Lightweight cattle pose estimation with fusion of reparameterization and an attention mechanism.

Heatmap-based cattle pose estimation methods suffer from high network complexity and low detection speed. Addressing the issue of cattle pose estimation for complex scenarios without heatmaps, an end-to-end, lightweight cattle pose estimation network utilizing a reparameterized network and an attention mechanism is proposed to improve the overall network performance. The EfficientRepBiPAN (Efficient Representation Bi-Directional Progressive Attention Network) module, incorporated into the neck network, adeptly captures target features across various scales while also mitigating model redundancy. Moreover, a 3D parameterless SimAM (Similarity-based Attention Mechanism) attention mechanism is introduced into the backbone to capture richer directional and positional feature information. We constructed 6846 images to evaluate the performance of the model. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed network outperforms the baseline method with a 4.3% increase in average accuracy at OKS = 0.5 on the test set. The proposed network reduces the number of floating-point computations by 1.0 G and the number of parameters by 0.16 M. Through comparative evaluations with heatmap and regression-based models such as HRNet, HigherHRNet, DEKR, DEKRv2, and YOLOv5-pose, our method improves AP0.5 by at least 0.4%, reduces the number of parameters by at least 0.4%, and decreases the amount of computation by at least 1.0 GFLOPs, achieving a harmonious balance between accuracy and efficiency. This method can serve as a theoretical reference for estimating cattle poses in various livestock industries.

Sclerostin decreases in regular swimmers after ice swimming and is associated with meteorin-like protein serum levels.

Introduction: Cold and exercise are two important stimuli affecting the secretion of osteokines and adipomyokines, which often occur simultaneously. However, few studies have investigated the changes in osteokines and adipomyokines induced by exercise during severe cold and their corresponding associations. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the changes in sclerostin and meteorin-like (metrnl) protein before and after cold exercise (ice swimming [IS]) and observe their correlation. Methods: For this, 56 daily ice swimmers' data were included in this study. Serum sclerostin and metrnl were measured 30 min before IS and 30 min after. The fat mass, visceral fat area, fat-free mass, skeletal muscle mass, lumbar spine, and femoral neck bone mineral density of the ice swimmers were measured. Results: After IS, sclerostin exhibited significant decreases, whereas metrnl showed no significant change. In addition, the baseline level of sclerostin and the decrease in sclerostin were positively correlated with serum metrnl after adjusting for age, gender, and body composition indicators. Discussion: IS caused a significant decrease in sclerostin but did not affect metrnl. Furthermore, the associations between sclerostin and metrnl suggested a correlation between osteokines and adipomyokines; this encourages future exploration of the interconnection between bone, muscle, and fat, which will be beneficial for identifying potential common therapeutic targets for diseases such as osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and obesity.

Cmpk2 regulates mitochondrial function in glucocorticoid-induced osteoblast senescence and affects glucocorticoid-inhibited osteoblast differentiation.

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a crucial role in the development of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO). Cytidine monophosphate kinase 2 (Cmpk2), an essential mitochondria-associated gene, promotes the production of free mitochondrial DNA, which leads to the formation of inflammasome-mediated inflammatory factors. However, the specific role of Cmpk2 in GIO remains unclear. In this study, we report that glucocorticoids induce cellular senescence within the bone, particularly in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and preosteoblasts. We discovered that glucocorticoids cause mitochondrial dysfunction in preosteoblasts, increasing cellular senescence. Moreover, we observed elevated expression of Cmpk2 in preosteoblasts following glucocorticoid exposure. Inhibiting Cmpk2 expression alleviates glucocorticoid-induced cellular senescence and promotes osteogenic differentiation by improving mitochondrial function. Our study uncovers new mechanisms underlying glucocorticoid-induced senescence in stem cells and preosteoblasts, highlighting the potential of inhibiting the mitochondrial gene Cmpk2 to reduce senescence and enhance osteogenic differentiation. This finding offers a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of GIO.

[Effectiveness analysis of minimally invasive safe approach to knee joint for treatment of avulsion fractures of tibial insertion of posterior cruciate ligament].

Objective: To analyze the effectiveness of minimally invasive safe approach of the knee joint in the treatment of avulsion fractures of the tibial insertion of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). Methods: The clinical data of 26 patients with avulsion fractures of tibial insertion of PCL treated with open reduction and internal fixation via minimally invasive safe approach of the knee joint between February 2019 and March 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 18 males and 8 females with an average age of 45.5 years (range, 33-58 years). The causes of injury were traffic accident in 14 cases, falling from height in 7 cases, and sports injury in 5 cases. There were 15 cases of left knee and 11 cases of right knee. The preoperative Lysholm score of knee joint was 34.4±7.3 and the flexion range of motion of knee joint was (69±12)°. According to Meyers classification, there were 8 cases of type Ⅱ and 18 cases of type Ⅲ. The time from injury to operation ranged from 1 to 5 days, with an average of 2 days. Results: The operation time was 40-70 minutes, with an average of 55 minutes; the intraoperative blood loss was 10-30 mL, with an average of 15 mL. Delayed incision healing occurred in 1 case after operation, and the incision healed after conservative treatment, and the incisions of the other patients all healed by first intention. Postoperative X-ray films showed satisfactory fracture reduction. All 26 patients were followed up 3-30 months, with an average of 22 months. No complication such as neurovascular injury, infection, and knee extension disorder occurred after operation. X-ray films at 3 months after operation showed that all fractures healed without displacement of the fracture ends; the posterior drawer test was negative. At last follow-up, the flexion range of motion of knee joint was (120±9)°, the Lysholm score was 90.7±3.8, which were significantly improved when compared with those before operation (t=16.376, P<0.001; t=47.665, P<0.001). Conclusion: The minimally invasive safe approach of the knee joint for the treatment of PCL tibial insertion avulsion fractures is easy to operate, with minimal surgical trauma, safe and reliable approach, and satisfactory recovery of knee joint function after operation.

Iduna contributes to the therapeutic effect of DHA in a cell and mouse model of traumatic brain injury via Wnt/MDM2 pathway.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a severe condition that leads to brain damage and affects brain function. Importantly, TBI incurs public health costs due to its high mortality, and effective treatment for TBI is still lacking. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has a neuroprotective effect that can reduce oxidative, apoptosis, and inflammatory processes. Administration of DHA after TBI attenuates oxidative stress and protein accumulation and is regarded as a potential therapeutic. Iduna is a regulator of parthanatos, and upregulation of Iduna reduces cellular damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. Thus, we speculated that overexpression of Iduna might promote DHA therapy in the treatment of TBI. Here, we found that after combination overexpression of Iduna and DHA in a mouse model of TBI, the expression of inflammatory factors was reduced, while the secretion of neuroprotective factors was increased. In addition, we found that these effects might be mediated by the Wnt/MDM2 pathway, and Iduna might be a therapeutic target for TBI.

Deubiquitinase ubiquitin-specific peptidase 10 maintains cysteine rich angiogenic inducer 61 expression via Yes1 associated transcriptional regulator to augment immune escape and metastasis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) remains an extremely fatal malignancy with a high mortality rate worldwide. This study focuses on the roles of ubiquitin-specific peptidase 10 (USP10) and cysteine rich angiogenic inducer 61 (Cyr61) in macrophage polarization, immune escape, and metastasis of PAAD. USP10 showed a positive correlation with Yes1 associated transcriptional regulator (YAP1), which, according to the TCGA-PAAD database, is highly expressed in PAAD and indicates poor patient prognosis. USP10 knockdown increased ubiquitination and degradation of YAP1, which further decreased the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and Galectin-9 expression, suppressed immune escape, and reduced the proliferation and metastasis of PAAD cells in vitro and in vivo. Cyr61, a downstream factor of YAP1, was overexpressed in PAAD cells after USP10 silencing for rescue experiments. Overexpression of Cyr61 restored the PD-L1 and Galectin-9 expression in cells and triggered M2 polarization of macrophages, which enhanced the immune escape and maintained the proliferation and metastasis ability of PAAD cells. In conclusion, this work demonstrates that USP10 inhibits YAP1 ubiquitination and degradation to promote Cyr61 expression, which induces immune escape and promotes growth and metastasis of PAAD.

A novel tp53-associated nomogram to predict the overall survival in patients with pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gene mutations play critical roles in tumorigenesis and cancer development. Our study aimed to screen survival-related mutations and explore a novel gene signature to predict the overall survival in pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Somatic mutation data from three cohorts were used to identify the common survival-related gene mutation with Kaplan-Meier curves. RNA-sequencing data were used to explore the signature for survival prediction. First, Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis was conducted to identify candidate genes. Then, the ICGC-PACA-CA cohort was applied as the training set and the TCGA-PAAD cohort was used as the external validation set. A TP53-associated signature calculating the risk score of every patient was developed with univariate Cox, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, and stepwise regression analysis. Kaplan-Meier and receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted to verify the accuracy. The independence of the signature was confirmed by the multivariate Cox regression analysis. Finally, a prognostic nomogram including 359 patients was constructed based on the combined expression data and the risk scores. RESULTS: TP53 mutation was screened to be the robust and survival-related mutation type, and was associated with immune cell infiltration. Two thousand, four hundred fifty-five genes included in the six modules generated in the WGCNA were screened as candidate survival related TP53-associated genes. A seven-gene signature was constructed: Risk score = (0.1254 × ERRFI1) - (0.1365 × IL6R) - (0.4400 × PPP1R10) - (0.3397 × PTOV1-AS2) + (0.1544 × SCEL) - (0.4412 × SSX2IP) - (0.2231 × TXNL4A). Area Under Curves of 1-, 3-, and 5-year ROC curves were 0.731, 0.808, and 0.873 in the training set and 0.703, 0.677, and 0.737 in the validation set. A prognostic nomogram including 359 patients was constructed and well-calibrated, with the Area Under Curves of 1-, 3-, and 5-year ROC curves as 0.713, 0.753, and 0.823. CONCLUSIONS: The TP53-associated signature exhibited good prognostic efficacy in predicting the overall survival of PC patients.

A mainstream monitoring system for respiratory CO2 concentration and gasflow.

Continuous respiratory gas monitoring is an important tool for clinical monitoring. In particular, measurement of respiratory [Formula: see text] concentration and gasflow can reflect the status of a patient by providing parameters such as volume of carbon dioxide, end-tidal [Formula: see text] respiratory rate and alveolar deadspace. However, in the majority of previous work, [Formula: see text] concentration and gasflow have been studied separately. This study focuses on a mainstream system which simultaneously measures respiratory [Formula: see text] concentration and gasflow at the same location, allowing for volumetric capnography to be implemented. A non-dispersive infrared monitor is used to measure [Formula: see text] concentration and a differential pressure sensor is used to measure gasflow. In developing this new device, we designed a custom airway adapter which can be placed in line with the breathing circuit and accurately monitor relevant respiratory parameters. Because the airway adapter is used both for capnography and gasflow, our system reduces mechanical deadspace. The finite element method was used to design the airway adapter which can provide a strong differential pressure while reducing airway resistance. Statistical analysis using the coefficient of variation was performed to find the optimal driving voltage of the pressure transducer. Calibration between variations and flows was used to avoid pressure signal drift. We carried out targeted experiments using the proposed device and confirmed that the device can produce stable signals.

A Low-Power and Portable Biomedical Device for Respiratory Monitoring with a Stable Power Source.

Continuous respiratory monitoring is an important tool for clinical monitoring. Associated with the development of biomedical technology, it has become more and more important, especially in the measuring of gas flow and CO2 concentration, which can reflect the status of the patient. In this paper, a new type of biomedical device is presented, which uses low-power sensors with a piezoresistive silicon differential pressure sensor to measure gas flow and with a pyroelectric sensor to measure CO2 concentration simultaneously. For the portability of the biomedical device, the sensors and low-power measurement circuits are integrated together, and the airway tube also needs to be miniaturized. Circuits are designed to ensure the stability of the power source and to filter out the existing noise. Modulation technology is used to eliminate the fluctuations at the trough of the waveform of the CO2 concentration signal. Statistical analysis with the coefficient of variation was performed to find out the optimal driving voltage of the pressure transducer. Through targeted experiments, the biomedical device showed a high accuracy, with a measuring precision of 0.23 mmHg, and it worked continuously and stably, thus realizing the real-time monitoring of the status of patients.

Use of signal decomposition to compensate for respiratory disturbance in mainstream capnometer.

End-tidal carbon dioxide (P(ET)CO2) monitoring has become an important tool in clinical monitoring, but there are still limitations in practice. Low-frequency modulation was used to reliably acquire respiratory information. Then the disturbances of humidity and flow rate were removed by signal decomposition. Finally, the real-time concentration of CO2 was calculated and displayed by an adjusted calibration function. Targeted experiments confirm that a period of 180 ms and a depth of 50% was the optimal choice. In this case, the effects of humidity and flow rate reflected by different components were removed effectively from the capnography. This capnometer obtains capnography with excellent accuracy and stability in long-term continuous monitoring.

Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism and the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage: a meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies.

BACKGROUND: Studies investigating the association between the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphism and the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) have reported conflicting results. We here performed a meta-analysis based on the evidence currently available from the literature to make a more precise estimation of this relationship. METHODS: Published literature from the National Library of Medline and Embase databases were retrieved. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated in fixed- or random-effects models when appropriate. Subgroup analyses were performed by race. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included 11 case-control studies, which included 1,238 ICH cases and 3,575 controls. The combined results based on all studies showed that ICH cases had a significantly higher frequency of APOE ϵ4 allele (OR= 1.42, 95% CI= 1.21,1.67, P<0.001). In the subgroup analysis by race, we also found that ICH cases had a significantly higher frequency of APOE ϵ4 allele in Asians (OR= 1.52, 95% CI= 1.20,1.93, P<0.001) and in Caucasians (OR= 1.34, 95% CI= 1.07,1.66, P=0.009). There was no significant relationship between APOE ϵ2 allele and the risk of ICH. CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis suggested that APOE ϵ4 allele was associated with a higher risk of ICH.