Deep Natural Image Reconstruction from Human Brain Activity Based on Conditional Progressively Growing Generative Adversarial Networks / 神经科学通报·英文版

Brain decoding based on functional magnetic resonance imaging has recently enabled the identification of visual perception and mental states. However, due to the limitations of sample size and the lack of an effective reconstruction model, accurate reconstruction of natural images is still a major challenge. The current, rapid development of deep learning models provides the possibility of overcoming these obstacles. Here, we propose a deep learning-based framework that includes a latent feature extractor, a latent feature decoder, and a natural image generator, to achieve the accurate reconstruction of natural images from brain activity. The latent feature extractor is used to extract the latent features of natural images. The latent feature decoder predicts the latent features of natural images based on the response signals from the higher visual cortex. The natural image generator is applied to generate reconstructed images from the predicted latent features of natural images and the response signals from the visual cortex. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations were conducted with test images. The results showed that the reconstructed image achieved comparable, accurate reproduction of the presented image in both high-level semantic category information and low-level pixel information. The framework we propose shows promise for decoding the brain activity.

Can type 2 diabetes mellitus be reversed by improving nonalcoholic fatty liver disease? / 临床肝胆病杂志

@# Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with a 2- to 3-fold increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in non-diabetic patients, and therefore, the NAFLD population is considered a large population at a high risk of T2DM. In the population diagnosed with T2DM, the prevalence rate of NAFLD reaches as high as 60%-80%. T2DM is considered a lifelong disease in the traditional view, but recently, more and more evidence supports that T2DM can be reversed, which brings new light to the prevention and treatment of T2DM. The remission of T2DM depends on the appropriate treatment methods and timing. The liver plays a key role in glucose and lipid metabolism, and excessive fat accumulation in the liver may induce insulin resistance, increased production of hepatic glucose, and increased triglyceride export, which further leads to fat deposition in the pancreas and beta-cell injury and eventually causes the onset of T2DM. Lifestyle intervention can reduce liver fat content and achieve the remission or reversal of diabetes, and NAFLD can be regarded as an “early warning window” for T2DM. Therefore, the treatment regimen aiming at improving liver fat content may become a good strategy to prevent and reverse diabetes.

Thermoacoustic imaging and its application in breast cancer detection and therapy / 生物医学工程学杂志

Thermoacoustic imaging (TAI) is a new non-invasive, non-ionization and nondestructive modality capable of high microwave contrast and high ultrasound resolution, and it has attracted extensive attention in recent years. This review introduces the technical principle, imaging system and imaging characteristics of TAI, and then introduces the application of TAI for breast cancer detection as an example. This review introduces the advantages of TAI in solving corresponding clinical problems in view of its high resolution and high contrast. In addition, it also explains the roles of TAI in medical diagnosis and treatment. Finally, the potential applications of TAI in medical diagnosis is introduced from many aspects and multiple perspectives. The future development of TAI in the challenges of current medical diagnosis is also prospected.

HIV incidence and factor related to lost-to-follow-up among men who have sex with men in Harbin, Heilongjiang / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To estimate the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) and its related factors in Harbin,Heilongjiang province.Methods A total of 661 MSM were recruited at baseline study from April to June 2013,and followed at 6 months,12 months,and 18 months periods,respectively.Face to face questionnaire interviews were conducted and venous blood was collected for HIV testing among these people.Univariate logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with lost-to-follow-up in the cohort.Results At the end of 18-month follow-up period,the HIV incidence density in the cohort was 4.23/100 person year (95％ CI:2.91/100 person year-5.93/100 person year),with the follow-up rate of loss as 15.4％.Factors as failed to receiving the intervention programs,being at older age,with higher education level and receiving no HIV testing in this MSM community,were related to the loss of follow-up.Conclusion The HIV incidence rate was high among the MSM in Harbin.MSM community based cohort study could improve the efficiency on the study for the problems of follow-up.

Study on active monitoring of vancomycin-related nephrotoxicity / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective To explore the feasibility and importance of active monitoring of vancomycin‐related nephrotoxicity .Meth‐ods During July 2010 to July 2013 ,a total of 139 cases of inpatients received vancomycin through intravenous injection were en‐rolled in this study .The adverse drug reaction active monitoring and early warning system were utilized to evaluate patients with vancomycin positive events .Results Among the 139 cases of patients ,there was 9 cases of patients with renal damage .The inci‐dences of compensatory stage of renal insufficiency ,decompensatory stage of renal insufficiency ,renal failure stage and end‐stage re‐nal failure were 44 .44% ,22 .22% ,22 .22% and 11 .11% respectively .The positive warning rates when serum creatinine level was above 133 μmol/L ,increased by 50% compared with the baseline ,increased with 44 μmol/L based on the baseline were 55 .56% , 22 .22% and 22 .22% respectively ,and those positive warning rates in artificial relevance evaluation were 19 .18% ,19 .18% and 56 .54% respectively .Conclusion It is necessary to individualize utilization of vancomycin according to patients′s condition .

The status of liver fibrosis evaluated by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective To evaluate the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) and progressive liver fibrosis(stage＞2)in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) by using NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS).The risk factors associated with progressive fibrosis were also analyzed.Methods A total of 721 hospitalized patients with T2DM and uhrasound verified NAFLD were involved.The history information and laboratory examinations were collected,NFS was calculated.The low cutoff score (-1.455) of NFS was used to exclude,and high cutoff score (0.676) to further accurately diagnose progressive fibrosis.Results (1) A total of 721 subjects (male/female 371/350) were diagnosed as NAFLD by ultrasound.In those subjects,173 patients were with progressive fibrosis (24.0％),111 patients without progressive fibrosis (15.4％),and 437 patients (60.6％) with NFS ranged from-1.455 to 0.676.(2) Aging,raised body mass index,aspartate amino transferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio,lowered albumin,and platelet were risk factors for progressive fibrosis of NAFLD.In addition,NFS was positively correlated with duration of diabetes,waist circumference,SBP,glycated albumin (GA),and GA/HbA1c(all P＜0.01),and negatively with red blood cell count,hemoglobin,white blood cell count (WBC),total cholesterol (TC),triglyceride,apolipoprotein-B,ALT,γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (all P＜0.01),AST,low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (all P＜0.05).(3) Logistic stepwise regression analysis showed diabetes duration,waist circunference,and GA were positively correlated with progressive liver fibrosis(OR =1.182,1.076,1.074,all P＜0.01),and negatively with WBC and TC (OR =0.613,0.703,all P＜0.01).Conclusions The detection rate of progressive fibrosis in patients with NAFLD and T2DM was approximately 24.0％ by applying NFS.Only 15.4％ of those subjects could be excluded from progressive fibrosis.It suggests that we should be alert to the risk of liver fibrosis in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The relationship between liver fat content and liver disease outcome in patients with type 2 diabetes / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective To investigate the effects of diabetic duration on liver fat content (LFC) in patients with type 2 diabetes,and to explore its relationship with the outcome of liver disease.Methods A total of 435hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited.The history data,results of laboratory tests,and hepatic 1 H-MRS were collected,and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) fibrosis score (NFS) was calculated.Results The prevalence of NAFLD in newly-diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (NT2DM) group was higher than that in predousb-diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (PT2DM) group (92.7％ vs 82.2％,P＜0.05),with higher LFC [(27.97 ± 16.88 vs 19.44± 15.54) ％,P＜0.01].The LFC was reduced with prolonged duration of diabetes.Partial correlation analysis showed that LFC was negatively correlated with duration of diabetes (rs =-0.233,P＜0.01) after adjustment for gender,age,body mass index (BMI),oral anti-diabetic drugs,lipid-lowering drugs,and insulin treatment.Multiple linear regression analysis showed that LFC was positively correlated with BMI,albumin,and alanine aminotransferase while negatively correlated with duration of diabetes.The proportion of patients without advanced fibrosis (NFS＜-1.455) was significantly higher in NT2DM group than that in PT2DM group (26.3％ vs 15.5％,P＜0.05),and the proportion of PT2DM in patients with advanced fibrosis (NFS＞0.676) was significantly higher than that of NT2DM (79.2％ vs 20.8％,P＜0.05).NFS was positively correlated with the duration of diabetes (rs =0.236,P＜0.01).The liver fat content in patients with advanced liver fibrosis decreased significantly,and the LFC was negatively correlated with NFS (rs =-0.164,P＜0.01).Conclusions The duration of diabetes is an independent influencing factor of LFC.With the extension of the duration of diabetes,the decreased LFC in type 2diabetic patients with NAFLD is related to the development of advanced fibrosis.The decrease in LFC in type 2diabetic patient is associated with poor outcome of NAFLD.

Association of iron overload with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with type 2 diabetes / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective To analyze the association of fat content,enzymes,and fibrosis in liver with iron overload in patients with type 2 diabetes,and to explore the relationship between iron overload and severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in these patients.Methods Five hundred and thirty hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes and 18 patients with abnormal glucose metabolism undergoing liver biopsy were recruited.History data,results of laboratory tests,liver ultrasound,hepatic 1 H-MRS were collected and serum ferritin level was determined.Results The serum ferritin level was significantly higher in patients with NAFLD than that without NAFLD [(328.7±252.2 vs 239.9 ± 171.8) μg/L,P＜0.01].Serum ferritin was an independent risk factor for NAFLD (P＜0.05).Multiple linear regression analysis showed that serum ferritin was positively correlated with liver fat content after adjustment for sex,age,and duration of diabetes.The serum ferritin level in NAFLD with elevated liver enzymes was significantly higher than that in simple steatosis [(429.9 ± 287.4 vs 293.4 ± 233.3) μg/L,P＜0.01].Serum ferritin was an independent risk factor for elevated liver enzymes in patients with NAFLD (P ＜0.05).Serum ferritin level in patients with advanced fibrosis was significantly lower than that in patients without advanced fibrosis [(246.8 ± 191.2 vs 382.5 ± 253.7) μg/L,P＜0.01].In 18 patients with NAFLD proven by biopsy,serum ferritin level was slightly higher in NASH group than that in simple steatosis group,but there was no statistically significant difference.Serum ferritin levels were comparable between patients with and without advanced fibrosis.Conclusion The iron overload in type 2 diabetic patients seems to be an independent risk factor for the development of NAFLD and elevated liver enzymes.Iron load in patients with advanced fibrosis is significantly decreased.

Association between intra-abdominal fat volume and waist circumference measured at the umbilicus level / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the best measurement of waist circumference related with intra-abdominal fat volume evaluated by CT scan.MethodsHeight,weight,and hip circumference were measured among 147 subjects aged over 18 years old.Waist circumference was measured at 3 different levels:the upper brim of the iliac crest ( WC1 ),the midpoint between costal brim and iliac crest ( WC2 ),and the umbilicus ( WC3 ).The intra-abdominal fat volume was evaluated by CT scan.ResultsIntra-abdominal fat volume was significantly higher in men than in women [ ( 1 236.0±608.4 vs 931.0±665.0)cm3,P＜0.01 ].Correlation analysis showed that WC1 ( r =0.634),WC2( r=0.677),and WC3 (r =0.712)were positively correlated with intra-abdominal fat volume ( all P＜0.01 ).Partial correlation analysis adjusted by gender,weight,or body mass index showed that the correlation of intra-abdominal fat volume with WC3 ( r were 0.488 and 0.432) was better than that with WC1( r were 0.347 and 0.293 ) and WC2 ( r were 0.424 and 0.365 ).Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that WC2 and WC3 were independently associated with intra-abdominal fat volume and WC3 was the strongest impact factor (β =0.270,R2c =0.504,P＜0.01 ).ConclusionsWaist circumference is a simple anthropometric measurement parameter reflecting the degree of intraabdominal fat accumulation.All three different measurements of waist circumference may reflect intra-abdominal fat volume,while waist circumference at umbilical level is the best among them.

Hyperuricemia accompanied with changes in the retinal microcirculation in a Chinese high-risk population for diabetes / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the association of retinal vascular calibers with hyperuricemia in a middle-aged and elderly population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A cross-sectional design was applied in this study and 869 participants aged =40 years from a high-risk group for diabetes were recruited. All participants received the anthropometrical measurements and laboratory tests. Retinal arteriolar and venular caliber of the participants were measured with a semi-automated system. Hyperuricemia was defined as a serum uric acid level >420 μmol/L in men and >360 μmol/L in women. Linear regression models were used to assess the association of hyperuricemia with retinal vascular calibers. These models were additionally adjusted for age, central obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, weekly activity, smoking status, and education.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 869 participants, 133 (15.3%) suffered from hyperuricemia. The crude mean serum uric acid level was 312.3 μmol/L (Standard Deviation 79.5); mean concentration was 355.0 μmol/L (SD 75.5) in male participants, and 288.0 μmol/L (SD 71.1) in female participants (age-adjusted difference 58.1 μmol/L, 95% Confidence Internal 48.5, 67.6). After adjusting for additional covariates, male participants with hyperuricemia had 3.77 μm (95% CI -0.46, 8.00) smaller arteriolar caliber and 6.20 μm (95% CI 0.36, 12.04) larger venule than those without hyperuricemia; the corresponding numbers among female participants were 1.57 μm (95% CI -1.07, 4.21) for retinal arteriolar caliber and 2.28 μm (95% CI -1.72, 6.27) for retinal venular caliber.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Hyperuricemia was associated with smaller retinal arteriolar caliber and larger venular caliber mainly in male participants in this study.</p>

Evaluation of application of pooling nucleic acid amplification testing in men who have sex with men population in China / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective To evaluate the application of pooling HIV nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) among men who had sex with men (MSM) population, and to investigate suitable HIV screening strategy and the feasibility of calculation of HIV incidence using pooling NAAT among MSM population in China.Methods Four thousand eight hundred and fifty-six samples were collected from MSM population from April 2008 to September 2009 among with 4 156 were in Heilongjiang province and 700 were in Beijing in China. After standard testing with an HIV ELISA and WB confirmation testing, HIV antibody-negative samples were pooled and screened for HIV using NAAT.A three-stage pooling strategy was adopted.The HIV positive rate estimated by the four HIV screening strategies was calculated.In addition, 4 156 HIV positive specimens from Heilongjiang province were screened with the BED capture enzyme immunoassay (BED-CEIA).The HIV-1 incidences were estimated by BED-CEIA assay and pooling NAAT individually.ResultsOne hundred and forty-three of 4 856 subjects were HIV infected.130 were 3rd and 4th generation ELISA positive; 13 were antibody-negative but acutely HIV infected.According to the evaluation of four HIV screening strategies, routine HIV screening test together with pooling NAAT was more effective than other strategies for screening out window period generation ELISA+WB+pooling NAAT' were 2.68%(95% confidence interval CI=2.22%-3.14%), 2.82%(95%CI=2.35%-3.29%), 2.94%(95%CI=2.46%-3.42%) and 2.94%(95%CI=2.46%-3.42%), respectively.The differences were not significant (χ2=0.854 3, P=0.836 4).Of the 88 HIV positive samples from Heilongjiang province, 44 participants were tested as recent HIV infections by BED-CEIA assay. The estimated HIV-1 incidence was 2.36% (95%CI=1.63%-3.08%) and 2.92% (95%CI=1.01%-4.83%) based on BED-CEIA assay and pooling NAAT,respectively.Conclusions Pooling NAAT is a effective screening test in HIV negative population to detect window period infection among MSM population in China.

Detrended fluctuation analysis of epileptic rat EEG / 生物医学工程学杂志

Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) is a new technique used to characterize the long-range temporal correlation (LRTC) structure of non-stationary time series, which has been applied in electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillations and diseases such as Alzheimer and stroke. In this paper, DFA is used to study the scaling exponents of intracranial EEG recordings of Pilocarpine-induced epileptic rat. It was found that when the brain functional status changed from non-epileptiform discharges to continuous-epileptiform discharges and to period-epileptiform discharges, the average scaling exponents of four brain regions (left cortex and left hippocampus, right cortex and right hippocampus) changed from 0.97 to 0.82 and to 0.94, and a statistically significant difference between the brain functional states was shown by paired T test (P < 0.05), thus suggesting that the local neuronal network dynamics of the three brain function states may be different. But in regard to the three brain function states, there is no statistically significant difference between the four brain regions(P >0.05).

Study on medical diagnosis decision support system for heart diseases based on hybrid genetic algorithm / 生物医学工程学杂志

In this study, a medical diagnosis decision support system based on hybrid genetic algorithm has been established to support the diagnosis of five common heart diseases (coronary heart disease, rheumatic valvular heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, chronic cor pulmonale and congenital heart disease). A heart disease database consisting of 352 samples was used for constructing and testing the performance of system. Cross-validation of the experimental results indicate that the system we established shows high capability of classifying these five kinds of heart diseases, the mean accuracy of classification is as high as 90.6%, and the user accuracy and procedure accuracy of each disease are both above 85.0%, showing great application prospect of supporting heart diseases diagnosis in clinics.

Insulin sensitizers in treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease / 中国实用内科杂志

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)has become one of the most common liver diseases in the world.Considering the important role of insulin resistance in its pathogenic mechanisms,insulin sensitizers are becoming the promising pharmacological strategies for NAFLD.We collected and analyzed the relevant articles in recent years and found that pioglitazone,rosiglitazone and metformin could improve liver enzymes and insulin sensitivity of NAFLD.However,only pioglitazine was supported in ameliorating liver histology by envidences from randomized,double-blinded,controlled clinical trials.There were no much obvious adverse effects in NAFLD patients who received insulin senitizers.Small or medium samples and no more than 2 years of treatment course may be the major limitation of current studies.Future information derived from well-designed running trials will be useful in defining the clinical implications of insulin sensitizers in the treatment of NAFLD.

Adsorbability of Active Carbon Fiber for Gaseous Benzene / 环境与健康杂志

Objective To study the adsorbability of active carbon fiber(ACF) for gaseous benzene and to use ACF for the determination of benzene in the air in future.Methods The adsorbability of ACF was investigated and the results were compared with that of granular active carbon(GAC).Results The adsorption efficiency of ACF was 93%,the selective adsorbability was 94.28%,the saturation adsorption capacity of gaseous benzene was 25%,as for GAC,they were 88%,88.57% and 12% respectively.Conclusion ACF is better than GAC in the adsorption efficiency of benzene in the condition of low concentration and long time sampling.