Despite significant achievements of deep learning in medical image segmentation,there are challenges for brain tumor segmentation using deep learning,such as insufficient receptive field,excessive redundant information,and information loss.To address these issues,a novel brain tumor segmentation network model(EAU-Net)is proposed based on encoder-decoder structure.EAU-Net incorporates an effective receptive field expansion block and an attention fusion module to minimize the adverse effects caused by insufficient receptive field and excessive redundant information which often occurred in the current brain tumor segmentation network.Additionally,a bottleneck resampling module based on inverted residual structure is introduced to effectively avoid information loss during upsampling and downsampling,while deep convolutions are used to reduce computational complexity.Experimental results on the BraTS2020 dataset reveal that EAU-Net achieves the highest segmentation accuracy,demonstrating its feasibility and effectiveness for brain tumor segmentation.

Objective:To analyze the monitoring results of skeletal fluorosis in coal-burning type endemic fluorosis areas in Guizhou Province, and evaluate the effectiveness of comprehensive treatment of coal-burning type endemic fluorosis in the affected areas.Methods:In 2009, 2014, and 2019, monitoring of skeletal fluorosis was carried out in six counties (cities, districts) of Renhuai City, Qixingguan District, Dafang County, Qianxi City, Puding County, and Pu'an County in Guizhou Province. Age stratification was conducted in each county (city, district) for permanent residents aged 25 and above, and survey subjects were selected for X-ray examination of skeletal fluorosis.Results:The detection rates of skeletal fluorosis in 2009, 2014, and 2019 were 51.48% (798/1 550), 34.88% (308/883), and 6.51% (60/922), respectively, showing a decreasing trend year by year (χ 2trend = 505.83, P < 0.001), decreased by 44.97 percentage points from 2009 to 2019. The age distribution of patients with skeletal fluorosis was mainly in the age group of 55 years and older, with annual proportions of 53.88% (430/798), 56.49% (174/308), and 78.33% (47/60), all higher than 50%. In 2009, 2014, and 2019, 483, 222 and 21 cases of mild skeletal fluorosis were detected, and 315, 86, and 39 cases of moderate to severe skeletal fluorosis were detected. There was a statistically significant difference in disease grading among different years(χ 2 = 32.63, P < 0.001). Among them, there were statistically significant differences in the grading of skeletal fluorosis in Qixingguan District, Qianxi City, Puding County, and Pu'an County(χ 2 = 14.56, 12.24, 35.01, 23.35, P < 0.05). Conclusions:The detection rate of skeletal fluorosis in Guizhou Province decreases year by year, and the prevention and control effect is significant. Patients with skeletal fluorosis are mainly in the age group of 55 years and older, and the proportion of patients with moderate to severe skeletal fluorosis is increasing. We should continue to monitor and manage the treatment of current patients with skeletal fluorosis.

Objective:To investigate the oral health knowledge awareness, attitude and behavior of children in endemic fluorosis areas of Guizhou Province, and evaluate the effectiveness of health education, so as to provide a scientific basis for improving oral health.Methods:In September 2020, 6 counties (cities and districts) were selected as survey sites from the historical fluorosis medium and severe areas in Guizhou Province. One township/village primary school was selected from each survey site to carry out health education activities for one school year. A questionnaire survey was conducted among students from grades 1 to 6 to analyze the changes in children's oral health knowledge, attitude, and behavior before and after health education and their influencing factors.Results:Before and after health education, the awareness rate of children's oral health knowledge increased from 79.22% (7 744/9 775) to 94.38% (9 169/9 715), the recognition rate of children's importance of oral health increased from 89.26% (3 490/3 910) to 95.88% (3 726/3 886), and the formation rate of children's oral health behavior increased from 62.59% (6 118/9 775) to 80.38% (7 809/9 715), with an increase of 15.16, 6.62 and 17.79 percentage points, respectively, the differences were statistically significant (χ 2 = 975.62, 15.17, 756.29, P < 0.001). The analysis of influencing factors showed that whether to stay, gender, and ethnic characteristics could significantly affect the overall score ( t = - 3.94, - 3.86, - 3.62, P < 0.001). Conclusion:The implementation of oral health education in endemic fluorosis areas in Guizhou Province has significantly improved the health knowledge, attitude and behavior of oral health among children in endemic fluorosis areas.

Objective:To investigate the awareness of iodine deficiency disorders prevention and control knowledge among residents in Guiyang City, as well as the behavioral and attitude characteristics of iodized salt consumption, and to determine the focus and direction of future health education on iodine deficiency disorders.Methods:From 0 : 00 to 24 : 00 on May 15, 2021 (the National Day for Prevention and Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders), through the "Guizhou Disease Control" WeChat official account, the questionnaire was randomly distributed to the residents of Guiyang City who paid attention to the official account in the form of award-winning contest and returned. The survey content included general demographic data, iodine deficiency disorders prevention and control knowledge among residents and the behaviors and attitudes towards iodized salt consumption. The awareness rate of iodine deficiency disorders prevention and control knowledge among residents and the correct rate of their behaviors and attitudes towards iodized salt consumption were calculated.Results:A total of 3 078 valid questionnaires were collected in this survey. The awareness rate of iodine deficiency disorders prevention and control knowledge among residents was 51.3% (9 467/18 468), with a score of (51.26 ± 14.30) points; the correct rate of behavior and attitude towards iodized salt consumption was 93.0% (11 446/12 312), with a score of (92.97 ± 13.13) points. There was a statistically significant difference in the awareness rate of iodine deficiency disorders prevention and control knowledge among residents of different age groups (χ 2 = 23.03, P < 0.001). There were statistically significant differences in the correct rates of behavior and attitude towards iodized salt consumption among residents of different ages, ethnic groups, and professions (χ 2 = 9.66, 4.88, 24.73, P < 0.05), with lower correct rates in the ≥61 years old group, Han minority people and students. The main channels for obtaining knowledge on iodine deficiency disorders prevention and control were promotional materials (59.3%, 1 825/3 078), newspapers and magazines (56.8%, 1 747/3 078), television (56.6%, 1 743/3 078), and the internet (56.2%, 1 731/3 078). Conclusions:The correct rate of behavior and attitude towards iodized salt consumption among residents in Guiyang City is relatively high, but the awareness rate of iodine deficiency disorders prevention and control knowledge is low. We should strengthen health education for residents, especially the elderly, ethnic minorities, and students, and attach importance to promoting the safety of iodized salt and the necessity of long-term iodine supplementation.

Objective:To explore the performance of the commonly used whole blood C-reactive protein (CRP) detection systems and give related recommendation on the performance requirements of detection systems.Methods:A total of 7 540 venous blood samples from 26 maternal, child and children′s hospitals were collected to conduct this multi-center study on the analytical performance of 5 commonly used whole blood CRP detection systems from March to April in 2019. The blank check, carryover, repeatability, intermediate precision, linearity, sample stability, influence of hematocrit/triglyceride/bilirubin, comparison with SIEMENS specific protein analyzer and trueness were evaluated. The 5 systems included BC-5390CRP autohematology analyzer, AstepPLUS specific protein analyzer, Ottoman-1000 Automated Specific Protein POCT Workstation, i-CHROMA Immunofluorometer equipment Reader and Orion QuikRead go detecting instrument. The 5 systems were labeled as a, b, c, d and e randomly.Results:Within the 5 systems, all values of blank check were less than 1.00 mg/L, the carryovers were lower than 1.00%. The repeatability of different ranges of CRP concentrations including 3.00-10.00, 10.00-30.00 and>30.00 mg/L were less than 10.00%, 6.00% and 5.00%, respectively, and the intermediate precision was less than 10.00%. The linearity correlation coefficients of the 5 systems were all above 0.975, while the slope was within 0.950-1.050. Whole blood samples were stable within 72 hours both at room temperature (18-25 ℃) and refrigerated temperature (2-8 ℃). The CRP results were rarely influenced by high triglyceride or bilirubin, except for the immmunoturbidimetric test based on microparticles coated with anti-human CRP F(ab) 2 fragments. When triglyceride was less than 15.46 mmol/L, the deviation of CRP was less than 10.00%. When bilirubin was less than 345.47 μmol/L, the deviation of CRP was less than 10.00%. CRP was more susceptible to Hct on the systems without Hct correction. The deviation of CRP between different Hct dilution concentration and 40% dilution concentration can reach as high as 67.48%. The correlation coefficients ( r) of 5 systems were all more than 0.975 in the range of 0-300.00 mg/L compared with Siemens specific protein analyzer. All systems passed the trueness verification using the samples with specified values of 12.89 and 30.60 mg/L. Conclusion:The performance of 5 systems can basically meet the clinical needs, but it is suggested that the whole blood CRP detection system without automatic Hct correction should be modified manually.

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Objective To evaluate the role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) p110β in spinal dorsal horn neurons in the development of arthritic pain (AP) in rats and the relationship with transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and acid-sensing ion channel (ASIC)1 a.Methods Forty adult female Sprague-Dawley rats in which intrathecal catheters were successfully placed,aged 3 months,weighing 250-300 g,were randomly divided into 4 groups (n =10 each):control group (group C),group AP,AP + PI3K p110β missense oligo-deoxynucleotide group (group MS) and AP + PI3K p110β antisense oligo-deoxynucleotide group (group AS).AP was induced by injecting complete Freund's adjuvant into the ankle joint cavity of right hindpaw.Normal saline 20 μl,missense oligo-deoxynucleotide 15 μg (20μl) and antisense oligo-deoxynucleotide 15 μg (20 μl) were administered intrathecally once a day for 6 consecutive days starting from the time immediately after arthritis was induced in groups AP,MS and AS,respectively.Mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal paw withdrawal latency (TWL) were measured 1 day before operation (T0) and on days 4,7,10 after operation (T1-3).The rats were then sacrificed after the last measurement of pain threshold at T3.L4-6 segment of the spinal cord was removed for detection of expression of PI3K p110β (by Western blot),and TRPV1 and ASICla (by immunohistochemistry)in spinal dorsal horn neurons.Results Compared with group C,MWT and TWL were significantly decreased atT1-3,and the expression of PI3K p110β,TRPV1 and ASIC1a was up-regulated in the other 3 groups(P＜ 0.01).MWT and TWL were significantly higher at T1-3,and the expression of PI3K p110β,TRPV1 and ASIC1a was lower in group AS than in groups AP and MS (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion PI3K p110β in spinal dorsal horn neurons is involved in the development of AP in rats,and the mechanism is related to up-regulation of TRPV1 and ASIC1a expression in spinal dorsal horn neurons.

Despite its clinical importance, the underlying central mechanisms of pruritic behaviors are poorly understood. To investigate the role of nociceptive arcuate nucleus neurons in chloroquine-induced pruritic behaviors in mice, we tested the effect of arcuate nucleus neurons and interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) on itch produced by intradermal injection of chloroquine in the nape of the neck. Our results provide several lines of evidence for an important role of nociceptive arcuate nucleus neurons in chloroquine-induced pruritic behavior: (1) Intradermal microinjection of chloroquine resulted in a dramatic increase in itch behaviors accompanied by the activation of c-Fos positive neurons in arcuate nucleus; (2) Microinjection of chloroquine significantly increased IBAT temperature in the mice. These findings suggested that chloroquine-induced pruritic behaviors were associated with the activity of nociceptive arcuate nucleus neurons.
Animals ; Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Chloroquine ; adverse effects ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Nociceptors ; drug effects ; physiology ; Pruritus ; chemically induced ; physiopathology

Neurons in the laterodorsal tegmentum (LDTg) and pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) play important roles in central autonomic circuits of the kidney. In this study, we used a combination of retrograde tracers pseudorabies virus (PRV)-614 and fluorescence immunohistochemistry to characterize the neuroanatomic substrate of PPTg and LDTg innervating the kidney in the mouse. PRV-614-infected neurons were retrogradely labeled in the rostral and middle parts of LDTg, and the middle and caudal parts of PPTg after tracer injection in the kidney. PRV-614/TPH double-labeled neurons were mainly localized in the rostral of LDTg, whereas PRV-614/TH neurons were scattered within the three parts of LDTg. PRV-614/TPH and PRV-614/TH neurons were located predominantly in the caudal of PPTg (cPPTg). These data provided direct neuroanatomical foundation for the identification of serotonergic and catecholaminergic projections from the mid-brain tegmentum to the kidney.

Despite its clinical importance, the underlying central mechanisms of pruritic behaviors are poorly understood. To investigate the role of nociceptive arcuate nucleus neurons in chloroquine-induced pruritic behaviors in mice, we tested the effect of arcuate nucleus neurons and interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) on itch produced by intradermal injection of chloroquine in the nape of the neck. Our results provide several lines of evidence for an important role of nociceptive arcuate nucleus neurons in chloroquine-induced pruritic behavior: (1) Intradermal microinjection of chloroquine resulted in a dramatic increase in itch behaviors accompanied by the activation of c-Fos positive neurons in arcuate nucleus; (2) Microinjection of chloroquine significantly increased IBAT temperature in the mice. These findings suggested that chloroquine-induced pruritic behaviors were associated with the activity of nociceptive arcuate nucleus neurons.