Pioneering Data Processing for Convolutional Neural Networks to Enhance the Diagnostic Accuracy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Pulse Diagnosis for Diabetes.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has relied on pulse diagnosis as a cornerstone of healthcare assessment for thousands of years. Despite its long history and widespread use, TCM pulse diagnosis has faced challenges in terms of diagnostic accuracy and consistency due to its dependence on subjective interpretation and theoretical analysis. This study introduces an approach to enhance the accuracy of TCM pulse diagnosis for diabetes by leveraging the power of deep learning algorithms, specifically LeNet and ResNet models, for pulse waveform analysis. LeNet and ResNet models were applied to analyze TCM pulse waveforms using a diverse dataset comprising both healthy individuals and patients with diabetes. The integration of these advanced algorithms with modern TCM pulse measurement instruments shows great promise in reducing practitioner-dependent variability and improving the reliability of diagnoses. This research bridges the gap between ancient wisdom and cutting-edge technology in healthcare. LeNet-F, incorporating special feature extraction of a pulse based on TMC, showed improved training and test accuracies (73% and 67%, respectively, compared with LeNet's 70% and 65%). Moreover, ResNet models consistently outperformed LeNet, with ResNet18-F achieving the highest accuracy (82%) in training and 74% in testing. The advanced preprocessing techniques and additional features contribute significantly to ResNet18-F's superior performance, indicating the importance of feature engineering strategies. Furthermore, the study identifies potential avenues for future research, including optimizing preprocessing techniques to handle pulse waveform variations and noise levels, integrating additional time-frequency domain features, developing domain-specific feature selection algorithms, and expanding the scope to other diseases. These advancements aim to refine traditional Chinese medicine pulse diagnosis, enhancing its accuracy and reliability while integrating it into modern technology for more effective healthcare approaches.

Overexpression of nuclear protein kinase CK2 Beta subunit and prognosis in human gastric carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Gastric carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies in the world, yet little is known about the molecular process of its development and progression. The aims of this study are to correlate the expression of nuclear protein kinase CK2 beta subunit (CK2beta) with clinicopathologic parameters and patient survival. METHODS: Expression levels of nuclear CK2beta were analyzed in 104 gastric tissues from patients with gastric carcinoma by immunohistochemistry. A paired t test was used to analyze the differences in nuclear CK2beta expression between tumor and nontumor tissues in the same patient. A two-tailed chi (2) test was performed to determine the significance of the difference between nuclear CK2beta expression and clinicopathologic parameters. All time-to-event endpoints according to various clinicopathologic parameters were plotted by Kaplan-Meier method, and significance was then determined by univariate log-rank test. Cox proportional-hazards model was used for multivariate analysis to determine the independence of prognostic impact of nuclear CK2beta expression. RESULTS: Overexpression of nuclear CK2beta was significantly correlated with depth of invasion (P = 0.042). Patients with high expression levels of nuclear CK2beta had a significantly poorer overall survival rate compared with patients with low expression levels of nuclear CK2beta (P = 0.0006). On multivariate Cox regression analysis, overexpression of nuclear CK2beta and stage were proven to be independent prognostic markers for gastric carcinoma (P = 0.0036 and 0.0005, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of nuclear CK2beta can be a useful marker for predicting the outcome of patients with gastric carcinoma.

Randomized trial of low-pressure carbon dioxide-elicited pneumoperitoneum versus abdominal wall lifting for laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Two alternative surgical techniques for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), low-pressure insufflation of the peritoneal cavity and abdominal wall lifting (AWL), have been developed over time to minimize the disadvantages associated with CO2-elicited pneumoperitoneum. To the best of our knowledge, the 2 methods have seldom been compared as regards their relative advantages and disadvantages. METHODS: Eighty patients scheduled for elective LC were randomized into either a low-pressure (8 mmHg) CO2 insufflation method (LPLC) group, or a gasless technique using a subcutaneous abdominal wall lifting device (GLC group). The duration of the surgical procedure, the surgical results including level of postoperative pain, and perioperative cardiopulmonary function changes experienced by the members of both groups were compared. RESULTS: Laparoscopic surgery was completed for all but 1 patient from each group due to an inadequate surgical-site exposure. There was no mortality for study participants, and no major complications were noted for members of either group. The LPLC group evidenced a shorter surgical duration as compared to the GLC group (77 +/- 28 minutes vs. 98 +/- 27 minutes, respectively; p < 0.01) and a lower incidence of postoperative shoulder pain (2/38 vs. 8/39, respectively; p < 0.05), although significant differences in intraoperative pulmonary function were noted (an increased PaCO2, Pet CO2 and peak-airway pressure and decreased arterial blood pH; p < 0.01) for the LPLC group compared to the GLC group. CONCLUSION: Both alternative methods for this type of surgery appeared feasible and safe for LC. Low-pressure CO2 pneumoperitoneum had a shorter surgical duration and less postoperative shoulder pain compared to the GLC technique, but did not feature any other advantage over the AWL technique with regard to impact on cardiopulmonary function.

Enantioselective determination of 3-hydroxybutyrate in the tissues of normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats of different ages.

L-3-Hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and D-3HB are enantiomers that exist in various rat tissues, and the ratio of the 2 compounds is of importance since it may affect glucose utilization in cardiomyocytes. In this study, we determined the concentrations of L-3HB and D-3HB in the tissues of normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats of different ages by column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography using a fluorescence detection system. In normal rats, the levels of L-3HB peaked at 8 weeks of age in the cerebrum, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, adrenal gland, and heart and then decreased afterwards. The concentrations of L-3HB were the highest in the heart, with 26.24±13.74 µmol/mg protein. In addition, there was an increase in the levels of (D+L)-3HB, D-3HB, and L-3HB in the tissues of diabetic rats with time, whereas the ratios of L-3HB to (D+L)-3HB declined (46.44% vs. 21.03%, P<0.05, in heart tissue after 24 weeks of STZ treatment). Both the concentration and the ratio of L-3HB may be associated with disease conditions, and the determination of L-3HB may help clarify the role of L-3HB under physiological and pathological conditions.

Early-onset septicemia due to CMY-2-producing Escherichia coli in a woman with blunt abdominal trauma.

Escherichia coli remains one of the most common etiologies of secondary peritonitis. CMY-2 is the most prevalent AmpC enzyme identified in nosocomial E. coli isolates causing bacteremia in Taiwan. This report is of a patient who underwent surgery for intestinal perforations due to blunt abdominal trauma and developed unexpected CMY-2-producing E. coli septicemia in the early postoperative period. The AmpC-type CMY-2 enzyme might partially contribute to the poor response to antimicrobial therapy of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid or flomoxef. Late changes in antibiotic therapy to an appropriate regimen of cefpirome based on the culture results did not result in a positive outcome and the patient died. Whether selection of an anti-AmpC regimen is appropriate as first-line treatment for traumatic abdomen-associated septicemia should be an area of further investigation in Taiwan.