Fully dense generative adversarial network for removing artifacts caused by microwave dielectric effect in thermoacoustic imaging.

Microwave-induced thermoacoustic (TA) imaging (MTAI) combines pulsed microwave excitation and ultrasound detection to provide high contrast and spatial resolution images through dielectric contrast, which holds great promise for clinical applications. However, artifacts caused by microwave dielectric effect will seriously affect the accuracy of MTAI images that will hinder the clinical translation of MTAI. In this work, we propose a deep learning-based method fully dense generative adversarial network (FD-GAN) for removing artifacts caused by microwave dielectric effect in MTAI. FD-GAN adds the fully dense block to the generative adversarial network (GAN) based on the mutual confrontation between generator and discriminator, which enables it to learn both local and global features related to the removal of artifacts and generate high-quality images. The practical feasibility was tested in simulated, experimental data. The results demonstrate that FD-GAN can effectively remove the artifacts caused by the microwave dielectric effect, and shows superiority in denoising, background suppression, and improvement of image distortion. Our approach is expected to significantly improve the accuracy and quality of MTAI images, thereby enhancing the diagnostic accuracy of this innovative imaging technique.

Upregulation of NUAK2: A novel prognostic marker in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed neoplasm in women worldwide. New molecular biomarkers and effective prognostic models are being developed. This study aimed to investigate the clinical and prognostic significance of NUAK2 expression in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: The expression of NUAK 2 was examined in breast cancer cells and tissues by real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemical staining. CCK-8 and colony formation assays were performed to verify the effect of NUAK2 on the proliferation and tumor progression of breast cancer cells. A tumor formation assay in nude mice was performed to analyze the effect of NUAK2 on the tumorigenicity of breast cancer cells. RESULTS: The expression of NUAK2 in breast cancer tissues was higher than that in paracarcinoma and normal breast tissues. The overall survival of patients with high NUAK2 expression was significantly lower than that of patients with low NUAK2 expression. Multivariate analyses indicated that NUAK2 was an independent prognostic indicator of survival in breast cancer. In vitro experiments demonstrated that knocking down NUAK2 in breast cancer cells inhibited cell proliferation and tumor-forming ability, and overexpression of NUAK2 showed the opposite effects. NUAK2 overexpression promoted the tumorigenicity of breast cancer cells in vivo. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that NUAK2 is involved in breast cancer development and progression. NUAK2 may be a valuable prognostic indicator in patients with breast cancer.

Increased risk of periodontitis occurrence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and its association with the levels of IL-1ß and TNF-α in gingival crevicular fluid.

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis (PD) is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by infection of the periodontal supporting tissues. Clinical studies have reported that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have a higher prevalence of PD. This study aimed to explore the correlation between RA and PD. METHODS: A total of 307 RA patients (RA group) and 324 healthy individuals (control group) who received physical examinations during the same period were recruited to this study. The incidence of PD in the two groups was analyzed, and the periodontal disease index (PDI) and bleeding on probing (BOP) were recorded. Then, 42 RA patients with PD and 56 control group patients with PD were selected for further analysis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of the two groups. For patients with both RA and PD, the level of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and the duration of morning stiffness were also recorded. RESULTS: The prevalence of PD in the RA group (51.5%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (31.2%), and the prevalence of PD also increased notably with the increase of age and the duration of the disease in RA patients. The levels of TNF-α and IL-1ß in the PDI and the GCF in the concurrent RA and PD group were significantly higher than those in the PD group (P<0.05). Partial correlation analysis showed that TNF-α in the GCF positively correlated with the BOP of patients with RA and PD. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the level of TNF-α in the GCF and serum CRP were independent influencing factors of the level of IL-1ß in the GCF (the r values were 1.074 and 3.851, respectively; P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of RA can increase risk of PD occurrence and is positively correlated with the levels of IL-1ß and TNF-α in the GCF.

Detection of Treponema denticola in Chronic Periodontitis by Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Chronic periodontitis constitutes a significant public health issue, particularly in China. Treponema denticola is one of the bacterial species critically involved in the development of this disease. Therefore, an effort was made in this study to design a technique for isolation of DNA from gingival fluid and detection of T. denticola genes by PCR methodology. For this purpose, samples were collected from 30 patients with severe periodontitis and 20 patients with mild periodontitis. A group of 50 healthy individuals served as a control. Following the isolation of DNA from the gingival fluid by magnetic microbeads, the material was analyzed for the presence of 16S rRNA by conventional and quantitative real-time PCR protocols. This newly developed methodology identified the presence of T. denticola in all samples from periodontitis patients. Quantitative analysis of copy numbers demonstrated that the bacterial count was highest in the severe periodontitis group and intermediate in the mild periodontitis group. The smallest number of bacteria were present in healthy controls. Besides being rapid, accurate and specific, the proposed method eliminates the need for anaerobic bacterial cultures, making it applicable in a typical clinical setting.

Association between resting painless ST-segment depression with sudden cardiac death in middle-aged population: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGOUND: Silent electrocardiographic ST change predicts future coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence and mortality, but the prognostic significance of painless ST-segment depression (STD) with respect to sudden cardiac death (SCD) in subjects without apparent CHD remain unclear. This study sought to test the association between non-ischemic resting STD and risk of SCD in the general population. METHODS: A total of 14,935 middle-aged subjects from the prospective, population-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study were included in this analysis. Cox models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) adjusted for possible confounding factors. STD was defined as ST-segment depression of ≥0.05 mV in two or more contiguous leads. RESULTS: A total of 626 sudden cardiac death occurred during the mean follow-up of 20.4 years. Compared with those without STD, subjects with resting painless STD of at least 0.05 mV had a significantly increased risk of developing SCD (adjusted HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.76), and those with STD ≥ 0.1 mV had even higher risk of SCD (adjusted HR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.25 to 2.88). Significant interactions were present between gender and STD (P = .03), and between race and STD (P = .01). STD was significantly predictive of SCD in males (adjusted HR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.22-2.01) and in whites (adjusted HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.27-2.14). STD in lateral leads and global leads were strong predictors of SCD. CONCLUSIONS: Resting painless STD was an independent predictor of SCD in the middle-aged population without previously diagnosed CHD.

Early repolarization is associated with a significantly increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in patients with structural heart diseases.

BACKGROUND: Early repolarization pattern (ERP) has been proved to increase risk of arrhythmia death in the general population, but its prognostic significance in patients with structural heart disease (SHD) is controversial. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis of studies assessing the association between ERP and risk of ventricular arrhythmias (VTAs) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with SHD. METHODS: We performed a literature search using MEDLINE (January 1, 1966, to September 25, 2016) and EMBASE (January 1, 1980, to September 25, 2016) with no restrictions. Studies that reported odds ratio (OR) estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations of interest were included. RESULTS: The search yielded 19 observational studies, involving 7268 patients that reported 1127 cases of VTAs or SCD. In the selected studies, the point estimates of the ORs were consistently greater than 1. Compared with those without ERP, patients with ERP experienced a significantly increased risk of developing VTAs or SCD (OR 4.76; 95% CI 3.62-6.26), ventricular fibrillation (OR 7.14; 95% CI 4.31-11.82), and SCD (OR 4.07; 95% CI 1.58-10.51). The results were consistent and statistically significant in all subgroups. ERP with J-point elevation in inferior leads, notching configuration, and horizontal or descending ST segment connote higher risk. CONCLUSION: ERP is associated with a significant increased risk of VTAs or SCD in patients with SHD. Future research should attempt to understand the exact mechanisms for the arrhythmia risk and to introduce ERP in the risk stratification in this patient group.