PSSA: PCA-domain superpixelwise singular spectral analysis for unsupervised hyperspectral image classification.

Although supervised classification of hyperspectral images (HSI) has achieved success in remote sensing, its applications in real scenarios are often constrained, mainly due to the insufficiently available or lack of labelled data. As a result, unsupervised HSI classification based on data clustering is highly desired, yet it generally suffers from high computational cost and low classification accuracy, especially in large datasets. To tackle these challenges, a novel unsupervised spatial-spectral HSI classification method is proposed. By combining the entropy rate superpixel segmentation (ERS), superpixel-based principal component analysis (PCA), and PCA-domain 2D singular spectral analysis (SSA), both the efficacy and efficiency of feature extraction are improved, followed by the anchor-based graph clustering (AGC) for effective classification. Experiments on three publicly available and five self-collected aerial HSI datasets have fully demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed PCA-domain superpixelwise SSA (PSSA) method, with a gain of 15–20% in terms of the overall accuracy, in comparison to a few state-of-the-art methods. In addition, as an extra outcome, the HSI dataset we acquired is provided freely online

Correlation between magnetic resonance images of peritumor margin enhancement and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma after drug-eluting bead transcatheter arterial chemoembolization

PurposeThe aim of this study is to investigate the morphological characteristics and clinical significance of magnetic resonance (MR) images of peritumor margin enhancement in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after drug-eluting bead transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE).MethodsFrom January 2017 to December 2020, a total of 162 patients who received a diagnosis of HCC were included in our study. We began the follow-up with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for complete response assessment, and peritumor margin enhancements were classified as sharp and rough types according to morphology. During the follow-up, data such as progression or remission of the two enhancement modalities, morphological changes in terms of margin enhancements observed in MR images, and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were recorded.ResultsIn the follow-up period of 36 months, 70 and 92 patients with sharp- and rough-type peritumor margins, respectively, were observed. At the end of the follow-up, patients with sharp-type margins had lower AFP levels and longer progression-free survival than those with rough-type margins (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the sharp-type margin was thinner than the rough-type margin (all P < 0.05). Moreover, the sharp-type group had a high incidence of tumors with a diameter of < 5 cm, whereas the rough-type group had a high incidence of tumors with a diameter of ≥ 5 cm. Continuous enhancements of peritumor margins in MRI were greater in the sharp-type group than in the rough-type group. Most of the patients with a sharp-type margin achieved disease remission (94.3%, P < 0.05), whereas most of those with a rough-type margin experienced disease progression (84.8%, P < 0.05).ConclusionsPatients with HCC with a sharp-type margin enhancement on MRI after DEB-TACE mostly demonstrated benign lesions with a good prognosis, whereas those with a rough-type margin mostly demonstrated malignant growth

Effects of Xiao Chengqi Formula on Slow Transit Constipation by Assessing Gut Microbiota and Metabolomics Analysis in vitro and in vivo

The Xiao Chengqi (XCQ) formula is a newly constituted traditional Chinese medicine prescription in the treatment of intestinal motility deficiency and is effective in patients with slow transit constipation (STC). XCQ formula was reconstructed based on a “Chengqi” decoction. Astragali Radix, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, and cooked ground Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma were added to the prescription to enhance. An STC rat model was constructed and treated with the formula to understand the detailed mechanism by which XCQ promotes intestinal peristalsis. The effects of the XCQ formula on intestinal microflora and metabolic levels and the possible molecular mechanism of its regulation were explored using 16S rDNA sequencing, metabolomics sequencing, and tissue RNA sequencing. The results showed a significant decrease in the abundance of Roseburia spp. in the feces of STC rats, a significant decrease in the content of butyl aminobenzene (BAB) in feces, and an increase in the number of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in the colon of STC rats. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that BAB could activate IL-21R on the ICC surface, upregulate the phosphorylation of the downstream molecules STAT3 and ERK, and inhibit loperamide-induced ICC apoptosis. Therefore, the XCQ formula can improve the defecation status of patients with STC by protecting ICC activity, promoting the colonization of Roseburia spp. to promote peristalsis, and increasing the BAB content after metabolism

Astragaloside IV improves slow transit constipation by regulating gut microbiota and enterochromaffin cells

Purpose: Slow transit constipation (STC) is a common gastrointestinal disorder characterized by altered gut microbiota and reduced number of enterochromaffin cells (ECs). Astragaloside IV (AS-IV), a low drug permeability saponin, has showed beneficial effects on patients with STC. However, the specific mechanism by which AS-IV regulates STC remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of AS-IV on STC and its associated mechanisms involving gut microbiota.Methods: The effect of AS-IV on STC was evaluated on STC mice induced with loperamide. We measured defecation frequency, intestinal mobility, ECs loss, and colonic lesions in STC mice treated with AS-IV. We also analyzed the changes in gut microbiota and metabolites after AS-IV treatment. Moreover, we investigated the relationship between specific gut microbes and altered fecal metabolites, such as 3-bromotyrosine (3-BrY). We also conducted in vitro experiments to investigate the effect of 3-BrY on caspase-dependent apoptosis of ECs and the activation of the p38 MAPK and ERK signaling pathways induced by loperamide.Results: AS-IV treatment promoted defecation, improved intestinal mobility, suppressed ECs loss, and alleviated colonic lesions in STC mice. AS-IV treatment also affected gut microbiota and metabolites, with a significant correlation between specific gut microbes and altered fecal metabolites such as 3-BrY. Furthermore, 3-BrY may potentially reduce caspase-dependent apoptosis of ECs and protect cell survival by inhibiting the activation of the p38 MAPK and ERK signaling pathways induced by loperamide.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that changes in gut microbiota and ECs mediated the therapeutic effect of STC by AS-IV. These results provide a basis for the use of AS-IV as a prebiotic agent for treating STC. The specific mechanism by which AS-IV regulates gut microbiota and ECs warrants further investigation

Synthesis of Icariin-Zinc and its Protective Effect on Exercise Fatigue and Reproductive System Related Glands in Male Rats

Background: Icariin, a traditional Chinese medicine, plays a protective role in the treatment of exercise fatigue. Zinc, a trace element, plays an important role in the reproductive system. Therefore, we aimed to synthesize an Icariin-Zinc complex (by chemical means) and verify its protective effect on exercise fatigue and the reproductive system using animal experiments.Methods: The icariin-zinc complex was prepared by the reaction of icariin carbonyl and zinc ions (molar ratio 1:3). The molecular formula and structural formula of the complex were identified and tested. Fifty-six rats selected by swimming training were randomly divided into six groups: static control, exercise control, icariin, gluconate zinc (G-Zn group), icariin glucose zinc and icariin-zinc exercise ( low, high dose/L-E group, H-E group) groups. These groups respectively received the following doses: 1 ml/100 g, daily gavage with NS (for the first two groups), 45 mg/kg icariin, 110 mg/kg Gluconate Zinc, Icariin glucose zinc (45 mg/kg Icariin and 110 mg/kg Gluconate Zinc), 60 mg/kg icariin zinc and 180 mg/kg icariin zinc. After 3 weeks of gavage, we conducted 6 weeks of exhaustive swimming training. Test indices such as exhaustive swimming time of rats and body weight were evaluated after the last training exercise. The seminal vesicles, testes, and prostate gland were weighed, and their indices were calculated. The levels of testosterone (in the plasma) and glycogen (in the liver and muscle homogenates) were also evaluated using ELISA.Results: Compared with the static control group, the exhaustive swimming time of the rats in each group was prolonged. Compared with the other groups, the exhaustive swimming time of the L-E and H-E groups was significantly longer (p < 0.01); the Icariin-Zinc complex significantly increased the exhaustive swimming time of the rats. Compared with the static control group, the plasma testosterone content of the L-E and H-E groups increased significantly (p < 0.05). Compared with the exercise control group and G-Zn group, the plasma testosterone content of the H-E group also increased significantly (p < 0.01). The Icariin-Zinc complex significantly increased the serum levels of testosterone in rats. Compared with the control group, the muscle glycogen reserves of each group decreased, indicating that the muscle glycogen reserves of the rats decreased after swimming. Compared with other groups, the Icariin-Zinc complex can reduce the level of glycogen in the muscles, indicating that it can increase the utilization efficiency of glycogen in muscles. Compared with the static control and exercise control groups, the testicular weight of rats in the administration groups increased slightly. The Icariin-Zinc complex increased the testicular weight, indicating that the function of the reproductive system was improved to some extent.Conclusion: Icariin-Zinc can significantly prolong the exhaustive swimming time, improve exercise ability, and increase the plasma testosterone level (which is beneficial for improving the reproductive ability of male rats). Moreover, the beneficial effect of Icariin-Zinc on the glycogen content, testis index, and other reproductive system glands is dose-dependent

Expression of the phosphorylated MEK5 protein is associated with TNM staging of colorectal cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Activation of MEK5 in many cancers is associated with carcinogenesis through aberrant cell proliferation. In this study, we determined the level of phosphorylated MEK5 (pMEK5) expression in human colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues and correlated it with clinicopathologic data.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>pMEK5 expression was examined by immunohistochemistry in a tissue microarray (TMA) containing 335 clinicopathologic characterized CRC cases and 80 cases of nontumor colorectal tissues. pMEK5 expression of 19 cases of primary CRC lesions and paired with normal mucosa was examined by Western blotting. The relationship between pMEK5 expression in CRC and clinicopathologic parameters, and the association of pMEK5 expression with CRC survival were analyzed respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>pMEK5 expression was significantly higher in CRC tissues (185 out of 335, 55.2%) than in normal tissues (6 out of 80, 7.5%; <it>P </it>< 0.001). Western blotting demonstrated that pMEK5 expression was upregulated in 12 of 19 CRC tissues (62.1%) compared to the corresponding adjacent nontumor colorectal tissues. Overexpression of pMEK5 in CRC tissues was significantly correlated to the depth of invasion (<it>P </it>= 0.001), lymph node metastasis (<it>P </it>< 0.001), distant metastasis (<it>P </it>< 0.001) and high preoperative CEA level (<it>P </it>< 0.001). Consistently, the pMEK5 level in CRC tissues was increased following stage progression of the disease (<it>P </it>< 0.001). Analysis of the survival curves showed a significantly worse 5-year disease-free (<it>P </it>= 0.002) and 5-year overall survival rate (<it>P </it>< 0.001) for patients whose tumors overexpressed pMEK5. However, in multivariate analysis, pMEK5 was not an independent prognostic factor for CRC (DFS: <it>P </it>= 0.139; OS: <it>P </it>= 0.071).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>pMEK5 expression is correlated with the staging of CRC and its expression might be helpful to the TNM staging system of CRC.</p

On-Chip Structures for <i>F_max</i> Binning and Optimization

Process variations during manufacturing lead to differences in the performance of the chips. In order to better utilize the performance of the chips, it is necessary to perform maximum operation frequency (Fmax) tests to place the chips into different speed bins. For most Fmax tests, significant efforts are put in place to reduce test cost and improve binning accuracy; e.g., our conference paper published in ICICM 2017 presents a novel binning sensor for low-cost and accurate speed binning. However, by promoting chips placed at the lower bins, because of conservative binning, into higher bins, the overall profit can greatly increase. Therefore, this paper, extended based on a conference paper, presents a novel and adaptive methodology for speed binning, in which the paths impacting the speed bin of a specific IC are identified and adapted by our proposed on-chip Binning Checker and Binning Adaptor. As a result, some parts at a bin margin can be promoted to higher bins. The proposed methodology can be used to optimize the Fmax yield of a digital circuit when it has redundant timing in clock tree, and it can be integrated into current Fmax tests with low extra cost. The proposed adaptive system has been implemented and validated on five benchmarks from ITC, ISCAS89, and OpenSPARCT2 core on 28 nm Altera FPGAs. Measurement results show that the number of higher bin chips is improved by 7–16%, and our cost analysis shows that the profit increase is between 1.18% and 3.04%

Percutaneous versus open posterior stabilization and decompression in AOSpine-type A3 thoracolumbar fractures with neurological deficit

Abstract Background This retrospective cohort study aimed to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes between two treatment strategies focusing on non-osteoporotic AOSpine-type A3 fractures of the thoracolumbar spine with neurological deficits at levels T11 to L2. Methods In total, 67 patients between 18 and 60 years of age who were treated operatively with either of the two treatment strategies were included. One treatment strategy included open posterior stabilization and decompression, whereas the other was based on percutaneous posterior stabilization and decompression via a tubular retraction system. Demographic data, surgical variables, and further parameters were assessed. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs), including the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment score, were measured to assess functional outcomes. The regional Cobb angle (CA), the anterior height ratio of the fractured vertebrae (AHRV), and the degree of canal encroachment (DCE) were assessed. The ASIA score was used to assess neurological function recovery. The follow-up period was at least 12 months. Results Surgical time and postoperative hospital stay were significantly shorter in the minimally invasive surgery (MIS) group. Intraoperative blood loss was significantly less in the MIS group. Regarding radiological outcome, CA and AHRV at the time of follow-up did not show a significant difference. DCE at the time of follow-up was significantly improved in the MIS group. Lower VAS scores and better ODIs were observed in the MIS group at the 6-month follow-up, but similar outcomes were observed at the 12-month follow-up. The ASIA score was similar between both groups at the 12-month follow-up. Conclusions Both treatment strategies are safe and effective; however, MIS could provide earlier pain relief and better functional outcomes compared with OS