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Lung cancer has always threatening human health and life. As small pulmonary nodules are main early features of lung cancer, early screening for small pulmonary nodules through computed tomography (CT) imaging is essential for the treatment of lung cancer. In this paper, the YOLOv5 model is improved to improve the ability of detection and recognition of small pulmonary nodules in complex CT lung images. Firstly, the preprocessing step is put into effect to obtain the lung parenchyma in CT images. Then, the backbone structure of YOLOv5 is improved by iResNet to improve the ability of feature extraction, and the feature fusion network is improved by BiFPN to improve the detection ability of small pulmonary nodules. Finally, the strategy of group normalization is used to improve the model performance under small batch size training condition. The experimental results on LUNA16 data set show that the detection AP of the improved model reach 94.8%, the competitive index score is 0.895, and the sensitivity is 78.1%, 94.4%, under 1/8 and 1/4 FPs, respectively. Compared with other two-dimensional target detection models, the improved yolov5 model has better detection ability of small pulmonary nodules. And, the results are better than most other two-dimensional pulmonary nodule detection methods. In addition, compared with other three-dimensional pulmonary nodule detection methods. &nbsp

1 2 Testing Center, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, China 3 Dental Treatment Center, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, 200000, China 4 The activation of the monocyte-macrophage system and the damage to the renal and pancreatic tissue are common complications in patients with diabetes induced by hyperglycemia. This study aimed to evaluate the effect and mechanism of butyrate (NaB), a metabolite of intestinal flora, on inhibiting the inflammatory response of human monocyte-macrophages (THP-1 cells) induced by high glucose and the damage of pancreatic and renal tissue in diabetic mice. The results showed that high concentration glucose significantly up-regulated the expressions of IL-1β, TNF-α, and NLRP3 in THP-1 cells and mouse spleen, and that NaB could inhibit the overexpression of those genes. The abundance of Beclin-1, LC3B and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in THP-1 cells is increased due to the high glucose concentration, and NaB can inhibit the genes responsible for upregulating the expression. In diabetic mice, vacuolar degeneration of renal tubules was observed. Then we observed that some of the epithelial cells of the renal tubules were exfoliated and some formed tubules. NaB could alleviate these pathological lesions, but NaB cannot alleviate pancreatic injury. Our results indicated that NaB could be used for the prevention and adjuvant treatment of diabetic kidney injury.

Sparse representation-based classification (SRC) method has achieved good recognition results and shown strong robustness for face recognition, especially when the face image is affected by illumination variations, expression changes and occlusion. SRC method simply uses the training set as a dictionary to encode test samples. However, the high-dimensional training face data usually contain a large amount of redundant information, which will increase the complexity of this method. Therefore, the image dimensionality reduction procedure is separately performed by most of the existing methods before SRC is launched, but this may not be able to make full use of the discriminative information of the training samples. In this paper, based on the efficient SRC method, a sparse embedding dimensionality reduction strategy is combined with to achieve a face recognition method. For the proposed method, a projection matrix is used to project high-dimensional data into a low-dimensional space. At the same time, a discriminative coefficient constraint term in the objective function is introduced to reduce the classification residual of the sample through the distance relationship between all coefficients. Then the label information of the sample is used to iteratively update the projection matrix and coefficient representation. Finally, the test samples are projected into the low-dimensional space for classification. A large number of experimental results on three widely used face datasets show that the proposed method improves the discrimination of face images in low-dimensional space and can achieve better face recognition results. &nbsp

Clinical History: A 49-year-old Caucasian male consulted his general practitioner with a 3-week history of intermittent right-sided dull groin pain following a mechanical fall. The pain was exacerbated upon running and alleviated with rest. On physical examination, the abdomen was soft with tenderness on palpation in the right iliac fossa and groin., 49 years, male

The present study has evaluated the role of Antcin C in hepatic carcinoma and its possible mechanism of action. The results show that Antcin C causes a significant dose-dependent reduction in cell viability, cell migration and invasion, and enhancement of apoptosis. Moreover, treatment with Antcin C significantly reduces the expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinases/protein kinase B protein in Hep-G2 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, data of the present investigation supports that Antcin C enhances apoptosis in hepatic carcinoma by inhibiting the phosphoinositide 3-kinases/ protein kinase B pathway.

The multifunctional roles of metabolic enzymes allow for the integration of multiple signals to precisely transduce external stimuli into cell fate decisions. Elevation of 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH), the rate-limiting enzyme for de novo serine biosynthesis, is broadly associated with human cancer development; although how PHGDH activity is regulated and its implication in tumorigenesis remains unclear. Here we show that glucose restriction induces the phosphorylation of PHGDH by p38 at Ser371, which promotes the translocation of PHGDH from the cytosol into the nucleus. Concurrently, AMPK phosphorylates PHGDH-Ser55, selectively increasing PHGDH oxidation of malate into oxaloacetate, thus generating NADH. In the nucleus, the altered PHGDH activity restricts NAD+ level and compartmentally repressed NAD+-dependent PARP1 activity for poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of c-Jun, thereby leading to impaired c-Jun transcriptional activity linked to cell growth inhibition. Physiologically, nuclear PHGDH sustains tumour growth under nutrient stress, and the levels of PHGDH-Ser371 and PHGDH-Ser55 phosphorylation correlate with p38 and AMPK activity, respectively, in clinical human pancreatic cancer specimens. These findings illustrate a previously unidentified nutrient-sensing mechanism with the critical involvement of a non-canonical metabolic effect of PHGDH and underscore the functional importance of alternative PHGDH activity in tumorigenesis.

Objectives Kabuki syndrome (KS) is a genetic disorder characterized by intellectual disability, facial dysmorphism and congenital anomalies. We aim to investigate the prenatal features of fetuses with KS and to provide a comprehensive review of the literature on prenatal sonographic abnormalities associated with KS. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the prenatal ultrasound findings of all mothers of children with molecularly confirmed KS in Hong Kong, between 1991 and 2019. We also performed systematic review of the literature to identify studies on the prenatal findings in KS. Results We identified 11 cases with KS with detectable fetal ultrasound findings ranging from no detectable abnormalities to a variety of non-specific findings including increased nuchal translucency, pleural effusion, cardiac anomalies, renal anomalies, intrauterine growth restriction, polyhydramnios, oligohydramnios and single umbilical artery. In combining our cases with the 77 cases published, 42 (50.6%) of them had more than one abnormal antenatal ultrasound finding. The most frequent ultrasound features observed were cardiac anomalies (49.4%), followed by polyhydramnios (28.9%), genitourinary anomalies (26.5%), single umbilical artery (15.7%), intrauterine growth restriction (14.5%) and hydrops fetalis/pleural effusion/ascites (12.0%). Conclusions These cases demonstrate the prenatal phenotypic heterogeneity associated with KS. Although the ultrasound abnormalities are non-specific, KS should be considered in the differential diagnosis when these fetal findings following normal microarray analysis/karyotyping.

Objective. This research is aimed at investigating the relationship between liver fibrosis in viral hepatitis and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP-1), and ceruloplasmin (CER) in serum level. Methods. Patients were randomly selected among those admitted to our hospital, and 60 healthy volunteers were chosen to serve as control participants. The levels of serum M-CSF, CER, and TIMP-1 were compared. According to the severity of their liver fibrosis, patients with CHB were separated into four groups: S1, S2, S3, and S4. Serum levels of M-CSF, CER, and TIMP-1 were correlated with liver fibrosis and hepatitis markers, and the diagnostic usefulness of the three indices was assessed with liver cirrhosis patients. Results. Increases in M-CSF and TIMP-1 in the CHB group but decreases in CER were statistically significant ( P < 0.05 ). Serum levels of M-CSF, CER, TIMP-1, HA, PC-III, C-IV, and LN differed significantly across the four study groups ( P < 0.05 ). Over time, as liver fibrosis worsened, we observed a progressive uptick in M-CSF, TIMP-1, LN, HA, C-IV, and PC-III levels and a progressive downtick in CER levels, with significant ( P < 0.05 ) differences between the groups. There was a significant positive correlation between liver fibrosis and serum M-CSF, PC-III, TIMP-1, HA, LN, and C-IV levels in the CHB group ( P < 0.05 ) and a significant negative correlation between serum CER and these same factors ( P < 0.05 ). The AUC of 0.956 for diagnosing the S4 stage was greater than that of 0.857, 0.851, and 0.817 for M-CSF, CER, and TIMP-1, respectively. Conclusions. In CHB patients, the liver fibrosis degree is associated with the M-CSF, CER, and TIMP-1 levels, and the combined clinical detection of these three markers has better diagnostic significance.

Poor graft function (PGF) is a life-threatening complication that occurs after transplantation and has a poor prognosis. With the rapid development of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the pathogenesis of PGF has become an important issue. Studies of the pathogenesis of PGF have resulted in some success in CD34+-selected stem cell boosting. Mesenchymal stem cells, N-acetyl-l-cysteine, and eltrombopag have also been investigated as therapeutic strategies for PGF. However, predicting and preventing PGF remains challenging. Here, we propose that the seed, soil, and insect theories of aplastic anemia also apply to PGF; CD34+ cells are compared to seeds; the bone marrow microenvironment to soil; and virus infection, iron overload, and donor-specific anti-human leukocyte antigen antibodies to insects. From this perspective, we summarize the available information on the common risk factors of PGF, focusing on its potential mechanism. In addition, the safety and efficacy of new strategies for treating PGF are discussed to provide a foundation for preventing and treating this complex clinical problem.

Prevalent coagulopathy and thromboembolism are observed in severe COVID-19 patients with 40% of COVID-19 mortality being associated with cardiovascular complications. Abnormal coagulation parameters are related to poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients. Victims also displayed presence of extensive thrombosis in infected lungs. Vitamin K is well-known to play an essential role in the coagulation system. Latest study revealed an existing correlation between vitamin K deficiency and COVID-19 severity, highlighting a role of vitamin K, probably via coagulation modulation. In agreement, other recent studies also indicated that anti-coagulant treatments can reduce mortality in severe cases. Altogether, potential mechanisms linking COVID-19 with coagulopathy in which vitamin K may exert its modulating role in coagulation related with disease pathogenesis are established. In this review, we discuss the recent evidence supporting COVID-19 as a vascular disease and explore the potential benefits of using vitamin K against COVID-19 to improve disease outcomes.

Introduction: Fetal pleural effusion may require in utero shunting which is associated with procedure-related complications. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and complications of the newly designed Somatex shunt in treating fetal pleural effusion. Methods: Consecutive cases with primary fetal pleural effusion who were treated with the Somatex shunt between 2018 and 2019 were evaluated. Perinatal outcomes and complications were retrospectively analyzed. Results: There were 6 cases of unilateral and 1 case of bilateral pleural effusion, and hence a total of 8 pleuroamniotic shunting procedures were performed. The median gestational age at diagnosis and shunting was 20.7 and 22.6 weeks, respectively. All 8 procedures were successful, achieving complete in utero drainage. All but one were live births (85.7%) with a median gestational age of 38 weeks. The single case of in utero death occurred 4.7 weeks after successful shunting, and no cause could be identified after autopsy. The rates of preterm birth and premature rupture of membranes were 33.3% (2/6) and 16.7% (1/6), respectively. Four of the 8 procedures (50%) had minor shunt-related complications such as dislodgement and entrapment, occurring at a median of 7.7 weeks after shunting. None of the shunts became blocked. Conclusions: The Somatex shunt is effective in relieving fetal pleural effusions with good survival rate. Overall, it was a safe instrument, though minor shunt complications occurred.