A Morphological Associative Memory Employing A Stored Pattern Independent Kernel Image and Its Hardware Model

An associative memory provides a convenient way for pattern retrieval and restoration, which has an important role for handling data distorted with noise. As an effective associative memory, we paid attention to a morphological associative memory (MAM) proposed by Ritter. The model is superior to ordinary associative memory models in terms of calculation amount, memory capacity, and perfect recall rate. However, in general, the kernel design becomes difficult as the stored pattern increases because the kernel uses a part of each stored pattern. In this paper, we propose a stored pattern independent kernel design method for the MAM and design the MAM employing the proposed kernel design with a standard digital manner in parallel architecture for acceleration. We confirm the validity of the proposed kernel design method by auto- and hetero-association experiments and investigate the efficiency of the hardware acceleration. A high-speed operation (more than 150 times in comparison with software execution) is achieved in the custom hardware. The proposed model works as an intelligent pre-processor for the Brain-Inspired Systems (Brain-IS) working in real world

Intravitreal bevacizumab for delayed radiation maculopathy and papillopathy after irradiation for maxillary sinus cancer

Miki Gondo1, Tsutomu Sakai1, Hiroshi Tsuneoka1, Chihiro Kanehira21Department of Ophthalmology, Jikei University School of Medicine, 2Division of Radiology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, JapanBackground: The evaluation of intravitreal bevacizumab treatment for delayed radiation maculopathy and papillopathy after irradiation for maxillary sinus cancer.Case report: A patient with radiation maculopathy and papillopathy was treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25 mg). Main outcome measures included fundus photography, angiography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Two weeks after intravitreal bevacizumab, visual acuity improved from 0.4 to 1.2. Fundus examination revealed decreased disc swelling, peripapillary hemorrhage, and macular edema. OCT demonstrated complete resolution of serous retinal detachment. At the 12-month follow-up, there was no exudation recurrence. No ocular or systemic side effects were observed.Conclusion: Intravitreal bevacizumab can be used to treat radiation maculopathy and papillopathy. Antivascular endothelial growth factor therapy may decrease tissue injury associated with radiation vasculopathy.Keywords: bevacizumab, radiation, maculopathy, papillopath

Signal Changes in the Brain on Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging Under Reduced Cerebral Blood Flow: A Preliminary Study

OBJECTIVES: To reveal the characteristics of susceptibility‐weighted imaging (SWI) under low cerebral blood flow (CBF) induced by hyperventilation (HV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was approved by the institutional review board. Informed consent was obtained. Six healthy volunteers (5 men, 1 woman; mean age, 29 years; range, 24‐33 years) underwent SWI and arterial spin labeling perfusion imaging under normal ventilation (NV) and HV at 3.0 T. Regions of interest (ROIs) were placed on gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) of the frontal lobe (FL) and occipital lobe (OL). Intensities of ROIs were compared between NV and HV. Contrast of veins compared with adjacent cerebral parenchyma (CV) was also compared between NV and HV. RESULTS: CBF during HV (CBFHV) was decreased compared with CBF during NV (CBFNV) (29.1 ± 4.6%). FL‐GMHV and OL‐GMHV showed significant signal decreases compared with FL‐GMNV and OL‐GMNV, respectively (P= .018, .017). CVHV was significantly increased compared with CVNV (164.1 ± 29.9%) (P= .00019). CONCLUSIONS: SWI sensitively reflects HV‐induced decreases in CBF. The present results might assist in the interpretation of SWI in clinical practice, since CBF decreases might also influence signal changes on SWI

Effects of plasma concentrations of 5-fluorouracil on long-term survival after treatment with a definitive 5-fluorouracil/cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy in Japanese patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A substantial body of literature has accumulated during the past 20 years showing the plasma concentrations of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to correlate with clinical response and/or toxicity in colorectal cancer, and head and neck cancer, but little information is available concerning effects on long-term survival. Here, Japanese patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) were followed up for 5 years after treatment with a definitive 5-FU/cisplatin (CDDP)-based chemoradiotherapy (CRT), and the association between prognosis and the plasma concentration of 5-FU was evaluated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Forty-nine patients with ESCC, who were treated with a definitive 5-FU/CDDP-based CRT, were enrolled. A course consisted of the continuous infusion of 5-FU at 400 mg/m²/day for days 1-5 and 8-12, the infusion of CDDP at 40 mg/m²/day on days 1 and 8, and the radiation at 2 Gy/day on days 1 to 5, 8 to 12, and 15 to 19, with a second course repeated after a 2-week interval. Plasma concentrations of 5-FU were determined by high performance liquid chromatography at 5:00 PM on days 3, 10, 38 and 45, and at 5:00 AM on days 4, 11, 39 and 46.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The overall 5-year survival rate was 42.9%. Age (P = 0.020), body weight (P = 0.019), and disease stage (P = 0.048) affected the survival, and the survival depended on the clinical response assessed at 1 month after the treatment (P = 0.001). Higher plasma concentrations of 5-FU resulted in a better clinical response (P = 0.043), and trended to prolong survival (P = 0.321).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The long-term survival after treatment with a definitive 5-FU/CDDP-based CRT possibly depends on the plasma concentrations of 5-FU, and further clinical studies with a larger number of cases are needed to clarify the relationship between them.</p

The genotype-dependent phenotypic landscape of quinoa in salt tolerance and key growth traits

スーパー作物キヌアの多様性を解明 --高い環境適応性と優れた栄養特性をもつキヌアの品種改良に期待--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2020-10-15.Cultivation of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), an annual pseudocereal crop that originated in the Andes, is spreading globally. Because quinoa is highly nutritious and resistant to multiple abiotic stresses, it is emerging as a valuable crop to provide food and nutrition security worldwide. However, molecular analyses have been hindered by the genetic heterogeneity resulting from partial outcrossing. In this study, we generated 136 inbred quinoa lines as a basis for the molecular identification and characterization of gene functions in quinoa through genotyping and phenotyping. Following genotyping-by-sequencing analysis of the inbred lines, we selected 5, 753 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the quinoa genome. Based on these SNPs, we show that our quinoa inbred lines fall into three genetic sub-populations. Moreover, we measured phenotypes, such as salt tolerance and key growth traits in the inbred quinoa lines and generated a heatmap that provides a succinct overview of the genotype–phenotype relationship between inbred quinoa lines. We also demonstrate that, in contrast to northern highland lines, most lowland and southern highland lines can germinate even under high salinity conditions. These findings provide a basis for the molecular elucidation and genetic improvement of quinoa and improve our understanding of the evolutionary process underlying quinoa domestication

Replacement of cisplatin with nedaplatin in a definitive 5-fluorouracil/cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy in Japanese patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Objective: The effects of replacing cisplatin (CDDP) with cis-diammineglycolatoplatinum (nedaplatin, NDP), a second-generation platinum complex, on the pharmacokinetics of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) were investigated in Japanese patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, who were treated with a definitive 5-FU/CDDP-based chemoradiotherapy