Identifying and reverting the adverse effects of white matter hyperintensities on cortical surface analyses

ありふれた脳の白質病変がMRI画像解析を悪化させていた --従来手法に機械学習を組み入れた改善手法の開発--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-10-02.The Human Connectome Project (HCP)-style surface-based brain MRI analysis is a powerful technique that allows precise mapping of the cerebral cortex. However, the strength of its surface-based analysis has not yet been tested in the older population that often presents with white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) on T2-weighted (T2w) MRI (hypointensities on T1w MRI). We investigated T1-weighted (T1w) and T2w structural MRI in 43 healthy middle-aged to old participants. Juxtacortical WMHs were often misclassified by the default HCP pipeline as parts of the gray matter in T1w MRI, leading to incorrect estimation of the cortical surfaces and cortical metrics. To revert the adverse effects of juxtacortical WMHs, we incorporated the Brain Intensity AbNormality Classification Algorithm into the HCP pipeline (proposed pipeline). Blinded radiologists performed stereological quality control (QC) and found a decrease in the estimation errors in the proposed pipeline. The superior performance of the proposed pipeline was confirmed using an originally-developed automated surface QC based on a large database. Here we showed the detrimental effects of juxtacortical WMHs for estimating cortical surfaces and related metrics and proposed a possible solution for this problem. The present knowledge and methodology should help researchers identify adequate cortical surface biomarkers for aging and age-related neuropsychiatric disorders

Photoperiod Regulates Corticosterone Rhythms by Altered Adrenal Sensitivity via Melatonin-Independent Mechanisms in Fischer 344 Rats and C57BL/6J Mice

Most species living in temperate zones adapt their physiology and behavior to seasonal changes in the environment by using the photoperiod as a primary cue. The mechanisms underlying photoperiodic regulation of stress-related functions are not well understood. In this study, we analyzed the effects of photoperiod on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in photoperiod-sensitive Fischer 344 rats. We first examined how photoperiod affects diurnal variations in plasma concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone. ACTH levels did not exhibit diurnal variations under long- and short-day conditions. On the other hand, corticosterone levels exhibited a clear rhythm under short-day condition with a peak during dark phase. This peak was not observed under long-day condition in which a significant rhythm was not detected. To analyze the mechanisms responsible for the photoperiodic regulation of corticosterone rhythms, ACTH was intraperitoneally injected at the onset of the light or dark phase in dexamethasone-treated rats maintained under long- and short-day conditions. ACTH induced higher corticosterone levels in rats examined at dark onset under short-day condition than those maintained under long-day condition. Next, we asked whether melatonin signals are involved in photoperiodic regulation of corticosterone rhythms, and rats were intraperitoneally injected with melatonin at late afternoon under long-day condition for 3 weeks. However, melatonin injections did not affect the corticosterone rhythms. In addition, photoperiodic changes in the amplitude of corticosterone rhythms were also observed in melatonin-deficient C57BL/6J mice, in which expression profiles of several clock genes and steroidgenesis genes in adrenal gland were modified by the photoperiod. Our data suggest that photoperiod regulates corticosterone rhythms by altered adrenal sensitivity through melatonin-independent mechanisms that may involve the adrenal clock

Similar interior coordination image retrieval with multi-view features

This paper presents a novel similar image retrieval method for interior coordination. Interior coordination is very familiar; however, it is still an abstract and difficult concept. Even if we are involved in coordination every day, it does not mean we can become professional coordinators. By realizing the retrieval that can provide similar interior coordination images from a query room image, inspiring users' ideas for interior coordination becomes feasible. In the proposed method, we extract image features specialized for interior coordination and realize similar interior coordination image retrieval. We employ multi-view features: object-based, color-based, and semantic-based features, in the feature extraction phase. The extracted features are used to calculate similarity between the query image and the database images for the retrieval. We conducted experiments using a sophisticated real-world interior coordination image dataset. Furthermore, we qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated the effectiveness of the proposed method

A Novel Metal Adsorbent Composed of a Hexa-histidine Tag and a Carbohydrate-binding Module on Cellulose

We developed a novel metal adsorbent composed of bio-based materials, cellulose and a protein. The approach involved the immobilization of a hexa-histidine tag (His(6)), which shows an affinity for an intermediate acid (metal ion) in Hard and Soft Acids and Bases (HSAB) theory, on cellulose by fusing with a carbohydrate-binding module (CBM). The results show that CBM-His(6)-bound cellulose has adsorption selectivity reflecting the original properties of His(6). Additionally, we prepared three configurations of CBM-His(6) proteins, which were subsequently immobilized on filter paper for Ni2+ ion adsorption. Of these configurations, we found that the protein containing two His(6) tags at each terminus (N- and C-) of CBM exhibited the highest metal adsorption ability. Furthermore, XPS analysis confirmed the binding of Ni2+ ions on the cellulose

Wearable Microfluidic Sensor for the Simultaneous and Continuous Monitoring of Local Sweat Rates and Electrolyte Concentrations

Temperature elevation due to global warming increases the risks of dehydration, which can induce heat-related illness. Proper rehydration with appropriate amounts of water and electrolytes is essential to aid body fluid homeostasis. Wearable sweat sensors which can monitor both the sweat rate and sweat electrolyte concentration may be an effective tool for determining appropriate rehydration. Here, we developed a novel potentially wearable sensor that can monitor both the local sweat rate and sweat electrolyte concentration continuously. The new device includes a system with a short microfluidic pathway that guides the sweat appearing on the skin to a small space in the device to form a quantifiable droplet. The sweat rate is assessed from the time for the droplet to appear and droplet volume, while an integrated electric sensor detects the sodium chloride concentration in each sweat droplet. We demonstrated that this new device could record both the flow rates of artificial sweat and its sodium chloride concentration in ranges of human sweating with an accuracy within ±10%. This is equivalent to the accuracy of commercially available sweat rate meters and sweat ion sensors. The present study provides a new perspective for the design of wearable sensors that can continuously monitor sweat rates and sweat electrolyte concentrations for potential application to a healthcare device

Wearable Microfluidic Sensor for the Simultaneous and Continuous Monitoring of Local Sweat Rates and Electrolyte Concentrations

Temperature elevation due to global warming increases the risks of dehydration, which can induce heat-related illness. Proper rehydration with appropriate amounts of water and electrolytes is essential to aid body fluid homeostasis. Wearable sweat sensors which can monitor both the sweat rate and sweat electrolyte concentration may be an effective tool for determining appropriate rehydration. Here, we developed a novel potentially wearable sensor that can monitor both the local sweat rate and sweat electrolyte concentration continuously. The new device includes a system with a short microfluidic pathway that guides the sweat appearing on the skin to a small space in the device to form a quantifiable droplet. The sweat rate is assessed from the time for the droplet to appear and droplet volume, while an integrated electric sensor detects the sodium chloride concentration in each sweat droplet. We demonstrated that this new device could record both the flow rates of artificial sweat and its sodium chloride concentration in ranges of human sweating with an accuracy within ±10%. This is equivalent to the accuracy of commercially available sweat rate meters and sweat ion sensors. The present study provides a new perspective for the design of wearable sensors that can continuously monitor sweat rates and sweat electrolyte concentrations for potential application to a healthcare device

Validation of Wearable Device Consisting of a Smart Shirt with Built-In Bioelectrodes and a Wireless Transmitter for Heart Rate Monitoring in Light to Moderate Physical Work

Real-time monitoring of heart rate is useful for monitoring workers. Wearable heart rate monitors worn on the upper body are less susceptible to artefacts caused by arm and wrist movements than popular wristband-type sensors using the photoplethysmography method. Therefore, they are considered suitable for stable and accurate measurement for various movements. In this study, we conducted an experiment to verify the accuracy of our developed and commercially available wearable heart rate monitor consisting of a smart shirt with bioelectrodes and a transmitter, assuming a real-world work environment with physical loads. An exercise protocol was designed to light to moderate intensity according to international standards because no standard exercise protocol for the validation simulating these works has been reported. This protocol includes worker-specific movements such as applying external vibration and lifting and lowering loads. In the experiment, we simultaneously measured the instantaneous heart rate with the above wearable device and a Holter monitor as a reference to evaluate mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). The MAPE was 0.92% or less for all exercise protocols conducted. This value indicates that the accuracy of the wearable device is high enough for use in real-world cases of physical load in light to moderate intensity tasks such as those in our experimental protocol. In addition, the experimental protocol and measurement data devised in this study can be used as a benchmark for other wearable heart rate monitors for use for similar purposes