Higher incidence of the SNP Met 788 Ile in the coding region of A20 in diffuse large B cell lymphomas.

Genetic alterations causing constitutive activation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway has been associated with the development of lymphomas. A20 (TNFAIP3) is a key regulator of NF-κB signaling. Its suppressor functions are often inactivated by deletions and/or mutations in various hematologic malignancies.

Frequent down regulation of the tumor suppressor gene a20 in multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant clonal expansion of plasma cells in the bone marrow and belongs to the mature B-cell neoplams. The pathogenesis of MM is associated with constitutive NF-κB activation. However, genetic alterations causing constitutive NF-κB activation are still incompletely understood.

Genetic variants of the NOTCH3 gene in the elderly and magnetic resonance imaging correlates of age-related cerebral small vessel disease.

Cerebral small vessel disease-related brain lesions such as white matter lesions and lacunes are common findings of magnetic resonance imaging in the elderly. These lesions are thought to be major contributors to disability in old age, and risk factors that include age and hypertension have been established. The radiological, histopathologic and clinical phenotypes of age-related cerebral small vessel disease remarkably resemble autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leucoencephalopathy, which is caused by mutations in NOTCH3.

Computer-aided diagnosis of melanocytic skin tumors by use of confocal laser scanning microscopy images.

Objective: To check the applicability of machine learning algorithms for the computer-aided diagnosis of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) views of skin lesions.

Study Design: Features, based on spectral properties of the wavelet transform, are very suitable for the automatic analysis because architectural structures at different scales play an important role in diagnosis of CLSM views. The images are discriminated by several machine learning algorithms, based on Bayes-, tree-, rule-, function (numeric)-, and lazy-classifiers.

Molecular diagnosis and prognosis with DNA microarrays.

Microarray analysis makes it possible to determine thousands of gene expression values simultaneously. Changes in gene expression, as a response to diseases, can be detected allowing a better understanding and differentiation of diseases at a molecular level. By comparing different kinds of tissue, for example healthy tissue and cancer tissue, the microarray analysis indicates induced gene activity, repressed gene activity or when there is no change in the gene activity level.

The tumour necrosis factor as a mediator of vessel inflammation: importance of exposed receptor residues for its neutralization.

Background: The analysis of the macromolecular tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-receptor interface helps to understand the antigenicity of this inflammatory protein.

Method: The calculations are based on structural data from the protein database. The residues of the macromolecular interface are identified in the interface contact matrix, a plot of pair-wise interactions between adjacent residues in the TNF-receptor complex.

Correlation of image analysis features and visual morphology in melanocytic skin tumours using in vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Background/purpose: In vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) represents a novel imaging tool that allows the non-invasive examination of skin cancer morphology at a quasi histological resolution without biopsy. Previous studies dealt with the search for diagnostic, but subjective visual criteria. In this study we examined the correlation between objectively reproducible image-analysis features und visual morphology in melanocytic skin tumours using CLSM.

Homology modelling: a review about the method on hand of the diabetic antigen GAD 65 structure prediction.

This introductory paper describes the basic principles and clinical applications of the protein 3D structure prediction by homology modelling. The paper mainly addresses physicians and medical chemists. Because many proteins are of immediate clinical importance, the determination of their structures is crucial for molecular medicine.

Diagnostic image analysis of malignant melanoma in in vivo confocal laser-scanning microscopy: a preliminary study.

Background/purpose: In this study we assessed the applicability of image analysis and a machine learning algorithm on diagnostic discrimination of benign and malignant melanocytic skin tumours in in vivo confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM).

Methods: A total of 857 CLSM tumour images including 408 benign nevi and 449 melanoma images was evaluated. Image analysis was based on features of the wavelet transform.

Tumour necrosis factor and its receptor: a basic structural analysis of two counterparts.

Inflammation of vessels is partially caused by tumour necrosis factor (TNF). Although the pharmacological understanding of the main inflammatory protein data is well characterised, basic structural information is rare. For this reason, we developed a method for the representation and analysis of the macromolecular interface between TNF and its receptor, enabling a better understanding of their interaction.

Evaluation of texture features in spatial and frequency domain for automatic discrimination of histologic tissue.

Objective: To investigate the applicability of different texture features in automatic discrimination of microscopic views from benign common nevi and malignant melanoma lesions.

Study Design: In tissue counter analysis (TCA) the images are dissected into square elements used for feature calculation. The first class of features is based on the histogram, the co-occurrence matrix and the texture moments.

DNA microarray analysis: principles and clinical impact.

In recent years, a new technology, allowing the measurements of the expression of thousands of genes simultaneously, has emerged in medicine. This method, called DNA microarray analysis, is today one of the most promising method in functional genomics. Fundamental patterns in gene expression are extracted by several clustering methods like: hierarchical clustering, self organizing maps and support vector machines.

Insights into molecular medicine: development of new diagnostic and prognostic parameters.

Molecular medicine leads us towards an understanding of some diseases at the molecular level. Examples are the analysis of immune complexes and receptor-antireceptor compounds used in clinical medicine. Structural changes of some serum proteins occur in inflammation, neoplasia and autoimmunity.

Density histogram analysis of unenhanced hepatic computed tomography in patients with diffuse liver diseases.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the potential of density histogram analysis of unenhanced hepatic computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis and differentiation of diffuse liver diseases.

Methods: Twenty-six patients with normal liver parenchyma, 35 patients with diffuse steatosis, 14 patients with acute steatohepatitis, 15 patients with active alcoholic cirrhosis, 23 patients with inactive alcoholic cirrhosis, 15 patients with virus-induced cirrhosis, and 8 patients with hemochromatosis underwent unenhanced hepatic CT. All diffuse liver diseases and the absence of diffuse liver disease were histologically proven.

Virtopsy: forensic traumatology of the subcutaneous fatty tissue; multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as diagnostic tools.

Traumatic lesions of the subcutaneous fatty tissue provide important clues for forensic reconstruction. The interpretation of these patterns requires a precise description and recording of the position and extent of each lesion. During conventional autopsy, this evaluation is performed by dissecting the skin and subcutaneous tissues in successive layers.

Discrimination of benign common nevi from malignant melanoma lesions by use of features based on spectral properties of the wavelet transform.

Objective: To evaluate the possibilities of describing and discriminating common nevi and malignant melanoma tissue with features based on spectral properties of the Daubechies 4 wavelet transform.

Study Design: Images of common nevi and malignant melanoma were dissected in square elements. The wavelet coefficients were calculated inside the square elements.

Retrograde arterialized venous flap: an experimental study.

An experimental model was established to study circulation in retrograde arterialized venous flaps (RAVF). Venous flaps measuring 7 x 4 cm with a matching venous system were harvested from both forearms of 10 fresh human cadavers. In each trial, both flaps were simultaneously perfused with heparinized human blood driven by a pulsatile circulation model.