Explore the vast range of titles available.

Given the recent success of artificial intelligence (AI) in computer vision applications, many pathologists anticipate that AI will be able to assist them in a variety of digital pathology tasks. Simultaneously, tremendous advancements in deep learning have enabled a synergy with artificial intelligence (AI), allowing for image-based diagnosis on the background of digital pathology. There are efforts for developing AI-based tools to save pathologists time and eliminate errors. Here, we describe the elements in the development of computational pathology (CPATH), its applicability to AI development, and the challenges it faces, such as algorithm validation and interpretability, computing systems, reimbursement, ethics, and regulations. Furthermore, we present an overview of novel AI-based approaches that could be integrated into pathology laboratory workflows.

To longitudinally analyze the impact of calcium dobesilate (CaD) treatment on retinal layer thicknesses in patients with moderate or more severe diabetic retinopathy (DR). In this retrospective, longitudinal study, patients with DR exhibiting moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) or more advanced stages were enrolled and divided into two groups: those prescribed CaD for more than 6 months (Group 1) and those not prescribed CaD (Group 2). After the baseline visits, three additional examinations were conducted at 1-year intervals. In total, 128 eyes were included: 38 in Group 1 and 90 in Group 2. Over time, group 2 exhibited significant decreases in ganglion cell complex (GCC) and inner nuclear layer (INL) thicknesses (P < 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively), while Group 1 did not. Both groups experienced significant reductions in outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness (P = 0.030 for Group 1 and P < 0.001 for Group 2). Group 2 exhibited a significantly greater decrease in GCC thickness compared with Group 1(P = 0.026). In patients with moderate or more severe DR, the group taking CaD did not show significant reductions in GCC and INL thicknesses over time compared with the group not taking CaD. These findings suggest that CaD could have a protective effect on the inner retina, even in those with more advanced stages than mild DR.

To investigate the impact of calcium dobesilate (CaD) on the macular microvasculature in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) using optical coherence tomography angiography. In this retrospective study, patients with DR were divided into two groups: those treated with 1 g/day of CaD (Group 1) and those without CaD treatment (Group 2). Following the baseline, patients underwent two additional examinations at 3-month intervals for analysis. The vessel density of the superficial vascular complex (SVD) and deep vascular complex (DVD) were compared against prior assessments. Generalized linear mixed models analyzed factors associated with changes in SVD and DVD over time. A total of 81 eyes were included: 39 in Group 1 and 42 in Group 2. The mean SVD was 21.8 ± 5.7% at baseline, 23.5 ± 6.5% at 3 months, and 23.3 ± 6.1% at 6 months in Group 1, respectively (P = 0.034), with significant changes observed from baseline to 3 months (P = 0.021), but not from 3 to 6 months (P = 0.745). The mean DVD was 18.2 ± 3.4% at baseline, 20.0 ± 3.9% at 3 months, and 19.9 ± 4.1% at 6 months in Group 1, respectively (P = 0.008), showing a significant increase from baseline to 3 months (P = 0.007), but not from 3 to 6 months (P = 0.825). Group 2 showed no significant changes over time in either SVD (P = 0.175) or DVD (P = 0.156). In Group 1, multivariate analysis identified DR severity as significantly associated with changes in SVD (estimate = 5.07, P = 0.016). The administration of CaD positively influences macular microcirculation in DR patients, demonstrating its effectiveness even in advanced stages of the disease.

Background Recently, cancer organoid-based drug sensitivity tests have been studied to predict patient responses to anticancer drugs. The area under curve (AUC) or IC 50 value of the dose-response curve (DRC) is used to differentiate between sensitive and resistant patient‘s groups. This study proposes a multi-parameter analysis method (cancer organoid-based diagnosis reactivity prediction, CODRP) that considers the cancer stage and cancer cell growth rate, which represent the severity of cancer patients, in the sensitivity test. Methods On the CODRP platform, patient-derived organoids (PDOs) that recapitulate patients with lung cancer were implemented by applying a mechanical dissociation method capable of high yields and proliferation rates. A disposable nozzle-type cell spotter with efficient high-throughput screening (HTS) has also been developed to dispense a very small number of cells due to limited patient cells. A drug sensitivity test was performed using PDO from the patient tissue and the primary cancer characteristics of PDOs were confirmed by pathological comparision with tissue slides. Results The conventional index of drug sensitivity is the AUC of the DRC. In this study, the CODRP index for drug sensitivity test was proposed through multi-parameter analyses considering cancer cell proliferation rate, the cancer diagnosis stage, and AUC values. We tested PDOs from eight patients with lung cancer to verify the CODRP index. According to the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement status, the conventional AUC index for the three ALK-targeted drugs (crizotinib, alectinib, and brigatinib) did not classify into sensitive and resistant groups. The proposed CODRP index-based drug sensitivity test classified ALK-targeted drug responses according to ALK rearrangement status and was verified to be consistent with the clinical drug treatment response. Conclusions Therefore, the PDO-based HTS and CODRP index drug sensitivity tests described in this paper may be useful for predicting and analyzing promising anticancer drug efficacy for patients with lung cancer and can be applied to a precision medicine platform.

Broad industrial application of zeolites increases the opportunity of inhalation. However, the potential impact of different types and compositions of zeolite on cytotoxicity is still unknown. Four types of synthetic zeolites have been prepared for assessing the effect on lung fibroblast: two zeolite L (LTL-R and LTL-D), ZSM-5 (MFI-S), and faujasite (FAU-S). The cytotoxicity of zeolites on human lung fibroblast (IMR-90) was assessed using WST1 cell proliferation assay, mitochondrial function, membrane leakage of lactate dehydrogenase, reduced glutathione levels, and mitochondrial membrane potential were assessed under control. Intracellular changes were examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Toxicity-related gene expressions were evaluated by PCR array. The result showed significantly higher toxicity in IMR-90 cells with FAU-S than LTL-R, LTL-D and MFI-S exposure. TEM showed FAU-S, spheroidal zeolite with a low Si/Al ratio, was readily internalized forming numerous phagosomes in IMR-90 cells, while the largest and disc-shaped zeolites showed the lowest toxicity and were located in submembranous phagosomes in IMR-90 cells. Differential expression of TNF related genes was detected using PCR arrays and confirmed using qRT-PCR analysis of selected genes. Collectively, the exposure of different zeolites shows different toxicity on IMR-90 cells.

The importance of the role of fibroblasts in cancer microenvironment is well-recognized. However, the relationship between fibroblasts and asbestos-induced lung cancer remains underexplored. To investigate the effect of the asbestos-related microenvironment on lung cancer progression, lung cancer cells (NCI-H358, Calu-3, and A549) were cultured in media derived from IMR-90 lung fibroblasts exposed to 50 mg/L asbestos (chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite) for 24 h. The kinetics and migration of lung cancer cells in the presence of asbestos-exposed lung fibroblast media were monitored using a real-time cell analysis system. Proliferation and migration of A549 cells increased in the presence of media derived from asbestos-exposed lung fibroblasts than in the presence of media derived from normal lung fibroblasts. We observed no increase in proliferation and migration in lung cancer cells cultured in asbestos-exposed lung cancer cell medium. In contrast, increased proliferation and migration in lung cancer cells exposed to media from asbestos-exposed lung fibroblasts was observed for all types of asbestos. Media derived from lung fibroblasts exposed to other stressors, such as hydrogen peroxide and UV radiation didn't show as similar effect as asbestos exposure. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based cytokine array identified interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8, which show pleiotropic regulatory effects on lung cancer cells, to be specifically produced in higher amounts by the three types of asbestos-exposed lung fibroblasts than normal lung fibroblasts. Thus, the present study demonstrated that interaction of lung fibroblasts with asbestos may support the growth and metastasis of lung cancer cells and that chrysotile exposure can lead to lung cancer similar to that caused by amphibole asbestos (amosite and crocidolite).

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) promotes tumor invasion and metastasis by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT is often related with acquisition of stemness characteristics. The objective of this study was to determine whether EMT and stemness characteristics induced by TGF-β might be associated with epigenetic regulation in lung cancer. A human normal lung epithelial cell line and four lung cancer cell lines were treated with TGF-β. Transcriptome analysis of BEAS-2B and A549 cells incubated with TGF-β were analyzed through next-generation sequencing (NGS). Western blotting was carried out to investigate expression levels of epithelial and mesenchymal markers. Wound healing and Matrigel invasion assay, sphere formation assay, and in vivo mice tumor model were performed to evaluate functional characteristics of EMT and stemness acquisition. To investigate whether activation of EMT and stem cell markers might be involved in epigenetic regulation of lung cancer, experiment using a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (5-azacytidine, AZA), methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and bisulfite sequencing were performed. NGS revealed changes in expression levels of EMT markers (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, fibronectin, vimentin, slug and snail) and stem cell markers (CD44 and CD87) in both BEAS-2B and A549 cells. Functional analysis revealed increased migration, invasion, sphere formation, and tumor development in mice after TGF-β treatment. Expression of slug and CD87 genes was activated following treatment with AZA and TGF-β. MSP and bisulfite sequencing indicated DNA demethylation of slug and CD87 genes. These results suggest that TGF-β induced EMT and cancer stemness acquisition could be associated with activation of slug and CD87 gene by their promoter demethylation.

Background A hypoxic microenvironment leads to an increase in the invasiveness and the metastatic potential of cancer cells within tumors via the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stemness acquisition. However, hypoxia-induced changes in the expression and function of candidate stem cell markers and their possible molecular mechanism is still not understood. Methods Lung cell lines were analyzed in normoxic or hypoxic conditions. For screening among the stem cell markers, a transcriptome analysis using next-generation sequencing was performed. For validation, the EMT and stem cell characteristics were analyzed. To determine whether an epigenetic mechanism was involved, the cell lines were treated with a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (AZA), and methylation-specific PCR and bisulfite sequencing were performed. Results Next-generation sequencing revealed that the CXCR4 expression was significantly higher after the hypoxic condition, which functionally resulted in the EMT and cancer stemness acquisition. The acquisition of the EMT and stemness properties was inhibited by treatment with CXCR4 siRNA. The CXCR4 was activated by either the hypoxic condition or treatment with AZA. The methylation-specific PCR and bisulfite sequencing displayed a decreased CXCR4 promoter methylation in the hypoxic condition. Conclusions These results suggest that hypoxia-induced acquisition of cancer stem cell characteristics was associated with CXCR4 activation by its aberrant promoter demethylation.

The gut microbiome plays a pivotal role in modulating cancer therapies, including immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Emerging evidence demonstrates its influence on treatment efficacy, immune response, and resistance mechanisms. Specific microbial taxa enhance immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy, while dysbiosis can contribute to adverse outcomes. Chemotherapy effectiveness is also influenced by microbiome composition, with engineered probiotics and prebiotics offering promising strategies to enhance drug delivery and reduce toxicity. Moreover, microbial metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids, and engineered microbial systems have shown potential to improve therapeutic responses. These findings underscore the importance of personalized microbiome-based approaches in optimizing cancer treatments.

Hand gesture recognition is very significant for human-computer interaction. In this work, we present a novel real-time method for hand gesture recognition. In our framework, the hand region is extracted from the background with the background subtraction method. Then, the palm and fingers are segmented so as to detect and recognize the fingers. Finally, a rule classifier is applied to predict the labels of hand gestures. The experiments on the data set of 1300 images show that our method performs well and is highly efficient. Moreover, our method shows better performance than a state-of-art method on another data set of hand gestures.