Accurate and efficient brain tumor segmentation is essential for early diagnosis,treatment planning,and clinical decision-making.However,the complex structure of brain anatomy and the heterogeneous nature of tumors pr...Accurate and efficient brain tumor segmentation is essential for early diagnosis,treatment planning,and clinical decision-making.However,the complex structure of brain anatomy and the heterogeneous nature of tumors present significant challenges for precise anomaly detection.While U-Net-based architectures have demonstrated strong performance in medical image segmentation,there remains room for improvement in feature extraction and localization accuracy.In this study,we propose a novel hybrid model designed to enhance 3D brain tumor segmentation.The architecture incorporates a 3D ResNet encoder known for mitigating the vanishing gradient problem and a 3D U-Net decoder.Additionally,to enhance the model’s generalization ability,Squeeze and Excitation attention mechanism is integrated.We introduce Gabor filter banks into the encoder to further strengthen the model’s ability to extract robust and transformation-invariant features from the complex and irregular shapes typical in medical imaging.This approach,which is not well explored in current U-Net-based segmentation frameworks,provides a unique advantage by enhancing texture-aware feature representation.Specifically,Gabor filters help extract distinctive low-level texture features,reducing the effects of texture interference and facilitating faster convergence during the early stages of training.Our model achieved Dice scores of 0.881,0.846,and 0.819 for Whole Tumor(WT),Tumor Core(TC),and Enhancing Tumor(ET),respectively,on the BraTS 2020 dataset.Cross-validation on the BraTS 2021 dataset further confirmed the model’s robustness,yielding Dice score values of 0.887 for WT,0.856 for TC,and 0.824 for ET.The proposed model outperforms several state-of-the-art existing models,particularly in accurately identifying small and complex tumor regions.Extensive evaluations suggest integrating advanced preprocessing with an attention-augmented hybrid architecture offers significant potential for reliable and clinically valuable brain tumor segmentation.展开更多
Multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella(MMAF)are characterized by bent,irregular,short,coiled,and absent flagella.MMAF is caused by a variety of genes,some of which have been identified.However,the ...Multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella(MMAF)are characterized by bent,irregular,short,coiled,and absent flagella.MMAF is caused by a variety of genes,some of which have been identified.However,the underlying genetic factors responsible for the majority of MMAF cases are still largely unknown.The glutamine-rich 2(QRICH2)gene plays an essential role in the development of sperm flagella by regulating the expression of essential sperm flagellar biogenesis-associated proteins,and genetic variants of QRICH2 have been identified as the primary cause of MMAF in humans and mice.Here,we recruited a Pakistani consanguineous family to identify the genetic variant causing infertility in patients with MMAF.Whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were conducted to identify potentially pathogenic variants causing MMAF in infertile patients.Hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining was performed to analyze sperm morphology.Quantitative polymerase chain reaction,western blot,and immunofluorescence staining analyses were conducted to observe the expression of QRICH2 in spermatozoa.A novel homozygous missense variant(c.4618C>T)in QRICH2 was identified in the affected patients.Morphological analysis of spermatozoa revealed the MMAF phenotype in infertile patients.qPCR revealed a significant reduction in the level of sperm QRICH2 mRNA,and immunofluorescence staining revealed a lack of sperm QRICH2 expression.Additionally,patients harboring a homozygous QRICH2 mutation presented reduced expression of outer dense fiber 2(ODF2)in sperm,whereas sperm expression of A-kinase anchor protein 4(AKAP4)was normal.These findings expand our understanding of the genetic causes of MMAF-associated male infertility and emphasize the importance of genetic counseling.展开更多
Male infertility is a worldwide health issue,affecting 8%–12%of the global population.Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia(OAT)represents a severe type of male infertility,characterized by reduced sperm count and motility an...Male infertility is a worldwide health issue,affecting 8%–12%of the global population.Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia(OAT)represents a severe type of male infertility,characterized by reduced sperm count and motility and an increased frequency of sperm with aberrant morphology.Using whole-exome sequencing,this study identified a novel missense mutation(c.848C>A,p.A283E)in the coiled-coil domain-containing 34 gene(CCDC34)in a consanguineous Pakistani family.This rare mutation was predicted to be deleterious and to affect the protein stability.Hematoxylin and eosin staining of spermatozoa from the patient with OAT revealed multiple morphological abnormalities of the flagella and transmission electron microscopy indicated axonemal ultrastructural defects with a lack of outer dynein arms.These findings indicated that CCDC34 plays a role in maintaining the axonemal ultrastructure and the assembly or stability of the outer dynein arms,thus expanding the phenotypic spectrum of CCDC34 missense mutations.展开更多
In this work,the evolution of a highly unstable m=1 resistive tearing mode,leading to plasmoid formation in a Harris sheet,is studied in the framework of full MHD model using the Non-Ideal Magnetohydrodynamics with Ro...In this work,the evolution of a highly unstable m=1 resistive tearing mode,leading to plasmoid formation in a Harris sheet,is studied in the framework of full MHD model using the Non-Ideal Magnetohydrodynamics with Rotation,Open Discussion simulation.Following the initial nonlinear growth of the primary m=1 island,the X-point develops into a secondary elongated current sheet that eventually breaks into plasmoids.Two distinctive viscous regimes are found for the plasmoid formation and saturation.In the low viscosity regime(i.e.P_(r)■1),the plasmoid width increases sharply with viscosity,whereas in the viscosity dominant regime(i.e.P_(r)■1),the plasmoid size gradually decreases with viscosity.Such a finding quantifies the role of viscosity in modulating the plasmoid formation process through its effects on the plasma flow and the reconnection itself.展开更多
The main objective of the current study is to investigate the potential of Carica papaya leaves extracts against Dengue fever in 45 year old patient bitten by carrier mosquitoes.For the treatment of Dengue fever the e...The main objective of the current study is to investigate the potential of Carica papaya leaves extracts against Dengue fever in 45 year old patient bitten by carrier mosquitoes.For the treatment of Dengue fever the extract was prepared in water.25 mL of aqueous extract of C.papaya leaves was administered to patient infected with Dengue fever twice daily i.e.morning and evening for five consecutive days.Before the extract administration the blood samples from patient were analyzed.Platelets count(PLT),White Blood Cells(WBC) and Neutrophils(NEUT) decreased from 176×10~3/μ L,8.10×10~3/μ L,84.0%to 55×10~3/μ L,3.7×10~3/μL and 46.0%.Subsequently,the blood samples were rechecked after the administration of leaves extract.It was observed that the PLT count increased from 55×10~3/μ L to 168×10~3/μ L,WBC from 3.7×10~3/μ L to 7.7×10~3/μ L and NEUT from 46.0%to 78.3%.From the patient feelings and blood reports it showed that Carica papaya leaves aqueous extract exhibited potential activity against Dengue fever.Furthermore,the different parts of this valuable specie can be further used as a strong natural candidate against viral diseases.展开更多
Objective:To investigate in vitro larvicidal and antioxidant enzymes potential of the medicinal plants Ginkgo biloba（G.biloba）,Stevia rebaudiana（S.rebaudiana） and Parthenium hysterophorous（P.hysterophorous） agai...Objective:To investigate in vitro larvicidal and antioxidant enzymes potential of the medicinal plants Ginkgo biloba（G.biloba）,Stevia rebaudiana（S.rebaudiana） and Parthenium hysterophorous（P.hysterophorous） against Anopheles stephensi（An.stephensi） 4th instars larvae. Methods:For evaluation of larvicidal potential,the ethanolic,methanolic and dichloromethane leaves extracts of three different plants were used in dose-dependent experiments in two media, while the antioxidant enzymes activities were investigated using four different methods viz., superoxide dismutase,peroxidase,ascorbate and catalase.Results:An.stephensi has developed resistance to various synthetic insecticides,making its control increasingly difficult.The comparative performance of ethanolic extracts（65%-90%） was found better than the methanolic extract（70%-87%） and dichloromethane extract（60%-70%）.Among the three plants extracts tested in two media,S.rebaudiana exhibited higher larvicidal activity with LC<sub>50</sub>（24 h） in methanolic extract than P.hysterophorous and G.biloba.G.biloba and P.hysterophorous exhibited the strongest antioxidative enzymes activity and S.rebaudiana were less active and no significant difference was observed.Conclusions:These three plants exhibit larvicidal potential and can be further used for vector control alternative to synthetic insecticide due to eco-friendly and diseases control,furthermore these plant species have potent antioxidative enzyme activities, therefore,making them strong natural candidate particularly for diseases which are caused due to free radicals.展开更多
Dy2O3 is a rare earth oxide having a number of advanced applications in various fields including protective or antireflective coatings,Main objective of this novel research work is to check the effect of Cr and Cu add...Dy2O3 is a rare earth oxide having a number of advanced applications in various fields including protective or antireflective coatings,Main objective of this novel research work is to check the effect of Cr and Cu addition on different properties of Dy2O3 and achievement of antireflective thin films with enhanced abso rption.Thin films of these materials we re deposited using DC magnetron with reactive cosputtering.XRD studies reveals the crystalline nature of thin films having Dy2O3(222)reflection in all samples with Cr2O3(116)and CuO(111)reflections in Cr and Cu containing compositions.Field emission scanning electron microscopy demonstrates the homogeneous deposition of thin films with uniform shape,size and distribution of grains.Refractive index,extinction coefficient and absorption coefficient significantly increase while optical reflectance decreases with Cr and Cu mediation corroborating an improved antireflective mechanism.The imaginary part of dielectric constant is found to increase slightly with low tangent loss for Cr containing composition co nsidered favorable for energy storage applications.展开更多
A unique type of natural coumarin skeleton-based thiazolylbenzonitriles as novel structural scaffolds to exert potential multitargeting supramolecular antibacterial behavior was developed for the first time from resor...A unique type of natural coumarin skeleton-based thiazolylbenzonitriles as novel structural scaffolds to exert potential multitargeting supramolecular antibacterial behavior was developed for the first time from resorcinol through multi-step reactions.All the new compounds were characterized by NMR and HRMS spectra.Structure-activity relationships revealed that the ethoxycarbonyl group was the optimal substituent to exert the effective supramolecular antibacterial action of benzopyronyl thiazolylbenzonitriles(BTBs),and BTB 13a gave an extremely low MIC value of 0.002 mM against Staphylococcus aureus 29213,being 3-fold more active than norfloxacin.Compound 13a exerting the most effective supramolecular antibacterial behaviour possessed favourable druggability with no obvious haemolysis,acceptable cytotoxicity and low propensity to induce bacterial resistance.A series of medicinal chemobiological evaluations disclosed that BTB 13a could not only intercalate into DNA to produce stable biosupramolecular complexes to block DNA replication,and form biosupermolecules with DNA gyrase,but also disturb cell membrane to tempt leakage of intracellular contents,fluctuate the metabolism and induce oxidative stress,finally resulting in bacterial cell death.Moreover,the promising BTB 13a exhibited good in vivo antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus 29213.These results implied that benzopyronyl thiazolylbenzonitriles possessed large promise as novel structural antibacterial members to combat Staphylococcus aureus 29213.展开更多
Objective:To qualitatively evaluate the phytochemicals and quantitatively determine the heavy metals of three species of edible mushrooms collected from the Karak area of Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa,Pakistan.Methods:The plant...Objective:To qualitatively evaluate the phytochemicals and quantitatively determine the heavy metals of three species of edible mushrooms collected from the Karak area of Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa,Pakistan.Methods:The plant sample was subjected to methanolic extraction.The extraction was then concentrated by using rotary evaporator.The methanolic extract was screened for the qualitative study of various phytochemicals and quantitative measurement of heavy metals.Results:A maximum of phytochemicals were confirmed by carring out different tests.Among the different phytochemicals,alkaloids,flavonoids,proteins and carbohydrates were found to be present in the extracts,while saponins and glycosides were not detected.Similarly quantitative study of heavy metals was also conducted on the same extracts of the edible mushrooms.The results suggested that iron was present in maximum concentration than all other metals and nickel was found to be present in little amount when compared with other metals.All the metals were found present.Conclusions:The concentrations of heavy metals were investigated in the samples which were different in all samples.The presence of different phytochemicals in the mushroom is the key for its active biological profile.展开更多
基金the National Science and Technology Council(NSTC)of the Republic of China,Taiwan,for financially supporting this research under Contract No.NSTC 112-2637-M-131-001.
文摘Accurate and efficient brain tumor segmentation is essential for early diagnosis,treatment planning,and clinical decision-making.However,the complex structure of brain anatomy and the heterogeneous nature of tumors present significant challenges for precise anomaly detection.While U-Net-based architectures have demonstrated strong performance in medical image segmentation,there remains room for improvement in feature extraction and localization accuracy.In this study,we propose a novel hybrid model designed to enhance 3D brain tumor segmentation.The architecture incorporates a 3D ResNet encoder known for mitigating the vanishing gradient problem and a 3D U-Net decoder.Additionally,to enhance the model’s generalization ability,Squeeze and Excitation attention mechanism is integrated.We introduce Gabor filter banks into the encoder to further strengthen the model’s ability to extract robust and transformation-invariant features from the complex and irregular shapes typical in medical imaging.This approach,which is not well explored in current U-Net-based segmentation frameworks,provides a unique advantage by enhancing texture-aware feature representation.Specifically,Gabor filters help extract distinctive low-level texture features,reducing the effects of texture interference and facilitating faster convergence during the early stages of training.Our model achieved Dice scores of 0.881,0.846,and 0.819 for Whole Tumor(WT),Tumor Core(TC),and Enhancing Tumor(ET),respectively,on the BraTS 2020 dataset.Cross-validation on the BraTS 2021 dataset further confirmed the model’s robustness,yielding Dice score values of 0.887 for WT,0.856 for TC,and 0.824 for ET.The proposed model outperforms several state-of-the-art existing models,particularly in accurately identifying small and complex tumor regions.Extensive evaluations suggest integrating advanced preprocessing with an attention-augmented hybrid architecture offers significant potential for reliable and clinically valuable brain tumor segmentation.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2021YFC2700202,2022YFA0806303 and 2022YFC2702601)the Global Select Project of the Institute of Health and Medicine,Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center(DJK-LX-2022010)+1 种基金USTC Research Funds of the Double First-Class Initiative(the Joint Fund for New Medicine of USTC)(YD9100002034)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(WK9100000004).
文摘Multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella(MMAF)are characterized by bent,irregular,short,coiled,and absent flagella.MMAF is caused by a variety of genes,some of which have been identified.However,the underlying genetic factors responsible for the majority of MMAF cases are still largely unknown.The glutamine-rich 2(QRICH2)gene plays an essential role in the development of sperm flagella by regulating the expression of essential sperm flagellar biogenesis-associated proteins,and genetic variants of QRICH2 have been identified as the primary cause of MMAF in humans and mice.Here,we recruited a Pakistani consanguineous family to identify the genetic variant causing infertility in patients with MMAF.Whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were conducted to identify potentially pathogenic variants causing MMAF in infertile patients.Hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining was performed to analyze sperm morphology.Quantitative polymerase chain reaction,western blot,and immunofluorescence staining analyses were conducted to observe the expression of QRICH2 in spermatozoa.A novel homozygous missense variant(c.4618C>T)in QRICH2 was identified in the affected patients.Morphological analysis of spermatozoa revealed the MMAF phenotype in infertile patients.qPCR revealed a significant reduction in the level of sperm QRICH2 mRNA,and immunofluorescence staining revealed a lack of sperm QRICH2 expression.Additionally,patients harboring a homozygous QRICH2 mutation presented reduced expression of outer dense fiber 2(ODF2)in sperm,whereas sperm expression of A-kinase anchor protein 4(AKAP4)was normal.These findings expand our understanding of the genetic causes of MMAF-associated male infertility and emphasize the importance of genetic counseling.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.82071709,No.32070850,and No.82171601)the National Key Research and Developmental Program of China(2022YFC2702601 and 2022YFA0806303)the Joint Fund for New Medicine of USTC(YD9100002034).
文摘Male infertility is a worldwide health issue,affecting 8%–12%of the global population.Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia(OAT)represents a severe type of male infertility,characterized by reduced sperm count and motility and an increased frequency of sperm with aberrant morphology.Using whole-exome sequencing,this study identified a novel missense mutation(c.848C>A,p.A283E)in the coiled-coil domain-containing 34 gene(CCDC34)in a consanguineous Pakistani family.This rare mutation was predicted to be deleterious and to affect the protein stability.Hematoxylin and eosin staining of spermatozoa from the patient with OAT revealed multiple morphological abnormalities of the flagella and transmission electron microscopy indicated axonemal ultrastructural defects with a lack of outer dynein arms.These findings indicated that CCDC34 plays a role in maintaining the axonemal ultrastructure and the assembly or stability of the outer dynein arms,thus expanding the phenotypic spectrum of CCDC34 missense mutations.
基金supported by the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Science Program of China(No.2019YFE03050004)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.11775221 and 51821005)+3 种基金U.S.DOE(Nos.DE-FG02-86ER53218 and DESC0018001)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities at Huazhong University of Science and Technology(No.2019kfyXJJS193)the support from NIMROD teamthe support from the Chinese Government Scholarship。
文摘In this work,the evolution of a highly unstable m=1 resistive tearing mode,leading to plasmoid formation in a Harris sheet,is studied in the framework of full MHD model using the Non-Ideal Magnetohydrodynamics with Rotation,Open Discussion simulation.Following the initial nonlinear growth of the primary m=1 island,the X-point develops into a secondary elongated current sheet that eventually breaks into plasmoids.Two distinctive viscous regimes are found for the plasmoid formation and saturation.In the low viscosity regime(i.e.P_(r)■1),the plasmoid width increases sharply with viscosity,whereas in the viscosity dominant regime(i.e.P_(r)■1),the plasmoid size gradually decreases with viscosity.Such a finding quantifies the role of viscosity in modulating the plasmoid formation process through its effects on the plasma flow and the reconnection itself.
文摘The main objective of the current study is to investigate the potential of Carica papaya leaves extracts against Dengue fever in 45 year old patient bitten by carrier mosquitoes.For the treatment of Dengue fever the extract was prepared in water.25 mL of aqueous extract of C.papaya leaves was administered to patient infected with Dengue fever twice daily i.e.morning and evening for five consecutive days.Before the extract administration the blood samples from patient were analyzed.Platelets count(PLT),White Blood Cells(WBC) and Neutrophils(NEUT) decreased from 176×10~3/μ L,8.10×10~3/μ L,84.0%to 55×10~3/μ L,3.7×10~3/μL and 46.0%.Subsequently,the blood samples were rechecked after the administration of leaves extract.It was observed that the PLT count increased from 55×10~3/μ L to 168×10~3/μ L,WBC from 3.7×10~3/μ L to 7.7×10~3/μ L and NEUT from 46.0%to 78.3%.From the patient feelings and blood reports it showed that Carica papaya leaves aqueous extract exhibited potential activity against Dengue fever.Furthermore,the different parts of this valuable specie can be further used as a strong natural candidate against viral diseases.
文摘Objective:To investigate in vitro larvicidal and antioxidant enzymes potential of the medicinal plants Ginkgo biloba（G.biloba）,Stevia rebaudiana（S.rebaudiana） and Parthenium hysterophorous（P.hysterophorous） against Anopheles stephensi（An.stephensi） 4th instars larvae. Methods:For evaluation of larvicidal potential,the ethanolic,methanolic and dichloromethane leaves extracts of three different plants were used in dose-dependent experiments in two media, while the antioxidant enzymes activities were investigated using four different methods viz., superoxide dismutase,peroxidase,ascorbate and catalase.Results:An.stephensi has developed resistance to various synthetic insecticides,making its control increasingly difficult.The comparative performance of ethanolic extracts（65%-90%） was found better than the methanolic extract（70%-87%） and dichloromethane extract（60%-70%）.Among the three plants extracts tested in two media,S.rebaudiana exhibited higher larvicidal activity with LC<sub>50</sub>（24 h） in methanolic extract than P.hysterophorous and G.biloba.G.biloba and P.hysterophorous exhibited the strongest antioxidative enzymes activity and S.rebaudiana were less active and no significant difference was observed.Conclusions:These three plants exhibit larvicidal potential and can be further used for vector control alternative to synthetic insecticide due to eco-friendly and diseases control,furthermore these plant species have potent antioxidative enzyme activities, therefore,making them strong natural candidate particularly for diseases which are caused due to free radicals.
基金the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for funding under Research Group(No.RG 1435-004)
文摘Dy2O3 is a rare earth oxide having a number of advanced applications in various fields including protective or antireflective coatings,Main objective of this novel research work is to check the effect of Cr and Cu addition on different properties of Dy2O3 and achievement of antireflective thin films with enhanced abso rption.Thin films of these materials we re deposited using DC magnetron with reactive cosputtering.XRD studies reveals the crystalline nature of thin films having Dy2O3(222)reflection in all samples with Cr2O3(116)and CuO(111)reflections in Cr and Cu containing compositions.Field emission scanning electron microscopy demonstrates the homogeneous deposition of thin films with uniform shape,size and distribution of grains.Refractive index,extinction coefficient and absorption coefficient significantly increase while optical reflectance decreases with Cr and Cu mediation corroborating an improved antireflective mechanism.The imaginary part of dielectric constant is found to increase slightly with low tangent loss for Cr containing composition co nsidered favorable for energy storage applications.
基金supported in part by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82473771)Key Project of Innovation Research 2035 Pilot Plan of Southwest University(SWU-XDZD22007)National College Students'Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program(202310635068).
文摘A unique type of natural coumarin skeleton-based thiazolylbenzonitriles as novel structural scaffolds to exert potential multitargeting supramolecular antibacterial behavior was developed for the first time from resorcinol through multi-step reactions.All the new compounds were characterized by NMR and HRMS spectra.Structure-activity relationships revealed that the ethoxycarbonyl group was the optimal substituent to exert the effective supramolecular antibacterial action of benzopyronyl thiazolylbenzonitriles(BTBs),and BTB 13a gave an extremely low MIC value of 0.002 mM against Staphylococcus aureus 29213,being 3-fold more active than norfloxacin.Compound 13a exerting the most effective supramolecular antibacterial behaviour possessed favourable druggability with no obvious haemolysis,acceptable cytotoxicity and low propensity to induce bacterial resistance.A series of medicinal chemobiological evaluations disclosed that BTB 13a could not only intercalate into DNA to produce stable biosupramolecular complexes to block DNA replication,and form biosupermolecules with DNA gyrase,but also disturb cell membrane to tempt leakage of intracellular contents,fluctuate the metabolism and induce oxidative stress,finally resulting in bacterial cell death.Moreover,the promising BTB 13a exhibited good in vivo antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus 29213.These results implied that benzopyronyl thiazolylbenzonitriles possessed large promise as novel structural antibacterial members to combat Staphylococcus aureus 29213.
文摘Objective:To qualitatively evaluate the phytochemicals and quantitatively determine the heavy metals of three species of edible mushrooms collected from the Karak area of Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa,Pakistan.Methods:The plant sample was subjected to methanolic extraction.The extraction was then concentrated by using rotary evaporator.The methanolic extract was screened for the qualitative study of various phytochemicals and quantitative measurement of heavy metals.Results:A maximum of phytochemicals were confirmed by carring out different tests.Among the different phytochemicals,alkaloids,flavonoids,proteins and carbohydrates were found to be present in the extracts,while saponins and glycosides were not detected.Similarly quantitative study of heavy metals was also conducted on the same extracts of the edible mushrooms.The results suggested that iron was present in maximum concentration than all other metals and nickel was found to be present in little amount when compared with other metals.All the metals were found present.Conclusions:The concentrations of heavy metals were investigated in the samples which were different in all samples.The presence of different phytochemicals in the mushroom is the key for its active biological profile.
