A Lightweight Pre-Crash Occupant Injury Prediction Model Distills Knowledge From Its Post-Crash Counterpart.

Accurate occupant injury prediction in near-collision scenarios is vital in guiding intelligent vehicles to find the optimal collision condition with minimal injury risks. Existing studies focused on boosting prediction performance by introducing deep-learning models but encountered computational burdens due to the inherent high model complexity. To better balance these two traditionally contradictory factors, this study proposed a training method for pre-crash injury prediction models, namely, knowledge distillation (KD)-based training. This method was inspired by the idea of knowledge distillation, an emerging model compression method. Technically, we first trained a high-accuracy injury prediction model using informative post-crash sequence inputs (i.e., vehicle crash pulses) and a relatively complex network architecture as an experienced "teacher". Following this, a lightweight pre-crash injury prediction model ("student") learned both from the ground truth in output layers (i.e., conventional prediction loss) and its teacher in intermediate layers (i.e., distillation loss). In such a step-by-step teaching framework, the pre-crash model significantly improved the prediction accuracy of occupant's head abbreviated injury scale (AIS) (i.e., from 77.2% to 83.2%) without sacrificing computational efficiency. Multiple validation experiments proved the effectiveness of the proposed KD-based training framework. This study is expected to provide reference to balancing prediction accuracy and computational efficiency of pre-crash injury prediction models, promoting the further safety improvement of next-generation intelligent vehicles.

Rh(III)-Catalyzed C-H Functionalization/Annulation of 1-Arylindazolones: Divergent Synthesis of Fused Indazolones and Allyl Indazolones.

Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H/N-H annulation and C-H allylation of phenylindazolones have been realized by employing 5-methylene-1,3-dioxan-2-one and 4-vinyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-one as scalable cross-coupling partners, delivering functionalized indazolone fused heterocycles and branched and linear allyl indazolones respectively in moderate to high yield. These divergent synthesis protocols showcase mild conditions, broad substrate scope, and high functional-group compatibility. In addition, scale-up synthesis and preliminary mechanistic exploratory were also accomplished.

Synthesis of Indole-Substituted Trifluoromethyl Sulfonium Ylides by Cp*Rh(III)-Catalyzed Diazo-carbenoid Addition to Trifluoromethylthioether.

The indole-substituted trifluoromethyl sulfonium ylide has been developed via Cp*Rh(III)-catalyzed diazo-carbenoid addition to trifluoromethylthioether and is the first example of an Rh(III)-catalyzed diazo-carbenoid addition reaction with trifluoromethylthioether. Several kinds of indole-substituted trifluoromethyl sulfonium ylide were constructed under mild reaction conditions. The reported method exhibited high functional group compatibility and broad substrate scope. In addition, the protocol was found to be complementary to the method disclosed by a Rh(II) catalyst.

Particle filter-based parameter estimation algorithm for prognostic risk assessment of progression in non-small cell lung cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a malignant tumor that threatens human life and health. The development of a new NSCLC risk assessment model based on electronic medical records has great potential for reducing the risk of cancer recurrence. In this process, machine learning is a powerful method for automatically extracting risk factors and indicating impact weights for NSCLC deaths. However, when the number of samples reaches a certain value, it is difficult for machine learning to improve the prediction accuracy, and it is also challenging to use the characteristic data of subsequent patients effectively. Therefore, this study aimed to build a postoperative survival risk assessment model for patients with NSCLC that updates the model parameters and improves model accuracy based on new patient data. The model perspective was a combination of particle filtering and parameter estimation. To demonstrate the feasibility and further evaluate the performance of our approach, we performed an empirical analysis experiment. The study showed that our method achieved an overall accuracy of 92% and a recall of 71% for deceased patients. Compared with traditional machine learning models, the accuracy of the model estimated by particle filter parameters has been improved by 2%, and the recall rate for dead patients has been improved by 11%. Additionally, this study outcome shows that this method can better utilize subsequent patients' characteristic data, be more relevant to different patients, and help achieve precision medicine.

Extracting laboratory test information from paper-based reports.

BACKGROUND: In the healthcare domain today, despite the substantial adoption of electronic health information systems, a significant proportion of medical reports still exist in paper-based formats. As a result, there is a significant demand for the digitization of information from these paper-based reports. However, the digitization of paper-based laboratory reports into a structured data format can be challenging due to their non-standard layouts, which includes various data types such as text, numeric values, reference ranges, and units. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a highly scalable and lightweight technique that can effectively identify and extract information from laboratory test reports and convert them into a structured data format for downstream tasks. METHODS: We developed an end-to-end Natural Language Processing (NLP)-based pipeline for extracting information from paper-based laboratory test reports. Our pipeline consists of two main modules: an optical character recognition (OCR) module and an information extraction (IE) module. The OCR module is applied to locate and identify text from scanned laboratory test reports using state-of-the-art OCR algorithms. The IE module is then used to extract meaningful information from the OCR results to form digitalized tables of the test reports. The IE module consists of five sub-modules, which are time detection, headline position, line normalization, Named Entity Recognition (NER) with a Conditional Random Fields (CRF)-based method, and step detection for multi-column. Finally, we evaluated the performance of the proposed pipeline on 153 laboratory test reports collected from Peking University First Hospital (PKU1). RESULTS: In the OCR module, we evaluate the accuracy of text detection and recognition results at three different levels and achieved an averaged accuracy of 0.93. In the IE module, we extracted four laboratory test entities, including test item name, test result, test unit, and reference value range. The overall F1 score is 0.86 on the 153 laboratory test reports collected from PKU1. With a single CPU, the average inference time of each report is only 0.78 s. CONCLUSION: In this study, we developed a practical lightweight pipeline to digitalize and extract information from paper-based laboratory test reports in diverse types and with different layouts that can be adopted in real clinical environments with the lowest possible computing resources requirements. The high evaluation performance on the real-world hospital dataset validated the feasibility of the proposed pipeline.

Thioether-directed Rh(III)-catalyzed peri-selective acyloxylation of arenes.

A thioether directed acyloxylation of arenes has been realized via Cp*Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H activation and subsequent coupling with carboxylic acids. This new method showed high functional group compatibility and broad substrate scope. Primary mechanistic studies have been conducted and a tentative reaction mechanism was proposed. It represents the first example of a thioether-directed Cp*Rh(III)-catalyzed C(sp2)-H acyloxylation reaction.

Rhodium(III)-catalyzed regioselective C(sp2)-H activation of indoles at the C4-position with iodonium ylides.

Herein, we report a Rh(III)-catalyzed C4-selective activation of indoles by using iodonium ylides as carbene precursors. This protocol proceeded under redox neutral reaction conditions and provided important coupling products with good tolerance of functional groups and high yields. In addition, one-pot synthesis and scale-up and mechanistic studies were also conducted.

Two new steroidal sapogenins from Rohdea chinensis (synonym Tupistra chinensis) rhizomes and their antifungal activity.

Two novel acylated steroidal sapogenins, 3ß-acetoxy-1α, 2α, 4ß, 5α, 7α-pentahydroxy-spirost-25(27)-en-6-one (1) and (25S)-3α-acetoxy-1α, 2ß, 4α, 5α, 7α-pentahydroxyspirostan-6-one (2), together with two known steroidal sapogenins (3 and 4), were isolated from Rohdea chinensis rhizomes. Their structures were elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) data. In addition, the antifungal activities of the isolated compounds against Penicillium digitatum and Rhizopus stolonifera were evaluated. Compound 2 significantly inhibited R. stolonifera growth, which was comparable to the positive control (sodium benzoate and carbendazim). Compound 4 showed the highest potency to inhibit P. digitatum growth compared to other compounds.

Mild Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydroisoquinolin-1(2H)-ones via Rh(III)-Catalyzed Tandem C-H-Allylation/N-Alkylation Annulation with 2-Methylidenetrimethylene Carbonate.

A tandem rhodium(III)-catalyzed system was established to access 3,4-dihydroisoquinolin-1(2H)-one by coupling of N-methoxy-3-methylbenzamide with 2-methylidenetrimethylene carbonate. This one-pot synthesis protocol processed smoothly under mild reaction conditions. Moreover, a total of 28 examples, broad substrate scope, and high functional-group compatibility were observed. Preliminary mechanism studies were also conducted and demonstrated that the rhodium(III) catalyst played a vital role in the C-H-allylation and N-alkylation cyclization process.

Correction: Rhodium(iii)-catalyzed oxidative alkylation of N-aryl-7-azaindoles with cyclopropanols.

Correction for 'Rhodium(iii)-catalyzed oxidative alkylation of N-aryl-7-azaindoles with cyclopropanols' by Jidan Liu et al., Org. Biomol. Chem., 2021, DOI: .

Rhodium(III)-catalyzed oxidative alkylation of N-aryl-7-azaindoles with cyclopropanols.

An efficient Rh(iii)-catalyzed C-H oxidative alkylation of N-aryl-7-azaindoles with cyclopropanols by merging tandem C-H and C-C cleavage was developed. This transformation features mild reaction conditions, high regioselectivity, and excellent functional group compatibility. The resulting ß-aryl ketone derivatives can be readily transformed into 7-azaindole-containing π-extended polycyclic heteroarenes.

Access to acridones by tandem copper(I)-catalyzed electrophilic amination/Ag(I)-mediated oxidative annulation of anthranils with arylboronic acids.

An efficient and practical approach for the synthesis of medicinally important acridones was developed from anthranils and commercially available arylboronic acids by a tandem copper(I)-catalyzed electrophilic amination/Ag(I)-mediated oxidative annulation strategy. This new and straightforward protocol displayed a broad substrate scope (25 examples) and high functional group tolerance. What's more, a possible mechanistic proposal was also presented.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel indole-pyrazoline hybrid derivatives as potential topoisomerase 1 inhibitors.

A series of novel indole-pyrazoline hybrid derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for topoisomerase 1 (Top1) inhibitory activity. Top1-mediated relaxation assays showed that our synthesized compounds had variable Top1 inhibitory activity. Among these compounds, 3-(5-(naphthalen-1-yl)-1-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)-1-(phenylsulfonyl)-1H-indole (6n) was found to be a strong Top1 inhibitor with better inhibitory activity than CPT and hit compounds. Our further experiments rationalized the mode of action for this new type of inhibitors, which showed no significant binding to supercoiled DNA.

Epidemiological and Immunological Features of Influenza Viruses in Hospitalized Children with Influenza Illness in Hangzhou.

Objectives: We evaluated the epidemiological features and various inflammatory markers in hospitalized children with influenza virus infection in China. Methods: The real-time RT-PCR assay was performed for detection and genotyping of influenza A and B virus. Th1/Th2 cytokines, WBC, and CRP were determined in influenza virus positive children. Results: H1N1 and Yamagata were the prevalent genotypes of influenza A and B virus in Hangzhou, respectively. IL-2, IL-10, and CRP were significantly increased and IFN-γ was decreased in children with severe Influenza A virus infection, and TNF-α and IFN-γ levels were found to be significantly lower in children with severe Influenza B virus infection. Conclusion: Increased IL-2, IL-10, and CRP with decreased IFN-γ may indicate a severe influenza A virus infection, and decreased TNF-α and IFN-γ may indicate a severe influenza B virus infection in children.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae induces allergy by producing P1-specific immunoglobulin E.

BACKGROUND: Our previous study found that most Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) pneumonia (MPP)patients had elevated serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels. OBJECTIVE: To determine components of MP that can cause an IgE increase in children, and to clarify its specific mechanism. METHODS: The components of MP cells were isolated by serum IgE from patients with MP pneumonia. These components obtained through the prokaryotic expression were used as allergens to detect the proportion of allergen-specific IgE produced in MPP patients, and the clinical characteristics and related immune parameters of these patients who produced this allergen-specific IgE were also analyzed. In addition, a cell experiment was used to verify the biological effect of these components in vitro. RESULTS: P1-specific IgE was detected in serum of MPP children. An approximately 24-kDa polypeptide of P1 protein was obtained through prokaryotic expression purified by nickel agarose affinity chromatography. Approximately 9.2% of MPP patients produced IgE against this polypeptide of P1 protein, which was more likely to be produced in MPP patients with no history of allergies or family history of allergy-related diseases. P1-specific IgE-positive MPP patients had more severe clinical symptoms, with excessive secretion of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5 and overdifferentiation of Th0 cells into Th2 cells. Tests also demonstrated that the P1 protein stimulated excessive secretion of IL-4 and IL-5 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the peripheral blood of healthy donors. CONCLUSION: Mycoplasma pneumoniae is not only an infectious agent but also an allergen for certain individuals. The P1 protein of MP can induce the production of P1-specific IgE.

Decarboxylative Negishi Coupling of Redox-Active Aliphatic Esters by Cobalt Catalysis.

A cobalt-catalyzed decarboxylative Negishi coupling reaction of redox-active aliphatic esters with organozinc reagents was developed. The method enabled efficient alkyl-aryl, alkyl-alkenyl, and alkyl-alkynyl coupling reactions under mild reaction conditions with no external ligand or additive needed. The success of an in situ activation protocol and the facile synthesis of the drug molecule (±)-preclamol highlight the synthetic potential of this method. Mechanistic studies indicated that a radical mechanism is involved.

Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Rhodium-Catalyzed Coupling of Benzamides with 2,2-Difluorovinyl Tosylate: Diverse Synthesis of Fluorinated Heterocycles.

Fluorinated heterocycles play an important role in pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. Herein, we report on the synthesis of four types of fluorinated heterocycles via rhodium(III)-catalyzed C-H activation of arenes/alkenes and versatile coupling with 2,2-difluorovinyl tosylate. With N-OMe benzamide being a directing group (DG), the reaction delivered a monofluorinated alkene with the retention of the tosylate functionality. Subsequent one-pot acid treatment allowed the efficient synthesis of 4-fluoroisoquinolin-1(2H)-ones and 5-fluoropyridin-2(1H)-ones. When N-OPiv benzamides were used, however, [4 + 2] cyclization occurred to provide gem-difluorinated dihydroisoquinolin-1(2H)-ones. Synthetic applications have been demonstrated and the ready availability of both the arene and the coupling partner highlighted the synthetic potentials of these protocols. Mechanistically, these two processes share a common process involving N-H deprotonation, C-H activation, and olefin insertion to form a 7-membered rhodacycle. Thereafter, different reaction pathways featuring ß-F elimination and C-N bond formation are followed on the basis of density functional theory (DFT) studies. These two pathways are DG-dependent and led to the open chain and cyclization products, respectively. The mechanistic rationale was supported by detailed DFT studies. In particular, the origins of the intriguing selectivity in the competing ß-F elimination versus C-N bond formation were elucidated. It was found that ß-F elimination is a facile event and proceeds via a syn-coplanar transition state with a low energy barrier. The C-N bond formation proceeds via a facile migratory insertion of the Rh-C(alkyl) into the Rh(V) amido species. In both reactions, the migratory insertion of the alkene is turnover-limiting, which stays in good agreement with the experimental studies.

Utility of cytokines to predict neonatal sepsis.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is an important cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Diagnosis and treatment of neonatal sepsis relies on clinical judgment and interpretation of nonspecific laboratory tests. In a prospective cohort, we measured inflammatory cytokines as a potential biomarker for neonatal sepsis. METHODS: Serum inflammatory cytokine levels were evaluated in the early stage of neonatal sepsis and after antimicrobial treatment. Receiver operating characteristic curves assessed the diagnostic value of cytokines. We performed multiple logistic regression analysis to characterize the role of each cytokine independently for infants with culture proven sepsis. RESULTS: C-reactive protein, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10 and IL-6/IL-10 levels were significantly elevated in neonatal sepsis when compared with the control group and there were 1.4 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2-1.5), 4.9 (95% CI: 4.6-5.1), 5.1 (95% CI: 4.5-5.6), and 10.2 (95% CI: 9.2-11.1) fold greater odds, respectively, to predict neonatal sepsis when increased. After effective treatment, median IL-6 (pretreatment value: 263.0 pg/ml and post-treatment value: 7.4 pg/ml) and IL-6/IL-10 levels (pretreatment value: 16.6 and post-treatment value: 1.4) significantly decreased. The areas under the curve for IL-6, IL-10, IL-6/IL-10 and C-reactive protein for differential diagnosis were 0.98, 0.82, 0.90, and 0.88, respectively. CONCLUSION: IL-6 and IL-6/IL-10 outperformed C-reactive protein to diagnose neonatal sepsis. Of the cytokines studied, IL-6 was the most sensitive, whereas IL-6/IL-10 was the most specific predictor of neonatal sepsis.

Intravenous immunoglobulin treatment responsiveness depends on the degree of CD8+ T cell activation in Kawasaki disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) has become the most common cause of acquired heart disease in children and is also a risk factor for ischemic heart disease in adults. However, Kawasaki disease lacks specific laboratory diagnostic indices. Thus, this study analyzed the T cell activation profiles of Kawasaki disease and assessed their value in the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease and the prediction of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) sensitivity. We analyzed human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR), CD69 and CD25 expression on peripheral blood CD4+ and CD8+ T cells during the acute phase of KD. We compared the percentages of HLA-DR+/CD69+/CD25+ T cells in the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell populations of IVIG-effective and IVIG-resistant groups. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess the diagnostic value of the above parameters. The median percentage of CD8+HLA-DR+ T cells and the median ratio of CD8+HLA-DR+ T cells/CD8+CD25+ T cells were significantly elevated in the patient group compared with those in the control group during the acute phase of KD. Regarding the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease, the area under the ROC curve was 0.939 for the percentage of CD8+HLA-DR+ T cells. There was a significant difference in the ratio of CD8+HLA-DR+ T cells/CD8+CD69+ T cells between IVIG-resistant patients and IVIG-sensitive patients. Regarding IVIG sensitivity, the area under the ROC curve was 0.795 for it. Excessive CD8+ T cell activation, as well as an imbalance between CD8+ T cell activation and inhibition, underlies the pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease. The percentage of CD8+ HLA-DR+ T cells may be used as an index to diagnose Kawasaki disease. IVIG inhibits CD8+ T cell activation, but excessive CD8+ T cell activation may cause IVIG resistance. The ratio of CD8+HLA-DR+ T cells/CD8+CD69+ T cells may be used as a predictor of IVIG sensitivity.

Isolation of autophagosome subpopulations after induction of autophagy by calcium.

Autophagy is a dynamic process accomplished by the generation and maturation of autophagosomes. Isolation of autophagosomes and subsequent compositional analysis can provide information about their biogenesis mechanism. In this article, HEK293 cells expressing GFP-LC3 were treated by calcium phosphate precipitates (CPP) to induce autophagy. The autophaogomes induced by CPP were tubular and vesicular structures, extensively formed in the cytosol. After all membranes in the cell lysate were fractionated by differential centrifugation, autophagosomes from light and heavy membranes were isolated by immuno-precipitation, using antibodies against GFP-LC3 and Atg5. We found that GFP-LC3 and Atg5 positive autophagosomes represented distinctive subpopulations. Judged from the molecular markers associated, including organelle markers and Atg proteins, GFP-LC3 positive autophagosomes were overall at the later biogenetic stage. Furthermore, both GFP-LC3 and Atg5 positive autophagosomes from light membranes were less mature than those from heavy membranes. We have established a method to isolate subpopulations of autophagsomes for further characterization.