SEWA DB: A rich database for audio-visual emotion and sentiment research in the wild

Natural human-computer interaction and audio-visual human behaviour sensing systems, which would achieve robust performance in-the-wild are more needed than ever as digital devices are becoming indispensable part of our life more and more. Accurately annotated real-world data are the crux in devising such systems. However, existing databases usually consider controlled settings, low demographic variability, and a single task. In this paper, we introduce the SEWA database of more than 2000 minutes of audio-visual data of 398 people coming from six cultures, 50% female, and uniformly spanning the age range of 18 to 65 years old. Subjects were recorded in two different contexts: while watching adverts and while discussing adverts in a video chat. The database includes rich annotations of the recordings in terms of facial landmarks, facial action units (FAU), various vocalisations, mirroring, and continuously valued valence, arousal, liking, agreement, and prototypic examples of (dis)liking. This database aims to be an extremely valuable resource for researchers in affective computing and automatic human sensing and is expected to push forward the research in human behaviour analysis, including cultural studies. Along with the database, we provide extensive baseline experiments for automatic FAU detection and automatic valence, arousal and (dis)liking intensity estimation

Sexual dimorphism in cancer.

The incidence of many types of cancer arising in organs with non-reproductive functions is significantly higher in male populations than in female populations, with associated differences in survival. Occupational and/or behavioural factors are well-known underlying determinants. However, cellular and molecular differences between the two sexes are also likely to be important. In this Opinion article, we focus on the complex interplay that sex hormones and sex chromosomes can have in intrinsic control of cancer-initiating cell populations, the tumour microenvironment and systemic determinants of cancer development, such as the immune system and metabolism. A better appreciation of these differences between the two sexes could be of substantial value for cancer prevention as well as treatment

Variability and magnitude of brain glutamate levels in schizophrenia: a meta and mega-analysis

Glutamatergic dysfunction is implicated in schizophrenia pathoaetiology, but this may vary in extent between patients. It is unclear whether inter-individual variability in glutamate is greater in schizophrenia than the general population. We conducted meta-analyses to assess (1) variability of glutamate measures in patients relative to controls (log coefficient of variation ratio: CVR); (2) standardised mean differences (SMD) using Hedges g; (3) modal distribution of individual-level glutamate data (Hartigan’s unimodality dip test). MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched from inception to September 2022 for proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) studies reporting glutamate, glutamine or Glx in schizophrenia. 123 studies reporting on 8256 patients and 7532 controls were included. Compared with controls, patients demonstrated greater variability in glutamatergic metabolites in the medial frontal cortex (MFC, glutamate: CVR = 0.15, p < 0.001; glutamine: CVR = 0.15, p = 0.003; Glx: CVR = 0.11, p = 0.002), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (glutamine: CVR = 0.14, p = 0.05; Glx: CVR = 0.25, p < 0.001) and thalamus (glutamate: CVR = 0.16, p = 0.008; Glx: CVR = 0.19, p = 0.008). Studies in younger, more symptomatic patients were associated with greater variability in the basal ganglia (BG glutamate with age: z = −0.03, p = 0.003, symptoms: z = 0.007, p = 0.02) and temporal lobe (glutamate with age: z = −0.03, p = 0.02), while studies with older, more symptomatic patients associated with greater variability in MFC (glutamate with age: z = 0.01, p = 0.02, glutamine with symptoms: z = 0.01, p = 0.02). For individual patient data, most studies showed a unimodal distribution of glutamatergic metabolites. Meta-analysis of mean differences found lower MFC glutamate (g = −0.15, p = 0.03), higher thalamic glutamine (g = 0.53, p < 0.001) and higher BG Glx in patients relative to controls (g = 0.28, p < 0.001). Proportion of males was negatively associated with MFC glutamate (z = −0.02, p < 0.001) and frontal white matter Glx (z = −0.03, p = 0.02) in patients relative to controls. Patient PANSS total score was positively associated with glutamate SMD in BG (z = 0.01, p = 0.01) and temporal lobe (z = 0.05, p = 0.008). Further research into the mechanisms underlying greater glutamatergic metabolite variability in schizophrenia and their clinical consequences may inform the identification of patient subgroups for future treatment strategies

Radiologia interwencyjna: wertebroblastyka i kyfoplastyka

Radiologia zabiegowa (interwencyjna) to nie tylko przedstawiane w poprzednich artykułach na lamach IBM zabiegi wewnątrznaczyniowe. Obejmuje ona również szeroką gamę minimalnie inwazyjnych zabiegów wykonywanych pod kontrolą metod obrazowych (RTG, USG, TK), takich jak biopsje, ablacje guzów oraz interwencje na kręgosłupie omówione w poniższym artykule. Wertebroplastyka i kyfoplastyka są wykonywane u pacjentów ze złamaniami kompresyjnymi trzonów kręgowych. Polegają one na wstrzyknięciu do trzonu kręgowego przez specjalną igłę cementu akrylowego pod kontrolą promieni rentgenowskich. Głównym wskazaniem są silne dolegliwości bólowe u pacjentów ze złamaniami kompresyjnymi, utrzymujące się pomimo intensywnego leczenia farmakologicznego i usztywnienia gorsetem. Do innych wskazań należą przerzuty nowotworowe, naczyniaki trzonów oraz wg niektórych autorów również szpiczak mnogi. Zabiegi te mają przede wszystkim na celu redukcję bólu i poprawę jakości życia pacjentów

Radiologia interwencyjna w onkologii: możliwości terapeutyczne leczenia nowotworów wątroby – pierwotnych oraz przerzutów do wątroby

Od niedawna radiologia interwencyjna znajduje zastosowanie również w onkologii. W artykule przedstawiono kilka relatywnie innowacyjnych technologii i technik stosowanych w terapii nowotworów pierwotnych wątroby oraz pochodzenia przerzutowego. Kliniczne wskazania i przeciwwskazania do stosowania opisywanych metod i zabiegów nie są przedmiotem rozważań autorów pracy.Interventional radiology has recently found a place in oncology. This article will describe some relatively new techniques and agents used in the treatment of primary and metastatic malignancies of the liver. The article will not describe clinical indications nor the contraindications to the procedures listed as this is beyond the scope of this publication