Automatic Segmentation of the Left Ventricle in Apical Four-Chamber View on Transesophageal Echocardiography Based on UNeXt Deep Neural Network.

The automatic left ventricle segmentation in transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is of significant importance. In this paper, we constructed a large-scale TEE apical four-chamber view (A4CV) image dataset and proposed an automatic left ventricular segmentation method for the TEE A4CV based on the UNeXt deep neural network. UNeXt, a variant of U-Net integrating a multilayer perceptron, was employed for left ventricle segmentation in the TEE A4CV because it could yield promising segmentation performance while reducing both the number of network parameters and computational complexity.

Surface frustrated Lewis pairs in titanium nitride enable gas phase heterogeneous CO photocatalysis.

Gas-phase heterogeneous catalytic CO hydrogenation to commodity chemicals and fuels via surface frustrated Lewis pairs is a growing focus of scientific and technological interest. Traditional gas-phase heterogeneous surface frustrated Lewis pair catalysts primarily involve metal oxide-hydroxides (MOH•••M). An avenue to improve the process performance metrics lies in replacing the Lewis base MOH with a stronger alternative; an intriguing example being the amine MNH in metal nitrides.

Simultaneous removal of Cd(II) and phosphate by nanoscale zero-valent iron from solution: Co-sorption and implication of corrosion.

Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) has been extensively utilized in environmental remediation, but its reactivity in the presence of co-contaminants requires further investigation for effective application in complex environments. Here, we conducted batch removal experiments to systematically investigate the co-removal behaviors of Cd(II) and phosphate by nZVI. Results showed that nZVI can synergistically remove Cd(II) and phosphate in solution, with the removal efficiency of Cd(II) and phosphate in the binary system being approximately 2 and 5 times higher than those in the single system, respectively.

Crystal Water in Minerals Modulates Oxygen Activation for Hydrogen Peroxide Photosynthesis.

Sunlight-responsive minerals contribute significantly to biogeochemical cycles by activating oxygen (O) to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the role of crystal water, incorporated into minerals through hydration during rock cycles, in O activation remains largely unexplored. Here, we construct tungstite models containing oxygen vacancies to elucidate the modulation of mineral-based ROS dynamics by the synergy between oxygen vacancy and crystal water.

Hsa-miR-181a-2-3p inhibits the oncogenicity of colon cancer by directly targeting STING.

Objective: Colon cancer is a common malignant tumor of the gastrointestinal system, which is characterized by high morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to analyze the expression and biological role of miR-181a-2-3p in colon cancer and to investigate the molecular mechanism of its regulatory effect on colon cancer through stimulator of interferon genes (STING).

Methods: Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was used to detect the expression of miR-181a-2-3p in colon cancer cell lines and normal intestinal epithelial cells.

Catalytic detoxification of mitoxantrone by graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) supported Fe/Pd bimetallic nanoparticles.

The overuse of antibiotics and antitumor drugs has resulted in more and more extensive pollution of water bodies with organic drugs, causing detrimental ecological effects, which have attracted attention towards effective and sustainable methods for antibiotics and antitumor drug degradation. Here, the hybrid nanomaterial (g-CN@Fe/Pd) was synthesized and used to remove a kind of both an antibiotic and antitumor drug named mitoxantrone (MTX) with 92.0% removal efficiency, and the MTX removal capacity is 450 mg/g.

Differential Mechanisms of Microbial As(III) and Sb(III) Oxidation and Their Contribution to Tailings Reclamation.

Mine tailings are extremely oligotrophic environments frequently contaminated with elevated As and Sb, making As(III) and Sb(III) oxidation potentially important energy sources for the tailing microbiome. Although they have been proposed to share similar metabolic pathways, a systemic comparison of the As(III) and Sb(III) oxidation mechanisms and energy utilization efficiencies requires further elucidation. In this study, we employed a combination of physicochemical, molecular, and bioinformatic analyses to compare the kinetic and genetic mechanisms of As(III) and Sb(III) oxidation as well as their respective energy efficiencies for fueling the key nutrient acquisition metabolisms.

Association between triglyceride-glucose index and femoral bone mineral density in community-dwelling, nondiabetic men and women: a NHANES analysis of 1,928 US individuals.

Objective: To determine the potential association between the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and bone mineral density (BMD) in community-dwelling adults without diabetes using a nationally representative database from the United States (US).

Methods: Data were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2010, 2013-2014, and 2017-2018. Men and postmenopausal women aged ≥50 years with complete data on femoral neck BMD, triglycerides, and fasting plasma glucose levels were eligible for inclusion.

Interface Visualization of Bio-material Interaction Via Cryo-AEM Using the Biosynthesis of Iron-Based Nanoparticles as a Model.

Although interaction between organisms and nonorganisms is vital in environmental processes, it is difficult to characterize at nanoscale resolution. Biosynthesis incorporates intracellular and extracellular processes involving crucial interfacial functions and electron and substance transfer processes, especially on the inorganic-organic interface. This work chooses the biosynthesis of iron-based nanoparticles (Fe) as a model for biomaterial interaction and employs Cryo-AEM (i.

Construction and validation of "WCH-nomogram" for predicting the prognosis after resection of colorectal liver metastases.

Background: The prognostic predictive tool for patients with colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) is limited and the criteria for administering preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy in CRLM patients remain controversial.

Methods: This study enrolled 532 CRLM patients at West China Hospital (WCH) from January 2009 to December 2019. Prognostic factors were identified from the training cohort to construct a WCH-nomogram and evaluating accuracy in the validation cohort.

Harmonizing the cyano-group and Na to enhance selective photocatalytic O activation on carbon nitride for refractory pollutant degradation.

Manipulating exciton dissociation and charge-carrier transfer processes to selectively generate free radicals of more robust photocatalytic oxidation capacity for mineralizing refractory pollutants remains challenging. Herein, we propose a strategy by simultaneously introducing the cyano-group and Na into graphitic carbon nitride (CN) to obtain CN-Cy-Na, which makes the charge-carrier transfer pathways the dominant process and consequently achieves the selective generation of free radicals. Briefly, the cyano-group intensifies the local charge density of CN, offering a potential well to attract the hole of exciton, which accelerates the exciton dissociation.

Improving on mapping long-term surface water with a novel framework based on the Landsat imagery series.

Surface water plays a crucial role in the ecological environment and societal development. Remote sensing detection serves as a significant approach to understand the temporal and spatial change in surface water series (SWS) and to directly construct long-term SWS. Limited by various factors such as cloud, cloud shadow, and problematic satellite sensor monitoring, the existent surface water mapping datasets might be short and incomplete due to losing raw information on certain dates.

Assessment of sediment transport in Luxiapuqu watershed using RUSLE-TLSD and InSAR techniques: Yarlung Tsangpo River, China.

The Yarlung Tsangpo River Basin is characterized by its intricate topography and a significant presence of erosive materials. These often coincide with heavy localized precipitation, resulting in pronounced hydraulic erosion and geological hazards in mountainous regions. To tackle this challenge, we integrated the RUSLE-TLSD (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation-Transportation-limited sediment delivery) model with InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) data, aiming to explore the sediment transport process and pinpoint hazard-prone sites within mountainous small watershed.

Mendelian randomization study of IGF-1, childhood obesity and obesity-related asthma.

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) has been reported to potentially link with childhood obesity and obesity-related asthma, although a causal effect has not been illustrated. This study aimed to assess their association via multi-variable Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis with two-sample summary-level data on genetic variants as instrumental variables, thus estimating a causal effect. Genetic variants associated with serum IGF-1 at genome-wide significance (GWS) in the UK Biobank study involving 363,228 individuals of European descent were introduced as instrumental variables.

Effect of PIVKA-II and AFP secretion status on early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after open and laparoscopic surgery.

Background: Prothrombin induced by vitamin K absence-II (PIVKA-II) and Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) have been widely used as diagnostic markers in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the prognostic values of the two serum markers and their clinical usefulness in patient selection for different surgical approaches remain largely unclear.

Methods: HCC patients received surgical treatment between 2015 and 2019 were included. Patients were divided into four statuses according to the serum PIVKA-II and AFP secretion status: PIVKA-II (-) AFP (-) (status 1); PIVKA-II (+) AFP (-) (status 2); PIVKA-II (-) AFP (+) (status 3); PIVKA-II (+) AFP (+) (status 4).

Machine-Learning-Assisted Optimization of a Single-Atom Coordination Environment for Accelerated Fenton Catalysis.

Machine learning (ML) algorithms will be enablers in revolutionizing traditional methods of materials optimization. Here, we broaden the use of ML to assist the construction of Fenton-like single-atom catalysts (SACs) by developing a methodology including model building, training, and prediction. Our approach can efficiently extract synthesis parameters that exert a substantial influence on Fenton activity and accurately predict the phenol degradation rate of SACs with a mean error of ±0.

Association of intraoperative hypotension and postoperative acute kidney injury after adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma: a retrospective cohort analysis.

Background: Perioperative acute kidney injury (AKI) has been one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality for surgical patients. Pheochromocytoma is a rare, catecholamine-secreting neuroendocrine neoplasm characterized by typical long-term hypertension that needs surgical resection. Our objective was to determine whether intraoperative mean arterial pressures (MAPs) less than 65 mmHg are associated with postoperative AKI after elective adrenalectomy in patients with pheochromocytoma.

Research Hotspots and Trends on Acupuncture for Anti-Inflammation: A Bibliometric Analysis from 2011 to 2021.

Purpose: We here explored the research status, research hotspots, and development trend of acupuncture against inflammation from both quantitative and qualitative aspects through bibliometrics.

Methods: We used CiteSpace and VOSviewer to analyze the literature about acupuncture against inflammation from 2011 to 2021 in the Web of Science Core Collection database by using a visual knowledge map.

Results: In total, 1479 articles were included, and the number of articles published each year exhibited an upward trend.

Prediction models for chronic postsurgical pain in patients with breast cancer based on machine learning approaches.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop prediction models for chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) after breast cancer surgery using machine learning approaches and evaluate their performance.

Methods: The study was a secondary analysis based on a high-quality dataset from a randomized controlled trial (NCT00418457), including patients with primary breast cancer undergoing mastectomy. The primary outcome was CPSP at 12 months after surgery, defined as modified Brief Pain Inventory > 0.

Graphene-like wrapped Ni@C catalyst with magnetic recyclability for selective hydrogenation of nitro-aromatics.

The graphene-like wrapped Ni@C catalysts were facilely synthesized by a modified sol-gel method. Nickel nitrate and citric acid (CA) were adopted as the raw materials to form sol-gel mixture. Under the circumstances, the additive CA were employed not only as a complexing agent but also as a carbon source.

Which vaginal douching agent is the best choice before oocyte retrieval? A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate six vaginal douching agents (Iodine, Saline, Iodine followed by saline, chlorhexidine acetate followed by saline, Ozone, Potassium permanganate) on oocytes pick-up related pelvic infection (OPU-PI) and IVF outcome in patients underwent assisted reproduction technology (ART).

Design: Through searching PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Ovid, CINAHL CNKI, only human clinical trials were collected to study the effects of the six vaginal douching agents on OPU-PI and IVF outcomes. The included studies were evaluated for methodological quality by the Cochrane bias risk assessment tool, and the data analysis software was used to analyze the data accordingly.