Motor disorder is a typical symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD). Neurologists assess the severity of PD motor symptoms using the clinical rating scale, i.e., MDS-UPDRS. However, this assessment ...method is time-consuming and easily affected by the perception difference of assessors. In the recent outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019, telemedicine for PD has become extremely urgent for clinical practice. To solve these problems, we developed an automated and objective assessment method of the leg agility task in the MDS-UPDRS using videos and a graph neural network. In this study, a sparse adaptive graph convolutional network (SA-GCN) was proposed to achieve fine-grained quantitative assessment of skeleton sequences extracted from videos. Specifically, the sparse adaptive graph convolutional unit with a prior knowledge constraint was proposed to perform adaptive spatial modeling of physical and logical dependency for skeleton sequences, thus achieving the sparse modeling of the discriminative spatial relationships. Subsequently, a temporal context module was introduced to construct the remote context dependency in the temporal dimension, hence determining the global changes of the task. A multi-domain attention learning module was also developed to integrate the static spatial features and dynamic temporal features, and then to emphasize the salient feature selection in the channel domain, thereby capturing the multi-domain fine-grained information. Finally, the evaluation results using a dataset with 148 patients and 870 samples confirmed the effectiveness and reliability of our scheme, and the method outperformed other related state-of-the-art methods. Our contactless method provides a new potential tool for automated PD assessment and telemedicine.
Histiocytic sarcoma, a rare malignant neoplasm showing morphologic and immunophenotypic features of histiocytes, is characterized typically by extranodal presentation and a dismal clinical course, ...particularly in patients with disseminated disease. A history of hematolymphoid disorder can be identified in a subset of patients, suggesting transdifferentiation of a preexisting hematolymphoid neoplasm in its pathogenesis. The differential diagnosis of histiocytic sarcoma includes various lymphomas, other histiocytic and dendritic cell neoplasms, carcinomas, melanomas, and pleomorphic sarcomas. Given its rarity and histologic overlap with diverse mimics, the diagnosis of histiocytic sarcoma can be extremely challenging. Recognition of morphologic clues, as well as judicious application of immunohistochemical markers to confirm its histiocytic lineage and to exclude mimics, is crucial for the diagnosis. Recent molecular studies by targeted next-generation sequencing identified recurrent alterations in the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway and chromatin regulators in the pathogenesis of histiocytic sarcoma and may suggest possible therapeutic targets.
Highlights • The multi-channel fully convolutional networks is designed. • We segment liver tumors from multiphase contrast-enhanced CT images. • We train one network for each phase of CT images and ...fuse their high-layer features together. • This method can make full use of the characteristics of different enhancement phases of CT images. • The results showed our model provided greater accuracy and robustness than previous methods.
Titanium alloys have high corrosion resistance and specific strength, leading to a wide range of uses in a variety of industrial fields. However, machining performance is often very poor, causing ...serious difficulty during the cutting process. In particular, high cutting temperature and high chemical activity of titanium alloys during the cutting process lead to rapid tool wear. Within this research, specific tool microstructures cut onto the tool rake surface is explored to improve the cutting performance of titanium alloy TC21.
I
n order to isolate the influence of particular tool microstructures on the cutting performance of titanium alloy TC21, a 3D orthogonal finite element model (OFEM) is utilized to simulate the cutting process of TC21 alloy. The impact of tool microstructure on chip formation, cutting force and temperature is thoroughly analyzed through turning simulations and experiments on titanium alloy TC21. Finally, a comprehensive comparison of cutting behaviors between textured and untextured tools during the cutting of titanium alloy TC21 was carried out. Cutting simulations indicate that tool microstructure can improve the cutting properties, reducing cutting temperature and cutting force. Research results confirm that chip serration and tool wear noticeably decreased, indicating tool texture can significantly improve cutting performance of titanium alloy TC21.
Accelerating the design of nucleic acid amplification methods remains a critical challenge in the development of molecular tools to identify biomarkers to diagnose both infectious and ...non-communicable diseases. Many of the principles that underpin these mechanisms are often complex and can require iterative optimisation. Here we focus on creating a generalisable isothermal nucleic acid amplification methodology, describing the systematic implementation of abstraction-based models for the algorithmic design and application of assays. We demonstrate the simplicity, ease and flexibility of our approach using a software tool that provides amplification schemes de novo, based upon a user-input target sequence. The abstraction of reaction network predicts multiple reaction pathways across different strategies, facilitating assay optimisation for specific applications, including the ready design of multiplexed tests for short nucleic acid sequence miRNAs or for difficult pathogenic targets, such as highly mutating viruses.
Titanium alloys are widely used in the aviation field due to the excellent properties, such as high specific-strength and high-temperature resistance. But the poor machinability of titanium alloys ...has brought the great difficulty to its machining process. In the cutting process of titanium alloys, tool wear is very serious, and the machining quality is difficult to be guaranteed. As a new type titanium alloy, TC21 alloy has the higher strength and its machinability is less than other titanium alloys. Aiming at the cutting defects in the cutting process of TC21 alloy, three different microstructures, including parallel, perpendicular and wavy grooves, are presented and cut on the rake surface of tools by the laser texturing method. A series of precision turning process of TC21 alloy are implemented on the precision machine using the inserts with different microstructures. The effects of the different microstructures on the chip morphology, turning force, surface morphology, and surface roughness are investigated deeply. The results demonstrates that the tool microstructures have very important role on the turning process of titanium alloys and the wavy microstructure has the best effect in improving the machinability of titanium alloy TC21.
- Current 2013 World Health Organization classification of tumors of soft tissue arranges these tumors into 12 groups according to their histogenesis. Tumor behavior is classified as benign, ...intermediate (locally aggressive), intermediate (rarely metastasizing), and malignant. In our practice, a general approach to reaching a definitive diagnosis of soft tissue tumors is to first evaluate clinicoradiologic, histomorphologic, and cytomorphologic features of the tumor to generate some pertinent differential diagnoses. These include the potential line of histogenesis and whether the tumor is benign or malignant, and low or high grade. Although molecular/genetic testing is increasingly finding its applications in characterizing soft tissue tumors, currently immunohistochemistry still not only plays an indispensable role in defining tumor histogenesis, but also serves as a surrogate for underlining molecular/genetic alterations. Objective- To provide an overview focusing on the current concepts in the classification and diagnosis of soft tissue tumors, incorporating immunohistochemistry. This article uses examples to discuss how to use the traditional and new immunohistochemical markers for the diagnosis of soft tissue tumors. Practical diagnostic pearls, summary tables, and figures are used to show how to avoid diagnostic pitfalls.
- Data were obtained from pertinent peer-reviewed English-language literature and the authors' first-hand experience as bone and soft tissue pathologists.
- -The ultimate goal for a pathologist is to render a specific diagnosis that provides diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic information to guide patient care. Immunohistochemistry is integral to the diagnosis and management of soft tissue tumors.
Objectives
This study aims to develop a clinically practical model to predict EGFR mutation in lung adenocarcinoma patients according to radiomics signatures based on PET/CT and clinical risk ...factors.
Methods
This retrospective study included 583 lung adenocarcinoma patients, including 295 (50.60%) patients with EGFR mutation and 288 (49.40%) patients without EGFR mutation. The clinical risk factors associated with lung adenocarcinoma were collected at the same time. We developed PET/CT, CT, and PET radiomics models for the prediction of EGFR mutation using multivariate logistic regression analysis, respectively. We also constructed a combined PET/CT radiomics-clinical model by nomogram analysis. The diagnostic performance and clinical net benefit of this risk-scoring model were examined via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis while the clinical usefulness of this model was evaluated by decision curve analysis (DCA).
Results
The ROC analysis showed predictive performance for the PET/CT radiomics model (AUC = 0.76), better than the PET model (AUC = 0.71, Delong test:
Z
= 3.03,
p
value = 0.002) and the CT model (AUC = 0.74, Delong test:
Z
= 1.66,
p
value = 0.098). Also, the PET/CT radiomics-clinical combined model has a better performance (AUC = 0.84) to predict EGFR mutation than the PET/CT radiomics model (AUC = 0.76, Delong test:
D
= 2.70, df = 790.81,
p
value < 0.001) or the clinical model (AUC = 0.81, Delong test:
Z
= 3.46,
p
value < 0.001).
Conclusions
We demonstrated that the combined PET/CT radiomics-clinical model has an advantage to predict EGFR mutation in lung adenocarcinoma.
Key Points
•
Radiomics from lung tumor increase the efficiency of the prediction for EGFR mutation in clinical lung adenocarcinoma on PET/CT.
•
A radiomic nomogram was developed to predict EGFR mutation.
•
Combining PET/CT radiomics-clinical model has an advantage to predict EGFR mutation.
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an allergic disease characterized as (immunoglobulin, IgE)-mediated type I hypersensitivity disorder. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a crucial role in AR. In the present ...study, we aimed to investigate the mechanism of how Tregs are regulated by long noncoding RNA HCP5 and the regulatory role of HCP5 in IL-13-induced inflammatory response in nasal epithelial cells (NECs) from AR patients. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and NECs were obtained from collected blood samples and nasal epithelial tissues. CD4
+
T cells and Tregs were purified using certain cell isolation kits from PBMCs and Tregs were also differentiated from CD4
+
T cells using recombinant human IL-2 and TGF-β. The expression levels of HCP5, miR-16, ATXN2L, GM-CSF, eotaxin, and MUC5AC were detected by real-time PCR and western blot. The concentrations of inflammatory cytokines were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The interaction among HCP5, miR-16, and ATXN2L were verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. lncRNA HCP5 expression dramatically downregulated in PBMCs, CD4
+
T cells, Tregs, and nasal tissues of AR patients, as well as in IL-13-treated NECs. HCP5 promoted Tregs differentiation and proliferation via targeting miR-16/ATXN2L axis. Additionally, HCP5 inhibited IL-13-induced GM-CSF, eotaxin, and MUC5AC production in NECs. HCP5 sponged miR-16 and negatively regulated its expression, and miR-16 targeted ATXN2L and inhibition of miR-16 suppressed IL-13-induced GM-CSF, eotaxin, and MUC5AC expression. HCP5/miR-16/ATXN2L axis mediated Tregs proliferation and functions in AR. Besides, the regulation of IL-13-induced dysfunction of NECs by lncRNA HCP5 depended on miR-16/ATXN2L in the inflammatory response of AR.
Environmental conditions contribute to plant growth and metabolism. This study aimed to determine a suitable environment and climate for large-scale artificial cultivation of an endangered plant, ...Tetrastigma hemsleyanum, by investigating the seasonal variations influencing the flavonoid biosynthetic selectivity and antioxidant activity of its major metabolites. Under conditions of precipitation (2.0~6.6 mm), temperature (17.5~24.1°C), humidity (67.3~80.2%), and sunshine duration (3.4~5.8 h) from April to May, the total flavonoid content in T. hemsleyanum reached higher levels between 281.3 and 392.8 μg/g. In the second half of April, the production selectivity (PS) of isoorientin (IsoO), orientin (Or), rutin (Rut), isoquercitin (IsoQ), kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (Km3rut), astragalin (Ast), quercetin (Qu), apigenin (Ap), and kaempferol (Km) were 0.30, 0.06, 0.07, 0.07, 0.00, 0.04, 0.38, 0.05, and 0.03, respectively. Naringenin was dehydrogenated or hydroxylated to initiate two parallel reaction pathways for flavonoid biosynthesis in T. hemsleyanum: path I subsequently generated flavone derivatives including apigenin, luteolin, orientin, and isoorientin, and path II subsequently generated flavonol derivatives including Km, Qu, IsoQ, Rut, Ast, and Km3rut. The reaction selectivity of path II (RPSII) from January 1 to September 30 was considerably higher than that of path I (RPSI), except for March 16-31. In addition, either the content or antioxidant activity of three major metabolites in T. hemsleyanum followed the order of phenolic compounds > polysaccharides > sterols, and exhibited dynamic correlations with environmental factors. Naringenin favored hydroxylation and derived six flavonol compounds from January to September, and favored dehydrogenation and derived three flavone compounds from October to December. In most months of a year, Km preferentially favored hydroxylation rather than glucosylation.
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