Visual Artefacts Research Articles

Cryobiopsy as a reliable technique for the preoperative identification of micropapillary/solid components in early-stage lung adenocarcinoma

ObjectivesMicropapillary (MIP) and solid (SOL) subtypes of early-stage lung adenocarcinomas are associated with lymph node metastasis and local recurrence after limited resection. Preoperative identification of these components may influence the decisions of treatment strategy, additional lymph node evaluation, indication for limited resection, and extent of lymph node dissection. However, conventional biopsy specimens are insufficient for identifying these subtypes, especially MIP components. Cryobiopsy can collect larger tissue samples with fewer crush artifacts than conventional forceps biopsy, which would be helpful for detecting MIP/SOL components. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the feasibility of using cryobiopsy for MIP/SOL subtype detection. Material and methodsConsecutive patients who underwent surgery for clinical IA lung cancer following a preoperative diagnosis of adenocarcinoma by cryobiopsy at our institution between October 2017 and July 2019 were retrospectively examined. The concordance rate of MIP/SOL subtypes between the specimens obtained by cryobiopsy and surgery was investigated. ResultsIn total, 115 patients were evaluated. There were 26 (22.6%) and 14 (12.2%) patients with MIP and SOL subtypes, respectively. For concordance of MIP/SOL subtypes, the sensitivity was 65.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 57.7–65.7%). For the primary or secondary predominant patterns, a more satisfactory concordance rate of 72.2% (95% CI: 52.6–86.2%) was obtained. On assessing each subtype, high sensitivity was noted in SOL-predominant patterns (85.7%, 95% CI: 56.5%–96.0%) and MIP-secondary predominant patterns (83.3%, 95% CI: 45.8–97.0%). However, SOL-secondary predominant patterns revealed low sensitivity (0%, 95% CI, 0–38.2%). Overall, the MIP subtypes had higher sensitivity than the SOL subtypes (65.4% vs. 50.0%). ConclusionCryobiopsy could be reliable for identifying MIP/SOL components, especially the MIP component, in clinical stage IA adenocarcinomas.

How daylight representation in architectural competitions images can lead to an erroneous interpretation of projects

The digital world we are living in today offers viewers an experience of buildings before they even exist. This experience is no longer just geometric or descriptive, but also sensory. It generates emotions through fixed or animated images of 3 dimensional objects inserted in an urban context. These images are produced by specialized agencies with specific tools allowing them to generate visual artefacts with a striking impression of realism. The light that bathes these scenes is carefully worked out in order to capture our gaze. We believe that, in some cases, this may generate errors of appreciation and that these representations can lead to questionable choices when they are used in architectural competitions. This paper proposes some keys to analyse these sublimated images and aims to give the reader the possibility to interpret architectural projects in a more realistic way.

Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma; A Case report and review of literature

Abstract Introduction/Objective Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma (SEF) is an unusual, rare clinically aggressive form of soft tissue sarcoma. It is characterized by a slow evolution, with local recurrences and late metastases that are mainly pulmonary and pleural in about 80% of cases. SEF has distinctive morphology and occurs most commonly in deep soft tissue of adult extremities. Lesions involving the head and neck region are uncommon and rare intraosseously in oral cavity. Methods/Case Report Herein we report a case of a 52-year-old male who presented with a symptomatic radiolucent lesion at apex #18, with clinical impression of periapical granuloma. The patient did present with pain associated with lower left quadrant #18 area, for several days to pressure and hot temperature. A periapical radiograph revealed a large ill-defined radiolucent area at apex of resorbing roots #18. The patient’s medical history was significant with history of cancer diagnosis of sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma of skull treated by chemotherapy and radiation. Microscopic examination of the specimen revealed a multi-fragmented specimen consisting of numerous fragments and islands of highly cellular, basophilic bone and osteoid surrounded by loose fibrous stroma which contains large lobules and islands of round to oval cells, with distinct cell borders and faintly granular eosinophilic cytoplasm. Separate islands of tumor cells surround large islands of necrosis with the background stroma appearing as hyalinized and eosinophilic with the basaloid cells demonstrating smudge and crush artifact. Peripherally, spindled cells are noted and faint areas of eosinophilic osteoid within the eosinophilic background stroma. Lesional cells are MUC4 strong, diffusely positive and strongly positive for INI-1. CD43, CD20, PAX-5, CD3, Desmin, CD34, S100, CD99, AE1/3 and SMA are interpreted to be negative. A diagnosis of metastatic sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma was made, with correlation with the primary lesion was recommended. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) N/A Conclusion The clinical and histological findings of our case correlate with the diagnostic criteria of sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma. Despite its microscopic features can create diagnostic difficulties, in that SEF can resemble a variety of benign and pseudosarcomatous as well as malignant lesions, our case diagnosis was confirmed by morphology and MUC4 diffuse strong reactivity and negativity for other markers.

Evaluation of Transbronchial Lung Cryobiopsy Freezing Time, Biopsy Size, Histological Quality, and Incidence of Complication: A Prospective Clinical Trial

Background: Transbronchial cryobiopsy (TBCB), a novel way of obtaining a specimen of lung tissue using a flexible cryoprobe, can obtain large lung biopsies without crush artifacts. The freezing time of TBCB was empirically selected from 3 to 7 s in the previous studies. However, no consensus has yet been reached regarding the optimal freezing time used in TBCB. Objectives: The primary endpoint was biopsy size in different freezing times. The secondary endpoints included sample histological quality, diagnostic confidence, and complications in different freezing times. Methods: Patients who were suspected of DPLD requiring histopathological examination for further evaluation were enrolled in this study. Distinct biopsies were obtained by using different freezing times increased from 3 to 6 s sequentially. Samples were reviewed by 2 external expert pathologists. Results: A total of 33 patients were enrolled, and 143 transbronchial cryobiopsies were taken in this trial. An average of 4.33 samples were taken from each patient. The mean biopsy size of different freezing times from 3 to 6 s was 9.10 ± 4.37, 13.23 ± 5.83, 16.26 ± 5.67, and 18.83 ± 7.50 mm², respectively. A strong correlation between freezing time and biopsy size was observed (r = 0.99, p < 0.01). Statistically significant difference of biopsy size was detected in the freezing time of 3 s versus 4 s (p < 0.01) and 4 s versus 5 s (p = 0.02), but not in the freezing time of 5 s versus 6 s (p = 0.10). Overall bleeding in different freezing times from 3 to 6 s was 53.33%, 67.50%, 89.47%, and 77.14%, respectively. A significantly higher overall bleeding was observed when the freezing time exceeded 4 s (RR = 1.67, p < 0.01). Pneumothorax occurred in 4 cases (12.12%). One lethal case (3.03%) was noted 25 days after TBCB. Lung parenchyma was preserved well in all cryobiopsy samples. Thirty-one (93.94%) patients’ histopathological findings were identified as sufficient to establish a CRP diagnosis. There was no statistical difference in diagnostic confidence between different freezing times. Conclusion: A longer freezing time was associated with a larger size of the biopsy sample but a higher risk of bleeding. The optimal transbronchial cryobiopsy freezing time is 3–4 s, which is easily achievable and provides an adequate biopsy size whilst creating a safety threshold from complications.

A retinex based non-local total generalized variation framework for OCT image restoration

A retinex driven non-local total generalized variational (TGV) model is proposed in this paper to restore and enhance speckled images. The combined first and second-order TGV controlled by a balancing parameter are used to improve the enhancement and restoration process. The distribution of the speckle is estimated from input images using detailed statistical analysis. The model is designed to handle speckle-noise following a Gamma distribution, as analyzed later in this paper. The non-local TGV model is shown to restore images without causing any visual artefacts, unlike the normal total variation (TV) model. Moreover, a retinex framework shows a remarkable improvement to the contrast features of the data without distorting the natural image characteristics as quantified visually and statistically in the experimental section of this work. A fast numerical approximation based on the Split-Bregman scheme is employed to improve the efficiency of the model in terms of computation. The proposed model is verified to have despeckled and enhanced the Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) data to a greater extent compared to the state-of-the-art models as observable from the results shown in this paper.

Virtual Ethnicity? The Visual Construction of ‘Sinhalaness’ on Social Media in Sri Lanka

Developed ostensibly to enhance social interaction, social media has become a powerful tool of pedagogy, cognition and politics. Visual content is particularly powerful since it is processed quicker than text, generating immediate emotional responses and a higher degree of memorability. This study looks at the way ‘Sinhalaness’ has been visually portrayed on social media by Sinhalese users by analysing a body of visual artefacts publicly posted on Facebook between 2011 and 2018. A content analysis of these suggests that in the immediate period after the civil war (1983–2009), online Sinhalaness has become largely defined by an increased religious, specifically Buddhist, consciousness, supplemented by war memories. This contrasts with the largely linguistic basis of Sinhala identity articulated in the pre-2009 period.

Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) Reveals Composite Patterns and Resolves Visualization Artifacts in Microbiome Data.

ABSTRACTMicrobiome data are sparse and high dimensional, so effective visualization of these data requires dimensionality reduction. To date, the most commonly used method for dimensionality reduction in the microbiome is calculation of between-sample microbial differences (beta diversity), followed by principal-coordinate analysis (PCoA). Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) is an alternative method that can reduce the dimensionality of beta diversity distance matrices. Here, we demonstrate the benefits and limitations of using UMAP for dimensionality reduction on microbiome data. Using real data, we demonstrate that UMAP can improve the representation of clusters, especially when the clusters are composed of multiple subgroups. Additionally, we show that UMAP provides improved correlation of biological variation along a gradient with a reduced number of coordinates of the resulting embedding. Finally, we provide parameter recommendations that emphasize the preservation of global geometry. We therefore conclude that UMAP should be routinely used as a complementary visualization method for microbiome beta diversity studies.IMPORTANCE UMAP provides an additional method to visualize microbiome data. The method is extensible to any beta diversity metric used with PCoA, and our results demonstrate that UMAP can indeed improve visualization quality and correspondence with biological and technical variables of interest. The software to perform this analysis is available under an open-source license and can be obtained at https://github.com/knightlab-analyses/umap-microbiome-benchmarking; additionally, we have provided a QIIME 2 plugin for UMAP at https://github.com/biocore/q2-umap.

S1911 Primary Colon Burkitt’s Lymphoma Presenting as Colonic Obstruction

Introduction: Primary colon lymphomas are very rare colon malignancies and Burkitt´s lymphoma (BL) variant is usually diagnosed in children and immunocompromised patients. BL is a highly aggressive malignancy and is the fastest growing human cancer. Primary colon BL (PCBL) is very rare in adults with few reported cases located around ileocecal valve region. There are only two published cases of PCBL causing colonic obstruction due to ileocecal valve region involvement. We present a unique PCBL case located in splenic flexure of colon causing colonic obstruction. Case description/methods: A 56-year-old female presented with 10-day history of worsening diffuse abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting & inability to pass gas. She had diffuse abdominal tenderness & hyperactive bowel sounds. Labs were unremarkable. Abdominal CT scan revealed complete colonic obstruction from splenic flexure exophytic colonic mass measuring 14 x 10 x 10 cm with small mesenteric & hepatic lesions. Emergent laparoscopic transverse colon diverting loop colostomy performed due to high tumor burden that appeared to be unresectable. Subsequent colonoscopy showed large obstructing colon mass at splenic flexure of colon & proximal colon segments were dilated with decompressed distal colon. Biopsies from colon mass were indicative for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with extensive necrosis, high proliferation index, Ki-67 80% positive. Ultrasound guided liver biopsy revealed high grade B-cell lymphoma. FISH analysis revealed findings of MYC/IGH fusion in approximately 100% of nuclei without rearrangement of BCL2 or BCL6, consistent with PCBL. Chemotherapy initiated (etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, rituximab) with an excellent response. Surveillance colonoscopy at 5-year post-treatment showed no concerns for disease recurrence. Discussion: PCBL is not only very rare in adults but also rare outside of ileocecal area, where concentration of lymphoid tissue is relatively increased. In english literature there are only 2 published cases of PCBL at ileocecal valve location causing colonic obstruction. To the best of our knowledge, our PCBL case is unique as being the first case of PCBL atypically located in distal colon & causing colonic obstruction. Older age or atypical GI locations cannot exclude the possibility of PCBL & should be considered as part of differential diagnosis for high-grade GI lymphomas. With advances in chemotherapy, PCBL may respond well to therapy even in disseminated stage with colonic obstruction.Figure 1.: A: Nuclear medicine PET CT scan showing multiple FDG avid mesenteric masses consistent with lymphoma and evidence of hepatic metastasis. Figure B: CT scan abdomen revealing large splenic flexure exophytic colonic mass causing colonic obstruction. Figure C: Large obstructing colon mass seen at the splenic flexure of colon during colonoscopy. Figure D: Colon mass biopsy with hematoxylin & eosin stain at 200x magnification showing extensive necrosis with crush artifact and rare clusters of viable large neoplastic cells.

Young women of color figuring science and identity within and beyond an afterschool science program

ABSTRACT Background To attend to the social production of girls of color in science through the lens of history in person and local contentious practice, we propose a relational and nonrepresentational reading of STEM pathways. We invoke the conceptual lenses of wayfaring, knots, and meshwork to highlight the infinite ways of figuring science and becoming a science person in movement. We understand this as a life-long embodied process, entangled and marked by intersectionality and emotions. Methods Drawing on video recordings, fieldnotes, artifacts, interviews, and focus groups, collected from young women of color participating in an after-school program and over time (2009–2016), we examine moments of figuring science and identity in science. Findings Our analysis depicts identity work as a meshwork of trails emerging in the flow of the program activities and from deep relations of dignity among the young women of color extending beyond the afterschool program and through time. Contributions This paper offers a critique of the linear, unidirectional, and representational pipeline model of STEM education through a focus on wayfaring. In doing so, we call for a reframing of informal science learning experiences as contributing in important ways to a meshwork of lives and learning in science.

The Use of Pointwise Encoding Time Reduction With Radial Acquisition MRA to Assess Middle Cerebral Artery Stenosis Pre- and Post-stent Angioplasty: Comparison With 3D Time-of-Flight MRA and DSA.

Background and Purpose: 3D pointwise encoding time reduction magnetic resonance angiography (PETRA-MRA) is a promising non-contrast magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) technique for intracranial stenosis assessment but it has not been adequately validated against digital subtraction angiography (DSA) relative to 3D-time-of-flight (3D-TOF) MRA. The aim of this study was to compare PETRA-MRA and 3D-TOF-MRA using DSA as the reference standard for intracranial stenosis assessment before and after angioplasty and stenting in patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis.Materials and Methods: Sixty-two patients with MCA stenosis (age 53 ± 12 years, 43 males) underwent MRA and DSA within a week for pre-intervention evaluation and 32 of them had intracranial angioplasty and stenting performed. The MRAs' image quality, flow visualization within the stents, and susceptibility artifact were graded on a 1–4 scale (1 = poor, 4 = excellent) independently by three radiologists. The degree of stenosis was measured by two radiologists independently on DSA and MRAs.Results: There was an excellent inter-observer agreement for stenosis assessment on PETRA-MRA, 3D-TOF-MRA, and DSA (ICCs > 0.90). For pre-intervention evaluation, PETRA-MRA had better image quality than 3D-TOF-MRA (3.87 ± 0.34 vs. 3.38 ± 0.65, P < 0.001), and PETRA-MRA had better agreement with DSA for stenosis measurements compared to 3D-TOF-MRA (r = 0.96 vs. r = 0.85). For post-intervention evaluation, PETRA-MRA had better image quality than 3D-TOF-MRA for in-stent flow visualization and susceptibility artifacts (3.34 ± 0.60 vs. 1.50 ± 0.76, P < 0.001; 3.31 ± 0.64 vs. 1.41 ± 0.61, P < 0.001, respectively), and better agreement with DSA for stenosis measurements than 3D-TOF-MRA (r = 0.90 vs. r = 0.26). 3D-TOF-MRA significantly overestimated the stenosis post-stenting compared to DSA (84.9 ± 19.7 vs. 39.3 ± 13.6%, p < 0.001) while PETRA-MRA didn't (40.6 ± 13.7 vs. 39.3 ± 13.6%, p = 0.18).Conclusions: PETRA-MRA is accurate and reproducible for quantifying MCA stenosis both pre- and post-stenting compared with DSA and performs better than 3D-TOF-MRA.

Christophe Plantin’s Correspondence: Perspectives on Life and Work as a Publisher in 16th-Century Europe. Ed. by Dirk Imhof. On the Road with Plantin: Travel in the 16th Century

Exhibitions focused almost entirely on archival material are particularly rare, the assumption being that visitors are drawn to more visual historic artefacts. Documents might be included in support of the exhibition narrative or to reveal hidden histories of objects. But what if a substantial part of your collection, placed on the UNESCO ‘Memory of the World’ register, are the archives of a publishing firm founded in the sixteenth century? The Plantin‐Moretus Museum in Antwerp has been tackling this challenge for the last few years with several mini exhibitions featuring documents from its extensive archive, drawing visitors into the world of a sixteenth‐century publisher and Antwerp citizen. As part of the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of Plantin’s birth the Museum mounted two more exhibitions from the archives—‘Letters from Plantin’ and ‘Travelling with Plantin’. Most of us will not have the opportunity to see these exhibitions in person but fortunately each has an accompanying publication.

Heritage

Heritage

English

BACKGROUND In the evaluation of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), determination of bone marrow involvement is an integral part of staging work up. Peripheral blood counts and examination of blood smears are also done in patients with lymphoma as part of pre-treatment investigations. METHODS A cross sectional study of 78 patients with a prior histopathological diagnosis of NHL was conducted. Peripheral blood counts were performed on an automated haematology analyser to look for various cytopenias. Peripheral blood smears and bone marrow aspirate (BMA) / imprint smears were examined in detail for atypical lymphoid cells. Bone marrow trephine biopsies of these patients were studied to assess the NHL involvement and the various patterns of involvement. Adjuvant immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed in bone marrow biopsies with scant cellularity or crush artefact to discern the marrow involvement. RESULTS Bone marrow trephine biopsy showed involvement by lymphoma in 65.4 % cases. The incidence of involvement was higher in B-cell lymphomas, especially in low grade types. The predominant pattern of involvement was interstitial pattern (41.2 %). Discordant histology between bone marrow and the primary anatomic site was found in 7.8 % of the cases, which was seen more in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. Majority of the patients with bone marrow infiltration by NHL had anaemia (84.3 %). Bicytopenia and pancytopenia were also observed. On peripheral blood smear examination atypical lymphoid cells were present in 23 % cases. CONCLUSIONS Bone marrow examination is an important aspect in the diagnosis of NHL, because of its both prognostic and therapeutic implications. Hence, the presence of atypical lymphoid cells and other changes in the peripheral blood should be detected in these patients. KEYWORDS Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Bone Marrow Biopsy, Bone Marrow Aspirate / Imprint, Peripheral Blood Smear, Atypical Lymphoid Cells

Beyond the Visible, the Material and the Performative: Shifting Perspectives on the Visual in Organization Studies

Visual organizational research has burgeoned over the past decade. Despite an initially hesitant engagement with visuality in organization and management studies, it is now only proper to speak of a ‘visual turn’ in this domain of scholarly inquiry. We wish to take the opportunity provided by the Perspectives format to engage with prominent work published in Organization Studies, in appreciation of the diversity of approaches to the visual in organizational research, and highlight some generative tensions across this body of work. In particular, we have scrutinized six articles based on their treatment of signification (how the visual mode enables meaning-making and meaning-sharing in and around organizations), manifestation (how visual organizational artefacts and their properties relate to affordances) and implication (how visualization practices produce organizational outcomes). Inspired by the frictions and gaps across these articles, we developed three distinct perspective shifts that highlight the importance of the invisible, the immaterial and the performance within visualization. We conclude with a comparative matrix that maps different conceptualizations of visualization, and suggest opportunities for future research based on how we see the field of visual organizational studies evolving.

Exploring Data Visualisations: An Analytical Framework Based on Dimensional Components of Data Artefacts in Journalism

This study introduces a synthesised framework for the analysis of data visualisations in the news. Through a close examination of seminal content analyses, their methodologies and findings, this article proposes a framework that consolidates dimensional components of data visualisations previously scattered across this body of research. To transition from incidental and essentialist examinations of visual data artefacts towards a systematic and theory-informed exploration, we consider the diagrammatic dimensions of data visualisations. The offered synthesized framework can serve as a starting point for both theory-infused descriptive purposes as well as more theory-guided explorations. The framework is put to the test by analysing 185 visualisations drawn from award-winning data stories. Findings generated through the application of the framework highlight the varied composition of components of data visualisations, though certain combinations of components are prevalent, leading to static categorical comparisons or interactive spatial localization. After all, data artefacts can be understood as problem-posing elements that are the outcome of diagrammatic thinking that journalists employ to communicate claims.

Tracks to gay elsewheres: cultural attachment and spatial imaginaries

This article considers how cultural narratives of queer migration to urban centres are understood through media and cultural references that mark specific non-urban places and times. Through an analysis of queer migration narratives in Smalltown Boy (1984), a song and music video by UK band Bronski Beat, and Boytown (2012), its suburban Sydney reimagining by artist Daniel Mudie Cunningham and DJ Stephen Allkins, I argue that the interconnections between visual, media and cultural artefacts are not merely an additive way to understand queer cultural geographies but rather signal intertwined geographic and aesthetic registers. In Boytown, the explicitly gay lyrics and imagery of Smalltown Boy are paired with other songs and music videos that connote queerness but also directly relate to suburban images of youthful alienation. The attachment to urban narratives and images is supplemented by this distinctly suburban attachment. In this article, I argue that conventional statistical figurations of changes to gay ghettoisation and now well-established critiques of queer urbanity are usefully combined and expanded by considering cultural attachment. This article demonstrates the generative intersection of creative geographies and geographies of sexualities attuned to the queer suburban.

A monolingual approach in an English primary school: practices and implications

This paper investigates a monolingual approach to the teaching of linguistic minority pupils in an English primary school at Key Stage Two (7–11 years old). The work is based on a longitudinal case study of one Russian-speaking migrant pupil and her schooled experience. The analysis and discussion explicate the prohibition of the first or home language (Russian) in the school, and reveal how denying a seven-year-old migrant child permission to use her L1 is detrimental to her learning experience and her well-being. The focal data derive from participant-observation fieldnotes, visual artefacts and interviews with the child, her mother, and a class teacher over a 7-month period. Through an analysis of the participants’ stancetaking, we show how the pupil’s voice is inaudible in her struggle against a monolingual attitude towards her bilingualism and multicompetence. Our contribution therefore builds on work in critical migrant language education, to identify the importance of enabling the presence of the L1 in learning for migrant pupils.

Video Data Analysis for Tracing Emotional Aspects of Collaborative Design and Making Processes

The purpose of the article is to introduce a systematic, three-level video analysis method for tracing the emotional aspects of a collaborative design and making process. Maker-centred learning can evoke strong emotions affecting students’ motivation because it involves them in externalising their ideas through conceptual, visual and material artefacts. For analysing longitudinal collaborative processes, we developed the visual Making-Process-Rug video analysis method, which enables tracing materially mediated verbal and embodied making processes. We provide examples of the method using data, where a team of seventh-grade students performing regular schoolwork were engaged in using traditional and digital fabrication technologies for inventing, designing, and making artefacts. Taking a case study perspective, we focus on a team of four students who worked on a smart product project. We analysed video recordings from the team’s 11 hours of design and making sessions on three levels: macro, intermediate and micro. The benefit of the three-level method is that it allows simultaneous analysis of social-discursive and materially embodied aspects of activities. It also enables analysing large samples of video data systematically, and focusing on both micro-level and macro-level perspectives of activity. The method for identifying emotions from video data has potential for educational research on various fields, however, the culture-specific expressions and interpretations of emotions require special attention when developing the method further. Keywords: basic education, collaborative process, emotional expression, Making-Process-Rug, sociomateriality, video analysis method

Comparative analysis of CT guided vertebral biopsy by a conventional bone biopsy needle versus bone biopsy needle with acquisition cradle

BackgroundWe aimed to compare the rate of diagnostically successful vertebral biopsies using conventional bone biopsy needles versus those performed with bone biopsy needles with an acquisition cradle. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the data of patients who underwent CT-guided vertebral biopsy between December 2017 to December 2019 at our institute. From December 2017 to November 2018, the procedure was performed on 185 patients using an 11G conventional bone biopsy needle, Jamshidi needleTM “(group 1)”. From December 2018 to December 2019, the procedure was performed on 242 patients using an 11G T-handle Jamshidi needle with an acquisition cradle “(group 2)”. We reviewed their histopathological reports for both groups of patients to determine the rate of diagnostically successful biopsies. We also compared the crush artifact amongst the unsuccessful biopsy samples acquired by the two types of biopsy needles. Results427 patients (270 male and 157 female patients; mean age, 46.4 years; age range, 25–67 years) who underwent CT-guided vertebral biopsy from December 2017 to December 2019 were included in our study. In group 1, diagnostic success was achieved in 136 out of 185 biopsies (73.5%); whereas in group 2, diagnostic success was achieved in 219 out of 242 biopsies (90.50%), p < 0.0001. Out of the diagnostically unsuccessful biopsies in Group 1, 36 out of 49 (73.5%) were due to crush artifact; whereas crush artifact accounted for only 3 out of 23 (13.0%) diagnostically unsuccessful biopsies in group 2, p < 0.0001. Other causes of unsuccessful biopsies (hemorrhagic contents or presence of normal osseous tissue and fibrin only) were statistically insignificant. ConclusionThe use of a T-handle Jamshidi needle with an acquisition cradle appears beneficial compared to the conventional Jamshidi needle in terms of the significantly higher rate of diagnostic success and a lower rate of crush artifact.

Disentangling the Protection Suit: Images, Artefacts, and the Making of the Health-Security Nexus

The protection suit is the icon of infectious disease outbreaks. I argue that the protection suit has performative power not only by shaping the daily tasks of health workers and their interaction with patients, but also as a visual artefact and as a two-dimensional image determining how health crises and their security implications are understood and dealt with. The article proceeds in three steps: it firstly highlights the current absence of visuality in the academic literature on health security and makes the case for including it in the debate. Secondly, with recourse to Actor-Network Theory (ANT) it theoretically locates visual representations, as images and artefacts, as actors that act and enact each other in the health-security nexus. The third part of the article follows the protection suit during the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and maps the visual network it creates. In doing so this article demonstrates how the suit as artefact and image constitutes a network that visually and sensually links the bodies of patients, health workers and distant viewers in complex and at times competing makings of health security.