Performance of recurrent neural networks with Monte Carlo dropout for predicting pharmacokinetic parameters from dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging data.

Purpose: To quantitatively evaluate the performance of two types of recurrent neural networks (RNNs), long short-term memory (LSTM) and gated recurrent units (GRU), using Monte Carlo dropout (MCD) to predict pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters from dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) data.

Methods: DCE-MRI data for simulation studies were synthesized using the extended Tofts model and a population-averaged arterial input function (AIF). The ranges of PK parameters for training the RNNs were determined from data of patients with brain tumors.

Contrast-enhanced thin-slice abdominal CT with super-resolution deep learning reconstruction technique: evaluation of image quality and visibility of anatomical structures.

Purpose: To compare image quality and visibility of anatomical structures on contrast-enhanced thin-slice abdominal CT images reconstructed using super-resolution deep learning reconstruction (SR-DLR), deep learning-based reconstruction (DLR), and hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR) algorithms.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included 54 consecutive patients who underwent contrast-enhanced abdominal CT. Thin-slice images (0.

Longitudinal associations between dietary diversity and serum lipid markers in Japanese workers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the longitudinal associations between dietary diversity score and serum lipid markers in a five-year follow-up period in Japanese workers.

Methods: This study included 745 participants aged 20-60 years in 2012-2013 without dyslipidemia at baseline who participated at least once from 2013 to 2017. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, and dietary diversity score was determined using the Quantitative Index for Dietary Diversity.

Pancreatic fibrosis assessment and association with pancreatic cancer: comparison with the extracellular volume fraction.

Aims: To compare the iodine washout rate (IWR) from multiphasic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) with the extracellular volume fraction (fECV) for assessing pancreatic fibrosis and its association with pancreatic cancer.

Materials And Methods: The study included 51 individuals (33 men; median age: 69 years; 21 with pancreatic cancer, 30 with other diseases) who underwent multiphasic contrast-enhanced CT and histological evaluation for fibrotic changes in pancreas. The histological pancreatic fibrosis fraction (HPFF) was assessed on Azan-stained sections.

Prediction models for differentiating benign from malignant liver lesions based on multiparametric dual-energy non-contrast CT.

Objectives: To create prediction models (PMs) for distinguishing between benign and malignant liver lesions using quantitative data from dual-energy CT (DECT) without contrast agents.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included patients with liver lesions who underwent DECT, including non-contrast-enhanced scans. Benign lesions included hepatic hemangioma, whereas malignant lesions included hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic liver cancer, and intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma.

Complete de novo assembly of Wolbachia endosymbiont of Drosophila willistoni using long-read genome sequencing.

Wolbachia is an obligate intracellular α-proteobacterium, which commonly infects arthropods and filarial nematodes. Different strains of Wolbachia are capable of a wide range of regulatory manipulations in their diverse hosts, including the modulation of host cellular differentiation to influence host reproduction. The genetic basis for the majority of these phenotypes is unknown.

Complete de novo assembly of endosymbiont of Drosophila willistoni using long-read genome sequencing.

is an obligate intracellular α-proteobacterium which commonly infects arthropods and filarial nematodes. Different strains of are capable of a wide range of regulatory manipulations in many hosts and modulate host cellular differentiation to influence host reproduction. The genetic basis for the majority of these phenotypes is unknown.

Ferumoxtran-10-enhanced MRI for pre-operative metastatic lymph node detection in pancreatic, duodenal, or periampullary adenocarcinoma.

Objectives: To assess 3-Tesla (3-T) ultra-small superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO)-enhanced MRI in detecting lymph node (LN) metastases for resectable adenocarcinomas of the pancreas, duodenum, or periampullary region in a node-to-node validation against histopathology.

Methods: Twenty-seven consecutive patients with a resectable pancreatic, duodenal, or periampullary adenocarcinoma were enrolled in this prospective single expert centre study. Ferumoxtran-10-enhanced 3-T MRI was performed pre-surgery.

Photon-counting CT: technical features and clinical impact on abdominal imaging.

Photon-counting CT has a completely different detector mechanism than conventional energy-integrating CT. In the photon-counting detector, X-rays are directly converted into electrons and received as electrical signals. Photon-counting CT provides virtual monochromatic images with a high contrast-to-noise ratio for abdominal CT imaging and may improve the ability to visualize small or low-contrast lesions.

Resveratrol and piceid enhance efferocytosis by increasing the secretion of MFG-E8 in human THP-1 macrophages.

The process of apoptotic cell clearance by phagocytes, known as efferocytosis, plays an essential role in maintaining homeostasis. Defects in efferocytosis can lead to inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis and autoimmune disorders. Therefore, the maintenance and promotion of efferocytosis are considered crucial for preventing these diseases.

Associations between dietary diversity and high sensitive C-reactive protein among Japanese workers: findings of a cross-sectional and longitudinal study.

Purpose: To clarify the association between dietary diversity and inflammatory status in Japanese workers.

Methods: Of 1,460 men and women aged 20-64 years in 2010 (baseline), those who were followed-up at least once between 2011 and 2018 were included in this study; 1,433 participants and 745 participants were included in the cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, respectively. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire at baseline, and the dietary diversity score was determined using the Quantitative Index for Dietary Diversity (QUANTIDD).

Changes in higher-level functional capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic among older adults living in Japan.

Objective: To evaluate change in higher-level functional capacity of older Japanese individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Four hundred older Japanese individuals completed an online questionnaire in early May 2021. Participants were asked retrospectively about their higher-level functional capacity and lifestyle before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Associations between dietary diversity and dyslipidemia among Japanese workers: cross-sectional study and longitudinal study findings.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the associations between dietary diversity and risk of dyslipidemia in Japanese workers.

Methods: The cross-sectional study included 1399 participants aged 20-63 years and the longitudinal study included 751 participants aged 20-60 years in 2012-2013 (baseline) who participated at least once from 2013 to 2017 with cumulative participation times of 4.9 times.

Study Design of a Brazilian Observational Study of Edoxaban in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation (EdoBRA).

Background: Clinical trials showed the safety of Edoxaban, a non-vitamin K-dependent oral anticoagulant (NOAC), and its efficacy to prevent stroke and systemic embolism in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients and also to prevent and treat venous thromboembolism. However, additional research is needed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Edoxaban in a real-world scenario in the Brazilian population.

Objective: In order to understand the risks and benefits of Edoxaban use in routine clinical settings, the EdoBRA study is being conducted to gain insight into the safety and effectiveness of Edoxaban use in non-preselected patients with NVAF in Brazil.

Evaluation of the trend of set-up errors during the treatment period using set-up margin in prostate radiotherapy.

Accurate information on set-up error during radiotherapy is essential for determining the optimal number of treatments in hypofractionated radiotherapy for prostate cancer. This necessitates careful control by the radiotherapy staff to assess the patient's condition. This study aimed to develop an evaluation method of the temporal trends in a patient's specific prostate movement during treatment using image matching and margin values.

Hepatic and pancreatic extracellular volume fraction analysis using contrast-enhanced CT in patients with diabetes mellitus and pre-diabetes.

Purpose: Liver and pancreatic fibrosis is associated with diabetes mellitus (DM), and liver fibrosis is associated with pancreatic fibrosis. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the hepatic and pancreatic extracellular volume fractions (fECVs), which correlate with tissue fibrosis, and their relationships with DM and pre-DM (pDM).

Material And Methods: We included 100 consecutive patients with known or suspected liver and/or pancreatic diseases who underwent contrast-enhanced CT.

Soy isoflavone genistein attenuates the efficacy of immune checkpoint therapy in C57BL/6 mice inoculated with B16F1 melanoma and a high PD-L1 expression level reflects tumor resistance.

Immune checkpoint therapy has been shown to be an effective therapy for many types of tumors. Much attention has been paid to the development of an effector target would be helpful for immune checkpoint therapy. Genistein has been shown to have an anti-tumor effect both and .

Intraspecific Variation of Transposable Elements Reveals Differences in the Evolutionary History of Fungal Phytopathogen Pathotypes.

Transposable elements (TEs) contribute to intraspecific variation and play important roles in the evolution of fungal genomes. However, our understanding of the processes that shape TE landscapes is limited, as is our understanding of the relationship between TE content, population structure, and evolutionary history of fungal species. Fungal plant pathogens, which often have host-specific populations, are useful systems in which to study intraspecific TE content diversity.