Cooperative AI training for cardiothoracic segmentation in computed tomography: An iterative multi-center annotation approach.

Purpose: Radiological reporting is transitioning to quantitative analysis, requiring large-scale multi-center validation of biomarkers. A major prerequisite and bottleneck for this task is the voxelwise annotation of image data, which is time-consuming for large cohorts. In this study, we propose an iterative training workflow to support and facilitate such segmentation tasks, specifically for high-resolution thoracic CT data.

Genome Rearrangement Analysis : Cut and Join Genome Rearrangements and Gene Cluster Preserving Approaches.

Genome rearrangements are mutations that change the gene content of a genome or the arrangement of the genes on a genome. Several years of research on genome rearrangements have established different algorithmic approaches for solving some fundamental problems in comparative genomics based on gene order information. This review summarizes the literature on genome rearrangement analysis along two lines of research.

App-Based Mental Training to Reduce Atrial Fibrillation-Related Symptoms After Pulmonary Vein Isolation: .

Background: Even after atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation, many patients still experience relevant symptom burden. The objective of the MENTAL AF trial was to determine whether app-based mental training (MT) during the 3 months following pulmonary vein isolation reduces AF-related symptoms.

Methods And Results: Patients scheduled for pulmonary vein isolation were enrolled and randomized 1:1 to either app-based MT or usual care.

Time-Varying Network Models for the Temporal Dynamics of Depressive Symptomatology in Patients With Depressive Disorders: Secondary Analysis of Longitudinal Observational Data.

Background: As depression is highly heterogenous, an increasing number of studies investigate person-specific associations of depressive symptoms in longitudinal data. However, most studies in this area of research conceptualize symptom interrelations to be static and time invariant, which may lead to important temporal features of the disorder being missed.

Objective: To reveal the dynamic nature of depression, we aimed to use a recently developed technique to investigate whether and how associations among depressive symptoms change over time.

Clinical Trajectory and Risk Stratification for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction in a Real-World Cohort of Patients with Suspected Coronary Artery Disease.

: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a widespread condition with significant morbidity and mortality. Its clinical heterogeneity may delay the diagnosis. : To identify predictors of HFpEF-related hospitalizations in ambulatory patients presenting with elevated cardiovascular risk, suspected coronary artery diseases (CADs), and positive HFpEF screenings.

Enhanced Arabic disaster data classification using domain adaptation.

Natural disasters, like pandemics and earthquakes, are some of the main causes of distress and casualties. Governmental crisis management processes are crucial when dealing with these types of problems. Social media platforms are among the main sources of information regarding current events and public opinion.

Combining Rosetta Sequence Design with Protein Language Model Predictions Using Evolutionary Scale Modeling (ESM) as Restraint.

Computational protein sequence design has the ambitious goal of modifying existing or creating new proteins; however, designing stable and functional proteins is challenging without predictability of protein dynamics and allostery. Informing protein design methods with evolutionary information limits the mutational space to more native-like sequences and results in increased stability while maintaining functions. Recently, language models, trained on millions of protein sequences, have shown impressive performance in predicting the effects of mutations.

Quantitative phenotyping of knockout mice as a prerequisite for gene replacement studies.

Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is the second most frequent cause of chronic kidney disease before the age of 25 yr. Nephrin, encoded by localizes to the slit diaphragm of glomerular podocytes and is the predominant structural component of the glomerular filtration barrier. Biallelic variants in can cause congenital nephrotic syndrome of the Finnish type, for which, to date, no causative therapy is available.

Comparative effectiveness of factor Xa non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants versus phenprocoumon in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

Background: Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have largely supplanted vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) for oral anticoagulation in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). However, data on the real-world effectiveness of NOACs vs. phenprocoumon, a VKA widely used in Germany, are limited.

Generation of a Realistic Synthetic Laryngeal Cancer Cohort for AI Applications.

Background: Obtaining large amounts of real patient data involves great efforts and expenses, and processing this data is fraught with data protection concerns. Consequently, data sharing might not always be possible, particularly when large, open science datasets are needed, as for AI development. For such purposes, the generation of realistic synthetic data may be the solution.

Soil macrofauna communities in Brazilian land-use systems.

Background: Soil animal communities include more than 40 higher-order taxa, representing over 23% of all described species. These animals have a wide range of feeding sources and contribute to several important soil functions and ecosystem services. Although many studies have assessed macroinvertebrate communities in Brazil, few of them have been published in journals and even fewer have made the data openly available for consultation and further use.

"Quality of life" analysis in the long-term follow-up after "Fontan" palliation for CHDs-a single-centre experience.

Background: Complex CHDs are life threatening, and surgical treatment is needed for survival. Fontan palliation led to a significant increase in survival rates during the last decades. Consequently, quality of life became more essential.

Perioperative Care in Cardiac Surgery: A Joint Consensus Statement by the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Cardiac Society, ERAS International Society, and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS).

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs have been shown to lessen surgical insult, promote recovery, and improve postoperative clinical outcomes across a number of specialty operations. A core tenet of ERAS involves the provision of protocolized evidence-based perioperative interventions. Given both the growing enthusiasm for applying ERAS principles to cardiac surgery and the broad scope of relevant interventions, an international, multidisciplinary expert panel was assembled to derive a list of potential program elements, review the literature, and provide a statement regarding clinical practice for each topic area.

Membrane Condensation and Curvature Induced by SARS-CoV-2 Envelope Protein.

The envelope (E) protein of SARS-CoV-2 participates in virion encapsulation and budding at the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC). The positively curved membrane topology required to fit an 80 nm viral particle is energetically unfavorable; therefore, viral proteins must facilitate ERGIC membrane curvature alteration. To study the possible role of the E protein in this mechanism, we examined the structural modification of the host lipid membrane by the SARS-CoV-2 E protein using synchrotron-based X-ray methods.

Simulation-Assisted Augmentation of Missing Wedge and Region-of-Interest Computed Tomography Data.

This study reports a strategy to use sophisticated, realistic X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) simulations to reduce Missing Wedge (MW) and Region-of-Interest (RoI) artifacts in FBP (Filtered Back-Projection) reconstructions. A 3D model of the object is used to simulate the projections that include the missing information inside the MW and outside the RoI. Such information augments the experimental projections, thereby drastically improving the reconstruction results.

A Comparative Study of the Sensitivity and Specificity of the Ishihara Test With Various Displays.

Objectives: Visual colour differentiation in clinical research requires colour-competent (CC) participants. The Ishihara colour charts (ICC) have established themselves as the standard for CC screening of colour vision deficiencies (CVD). However, the extent to which the results can be compared with a presentation of the colour charts on a smartphone display (SD) is currently unknown.

Linguistic Variables and Gender Differences Within a Messenger-Based Psychosocial Chat Counseling Service for Children and Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Text messaging is widely used by young people for communicating and seeking mental health support through chat-based helplines. However, written communication lacks nonverbal cues, and language usage is an important source of information about a person's mental health state and is known to be a marker for psychopathology.

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate language usage, and its gender differences and associations with the presence of psychiatric symptoms within a chat counseling service for adolescents and young adults.

Groebke Blackburn Bienaymé-mediated multi-component synthesis of selective HDAC6 inhibitors with anti-inflammatory properties.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a class of enzymes that cleave acyl groups from lysine residues of histone and non-histone proteins. There are 18 human HDAC isoforms with different cellular targets and functions. Among them, HDAC6 was found to be overexpressed in different types of cancer.

Cellular dynamics following CAR T cell therapy are associated with response and toxicity in relapsed/refractory myeloma.

B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells revolutionized the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). However, data on cellular (CAR) T cell dynamics and the association with response, resistance or the occurrence of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) are limited. Therefore, we performed a comprehensive flow cytometry analysis of 27 RRMM patients treated with Idecabtagene vicleucel (Ide-cel) to assess the expansion capacity, persistence and effects on bystander cells of BCMA-targeting CAR T cells.

Improved prognostic stratification of patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase-mutant astrocytoma.

Prognostic factors and standards of care for astrocytoma, isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutant, CNS WHO grade 4, remain poorly defined. Here we sought to explore disease characteristics, prognostic markers, and outcome in patients with this newly defined tumor type. We determined molecular biomarkers and assembled clinical and outcome data in patients with IDH-mutant astrocytomas confirmed by central pathology review.