A Novel Patient-Specific Drill Guide Template for Pedicle Screw Insertion into the Subaxial Cervical Spine Utilizing Stereolithographic Modelling: An In Vitro Study

Rafael Cruz Bundoc,Giorgio De Guzman Delgado,Samuel Arsenio Munoz Grozman 대한척추외과학회 2017 Asian Spine Journal Vol.11 No.1

Study Design: Cadaveric study. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy and feasibility of cervical pedicle screw (CPS) insertion into the subaxial cervical spine placed using a patient-specific drill guide template constructed from a stereolithographic model. Overview of Literature: CPS fixation is an invaluable tool for posterior cervical fixation because of its biomechanical advantages. The major drawback is its narrow corridor that allows very little clearance for neural and vascular injuries. Methods: Fifty subaxial pedicles of the cervical vertebrae from five cadavers were scanned into thin slices using computed tomography (CT). Digital imaging and communications in medicine images of the cadaver spine were digitally processed and printed to scale as a three-dimensional (3D) model. Drill guide templates were manually moulded over the 3D-printed models incorporating pins inserted in the pedicles. The drill guide templates were used for precise placement of the drill holes in the pedicles of cadaveric specimens for pedicle screw fixation. Results: The instrumented cadaveric spines were subjected to CT to assess the accuracy of our pedicle placement by an external observer. Our patient-specific drill guide template had an accuracy of 94%. Conclusions: The use of a patient-specific drill guide constructed using stereolithography improved the accuracy of CPS placement in a cadaveric model.

Data Alignment for Data Fusion in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks Based on M2M

( Jose Roberto Perez Cruz ),( Saul E. Pomares Hernandez ),( Enrique Munoz De Cote ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2012 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.6 No.1

Advances in MEMS and CMOS technologies have motivated the development of low cost/power sensors and wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSN). The WMSNs were created to ubiquitously harvest multimedia content. Such networks have allowed researchers and engineers to glimpse at new Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Systems, such as remote monitoring of biosignals for telemedicine networks. These systems require the acquisition of a large number of data streams that are simultaneously generated by multiple distributed devices. This paradigm of data generation and transmission is known as event-streaming. In order to be useful to the application, the collected data requires a preprocessing called data fusion, which entails the temporal alignment task of multimedia data. A practical way to perform this task is in a centralized manner, assuming that the network nodes only function as collector entities. However, by following this scheme, a considerable amount of redundant information is transmitted to the central entity. To decrease such redundancy, data fusion must be performed in a collaborative way. In this paper, we propose a collaborative data alignment approach for event-streaming. Our approach identifies temporal relationships by translating temporal dependencies based on a timeline to causal dependencies of the media involved.

Synergistic Activities of Abdominal Muscles Are Required for Efficient Micturition in Anesthetized Female Mice

Chuan Zhang,Yingchun Zhang,Yolanda Cruz,Timothy B. Boone,Alvaro Munoz 대한배뇨장애요실금학회 2018 International Neurourology Journal Vol.22 No.1

Purpose: To characterize the electromyographic activity of abdominal striated muscles during micturition in urethane-anesthetized female mice, and to quantitatively evaluate the contribution of abdominal responses to efficient voiding. Methods: Cystometric and multichannel electromyographic recordings were integrated to enable a comprehensive evaluation during micturition in urethane-anesthetized female mice. Four major abdominal muscle domains were evaluated: the external oblique, internal oblique, and superior and inferior rectus abdominis. To further characterize the functionality of the abdominal muscles, pancuronium bromide (25 μg/mL or 50 μg/mL, abdominal surface) was applied as a blocking agent of neuromuscular junctions. Results: We observed a robust activation of the abdominal muscles during voiding, with a consistent onset/offset concomitant with the bladder pressure threshold. Pancuronium was effective, in a dose-dependent fashion, for partial and complete blockage of abdominal activity. Electromyographic discharges during voiding were significantly inhibited by applying pancuronium. Decreased cystometric parameters were recorded, including the peak pressure, pressure threshold, intercontractile interval, and voiding duration, suggesting that the voiding efficiency was significantly compromised by abdominal muscle relaxation. Conclusions: The relevance of the abdominal striated musculature for micturition has remained a topic of debate in human physiology. Although the study was performed on anesthetized mice, these results support the existence of synergistic abdominal electromyographic activity facilitating voiding in anesthetized mice. Further, our study presents a rodent model that can be used for future investigations into micturition-related abdominal activity.

Voiding Dysfunction in Old Male Rats Associated With Enlarged Prostate and Irregular Afferent-Triggered Reflex Responses

Chuan Zhang,Xuhong Li,Timothy B. Boone,Yolanda Cruz,Yingchun Zhang,Alvaro Munoz 대한배뇨장애요실금학회 2020 International Neurourology Journal Vol.24 No.3

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the hypothesis that an enlarged prostate in old rats may lead to complications associated with voiding dysfunction involving ionotropic P2X2/3-type purinergic receptors Methods: Intact animals were divided into male young (MYR; 8–10 weeks old) and male old (MOR; 20 months old) rats. The animals underwent simultaneous detrusor electromyography (EMG) and suprapubic cystometry (CMG) under urethane anesthesia. Immunofluorescence techniques were used to evaluate prostatic autonomic innervation and P2X3R expression in bladder urothelial cells. The functional role of P2X3R was characterized by intramuscular application of AF-353, a selective P2X2/3R antagonist. Results: The prostate index significantly increased in MOR, suggestive of an enlarged prostate affecting micturition patterns. Significant EMG and CMG differences were found between MYR and MOR. Higher immunoreactivity for P2X2/3R in the urothelial layer and for prostatic neurofilaments was seen in MOR. Systemic inhibition of P2X2/3R had minimal effects on MYR responsiveness, but improved voiding function in MOR with a marked decrease of intravesical pressure and bladder contractile responses. Conclusions: The data support the hypothesis that an enlarged prostate in MOR may contribute to voiding dysfunction involving activation of P2X2/3R, which enhances a prostate-bladder reflex. This reflex may increase bladder afferent transmission and activation of increased prostate innervation, leading to voiding dysfunction.

SLAMF7 is critical for phagocytosis of haematopoietic tumour cells via Mac-1 integrin

Chen, Jun,Zhong, Ming-Chao,Guo, Huaijian,Davidson, Dominique,Mishel, Sabrin,Lu, Yan,Rhee, Inmoo,Pé,rez-Quintero, Luis-Alberto,Zhang, Shaohua,Cruz-Munoz, Mario-Ernesto,Wu, Ning,Vinh, Donald C.,Si Nature Publishing Group 2017 Nature Vol. No.

<P>Cancer cells elude anti-tumour immunity through multiple mechanisms, including upregulated expression of ligands for inhibitory immune checkpoint receptors(1,2). Phagocytosis by macrophages plays a critical role in cancer control(3-6). Therapeutic blockade of signal regulatory protein (SIRP)-alpha, an inhibitory receptor on macrophages, or of its ligand CD47 expressed on tumour cells, improves tumour cell elimination in vitro and in vivo(7-10), suggesting that blockade of the SIRP alpha-CD47 checkpoint could be useful in treating human cancer(11-14). However, the prophagocytic receptor(s) responsible for tumour cell phagocytosis is(are) largely unknown. Here we find that macrophages are much more efficient at phagocytosis of haematopoietic tumour cells, compared with non-haematopoietic tumour cells, in response to SIRP alpha-CD47 blockade. Using a mouse lacking the signalling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) family of homotypic haematopoietic cell-specific receptors, we determined that phagocytosis of haematopoietic tumour cells during SIRP alpha-CD47 blockade was strictly dependent on SLAM family receptors in vitro and in vivo. In both mouse and human cells, this function required a single SLAM family member, SLAMF7 (also known as CRACC, CS1, CD319), expressed on macrophages and tumour cell targets. In contrast to most SLAM receptor functions(15-17), SLAMF7-mediated phagocytosis was independent of signalling lymphocyte activation molecule-associated protein (SAP) adaptors. Instead, it depended on the ability of SLAMF7 to interact with integrin Mac-1 (refs 18-20) and utilize signals involving immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs(21,22). These findings elucidate the mechanism by which macrophages engulf and destroy haematopoietic tumour cells. They also reveal a novel SAP adaptor-independent function for a SLAM receptor. Lastly, they suggest that patients with tumours expressing SLAMF7 are more likely to respond to SIRP alpha-CD47 blockade therapy.</P>