The temporal action segmentation task is a branch of video understanding that aims to predict what is happening in the action segments (comprising a series of consecutive action frames with identical ...labels) in an untrimmed video. Recent works have harnessed the Transformer, which is capable of modeling temporal relations in long sequences. However, there are several limitations when utilizing Transformer-based networks for processing video sequences, such as (1) the dramatic changes to the neighboring action segments, (2) the paradox between the loss of fine-grained information in deeper layers and inefficient learning with small receptive fields, and (3) the lack of refinement process to raise the performance. This paper proposes a novel network to address the above difficulties called the Local–Global Transformer Neural Network (LGTNN). LGTNN comprises three main modules. The first two modules are the Local and Global Transformer modules, which efficiently capture multiscale features and solve the paradox of perceiving higher- and lower-level representations at different convolutional layer depths. The third module, called the Boundary Detection Network (BDN), executes a postprocessing procedure and helps to finetune ambiguous action boundaries and generate the final prediction. Our proposed model can be embedded in existing temporal action segmentation models, such as MS-TCN, ASFormer, and ETSN. The results of experiments conducted on three challenging datasets (50Salads, Georgia Tech Egocentric Activities (GTEA), and Breakfast) using LGTNN both singly and embedded in existing segmentation models verify that it outperforms state-of-the-art methods by a large margin.
•Increased SNHG8 expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.•SNHG8 promotes nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression in vitro and in vivo.•miR-656−3p/SATB1 was the effector molecules of SNHG8.
Long ...non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been proposed to regulate tumorigenesis, however, the role of small nucleolar RNA host gene 8 (SNHG8) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unclear.
Levels of SNHG8 in NPC tissues and cells were analyzed with real‐time quantitative PCR method. Cell counting kit-8 assay, colony formation assay, wound-healing assay, and transwell invasion assay were performed to detect cell viability, migration, and invasion. Luciferase activity assay and RIP assay were performed to explore relationships among SNHG8, microRNA-656−3p (miR-656−3p), and special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 1 (SATB1).
We found SNHG8 level was increased expression in NPC tissues and cells.In vitro assays revealed that SNHG8 stimulates NPC cell proliferation, colony formation, cell migration, and cell invasion. In vivo assay confirmed knockdown of SNHG8 could hamper tumor growth. Furthermore, we showed SNHG8 serves as a sponge for miR-656−3p to regulate SATB1 expression, and participated in NPC progression.
In summary, our work indicated the importance of SNHG8 in NPC progression, which provided novel treatment methods for NPC.
Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis (BBE) is a rare disease considered caused by acute demyelination of the brainstem, most often resulting from secondary autoimmune responses. To our knowledge, this ...is the first probable case report of shingles-associated BBE with anti-sulfatide IgM positivity.
We report the case of an 83-year-old woman with symptoms of progressive limb weakness, difficulty swallowing food, and disturbed consciousness that occurred 4 weeks following herpes zoster infection. Autoimmune anti-sulfatide antibodies were positive and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences revealed clear high signal intensity in pons and bilateral thalamus. Our patient's condition improved markedly with glucocorticoid treatment. After 2 months of treatment, our patient was fully recovered. We considered that for her case, BBE is the most appropriate diagnosis.
We emphasize the importance of a careful medical history and assessment of clinical symptoms, performing MRI, testing autoimmune antibodies for rapid diagnosis, and ruling out differential diagnoses. Further studies involving more patients with BBE with IgM anti-sulfatide autoantibodies will increase the understanding of the clinical characteristics and advance the diagnosis and treatment of this syndrome. Meanwhile, it is crucial for dermatologists to know about this severe neurological complication following shingles.
In high-level video semantic understanding, continuous action segmentation is a challenging task aimed at segmenting an untrimmed video and labeling each segment with predefined labels over time. ...However, the accuracy of segment predictions is limited by confusing information in video sequences, such as ambiguous frames during action boundaries or over-segmentation errors due to the lack of semantic relations. In this work, we present a two-stage refinement network (TSRN) to improve temporal action segmentation. We first capture global relations over an entire video sequence using a multi-head self-attention mechanism in the novel transformer temporal convolutional network and model temporal relations in each action segment. Then, we introduce a dual-attention spatial pyramid pooling network to fuse features from macroscale and microscale perspectives, providing more accurate classification results from the initial prediction. In addition, a joint loss function mitigates over-segmentation. Compared with state-of-the-art methods, the proposed TSRN substantially improves temporal action segmentation on three challenging datasets (i.e., 50Salads, Georgia Tech Egocentric Activities, and Breakfast).
The current study aimed to explore the role of tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in angiogenesis during nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). NPC biopsy specimens were initially collected. Human ...umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were co-cultured with EVs isolated from NPC cells, after which their migration, invasion, as well as vessel-like tube formation were evaluated by Transwell chamber systems and Matrigel-based angiogenesis assays. The pro-angiogenic activities of EVs as well as the candidate microRNA (miRNA or miR) were examined using an in vivo Matrigel angiogenesis model. The results indicated that the levels of miR-144 in the NPC tissues were upregulated when compared to the nasopharyngeal normal tissues in addition to the identification of a positive correlation with the expression of CD31. Moreover, our data indicated that miR-144 was highly enriched in EVs from NPC cells and then ultimately enhanced the migration and invasion of HUVECs and vessel-like tubes in vitro and in vivo. Notably, miR-144 was identified as a mediator in NPC-EV-induced regulatory effects through the inhibition of the target gene FBXW7 and promotion of the transcriptional factor HIF-1α-dependent vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A). Taken together, the key findings of the current study highlighted the role of miR-144 as an extracellular pro-angiogenic mediator in NPC tumorigenesis.
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Our data elucidated that miR-144 delivered by nasopharyngeal-carcinoma-derived extracellular vesicles exerted pro-angiogenic effects on NPC tumorigenesis, which was achieved by the FBXW7/HIF-1α/VEGF-A axis, shedding light on EV-based therapies for NPC treatment.
To explore the role of fatty acids as flavor precursors in the flavor of oxidized tallow, the volatile flavor compounds and free fatty acid (FFAs) in the four oxidization stages of tallow were ...analyzed via gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS), the aroma characteristics of them were analyzed by GC-olfactory (GC-O) method combined with sensory analysis and partial least-squares regression (PLSR) analysis. 12 common FFAs and 35 key aroma-active compounds were obtained. Combined with the results of odor activity value (OAV) and FD factor, benzaldehyde was found to be an important component in unoxidized tallow. (
,
)-2,4-Heptadienal, (
,
)-2,4-decadienal, (
)-2-nonenal, octanal, hexanoic acid, hexanal and (
)-2-heptenal were the key compounds involved in the tallow flavor oxidation. The changes in FFAs and volatile flavor compounds during oxidation and the metabolic evolution of key aroma-active compounds are systematically summarized in this study. The paper also provides considerable guidance in oxidation control and meat flavor product development.
The promyelocytic leukemia (PML) protein, also known as TRIM19, functions as a major organizer of PML nuclear bodies (NBs) in most mammalian cells and plays important roles in antiviral activities ...against both DNA and RNA viruses. In this study, we found that the downregulation of PML rendered HeLa cells more susceptible to infection by enterovirus 71 (EV71), and the overexpression of the PMLIII or PMLIV isoforms inhibited viral protein expression and resulted in viral titers that were 2-3 log units lower than those in the control. Using short interfering RNAs, the downregulation of either the PMLIII or PMLIV isoform increased both viral protein VP1 expression and viral production. The PML repression of EV71 replication was partially mediated by the inhibition of autophagy, and PML deficiency triggered autophagy. Furthermore, the EV71 infection resulted in a reduction in PML independent of the proteasome pathway. Instead, PML degradation was mediated by virus protease 3C
. In conclusion, PML contributes to a cellular antiviral effect by inhibiting autophagy, which is countered by a disruption of promyelocytic leukemia protein-nuclear bodies mediated by viral protease 3C
.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common causes of dementia, affecting many old people.
By designing and synthesizing intracerebral imaging probes, we tried to provide a new solution for ...the early diagnosis of AD.
We designed and synthesized bis-iodine-labeled curcumin, and verified its performance through in vivo and in vitro experiments.
In this study, bis-iodine-labeled curcumin (7, BICUR) was synthesized. In the in vitro mass spectrum binding assay, K
values of BICUR with Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 aggregates were 46.29 nM and 64.29 nM, respectively. Aβ plaques in AD brain adjacent sections were positively stained by BICUR, which was similar to some other curcumin derivatives. The Log P value of BICUR was 1.45. In the biodistribution experiment, BICUR showed the highest initial brain uptake (5.87% compared to the blood concentration) two minutes after the tail vein injection and rapid clearance from the mouse brain. In the acute toxicity experiment, BICUR showed low toxicity, and the LD
was >100 mg/kg. Moreover, BICUR showed a high stability in vitro (86.68% unchanged BICUR after incubation for 120min in mouse brain homogenate). Besides, BICUR produced an enhanced CT imaging effect that could be sensitively detected in vitro, but it also showed an obvious differentiation from surrounding tissues after intracerebral injection.
All results suggested that BICUR could probably act as a targeted CT imaging agent for Aβ plaques in the brain.
LCN2: Versatile players in breast cancer Bao, Yuxiang; Yan, Zhongliang; Shi, Nianmei ...
Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy,
February 2024, 2024-Feb, 2024-02-00, 20240201, 2024-02-01, Volume:
171
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Lipocalin 2 (LCN2) is a secreted glycoprotein that is produced by immune cells, including neutrophils and macrophages. It serves various functions such as transporting hydrophobic ligands across the ...cellular membrane, regulating immune responses, keeping iron balance, and fostering epithelial cell differentiation. LCN2 plays a crucial role in several physiological processes. LCN2 expression is upregulated in a variety of human diseases and cancers. High levels of LCN2 are specifically linked to breast cancer (BC) cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, migration, angiogenesis, immune regulation, chemotherapy resistance, and prognosis. As a result, LCN2 has gained attention as a potential therapeutic target for BC. This article offered an in-depth review of the advancement of LCN2 in the context of BC occurrence and development.
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•LCN2 plays an important role in breast cancer progression.•LCN2 is involved in multiple biological processes in breast cancer.•LCN2 can be applied as a biomarker and potential target for breast cancer.
An outbreak of diarrhea in pigs started in Guangdong, South China in January 2011. Cases were characterized by watery diarrhea, dehydration and vomiting, with 80-100% morbidity and 50-90% mortality ...in suckling piglets. The causative agent of the diarrhea was ultimately identified as porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). In this study, we isolated a PEDV strain designated CHGD-01 from piglet intestines using Vero cell cultures, and its specific cytopathic effects were confirmed in susceptible cells by direct immunofluorescence testing and electron microscopy. The complete genome of CHGD-01 was shown to be 28,035 nucleotides in length, with a similar structure to that of PEDV reference strains. Phylogenetic analyses based on the whole genome revealed that CHGD-01 shared nucleotide sequence identities of 98.2-98.4% with two other Chinese isolates reported in the same year, thus constituting a new cluster. Amino acid sequence analysis based on individual virus genes indicated a close relationship between the spike protein gene of CHGD-01 and the field strain KNU0802 in Korea. Its ORF3 and nucleoprotein genes, however, were divergent from all other sequenced PEDV isolate clusters and therefore formed a new group, suggesting a new variant PEDV isolate in China. Further studies will be required to determine the immunogenicity and pathogenicity of this new variant.
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