A robust automatic leukocyte recognition method based on island-clustering texture

A leukocyte recognition method for human peripheral blood smear based on island-clustering texture (ICT) is proposed. By analyzing the features of the five typical classes of leukocyte images, a new ICT model is established. Firstly, some feature points are extracted in a gray leukocyte image by mean-shift clustering to be the centers of islands. Secondly, the growing region is employed to create regions of the islands in which the seeds are just these feature points. These islands distribution can describe a new texture. Finally, a distinguished parameter vector of these islands is created as the ICT features by combining the ICT features with the geometric features of the leukocyte. Then the five typical classes of leukocytes can be recognized successfully at the correct recognition rate of more than 92.3% with a total sample of 1310 leukocytes. Experimental results show the feasibility of the proposed method. Further analysis reveals that the method is robust and results can provide important information for disease diagnosis

Study of minimal effective reefing ratio based on an empirical formula and fluid-structure-interaction method

The reefing ratio for the first stage of a parachute limits the reefing ratio for the subsequent stages, so its minimal effective value is very important. In this paper, an empirical formula is derived to calculate the minimal effective reefing ratio. The empirical parameters are obtained by the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian/fluid–structure interaction (ALE/FSI) method. By using the FSI method, the typical flow and structure fields of effective and ineffective reefed parachutes are revealed. The numerical results including drag characteristics and final shape are very consistent with wind tunnel tests. The curves of the empirical parameters with reefing ratios are obtained. The minimal effective reefing ratio obtained by the empirical formula is consistent with that of the numerical results, which shows that the empirical formula has high accuracy

Repulsive guidance molecule B inhibits metastasis and is associated with decreased mortality in non-small cell lung cancer

Repulsive guidance molecules (RGMs) are co-receptors of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and programmed death ligand 2 (PD-L2), and might be involved in lung and other cancers. We evaluated repulsive guidance molecule B (RGMB) expression in 165 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors and 22 normal lung tissue samples, and validated the results in an independent series of 131 samples. RGMB was downregulated in NSCLC (P ≤ 0.001), possibly through promoter hypermethylation. Reduced RGMB expression was observed in advanced-stage tumors (P = 0.017) and in tumors with vascular invasion (P < 0.01), and was significantly associated with poor overall survival (39 vs. 62 months, P < 0.001) and with disease-associated patient mortality (P = 0.015). RGMB knockdown promoted cell adhesion, invasion and migration, in both NSCLC cell lines and an in vivo mouse model, which enhanced metastatic potential. Conversely, RGMB overexpression and secretion suppressed cancer progression. The tumor-suppressing effect of RGMB was exerted through inhibition of the Smad1/5/8 pathway. Our results demonstrate that RGMB is an important inhibitor of NSCLC metastasis and that low RGMB expression is a novel predictor or a poor prognosis

The First Case of Ischemia-Free Kidney Transplantation in Humans

Background: Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) has been considered an inevitable event in organ transplantation since the first successful kidney transplant was performed in 1954. To avoid IRI, we have established a novel procedure called ischemia-free organ transplantation. Here, we describe the first case of ischemia-free kidney transplantation (IFKT). Materials and Methods: The kidney graft was donated by a 19-year-old brain-dead donor. The recipient was a 47-year-old man with end-stage diabetic nephropathy. The graft was procured, preserved, and implanted without cessation of blood supply using normothermic machine perfusion. Results: The graft appearance, perfusion flow, and urine production suggested that the kidney was functioning well-during the whole procedure. The creatinine dropped rapidly to normal range within 3 days post-transplantation. The levels of serum renal injury markers were low post-transplantation. No rejection or vascular or infectious complications occurred. The patient had an uneventful recovery. Conclusion: This paper marks the first case of IFKT in humans. This innovation may offer a unique solution to optimizing transplant outcomes in kidney transplantation

Performance of Polymerase Chain Reaction Techniques Detecting Perforin in the Diagnosis of Acute Renal Rejection: A Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Studies in the past have shown that perforin expression is up-regulated during acute renal rejection, which provided hopes for a non-invasive and reliable diagnostic method to identify acute rejection. However, a systematic assessment of the value of perforin as a diagnostic marker of acute renal rejection has not been performed. We conducted this meta-analysis to document the diagnostic performance of perforin mRNA detection and to identify potential variables that may affect the performance. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Relevant materials that reported the diagnostic performance of perforin mRNA detection in acute renal rejection patients were extracted from electronic databases. After careful evaluation of the studies included in this analysis, the numbers of true positive, true negative, false positive and false negative cases of acute renal rejection identified by perforin mRNA detection were gathered from each data set. The publication year, sample origin, mRNA quantification method and housekeeping gene were also extracted as potential confounding variables. Fourteen studies with a total of 501 renal transplant subjects were included in this meta-analysis. The overall performance of perforin mRNA detection was: pooled sensitivity, 0.83 (95% confidence interval: 0.78 to 0.88); pooled specificity, 0.86 (95% confidence interval: 0.82 to 0.90); diagnostic odds ratio, 28.79 (95% confidence interval: 16.26 to 50.97); and area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curves value, 0.9107±0.0174. The univariate analysis of potential variables showed some changes in the diagnostic performance, but none of the differences reached statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Despite inter-study variability, the test performance of perforin mRNA detected by polymerase chain reaction was consistent under circumstances of methodological changes and demonstrated both sensitivity and specificity in detecting acute renal rejection. These results suggest a great diagnostic potential for perforin mRNA detection as a reliable marker of acute rejection in renal allograft recipients

Precise let-7 expression levels balance organ regeneration against tumor suppression

The in vivo roles for even the most intensely studied microRNAs remain poorly defined. Here, analysis of mouse models revealed that let-7, a large and ancient microRNA family, performs tumor suppressive roles at the expense of regeneration. Too little or too much let-7 resulted in compromised protection against cancer or tissue damage, respectively. Modest let-7 overexpression abrogated MYC-driven liver cancer by antagonizing multiple let-7 sensitive oncogenes. However, the same level of overexpression blocked liver regeneration, while let-7 deletion enhanced it, demonstrating that distinct let-7 levels can mediate desirable phenotypes. let-7 dependent regeneration phenotypes resulted from influences on the insulin-PI3K-mTOR pathway. We found that chronic high-dose let-7 overexpression caused liver damage and degeneration, paradoxically leading to tumorigenesis. These dose-dependent roles for let-7 in tissue repair and tumorigenesis rationalize the tight regulation of this microRNA in development, and have important implications for let-7 based therapeutics. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09431.00

Urban Expansion and Carbon Emission Logistic Curve Hypothesis and Its Verification: A Case Study of Jiangsu Province

Based on the general patterns of urban expansion and carbon emissions at home and abroad, the IPCC carbon emission coefficient estimation method and logistic equation are applied to verify the logistic curve relationship between urban expansion and carbon emissions and to quantitatively measure the upper limit of carbon emissions and the inflection point of carbon emission growth. The results show that (1) the corresponding cumulative carbon emission intensity of foreign (regional) urban expansion gradually decreases during the transition from the primary stage to the saturation stage; (2) urban expansion and carbon emissions in China are characterized by cyclical fluctuations during the 1978&ndash;2014 period, and the fluctuations of the two show significant decoupling or divergence after 2014; and (3) urban expansion and carbon emission in Jiangsu province during the 2002&ndash;2019 period shows a logistic curve hypothesis relationship, and the cumulative carbon emissions in the built-up areas of Southern Jiangsu, Central Jiangsu and Northern Jiangsu show an inflection point when they reach 3128.12 km2, 627.25 km2 and 973.9 km2, with the cumulative carbon emission caps of 197.238 &times; 108 t, 14.487 &times; 108 t and 29.289 &times; 108 t, respectively