Robust stochastic optimization of needle configurations for robotic HDR prostate brachytherapy.

Background: Ideally, inverse planning for HDR brachytherapy (BT) should include the pose of the needles which define the trajectory of the source. This would be particularly interesting when considering the additional freedom and accuracy in needle pose which robotic needle placement enables. However, needle insertion typically leads to tissue deformation, resulting in uncertainty regarding the actual pose of the needles with respect to the tissue.

A Miniature Dual-Fiber Probe for Quantitative Optical Coherence Elastography.

Objective: Optical coherence elastography (OCE) allows for high resolution analysis of elastic tissue properties. However, due to the limited penetration of light into tissue, miniature probes are required to reach structures inside the body, e.g.

Automated isocenter optimization approach for treatment planning for gyroscopic radiosurgery.

Background: Radiosurgery is a well-established treatment for various intracranial tumors. In contrast to other established radiosurgery platforms, the new ZAP-X allows for self-shielding gyroscopic radiosurgery. Here, treatment beams with variable beam-on times are targeted towards a small number of isocenters.

Real-Time Motion Analysis With 4D Deep Learning for Ultrasound-Guided Radiotherapy.

Motion compensation in radiation therapy is a challenging scenario that requires estimating and forecasting motion of tissue structures to deliver the target dose. Ultrasound offers direct imaging of tissue in real-time and is considered for image guidance in radiation therapy. Recently, fast volumetric ultrasound has gained traction, but motion analysis with such high-dimensional data remains difficult.

Towards fast adaptive replanning by constrained reoptimization for intra-fractional non-periodic motion during robotic SBRT.

Background: Periodic and slow target motion is tracked by synchronous motion of the treatment beams in robotic stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). However, spontaneous, non-periodic displacement or drift of the target may completely change the treatment geometry. Simple motion compensation is not sufficient to guarantee the best possible treatment, since relative motion between the target and organs at risk (OARs) can cause substantial deviations of dose in the OARs.

Systematic analysis of volumetric ultrasound parameters for markerless 4D motion tracking.

Objectives: Motion compensation is an interesting approach to improve treatments of moving structures. For example, target motion can substantially affect dose delivery in radiation therapy, where methods to detect and mitigate the motion are widely used. Recent advances in fast, volumetric ultrasound have rekindled the interest in ultrasound for motion tracking.

AI-based optimization for US-guided radiation therapy of the prostate.

Objectives: Fast volumetric ultrasound presents an interesting modality for continuous and real-time intra-fractional target tracking in radiation therapy of lesions in the abdomen. However, the placement of the ultrasound probe close to the target structures leads to blocking some beam directions.

Methods: To handle the combinatorial complexity of searching for the ultrasound-robot pose and the subset of optimal treatment beams, we combine CNN-based candidate beam selection with simulated annealing for setup optimization of the ultrasound robot, and linear optimization for treatment plan optimization into an AI-based approach.

Robotic Tissue Sampling for Safe Post-Mortem Biopsy in Infectious Corpses.

In pathology and legal medicine, the histopathological and microbiological analysis of tissue samples from infected deceased is a valuable information for developing treatment strategies during a pandemic such as COVID-19. However, a conventional autopsy carries the risk of disease transmission and may be rejected by relatives. We propose minimally invasive biopsy with robot assistance under CT guidance to minimize the risk of disease transmission during tissue sampling and to improve accuracy.

Ultrasound Shear Wave Elasticity Imaging With Spatio-Temporal Deep Learning.

Ultrasound shear wave elasticity imaging is a valuable tool for quantifying the elastic properties of tissue. Typically, the shear wave velocity is derived and mapped to an elasticity value, which neglects information such as the shape of the propagating shear wave or push sequence characteristics. We present 3D spatio-temporal CNNs for fast local elasticity estimation from ultrasound data.

Vibration enhanced cell growth induced by surface acoustic waves as in vitro wound-healing model.

We report on in vitro wound-healing and cell-growth studies under the influence of radio-frequency (rf) cell stimuli. These stimuli are supplied either by piezoactive surface acoustic waves (SAWs) or by microelectrode-generated electric fields, both at frequencies around 100 MHz. Employing live-cell imaging, we studied the time- and power-dependent healing of artificial wounds on a piezoelectric chip for different cell lines.

Feasibility and analysis of CNN-based candidate beam generation for robotic radiosurgery.

Purpose: Robotic radiosurgery offers the flexibility of a robotic arm to enable high conformity to the target and a steep dose gradient. However, treatment planning becomes a computationally challenging task as the search space for potential beam directions for dose delivery is arbitrarily large. We propose an approach based on deep learning to improve the search for treatment beams.

Analysis and optimization of the robot setup for robotic-ultrasound-guided radiation therapy.

Purpose: Robotic ultrasound promises continuous, volumetric, and non-ionizing tracking of organ motion during radiation therapy. However, placement of the robot is critical because it is radio-opaque and might severely influence the achievable dose distribution.

Methods: We propose two heuristic optimization strategies for automatic placement of an ultrasound robot around a patient.

Money demand under free banking: Switzerland 1851-1906.

This paper studies money demand in Switzerland under free banking before the establishment of the Swiss National Bank. We find that, in addition to income, the banks' balance-sheet-to-GDP ratio and the number of banks were important determinants of long-run money demand. The former variable also played an important role in the monetary adjustment process.

Impact of robotic ultrasound image guidance on plan quality in SBRT of the prostate.

Objective: Ultrasound provides good image quality, fast volumetric imaging and is established for abdominal image guidance. Robotic transducer placement may facilitate intrafractional motion compensation in radiation therapy. We consider integration with the CyberKnife and study whether the kinematic redundancy of a seven-degrees-of-freedom robot allows for acceptable plan quality for prostate treatments.

Performance analysis of automated evaluation of Crithidia luciliae-based indirect immunofluorescence tests in a routine setting - strengths and weaknesses.

Background: Antibodies directed against dsDNA are a highly specific diagnostic marker for the presence of systemic lupus erythematosus and of particular importance in its diagnosis. To assess anti-dsDNA antibodies, the Crithidia luciliae-based indirect immunofluorescence test (CLIFT) is one of the assays considered to be the best choice. To overcome the drawback of subjective result interpretation that inheres indirect immunofluorescence assays in general, automated systems have been introduced into the market during the last years.

Multiparametric serological testing in autoimmune encephalitis using computer-aided immunofluorescence microscopy (CAIFM).

Autoantibodies against neuronal cell surface antigens are tightly associated with immunotherapy-responsive autoimmune encephalitis, and a considerable number of corresponding autoantigens has been identified in recent years. Most patients initially present with overlapping symptoms, and a broad range of autoantibodies has to be considered to establish the correct diagnosis and initiate treatment as soon as possible to prevent irreversible and sometimes even life-threatening damage to the brain. Recombinant cell-based immunofluorescence allows to authentically present fragile membrane-associated surface antigens and, in combination with multiparametric analysis in the form of biochip mosaics, has turned out to be highly beneficial for parallel and prompt determination of anti-neuronal autoantibodies and comprehensive differential diagnostics.

Robotic ultrasound-guided SBRT of the prostate: feasibility with respect to plan quality.

Purpose: Advances in radiation therapy delivery systems have enabled motion compensated SBRT of the prostate. A remaining challenge is the integration of fast, non-ionizing volumetric imaging. Recently, robotic ultrasound has been proposed as an intra-fraction image modality.

Automated Evaluation of Crithidia luciliae Based Indirect Immunofluorescence Tests: A Novel Application of the EUROPattern-Suite Technology.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a severe rheumatic autoimmune disease with various clinical manifestations. Anti-dsDNA antibodies are an important immunological hallmark of SLE and their occurrence represents a major criterion for the diagnosis. Among the commonly applied test systems for determination of anti-dsDNA antibodies, the indirect immunofluorescence test (IIFT) using the flagellated kinetoplastida Crithidia luciliae is considered to be highly disease specific at moderate sensitivity.

Perioperative management of patients with severe pulmonary hypertension in major orthopedic surgery: experience-based recommendations.

Introduction: It is known that pulmonary hypertension is associated with worse outcome in both cardiac and non-cardiac surgery. The aims of our retrospective analysis were to evaluate the outcomes of our patients with pulmonary hypertension undergoing major orthopedic surgery and to give experience-based recommendations for the perioperative management.

Material And Methods: From 92 patients with pulmonary hypertension undergoing different kinds of surgical procedures from 2011-2014 in a tertiary academic hospital we evaluated 16 patients with major orthopedic surgery for perioperative morbidity and mortality.

Perioperative anesthesiological management of patients with pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension is a major reason for elevated perioperative morbidity and mortality, even in noncardiac surgical procedures. Patients should be thoroughly prepared for the intervention and allowed plenty of time for consideration. All specialty units involved in treatment should play a role in these preparations.

Effects of atropine on human cardiac beta 1- and/or beta 2-adrenoceptor stimulation.

The aim of this study was to find out whether, in humans, the increase in vagal tone accompanying cardiac beta-adrenoceptor (beta-AR) stimulation might be different dependent on beta1- or beta2-AR stimulation. For this purpose we studied, in six male healthy volunteers (aged 28+/-1 years), the effects of atropine infusion (0.15 microg/kg/min continuously) on increase in heart rate (HR) and contractility (determined as shortening of HR-corrected duration of electromechanical systole-QS2c) evoked by infusion of isoprenaline (3.