ABSTRACT
For convenience and experimental control, cognitive science has relied largely on images as stimuli rather than the real, tangible objects encountered in the real world. Recent evidence suggests that the cognitive processing of images may differ from real objects, especially in the processing of spatial locations and actions, thought to be mediated by the dorsal visual stream. Perceptual and semantic processing in the ventral visual stream, however, has been assumed to be largely unaffected by the realism of objects. Several studies have found that one key difference accounting for differences between real objects and images is actability; however, less research has investigated another potential difference - the three-dimensional nature of real objects as conveyed by cues like binocular disparity. To investigate the extent to which perception is affected by the realism of a stimulus, we compared viewpoint adaptation when stimuli (a face or a kettle) were 2D (flat images without binocular disparity) vs. 3D (i.e., real, tangible objects or stereoscopic images with binocular disparity). For both faces and kettles, adaptation to 3D stimuli induced stronger viewpoint aftereffects than adaptation to 2D images when the adapting orientation was rightward. A computational model suggested that the difference in aftereffects could be explained by broader viewpoint tuning for 3D compared to 2D stimuli. Overall, our finding narrowed the gap between understanding the neural processing of visual images and real-world objects by suggesting that compared to 2D images, real and simulated 3D objects evoke more broadly tuned neural representations, which may result in stronger viewpoint invariance.
ABSTRACT
Nafamostat mesylate, a synthetic serine protease inhibitor, has been shown to have antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and anticoagulant properties that may be beneficial in the treatment of COVID-19. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of nafamostat mesylate for the treatment of COVID-19. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, medRxiv, and bioRxiv were searched up to July 2023 for studies comparing the outcomes of nafamostat mesylate treatment and no nafamostat mesylate treatment in patients with COVID-19. Mortality, disease progression, and adverse events were analyzed. Six studies involving 16,195 patients were included in the analysis. Meta-analysis revealed no significant difference in mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.20-3.75, P = 0.86) or disease progression (OR: 2.76, 95% CI: 0.31-24.68, P = 0.36) between groups. However, nafamostat mesylate was associated with an increased risk of hyperkalemia (OR: 7.15, 95% CI: 2.66-19.24, P < 0.0001). Nafamostat mesylate did not improve mortality or morbidity in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The risk of hyperkalemia is a serious concern that requires monitoring and preventive measures. Further research in different COVID-19 populations is required.
Subject(s)
Benzamidines , COVID-19 Drug Treatment , COVID-19 , Guanidines , SARS-CoV-2 , Humans , Benzamidines/therapeutic use , Guanidines/therapeutic use , Guanidines/adverse effects , COVID-19/mortality , SARS-CoV-2/drug effects , Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use , Antiviral Agents/adverse effects , Treatment Outcome , Disease Progression , Hyperkalemia/drug therapyABSTRACT
Purpose: To develop, implement, and evaluate feedback for an artificial intelligence (AI) workshop for radiology residents that has been designed as a condensed introduction of AI fundamentals suitable for integration into an existing residency curriculum. Materials and Methods: A 3-week AI workshop was designed by radiology faculty, residents, and AI engineers. The workshop was integrated into curricular academic half-days of a competency-based medical education radiology training program. The workshop consisted of live didactic lectures, literature case studies, and programming examples for consolidation. Learning objectives and content were developed for foundational literacy rather than technical proficiency. Identical prospective surveys were conducted before and after the workshop to gauge the participants' confidence in understanding AI concepts on a five-point Likert scale. Results were analyzed with descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon rank sum tests to evaluate differences. Results: Twelve residents participated in the workshop, with 11 completing the survey. An average score of 4.0 ± 0.7 (SD), indicating agreement, was observed when asking residents if the workshop improved AI knowledge. Confidence in understanding AI concepts increased following the workshop for 16 of 18 (89%) comprehension questions (P value range: .001 to .04 for questions with increased confidence). Conclusion: An introductory AI workshop was developed and delivered to radiology residents. The workshop provided a condensed introduction to foundational AI concepts, developed positive perception, and improved confidence in AI topics.Keywords: Medical Education, Machine Learning, Postgraduate Training, Competency-based Medical Education, Medical Informatics Supplemental material is available for this article. © RSNA, 2023.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , COVID-19/prevention & control , SARS-CoV-2 , Vaccination , Renal Dialysis , Antibodies, ViralABSTRACT
Clinical artificial intelligence (AI) applications are rapidly developing but existing medical school curricula provide limited teaching covering this area. Here we describe an AI training curriculum we developed and delivered to Canadian medical undergraduates and provide recommendations for future training.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have profound health, social, psychological, and economic ramifications. Infection by COVID-19 has been of concern in people who use opioids, as opioid use has been known to mediate immunosuppression and is associated with respiratory depression and end-organ damage. With differing modalities of opioid usage, the association between opioids and COVID-19 outcomes is not well understood. We performed a comprehensive systematic search of seven health science databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Data, up to December 15, 2021. We identified a total of five related articles, which were included in this study. The meta-analysis showed that opioids have a significant association with ICU admission for COVID-19 patients (OR = 5.41, 95%CI: 1.85 to 15.79, P = 0.002). Use of opioids was also associated with higher mortality among patients with COVID-19 compared to non-users (OR = 2.74, 95%CI: 1.34 to 5.62, P = 0.034), while use of opioids was not significantly associated with need for mechanical ventilation (OR = 3.68, 95%CI: 0.85 to 15.90, P = 0.081). Furthermore, the adjusted analysis indicated that COVID-19 patients with a history of opioid use were more likely to be admitted to the ICU (OR = 3.57, 95%CI: 3.05 to 4.17, P<0.001) and have higher mortality rates (OR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.09 to 2.72, P = 0.02), while there was no significant association with need for mechanical ventilation (OR = 2.09, 95%CI: 0.77 to 5.64, P = 0.146). Significant heterogeneity existed across the included studies. Patients using opioids with COVID-19 were at higher risk of ICU admission and mortality. Prospective studies are required to confirm these findings.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Analgesics, Opioid/therapeutic use , Humans , Pandemics , Respiration, Artificial , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 with no definitive source and potential exposure to variants of concern was declared at a childcare center in Ontario, Canada, in March 2021. We developed a robust outbreak management approach to detect, contain, and interrupt this outbreak and limit propagation among children.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Child , Child Care , Disease Outbreaks , Humans , Ontario/epidemiologySubject(s)
COVID-19 , Base Sequence , COVID-19/epidemiology , Canada/epidemiology , Humans , SARS-CoV-2/geneticsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: While heart transplantation is used as a standard treatment for heart failure, transplant rejection continues to pose a challenge. Recent evidence has shown that circular RNA (circRNA) is a new type of gene regulator in cell development. Our aim was to demonstrate that treatment with tolerogenic dendritic cells (Tol-DCs) generated by circular RNA FSCN1 (circFSCN1) silencing could prevent alloimmune rejection and prolong heart graft survival in heart transplantation. METHODS: Bone marrow-derived DCs were transfected with circFSCN1 siRNA in vitro. The circFSCN1 level was measured by qRT-PCR. DC maturation was determined by flow cytometry. Mixed lymphocyte reactions (MLRs) were conducted to assess the function of DCs to activate T cells and to generate regulatory T cells (Tregs). In situ RNA hybridization and fluorescent microscopy were performed to detect the distribution of circFSCN1 in DCs. A heterotopic allogeneic murine heart transplantation was conducted where recipients were pre-treated with donor derived circFSCN1-silenced Tol-DCs. Heartbeat was monitored to assess immune rejection. RESULTS: Exonic circFSCN1 was highly expressed in the cytoplasm of mature DCs. Knockdown of circFSCN1 using siRNA arrested DCs at an immature state, impaired DC's ability to activate T cells and enhanced Treg generation. Treatment with circFSCN1-silenced Tol-DCs prevented alloimmune rejection, prolonged allograft survival, reduced fibrosis, and induced Tregs in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Knockdown of circFSCN1 induces Tol-DCs and treatment with these Tol-DCs prevents alloimmune rejection and prolongs allograft survival. This is a promising therapeutic target to combat transplant rejection in heart transplantation and increases our understanding of circRNA in the immune system.