Cross-modal knowledge distillation for continuous sign language recognition.

Continuous Sign Language Recognition (CSLR) is a task which converts a sign language video into a gloss sequence. The existing deep learning based sign language recognition methods usually rely on large-scale training data and rich supervised information. However, current sign language datasets are limited, and they are only annotated at sentence-level rather than frame-level. Inadequate supervision of sign language data poses a serious challenge for sign language recognition, which may result in insufficient training of sign language recognition models. To address above problems, we propose a cross-modal knowledge distillation method for continuous sign language recognition, which contains two teacher models and one student model. One of the teacher models is the Sign2Text dialogue teacher model, which takes a sign language video and a dialogue sentence as input and outputs the sign language recognition result. The other teacher model is the Text2Gloss translation teacher model, which targets to translate a text sentence into a gloss sequence. Both teacher models can provide information-rich soft labels to assist the training of the student model, which is a general sign language recognition model. We conduct extensive experiments on multiple commonly used sign language datasets, i.e., PHOENIX 2014T, CSL-Daily and QSL, the results show that the proposed cross-modal knowledge distillation method can effectively improve the sign language recognition accuracy by transferring multi-modal information from teacher models to the student model. Code is available at https://github.com/glq-1992/cross-modal-knowledge-distillation_new.

Transversus abdominis plane block vs quadratus lumborum block for postoperative analgesia in inguinal hernia repair: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The present review was designed to differentiate between the analgesic value of transversus abdominis plane block (TAP) vs the quadratus lumborum block (QLB) for patients undergoing inguinal hernia surgery. METHODS: PubMed, CENTRAL, Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar, Open gray, and a clinical trial registry were searched up to 18th February 2023 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing TAP and QLB for inguinal hernia repair. RESULTS: Six RCTs from India, Turkey, and Norway published between the years 2019 to 2023 were included. Anesthetic agents and dosages were similar for TAP and QLB groups in each study. On meta-analysis, pain scores were not statistically significant different between TAP and QLB at 3-6 h (MD: 0.46 95% CI: -0.11, 1.03 I2 = 86%), 12 h (MD: 1.34 95% CI: -0.12, 2.80 I2 = 97%), and 24 h (MD: 0.38 95% CI: -0.77, 1.53 I2 = 97%). Meta-analysis of total analgesic consumption showed a tendency of reduced analgesic consumption with QLB as compared to TAP but the difference was not significant (SMD: 0.69 95% CI: 0.00, 1.37 I2 = 83%). Data on complications was scarcely available. GRADE assessment of the evidence was low to moderate. CONCLUSION: Low to moderate-quality preliminary evidence suggests no difference in the analgesic efficacy of TAP and QLB for adult patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair. While there was a tendency for lower postoperative analgesic consumption with QLB, it needs to be verified by future studies.

Surgical site infection in spinal surgery: a bibliometric analysis.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common complication in spinal surgery that can significantly affect the patient's prognosis. Despite advances in surgical techniques and infection control measures, SSI remains a considerable concern for healthcare providers and patients alike. In recent years, there has been a steady increase in studies related to SSI in spine surgery, leading to the publication of numerous informative articles. However, the current state and trends of research in the field of spinal SSI remain unclear. This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of SSI-related articles in spine surgery to identify research status and trends. Meanwhile, we identify the top 100 most cited articles for further analysis. METHODS: We searched for all articles related to spinal SSI in the Web of Science Core Collection, recording the publication year, country, journal, institution, keywords, and citation frequency for further analysis. In addition, we identified and analyzed the top 100 most cited articles. RESULTS: A total of 307 articles related to spinal SSI were identified. All of these articles were published between 2008 and 2022, with the number of publications showing an increasing trend over the years. The related articles originated from 37 countries, with the USA contributing the most (n = 138). The institution with the highest number of publications and citations was Johns Hopkins University (14 articles; 835 citations). Among the journals, Spine had the highest number of articles (n = 47). The prevention of spinal SSI has been a research hotspot in recent years. Among the top 100 most cited articles, the most common research theme was the risk factors associated with spinal SSI. CONCLUSIONS: In recent years, research related to spinal SSI has attracted the attention of numerous clinicians and scholars. As the first bibliometric analysis of spinal SSI, our study aims to provide pragmatic guidance for clinicians to learn the research status and trends in this field and improve their vigilance toward SSI.

Exosomes Derived from Yak Follicular Fluid Increase 2-Hydroxyestradiol Secretion by Activating Autophagy in Cumulus Cells.

Exosomes in the follicular fluid can carry and transfer regulatory molecules to recipient cells, thus influencing their biological functions. However, the specific effects of yak follicular fluid exosomes on 2-hydroxyestrodiol (2-OHE2) secretion remain unknown. Here, we investigated whether yak follicular fluid exosomes can increase 2-OHE2 secretion through the activation of autophagy in cumulus cells (YCCs). In vitro cultured YCCs were treated with yak follicular fluid exosomes for 6, 12, and 24 h. The effects of yak follicular fluid exosomes on autophagy and 2-OHE2 secretion were evaluated through real-time quantitative fluorescence PCR (RT-qPCR), Western blotting (WB), transfected with RFP-GFP-LC3, immunohistochemistry, and ELISA. To further investigate whether 2-OHE2 secretion was related to autophagy, YCCs were administered with yak follicular fluid exosomes, 3-methyladenine (3-MA), and rapamycin (RAPA). The results revealed that treatment with yak follicular fluid exosomes activated autophagy in YCCs and increased 2-OHE2 secretion. Conversely, the inhibition of autophagy with 3-MA blocked these effects, suggesting that autophagy has an important role in 2-OHE2 secretion in YCCs. Treatment of YCCs with rapamycin showed similar results with yak follicular fluid exosomes as there was an increase in 2-OHE2 secretion due to the activation of autophagy in the treated cumulus cells. Our results demonstrate that autophagy is enhanced by yak follicular fluid exosomes, and this is associated with an increase in 2-OHE2 secretion in YCCs.

A Bibliometric Analysis of the Top 100 Cited Articles in Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

Study design: A bibliometric analysis. Objective: To identify and analyze the top 100 cited articles in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Summary of Background Data: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is one of the most routine surgical procedures in spine surgery. Many surgeons and academics have researched ACDF thoroughly and published numerous articles. However, there is no relevant bibliometric analysis. Therefore, our study aims to identify and analyze the top 100 cited articles in ACDF to identify the research trends. Methods: We searched the Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection database with restrictions and identified the top 100 cited publications in ACDF for analysis. Results: The citation counts of the top 100 cited publications ranged from 37 to 361 (mean 67.42). All studies were published between 2008 and 2019, with 2013 and 2015 the most prolific years. The journals Spine and Journal of Neurosurgery-Spine provided the majority of the articles. Overall, the 100 articles came from 12 countries, with the United States being the top producer, followed by China and South Korea. The most frequent keywords were "spine", "anterior cervical discectomy and fusion", "interbody fusion", 'arthrodesis', "follow-up", "decompression", and "ACDF". Conclusion: ACDF has been regarded as a classical gold standard in anterior cervical surgery, and the emergence of new surgical procedures has not affected its status. Cervical disc arthroplasty still needs further research and development. As the first bibliometric analysis of ACDF, this bibliometric study is meant to provide guidance for clinicians and scholars to research the development trend of this field.

A KSA system for competency-based assessment of clinicians' professional development in China and quality gap analysis.

BACKGROUND: We aim to create a holistic competency-based assessment system to measure competency evolution over time - one of the first such systems in China. METHOD: Two rounds of self-reported surveys were fielded among the graduates from the Shantou University Medical College: June through December 2017, and May through August 2018. Responses from three cohorts of graduates specializing in clinical medicine - new graduates, resident physicians, and senior physicians - were analyzed. Gaps between respondents' expected and existing levels of competencies were examined using a modified service quality model, SERVQUAL. RESULTS: A total of 605 questionnaires were collected in 2017 for the construction of competency indicators and a 5-level proficiency rating scale, and 407 in 2018, for confirmatory factor and competency gap analysis. Reliability coefficients of all competency indicators (36) were greater than 0.9. Three competency domains were identified through exploratory factor analysis: knowledge (K), skills (S), and attitude (A). The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the fit of the scale (CMIN/DF < 4; CFI > 0.9; IFI > 0.9; RMSEA ≤ 0.08). Within the cohorts of resident and senior physicians, the largest competency gap was seen in the domain of knowledge (K): -1.84 and -1.41, respectively. Among new graduates, the largest gap was found in the domain of skills (S) (-1.92), with the gap in knowledge (-1.91) trailing closely behind. CONCLUSIONS: A competency-based assessment system is proposed to evaluate clinician's competency development in three domains: knowledge (K), skills (S), and attitude (A). The system consists of 36 competency indicators, a rating scale of 5 proficiency levels, and a gap analysis to measure competency evolution through 3 key milestones in clinician's professional career: new graduate, resident physician, and senior physician. The competency gaps identified can provide evidence-based guide to clinicians' own continuous development as well as future medical curriculum improvements.