordance with surgery was 90%. CONCLUSIONS: MRI is an accurate technique for the identification and classification of anal and perianal fistulas and their complications. In our experience the phased-array coil offers both high field of view and spatial resolution, enabling the demonstration of perianal pathology

Role of phased array MRI in the diagnosis and presurgical stadiation of perianal fistulas

Purpose: To assess the value of MRI performed with phased array coil in the diagnosis and presurgical staging of perianal and anal fistulas. Methods and Materials: 34 patients (20 Crohn disease) with clinical evidence or suspicion of anal fistulas underwent pelvic MRI (SIEMENS NUMARIS 1.5 T) performed with phased array coil. Images were obtained in the axial and coronal planes using TSE T2w high resolution sequences (matrix 512x512) with and without FS, T2 HASTE and T1w FLASH sequences with FS, before and after gadolinium enhancement. In 10 cases the cutaneus orificium was evident and fistulas were injected by Gadolinium. The following parameters were considered: presence of a fistula and relationship with the sphincters and elevator ani and presence of abscesses or complications. All patients underwent surgery, considered the gold standard. MRI and surgical findings were assessed using the Parks fistula-in-ano classification and the St. James MR imaging classification of perianal fistulas. Results: MRI documented no evidence of fistula in 3 patients, intersphinteric fistulas in 9 (grade 1 and 2 St. James), transphinteric fistulas in 16 (grade 3 and 4 St. James), transelevator in 2 (grade 5 St. James) and complex ano-rectum-vaginal fistulas in 4. 1 case of transelevator fistula was not found having relationship with the sphincters. Abscesses were found in 12 cases and secondary tracts in 8 cases. Surgery demonstrated intersphinteric fistulas in the 3 negative at MRI (false negatives). Concordance with surgery was 88% with high sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion: MRI is an accurate technique for identifications and classifications of the anal and perianal fistulas and their complications. Phased array coil, in our experience, offers both elevated field of view and spatial resolution, able to demonstrate perianal pathology