ExpHBA Deep-IoT: Exponential Honey Badger Optimized Deep Learning For Breast Cancer Detection in IoT Healthcare System.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most widely found disease among women in the world. The early detection of BC can frequently lessen the mortality rate as well as progress the probability of providing proper treatment. Hence, this paper focuses on devising the Exponential Honey Badger Optimization-based Deep Covolutional Neural Network (EHBO-based DCNN) for early identification of BC in the Internet of Things (IoT). Here, the Honey Badger Optimization (HBO) and Exponential Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) algorithms have been combined to create the EHBO. The EHBO is created to transfer the acquired medical data to the base station (BS) by choosing the best cluster heads to categorize the BC. Then, the statistical and texture features are extracted. Further, data augmentation is performed. Finally, the BC classification is done by DCNN. Thus, the observational outcome reveals that the EHBO-based DCNN algorithm attained outstanding performance concerning the testing accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.9051, 0.8971, and 0.9029, correspondingly. The accuracy of the proposed method is 7.23%, 6.62%, 5.39%, and 3.45% higher than the methods, such as multi-layer perceptron (MLP) classifier, deep learning, support vector machine (SVM), and ensemble-based classifier.

Smart IoT in Breast Cancer Detection Using Optimal Deep Learning.

IoT in healthcare systems is currently a viable option for providing higher-quality medical care for contemporary e-healthcare. Using an Internet of Things (IoT)-based smart healthcare system, a trustworthy breast cancer classification method called Feedback Artificial Crow Search (FACS)-based Shepherd Convolutional Neural Network (ShCNN) is developed in this research. To choose the best routes, the secure routing operation is first carried out using the recommended FACS while taking fitness measures such as distance, energy, link quality, and latency into account. Then, by merging the Crow Search Algorithm (CSA) and Feedback Artificial Tree, the produced FACS is put into practice (FAT). After the completion of routing phase, the breast cancer categorization process is started at the base station. The feature extraction step is then introduced to the pre-processed input mammography image. As a result, it is possible to successfully get features including area, mean, variance, energy, contrast, correlation, skewness, homogeneity, Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM), and Local Gabor Binary Pattern (LGBP). The quality of the image is next enhanced through data augmentation, and finally, the developed FACS algorithm's ShCNN is used to classify breast cancer. The performance of FACS-based ShCNN is examined using six metrics, including energy, delay, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and True Positive Rate (TPR), with the maximum energy of 0.562 J, the least delay of 0.452 s, the highest accuracy of 91.56%, the higher sensitivity of 96.10%, the highest specificity of 91.80%, and the maximum TPR of 99.45%.

FWLICM-Deep Learning: Fuzzy Weighted Local Information C-Means Clustering-Based Lung Lobe Segmentation with Deep Learning for COVID-19 Detection.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) creates an extensive range of respiratory contagions, and it is a kind of ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus, which affects both animals and humans. Moreover, COVID-19 is a new disease, which produces contamination in upper respiration alterritory and lungs. The new COVID is a rapidly spreading pathogen globally, and it threatens billions of humans' lives. However, it is significant to identify positive cases in order to avoid the spread of plague and to speedily treat infected patients. Hence, in this paper, the WSCA-based RMDL approach is devised for COVID-19 prediction by means of chest X-ray images. Moreover, Fuzzy Weighted Local Information C-Means (FWLICM) approach is devised in order to segment lung lobes. The developed FWLICM method is designed by modifying the Fuzzy Local Information C-Means (FLICM) technique. Additionally, random multimodel deep learning (RMDL) classifier is utilized for the COVID-19 prediction process. The new optimization approach, named water sine cosine algorithm (WSCA), is devised in order to obtain an effective prediction. The developed WSCA is newly designed by incorporating sine cosine algorithm (SCA) and water cycle algorithm (WCA). The developed WSCA-driven RMDL approach outperforms other COVID-19 prediction techniques with regard to accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, and dice score of 92.41%, 93.55%, 92.14%, and 90.02%.

Prevalence of Risk Factors of Diabetes Among Urban Poor South Indian Population.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of risk factors of diabetes among urban poor population in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, South India. STUDY AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from Dec-2010 to Feb-2011 in Chennai city. Five hundred twenty-nine subjects aged above 18 years (409 women and 120 men) habitants of three slums were randomly selected. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the socio-demographic and clinical information. Anthropometric measures, blood pressure and random blood glucose (RCBG) estimation were done. Dietary intake was assessed using 24-hour diet recall and duration of physical activity/day in all components was recorded. RESULTS: The mean age and BMI of the study population was 45.4±12.8 years and 25.8±4.9 kg/m2 respectively. About 20.4% were illiterate and 34.8% were either unemployed, retired or housewives. Median family income per month was 3000 INR. Prevalence of obesity (≥25 kg/m2) was 57.3% and central obesity (≥90 cms in male and ≥80 cms in female) was 75.7%. The median duration spent in walking, standing and sitting were 30, 120, and 240 minutes/day respectively. There was a gross inadequacy in vegetable intake. The prevalence of self-reported diabetes and hypertension was 20.8% and 24.2%, respectively. Among the subjects without a previous diagnosis of diabetes, 12.5% had RCBG ≥140 mgs. 10.6% were diagnosed with hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Sedentarism coupled with unhealthy diet pattern are the major contributing factors for the higher prevalence of diabetes and hypertension in urban poor population.

Quantitative profiling and identification of plasma proteins of spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 patients.

BACKGROUND: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) is an autosomal-dominant hereditary ataxia characterized by progressive gait and limb ataxia, dysarthria, slow saccades, neuropathy and dementia. The expansion of trinucleotide CAG repeats in the coding region of the ATXN-2 gene leads to expanded polyglutamine stretch in the mutated protein which causes neuronal death. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigated the blood plasma of SCA2 patients to find protein biomarkers. METHODS: Thirty-two ataxia patients clinically suspected for SCA2 were evaluated by the International Co-operative Ataxia Rating Scale followed by genetic analysis using PCR. Plasma proteomics of SCA2 patients and age- and gender-matched healthy controls was done using 2D-difference in-gel electrophoresis, LC-MS/MS and Western blot. RESULTS: Genetic analysis confirmed 10 of 32 suspected SCA2 patients. Proteomic data revealed nine differentially expressed proteins in SCA2. These proteins find good association with oxidative stress, calcium-dependent apoptosis, neuropathy, and cognitive impairment in SCA2 patients. Interestingly, the elevated levels of the voltage-dependent calcium channel γ-3 subunit showed a direct correlation with calcium-generated apoptosis of Purkinje cells. The cognitive deficit, a common symptom in SCA2 patients, seems to correlate with decreased levels of transthyretin and retinol-binding protein-4. CONCLUSIONS: Some of these identified proteins in SCA2 can be useful for therapeutic, diagnostic and prognostic purposes.

Carbapenem-hydrolyzing oxacillinase in high resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from India.

Acinetobacter baumannii, a Gram negative bacterium causes nosocomial infections including bacteremia, secondary meningitis and urinary tract infections. Increased resistance of A. baumannii has been global concern. Till recently, carbapenems, latest generation of ß-lactams are used for treating infections caused by A. baumannii. Emerging resistance to carbapenem class is an immediate threat to mankind. The objective of present study is to understand the growing carbapenem resistance of A. baumannii. By using iso-electric focusing followed by (in-gel) nitrocefin assay of carbapenem resistant strains of A. baumannii, we could identify three ß-lactamases with pIs in the range 5.4-9.5. Expression of the ß-lactamase with a pI ≈ 8.5, was found only in very high carbapenem resistant (MIC for imipenem 128 µg/ml) strains. On PCR analysis and sequencing of PCR product, this ß-lactamase was confirmed to be OXA-51. Identification of this protein from IEF gel was reconfirmed with the help of Liquid chromatography and Tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Based on the amino acid sequence, OXA-51 found to be a 30 kDa ß-lactamase containing conserved functional motifs of class D serine ß-lactamase. In the present study, we have established the emergence of OXA-51 in clinical strains of A. baumannii in India which suggests its role in carbapenem resistance.

Polysaccharide nanofibrous scaffolds as a model for in vitro skin tissue regeneration.

Tissue engineering and nanotechnology have advanced a general strategy combining the cellular elements of living tissue with sophisticated functional biocomposites to produce living structures of sufficient size and function at a low cost for clinical relevance. Xylan, a natural polysaccharide was electrospun along with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to produce Xylan/PVA nanofibers for skin tissue engineering. The Xylan/PVA glutaraldehyde (Glu) vapor cross-linked nanofibers were characterized by SEM, FT-IR, tensile testing and water contact angle measurements to analyze the morphology, functional groups, mechanical properties and wettability of the fibers for skin tissue regeneration. The cell-biomaterial interactions were studied by culturing human foreskin fibroblasts on Xylan/PVA Glu vapor cross-linked and Xylan/PVA/Glu blend nanofibrous scaffolds. The observed results showed that the mechanical properties (72 %) and fibroblast proliferation significantly increased up to 23 % (P < 0.05) in 48 h Glu vapor cross-linked nanofibers compared to 24 h Glu vapor cross-linked Xylan/PVA nanofibers. The present study may prove that the natural biodegradable Xylan/PVA nanofibrous scaffolds have good potential for fibroblast adhesion, proliferation and cell matrix interactions relevant for skin tissue regeneration.

Computer-Aided Diagnosis System for Alzheimer's Disease Using Positron Emission Tomography Images.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a kind of neurological brain disease. It is an irretrievable, neurodegenerative brain disorder. There are no pills or drugs to cure AD. Therefore, an early diagnosis may help the physician to make accurate analysis and to provide better treatment. With the advent of computational intelligence techniques, machine learning models have made tremendous progress in brain images analysis using MRI, SPECT and PEI. However, accurate analysis of brain scans is an extremely challenging task. The main focus of this paper is to design a Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) system using Long-Term Short Memory (LSTM) to improve classification rate and determine suitable attributes that can differentiate AD from Healthy Control (HC) subjects. First, 3D PET images are preprocessed, converted into many groups of 2D images and then grouped into many subsets at certain interval. Subsequently, different features including first order statistical, Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix and wavelet energy of all sub-bands are extracted from each group, combined and taken as feature vectors. LSTM is designed and employed for classifying PET brain images into HC and AD subjects based on the feature vectors. Finally, the developed system is validated on 18FDG-PET images collected from 188 subjects including 105 HC and 83 AD subjects from ADNI database. Efficacy of the developed CAD system is analyzed using different features. Numerical results revealed that the developed CAD system yields classification accuracy of 98.9% when using combined features, showing outstanding performance.

Evaluation of diuretic efficacy and antiurolithiatic potential of ethanolic leaf extract of Annona squamosa Linn. in experimental animal models.

OBJECTIVE: The study is to investigate the diuretic and antiurolithiatic activities of ethanolic leaf extract of Annona squamosa Linn. in experimental animals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For both studies, Wistar albino rats and two doses of extract (250 and 500 mg/kg) were used. Diuretic activity was evaluated by Lipschitz model. Urine volume and urine pH were noted, the concentration of sodium and potassium was estimated by flame photometry, and diuretic index, natriuretic index, and Lipschitz values were calculated from the results. Furosemide was used as a positive control. Ethylene glycol-induced urolithiasis model was used for antiurolithiatic study. Urine volume, urine pH, body weight, and biochemical parameters such as calcium, urea, uric acid, and creatine both from serum and urine were estimated. Antioxidant parameters and histopathological analysis of the kidney were evaluated. Cystone was used as a positive control in this study. Results were expressed as mean ± standard error of mean. Statistical analysis was carried out using one-way analysis of variance, followed by Dunnett's multiple comparison tests. RESULTS: In both diuretic and antiurolithiatic studies, both doses of the extract showed efficacy, and the dose of 500 mg/kg has shown a significant effect compared to positive control and negative control. CONCLUSION: The dose of 500 mg/kg showed a promising diuretic and antiurolithiatic activity.

Validation of single isocratic HPLC method for the assay of valdecoxib and determination of metaisomer impurity.

A sensitive and accurate isocratic high-performance liquid chromagraphic method is developed for the determination of both metaisomer impurity and assay of valdecoxib drug substance. This method uses a Phenomenex Luna C18 (2) column, a mobile phase of 60:30:10 (v/v) 20 mM NaH2PO4, methanol, and tetrahydrofuran, respectively, with UV detection. This method is validated and its stability-indicating capability is established by performing stress studies under acidic, basic, oxidation, light, humidity, and thermal conditions. Valdecoxib is well separated from its metaisomer impurity with a resolution of more than 2.0. The limit of detection of 0.007% is obtained for the metaisomer impurity, and the relative response factor is also determined. Repeatability is good, with a relative standard deviation of not more than 0.2% and 0.8% for the assay and impurity methods, respectively. A system suitability test is developed with acceptance criteria and the requirements are met throughout the method validation. The method is validated as robust to variations in chromatographic conditions.

Evaluation of post-treatment health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among tuberculosis patients.

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures the impact of a disease by assessing the health status of patients. OBJECTIVE: To assess the HRQoL of tuberculosis (TB) patients one year after treatment completion. METHODS: Patients registered under the TB control programme from July 2002 to June 2003 in a TB Unit in south India were interviewed one year after successful completion of treatment. Data on HRQoL were collected using the SF-36 questionnaire, which covers physical, mental and social well-being components. Data on economic well-being were also collected. Scores were given for all domains. RESULT: Of 436 TB patients interviewed, the mean scores for social, physical, mental and economic well-being were respectively 84, 74, 68 and 62 on a scale of 100. The well-being scores were significantly related to age, sex, education, employment and persistent symptoms. There was a significant association between economic and social well-being. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the HRQoL of TB patients one year after successful completion of treatment under the TB control programme was normal for most of the domains studied and was associated with age, literacy and employment, income, smoking, alcoholism and persistence of symptoms.

No changes in heme synthesis in human Friedreich´s ataxia erythroid progenitor cells.

Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by reduced expression of the protein frataxin. Frataxin is thought to play a role in iron-sulfur cluster biogenesis and heme synthesis. In this study, we used erythroid progenitor stem cells obtained from FRDA patients and healthy donors to investigate the putative role, if any, of frataxin deficiency in heme synthesis. We used electrochemiluminescence and qRT-PCR for frataxin protein and mRNA quantification. We used atomic absorption spectrophotometry for iron levels and a photometric assay for hemoglobin levels. Protoporphyrin IX and Ferrochelatase were analyzed using auto-fluorescence. An "IronChip" microarray analysis followed by a protein-protein interaction analysis was performed. FRDA patient cells showed no significant changes in iron levels, hemoglobin synthesis, protoporphyrin IX levels, and ferrochelatase activity. Microarray analysis presented 11 genes that were significantly changed in all patients compared to controls. The genes are especially involved in oxidative stress, iron homeostasis and angiogenesis. The mystery about the involvement of frataxin on iron metabolism raises the question why frataxin deficiency in primary FRDA cells did not lead to changes in biochemical parameters of heme synthesis. It seems that alternative pathways can circumvent the impact of frataxin deficiency on heme synthesis. We show for the first time in primary FRDA patient cells that reduced frataxin levels are still sufficient for heme synthesis and possibly other mechanisms can overcome reduced frataxin levels in this process. Our data strongly support the fact that so far no anemia in FRDA patients was reported.

A rural public-private partnership model in tuberculosis control in south India.

SETTING: A rural tuberculosis (TB) unit in South India, 2001-2003. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a rural public-private partnership model (PPPM) within the TB control programme (RNTCP). DESIGN: All of the private practitioners trained in modern medicine (PPs, n = 52) and the private laboratories (PLs, n = 13) in the area were listed. The PPs underwent training about the RNTCP, and PL staff were trained in sputum microscopy. PPPM included referral of TB suspects to the smear microscopy centres (government or PLs) for diagnosis and treatment of patients as per RNTCP guidelines. Patients were back-referred to the PPs. The directly observed treatment providers and centres were chosen by the PPs in consultation with their patients. The case detection rate, cure rate and profile of patients referred by the PPs were compared with those of self-reported patients. RESULTS: Of 489 TB suspects referred by the PPs, 24% were smear-positive compared to 10% of 15 278 self-reported patients (P < 0.001). Of 319 referred to PLs, 7% were smear-positive. The annual average case detection rate increased from 66 to 75 per 100 000 population. The cure rates of patients referred by the PPs were comparable to those of self-reported patients. CONCLUSIONS: This rural PPPM is effective and does not require additional staff or any direct financial incentives.

Initial drug susceptibility profile of M. tuberculosis among patients under TB programme in South India.

SETTING: Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients enrolled for treatment at government health facilities in a sub-district of Thiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu, India. OBJECTIVES: To determine the drug susceptibility profile among PTB patients admitted to treatment according to the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP). METHODOLOGY: From May 1999 to December 2003, two additional sputum samples were collected from all patients at the start of anti-tuberculosis treatment under DOTS and were transported to a central laboratory for Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture and drug susceptibility testing (DST). RESULTS: DST results were available for 1603 new sputum smear-positive patients; 85% of patients had organisms fully susceptible to streptomycin (S), isoniazid (H) and rifampicin (R), 10.4% any resistance to H and 1.7% to HR. Of 443 patients with history of previous anti-tuberculosis treatment, 59% had organisms susceptible to S, H and R, 37% had any resistance to H and 11.7% to HR. CONCLUSION: The DST profile showed that the vast majority of patients have drug-susceptible organisms, and that currently recommended regimens under the RNTCP would be effective in the treatment of TB.

Perceptions of tuberculosis patients about their physical, mental and social well-being: a field report from south India.

Tuberculosis (TB) often leaves its impact physically, socially and mentally on patients. The goal of current tuberculosis services is microbiological cure of tuberculosis. Understanding patients' perceptions about TB will enable better design of a client-oriented comprehensive programme for tuberculosis. We interviewed patients registered for treatment during July-December 2000 in government health facilities of two tuberculosis units of south India. Data on perceptions of their illness before the onset of illness and during the treatment period were collected, using a modified SF36 questionnaire. Health status was measured for the following: physical functioning, social role limitations due to physical and emotional problems (stigma), mental health, energy vitality, pain and general health perceptions. Of 980 patients registered, 610 (206 females) cured or treatment completed patients were interviewed at two time points. The reaction of patients to the disclosure of the diagnosis was worry (50%) and suicidal thoughts (9%). 'Good health status' was perceived initially in less than 7% of patients, and compared to the status at the onset of illness, there was significant improvement after treatment (more than 78% trend chi square p<0.05). Despite microbiological cure, 47% of patients continued to have respiratory symptoms; this was significantly higher among patients who had delayed taking action for more than 3 months. Only 54% of patients perceived 'happy mental status' at the end of treatment, and there was no change in social stigma in both men and women. Tuberculosis control programmes should address issues such as continued respiratory symptoms, persistence of stigma, and poor emotional quality of life of patients with tuberculosis, even after they are cured. As well, providing social support for the needy, timely counseling and health education of patients, which will alleviate mental and social sufferings of patients, should be considered.

A method for extracting task-oriented information from biological text sources.

A method for information extraction which processes the unstructured data from document collection has been introduced. A dynamic programming technique adopted to find relevant genes from sequences which are longest and accurate is used for finding matching sequences and identifying effects of various factors. The proposed method could handle complex information sequences which give different meanings in different situations, eliminating irrelevant information. The text contents were pre-processed using a general-purpose method and were applied with entity tagging component. The bottom-up scanning of key-value pairs improves content finding to generate relevant sequences to the testing task. This paper highlights context-based extraction method for extracting food safety information, which is identified from articles, guideline documents and laboratory results. The graphical disease model verifies weak component through utilisation of development data set. This improves the accuracy of information retrieval in biological text analysis and reporting applications.

Late onset paraplegia--a sequela to Pott's disease. A report on imaging, prevention and management.

Late onset paraplegia is a neurological complication that develops after a variable period in a patient with healed tuberculous disease of the vertebrae. In this retrospective analysis clinical features, imaging in diagnosis and treatment of this condition are described among 5 cases seen over a period of 5 years. This complication occurred even after successful treatment of initial spinal lesions with rifampicin-containing regimens. Magnetic resonance imaging was useful in pinpointing the exact pathology; one case had syrinx and two cases had marked internal gibbus with cord atrophy. Of the two cases who accepted surgical treatment, one improved.

Short-course chemotherapy in the treatment of Pott's paraplegia: report on five year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of 9-month short-course chemotherapy (SCC) and to study the pattern of neurological recovery in patients with Pott's paraplegia. DESIGN: Patients with recent onset of spastic paraplegia due to clinically and radiologically active spinal tuberculosis involving vertebral bodies of level D4-L1 were treated with streptomycin, rifampicin, isoniazid and ethambutol daily for the first 2 months, followed by rifampicin plus isoniazid twice weekly for the next 7 months. The study was conducted in 2 phases. In the first phase 10 patients were admitted to the open trial where all patients had undergone modified Hong Kong surgery in addition to chemotherapy. In the next phase 23 patients enrolled in the study were randomly allocated to receive either chemotherapy alone or surgery plus chemotherapy. All the patients were followed for 5 years from the start of treatment. A scoring system was devised to predict neurological recovery. RESULTS: In all, 33 patients were admitted and treated with SCC. Thirteen patients were allocated to the chemotherapy (CHEM) regimen; of these 3 patients had to be operated upon for clinical deterioration; the remaining 20 had surgery plus chemotherapy; 4 were excluded for various reasons, leaving 29 patients in the analysis. None relapsed requiring treatment. CONCLUSION: A combination of surgery (when indicated) and SCC of 9 months' duration is effective in the treatment of Pott's paraplegia. All patients had neurological recovery by the end of 9 months; 8 recovered with chemotherapy alone. Complete motor recovery was seen in 62% by the 3rd month and 90% by the 6th month.