The matching algorithm based on mutual information, which has the advantages of high speed, good automation and superion accuracy, is widely used in medical image registration. In this paper are presented the basic conception of mutual information, the transform model, the insert value algorithm, the optimization algorithm and the strategy in computing mutual information. Furthermore, we introduce some efficient methods for solving the problems in registration technique based on mutual information, and look forward to the future research work.
Algorithms ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Medical Informatics ; methods ; Registries

Objective:To analyze the clinical outcomes of tibial bone transport over an intramedullary nail in combination with antibiotic-loaded calcium sulphate for treatment of segmental bone defect.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted by enrolling 11 surgically treated patients with tibial segmental bone defect after the debridement for tibial infection or osteomyelitis who were admitted in Lower Limb Surgery Ward of Traumatic Orthopedic Department, Xi′an Honghui Hospital Affiliated to Xi′an Jiaotong University from Jan. 2018 to Jan. 2020. The collected clinical materials and data included gender, age, injury mechanism, smoke or alcohol, comorbidities, intraoperative bleeding loss, bone defect length, resorption time of calcium sulphate, bone transport time, external fixation time, external fixation index, complications and Paley bone and functional criteria. SPSS 24.0 software was used to analyze the data.Results:Eleven patients were followed up for 8 to 31 months (average 23.2 months). All patients achieved bone healing and the infection was eradicated with no sign of recurrence. The mean length of defect was (8.1±1.6) cm, mean resorption time of calcium sulphate was (6.6±2.6) months, bone transport time was (11.4±2.8) weeks, external fixation time was (4.7±1.2) months, external fixation index was (0.58±0.07) month/cm and full weight bearing time was (6.1±1.4) months. The complication rate was 36.4% including deep vein thrombosis, delayed union of the docking site, pin tract infection and sterile draining of the wound. Paley bone evaluation results were excellent and good in 10 patients (90.9%) and functional results were excellent and good in 11 patients (100%).Conclusion:Tibial bone transport over an intramedullary nail in combination with antibiotic-loaded calcium sulphate is a safe, reliable and successful method for segmental bone defect and eradication of infection which reduces external fixation time and complication rate, allows patients perform weight bearing and return to daily life earlier.

Health service is an important part of the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta. Taking the cooperation practice between Shanghai Tenth People′s Hospital and Suzhou Yinshanhu Hospital as an example, this article introduced the multi-agent cooperation mode of the loose medical alliance including the government, urban hospitals and cross provincial grassroots medical institutions. Among them, the local government provided policy, fund guarantee and guidance, the urban hospital exported management ideas, medicine talents and technologies, and the primary hospital conducted dual training by inviting in and going out to achieve double growth. Through the high gap cooperation between tertiary hospital and primary hospital, Yinshanhu hospital had been comprehensively developed. The loose medical alliance with multi subject coordination and cross region could give full play to the advantages of the loose healthcare alliance mode, achieve multi-win, and have reference significance for promoting the regional integration of medical and health services in the Yangtze River Delta.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of double mini locking plate and anatomical locking plate in the treatment of comminuted olecranon fracture.Methods:The clinical data of 46 patients who underwent comminuted olecranon fracture in the Xi′an Honghui Hospital Affiliated to Xi′an Jiaotong University from March 2017 to May 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Among them, 21 cases were treated with double mini locking plate (double plate group) and 25 cases with anatomical locking plate (single plate group). The operation time, patient satisfaction, range of motion, return to work time, soft tissue stimulation to remove internal fixation, Mayo elbow performance score (MEPS), disabilities of arm, shoulder and hand score (DASH) of the two fixation methods were statistically compared. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as ( ± s), and comparison between groups was conducted using the t test. Comparison between groups of count data was conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Results:All 46 patients were followed up for to (19.17±2.79) months. All fractures healed after operation. There was no significant difference in operation time, range of motion, patient satisfaction, MEPS and DASH scores among the two groups( P>0.05). The time of returning to work was (8.47±2.13) weeks in the double plate group and (9.78±1.98) weeks in the single plate group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P< 0.05). There were 9 cases of internal fixation due to soft tissue stimulation, 1 cases in double plate group and 8 cases in single plate group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Compared with anatomical locking plate, the treatment of olecranon fracture with double mini locking plate can effectively reduce soft tissue stimulation and promote patients to return to work early, and the operation time is not significantly prolonged, and the biomechanical advantage is obvious, the clinical effect is satisfactory and the postoperative function is good, so it is an effective treatment.

Objective:To introduce our modified hybrid bone transport technique using hindfoot arthrodesis nails combined with antibiotic-loaded calcium sulfate by comparison with conventional bone transport in the treatment of distal tibial osteomyelitis with bone defects involving the articular surface.Methods:The clinical data of 34 patients were retrospectively analyzed who had been treated at Department of Orthopaedics, Honghui Hospital for distal tibial osteomyelitis with bone defects involving the articular surface from September 2014 to September 2019. They were divided into 2 groups according to their way of repairing bone defects. In the modified group of 14 cases subjected to the treatment using the modified hybrid bone transport technique, there were 9 males and 5 females, with an age of (39.4±7.3) years. In the conventional group of 20 cases subjected to the treatment using conventional bone transport technique, there were 12 males and 8 females, with an age of (41.2±6.6) years. The external fixation time (EFT), external fixation index (EFI), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) were recorded and compared between the 2 groups. Healing of bone defects and function were evaluated at the last follow-up according to the criteria of Association for the Study and Application of the Method of Ilizarov (ASAMI) and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-posterior foot score, respectively. Complications were recorded according to the Paley classification.Results:There was no significant difference in the general data between the modified group and the conventional group, showing they were comparable ( P>0.05). Thirty-four patients were followed up for 18 to 32 months (average, 27 months) after operation. The modified group had significantly shorter EFT [(3.9±1.6) months] than the conventional group [(9.8±2.2) months], and significantly lower EFI [(0.48±0.09) months/cm] than the conventional group [(1.42±0.32) months/cm] ( P<0.05). The SAS [(48.1±4.7) points] in the modified group was significantly lower than that in the conventional group [(61.2±6.2) points], and the number of complications per capita in the former [(0.8±0.4)/case] was significantly smaller than that in the latter [(1.42±0.32)/case] ( P<0.05). There were no significan differences in the healing of bone defects or AOFSA ankle-posterior foot score ( P>0.05). In the modified group and the conventional group, respectively, 13 versus 12 patients were satisfied while 1 versus 8 patients unsatisfied, 1 versus 8 patients had grade-Ⅱ infection while 13 versus 12 patients did not, and 1 versus 9 patients had grade-Ⅲ infection while 13 versus 11 patients did not. There were significant differences between the 2 groups in the above indexes (all P<0.05). Conclusion:In the treatment of distal tibial osteomyelitis with bone defects involving the articular surface, compared with conventional bone transport technique, our modified hybrid bone transport technique using hindfoot arthrodesis nails combined with antibiotic-loaded calcium sulfate may lead to better clinical efficacy due to the advantages of shorter external fixation time, lower external fixation index and fewer complications.

Objective:To study the influence of anticoagulation timing on incidence of perioperative deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in elderly patients with hip fracture.Methods:A retrospective analysis was made of the 179 elderly patients with hip fracture who had been admitted to Department of Orthopedics and Traumaology, Hong-Hui Hospital from July 2017 to December 2018. They were 78 males and 101 females, aged from 62 to 91 years (mean, 79.5 years). There were 79 femoral neck fractures and 100 intertrochanteric fractures, 109 of which were treated by internal fixation and 70 by hip replacement. The patients were divided into 3 groups depending on the timing of anticoagulation after injury. In group 1 of 74 cases, anticoagulation started <24 h after injury; in group 2 of 36 cases, anticoagulation started 24 to 48 h after injury; in group 3 of 69 cases, anticoagulation started >48 h after injury. Anticoagulation continued until 12 h before surgery in all patients but was resumed 8 to 12 h after surgery. The 3 groups were compared in incidence of perioperative DVT.Results:The 3 groups were comparable due to insignificant differences between them in their pre-operative general data ( P>0.05). DVT occurred perioperatively in 84 patients, yielding an incidence of 46.9% (84/179). The incidences of perioperative DVT were 27.0% (20/74), 47.2% (17/36) and 68.1% (47/69) in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively, showing significant differences ( χ2=24.206, P<0.001), between any 2 groups ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Since the earlier anticoagulation starts after injury the lower incidence of perioperative DVT in elderly patients with hip fracture, early standardized prophylactic anticoagulation after injury can effectively reduce incidence of perioperative DVT.

Objective:To compare the clinical effects of acute shortening-lengthening technique with antibiotic calcium sulfate-loaded bone transport technique for the treatment of segmental tibial defects after trauma.Methods:The clinical data of 58 patients with large tibial defects treated by Ilizarov technique in Xi′an Honghui Hospital Affiliated to Xi′an Jiaotong University from May 2014 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Thirty patients were treated by acute shortening-lengthening (group A), and they were divided into those who were successful in one-time shortening during operation (group A1) and those who needed gradual shortening after operation (group A2) according to different shortening conditions. And 28 patients by antibiotic calcium sulfate-loaded bone transport (group B). The external fixation time (EFT) and external fixation index (EFI) of the two groups were compared. Bone defect healing and limb functions were evaluated according to the Association for the Study and Application of the Method of Ilizarov (ASAMI) criteria. Complications were compared by Paley classification. The measurement data of normal distribution were expressed as ± s, and t-test was used for comparison between groups; the count data were expressed as n(%), and the chi-square test, Fisher exact probability method or Mann-Whitney U test were used for comparison between groups. Results:Patients were followed for(27.5±5.1)months. There was no significant difference in EFT, EFI, bone defect healing and limb functions between the two groups( P>0.05). The incidence of Grade-Ⅱ[41.2% (7/17)], Grade-Ⅲ [47.1% (8/17)] pin-tract infection in group A1 and Grade-Ⅱ[46.2% (6/13)], Grade-Ⅲ pin-tract [53.8% (7/13)] in group A2 was significantly higher than those in group B[14.3% (4/28)], [17.9% (5/28)] ( P<0.05). The number of complications per capita in group A1 [(1.4±0.3) times/case] and in group A2 [(1.5±0.3) times/case]was significantly higher than that in group B [(1.1±0.5) times/case]. Conclusions:Patients can be cured successfully by both acute shortening-lengthening and bone transport techniques. Compared with acute shortening-lengthening group, the complication incidence in antibiotic calcium sulfate-loaded bone transport group was lower, especially, the infection-related complications. Therefore, antibiotic calcium sulfate-loaded bone transport technique has a greater application prospect in patients with large segmental bone defects caused by infection or osteomyelitis.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy between bone transport technique combined with bone grafting plus internal fixation and simple bone transport technique in the treatment of large segmental bone defects at lower limbs after trauma.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 42 patients with large segmental bone defects at lower limbs after trauma who had been treated at Department of Trauma Orthopaedics, Honghui Hospital Affiliated to Medicine College, Xi'an Jiaotong University from September 2015 to September 2019. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the different methods of repairing bone defects. In group A of 18 patients subjected to bone transport combined with bone grafting plus internal fixation, there were 11 males and 7 females with an age of (35.2±10.3) years, and 12 tibial defects and 6 femoral defects; in group B of 24 patients subjected to simple bone transport, there were 15 males and 9 females with an age of (37.3±9.4) years, and 17 tibial defects and 7 femoral defects. The external fixation time (EFT), external fixation index (EFI), total cure time and complications were recorded and compared between the 2 groups. At the last follow-up, the Ennecking score for limb functional recovery (score/total score 30) and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were used to evaluate respectively the functional recovery of the limbs and postoperative anxiety.Results:The 2 groups were comparable because there was no significant difference between them in preoperative general data or follow-up time ( P>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the number of surgeries between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). The EFT [(5.9±1.5) months], EFI [(0.45±0.09) months/cm], total treatment time [(16.2±2.4) months], Ennecking score for limb functional recovery (87.0%±8.6%), SAS score [(43.2±9.0) points], and complications per capita [(0.4±0.2) times/case] in group A were significantly better than those in group B [(15.3±4.2) months, (1.19±0.28) months/cm, (19.7±3.5) months, (77.3%±9.2%), (58.2±9.3) points, and (1.2±0.5) times/case] (all P<0.05). Conclusion:In the treatment of large segmental bone defects at lower limbs, compared with simple bone transport technique, bone transport technique combined with bone grafting plus internal fixation has advantages of shorter external fixation time and overall cure time, a lower rate of complications, and better functional recovery of the limbs.

This corrects the article “Analysis of Tau Protein Expression in Predicting Pathological Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Different Molecular Subtypes of Breast Cancer” in volume 23 on page 47.This article was initially published on the Journal of Breast Cancer with a misspelled the abbreviation in figure 3. The abbreviation ‘HP’ should be corrected as ‘HR’.

PURPOSE: Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that can be found in both normal and abnormal breast cells. Whether the expression of Tau protein can predict the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is still unclear. In this study, we assessed the role of Tau protein expression in predicting a pathological complete response (pCR) to NACT for different subtypes of breast cancer. METHODS: Four hundred and sixty-eight eligible patients were retrospectively recruited in our study. The relationship between clinicopathologic factors, including Tau protein expression, and pCR in different subtypes was evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Correlation between Tau and disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was performed using Kaplan–Meier analysis. RESULTS: The expression of Tau protein was negatively correlated with pCR, especially in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). No significant difference was observed in the luminal human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-negative subtype and HER2-positive subtype. Patients with pCR were associated with better DFS and OS (p < 0.05). However, Tau protein expression had no association with either DFS or OS (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION Tau protein expression can predict pCR before NACT in TNBC, but there was no correlation between Tau expression and DFS or OS.