Prediction of the short-term efficacy and recurrence of photodynamic therapy in the treatment of oral leukoplakia based on deep learning.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of oral leukoplakia (OLK) with aminolaevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) was widespread. Nonetheless, there was variation in efficacy. Therefore, this study constructed a model for predicting the short-term efficacy and recurrence of OLK after ALA-PDT. METHODS: The short-term efficacy and recurrence of ALA-PDT were calculated by statistical analysis, and the relevant influencing factors were analyzed by Logistic regression and COX regression model. Finally, prediction models for total response (TR) rate, complete response (CR) rate and recurrence in OLK patients after ALA-PDT treatment were established. Features from pathology sections were extracted using deep learning autoencoder and combined with clinical variables to improve prediction performance of the model. RESULTS: The logistic regression analysis showed that the non-homogeneous (OR: 4.911, P: 0.023) OLK and lesions with moderate to severe epithelial dysplasia (OR: 4.288, P: 0.042) had better short-term efficacy. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of CR, TR and recurrence predict models after the ALA-PDT treatment of OLK patients is 0.872, 0.718, and 0.564, respectively. Feature extraction revealed an association between inflammatory cell infiltration in the lamina propria and recurrence after PDT. Combining clinical variables and deep learning improved the performance of recurrence model by more than 30%. CONCLUSIONS: ALA-PDT has excellent short-term efficacy in the management of OLK but the recurrence rate was high. Prediction model based on clinicopathological characteristics has excellent predictive effect for short-term efficacy but limited effect for recurrence. The use of deep learning and pathology images greatly improves predictive value of the models.

Association between periodontitis and mortality of patients with cardiovascular diseases: A cohort study based on NHANES.

BACKGROUND: The association between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been widely explored, but little is known about the effect of periodontitis on the mortality of CVD patients. This study aims to clarify the effect of periodontitis on all-cause and cause-specific mortality of CVD patients. METHODS: We included 2,135 individuals with CVD from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Mortality data were ascertained by linkage to National Death Index records through 31 December 2019. We used Cox proportional hazards models for all-cause mortality and competing risk models for CVD and cancer mortality to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Further covariate adjustments, stratification analyses, and a variety of sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the reliability and robustness of the results. RESULTS: The all-cause mortality in CVD patients with moderate/severe periodontitis was significantly higher than in those with no/mild periodontitis (HR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.02-1.52; P = 0.03). The all-cause mortality in participants with severe clinical attachment loss was significantly higher (HR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.01-1.14; P = 0.01). However, no discrepancy in CVD or cancer mortality was observed between CVD patients with different periodontal status. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings from a longitudinal study with a large sample indicated significant but slightly higher all-cause mortality in CVD patients with moderate/severe periodontitis than in those with no/mild periodontitis.

Experimental demonstration of a free space optical wireless video transmission system based on image compression sensing algorithm.

The wireless transmission of video data mainly entails addressing the massive video stream data and ensuring the quality of image frame transmission. To reduce the amount of data and ensure an optimal data transmission rate and quality, we propose a free-space optical video transmission system that applies compressed sensing (CS) algorithms to wireless optical communication systems. Based on the Artix-7 series field programmable gate array (FPGA) chip, we completed the hardware design of the optical wireless video transceiver board; the CS image is transmitted online to the FPGA through Gigabit Ethernet, and the video data is encoded by gigabit transceiver with low power (GTP) and converted into an optical signal, which is relayed to the atmospheric turbulence simulation channel through an attenuator and a collimating mirror. After the optical signal is decoded by photoelectric conversion at the receiving end, the Camera-Link frame grabber is d; thus, the image is collected, and it is reconstructed offline. Herein, the link transmission conditions of different algorithm sampling rates, optical power at the receiving end, and atmospheric coherence length are measured. The experimental results indicate that the encrypt-then-compress (ETC) type algorithm exhibits a more optimal image compression transmission reconstruction performance, and that the 2D compressed sensing (2DCS) algorithm exhibits superior performance. Under the condition that the optical power satisfies the link connectivity, the PSNR value of the reconstructed image is 3-7 dB higher than that of the comparison algorithm. In a strong atmosphere turbulence environment, the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of the corresponding reconstructed image under different transmission rates at the receiving end can still exceed 30 dB, ensuring the complete reconstruction of the image.

Association between human herpes simplex virus and periodontitis: results from the continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2014.

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is a common chronic oral disease which seriously affects people's quality of life. Although human herpes simplex virus (HSV) is also found in periodontal lesions, the association between HSV infection and periodontitis is unclear. METHODS: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data for 2009-2010, 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 was combined, and the association between HSV infection and periodontitis in the general population and particular subgroups was investigated through weighted multi-logistic analyses. RESULTS: There were 4,733 participants aged 30-50 years old with clinically assessed periodontitis concurrent with HSV infection. In general analysis, after adjusted for covariates, both HSV-1 (OR = 1.09, P < 0.001) and HSV-2 (OR = 1.06, P = 0.030) infection was significantly associated with periodontitis. In subgroup analyses, compared with patients without HSV infection, patients with HSV-1( +) & HSV-2( +) and HSV-1( +) & HSV-2(-) infection showed higher risk of periodontitis in all subgroups (OR = 1.15, OR = 1.09, P < 0.001), while patients with HSV-1(-) & HSV-2( +) infection showed higher risk of and periodontitis only in the subgroup of people aged 40-50 years (OR = 1.10, P = 0.032) and the Mexican-American subgroup (OR = 1.35, P = 0.042). When only severe periodontitis is considered, HSV infection was associated with periodontitis, no matter the patient was infected with either of the virus or both. CONCLUSIONS: HSV-1 infection was significantly associated with periodontitis and severe periodontitis, while HSV-2 infection was associated with severe periodontitis, and periodontitis in 40-50-year-olds and Mexican-Americans.

High-Q cascaded single-passband microwave photonic filter based on an optical-electrical feedback loop.

A cascaded microwave photonic filter refers to a microwave photonic filter (MPF) with higher performance obtained by cascading a MPF with two different structures. A high-Q cascaded single-passband MPF is proposed experimentally based on stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and an optical-electrical feedback loop (OEFL). In this experiment, the pump light of SBS is provided by a tunable laser. The Brillouin gain spectrum generated by the pump light is used to amplify the phase modulation sideband, and the narrow linewidth OEFL is subsequently used to compress the passband width of the MPF. By carefully adjusting the pump wavelength and tuning the tunable optical delay line, stable tuning can be achieved for a cascaded single-passband MPF with a high-Q value. The results have demonstrated that the MPF has characteristics of high-frequency selectivity and a wide frequency tuning range. Meanwhile, the filtering bandwidth is up to 300 kHz, the out-of-band suppression is more than 20 dB, the maximum Q-value is 5.333×104, and the center frequency tuning range is 1-17 GHz. The cascaded MPF proposed not only achieves a higher Q-value, but also has the advantages of tunability, a high out-of-band rejection ratio, and strong cascaded ability.

MRTF-A/SRF signaling suppresses invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Serum response factor (SRF) and myocardial-associated transcription factor-A (MRTF-A) had different regulatory effects on the tumorigenesis and development in different cancers. However, the role of MRTF-A/SRF in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains to be determined. METHODS: CCK-8 assay, cell scratch experiment, and transwell invasion assay were conducted to investigate the effects of MRTF-A/SRF on biological behavior of OSCC cells. The expression pattern and prognostic value of MRTF-A/SRF in OSCC were analyzed based on cBioPortal website and TCGA database. Protein-protein interaction network was visualized to identify protein functions. Go and KEGG pathway analyses were performed to investigate related pathways. The effect of MRTF-A/SRF on epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) of OSCC cells was explored by western blot assay. RESULTS: Overexpression of MRTF-A/SRF inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OSCC cells in vitro. High expression of SRF was related to better prognosis of OSCC patients on hard palate, alveolar ridge, and oral tongue. Besides, overexpression of MRTF-A/SRF inhibited the EMT of OSCC cells. CONCLUSION: SRF was closely related to the prognosis of OSCC. High expression of SRF and its co-activator MRTF-A inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of OSCC cells in vitro, possibly via EMT suppression.

The research status and progress of core outcome set in oral health.

The core outcome set (COS) refers to the minimum set of outcomes that should be reported by all clinical trials in a particular health field. The use of COS in clinical studies can reduce the heterogeneity caused by using different outcomes across different clinical studies, facilitate the systematic review of different clinical studies on the same topic, reduce selective reporting bias, and increase the utility of clinical studies. The importance of COS in oral health has recently been recognized. This review summarizes the history, necessity, and key methodological points of COS development, with emphasis on the research status and existing problems in COS development, in the field of oral health.

Research on one-to-two-point FSO system based on liquid crystal variable retarder cascade polarization grating.

We experimentally demonstrated a one-to-two-point free-space optical communication (FSO) system based on non-mechanical beam servo device in the laboratory. After the initial pointing, two sets of liquid crystal variable retarder cascaded polarization gratings perform non-mechanical beam servo and realized switching or working simultaneously of two communication links. The non-mechanical beam steerer had four diffraction fields; each can achieve beam steering with a 3.72° field and 30.77 µrad resolution, and the system emission efficiency was higher than 77%. The corresponding switching times of links at 2, 4, and 10 Hz were 46.7, 43.8, and 42.1 ms, respectively. In the quasistatic condition, the sensitivities of the two links under the data rate of 10.3125 Gbps were -23.18 and -23.01 dBm, respectively, indicating the service transmission capability of the multi-node beam control system.

Establishment and verification of formulas of target tracking based on dual liquid crystal polarization gratings.

In this paper, the relationship between miss distance, target position, and rotation angle of dual liquid crystal polarization gratings (LCPGs) is proposed for the first time, a target tracking system based on the rotating dual LCPGs is established, and a closed-loop target tracking process based on the formula is described. We establish the optical structure of the dual LCPGs, and the simulation compares the difference between the altitude and azimuth angles of the target position from the formula and the ZEMAX simulation. In the simulation validation, we also compare and analyze the proposed formula with the formula for vertical incidence to illustrate the necessity to introduce miss distance. We assemble a target coarse tracking device and perform the tracking experiment using the proposed formula to test the coarse tracking accuracy of the system. The coarse tracking accuracy and the angle information we obtained from simulation and experiment meet our proposed technical specification of no more than 0.45mrad, showing that the proposed formula provides a good basis for stable target coarse tracking and is instructive for engineering applications.

The Reaction Behavior of 2CaO·SiO2 with CaO-SiO2-FeO-P2O5 Slag.

It is important to clarify the reaction behavior of 2CaO·SiO2 (C2S) during hot metal dephosphorization. In this study, C2S was prepared and added to steel slag to investigate the reaction of C2S particles with CaO-SiO2-FeO-P2O5 slag at 1723 K. The diffusion coefficient of phosphorus in C2S was calculated. In addition, the influence of the addition of BaO to C2S was discussed. The results show that the diffusion coefficient of phosphorus in C2S is 9.23 × 10-14 m2·s-1. The Ca in C2S can be replaced by Ba. Small particles in the solid solution were easily generated from the C2S body by the addition of BaO, which is beneficial for improving the phosphorus partition between the C2S solid phase and the liquid phase of the slag.

Photodynamic therapy-a promising treatment of oral mucosal infections.

The treatment of oral mucosal infections is increasingly challenging owing to antibiotic resistance. Therefore, alternative antimicrobial strategies are urgently required. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has attracted attention for the treatment of oral mucosal infections because of its ability to effectively inactivate drug-resistant bacteria, completely heal clinical infectious lesions and usually offers only mild adverse reactions. This review briefly summarizes relevant scientific data and published papers and discusses the potential mechanism and application of PDT in the treatment of oral mucosal infections.

Near-surface atmospheric turbulence profile measuring technology based on an airship-mounted laser communication system.

Atmospheric turbulence is an important factor affecting the transmission performance of free-space optical communications (FSOC), especially in the near-surface where the atmospheric turbulence characteristics are complex and variable. In this paper, we study the real-time measurement technique of a near-surface atmospheric turbulence profile of an airship-borne laser communication system based on the principle of light intensity scintillation. Aiming at the influence of an avalanche photon diode detector system noise and environmental factors such as background light and platform vibration on the measurement results, a noise-canceling scintillation index calculation method, combined with a wavelet threshold denoising method, is proposed to improve the accuracy of atmospheric turbulence profile measurements. We build a communication distance of 12 km airship-borne laser communication experiment and carry out a real-time measurement of turbulence profile under 1 km near the ground without affecting the laser communication rate of 2.5 Gbps data transmission. The experimental results show that the atmospheric turbulence profile measured in real time follows the same trend as the theoretical simulation curve of the Hufnagel-Valley model, and the jitter of the measured values after denoising is significantly smaller than that of the measured values without denoising. The research results provide technical guidance and data support to promote the development of space laser communication and adaptive optics.

2.5 Gbps free-space optical transmission between two 5G airship floating base stations at a distance of 12 km.

We experimentally demonstrated a long-range, large-capacity-featured, airship-based, free-space optical transmission system by using key technologies, such as GPS/INS real-time precision laser pointing, coarse and fine compound high-bandwidth laser tracking, avalanche photodiode detector adaptive control turbulence channel compensation, and the aurora laser fifth-generation (5G) interface protocol, to solve the problems of laser tracking and targeting based on an airship motion platform, high-speed signal transmission under atmospheric channel perturbation, and interface protocol between a wireless laser link and 5G base station signal, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, the first FSO transmission of 5G base station signals between airship platforms with a rate of 2.5 Gbps and a distance of 12 km was realized, and channel turbulence jitter was also recorded for laser links of different altitudes, from 200 to 1000 m, which provides technical and data support for the application of wireless laser links in 5G floating base stations.

Design of a delayed XOR phase detector for an optical phase-locked loop toward high-speed coherent laser communication.

Optical phase-locked loops are an effective detection method in high-speed and long-distance laser communication. Although this method can detect weak signal light and maintain a small bit error rate, it is difficult to perform because identifying the phase difference between the signal light and the local oscillator accurately has always been a technical challenge. Thus, a series of studies is conducted to address this issue. First, a delayed exclusive or gate (XOR) phase detector with multi-level loop compound control is proposed. Then, a 50 ps delay line and relative signal-to-noise ratio control at 15 dB are produced through theoretical derivation and simulation. Thereafter, a phase discrimination module is designed on a 15 cm×5 cm printed circuit board board. Finally, the experiment platform is built for verification. Experimental results show that the phase discrimination range is -1.1 to 1.1 GHz, and the gain is 0.82 mV/MHz. Three times the standard deviation, that is, 0.064 V, is observed between the test and theoretical values. The accuracy of phase detection is better than 0.07 V, which meets the design standards. A coherent carrier recovery test system is established. The delayed XOR gate has good performance in this system. When the communication rate is 5 Gbps, the system realizes a bit error rate of 1.55×10-8 when the optical power of the signal is -40.4 dBm. When the communication rate is increased to 10 Gbps, the detection sensitivity drops to -39.5 dBm and still shows good performance in high-speed communications. This work provides a reference for future high-speed coherent homodyne detection in space. Ideas for the next phase of this study are presented at the end of this paper.