Shufang Chang

Machine Learning‐Based Thermal Imaging for Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia Detection

ABSTRACT Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) is increasing in prevalence, yet screening options remain limited and existing diagnostic methods show low accuracy. This study evaluates infrared thermal imaging as an alternative screening approach for VIN detection. We analyzed thermal images from 51 patients with histopathologically confirmed VIN, captured using a FLIR A400 thermal camera. Temperature distributions of healthy vulvar tissue were first characterized to establish baseline values. Thermal features of VIN lesions were then extracted and optimized using principal component analysis (PCA). Three machine learning models—support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and linear discriminant analysis (LDA)—were trained and evaluated for VIN diagnosis. SVM demonstrated the best performance with an F 1 score of 75% and accuracy of 74.19%. These findings suggest that machine learning‐based infrared thermography shows promise as a non‐invasive screening tool for VIN detection.

A retrospective study of focused ultrasound versus cryotherapy in treatment of cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions

To compare the efficacy and safety of focused ultrasound (FUS) therapy and cryotherapy for cervical squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL). In this retrospective study, data pertaining to women treated for cervical SIL with FUS therapy or cryotherapy at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between 21 April 2018 and 31 August 2020 were obtained. The patients were followed up after 3-6 and 6-12 months. The proportions of women with no evidence of disease, recurrent disease, clearance of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and adverse effects or complications were determined. Of the 250 women with complete data who were included in the study, 144 and 106 received FUS therapy and cryotherapy, respectively. Overall, FUS therapy was observed to be more effective than cryotherapy (91.7 vs. 79.2%, The results of this study suggest that FUS therapy is superior to cryotherapy in the treatment of cervical LSIL.

Effectiveness and immune responses of focused ultrasound ablation for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

To investigate the safety, efficacy, and the immune responses of focused ultrasound in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Patients with biopsy-confirmed CIN were recruited for focused ultrasound treatment and asked to return during 3-6 and 6-12 months post-treatment to receive cervical cytology, high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) detection, and colposcopy. The effective rate was evaluated within 3-6 months, whereas the recurrence rate was evaluated within 6-12 months. Cervicovaginal lavage and cervical tissue were sampled before and 3-6 months after treatment. The expression of interferon gamma (IFN-γ), endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1), human leucocyte antigen I (HLA-I), cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4), and cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8) in the cervical tissue were observed by immunohistochemistry. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) levels in the cervicovaginal lavage were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Comparisons were made in immune analyte levels before and after treatment. We analyzed the results of 154 patients. The effective rate at 3-6 months was 96.8%. The recurrence rate at 6-12 months was 2.0%. The eradication rate of HPV was 72.4% at 3-6 months and 81.0% at 6-12 months. No serious adverse reactions and complications were observed. After treatment, a higher expression of ERAP1 was observed ( Focused ultrasound is an effective and safe therapy for treating CIN, which could improve the local immune milieu of the cervix to some extent.