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High sodium intake is strongly associated with hypertension and obesity. This study aims to investigate the relationship between 24-h urinary sodium (a surrogate measure of sodium intake), ambulatory blood pressure parameters, left atrial function, and left atrioventricular coupling. Further, we intend to examine whether blood pressure and BMI might be mediators of the relationship between 24-h urinary sodium and subclinical cardiac function.Our study had 398 participants, all of whom were subjected to 24-h urine collection, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurement, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.The average age of the participants was 55.70 ± 11.30 years old. The mean urinary sodium of the participants was 172.01 ± 80.24 mmol/24 h. After adjusting for age, sex, history of diabetes, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and use of diuretics, 24-h urinary sodium was correlated with multiple ambulatory blood pressure parameters, BMI, left atrial function, and the left atrioventricular coupling index (LACI) (P 0.05). Mediation analysis showed that BMI explained 16% of the indirect effect of 24-h urinary sodium and left atrial function and 30% of the indirect effect of LACI. Independent of the mediator, 24-h urinary sodium had a significant direct effect on left atrial function and left atrioventricular coupling.Higher 24-h urinary sodium was associated with a greater BMI as well as poor left atrial function and left atrioventricular coupling, and the BMI mediated the relationship between 24-h urinary sodium and subclinical left cardiac function. Furthermore, and more importantly, 24-h urinary sodium may have directly affected the left atrial function and left atrioventricular coupling independent of intermediary factors.

Background: Obesity is a recognized risk factor for heart failure. People with similar weights may have different metabolic health. Notably, insulin resistance is a hallmark of obesity and a feature of heart failure. We aimed to evaluate the effects of obesity and metabolic health status on subclinical left cardiac function. We also investigated whether insulin resistance (TyG index) plays a role in BMI-linked subclinical left cardiac dysfunction. Methods: The study involved 403 volunteers. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess associations between obesity, metabolic health, and overall subclinical left cardiac function .Mediating analysis was used to explore the role of the TyG index in the association between BMI and left cardiac function. Finally, ROC analysis was performed to explore the predictive value of the TyG index in subclinical left cardiac dysfunction. Results: The correlation analysis showed that metabolic unhealth increased the risk of subclinical left ventricular (LV) dysfunction; obesity was associated with an increased risk of global left cardiac dysfunction regardless of metabolic health status. The TyG index mediated 25% of the associations between BMI and Left atrial (LA) function. ROC analysis exhibited that the TyG index can be used as a predictor of LA dysfunction (AUC = 0.63), and the optimal cut-off point for the TyG index is 9.33. Conclusions: Even a "non-obese metabolically unhealthy" is a detrimental state of early LV function; obesity remains a major risk factor for global subclinical left cardiac dysfunction. Using the TyG index could allow early identification of individuals at high risk of subclinical left cardiac dysfunction. Registration number：ChiCTR2200057991；Date of registration: 2022-03-25 URL:http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=162316

It is challenging to distinguish between primary and secondary intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) purely by imaging data, and the two forms of ICHs are treated differently. This study aims to evaluate the potential of CT-based machine learning to identify the etiology of ICHs and compare the effectiveness of two regions of interest (ROI) sketching methods. A total of 1702 radiomic features were extracted from the CT brain images of 238 patients with acute ICH. We used the Select K Best method, least absolute shrinkage, and selection operator logistic regression to select the most discriminable features with a support vector machine to build a classifier model. Then, a ten-fold cross-validation strategy was employed to evaluate the performance of the classifier. From all quantitative CT-based imaging features obtained by two sketch methods, eighteen features were selected respectively. The radiomics model outperformed radiologists in distinguishing between primary and secondary ICH in both the volume of interest and the three-layer ROI sketches. As a result, a machine learning-based CT radiomics model can improve the accuracy of identifying primary and secondary ICH. A three-layer ROI sketch can identify primary versus secondary ICH based on the CT radiomics method.

Background: Obesity is a recognized risk factor for heart failure. People with similar weights may have different metabolic health. Notably, insulin resistance is a hallmark of obesity and a feature of heart failure. We aimed to evaluate the effects of obesity and metabolic health status on subclinical left cardiac function. We also investigated whether insulin resistance (TyG index) plays a role in BMI-linked subclinical left cardiac dysfunction. Methods: The study involved 403 volunteers. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess associations between obesity, metabolic health, and overall subclinical left cardiac function .Mediating analysis was used to explore the role of the TyG index in the association between BMI and left cardiac function. Finally, ROC analysis was performed to explore the predictive value of the TyG index in subclinical left cardiac dysfunction. Results: The correlation analysis showed that metabolic unhealth increased the risk of subclinical left ventricular (LV) dysfunction; obesity was associated with an increased risk of global left cardiac dysfunction regardless of metabolic health status. The TyG index mediated 25% of the associations between BMI and Left atrial (LA) function. ROC analysis exhibited that the TyG index can be used as a predictor of LA dysfunction (AUC = 0.63), and the optimal cut-off point for the TyG index is 9.33. Conclusions: Even a "non-obese metabolically unhealthy" is a detrimental state of early LV function; obesity remains a major risk factor for global subclinical left cardiac dysfunction. Using the TyG index could allow early identification of individuals at high risk of subclinical left cardiac dysfunction. Registration number：ChiCTR2200057991；Date of registration: 2022-03-25 URL:http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=162316

In the application scenario of the smart factory, the computing tasks of smart devices are intensive and the tasks are sensitive to delay. The smart device needs to offload the task to the edge server for execution. However, the computing resources of edge servers are limited and there will be workload imbalance among multiple edge servers. To solve these problems, we propose a joint optimization scheme of task caching and offloading based on task scene awareness, which decouples the joint optimization problem of task caching and offloading into two subproblems: task caching and task offloading. For the task caching subproblem, a bilateral auction task caching algorithm based on task scene awareness is proposed. For the task offloading subproblem, a task offloading algorithm based on task scenario offloading preferences is proposed. The experimental results show that the optimization scheme proposed in this paper has obvious performance advantages when the number of tasks is large and the number of intelligent devices is large. This scheme also achieves workload balancing among multiple edge servers.

Aqueous batteries that use metal anodes exhibit maximum anodic capacity, whereas the energy density is still unsatisfactory partially due to the high redox potential of the metal anode. Current metal anodes are plagued by the dilemma that the redox potential of Zn is not low enough, whereas Al, Mg, and others with excessively low redox potential cannot work properly in aqueous electrolytes. Mn metal with a suitably low redox potential is a promising candidate, which was rarely explored before. Here, we report a rechargeable aqueous Mn-metal battery enabled by a well-designed electrolyte and robust inorganic-organic interfaces. The inorganic Sn-based interface with a bottom-up microstructure was constructed to preliminarily suppress water decomposition. With this bubble-free interface, the organic interface can be formed via an esterification reaction of sucrose triggered by acyl chloride in the electrolyte, generating a dense physical shield that isolates water while permitting Mn

Earth-rock dams are among the most important and expensive infrastructure projects. A key safety issue is dam zone boundary detection to prevent the intrusion of materials from different zones. However, existing detection methods strongly highly depend on human judgement, which is time consuming and labor intensive. To solve this problem, this work proposes a fast boundary detection method based on the Otsu algorithm optimized by enhanced Harris hawks optimization (HHO). Compared with the original Otsu algorithm, the proposed method has a higher computation speed to meet the time requirements of engineering projects. Particle swarm optimization is adopted to enhance the exploration stage of HHO. In addition, a tangent function and chaotic sine map are used to improve the convergence speed and robustness. The application of the proposed method to a real-life project shows that the calculation time can be reduced to 20 s, which is approximately 18.8% of the original calculation time.

Objectives The aim of this study is to identify the peri-procedural risk factors and outcomes of hemodynamic instability (HI) after carotid artery stenting (CAS). Methods A single-center, retrospective study was performed in 168 patients who underwent CAS procedure between September 2017 and September 2020. The presence of HI, as defined by hypertension (systolic blood pressure >160 mmHg), hypotension (systolic blood pressure Results Among 168 patients (mean age, 68.2 ± 8.3 years; 81.5% male), the frequency of post-procedural long-period HI was noted in 42 patients (25.0%). Male was prone to experience HI (odds ratio, 9.156, p = 0.021). Aggressive inflation pressure (>7 atm) and 5 mm balloon for pre-dilatation were risk factors of long-period HI (OR, 7.372, p = 0.035; OR, 3.527, p = 0.023). Intraoperative peak blood pressure and larger-sized stents remained independent predictors for the development of HI (OR, 1.043, p = 0.027, and OR, 1.973, p = 0.015). Patients with prolonged HI were more likely to suffer TIA and stroke compared to other patients and significant difference was found in the occurrence of TIA ( p < 0.05). Non-significance was found in mortality rate and other outcomes. Conclusions CAS-induced HI occurs in a considerable percentage while several peri-procedural variables are determined as independent predictors to develop long-period HI. Patients with prolonged HI are associated with increased risk of neurologic events and thus standardized intervention as well as management of long-period HI are of critical importance during clinical process.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The influence of cerebral large artery stenosis (CLAS) on ischemic leukoaraiosis (LA) remains elusive. Based on the proposed stages of the preinfarction period, this study aimed to adopt the staging system to assess the correlation between ischemic LA and CLAS. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients with unilateral CLAS ≥50% and without cerebral stroke were screened. The severity and distribution of stenosis were evaluated on computed tomography angiography images. The degree of regional cerebral perfusion was rated according to the stages of preinfarction period: 0=normal, 1=stage Ia, 2=stage Ib, 3=stage IIa, 4=stage IIb. Stage I included stage Ia and stage Ib. Stage II included stage IIa and stage IIb. LA was scored with Fazakas scale on T2-weighted image and/or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequences. RESULTS The cohort consisted of 212 patients (mean age, 66.89±11.39 y), including 145 (68.40%) males. CLAS severity and distribution did not differ between patients with and without LA (P>0.05). Normal, stage I, and stage II had significantly different incidences of LA and hemispheric LA scores in the left and right hemispheres (P

On-line monitoring and fault warning of energy equipment operation performance is very important, and it is also an important part of achieving energy internet. Therefore, the construction of a comprehensive management and control with big data platform system is one of the key research directions of the current energy internet. However, IPv4 network protocol is basically used to the existing application system construction strategy for communication. In the future, there will be scale limitations in the form of big data communication form with multi-energy interconnection. This paper firstly product an integrated management and control platform with big data based on IPv6 for regional multi-energy cooperation, which realizes a method that multiple heterogeneous big data can be saved efficiently and fast in a bandwidth limitation. The platform had realized not only the collection of the complicated multi-energy equipment running data which is structured and unstructured, but also monitoring evaluation and early warning diagnosis to the multi-energy equipment running. That can be referential for the construction of energy internet.

Background A carotid web (CW), an atypical fibromuscular dysplasia, is rare and may cause ischemic stroke. It is challenging to recognize a CW promptly and treat it accordingly. We report a case of an initially misdiagnosed CW. Case Description A 48-year-old man with recurrent cerebral infarction was transferred to our hospital for bypass surgery. Imaging performed at our facility showed multiple old infarct lesions and cerebral tissue hypoperfusion in the occluded left middle cerebral artery territory. Bypass surgery was performed without perioperative complications. While searching for the cause of his stroke, we found a thin intraluminal filling defect along the posterior wall of the left carotid bulb just beyond the carotid bifurcation on sagittal maximal intensity projection images, axial thin-cut images, and volume rendering images. The defect was diagnosed as a CW. It was also detected on follow-up ultrasonography. Owing to our initial unawareness, we did not photograph the carotid bulb during preoperative digital subtraction angiography and postoperative computed tomography angiography. Although the patient was treated with bypass, the persistence of the factors underlying the CW may induce further thrombosis and subsequent occlusion of his ipsilateral anterior cerebral artery. Conclusions Clinicians should be aware of CW as a potential cause of ischemic stroke. Head and neck computed tomography angiography is a reliable imaging method to detect CWs.

Combining the principle of antibody concentration with the idea of biological evolution, this paper proposes an adaptive target detection algorithm for cloud service security based on Bio-Inspired Performance Evaluation Process Algebra (Bio-PEPA). The formal modelling of cloud services is formally modded by Bio-PEPA and the modules are transformed between cloud service internal structures and various components. Then, the security adaptive target detection algorithm of cloud service is divided into two processes, the short-term optimal action selection process which selects the current optimal detective action through the iterative operation of the expected function and the adaptive function, and the long-term detective strategy realized through the updates and eliminations of action planning table. The combination of the two processes reflects the self-adaptability of cloud service system to target detection. The simulating test detects three different kinds of security risks and then analyzes the relationship between the numbers of components with time in the service process. The performance of this method is compared with random detection method and three anomaly detection methods by the cloud service detection experiment. The detection time of this method is 50.1% of three kinds of detection methods and 86.3% of the random detection method. The service success rate is about 15% higher than that of random detection methods. The experimental results show that the algorithm has good time performance and high detection hit rate.

In this paper, a visualization and modeling method for the internal fixation plate in personalized and minimally invasive long bone fracture surgery is presented. This framework mainly includes six sub-steps: firstly, the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method is used to extract the 3D axis of the broken bone; secondly, the Gauss mapping method is utilized to segment the end surfaces of the broken bone; thirdly, the maximum common subgraph strategy is utilized to complete the end surface matching; fourthly, the OBB (Oriented Bounding Box) method is utilized to accomplish the pre-registration of the fracture surface; fifthly, the ICP (Iterative Closest Point) algorithm is utilized to achieve the fracture surface models’ accurate alignment; lastly, the personalized bent internal fixation plate model can be reconstructed based on anchor points. Via this method, doctors can obtain the accurate and personalized internal fixation plate model that has the best matching geometric form to the patient’s broken bones. This method can provide a well technique base and computational solution for the minimally invasive long bone fracture surgery.

Purpose Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) has various clinical presentations and has a median onset delay of 7 days. So it is important to find more identifiable early imaging manifestations for CVT. Method This was a retrospective study. Patients with CVT (CVT group, n = 26) diagnosed by conventional imaging techniques (magnetic resonance imaging and/or digital subtraction angiogram) and patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis (control group, n = 30) were included. Magnetic resonance black-blood thrombus imaging (MRBTI) technique had been performed in both groups. The CVT group was divided into 3 groups based on the duration of clinical onset: ≤7 days (group 1), between 7 and 30 days (group 2), and >30 days (group 3). Pathological pachymeningeal enhancement and its characteristics were analyzed between the CVT group and the control group. Results Pathological pachymeningeal enhancement was found in 14 CVT patients (54 %) and none in control group (P value = 0.000). The bilateral pathological pachymeningeal enhancement was involved in 10 CVT patients, 6 patients were asymmetric, and 4 patients had ipsilateral enhancement. Asymmetric pathological pachymeningeal enhancement was 71 % and predominantly located on the thrombosed sinus side. Strong enhancement was found in the venous sinus wall beside the thrombus. Pathological pachymeningeal enhancement percentages of three subgroups were 75 % in group 1, 55 % in group 2, and 29 % in group 3 and had no statistical differences (p value = 0.198). Conclusions Current findings suggest asymmetrical pathological pachymeningeal enhancement was associated was CVT and may be a new imaging feature for CVT.

Lithium–sulfur battery with high theoretical capacity becomes the subject of recent attention. Its commercial progress is impeded by its poor electrical conductivity and high dissolubility of intermediate products in organic electrolyte. In the present work, we report a novel three-dimensional graphene-wrapped porous carbon (3D-G) to accommodate sulfur, which consists of outside highly stable interconnected graphene-like sheets and inner activated porous carbon. The 3D-G was synthesized from cheap polyacrylic acid cation-exchange resin, which introduces nickel ions as catalysts in the carbonization process, as a cost effective, facile and simple method. This 3D-G showed hierarchical pores: 0.7 nm micropores and macropores, providing a large specific surface area of 1375.08 m2 g−1. Benefiting from this unique structure, the 3D-G performed well as host materials to achieve a high sulfur content (75.4 wt%). Such a 3D-G@S composite exhibits capacity-fading rate as low as 0.28% per cycle over 100 cycles at 0.1 C, and good cyclability at various cycling rates (0.1–1 C).

A fluorescence microsphere suspension array technique has been developed as a promising tool for the molecular detection of Listeria monocytogene (LM), which is a dangerous food borne pathogen that can cause severe food intoxication in both humans and animals. In such a technique, fluorescent microspheres as the key matrix for detection are often decorated with neutral organic dyes, which usually suffer from instability, easy photobleaching and loss from the matrix. Herein, we design and synthesize a new organic–inorganic hybrid POM–pyrene compound [N(C4H9)4]2[V6O13{(OCH2)3CNH–CH2–C16H9}2] (1), which is employed as a negatively-charged fluorescent material to prepare a new class of fluorescent microspheres by a layer-by-layer electrostatic self-assembly method. As a result, such POM–pyrene-decorated fluorescent microspheres possess obvious luminescence properties, superior photo-stability and long-term stability. Therefore, the POM–pyrene-decorated fluorescent microspheres are conjugated by monoclonal anti-LM antibodies, and introduced into the fluorescence microsphere-based suspension immunoassay system for the detection of LM in food, which exhibits a high sensitivity. The lowest limit of detection (LOD) of LM in artificially contaminated meat is down to 6 CFU g−1 without cross-reactivity with other pathogens. Furthermore, the suspension immunoassay based on PS@POM–pyrene microspheres shows excellent specificity to LM, good repeatability and high efficiency in contrast to the conventional culture-based method.

It is challenging to achieve high implant accuracy in dental implant placement, because high risk tissues need to be avoided. In this study, we present an augmented reality (AR) surgical navigation with an accurate cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)-patient registration method to provide clinically desired dental implant accuracy. A registration device is used for registration between preoperative data and patient outside the patient's mouth. After registration, the registration device is worn on the patient's teeth for tracking the patient. Naked-eye 3D images of the planning path and the mandibular nerve are superimposed onto the patient in situ to form an AR scene. Simultaneously, a 3D image of the drill is overlaid accurately on the real one to guide the implant procedure. Finally, implant accuracy is evaluated postoperatively. A model experiment was performed by an experienced dentist. Totally, ten parallel pins were inserted into five 3D-printed mandible models guided by our AR navigation method and through the dentist's experience, respectively. AR-guided dental implant placement showed better results than the dentist's experience (mean target error = 1.25 mm vs. 1.63 mm; mean angle error = 4.03° vs. 6.10°). Experimental results indicate that the proposed method is expected to be applied in the clinic. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

We present a new quantitative method for detecting changes in 3D medical images. The dissimilarity between shapes is quantified as a measure of the effort it takes to deform one 3D region into another. Our main tool is an assessment of conformal and isometric distortions of mappings between volumes. Unlike most existing techniques for shape comparison, our algorithm operates both on triangular and tetrahedral meshes, and therefore can be applied both for closed simply connected surfaces, as well as for volumetric domains homeomorphic to a ball, with geometrically complicated boundaries. Furthermore we extend our main geometric distortion measure to higher dimensions, in a manner that allows for the dealing with spatial data at the maximal, as well as at all the lower dimensions.

Escherichia coli O157: H7 (E. coli O157: H7) has become one of the most dangerous foodborne pathogenic bacteria around the world. Currently, because of the tedious, high-cost and stringent laboratory conditions required, the conventional E. coli O157: H7 detection methods, such as culture-based methods and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), have much limitation. Thus, we developed a novel paper-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (p-ELISA) with shorter operation duration, lower cost, relatively higher sensitivity and wider application. This method required less than 3 h and 5 μL of sample to complete the detection. The limit of detection (LOD) for E. coli O157: H7 reached 1 × 104 CFU/mL with high specificity. To be more suitable for on-site testing, the readout could be rapidly obtained without any expensive instruments. In this study, we chose E. coli O157:H7 as the representative, and our method could provide a platform for determination of other pathogenic bacteria.

Biometric applications have been used globally in everyday life. However, conventional biometrics is created and optimized for high-security scenarios. Being used in daily life by ordinary untrained people is a new challenge. Facing this challenge, designing a biometric system with prior constraints of ergonomics, we propose ergonomic biometrics design model, which attains the physiological factors, the psychological factors, and the conventional security characteristics. With this model, a novel hand-based biometric system, door knob hand recognition system (DKHRS), is proposed. DKHRS has the identical appearance of a conventional door knob, which is an optimum solution in both physiological factors and psychological factors. In this system, a hand image is captured by door knob imaging scheme, which is a tailored omnivision imaging structure and is optimized for this predetermined door knob appearance. Then features are extracted by local Gabor binary pattern histogram sequence method and classified by projective dictionary pair learning. In the experiment on a large data set including 12 000 images from 200 people, the proposed system achieves competitive recognition performance comparing with conventional biometrics like face and fingerprint recognition systems, with an equal error rate of 0.091%. This paper shows that a biometric system could be built with a reliable recognition performance under the ergonomic constraints.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hybrid revascularization by carotid endarterectomy and endovascular intervention in the treatment of chronic internal carotid artery occlusion (ICAO).We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who received hybrid treatment for symptomatic chronic ICAO between December 2016 and December 2018. Fifty-six patients with long-segment ICAO were enrolled and divided into the short duration (1-3 months) and long ICAO duration (3 months) groups, and their clinical and angiographic data were analyzed.The mean duration was 106.8 ± 36.1 days from the date of ICAO diagnosis to revascularization. Totally, 10 patients (17.8%, n = 56) in the short duration group while no patients in the long duration group failed recanalization (n = 7). Perioperative complications included intraoperative thromboembolism in 1 (1.8%) patient and subarachnoid hemorrhage in 2 (3.6%) patients. Early phase postoperative hypertension was noted in 11 (19.6%) patients and cervical hemorrhage in 1 (1.8%) patient. No severe neurological deficits occurred. Overall, the 6-month modified Rankin score, Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores in patients with successful recanalization significantly improved versus the baseline (P 0.05). After successful recanalization, the long duration group demonstrated more stents for revascularization compared with the short duration group (P 0.05). Five (10.8%) patients had recurrent transient ischemic attack, and 1 (2.2%) patient developed stroke in the successful revascularization group during 6 months of follow-up. ICA restenosis occurred in 5 (8.9%) patients and re-occlusion was noted in 1 (1.8%) patient.Hybrid operation may be feasible and effective for patients with symptomatic chronic complete ICAO according to our limited data. The original occlusion site from the carotid bifurcation and the duration of ICAO should be considered as independent indicators for successful recanalization as well as perioperative outcomes.

Biometric recognition systems have been widely used globally. However, one effective and highly accurate biometric authentication method, palmprint recognition, has not been popularly applied as it should have been, which could be due to the lack of small, flexible and user-friendly acquisition systems. To expand the use of palmprint biometrics, we propose a novel palmprint acquisition system based on the line-scan image sensor. The proposed system consists of a customized and highly integrated line-scan sensor, a self-adaptive synchronizing unit, and a field-programmable gate array controller with a cross-platform interface. The volume of the proposed system is over 94% smaller than the volume of existing palmprint systems, without compromising its verification performance. The verification performance of the proposed system was tested on a database of 8000 samples collected from 250 people, and the equal error rate is 0.048%, which is comparable to the best area camera-based systems.

Identity authentication based on face recognition has been significantly improved due to the outstanding ability of face detection, thus it plays an important role in society. However, face recognition system might be deceived by malicious face spoof attacks raising risk from both safety and property. The algorithm to accurately detect face anti-spoofing in identity authentication system is becoming crucial. In this paper, a shallow convolutional neural network with laplacian embedding (shallowCNN-LE) is proposed for face anti-spoofing. Two different types of features are concatenated to accurately detect the face liveness, including depth features and dynamic texture features. First, the developed shallow CNN model contains four layers which make the model faster. Second, we integrate dynamic texture features extracted by using the dual tree complex wavelet transform (DT-CWT) with the depth features as input features to feed into the proposed model. Finally, we propose a laplacian embedding algorithm, which can maintain the inter-class discrimination and penalize the distance of intra-class. When embedding the laplacian loss with the softmax loss, the proposed method can obtain much more discriminative features, which is helpful to detect face anti-spoofing. Experimental results on public databases of CASIA FASD, Replay attack and MSU USSA database demonstrate that our proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods for face anti-spoofing detection.

PURPOSE This research aimed to propose a three-dimensional (3D) augmented reality navigation method with point cloud-based image-patient registration that could merge virtual images in the real environment for dental implants using a 3D image overlay and to evaluate its feasibility. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 12 rapid prototyping mandibular models were fabricated using a 3D printing method and were divided into two groups: 3D augmented reality-guided group and traditional two-dimensional (2D) image-guided group. A point cloud-based preoperative image-to-patient registration method was introduced to replace the traditional point-to-point registration. After the registration, dental implant surgery was performed in the two model groups using an augmented reality-guided navigation method and a traditional two-dimensional image-guided navigation method. The planned and actual postoperative implant positions were compared for measuring positional implantation errors. The surgery time was also recorded and compared between the two groups. RESULTS In the model experiment, the root-mean-square deviation of registration was 0.54 mm, and the implant surgery results showed < 1.5-mm mean linear deviation and < 5.5-degree angular deviation. The augmented reality-guided implantation showed smaller horizontal, vertical, and angular errors in the apical areas of the central incisor and the canine region. The surgery time using the augmented reality-guided navigation method was significantly shorter than that using the two-dimensional (2D) image-guided navigation method (P < .05). Moreover, the volunteer experiment demonstrated that the preoperative 3D models in situ accurately overlaid onto the surgical site. CONCLUSION The proposed point cloud-based registration method can achieve excellent registration accuracy. Dental implant placement guided by the proposed 3D augmented reality navigation method showed better accuracy and applicability, as well as higher efficiency, than the traditional 2D image navigation method.

Background and Purpose— Early diagnosis of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is currently a major clinical challenge. We proposed a novel magnetic resonance black-blood thrombus imaging technique (MRBTI) for detection and quantification of CVT. Methods— MRBTI was performed on 23 patients with proven CVT and 24 patients with negative CVT confirmed by conventional imaging techniques. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the duration of clinical onset: ≤7 days (group 1) and between 7 and 30 days (group 2). Signal/noise ratio was calculated for the detected thrombus, and contrast/noise ratio was measured between thrombus and lumen and also between thrombus and brain tissue. The feasibility of using MRBTI for thrombus volume measurement was explored, and total thrombus volume was calculated for each patient. Results— In 23 patients with proven CVT, MRBTI correctly identified 113 of 116 segments with a sensitivity of 97.4%. Thrombus signal/noise ratio was 153±57 and 261±95 for group 1 (n=10) and group 2 (n=13), respectively ( P P Conclusions— The current findings support that with effectively suppressed blood signal, MRBTI allows selective visualization of thrombus as opposed to indirect detection of venous flow perturbation and can be used as a promising first-line diagnostic imaging tool.

Dysfunction of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) may be linked to intracranial aneurysm (IA) formation. VSMCs possess a phenotypic plasticity, capable of changing from a mature, contractile to a less differentiated, synthetic phenotype. In this study, we identify a microRNA candidate miR-331-3p that participates in regulating differentiation properties of VSMCs. The expression of TNF-α and CD14 was quantified in IA wall tissues obtained from 96 IA patients and their associations with clinicopathological features of IA were assessed. Then the interactions between miR-331-3p, TNF-α and CD14 were evaluated by determination of luciferase activity. Differentiated properties of VSMCs were assessed from phenotypic markers of contractile VSMCs, a-SMA and E-cadherin, and of synthetic VSMCs, ICAM-1, MCP-1, IL-6, MMP-2 and MMP-9. Rat IA models by ligation of left carotid artery and left renal artery and histological analysis of induced IAs were performed. The TNF-α and CD14 was highly expressed in IA wall tissues and associated with the type and diameter of aneurysm. Depletion of TNF-α or CD14 retarded VSMC apoptosis and transformation to the synthetic type but facilitated cell proliferation. Elevations in miR-331-3p, a direct negative regulator of both TNF-α and CD14, also reduced VSMC apoptosis and prevented VSMCs from synthetic type and increase their proliferation. Furthermore, miR-331-3p was demonstrated to inhibit the formation of IA by down-regulating TNF-α and CD14 in vivo. In conclusion, miR-331-3p maintains the contractile type of VSMCs, thus possibly inhibiting the progression of IA. These findings provide potential new strategies for the clinical treatment of IA.

Nowadays, good medical services are located in the high-level hospitals. The uneven regional distribution and the unbalanced medical quality between different hospitals bring obstacles to patients for better healthcare. In the community hospital, surgeons may lack advanced surgical skills. Considering the clinical needs, we present an augmented-reality (AR) navigation system using 3-D image overlay technology for better healthcare visualization. Autostereoscopic 3-D images of anatomic structures, which are reproduced by employing integral videography technology, are superimposed on the patient via a half-silvered mirror to form an AR navigation scene. The proposed system can generate the vivid autostereoscopic 3-D medical images and realize in situ image overlay, which eliminates the hand-eye coordination problem. By using our system, surgeons can intuitively observe the operative area, the marked high-risky tissue, surgical tools and surgical planning pathway, which make the surgical operation more convenient and intuitive. To consider the demands of clinical applications, we design a new semi-streamlined prototype combining adjustment mechanism and servomotors, which can broaden the visual field. Results illustrate that the navigation system can enhance the surgeons’ operation of the facilitation, as well as the design is more integrated and commercialized, which are more suitable for clinical applications. It is advanced to realize remote visual display and intuitive guidance to solve the uneven distribution of medical resources. What’s more, the system can be used for surgical skill training under the guidance of the 3-D images. Thus, the AR system is beneficial to healthcare, especially in the resource-scare communities.

Objective We report a rare case of atherosclerotic-moyamoya syndrome (A-MMS) in an adult female with genetic variant of both ring finger 213 (RNF213) p.R4810K and p.T1727M. Case report A 46-year-old previously healthy, right-handed woman displayed transient slurred speech, which started to worsen four years ago. Initial magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) revealed stenosis in left middle cerebral artery (MCA), bilateral anterior cerebral artery (ACA), and left posterior cerebral artery (PCA). The patient subsequently underwent catheter angiography, which confirmed the formation of moyamoya vessels, with Suzuki's angiographic staging of grade-3 on the left side. Although the patient had been on both anti-platelet and statin therapy at the time, a follow-up examination showed further exacerbation of left MCA stenosis, along with enhanced moyamoya vessel formation. On black-blood imaging using DANTE-SPACE, there were eccentric, evolving lesions in the left MCA. We next screened for potential genetic variants, using genomic DNA samples isolated from both the patient and her immediate family members. The results showed that the patient, along with her mother, sister, and brother, possessed the heterozygous variant of the RNF213 gene, including c.14429G > A (p.R4810K) and c.5180C > T (p.T1727M). The patient's daughter did not have the variant. Conclusion Collectively, we present a unique case of A-MMS with genetic variant of RNF213 p.R4810K and p.T1727M, manifesting as progression. Based on the family tree, these two mutations are on the same RNF213 haplotype. Whether atherosclerosis is the cause of A-MMS or it further exacerbates the injury of MMD to the A-MMS patients with RNF213 gene variant is a question to be investigated.

Tattoos, a soft biometrie trait, are gradually being used to identify suspects in forensic science. Based on LAB color space and K-mean clustering, we propose a novel segmentation algorithm to improve the segmentation accuracy of color tattoos. The process consists of three parts. Firstly, we use K-mean clustering and human skin color segmentation in LAB color space to detect the skin area. Then, we employ the mathematical morphology processing to smooth the clear graphic image of the tattoo segment. Finally, we extract and detect the color tattoos segmentation according to the connectivity of tattoo regions. Compared with the existing methods, this method has low computational complexity. And results of extensive experiments show that the proposed algorithm not only overcomes the limitations of single algorithm, but also improves segmentation accuracy.

Background Cs2K4Na [SiW9Nb3O40] (POM93) is a novel broad-spectrum antiviral agent with high activity, high stability, and low toxicity in vitro. Most toxicity studies for POM93 have been performed in cultured cell lines rather than in animals. Like other POMs, there is a lack of evidence for in vivo toxicity limits, oral bioavailability, and therapeutic applications. Methods The toxic properties of POM93 were evaluated comprehensively in vivo, including the acute and subchronic oral toxicity studies and genotoxicity tests. Results The acute toxicity study showed no abnormal changes or mortality in rats treated with POM93 even at the single high dose of 5000 mg/kg body weight. In the subchronic toxicity study, regardless of the body weight, the organ weight, and the hematological parameters, similar results were observed between the control group and the experimental groups. POM93 produced mild changes in rare hematological parameters in the liver and kidneys, but did not induce the clinical symptoms of liver or kidneys injury in rats as confirmed by histopathological analysis. Moreover, neither mutagenicity nor clastogenicity was caused by POM93 treatment in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions The present study demonstrates that the oral administration of POM93 is presumed safe and poses a low risk of potential health risks. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40360-017-0133-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

By analyzing the difference of facial texture features between living face and photo, we propose a novel face anti-spoofing algorithm based on gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) and dual-tree complex wavelet tree (DT-CWT). Firstly, inspired by the co-occurrence matrix, we extract five texture features including angle second moment, entropy, contrast, correlation and local uniformity to represent the gray direction, interval and amplitude information for the face texture information. Secondly, DT-CWT has the advantages of approximate translation invariance and good direction selectivity. Therefore, the coefficients of DT-CWT can enhance the texture information and edge information in the frequency domain. At last, the SVM classification is used to distinguish between true and fake face. Our algorithm is demonstrated on the published NUAA database. Compared with the existing methods, the feature dimension is reduced. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm improves the detection accuracy.

Supporting information for POM93 characterization (Figures S1-S2) and subchronic toxicity (Table S1-S2). (DOCX 54Â kb)

Recent studies have examined the impact of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5-Is) use on the risk of prostate cancer, and biochemical recurrence (BCR) in prostate cancer patients, but the results were inconsistent. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the associations with all published studies. Databases (PubMed, Web of Science and MEDLINE) were retrieved to identify relevant studies which explored the impact of PDE5-Is use on the risk of prostate cancer, and BCR in prostate cancer patients. The summary results along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Nine articles were eligible for the inclusion criteria. The pooled analysis showed that PDE5-Is use was not related to the increased risk of prostate cancer (odds ratio (OR), 0.71; 95% CI, 0.40-1.29). Moreover, PDE5-Is use was not linked to BCR risk in prostate cancer patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) following radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy (relative risk (RR), 1.09; 95% CI, 0.89-1.34). The heterogeneity test suggested moderate heterogeneity across studies. PDE5-Is use does not influence the risk of prostate cancer, and BCR in prostate cancer patients. More well-designed studies are warranted to confirm the findings of our analyses.

The Accession Numbers of OMPs of Brucella spp. in NCBI Protein database. (DOC 32Â kb)

IELISA assay analysis of serum samples in negative controls, healthy individuals and patients with other bacterial infection. (DOC 1403Â kb)

Specimen characteristics of positive and negative. (DOC 30Â kb)

Specimen characteristics of positive and negative. (DOC 30Â kb)

Isotype specific reactivity positive results from the sera of brucellosis patients(146 samples) and controls(102 samples) in ELISA. (DOC 30Â kb)

The Accession Numbers of OMPs of Brucella spp. in NCBI Protein database. (DOC 32Â kb)

Isotype specific reactivity positive results from the sera of brucellosis patients(146 samples) and controls(102 samples) in ELISA. (DOC 30Â kb)

Background In epidemic regions of the world, brucellosis is a reemerging zoonosis with minimal mortality but is a serious public hygiene problem. Currently, there are various methods for brucellosis diagnosis, however few of them are available to be used to diagnose, especially for serious cross-reaction with other bacteria. Method To overcome this disadvantage, we explored a novel multi-epitope recombinant protein as human brucellosis diagnostic antigen. We established an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on this recombinant protein. 248 sera obtained from three different groups including patients with brucellosis (146 samples), non-brucellosis patients (82 samples), and healthy individuals (20 samples) were tested by indirect ELISA. To evaluate the assay, a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and immunoblotting were carried out using these characterized serum samples. Results For this test, the area under the ROC curve was 0.9409 (95 % confidence interval, 0.9108 to 0.9709), and a sensitivity of 88.89 % and a specificity of 85.54 % was given with a cutoff value of 0.3865 from this ROC analysis. The Western blot results indicate that it is feasible to differentiate human brucellosis and non-brucellosis with the newly established method based on this recombinant protein. Conclusion Our results obtained high diagnostic accuracy of the ELISA assay which encourage the use of this novel recombinant protein as diagnostic antigen to implement serological diagnosis of brucellosis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-016-1552-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.