CTooth+: A Large-scale Dental Cone Beam Computed Tomography Dataset and Benchmark for Tooth Volume Segmentation

Accurate tooth volume segmentation is a prerequisite for computer-aided dental analysis. Deep learning-based tooth segmentation methods have achieved satisfying performances but require a large quantity of tooth data with ground truth. The dental data publicly available is limited meaning the existing methods can not be reproduced, evaluated and applied in clinical practice. In this paper, we establish a 3D dental CBCT dataset CTooth+, with 22 fully annotated volumes and 146 unlabeled volumes. We further evaluate several state-of-the-art tooth volume segmentation strategies based on fully-supervised learning, semi-supervised learning and active learning, and define the performance principles. This work provides a new benchmark for the tooth volume segmentation task, and the experiment can serve as the baseline for future AI-based dental imaging research and clinical application development

Hydrochemical Characteristics and Quality Assessment of Groundwater under the Impact of Seawater Intrusion and Anthropogenic Activity in the Coastal Areas of Zhejiang and Fujian Provinces, China

AbstractCoastal groundwater is an important resource in the developed region associated with human health and sustainable economic development. To identify the origins of salinity and evaluate the impact of water-rock interactions, seawater intrusion (SWI), and evaporation on groundwater in the coastal areas of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, a comprehensive investigation was performed. Meanwhile, nitrate and fluoride indicators resulting from the anthropogenic activity and SWI were also considered. At last, the water quality index (WQI) of coastal groundwater was evaluated with geochemical and multivariate statistical methods. The results indicated that (1) the groundwater in coastal areas of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces has been affected by SWI to varying degrees. The analysis of selected ion ratios (Na+/Cl− and Br−/Cl−) and isotopic compositions showed that SWI is the predominant cause of increasing salinity in the groundwater of Zhejiang Province, while the cause is water-rock interactions (ion exchange and mineral weathering) in Fujian Province. The hydrochemical evolution path of groundwater in Zhejiang Province is Ca/Mg-HCO3 to Na-Cl, while a different pattern of Ca/Mg-HCO3 to Na (Mg/Ca)-Cl occurs in Fujian Province. However, the trend of SWI development in both provinces was freshening. (2) Nitrification, sewage infiltration, and SWI increased the NO3− content in groundwater. Some of the NO3− concentration in Fujian Province exceeds the standard, and the nitrogen pollution was more serious than in Zhejiang Province. The F− content in coastal groundwater was affected by SWI and mineral dissolution; the F− content in Zhejiang Province was higher than in Fujian Province, which was close to the groundwater standard limit. The average WQI value of Zhejiang was 103.61, and the WQI of Fujian was 61.69, indicating that the coastal groundwater quality in Fujian Province was better than in Zhejiang Province. The results of the study revealed the impact of SWI and anthropogenic activity on groundwater in the southern coastal zone of China and will be valuable for sustainable groundwater resource management

A novel lytic phage potentially effective for phage therapy against Burkholderia pseudomallei in the tropics.

BACKGROUND: Burkholderia pseudomallei is a tropical pathogen that causes melioidosis. Its intrinsic drug-resistance is a leading cause of treatment failure, and the few available antibiotics require prolonged use to be effective. This study aimed to assess the clinical potential of B. pseudomallei phages isolated from Hainan, China. METHODS: Burkholderia pseudomallei strain (HNBP001) was used as the isolation host, and phages were recovered from domestic environmental sources, which were submitted to the host range determination, lytic property assays, and stability tests. The best candidate was examined via the transmission electron microscope for classification. With its genome sequenced and analyzed, its protective efficacy against B. pseudomallei infection in A549 cells and Caenorhabditis elegans was evaluated, in which cell viability and survival rates were compared using the one-way ANOVA method and the log-rank test. RESULTS: A phage able to lyse 24/25 clinical isolates was recovered. It was classified in the Podoviridae family and was found to be amenable to propagation. Under the optimal multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.1, an eclipse period of around 20 min and a high titer (1012 PFU/ml) produced within 1 h were demonstrated. This phage was found stabile at a wide range of temperatures (24, 37, 40, 50, and 60 °C) and pH values (3-12). After being designated as vB_BpP_HN01, it was fully sequenced, and the 71,398 bp linear genome, containing 93 open reading frames and a tRNA-Asn, displayed a low sequence similarity with known viruses. Additionally, protective effects of applications of vB_BpP_HN01 (MOI = 0.1 and MOI = 1) alone or in combination with antibiotics were found to improve viability of infected cells (70.6 ± 6.8%, 85.8 ± 5.7%, 91.9 ± 1.8%, and 96.8 ± 1.8%, respectively). A significantly reduced mortality (10%) and a decreased pathogen load were demonstrated in infected C. elegans following the addition of this phage. CONCLUSIONS: As the first B. pseudomallei phage was isolated in Hainan, China, phage vB_BpP_HN01 was characterized by promising lytic property, stability, and efficiency of bacterial elimination during the in vitro/vivo experiments. Therefore, we can conclude that it is a potential alternative agent for combating melioidosis

Whole-genome sequencing of the snub-nosed monkey provides insights into folivory and evolutionary history

Colobines are a unique group of Old World monkeys that principally eat leaves and seeds rather than fruits and insects. We report the sequencing at 146× coverage, de novo assembly and analyses of the genome of a male golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) and resequencing at 30× coverage of three related species (Rhinopithecus bieti, Rhinopithecus brelichi and Rhinopithecus strykeri). Comparative analyses showed that Asian colobines have an enhanced ability to derive energy from fatty acids and to degrade xenobiotics. We found evidence for functional evolution in the colobine RNASE1 gene, encoding a key secretory RNase that digests the high concentrations of bacterial RNA derived from symbiotic microflora. Demographic reconstructions indicated that the profile of ancient effective population sizes for R. roxellana more closely resembles that of giant panda rather than its congeners. These findings offer new insights into the dietary adaptations and evolutionary history of colobine primates

Computational Analysis of Artimisinin Derivatives on the Antitumor Activities

Abstract The study on antitumor activities of artemisinin and its derivatives has been closely focused on in recent years. Herein, 2D and 3D QSAR analysis was performed on the basis of a series of artemisinin derivatives with known bioactivities against the non-small-cell lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. Four QSAR models were successfully established by CoMSIA, CoMFA, topomer CoMFA and HQSAR approaches with respective characteristic values q2 = 0.567, R2 = 0.968, ONC = 5; q2 = 0.547, R2 = 0.980, ONC = 7; q2 = 0.559, R2 = 0.921, ONC = 7 and q2 = 0.527, R2 = 0.921, ONC = 6. The predictive ability of CoMSIA with r2 = 0.991 is the best one compared with the other three approaches, such as CoMFA (r2 = 0.787), topomer CoMFA (r2 = 0.819) and HQSAR (r2 = 0.743). The final QSAR models can provide guidance in structural modification of artemisinin derivatives to improve their anticancer activities

Efficient Degradation of Norfloxacin and Simultaneous Electricity Generation in a Persulfate-Photocatalytic Fuel Cell System

Photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) has been verified to be a promising technique to treat organic matter and recover energy synchronously. Sulfate radicals (SO4·−), as a strong oxidant, have obvious advantages in the degradation of refractory pollutants compared with hydroxyl radicals (·OH), which is the dominant radical in PFC. This study reports a coupling method of PFC and persulfate (PS) activation to promote the degradation of antibiotic norfloxacin (NOR) and simultaneous electricity generation. The added PS as an electron acceptor could be activated by photoelectric effects to produce SO4·− at the electrodes-electrolyte interface. In the solution, PS as supporting electrolyte could accelerate the electron transfer and also be activated by ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation, which could extend the radical oxidation reaction to the whole solution and improve the PFC performance. The performance comparison among different systems indicated the excellent synergistic effect of PFC and PS activation for improving NOR degradation and electricity generation. The effects of influencing factors including initial pH, PS concentration, and initial NOR concentration on the degradation of NOR were investigated extensively to find out the optimal conditions. Moreover, according to the results of radical capture experiments, the significantly contribution of both SO4·− and ·OH to the degradation of NOR was demonstrated and a tentative function mechanism for the NOR degradation in the proposed system was provided. Finally, total organic carbon and real wastewater treatment confirmed the high mineralization and practical applicability of the proposed PFC/PS system

Theoretical Investigation on The Single Transition-Metal Atom-Decorated Defective MoS2 for Electrocatalytic Ammonia Synthesis

Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we explored the potential of defective MoS2 sheets decorated with a series of single transition metal (TM) atoms as electrocatalysts for N2 reduction reaction (NRR). The computed reaction free energy profiles reveal that the introduction of embedded single TM atoms significantly reduces the difficulty to break the N≡N triple bond, and thus facilitates the activation of inert nitrogen. Onset potential close to -0.6 V could be achieved by anchoring various transition metals, such as Sc, Ti, Cu, Hf, Pt, and Zr, and the formation of the second ammonia molecule limits the overall process. Ti-decorated nanosheet possesses the lowest free energy change of -0.63 eV for the potential determining step. To better predict the catalysis performance, we introduced a descriptor, φ, which is the product of the number of valence electron multiplying by the electronegativity of the decorated TM. It shows good linear relationship between the d-band center and the binding energy of nitrogen, except for those metals with less than half filled d-band. Although the metals in Group IIIB and IVB have strong adsorption interactions with N atom, the Gibbs free energy changes for desorption of the second ammonia are unexpectedly low. The selectivity of these systems towards nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) are also significantly improved. Therefore, those defective MoS2 decorated with Sc, Ti, Zr and Hf are suggested as promising electrocatalysts for NRR, for their both high efficiency and selectivity

Role of NLRP3 Inflammasome in the Progression of NAFLD to NASH

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been recognized as a major public health problem worldwide. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an advanced form of NAFLD that may progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The pathogenesis of disease progression from NAFLD to NASH has not been fully understood. Immunological mechanisms that have been increasingly recognized in the disease progression include defects in innate immunity, adaptive immunity, Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling, and gut-liver axis. The NLRP3 inflammasome is an intracellular multiprotein complex involved in the production of mature interleukin 1-beta (IL-1β) and induces metabolic inflammation. NLRP3 inflammasome has been recently demonstrated to play a crucial role in the progression of NASH. This review highlights the recent findings linking NLRP3 inflammasome to the progression of NASH

Gata2a Mutation Causes Progressive Microphthalmia and Blindness in Nile Tilapia

The normal development of lens fiber cells plays a critical role in lens morphogenesis and maintaining transparency. Factors involved in the development of lens fiber cells are largely unknown in vertebrates. In this study, we reported that GATA2 is essential for lens morphogenesis in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). In this study, Gata2a was detected in the primary and secondary lens fiber cells, with the highest expression in primary fiber cells. gata2a homozygous mutants of tilapia were obtained using CRISPR/Cas9. Different from fetal lethality caused by Gata2/gata2a mutation in mice and zebrafish, some gata2a homozygous mutants of tilapia are viable, which provides a good model for studying the role of gata2 in non-hematopoietic organs. Our data showed that gata2a mutation caused extensive degeneration and apoptosis of primary lens fiber cells. The mutants exhibited progressive microphthalmia and blindness in adulthood. Transcriptome analysis of the eyes showed that the expression levels of almost all genes encoding crystallin were significantly down-regulated, while the expression levels of genes involved in visual perception and metal ion binding were significantly up-regulated after gata2a mutation. Altogether, our findings indicate that gata2a is required for the survival of lens fiber cells and provide insights into transcriptional regulation underlying lens morphogenesis in teleost fish