Automated anatomical labeling of a topologically variant abdominal arterial system via probabilistic hypergraph matching

Automated anatomical vessel labeling of the abdominal arterial system is a crucial topic in medical image processing. One reason for this is the importance of the abdominal arterial system in the human body, and another is that such labeling is necessary for the related disease diagnoses, treatments and epidemiological population analyses. We define a hypergraph representation of the abdominal arterial system as a family tree model with a probabilistic hypergraph matching framework for automated vessel labeling. Then we treat the labelling problem as the convex optimization problem and solve it with the maximum a posteriori(MAP) combined the likelihood obtained by geometric labelling with the family tree topology-based knowledge. Geometrically, we utilize XGBoost ensemble learning with an intrinsic geometric feature importance analysis for branch-level labeling. In topology, the defined family tree model of the abdominal arterial system is transferred as a Markov chain model using a constrained traversal order method and further the Markov chain model is optimized by a hidden Markov model (HMM). The probability distribution of the target branches for each candidate anatomical name is predicted and effectively embedded in the HMM model. This approach is evaluated with the leave-one-out method on 37 clinical patients’ abdominal arteries, and the average accuracy is 91.94%. The obtained results are better than those of the state-of-art method with an F1 score of 93.00% and a recall of 93.00%, as the proposed method simultaneously handles the anatomical structural variability and discriminates between the symmetric branches. It is demonstrated to be suitable for labelling branches of the abdominal arterial system and can also be extended to similar tubular organ networks, such as arterial or airway networks.     

倒刺线缝合假性疝囊预防直疝术后血清肿应用研究

目的 探讨在腹腔镜腹股沟疝修补术中使用倒刺线处理腹股沟直疝假性疝囊预防术后血清肿的效果。方法 2020年1月1日至2021年1月31日期间就收治的54名腹股沟直疝患者,并将其随机分为倒刺线缝合组和对照组（假性疝囊旷置）。主要结果是比较术后7天、1个月、3个月和6个月腹股沟区域的超声血清肿数量和体积。次要结果包括总手术时间、术后急性疼痛、慢性疼痛、住院时间及复发率。结果 54例患者均在腹腔镜下顺利完成腹股沟直疝无张力修补术,两组患者基本资料统计学特征无显著差异,包括年龄、性别、疝类型、疝缺损大小、手术方式和随访时间。倒刺线缝合组手术时间长于对照组（55.13 min vs. 41.15 min;P<0.001）。然而与对照组相比,倒刺线缝合组术后7天、1个月出现血清肿的患者明显减少（分别P<0.001和P=0.05）。两组3个月及6个月血清肿比较无明显差异。术后第7天和1个月,倒刺线缝合组超声血清肿量较对照组明显减少,差异有统计学意义（分别P<0.001和P<0.01）。两组急性疼痛和住院时间无统计学差异,随访期间两组均未观察到慢性疼痛、早期复发或其他术后并发症。...     

Uncertainty-guided graph attention network for parapneumonic effusion diagnosis

Parapneumonic effusion (PPE) is a common condition that causes death in patients hospitalized with pneumonia. Rapid distinction of complicated PPE (CPPE) from uncomplicated PPE (UPPE) in Computed Tomography (CT) scans is of great importance for the management and medical treatment of PPE. However, UPPE and CPPE display similar appearances in CT scans, and it is challenging to distinguish CPPE from UPPE via a single 2D CT image, whether attempted by a human expert, or by any of the existing disease classification approaches. 3D convolutional neural networks (CNNs) can utilize the entire 3D volume for classification: however, they typically suffer from the intrinsic defect of over-fitting. Therefore, it is important to develop a method that not only overcomes the heavy memory and computational requirements of 3D CNNs, but also leverages the 3D information. In this paper, we propose an uncertainty-guided graph attention network (UG-GAT) that can automatically extract and integrate information from all CT slices in a 3D volume for classification into UPPE, CPPE, and normal control cases. Specifically, we frame the distinction of different cases as a graph classification problem. Each individual is represented as a directed graph with a topological structure, where vertices represent the image features of slices, and edges encode the spatial relationship between them. To estimate the contribution of each slice, we first extract the slice representations with uncertainty, using a Bayesian CNN: we then make use of the uncertainty information to weight each slice during the graph prediction phase in order to enable more reliable decision-making. We construct a dataset consisting of 302 chest CT volumetric data from different subjects (99 UPPE, 99 CPPE and 104 normal control cases) in this study, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to classify UPPE, CPPE and normal cases using a deep learning method. Extensive experiments show that our approach is lightweight in demands, and outperforms accepted state-of-the-art methods by a large margin. Code is available at https://github.com/iMED-Lab/UG-GAT.     

Retraction: Hsa_circ_0003645 shows an oncogenic role by sponging microRNA-1299 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Retraction: “Hsa_circ_0003645 shows an oncogenic role by sponging microRNA-1299 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells”, by Qiuyun Yu, Jinhua Dai, Ming Shu, Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis, 2020, e23249 ( https://doi.org/10.1002/jcla.23249 ). The above article, published online on 28 February 2020 in Early View in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor-in-Chief Junming Guo, and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed because the data and figures, including figure 7A, that the authors present in the paper are flawed. The authors’ original data are not available. The conclusions drawn from the data and figures are unreliable.     

刺五加苷B对IL-1β诱导的骨关节炎软骨细胞凋亡的影响

目的 探究刺五加苷B（acanthopanax B,ACA-B）对IL-1β诱导的骨关节炎软骨细胞凋亡的影响。方法 取SD大鼠软骨细胞随机分成5组,分别为对照组（PBS）、模型组（IL-1β）、ACA-B低剂量组（IL-1β+1×10^-8 mol·L^-1 ACA-B）、ACA-B中剂量组（IL-1β+1×10^-7 mol·L^-1 ACA-B）、ACA-B高剂量组（IL-1β+1×10^-6 mol·L^-1 ACA-B）;CCK8法检测不同浓度的ACA-B对软骨细胞增殖的影响,以及对IL-1β处理的软骨细胞活性的影响;采用Hoechst 33342染色观察软骨细胞核凋亡情况;采用qRT-PCR法检测凋亡相关基因的mRNA表达水平;采用Western blotting法检测凋亡相关蛋白的表达情况。结果 当ACA-B浓度为1×10^-6 mol·L^-1或1×10^-7 mol·L^-1时,能够显著促进软骨细胞增殖。与模型组相比,ACA-B各组细胞活力明显增加;Hoechst 33342染色结果显示,ACA-B能够明显改善IL-1β诱导的软骨细胞核碎裂,萎缩现象,抑制细胞凋亡;与模型组比较,ACA-B加药组细胞中Bax、Caspase-3、Caspase-8、Caspase-9的mRNA及蛋白水平显著降低,Bcl-2的mRNA及蛋白水平显著升高。结论 刺五加苷B能够有效抑制IL-1β诱导的骨关节炎软骨细胞凋亡。     

Rejection and graft outcomes in kidney transplant recipients with and without angiotensin II receptor type 1 antibodies

AimAngiotensin II type 1 receptor antibody (AT1R Ab) is a non-Human Leucocyte Antigen (HLA) antibody that is maybe associated with early severe kidney transplant rejection and worse graft outcomes. This study aimed to assess the association between AT1R Ab and kidney transplant rejection and graft outcomes.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of all adult kidney transplant recipients in an Australian centre who had an AT1R Ab test between 1 January 2015 to 30 June 2020. AT1R Ab positive patients were compared to AT1R Ab negative patients. Primary outcomes were rejection risk, type and histopathological severity scores. Secondary outcomes were 8-week graft function and graft loss.ResultsOf 965 kidney transplants that were performed during the study period, 73 patients had AT1R Ab tested; 16 (22%) were positive and 57(78%) were negative. Positive patients were on average younger and had higher level of donor-specific HLA antibodies. Rejection occurred in 13 (81%) positive patients and 41 (72%) negative patients (P = 0.45). No significant differences in rejection type or severity were found. HLA mismatch and peak panel reactive antibody ≥80%, but not AT1R Ab, independently predicted rejection. Average (132 vs. 177 mmol/L, P = 0.302) and graft loss were not significantly different between groups.ConclusionThe study found no evidence that AT1R Ab is associated with rejection type, severity or worse graft function. Future studies should assess its relationship with graft outcomes to help complement immunological risk assessment and potentially provide therapeutic options to alter outcomes.     

Protective effect of Saxagliptin on diabetic rats with renal ischemia reperfusion injury by targeting oxidative stress and mitochondrial apoptosis pathway through activating Nrf-2/HO-1 signaling

Oxidative stress and apoptosis play vital role in diabetic rats suffering from renal ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI). As a dipeptidyl dipeptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, Saxagliptin(SAX)has been confirmed in the regulation of inflammation and apoptosis by targeting Nrf-2/HO-1signalling. The study was designed to explore the efficacy and potential mechanisms of SAX on inflammation and apoptosis for treating of IRI in diabetic rats. Through testing the expressions of Nrf-2, HO-1, Cleaved-Caspase9, Cleaved-Caspase3, Bax, BCL-2, Bak, Apaf-1, cytochrome C (Cytc), Cystatin C (CysC), β2-microglobulin (β2-MG), creatinine (Cr), urea nitrogen (BUN), TUNEL and pathological morphology, the effects of SAX on IRI diabetic rats have been investigatedg. The results has displayed SAX treatment significantly attenuate the cell apoptosis and pathological damage of kidney as well as lessening the expression of cleaved-caspase-9, cleaved-caspase3, Bax, cytoplasmic-Cytc, MDA, Bak, and Apaf-1 molecules, and the contents of ROS, Cr, CysC, β2-MG, and BUN. Furthermore, SAX therapy also increased the expression of Nrf-2, BCL-2, HO-1 and mitochondrial cytochrome Cytc, and enhanced the activity of SOD, CAT and GPx. Therefore, our study has indicated that SAX treatment alleviated IRI in diabetic rats by suppressing oxidative stress and mitochondrial apoptotic pathways by activating the Nrf-2/HO-1 signaling.