GNA13 suppresses proliferation of ER+ breast cancer cells via ERα dependent upregulation of the MYC oncogene.

GNA13 (Gα13) is one of two alpha subunit members of the G12/13 family of heterotrimeric G-proteins which mediate signaling downstream of GPCRs. It is known to be essential for embryonic development and vasculogenesis and has been increasingly shown to be involved in mediating several steps of cancer progression. Recent studies found that Gα13 can function as an oncogene and contributes to progression and metastasis of multiple tumor types, including ovarian, head and neck and prostate cancers. In most cases, Gα12 and Gα13, as closely related α-subunits in the subfamily, have similar cellular roles. However, in recent years their differences in signaling and function have started to emerge. We previously identified that Gα13 drives invasion of Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) cells in vitro. As a highly heterogenous disease with various well-defined molecular subtypes (ER+ /Her2-, ER+ /Her2+, Her2+, TNBC) and subtype associated outcomes, the function(s) of Gα13 beyond TNBC should be explored. Here, we report the finding that low expression of GNA13 is predictive of poorer survival in breast cancer, which challenges the conventional idea of Gα12/13 being universal oncogenes in solid tumors. Consistently, we found that Gα13 suppresses the proliferation in multiple ER+ breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, ZR-75-1 and T47D). Loss of GNA13 expression drives cell proliferation, soft-agar colony formation and in vivo tumor formation in an orthotopic xenograft model. To evaluate the mechanism of Gα13 action, we performed RNA-sequencing analysis on these cell lines and found that loss of GNA13 results in the upregulation of MYC signaling pathways in ER+ breast cancer cells. Simultaneous silencing of MYC reversed the proliferative effect from the loss of GNA13, validating the role of MYC in Gα13 regulation of proliferation. Further, we found Gα13 regulates the expression of MYC, at both the transcript and protein level in an ERα dependent manner. Taken together, our study provides the first evidence for a tumor suppressive role for Gα13 in breast cancer cells and demonstrates for the first time the direct involvement of Gα13 in ER-dependent regulation of MYC signaling. With a few exceptions, elevated Gα13 levels are generally considered to be oncogenic, similar to Gα12. This study demonstrates an unexpected tumor suppressive role for Gα13 in ER+ breast cancer via regulation of MYC, suggesting that Gα13 can have subtype-dependent tumor suppressive roles in breast cancer.

Volatomic differences among Vitis amurensis cultivars and its hybrids with V. vinifera revealed the effects of genotype, region, and vintage on grape aroma.

Vitis amurensis grape, an East Asian Vitis species, has excellent cold and disease resistance and exhibits high winemaking potential. In this study, the aroma compounds in grapes from five V. amurensis cultivars ('Beiguohong', 'Beiguolan', 'Shuangfeng', 'Shuanghong', 'Shuangyou') and three interspecific hybrids ('Beibinghong', 'Xuelanhong', 'Zuoyouhong') from two regions (Zuojia and Ji'an, Jilin, China) were identified via HS-SPME-GC/MS. The results showed that V. amurensis grapes had a greater concentration of aroma compounds than the interspecific hybrid berries. 'Beibinghong' was relatively rich in terpenes, although their concentrations were all lower than the threshold. 'Shuangfeng' contained more concentrations of free C6/C9 compounds, alcohols, aromatics and aldehydes/ketones than the other cultivars. The aroma characteristics of 'Beiguolan' and 'Shuanghong' were relatively similar. The grapes from the lower temperature and more fertile soil of Zuojia contained more C6/C9 compounds, norisoprenoids and alcohols, while aromatics were more abundant in the grapes from Ji'an, which was warmer than the Zuojia region. Herbaceous, floral, fruity and sweet were the main aroma series of V. amurensis grapes. Our study could provide a reference for the development and utilization of V. amurensis grapes and lay a foundation for the development of wild grape cultivars and the production of wines with characteristic styles.

Volatilomics of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and sensory perception of wines are affected by canopy side in vineyards with different row orientations.

This study aimed to clarify how microclimate diversity altered volatilomics in Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and wines. Four row-oriented vineyards were selected, and metabolites of grapes and wines were determined from separate canopy sides. Results showed that shaded sides received 59% of the solar radiation and experienced 55% of the high-temperature days compared to the exposed sides on average. Grape primary metabolites were slightly affected by the canopy side. Herbaceous aromas were consistently more abundant in grapes and wines from shaded clusters. Heat-stressed canopy sides accelerated terpenoid loss and increased norisoprenoid levels in grapes, while ß-damascenone in north-side wines was 13%-32% higher than that in south-side wines of the east-west vineyard. The northeast-southwest vineyard showed the most notable variation in taste and aroma sensory scores, with four parameters significantly different. There were 32 aroma series identified in wines, and banana, pineapple, and strawberry odors were highly correlated with aroma sensory score.

Poly-L-lactic acid fillers for nasal alar retraction: safety and effectiveness in 13 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness and safety of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) fillers in treating nasal alar retraction. We conducted a series of case reports on 13 patients treated for nasal alar retraction at the Chengdu Ningyue FRESKIN Medicine Cosmology Clinic from September 2022 to July 2023. Patients ranged from 23 to 49 years, comprising 12 females and 1 male. Of these, 5 had no prior medical history, 7 had previously undergone rhinoplasty, and 1 had a history of nasal trauma. Treatment outcomes and adverse reactions were monitored following PLLA filler injections. The mean pre-treatment severity score was 1.62±0.65, improving to 0.54±0.66 post-treatment (t=4.19, df=23, P<0.001). All participants reported satisfaction with their results without adverse effects. PLLA facial fillers are a safe and effective treatment for nasal alar retraction, presenting no embolism risk. This treatment merits consideration for broader clinical application.

The first structure of human Golm1 coiled coil domain reveals an unexpected tetramer and highlights its structural diversity.

Golgi membrane protein 1 (Golm1), a transmembrane protein with diverse subcellular localizations, has garnered significant attention in recent years due to its strong association with the development and progression of liver diseases and numerous cancers. Interestingly, although Golm1 is a membrane protein, the C-terminal of Golm1, which contains a coiled coil domain and a flexible acid region, can also be detected in the plasma of patients with various liver diseases. Notably, the coiled coil domain of serum Golm1 is postulated to play a pivotal role in physiological and pathological functions. However, little is currently known about the structure of this coiled coil domain and the full-length protein, which may limit our understanding of Golm1. Therefore, this study aims to address this gap in knowledge and reports the first crystal structure of the coiled coil domain of Golm1 at a resolution of 2.28 Å. Meanwhile, we have also confirmed that the Golm1 coiled coil domain in solution can form tetramer. Our results reveal that Golm1 can form a novel tetrameric structure that differs from the previous reported dimeric structure Golm1 could assemble, which may provide novel insights into the diversity of physiological functions and pathological roles.

Needs and Constraints for Cardiac Rehabilitation Among Patients with Coronary Heart Disease Within a Community-Based Setting: A Study Based on Focus Group Interviews.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the needs and constraints to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) among patients diagnosed with coronary heart disease (CHD) in a community-based setting, and thereby facilitating the implementation of effective CR programs for this population. Methods: Focus group interviews were used as the primary research methodology. A total of 11 community-dwelling individuals diagnosed with CHD were selected from a community hospital to participate in in-depth interviews, aiming to discern and analyze their requirements and constraints experienced concerning medical resources and healthcare agency. The textual data underwent examination using Colaizzi's method of descriptive data analysis. Results: Deficits existed in the perceptions of patients with CHD within a community-based setting about their condition and CR, and in the social support for this disease. Patients expressed expectations for professional guidance during CR, gained an understanding about the beneficial effects of emotional stability on cognitive function. Patients expressed their thoughts and feelings regarding the diversity of physical exercise options. Two main themes and seven sub-themes were identified: (a) "Insufficient CR resources for patients": Lack of awareness about CHD; inadequate knowledge about secondary prevention/CR; insufficient support from family and friends. (b) "Patient CR initiative": Patient self-adjustment; expectation of professional rehabilitation guidance; stable emotions improving cognition; diverse attitudes and awareness of exercise. Conclusion: For more effective CR, community-based medical teams should provide more comprehensive and individualized rehabilitation programs. They should focus on individual variations and preferences of patients, as well as enhance the autonomy of patients and improve their self-care ability through effective empowerment measures.

The pseudogene GBP1P1 suppresses influenza A virus replication by acting as a protein decoy for DHX9.

Recently, substantial evidence has demonstrated that pseudogene-derived long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) as regulatory RNAs have been implicated in basic physiological processes and disease development through multiple modes of functional interaction with DNA, RNA, and proteins. Here, we report an important role for GBP1P1, the pseudogene of guanylate-binding protein 1, in regulating influenza A virus (IAV) replication in A549 cells. GBP1P1 was dramatically upregulated after IAV infection, which is controlled by JAK/STAT signaling. Functionally, ectopic expression of GBP1P1 in A549 cells resulted in significant suppression of IAV replication. Conversely, silencing GBP1P1 facilitated IAV replication and virus production, suggesting that GBP1P1 is one of the interferon-inducible antiviral effectors. Mechanistically, GBP1P1 is localized in the cytoplasm and functions as a sponge to trap DHX9 (DExH-box helicase 9), which subsequently restricts IAV replication. Together, these studies demonstrate that GBP1P1 plays an important role in antagonizing IAV replication.IMPORTANCELong noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are extensively expressed in mammalian cells and play a crucial role as regulators in various biological processes. A growing body of evidence suggests that host-encoded lncRNAs are important regulators involved in host-virus interactions. Here, we define a novel function of GBP1P1 as a decoy to compete with viral mRNAs for DHX9 binding. We demonstrate that GBP1P1 induction by IAV is mediated by JAK/STAT activation. In addition, GBP1P1 has the ability to inhibit IAV replication. Importantly, we reveal that GBP1P1 acts as a decoy to bind and titrate DHX9 away from viral mRNAs, thereby attenuating virus production. This study provides new insight into the role of a previously uncharacterized GBP1P1, a pseudogene-derived lncRNA, in the host antiviral process and a further understanding of the complex GBP network.

Single-cell transcriptomics reveals CD8+ T cell structure and developmental trajectories in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Immune cells in the human lung are associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, the contribution of different immune cell subpopulations to the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis remains unclear. We used single-cell RNA sequencing data to investigate the transcriptional profiles of immune cells in the lungs of 5 IPF patients and 3 subjects with non-fibrotic lungs. In an identifiable population of immune cells, we found increased percentage of CD8+ T cells in the T cell subpopulation in IPF. Monocle analyzed the dynamic immune status and cell transformation of CD8+ T cells, as well as the cytotoxicity and exhausted status of CD8+ T cell subpopulations at different stages. Among CD8+ T cells, we found differences in metabolic pathways in IPF and Ctrl, including lipid, amino acid and carbohydrate metabolic. By analyzing the metabolites of CD8+ T cells, we found that different populations of CD8+ T cells in IPF have unique metabolic characteristics, but they also have multiple identical up-regulated or down-regulated metabolites. In IPF, signaling pathways associated with fibrosis were enriched in CD8+ T cells, suggesting that CD8+ T cells may have an important contribution to fibrosis. Finally, we analyzed the interactions between CD8+ T cells and other cells. Together, these studies highlight key features of CD8+ T cells in the pathogenesis of IPF and help to develop effective therapeutic targets.

Genomic analysis of Cobetia sp. D5 reveals its role in marine sulfur cycling.

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is one of the most abundant sulfur-containing organic compounds on the earth, which is an important carbon and sulfur source and plays an important role in the global sulfur cycle. Marine microorganisms are an important group involved in DMSP metabolism. The strain Cobetia sp. D5 was isolated from seawater samples in the Yellow Sea area of Qingdao during an algal bloom. There is still limited knowledge on the capacity of DMSP utilization of Cobetia bacteria. The study reports the whole genome sequence of Cobetia sp. D5 to understand its DMSP metabolism pathway. The genome of Cobetia sp. D5 consists of a circular chromosome with a length of 4,233,985 bp and the GC content is 62.56%. Genomic analysis showed that Cobetia sp. D5 contains a set of genes to transport and metabolize DMSP, which can cleave DMSP to produce dimethyl sulphide (DMS) and 3-Hydroxypropionyl-Coenzyme A (3-HP-CoA). DMS diffuses into the environment to enter the global sulfur cycle, whereas 3-HP-CoA is catabolized to acetyl CoA to enter central carbon metabolism. Thus, this study provides genetic insights into the DMSP metabolic processes of Cobetia sp. D5 during a marine algal bloom, and contributes to the understanding of the important role played by marine bacteria in the global sulfur cycle.

Metabolomics of Vitis davidii Foëx. grapes from southern China: Flavonoids and volatiles reveal the flavor profiles of five spine grape varieties.

The spine grapes (Vitis davidii Foëx.) are wild grape species that grow in southern China, and can be used for table grapes, juicing and winemaking. To systematically investigate the flavor profiles of spine grapes, flavonoids and volatile compounds were detected in five spine grape varieties (Seputao, Ziqiu, Miputao, Tianputao and Baiputao) using HPLC-QqQ-MS/MS and GC-MS. The content of flavonoids highly depended on the variety, such as the total concentrations of anthocyanins (91.43-328.85 mg/kg FW) and flavonols (33.90 to 83.16 mg/kg FW). The volatile compounds with higher odor active value were selected to describe the aroma of spine grapes. Hexanal, (E)-2-hexenal and (E, Z)-2,6-nonadienal contributed to the higher herbaceous flavor to Baiputao and Ziqiu. ß-Damascenone and (E)-2-nonenal gave Baiputao a flavor with more floral, fruity and earthy. Their characteristic flavor compounds were subsequently revealed using multivariate statistical analysis. The results helped producers to further develop and utilize the spine grapes.

Synthesis, Structure, Properties, and Applications of Fluorinated Polyurethane.

Fluorinated polyurethane (FPU) is a new kind of polyurethane (PU) material with great applicational potential, which is attributed to its high bond energy C-F bonds. Its unique low surface energy, excellent thermal stability, and chemical stability have attracted considerable research attention. FPU with targeted performance can be precisely synthesized through designing fluorochemicals as hard segments, soft segments, or additives and changes to the production process to satisfy the needs of coatings, clothing textiles, and the aerospace and biomedical industries for materials that are hydrophobic and that are resistant to weathering, heat, and flames and that have good biocompatibility. Here, the synthesis, structure, properties, and applications of FPU are comprehensively reviewed. The aims of this research are to shed light on the design scheme, synthesis method, structure, and properties of FPU synthesized from different kinds of fluorochemicals and their applications in different fields and the prospects for the future development of FPU.

Screening of Spinal Muscular Atrophy Carriers and Prenatal Diagnosis in Pregnant Women in Yancheng, China.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neuromuscular disorder with an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. Patients with severe symptoms may suffer respiratory failure, leading to death. The homozygous deletion of exon 7 in the SMN1 gene accounts for nearly 95% of all cases. Population carrier screening for SMA and prenatal diagnosis by amniocentesis for high-risk couples can assist in identifying the risk of fetal disease. We provided the SMA carrier screening process to 55,447 pregnant women in Yancheng from October 2020 to December 2022. Among them, 8185 participated in this process, with a participation rate of around 14.76% (95% CI 14.47-15.06%). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to detect deletions of SMN1 exons 7 and 8 (E7, E8) in screened pregnant women. 127 were identified as carriers (111 cases of E7 and E8 heterozygous deletions, 15 cases of E7 heterozygous deletions, and 1 case of E7 heterozygous deletions and E8 homozygous deletions), resulting in a carrying rate of around 1.55% (95% CI 1.30-1.84%). After genetic counseling, 114 spouses of pregnant women who tested positive underwent SMA carrier screening; three of them were screened as SMA carriers. Multiplexed ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) was used for the prenatal diagnosis of the fetuses of high-risk couples. Two of them exhibited two copies of SMN1 exon 7 (normal), and the pregnancy was continued; one exhibited no copies of SMN1 exon 7 and exon 8 (SMA patient), and the pregnancy was terminated. Analyzing SMN1 mutations in Yancheng and provide clinical evidence for SMA genetic counseling and birth defect prevention. Interventional prenatal diagnosis for high-risk families can promote informed reproductive selection and prepare for the fetus's early treatment.

Vineyard microclimate alterations induced by black inter-row mulch through transcriptome reshaped the flavoromics of cabernet sauvignon grapes.

BACKGROUND: Weed control is essential for agricultural floor management in vineyards and the inter-row mulching is an eco-friendly practice to inhibit weed growth via filtering out photosynthetically active radiation. Besides weed suppression, inter-row mulching can influence grapevine growth and the accumulation of metabolites in grape berries. However, the complex interaction of multiple factors in the field challenges the understanding of molecular mechanisms on the regulated metabolites. In the current study, black geotextile inter-row mulch (M) was applied for two vintages (2016-2017) from anthesis to harvest. Metabolomics and transcriptomics analysis were conducted in two vintages, aiming to provide insights into metabolic and molecular responses of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to M in a semi-arid climate. RESULTS: Upregulation of genes related to photosynthesis and heat shock proteins confirmed that M weakened the total light exposure and grapes suffered heat stress, resulting in lower sugar-acid ratio at harvest. Key genes responsible for enhancements in phenylalanine, glutamine, ornithine, arginine, and C6 alcohol concentrations, and the downward trend in ε-viniferin, anthocyanins, flavonols, terpenes, and norisoprenoids in M grapes were identified. In addition, several modules significantly correlated with the metabolic biomarkers through weighted correlation network analysis, and the potential key transcription factors regulating the above metabolites including VviGATA11, VviHSFA6B, and VviWRKY03 were also identified. CONCLUSION: This study provides a valuable overview of metabolic and transcriptomic responses of M grapes in semi-arid climates, which could facilitate understanding the complex regulatory network of metabolites in response to microclimate changes.

Wafer-Scale Periodic Poling of Thin-Film Lithium Niobate.

Periodically poled lithium niobate on insulator (PPLNOI) offers an admirably promising platform for the advancement of nonlinear photonic integrated circuits (PICs). In this context, domain inversion engineering emerges as a key process to achieve efficient nonlinear conversion. However, periodic poling processing of thin-film lithium niobate has only been realized on the chip level, which significantly limits its applications in large-scale nonlinear photonic systems that necessitate the integration of multiple nonlinear components on a single chip with uniform performances. Here, we demonstrate a wafer-scale periodic poling technique on a 4-inch LNOI wafer with high fidelity. The reversal lengths span from 0.5 to 10.17 mm, encompassing an area of ~1 cm2 with periods ranging from 4.38 to 5.51 µm. Efficient poling was achieved with a single manipulation, benefiting from the targeted grouped electrode pads and adaptable comb line widths in our experiment. As a result, domain inversion is ultimately implemented across the entire wafer with a 100% success rate and 98% high-quality rate on average, showcasing high throughput and stability, which is fundamentally scalable and highly cost-effective in contrast to traditional size-restricted chiplet-level poling. Our study holds significant promise to dramatically promote ultra-high performance to a broad spectrum of applications, including optical communications, photonic neural networks, and quantum photonics.

Systematic review of the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in various solid tumors.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in various types of solid tumors. METHOD: By searching PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, CNKI, Wanfang and other databases, all the literatures about the comparison of clinical efficacy of lenvatinib in the treatment of various solid tumors. According to the criteria of inclusion and exclusion of literature, two participants screened the literature, collated the data and evaluated the literature. RevMan 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis of the included literatures. RESULTS: A total of 12 studies were included, including 5213 patients. Meta-analysis showed that, in terms of efficacy, the risk (HR) of prolonging PFS in the treatment of various solid tumors in the lenvatinib group was 1.91 times that in the control group (HR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.58-2.31, p < 0.00001), and the risk (HR) of prolonging OS was 1.27 times that in the single targeted drug group (HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.15-1.40, p < 0.00001). In terms of safety, the risk of adverse events in the treatment of various solid tumors in the lenvatinib group was higher than that in the control group, especially in Endocrine Toxicities, Renal/Urinary Toxicities, Vascular Toxicities, Musculoskeletal/a Connective Tissue Toxicities and Metabolism/Nutrition Toxicities. CONCLUSIONS: Lenvatinib in various solid tumors can prolong OS and disease PFS of patients, improve the clinical benefit rate and improve the quality of life of patients. At the same time, there is a certain incidence of adverse events, and symptomatic intervention should be given in clinical medication.

Newcastle disease virus suppresses antigen presentation via inhibiting IL-12 expression in dendritic cells. / æ–°åŸŽç–«ç— æ¯’é€šè¿‡æŠ‘åˆ¶æ ‘çªçŠ¶ç»†èƒžç™½ä»‹ç´ 12的表达抑制抗原递呈.

As a potential vectored vaccine, Newcastle disease virus (NDV) has been subject to various studies for vaccine development, while relatively little research has outlined the immunomodulatory effect of the virus in antigen presentation. To elucidate the key inhibitory factor in regulating the interaction of infected dendritic cells (DCs) and T cells, DCs were pretreated with the NDV vaccine strain LaSota as an inhibitor and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for further detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), flow cytometry, immunoblotting, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The results revealed that NDV infection resulted in the inhibition of interleukin (IL)-12p40 in DCs through a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)|-dependent manner, thus inhibiting the synthesis of IL-12p70, leading to the reduction in T cell proliferation and the secretion of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and IL-6 induced by DCs. Consequently, downregulated cytokines accelerated the infection and viral transmission from DCs to T cells. Furthermore, several other strains of NDV also exhibited inhibitory activity. The current study reveals that NDV can modulate the intensity of the innate|‒|adaptive immune cell crosstalk critically toward viral invasion improvement, highlighting a novel mechanism of virus-induced immunosuppression and providing new perspectives on the improvement of NDV-vectored vaccine.

Effects of surgical management for gastrointestinal stromal tumor patients with liver metastasis on survival outcomes.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of surgical resection on survival in gastrointestinal stromal tumors synchronous liver metastasis (GIST-SLM) and to develop clinically usable predictive models for overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients. Methods: We identified patients in the SEER database diagnosed with GISTs from 2010 to 2019. We used propensity score matching (PSM) to balance the bias between the Surgery and No surgery groups. Kaplan-Meier(K-M) analysis was used to detect differences in OS and CSS between the two groups. The nomogram to predict 1, 3, and 5-year OS and CSS were developed and evaluated. Results: After PSM, 228 patients were included in this study. There were significant differences in 1, 3, and 5-year OS and CSS between the two groups (OS: 93.5% vs. 84.4%, 73.2% vs. 55.3%, 60.9% vs. 36.9%, P=0.014; CSS: 3.5% vs.86.2%,75.3% vs.57.9%, 62.6% vs. 42.9%, P=0.02). We also found that patients who received surgery combined with targeted therapy had better OS and CSS at 1, 3, and 5 years than those who received surgery only (OS: 96.6% vs.90.9%, 74.9% vs. 56.8%, 61.7% vs. 35.5%, P=0.022; CSS: 96.6% vs. 92.1%, 77.4% vs.59.2%,63.8% vs. 42.0%, P=0.023). The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.774, 0.737, and 0.741 for 1, 3, and 5-year OS, respectively, with 0.782 and 0.742 for 1, 3, and 5-year CSS. In the model, C-index was 0.703 for OS and 0.705 for CSS and showed good consistency. Conclusion: Surgical treatment can improve the OS and CSS of patients with GIST-SLM. In addition, the combination with chemotherapy may be more favorable for the long-term survival of patients. Meanwhile, we constructed the nomograms for predicting OS and CSS at 1, 3, and 5-year, and validated them internally. Our model can contribute to clinical management and treatment strategy optimization.

Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis with 3D neural network based on multi-scale attention mechanism.

This paper presents a novel multi-scale attention residual network (MAResNet) for diagnosing patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) by computed tomography (CT) images. First, a three-dimensional (3D) network structure is applied in MAResNet based on the continuity and correlation of nodal features on different slices of CT images. Secondly, MAResNet incorporates the residual module and Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) to reuse the shallow features of CT images and focus on key features to enhance the feature distinguishability of images. In addition, multi-scale inputs can increase the global receptive field of the network, extract the location information of PTB, and capture the local details of nodules. The expression ability of both high-level and low-level semantic information in the network can also be enhanced. The proposed MAResNet shows excellent results, with overall 94% accuracy in PTB classification. MAResNet based on 3D CT images can assist doctors make more accurate diagnosis of PTB and alleviate the burden of manual screening. In the experiment, a called Grad-CAM was employed to enhance the class activation mapping (CAM) technique for analyzing the model's output, which can identify lesions in important parts of the lungs and make transparent decisions.