Diagnosis Yield and Safety of Surgical Biopsy in Interstitial Lung Diseases: A Prospective Study.

Background: Surgical lung biopsy is essential in the diagnostic algorithm of interstitial lung disease (ILD) of unknown cause. Safety concerns have been recently reiterated. This study prospectively assessed the yield of diagnosis and safety of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical lung biopsy (VATS-LB) for ILD diagnosis.

Multispectral measurement of scattering-angular light distribution in apple skin and flesh samples.

Knowledge of the optical properties of apple tissues such as skin and flesh is essential to better understand the light-tissue interaction process and to apply optical methods for apple quality inspection. This work aimed at estimating the anisotropy factor of thin skin and flesh samples extracted from three apple cultivars. The scattering-angular light distribution in each tissue sample was measured at four wavelengths (λ=633, 763, 784, and 852 nm), by means of a goniometer setup.

Depth sensitivity analysis of functional near-infrared spectroscopy measurement using three-dimensional Monte Carlo modelling-based magnetic resonance imaging.

Theoretical analysis of spatial distribution of near-infrared light propagation in head tissues is very important in brain function measurement, since it is impossible to measure the effective optical path length of the detected signal or the effect of optical fibre arrangement on the regions of measurement or its sensitivity. In this study a realistic head model generated from structure data from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was introduced into a three-dimensional Monte Carlo code and the sensitivity of functional near-infrared measurement was analysed. The effects of the distance between source and detector, and of the optical properties of the probed tissues, on the sensitivity of the optical measurement to deep layers of the adult head were investigated.

Effects of residual fluorescence on time-resolved signals simulated with the finite element method in biological tissues.

A computational model based on finite element method is derived to examine how the simulated time-dependent signals are related to the presence of residual fluorescence in biological media surrounding a fluorescent object. We apply a subtraction technique on recorded data when imperfect uptake of fluorescing agent into the tumor is considered. We show the limits of the subtracting method for low target: background fluorescent absorption contrast by extracting the time to reach the half maximum and analyzing the maximum of the time-resolved signals versus target depth.

In vivo comparison between the principal components analysis and the Karhunen-Loève transform as methods used for the de-noising of laser Doppler reactive hyperemia signals.

This contribution shows the comparison of two methods, the principal components analysis and the Karhunen-Loève transform. Indeed, reactive hyperemia signals obtained with laser Doppler flowmetry are currently used to diagnose peripheral arterial occlusive diseases (PAOD), but they are not noise-free. De-noising of such signals could lead to an improved diagnosis.

Improved localization of hidden fluorescent objects in highly scattering slab media based on a two-way transmittance determination.

We present a novel procedure for localizing fluorescing-tagged objects embedded in turbid slab media from fluorescent intensity profiles acquired along a surface of interest. Using a numerical model based on a finite element code, we firstly develop a method devoted to lateral detection by varying the laser source position along one face of the tissue slab. Next, we mainly demonstrate the possibility to accurately assess the depth location by alternately changing the position of the source and the detector at the both sides of the slab.

S-transform applied to laser Doppler flowmetry reactive hyperemia signals.

Laser Doppler flowmetry signals give information about many physiological activities of the cardiovascular system. The activities manifest themselves in rhythmic cycles. In order to explore these activities during the reactive hyperemia phenomenon, a novel time-frequency method, called the S-transform, based on a scalable Gaussian wavelet, is applied.

Detection of heterogeneities embedded within a turbid slab media using time- and frequency-domain methods: application to the mammography.

During the last decade, several methods have been devoted to the detection and imaging of tumor-like objects embedded in turbid slab media. Optical methods are broadly investigated as potential non-invasive medical diagnosis used for the detection of tumors. In this paper, we model the photon migration due to a pulsed source laser, through a multiple scattering slab to locate and characterize heterogeneities of different optical properties.

Characteristics of tobacco withdrawal in pregnant women.

Objective: To describe the management of tobacco withdrawal in pregnant women.

Study Design: The questionnaire-based, descriptive survey included 979 post-partum women. The variables analysed included the characteristics of the mother and neonate at delivery, her smoking habits, her level of exposure to passive smoking, and the barriers to giving up smoking.

Description of tobacco addiction in pregnant women.

Objective: To compare the characteristics of a group of pregnant women who smoked until delivery with women who gave up smoking during pregnancy.

Study Design: Questionnaire-based, descriptive study of 979 pregnant women in four regions of France. The variables analysed included the characteristics of the mother and neonate at delivery, the smoking habits of the mother before and during pregnancy, the perception of risk linked to smoking, and the reasons for giving up smoking.

Spectral components of laser Doppler flowmetry signals recorded in healthy and type 1 diabetic subjects at rest and during a local and progressive cutaneous pressure application: scalogram analyses.

A significant transient increase in laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) signals is observed in response to a local and progressive cutaneous pressure application in healthy subjects. This reflex may be impaired in diabetic patients. The work presents a signal processing providing the clarification of this phenomenon.

Time-frequency analysis of laser Doppler flowmetry signals recorded in response to a progressive pressure applied locally on anaesthetized healthy rats.

The laser Doppler flowmetry technique has recently been used to report a significant transient increase of the cutaneous blood flow signal, in response to a local non-noxious pressure applied progressively on the skin of both healthy humans and rats. This phenomenon is not entirely understood yet. In the present work, a time-frequency analysis is applied to signals recorded on anaesthetized healthy rats, at rest and during a cutaneous pressure-induced vasodilation (PIV).

Signal processing methodology to study the cutaneous vasodilator response to a local external pressure application detected by laser Doppler flowmetry.

The existence of a cutaneous pressure-induced vasodilation (PIV) has recently been reported. This paper proposes a signal processing methodology to improve PIV knowledge. Temporal variations of laser Doppler signals rhythmic activities are first analyzed on anesthetized rats.

Wavelet de-noising of laser Doppler reactive hyperemia signals to diagnose peripheral arterial occlusive diseases.

In order to improve peripheral arterial occlusive diseases (PAOD) diagnoses, five de-noising algorithms based on a multiresolution analysis computed with wavelets are applied on reactive hyperemia signals obtained with the laser Doppler flowmetry technique. Results are presented on recordings acquired on patients suffering from PAOD and on healthy subjects.