Generation of tissues outside the field of view (FOV) of radiation therapy simulation imaging based on machine learning and patient body outline (PBO).

Background: It is not unusual to see some parts of tissues are excluded in the field of view of CT simulation images. A typical mitigation is to avoid beams entering the missing body parts at the cost of sub-optimal planning.

Methods: This study is to solve the problem by developing 3 methods, (1) deep learning (DL) mechanism for missing tissue generation, (2) using patient body outline (PBO) based on surface imaging, and (3) hybrid method combining DL and PBO.

Rare Reconstruction of Four Metatarsals Using Kirschner Wires After a Severe Crushing Injury: Surgical Decision Making and Prognosis.

Metatarsal fractures are one of the most common injuries after foot trauma. It is debilitating, as the metatarsals are one of the most crucial bones for any weight-bearing movement. This report demonstrates the beneficial outcome of using Kirschner wires (K-wires) in a trauma setting and the complicated healing process.

A Mathematical Model for Predicting Patient Responses to Combined Radiotherapy with CTLA-4 Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

The purpose of this study was to develop a cell-cell interaction model that could predict a tumor's response to radiotherapy (RT) combined with CTLA-4 immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The previously developed model was extended by adding a new term representing tremelimumab, an inhibitor of CTLA-4. The distribution of the new immune activation term was derived from the results of a clinical trial for tremelimumab monotherapy (NCT01008358).

Comparison of NIH 3T3 Cellular Adhesion on Fibrous Scaffolds Constructed from Natural and Synthetic Polymers.

Polymer scaffolds are increasingly ubiquitous in the field of tissue engineering in improving the repair and regeneration of damaged tissue. Natural polymers exhibit better cellular adhesion and proliferation than biodegradable synthetics but exhibit inferior mechanical properties, among other disadvantages. Synthetic polymers are highly tunable but lack key binding motifs that are present in natural polymers.

Risk factors for sialocele after parotidectomy: Does tumor size really matter?

Objective: Sialocele that develops after parotid surgery often prolongs the treatment period and stresses both the surgeon and patient. The extent of surgery and tumor size are known to be associated with sialocele occurrence. We investigated the incidence of post-parotidectomy sialocele and the associated risk factors, with a focus on tumor size.

Quantitative Assessment of the Restoration of Original Anatomy after 3D Virtual Reduction of Long Bone Fractures.

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of 3D image-based virtual reduction by validating the evaluation criteria according to guidelines suggested by the AO Surgery Reference. For this experiment, 19 intact radial ORTHObones (ORTHObones radius, 3B Scientific, Germany, Hamburg) without any fractures were prepared. All ORTHObones with six cortical marking holes (three points on the distal part and three points on the proximal part) were scanned using a CT scanner twice (before/after intentional fracture of the ORTHObone).

Electrospun Carbon Nanotube-Based Scaffolds Exhibit High Conductivity and Cytocompatibility for Tissue Engineering Applications.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are known for their excellent conductive properties. Here, we present two novel methods, "sandwich" (sCNT) and dual deposition (DD CNT), for incorporating CNTs into electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin scaffolds to increase their conductance. Based on CNT percentage, the DD CNT scaffolds contain significantly higher quantities of CNTs than the sCNT scaffolds.

In Vitro Biocompatibility and Degradation Analysis of Mass-Produced Collagen Fibers.

Automation and mass-production are two of the many limitations in the tissue engineering industry. Textile fabrication methods such as electrospinning are used extensively in this field because of the resemblance of the extracellular matrix to the fiber structure. However, electrospinning has many limitations, including the ability to mass-produce, automate, and reproduce products.

Eavesdropping Vulnerability and Countermeasure in Infrared Communication for IoT Devices.

Infrared (IR) communication is one of the wireless communication methods mainly used to manipulate consumer electronics devices. Traditional IR devices support only simple operations such as changing TV channels. These days, consumer electronic devices such as smart TV are connected to the internet with the introduction of IoT.

A multivariate approach to determine electron beam parameters for a Monte Carlo 6 MV Linac model: Statistical and machine learning methods.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the optimal initial electron beam parameters of a Linac for radiotherapy with a multivariate approach using statistical and machine-learning tools.

Methods: For MC beam commissioning, a 6 MV Varian Clinac was simulated using the Geant4 toolkit. The authors investigated the relations between simulated dose distribution and initial electron beam parameters, namely, mean energy (E), energy spread (ES), and radial beam size (RS).

Assessment of log-based fingerprinting system of Mobius3D with Elekta linear accelerators.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the matching error that occurs when the Mobius3D fingerprinting system is applied in conjunction with an Elekta linear accelerator (LINAC) and to offer an acceptable and alternative method for circumventing this problem.

Material And Methods: To avoid the multileaf collimator (MLC) conflicting error in the Mobius3D fingerprinting system, we developed an in-house program to move the MLC in the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) radiotherapy (RT)-Plan to pertinent positions, considering the relationship between log data and planned data. The re-delivered log files were calculated in the Mobius3D system, and the results were compared with those of corrected data (i.

Observability Study on Passive Target Localization by Conic-Angle Measurements.

Information from a passive linear array sensor is related to the conic angle formed by a target and the sensor in three-dimensional (3D) space so that the target localization system using the sensor should be also designed in 3D space. This paper presents an observability study of a passive target localization system created using conic angle information. The study includes the analysis of the sensor maneuver requirement needed to achieve system observability and simulations to demonstrate the results of the analytic scheme.

Development of Dosimetric Verification System for Patient-Specific Quality Assurance of High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy.

The aim of this study was to develop a dosimetric verification system (DVS) using a solid phantom for patient-specific quality assurance (QA) of high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT). The proposed DVS consists of three parts: dose measurement, dose calculation, and analysis. All the dose measurements were performed using EBT3 film and a solid phantom.

Four-dimensional inverse-geometry computed tomography: a preliminary study.

This study introduces and evaluates respiratory-correlated four-dimensional (4D) inverse geometry computed tomography (IGCT). The projection data of the IGCT were acquired in a single gantry rotation over 120 s. Three virtual phantoms-static Defrise, 4D Shepp-Logan, and 4D extended cardiac-torso (XCAT)-were used to obtain projection data for the IGCT and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Dose Super-Resolution in Prostate Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy Using Cascaded Deep Learning Networks.

Purpose: This study proposes a cascaded network model for generating high-resolution doses (i.e., a 1 mm grid) from low-resolution doses (i.

Simplified sigmoidal curve fitting for a 6 MV FFF photon beam of the Halcyon to determine the field size for beam commissioning and quality assurance.

Background: An O-ring gantry-type linear accelerator (LINAC) with a 6-MV flattening filter-free (FFF) photon beam, Halcyon, includes a reference beam that contains representative information such as the percent depth dose, profile and output factor for commissioning and quality assurance. However, because it does not provide information about the field size, we proposed a method to determine all field sizes according to all depths for radiation therapy using simplified sigmoidal curve fitting (SCF).

Methods: After mathematical definition of the SCF using four coefficients, the defined curves were fitted to both the reference data (RD) and the measured data (MD).

Reducing Frailty to Promote Healthy Aging.

Frailty is a complex geriatric syndrome. Frail patients typically present with an array of multiple complex symptoms and significantly reduced tolerance for medical and surgical interventions. A multidomain approach is required to effectively treat/manage frailty.

Electrospun Scaffolds and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes for Cardiac Tissue Engineering Applications.

Tissue engineering (TE) combines cells, scaffolds, and growth factors to assemble functional tissues for repair or replacement of tissues and organs. Cardiac TE is focused on developing cardiac cells, tissues, and structures-most notably the heart. This review presents the requirements, challenges, and research surrounding electrospun scaffolds and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) towards applications to TE hearts.

Can Voice Pitch Be Preserved in Patients after Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach?

Introduction: Transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA) has become increasingly popular. Several reports have emphasized the safety and efficacy of this new approach. However, there is no report on functional voice outcomes, including voice pitch change after TOETVA.

Development of Volumetric Independent Dose Calculation System for Verification of the Treatment Plan in Image-Guided Adaptive Brachytherapy.

This study aimed to develop a volumetric independent dose calculation (vIDC) system for verification of the treatment plan in image-guided adaptive brachytherapy (IGABT) and to evaluate the feasibility of the vIDC in clinical practice with simulated cases. The vIDC is based on the formalism of TG-43. Four simulated cases of cervical cancer were selected to retrospectively evaluate the dose distributions in IGABT.

Competitive Adsorption as a Route to Area-Selective Deposition.

In this work, we have explored the use of a third species during chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to direct thin-film growth to occur exclusively on one surface in the presence of another. Using a combination of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experiments, including in situ surface analysis, we have examined the use of 4-octyne as a coadsorbate in the CVD of ZrO thin films on SiO and Cu surfaces. At sufficiently high partial pressures of the coadsorbate and sufficiently low substrate temperatures, we find that 4-octyne can effectively compete for adsorption sites, blocking chemisorption of the thin-film precursor, Zr[N(CHCH)], and preventing growth on Cu, while leaving growth unimpeded on SiO.