A significant obstacle in brain tumor treatment planning is determining the tumor's actual size. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the first-line brain tumor diagnosis. It takes a lot of effort and mostly depends on the operator's experience to manually separate the size of a brain tumor from 3D MRI volumes. Machine learning has been vastly enhanced by deep learning and computer-aided tumor detection methods. This study proposes to investigate the architecture of object detectors, specifically focusing on search efficiency. In order to provide more specificity, our goal is to effectively explore the Feature Pyramid Network (FPN) and prediction head of a straightforward anchor-free object detector called DEEP Q-NAS. The study utilized the BraTS 2021 dataset which includes multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) scans. The architecture we found outperforms the latest object detection models (like Fast R-CNN, YOLOv7, and YOLOv8) by 2.2 to 7 points with average precision (AP) on the MS COCO 2017 dataset. It has a similar level of complexity and less memory usage, which shows how effective our proposed NAS is for object detection. The DEEP Q-NAS with ResNeXt-152 model demonstrates the highest level of detection accuracy, achieving a rate of 99%.

Clinical evaluation of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Precise Image (PI) algorithm in brain imaging remains limited. PI is a deep-learning reconstruction (DLR) technique that reduces image noise while maintaining a familiar Filtered Back Projection (FBP)-like appearance at low doses. This study aims to compare PI, Iterative Reconstruction (IR), and FBP-in improving image quality and enhancing lesion detection in 1.0 mm thin-slice brain computed tomography (CT) images. A retrospective analysis was conducted on brain non-contrast CT scans from August to September 2024 at our institution. Each scan was reconstructed using four methods: routine 5.0 mm FBP (Group A), thin-slice 1.0 mm FBP (Group B), thin-slice 1.0 mm IR (Group C), and thin-slice 1.0 mm PI (Group D). Subjective image quality was assessed by two radiologists using a 4- or 5‑point Likert scale. Objective metrics included contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and image noise across designated regions of interest (ROIs). 60 patients (65.47 years ± 18.40; 29 males and 31 females) were included. Among these, 39 patients had lesions, primarily low-density lacunar infarcts. Thin-slice PI images demonstrated the lowest image noise and artifacts, alongside the highest CNR and SNR values (p < 0.001) compared to Groups A, B, and C. Subjective assessments revealed that both PI and IR provided significantly improved image quality over routine FBP (p < 0.05). Specifically, Group D (PI) achieved superior lesion conspicuity and diagnostic confidence, with a 100% detection rate for lacunar lesions, outperforming Groups B and A. PI reconstruction significantly enhances image quality and lesion detectability in thin-slice brain CT scans compared to IR and FBP, suggesting its potential as a new clinical standard.

Recent advancements in four-dimensional (4D) ultrasonography have enabled detailed observation of fetal behavior <i>in utero</i>, including facial movements, limb gestures, and stimulus responses. These developments have prompted renewed inquiry into whether such behaviors are merely reflexive or represent early signs of integrated neural function. However, the relationship between fetal movement patterns and conscious awareness remains scientifically uncertain and ethically contested. A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science) were searched for English-language articles published from 2000 to 2025, using keywords including "fetal behavior," "4D ultrasound," "neurodevelopment," and "consciousness." Studies were included if they involved human fetuses, used 4D ultrasound or functional imaging modalities, and offered interpretation relevant to neurobehavioral or ethical analysis. A structured appraisal using AMSTAR-2 was applied to assess study quality. Data were synthesized narratively to map fetal behaviors onto developmental milestones and evaluate their interpretive limits. Seventy-four studies met inclusion criteria, with 23 rated as high-quality. Fetal behaviors such as yawning, hand-to-face movement, and startle responses increased in complexity between 24-34 weeks gestation. These patterns aligned with known neurodevelopmental events, including thalamocortical connectivity and cortical folding. However, no study provided definitive evidence linking observed behaviors to conscious experience. Emerging applications of artificial intelligence in ultrasound analysis were found to enhance pattern recognition but lack external validation. Fetal behavior observed via 4D ultrasound may reflect increasing neural integration but should not be equated with awareness. Interpretations must remain cautious, avoiding anthropomorphic assumptions. Ethical engagement requires attention to scientific limits, sociocultural diversity, and respect for maternal autonomy as imaging technologies continue to evolve.

Unsupervised anomaly detection (UAD) plays a crucial role in neuroimaging for identifying deviations from healthy subject data and thus facilitating the diagnosis of neurological disorders. In this work, we focus on Bayesian flow networks (BFNs), a novel class of generative models, which have not yet been applied to medical imaging or anomaly detection. BFNs combine the strength of diffusion frameworks and Bayesian inference. We introduce AnoBFN, an extension of BFNs for UAD, designed to: i) perform conditional image generation under high levels of spatially correlated noise, and ii) preserve subject specificity by incorporating a recursive feedback from the input image throughout the generative process. We evaluate AnoBFN on the challenging task of Alzheimer's disease-related anomaly detection in FDG PET images. Our approach outperforms other state-of-the-art methods based on VAEs (beta-VAE), GANs (f-AnoGAN), and diffusion models (AnoDDPM), demonstrating its effectiveness at detecting anomalies while reducing false positive rates.

Meningitis diagnosis requires a lumbar puncture (LP) to obtain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for a laboratory-based analysis. In high-income settings, LPs are part of the systematic approach to screen for meningitis, and most yield negative results. In low- and middle-income settings, LPs are seldom performed, and suspected cases are often treated empirically. The aim of this study was to validate a non-invasive transfontanellar white blood cell (WBC) counter in CSF to screen for meningitis. We conducted a prospective study across three Spanish hospitals, one Mozambican and one Moroccan hospital (2020-2023). We included patients under 24 months with suspected meningitis, an open fontanelle, and a LP performed within 24 h from recruitment. High-resolution-ultrasound (HRUS) images of the CSF were obtained using a customized probe. A deep-learning model was trained to classify CSF patterns based on LPs WBC counts, using a 30cells/mm³ threshold. The algorithm was applied to 3782 images from 76 patients. It correctly classified 17/18 CSFs with <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mo>≥</mo></math> 30 WBC, and 55/58 controls (sensitivity 94.4%, specificity 94.8%). The only false negative was paired to a traumatic LP with 40 corrected WBC/mm³. This non-invasive device could be an accurate tool for screening meningitis in neonates and young infants, modulating LP indications. Our non-invasive, high-resolution ultrasound device achieved 94% accuracy in detecting elevated leukocyte counts in neonates and infants with suspected meningitis, compared to the gold standard (lumbar punctures and laboratory analysis). This first-in-class screening device introduces the first non-invasive method for neonatal and infant meningitis screening, potentially modulating lumbar puncture indications. This technology could substantially reduce lumbar punctures in low-suspicion cases and provides a viable alternative critically ill patients worldwide or in settings where lumbar punctures are unfeasible, especially in low-income countries).

Pseudo-healthy image inpainting is an essential preprocessing step for analyzing pathological brain MRI scans. Most current inpainting methods favor slice-wise 2D models for their high in-plane fidelity, but their independence across slices produces discontinuities in the volume. Fully 3D models alleviate this issue, but their high model capacity demands extensive training data for reliable, high-fidelity synthesis -- often impractical in medical settings. We address these limitations with a hierarchical diffusion framework by replacing direct 3D modeling with two perpendicular coarse-to-fine 2D stages. An axial diffusion model first yields a coarse, globally consistent inpainting; a coronal diffusion model then refines anatomical details. By combining perpendicular spatial views with adaptive resampling, our method balances data efficiency and volumetric consistency. Our experiments show our approach outperforms state-of-the-art baselines in both realism and volumetric consistency, making it a promising solution for pseudo-healthy image inpainting. Code is available at https://github.com/dou0000/3dMRI-Consistent-Inpaint.

Current methods for evaluating ventriculomegaly, particularly Evans' Index (EI), fail to accurately assess three-dimensional ventricular changes. We developed and validated an automated multi-class segmentation system for precise volumetric assessment, simultaneously segmenting five anatomical classes (ventricles, parenchyma, skull, skin, and hemorrhage) to support future augmented reality (AR)-guided external ventricular drainage (EVD) systems. Using the nnUNet architecture, we trained our model on 288 brain CT scans with diverse pathological conditions and validated it using internal (n=10),external (n=43) and public (n=192) datasets. Clinical validation involved 227 patients who underwent CSF drainage procedures. We compared automated volumetric measurements against traditional EI measurements and actual CSF drainage volumes in surgical cases. The model achieved exceptional performance with a mean Dice similarity coefficient of 93.0% across all five classes, demonstrating consistent performance across institutional and public datasets, with particularly robust ventricle segmentation (92.5%). Clinical validation revealed EI was the strongest single predictor of ventricular volume (adjusted R² = 0.430, p < 0.001), though influenced by age, sex, and diagnosis type. Most significantly, in EVD cases, automated volume differences showed remarkable correlation with actual CSF drainage amounts (β = 0.956, adjusted R² = 0.936, p < 0.001), validating the system's accuracy in measuring real CSF volume changes. Our comprehensive multi-class segmentation system offers a superior alternative to traditional measurements with potential for non-invasive CSF dynamics monitoring and AR-guided EVD placement.

Brain tumors pose a significant risk to human life, making accurate grading essential for effective treatment planning and improved survival rates. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) plays a crucial role in this process. The objective of this study was to develop an automated brain tumor grading system utilizing deep learning techniques. A dataset comprising 293 MRI scans from patients was obtained from the Department of Radiology at Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. The proposed approach integrates a specialized Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with pre-trained models to classify brain tumors into low-grade (LGT) and high-grade (HGT) categories with high accuracy. To assess the model's robustness, experiments were conducted using various methods: (1) raw MRI slices, (2) MRI segments containing only the tumor area, (3) feature-extracted slices derived from the original images through the proposed CNN architecture, and (4) feature-extracted slices from tumor area-only segmented images using the proposed CNN. The MRI slices and the features extracted from them were labeled using machine learning models, including Support Vector Machine (SVM) and CNN architectures based on transfer learning, such as MobileNet, Inception V3, and ResNet-50. Additionally, a custom model was specifically developed for this research. The proposed model achieved an impressive peak accuracy of 99.45%, with classification accuracies of 99.56% for low-grade tumors and 99.49% for high-grade tumors, surpassing traditional methods. These results not only enhance the accuracy of brain tumor grading but also improve computational efficiency by reducing processing time and the number of iterations required.

To develop a deep learning (DL) pipeline for accurate slice selection, temporal muscle (TM) segmentation, TM thickness (TMT) and area (TMA) quantification, and assessment of the prognostic role of TMT and TMA in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. A total of 1020 AIS patients were enrolled. Participants were divided into three datasets: Dataset 1 (n = 295) for slice selection using ResNet50 model, Dataset 2 (n = 258) for TM segmentation employing TransUNet-based algorithm, and Dataset 3 (n = 467) for evaluating DL-based quantification of TMT and TMA as prognostic factors in AIS. The ability of the DL system to select slices was assessed using accuracy, ±1 slice accuracy and mean absolute error. The Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) is used to assess the performance of the DL system on TM segmentation. The association between automatic quantification of TMT and TMA and 6-month outcomes was determined. Automatic slice selection achieved a mean accuracy of 72.91 %, 97.94 % ± 1 slice accuracy with a mean absolute error of 1.54 mm, while TM segmentation on T1WI achieved a mean DSC of 0.858. Automatically extracted TMT and TMA were each independently associated with 6-month poor outcomes in AIS patients after adjusting for age, sex, onodera nutritional prognosis index, systemic immune-inflammation index, albumin levels, and smoking/drinking history (TMT: hazard ratio 0.736, 95 % confidence interval 0.528-0.931; TMA: hazard ratio 0.702, 95 % confidence interval 0.541-0.910). TMT and TMA are robust prognostic markers in AIS patients, and our end-to-end DL pipeline enables rapid, automated quantification that integrates seamlessly into clinical workflows, supporting scalable risk stratification and personalized rehabilitation planning.

Cerebrovascular disease (CeVD) and cognitive impairment risk factors contribute to cognitive decline, but the role of brain age gap (BAG) in mediating this relationship remains unclear, especially in Southeast Asian populations. This study investigated the influence of cognitive impairment risk factors on cognition and examined how BAG mediates this relationship, particularly in individuals with varying CeVD burden. This cross-sectional study analyzed Singaporean community and memory clinic participants. Cognitive impairment risk factors were assessed using the Cognitive Impairment Scoring System (CISS), encompassing 11 sociodemographic and vascular factors. Cognition was assessed through a neuropsychological battery, evaluating global cognition and 6 cognitive domains: executive function, attention, memory, language, visuomotor speed, and visuoconstruction. Brain age was derived from structural MRI features using ensemble machine learning model. Propensity score matching balanced risk profiles between model training and the remaining sample. Structural equation modeling examined the mediation effect of BAG on CISS-cognition relationship, stratified by CeVD burden (high: CeVD+, low: CeVD-). The study included 1,437 individuals without dementia, with 646 in the matched sample (mean age 66.4 ± 6.0 years, 47% female, 60% with no cognitive impairment). Higher CISS was consistently associated with poorer cognitive performance across all domains, with the strongest negative associations in visuomotor speed (β = -2.70, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and visuoconstruction (β = -3.02, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Among the CeVD+ group, BAG significantly mediated the relationship between CISS and global cognition (proportion mediated: 19.95%, <i>p</i> = 0.01), with the strongest mediation effects in executive function (34.1%, <i>p</i> = 0.03) and language (26.6%, <i>p</i> = 0.008). BAG also mediated the relationship between CISS and memory (21.1%) and visuoconstruction (14.4%) in the CeVD+ group, but these effects diminished after statistical adjustments. Our findings suggest that BAG is a key intermediary linking cognitive impairment risk factors to cognitive function, particularly in individuals with high CeVD burden. This mediation effect is domain-specific, with executive function, language, and visuoconstruction being the most vulnerable to accelerated brain aging. Limitations of this study include the cross-sectional design, limiting causal inference, and the focus on Southeast Asian populations, limiting generalizability. Future longitudinal studies should verify these relationships and explore additional factors not captured in our model.