Nearby Tissues Research Articles

Where does public funding for cancer research go

With the advent of vaccines, antibiotics, hygiene, and food safety, the toll of infectious diseases on human lives has decreased substantially. Pathogens are no longer the major cause of death, disability, and suffering in both the developed world and many developing countries. In lieu, other diseases have risen in importance: According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases—primarily chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)—are now the major causes of death and disability worldwide. CVD, the principal health problem for developed countries, has been the primary cause of mortality since 1921. Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally after CVD; in 2015, it killed 8.8 million people (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/en/), and the number of patients diagnosed with cancer grows each year as populations get older. COPD has become the third most deadly disease after cancer, causing 3.2 million deaths in 2015 [1]. > … as money flows into research institutes, universities and hospitals, the question is how funding is being allocated to study specific diseases… It is harder to compare such numbers with CVD, also known as “heart disease”, which includes multiple conditions and diagnoses, such as chest pain (angina), myocardial infarction, or stroke. In contrast, COPD and cancer are more clearly identifiable diseases in terms of diagnosis, biology, and pathogenesis. COPD is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes breathing difficulties, whereas cancer is an uncontrollable division of cells that invade nearby tissues. Governments, industry, and philanthropies have been investing massively into research to understand the causes and mechanisms of these diseases and to develop new diagnostics, therapies, and preventive measures. Yet, as money flows into research institutes, universities, and hospitals, the question is how funding is being allocated to study specific diseases; in other words, does the investment meet the …

The Use of Three-Dimensional Printing in Immobilization of Patient's Hand During Radiation Treatment of Grade II Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Proximal Phalanx Co-Morbid with Late Stage Dementia

77-year old female patient opted for radiation therapy to treat a grade II squamous cell carcinoma developing on the proximal-medial aspect of the third digit of left hand. The patient was also co-morbid with late stage dementia, thus, presenting problems for patient understanding of the importance of immobilization. Therefore, patient compliance to remain immobilized when radiation therapists left the treatment room was diminished. Since the radiation target was very small (2 cm diameter), effective immobilization was necessary to decrease collateral damage to nearby tissue, and ensure proper treatment of cancerous lesion. Following an initial patient pre-treatment simulation that proved to be non-reproducible, the patient was re-booked for a second simulation. Prior to the appointment CT DICOM data were converted to stereolithography (.stl) file for 3D computer assisted design, and eventual three-dimensional (3D) printing on Ultimaker 2+ device. 3D printing was utilized to create a 3D positive of the patient's digits for creation of a custom wax bolus, as well as a personalized outline of the patient's hand that would be used in conjunction with a thermoplastic mask to ensure immobilization and radiation treatment setup accuracy. The patient received 40.5 GY in 9 fractions using 6 MV photons delivered over a two-week period. Setup and positioning of the treatment area was verified with kV imaging prior to radiation delivery. The 3D printed outline proved to be an effective, accurate, and low-cost way of immobilizing patient's hand in conjunction with traditional methods. This therefore allowed for adequate treatment to be delivered to the area of interest. Upon follow-up, patient presented with a complete clinical response to therapy. This is an interesting and novel case for the possibilities and usage of 3D printing in the immobilization of patients during radiation therapy, especially when presenting with decreased compliance to treatment instructions. In this case, the use of 3D printing therefore ensured a low-cost solution and effective therapy method for the best possible patient outcome.

Patient-Friendly Summary of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria Sinonasal Disease

Most people who have rhinosinusitis, a runny nose, or a stuffed up feeling in their sinuses don’t need imaging tests. The patient’s symptoms are used to determine the type of rhinosinusitis. If the symptoms are acute and limited to the nose and last less than 4 weeks, no imaging is recommended. If acute rhinosinusitis comes back more than four times a year, it is considered recurrent acute rhinosinusitis. If the symptoms persist for more than 12 weeks and include mucus draining, pain in the face, stuffy nose, congestion, and a diminished sense of smell, chronic rhinosinusitis is probable. There may also be polyps or a fungus in the nose. In these cases patients may benefit from surgery, and imaging with either CT or cone-beam CT without intravenous contrast is recommended. If symptoms of acute rhinosinusitis include symptoms pointing to infection in the eye cavity or the brain, MRI with and without intravenous contrast is recommended. If the patient can’t undergo MRI, a CT scan with contrast is recommended. If a blockage or mass is suspected because of persistent pain, blocked nasal passages, or bleeding from the nose, both MRI with and without contrast and CT without contrast are recommended. If a fungal invasion is suspected in the mucus tissues, blood vessels, and/or bones, both CT without contrast and MRI with and without contrast of the sinuses, nearby brain tissues, and eye sockets are recommended. See the full appropriateness criteria for this topic at https://acsearch.acr.org/docs/69502/Narrative/.

Improving oncoplastic breast tumor bed localization for radiotherapy planning using image registration algorithms

Knowledge about tumor bed localization and its shape analysis is a crucial factor for preventing irradiation of healthy tissues during supportive radiotherapy and as a result, cancer recurrence. The localization process is especially hard for tumors placed nearby soft tissues, which undergo complex, nonrigid deformations. Among them, breast cancer can be considered as the most representative example. A natural approach to improving tumor bed localization is the use of image registration algorithms. However, this involves two unusual aspects which are not common in typical medical image registration: the real deformation field is discontinuous, and there is no direct correspondence between the cancer and its bed in the source and the target 3D images respectively. The tumor no longer exists during radiotherapy planning. Therefore, a traditional evaluation approach based on known, smooth deformations and target registration error are not directly applicable. In this work, we propose alternative artificial deformations which model the tumor bed creation process. We perform a comprehensive evaluation of the most commonly used deformable registration algorithms: B-Splines free form deformations (B-Splines FFD), different variants of the Demons and TV-L1 optical flow. The evaluation procedure includes quantitative assessment of the dedicated artificial deformations, target registration error calculation, 3D contour propagation and medical experts visual judgment. The results demonstrate that the currently, practically applied image registration (rigid registration and B-Splines FFD) are not able to correctly reconstruct discontinuous deformation fields. We show that the symmetric Demons provide the most accurate soft tissues alignment in terms of the ability to reconstruct the deformation field, target registration error and relative tumor volume change, while B-Splines FFD and TV-L1 optical flow are not an appropriate choice for the breast tumor bed localization problem, even though the visual alignment seems to be better than for the Demons algorithm. However, no algorithm could recover the deformation field with sufficient accuracy in terms of vector length and rotation angle differences.

The significance of the expression of cell proliferation and inflammation markers in the development of acquired middle ear cholesteatoma

Background/Aim. Permanent proliferation and periodical infection are the main clinical characteristics of acquired middle ear cholesteatoma. The aim of this study was to research immunohistochemical characteristics of the skin along with the cholesteatoma process in the nearby tissue. This research should influence further studying of etiology and development of acquired middle ear cholesteatoma. Methods. We investigated clinical, histological and immunohistochemical characteristics of cholesteatoma in 50 samples from operated patients with acquired middle ear cholesteatomas. We classified all samples according to their clinical characteristics of cholesteatoma such as bone destruction, presence of infection or cholesteatoma extension and histological characteristics of cholesteatoma such as keratinisation, inflammatory process and extracellular matrix proliferation. We used mouse monoclonal antibodies for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (MAbs for PCNA), Ki-67, COX-2, CD 4 and CD 8 lymphocytes to investigate the expression of those characteristics in the cholesteatoma and in the control skin tissue. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS for Windows version 16.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). We used the independent group t-test, Spearman?s correlation analysis and Mann-Whitney U test to analyze statistical analysis. Results. Expression of PCNA, Ki-67, COX-2 and CD 8 lymphocytes in more serious clinical picture of cholesteatoma was almost equal as in less serious clinical picture of cholesteatoma. There was statistically significantly higher concentration of inflammation marker CD 4 lymphocytes, both in the acquired cholesteatoma and in the skin of bony portion of the external auditory canal near fibrocartilaginous annulus in more serious clinical picture of cholesteatoma than in less serious clinical picture of cholesteatoma (p < 0.01). There was statistically significant difference of expression of PCNA, Ki- 67, COX-2, CD 4 and CD 8 lymphocytes between all cholesteatoma samples and the skin of bony portion of the external auditory canal (p < 0.05) and statistically significant difference of expression of those markers between the skin of bony portion of the external auditory canal and retroauricular skin (p < 0.05). Conclusion. Inflammation of the skin of bony portion of the external auditory canal is a milestone in pathogenesis of acquired middle ear cholesteatoma. Expression of CD 4 lymphocytes can be the prognostic factor for acquired cholesteatoma clinical picture development. We found so much diversity in biological behavior through very different levels of cholesteatoma development. Expression of Ki-67 in acquired middle ear cholesteatoma is a reliable and stable marker of proliferation for acquired middle ear cholesteatoma.

Epigenome-Based Precision Medicine in Lung Cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. Despite significant advances in the early detection and treatment of the disease, the prognosis remains poor, with an overall 5-year survival rate ranging from 15% to 20%. This poor prognosis results largely from early micrometastatic spread of cancer cells to nearby lymph nodes or tissues and partially from early recurrence after curative surgical resection. Recently, precision medicines that target potential oncogenic driver mutations have been approved to treat lung cancer. However, some lung cancer patients do not have targetable mutations, and many patients develop resistance to targeted therapy. Tumor heterogeneity and mutational density are also challenges in treating lung cancer, which underscores the need for developing alternative therapeutic strategies for treating lung cancer. Epigenetic therapy may circumvent the problems of tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance by affecting the expression of several hundred target genes. This review highlights precision medicine using an innovative approach of epigenetic priming prior to conventional standard therapy or targeted cancer therapy in lung cancer.

Automated Quantification of Non-Calcified Coronary Plaques in Cardiac CT Angiographic Imagery

The high mortality rate associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) has driven intensive research in cardiac image analysis. The advent of computed tomography angiography (CTA) has turned non-invasive diagnosis of cardiovascular anomalies into reality as calcified coronary plaques can be easily identified due to high intensity values. However, detection and quantification of the non-calcified plaques in CTA is still a challenging problem because of their lower intensity values, which are often similar to the nearby blood and muscle tissues. In this work, we propose Bayesian posterior based model for precise quantification of the non-calcified plaques in CTA imagery. The only indicator of non-calcified plaques in CTA is relatively lower intensity. Hence, we exploited intensity variations to discriminate voxels into lumen and plaque classes. Based on the normal coronary segments, we computed the vessel-wall thickness in first step. In the subsequent step, we removed vessel wall from the segmented tree and employed Gaussian Mixture Model to compute optimal distribution parameters. In the final step, distribution parameters were employed in Bayesian posterior model to classify voxels into lumen or plaque. A total of 18 CTA volumes were analyzed in this work using two different approaches. According to the experimental results, mean Jaccard overlap is around 88% with respect to the manual expert. In terms of sensitivity, specificity and accuracy, the proposed method achieves 84.13%, 79.15% and 82.02% success, respectively. Conclusion: According to the experimental results, it is shown that the proposed plaque quantification method achieves accuracy equivalent to human experts.

Computational modeling of drug diffusion and inductive heating in an implantable biomedical device for localized thermo-chemotherapy of cancer cells/tissue

This paper presents the study of an implantable biomedical device for the localized released of chemotherapeutic drugs and the controlled heating of surrounding tumor tissue to enable cancer treatment via a hyperthermia and chemotherapy combination. The coupling of magnetic induction, heat transfer, and mass diffusion concepts used to model temperature changes and drug release from the biomedical device to a surrounding environment that mimics breast tumor tissue and normal breast tissue. The predictions of temperature change in the residual tumor cells and the normal breast tissue show that when an excitation current of 25 mA supplied to the device generates heat that required to kill the residual cancer cells without damaging the nearby healthy tissue. Also, the predictions of prodigiosin concentration released from the biomedical device into selected depths in the breast phantom model show that the residual tumor has a higher concentration than the healthy tissue. The proposed system proved capable for prolonged drug delivery and temperature rise of tumor to therapeutic values for effective localize cancer treatment.

Cancer pattern among newly registered patients in a cancer hospital of South Gujarat

Background: Cancer is a chronic disease, its prevalence is increasing worldwide due to various advances exist for the diagnosis and treatment. Cancer occurs as a result of unusual growth of cells and invasion of nearby tissue and organs. At present, cancer is the second leading cause of death. Cancer distribution has a wide variation in different parts of the world. Objectives: To observe the pattern of different types of Cancer, Age and Gender wise distribution of common cancer in newly registered cancer patients at Cancer Treating Institute. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted in newly registered cancer patients at D.B. Tejani Cancer Institute, Surat. Total 690 patients purposively selected from December 2015 to January 2016. Results: The most common sites of cancer in decreasing order were oral cavity (19%), female genital tract (15.1%), breast cancer (14.5%), gastrointestinal tract (11.3%), lympho-hematopoietic system (9.9%), respiratory tract (5.6%), and others. In less than 14 years, lymphatic leukemia was found to be the most common cancer in boys and ovarian cancer (25%) among girls. Conclusion: Tobacco-related cancer was more common among more than 15-year-old males, while breast cancer was the most common type of cancer in females.

CDC Grand Rounds: Improving the Lives of Persons with Sickle Cell Disease.

Approximately 100,000 Americans have sickle cell disease (SCD), a group of recessively inherited red blood cell disorders characterized by abnormal hemoglobin, called hemoglobin S or sickle hemoglobin, in the red blood cells. Persons with hemoglobin SS or hemoglobin Sß0 thalassemia, also known as sickle cell anemia (SCA), have the most severe form of SCD. Hemoglobin SC disease and hemoglobin Sß+ thalassemia are other common forms of SCD. Red blood cells that contain sickle hemoglobin are inflexible and can stick to vessel walls, causing a blockage that slows or stops blood flow. When this happens, oxygen cannot reach nearby tissues, leading to attacks of sudden, severe pain, called pain crises, which are the clinical hallmark of SCD. The red cell sickling and poor oxygen delivery can also cause damage to the brain, spleen, eyes, lungs, liver, and multiple other organs and organ systems. These chronic complications can lead to increased morbidity, early mortality, or both. Tremendous strides in treating and preventing the complications of SCD have extended life expectancy. Now, nearly 95% of persons born with SCD in the United States reach age 18 years (1); however, adults with the most severe forms of SCD have a life span that is 20-30 years shorter than that of persons without SCD (2).

MS 03.05 SBRT Experience

MS 03.05 SBRT Experience

STABILITY PERFORMANCE OF INFLATABLE TUBE IMITATING CLANIS BILINEATA LARVA UNDER AXIAL PRESSURE

The body wall structure of Clanis bilineata larva exhibits strong stability. This characteristic prompted the development of a new inflatable tube to improve the stability under axial pressure. The C. bilineata larva was chosen to observe the connection between its body wall and nearby muscle tissues, as well as the distribution of these tissues, by using the tissue section technique. Using this method, an inflatable tube with reinforcing ribs was designed. Simulation using the finite element method and experimentation were employed to compare and analyze the stability of the inflatable tube with and without reinforcing ribs under different axial pressure levels. Results indicate that the ultimate load of both inflatable tubes increases linearly with increasing pressure. The difference between the slopes of the two lines is small. Under different axial pressure levels, the ultimate load of the inflatable tube with reinforcing ribs is about 1.34[Formula: see text]N higher than that without reinforcing ribs; the ultimate compression power increased by 31% to 68% compared with that without ribs. The simulation results are slightly larger than the experimental results, but the ultimate load value in the simulation exhibits the same trend as that in the experiment. Finally, the limit load and ultimate compression power are used as evaluation criteria to quantitatively analyze the stability performance of an inflatable tube with reinforcing ribs under axial pressure.

Multilocular radiolucency of the anterior mandible

A 10-year-old boy sought care at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, with a large swelling in the anterior mandible and multiple loose teeth. The patient’s medical history was clinically significant for exercise-induced asthma. A panoramic radiograph (Figure 1) demonstrated a large well-defined, multilocular radiolucency with thin corticated borders in the anterior mandible extending between the premolars bilaterally. Fine, wispy septations were noted within the lesion, giving it a multilocular appearance. The lesion expanded the inferior border of the mandible. To determine the extent of the lesion, we prescribed a computed tomographic (CT) examination. A sagittal view (Figure 2) of the area demonstrated a multilocular lesion causing buccolingual expansion of the anterior mandible with thinning of the buccal and lingual plates, and root resorption. Axial bone window sections (Figure 3) showed the extent of the lesion in a buccolingual direction, as well as the extent of the lesion from the left mandible to the right, crossing the midline and extending into the bilateral molar areas, which was not clearly visible on a standard panoramic radiograph. The lesion was more extensive on the right side and extended to the right buccal vestibule and posteriorly to the molar area. The lesion was 4.6 × 2.7 × 2.3 centimeters. A soft-tissue window with contrast showed the lesion had areas of density compared with the nearby soft tissues within the septations and also scattered calcifications. It also showed the extent of the expansion, thinning of the cortices, and preservation of the cortices. Figure 2Sagittal view of the CT scan depicting the buccolingual expansion of the mandible, root resorption and the multilocularity of the lesion. View Large Image Figure Viewer Download Hi-res image Figure 3Axial bone window view of the CT scan showing anterior posterior and the buccal and lingual extent of the lesion. View Large Image Figure Viewer Download Hi-res image Dr. Buraczewski is the chief resident, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, G-132 Salk Hall, 3501 Terrace St. Pittsburgh, PA 15261. Dr. Potluri is an associate professor, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, G-119 Salk Hall, 3501 Terrace St. Pittsburgh, PA 15261. Dr. Costello is associate dean of Faculty Affairs and professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, G-32 Salk Hall, 3501 Terrace St. Pittsburgh, PA 15261. Dr. Bilodeau is an associate professor, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, G-135 Salk Hall, 3501 Terrace St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15261.

Functional characterisation of glutathione export from the rat lens

In this study, we have investigated whether the lens was capable of exporting the antioxidant glutathione. Pairs of rat lenses were cultured in isosmotic artificial aqueous humour for one, two, three, or six hours in low oxygen conditions (90% N2, 5% CO2, 5% O2), and reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidised glutathione (GSSG) levels measured in the media and lenses. We show that the rat lens is capable of releasing ∼5 nmol GSH for each time point suggesting that GSH release is regulated since it does not appreciably increase over time. We also demonstrated that the predominant form of glutathione released was the reduced form. We next cultured lenses in the absence or presence of acivicin, a γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) inhibitor, and found that GSH levels were significantly increased (p < 0.001) in the presence of this inhibitor, which indicated that GSH released by the lens undergoes degradation into its constituent amino acids. GSH release was significantly decreased (p < 0.001) in the presence of 100 μM MK571, a multidrug resistance-associated protein (Mrp) inhibitor, suggesting that Mrp transporters mediate GSH efflux from the lens. Culturing lenses in low (10 μM) or high (70 μM) concentrations of H2O2 for one hour significantly increased total glutathione levels (p < 0.05) relative to controls, due to the increased release of GSSG. Our results show that in response to oxidative stress, the rat lens is able to release GSH or GSSG, thereby serving to maintain lens redox state or potentially influence the redox state of nearby tissues.

Cell therapy could be a potential way to improve lipoprotein lipase deficiency

BackgroundLipoprotein lipase (LPL) deficiency is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by extreme hypertriglyceridemia, with no cure presently available. The purpose of this study was to test the possibility of using cell therapy to alleviate LPL deficiency.MethodsThe LPL coding sequence was cloned into the MSCV retrovirus vector, after which MSCV-hLPL and MSCV (empty construct without LPL coding sequence) virion suspensions were made using the calcium chloride method. A muscle cell line (C2C12), kidney cell line (HEK293T) and pre-adipocyte cell line (3 T3-L1) were transfected with the virus in order to express recombinant LPL in vitro. Finally, each transfected cell line was injected subcutaneously into nude mice to identify the cell type which could secret recombinant LPL in vivo. Control cells were transfected with the MSCV empty vector. LPL activity was analyzed using a radioimmunoassay.ResultsAfter virus infection, the LPL activity at the cell surface of each cell type was significantly higher than in the control cells, which indicates that all three cell types can be used to generate functional LPL. The transfected cells were injected subcutaneously into nude mice, and the LPL activity of the nearby muscle tissue at the injection site in mice injected with 3 T3-L1 cells was more than 5 times higher at the injection sites than at non-injected control sites. The other two types of cells did not show this trend.ConclusionThe subcutaneous injection of adipocytes overexpressing LPL can improve the LPL activity of the adjacent tissue of nude mice. This is a ground-breaking preliminary study for the treatment of LPL deficiency, and lays a good foundation for using cell therapy to correct LPL deficiency.

Characteristics of cervical disease among symptomatic women with histopathological sample at Hawassa University referral hospital, Southern Ethiopia

BackgroundCervical cancer is one of the most common cancers of women in developing countries. It is also eminent cause of mortality and morbidity in women worldwide. Symptoms usually develop when the cancer has become invasive and invade nearby tissue. This has significant effect on treatment of cases in area where there is limited awareness. The aim of this study is to describe cervical disease among symptomatic women with a histhological sample at Hawassa University referral hospital, southern Ethiopia.MethodsFive years retrospective histopathological characteristics of symptomatic cervical cases were studied from January, 2010 to January, 2015 at Hawassa University referral hospital pathology laboratory. Clinical diagnosis of patients, patient’s age, biopsy sample size and type, and microscopic finding of the cases were collected for this study. The data were entered by Epi-Info statistical software version 7 and later exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Descriptive analyses such as frequency, mean, and standard deviation were computed.ResultsA total of 513 patients with cervical lesion were examined histopathologically in the study period. The age ranges of the patients were from 17 to 85 years with mean and standard deviation of 42 ± 11 years. Of these symptomatic examined cases, 253 (49.3%) of them were cancerous lesion while non cancerous and precancerous cases account 166 (32.4%) and 51 (9.9%) respectively. Cervical squamous cell carcinoma was the predominant type cancer which accounts 211(83.4%) of all cancerous cervical cases. The proportion of cervical cancer was higher in age group older than 60. The magnitude of cervical cancer and precancerous cases were steadily increasing throughout study periods whereas non cancerous cases were fluctuating.ConclusionsCervical cases were associated with wide range of disorders. Cervical cancer was the predominant cervical disease in symptomatic southern Ethiopian women. The high proportion of cervical cancer was observed in post-menopausal age when compared with other cervical cases. Effective uses of low-tech and inexpensive screening tools that already exist and giving awareness about the disease in combination with vaccine could reduce this high magnitude of cervical cancer in study area.

Benign Breast Lumps

A tumor is an abnormal mass of tissue that has formed a lump. It’s called a benign tumor if it grows slowly and is self-limiting; that is, if it doesn’t have the capacity to invade nearby tissues and spread beyond its original site. A malignant, or cancerous, tumor, on the other hand, is innately dangerous because its cells can divide uncontrollably and produce virtually immortal daughter cells. Malignant tumor cells can penetrate and destroy adjacent tissue, and can metastasize, or travel through the circulation to distant parts of the body and form new tumors.

New modified suction tip for trans nasal skull base surgery: Technical note

Abstract Background We describe a modified suction tip for a suction device that used in rigid bronchoscope biopsy procedures. This redesign of the tip makes it suitable for work in endoscopic skull base surgery for taking specimens because it originally designed for use with minimal surgical trauma for suction and dissection simultaneously. Presentation Since 2015, we have used the device on 37 patients with skull base tumors (25 pituitary adenomas, seven craniopharyngiomas, five meningiomas). The longitudinal sliced blunt margin suction tip facilitated the removal of masses of proper amounts of specimens and was less traumatic to nearby tissues. The suction tip did not adhere to structures. It used as a dissector with low-pressure suction. In comparison with conventional suction; it caused less bleeding because of its blunt margins and the right amount of biopsy collected in its attached container. It has less affinity to suck the surgicel or gelfoam. Conclusion This modification of a rigid bronchoscope biopsy device was beneficial in addressing skull base lesions for dissection, aspiration and biopsy taking.

Framework for detection and localization of coronary non-calcified plaques in cardiac CTA using mean radial profiles

Background and objectiveThe high mortality rate associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) has driven intensive research in cardiac imaging and image analysis. The advent of computed tomography angiography (CTA) has turned non-invasive diagnosis of cardiovascular anomalies into reality as calcified coronary plaques can be easily identified due to their high intensity values. However, the detection of non-calcified plaques in CTA is still a challenging problem because of lower intensity values, which are often similar to the nearby blood and muscle tissues. In this work, we propose the use of mean radial profiles for the detection of non-calcified plaques in CTA imagery. MethodsAccordingly, we computed radial profiles by averaging the image intensity in concentric rings around the vessel centreline in a first stage. In the subsequent stage, an SVM classifier is applied to identify the abnormal coronary segments. For occluded segments, we further propose a derivative-based method to localize the position and length of the plaque inside the segment. ResultsA total of 32 CTA volumes were analysed and a detection accuracy of 88.4% with respect to the manual expert was achieved. The plaque localization accuracy was computed using the Dice similarity coefficient and a mean of 83.2% was achieved. ConclusionThe consistent performance for multi-vendor, multi-institution data demonstrates the reproducibility of our method across different CTA datasets with a good agreement with manual expert annotations.

Roles of Wnt Target Genes in the Journey of Cancer Stem Cells

The importance of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in cancer stem cells (CSCs) has been acknowledged; however, the mechanism through which it regulates the biological function of CSCs and promotes cancer progression remains elusive. Hence, to understand the intricate mechanism by which Wnt controls stemness, the specific downstream target genes of Wnt were established by analyzing the genetic signatures of multiple types of metastatic cancers based on gene set enrichment. By focusing on the molecular function of Wnt target genes, the biological roles of Wnt were interpreted in terms of CSC dynamics from initiation to metastasis. Wnt signaling participates in cancer initiation by generating CSCs from normal stem cells or non-CSCs and augmenting persistent growth at the primary region, which is resistant to anti-cancer therapy. Moreover, it assists CSCs in invading nearby tissues and in entering the blood stream, during which the negative feedback of the Wnt signaling pathway maintains CSCs in a dormant state that is suitable for survival. When CSCs arrive at distant organs, another burst of Wnt signaling induces CSCs to succeed in re-initiation and colonization. This comprehensive understanding of Wnt target genes provides a plausible explanation for how Wnt allows CSCs variation during cancer progression.