High variation across E. coli hybrid isolates identified in metabolism-related biological pathways co-expressed with virulent genes.

Virulent genes present in Escherichia coli (E. coli) can cause significant human diseases. These enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) isolates with virulent genes show different expression levels when grown under diverse laboratory conditions. In this research, we have performed differential gene expression analysis using publicly available RNA-seq data on three pathogenic E. coli hybrid isolates in an attempt to characterize the variation in gene interactions that are altered by the presence or absence of virulent factors within the genome. Almost 26.7% of the common genes across these strains were found to be differentially expressed. Out of the 88 differentially expressed genes with virulent factors identified from PATRIC, nine were common in all these strains. A combination of Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis and Gene Ontology Enrichment Analysis reveals significant differences in gene co-expression involving virulent genes common among the three investigated strains. The co-expression pattern is observed to be especially variable among biological pathways involving metabolism-related genes. This suggests a potential difference in resource allocation or energy generation across the three isolates based on genomic variation.

Application of Feature Selection and Deep Learning for Cancer Prediction Using DNA Methylation Markers.

DNA methylation is a process that can affect gene accessibility and therefore gene expression. In this study, a machine learning pipeline is proposed for the prediction of breast cancer and the identification of significant genes that contribute to the prediction. The current study utilized breast cancer methylation data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), specifically the TCGA-BRCA dataset. Feature engineering techniques have been utilized to reduce data volume and make deep learning scalable. A comparative analysis of the proposed approach on Illumina 27K and 450K methylation data reveals that deep learning methodologies for cancer prediction can be coupled with feature selection models to enhance prediction accuracy. Prediction using 450K methylation markers can be accomplished in less than 13 s with an accuracy of 98.75%. Of the list of 685 genes in the feature selected 27K dataset, 578 were mapped to Ensemble Gene IDs. This reduced set was significantly (FDR < 0.05) enriched in five biological processes and one molecular function. Of the list of 1572 genes in the feature selected 450K data set, 1290 were mapped to Ensemble Gene IDs. This reduced set was significantly (FDR < 0.05) enriched in 95 biological processes and 17 molecular functions. Seven oncogene/tumor suppressor genes were common between the 27K and 450K feature selected gene sets. These genes were RTN4IP1, MYO18B, ANP32A, BRF1, SETBP1, NTRK1, and IGF2R. Our bioinformatics deep learning workflow, incorporating imputation and data balancing methods, is able to identify important methylation markers related to functionally important genes in breast cancer with high accuracy compared to deep learning or statistical models alone.

Application of Deep Learning to IVC Filter Detection from CT Scans.

IVC filters (IVCF) perform an important function in select patients that have venous blood clots. However, they are usually intended to be temporary, and significant delay in removal can have negative health consequences for the patient. Currently, all Interventional Radiology (IR) practices are tasked with tracking patients in whom IVCF are placed. Due to their small size and location deep within the abdomen it is common for patients to forget that they have an IVCF. Therefore, there is a significant delay for a new healthcare provider to become aware of the presence of a filter. Patients may have an abdominopelvic CT scan for many reasons and, fortunately, IVCF are clearly visible on these scans. In this research a deep learning model capable of segmenting IVCF from CT scan slices along the axial plane is developed. The model achieved a Dice score of 0.82 for training over 372 CT scan slices. The segmentation model is then integrated with a prediction algorithm capable of flagging an entire CT scan as having IVCF. The prediction algorithm utilizing the segmentation model achieved a 92.22% accuracy at detecting IVCF in the scans.

A Comprehensive Review of Machine Learning Used to Combat COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has had a significant impact on global health since the start of the pandemic in 2019. As of June 2022, over 539 million cases have been confirmed worldwide with over 6.3 million deaths as a result. Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions such as machine learning and deep learning have played a major part in this pandemic for the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. In this research, we review these modern tools deployed to solve a variety of complex problems. We explore research that focused on analyzing medical images using AI models for identification, classification, and tissue segmentation of the disease. We also explore prognostic models that were developed to predict health outcomes and optimize the allocation of scarce medical resources. Longitudinal studies were conducted to better understand COVID-19 and its effects on patients over a period of time. This comprehensive review of the different AI methods and modeling efforts will shed light on the role that AI has played and what path it intends to take in the fight against COVID-19.