Publications by authors named "Lan Zhu"

Background: Deep learning has developed rapidly, and deep learning reconstruction (DLR) methods in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are gaining attention for their potential to improve efficacy in clinical work. The preoperative MRI assessment of rectal cancer is crucial for patient management, but the imaging quality is currently limited by a number of factors. DLR could be applied to the preoperative MRI assessment of primary rectal cancer, but research about its specific reliability is limited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Deep learning reconstruction (DLR) has exhibited potential in saving scan time. There is limited research on the evaluation of accelerated acquisition with DLR in staging rectal cancers. Our first objective was to explore the best DLR level in saving time through phantom experiments.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The heart, in addition to its primary role in blood circulation, functions as an endocrine organ by producing cardiac hormone natriuretic peptides. These hormones regulate blood pressure through the single-pass transmembrane receptor guanylyl cyclase A (GC-A), also known as natriuretic peptide receptor 1. The binding of the peptide hormones to the extracellular domain of the receptor activates the intracellular guanylyl cyclase domain of the receptor to produce the second messenger cyclic guanosine monophosphate.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) testing, utilizing both DNA and RNA methods, offers enhanced sensitivity compared to cytology for detecting high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2+). Meanwhile, HR-HPV E6 and E7 mRNAs are more likely to differentiate the transient infection from the persistent than DNA. Aptima HPV can not only detect HPV mRNA but also HPV DNA though it is much more efficient at detecting HPV RNA than DNA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Sheep behavior recognition helps to monitor the health status of sheep and prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases. Aiming at the problems of low detection accuracy and slow speed due to the crowding of sheep in real farming scenarios, which can easily obscure each other, this study proposes a lightweight sheep behavior recognition model based on the YOLOv8n model. First, the Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) is introduced and improved in the YOLOv8n model, and the channel attention module and spatial attention module are changed from serial to parallel to construct a novel attention mechanism, PCBAM, to enhance the network's attention to the sheep and eliminate redundant background information; second, the ordinary convolution in the backbone network is replaced with depth-separable convolution, which effectively reduces the number of parameters in the model and reduces the computational complexity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The ovary is crucial for female reproduction and health, as it generates oocytes and secretes sex hormones. Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been shown to alleviate pathological ovarian aging. However, it is unclear whether MSCs could benefit the naturally aging ovary.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study explores the intricacies of dopamine receptor-ligand interactions, focusing on the D1R and D5R subtypes. Using molecular modeling techniques, we investigated the binding of the pan-agonist rotigotine, revealing a universal binding mode at the orthosteric binding pocket. Additionally, we analyze the stability of antagonist-receptor complexes with SKF83566 and SCH23390.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The n-back task is a widely used paradigm to assess working memory and is commonly applied in research on age-related cognitive decline. However, studies utilizing functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to explore this area are limited.

Objective: This study aims to investigate age-related differences in brain activation during the n-back task using fNIRS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical education and research among obstetrics and gynecology physicians in China, marking the first national assessment on this topic.
  • - A national survey gathered data from 11,806 physicians, revealing that teaching and research activities decreased by at least 20%, with over 61% reporting significant declines in resident training, especially in larger cities and tertiary hospitals.
  • - The findings indicate that the pandemic severely impacted in-person educational and research activities, while online seminars saw a rise in participation as a response to the restrictions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Lung cancer is a major cause of cancer deaths, and a new treatment method called immunotherapy is showing promise, especially for a type called non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
  • Research suggests that combining different treatments, like PD-1 inhibitors, PTP1B inhibitors, and TNFR2 antibodies (called triple therapy), can work better together to fight this cancer.
  • In studies with mice, this triple therapy reduced tumor size and helped the mice live longer by improving the activity and amount of certain immune cells that attack the cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aims to explore the correlation of serum thyroid hormone levels to cognitive impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. In this retrospective study, 106 Chinese patients without cognitive impairments and 94 patients with cognitive impairments, including 55 with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and 39 with PD dementia (PDD), were analyzed. Clinical data regarding the PD assessments, including disease duration, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Part 3 scores, and Hoehn and Yahr (H-Y) staging, were analyzed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Neovaginas can be surgically created for women with MRKH syndrome or during gender-affirming surgery, and studying their microbiota is essential for effective management.
  • - A longitudinal study showed that the neovaginal microbiota initially had random characteristics with an increase in Enterococcus faecalis and Mycoplasmas, but evolved to resemble a normal vagina within 6-12 months after surgery.
  • - By 2-4 years post-surgery, the neovaginal microbiota aligned more closely with pre-surgery microbiota, particularly with the presence of Lactobacillus crispatus, indicating its association with vaginal health and opportunities for enhancing its colonization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * The study introduces a new classification model for MSI status using Raman spectroscopy, addressing variability caused by tumor heterogeneity through the EDRS algorithm.
  • * The EDRS method achieves a high accuracy of 94.6%, and, when combined with CT imaging, creates an effective joint classification model that can enhance clinical workflows.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a disease that quietly yet seriously impacts women's health and represents a global health burden that is often neglected. This study aims to systematically assess the prevalence and dynamics of female UI in China, and can inform further policies and have international implications. This study used three nationwide investigations: A national cross-sectional survey in 2021; another nationwide cross-sectional survey in 2006; and data regarding the institutions and physicians providing pelvic floor rehabilitation services from 2005 to 2019.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Cervical cancer remains a significant health issue in China, facing challenges such as limited access to screening and vaccination, especially in rural areas.
  • Cultural beliefs and healthcare disparities contribute to low awareness and reluctance to seek treatment among women.
  • Suggested approaches include enhancing community education, improving healthcare infrastructure, and implementing targeted vaccination and screening programs to better address local needs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To determine the incidence of UI (urinary incontinence) and its subtypes in hypertensive women and examine the association between hypertension and new-onset UI.

Study Design: We conducted a cohort study on women aged ≥20 years in six regions of China. This cohort study was carried out from 2014 to 2016 at baseline, with follow-up completed in 2018.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The microbiota in the female genital tract is an intricate assembly of diverse aerobic, anaerobic, and microaerophilic microorganisms, which share the space within the reproductive tract and engage in complex interactions. Microbiome dysbiosis may disrupt the symbiotic relationship between the host and microorganisms and play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of various diseases, including its involvement in the establishment of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cervical cancer (CC). Interventions to restore microbiota homeostasis (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To evaluate the robustness of radiomics features among photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT) and dual-energy CT (DECT) systems.

Methods: A texture phantom consisting of twenty-eight materials was scanned with one PCD-CT and four DECT systems (dual-source, rapid kV-switching, dual-layer, and sequential scanning) at three dose levels twice. Thirty sets of virtual monochromatic images at 70 keV were reconstructed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Long-term immunosuppressive maintenance therapy is necessary to prevent the rejection of xenografts. However, it is still unclear which oral immunosuppressant is most suitable for pig-to-human xenotransplantation .

Methods: A xenogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) system was established using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from wildtype (WT) or GTKO/CMAHKO/β4GalNT2KO (TKO) pigs as stimulator cells and human PBMCs as responder cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF