A densely connected LDCT image denoising network based on dual-edge extraction and multi-scale attention under compound loss.

BACKGROUND: Low dose computed tomography (LDCT) uses lower radiation dose, but the reconstructed images contain higher noise that can have negative impact in disease diagnosis. Although deep learning with the edge extraction operators reserves edge information well, only applying the edge extraction operators to input LDCT images does not yield overall satisfactory results. OBJECTIVE: To improve LDCT images quality, this study proposes and tests a dual edge extraction multi-scale attention mechanism convolution neural network (DEMACNN) based on a compound loss. METHODS: The network uses edge extraction operators to extract edge information from both the input images and the feature maps in the network, improving the utilization of the edge operators and retaining the images edge information. The feature enhancement block is constructed by fusing the attention mechanism and multi-scale module, enhancing effective information, while suppressing useless information. The residual learning method is used to learn the network, improving the performance of the network, and solving the problem of gradient disappearance. Except for the network structure, a compound loss function, which consists of the MSE loss, the proposed joint total variation loss, and the edge loss, is proposed to enhance the denoising ability of the network and reserve the edge of images. RESULTS: Compared with other advanced methods (REDCNN, CT-former and EDCNN), the proposed new network achieves the best PSNR and SSIM values in LDCT images of the abdomen, which are 33.3486 and 0.9104, respectively. In addition, the new network also performs well on head and chest image data. CONCLUSION: The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed new network structure and denoising algorithm not only effectively removes the noise in LDCT images, but also protects the edges and details of the images well.

Low expression of activating transcription factor 3 in human hepatocellular carcinoma and its clinicopathological significance.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To explore the expression and role of activating transcription factor 3 in human hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry, Western blot assay and Real-time PCR were used to evaluate activating transcription factor 3 protein and gene level in HCC clinical samples. RESULTS: Activating transcription factor 3 expression is lowest in HCC, and the protein level is lower in patients with capsule invasion, while there is no association with other main clinical pathological features. CONCLUSIONS: Low expression of ATF3 may function as a tumor suppressor during human hepatocellular oncogenesis and targeting ATF3 pathway might be beneficial for anti-HCC therapy.

Annexin A2 protein expression in liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological significance of the expression of annexin A2 (ANXA2) in liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods The expression level of ANXA2 in normal liver,liver cirrhosis and HCC were examined by Western blot.The correlation between ANXA2 expression and clinicopathological parameters in liver fibrosis and HCC were analyzed by immunohistochemistry.Results Compared with the normal liver tissue,ANXA2 protein expression level increased significantly in HCC and liver cirrhosis,with the highest expression in HCC (P =0.000).There was significantly positive relationship between ANXA2 protein expression and stages for liver fibrosis (P ＜ 0.01).The expression of ANXA2 protein in HCC was closely associated with HBV infection,differentiation degree and the recurrence (P ＜ 0.05).In some cases,ANXA2-positive cancer cells were often dispersed in the periphery of cancer nodules and were adjacent to stromal cells.Conclusion Overexpression of ANXA2 may be involved in liver fibrosis and play a role in the development of HCC,indicating ANXA2 may serve as a diagnostic biomarker for liver fibrosis and tumor differentiation in HCC.

The expression and clinical significance of cyclase-associated protein 2 in hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To explore the cyclase-associated protein 2 (CAP2) expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Method The expression of CAP2 was determined by reverse transcription PCR,Western blot,and immunohistochemistry in normal liver,cirrhotic liver,and HCC.Results According to reverse transcription PCR and Western Blot,the level of CAP2 was up-regulated in HCC and was further up-regulated in progressed HCC than in early HCC.CAP2 expression was almost absent in normal and cirrhotic liver.The same results were seen in immunohistochemical examination.Also,CAP2 showed stronger expression in medium and poor-differentiated HCC than in well-differentiated HCC.Conclusion CAP2 is an up-regulated gene in HCC and may relate to the stages of hepatocarcinogenesis.Therefore,CAP2 could be used as a valuable molecular marker for HCC diagnosis in the future.

Value of a virtual liver surgery planning system in predicting hepatic dysfunction after hepatectomy for liver cancer / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective To calculate the residoal liver volume using a virtaal liver surgery planning system,and to investigate the value of standardized estimated liver remnant volume ratio (STELR) in prcdicting hepatic dysfunction after hepatectomy.MethodsThe clinical data of 76 patients with primary liver cancer who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from April 2007 to October 2011 were retrospectivcly analyzed.The virtual resection and residual liver volume measurements were carried out using Liv 1.0 software.The value of STELR in predicting hepatic dysfunction was assessed using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves.Effects of different risk factors on postoperative hepatic dysfunction were analyzed using univariate analysis of variance and multivariate Logistic regression models. Results The mean residual liver volumes predicted by the software and resected during operation were (489 ± 206)ml and (459 ± 199 )ml,respectively,with a positive correlation between predicted and actual resection volumes (r =0.916,P ＜ 0.05).Of the 76 patients,48 had mild hepatic dysfunction,19 had moderate hepatic dysfunction and 9 had severe hepatic dysfunction.A critical STELR of 53％ was associated with severe hepatic dysfunction.Severe hepatic dysfunction was detected in 2 out of 59 (3％) patients with STELR ≥ 53％ and 7 out of 17 (41％) patients with STELR ＜ 53％,which represented a significant difference ( x2 =5.085,P ＜ 0.05 ).The result of univariate analysis revealed that STEL,R,operating time,intraoperative blood loss were significant prognostic indicators for severe hepatic dysfunction ( F =7.227,8.630,13.809,P ＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regession revealed that STELR was a significant independent predictor of severe hepatic dysfunction ( Wald =6.675,P ＜ 0.05 ).Conclusion The likelihood of severe hepatic dysfunction after hepatectomy can be predicted by STELR.

The expression of arginase Ⅰ in heptocellular carcinoma and its clinicopathological significance / 中华消化杂志

Objective To investigate the expression of arginase Ⅰ(ARG1)in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and to analyze its correlation with clinicopathological features.Methods The expression of ARG1 at protein level in 167 samples of HCC and corresponding adjacent liver tissue was detected with high-throughput tissue microarray technique and immunohistochemistry.The correlation between ARG1 expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed with x2 test and Spearman rank correlation analysis.The expression of ARG1 at mRNA level in 68 samples of HCC and corresponding adjacent liver tissue was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction(real-time PCR).Results The expression of ARG1 at protein level in HCC(3.540±3.702)was significantly lower than that of the corresponding adjacent liver tissues(10.290 ± 2.303)(t=-22.421,P=0.000).The ARG1 expression was correlated with differentiation degree of HCC,histological grade,vascular invasion,preoperative level of α-fetoprotein(AFP)and recurrence after operation(all P＜0.05).The ARG1 expression at mRNA level in 68 HCC tissue[0.0997(0.213)]was lower than that of the corresponding adjacent liver tissues[0.563(0.459)],and the difference was statistical significant(u=-6.544,P=0.000).Conclusion Low expression of ARG1 in HCC may take part inHCC genesis and development.Detecting the expression of ARG1 may be helpful in HCC diagnosis,differentiation degree and prognosis assessment.

Correlation of KiSS-1, KiSS-1R and MMP-9 expression to invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma and its significance / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To detect the expression of KiSS-1, KiSS-1R and MMP-9 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To study the correlation of KiSS-1, KiSS-1R and MMP-9 expression with invasion and metastasis of HCC, and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods The expression of KiSS-1 , KiSS-1R mRNA in 33 HCC samples, 26 non-neoplastic adjacent liver tissue samples and 13 non-neoplastic distant liver tissue samples were detected by RT-PCR. Tissue chips were constructed by modified manual tools, which contained HCC, non-neoplastic adjacent liver tissues, non-neoplastic distant liver tissues, normal liver tissues and intrahepatic metastasis lesions. The expression of KiSS-1 and MMP-9 protein was determined by tissue chips, immunohistochemistry and semi-quantitative image analysis in 150 HCC, 137 non-neoplastic adjacent liver tissue, 98 non-neoplastic distant liver tissues, 16 normal liver tissues and 37 intrahepatic metastasis lesion samples. Results The results of RT-PCR showed that compared with the non-neoplastic adjacent liver tissues and the non-neoplastic distant liver tissues, the expression of KiSS-1 mRNA in HCC was significantly lower (P＜0.01). The expression of KiSS-1R mRNA did not changed in HCC and non-neoplastic liver tissues (P＞0.05). The expression of KiSS-1 protein was lower in HCC with metastasis and in clinical stage Ⅲ than that in those with non-metastasis, and in clinical stages Ⅰ and Ⅱ . It was also higher in the primary than in the metastasis lesions (P＜0.01, respectively). The expression of MMP-9 was higher in tumors having peplos invasion and metastasis than in those with negative peplos invasion and non-metastasis. It was lower in the primary than the metastasis lesions (P＜0. 01, respectively).Negative correlation between KiSS-1 and MMP-9 expression was found in HCC(r=- 0.340,P＜0.01). Conclusions The imbalance between KiSS-1 and MMP-9 expression might play an important role in enhancing the invasive and metastatic capacity of HCC. Loss of KiSS-1 expression might predict an aggressive clinical behavior and was associated with metastatic potential in HCC.

Expression of KiSS-1 gene and its role in invasion and metastasis of human hepatocellular carcinoma.

KiSS-1 has been identified as a putative metastasis-suppressor gene in human melanomas and breast cancer cell lines. Although loss of KiSS-1 expression has been associated with progression and poor prognosis of various cancers, the exact role of KiSS-1 expression in HCC is not well-defined. Our study investigated KiSS-1 expression levels in HCC and its role in invasion and metastasis of human HCC. The expression levels of KiSS-1 and MMP-9 protein were determined by tissue microarray (TMA) serial sections, immunohistochemistry and semi-quantitative image analysis. All clinical and histological data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis. The expression of KiSS-1 protein in HCC and intrahepatic metastasis lesions was significantly lower (P < 0.01) when compared with non-tumor liver tissue and normal liver tissue. Multivariate analysis revealed a significant inverse correlation between KiSS-1 expression and o1 TNM stage, (F = 7.113, P < 0.01) and o2 intrahepatic metastasis (t = 2.898, P < 0.01). Loss of KiSS-1 in intrahepatic metastasis versus primary carcinomas was statistically significant (P<0.01). We also found a negative correlation between KiSS-1 and MMP-9 expression in HCC (r = -0.506, P < 0.01). We conclude that loss of KiSS-1 during HCC metastasis, along with a concomitant upregulation of MMP-9 suggests a possible mechanism for cell motility and invasion during HCC metastasis, with KiSS-1 emerging as a possible therapeutic target during HCC metastasis.

Effects of achyranthes bidentata polysaccharides on eosinophil and mast cells in airway of young as thmatic rats / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate changes of eosinophil(EOS) and mast cells(MC) in airway of young asthmatic rats and to evaluate of achyranthes bidentata polysaccharides(ABPS) on it.Methods Fifty Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were randomly divided into five groups,ten rats per group:asthmatic group(A),control group(C),pretreatment groups with ABPS which was done according to three different schedules:consecutively 3 days at sensitization(T_1),at challenge(T_2) or both of the two periods(T_3).Asthmatic rats were induced by intraperitioneal sensitization and challenged with nebulized ovalbumin(OVA).Lungs were embeded in paraffine and sliced,Hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staind tobuidine blue restained and TUNEL method after animals were executed,then the quantity and degranulation phenomenon of EOS and MC and the apoptosis of EOS in airway were observed.Results ① The number of inflammatory cells and EOS in the airway was significantly increased in asthmatic group but reduced in group T_1 and T_3(P