A deep convolutional neural network ensemble for composite identification of pulmonary nodules and incidental findings on routine PET/CT

AIM

To evaluate primary and secondary pathologies of interest using an artificial intelligence (AI) platform, AI-Rad Companion, on low-dose computed tomography (CT) series from integrated positron-emission tomography (PET)/CT to detect CT findings that might be overlooked.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One hundred and eighty-nine sequential patients who had undergone PET/CT were included. Images were evaluated using an ensemble of convolutional neural networks (AI-Rad Companion, Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany). The primary outcome was detection of pulmonary nodules for which the accuracy, identity, and intra-rater reliability was calculated. For secondary outcomes (binary detection of coronary artery calcium, aortic ectasia, vertebral height loss), accuracy and diagnostic performance were calculated.

RESULTS

The overall per-nodule accuracy for detection of lung nodules was 0.847. The overall sensitivity and specificity for detection of lung nodules was 0.915 and 0.781. The overall per-patient accuracy for AI detection of coronary artery calcium, aortic ectasia, and vertebral height loss was 0.979, 0.966, and 0.840, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for coronary artery calcium was 0.989 and 0.969. The sensitivity and specificity for aortic ectasia was 0.806 and 1.

CONCLUSION

The neural network ensemble accurately assessed the number of pulmonary nodules and presence of coronary artery calcium and aortic ectasia on low-dose CT series of PET/CT. The neural network was highly specific for the diagnosis of vertebral height loss, but not sensitive. The use of the AI ensemble can help radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians to catch CT findings that might be overlooked.

Alpinia nigra fruits mediated synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their antimicrobial and photocatalytic activities

In the present systematic study, silver nanoparticles have been synthesized using the fruits of Alpinia nigra. Apart from the presence of saponins, glycosides, alkaloids, steroids, the extract of A. nigra fruits are rich in polyphenols. The Total Flavonoid and Phenol Content of A. nigra fruits extract is 718 mgRE/g extract and 74.9 mgGAE/g extract respectively. The formation of the nanoparticles was validated through characterization techniques like UV-Vis spectroscopy, X- ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The spherical shape of silver nanoparticles is observed in Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images. The average particle size of the silver nanoparticles is 6 nm. The biomolecules of the fruit extract played the dual role of reducing and capping agents which is evident from Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) image analysis. The A. nigra capped silver nanoparticles exhibited promising antimicrobial activity against gram negative bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae, gram positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and the pathogenic fungus, Candida albicans. Amongst the three pathogens, Klebsiella pneumoniae is the most susceptible to silver nanoparticles. Furthermore, the nanoparticles efficiently catalysed the degradation of the anthropogenic dyes Methyl orange, Rhodamine B and Orange G in the presence of sunlight. The photocatalytic degradation process follows the pseudo-first order kinetics. These results confirm that the silver nanoparticles can be efficiently synthesized via a green route using A. nigra fruits with applications as antimicrobial and catalytic agents.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles supported on cellulose and their catalytic application in the scavenging of organic dyes

Green synthesis of cellulose supported silver nanoparticles using a seed extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa.

Development of an effective and efficient DNA isolation method for Cinnamomum species

Different species of Cinnamomum are rich in polysaccharide's and secondary metabolites, which hinder the process of DNA extraction. High quality DNA is the pre-requisite for any molecular biology study. In this paper we report a modified method for high quality and quantity of DNA extraction from both lyophilized and non-lyophilized leaf samples. Protocol reported differs from the CTAB procedure by addition of higher concentration of salt and activated charcoal to remove the polysaccharides and polyphenols. Wide utility of the modified protocol was proved by DNA extraction from different woody species and 4 Cinnamomum species. Therefore, this protocol has also been validated in different species of plants containing high levels of polyphenols and polysaccharides. The extracted DNA showed perfect amplification when subjected to RAPD, restriction digestion and amplification with DNA barcoding primers. The DNA extraction protocol is reproducible and can be applied for any plant molecular biology study.

One-pot synthesis of chitosan–dehydropregnenolone acetate ketimine nanoparticles and their antifungal bioevaluation

This paper presents a new method for fabricating biodegradable bio-polymeric nanoparticles via a convenient one-pot strategy at room temperature under stirring conditions for application to communicable diseases.

A comparative study of Prameha Roga from the Brihatrayee

The study of this Prameha Roga reveals the rich knowledge of the Ayurveda developed since the time immemorial. Although descriptions of this disease are scattered in different classics of Ayurveda but here importance has been given to Brihatrayee. The aim and object of this paper review the well documented concept of the Ayurveda about the Prameha Roga as the trend of diabetes is increasing day by day in the society and is very difficult to prevent and manage owing to its complexity. The Ayurvedic concept of this Roga information on the subject regarding classification, characteristics, features etc. has been also made in this paper. This article highlights the wisdom of ancient Indian literature and some historical view of the disease i.e. Prameha Roga or Diabetes Mellitus.