Large Organs Research Articles

Accumulation of heavy metals in the vegetative organs of poplars under their joint introduction to the soil

Background. Studies of plant autecology under excessive heavy metal intake require a thorough understanding of the specifics of the uptake and accumulation of these substances by plants. It is therefore important to study the redistribution of heavy metals in the soil–plant system. Poplars, due to their rapid growth, large assimilative organ surface area, etc., are a suitable object for studying their autecological properties and potential use in the creation of green spaces. Materials and methods. The objects of the study were two-year-old poplar seedlings: ’I-45/51’, ’Lvivska’, ’Robusta’, ’Tronco’, and the soils on which they grow. The plants were watered once a week for 2 months with a mixture of heavy metal compounds at 1, 5, and 10 maximum permissible concentrations (MPC). Mixtures of the following salts were used as heavy metal sources CdSO4, Ni(NO3)2, CuSO4, ZnSO4, Pb(CH3COO)2. The control plants were not exposed to heavy metals. All plants were grown under natural light and temperature. The content of mobile forms of Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, and Cd in ammonium acetic acid extract from soil was determined and their accumulation in leaves and roots was measured by conventional methods using a C-115PK atomic absorption spectrophotometer Selmi (Ukraine). Statistical proces­sing of the results was carried out using Microsoft Excel 2013. To assess the probability of the difference between the statistical characteristics of two alternative data sets, a univariate analysis of variance using IBM SPSS Statistics 27, ANOVA, was performed. Results. The accumulation and translocation of heavy metals in the soil–plant system was studied in model experiments. The study revealed the peculiarities of heavy metal accumulation in the soils where poplars grew. It was shown that the introduction of heavy metal compounds leads to an increase in the content of mobile forms of the studied elements in the soil. Under the influence of 1, 5, and 10 MPC of heavy metal ions, all cultivars accumulated them more actively in the root system than in the leaves. Conclusions. The studied poplars can be divided into two groups. The first one includes the cultivars ’I-45/51’ and ’Lvivska’ with a high level of heavy metal accumulation and the highest enrichment factor. The second group – ’Tronco’ and ’Robusta’ – includes those with low levels of heavy metal accumulation and low enrichment factors. The results suggest that the poplars of the second group have physiological mechanisms that determine the observed peculiarities of heavy metal translocation.

Hepato Web App for Classification and Segmentation of Liver Lesions in CT Scans Using EFF Net

The liver is a large organ situated in the upper right section of the abdomen, located beneath the diaphragm and above the stomach. Liver cancer is a type of cancer that originates in the liver, resulting from uncontrolled cell growth. Computed tomography (CT scan or CAT scan) is a non-invasive imaging technique that integrates x-rays with computer technology. CT scans are essential for diagnosing liver cancer in patients. A cascaded model of convolutional neural networks is employed to segment the liver, while an efficient net is used to detect liver lesions from CT scans. This method achieves an outstanding accuracy of 0.998 for both liver segmentation and liver lesion detection

Intra-cisterna-magna bevacizumab injection (ICM-BI) reproduces pathological alterations of cerebral small vessel diseases.

General modeling strategies for sporadic cerebral small blood vessel diseases (CSVDs) include limiting blood stream in large blood vessels and inducing systemic hypertension, in which small blood vessel deficit is either a secondary or concomitant pathology. In the current study, we introduce that intra-cisterna-magna Bevacizumab injection (ICM-BI) directly causes cerebral small blood vessel injury by neutralizing VEGF-A, the indispensable growth factor for angiogenesis. ICM-BI reproduces neuro-functional impairment, tight junction loss, cerebral micro-bleeds (CMBs), amyloid peptide accumulation, neuronal injury, white matter loss, and glial cell activation, which are common manifestations of sporadic CSVDs. Compared with existing CSVD models, small blood vessel injury is more prominent in the ICM-BI brain. Moreover, no significant alteration in large blood vessels or peripheral organs after ICM-BI is recorded. We thus propose that ICM-BI is a neat, economic and applicable methodology to establish murine sporadic CSVD model.

458. THORACOSCOPY VERSUS ENDOSCOPY IN THE TREATMENT OF ESOPHAGEAL LEIOMYOMA: A SINGLE-CENTER RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract Background Esophageal leiomyoma, also called Esophageal Smooth Muscle Tumor (SMT), is one of the most common benign tumors of the esophagus. Surgical treatment is the most widely used method, including thoracic surgery such as thoracotomy, and VATS, and endoscopic surgery such as ESD and STER. We aimed to conduct a retrospective analysis of all esophageal leiomyoma surgeries in our center to assist decision-making in minimally invasive surgery for leiomyomas. Methods From January 2015 to September 2023 patients with pathologically diagnosed esophageal leiomyoma at our hospital were retrospectively enrolled. Those who had any pathological malignant component or lack of detailed clinical information were excluded. At the same time, a 1:1 propensity matching analysis was conducted for thoracoscopy and endoscopic surgery. The matching factors included age, gender, tumor location, and size and the caliper was set as 0.2. Results Finally, 1376 patients were included, of whom 153 underwent thoracic surgery and 1223 underwent endoscopic treatment. Endoscopic surgeries were mainly composed of ESD (54.5%) and STER (45.5%), with respective proportions, of which 2 cases used thoracoscopic-assisted endoscopic resection. In the surgical group, 131 patients, accounting for 85.6%, underwent thoracoscopic surgery, of which 65 patients (42.5%) used endoscopic-assisted examination during the operation. In terms of operation time, endoscopic resection was shorter than surgical surgery (44.9 ±39.7 versus 109.4 ± 67.9 min, p<0.001). Similarly, for the postoperative hospitalization days, endoscopic resection was shorter than surgical surgery (2.0 [1.0, 3.0] versus 5.0 [3.0, 6.0] days, p<0.001), we also found that the maximum diameter of surgical resection specimens was significantly larger than that of endoscopic surgery (1.3 [0.8, 2.5] versus 5.0 [3.5, 7.0] cm, p <0.001). After PSM, the operation duration (p=0.031) and hospital stay (p<0.001) were still statistically different between the surgical treatment group and the endoscopic group. Conclusion Most esophageal leiomyomas can be resected endoscopically, which can shorten the operation duration and hospital stay compared with thoracic surgery. When the maximum diameter of the tumor is too large or near important organs, thoracic surgery should be the first choice. In order to prevent possible esophageal mucosal damage, thoracoscopic surgery combined with intraoperative endoscopy examination is a safe and effective surgical treatment method.

Progress in organ 3D bioprinting.

Three dimensional (3D) printing is a hot topic in today’s scientific, technological and commercial areas. It is recognized as the main field which promotes “the Third Industrial Revolution”. Recently, human organ 3D bioprinting has been put forward into equity market as a concept stock and attracted a lot of attention. A large number of outstanding scientists have flung themselves into this field and made some remarkable headways. Nevertheless, organ 3D bioprinting is a sophisticated manufacture procedure which needs profound scientific/technological backgrounds/knowledges to accomplish. Especially, large organ 3D bioprinting encounters enormous difficulties and challenges. One of them is to build implantable branched vascular networks in a predefined 3D construct. At present, organ 3D bioprinting still in its infancy and a great deal of work needs to be done. Here we briefly overview some of the achievements of 3D bioprinting technologies in large organ, such as the bone, liver, heart, cartilage and skin, manufacturing.

Bio-assembling and Bioprinting for Engineering Microvessels from the Bottom Up.

Blood vessels are essential in transporting nutrients, oxygen, metabolic wastes, and maintaining the homeostasis of the whole human body. Mass of engineered microvessels is required to deliver nutrients to the cells included in the constructed large three-dimensional (3D) functional tissues by diffusion. It is a formidable challenge to regenerate microvessels and build a microvascular network, mimicking the cellular viabilities and activities in the engineered organs with traditional or existing manufacturing techniques. Modular tissue engineering adopting the “bottom-up” approach builds one-dimensional (1D) or two-dimensional (2D) modular tissues in micro scale first and then uses these modules as building blocks to generate large tissues and organs with complex but indispensable microstructural features. Building the microvascular network utilizing this approach could be appropriate and adequate. In this review, we introduced existing methods using the “bottom-up” concept developed to fabricate microvessels including bio-assembling powered by different micromanipulation techniques and bioprinting utilizing varied solidification mechanisms. We compared and discussed the features of the artificial microvessels engineered by these two strategies from multiple aspects. Regarding the future development of engineering the microvessels from the bottom up, potential directions were also concluded.

Cardiometabolic implications of adipose tissue aging.

Adipose tissue is a large endocrine organ that serves numerous physiological functions. As we age, adipose tissue remodels and can develop functional changes that alters its phenotype, potentially contributing to metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. Aging adipose tissue is characterized by regional redistribution of fat, accumulation of senescent cells, fibrosis, and decline in adipocyte differentiation capacities, which collectively impact adipose tissue function and whole body health. A notable transformation involves increased accumulation of intra-abdominal visceral adipose tissue and ectopic fat around internal organs such as the heart, blood vessels, liver, and kidneys that alter their functions. Other changes associated with aging include alterations in adipokine secretion and changes in adipocyte size and numbers. Aging adipocytes play a role in mediating chronic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and insulin resistance. Visceral adipose tissue, which increases in volume with aging, is in particular associated with inflammation, angiogenic dysfunction, and microvascular abnormalities, and mediators released by visceral fat may have adverse consequences systemically in multiple target organs, including the cardiovascular system. Understanding mechanisms underlying adipose tissue aging and its impact on cardiovascular health are important for developing interventions and treatments to promote healthy aging and reduce cardiometabolic disease risk.

The olfactory system of sharks and rays in numbers.

Cartilaginous fishes have large and elaborate olfactory organs, but only a small repertoire of olfactory receptor genes. Here, we quantitatively analyze the olfactory system of 21 species of sharks and rays, assessing many features of the olfactory organ (OOR) (number of primary lamellae, branches of the secondary folds, sensory surface area, and density and number of sensory neurons) and the olfactory bulb (OB) (number of neurons and non-neuronal cells), and estimate the ratio between the number of neuronsin the two structures. We show that the number of lamellae in the OOR does not correlate with the sensory surface area, while the complexity of the lamellar shape does. The total number of olfactory receptor neurons ranges from 30.5 million to 4.3 billion and the total number of OB neurons from 1.5 to 90 million. The number of neuronsin the olfactory epithelium is 16 to 158 times higher (median ratio is 46) than the number of neuronsin the OB. These ratios considerably exceed those reported in mammals. High convergence from receptor neurons to neurons processing olfactory information, together with the remarkably small olfactory receptor repertoire, strongly suggests that the olfactory system of sharks and rays is well adapted to detect a limited number of odorants with high sensitivity.

Influence of polyploidy on morphology and distribution of the Cypress Spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias, Euphorbiaceae).

Polyploidy can cause differences in phenotypic and physiological traits among different cytotypes of the same species. Polyploids may have larger organs or occupy different ecological niches than their diploid counterparts, therefore they are hypothesized to have larger distributions or prosper in stressful environments, such as higher elevations. The Cypress spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias L.; Euphorbiaceae) is a widespread European heteroploid species including di- (2x), tetra- (4x) and hexaploid (6x) cytotypes. We tested the hypotheses that polyploids are more widespread and more abundant at higher elevations and have larger organs than their diploid ancestors in the case of E. cyparissias. We also analysed whether genome downsizing had occurred after polyploidisation. We conducted a comprehensive geographic sampling of 617 populations of E. cyparissias throughout Europe. We estimated their relative genome size using flow cytometry and inferred ploidy level of each population. We scored 13 morphological traits of vegetative and seed characters and performed statistical analyses. The study indicates that polyploidisation facilitated colonisation of new areas in E. cyparissias, where the tetraploids are most widespread, whereas the diploids are limited to putative Pleistocene refugia, mostly in southern Europe. On the other hand, the three ploidies do not differ in their elevational distribution. Although some quantitative morphological traits exhibited an increasing trend with increasing ploidy, most traits did not differ significantly among the three ploidies, and there was no overall phenotypic differentiation among them. Given that individuals of different ploidies thrive in similar habitats across the same elevations, we suggest that ecological segregation following polyploidisation is a more important trigger for morphological differentiation than polyploidisation itself in autopolyploid plants. The study demonstrates that polyploidisation can be crucial for the colonisation of new areas and for range expansion, but it does not necessarily influence elevational distribution nor confer a different phenotype.

Contribution to the world of 3D cell products created by bio 3D printing technology and to the life science field

We have been making 3D tissues consist of cells only, based on the corporate philosophy of "contributing to dramatic advances in medical care through the practical application of innovative 3D cell stacking technology." Currently, in the field of regenerative medicine, we are working toward obtaining approval from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and commercializing large artificial organs that are made from patients' own cells and have functions such as nerve regeneration, osteochondral regeneration, and blood vessels. On the other hand, this three-dimensional cell stacking technology can be extended to technology for culturing cells in an environment similar to the human body, and is expected to serve as a new methodology for evaluating the effects of new products in various fields on living organisms. Therefore, we are planning a business to provide developers of pharmaceuticals, foods, cosmetics, etc. with a small device called "Functional Cell Device (FCD)" that reproduces some of the functions of human organs outside the body. As the first step, we have developed a three-dimensional liver construct (3D mini-liver). The in vitro human liver model has a wide range of usage, such as evaluation of hepatotoxicity of drugs, elucidation of drug metabolism mechanism, and model of liver disease. In this report, we will outline it together with actual examples in regenerative medicine.

Microbiological analysis of broiler chicken slaughter products using “Subtiform” probiotic and establishment of safety and technological process criteria

Feeding broiler chickens a probiotic biopreparation containing bacteria of the genus Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis leads to improved feed digestion, increased productivity, and immune status, as well as reduced insemination by opportunistic and pathogenic microorganisms of slaughter products. It enhances the level of prevention and treatment of various poultry diseases. The purpose of the work is to carry out a microbiological analysis of the slaughter products of broiler chickens after drinking the probiotic biological preparation “Subtiform” in doses of 0.5 g, 2.0, and 4.0 g per 10 dm3 of water. The material (major pectoral muscle and internal organs) was examined by bacteriological methods. It was established that the content of MAFAM in the control and experimental groups 1, 2, and 3 of the chilled slaughter products of broiler chickens for 1, 3, and 5 days of storage at a temperature of 0–4 °С was within the limits of standards (no more than 1.0×104 CFU/d). It was established that when broiler chickens were given 4.0 g/10 dm3 of water, the MAFAM content for one day of poultry meat storage decreased by 10.4 % (Р < 0.05); on the third day of storage, it decreased by 9.6 % (Р < 0.05); at the beginning of the fifth day of storage, the decrease was, respectively, by 11.3 % (Р < 0.01) compared to the indicators of the control group. The content of MAFAM in offal, in particular in the heart of broiler chickens, was reduced in experimental group 3 by 36.9 % (Р < 0.001); in the liver – by 33.6% (Р < 0.001); in the muscular part of the stomach – by 27.2 % (Р < 0.001); in the spleen and lungs, there was also a decrease in the content of MAFAM in experimental group 3, respectively, by 20.2 % (Р < 0.01) and 23.6 % (Р < 0.01) compared to the indicators of the control group of broiler chickens. It was established that opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms, in particular BGCP, bacteria of the genus Proteus, and pathogenic microorganisms, in specific bacteria of the genus Salmonella, bacteria of the species Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes in 25 grams of the large pectoral muscle of broiler chickens and internal organs (heart, spleen, liver, the muscular part of the stomach and lungs) were not detected. According to the results of the conducted research, an adverse effect of the probiotic biopreparation at a dose of 4.0 g/10 dm3 of water on the development of microorganisms in the large pectoral muscle and internal organs of broiler chickens was established. Therefore, the probiotic “Subtiform” at a dose of 4.0 g/10 dm3 of water during the drinking of broiler chickens can be recommended to increase productivity and obtain safe slaughter products. The practical value of the work consisted of establishing the microbiological indicators of poultry slaughter products after drinking probiotics, as well as establishing safety criteria and the technological process.

Prototype isochoric preservation device for large organs.

This paper presents the design and prototype of a constant volume (isochoric) vessel that can be used for the preservation of large organs in a supercooled state. This prototype is a preliminary version of a more advanced design. The device consists of a cooling bath operated by a mechanical vapor compression refrigeration unit and an isochoric chamber made of stainless steel. The preservation of organs using supercooling technology in an isochoric chamber requires a continuous temperature and pressure monitoring. While the device was initially designed for pig liver experiments, its innovative design and preservation capabilities suggest potential applications for preserving other organs as well. The isochoric reactor may be used to accommodate a variety of organ types, opening the door for further research into its multi-organ preservation capabilities. All the design details are presented in this study with the purpose of encouraging researchers in the field to build their own devices, and by this to improve the design. We chose to design the device for isochoric supercooling as the method of preservation to avoid the ice formation.

Dosimetry and efficiency comparison of knowledge-based and manual planning using volumetric modulated arc therapy for craniospinal irradiation.

Craniospinal irradiation (CSI) poses a challenge to treatment planning due to the large target, field junction, and multiple organs at risk (OARs) involved. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of knowledge-based planning (KBP) in CSI by comparing original manual plans (MP), KBP RapidPlan initial plans (RPI), and KBP RapidPlan final plans (RPF), which received further re-optimization to meet the dose constraints. Dose distributions in the target were evaluated in terms of coverage, mean dose, conformity index (CI), and homogeneity index (HI). The dosimetric results of OARs, planning time, and monitor unit (MU) were evaluated. All MP and RPF plans met the plan goals, and 89.36% of RPI plans met the plan goals. The Wilcoxon tests showed comparable target coverage, CI, and HI for the MP and RPF groups; however, worst plan quality was demonstrated in the RPI plans than in MP and RPF. For the OARs, RPF and RPI groups had better dosimetric results than the MP group (P < 0.05 for optic nerves, eyes, parotid glands, and heart). The planning time was significantly reduced by the KBP from an average of 677.80 min in MP to 227.66 min (P < 0.05) and 307.76 min (P < 0.05) in RPI, and RPF, respectively. MU was not significantly different between these three groups. The KBP can significantly reduce planning time in CSI. Manual re-optimization after the initial KBP is recommended to enhance the plan quality.

Multi-centre evaluation of variation in cumulative dose assessment in reirradiation scenarios

Background and PurposeSafe reirradiation relies on assessment of cumulative doses to organs at risk (OARs) across multiple treatments. Different clinical pathways can result in inconsistent estimates. Here, we quantified the consistency of cumulative dose to OARs across multi-centre clinical pathways. Material and MethodsWe provided DICOM planning CT, structures and doses for two reirradiation cases: head & neck (HN) and lung. Participants followed their standard pathway to assess the cumulative physical and EQD2 doses (with provided α/β values), and submitted DVH metrics and a description of their pathways. Participants could also submit physical dose distributions from Course 1 mapped onto the CT of Course 2 using their best available tools. To assess isolated impact of image registrations, a single observer accumulated each submitted spatially mapped physical dose for every participating centre. ResultsCumulative dose assessment was performed by 24 participants. Pathways included rigid (n = 15), or deformable (n = 5) image registration-based 3D dose summation, visual inspection of isodose line contours (n = 1), or summation of dose metrics extracted from each course (n = 3). Largest variations were observed in near-maximum cumulative doses (25.4 – 41.8 Gy for HN, 2.4 – 33.8 Gy for lung OARs), with lower variations in volume/dose metrics to large organs. A standardised process involving spatial mapping of the first course dose to the second course CT followed by summation improved consistency for most near-maximum dose metrics in both cases. ConclusionLarge variations highlight the uncertainty in reporting cumulative doses in reirradiation scenarios, with implications for outcome analysis and understanding of published doses. Using a standardised workflow potentially including spatially mapped doses improves consistency in determination of accumulated dose in reirradiation scenarios.

Model biological systems demonstrate the inducibility of pathways that strongly reduce cryoprotectant toxicity

Cryoprotectant toxicity is a limiting factor for the cryopreservation of many living systems. We were moved to address this problem by the potential of organ vitrification to relieve the severe shortage of viable donor organs available for human transplantation. The M22 vitrification solution is presently the only solution that has enabled the vitrification and subsequent transplantation with survival of large mammalian organs, but its toxicity remains an obstacle to organ stockpiling for transplantation. We therefore undertook a series of exploratory studies to identify potential pretreatment interventions that might reduce the toxic effects of M22. Hormesis, in which a living system becomes more resistant to toxic stress after prior subtoxic exposure to a related stress, was investigated as a potential remedy for M22 toxicity in yeast, in the nematode worm C. elegans, and in mouse kidney slices. In yeast, heat shock pretreatment increased survival by 18-fold after exposure to formamide and by over 9-fold after exposure to M22 at 30 °C; at 0 °C and with two-step addition, treatment with 90% M22 resulted in 100% yeast survival. In nematodes, surveying a panel of pretreatment interventions revealed 3 that conferred nearly total protection from acute whole-worm M22-induced damage. One of these protective pretreatments (exposure to hydrogen peroxide) was applied to mouse kidney slices in vitro and was found to strongly protect nuclear and plasma membrane integrity in both cortical and medullary renal cells exposed to 75–100% M22 at room temperature for 40 min. These studies demonstrate for the first time that endogenous cellular defenses, conserved from yeast to mammals, can be marshalled to substantially ameliorate the toxic effects of one of the most toxic single cryoprotectants and the toxicity of the most concentrated vitrification solution so far described for whole organs.

Pharmacodynamics and biodistribution of [195mPt]cisplatin(CISSPECT®) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

BackgroundCisplatin- based chemoradiotherapy is a crucial pillar in the treatment of HNSCC. The use of cisplatin comes with high toxicity rates as 35% of patients cannot sustain the planned dose while response is unpredictable. Unfortunately, there are no clinically applicable biomarkers to predict response. Based on the association of response with the number of DNA adducts and the involved molecular pathway to resolve cisplatin-induced DNA crosslinks in HNSCC, [195mPt]cisplatin (CISSPECT®) might have potential to monitor drug uptake and retention before treatment, and predict cisplatin response. The aim of this study is to investigate this concept by analyzing uptake, retention and biodistribution of [195mPt]cisplatin between known cisplatin-sensitive (VU-SCC-1131) and –resistant (VU-SCC-OE) HNSCC cell lines in vitro and xenografted in mice in vivo.ResultsBy a variety of experiments in vitro, including cell cycle analyses, and in vivo, the sensitivity of cell line VU-SCC-1131 and resistance of cell line VU-SCC-OE for cisplatin was demonstrated. VU-SCC-OE was able to accumulate more [195mPt]cisplatin in the DNA, and showed an increased capability to repair [195mPt]cisplatin crosslinks compared to VU-SCC-1131. Notably, DNA binding of cisplatin increased even when cisplatin was removed from the medium, likely from intracellular sources. In vivo, [195mPt]cisplatin showed a rapid biodistribution to the large organs such as the liver, with no differences between intravenous and intraperitoneal administration. Most circulating [195mPt]cisplatin was cleared by renal filtration, and accumulation in kidney and liver remained high. Uptake in xenografts was rapid (blood:tumor ratio; 1:1) and highest after 1 h, while decreasing after 6 h in line with the concentration in the blood. Remarkably, there was no significant difference in uptake or retention between xenografts of the cisplatin-sensitive and -resistant cell line.ConclusionVU-SCC-1131 with a known FA deficiency and VU-SCC-OE displayed a significant difference in sensitivity to and recovery from cisplatin treatment, due to S-phase problems in VU-SCC-1131 at low doses, in line with the genetic defect. Using Pt-195m radioactivity analysis, we demonstrated the limited capability of cisplatin crosslink repair in VU-SCC-1131. Unexpectedly, we were not able to translate these findings to a mouse model for sensitivity prediction based on the biodistribution in the tumor, most likely as other factors such as influx counterbalanced repair. These data do not support response prediction by [195mPt]cisplatin, and applications to predict the toxic side-effects of cisplatin and to tailor dosing schemes seem more feasible.

Organ Damage and Quality of Life in Takayasu Arteritis - Evidence From a National Registry Analysis.

Takayasu arteritis, affecting primarily young women, damages large arteries and organs. We examined the impact of disease duration and sex on organ damage and quality of life using Japan's Intractable Disease Registry. After refining data, 2,013 of 2,795 patients were included in the study. Longer disease duration was related to a lower prevalence of disease activity symptoms, a higher prevalence of organ damage, and a higher proportion of patients requiring nursing care. Compared with men, women tended to have an earlier onset age, exhibiting longer disease duration. A higher proportion of women had aortic regurgitation and required nursing care. The proportion of female patients in employment was lower than that of the general female population, whereas no difference was observed between male patients and the general male population. Logistic regression analysis revealed that age at surveillance, brain ischemia, visual impairment/loss, and ischemic heart disease were significant factors associated with high nursing care needs (Level ≥2, with daily activity limitations). Early diagnosis and effective treatment, particularly to prevent brain ischemia, visual impairment, and ischemic heart disease, may improve the quality of life of patients with Takayasu arteritis, especially women.

Adipose-Derived Stem Cells: Angiogenetic Potential and Utility in Tissue Engineering.

Adipose tissue (AT) is a large and important energy storage organ as well as an endocrine organ with a critical role in many processes. Additionally, AT is an enormous and easily accessible source of multipotent cell types used in our day for all types of tissue regeneration. The ability of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) to differentiate into other types of cells, such as endothelial cells (ECs), vascular smooth muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, is used in tissue engineering in order to promote/stimulate the process of angiogenesis. Being a key for future successful clinical applications, functional vascular networks in engineered tissue are targeted by numerous in vivo and ex vivo studies. The article reviews the angiogenic potential of ADSCs and explores their capacity in the field of tissue engineering (TE).

Technical note: Generalizable and promptable artificial intelligence model to augment clinical delineation in radiation oncology

Efficient and accurate delineation of organs at risk (OARs) is a critical procedure for treatment planning and dose evaluation. Deep learning-based auto-segmentation of OARs has shown promising results and is increasingly being used in radiation therapy. However, existing deep learning-based auto-segmentation approaches face two challenges in clinical practice: generalizability and human-AI interaction. A generalizable and promptable auto-segmentation model, which segments OARs of multiple disease sites simultaneously and supports on-the-fly human-AI interaction, can significantly enhance the efficiency of radiation therapy treatment planning. Meta's segment anything model (SAM) was proposed as a generalizable and promptable model for next-generation natural image segmentation. We further evaluated the performance of SAM in radiotherapy segmentation. Computed tomography (CT) images of clinical cases from four disease sites at our institute were collected: prostate, lung, gastrointestinal, and head & neck. For each case, we selected the OARs important in radiotherapy treatment planning. We then compared both the Dice coefficients and Jaccard indices derived from three distinct methods: manual delineation (ground truth), automatic segmentation using SAM's 'segment anything' mode, and automatic segmentation using SAM's 'box prompt' mode that implements manual interaction via live prompts during segmentation. Our results indicate that SAM's segment anything mode can achieve clinically acceptable segmentation results in most OARs with Dice scores higher than 0.7. SAM's box prompt mode further improves Dice scores by 0.1∼0.5. Similar results were observed for Jaccard indices. The results show that SAM performs better for prostate and lung, but worse for gastrointestinal and head & neck. When considering the size of organs and the distinctiveness of their boundaries, SAM shows better performance for large organs with distinct boundaries, such as lung and liver, and worse for smaller organs with less distinct boundaries, like parotid and cochlea. Our results demonstrate SAM's robust generalizability with consistent accuracy in automatic segmentation for radiotherapy. Furthermore, the advanced box-prompt method enables the users to augment auto-segmentation interactively and dynamically, leading to patient-specific auto-segmentation in radiation therapy. SAM's generalizability across different disease sites and different modalities makes it feasible to develop a generic auto-segmentation model in radiotherapy.

Deep Learning Auto-Segmentation Network for Pediatric Computed Tomography Data Sets: Can We Extrapolate From Adults?

PurposeAI-based auto-segmentation models hold promise for enhanced efficiency and consistency in organ contouring for adaptive radiotherapy and radiotherapy planning. However, their performance on paediatric CT data and cross-scanner compatibility remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the performance of AI-based auto-segmentation models trained on adult CT data when applied to paediatric datasets and explore the improvement in performance gained by including paediatric training data. It also examines their ability to accurately segment CT data acquired from different scanners. Methods and MaterialsUsing the nnU-Net framework, segmentation models were trained on datasets of adult, paediatric, and combined CT scans for seven pelvic/thoracic organs. Each model was trained on 290-300 cases per category and organ. Training datasets included a combination of clinical data and several open repositories. The study incorporated a database of 459 paediatric (0-16 years) CT scans and 950 adults (>18 years), ensuring all scans had human expert ground-truth contours of the selected organs. Performance was evaluated based on Dice similarity coefficients (DSC) of the model-generated contours. ResultsAI-models trained exclusively on adult data underperformed on paediatric data, especially for the 0-2 age group: mean DSC was below 0.5 for the bladder and spleen. The addition of paediatric training data demonstrated significant improvement for all age groups, achieving a mean DSC of above 0.85 for all organs in every age group. Larger organs like the liver and kidneys maintained consistent performance for all models across age groups. No significant difference emerged in the cross-scanner performance evaluation, suggesting robust cross-scanner generalization. ConclusionFor optimal segmentation across age groups, it is important to include paediatric data in the training of segmentation models. The successful cross-scanner generalization also supports the real-world clinical applicability of these AI models. This study emphasizes the significance of dataset diversity in training robust AI systems for medical image interpretation tasks.