bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Patients with Stage III Colon Cancer: Results from a CDC-NPCR patterns of care study
Authors:   Care(PoC1) Study Group, Cress Rosemary D. , Sabatino Susan A. , Wu Xiao-Cheng , Schymura Maria J. , Rycroft Randi , Stuckart Erik , Fulton John , Shen Tiefu
Published: September 2017

Objective

To evaluate adjuvant chemotherapy use for Stage III colon cancer.

Methods

This analysis included 973 patients with surgically treated stage III colon cancer. Socioeconomic information from the 2000 census was linked to patients’ residential census tracts. Vital status through 12/31/02 was obtained from medical records and linkage to state vital statistics files and the National Death Index.

Results

Adjuvant chemotherapy was received by 67%. Treatment varied by state of residence, with Colorado, Rhode Island and New York residents more likely to receive chemotherapy than Louisiana residents. Older age, increasing comorbidities, divorced/widowed marital status, and residence in lower education areas or non-working class neighborhoods were associated with lower chemotherapy use. Survival varied by state but after adjustment for sex, sociodemographic and health factors, was significantly higher only for California and Rhode Island. Older age and lower educational attainment were associated with lower survival. Chemotherapy was protective for all comorbidity groups.

Conclusion

Although adjuvant chemotherapy for Stage III colon cancer improves survival, some patients did not receive standard of care, demonstrating the need for cancer treatment surveillance. Interstate differences likely resulted from differences in local practice patterns, acceptance of treatment, and access.
Multicentric Adenocarcinomas in a Long-Segment of Barrett's Esophagus
Authors: Hartl Stefan , Siewert Joerg-Ruediger , Theisen Joerg
Published: September 2017

This report describes a complicated course of a 58-year-old patient with multicentric Barrett's carcinoma within a long-segment of Barrett metaplasia. After abdominal-thoracic resection of the cancer, with incomplete removal of the long-segment metaplastic lesion, invasive carcinoma was diagnosed in the remnant Barrett's segment. Endoscopic mucosal resection was done, but Barrett's mucosa was left in situ again. Recurrent tumor growth was diagnosed only few months later. Finally, transthoracic complete resection on the remnant Barrett's segment was performed. Thus, our case demonstrates impressively the appearance of multicentric adenocarcinomas in Barrett's esophagus and underlines the necessity of resection of the complete Barrett mucosa.
Genomic Heterogeneity of Breast Tumor Pathogenesis
Authors: Ellsworth Rachel E. , Hooke Jeffrey A. , Shriver Craig D. , Ellsworth Darrell L.
Published: September 2017

Pathological grade is a useful prognostic factor for stratifying breast cancer patients into favorable (low-grade, well-differentiated tumors) and less favorable (high-grade, poorly-differentiated tumors) outcome groups. Under the current system of tumor grading, however, a large proportion of tumors are characterized as intermediate-grade, making determination of optimal treatments difficult. In an effort to increase objectivity in the pathological assessment of tumor grade, differences in chromosomal alterations and gene expression patterns have been characterized in low-grade, intermediate-grade, and high-grade disease. In this review, we outline molecular data supporting a linear model of progression from low-grade to high-grade carcinomas, as well as contradicting genetic data suggesting that low-grade and high-grade tumors develop independently. While debate regarding specific pathways of development continues, molecular data suggest that intermediate-grade tumors do not comprise an independent disease subtype, but represent clinical and molecular hybrids between low-grade and high-grade tumors. Finally, we discuss the clinical implications associated with different pathways of development, including a new clinical test to assign grade and guide treatment options.
Single Agent Irinotecan for the Treatment of Metastatic or Recurrent Squamous Carcinoma of the Head and Neck (SCCHN)
Authors: Gilbert J , Dang T , Cmelak A , Shyr Y , Netterville J , Burkey B , Chung Ch , Ikpeazu E , Murphy Ba
Published: September 2017

Background

Patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer (HNC) have a poor response and survival with currently available chemotherapy agents. Thus new agents are needed. We report the results of a phase II trial of irinotecan in patients with metastatic or recurrent HNC.

Patients and Methods

Chemonaive patients were treated with irinotecan 125 mg/m2 on a weekly schedule for four weeks, followed by a two week rest. However, due to excessive toxicity, the dose and schedule of irinotecan was changed to 75 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 of a 21 day cycle. All previously treated patients received 75 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 of a 21 day cycle.

Results

Forty-nine patients were enrolled on study. The response rate was 20% in the chemonaive patients treated at the 125 mg/m2 dose. The response rate decreased to 12.5% at the 75 mg/m2 dose. In the previously treated cohort, the response rate was 20%. Median survival for the chemonaive and previously treated cohorts were 6.7 months and 5.0 months, respectively.

Conclusions

Irinotecan has modest activity in chemonaive and previously treated HNC, thus it merits further study in this advanced disease population.
Primary Extraskeletal Ewing Sarcoma of the Thoracic Spinal Epidural Space: A Case Report
Authors: Yamamoto Yasuhiro , Washimi Osuke , Ishimura Daisuke , Yamada Harumoto , Kuroda Makoto , Matsubara Masatake , Yonekawa Masahiro , Uchibori Mitsutosi
Published: September 2017

Cases of extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma (EES) originating primarily within the spinal epidural space, are very rare and have a very poor prognosis. There is no standard therapy for this disease.

We report the case of a 23-year-old man presenting with symptoms of back pain and numbness of both legs for 10 days. Imaging studies revealed a dorsal soft-tissue, extradural mass at the T8–9 vertebral level. The patient underwent a laminectomy and complete excision of the tumor. The EES diagnosis was confirmed by histologic analysis including immunohistochemistry and by presence of the EWS-ERG due to the t (21: 22) (q22: q12) chromosomal translocation by a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This is the first report of spinal epidural EES with presence of the EWS-ERG fusion transcript. Post-operatively, the patient received aggressive adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

At 63 months after surgery, the patient is without clinical or radiological evidence of recurrent or metastatic disease.

Early discovery of EES and a complete resection followed by the aggressive treatment with radiation and chemotherapy may improve disease-free and overall survival.
Primary MALT Type Skin Lymphoma—Is ‘Wait and See’ a Possible Strategy?
Authors: Delli Florentina Silvia , Zaraboukas Thomas , Mandekou-Lefaki Ioanna
Published: September 2017

Primary cutaneous lymphomas are the second most common site of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A specifically type named extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphomas are indolent low-grade neoplasma.

We report a case of a 42-year-old white man with multiple subcutaneous tumors located on the trunk and neck. The histopathological exam showed a non-epidermotropic, dense lymphocytic infiltrate. Histologic, immunohistochemical and cytologenetic analysis diagnosed primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma MALT type. Investigation for other extranodal MALT lymphoma gastrointestinal tract, lung, salivary and thyroid glands was negative. The patient refused radiotherapy, but he accepted every 6 months close follow-up. Over a seven years period, we noticed a progressively disappearance of the skin lesions.

The necessity of aggressive treatment of this disease with excellent prognosis is discussed.

The treatment necessity of primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma MALT type is discussed.
Radionuclide Imaging of Apoptosis in Malignancies: Promise and Pitfalls of 99mTc-Hynic-rh-Annexin V Imaging
Authors: Kartachova M.S. , Verheij M. , Van Eck B.L. , Hoefnagel C.A. , Olmos R.A. Valdes
Published: September 2017

Radionuclide detection of apoptosis with of 99mTc-Hynic-rh-Annexin V scintigraphy is an effective tool for in vivo visualisation and monitoring of apoptosis in various malignant tumour. Early therapy-induced increase of the tumour tracer uptake correlates with favourable outcome, whereas stable or decreased uptake correlates with stable disease or tumour progression. Therefore sequential 99mTc-Hynic-rh-Annexin V scintigraphy could be used to predict therapy outcome on a patient-to-patient basis within 48 hours after the start of treatment. However, moderate tumour-to-background ratio and therapy-induced changes in normal tissues could confound image analysis. To assure accurate interpretation of Annexin V scans, the awareness of the biophysiological and biochemical properties contributing to the tracer distribution is essential. In with manuscript we discuss the patterns of Annexin V tumour uptake and illustrate the most frequent pitfalls associated with Annexin V imaging in correlation with CT and MRI imaging.
Signet-Ring Cell Carcinoma Arising in the Gastric Stump after Duodenopancreatectomy for Ductal Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas: A Case Report
Authors: Kassahun Woubet T , Lamesch Peter , Wittekind Christian , Neid Matthias , Schneider Jens P , Mössner Joachim , Hauss Johann
Published: September 2017

The development of malignancy in the gastric stump following surgery for peptic ulcer disease is well recognized. There are also few reports on carcinomas occurring after surgery for malignant gastric disease. However, carcinoma of the gastric stump after duodenopancreatectomy is extremely rare. We describe what we believe to be an unusual case of signetring cell carcinoma of the gastric stump developing at the anastomotic site 5 years after duodenopancreatectomy for ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head. We performed remnant gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy as a curative resection. This experience clearly underlies that g astric stump carcinoma (GSC) may mimic metastatic disease recurrence leading to diagnostic confusion after surgery for malignancy. Although an increased risk of gastric stump carcinoma after pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer has not been established, the possibility of such a complication should be kept in mind when evaluating patients after gastric resection who present with symptoms of metastatic disease recurrence years after the primary operation. Investigations should be independent of the entity of the primary disease or its localization, since GSC may well be amenable to surgical cure as demonstrated in the presented case. Outpatient follow up results of the last four years indicated no recurrence in this case.
Review: Mitochondrial Defects in Breast Cancer
Authors: Salgado Josefa , Honorato Beatriz , García-Foncillas Jesús
Published: September 2017

Mitochondria play important roles in cellular energy metabolism, free radical generation, and apoptosis. Mitochondrial DNA has been proposed to be involved in carcinogenesis because of its high susceptibility to mutations and limited repair mechanisms in comparison to nuclear DNA. Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer type among women in the world and, although exhaustive research has been done on nuclear DNA changes, several studies describe a variety of mitochondrial DNA alterations present in breast cancer. In this review article, we to provide a summary of the mitochondrial genomic alterations reported in breast cancer and their functional consequences.
Experimental Antioxidant Therapy in Ataxia Telangiectasia
Authors: Reliene Ramune , Schiestl Robert H.
Published: September 2017

Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by immunodeficiency, early onset neurological degeneration, hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation and a high incidence of lymphoid cancers. The disease results from bi-allelic mutations in the AT mutated ( ATM) gene involved in cell cycle checkpoint control and repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Evidence has been accumulating that oxidative stress is associated with AT and may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. This led to a hypothesis that antioxidant therapy may mitigate the symptoms of AT, especially neurological degeneration and tumorigenesis. Consequently, several studies examined the effect of antioxidants in Atm deficient mice used as an animal model of AT. N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), EUK-189, tempol and 5-carboxy-1,1,3,3-tetramethylisoindolin-2-yloxyl (CTMIO) have been tested for their chemopreventive properties and had some beneficial effects. In addition to antioxidants, cancer therapeutic agent dexamethasone was examined for cancer prevention in Atm deficient mice. Of the tested antioxidants, only NAC has wide clinical applications due to safety and efficacy and is available as an over-the-counter dietary supplement. In this article, we review chemoprevention studies in Atm deficient mice and, in more detail, our findings on the effect of NAC. The short-tem study showed that NAC suppressed genome rearrangements linked to cancer. The long-term study demonstrated that NAC reduced both the incidence and multiplicity of lymphoma.
Recent Advances in Proteomics and Cancer Biomarker Discovery
Authors: Xiao Gary Guishan , Recker Robert R. , Deng Hong-Wen
Published: September 2017

Early diagnosis and prevention is a key factor in reducing the mortality and morbidity of cancer. However, currently available screening tools lack enough sensitivity for early diagnosis. It is important to develop noninvasive techniques and methods that can screen and identify asymptomatic patients who have cancer. Biomarkers of cancer status can also serve as powerful tools in monitoring the course of cancer and in determining the efficacy and safety of novel therapies. Thus, discovery of novel specific biomarkers are needed that may provide informative clues for early diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Recently, remarkable progress has been made in the development of new proteomics technology. The progress that has been made in this field is helpful in identifying biomarkers that can be used for early diagnosis of cancer and improving the understanding of the molecular etiological mechanism of cancer. This article describes the current state of the art in this field.
Signal Transduction Involving the Dmp1 Transcription Factor and its Alteration in Human Cancer
Authors: Sugiyama Takayuki , Frazier Donna P. , Taneja Pankaj , Kendig Robert D. , Morgan Rachel L. , Matise Lauren A. , Lagedrost Sarah J. , Inoue Kazushi
Published: September 2017

Dmp1 (cyclin D-interacting myb-like protein 1; also called Dmtf1) is a transcription factor that has been isolated in a yeast two-hybrid screen through its binding property to cyclin D2. Dmp1 directly binds to and activates the Arf promoter and induces Arf-p53-dependent cell cycle arrest in primary cells. D-type cyclins usually inhibit Dmp1-mediated transcription in a Cdk-independent fashion; however, Dmp1 shows synergistic effects with D-cyclins on the Arf promoter. Ras or Myc oncogene-induced tumor formation is accelerated in both Dmp1+/- and Dmp1-/- mice with no significant differences between Dmp1+/- and Dmp1-/-. Thus, Dmp1 is haplo-insufficient for tumor suppression. Tumors from Dmp1-/- or Dmp1+/- mice often retain wild-type Arf and p53, suggesting that Dmp1 is a physiological regulator of the Arf-p53 pathway. The Dmp1 promoter is activated by oncogenic Ras-Raf signaling, while it is repressed by physiological mitogenic stimuli, overexpression of E2F proteins, and genotoxic stimuli mediated by NF-κB. The human DMP1 gene (h DMP1) is located on chromosome 7q21 and is hemizygously deleted in approximately 40% of human lung cancers, especially those that retain normal INK4a/ARF and P53 loci. Thus, h DMP1 is clearly involved in human carcinogenesis, and tumors with h DMP1 deletion may constitute a discrete disease entity.
Primary Adrenal Leiomyosarcoma: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Mencoboni M , Bergaglio M , Truini M , Varaldo M
Published: September 2017

The case presented here illustrates a 75 year old female patient who underwent surgical resection of a right adrenal mass of uncertain nature. The final histological diagnosis was consistent with leiomyosarcoma arising from the adrenal anatomic site.

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the adrenal gland is a very rare malignant mesenchymal neoplasm: to our knowledge, this is only the twelfth case reported in literature.

We describe the clinical course and a brief review of clinical and histological features, biologic behaviour, diagnostic approaches and therapeutic strategies.
Adenocarcinoma Arising within a Colonic Diverticulum in a Patient with Recurrent Diverticulitis
Authors: Van Beurden A. , Baeten C.I.M. , Lange C.P.E. , Doornewaard H. , Tseng L.N.L.
Published: September 2017

In 2006, while admitted in our hospital for surgical treatment of recurrent diverticulitis, a 54-year-old man was found to have an adenocarcinoma arising within a colonic diverticulum. Computed tomography, during this episode of diverticulitis, showed a thickened wall of the sigmoid and inflammatory induration of the pericolonic fat. Colonoscopy could be performed up to no more then 25 cm from the anus due to mucosal edema. A sigmoid resection was performed. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen showed an inflamed diverticulum with a submucosal adenocarcinoma of the intestinal type within its wall. The surrounding flat colonic mucosa was not involved by the cancerous process. Due to lymph node involvement the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy and remained disease free during follow up.
A Single Institution's Experience with Bevacizumab in Combination with Cytotoxic Chemotherapy in Progressive Malignant Glioma
Authors: Mayer Tina , Lacy Jill , Baehring Joachim
Published: September 2017

Background

Bevacizumab and irinotecan may represent one of the most active treatments in progressive malignant glioma. Limited published experience with bevacizumab in patients with CNS tumors raises concerns regarding toxicity, particularly in regards to hemorrhage and thromboembolism.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 36 patients with progressive malignant glioma after prior resection, chemotherapy and radiation who were treated with bevacizumab at our institution. Patients were evaluated for bevacizumab-related adverse events, time to treatment failure (TTF) and overall survival (OS). Two patients who progressed or died prior to completion of 4 cycles of therapy were analyzed for adverse events only.

Results

Patients were treated with bevacizumab alone (1), bevacizumab plus irinotecan (31), or bevacizumab plus carboplatin (4). In 34 patients who received >4 cycles of bevacizumab, median TTF and OS were 16 and 32 weeks, respectively. Toxicities included 1 arterial thrombosis, 4 venous thromboses, and 3 clinically significant CNS hemorrhages.

Conclusion

Overall, our results confirm the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy in patients with progressive malignant glioma. Although the TTF and OS were less than previously reported with the combination of bevacizumab and irinotecan, this was an unselected patient population with 50% of patients having received >1 prior chemotherapy regimen.
Docetaxel as Salvage Therapy in Highly Pretreated and Drug Resistant Gastrointestinal Carcinomas
Authors: Sprinzl Martin F. , Wytopil Sonia M. , Dahmen Anja , Kanzler Stephan , Galle Peter R. , Moehler Markus
Published: September 2017

Introduction

Despite many efforts to develop new chemotherapies for metastatic upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, overall prognosis continues to be fatal, particularly in gastric and pancreatic cancer. Many of these patients deserve second-or third-line treatment after failure of first-line chemotherapy. Therefore, we analysed toxicity and response rate of weekly docetaxel after failed upfront regimes in these upper GI cancer patients.

Patients and Methods

Between 2001 and 2006, 18 patients received docetaxel based regimes (35 mg/m2 weekly) after informed consent. Response rates were determined using RECIST criteria or tumor progression if clinically evident. Toxicities were graded based on NCI CTC criteria (version 2). Most patients had gastric cancer (13/18). The remaining entities comprised of bilio-pancreatic cancer (5/18).

Results

Docetaxel was administered as 2nd line therapy in 28% (5/18), 3rd line therapy in 56% (10/18) and 4th or 5th line therapy in 17% (3/18). The average docetaxel dose was 38 mg/m2 (Median: 35 mg/m2) once weekly. Over a treatment duration of 14.7 weeks, the average dosage was 58 gr per patient and week. Overall, docetaxel was well tolerated with only few chemotherapy-associated toxicities (Grade 3/4), including nausea (17%), polyneuropathy (17%), anorexia (11%), neutropenia (6%) and leukopenia (17%). Docetaxel administration did not achieve any complete responses (CR) and one (5.6%) partial response (PR) was seen (1/18). In addition 5 patients (27.8%) had stable disease (SD), thus inducing a tumor control rate of 33.3% (6/18). Median progression-free survival was 2.4 months for all patients, 2.1 months in the gastric-cancer and 2.4 months in the bilio-pancreatic cancer subgroups respectively. After first docetaxel administration median survival for all patients was 4.5 months, patients with gastric cancer survived for 4.9 months whereas patients suffering from bilio-pancreatic carcinoma survived for 4.2 months. However, taken together 27% (5/18) had a remarkable overall survival of more than 2.5 years.

Discussion

In severely pretreated patients, with documented chemoresistant GI tumors, weekly docetaxel was well tolerated, presented good tumor control rate and overall survival. Therefore, this regimen may be used as salvage treatment in individual patients with upper GI cancers.
Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration (EUS-FNA) Diagnosis of Recurrent Anal Cancer after Chemoradiation and Negative Forceps Biopsies: A Case Report
Authors: Leblanc Julia , Kongkam Pradermchai
Published: September 2017

A 69-year-old woman with a history of uT2 N0 post-treated anal squamous cell cancer (SCC) presented for EUS for perianal pain. Two months prior, a digital rectal examination was significant for an indurated lesion on the left lateral rectal wall just proximal to the dentate line. A sigmoidoscopy revealed mild narrowing of the anal canal and an ulcerated friable mucosa in the same area. A biopsy demonstrated ulceration without malignancy. EUS showed a hypoechoic, non-circumferential, left-sided distal rectal mass. EUS-FNA was performed. Cytology demonstrated poorly differentiated SCC. This was confirmed by subsequent surgical resection. While endoscopic biopsy of suspected anal recurrences is usually sufficient, histologic or cytologic confirmation are necessary, as radiation-induced changes are difficult to differentiate from tumor recurrence. This case demonstrates that EUS-FNA is useful in surveillance of anal SCC when there is a high clinical suspicion of recurrence.
Targeting Bone Metastases in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Authors: El-Amm Joelle , Aragon-Ching Jeanny B.
Published: September 2017

Skeletal involvement in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is common and results in significant morbidity and mortality. The interaction of prostate cancer with the bone microenvironment contributes to progression of cancer in the bone leading to skeletal-related events (SREs). Studies aimed at targeting the bone have been carried out over the recent years. Bisphosphonates are synthetic pyrophosphate analogs first investigated for their role in SRE prevention with zoledronic acid as the main bisphosphonate that is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for retardation of skeletal events in men with metastatic prostate cancer. Denosumab is another bone-targeted agent against uncontrolled osteolysis and serves as a RANK ligand inhibitor, superior to zoledronic acid in delaying SREs. Radiopharmaceuticals have played a role in targeting the bone microenvironment mainly in pain palliation in mCRPC utilizing strontium or samarium in the remote past, but only radium-223 is the first radiopharmaceutical that has yielded improvement in overall survival. The combination and sequencing strategies of these agents is the subject of multiple ongoing trials to guide the best use of these emerging agents.
Resistance to Novel Antiandrogen Therapies in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Authors: Boudadi Karim , Antonarakis Emmanuel S.
Published: September 2017

Despite the introduction of novel therapies that maximally decrease androgen-receptor (AR) signaling activity, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) remains a lethal disease. Even though abiraterone and enzalutamide represent breakthroughs in the treatment of mCRPC and have demonstrated significant survival benefits, a significant proportion of patients have primary resistance to these agents and virtually all patients develop secondary resistance. While the mechanisms of resistance to these agents are not fully understood, many hypotheses of AR-dependent and AR-independent mechanisms are emerging, including upregulation of AR and cytochrome P450 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (CYP17), induction of AR splice variants, AR point mutations, upregulation of glucocorticoid receptor, activation of alternative oncogenic signaling pathways, neuroendocrine transformation, and immune evasion via programmed death-ligand 1 upregulation. The aim of this review is to summarize the most clinically relevant mechanisms of resistance to novel androgen-directed agents, focusing on escape from enzalutamide and abiraterone.
Maternal Characteristics Determine Stunting in Children of Less than Five Years of Age Results from a National Probabilistic Survey
Authors: Shamah-Levy Teresa , Nasu Lucia Cuevas , Moreno-Macias Hortensia , Monterrubio-Flores Eric , Avila-Arcos Marco Antonio
Published: September 2017

Background

Maternal nutrition and some variables are the main determining factors of birthweight and delayed intrauterine growth of children.

Objective

To explore the association between the mothers’ biological and sociodemographic characteristics, and the anthropometry status in children under five years of age.

Design

The population consisted of a sub-sample of 1,047 mother-and-child selected pairs from the probabilistic National Nutrition Survey, carried out in Mexico. Mother-and-child pairs included mothers aged 12 to 49 years, with children under five years of age. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, obstetric history, 24-hour recall dietary intake, and the women and children's anthropometry were collected. The association between maternal characteristics and children's anthropometry status was assessed using multiple logistic regression models.

Result

Nearly 16.7% of the children <5y of age were stunted (13.5% ≤ 2y and 18.8% > 2y). The height/age of the children was severely affected by maternal height and birth order. In addition, the interaction between socioeconomic level and maternal schooling had a marginal effect (p = 0.09) in the ≤2y group. On the other hand, whether the family received social services and the interaction between maternal height and a dichotomy urbanism variable were significant (p = 0.05) and (p < 0.01) respectively in >2y group.

Conclusion

Some biological and socioeconomic characteristics among mothers have a negative effect on their children's attained size, especially in the period between 2 and 5 years of age.
Diabetes Accelerates Retinal neuronal cell Death in A Mouse Model of endogenous Hyperhomocysteinemia
Authors: Ganapathy Preethi S. , Roon Penny , Moister Tracy K.V.E. , Mysona Barbara , Smith Sylvia B.
Published: September 2017

Hyperhomocysteinemia has been implicated in visual dysfunction. We reported recently that mice with endogenous hyperhomocysteinemia, due to mutation of the cystathionine-β-synthase ( cbs) gene, demonstrate loss of neurons in the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer and other retinal layers as homocysteine levels increase. Some clinical studies implicate hyperhomocysteinemia in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy, which is also characterized by RGC loss. The present study used cbs+/– mice to determine whether modest elevation of plasma homocysteine, in the presence of diabetes, accelerates neuronal cell loss. Diabetes (DB) was induced in 3 wk old cbs+/– and wildtype mice using streptozotocin; four groups of mice were studied: DB cbs+/– non-DB cbs+/– DB cbs+/+; non-DB cbs+/+. One group of diabetic cbs+/– mice was maintained on a high methionine diet (HMD, 0.5% methionine drinking water) to increase plasma homocysteine slightly. Eyes were harvested at 5, 10 and 15 weeks post-onset of diabetes; retinal cryosections were examined by light microscopy and subjected to systematic morphometric analysis. Diabetic cbs+/– had significantly fewer RGCs at 5 weeks compared to age-matched, non-diabetic cbs+/– and wildtype controls (10.0 ± 0.5 versus 14.9 ± 0.5 and 15.8 ± 0.6 cells/100 μm retina length, respectively). Significant differences in retinas of DB/high homocysteine versus controls were obtained 15 wks post-onset of diabetes including fewer RGCS and decreased thickness of inner nuclear and plexiform layers. Moderate increases in plasma homocysteine coupled with diabetes cause a more dramatic alteration of retinal phenotype than elevated homocysteine or diabetes alone and suggest that diabetes accelerates the retinal neuronal death in hyperhomocysteinemic mice.
The Monocular Duke of Urbino
Authors: Schwartz Stephen G. , Leffer Christopher T. , Chavis Pamela S. , Khan Faraaz , Bermudez Dennis , Flynn Harry W.
Published: September 2017

Federico da Montefeltro (1422–1482), the Duke of Urbino, was a well-known historical figure during the Italian Renaissance. He is the subject of a famous painting by Piero della Francesca (1416–1492), which displays the Duke from the left and highlights his oddly shaped nose. The Duke is known to have lost his right eye due to an injury sustained during a jousting tournament, which is why the painting portrays him from the left. Some historians teach that the Duke subsequently underwent nasal surgery to remove tissue from the bridge of his nose in order to expand his visual field in an attempt to compensate for the lost eye. In theory, removal of a piece of the nose may have expanded the nasal visual field, especially the “eye motion visual field” that encompasses eye movements. In addition, removing part of the nose may have reduced some of the effects of ocular parallax. Finally, shifting of the visual egocenter may have occurred, although this seems likely unrelated to the proposed nasal surgery. Whether or not the Duke actually underwent the surgery cannot be proven, but it seems unlikely that this would have substantially improved his visual function.
EVALUATION OF LOW-COST TERRESTRIAL PHOTOGRAMMETRY FOR 3D RECONSTRUCTION OF COMPLEX BUILDINGS
Authors: Altman S. , Xiao W. , Grayson B.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Terrestrial photogrammetry is an accessible method of 3D digital modelling, and can be done with low-cost consumer grade equipment. Globally there are many undocumented buildings, particularly in the developing world, that could benefit from 3D modelling for documentation, redesign or restoration. Areas with buildings at risk of destruction by natural disaster or war could especially benefit. This study considers a range of variables that affect the quality of photogrammetric results. Different point clouds of the same building are produced with different variables, and they are systematically tested to see how the output was affected. This is done by geometrically comparing them to a laser scanned point cloud of the same building. It finally considers how best results can be achieved for different applications, how to mitigate negative effects, and the limits of this technique.
AUTOMATIC PEDESTRIAN CROSSING DETECTION AND IMPAIRMENT ANALYSIS
BASED ON MOBILE MAPPING SYSTEM
Authors: Liu X. , Zhang Y. , Li Q.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Pedestrian crossing, as an important part of transportation infrastructures, serves to secure pedestrians’ lives and possessions and keep traffic flow in order. As a prominent feature in the street scene, detection of pedestrian crossing contributes to 3D road marking reconstruction and diminishing the adverse impact of outliers in 3D street scene reconstruction. Since pedestrian crossing is subject to wearing and tearing from heavy traffic flow, it is of great imperative to monitor its status quo. On this account, an approach of automatic pedestrian crossing detection using images from vehicle-based Mobile Mapping System is put forward and its defilement and impairment are analyzed in this paper. Firstly, pedestrian crossing classifier is trained with low recall rate. Then initial detections are refined by utilizing projection filtering, contour information analysis, and monocular vision. Finally, a pedestrian crossing detection and analysis system with high recall rate, precision and robustness will be achieved. This system works for pedestrian crossing detection under different situations and light conditions. It can recognize defiled and impaired crossings automatically in the meanwhile, which facilitates monitoring and maintenance of traffic facilities, so as to reduce potential traffic safety problems and secure lives and property.
AUTOMATIC GENERATION OF INDOOR NAVIGABLE SPACE USING A POINT CLOUD
AND ITS SCANNER TRAJECTORY
Authors: Staats B. R. , Diakité A. A. , Voûte R. L. , Zlatanova S.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Automatic generation of indoor navigable models is mostly based on 2D floor plans. However, in many cases the floor plans are out of date. Buildings are not always built according to their blue prints, interiors might change after a few years because of modified walls and doors, and furniture may be repositioned to the user’s preferences. Therefore, new approaches for the quick recording of indoor environments should be investigated. This paper concentrates on laser scanning with a Mobile Laser Scanner (MLS) device. The MLS device stores a point cloud and its trajectory. If the MLS device is operated by a human, the trajectory contains information which can be used to distinguish different surfaces. In this paper a method is presented for the identification of walkable surfaces based on the analysis of the point cloud and the trajectory of the MLS scanner. This method consists of several steps. First, the point cloud is voxelized. Second, the trajectory is analysing and projecting to acquire seed voxels. Third, these seed voxels are generated into floor regions by the use of a region growing process. By identifying dynamic objects, doors and furniture, these floor regions can be modified so that each region represents a specific navigable space inside a building as a free navigable voxel space. By combining the point cloud and its corresponding trajectory, the walkable space can be identified for any type of building even if the interior is scanned during business hours.
USING MULTI-SCALE FEATURES FOR THE 3D SEMANTIC LABELING OF
AIRBORNE LASER SCANNING DATA
Authors: Blomley R. , Weinmann M.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. In this paper, we present a novel framework for the semantic labeling of airborne laser scanning data on a per-point basis. Our framework uses collections of spherical and cylindrical neighborhoods for deriving a multi-scale representation for each point of the point cloud. Additionally, spatial bins are used to approximate the topography of the considered scene and thus obtain normalized heights. As the derived features are related with different units and a different range of values, they are first normalized and then provided as input to a standard Random Forest classifier. To demonstrate the performance of our framework, we present the results achieved on two commonly used benchmark datasets, namely the Vaihingen Dataset and the GML Dataset A, and we compare the results to the ones presented in related investigations. The derived results clearly reveal that our framework excells in classifying the different classes in terms of pointwise classification and thus also represents a significant achievement for a subsequent spatial regularization.
G0-WISHART DISTRIBUTION BASED CLASSIFICATION FROM POLARIMETRIC SAR IMAGES
Authors: Hu G. C. , Zhao Q. H.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Enormous scientific and technical developments have been carried out to further improve the remote sensing for decades, particularly Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar(PolSAR) technique, so classification method based on PolSAR images has getted much more attention from scholars and related department around the world. The multilook polarmetric G0-Wishart model is a more flexible model which describe homogeneous, heterogeneous and extremely heterogeneous regions in the image. Moreover, the polarmetric G0-Wishart distribution dose not include the modified Bessel function of the second kind. It is a kind of simple statistical distribution model with less parameter. To prove its feasibility, a process of classification has been tested with the full-polarized Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image by the method. First, apply multilook polarimetric SAR data process and speckle filter to reduce speckle influence for classification result. Initially classify the image into sixteen classes by H/A/α decomposition. Using the ICM algorithm to classify feature based on the G0-Wshart distance. Qualitative and quantitative results show that the proposed method can classify polaimetric SAR data effectively and efficiently.
FAST EDGE DETECTION AND SEGMENTATION OF TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANS THROUGH NORMAL VARIATION ANALYSIS
Authors: Che E. , Olsen M. J.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) utilizes light detection and ranging (lidar) to effectively and efficiently acquire point cloud data for a wide variety of applications. Segmentation is a common procedure of post-processing to group the point cloud into a number of clusters to simplify the data for the sequential modelling and analysis needed for most applications. This paper presents a novel method to rapidly segment TLS data based on edge detection and region growing. First, by computing the projected incidence angles and performing the normal variation analysis, the silhouette edges and intersection edges are separated from the smooth surfaces. Then a modified region growing algorithm groups the points lying on the same smooth surface. The proposed method efficiently exploits the gridded scan pattern utilized during acquisition of TLS data from most sensors and takes advantage of parallel programming to process approximately 1 million points per second. Moreover, the proposed segmentation does not require estimation of the normal at each point, which limits the errors in normal estimation propagating to segmentation. Both an indoor and outdoor scene are used for an experiment to demonstrate and discuss the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed segmentation method.
PROJECTOR-BASED AUGMENTED REALITY FOR QUALITY INSPECTION OF
SCANNED OBJECTS
Authors: Kern J. , Weinmann M. , Wursthorn S.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. After scanning or reconstructing the geometry of objects, we need to inspect the result of our work. Are there any parts missing? Is every detail covered in the desired quality? We typically do this by looking at the resulting point clouds or meshes of our objects on-screen. What, if we could see the information directly visualized on the object itself? Augmented reality is the generic term for bringing virtual information into our real environment. In our paper, we show how we can project any 3D information like thematic visualizations or specific monitoring information with reference to our object onto the object’s surface itself, thus augmenting it with additional information. For small objects that could for instance be scanned in a laboratory, we propose a low-cost method involving a projector-camera system to solve this task. The user only needs a calibration board with coded fiducial markers to calibrate the system and to estimate the projector’s pose later on for projecting textures with information onto the object’s surface. Changes within the projected 3D information or of the projector’s pose will be applied in real-time. Our results clearly reveal that such a simple setup will deliver a good quality of the augmented information.
EVALUATING CONTINUOUS-TIME SLAM USING A PREDEFINED TRAJECTORY
PROVIDED BY A ROBOTIC ARM
Authors: Koch B. , Leblebici R. , Martell A. , Jörissen S. , Schilling K. , Nüchter A.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Recently published approaches to SLAM algorithms process laser sensor measurements and output a map as a point cloud of the environment. Often the actual precision of the map remains unclear, since SLAMalgorithms apply local improvements to the resulting map. Unfortunately, it is not trivial to compare the performance of SLAMalgorithms objectively, especially without an accurate ground truth. This paper presents a novel benchmarking technique that allows to compare a precise map generated with an accurate ground truth trajectory to a map with a manipulated trajectory which was distorted by different forms of noise. The accurate ground truth is acquired by mounting a laser scanner on an industrial robotic arm. The robotic arm is moved on a predefined path while the position and orientation of the end-effector tool are monitored. During this process the 2D profile measurements of the laser scanner are recorded in six degrees of freedom and afterwards used to generate a precise point cloud of the test environment. For benchmarking, an offline continuous-time SLAM algorithm is subsequently applied to remove the inserted distortions. Finally, it is shown that the manipulated point cloud is reversible to its previous state and is slightly improved compared to the original version, since small errors that came into account by imprecise assumptions, sensor noise and calibration errors are removed as well.
A NOVEL FUSION-BASED UNSUPERVISED APPROACH FOR MULTISPECTRAL IMAGE CHANGE DETECTION WITH SALIENCY MAPS
Authors: Zhang A. , Jiang G. , Shao L. , Zhang Y. , Fang J.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. To fully utilize the spectral information and remove noise in multispectral image change detection, A fusion-based unsupervised approach, which exploits NSCT (Nonsubsampled Contourlet Transform) and multi-scale saliency maps for detecting changed areas by using multispectral images is presented in this paper. Firstly, aiming at make full use of multispectral information, each band of the multitemporal images is applied to get an initial difference image set (IDIS), which is then decomposed into several low-pass approximation and high-pass directional sub bands by NSCT; In order to remove most of the noise, saliency maps of each sub bands and each scales are obtained by processing only the low-frequency sub-band coefficients of the decomposed image; Finally the binary change map is extracted by using a novel inter-scale and inter-band fusion method. Experimental results validate the superior performance of the proposed approach with respect to several state-of-the-art change detection techniques.
A PAN-SHARPENING METHOD BASED ON GUIDED IMAGE FILTERING: A CASE STUDY OVER GF-2 IMAGERY
Authors: Zheng Y. , Guo M. , Dai Q. , Wang L.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. The GaoFen-2 satellite (GF-2) is a self-developed civil optical remote sensing satellite of China, which is also the first satellite with the resolution of being superior to 1 meter in China. In this paper, we propose a pan-sharpening method based on guided image filtering, apply it to the GF-2 images and compare the performance to state-of-the-art methods. Firstly, a simulated low-resolution panchromatic band is yielded; thereafter, the resampled multispectral image is taken as the guidance image to filter the simulated low resolution panchromatic Pan image, and extracting the spatial information from the original Pan image; finally, the pan-sharpened result is synthesized by injecting the spatial details into each band of the resampled MS image according to proper weights. Three groups of GF-2 images acquired from water body, urban and cropland areas have been selected for assessments. Four evaluation metrics are employed for quantitative assessment. The experimental results show that, for GF-2 imagery acquired over different scenes, the proposed method can not only achieve high spectral fidelity, but also enhance the spatial details
SPATIOTEMPORAL EVOLUTION OF THE IMBALANCED REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN MAINLAND CHINA USING DMSP-OLS DATA
Authors: Chen K. , Jia T.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. The Defense Meteorological Satellite Programs Operational Linescan System (DMSP-OLS) nighttime lights imagery has been widely used to monitor economic activities and regional development in recent decades. In this paper, we firstly processed the nighttime light imageries of the Mainland China from 1992 to 2013 due to the radiation or geometric errors. Secondly, by dividing the Mainland China into seven regions, we found high correlation between the sum light values and GDP of each region. Thirdly, we extracted the economic centers of each region based on their nighttime light images. Through the analysis, we found the distribution of these economic centers was relatively concentrated and the migration of these economic centers showed certain directional trend or circuitous changes, which suggested the imbalanced socio-economic development of each region. Then, we calculated the Regional Development Gini of each region using the nighttime light data, which indicated that social-economic development in South China presents great imbalance while it is relatively balanced in Southwest China. This study would benefit the macroeconomic control to regional economic development and the introduction of appropriate economic policies from the national level.
TRACKING DYNAMIC CHANGES AND MONITORING SOCIOECONOMIC PARAMETERS IN ALGERIA BETWEEN 1993 AND 2012, USING NIGHTTIME LIGHT REMOTE SENSING
Authors: Faouzi B. , Washaya P.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. This paper is based on using DMSP-OLS data from satellites nighttime light observations to detect both sources of light emissions in Algeria from human settlement areas and gas flaring from oil-extraction and natural gas production. We used the time series of data from DMSP-OLS images to examine the spatial and temporal characteristics of urban development in 48 Algerian provinces from 1993 to 2012. A systematic nighttime light calibration method was used to improve the consistency and comparability of the DSMPOSL images and then a separation is made between light detected from human settlements and light detected from gas flaring in order to allow us to study human settlements without other light emissions and then assess the suitability of using DMSP data in southern Algeria and its ability to monitor gas flaring. Linear regression methods were developed to identify the dynamic change of nighttime light and estimated its growth directions at pixel level. This work is the first to use nighttime light observations to detect and monitor the growth of human settlements in North Africa. In this study, we made use of DMSP-OLS data as a return ticket to the years of crises and we found the most affected provinces during that period. The DMSP-OLS data proved to be an index of growth in the economy during the period of stability in Algeria expressed by positive dynamic changes in the lighted area in all Algerian provinces. We used NTL data as an alternative to annual growth indexes for each province, which are unavailable, and its help as a monitoring system for socioeconomic parameters to fill the gap of data availability. We also proposed nighttime light remote sensing data as a useful tool to control and reduce CO2 emissions in Algeria’s petroleum sector.