Deep feature-domain matching for cardiac-related component separation from a chest electrical impedance tomography image series: proof-of-concept study.

Objectives.The cardiac-related component in chest electrical impedance tomography (EIT) measurement is of potential value to pulmonary perfusion monitoring and cardiac function measurement. In a spontaneous breathing case, cardiac-related signals experience serious interference from ventilation-related signals. Traditional cardiac-related signal-separation methods are usually based on certain features of signals. To further improve the separation accuracy, more comprehensive features of the signals should be exploited.Approach.We propose an unsupervised deep-learning method called deep feature-domain matching (DFDM), which exploits the feature-domain similarity of the desired signals and the breath-holding signals. This method is characterized by two sub-steps. In the first step, a novel Siamese network is designed and trained to learn common features of breath-holding signals; in the second step, the Siamese network is used as a feature-matching constraint between the separated signals and the breath-holding signals.Main results.The method is first tested using synthetic data, and the results show satisfactory separation accuracy. The method is then tested using the data of three patients with pulmonary embolism, and the consistency between the separated images and the radionuclide perfusion scanning images is checked qualitatively.Significance.The method uses a lightweight convolutional neural network for fast network training and inference. It is a potential method for dynamic cardiac-related signal separation in clinical settings.

Drosera-Inspired Dual-Actuating Double-Layer Hydrogel Actuator.

Drosera is a small insectivorous plant whose antennae can fold up, encircle, and prey. The rapid movement of the antennae is achieved by the synergistic effect of a double-layer structure with the antennae contracts on the front and expands on the back. In this work, a drosera-inspired dual-actuating double-layer hydrogel actuator is proposed, in which the temperature-responsive poly(N, N-diethyl acrylamide) (PDEAAm) layer acts as the main actuation layer and a moisture-responsive poly(acrylamide) (PAAm) layer acts as the auxiliary actuation layer. In a water environment with low temperature, both the PAAm and PDEAAm layers absorb water and expand with a swelling property. When the temperature exceeds the lower critical solution temperature of PDEAAm, the PDEAAm layer undergoes a hydrophilic-hydrophobic transition and shrinks rapidly. Therefore, the synergistic effect of the double-layer hydrogel enables the double-layer hydrogel to achieve a large bending angle at high temperature. In addition, when designing and fabricating shape-patterned double-layer hydrogels, complex shape changes can be achieved. Due to the physical and chemical properties, the actuator can be used to grab, transport, and release objects. This drosera-inspired double-layer hydrogel actuator has high practical value, which may provide new insights for the design and manufacture of artificial intelligence materials.

Helicobacter pylori increases the risk of carotid plaque formation: a clinical evidence.

Background and aim: Since the relation between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and atherosclerosis has been evidenced, we aimed to analyze whether there is a relationship between the patient's H. pylori infection and age, gender, BMI, blood lipids, and carotid plaque formation.Methods: 810 patients from January 2016 to December 2019 were enrolled in this study, and divided the subjects into H. pylori (+) group and H. pylori (-) group based on the results of UBT. To analyze whether H. pylori infection is related to gender, age, BMI, blood lipids, and neck vascular plaque formation.Results: The single-factor analysis showed that the BMI ≥ 25kg/m2, triglycerides >1.7 mmol/l, the formation of cervical plaques were significantly higher in patients infected with H. pylori in compared to normal cases. Also, multi-variant logistic regression analysis showed that H. pylori infection affects the BMI ≥ 25kg/m2 and triglycerides >1.7 mmol/l to induce vascular plaque. Also, we showed that patients with H. pylori infection are 1.424 times higher than the non-infected group to have triglycerides more elevated than 1.7mmol/l.Conclusion: In this study, we conclude that H. pylori infection is an independent risk factor for higher BMI (>25), triglyceride (>1.7 mmol/l), and neck vascular plaque formation. The multi-variant analysis showed that patients with H. pylori infection are prone to have higher BMI, triglycerides, and neck vascular plaque formation over 1.4-times higher in non-infected individuals.KEY MESSAGESH. pylori infection is an independent risk factor for higher BMI, triglyceride, and neck vascular plaque formation.H. pylori can accelerate vascular plaque formation through increasing BMI and triglyceride.

Evaluation of LncRNA ANRIL Potential in Hepatic Cancer Progression.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: LncRNAs are significant regulators in multiple cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, lncRNA ANRIL has been reported to be elevated during multiple cancer types, exhibiting oncogenic roles. However, the exact biological mechanism of ANRIL is still poorly understood in HCC. METHODS: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays were utilized to detect expressions of ANRIL, miR-384, and STAT3. CCK8 and EDU assays were employed to evaluate HCC cell proliferation. A flow cytometry assay was used to detect the HCC cell cycle and cell apoptosis. The scratch migration and Transwell invasion assays were performed to test cell migration and invasion, respectively. RIP and RNA pull-down assays were carried out to confirm the correlation between ANRIL and miR-384. The dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to prove the association between miR-384 and STAT3. Western blotting analysis was performed to examine protein levels of STAT3. IHC and HE staining were employed to detect Ki-67 and histopathology. RESULTS: ANRIL expression was upregulated in HCC cells, including SMCC7721, HepG2, MHCC-97H, SNU449 and HUH-7 cells, in comparison to the normal human liver cells LO2. Knockdown of ANRIL suppressed HCC cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. HCC cell migration and invasion capacity were inhibited by inhibition of ANRIL. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that ANRIL could interact with miR-384. miR-384 was significantly decreased in HCC cells, and overexpression of miR-384 repressed HCC progression. STAT3 was predicted as a target of miR-384, and miR-384 can modulate STAT3 levels negatively in vitro. ANRIL can suppress HCC development through regulating miR-384 and STAT3 in vivo. CONCLUSION: ANRIL is involved in HCC progression by direct targeting of miR-384 and STAT3. Also, ANRIL could act as a potential candidate for HCC diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy.

Factors Influencing Residents' Willingness to Contract With General Practitioners in Guangzhou, China, During the GP Policy Trial Phase: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use.

This study aimed to investigate the current contract rate and residents' willingness to contract with general practitioner (GP) services in Guangzhou, China, during the policy trial phase, and also to explore the association of behavior contract and contract willingness with variables based on Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use (ABM). In total, 160 residents from community health centers (CHCs) and 202 residents from hospitals were recruited in this study. The outcome variables were behavior contract and contract willingness. Based on the framework of ABM, independent variables were categorized as predisposing factors, enabling factors, need factors, and CHC service utilization experiences. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis models were applied to explore the associated factors. Out of 362 participants, 14.4% had contracted with GP services. For those who had not contracted with GP services, only 16.4% (51 out of 310) claimed they were willing to do so. The contract rate for community-based participants was significantly higher than that for hospital-based participants. Major reasons for not choosing to contract were perceiving no benefit from the service and concerns about the quality of CHCs. Community health center experiences and satisfaction were significantly associated with contracting among hospital-based participants. A need factor (diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes) and CHC service utilization experiences (have gotten services from the same doctor in CHCs) were significantly associated with contract willingness among CHC-based participants. Intervention to improve awareness of GP services may help to promote this service. Different intervention strategies should be used for varying resident populations.

Short-term effects of fine particulate matter on acute myocardial infraction mortality and years of life lost: A time series study in Hong Kong.

Previous studies have applied years of life lost (YLL) as a complementary indicator to assess the short-term effect of the air pollution on the health burden from all-cause mortality, but sparsely focused on individual diseases such as acute myocardial infraction (AMI). In this study, we aimed to conduct a time-series analysis to evaluate short-term effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on mortality and YLL from AMI in Hong Kong from 2011 to 2015, and explore the potential effect modifiers including sex and age by subgroup analysis. We applied generalized additive Poisson and Gaussian regression model for daily death count and YLL, respectively. We found that 10µg/m3 increment in concentration of PM2.5 lasting for two days (lag01) was associated with a 2.35% (95% CI 0.38% to 4.36%) increase in daily mortality count and a 1.69 (95% CI 0.01 to 3.37) years increase in YLL from AMI. The association between PM2.5 and AMI mortality count was stronger among women and older people than men and young people, respectively. We concluded that acute exposure to PM2.5 may increase the risk of mortality and YLL from AMI in Hong Kong and this effect can be modified by age and gender. These findings add to the evidence base for public health policy formulation and resource allocation.

Could yoga practice improve treatment-related side effects and quality of life for women with breast cancer? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: To determine if yoga as a complementary and alternative therapy was associated with enhanced health and treatment-related side effects in patients with breast cancer. This systematic review examines whether yoga practice provides any measurable benefit, both physically and psychologically, for women with breast cancer. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) throughout June 2013. We evaluated the quality of the included studies by the Cochrane Handbook 5.2 standards and analyzed the data using the Stata software, version 10.0. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis were also performed to identify additional predictors of outcome and to assess heterogeneity. RESULTS: Sixteen RCTs with a total of 930 participants were included. Comparing yoga groups to control groups, there was a statistically significant difference in overall health-related quality of life, depression, anxiety and gastrointestinal symptoms. Meta-regression analyses revealed that the duration of yoga practice and type of control group partly explained the heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses revealed that yoga had a positive effect on anxiety only when it had been practiced for longer than 3 months. Only the wait-list control group showed an effect of yoga on physical well-being. CONCLUSION: The current evidence demonstrates that yoga practice could be effective in enhancing health and managing some treatment-related side effects for patients recovering from breast cancer. In future clinical studies, clinicians should consider the patient's wishes along with the current best evidence of the effects of yoga practice in their clinical decision-making.

Simple and rapid mercury ion selective electrode based on 1-undecanethiol assembled Au substrate and its recognition mechanism.

A simple and rapid mercury ion selective electrode based on 1-undecanethiol (1-UDT) assembled Au substrate (Au/1-UDT) has been well constructed. 1-UDT was for the purpose of generating self-assembled monolayer on gold surface to recognize Hg2+ in aqueous solution, which had a working concentration range of 1.0×10-8-1.0×10-4molL-1, with a Nernst response slope of 28.83±0.4mV/-pC, a detection limit of 4.5×10-9molL-1, and a good selectivity over the other tested cations. Also, the Au/1-UDT possessed good reproducibility, stability, and short response time. The recovery obtained for the determination of mercury ion in practical tremella samples was in the range of 99.8-103.4%. Combined electrochemical analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with quantum chemical computation, the probable recognition mechanism of the electrode for selective recognition of Hg2+ has been investigated. The covalent bond formed between mercury and sulfur is stronger than the one between gold and sulfur and thus prevents the adsorption of 1-UDT molecules on the gold surface. The quantum chemical computation with density functional theory further demonstrates that the strong interaction between the mercury atom and the sulfur atom on the gold surface leads to the gold sulfur bond ruptured and the gold mercury metallophilic interaction.

Levosimendan and nesiritide as a combination therapy in patients with acute heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Individually, levosimendan and nesiritide have been associated with substantial clinical benefits for the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the combination of levosimendan and nesiritide for the treatment of ADHF. METHODS: One hundred and twenty patients were randomly assigned to control, levosimendan, nesiritide or combination groups. The patients received 2 drugs: 1 was levosimendan or placebo A and the other was nesiritide or placebo B. The primary end points were rates of clinical effectiveness at 1, 3, 5 and 9 days after the start of therapy. RESULTS: Nine days after the initiation of drug infusion, the clinical effectiveness rate in the combination group was better than that in the control group (odds ratio: 1.43, 95% confidence interval: 0.46-2.41, P = 0.004). The combination treatment also resulted in higher rates of clinical effectiveness than individually provided levosimendan or nesiritide at 1 day (both P = 0.04) or placebo at 1, 3 or 5 days (P = 0.002, 0.006 and 0.009, respectively). The combination method was associated with fewer deaths and readmissions, as compared with the rate observed in the placebo group during the 3-month follow-up (hazard ratio: 0.43, 95% confidence interval: 0.19-0.96, P = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with ADHF, intravenous infusion of levosimendan and nesiritide was superior to placebo and single-drug therapies in terms of improvements in clinical conditions during the early stages of therapy.

Efficacy of intravenous levosimendan in patients with heart failure complicated by acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of a short-term intravenous infusion of levosimendan in patients with heart failure due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: This was a randomized, single-center, single-blind study that included 160 patients. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: 1 received levosimendan (n = 80) and the other received placebo (n = 80). The study included multiple primary end points (death, myocardial ischemia or worsening heart at the 6 month follow-up) and used a composite outcome. RESULTS: The primary end point rate in the levosimendan group was lower than that in placebo group (43.7 vs. 62.5%, HR 0.636, 95% CI 0.413-0.981, p = 0.041). Moreover, the mortality rate at 6 months was similar between the 2 groups (17.5 vs. 22.5%, HR 0.786, 95% CI 0.382-1.543, p = 0.458). There was a higher incidence of myocardial ischemia in the levosimendan group at 14 days than in the placebo group (11.2 vs. 7.5%, HR 1.510, p = 0.435), but between 15 and 180 days, it was significantly lower in the levosimendan group than in the placebo group (3.8 vs. 13.8%, HR 0.261, p = 0.036). CONCLUSION: Short-term intravenous infusion of levosimendan appears to be more effective than placebo for treating patients with heart failure complicated by AMI.

Short-term effect of upstream administration in comparison to deferred injection of tirofiban on patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: High bolus dose tirofiban has been demonstrated to provide greater inhibition of platelet aggregation, but the most appropriate timing of its administration remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of upstream vs. deferred administration of tirofiban in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on clinical outcomes. METHODS: The 660 patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention were divided into upstream (n=330, administration of tirofiban to all patients in emergency room) and deferred groups (n=330, treatment of patients with large thrombus burden or no-reflow phenomenon in cardiac catheterization laboratory during PCI). The primary end-points were death, nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI), stent thrombosis (ST), revascularization of targeted vessels (TVR) or major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 1 month and 6 months following PCI, with safety end-point at 7 days. RESULTS: Compared with that of the deferred group, there was a significant increase of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in the upstream group within 7 days (55.5 ± 6.6% vs. 54.6 ± 7.9%, P=0.011). The rates of 7-day and 1-month MACE in the upstream group were lower than those in the deferred group (1.5% vs. 4.2%, 3.3% vs. 7.0%, P=0.037 and 0.034, respectively). However, there were higher tendencies for major and minor bleedings in the upstream group (1.8% vs. 0.9%, 2.7% vs. 1.5%, P=0.315 and 0.280, respectively). CONCLUSION: To the Chinese patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing primary PCI, upstream administration of tirofiban was slightly superior to deferred injection for short-term clinical outcomes.

Single-stranded DNA adsorption on chiral molecule coated Au surface: a molecular dynamics study.

All-atomistic molecular dynamics simulations with explicit water solution are performed to investigate the interaction between single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) molecules and chiral N-isobutyryl-cysteine (NIBC) molecule coated Au surfaces. Different contributions to the force exerted on ssDNA are analyzed. It turns out that the experimentally observed stereospecific adsorption behavior of ssDNA on d/l-NIBC self-assembled monolayer surface mainly originates from the interaction between the dipole moment of NIBC and the negative charge carried by ssDNA.