Hand Tracking and Gesture Recognition Using Lensless Smart Sensors.

The Lensless Smart Sensor (LSS) developed by Rambus, Inc. is a low-power, low-cost visual sensing technology that captures information-rich optical data in a tiny form factor using a novel approach to optical sensing. The spiral gratings of LSS diffractive grating, coupled with sophisticated computational algorithms, allow point tracking down to millimeter-level accuracy. This work is focused on developing novel algorithms for the detection of multiple points and thereby enabling hand tracking and gesture recognition using the LSS. The algorithms are formulated based on geometrical and mathematical constraints around the placement of infrared light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on the hand. The developed techniques dynamically adapt the recognition and orientation of the hand and associated gestures. A detailed accuracy analysis for both hand tracking and gesture classification as a function of LED positions is conducted to validate the performance of the system. Our results indicate that the technology is a promising approach, as the current state-of-the-art focuses on human motion tracking that requires highly complex and expensive systems. A wearable, low-power, low-cost system could make a significant impact in this field, as it does not require complex hardware or additional sensors on the tracked segments.

Recurrent pancreatitis induced by hyperparathyroidism in pregnancy.

INTRODUCTION: As primary hyperparathyroidism affects mainly middle-aged and elderly women, it is an infrequent finding during gestation and breastfeeding. To date, less than 200 pregnant patients with primary hyperparathyroidism diagnosed during pregnancy have been described. Like in other disorders of the parathyroid gland, the recognition of primary hyperparathyroidism during pregnancy and lactation may be difficult, as clinical symptoms are not specific, while laboratory findings may be masked by some typical pregnancy-induced changes in calcium and phosphate homeostasis. If remains untreated, the disease may result in serious clinical implications for the mother and fetus. Most authors consider surgery within the second trimester of pregnancy as the treatment of choice in this group of patients. CASE REPORT: In our paper, we discuss the case of a 35-year-old female with a history of recurrent acute pancreatitis and recurrent abortions. As the patient declined surgery, conservative management with calcitonin was started and continued throughout the rest of pregnancy, and led to giving birth to the infant whose only health problem was transient hypocalcemia. CONCLUSION: The described case shows that conservative management, if started respectively early and conducted on the basis of a patient's condition, may effectively reduce increased perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality in pregnant women declining surgery.

Association between liver steatosis and angiogenesis in chronic hepatitis C.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between steatosis and angiogenesis in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is unclear. AIM AND METHODS: The aim was to explain whether liver steatosis presence and its extent are associated with the number of new-formed blood vessels in lobules and portal tracts in CHC. 72 CHC patients infected with viral genotype 1b, 35 of whom had steatosis were evaluated. Monoclonal antibody anti-CD34 was used to identify new-formed blood vessels. RESULTS: Patients with steatosis had a significantly more advanced stage of fibrosis (p = 0.002) and higher inflammatory activity grade (p = 0.062). CD34 expression in portal tracts (CD34pt), lobules and fibrous septa (CD34lfs) and total (CD34) were significantly higher in patients with steatosis (p = 0.034; p = 0.021; p = 0.023, respectively). CD34, CD34pt and CD34lfs differed significantly between patients with various steatosis grade (p = 0.006; p = 0.009; p = 0.013, respectively). CD34 and CD34pt differed significantly between each steatosis grade whereas CD34lfs between grade 1 and 3. Fibrosis stage and inflammatory grade were positively associated with steatosis extent (p = 0.015; p = 0.003, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our observations suggest that extensive steatosis of liver parenchyma in CHC patients is associated with formation of new blood vessels in lobules and portal tracts. Understanding the relationship between steatosis, fibrosis and angiogenesis is therefore of great importance for the introduction of new therapeutic approaches and in the evaluation of CHC progression.

Successful treatment of placental site trophoblastic tumor in twin pregnancy without hysterectomy.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, no case of placental site trophoblastic tumor (PSTT) pertinent to twin pregnancy has yet been published. There are only few case reports concerning patients with PSTT who were successfully treated by fertility-sparing methods. A 29-year-old nulliparous woman was admitted to hospital in the 36th week of a twin pregnancy due to symptoms of preterm labor. She underwent a cesarean section, during which a 4-cm uterine mass was found and resected. Histopathology revealed PSTT. Eighteen weeks after the delivery an ultrasound scan displayed another intrauterine mass, 2 cm in size. In the material resected in hysteroscopy there was necrotic decidual tissue. Another 30 months of observation revealed no abnormalities. Even though PSTT is rarely diagnosed, it may cause significant diagnostic and therapeutic problems.

RCAS1 decidual immunoreactivity during cesarean section in scar deciduosis: immune cell presence and activity.

INTRODUCTION: Scar deciduosis provides a research model that enables us to assess the impact of decidua on the activity and quality of the immune cells infiltrating this scar tissue. This unique model allows us to examine these processes under conditions excluding the impact of placental cells which, along with decidual cells, control the activity of immune cells under physiological conditions. RCAS1 is a protein responsible for the suppression of the cytotoxic immune response during gestation. The present study evaluates the immunoreactivity level of RCAS1 with respect to immune cell status in the decidua and scar deciduosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis of RCAS1, CD3, CD56, CD25, and CD69 antigen immunoreactivity levels was performed in tissue samples derived from scar deciduosis that developed after a previous cesarean section and were excised during a subsequent cesarean section. The control group consisted of decidua samples derived from cesarean section at term. RESULTS: A statistically significantly higher RCAS1 immunoreactivity level was identified in scar deciduosis tissue samples than in decidua derived from a cesarean section at term. The number of CD56+ cells and immunoreactivity of the CD25 antigen level were observed to be statistically significantly higher in scar deciduosis than in the control group. CONCLUSION: The presence of an enhanced number of immune cells of higher activity in ectopic decidua during the final step of decidualization seems to be associated with an increase in the immunoreactivity level of RCAS1.

Intensity of angiogenesis and mast cell infiltration in cervical intraepithelial and invasive lesions - are they correlated?

The data on the association between angiogenesis and mast cell density in cervical tumors and pretumoral conditions are scanty. The aims of the study were as follows: (1) to assess microvessel density and mast cell density in cervical lesions as well as in normal cervix samples and (2) to study the correlation between these variables. A hundred and one cervical samples were submitted to histopathological evaluation. Four study groups were distinguished: normal cervix samples, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, and invasive squamous cell carcinomas. The immunohistochemistry was performed using anti-CD34, Anti-Human Mast Cell Tryptase, and Anti-Human Mast Cell Chymase antibodies. The microvessels and mast cells in the corresponding areas of tissue samples were counted by three observers using a multi-headed microscope. Microvessel density and density of mast cells that contain tryptase increased from normal samples through intraepithelial lesions to invasive carcinoma. The density of mast cells containing chymase was significantly higher in invasive carcinomas than in normal samples. In the entire study population, but not in the separated study groups, significant correlations between microvessel density and mast cell density were found. A specific mechanism of this interaction still needs to be evaluated.

Angiogenesis in chronic hepatitis C is associated with inflammatory activity grade and fibrosis stage.

Data regarding the assessment of angiogenesis in liver tissue in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) are rare. The study was performed to explain the association between the histopathological features and the number of new blood vessels in lobules and portal tracts in CHC. The second aim of the study was to define the localization of sprouting and pattern of formation of new vessels by estimating CD 34 antigen expression in the liver. The study involved 74 patients with CHC, infected with viral genotype 1b before antiviral therapy. The number of new-formatted blood vessels was positively associated with fibrosis stage and inflammatory activity grade in the liver biopsy from CHC patients. The relationship was evident in the portal tract, fibrous septa and periportal zones of lobules. The results suggest that inflammatory hepatocyte injury may promote neo-angiogenesis.

[A case of aggressive systemic mastocytosis]. / Przypadek uogólnionej mastocytozy o agresywnym przebiegu.

The study presents a case of systemic mastocytosis, discovered in 64 years old male, after two years of persistent fever and chest pain with dyspnea. The authors describe differential diagnostics including imaging and laboratory procedures. Presented material contains pictures of histopathological sections and biopsies. Attention was drawn to the importance of histopathology and immunohistochemical assays in differential diagnostics of uncertain cases.