The processing mechanism of the human brain for speech information is a significant source of inspiration for the study of speech enhancement technology. Attention and lateral inhibition are key mechanisms in auditory information processing that can selectively enhance specific information. Building on this, the study introduces a dual-branch U-Net that integrates lateral inhibition and feedback-driven attention mechanisms. Noisy speech signals input into the first branch of the U-Net led to the selective feedback of time-frequency units with high confidence. The generated activation layer gradients, in conjunction with the lateral inhibition mechanism, were utilized to calculate attention maps. These maps were then concatenated to the second branch of the U-Net, directing the network's focus and achieving selective enhancement of auditory speech signals. The evaluation of the speech enhancement effect was conducted by utilising five metrics, including perceptual evaluation of speech quality. This method was compared horizontally with five other methods: Wiener, SEGAN, PHASEN, Demucs and GRN. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method improved speech signal enhancement capabilities in various noise scenarios by 18% to 21% compared to the baseline network across multiple performance metrics. This improvement was particularly notable in low signal-to-noise ratio conditions, where the proposed method exhibited a significant performance advantage over other methods. The speech enhancement technique based on lateral inhibition and feedback-driven attention mechanisms holds significant potential in auditory speech enhancement, making it suitable for clinical practices related to artificial cochleae and hearing aids.
Humans ; Attention/physiology* ; Speech Perception/physiology* ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Speech ; Noise ; Feedback

OBJECTIVES: Pyroptosis plays a critical role in tubulointerstitial lesions of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Annexin A2 (ANXA2) is involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and adhesion and may be closely related to DKD, but its specific mechanism remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the role and molecular mechanism of ANXA2 in high glucose-induced pyroptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells, providing new targets for DKD prevention and treatment. METHODS: Human renal tubular epithelial HK-2 cells were divided into a normal glucose group (5.5 mmol/L), a high glucose group (30.0 mmol/L), and a osmotic control group (24.5 mmol/L mannitol+5.5 mmol/L glucose). ANXA2 expression was modulated by overexpression of plasmids and small interfering RNA (siRNA). Cell proliferation was measured by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, apoptosis by flow cytometry, and ANXA2, p50, and p65 subcellular localization by immunofluorescence. Western blotting was employed to detect α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibronectin (FN), and collagen type IV (Col-IV). Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting were used to analyze nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) subunits p50/p65 and the pyroptosis pathway factors NLR family Pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), caspase-1, inferleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-18. Protein interactions between ANXA2 and p50/p65 were examined by co-immunoprecipitation, while chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and dual-luciferase reporter assays were used to examine NF-κB binding to the ANXA2 promoter. RESULTS: High glucose upregulated ANXA2 expression and promoted its nuclear translocation (P<0.01). High glucose reduced cell proliferation, increased apoptosis, and elevated α-SMA, FN, and Col-IV expression (all P<0.05); ANXA2 overexpression aggravated these effects (all P<0.05), while ANXA2 knockdown reversed them (all P<0.05). High glucose activated NF-κB and increased NLRP3, caspase-1, L-1β, and IL-18 mRNA and protein expression (all P<0.05); ANXA2 overexpression further enhanced this, whereas knockdown suppressed NF-κB activation and downstream factors (all P<0.05). Co-immunoprecipitation confirmed ANXA2 directly binds the NF-κB subunit p65. ChIP assays revealed p65 binds specifically to ANXA2 promoter regions (ChIP-2, ChIP-4, and ChIP-6), and luciferase activity in corresponding mutant constructs (M2, M4, and M6) was significantly increased versus controls (all P<0.05), confirming positive transcriptional regulation of ANXA2 by p65. CONCLUSIONS ANXA2 and NF-κB form a positive feedback loop that sustains NLRP3 inflammasome activation, promotes pyroptosis pathway activation, and aggravates high glucose-induced renal tubular epithelial cell injury. Targeting ANXA2 or blocking its interaction with p65 may be a novel strategy to slow DKD progression.
Humans ; Pyroptosis/drug effects* ; Annexin A2/physiology* ; Epithelial Cells/cytology* ; Kidney Tubules/cytology* ; Glucose/pharmacology* ; Diabetic Nephropathies/metabolism* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Transcription Factor RelA/metabolism* ; Feedback, Physiological

Thyroglobulin is the most important and abundant protein in thyroid follicles and has been widely studied as a tumor marker of thyroid cancer recurrence and persistence. Tg is considered the material basis of thyroid hormone synthesis and does not participate in the regulation of thyroid hormone synthesis and secretion. This review summarizes the recent progress in the research of thyroid hormone synthesis and secretion regulation via a negative feedback regulation mechanism by the thyroid-hypothalamus-pituitary axis. Thyroglobulin can negatively regulate the synthesis of thyroid hormone by thyroid follicular cells and antagonize the positive regulation of thyrotropin TSH. The function of thyroid follicular cells is presumably a result of Tg and TSH interaction, and a follicular cycle model is proposed to explain the causes of follicular heterogeneity in glands. We also discuss the prospects and clinical significance of studies into the negative feedback regulation mechanism of the thyroid-hypothalamus-pituitary axis and compare two theories for this mechanism.
Feedback, Physiological ; Humans ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; physiology ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Thyroglobulin ; metabolism ; Thyroid Gland ; physiology ; Thyroid Hormones ; metabolism ; Thyrotropin ; metabolism

Kisspeptins are a group of peptide fragments encoded by the KISS1 gene in humans. They bind to kisspeptin receptors with equal efficacy. Kisspeptins and their receptors are expressed by neurons in the arcuate and anteroventral periventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus. Oestrogen mediates negative feedback of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone secretion via the arcuate nucleus. Conversely, it exerts positive feedback via the anteroventral periventricular nucleus. The sexual dimorphism of these nuclei accounts for the differential behaviour of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis between genders. Kisspeptins are essential for reproductive function. Puberty is regulated by the maturation of kisspeptin neurons and by interactions between kisspeptins and leptin. Hence, kisspeptins have potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Kisspeptin agonists may be used to localise lesions in cases of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis dysfunction and evaluate the gonadotrophic potential of subfertile individuals. Kisspeptin antagonists may be useful as contraceptives in women, through the prevention of premature luteinisation during in vitro fertilisation, and in the treatment of sex steroid-dependent diseases and metastatic cancers.
Animals ; Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus ; metabolism ; Estrogens ; metabolism ; Feedback, Physiological ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; metabolism ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Kisspeptins ; physiology ; Male ; Mice ; Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Neurons ; metabolism ; Protein Binding ; Rats ; Reproduction ; Sex Factors ; Signal Transduction

To have a thorough understanding of the CPR quality based on patients' various physiological states, the doctors must do something to simulate the chest compression physiological feedback parameters (CCPFP). The CCPFP simulation plays an important role in raising efficiency of CPR training and improving chest compression quality. In this study, the CCPFP, including cardiac output (CO), coronary perfusion pressure (CPP), partial pressure of End-tidal CO2 (PETCO2) and mean arterial relaxation pressure (MARP), was simulated using Charles F. Babbs' Model. Simulation results showed that the effect of compression depth upon CCPFP was important in the range of 2-6 cm, whereas compression rate had little effect on the CCPFP higher than 100/min; the thoracic factor is inversely proportional to the CCPFP with fixed compression depth and compression rate. The CCPFP simulation can be implemented at the various physiological statuses, and verified well with the animal experimental results and the clinical results.
Blood Pressure ; physiology ; Carbon Dioxide ; blood ; Cardiac Output ; physiology ; Chest Wall Oscillation ; Computer Simulation ; Feedback, Physiological ; physiology ; Humans ; Models, Biological ; Partial Pressure

The ion channels located on the cell fine structures play an important role in the physiological functions of cell membrane. However, it is impossible to achieve precise positioning on the nanometer scale cellular microstructures by conventional patch-clamp technique, due to the 200 nm resolution limit of optical microscope. To solve this problem, we have established a high-resolution patch-clamp technique, which combined commercial scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) and patch-clamp recording through a nanopipette probe, based on SICM feedback control. MDCK cells were used as observation object to test the capability of the technique. Firstly, a feedback controlled SICM nanopipette (approximately 150 MOmega) non-contactly scanned over a selected area of living MDCK cells monolayer to obtain high-resolution topographic images of microvilli and tight-junction microstructures on the MDCK cells monolayer. Secondly, the same nanopipette was non-contactly moved and precisely positioned over the microvilli or tight-junction microstructure under SICM feedback control. Finally, the SICM feedback control was switched off, the nanopipette slowly contacted with the cell membrane to get a patch-clamp giga-ohm sealing in the cell-attached patch-clamp configuration, and then performed ion channel recording as a normal patch-clamp electrode. The ion channel recordings showed that ion channels of microvilli microstructure opened at pipette holding potential of -100, -60, -40, 0, +40, +60, +100 mV (n=11). However, the opening of ion channels of tight-junction microstructure was not detected at pipette holding potential of -100, -40, 0, +40, +100 mV (n=9). These results suggest that our high-resolution patch-clamp technique can achieve accurate nanopipette positioning and nanometer scale high-resolution patch-clamp recording, which may provide a powerful tool to study the spatial distribution and functions of ion channel in the nanometer scale microstructures of living biological samples.
Cell Membrane ; physiology ; Electrodes ; Feedback ; Ion Channels ; physiology ; Microscopy ; methods ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; methods

PURPOSE: Many studies have shown that subjects show a change of vocal fundamental frequency (F0) when phonating subjects hear their vocal pitch feedback shifted upward or downward. This study was performed to demonstrate whether vocal parameters [F0, intensity, jitter, shimmer, and noise to harmonic ratio (NHR)] in normal males respond to changes in frequency of pure tone masking. MATERIALS and METHODS: Twenty healthy male subjects participated in this study. Subjects vocalized /a/ vowel sounds while listening to a pitch- shift pure tone through headphones (upward pitch-shift in succession: 1kHz to 2kHz and 1kHz to 4kHz at 50dB or 80dB, respectively, downward pitch-shift in succession: 1kHz to 250Hz and 1kH to 500Hz at 50dB or 80dB, respectively). RESULTS: Vocal intensity, F0, was increased, whereas jitter was decreased as the pitch of pure tone was shifted upward. However, there was no correlation between shimmer and NHR with pitch-shift feedback for pure tones. Unlike vocal pitch- shift feedback in other studies, upward pitch-shift feedback of pure tones caused the vocal F0 and intensity to change in the same direction as pitch-shift. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrated that auditory kinesthetic feedback is affected by pitch-shift in pure tone.
Acoustic Stimulation ; Adult ; *Feedback ; Humans ; Male ; Pitch Perception/*physiology ; Voice/*physiology

Feedback is an important way of information transmission in motor function output. Movement-related information can be transmitted as proprioceptive, haptic, visual and/or audial information to the central nervous system for control and modification of the temporal and spatial precision of motor output. Here presented is a systematic discussion on the principle, technique and effect for some typical motor function rehabilitation methods such as treatment based on EMG feedback, robot-aided movement therapy, high-level perceptional feedback and motor training effect with 3-D virtual reality environment.
Feedback, Psychological ; Humans ; Motor Activity ; physiology ; Motor Skills Disorders ; etiology ; rehabilitation ; Stroke ; complications ; Stroke Rehabilitation ; Therapy, Computer-Assisted ; User-Computer Interface

It is necessary to control the mechanical stimuli precisely in the studies of cardiac mechano-electrical feedback (MEF). In the present study a ventricular pressure-clamping system has been developed, which can be applied to isolated-perfused rabbit hearts. Controlled by a computer, this system not only can make the left ventricle follow a command defining the same pressure wave as that during a beating cycle under physiological condition, but also deliver mechanical stimuli with a proper waveform to the ventricle at a particular time phase. This system integrates multiple functions, including perfusing, pacing, recording of electrocardiogram and monophasic action potentials, and clamping and measuring of ventricular pressures in isolated-perfused hearts. Thus, it is a distinct system for investigating the phenomena and mechanisms of cardiac MEF at organ level.
Action Potentials ; Animals ; Constriction ; Electrocardiography ; Feedback ; Heart ; physiology ; In Vitro Techniques ; Rabbits ; Ventricular Pressure

The physiological feedback regulation mechanism of the heart rate variation due to the blood pressure variation is studied. The continuous closed-loop mathematical model of the heart rate feedback regulation system is constructed. Numerical simulation is completed based on the above model. The simulation results demonstrate that the regulation system has the ability to constrain the fluctuation of the blood pressure to certain extent. The results are helpful for the pathological studies of some hypertensive diseases.
Blood Pressure ; physiology ; Computer Simulation ; Feedback, Physiological ; Heart Rate ; physiology ; Humans ; Mathematics ; Models, Cardiovascular