Pancreatic rest resection using band ligation snare polypectomy.

Background: Although pancreatic rests have characteristic endoscopic features, confirming a histological diagnosis may be desirable to exclude other significant pathology.

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of endoscopic band ligation snare polypectomy (EBLSP) for removal of suspected pancreatic rests and to compare the diagnostic yield to other endoscopic tissue sampling methods.

Methods: An electronic endoscopic report database was searched for patients referred for evaluation of incidentally found gastric antral subepithelial lesions.

Endoscopic ultrasound staging and novel therapeutics for pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer remains a challenging disease, being the fourth leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States. Patients with pancreatic cancer present with symptoms including jaundice, pruritus, and weight loss, which often herald advanced disease with little chance for curative resection. Multiple imaging modalities are used to diagnose and stage pancreatic cancer.

Infrared differential-absorption Mueller matrix spectroscopy and neural network-based data fusion for biological aerosol standoff detection.

An active spectrophotopolarimeter sensor and support system were developed for a military/civilian defense feasibility study concerning the identification and standoff detection of biological aerosols. Plumes of warfare agent surrogates gamma-irradiated Bacillus subtilis and chicken egg white albumen (analytes), Arizona road dust (terrestrial interferent), water mist (atmospheric interferent), and talcum powders (experiment controls) were dispersed inside windowless chambers and interrogated by multiple CO(2) laser beams spanning 9.1-12.

Infrared Mueller matrix acquisition and preprocessing system.

An analog Mueller matrix acquisition and preprocessing system (AMMS) was developed for a photopolarimetric-based sensor with 9.1-12.0 microm optical bandwidth, which is the middle infrared wavelength-tunable region of sensor transmitter and "fingerprint" spectral band for chemical-biological (analyte) standoff detection.