Deep learning for classifying the stages of periodontitis on dental images: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The development of deep learning (DL) algorithms for use in dentistry is an emerging trend. Periodontitis is one of the most prevalent oral diseases, which has a notable impact on the life quality of patients. Therefore, it is crucial to classify periodontitis accurately and efficiently. This systematic review aimed to identify the application of DL for the classification of periodontitis and assess the accuracy of this approach. METHODS: A literature search up to November 2023 was implemented through EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to screen eligible studies, and the quality of the studies was evaluated by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology with the QUADAS-2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies) tool. Random-effects inverse-variance model was used to perform the meta-analysis of a diagnostic test, with which pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (LR), negative LR, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated, and a summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) plot was constructed. RESULTS: Thirteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. After excluding an outlier, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive LR, negative LR and DOR were 0.88 (95%CI 0.82-0.92), 0.82 (95%CI 0.72-0.89), 4.9 (95%CI 3.2-7.5), 0.15 (95%CI 0.10-0.22) and 33 (95%CI 19-59), respectively. The area under the SROC was 0.92 (95%CI 0.89-0.94). CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of DL-based classification of periodontitis is high, and this approach could be employed in the future to reduce the workload of dental professionals and enhance the consistency of classification.

Long-term impacts of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics in membrane bioreactor.

Due to the mass production and daily use of plastic products, the potential toxicity of microplastics to the water environment has attracted worldwide attention. In this work, the effect of typical microplastics (PET) on the performance of activated sludge from membrane bioreactors (MBR) was evaluated. The impacts on biological removal efficiency were unconspicuous with continuous dosing of 60 particles/L. However, further investigations revealed that PET particle accumulation caused adverse impacts on settleability and dewaterability. The SVI value increased from 53.3 ml/g MLSS to 69.9 ml/g MLSS and the CST in the PET reactor increased by 22%. Nevertheless, hydrophobicity was reduced by 49.2%. Mechanism studies exposed that the PET microplastics accumulation improved extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from 116.96 mg/L to 138.70 mg/L and caused cell membrane damage. The abundance and diversity of microbial community reduced in activated sludge in PET reactor compared with control reactor. These phenomena revealed a possible hypothesis that the microplastic particles increased EPS and cytotoxicity of activated sludge. However, the rate of transmembrane pressure (TMP) build-up was significantly mitigated in PET-MBR compared to that in a control-MBR (1.27 folds), which attributes that physical scour of particles may still alleviate membrane contamination in MBR.

Mechanistic insight into the impact of polystyrene microparticle on submerged plant during asexual propagules germination to seedling: Internalization in functional organs and alterations of physiological phenotypes.

Asexual reproduction is one of the most important propagations in aquatic plants. However, there is a lack of information about the growth-limiting mechanisms induced by microplastics on the submerged plant during asexual propagule germination to seedling. Hence, we investigated the effects of two sizes (2 µm, 0.2 µm) and three concentrations (0.5 mg/L, 5 mg/L, and 50 mg/L) of polystyrene microplastics (PSMPs) on Potamogeton crispus turion germination and seedling growth. Both PSMPs sizes were found in P. crispus seedling tissues. Metabolic profile alterations were observed in leaves, particularly affecting secondary metabolic pathways and ATP-binding cassette transporters. Metal elements are indispensable cofactors for photosynthesis; however, alterations in the metabolic profile led to varying degrees of reduced concentrations in magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc within P. crispus. Therefore, the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II significantly decreased in all concentrations with 0.2 µm-PSMPs, and at 50 mg/L with 2 µm-PSMPs. These findings reveal that internalization of microplastics, nutrient absorption inhibition, and metabolic changes contribute to the negative impact on P. crispus seedlings.

Robust Biomimetic Hierarchical Diamond Architecture with a Self-Cleaning, Antibacterial, and Antibiofouling Surface.

Biofouling is a worldwide problem from healthcare to marine exploration. Aggressive biofouling, wear, and corrosion lead to severe deterioration in function and durability. Here, micro- and nanostructured hierarchical diamond films mimicking the morphology of plant leaves were developed to simultaneously achieve superhydrophobicity, antibacterial efficacy, and marine antibiofouling, combined with mechanical and chemical robustness. These coatings were designed and successfully constructed on various commercial substrates, such as titanium alloys, silicon, and quartz glass via a chemical vapor deposition process. The unique surface structure of diamond films reduced bacteria attachment by 90-99%. In the marine environment, these biomimetic diamond films significantly reduced more than 95% adhesion of green algae. The structured diamond films retained mechanical robustness, superhydrophobicity, and antibacterial efficacy under high abrasion and corrosive conditions, exhibiting at least 20 times enhanced wear resistance than the bare commercial substrates even after long-term immersion in seawater.

Risk factors of severe hand, foot and mouth disease in Shantou, China: a case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: In clinical perspectives, how to distinguish a small proportion of children at risk of developing neurological complications from a large number of children with mild symptoms still remains a challenge for primary care doctors. METHODOLOGY: From January 2012 to December 2015, 225 cases with severe hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) matched with 492 controls were enrolled in the age-matched, case-control study. Continuous variables were examined by univariate analysis using a chi-squared or Fisher's exact test, and categorical variables were reported by relative risks (odd's ratio). Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors for severe HFMD. RESULTS: Peak body temperature over 37.5℃，total duration of fever over 3 days, lethargy, enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection were independent risk factors for severe HFMD. CONCLUSIONS: Peak body temperature over 37.5℃，total duration of fever over 3 days, lethargy, EV71 infection were independent risk factors for severe HFMD.

Influence of ultrafiltration membrane on ophiopogonins and homoisoflavonoids in Ophiopogon japonicus as measured by ultra-fast liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Ultrafiltration is one of the most fascinating technologies, which makes it possible to improve the quality of traditional medicines for application in the pharmaceutical industry. However, researchers have paid little attention to the effect of ultrafiltration membrane on traditional medicines chemical constituents. In this work, Ophiopogon japonicus (L.f) Ker-Gawl. was used as an example to illuminate the influence of ultrafiltration with different material and molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) membrane on natural chemical constituents as measured by ultra-fast liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UFLC-IT-TOF/MS). Our results indicated that ultrafiltration membrane significantly impacted homoisoflavonoids, especially homoisoflavonoids that were almost completely retained on the polyethersulfone (PES) membrane. We also found that the larger number of aglycone hydroxy and sugar moiety in steroid saponins, the higher the transmittance. Furthermore, the passage rate (%) of ophiogenin type saponins was higher than that of others. The possible adsorptive mechanisms were hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, and benzene ring interaction by π-π stacking. In conclusion, it is crucial to choose appropriate ultrafiltration membrane based on the characteristics of produce products for application of ultrafiltration technique.