Clinical application of artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis using anteroposterior pelvic radiographs in children with developmental dysplasia of the hip.

AIMS: The diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is challenging owing to extensive variation in paediatric pelvic anatomy. Artificial intelligence (AI) may represent an effective diagnostic tool for DDH. Here, we aimed to develop an anteroposterior pelvic radiograph deep learning system for diagnosing DDH in children and analyze the feasibility of its application. METHODS: In total, 10,219 anteroposterior pelvic radiographs were retrospectively collected from April 2014 to December 2018. Clinicians labelled each radiograph using a uniform standard method. Radiographs were grouped according to age and into 'dislocation' (dislocation and subluxation) and 'non-dislocation' (normal cases and those with dysplasia of the acetabulum) groups based on clinical diagnosis. The deep learning system was trained and optimized using 9,081 radiographs; 1,138 test radiographs were then used to compare the diagnoses made by deep learning system and clinicians. The accuracy of the deep learning system was determined using a receiver operating characteristic curve, and the consistency of acetabular index measurements was evaluated using Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: In all, 1,138 patients (242 males; 896 females; mean age 1.5 years (SD 1.79; 0 to 10) were included in this study. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity of the deep learning system for diagnosing hip dislocation were 0.975, 276/289 (95.5%), and 1,978/1,987 (99.5%), respectively. Compared with clinical diagnoses, the Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement for acetabular index, as determined by the deep learning system from the radiographs of non-dislocated and dislocated hips, were -3.27° - 2.94° and -7.36° - 5.36°, respectively (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The deep learning system was highly consistent, more convenient, and more effective for diagnosing DDH compared with clinician-led diagnoses. Deep learning systems should be considered for analysis of anteroposterior pelvic radiographs when diagnosing DDH. The deep learning system will improve the current artificially complicated screening referral process. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(11):1574-1581.

Effects of on-pump versus off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting on myocardial metabolism.

BACKGROUND: On-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (ON-PCABG) and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OF-PCABG) greatly affect myocardial metabolism (MCMB). However, no study has systematically explored and compared the impacts of ON-PCABG and OF-PCABG on MCMB. This study will aim to explore and to compare the effects of ON-PCABG and OF-PCABG on MCMB systematically. METHODS: We will conduct the comprehensive literature search from the following electronic databases from inception to the present: Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDILINE, CINAHL, AMED and 4 Chinese databases without language restrictions. This systematic review will only concern randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and case-control studies of ON-PCABG and OF-PCABG on MCMB. The methodological quality of each entered study will be assessed by using Cochrane risk of bias tool. RESULTS: Primary outcomes include myocardial cellular markers, myocardial lactate, oxygen utilization, pyruvate, and intramyocardial concentrations of glucose, urea and lactate. Secondary outcome comprises of glutathione, superoxide dismutase, myeloperoxidase, and oxidative stress and any other complications post surgery. CONCLUSION: This study will provide a high-quality synthesis and will assess and compare the effects of ON-PCABG and OF-PCABG on MCMB based on the current relevant literature evidence. DISSEMINATION AND ETHICS: The results will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals for publication. This study does not require ethic approval, because it only analyzes the data from published literature. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42019125381.

Reactive oxygen species mediate tapetal programmed cell death in tobacco and tomato.

BACKGROUND: Hybrid vigor is highly valued in the agricultural industry. Male sterility is an important trait for crop breeding. Pollen development is under strict control of both gametophytic and sporophytic factors, and defects in this process can result in male sterility. Both in the dicot Arabidopsis and in the moncot rice, proper timing of programmed cell death (PCD) in the tapetum ensures pollen development. Dynamic ROS levels have been reported to control tapetal PCD, and thus pollen development, in Arabidopsis and rice. However, it was unclear whether it is evolutionarily conserved, as only those two distantly related species were studied. RESULTS: Here, we performed histological analyses of anther development of two economically important dicot species, tobacco and tomato. We identified the same ROS amplitude during anther development in these two species and found that dynamic ROS levels correlate with the initiation and progression of tapetal PCD. We further showed that manipulating ROS levels during anther development severely impaired pollen development, resulting in partial male sterility. Finally, real-time quantitative PCR showed that several tobacco and tomato RBOHs, encoding NADPH oxidases, are preferentially expressed in anthers. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated evolutionarily conserved ROS amplitude during anther development by examining two commercially important crop species in the Solanaceae. Manipulating ROS amplitude through genetic interference of RBOHs therefore may provide a practical way to generate male sterile plants.

MONENSIN SENSITIVITY1 (MON1)/CALCIUM CAFFEINE ZINC SENSITIVITY1 (CCZ1)-Mediated Rab7 Activation Regulates Tapetal Programmed Cell Death and Pollen Development.

Programmed cell death (PCD)-triggered degradation of plant tapetum is essential for microspore development and pollen coat formation; however, little is known about the cellular mechanism regulating tapetal PCD Here, we demonstrate that Rab7-mediated vacuolar transport of tapetum degradation-related cysteine proteases is crucial for tapetal PCD and pollen development in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), with the following evidence: (1) The monensin sensitivity1 (mon1) mutants, which are defective in Rab7 activation, showed impaired male fertility due to a combined defect in both tapetum and male gametophyte development. (2) In anthers, MON1 showed preferential high level expression in tapetal cell layers and pollen. (3) The mon1 mutants exhibited delayed tapetum degeneration and tapetal PCD, resulting in abnormal pollen coat formation and decreased male fertility. (4) MON1/CALCIUM CAFFEINE ZINC SENSITIVITY1 (CCZ1)-mediated Rab7 activation was indispensable for vacuolar trafficking of tapetum degradation-related cysteine proteases, supporting that PCD-triggered tapetum degeneration requires Rab7-mediated vacuolar trafficking of these cysteine proteases. (5) MON1 mutations also resulted in defective pollen germination and tube growth. Taken together, tapetal PCD and pollen development require successful MON1/CCZ1-mediated vacuolar transport in Arabidopsis.

[Adaptability of Helianthus annuus seedlings to crude oil pollution in soil and its improvement measures under salinization stress].

To explore the adaptability of plant under salt stress to crude oil pollution of soil and improvement measures, a pot experiment of Helianthus annuus seedlings was conducted using orthogonal experiment method with crude oil-sodium chloride-desulfurization gypsum and cinder-zeolite-desulfurization gypsum-sawdust. The results showed that, with the increase of soil crude oil concentration, the relative growth rate (RGR) of plant height, RGR of aboveground biomass and root N: P ratios of H. annuus seedlings decreased significantly, while the activity of SOD and CAT increased at first and then decreased significantly. The RGR of plant height and aboveground biomass significantly increased (P < 0.05), while the activity of SOD decreased gradually with the increase of the volume fraction of sawdust, indicating that sawdust had the most significant effect in comparison with cinder, zeolite, desulfurization gypsum under salinization condition. The crude oil pollution of soil could decrease the relative growth rate of H. annuus seedling, and sawdust could reduce the influence of crude oil pollution on plant growth under salt stress.

Spatiotemporal Production of Reactive Oxygen Species by NADPH Oxidase Is Critical for Tapetal Programmed Cell Death and Pollen Development in Arabidopsis.

Male sterility in angiosperms has wide applications in agriculture, particularly in hybrid crop breeding and gene flow control. Microspores develop adjacent to the tapetum, a layer of cells that provides nutrients for pollen development and materials for pollen wall formation. Proper pollen development requires programmed cell death (PCD) of the tapetum, which requires transcriptional cascades and proteolytic enzymes. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) also affect tapetal PCD, and failures in ROS scavenging cause male sterility. However, many aspects of tapetal PCD remain unclear, including what sources generate ROS, whether ROS production has a temporal pattern, and how the ROS-producing system interacts with the tapetal transcriptional network. We report here that stage-specific expression of NADPH oxidases in the Arabidopsis thaliana tapetum contributes to a temporal peak of ROS production. Genetic interference with the temporal ROS pattern, by manipulating RESPIRATORY-BURST OXIDASE HOMOLOG (RBOH) genes, affected the timing of tapetal PCD and resulted in aborted male gametophytes. We further show that the tapetal transcriptional network regulates RBOH expression, indicating that the temporal pattern of ROS production intimately connects to other signaling pathways regulated by the tapetal transcriptional network to ensure the proper timing of tapetal PCD.

Molecular cloning and functional analysis of MRLC2 differential expressed in MeishanxYorkshire F1 crossbreeds and their parents, Meishan pigs.

In order to detect the molecular basis of heterosis in pigs, suppression subtractive hybridization was carried out to investigate the difference in gene expression in the Longissimus dorsi muscle tissues between MeishanxYorkshire F1 crossbreeds and their parents, Meishan pigs. The swine myosin regulatory light chain 2 (MRLC2) gene differentially expressed between the crossbreeds and the purebreds was isolated and identified using semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and its complete cDNA sequence was obtained using the rapid amplification of cDNA ends method. The nucleotide sequence of the gene is not homologous to any of the known porcine genes. The sequence prediction analysis reveals that the open reading frame of this gene encodes a protein of 172 amino acids containing the putative conserved domain of the EF-hand superfamily. This predicted amino acid sequence of porcine MRLC2 protein exhibits 99%, 98%, 98%, 98% and 97% identity with that of cattle, human, dog, rat and mouse, respectively. The homology analysis revealed that the MRLC2 protein was very much conserved in evolution. The tissue expression analysis indicated that the swine MRLC2 gene is highly expressed in muscle, fat, heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, small intestine, ovary and testis, but not expressed in pancreas.