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Facial expression recognition plays a significant role in the application of man–machine interaction. However, existing models typically have shortcomings with numerous parameters, large model sizes, and high computational costs, which are difficult to deploy in resource‐constrained devices. This paper proposes a lightweight network based on improved MobileNetV3 to mitigate these disadvantages. Firstly, we adjust the channels in the high‐level network to reduce the number of parameters and model size, and then, the coordinate attention mechanism is introduced to the network, which enhances the attention of the network with few parameters and low computing cost. Furthermore, a complementary pooling structure is designed to improve the coordinate attention mechanism, which enables it to assist the network in extracting salient features sufficiently. In addition, the network with the joint loss consisting of the softmax loss and centre loss is trained, which can minimize the intra‐class gap and improve the classification performance. Finally, the network is trained and tested on public datasets FERPlus and RAF‐DB, with the best accuracy of 87.5% and 86.6%, respectively. The FLOPs, parameters, and the memory storage size are only 0.19GMac, 1.3 M, and 15.9 MB, respectively, which is lighter than most state‐of‐the‐art networks. Code is available at https://github.com/RIS‐LAB1/FER‐mobilenet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Osteoradionecrosis of the jaw (ORNJ) is one of the most common and serious complications after radiotherapy of head and neck malignancies due to the high incidence of nasopharyngeal cancer in Southern China. Clinicians lack understanding and consensus on anti‐infective treatment in ORNJ lesions. This research aims to provide evidence for rational use of antibiotics by reviewing the bacterial spectrums and antimicrobial susceptibility test of ORNJ patients. Methods: We collected patient who was diagnosed with ORNJ from November 2012 to June 2019 in our hospital. Exudate or bone unexposed wound surface sampling, agar plates culturing, and susceptibility testing were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used for data presentation. Results: A total of 219 samples were collected in our retrospective study. The most common cultured bacteria were Klebsiella pneumoniae (15.10%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13.54%), and Staphylococcus aureus (10.94%). Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) accounted for 5.21% in the whole positive samples. Ticarcillin, Ofloxacin, Vancomycin, Tigecycline, and Meropenem were more susceptible than other antibiotics to treat uncontrollable infection. Conclusions: Our research provided objective evidence for understanding the types of local bacterial flora and drug susceptibility in ORNJ lesions and gave a guiding reference for empirical antibiotics medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus (DM) and identify new biomarkers, high‐throughput RNA sequencing provides a technical means to explore the regulatory network of MD gene expression. To better elucidate the genetic basis of DM, we analysed the circRNA and mRNA expression profiles in serum samples from diabetic patients. The circRNAs and mRNAs with abnormal expression in the DM group and non‐diabetic group (NDM) were classified by RNA sequencing and differential expression analysis. The circRNA‐miRNA‐mRNA regulatory network reveals the mechanism by which competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) regulate gene expression. The biological functions and interactions of circRNA and mRNA were analysed by gene ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Differential expression analysis showed that 441 circRNAs (366 up‐regulated, 75 down‐regulated) and 683 mRNAs (354 up‐regulated, 329 down‐regulated) were significantly differentially expressed in the DM group compared with the NDM group. Screening of the differential genes at the nodes of the interaction network showed that a single circRNA could interact with multiple miRNAs and then jointly regulate more mRNAs. In addition, the expressions of circRNA CNOT6 and AXIN1 as well as mRNA STAT3, MYD88, and B2M were associated with the progression of diabetes. Enrichment pathway analysis indicated that differentially expressed circRNA and mRNA may participate in Nod‐like receptor signalling pathway, insulin signalling pathway, sphinolipid metabolism pathway, and ribosome pathway, and play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetes. This study provides a theoretical basis for elucidating the molecular mechanism of DM occurrence and development at circRNA and mRNA levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) is an independent prognostic factor for many malignant tumors. However, the value of this factor in patients with clinical T1‐2N0 (cT1‐2N0) oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is still unclear. Methods: We calculated SIRI of 235 cT1‐2N0 OSCC patients from 2013 to 2017. Multivariate cox regression analysis was applied to verify the prognostic significance of SIRI. Kaplan–Meier curves were plotted to analyze the overall survival (OS) and disease‐specific survival (DSS) for cT1‐2N0 OSCC patients. Results: According to the optimal cutoff point of SIRI, we divided cT1‐2N0 OSCC patients into high SIRI group (SIRI ≥ 1.3) and low SIRI group (SIRI < 1.3). SIRI was an independent prognostic indicator for OS (HR = 2.87; 95% CI = 1.35–6.10; p =.006) and DSS (HR = 2.17; 95% CI = 1.10–4.27; p =.025). High SIRI had a significantly poorer OS (p =.001) and DSS (p =.007) in survival analysis than the low SIRI. Moreover, the prognostic value of SIRI was significantly stronger than neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and monocyte‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (MLR). Conclusions: Preoperative SIRI can be regarded as a meaningful indicator for poor survival of cT1‐2N0 OSCC patients, and it is a promising tool to formulate the best individualized treatment for high‐risk patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caffeine (CA) is accepted as a probe of cytochrome P450 1A2 enzyme (CYP1A2) activity and is commonly used in premature infants with great inter‐individual variability of metabolism. To evaluate the change characteristics of CYP1A2 activity in premature infants, an ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and optimized for the simultaneous quantitation of serum CA and its major metabolites, including paraxanthine (PX), theophylline (TP) and theobromine (TB), in premature infants. A C18 column and gradient elution with 0.1% formic acid in methanol and 0.1% formic acid in water at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min were used for compound separation. The mass spectrometer monitored the transitions of CA (m/z 195.0 → 138.0), CA‐d9 (m/z 204.0 → 144.1), PX (m/z 181.0 → 124.1), TP (m/z 181.0 → 123.9) and TB (m/z 181.0 → 138.0) using multiple reaction monitoring in positive ion mode. CYP1A2 activity was evaluated by serum molar concentration ratios of CA and its metabolites. The results showed that CYP1A2 has a significant positive correlation with the clearance of CA, and was affected by current weight and CYP1A2*1C. The results suggested that the serum concentration ratios of CA metabolites could be used to predict the changes in CYP1A2 enzyme activity in premature infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to elucidate the pathogenesis and explore new biomarkers for diabetes and diabetic foot (DF), an analysis using RNA sequencing affords broader insights into gene expression regulatory networks in DF. To better explore the molecular basis of DF, we carried out an analysis of circular RNA (circRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression profiles of serum samples from DF patients and diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. The potential roles and interactions of differentially expressed circRNAs and mRNAs were classified by gene ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses. Compared with diabetes patients, 279 mRNAs were upregulated and 353 mRNAs were downregulated in the serum of DF patients, and 33 circRNAs were differently expressed. The differential genes at the nodes of the interaction network were screened, and TLR6 RUNX1 and ST2 were found to be related to the progression of diabetes and DF. The enrichment pathway analysis revealed that the lysosomal pathway played a critical role in the occurrence and development of DF. TLR6, RUNX1, and ST2 mRNA expressions and the lysosomal pathway may be involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes and DF. In addition, methane metabolism and Chagas disease pathways were observed in the occurrence and development of DF, which is a new discovery in this study. This study provides clues on the molecular mechanisms of DF at the circRNA and mRNA levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Astrocytic excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) regulate extracellular glutamate concentrations and play a role in preventing neuroexcitotoxicity. As the δ-opioid receptor (DOP receptor) is neuroprotective against excitotoxic injury, we determined whether DOP receptor activation up-regulates EAAT expression and function.Experimental Approach: We measured mRNA and protein expression of EAAT1, EAAT2 and EAAT3 in cultured mouse astrocytes exposed to a specific DOP receptor agonist (UFP-512) with or without a DOP receptor antagonist, DOP receptor siRNA or inhibitors of PKC, PKA, PI3K, p38, MAPK, MEK and ERK, and evaluated the function of EAATs by measuring glutamate uptake.Key Results: Astrocytic DOP receptor mRNA and protein were suppressed by DOP receptor siRNA knockdown. DOP receptor activation increased mRNA and protein expression of EAAT1 and EAAT2, but not EAAT3, thereby enhancing glutamate uptake of astrocytes. DOP receptor-induced EAAT1 and EAAT2 expression was largely reversed by DOP receptor antagonist naltrindole or by DOP receptor siRNA knockdown, and suppressed by inhibitors of MEK, ERK and p38. DOP receptor-accelerated glutamate uptake was inhibited by EAAT blockers, DOP receptor siRNA knockdown or inhibitors of MEK, ERK or p38. In contrast, inhibitors of PKA, PKC or PI3K had no significant effect on DOP receptor-induced EAAT expression.Conclusions and Implications: DOP receptor activation up-regulates astrocytic EAATs via MEK-ERK-p38 signalling, suggesting a critical role for DOP receptors in the regulation of astrocytic EAATs and protection against neuroexcitotoxicity. As decreased EAAT expression contributes to pathophysiology in many neurological diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, our findings present a new platform for potential treatments of these diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serofendic acid is a novel neuroprotective factor isolated from fetal calf serum. To elucidate the mechanisms how serofendic acid exerts neuroprotection, we examined its effects on glutamate-induced excito-toxicity in mouse cortical neurons. The effects of serofendic acid on inflammatory cytokine and neurotrophin production by glial cells were also examined to evaluate the indirect neuroprotection. Serofendic acid significantly and dose dependently increased survival of mouse cortical neurons after 10 μM N-methyl-D-asparate (NMDA) exposure. However, it did not affect production of inflammatory cytokines and neurotrophins by microglia as assessed by reverse transciption polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for mRNA expression and ELISA for protein levels, though it suppressed tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production by astrocytes. Thus, serofendic acid works directly on neurons to protect against glutamate toxicity. Suppression of TNF-α production by astoryctes may also synergistically exert neuroprotective functions of serofendic acid. Serofendic acid may be of use for the future therapeutic strategy against ischemic and degenerative neurological disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]