Joint EANM/SNMMI guideline on radiomics in nuclear medicine : Jointly supported by the EANM Physics Committee and the SNMMI Physics, Instrumentation and Data Sciences Council.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this guideline is to provide comprehensive information on best practices for robust radiomics analyses for both hand-crafted and deep learning-based approaches. METHODS: In a cooperative effort between the EANM and SNMMI, we agreed upon current best practices and recommendations for relevant aspects of radiomics analyses, including study design, quality assurance, data collection, impact of acquisition and reconstruction, detection and segmentation, feature standardization and implementation, as well as appropriate modelling schemes, model evaluation, and interpretation. We also offer an outlook for future perspectives. CONCLUSION: Radiomics is a very quickly evolving field of research. The present guideline focused on established findings as well as recommendations based on the state of the art. Though this guideline recognizes both hand-crafted and deep learning-based radiomics approaches, it primarily focuses on the former as this field is more mature. This guideline will be updated once more studies and results have contributed to improved consensus regarding the application of deep learning methods for radiomics. Although methodological recommendations in the present document are valid for most medical image modalities, we focus here on nuclear medicine, and specific recommendations when necessary are made for PET/CT, PET/MR, and quantitative SPECT.

Synthesis, molecular docking, and biological evaluation of Schiff base hybrids of 1,2,4-triazole-pyridine as dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors.

In this study novel derivatives of 1,2,4-triazole pyridine coupled with Schiff base were obtained in altered aromatic aldehyde and 4-((5-(pyridin-3-yl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-ylthio)methyl)benzenamine reactions. Thin layer chromatography and melting point determination were employed to verify the purity of hybrid derivatives. The structures of the hybrid derivatives were interpreted using methods comprising infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectroscopy. The in vitro anti-microbial properties and minimum inhibitory concentration were determined with Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Among the derivatives produced, two derivatives comprising (Z)-2-((4-((5-(pyridine-3-yl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-ylthio)methyl)phenylimino)methyl)phenoland (Z)-2-methoxy-5-((4-((5-(pyridine-3-yl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3- ylthio)methyl)phenylimino)methyl)phenol obtained promising results as antibacterial agents. After synthesizing different derivatives, docking studies were performed and the scores range from -10.3154 to -12.962 â€‹kcal/mol.

Repeatability and reproducibility study of radiomic features on a phantom and human cohort.

The repeatability and reproducibility of radiomic features extracted from CT scans need to be investigated to evaluate the temporal stability of imaging features with respect to a controlled scenario (test-retest), as well as their dependence on acquisition parameters such as slice thickness, or tube current. Only robust and stable features should be used in prognostication/prediction models to improve generalizability across multiple institutions. In this study, we investigated the repeatability and reproducibility of radiomic features with respect to three different scanners, variable slice thickness, tube current, and use of intravenous (IV) contrast medium, combining phantom studies and human subjects with non-small cell lung cancer. In all, half of the radiomic features showed good repeatability (ICC > 0.9) independent of scanner model. Within acquisition protocols, changes in slice thickness was associated with poorer reproducibility compared to the use of IV contrast. Broad feature classes exhibit different behaviors, with only few features appearing to be the most stable. 108 features presented both good repeatability and reproducibility in all the experiments, most of them being wavelet and Laplacian of Gaussian features.

Pulmonary tuberculosis at Patan Hospital, Nepal: One year audit.

BACKGROUND: Globally, Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 causes of death. In Nepal, poverty and malnutrition aggravate the burden of TB. To identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis sputum is the best sample to identify the bacterium which is helpful for diagnosis. The aim of this study is to identify the situation, burden and challenges of pulmonary tuberculosis in low-middle income country like Nepal. METHOD: A retrospective-audit with reliable-secondary-data of one year was collected (n = 4131). Descriptive-analysis was performed using frequency, percentage and analytical using chi-square-test. Level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Ethical Approval was obtained from IRC-PAHS. RESULT: The prevalence of notified/suspected cases was highest among the patients having >60 years of age 1344(32.54%) and least among the patients with ≤15 years of age 239(5.79%). The male had 1.67 times more smear-positive pulmonary TB cases. Among the AFB-positive cases, smear 3+ was seen in most of the cases 69(38.54%) followed by smear 1+ and smear 2+ in 56(31.28%) and 54(30.16%) respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of smear-positive pulmonary TB case is higher in male. Smear 3+ is seen in most of the followed by smear 1+ and smear 2+. The Burden of Pulmonary TB is more among adult and old-age-people and its control is a challenge for developing and low-middle income countries like Nepal.

Towards continuous-to-continuous 3D imaging in the real world.

Imaging systems are often modeled as continuous-to-discrete mappings that map the object (i.e. a function of continuous variables such as space, time, energy, wavelength, etc) to a finite set of measurements. When it comes to reconstruction, some discretized version of the object is almost always assumed, leading to a discrete-to-discrete representation of the imaging system. In this paper, we discuss a method for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging that avoids discrete representations of the object or the imaging system, thus allowing reconstruction on an arbitrarily fine set of points.

Masson's Hemangioma of the Cheek: A Case Report.

We report a rare case of intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH) of the cheek. This neoplasm, known as Masson's tumor, is an unusual vascular lesion of proliferating endothelial cells. It is usually confined to the lumen of preexisting vessels or vascular malformations. The principal significance of IPEH is its resemblance to a variety of benign and malignant diseases and possible misdiagnosis as such. Achieving a correct diagnosis is essential to avoid subjecting a patient to either unnecessarily aggressive or inadequate therapy. For this reason, awareness of this lesion is very important.

Aberrant promoter hypermethylation of selected apoptotic genes in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia among North Indian population.

Promoter hypermethylation mediates gene silencing in many neoplasms. Acute leukemia has been reported to harbor multiple genes aberrantly silenced by hypermethylation. AIM: In present study, we investigated the prevalence of hypermethylation of caspase-8 (CASP8), TMS1 and DAPK genes in correlation with clinicopathological factors in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A case-control study has been conducted based on bone marrow and peripheral blood samples from 125 ALL patients and 100 sex-age matched healthy controls. Methylation specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and bisulfite sequencing PCR was performed to analyze the methylation status of these genes. Reverse transcription PCR and real time PCR was carried out to determine changes in the mRNA expression level of the genes due to hypermethylation. RESULTS: Hypermethylation of the 5´CpG islands of the CASP8, TMS1 and DAPK gene promoters was found in 3.2, 6.4, and 13.6% of 125 childhood ALL samples from north Indian population, respectively. There were significant differences in pattern of hypermethylation of TMS1 (p = 0.045) and DAPK (p < 0.001) between patients and healthy controls. Down-regulation of mRNA expression was found in cases in which CASP8, TMS1 and DAPK were hypermethylated. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicated the impact of hypermethylation-mediated inactivation of CASP8, TMS1 and DAPK genes, which is associated with risk of childhood ALL. This abnormality occurs in leukemogenesis and it may be used as a biomarker and for predicting the prognosis of ALL.

Spiradenoma causing longitudinal splitting of the nail.

Longitudinal splitting of the nails can occur as a result of any growth arising in the nail matrix. We present a case of a 50-year-old woman who presented with an 18-month history of longitudinal splitting of the nail on her right little finger, along with pain in the proximal nail fold region, which was extremely tender to touch. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intensely enhancing lesion, while colour Doppler imaging revealed hypervascularity within the mass. A provisional diagnosis of glomus tumour was considered. Histopathology demonstrated presence of a well-circumscribed tumour comprising a dual population of cells, which stained negatively with periodic-acid-Schiff. The histopathological features were consistent with those of eccrine spiradenoma (ES). In this case, glomus tumour was considered as the first differential diagnosis, but histopathology confirmed it as an ES.

Prediction of histological stage based on cystoscopic appearances of newly diagnosed bladder tumours.

INTRODUCTION In the 75-80% of urothelial bladder cancers (UBC) presenting as non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) is the key treatment and staging procedure. In the 20-25% of patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), further cross-sectional imaging is required to complete the staging process before considering radical treatment. Given the adverse effects of ionising radiation, clinicians identify patients believed to have MIBC, and so requiring further imaging pre-TURBT, at the tumour histology/stage based on the tumour's visual characteristics. There is minimal evidence describing the accuracy of such predictions in newly-diagnosed patients. METHODS Over a 6-year period, a database of patients undergoing resection of newly-diagnosed bladder lesions in a single UK centre was prospectively established. Predictions based on histology were simultaneously recorded, and the accuracy of these predictions of histology/stage subsequently assessed. RESULTS One hundred and twenty two (73.1%) patients with histologically confirmed NMIBC had predictions recorded versus 45 (26.9%) patients with MIBC. Visual assessment predictions of MIBC had a sensitivity of 88.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 76.5%-95.2%) and a specificity of 91.0% (95% CI 84.6%-94.9%), giving a positive predictive value of 78.4% (95% CI 65.4%-87.5%) and a negative predictive value of 95.7% (95% CI 90.3%-98.1%). CONCLUSIONS We find that visual assessment is accurate in predicting the presence of MIBC. This supports the practice of stratifying patients at the time of initial cystoscopy for those requiring further radiological staging pre-TURBT.

Land-use and land-cover change in Western Ghats of India.

The Western Ghats (WG) of India, one of the hottest biodiversity hotspots in the world, has witnessed major land-use and land-cover (LULC) change in recent times. The present research was aimed at studying the patterns of LULC change in WG during 1985-1995-2005, understanding the major drivers that caused such change, and projecting the future (2025) spatial distribution of forest using coupled logistic regression and Markov model. The International Geosphere Biosphere Program (IGBP) classification scheme was mainly followed in LULC characterization and change analysis. The single-step Markov model was used to project the forest demand. The spatial allocation of such forest demand was based on the predicted probabilities derived through logistic regression model. The R statistical package was used to set the allocation rules. The projection model was selected based on Akaike information criterion (AIC) and area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The actual and projected areas of forest in 2005 were compared before making projection for 2025. It was observed that forest degradation has reduced from 1985-1995 to 1995-2005. The study obtained important insights about the drivers and their impacts on LULC simulations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt where projection of future state of forest in entire WG is made based on decadal LULC and socio-economic datasets at the Taluka (sub-district) level.

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF METHYLATION STATUS OF TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENES IN PAIRED BIOPSY AND SERUM SAMPLES FROM CERVICAL CANCER PATIENTS AMONG NORTH INDIAN POPULATION.

Tumor-specific genetic or epigenetic alterations have been detected in serum DNA in case of various types of cancers. In breast cancer, the detection of tumor suppressor gene hypermethylation has been reported in several body fluids. Promoter hypermethylation of some genes like MYOD1, CALCA, hTERT etc. has also been detected in serum samples from cervical cancer. The present study is the first report on the comparison of promoter hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes likep14, p15, p16, p21, p27, p57, p53, p73, RARß2, FHIT, DAPK, STAT1 and-RB1 genes in paired biopsy and serum samples from cervical cancer patients among north Indian population. This is also the first report on the hypermethylation of these genes in serum samples from cervical cancer patients among north Indian population. According to the results of the present study, promoter hypermethylation of these genes can also be detected in serum samples of cervical cancer patients. The sensitivity of detection of promoter hypermethylation in serum samples of cervical cancer patients as compared to paired biopsy samples was found to be around 83.3%. It was observed that promoter hypermethylation was mainly observed in the serum samples in the higher stages and very rarely in the lower stages. The present study clearly showed that serum of patients with cervical cancer can also be used to study methylated genes as biomarkers.

Linear trichilemmoma following a blaschkoid pattern: a clinical dilemma.

BACKGROUND: Trichilemmoma are benign adnexal neoplasm with follicular outer sheath differentiation. It usually appears as single or multiple papules that resembles colour of the surrounding skin. They are most commonly seen on the face particularly on the nose and cheek. OBJECTIVES: We report a case of linear trichilemmoma following blaschkoid pattern. METHODS: A 13 year old boy presenting with asymptomatic plaque on the right side of the nose was fully evaluated for possible cause. RESULTS: On histopathology, a diagnosis of trichilemmoma was made. CONCLUSION: This is the first case report where linear trichilemmoma following a blaschkoid pattern is seen.

Curcumin-Mediated Reversal of p15 Gene Promoter Methylation: Implication in Anti-Neoplastic Action against Acute Lymphoid Leukaemia Cell Line.

Curcumin has been documented to exert anticancer effects by interacting with altered proliferative and apoptotic pathways in cancer models. In this study, we evaluated the potential of curcumin to reverse promoter methylation of the p15 gene in Raji cells and its ability to induce apoptosis and genomic instability. Anti-neoplastic action of curcumin showed an augmentation in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell cycle arrest in G1 phase. Subsequently, curcumin- exposed Raji cells showed structural abnormalities in chromosomes. These observations suggest that curcumin also causes ROS-mediated apoptosis and genomic instability. The treatment of Raji cell line with 10 µM curcumin caused hypomethylation of the p15 promoter after six days. Hypomethylation of p15 was further found to be favoured by downregulation of DNA methyltransferase 1 after 10 µM curcumin treatment for six days. Methylation-specific PCR suggested demethylation of the p15 promoter. Demethylation was further validated by DNA sequencing. Reverse-transcription PCR demonstrated that treatment with curcumin (10 µM) for six days led to the up-regulation of p15 and down-regulation of DNA methyltransferase 1. Furthermore, curcumin- mediated reversal of p15 promoter methylation might be potentiated by down-regulation of DNA methyltransferase 1 expression, which was supported by cell cycle analysis. Furthermore, curcumin acts as a double-pronged agent, as it caused apoptosis and promoter hypomethylation in Raji cells.

Comparative evaluation of surgical modalities for coverage of gingival recession: An Armed Forces Medical College perspective.

BACKGROUND: Esthetics represents an inseparable part of today's oral therapy, and several procedures have been proposed to preserve or enhance it. Gingival recessions may cause hypersensitivity, impaired esthetics and root caries. Keeping in mind patient's desire for improved esthetics and other related problems, every effort should be made to achieve complete root coverage. METHODS: Different types of modalities have been introduced to treat gingival recession including displaced flaps, free gingival graft, connective tissue graft, different type of barrier membranes and combination of different techniques. The aim of this study was to compare the commonly used techniques for gingival recession coverage and evaluate the results obtained. 73 subjects were selected for the present study who were randomly divided into four groups and were followed at baseline and 180 days where following parameters were recorded: (a) Assessment of gingival recession depth (RD); (b) Assessment of pocket depth (PD); (c) Assessment of clinical attachment level (CAL) and (d) Assessment of width of attached gingiva (WAG). RESULTS: Results of this study showed statistically significant reduction of gingival recession, with concomitant attachment gain, following treatment with all tested surgical techniques. However, SCTG with CAF technique showed the highest percentage gain in coverage of recession depth as well as gain in keratinized gingiva. Similar results were obtained with CAF alone. The use of GTR and other techniques showed less predictable coverage and gain in keratinized gingiva. CONCLUSION: Connective tissue grafts were statistically significantly superior to guided tissue regeneration for improvement in gingival recession reduction.