Ultrasound Evaluation of Pelvic Floor Function after Transumbilical Laparoscopic Single-Site Total Hysterectomy Using Deep Learning Algorithm.

This study was aimed at investigating the ultrasound based on deep learning algorithm to evaluate the rehabilitation effect of transumbilical laparoscopic single-site total hysterectomy on pelvic floor function in patients. The bilinear convolutional neural network (BCNN) structure was constructed in the ultrasound imaging system. The spatial transformer network (STN) was used to preserve image information. Two algorithms, BCNN-R and BCNN-S, were proposed to remove sensitive information after ultrasonic image processing, and then, subtle features of the image were identified and classified. 80 patients undergoing transumbilical laparoscopic single-site total hysterectomy in hospital were randomly divided into a control group and a treatment group, with 40 cases in each group. In the control group, conventional ultrasound was used to assess the image of pelvic floor function in patients undergoing laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS); in the observation group, ultrasound based on deep learning algorithm was used. The postoperative incision pain score, average postoperative anus exhaust time, average hospital stay, and postoperative satisfaction of the two groups were evaluated, respectively. The highest accuracy of constructed network BCNN-S was 88.98%; the highest recall rate of BCNN-R was 88.51%; the highest accuracy rate of BCNN-R was 97.34%. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and exhaust time were similar between the two groups, and the difference had no statistical significance (P > 0.05). The numerical rating scale (NRS) scores were compared, the observation group had less pain, the difference between the two groups had statistical significance (P < 0.05), and the postoperative recovery was good. The BCNN based on deep learning can realize the imaging of the uterus by ultrasound and realize the evaluation of pelvic floor function, and the probability of pelvic floor dysfunction is small, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction-mediated miR-144-5p overexpression enhances the anti-tumor effect of paclitaxel on thyroid carcinoma by targeting STON2.

The effects of miR-144-5p and paclitaxel (PTX) on thyroid carcinoma were less explored. Thus, we investigated the effects of miR-144-5p and PTX on thyroid carcinoma. The expression and target gene of miR-144-5p in thyroid carcinoma were analyzed by bioinformatics, y qRT-PCR and dual-luciferase reporter assay. After the transfection mediated by ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) or liposome, or the treatment of PTX, the viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion of thyroid carcinoma cells were detected by MTT, colony formation, wound-healing, and transwell assays. The expressions of miR-144-5p, STON2, MMP-9, E-cadherin, and N-cadherin in cells were calculated via qRT-PCR or Western blotting. After a subcutaneous-xenotransplant tumor model was established using BALB/c nude mice and further treated with PTX and UTMD-mediated miR-144-5p, the volume, weight, and Ki67 level of tumor were recorded or evaluated by immunohistochemical assays. MiR-144-5p, which was low-expressed in thyroid carcinoma, directly down-regulated STON2 level. MiR-144-5p overexpression and PTX inhibited the viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion of thyroid carcinoma cells, while miR-144-5p silencing caused the opposite results. MiR-144-5p overexpression and PTX further up-regulated E-cadherin level and down-regulated those of MMP-9 and N-cadherin in thyroid carcinoma cells. STON2 overexpression reversed the effects of miR-144-5p overexpression.. MiR-144-5p overexpression enhanced the inhibiting effect of PTX on tumor volume, weight, and Ki67 level of xenotransplant tumor, and the effects of UTMD-mediated miR-144-5p overexpression were stronger than those mediated by liposome. Collectively, UTMD-mediated miR-144-5p overexpression enhanced the anti-tumor effect of PTX on thyroid carcinoma by targeting STON2.

A novel approach to assessing changes in prostate stiffness with age using virtual touch tissue quantification.

OBJECTIVES: Virtual touch tissue quantification is a promising new implementation of the acoustic radiation force impulse ultrasound technique. The purposes of this study were to describe the normal shear wave velocity values of the prostate by virtual touch tissue quantification and to examine the clinical usefulness of this procedure in evaluation of age-related shear wave velocity changes in the prostate. METHODS: One hundred twenty healthy volunteers were involved in this study. They were divided into 3 groups (40 participants per group): young (<30 years), middle aged (30-60 years), and old (>60 years). The shear wave velocity was measured at the inner and outer glands of the prostate at the maximum depth (~5.5 cm) in each participant. RESULTS: The mean shear wave velocities ± SD at the inner gland of the prostate in the young, middle-aged, and old groups were 0.86 ± 0.21, 1.17 ± 0.42, and 1.82 ± 0.61 m/s, respectively, whereas the velocities at the outer gland in the respective groups were 0.85 ± 0.32, 1.15 ± 0.49, and 1.87 ± 0.75 m/s. The shear wave velocities did not differ between the inner and outer glands in any age group. They were all significantly greater in the old group than in the young and middle-aged groups (P < .05). Moreover, the shear wave velocities at the inner and outer glands all correlated significantly with age. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual touch tissue quantification can provide numerical measurements of prostate stiffness and can effectively and objectively indicate age-related changes in prostate stiffness by measuring shear wave velocity values.