The accurate segmentation of breast ultrasound images is an important precondition for the lesion determination. The existing segmentation approaches embrace massive parameters, sluggish inference speed, and huge memory consumption. To tackle this problem, we propose T ²KD Attention U-Net (dual-Teacher Knowledge Distillation Attention U-Net), a lightweight semantic segmentation method combined double-path joint distillation in breast ultrasound images. Primarily, we designed two teacher models to learn the fine-grained features from each class of images according to different feature representation and semantic information of benign and malignant breast lesions. Then we leveraged the joint distillation to train a lightweight student model. Finally, we constructed a novel weight balance loss to focus on the semantic feature of small objection, solving the unbalance problem of tumor and background. Specifically, the extensive experiments conducted on Dataset BUSI and Dataset B demonstrated that the T ²KD Attention U-Net outperformed various knowledge distillation counterparts. Concretely, the accuracy, recall, precision, Dice, and mIoU of proposed method were 95.26%, 86.23%, 85.09%, 83.59%and 77.78% on Dataset BUSI, respectively. And these performance indexes were 97.95%, 92.80%, 88.33%, 88.40% and 82.42% on Dataset B, respectively. Compared with other models, the performance of this model was significantly improved. Meanwhile, compared with the teacher model, the number, size, and complexity of student model were significantly reduced (2.2×10 ⁶ vs. 106.1×10 ⁶, 8.4 MB vs. 414 MB, 16.59 GFLOPs vs. 205.98 GFLOPs, respectively). Indeedy, the proposed model guarantees the performances while greatly decreasing the amount of computation, which provides a new method for the deployment of clinical medical scenarios.
Humans ; Breast Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Female ; Ultrasonography, Mammary/methods* ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods* ; Algorithms ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Breast/diagnostic imaging*

Objective : To establish a PTEN gene-downregulated ASD juvenile rat model (VPA-ADV) through combined application of valproic acid (VPA) and PTEN adenovirus (ADV),then to compare the newly constructed animal model with two traditional autistic animal models of VPA and AD,and ultimately to prove the advantages of this model in animal model establishment of acupuncture treatment for ASD. Methods : Wista rats at 12.5 days of gestation were randomly divided into 2 groups.VPA rats were given 600 mg/kg of normal saline (NS) intraperitoneally.Weight,eye opening time and tail deformity were recorded.The newborn mice in NS group were randomly divided into three groups (10 rats in each group):normal (NS) group,virus (ADV) group and virus-negative control (ADV-NC) group;VPA group (20 young rats) was randomly divided into 2 groups (10 rats in each group):valproic acid (VPA) group and valproic acid-binding virus interference (VPA+ADV) group.The body weight,tail length,curved tail,geotaxis text time and skeletal deformity of 5 groups of young rats after birth,the neurobehavioral behavior of 21-day-old rats,and the myelin structure of brain tissue under electron microscope were observed,the expression levels of PTEN,PI3K,AKT,GSK3β and MBP were detected by immunohistochemistry,Western blot and q-PCR. Results: Compared with the NS group,the VPA group had significantly increased malformation rate,slow weight gain,slow tail length growth,and long negative geotaxis reflex time (P<0.05).Compared with the NS group,the weight gain,tail length growth and negative geotaxis reflex time of the three model groups were slower (P<0.05),and the performance of VPA+ADV model was the most significant.There were significant differences in the time of crossing the central grid,the number of crossing the edge grid,and the time of crossing the edge grid in the open field test between the three groups and the NS group (P<0.05).In the selfgrooming experiment,the number of interactions in VPA-ADV model was the least (P<0.05),and the number of digging and self-grooming was the most (P<0.05).In the three-box social experiment,VPA-ADV model had the shortest average number of entries into the social box and the shortest residence time (P<0.05),the time of finding the platform in the water maze experiment was the longest,and the number of times crossing the third quadrant was the least (P<0.05).The structure of the myelin sheath layer in the corpus callosum was observed by transmission electron microscopy.The structure of the NS group was clear and complete.Compared with the NS group,the myelin structure of the ADV-NC group was similar,and the myelin structure of the three model groups was stratified and broken,and there were pathological changes and myelin damage in the ASD.Among them,the myelin sheath of the VPA-ADV model was thickened,stratified,and severe visible disintegration.The results of immunohistochemistry,Western blot and q-PCR showed that the expression of PTEN in VPA+ADV model was down-regulated by about 50%,which was the most obvious.The expression of AKT and MBP increased,and the expression of GSK3β decreased (P<0.05).However,the results of q-PCR showed that the expression of PI3K-mRNA in the three model groups significantly increased (P<0.05),and the change of VPA+ADV model was the most significant. Conclusion The novel PTEN-ASD animal model established by VPA+ADV method is observed to have significant pathological changes that are typical of the manifestation of ASD myelin dysplasia and is determined to have better results than the two traditional autistic animal models.

Background::A phase II trial on recombinant human tenecteplase tissue-type plasminogen activator (rhTNK-tPA) has previously shown its preliminary efficacy in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. This study was designed as a pivotal postmarketing trial to compare its efficacy and safety with rrecombinant human tissue-type plasminogen activator alteplase (rt-PA) in Chinese patients with STEMI.Methods::In this multicenter, randomized, open-label, non-inferiority trial, patients with acute STEMI were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive an intravenous bolus of 16 mg rhTNK-tPA or an intravenous bolus of 8 mg rt-PA followed by an infusion of 42 mg in 90 min. The primary endpoint was recanalization defined by thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade 2 or 3. The secondary endpoint was clinically justified recanalization. Other endpoints included 30-day major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) and safety endpoints.Results::From July 2016 to September 2019, 767 eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive rhTNK-tPA ( n = 384) or rt-PA ( n = 383). Among them, 369 patients had coronary angiography data on TIMI flow, and 711 patients had data on clinically justified recanalization. Both used a –15% difference as the non-inferiority efficacy margin. In comparison to rt-PA, both the proportion of patients with TIMI grade 2 or 3 flow (78.3% [148/189] vs. 81.7% [147/180]; differences: –3.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: –11.5%, 4.8%) and clinically justified recanalization (85.4% [305/357] vs. 85.9% [304/354]; difference: –0.5%; 95% CI: –5.6%, 4.7%) in the rhTNK-tPA group were non-inferior. The occurrence of 30-day MACCEs (10.2% [39/384] vs. 11.0% [42/383]; hazard ratio: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.61, 1.50) did not differ significantly between groups. No safety outcomes significantly differed between groups. Conclusion::rhTNK-tPA was non-inferior to rt-PA in the effect of improving recanalization of the infarct-related artery, a validated surrogate of clinical outcomes, among Chinese patients with acute STEMI.Trial registration::www.ClinicalTrials.gov (No. NCT02835534).

Aim To investigate the mechanism of Sophorae tonkinensis radix et rhizome (ST) induced nephrotoxicity based on network toxicology and experimental verification. Methods Through network toxicology the target of toxic components of ST was predicted, nephrotoxicity-related target genes were located, the intersection of targets was taken, the STRING platform was imported to map the target protein interactions, MetaScape database was used for GO and KEGG analysis, BioGPS database for screening the key expressed genes in rat nephrotoxicity and the component-target-pathway network was constructed. The mechanism of ST induced nephrotoxicity was verified through animal experiments, and qRT-PCR was applied to detect mRNA expression level of key genes in kidney tissue. Results Twenty toxic components of ST were screened from network toxicology, mainly including matrine, sophoridine, maackiain. A total of 135 targets were involved, and HSP90AA1, SRC, MAPK1, MAPK3, AKT1 were the main targets. A total of 169 related signaling pathways were yielded by KEGG analysis, and the mechanism of nephrotoxicity might be related to cancer pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway. PPARA, RAF1, MAP2K1, SRC, AKT1 and MAPK3 were screened from BioGPS database. The results of animal experiments showed that BUN and SCr level increased (P <0. 01) in rats with high-dose group, and the kidney tissue was significantly damaged. qRT-PCR results indicated that the expression of PPARA, RAF1, MAP2K1, MAPK3 mRNA increased, the expression of AKT1 mRNA decreased in the high-dose group of ST (P <0. 05). Conclusions The mechanism of Sophorae tonkinensis radix et rhizome induced nephrotoxicity is found to be related to the combined action of multiple components, multiple targets and multiple pathways, which also provides a theoretical basis for the in-depth exploration of the toxicology.

Hepatitis B virus infection is a serious threat to human life and health. The approved anti-HBV drugs including interferons and nucleos(t)ide analogues have serious adverse effect, rebound phenomena after drug withdrawal, and drug resistance. And the cccDNA cannot be completely eliminated by both of them, which is the reason why a complete cure for hepatitis B cannot be achieved. Therefore, developing anti-HBV drugs directly targeting protein or nucleic acid of HBV remains a current public health priority. Based on the analysis of representative literature from the last decade, this article reviews recent developments in small molecule inhibitors directly targeting HBV from a medicinal chemistry perspective.

To address the continuous emergence of drug-resistant strains of viruses and the outbreaks of novel virus infections, developing new antiviral drugs based on novel strategies has become an important and urgent research topic. In recent years, the rapidly developing multi-specific binding strategy has become a focus and been widely applied in antiviral. This review summarizes the recent progress of the multi-specific binding strategy in the antiviral field from the perspective of medicinal chemistry and discusses existing challenges as well as future opportunities for antiviral drug discovery.

Objective:To investigate Helicobactor pylori (H. pylori) infection status and interfamilial transmission pattern in Zhengzhou area. Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2020 to march 2021, among 731 individual from 266 families randomly selected from 9 communities of Zhengzhou area. H. pylori infection status was determined by serum antibody tests, and 13C-urea breath test was performed in the previously eradicated population to clarify the current infection status. The individual and familial infection rate, infection status for couples and children and adolescent were analyzed. Results:Among 731 individuals from 266 families, 397 of them were H. pylori positive. The individual infection rate was 54.31% (397/731); among infected individuals 77.83% (307/397) were infected with type Ⅰ strain, 22.67% (90/397) were infected by type Ⅱ strain. Annual household income ( χ2=0.419, 0.410, 0.213, all P>0.05), smoking history (χ 2=0.071, P>0.05), drinking history ( χ2=0.071, P>0.05), dining place ( χ2=0.009, P>0.05), gastrointestinal symptoms ( χ2=0.047, P>0.05), family history of gastric disease ( χ2=0.069, P>0.05), and history of gastric cancer ( χ2=0.004, P>0.05) had no significant differences between H. pylori-positive and -negative groups, but the infection rate in individuals with higher education level was lower ( χ2=4.449, P<0.05). The infection rate was significantly higher in≥18 age groups compared with<18 age groups ( χ2=6.531, 23.362, 20.671, 24.244, 37.948, 14.597 and 5.170, all P<0.05). The familial H. pylori infection rate was 87.59% (233/266), and in 61 families all member were infected (26.18%, 61/233). The positive rate was 23.08% (6/26) in 50 families with children under 18 years when both parents were infected. Among 231 coupled families, both couples were infected in 78 families (33.76%), one couple was infected in 113 families (48.92%), and both couples were not infected in 40 (17.32%). With the increase of marriage time, the infection rate of both spouses increased significantly ( χ2=7.775, 12.662, 15.487, all P<0.05). Conclusions:The distribution of H. pylori infection presents a family cluster pattern, and intrafamilial infection is an important transmission rout of H. pylori. The type I strain of H. pylori is the dominate strain in this area.

Cytochrome P450 family 3 subfamily A(CYP3A),a major member of cytochrome P450(CYP)family,is one of the most important drug metabolizing enzymes in human.CYP3A includes 4 gene subtypes(CYP3A4,CYP3A5,CYP3A7,and CYP3A43),which is involved in 60%of drug metabolism in the human.It is not only widely distributed in normal tissues,but also significantly overexpressed in various tumor tissues.Recently,CYP3A has attracted great attention due to its involvement in the progression from chronic atrophic gastritis to gastric cancer,as well as the differential metabolism and resistance of chemotherapeutic drugs.Targeting CYP3A gene mediated-prodrug provides new ideas for the treatment of gastric cancer and is expected to become a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer.

The growth of solid tumors rely on angiogenesis to establish blood supply, and inducing neovascularization is a necessary condition for the growth of solid tumors. Anti-angiogenic therapies have been developed for tumors based on this theory. Although liver cancer is considered as a highly angiogenic tumor, the effectiveness of these drugs in anti-angiogenic therapies on liver cancer has not met expectations. In recent years, vessel co-option, as a long-standing but overlooked mechanism of vascularization of non-angiogenic tumors, has gradually attracted attention. Tumor tissue can promote its own growth by "hijacking" existing blood vessels in the para-carcinoma tissue instead of inducing angiogenesis, known as vessel co-option or vascular hijacking. Vessel co-option has been observed in a variety of tumors, both primary and metastatic, and is believed to be a key mechanism of anti-angiogenic resistance. The authors systematically examine the evidence, clinical prognosis, and molecular mechanisms of vessel co-option in liver cancer, and discuss its potential role in anti-angiogenic therapeutic resistance and alternative anti-tumor strategies for liver cancer.

Virus infection is a serious threat to human health and social development. The increase in pandemics caused by emerging and re-emerging viruses highlights the urgent need for broad-spectrum antivirals. In this perspective, we highlight recent case studies and summarize the universal strategies and methodologies in broad-spectrum antiviral drug discovery from common targets, common steps in viral life cycle, universal strategies, and broad-spectrum molecules, hoping to provide valuable guidance for the current and future development of antiviral drugs.