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At least 811 records · Page 45Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Clinical dosimetry for radiotherapy to the breast based on imaging with the prototype Royal Marsden Hospital CT simulator.

The result of conservative management of breast cancer is strongly dependent on the homogeneity of the dose delivered a schedule of post-surgical radiotherapy. In addition to improvements in local control, late normal-tissue effects should be minimised by achieving a good dose homogeneity. The Royal Marsden Hospital prototype CT simulator has been used to image patients in the treatment position. With the CT data incorporated into the planning process a quantitative measure of the dose homogeneity was made. There are strong indications that unless tissue compensators are used and/or conformation therapy is performed, the dose inhomogeneity in a widely used treatment geometry is too large to be clinically acceptable.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1989

Construction of a calorimeter prototype with a high sensitivity pulsed signal detection circuit.

A calorimeter based on a Wheatstone bridge detector is considered to be an ideal absolute absorbed dose measuring device. One drawback of the calorimeter is that its output signals are extremely small. The signal size can be increased by increasing the bridge excitation voltage, which, however, may lead to excess self-heating of a temperature-sensing thermistor in the calorimeter detector and may require corrections. The use of pulsed excitation was investigated in this study in place of a conventional DC excitation to induce higher bridge output voltage while keeping the average self-heating of a thermistor to a reasonably low value. Performance evaluations of our prototype pulsed calorimeter are presented.

Calorimetry↗
PubMed2004

Tracking errors in a prototype real-time tumour tracking system.

In motion-compensated radiation therapy, radio-opaque markers can be implanted in or near a tumour and tracked in real-time using fluoroscopic imaging. Tracking these implanted markers gives highly accurate position information, except when tracking fails due to poor or ambiguous imaging conditions. This study investigates methods for automatic detection of tracking errors, and assesses the frequency and impact of tracking errors on treatments using the prototype real-time tumour tracking system. We investigated four indicators for automatic detection of tracking errors, and found that the distance between corresponding rays was most effective. We also found that tracking errors cause a loss of gating efficiency of between 7.6 and 10.2%. The incidence of treatment beam delivery during tracking errors was estimated at between 0.8% and 1.25%.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2005

Prototype heel effect compensation filter for cone-beam CT.

The prototype cone-beam CT (CBCT) has a larger beam width than the conventional multi-detector row CT (MDCT). This causes a non-uniform angular distribution of the x-ray beam intensity known as the heel effect. Scan conditions for CBCT tube current are adjusted on the anode side to obtain an acceptable clinical image quality. However, as the dose is greater on the cathode side than on the anode side, the signal-to-noise ratio on the cathode side is excessively high, resulting in an unnecessary dose amount. To compensate for the heel effect, we developed a heel effect compensation (HEC) filter. The HEC filter rendered the dose distribution uniform and reduced the dose by an average of 25% for free air and by 20% for CTDI phantoms compared to doses with the conventional filter. In addition, its effect in rendering the effective energy uniform resulted in an improvement in image quality. This new HEC filter may be useful in cone-beam CT studies.

Equipment Design↗
PubMed1992

A prototype instrument combining laser Doppler flowmetry and reflection pulse oximetry.

A prototype instrument has been developed to combine the monitoring techniques of laser Doppler flowmetry and reflection pulse oximetry, both of which depend on laser light backscattered from the skin tissue. Simultaneous and continuous measurements of both microvascular blood flow and blood oxygen saturation were obtained from the same measurement site. Oximetry readings from the combined instrument were calibrated using a model system, and compared with those determined using a Nellcor N-100 transmission pulse oximeter in a limited clinical study: they showed a variability of +4% and read low by 5-10%.

Humans↗
PubMed1987

A prototype system and reconstruction algorithms for electrical impedance technique in medical body imaging.

We have developed an impedance imaging system to reconstruct cross-sectional images of the body's electrical characteristics based on static tissue impedance. The hardware system consists of a data collection subsystem and the Intel 380 host microcomputer system with an Intel 80286 microprocessor, an Intel 80287 numeric data processor, and an Intel 80186 microprocessor-based display board. The system is capable of initiating a data collection from an array of current-sensing electrodes and reconstructing impedance images based on these data measurements. We have tested the data collection subsystem with physical phantom models, and we have found that the prototype system is capable of discriminating high resistivity regions in contrast with the low resistivity background. Our system is flexible in that each electrode's function (sensing currents, applying voltages, grounding body surfaces, and disconnected from the body) can be programmed individually so that a variety of electrode configurations for different projection techniques can be tested for optimal system performance. Various reconstruction algorithms have been developed and tested particularly for this imaging modality. Since a computer body model is needed for some impedance reconstruction algorithms, we have created two- and three-dimensional computer body models based on the finite element method approach, and verified our finite element modelling technique by building physical phantoms and comparing measured experimental results with simulation results predicted by the computer model. We have found that the sensitivity is a function of position, pixel size (image resolution) and background resistivity. We have also tried to compensate the low sensitivity of impedance changes in the central region.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

The design of scaffolds for use in tissue engineering. Part II. Rapid prototyping techniques.

Tissue engineering (TE) is an important emerging area in biomedical engineering for creating biological alternatives for harvested tissues, implants, and prostheses. In TE, a highly porous artificial extracellular matrix or scaffold is required to accommodate mammalian cells and guide their growth and tissue regeneration in three-dimension (3D). However, existing 3D scaffolds for TE proved less than ideal for actual applications because they lack mechanical strength, interconnected channels, and controlled porosity or pores distribution. In this paper, the authors review the application and advancement of rapid prototyping (RP) techniques in the design and creation of synthetic scaffolds for use in TE. We also review the advantages and benefits, and limitations and shortcomings of current RP techniques as well as the future direction of RP development in TE scaffold fabrication.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Limited sequence divergence of HTLV-I of Indian HAM/TSP patients from a prototype Japanese isolate.

Nucleotide sequences of two HTLV-I proviruses isolated from Indian patients with HAM/TSP were analyzed. The sequence data of the env, pX, and LTR regions showed 98-99% homologies with the prototype HTLV-I, ATK-1, isolated from a Japanese ATL patient, indicating that HTLV-I isolates in India and Japan are similar, with minor variations. However, certain small sequences of noncoding regions in the pX and LTR showed differences of 6.1 and 7.2%, respectively, thus the conclusion could vary depending on the regions and length of the sequences used for comparison.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

V3 region polymorphisms in HIV-1 from Brazil: prevalence of subtype B strains divergent from North American/European prototype and detection of subtype F.

Viral DNA sequences were determined over the V3 region of env from 28 infected individuals living in the high HIV-1 prevalence Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Twenty-six belonged to envelope sequence subtype B, prevalent in North America and Europe, and one was classified as subtype F, found recently in Brazil and in Romania (one appeared to be a B/F recombinant). Octameric sequences at the tip of the subtype B V3 loops were variable and distinct from those prevalent in North America and Europe. The GPGR motif, prevalent in North American/European strains, was found in only 8 (28.5%) sequences, whereas GWGR was found in 12 (43%) and novel sequences in 8 (28.5%). Brazilian subtype B sequences also diverged from the consensus North American/European strains over the remainder of the V3 loop. These results suggest that Brazilian HIV-1 B strains may have important antigenic differences from prototype subtype B strains currently being evaluated for use in HIV vaccines. These results should be taken into account for future vaccine programs in Brazil.

AIDS Vaccines↗
PubMed2006

Initial experience with a prototype ureteroscope.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We report our initial experience with a prototype ureteroscope having the smallest tip diameter and shaft with an offset eyepiece for the treatment of ureteral stones. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A series of 21 male and 4 female patients between the ages of 1.5 and 57 years underwent treatment with the new ureteroscope for stones in the lower (24) and middle (1) ureter. All four of the children were boys. All patients were operated on by a single urologist. Patient sex, age, side, location and size of stone, type of anesthesia, requirement for a guidewire, use of stent, requirement for ureteral dilatation, operative time, type of intracorporeal lithotripsy used if any, type of stone-grasping device used, success rate, length of hospital stay, and complications were recorded. RESULTS: None of the patients required ureteral dilatation, and a guidewire was used in only three patients. Eight patients were operated on with instillation of 2% lidocaine gel alone, while another five patients required intravenous pentazocine and midazolam. Eight patients were operated on with monitored anesthesia care under propofol and one under ketamine. Three patients required general anesthesia. A double-J stent was not required in 15 patients. The success rate was 100%, and complications were minor. CONCLUSION: The new ureteroscope can treat the majority of lower-ureteral stones of up to 1.2 cm even in male patients under lidocaine gel with or without intravenous sedation or monitored anesthesia care. These patients can be treated as day-care cases. None of the patients required ureteral dilatation, and stent is now being omitted in most patients. All children were treated in one session.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Head-controlled laparoscopy: experiment, prototype, and preliminary results.

Depth perception is closely linked to the ability to explore. Previously described laboratory experiments showed the advantage of linking the motions of the laparoscope directly to the head movements of the surgeon. Additionally, it was found that the laparoscope should be mechanically supported instead of manually (by an assistant). This article describes three stages in the design and evaluation of a practical mechanism with which to link the motions of the laparoscope directly to the head movements of the surgeon. First, a description is given of the perceptual and technical considerations. Second, a laboratory experiment is described investigating the validity of the proposed suggestions. Last, a prototype was built that was tested in a practical setting.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Rapid prototyping of tissue-engineering constructs, using photopolymerizable hydrogels and stereolithography.

One of the most important aspects of tissue engineering is the design of the scaffold providing the mechanical strength and access to nutrients for the new tissue. For customized tissue engineering, it is essential to be able to fabricate three-dimensional scaffolds of various geometric shapes, in order to repair defects caused by accidents, surgery, or birth. Rapid prototyping or solid free-form fabrication (SFF) techniques hold great promise for designing three-dimensional customized scaffolds, yet traditional cell-seeding techniques may not provide enough cell mass for larger constructs. This article presents a novel attempt to fabricate three-dimensional scaffolds, using hydrogels combined with cell encapsulation to fabricate high-density tissue constructs. A commercially available stereolithography technique was applied to fabricate scaffolds using poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(ethylene glycol)dimethacrylate photopolymerizable hydrogels. Mechanical characterization shows the constructs to be comparable with soft tissues in terms of elasticity. High cell viability was achieved and high-density constructs fabricated.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Prototype database for telerehabilitation.

Telerehabilitation is a promising alternative health-care delivery system, but currently lacks broad-based empirical support for the efficacy and cost utility of its interventions. This article describes the development of a database at INTEGRIS Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Center (IJTRC) that will link the delivery of telerehabilitation services, reimbursement, and outcomes evaluation. The database is a culmination of the combined efforts of administrators, clinicians, and information technology professionals. Feasibility of the project was first established from technical, economic, and organizational perspectives. The current workflow and documentation processes were analyzed and enhanced. This was followed by data modeling and design of the database architecture in terms of network, security, scalability, and system specification. A prototype was created in Microsoft Access with the final product planned in Structured Query Language (SQL) with a front-end in JAVA JSP. The initial results with the database have been encouraging in terms of increased efficacy and security, process streamlining, error reduction, and collection of comprehensive standardized data for statistical analysis of clinical and research outcomes.

Databases as Topic↗
PubMed2000

BALL--rapid software prototyping in computational molecular biology. Biochemicals Algorithms Library.

MOTIVATION: Rapid software prototyping can significantly reduce development times in the field of computational molecular biology and molecular modeling. Biochemical Algorithms Library (BALL) is an application framework in C++ that has been specifically designed for this purpose. RESULTS: BALL provides an extensive set of data structures as well as classes for molecular mechanics, advanced solvation methods, comparison and analysis of protein structures, file import/export, and visualization. BALL has been carefully designed to be robust, easy to use, and open to extensions. Especially its extensibility which results from an object-oriented and generic programming approach distinguishes it from other software packages. BALL is well suited to serve as a public repository for reliable data structures and algorithms. We show in an example that the implementation of complex methods is greatly simplified when using the data structures and functionality provided by BALL.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2026

EPIC: Event Prototyping via Information Constrained graph learning for personalized cancer driver gene prediction.

MOTIVATION: Precision oncology relies on accurately distinguishing patient-specific driver mutations from the vast background of passenger alterations. While graph-based computational methods have emerged as powerful tools for this task, they often struggle to preserve the distinct genomic context of individual mutations within complex biological networks. Consequently, subtle patient-specific driver signals are frequently obscured by dominant topological patterns, critically impeding the identification of individualized oncogenic events essential for personalized cancer therapy. RESULTS: To address this, we propose EPIC, a novel framework for Event Prototyping via Information Constrained Graph Learning. Unlike traditional node-centric approaches, EPIC redefines driver prediction as a metric learning task in an event embedding space. We introduce an information-constrained learning strategy that imposes explicit geometric constraints on feature variance, effectively preventing feature collapse and ensuring that low-frequency driver signals are distinctively preserved. Experiments on large-scale cancer cohorts demonstrate that EPIC significantly outperforms established baselines. Notably, the model prioritizes low-frequency driver variants typically overlooked by population-based methods, mapping them to critical oncogenic mechanisms associated with drug resistance and metastasis. Furthermore, clinical actionability analysis confirms that EPIC substantially expands the patient population eligible for targeted therapies. EPIC provides a robust and context-aware solution for personalized cancer driver discovery, bridging the gap between genomic data and actionable therapeutic insights. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The source code and datasets are available at https://github.com/spcho-dev/EPIC.

Humans↗
PubMed1982

A sandwich electrode for multi-gas analysis: a prototype.

A prototype composite electrode consisting of a metallized membrane "outer" cathode, and a conventional "inner" silver disc cathode, both sharing the same electrolyte, is described. Preliminary results indicate that the metallized membrane will act as an oxygen filter, allowing anaesthetic gases such as nitrous oxide, to pass through to the second (inner) cathode, where they may be reduced. Linear relationships exist for oxygen concentration and metallized membrane current; and for nitrous oxide concentration and the second cathodic current. Extension of this technique to measure both halothane and nitrous oxide on the second cathode, simultaneously with oxygen on the metallized membrane, is discussed.

Electrodes↗
PubMed1999

Preliminary evaluation of a new prototype laryngeal mask in children.

We have assessed a prototype laryngeal mask airway (pLMA) in 50 anaesthetized children for ease of insertion, oropharyngeal leak pressures, gastric insufflation and fibreoptic position. The pLMA has a second smaller mask, which rests against the upper oesophageal sphincter, and a second cuff to increase the seal pressure of the glottic mask. All insertions were graded as easy and an effective airway was achieved in all patients. Oropharyngeal leak pressure was > 40 cm H2O in 49 of 50 patients. Gastric insufflation was not detected by epigastric auscultation. In 46 of 50 patients, the vocal cords were seen via a fibreoptic laryngoscope. One patient regurgitated clear fluid, but aspiration did not occur. On removal, blood staining was detected in three of 50 children. We conclude that the pLMA was easy to insert, facilitated high airway pressure ventilation and may provide some protection against gastric insufflation.

Air Pressure↗
PubMed1993

Synthesis of the prototype DNA-protein cross-link, 1-(guan-1-yl)-2-(cysteine-S-yl)ethane, and its role in the reactions of the haloethylnitrosoureas.

The haloethylnitrosoureas form a cytotoxic DNA cross-link in a series of reactions which involves initial alkylation of the O6 position of guanine and rearrangement to the intermediate, 1,O6-ethanoguanine; 1,O6-ethanoguanine then reacts with a neighboring cytosine base. O6-Alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase can interrupt this process after the initial alkylation step by removing the alkyl group from the O6 position of guanine. Recent evidence suggests that the O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase also recognizes 1,O6-ethanoguanine as a substrate, becoming bound to DNA when it interacts with that intermediate. It has also been shown that glutathione becomes bound to haloethylnitrosourea-treated DNA, apparently through chemical interaction with 1,O6-ethanoguanine. Since both of these reactions involve the thiol group of cysteine, we have examined the reaction of cysteine with 1,O6-ethanoguanine, characterizing the prototype DNA-protein cross-link, 1-(3-cytosinyl),2-(1-guanyl)ethane, which is formed in this reaction. These results establish a competitive reaction with 1,O6-ethanoguanine as a likely route to protein-DNA cross-linking.

Cross-Linking Reagents↗