PSFHSP-Net: an efficient lightweight network for identifying pubic symphysis-fetal head standard plane from intrapartum ultrasound images.

The accurate selection of the ultrasound plane for the fetal head and pubic symphysis is critical for precisely measuring the angle of progression. The traditional method depends heavily on sonographers manually selecting the imaging plane. This process is not only time-intensive and laborious but also prone to variability based on the clinicians' expertise. Consequently, there is a significant need for an automated method driven by artificial intelligence. To enhance the efficiency and accuracy of identifying the pubic symphysis-fetal head standard plane (PSFHSP), we proposed a streamlined neural network, PSFHSP-Net, based on a modified version of ResNet-18. This network comprises a single convolutional layer and three residual blocks designed to mitigate noise interference and bolster feature extraction capabilities. The model's adaptability was further refined by expanding the shared feature layer into task-specific layers. We assessed its performance against both traditional heavyweight and other lightweight models by evaluating metrics such as F1-score, accuracy (ACC), recall, precision, area under the ROC curve (AUC), model parameter count, and frames per second (FPS). The PSFHSP-Net recorded an ACC of 0.8995, an F1-score of 0.9075, a recall of 0.9191, and a precision of 0.9022. This model surpassed other heavyweight and lightweight models in these metrics. Notably, it featured the smallest model size (1.48 MB) and the highest processing speed (65.7909 FPS), meeting the real-time processing criterion of over 24 images per second. While the AUC of our model was 0.930, slightly lower than that of ResNet34 (0.935), it showed a marked improvement over ResNet-18 in testing, with increases in ACC and F1-score of 0.0435 and 0.0306, respectively. However, precision saw a slight decrease from 0.9184 to 0.9022, a reduction of 0.0162. Despite these trade-offs, the compression of the model significantly reduced its size from 42.64 to 1.48 MB and increased its inference speed by 4.4753 to 65.7909 FPS. The results confirm that the PSFHSP-Net is capable of swiftly and effectively identifying the PSFHSP, thereby facilitating accurate measurements of the angle of progression. This development represents a significant advancement in automating fetal imaging analysis, promising enhanced consistency and reduced operator dependency in clinical settings.

PSFHS: Intrapartum ultrasound image dataset for AI-based segmentation of pubic symphysis and fetal head.

During the process of labor, the intrapartum transperineal ultrasound examination serves as a valuable tool, allowing direct observation of the relative positional relationship between the pubic symphysis and fetal head (PSFH). Accurate assessment of fetal head descent and the prediction of the most suitable mode of delivery heavily rely on this relationship. However, achieving an objective and quantitative interpretation of the ultrasound images necessitates precise PSFH segmentation (PSFHS), a task that is both time-consuming and demanding. Integrating the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of medical ultrasound image segmentation, the development and evaluation of AI-based models rely significantly on access to comprehensive and meticulously annotated datasets. Unfortunately, publicly accessible datasets tailored for PSFHS are notably scarce. Bridging this critical gap, we introduce a PSFHS dataset comprising 1358 images, meticulously annotated at the pixel level. The annotation process adhered to standardized protocols and involved collaboration among medical experts. Remarkably, this dataset stands as the most expansive and comprehensive resource for PSFHS to date.

RTSeg-net: A lightweight network for real-time segmentation of fetal head and pubic symphysis from intrapartum ultrasound images.

The segmentation of the fetal head (FH) and pubic symphysis (PS) from intrapartum ultrasound images plays a pivotal role in monitoring labor progression and informing crucial clinical decisions. Achieving real-time segmentation with high accuracy on systems with limited hardware capabilities presents significant challenges. To address these challenges, we propose the real-time segmentation network (RTSeg-Net), a groundbreaking lightweight deep learning model that incorporates innovative distribution shifting convolutional blocks, tokenized multilayer perceptron blocks, and efficient feature fusion blocks. Designed for optimal computational efficiency, RTSeg-Net minimizes resource demand while significantly enhancing segmentation performance. Our comprehensive evaluation on two distinct intrapartum ultrasound image datasets reveals that RTSeg-Net achieves segmentation accuracy on par with more complex state-of-the-art networks, utilizing merely 1.86 M parameters-just 6 % of their hyperparameters-and operating seven times faster, achieving a remarkable rate of 31.13 frames per second on a Jetson Nano, a device known for its limited computing capacity. These achievements underscore RTSeg-Net's potential to provide accurate, real-time segmentation on low-power devices, broadening the scope for its application across various stages of labor. By facilitating real-time, accurate ultrasound image analysis on portable, low-cost devices, RTSeg-Net promises to revolutionize intrapartum monitoring, making sophisticated diagnostic tools accessible to a wider range of healthcare settings.

Comparison of fetal heart rate baseline estimation by the cardiotocograph network and clinicians: a multidatabase retrospective assessment study.

Background: This study aims to compare the fetal heart rate (FHR) baseline predicted by the cardiotocograph network (CTGNet) with that estimated by clinicians. Material and methods: A total of 1,267 FHR recordings acquired with different electrical fetal monitors (EFM) were collected from five datasets: 84 FHR recordings acquired with F15 EFM (Edan, Shenzhen, China) from the Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, 331 FHR recordings acquired with SRF618B5 EFM (Sanrui, Guangzhou, China), 234 FHR recordings acquired with F3 EFM (Lian-Med, Guangzhou, China) from the NanFang Hospital of Southen Medical University, 552 cardiotocographys (CTG) recorded using STAN S21 and S31 (Neoventa Medical, Mölndal, Sweden) and Avalon FM40 and FM50 (Philips Healthcare, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) from the University Hospital in Brno, Czech Republic, and 66 FHR recordings acquired using Avalon FM50 fetal monitor (Philips Healthcare, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) at St Vincent de Paul Hospital (Lille, France). Each FHR baseline was estimated by clinicians and CTGNet, respectively. And agreement between CTGNet and clinicians was evaluated using the kappa statistics, intra-class correlation coefficient, and the limits of agreement. Results: The number of differences <3 beats per minute (bpm), 3-5 bpm, 5-10 bpm and ≥10 bpm, is 64.88%, 15.94%, 14.44% and 4.74%, respectively. Kappa statistics and intra-class correlation coefficient are 0.873 and 0.969, respectively. Limits of agreement are -6.81 and 7.48 (mean difference: 0.36 and standard deviation: 3.64). Conclusion: An excellent agreement was found between CTGNet and clinicians in the baseline estimation from FHR recordings with different signal loss rates.

The segmentation effect of style transfer on fetal head ultrasound image: a study of multi-source data.

The generalization ability of the fetal head segmentation method is reduced due to the data obtained by different machines, settings, and operations. To keep the generalization ability, we proposed a Fourier domain adaptation (FDA) method based on amplitude and phase to achieve better multi-source ultrasound data segmentation performance. Given the source/target image, the Fourier domain information was first obtained using fast Fourier transform. Secondly, the target information was mapped to the source Fourier domain through the phase adjustment parameter α and the amplitude adjustment parameter ß. Thirdly, the target image and the preprocessed source image obtained through the inverse discrete Fourier transform were used as the input of the segmentation network. Finally, the dice loss was computed to adjust α and ß. In the existing transform methods, the proposed method achieved the best performance. The adaptive-FDA method provides a solution for the automatic preprocessing of multi-source data. Experimental results show that it quantitatively improves the segmentation results and model generalization performance.

Downregulation of CYRI-B promotes migration, invasion and EMT by activating the Rac1-STAT3 pathway in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: CYRI-B plays key roles in regulating cell motility in nontumor cells. However, the role and function of CYRI-B have rarely been studied in cancer cells, including gastric cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical significance, biological function and underlying molecular mechanism of CYRI-B in gastric cancer. METHOD: CYRI-B protein levels were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blotting (WB). Gastric cancer cells and organoid models were evaluated to explore the correlation of CYRI-B with collagen type I. The function of CYRI-B in proliferation, migration, invasion in gastric cancer was evaluated by in vitro and in vivo experiments. RESULT: CYRI-B protein levels were downregulated in gastric cancer. Low expression of CYRI-B was related to later tumor stage and poorer prognosis. CYRI-B expression was reduced when cells were cultured in collagen type I, which was mediated by collagen receptor DDR1. Knockdown of CYRI-B promoted migration, invasion and EMT in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, knockdown of CYRI-B activated the Rac1-STAT3 pathway. CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that CYRI-B plays an important role in the tumor microenvironment, and is associated with malignant characteristics acquired by gastric cancer. This study may provide new targets for future therapeutic interventions for tumor metastasis.

A framework for computing angle of progression from transperineal ultrasound images for evaluating fetal head descent using a novel double branch network.

Background: Accurate assessment of fetal descent by monitoring the fetal head (FH) station remains a clinical challenge in guiding obstetric management. Angle of progression (AoP) has been suggested to be a reliable and reproducible parameter for the assessment of FH descent. Methods: A novel framework, including image segmentation, target fitting and AoP calculation, is proposed for evaluating fetal descent. For image segmentation, this study presents a novel double branch segmentation network (DBSN), which consists of two parts: an encoding part receives image input, and a decoding part composed of deformable convolutional blocks and ordinary convolutional blocks. The decoding part includes the lower and upper branches, and the feature map of the lower branch is used as the input of the upper branch to assist the upper branch in decoding after being constrained by the attention gate (AG). Given an original transperineal ultrasound (TPU) image, areas of the pubic symphysis (PS) and FH are firstly segmented using the proposed DBSN, the ellipse contours of segmented regions are secondly fitted with the least square method, and three endpoints are finally determined for calculating AoP. Results: Our private dataset with 313 transperineal ultrasound (TPU) images was used for model evaluation with 5-fold cross-validation. The proposed method achieves the highest Dice coefficient (93.4%), the smallest Average Surface Distance (6.268 pixels) and the lowest AoP difference (5.993°) by comparing four state-of-the-art methods. Similar results (Dice coefficient: 91.7%, Average Surface Distance: 7.729 pixels: AoP difference: 5.110°) were obtained on a public dataset with >3,700 TPU images for evaluating its generalization performance. Conclusion: The proposed framework may be used for the automatic measurement of AoP with high accuracy and generalization performance. However, its clinical availability needs to be further evaluated.

Complex in vitro 3D models of digestive system tumors to advance precision medicine and drug testing: Progress, challenges, and trends.

Digestive system cancers account for nearly half of all cancers around the world and have a high mortality rate. Cell culture and animal models represent cornerstones of digestive cancer research. However, their ability to enable cancer precision medicine is limited. Cell culture models cannot retain the genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of tumors and lack tumor microenvironment (TME). Patient-derived xenograft mouse models are not suitable for immune-oncology research. While humanized mouse models are time- and cost-consuming. Suitable preclinical models, which can facilitate the understanding of mechanisms of tumor progression and develop new therapeutic strategies, are in high demand. This review article summarizes the recent progress on the establishment of TME by using tumor organoid models and microfluidic systems. The main challenges regarding the translation of organoid models from bench to bedside are discussed. The integration of organoids and a microfluidic platform is the emerging trend in drug screening and precision medicine. A future prospective on this field is also provided.

Multitask Deep Neural Network for the Fully Automatic Measurement of the Angle of Progression.

The angle of progression (AoP) for assessing fetal head (FH) descent during labor is measured from the standard plane of transperineal ultrasound images as the angle between a line through the long axis of pubic symphysis (PS) and a second line from the right end of PS tangentially to the contour of the FH. This paper presents a multitask network with a shared feature encoder and three task-special decoders for standard plane recognition (Task1), image segmentation (Task2) of PS and FH, and endpoint detection (Task3) of PS. Based on the segmented FH and two endpoints of PS from standard plane images, we determined the right FH tangent point that passes through the right endpoint of PS and then computed the AoP using the above three points. In this paper, the efficient channel attention unit is introduced into the shared feature encoder for improving the robustness of layer region encoding, while an attention fusion module is used to promote cross-branch interaction between the encoder for Task2 and that for Task3, and a shape-constrained loss function is designed for enhancing the robustness to noise based on the convex shape-prior. We use Pearson's correlation coefficient and the Bland-Altman graph to assess the degree of agreement. The dataset includes 1964 images, where 919 images are nonstandard planes, and the other 1045 images are standard planes including PS and FH. We achieve a classification accuracy of 92.26%, and for the AoP calculation, an absolute mean (STD) value of the difference in AoP (∆AoP) is 3.898° (3.192°), the Pearson's correlation coefficient between manual and automated AoP was 0.964 and the Bland-Altman plot demonstrates they were statistically significant (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our approach can achieve a fully automatic measurement of AoP with good efficiency and may help labor progress in the future.

How synergy between mechanistic and statistical models is impacting research in atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) with multiple complications, high morbidity and mortality, and low cure rates, has become a global public health problem. Although significant progress has been made in the treatment methods represented by anti-AF drugs and radiofrequency ablation, the therapeutic effect is not as good as expected. The reason is mainly because of our lack of understanding of AF mechanisms. This field has benefited from mechanistic and (or) statistical methodologies. Recent renewed interest in digital twin techniques by synergizing between mechanistic and statistical models has opened new frontiers in AF analysis. In the review, we briefly present findings that gave rise to the AF pathophysiology and current therapeutic modalities. We then summarize the achievements of digital twin technologies in three aspects: understanding AF mechanisms, screening anti-AF drugs and optimizing ablation strategies. Finally, we discuss the challenges that hinder the clinical application of the digital twin heart. With the rapid progress in data reuse and sharing, we expect their application to realize the transition from AF description to response prediction.

DeepSSR: a deep learning system for structured recognition of text images from unstructured paper-based medical reports.

Background: Complete electronic health records (EHRs) are not often available, because information barriers are caused by differences in the level of informatization and the type of the EHR system. Therefore, we aimed to develop a deep learning system [deep learning system for structured recognition of text images from unstructured paper-based medical reports (DeepSSR)] for structured recognition of text images from unstructured paper-based medical reports (UPBMRs) to help physicians solve the data-sharing problem. Methods: UPBMR images were firstly preprocessed through binarization, image correction, and image segmentation. Next, the table area was detected with a lightweight network (i.e., the proposed YOLOv3-MobileNet model). In addition, the text of the table area was detected and recognized with the model based on differentiable binarization (DB) and convolutional recurrent neural network (CRNN). Finally, the recognized text was structured according to its row and column coordinates. DeepSSR was trained and validated on our dataset with 4,221 UPBMR images which were randomly split into training, validation, and testing sets in a ratio of 8:1:1. Results: DeepSSR achieved a high accuracy of 91.10% and a speed of 0.668 s per image. In the system, the proposed YOLOv3-MobileNet model for table detection achieved a precision of 97.8% and a speed of 0.006 s per image. Conclusions: DeepSSR has high accuracy and fast speed in structured recognition of text based on UPBMR images. This system may help solve the data-sharing problem due to information barriers between hospitals with different EHR systems.

Single-cell atlas of keratoconus corneas revealed aberrant transcriptional signatures and implicated mechanical stretch as a trigger for keratoconus pathogenesis.

Keratoconus is a common ectatic corneal disorder in adolescents and young adults that can lead to progressive visual impairment or even legal blindness. Despite the high prevalence, its etiology is not fully understood. In this study, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) analysis on 39,214 cells from central corneas of patients with keratoconus and healthy individuals, to define the involvement of each cell type during disease progression. We confirmed the central role of corneal stromal cells in this disease, where dysregulation of collagen and extracellular matrix (ECM) occurred. Differential gene expression and histological analyses revealed two potential novel markers for keratoconus stromal cells, namely CTSD and CTSK. Intriguingly, we detected elevated levels of YAP1 and TEAD1, the master regulators of biomechanical homeostasis, in keratoconus stromal cells. Cyclical mechanical experiments implicated the mechanical stretch in prompting protease production in corneal stromal cells during keratoconus progression. In the epithelial cells of keratoconus corneas, we observed reduced basal cells and abnormally differentiated superficial cells, unraveling the corneal epithelial lesions that were usually neglected in clinical diagnosis. In addition, several elevated cytokines in immune cells of keratoconus samples supported the involvement of inflammatory response in the progression of keratoconus. Finally, we revealed the dysregulated cell-cell communications in keratoconus, and found that only few ligand-receptor interactions were gained but a large fraction of interactional pairs was erased in keratoconus, especially for those related to protease inhibition and anti-inflammatory process. Taken together, this study facilitates the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying keratoconus pathogenesis, providing insights into keratoconus diagnosis and potential interventions.

Organoids From Mucinous Appendiceal Adenocarcinomas as High-Fidelity Models for Individual Therapy.

Background: Mucinous appendiceal adenocarcinoma (MAA) is a rare, heterogeneous disease. Patients with unrespectable mucinous appendiceal adenocarcinoma presenting with peritoneal spread are treated by intraperitoneal chemotherapy, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, systemic chemotherapy, or targeted therapy. However, there are no guidelines for efficacious drugs against mucinous appendiceal adenocarcinoma. Therefore, relevant high-fidelity models should be investigated to identify effective drugs for individual therapy. Methods: Surgical tumor specimens were obtained from a mucinous appendiceal adenocarcinoma patient. The tissue was digested and organoid culture was established. H&E and immunohistochemistry staining as well as DNA sequencing was performed on tissue and organoid. The pathological characteristics and gene mutations of the organoid were compared to those of the original tumor. Drug sensitivity tests were performed on organoid and the patient clinical responds to chemotherapy and targeted therapy was compared. Results: Organoids were successfully established and stably passaged. Pathological characteristics of organoids including H&E staining and expression of protein markers (CK20, CDX-2, STAB2, CD7, PAX8) were consistent to those of the original tumor. Moreover, the organoids carried the same gene mutations as the primary tumor. Sensitivity of the organoids to chemotherapeutic drugs and tyrosine kinase inhibitors included: 5-FU (IC50 43.95 µM), Oxaliplatin (IC50 23.49 µM), SN38 (IC50 1.02 µM), Apatinib (IC50 0.10 µM), Dasatinib (IC50 2.27 µM), Docetaxel (IC50 5.26 µM), Regorafenib (IC50 18.90 µM), and Everolimus (IC50 9.20 µM). The sensitivities of organoid to these drugs were comparable to those of the patient's clinical responses. Conclusion: The mucinous appendiceal adenocarcinoma organoid model which retained the characteristics of the primary tumor was successfully established. Combined organoid-based drug screening and high throughput sequencing provided a promising way for mucinous appendiceal adenocarcinoma treatment.

BET inhibitor JQ1 enhances anti-tumor immunity and synergizes with PD-1 blockade in CRC.

Most colorectal cancer (CRC) patients are insensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) due to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Epigenetic factors such as the bromo-and extraterminal domain (BET) family proteins may be responsible for the immunosuppressive microenvironment. Previous studies have shown that inhibitors of BET family proteins have the potential to remodel the immunosuppressive TME. However, data on the role of BET inhibitors in immune microenvironment in CRC remains unclear. Here, we evaluated the immunoregulatory role of JQ1, a BET inhibitor, in CRC. Transcriptome sequencing data showed that JQ1 decreased CD274 expression and increased H2Kb expression in MC38 cells. Flow cytometry assays demonstrated that JQ1 decreased cell-surface PD-L1 expression in MC38 and HCT116 cells. Moreover, JQ1 significantly increased cell-surface expression of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) in MC38 cells and HCT116 cells. Antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) assay demonstrated that JQ1 enhanced the MHC-I-mediated cytotoxicity of CTLs. Mouse colon cancer cell line MC38 was used to establish the syngeneic mouse tumor model. Compared with the control, JQ1 significantly inhibited tumor growth and prolonged the overall survival of the mice. Besides, JQ1 did not only inhibit tumor growth by enhancing anti-tumor immunity, but also promoted the anti-tumor effect of PD-1 antibody. In addition, our data showed that JQ1 reduced infiltration of intratumoral regulatory T cells (Treg), thus remodeling the immunosuppressive TME. Taken together, these results highlight a new approach that enhances anti-PD-1 sensitivity in CRC.

Corrigendum to "The JNU-IFM dataset for segmenting pubic symphysis-fetal head" data in brief. 41 (2022) 107904.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2022.107904.].

The JNU-IFM dataset for segmenting pubic symphysis-fetal head.

The use of transperineal ultrasound techniques for the assessment of fetal head descent and progression is an adjunct to clinical examination. Automatic identification of parameters based on ultrasound images will greatly reduce the subjectivity and non-repeatability of the clinician's judgment. However, the lack of a pubic symphysis-fetal head dataset hinders the development of algorithms. Here, we present an intrapartum transperineal ultrasound dataset of the Intelligent Fetal Monitoring Lab of Jinan University (named the JNU-IFM dataset), in which intrapartum transperineal ultrasound videos of 78 were recorded from 51 patients. These data were obtained with the Youkey D8 wireless 2D ultrasound probe with its corresponding supporting software by Wuhan Youkey Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., Wuhan, China. In these videos, 6224 high-quality images with four categories were selected to form the JNU- IFM dataset. These images were labelled using the Pair software and then validated by two experienced radiologists. We hope that this data set can be used in the segmentation of the pubic symphysis-fetal head.

Machine learning-based prediction of postpartum hemorrhage after vaginal delivery: combining bleeding high risk factors and uterine contraction curve.

PURPOSE: This work used a machine learning model to improve the accuracy of predicting postpartum hemorrhage in vaginal delivery. METHODS: Among the 25,098 deliveries in the obstetrics department of the First Hospital of Jinan University recorded from 2016 to 2020, 10,520 were vaginal deliveries with complete study data. Further review selected 850 cases of postpartum hemorrhage (amount of bleeding > 500 mL) and 54 cases of severe postpartum hemorrhage (amount of bleeding > 1000 mL). Indicators of clinical risk factors for postpartum hemorrhage were retrieved from electronic medical records. Features of the uterine contraction curve were extracted 2 h prior to vaginal delivery and modeled using a 49-variable machine learning with 90% of study cases used in the training set and 10% of study cases used in the test set. Accuracy was compared among the assessment table, classical statistical models, and machine learning models used to predict postpartum hemorrhage to assess their clinical use. The assessment table contained 16 high-risk factor scores to predict postpartum hemorrhage. The classical statistical model used was Logistic Regression (LR). The machine learning models were Random Forest (RF), K Nearest Neighbor (KNN), and the one integrated with Lightgbm (LGB) and LR. The effect of model prediction was evaluated by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), namely, C-static, calibration curve Brier score, decision curve, F-measure, sensitivity (SE), and specificity (SP). RESULTS: 1: Among the tested tools, the machine learning model LGB + LR has the best performance in predicting postpartum hemorrhage. Its Brier, AUC, and F-measure scores are better than those of other models in each group, and its SE and SP reach 0.694 and 0.800, respectively. The predictive performance of the classical statistical model LR is AUC: 0.729, 95%CI [0.702-0.756]). 2: Verification on the testing set reveals that the features of uterine contraction contribute to the improved accuracy of the model prediction. 3: LGB + LR model suggested that among the 49 indicators for predicting severe postpartum hemorrhage, the importance of the first 10 characteristics in descending order is as follows: hematocrit (%), shock index, frequency of contractions (min-1), white blood cell count, gestational hypertension, neonatal weight (kg), time of second labor (min), mean area of contractions (mmHg s), total amniotic fluid (mL), and body mass index (BMI). The prediction effect is close to that of the model after training with all 49 features. The predictive effect was close to that of the model after training using all 49 features. 4: Contraction frequency and intensity Mean_Area (representing effective contractions) have a high predictive value for severe postpartum hemorrhage. 5: Blood loss amount within 2 h has a high warning effect on postpartum hemorrhage, and the increase in AUC to 0.95 indicates that postpartum bleeding mostly occurs within 2 h after delivery. CONCLUSION: Machine learning models incorporated with uterine contraction features can further improve the accuracy of postpartum hemorrhage prediction in vaginal delivery and provide a reference for clinicians to intervene early and reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes.