Detail Preserving Low Illumination Image and Video Enhancement Algorithm Based on Dark Channel Prior

In low illumination situations, insufficient light in the monitoring device results in poor visibility of effective information, which cannot meet practical applications. To overcome the above problems, a detail preserving low illumination video image enhancement algorithm based on dark channel prior is proposed in this paper. First, a dark channel refinement method is proposed, which is defined by imposing a structure prior to the initial dark channel to improve the image brightness. Second, an anisotropic guided filter (AnisGF) is used to refine the transmission, which preserves the edges of the image. Finally, a detail enhancement algorithm is proposed to avoid the problem of insufficient detail in the initial enhancement image. To avoid video flicker, the next video frames are enhanced based on the brightness of the first enhanced frame. Qualitative and quantitative analysis shows that the proposed algorithm is superior to the contrast algorithm, in which the proposed algorithm ranks first in average gradient, edge intensity, contrast, and patch-based contrast quality index. It can be effectively applied to the enhancement of surveillance video images and for wider computer vision applications

Application and development of Deuterium Metabolic Imaging in tumor glucose metabolism: visualization of different metabolic pathways

Cancer metabolism has emerged as a pivotal area of research recently. The ability to visualize and comprehend the metabolic processes of cancer holds immense clinical value, particularly in the diagnosis of malignant tumors and the assessment of treatment responses. Deuterium Metabolic Imaging (DMI), as a robust, simple, and versatile MR spectroscopic imaging tool, demonstrates promise in tumor diagnosis and treatment efficacy assessment. This review explored the latest developments and applications of DMI in oncology across various tumor metabolic axes, with a specific emphasis on its potential for clinical translation. DMI offers invaluable insights into tumor biology, treatment responses, and prognostic outcomes. Notably, DMI can identify early responses to immunotherapy, a prominent area of current research interest. In conclusion, DMI harbors the potential to evolve into a convenient and efficient imaging technique in clinical practice, thereby advancing precision medicine and improving the diagnosis and evaluation of cancer treatments

Age at menarche and risk of major cardiovascular diseases: Evidence of birth cohort effects from a prospective study of 300,000 Chinese women

AbstractBackgroundPrevious studies of mostly Western women have reported inconsistent findings on the association between age at menarche and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Little is known about the association in China where there has been a large intergenerational decrease in women's mean age at menarche.MethodsThe China Kadoorie Biobank recruited 302,632 women aged 30–79 (mean 50.5)years in 2004–8 from 10 diverse regional sites across China. During 7years follow-up, 14,111 incident cases of stroke, 14,093 of coronary heart disease (CHD), and 3200 CVD deaths were reported among 281,491 women who had no prior history of CVD at baseline. Cox regression yielded adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) relating age at menarche to CVD risks.ResultsThe mean (SD) age of menarche was 15.4 (1.9)years, decreasing from 16.2 (2.0) among women born before 1940 to 14.7 (1.6) for those born during the 1960s–1970s. The patterns of association between age at menarche and CVD risk appeared to differ between different birth cohorts, with null associations in older generations but U-shaped or weak positive associations in younger women, especially those born after the 1960s. After minimizing the potential confounding effects from major CVD risk factors, both early and late menarche, compared with menarche at age 13years, were associated with increased risk of CVD morbidity and mortality, which was more pronounced in younger generations.ConclusionAmong Chinese women the associations between age at menarche and risk of CVD differed by birth cohort, suggesting other factors may underpin the association

Five New Amicoumacins Isolated from a Marine-Derived Bacterium Bacillus subtilis

Four novel amicoumacins, namely lipoamicoumacins A–D (1–4), and one new bacilosarcin analog (5) were isolated from culture broth of a marine-derived bacterium Bacillus subtilis, together with six known amicoumacins. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic (2D NNR, IR, CD and MS) analysis and in comparison with data in literature

Ferroptosis-related lncRNA signature predicts prognosis and immunotherapy efficacy in cutaneous melanoma

PurposeFerroptosis-related lncRNAs are promising biomarkers for predicting the prognosis of many cancers. However, a ferroptosis-related signature to predict the prognosis of cutaneous melanoma (CM) has not been identified. The purpose of this study was to construct a ferroptosis-related lncRNA signature to predict prognosis and immunotherapy efficacy in CM.MethodsFerroptosis-related differentially expressed genes (FDEGs) and lncRNAs (FDELs) were identified using TCGA, GTEx, and FerrDb datasets. We performed Cox and LASSO regressions to identify key FDELs, and constructed a risk score to stratify patients into high- and low-risk groups. The lncRNA signature was evaluated using the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) and Kaplan-Meier analyses in the training, testing, and entire cohorts. Multivariate Cox regression analyses including the lncRNA signature and common clinicopathological characteristics were performed to identify independent predictors of overall survival (OS). A nomogram was developed for clinical use. We performed gene set enrichment analyses (GSEA) to identify significantly enriched pathways. Differences in the tumor microenvironment (TME) between the 2 groups were assessed using 7 algorithms. To predict the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), we analyzed the association between PD1 and CTLA4 expression and the risk score. Finally, differences in Tumor Mutational Burden (TMB) and molecular drugs Sensitivity between the 2 groups were performed.ResultsWe identified 5 lncRNAs (AATBC, AC145423.2, LINC01871, AC125807.2, and AC245041.1) to construct the risk score. The AUC of the lncRNA signature was 0.743 in the training cohort and was validated in the testing and entire cohorts. Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed that the high-risk group had poorer prognosis. Multivariate Cox regression showed that the lncRNA signature was an independent predictor of OS with higher accuracy than traditional clinicopathological features. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival probabilities for CM patients were 92.7%, 57.2%, and 40.2% with an AUC of 0.804, indicating a good accuracy and reliability of the nomogram. GSEA showed that the high-risk group had lower ferroptosis and immune response. TME analyses confirmed that the high-risk group had lower immune cell infiltration (e.g., CD8+ T cells, CD4+ memory-activated T cells, and M1 macrophages) and lower immune functions (e.g., immune checkpoint activation). Low-risk patients whose disease expressed PD1 or CTLA4 were likely to respond better to ICIs. The analysis demonstrated that the TMB had significantly difference between low- and high- risk groups. Chemotherapy drugs, such as sorafenib, Imatinib, ABT.888 (Veliparib), Docetaxel, and Paclitaxel showed Significant differences in the estimated IC50 between the two risk groups.ConclusionOur novel ferroptosis-related lncRNA signature was able to accurately predict the prognosis and ICI outcomes of CM patients. These ferroptosis-related lncRNAs might be potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for CM

Accelerating O-redox kinetics with carbon nanotubes for stable lithium-rich cathodes

Lithium-rich cathodes (LRCs) show great potential to improve the energy density of commercial lithium-ion batteries owing to their cationic and anionic redox characteristics. Herein, a complete conductive network using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) additives to improve the poor kinetics of LRCs is fabricated. Ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy first demonstrates that the slope at a low potential and the following long platform can be assigned to the transition metal and oxygen redox, respectively. The combination of galvanostatic intermittent titration technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy further reveal that a battery with CNTs exhibited accelerated kinetics, especially for the O-redox process. Consequently, LRCs with CNTs exhibit a much better rate and cycling performance (approximate to 89% capacity retention at 2 C for over 200 cycles) than the Super P case. Eventually, TEM results imply that the improved electrochemical performance of the CNTs case also benefits from its more stable bulk and surface structures. Such a facile conductive additive modification strategy also provides a universal approach for the enhancement of the electron diffusion properties of other electrode materials.Web of Science67art. no. 220044

Elevated plasma levels of pigment epithelium-derived factor correlated with inflammation and lung function in COPD patients

Rationale: Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is a 50 kD small secreting glycoprotein that participates in multiple physiological and pathological processes. Recent studies have reported that PEDF plays an important role in inflammatory responses in several diseases. However, the role of PEDF in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains unclear. Objective: The aim of the present study is to explore the potential relationship between PEDF and COPD. Methods: We used differential proteomics – stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture – to investigate protein expression profile changes in cigarette smoke extract-treated pulmonary cells and found that the neurotrophic and antiangiogenic protein PEDF was abnormally expressed. Furthermore, Western blotting was used to detect the expression of PEDF in the lung tissue of rats that were exposed to cigarette smoke. Eighty subjects between the ages of 40–90 years, including 20 healthy nonsmokers, ten smoking volunteers, and 50 COPD patients, were recruited from September 2012 until August 2013 in Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China. We measured the plasma PEDF concentration and classic proinflammatory cytokines by multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, we performed a spirometry examination to diagnose COPD patients and we also analyzed the correlation between PEDF and lung function. Results: First, we found that the expression of PEDF in cigarette smoke extract-treated cells increased 16.2-fold when compared with the control group. Next, we confirmed that 4 weeks’ exposure to cigarette smoke can upregulate PEDF levels in rat lung tissues. We also discovered that plasma PEDF in COPD patients was significantly increased when compared with either healthy nonsmoking or smoking subjects. Furthermore, circulating PEDF was correlated with inflammatory cytokine and blood neutrophil numbers, but it was reversely associated with a decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second percent predicted. Conclusion: Our findings provide a novel link between PEDF and COPD. Elevated PEDF levels may be involved in promoting the development of COPD by performing proinflamma-tory functions