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The field of extracting 3D information from photographs also known as photogrammetry has a wide range of applications, even in industry. It can be used to rapidly prototype a part with a decent precision. This paper analyses this possibility for a gas regulator that was cut in half. From the pictures taken of the part, a point-cloud can be generated that can be transformed in a mesh and subsequently in a CAD model. Alternatively, it can be compared with an existing CAD model to determine deviations.

Bone disease is a serious problem for many patients, often causing pathological bone fractures. A spinal collapse is a condition that affects the quality of life. It is the most frequent feature of multiple myeloma (MM), used in establishing the diagnosis and the need to start treatment. Because of these complications, imaging plays a vital role in the diagnosis and workup of myeloma patients. For many years, conventional radiography has been considered the gold standard for detecting bone lesions. The main reasons are the wide availability, low cost, the relatively low radiation dose and the ability of this imaging method to cover the entire bone system. Because of its incapacity to evaluate the response to therapy, more sophisticated techniques such as whole-body low-dose computed tomography (WBLDCT), whole-body magnetic resonance imaging, and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) are used. In this review, some of the advantages, indications and applications of the three techniques in managing patients with MM will be discussed. The European Myeloma Network guidelines have recommended WBLDCT as the imaging modality of choice for the initial assessment of MM-related lytic bone lesions. Magnetic resonance imaging is the gold-standard imaging modality for the detection of bone marrow involvement. One of the modern imaging methods and PET/CT can provide valuable prognostic data and is the preferred technique for assessing response to therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The principle aim is to investigate the relationship between psychological distress, pain syndrome and clinical features in colorectal cancer patients. Methods. The study assessed forty-nine patients undergoing chemotherapy from Cancer Institute “Ion Chiricuta” Cluj-Napoca admitted between 2016 and 2017 with locally advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer. For each patient, pain intensity was evaluated using a visual analogue scale, whereas depression and anxiety levels were evaluated using Beck Depression and State-Trait Anxiety Inventories. All evaluations were determined at their first presentation in the hospital before treatment initiation. Correlations between demographic characteristics, pain evaluation and mental disorders were realized using Chi-squared tests (χ2) and Spearman’s rho. Results. Pain was observed in 76% of patients, 54% of whom had moderate to increased pain. Twenty-nine percent of patients presented with nociceptive pain, whereas 20% had neuropathic pain. In 27% of patients, the pain was mixed. Depression was moderate to severe in 53% of patients, and high levels of anxiety were found in 24% of patients. Levels of anxiety and depression did not correlate with demographic characteristics. There were correlations between the pain type and its level. Neuropathic pain correlated with moderate pain, while mixed pain was correlated with intense pain (p=0.0003). Tumor site was correlated with level of anxiety: colorectal cancer was associated with mild anxiety, rectal cancer was associated with moderate anxiety, and patients with anal canal cancer presented increased anxiety (p=0.026). Conclusion. High pain frequency is associated with high anxiety and depression levels in colorectal cancer patients. Pain intensity is correlated with pain type, while psychological disorders are correlated with tumor site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) represents a percentage of 80-90% of total lung cancers, with a change in the distribution of histology marked by the increase in the rate of adenocarcinoma and decrease in the rate of squamous cell carcinoma. Moreover, NSCLC tumorigenesis may be classified into two mechanisms, one of them being the oncogene-addicted pathway with the most frequent mutations harbored in the EGFR and KRAS proto-oncogenes. Case presentation. In 2018, a 74-year-old patient, known as a nonsmoker, with no exposure to toxins, was admitted to the “Ion Chiricuță” Institute of Oncology, Cluj-Napoca, after being diagnosed with a lung adenocarcinoma of the left lobe, stage IV (right lung, pleural and pericardial involvement, left breast, axillary, abdominally and peritoneal lymph nodes, left adrenal gland), PD-L1 negative, with EGFR and ALK mutations in work. The patient was WHO 2 on account of the aggravation of dyspnea despite the thoracocentesis. While the mutational panel was not finalized, after the exclusion of another left breast primary, chemotherapy with carboplatin/ gemcitabine was initiated, with the amelioration of symptoms after one cycle. Due to the radiological partial response after three cycles, the regimen was continued for six cycles, but at the end of it, a progression disease by peritoneal involvement was objectified on the CT scan. Having the notion of an EGFR mutation, a targeted therapy by erlotinib was initiated, with a partial response for seven months, until the aggravation of the respiratory symptoms and a new multisite progression. As a consequence of the rapid change of the ECOG status from 1 to 2, a liquid biopsy was performed (patient not fit for a tissue biopsy) and a new third line was initiated with Taxotere®, because of the urgency of quick amelioration of symptomatology. Unfortunately, neither a significant clinical benefit, nor a radiological response was achieved, but the liquid sample proved the presence of T790M mutation in the exon 20 which permitted the initiation of osimertinib in the fourth line, with a remarkably clinical response and a radiological amelioration at third cycles. After seven months of treatment, she was admitted to the neurology department with the diagnosis of stroke due to a cerebral multisite progression. Not being eligible for surgery or stereotactic radiotherapy, whole-brain radiotherapy was conducted. Conclusions. This classical case perfectly exemplifies the importance of being aware – from the moment of diagnosis – of the mechanisms involved in oncogenesis, and the concomitant existence of resistance mechanisms to TKIs and their method of detection by liquid/tissue biopsy. This emphasizes the need to have reliable, easy and rapid methods and protocols to detect the possible oncogenes by PCR and NGS to help choosing the most efficient therapy. Regarding the resistance mechanisms and their occurrence, until nowadays we still do not know which one of them – liquid versus tissue biopsies – should be performed, due to the absence of comparison between the methods. Research in this domain must be continued and improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. There is a growing awareness regarding gender influences on the response of cancer to immunotherapy that is reflected by an increasing number of studies in many cases of tumors, including melanoma. A new revolution was marked by immunotherapy in this setting, but neither predictive factors were identified in response, nor selection criteria for targeted therapy of immunotherapy. Materials and method. A retrospective study was initiated with the hypothesis of comparing the impact of gender for response in cancer patients diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. For the inclusion, the patients were selected independent of BRAF status, treated with the combination checkpoint inhibitor drugs PD-1 inhibitor/ CTLA-4 inhibitor: nivolumab/ipilimumab. For each patient, at the inclusion, the performance status was assessed, along with the neutrophils/lymphocytes ratio, thrombocytes/neutrophils ratio, and the value of LDH. Every patient was evaluated after four cycles of double immunotherapy and then every three months during the maintenance treatment. Statistical analyses will be performed to evaluate if there exists a statistical gender difference in response to double immunotherapy. Conclusions. The limited number of patients is not sufficient to validate the hypothesis, and more studies must be conducted on a larger cohort of patients to affirm the predictive value of the clinical and biological markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study that determines the individual differences in the calibration of trust in automation. It reveals that the study took place in Georgia-based Cognitive Ergonomics Lab on 225 undergraduate students who were asked to inspect the x-ray images of luggage in order to determine if they think a weapon was present. It mentions that automation expectancy was assessed using a rating scale.

The article offers information on the exploration of relationships of human-automation interaction consequences on pilots. It mentions that researchers in human factors have spent considerable theoretical and empirical effort understanding how human operators interact with automation. It also mentions that relationships characterized by simple correlations cohered in ways that suggested underlying subsystems consistent with those that had previously been theorized.