Deep learning with convolutional neural network for estimation of the characterisation of coronary plaques: Validation using IB-IVUS.

INTRODUCTION: Deep learning approaches have shown high diagnostic performance in image classifications, such as differentiation of malignant tumors and calcified coronary plaque. However, it is unknown whether deep learning is useful for characterizing coronary plaques without the presence of calcification using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of deep learning with a convolutional neural network (CNN) with that of radiologists in the estimation of coronary plaques. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 178 patients (191 coronary plaques) who had undergone CCTA and integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasonography (IB-IVUS) studies. IB-IVUS diagnosed 81 fibrous and 110 fatty or fibro-fatty plaques. We manually captured vascular short-axis images of the coronary plaques as Portable Network Graphics (PNG) images (150 × 150 pixels). The display window level and width were 100 and 700 Hounsfield units (HU), respectively. The deep-learning system (CNN; GoogleNet Inception v3) was trained on 153 plaques; its performance was tested on 38 plaques. The area under the curve (AUC) obtained by receiver operating characteristic analysis of the deep learning system and by two board-certified radiologists was compared. RESULTS: With the CNN, the AUC and the 95% confidence interval were 0.83 and 0.69-0.96, respectively; for radiologist 1 they were 0.61 and 0.42-0.80; for radiologist 2 they were 0.68 and 0.51-0.86, respectively. The AUC for CNN was significantly higher than for radiologists 1 (p = 0.04); for radiologist 2 it was not significantly different (p = 0.22). CONCLUSION: DL-CNN performed comparably to radiologists for discrimination between fatty and fibro-fatty plaque on CCTA images. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The diagnostic performance of the CNN and of two radiologists in the assessment of 191 ROIs on CT images of coronary plaques whose type corresponded with their IB-IVUS characterization was comparable.

Drug delivery observation of hydrophobe ferrofluid and magnetite nanoparticals by SPring-8 synchrotron radiation.

In this study, the composite magnetic nanoparticles of coated SiO nano film with about 8 nm size and high saturation magnetization value, were synthesized by liquid phase precipitation method. The magnetic nanoparticles can be dispersed in various liquid media, widely known as magnetic fluids or ferrofluids with both magnetic and liquid properties. The materials been collected great interests and more and more attentions to focus into Drug Delivery System (DDS) as a new technology in this paper. We use the composite nanoparticles to disperse H2O and inject the solutions into rat's in-vivo organs. And, in the experiments by using a strong photon beam of SPring-8 Synchrotron Radiation facility, the distribution stat and the effects of magnetic field as well as drug delivery behaviour of nanoparticles in the rat' kidney are verified by the in-vivo observations.

Diagnostic performance of computed tomography digital subtraction angiography of the lower extremities during haemodialysis in patients with suspected peripheral artery disease.

INTRODUCTION: With intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (DSA) considered as the gold standard, we compared the diagnostic value of computed tomography angiography (CTA) and computed tomography-digital subtraction angiography (CT-DSA in hemodialysis (HD) patients suspected of having lower limb peripheral artery disease (PAD). METHODS: In this retrospective study, we enrolled 220 HD patients with suspected PAD. CT-DSA images were obtained by subtracting unenhanced images from enhanced images. The research team calculated the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value (PPV, NPV), and recorded the diagnostic accuracy between the CTA and CT-DSA images using the DSA as gold standard. Visual evaluation of calcifications in the peripheral arteries were also compared between CTA and CT-DSA images. RESULTS: At the above-knee level, the CTA AUC [95% confidence interval (CI)] was 0.68 (CI 0.64-0.72), sensitivity and specificity were 60 and 81%, PPV and NPV were 85 and 53%, and accuracy was 67%. Below the knee, these values were 0.66 (CI 0.62-0.70), 71 and 79%, 79 and 47%, and 66%. For CT-DSA, above-knee, the AUC [95% CI] was 0.88 (CI 0.85-0.91), sensitivity and specificity were 84 and 92%, PPV and NPV were 89 and 97%, and accuracy was 93%. Below the knee, these values were 0.95 (CI 0.93-0.97), 95 and 93%, 96 and 83%, and 93%. The scores for the visualization of calcification in the peripheral arteries was significantly higher for CT-DSA than CTA (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CT-DSA helps to assess stenotic PAD with high calcification in the lower extremities of HD patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: On CT-DSA images, the severity of vascular calcification can be assessed for HD patients suspected of PAD of the lower extremities.

Cerebral venous thrombosis in adult nephrotic syndrome due to systemic amyloidosis.

Although venous thrombosis is one of the common complications in nephrotic patients, cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is rarely reported. CVT is so difficult to be detected by conventional diagnostic methods that it is sometimes overlooked despite its potential severity. We report a 79-year-old female with nephrotic syndrome due to systemic amyloidosis who suddenly altered mental status during her hospitalization. The underlying etiology had been not identified by physical examinations, various laboratory data, and repeated computed tomography, and finally she died. The post-mortem examination showed a massive thrombus impacted in intracranial left-sided transverse and sigmoid sinus. This case suggests that CVT can occur in a nephrotic patient who presents unexplained neurological signs and symptoms, which might not be detected only through conventional diagnostic tests.

Isolation and characterization of a novel type of glycosphingolipid from Neanthes diversicolor.

Five glycosphingolipids were obtained in the pure state from the marine annelid, Neanthes diversicolor. Final isolation of the individual compound was achieved by means of preparative HPLC with a reversed phase column in a recycling mode. They were assigned the structures, 1-O-beta-D-(6-O-[2'-(trimethylammonio)- ethylphosphoryl])galactopyranosyl, -N-hexadecanoyl-(4E,8E)-sphingadiene (1), -N-hexadecanoyl-(4E)-sphingenine (2), -N-heptadecanoyl-(4E)-sphingenine (3), -N-octadecanoyl-(4E)-sphingenine (4) and -N-hexadecanoyl-sphinganine (5). It is noted that they are the monogalactosyl ceramides carrying the phosphocholine group in the galactose moiety, and that one of them contains an odd numbered fatty acid residue.

Lipid bodies and lipid body formation in an oleaginous fungus, Mortierella ramanniana var. angulispora.

Mortierella ramanniana var. angulispora accumulates triacylglycerol (TG) in lipid bodies. Studies on lipid transport into lipid bodies are essential for elucidating mechanisms of lipid body formation. We used fluorescent dyes and fluorescent lipid analogs to visualize lipid body formation with a confocal laser scanning microscope. Different sizes of lipid bodies were stained by Nile red, a lipid body marker - one with a diameter of about 1 micrometer and the other with a diameter of about 2-3 micrometers. Lipid bodies matured into larger ones with culture. To metabolically monitor lipid bodies, we used 1-palmitoyl, 2-[5-(5,7-dimethyl boron dipyrromethene difluoride)-1-pentanoyl]-phosphatidic acid (C5-DMB-PA), and C5-DMB-phosphatidylcholine (C5-DMB-PC). These were taken up into fungal cells and incorporated into intracellular organelles at 30 degrees C. C5-DMB-PA was quickly incorporated into lipid bodies while C5-DMB-PC was initially incorporated into internal membranes, presumably endoplasmic reticulum membranes, and fluorescence was then gradually transported into lipid bodies. The transport of fluorescent lipids accompanied their metabolism into diacylglycerol (DG) and TG, which, taken together with the fluorescence distribution, suggested that conversion to TG was not necessary for transport into lipid bodies. It is likely that the synthesized DG was mainly located in lipid bodies and the conversion to TG took place in lipid bodies. C5-DMB-PA and C5-DMB-PC were converted to DG and TG in the membrane and lipid body fractions of this fungus, which agreed with in vivo metabolism of these fluorescent lipids and in vitro enzyme activity related to PA and PC metabolism. These results indicate that transport and metabolism of C5-DMB-PA and C5-DMB-PC represent two different routes for lipid body formation in this fungus.

Characterization of two mu class glutathione S-transferases from guinea pig lens.

Glutathione S-transferase (GST) plays an important role in the detoxifications of foreign electrophiles. Two GSTs of class mu from guinea pig lens were purified with Sephacryl S-100 gelfiltration, S-Hexyl glutathione Agarose affinity and Q-Sepharose anion exchange chromatographies. These GSTs (GST-A and B) showed similar relative molecular masses of 22.9 and 22.5 kDa, respectively. Two protein bands which crossreacted with anti GSTYb1 (GST 3-3) were detected in lens cytosolic crude extract on Western blotting and they showed Mrs corresponding to the purified enzymes. These GSTs showed a strong resistance against H2O2, 1,2-naphthoquinone and superoxide anion consistent with the other GSTs in class mu from animal tissues.

Detection of thioredoxin in gastric cancer: association with histological type.

Thioredoxin (TRX) is a redox-active protein with multiple intra- and extracellular functions. This protein exists ubiquitously in all life forms, from primitive living cells, such as Escherichia coli and yeast, to higher mammals. Recently, augmentation of the expression and transcription level of TRX has been reported in tumors of various organs. In this study, we examined the expression of TRX in gastric cancer with respect to its histological type and depth of invasion. The association with cell proliferation was also studied. Results of histochemical analysis of surgical specimens as well as cytochemical analysis and Northern blot analysis of gastric cancer cell lines indicated that TRX is predominantly expressed in undifferentiated type gastric cancer rather than in the differentiated type. Neither the depth of tumor invasion nor cell proliferation significantly determined the staining intensity for TRX.

Busulfan, cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation as conditioning for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for acute and chronic myeloid leukemia.

Fifty patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation between October 1988 and January 1997. Patients received 8 mg/kg of busulfan (BU) with 120 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide (CY) followed by 10 Gy of total body irradiation (TBI). Twenty consecutive patients with AML in first remission (n = 9) or CML, in chronic phase (n = 11) entered the study (group I). Thirty consecutive patients with advanced myeloid malignancies including AML (n = 19) and CML (n = 11) also entered the study (group II). The probability of leukemia-free survival at 5 years was 85% for group I patients and 50% for group II patients. Severe regimen-related toxicities occurred in 16% of patients (two in group I, six in group II). The most common sites affected by severe toxicities were lung (n = 6), liver (n = 2) and heart (n = 2). The relapse rate was higher for patients allografted in advanced stages of disease (O% at 5 years for group I and 28% for group II). These results suggest that BU + CY + TBI is a very effective conditioning regimen in patients with myeloid malignancies.

Intracellular transport of phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylcholine into lipid bodies in an oleaginous fungus, Mortierella ramanniana var. angulispora.

Exogenous fluorescent phosphatidic acid (PA) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) were transported into lipid bodies in an oleaginous fungus, Mortierella ramanniana var. angulispora [Kamisaka et al. (1999) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1438, 185-198]. We further investigated the processes of fluorescent PA and PC transport into lipid bodies in this fungus by changing culture conditions. Lowering incubation temperature decreased lipid body labeling by 1-palmitoyl, 2-[5-(5,7-dimethyl boron dipyrromethene difluoride)-1-pentanoyl]-PA (C5-DMB-PA), but fluorescence did not accumulate in organelles other than lipid bodies. C5-DMB-PC transport into lipid bodies was blocked at temperatures below 15 degrees C and fluorescence accumulated in intracellular membranes, presumably endoplasmic reticulum membranes. The low-temperature block of C5-DMB-PC transport enabled us to do pulse-chase experiments in which fungal cells were pulse-labeled at 15 degrees C with C5-DMB-PC and chased at 30 degrees C. The results clearly depicted transport of C5-DMB-PC and its derivatives from intracellular membranes to lipid bodies. Transport was temperature-dependent and ATP-dependent, although microtubules and actin filaments were not substantially involved. Experiments using 14C-labeled fatty acids and glycerol instead of C5-DMB-PC under the same conditions suggested that transport depicted by fluorescence agreed with metabolism and transport of PC containing native fatty acids. Furthermore, the transport mechanism preferred PC containing unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid. This study dissect lipid transport of PA and PC into lipid bodies and reveal regulatory steps for lipid body formation in this fungus.

Phosphocholine-bonded galactosylceramides having a tri-unsaturated long-chain base from the clam worm, Marphysa sanguinea.

Seven glycosphingolipids were obtained in the pure state from the clam worm, Marphysa sanguinea, by preparative HPLC with a reversed-phase column in a recycling mode. Their structures were elucidated based on detailed analyses of 1H- and 13C-NMR spectra of the intact compounds. The position and the geometry of double bonds in the long-chain base (LCB) were determined by the two-dimensional NMR (COSY, NOESY, and HMBC) analyses. All compounds are phosphocholine-bonded monogalactosylceramides and two of them have tri-unsaturated long-chain bases.

Scammonins I and II, the resin glycosides of radix scammoniae from Convolvulus scammonia.

The ether-soluble resin glycoside ('jalapin') fraction obtained from scammony roots, on alkaline hydrolysis, gave a glycosidic acid, scammonic acid A, together with isobutyric, 2S-methylbutyric and tiglic acids. In addition, two kinds of resin glycosides, named scammonin I and II, were isolated and characterized, respectively, as (11S)-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid, 11-[( O-6-deoxy-4-O-(2(E)-methyl-1-oxo-2- butenyl)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1----4)-O-6-deoxy-2-O-(2-methyl-1-oxobut yl)- alpha-L-mannopyranosyl-(1----2)-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1----2)-6-deoxy -beta- D-glucopyranosyl]oxy)-, intramol. 1,3"'-ester and (11S)-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid, 11-[( O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1----4)-O-6-deoxy-2-O-(2-methyl-1-oxobutyl)- alpha-L-mannopyranosyl-(1----2)-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1----2)-6-deoxy -beta-D - glucopyranosyl]oxy)-, intramol. 1,3"'-ester.

Scammonins VII and VIII, two resin glycosides from Convolvulus scammonia.

Two minor ether-soluble resin glycosides, scammonins VII and VIII, were isolated from Radix Scammoniae, the roots of Convolvulus scammonia. In addition to (2S)-2-methylbutyric acid and tiglic acid, they are composed, respectively, of orizabic acid A and a new glycosidic acid named scammonic acid B, with similar macrocyclic ester structures to those of the scammonic acid A-based scammonins I-VI. Isolation of genuine scammonins III-V, which were previously obtained as peracetates, is also described.

Stoloniferins I-VII, resin glycosides from Ipomoea stolonifera.

Seven ether-soluble resin glycosides, stoloniferins, I-VII, were isolated in the pure state from the whole plants of Ipomoea stolonifera. Their structures were determined on the basis of chemical and spectral data.

Stoloniferins VIII-XII, resin glycosides, from Ipomoea stolonifera.

Five new ether-soluble resin glycosides were isolated from whole plants of Ipomoea stolonifera. Their structures have been determined on the basis of chemical and spectral data. Similar to the resin glycosides previously isolated, all of them are monomers of a jalapinolic acid tetra- or penta-glycoside in which the sugar moiety is partially acylated by organic acids and also combined with the carboxy group of the aglycone to form a macrocyclic ester structure.

K-ras gene mutations in non-small cell lung cancer in Japanese.

To evaluate the association of mutations in the K-ras gene with the incidence of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Japanese patients, 410 patients treated surgically were studied. DNA was extracted from frozen specimens, and polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific oligonucleotide probe (PCR-SSOP) hybridization assay was used to examine K-ras mutations in codons 12, 13 and 61. K-ras mutations were found in 33 patients (8.0%), and all were smokers or ex-smokers. There were no significant differences in clinical or pathological stage between wild-type cases and mutant cases. The most frequently identified mutation was a G-->T transversion (25/33, 75.8%) that resulted in the substitution of a glycine for a cysteine or a valine. Previous studies have shown that the majority of K-ras mutations among smokers are G-->T transversion. In our study, K-ras mutations were found only in smokers, and there was a high frequency of G-->T transversions. A clear correlation exists between smoking and K-ras gene mutations.

Trombiculid mites (Acari: Trombiculidae) and Rickettsia tsutsugamushi isolated from wild rodents in a new endemic area of Japan.

Investigations of trombiculid mites and Rickettsia tsutsugamushi in wild rodents were made in southern Gifu Prefecture where patients infected with tsutsugamushi disease recently have been found. A total of 16,396 trombiculid mites, consisting of 10 species from three genera, was collected from 170 Apodemus speciosus in two locations. Kani-Sakahogi and Kuze. Leptotrombidium scutellare (Nagayo et al.) (44.0%) was most predominant, followed by L. pallidum (Nagayo et al.) (26.9%); L. fuji (Kuwata et al.) (13.6%); and Gahrliepia saduski Womersley (14.2%). These four species constituted the bulk of the chigger mite fauna. L. scutellare was present from October to February with a remarkably high peak in November, whereas pallidum occurred from November to March with the highest peak in December. L. fuji and G. saduski showed their highest peaks in December and moderate peaks in early summer (April and May). Positive identification of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi in wild rodents from Kani-Sakahogi were found to be 50 and 58.3% in November 1985 and 1986, respectively, and 38.5% in November 1986 from Kuze. R. tsutsugamushi was isolated from chigger mites of an L. pallidum-rich group, displaying the highest titer to Karp strain. Serological investigation of rodents to R. tsutsugamushi antibodies were calculated as 41.6 and 50% positive in November 1985 and 1986 in Kani-Sakahogi, respectively, and 50% in November 1986 in Kuze. The Karp strain was dominant in specificity to antibodies. These results indicate that the surveyed areas have a high probability of occurrence of tsutsugamushi disease, and L. scutellare and L. pallidum may serve as the vectors in these areas. Particularly, we suggest that L. scutellare is the most important vector which has caused a recent outbreak of this disease in southern Gifu Prefecture.

Evidence for the presence of 1,2-cyclic acetal type sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamines in the sea anemone, Actiniogeton sp.

Five 1,2-cyclic acetal-type sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamines (CGPE) were isolated in a pure state from the sea anemone, Actiniogeton sp. (Coelenterata). Their structures, including the absolute configurations, have been determined on the basis of chemical and spectral data to be so-called Feulgen's acetalphosphatides, which have been regarded as artifacts derived from original plasmalogens. We examined whether these CGPE are intact constituents in the animal tissues and obtained reliable confirmation that CGPE are normally present in the sea anemone.