Randomly Projected Convex Clustering Model: Motivation, Realization, and Cluster Recovery Guarantees

In this paper, we propose a randomly projected convex clustering model for clustering a collection of $n$ high dimensional data points in $\mathbb{R}^d$ with $K$ hidden clusters. Compared to the convex clustering model for clustering original data with dimension $d$, we prove that, under some mild conditions, the perfect recovery of the cluster membership assignments of the convex clustering model, if exists, can be preserved by the randomly projected convex clustering model with embedding dimension $m = O(\epsilon^{-2}\log(n))$, where $0 < \epsilon < 1$ is some given parameter. We further prove that the embedding dimension can be improved to be $O(\epsilon^{-2}\log(K))$, which is independent of the number of data points. Extensive numerical experiment results will be presented in this paper to demonstrate the robustness and superior performance of the randomly projected convex clustering model. The numerical results presented in this paper also demonstrate that the randomly projected convex clustering model can outperform the randomly projected K-means model in practice

Trigeminal neuralgia associated with dural arteriovenous fistula: a case report and literature reviews

Trigeminal neuralgia is a paroxysmal, intense electric shock-like, or knife-like, recurrent pain that affects one or more sense areas of the unilateral facial trigeminal nerve. It can be classified into two groups from an etiological standpoint: primary and secondary. The pain episodes brought on by such vascular compression are still categorized as primary trigeminal neuralgia, despite the fact that microvascular compression of the trigeminal nerve root has now been demonstrated to be the primary cause. A rare and complicated condition known as a dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) can irritate the Gasserian ganglion or compress the trigeminal nerve’s root entry zone (REZ), leading to secondary trigeminal neuralgia (TN). At present, the treatment of DAVF-induced trigeminal neuralgia is not conclusive. This article reports a case of DAVF-induced trigeminal neuralgia cured by MVD and reviews the relevant literature

Serum Early Prostate Cancer Antigen (EPCA) Level and Its Association with Disease Progression in Prostate Cancer in a Chinese Population

BACKGROUND: Early prostate cancer antigen (EPCA) has been shown a prostate cancer (PCa)-associated nuclear matrix protein, however, its serum status and prognostic power in PCa are unknown. The goals of this study are to measure serum EPCA levels in a cohort of patients with PCa prior to the treatment, and to evaluate the clinical value of serum EPCA. METHODS: Pretreatment serum EPCA levels were determined with an ELISA in 77 patients with clinically localized PCa who underwent radical prostatectomy and 51 patients with locally advanced or metastatic disease who received primary androgen deprivation therapy, and were correlated with clinicopathological variables and disease progression. Serum EPCA levels were also examined in 40 healthy controls. RESULTS: Pretreatment mean serum EPCA levels were significantly higher in PCa patients than in controls (16.84 ± 7.60 ng/ml vs. 4.12 ± 2.05 ng/ml, P<0.001). Patients with locally advanced and metastatic PCa had significantly higher serum EPCA level than those with clinically localized PCa (22.93 ± 5.28 ng/ml and 29.41 ± 8.47 ng/ml vs. 15.17 ± 6.03 ng/ml, P = 0.014 and P<0.001, respectively). Significantly elevated EPCA level was also found in metastatic PCa compared with locally advanced disease (P < 0.001). Increased serum EPCA levels were significantly and positively correlated with Gleason score and clinical stage, but not with PSA levels and age. On multivariate analysis, pretreatment serum EPCA level held the most significantly predictive value for the biochemical recurrence and androgen-independent progression among pretreatment variables (HR = 4.860, P<0.001 and HR = 5.418, P<0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Serum EPCA level is markedly elevated in PCa. Pretreatment serum EPCA level correlates significantly with the poor prognosis, showing prediction potential for PCa progression

The association risk of male subfertility and testicular cancer: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: An association between male subfertility and an increased risk of testicular cancer has been proposed, but conflicting results of research on this topic have rendered this theory equivocal. To more precisely assess the association between subfertility and the risk of testicular cancer, we performed a systematic review of international epidemiologic evidence. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We searched the Medline database for records from January 1966 to March 2008 complemented with manual searches of the literature and then identified studies that met our inclusion criteria. Study design, sample size, exposure to subfertility and risk estimates of testicular cancer incidence were abstracted. Summary relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the DerSimonian and Laird model. All statistical tests were two-sided. We identified seven case-control studies and two cohort studies published between 1987 and 2005. Analysis of the seven case-control studies that included 4,954 participants revealed an overall statistically significant association between subfertility and increased risk of testicular cancer (summary RR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.22 to 2.31), without heterogeneity between studies (Q = 8.46, P heterogeneity = 0.21, I(2) statistics = 0.29). The association between subfertility and testicular cancer was somewhat stronger in the United States (summary RR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.01 to 3.02) than it was in Europe (summary RR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.22 to 1.92). The source of the control subjects had a statistically significant effect on the magnitude of the association (population-based summary-RR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.11 to 4.17; hospital-based summary--RR = 1.56, 95% CI: 0.93 to 2.61). After excluding possible cryptorchidism, an important confounding factor, we also found a positive association between subfertility and increased risk of testicular cancer (summary RR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.28 to 1.98). These results were consistent between studies conducted in the United States and in Europe (Q = 0.20, P heterogeneity = 0.66). Of the two cohort studies that reported standardized incidence ratios, both reported a statistically significant positive association between subfertility and increased risk of testicular cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support a relationship between subfertility and increased risk of testicular cancer and apply to the management of men with subfertility, and prevention and diagnosis of testicular cancer

Effects of Low Temperature Stress on Spikelet-Related Parameters during Anthesis in Indica–Japonica Hybrid Rice

Poor spikelet fertility under low temperature (LT) stress during anthesis limits the possibility of high yield potential in indica–japonica hybrid rice, leading to reduced stability of grain yield. However, the cause for it is still unclear. In this study, three indica–japonica hybrid rice cultivars, Yongyou9, Yongyou17 (both cold sensitive), and Yongyou538, and one japonica inbred rice cultivar, Zhejing88 (cold tolerant), were grown under LT (17°C) and ambient temperature (AT) (25°C) during anthesis to test for their response with respect to spikelet fertility, pollen germination, and spikelet flowering. The results indicated that LT resulted in lower spikelet fertility in cold-sensitive cultivars than in cold-tolerant cultivars. Spikelet fertility was highly correlated with pollen germination on the stigma. The number of pollen grains and germinated pollen were higher in cold-tolerant cultivars than in cold-sensitive cultivars. Pollen fertility and pollen diameter were also higher in cold-tolerant cultivars, although the latter could achieve a high number of spikelets at anthesis in flowering patterns throughout the duration of LT stress. There were significant differences in anther width and volume between genotypes and treatments according to microscopic analyses, but no differences were observed in anther dehiscence. Moreover, variation in the number of pollen grains on stigmas and in spikelet fertility was not related to either the number of spikelets reaching anthesis or anther dehiscence. Overall, improved anther size, better pollen function, and higher spikelet fertility under LT stress were observed in cold-tolerant cultivars than in cold-sensitive cultivars. The results suggest that the increase in spikelet fertility is due to enhanced pollen germination rather than the number of spikelets reaching anthesis

Regulating Boronic Ester Bonds in Bilayer Hydrogels toward Fabricating Multistimuli-Triggered Actuators

As a member of the dynamic covalent bond family, the boronic ester bond has attracted increasing attention in the fabrication of hydrogels because it can occur in an aqueous system at room temperature. When the hydrogels are applied as a soft sensor, the role of boronic ester bonding is well defined, namely, as a functional unit endowing the system with multistimulus responsiveness. However, this also limits applications of boronic ester bonding in hydrogels. In this work, a heterogeneous hydrogel is developed in which the boronic ester bonding simultaneously acts as structural and responsive units, integrating the actuating and sensing abilities together. The bilayer strategy is applied to give the system network heterogeneity, namely, constructing the physical cross-links of poly(vinyl alcohol) on one side, whereas building dual cross-links, namely, the physical cross-links and the covalent cross-links between carboxymethyl cellulose and poly(vinyl alcohol) together on the other side. Therefore, the as-prepared heterogeneous hydrogels can be used as temperature-triggered and pH-triggered actuators. Moreover, it well retains the strain resistance and temperature resistance effects of the homogeneous hydrogel with boronic ester bonding and can also be used as a flexible sensor monitoring human motions. More application scenarios and working modes for the boronic ester-bonded hydrogels are unlocked

Regulating Boronic Ester Bonds in Bilayer Hydrogels toward Fabricating Multistimuli-Triggered Actuators

As a member of the dynamic covalent bond family, the boronic ester bond has attracted increasing attention in the fabrication of hydrogels because it can occur in an aqueous system at room temperature. When the hydrogels are applied as a soft sensor, the role of boronic ester bonding is well defined, namely, as a functional unit endowing the system with multistimulus responsiveness. However, this also limits applications of boronic ester bonding in hydrogels. In this work, a heterogeneous hydrogel is developed in which the boronic ester bonding simultaneously acts as structural and responsive units, integrating the actuating and sensing abilities together. The bilayer strategy is applied to give the system network heterogeneity, namely, constructing the physical cross-links of poly(vinyl alcohol) on one side, whereas building dual cross-links, namely, the physical cross-links and the covalent cross-links between carboxymethyl cellulose and poly(vinyl alcohol) together on the other side. Therefore, the as-prepared heterogeneous hydrogels can be used as temperature-triggered and pH-triggered actuators. Moreover, it well retains the strain resistance and temperature resistance effects of the homogeneous hydrogel with boronic ester bonding and can also be used as a flexible sensor monitoring human motions. More application scenarios and working modes for the boronic ester-bonded hydrogels are unlocked

The application of indocyanine green in guiding prostate cancer treatment

Objective: Indocyanine green (ICG) with near-infrared fluorescence absorption is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for clinical applications in angiography, blood flow evaluation, and liver function assessment. It has strong optical absorption in the near-infrared region, where light can penetrate deepest into biological tissue. We sought to review its value in guiding prostate cancer treatment. Methods: All related literature at PubMed from January 2000 to December 2020 were reviewed. Results: Multiple preclinical studies have demonstrated the usefulness of ICG in identifying prostate cancer by using different engineering techniques. Clinical studies have demonstrated the usefulness of ICG in guiding sentinel node dissection during radical prostatectomy, and possible better preservation of neurovascular bundle by identifying landmark prostatic arteries. New techniques such as adding fluorescein in additional to ICG were tested in a limited number of patients with encouraging result. In addition, the use of the ICG was shown to be safe. Even though there are encouraging results, it does not carry sufficient sensitivity and specificity in replacing extended pelvic lymph node dissection during radical prostatectomy. Conclusion: Multiple preclinical and clinical studies have shown the usefulness of ICG in identifying and guiding treatment for prostate cancer. Larger randomized prospective studies are warranted to further test its usefulness and find new modified approaches