[Preliminary study on automatic quantification and grading of leopard spots fundus based on deep learning technology]

Objective: To achieve automatic segmentation, quantification, and grading of different regions of leopard spots fundus (FT) using deep learning technology. The analysis includes exploring the correlation between novel quantitative indicators, leopard spot fundus grades, and various systemic and ocular parameters. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The data were sourced from the Beijing Eye Study, a population-based longitudinal study. In 2001, a group of individuals aged 40 and above were surveyed in five urban communities in Haidian District and three rural communities in Daxing District of Beijing. A follow-up was conducted in 2011. This study included individuals aged 50 and above who participated in the second 5-year follow-up in 2011, considering only the data from the right eye. Color fundus images centered on the macula of the right eye were input into the leopard spot segmentation model and macular detection network. Using the macular center as the origin, with inner circle diameters of 1 mm, 3 mm, and outer circle diameter of 6 mm, fine segmentation of the fundus was achieved. This allowed the calculation of the leopard spot density (FTD) and leopard spot grade for each region. Further analyses of the differences in ocular and systemic parameters among different regions' FTD and leopard spot grades were conducted. The participants were categorized into three refractive types based on equivalent spherical power (SE): myopia (SE<-0.25 D), emmetropia (-0.25 D≤SE≤0.25 D), and hyperopia (SE>0.25 D). Based on axial length, the participants were divided into groups with axial length<24 mm, 24-26 mm, and>26 mm for the analysis of different types of FTD. Statistical analyses were performed using one-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis test, Bonferroni test, and Spearman correlation analysis. Results: The study included 3 369 participants (3 369 eyes) with an average age of (63.9±10.6) years; among them, 1 886 were female (56.0%) and 1, 483 were male (64.0%). The overall FTD for all eyes was 0.060 (0.016, 0.163); inner circle FTD was 0.000 (0.000, 0.025); middle circle FTD was 0.030 (0.000, 0.130); outer circle FTD was 0.055 (0.009, 0.171). The results of the univariate analysis indicated that FTD in various regions was correlated with axial length (overall: r=0.38, P<0.001; inner circle: r=0.31, P<0.001; middle circle: r=0.36, P<0.001; outer circle: r=0.39, P<0.001), subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) (overall: r=-0.69, P<0.001; inner circle: r=-0.57, P<0.001; middle circle: r=-0.68, P<0.001; outer circle: r=-0.72, P<0.001), age (overall: r=0.34, P<0.001; inner circle: r=0.30, P<0.001; middle circle: r=0.31, P<0.001; outer circle: r=0.35, P<0.001), gender (overall: r=-0.11, P<0.001; inner circle: r=-0.04, P<0.001; middle circle: r=-0.07, P<0.001; outer circle: r=-0.11, P<0.001), SE (overall: r=-0.20; P<0.001; inner circle: r=-0.19, P<0.001; middle circle: r=-0.20, P<0.001; outer circle: r=-0.20, P<0.001), uncorrected visual acuity (overall: r=-0.18, P<0.001; inner circle: r=-0.26, P<0.001; middle circle: r=-0.24, P<0.001; outer circle: r=-0.22, P<0.001), and body mass index (BMI) (overall: r=-0.11, P<0.001; inner circle: r=-0.13, P<0.001; middle circle: r=-0.14, P<0.001; outer circle: r=-0.13, P<0.001). Further multivariate analysis results indicated that different region FTD was correlated with axial length (overall: β=0.020, P<0.001; inner circle: β=-0.022, P<0.001; middle circle: β=0.027, P<0.001; outer circle: β=0.022, P<0.001), SFCT (overall: β=-0.001, P<0.001; inner circle: β=-0.001, P<0.001; middle circle: β=-0.001, P<0.001; outer circle: β=-0.001, P<0.001), and age (overall: β=0.002, P<0.001; inner circle: β=0.001, P<0.001; middle circle: β=0.002, P<0.001; outer circle: β=0.002, P<0.001). The distribution of overall (H=56.76, P<0.001), inner circle (H=72.22, P<0.001), middle circle (H=75.83, P<0.001), and outer circle (H=70.34, P<0.001) FTD differed significantly among different refractive types. The distribution of overall (H=373.15, P<0.001), inner circle (H=367.67, P<0.001), middle circle (H=389.14, P<0.001), and outer circle (H=386.89, P<0.001) FTD differed significantly among different axial length groups. Furthermore, comparing various levels of FTD with systemic and ocular parameters, significant differences were found in axial length (F=142.85, P<0.001) and SFCT (F=530.46, P<0.001). Conclusions: The use of deep learning technology enables automatic segmentation and quantification of different regions of theFT, as well as preliminary grading. Different region FTD is significantly correlated with axial length, SFCT, and age. Individuals with older age, myopia, and longer axial length tend to have higher FTD and more advanced FT grades.

[Emphasizing the timing and procedure selection for vitrectomy in pathological myopic traction maculopathy]

Myopic maculopathy is the primary cause of irreversible visual impairment in patients with pathologic myopia, and myopic traction maculopathy often requires vitrectomy for treatment. Myopic traction maculopathy encompasses epiretinal membrane, foveoschisis, macular hole, and macular hole-related retinal detachment. It is recommended to perform vitrectomy combined with inner limiting membrane peeling for Type II epiretinal membrane, foveal-sparing inner limiting membrane peeling for foveoschisis, inverted inner limiting membrane flap technique for macular hole, and vitrectomy combined with macular buckle for refractory macular hole-related retinal detachment. Myopic traction maculopathy is a chronically progressive condition, and surgeons need to accurately determine the timing of surgery and choose appropriate procedures to maximize the benefits for patients.

Genome-wide association study reveals a quantitative trait locus and two candidate genes on Sus scrofa chromosome 5 affecting intramuscular fat content in Suhuai pigs

Intramuscular fat content (IFC) is an essential quantitative trait of meat, affecting multiple meat quality indicators. A certain amount of IFC could not only improve the sensory score of pork but also increase the flavour, tenderness, juiciness and shelf-life. To dissect the genetic determinants of IFC, two methods, including genome-wide efficient mixed-model analysis (GEMMA) and linkage disequilibrium adjusted kinships (LDAKs), were used to carry out genome-wide association studies for IFC in Suhuai pig population. A total of 14 and 18 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified by GEMMA and LDAK, respectively. The results of these two methods were highly consistent and all 14 significant SNPs in GEMMA were detected by LDAK. Seven of the 18 SNPs reached the genome-wide significance level (P < 9.85E-07) while 11 cases reached the suggestive significance level (P < 1.77E-05). These significant SNPs were mainly distributed on Sus scrofa chromosome (SSC) 5, 3, and 7. Moreover, one locus resides in a 2.27 Mb (71.37-73.64 Mb) region on SSC5 harbouring 13 significant SNPs associated with IFC, and the lead SNP (rs81302978) also locates in this region. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis showed that there were four pairs of complete LD (r² = 1) among these 13 SNPs, and the remaining 9 SNPs with incomplete LD (r² ≠ 1) were selected for subsequent analyses of IFC. Association analyses showed that 7 out of 9 SNPs were significantly associated with IFC (P < 0.05) in 330 Suhuai pigs, and the other 2 SNPs tended to reach a significant association level with IFC (P < 0.1). The phenotypic variance explained (PVE) range of these 9 SNPs was 0.92-3.55%. Meanwhile, the lead SNP was also significantly associated (rs81302978) with IFC (P < 0.05) in 378 commercial hybrid pigs (Pietrain × Duroc) × (Landrace × Yorkshire) (PDLY), and the PVE was 1.38%. Besides, two lipid metabolism-relevant candidate genes, the leucine rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) and PDZ domain containing ring finger 4 (PDZRN4) were identified in the 2.27 Mb region on SSC5. In conclusion, our results may provide a set of markers useful for genetic improvement of IFC in pigs and will advance the genome selection process of IFC on pig breeding programmes.

Elevated circulating miR-494 in plasma of children with enterovirus 71 induced hand, foot, and mouth disease and its potential diagnostic value

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common pediatric disease, whose outcome depends of the enterovirus genotype infecting the patient. The present study is focused on the potential diagnostic value and the role of circulating microRNA-494 (miR-494) in enterovirus 71-induced more severe form of HFMD. We included 102 children with enterovirus 71 (EV71)-induced HFMD, 42 coxsackievirus A16 (CA16)-induced HFMD and 102 healthy controls. The plasma and serum samples were collected. The expression level of circulating miR-494 was determined by RT-PCR method. Moreover, ROC curve has been drawn to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of circulating miR-494 for the diagnosis of EV71-induced HFMD. Furthermore, the correlation between the circulating miR-494 and the levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 4 (IL-4) and interferon γ (IFN-γ) in the serum of patients were analyzed. Circulating miR-494 was significantly increased in plasma of children with EV71-induced HFMD compared with the healthy children or CA16-induced HFMD, and level of miR-494 in the EV71 severe group was significantly higher than the EV71 mild group. Moreover, results of ROC analysis suggested that miR-494 is a sensitive biomarker to distinguish EV71 patients from healthy controls and CA16 patients. Furthermore, IL-6 and IFN-γ were elevated in serum of patients with EV71-induced HFMD and the level of circulating miR-494 in patients with EV71-induced HFMD was positively correlated with the serum levels of both IL-6 and IFN-γ, respectively. Circulating miR-494 was abnormally up-regulated in plasma of the children with EV71-induced HFMD, and miR-494 may serve as potential biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Keywords: miR-494; HFMD; biomarker; enterovirus 71; inflammation.

MicroRNA 34b inhibits cell proliferation in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia via regulating LDHA

OBJECTIVE

To elucidate the regulatory effect of microRNA-34b on the occurrence of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia and the underlying mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expression of microRNA-34b in the bone marrow of 72 children with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The relationship between microRNA-34b expression and pathological characteristics was analyzed. Kaplan-Meier curve was introduced for evaluating the prognostic value of microRNA-34b in pediatric AML. The regulatory effects of microRNA-34b on proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis of leukemia cells were accessed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Bioinformatics prediction and dual-luciferase reporter gene assay were conducted to evaluate the binding between microRNA-34b and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA). LDHA expression after overexpression of microRNA-34b was determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Rescue experiments were conducted to verify whether microRNA-34b could regulate proliferative and apoptotic behaviors of leukemia cells by suppressing LDHA expression.

RESULTS

MicroRNA-34b was markedly downregulated in AML children. Low expression of microRNA-34b was correlated to FAB typing, cytogenetic abnormality, and day 7 response to the treatment of pediatric AML. By collecting the follow-up data, it was found that low expression of microRNA-34b was correlated to the poor prognosis of AML. Overexpression of microRNA-34b inhibited proliferative ability and cell cycle progression, but accelerated apoptosis of AML cells. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay verified that microRNA-34b could bind to LDHA, thereafter inhibiting LDHA expression. Overexpression of LDHA reversed the regulatory effects of microRNA-34b on proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis of AML cells.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that microRNA-34b is lowly expressed in pediatric AML patients, and low expression of microRNA-34b may serve as an indicator of malignant progression and poor prognosis of pediatric AML. MicroRNA-34b may affect the proliferation and apoptosis of leukemia cells by regulating the expression of LDHA.

Effects of alfalfa meal on growth performance and gastrointestinal tract development of growing ducks

A study was conducted to evaluate effects of alfalfa meal on growth performance and gastrointestinal tract development of growing layer ducks to provide evidence for application of alfalfa meal in the duck industry. Two hundred and fifty-six healthy Shaoxing 7-wk old growing layer ducks were selected and randomly allocated to 1 of 4 dietary treatments based on corn and soybean meal and containing 0, 3, 6, and 9% of alfalfa meal for 8 wks. Each treatment consisted of 4 replicates of 16 ducks each. Briefly, birds were raised in separate compartments, and each compartment consisted of three parts: indoor floor house, adjacent open area and a connecting water area. The results showed: i) Growing ducks fed alfalfa meal diet were not significantly different in average daily gain, feed intake and gain-to-feed ratio from those fed no alfalfa diet (p>0.05). ii) Alfalfa meal increased the ratio crop, gizzard to live weight, caecum to live weight, the caecum index of growing ducks (p<0.05). iii) Villus height in duodenum and jejunum of growing ducks increased significantly with the increase of alfalfa meal levels (p<0.05). Crypt depth in duodenum and jejunum of growing ducks decreased significantly with the increase of alfalfa meal levels (p<0.05). This experiment showed that feeding of alfalfa meal to growing layer ducks could improve gastrointestinal tract growth and small intestinal morphology without effect on performance. This experiment provides evidence that alfalfa meal is a very valuable feedstuff for growing layer ducks.

Rarefied-gas heat transfer in micro- and nanoscale Couette flows

The physics of the heat conduction and viscous dissipation in rarefied gases is analyzed and discussed. A heat transfer model valid for arbitrary Knudsen numbers, defined as the ratio of the molecular mean free path to the characteristic length of channels, is derived by treating the heat transfer behavior in the slip and transition regimes as an intermediate function of continuum heat transfer model and free molecular heat transfer model. Comparison studies reveal that this model not only shows good agreement with the numerical results based on the direct simulation Monte Carlo method, but also has some unique features that can overcome the deficiencies existing in the previous models. Therefore, this model is capable to study the heat transport phenomena in very dilute gas Couette flows through micro/nanochannels more accurately.

Islet autoantibodies are associated with HLA-DQ genotypes in Han Chinese patients with type 1 diabetes and their relatives

The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between islet autoantibodies of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA), islet antigen-2A (IA-2A), insulin autoantibody (IAA), and human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQ genotypes in type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients and their first-degree relatives (FDRs). Cross-sectional and case-control study. Four hundred and ninety-five T1D patients, 419 FDRs, and 376 control subjects in Han Chinese populations were recruited and tested for GADA and IA-2A, while 71 cases, all FDRs and 300 controls were tested for IAA. The 338 T1D patients (including 187 antibody-positive and 151 antibody-negative patients), 173 FDRs and 278 controls were genotyped for HLA-DQ with polymerase chain reaction sequencing-based method. Compared with the control, the frequency of DQA1*03-DQB1*0303, DQA1*05-DQB1*0201, and DQA1*03-DQB1*0401 haplotypes was higher (P < 0.05-0.01) but DQA1*0102-DQB1*0602 haplotype was lower (P < 0.01) in T1D patients. DQA1*03 allele was less in the FDRs than in their probands (P < 0.05). GADA was more prevalent in T1D patients carrying DQA1*05-DQB1*0201 or DQA1*03-DQB1*0401 haplotype (55.8% vs 41.0%, 65.5% vs 40.3%, P < 0.05-0.01), whereas IA-2A presented more in the patients carrying DQA1*03-DQB1*0303 haplotype (27.0% vs 7.9%, P < 0.05-0.01), both GADA and IA-2A showed frequently in the patients with DQA1*03-DQB1*0303/DQA1*05-DQB1*0201 haplotypes (34.5% vs 9.7%, P < 0.01). GADA positivity was lower in the patients with DQA1*0102-DQB1*0602 haplotype (16.7% vs 45.9%, P < 0.05). The frequency of IAA was not different between patients with and without susceptible DQ haplotypes (P > 0.05). GADA, IA-2A or IAA presented frequently in FDRs with DQA1*03-DQB1*0303 haplotype. The findings in the study indicate that some of specific HLA-DQA1/-DQB1 genotypes and haplotypes not only confer susceptibility to T1D but also are associated with the presence of the islet autoantibodies in the Han Chinese population.

[Clinical and experimental study on effect of shuanghuang shengbai granule on myelosuppression induced by chemotherapy and ultrastructure observation of bone marrow in mice]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the leukocyte increasing effects of Shaunghuang Shengbai Granule (SHSBG) in tumor patients treated by chemotherapy (CT) and its function on bone marrow hematopoietic microenvironment in mice.

METHODS

Patients of non-small-cell lung cancer and breast, gastric or intestinal cancer, who were retreated with CT, were enrolled and divided into 4 groups randomly. The 28 cases in the treated group 1 received SHSBG and CT simultaneously. The 27 cases in the treated group 2 also received firstly CT, and SHSBG started when WBC count lowered to less than 4 x 10(9)/L after CT. The control group 1 and 2 (n = 33 and n = 24) was treated by the method similar to that applied to the treated group 1 and 2 respectively but with Rubidate instead of SHSBG. Experimental study of observing bone marrow ultrastructure in mice was also conducted with electron microscopy.

RESULTS

The total leukocyte increasing effective rate occurred in the treated group 1 was 75.00%, that in the treated group 2 was 88.89%, in the control group 1 was 54.55% and in the control group 2 was 58.33%. There was significant difference between the treated groups and the control groups (P < 0.01). Experimental study showed that SHSBG has good bone marrow hematopoietic microenvironmental protecting and improving effect in mice.

CONCLUSION

SHSBG has obvious protecting and treating effect on CT caused bone marrow suppression in tumor patients.

Observation of Multi-TeV Gamma Rays from the Crab Nebula using the Tibet Air Shower Array

The Tibet experiment, operating at Yangbajing (4300 m above sea level), is the lowest energy air shower array, and the new high-density array constructed in 1996 is sensitive to gamma-ray air showers at energies as low as 3 TeV. With this new array, the Crab Nebula was observed in multi-TeV gamma-rays and a signal was detected at the 5.5 sigma level. We also obtained the energy spectrum of gamma-rays in the energy region above 3 TeV which partially overlaps those observed with imaging atmospheric Cerenkov telescopes. The Crab spectrum observed in this energy region can be represented by the power-law fit dJ&parl0;E&parr0;&solm0;dE=&parl0;4.61+/-0.90&parr0;x10-12&parl0;E&solm0;3 TeV&parr0;-2.62+/-0.17 cm-2 s-1 TeV-1. This is the first observation of gamma-ray signals from point sources with a conventional air shower array using scintillation detectors.

[Effects of differentiation status on apoptosis of human leukemia HL60 cells]

The effects of differentiation of human leukemia HL60 cells on harringtonine(Har) and camptothecin(Cam) induced apoptosis(in these cells) were studied. When treated with phorbol 12-myriate, 13-acetate 16 nmol.L-1 for 24 h, the HL60 cells differentiated into monocyte/macrophage cells and were arrested at G1 phase. The differentiated cells were shown to be resistant to the Har and Cam induced apoptosis, but showed no change of expression of c-myc gene. HL60 cells incubated in 1.4% dimethyl sulfoxide for 48 h differentiated into granulocyte cells and were also gene arrested at G1 phase. The differentiated cells became resistant to the apoptosis induced by Cam, but not that by Har, and expression of c-myc decreased drastically in the differentiated cells. The results indicate that the differentiated status of human leukemia HL60 cells apparently affected the apoptosis induced by harringtonine and camptothecin, but it was irrelevant to the change of the expression of c-myc gene.

Correlation between expression of mdr-1 gene and oncogenes in human promyelocytic leukemic HL60 cell line and sublines

AIM

To study the relationship between expression of oncogenes and multiple drug resistant (MDR) phenotype.

METHODS

The drug resistant level of HL60 cell line and its sublines were determined with flow cytometry. RNA Dot blot hybridization was used to identify the expression of oncogenes and mdr-1 gene.

RESULTS

The expression of mdr-1 gene was in the opposite relation with c-myc expression, but in the positive relation with c-H-ras gene expression in the multiple drug resistant cell lines. In non-MDR cell line HL60/RA, the expression levels of mdr-1, c-myc, and c-H-ras were the same as HL60 parental cells.

CONCLUSION

Multiple drug resistance is related to not only mdr-1 expression, but also some oncogenes expression level.

Characteristics of harringtonine-resistant human leukemia HL60 cell

AIM

To study the mechanisms of the resistance to harringtonine (Har) in the HL60 cells.

METHODS

Growth inhibition, karyotype analysis, flow cytometry, Western blotting and polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

The Har-resistant HL60 cell line, named HR20, showed cross resistance to homoharringtonine, doxorubicin, daunorubicin, vincristine, and colchicine. The growth doubling time and the cell numbers in G1 phase were increased. The accumulation of cellular daunorubicin in the resistant cells was obviously reduced, but distinctly increased by tetrandrine and verapamil. The numbers of telocentromeric chromosome increased and the chromosomal aberration more occured in the resistant cells. The resistant cells overexpressed multidrug resistant mdr-1 gene and P-glycoprotein 150 kDa.

CONCLUSION

The Har-resistant HL60 cell strain belonged to a multidrug resistance strain, overexpressing mdr-1 gene and P-glycoprotein.

Inefficient complementation activity of poliovirus 2C and 3D proteins for rescue of lethal mutations

Poliovirus (PV) 2C protein is a nonstructural polypeptide involved in viral RNA replication, whose biochemical activity(ies) in this process has not been defined. By using site-directed mutagenesis, it was shown previously that disruption of nucleotide-binding motifs present in this protein abolished viral RNA synthesis (C. Mirzayan and E. Wimmer, Virology 189:547-555, 1992; N. L. Teterina, K. M. Kean, E. Gorbalenya, V. I. Agol, and M. Girard, J. Gen. Virol. 73:1977-1986, 1992). We have tested whether PV 2C or 2BC protein provided in trans could rescue the replication of these mutated genomes. Rescuing proteins were provided either by cotransfection with helper chimeric PV-coxsackievirus genomes or by expression in cells with a vaccinia virus-T7 RNA polymerase transient-expression system. We report here that replication of mutated RNAs genomes was poorly supported in trans both by helper genomes and by expressed 2C or 2BC proteins. Similarly, very inefficient complementation was observed for two mutated genomes with lethal lesions in 3D polymerase coding sequence. Our results indicate that poliovirus RNA replication shows marked preference for proteins contributed in cis.

The molecular specificity of linear B-epitopes in the E7 open reading frame protein of human papillomavirus 16 defined by monoclonal antibodies

Human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 is highly associated with premalignant and malignant anogenital epithelial lesions. The transforming function resides within the viral E7 open reading frame protein. We have defined three immunodominant linear B-epitopes in the E7 protein. In the present study, we determine the contribution of individual amino acid residues to antibody binding of these three epitopes using replacement set analysis. In this approach, each epitope residue is substituted in turn by each of the other 19 genetically encoded amino acids to produce analogues which are tested for specific monoclonal antibody binding. We demonstrate the specificity of the monoclonal antibodies for epitopes of HPV 16 E7 in binding studies using synthetic epitope analogues of other HPV genotypes. Comparison between HPV 16 and other HPV genotypes suggests that variability in amino acid composition at the E7 epitopic sites does not appear to be host-antibody driven.

Prostaglandin E and F2 alpha levels in plasma and amniotic fluid during mid-trimester abortion induced by trichosanthin

This paper gives a brief account concerning the estimation of PGE and PGF2 alpha concentrations in both plasma and amniotic fluid by radioimmunoassay in mid-trimester abortion induced by Trichosanthin. The significant change in amniotic fluids as compared with that in plasma is brought out for discussion as an aid to the study of mechanism of abortion by Trichosanthin.