OBJECTIVE: Apical periodontitis (AP) is one of the most common pathologies of the oral cavity. An early and accurate diagnosis of AP lesions is crucial for proper management and planning of endodontic treatments. This study investigated the diagnostic accuracy of periapical radiography (PR) and panoramic radiography (PAN) in the detection of clinically/surgically/histopathologically confirmed AP lesions.
METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. The search strategy was limited to English language articles via PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases up to June 30, 2023. Such articles provided diagnostic accuracy values of PR and/or PAN in the detection of AP lesions or alternatively data needed to calculate them.
RESULTS: Twelve studies met inclusion criteria and were considered for the analysis. The average value of diagnostic accuracy in assessing AP lesions was 71% for PR and 66% for PAN. According to different accuracy for specific anatomical areas, it is recommended to use PR in the analysis of AP lesions located in the upper arch and lower incisor area, whereas lower premolar and molar areas may be investigated with the same accuracy with PR or PAN.
CONCLUSIONS: Two-dimensional imaging must be considered the first-level examination for the diagnosis of AP lesions. PR had an overall slightly higher diagnostic accuracy than PAN. Evidence from this review provided a useful tool to support radiologists and dentists in their decision-making when inflammatory periapical bone lesions are suspected to achieve the best clinical outcome for patients, improving the quality of clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic gastrectomy for esophagogastric junction (EGJ) carcinoma enables the removal of the carcinoma at the junction between the stomach and esophagus while preserving the gastric function, thereby providing patients with better treatment outcomes and quality of life. Nonetheless, this surgical technique also presents some challenges and limitations. Therefore, three-dimensional reconstruction visualization technology (3D RVT) has been introduced into the procedure, providing doctors with more comprehensive and intuitive anatomical information that helps with surgical planning, navigation, and outcome evaluation.
OBJECTIVE: To discuss the application and advantages of 3D RVT in precise laparoscopic resection of EGJ carcinomas.
METHODS: Data were obtained from the electronic or paper-based medical records at The First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2020 to June 2022. A total of 120 patients diagnosed with EGJ carcinoma were included in the study. Of these, 68 underwent laparoscopic resection after computed tomography (CT)-enhanced scanning and were categorized into the 2D group, whereas 52 underwent laparoscopic resection after CT-enhanced scanning and 3D RVT and were categorized into the 3D group. This study had two outcome measures: the deviation between tumor-related factors (such as maximum tumor diameter and infiltration length) in 3D RVT and clinical reality, and surgical outcome indicators (such as operative time, intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph node dissections, R0 resection rate, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative gas discharge time, drainage tube removal time, and related complications) between the 2D and 3D groups.
RESULTS: Among patients included in the 3D group, 27 had a maximum tumor diameter of less than 3 cm, whereas 25 had a diameter of 3 cm or more. In actual surgical observations, 24 had a diameter of less than 3 cm, whereas 28 had a diameter of 3 cm or more. The findings were consistent between the two methods (χ2 = 0.346, P = 0.556), with a kappa consistency coefficient of 0.808. With respect to infiltration length, in the 3D group, 23 patients had a length of less than 5 cm, whereas 29 had a length of 5 cm or more. In actual surgical observations, 20 cases had a length of less than 5 cm, whereas 32 had a length of 5 cm or more. The findings were consistent between the two methods (χ2 = 0.357, P = 0.550), with a kappa consistency coefficient of 0.486. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the maximum tumor diameter and infiltration length measured using 3D RVT were positively correlated with clinical observations during surgery (r = 0.814 and 0.490, both P < 0.05). The 3D group had a shorter operative time (157.02 ± 8.38 vs 183.16 ± 23.87), less intraoperative blood loss (83.65 ± 14.22 vs 110.94 ± 22.05), and higher number of lymph node dissections (28.98 ± 2.82 vs 23.56 ± 2.77) and R0 resection rate (80.77% vs 61.64%) than the 2D group. Furthermore, the 3D group had shorter hospital stay [8 (8, 9) vs 13 (14, 16)], time to gas passage [3 (3, 4) vs 4 (5, 5)], and drainage tube removal time [4 (4, 5) vs 6 (6, 7)] than the 2D group. The complication rate was lower in the 3D group (11.54%) than in the 2D group (26.47%) (χ2 = 4.106, P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Using 3D RVT, doctors can gain a more comprehensive and intuitive understanding of the anatomy and related lesions of EGJ carcinomas, thus enabling more accurate surgical planning.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the intention to intraoperatively reposition pedicle screws differs when spine surgeons evaluate the same screws with 2D imaging or 3D imaging.
METHODS: In this online survey study, 21 spine surgeons evaluated eight pedicle screws from patients who had undergone posterior spinal fixation. In a simulated intraoperative setting, surgeons had to decide if they would reposition a marked pedicle screw based on its position in the provided radiologic imaging. The eight assessed pedicle screws varied in radiologic position, including two screws positioned within the pedicle, two breaching the pedicle cortex < 2 mm, two breaching the pedicle cortex 2-4 mm, and two positioned completely outside the pedicle. Surgeons assessed each pedicle screw twice without knowing and in random order: once with a scrollable three-dimensional (3D) image and once with two oblique fluoroscopic two-dimensional (2D) images.
RESULTS: Almost all surgeons (19/21) intended to reposition more pedicle screws based on 3D imaging than on 2D imaging, with a mean number of pedicle screws to be repositioned of, respectively, 4.1 (± 1.3) and 2.0 (± 1.3; p < 0.001). Surgeons intended to reposition two screws placed completely outside the pedicle, one breaching 2-4mm, and one breaching < 2 mm more often based on 3D imaging.
CONCLUSIONS: When provided with 3D imaging, spine surgeons not only intend to intraoperatively reposition pedicle screws at risk of causing postoperative complications more often but also screws with acceptable positions. This study highlights the potential of intraoperative 3D imaging as well as the need for consensus on how to act on intraoperative 3D information.

High-resolution flame temperature images are essential indicators for evaluating combustion conditions. Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) is an effective combustion diagnostic method. In actual engineering, due to the limitation of line-of-sight (LOS) measurement, TDLAS technology has the problems of small data volume and low dimensionality in measuring combustion fields, which seriously limits the development of TDLAS in combustion diagnosis. This article demonstrates a TDLAS imaging method based on a 64-pixel area array sensor to reconstruct the two-dimensional temperature field of the flame. This paper verifies the robustness of the Algebraic Reconstruction Technique (ART) algorithm through numerical simulation and studies the effects of temperature, concentration, and pressure on the second harmonic intensity based on the HITRAN database. The two-dimensional temperature field of the flame was reconstructed, and reconstruction accuracy was verified using thermocouples. The maximum relative error was 3.71%. The TDLAS detection system based on a 64-pixel area array sensor provides a way to develop high-precision, high-complexity flame temperature measurement technology.

To address the current problems of large positioning error, low picking efficiency, and high cost of tea shoot picking, a continuous and precise harvesting scheme for tea shoots based on a two-dimensional (2D) perspective is designed in this study. A high-speed harvesting method for tea shoots in a standardized tea plantation assembly line type was proposed. First, a 2D view recognition model of tea shoot tips in a multi-disturbance environment was constructed, and accurate picking point coordinates were determined by combining a skeleton algorithm and curve growth. To avoid the losses of recognition accuracy caused by the mistaken clamping of blades and vibrations during harvester operations, accurate control of the harvester was realized by combining path planning and the S-curve speed control function. The recognition accuracy for the verification set of the recognition model was 99.9%, and the mean average precision (0.5:0.95) value was 0.97. The test results show that the error between the actual picking point position and the position determined by the model was within ± 3 mm, and the picking success rate was 83.6%. Therefore, we can realize fast and accurate picking of tea shoots and lay the foundation for continuous tea picking in the future by simplifying the identification and picking process.

Skin plays an important role in protection, metabolism, thermoregulation, sensation, and excretion whilst being consistently exposed to environmental aggression, including biotic and abiotic stresses. During the generation of oxidative stress in the skin, the epidermal and dermal cells are generally regarded as the most affected regions. The participation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a result of environmental fluctuations has been experimentally proven by several researchers and is well known to contribute to ultra-weak photon emission via the oxidation of biomolecules (lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids). More recently, ultra-weak photon emission detection techniques have been introduced to investigate the conditions of oxidative stress in various living systems in in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro studies. Research into two-dimensional photon imaging is drawing growing attention because of its application as a non-invasive tool. We monitored spontaneous and stress-induced ultra-weak photon emission under the exogenous application of a Fenton reagent. The results showed a marked difference in the ultra-weak photon emission. Overall, these results suggest that triplet carbonyl (3C=O∗) and singlet oxygen (1O2) are the final emitters. Furthermore, the formation of oxidatively modified protein adducts and protein carbonyl formation upon treatment with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were observed using an immunoblotting assay. The results from this study broaden our understanding of the mechanism of the generation of ROS in skin layers and the formation/contribution of various excited species can be used as tools to determine the physiological state of the organism.

Endometrial cancer is a common malignancy in women worldwide, with myometrial invasion (MI) being an important prognostic factor, usually assessed via imaging techniques. The aim of this review is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of 3D transvaginal ultrasound (3D-TVUS), a relatively new imaging modality, to that of 2D transvaginal ultrasound (2D-TVUS) and MRI in the prediction of deep myometrial invasion. Relevant articles were sought on MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Wiley Online Library databases. Articles were included if they were primary studies comparing 3D-TVUS to 2D-TVUS and/or MRI in adult endometrial cancer patients, with histopathological confirmation of MI as a reference standard. Ultimately, 7 studies were included, with 714 participants, 242 with deep MI and a mean age of approximately 60 years. 3D-TVUS, 2D-TVUS, MRI and 3D-TVUS-MRI co-evaluation had a pooled sensitivity of 80.4%, 77.6%, 80.7% and 94.6% respectively and a specificity range of 82.8%, 81.6%, 87% and 69.1% respectively. Overall, no statistically significant differences were found in sensitivity and specificity among 3D-TVUS and the other methods, except for a significant increase in sensitivity (p = 0.038) when combined with MRI. This shows that 3D-TVUS is comparable to MRI as far as diagnostic accuracy is concerned, however remains cheaper, less time-consuming and more tolerable, while offering some advantages over 2D-TVUS as well. Therefore 3D-TVUS application in MI assessment seems promising, although more research is required to further assess this finding and ascertain 3D-TVUS\'s place in endometrial cancer MI assessment.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is the major cause of bone weakness and fragility in more than 10 million people in the United States. This disease causes bone fractures in the hip or spine, which result in increasing the risk of disabilities or even death. The current gold standard in osteoporosis diagnostics, X-ray, although reliable, it uses ionizing radiations that makes it unfeasible for early and continuous monitoring applications. Recently, microwave tomography (MWT) has been emerging as a biomedical imaging modality that utilizes non-ionizing electromagnetic signals to screen bones\' electrical properties. These properties are highly correlated to bones\' density, which makes MWT to be an effective and safe alternative for frequent testing in osteoporosis diagnostics.
RESULTS: Both the conventional and wearable simulated systems were successful in localizing the tibia and fibula bones in the enhanced MWT images. Furthermore, structure extraction of the leg\'s model from the blind MWT images had a minimal error compared to the original one (L2-norm: 15.60%). Under five sequentially incremental bone volume fraction (BVF) scenarios simulating bones\' treatment procedure, bones were detected successfully and their densities were found to be inversely proportional to the real part of the relative permittivity values.
CONCLUSIONS: This study paves the way towards implementing a safe and user-friendly MWT system that can be wearable to monitor bone degradation or treatment for osteoporosis cases.
METHODS: An anatomically realistic finite-element (FE) model representing the human leg was initially generated and filled with corresponding tissues\' (skin, fat, muscles, and bones) dielectric properties. Then, numerically, the forward and inverse MWT problems were solved within the framework of the finite-element method-contrast source inversion algorithm (FEM-CSI). Furthermore, image reconstruction enhancements were investigated by utilizing prior information about different tissues as an inhomogeneous background as well as by adjusting the imaging domain and antennas locations based on the prior structural information. In addition, the utilization of a medically approved matching medium that can be used in wearable applications, namely an ultrasound gel, was suggested. Additionally, an approach based on k-means clustering was developed to extract the prior structural information from blind reconstructions. Finally, the enhanced images were used to monitor variations in BVF.

A major cause of bone mass loss worldwide is osteoporosis. X-ray is considered to be the gold-standard technique to diagnose this disease. However, there is currently a need for an alternative modality due to the ionizing radiations used in X-rays. In this vein, we conducted a numerical study herein to investigate the feasibility of using microwave tomography (MWT) to detect bone density variations that are correlated to variations in the complex relative permittivity within the reconstructed images. This study was performed using an in-house finite-element method contrast source inversion algorithm (FEM-CSI). Three anatomically-realistic human leg models based on magnetic resonance imaging reconstructions were created. Each model represents a leg with a distinct fat layer thickness; thus, the three models are for legs with thin, medium, and thick fat layers. In addition to using conventional matching media in the numerical study, the use of commercially available and cheap ultrasound gel was evaluated prior to bone image analysis. The inversion algorithm successfully localized bones in the thin and medium fat scenarios. In addition, bone volume variations were found to be inversely proportional to their relative permittivity in the reconstructed images with the root mean square error as low as 2.54. The observations found in this study suggest MWT as a promising bone imaging modality owing to its safe and non-ionizing radiations used in imaging objects with high quality.

This paper investigated two-dimensional spatial and temporal images of a copper emission line in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), in order to clarify the excitation/de-excitation processes occurring in a laser-induced plasma. The measurements were carried out under different plasma gases (argon, krypton, helium, and nitrogen), pressure levels (100 - 900 Pa) and delay times (100 - 1000 ns) with the aim of monitoring their effects on the behavior of the copper emission. Depending on the plasma gas type and the pressure level, large differences were found in the plasma shape and temporal intensity evolution of the copper emission profile. Namely, krypton produced the most compact plasma emitting larger intensities, compared to argon and helium, and an increase in the gas pressure made these plasmas to shrink, which could be related principally to the stopping power of the applied gases. Through temporally resolved analysis, the delay profiles could be obtained for each plasma gas, indicating that the helium plasma disappeared more rapidly than the argon and krypton plasmas. It was suggested that the variations in the emission intensity would be determined by interactions between gas particles and highly energetic particles in the plasma breakdown as well as interactions between excited gas particles and copper species during plasma expansion. These insights could prove to be useful in the understanding of the background of LIBS as well as the optimization of its practical applications.