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Monitoring of cerebrovascular diseases via carotid ultrasound has started to become a routine. The measurement of image-based lumen diameter (LD) or inter-adventitial diameter (IAD) is a promising approach for quantification of the degree of stenosis. The manual measurements of LD/IAD are not reliable, subjective and slow. The curvature associated with the vessels along with non-uniformity in the plaque growth poses further challenges. This study uses a novel and generalized approach for automated LD and IAD measurement based on a combination of spatial transformation and scale-space. In this iterative procedure, the scale-space is first used to get the lumen axis which is then used with spatial image transformation paradigm to get a transformed image. The scale-space is then reapplied to retrieve the lumen region and boundary in the transformed framework. Then, inverse transformation is applied to display the results in original image framework. Two hundred and two patients' left and right common carotid artery (404 carotid images) B-mode ultrasound images were retrospectively analyzed. The validation of our algorithm has done against the two manual expert tracings. The coefficient of correlation between the two manual tracings for LD was 0.98 (p < 0.0001) and 0.99 (p < 0.0001), respectively. The precision of merit between the manual expert tracings and the automated system was 97.7 and 98.7%, respectively. The experimental analysis demonstrated superior performance of the proposed method over conventional approaches. Several statistical tests demonstrated the stability and reliability of the automated system.

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OBJECTIVE: To identify the current management modalities practiced by neurosurgeons in India for chronic subdural hematoma. METHODS: A questionnaire was prepared for the survey and sent via e-mail to neurosurgeons. It covered the following aspects of managing chronic subdural hematoma: 1) demographic and institutional details; 2) choice of surgical procedure; 3) surgical adjutants such as placing a subdural drain; 4) pre- and postoperative care; and 5) recurrences and management. Responses obtained were entered in a SPSS data sheet and analyzed. RESULTS: Response rate of the survey was 9.3%. The majority of neurosurgeons (75%) preferred to do burr whole drainage for primary chronic subdural hematoma and also for recurrences. Only one third of routinely placed a subdural drain. Considerable practice variations exist for medical and perioperative management. CONCLUSIONS: Bedside twist drill drainage, which is effective and less costly than operative room procedures, has not gained popularity in practice. The present survey points towards the importance of making management guidelines for this common neurosurgical entity.

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Cancer risk management involves obliterating excess concentration of cancer causing trace elements by the natural immune system and hence intake of nutritious diet is of paramount importance. Human diet should consist of essential macronutrients that have to be consumed in large quantities and trace elements are to be consumed in very little amount. As some of these trace elements are causative factors for various types of cancer and build up at the expense of macronutrients, cancer risk management of these trace elements should be based on their initial concentration in the blood of each individual and not on their tolerable upper intake level. We propose an information theory based Expert System (ES) for estimating the lowest limit of toxicity association between the trace elements and the macronutrients. Such an estimate would enable the physician to prescribe required medication containing the macronutrients to annul the toxicity of cancer risk trace elements. The lowest limit of toxicity association is achieved by minimizing the correlated information of the concentration correlation matrix using the concept of Mutual Information (MI) and an algorithm based on a Technique of Determinant Inequalities (TDI) developed by the authors. The novelty of our ES is that it provides the lowest limit of toxicity profile for all trace elements in the blood not restricted to a group of compounds having similar structure. We demonstrate the superiority our algorithm over Principal Component Analysis in mitigating trace element toxicity in blood samples.

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CONTEXT: Allopathic and Ayurvedic physicians collaborated on a study of traditional medicine, which was sponsored by the World Health Organization. AIMS: The aim of the study was to test the efficacy and safety of Ayurvedic treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This study was conducted at the Ayurvedic Trust, Coimbatore, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this unique study of classical Ayurvedic treatment for RA, allopathic physicians enrolled a total of 290 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of RA over a 7-year period, and once every 6 weeks evaluated Ayurvedic treatment outcomes on the basis of American Rheumatism Association criteria: grip strength, walking time, number of swollen and painful joints, joint count, functional class, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and rheumatoid factor. Ayurvedic physicians administered individualized treatment, closely adhering to principles set forth in classical Ayurvedic texts. The duration of treatment varied from 1 to 6 months. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Due to limitations in computer technology in the 1970s, the data were not computerized. Therefore, data for 12 months at a time were analyzed, using repeated measures t-test. Measures of central tendency (means) and probability values were reported. Results from the patients enrolled and discharged at the end of the first year of the study (N = 33) are presented in this paper. RESULTS: There was statistically significant improvement in all parameters from admission to discharge. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that classical Ayurvedic treatment was effective in this first cohort of patients who completed treatment. Even patients with severe functional limitations showed significant improvement. Although there was no control group, the results are positive enough to warrant further study of classical Ayurvedic treatment for RA in controlled trials.

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SPECT images using radiopharmaceuticals are limited by noise caused by both random and systematic uncertainties. All the efforts so far have been directed only to minimize the random uncertainty and no attempt has ever been made to minimize the noise due to systematic uncertainty. As these radiopharmaceuticals encounter many systematic uncertainties during their formation, we constructed the covariance matrix with some of these systematic uncertainties for the gamma count rate of (113m)In. We describe the algorithm we have developed based on the technique of determinant inequalities and the concept of minimization of mutual information to process the covariance matrix element by element to minimize the noise caused by systematic uncertainty in the SPECT imaging of (113m)In and its utility to experimentalists to design and improve their process of measurement and instrumentation.

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The author presents in this article an explanation for the beneficial psychic effects caused by the worship of Sri Chakra.