Morphological variation among the inner ears of extinct and extant baleen whales (Cetacea: Mysticeti)

Living mysticetes (baleen whales) and odontocetes (toothed whales) differ significantly in auditory function in that toothed whales are sensitive to high‐frequency and ultrasonic sound vibrations and mysticetes to low‐frequency and infrasonic noises. Our knowledge of the evolution and phylogeny of cetaceans, and mysticetes in particular, is at a point at which we can explore morphological and physiological changes within the baleen whale inner ear. Traditional comparative anatomy and landmark‐based 3D‐geometric morphometric analyses were performed to investigate the anatomical diversity of the inner ears of extinct and extant mysticetes in comparison with other cetaceans. Principal component analyses (PCAs) show that the cochlear morphospace of odontocetes is tangential to that of mysticetes, but odontocetes are completely separated from mysticetes when semicircular canal landmarks are combined with the cochlear data. The cochlea of the archaeocete Zygorhiza kochii and early diverging extinct mysticetes plot within the morphospace of crown mysticetes, suggesting that mysticetes possess ancestral cochlear morphology and physiology. The PCA results indicate variation among mysticete species, although no major patterns are recovered to suggest separate hearing or locomotor regimes. Phylogenetic signal was detected for several clades, including crown Cetacea and crown Mysticeti, with the most clades expressing phylogenetic signal in the semicircular canal dataset. Brownian motion could not be excluded as an explanation for the signal, except for analyses combining cochlea and semicircular canal datasets for Balaenopteridae. J. Morphol. 277:1599–1615, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Monte Carlo-based assessment of the trade-off between spatial resolution,field-of-view and scattered radiation in the variable resolution X-ray CT scanner

ObjectiveThe purpose of this work is to evaluate the impact of optimization of magnification on performance parameters of the variable resolution X-ray (VRX) CT scanner.MethodsA realistic model based on an actual VRX CT scanner was implemented in the GATE Monte Carlo simulation platform. To evaluate the influence of system magnification, spatial resolution, field-of-view (FOV) and scatter-to-primary ratio of the scanner were estimated for both fixed and optimum object magnification at each detector rotation angle. Comparison and inference between these performance parameters were performed angle by angle to determine appropriate object position at each opening half angle.ResultsOptimization of magnification resulted in a trade-off between spatial resolution and FOV of the scanner at opening half angles of 90°–12°, where the spatial resolution increased up to 50% and the scatter-to-primary ratio decreased from 4.8% to 3.8% at a detector angle of about 90° for the same FOV and X-ray energy spectrum. The disadvantage of magnification optimization at these angles is the significant reduction of the FOV (up to 50%). Moreover, magnification optimization was definitely beneficial for opening half angles below 12° improving the spatial resolution from 7.5 cy/mm to 20 cy/mm. Meanwhile, the FOV increased by more than 50% at these angles.ConclusionIt can be concluded that optimization of magnification is essential for opening half angles below 12°. For opening half angles between 90° and 12°, the VRX CT scanner magnification should be set according to the desired spatial resolution and FOV.     

Combination of dual-energy computed tomography and iterative metal artefact reduction to increase general quality of imaging for radiotherapy patients with high dense materials. Phantom study

PurposeTo evaluate the use of pseudo-monoenergetic reconstructions (PMR) from dual-energy computed tomography, combined with the iterative metal artefact reduction (iMAR) method.MethodsPseudo-monoenergetic CT images were obtained using the dual-energy mode on the Siemens Somatom Definition AS scanner. A range of PMR combinations (70–130 keV) were used with and without iMAR. A Virtual Water™ phantom was used for quantitative assessment of error in the presence of high density materials: titanium, alloys 330 and 600. The absolute values of CT number differences (AD) and normalised standard deviations (NSD) were calculated for different phantom positions. Image quality was assessed using an anthropomorphic pelvic phantom with an embedded hip prosthesis. Image quality was scored blindly by five observers.ResultsAD and NSD values revealed differences in CT number errors between tested sets. AD and NSD were reduced in the vicinity of metal for images with iMAR (p < 0.001 for AD/NSD). For ROIs away from metal, with and without iMAR, 70 keV PMR and pCT AD values were lower than for the other reconstructions (p = 0.039). Similarly, iMAR NSD values measured away from metal were lower for 130 keV and 70 keV PMR (p = 0.002). Image quality scores were higher for 70 keV and 130 keV PMR with iMAR (p = 0.034).ConclusionThe use of 70 keV PMR with iMAR allows for significant metal artefact reduction and low CT number errors observed in the vicinity of dense materials. It is therefore an attractive alternative to high keV imaging when imaging patients with metallic implants, especially in the context of radiotherapy planning.     

Evaluation of four-dimensional cone beam computed tomography ventilation images acquired with two different linear accelerators at various gantry speeds using a deformable lung phantom

We evaluated four-dimensional cone beam computed tomography (4D-CBCT) ventilation images (VI_CBCT) acquired with two different linear accelerator systems at various gantry speeds using a deformable lung phantom.The 4D-CT and 4D-CBCT scans were performed using a computed tomography (CT) scanner, an X-ray volume imaging system (Elekta XVI) mounted in Versa HD, and an On-Board Imager (OBI) system mounted in TrueBeam. Intensity-based deformable image registration (DIR) was performed between peak-exhale and peak-inhale images. VI_CBCT- and 4D-CT-based ventilation images (VI_CT) were derived by DIR using two metrics: one based on the Jacobian determinant and one on changes in the Hounsfield unit (HU). Three different DIR regularization values (λ) were used for VI_CBCT. Correlations between the VI_CBCT and VI_CT values were evaluated using voxel-wise Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (r).In case of both metrics, the Jacobian-based VI_CBCT with a gantry speed of 0.6 deg/sec in Versa HD showed the highest correlation for all the gantry speeds (e.g., λ = 0.05 and r = 0.68). Thus, the r value of the Jacobian-based VI_CBCT was greater or equal to that of the HU-based VI_CBCT. In addition, the ventilation accuracy of VI_CBCT increased at low gantry speeds.Thus, the image quality of VI_CBCT was affected by the change in gantry speed in both the imaging systems. Additionally, DIR regularization considerably influenced VI_CBCT in both the imaging systems. Our results have the potential to assist in designing CBCT protocols, incorporating VI_CBCT imaging into the functional avoidance planning process.     

Scintigraphy has the potential to replace thyroid stimulating hormone and ultrasonography in hyperthyroidism diagnosis

The value of thyroid scintigraphy in hyperthyroidism diagnosis has long been the subject of debate. Unresolved issue is whether scintigraphy should be performed routinely, selectively, or for all hyperthyroidism patients. So, this study is concerned with the evaluation of thyroid scintigraphy for identifying hyperthyroidism in comparison with thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and ultrasound. This is cross sectional study including convenient patients sample (n = 50, 15 males and 35 females) aged (20–50 years) with primary hyperthyroidism and were attending endocrine clinics at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre. All patients performed clinical investigations (TSH, ultrasound and thyroid scintigraphy). Among these patients, 96%, 48/50, had positive findings for hyperthyroidism with thyroid SC (95% CI; 96.0–99.5%); 84%, 42/50, had positive findings for hyperthyroidism by US (95% CI; 70.9–92.8%); and 56%, 28/50, had positive findings for hyperthyroidism by TSH measurement (95% CI; 41.3.0–70.0%). There was very good agreement between scintigraphy diagnosis and ultrasonography (kappa score = 0.812 (P < 0.0001), 95% CI (0.77–0.85). In many cases, scintigraphy provides considerably more functioning and anatomic details than ultrasound. In conclusion, these findings bring forth practical aspects of thyroid scintigraphy utilization for hyperthyroidism. By combining functional and anatomical information in one step, scintigraphy provides non-invasive, simple, fast and cost effective hyperthyroidism diagnostic method and has the potential to replace TSH and ultrasonography in hyperthyroidism investigation.     

High-resolution glycosylation site-engineering method identifies MICA epitope critical for shedding inhibition activity of anti-MICA antibodies

As an immune evasion strategy, MICA and MICB, the major histocompatibility complex class I homologs, are proteolytically cleaved from the surface of cancer cells leading to impairment of CD8 + T cell- and natural killer cell-mediated immune responses. Antibodies that inhibit MICA/B shedding from tumors have therapeutic potential, but the optimal epitopes are unknown. Therefore, we developed a high-resolution, high-throughput glycosylation-engineered epitope mapping (GEM) method, which utilizes site-specific insertion of N-linked glycans onto the antigen surface to mask local regions. We apply GEM to the discovery of epitopes important for shedding inhibition of MICA/B and validate the epitopes at the residue level by alanine scanning and X-ray crystallography (Protein Data Bank accession numbers 6DDM (1D5 Fab-MICA*008), 6DDR (13A9 Fab-MICA*008), 6DDV (6E1 Fab-MICA*008). Furthermore, we show that potent inhibition of MICA shedding can be achieved by antibodies that bind GEM epitopes adjacent to previously reported cleavage sites, and that these anti-MICA/B antibodies can prevent tumor growth in vivo.     

The development of cephalic armor in the tokay gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Gekko gecko)

Armored skin resulting from the presence of bony dermal structures, osteoderms, is an exceptional phenotype in gekkotans (geckos and flap-footed lizards) only known to occur in three genera: Geckolepis, Gekko, and Tarentola. The Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko LINNAEUS 1758) is among the best-studied geckos due to its large size and wide range of occurrence, and although cranial dermal bone development has previously been investigated, details of osteoderm development along a size gradient remain less well-known. Likewise, a comparative survey of additional species within the broader Gekko clade to determine the uniqueness of this trait has not yet been completed. Here, we studied a large sample of gekkotans (38 spp.), including 18 specimens of G. gecko, using X-rays and high-resolution computed tomography for visualizing and quantifying the dermal armor in situ. Results from this survey confirm the presence of osteoderms in a second species within this genus, Gekko reevesii GRAY 1831, which exhibits discordance in timing and pattern of osteoderm development when compared with its sister taxon, G. gecko. We discuss the developmental sequence of osteoderms in these two species and explore in detail the formation and functionality of these enigmatic dermal ossifications. Finally, we conducted a comparative analysis of endolymphatic sacs in a wide array of gekkotans to explore previous ideas regarding the role of osteoderms as calcium reservoirs. We found that G. gecko and other gecko species with osteoderms have highly enlarged endolymphatic sacs relative to their body size, when compared to species without osteoderms, which implies that these membranous structures might fulfill a major role of calcium storage even in species with osteoderms.     

Evaluation of mesh- and binary-based contour propagation methods in 4D thoracic radiotherapy treatments using patient 4D CT images

Based on four dimensional (4D) computed tomography (CT) images, mesh- and binary-based contour propagation algorithms for 4D thoracic radiotherapy treatments were evaluated. Gross tumor volumes (GTVs), lungs, hearts and spinal cords on the CT images at the end-exhale and end-inhale phases for six patients were delineated by the physician. All volumes of interest (VOIs) were automatically propagated from the end-exhale phase to the end-inhale phase using two propagation methods. The propagated VOIs were quantitatively compared with the VOIs contoured at the end-inhale phase by the physician using Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC), Mean Slicewise Hausdorff Distance (MSHD), Center Of Mass (COM) displacement and volume difference. A two-sided Student’s t test was implemented to examine the significance of the differences between the results obtained from the two algorithms. For GTVs, statistically significant differences between the two algorithms were not observed. For all the other VOIs, the mesh-based method showed higher mean DSCs for the heart, left lung, right lung and spinal cord, lower mean MSHD for the spinal cord, lower mean COM displacement for the heart, and lower mean volume differences for the left lung, right lung and spinal cord with statistically significant differences than the binary-based method. The running time for propagation was approximately 3 s and 3 min for the mesh- and binary-based methods, respectively. Collectively, the mesh-based algorithm provides superiorities in running time and reliability for contour propagation in 4D radiotherapy.     

Investigating the impact of the CT Hounsfield unit range on radiomic feature stability using dual energy CT data

PurposeRadiomic texture calculation requires discretizing image intensities within the region-of-interest. FBN (fixed-bin-number), FBS (fixed-bin-size) and FBN and FBS with intensity equalization (FBNequal, FBSequal) are four discretization approaches. A crucial choice is the voxel intensity (Hounsfield units, or HU) binning range. We assessed the effect of this choice on radiomic features.MethodsThe dataset comprised 95 patients with head-and-neck squamous-cell-carcinoma. Dual energy CT data was reconstructed at 21 electron energies (40, 45,… 140 keV). Each of 94 texture features were calculated with 64 extraction parameters. All features were calculated five times: original choice, left shift (-10/-20 HU), right shift (+10/+20 HU). For each feature, Spearman correlation between nominal and four variants were calculated to determine feature stability. This was done for six texture feature types (GLCM, GLRLM, GLSZM, GLDZM, NGTDM, and NGLDM) separately. This analysis was repeated for the four binning algorithms. Effect of feature instability on predictive ability was studied for lymphadenopathy as endpoint.ResultsFBN and FBNequal algorithms showed good stability (correlation values consistently $>$0.9). For FBS and FBSequal algorithms, while median values exceeded 0.9, the 95% lower bound decreased as a function of energy, with poor performance over the entire spectrum. FBNequal was the most stable algorithm, and FBS the least.ConclusionsWe believe this is the first multi-energy systematic study of the impact of CT HU range used during intensity discretization for radiomic feature extraction. Future analyses should account for this source of uncertainty when evaluating the robustness of their radiomic signature.     

Generation of clinical 177Lu SPECT/CT images based on Monte Carlo simulation with GATE

PurposePatient-specific dosimetry in MRT relies on quantitative imaging, pharmacokinetic assessment and absorbed dose calculation. The DosiTest project was initiated to evaluate the uncertainties associated with each step of the clinical dosimetry workflow through a virtual multicentric clinical trial. This work presents the generation of simulated clinical SPECT datasets based on GATE Monte Carlo modelling with its corresponding experimental CT image, which can subsequently be processed by commercial image workstations.MethodsThis study considers a therapy cycle of 6.85 GBq ¹⁷⁷Lu-labelled DOTATATE derived from an IAEA-Coordinated Research Project (E23005) on “Dosimetry in Radiopharmaceutical therapy for personalised patient treatment”. Patient images were acquired on a GE Infinia-Hawkeye 4 gamma camera using a medium energy (ME) collimator. Simulated SPECT projections were generated based on experimental time points and validated against experimental SPECT projections using flattened profiles and gamma index. The simulated projections were then incorporated into the patient SPECT/CT DICOM envelopes for processing and their reconstruction within a commercial image workstation.ResultsGamma index passing rate (2% − 1 pixel criteria) between 95 and 98% and average gamma between 0.28 and 0.35 among different time points revealed high similarity between simulated and experimental images. Image reconstruction of the simulated projections was successful on HERMES and Xeleris workstations, a major step forward for the initiation of a multicentric virtual clinical dosimetry trial based on simulated SPECT/CT images.ConclusionsRealistic ¹⁷⁷Lu patient SPECT projections were generated in GATE. These modelled datasets will be circulated to different clinical departments to perform dosimetry in order to assess the uncertainties in the entire dosimetric chain.