Watertight 2-manifold 3D bone surface model reconstruction from CT images based on visual hyper-spherical mapping.

This paper proposes a general algorithm to reconstruct watertight 2-manifold 3D bone surface model from CT images based on visual hyper-spherical mapping. The reconstruction algorithm includes three main steps: two-step thresholding, initial watertight surface reconstruction and shape optimization. Firstly, volume sampling points of the target bone with given narrower threshold range are extracted by thresholding with combination of 3D morphology operation. Secondly, visible points near the bone's outer surface are extracted from its corresponding volume sampling points by hyper-spherical projection mapping method. Thirdly, implicit surface reconstruction algorithm is employed on the extracted visible surface points to obtain an initial watertight 3D bone surface model which is used as the deformation model in the following accurate bone surface model generation stage. Finally, the initial surface model is deformed according to the segmentation data with wider threshold range under given constraints in order to achieve an accurate watertight 3D bone surface model. Experiment and comparison results show that the proposed algorithm can reconstruct watertight 3D bone surface model from CT images, and local details of the bone surface can be restored accurately for the cases used in this paper.

Long-term persistence of immune response to the AS04-adjuvanted HPV-16/18 vaccine in Chinese girls aged 9-17 years: Results from an 8-9-year follow-up phase III open-label study.

AIM: In 9-17-year-old Chinese girls, the AS04-adjuvanted HPV-16/18 vaccine (AS04-HPV-16/18) given as three-dose schedule induced high antibody levels, which were noninferior 1 month after the third dose to those observed in 18-25-year-old Chinese women in a large efficacy study. We assessed the persistence of antibodies 8-9 years after vaccination in the same subjects. METHODS: This follow-up phase III, open-label study (NCT03355820) included subjects who had received three doses of AS04-HPV-16/18 in the initial trial (NCT00996125). Serum antibody concentrations were assessed by ELISA and compared to antibody persistence observed in 18-25-year-old Chinese women 6 years after first vaccination in the efficacy study (NCT00779766). RESULTS: Out of the 227 enrolled subjects, 223 were included in the per-protocol immunogenicity analysis. Mean interval from first AS04-HPV-16/18 dose to blood sampling was 101.4 months (8.5 years). For antibodies against HPV-16 and -18, 8.5 years after first vaccine dose all subjects remained seropositive and antibody. Geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) were 1236.3 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1121.8; 1362.4) and 535.6 (95% CI: 478.6; 599.4) ELISA Units/mL, respectively. These seropositivity rates and antibody GMCs were higher than those observed 6 years after first vaccination of 18-25-year-old women. CONCLUSION: Sustained anti-HPV-16 and -18 immune responses were observed 8-9 years after AS04-HPV-16/18 vaccination of 9-17 year-old Chinese girls that were higher than the ones observed 6 years after first vaccination in Chinese adult women in whom AS04-HPV-16/18 efficacy against cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of grade ≥2 was demonstrated.

Global Transcriptome and Co-Expression Network Analysis Reveal Contrasting Response of Japonica and Indica Rice Cultivar to γ Radiation.

Japonica and indica are two important subspecies in cultivated Asian rice. Irradiation is a classical approach to induce mutations and create novel germplasm. However, little is known about the differential response between japonica and indica rice after γ radiation. Here, we utilized the RNA sequencing and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to compare the transcriptome differences between japonica Nipponbare (NPB) and indica Yangdao6 (YD6) in response to irradiation. Japonica subspecies are more sensitive to irradiation than the indica subspecies. Indica showed a higher seedling survival rate than japonica. Irradiation caused more extensive DNA damage in shoots than in roots, and the severity was higher in NPB than in YD6. GO and KEGG pathway analyses indicate that the core genes related to DNA repair and replication and cell proliferation are similarly regulated between the varieties, however the universal stress responsive genes show contrasting differential response patterns in japonica and indica. WGCNA identifies 37 co-expressing gene modules and ten candidate hub genes for each module. This provides novel evidence indicating that certain peripheral pathways may dominate the molecular networks in irradiation survival and suggests more potential target genes in breeding for universal stress tolerance in rice.

[Effect of successive ejaculation on semen analysis parameters in normal men].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of successive ejaculation on semen analysis parameters in normal men. METHODS: Eight ejaculates were collected at daily intervals from 8 normal men. The semen parameters were analyzed according to WHO laboratory manual for the examination of human semen and sperm-cervical mucus interaction. RESULTS: The semen volumes and total sperm counts decreased gradually day by day, significantly lower from the 5th to the 8th day than the 1st (P < 0.01). The sperm densities also declined day by day, but not significantly. The sperm viability and motility (a + b grade) presented an increasing trend, but with no significance except on the 7th day. CONCLUSION: With the increase of the ejaculatory frequency, human semen volumes and the total counts significantly decrease, while sperm viability and motility gradually increase. Successive ejaculation does not affect the quality of human semen.