Real-time coronary artery segmentation in CAG images: A semi-supervised deep learning strategy.

BACKGROUND: When treating patients with coronary artery disease and concurrent renal concerns, we often encounter a conundrum: how to achieve a clearer view of vascular details while minimizing the contrast and radiation doses during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Our goal is to use deep learning (DL) to create a real-time roadmap for guiding PCI. To this end, segmentation, a critical first step, paves the way for detailed vascular analysis. Unlike traditional supervised learning, which demands extensive labeling time and manpower, our strategy leans toward semi-supervised learning. This method not only economizes on labeling efforts but also aims at reducing contrast and radiation exposure. METHODS AND RESULTS: CAG data sourced from eight tertiary centers in Taiwan, comprising 500 labeled and 8952 unlabeled images. Employing 400 labels for training and reserving 100 for validation, we built a U-Net based network within a teacher-student architecture. The initial teacher model was updated with 8952 unlabeled images inputted, employing a quality control strategy involving consistency regularization and RandAugment. The optimized teacher model produced pseudo-labels for label expansion, which were then utilized to train the final student model. We attained an average dice similarity coefficient of 0.9003 for segmentation, outperforming supervised learning methods with the same label count. Even with only 5 % labels for semi-supervised training, the results surpassed a supervised method with 100 % labels inputted. This semi-supervised approach's advantage extends beyond single-frame prediction, yielding consistently superior results in continuous angiography films. CONCLUSIONS: High labeling cost hinders DL training. Semi-supervised learning, quality control, and pseudo-label expansion can overcome this. DL-assisted segmentation potentially provides a real-time PCI roadmap and further diminishes radiation and contrast doses.

Effects of Citrus depressa Hayata juice on high-fat diet-induced obesity in HBV transgenic mice.

The present study investigated the potential anti-obesity properties of Citrus depressa Hayata (CDH) juice in HBV transgenic mice, as well as the impact of fermentation on the effectiveness of the juice. The results revealed that fermentation increased the levels of polyphenols and hesperidin in CDH juice. The animal study demonstrated that both juices were effective in mitigating the weight gain induced by a high-fat diet by correcting metabolic parameter imbalances, reducing hepatic lipid accumulation, and reversing hepatic immune suppression. Furthermore, fermented juice exhibited superior efficacy in managing body weight and inhibiting the expansion of white adipose tissue (WAT). Fermented juice significantly enhanced adiponectin production and PPARγ expression in WAT, while also reducing hypertrophy. This study offers valuable insights into the potential role of CDH juices in combating obesity associated with high fat consumption and underscores the promise of CDH juice as a functional beverage.

Effectiveness and response differences of a multidisciplinary workplace health promotion program for healthcare workers.

Background: Workplace health promotion (WHP) in the healthcare industry is an important yet challenging issue to address, given the high workload, heterogeneity of work activities, and long work hours of healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and response differences of a multidisciplinary WHP program conducted in HCWs. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included HCWs participating in a multidisciplinary WHP program in five healthcare facilities. The 20-week intervention included multiple easy-to-access 90-min exercise classes, one 15-min nutrition consultation, and behavioral education. Pre- and post-interventional anthropometrics, body composition, and physical fitness (PF) were compared with paired sample t-tests. Response differences across sex, age, weight status, and shiftwork status were analyzed with a generalized estimating equation. Results: A total of 302 HCWs were analyzed. The intervention effectively improved all anthropometric (body mass index, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, and waist-to-height ratio), body composition (body fat percentage, muscle weight, visceral fat area), and PF (grip strength, high jump, sit-up, sit-and-reach, step test) parameters in all participants (all p < 0.05). Subgroup analyses revealed shift workers had a more significant mean reduction in body mass index than non-shift workers (adjusted p = 0.045). However, there was no significant response difference across sex, age, and weight subgroups. Conclusion: This study suggested that a multidisciplinary WHP program can improve anthropometric and PF profiles regardless of sex, age, and weight status for HCWs, and shifter workers might benefit more from the intervention.

The Effectiveness of a Group Kickboxing Training Program on Sarcopenia and Osteoporosis Parameters in Community-Dwelling Adults Aged 50-85 Years.

Background: Sarcopenia and osteoporosis are important health issues faced by older people. These are often associated with each other and share common risk factors and pathologic mechanisms. In the recently revised consensus of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People, low muscle strength has been defined as the first characteristic of sarcopenia rather than a loss in muscle mass, and walking speed has been stated as an indicator of the severity of sarcopenia. It is believed that these markers of muscle function can be potentially reversed via exercise-based interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of kickboxing exercise training on the parameters of sarcopenia and osteoporosis in community-dwelling adults. Methods: In total, one hundred eligible subjects were randomized into an intervention group (n = 50) with 76% women and control group (n = 50) with 86% women. Both the intervention and control groups were provided with classroom lectures and personal consultations pertaining to sarcopenia and osteoporosis, whereas a 12-week kickboxing exercise training was arranged only for the intervention group. All anthropometric, physical performance, body composition, and bone mineral density measurements along with participant completed questionnaires were conducted before and after the training period. Results: After 12 weeks, 41 participants in the intervention group and 34 participants in the control group completed the final assessments. There was no difference between the intervention and control groups in terms of basic demographic data. The BMI (+1.14%) of the control group increased significantly during the study period. The waist circumference (-6.54%), waist-to-height ratio (-6.57%), waist-to-hip ratio (-4.36%), total body fat (-1.09%), and visceral fat area (-4.6%) decreased significantly in the intervention group. Handgrip strength (+5.46%) and gait speed (+5.71%) improved significantly in the intervention group. The lean body mass increased by 0.35% in the intervention group and by 0.9% in the control group. The femoral neck bone mineral density (-1.45%) and T score (-3.72%) of the control group decreased significantly. The intervention group had more improvement in the status of sarcopenia (OR 1.91) and osteoporosis over the control group. Finally, the intervention group had less deterioration in the status of sarcopenia (OR 0.2) and osteoporosis (OR 0.86) compared with the control group. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that a 12-week kickboxing exercise training program is effective for improving sarcopenic parameters of muscle strength and function, but not muscle mass in adults, aged 50-85 years. Furthermore, markers of osteoporosis also showed improvement. These findings suggest that a 12-week kickboxing program is effective for muscle and bone health among community-dwelling older individuals.

Enzyme-Digested Peptides Derived from Lates calcarifer Enhance Wound Healing after Surgical Incision in a Murine Model.

Surgical wounds are common injuries of skin and tissues and usually become a clinical problem. Until now, various synthetic and natural peptides have been widely explored as potential drug candidates for wound healing. Inhibition of the TNF-α signaling pathway and promotion of angiogenesis are suggested to be involved in their effects. Angiogenesis at the wound site is one of the essential requisites for rapid healing. In the present study, a novel peptide extract derived from the natural source Lates calcarifer, commonly known as sea bass or barramundi, was evaluated for its wound healing property. The specific acidic and enzymatic approaches were employed for producing sea bass extract containing small size peptides (molecular weight ranging from 1 kD to 5 kD). The cytotoxicity of the extract was examined in HaCaT and NIH3T3. After this, the effects of enzyme digested peptide extracts of sea bass on wound healing in mice were investigated. The peptide extracts (660 and 1320 mg/kg/day) and control protein (1320 mg/kg/day) was orally given to the wounded mice, respectively, for 12 days. The surgical method was improved by implanting a silicone ring at the wound site. The ring avoided the contracting effect in murine wounds, making it more closely related to a clinical condition. The results showed promising improvement at the wound site in mice. Sea bass peptide extracts accelerated the wound healing process and enhanced the microvessel formation at the wound site. The remarkable effects of this novel sea bass peptide extract in healing traumatic injuries revealed a new option for developing wound management.

Characterization Of Secondary Metabolites From The Rhizome Of Cynara Scolymus And Their Antioxidant Properties.

The aerial portions of Cynara scolymus commonly have been eaten as vegetables or functional foods by the people lived in Mediterranean region. In preliminary antioxidant screening, the rhizome portions (CSR) of this species showed better potential than leaves ones. However, neither phytochemical nor pharmacology studies of CSR have been reported to date. The purpose of this research was to identify the active components from CSR through bioassay-guided fractionation. The antioxidant properties of secondary metabolites 1-9 were evaluated in this investigation. Compounds 4-6, 8, and 9 showed antioxidant activities based on DPPH free radical scavenging activity with IC50 values of 22.91-147.21 µM. Besides, compound 8 significantly and dose-dependently reduced H2O2-induced ROS levels in keratinocyte HaCaT cells without cytotoxicity toward HaCaT. Overall, our studies demonstrated the rhizome of C. scolymus could be used as a new natural antioxidant like the edible aerial portions and phenolic compounds are the active components.

High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Elevation Is Independently Associated with Subclinical Renal Impairment in the Middle-Aged and Elderly Population-A Community-Based Study in Northern Taiwan.

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the associations between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and renal impairment (RI) among middle-aged and elderly people. We collected and analyzed demographic, anthropometric, metabolic, and renal function data in a community-based population in Northern Taiwan. We excluded subjects with acute inflammation from this study and defined RI as the presence of urinary albumin-creatinine ratio 30-300 mg/g or an estimated glomerular filtration rate of <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. There were 131, 125, and 125 participants in the low (≤0.80 mg/L), middle (0.81-1.76 mg/L), and high (>1.77 mg/L) hs-CRP tertiles, respectively. hs-CRP exhibited significantly positive correlations with body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, triglyceride, and fasting plasma glucose, and a negative correlation with high-density lipoprotein. The prevalence and odds ratio of RI significantly increased across hs-CRP tertiles from low to high, and this trend remained significant after adjusting for the conventional cardiometabolic risk factors. hs-CRP ≥ 1.61 mg/L in the total group and ≥2.03 mg/L in the elderly group accurately predicted RI (p = 0.01 and 0.03, respectively). These findings suggest that we should carefully evaluate the renal function for at-risk individuals with hs-CRP elevation.

The Association between Metabolic Syndrome and Elevated Alanine Aminotransferase Levels in an Indigenous Population in Northern Taiwan: A Community-Based and Cross-Sectional Study.

Our study aims to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among the Northern Taiwanese indigenous population and to explore the relationship between MetS and liver enzyme, especially serum alanine transaminase (ALT). This is an observational and cross-sectional study that was conducted in remote villages of an indigenous community in Northern Taiwan between 2010 and 2015. MetS was defined based on the revised NCEP/ATPIII criteria from Taiwan Health Promotion Administration. A total of 454 participants were included in the analysis. There were 277 people with MetS and 177 people without. The prevalence of MetS was 61.01%. The average age was 49.50 years. People with MetS had a significantly higher liver enzyme (ALT) level than those without MetS. In addition, the study showed that participants with higher ALT had a tendency towards a higher prevalence of MetS (76.7% vs. 57.3%, p = 0.001). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) of ALT levels >36 U/L for MetS was 2.79 (95% CI = 1.24-6.27, p = 0.01). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the ALT level was 0.63 (95% CI = 0.58-0.68, p < 0.001), which showed that the ALT level was positively associated with MetS. The overall prevalence of MetS was 61.01% in the highland indigenous population in Northern Taiwan; this study indicated that higher serum ALT levels were associated with an increased risk of MetS.

(-)-ß-Homoarginine anhydride, a new antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitor, and further active components from Trichosanthes truncata.

One new amino acid derivative, (-)-ß-homoarginine anhydride 1, as well as nine known compounds were isolated from Trichosanthes truncata. The structures of the isolates were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Among them, compounds 5 and 11 could notably dose-dependently inhibit ROS productions in HaCaT keratinocyte cells without cytotoxicity in the concentration range of 0.2-20 µM. In cell-free mushroom tyrosinase assay, compounds 1-5, 10 and 11 had more potential anti-tyrosinase activities with IC50 values of 106.9-255.6 µM than arbutin that were similar to predicted values of binding affinity calculated by molecule docking. The most active 2 had hydrogen bonds (Ser77, Glu309, Phe454) and electrostatic charges (Glu309, Glu248) interactions with mushroom tyrosinase, respectively. Our data manifested that T. truncata and its components are potentially to be developed as anti-aging and whitening agents for skin disorders.

Relationship between obesity indices and hypertension among middle-aged and elderly populations in Taiwan: a community-based, cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Obesity and hypertension (HTN) have become increasingly prevalent in Taiwan. People with obesity are more likely to have HTN. In this study, we evaluated several anthropometric measurements for the prediction of HTN in middle-aged and elderly populations in Taiwan. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. SETTING: Community-based investigation in Guishan Township of northern Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 396 people were recruited from a northern Taiwan community for a cross-sectional study. Anthropometrics and blood pressure were measured at the annual health exam. The obesity indices included body mass index (BMI), body fat (BF) percentage and waist circumference (WC). OUTCOME MEASURES: Statistical analyses, including Pearson's correlation, multiple logistic regression and the area under ROC curves (AUCs) between HTN and anthropometric measurements, were used in this study. RESULTS: Of the 396 people recruited, 200 had HTN. The age-adjusted Pearson's coefficients of BMI, BF percentage and WC were 0.23 (p<0.001), 0.14 (p=0.01) and 0.26 (p<0.001), respectively. Multiple logistic regression of the HTN-related obesity indices showed that the ORs of BMI, BF percentage and WC were 1.15 (95% CI 1.08 to 1.23, p<0.001), 1.07 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.11, p<0.001) and 1.06 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.08, p<0.001), respectively. The AUCs of BMI, BF percentage and WC were 0.626 (95% CI 0.572 to 0.681, p<0.001), 0.556 (95% CI 0.500 to 0.613, p=0.052) and 0.640 (95% CI 0.586 to 0.694, p<0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: WC is a more reliable predictor of HTN than BMI or BF percentage. The effect of abdominal fat distribution on blood pressure is greater than that of total BF amount.

New diterpenes leojaponins G-L from Leonurus japonicus.

Six new diterpenes, leojaponins G-L (1-6) along with 19 known compounds (7-25) were isolated from Leonurus japonicus. Their structures were elucidated by NMR, MS, IR, UV, and ECD spectroscopic data. Anti-melanogenesis assay indicated that 7 could safely and dose-dependently decrease melanin production in B16F10 melanoma cell with an IC50 value of 59.1 µM, but moderately inhibit tyrosinase activity. Without cytotoxicities at 20 µM, compounds 11, 14, 15, and 17-21 showed significant melanogenesis stimulation activities at the percentages of 7.7-48.2. Antioxidants 19 and 24 could notably inhibit ROS production in a dose-dependent manner with percentages of 24.7-42.2 and 27.9-40.2, respectively among the concentrations of 0.16 to 100 µM. Our results demonstrated L. japonicus and its constituents could be potential botanical resources of cosmeceutical development for treatment and prevention of skin disorders.