Segmentation of Intensity Inhomogeneous Brain MR Images Using Active Contours

Segmentation of intensity inhomogeneous regions is a well-known problem in image analysis applications. This paper presents a region-based active contour method for image segmentation, which properly works in the context of intensity inhomogeneity problem. The proposed region-based active contour method embeds both region and gradient information unlike traditional methods. It contains mainly two terms, area and length, in which the area term practices a new region-based signed pressure force (SPF) function, which utilizes mean values from a certain neighborhood using the local binary fitted (LBF) energy model. In turn, the length term uses gradient information. The novelty of our method is to locally compute new SPF function, which uses local mean values and is able to detect boundaries of the homogenous regions. Finally, a truncated Gaussian kernel is used to regularize the level set function, which not only regularizes it but also removes the need of computationally expensive reinitialization. The proposed method targets the segmentation problem of intensity inhomogeneous images and reduces the time complexity among locally computed active contour methods. The experimental results show that the proposed method yields better segmentation result as well as less time complexity compared with the state-of-the-art active contour methods

Unleashing the full potential of Hsp90 inhibitors as cancer therapeutics through simultaneous inactivation of Hsp90, Grp94, and TRAP1

Cancer therapeutics: Extending a drug's reach A new drug that blocks heat shock proteins (HSPs), helper proteins that are co-opted by cancer cells to promote tumor growth, shows promise for cancer treatment. Several drugs have targeted HSPs, since cancer cells are known to hijack these helper proteins to shield themselves from destruction by the body. However, the drugs have had limited success. Hye-Kyung Park and Byoung Heon Kang at Ulsan National Institutes of Science and Technology in South Korea and coworkers noticed that the drugs were not absorbed into mitochondria, a key cellular compartment, and HSPs in this compartment were therefore not being blocked. They identified a new HSP inhibitor that can reach every cellular compartment and inhibit all HSPs. Testing in mice showed that this inhibitor effectively triggered death of tumor cells, and therefore shows promise for anti-cancer therapy. The Hsp90 family proteins Hsp90, Grp94, and TRAP1 are present in the cell cytoplasm, endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria, respectively; all play important roles in tumorigenesis by regulating protein homeostasis in response to stress. Thus, simultaneous inhibition of all Hsp90 paralogs is a reasonable strategy for cancer therapy. However, since the existing pan-Hsp90 inhibitor does not accumulate in mitochondria, the potential anticancer activity of pan-Hsp90 inhibition has not yet been fully examined in vivo. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas database revealed that all Hsp90 paralogs were upregulated in prostate cancer. Inactivation of all Hsp90 paralogs induced mitochondrial dysfunction, increased cytosolic calcium, and activated calcineurin. Active calcineurin blocked prosurvival heat shock responses upon Hsp90 inhibition by preventing nuclear translocation of HSF1. The purine scaffold derivative DN401 inhibited all Hsp90 paralogs simultaneously and showed stronger anticancer activity than other Hsp90 inhibitors. Pan-Hsp90 inhibition increased cytotoxicity and suppressed mechanisms that protect cancer cells, suggesting that it is a feasible strategy for the development of potent anticancer drugs. The mitochondria-permeable drug DN401 is a newly identified in vivo pan-Hsp90 inhibitor with potent anticancer activity

Development of oriented strand board from acacia wood (Acacia mangium willd): effect of pretreatment of strand and adhesive content on the physical and mechanical properties of OSB.

Acacia wood (Acacia mangium Willd.) is the most popular fast growing tree species planted in timber estate in Indonesia and is considered to be very valuable raw materials for structural composite products. The objective of the research was to evaluate the propet1ies of OSB prepared from A. Mangium wood with or without immersing the strands to hot water at 80°C for 2 hours. MDI adhesive was used in 3 levels i.e., 3%, 5%, and 7%. The moisture content of strand was 7%. The results indicated that immersing strands in hot water for 2 hours at 80°C prior to manufacture OSB improved significantly the mechanical properties (i.e., MOR and MOE) of OSB. The higher the adhesive content resulted in the better the dimensional stabilisation (i.e., water absorption and thickness swelling) and the mechanical properties (i.e., MOR, MOE and IB) of OSB. OSB prepared from hot-water immersed strands with 5% adhesive content has met all parameters requirement on the JIS A 5908 (2003) standard

Properties of oriented strand board made from Betung bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper (Schultes.f) Backer ex Heyne)

Bamboo has gained increasing attention as an alternative raw material for use in the manufacture of composite boards. Three-layer OSBs were made using Betung bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper (Schultes.f) Backer ex Heyne) strands to evaluate the effects of strand length and pre-treatment techniques on the physical, mechanical, and durability properties. Three different strand lengths, namely 50, 60, and 70 mm, were prepared. Prior to the manufacture into OSB, the strands were immersed in cold water for 24 h and in 6% acetic anhydrides solution for 48 h. The OSBs were fabricated using 5% MDI resin based on the strand dry weight. The results indicated that MOR and MOE values in perpendicular to the grain direction were much influenced by strand length. The dimensional stability of OSB was slightly improved by immersing the strands in acetic anhydride solution. Immersing strands in cold water and acetic anhydride solution improved the resistance of OSB against subterranean termite (Macrotermes gylvus) attack under the adopted experimental condition. All OSB parameters manufactured in this experiment were better than the minimum requirement of CSA 0437.0 (Grade O–2) standard

Chuna (or Tuina) Manual Therapy for Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective. To review the literature and systematically evaluate the effectiveness of Chuna (or Tuina) manual therapy (C[T]MT) on pain and function for musculoskeletal disorders. Methods. We searched 15 English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean databases using relevant keywords. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of C(T)MT for musculoskeletal disorders were considered, and we limited analyses to studies with a low-risk bias for randomization and/or allocation concealment. Results. Sixty-six RCTs with 6,170 participants were included. One sham-controlled RCT showed that C(T)MT relieved pain more effectively than a sham control (SMD -3.09 [-3.59, -2.59]). For active-controlled RCTs, pooled meta-analysis showed that C(T)MT had statistically significant effects on pain reduction, especially compared to traction (P<0.00001), drugs (P=0.04), and physical therapies (P<0.0001). For functional improvement, combined effects of C(T)MT with drugs (P=0.04) and traction (P=0.05) also showed similar positive effects. Conclusions. This systematic review suggests that C(T)MT is safe and effective for pain reduction and functional improvement for musculoskeletal diseases; however, the evidence for functional improvement was not as strong as for pain reduction. For future studies, high-quality RCTs such as sham-controlled studies with standardized interventions are needed to provide sufficient evidence on the effects of C(T)MT for musculoskeletal diseases. Protocol registration number is CRD42016038307 04/07/2016

Chirality control of inorganic materials and metals by peptides or amino acids

Chirality exists everywhere in nature and may be one of the most important features in biological systems. The chirality of amino acid molecules is transferred to the peptide sequences, determining the secondary and further three-dimensional structures. As a result, even the macroscopic chirality observed in many living features can be controlled by the peptide sequence. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that achiral inorganic materials and metals, according to the crystallographic point group, can develop chiral morphologies that are precisely controlled by the amino acids and peptides. As a result, strong chiral optical responses can be generated even at visible wavelengths. In this review, we have highlighted recent pioneering examples to show the enantioselective interactions between inorganic materials/metals and amino acids/peptides and discussed the underlying mechanisms.Y

Active Contours Using Additive Local and Global Intensity Fitting Models for Intensity Inhomogeneous Image Segmentation

This paper introduces an improved region based active contour method with a level set formulation. The proposed energy functional integrates both local and global intensity fitting terms in an additive formulation. Local intensity fitting term influences local force to pull the contour and confine it to object boundaries. In turn, the global intensity fitting term drives the movement of contour at a distance from the object boundaries. The global intensity term is based on the global division algorithm, which can better capture intensity information of an image than Chan-Vese (CV) model. Both local and global terms are mutually assimilated to construct an energy function based on a level set formulation to segment images with intensity inhomogeneity. Experimental results show that the proposed method performs better both qualitatively and quantitatively compared to other state-of-the-art-methods

The complex of miRNA2861 and cell-penetrating, dimeric α-helical peptide accelerates the osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells

Abstract Background The restoration of the functional ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) using epigenetic modification is very promising for patients with weak osteogenesis ability. This study focused on the acceleration of osteogenesis from MSCs using microRNA (miRNA)2861 and a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP), LK. Methods We performed MSCs penetration test of complex between the LK peptides and miRNA 2861. Three different experiments were performed to investigate the effects of miRNA 2861 on osteogenic differentiation in MSCs: 1) intensity of alizarin red staining, which reflects the status of mineralization by osteoblasts; 2) gene expression related to osteoblast differentiation; and 3) confirmation of corresponding protein translation for comparison with RNA expression levels. Results We found that cLK effectively delivered miRNA 2861 into the cytoplasm of human MSCs and accelerated osteogenic differentiation from MSCs, as well as mineralization. Conclusion The complex of miRNA 2861 with LK may have a positive effect on the osteogenic differentiation from MSCs and mineralization. Therapies using miRNAs combined with LK may be good candidates for the augmentation of osteogenesis in patients

Bioresorbable silicon electronics for transient spatiotemporal mapping of electrical activity from the cerebral cortex.

Bioresorbable silicon electronics technology offers unprecedented opportunities to deploy advanced implantable monitoring systems that eliminate risks, cost and discomfort associated with surgical extraction. Applications include postoperative monitoring and transient physiologic recording after percutaneous or minimally invasive placement of vascular, cardiac, orthopaedic, neural or other devices. We present an embodiment of these materials in both passive and actively addressed arrays of bioresorbable silicon electrodes with multiplexing capabilities, which record in vivo electrophysiological signals from the cortical surface and the subgaleal space. The devices detect normal physiologic and epileptiform activity, both in acute and chronic recordings. Comparative studies show sensor performance comparable to standard clinical systems and reduced tissue reactivity relative to conventional clinical electrocorticography (ECoG) electrodes. This technology offers general applicability in neural interfaces, with additional potential utility in treatment of disorders where transient monitoring and modulation of physiologic function, implant integrity and tissue recovery or regeneration are required

Imaging inflammation using an activated macrophage probe with Slc18b1 as the activation-selective gating target

Activated macrophages have the potential to be ideal targets for imaging inflammation. However, probe selectivity over non-activated macrophages and probe delivery to target tissue have been challenging. Here, we report a small molecule probe specific for activated macrophages, called CDg16, and demonstrate its application to visualizing inflammatory atherosclerotic plaques in vivo. Through a systematic transporter screen using a CRISPR activation library, we identify the orphan transporter Slc18b1/SLC18B1 as the gating target of CDg16.