Understanding Chat Messages for Sticker Recommendation in Messaging Apps

Stickers are popularly used in messaging apps such as Hike to visually express a nuanced range of thoughts and utterances to convey exaggerated emotions. However, discovering the right sticker from a large and ever expanding pool of stickers while chatting can be cumbersome. In this paper, we describe a system for recommending stickers in real time as the user is typing based on the context of the conversation. We decompose the sticker recommendation (SR) problem into two steps. First, we predict the message that the user is likely to send in the chat. Second, we substitute the predicted message with an appropriate sticker. Majority of Hike's messages are in the form of text which is transliterated from users' native language to the Roman script. This leads to numerous orthographic variations of the same message and makes accurate message prediction challenging. To address this issue, we learn dense representations of chat messages employing character level convolution network in an unsupervised manner. We use them to cluster the messages that have the same meaning. In the subsequent steps, we predict the message cluster instead of the message. Our approach does not depend on human labelled data (except for validation), leading to fully automatic updation and tuning pipeline for the underlying models. We also propose a novel hybrid message prediction model, which can run with low latency on low-end phones that have severe computational limitations. Our described system has been deployed for more than $6$ months and is being used by millions of users along with hundreds of thousands of expressive stickers

Retrograde intra-vesical reconstructive surgery (RIVRS): A novel technique

Management of distal ureter by en block resection during radical nephrectomy for upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is considered as standard of care. In this report, we describe our technique for management of lower ureter which utilizes both the endoscopic and laparoscopic approach. The nephrectomy including the dissection of the lower ureter was completed laproscopically. The ureteral orifice was scored using a hook passed through a 24 Fr nephroscope and secured .Transurethral suturing of the defect with SewRight SR5 device passed through the working channel of the 24 Fr nephroscope was done. Our report highlights the fact that management of lower ureter in TCC pelvis can be done endoscopically/laproscopically without compromising the oncological principles. Our novel technique demonstrates feasibility of intra mural resection of the ureter and primary closure of the bladder endoscopically

Pathological outcomes and biochemical recurrence-free survival after radical prostatectomy for high-risk prostate cancer in the Indian population

Introduction: We analyzed the biochemical recurrence-free survival (BRFS) of patients with high-risk prostate cancer (HRCaP) as per the D'Amico classification undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) at our center. We aimed to determine whether the number and type of risk factors (cT2c-T3b, prostate-specific antigen >20 ng/ml, Gleason score >7) are associated with biochemical recurrence (BCR) in HRCaP patients undergoing RP in the Indian population. Methods: Between 2006 and 2017, 192 patients underwent RP (open RP [ORP], laparoscopic RP [LRP], and robotic RP [RRP]) at our center, of which 109 had D'Amico HR disease. Preoperative, postoperative, and pathological outcome data were analyzed for patients with HR disease as per the D'Amico classification. Subgroups were formed to determine whether an increasing number of risk factors (1, 2, or 3) were associated with poorer oncological results and early BCR. The Kaplan–Meier method with log-rank test was used to test the difference in BRFS between the groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were done to find significant variable against BCR. Results: According to the D'Amico criteria, 109 patients had HR, 63 patients had intermediate-risk, and 19 patients had low-risk disease. These 109 patients with HR disease were analyzed in our study (50 RRP, 33 ORP, and 26 LRP). A total of 59 (54.1%) patients had one HR factor (1HR), 44 (40%) had two HR factors (2HR), and 6 (5.5%) had three HR factors (3HR). The mean follow-up for our patient population was 21.5 ± 19 months (median 18 months; range, 0–108). Overall, the 2-year and 5-year BRFS was 45% and 35%, respectively (mean BRFS 46 ± 6 months). Two-year BRFS was 63%, 23%, and 22%, respectively, for 1HR, 2HR, and 3HR (logrank, P < 0.0001). The prognostic substratification based on the three risk factors was significantly predictive for adverse pathologic features and oncologic outcomes. Conclusion: Substratification based on the three well-defined criteria leads to a better identification of the more aggressive cancers and prediction of need for additional treatment modalities. Localized HRCaP includes a heterogeneous population of patients with variable oncological outcomes