Recursive tracking of vascular tree axes in 3D medical images

Object This article describes a method for automated extraction of branching structures in three dimensional (3D) medical images. Materials and methods The algorithm recursively tracks branches and detects bifurcations by analyzing the binary connected components on the surface of a sphere that moves along the vessels. Local segmentation within the sphere is performed using a clustering algorithm based on both geometric and intensity information. It minimizes a combination of the intra-class intensity variances and of the inertia moment of the “vessel” class, which emphasizes the cylindrical structures. The algorithm was applied to 16 MRA and 12 CTA 3D images of different anatomic regions. Its capability of extracting all the branches and avoiding spurious detections was evaluated by comparing the number of extracted branches with the number of branches found by visual inspection of the datasets. Its reproducibility and sensitivity to parameter variation were also assessed. Results With a fixed parameter setting, 68 out of 286 perceptible branches were missed or partly extracted and 11 spurious branches were obtained. Increasing the weight of the geometric criterion helped in tracking the principal branches in noisy data but increased the number of missed branches. Processing time was within 5 min per dataset. Conclusion From one initial point, the algorithm extracts a vascular tree where the differences of size and of intensity between the branches are not large. Missed sub-trees can be recovered using additional starting points.     

Tigecycline antibacterial activity,clinical effectiveness,and mechanisms and epidemiology of resistance: narrative review

European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases - Tigecycline is unique glycylcycline class of semisynthetic antimicrobial agents developed for the treatment of polymicrobial...     

Decoding caspase signaling in host immunity to the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi

Caspases, a family of cysteinyl-aspartate-specific proteases, induce apoptosis but are also involved in signal transduction in live cells. Caspase activation and apoptosis in T lymphocytes occur following infection with parasites and might affect immune responses. Rapid progress has occurred in the development and testing of caspase inhibitors and other apoptosis blockers, which are potentially useful for treating diseases associated with the pathogenic effects of apoptosis. Pharmacological approaches and the use of genetically modified hosts can be combined in research strategies to understand how apoptosis and caspase signaling affect the immune system.     

Bone response to three different chemical compositions of fluorcanasite glass-ceramic

The aim of this study was to evaluate the bone response to three fluorcanasite glass-ceramic compositions with different solubilities (K3, K5, and K8) after implantation in a femur rabbit model. Fluorcanasite glass-ceramic rods were implanted bilaterally in the mid-shafts rabbit femurs. Implants were harvested at 8 and 12 weeks and prepared for histological and histomorphometric analyses at the light microscope level. Bioglass 45S5 rods were used as a control material. At 8 weeks, all fluorcanasite glass-ceramics were entirely surrounded by a nonmineralized connective tissue. At 12 weeks, reduced areas of bone tissue were observed in the cortical area in direct contact with the K3 and K5 fluorcanasite glass-ceramics compared to Bioglass 45S5, whereas no bone tissue was observed in direct contact with the K8 surface. Bone-to-implant contact in the cortical area was affected by the material chemical composition and ranked as follows: Bioglass 45S5>K3>K5>K8 (p=0.001). In the bone marrow, a layer of fibrous connective tissue formed in direct contact with the fluorcanasite glass-ceramics and Bioglass 45S5, and only rarely exhibited contact osteogenesis. All the fluorcanasite glass-ceramics appeared to degrade in the biological environment. The solubility ratio did not alter significantly the biological reply of the fluorcanasite glass-ceramics in vivo. Further modifications of the chemical composition of the fluorcanasite glass-ceramic are required to increase the stability of the material in vivo.     

Nanotechnology in Tuberculosis: State of the Art and the Challenges Ahead

Tuberculosis (TB) remains as the second most-deadly infection right behind the HIV/AIDS. Actually, in 2016, TB incidence was estimated in 10.4 million cases. Although an efficient and low-cost TB pharmacotherapy has been available for the last 50 years, the development of multi- and extra-drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains has put on the spot the necessity of improved TB regimens. In this framework, this review article presents the main relevant research outcomes of nanotechnology in TB. The novel delivery systems for antituberculosis drugs have been discussed. Moreover, the active-targeted nanomedicines to the Mtb reservoirs enlighten the possibility to eradicate low-replicant mycobacteria and diminish latent TB. Finally, we present an overview of the TB socio-economic impact and the cost-related features of TB regimens associated with the use of nanoformulations.     

Associations between a Mediterranean diet pattern and inflammatory biomarkers in European adolescents

Aim

To test whether the Mediterranean diet score and each food-subgroup is associated with inflammatory biomarkers in European adolescents.

Methods

In 464 adolescents (13–17 years) of the European HELENA study, data were available on body composition, inflammation markers, and food intake determined by two computerized 24-h recalls. The Mediterranean diet score and its food-subgroups (Vegetables, Fruits and Nuts, Pulses, Cereal and Roots, Monounsaturated/Saturated fat ratio, Dairy, Fish, Meat and Alcohol) were evaluated. A set of inflammation-related biomarkers was measured: IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, TGFβ-1, TNF-α, sVCAM-1, sICAM1, sE-selectin, white blood cells, lymphocytes, CD3, CRP, GGT, ALT, and homocysteine. Multivariate and multiple linear regression analyses were adjusted for age, sex, country, socioeconomic status, paternal and maternal education, adiposity, and smoking habits.

Results

The Mediterranean diet score was positively associated with CRP, and negatively with sVCAM-1. The subgroups showed the following positive/negative associations: Vegetables with IL-10(+), CRP(+), CD3(+), ALT(+), lymphocytes(+), sE-selectin(?); Fruits and Nuts with IL-4(?), TNF-alpha; Pulses with IL-5(+), IL-6(+), IL-2(?); Cereals and Roots with IL-6(?), IL-10(?); Monounsaturated/Saturated-fat ratio with IL-6(+), TGFβ-1(+), sVCAM-1(+boys, ?girls), homocysteine(?); Dairy with IL-1(+), IL-5(+), IL-6(+), IL-10(+), TGFβ-1(+), homocysteine(?); Fish with homocysteine(?); Meat with IL-2(+), IL-10(+); Alcohol with CRP(+), lymphocytes(?). Sex differences were found.

Conclusion

Some specific food–inflammation associations were found, suggesting that diet is to a certain extent already related to inflammation in adolescents and can be used in disease prevention. Also some counterintuitive results were found, which might be due to grouping very different foods into a single group, besides considering that the human body may respond differently depending on the interaction between diet, lifestyle, genetics, biochemical individuality, age and sex.

     

Message Framing in Vaccine Communication: A Systematic Review of Published Literature

Suboptimal vaccination rates are a significant problem in many countries today, in spite of improved access to vaccine services. As a result, there has been a recent expansion of research on how best to communicate about vaccines. The purpose of the present article is to provide an updated review of published, peer-reviewed empirical studies that examined the effectiveness of gain versus loss framing (i.e., goal framing) in the context of vaccine communication. To locate studies, we examined the reference list from the previous meta-analytic review (O’Keefe & Nan, 2012), and we conducted systematic searches across multiple databases. We included 34 studies in the qualitative synthesis. The relative effectiveness of goal-framed vaccine messages was often shown to depend on characteristics of the message recipient, perceived risk, or situational factors, yet most effects were inconsistent across studies, or simply limited by an insufficient number of studies. Methodological characteristics and variations are noted and discussed. The review points to several directions concerning moderators and mediators of framing effects where additional rigorous studies would be needed.