Research on Unsupervised Low-Light Railway Fastener Image Enhancement Method Based on Contrastive Learning GAN.

The railway fastener, as a crucial component of railway tracks, directly influences the safety and stability of a railway system. However, in practical operation, fasteners are often in low-light conditions, such as at nighttime or within tunnels, posing significant challenges to defect detection equipment and limiting its effectiveness in real-world scenarios. To address this issue, this study proposes an unsupervised low-light image enhancement algorithm, CES-GAN, which achieves the model's generalization and adaptability under different environmental conditions. The CES-GAN network architecture adopts a U-Net model with five layers of downsampling and upsampling structures as the generator, incorporating both global and local discriminators to help the generator to preserve image details and textures during the reconstruction process, thus enhancing the realism and intricacy of the enhanced images. The combination of the feature-consistency loss, contrastive learning loss, and illumination loss functions in the generator structure, along with the discriminator loss function in the discriminator structure, collectively promotes the clarity, realism, and illumination consistency of the images, thereby improving the quality and usability of low-light images. Through the CES-GAN algorithm, this study provides reliable visual support for railway construction sites and ensures the stable operation and accurate operation of fastener identification equipment in complex environments.

Novel lipid indicators and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus among Chinese hypertensive patients: findings from the Guangzhou Heart Study.

BACKGROUND: Data are limited on whether several easily measured indices are independent predictors of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in hypertensive patients. This study aimed to assess the association of hypertriglyceridemic-waist phenotype, triglyceride glucose (TyG) index, lipid accumulation product (LAP), and visceral adiposity index (VAI) with T2DM risk in hypertensive patients. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 5321 hypertensive patients from the baseline survey of the Guangzhou Heart Study. Face-to-face questionnaire survey, physical examination, and fasting blood sample collection were completed for all subjects. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated by using the logistic regression model. The potential nonlinear relationship was examined using restricted cubic spline regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of T2DM was 19.98% among hypertensive patients. After adjusting for confounders, participants with elevated triglyceride levels and enlarged waist circumference (HTGW) were associated with a 2.57-fold risk of T2DM (OR 2.57, 95% CI 2.05, 3.23). When comparing with subjects within the lowest quartile of the indices, those in the highest quartile of TyG, LAP, and VAI were associated with 5.35-fold (95% CI 4.33, 6.64), 2.65-fold (95% CI 2.11, 3.34), and 2.17-fold (95% CI 1.77, 2.67) risk of T2DM after adjusting for confounders. Every 1-unit increment of TyG, LAP, and VAI was associated with 81%, 38%, and 31% increased risk of T2DM, respectively. The nonlinear association was observed for TyG, LAP, and VAI (all P Non-linear < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results found that among hypertensive patients, HTGW and a higher level of TyG, LAP, and VAI were associated with an elevated risk of T2DM. The findings suggested that HTGW, TyG, LAP, and VAI may serve as simple and effective tools for T2DM risk assessment in the prevention and management of main chronic diseases.

Prevalence of congenital heart disease among school children in Qinghai Province.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD) among school children in Qinghai province, a high-altitude region in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among school-aged children in 2019. All subjects completed a survey with a structure questionnaire and underwent CHD screening. CHD was screened by standard physical examination and further confirmed by echocardiography. Multivariate logistic regression were used to estimate the association of CHD prevalence with gender, nationality, and altitude. RESULTS: A total of 43,562 children aged 3-19 years participated in the study. The mean (SD) age was 11.2 (3.3) years. 49.7% were boys, and 80.0% were of Tibetan. CHD was identified in 293 children, with an overall prevalence of 6.73 ‰. Among them, 239 were unrecognized CHD, yielding a prevalence of 5.49 ‰. Atrial septal defect accounted for 51.9% of the CHD, followed by patent ductus arteriosus (31.1%), ventricular septal defect (9.9%). The CHD prevalence was significantly higher in female (8 ‰), Han race (18 ‰), children lived in Qumalai county (13 ‰), and children lived in a higher altitude (13 ‰). Female had greater prevalence of total CHD, atrial septal defect, and patent ductus arteriosus, but insignificant difference was observed in ventricular septal defect prvalence than male. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, female (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.17-1.87, P = 0.001), Han population (OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 1.67-6.42, P = 0.001), and higher altitudes (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.74-3.00, P < 0.001) were shown to be independently association with CHD prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of CHD in Qinghai province was 6.73 ‰. Altitude elevation, female, and Han population were independently association with CHD prevalence.

The Evolving Epidemiology of Elderly with Degenerative Valvular Heart Disease: The Guangzhou (China) Heart Study.

AIM: The present study was aimed at investigating the prevalence, incidence, progression, and prognosis of degenerative valvular heart disease (DVHD) in permanent residents aged ≥65 years from Guangzhou, China. METHODS: This was a prospective study based on community population. Over a 3-year span, we conducted repeated questionnaires, blood tests, and echocardiographic and electrocardiogram examinations (2018) of a random sample of initially 3538 subjects. RESULTS: The prevalence of DVHD increased with age, average values being 30.6%, 49.2%, and 62.9% in 65-74, 75-84, and ≥85 years of age, respectively. The incidence rate was 1.7%/year. Aortic stenosis was the result of DVHD, and the mean transvalvular pressure gradient increased by 5.6 mmHg/year. The increase of mild aortic stenosis was lower than that of more severe disease, showing a nonlinear development of gradient, but with great individual variations. Mortality was significantly increased in the DVHD group (HR = 2.49). Risk factors for higher mortality included age (χ 2 = 1.9, P < 0.05), renal insufficiency (χ 2 = 12.5, P < 0.01), atrial fibrillation (χ 2 = 12.2, P < 0.01), mitral regurgitation (χ 2 = 1.8, P < 0.05), and tricuspid regurgitation (χ 2 = 6.7, P < 0.05) in a DVHD population. CONCLUSIONS: DVHD was highly prevalent among residents in southern China. With the progression of the disease, the mean transvalvular pressure gradient accelerated. DVHD was an independent predictor of death, and the mortality was higher in those with older age, renal insufficiency, atrial fibrillation, mitral regurgitation, and tricuspid regurgitation.

Prevalence and modifiable risk factors of degenerative valvular heart disease among elderly population in southern China.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and modifiable risk factors of degenerative valvular heart disease (DVHD) among elderly population in southern China. METHODS: A stratified multistage sampling method was used to recruit subjects. The contents of the survey included the questionnaire, laboratory examination, echocardiography, and other auxiliary examinations. The possible risk factors of DVHD were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 3538 subjects ≥ 65 years of age were enrolled. One thousand three hundred and seven subjects (36.9%) were diagnosed with DVHD. Degenerative was the most common etiology of VHD. Prevalence of DVHD increased with advancing age. The prevalence of DVHD differed by living region (χ 2 = 45.594, P < 0.001), educational level ( χ 2 = 50.557, P < 0.001), and occupation ( χ 2 = 36.961, P < 0.001). Risk factors associated with DVHD included age (two-fold increased risk for each 10-year increase in age), elevated level C-reactive protein (OR = 1.346, 95% CI: 1.100-1.646), elevated level low density lipoprotein (OR = 1.243, 95% CI: 1.064-1.451), coronary artery disease (OR = 1.651, 95% CI: 1.085-2.513), smoking (OR = 1.341, 95% CI: 1.132-1.589), and hypertension (OR = 1.414, 95% CI: 1.221-1.638). Other significant risk factors included reduced or elevated level red blood cell (OR = 1.347, 95% CI: 1.031-1.761; OR = 1.599, 95% CI: 1.097-2.331; respectively), elevated level platelets (OR = 1.891, 95% CI: 1.118-3.198), elevated level uric acid (OR = 1.282, 95% CI: 1.112-1.479), and stroke (OR: 1.738, 95% CI = 1.085-2.513). CONCLUSIONS: The survey characterized the baseline conditions of DVHD cohort of elderly population in Guangzhou city. The established and emerging risk factors for DVHD may represent challenges and opportunities for therapy.