bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prospective Clinical Study of Biodegradable Poly-L-Lactide Implant as an Augmentation Device with Fascia Lata in Cranial Cruciate Ligament Repair in the Dog: Early Results
Authors: Laitinen O. 
Published: March 2018

SummaryTwenty-seven dogs with cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture were treated with intra-articular reconstruction using a biodegradable poly-Llactide (PLLA) implant as an augmentation device, with a fascia lata graft in 12 dogs or with a fascia lata graft alone in 15 dogs. The clinical assessment was performed two, 12, and 24 weeks postoperatively. At 12 weeks the stability of the stifle joints was significantly better (p < 0.05) in the fascia lata-PLLA (FL-PLLA) group, compared to the fascia lata (FL) group, because the PLLA augmentation device gave additional support to the fascia lata graft in the early healing phase. At 24 weeks 11 dogs (92%) of the FL-PLLA group and 13 dogs (87%) of the FL group were free of lameness. Radiographically, degenerative changes defined as osteophyte formation were found preoperatively in 10 dogs in the FLPLLA group and 11 dogs in the FL group. The postoperative degenerative changes increased in four dogs in the FL-PLLA group and five dogs in the FL group at 12 weeks. At 24 weeks in two dogs in both groups the degenerative changes had advanced.A biodegradable poly-L-lactide (PLLA) augmentation device was used to reinforce a fascia lata graft in cranial cruciate ligament repair in 12 dogs and compared clinically and radio-graphically with a fascia lata replacement technique in 15 dogs. Clinically, at 12 weeks the stability of the stifle joints was significantly better (p <0.05) using the PLLA im-plant with the fascia lata. At 24 weeks significant differences were not found in the clinical nor radiographic outcome between the two groups.
Technique and Indications of a Prosthetic Capsule for Repair of Recurrent and Chronic Coxofemoral Luxations
Authors: Braden T. D. , Johnson M. E. 
Published: March 2018

Summaryscribed for the treatment of recurrent coxofemoral luxations. It utilizes a large suture material which is woven between the femur and acetabulum and acts as a “prosthetic capsule”. This technique has been used in 22 cases of coxofemoral luxations at Michigan State University Veterinary Clinical Centre with a 66.6% success rate.
Partial Carpal Arthrodesis in the Horse
Authors: Taylor J. R. , Welch R. D. , Stricklin J. B. , Auer J. A. , Watkins J. P. 
Published: March 2018

SummaryOver a period of 6 years, four horses and two foals were treated with partial carpal arthrodesis. The problems treated included one luxation each of the carpometacarpal, and the antebrachiocarpal joint, as well as one subluxation of the carpometacarpal and the middle carpal joints. The luxations developed secondary to rupture of the joint capsule as well as one or two collateral ligaments. In three cases, comminuted fractures of the distal row of carpal bones, complicated in one of these cases by a fracture of the intermediate carpal bone, were treated. Arthrodesis by internal fixation using T-plates or dynamic compression plates of various sizes was successful in salvaging some of the animals. The various cases are discussed in detail as to technique and reason of its application. One horse was euthanatized, two are presently used for pleasure riding and three horses are used for breeding purposes. The horses treated by means of arthrodesis were compared to one case of luxation of the middle carpal joint, which was treated unsuccessfully by external coaptation alone.The results of partial carpal arthrodesis in four horses and two foals are described, as are the techniques employed and the results.
Marker Identification and Classification of Cancer Types Using Gene Expression Data and SIMCA
Authors: Luchini A. , Di Bello C. , Bicciato S. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
High-throughput technologies are radically boosting the understanding of living systems, thus creating enormous opportunities to elucidate the biological processes of cells in different physiological states. In particular, the application of DNA micro-arrays to monitor expression profiles from tumor cells is improving cancer analysis to levels that classical methods have been unable to reach. However, molecular diagnostics based on expression profiling requires addressing computational issues as the overwhelming number of variables and the complex, multi-class nature of tumor samples. Thus, the objective of the present research has been the development of a computational procedure for feature extraction and classification of gene expression data.

Methods:
The Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogy (SIMCA) approach has been implemented in a data mining scheme, which allows the identification of those genes that are most likely to confer robust and accurate classification of samples from multiple tumor types.

Results:
The proposed method has been tested on two different microarray data sets, namely Golub’s analysis of acute human leukemia [1] and the small round blue cell tumors study presented by Khan et al. [2]. The identified features represent a rational and dimensionally reduced base for understanding the biology of diseases, defining targets of therapeutic intervention, and developing diagnostic tools for classification of pathological states.

Conclusions:
The analysis of the SIMCA model residuals allows the identification of specific phenotype markers. At the same time, the class analogy approach provides the assignment to multiple classes, such as different pathological conditions or tissue samples, for previously unseen instances.
Surface EMG Crosstalk Evaluated from Experimental Recordings and Simulated Signals
Authors: Merletti R. , Indino B. , Graven-Nielsen T. , Farina D. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
Surface EMG crosstalk is the EMG signal detected over a non-active muscle and generated by a nearby muscle. The aim of this study was to analyze the sources of crosstalk signals in surface EMG recordings and to discuss methods proposed in the literature for crosstalk quantification and reduction.

Methods:
The study is based on both simulated and experimental signals. The simulated signals are generated by a structure based surface EMG signal model. Signals were recorded with both intramuscular and surface electrodes and single motor unit surface potentials were extracted with the spike triggered averaging approach. Moreover, surface EMG signals were recorded from electrically stimulated muscles.

Results:
From the simulation and experimental analysis it was clear that the main determinants of crosstalk are non-propagating signal components, generated by the extinction of the intracellular action potentials at the tendons. Thus, crosstalk signals have a different shape with respect to the signals detected over the active muscle and contain high frequency components.

Conclusions:
Since crosstalk has signal components different from those dominant in case of detection from near sources, commonly used methods to quantify and reduce crosstalk, such as the cross-correlation coefficient and high-pass temporal filtering, are not reliable. Selectivity of detection systems must be discussed separately as selectivity with respect to propagating and non-propagating signal components. The knowledge about the origin of crosstalk signal constitutes the basis for crosstalk interpretation, quantification, and reduction.
Effects of Subthreshold Shocks on Wavelet Propagation during Atrial Fibrillation in Humans
Authors: Bartolini P. , Calcagnini G. , Censi F. , Macioce R. , Michelucci A. , Poli S. , Barbaro V. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
Our objectives are: first to investigate the effects of internal cardioversion energies on the wave fronts propagation in the right atrium immediately after the energy delivery; second, to track the time course of these effects.

Methods:
The study is based on a measure of organization of the endoatrial electrograms obtained by a multipolar basket catheter inserted in the right atrium. We estimated the level of organization by computing the percentage of points laying on the signal baseline (i.e., number of occurrences, NO). NO values were computed on two-second long windows. Six non-overlapped windows were selected, one just before and five just after the last unsuccessful shock.

Results:
Immediately after the shock most of the patients exhibited an increase in the organization patterns. This increase was more evident in those patients with rather disorganized patterns and higher energy threshold. This effect fades within a few seconds after the shock delivery.

Conclusions:
Our data confirm the idea that the electrical shock causes a widespread extinction of electrical wavefronts, which regenerates after the shock. Since an increase of organization may lead to a reduction of energy threshold, a potential application of these findings might consist in the delivery of multiple subthreshold shocks instead of a single one.
Time-Frequency Analysis of Brain Electrical Activity – Adaptive Approximations
Authors: Durka P. J. , ygierewicz J. Z , Blinowska K. J. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
We present an approach to time-frequency analysis of bioelectrical signals.

Methods:
The method relays on the decomposition of the signal into a set of waveforms that have good localization both in time and in frequency. The waveforms belong to a highly redundant set of functions – allowing for a very accurate description of signal components.

Results:
Properties of the method are illustrated by simulations and applications to EEG.

Conclusion:
The presented method delivers a common formalism suitable for describing both gross statistical properties of structures present in bioelectrical signals, as well as microstructure of chosen phenomena.
Characterization of Heart Rate Variability Changes Following Asphyxia in Rats
Authors: Moraru L. , Cimponeriu L. , Tong S. , Thakor N. , Bezerianos A. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
A non-invasive method to monitor the functioning of the autonomous nervous system consists in heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes on HRV after an asphyxia experiment in rats, using several linear (time and frequency domain) and nonlinear parameters (approximate entropy, SD1 and SD2 indices derived from Poincare plots).

Methods:
The experiments involved the study of HRV changes after cardiac arrest (CA) resulting from 5 min of hypoxia and asphyxia, followed by manual resuscitation and return of spontaneous circulation. 5 min stationary periods of RR intervals were selected for further analysis from 5 rats in following distinct situations: 1) baseline, 2) 30 min after CA, 3) 60 min after CA, 4) 90 min after CA, 5) 120 min after CA, 6) 150 min after CA. The ANS contribution has been delineated based on time and frequency domain analysis.

Results and Conclusions:
The results indicate that the recovery process following the asphyxia cardiac arrest reflects the impaired functioning of the autonomic nervous system. Both linear and nonlinear parameters track the different phases of the experiment, with an increased sensitivity displayed by the approximate entropy (ApEn). After 150 min the ApEn RRI parameter recovers to its baseline value. The results forward the ApEn as a more sensitive parameter of the recovery process following the asphyxia.
Advances in Biomedical Image Analysis
Authors: Meinzer H. P. , Tolxdorff T. , Lehmann T. M. 
Published: March 2018

SummaryStarting from raw data files coding eight bits of gray values per image pixel and identified with no more than eight characters to refer to the patient, the study, and technical parameters of the imaging modality, biomedical imaging has undergone manifold and rapid developments. Today, rather complex protocols such as Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) are used to handle medical images. Most restrictions to image formation, visualization, storage and transfer have basically been solved and image interpretation now sets the focus of research. Currently, a method-driven modeling approach dominates the field of biomedical image processing, as algorithms for registration, segmentation, classification and measurements are developed on a methodological level. However, a further metamorphosis of paradigms has already started. The future of medical image processing is seen in task-oriented solutions integrated into diagnosis, intervention planning, therapy and followup studies. This alteration of paradigms is also reflected in the literature. As German activities are strongly tied to the international research, this change of paradigm is demonstrated by selected papers from the German annual workshop on medical image processing collected in this special issue.
Automated Hybrid TACT® Volume Reconstructions
Authors: Linnenbrügger N. I. , Webber R. L. , Kobbelt L. P. , Lehmann T. M. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
To design, implement in Java™, and evaluate a method and means for the automated localization of artificial landmarks in optical images for tuned-aperture computed tomography® (TACT®) that allows the replacement of radiographic with optical landmarks.

Methods:
Circular, colored, optical landmarks were designed to provide flexibility with regard to landmark constellation, imaging equipment, and lighting conditions. The landmark detection was based on Hough transforms (HT) for ellipses and lines. The HT for ellipses was extended to enable selective detection of bright ellipses on a dark background and vice versa, and the number of irrelevant votes in the accumulator arrays was reduced. An experiment was performed in vitro to test the automated landmark localization scheme, verify registration accuracy, and measure the required computation time.

Results:
A visual evaluation of the tomographic slices that were produced using the new method revealed good registration accuracy. A comparison to tomographic slices similarly produced by means of conventional TACT showed identical results. The algorithm ran sufficiently fast on standard hardware to allow landmark localization in “real time” during successive image acquisition in clinical applications.

Conclusions:
The proposed method provides robust automated localization of landmarks in optical images. Using a hybrid imaging system, TACT can now be clinically applied without manual interaction of a human operator and without radiopaque landmarks, which might cover anatomic details of diagnostic interest.
A Linear Programming Approach to Limited Angle 3D Reconstruction from DSA Projections
Authors: Schüle T. , Schnörr C. , Hornegger J. , Weber S. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
We investigate the feasibility of binary-valued 3D tomographic reconstruction using only a small number of projections acquired over a limited range of angles.

Methods:
Regularization of this strongly ill-posed problem is achieved by (i) confining the reconstruction to binary vessel/non-vessel decisions, and (ii) by minimizing a global functional involving a smoothness prior.

Results:
Our approach successfully reconstructs volumetric vessel structures from three projections taken within 90°. The percentage of reconstructed voxels differing from ground truth is below 1%.

Conclusion:
We demonstrate that for particular applications – like Digital Subtraction Angiography – 3D reconstructions are possible where conventional methods must fail, due to a severely limited imaging geometry. This could play an important role for dose reduction and 3D reconstruction using non-conventional technical setups.
A Reliable and Efficient Method for Cerebral Ventricular Volumetry in Pediatric Neuroimaging
Authors: Millar W. S. , Klinghammer O. , Durkin M. S. , Tulipano P. K. , Peitgen H.-O. , Hahn H. K. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
Cerebral ventricular volume has the potential to become an important parameter in quantitative neurological diagnosis. However, no accepted methodology for routine clinical use exists to date. We sought a robust, reproducible, and fast technique to evaluate cerebral ventricular volume in young children.

Methods:
We describe a novel volumetric methodology to segment and visualize intracerebral fluid spaces and to quantify ventricular volumes. The method is based on broadly available T1 weighted volumetric magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, an interactive watershed transform, and a fully automated histogram analysis. We evaluated this volumetric methodology with 34 clinical volumetric MR datasets from non-sedated children (age 6-7 y) with a history of prematurity and low birth weight (≤ 1500 g) obtained during a prospective study.

Results:
The methodology, with adaptation for small ventricular size, was capable of evaluating all 34 of the pediatric datasets for cerebral ventricular volume. The method was a) robust for normal and pathological anatomy, b) reproducible, c) fast with less than five minutes for image analysis, and d) equally applicable to children and adults.

Conclusions:
Clinical brain ventricular volume calculations in non-sedated children can be performed using routine MR imaging besides efficient three-dimensional segmentation and histogram analysis with results that are robust and reproducible.
Atlas-based Recognition of Anatomical Structures and Landmarks and the Automatic Computation of Orthopedic Parameters
Authors: Handels H. , Plötz W. , Pöppl S. J. , Ehrhardt J. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objective:
This paper describes methods for the automatic atlas-based segmentation of bone structures of the hip, the automatic detection of anatomical point landmarks and the computation of orthopedic parameters to avoid the interactive, time-consuming preprocessing steps for the virtual planning of hip operations.

Methods:
Based on the CT data of the Visible Human Data Sets, two three-dimensional atlases of the human pelvis have been built. The atlases consist of labeled CT data sets, 3D surface models of the separated structures and associated anatomical point landmarks. The atlas information is transferred to the patient data by a non-linear gray value-based registration algorithm. A surface-based registration algorithm was developed to detect the anatomical landmarks on the patient’s bone structures. Furthermore, a software tool for the automatic computation of orthopedic parameters is presented. Finally, methods for an evaluation of the atlas-based segmentation and the atlas-based landmark detection are explained.

Results:
A first evaluation of the presented atlas-based segmentation method shows the correct labeling of 98.5% of the bony voxels. The presented landmark detection algorithm enables the precise and reliable localization of orthopedic landmarks. The accuracy of the landmark detection is below 2.5 mm.

Conclusion:
The atlas-based segmentation of bone structures, the atlas-based landmark detection and the automatic computation of orthopedic measures are suitable to essentially reduce the time-consuming user interaction during the pre-processing of the CT data for the virtual three-dimensional planning of hip operations.
An Approach to Knowledge Base Construction Based on Expert Opinions
Authors: Talmon J. L. , Renier W. O. , Hasman A. , Ast J. F. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
To describe, validate and demonstrate an approach for knowledge base construction based on expert opinions.

Methods:
A knowledge base containing the frequency of occurrence of manifestations in epileptic seizures is constructed based on information provided by neurologists/epileptologists. The reliability of the responses is determined with the inter-rater intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). If the ICC is not large enough the Spearman-Brown prophecy formula can be used to predict the number of additional experts. We propose a method to assess whether an additional expert provides information consistent with the already acquired data as well as a method to detect experts with deviating opinions. The power of the first method was determined.

Results:
Data were collected for five seizure types. The ICCs determined from the responses for the various seizure types after inclusion of the additional experts was in all cases almost equal to 0.9, the target value. Yet one expert with diverging opinions concerning the frequency of occurrence of manifestations for different seizure types could be identified. Excluding this participant improved the reliability of the data. The power of the methods was good (≥ 0.75).

Conclusions:
It is shown that human experts can provide reliable information about the frequency of occurrence of manifestations in epileptic seizures. In addition, the described approach correctly identified neurologists/epileptologists with both consistent and diverging opinions about the frequency of occurrence of manifestations in a number of seizure types.
Intensity-based Image Registration with a Guaranteed One-to-one Point Match
Authors: Modersitzki J. , Fischer B. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
In this paper, we propose a novel registration technique, which combines the concepts of landmark and automatic, non-rigid intensity-based approaches. A general framework, which might be used for many different registration problems is presented. The novel approach enables the incorporation of different distance measures as well as different smoothers.

Methods:
The proposed scheme minimizes a regular-ized distance measure subject to some interpolation constraints. The desired deformation is computed iteratively using an Euler-scheme for the first variation of the chosen objective functional.

Results:
A fast and robust numerical scheme for the computation of the wanted minimizer is developed, implemented, and applied to various registration tasks. This includes the registration of pre- and post-intervention images of the human eye.

Conclusions:
A novel framework for a parameter-free, non-rigid registration scheme which allows for the additional incorporation of user-defined landmarks is proposed. It enhances the reliability of conventional approaches considerably and thereby their acceptability by practitioners in a clinical environment.