A Novel Deep Learning Model Based on Multi-Scale and Multi-View for Detection of Pulmonary Nodules

Journal of Digital Imaging - Lung cancer manifests as pulmonary nodules in the early stage. Thus, the early and accurate detection of these nodules is crucial for improving the survival rate of...     

Dengue determinants: Necessities and challenges for universal dengue vaccine development

Dengue illness can range from mild illness to life-threatening haemorrhage. It is an Aedes-borne infectious disease caused by the dengue virus, which has four serotypes. Each serotype acts as an independent infectious agent. The antibodies against one serotype confer homotypic immunity but temporary protection against heterotypic infection. Dengue has become a growing health concern for up to one third of the world's population. Currently, there is no potent anti-dengue medicine, and treatment for severe dengue relies on intravenous fluid management and pain medications. The burden of dengue dramatically increases despite advances in vector control measures. These factors underscore the need for a vaccine. Various dengue vaccine strategies have been demonstrated, that is, live attenuated vaccine, inactivated vaccine, DNA vaccine, subunit vaccine, and viral-vector vaccines, some of which are at the stage of clinical testing. Unfortunately, the forefront candidate vaccine is less than satisfactory, and its performance depends on serostatus and age factors. The lessons from clinical studies depicted ambiguity concerning the efficacy of dengue vaccine. Our study highlighted that viral structural heterogeneity, epitope accessibility, autoimmune complications, genetic variants, genetic diversities, antigen competition, virulence variation, host-pathogen specific interaction, antibody-dependent enhancement, cross-reactive immunity among Flaviviruses, and host-susceptibility determinants not only influence infection outcomes but also hampered successful vaccine development. This review integrates dengue determinants allocated necessities and challenges, which would provide insight for universal dengue vaccine development.     

鼻咽癌放疗后局部复发和纤维化的增强CT鉴别诊断价值

目的探讨鼻咽癌放疗后出现块影时,ＣＴ检查对鉴别肿瘤局部复发和放射性纤维化的价值。方法收集１５９例经ＣＴ检查的鼻咽癌,其中放疗后局部复发（ＲＴ）３７例,放射性纤维化（ＲＦ）５４例,以６８例未经放疗的鼻咽癌（ＰＴ）作对比。使用ＥＬＳｃｉｎｔｓｐｒｉｎｔ２０００型ＣＴ机,测量放疗后出现的块影平扫和强化的ＣＴ值,用统计学的方差分析法处理增强前后的ＣＴ值差异。结果ＲＴ组平扫ＣＴ值为５０．４０±８．１０Ｈｕ,增强为７３．７４±７．３７Ｈｕ;ＲＦ组平扫为４８．６２±１０．１５Ｈｕ,增强为５６．７４±８．６９Ｈｕ;对照组（ＰＴ）病变区平扫为４８．３２±９．２０Ｈｕ,增强为７２．３８±７．７５Ｈｕ。测量表明ＲＴ组有明显强化,ＲＴ组与ＲＦ组强化后ＣＴ值差异有非常显著性（Ｐ＜０．０１）。结论鼻咽癌放疗后出现块影时,ＣＴ增强扫描可作为鉴别诊断的重要方法。     

农村饮水水质现状分析

在全国２６个省、市、自治区的１８０个县进行农村饮水卫生监测,监测区总人口为８９３９万人。其中以地下水为饮用水源的占６９．６％,集中式供水的人口占４７．１％。按照《农村实施〈生活饮用水卫生标准〉准则》进行分级,饮用不合格水的人口占４２．７％。１２项监测指标中,微生物指标超标严重,总大肠菌群超过３个／Ｌ的供水人口占５１．８％;细菌总数超过１×１０５个／Ｌ（１００个／ｍｌ）的供水人口占３９．１％。有机污染普遍存在,饮水耗氧量超过３ｍｇ／Ｌ的供水人口占２１．５％。部分地区氟化物含量过高,天津市所辖农村饮用氟化物大于１．０ｍｇ／Ｌ水的人口比例超过７０％。     

The effect of TGFβ1 on murine tumor growth following direct intratumoral injection of plasmid DNA

In order to investigate TGFβ1 gene expression and its effect on murine tumor growth following direct intratumoral injection of naked plasmid DNA encoding human TGFβ1, LM₃ murine lung adenocarcinoma cells were inoculated subcutaneously to T₇₃₉ mice and grew to tumor nodules in 2 weeks. Multiple direct intratumoral injection of plasmid DNA, PMAMneo- TGFβ1, were given and compared with saline or vector plasmid administration groups. The growth of tumor was observed till the 8th week when the mice were killed for Northern blot analysis and histopathological study of tumoral tissue. The results showed that the growth of tumor was boosted in the TGFβ1 gene treated mice as compared with the control groups, whereas there was no significant difference in the metastatic behavior. Northern blot showed efficient expression of TGFβ1 mRNA in the treated group. The present study indicated that TGFβ1 may stimulate tumor growthin vivo through certain mechanisms. And direct intra-tumoral injection of nude plasmid DNA may be a promising gene transfer strategyin vivo. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 39370761).     

大鼠原位肝移植及术后肝细胞超微结构观察

用５１只Ｗｉｓｔａｒ大鼠建立了新的大鼠原位肝移植手术模型,手术成功率为９２．１％,周存活率为８６．２７％。手术要点是术前供肝冷灌注;受体肝只建立门静脉血供,静脉吻合分别采用“双袖套”式吻合和“８”字外翻缝合;胆管重建采用单管支架总胆管对端吻合法。移植术后肝细胞超微结构动态观察表明：术后２周是控制免疫排斥反应的关键时期,术后８周实验鼠产生免疫耐受性,移植肝脏成活。     

Epidemiological characteristics of uveitis in Switzerland

Since January 1990, data from uveitis patients have been systematically stored in a computer data bank. During the period from January 1990 to March 1993, 435 new patients (185 female and 250 male, mean age 43 years; range 6–92) were seen at the Uveitis Clinic of the Hopital Jules Gonin. These 435 patients (630 eyes) were subdivided into anterior uveitis (268 patients — 62%), intermediate uveitis (47 patients — 11%), posterior uveitis (89 patients — 20%) and panuveitis (31 patients — 7%). The incidence of uveitis for the referral area considered was calculated to be 17 per 100,000 inhabitants per year. A specifie diagnosis was found in 312 cases (72%). The most frequently diagnosed entities were HLA-B27-associated acute anterior uveitis (67 cases — 15.4%), uveitis associated with acute herpes zoster ophthalmicus (40 cases — 9.2%), toxoplasmosis (39 cases — 9%), typical pars planitis (29 cases — 6.7%), sarcoidosis (29 cases — 6.7%), Fuchs' heterochromic cyclitis (27 cases — 6.2%), herpetic anterior uveitis (21 cases — 4.8%) and acute retinal necrosis (11 cases — 2.5%). Incidence and distribution of most disease entities correspond to those of other European series.     

12-Lipoxygenases and 12(S)-HETE: role in cancer metastasis

Arachidonic acid metabolites have been implicated in multiple steps of carcinogenesis. Their role in tumor cell metastasis, the ultimate challenge for the treatment of cancer patients, are however not well-documented. Arachidonic acid is primarily metabolized through three pathways, i.e., cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, and P450-dependent monooxygenase. In this review we focus our attention on one specific lipoxygenase, i.e., 12-lipoxygenase, and its potential role in modulating the metastatic process. In mammalian cells there exist three types of 12-lipoxygenases which differ in tissue distribution, preferential substrates, and profile of their metabolites. Most of these 12-lipoxygenases have been cloned and sequenced, and the molecular and biochemical determinants responsible for catalysis of specific substrates characterized. Solid tumor cells express 12-lipoxygenase mRNA, possess 12-lipoxygenase protein, and biosynthesize 12(S)-HETE [12(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid], as revealed by numerous experimental approaches. The ability of tumor cells to generate 12(S)-HETE is positively correlated to their metastatic potential. A large collection of experimental data suggest that 12(S)-HETE is a crucial intracellular signaling molecule that activates protein kinase C and mediates the biological functions of many growth factors and cytokines such as bFGF, PDGF, EGF, and AMF. 12(S)-HETE plays a pivotal role in multiple steps of the metastatic cascade encompassing tumor cell-vasculature interactions, tumor cell motility, proteolysis, invasion, and angiogenesis. The fact that 12-lipoxygenase is expressed in a wide diversity of tumor cell lines and 12(S)-HETE is a key modulatory molecule in metastasis provides the rationale for targeting these molecules in anti-cancer and anti-metastasis therapeutic protocols.     

Heterogeneity of rice ragged stunt oryzavirus genome segment 9 and its segregation by insect vector transmission

Summary Genomic heterogeneity of genome segment 9 (S9) of rice ragged stunt virus (RRSV) was investigated and a point mutation was found to be responsible for an electrophoretic mobility shift of S9 on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). A new form of S9 (S9L) which migrated slightly faster than natural S9 (S9U) had the same length with AC transversion at nt 843. Synthetic S9 with a C:G pair at nt 843 migrated slightly faster than that with an A:U pair. Therefore, we conclude that the single point mutation shifts the electrophoretic mobility. Using polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP), we could detect S9U and S9L alone or mixture in insect vectors after acquisition as well as in infected rice plants.     

Crystal Structure of 2-Debenzoyl, 2-Acetoxy Paclitaxel (Taxol®): Conformation of the Paclitaxel Side-Chain

Crystals of the C2-acetate analog of paclitaxel, grown from a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and methanol, belong to the space group P2_l with a = 9.058(3), b = 18.306(5), c = 15.043(1) , = 97.09(1)°, Z = 2, V = 2475.1(9)³, D _calc = 1.269 gcm^–3 and µ = 0.75 cm^–1. The structure was determined by direct methods and refined to R(F) = 0.054 and wR(F) = 0.057 for 605 variables and 3496 observed reflections. The paclitaxel side chain possesses a conformation similar to that observed in the crystal structure of docetaxel (Taxotere^®). A three dimensional network of hydrogen bonds is formed through solvent molecules and stabilizes the crystal lattice.