Speech-controlled generation of radiology reports

Voice entry has been successfully employed to generate radiology reports with a word recognizer with a 1,000-word lexicon capacity. About 50% of reports were able to be dictated with a single 900-word lexicon. This was split into five sections by anatomic or subspecialty application. Each was augmented to 900 words. By switching from one lexicon to another, it was possible to dictate more than 70% of reports. With exclusive use of three lexicons in subspecialty areas (gastrointestinal radiology, neuroradiology, and mammography), and with further modification of the respective vocabulary, it has been possible to employ the system 88% of the time. Twelve percent of cases included wording that was beyond the scope of the lexicon. Computer subsets that allow different translations of some words when used in different contexts have been used. Some of these are used as triggers that will print whole lines, sentences, or even complete reports. Dictation times with voice entry take about 20% longer. Recognition reliability has been greater than 95%.     

Molecular Epidemiology of Glanders, Pakistan

We collected epidemiologic and molecular data from Burkholderia mallei isolates from equines in Punjab, Pakistan from 1999 through 2007. We show that recent outbreaks are genetically distinct from available whole genome sequences and that these genotypes are persistent and ubiquitous in Punjab, probably due to human-mediated movement of equines.     

Soft tissue sarcomas in infants younger than 1 year of age: a report of the German Soft Tissue Sarcoma Study Group (CWS-81)

Of 357 patients with soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) who were registered between 1981 and 1986 in the CWS-81 study, 21 (5.8%) were younger than 1 year of age. Six cases were probably of congenital origin since they were diagnosed in the 1st month of life. There was no difference in clinical grouping (staging and primary site) between infants and older patients. The major histological subsets comprised 12 patients with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (57% vs. 44% in older patients) and five patients with fibrosarcoma (23% vs. 2% in older patients). Of 21 patients, 17 received chemotherapy. The response rate (tumor reduction more than 1/3) to exclusive cytostatics therapy within 7-9 weeks, of ten evaluable patients, was 100% (vs. 86% in older patients). Eight of the responders achieved complete remission after 16 weeks of therapy and are in continuous complete remission (CCR). Most patients received 20-50% of the recommended chemotherapy dose for older children, which was calculated using body surface area. No fatal or life-threatening complications were observed. The event-free survival rate for children younger than 1 year of age with rhabdomyosarcoma was 70% vs. 47% in older children (no significant difference). Now, 2-5 years after therapy all five fibrosarcoma patients are alive and free of disease. Our data indicate that children under 1 year of age with rhabdomyosarcoma have a slightly better prognosis than older children, when therapy modalities are adapted to age.