Malaria is an extremely infectious disease and a main cause of death worldwide. Microscopic examination of thin slide serves as a common method for the diagnosis of malaria. Meanwhile, the ...transformer models have gained increasing popularity in many regions, such as computer vision and natural language processing. Transformers also offer lots of advantages in classification task, such as Fine-grained Feature Extraction, Attention Mechanism etc. In this article, we propose to assist the medical professionals by developing an effective framework based on transformer models and a generative adversarial network for multi-class plasmodium classification and malaria diagnosis. The Generative Adversarial Network is employed to generate extended training samples from multiclass cell images, with the aim of enhancing the robustness of the resulting model. We aim to optimize plasmodium classification to achieve an exact balance of high accuracy and low resource consumption. A comprehensive comparison of the transformer models to the state-of-the-art methods proves their efficiency in the classification of malaria parasite through thin blood smear microscopic images. Based on our findings, the Swin Transformer model and MobileVit outperform the baseline architectures in terms of precision, recall, F1-score, specificity, and FPR on test set (the data was divided into train: validation: test splits). It is evident that the Swin Transformer achieves superior detection performance (up to 99.8% accuracy), while MobileViT demonstrates lower memory usage and shorter inference times. High accuracy empowers healthcare professionals to conduct precise diagnoses, while low memory usage and short inference times enable the deployment of predictive models on edge devices with limited computational and memory resources.
The screening for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) based on virus nuclear acid detection and radiology has encountered unprecedented difficulties due to the shortage of kits and facilities, ...and the lack of sensitivity and specificity, especially for developing countries. The study aimed to develop an auxiliary diagnostic score based on age, biomarkers, clinical characteristics (ABC) to rapidly and accurately screen COVID-19. Serum biomarkers were detected by enzymes catalyzed reaction method which is rapid and accurate. A retrospective case–control study among Chinese patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and those without COVID-19 was conducted. Data of age, sex, signs and symptoms, history of disease, complete blood counts, and serum biochemical items such as ALT and AST were used to establish the diagnostic model. ALT/AST was detected by enzymes based biochemical reaction method. Stepwise logistic regression and random forests with variable selection process were used to establish the model. Ten-fold cross-validation and out-of-bag error were used to assess the accuracy of the models. Decision curve analysis was used to compare different models. A total of 279 cases and 253 controls were recruited, with mean age of 60.7 ± 13.7 and 42.6 ± 20.2, respectively. The regression model selected nine variables with Kappa of 0.77, sensitivity of 0.90, and specificity of 0.87. The random forests retained eight variables with Kappa of 0.76, sensitivity of 0.87, and specificity of 0.89. Based on decision curve analysis, the ABC-based diagnostic score provided the largest net benefit compared to other models with less data input. Subgroup analysis by excluding severely ill cases showed a decreased but acceptable sensitivity (0.75) and unchanged overall accuracy. The ABC-based diagnostic score provides a rapid and valid method for COVID-19 screening, especially for regions with a shortage of facilities. The model performs less well in the diagnosis of mild-to-moderate COVID-19.
•PS/Dot nanocapsules were synthesized by a facile method without initiator.•This ultrasonic initiated method drastically shortens the time required for synthesis.•Mechanism of ultrasonic ...polymerization is systematically discussed.•Latent heat and stability of this material are as good as the same type composite.
In this paper, polystyrene(PS)/n-dotriacontane(Dot) composite nanoencapsulated phase change material (NEPCM) for thermal energy storage was synthesized by a facile and time-saving ultrasonically initiated miniemulsion polymerization method. The influences of ultrasonic factors including ultrasonic power output, time and temperature, the ratio of composite emulsifiers composed by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and poly-(ethylene glycol) monooctylphenyl ether (OP-10), as well as the Dot/styrene ratio on the z-average particle size, conversion, encapsulation efficiency and the phase change enthalpy of NEPCM were systematically investigated. The morphology, chemical structure and thermal performance of NEPCM were characterized by particle size analyzer, transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TG), respectively. The results showed that the ultrasonic technique can be successfully applied for the synthesis of PS/Dot NEPCM with high conversion (95.02%) and excellent encapsulation efficiency (61.23%) in a relatively short reaction time (35min). The synthesized composite nanocapsules with uniform spherical core/shell structure and z-average particle size of 168.2nm, had a high latent heat capacity (Tm 70.9°C, 174.8J/g) and good thermal stability, which indicates that it has great potential for the thermal energy storage.
Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a rare aggressive tumor, and bone metastasis often occurs in later stages of this disease. This study aimed to establish a nomogram to predict the prognosis of bone ...metastasis of patients with MM. Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database were screened and retrieved. This study included 311 patients with MM with bone metastases. Prognostic factors were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. A nomogram for overall survival (OS) was established and evaluated using statistically significant prognostic factors, and cancer-specific survival (CSS) analysis was performed to investigate its prognostic factors. In addition, the metastasis patterns of patients with MM were investigated, and the effects of different sites of metastasis on survival were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method. Age, sex, histological type, and chemotherapy were identified as the independent risk factors for OS. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year areas under the curve of the nomogram were 0.792, 0.774, and 0.928, and 0.742, 0.733, and 0.733 in the training and validation sets, respectively. Compared to OS, histological type, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy were independent risk factors for CSS. Different metastatic sites in MM have significantly different effects on prognosis.
Cold energy storage technology with phase change materials (PCMs) has been receiving increasing attention due to the ability to effectively alleviate the electricity load. The modified CaCl2·6H2O ...composite PCM for cold energy storage was prepared using urea and ethanol as thermoregulation additives, strontium chloride hexahydrate (SrCl2·6H2O) and methyl cellulose (MC) as nucleating agent and thickening agent respectively. The results manifested that CaCl2·6H2O composite PCM containing 15 wt% urea and 5.0 wt% ethanol had a promising potential in air-conditioning application with phase change temperature of 11.62 °C and phase change enthalpy of 127.2 J/g. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) verified the composition of the composite PCM. With the addition of 2.0 wt% SrCl2·6H2O, the degree of supercooling of CaCl2·6H2O composite PCM could be reduced to 0.95 °C, and its enhanced crystallization behavior was confirmed by optical microscope. The modified composite PCM also showed an excellent thermal reliability after 50 heating-cooling cycles.
accounts for high antimicrobial resistance and mortality rates of bloodstream infections (BSIs). We aim to investigate incidence, antimicrobial resistance and risk factors for mortality of
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BSIs ...among inpatients.
A retrospective cohort study were conducted at two tertiary hospitals in 2017-2021. Medical and laboratory records of all inpatients diagnosed with
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BSIs were reviewed. A generalized linear mixed model was used to identify risk factors for mortality.
A total of 285 patients with
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BSIs were identified. Incidence of
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BSIs fluctuated between 2.37 and 3.51 per 100,000 patient-days over the study period. Out of 285
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isolates, 97 (34.04%) were carbapenem-resistant (CR) and 75 (26.32%) were multidrug-resistant (MDR). These isolates showed low resistance to aminoglycosides (9.51-11.62%), broad-spectrum cephalosporins (17.19-17.61%), fluoroquinolones (17.25-19.43%), and polymyxin B (1.69%). The crude 30-day mortality rate was 17.89% (51/285). Healthcare costs of patients with MDR/CR isolates were significantly higher than those of patients with non-MDR/CR isolates (
< 0.001/=0.002). Inappropriate definitive therapy adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 4.47, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.35-14.77;
= 0.014, ICU stay (aOR 2.89, 95% CI: 1.26-6.63;
= 0.012) and corticosteroids use (aOR 2.89, 95% CI: 1.31-6.41;
= 0.009) were independently associated with 30-day mortality.
Incidence of
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BSIs showed an upward trend during 2017-2020 but dropped in 2021. MDR/CR
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BSIs are associated with higher healthcare costs. Awareness is required that patients with inappropriate definitive antimicrobial therapy, ICU stay and corticosteroids use are at higher risk of death from
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BSIs.
Wildlife is reservoir of emerging viruses. Here we identified 27 families of mammalian viruses from 1981 wild animals and 194 zoo animals collected from south China between 2015 and 2022, isolated ...and characterized the pathogenicity of eight viruses. Bats harbor high diversity of coronaviruses, picornaviruses and astroviruses, and a potentially novel genus of Bornaviridae. In addition to the reported SARSr-CoV-2 and HKU4-CoV-like viruses, picornavirus and respiroviruses also likely circulate between bats and pangolins. Pikas harbor a new clade of Embecovirus and a new genus of arenaviruses. Further, the potential cross-species transmission of RNA viruses (paramyxovirus and astrovirus) and DNA viruses (pseudorabies virus, porcine circovirus 2, porcine circovirus 3 and parvovirus) between wildlife and domestic animals was identified, complicating wildlife protection and the prevention and control of these diseases in domestic animals. This study provides a nuanced view of the frequency of host-jumping events, as well as assessments of zoonotic risk.
The request for green circular economy stimulates the use of solar energy. Capture and storage-release of solar energy can be simultaneously achieved by integrating photothermal conversion particles ...into phase change materials (PCMs) to obtain dual functional composites. Herein, a simple, cheap strategy for preparing 3D macro-encapsulated composite is proposed. Firstly, based on sizes difference, in situ grow nanoscale CuS coating on the surface of foamy Cu. The obtained CuS-Cu porous carrier adsorbs Na2S2O3·5H2O-CH3COONa·3H2O eutectic PCM to form semi-shape-stabilized PCM@CuS-Cu. Then, CuS-B4C modified epoxy resin (MEP) thin-layer macro-encapsulates PCM@CuS-Cu to fabricate PCM@CuS-Cu@MEP permanent shape-stabilized composite. The uniform distribution of CuS particles improves the heat transfer and photothermal conversion abilities of composite, as well as its exothermic accuracy shown as a low supercooling degree of only 0.740 °C. Photothermal conversion efficiency of PCM@CuS-Cu@MEP is 81.83 %, increased by 12.70 times compared with that of PCM (5.97 %). The MEP helps the composite to have leak-free performance under 60 °C for 72 h, and thermal reliability revealed as consistent thermal properties, crystal phase, composition after 100 heating-cooling cycles. The job provides a novel strategy to uniformly disperse PCM and photothermal conversion particles in space, ensuring the efficiently conversion and storage-release of energy.
The preparative composite can capture solar energy and store-release thermal energy at the same time, which recycles the solar energy and conduces to green chemistry. It also has good photothermal conversion ability, heat transfer capacity, exothermic accuracy and thermal reliability, helping humans to seize renewable energy in the future. Display omitted
•The macro-encapsulated PCM has high photothermal conversion of 81.83 %.•The macro-encapsulated PCM has simple, safe and economical preparation process.•The macro-encapsulated PCM has good heat transfer ability.•The macro-encapsulated PCM shows exothermic accuracy and thermal reliability.•The macro-encapsulated PCM uniformly disperses PCM and photothermal conversion particles.
Antibiotics are widely used for prophylactic therapy and for improving the growth performance of chicken. The problem of bacterial drug resistance caused by antibiotic abuse has previously attracted ...extensive attention; however, the influence of early-day use of prophylactic antibiotics on the gut microflora and on the disease resistance ability in chicks has not been explored. Here, we comprehensively evaluate the growth performance, gut microbial dynamics, level of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the gut microbial community, and resistance to H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV) in chickens following long-term and short-term early-day prophylactic antibiotic treatment.
Unexpectedly, long-term prophylactic enrofloxacin treatment slowed the growth rate of chickens, whereas short-term antibiotics treatments were found to increase the growth rate, but these changes were not statistically significant. Strikingly, expansions of Escherichia-Shigella populations were observed in early-life prophylactic antibiotics-treated groups of chickens, which is in contrast to the general perception that antibiotics should control their pathogenicity in chicks. The gut microbiota composition of chickens treated long term with antibiotics or received early-day antibiotics treatment tend to be more dramatically disturbed compared to the gut microbiome of chickens treated with antibiotics for a short term at a later date, especially after H9N2 AIV infection.
Our data provide evidence that early-day and long-term antibiotic treatments have a more adverse effect on the intestinal microbiome of chickens, compared to short-term late age antibiotic treatment. Furthermore, our metagenomic data reveal that both long-term and short-term antibiotic treatment increase the relative abundance of ARGs. Our findings highlight the adverse effects of prophylactic antibiotic treatment and provide a theoretical basis for the cautious administration of antibiotics in food-producing animal management. Video Abstract.
