Mast Cells in the Microenvironment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Confer Favorable Prognosis: A Retrospective Study using QuPath Image Analysis Software.

The insights provided by in-situ detection of immune cells within hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) might present information on patient outcomes. Studies investigating the expression and localization of immune cells within tumor tissues are associated with several challenges, including a lack of precise annotation for tumor regions and random selection of microscopic fields of view. QuPath is an open-source, user-friendly software that could meet the growing need for digital pathology in whole-slide image (WSI) analysis. The infiltration of HCC and adjacent tissues by CD1a+ immature dendritic cells (iDCs), CD117+ mast cells, and NKp46+ natural killer cells (NKs) cells was assessed immunohistochemically in representative specimens of 67 patients with HCC who underwent curative resection. The area fraction (AF) of positively stained cells was assessed automatically in WSIs using QuPath in the tumor center (TC), inner margin (IM), outer margin (OM), and peritumor (PT) area. The prognostic significance of immune cells was evaluated for time to recurrence (TTR), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). The AF of mast cells was significantly greater than the AF of NKs, and the AF of iDCs was significantly lower compared to NKs in each region of interest. High AFs of mast cells in the IM and PT areas were associated with longer DFS. In addition, high AF of mast cells in IM was associated with longer OS. Computer-assisted analysis using this software is a suitable tool for obtaining prognostic information for tumor-infiltrating immune cells (iDCs, mast cells, and NKs) in different regions of HCC after resection. Mast cells displayed the greatest AF in all regions of interest (ROIs). Mast cells in the peritumor region and IM showed a positive prognostic significance.

Optical Sensor System for 3D Jones Matrix Reconstruction of Optical Anisotropy Maps of Self-Assembled Polycrystalline Soft Matter Films.

Our work uses a polarization matrix formalism to analyze and algorithmically represent optical anisotropy by open dehydration of blood plasma films. Analytical relations for Jones matrix reconstruction of optical birefringence maps of protein crystal networks of dehydrated biofluid films are found. A technique for 3D step-by-step measurement of the distributions of the elements of the Jones matrix or Jones matrix images (JMI) of the optically birefringent structure of blood plasma films (BPF) has been created. Correlation between JMI maps and corresponding birefringence images of dehydrated BPF and saliva films (SF) obtained from donors and prostate cancer patients was determined. Within the framework of statistical analysis of layer-by-layer optical birefringence maps, the parameters most sensitive to pathological changes in the structure of dehydrated films were found to be the central statistical moments of the 1st to 4th orders. We physically substantiated and experimentally determined the sensitivity of the method of 3D polarization scanning technique of BPF and SF preparations in the diagnosis of endometriosis of uterine tissue.

Predictors of Kidney Function Outcomes and Their Relation to SGLT2 Inhibitor Dapagliflozin in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Who Had Chronic Heart Failure.

INTRODUCTION: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have a favorable impact on the kidney function in patients with heart failure (HF), while there is no clear evidence of what factors predict this effect. The aim of the study was to identify plausible predictors for kidney function outcome among patients with HF and investigate their association with SGLT2i. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 480 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated with diet and metformin and concomitant chronic HF and followed them for 52 weeks. In the study, we determined kidney outcome as a composite of ≥ 40% reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate from baseline, newly diagnosed end-stage kidney disease or kidney replacement therapy. The relevant medical information and measurement of the biomarkers (N-terminal natriuretic pro-peptide, irisin, apelin, adropin, C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha) were collected at baseline and at the end of the study. RESULTS: The composite kidney outcome was detected in 88 (18.3%) patients of the entire population. All patients received guideline-recommended optimal therapy, which was adjusted to phenotype/severity of HF, cardiovascular risk and comorbidity profiles, and fasting glycemia. Levels of irisin, adropin and apelin significantly increased in patients without clinical endpoint, whereas in those with composite endpoint the biomarker levels exhibited a decrease with borderline statistical significance (p = 0.05). We noticed that irisin ≤ 4.50 ng/ml at baseline and a ≤ 15% increase in irisin serum levels added more valuable predictive information than the reference variable. However, the combination of irisin ≤ 4.50 ng/ml at baseline and ≤ 15% increase in irisin serum levels (area under curve = 0.91; 95% confidence interval = 0.87-0.95) improved the discriminative value of each biomarker alone. CONCLUSION: We suggest that low levels of irisin and its inadequate increase during administration of SGLT2i are promising predictors for unfavorable kidney outcome among patients with T2DM and concomitant HF.

The Risk of Melanoma due to Exposure to Sun and Solarium Use in Poland: A Large-Scale, Hospital Based Case - Control Study.

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of skin cancer is constantly growing, it is considered a serious problem of public health. Most cases of skin cancer are caused by a combination of non-modifiable genetic, and modifiable environmental risk factors. The study objective was to analyse the correlation between pigmentation traits, excessive sunlight exposure, solarium use and the risk of melanoma development. METHODS: The study included 480 patients diagnosed with melanoma and 400 within the control group. Subjects diagnosed with the melanoma confirmed by histopathology were invited to take part in the study. The research was based on a clinical, direct, individual, structured, in-depth and focused interview. RESULTS: The mean age of the study subjects was 44.3 ± 7.86, while in the control group 59.5 (7.93) Most frequently, melanoma was located on the upper extremities (64%). A family history of neoplastic diseases was found in 55% of the patients. The assessment of sunburns showed that only 15%  of the respondents never experienced sunburn, 49% of the study subjects never used solarium. Among patients with multiple sunburns, the risk of developing skin cancer was 1.27 (AOR = 1,27; 95% CI, 1.07-1.55) compared with non-sunburns subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Risky behaviours including excessive exposure to UV radiation, both natural and artificial, are of special significance in women with fair complexion and fair hair. Indoor tanning is a probable factor of increased skin cancer incidence in younger women, as compared to men.

Parameterization of the Stochastic Model for Evaluating Variable Small Data in the Shannon Entropy Basis.

The article analytically summarizes the idea of applying Shannon's principle of entropy maximization to sets that represent the results of observations of the "input" and "output" entities of the stochastic model for evaluating variable small data. To formalize this idea, a sequential transition from the likelihood function to the likelihood functional and the Shannon entropy functional is analytically described. Shannon's entropy characterizes the uncertainty caused not only by the probabilistic nature of the parameters of the stochastic data evaluation model but also by interferences that distort the results of the measurements of the values of these parameters. Accordingly, based on the Shannon entropy, it is possible to determine the best estimates of the values of these parameters for maximally uncertain (per entropy unit) distortions that cause measurement variability. This postulate is organically transferred to the statement that the estimates of the density of the probability distribution of the parameters of the stochastic model of small data obtained as a result of Shannon entropy maximization will also take into account the fact of the variability of the process of their measurements. In the article, this principle is developed into the information technology of the parametric and non-parametric evaluation on the basis of Shannon entropy of small data measured under the influence of interferences. The article analytically formalizes three key elements: -instances of the class of parameterized stochastic models for evaluating variable small data; -methods of estimating the probability density function of their parameters, represented by normalized or interval probabilities; -approaches to generating an ensemble of random vectors of initial parameters.

Medical Fuzzy-Expert System for Assessment of the Degree of Anatomical Lesion of Coronary Arteries.

BACKGROUND: Today, cardiovascular diseases cause 47% of all deaths among the European population, which is 4 million cases every year. In Ukraine, CAD accounts for 65% of the mortality rate from circulatory system diseases of the able-bodied population and is the main cause of disability. The aim of this study is to develop a medical expert system based on fuzzy sets for assessing the degree of coronary artery lesions in patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS: The method of using fuzzy sets for the implementation of an information expert system for solving the problems of medical diagnostics, in particular, when assessing the degree of anatomical lesion of the coronary arteries in patients with various forms of coronary artery disease, has been developed. RESULTS: The paper analyses the main areas of application of mathematical methods in medical diagnostics, and formulates the principles of diagnostics, based on fuzzy logic. The developed models and algorithms of medical diagnostics are based on the ideas and principles of artificial intelligence and knowledge engineering, the theory of experiment planning, the theory of fuzzy sets and linguistic variables. The expert system is tested on real data. Through research and comparison of the results of experts and the created medical expert system, the reliability of supporting the correct decision making of the medical expert system based on fuzzy sets for assessing the degree of anatomical lesion of the coronary arteries in patients with various forms of coronary artery disease with the assessment of experts was 95%, which shows the high efficiency of decision making. CONCLUSIONS: The practical value of the work lies in the possibility of using the automated expert system for the solution of the problems of medical diagnosis based on fuzzy logic for assessing the degree of anatomical lesion of the coronary arteries in patients with various forms of coronary artery disease. The proposed concept must be further validated for inter-rater consistency and reliability. Thus, it is promising to create expert medical systems based on fuzzy sets for assessing the degree of disease pathology.

Predictive value of serum irisin for chronic heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

We hypothesize that serum irisin can have additional discriminative potency for heart failure (HF) in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The study group comprised 226 consecutive T2DM patients (153 patients with any HF phenotypes and 30 patients without HF) aged 41 to 65 years. The plasma levels N-terminal brain natriuretic pro-peptide (NT-proBNP) and irisin were detected by ELISA at the baseline of the study. We found that the most appropriate cut-off value of irisin (HF versus non-HF) were 10.4 ng/mL (area under curve [AUC] = 0.96, sensitivity = 81.0%, specificity = 88.0%; P = 0.0001). Cutoff point of NT-proBNP that distinguished patients with HF and without it was 750 pmol/L (AUC = 0.78; sensitivity = 72.7%, specificity 76.5%, p = 0.0001). Using multivariate comparative analysis we established that concentrations of irisin < 10.4 ng/mL (odds ration [OR] = 1.30; P = 0.001) and NT-proBNP > 750 pmol/mL (OR = 1.17; P = 0.042), left atrial volume index (LAVI) > 34 mL/m2 (OR = 1.06; P = 0.042) independently predicted HF. Irisin being added to NT-proBNP improved predictive modality for HF, whereas combination of NT-proBNP and LAVI > 34 mL/m2 did not. In conclusion, we established that irisin had independent predicted potency for HF in patients with established T2DM.

Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis and Pulmonary Hypertension: A Systematic Review of Non-Invasive Ways of Risk Stratification, Especially in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Patients with severe aortic valve stenosis and concomitant pulmonary hypertension show a significantly reduced survival prognosis. Right heart catheterization as a preoperative diagnostic tool to determine pulmonary hypertension has been largely abandoned in recent years in favor of echocardiographic criteria. Clinically, determination of echocardiographically estimated systolic pulmonary artery pressure falls far short of invasive right heart catheterization data in terms of accuracy. The aim of the present systematic review was to highlight noninvasive possibilities for the detection of pulmonary hypertension in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis, with a special focus on cardiovascular biomarkers. A total of 525 publications regarding echocardiography, cardiovascular imaging and biomarkers related to severe aortic valve stenosis and pulmonary hypertension were analyzed in a systematic database analysis using PubMed Central®. Finally, 39 publications were included in the following review. It was shown that the current scientific data situation, especially regarding cardiovascular biomarkers as non-invasive diagnostic tools for the determination of pulmonary hypertension in severe aortic valve stenosis patients, is poor. Thus, there is a great scientific potential to combine different biomarkers (biomarker scores) in a non-invasive way to determine the presence or absence of PH.

Research Active Posterior Rhinomanometry Tomography Method for Nasal Breathing Determining Violations.

This study analyzes the existing methods for studying nasal breathing. The aspects of verifying the results of rhinomanometric diagnostics according to the data of spiral computed tomography are considered, and the methodological features of dynamic posterior active rhinomanometry and the main indicators of respiration are also analyzed. The possibilities of testing respiratory olfactory disorders are considered, the analysis of errors in rhinomanometric measurements is carried out. In the conclusions, practical recommendations are given that have been developed for the design and operation of tools for functional diagnostics of nasal breathing disorders. It is advisable, according to the data of dynamic rhinomanometry, to assess the functioning of the nasal valve by the shape of the air flow rate signals during forced breathing and the structures of the soft palate by the residual nasopharyngeal pressure drop. It is imperative to take into account not only the maximum coefficient of aerodynamic nose drag, but also the values of the pressure drop and air flow rate in the area of transition to the turbulent quadratic flow regime. From the point of view of the physiology of the nasal response, it is necessary to look at the dynamic change to the current mode, given the hour of the forced response, so that it will ensure the maximum possible acidity in the legend. When planning functional rhinosurgical operations, it is necessary to apply the calculation method using computed tomography, which makes it possible to predict the functional result of surgery.

Possibilities of Automated Diagnostics of Odontogenic Sinusitis According to the Computer Tomography Data.

Individual anatomical features of the paranasal sinuses and dentoalveolar system, the complexity of physiological and pathophysiological processes in this area, and the absence of actual standards of the norm and typical pathologies lead to the fact that differential diagnosis and assessment of the severity of the course of odontogenic sinusitis significantly depend on the measurement methods of significant indicators and have significant variability. Therefore, an urgent task is to expand the diagnostic capabilities of existing research methods, study the significance of the measured indicators, and substantiate the expediency of their use in the diagnosis of specific pathologies in an automated mode. Methods of digital filtering, image segmentation and analysis, fluid dynamics, and statistical and discriminant analysis were used. Preliminary differential diagnosis of odontogenic sinusitis can be performed by densitemetric analysis of tomographic images of the maxillary sinuses, performed using frontal multiplanar reconstructions according to a given algorithm. The very manifestation of the characteristic changes in the densitography of the maxillary sinus allows for the initiation of certain pathological processes and permits the development of the effectiveness of the diagnosis of the pathology of the sinus sinuses, which can be realized automatically in real life.

Information Conversion in Measuring Channels with Optoelectronic Sensors.

The purpose of this work is the authors' attempt to identify the main phases of information transformation in measurement channels on the example of an optical measurement channel with microprocessor control. The authors include such phases: hardware implementation and analytical representation of an optical sensor's converting functions and a current-to-voltage converter; based on the methods of experimental computer science, the converting functions and sensitivity are deduced, analytical dependences for estimation of a range of measurement are obtained. It is shown that the choice of information transmission type in the microprocessor measuring channel significantly affects the speed of the measuring channel. Based on the uncertainty in the form of entropy before and after measurements, the amount of information for measuring channels with optoelectronic sensors is estimated. The application of the results obtained in the work allows even at the design stage of physical and mathematical modeling to assess the basic static metrological characteristics of measuring channels, aimed at reducing the stage of development and debugging of hardware and software and standardization of their metrological characteristics.