bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Successful management plan of COVID-19 in a pediatric hemato-oncology department: a single-centre experience
Authors: Stellato Pio , Granata Annalisa , De Matteo Antonia , Capelli Carlo , Paparo Matteo , Parasole Rosanna , Ricciardi Immacolata , Tambaro Francesco Paolo , Leone Ornella , Quaglietta Lucia , Menna Giuseppe , Silvestri Nicola
Published: September 2020

COVID-19 pandemic raised concern about management of patients with paediatric cancer. We present the operating system that the Hemato-Oncology Department of the Santobono-Pausilipon Hospital applied. We divided our department in three zones: surveillance and screening; quarantine and COVID free, in order to screen admitted patients and to reduce the risk of cross infection. From 3 April until 29 May 2020 (56 days), 662 patients and caregivers underwent rapid serological tests for a total of 1397 assays. No patient or parent with SARS-CoV2 infection was found, demonstrating the effectiveness of COVID-19 screening process.
Association between physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and clustered cardiovascular risk in South African children from disadvantaged communities: results from a cross-sectional study
Authors: Müller Ivan , Walter Cheryl , Du Randt Rosa , Aerts Ann , Adams Larissa , Degen Jan , Gall Stefanie , Joubert Nandi , Nqweniso Siphesihle , Des Rosiers Sarah , Smith Danielle , Seelig Harald , Steinmann Peter , Wadhwani Christina , Probst-Hensch Nicole , Utzinger Jürg , Pühse Uwe , Gerber Markus
Published: September 2020

Background/Aim

Physical inactivity (PIA) is a growing global health problem and evidence suggests that PIA is a key driver for cardiovascular and chronic diseases. Recent data from South Africa revealed that only about half of the children achieved recommended daily physical activity (PA) levels. Assessing the intensity of PA in children from low socioeconomic communities in low-income and middle-income countries is important to estimate the extent of cardiovascular risk and overall impact on health.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional survey in eight quintile 3 primary schools in disadvantaged communities in the Port Elizabeth region, South Africa. Children aged 10–15 years were subjected to PA, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose and skinfold thickness assessments. Cardiovascular risk markers were converted into standardised z-scores and summed, to obtain a clustered cardiovascular risk score.

Results

Overall, 650 children had complete data records. 40.8% of the children did not meet recommended PA levels (ie, logged <60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day). If quartiles were developed based on children’s cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and MVPA levels, a significant difference was found in clustered cardiovascular risk among children in the highest versus lowest fitness (p<0.001) or MVPA (p<0.001) quartiles.

Conclusions

CRF and objectively assessed PA are closely linked with children’s clustered cardiovascular risk. Given that 4 out of 10 South African schoolchildren from marginalised communities do not meet international PA recommendations, efforts should be made to ensure that promoting a physically active lifestyle is recognised as an important educational goal in primary schools.

Trial registration numbers

ISRCTN68411960 and H14-HEA-HMS-002.
Postgraduate education among family and community physicians in Brazil: theTrajetórias MFCproject
Authors: Fontenelle Leonardo Ferreira , Rossi Stephani Vogt , Oliveira Miguel Henrique Moraes de , Brandão Diego José , Sarti Thiago Dias
Published: September 2020

Objective

Our objective was to describe the postgraduate education trajectories of family and community physicians in Brazil, where neither primary healthcare nor family and community medicine is recognised as a knowledge area for the purpose of research and postgraduate education (master’s and PhD degrees).

Design

An observational, exploratory study, using administrative data. A nationwide list of family and community physicians as of late November 2018 was compiled from multiple sources. Data on the mode of specialisation was obtained from the same sources and were correlated with data on master’s and PhD degrees, obtained from the curricula vitae on the Lattes Platform.

Setting

This study was set in Brazil.

Participants

6238 family and community physicians (58.3% female), of whom 2795 had earned a specialist certificate (identified from the list of physicians certified by Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina de Família e Comunidade) and 3957 had completed medical residency (identified from SisCNRM, the national information system for medical residency).

Results

A master’s degree was held by 747 (12.0%) family and community physicians, and a PhD by 170 (2.7%); most degrees were in collective health (47.0% and 42%, respectively). Men were more likely than women to hold a master’s degree (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.24, 95% uncertainty interval (UI) 1.07–1.45) and even more likely to a hold PhD (aOR 1.86, 95% UI 1.35–2.59). Family and community physicians were also less likely to hold a PhD degree if their master’s degree was professional (oriented towards jobs outside academia) instead of academic (aOR 0.15, 95% UI 0.05–0.39) or in some area other than collective health or medicine (aOR 0.41, 95% UI 0.21–0.78, compared with a master’s degree in collective health). The postgraduate degree was more likely to precede specialisation for family and community physicians specialising through certification (master’s degree 39.9%, PhD 33%) than through medical residency (master’s degree 9.1%, PhD 6%).

Conclusion

Family and community physicians in Brazil increasingly earn academic and professional master’s and PhD degrees, with an emphasis on collective health, even though women seemingly face barriers to advance their education. The consequences of different postgraduate trajectories should be critically examined.
Positivity for SATB2 distinguishes Islet1 positive rectal neuroendocrine tumours from pancreaticoduodenal neuroendocrine tumours
Authors: Mohanty Sambit Kumar , Tiwari Ankit , Bhardwaj Nitin , Chuang Fai , Kim Evelyn , Lugo Hector , Yuan Xiaopu , Diffalha Sameer Al , Peralta-Venturina Mariza , Balzer Bonnie , Dhall Deepti
Published: September 2020

Aims

Determining the site of origin of a metastatic neuroendocrine tumour (NET) can be challenging and has important prognostic and therapeutic implications. An immunohistochemical (IHC) panel consisting of TTF1, CDX2, PAX8/PAX6 and Islet1 is often employed. However, there can be a significant IHC overlap among different primary sites. Herein, we sought to determine the utility of including Special AT-rich sequence binding protein-2 (SATB2) in the IHC panel that is used for determining the site of origin of a metastatic NET.

Methods

Paraffin tissue microarrays consisting of 137 primary NETs (26 lung, 22 jejunoileal, 8 appendix, 5 stomach, 4 duodenum, 17 rectum and 55 pancreas) were stained for SATB2, in addition to the well-described lineage-associated markers, such as TTF1, CDX2, PAX6 and Islet1. Additionally, a tissue microarray consisting of 21 metastatic NETs (1 lung, 1 stomach, 8 jejunoileal and 11 pancreas) was stained for TTF1, CDX2, SATB2 and Islet1. The results were recorded as no staining, weak staining and moderate to strong staining.

Results

All appendiceal NETs and majority (88%) of the rectal NETs were positive for SATB2. All primary foregut NETs (stomach, pancreas, duodenum and lung) were negative for SATB2, except for one pulmonary NET with weak staining. However, among the metastatic tumours, 5 of 11 pancreatic NETs, 1 stomach NET, 1 lung NET and 2 of 8 jejunoileal NETs showed weak staining. Receiver operating characteristic analysis incorporating sensitivity and specificity data of IHC panel, considering moderate to strong staining as truly positive cases, showed that inclusion of SATB2 to the previously described NET IHC panel outperformed the panel without SATB2, raising the specificity for pancreaticoduodenal NETs from 81.2% to 100%, with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 100% and negative predictive value (NPV) of 82.22% (p<0.0001); for appendiceal NETs the specificity changed from 99.1% to 98.5% and sensitivity increased from 11.8% to 80%, with a PPV and NPV of 66.67% and 99.26%, respectively (p<0.0001); and for rectal NETs the specificity increased from 97.6% to 99.3% and sensitivity raised from 7.1% to 66.7%, with a PPV and NPV of 80% and 98.53%, respectively (p<0.0001).

Conclusions

SATB2 stain is useful in differentiatingIslet1/PAX6 positive pancreatic and rectal NETs, as rectal NETs are typically moderately to strongly positive for SATB2 and pancreatic NETs are usually negative or weakly positive for SATB2. Moderate to strong staining for SATB2 is suggestive of an appendiceal or a rectal primary. SATB2 may complement the panel of CDX2, TTF1 and Islet1 in determining the site of origin of an NET in a metastatic setting.
Diagnostic concordance and discordance in digital pathology: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Azam Ayesha S , Miligy Islam M , Kimani Peter K-U , Maqbool Heeba , Hewitt Katherine , Rajpoot Nasir M , Snead David R J
Published: September 2020

Background

Digital pathology (DP) has the potential to fundamentally change the way that histopathology is practised, by streamlining the workflow, increasing efficiency, improving diagnostic accuracy and facilitating the platform for implementation of artificial intelligence–based computer-assisted diagnostics. Although the barriers to wider adoption of DP have been multifactorial, limited evidence of reliability has been a significant contributor. A meta-analysis to demonstrate the combined accuracy and reliability of DP is still lacking in the literature.

Objectives

We aimed to review the published literature on the diagnostic use of DP and to synthesise a statistically pooled evidence on safety and reliability of DP for routine diagnosis (primary and secondary) in the context of validation process.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search was conducted through PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar for studies published between 2013 and August 2019. The search protocol identified all studies comparing DP with light microscopy (LM) reporting for diagnostic purposes, predominantly including H&E-stained slides. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool evidence from the studies.

Results

Twenty-five studies were deemed eligible to be included in the review which examined a total of 10 410 histology samples (average sample size 176). For overall concordance (clinical concordance), the agreement percentage was 98.3% (95% CI 97.4 to 98.9) across 24 studies. A total of 546 major discordances were reported across 25 studies. Over half (57%) of these were related to assessment of nuclear atypia, grading of dysplasia and malignancy. These were followed by challenging diagnoses (26%) and identification of small objects (16%).

Conclusion

The results of this meta-analysis indicate equivalent performance of DP in comparison with LM for routine diagnosis. Furthermore, the results provide valuable information concerning the areas of diagnostic discrepancy which may warrant particular attention in the transition to DP.
Helicobacter pyloricolonisation of duodenal foveolar metaplasia requires concurrent gastric infection
Authors: Booth Adam L , Gonzalez Raul S
Published: September 2020

Aims

Evaluate the rate and significance ofHelicobacter pylori(H. pylori) involving duodenal foveolar metaplasia of chronic peptic duodenitis (CPD).

Methods

We identified 100 biopsy cases of CPD with synchronous stomach biopsies. All 200 were reviewed for histological changes (eg, chronic gastritis, acute inflammation) and underwent immunohistochemical staining forH. pylori. Results were correlated with patient age, sex, endoscopy indication and findings on stomach biopsy.

Results

Cases included 49 men and 51 women, with a median age of 56 years. Reflux or dysphagia was the most common symptom. Chronic gastritis was present in 46 stomach biopsies, with 54 within normal limits. Twelve stomach biopsies showedH. pylori, all of which showed gastritis. Two duodenal biopsies (2%) demonstratedH. pyloriorganisms on immunohistochemistry, both from patients withH. pylorigastritis.

Conclusions

Routine examination of CPD samples forH. pyloriappears unnecessary if a stomach biopsy is available for review.
Disease mechanism, biomarker and therapeutics for spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA)
Authors: Hashizume Atsushi , Fischbeck Kenneth H , Pennuto Maria , Fratta Pietro , Katsuno Masahisa
Published: September 2020

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is a hereditary neuromuscular disorder caused by CAG trinucleotide expansion in the gene encoding the androgen receptor (AR). In the central nervous system, lower motor neurons are selectively affected, whereas pathology of patients and animal models also indicates involvement of skeletal muscle including loss of fast-twitch type 2 fibres and increased slow-twitch type 1 fibres, together with a glycolytic-to-oxidative metabolic switch. Evaluation of muscle and fat using MRI, in addition to biochemical indices such as serum creatinine level, are promising biomarkers to track the disease progression. The serum level of creatinine starts to decrease before the onset of muscle weakness, followed by the emergence of hand tremor, a prodromal sign of the disease. Androgen-dependent nuclear accumulation of the polyglutamine-expanded AR is an essential step in the pathogenesis, providing therapeutic opportunities via hormonal manipulation and gene silencing with antisense oligonucleotides. Animal studies also suggest that hyperactivation of Src, alteration of autophagy and a mitochondrial deficit underlie the neuromuscular degeneration in SBMA and provide alternative therapeutic targets.
Parkinson’s disease determinants, prediction and gene–environment interactions in the UK Biobank
Authors: Jacobs Benjamin Meir , Belete Daniel , Bestwick Jonathan , Blauwendraat Cornelis , Bandres-Ciga Sara , Heilbron Karl , Dobson Ruth , Nalls Mike A , Singleton Andrew , Hardy John , Giovannoni Gavin , Lees Andrew John , Schrag Anette-Eleonore , Noyce Alastair J
Published: September 2020

Objective

To systematically investigate the association of environmental risk factors and prodromal features with incident Parkinson’s disease (PD) diagnosis and the interaction of genetic risk with these factors. To evaluate whether existing risk prediction algorithms are improved by the inclusion of genetic risk scores.

Methods

We identified individuals with an incident diagnosis of PD (n=1276) and controls (n=500 406) in UK Biobank. We determined the association of risk factors with incident PD using adjusted logistic regression models. We constructed polygenic risk scores (PRSs) using external weights and selected the best PRS from a subset of the cohort (30%). The PRS was used in a separate testing set (70%) to examine gene–environment interactions and compare predictive models for PD.

Results

Strong evidence of association (false discovery rate <0.05) was found between PD and a positive family history of PD, a positive family history of dementia, non-smoking, low alcohol consumption, depression, daytime somnolence, epilepsy and earlier menarche. Individuals with the highest 10% of PRSs had increased risk of PD (OR 3.37, 95% CI 2.41 to 4.70) compared with the lowest risk decile. A higher PRS was associated with earlier age at PD diagnosis and inclusion of the PRS in the PREDICT-PD algorithm led to a modest improvement in model performance. We found evidence of an interaction between the PRS and diabetes.

Interpretation

Here, we used UK Biobank data to reproduce several well-known associations with PD, to demonstrate the validity of a PRS and to demonstrate a novel gene–environment interaction, whereby the effect of diabetes on PD risk appears to depend on background genetic risk for PD.
Early clinical surrogates for outcome prediction after stroke thrombectomy in daily clinical practice
Authors: Meyer Lukas , Broocks Gabriel , Bechstein Matthias , Flottmann Fabian , Leischner Hannes , Brekenfeld Caspar , Schön Gerhard , Deb-Chatterji Milani , Alegiani Anna , Thomalla Götz , Fiehler Jens , Kniep Helge , Hanning Uta
Published: September 2020

Background and purpose

To investigate early clinical surrogates for long-term independency of patients treated with thrombectomy for large vessel occlusion stroke in daily clinical routine.

Methods

All patients with anterior circulation stroke enrolled in the German Stroke Registry-Endovascular Treatment from 07/2015 to 04/2018 were analysed. National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on admission, NIHSS percentage change, NIHSS delta and NIHSS at 24 hours as well as existing binary definitions of early neurological improvement (ENI; improvement of 8 (major ENI)/10 (dramatic ENI) NIHSS points or reaching 0/1 were compared for predicting functional outcome at 90 days using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Excellent and favourable outcome were defined as 0–1 and 0–2, respectively.

Results

Among 2262 endovasculary treated patients with acute ischaemic anterior circulation stroke, NIHSS at 24 hours had the highest discriminative ability to predict excellent (receiver operator characteristics (ROC)NIHSS 24 hoursarea under the curve (AUC) 0.86 (0.84–0.88)) and favourable long-term functional outcome (ROCNIHSS 24 hoursAUC 0.86 (0.85–0.88)) in comparison to NIHSS percentage change (ROC% changeAUC mRS ≤1: 0.81 (0.78–0.83) mRS ≤2: 0.81 (0.79–0.83)), NIHSS delta change (ROCΔ changeAUC mRS ≤1: 0.74 (0.72–0.77), mRS ≤2: 0.77 (0.74–0.79)) and NIHSS admission (ROCAdmAUC mRS ≤1: 0.70 (0.68–0.73), mRS ≤2: 0.67 (0.68–0.71)). Advanced age was the only independent predictor (adjusted OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.07, p<0.001) for turning the outcome prognosis from favourable (mRS ≤2) to poor (mRS ≥4) at 90 days.

Conclusion

The NIHSS at 24 hours postintervention with a threshold of ≤8 points serves best as a surrogate for long-term functional outcome after thrombectomy for anterior circulation stroke in daily clinical practice. Only advanced age significantly decreases its predictive value.
Different strokes: differences in the characteristics and outcomes of BCVI and non-BCVI strokes in trauma patients
Authors: McNutt Michelle K , Slovacek Cedar , Rosenbaum David , Indupuru Hari Kishan Reddy , Zhang Xu , Cotton Bryan A , Harvin John , Wade Charles E , Savitz Sean I , Kao Lillian S
Published: September 2020

Background

Although strokes are rare in trauma patients, they are associated with worse functional and cognitive outcomes and decreased mobility. Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI)–related strokes and mortality have decreased, likely due to refined screening and treatment algorithms in trauma literature; however, there is a paucity of research addressing non-BCVI strokes in trauma. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the incidence, etiology, and risk factors of stroke in our trauma population in order to identify preventive strategies.

Methods

This study was a retrospective review of all adult trauma patients admitted to a level 1 trauma hospital who suffered a stroke during trauma admission from 2010 to 2017. Data were collected from the prospectively maintained trauma and stroke databases. Stroke etiology was determined by a vascular neurologist.

Results

Of the 43 674 adult trauma patients admitted during the study period, 99 (0.2%) were diagnosed with a stroke during the index admission. Twenty-one (21%) strokes were due to BCVI. Seventy-eight (79%) strokes were due to non-BCVI etiologies. Patients with non-BCVI strokes were older, less severely injured, and had more medical comorbidities compared with patients with a BCVI stroke. While patients with a BCVI stroke were more likely to suffer multiple traumatic injuries from MVC (76% vs 28%, p<0.001), non-BCVI strokes had more isolated extremity injuries from fall mechanism (55% vs 10%, p<0.001). Over the study period, the age and incidence of stroke and BCVI (p<0.001) increased. However, the rate of BCVI strokes decreased while the rate of non-BCVI strokes increased.

Discussion

The incidence of stroke has increased despite aggressive screening and treatment of BCVI. This increase is primarily due to non-BCVI strokes which are associated with advanced age and medical comorbidities after low mechanism traumatic injury. Medical optimization of comorbid conditions during trauma hospitalization will become increasingly important for stroke prevention as the population ages.

Level of evidence: Level III
Perspectives on perioperative management of children’s surgical conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic in low-income and middle-income countries: a global survey
Authors: Truche Paul , Bowder Alexis , Lalla Amber Trujillo , Crum Robert , Botelho Fabio , Rice Henry Elliot , Lopes Bellisa Caldas , Greenberg Sarah , Evans Faye , Meara John Gerard , Ameh Emmanuel Adoyi , Mooney David Patrick
Published: September 2020

Background

Many organizations have issued recommendations to limit elective surgery during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We surveyed providers of children’s surgical care working in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) to understand their perspectives on surgical management in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and how they were subsequently modifying their surgical care practices.

Methods

A survey of children’s surgery providers in LMICs was performed. Respondents reported how their perioperative practice had changed in response to COVID-19. They were also presented with 26 specific procedures and asked which of these procedures they were allowed to perform and which they felt they should be allowed to perform. Changes in surgical practice reported by respondents were analyzed thematically.

Results

A total of 132 responses were obtained from 120 unique institutions across 30 LMICs. 117/120 institutions (97.5%) had issued formal guidance on delaying or limiting elective children’s surgical procedures. Facilities in LICs were less likely to have issued guidance on elective surgery compared with middle-income facilities (82% in LICs vs 99% in lower middle-income countries and 100% in upper middle-income countries, p=0.036). Although 122 (97%) providers believed cases should be limited during a global pandemic, there was no procedure where more than 61% of providers agreed cases should be delayed or canceled.

Conclusions

There is little consensus on which procedures should be limited or delayed among LMIC providers. Expansion of testing capacity and local, context-specific guidelines may be a better strategy than international consensus, given the disparities in availability of preoperative testing and the lack of consensus towards which procedures should be delayed.
Pretrained Embeddings for Stance Detection with Hierarchical Capsule Network on Social Media
Authors: Zhao Guangzhen , Yang Peng
Published: September 2020

Stance detection on social media aims to identify the stance of social media users toward a topic or claim, which can provide powerful information for various downstream tasks. Many existing stance detection approaches neglect to model the deep semantic representation information in tweets and do not explore aggregating the hierarchical features among words, thus degrading performance. To address these issues, this article proposes a novel deep learning approach
P
retrained
E
mbeddings for Stance Detection with
H
ierarchical
C
apsule
N
etwork (PE-HCN) without complicated preprocessing. Specifically, PE-HCN first adopts a pretrained language model and then uses a related textual entailment task for fine-tuning to obtain the deep textual representations of tweets. The PE-HCN approach extends the dynamic routing scheme to cope with these deep textual representations by utilizing primary capsules for routing the information among words in each tweet and applying secondary capsules to transmit the aggregated features to each category capsule accordingly. Moreover, to improve the confidences of the category capsules, we design an adaptive feedback mechanism to dynamically strengthen the routing signals. Through experiments on three benchmark datasets, compared with the state-of-the-art baselines, the extensive results exhibit that PE-HCN achieves competitive improvements of up to 6.32%, 2.09%, and 1.8%, respectively.
Using Collaborative Technologies and Social Media to Engage Citizens and Governments during the COVID-19 Crisis. The Case of Spain
Authors: Criado J. Ignacio , Guevara-Gómez Ariana , Villodre Julián
Published: September 2020

During the COVID-19 crisis, governments around the world have been organizing activities to foster citizens’ participation during the lockdown. In Germany and Estonia, for example, their governments launched civic hackathons during March 2020 to find new solutions to the challenges associated with the COVID-19 crisis. This article is intended to provide evidence about the utilization of collaborative and social platforms to foster co-production with citizens during the COVID-19 crisis in Spain. In the case of “Frena la Curva,” (Flattening the Curve), a
metalab
fostered by the innovation lab of the regional Government of Aragon, the scalability of the platform has even facilitated spreading this collaborative initiative to different countries. Regarding the use of social media hashtags, including “#EsteVirusLoParamosUnidos,” Spanish authorities have encouraged citizen-networked co-production for communication and crisis coordination. These two cases illustrate how digital platforms have been used to offer a more agile response to COVID-19.
Insect Transmission of Plant Single-Stranded DNA Viruses
Authors: Wang Xiao-Wei , Blanc Stéphane
Published: September 2020

Of the approximately 1,200 plant virus species that have been described to date, nearly one-third are single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses, and all are transmitted by insect vectors. However, most studies of vector transmission of plant viruses have focused on RNA viruses. All known plant ssDNA viruses belong to two economically important families, Geminiviridae and Nanoviridae, and in recent years, there have been increased efforts to understand whether they have evolved similar relationships with their respective insect vectors. This review describes the current understanding of ssDNA virus–vector interactions, including how these viruses cross insect vector cellular barriers, the responses of vectors to virus circulation, the possible existence of viral replication within insect vectors, and the three-way virus–vector–plant interactions. Despite recent breakthroughs in our understanding of these viruses, many aspects of plant ssDNA virus transmission remain elusive. More effort is needed to identify insect proteins that mediate the transmission of plant ssDNA viruses and to understand the complex virus–insect–plant three-way interactions in the field during natural infection.
A Sensitive Carbon Paste Electrode for Selective Detection of Lead Based on the Synergistic Effect of Bismuth and Chelating Agent
Authors: Yang Qingui , Yang Chun , Yi Jian , Fan Gaochao , Yang Haipeng , Ge Zaochuan
Published: September 2020

A new type of carbon paste electrode (CPE) has been prepared by mixing bismuth oxide, diphenyl thiocarbazone and graphite powder (Bi-Di-CPE). Trace amount of Pb2+ has been detected via the differential pulse stripping voltammetry (DPV) method with Bi-Di-CPE, which exhibits an extremely high sensitivity about lead. The peak current of Bi-Di-CPE has a linear relationship with the concentration of lead in the range of 5–80 μg l−1, and the limit of detection is as low as 0.15 μg l−1, which meets the detection requirements of heavy metals in tap water (Pb ≤ 10 μg l−1) or in river water (Pb ≤ 50 μg l−1). The diphenyl thiocarbazone acts as a chelating agent which can selectively enriching lead. The bismuth oxide can provide bismuth film and further enriches the lead as a bismuth electrode in the electrodeposition process. The synergistic effect of the chelating agent and bismuth film of the Bi-Di-CPE brings high sensitivity and selectivity to detect heavy metals. Different kinds of modified CPE sensors towards different heavy metals with low cost and high performance may be achieved conveniently by using bismuth particles and corresponding chelating agents.
Unsteady RANS Modeling of Flow around Two-Dimensional Rectangular Cylinders with Different Side Ratios at Reynolds Number 6.85 × 105
Authors: Wang Shubiao , Cheng Wenming , Du Run , Wang Yupu
Published: September 2020

In practical engineering, the Reynolds number (Re) of box girder structure is usually very high (Re ≥ 105), while most investigations of the flow around bluff bodies are concentrated on relatively lower Reynolds numbers (i.e., Re = 103–104). This paper presented a numerical study of the unsteady flow around two-dimensional rectangular cylinders under a Reynolds number of 6.85 × 105 with different side ratios (R = b/h, width to height) ranging from 0.1 to 4.0. Three unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) two-equation k-ε turbulence models (standard, RNG, and realizable) were adopted in the study. The realizable k-ε model was chosen because it was found to perform the best among three models in the main aerodynamic integral parameters. According to the distinctions of aerodynamic characteristics with different side ratios, three regimes were divided and discussed in detail. The distribution of surface pressure over cylinders, the wake parameters, and vorticity contours of the rectangular cylinders with different side ratios were discussed.
Impact of Arterial Hypertension on Left Atrial Size and Function
Authors: Ikejder Youssef , Sebbani Majda , Hendy Iliass , Khramz Mounia , Khatouri Ali , Bendriss Laila
Published: September 2020

An increase in left atrial (LA) size in patients with arterial hypertension (AHT) has long been known to be associated with worse cardiovascular morbidity and mortality contributes to various complications, including atrial arrhythmias, stroke, and heart failure. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of arterial hypertension (AHT) on the LA size and function. This cross‐sectional investigation included one hundred patients with essential hypertension without valvular or structural heart disease and atrial fibrillation. All recruits had a transthoracic echocardiography. LA volumes were measured by area‐length method in transthoracic echocardiography at different cardiac cycle times. The indices of LA function were calculated: the reservoir function (total emptying fraction, total emptying volume, and expansion index), the conduit function (passive emptying fraction and passive emptying volume), and the pump function (active emptying fraction and active emptying volume). For all statistical tests, a p value ≤0.05 (represents the degree of significance) is considered statistically significant. In univariate analysis, LA was dilated in 9% of patients. The LA reservoir function and the pump function were increased, respectively, in 85% and 82% of patients. LA conduit function was impaired in 80% of patients. In bivariate analysis, the most powerful factors for this repercussion were diabetes (LA volume MAX dilated in nondiabetic patients (p = 0.037)), obesity (the reservoir function was impaired in obese patients (p = 0.015)), and antihypertensive drugs (the reservoir function was impaired in patients who take beta blockers (p = 0.023); the LA pump function was significantly impaired in patients treated with calcium antagonists (p = 0.012)). This study proved the impact of AHT on the LA size and function. Further investigations are necessary to evaluate the potential predictive value of LA remodeling in hypertensive patients like speckle tracking imaging.
Numerical Simulation of Pipeline‐Pavement Damage Caused by Explosion of Leakage Gas in Buried PE Pipelines
Authors: Zhuohua Yang , Qing Ye , Zhenzhen Jia , He Li
Published: September 2020

In order to investigate the damage influence of the leakage explosion in urban gas pipeline on the surrounding environment, the numerical models of buried PE (polyethylene) pipes under urban pavement were established by using ANSYS/LS‐DYNA in this study. The reliability of the numerical models was verified on the basis of the explosion experiments. According to the amount of gas leakage, the TNT explosive equivalent was determined. The gas leakage explosion process of buried PE pipes was studied, and the pressure and stress changes of pipes and pavements under different explosive equivalents and buried depths were analyzed; at last, the deformation law of pipes and pavements were discussed. The results show that the PE pipes are fractured during the leakage explosion and a spherical explosion cavity is formed in the soil. The pavement above the explosion point bulges upward and forms a circle. The maximum pressure of pipe near the explosion point increases linearly with the increase of explosive equivalent, and a proportional relation is observed between the fracture width of pipe and the explosive equivalent. The degree and duration of pavement deformation increase significantly with the increase of explosive equivalents. The dynamic response of the pipes is rarely affected by the buried depth, and the change of maximum effective stress is no more than 7%. However, the buried depth is of great influence on the damage degree of pavement. When the buried depth increases from 0.9 m to 1.5 m, the pavement deformation can be reduced effectively. The variation rule of pavement deformation is similar to the change rule of maximum overpressure and effective plastic stress; they change in the form of concave functions with the increase of buried depth. The results can provide theoretical basis for municipal pipeline construction design and urban safety planning and provide references for the risk assessment of gas explosion in buried pipelines.
Hemodynamics in Shock Patients Assessed by Critical Care Ultrasound and Its Relationship to Outcome: A Prospective Study
Authors: Zou Tongjuan , Yin Wanhong , Li Yi , Deng Lijing , Zhou Ran , Wang Xiaoting , Chao Yangong , Zhang Lina , Kang Yan ,   Chinese Critical Ultrasound Study Group (CCUSG)
Published: September 2020

Background. Shock is one of the causes of mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU). Traditionally, hemodynamics related to shock have been monitored by broad‐spectrum devices with treatment guided by many inaccurate variables to describe the pathophysiological changes. Critical care ultrasound (CCUS) has been widely advocated as a preferred tool to monitor shock patients. The purpose of this study was to analyze and broaden current knowledge of the characteristics of ultrasonic hemodynamic pattern and investigate their relationship to outcome. Methods. This prospective study of shock patients in CCUS was conducted in 181 adult patients between April 2016 and June 2017 in the Department of Intensive Care Unit of West China Hospital. CCUS was performed within the initial 6 hours after shock patients were enrolled. The demographic and clinical characteristics, ultrasonic pattern of hemodynamics, and outcome were recorded. A stepwise bivariate logistic regression model was established to identify the correlation between ultrasonic variables and the 28‐day mortality. Results. A total of 181 patients with shock were included in our study (male/female: 113/68). The mean age was 58.2 ± 18.0 years; the mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II score) was 23.7 ± 8.7, and the 28‐day mortality was 44.8% (81/181). The details of ultrasonic pattern were well represented, and the multivariate analysis revealed that mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE), mitral annular peak systolic velocity (S ′‐MV), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), and lung ultrasound score (LUSS) were the independent risk factors for 28‐day mortality in our study, as well as APACHE II score, PaO2/FiO2, and lactate (p = 0.047, 0.041, 0.022, 0.002, 0.027, 0.028, and 0.01, respectively). Conclusions. CCUS exam on admission provided valuable information to describe the pathophysiological changes of shock patients and the mechanism of shock. Several critical variables obtained by CCUS were related to outcome, hence deserving more attention in clinical decision‐making. Trial Registration. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of West China Hospital Review Board for human research with the following reference number 201736 and was registered on ClinicalTrials. This trial is registered with NCT03082326 on 3 March 2017 (retrospectively registered).
Rare Presentation of Metastatic Lobular Breast Carcinoma Involving Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Ashman Dayne , Quiroga-Garza Gabriela , Lee Daniel
Published: September 2020

Although the first case of tumor-to-tumor metastasis was reported over a century ago, it remains a rare occurrence. We report a rare case of metastatic infiltrating lobular carcinoma involving clear cell renal cell carcinoma, as well as offer a brief literature review.
circHIPK3 Acts as Competing Endogenous RNA and Promotes Non‐Small‐Cell Lung Cancer Progression through the miR‐107/BDNF Signaling Pathway
Authors: Hong Weijun , Zhang Yajuan , Ding Jingyi , Yang Qilian , Xie Haixiang , Gao Xiwen
Published: September 2020

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) act as a crucial part in many human diseases, particularly in cancers. circRNA HIPK3 (circHIPK3) is a special circRNA that may participate in the oncogenesis of non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC), even though its latent regulatory mechanism is not very clear. Here, we studied the roles of circHIPK3 in NSCLC. qRT‐PCR assay was applied to study the expression of circHIPK3 in NSCLC. The influence of circHIPK3 on NSCLC was estimated by silencing circHIPK3 and miR‐107 mock transfection and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) overexpression, and the correlation between circHIPK3, miR‐107, and BDNF was evaluated by dual‐luciferase reporter assay. The results showed that circHIPK3 expression was upregulated in NSCLC cells. circHIPK3 knockdown inhibited the migration and proliferation of NSCLC cells by promoting the expression of miR‐107. circHIPK3 could be used as a miR‐107 sponge to promote BDNF cell proliferation. The dual‐luciferase reporter assay proved that miR‐107 was the target of circHIPK3, and miR‐107 had an interaction with the 3 ′untranslated region of BDNF. miR‐107 overexpression inhibited BDNF‐mediated NSCLC cell proliferation. These results indicate that circHIPK3 promotes tumor progression through a new circHIPK3/miR‐107/BDNF axis, which offers potential markers and medical treatment for NSCLC.
Integrated Weighted Distance Measure for Single-Valued Neutrosophic Linguistic Sets and Its Application in Supplier Selection
Authors: Zhang Erhua , Chen Fan , Zeng Shouzhen
Published: September 2020

The purpose of this study is to propose an integrated distance-based methodology for multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) within single-valued neutrosophic linguistic (SVNL) environments. A new SVNL distance measure, namely the SVNL integrated weighted distance (SVNLIWD) measure, is first developed for achieving the aim. The remarkable feature of the SVNLIWD is that it integrates both merits of ordered weighting and average weighting into aggregating SVNL distances; therefore, it can account for both the importance of aggregated deviations as well as ordered positions. Thus, it can highlight the decision makers’ subjective risk attitudes and combine the importance of objective decision information. Some distinctive characteristics and special forms of the presented distance framework are then specifically studied. Moreover, a MAGDM model on the basis of the proposed SVNLIWD form is formulated. Finally, an illustrative numerical case regarding selecting low-carbon supplier is used to test the performance of the designed method.
Acute Renal Failure after Abdominal Trauma: Renal Artery Spasm Hypothesis in Ischemic Infarction in a 12-Year-Old Girl
Authors: Roussel Aphaia , Delbet Jean-Daniel , Ulinski Tim
Published: September 2020

Posttraumatic renal failure is often due to postischemic renal infarction, caused by identified vascular lesions. In our patient, a 12-year-old girl with acute anuric renal failure requiring hemodialysis after severe abdominal trauma, no vascular lesion or thrombosis was identified. Nevertheless, CT-scan and renal biopsy showed typical lesions of diffuse bilateral renal ischemic necrosis. The main hypothesis is a severe bilateral arterial vasospasm after a blunt abdominal trauma. The patient recovered only partially with persisting chronic renal failure.
Broer-Kaup System with Corrections via Inverse Scattering Transform
Authors: Wang Xueru , Zhu Junyi
Published: September 2020

The Broer-Kaup system with corrections is considered. Based on the inverse scattering transform, we extend the perturbation theory to discuss the adiabatic approximate solution and ε-order approximate solution of one soliton to the Broer-Kaup system with corrections.
Link Quality Improvement of Long-Term Evolution and 802.11ax in High-Density Areas
Authors: Malekzadeh Mina
Published: September 2020

The 802.11ax high-efficiency wireless (HEW) particularly designed for high-density areas. However, dense areas have specific requirements that demand precise deployment strategies by network developers. In dense networks, a large number of users are simultaneously connected to the same channel; hence, the available bandwidth is divided among the users in such a way that joining more users can eventually saturate the network. Furthermore, in dense areas, a large number of closely spaced users are transmitting data at the same time. In such a heavily frequency interfered environment, the wireless link quality extremely degrades, which can practically render the network unavailable. Thereby, it is essential to determine the appropriate deployment options regarding the specific networks’ settings and configurations. Hence, this work proposes a network architecture model to determine the dual-band HEW performance in dense deployments. The model additionally includes long-term evolution (LTE) as the cellular alternative for high-density areas which is utilized by the model as the reference point for corresponding comparison purposes with HEW. The model is implemented, and link quality parameters are measured based on different aspects of the deployment options. To further validate the model and determine the optimization levels provided by the options, the simulation and analytical results are compared.
Surgery of Kerion, a Nightmare for Nondermatologists
Authors: Paudel Vikash
Published: September 2020

Kerion is an inflammatory type of tinea capitis characterized by swelling and alopecia of the scalp, which could be mistaken as bacterial infection. It occurs most frequently in children. We report a 10-year-old child whose kerion was misdiagnosed as bacterial abscess and unnecessarily incised. Later, her condition was rediagnosed as kerion based on clinical appearance and potassium hydroxide wet mount. The lesions resolved completely with systemic antifungal treatment, griseofulvin, leaving residual scarring alopecia. The delay in the proper diagnosis and inappropriate treatment of this patient resulted in permanent scarring alopecia. Thus, clinicians must have a high index of suspicion for tinea capitis when dealing with inflammatory scalp lesions.
Rapidly Progressive Pulmonary Apical Fibrosis and Parenchymal Destruction in a Patient with Ankylosing Spondylitis
Authors: Ulusoy Hasan , Tuna Nazmiye Tibel , Tanrivermis Sayit Aslı
Published: September 2020

Pulmonary apical fibrosis is a rare complication of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The essential characteristics of this lesion are its very slow progression and frequently asymptomatic nature. Herein, we are presenting a patient with AS who rapidly developed pulmonary apical fibrosis in a 3-year period despite decreased musculoskeletal pains. The 60-year-old male applied with complaints of progressively increasing cough in the recent two years, dyspnea, and fatigue. He had no chronic disease except AS. He had no continuous medication except nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs for 2-3 days monthly since his musculoskeletal pains decreased in the recent years. His physical examination revealed reduced breath sounds in the upper zones of the right lung. Chest X-ray revealed increased diffuse opacity in the upper zones of the right lung. Thoracic high-resolution computed tomography showed a consolidation accompanied with traction bronchiectases compatible with chronic fibrosis in the upper lobe of the right lung. However, thoracic computed tomography of the patient performed 3 years ago did not reveal pulmonary apical fibrosis and parenchymal destruction. Biopsy revealed no finding of malignancy, granulomatous inflammation, or vasculitis. The results of cultures were negative. So, the patient was diagnosed as pulmonary involvement of AS, which developed in a 3-year period. This case has shown that extra-articular complications may continue to develop in patients with AS even if their musculoskeletal complaints have subsided. So, patients with AS should be followed up regularly with systemic examinations.
Detecting Punctual Damage to Gears through the Continuous Morlet Wavelet Transform
Authors: Pereira Andre Luis Vinagre , Gonçalves Aparecido Carlos , Ribeiro Rubens , Chavarette Fábio Roberto , Outa Roberto
Published: September 2020

In predictive maintenance, vibration signal analyses are frequently used to diagnose reducer failures because these analyses contain information about the conditions of the mechanical components. Reducer vibration signals are very noisy and the signal-to-noise ratio is so low that extracting information from the signal components is complex, especially in practical situations. Therefore, signal processing techniques are used to solve this problem and facilitate the retrieval of information. In this work, the adopted technique included noise-canceling technique, synchronous temporal mean (TSA), and continuous Morlet wavelet transform (CWT), designed to extract resources and diagnose local gear damage. These techniques are used in measured signals in an experimental workbench consisting of the gear pair coupled to a motor and a generator. The experiment was monitored according to the conditions of a gear pair throughout its useful life. The continuous wavelet transforms accurately identified faults in the gear teeth, and it was possible to detect in which tooth the fault was occurring.
A Time-Critical Topic Model for Predicting the Survival Time of Sepsis Patients
Authors: Guo Wenping , Xu Zhuoming , Ye Xijian , Zhang Shiqing , Zhao Xiaoming , Li Xue
Published: September 2020

Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality in intensive care units and costs hospitals billions of dollars annually worldwide. Predicting survival time for sepsis patients is a time-critical prediction problem. Considering the useful sequential information for sepsis development, this paper proposes a time-critical topic model (TiCTM) inspired by the latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) model. The proposed TiCTM approach takes into account the time dependency structure between notes, measurement, and survival time of a sepsis patient. Experimental results on the public MIMIC-III database show that, overall, our method outperforms the conventional LDA and linear regression model in terms of recall, precision, accuracy, and F1-measure. It is also found that our method achieves the best performance by using 5 topics when predicting the probability for 30-day survival time.