Search

Copy‐move forgeries are a conceptual sort of image retouching that involves duplicating a portion of an image and moving it to a different position within the original image, whether by modifying the duplicated part or just moving it altogether. To identify cloned portions that have been reproduced into the same digitized image, the suggested hybrid features in this article combine using the Hessian and Raw patch features on gray‐level images. Using a suggested model that combines patch features built on key points detected by the Hessian detector on gray‐level image, localization of duplicated and pasted portions of the manipulated image were found. After using the combined features in the matching step, the parallelism condition was applied together with the random sample consensus method to eliminate mismatches. Two databases, GRIP and the image manipulation dataset (IMD), were used for the detection and characterization, and the empirical findings show that the approach was successful in achieving an F1 score 100% for the GRIP database. Additionally, with the IMD database, it produced a 92.13% F1 score. The proposed method was also shown to be effective by obtaining high F1 scores in images where noise, JPEG compression, and scaling attacks were applied to make forgery detection difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because digital images may contain a variety of data, they are regarded as an important source for information sharing. Also, images are widely used as evidence in a variety of real-life cases. The rapid rise in popularity of digital photographs is due to the improvement of technologies. Several software programs have been developed in recent years to modify digital images, such as Photoshop and Corel Photo, however these programs are now being used extensively for forgery. Because of technological advancements, it is difficult for people to recognize faked images with their naked eyes Therefore, in this study, the features used in forgery detection problems are combined to ensure accurate labeling of even forgery images that are difficult to detect. Stronger feature is obtained by combining Speeded-Up Robust Features (SURF) and Maximally Stable Extremal Regions (MSER). Considering the experimental results; it has been observed that the use of the proposed method, which is obtained as a result of combining the two methods in copy-move forgery detection problems, is more successful than using the SURF and MSER features separately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An approach is proposed for detecting copy-move forgery in the image. • As a feature, a combination of LIOP descriptors extracted from each color channel in the YCbCr color space is used. • The parallelism condition was used with random sample consensus to reduce the false detection rate. • CoMoFoD and GRIP datasets were used in the experiments. • The proposed CMFD method displayed robustness and was successful against post-processing attacks. The most prevalent type of digital image falsification occurs when a portion of a image is copied and pasted onto another section of the same image. Falsification of the image made in this way is called copy-move forgery (CMF). This study presents a new and effective approach for copy-move forgery detection (CMFD) using the Local Intensity Order Pattern (LIOP) to overcome the restrictions of existing CMFD techniques. The input image is first converted to a YCbCr color space and then split into Y, Cb, and Cr color channels. The LIOP features are then extracted from each color channel and all the features are combined. The feature vectors are ordered lexicographically and related features are detected by comparing the LIOP features. Although the LIOP feature has rarely been used in CMFD prior to this study, the success rate of the proposed method is high. In addition, since the channels are not correlated to each other in the YCbCr color space, each color channel is considered as a gray image, and the success rate is increased by combining the features extracted from each of the color channels. The proposed approach was assessed using the CoMoFoD and GRIP datasets. Experimental findings demonstrated that the suggested method was successful and displayed robustness in post-processing attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a haematological malignancy primarily affecting the elderly, with a striking male predilection and ethnic disparities in incidence. Familial predisposition to MM has long been recognized, but the genetic underpinnings remain elusive. This study aimed to investigate germline variants in Turkish families with recurrent MM cases. A total of 37 MM‐affected families, comprising 77 individuals, were included. Targeted next‐generation sequencing analysis yielded no previously reported rare variants. Whole exome sequencing analysis in 11 families identified rare disease‐causing variants in various genes, some previously linked to familial MM and others not previously associated. Notably, genes involved in ubiquitination, V(D)J recombination and the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway were among those identified. Furthermore, a specific variant in BNIP1 (rs28199) was found in 13 patients across nine families, indicating its potential significance in MM pathogenesis. While this study sheds light on genetic variations in familial MM in Turkey, its limitations include sample size and the absence of in vivo investigations. In conclusion, familial MM likely involves a polygenic inheritance pattern with rare, disease‐causing variants in various genes, emphasizing the need for international collaborative efforts to unravel the intricate genetic basis of MM and develop targeted therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let R be an associative ring with identity. We introduce the notion of semi-τ-supplemented modules, which is adapted from srs-modules, for a preradical τ on R-Mod. We provide basic properties of these modules. In particular, we study the objects of R-Mod for τ = Rad. We show that the class of semi-τ-supplemented modules is closed under finite sums and factor modules. We prove that, for an idempotent preradical τ on R-Mod, a module M is semi-τ-supplemented if and only if it is τ-supplemented. For τ = Rad, over a local ring every left module is semi-Rad-supplemented. We also prove that a commutative semilocal ring whose semi-Rad-supplemented modules are a direct sum of w-local left modules is an artinian principal ideal ring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is a potentially life-threatening condition. Although the introduction of therapeutic plasma exchange has reduced mortality rates from over 90% to 10%- 20%, approximately 40% of patients relapse, and outcomes may be fatal in refractory patients. There is clearly a need for additional therapeutic approaches. Aims: To describe the outcomes of relapsed/refractory thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura patients treated with vincristine as an adjunct to therapeutic plasma exchange. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The medical records of all relapsed/refractory patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura treated with vincristine adjunct to therapeutic plasma exchange between October 2000 and December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Diagnosis of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura was based on clinical history, physical examination, and laboratory examinations. Patient demographics, laboratory findings, initial date and duration of therapeutic plasma exchange, dosage and time of administration of vincristine, and outcomes were recorded. Results: The study included 15 patients [median age: 37 years (range: 26-65); 7 women and 8 men] with either relapsed or refractory thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura who were treated with vincristine as an adjunct to therapeutic plasma exchange for a total of 22 episodes. Eighty-seven percent of patients achieved remissions in 20 of 22 episodes, with a median duration of remission of 29.5 months (range: 3-105). After a median follow-up of 55 months, 11 patients were alive. Vincristine was well tolerated with no safety concerns. Conclusion: Vincristine offers a reasonable option for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Further studies evaluating vincristine in the front-line setting and in the relapsed/refractory setting are needed to validate the role of vincristine in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical outcome, treatment responses, infectious complications, and survival rates of 71 hairy cell leukemia (HCL) cases. Materials and Methods: Sixty-seven patients received a first-line treatment and 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (cladribine-2-CdA) was administered in 31 cases, 19 patients received interferon-alpha (INF-α), splenectomy was performed in 16 cases, and rituximab was used in one. Results: Although the highest overall response rate (ORR) was observed in patients receiving 2-CdA upfront, ORRs were comparable in the 2-CdA, INF-α, and splenectomy subgroups. Relapse rates were significantly lower in patients who received first-line 2-CdA. The progression-free survival (PFS) rate with 2-CdA was significantly higher than in patients with INF-α and splenectomy, but we found similar overall survival rates with all three upfront treatment modalities. Infections including tuberculosis were a major problem. Conclusion: Although purine analogues have improved the ORRs and PFS, there is still much progress to make with regard to overall survival and relapsed/refractory disease in patients with HCL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Multiple myeloma patients who are relapsed or refractory to both proteasome inhibitors (PIs) and immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) have been reported to have poor outcomes. Bendamustine has been reported to have an antitumor effect in newly diagnosed as well as relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of bendamustine therapy in heavily pretreated MM patients who were refractory to PIs and IMiDs. Materials and Methods: Nineteen RRMM patients treated either with bendamustine and steroids (n=13) or a combination of bendamustine with novel drugs (n=6) were included. The median number of previous treatment lines was 5 (minimum-maximum: 3-8) and median time from diagnosis was 6 years (minimum-maximum: 1-16). All of the patients were resistant to at least one of the IMiDs and one of the PIs. Bendamustine was given at doses ranging from 90 mg/m² to 120 mg/m² on days 1 and 2 of 28-day cycles. Results: A median of 2 (minimum-maximum: 1-8) treatment cycles was administered per patient. The toxicity of bendamustine was mild and mostly of hematological origin. No complete remission was achieved. There was partial remission and stable disease in 21% and 11% of the patients, respectively. Sixty-eight percent of patients had progressive disease. The median progression-free survival and overall survival was 2 and 4 months, respectively. Conclusion: Bendamustine therapy was well tolerated but showed limited anti-myeloma activity in heavily pretreated patients who were refractory to IMiDs and PIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The significance of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and H-ficolin deficiency in febrile neutropenic (FN) patients and the correlation of these markers along with consecutive C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels during the infectious process are investigated. Materials and Methods: Patients with any hematological malignancies who were defined to have "microbiologically confirmed infection", "clinically documented infection", or "fever of unknown origin" were included in this single-center prospective observational study. Serum levels of CRP, PCT, MBL, and H-ficolin were determined on 3 separate occasions: at baseline (between hospital admission and chemotherapy), at the onset of fever, and at the 72nd hour of fever. Results: Forty-six patients (54% male, mean age 41.7 years) with 61 separate episodes of FN were evaluated. Eleven patients (23.9%) had "microbiologically confirmed infection", 17 (37%) had "clinically documented infection", and 18 (39.1%) had "fever of unknown origin". Fourteen (30.4%) patients had low (<500 ng/mL) initial MBL levels and 7 (15.21%) had low (<12,000 ng/mL) H-ficolin levels. Baseline MBL and H-ficolin levels did not significantly change on the first and third days of fever (p=0.076). Gram-negative bacteremia more frequently occurred in those with low initial MBL levels (p=0.006). PCT levels were significantly higher in those with microbiologically documented infections. Mean and median PCT levels were significantly higher in cases with bacteremia. There was no significant difference between hemoculture-positive and-negative patients in terms of CRP levels. Conclusion: Monitoring serum H-ficolin levels was shown to be of no benefit in terms of predicting severe infection. Low baseline MBL levels were correlated with high risk of gram-negative bacteremia; however, no significant correlation was shown in the follow-up. Close monitoring of PCT levels is warranted to provide more accurate and specific data while monitoring cases of bacteremia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented related to the comparison of International Prognostic Index (IPI) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-IPI in patient with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Objective: Febrile neutropenic episodes (FNEs) are among the major causes of mortality in patients with hematological malignancies. Secondary infections develop either during the empirical antibiotic therapy or 1 week after cessation of therapy for a FNE. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors associated with secondary infections in febrile neutropenic patients. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 750 FNEs in 473 patients between January 2000 and December 2006. Results: Secondary infections were diagnosed in 152 (20%) of 750 FNEs. The median time to develop secondary infection was 10 days (range: 2-34 days). The duration of neutropenia over 10 days significantly increased the risk of secondary infections (p<0.001). The proportion of patients with microbiologically documented infections was found to be higher in primary infections (271/750, 36%) compared to secondary infections (43/152, 28%) (p=0.038). Age; sex; underlying disease; antibacterial, antifungal, or antiviral prophylaxis; blood transfusion or bone marrow transplantation; central venous catheter; and severity of neutropenia did not differ significantly between primary and secondary infections (p>0.05). While fever of unknown origin (p=0.005) and catheter-related bacteremia (p<0.001) were less frequently observed in secondary infections, the frequency of microbiologically (p=0.003) and clinically (p<0.001) documented infections, fungal pneumonias (p<0.001), infections related to gram-positive bacteria (p=0.04) and fungi (p<0.001), and 30-day mortality rate (p<0.001) were significantly higher in cases of secondary infections (p<0.001). Conclusion: Secondary infections should be regarded as life-threatening complications of febrile neutropenia. Secondary infections represent a more severe and mortal complication and cannot be regarded just as another FNE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of the different therapy regimens used in multiple myeloma (MM) on bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP) levels. Materials and Methods: One hundred and thirteen patients with MM were included in the study. Patients were grouped according to the regimens they received, as follows: group 1, melphalan and prednisolone (MP); group 2, vincristine, adriablastin, and dexamethasone (VAD); group 3, thalidomide plus dexamethasone; and group 4, bortezomib plus dexamethasone. BALP levels were measured before treatment and at the third and sixth months of treatment. A fifth group consisted of patients in the post-treatment remission period at study entry (no-treatment group). Results: The BALP levels at the third and sixth months of the treatment were significantly higher than the pre-treatment levels in the bortezomib and the no-treatment groups, whereas no significant difference was observed in the MP, VAD, and thalidomide groups. Conclusion: Considering that BALP is a surrogate marker of bone formation, our study suggests that bortezomib more efficiently leads to the improvement of bone disease in myeloma than other treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Bone marrow fibrosis is the second most common complication that causes morbidity and mortality in patients with Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between JAK2V617F mutation and bone marrow fibrosis at diagnosis in patients with MPNs. Material and Methods: In total, 149 patients with MPNs were retrospectively evaluated to determine if there was an association between the histological grade of bone marrow fibrosis and JAK2V617F mutation. Results: In all, 67.7% of the patients carried the mutated JAK2 gene. The presence of JAK2V617F mutation was not associated with the occurrence of bone marrow fibrosis (P = 0.55) or its grade at diagnosis (P = 0.65). Conclusion: Molecular mechanisms or genetic defects other than JAK2V617F may underlie the occurrence of bone marrow fibrosis in patients with MPNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Monitoring minimal residual disease has become increasingly important in clinical practice of ALL management. Break-point fusion regions of leukaemia related chromosomal aberrations and rearranged immunoglobulin (Ig) and T cellreceptor (TCR) genes are used as leukaemia specific markers in genetic studies of MRD. Material and Methods: A total of 31 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed ALL were screened for eligibility criteria. Of those 26 were included in the study. One patient with partial response following induction therapy and four patients who were lost to follow-up after induction were excluded from the study; thus 21 patients were evaluated for MRD by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), heteroduplex analysis, sequencing and quantitative real time PCR techniques. Results: Chromosomal aberrations were detected in 5 (24%) of the patients and were used for MRD monitoring. Three patients had t(9;22) translocation, the other 2 had t(4;11) and t(1;19). MRD-based risk stratification of the16 patients analysed for Ig/TCR rearrangements revealed 3 low-risk, 11 intermediate-risk and 2 high-risk patients. Conclusion: MRD monitoring is progressively getting to be a more important predictive factor in adult ALL patients. As reported by others confirmed by our limited data there is a good correlation between MRD status and clinical outcome in patients receiving chemotherapy. The pilot-study presented here is the first that systematically and consecutively performs a molecular MRD monitoring of ALL patients in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinicopathologic features of 21 patients with T-cell-rich B-cell lymphoma (TCRBCL) were reviewed and compared to 43 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) to determine if there were distinguishing clinical characteristics and differences in response or survival to CHOP therapy. For the diagnosis of TCRBCL, the current WHO criteria was used. In all of our cases, the majority of cells are non-neoplastic T cells and <10% large neoplastic B cells are present. The initial pathologic diagnosis was nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NLPHL) in two cases. Patients with TCRBCL were significantly younger (median: 46 years) and had a significantly higher incidence of B symptoms (62%), hepatomegaly (33%) and marrow infiltration (33%) at presentation when compared to DLBCL (P<0.03). The CR rate after treatment was 48% for TCRBCL patients versus 79% for the DLBCL (P<0.003). Although the CR rates in between the two groups are significant, the difference in 3 years survival rates in each CR groups was insignificant (80% versus 77%). The overall survival time in the two groups was 17 months. Event-free survival time in TCRBCL was 12 months, compared with 17 months in the DLBCL (P>0.05). The frequency of patients with TCRBCL achieving CR was 52.6% whereas that of patients with DLBCL was 79% (P<0.003). The TCRBCL 3 years event-free survival 48% and overall survival 64% were 63 and 72% for DLBCL, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]