SMS reminders to improve the uptake and timeliness of the primary immunisation series in infants: a multi-centre randomised controlled trial.

Background: Immunisation timeliness continues to present challenges to achieving optimal vaccine coverage in infancy, particularly in disadvantaged groups and Australian First Nations infants. We aimed to determine whether a tailored, educational SMS reminder improves the timeliness of immunisation in infants up to seven months of age.

Methods: A pragmatic, three-arm, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial of immunisation reminders was conducted in two First-Nations-specific primary health care centres and two public hospital antenatal clinics in South East Queensland, Australia.

Risk Factors for Chronic Cough in Young Children: A Cohort Study.

Data on the predictors of chronic cough development in young children are scarce. Our primary objective was to examine the factors associated with young children developing a chronic cough, with a focus on childcare attendance. A secondary analysis of data collected in a prospective cohort study of children presenting to three emergency departments and three primary healthcare centers in southeast Queensland, Australia.

Effectiveness of a chronic cough management algorithm at the transitional stage from acute to chronic cough in children: a multicenter, nested, single-blind, randomised controlled trial.

Background: Chronic (lasting at least 4 weeks) cough in children is an important cause of morbidity. An algorithmic approach to the management of coughs in children evaluated in observational studies and a randomised controlled trial (RCT) enrolled children referred with median cough duration of 16 weeks to specialist centres. We investigated whether applying an evidence-based cough management algorithm in non-specialist settings earlier, once cough persisted for more than 4 weeks, improved cough resolution compared with usual care.

CuVS: A High Rate Capacity and Stable Anode Material for Sodium Ion Batteries.

The ternary compound CuVS exhibits an excellent performance as anode material for sodium ion batteries with a high reversible capacity of 580 mAh g at 0.7 A g after 300 cycles. A Coulombic efficiency of ≈99% is achieved after the third cycle.

Electrochemical lithiation/delithiation of SnP₂O₇ observed by in situ XRD and ex situ⁷Li/³¹P NMR, and ¹¹⁹Sn Mössbauer spectroscopy.

SnP2O7 was prepared by a sol-gel route. The structural changes of tin pyrophosphate during the electrochemical lithiation were followed by using in situ XRD measurements that reveal the existence of a crystalline phase at the beginning of the discharge process. Nevertheless, it becomes amorphous after the full discharge as a result of a conversion reaction leading to the formation of LixSny alloys.

Polymer and surfactant-templated synthesis of hollow and porous ZnS nano- and microspheres in a spray pyrolysis reactor.

Nanostructured zinc sulfide can provide unique photonic, electronic, and catalytic properties that are of interest for applications ranging from bioimaging to photocatalysis. Here we report an easily controllable continuous method to produce porous and hollow ZnS nano- and microspheres. We used poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether (PEG), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), ethylene oxide/propylene oxide block copolymer (Pluronic F-38), and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as templates to synthesize ZnS nano- and microspheres with controlled internal morphology in a spray pyrolysis process, starting from an aqueous solution of chemical precursors and templating agents.

Motion-compensated estimation of delivered dose during external beam radiation therapy: implementation in Philips' Pinnacle(3) treatment planning system.

Purpose: Recent research efforts investigating dose escalation techniques for three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D CRT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) have demonstrated great benefit when high-dose hypofractionated treatment schemes are implemented. The use of these paradigms emphasizes the importance of smaller treatment margins to avoid high dose to surrounding normal tissue or organs at risk (OARs). However, tighter margins may lead to underdosage of the target due to the presence of organ motion.

Liver sinusoidal endothelium: a microenvironment-dependent differentiation program in rat including the novel junctional protein liver endothelial differentiation-associated protein-1.

Unlabelled: Liver sinusoidal endothelium (LSEC) is a prime example of organ-specific microvascular differentiation and functions. Disease-associated capillarization of LSEC in vivo and dedifferentiation of LSEC in vitro indicate the importance of the hepatic microenvironment. To identify the LSEC-specific molecular differentiation program in the rat we used a two-sided gene expression profiling approach comparing LSEC freshly isolated ex vivo with both lung microvascular endothelial cells (LMEC) and with LSEC cultured for 42 hours.

Development and evaluation of an efficient approach to volumetric arc therapy planning.

An efficient method for volumetric intensity modulated arc therapy (VMAT) planning was developed, where a single arc (360 degrees or less) is delivered under continuous variation of multileaf collimator (MLC) segments, dose rate, and gantry speed. Plans can be generated for any current linear accelerator that supports these degrees of freedom. MLC segments are derived from fluence maps at relatively coarsely sampled angular positions.

Potential dosimetric benefits of four-dimensional radiation treatment planning.

Purpose: To determine the extent of dosimetric differences between conventional three-dimensional (3D) dose calculations and four-dimensional (4D) dose calculations based on deformation of organ models.

Methods And Materials: Four-dimensional dose calculations were retrospectively performed on computed tomography data sets for 15 patients with Stage III non-small-cell lung cancer, using a model-based deformable registration algorithm on a research version of a commercial radiation treatment planning system. Target volume coverage and doses to critical structures calculated using the 4D methodology were compared with those calculated using conventional 3D methodology.

What CTV-to-PTV margins should be applied for prostate irradiation? Four-dimensional quantitative assessment using model-based deformable image registration techniques.

Purpose: To quantify adequate anisotropic clinical target volume (CTV)-to-planning target volume (PTV) margins for three different setup strategies used during prostate irradiation: (1) no setup corrections, (2) on-line corrections determined from bony anatomy, and (3) on-line corrections determined from gold markers.

Method And Materials: Three radiation oncologists independently delineated the CTV on computed tomography images of 30 prostate cancer patients. Eight repeat scans were acquired to allow simulation of the delivered dose distributions in changing geometry.

Semiautomatic vertebrae visualization, detection, and identification for online palliative radiotherapy of bone metastases of the spine.

A treatment process which integrates simulation, planning, and delivery in one single session of < or =30 min on a treatment unit capable of cone-beam CT imaging (CBCT) is under development in our institution for palliation of spinal metastases. The objective of this work is to develop and validate a semiautomatic vertebra detection and identification algorithm to streamline the target definition process and improve the consistency of online planning on cone-beam CT data sets while the patient is on the treatment couch. Key issues pertaining to this work are the limited field of view and image quality of CBCT, the inter- and intrapatient variation of vertebra morphology, and the spine curvature.

Assessment of a model-based deformable image registration approach for radiation therapy planning.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to develop a surface-based deformable image registration strategy and to assess the accuracy of the system for the integration of multimodality imaging, image-guided radiation therapy, and assessment of geometrical change during and after therapy.

Methods And Materials: A surface-model-based deformable image registration system has been developed that enables quantitative description of geometrical change in multimodal images with high computational efficiency. Based on the deformation of organ surfaces, a volumetric deformation field is derived using different volumetric elasticity models as alternatives to finite-element modeling.

Semiautomated four-dimensional computed tomography segmentation using deformable models.

The purpose of this work is to demonstrate a proof of feasibility of the application of a commercial prototype deformable model algorithm to the problem of delineation of anatomic structures on four-dimensional (4D) computed tomography (CT) image data sets. We acquired a 4D CT image data set of a patient's thorax that consisted of three-dimensional (3D) image data sets from eight phases in the respiratory cycle. The contours of the right and left lungs, cord, heart, and esophagus were manually delineated on the end inspiration data set.

Semiautomated four-dimensional computed tomography segmentation using deformable models.

The purpose of this work is to demonstrate a proof of feasibility of the application of a commercial prototype deformable model algorithm to the problem of delineation of anatomic structures on four-dimensional (4D) computed tomography (CT) image data sets. We acquired a 4D CT image data set of a patient's thorax that consisted of three-dimensional (3D) image data sets from eight phases in the respiratory cycle. The contours of the right and left lungs, cord, heart, and esophagus were manually delineated on the end inspiration data set.

Automated model-based organ delineation for radiotherapy planning in prostatic region.

Purpose: Organ delineation is one of the most tedious and time-consuming parts of radiotherapy planning. It is usually performed by manual contouring in two-dimensional slices using simple drawing tools, and it may take several hours to delineate all structures of interest in a three-dimensional (3D) data set used for planning. In this paper, a 3D model-based approach to automated organ delineation is introduced that allows for a significant reduction of the time required for contouring.

Automated segmentation of the left ventricle in cardiac MRI.

We present a fully automated deformable model technique for myocardium segmentation in 3D MRI. Loss of signal due to blood flow, partial volume effects and significant variation of surface grey value appearance make this a difficult problem. We integrate various sources of prior knowledge learned from annotated image data into a deformable model.

Statistical validation of image segmentation quality based on a spatial overlap index.

Rationale And Objectives: To examine a statistical validation method based on the spatial overlap between two sets of segmentations of the same anatomy.

Materials And Methods: The Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) was used as a statistical validation metric to evaluate the performance of both the reproducibility of manual segmentations and the spatial overlap accuracy of automated probabilistic fractional segmentation of MR images, illustrated on two clinical examples. Example 1: 10 consecutive cases of prostate brachytherapy patients underwent both preoperative 1.

Statistical validation based on parametric receiver operating characteristic analysis of continuous classification data.

Rationale And Objectives: The accuracy of diagnostic test and imaging segmentation is important in clinical practice because it has a direct impact on therapeutic planning. Statistical validations of classification accuracy was conducted based on parametric receiver operating characteristic analysis, illustrated on three radiologic examples,

Materials And Methods: Two parametric models were developed for diagnostic or imaging data. Example 1: A semi-automated fractional segmentation algorithm was applied to magnetic resonance imaging of nine cases of brain tumors.

Automated 3-D PDM construction from segmented images using deformable models.

In recent years, several methods have been proposed for constructing statistical shape models to aid image analysis tasks by providing a priori knowledge. Examples include principal component analysis of manually or semiautomatically placed corresponding landmarks on the learning shapes [point distribution models (PDMs)], which is time consuming and subjective. However, automatically establishing surface correspondences continues to be a difficult problem.

Factors influencing the application accuracy of neuronavigation systems.

Objective: The overall accuracy of neuronavigation systems may be influenced by (1) the technical accuracy, (2) the registration process, (3) voxel size and/or distortion of image data and (4) intraoperative events. The aim of this study was to test the influence of the registration and imaging modality on the accuracy.

Methods: A plexiglas phantom with 32 rods was taken for navigation targeting.

Automated segmentation of MR images of brain tumors.

An automated brain tumor segmentation method was developed and validated against manual segmentation with three-dimensional magnetic resonance images in 20 patients with meningiomas and low-grade gliomas. The automated method (operator time, 5-10 minutes) allowed rapid identification of brain and tumor tissue with an accuracy and reproducibility comparable to those of manual segmentation (operator time, 3-5 hours), making automated segmentation practical for low-grade gliomas and meningiomas.

Adaptive, template moderated, spatially varying statistical classification.

A novel image segmentation algorithm was developed to allow the automatic segmentation of both normal and abnormal anatomy from medical images. The new algorithm is a form of spatially varying statistical classification, in which an explicit anatomical template is used to moderate the segmentation obtained by statistical classification. The algorithm consists of an iterated sequence of spatially varying classification and nonlinear registration, which forms an adaptive, template moderated (ATM), spatially varying statistical classification (SVC).

Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging with the magnetom open scanner: concepts, neurosurgical indications, and procedures: a preliminary report.

Objective: Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now available with the General Electric MRI system for dedicated intraoperative use. Alternatively, non-dedicated MRI systems require fewer specific adaptations of instrumentation and surgical techniques. In this report, clinical experiences with such a system are presented.