人工智能在面瘫识别与评估中的应用

回顾了近年来部分基于人工智能的面瘫识别及评估研究。研究方法可分为基于人工选取患者面部图像特征值和基于神经网络和患者面部图像的面瘫评估研究两大类。分析表明,人工选取特征值的方法适合小样本量的情况,但对面瘫相邻评级的分类效果有待进一步优化。而神经网络的方法能够相对较好地区分面瘫邻级,但对样本量有较高要求。两种方法均有不错的前景,人工选取与评估量表相关性更强的特征,而共同的发展方向可能是提取时间域特征,从而达到提升面瘫评估准确率的目的。     

In vivo anti-plasmodial activities and toxic impacts of lime extract of a combination of Picralima nitida,Alstonia boonei and Gongronema latifolium in mice infected with Chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium berghei

Background

Lime extracts of powdered combination of seeds of Picralima nitida, stem bark of Alstonia boonei and leaves of Gongronema latifolium is a common remedy used in the treatment of malaria in South Western Nigeria.

Objective

To determine the antiplasmodial activities of the combined herbal extracts and its impact on the haematological, hepatological and renological parameters in mice.

Methods

The 4-day suppressive and curative tests were used to assess the antiplasmodial activities of the extract in mice infected with chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium berghei at concentration of 200mg/kg, 400mg/kg and 800mg/kg body weight. The haematological parameters including red blood cells, white blood cells, packed cell volume and haemoglobin count were analysed with an auto analyser. The activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were determined, while urea, protein and creatinine were analysed by standard procedural methods.

Results

The 4-day suppressive test revealed that the test extract achieved percentage suppression of 39.0%, 41.6% and 54.68% for the 200mg/kg, 400mg/kg and 800mg/kg concentration respectively. Additionally, the curative test achieved a high percentage suppression of 80.97%, 83.84% and 86.16% at the 200mg/kg, 400mg/kg and 800mg/kg concentration respectively. The extracts did not induce significant change on haematological parameters (P>0.05), while significant elevation in the values of the ALT and AST (P<0.05) was observed and elevation of creatinine (P<0.05) at 800mg/kg.

Conclusions

The results support the traditional use of the herbal combination in the treatment of malaria, however the liver cells were impacted by the extracts in bioassay conducted with mice.     

Diurnal leptin secretion is intact in male hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and is not influenced by exogenous gonadotropins

Circulating leptin shows a pulsatile secretory pattern along with a nocturnal rise. We have previously shown that circulating leptin concentrations are high in males with untreated idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH). However, circadian leptin secretion in IHH before and after gonadotropin treatment is not known. Thus, we studied 14 adult males with IHH who had no history of previous hormonal therapy, and 12 age- and body mass index-matched healthy men. Plasma leptin concentrations were measured with 1-h intervals for 24 h before and 6 months after gonadotropin treatment. The 24-h mean leptin concentration showed a significant decrease, from 11.78 +/- 1.908 microg/liter at baseline to 10.85 +/- 1.939 microg/liter after 6 months of therapy (z = 3.107; P = 0.002). Before and after treatment, 24-h mean leptin concentrations were also significantly higher in the patient group when compared with controls (4.275 +/- 0.711 microg/liter) (z = 5.938; P = 0.0001). Hourly leptin levels demonstrated a diurnal pattern in hypogonadal patients, a surge in the midday, and a peak just after midnight, and this pattern did not differ before and after treatment. We observed a similar diurnal pattern in the control subjects too. Leptin levels were negatively and significantly correlated with free testosterone and total testosterone levels both before (r = -0.656, P = 0.011; and r = -0.639, P = 0.014, respectively) and after (r = -0.537, P = 0.048; and r = -0.563, P = 0.036, respectively) gonadotropin administration. Our observations suggest that the diurnal rhythm of leptin is intact in males with IHH, and short-term gonadotropin treatment does not effect its diurnal rhythm. Moreover, testosterone produced under the influence of the gonadotropin treatment led to decreases in the leptin levels.     

Amalgam phase down: baseline data preceding implementation in Nigeria

Objective: The Minimata Convention on mercury includes amalgam phase-down and eventual phase-out from dentistry. To aid its subsequent evaluation it is important to have baseline data of amalgam use in a locality prior to implementing a phase-down. Methodology: Records of patients spanning 5 years from January 2011 to January 2016 were analysed to determine and the compare frequency of amalgam usage with other dental materials for carious teeth restorations in a Nigerian university teaching hospital. Classes of cavities restored and cadres of operators who employed the different materials were included. Institutional ethics committee approval was obtained prior to commencing the study. Results: 2,058 patients’ records were retrieved, 59% females and 41% males. Their ages ranged 19–80 years, mean 33.5 ± 12.7 years, young adults 20–39 years old were the majority (62.9%). Filling materials included 57.5% amalgam, 17.6% glass ionomer cement (GIC) and 24.9% resin composite. Class I restorations constituted 70.5% of amalgam restorations, while Class II restorations made up 29.4% and Class V restorations accounted for 0.1%. Undergraduate dental students placed most of the amalgam restorations (60.5%), and 78.9% of all their restorations were amalgam. Less experienced dentists used all materials equally; the more experienced dentists placed more composite resin and GIC (43.3%). Conclusion: Amalgam fillings constituted nearly 60% of the restorations of carious teeth. Training of dental students in placement of non-mercury alternatives to amalgam and Minimum Intervention Dentistry needs to be emphasized in dental schools. Phase-down of amalgam should be intensified in Nigeria with the ultimate aim of a phase-out in line with the Minamata Convention.Key words: Amalgam, phase-down, Nigeria, dental caries     

Electrochemical impedimetry of electrodeposited poly(propylene imine) dendrimer monolayer

Voltammetric and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) studies of generation one poly(propylene imine) (G1 PPI) dendrimer as an electroactive and catalytic nanomaterials both in solution and as an electrode modifier based on a simple one step electrodeposition method is presented. The G1 PPI exhibited a reversible one electron redox behaviour at E^0′ ca 210 mV in phosphate buffer pH 7.2 with diffusion coefficient and Warburg coefficient of 7.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm² s⁻¹ and 8.87 × 10⁻⁴ Ω s^−1/2 respectively. Cyclic voltammetric electrodeposition of a monolayer of G1 PPI on glassy carbon electrode was carried out between −100 mV and 1100 mV for 10 cycles. The nanoelectrode was electroactive in PBS at E^0′ ca 220 mV. Kinetic profiles such as time constant (4.64 × 10⁻⁵ s rad⁻¹), exchange current (1.55 × 10⁻⁴ A) and heterogeneous rate constant (4.52 × 10⁻³ cm s⁻¹) obtained from EIS showed that the dendrimer layer catalysed the redox reaction of Fe^2+/3+ in [Fe(CN)₆]^3−/4− redox probe.     

Evaluation of central neuropathy in type II diabetes mellitus by multimodal evoked potentials

The electrophysiological results in 51 patients with diabetes mellitus type II were compared with those in 30 age and sex matched healthy control subjects. Peripheral and cortical latencies of median and tibial somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP), bilateral I-III and I-V interpeak latencies (IPL) of brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP), bilateral P100 latency of visual evoked potentials (VEP) and bilateral cortical latency and central motor conduction time of motor evoked potentials (MEP) were evaluated. We observed prolonged latencies suggestive of central neuropathy in DM type II. It has been shown that most of the electrophysiological parameters in patients with DM type II correlate with the duration of the disease, some of them with the age of the patient, and few of them with the onset of the disease. To our knowledge, there is no correlation between the electrophysiological parameters and the level of glycemia or the degree of metabolic control. We conclude that central and peripheral neuropathies in DM are related to the duration of the disease and not to the degree of hyperglycemia and metabolic control.