Multiple Meta-model Quantifying for Medical Visual Question Answering

Transfer learning is an important step to extract meaningful features and overcome the data limitation in the medical Visual Question Answering (VQA) task. However, most of the existing medical VQA methods rely on external data for transfer learning, while the meta-data within the dataset is not fully utilized. In this paper, we present a new multiple meta-model quantifying method that effectively learns meta-annotation and leverages meaningful features to the medical VQA task. Our proposed method is designed to increase meta-data by auto-annotation, deal with noisy labels, and output meta-models which provide robust features for medical VQA tasks. Extensively experimental results on two public medical VQA datasets show that our approach achieves superior accuracy in comparison with other state-of-the-art methods, while does not require external data to train meta-models. Source code available at: https://github.com/aioz-ai/MICCAI21_MMQ

Structural assessment based on vibration measurement test combined with an artificial neural network for the steel truss bridge

Damage assessment is one of the most crucial issues for bridge engineers during the operational and maintenance phase, especially for existing steel bridges. Among several methodologies, the vibration measurement test is a typical approach, in which the natural frequency variation of the structure is monitored to detect the existence of damage. However, locating and quantifying the damage is still a big challenge for this method, due to the required human resources and logistics involved. In this regard, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based approach seems to be a potential way of overcoming such obstacles. This study deployed a comprehensive campaign to determine all the dynamic parameters of a predamaged steel truss bridge structure. Based on the results for mode shape, natural frequency, and damping ratio, a finite element model (FEM) was created and updated. The artificial intelligence network’s input data from the damage cases were then analysed and evaluated. The trained artificial neural network model was curated and evaluated to confirm the approach’s feasibility. During the actual operational stage of the steel truss bridge, this damage assessment system showed good performance, in terms of monitoring the structural behaviour of the bridge under some unexpected accidents.This research was funded by FCT/MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC) from the R&D Unit Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), under the reference UIDB/04029/2020, and from the Associate Laboratory Advanced Production and Intelligent Systems ARISE, under the reference LA/P/0112/2020, as well as financial support of the project research “B2022-GHA-03” from the Ministry of Education and Training. And The APC was funded by ANI (“Agência Nacional de Inovação”) through the financial support given to the R&D Project “GOA Bridge Management System—Bridge Intelligence”, with reference POCI-01-0247-FEDER069642, which was cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the Operational Competitiveness and Internationalisation Program (POCI)

Establishing and validating noninvasive prenatal testing procedure for fetal aneuploidies in Vietnam

Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for fetal aneuploidies has been widely adopted in developed countries. Despite the sharp decrease in the cost of massively parallel sequencing, the technical know-how and skilled personnel are still one of the major limiting factors for applying this technology to NIPT in low-income settings. Here, we present the establishment and validation of our NIPT procedure called triSure for detection of fetal aneuploidies.We established the triSure algorithm based on the difference in proportion of fetal and maternal fragments from the target chromosome to all chromosomes. Our algorithm was validated using a published data set and an in-house data set obtained from high-risk pregnant women in Vietnam who have undergone amniotic testing. Several other aneuploidy calling methods were also applied to the same data set to benchmark triSure performance.The triSure algorithm showed similar accuracy to size-based method when comparing them using published data set. Using our in-house data set from 130 consecutive samples, we showed that triSure correctly identified the most samples (overall sensitivity and specificity of 0.983 and 0.986, respectively) compared to other methods tested including count-based, sized-based, RAPIDR and NIPTeR.We have demonstrated that our triSure NIPT procedure can be applied to pregnant women in low-income settings such as Vietnam, providing low-risk screening option to reduce the need for invasive diagnostic tests

Antibiotic use and prescription and its effects on Enterobacteriaceae in the gut in children with mild respiratory infections in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A prospective observational outpatient study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Treatment guidelines do not recommend antibiotic use for acute respiratory infections (ARI), except for streptococcal pharyngitis/tonsillitis and pneumonia. However, antibiotics are prescribed frequently for children with ARI, often in absence of evidence for bacterial infection. The objectives of this study were 1) to assess the appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions for mild ARI in paediatric outpatients in relation to available guidelines and detected pathogens, 2) to assess antibiotic use on presentation using questionnaires and detection in urine 3) to assess the carriage rates and proportions of resistant intestinal Enterobacteriaceae before, during and after consultation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients were prospectively enrolled in Children's Hospital 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and diagnoses, prescribed therapy and outcome were recorded on first visit and on follow-up after 7 days. Respiratory bacterial and viral pathogens were detected using molecular assays. Antibiotic use before presentation was assessed using questionnaires and urine HPLC. The impact of antibiotic usage on intestinal Enterobacteriaceae was assessed with semi-quantitative culture on agar with and without antibiotics on presentation and after 7 and 28 days. RESULTS: A total of 563 patients were enrolled between February 2009 and February 2010. Antibiotics were prescribed for all except 2 of 563 patients. The majority were 2nd and 3rd generation oral cephalosporins and amoxicillin with or without clavulanic acid. Respiratory viruses were detected in respiratory specimens of 72.5% of patients. Antibiotic use was considered inappropriate in 90.1% and 67.5%, based on guidelines and detected pathogens, respectively. On presentation parents reported antibiotic use for 22% of patients, 41% of parents did not know and 37% denied antibiotic use. Among these three groups, six commonly used antibiotics were detected with HPLC in patients' urine in 49%, 40% and 14%, respectively. Temporary selection of 3rd generation cephalosporin resistant intestinal Enterobacteriaceae during antibiotic use was observed, with co-selection of resistance to aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones. CONCLUSIONS: We report overuse and overprescription of antibiotics for uncomplicated ARI with selection of resistant intestinal Enterobacteriaceae, posing a risk for community transmission and persistence in a setting of a highly granular healthcare system and unrestricted access to antibiotics through private pharmacies. REGISTRATION: This study was registered at the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials Number registry under number ISRCTN32862422: http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN32862422

Publisher Correction: FGF signalling controls the specification of hair placode-derived SOX9 positive progenitors to Merkel cells.

The originally published version of this Article contained an error in Figure 2. In panel e, the blue bar was incorrectly labelled 'KRT8(+)/TOMATO(-)'. Furthermore, during the process of preparing a correction, the publication date of the Article was inadvertently changed to June 20th 2018. Both of these errors have been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the Article

FGF signalling controls the specification of hair placode-derived SOX9 positive progenitors to Merkel cells

Merkel cells are innervated mechanosensory cells responsible for light-touch sensations. In murine dorsal skin, Merkel cells are located in touch domes and found in the epidermis around primary hairs. While it has been shown that Merkel cells are skin epithelial cells, the progenitor cell population that gives rise to these cells is unknown. Here, we show that during embryogenesis, SOX9-positive (+) cells inside hair follicles, which were previously known to give rise to hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) and cells of the hair follicle lineage, can also give rise to Merkel Cells. Interestingly, while SOX9 is critical for HFSC specification, it is dispensable for Merkel cell formation. Conversely, FGFR2 is required for Merkel cell formation but is dispensable for HFSCs. Together, our studies uncover SOX9(+) cells as precursors of Merkel cells and show the requirement for FGFR2-mediated epithelial signalling in Merkel cell specification.Peer reviewe

СПЕКТРАЛЬНО-ВРЕМЕННАЯ ДИНАМИКА НЕСТАЦИОНАРНОГО ПОГЛОЩЕНИЯ МНОГОСЛОЙНЫХ ПЕРИОДИЧЕСКИХ ПЛАЗМОННЫХ НАНОСТРУКТУР

The features of the induced changes in the optical density spectra of multilayer Ag-Na3 AlF6 nanostructures under a femtosecond laser pulses exitation in the band of surface plasmonic resonance of absorption (SPRA) were studied. The dependence of the amplitude of the induced changes on the thickness of the dielectric Na3 AlF6 films separating the monolayeres of silver nanoparticles was registered. A significant increase of the optical response amplitude (up to 80 %) was found for the nanostructures with the quarter-wavelength Na3 AlF6 interlayers. For nanostructures with different-thickness dielectric Na3 AlF6 interlayers the characteristic relaxation times of induced changes at an excitation energy of 5–10 μJ do not practically vary, are equal to ~2 ps and coincide with the kinetic response time parameters of the used silver nanoparticle monolayers. Изучены особенности наведенных изменений в спектрах оптической плотности многослойных наноструктур Ag-Na3 AlF6 при их возбуждении фемтосекундными лазерными импульсами в полосе плазмонного поверхностного резонанса поглощения (ППРП). Зарегистрирована зависимость амплитуды наведенных изменений в области ППРП от толщины диэлектрических пленок Na3 AlF6 , разделяющих монослои наночастиц серебра. Обнаружено существенное увеличение амплитуды оптического отклика (до 80 %) для наноструктуры с четвертьволновыми прослойками Na3 AlF6 . Характеристические времена релаксации наводимых изменений при энергиях возбуждения 5–10 мкДж для наноструктур с различной толщиной диэлектрических прослоек Na3 AlF6 практически не изменяются, составляют ~2 пс и совпадают с временными параметрами кинетического отклика, характерными для используемого монослоя наночастиц Ag.

Oseltamivir Is Adequately Absorbed Following Nasogastric Administration to Adult Patients with Severe H5N1 Influenza

In the absence of a parenteral drug, oral oseltamivir is currently recommended by the WHO for treating H5N1 influenza. Whether oseltamivir absorption is adequate in severe influenza is unknown. We measured the steady state, plasma concentrations of nasogastrically administered oseltamivir 150 mg bid and its active metabolite, oseltamivir carboxylate (OC), in three, mechanically ventilated patients with severe H5N1 (male, 30 yrs; pregnant female, 22 yrs) and severe H3N2 (female, 76 yrs). Treatments were started 6, 7 and 8 days after illness onset, respectively. Both females were sampled while on continuous venovenous haemofiltration. Admission and follow up specimens (trachea, nose, throat, rectum, blood) were tested for RNA viral load by reverse transcriptase PCR. In vitro virus susceptibility to OC was measured by a neuraminidase inhibition assay. Admission creatinine clearances were 66 (male, H5N1), 82 (female, H5N1) and 6 (H3N2) ml/min. Corresponding AUC0–12 values (5932, 10,951 and 34,670 ng.h/ml) and trough OC concentrations (376, 575 and 2730 ng/ml) were higher than previously reported in healthy volunteers; the latter exceeded 545 to 3956 fold the H5N1 IC50 (0.69 ng/ml) isolated from the H5N1 infected female. Two patients with follow-up respiratory specimens cleared their viruses after 5 (H5N1 male) and 5 (H3N2 female) days of oseltamivir. Both female patients died of respiratory failure; the male survived. 150 mg bid of oseltamivir was well absorbed and converted extensively to OC. Virus was cleared in two patients but two patients died, suggesting viral efficacy but poor clinical efficacy