3D MFA: An automated 3D Multi-Feature Attention based approach for spine segmentation using a multi-stage network pruning.

Spine segmentation poses significant challenges due to the complex anatomical structure of the spine and the variability in imaging modalities, which often results in unclear boundaries and overlaps with surrounding tissues. In this research, a novel 3D Multi-Feature Attention (MFA) model is proposed for spine segmentation. The standard MobileNetv3 is modified by adding the RCBAM (Reverse Convolution Block Attention Module) module, and FPP (Feature Pyramid Pooling) for feature enhancement.

Circumferential Crack Detection in Ultra-High-Pressure Tubular Reactors with Pulsed Eddy Current Testing.

Ultra-high-pressure tubular reactors are crucial pieces of equipment for polyethylene production. Long-term operation under high temperature, high pressure, and other extremely harsh conditions can lead to various defects, with circumferential cracks posing a major safety risk. Detecting cracks is challenging, particularly when they are under a protective layer of a certain thickness.

A single-pixel and non-redundant branching-based algorithm for nailfold capillary skeleton line extraction.

Background: Static nailfold capillary parameters are important parameters that reflect the health of the human body. Disease onset or progression is often accompanied by changes in the physiological parameters of the nailfold. Hence, the physiological parameters of the nailfold are closely related to the study of disease, with their automated and high-precision measurements playing a crucial role in these studies.

NF-κB/miR-455-5p/SOCS3 Axis Aggravates Sepsis-Induced Acute Kidney Injury through Promoting Renal Inflammation.

Introduction: Sepsis is the leading contributor to acute kidney injury (AKI), responsible for 45-70% of AKI occurrences. Despite this, septic AKI is a highly multifactorial and complex condition, and our grasp of its pathogenesis is still not fully developed. Consequently, there remains a significant gap in effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for septic AKI.

Prediction of postoperative complications following transanal total mesorectal excision in middle and low rectal cancer: development and internal validation of a clinical prediction model.

Purpose: The objective of this study is to develop a nomogram for the personalized prediction of postoperative complication risks in patients with middle and low rectal cancer who are undergoing transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME). This tool aims to assist clinicians in early identification of high-risk patients and in addressing preoperative risk factors to enhance surgical safety.

Methods: In this case-control study, 207 patients diagnosed with middle and low rectal cancer and undergoing taTME between February 2018 and November 2023 at The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University were included.

sEH activity is associated with mortality in patients with ARDS: a retrospective cohort study.

We hypothesized plasma sEH activity correlates with mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients. Adult patients diagnosed with ARDS enrolled between 2017 and 2019 were included in this study. A total of 337 adult patients met our inclusion criteria.

Demographic diversity of participants in clinical trials conducted in Singapore.

Introduction: The under-representativeness of participants in clinical trials limits the generalisability of results. This review evaluates the representative-ness within pharmaceutical randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in Singapore.

Method: Four bibliographic databases were searched for papers on pharmaceutical RCTs which included Singapore adults (≥18 years old), published between 2017 and 2022.

Stitching method for panoramic nail fold images based on capillary contour enhancement.

Nail fold capillaroscopy is an important means of monitoring human health. Panoramic nail fold images improve the efficiency and accuracy of examinations. However, the acquisition of panoramic nail fold images is seldom studied and the problem manifests of few matching feature points when image stitching is used for such images.

Expanding the clinical application of OPM-MEG using an effective automatic suppression method for the dental brace metal artifact.

Optically pumped magnetometer magnetoencephalography (OPM-MEG) holds significant promise for clinical functional brain imaging due to its superior spatiotemporal resolution. However, effectively suppressing metallic artifacts, particularly from devices such as orthodontic braces and vagal nerve stimulators remains a major challenge, hindering the wider clinical application of wearable OPM-MEG devices. A comprehensive analysis of metal artifact characteristics from time, frequency, and time-frequency perspectives was conducted for the first time using an OPM-MEG device in clinical medicine.

An Automated Multi-scale Feature Fusion Network for Spine Fracture Segmentation Using Computed Tomography Images.

Spine fractures represent a critical health concern with far-reaching implications for patient care and clinical decision-making. Accurate segmentation of spine fractures from medical images is a crucial task due to its location, shape, type, and severity. Addressing these challenges often requires the use of advanced machine learning and deep learning techniques.

Time to sputum culture conversion and its associated factors among drug-resistant tuberculosis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the sputum culture conversion time of DR-TB patients and its related factors.

Methods: PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, CNKI, Wan Fang, CBM and VIP databases were electronically searched to collect studies on sputum culture conversion time in patients with DR-TB. Meta-analysis was performed by using the R 4.

Crystal structure of AlFe.

Three B2-type inter-metallic AlFe phases (0.18 < δ < 0.05) in the Al-Fe binary system were synthesized by smelting and high temperature sinter-ing methods.

Epidemiological Trends in Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Attributable to Modifiable Risk Factors and Its Association with Sociodemographic Transitions across BRICS-Plus Countries.

BRICS-Plus countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and 30 other countries) is a group of 35 countries with emerging economies making up more than half of the world's population. We explored epidemiological trends of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality attributable to modifiable risk factors and its association with period and birth cohort effects and sociodemographic index (SDI) across BRICS-Plus countries by using joinpoint regression and age-period-cohort modeling from 1990 to 2019. Between 1990 and 2019, the all-ages CVD deaths increased by 85.

Timing of antibiotic prophylaxis in term prelabor rupture of membranes: A retrospective cohort study using propensity-score matching.

Objective: To assess whether earlier administration of antibiotic prophylaxis after prelabor rupture of membranes (PROM) at term would decrease the incidence of maternal and neonatal infections.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study comparing women with term PROM who were initiated antibiotic prophylaxis within or after 6 h, and within or after 12 h from PROM to delivery during January 2019 to December 2021. Women with term PROM receiving cephalosporin and without contraindications to vaginal delivery or confirmed or suspected infection were included in the study.

Self-Adaptive Macroscale Superlubricity Based on the Tribocatalytic Properties of Partially Oxidized Black Phosphorus.

The high-flash heat generated by direct contact at asperity tips under high contact stress and shear significantly promotes the tribocatalytic reaction between a lubricating medium and a friction interface. Macroscale superlubricity can be achieved by using additives with good lubrication properties to promote the decomposition and transformation of a lubricating medium to form an ultralow shear interface during the friction process. This paper proposed a way to achieve self-adaptive oil-based macroscale superlubricity on different tribopairs, including steel-steel and steel-DLC (diamond-like carbon), which is based on the excellent lubricating performance of black phosphorus with active oxidation and the catalytic cleavage behavior of oil molecules on the surface of oBP.

Development and investigation of a novel device with gemcitabine for hyperthermic intravesical chemotherapy.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel hyperthermic intravesical chemotherapy (HIVEC) device in combination with gemcitabine.

Materials And Methods: A pilot clinical trial was performed on patients with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), who received HIVEC the novel device (BR-PRG). Treatment regimen included eight weekly instillations of intravesical GEM (3 g in 150 mL normal saline [NS]) at a temperature of 45 °C for 60 min.

Prediction of cardiovascular diseases mortality- and disability-adjusted life-years attributed to modifiable dietary risk factors from 1990 to 2030 among East Asian countries and the world.

Background: Unhealthy eating habits are a significant modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs); nevertheless, no evidence of their impact on the CVD burden has been reported in East Asian countries. We aimed to determine the trend and predict the future CVDs burden attributed to modifiable dietary risk factors in the East Asian countries (China, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea) and the world.

Methods: The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 data were used to find the trend of CVDs [ischemic heart disease (IHD) and ischemic stroke (IS)] mortality- and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) attributed to dietary risk factors in the East Asian countries and the world (1990-2019) and its prediction from 2020 to 2030.

Measurement of electromagnetic waves from runaway electrons.

Electromagnetic waves emitted during a tokamak discharge can be partially ascribed to coupling with plasma waves. In particular, in the presence of runaway electrons, the electromagnetic waves deliver information, otherwise inaccessible, about kinetic instabilities excited by the fast particles. Experiments aimed at studying radio frequency emissions from runaway electron scenarios during different stages of plasma discharge have been carried out at the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade.

β 2 -Microglobulin Participates in the Development of Vestibular Schwannoma by Regulating Nuclear Factor-κB.

Background And Objectives: Vestibular schwannoma (VS), the most common intercranial schwannoma, originates from the sheath of the vestibular nerve. The growth rate of VS varies greatly, with the tumor enlarging gradually, which can compress the peripheral nerve tissue and reveal corresponding symptoms. This study was aimed to elucidate the growth mechanism of VS by analyzing cellular changes at protein, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), and other molecular levels.

First Intrashot Observation of Runaway-Electron-Driven Instabilities at the Lower-Hybrid Frequency Range under ITER-Relevant Plasma-Wave Dispersion Conditions.

Kinetic instabilities driven by runaway electrons (REs) have recently received attention in the fusion community as a means to control and diagnose REs in a tokamak. Experiments aimed at studying such kinetic instabilities have been performed at the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade (FTU), where different families of waves have been identified, from wide-band bursting emissions to quasi-monochromatic waves and sharp lines, in the presence of REs with energies from a few to tens of MeV. A specific family of waves with intense kinetic drive was directly observed for the first time, during both the early Ohmic plasma start-up and the current ramp-up.

Online music-assisted rehabilitation system for depressed people based on deep learning.

The processing of negative emotions is closely related to the occurrence of depression, and improving the mood of patients with depression has an important effect on improving symptoms. This article applies deep learning to the diagnosis and treatment of depression patients, combined with music-assisted rehabilitation to help depression patients recover. Moreover, this paper strengthens deep learning, combines the psychological characteristics of depression to improve the algorithm, and analyzes the algorithm with music-assisted rehabilitation, and obtains an intelligent algorithm that can be applied to the music-assisted rehabilitation system.

Discovery and preclinical evaluations of JBD0131, a novel nitrodihydro-imidazooxazole anti-tuberculosis agent.

Multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a major health problem worldwide. The treatment for MDR-TB requires medications for a long duration (up to 20-24 months) with second-line drugs resulting in unfavorable outcomes. Nitroimidazoles are promising antimycobacterial agents known to inhibit both aerobic and anaerobic mycobacterial activity.

Platycodon grandiflorum extract attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury via TLR4/NF-κBp65 pathway in rats.

The traditional Chinese medicine Platycodon grandiflorum (PG) is often used for the treatment of a number of chronic inflammatory diseases. In Chinese veterinary clinic, PG is always extracted by decoction and taken orally, however, the molecular mechanism of PG extract (PE) to reduce LPS-induced inflammation, especially acute lung injury (ALI) in vivo, are not known. Thus, we have studied the anti-inflammatory effects of PE on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury via TLR4/NF-κBp65 pathway in rat.