Lysophospholipid Metabolism and Signalling in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Non-alcoholic liver disease (NAFLD) constitutes a global health pandemic. It is estimated that about 25% of the world's population suffers from NAFLD. In the long-term, a subgroup of the patients can develop inflammation and fibrosis. The end result in some cases is cirrhosis and even liver-related death. The epidemiology and natural history of NAFLD lead to extreme financial costs.

Estimation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by machine learning methods.

BACKGROUND: Accurate determination of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) is important for coronary heart disease risk assessment and atherosclerosis. Apart from direct determination of LDL values, models (or equations) are used. A more recent approach is the use of machine learning (ML) algorithms. METHODS: ML algorithms were used for LDL determination (regression) from cholesterol, HDL and triglycerides. The methods used were multivariate Linear Regression (LR), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) and Deep Neural Networks (DNN), in both larger and smaller data sets. Also, LDL values were classified according to both NCEP III and European Society of Cardiology guidelines. RESULTS: The performance of regression was assessed by the Standard Error of the Estimate. ML methods performed better than established equations (Friedewald and Martin). The performance all ML methods was comparable for large data sets and was affected by the divergence of the train and test data sets, as measured by the Jensen-Shannon divergence. Classification accuracy was not satisfactory for any model. CONCLUSIONS: Direct determination of LDL is the most preferred route. When not available, ML methods can be a good substitute. Not only deep neural networks but other, less computationally expensive methods can work as well as deep learning.

Factors associated with good outcome using lateral mass plate fixation.

The immediate and long-term outcomes of 70 consecutive patients who underwent subaxial lateral mass fixation between June 1996 and June 2001 were reviewed. Intraoperative fluoroscopy and somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) monitoring were used in all patients. Immediate postoperative computed tomography (CT) was performed to determine screw trajectory and placement. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 7 years. Postoperative CT showed 206 (58%) of 356 screws had unicorticate and 42% bicorticate purchase. Furthermore, 96 (27%) screws had suboptimal trajectory, but only 5 of these screws minimally penetrated the foramen transversarium without resultant vascular or neurological sequelae. A sudden unilateral intraoperative SEP amplitude decrease during screw placement in 2 patients resolved with screw removal and alteration of screw trajectory. The overall fusion success rate was 91.5% and screw pull-out developed in 2 patients. The recommended drilling technique and trajectory (15 degrees - 25 degrees rostral in the sagittal plane, 20 degrees - 30 degrees lateral in the axial plane), supplemented bone grafting, and intraoperative SEP monitoring are all associated with good screw placement, fusion, and neurological outcome and are recommended for all lateral mass fusion procedures.

Surgical decompression for cervical spondylotic myelopathy: correlation between operative outcomes and MRI of the spinal cord.

Forty-two patients who underwent decompressive surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy were studied. The pre- and postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and the Japanese Orthopedic Association score were analyzed to evaluate whether the different appearances of intramedullary high-signal intensity on T2-weighted MRI are related to the surgical prognosis. Magnetic resonance imaging signal intensities were classified as type 0 if no intramedullary high-signal intensity on T2-weighted images was noted, type 1 if high-signal intensity involved only one segment, and type 2 if high-signal intensity extended over two segments. Statistical analyses of the recovery ratio showed that type 0 and type 1 intramedullary high-signal intensity indicates better prognosis than type 2.