Ultrasound-Enhanced Fine-Needle Biopsy Improves Yield in Human Epithelial and Lymphoid Tissue.

Objective: Needle biopsy is a common technique used to obtain cell and tissue samples for diagnostics. Currently, two biopsy methods are widely used: (i) fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and (ii) core needle biopsy (CNB). However, these methods have limitations.

Ureteral stent extraction strings in children: Stratifying the risk of post operative urinary tract infection.

Introduction: Ureteral stents facilitate recovery and avoid external drains in pediatric ureteral reconstruction. Extraction strings avoid the need for a secondary cystoscopy and anesthetic. Due to concerns regarding febrile UTIs in children with extraction strings, we retrospectively assessed the relative risk of UTI in children with extraction strings.

Assessing Oral Epithelial Dysplasia Risk for Transformation to Cancer: Comparison Between Histologic Grading Systems Versus S100A7 Immunohistochemical Signature-based Grading.

While a 3-tier oral epithelial dysplasia grading system has been utilized for decades, it is widely recognized as a suboptimal risk indicator for transformation to cancer. A 2-tier grading system has been proposed, although not yet validated. In this study, the 3-tier and 2-tier dysplasia grading systems, and an S100A7 immunohistochemical signature-based grading system were compared to assess prediction of risk of transformation to oral cancer.

Blood-based biomarkers of chronic inflammation.

Introduction: Diseases related to chronic persisting inflammation are amongst the largest sources of morbidity and health costs, yet biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment response are not sufficiently effective.

Areas Covered: This narrative review discusses how inflammation concepts have evolved from ancient times to the present, and places in perspective the use of blood-based biomarkers to assess chronic inflammatory diseases. From reviews of biomarkers in specific diseases, emerging biomarker classifiers and their clinical utility is discussed.

An ultrasonically actuated needle promotes the transport of nanoparticles and fluids.

Non-invasive therapeutic ultrasound (US) methods, such as high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), have limited access to tissue targets shadowed by bones or presence of gas. This study demonstrates that an ultrasonically actuated medical needle can be used to translate nanoparticles and fluids under the action of nonlinear phenomena, potentially overcoming some limitations of HIFU. A simulation study was first conducted to study the delivery of a tracer with an ultrasonically actuated needle (33 kHz) inside a porous medium acting as a model for soft tissue.

The role of LCN2 and LCN2-MMP9 in spondylitis radiographic development: gender and HLA-B27 status differences.

Background: Male HLA-B27-positive radiographic-axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) patients are prone to have severe spinal radiographic progression, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We recently showed that persistently elevated Lipocalin 2 (LCN2; L) reflects sacroiliac joint (SIJ) inflammation. LCN2 binds to MMP9.

An ultrasonically actuated fine-needle creates cavitation in bovine liver.

Ultrasonic cavitation is being used in medical applications as a way to influence matter, such as tissue or drug vehicles, on a micro-scale. Oscillating or collapsing cavitation bubbles provide transient mechanical force fields, which can, e.g.

Ultrasonic actuation of a fine-needle improves biopsy yield.

Despite the ubiquitous use over the past 150 years, the functions of the current medical needle are facilitated only by mechanical shear and cutting by the needle tip, i.e. the lancet.

Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders (OPMD): What is the clinical utility of dysplasia grade?

Introduction: Oral epithelial dysplasia is considered a potential histologic precursor of subsequent squamous cell cancer. As standard clinical practice, pathologists grade dysplasia to assess risk for progression to malignancy. Except for the most advanced grade, severe dysplasia, dysplasia grading has failed to correlate well with the risk to develop invasive cancer.

Colon Cancer Biomarkers: Implications for Personalized Medicine.

The heterogeneity of colon cancers and their reactions presents both a challenge and promise for personalized medicine. The challenge is to develop effective biologically personalized therapeutics guided by predictive and prognostic biomarkers. Presently, there are several classes of candidate biomarkers, including genomic probes, inhibitory RNAs, assays for immunity dysfunction and, not to be forgotten, specific histopathologic and histochemical features.

Automating three-dimensional osteoarthritis histopathological grading of human osteochondral tissue using machine learning on contrast-enhanced micro-computed tomography.

Objective: To develop and validate a machine learning (ML) approach for automatic three-dimensional (3D) histopathological grading of osteochondral samples imaged with contrast-enhanced micro-computed tomography (CEμCT).

Design: A total of 79 osteochondral cores from 24 total knee arthroplasty patients and two asymptomatic donors were imaged using CEμCT with phosphotungstic acid -staining. Volumes-of-interest (VOI) in surface (SZ), deep (DZ) and calcified (CZ) zones were extracted depth-wise and subjected to dimensionally reduced Local Binary Pattern -textural feature analysis.

Lipocalin 2 links inflammation and ankylosis in the clinical overlap of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Background: Little is known about the mechanisms underlying the clinical overlap between gut inflammation and joint ankylosis, as exemplified by the concurrence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). As dysbiosis may serve as a common contributor, the anti-microbial pleiotropic factor lipocalin 2 could be a potential mediator due to its roles in inflammation and bone homeostasis.

Methods: Baseline colonic pathology was conducted in the ank/ank mouse model.

RNA disruption indicates CHOP therapy efficacy in canine lymphoma.

Background: Assessment of the efficacy of a multi-agent chemotherapy protocol in which cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) are administered in canine lymphoma is generally performed by physical measurement of lymph node diameter. However, no consistent correlation has been made with prognostic indicators and the length or absence of clinical remission based on lymph node size. RNA disruption measured mid-therapy has been correlated with increased disease-free survival in recent studies of human cancer and was assessed in this study of canine lymphoma patients.

Localized delivery of compounds into articular cartilage by using high-intensity focused ultrasound.

Localized delivery of drugs into an osteoarthritic cartilaginous lesion does not yet exist, which limits pharmaceutical management of osteoarthritis (OA). High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) provides a means to actuate matter from a distance in a non-destructive way. In this study, we aimed to deliver methylene blue locally into bovine articular cartilage in vitro.

Quantifying Subresolution 3D Morphology of Bone with Clinical Computed Tomography.

The aim of this study was to quantify sub-resolution trabecular bone morphometrics, which are also related to osteoarthritis (OA), from clinical resolution cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Samples (n = 53) were harvested from human tibiae (N = 4) and femora (N = 7). Grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) texture and histogram-based parameters were calculated from CBCT imaged trabecular bone data, and compared with the morphometric parameters quantified from micro-computed tomography.

Needle Biopsy Adequacy in the Era of Precision Medicine and Value-Based Health Care.

Context.—: Needle biopsy of diseased tissue is an essential diagnostic tool that is becoming even more important as precision medicine develops. However, the capability of this modality to efficiently provide samples adequate for diagnostic and prognostic analysis remains quite limited relative to current diagnostic needs.

Quantifying Complex Micro-Topography of Degenerated Articular Cartilage Surface by Contrast-Enhanced Micro-Computed Tomography and Parametric Analyses.

One of the earliest changes in osteoarthritis (OA) is a surface discontinuity of the articular cartilage (AC), and these surface changes become gradually more complex with OA progression. We recently developed a contrast enhanced micro-computed tomography (μCT) method for visualizing AC surface in detail. The present study aims to introduce a μCT analysis technique to parameterize these complex AC surface features and to demonstrate the feasibility of using these parameters to quantify degenerated AC surface.

The Efficacy of Computed Tomography-Guided Percutaneous Spine Biopsies in Determining a Causative Organism in Cases of Suspected Infection: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: In suspected spondylodiscitis and vertebral osteomyelitis, computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsies are often performed to determine a causative organism and guide antimicrobial therapy. The aim of this study is to determine the diagnostic culture yield of CT-guided biopsies performed in cases of suspected spinal infections.

Methods: A literature search of PubMed and MEDLINE up to April 2017 was performed for keywords "CT guided vertebral biopsy infection," "CT-guided spine biopsy infection," "CT guided spine biopsy yield," and "CT guided vertebral biopsy yield.

Dickkopf-1 reduces hypertrophic changes in human chondrocytes derived from bone marrow stem cells.

The in vitro process of chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) induces a pre-apoptotic hypertrophic phenotype, guided by the active status of the WNT/β‑catenin pathway. To achieve a stable chondrocyte phenotype for cartilage tissue engineering, it is necessary to gain a better understanding of specific genes that regulate the cartilage tissue phenotype. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of tissue samples from bone, cartilage, growth plate and muscle show that Dickkopf-1 (DKK1), a natural WNT canonical signaling inhibitor, is expressed in cartilage tissue.

3D morphometric analysis of calcified cartilage properties using micro-computed tomography.

Objective: Our aim is to establish methods for quantifying morphometric properties of calcified cartilage (CC) from micro-computed tomography (μCT). Furthermore, we evaluated the feasibility of these methods in investigating relationships between osteoarthritis (OA), tidemark surface morphology and open subchondral channels (OSCCs).

Method: Samples (n = 15) used in this study were harvested from human lateral tibial plateau (n = 8).

In vitro method for 3D morphometry of human articular cartilage chondrons based on micro-computed tomography.

Objective: The aims of this study were: to 1) develop a novel sample processing protocol to visualize human articular cartilage (AC) chondrons using micro-computed tomography (μCT), 2) develop and validate an algorithm to quantify the chondron morphology in 3D, and 3) compare the differences in chondron morphology between intact and osteoarthritic AC.

Method: The developed protocol is based on the dehydration of samples with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), followed by imaging with a desktop μCT. Chondron density and depth, as well as volume and sphericity, were calculated in 3D with a custom-made and validated algorithm employing semi-automatic chondron selection and segmentation.