Obtaining a 3D feature description with high descriptiveness and robustness under complicated nuisances is a significant and challenging task in 3D feature matching.This paper proposes a novel feature description cons...Obtaining a 3D feature description with high descriptiveness and robustness under complicated nuisances is a significant and challenging task in 3D feature matching.This paper proposes a novel feature description consisting of a stable local reference frame(LRF)and a feature descriptor based on local spatial voxels.First,an improved LRF was designed by incorporating distance weights into Z-and X-axis calculations.Subsequently,based on the LRF and voxel segmentation,a feature descriptor based on voxel homogenization was proposed.Moreover,uniform segmentation of cube voxels was performed,considering the eigenvalues of each voxel and its neighboring voxels,thereby enhancing the stability of the description.The performance of the descriptor was strictly tested and evaluated on three public datasets,which exhibited high descriptiveness,robustness,and superior performance compared with other current methods.Furthermore,the descriptor was applied to a 3D registration trial,and the results demonstrated the reliability of our approach.展开更多
Now the image display techniques have made great progress. The planar display and a fully new true 3-D volumetric display technique are rapidly researched and come into the application. A method based on the voxel mak...Now the image display techniques have made great progress. The planar display and a fully new true 3-D volumetric display technique are rapidly researched and come into the application. A method based on the voxel makes the observer able to get a true 3-D effect freely without any additional facilities. This paper introduces the basic form of the swept-volume display technique and discusses its voxelization process. By the translational motion prototype, this paper emphasizes how to get the voxel mapping matrix. The translated image data are the data of the beam source deflections. Finally the voxel ordering and the optimizing are also discussed.展开更多
以腧穴解剖研究成果为基础,将临床常用的18个危险穴位的解剖结构数据融入汉堡大学VOXEL-MAN三维数字化虚拟人体中,开发一套VOXEL-MAN 3D Navigator:Acupuncture运行软件(针灸学三维影像浏览器),动态、三维显示腧穴的层次解剖结构和不同...以腧穴解剖研究成果为基础,将临床常用的18个危险穴位的解剖结构数据融入汉堡大学VOXEL-MAN三维数字化虚拟人体中,开发一套VOXEL-MAN 3D Navigator:Acupuncture运行软件(针灸学三维影像浏览器),动态、三维显示腧穴的层次解剖结构和不同角度针刺所经过的断面解剖结构,并建立相关的知识库体系,能够加深对图像内容的理解,有利于提高临床针刺疗效和避免针刺意外事故的发生,并为针灸提供一种理想直观的多媒体教学手段和方法。展开更多
An efficient voxelization algorithm is presented for polygonal models by using the hardware support for the 2 D rasterization algorithm and the GPU programmable function to satisfy the volumetric display system. The v...An efficient voxelization algorithm is presented for polygonal models by using the hardware support for the 2 D rasterization algorithm and the GPU programmable function to satisfy the volumetric display system. The volume is sampled into slices by the rendering hardware and then slices are rasterated into a series of voxels. A composed buffer is used to record encoded voxels of the target volume to reduce the graphic memory requirement. In the algorithm, dynamic vertexes and index buffers are used to improve the voxelization efficiency. Experimental results show that the algorithm is efficient for a true 3-D display system.展开更多
Objective To investigate cerebral structural signatures of the bulbar-and spinal-onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS) using voxel-based morphometry on magnetic resonance imaging.Methods The MR structural images of...Objective To investigate cerebral structural signatures of the bulbar-and spinal-onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS) using voxel-based morphometry on magnetic resonance imaging.Methods The MR structural images of the brain were obtained from 65 ALS patients(15 bulbar-onset, 50 spinalonset) and 65 normal controls(NC) on a 3.0 T MRI system. Gray matter(GM) volume changes were investigated by voxel-based morphometry, and the distribution of the brain regions with volume changes was compared between ALS and normal controls, as well as between bulbar-onset and spinal-onset ALS based on Neuromorphometrics atlas.Results On voxel-level the decreased volume of brain regions in ALS patients was located in the right precentral gyrus(r Prc Gy) and right middle frontal gyrus compared with that in NC. The bulbar-onset ALS presented extramotor cortex atrophy(fronto-temporal pattern), including left medial orbital gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus and right middle temporal gyrus; the spinal-onset ALS suffered from motor cortex atrophy(r Prc Gy dominance) and extra-motor cortex atrophy(fronto-temporal and extra-fronto-temporal pattern) compared with NC. The spinal-onset ALS featured by GM volume loss of left postcentral gyrus and bulbar-onset ALS featured by GM volume loss of left middle temporal gyrus compared with each other. Conclusions The asymmetric GM atrophy of the motor cortex and extra-motor cortex represents the common MRI structural signatures of spinal-onset ALS, and sole extra-motor cortex atrophy represents the structural signatures of bulbar-onset ALS. The present study also demonstrated that the pattern of GM damage is likely to distribute wider in spinal-onset ALS than in bulbar-onset ALS.展开更多
Voxel-based canopy profiling is commonly used to determine small-scale leaf area.Layer thickness and voxel size impact accuracy when using this method.Here,we determined the optimal combination of layer thickness and ...Voxel-based canopy profiling is commonly used to determine small-scale leaf area.Layer thickness and voxel size impact accuracy when using this method.Here,we determined the optimal combination of layer thickness and voxel size to estimate leaf area density accurately.Terrestrial LiDAR Stonex X300 was used to generate point cloud data for Masson pines(Pinus massoniana).The canopy layer was stratified into 0.10-1.00-m-thick layers,while voxel size was 0.01-0.10 m.The leaf area density of individual trees was estimated using leaf area indices for the upper,middle,and lower canopy and the overall canopy.The true leaf area index,obtained by layered harvesting,was used to verify the inversion results.Leaf area density was inverted by nine combinations of layer thickness and voxel size.The average relative accuracy and mean estimated accuracy of these combined inversion results exceeded 80%.When layer thickness was 1.00 m and voxel size 0.05 m,inversion was closest to the true value.The average relative accuracy was 92.58%,mean estimated accuracy 98.00%,and root mean square error 0.17.The combination of leaf area density and index was accurately retrieved.In conclusion,nondestructive voxel-based canopy profiling proved suitable for inverting the leaf area density of Masson pine in Hetian Town,Fujian Province.展开更多
Most protein-ligand interactions take place on surfaces and include but not limited to factors such as chemical composition, hydrophobicity, electronegavitiy and shape complementarity. Past studies showed that protein...Most protein-ligand interactions take place on surfaces and include but not limited to factors such as chemical composition, hydrophobicity, electronegavitiy and shape complementarity. Past studies showed that protein-protein interactions occur on comparatively fiat regions whereas protein-ligand bindings involve crevices. In the search for such sites various approaches have been designed and developed each of which is algorithmically unique. The use of grid units or voxels has been demonstrated in early studies with relatively good results obtained. We present here an approximated approach comprising of the use of voxels and computer vision methods in the search for ligand-binding areas. Each test protein is modelled and analysed in 2D with all corresponding residues graphically presented for successfully identified sites. The study was carried out on 2 sets of proteins： FK506-bound proteins and heme-bound proteins with promising results obtained for all test cases.展开更多
The purpose of the present study was to assess the reproducibility of voxel placement for GABA-edited MRS. GABA-edited MRS data were acquired in 13 healthy volunteers from (3 cm)3 voxel;and within the same session a s...The purpose of the present study was to assess the reproducibility of voxel placement for GABA-edited MRS. GABA-edited MRS data were acquired in 13 healthy volunteers from (3 cm)3 voxel;and within the same session a second acquisition was independently prescribed. A three-dimensional voxel mask image was reconstructed in T1-image-space using the SVMask tool (in house software). Reproducibility of voxel placement was assessed using the Dice overlap coefficient, both within-subject and between-subject following co-registration of T1 images and transformation of voxel mask images to standard space. Within-subject overlap coefficients were 86% ± 5%. Between-subject overlap coefficients were 75% ± 10%. For the two voxel locations considered (occipital and sensorimotor), voxel overlap was very similar. Between-subject values are higher due to between-session effects, anatomical variability and volume mismatch in standard space. While surprisingly low in terms of volume overlap, the overlap coefficients correspond to acceptable linear displacements.展开更多
The Monte Carlo code MCML(Monte Carlo modeling of light transport in multi-layered tissue)has been the gold standard for simulations of light transport in multi-layer tissue,but it is ineffective in the presence of th...The Monte Carlo code MCML(Monte Carlo modeling of light transport in multi-layered tissue)has been the gold standard for simulations of light transport in multi-layer tissue,but it is ineffective in the presence of three-dimensional(3D)heterogeneity.New techniques have been attempted to resolve this problem,such as MCLS,which is derived from MCML,and tMCimg,which draws upon image datasets.Nevertheless,these approaches are insufficient because of their low precision or simplistic modeling.We report on the development of a novel model for photon migration in voxelized media(MCVM)with 3D heterogeneity.Voxel crossing detection and refractive-index-unmatched boundaries were considered to improve the precision and eliminate dependence on refractive-index-matched tissue.Using a semi-infinite homogeneous medium,steady-state and time-resolved simulations of MCVM agreed well with MCML,with high precision(∼100%)for the total diffuse reflectance and total fractional absorption compared to those of tMCimg(<70%).Based on a refractive-index-matched heterogeneous skin model,the results of MCVM were found to coincide with those of MCLS.Finally,MCVM was applied to a two-layered sphere with multi-inclusions,which is an example of a 3D heterogeneous media with refractive-index-unmatched boundaries.MCVM provided a reliable model for simulation of photon migration in voxelized 3D heterogeneous media,and it was developed to be a flexible and simple software tool that delivers high-precision results.展开更多
Background: Forest canopy height is a key forest structure parameter. Precisely estimating forest canopy height is vital to improve forest management and ecological modelling. Compared with discrete-return LiDAR(Light...Background: Forest canopy height is a key forest structure parameter. Precisely estimating forest canopy height is vital to improve forest management and ecological modelling. Compared with discrete-return LiDAR(Light Detection and Ranging), small-footprint full-waveform airborne LiDAR(FWL) techniques have the capability to acquire precise forest structural information. This research mainly focused on the influence of voxel size on forest canopy height estimates.Methods: A range of voxel sizes(from 10.0 m to 40.0 m interval of 2 m) were tested to obtain estimation accuracies of forest canopy height with different voxel sizes. In this study, all the waveforms within a voxel size were aggregated into a voxel-based LiDAR waveform, and a range of waveform metrics were calculated using the voxelbased LiDAR waveforms. Then, we established estimation model of forest canopy height using the voxel-based waveform metrics through Random Forest(RF) regression method.Results and conclusions: The results showed the voxel-based method could reliably estimate forest canopy height using FWL data. In addition, the voxel sizes had an important influence on the estimation accuracies(R2 ranged from 0.625 to 0.832) of forest canopy height. However, the R2 values did not monotonically increase or decrease with the increase of voxel size in this study. The best estimation accuracy produced when the voxel size was 18 m(R2= 0.832, RMSE = 2.57 m, RMSE% = 20.6%). Compared with the lowest estimation accuracy, the R2 value had a significant improvement(33.1%) when using the optimal voxel size. Finally, through the optimal voxel size, we produced the forest canopy height distribution map for this study area using RF regression model. Our findings demonstrate that the optimal voxel size need to be determined for improving estimation accuracy of forest parameter using small-footprint FWL data.展开更多
Hepatic myelopathy is a complication seen in patients with chronic liver failure with physiologic or iatrogenic portosystemic shunting. The main symptom is progressive lower limb dyskinesia. The role of the brain moto...Hepatic myelopathy is a complication seen in patients with chronic liver failure with physiologic or iatrogenic portosystemic shunting. The main symptom is progressive lower limb dyskinesia. The role of the brain motor control center in hepatic myelopathy is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the gray matter changes in patients with hepatic myelopathy secondary to transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt and to examine their clinical relevance. This was a cross-sectional study. Twenty-three liver failure patients with hepatic myelopathy(hepatic myelopathy group), 23 liver failure patients without hepatic myelopathy(non-hepatic myelopathy group) after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, and 23 demographically matched healthy volunteers were enrolled from March 2014 to November 2016 at Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University(Fourth Military Medical University), China. High-resolution magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo brain imaging was acquired. Group differences in regional gray matter were assessed using voxel-based morphometry analysis. The relationship between aberrant gray matter and motor characteristics was investigated. Results demonstrated that compared with the non-hepatic myelopathy group, gray matter volume abnormalities were asymmetric, with decreased volume in the left insula(P = 0.003), left thalamus(P = 0.029), left superior frontal gyrus(P = 0.006), and right middle cingulate cortex(P = 0.021), and increased volume in the right caudate nucleus(P = 0.017), corrected with open-source software. The volume of the right caudate nucleus in the hepatic myelopathy group negatively correlated with the lower limb clinical rating of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment(r = –0.53, P = 0.01). Compared with healthy controls, patients with and without hepatic myelopathy exhibited overall increased gray matter volume in both thalami, and decreased gray matter volume in both putamen, as well as in the globus pallidus, cerebellum, and vermis. The gray matter abnormalities we found predominantly involved motor-related regions, and may be associated with motor dysfunction. An enlarged right caudate nucleus might help to predict weak lower limb motor performance in patients with preclinical hepatic myelopathy after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University(Fourth Military Medical University), China(approval No. 20140227-6) on February 27, 2014.展开更多
A few CT-based voxel phantoms were produced to investigate the sensitivity of Monte Carlo simulations of X-ray beam and electron beam to the proportions of elements and the mass densities of the materials used to expr...A few CT-based voxel phantoms were produced to investigate the sensitivity of Monte Carlo simulations of X-ray beam and electron beam to the proportions of elements and the mass densities of the materials used to express the patient’s anatomical structure. The human body can be well outlined by air, lung, adipose, muscle, soft bone and hard bone to calculate the dose distribution with Monte Carlo method. The effects of the calibration curves established by using various CT scanners are not clinically significant based on our investigation. The deviation from the values of cumulative dose volume histogram derived from CT-based voxel phantoms is less than 1% for the given target.展开更多
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.51705469the Zhengzhou University Youth Talent Enterprise Cooperative Innovation Team Support Program Project(2021,2022).
文摘Obtaining a 3D feature description with high descriptiveness and robustness under complicated nuisances is a significant and challenging task in 3D feature matching.This paper proposes a novel feature description consisting of a stable local reference frame(LRF)and a feature descriptor based on local spatial voxels.First,an improved LRF was designed by incorporating distance weights into Z-and X-axis calculations.Subsequently,based on the LRF and voxel segmentation,a feature descriptor based on voxel homogenization was proposed.Moreover,uniform segmentation of cube voxels was performed,considering the eigenvalues of each voxel and its neighboring voxels,thereby enhancing the stability of the description.The performance of the descriptor was strictly tested and evaluated on three public datasets,which exhibited high descriptiveness,robustness,and superior performance compared with other current methods.Furthermore,the descriptor was applied to a 3D registration trial,and the results demonstrated the reliability of our approach.
文摘Now the image display techniques have made great progress. The planar display and a fully new true 3-D volumetric display technique are rapidly researched and come into the application. A method based on the voxel makes the observer able to get a true 3-D effect freely without any additional facilities. This paper introduces the basic form of the swept-volume display technique and discusses its voxelization process. By the translational motion prototype, this paper emphasizes how to get the voxel mapping matrix. The translated image data are the data of the beam source deflections. Finally the voxel ordering and the optimizing are also discussed.
文摘以腧穴解剖研究成果为基础,将临床常用的18个危险穴位的解剖结构数据融入汉堡大学VOXEL-MAN三维数字化虚拟人体中,开发一套VOXEL-MAN 3D Navigator:Acupuncture运行软件(针灸学三维影像浏览器),动态、三维显示腧穴的层次解剖结构和不同角度针刺所经过的断面解剖结构,并建立相关的知识库体系,能够加深对图像内容的理解,有利于提高临床针刺疗效和避免针刺意外事故的发生,并为针灸提供一种理想直观的多媒体教学手段和方法。
文摘An efficient voxelization algorithm is presented for polygonal models by using the hardware support for the 2 D rasterization algorithm and the GPU programmable function to satisfy the volumetric display system. The volume is sampled into slices by the rendering hardware and then slices are rasterated into a series of voxels. A composed buffer is used to record encoded voxels of the target volume to reduce the graphic memory requirement. In the algorithm, dynamic vertexes and index buffers are used to improve the voxelization efficiency. Experimental results show that the algorithm is efficient for a true 3-D display system.
基金Supported by the grant of the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China(30470512)
文摘Objective To investigate cerebral structural signatures of the bulbar-and spinal-onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS) using voxel-based morphometry on magnetic resonance imaging.Methods The MR structural images of the brain were obtained from 65 ALS patients(15 bulbar-onset, 50 spinalonset) and 65 normal controls(NC) on a 3.0 T MRI system. Gray matter(GM) volume changes were investigated by voxel-based morphometry, and the distribution of the brain regions with volume changes was compared between ALS and normal controls, as well as between bulbar-onset and spinal-onset ALS based on Neuromorphometrics atlas.Results On voxel-level the decreased volume of brain regions in ALS patients was located in the right precentral gyrus(r Prc Gy) and right middle frontal gyrus compared with that in NC. The bulbar-onset ALS presented extramotor cortex atrophy(fronto-temporal pattern), including left medial orbital gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus and right middle temporal gyrus; the spinal-onset ALS suffered from motor cortex atrophy(r Prc Gy dominance) and extra-motor cortex atrophy(fronto-temporal and extra-fronto-temporal pattern) compared with NC. The spinal-onset ALS featured by GM volume loss of left postcentral gyrus and bulbar-onset ALS featured by GM volume loss of left middle temporal gyrus compared with each other. Conclusions The asymmetric GM atrophy of the motor cortex and extra-motor cortex represents the common MRI structural signatures of spinal-onset ALS, and sole extra-motor cortex atrophy represents the structural signatures of bulbar-onset ALS. The present study also demonstrated that the pattern of GM damage is likely to distribute wider in spinal-onset ALS than in bulbar-onset ALS.
基金This research was funded by Fujian University Industry-University Cooperation Project(grant number 2019N5012)Remote Sensing Quantitative Simulation of Rainfall Erosion Reduction Function of Forest Vertical Structure(grant number 31770760).
文摘Voxel-based canopy profiling is commonly used to determine small-scale leaf area.Layer thickness and voxel size impact accuracy when using this method.Here,we determined the optimal combination of layer thickness and voxel size to estimate leaf area density accurately.Terrestrial LiDAR Stonex X300 was used to generate point cloud data for Masson pines(Pinus massoniana).The canopy layer was stratified into 0.10-1.00-m-thick layers,while voxel size was 0.01-0.10 m.The leaf area density of individual trees was estimated using leaf area indices for the upper,middle,and lower canopy and the overall canopy.The true leaf area index,obtained by layered harvesting,was used to verify the inversion results.Leaf area density was inverted by nine combinations of layer thickness and voxel size.The average relative accuracy and mean estimated accuracy of these combined inversion results exceeded 80%.When layer thickness was 1.00 m and voxel size 0.05 m,inversion was closest to the true value.The average relative accuracy was 92.58%,mean estimated accuracy 98.00%,and root mean square error 0.17.The combination of leaf area density and index was accurately retrieved.In conclusion,nondestructive voxel-based canopy profiling proved suitable for inverting the leaf area density of Masson pine in Hetian Town,Fujian Province.
文摘Most protein-ligand interactions take place on surfaces and include but not limited to factors such as chemical composition, hydrophobicity, electronegavitiy and shape complementarity. Past studies showed that protein-protein interactions occur on comparatively fiat regions whereas protein-ligand bindings involve crevices. In the search for such sites various approaches have been designed and developed each of which is algorithmically unique. The use of grid units or voxels has been demonstrated in early studies with relatively good results obtained. We present here an approximated approach comprising of the use of voxels and computer vision methods in the search for ligand-binding areas. Each test protein is modelled and analysed in 2D with all corresponding residues graphically presented for successfully identified sites. The study was carried out on 2 sets of proteins： FK506-bound proteins and heme-bound proteins with promising results obtained for all test cases.
基金supported by NIH grants R01 EB016089 and P41 EB015909
文摘The purpose of the present study was to assess the reproducibility of voxel placement for GABA-edited MRS. GABA-edited MRS data were acquired in 13 healthy volunteers from (3 cm)3 voxel;and within the same session a second acquisition was independently prescribed. A three-dimensional voxel mask image was reconstructed in T1-image-space using the SVMask tool (in house software). Reproducibility of voxel placement was assessed using the Dice overlap coefficient, both within-subject and between-subject following co-registration of T1 images and transformation of voxel mask images to standard space. Within-subject overlap coefficients were 86% ± 5%. Between-subject overlap coefficients were 75% ± 10%. For the two voxel locations considered (occipital and sensorimotor), voxel overlap was very similar. Between-subject values are higher due to between-session effects, anatomical variability and volume mismatch in standard space. While surprisingly low in terms of volume overlap, the overlap coefficients correspond to acceptable linear displacements.
基金This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.30727002)the National High-Tech R&D Program of China(2006AA020801)111 project,and the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University.
文摘The Monte Carlo code MCML(Monte Carlo modeling of light transport in multi-layered tissue)has been the gold standard for simulations of light transport in multi-layer tissue,but it is ineffective in the presence of three-dimensional(3D)heterogeneity.New techniques have been attempted to resolve this problem,such as MCLS,which is derived from MCML,and tMCimg,which draws upon image datasets.Nevertheless,these approaches are insufficient because of their low precision or simplistic modeling.We report on the development of a novel model for photon migration in voxelized media(MCVM)with 3D heterogeneity.Voxel crossing detection and refractive-index-unmatched boundaries were considered to improve the precision and eliminate dependence on refractive-index-matched tissue.Using a semi-infinite homogeneous medium,steady-state and time-resolved simulations of MCVM agreed well with MCML,with high precision(∼100%)for the total diffuse reflectance and total fractional absorption compared to those of tMCimg(<70%).Based on a refractive-index-matched heterogeneous skin model,the results of MCVM were found to coincide with those of MCLS.Finally,MCVM was applied to a two-layered sphere with multi-inclusions,which is an example of a 3D heterogeneous media with refractive-index-unmatched boundaries.MCVM provided a reliable model for simulation of photon migration in voxelized 3D heterogeneous media,and it was developed to be a flexible and simple software tool that delivers high-precision results.
基金funded by the Guangxi Natural Science Fund for Innovation Research Team (No. 2019JJF50001)the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province,China (No. 2019 J01396)+1 种基金the Special Fund for Guangxi Innovation and Driving Development (Major science and technology projects)(No. 2018AA13005)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS (2019130)。
文摘Background: Forest canopy height is a key forest structure parameter. Precisely estimating forest canopy height is vital to improve forest management and ecological modelling. Compared with discrete-return LiDAR(Light Detection and Ranging), small-footprint full-waveform airborne LiDAR(FWL) techniques have the capability to acquire precise forest structural information. This research mainly focused on the influence of voxel size on forest canopy height estimates.Methods: A range of voxel sizes(from 10.0 m to 40.0 m interval of 2 m) were tested to obtain estimation accuracies of forest canopy height with different voxel sizes. In this study, all the waveforms within a voxel size were aggregated into a voxel-based LiDAR waveform, and a range of waveform metrics were calculated using the voxelbased LiDAR waveforms. Then, we established estimation model of forest canopy height using the voxel-based waveform metrics through Random Forest(RF) regression method.Results and conclusions: The results showed the voxel-based method could reliably estimate forest canopy height using FWL data. In addition, the voxel sizes had an important influence on the estimation accuracies(R2 ranged from 0.625 to 0.832) of forest canopy height. However, the R2 values did not monotonically increase or decrease with the increase of voxel size in this study. The best estimation accuracy produced when the voxel size was 18 m(R2= 0.832, RMSE = 2.57 m, RMSE% = 20.6%). Compared with the lowest estimation accuracy, the R2 value had a significant improvement(33.1%) when using the optimal voxel size. Finally, through the optimal voxel size, we produced the forest canopy height distribution map for this study area using RF regression model. Our findings demonstrate that the optimal voxel size need to be determined for improving estimation accuracy of forest parameter using small-footprint FWL data.
文摘Hepatic myelopathy is a complication seen in patients with chronic liver failure with physiologic or iatrogenic portosystemic shunting. The main symptom is progressive lower limb dyskinesia. The role of the brain motor control center in hepatic myelopathy is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the gray matter changes in patients with hepatic myelopathy secondary to transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt and to examine their clinical relevance. This was a cross-sectional study. Twenty-three liver failure patients with hepatic myelopathy(hepatic myelopathy group), 23 liver failure patients without hepatic myelopathy(non-hepatic myelopathy group) after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, and 23 demographically matched healthy volunteers were enrolled from March 2014 to November 2016 at Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University(Fourth Military Medical University), China. High-resolution magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo brain imaging was acquired. Group differences in regional gray matter were assessed using voxel-based morphometry analysis. The relationship between aberrant gray matter and motor characteristics was investigated. Results demonstrated that compared with the non-hepatic myelopathy group, gray matter volume abnormalities were asymmetric, with decreased volume in the left insula(P = 0.003), left thalamus(P = 0.029), left superior frontal gyrus(P = 0.006), and right middle cingulate cortex(P = 0.021), and increased volume in the right caudate nucleus(P = 0.017), corrected with open-source software. The volume of the right caudate nucleus in the hepatic myelopathy group negatively correlated with the lower limb clinical rating of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment(r = –0.53, P = 0.01). Compared with healthy controls, patients with and without hepatic myelopathy exhibited overall increased gray matter volume in both thalami, and decreased gray matter volume in both putamen, as well as in the globus pallidus, cerebellum, and vermis. The gray matter abnormalities we found predominantly involved motor-related regions, and may be associated with motor dysfunction. An enlarged right caudate nucleus might help to predict weak lower limb motor performance in patients with preclinical hepatic myelopathy after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University(Fourth Military Medical University), China(approval No. 20140227-6) on February 27, 2014.
基金The project supported by the An Hui Natural Science Foundation (No. 01043601)
文摘A few CT-based voxel phantoms were produced to investigate the sensitivity of Monte Carlo simulations of X-ray beam and electron beam to the proportions of elements and the mass densities of the materials used to express the patient’s anatomical structure. The human body can be well outlined by air, lung, adipose, muscle, soft bone and hard bone to calculate the dose distribution with Monte Carlo method. The effects of the calibration curves established by using various CT scanners are not clinically significant based on our investigation. The deviation from the values of cumulative dose volume histogram derived from CT-based voxel phantoms is less than 1% for the given target.
