Segmentation of coronary artery and calcification using prior knowledge based deep learning framework.

Background: Computed tomography angiography (CTA) is used to screen for coronary artery calcification. As the coronary artery has complicated structure and tiny lumen, manual screening is a time-consuming task. Recently, many deep learning methods have been proposed for the segmentation (SEG) of coronary artery and calcification, however, they often neglect leveraging related anatomical prior knowledge, resulting in low accuracy and instability.

Neural-WDRC: A Deep Learning Wide Dynamic Range Compression Method Combined With Controllable Noise Reduction for Hearing Aids.

Wide dynamic range compression (WDRC) and noise reduction both play important roles in hearing aids. WDRC provides level-dependent amplification so that the level of sound produced by the hearing aid falls between the hearing threshold and the highest comfortable level of the listener, while noise reduction reduces ambient noise with the goal of improving intelligibility and listening comfort and reducing effort. In most current hearing aids, noise reduction and WDRC are implemented sequentially, but this may lead to distortion of the amplitude modulation patterns of both the speech and the noise.

Mechano-gated iontronic piezomemristor for temporal-tactile neuromorphic plasticity.

In bioneuronal systems, the synergistic interaction between mechanosensitive piezo channels and neuronal synapses can convert and transmit pressure signals into complex temporal plastic pulses with excitatory and inhibitory features. However, existing artificial tactile neuromorphic systems struggle to replicate the elaborate temporal plasticity observed between excitatory and inhibitory features in biological systems, which is critical for the biomimetic processing and memorizing of tactile information. Here we demonstrate a mechano-gated iontronic piezomemristor with programmable temporal-tactile plasticity.

Classification of kinesiophobia in patients after cardiac surgery under extracorporeal circulation in China: latent profile and influencing factors analysis from a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To investigate the potential classification of kinesiophobia in patients after cardiac surgery under extracorporeal circulation from a psychosocial perspective, and analyse the characteristic differences among different latent levels of patients.

Study Design: This is a cross-sectional study of Chinese adults after cardiac surgery under extracorporeal circulation, aged 18 years and older, recruited from a tertiary hospital in North China.

Methods: This study uses latent profile analysis to identify potential classifications of kinesiophobia in questionnaires from 348 patients undergoing cardiac surgery under extracorporeal circulation.

UnICLAM: Contrastive representation learning with adversarial masking for unified and interpretable Medical Vision Question Answering.

Medical Visual Question Answering aims to assist doctors in decision-making when answering clinical questions regarding radiology images. Nevertheless, current models learn cross-modal representations through residing vision and text encoders in dual separate spaces, which inevitably leads to indirect semantic alignment. In this paper, we propose UnICLAM, a Unified and Interpretable Medical-VQA model through Contrastive Representation Learning with Adversarial Masking.

Scala tympani drill-out technique for oval window atresia with malformed facial nerve:update.

Background: In some rare cases of congenital aplasia of the oval window (OW), malformed facial nerve (FN) locations covering the most or entire OW present a challenge to hearing reconstruction, there is no a highly effective surgical hearing reconstruction methods.

Aims/objectives: To update a Scala tympani drill-out technique (SDT) for abnormal FN course covering the OW.

Material And Methods: All patients of congenital atresia of the OW was recruited between August 2014 and July 2023 in a tertiary-care center.

The microbial communities and metabolic profiles of follicular fluid in patients with premature ovarian insufficiency.

Introduction: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a condition characterized by ovarian dysfunction occurring before the age of 40, and its etiology is multifactorial, including genetic, immunological, infectious, environmental, and iatrogenic factors, with over half of the cases remaining unexplained. Whether the microbial communities and metabolites in follicular fluid, which is the direct microenvironment for oocyte survival, are related to POI has not been reported.

Methods: In this study, Follicular fluid samples of 26 patients with POI and 27 controls with a normal ovarian reserve were collected and analyzed using 16S rDNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomics.

Association of volatile organic compound metabolites with hearing loss: unveiling their potential mechanism and intervention target.

Hearing loss (HL) is an otolaryngology disease susceptible to environmental pollutants. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as a class of chemical pollutants with evaporation propensity, pose a great threat to human health. However, the association between VOCs and HL remains unclear.

Sleep-Associated Traits and Hearing Difficulties in Noise: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the causal relationships between sleep-associated traits and hearing difficulties in noise (HDinN) by Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Design: Single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with chronotype, insomnia, sleep duration, daytime dozing or sleeping, and ease of getting up in the morning were extracted from European population genome-wide association study pooled data for bidirectional MR analysis. The MR-Egger regression, the inverse variance weighted technique, and the weighted median method were used for data analysis.

Evaluating the association between lipidome and female reproductive diseases through comprehensive Mendelian randomization analyses.

This study aimed to assess the causal relationship between lipidome and female reproductive diseases (FRDs) using an advanced series of Mendelian randomization (MR) methods. This study utilized genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics encompassing 179 lipidomes and six prevalent FRDs, namely polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, uterine fibroid, female infertility, uterine endometrial cancer, and ovarian cancer. The two-sample MR (TSMR) approach was employed to investigate the causal relationships, with further validation using false discovery rate (FDR) and multivariable MR (MVMR) methods.

[Research progress on prevention and treatment of wound infections caused by dog and cat bites].

Dog and cat bites are the most common types of animal injuries, which cause various types of tissue damage and have a high incidence of wound infections. These infections are often mixed with multiple microorganisms and have their characteristics and complexity. Selecting appropriate antimicrobial drugs for prevention and treatment can help prevent the occurrence of infections and improve the effectiveness of infection treatment.

Portable devices for periodic monitoring of bioelectrical impedance along meridian pathways in healthy individuals.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the monthly variation patterns of bioelectrical impedance (BEI) along 24 meridian pathways in healthy individuals.

Methods: A cohort of 684 healthy middle-aged participants from North China was enrolled between July 1, 2017, and September 5, 2020. BEI measurements were consistently recorded along the 24 meridian pathways over the study period.

Integrative genetics and multiomics analysis reveal mechanisms and therapeutic targets in vitiligo highlighting JAK STAT pathway regulation of CTSS.

Vitiligo is a complex autoimmune disease characterized by the loss of melanocytes, leading to skin depigmentation. Despite advances in understanding its genetic and molecular basis, the precise mechanisms driving vitiligo remain elusive. Integrating multiple layers of omics data can provide a comprehensive view of disease pathogenesis and identify potential therapeutic targets.

Association of oxidative balance score with blood pressure, all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality among hypertensive patients: a prospective study.

Objective: The oxidative balance score (OBS) has emerged as a novel marker for assessing oxidative stress status. This study aimed to investigate the association of OBS with systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), all-cause, and cardiovascular disease mortality in hypertensive patients.

Methods: We conducted an analysis of data from 7602 hypertensive patients from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2018.

Mechanism Analysis of the Effect of Cordycepin on Colorectal Cancer via Network Pharmacology and Experiment.

Objective: Colorectal Cancer (CRC) has attracted much attention due to its high mortality and morbidity. Cordycepin, also known as 3'-deoxyadenosine (3'-dA), exhibits many biological functions, including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-tumor, and immunomodulatory effects. It has been proven to show anticancer activity in both laboratory research studies and living organisms.

The efficacy and safety of thymosin α1 for sepsis (TESTS): multicentre, double blinded, randomised, placebo controlled, phase 3 trial.

Objective: To evaluate whether the immunomodulatory drug thymosin α1 reduces mortality in adults with sepsis.

Design: Multicentre, double blinded, placebo controlled phase 3 trial.

Setting: 22 centres in China, September 2016 to December 2020.

The effect of platelet-rich plasma on ferroptosis of nucleus pulposus cells induced by Erastin.

Background: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) has been linked to ferroptosis, a type of programmed cell death. The role of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in mitigating ferroptosis in nucleus pulposus (NP) cells within IVDD remains unclear.

Purpose: This study aims to verify the effectiveness of PRP in reducing ferroptosis in NP cells induced by Erastin.

Macrophages overexpressing interleukin-10 target and prevent atherosclerosis: Regression of plaque formation and reduction in necrotic core.

Atherosclerosis, a slowly progressing inflammatory disease, is characterized by the presence of monocyte-derived macrophages. Interventions targeting the inflammatory characteristics of atherosclerosis hold promising potential. Although interleukin (IL)-10 is widely acknowledged for its anti-inflammatory effects, systemic administration of IL-10 has limitations due to its short half-life and significant systemic side effects.

Chinese Expert Consensus for Assessment of Vocal Function (2024): Guidelines of the Subspecialty Group of Voice, Society of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Chinese Medical Association; Subspecialty Group of Laryngopharyngology, Editorial Board of Chinese Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.

The assessment of vocal function plays an important role in the diagnosis of voice disorders. With the continuous development of voice medicine in China, the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of voice disorders are gradually professionalized and standardized. Experts of the Subspecialty Group of Voice, Society of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Chinese Medical Association; Subspecialty Group of Laryngopharyngology, Editorial Board of Chinese Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery reached the expert consensus through clinical research, literature search, and quality evaluation, as well as two meetings and two rounds of questionnaire voting.

Effect of miR-1285-3p as a diagnostic biomarker for chronic heart failure on vascular endothelial cells : (Effect of miR-1285-3p as a biomarker for CHF on HUVECs).

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are closely related to cardiovascular diseases, including chronic heart failure (CHF). Endothelial dysfunction can lead to heart failure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of miR-1285-3p in CHF patients, with the aim of identifying a novel and effective biomarker for CHF.

Efficacy analysis of acupuncture and rehabilitation for traumatic spinal cord injury.

Background: This study investigates the role and efficacy of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation therapy during the recovery phase of patients with traumatic spinal cord injury. Patients hospitalized in the acupuncture department of our center between December 1, 2019, and December 1, 2021, were enrolled.

Methods: Participants were divided into an observation group (acupuncture and rehabilitation therapy) and a control group (rehabilitation therapy alone) based on their treatment sequence.

Curcumin-mediated antimicrobial photodynamic therapy for inactivating Mycobacterium abscessus: a promising approach for non-tuberculous mycobacterial skin infections.

Non-tuberculous mycobacterial skin infection lead to complex and lengthy treatment cycles. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is an emerging promising approach for treating infections. This study aims to assess the effects of aPDT using curcumin as a photosensitizer (PS) on non-tuberculous mycobacteria, Mycobacterium abscessus, a subtype that has become common in dermatology in recent years.

Autonomous International Classification of Diseases Coding Using Pretrained Language Models and Advanced Prompt Learning Techniques: Evaluation of an Automated Analysis System Using Medical Text.

Background: Machine learning models can reduce the burden on doctors by converting medical records into International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes in real time, thereby enhancing the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment. However, it faces challenges such as small datasets, diverse writing styles, unstructured records, and the need for semimanual preprocessing. Existing approaches, such as naive Bayes, Word2Vec, and convolutional neural networks, have limitations in handling missing values and understanding the context of medical texts, leading to a high error rate.

Epidemiology of pulmonary embolism in China, 2021: a nationwide hospital-based study.

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) as a preventable and potentially fatal noncommunicable disease was believed to have a lower incidence in Asian populations compared to Western populations. However, the incidence and mortality rates of PE in China and the impact of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention system constructions on PE still lack nationwide evidence.

Methods: For this nationwide hospital-based observational study, we used data from the National Hospital Quality Monitoring System (HQMS) and public database in China.

Impact of thrombocytopenia on failure of endoscopic variceal treatment in cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding.

Background: Acute variceal bleeding (AVB), a life-threatening complication of liver cirrhosis, can be effectively treated by endoscopy, but there is a risk of early rebleeding after endoscopic variceal treatment (EVT). Thrombocytopenia is the most common hemostatic abnormality in liver cirrhosis. However, it is still unclear about whether thrombocytopenia increases the failure of EVT in cirrhotic patients with AVB.