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Journal of Imaging Informatics in... Jun 2024Accurate prediction of pneumoconiosis is essential for individualized early prevention and treatment. However, the different manifestations and high heterogeneity among...
Accurate prediction of pneumoconiosis is essential for individualized early prevention and treatment. However, the different manifestations and high heterogeneity among radiologists make it difficult to diagnose and stage pneumoconiosis accurately. Here, based on DR images collected from two centers, a novel deep learning model, namely Multi-scale Lesion-aware Attention Networks (MLANet), is proposed for diagnosis of pneumoconiosis, staging of pneumoconiosis, and screening of stage I pneumoconiosis. A series of indicators including area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, accuracy, recall, precision, and F1 score were used to comprehensively evaluate the performance of the model. The results show that the MLANet model can effectively improve the consistency and efficiency of pneumoconiosis diagnosis. The accuracy of the MLANet model for pneumoconiosis diagnosis on the internal test set, external validation set, and prospective test set reached 97.87%, 98.03%, and 95.40%, respectively, which was close to the level of qualified radiologists. Moreover, the model can effectively screen stage I pneumoconiosis with an accuracy of 97.16%, a recall of 98.25, a precision of 93.42%, and an F1 score of 95.59%, respectively. The built model performs better than the other four classification models. It is expected to be applied in clinical work to realize the automated diagnosis of pneumoconiosis digital chest radiographs, which is of great significance for individualized early prevention and treatment.
PubMed: 38839674
DOI: 10.1007/s10278-024-01125-7 -
American Journal of Industrial Medicine Jun 2024The US Department of Labor (DOL) does not fund diffusing capacity (D) or metabolic measurements from cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) for coal miners' disability...
BACKGROUND
The US Department of Labor (DOL) does not fund diffusing capacity (D) or metabolic measurements from cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) for coal miners' disability evaluations. Although exercise arterial blood gas testing is covered, many miners are unable to perform maximal tests, and sampling at peak exercise can be challenging. We explored the relationship between resting D, radiographic disease severity, and CPET abnormalities in former US coal miners.
METHODS
We analyzed data from miners evaluated between 2005 and 2015. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses were used to examine relationships between percent predicted (pp) forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEVpp), Dpp, VOmaxpp, A-a oxygen gradient (A-a)pp, dead space fraction (Vd/Vt), disabling oxygen tension (PO), and radiographic findings of pneumoconiosis.
RESULTS
Data from 2015 male coal miners was analyzed. Mean tenure was 28 years (SD 8.6). Thirty-twopercent had an abnormal A-a gradient (>150 pp), 20% had elevated Vd/Vt (>0.33), and 34% a VOmax < 60 pp. Dpp strongly predicted a disabling PO, with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.33 [2.09-2.60], compared to 1.18 [1.08-1.29] for FEV. Each increase in subcategory of small opacity (simple) pneumoconiosis increased the odds of a disabling PO by 42% [1.29-1.57], controlling for age, body mass index, pack-years of tobacco smoke exposure, and years of coal mine employment.
CONCLUSIONS
D is the best resting pulmonary function test predictor of CPET abnormalities. Radiographic severity of pneumoconiosis was also associated with CPET abnormalities. These findings support funding D testing for impairment and suggest the term "small opacity" should replace "simple" pneumoconiosis to reflect significant associations with impairment.
PubMed: 38830640
DOI: 10.1002/ajim.23621 -
Respirology (Carlton, Vic.) Jul 2024Air pollutants have various effects on human health in environmental and occupational settings. Air pollutants can be a risk factor for incidence,... (Review)
Review
Air pollutants have various effects on human health in environmental and occupational settings. Air pollutants can be a risk factor for incidence, exacerbation/aggravation and death due to various lung diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypersensitivity pneumonitis or pneumonia (HP), pulmonary fibrosis such as pneumoconiosis and malignant respiratory diseases such as lung cancer and malignant pleural mesothelioma. Environmental and occupational respiratory diseases are crucial clinical and social issues worldwide, although the burden of respiratory disease due to environmental and occupational causes varies depending on country/region, demographic variables, geographical location, industrial structure and socioeconomic situation. The correct recognition of environmental and occupational lung diseases and taking appropriate measures are essential to their effective prevention.
Topics: Humans; Occupational Diseases; Lung Diseases; Occupational Exposure; Environmental Exposure; Risk Factors; Air Pollutants; Lung Neoplasms; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
PubMed: 38826078
DOI: 10.1111/resp.14761 -
International Immunopharmacology Jul 2024Silicosis is a chronic fibroproliferative lung disease caused by long-term inhalation of crystalline silica dust, characterized by the proliferation of fibroblasts and...
Silicosis is a chronic fibroproliferative lung disease caused by long-term inhalation of crystalline silica dust, characterized by the proliferation of fibroblasts and pulmonary interstitial fibrosis. Currently, there are no effective treatments available. Recent research suggests that the Integrin β1/ILK/PI3K signaling pathway may be associated with the pathogenesis of silicosis fibrosis. In this study, we investigated the effects of Echistatin (Integrin β1 inhibitor) and BYL-719 (PI3K inhibitor) on silicosis rats at 28 and 56 days after silica exposure. Histopathological analysis of rat lung tissue was performed using H&E staining and Masson staining. Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and qRT-PCR were employed to assess the expression of markers associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), fibrosis, and the Integrin β1/ILK/PI3K pathway in lung tissue. The results showed that Echistatin, BYL 719 or their combination up-regulated the expression of E-cadherin and down-regulated the expression of Vimentin and extracellular matrix (ECM) components, including type I and type III collagen. The increase of Snail, AKT and β-catenin in the downstream Integrin β1/ILK/PI3K pathway was inhibited. These results indicate that Echistatin and BYL 719 can inhibit EMT and pulmonary fibrosis by blocking different stages of Integrinβ1 /ILK/PI3K signaling pathway. This indicates that the Integrin β1/ILK/PI3K signaling pathway is associated with silica-induced EMT and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for silicosis.
Topics: Animals; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; Signal Transduction; Integrin beta1; Pulmonary Fibrosis; Male; Silicon Dioxide; Silicosis; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Rats; Lung; Rats, Sprague-Dawley
PubMed: 38823175
DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112368 -
BMC Public Health May 2024Pneumoconiosis, a chronic disease stemming from prolonged inhalation of dust particles, stands as a significant global burden of occupational diseases. This study aims...
BACKGROUND
Pneumoconiosis, a chronic disease stemming from prolonged inhalation of dust particles, stands as a significant global burden of occupational diseases. This study aims to investigate the survival outcomes of pneumoconiosis patients in Huangshi city, China, while also evaluating the disease burden on afflicted patients.
METHODS
Data for this study were sourced from the Huangshi Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Survival analyses of pneumoconiosis patients were conducted employing life tables and the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox proportional hazards models were deployed to identify factors influencing pneumoconiosis patients' survival duration. Competing risks models were employed to confirm the validity of the model outcomes. Additionally, in the disease burden assessment, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were computed for various demographic groups and time frames.
RESULTS
A total of 5,641 pneumoconiosis cases, diagnosed in Huangshi City, Hubei Province between 1958 and 2021, were incorporated into the cohort analysis. The probability of mortality and the risk ratio increased with advancing age. Notably, the median survival time of stage III pneumoconiosis patients was significantly shorter compared with those in stages I and II. The Cox proportional hazards model and competing risks analyses underscored several significant factors influencing survival time, including dust exposure duration (HR = 1.197, 95% CI: 1.104-1.298), age at first diagnosis (HR = 3.149, 95% CI: 2.961-3.349), presence of silicosis (HR = 1.378, 95% CI: 1.254-1.515), and stage II-III pneumoconiosis (HR = 1.456, 95% CI: 1.148-1.848). Cumulatively, DALYs amounted to 7,974.35 person-years, with an average of 1.41 person-years. The period between 2000 and 2019 witnessed the highest disease burden.
CONCLUSION
Our findings highlight the urgent need for improved prevention, earlier detection, and more effective management strategies for the occupational pneumoconiosis population. This study not only underscores the persistent issue of pneumoconiosis in industrial environments but also serves as a crucial call to action for policymakers and healthcare providers.
Topics: Humans; China; Male; Middle Aged; Pneumoconiosis; Retrospective Studies; Female; Aged; Occupational Diseases; Adult; Cost of Illness; Survival Analysis; Disability-Adjusted Life Years; Proportional Hazards Models; Occupational Exposure
PubMed: 38811934
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18847-6 -
Cancer Gene Therapy May 2024Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant clonal hematopoietic disease with a poor prognosis. Understanding the interaction between leukemic cells and the tumor...
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant clonal hematopoietic disease with a poor prognosis. Understanding the interaction between leukemic cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME) can help predict the prognosis of leukemia and guide its treatment. Re-analyzing the scRNA-seq data from the CSC and G20 cohorts, using a Python-based pipeline including machine-learning-based scVI-tools, recapitulated the distinct hierarchical structure within the samples of AML patients. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was conducted to construct a weighted gene co-expression network and to identify gene modules primarily focusing on hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), multipotent progenitors (MPPs), and natural killer (NK) cells. The analysis revealed significant deregulation in gene modules associated with aerobic respiration and ribosomal/cytoplasmic translation. Cell-cell communications were elucidated by the CellChat package, revealing an imbalance of activating and inhibitory immune signaling pathways. Interception of genes upregulated in leukemic HSCs & MPPs as well as in NKG2A-high NK cells was used to construct prognostic models. Normal Cox and artificial neural network models based on 10 genes were developed. The study reveals the deregulation of mitochondrial and ribosomal genes in AML patients and suggests the co-occurrence of stimulatory and inhibitory factors in the AML TME.
PubMed: 38806621
DOI: 10.1038/s41417-024-00788-2 -
Zhonghua Lao Dong Wei Sheng Zhi Ye Bing... May 2024The etiology of pneumoconiosis is relatively clear, but the pathogenic mechanism is not fully understood, and there is no effective cure for pneumoconiosis. Clarifying... (Review)
Review
The etiology of pneumoconiosis is relatively clear, but the pathogenic mechanism is not fully understood, and there is no effective cure for pneumoconiosis. Clarifying the pathogenesis of pneumoconiosis and exploring relevant markers can help screen high-risk groups of dust exposure, and relevant markers can also be used as targets to intervene in the process of pulmonary fibrosis. The in-depth development of genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics has provided a new way to discover more potential markers of pneumoconiosis. In the future, the combination of multi-omics and multi-stage interactive analysis can systematically and comprehensively identify key genes (proteins) , metabolites and metabolic pathways in the occurrence and development of pneumoconiosis, build a core regulatory network, and then screen out sensitive markers related to early diagnosis and treatment of pneumoconiosis. This article summarizes the research progress of pneumoconiosis markers from the perspective of multi-omics, hoping to provide more basic data for the early prevention and diagnosis of pneumoconiosis, pathogenesis research, and therapeutic intervention.
Topics: Pneumoconiosis; Biomarkers; Humans; Proteomics; Genomics; Multiomics
PubMed: 38802314
DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn121094-20230321-00089 -
Zhonghua Lao Dong Wei Sheng Zhi Ye Bing... May 2024To select chest CT image patterns for the diagnosis of pneumoconiosis and establish a method for determining the profusion of circular small shadows in chest CT. In...
To select chest CT image patterns for the diagnosis of pneumoconiosis and establish a method for determining the profusion of circular small shadows in chest CT. In April 2021, 66 cases of occupational pneumoconiosis patients with digital radiography (DR) chest radiographs and chest CT imaging data with circular small shadow as the main manifestations were selected as the study objects. 1.5 mm and 5 mm chest CT axial images, 1 mm and 5 mm chest CT coronal multi-plane recombination (MPR) images, and 5 mm chest CT coronal maximum intensity projection (MIP) images were used to observe the different characteristics of pneumoconiosis patients, and were compared and analyzed with DR chest radiographs to establish the experimental chest CT standards. The consistency of the profusion results between the experimental chest CT standards and GBZ 70-2015 Diagnosis of Occupational Pneumoconiosis was verified. All the 66 objects were male, including 33 cases of stage Ⅰ pneumoconiosis, 17 cases of stage Ⅱ pneumoconiosis and 16 cases of stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis. By observing five chest CT images of 66 objects, we found that chest CT images of different modes could clearly display and identify abnormal images such as small circular shadow, large shadow, small shadow aggregation, honeycomb glass shadow, flake glass shadow, uniform low-profusion glass shadow, mesh glass shadow, cable shadow, linear shadow, subpleural spinous shadow, subpleural nodules, various kinds of emphysema and lung texture distortion and fracture. Small shadow aggregation was usually accompanied by the appearance of large shadow. The vascular shadows in 5 mm CT images had good ductility, and small nodules were easy to distinguish. The coronal MIP image of 5 mm chest CT used edge enhancement technology, which was prone to small shadow fusion and fibrotic shadow fusion. The coronal MPR image of 5 mm chest CT was highly consistent with the DR chest radiographs in terms of the integrity of film reading. GBZ 70-2015 standard was used to compare the profusion of DR chest radiographs and 5 mm chest CT coronal MPR images of 66 objects, and the consistency test Kappa=0.64. GBZ 70-2015 standard and experimental chest CT standard were used to compare the profusion results of DR chest radiographs and 5 mm chest CT coronal MPR images of 66 objects, respectively, and the consistency test Kappa=0.80, with high consistency. 5 mm coronal MPR image is suitable for chest CT imaging in the diagnosis of pneumoconiosis. Following the selection path and method of GBZ 70-2015 profusion criterion, the established experimental chest CT standard in determining the profusion of small circular shadows in 5 mm coronal MPR images of chest CT with pneumoconiosis has a high consistency with GBZ 70-2015 standard.
Topics: Humans; Pneumoconiosis; Male; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Radiography, Thoracic; Middle Aged; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Lung; Aged
PubMed: 38802310
DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn121094-20221226-00607 -
Zhonghua Lao Dong Wei Sheng Zhi Ye Bing... May 2024To analyze the comprehensive blood inflammation index of the patients with stage I pneumoconiosis complicated with pulmonary infection, and to explore its value in...
To analyze the comprehensive blood inflammation index of the patients with stage I pneumoconiosis complicated with pulmonary infection, and to explore its value in predicting the patients' disease. In September 2023, 83 patients with stage I pneumoconiosis who were treated in Tianjin Occupational Diseases Precaution and Therapeutic Hospital from November 2021 to August 2023 were selected and divided into non-infected group (56 cases) and infected group (27 cases) according to whether they were combined with lung infection. Workers with a history of dust exposure but diagnosed without pneumoconiosis during the same period were selected as the control group (65 cases) . By referring to medical records and collecting clinical data such as gender, age, occupational history, past medical history, hematology testing, the differences in the comprehensive blood inflammation indexes among the three groups were compared, ROC curve was drawn, and the relationship between comprehensive blood inflammation indexes and stage I pneumoconiosis and its combined lung infection was analyzed. There were significtant differences in the number of neutrophils (N) , the number of lymphocytes (L) , the number of monocytes (M) , C-reactive protein (CRP) , the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) , the monocyte to lymphocyte ratio (MLR) , the platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) , the systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) , the systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) , the aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI) , the derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) , the neutrophil to lymphocyte and platelet ratio (NLPR) , and the C-reactive protein to lymphocyte ratio (CLR) (<0.05) . Compared with the control group, MLR, SIRI and AISI in the non-infected group were significantly increased (<0.05) . NLR, MLR, PLR, SII, SIRI, AISI, dNLR, NLPR, CLR were significantly increased (<0.05) . Compared with the non-infected group, NLR, PLR, SII, SIRI, AISI, dNLR, NLPR and CLR were significantly increased in the infected group (<0.05) . ROC analysis showed that NLR, MLR, PLR, SII, SIRI and AISI had a certain predictive capability for stage I pneumoconiosis (<0.05) , among which MLR had the highest efficacy, with an AUC of 0.791 (95% : 0.710-0.873) , the cut-off value was 0.18, the sensitivity was 71.4%, and the specificity was 78.5%. NLR, MLR, PLR, SII, SIRI, AISI, dNLR, NLPR and CLR all had a certain predictive capability forstage I pneumoconiosis combined lung infection (<0.05) , among which CLR had the highest efficacy, with an AUC of 0.904 (95%: 0.824~0.985) , the cut-off value was 5.33, sensitivity was 77.8%, specificity was 98.2%. The comprehensive blood inflammation index may be an auxiliary predictor of stage I pneumoconiosis and its combined lung infections.
Topics: Humans; Pneumoconiosis; Male; Inflammation; C-Reactive Protein; Neutrophils; Lymphocytes; Female; Middle Aged; Lymphocyte Count; Monocytes; Occupational Exposure; Leukocyte Count
PubMed: 38802308
DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn121094-20231010-00081 -
Zhonghua Lao Dong Wei Sheng Zhi Ye Bing... May 2024To investigate the current status of disease burden and its influencing factors among welder's pneumoconiosis patients, and provide scientific basis for taking targeted...
To investigate the current status of disease burden and its influencing factors among welder's pneumoconiosis patients, and provide scientific basis for taking targeted intervention measures. From June 2022 to June 2023, the patients with welder's pneumoconiosis in Jiangsu Province were selected from 1956 to 2020 as the research objects, and disability adjusted life years (DALY) were used as the comprehensive index to study the disease burden. The direct and indirect economic losses caused by the diseases were calculated, and the factors affecting the disease burden were discussed by multiple linear regression method. A total of 974 cases of welder's pneumoconiosis were reported in Jiangsu Province, the cumulative loss of DALY was 6300.73 person-years, and the per capita loss was 6.47 person-years. Among them, the healthy life years lost due to disability (YLD) was 6156.50 person-years (97.71%) , and the healthy life years lost due to premature death (YLL) was 144.23 person-years (2.29%) . Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the main factors affecting DALY were disability grade, diagnostic age, pneumoconiosis grade and length of dust exposure (<0.05) . The total economic loss caused by 974 welder's pneumoconiosis patients was 1831838160.18 yuan, and the per capita loss was 1880737.33 yuan. Among them, the direct economic loss was 970917563.75 yuan (53.00%) , and the indirect economic loss was 860920596.43 yuan (47.00%) . Welder's pneumoconiosis causes serious disease burden to patients, and at the same time causes huge economic losses to individuals and society, which seriously hinders the development of society. Taking effective control measures to prevent the incidence of welder's pneumoconiosis is the key to reduce the disease burden.
Topics: Humans; Pneumoconiosis; China; Male; Cost of Illness; Welding; Disability-Adjusted Life Years; Middle Aged; Occupational Diseases; Female; Occupational Exposure; Adult
PubMed: 38802306
DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn121094-20230713-00248