Detail Enhancement for Infrared Images Based on Propagated Image Filter

For displaying high-dynamic-range images acquired by thermal camera systems, 14-bit raw infrared data should map into 8-bit gray values. This paper presents a new method for detail enhancement of infrared images to display the image with a relatively satisfied contrast and brightness, rich detail information, and no artifacts caused by the image processing. We first adopt a propagated image filter to smooth the input image and separate the image into the base layer and the detail layer. Then, we refine the base layer by using modified histogram projection for compressing. Meanwhile, the adaptive weights derived from the layer decomposition processing are used as the strict gain control for the detail layer. The final display result is obtained by recombining the two modified layers. Experimental results on both cooled and uncooled infrared data verify that the proposed method outperforms the method based on log-power histogram modification and bilateral filter-based detail enhancement in both detail enhancement and visual effect

Rheumatoid meningitis: a rare neurological complication of rheumatoid arthritis

ObjectiveTo describe the clinical and neuroimaging characteristics of rheumatoid meningitis (RM) in Chinese patients. MethodsThe patients admitted to our hospital with the diagnosis of RM in the past 8 years were retrospectively analyzed. ResultsSix patients with RM were identified among 933 patients admitted with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The symptoms of meningitis occurred after onset of arthritis in five patients and before onset in one. Headache (n=6), hyperacute focal neurological deficits (n=4) and seizures (n=3) were the most prevalent symptoms. The nadir modified Rankin Scale score was ≥3 in five patients. Rheumatoid factor was elevated in all patients, and interleukin-6 levels in cerebrospinal fluid were dramatically elevated in three of four tested patients. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed that the meninges were affected in all patients and the cerebral parenchyma was affected in one patient. The lesions were generally located in the frontoparietal region and showed restricted diffusion along the adjacent subarachnoid space. RM occurred during disease-modifying therapy in four patients. In the acute episode, three patients improved on tocilizumab and the other three improved on pulse corticosteroids. For maintenance therapy, two patients received combined therapy of tocilizumab and other immunosuppressive agents, one received adalimumab and methotrexate, and two received low-dose oral corticosteroids with an immunosuppressive agent. Five patients had a good outcome, and one died of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia after stabilization of his neurologic conditions. No relapse of RM occurred on immunotherapy during follow-up. ConclusionsChinese patients with RM share some remarkable clinical and neuroimaging features and respond well to appropriate immunotherapy. Tocilizumab could be a treatment option for this severe complication of RA

Inhibitory action of ginkgolic acid against pathogenic fungi and characterisation of its inhibitory activities on Nigrospora oryzae

Ginkgolic acid is a natural plant antifungal substance with important biological activities, present in the testa of Ginkgo biloba. This research aims to analyse the antifungal action of ginkgolic acid against pathogenic fungi. Ginkgolic acid was analyzed by HPLC and FTIR, and the in vitro inhibitory activities of ginkgolic acid against pathogenic fungi has been investigated. Results showed that ginkgolic acid was a small hydrophobic molecule composed of five ginkgolic acids and their derivatives, with the alkyl and phenolic hydroxyl groups being located on the skeleton of the aromatic ring. Among Nigrospora oryzae (N. oryzae), Alternaria alternata (A. alternata) and Penicillium expansum (P. expansum), ginkgolic acid showed the strongest inhibition against N. oryzae, and the inhibition rate of ginkgolic acid at 5 mg · mL-1 reached 65.82%. Ginkgolic acid lysed the cell membrane of N. oryzae, causing the leaking of the mycelial protein and enhancement of the permeability of the cell membrane, which caused the electrical conductivity of the liquid medium to increase. In addition, it also decreased the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase in the mycelium of N. oryzae, thereby weakening the cell’s protective function by damaging the integrity of the biomembrane. Furthermore, ginkgolic acid can effectively protect the leaves of Epipremnum aureum from infection by N. oryzae. It was concluded that ginkgolic acid effectively inhibited the activity of N. oryzae

Evolutionary Trajectories of Primary and Metastatic Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors Based on Genomic Variations

Liver metastases are common in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) patients and they are considered a poor prognostic marker. This study aims to analyze the spatiotemporal patterns of genomic variations between primary and metastatic tumors, and to identify the key related biomolecular pathways. We performed next-generation sequencing on paired tissue specimens of primary PanNETs (n = 11) and liver metastases (n = 12). Low genomic heterogeneity between primary PanNETs and liver metastases was observed. Genomic analysis provided evidence that polyclonal seeding is a prevalent event during metastatic progression, and may be associated with the progression-free survival. Besides this, copy number variations of BRCA1/BRCA2 seem to be associated with better prognosis. Pathways analysis showed that pathways in cancer, DNA repair, and cell cycle regulation-related pathways were significantly enriched in primary PanNETs and liver metastases. The study has shown a high concordance of gene mutations between the primary tumor and its metastases and the shared gene mutations may occur during oncogenesis and predates liver metastasis, suggesting an earlier onset of metastasis in patients with PanNETs, providing novel insight into genetic changes in metastatic tumors of PanNETs

Validation of three prediction models for thrombosis recurrence in antiphospholipid syndrome patients based on a prospective cohort

Objectives To validate the performance of the adjusted global antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) score (aGAPSS), Padua score and Caprini score to predict thrombosis recurrence in APS.Methods Consecutive thrombotic-APS patients were included. aGAPSS, Padua and Caprini score at baseline were collected. Harrell c-index and calibration curve were used to validate the prediction models.Results 362 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 36.30±13.88 years old, and 209 (57.7%) were female. Patients were followed up for a median of 2.32 years, with 32 (8.84%) venous and 21 (5.80%) arterial thrombosis. The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year thrombosis risks were 5.0%, 14.3% and 17.9%, respectively. The Harrell c-indexes of aGAPSS, Padua and Caprini score were 0.54 (95% CI 0.44 to 0.64), 0.54 (95% CI 0.46 to 0.62), and 0.50 (95%CI 0.42 to 0.58), respectively. Padua score had the best discrimination to predict venous thrombosis (Harrell c-index=0.61, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.69). aGAPSS had the best discrimination to predict arterial thrombosis (Harrell c-index=0.61, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.75). The calibrations for predicting thrombosis within 1, 3 and 5 years of the three models were suboptimal.Conclusion The performance of aGAPSS, Padua and Caprini score to predict thrombosis recurrence in APS were suboptimal. Arterial and venous thrombosis recurrence predictors were different. New prediction models are required for venous and arterial thrombosis separately

Coronary Aneurysm-like Dilation with Stenosis, Anti-phospholipid Antibody Syndrome, Nephrotic Syndrome, and Polycystic Kidney: A Case Report

Here we report a case that a young man had early onset myocardial infarction. Coronary angiography showed coronary aneurysm-like dilation and thromboembolism. After stents were implanted, his condition was complicated with repeated stent restenosis. Polycystic kidney, nephrotic syndrome and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome were also present. Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, a risk factor for recurrent coronary thrombosis, can lead to nephrotic syndrome. Polycystic kidney can be characterized by nephrotic syndrome and may be combined with aneurysmal lesions due to genetic abnormalities. According to the multidisciplinary discussion and follow-up results, the patient was diagnosed as connective tissue diseases and secondary anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome, nephrotic syndrome, and coronary artery lesions. The patient's symptoms improved after treatment for the original disease. The management of this patient broadened our understanding of the etiology of coronary artery disease in young patients and demonstrated the importance of multidisciplinary clinical thinking

Assessment of stromal SCD-induced drug resistance of PDAC using 3D-printed zPDX model chips

Summary: Lipid metabolism is extensively reprogrammed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase (SCD) is a critical lipid regulator that was unexplored in PDAC. Here, we characterized the existence of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) with high SCD expression, and revealed them as an unfavorable prognostic factor. Therefore, primary CAFs and pancreatic cancer cells were harvested and genetically labeled. The mixture of CAFs and cancer cells were co-injected into scd−/−; prkdc−/−, or hIGF1/INS-expressing zebrafish to generate patient-derived xenograft models (zPDX). The models were aligned in 3D-printed chips for semi-automatic drug administration and high-throughput scanning. The results showed that chaperoning of the SCD-high CAFs significantly improved the drug resistance of pancreatic cancer cells against gemcitabine and cisplatin, while the administration of SCD inhibitors neutralized the protective effect. Our studies revealed the prognostic and therapeutic value of stromal SCD in PDAC, and proposed the application of zPDX model chips for drug testing

Sirolimus versus tacrolimus for systemic lupus erythematosus treatment: results from a real-world CSTAR cohort study

Objective The effectiveness and safety of sirolimus for SLE treatment have been shown in some uncontrolled studies. However, a comparison of sirolimus with other classic immunosuppressants has not been reported. We conducted the study to compare the effectiveness and safety of sirolimus versus tacrolimus for SLE treatment.Methods A real-world cohort study was conducted. Patients with clinically active SLE who were prescribed sirolimus or tacrolimus were enrolled. Propensity score matching was used to ensure equivalent disease conditions and background medications. SLE disease activity indices, serological parameters, steroid doses, modification of other immunosuppressants, renal effectiveness and adverse events were compared between the two groups at 3-month, 6-month, 9-month and 12-month follow-up visits.Results Data from 52 patients in each of the sirolimus and tacrolimus groups were analysed. Indices regarding the effectiveness of sirolimus, including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) scores, physician’s global assessment (PhGA) scores, and proportion of patients with SLEDAI-2K reduction of ≥4 and PhGA increase of <0.3, were equivalent to those of tacrolimus at all follow-up timepoints (all p≥0.05). Greater improvements in complement levels were observed in the sirolimus group at 3 and 6 months. Higher percentages of patients with prednisone doses ≤7.5 mg/day were observed in the sirolimus group at all timepoints. Seventeen adverse events in the sirolimus group were recorded. None was severe or led to drug discontinuation.Conclusions Overall, sirolimus was as effective as tacrolimus in the treatment of SLE. Sirolimus had better effects on serological improvement and glucocorticoid tapering. Sirolimus was well tolerated in patients with SLE

Antiphospholipid antibodies as potential predictors of disease severity and poor prognosis in systemic lupus erythematosus-associated thrombocytopenia: results from a real-world CSTAR cohort study

Abstract Background To investigate the role of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) in the disease severity and prognosis of SLE-related thrombocytopenia (SLE-TP). Methods This multicenter prospective study was conducted based on data from the CSTAR registry. TP was defined as a platelet count<100 × 109/L. Demographic characteristics, platelet count, clinical manifestations, disease activity, and autoantibody profiles were collected at baseline. Relapse was defined as the loss of remission. Bone marrow aspirate reports were also collected. Results A total of 350 SLE-TP patients with complete follow-up data, 194 (55.4%) were aPLs positive. At baseline, SLE-TP patients with aPLs had lower baseline platelet counts (61.0 × 109/L vs. 76.5 × 109/L, P<0.001), and a higher proportion of moderate to severe cases (24.2% vs. 14.1% ; 18.0% vs. 8.3%, P<0.001). SLE-TP patients with aPLs also had lower platelet counts at their lowest point (37.0 × 109/L vs. 51.0 × 109/L, P = 0.002). In addition, thean increasing number of aPLs types was associated with a decrease in the baseline and minimum values of platelets ( P<0.001, P = 0.001). During follow-up, SLE-TP carrying aPLs had a higher relapse rate (58.2% vs. 44.2%, P = 0.009) and a lower complete response (CR) rate. As the types of aPLs increased, the relapse rate increased, and the CR rate decreased. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the ratio of granulocytes to red blood cells (G/E), the total number of megakaryocyte and categories. Conclusion SLE-TP patients with positive aPLs had more severe disease a lower remission rate but a higher relapse rate