Ensemble classification and segmentation for intracranial metastatic tumors on MRI images based on 2D U-nets.

The extraction of brain tumor tissues in 3D Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) plays an important role in diagnosis before the gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS). In this article, the post-contrast T1 whole-brain MRI images had been collected by Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) and stored in DICOM format (dated from 1999 to 2018). The proposed method starts with the active contour model to get the region of interest (ROI) automatically and enhance the image contrast. The segmentation models are trained by MRI images with tumors to avoid imbalanced data problem under model construction. In order to achieve this objective, a two-step ensemble approach is used to establish such diagnosis, first, classify whether there is any tumor in the image, and second, segment the intracranial metastatic tumors by ensemble neural networks based on 2D U-Net architecture. The ensemble for classification and segmentation simultaneously also improves segmentation accuracy. The result of classification achieves a F1-measure of [Formula: see text], while the result of segmentation achieves an IoU of [Formula: see text] and a DICE score of [Formula: see text]. Significantly reduce the time for manual labeling from 30 min to 18 s per patient.

Dietary Tomato Powder Inhibits High-Fat Diet-Promoted Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Alteration of Gut Microbiota in Mice Lacking Carotenoid Cleavage Enzymes.

Both incidence and death rate due to liver cancer have increased in the United States. Higher consumption of lycopene-rich tomato and tomato products is associated with a decreased risk of cancers. ß-Carotene-15, 15'-oxygenase (BCO1), and ß-carotene-9', 10'-oxygenase (BCO2) cleave lycopene to produce bioactive apo-lycopenoids. Although BCO1/BCO2 polymorphisms affect human and animal lycopene levels, whether dietary tomato consumption can inhibit high-fat diet (HFD)-promoted hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and affect gut microbiota in the absence of BCO1/BCO2 is unclear. BCO1/BCO2 double knockout mice were initiated with a hepatic carcinogen (diethylnitrosamine) at 2 weeks of age. At 6 weeks of age, the mice were randomly assigned to an HFD (60% of energy as fat) with or without tomato powder (TP) feeding for 24 weeks. Results showed that TP feeding significantly decreased HCC development (67%, 83%, and 95% reduction in incidence, multiplicity, and tumor volume, respectively, P < 0.05). Protective effects of TP feeding were associated with (1) decreased hepatic inflammatory foci development and mRNA expression of proinflammatory biomarkers (IL1ß, IL6, IL12α, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and inducible NO synthase); (2) increased mRNA expression of deacetylase sirtuin 1 and nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase involving NAD+ production; and (3) increased hepatic circadian clock genes (circadian locomotor output cycles kaput, period 2, and cryptochrome-2, Wee1). Furthermore, TP feeding increased gut microbial richness and diversity, and significantly decreased the relative abundance of the genus Clostridium and Mucispirillum, respectively. The present study demonstrates that dietary tomato feeding independent of carotenoid cleavage enzymes prevents HFD-induced inflammation with potential modulating gut microbiota and inhibits HFD-promoted HCC development.

Tomato Powder Inhibits Hepatic Steatosis and Inflammation Potentially Through Restoring SIRT1 Activity and Adiponectin Function Independent of Carotenoid Cleavage Enzymes in Mice.

SCOPE: Beta-carotene-15,15'-oxygenase (BCO1) and beta-carotene-9',10'-oxygenase (BCO2) metabolize lycopene to biologically active metabolites, which can ameliorate nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We investigate the effects of tomato powder (TP containing substantial lycopene (2.3 mg/g)) on NAFLD development and gut microbiome in the absence of both BCO1 and BCO2 in mice. METHOD AND RESULTS: BCO1-/- /BCO2-/- double knockout mice were fed a high fat diet (HFD) alone (n = 9) or with TP feeding (n = 9) for 24 weeks. TP feeding significantly reduced pathological severity of steatosis and hepatic triglyceride levels in BCO1-/- /BCO2-/- mice (p < 0.04 vs HFD alone). This was associated with increased SIRT1 activity, nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase expression and AMP-activated protein kinase phosphorylation, and subsequently decreased lipogenesis, hepatic fatty acid uptake, and increasing fatty acid ß-oxidation (p < 0.05). TP feeding significantly decreased mRNA expression of proinflammatory genes (tnf-α, il-1ß, and il-6) in both liver and mesenteric adipose tissue, which were associated with increased plasma adiponectin and hepatic adiponectin receptor-2. Multiplexed 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed using DNA extracted from cecum fecal samples. TP feeding increased microbial richness and decreased relative abundance of the genus Clostridium. CONCLUSION: Dietary TP can inhibit NAFLD independent of carotenoid cleavage enzymes, potentially through increasing SIRT1 activity and adiponectin production and decreasing Clostridium abundance.

Effects of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid on prostate cancer cell migration and invasion induced by tumor-associated macrophages.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are the major n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in fish oil that decrease the risk of prostate cancer. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the main leukocytes of intratumoral infiltration, and increased TAMs correlates with poor prostate cancer prognosis. However, the mechanism of n-3 PUFAs on prostate cancer cell progression induced by TAMs is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of EPA and DHA on modulating of migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells induced by TAMs-like M2-type macrophages. PC-3 prostate cancer cells were pretreated with EPA, DHA, or the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ antagonist, GW9662, before exposure to conditioned medium (CM). CM was derived from M2-polarized THP-1 macrophages. The migratory and invasive abilities of PC-3 cells were evaluated using a coculture system of M2-type macrophages and PC-3 cells. EPA/DHA administration decreased migration and invasion of PC-3 cells. The PPAR-γ DNA-binding activity and cytosolic inhibitory factor κBα (IκBα) protein expression increased while the nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65 transcriptional activity and nuclear NF-κB p65 protein level decreased in PC-3 cells incubated with CM in the presence of EPA/DHA. Further, EPA/DHA downregulated mRNA expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-9, cyclooxygenase-2, vascular endothelial growth factor, and macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Pretreatment with GW9662 abolished the favorable effects of EPA/DHA on PC-3 cells. These results indicate that EPA/DHA administration reduced migration, invasion and macrophage chemotaxis of PC-3 cells induced by TAM-like M2-type macrophages, which may partly be explained by activation of PPAR-γ and decreased NF-κB p65 transcriptional activity.

Dietary fish oil reduces systemic inflammation and ameliorates sepsis-induced liver injury by up-regulating the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-mediated pathway in septic mice.

This study investigated the effect of dietary fish oil on systemic inflammation and hepatic injury in mice with polymicrobial sepsis. Male ICR mice were assigned to a control group (C, n=30) and a fish oil group (FO, n=30). Mice in the C group were fed a semi-purified diet with 10% soybean oil, and those in the FO group were fed a fish oil diet (2.5% fish oil+7.5% soybean oil; w/w). Three weeks later, sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), and mice were sacrificed at 0, 6 and 24 h after CLP, respectively. Results showed that compared with C group, the FO group had lower plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and nitrite at 6 and 24 h after CLP. Also, peritoneal lavage fluid concentrations of TNF-α and prostaglandin (PG) E2 were significantly lower at 24 h in the FO than in the C group. The FO group had lower myeloperoxidase activities at 6 h after CLP in various organs. Plasma aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities revealed significantly decreased in the FO group. The DNA-binding activity of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and mRNA expression of I kappaB alpha (IκBα) were up-regulated while nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65 DNA-binding activity, inducible nitric oxide synthase protein expression and the concentration of nitrotyrosine were significantly decreased in the FO group in liver after CLP. These results indicate that dietary fish oil administration may attenuate systemic inflammation and up-regulate hepatic PPARγ DNA-binding activity, which may consequently have ameliorated liver injury in these septic mice.

Red, green and blue reflections enabled in an optically tunable self-organized 3D cubic nanostructured thin film.

A new light-driven chiral molecular switch doped in a stable blue phase (BP) liquid crystal allows wide optical tunability of three-dimensional cubic nanostructures with a selective reflection wavelength that is reversibly tuned through the visible region. Moreover, unprecedented reversible light-directed red, green, and blue reflections of the self-organized three-dimensional cubic nanostructure in a single film are demonstrated for the first time. Additionally, unusual isothermal photo-stimulated less ordered BP II to more ordered BP I phase transition was observed in the system.

Effect of arginine on angiogenesis induced by human colon cancer: in vitro and in vivo studies.

This study investigated the effect of arginine (Arg) supplementation on angiogenesis in human colon cancer. The in vitro study investigated the effects of different Arg levels and inducible nitric oxide (iNO) synthase inhibitor on angiogenic protein expressions stimulated by SW480 cells. The results showed that the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor with 100 and 1000 micromol/L Arg and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 with 1000 micromol/L Arg was lower than that with 0 and 50 micromol/L Arg. Inhibition of iNO resulted in higher angiogenic protein expressions comparable with groups with low Arg administration, indicating that Arg administration at levels similar to or higher than physiological concentrations reduced the progression of colon cancer, and iNO may partly play a role in reducing angiogenesis. The in vivo study used a human colon cancer xenograft model in nude mice. Mice were inoculated with 1x10(7) SW480 cells and assigned to two groups. The control group was fed a semipurified diet, while the experimental group was supplied an Arg-supplemented diet. After 5 weeks, tumors were harvested and spleens were excised for further analysis. Results showed that the MMP-2, MMP-9 and VEGF receptor levels in tumors were significantly lower, whereas tumor NO levels and spleen natural killer (NK) cell activities were higher in the Arg group than in the control group. These results were consistent with the in vitro study that dietary Arg supplementation inhibits the progression of colon cancer possibly by increasing NO secretion and consequently enhancing NK cell activity.

Microbarcode sorting device.

A novel and simple microfluidic device was developed for sorting 20 microm thick glass microbarcodes for imaging or scanning at the completion of a bead-based assay. Specifically, the microbarcodes are dried and kept from stacking on top of one another such that a monolayer of microbarcodes is created and the microbarcodes lay flat on a surface. The microbarcode sorting device consists of a reservoir, a sorting region, and a network of microchannels. With minimal microbarcodes loss, a monolayer of microbarcodes is created and trapped inside the sorting region for conveniently imaging or scanning. The device can also be used for any geometrical shaped beads with a range of thicknesses and can be adapted to a 96-well plate format for high throughput analysis.