End-to-end multimodal 3D imaging and machine learning workflow for non-destructive phenotyping of grapevine trunk internal structure.

Quantifying healthy and degraded inner tissues in plants is of great interest in agronomy, for example, to assess plant health and quality and monitor physiological traits or diseases. However, detecting functional and degraded plant tissues in-vivo without harming the plant is extremely challenging. New solutions are needed in ligneous and perennial species, for which the sustainability of plantations is crucial. To tackle this challenge, we developed a novel approach based on multimodal 3D imaging and artificial intelligence-based image processing that allowed a non-destructive diagnosis of inner tissues in living plants. The method was successfully applied to the grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). Vineyard's sustainability is threatened by trunk diseases, while the sanitary status of vines cannot be ascertained without injuring the plants. By combining MRI and X-ray CT 3D imaging with an automatic voxel classification, we could discriminate intact, degraded, and white rot tissues with a mean global accuracy of over 91%. Each imaging modality contribution to tissue detection was evaluated, and we identified quantitative structural and physiological markers characterizing wood degradation steps. The combined study of inner tissue distribution versus external foliar symptom history demonstrated that white rot and intact tissue contents are key-measurements in evaluating vines' sanitary status. We finally proposed a model for an accurate trunk disease diagnosis in grapevine. This work opens new routes for precision agriculture and in-situ monitoring of tissue quality and plant health across plant species.

A memory already like an elephant's? The advanced brain morphology of the last common ancestor of Afrotheria (Mammalia).

Virtually reconstructed and natural endocranial casts are used in the study of brain evolution through geological time. We here present work investigating the paleoneurological evolution of afrotherian mammals. Using microCT-generated endocasts we show that, with the exception of the subfamilies Macroscelidinae and Tenrecoidea, most Afroinsectiphilia display a more or less gyrencephalic and ventrally expanded neopallium, two derived features that are unexpected for these insectivore-grade afrotherians. This implies that the endocranial cast morphology at the root of the afrotherian clade may have been more advanced than previously thought. The reconstructed endocranial morphology of the Afrotheria's last common ancestor reaches the level of complexity of some early Cenozoic archaic ungulates. Our result gives support to the hypothesis of an ungulate-like ancestral body plan for Afrotheria. It also implies that the a priori 'primitive' suite of traits evident in the brain of Afroinsectivora, especially in the tenrecs, may have been secondarily acquired. Implications on the overestimation of the divergence age of Afrotheria are discussed.

Cranial remain from Tunisia provides new clues for the origin and evolution of Sirenia (Mammalia, Afrotheria) in Africa.

Sea cows (manatees, dugongs) are the only living marine mammals to feed solely on aquatic plants. Unlike whales or dolphins (Cetacea), the earliest evolutionary history of sirenians is poorly documented, and limited to a few fossils including skulls and skeletons of two genera composing the stem family of Prorastomidae (Prorastomus and Pezosiren). Surprisingly, these fossils come from the Eocene of Jamaica, while stem Hyracoidea and Proboscidea--the putative sister-groups to Sirenia--are recorded in Africa as early as the Late Paleocene. So far, the historical biogeography of early Sirenia has remained obscure given this paradox between phylogeny and fossil record. Here we use X-ray microtomography to investigate a newly discovered sirenian petrosal from the Eocene of Tunisia. This fossil represents the oldest occurrence of sirenians in Africa. The morphology of this petrosal is more primitive than the Jamaican prorastomids' one, which emphasizes the basal position of this new African taxon within the Sirenia clade. This discovery testifies to the great antiquity of Sirenia in Africa, and therefore supports their African origin. While isotopic analyses previously suggested sirenians had adapted directly to the marine environment, new paleoenvironmental evidence suggests that basal-most sea cows were likely restricted to fresh waters.

Does the size of the hemoperitoneum help to discriminate the bleeding source and guide therapeutic decisions in blunt trauma patients with pelvic ring fracture?

BACKGROUND: In blunt trauma patients with a hemoperitoneum and a pelvic injury, multiple sources of active bleeding may exist. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the size of the hemoperitoneum helps to establish the bleeding source and guide therapeutic decisions in patients with pelvic fractures. METHODS: The charts of patients with pelvic fractures admitted to a trauma intensive care unit from January 2005 to December 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. The hemoperitoneum size was defined by semiquantitative analysis (minimal/none, moderate, and large) using the Federle score on computed tomographic scan or during laparotomy. Active peritoneal hemorrhages requiring immediate laparotomy were compared according to hemoperitoneum size. RESULTS: Of 185 patients, hemoperitoneum did not occur in 116 patients, moderate in 43, and large in 26. Among 102 patients (55%) who were hypotensive (systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg) on admission, 27 needed therapeutic laparotomy and 15 needed pelvic embolization. Laparotomy (39% vs. 2%) and pelvic embolization (22% vs. 4%) were required significantly more often in patients with hemoperitoneum (moderate or large) than those without hemoperitoneum. The positive predictive value for an active peritoneal hemorrhage derived from qualitative analysis of the hemoperitoneum (moderate or large) was 39% (4% in hypotensive patients and 40% in those requiring pelvic embolization). The corresponding values for large hemoperitoneum only (semiquantitative analysis) were 62%, 70%, and 67%, respectively. CONCLUSION: In patients with pelvic fractures, hemoperitoneum does not mean peritoneal injury requiring hemostatic procedure. Semiquantitative analysis of the hemoperitoneum improves predictability of peritoneal hemorrhage than qualitative analysis of hemoperitoneum. However, there remains numerous false-positives even in presence of large hemoperitoneum associated with hypotension.

Characterization of small solid renal lesions: can benign and malignant tumors be differentiated with CT?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of CT in determining whether a small solid renal enhancing mass is benign or malignant. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-nine biopsies of enhancing solid renal masses 4 cm or smaller without fat on CT scans were performed under CT fluoroscopic guidance. The growth pattern, interface with parenchyma, presence of a scar and segmental inversion enhancement, unenhanced CT histogram, and pattern and degree of enhancement on triphasic MDCT images were independently evaluated by two radiologists. Biopsy and pathology reports were used as the reference standard, and imaging follow-up of benign lesions was performed for at least 1 year. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the significance of CT criteria in differentiating malignant from benign lesions. RESULTS: Of the 99 lesions, 74 (75%) were malignant at biopsy, and 25 (25%) were benign. Lesions with gradual enhancement were more likely to be benign. No significant correlation was found between other CT features and a malignant or benign diagnosis. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of progressive enhancement for a diagnosis of benignity were 60%, 73%, 43%, and 84%. CONCLUSION: In the evaluation of enhancing small solid renal lesions without fat, no CT criteria were of substantial help in differentiating malignant from benign lesions.

Imaging of ischemic colitis.

Ischemic colitis accounts for more than half of all cases of gastrointestinal ischemia and constitutes between 1 per 2000 and 3 per 1000 acute hospital admission. It typically affects elderly patients, being a frequent cause of rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. This article describes the epidemiology, physiology, and pathology of this underdiagnosed condition; reviews the clinical patterns of this disease, which constitute a key diagnostic point in patients who have a thickening of the colonic wall; and describes the ultrasound (US) and CT findings, pitfalls, and differential diagnoses of ischemic colitis. The value and limitations of US and CT at the different diagnostic stages is discussed.

Computed tomography in the nontraumatic renal causes of acute flank pain.

Renal colic pain due to obstructing stone is the main renal cause of acute flank pain. However, other causes may be responsible for the same clinical findings, including acute pyelonephritis, acute vascular conditions, and hemorrhage. The purpose of this review is to describe the differential diagnosis, the computed tomographic findings and pitfalls, and the role and impact of computed tomography in the diagnosis and management of the renal causes of acute flank pain.