A clinical microscopy dataset to develop a deep learning diagnostic test for urinary tract infection.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common disorder. Its diagnosis can be made by microscopic examination of voided urine for markers of infection. This manual technique is technically difficult, time-consuming and prone to inter-observer errors. The application of computer vision to this domain has been slow due to the lack of a clinical image dataset from UTI patients. We present an open dataset containing 300 images and 3,562 manually annotated urinary cells labelled into seven classes of clinically significant cell types. It is an enriched dataset acquired from the unstained and untreated urine of patients with symptomatic UTI using a simple imaging system. We demonstrate that this dataset can be used to train a Patch U-Net, a novel deep learning architecture with a random patch generator to recognise urinary cells. Our hope is, with this dataset, UTI diagnosis will be made possible in nearly all clinical settings by using a simple imaging system which leverages advanced machine learning techniques.

Cumulative health disadvantages: an empirical study of the health and mobility of the first cohort of migrant workers in China.

Background: The study aimed to understand the factors affecting the health and healthcare of the first cohort of migrant workers in China using the concept of the cumulative disadvantage framework. Methods: Data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey (2017) were used to analyze the process of cumulative disadvantage of health and healthcare among migrant workers. The study also analyzed the spatial lag problem between localized medical insurance policies and healthcare accessibility. Results: The results revealed a significant negative association between the mobility of the first cohort of migrant workers and their health status. Long-term exposure to hazardous work had a greater negative impact on their health. Chinese migrant workers faced significant obstacles in accessing healthcare due to the lack of portability in health insurance. Conclusion: The study emphasizes the urgent need for addressing the structural barriers hindering healthcare access and outcomes for migrant workers. It is crucial to promote a more equitable and sustainable healthcare system in China to ensure migrant workers' health and well-being.

The clinical implications of bacterial pathogenesis and mucosal immunity in chronic urinary tract infection.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) exert a significant health and economic cost globally. Approximately one in four people with a previous history of UTI continue to develop recurrent or chronic infections. Research on UTI has primarily concentrated on pathogen behavior, with the focus gradually shifting to encompass the host immune response. However, these are centered on mouse models of Escherichia coli infection, which may not fully recapitulate the infective etiology and immune responses seen in humans. The emerging field of the urobiome also inadvertently confounds the discrimination of true UTI-causing pathogens from commensals. This review aims to present a novel perspective on chronic UTI by linking microbiology with immunology, which is commonly divergent in this field of research. It also describes the challenges in understanding chronic UTI pathogenesis and the human bladder immune response, largely conjectured from murine studies. Lastly, it outlines the shortcomings of current diagnostic methods in identifying individuals with chronic UTI and consequently treating them, potentially aggravating their disease due to mismanagement of prior episodes. This discourse highlights the need to consider these knowledge gaps and encourages more relevant studies of UTIs in humans.

Identification of an Altered Matrix Signature in Kidney Aging and Disease.

BACKGROUND: Accumulation of extracellular matrix in organs and tissues is a feature of both aging and disease. In the kidney, glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis accompany the decline in function, which current therapies cannot address, leading to organ failure. Although histologic and ultrastructural patterns of excess matrix form the basis of human disease classifications, a comprehensive molecular resolution of abnormal matrix is lacking. METHODS: Using mass spectrometry-based proteomics, we resolved matrix composition over age in mouse models of kidney disease. We compared the changes in mice with a global characterization of human kidneymatrix during aging and to existing kidney disease datasets to identify common molecular features. RESULTS: Ultrastructural changes in basement membranes are associated with altered cell adhesion and metabolic processes and with distinct matrix proteomes during aging and kidney disease progression in mice. Within the altered matrix, basement membrane components (laminins, type IV collagen, type XVIII collagen) were reduced and interstitial matrix proteins (collagens I, III, VI, and XV; fibrinogens; and nephronectin) were increased, a pattern also seen in human kidney aging. Indeed, this signature of matrix proteins was consistently modulated across all age and disease comparisons, and the increase in interstitial matrix was also observed in human kidney disease datasets. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides deep molecular resolution of matrix accumulation in kidney aging and disease, and identifies a common signature of proteins that provides insight into mechanisms of response to kidney injury and repair.

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in a patient with intestinal fistula, incisional hernia and abdominal infection: A case report.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer, most commonly associated with exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma of the peritoneum, the membrane lining the abdominal cavity, is extremely rare. The current study reports the case of a 60-year-old female who presented with intestinal fistula, recurrent incisional hernia and abdominal infection, with no history of asbestos exposure, and was diagnosed with clear cell MPM. Computed tomography scans of the abdomen revealed extensive small bowel adhesions and massive peritoneal effusion. Histological examination of biopsy specimens indicated a diagnosis of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma with clear cell morphology. A laparotomy was performed, with subsequent resection of the bowel with fistula. Follow-up examination performed at 1-year post-surgery revealed that the patient was alive and in generally good health.

[Isolation and identification of a thermophilic bacterium from hot springs in Changbai Mountains].

OBJECTIVE: We studied physiological and biochemical properties of a thermophilic bacterium isolated from hot springs in Changbai Mountain. METHODS: The strain CBS-5 (=JCM 15484) from hot springs in Changbai Mountains was isolated by plating and screening on Olive-rich medium. It was characterized by the physiological and biochemical analysis, 16S rDNA sequencing and determination of (G+C)mol% contents. RESULTS: The cells were Gram-positive, non-motile rods, spore-forming and generally occurred singly or in pairs. The growth temperature ranges from 48 degrees C to 70 degrees C, optimum at 65 degrees C; growth pH ranges from 6.5 to 8.5, optimum at 7.7. The strain used glucose, sucrose, maltose, lactose and rhanmose as carbon and energy sources. The G+C content of DNA was 41.9 mol%. The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C15:0, C16:0 and iso-C17:0, respectively representing about 24.20%, 20.45% and 17.42% of total fatty acids. The 16S rDNA sequence analysis showed that the strain belonged to the Anoxybacillus genus, for the sequence similarity was 95.1%-98.5% to other known species of Anoxybacillus. CONCLUSION: Strain CBS-5 was a member of Anoxybacillus.