A colon video analysis framework for polyp detection.

This paper presents an automated video analysis framework for the detection of colonic polyps in optical colonoscopy. Our proposed framework departs from previous methods in that we include spatial frame-based analysis and temporal video analysis using time-course image sequences. We also provide a video quality assessment scheme including two measures of frame quality. We extract colon-specific anatomical features from different image regions using a windowing approach for intraframe spatial analysis. Anatomical features are described using an eigentissue model. We apply a conditional random field to model interframe dependences in tissue types and handle variations in imaging conditions and modalities. We validate our method by comparing our polyp detection results to colonoscopy reports from physicians. Our method displays promising preliminary results and shows strong invariance when applied to both white light and narrow-band video. Our proposed video analysis system can provide objective diagnostic support to physicians by locating polyps during colon cancer screening exams. Furthermore, our system can be used as a cost-effective video annotation solution for the large backlog of existing colonoscopy videos.

Information extraction approaches to unconventional data sources for "Injury Surveillance System": the case of newspapers clippings.

Injury Surveillance Systems based on traditional hospital records or clinical data have the advantage of being a well established, highly reliable source of information for making an active surveillance on specific injuries, like choking in children. However, they suffer the drawback of delays in making data available to the analysis, due to inefficiencies in data collection procedures. In this sense, the integration of clinical based registries with unconventional data sources like newspaper articles has the advantage of making the system more useful for early alerting. Usage of such sources is difficult since information is only available in the form of free natural-language documents rather than structured databases as required by traditional data mining techniques. Information Extraction (IE) addresses the problem of transforming a corpus of textual documents into a more structured database. In this paper, on a corpora of Italian newspapers articles related to choking in children due to ingestion/inhalation of foreign body we compared the performance of three IE algorithms- (a) a classical rule based system which requires a manual annotation of the rules; (ii) a rule based system which allows for the automatic building of rules; (b) a machine learning method based on Support Vector Machine. Although some useful indications are extracted from the newspaper clippings, this approach is at the time far from being routinely implemented for injury surveillance purposes.

A study on bicycle-related injuries and their costs in Shanghai, China.

China is known as the Bicycle Kingdom, but the nature, extent, and costs of bicycle-related injuries remain largely unknown. The authors' findings showed that the bicycle-related mortality rate increased 99% from 1992 to 2004, and it increased with age, from 0.64 per 100,000 population in the 0-14 age group to 5.93 per 100,000 population in the 65 and older age group. Labor force groups represented the majority of fatalities (70.8%) and nonfatal injuries (81.5%). The male mortality rate was 2.4 times higher than the female mortality rate. Head injuries accounted for 71.9% of fatalities and 33.1% of the hospitalizations. People with lower levels of education had higher injury rates. The poorer districts located in the countryside had the highest mortality rates compared to those located in the central, wealthier regions. The total annual cost of bicycle-related injuries was 1.1 billion CHY (Chinese Yuan) (over $137 million U.S.). To reduce bicycle-related injuries, mandatory helmet legislations, environmental modifications, and representative monitoring systems in China are required.

From the Cover: CD39 deletion exacerbates experimental murine colitis and human polymorphisms increase susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease.

CD39/ENTPD1 hydrolyzes proinflammatory nucleotides to generate adenosine. As purinergic mediators have been implicated in intestinal inflammation, we hypothesized that CD39 might protect against inflammatory bowel disease. We studied these possibilities in a mouse model of colitis using mice with global CD39 deletion. We then tested whether human genetic polymorphisms in the CD39 gene might influence susceptibility to Crohn's disease. We induced colitis in mice using Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS). Readouts included disease activity scores, histological evidence of injury, and markers of inflammatory activity. We used HapMap cell lines to find SNPs that tag for CD39 expression, and then compared the frequency of subjects with high vs. low CD39-expression genotypes in a case-control cohort for Crohn's disease. Mice null for CD39 were highly susceptible to DSS injury, with heterozygote mice showing an intermediate phenotype compared to wild type (WT). We identified a common SNP that tags CD39 mRNA expression levels in man. The SNP tagging low levels of CD39 expression was associated with increased susceptibility to Crohn's disease in a case-control cohort comprised of 1,748 Crohn's patients and 2,936 controls (P = 0.005-0.0006). Our data indicate that CD39 deficiency exacerbates murine colitis and suggest that CD39 polymorphisms are associated with inflammatory bowel disease in humans.

Heightened NTPDase-1/CD39 expression and angiogenesis in radiation proctitis.

Radiation proctitis is an inflammatory process associated with persistent and refractory lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Purinergic signaling regulates hemostasis, inflammation, and angiogenesis. For example, CD39, the vascular ectonucleotidase, blocks platelet activation and is required for angiogenesis. Whether CD39 expression is affected by radiation injury is unknown. The aim of this work was to study CD39 expression patterns after clinical radiation injury to the rectum. We prospectively enrolled eight patients with radiation proctitis and five gender-matched controls. Biopsies were taken from normal-appearing rectal mucosa of controls and from the normal sigmoid and abnormal rectum of patients. Expression patterns of CD39, P2Y2 receptor, CD31, CD61 integrin, and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 were examined by immunostaining; levels of CD39 were further evaluated by Western blots. Chronic inflammatory lesions of radiation proctitis were associated with heightened levels of angiogenesis. Immunohistochemical stains showed increased vascular expression of CD39, as confirmed by Western blots. CD39 was co-localized with vascular endothelial markers CD31 and CD61 integrin, as well as expressed by stromal tissues. Development of neovasculature and associated CD39 expression in radiation proctitis may be associated with the chronic, refractory bleeding observed in this condition.

Risk factors and geographical heterogeneity in unintentional home injuries incidence rate: new evidence based on Multiscopo survey in Italy.

Home injuries together, with road traffic accidents, are estimated to be the third cause of death in Italy (Arokiasamy and Krishnan 1994). However, as in most other countries, in Italy there is a lack of information on home injuries and on how differences in geographical patterns may influence the scope and magnitude of this phenomenon. By analysing a multipurpose large survey (Multiscopo) carried out annually, geographical heterogeneity in home injuries incidence rate can be investigated. The aim of this study is the assessment of possible differences in geographical patterns among the Italian regions making use of a re-analysis of Multiscopo home injury data. The study results show that Italian regions differ greatly in the number of home injuries. The geographical heterogeneity may be due to the unemployment rate and the incidence of poverty that is greater in the Southern and Insular regions than in other zones. Other socio-economic variables such as alcohol consumption can increase the risk of injury in the home. To prevent them it could be useful to organize campaigns aimed at increasing the awareness among people about this problem.

Field data: a study on trend and prediction of fatal traffic injuries prevalence in Shanghai.

OBJECTIVE: The main objectives of the study are to analyze fatal traffic-injury trends in 1987-2003 in Shanghai and predict its prevalence in near future and provide scientific data for the local governmental decision on developing practical working methods on traffic-injury prevention and control. METHODS: In this study, epidemiological method and Grey dynamic model GM (1,1) were introduced to analyze and forecast traffic-injury mortality rates respectively. RESULTS: There was an apparent increasing trend of traffic-related injuries in Shanghai from 1987 to 2003 with the rate of growth in motorization. The average rates of annual increase are 3.59% in fatalities (from 7.78 per 100,000 population to 14.18 per 100,000 population) during the period. Pedestrians were the most common type of victims (29.6%), followed by bicyclists (25.1%), and motorcyclists (24.1%). Males accounted for the majority of all victims, over 69%. The population of high-school and lower high-school education level represented 66.4% victims of total road-traffic injuries. And if no special factors effect its development, the traffic fatalities would be up to 17.84 per 100,000 population in 2010, when calculating from equations we found and validated Y(t) = 359.90 x e0.027(t-1)-352.13, (t = 1, 2, ..., N) for Shanghai. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate the risk of fatal traffic injuries has increased in recent years and will go on growing in the near future in Shanghai. The findings showed that Grey dynamic model GM (1,1) is eligible on the prediction and can be a tool for injuries forecasting, implementing effective policies, programs, and interventions for reducing traffic injuries in the big cities.

Pattern of traffic injuries in Shanghai: implications for control.

In China, traffic-related injuries are often treated as transportation issues, called 'accidents'. The objectives of the research are to analyse traffic injury patterns, estimate costs of traffic injuries and provide evidence to develop effective prevention strategies. There were over 1 500 deaths due to traffic-related injuries annually in Shanghai from 1987 to 2003, and it is rising year by year with the rate of growth in motorization. The rates of annual increase are 3.59% in fatalities (from 7.78 to 14.18 per 100000 population) and 10.46% in non-fatalities (from 53.93 to 264.98 per 100000 population) respectively during the period. The analysis of the geographic information system showed that the geographic distribution of traffic injuries in the countryside regions of Shanghai had the highest rates. Labour force groups represented the majority of fatalities (70.97%) and serious traffic injuries (90.51%). The mortality rates were 18.40 per 100000 population and 10.02 per 100000 population in 45-65 year age group and 15-44 year age group respectively; the morbidity rates of serious traffic injuries were 121.60 per 100000 population and 70.46 per 100000 population in the same groups respectively. And females generally showed a lower incidence than males. In general, fatalities and injuries were higher for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. Among road traffic injury-related fatalities, 66.8% were attributed to head injuries. Of those with fatal head injuries, bicyclists accounted for 29.8% of the total; pedestrians accounted for 28.3%; motorcyclists accounted for 25.5%. Total traffic injury cost was estimated at least US $645989580 in Shanghai in 2003. Good injury intervention programmes need to be done as soon as possible to effectively reduce traffic injury burden in Shanghai, China.

Safe community in different settings.

This paper describes the Safe Community concept and how communities aspired to safety through a structured, collaborative approach rather than a community that is already perfectly safe. The Safe Community movement started in Sweden at the end of the 1980s and was based on community-based injury prevention activities. Safe Communities are the communities that meet a set of 12 criteria (later changed to six indicators) set out by the WHO Collaborating Centre (WHO CC) on Community Safety Promotion at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. The communities may apply to the WHO CC to be designated as an official member of the WHO International Safe Community Network. To date, 83 communities around the world have been designated as members of the Safe Community Network, ranging in population from 1000 to nearly 2 million. Lidkjöping in Sweden was the first designated safe community in 1989 and Rapla in Estonia was the last, designated in October 2004. The movement recognizes that it is the people who not only live, learn, work and play in a community but also best understand their community's specific problems, needs, assets and capacities. Their involvement and commitment are critical factors in identifying and mobilizing resources so as to create an effective, comprehensive and coordinated community-based action on unintentional and intentional injuries.

Heme oxygenase-1-generated biliverdin ameliorates experimental murine colitis.

BACKGROUND: Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) seems to have an important protective role in acute and chronic inflammation. The products of heme catalysis, biliverdin/bilirubin, carbon monoxide (CO), and iron (that induces apoferritin) mediate the beneficial effects of HO-1. Blockade of HO-1 activity results in exacerbation of experimental colitis. We tested whether HO-1 has protective effects in the development of colitis and determined that specific enzymatic products of HO-1 are responsible for these effects. METHODS: Colitis was induced by oral administration of dextran sodium sulfate (5%) to C57BL/6 mice for 7 days. HO-1 was up-regulated by cobalt-protoporphyrin (5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). Biliverdin, exogenous CO, or the iron chelator desferrioxamine was administered to other groups. RESULTS: Cobalt-protoporphyrin treatment resulted in significant up-regulation of HO-1 protein in mucosal and submucosal cells. Induction of HO-1 was associated with significantly less loss of body weight in mice with induced colitis (-12% versus -22% in the control animals, P < 0.001). Development of diarrhea and gastrointestinal hemorrhage was substantially delayed in animals in which HO-1 was induced, and mucosal injury was significantly attenuated. Administration of CO or desferrioxamine alone had no significant effects, whereas enhanced protection with lesser evidence of bowel inflammation was observed with systemic biliverdin administration (50 micromol/kg, 3 times per day, intraperitoneally). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that heightened HO-1 expression or administration of biliverdin ameliorates dextran sodium sulfate-induced experimental colitis. Novel therapeutic strategies based on HO-1 and/or biliverdin administration may have use in inflammatory bowel disease.