Application and progress of artificial intelligence technology in the segmentation of hyperreflective foci in OCT images for ophthalmic disease research

With the advancement of retinal imaging,hyperreflective foci(HRF)on optical coherence tomography(OCT)images have gained significant attention as potential biological biomarkers for retinal neuroinflammation.However,these biomarkers,represented by HRF,present pose challenges in terms of localization,quantification,and require substantial time and resources.In recent years,the progress and utilization of artificial intelligence(AI)have provided powerful tools for the analysis of biological markers.AI technology enables use machine learning(ML),deep learning(DL)and other technologies to precise characterization of changes in biological biomarkers during disease progression and facilitates quantitative assessments.Based on ophthalmic images,AI has significant implications for early screening,diagnostic grading,treatment efficacy evaluation,treatment recommendations,and prognosis development in common ophthalmic diseases.Moreover,it will help reduce the reliance of the healthcare system on human labor,which has the potential to simplify and expedite clinical trials,enhance the reliability and professionalism of disease management,and improve the prediction of adverse events.This article offers a comprehensive review of the application of AI in combination with HRF on OCT images in ophthalmic diseases including age-related macular degeneration(AMD),diabetic macular edema(DME),retinal vein occlusion(RVO)and other retinal diseases and presents prospects for their utilization.

Cerebral perfusion in patients with unilateral internal carotid artery occlusion by dual post-labeling delays arterial spin labeling imaging

BACKGROUND Global and regional cerebral blood flow(CBF)changes in patients with unilateral internal carotid artery occlusion(ICAO)are unclear when the dual post-labeling delays(PLD)arterial spin labeling(ASL)magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)technique is used.Manual delineation of regions of interest for CBF measurement is time-consuming and laborious.AIM To assess global and regional CBF changes in patients with unilateral ICAO with the ASL-MRI perfusion technique.METHODS Twenty hospitalized patients with ICAO and sex-and age-matched controls were included in the study.Regional CBF was measured by Dr.Brain's ASL software.The present study evaluated differences in global,middle cerebral artery(MCA)territory,anterior cerebral artery territory,and Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score(ASPECTS)regions(including the caudate nucleus,lentiform nucleus,insula ribbon,internal capsule,and M1-M6)and brain lobes(including frontal,parietal,temporal,and insular lobes)between ICAO patients and controls at PLD 1.5 s and PLD 2.5 s.RESULTS When comparing CBF between ICAO patients and controls,the global CBF in ICAO patients was lower at both PLD 1.5 s and PLD 2.5 s;the CBF on the occluded side was lower in 15 brain regions at PLD 1.5 s,and it was lower in 9 brain regions at PLD 2.5 s;the CBF in the contralateral hemisphere was lower in the caudate nucleus and internal capsule at PLD 1.5 s and in M6 at PLD 2.5 s.The global CBF in ICAO patients was lower at PLD 1.5 s than at PLD 2.5 s.The ipsilateral CBF at PLD 1.5 s was lower than that at PLD 2.5 s in 15 regions,whereas the contralateral CBF was lower at PLD 1.5 s than at PLD 2.5 s in 12 regions.The ipsilateral CBF was lower than the contralateral CBF in 15 regions at PLD 1.5 s,and in M6 at PLD 2.5 s.CONCLUSION Unilateral ICAO results in hypoperfusion in the global and MCA territories,especially in the ASPECTS area.Dual PLD settings prove more suitable for accurate CBF quantification in ICAO.

分次小容量聚乙二醇电解质溶液对于上午接受无痛结肠镜检查患者肠道清洁效果及耐受性的影响

目的 对比不同容量的分剂量聚乙二醇电解质(PEG)溶液用于上午接受无痛结肠镜检查者的肠道清洁效果和耐受性。方法 选取2019年7月-2020年12月厦门弘爱医院上午接受无痛肠镜检查的患者520例,肠道清洁剂为PEG溶液,随机将患者分为3.0 L组(1.0 L+2.0 L)和2.0 L组(0.5 L+1.5 L)。主要观察终点为肠道准备充分程度,采用波士顿肠道准备评分(BBPS),评分≥6分且每一个肠段的评分≥2分为高质量的肠道准备。次要终点包括患者的依从性、不良反应以及腺瘤检出率。结果 最终纳入519例患者,3.0 L组259例,2.0 L组260例。两组患者在高质量肠道准备比率和总体BBPS之间无差异(P> 0.05)。2.0 L组更倾向于可以积极完成或愿意再次接受该方案进行肠道准备(P <0.05)。在不良反应方面,2.0 L组腹胀更少(P=0.000),睡眠缺失更少(P=0.000)。两组患者腺瘤检出率比较,差异无统计学意义(P> 0.05)。末次服用肠道清洁剂的时间至结肠镜检查开始之间的等候时间与肠道黏膜的清洁度呈负相关(P <0.05)。结论将分剂量2.0 L容量的PEG溶液用于上午时段接受无痛结肠镜检查的患者,肠道准备效果满意,与分剂量3.0 L方案效果相似,但2.0 L方案可减轻肠道准备带来的腹部不适,耐受性更好,对患者睡眠影响少。

磁共振弥散张量成像技术在骨肌系统良恶性病变和浸润评价中的应用

目的分析磁共振弥散张量成像技术(DTI)在良恶性病变及其范围评价中的应用价值。方法选取2014年1月-2016年1月于西南医科大学附属中医院收治的良性和恶性四肢肌骨病变患者,使用不同核磁共振线圈对病变位置的不同轴状位、冠状位及矢状位进行检查,并使用单次回波平面呈现技术对轴向位进行检查。分析病变中心、边缘及周围正常组织间的差异。结果良性病变组病变中心Iso、ADC高于恶性病变组(P<0.05),良性病变组病变边缘Iso、ADC高于恶性病变组(P<0.05),良性病变组病变边缘FA、Vr A低于恶性病变组(P<0.05),良性病变组病变边缘FA值低于恶性病变组(P<0.05);良性病变组病变中心、边缘FA值低于正常组织(P<0.05),病变中心、边缘Iso、ADC值高于正常组织(P<0.05);恶性病变组病变中心、边缘FA、ADC值低于正常组织(P<0.05),病变中心、边缘区Iso值高于正常组织(P<0.05);磁共振DTI技术对骨肌系统良恶性病变及其浸润范围进行诊断的AUC值为0.89。结论良恶性病变均可能出现病变组织及正常组织差异,因而使用DTI技术对肌骨系统良恶性病变及其浸润进行评价时具有较高的临床价值。

β2-Microglobulin exacerbates neuroinflammation,brain damage,and cognitive impairment after stroke in rats

β2-Microglobulin(β2M),a component of the major histocompatibility complex class I molecule,is associated with aging-related cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.Although upregulation ofβ2M is considered to be highly related to ischemic stroke,the specific role and underlying mechanistic action ofβ2M are poorly understood.In this study,we established a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery.We found thatβ2M levels in the cerebral spinal fluid,serum,and brain tissue were significantly increased in the acute period but gradually decreased during the recovery period.RNA interference was used to inhibitβ2M expression in the acute period of cerebral stroke.Tissue staining with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride and evaluation of cognitive function using the Morris water maze test demonstrated that decreasedβ2M expression in the ischemic penumbra reduced infarct volume and alleviated cognitive deficits,respectively.Notably,glial cell,caspase-1(p20),and Nod-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3(NLRP3)inflammasome activation as well as production of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β,interleukin-6,and tumor necrosis factor-αwere also effectively inhibited byβ2M silencing.These findings suggest thatβ2M participates in brain injury and cognitive impairment in a rat model of ischemic stroke through activation of neuroinflammation associated with the NLRP3 inflammasome.

多尺度模拟研究溶质调控下电解液在锂金属电极上的分解机理

锂金属具有高比容量和极低的电极电势,被视为下一代高能量密度电池的理想负极材料。然而,锂金属具有很高的活性,在循环过程中会形成锂枝晶,刺穿固态电解质膜(solid electrolyte interphases,SEI),造成电池短路,引发一系列安全问题,上述缺点极大地阻碍了锂金属的商业应用。为了解决上述问题,理解SEI的结构及其形成原理具有重要意义。在本工作中,我们采用混合从头计算和分子动力学方法(hybrid ab initio and reactive molecule dynamics,HAIR),研究了1 mol·L^(-1) LiTFSI-DME(dimethoxyethane)和1 mol·L^(-1) LiTFSI-EC(ethylene carbonate)两种电解质溶液在锂金属表面的界面反应机理,模拟结果表明,在LiTFSI-DME电解液中,TFSI阴离子优先分解,而DME未见分解,所以TFSI起到了保护DME的作用。但是在LiTFSI-EC体系中,两者均发生了分解,说明EC稳定性较差,不利于形成稳定的SEI,上述模拟结果为通过电解质理性设计开发高性能电解质溶液体系奠定了理论基础。

An All-Polarization-Maintaining Multi-Branch Optical Frequency Comb for Highly Sensitive Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy

We demonstrate a multi-branch all polarization-maintaining Er:fiber frequency comb with five application ports for precise measurement of atomic/molecular transition frequencies in the near-infrared region.A fully stabilized Er:fiber frequency comb with a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror is achieved.The in-loop relative instability of stabilized carrier-envelope-offset frequency is 5.6×10-18 at 1 s integration time,while that of the repetition rate is well below 1.8×10-12 limited by the measurement noise floor of the commercial frequency counter.Five application ports are individually optimized for applications with different wavelengths(1064 nm,1083 nm,1380 nm,1637 nm and 1750 nm).The beat note between the optical frequency comb and continuous laser exhibits the signal-to-noise ratio of at least 30 dB at a resolution bandwidth of 100 kHz.The in-loop frequency instability of the comb is evaluated to be good enough for measurement of rotation-resolved transitions of molecules below 1 kHz resolution.

Photonic generation of RF and microwave signal with relative frequency instability of 10^(-15)

We demonstrate the ultra-stable frequency sources aiming to improve the short-time instability of primary frequency standards.These sources are realized by using photonic generation approach,and composed of ultra-stable lasers,optical-frequency-combs,optical signal detecting parts,and synthesizers.Preliminary evaluation shows that the sources produce fixed-frequency at 9.54(/9.63)GHz,10 MHz,and tunable-frequency around 9.192 GHz with relative frequency instability of 10^(-15) for short terms.

Development of a novel rat model of heterogeneous hepatic injury by injection with colchicine via the splenic vein

AIM To develop a novel rat model of heterogeneous hepatic injury.METHODS Seventy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group(n = 10) and a colchicine group(n =60). A 0.25% colchicine solution(0.4 mL/kg) was injected via the splenic vein in the colchicine group to develop a rat model of heterogeneous hepatic injury. An equal volume of normal saline was injected via the splenic vein in the control group. At days 3, 7, and 14 and weeks 4, 8, and 12 after the operation, at least seven rats of the colchicine group were selected randomly for magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) examinations, and then they were euthanized. Ten rats of the control group underwent MRI examinations at the same time points, and then were euthanized at week 12. T2-weighted images(T2 WI) and diffusion weighted imaging(DWI) were used to evaluate the heterogeneous hepatic injury. The heterogeneous injury between the left and right hepatic lobes was assessed on liver sections according to the histological scoring criteria, and correlated with the results of MRI study. RESULTS Obvious pathological changes occurred in the hepatic parenchyma in the colchicine group. Hepatic injury scores were significantly different between the left and right lobes at each time point(P < 0.05). There was a significant difference in apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC) of DWI and liver-to-muscle ratio(LMR) of T2 WI between the left and right lobes of rats in the colchicine group(P < 0.05) at each time point, and similar results were observed between the colchicine and control groups. Besides, there was a significant correlation between hepatic injury scores and ADC values or LMR(r =-0.682, P = 0.000; r =-0.245, P = 0.018).CONCLUSION Injection with colchicine via the splenic vein can be used to successfully develop a rat model of heterogeneous hepatic injury. DWI and T2 WI may help evaluate the heterogeneous injury among liver lobes.

Correlation among academic self-efficacy,professional identity,and professional attitude of higher vocational nursing students

Objective:To analyze the influence of professional identity and academic efficacy on the professional attitude of higher vocational nursing students.Methods:A total of 656 higher vocational nursing students were investigated with general information questionnaire,academic self-efficacy scale,professional identity scale,and professional attitude scale of nursing students.Results:The score of professional attitude of higher vocational nursing students was(106.34±9.86),which is found to be in the upper middle level.The professional attitude of higher vocational nursing students is positively correlated with academic self-efficacy(P<0.05),and with learning ability self-efficacy(P<0.01).Professional cognition,professional will,and professional values have a positive predictive effect on the professional attitude of higher vocational nursing students(P<0.05).Conclusions:Academic self-efficacy and professional identity are important predictors of professional attitude.Learning behavior self-efficacy,professional cognition,professional will,and professional values have a significant impact on the establishment of positive professional attitude.

Transportable 1555-nm Ultra-Stable Laser with Sub-0.185-Hz Linewidth

We present two cavity-stabilized lasers at 1555 nm, which are built to be the frequency source for a transportable photonic microwave generation system. The frequency instability reaches the thermal noise limit （7 ×10-16） of the 10-cm ultra-low expansion glass cavity at 1-10s averaging time and the beat signal of the two lasers reveals a remarkable linewidth of 185mHz.

近视性豹纹状眼底改变的影像及功能学评估进展

近视已成为全球性视觉损伤及致盲的严重负担,世界卫生组织已经将近视的防治列入全球防盲计划之中。随着近视病程进展,会出现多种眼部病理性改变,从而导致视力损害,严重者甚至致盲。目前,近视患病率有增加和年轻化趋势,病理性近视导致的社会问题也日益受到重视。其中豹纹状眼底是近视性眼底病变自然病程的最早期病变,也是视网膜病变发展的一个重要临床标志。目前,有几种不同的豹纹状眼底分级方法,均是通过眼底彩照进行主观分级。通过检眼镜、眼底照相、光学相干断层扫描、视网膜电图及微视野等模式影像可联合观察豹纹状眼底的形态学特征和功能状况。本文将综述豹纹状眼底的影像学特征及常见应用,以期对眼科临床提供相关参考。

All polarization-maintaining Er:fiber-based optical frequency comb for frequency comparison of optical clocks

We demonstrate an optical frequency comb(OFC)based on a turnkey mode-locked laser with a figure-9-shape structure and polarization-maintaining fibers,for the comparison of frequency among optical clocks with wavelengths of 698 nm,729 nm,1068 nm,and 1156 nm.We adopt a multi-branch approach in order to produce high power OFC signals at these specific wavelengths,enabling the signal-to-noise ratio of the beatnotes between the OFC and the clock lasers to exceed30 d B at a resolution bandwidth of 300 k Hz.This approach makes the supercontinuum spectra much easier to be generated than a single branch OFC.However,more out-of-loop fibers degrade the long-term frequency instability due to thermal drift.To minimize the thermal drift effect,we set the fiber lengths of different branches to be similar,and we stabilize the temperature as well.The out-of-loop frequency instability of the OFC due to the incoherence of the multi-branch is about5.5×10^(19) for 4000 s,while the in-loop frequency instability of fceo and that of fbeat are 7.5×10^(18) for 1 s and 8.5×10^(18) for 1 s,respectively.The turnkey OFC meets the requirement for the comparison of frequency between the best optical clocks.

Strain Engineering for Germanium-on-Insulator Mobility Enhancement with Phase Change Liner Stressors

We investigate the strain in various Ge-on-insulator （GeOI） micro-structures induced by three phase-change maferials （PCMs） （Ge2Sb2Te5, Sb2Te3, GeTe） deposited. The PCMs could change the phase from amorphous state to polycrystalline state with a low temperature thermal annealing, resulting in an intrinsic contraction in the PCM films. Raman spectroscopy analysis is performed to compare the strain induced in the GeOI micro- structures by various PCMs. By comparison, Sb2 Tea could induce the largest amount of tensile strain in the GeOI micro-structures after the low temperature annealing. Based on the strain calculated from the Raman peak shifts, finite element numerical simulation is performed to calculate the strain-induced electron mobility enhancement for Ge n-MOSFETs with PCM liner stressors. With the adoption of Sb2 Te3 liner stressor, 22% electron mobility enhancement at Xinv=1×10^13cm^-2 could be achieved, suggesting that PCM especially Sb2 Te3 liner stressor is a promising technique for the performance enhancement of Ge MOSFETs.

肺癌细胞中CD59 rs79077373遗传变异对其转录活性的影响

目的探讨肺癌细胞中CD59启动子区rs79077373遗传变异对其转录活性的影响。方法利用TRANSFAC预测可能影响CD59转录活性的启动子区遗传变异,然后构建含有不同等位基因的CD59启动子区报告基因载体,分别命名为pGL3-rs79077373C和pGL3-rs79077373T,将重组质粒与内参质粒pRL-SV40共转染于肺癌细胞A549、NCI-H23、NCI-H2030后,检测报告基因活性。结果生物信息学分析发现当CD59 rs790773737增加转录因子TBP的结合。荧光素酶报告基因结果显示,在肺癌细胞A549、NCI-H2030、NCI-H23细胞中pGL3-rs79077373T组的相对荧光素酶活性分别是pGL3-rs79077373C组的2.00、1.82和1.42倍(P <0.05)。结论 CD59启动子区rs79077373 C>T变异可增加CD59的启动子的活性。

Thyroid metastasis from breast cancer presenting with enlarged lateral cervical lymph nodes: A case report

BACKGROUND Secondary malignancy of the thyroid occurs infrequently and mainly originates from malignant tumors of the kidney,gastrointestinal tract,lungs,breast,and skin.The correct diagnosis is important but difficult.Importantly,there are major differences in the treatment of primary and metastatic thyroid cancer,which has a significant impact on prognosis and survival.Therefore,how to diagnose thyroid metastasis(TM)correctly before surgery is a major concern for surgeons.CASE SUMMARY We report a 38-year-old woman who presented with palpable cervical lymph nodes after breast cancer(BC)surgery 2 years ago.Ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed thyroid nodules with irregular margins and enlarged cervical lymph nodes.Biopsy was performed for the right largest cervical lymph node,and immunohistochemical analysis revealed negativity for thyroglobulin,estrogen receptor,and progestin receptor and positive for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2.The diagnosis was TM from BC with cervical lymph node metastasis.Total thyroidectomy with bilateral central and lateral neck lymph node dissection was performed.After a 5-mo follow-up,no recurrence or novel distant metastasis was identified.CONCLUSION TM from BC is a rare secondary malignancy.Broad differential diagnosis by biopsy and immunohistochemical analysis needs to be considered.

Thermal conductivity characterization of ultra-thin silicon film using the ultra-fast transient hot strip method

Thermal conductivity is an important material parameter of silicon when studying the performance and reliability of devices or for guiding circuit design when considering heat dissipation, especially when the self-heating effect becomes prominent in ultra-scaled MOSFETs.The cross-plane thermal conductivity of a thin silicon film is lacking due to the difficulty in sensing high thermal conductivity in the vertical direction.In this paper, a feasible method that utilizes an ultra-fast electrical pulse within 20 μs combined with the hot strip technique is adopted.To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that shows how to extract the cross-plane thermal conductivity of sub-50 nm(30 nm, 17 nm, and 10 nm)silicon films on buried oxide.The ratio of the extracted cross-plane thermal conductivity of the silicon films over the bulk value is only about 6.9%, 4.3%, and 3.8% at 300 K, respectively.As the thickness of the films is smaller than the phonon mean free path, the classical heat transport theory fails to predict the heat dissipation in nanoscale transistors.Thus, in this study, a ballistic model, derived from the heat transport equation based on extended-irreversible-hydrodynamics(EIT), is used for further investigation, and the simulation results exhibit good consistence with the experimental data.The extracted effective thermal data could provide a good reference for precise device simulations and thermoelectric applications.

Supercontinuum generation of highly nonlinear fibers pumped by 1.57-μm laser soliton

Highly nonlinear fibers(HNLFs) are crucial components for supercontinuum(SC) generation with laser solution.However, it is difficult to exactly estimate the structure of produced SC according to material parameters. To give a guideline for choosing and using HNLFs for erbium-fiber-based optical applications, we demonstrate SC generation in five types of HNLFs pumped by 1.57-μm laser solitons. All five fibers output a SC exceeding 1000 nm. Three different SC formation processes were observed in the experiment. By comparing optical parameters of these fibers, we find the zero dispersion wavelength(ZDW) of fiber has an important influence on the SC structure and energy distribution for a given pump source.

Single cell RNA sequencing reveals mesenchymal heterogeneity and critical functions of Cd271 in tooth development

BACKGROUND Accumulating evidence suggests that the maxillary process,to which cranial crest cells migrate,is essential to tooth development.Emerging studies indicate that Cd271 plays an essential role in odontogenesis.However,the underlying mechanisms have yet to be elucidated.AIM To establish the functionally heterogeneous population in the maxillary process,elucidate the effects of Cd271 deficiency on gene expression differences.METHODS p75NTR knockout(Cd271-/-)mice(from American Jackson laboratory)were used to collect the maxillofacial process tissue of p75NTR knockout mice,and the wildtype maxillofacial process of the same pregnant mouse wild was used as control.After single cell suspension,the cDNA was prepared by loading the single cell suspension into the 10x Genomics Chromium system to be sequenced by NovaSeq6000 sequencing system.Finally,the sequencing data in Fastq format were obtained.The FastQC software is used to evaluate the quality of data and CellRanger analyzed the data.The gene expression matrix is read by R software,and Seurat is used to control and standardize the data,reduce the dimension and cluster.We search for marker genes for subgroup annotation by consulting literature and database;explore the effect of p75NTR knockout on mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)gene expression and cell proportion by cell subgrouping,differential gene analysis,enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction network analysis;understand the interaction between MSCs cells and the differentiation trajectory and gene change characteristics of p75NTR knockout MSCs by cell communication analysis and pseudo-time analysis.Last we verified the findings single cell sequencing in vitro.RESULTS We identified 21 cell clusters,and we re-clustered these into three subclusters.Importantly,we revealed the cell–cell communication networks between clusters.We clarified that Cd271 was significantly associated with the regulation of mineralization.CONCLUSION This study provides comprehensive mechanistic insights into the maxillary-process-derived MSCs and demonstrates that Cd271 is significantly associated with the odontogenesis in mesenchymal populations.

Gastric submucosal lesion caused by an embedded fish bone:A case report

BACKGROUND Submucosal tumors(SMTs)refer to elevated lesions that originate from the layers below the mucosa of the digestive tract,including the muscularis,submucosa and muscularis propria.With the development and application of endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS),the detection rate of SMTs has increased significantly in recent years.Various diseases can lead to SMTs.However,a foreign body embedded in the gastric antrum showing clinical manifestations of a SMT is rare.CASE SUMMARY We report the case of a 47-year-old woman,who presented with upper abdominal discomfort for one year,and was subsequently diagnosed with a gastric submucosal lesion caused by an embedded foreign body by EUS and computed tomography.Considering the size and potential complications of this lesion,endoscopic full-thickness resection was performed to achieve full resection in our endoscopy center.A fish bone was found in the lesion during the operation,and was successfully removed,and the defect was later closed with endoscopic pursestring sutures.CONCLUSION This case report highlights the management strategies of SMTs,the importance of being familiar with diagnostic methods related to submucosal lesions,and being able to conduct effective treatment when this rare condition is highly suspected.