bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multimorbidity in cardiovascular disease and association with life satisfaction: a Chinese national cross-sectional study
Authors: Liu Guihao , Xue Yunlian , Liu Yuanhui , Wang Sheng , Geng Qingshan
Published: December 2020

Background

The coexistence of multiple chronic conditions is very common in cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the prevalence of CVD multimorbidity in China and its influence on life satisfaction have not been reported. This study aimed to investigate the proportions of 12 chronic comorbid diseases in CVD and the associations of multimorbidity with life satisfaction in patients with CVD.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study in a nationally representative sample of 3478 participants with CVD aged 45 years or more who participated in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study 2015. Correlations of multimorbidity with 12 chronic diseases in CVD and life satisfaction were investigated using logistic regression models, after adjusting for 12 covariates.

Results

The proportion of multimorbidity among participants with CVD was 93.3% (89.4% for middle-aged adults and 95.4% for older adults; 92.9% for men and 93.5% for women). The proportion of participants with CVD multimorbidity who were dissatisfied with life was 11.2%, significantly higher than those without any chronic diseases (χ2=5.147, p=0.023). Life satisfaction in patients with CVD decreased with increased number of comorbidities (χ2=45.735, p<0.001). Kidney disease (OR=1.933, 95% CI: 1.483 to 2.521), memory-related diseases (MRDs) (OR=1.695, 95% CI: 1.149 to 2.501) and dyslipidaemia (OR=1.346, 95% CI: 1.048 to 1.729) were significantly associated with reduced life satisfaction when adjusting for 12 covariates.

Conclusions

In this nationally representative cross-sectional study, life satisfaction was reduced by multimorbidity of CVD. Kidney disease had the greatest influence on life satisfaction in patients with CVD, followed by dyslipidaemia and MRDs. Our study emphasises the importance of preventing of chronic diseases in adults with CVD.
Development and external validation of a COVID-19 mortality risk prediction algorithm: a multicentre retrospective cohort study
Authors: Mei Jin , Hu Weihua , Chen Qijian , Li Chang , Chen Zaishu , Fan Yanjie , Tian Shuwei , Zhang Zhuheng , Li Bin , Ye Qifa , Yue Jiang , Wang Qiao-Li
Published: December 2020

Objective

This study aimed to develop and externally validate a COVID-19 mortality risk prediction algorithm.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Five designated tertiary hospitals for COVID-19 in Hubei province, China.

Participants

We routinely collected medical data of 1364 confirmed adult patients with COVID-19 between 8 January and 19 March 2020. Among them, 1088 patients from two designated hospitals in Wuhan were used to develop the prognostic model, and 276 patients from three hospitals outside Wuhan were used for external validation. All patients were followed up for a maximal of 60 days after the diagnosis of COVID-19.

Methods

The model discrimination was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and Somers’ D test, and calibration was examined by the calibration plot. Decision curve analysis was conducted.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome was all-cause mortality within 60 days after the diagnosis of COVID-19.

Results

The full model included seven predictors of age, respiratory failure, white cell count, lymphocytes, platelets, D-dimer and lactate dehydrogenase. The simple model contained five indicators of age, respiratory failure, coronary heart disease, renal failure and heart failure. After cross-validation, the AUC statistics based on derivation cohort were 0.96 (95% CI, 0.96 to 0.97) for the full model and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.89 to 0.95) for the simple model. The AUC statistics based on the external validation cohort were 0.97 (95% CI, 0.96 to 0.98) for the full model and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80 to 0.96) for the simple model. Good calibration accuracy of these two models was found in the derivation and validation cohort.

Conclusion

The prediction models showed good model performance in identifying patients with COVID-19 with a high risk of death in 60 days. It may be useful for acute risk classification.
Comparing peripherally inserted central catheter-related practices across hospitals with different insertion models: a multisite qualitative study
Authors: Krein Sarah L , Harrod Molly , Weston Lauren E , Garlick Brittani R , Quinn Martha , Fletcher Kathlyn E , Chopra Vineet
Published: December 2020

Background

Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) provide reliable intravenous access for delivery of parenteral therapy. Yet, little is known about PICC care practices or how they vary across hospitals. We compared PICC-related processes across hospitals with different insertion delivery models.

Methods

We used a descriptive qualitative methodology and a naturalist philosophy, with site visits to conduct semistructured interviews completed between August 2018 and January 2019. Study sites included five Veterans Affairs Medical Centres, two with vascular access teams (VATs), two with PICC insertion primarily by interventional radiology (IR) and one without on-site PICC insertion capability. Interview participants were healthcare personnel (n=56), including physicians, bedside and vascular access nurses, and IR clinicians. Data collection focused on four PICC domains: use and decision-making process, insertion, in-hospital management and patient discharge education. We used rapid analysis and a summary matrix to compare practices across sites within each domain.

Results

Our findings highlight the benefits of dedicated VATs across all PICC-related process domains, including implementation of criteria to guide PICC placement decisions, timely PICC insertion, more robust management practices and well-defined patient discharge education. We also found areas with potential for improvement, such as clinician awareness of PICC appropriateness criteria and alternative devices, deployment of VATs and patient discharge education.

Conclusion

Vascular access nurses play critical roles in all aspects of PICC-related care. There is variation in PICC decision-making, care and maintenance, and patient education across hospitals. Quality and safety improvement opportunities to reduce this variation are highlighted.
Overuse injuries in the knee, back and hip of top elite female alpine skiers during the off-season preparation period: prevalence, severity and their association with traumatic preinjuries and training load
Authors: Fröhlich Stefan , Pazeller Seraina , Cherati Afsaneh Safar , Müller Erich , Frey Walter O , Spörri Jörg
Published: December 2020

Objectives

To investigate knee, back and hip overuse injuries in top female elite alpine skiers during the off-season preparation, which has so far received little attention, and to assess their relationship with traumatic preinjuries and overall training load.

Methods

A cohort of 26 females of the Swiss Alpine Ski-Team were prospectively surveyed by the use of the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre questionnaire. Along with the surveys also total training loads were monitored. Data on preinjuries were assessed retrospectively by baseline questionnaires and were verified by team medical records.

Results

57.7% of the female skiers suffered from at least one severe traumatic knee injury during their preceding career. The average 2-weekly prevalence of overuse injuries was highest for the knee, followed by the back and hip. Technique specialists (major giant slalom and slalom) were more prone to back overuse injuries than speed specialists (major super-G and downhill). The occurrence of knee overuse complaints was directly associated to previous severe traumatic knee injuries and athletes' total training hours.

Conclusion

In top female elite alpine skiers, knee, back and hip overuse injuries are relatively frequent. Moreover, discipline preferences, previous traumatic injuries and the overall training load may play an important role for their manifestation.
Multi-resolution Representation for Streaming Time Series Retrieval
Authors: Luo Wei , Li Yongqi , Yao Fubin , Wang Shaokun , Li Zhen , Zhan Peng , Li Xueqing
Published: December 2020

Streaming time series retrieval (TSR) has been widely concerned in academia and industry. Considering the large volume, high dimensionality and continuous accumulation features of time series, there is limited capability to perform in-depth similarity searching directly on the raw time series data. Therefore, time series representation, which can provide the dimension reduction-based approximate results for the raw data, should be utilized in the first step for streaming TSR. However, the existing representation-based TSR methods mainly have two limitations: on the one hand, the representation efficiency of the current methods is too slow to adapt for real-time streaming time series representation; on the other hand, the retrieval efficiency of them is also not ideal, and thus fails to recognize the specific given sequence patterns on the streaming data effectively. In this paper, we present an efficient retrieval method on streaming time series. Concretely, our method can incrementally represent the features of streaming data to automatically prune the corresponding dissimilar sequences and retain the most similar candidates for efficient one-pass searching. Extensive experiments on real world datasets have been conducted to demonstrate the superiority of our method.
PHENIX heavy flavor highlights
Authors: Hachiya Takashi
Published: December 2020

Heavy flavor production is a sensitive probe of the initial gluon density in the nucleon and is modified by the entire evolution of the hot quark and gluon medium created in high-energy nucleus–nucleus collisions. Besides, it is a process that can be calculated by perturbative QCD because of their large mass. The PHENIX experiment at RHIC studied the heavy flavor productions for a broad momentum and rapidity ranges using single leptons from the semileptonic decay of charm and bottom hadrons, and dileptons from [Formula: see text] decays in [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]A, and Au[Formula: see text]Au collisions at [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]200[Formula: see text]GeV. In these proceedings, the recent experimental results in [Formula: see text], Au[Formula: see text]Au, and the small collision systems are presented and the heavy flavor productions and their modifications are discussed.
Duplication methods for embeddings of real division algebras
Authors: Tvalavadze Marina , Motya Noureddine , Rochdi Abdellatif
Published: December 2020

We introduce two groups of duplication processes that extend the well known Cayley–Dickson process. The first one allows to embed every [Formula: see text]-dimensional (4D) real unital algebra [Formula: see text] into an 8D real unital algebra denoted by [Formula: see text] We also find the conditions on [Formula: see text] under which [Formula: see text] is a division algebra. This covers the most classes of known [Formula: see text]D real division algebras. The second process allows us to embed particular classes of [Formula: see text]D RDAs into [Formula: see text]D RDAs. Besides, both duplication processes give an infinite family of non-isomorphic [Formula: see text]D real division algebras whose derivation algebras contain [Formula: see text].
Water Distribution in Reconstructed Soil of Nonmetal Mines and the Ecological Effect in Xinjiang, China
Authors: Zhang Zizhao , Guo Xiaoli , Lv Qianli , Hao Ruihua , Guo Zezhou , Huang XueBang , Guo Zekun
Published: December 2020

Because of the arid climate and fragile ecological environment in Xinjiang, China, land reclamation should be carried out after mining. The core of land reclamation is the water content of the surface covering soil. In this paper, the law of water distribution in reclamation reconstructed soil of nonmetal mines in Xinjiang was studied. In order to obtain the law of water distribution in reconstructed soil, we set up an observation system of the neutron probe and tensiometer. The neutron probe was used to monitor the soil water content. The tensiometers were used to obtain the matrix potential of soil for verifying the water distribution in reconstructed soil. Volumetric water content and matrix potential of reconstructed soil during 1‐year period of management and irrigation were obtained by long‐term monitoring. After one year’s field in situ test, 2424 sets of neutron probe data and 1368 sets of tensiometer data were obtained. By studying the above parameters, we summarized the law of water distribution in reconstructed soil of variable thickness and degree of compaction with nonmetallic waste rock filling. The results showed that covering soil was helpful to retain water content. Whether the soil was compacted or uncompacted, the soil water content at the depth of 10 cm was less than that at other depth of reconstructed soil because it was greatly affected by meteorological factors. The water content of reconstructed soil at 30 cm depth was greater than that at other depths. Under the influence of factors such as the thickness and compaction of the soil, the response time of soil water content and matrix potential to each irrigation infiltration was different. According to the characteristics of reclamation‐vegetation such as alfalfa growth in Xinjiang, the thickness of surface reconstructed soil should be not less than 50 cm. Over time, soil that was compacted once was better for the vegetation. The research results could provide a reference for the land reclamation of nonmetallic mines in Xinjiang, China.
Optimization of Exothermic, Foaming, and Mechanical Properties of Modified Polyurethane as Filling Material for Goaf Sealing Wall
Authors: Shen Jianjun , Ren Baihui , Liu Weitao , Gao Chuanpeng , Hu Yingying , Cao Qing
Published: December 2020

Goaf sealing wall is set in the roadway close to the stop line of working face in an underground coal mine. However, the sealing wall is prone to crack or fracture under serious mining stress, resulting in water and air leakage from goaf. In this study, the combination of polymethylene polyphenyl polyisocyanate (PAPI) and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) as component A and polyether polyols, catalysts, surfactants, chain extenders, and plasticizers as component B were investigated to optimize the exothermic, foaming, and mechanical properties of modified polyurethane (PU) as the filling material for goaf sealing wall. Firstly, the reaction temperature of specimens with different contents of polyether polyols was monitored using a dynamic acquisition system; secondly, the effect of polyether polyols, catalysts, and surfactants on foaming property was studied; then, uniaxial compression tests were developed to obtain compressive behavior; finally, the microstructure after uniaxial compression was observed by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results indicate that the pure chemical slurry is superior to the combination of chemical slurry and sand in compressive strength and deformation behavior. The optimal mass ratio of polyether triols, polyether tetraols, catalysts, surfactants, chain extenders, and plasticizers is 11 : 9 : 1.0 : 0.5 : 1.2: 6 in component B due to the maximum reaction temperature of 121.4°C, the expansion ratio of 2.6, and the compressive strength of 7.97 MPa at the strain of 10% in this study. The research provides a solution for the construction of the sealing wall, which is of great significance to safety production in an underground coal mine.
Mobile Data Traffic Offloading through Opportunistic Vehicular Communications
Authors: Qiao Liqiang
Published: December 2020

To cope with an exponentially increasing demand on mobile data traffic in cellular network, proximity-based opportunistic vehicular communications can be exploited as a complementary mean to offload and reduce the load of cellular network. In this paper, we propose a two-phase approach for mobile data traffic offloading, which exploits opportunistic contact and future utility with user mobility. The proposed approach includes one phase of initial source selection and subsequent phase of data forwarding. In phase 1, we build a weighted reachability graph, which is a very useful high-level abstraction for studying vehicular communication over time. Then, we propose an initial source selection algorithm, named VRank, and apply it in the weight reachability graph to identify some influential vehicles to serve as initial sources according to the rank of VRank. In phase 2, we formulate the forwarding schedule problem as a global utility maximization problem, which takes heterogeneous user interest and future utility contribution into consideration. Then, we propose an efficient scheme MGUP to solve the problem by providing a solution that decides which object should be broadcast. The effectiveness of our algorithm is verified through extensive simulation using real vehicular trace.
Patterns of Dietary Iron Intake, Iron Status, and Predictors of Haemoglobin Levels among Early Adolescents in a Rural Ghanaian District
Authors: Wiafe Michael Akenteng , Apprey Charles , Annan Reginald Adjetey
Published: December 2020

Introduction. Early adolescents are vulnerable to anaemia due to lean body mass and menarche. The study assessed patterns of dietary iron intake, iron status, and predictors of anaemia among early adolescents. Method. One hundred and thirty-seven early adolescents were randomly selected in a rural district in Ghana. Multiple-pass 24-hour recall, iron food frequency questionnaire consisting of 27 food items, and semistructured questionnaire were administered. Variables include sociodemographics, dietary factors, and laboratory investigation including haemoglobin, ferritin, and C-reactive protein examination. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to calculate odds ratio and perform Mann–Whitney U test, chi-square (X2) test, exploratory factor analysis, and partial correlation (r) tests. Results. Participants had mean age of 11.5 years. Three iron dietary patterns explaining 28.7% of the total variance were identified: iron dietary pattern 1 (11%) composed of iron-rich, iron-enhancing, and iron-inhibiting foods; iron dietary pattern 2 (9.9%) comprised of iron-rich, iron-enhancing, and non-iron-inhibiting foods; and iron dietary pattern 3 (7.1%) consisting of stinging nettle, iron-inhibiting foods, non-iron-enhancing foods, non-cocoyam leaves, and non-turkey berries. Meal skipping (X2 = 5.7,

p
<
0.05

), times of eating a day (X2 = 12.6,

p
<
0.05

), and guardian educational status (X2 = 6.7,

p
<
0.05

) significantly affected dietary iron intake. Anaemia was associated with meal skipping (β = 0.367,

p
>
0.05

), snacking (β = 0.484,

p
>
0.05

), and junior high school (JHS) education (β = 0.544,

p
>
0.05

). Partial correlation showed statistically significant relationship between iron dietary pattern 1 and dietary iron (r = −0.234,

p
<
0.01

), iron dietary pattern 2 and dietary iron (r = -0.198,

p
<
0.05

), iron dietary pattern 2 and vitamin C (r = -0.201,

p
<
0.05

), and haemoglobin and ferritin (r = −0.178,

p
<
0.05

). Conclusion. Meal skipping, guardian educational status, and number of times of eating a day were significantly associated with dietary iron intake. Meal skipping, snacking, and adolescents with JHS education were positively associated with anaemia.
Screening for a Potential Therapeutic Agent from the Herbal Formula in the 4th Edition of the Chinese National Guidelines for the Initial‐Stage Management of COVID‐19 via Molecular Docking
Authors: Sun Yue , Yang Angela Wei Hong , Hung Andrew , Lenon George Binh
Published: December 2020

Background. COVID‐19 caused by SARS‐CoV‐2 infection has been spreading through many countries since the end of 2019. The 4th edition of the national guidelines for the management of COVID‐19 provides an herbal formula with 9 herbs for its management. Aim of Study. We aimed to predict the mechanism of binding of SARS‐CoV‐2 and SARS‐CoV spike glycoproteins with angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) to provide a molecular‐level explanation of the higher pathogenicity of SARS‐CoV‐2 and to identify protein sites which may be targeted by therapeutic agents to disrupt virus‐host interactions. Subsequently, we aimed to investigate the formula for the initial‐stage management to identify a therapeutic agent with the most likely potential to become pharmaceutical candidate for the management of this disease. Materials and Methods. GenBank and SWISS‐MODEL were applied for model creation. ClusPro was used for protein‐protein docking. PDBePISA was applied for identification of possible binding sites. TCMSP was employed for identification of the chemical compounds. AutoDock Vina together with PyRx was used for the prediction and evaluation of binding pose and affinity to ACE2. SwissADME and PreADME were applied to screening and prediction of the pharmacokinetic properties of the identified chemical compounds. PyMOL was used to visualise the structural models of SARS‐CoV‐2 and SARS‐CoV spike glycoproteins complexed to ACE2 and to examine their interactions. Results. SARS‐CoV‐2 had two chains (labelled chains B and C) which were predicted to bind with ACE2. In comparison, the SARS‐CoV had only one chain (labelled chain C) predicted to bind with ACE2. The spike glycoproteins of both viruses were predicted to bind with ACE2 via position 487. Molecular docking screening and pharmacokinetic property prediction of the herbal compounds indicated that atractylenolide III (−9.1 kcal/mol) from Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) Dc. (Cangzhu) may be a candidate therapeutic agent for initial‐stage management. Conclusions. Atractylenolide III is predicted to have a strong binding affinity with ACE2 and eligible pharmacokinetic properties, anti‐inflammatory effects and antiviral effects in in vitro study, and high distribution on the lungs in in vivo study.
Prognostic Role of Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter for Neurological Outcomes in Post‐Cardiac Arrest Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Zhang Yan Wei , Zhang Sheng , Gao Hui , Li Chao , Zhang Ming Xi
Published: December 2020

Objective. The present study investigated whether optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) could be used to predict neurological outcomes in post‐cardiac arrest (CA) patients. Methods. We performed a comprehensive literature search in the Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Web of Science from inception to June 2020 for eligible articles. Stata 14.0 software was used to calculate the pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), sensitivity, specificity, summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias. Results. Eight studies involving 473 patients were considered eligible for this meta‐analysis. The pooled result using a random‐effects model showed that broadened ONSD is associated with poor neurological outcomes in post‐CA patients (OR = 15.62, 95% CI: 5.50–44.34, P < 0.001; I2 = 58.4%, P = 0.018), with a sensibility of 0.60 (95% CI: 0.45–0.73) and specificity of 0.94 (95% CI: 0.83–0.98). The area under the curve of the SROC curve for ONSD was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.84–0.90). Subgroup analysis revealed that sample size and time of ONSD measurement may be the source of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the stability of the results of this meta‐analysis. No publication bias using Deeks’ funnel plot was noted across the studies (P = 0.23). Conclusion. This meta‐analysis confirmed that ONSD can be used to predict neurological outcomes in post‐CA patients.
Enhanced Mechanical Properties of Mg‐6Sn‐3Al‐1Zn Alloy with Bimodal Grain Size Disturbed in the Microstructure Uniformly through Changing the Rolling Temperature
Authors: Wei Fuan , Wang Jinhui , Li Ping , Shi Bo
Published: December 2020

The mechanical properties of Mg‐6Sn‐3Al‐1Zn alloy were enhanced with bimodal grain size disturbed in the microstructure uniformly; the Mg‐6Sn‐3Al‐1Zn alloys were rolled with 60% thickness reduction at different rolling temperatures. The results have shown that the Mg‐6Sn‐3Al‐1Zn alloys are composed of Mg2Sn phase and α‐Mg matrix phase. When the rolling temperature was less than or equal to 400°C, with the rolling temperature increasing, the average size and volume fraction of Mg2Sn phase and the average grain size of small grains remained unchanged, the average grain size of large grains decreased, the volume fraction of small grains increased, and the yield strength of the alloy increased. When the rolling temperature reached 450°C, the average size and volume fraction of Mg2Sn phase and the average grain size of large grains increased, and the volume fraction of small grains and the yield strength of the alloy decreased. The elongation increased with the rolling temperature increasing, but the change trend of hardness was just opposite. When the alloy was rolled at 400°C, the average sizes of small grains, large grains, and Mg2Sn phases were 3.66 μm, 9.24 μm, and 19.5 μm, respectively. The volume fractions of small grains, large grains, and Mg2Sn phases were 18.6%, 77.6%, and 3.8%, respectively. And the tensile properties reached the optimum; for example, the tensile strength, yield strength, elongation, and Vickers hardness were 361 MPa, 289.5 MPa, 20.5%, and 76.3 HV, respectively.
Experimental Study for the Embedded Depth of Support Structure Foundation Pit in Granite Residual Soil Area
Authors: Liu Yi-ao , Wang Chang-ming , Gao Rui-yuan , Li Bai-long , Liu Xiao-yang , Liang Zhu , Jiang Nan , Chen Zhi-dong
Published: December 2020

In order to deeply understand the appropriate embedded depth of the foundation pit diaphragm wall in granite residual soil area, a physical model of the diaphragm wall with inner support for foundation excavation was constructed according to the actual project in the proportion of 1 : 30. The distribution of Earth pressure, the horizontal displacement of the wall, and the settlement behind the wall were obtained by physical experiments. The numerical simulation was then performed to authenticate the results from physical modeling. It was observed that the embedded depth of the diaphragm wall had the most obvious influence on the horizontal displacement of the wall. Moreover, the final soil settlement and its influence were significantly increased with the decrease in embedded depth. The analysis results also suggested that the control value for the embedded depth of the wall should not be less than 0.36 H (H is the excavation depth of the foundation pit).
Neural Network Machine Translation Method Based on Unsupervised Domain Adaptation
Authors: Wang Rui
Published: December 2020

Relying on large-scale parallel corpora, neural machine translation has achieved great success in certain language pairs. However, the acquisition of high-quality parallel corpus is one of the main difficulties in machine translation research. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes unsupervised domain adaptive neural network machine translation. This method can be trained using only two unrelated monolingual corpora and obtain a good translation result. This article first measures the matching degree of translation rules by adding relevant subject information to the translation rules and dynamically calculating the similarity between each translation rule and the document to be translated during the decoding process. Secondly, through the joint training of multiple training tasks, the source language can learn useful semantic and structural information from the monolingual corpus of a third language that is not parallel to the current two languages during the process of translation into the target language. Experimental results show that better results can be obtained than traditional statistical machine translation.
Finite-Element Analysis on Compressive Performance of a Novel Glue-Laminated Cornstalk Scrimber
Authors: Tian Wei , Qian Yongmei , Liu Zunpeng , Wang Yiming
Published: December 2020

Novel glue-laminated cornstalk scrimber is a new timber substitute produced by special techniques, without damaging the original fibers in cornstalks. This novel material outperforms ordinary timber in the resistance to water, damping, insect, and fire and provides a desirable green building material. However, glue-laminated cornstalk scrimber has not been widely implemented in the building industry, because the application of cornstalk products is limited to decoration panels. With the aid of the finite-element software Abaqus, this paper simulates the glue-laminated cornstalk scrimber specimens with different slenderness ratios under axial compression and analyzes the compressive performance of such specimens. The results show that the height of glue-laminated cornstalk scrimber is negatively correlated with the buckling load and nonlinear load under axial compression and positively correlated with the transverse displacement and axial displacements induced by axial compression. The research results provide a good reference for improving the design and application of glue-laminated cornstalk scrimber.
A Study on Triaxial Unloading Test of Columnar‐Jointed‐Rock‐Mass‐Like Material with AW Velocity Analysis
Authors: Xu Jianrong , Li Hao , Meng Qingxiang , Xu Weiya , He Mingjie , Yang Jiahui
Published: December 2020

To study the strength, deformation, and failure patterns of columnar‐jointed‐rock‐mass (CJRM) under unloading conditions, triaxial unloading tests using the CJRM‐like material samples are carried out, and acoustic wave (AW) velocities are simultaneously recorded. Based on stress‐strain curves and AW velocities under different initial confining pressures and unloading rates, the stress‐strain characteristics, strength, and deformation parameters, failure modes, and variation of the AW velocity are analyzed. Test results show that the CJRM may exhibit intense volume expansion during the unloading process. With the increase of the unloading and its rate, the volume expansion becomes more serious and the failure mode becomes more complicated. By reducing the unloading (rate), a phenomenon of unloading relaxation is observed and the quality of CJRM is significantly improved. The AW velocity of CJRM shows a strong correlation with the volume strain, which verifies the effectiveness of applying AW velocity for assessing the rock quality. It is hoped that the research results may provide a reference for the construction and operation of the Baihetan Hydropower Project.
Overexpression of NNT‐AS1 Activates TGF‐β Signaling to Decrease Tumor CD4 Lymphocyte Infiltration in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Wang Yakun , Yang Lei , Dong Xichen , Yang Xin , Zhang Xinxue , Liu Zhe , Zhao Xin , Wen Tao
Published: December 2020

Nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase‐antisense RNA1 (NNT‐AS1) is a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) that has been shown to be overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the molecular mechanism involving NNT‐AS1 in HCC remains to be extensively investigated. The activation of TGF‐β signaling inhibits tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and results in tumor immune evasion. We thus planned to explore the mechanism by which NNT‐AS1 activates the TGF‐β signaling pathway and inhibits TILs in HCC. High levels of NNT‐AS1 were detected in HCC tissues by both RNAscope and real‐time quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR) assays. The levels of proteins involved in TGF‐β signaling and those of CD4 T lymphocytes were quantified by immunohistochemistry (IHC). HCC cell lines (HepG2 and Huh7) were used to explore the effects of NNT‐AS1 on TGF‐β signaling activation. In these analyses, RNAscope detection demonstrated that NNT‐AS1 levels were significantly increased in HCC cancer tissues (P = 0.0001). In addition, the elevated NNT‐AS1 levels in cancer tissue were further confirmed by RT‐qPCR analysis of HCC cancer tissues (n = 64) and normal tissues (n = 26) (P = 0.0003). Importantly, the overall survival time of HCC patients who exhibited higher levels of NNT‐AS1 expression was significantly shorter than that of HCC patients who had lower levels of NNT‐AS1 expression (P = 0.0402). Further mechanistic investigation indicated that NNT‐AS1 inhibition significantly decreased the levels of TGF‐β, TGFBR1, and SMAD5 in HCC cells. In HCC tissues, IHC detection showed that relatively high NNT‐AS1 levels were associated with a reduction in infiltrated CD4 lymphocyte numbers. In conclusion, this research identifies a novel mechanism by which NNT‐AS1 impairs CD4 T cell infiltration via activation of the TGF‐β signaling pathway in HCC.
Gene Profiles in the Early Stage of Neuronal Differentiation of Mouse Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Induced by Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor
Authors: Yu Lili , Hong Wei , Yang Haijie , Xia Yin Yan , Feng Zhiwei
Published: December 2020

A stably established population of mouse bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) with self-renewal and multilineage differentiation potential was expanded in vitro for more than 50 passages. These cells express high levels of mesenchymal stem cell markers and can be differentiated into adipogenic, chondrogenic, and osteogenic lineages in vitro. Subjected to basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) treatment, a typical neuronal phenotype was induced in these cells, as supported by neuronal morphology, induction of neuronal markers, and relevant electrophysiological excitability. To identify the genes regulating neuronal differentiation, cDNA microarray analysis was conducted using mRNAs isolated from cells differentiated for different time periods (0, 4, 24, and 72 h) after bFGF treatment. Various expression patterns of neuronal genes were stimulated by bFGF. These gene profiles were shown to be involved in developmental, functional, and structural integration of the nervous system. The expression of representative genes stimulated by bFGF in each group was verified by RT-PCR. Amongst proneural genes, the mammalian achate-schute homolog 1 (Mash-1), a basic helix-loop-helix transcriptional factor, was further demonstrated to be significantly upregulated. Overexpression of Mash-1 in mouse BMSCs was shown to induce the expression of neuronal specific enolase (NSE) and terminal neuronal morphology, suggesting that Mash-1 plays an important role in the induction of neuronal differentiation of mouse BMSCs.
Psychological Impact of Alopecia Areata
Authors: Marahatta Suchana , Agrawal Sudha , Adhikari Baikuntha Raj
Published: December 2020

Introduction. Alopecia areata is one of the commonest causes of nonscarring alopecia. Since hair is a vital part with very high cosmetic concern, hair loss might have a significant negative impact on patient’s life. Hence, we aimed this to investigate depression and anxiety in patients with alopecia areata. Methods. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 75 consecutive eligible patients of alopecia areata were interviewed over one-year period in the dermatology outpatient department. We recorded the relevant history and examination details in the present proforma. Nepali versions of Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory were used for the assessment of depression and anxiety, respectively. Data analysis was done with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 11.5. Results. Among 75 patients, the prevalence of depression and anxiety were 66.7% and 73.3%, respectively, with median depression score = 5 (IQR = 0.0–10.0) and median anxiety score = 5 (IQR = 0.0–11.0). Out of all depressed patients, 82.0% had minimal and 18.0% had moderate depression. However, none of them had severe depression. Likewise, out of all patients with anxiety, 89.0% had mild and 11.0% had moderate anxiety, but none of them had severe anxiety. Conclusion. Anxiety and depression are common psychological problems in patients with alopecia areata. Because of their direct impact on treatment outcome, we, treating dermatologist, must be aware of them, and we should counsel our patients for consultation with the psychiatrist on time for their maximum benefit.
Extracellular Matrix Metalloprotease Inducer–Expressing Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells Promote Fibroblast-Mediated Type I Collagen Degradation In vitro
Authors: Rosenthal Eben L. , Zhang Wenyue , Talbert Melissa , Raisch Kevin P. , Peters Glenn E.
Published: December 2020

Until recently, tumor progression has been considered a multistep process defined by tumor cell mutations and the importance of the surrounding stroma poorly understood. It is now recognized that matrix-degrading enzymes that promote tumor cell invasion are elaborated by both tumor cells and fibroblasts in vivo. To determine the relative role of tumor cell–derived proteases compared with fibroblast-derived proteases, coculture experiments were done with each cell type using an in vitro model of type I collagen degradation. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells in coculture with normal dermal fibroblasts showed matrix degradation, but neither cell type alone produced this effect. Manipulating the in vitro coculture environment showed that collagenolysis in this model was a result of fibroblast-derived matrix metalloproteases (MMP). To explore the possible role of extracellular matrix metalloprotease inducer (EMMPRIN) in this interaction, transfection of EMMPRIN into a cell line with low endogenous EMMPRIN expression was done and showed a significant increase in collagenolysis. Inhibition of collagenolysis with a tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease-2 (TIMP-2) and a synthetic furin inhibitor was observed but not with TIMP-1, which suggested a possible role for membrane type-1 MMP. These results suggest that fibroblast-derived MMPs but not those from tumor cells are important for in vitro collagenolysis and that this process is promoted by tumor cell–expressed EMMPRIN.
ПРОБЛЕМА СТРЕСУ В СТУДЕНТСЬКОМУ СЕРЕДОВИЩІ
Authors: Palamar B. I. , Gruzieva T. S.
Published: December 2020

Мета: виявити поширеність негативних чинників, що сприяють розвитку стресу, в студентів закладів вищої освіти.

Матеріали і методи. Дослідження проведено серед студентів Національного медичного університету імені О. О. Богомольця, Національного університету «Львівська політехніка» та Київського університету імені Бориса Грінченка. У ході одномоментного (поперечного) дослідження анкетуванням було охоплено 240 студентів ІІІ–ІV курсів Національного медичного університету імені О. О. Богомольця та анкетуванням в онлайн-режимі – 136 сту­дентів І–V курсів інших університетів України.

Результати. Аналізом даних встановлено, що через труднощі у навчанні постійно відчувають себе пригніченими 42 % опитаних студентів, періодично це відчуття з’являється у 33 % респондентів, частіше під час іспитів, підсумкових модульних контролів (ПМК), сесій – у 21 % тих, хто взяв участь в опитуванні. Студенти не спостерігали негативного впливу викладачів на цей процес. Лише менше одного відсотка респондентів, які були опитані за допомогою електронної анкети, вказали, що відчуття пригніченості пов’язане з приниженням викладачами. Встановлено, що 25 % респондентів змушені поєднувати навчання та працю, зазнаючи при цьому втому. Чітко вказали на відчуття хронічної втоми 12 % студентів. Водночас 13 % опитаних відзначили, що вступили до закладу вищої освіти через бажання батьків чи потребу в дипломі, що може бути ймовірною причиною дискомфорту. Про небажання вчитися і відчуття постійної втоми заявило 43 % опитаних студентів. Бажання кинути навчання і займатися чимось іншим мали 35 % респондентів.

Висновки. Результати дослідження свідчать про значну поширеність негативних чинників розвитку стресу в студентському середовищі, що вказує на необхідність розробки тренувальних програм для підвищення стресостійкості та психологічної підтримки як на весь період навчання, так і в передекзаменаційний період зокрема.
РОДИНА – ВАГОМИЙ ЧИННИК ВПЛИВУ НА ФОРМУВАННЯ ПСИХОЕМОЦІЙНОГО СТАНОВЛЕННЯ ПІДЛІТКА
Authors: Antypkin Y. H. , Shkiriak-Nyzhnyk Z. A. , Horban N. Ye. , Slobodchenko L. M. , Lapikura O. V. , Sliepakurova I. V.
Published: December 2020

Мета: проаналізувати можливий зв’язок між матеріальним достатком, складом сім’ї, наявністю шкідливих звичок та психоемоційним станом підлітків із повних та неповних сімей.

Матеріали і методи. Відібрано 1075 комплектів анкет учасників («Анкета підлітка 15–18 років» та «Анкета матері підлітка 15–18 років»), серед яких при аналізі змінних були сформовані дві групи: І група склала 425 агресивних підлітків, ІІ група – 439 неагресивних підлітків, 211 анкет не увійшли у дослідження, зважаючи на відсутність відповідей. При аналізі враховувалась різниця в розподілі між агресивною та неагресивною групами під впливом певних чинників.

Результати. Проаналізовано наявність зв’язку між сімейним добробутом та проявами агресивності для підлітків з різним складом сімей. Для підлітків з повних сімей і високим достатком розподіл між групами І та ІІ практично не змінювався, зате у сім’ях із низьким достатком до агресивної групи потрапили 39,7 % підлітків, і, відповідно, 60,3 % – до неагресивної групи. Для підлітків, які проживають без батька, ситуація виявилася протилежною – розподіл між групами практично не змінювався для сімей з низьким достатком, зате у сім’ях із високим достатком агресивна група склала 55,3 %, і, відповідно, 44,7 % – неагресивна. Ще сильніше цей зв’язок був виражений у сім’ях, де підлітки проживають з вітчимом – у сім’ях із низьким достатком групи поділилися порівну, зате для сімей з високим достатком агресивна група склала 71,4 % проти 28,6 % в неагресивній групі, тобто була в 2,5 раза більша. Характеристика кількісного складу сім’ї виявила зростання відсотка підлітків в агресивній групі по мірі збільшення кількості осіб, які проживають разом із підлітком.

Висновки. Cімейні умови та рівень добробуту значною мірою впливають на життєвий шлях дитини. Батьки впливають на підлітка цілеспрямованим вихованням, яке зводиться до організації життя дитини в сім’ї, а також навчання міжособистісних відносин.
DEFINITION OF MEASURES TO REDUCE THE OBESITY LEVEL IN CHILDREN BASED ON RESEARCH RESULTS OF PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS
Authors: Ohniev V. A. , Pomohaibo K. G.
Published: December 2020

Purpose: to study prevalence and main risk factors for overweight and obesity in children and adolescents aged 6–17 and develop appropriate prevention measures.

Materials and Methods. Bibliographic, statistical and sociological methods.

Results. It is noted an insufficient level of registration of obesity among children. During the study it was found that true prevalence of obesity and overweight in children and adolescents in Kharkiv is significantly different from the official statistics in Kharkiv region ((151.0±5.2)‰). 22 factors of risk had a reliable impact on the development of overweight in children and adolescents. The main risk factors for the formation of the overweight were biological and social and hygienic. Based on the results of the research it was proved that the key measures to reduce the prevalence of obesity and its consequences should be aimed at modifying risk factors, namely: changing stereotypes and habitats that contribute to pathology and at improving the quality of health care, basically at the primary level. Thus priority measures for improvement the quality of health care for children and adolescents with obesity should include: mandatory monitoring of body mass index among children from the age of 3 and assessment of the harmony of physical development; introduction of an information system for accounting, monitoring of obesity and overweight and the main risk factors (electronic medical record of the patient); introduction of patient registers at the territorial and regional level; preferential supervision by the family doctor, involvement of all experts; raising public awareness at the group, individual level; timely identification of risk factors, formation of risk groups, organization of dynamic monitoring, creation of differentiated prevention programs and study of public awareness of the main risks of overweight; advanced training of doctors, conducting training seminars on nutrition.

Conclusions. Thus, to solve the problem of obesity in children such structures as local governments, educational institutions, healthcare institutions and public organizations should be obligatory involved. Special attention is paid to measures to optimize medical care at the primary level for such children.
КОНЦЕПТУАЛЬНІ ЗАСАДИ ЛОГІСТИКИ НОВОГО ЧАСУ В СУЧАСНІЙ УКРАЇНСЬКІЙ МЕДИЦИНІ
Authors: Mykhalchuk V. M. , Kolomoyets A. V. , Tolstanov O. K. , Hbur Z. V.
Published: December 2020

Мета: сформувати нову концептуальну модель логістики нового часу в сучасній українській медицині.

Матеріали і методи. Використано системний метод, метод порівняльного аналізу та прогнозування. Проаналізовано інформаційні системи, які використовують в управлінні медичними закладами (вітчизняними і зарубіжними), та дослідження, які проводили вітчизняні та зарубіжні вчені за цією тематикою, сформовано концептуальні засади впровадження та використання логістики в управлінні медичними закладами.

Результати. У статті висвітлено нові концепції логістики медичних організацій в сучасних умовах. Визначено, що новий підхід до формування логістики в управлінні медичним закладом передбачає ефективність потоків пацієнтів у системі охорони здоров’я. У такій концепції сформовано чотири основні потоки медичного закладу, які визначатимуть ефективність логістичної діяльності: фінансовий; матеріальний; людський; інформаційний (у тому числі управлінські рішення). За даних обставин медичний заклад має можливість одноразово приступити до впровадження декількох логістичних концепцій, які визначають якість надання медичних послуг, прикладом яких є система інтегрованого планування ресурсів, або ERP; загальне управління якістю, або TQM; система «точно в термін», або JIT (Just In Time); точне виробництво, або LP (Lean Production); логістика, орієнтована на час, або TBL (Time-based Logistics). Розглянуто впровадження нової концептуальної моделі зрілості логістики в сучасному медичному закладі. І саме логістичні концепції (ERP, TQM, JIT, LP, TBL) є новими стратегіями у досягненні ефективності в логістичній діяльності нового часу та можуть слугувати основою для формування, розробки, впровадження моделі зрілості логістики в медичному закладі.

Висновки. Логістика – це управління різними вхідними та вихідними потоками медичного закладу з метою їх оптимізації. Відповідно, управління логістичною діяльністю в медицині виходить за рамки традиційних фізичних потоків, враховуючи інші потоки, такі як пацієнти в ланцюгу надання медичної допомоги. Сучасним підходом до логістики медичної сфери є підхід з позицій створення цінності медичної послуги. Новий підхід до формування логістики в управлінні медичним закладом передбачає ефективність потоків пацієнтів у системі охорони здоров’я.