Visualization of Cataract Surgery Steps With 4D Microscope-Integrated Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography in Ex Vivo Porcine Eyes.

Purpose: To investigate the visualization capabilities of high-speed swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) in cataract surgery.

Methods: Cataract surgery was simulated in wet labs with ex vivo porcine eyes. Each phase of the surgery was visualized with a novel surgical microscope-integrated SS-OCT with a variable imaging speed of over 1 million A-scans per second.

Unpacking Phthalates from Obscurity in the Environment.

Phthalates (PAEs) are a group of synthetic esters of phthalic acid compounds mostly used as plasticizers in plastic materials but are widely applied in most industries and products. As plasticizers in plastic materials, they are not chemically bound to the polymeric matrix and easily leach out. Logically, PAEs should be prevalent in the environment, but their prevalence, transport, fate, and effects have been largely unknown until recently.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Outcomes for Patients with Lung Cancer Receiving Curative-intent Radiotherapy in the UK.

Aims: Previous work found that during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, 34% of patients with lung cancer treated with curative-intent radiotherapy in the UK had a change to their centre's usual standard of care treatment (Banfill et al. Clin Oncol 2022;34:19-27). We present the impact of these changes on patient outcomes.

Live 4D-OCT denoising with self-supervised deep learning.

By providing three-dimensional visualization of tissues and instruments at high resolution, live volumetric optical coherence tomography (4D-OCT) has the potential to revolutionize ophthalmic surgery. However, the necessary imaging speed is accompanied by increased noise levels. A high data rate and the requirement for minimal latency impose major limitations for real-time noise reduction.

Raspberry plant stress detection using hyperspectral imaging.

Monitoring plant responses to stress is an ongoing challenge for crop breeders, growers, and agronomists. The measurement of below-ground stress is particularly challenging as plants do not always show visible signs of stress in the above-ground organs, particularly at early stages. Hyperspectral imaging is a technique that could be used to overcome this challenge if associations between plant spectral data and specific stresses can be determined.

Surgical microscope integrated MHz SS-OCT with live volumetric visualization.

Intraoperative optical coherence tomography is still not overly pervasive in routine ophthalmic surgery, despite evident clinical benefits. That is because today's spectral-domain optical coherence tomography systems lack flexibility, acquisition speed, and imaging depth. We present to the best of our knowledge the most flexible swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) engine coupled to an ophthalmic surgical microscope that operates at MHz A-scan rates.

Ultra-Widefield OCT Angiography.

Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA), a functional extension of OCT, has the potential to replace most invasive fluorescein angiography (FA) exams in ophthalmology. So far, OCTA's field of view is however still lacking behind fluorescence fundus photography techniques. This is problematic, because many retinal diseases manifest at an early stage by changes of the peripheral retinal capillary network.

Changes in the Management of Patients having Radical Radiotherapy for Lung Cancer during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK.

Aims: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, guidelines on reduced fractionation for patients treated with curative-intent radiotherapy were published, aimed at reducing the number of hospital attendances and potential exposure of vulnerable patients to minimise the risk of COVID-19 infection. We describe the changes that took place in the management of patients with stage I-III lung cancer from April to October 2020.

Materials And Methods: Lung Radiotherapy during the COVID-19 Pandemic (COVID-RT Lung) is a prospective multicentre UK cohort study.

Alcohol Consumption and Incident Cataract Surgery in Two Large UK Cohorts.

Purpose: To examine the association of alcohol consumption and type of alcoholic beverage with incident cataract surgery in 2 large cohorts.

Design: Longitudinal, observational study.

Participants: We included 469 387 participants of UK Biobank with a mean age of 56 years and 23 162 participants of European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk with a mean age of 59 years.

Cervical ganglioneuroma mimicking a carotid body tumour.

A 30-year-old woman was referred to the ear, nose and throat clinic by her primary care physician for a 10-year history of an asymptomatic, large, right-sided neck mass. On examination, the patient had a palpable, non-tender, five-by-four centimetre, mobile, right-sided level II neck mass. CT scan with intravenous contrast showed an enhancing mass with multiple fluid cavities, splaying the external carotid and internal carotid arteries, concerning for a carotid body tumour.

Prediction of acute myeloid leukaemia risk in healthy individuals.

The incidence of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) increases with age and mortality exceeds 90% when diagnosed after age 65. Most cases arise without any detectable early symptoms and patients usually present with the acute complications of bone marrow failure. The onset of such de novo AML cases is typically preceded by the accumulation of somatic mutations in preleukaemic haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) that undergo clonal expansion.

Evaluation at scale of microbiome-derived metabolites as biomarker of flavan-3-ol intake in epidemiological studies.

The accurate assessment of dietary intake is crucial to investigate the effect of diet on health. Currently used methods, relying on self-reporting and food composition data, are known to have limitations and might not be suitable to estimate the intake of many bioactive food components. An alternative are nutritional biomarkers, which can allow an unbiased assessment of intake.

Medical phycology 2017.

In 2014, ISHAM formed a new working group: "Medical Phycology: Protothecosis and Chlorellosis." The purpose of this working group is to help facilitate collaboration and communication among people interested in the pathogenic algae, to share ideas and work together. Here we present reports on recent work we have done in five areas.

A method for automatic segmentation and splitting of hyperspectral images of raspberry plants collected in field conditions.

Hyperspectral imaging is a technology that can be used to monitor plant responses to stress. Hyperspectral images have a full spectrum for each pixel in the image, 400-2500 nm in this case, giving detailed information about the spectral reflectance of the plant. Although this technology has been used in laboratory-based controlled lighting conditions for early detection of plant disease, the transfer of such technology to imaging plants in field conditions presents a number of challenges.

Intraoperative Assessment of Tumor Resection Margins in Breast-Conserving Surgery Using F-FDG Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging: A First-in-Human Feasibility Study.

In early-stage breast cancer, the primary treatment option for most women is breast-conserving surgery (BCS). There is a clear need for more accurate techniques to assess resection margins intraoperatively, because on average 20% of patients require further surgery to achieve clear margins. Cerenkov luminescence imaging (CLI) combines optical and molecular imaging by detecting light emitted by F-FDG.

Effect of a multi-sided concave liner barrel design on thickness and roughness of teat-end hyperkeratosis.

In a round liner barrel, the force of the closing liner is transferred by the two opposite sides of the liner wall to the teat apex. Liners with a multi-sided barrel shape close at three or more planes and distribute their force to a larger area of the teat apex. The objective of the study was to investigate effects of a liner with a multi-sided concave barrel design on the degree of teat-end hyperkeratosis, thickness and roughness, and on the time delay until thickness or roughness of teat-end hyperkeratosis responded to the experimental liner.

Hot or not? The 10% rule in sentinel lymph node biopsy for malignant melanoma revisited.

Background: The surgeon needs a practical rule to follow when deciding whether to excise a lymph node during sentinel node biopsy (SLNB). The "10% rule" dictates that all nodes with a radiation count of greater than 10% of the hottest node and all blue nodes should be removed, and this study observes the effects of following this rule in SLNB in melanoma.

Methods: We reviewed the records of 665 patients with primary melanoma who underwent sentinel lymph node over a 5-year period (2007-2011).

Genomic classifications and radiotherapy for breast cancer.

The current therapeutic strategy in breast cancer rests on standard prognostic factors such as size, histological grade, nodal and hormone receptor status. However, over the last decade, a new form of molecular classification has emerged to complement the classical clinico-pathological staging. Models based on tumour genome have been developped to help predict the risk of relapse, and are currently being evaluated.

Results of a national training programme in sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer.

Background: New Start, a structured, validated, multidisciplinary training programme in sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), was established to allow the introduction and rapid transfer of appropriate knowledge and technical skills to ensure safe and competent practice across the UK.

Methods: Multidisciplinary teams attended a theory/skills laboratory course, following which they performed 30 consecutive SLNBs, either concurrently with their standard axillary staging procedure (training model A) or as stand-alone SLNB (training model B). SLNB was performed according to a standard protocol using the combined technique of isotope ((99m) Tc-labelled albumin colloid) and blue dye.

Overestimation of carboplatin doses is avoided by radionuclide GFR measurement.

Background: Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is used in the calculation of carboplatin dose. Glomerular filtration rate is measured using a radioisotope method (radionuclide GFR (rGFR)), however, estimation equations are available (estimated GFR (eGFR)). Our aim was to assess the accuracy of three eGFR equations and the subsequent carboplatin dose in an oncology population.

Sources of pre-analytical variations in yield of DNA extracted from blood samples: analysis of 50,000 DNA samples in EPIC.

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (EPIC) is a long-term, multi-centric prospective study in Europe investigating the relationships between cancer and nutrition. This study has served as a basis for a number of Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and other types of genetic analyses. Over a period of 5 years, 52,256 EPIC DNA samples have been extracted using an automated DNA extraction platform.

The role of diagnostic microbiology in mastitis control programs.

There are a number of important issues for the dairy practitioner to consider in designing the most appropriate mastitis microbiological service for his or her clients. These include the decision to use enhancement tools or selective agars to optimize sensitivity and specificity. The service should include a monthly BTC service that monitors for the important contagious mastitis organisms: S aureus, S agalactia, and Mycoplasma.