Reoperative cardiac surgery is becoming more common surgery although it carries significant risk due to possible injury to vital structures under the sternum. Three-dimensional multidetector computed tomographic angiography (3-D MDCTA) allows identifying the relationship between the sternum and the mediastinal structures. Evidence shows that 3-D MDCTA guides surgical strategy and enables to per...

Identification of community structures in complex networks has been a challenge in many domain and discipline. In protein networks these community interactions play a vital role in identifying the outcome of many cellular mechanisms. This paper reports the use of spectral optimization of triangular modularity as an effective method to identify these community structures. The algorithm has been ...

SUMMARY The genomes of RNA viruses often carry conserved RNA structures that perform vital functions during the life cycle of the virus. Such structures can be detected using a combination of structure prediction and co-variation analysis. Here we present results from pilot studies on a variety of viral families performed during bioinformatics computer lab courses in past years.

Sternal foramina are a well-known variant anatomy of the sternum and carry the risk of life-threatening complications like pneumothorax or even pericardial/cardial punction during sternal biopsy or acupuncture. There have been numerous studies numerous studies examinimg prevalence of sternal foramina, but the study of the exact anatomical relationship to intrathoracic structures has received li...

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) with microsecond-pulsed electric fields (μsPEFs) can effectively ablate hepatocellular carcinomas in animal models. This preclinical study evaluates the feasibility and safety of IRE on porcine livers. Altogether, 10 pigs were included. Computed tomography (CT) was used to guide two-needle electrodes that were inserted near the hilus hepatis and gall bladder. ...

Calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor is a rare odontogenic neoplasm. Its occurrence in the maxillary sinus is very rare. Maxillary tumors tend to be locally aggressive and may rapidly involve the surrounding vital structures.  We report a case of calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor involving maxillary sinus in a 48 years old female patient with the oral mucosal involvement. The purpose o...

INTRODUCTION Irreversible electroporation (IRE) has shown promise for ablation of lesions in proximity to vital structures in the preclinical setting. This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of IRE for hepatic tumors in the clinical setting. METHODS An IRB approved prospective registry of patients undergoing IRE for hepatic tumors over a 2-year period. Factors analyzed included pa...

9 15 36 Nerve center: I told the neurologist, 'I'm having a stroke. These are my symptoms.' I wasn't all upset about it. Needle and the damage done: In my 25 years of doing substance abuse research here I've never seen anything like this… Age old question: How old is your skeleton? It seems like a simple question. As old as you are, right? Not exactly. In this edition of Vital Signs, we tackle ...