AFP-Net: Realtime Anchor-Free Polyp Detection in Colonoscopy

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common and lethal disease. Globally, CRC is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in males and the second in females. For colorectal cancer, the best screening test available is the colonoscopy. During a colonoscopic procedure, a tiny camera at the tip of the endoscope generates a video of the internal mucosa of the colon. The video data are displayed on a monitor for the physician to examine the lining of the entire colon and check for colorectal polyps. Detection and removal of colorectal polyps are associated with a reduction in mortality from colorectal cancer. However, the miss rate of polyp detection during colonoscopy procedure is often high even for very experienced physicians. The reason lies in the high variation of polyp in terms of shape, size, textural, color and illumination. Though challenging, with the great advances in object detection techniques, automated polyp detection still demonstrates a great potential in reducing the false negative rate while maintaining a high precision. In this paper, we propose a novel anchor free polyp detector that can localize polyps without using predefined anchor boxes. To further strengthen the model, we leverage a Context Enhancement Module and Cosine Ground truth Projection. Our approach can respond in real time while achieving state-of-the-art performance with 99.36% precision and 96.44% recall

The First Principle in Late Neoplatonism: A Study of the One's Causality in Proclus and Damascius

One of the main issues that dominates Neoplatonism in late antique philosophy of the 3rd–6th centuries A.D. is the nature of the first principle, called the ‘One’. From Plotinus onward, the principle is characterized as the cause of all things, since it produces the plurality of intelligible Forms, which in turn constitute the world’s rational and material structure. Given this, the tension that faces Neoplatonists is that the One, as the first cause, must transcend all things that are characterized by plurality—yet because it causes plurality, the One must anticipate plurality within itself. This becomes the main mo- tivation for this study’s focus on two late Neoplatonists, Proclus (5th cent. A.D.) and Damascius (late 5th–early 6th cent. A.D.): both attempt to address this tension in two rather different ways. Proclus’ attempted solution is to posit intermediate principles (the ‘henads’) that mirror the One’s nature, as ‘one’, but directly cause plurality. This makes the One only a cause of unity, while its production of plurality is mediated by the henads that it produces. Damascius, while appropriating Proclus’ framework, thinks that this is not enough: if the One is posed as a cause of all things, it must be directly related to plurality, even if its causality is mediated through the henads. Damascius then splits Proclus’ One into two entities: (1) the Ineffable as the first ‘principle’, which is absolutely transcendent and has no causal relation; and (2) the One as the first ‘cause’ of all things, which is only relatively transcendent under the Ineffable. Previous studies that compare Proclus and Damascius tend to focus either on the Ineffable or a skeptical shift in epistemology, but little work has been done on the causal framework which underlies both figures’ positions. Thus, this study proposes to focus on the causal frameworks behind each figure: why and how does Proclus propose to assert that the One is a cause, at the same time that it transcends its final effect? And what leads Damascius to propose a notion of the One’s causality that no longer makes it transcendent in the way that a higher principle, like the Ineffable, is? The present work will answer these questions in two parts. In the first, Proclus’ and Damascius’ notions of causality will be examined, insofar as they apply to all levels of being. In the second part, the One’s causality will be examined for both figures: for Proclus, the One’s causality in itself and the causality of its intermediate principles; for Damascius, the One’s causality, and how the Ineffable is needed to explain the One. The outcome of this study will show that Proclus’ framework results in an inner tension that Damascius is responding to with his notion of the One. While Damascius’ own solution implies its own tension, he at least solves a difficulty in Proclus—and in so doing, partially returns to a notion of the One much like Iamblichus’ and Plotinus’ One

Preparation and in Vitro Cell Uptake of Curcumin Nanoparticles

Herein, curcumin (Cur) was encapsulated into poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles to improve the water solubility of Cur, and the formulation was optimized by single factor experiments. The surface of PLGA nanoparticles was modified by human transferrin (Tf) to improve the absorption efficiency of active substances by intestinal cells. Our findings indicated that the optimal preparation method for Cur-PLGA-NP was solvent volatilization and mixing the oil phase with the aqueous phase at a volume ratio of 1:2.5, the optimal loading ratio was 1:15, and the optimal mass concentration of emulsifier F68 was 0.3%. The uptake of Tf-modified PLGA nanoparticles (Tf-NP) by human colon cancer cell line HT-29 cells was significantly higher than that of the control, indicating that both the loading efficiency of Cur and its absorption by intestinal cells were significantly improved by using Tf-NP as a delivery vehicle for Cur. In summary, the absorption efficiency of Cur can be improved by modifying Cur-loaded PLGA nanoparticles with Tf, which provides a reference for the design of delivery systems for active substances with poor water solubility

Analysis on status of milk beverage consumption among the population in nine provinces of China

Objective This study aimed to describe the status of milk beverage consumption and the influence factors. Methods This study selected 13 953 samples by stratified multistage cluster random sampling in 2013. The study samples consisted of aged 3 and above with completed three non-consecutive 24 h dietary recalls and food frequency data. A Logistic regression was used to analyze the influence factors. Results The prevalence of milk beverage was 9.7% (1 350/13 953). The drinking frequency was 1.6% (217/13 953), 0.7% (94/13 953) and 7.4% (1 039/13 953) for whom consumed 1 or more times per day, 4 to 6 times per week, and 1 to 3 times per week, respectively. The prevalence was 8.5% (592/6 934) and 10.8% (758/7 019) for male and female, respectively. Stratified by age groups, the prevalence was the highest among 3 to 6-year-olds (35.5%, 165/465) and the lowest among 60 years and above (4.5%, 123/2 740). Urban prevalence (7.7%, 534/6 954) was lower than rural (11.7%, 816/6 999). The per capita consumption of milk beverage was 6.2 mL/d among all the participants (134.4 mL/d among consumers), and was 5.6 mL/d and 6.9 mL/d for male and female, respectively. Stratified by age groups, the consumption was the highest among 3 to 6-year-olds (35.6 mL/d) and the lowest among 60 years and above (2.6 mL/d). The consumption was lower in urban residents (3.2 mL/d) than that of rural residents (9.2 mL/d). Factors associated with the consumption of milk beverage were gender, age, occupation, urban-rural difference and region. Conclusion The prevalence and per capita consumption of milk beverage were relatively low among 3 years or above residents in China. Children and adolescents (3 to 17-year-old) are the main consumers of milk beverage

IL-1 receptor like 1 protects against alcoholic liver injury by limiting NF-κB activation in hepatic macrophages

Background & Aim Alcohol consumption increases intestinal permeability and causes damage to hepatocytes, leading to the release of pathogen- and damage-associated molecular pattern molecules (PAMPs and DAMPs), stimulating hepatic macrophages and activating NF-κB. The resultant inflammation exacerbates alcoholic liver disease (ALD). However, much less is known about the mechanisms attenuating inflammation and preventing disease progression in most heavy drinkers. Interleukin (IL)-33 is a DAMP (alarmin) released from dead cells that acts through its receptor, IL-1 receptor like 1 (ST2). ST2 signaling has been reported to either stimulate or inhibit NF-κB activation. The role of IL-33/ST2 in ALD has not been studied. Methods Serum levels of IL-33 and its decoy receptor, soluble ST2 (sST2) were measured in ALD patients. Alcohol-induced liver injury, inflammation and hepatic macrophage activation were compared between wild-type, IL-33−/− and ST2−/− mice in several models. Results Elevation of serum IL-33 and sST2 were only observed in patients with severe decompensated ALD. Consistently, in mice with mild ALD without significant cell death and IL-33 release, IL-33 deletion did not affect alcohol-induced liver damage. However, ST2-deletion exacerbated ALD, through enhancing NF-κB activation in liver macrophages. In contrast, when extracellular IL-33 was markedly elevated, liver injury and inflammation were attenuated in both IL-33−/− and ST2−/− mice compared to wild-type mice. Conclusion Our data revealed a dichotomous role of IL-33/ST2 signaling during ALD development. At early and mild stages, ST2 restrains the inflammatory activation of hepatic macrophages, through inhibiting NF-κB, and plays a protective function in an IL-33-independent fashion. During severe liver injury, significant cell death and marked IL-33 release occur, which triggers IL-33/ST2 signaling and exacerbates tissue damage. Lay summary In mild ALD, ST2 negatively regulates the inflammatory activation of hepatic macrophages, thereby protecting against alcohol-induced liver damage, whereas in the case of severe liver injury, the release of extracellular IL-33 may exacerbate tissue inflammation by triggering the canonical IL-33/ST2L signaling in hepatic macrophages