1014 Assessment of Prostate Gland Volume Estimations Using MRI And TRUS Compared to Radical Prostatectomy Specimens

Introduction The prostate volume is an essential criterion to calculate prostate specific antigen density (PSAD). When selecting patients for active surveillance (AS), in newly diagnosed low risk prostate cancer group or continuing AS in previously diagnosed cancer prostate, PSAD plays a major role. Estimation of the volume using digital rectal exam or PSA are inaccurate. This study aims to conduct a retrospective review to evaluate the accuracy of prostatic volume estimates in patients who had TRUS and MRI scans, comparing the obtained volumes to the reference standard which is the actual volume of radical prostatectomy specimen. Method Data was collected retrospectively for all patients who had robotic assisted radical prostatectomy (RRP) at the Royal Stoke Hospital between October 2015 and October 2018. Clinical information of TRUS and MRI prostate volumes were extracted from PACS and prostate specimen volume was collected from the histopathology report of RRP specimen. Results Pathological specimen prostate volume showed a positive relationship between MRI and TRUS prostate volume with a correlation efficient of 0.71 for MRI vs RRP specimen volume and 0.81 for TRUS vs RRP specimen volume. Mean TRUS volume underestimated prostate volume by 7.33cc and mean MRI volume underestimated prostate volume by 0.02cc Conclusions Although the study showed positive correlation between measuring prostate volume using MRI and TRUS as compared to RRP specimens, MRI showed a greater accuracy as compared to TRUS. We conclude that using MRI prostate volume gives more precise prostate volume estimate aiding appropriate therapeutic planning of patients with prostate cancer.

Comparative Study of Sperm DNA Isolation Method for Forensic Analysis

Forensic is a multi-discipline science that is used to obtain evidence of various criminal cases, such as rape. DNA analysis on sperm specimen is needed to identify the rapist. However, the success of this analysis depends on the DNA isolation method used. Several methods of DNA isolation from human sperm have been developed, but no method has been proven effective for the forensic analysis need. This study aimed to determine the effective sperm DNA isolation method for forensic analysis. In this study, the DNA of sperm specimens was isolated using three methods: Boiling Water, modified TRIzol, and Chelex-100. The DNA isolation result was visualized using agarose gel electrophoresis method. The concentration and purity of isolated DNA were measured using a Nanodrop by comparing the absorbance of DNA at λ 260 nm and protein at λ 280 nm. The effectiveness of the sperm DNA isolation method was determined based on the concentration and purity of DNA, the specimen volume, the implementation time, and the costs involved. The result showed that the successful methods for isolating sperm DNA were TRIzol and Chelex-100. The quantity of DNA isolated using the modified TRIzol method was 1,5 times higher than Chelex-100 but equired 120 times more specimen volume than Chelex-100. From 25 µl sperm specimens, the concentration of DNA isolated using the Chelex-100 method was 612.6 ng/µl with a purity of about 1.7. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Chelex-100 is the most effective method for isolating sperm DNA for forensic analysis.

Operational Impacts of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic and Early Recovery Trends: University of Washington Anatomic Pathology Experience

ABSTRACT Context: The novel coronavirus virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) causing the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in worldwide disruption to the delivery of patient care. The Seattle Washington metropolitan area was one of the first in the United States affected by the pandemic. As a result, the anatomic pathology services at the University of Washington experienced significant changes in operational volumes early in the pandemic. Objective: To assess the impact of COVID-19 and both state and institutional policies implemented to mitigate viral transmission (including institutional policies on non-urgent procedures) on anatomic pathology volumes. Design: Accessioned specimens from January 2020 to June 2020 was evaluated as COVID-19 and institutional policies changed. The data were considered in these contexts: subspecialty, billable CPT codes, and intraoperative consultation. Comparable data were retrieved from 2019 as a historical control. Results: There was a significant reduction in overall accessioned volume (up to 79%) from pre-pandemic levels, during bans on non-urgent procedures when compared to 2020 pre- COVID-19 volumes and historical controls. The gastrointestinal and dermatopathology services were most impacted, while breast and combined head&neck/pulmonary services were least impacted. CPT code 88305, for smaller/biopsy specimens, had a 63% reduction during non-urgent procedure bans. After all bans on procedures were lifted, the overall volume plateaued at 89% of pre-pandemic levels. Conclusions: A significant decrease in specimen volume was most strongly associated with bans on non-urgent procedures. While all departmental areas had a decrease in volume, the extent of change varied across subspecialty and specimen types. Even with removing all bans, service volume did not reach pre-pandemic levels.

Experimental reexamination of transverse tensile strength for IM7/8552 tape-laminate composites

Due to the observed dependence of transverse-tensile strength, Y T, on test geometry and specimen size, there is no consensus regarding a test method that can uniquely measure Y T. This study reexamines the characterization of Y T by comparing results from established flexure tests with results from a new tensile test that exhibits consistent failure in the gage region. Additionally, the effects of surface preparation and direction of transverse fracture are investigated. Results show that Y T is inversely proportional to specimen volume and surface roughness and is insensitive to direction of transverse fracture. The relationship between specimen volume and Y T is adequately captured by Weibull strength-scaling theory, except at the tails of the Y T distributions. However, specimens exhibited microcracking prior to failure, which violates the “weak-link” assumption of the Weibull theory. These findings highlight the challenges of using deterministic Y T values in progressive damage analysis.

Milk Pasteurization and Characterization Using Mono-Mode Microwave Reactor and Slotted Coaxial Antenna

Mono-mode microwave reactors are usually used to heat substances, especially food. This is because heating using a microwave reactor can sustain the flavor, color, and nutrition of the food. Furthermore, this heating technique is cost-effective and time-saving compared to a conventional heating method. The mono-mode reactor is able to determine the absorption of microwave power accurately on the heated substance versus a multimode reactor. In this chapter, a simple and precise mono-mode microwave reactor is designed and developed especially for research laboratories. The advantage of this reactor is to provide a more accurate calibration process, in order to improve the optimum energy use in the heating process, as well as the temperature of the specimen. The reactor can generate output power from 30 watts to 1500 watts, operating at 2.45±0.03 GHz and capable of accommodating a specimen volume of 780 cm3. Pure water is used as a heated specimen to demonstrate the performance and efficiency of this reactor.

An Analysis of the Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Case Volumes in an Academic Subspecialty-Based Anatomic Pathology Practice

The recent COVID pandemic has had a major effect on anatomic pathology specimen volumes across the country. The effect of this pandemic on a subspecialty academic practice is presented. We used a data-driven approach to monitor the changing workloads in a granular fashion and dynamically adjust the scheduling of faculty and histology staff accordingly to minimize the number of people present on-site. At the peak of the pandemic locally, the main hospital in our health system had 450 COVID-positive inpatients. The surgical pathology specimen volume dropped to 13% of the pre-pandemic levels, and this occurred about 2 weeks before the peak of the inpatient census; cytology specimens (the majority of which are outreach gynecological) dropped to approximately 5% of the pre-pandemic volume, 4 weeks before the peak inpatient census. All of the surgical subspecialty services showed a significant decrease in volume, with hematopathology being the least affected (dropped to 30% of the pre-pandemic level). The genitourinary surgical subspecialty service (predominantly prostate and bladder biopsies) was the most affected (dropped to 1% of the pre-pandemic level) but was fastest to return as clinical operations began to return to normal. The only specimen type which showed a significant increase in turnaround time during the pandemic was our gynecologic cytology specimens and that occurred as the specimen volume returned. This was due to stay-at-home directives for the cytotechnologists and the fact that some of them were retasked to participate in our SARS-CoV-2 testing.

Simulation of Field Assisted Sintering of Silicon Germanium Alloys

We report a numerical study of the field assisted sintering of silicon germanium alloys by a finite element method, which takes into account contact resistances, thermal expansion and the thermoelectric effect. The distribution of electrical and thermal fields was analyzed numerically, based on the experimental data collected from spark plasma sintering (SPS) apparatus. The thermoelectric properties of Si-Ge used within the simulation were considered as the function of density and the sintering temperature. Quantitative estimation of the temperature distribution during the sintering pointed to a significant, up to 60 °C, temperature difference within the specimen volume for the case of the sintering temperature at 1150 °C.