Connectome-based schizophrenia prediction using structural connectivity - Deep Graph Neural Network(sc-DGNN).

Background: Connectome is understanding the complex organization of the human brain's structural and functional connectivity is essential for gaining insights into cognitive processes and disorders. Objective: To improve the prediction accuracy of brain disorder issues, the current study investigates dysconnected subnetworks and graph structures associated with schizophrenia. Method: By using the proposed structural connectivity-deep graph neural network (sc-DGNN) model and compared with machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) models.This work attempts to focus on eighty-eight subjects of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI), three classical ML, and five DL models. Result: The structural connectivity-deep graph neural network (sc-DGNN) model is proposed to effectively predict dysconnectedness associated with schizophrenia and exhibits superior performance compared to traditional ML and DL (GNNs) methods in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, F1-score, and Area under receiver operating characteristic (AUC). Conclusion: The classification task on schizophrenia using structural connectivity matrices and experimental results showed that linear discriminant analysis (LDA) performed 72% accuracy rate in ML models and sc-DGNN performed at a 93% accuracy rate in DL models to distinguish between schizophrenia and healthy patients.

The incidence of giant cell arteritis in Olmsted County, Minnesota, over a 60-year period 1950-2009.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence of giant cell arteritis (GCA) in the era from 2000 to 2009. METHOD: We extended the previously identified population-based cohort of Olmsted County, Minnesota residents who fulfilled 1990 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for GCA for earlier decades during 1950-1999. RESULTS: In 2000-2009, 74 cases of GCA were identified (mean age 78.1 years; 80% women; 79% temporal artery biopsy positive; seven included based on radiological criteria). The incidence of GCA was 19.8 per 100,000 population. CONCLUSIONS: The GCA incidence rates have remained steady since 1970 and the age at incidence, which was progressively increasing, seems to have reached a plateau.

Immunology of oral candidiasis.

A successful pathogen is one that is able to effectively survive and evade detection by the host immune defense. Oral candidiasis has adopted strategies, which evade host defense and eventually cause disease in at-risk patients. Host defense against infections with Candida spp. depends on rapid activation of an acute inflammatory response by innate immunity, followed by an incremental stimulation of specific immune responses mediated by T-cells (cellular immunity) or B-cells (humoral immunity). Understanding these complex pathways of immune evasion can potentially contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies against oral candidiasis.

Distribution of potentially pathogenic enteric bacteria in coastal sea waters along the Southern Kerala Coast, India.

This study evaluated the relationship between the traditional indicators of faecal pollution, total coliforms (TC), faecal coliforms (FC) and Faecalstreptococci (FS), and the presence of few potentially pathogenic enteric bacteria, Vibrio cholerae (VC), Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VP), Shigella spp. (SH) and Salmonella spp. (SL) in coastal sea water. The distributional statuses of these bacteria were also studied along the Southern Kerala coast. Cluster analyses were done to identify similar groups of indicator as well as enteric pathogenic bacteria. Kochi was found to be highly polluted with enteric pathogens and indicator bacteria (TC of 4700, VC of 820, FC of 920 and FS of 410 CFU ml(-1)). Percentage incidence of VC (97.42%) was comparatively higher than the traditional indicator bacteria (TC 95.04%, FC of 63.64% and FS of 47.64%). VC found to be rather stable and showed significant relationship with all the traditional indicator bacteria (R2 > 0.370), suggests that both quantitatively and qualitatively the abundance of Vibrio cholerae can determine faecal pollution, could be used as a faecal pollution indicator bacterium, especially in the marine environment where traditional indicator bacteria failed to survive. It would be advisable to always perform the detection of SH and VP beside the traditional indicators as no significant relationship (R2< or =0.076, p>0.05) exists among them.

Seasonal dynamics of dissolved metals in surface coastal waters of southwest India.

Spatial and temporal variations in concentration of dissolved metals viz. Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni), Zinc (Zn), Cadmium (Cd) and Mercury (Hg) in surface waters of southwest coast of India were studied. Concentrations of metals showed an aberration both temporally and spatially. Seasonal average concentrations of the analyzed metals followed the order Zn > Ni > Cu > Pb > Cd > Cr > Hg. The degree of contamination due to metal was determined by comparison with coastal water quality criteria. It established enrichment of Cu, Zn, Ni and Hg due to anthropogenic influence along southwest coast of India.

Assessment of water quality using principal component analysis--a case study of the Mangalore coastal region, India.

Miscellanies of statistical approaches were employed to illustrate the real picture of quality environmental variables observed in a nationalized monitoring programme. The interpretation and evaluation of the quality data, that was observed, were made very easier by utilizing the wide scope of spectacular statistical software, SPSS 11.0 through the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The whole data for the study period, which was classified in to three distinct seasons, has been factorized using the PCA. The main and ultimate aim of this study is to reveal and categorize the key parameters of the Mangalore coast for the pollution sources to the ecosystem and their inputs can be perceived if there any point sources of pollution exist. Box plots were derived from the PCA data and were graphically represented. The variance was observed to be above 75% from the original data for all seasons. The major parameter affecting the ecological health of the coastal water was nitrate-nitrogen brought by the rivers in this region, which finally ends up in the estuary. Water quality data observed in the Mangalore coast during the three seasons, viz. pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon (February to October 2006), has been used and endeavors were made to determine and quantify the factors that caused fluctuations in the hydrology of this region.

Cutaneous manifestations in patients with chronic renal failure on hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic renal failure (CRF) presents with an array of cutaneous manifestations. Newer changes are being described since the advent of hemodialysis, which prolongs the life expectancy, giving time for these changes to manifest. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of dermatologic problems among patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) undergoing hemodialysis. METHODS: One hundred patients with CRF on hemodialysis were examined for cutaneous changes. RESULTS: Eighty-two per cent patients complained of some skin problem. However, on examination, all patients had at least one skin lesion attributable to CRF. The most prevalent finding was xerosis (79%), followed by pallor (60%), pruritus (53%) and cutaneous pigmentation (43%). Other cutaneous manifestations included Kyrle's disease (21%); fungal (30%), bacterial (13%) and viral (12%) infections; uremic frost (3%); purpura (9%); gynecomastia (1%); and dermatitis (2%). The nail changes included half and half nail (21%), koilonychia (18%), onychomycosis (19%), subungual hyperkeratosis (12%), onycholysis (10%), splinter hemorrhages (5%), Mees' lines (7%), Muehrcke's lines (5%) and Beau's lines (2%). Hair changes included sparse body hair (30%), sparse scalp hair (11%) and brittle and lusterless hair (16%). Oral changes included macroglossia with teeth markings (35%), xerostomia (31%), ulcerative stomatitis (29%), angular cheilitis (12%) and uremic breath (8%). Some rare manifestations of CRF like uremic frost, gynecomastia and pseudo-Kaposi's sarcoma were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: CRF is associated with a complex array of cutaneous manifestations caused either by the disease or by treatment. The commonest are xerosis and pruritus and the early recognition of cutaneous signs can relieve suffering and decrease morbidity.

Bifid root and root canal in mandibular second premolar and its management--a case report.

Morphogically the mandibular second premolars present one root canal (97.5%). So far only a small percentage (2.5%) of cases were reported to have two root canals where they present the canals on the buccal and lingual direction of the root. Here an unusual case of two root canals, which are situated in mesial and distal direction is presented.