DeepChestGNN: A Comprehensive Framework for Enhanced Lung Disease Identification through Advanced Graphical Deep Features

Lung diseases are the third-leading cause of mortality in the world. Due to compromised lung function, respiratory difficulties, and physiological complications, lung disease brought on by toxic substances, pollution, infections, or smoking results in millions of deaths every year. Chest X-ray images pose a challenge for classification due to their visual similarity, leading to confusion among radiologists. To imitate those issues, we created an automated system with a large data hub that contains 17 datasets of chest X-ray images for a total of 71,096, and we aim to classify ten different disease classes. For combining various resources, our large datasets contain noise and annotations, class imbalances, data redundancy, etc. We conducted several image pre-processing techniques to eliminate noise and artifacts from images, such as resizing, de-annotation, CLAHE, and filtering. The elastic deformation augmentation technique also generates a balanced dataset. Then, we developed DeepChestGNN, a novel medical image classification model utilizing a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) to extract 100 significant deep features indicative of various lung diseases. This model, incorporating Batch Normalization, MaxPooling, and Dropout layers, achieved a remarkable 99.74% accuracy in extensive trials. By combining graph neural networks (GNNs) with feedforward layers, the architecture is very flexible when it comes to working with graph data for accurate lung disease classification. This study highlights the significant impact of combining advanced research with clinical application potential in diagnosing lung diseases, providing an optimal framework for precise and efficient disease identification and classification.

Range of factors in the reduction of hyperhydricity associated with in vitro shoots of Salvia santolinifolia Bioss

Hyperhydricity is a serious physiological disorder and affects In vitro propagation of many plants and as well of Salvia santolinifolia. The donor material to initiate the in vitro culture was the callus taken from the in vitro shoots produced on Murashig and Skoogs (MS) medium at 4.0 mg/l BA. This callus formed numerous hyperhydric shoots on culturing upon the medium of the same composition. The aim was to systematically evaluate the effect of cytokinins (Benzyladnine (BA) and N6-(-2-isopentenyl) adenine (2iP), culture vessels magnitude, medium solidification, source of nitrogen and calcium chloride for the alleviation of hyperhydricity. In the tissue cultures of S. santolinifolia BA and 2iP induced severe hyperhydricity, when other factors i.e. culture vessels magnitude and a suitable concentration of agar, ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), potassium nitrate (KNO3) & calcium chloride (CaCl2.2H2O) were not optimized. After 30 days' culture, we observed 83.82% hyperhydric shoots at increased level (1.5 mg/l 2iP) and 81.59% at decreased levels (1.0 mg/l 2iP). On the other hand, hyperhydricity percentage at decreased (0.4%) and at increased (0.8%) levels of agar were 72.37% and 39.08%, respectively. MS medium modification with NH4NO3 (412 mg/l), KNO3 (475 mg/l) and CaCl2.2H2O (880 mg/l) was found the best medium to reduced hyperhydricity (23.6%).

Honey as a bioindicator of environmental organochlorine insecticides contamination

Honey is a suitable matrix for the evaluation of environmental contaminants including organochlorine insecticides. The present study was conducted to evaluate residues of fifteen organochlorine insecticides in honey samples of unifloral and multifloral origins from Dir, Pakistan. Honey samples (5 g each) were extracted with GC grade organic solvents and then subjected to Rotary Evaporator till dryness. The extracts were then mixed with n-Hexane (5 ml) and purified through Column Chromatography. Purified extracts (1μl each) were processed through Gas Chromatograph coupled with Electron Capture Detector (GC-ECD) for identification and quantification of the insecticides. Of the 15 insecticides tested, 46.7% were detected while 53.3% were not detected in the honey samples. Heptachlor was the most prevalent insecticide with a mean level of 0.0018 mg/kg detected in 80% of the samples followed by β-HCH with a mean level of 0.0016 mg/kg detected in 71.4% of the honey samples. Honey samples from Acacia modesta Wall. were 100% positive for Heptachlor with a mean level of 0.0048 mg/kg followed by β-HCH with a mean level of 0.003 mg/kg and frequency of 83.3%. Minimum levels of the tested insecticides were detected in the unifloral honey from Ziziphus jujuba Mill. Methoxychlor, Endosulfan, Endrin and metabolites of DDT were not detected in the studied honey samples. Some of the tested insecticides are banned in Pakistan but are still detected in honey samples indicating their use in the study area. The detected levels of all insecticides were below the Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) and safe for consumers. However, the levels detected can cause mortality in insect fauna. The use of banned insecticides is one of the main factors responsible for the declining populations of important insect pollinators including honeybees.

Mosquitocidal activities of Chenopodium botrys whole plant n-hexane extract against Culex quinquefasciatus

This research aimed to investigate various mosquitocidal activities of Chenopodium botrys whole- plant n-hexane extract against Culex quinquefasciatus. The extract showed remarkable larvicidal, pupicidal, adulticidal, oviposition deterrent and adult emergence inhibitory activities against Cx. quinquefasciatus. During the larvicidal and pupicidal activities, the 24-hour lethal concentration (LC50) of extract against 2nd instar larvae, 4th instar larvae and pupae were 324.6, 495.6 and 950.8 ppm, respectively. During the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) bottle bioassay for adulticidal activity, the median knockdown times (KDT50) at 1.25% concentration was 123.4 minutes. During the filter paper impregnation bioassay for adulticidal activity, the KDT50 value at 0.138 mg/cm2 concentration was 48.6 minutes. The extract was fractionated into 14 fractions through silica gel column chromatography which were then combined into six fractions on the basis of similar retention factor (Rf) value. These fractions were screened for adulticidal activity by applying CDC bottle bioassay. The fraction obtained through 60:40 to 50:50% n-hexanes-chloroform mobile phase with 0.5 Rf value showed 100% adulticidal activity at 0.2% concentration. During oviposition deterrent activity, the highest concentration (1000 ppm) showed 71.3 ± 4.4% effective repellence and 0.6 ± 0.1 oviposition activity index. During adult emergence inhibition activity, the median emergence inhibition (EI50) value was 312.3 ppm. From the outcome of the present investigation, it is concluded that the n-hexane extract of C. botrys whole- plant possesses strong larvicidal, pupicidal, adulticidal, oviposition deterrent and adult emergence inhibitory activities against Cx. quinquefasciatus.

Efficient bi-directional coupling of 3D Computational Fluid-Particle Dynamics and 1D Multiple Path Particle Dosimetry lung models for multiscale modeling of aerosol dosimetry

The development of predictive aerosol dosimetry models has been a major focus of environmental toxicology and pharmaceutical health research for decades. One-dimensional (1D) models successfully predict overall deposition averages but fail to accurately predict local deposition. Computational fluid-particle dynamics (CFPD) models provide site-specific predictions but at a computational cost that prohibits whole lung predictions. Thus, there is a need for developing multiscale strategies to provide a realistic subject-specific picture of the fate of inhaled aerosol in the lungs. CT-based 3D/CFPD models of the large airways were bidirectionally coupled with individualized 1D Navier-Stokes airflow and particle transport based upon the widely used Multiple Path Particle Dosimetry Model (MPPD). Distribution of airflows among lobes was adjusted by measured lobar volume changes observed in CT images between FRC and FRC + 1.5 L. As a test of the effectiveness of the coupling procedures, deposition modeling of previous 1 μm aerosol exposure studies was performed. The complete coupled model was run for 3 breaths, with the computation-intense portion being the 3D CFPD Lagrangian particle tracking calculation. The average deposition per breath was 11% in the combined multiscale model with site-specific doses available in the CFPD portion of the model and airway- or region-specific deposition available for the MPPD portion. In conclusion, the key methods developed in this study enable predictions of ventilation heterogeneities and aerosol deposition across the lungs that are not captured by 3D or 1D models alone. These methods can be used as the foundation for multi-scale modeling of the full respiratory system.

Ethno-botanical and geo-referenced profiling of medicinal plants of Nawagai Valley, District Buner (Pakistan)

The prime objective of the research was to list the important ethnomedicinal plants of Nawagai village, District Buner. During the survey, 44 plant species from 27 families were observed and collected from the targeted area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Lamiaceae members were the most dominant (54%) followed by members of Asteraceae (30%), Poaceae (18%) and Solanaceae (12%). Relevant information such as field data, GPS coordinates family names, local names, therapeutic uses and plant habits were recorded for each species. For preservation purposes, specimens were mounted on herbarium sheets, and identified with the help of flora of Pakistan, flora of Australia and other relevant floristic records. During this research work all the collected specimens were preserved in the (BG&H, UOM) Botanical Garden and Herbarium, the data were also provided to the Department of Botany, University of Malakand Dir (Lower), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

What research agenda could be generated from the European General Practice Research Network concept of Multimorbidity in Family Practice?

Background

Multimorbidity is an intuitively appealing, yet challenging, concept for Family Medicine (FM). An EGPRN working group has published a comprehensive definition of the concept based on a systematic review of the literature which is closely linked to patient complexity and to the biopsychosocial model. This concept was identified by European Family Physicians (FPs) throughout Europe using 13 qualitative surveys. To further our understanding of the issues around multimorbidity, we needed to do innovative research to clarify this concept. The research question for this survey was: what research agenda could be generated for Family Medicine from the EGPRN concept of Multimorbidity?

Methods

Nominal group design with a purposive panel of experts in the field of multimorbidity. The nominal group worked through four phases: ideas generation phase, ideas recording phase, evaluation and analysis phase and a prioritization phase.

Results

Fifteen international experts participated. A research agenda was established, featuring 6 topics and 11 themes with their corresponding study designs. The highest priorities were given to the following topics: measuring multimorbidity and the impact of multimorbidity. In addition the experts stressed that the concept should be simplified. This would be best achieved by working in reverse: starting with the outcomes and working back to find the useful variables within the concept.

Conclusion

The highest priority for future research on multimorbidity should be given to measuring multimorbidity and to simplifying the EGPRN model, using a pragmatic approach to determine the useful variables within the concept from its outcomes.

Machine Learning Techniques for Network Intrusion Detection

Most of the currently available network security techniques are not able to cope with the dynamic and increasingly complex nature of cyber attacks on distributed computer systems. Therefore, an automated and adaptive defensive tool is imperative for computer networks. Alongside the existing prevention techniques such as encryption and firewalls, Intrusion Detection System (IDS) has established itself as an emerging technology that is able to detect unauthorized access and abuse of computer systems by both internal users and external offenders. Most of the novel approaches in this field have adopted Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to improve performance as well as robustness of IDS. The true power and advantages of ANN lie in its ability to represent both linear and non-linear relationships and learn these relationships directly from the data being modeled. However, ANN is computationally expensive due to its demanding processing power and this leads to overfitting problem, i.e. the network is unable to extrapolate accurately once the input is outside of the training data range. These limitations challenge IDS with low detection rate, high false alarm rate and excessive computation cost. This chapter proposes a novel Machine Learning (ML) algorithm to alleviate those difficulties of existing AI techniques in the area of computer network security. The Intrusion Detection dataset provided by Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD-99) is used as a benchmark to compare our model with other existing techniques. Extensive empirical analysis suggests that the proposed method outperforms other state-of-the-art learning algorithms in terms of learning bias, generalization variance and computational cost. It is also reported to significantly improve the overall detection capability for difficult-to-detect novel attacks which are unseen or irregularly occur in the training phase.

High incidence of severe twin hemodialysis catheter infections in elderly women. Possible roles of insufficient nutrition and social support

BACKGROUND

Cuffed-tunneled hemodialysis (HD) catheters are recommended as a bridging therapy until peripheral access is available, but their long-term use is controversial.

AIM

To evaluate the complications and lifetime of twin-tunneled HD catheters and to identify parameters which could predict their outcome.

METHODS

29 chronic HD patients (19 female and 10 male) were inserted with twin hemodialysis catheters (28 Tesio, 1 Schon Duoflow), followed for up to 9 months or until catheter loss, and evaluated for severe catheter-related complications necessitating catheter removal. Since the most common severe complication was catheter-related infection, we retrospectively examined whether parameters such as age, gender, duration of end-stage renal disease, delivered dose of dialysis, nutrition, diabetes and indices of social support correlate with this outcome.

RESULTS

Severe catheter infection requiring catheter removal occurred in 11 patients (10 female). Of these infected female patients, 9 were elderly (> or =67 years) and in 6 of those, catheter infection was fatal (54% of infected cases). At 9 months, severe catheter infection and related patient death rates were 38 and 21%, respectively. Severe catheter infection was significantly related to less social support (p < 0.005), older age, female gender, lower nPCR (all p < 0.05), and tended to be related to shorter end-stage renal disease duration prior to catheter insertion (p = 0.06).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that twin HD catheters are associated with a high incidence of severe catheter-related infections which was most significantly related to social-support as well as inadequate nutrition, older age and female gender. Therefore, we suggest early removal of the catheter, enhancement of social support and dietary counseling for the elderly and lonely HD patients using this type of catheter.

1-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylideneamino)-8-hydroxynaphthalene-3,6-disulfonic acid as a reagent for the spectrophotometric determination of boron in ceramic materials

A sensitive and selective spectrophotometric method for the determination of boron is described. The method is based on the colour reaction between boron and the reagent 1-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylideneamino)-8-hydroxynaphthalene-3,6-disulfonic acid (HMOA). In a HOAc-NH4OAc buffer of pH 5.5, HMOA reacts with boron to form a 1:2 yellow complex with a maximum absorption at 423 nm. The absorbance (lambdamax = 423 nm) is linear up to 1.2 microg ml(-1) boron in aqueous solution with a repeatability (RSD) of 1.12%. The molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity are 7.19 x 10(3) l mol(-1) cm(-1) and 0.0015 microg cm(-2), respectively. The limit of quantification and limit of detection were found to be 17.1 and 5.2 ng ml(-1), respectively. The interference of various ions was examined in detail. All the metal ions studied can be tolerated in considerable amounts; in particular, the tolerance limits of Fe, Al, Zn, Ca and Mg are superior to those of other reagents such as Azomethine-H and Azomethine-HR. The proposed method was applied to the determination of boron in ceramic materials with satisfactory results.

Spectrophotometric determination of trace molybdenum in plants and seeds with 3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenylflurone

A novel spectrophotometric method based on a new reagent, 3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenylflurone, was developed for the determination of molybdenum in plants and seeds. 3,5-Dibromo-4-hydroxyphenylflurone showed outstanding analytical characteristics for spectrophotometric determination of molybdenum. The reaction conditions are simple and stable. In 0.2 mol l(-1) phosphoric acid medium (which can combine with iron and other metal ions and greatly improves the selectivity of the color system), molybdenum(VI) reacts with 3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenylflurone to form a 1:2 red complex with an absorption maximum at 530 nm, the color reaction can completed in 2 min and the absorbance of the molybdenum complex remains stable for at least 72 h at room temperature. Its stability constant is 1.21 x 10(28) at 25 degrees C. Beer's law is obeyed over the range 0-0.6 microg ml(-1) Mo(VI). The reagent has very high sensitivity and selectivity; the molar absorptivity of the complex is 1.35 x 10(5) 1 mol(-1) cm(-1) and the limit of quantification, the limit of detection and relative standard deviation (n = 10) were found to be 6.7 ng ml(-1), 2.2 ng ml(-1) and 1.01%, respectively. Cu (50000-fold), Fe (20000-fold), K (20000-fold), NH4+ (20000-fold), Mg (15000-fold), Zn (10000-fold), Na (10000-fold), Al (4000-fold), Ca (25000-fold), Mn (2000-fold), Ce (500-fold), Cr (400-fold) and Bi (200-fold) do not interfere with the determination of trace levels of molybdenum up to the excesses indicated. The selectivity is much superior to that of other published methods. The proposed method was applied to the direct determination of molybdenum in plants and seeds with satisfactory results. The synthesis of the reagent and conditions of color reaction were studied in detail.

Synthesis of meso-tetra-(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxylphenyl)-porphyrin and its application to second-derivative spectrophotometric determination of lead in clinical samples

A new very sensitive and selective chromogenic reagent, meso-tetra-(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxylphenyl)porphyrin [T(DBHP)P], was synthesized and studied for the determination of trace lead in detail. In 0.10 mol l-1 NaOH medium, lead reacts with T(DBHP)P to form a 1:2 yellow complex, which gives a maximum absorption at 479 nm; 0-0.48 microgram ml-1 Pb(II) obeyed Beer's law. The molar absorptivity of the complex and Sandell's sensitivity are 2.5 x 10(5) 1 mol-1 cm-1 and 0.000812 microgram cm-2, respectively. Second-derivative spectrophotometry is better than conventional spectrophotometry in sensitivity and selectivity, and its limit of quantification, limit of detection and relative standard deviation are 0.70 ng ml-1, 0.21 ng ml-1 and 1.0%, respectively. Ca (3250-fold), Mg (2000-fold), Sr (1000-fold), Ba (750-fold), Al (1000-fold), Bi (500-fold), Fe (2000-fold), Co (750-fold), Ni (1000-fold), Cu (750-fold), Zn (1250-fold), Cd (2500-fold) and Ag (550-fold) do not interfere with the determination of lead. The chromogenic system is remarkably superior to other reagents, especially porphyrin compounds. The influence caused by oxygen in air or in solution can be easily eliminated by adding Na2SO3. The reaction is very stable, the stability constant of the complex being 1.2 x 10(45). The chromogenic reaction is completed within 1 min at room temperature when 8-hydroxylquinoline is used as catalyst. The proposed method has been applied to the direct determination of trace lead in clinical samples. The accuracy and precision are both very satisfactory.

Myasthenia gravis: another autoimmune disease associated with hepatitis C virus infection

We report on a male Egyptian patient who developed myasthenia gravis with typical symptoms, beneficial response to pyridostigmine, and the presence of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies and anti-striated muscle antibodies during the course of a chronic hepatitis C infection complicated by liver cirrhosis. As also reported for the herpes simplex and for the HIV virus, hepatitis C may lead to myasthenia gravis via a mechanism of cross-reactivity between viral epitopes and the acetylcholine receptor.

Heterogeneity of circulating growth hormone

Human growth hormone (GH) represents a family of related proteins arising from two genes, alternative mRNA splicing, and several post-translational modifications. In addition, post-secretory events occur when GH enters the circulation. The full scale of GH heterogeneity is only beginning to be appreciated, and new GH forms or related proteins may be discovered in the future. GH measurements are affected by GH heterogeneity. Immunoassays are influenced by the mixture of GH variants, but are not sensitive to GH binding proteins (GHBPs). In contrast, radioreceptor assays are sensitive to both GH variant mixtures and to the high affinity GHBP. It is hoped that in the future, these problems can be minimized by rigorous characterization of existing antibodies with respect to epitope recognition on various GH forms, and ultimately, by production of GH variant-specific antibodies that permit direct and individual assessment of the circulating members of the GH family.

Effects of growth hormone-binding proteins on serum growth hormone measurements

GH-binding proteins (GH-BPs) in human blood theoretically may interfere with measurements of immunoreactive GH by forming complexes with GH and competing with antibody reagents for ligand. Indeed, results of serum GH obtained by immunoassays are known to differ markedly depending on the assay employed. To assess the potential role of circulating GH-BPs in this phenomenon, we systematically examined their effect on GH measurement in four RIAs and two immunoradiometric assays. In all except one RIA, the effect of the BPs on tracer binding to antibody was mildly inhibitory. In both immunoradiometric assays, BPs increased the nonspecific association of the tracer with the solid phase reagent. However, these effects were minor at the BP concentrations realistically encountered in practice. Furthermore, the impact of BPs on GH standard curves and final results was negligible because BP effects fall into the category of nonspecific or zero dose counts, which are subtracted during data reduction. We conclude that GH-BPs are only a minor disturbance in GH immunoassays, which is completely compensated for by conventional assay design. Disparities among results yielded by different assays are probably not due to BP interference.