Localizing by Describing: Attribute-Guided Attention Localization for Fine-Grained Recognition

A key challenge in fine-grained recognition is how to find and represent discriminative local regions. Recent attention models are capable of learning discriminative region localizers only from category labels with reinforcement learning. However, not utilizing any explicit part information, they are not able to accurately find multiple distinctive regions. In this work, we introduce an attribute-guided attention localization scheme where the local region localizers are learned under the guidance of part attribute descriptions. By designing a novel reward strategy, we are able to learn to locate regions that are spatially and semantically distinctive with reinforcement learning algorithm. The attribute labeling requirement of the scheme is more amenable than the accurate part location annotation required by traditional part-based fine-grained recognition methods. Experimental results on the CUB-200-2011 dataset demonstrate the superiority of the proposed scheme on both fine-grained recognition and attribute recognition

Loss of COPZ1 induces NCOA4 mediated autophagy and ferroptosis in glioblastoma cell lines

Dysregulated iron metabolism is a hallmark of many cancers, including glioblastoma (GBM). However, its role in tumor progression remains unclear. Herein, we identified coatomer protein complex subunit zeta 1 (COPZ1) as a therapeutic target candidate which significantly dysregulated iron metabolism in GBM cells. Overexpression of COPZ1 was associated with increasing tumor grade and poor prognosis in glioma patients based on analysis of expression data from the publicly available database The Cancer Genome Atlas (P < 0.001). Protein levels of COPZ1 were significantly increased in GBM compared to non-neoplastic brain tissue samples in immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. SiRNA knockdown of COPZ1 suppressed proliferation of U87MG, U251 and P3#GBM in vitro. Stable expression of a COPZ1 shRNA construct in U87MG inhibited tumor growth in vivo by ~60% relative to controls at day 21 after implantation (P < 0.001). Kaplan–Meier analysis of the survival data demonstrated that the overall survival of tumor bearing animals increased from 20.8 days (control) to 27.8 days (knockdown, P < 0.05). COPZ1 knockdown also led to the increase in nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4), resulting in the degradation of ferritin, and a subsequent increase in the intracellular levels of ferrous iron and ultimately ferroptosis. These data demonstrate that COPZ1 is a critical mediator in iron metabolism. The COPZ1/NCOA4/FTH1 axis is therefore a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of human GBM.publishedVersio

Collapsin response mediator protein 5-associated optic neuropathy: clinical characteristics, radiologic clues, and outcomes

ObjectiveCollapsin response mediator protein 5-associated optic neuropathy (CRMP5-ON) is a rare entity of autoimmune optic neuropathy. This study aimed to review the neuro-ophthalmic findings and outcomes in a series of patients with CRMP5-ON to further characterize its clinical phenotype, radiologic clues, and outcomes.MethodsThis was a retrospective case series and a single-center medical chart review of all patients with CRPM5-seropositive ON at the Department of Neurology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, from December 1, 2020, to March 31, 2023. The main outcome measures were neuro-ophthalmic manifestations, radiologic characteristics, and clinical outcomes of CRMP5-ON; coexisting neural autoantibody, paraneoplastic associations, and the impact of immunosuppressant therapy.ResultsFive patients were identified. Four (80%) were female, and the average age at onset was 59.4 years (range 53–69 years), with an average follow-up of 15.3 months (range 1.4–28.7 months). The average best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at nadir was 20/120 (range 20/20 to count fingers). Seven of ten affected eyes (70%) showed diffuse defects of the central field. Painless bilateral involvement and optic disk edema occurred in 100% of patients, combined with vitritis, uveitis, or retinitis in four (80%). Four patients (80%) had MRI abnormalities along the optic nerve (one patient with optic nerve enhancement and three patients had optic nerve sheath enhancement or peribulbar fat enhancement). Three patients (60%) had optic neuropathy with other neurologic symptoms. Four patients (80%) had confirmed cancer (two were small-cell lung carcinoma, one was papillary thyroid carcinoma and another was thymoma and invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma). All cancers were identified after the presentation of the optic neuropathy. The intervention included IVIG, IVMP, surgery and chemotherapy. The average BCVA at the last follow-up was 20/50 (range 20/20 to count fingers). Three patients had surgery during the initial hospitalization, and were stable during the follow-up. Among two patients who received IVMP, both had improvement after treatment, although one patient had worsening non-ocular neurologic symptoms during the steroid taper.ConclusionCRMP5-ON presented with optic disc edema, often bilateral involved and combined with vitreitis, retinitis, or uveitis. CRMP5-ON can present with MRI optic nerve or perineural optic nerve enhancement, especially in the optic nerve sheath. CRMP5-ON is closely related to paraneoplastic neurologic syndrome. Cancer screening and intervention are crucial to prognosis

Expounding the role of tick in Africa swine fever virus transmission and seeking effective prevention measures: A review

African swine fever (ASF), a highly contagious, deadly infectious disease, has caused huge economic losses to animal husbandry with a 100% mortality rate of the most acute and acute infection, which is listed as a legally reported animal disease by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the causative agent of ASF, which is the only member of the Asfarviridae family. Ornithodoros soft ticks play an important role in ASFV transmission by active biological or mechanical transmission or by passive transport or ingestion, particularly in Africa, Europe, and the United States. First, this review summarized recent reports on (1) tick species capable of transmitting ASFV, (2) the importance of ticks in the transmission and epidemiological cycle of ASFV, and (3) the ASFV strains of tick transmission, to provide a detailed description of tick-borne ASFV. Second, the dynamics of tick infection with ASFV and the tick-induced immune suppression were further elaborated to explain how ticks spread ASFV. Third, the development of the anti-tick vaccine was summarized, and the prospect of the anti-tick vaccine was recapitulated. Then, the marked attenuated vaccine, ASFV-G-ΔI177L, was compared with those of the anti-tick vaccine to represent potential therapeutic or strategies to combat ASF

Pendular Seesaw Nystagmus: Disappearance With Monocular Occlusion

We report a case of pendular seesaw nystagmus caused by bitemporal hemianopia; the nystagmus disappeared while in darkness as previously described, but it also disappeared with monocular occlusion, which indicates the pivotal role of binocular vision in the pathogenesis

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension in patients with anemia: A retrospective observational study.

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) mostly affects obese women in childbearing age, leading to frustrating headache and permanent visual impairment. The exact etiology of this condition is poorly understood, and the population at risk and clinical presentation seems to be homogeneous. However, little attention has been paid to the clinical features of IIH patients with anemia. We herein performed a retrospective observational study by using the data of patients with presumed IIH who were referred to the neurology department of Beijing Tongren Hospital from January 2014 to August 2019 to describe the clinical features and radiological findings in patients with IIH and anemia, and compared these with those without anemia. The patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of anemic diseases. Clinical data including demographic characteristics, clinical features, past medical history, laboratory and neuroradiological findings, diagnoses, treatments and prognosis of these patients were reviewed and compared in both the groups. A total of 153 patients with IIH were enrolled, which included 22 cases with anemia (mean age, 33.23±9.68 years; 19 [86.36%] female) and 131 cases without anemia (mean age 37.11±11.56 years; 97 [74.05%] female). In the anemia group, 19/22 cases had iron deficiency anemia and 3/22 had renal anemia. Compared with patients in the non-anemia group, IIH patients with anemia had a shorter disease course, and tended to present pulsatile tinnitus and transverse sinus stenosis (TSS), faster and better prognosis after treatments for correcting anemia and reducing intracranial pressure. Our findings highlighted the importance of obtaining full blood counts in IIH patients with subacute onset, and provided appropriate and prompt treatments if proven anemic in order to bring better outcomes