Advanced Planar Projection Contour (PPC): A Novel Algorithm for Local Feature Description in Point Clouds.

Local feature description of point clouds is essential in 3D computer vision. However, many local feature descriptors for point clouds struggle with inadequate robustness, excessive dimensionality, and poor computational efficiency. To address these issues, we propose a novel descriptor based on Planar Projection Contours, characterized by convex packet contour information. We construct the Local Reference Frame (LRF) through covariance analysis of the query point and its neighboring points. Neighboring points are projected onto three orthogonal planes defined by the LRF. These projection points on the planes are fitted into convex hull contours and encoded as local features. These planar features are then concatenated to create the Planar Projection Contour (PPC) descriptor. We evaluated the performance of the PPC descriptor against classical descriptors using the B3R, UWAOR, and Kinect datasets. Experimental results demonstrate that the PPC descriptor achieves an accuracy exceeding 80% across all recall levels, even under high-noise and point density variation conditions, underscoring its effectiveness and robustness.

Biomarker MicroRNAs for Diagnosis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Identified Based on Gene Expression Data and MicroRNA-mRNA Network Analysis.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most malignant tumors with high mortality rate worldwide. Biomarker discovery is critical for early diagnosis and precision treatment of this disease. MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNA molecules which often regulate essential biological processes and are good candidates for biomarkers. By integrative analysis of both the cancer-associated gene expression data and microRNA-mRNA network, miR-148b-3p, miR-629-3p, miR-27a-3p, and miR-142-3p were screened as novel diagnostic biomarkers for oral squamous cell carcinoma based on their unique regulatory abilities in the network structure of the conditional microRNA-mRNA network and their important functions. These findings were confirmed by literature verification and functional enrichment analysis. Future experimental validation is expected for the further investigation of their molecular mechanisms.

Corrigendum to "Biomarker MicroRNAs for Diagnosis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Identified Based on Gene Expression Data and MicroRNA-mRNA Network Analysis".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2017/9803018.].

FGFR2 is associated with bipolar disorder: a large-scale case-control study of three psychiatric disorders in the Chinese Han population.

OBJECTIVES: Repetitive linkage analyses have indicated 10q25-q26 as a shared risk region for schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BPD). A genome-wide association study and follow-up recently identified a significant association between a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of this region (rs17101921) and SCZ. The nearest gene to this SNP is fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2). METHODS: We carried out a large scale case-control study to test the association between FGFR2 and three major psychiatric disorders: SCZ, BPD and major depressive disorder (MDD) in the Chinese Han population. Eight tag SNPs were genotyped using Taqman assay in 1139 BPD patients, 1112 SCZ patients, 1119 MDD patients and 1135 shared healthy controls. RESULTS: After correcting the multiple tests by permutation, one SNP (rs11199993), and a haplotype including this SNP, was found to be significantly associated with BPD. Potential population stratification in our samples was analyzed using 70 additional random SNPs dispersed on different chromosomes. No population stratification was detected, so our results could not be affected by this cofounding factor. Limitations of our study include incomplete coverage and insufficient power to detect association for relatively small odds ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Association between FGFR2 and BPD is worthy of further confirmation.

Common variants on 8p12 and 1q24.2 confer risk of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder affecting ∼1% of the world population, with heritability of up to 80%. To identify new common genetic risk factors, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in the Han Chinese population. The discovery sample set consisted of 3,750 individuals with schizophrenia and 6,468 healthy controls (1,578 cases and 1,592 controls from northern Han Chinese, 1,238 cases and 2,856 controls from central Han Chinese, and 934 cases and 2,020 controls from the southern Han Chinese). We further analyzed the strongest association signals in an additional independent cohort of 4,383 cases and 4,539 controls from the Han Chinese population. Meta-analysis identified common SNPs that associated with schizophrenia with genome-wide significance on 8p12 (rs16887244, P = 1.27 × 10(-10)) and 1q24.2 (rs10489202, P = 9.50 × 10(-9)). Our findings provide new insights into the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.

Common variants in the BCL9 gene conferring risk of schizophrenia.

CONTEXT: Recent genome-wide association studies have revealed that common variations and rare copy-number variations contribute to the risk of mental disorders. Rare recurrent microdeletions at 1q21.1 were reported to be associated with schizophrenia, and the BCL9 gene at 1q21.1 was also a functional candidate gene for mental disorders. OBJECTIVES: To investigate and validate whether common variations exist in a functional candidate gene in the copy-number variation region, and, if so, to determine whether these variations confer risk of schizophrenia or other mental disorders. DESIGN: A 3-stage case-control study. SETTING: Shanghai, China. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 12 229 subjects were included: 5772 normal controls, 4187 patients with schizophrenia, 1135 patients with bipolar disorder patients, and 1135 patients with major depressive disorder. Main Outcome Measure During the first and second stages of our study, we genotyped 10 single-nucleotide polymorphisms using the ligation detection reaction method. During the third stage of our study, all single-nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped using TaqMan technology (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, California). RESULTS: During the first stage of our study, we found that rs672607 was significantly associated with schizophrenia (P = 2.69 × 10(-5)). During the second stage, rs672607 was successfully replicated (P = 1.33 × 10(-5)), and rs9326555 (P = .002), rs1240083 (P = 1.7 × 10(-4)), and rs688325 (P = .006) were newly identified to be significant. During the third stage, we genotyped all single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 1135 patients with schizophrenia, 1135 patients with bipolar disorder, 1135 patients with major depressive disorder, and 1135 normal controls for further validation. Finally, when we combined all the data from the 3 stages of our schizophrenia study, we found that rs9326555 (P = 1.53 × 10(-5)), rs10494251 (P = .02), rs1240083 (P = 1.52 × 10(-4)), rs672607 (P = 1.23 × 10(-11)), rs688325 (P = 2.54 × 10(-4)), and rs3766512 (P = .01) were significant. Moreover, we found that rs672607 was significant in major depressive disorder (P = .001) and bipolar disorder (P = .03), and rs10494251 (P = .04), rs1541187 (P = .04), rs688325 (P = .02), and rs946903 (P = .006) were significant in major depressive disorder. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that common variations in the BCL9 gene confer risk of schizophrenia and may also be associated with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder in the Chinese Han population.

No association of the YWHAE gene with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder in the Han Chinese population.

YWHAE is a gene encoding 14-3-3epsilon, which is highly conserved across species, from bacteria to humans, and binds to phosphoserine/phosphothreonine motifs in a sequence-specific manner. YWHAE has been reported to be associated with schizophrenia in a study based on the Japanese population. Here, we conducted a genetic association analysis between common SNPs in the YWHAE gene and psychiatric diseases including schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder in Han Chinese samples (1140 schizophrenia cases, 1140 major depressive disorder cases, 1140 bipolar disorder cases and 1140 normal controls). We studied 11 SNPs, seven of which had previously been reported as significant, in YWHAE. No association was found with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder. Considering the size of our sample sets (power > 90%), our results suggest that the YWHAE does not play a major role in schizophrenia, major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder in the Han Chinese population.

The MDGA1 gene confers risk to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The structural, cytoarchitectural and functional brain abnormalities reported in patients with mental disorders may be due to aberrant neuronal migration influenced by cell adhesion molecules. MDGA1, like Ig-containing cell adhesion molecules, has several cell adhesion molecule-like domains. Moreover, Kahler et al. (2008) reported that the MDGA1 gene was a schizophrenia susceptibility gene in Scandinavian population. To further investigate whether the MDGA1 gene is a shared risk factor of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder in Chinese Han population, we conducted this study. METHODS: We recruited 1135 unrelated schizophrenia patients, 1135 unrelated bipolar disorder patients, 1135 unrelated major depressive disorder patients and 1135 unrelated controls of Chinese Han origin. A total of eleven common SNPs were genotyped using TaqMan® technology. RESULTS: The genotype frequency of rs11759115 differed significantly between schizophrenia patients and controls. The C-C haplotype of rs11759115-rs7769372 was also positively associated with schizophrenia (permutated p=0.046). Rs1883901 was found to be positively associated with bipolar disorder (allele: permutated p=0.0085; genotype: permutated p=0.0009; OR=1.31 [95%CI=1.12-1.52]). The A-G-G haplotype of rs1883901-rs10807187-rs9462343 was also positively associated with bipolar disorder with a global p value of 0.0391 after permutations. No individual SNP or haplotype was associated with major depressive disorder after permutations. CONCLUSION: The MDGA1 gene may confer risk to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in Chinese Han population.