In addition, when the ablation is performed with an extracorporal heating device such as high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), the continuous estimation of the organ displacement is the basis for the dynamic adjustment of the focal point position to track the targeted pathological tissue. In this paper, we describe the use of an optimized principal component analysis (PCA)-based motion descriptor to characterize in real-time the complex organ deformation during the therapy. The PCA was used to detect, in a
preparative JAK inhibitor learning step, spatio-temporal coherences in the motion of the targeted organ. During hyperthermia, incoherent motion patterns could be discarded, which enabled improvements in motion estimation robustness, the compensation of motion related errors in thermal maps, and the adjustment of the beam position. The suggested method was evaluated for a moving phantom, and tested in vivo in the kidney
and the liver of 12 healthy volunteers under free breathing conditions. The ability to perform a MR-guided thermotherapy in vivo during HIFU intervention was finally demonstrated on a porcine kidney.”
“Objective. To evaluate histomorphometric vascular characteristics from samples obtained by chorionic villus sampling (CVS) in pregnancies with low serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) levels and to relate these findings to three-dimensional (3D) placental volume and power Doppler vascularization.
Methods. Immediately before CVS, placental 3D-power Doppler ultrasonography was performed 5-Fluoracil research buy at 11 + 0 to 13 + 6 weeks in 12 pregnancies with PAPP-A concentrations <0.3 multiples of median (MoM) as well as in 11 control women. Using a standardized setting placental volume, vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI), MLN0128 and vascularization flow index (VFI) were measured. Histomorphometric parameters of villi were blindly evaluated with a video-computerized-image-analysis system.
Results. Pregnancies with low PAPP-A showed a significantly reduced number of capillary vessels per villus cross-section (p = 0.005) and a smaller capillary diameter (p = 0.041). Placental vascular indices were significantly related
to the number of fetal capillary vessels per villus (VI: r = 0.51, p = 0.03; FI: r = 0.48, p = 0.04; VFI: r = 0.56, p = 0.01).
Conclusions. Differences in placental vascularization are present in first trimester in pregnancies with low PAPP-A and they are associated to altered 3D placental Doppler indices.”
“Background. National Asthma Education and Prevention Program recommended emergency department (ED) asthma treatment includes both providing systemic corticosteroids in the ED and a steroid prescription at discharge. Objective. To examine the prevalence of three types of substandard ED asthma care-providing a discharge prescription only, providing corticosteroids in the ED only, and providing neither- and how care varies with exacerbation severity. Methods.