CNN training with graph-based sample preselection: application to handwritten character recognition

In this paper, we present a study on sample preselection in large training data set for CNN-based classification. To do so, we structure the input data set in a network representation, namely the Relative Neighbourhood Graph, and then extract some vectors of interest. The proposed preselection method is evaluated in the context of handwritten character recognition, by using two data sets, up to several hundred thousands of images. It is shown that the graph-based preselection can reduce the training data set without degrading the recognition accuracy of a non pretrained CNN shallow model.Comment: Paper of 10 pages. Minor spelling corrections brought regarding the v2. Accepted as an oral paper in the 13th IAPR Internationale Workshop on Document Analysis Systems (DAS 2018

Investigation of the Utility and Safety of Dynamic Computed Tomography with Vasodilators

Background: Dynamic computed tomography (CT) angiography is useful for evaluating of hepatic vascularity. Although vasodilators increase hepatic blood flow, the utility of dynamic CT with vasodilators is unclear. Here we investigated the utility and safety of dynamic CT with vasodilators. Methods: A prospective case-control radiographic evaluation using abdominal dynamic CT with and without vasodilator was performed at a single center between October 2015 and September 2016. We compared the CT values in Hounsfield units of the aorta; celiac artery; and common, right, and left hepatic arteries in the arterial phase and the main trunk; right and left branches of the portal vein; and right, middle, and left hepatic veins in the portal phase with and without vasodilators. The region of interest was set in each element of the liver vasculature. Four radiological technologists independently and visually compared the scores of the portal vein (P-score) and hepatic vein (V-score) on a 5-point scale with and without vasodilators. Results: The CT values of arteries and veins using vasodilators were significantly higher than those without vasodilators. With and without vasodilators, the P-scores were 3.1 ± 1.2 and 4.0 ± 1.1 (P < 0.05) and the V-scores were 3.3 ± 1.4 and 4.3 ± 1.0 (P < 0.05). Only one patient with vasodilator use had transient hypotension and recovered immediately without medication. Conclusion: Dynamic CT with vasodilators can provides better visualization of vascular structures

Current state of therapeutic development for rare cancers in Japan, and proposals for improvement

This article discusses current obstacles to the rapid development of safe and effective treatments for rare cancers, and considers measures required to overcome these challenges. In order to develop novel clinical options for rare cancers, which tend to remain left out of novel therapeutic development because of their paucity, efficient recruitment of eligible patients, who tend to be widely dispersed across the country and treated at different centers, is necessary. For this purpose, it is important to establish rare cancer registries that are linked with clinical studies, to organize a central pathological diagnosis system and biobanks for rare cancers, and to consolidate patients with rare cancers to facilities that can conduct clinical studies meeting international standards. Establishing an all‐Japan cooperative network is essential. Clinical studies of rare cancers have considerable limitations in study design and sample size as a result of paucity of eligible patients and, as a result, the level of confirmation of the efficacy and safety shown by the studies is relatively low. Therefore, measures to alleviate these weaknesses inherent to external conditions need to be explored. It is also important to reform the current research environment in order to develop world‐leading treatment for rare cancers, including promotion of basic research, collaboration between industry and academia, and improvement of the infrastructure for clinical studies. Collaboration among a wide range of stakeholders is required to promote the clinical development of treatment for rare cancers under a nationwide consensus

Trends in hepatocellular carcinoma incident cases in Japan between 1996 and 2019

We examined the epidemiological trends, including the distribution of sex, age, and disease etiology, in HCC incident cases, over 24 years. Data of 20,547 HCC patients (1996–2019) were analyzed in this prospective study. We divided the study period into four 6-yearly quarters. HCC etiology was categorized as hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, HBV + hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, HCV infection, and both negative (non-BC). The incident cases of HCC per quarter of the study period were 4311 (21.0%), 5505 (26.8%), 5776 (28.1%), and 4955 (24.1%), sequentially. Overall, 14,020 (68.2%) patients were male. The number of HCC cases in patients < 60 years, 60–69 years, 70–79 years, and ≥ 80 years were 3711 (18.1%), 6652 (32.4%), 7448 (36.2%), and 2736 (13.3%), respectively. The average age of newly-diagnosed patients increased in each quarter. HCC was associated with HBV, HBV + HCV, and HCV infections and non-BC in 2997 (14.6%), 187 (0.9%), and 12,019 (58.5%), and 5344 (26.0%) cases, respectively. The number of HCV-associated cases decreased in each quarter, while that of non-BC-associated cases increased. HCC incident cases tend to increase in the elderly and in non-BC patients; in contrast, HCC incident cases due to HCV tend to decrease

Vascular RAGE transports oxytocin into the brain to elicit its maternal bonding behaviour in mice

金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学系Oxytocin sets the stage for childbirth by initiating uterine contractions, lactation and maternal bonding behaviours. Mice lacking secreted oxcytocin (Oxt -/-, Cd38 -/-) or its receptor (Oxtr -/-) fail to nurture. Normal maternal behaviour is restored by peripheral oxcytocin replacement in Oxt -/- and Cd38 -/-, but not Oxtr -/- mice, implying that circulating oxcytocin crosses the blood-brain barrier. Exogenous oxcytocin also has behavioural effects in humans. However, circulating polypeptides are typically excluded from the brain. We show that oxcytocin is transported into the brain by receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) on brain capillary endothelial cells. The increases in oxcytocin in the brain which follow exogenous administration are lost in Ager -/- male mice lacking RAGE, and behaviours characteristic to abnormalities in oxcytocin signalling are recapitulated in Ager -/- mice, including deficits in maternal bonding and hyperactivity. Our findings show that RAGE-mediated transport is critical to the behavioural actions of oxcytocin associated with parenting and social bonding.3082047