Polarization enhancement mechanism from tissue staining in multispectral Mueller matrix microscopy.

Mueller matrix microscopy can provide comprehensive polarization-related optical and structural information of biomedical samples label-freely. Thus, it is regarded as an emerging powerful tool for pathological diagnosis. However, the staining dyes have different optical properties and staining mechanisms, which can put influence on Mueller matrix microscopic measurement. In this Letter, we quantitatively analyze the polarization enhancement mechanism from hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining in multispectral Mueller matrix microscopy. We examine the influence of hematoxylin and eosin dyes on Mueller matrix-derived polarization characteristics of fibrous tissue structures. Combined with Monte Carlo simulations, we explain how the dyes enhance diattenuation and linear retardance as the illumination wavelength changed. In addition, it is demonstrated that by choosing an appropriate incident wavelength, more visual Mueller matrix polarimetric information can be observed of the H&E stained tissue sample. The findings can lay the foundation for the future Mueller matrix-assisted digital pathology.

Differential diagnosis of Crohn's disease and intestinal tuberculosis based on ATR-FTIR spectroscopy combined with machine learning.

BACKGROUND: Crohn's disease (CD) is often misdiagnosed as intestinal tuberculosis (ITB). However, the treatment and prognosis of these two diseases are dramatically different. Therefore, it is important to develop a method to identify CD and ITB with high accuracy, specificity, and speed. AIM: To develop a method to identify CD and ITB with high accuracy, specificity, and speed. METHODS: A total of 72 paraffin wax-embedded tissue sections were pathologically and clinically diagnosed as CD or ITB. Paraffin wax-embedded tissue sections were attached to a metal coating and measured using attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared spectroscopy at mid-infrared wavelengths combined with XGBoost for differential diagnosis. RESULTS: The results showed that the paraffin wax-embedded specimens of CD and ITB were significantly different in their spectral signals at 1074 cm-1 and 1234 cm-1 bands, and the differential diagnosis model based on spectral characteristics combined with machine learning showed accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of 91.84%, 92.59%, and 90.90%, respectively, for the differential diagnosis of CD and ITB. CONCLUSION: Information on the mid-infrared region can reveal the different histological components of CD and ITB at the molecular level, and spectral analysis combined with machine learning to establish a diagnostic model is expected to become a new method for the differential diagnosis of CD and ITB.

Incidence and risk factors for pulmonary hemorrhage after percutaneous CT-guided pulmonary nodule biopsy: an observational study.

To evaluate the current incidence of pulmonary hemorrhage and the potential factors contributing to its increased risk after percutaneous CT-guided pulmonary nodule biopsy and to summarize the technical recommendations for its treatment. In this observational study, patient data were collected from ten medical centers from April 2021 to April 2022. The incidence of pulmonary hemorrhage was as follows: grade 0, 36.1% (214/593); grade 1, 36.8% (218/593); grade 2, 18.9% (112/593); grade 3, 3.5% (21/593); and grade 4, 4.7% (28/593). High-grade hemorrhage (HGH) occurred in 27.2% (161/593) of the patients. The use of preoperative breathing exercises (PBE, p =0.000), semiautomatic cutting needles (SCN, p = 0.004), immediate contrast enhancement (ICE, p =0.021), and the coaxial technique (CoT, p = 0.000) were found to be protective factors for HGH. A greater length of puncture (p =0.021), the presence of hilar nodules (p = 0.001), the presence of intermediate nodules (p = 0.026), a main pulmonary artery diameter (mPAD) larger than 29 mm (p = 0.015), and a small nodule size (p = 0.014) were risk factors for high-grade hemorrhage. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.783. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the risks associated with percutaneous CT-guided pulmonary nodule biopsy and provide valuable insights for developing strategies to minimize pulmonary hemorrhage.

Pneumothorax after percutaneous CT-guided lung nodule biopsy: a prospective, multicenter study.

Background: Pneumothorax is a common complication induced by computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous needle biopsy, with a frequency of 17-40.4%. It remains debatable how to predict and prevent the occurrence of post-biopsy pneumothorax. In a real-world setting, we investigated the characteristics associated with pneumothorax in primary lung nodule biopsy. Methods: This clinical registry cohort study recorded patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary nodules from 10 medical centers from April 2021 to April 2022, and the data were input into the electronic data capture (EDC) system. The eligibility criteria for participants included being within the age range of 18 to 80 years and expressing a willingness to undergo percutaneous puncture biopsy, among other requirements. Conversely, the exclusion criteria included an inability to cooperate throughout the biopsy process and the emergence of new health issues during the study duration resulting in attendance delays, among other factors. This study collected data from 924 patients, out of which 593 were included after exclusion. The essential characteristics, imaging features of pulmonary nodules, and technical factors associated with percutaneous biopsy were recorded. T-tests or one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed for continuous variables and Pearson's χ2 test, likelihood ratio, or Fisher's exact test were applied for categorical variables for comparison as appropriate, followed by multivariate logistic regression. Results: The overall incidence of pneumothorax was 13.0% (77/593), among which timely pneumothorax was 10.3% (61/593), delayed pneumothorax was 2.7% (16/593), and the rate of chest tube placement was 3.4% (20/593). There was no significant difference in the incidence of pneumothorax in a needle size range of 16-19 G (P=0.129), but the incidence of pneumothorax was lower with 17 G needles than with 18 G. An increased morbidity of pneumothorax was correlated with age (P=0.003), emphysema (P=0.006), and operation time (P=0.002). There was no significant increase in the incidence of pneumothorax between 1 or 2 passes through the pleura (P=0.062). However, multiple pleural passes (3 times) increased the chances of pneumothorax significantly (P=0.022). These risk factors have a certain clinical value in predicting the incidence of post-biopsy pneumothorax, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.749. Conclusions: The most common post-biopsy complication, pneumothorax, was managed conservatively in most cases. A maximum of two pleural passes does not increase the incidence of pneumothorax, and the 17 G needle is more suitable for percutaneous biopsy of pulmonary nodules in the real world.

Influence of hematoxylin and eosin staining on linear birefringence measurement of fibrous tissue structures in polarization microscopy.

Significance: For microscopic polarization imaging of tissue slices, two types of samples are often prepared: one unstained tissue section for polarization imaging to avoid possible influence from staining dyes quantitatively and one hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) stained adjacent tissue section for histological diagnosis and structural feature identification. However, this sample preparation strategy requires high-quality adjacent tissue sections, and labeling the structural features on unstained tissue sections is impossible. With the fast development of data driven-based polarimetric analysis, which requires a large amount of pixel labeled images, a possible method is to directly use H&E stained slices, which are standard samples archived in clinical hospitals for polarization measurement. Aim: We aim to study the influence of hematoxylin and eosin staining on the linear birefringence measurement of fibrous tissue structures. Approach: We examine the linear birefringence properties of four pieces of adjacent bone tissue slices with abundant collagen fibers that are unstained, H&E stained, hematoxylin (H) stained, and eosin (E) stained. After obtaining the spatial maps of linear retardance values for the four tissue samples, we carry out a comparative study using a frequency distribution histogram and similarity analysis based on the Bhattacharyya coefficient to investigate how H&E staining affects the linear birefringence measurement of bone tissues. Results: Linear retardance increased after H&E, H, or E staining (41.7%, 40.8%, and 72.5% increase, respectively). However, there is no significant change in the imaging contrast of linear retardance in bone tissues. Conclusions: The linear retardance values induced by birefringent collagen fibers can be enhanced after H&E, H, or E staining. However, the structural imaging contrasts based on linear retardance did not change significantly or the staining did not generate linear birefringence on the sample area without collagen. Therefore, it can be acceptable to prepare H&E stained slices for clinical applications of polarimetry based on such a mapping relationship.

A Dual-Modality Imaging Method Based on Polarimetry and Second Harmonic Generation for Characterization and Evaluation of Skin Tissue Structures.

The characterization and evaluation of skin tissue structures are crucial for dermatological applications. Recently, Mueller matrix polarimetry and second harmonic generation microscopy have been widely used in skin tissue imaging due to their unique advantages. However, the features of layered skin tissue structures are too complicated to use a single imaging modality for achieving a comprehensive evaluation. In this study, we propose a dual-modality imaging method combining Mueller matrix polarimetry and second harmonic generation microscopy for quantitative characterization of skin tissue structures. It is demonstrated that the dual-modality method can well divide the mouse tail skin tissue specimens' images into three layers of stratum corneum, epidermis, and dermis. Then, to quantitatively analyze the structural features of different skin layers, the gray level co-occurrence matrix is adopted to provide various evaluating parameters after the image segmentations. Finally, to quantitatively measure the structural differences between damaged and normal skin areas, an index named Q-Health is defined based on cosine similarity and the gray-level co-occurrence matrix parameters of imaging results. The experiments confirm the effectiveness of the dual-modality imaging parameters for skin tissue structure discrimination and assessment. It shows the potential of the proposed method for dermatological practices and lays the foundation for further, in-depth evaluation of the health status of human skin.

125I Radioactive Particles Drive Protective Autophagy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Upregulating ATG9B.

Background and Aims: 125I radioactive particles implantation have demonstrated efficacy in eradicating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, progressive resistance of HCC to 125I radioactive particles has limited its wide clinical application. Methods: We investigated the cellular responses to 125I radioactive particles treatment and autophagy-related 9B (ATG9B) silencing in HCC cell lines and Hep3B xenografted tumor model using Cell Counting Kit-8 reagent, western blotting, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, transmission electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Results: In this study, we demonstrated that 125I radioactive particles induced cell apoptosis and protective autophagy of HCC in vitro and in vivo. Inhibition of autophagy enhanced the radiosensitivity of HCC to 125I radioactive particles. Moreover, 125I radioactive particles induced autophagy by upregulating ATG9B, with increased expression level of LC3B and decreased expression level of p62. Furthermore, ATG9B silencing downregulated LC3B expression and upregulated p62 expression and enhanced radiosensitivity of HCC to 125I radioactive particles in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions: Inhibition of ATG9B enhanced the antitumor effects of 125I particle radiation against HCC in vitro and in vivo. Our findings suggest that 125I particle radiation plus chloroquine or/and the ATG9B inhibitor may be a novel therapeutic strategy for HCC.

Iodine-125 Seeds Inhibit Carcinogenesis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells by Suppressing Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition via TGF-ß1/Smad Signaling.

To investigate the radioactive iodine-125 (I-125) seed on migrating and invading of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and its mechanism, the irradiation of PLC and Huh7 cells was carried out with I-125 seeds in vitro. Cell counting kit 8 assay was employed to measure cell viability. Cell migration was evaluated by using wound-healing assay. Cell invasion was detected by Transwell assay; RT-PCR and Western blot were used for the detection of the mRNA and proteins of TGF-ß1 signaling pathway-related genes. The viability of PLC and Huh7 cells declined in a dose-dependent manner with increasing irradiation from 0 Gy, 2 Gy, 4 Gy, and 6 Gy, to 8 Gy, respectively. The IC50 of PLC and Huh7 cells were 6.20 Gy and 5.39 Gy, respectively, after 24 h of irradiation. Migration and invasion abilities of I-125 group cells were greatly weakened (P < 0.05) comparing with the control group. According to the outcomes of RT-PCR and WB, I-125 seed irradiation significantly inhibited the mRNA and protein expression of N-cadherin, vimentin, TGF-ß1, p-Smad2/3, and Snail. But the mRNA and protein expressions of E-cadherin were enhanced. Rescue experiment demonstrates that TGF-ß1 activator could reverse the inhibitory effects of I-125 on invasion and migration of cells. The results of in vivo experiments further verified that the I-125 seeds can inhibit the proliferation and TGF-ß1 of xenographed PLC cells. In conclusion, I-125 seeds restrain the invasion and migration of HCC cells by suppressing epithelial to mesenchymal transition, which may associate with the inhibition of the TGF-ß1 signaling.

Early diagnosis of gastric cancer based on deep learning combined with the spectral-spatial classification method.

The development of an objective and rapid method that can be used for the early diagnosis of gastric cancer has important clinical application value. In this study, the fluorescence hyperspectral imaging technique was used to acquire fluorescence spectral images. Deep learning combined with spectral-spatial classification methods based on 120 fresh tissues samples that had a confirmed diagnosis by histopathological examinations was used to automatically identify and extract the "spectral + spatial" features to construct an early diagnosis model of gastric cancer. The model results showed that the overall accuracy for the nonprecancerous lesion, precancerous lesion, and gastric cancer groups was 96.5% with specificities of 96.0%, 97.3%, and 96.7% and sensitivities of 97.0%, 96.3%, and 96.6%, respectively. Therefore, the proposed method can increase the diagnostic accuracy and is expected to be a new method for the early diagnosis of gastric cancer.

Qualitative Study of a Solution-Focused Training Program for Taiwanese Military Instructors.

This study explored Taiwanese military instructors' perceptions of a training program using a solution-focused approach and its initial application to students with behavior problems. A total of 25 military instructors (16 men, 9 women; M age = 38.6 years, SD = 5.8) and 10 students (three men, seven women; M age = 17.5 years, SD = 0.9) participated in the study through convenience sampling. Grounded theory method was adopted for data analysis. Six prominent categories emerged from the focus group interview, weekly training notes, and the researcher's field notes, including reactions to learning solution-focused approach, strengths and weaknesses of using the solution-focused approach, identification of military instructors role function, initial responses to the techniques of the solution-focused approach, a positive attitude to deal with students' problems, and from assimilation to transformation. In addition, feedback collected from students was grouped into a seventh category. Finally, a modified pattern was developed for military instructors to use when working with students.

Perspectives of Taiwanese pastoral counselors on the use of scripture and prayer in the counseling process.

Interviews were carried out with 10 Christian pastoral counselors to explore their perspectives on the use of Scripture and prayer in the counseling process. Grounded Theory was utilized. Five main categories including a theological framework of pastoral counseling, counselors' considerations of using Scripture and prayer, preparation for Christian spiritual intervention, implications of spiritual resources, and ethical issues in the pastoral counseling process were generated. The results suggest the theological framework of pastoral counseling is crucial to the use of Scripture and prayer, and the issue of a neutral response should first be clarified for clients. Basic guidelines for ethically using Scripture and prayer for working with Christian clients are proposed for further pastoral counselor training, practice, and research.

Effectiveness of an enhancement program on Taiwanese university students' self-concept'.

This study examined the effectiveness of a Self-Concept Enhancement Program (SCEP) on Taiwanese university students. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 30) and a waiting-list control group (n = 30). The experimental group received SCEP psycho-educational treatment for 8 weeks, whereas the control group did not. Results indicated significant improvements on physical, personal, self-identity, and total self-concept in the experimental group, but not in the control group. Participants evaluated the SCEP as useful, beneficial, and powerful in promoting their self-concept. Cultural issues were highlighted and discussed. Implications for research and counseling practice are suggested.

Verbal interactions in Taiwanese group counseling process: a cross-cultural perspective.

Although group verbal behaviors have been extensively studied, little research has examined how the types and frequencies of interactions vary across cultures. The purpose of this study was to examine verbal interactions in the Taiwanese group counseling process from a cultural perspective. 58 students were recruited from seven colleges of a comprehensive university in Taiwan. They were randomly assigned to one of the following: the Family Reconstruction group, Transactional Analysis group, or Growth group, as well as three Counseling groups. By using the Hill Interaction Matrix-SS (HIM-SS), participants' verbal interactions in the three groups were coded. Personal and Relationship Content verbal interactions were frequently used and the Confrontative and Assertive Work verbal interactions were least used in the group process. Personal, Relationship, Conventional, and Speculative verbal interactions were ranked high, but those of Group, Topics, Confrontative, and Assertive were much less used by both leaders and members. The differences of the verbal interactions and Silence responses between leaders and members in counseling groups were examined; there were no significant differences between the leaders' and members' verbal interactions and Silence. Specific types of verbal interactions influenced by cultural issues were discussed.

Taiwanese members' report of verbal interactions and their relations to demographic variables in the group counseling process.

The purpose was to examine differences in verbal interactions during the group counseling process and the relationship between perceived verbal interactions and members' demographic variables. 42 participants were recruited and randomly assigned to one of four counseling groups. Based on the Hill Interaction Matrix, Quadrant 4 verbal interactions, consisting of Speculative and Confrontative verbal behaviors in Personal and Relationship levels, were perceived significantly more often at the closing stage than at the initial stage. Furthermore, the perceived verbal interactions were related to the demographic variables of sex, educational level, and group experience, but not acquaintanceship. The findings suggested that the higher ratings of perceived Speculative and Confrontative verbal behaviors and the lower ratings of Assertive and Silence verbal interactions must be interpreted cautiously from a cross-cultural perspective, especially in Asian cultures.

Correctional officers' perceptions of a solution-focused training program: potential implications for working with offenders.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to explore correctional officers' perceptions and experiences during a solution-focused training program and to initiate development of a modified pattern for correctional officers to use in jails. The study uses grounded theory procedures combined with a follow-up survey. The findings identified six emergent themes: obstacles to doing counseling work in prisons, offenders' amenability to change, correctional officers' self-image, advantages of a solution-focused approach (SFA), potential advantages of applying SFA to offenders, and the need for the consolidation of learning and transformation. Participants perceived the use of solution-focused techniques as appropriate, important, functional, and of only moderate difficulty in interacting with offenders. Finally, a modified pattern was developed for officers to use when working with offenders in jails. Suggestions and recommendations are made for correctional interventions and future studies.

Understanding Taiwanese children's perceptions of peace and strategies to make peace: a social and cultural perspective.

This exploratory study described Taiwanese children's perceptions of peace and what they think children can do to make peace. In-depth interviews were conducted with 60 Taiwanese children ages 4 to 18 years. The most predominant themes for the perceptions of peace were what peace is not, prosocial behaviors, positive emotions, and positive evaluations of peace. Approximately half of the children (48%) provided specific strategies for making peace. The suggested strategies generally were based on the child's immediate environment, such as "don't fight" "don't argue," and specific prosocial behaviors. 52% of children either said, "I don't know" when asked what children can do to make peace, or did not feel empowered to make peace. The initial findings were interpreted in terms of sociocultural issues, such as cultural heritage and upbringing, as well as within a political context.

Pyridostigmine bromide and the long-term subjective health status of a sample of over 700 male Reserve Component Gulf War era veterans.

Data from a 1996-1997 survey of approximately 700 Reserve Component male veterans indicate that the consumption of pyridostigmine bromide pills, used as a pretreatment for potential exposure to the nerve agent Soman, was a significant predictor of declines in reported subjective health status after the war, even after controlling for a number of other possible factors. Reported reactions to vaccines and other medications also predicted declines in subjective health. While higher military rank generally predicted better health during and after the war, educational attainment, minority status, number of days in theater, and age generally did not predict changes in subjective health. Although servicemembers were directed to take three pills a day, veterans reported a range of compliance--less than a fourth (24%) followed the medical instructions compared to 61% who took fewer than three pills daily and 6% who took six or more pills a day. Implications for use of pyridostigmine bromide are discussed.

Self-reported changes in subjective health and anthrax vaccination as reported by over 900 Persian Gulf War era veterans.

A 1999 study of United Kingdom servicemembers by Unwin, et al. recently found significant relationships between anthrax and other vaccinations, reactions to those vaccines, and later health problems for male current or former active military Gulf War veterans. Likewise, in 2000 Steele and in 1998 Gilroy found possible adverse effects of vaccinations on Gulf War veterans. However, the role of such vaccinations remains controversial; more recent government reports continue to dispute the existence of any data that might reflect adversely on the role of vaccinations on the health of Gulf War veterans. To address this controversy, the current study assessed similar relationships for over 900 Reserve Component Gulf War Era veterans from Ohio and nearby states. Gulf War veterans were more likely to report poorer health than non-Gulf veterans. Female veterans were more likely to report mild or severe reactions to vaccines than male veterans. Those veterans who received anthrax vaccine reported more reactions to vaccines than those who did not receive anthrax vaccine. Declines in long-term subjective health were associated with receipt of anthrax vaccine by Gulf War veterans but not for those who did not deploy to the Gulf, although few of the latter received anthrax vaccine. Regardless of deployment status, veterans who reported more severe reactions to vaccines were more likely to report declines in subjective health. Female veterans reported poorer health during the Gulf War than did male veterans, but sex was not related to veterans' reports of subjective health at subsequent times. It is recommended that servicemembers who experience severe reactions to anthrax vaccine be medically reevaluated before receiving further anthrax vaccine and that careful follow-ups be conducted of those receiving the vaccine currently, in accordance with Nass's 1999 recommendations. We also recommend that safer alternatives to thimerosal (a mercury sodium salt, 50% mercury) be used to preserve all vaccines.