Nontuberculous mycobacteriosis as a complication of the Swyer-James syndrome

The chest radiograph of a 35-year-old man with fatigue, exertional dyspnoea and haemoptyses revealed a cavity in the left upper lobe and a shrunken left lung with radiolucency greater than that on the right. Acid-fast rods in sputum were identified as Mycobacterium kansasii on culture. Scintigraphy showed a 9% residual perfusion on the left and abnormal ventilation, compatible with Swyer-James syndrome. This had favoured the development of a mycobacterial infection. There was also a decrease in ciliary function (rate of 4-7 Hz, normal: 10-11). Treatment, begun when tuberculosis had been suspected, was after sensitivity tests changed to a combination of rifampicin (600 mg), ethambutol (1600 mg) and protionamide (500 mg) daily. There was marked regression of the findings within 4 weeks, but treatment was prematurely stopped after 11 months. Two years later there was a recurrence which again responded well to the same drug regimen with additional sulphamethoxazole (1600 mg/d).     

Sex-related differences in foot shape

The purpose of the study was to investigate sex-related differences in foot morphology. In total, 847 subjects were scanned using a 3-D-footscanner. Three different analysis methods were used: (1) comparisons were made for absolute foot measures within 250-270 mm foot length (FL); (2) and for averaged measures (% FL) across all sizes; (3) the feet were then classified using a cluster analysis. Within 250-270 mm FL, male feet were wider and higher (mean differences (MD) 1.3-5.9 mm). No relevant sex-related differences could be found in the comparison of averaged measures (MD 0.3-0.6% FL). Foot types were categorised into voluminous, flat-pointed and slender. Shorter feet were more often voluminous, longer feet were more likely to be narrow and flat. However, the definition of 'short' and 'long' was sex-related; thus, allometry of foot measures was different. For shoe design, measures should be derived for each size and sex separately. Different foot types should be considered to account for the variety in foot shape. Improper footwear can cause foot pain and deformity. Therefore, knowledge of sex-related differences in foot measures is important to assist proper shoe fit in both men and women. The present study supplements the field of knowledge within this context with recommendations for the manufacturing of shoes.     

Betriebsfestigkeit in der Fahrzeugentwicklung – von der Theorie zum Produkt

Durability Evaluation in the automotive engineering – from theory to product The procedures for durability evaluation in the automotive engineering are represented, especially the methods, load assumption, fatigue testing and the regulations for the release and quality control. By practical examples of the vehicle development from chassis, aggregate and body the procedure is described, in particular the used experimental and virtual simulation methods     

Automated reference-free detection of motion artifacts in magnetic resonance images

Objectives

Our objectives were to provide an automated method for spatially resolved detection and quantification of motion artifacts in MR images of the head and abdomen as well as a quality control of the trained architecture.

Materials and methods

T1-weighted MR images of the head and the upper abdomen were acquired in 16 healthy volunteers under rest and under motion. Images were divided into overlapping patches of different sizes achieving spatial separation. Using these patches as input data, a convolutional neural network (CNN) was trained to derive probability maps for the presence of motion artifacts. A deep visualization offers a human-interpretable quality control of the trained CNN. Results were visually assessed on probability maps and as classification accuracy on a per-patch, per-slice and per-volunteer basis.

Results

On visual assessment, a clear difference of probability maps was observed between data sets with and without motion. The overall accuracy of motion detection on a per-patch/per-volunteer basis reached 97%/100% in the head and 75%/100% in the abdomen, respectively.

Conclusion

Automated detection of motion artifacts in MRI is feasible with good accuracy in the head and abdomen. The proposed method provides quantification and localization of artifacts as well as a visualization of the learned content. It may be extended to other anatomic areas and used for quality assurance of MR images.

     

Laterally chromatically dispersed, spectrally encoded interferometer

We present a single-shot line sensor based on spectral interferometry. Light of a broadband laser source is chromatically dispersed by a grating and focused onto a line on the surface such that each focal point on this line is formed by another wavelength. The entire height profile is obtained by applying a phase evaluation algorithm to the registered interference signal, followed by a model-based approach. The sensor concept is finally verified by experimental results.     

Myelodysplastic syndrome as a late complication following autologous bone marrow transplantation for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

PURPOSE: To determine the incidence, natural history, and risk factors associated with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) occurring as a late complication following autologous bone marrow transplantation for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all 262 patients who underwent autologous bone marrow transplantation for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute from 1982 through 1991. Although patients received a variety of treatments before they were eligible for transplant, identical myeloablative therapy (cyclophosphamide 60 mg/kg/d for 2 days plus total-body irradiation twice daily for 3 days) was administered in each case. By collecting data on pretransplant and early posttransplant variables, we attempted to identify risk factors for the development of MDS. RESULTS: The crude overall incidence of posttransplant MDS or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was 7.6%. The actuarial risk at 6 years was 18% +/- 9%. The median time of onset was 31 months (range, 10 to 101) after transplant or 69 months (range, 27 to 141) after initial treatment for lymphoma. Pretreatment variables predictive for the development of MDS (univariate analysis) included prolonged interval between initial treatment and the transplant procedure (P = .003), increased duration of exposure to chemotherapy (P = .019) or to alkylating agents (P = .045), and use of radiation therapy (P = .032) or pelvic radiation (P = .003) before transplant. CONCLUSION: MDS is a potential complication of autologous bone marrow transplantation for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; bone marrow stem-cell damage sustained before the transplant may be the most important risk factor.     

Lactic Acid Bacteria as a Cell Factory for the Delivery of Functional Biomolecules and Ingredients in Cereal-Based Beverages: A Review

In this review, we aim to describe the mechanisms by which LAB can fulfil the novel role of efficient cell factory for the production of functional biomolecules and food ingredients to enhance the quality of cereal-based beverages. LAB fermentation is a safe, economical, and traditional method of food preservation foremost, as well as having the additional benefits of flavor, texture, and nutrition amelioration. Additionally, LAB fermentation in known to render cereal-based foods and beverages safe, in a chemical-free, consumer-friendly manner, from an antinutrient and toxigenic perspective.

Huge market opportunities and potential exist for food manufacturers who can provide the ideal functional beverage fulfilling consumer needs. Newly developed fermented cereal-based beverages must address markets globally including, high-nutrition markets (developing countries), lifestyle choice consumers (vegetarian, vegan, low-fat, low-salt, low-calorie), food-related non-communicable disease sufferers (cardiovascular disease, diabetes), and green label consumers (Western countries). To fulfil these recommendations, a suitable LAB starter culture and cereal-based raw materials must be developed. These strains would be suitable for the biopreservation of cereal beverages and, ideally, would be highly antifungal, anti-mycotoxigenic, mycotoxin-binding and proteolytic (neutralize toxic peptides and release flavor-contributing amino acids) with an ability to ferment cereals, whilst synthesizing oligosaccharides, thus presenting a major opportunity for the development of safe cereal-based prebiotic functional beverages to compete with and replace the existing dairy versions.