Reverse engineering techniques applied to a human skull,for CAD 3D reconstruction and physical replication by rapid prototyping

The production of a copy of an existing object of complex shape is one of the typical applications of the integration between two modern computer-based technologies, reverse engineering (RE) and rapid prototyping (RP). The method is extremely versatile and can be used in various applicative domains (e.g. replacement of anatomical parts with artificial prostheses, replication of skeletal remains). Two different acquisition techniques of images of a skull, by laser and by CT scan, were compared to ascertain which enabled more accurate reproduction of the original specimen. The skull was chosen due to it being the body part most often used in medico-legal investigations (for personal identification, skull-photo superimposition techniques, forensic art, etc). Comparison between the copy and the original yielded satisfactory results for both techniques. However, CT scanning demonstrated some advantages over the laser technique, as it provided a cleaner point cloud, enabling shorter pre-reproduction processing times, as well as data on the internal parts, which resulted in the reproduction of a more faithful copy.     

Prediction of Oncotype Dx recurrence score using clinical parameters: A comparison of available tools and a simple predictor based on grade and progesterone receptor

Objective/BackgroundThe Oncotype Dx test is a genomic test currently used in clinical practice to predict the risk of disease recurrence in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer patients with axillary lymph node-negative or micrometastatic disease. The test is one of several similar genomically based tests available. Although it has a good predictive value, it is expensive and thus constitutes a significant financial burden for health systems. Thus, several attempts have been made to devise low-cost tools that could predict the recurrence score derived from the genomic evaluation using easily obtainable clinical parameters.MethodsTwo previously proposed predictive tools were evaluated in a cohort of 201 patients that had undergone the Oncotype Dx test for their efficacy in predicting the Oncotype Dx Recurrence Score (RS). A simple predictor, named GR-PR, based on two available pathologic parameters, grade and progesterone receptor status was devised and also evaluated.ResultsThe sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of all three tools were compared and found to be similar for all cutoff points of Oncotype Dx RS. The accuracy of GR-PR was comparable to the best performing of the two other prediction tools for all four cutoff points.ConclusionThe simple GR-PR predictor proposed in this study seems to be at least as accurate as more complex tools and should be the preferred tool for the prediction of Oncotype Dx RS from clinicopathologic parameters when the Oncotype Dx test is not available.     

The outcome measures for loss of functionality in the activities of daily living of adults after stroke: a systematic review

Objective: To provide clinicians and researchers information regarding (1) the existing outcome measures to assess the loss of functionality in the activities of daily living (ADLs) of patients with stroke and (2) the presence of these assessment tools in the Italian context.

Study Design and Setting: For this Systematic Review Medline, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched for articles published up to 4 July 2017. Two authors independently identified eligible studies on the basis of prede?ned inclusion criteria and extracted data. Study quality and risk of bias were assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies.

Results: Of 370 publications identified and screened, 46 studies fell within the inclusion criteria and were critically reviewed. The most commonly used tools were: the Frenchay Activities Index and the Functional Independence Measure.

Conclusion: This review has emphasized the need for agreement among researchers as to which tool must be studied in depth or adapted to other national contexts in order to develop universal norms and standards.     

Assessment of clients with cognitive impairments: A survey of Norwegian occupational therapists in municipal practice

Background: With the Coordination Reform Act initiated in 2012, Norwegian occupational therapists in municipal practice have been given responsibilities concerning clients with cognitive impairments. With emphasis on supporting best practice, the aim was to investigate the practice of Norwegian municipal occupational therapists (OTs) in their assessment of clients with cognitive impairments.

Method: An online questionnaire was used to collect data from 497 of 1367 OTs in Norwegian municipalities (RR?=?36%)

Results: The most frequently used methods were informal interviews (91%), observations (91%) and standardized assessments (73%). The most frequently used standardized assessments were the Clock Drawing test (60%) and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE 59%). The most common reasons for using standardized assessments were to get a better foundation for initiating interventions (74%), to get more reliable results (64%) and to measure the effect of interventions (47%). The most common reasons for not using standardized assessments were that they did not have competence (49%) or that they did not have access to the materials (40%).

Conclusion: The results indicate that there are challenges when it comes to the methods and standardized assessments used. These findings invite further research on enabling municipal OTs to move further towards evidence-based practice.     

Numbers and Letters: Exploring an Autistic Savant’s Unpractised Ability

This paper describes an individual with autism and high-level calendar calculation ability who could perform a set of unpractised letter/number association tasks. The savant’s performance was compared with that of two control participants, one a departmental secretary and the other a professor of mathematics. The facility with which the savant could master the rules governing the relationships between the series of items suggests that he possessed a flexibility of mental processing transcending his ability of calendar calculation. Furthermore, he could recalibrate previous knowledge to solve new hitherto unpractised tasks. When presented with novel problems, the savant, unlike the mathematician, made no initial errors at all on any of the presented tasks, thereby indicating his fast and spontaneous recognition of new rules and of new relationships between items. It is concluded that a cognitive style of ‘weak central coherence’ as adopted by autistic savants may protect single representations from being retained in the form of stable enduring wholes, and that such a segmentation strategy may allow for the transformation, reorganization and reconstruction of the relationship between single items of information.     

Maximizing computational tools for successful drug discovery

Drug discovery is an iterative cycle of identifying promising hits followed by lead optimization via bioisosteric replacements. In the search for compounds affording good bioactivity, equal importance should also be placed on achieving those with favorable pharmacokinetic properties. Thus, the balance and realization of both key properties is an intricate problem that requires great caution. In this editorial, the authors explore the available computational tools in the context of the extant of big data that has borne out via advents of the Omics revolution. As such, the selection of appropriate computational tools for analyzing the vast number of chemical libraries, target proteins and interactomes is the first step toward maximizing the chance for success. However, in order to realize this, it is also necessary to have a solid foundation on the big concepts of drug discovery as well as knowing which tools are available in order to give drug discovery scientists the best opportunity.