Global and local feature extraction based on convolutional neural network residual learning for MR image denoising.

OBJECTIVE: Given the different noise distribution information of global and local magnetic resonance (MR) images, this study aims to extend the current work on convolutional neural networks that preserve global structure and local details in MR image denoising tasks. APPROACH: This study proposed a parallel and serial network for denoising 3D MR images, called 3D-PSNet. We use the residual depthwise separable convolution block to learn the local information of the feature map, reduce the network parameters, and thus improve the training speed and parameter efficiency. In addition, we consider the feature extraction of the global image and utilize residual dilated convolution to process the feature map to expand the receptive field of the network and avoid the loss of global information. Finally, we combine both of them to form a parallel network. What's more, we integrate reinforced residual convolution blocks with dense connections to form serial network branches, which can remove redundant information and refine features to further obtain accurate noise information. The peak signal-to-noise ratio, structural similarity index measure, and root mean square error metrics of 3D-PSNet are as high as 47.79%, 99.81%, and 0.40%, respectively, achieving competitive denoising effect on three public datasets. The ablation experiments demonstrated the effectiveness of all the designed modules regarding all the evaluated metrics in both datasets. SIGNIFICANCE: The proposed 3D-PSNet takes advantage of multi-scale receptive fields, local feature extraction and residual dense connections to more effectively restore the global structure and local fine features in MR images, and is expected to help doctors quickly and accurately diagnose patients' conditions.

Multiomics analyses reveal high yield-related genes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian/liver axis of chicken.

Egg production, regulated by multiple tissues, is among the most important economic traits in poultry. However, current research only focuses on the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, ignoring the most important organ for substance metabolism in the body, the liver. Eggs are rich in lipids, proteins, and other nutrients, which are biosynthesized in the liver. Therefore, here the liver was included in the study of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. This study used hypothalamus (HH_vs_LH), pituitary (HP_vs_LP), liver (HL_vs_LL), and ovary (HO_vs_LO) tissue samples from high- and low-laying Chengkou mountain chickens (CMC) for epihistological, transcriptome and metabolomic analyses aimed at improving the reproductive performance of CMC. The results showed that the liver of the high-laying group was yellowish, the cell boundary was clear, and the lipid droplets were evenly distributed. The ovaries of the high-laying group had a complete sequence of hierarchical follicles, which were rich in yolk. In contrast, the ovaries of the low-laying group were atrophic, except for a few small yellow follicles, and numerous primordial follicles that remained. The transcriptome sequences yielded 167.11 Gb of clean data, containing 28,715 genes. Furthermore, 285, 822, 787, and 1,183 differentially expressed genes (DEG) were identified in HH_vs_LH, HP_vs_LP, HL_vs_LL and HO_vs_LO and the DEGs significantly enriched 77, 163, 170, 171 pathways, respectively. Metabolome sequencing yielded 21,808 peaks containing 4,006 metabolites. The differential metabolite analysis yielded 343 and 682 significantly different metabolites (SDM) that significantly enriched 136 and 87 pathways in the liver and ovaries, respectively. A combined analysis of the transcriptome and metabolome of the liver and ovaries identified "CYP51A1-4α-carboxy-stigmasta7, 24(24(1))-dien-3ß-ol" and "ACSS1B-estrone 3-sulfate" and other multiple gene-metabolite pairs. The DEGs in the hypothalamus and pituitary mainly enriched signaling transduction. In contrast, the DEGs and SDMs in the liver and ovaries mainly enriched the substance metabolism pathways: "gap junction", "extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction", "Steroid biosynthesis", and "Steroid hormone biosynthesis". These results suggest that the hypothalamic-pituitary axis may affect egg production mainly by regulating lipid metabolism in the liver and ovaries.

Enhanced deep leaning model for detection and grading of lumbar disc herniation from MRI.

Lumbar disc herniation is one of the most prevalent orthopedic issues in clinical practice. The lumbar spine is a crucial joint for movement and weight-bearing, so back pain can significantly impact the everyday lives of patients and is prone to recurring. The pathogenesis of lumbar disc herniation is complex and diverse, making it difficult to identify and assess after it has occurred. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most effective method for detecting injuries, requiring continuous examination by medical experts to determine the extent of the injury. However, the continuous examination process is time-consuming and susceptible to errors. This study proposes an enhanced model, BE-YOLOv5, for hierarchical detection of lumbar disc herniation from MRI images. To tailor the training of the model to the job requirements, a specialized dataset was created. The data was cleaned and improved before the final calibration. A final training set of 2083 data points and a test set of 100 data points were obtained. The YOLOv5 model was enhanced by integrating the attention mechanism module, ECAnet, with a 3 × 3 convolutional kernel size, substituting its feature extraction network with a BiFPN, and implementing structural system pruning. The model achieved an 89.7% mean average precision (mAP) and 48.7 frames per second (FPS) on the test set. In comparison to Faster R-CNN, original YOLOv5, and the latest YOLOv8, this model performs better in terms of both accuracy and speed for the detection and grading of lumbar disc herniation from MRI, validating the effectiveness of multiple enhancement methods. The proposed model is expected to be used for diagnosing lumbar disc herniation from MRI images and to demonstrate efficient and high-precision performance.

Whole transcriptome analysis revealed the regulatory network and related pathways of non-coding RNA regulating ovarian atrophy in broody hens.

Poultry broodiness can cause ovarian atresia, which has a detrimental impact on egg production. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have become one of the most talked-about topics in life sciences because of the increasing evidence of their novel biological roles in regulatory systems. However, the molecular mechanisms of ncRNAs functions and processes in chicken ovarian development remain largely unknown. Whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing of the ovaries of broodiness and laying chickens was thus performed to identify the ncRNA regulatory mechanisms associated with ovarian atresia in chickens. Subsequent analysis revealed that the ovaries of laying chickens and those with broodiness had 40 differentially expressed MicroRNA (miRNAs) (15 up-regulated and 25 down-regulated), 379 differentially expressed Long Noncoding RNA (lncRNAs) (213 up-regulated and 166 down-regulated), and 129 differentially expressed circular RNA (circRNAs) (63 up-regulated and 66 down-regulated). The competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) network analysis further revealed the involvement of ECM-receptor interaction, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, focal adhesion, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, inflammatory mediator regulation of TRP channels, renin secretion, gap junction, insulin secretion, serotonergic synapse, and IL-17 signaling pathways in broodiness. Upon further analysis, it became evident that THBS1 and MYLK are significant candidate genes implicated in the regulation of broodiness. The expression of these genes is linked to miR-155-x, miR-211-z, miR-1682-z, gga-miR-155, and gga-miR-1682, as well as to the competitive binding of novel_circ_014674 and MSTRG.3306.4. The findings of this study reveal the existence of a regulatory link between non-coding RNAs and their competing mRNAs, which provide a better comprehension of the ncRNA function and processes in chicken ovarian development.

Mechanism of Iron Ion Homeostasis in Intestinal Immunity and Gut Microbiota Remodeling.

Iron is a vital trace element that plays an important role in humans and other organisms. It plays an active role in the growth, development, and reproduction of bacteria, such as Bifidobacteria. Iron deficiency or excess can negatively affect bacterial hosts. Studies have reported a major role of iron in the human intestine, which is necessary for maintaining body homeostasis and intestinal barrier function. Organisms can maintain their normal activities and regulate some cancer cells in the body by regulating iron excretion and iron-dependent ferroptosis. In addition, iron can modify the interaction between hosts and microorganisms by altering their growth and virulence or by affecting the immune system of the host. Lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus), Lactobacillus rhamnosus (L. rhamnosus), and Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) were reported to increase trace elements, protect the host intestinal barrier, mitigate intestinal inflammation, and regulate immune function. This review article focuses on the two aspects of the iron and gut and generally summarizes the mechanistic role of iron ions in intestinal immunity and the remodeling of gut microbiota.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Acute Stroke Care Pathway: Looking Beyond the Short Term.

Background: Early in the pandemic, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had been reported with significant impact on the stroke care pathway. Meanwhile, the mid/long-term consequence of treatment efficiency and effectiveness of the acute stroke pathway still remains unknown. Methods: A comprehensive retrospective analysis was conducted on the acute stroke care pathway parameters in a stroke unit in Chongqing, Southwest China. A total of 1492 patients were involved in this study, of whom 634 patients (42.5%) were included during the COVID-19 pandemic, 858 patients (57.5%) included during the similar period of 2019. We collected demographic and clinical characteristics, clinical outcome as the treatment efficiency and effectiveness indicators of the acute stroke pathway. Results: Compared to the same period in 2019, there were 2.8% fewer transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients, while 9.9% more acute ischemic stroke patients in 2020. In addition, patients had significantly higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores (P = 0.002) and hospital mortality (P = 0.004) during the pandemic. The median door-CT time (P < 0.001) and emergency stay (P < 0.001) of acute stroke were also remarkably increased during the pandemic. The proportion of patients with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) was significantly lower (P < 0.001), while the mechanical thrombectomy (MET) was remarkably higher (P = 0.042) in the pandemic group. Moreover, the IVT was significantly delayed during the pandemic (door-needle time: P = 0.001). Conclusion: The COVID-19 outbreak did not reduce the willingness of the acute stroke patient to seek medical help. Benefited from adjustments of stroke procedure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, no significant reduction was observed in the reperfusion success of the acute stroke care pathway. However, more medical resources need to be invested into the acute stroke care pathway to prevent serious consequences of undiagnosed and untreated strokes.

Effects of Mixing Garlic Skin on Fermentation Quality, Microbial Community of High-Moisture Pennisetum hydridum Silage.

Garlic skin, a by-product of garlic processing, was supposed to improve the fermentation quality of high-moisture silages because of its low moisture content and active compounds. Thus, fermentation and microbial characteristics of high-moisture Pennisetum hydridum ensiled with the addition of 0, 10, 20, and 30 wt% garlic skin (on a fresh matter basis) were analyzed during a 60-days fermentation. Results showed that the addition of garlic skin increased the dry matter content and lactic acid production, and decreased the pH and ammonia-N content of the silage. Adding garlic skin changed the relative abundance of bacterial communities with an increase in Lactobacillus and a decrease in Clostridium relative abundance. In conclusion, co-ensiling of high-moisture Pennisetum hydridum with garlic skin could be a simple approach to improve the silage quality and nutrients preservation.

Diaqua-(5-carb-oxy-benzene-1,3-dicarboxyl-ato-κO,O)(6,6'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine-κN,N')nickel(II) hepta-hydrate.

In the title compound, [Ni(C(9)H(4)O(6))(C(12)H(12)N(2))(H(2)O)(2)]·7H(2)O, the Ni(II) atom is six-coordinated by two O atoms from a chelating carboxyl-ate group of a 5-carb-oxy-benzene-1,3-dicarboxyl-ate ligand, two O atoms of two water mol-ecules and two N atoms from a 6,6'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine ligand in a distorted octa-hedral geometry. The compound exhibits a three-dimensional supra-molecular structure composed of the complex mol-ecules and lattice water mol-ecules, which are linked together by inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and partly overlapping π-π inter-actions between the pyridine and benzene rings [centroid-centroid distances = 3.922 (2) and 3.921 (2) Å]. One of the lattice water mol-ecules is disordered over two positions in an occupancy ratio of 0.521 (6):0.479 (6).

Poly[[hexa-aqua-bis-(µ(3)-benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxyl-ato-κO:O:O)bis-(5,5'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine-κN,N')trizinc] hexa-hydrate].

In the title compound, {[Zn(3)(C(9)H(3)O(6))(2)(C(12)H(12)N(2))(2)(H(2)O)(6)]·6H(2)O}(n), one Zn(II) atom, lying on an inversion center, is six-coordinated by two O atoms from two benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxyl-ate (btc) ligands and four water mol-ecules in a distorted octa-hedral geometry. The other Zn(II) atom is five-coordinated by two N atoms from a 5,5'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine (dmbpy) ligand, two O atoms from two btc ligands and one water mol-ecule in a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry. The compound features a one-dimensional ladder structure, with windows of ca 10.245 (1) × 15.446 (2) Å. The ladders are linked together by inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and π-π inter-actions between the benzene rings and between the pyridine rings [centroid-to-centroid distances 3.858 (2) and 3.911 (3) Å, respectively] to form a three-dimensional supra-molecular structure. One of the lattice water molecules is disordered over two positions in a 0.592:0.408 ratio.

catena-Poly[[aqua-(5,5'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine-κN,N')copper(II)]-µ-2,2'-oxydibenzoato-κO:O'].

In the title compound, [Cu(C(14)H(8)O(5))(C(12)H(12)N(2))(H(2)O)](n), the Cu(II) ion is penta-coordinated in a square-pyramidal geometry. Two N atoms of the chelating 5,5'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine (dbp) ligand and two O atoms of two different 2,2'-oxydibenzoic (odb) ligands occupy the basal plane while the water O atom completes the square-pyramidal geometry at the apical site. The non-water N(2)O(2) donor atoms are nearly coplanar, with a mean deviation from the least-squares plane of 0.0518 (11) Šand the Cu atom is displaced by 0.1507 (11) Šfrom this plane towards the apical water O atom. Further coordination via the 2,2'-oxydibenzoate anions forms a one-dimensional coordination polymer extending parallel to [010]. In the crystal structure, O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol-ecules into a two-dimensional supra-molecular structure.