Using Sentinel images for analyzing water and land separability in an agricultural river basin.

The presence or absence of water can result in floods or droughts, potentially impacting agricultural productivity to a great extent. With advancements in remote sensing technology, the reliability of identifying water bodies has significantly improved, particularly in terms of distinguishing between water and land. This study introduced remote sensing methods to improve the accuracy of differentiating water within the Dawenhe River basin. Various water body scenarios were examined, and the performance of these methods was evaluated to determine the proper approach for water-land separation. In applying water body indices to Sentinel-2 images, it was found that the normalized difference water index (NDWI) outperformed the modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI) in identifying water bodies. Consequently, histograms of frequency distribution for Sentinel-1 were generated, revealing that water and land were more distinguishable in VV polarization than in VH polarization. Using histogram thresholding on VV polarized images in Dongping Lake resulted in an overall classification accuracy of 97.58%, surpassing that of Otsu's method at 97.36%. To address the persisting misclassifications, this study identified three leading causes and proposed corresponding solutions. These solutions included (1) employing the morphological dilation algorithm to expand the water area, mitigating pixel mixing issues at the water-land boundary that caused the water bodies to appear smaller; (2) utilizing incidence angles and digital elevation model (DEM) to locate and remove shadows; and (3) slightly lowering the thresholds and manually correcting misclassifications. As a result, the average accuracy of the four areas increased from 95.56 to 96.94%.

Unusually large paraganglioma complicated with successive catecholamine crises: A case report and review of the literature.

Background: Paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors that could secret catecholamines. Hypertension and heart failure caused by the catecholamine crisis are fatal cardiovascular events. However, silent paragangliomas that lack typical symptoms of catecholamine pose a significant diagnostic challenge. Case summary: A 45-year-old woman who presented with more than 1-year history of abdominal discomfort was suspected of having a gastrointestinal stromal tumor by a local hospital since a vast metastatic mass occupied her left abdomen. Thus, she was recommended to our hospital. After completing the gastroscopy, she unexpectedly developed acute heart failure and was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where the initial diagnosis of paraganglioma was considered through path. However, a second catecholamine crisis due to constipation led to acute heart failure again. After anti-heart failure therapy and rigorous preoperative preparation, surgery was arranged to remove the tumor. Postoperative pathology confirmed the paraganglioma, and the patient was discharged from the hospital in good condition. Conclusion: We reported a rare case of huge retro-peritoneal paraganglioma with successive catecholamine crises and acute heart failure. This was probably the largest retro-peritoneal paraganglioma since the 1980s. Besides, we were the first to use surgical drawing to illustrate its complex anatomical adjacent relationship of retro-peritoneal paraganglioma. Our case emphasizes the inclusion of extra-adrenal paraganglioma in the differential diagnosis of retroperitoneal tumors. In suspected paragangliomas, catecholamine testing is preferable to invasive procedures including gastroscopy and biopsy to avoid triggering a catecholamine crisis. Surgical resection is the primary treatment. We highlight the priority of dealing with the venous reflux branches of the tumor to prevent the release of catecholamines into the blood. In particular, preoperative preparation plays a vital role in managing paraganglioma. Moreover, it is necessary to schedule genetic testing and clinical follow-up due to the metastatic potential of paragangliomas.

Comparative Genomic Analysis of Seven Vibrio alginolyticus Strains Isolated From Shrimp Larviculture Water With Emphasis on Chitin Utilization.

The opportunistic pathogen Vibrio alginolyticus is gaining attention because of its disease-causing risks to aquatic animals and humans. In this study, seven Vibrio strains isolated from different shrimp hatcheries in Southeast China were subjected to genome sequencing and subsequent comparative analysis to explore their intricate relationships with shrimp aquaculture. The seven isolates had an average nucleotide identity of ≥ 98.3% with other known V. alginolyticus strains. The species V. alginolyticus had an open pan-genome, with the addition of ≥ 161 novel genes following each new genome for seven isolates and 14 publicly available V. alginolyticus strains. The percentages of core genes of the seven strains were up to 83.1-87.5%, indicating highly conserved functions, such as chitin utilization. Further, a total of 14 core genes involved in the chitin degradation pathway were detected on the seven genomes with a single copy, 12 of which had undergone significant purifying selection (dN/dS < 1). Moreover, the seven strains could utilize chitin as the sole carbon-nitrogen source. In contrast, mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were identified in seven strains, including plasmids, prophages, and genomic islands, which mainly encoded accessory genes annotated as hypothetical proteins. The infection experiment showed that four of the seven strains might be pathogenic because the survival rates of Litopenaeus vannamei postlarvae were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) when compared to the control. However, no obvious correlation was noted between the number of putative virulence factors and toxic effects of the seven strains. Collectively, the persistence of V. alginolyticus in various aquatic environments may be attributed to its high genomic plasticity via the acquisition of novel genes by various MGEs. In view of the strong capability of chitin utilization by diverse vibrios, the timely removal of massive chitin-rich materials thoroughly in shrimp culture systems may be a key strategy to inhibit proliferation of vibrios and subsequent infection of shrimp. In addition, transcontinental transfer of potentially pathogenic V. alginolyticus strains should receive great attention to avoid vibriosis.

Clinical application of painless oral anesthesia instrument combined with piezosurgery in the orthodontic traction of impacted maxillary anterior teeth / 口腔疾病防治

Objective @#To investigate the clinical efficacy of painless oral anesthesia combined with piezosurgery compared with ordinary cassette syringe combined with high speed turbine handpiece in the Fenestration operation of orthodontic traction of impacted maxillary anterior teeth.@*Methods @#A total of 128 cases of impacted maxillary anterior teeth were treated with Fenestration operation and orthodontic traction, and the patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group A (64 patients) received painless oral anesthesia combined with piezosurgery. Group B (64 patients) received ordinary cassette syringe combined with high speed turbine handpiece. The cooperation of fenestration and the swelling and pain after operation were compared between the 2 groups.@*Results @#The proportion of 0 and Ⅰ in the anesthesia group was 45.3% and 31.3% respectively, and the conventional group 0 and I accounted for 32.8% and 20.3% respectively. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (Z=-2.676, P < 0.05). The pateints' cooperative degree in group A was better than that in group B (P < 0.05). The ratio of pain and swelling in the anesthesia instrument combined with Piezosurgery group was 81.2%, the conventional group had a grade I ratio of 59.4%, and the anesthesia instrument combined with Piezosurgery group was lighter than the conventional group, The difference was statistically significant (Z=-2.777, P < 0.05); anesthesia combined with Piezosurgery group after surgery accounted for 81.2% of the swelling, the conventional group of pain accounted for 71.9%, There was significant difference between the two groups (Z=-2.097, P < 0.05). Symptoms and signs as swelling and pain degree in group A were relatively minor than those in group B (P < 0.05). @*Conclusion @#It is worthy clinical promotion to use Painless oral anesthesia combined with piezosurgery in the fenestration and orthodontic traction of impacted maxillary anterior teeth, for its better cooperation and minor post-surgery reaction.

Clinical application of cone beam CT in the diagnosis of traumatic anterior teeth before orthodontic treatment / 口腔疾病防治

Objective@# To explore the clinical application of cone beam CT in the diagnosis of traumatic anterior teeth before orthodontic treatment in order to reduce the risk of orthodontic treatment failure due to adhesion. @*Methods @# 48 fixed orthodontic treatment cases with the history of anterior teeth trama were selected. The anterior teeth were examined by CBCT to exclude root and alveolar bone adhesions. @*Results @#3 cases of root-alveolar bone adhesion were found, and the upper anterioa teeth of the remaining 45 cases were successfully moved by orthodontic treatment. @*Conclusion @#CBCT examination is recommended to check the periodontal ligament in patients of fixed orthodontic treatment with the history of anterior teeth trauma in order to exclude the root-alveolar bone adhesion cases.

Associations between lifestyles and neutrophil-lymphocyte and platelet-lymphocyte ratios in colorectal cancer.

AIMS: To explore the etiology of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) abnormalities in colorectal cancer. METHODS: In total, 230 patients with histopathologically confirmed colorectal cancer from August 2009 to August 2011 were recruited to our study. The associations between lifestyles (smoking, alcohol and pickled food consumption) and pretreatment NLR and PLR were estimated using the Kruskal-Wallis tests and linear regression model. RESULTS: The Kruskal-Wallis test showed a significant association between pickled food intake and pretreatment NLR but not PLR (P = 0.002, 0.057, respectively). Pairwise comparisons showed that, compared with those with a moderately frequent (2-3 times/week) and an infrequent (≤ once a week) intake of pickled food, high frequency (≥ four times/week) consumption of pickled food had a higher pretreatment NLR (P = 0.01, 0.007, respectively). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed pretreatment NLR increased significantly in high frequency (≥ four times/week) consumption of pickled food (P < 0.0001). No association between other lifestyle factors and pretreatment PLR was found. CONCLUSIONS: A higher frequency intake of pickled food possibly contributes to higher NLR, which may reflect a systemic inflammatory response in colorectal cancer.

[Clinicopathological features and prognosis of colorectal cancer patients with preoperative cancer-related anemia].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinicopathological features and prognosis of colorectal cancer patients with preoperative cancer-related anemia. METHODS: Clinical data of 354 patients with colorectal cancer in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College from January 2003 to July 2009 were analyzed retrospectively. Those with hemoglobin(Hb)<120 g/L before surgery were defined as cancer-related anemia. RESULTS: Of the 354 colorectal cancer cases, 195 were males and 159 were females. The median age was 65(range 22-92) years. Preoperative cancer-related anemia tended to be occurred in female(P<0.01) and those with preoperative albumin ≤35 g/L (P<0.01), right colon cancer(P<0.01) and full-thickness invasion(P<0.05). Cox regression analysis showed preoperative cancer-related anemia was an independent unfavorable factor for overall survival (HR=1.60, 95% CI:1.05-2.44; P<0.05), but not for disease-free survival (HR=1.43, 95% CI:0.97-2.12; P>0.05) in colorectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative cancer-related anemia plays an important role in the development and prognosis of colorectal cancer and great attention should be paid to clinical practice.