A Multimodality Hybrid Gamma-Optical Camera for Intraoperative Imaging.

The development of low profile gamma-ray detectors has encouraged the production of small field of view (SFOV) hand-held imaging devices for use at the patient bedside and in operating theatres. Early development of these SFOV cameras was focussed on a single modality-gamma ray imaging. Recently, a hybrid system-gamma plus optical imaging-has been developed. This combination of optical and gamma cameras enables high spatial resolution multi-modal imaging, giving a superimposed scintigraphic and optical image. Hybrid imaging offers new possibilities for assisting clinicians and surgeons in localising the site of uptake in procedures such as sentinel node detection. The hybrid camera concept can be extended to a multimodal detector design which can offer stereoscopic images, depth estimation of gamma-emitting sources, and simultaneous gamma and fluorescence imaging. Recent improvements to the hybrid camera have been used to produce dual-modality images in both laboratory simulations and in the clinic. Hybrid imaging of a patient who underwent thyroid scintigraphy is reported. In addition, we present data which shows that the hybrid camera concept can be extended to estimate the position and depth of radionuclide distribution within an object and also report the first combined gamma and Near-Infrared (NIR) fluorescence images.

Improving diagnosis accuracy with an intelligent image retrieval system for lung pathologies detection: a features extractor approach.

Detecting lung pathologies is critical for precise medical diagnosis. In the realm of diagnostic methods, various approaches, including imaging tests, physical examinations, and laboratory tests, contribute to this process. Of particular note, imaging techniques like X-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans play a pivotal role in identifying lung pathologies with their non-invasive insights. Deep learning, a subset of artificial intelligence, holds significant promise in revolutionizing the detection and diagnosis of lung pathologies. By leveraging expansive datasets, deep learning algorithms autonomously discern intricate patterns and features within medical images, such as chest X-rays and CT scans. These algorithms exhibit an exceptional capacity to recognize subtle markers indicative of lung diseases. Yet, while their potential is evident, inherent limitations persist. The demand for abundant labeled data during training and the susceptibility to data biases challenge their accuracy. To address these formidable challenges, this research introduces a tailored computer-assisted system designed for the automatic retrieval of annotated medical images that share similar content. At its core lies an intelligent deep learning-based features extractor, adept at simplifying the retrieval of analogous images from an extensive chest radiograph database. The crux of our innovation rests upon the fusion of YOLOv5 and EfficientNet within the features extractor module. This strategic fusion synergizes YOLOv5's rapid and efficient object detection capabilities with EfficientNet's proficiency in combating noisy predictions. The result is a distinctive amalgamation that redefines the efficiency and accuracy of features extraction. Through rigorous experimentation conducted on an extensive and diverse dataset, our proposed solution decisively surpasses conventional methodologies. The model's achievement of a mean average precision of 0.488 with a threshold of 0.9 stands as a testament to its effectiveness, overshadowing the results of YOLOv5 + ResNet and EfficientDet, which achieved 0.234 and 0.257 respectively. Furthermore, our model demonstrates a marked precision improvement, attaining a value of 0.864 across all pathologies-a noteworthy leap of approximately 0.352 compared to YOLOv5 + ResNet and EfficientDet. This research presents a significant stride toward enhancing radiologists' workflow efficiency, offering a refined and proficient tool for retrieving analogous annotated medical images.

Effects of COVID-19 on Synaptic and Neuronal Degeneration.

Neurons are the basic building blocks of the human body's neurological system. Atrophy is defined by the disintegration of the connections between cells that enable them to communicate. Peripheral neuropathy and demyelinating disorders, as well as cerebrovascular illnesses and central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory diseases, have all been linked to brain damage, including Parkinson's disease (PD). It turns out that these diseases have a direct impact on brain atrophy. However, it may take some time after the onset of one of these diseases for this atrophy to be clearly diagnosed. With the emergence of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there were several clinical observations of COVID-19 patients. Among those observations is that the virus can cause any of the diseases that can lead to brain atrophy. Here we shed light on the research that tracked the relationship of these diseases to the COVID-19 virus. The importance of this review is that it is the first to link the relationship between the Coronavirus and diseases that cause brain atrophy. It also indicates the indirect role of the virus in dystrophy.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Sensitivity and Specificity of 13C/14C-Urea Breath Tests in the Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori Infection.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) continues to be a major health problem worldwide, causing considerable morbidity and mortality due to peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of 13C/14C-urea breath tests in the diagnosis of H. pylori infection. A PRISMA systematic search appraisal and meta-analysis were conducted. A systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Scopus, and Google Scholar was conducted up to August 2022. Generic, methodological and statistical data were extracted from the eligible studies, which reported the sensitivity and specificity of 13C/14C-urea breath tests in the diagnosis of H. pylori infection. A random effect meta-analysis was conducted on crude sensitivity and specificity of 13C/14C-urea breath test rates. Heterogeneity was assessed by Cochran's Q and I2 tests. The literature search yielded a total of 5267 studies. Of them, 41 articles were included in the final analysis, with a sample size ranging from 50 to 21857. The sensitivity and specificity of 13C/14C-urea breath tests in the diagnosis of H. pylori infection ranged between 64−100% and 60.5−100%, respectively. The current meta-analysis showed that the sensitivity points of estimate were 92.5% and 87.6%, according to the fixed and random models, respectively. In addition, the specificity points of estimate were 89.9% and 84.8%, according to the fixed and random models, respectively. There was high heterogeneity among the studies (I2 = 98.128 and 98.516 for the sensitivity and specificity, respectively, p-value < 0.001). The 13C/14C-urea breath tests are highly sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection.

The Potential Contribution of Biopolymeric Particles in Lung Tissue Regeneration of COVID-19 Patients.

The lung is a vital organ that houses the alveoli, which is where gas exchange takes place. The COVID-19 illness attacks lung cells directly, creating significant inflammation and resulting in their inability to function. To return to the nature of their job, it may be essential to rejuvenate the afflicted lung cells. This is difficult because lung cells need a long time to rebuild and resume their function. Biopolymeric particles are the most effective means to transfer developing treatments to airway epithelial cells and then regenerate infected lung cells, which is one of the most significant symptoms connected with COVID-19. Delivering biocompatible and degradable natural biological materials, chemotherapeutic drugs, vaccines, proteins, antibodies, nucleic acids, and diagnostic agents are all examples of these molecules' usage. Furthermore, they are created by using several structural components, which allows them to effectively connect with these cells. We highlight their most recent uses in lung tissue regeneration in this review. These particles are classified into three groups: biopolymeric nanoparticles, biopolymeric stem cell materials, and biopolymeric scaffolds. The techniques and processes for regenerating lung tissue will be thoroughly explored.

Susceptibility of ABO blood group to COVID-19 infections: clinico-hematological, radiological, and complications analysis.

ABSTRACT: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, research indicates that the COVID-19 disease susceptibility varies among individuals depending on their ABO blood groups. Researchers globally commenced investigating potential methods to stratify cases according to prognosis depending on several clinical parameters. Since there is evidence of a link between ABO blood groups and disease susceptibility, it could be argued that there is a link between blood groups and disease manifestation and progression. The current study investigates whether clinical manifestation, laboratory, and imaging findings vary among ABO blood groups of hospitalized confirmed COVID-19 patients.This retrospective cohort study was conducted between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 in King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Demographic information, clinical information, laboratory findings, and imaging investigations were extracted from the data warehouse for all confirmed COVID-19 patients.A total of 285 admitted patients were included in the study. Of these, 81 (28.4%) were blood group A, 43 (15.1%) were blood group B, 11 (3.9%) were blood group AB, and 150 (52.6%) were blood group O. This was almost consistent with the distribution of blood groups among the Saudi Arabia community. The majority of the study participants (79.6% [n = 227]) were asymptomatic. The upper respiratory tract infection (P = .014) and shortness of breath showed statistically significant differences between the ABO blood group (P = .009). Moreover, the incidence of the symptoms was highly observed in blood group O followed by A then B except for pharyngeal exudate observed in blood group A. The one-way ANOVA test indicated that among the studied hematological parameters, glucose (P = .004), absolute lymphocyte count (P = .001), and IgA (P = .036) showed statistically significant differences between the means of the ABO blood group. The differences in both X-ray and computed tomography scan findings were statistically nonsignificant among the ABO age group. Only 86 (30.3%) patients were admitted to an intensive care unit, and the majority of them were blood groups O 28.7% (n = 43) and A 37.0% (n = 30). However, the differences in complications' outcomes were statistically nonsignificant among the ABO age group.ABO blood groups among hospitalized COVID-19 patients are not associated with clinical, hematological, radiological, and complications abnormality.

Assessing a small field of view hybrid gamma camera for perioperative iodine-125 seed localisation.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the imaging capability of a novel small field of view hybrid gamma camera (HGC) using 125I seeds prior to surgical use. METHODS: The imaging performance of the camera system was assessed quantitatively and qualitatively at different source depths, source to collimator distances (SCD), activity levels, acquisition times and source separations, utilising bespoke phantoms. RESULTS: The system sensitivity and spatial resolution of the HGC for 125I were 0.41 cps/MBq (at SCD 48 mm) and 1.53 ± 0.23 mm (at SCD 10 mm) respectively. The camera was able to detect the 125I seed at a SCD of 63 mm (with no scattering material in place) in images recorded within a 1-min acquisition time. The detection of the seeds beneath scattering material (simulating deep-seated tumours) was limited to depths of less than 20 mm beneath the skin surface with a SCD of 63 mm and seed activity of 2.43 MBq. Subjective assessments of the hybrid images acquired showed the capability of the HGC for localising the 125I seeds. CONCLUSION: This preliminary ex vivo study demonstrates that the HGC is capable of detecting 125I seeds and could be a useful tool in radioactive seed localisation with the added benefit of providing hybrid optical γ images for guiding breast conserving surgery. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: The SFOV HGC could provide high resolution fused optical-gamma images of 125I radioactive seeds indicating the potential use in intraoperative surgical procedure such as RSL.

A novel compact small field of view hybrid gamma camera: first clinical results.

INTRODUCTION: Hybrid imaging has proven to be a major innovation in nuclear medicine, allowing the fusion of functional information with anatomical detail. In the past, the use of hybrid imaging such as PET-CT, PET-MRI and SPECT-CT has been of great clinical benefit; however, these scanners are relatively large and bulky. We have developed and investigated the clinical application of a compact small field of view hybrid gamma camera (HGC) that is suitable for small-organ imaging at the patient bedside. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The HGC - consisting of a CsI(Tl) scintillation crystal coupled to an electron-multiplying charge-coupled device and an optical camera - was used in this study. Eligible patients attending the nuclear medicine clinic at Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK, were invited to take part in this study. Following the standard injection of either a Tc-labelled or I-labelled radiopharmaceutical, images of the patient were acquired using the HGC and presented in a fused optical-gamma display. RESULTS: There were 24 patients enrolled in the study (age range between 30 and 83 years, mean: 58.6 years), images of 18 of whom were successfully acquired. These included patients who were undergoing bone, thyroid, lacrimal drainage, DaTscan and lymphatic imaging. In general, the small field of view system was well suited to small-organ imaging. The uptake could be clearly seen in relation to the patient surface anatomy and showed particular promise for lymphatic, thyroid and lacrimal drainage studies. CONCLUSION: This pilot study has demonstrated the first clinical results of hybrid optical-gamma imaging in patients. The use of this system has raised new possibilities for small-organ imaging, in which the localization of radiopharmaceutical uptake can be presented in an anatomical context using optical imaging. The compact nature of the hybrid system offers the potential for bedside investigations and intraoperative use.

Quantitative investigation of a novel small field of view hybrid gamma camera (HGC) capability for sentinel lymph node detection.

OBJECTIVE: The hybrid gamma camera (HGC) has been developed to enhance the localization of radiopharmaceutical uptake in targeted tissues during surgical procedures such as sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy. To assess the capability of the HGC, a lymph node contrast (LNC) phantom was constructed to simulate medical scenarios of varying radioactivity concentrations and SLN size. METHODS: The phantom was constructed using two clear acrylic glass plates. The SLNs were simulated by circular wells of diameters ranging from 10 to 2.5 mm (16 wells in total) in 1 plate. The second plate contains four larger rectangular wells to simulate tissue background activity surrounding the SLNs. The activity used to simulate each SLN ranged between 4 and 0.025 MBq. The activity concentration ratio between the background and the activity injected in the SLNs was 1 : 10. The LNC phantom was placed at different depths of scattering material ranging between 5 and 40 mm. The collimator-to-source distance was 120 mm. Image acquisition times ranged from 60 to 240 s. RESULTS: Contrast-to-noise ratio analysis and full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) measurements of the simulated SLNs were carried out for the images obtained. Over the range of activities used, the HGC detected between 87.5 and 100% of the SLNs through 20 mm of scattering material and 75-93.75% of the SLNs through 40 mm of scattering material. The FWHM of the detected SLNs ranged between 11.93 and 14.70 mm. CONCLUSION: The HGC is capable of detecting low accumulation of activity in small SLNs, indicating its usefulness as an intraoperative imaging system during surgical SLN procedures. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: This study investigates the capability of a novel small-field-of-view (SFOV) HGC to detect low activity uptake in small SLNs. The phantom and procedure described are inexpensive and could be easily replicated and applied to any SFOV camera, to provide a comparison between systems with clinically relevant results.