A Deep-Learning Error Detection System in Radiation Therapy.

Delivering radiation therapy based on erroneous or corrupted treatment plan data has previously and unfortunately resulted in severe, sometimes grave patient harm. Aiming to prevent such harm and improve safety in radiation therapy treatment, this work introduces a novel, yet intuitive algorithm for strategically structuring the complex and unstructured data typical of modern treatment plans so their treatment sites may automatically be verified with deep-learning architectures. The proposed algorithm utilizes geometric and dose plan parameters to represent each plan's data as a heat map to feed a deep-learning classifier that will predict the plan's treatment site. Once it is returned by the classifier, a plan's predicted site can be compared to its documented intended site, and a warning raised should the two differ. Using real head-neck, breast, and prostate treatment plan data retrieved at two hospitals in the United States, the algorithm is evaluated by observing the accuracy of convolutional neural networks (ConvNets) in correctly classifying the structured heat map data. Many well-known ConvNet architectures are tested, and ResNet-18 performs the best with a testing accuracy of 97.8% and 0.979 F-1 score. Clearly, the heat maps generated by the proposed algorithm, despite using only a few of the many available plan parameters, retain enough information for correct treatment site classification. The simple construction and ease of interpretation make the heat maps an attractive choice for classification and error detection.

The taxonomic composition of the donor intestinal microbiota is a major factor influencing the efficacy of faecal microbiota transplantation in therapy refractory ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: Faecal microbiota transplantation is an experimental approach for the treatment of patients with ulcerative colitis. Although there is growing evidence that faecal microbiota transplantation is effective in this disease, factors affecting its response are unknown. AIMS: To establish a faecal microbiota transplantation treatment protocol in ulcerative colitis patients, and to investigate which patient or donor factors are responsible for the treatment success. METHODS: This is an open controlled trial of repeated faecal microbiota transplantation after antibiotic pre-treatment (FMT-group, n = 17) vs antibiotic pre-treatment only (AB-group, n = 10) in 27 therapy refractory ulcerative colitis patients over 90 days. Faecal samples of donors and patients were analysed by 16SrRNA gene-based microbiota analysis. RESULTS: In the FMT-group, 10/17 (59%) of patients showed a response and 4/17 (24%) a remission to faecal microbiota transplantation. Response to faecal microbiota transplantation was mainly influenced by the taxonomic composition of the donor's microbiota. Stool of donors with a high bacterial richness (observed species remission 946 ± 93 vs no response 797 ± 181 at 15367 rps) and a high relative abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila (3.3 ± 3.1% vs 0.1 ± 0.2%), unclassified Ruminococcaceae (13.8 ± 5.0% vs 7.5 ± 3.7%), and Ruminococcus spp. (4.9 ± 3.5% vs 1.0 ± 0.7%) were more likely to induce remission. In contrast antibiotic treatment alone (AB-group) was poorly tolerated, probably because of a sustained decrease of intestinal microbial richness. CONCLUSIONS: The taxonomic composition of the donor's intestinal microbiota is a major factor influencing the efficacy of faecal microbiota transplantation in ulcerative colitis patients. The design of specific microbial preparation might lead to new treatments for ulcerative colitis.

[Recommendations for the use of faecal microbiota transplantation "stool transplantation": consensus of the Austrian Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (ÖGGH) in cooperation with the Austrian Society of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine]. / Empfehlungen zur Anwendung der fäkalen Mikrobiotatransplantation "Stuhltransplantation": Konsensus der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Gastroenterologie und Hepatologie (ÖGGH) in Zusammenarbeit mit der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Infektiologie und Tropenmedizin (OEGIT).

The intestinal microbiota has a pivotal role in the maintenance of health of the human organism, especially in the defense against pathogenic microorganisms. Alterations in the microbiota, also termed dysbiosis, seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of intestinal and extraintestinal diseases. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), also known as stool transplantation, is a therapeutic procedure aiming at restoring an altered intestinal microbiota by administration of stool microorganisms from a healthy donor into the intestinal tract of a patient. FMT is most commonly used for recurrent forms of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI). There are currently many cohort studies in a large number of patients and a randomized controlled trial showing a dramatic effect of FMT for this indication. Therefore FMT is recommended by international medical societies for the treatment of recurrent CDI with high scientific evidence. Other potential indications are the treatment of fulminant CDI or the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. In the practical utilization of FMT there are currently several open questions regarding the screening of stool donors, the processing of stool and the mode of FMT application. Different modes of FMT application have been described, the application into the colon has to be preferred due to less reported side effects than the application into the upper gastrointestinal tract. So far only very few side effects due to FMT have been reported, nevertheless the use and risks of FMT are currently intensely debated in the medical community. This consensus report of the Austrian society of gastroenterology and hepatology (ÖGGH) in cooperation with the Austrian society of infectious diseases and tropical medicine provides instructions for physicians who want to use FMT which are based on the current medical literature.

Faecal microbiota transplantation--the Austrian approach.

The intestinal microbiome is essential for maintaining human health and defending against intestinal pathogens. Alterations of the intestinal microbiota, also termed dysbiosis, play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of various human diseases. Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is aimed at correcting these alterations by delivering faecal microorganisms from a healthy person to the intestines of a patient. At present, recurrent Clostridium difficile infection is the only indication supported by solid scientific evidence, but many ongoing studies are investigating FMT in other dysbiosis-related diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease. As there are no systematic methodological investigations, several questions about techniques, donor screening and safety issues remain. This shortage of evidence, especially on long-term safety concerns, is leading to worldwide controversy regarding the use of FMT. Regulations by healthcare authorities vary among different countries. This review reflects the Austrian situation and its FMT guidelines concerning indications, techniques and donor screening, recently developed by local scientific societies.

Preparation of thick uranium layers on aluminium and stainless steel backings.

The methods of electrodeposition and "molecular plating" were studied for the production of uranium targets with an areal density up to 0.6 mg cm(-2) on aluminium and up to 1.5 mg cm(-2) on stainless steel backings from aqueous and organic electrolytes. For characterisation of the deposited material, gamma-ray spectrometry, alpha-particle spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and autoradiography were applied.

Analysis of uranium in the insoluble residues after decomposition of soil samples by various techniques.

A comparison of different dissolution techniques for determination of uranium in soil samples was made. Conventional wet dissolution with mixtures of HNO3, HClO4 and HF acids, microwave dissolution using HNO3 and HF, and alkaline fusion with Na2CO3 and Na2O2 were evaluated. For testing the effectiveness of the dissolution procedures, two reference materials and six soil samples from the surroundings of a former uranium mine were investigated. It was observed that the content of uranium in the residues determined by INAA represents a significant contribution to its total concentration in the sample, especially in the case of microwave dissolution.

Application of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry in multielement analysis of rubber samples.

Elemental analysis of rubber samples is rather difficult, but XRF spectrometry offers some advantages relative to other more popular chemical instrumental techniques due to relatively simple sample preparation. For the excitation annular radionuclide photon sources of 55Fe and 109Cd were used. The analyses of metal content in samples of natural latex have been performed in order to investigate the relation between the low specific resistivity of the latex and the respective metal content. The results are presented and discussed.

Inventory of regulations and analysis techniques for trace elements in some water supply companies in eastern and western Europe.

With the ultimate objective in contributing to the improvement of the quality control of drinking water and to facilitate the checking of its compliance with the respective regulations, an inventory of analytical techniques used in water supply companies in Eastern and Western European countries is presented. The existing regulations for drinking water and bottled mineral water quality with respect to trace elements in these countries are compared to regulations of the World Health Organisation. The data obtained can be useful for further harmonisation of the respective regulations in Europe.