Authors: Zhao, Huairui | Hua, Jia | Geng, Xiaochuan | Xu, Jianrong | Guo, Yi | Suo, Shiteng | Zhou, Yan | Wang, Yuanyuan
Article Type: Research Article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: High-precision detection for individual and clustered microcalcifications in mammograms is important for the early diagnosis of breast cancer. Large-scale differences between the two types and low-contrast images are major difficulties faced by radiologists when performing diagnoses. OBJECTIVE: Deep learning-based methods can provide end-to-end solutions for efficient detection. However, multicenter data bias, the low resolution of network inputs, and scale differences between microcalcifications lead to low detection rates. Aiming to overcome the aforementioned limitations, we propose a pyramid feature network for microcalcification detection in mammograms, MicroDMa, with adaptive image adjustment and shortcut connections. METHODS: First, mammograms from multiple centers are …represented as histograms and cropped by adaptive image adjustment, which mitigates the impact of dataset bias. Second, the proposed shortcut connection pyramid network ensures that the feature map contains more information for multiscale objects, while a shortcut path that jumps over layers enhances the efficiency of feature propagation from bottom to top. Third, the weights of each feature map at different scales in the fusion are trainable; thus, the network can automatically learn the contributions of all feature maps in the fusion stage. RESULT: Experiments were conducted on our in-house dataset and the public dataset INbreast. When the average number of positives per image is one on the in-house dataset, the recall rates of MicroDMa are the 96.8% for individual microcalcification and 98.9% for clustered microcalcification, which are higher than 69.1% and 91.2% achieved by recent deep learning model. Free-response receiver operating characteristic curve of MicroDMa is also higher than other methods when models are performed on INbreast. CONCLUSION: MicroDMa network is better than other methods and it can effectively help radiologists detect and identify two types of microcalcifications in clinical applications. Show more
Keywords: Deep learning, detection, pyramid network, mammography, breast microcalcification, convolutional neural network
DOI: 10.3233/THC-220235
Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 841-853, 2023
Authors: Pan, Liang | Shan, Rui-Ying | Gao, Su-Fang | Zhou, Yan | Bao, Yuan-Yuan | Fu, Wenjing
Article Type: Research Article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: In malignant tumours of the female reproductive system, cervical cancer is second only to breast cancer, seriously threatening the health and safety of most women. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical value of 3.0 T multimodal nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics’ (FIGO) staging of cervical cancer. METHODS: The clinical data of 30 patients with pathologically diagnosed cervical cancer admitted to our hospital from January 2018 to August 2022 were analysed retrospectively. Before treatment, all patients were examined with conventional MRI, diffusion-weighted imaging and multi-directional contrast-enhanced imaging. RESULTS: The accuracy of multimodal MRI …in the FIGO staging of cervical cancer (29/30, 96.7%) was significantly higher than the accuracy obtained in a control group (21/30, 70.0%), with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.013). In addition, there was good agreement between two observers applying multimodal imaging (kappa = 0.881) and moderate agreement between two observers in the control group (kappa = 0.538). CONCLUSION: Multimodal MRI can evaluate cervical cancer comprehensively and accurately to enable accurate FIGO staging, providing significant evidence for clinical operation planning and subsequent combined therapy. Show more
Keywords: Multimodal imaging, uterine cervical neoplasms, magnetic resonance imaging
DOI: 10.3233/THC-230252
Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 823-830, 2024
Screening and identification of key biomarkers in alimentary tract cancers: A bioinformatic analysis
Authors: Cai, Zeling | Wei, Yi | Chen, Shuai | Gong, Yu | Fu, Yue | Dai, Xianghua | Zhou, Yan | Yang, Haojun | Tang, Liming | Liu, Hanyang
Article Type: Research Article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Alimentary tract cancers (ATCs) are the most malignant cancers in the world. Numerous studies have revealed the tumorigenesis, diagnosis and treatment of ATCs, but many mechanisms remain to be explored. METHODS: To identify the key genes of ATCs, microarray datasets of oesophageal cancer, gastric cancer and colorectal cancer were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. In total, 207 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened. KEGG and GO function enrichment analyses were conducted, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was generated and gene modules analysis was performed using STRING and Cytoscape. RESULTS: Five hub genes were screened, and …the associated biological processes indicated that these genes were mainly enriched in cellular processes, protein binding and metabolic processes. Clinical survival analysis showed that COL10A1 and KIF14 may be significantly associated with the tumorigenesis or pathology grade of ATCs. In addition, relative human ATC cell lines along with blood samples and tumour tissues of ATC patients were obtained. The data proved that high expression of COL10A1 and KIF14 was associated with tumorigenesis and could be detected in blood. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the identification of hub genes in the present study helped us to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis and identify potential diagnostic indicators and targeted treatment for ATCs. Show more
Keywords: Alimentary tract cancers, differentially expressed genes, microarray datasets, enrichment analysis, survival analysis
DOI: 10.3233/CBM-201580
Citation: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 221-233, 2020
Authors: Deng, Jianliang | Chen, Wenjiao | Du, Yuan | Wang, Weiming | Zhang, Guoqiang | Tang, Yuehua | Qian, Zhangjun | Xu, Ping | Cao, Zhihong | Zhou, Yan
Article Type: Research Article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Cullin1 and MMP-2 have been identified as important markers in various cancers, but their roles in colorectal cancer (CRC) have remained to be discovered. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression pattern and significance of Cullin1 and MMP-2 in CRC. METHODS: A total of 470 CRC patients were enrolled. Archival paraffin-embedded CRC tissue samples were used to generate tissue microarray blocks, which were immunohistochemically stained for Cullin1 and MMP-2. Prognostic and predictive role of Cullin1 and MMP-2 expression was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis, respectively. Values of p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: …Cullin1 and MMP-2 protein levels were significantly upregulated in CRC tissues compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues. High tumoral Cullin1 or MMP-2 expression significantly correlated with shorter overall survival (OS), as well as with clinicopathologic characteristics in patients. Multivariate regression analysis showed that high Cullin1 and MMP-2 expressions, separately and together, were independent negative markers of OS. CONCLUSION: Cullin1 and MMP-2 expressions could be novel diagnostic and prognostic markers for CRC patients. Show more
Keywords: Cullin1, MMP-2, colorectal cancer, diagnosis, prognosis
DOI: 10.3233/CBM-160341
Citation: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 57-64, 2017
Authors: Yao, Qiang | Wang, Weimin | Jin, Jun | Min, Ke | Yang, Jian | Zhong, Yubing | Xu, Chunni | Deng, Jianliang | Zhou, Yan
Article Type: Research Article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Expressions of Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 have been identified as important markers in many malignant tumors, but their roles in colorectal cancer (CRC) have not been confirmed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 in CRC. METHODS: We enrolled 470 CRC patients in this study. Archival paraffin-embedded CRC tissue samples were used to construct tissue microarray (TMA), expressions of Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 that were stained by immunohistochemistry. Prognostic and predictive role of Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 expressions, alone or united, were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis respectively. RESULTS: In comparison with adjacent normal …tissues, Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 protein levels were upregulated in CRC tissues significantly, furthermore, high expressions of Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 were correlated with decreased overall survival (OS) (p < 0.05), and also with unfavorable clinicopathologic characteristics. Cox regression analysis showed that high Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 expressions were independent negative markers of OS. CONCLUSION: Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 expressions in tumor tissues are novel candidate prognostic markers for CRC patients. It was the first time to be identified that Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 expressions had synergistic role as efficient prognostic indicators for CRC patients. Show more
Keywords: Caspase-8, Caspase-3, colorectal cancer (CRC), diagnosis, prognosis
DOI: 10.3233/CBM-170967
Citation: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 899-908, 2018
Authors: Zhou, Jiang | Zhou, Yan | Hu, Hao | Shen, Mei-Ping | Ge, Ying-Qian | Tao, Xin-Wei | Xu, Xiao-Quan | Su, Guo-Yi | Wu, Fei-Yun
Article Type: Research Article
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of using virtual non-contrast (VNC) images derived from dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) to replace true non-contrast (TNC) images of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients. METHODS: Images of 96 PTC patients were retrospectively analyzed. TNC images were acquired under the single-energy mode of DECT after the plain scanning. The arterial and venous phase VNC (VNC-a and VNC-v) images were generated by the post-processing algorithm from the arterial phase and venous phase of contrast-enhanced CT images, respectively. Mean attenuation values, image noise, number and length of calcification were measured. Radiation dose was also calculated. Last, subjective score …of image quality was evaluated by a 5-point scale. RESULTS: Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of each tissue in TNC images is significantly higher than that of VNC images (p <0.050). Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of fat, muscle, thyroid nodules and internal carotid artery in TNC images is significantly higher than that of VNC images, while CNR in TNC images is lower for cervical vertebra (p <0.001). Calcification is detected on TNC images of 44 patients, while it is omitted on VNC images of 14 patients (31.8%). The subjective score of TNC images is higher than VNC images (p <0.001). The effective dose reduction is 47.6% by avoiding plain scanning. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the different attenuation value, SNR, CNR and especially reduced detection rate of calcification, we deem that VNC images cannot be directly used to replace TNC images in PTC patients, despite the reduced radiation dose. Show more
Keywords: Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT), virtual non-contrast images, papillary thyroid carcinoma, image quality, radiation dose
DOI: 10.3233/XST-210884
Citation: Journal of X-Ray Science and Technology, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 711-720, 2021
Authors: Xie, Xin-Yan | Huang, Lin-Ya | Cheng, Gui-Rong | Liu, Dan | Hu, Fei-Fei | Zhang, Jing-Jing | Han, Gang-Bin | Liu, Xiao-Chang | Wang, Jun-Yi | Zhou, Juan | Zeng, De-Yang | Liu, Jing | Nie, Qian-Qian | Song, Dan | Yu, Ya-Fu | Hu, Chen-Lu | Fu, Yi-Di | Li, Shi-Yue | Cai, Cheng | Cui, Yu-Yang | Cai, Wan-Ying | Li, Yi-Qing | Fan, Ren-Jia | Wan, Hong | Xu, Lang | Ou, Yang-Ming | Chen, Xing-Xing | Zhou, Yan-Ling | Chen, Yu-Shan | Li, Jin-Quan | Wei, Zhen | Wu, Qiong | Mei, Yu-Fei | Tan, Wei | Song, Shao-Jun | Zeng, Yan
Article Type: Research Article
Abstract: Background: As a prodromal stage of dementia, significant emphasis has been placed on the identification of modifiable risks of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Research has indicated a correlation between exposure to air pollution and cognitive function in older adults. However, few studies have examined such an association among the MCI population inChina. Objective: We aimed to explore the association between air pollution exposure and MCI risk from the Hubei Memory and Aging Cohort Study. Methods: We measured four pollutants from 2015 to 2018, 3 years before the cognitive assessment of the participants. Logistic regression models were employed to calculate odds …ratios (ORs) to assess the relationship between air pollutants and MCI risk. Results: Among 4,205 older participants, the adjusted ORs of MCI risk for the highest quartile of PM2.5 , PM10 , O3 , and SO2 were 1.90 (1.39, 2.62), 1.77 (1.28, 2.47), 0.56 (0.42, 0.75), and 1.18 (0.87, 1.61) respectively, compared with the lowest quartile. Stratified analyses indicated that such associations were found in both males and females, but were more significant in older participants. Conclusions: Our findings are consistent with the growing evidence suggesting that air pollution increases the risk of mild cognitive decline, which has considerable guiding significance for early intervention of dementia in the older population. Further studies in other populations and broader geographical areas are warranted to validate these findings. Show more
Keywords: Air pollution, Hubei Memory and Aging Cohort Study, mild cognitive impairment, older Chinese population
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-231186
Citation: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 98, no. 3, pp. 941-955, 2024