DenseSeg: joint learning for semantic segmentation and landmark detection using dense image-to-shape representation.

Purpose: Semantic segmentation and landmark detection are fundamental tasks of medical image processing, facilitating further analysis of anatomical objects. Although deep learning-based pixel-wise classification has set a new-state-of-the-art for segmentation, it falls short in landmark detection, a strength of shape-based approaches.

Methods: In this work, we propose a dense image-to-shape representation that enables the joint learning of landmarks and semantic segmentation by employing a fully convolutional architecture.

Reducing cheap talk? How monetary incentives affect the accuracy of metamemory judgments.

The accuracy of metacognitive judgments is rarely incentivized in experiments; hence, it depends on the participants' willingness to invest cognitive resources and respond truthfully. According to arguments promoted in economic research that performance cannot reach its full potential without proper motivation, metacognitive abilities might therefore have been underestimated. In two experiments (N = 128 and N = 129), we explored the impact of incentives on the accuracy of judgments of learning (JOLs), memory performance, and cue use in free recall of word lists.

Co-culture of Helicobacter pylori with oral microorganisms in human saliva.

Objective: Helicobacter pylori is known for colonizing the gastric mucosa and instigating severe upper gastrointestinal diseases such as gastritis, gastroduodenal ulcers, and gastric cancer. To date, there is no data available on the oral cavity as transmission site, whether H. pylori can survive in the oral cavity or in human saliva.

Stromal PDGFR-beta expression is a prognostic factor in high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients but is it also predictive for response to antiangiogenic treatment?

Objective: In advanced ovarian cancer, the majority of patients receive anti-angiogenic treatment with bevacizumab. However, its use is often associated with severe side effects, and not all patients benefit from the therapy. Currently, there are no reliable biomarkers to predict response to treatment.

CT angiography of acute aortic syndrome in patients with chronic kidney disease.

The term acute aortic syndrome (AAS) refers to a range of different entities, including dissection, intramural haematoma and penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer. Patients with chronic renal disease and particularly those with dominant polycystic kidney disease are susceptible to this pathology, given the underlying renal arteriopathy and hypertension. Imaging plays a crucial role in diagnosing, grading and guiding management of these patients, with computed tomography angiography (CTA) being on the frontline.

Drug interactions in a sample of inpatients diagnosed with cannabis use disorder.

The majority of patients with cannabis use disorder (CUD) regularly take medication. Cannabinoids influence metabolism of some commonly prescribed drugs. However, little is known about the characteristics and frequency of potential cannabis-drug (CDIs) and drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in patients with CUD.

Probing the properties of PTEN specific botulinum toxin type E mutants.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) are established biopharmaceuticals for neuromuscular and secretory conditions based on their ability to block neurotransmitter release from neurons by proteolyzing specific soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins. Recently, a mutant catalytic domain of serotype E (LC/E) exhibiting 16 mutations was reported to cleave the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). This molecule represents an attractive new target in neurons as several reports support PTEN knockdown as a strategy to stimulate axonal regeneration after injury.

[Transcutaneous osseointegrated prostheses systems (TOPS) for rehabilitation following limb loss : Surgical approach for necessary removal of the implant].

Objective: Removal of a transcutaneous osseintegrated endo-fix stem (ESKA Orthopaedic, Lübeck, Germany) following a fatigue fracture of the implant, whilst protecting the residual femur bone to allow transcutaneous osseointegrated prosthesis system (TOPS) reimplantation.

Indications: A patient's request for a further TOPS implantation following a fatigue fracture of a circular osseointegrated implant stem.

Contraindications: Impending destruction of the bone tube through mobilisation of the femoral implant stem with insufficient thickness of the cortical wall (< 2-3 mm).

Prognostic and clinical heterogeneity of PD1 and PD-L1- immunohistochemical scores in endometrial cancers.

Introduction: PD1/PD-L1 inhibition (ICi) has recently become a new standard of care for patients with advanced MMR-deficient (MMRd) endometrial cancers. Nevertheless, response to immunotherapy is more complex than the presence of a single biomarker and therefore it remains challenging to predict patients response to ICi beyond MMRd tumors. Elevated PD-L1 expression (CPS ≥ 1) is often used as a prognostic marker as well as a predictive biomarker of response to ICi in different tumor types.

A living library concept to capture the dynamics and reactivity of mixed-metal clusters for catalysis.

The exploration of ligated metal clusters' chemical space is challenging, partly owing to an insufficiently targeted access to reactive clusters. Now, dynamic mixtures of clusters, defined as living libraries, are obtained through organometallic precursor chemistry. The libraries are populated with interrelated clusters, including transient and highly reactive ones, as well as more accessible but less reactive species.

Associations of inferior frontal sulcal hyperintensities on brain MRI with cerebral small vessel disease, cognitive function, and depression symptoms.

Inferior frontal sulcal hyperintensities (IFSH) observed on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MRI have been proposed as indicators of elevated cerebrospinal fluid waste accumulation in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). However, to validate IFSH as a reliable imaging biomarker, further replication studies are required. The objective of this study was to investigate associations between IFSH and CSVD, and their potential repercussions, i.

Long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in a population-based pediatric cohort.

During the omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and with SARS-CoV-2 vaccines becoming available, seroprevalence rates rose in children and adolescents. This study investigated the impact of both SARS-CoV-2 infections and vaccinations on the incidence of acute and prolonged symptoms in real-world conditions during the transition from the pandemic to the endemic phase. Participants from a pediatric population based seroprevalence study (CorKID study) were followed up at least two and for almost four years by survey of health status features and symptoms suggestive of post-COVID syndrome (PCS).

Exploration of transfer learning techniques for the prediction of PM.

Modelling of pollutants provides valuable insights into air quality dynamics, aiding exposure assessment where direct measurements are not viable. Machine learning (ML) models can be employed to explore such dynamics, including the prediction of air pollution concentrations, yet demanding extensive training data. To address this, techniques like transfer learning (TL) leverage knowledge from a model trained on a rich dataset to enhance one trained on a sparse dataset, provided there are similarities in data distribution.

Photon-counting-detector CT outperforms state-of-the-art cone-beam and energy-integrated-detector CT in delineation of dental root canals.

This experimental phantom study investigates current standard of care protocols in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), energy-integrating-detector (EID) CT, and photon-counting-detector (PCD) CT regarding their potential in delineation of dental root canals. Artificial accessory canals (diameters: 1000, 600, 400, 300 and 200 μm) were drilled into three bovine teeth mounted on a bovine rib as a jaw substitute. The phantom was scanned in two dental CBCTs, two EID-CTs and a PCD-CT using standard clinical protocols.

Compact inverse designed vertical coupler with bottom reflector for sub-decibel fiber-to-chip coupling on silicon on insulator platform.

Inverse design via topology optimization has led to innovations in integrated photonics and offers a promising way for designing high-efficiency on-chip couplers with a minimal footprint. In this work, we exploit topology optimization to design a compact vertical coupler incorporating a bottom reflector, which achieves sub-decibel coupling efficiency on the 220-nm silicon-on-insulator platform. The final design of the vertical coupler yields a predicted coupling efficiency of -0.

Efficient and accurate determination of the degree of substitution of cellulose acetate using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and machine learning.

Multiple linear regression models were trained to predict the degree of substitution (DS) of cellulose acetate based on raw infrared (IR) spectroscopic data. A repeated k-fold cross validation ensured unbiased assessment of model accuracy. Using the DS obtained from H NMR data as reference, the machine learning model achieved a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.

Nephrectomy in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease: A consensus statement of the ERA Genes & Kidney Working Group.

A substantial number of patients with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) undergo a nephrectomy, especially in work-up for a kidney transplantation. Currently, there is no evidence-based algorithm to guide clinicians which patients should undergo nephrectomy, the optimal timing of this procedure, or the preferred surgical technique. This systematic review-based consensus statement aimed to answer important questions regarding nephrectomy in ADPKD.

Beta-tricalcium phosphate patient-specific gap implants in bilateral sagittal split osteotomy: an innovative treatment method to enhance the mandibular border contour. Part 1: concept and workflow.

Antegonial notching can occur after bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) and may lead to unpleasant aesthetic outcomes in both young and older patients. This clinical study presents a new concept to potentially overcome this problem and describes the workflow. Beta-tricalcium phosphate patient-specific gap implants (β-TCP gap-PSIs) are biocompatible and resorbable bone grafts that are placed in the space of the osteotomy gap during orthognathic procedures; they are virtually planned and printed in 3D.

Advanced Automated Model for Robust Bone Marrow Segmentation in Whole-body MRI.

Rationale And Objectives: To establish an advanced automated bone marrow (BM) segmentation model on whole-body (WB-)MRI in monoclonal plasma cell disorders (MPCD), and to demonstrate its robust performance on multicenter datasets with severe myeloma-related pathologies.

Materials And Methods: The study cohort comprised multi-vendor, multi-protocol imaging data acquired with varying field strength across 8 different centers. In total, 210 WB-MRIs of 207 MPCD patients were included.

The utilization of a spare ureter to create a continent catheterizable channel to the bladder in pediatric patients.

Introduction: Clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) has significant advantages over indwelling catheters. To facilitate CIC, a continent catheterizable channel (CCC) to the bladder is required in some cases. The Mitrofanoff appendicovesicostomy (APV) is considered the gold standard for pediatric CCC creation.

Physical activity, cathepsin B, and cognitive health.

Regular physical activity (PA) is beneficial for cognitive health, and cathepsin B (CTSB) - a protease released by skeletal muscle during PA - acts as a potential molecular mediator of this association. PA-induced metabolic and mechanical stress appears to increase plasma/serum CTSB levels. CTSB facilitates neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity in brain regions (e.

Structural insights into actin filament turnover.

The dynamic turnover of actin filaments drives the morphogenesis and migration of all eukaryotic cells. This review summarizes recent insights into the molecular mechanisms of actin polymerization and disassembly obtained through high-resolution structures of actin filament assemblies. We first describe how, upon polymerization, actin subunits age within the filament through changes in their associated adenine nucleotide.

Incidence and Outcomes of Secondary Bladder Cancer Following Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background And Objective: There is an established association between secondary bladder cancers (SBCs) and radiotherapy (RT) for prostate cancer (PC), which remains a significant concern. Our aim was to update the evidence on SBC incidence across different RT modalities and to compare oncological outcomes for patients diagnosed with SBC to those diagnosed with primary bladder cancer (PBC).

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science for studies on SBC following PC.