The topologically-adaptable model is an effective method for the contour detection of multiple objects on an image. However, it meets many problems when we apply it to MR brain images, such as poor convergence to boundary concavities, resulting from the broken boundary, and miserable anti-noise ability. In this paper, we proposes a new algorithm, named multi-target extraction algorithm based on edge restriction and attraction field regularization, to overcome these shortcomings. This new algorithm uses prior knowledge about target to perform edge restriction to get the only edge of the object of interest and to regularize attraction field to enlarge attraction field. Results show that the new algorithm can extract the target contour quickly and accurately when we apply it in MR brain images.
Algorithms ; Artificial Intelligence ; Brain ; anatomy & histology ; Humans ; Image Enhancement ; methods ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Information Storage and Retrieval ; methods ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Models, Theoretical

This paper presents a new deformable model using both population-based and patient-specific shape statistics to segment lung fields from serial chest radiographs. First, a modified scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) local descriptor is used to characterize the image features in the vicinity of each pixel, so that the deformable model deforms in a way that seeks for the region with similar SIFT local descriptors; second, the deformable model is constrained by both population-based and patient-specific shape statistics. At first, population-based shape statistics plays an leading role when the number of serial images is small, and gradually, patient-specific shape statistics plays a more and more important role after a sufficient number of segmentation results on the same patient have been obtained. The proposed deformable model can adapt to the shape variability of different patients, and obtain more robust and accurate segmentation results.
Algorithms ; Artificial Intelligence ; Computer Simulation ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Humans ; Lung ; diagnostic imaging ; Lung Diseases ; diagnosis ; Models, Statistical ; Pattern Recognition, Automated ; methods ; Radiographic Image Enhancement ; methods ; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Radiography, Thoracic ; methods ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Blood Cell Count ; Bone Marrow Cells ; metabolism ; Child ; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation ; Cytokines ; therapeutic use ; Histocompatibility Testing ; Humans ; Male ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes ; blood ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical effect of umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) in children with hematologic malignancies.

METHODSA retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 37 pediatric patients with hematologic malignancies that consisted of 14 cases of acute lymphocyte leukemia, 9 cases of acute myeloid leukemia, 5 cases of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, 3 cases of chronic myeloid leukemia, 2 cases of acute mixed leukemia, 3 cases of myelodysplastic syndrome, and 1 case of lymphosarcomatous leukemia. Thirty-seven children with hematologic malignancies received UCBT from unrelated donors (34 cases) and related donors (3 cases). Grafts were 6/6 HLA-matched in 5 cases, 5/6 HLA-matched in 12 cases, 4/6 HLA-matched in 11 cases, and 3/6 HLA-matched in 9 cases. Before transplantation, these patients received rabbit antithymocyte globulin-containing conditioning regimen. The myeloablative conditioning regimen was given in 36 cases and the reduced-intensity conditioning regimen in one case. The median age of transplantation was 5.7 years, and the median weight was 20 kg. The grafts that contained a median of 6.2×10(7) total nucleated cells (TNC)/kg and 2.7×10(5) CD34(+) cells/kg were infused.

RESULTSThe median times to neutrophil engraftment and platelet engraftment were 12 days and 25 days, respectively, and the rates of neutrophil engraftment and platelet engraftment were 95% and 78%, respectively. The rate of neutrophil engraftment was positively correlated with the number of CD34(+) cells (P=0.011), while the rate of platelet engraftment was correlated with the numbers of CD34(+) cells and TNC (P=0.001; P=0.014). The incidence rates of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease were 49% and 11%, respectively. The median follow-up was 54 months. The 5-year transplant-related mortality, overall survival, and disease-free survival were 27%, 57.4% and 41%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSUCBT is an alternative source of hematopoietic stem cells for patients with hematologic malignancies.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Graft vs Host Disease ; epidemiology ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; mortality ; therapy ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Retrospective Studies

Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Graft vs Host Disease ; etiology ; Histocompatibility Testing ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Osteopetrosis ; etiology ; therapy ; Transplantation, Homologous

Objective To analyze the distribution and antimicrobial resistance of pathogens from wounds of burned patients,providing reference for the rational use of antimicrobial agents and healthcare-associated infection(HAI)prevention and control.Methods Clinical data of burned patients admitted to a tertiary first-class hospital from Ja-nuary 2020 to December 2022 were analyzed retrospectively,pathogens in the wound was cultured,identified,and performed antimicrobial susceptibility analysis.Results From 2020 to 2022,a total of 588 burned patients were ad-mitted,734 strains of pathogens were detected,including 415 strains(56.54％)of Gram-negative bacteria,306 strains(41.69％)of Gram-positive bacteria,and 13(1.77％)strains of fungi.The top 5 pathogens were Staphy-lococcus aureus,Escherichia coli,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Klebsiella pneumoniae,and Enterobacter cloacae.Staphylococcus aureus had higher resistance rates(93.02％-97.37％)to penicillin G,resistance rate to oxacillin increased from 11.63％to 21.92％.Pseudomonas aeruginosa mainly exhibited resistance to ticarcillin/clavulanic acid,aztreonam,and levofloxacin,resistance rates to imipenem and meropenem were 15.00％-38.10％and 10.00％-33.33％,respectively.Susceptibility of Enterobacterales bacteria to cephalosporins enhanced with the increased of cephalosporin generations,and exhibited higher resistance to commonly used antimicrobial agents.Conclusion Over the past three years,there has been no significant change in the detection of major pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in wounds of burned patients in this hospital.Antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus aureus and En-terobacterales is relatively severe,and it is necessary to carry out surveillance on pathogens from burn wounds in corresponding areas.

OBJECTIVETo seek differentially expressed serum proteins in recovered SARS patients complicating avascular necrosis of femoral head (AVNFH).

METHODS2-DE and MALDI-TOF MS were used to study the comparative serum proteomics among female SARS AVNFH group, female SARS non-AVNFH group and female healthy group. ELISA method was used to detect serum amyloid P component in individual serum; specificity and sensitivity of serum amyloid P component were analyzed.

RESULTSAverage protein points on 2-DE of 3 groups were 632 +/- 28, 671 +/- 55, 688 +/- 42 respectively, and the matching rate of protein points was ranged from 85% to 95%; eighteen differentially expressed proteins were discovered including transthyretin, serpin peptidase inhibitor, alpha-1-antitrypsin precursor, serum amyloid P components, etc. Compared to healthy group and SARS non-AVNFH group, transthyretin, C4B3, fibrinogen gamma, apolipoprotein L, apolipoprotein A-IV precursor, albumin and prealbumin showed lower expression, inversely serpin peptidase inhibitor, alpha-1-antitrypsin precursor and serum amyloid P components showed higher expression in serum in the SARS AVNFH necrosis group. The serum amyloid P component in 3 groups were 0.54 +/- 0.30 ng/ml, 0.83 +/- 0.39 ng/ml, 1.21 +/- 0.29 ng/ml respectively. The areas under the ROC curve on serum amyloid P component was 0.854, the specificity was 77.8% and the sensitivity was 85.2%.

CONCLUSIONThere were differentially expressed serum proteins in three groups. Serum amyloid P components might be one of the potential biomarkers in serum of recovered SARS patients complicating avascular necrosis of femoral head.

Adult ; Blood Proteins ; analysis ; Case-Control Studies ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Female ; Femur Head Necrosis ; blood ; etiology ; Humans ; Proteomics ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; blood ; complications ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of cluster needling at the scalp points on the expression of choline acetyl transferase (ChAT) and choline cholinesterase (AchE). METHODS: A total of 60 Wistar rats were randomized into a sham-operation group, a model group, a medication group and a cluster needling group, 15 rats in each one. In the model group, the medication group and the cluster needling group, the models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) were established by the orienteering injection with Aβ1-42 in the bilateral hippocampal CA1 in the rats. In the sham-operation group, the distilled water was injected in bilateral hippocampus of rats. In the medication group, the lavage with aricept was adopted for the basic treatment, once a day, for 4 weeks consecutively. In the cluster needling group, on the base of the treatment as the medication group, the cluster needling at the scalp points was adopted, once a day, 6 times a week, for 4 weeks totally. In the sham-operation group and the model group, the normal feeding was provided. After intervention, the learning and memory ability was measured with Morris water maze in the rats of each group. The changes in the hippocampal gross structure were observed with HE staining. The changes in the positive expressions of hippocampal ChAT and AchE were determined with the immunohistochemical method. RESULTS: Compared with the sham-operation group, the escape latency was prolonged and the percentage of the second quadrant and the frequency of platform leaping were reduced in the rats of the model group (all <0.01). Compared with the model group, the escape latency was shortened and the percentage of the second quadrant and the frequency of platform leaping were increased in the rats of the cluster needling group and the medication group (<0.05, <0.01). Compared with the medication group, the escape latency was shortened and the percentage of the second quadrant and the frequency of platform leaping were increased in the rats of the cluster needling group (all <0.05). Compared with the sham-operation group, the expression of ChAT was decreased and that of AchE increased in the model group (both <0.01). Compared with the model group, the difference was not significant in ChAT expression (>0.05) and the expression of AchE was reduced (<0.05) in the medication group; the expression of ChAT was increased (<0.05) and that of AchE decreased (<0.01) in the cluster needling group. Compared with the medication group, the expression of ChAT was increased and that of AchE decreased in the cluster needling group (both <0.05). CONCLUSION The effect mechanism of cluster needling at the scalp points on AD could be related to the up-regulation of ChAT expression and down-regulation of AchE expression in the hippocampus. The combined treatment with the cluster needling and aricept achieves the better therapeutic effect on AD.
Alzheimer Disease ; Animals ; Choline O-Acetyltransferase ; Hippocampus ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats, Wistar ; Scalp

OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of glucose metabolism disorders on the short-term prognosis in neonates with asphyxia. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of the neonates with asphyxia who were admitted to 52 hospitals in Hubei Province of China from January to December, 2018 and had blood glucose data within 12 hours after birth. Their blood glucose data at 1, 2, 6, and 12 hours after birth (with an allowable time error of 0.5 hour) were recorded. According to the presence or absence of brain injury and/or death during hospitalization, the neonates were divided into a poor prognosis group with 693 neonates and a good prognosis group with 779 neonates. The two groups were compared in the incidence of glucose metabolism disorders within 12 hours after birth and short-term prognosis. RESULTS: Compared with the good prognosis group, the poor prognosis group had a significantly higher proportion of neonates from secondary hospitals (48.5% vs 42.6%, CONCLUSIONS Recurrent hyperglycemia in neonates with asphyxia may suggest poor short-term prognosis, and it is necessary to strengthen the early monitoring and management of the nervous system in such neonates.
Asphyxia ; Asphyxia Neonatorum/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Infant, Newborn ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Osteosarcoma is a rare primary malignancy of bone that is prone to early metastasis. Resection surgery and chemotherapeutic regimens are current standard treatments for osteosarcoma. However, the long-term survival rate of patients with osteosarcoma is low due to a high risk of metastasis. Hence, a new approach is urgently needed to improve the treatment of osteosarcoma. Compared with chemotherapy, natural active constituents isolated from herbs exhibit less adverse effects and better anti-tumor effects. This study aimed to summarize the anticancer effects of constituents of herbs on the progression and metastasis of osteosarcoma cells. It showed that many constituents of herbs inhibited osteosarcoma by targeting proliferation, matrix metalloproteinases, integrin and cadherin, and angiogenesis. The findings might be beneficial for the development of new drugs and treatment strategies.