An efficient brain tumor image classifier by combining multi-pathway cascaded deep neural network and handcrafted features in MR images.

Accurate segmentation and delineation of the sub-tumor regions are very challenging tasks due to the nature of the tumor. Traditionally, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have succeeded in achieving most promising performance for the segmentation of brain tumor; however, handcrafted features remain very important in identification of tumor's boundary regions accurately. The present work proposes a robust deep learning-based model with three different CNN architectures along with pre-defined handcrafted features for brain tumor segmentation, mainly to find out more prominent boundaries of the core and enhanced tumor regions. Generally, automatic CNN architecture does not use the pre-defined handcrafted features because it extracts the features automatically. In this present work, several pre-defined handcrafted features are computed from four MRI modalities (T2, FLAIR, T1c, and T1) with the help of additional handcrafted masks according to user interest and fed to the convolutional features (automatic features) to improve the overall performance of the proposed CNN model for tumor segmentation. Multi-pathway CNN is explored in this present work along with single-pathway CNN, which extracts simultaneously both local and global features to identify the accurate sub-regions of the tumor with the help of handcrafted features. The present work uses a cascaded CNN architecture, where the outcome of a CNN is considered as an additional input information to next subsequent CNNs. To extract the handcrafted features, convolutional operation was applied on the four MRI modalities with the help of several pre-defined masks to produce a predefined set of handcrafted features. The present work also investigates the usefulness of intensity normalization and data augmentation in pre-processing stage in order to handle the difficulties related to the imbalance of tumor labels. The proposed method is experimented on the BraST 2018 datasets and achieved promising results than the existing (currently published) methods with respect to different metrics such as specificity, sensitivity, and dice similarity coefficient (DSC) for complete, core, and enhanced tumor regions. Quantitatively, a notable gain is achieved around the boundaries of the sub-tumor regions using the proposed two-pathway CNN along with the handcrafted features. Graphical Abstract This data is mandatory. Please provide.

Inhibition of selective adhesion molecules in treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

Lymphocyte infiltration into the intestinal tract in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is mediated by interaction between α4 integrin and its specific ligands. Development of monoclonal antibodies against α4 integrin allowed targeting of lymphocyte trafficking into the intestine as a novel therapeutic intervention. Natalizumab, vedolizumab, alicaforsen AJM300, rhuMAb ß7, CCX282-B, and PF-00547,659 are few of monoclonal antibodies that have shown high promise in trials with the potential for more attractive benefit:risk ratio than currently available therapies. In this review, an attempt is made to underline the therapeutic potential and the safety of anti-adhesion molecule treatment in IBD.

COX-2 as a target for cancer chemotherapy.

Cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 (COX-1/2) catalyze the initial step in the formation of prostaglandins. Very recently their role in carcinogenesis has become more evident. They influence apoptosis, angiogenesis, and invasion, and play a key role in the production of carcinogens. Usually, a high level of COX-2 expression is found in cancer cells. Large epidemiological trials studying users and non-users of aspirin have shown that cyclooxygenase inhibitors and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) could be of benefit against the development and growth of malignancies. Moreover, clinical trials in patients with familial adenomatosis polyposis syndrome have shown the efficacy of selective COX-2 inhibitors in the reduction of the number and size of colorectal polyps. Several preclinical studies show promising results with combinatorial treatments of either chemotherapy or radiotherapy with COX inhibitors. Preclinical studies with the simultaneous use of inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor and COX-2 inhibitors have shown also promising results. Encouraging results from the first clinical trials combining chemotherapy with COX-2 inhibitors in patients with cancer in the advanced and neoadjuvant setting have recently been reported. Thus, it appears that targeting the COX-2 pathway is a promising strategy in the prevention and treatment of solid tumors.

Mechanisms and efficacy of immunobiologic therapies for inflammatory bowel diseases.

Current advances in understanding of the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease have encouraged the development of many new therapies targeted at specific and non-specific mediators of the inflammatory bowel disease inflammatory pathway. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, two common inflammatory bowel diseases likely result from interaction of multiple genetic and environmental risk and protective factors, deregulation of mucosal immunity in gut and breakdown of delicate balance of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Immunobiologic agents targeted against TNF, leukocyte adhesion, Th1 polarization, T cell activation, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), and others are being assessed and will open exciting perspectives on development of therapies for inflammatory bowel disease.