Identifying sex from pharyngeal images using deep learning algorithm.

The pharynx is one of the few areas in the body where blood vessels and immune tissues can readily be observed from outside the body non-invasively. Although prior studies have found that sex could be identified from retinal images using artificial intelligence, it remains unknown as to whether individuals' sex could also be identified using pharyngeal images. Demographic information and pharyngeal images were collected from patients who visited 64 primary care clinics in Japan for influenza-like symptoms.

Impact of Initial Treatment Policies on Long-term Complications and Costs in Japanese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Real-World Database Study.

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) represents a remarkable disease burden in Japan, and the cost-effectiveness of pharmacotherapy is an important consideration. In this study, we compared the long-term effects of the type of initial medication, as well as the initial frequency of clinic visits, on the occurrence of T2D-related complications. Additionally, we compared the medical costs associated with each treatment pattern.

Torsional Vibration Tests of Extruded Polystyrene with Improved Accuracy in Determining the Shear Modulus.

Recently, extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam has been used as a component of construction materials; therefore, it is important to characterize its mechanical properties, including shear modulus. Despite the importance, it is often difficult to determine the shear modulus accurately by using many of the conventional methods; therefore, it is desirable to establish another method to measure the shear modulus with a high accuracy. Among various methods, torsional vibration test is advantageous because it can be performed easily under the pure shear stress condition in the test sample and both the in-plane and out-of-plane shear moduli can be obtained.

Cost-effectiveness of trifluridine/tipiracil against nivolumab for heavily pretreated metastatic gastric cancer in Japan.

Objective: Nivolumab and trifluridine/tipiracil have significantly improved the overall survival of patients with heavily pretreated metastatic gastric cancer in different placebo-controlled phase III trials. Accordingly, nivolumab and trifluridine/tipiracil have been approved and recommended for patients with heavily pretreated metastatic gastric cancer in Japan. The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of trifluridine/tipiracil against nivolumab.

Measurement of the Shear Properties of Extruded Polystyrene Foam by In-Plane Shear and Asymmetric Four-Point Bending Tests.

The shear modulus and shear strength of extruded polystyrene foam were obtained by the in-plane shear and asymmetric four-point bending tests. In addition, the test data were numerically analysed, and the effectiveness of these tests was examined. The numerical and experimental results suggest that the shear modulus and shear strength obtained from the in-plane shear test are significantly smaller than those obtained from the asymmetric four-point bending test because the influence of the stress concentration was less significant.