New 3-Dimensional Volumetric Ultrasound Method for Accurate Quantification of Atherosclerotic Plaque Volume

BackgroundCarotid and femoral plaque burden is a recognized biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk. A new electronic-sweep 3-dimensional (3D)–matrix transducer method can improve the functionality and image quality of vascular ultrasound atherosclerosis imaging.ObjectivesThis study aimed to validate this method for plaque volume measurement in early and intermediate–advanced plaques in the carotid and femoral territories.MethodsPlaque volumes were measured ex vivo in pig carotid and femoral artery specimens by 3-dimensional vascular ultrasound (3DVUS) using a 3D-matrix (electronic-sweep) transducer and its associated 3D plaque quantification software, and were compared with gold-standard histology. To test the clinical feasibility and accuracy of the 3D-matrix transducer, an experiment was conducted in intermediate–high risk individuals with carotid and femoral atherosclerosis. The results were compared with those obtained using the previously validated mechanical-sweep 3D transducer and established 2-dimensional (2D)–based plaque quantification software.ResultsIn the ex vivo study, the authors assessed 19 atherosclerotic plaques (plaque volume, 0.76 µL-56.30 μL), finding strong agreement between measurements with the 3D-matrix transducer and the histological gold-standard (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]: 0.992; [95% CI: 0.978-0.997]). In the clinical analysis of 20 patients (mean age 74.6 ± 4.45 years; 40% men), the authors found 64 (36 carotid and 28 femoral) of 80 scanned territories with atherosclerosis (measured atherosclerotic volume, 10 μL-859 μL). There was strong agreement between measurements made from electronic-sweep and mechanical-sweep 3DVUS transducers (ICC: 0.997 [95% CI: 0.995-0.998]). Agreement was also high between plaque volumes estimated by the 2D and 3D plaque quantification software applications (ICC: 0.999 [95% CI: 0.998-0.999]). Analysis time was significantly shorter with the 3D plaque quantification software than with the 2D multislice approach with a mean time reduction of 46%.Conclusions3DVUS using new matrix transducer technology, together with improved 3D plaque quantification software, simplifies the accurate volume measurement of early (small) and intermediate–advanced plaques located in carotid and femoral arteries.     

Predicting the presence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea based on mandibular measurements using quantitative analysis of facial profiles via three-dimensional photogrammetry

BackgroundIn obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the upper airway is obstructed during sleep due to obesity and/or posterior collapse of the tongue root. Maxillofacial morphological abnormalities increase the risk of OSA in the Asian population. This study sought to elucidate whether three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetry measurements correlate with the severity of OSA irrespective of sex and degree of obesity.MethodsA prospective pilot study was performed, in which 37 consecutive adult patients (M/F = 28/9) underwent polysomnography and 3D photogrammetry in the supine position for the diagnosis of OSA. Measurements obtained from 3D photogrammetry included mandibular width (Mw), mandibular length (Ml), mandibular depth (Md), mandibular width–length angle (Mwla), and mandibular area (Ma). The effects of sex and body mass index (BMI) on the measurements and their association with the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) were statistically analyzed. The inter-rater reliability of the measurements was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC).ResultsMwla (R = 0.73, p < 0.01), Mw (R = 0.39, p < 0.05), and Md (R = ?0.34, p < 0.05) were significantly correlated with the severity of OSA. On multivariate analysis, Mwla (p < 0.01) and Md (p < 0.05) remained independent factors for AHI after adjusting for sex, age, BMI, and neck circumference. In addition, diagnosability analysis revealed that Mwla was useful for identifying the presence of OSA (AHI ≥5) (cutoff: 78.6°, sensitivity: 0.938, specificity: 0.800, area under the curve: 0.931). The ICC was >0.9, showing high reliability.ConclusionsThis study suggests that Mwla measured using 3D photogrammetry can predict the presence of OSA and correlates with the severity of OSA, independent of obesity and sex.     

Automated Quantification in Echocardiography

Echocardiography remains the predominant modality for cardiac imaging. Recent technological advances have led to the availability of new echocardiographic techniques for more accurate quantification of volumes, function, myocardial mechanics, and valvular heart disease. However, in our opinion, the real-world clinical uptake of these techniques has been poor due to limited awareness and familiarity, associated time burden, and issues of variability. Automation represents a potential solution to these issues and has already made routine myocardial strain measurements and 2- and 3-dimensional left ventricular ejection fraction measurements a clinical reality. Further enhancements in automation and data in understudied populations are likely to assist in the uptake of these new quantitative echocardiographic techniques in routine clinical practice. This review discusses current automated quantification techniques in echocardiography and their limitations and describes how these techniques can be incorporated into echocardiography laboratories.     

Direct Measurement of ATP7B Peptides Is Highly Effective in the Diagnosis of Wilson Disease

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Models for cultural inheritance: a general linear model

Background: Body mass index (BMI) is often criticised since it doesn’t consider sex, age and ethnicity, which may affect the height scaling exponent of the equation.

Aims: First, to identify specific height scaling exponents (α) based on sex, age and ethnicity. Second, to assess the performance of the current vs the proposed BMI equations (1) to predict total fat mass (TFM) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) severity and (2) to correctly identify obese individuals and those having MetS.

Methods: In total, 41,403 individuals aged 20–80?years (NHANES, 1999–2014) were studied. Specific “α” were identified using the Benn formula. Various statistical approaches were performed to assess performances of the current vs the proposed-BMIs.

Results: The proposed “α” varies from 1.2 to 2.5, after considering sex, age and ethnicity. BMIs calculated using the proposed “α” showed a similar capacity to predict TFM and MetS severity and to correctly identify obese individuals and those having MetS compared to the current BMI.

Conclusions: Despite sex, age and ethnicity modulating the height scaling exponent of the BMI equation, using these proposed exponents in the BMI equation didn’t improve the capacity to predict TFM and MetS severity, suggesting that the current BMI remains a valid clinical tool.     

Microwave sensor for the investigation of glucose-dependent reflection properties in aqueous samples

Abstract

The reported paper presents the development of a microwave sensor with a resonant frequency 2.4?GHz. The sensor is also demonstrated in vitro to investigate the variation in its response as a function of glucose concentration. The sensor could be used for the monitoring of blood glucose level in diabetics through non-invasive technology. The approach followed is based on the notion that, change in glucose concentration in the blood affects dielectric properties of blood which in turn produce an impact on reflection properties of the sensor. This effect on response of sensor will be ultimately used to estimate blood glucose concentration. The design specifications considered for the development of sensor are defined in the paper. The experimental setup for in vitro experiment and procedure employed for the investigation of the reflection properties of the sensor as a function of glucose concentration are also discussed in detail. The shift in resonance frequency and the change in the magnitude of the reflection coefficient of proposed sensor have been observed. The reported measurement results are the preliminary results in exploring the implementation of proposed sensor for non-invasive blood glucose monitoring.     

乳腺癌DCE-MRI参数及ADC与病理分子预后标记物的相关性分析

目的分析乳腺癌动态对比增强磁共振成像(dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging,DCE-MRI)参数、表观扩散系数(apparent diffusion coefficient,ADC)与病理分子预后标记物的相关性。材料与方法回顾性分析我院106例乳腺癌患者临床资料,分别比较雌激素受体(estrogen receptor,ER)、孕激素受体(progesterone receptor,PR)、细胞增殖抗原Ki67及雄激素受体(androgen receptor,AR)阳性表达与阴性表达者DCE-MRI参数、ADC差异,并分析DCE-MRI参数、ADC与ER、PR、Ki67、AR表达的相关性。结果经Spearman秩相关检验,发现ER、PR及AR阳性表达与直径、边缘毛刺呈显著负相关(P<0.05),AR表达阳性表达还与达峰时间(time to peak,TTP)、ADC值呈显著正相关(P<0.05);Ki67阳性表达与直径、边缘毛刺呈显著正相关(P<0.05),与TTP、ADC值呈显著负相关(P<0.05)。结论DCE-MRI形态学参数及TTP、ADC值与乳腺癌分子生物学标记物具有一定相关性,对判断乳腺癌预后有利。     

最小表观扩散系数值鉴别诊断巨细胞型胶质母细胞瘤与胶质母细胞瘤

目的探讨最小表观扩散系数(minimum ADC,ADCmin)值鉴别诊断颅内胶质母细胞瘤与巨细胞型胶质母细胞瘤的价值。材料与方法回顾性分析经手术及病理证实的11例巨细胞型胶质母细胞瘤与19例经典型胶质母细胞瘤的MRI资料,所有患者术前均接受MR平扫、增强和DWI检查。测量肿瘤实质部分ADCmin值,比较两者之间的差异,并以ROC曲线分析其诊断效能。结果巨细胞胶质母细胞瘤ADCmin值为(0.989±0.104)×10^-3mm²/s,胶质细胞瘤ADCmin值为(0.837±0.111)×10^-3mm²/s,差异有统计学意义(t=3.671,P=0.001)。ROC曲线结果显示,AUC为0.852(P=0.002),以0.880×10^-3mm²/s为临界值,鉴别诊断两种肿瘤的敏感度为90.9%,特异度为68.4%。结论ADCmin在巨细胞型胶质母细胞瘤与经典型胶质母细胞瘤的鉴别诊断中具有较高的临床应用价值,可作为常规MR检查的有效补充。     

Probing the interfacial strength of novel multi-layer zirconias

ObjectivesThe rapidly increasing use of zirconia-based CAD/CAM multi-layer structures in dentistry calls for a thorough evaluation of their mechanical integrity. This work examines the effect of the multi-layering architecture as well as variations in composition and inclusion of pigments among the layers on the flexural strength of multi-layer zirconias.MethodsA modified 4-point bending test, aided by a Finite Element Analysis (FEA), was used to probe the interfacial strength of 3 classes of yttria-partially-stabilized zirconia: Ultra Translucent Multi-Layer (UTML—5Y-PSZ), Super Translucent Multi-Layer (STML—4Y-PSZ), Multi-Layer (ML—3Y-PSZ). In accord with the size limitation (22-mm height) of CAD/CAM pucks, test samples were prepared in the form of “long” (25 × 2 × 3 mm) and “short” (17.8 × 1.5 × 2 mm) beams. Homogeneous beams (both long and short) were produced from either the Enamel (the lightest shade) or Dentin (the darkest shade) layer, whereas multi-layer beams (short beam only) were obtained by cutting the pucks along their thickness direction, where the material components of various shades were stacked.ResultsThe Enamel and Dentin layers exhibited similar flexural strength for a given material class, with ML amassing the highest strength (800–900 MPa) followed by STML (560–650 MPa) and UTML (470–500 MPa). The 3 classes of multi-layer zirconia showed a trade-off between strength and translucency, reflecting different yttria contents in these materials. The failure stress of the cross-sectional multi-layer beams was, however, ∼30% lower than that of their Enamel or Dentin layer counterparts, regardless of material tested.SignificanceThe weakness of interfaces is a drawback in these materials. Additionally, when measuring strength using short beam flexure, friction between the specimen and supporting pins and accuracy in determining loading span distances may lead to major errors.