Intergrated Segmentation and Detection Models for Dentex Challenge 2023

Dental panoramic x-rays are commonly used in dental diagnosing. With the development of deep learning, auto detection of diseases from dental panoramic x-rays can help dentists to diagnose diseases more efficiently.The Dentex Challenge 2023 is a competition for automatic detection of abnormal teeth along with their enumeration ids from dental panoramic x-rays. In this paper, we propose a method integrating segmentation and detection models to detect abnormal teeth as well as obtain their enumeration ids.Our codes are available at https://github.com/xyzlancehe/DentexSegAndDet

A Brief Review and Perspective on the Functional Biodegradable Films for Food Packaging

High-performance, environmentally-friendly biodegradable packaging as substitutes for conventional plastics becomes severe demand to nowadays economy and society. As an aliphatic aromatic copolyester PBAT is recognized as the preferred alternative to traditional plastics. However, the relatively high cost and weak properties obstacles the widespread adoption of PBAT. Modification pertaining to improve the properties, lower the cost, and include the functional additives of PBAT is a continuous effort to meet the needs of food accessibility, antibacterial properties, oxygen resistance, high mechanical strength, stable size, low moisture absorption, and various gas permeability for commercial competitiveness

An ontology of decision models

Decision models are essential theoretical tools in the study of choice behavior, but there is little consensus about the best model for describing choice, with different fields and different research programs favoring their own idiosyncratic sets of models. Even within a given field, decision models are seldom studied alongside each other, and insights obtained using 1 model are not typically generalized to others. We present the results of a large-scale computational analysis that uses landscaping techniques to generate a representational structure for describing decision models. Our analysis includes 89 prominent models of risky and intertemporal choice, and results in an ontology of decision models, interpretable in terms of model spaces, clusters, hierarchies, and graphs. We use this ontology to measure the properties of individual models and quantify the relationships between different models. Our results show how decades of quantitative research on human choice behavior can be synthesized within a single representational framework. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved

Validation of an adaptive transfer function method to estimate the aortic pressure waveform

Aortic pulse wave reflects cardiovascular status, but, unlike the peripheral pulse wave, is difficult to be measured reliably using noninvasive techniques. Thus, the estimation of aortic pulse wave from peripheral ones is of great significance. This study proposed an adaptive transfer function (ATF) method to estimate the aortic pulse wave from the brachial pulse wave. Aortic and brachial pulse waves were derived from 26 patients who underwent cardiac catheterization. Generalized transfer functions (GTF) were derived based on the autoregressive exogenous model. Then, the GTF was adapted by its peak resonance frequency. And the optional peak resonance frequency for an individual was determined by regression formulas using brachial systolic blood pressure. The method was validated using the leave-one-out cross validation method. Compared with previous studies, the ATF method showed better performance in estimating the aortic pulse wave and predicting the feature parameters. The prediction error of the aortic systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure were 0.2 ± 3.1 and -0.9 ± 3.1 mmHg, respectively. The percentage errors of augmentation index, percentage notch amplitude, and ejection duration were -2.1 ± 32.7%, 12.4 ± 9.2%, and -2.4 ± 3.3%, respectively

Deletion of Kncn Does Not Affect Kinocilium and Stereocilia Bundle Morphogenesis and Mechanotransduction in Cochlear Hair Cells

Auditory hair cells possess stunning cilia structure that composes of a bundle of stereocilia for mechano-electrical transduction and a single kinocilium for guiding the polarity of hair bundle towards maturation. However, the molecules underlying kinocilium function have not yet been fully understood. Hence, the proteins involved in hair bundle development and function are of a large interest. From a fine microarray analysis, we found that kinocilin (Kncn) was enriched in hair cell specific expression profile. Consistently, it has been reported that KNCN was a protein mainly located in the kinocilium of hair cells in the inner ear. However, the hypothesis that KNCN is a kinocilium protein has not been validated in mice with Kncn gene perturbed. In this study, we generated Kncn knockout mouse lines by CRISPR/Cas9 technique and further examined the morphology and function of cochlear hair cells. Our results showed that there was no obvious hearing loss in the knockout mice, determined by audiometry. Histological study demonstrated that the inner ear and hair cell structure were intact. Especially, there was no deficit of mechanotransduction (MET) in cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs). In summary, our work suggests that KNCN is not essential for kinocilium-oriented hair bundle function in cochlear hair cells

Alterations in the gut microbiota and serum metabolomics of spontaneous cholestasis caused by loss of FXR signal in mice

Background: Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a key metabolic target of bile acids (BAs) and is also a target for drugs against several liver diseases. However, the contribution of FXR in the pathogenesis of cholestasis is still not fully understood. The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive insight into the metabolic properties of FXR-involved cholestasis in mice.Materials and methods: In this study, an alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT)-induced cholestasis mouse model and FXR−/− mice were established to investigate the effect of FXR on cholestasis. The effect of FXR on liver and ileal pathology was evaluated. Simultaneously, Untargeted metabolomics combined with 16s rRNA gene sequencing analysis was applied to reveal the involvement of FXR in the pathogenesis of cholestasis.Results: The results showed that ANIT (75 mg/kg) induced marked cholestasis in WT and FXR −/− mice. It is noteworthy that FXR−/− mice developed spontaneous cholestasis. Compared with WT mice, significant liver and ileal tissue damage were found. In addition, 16s rRNA gene sequencing analysis revealed gut microbiota dysbiosis in FXR−/− mice and ANIT-induced cholestasis mice. Differential biomarkers associated with the pathogenesis of cholestasis caused by FXR knockout were screened using untargeted metabolomics. Notably, Lactobacillus_ johnsonii_FI9785 has a high correlation with the differential biomarkers associated with the pathogenesis and progression of cholestasis caused by FXR knockout.Conclusion: Our results implied that the disorder of the intestinal flora caused by FXR knockout can also interfere with the metabolism. This study provides novel insights into the FXR-related mechanisms of cholestasis

Biocontrol of Sugarcane Smut Disease by Interference of Fungal Sexual Mating and Hyphal Growth Using a Bacterial Isolate

Sugarcane smut is a fungal disease caused by Sporisorium scitamineum, which can cause severe economic losses in sugarcane industry. The infection depends on the mating of bipolar sporida to form a dikaryon and develops into hyphae to penetrate the meristematic tissue of sugarcane. In this study, we set to isolate bacterial strains capable of blocking the fungal mating and evaluate their potential in control of sugarcane smut disease. A bacterial isolate ST4 from rhizosphere displayed potent inhibitory activity against the mating of S. scitamineum bipolar sporida and was selected for further study. Phylogenetic analyses and biochemical characterization showed that the isolate was most similar to Pseudomonas guariconensis. Methanol extracts from minimum and potato dextrose agar (PDA) agar medium, on which strain ST4 has grown, showed strong inhibitory activity on the sexual mating of S. scitamineum sporida, without killing the haploid cells MAT-1 or MAT-2. Further analysis showed that only glucose, but not sucrose, maltose, and fructose, could support strain ST4 to produce antagonistic chemicals. Consistent with the above findings, greenhouse trials showed that addition of 2% glucose to the bacterial inoculum significantly increased the strain ST4 biocontrol efficiency against sugarcane smut disease by 77% than the inoculum without glucose. The results from this study depict a new strategy to screen for biocontrol agents for control and prevention of the sugarcane smut disease

Post-procedural and long-term functional outcomes of jailed side branches in stented coronary bifurcation lesions assessed with side branch Murray law–based quantitative flow ratio

IntroductionIn coronary bifurcation lesions treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using a 1-stent strategy, the occurrence of side branch (SB) compromise may lead to long-term myocardial ischemia in the SB territory. Murray law–based quantitative flow ratio (μQFR) is a novel angiography-based approach estimating fractional flow reserve from a single angiographic view, and thus is more feasible to assess SB compromise in routine practice. However, its association with long-term SB coronary blood flow remains unknown.MethodsA total of 146 patients with 313 non-left main bifurcation lesions receiving 1-stent strategy with drug-eluting stents was included in this retrospective study. These lesions had post-procedural Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade 3 in SBs, and documented angiographic images of index procedure and 6- to 24-month angiographic follow-up. Post-procedural SB μQFR was calculated. Long-term SB coronary blood flow was quantified with the TIMI grading system using angiograms acquired at angiographic follow-up.ResultsAt follow-up, 8 (2.6%), 16 (5.1%), 61 (19.5%), and 228 (72.8%) SBs had a TIMI flow grade of 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The incidences of long-term SB TIMI flow grade ≤1 and ≤2 both tended to decrease across the tertiles of post-procedural SB μQFR. The receiver operating characteristic curve analyses indicated the post-procedural SB μQFR ≤0.77 was the optimal cut-off value to identify long-term SB TIMI flow grade ≤1 (specificity, 37.50%; sensitivity, 87.20%; area under the curve, 0.6673; P = 0.0064), and it was independently associated with 2.57-fold increased risk (adjusted OR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.02–7.25; P = 0.045) in long-term SB TIMI flow grade ≤1 after adjustment.DiscussionPost-procedural SB μQFR was independently associated with increased risk in impaired SB TIMI flow at long-term follow-up. Further investigations should focus on whether PCI optimization based on μQFR may contribute to improve SB flow in the long term

Atomic structures of enterovirus D68 in complex with two monoclonal antibodies define distinct mechanisms of viral neutralization

11月5日，《自然》子刊《自然•微生物学》（Nature Microbiology）在线刊出了我校夏宁邵教授团队发表的题为“Atomic Structures of Enterovirus D68 in Complex with Two Monoclonal Antibodies Define Distinct Mechanisms of Viral Neutralization”的研究论文。这是夏宁邵教授团队在《自然•通讯》（Nature Communications，2017）、《科学•进展》（Science Advances，2018）上发表手足口病重要病原体CVA6、CVA10研究论文之后的又一项关于肠道病毒的重要研究成果。该研究通过解析肠道病毒D组68型（EV-D68）不同类型病毒颗粒及其免疫复合物的高分辨率结构，系统阐明了EV-D68病毒的生活周期及各时期的病毒中和机制，进一步完善了小RNA病毒的吸附入胞及感染机制理论，为EV-D68新型疫苗、抗病毒治疗药物的研发提供重要的理论指导。该研究依托电镜技术平台，解析了EV-D68病毒生活周期中的三种代表性颗粒成熟颗粒、脱衣壳中间态和前体病毒衣壳的近原子分辨率结构，阐明了三种病毒颗粒间的结构差异，以及成熟颗粒转变为脱衣壳中间态的分子机制。夏宁邵教授、李少伟教授、程通副教授和美国国立卫生研究院（NIH）高级研究员Barney Graham博士为该论文的共同通讯作者。郑清炳工程师、博士生朱瑞、博士后徐龙发、博士生何茂洲和美国加州大学圣地亚哥分校颜晓东博士为该论文共同第一作者。【Abstract】Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) undergoes structural transformation between mature, cell-entry intermediate (A-particle) and empty forms throughout its life cycle. Structural information for the various forms and antibody-bound capsids will facilitate the development of effective vaccines and therapeutics against EV-D68 infection, which causes childhood respiratory and paralytic diseases worldwide. Here, we report the structures of three EV-D68 capsid states representing the virus at major phases. We further describe two original monoclonal antibodies (15C5 and 11G1) with distinct structurally defined mechanisms for virus neutralization. 15C5 and 11G1 engage the capsid loci at icosahedral three-fold and five-fold axes, respectively. To block viral attachment, 15C5 binds three forms of capsids, and triggers mature virions to transform into A-particles, mimicking engagement by the functional receptor ICAM-5, whereas 11G1 exclusively recognizes the A-particle. Our data provide a structural and molecular explanation for the transition of picornavirus capsid conformations and demonstrate distinct mechanisms for antibody-mediated neutralization.This work was supported by a grant from the National Science and Technology Major Projects for Major New Drugs Innovation and Development (no. 2018ZX09711003-005-003), the National Science and Technology Major Project of Infectious Diseases (no. 2017ZX10304402-002-003), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 81401669 and 81801646) and the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province (no. 2015J05073). This work was supported in part by funding by the National Institutes of Health (grants R37-GM33050, GM071940, DE025567 and AI094386). We acknowledge the use of instruments at the Electron Imaging Center for Nanomachines supported by UCLA and by instrumentation grants from the NIH (1S10RR23057 and 1U24GM116792) and NSF (DBI-1338135 and DMR-1548924). 该研究获得了国家自然科学基金、新药创制国家科技重大专项、传染病防治国家科技重大专项和美国国立卫生研究院基金的资助