bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structural Transformations of Passenger Transportation Costs by Urban Electric Transport
Authors: Sinitskaya V. A. , Doilido T. A. , Mesnik D. N.
Published: June 2024

. Transport enterprises of the Republic of Belarus today are at the stage of overcoming the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and sanctions pressure related to the peculiarities of the development of its economy. Modern operating cоnditions for enterprises providing passenger transportation services dictate that service providers focus on structural and organizational development, and on increasing efficiency in meeting the changing demands of consumers. Achieving an economic result for this type of enterprise is equivalent to determining a rational ratio of costs for  production, material, financial and labor resources in the process of providing transport services. The processes of agglomeration of passenger transportation in suburban traffic, urbanization, as well as the emergence of technologically new means of personal mobility have intensified restructuring of passenger flows in public transport services. In suburban and urban passenger transportation, road and rail transport is most often involved, and  inland water transport is less common. Passenger transportation is carried out by various types of ground transport: buses and electric buses, trolleybuses and trams, taxi cars and also transport owned by citizens, the competition between which depends on the ratio of price parities of a carrier and the level of consumer income. In this regard, it is necessary to revise price and non-price measures of flexible response of transport carriers of passengers in the process of providing socially significant services. This paper examines the essence of services for the transportation of passengers in regular traffic within the boundaries of the territory of Minsk in relation to the current level of development of the transport and logistics system of the Republic of Belarus. The purpose of the study was to develop proposals for calculating the cost of transport work for passenger transportation using the example of the electric transport fleet in Minsk.
Gut Metatranscriptomics Based De Novo Assembly Reveals Microbial Signatures Predicting Immunotherapy outcomes in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Dora David , Kiraly Peter , Somodi Csenge , Ligeti Balazs , Dulka Edit , Galffy Gabriella , Lohinai Zoltan
Published: June 2024

Background: Advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), presents significant treatment challenges, with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) combinations being the primary therapeutic option. Emerging evidence highlights the gut microbiome's pivotal role in modulating the efficacy of such immunotherapies. Our study aims to elucidate the association between the gut microbiome and ICI treatment outcomes in NSCLC patients, focusing on identifying metatranscriptomic (MTR) signatures predictive of therapy response.
Methods: Utilizing a De Novo Assembly-based MTR analysis on fecal samples from 29 NSCLC patients undergoing ICI therapy, the study segmented patients based on progression-free survival (PFS) into long (>6 months) and short (≤6 months) PFS groups. Through RNA sequencing, we employed the Trinity pipeline for assembly, MMSeqs2 for taxonomic classification, DESeq2 for differential expression (DE) analysis. We constructed Random Forest (RF) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) machine learning algorithms and comprehensive microbial profiles.
Results: There were significant microbial composition variances between the two PFS groups. Notably, Actinomycetota was significantly overrepresented in patients with short PFS (vs long PFS, 36.7% vs. 5.4%, p<0.001), as was Euryarchaeota (1.3% vs. 0.002%, p=0.009), while Bacillota showed higher prevalence in the long PFS group (vs short PFS, 66.2% vs. 42.3%, p=0.007). Among the 120 significant DEGs identified, cluster analysis clearly separated a large set of gene clusters more active in patients with short PFS and a smaller set of genes more active in long PFS patients. RF and SVM machine learning models confirmed the predictive validity of the microbial signatures, with ROC AUCs of 0.878 and 0.85, respectively. Furthermore, multivariate analyses incorporating clinical variables such as PD-L1 expression and chemotherapy history underscored the influence of n=6 RNA-based microbial biomarkers on PFS.
Conclusion: Using ML models, specific gut microbiome MTR signatures' associate with ICI treated NSCLC outcomes. Expression of specific gene clusters and microbial taxonomy might differentiate long vs short PFS.
Menstrual Hygiene Knowledge and Practices among Senior High School Students in the New Juabeng North Municipality of Ghana
Authors: Appiah-Agyekum Nana Nimo , Nyamekye Mary Adebi , Agbenu Ivy Akushika , Otoo Desmond Dzidzornu
Published: June 2024

Background
Despite menstruation being a natural and inevitable process, adolescent girls continue to face challenges with several misconceptions and myths. Despite the numerous efforts and campaigns, the clouded knowledge of individuals and unhygienic methods in managing menstruation leads to various adverse social and health outcomes. Thus, this study sought to examine knowledge and menstrual hygiene management practices among female senior high school students in the New Juaben Municipality.
Methods
A cross-sectional study using a quantitative approach to investigate the phenomenon in 2 senior high schools in the New Juaben North Municipality. A total of 557 respondents were randomly sampled for the study. Data was analyzed descriptively and presented in frequency tables, pie, and bar charts.
Results
Overall, 61.22% of respondents had good knowledge, 21.36% exhibited moderate knowledge and 17.41% showed poor knowledge on menstrual hygiene management. The commonest sources of information were teachers (301), mothers (236) and friends (210). About 57% adopted good menstrual hygiene practices while 43% engaged in poor practices. Disposable sanitary pads (97.44%) were the most widely used sanitary material. Most of the students (296) burn their used sanitary pads when at home but disposed them into bins when at school (261).
Conclusion
Considering the sensitive nature of menstruation, any small knowledge gap translates to a gap in optimal health and social acceptance which influences education. Stakeholders should provide training as part of the educational curriculum to improve knowledge and provide a conducive environment to foster good practices.
Impact of adoption of hydroponic fodder production on pastoralist households’ income in Borena, Ethiopia
Authors: Bedeke Sisay Bedeke , Melkato Tagese , Dejene Melisew , Fentaw Tenaw
Published: June 2024

This study assesses the adoption of hydroponic fodder production practice and how the adoption impacts pastoralist household income in Borena, Ethiopia. A total of 211 pastoralist households were surveyed and interviewed to collect quantitative data. The data were analysed using econometric models, i.e., binary logistic regression model for adoption, the impacts of adopting hydroponic fodder were evaluated using propensity score matching (PSM), and descriptive statistics. The results of the binary logistic regression model showed that the probability of adopting hydroponic fodder was positively and significantly influenced by gender of the household head, herd size, frequency of contacts by development agents, educational level, participation in training on hydroponic fodder production, and pastoral cooperative membership. However, the possibility of hydroponic fodder being adopted was significantly and negatively impacted by the use of credit services. The PSM score suggested that, in comparison to the control groups, the adoption of hydroponic fodder significantly impacted income of the treatment households. Based on the findings of the study, we recommend that the government and interested parties need to concentrate on raising herd size, increasing the provision of education and the frequency of visit by pastoral development agents, training towards promoting cooperative membership, and raising awareness of local credit use. Overall,, the findings suggested that hydroponic fodder productions have a significant positive impact on pastoral households’ ability to generate additional income.
Genome-resolved biogeography of Phaeocystales, cosmopolitan bloom-forming algae
Authors: Allen Andrew , Füssy Zoltán , Lampe Robert , Arrigo Kevin , Barry Kerrie , Brisbin Margaret Mars , Brussaard Corina , Decelle Johan , De Vargas Colomban , Elbourne Liam , Frischer Marc , Goodstein David , Grigoriev Igor , Hayes Richard , Healey Adam , James Chase , Jenkins Jerry , Juery Caroline , Kumar Manish , Kustka Adam , Maumus Florian , Oborník Miroslav , Paulsen Ian , Probert Ian , Saito Mak , Schmutz Jeremy , Skalický Tomáš , Tec-Campos Diego , Tomelka Hannah , Vanclová Anna Novák , Věchtová Pavlína , Wilson-Mortier Brendan , Zengler Karsten , Zheng Hong , DiTullio Giacomo
Published: June 2024

Phaeocystis is a genus of nanoplanktonic haptophytes, prevalent in all of the world’s oceans. At least three Phaeocystis species form large mucilaginous colonies that contribute to high-biomass blooms, making them major players in biogeochemical cycles, especially of carbon and sulfur. To investigate the ecological success of these primary producers, we assembled genomic data for thirteen Phaeocystis strains and annotated three with the highest contiguity. Using these data and additional metagenome-assembled genomes, we present a robust phylogeny for Phaeocystis and their sister clade, identifying several undescribed but abundant lineages. We distinguish two major ecological distribution patterns, cosmopolitan and polar, with fine-tuned preferences for nutrients, temperature, and motility. The gene repertoires of three annotated Phaeocystis reference genomes reflect a unique strategy of gene expansion among algae: repetitive elements, horizontal gene transfer, and full-length endogenous virus insertions. Phaeocystales thus emerge as an ecologically versatile group with diverse adaptations to biotic and abiotic stressors.
Lung protective effect of ulinastatin combined with alveolar recruitment maneuvers in children with right vertical infra-axillary thoracotomy for repair of atrioventricular septal defect
Authors: Zhang Liang , Wang Chengbin , He Chen , Wang Xiaonan , Lin Lin , Ma Jun
Published: June 2024

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether repeated lung recruitment combined with ulinastatin provides enhanced respiratory compliance and lung oxygenation in children who have undergone the correction of various congenital heart defects through right vertical infra-axillary thoracotomy (RVIAT). All eligible children were those with a common congenital heart defect corrected via an approach through RVIAT. 78 children were randomly classified into four groups: In group A (n = 20), immediately after the end of cardiopulmonary bypass, alveolar recruitment maneuver (ARM) was achieved. In group U (n = 20), children in whom ulinastatin (10,000 U/kg followed by 5,000 U/kg/h) was administered. In group U + A (n = 19), children were intravenously infused with ulinastatin and alveolar recruitment maneuver. And in group C (n = 19) did not accept any additional interventions during surgery. The ARM group tolerated open lung ventilation without significant hemodynamic instability. Compared to controls, intraoperative PaO2, PaO2/FiO2 and oxygen saturation improved in the group A (P<0.05) and group U showed a significantly lower IL-6 (P<0.05). In addition, group A, group U and group A + U had a lower incidence of lung injury and lung atelectasis than Group C after post-CPB time points. Our findings provide some insight that the application of ARM and ulinastatin could effectively provide a better oxygenation profile and pulmonary complication in children with a common congenital heart defect corrected via an approach through RVIAT.
Appropriate Use of Vancomycin in a Cardiac Surgical Unit
Authors: Mekdad Sanaa , sayed Leenah Al , Alkhalaif Suzan
Published: June 2024

Antibiotic resistance is a quickly growing problem, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and VRE are major worries, particularly in developing nations where cost-effectiveness is . Vancomycin usage needs to be controlled to avoid the growth of organisms that are resistant to it. Examining the appropriateness rate of vancomycin use in light of the recommendations of theInfectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) in the cardiac surgery ward was the aim of this study.
Methodology: The study was performed retrospectively. Medical records of patients in cardiac wards treated with vancomycin for the past year were identified and selected.
Results: Overall, 294 patients were treated with vancomycin. Appropriate use of vancomycin was higher than inappropriate use (p = 0.001). Approximately 41 % (n = 120 ) of patients were given vancomycin for treatment, whereas the rest were given it empirically. Appropriate use of vancomycin was observed in 89.1 % (n =262 ) of patients. However, there was still a high rate of inappropriate vancomycin use (n = 32 , 10.9 %). The most common reason for inappropriate use was continuing to use beyond 72 hours without further evidence of Gram-positive infection. (n = 20 , 62.5 %) of all inappropriate.
Conclusions: According to this study, 10.1% of the Vancomycin that was prescribed to our cardiac surgery patients was inappropriate.
Improving photophysical properties and hydrophily of conjugated polymers simultaneously by side-chain modification for near-infrared cell imaging
Authors: Zhou Min , Wang Fenglei , Jin Yongdong , Chen Shanyong , Xia Chuanqin
Published: June 2024

Conjugated polymers (CPs)-based near-infrared phototheranostics are receiving increasing attention due to their high molar extinction coefficient, wide emission wavelength, easy preparation and excellent biocompatibility. Herein, several new conjugated polymers with D2-D1-A structures were easily prepared through one-pot coupling using triphenylamine as well as thiophenes as electron donors and benzothiadiazole as electron acceptors. Interesting, their optical performance and power conversion efficiency could be tuned by side chains on thiophenes (D1). The introduction of ethane-1,2-diylbis(oxy) into D1 as side chain significantly improves fluorescence imaging brightness, photothermal conversion efficiency and hydrophilicity, and extends emission wavelength, which are beneficial for phototheranostic. The side chain modification provides new opportunity to design efficient phototheranostics without construction new fluorescent skeletons.
Physicochemical properties and meat quality of free-range chicken depending on sex
Authors: Liu Xu , Yang Hang , Cao Jiayi , He Changqing , Qu Xiangyong
Published: June 2024

There is an increasing interest in free-range poultry with the increasing focus on animal welfare. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of sex on physicochemical traits, chemical composition, muscle fibers, mineral, amino acids and fatty acids contents in muscle of free-range Dong’an chicken (DAC). Thirty-two (16 males and 16 females) DACs were raised under the same conditions and slaughtered at 28 weeks of age. Males had a higher (p < 0.05) pH45min, redness value, and lower (p < 0.05) water loss rate, crude fat, and crude ash when compared with females in breast muscle. Males presented a higher (p < 0.05) cooking loss, moisture, muscle fiber density, and amino acid (Gly, Ala, Pro) contents, and lower (p < 0.05) yellowness value and crude fat in thigh muscle. The sex of DAC significantly affected (p < 0.05) the contents of C14:0, C18:0, C18:1, C20:3n6, and C22:6n. The crude fat and monounsaturated fatty acids contents in breast and thigh muscles of females were higher (p < 0.05) than that of males. The results of this study are a valuable contribution to describing the quality and nutritional composition of indigenous breeds of yellow-feathered broilers in free-range system.
Effects of additional oral theophylline with inhaled therapy in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Yang Qiang , Tang Pingxiu , Zhang Xunyan , Zhang Peng
Published: June 2024

The rationale for additional treatment of oral theophylline with inhaled therapy in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unclear. The databases including The Cochrane LibraryཤPubMedཤEmbase and Web of Science were searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving the inhaled therapy plus additional theophylline therapy for the treatment of patients with stable COPD up to December 31, 2023. The forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)ཤforced expiratory volume in 1s% predicted (FEV1% pred)ཤforced vital capacity (FVC)ཤFEV1/FVC%ཤpeak expiratory flow rate(PEFR)ཤexacerbations rate of COPDཤCOPD related hospital admissionsཤtotal symptom score and drug-related adverse reactions were extracted from literatures and the meta-analysis was conducted using the RevMan 5.4 software. 10 RCTs involving 2771 patients were included. The meta-analysis results showed that additional theophylline improved FEV1 with MD 0.08 (95% CI: 0.06 to 0.09, p < 0.00001)ཤFVC with MD 0.13 (95% CI: 0.10 to 0.15, p < 0.00001), reduce the risk of exacerbations rate with OR 0.75 (95% CI: 0.60 to 0.94, p = 0.01) and COPD related hospital admissions with MD -0.07 (95% CI: -0.13 to -0.01, p = 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in FEV1% pred with MD 0.45 (95% CI: -1.41 to 2.30, p = 0.64)ཤFEV1/FVC% MD -0.24 (95% CI: -3.26 to 2.79, p = 0.88) and total symptom score with MD -0.03 (95% CI: -0.14 to 0.09, p = 0.65). Furthermore, additional theophylline therapy induced a high incidence of drug-related adverse reactions with OR 1.33 (95% CI: 1.12 to 1.58, p = 0.001), especially in gastrointestinal adverse reactions. Oral theophylline could be a supplementary therapeutic option when inhaled therapy is insufficient regarding of improvement in pulmonary function and reducing in exacerbations risk. However, the drug-related adverse reactions should be concerned.
Quality and Safety in Prehospital Airway Management – Retrospective Analysis of 18.000 Cases from an Air Rescue Database in Germany
Authors: LORENZEN Ulf , MARUNG Hartwig , EIMER Christine , KÖSER Andrea , SEEWALD Stephan , RUDOLPH Marcus , REIFFERSCHEID Florian
Published: June 2024

Background
Prehospital airway management remains crucial with regards to the quality and safety of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) systems worldwide. In 2007, the benchmark study by Timmermann et al. hit the German EMS community hard by revealing a significant rate of undetected oesophageal intubations leading to an often-fatal outcome. In the meantime, much attention has been given to guideline development and training. This study evaluates the incidence and special circumstances of tube misplacement as an adverse peri-intubation event from a Helicopter Emergency Medical Services perspective.
Methods
Retrospective analysis of a German air rescue service database from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2020. All registered patients were included into the primary analysis. Results were analyzed using SPSS 27.0.1.0..
Results
Out of 227459 emergency medical responses, a total of 18087 (8.0%) involved invasive airway management. In 8141 (45.0%) of these, airway management devices had been used by ground-based EMS staff with an intubation rate of 96.6% (n = 7861) and use of alternative airways in 3.2% (n = 285). Overall endotracheal intubation success was 94.7% while adverse events in the form of tube misplacement were present in 5.3% with a 1.2% rate of undetected oesophageal intubation. Airway management failure occurred more often after intubation carried out by paramedics (10.4%). In view of special circumstances, those errors occurred more often in the presence of trauma or cardiopulmonary resuscitation with a rate of 5.6% and 6.4%, respectively. Difficult airway with a Cormack 4 status was present in 2.1% (n = 213) of HEMS cases accompanied by three or more intubation attempts in 5.2% (n = 11).
Conclusions
Prehospital airway management success has improved significantly over the last years. However, adverse peri-intubation events such as undetected oesophageal intubation remain a persistent threat with regards to patient safety.
Evolution and Application of Groups of Trajectory Sets
Authors: Schwenkreis Friedemann
Published: June 2024

The work presented in this paper continues a previous approach to automatically detect tactics based on spatio-temporal data in the context of team handball. It will be shown how the availability of more data allows to verify the principal approach. However, it will also be shown, that the previous approach for choosing parameters of the applied methods was suboptimal and an application-oriented approach based on heuristics helps to improve the results significantly.
Like in case of the previous publication, it is important to realize that the combination of two methods is used as a substitute for a classification approach which would usually be used in the given application scenario. However, there is currently no means to generate the necessary training data which results in the need to apply descriptive methods like clustering and the search for frequent itemsets. The latter is needed because there is no sensible notion of distance for sets of trajectories.
Molecular dynamics assisted analysis on improved free radical removal ability of fullerene(C60)-curcumin aggregate
Authors: Houze Zhang , Dongsheng Bai , Wei Zhou
Published: June 2024

The self-aggregation of curcumin (Cur) on the surface of fullerene (C60) was induced by ultrasonic solvent exchange method. Associating the characterization results of infrared spectrum, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy, the molecular structure and morphology of two components in the aggregate (C60/Cur) were determined unchanged essentially. By analyzing the dependence of related cosmetic effects on the aggregating ratio of C60 and Cur, the monolayer saturation was found advantageous to improve the amphiphilicity and oxidation resistance. Especially, C60/Cur showed a better performance to eliminate free radicals compared to counterpart of simply mixing C60 and curcumin. Based on molecular dynamics simulations of the Forte module, the self-aggregation is proposed occurring through π-π stacking interactions between the benzene ring from curcumin and the spherical π bond of C60, and a molecular configuration was offered for displaying the optimal spatial arrangement of C60/Cur. Furthermore, the Mulliken charges on the phenolic hydroxyl groups of the curcumin molecules with original and aggregated state were calculated respectively using Gaussian software, and the charge values were found to transfer from negative to positive due to the aggregating. The dispersion of the electron cloud on the benzene ring was recognized responsible to enhance the electron absorption capacity of the phenolic hydroxyl group, thereby improving free radical removal ability of C60/Cur.
Resurgence of Clinical Malaria in Ethiopia in the Era of Anopheles stephensi Invasion
Authors: Zhou Guofa , Taffese Hiwot S. , Zhong Daibin , Wang Xiaoming , Lee Ming-Chieh , Degefa Teshome , Getachew Dejene , Haileselassie Werissaw , Hawaria Dawit , Yewhalaw Delenasaw , Yan Guiyun
Published: June 2024

Background. The invasion of Anopheles stephensi into Africa poses a potential threat to malaria control and elimination on the continent. However, it is not clear if the recent malaria resurgence in Ethiopia has linked to the expansion of An. stephensi. We aimed to summarize the major achievements and lesson learnt in malaria control in Ethiopia from 2001 to 2022, to assess the new challenges and prospects for the control of An. stephensi.
Methods and findings. We obtained the clinical malaria case reports, antimalarial drug treatment records, insecticide-treated and long-lasting insecticidal net (ITN/LLIN) distribution and utilization records, and indoor residual spraying (IRS) coverage data from the Ethiopian Ministry of Health (MoH) for the period 2001–2022. We analyzed clinical malaria hotspots using spatially optimized hotspot analysis. We investigated malaria outbreaks in 2022 and examined the potential role of An. stephensi in the outbreaks.
Clinical malaria cases in Ethiopia decreased by 80%, from 5.2 million cases (11% confirmed) in 2004 to 1.0 million cases (92% confirmed) in 2018; however, cases increased steadily to 2.6 million confirmed cases (98% confirmed) in 2022. Plasmodium vivax cases and proportion have increased significantly in the past 5 years. Clinical malaria hotspots are concentrated along the western Ethiopian border areas and have grown significantly from 2017 to 2022. Major malaria outbreaks in 2022/23 were detected in multiple sites across Ethiopia, and An. stephensi was the predominant vector in some of these sites, however, it was absence from many of the outbreak sites.
Conclusions. The malaria burden has been significantly reduced in Ethiopia in the past two decades, but in recent years it has increased substantially, and the cause of such increase is a subject of further investigation. Major gaps exist in An. stephensi research, including vector ecology, surveillance, and control tools, especially for adult mosquito control.
Predictors of pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer
Authors: Yacoub Haythem , Zenzri Yosr , Cherif Dhouha , Mansour Hajer Ben , Attia Najla , Mokrani Cyrine , Zid Khadija Ben , Letaief Feryel , Mezlini Amel
Published: June 2024

Background: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) has become a standard treatment approach for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Patients achieving pathological complete response (pCR) following NCRT have better outcomes (overall survival, relapse free survival). However, not all patients treated for LARC with neoadjuvant treatment achieve pCR.
Aim: The aim of our study was to assess the rate and predictors of pCR.
Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective study at medical oncology unit in a tertiary care teaching hospital. All consecutive LARC patients without any evidence of distant metastasis who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery between June 2020 and January 2023 were included in the research. Pathological response to NCRT was assessed using Mandard grading system and response was categorized as pCR or not‑pCR. Two different standardized protocols for the neoadjuvant treatment were used: the first group was treated with induction chemotherapy followed by short course radiotherapy and the second group was treated with the RAPIDO protocol.
Correlation between different studied parameters and pCR was determined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis
Results:
The mean age of the 91 included patients (46 men and 45 women) was 58.53 ± 10.3 years. Twenty (22%) were found to have a pCR (Mandard TRG1) in the operative specimen. In univariate analysis, patients less than 60 years, continuation of chemotherapy and patients treated with the induction chemotherapy followed by short course radiotherapy showed a better pCR as compared to patients treated with Rapido protocol (p = 0.043, p=0.0001 and p=0.021 respectively). Patients with mucinous component had low pCR rates (p =0.021). On logistic regression analysis, chemotherapy continuation (OR = 10.27, 95% CI = 2,14–49.32), and absence of mucinous component (OR = 12.6, 95% CI = 3.1–40.32) were significant predictors of pCR. The median survival was 37.7 months.
Conclusion: Mucinous component and chemotherapy interruption are associated with lower pCR rates. Integrating these factors into personalized treatment algorithms may help optimize therapeutic strategies and improve outcomes for patients with LARC.
Unilateral Dual-Plane Puncture percutaneous vertebroplasty Reduces Re-collapse in Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures by Advancing Cement Delivery
Authors: Zheng Huo-Liang , Liu Chang-hai , Jiang Lei-Sheng , Zheng Xin-Feng , Jiang Sheng-Dan
Published: June 2024

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of a novel unilateral dual-plane puncture technique in improving bone cement distribution and reducing vertebral re-collapse following percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). Methods: A randomized trial enrolled 145 patients diagnosed with OVCFs, who were then allocated into either traditional or unilateral dual-plane puncture groups. Bone cement distribution, vertebral height and segmental kyphotic angle was measured through postoperative X ray, while clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Results: The unilateral dual-plane puncture technique notably augmented bone cement contact with both superior and inferior endplates compared to conventional methods, achieving rates of 64.86% versus 40.85% (p < 0.001). This contributed to a significant reduction in the incidence of vertebral re-collapse within the first-year post-operation: 18.92% in the unilateral dual-plane group as opposed to 42.25% in the traditional group (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the unilateral dual-plane group exhibited markedly superior long-term efficacy, evidenced by mean VAS and ODI scores of 1.26 and 28.58, respectively, in comparison to 2.03 and 32.45 in the traditional group. Conclusions: The unilateral dual-plane puncture technique advances bone cement distribution within the vertebra, thereby reducing the risk of vertebral re-collapse following PVP surgery and improving long-term clinical outcomes for patients with OVCFs.
The efficacy and safety of pharmacotherapy for girls with central precocious puberty or early puberty: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Yang Chunsong , Huang Xi , Liu Zheng , Zeng Linan , Wu Jin , zhang lingli
Published: June 2024

Purpose: The use of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) for central precocious puberty (CPP) and early puberty (EP) is off-label and lacks reliable evidence for clinical practice. This study aimed to compare the long-term efficacy and safety of gonadotrophin releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa) in combination with or without rhGH for the treatment of CPP and EP, and to explore the differences in the efficacy of different intervention timing.
Methods: The medical information of girls with CPP or EP at a women’s and children’s hospital from January 2013 to December 2018 was retrospectively collected. The primary outcome of efficacy was final height, and the secondary outcome included height gain, genetic height gain, standard deviation score of final height (FHSDS), and standard deviation score of height (HSDS) gain. The safety outcomes were the rate of composite adverse event and the rate of each adverse event. The generalized linear model (GLM) including confounders as covariates was applied to compare the difference between the groups, and subgroup analysis was further performed to explore the efficacy with different timing of intervention.
Results: A total of 182 girls with CPP or EP were finally included in this study. The adjusted results of GLM showed that the final height in the combination therapy group (162.58 ± 0.46 cm) was significantly higher than that in the monotherapy group (160.25 ± 0.35 cm) and the no treatment group (158.39 ± 0.47 cm) (P < 0.001), and the height gain, genetic height gain, FHSDS, and HSDS gain were all significantly different among the three groups (P < 0.001). Besides, the incidence of composite adverse events was greatly increasing in the combination therapy group (P < 0.001), among which the incidence of fasting insulin elevation and hypothyroidism was significantly higher than the other two groups (P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that the girls who entered puberty after the age of 8 years (P = 0.051), initiated pharmacotherapy at the age of 10-12 years (P = 0.204, P = 0.178), treated with GnRHa for less than one year (P = 0.718), and combined with rhGH for less than one year (P = 0.064) may not improve the final height.
Conclusions: The combination of GnRHa and rhGH can improve the final height of girls with CPP and EP to a certain extent, especially for those who began pharmacotherapy before 10 years of age and continued treatment for more than one year, but meanwhile increased the incidence of adverse events. The benefits, risks, and affordability of medication should still be comprehensively considered before the decisions on pharmacotherapy.
Characteristics of serum lipid metabolism in postmenopausal obese women and its effect on the proliferation, invasion and migration of endometrial cancer cells
Authors: Zhang Jingbo , Cao Ying , Kuang Lei , Zheng Yunuo , Wang Meng , Xu Hui , Zhou Xueyan , Liu Jianwei , Wang Qing , Zhou Jiayun , Zhang Weiran , Li Yanyu , Zhang Bei
Published: June 2024

Background. Obesity is a high risk factor for many cancers, especially endometrial cancer. However, the effect of a single obesity factor on endometrial cancer has not been reported. Moreover, the characteristics of changes in serum lipid metabolites in obese patients are not clear. Methods. BMI, clinical data, lipids and pathological findings of 240 endometrial cancer patients were collected to analyse pathological differences between different BMI groups. Ishikawa and HEC-1A cells were treated with serum from obese and non-obese postmenopausal women, and the migration, invasion and proliferation of the two groups of cells were tested. LC-MS/MS technique was applied to detect the differences in lipid metabolism between obese and non-obese serum from postmenopausal women. Results. Endometrial cancer patients in the obese group had worse pathological staging. Also endometrial cancer patients with concomitant hyperlipidaemia had deeper myometrial infiltration. Endometrial cancer cells with obese serum effects had higher migration, invasion and proliferation. A total of 994 metabolites were identified in this study. 56 different metabolites were determined between the obese and non-obese groups. In the POS mode, DG35:3, DG 32:1lDG 14:0_18:1, DG 32:0, DG 34:1, TG 24:0lTG 8:0_8:0_8:0, TG O-32:1lTG O-16:1_8:0_8:0, TG 48:1lTG 14:0_16:0_18:1, TG 46:1lTG 14:0_16:0_16:1, TG 48:3lTG 14:0_16:1_18:2, CE 17:0, PI 32:1, DG 35:3lDG 17:1_18:2, TG 45:2lTG 11:0_16:0_18:2, TG 46:0lTG 14:0_16:0_16:0 were significantly downregulated in postmenopausal obese women, while the total level of PCs, DG 38:1, DG 48:6, PI-Cer 31:0;2O, SE 29:1/18:2, AHexCer 45:5;3OlAHexCer(O-15:1)30:4;3O, CAR 12:0, CAR 16:2, CAR 14:1, CAR 11:0, PE P-36:3|PE P-16:1_20:2, ASG 27:1;O, Hex, FA 10:0 were upregulated. In the NEG mode, LPE 16:0, LPE 22:5, LPE 20:3, PI 34:2|PI 16:0_18:2, PI 34:1|PI 16:0_18:1, PI 37:4|PI 17:0_20:4, PI 35:2|PI 17:0_18:2, PI 36:4|PI 16:0_20:4, PE-Cer 34:2;2O, PE 36:1;O|PE 18:1_18:0;2O, Cer 42:3;2O|Cer 18:2;2O/24:1, FA 24:6, FA 27:0, FA 20:4;O, FA 20:5 were downregulated in the obese group. SHexCer 40:1;2O, SHexCer, 42:3;2O, SHexCer 42:2;2O, SM 40:1;3O, PEO-44:8|PE O-22:2_22:6, PE O-46:8|PE, O-24:2_22:6, PE O-42:8|PE O-20:2_22:6 were upregulated in the obese group. Conclusions. The results of this study suggested that obesity might promote the progression of endometrial cancer. Changes in lipid metabolism suggested risk factors for endometrial cancer in postmenopausal obese women.
Diagnostic Potential of Rhinovirus C using Reverse-Transcription Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP)
Authors: Wong Yien-Ping , Tee Kok Keng , Chee Hui-Yee
Published: June 2024

Rhinoviruses (RVs), particularly RV-C, frequently cause acute respiratory infections and asthma exacerbations. However, there is a lack of routine detection methods. Thus, this study aims to develop a rapid molecular and differential diagnostic detection method for RV-C using the reverse transcription (RT) loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) approach. The RT-LAMP assay targeting the 5′UTR region of RV-C genome was optimized by varying the reaction temperature, magnesium sulfate, betaine concentrations, and reaction time. Compared with conventional RT-PCR with a sensitivity of 106 copies of RNA, RT-LAMP demonstrated a significant increase in efficiency and sensitivity with a quantifiable viral load of at least 101 copies of RNA by gel electrophoresis and colour change, and 104 copies of RNA for end-point detection with a turbidimeter for 40 minutes. The assay is also specific without amplifying RV-A16 and RV-B72 genomic RNA. In the proof-of-concept assay using 30 clinical respiratory samples with known etiological agents, it detected all RV-C isolates, of which its accuracy was confirmed by sequencing. The newly developed RT-LAMP assay demonstrated good analytical sensitivity and specificity toward RV-C. The assay provides an alternative for improved RV-C diagnosis.
A Comparative study of single versus double venous coupler anastomosis in maxillofacial reconstructions with free flaps. How necessary is the second venous coupler anastomosis?
Authors: Haq Ansarul , Singh Veena , Bhalara Niraj
Published: June 2024

Background: Recently, venous couplers have been routinely employed for free flap surgery. Its use is justified considering the large number of backlog cases as well as for surgeon and patient benefit. However, venous thrombosis remains a worrisome problem in the use of venous couplers. Although the efficacy of venous couplers has been found to be equal to that of hand-sewn anastomosis, comparison of single versus double venous coupler anastomosis has not been reported.Materials & Methods: A prospective randomized study carried between 2020 and 2024 included 154 patients who underwent maxillofacial free flap reconstruction; these patients were divided into two groups based on the number of venous coupler anastomoses performed. (Single MACD, n = 82 vs Double MACD, n = 72). Data were evaluated for demographics, perioperative details, vascular thrombosis, flap complications and flap loss.Results: There were no significant differences regarding comorbidities or ASA status between the two groups. Overall, there was no significant difference regarding the rate of venous thrombosis (1 MACD: 2.44% versus 2 MACD: 2.78%, p > 0.05) or flap loss (1 MACD: 1.22% versus 2 MACD: 1.39%, p > 0.05).Conclusions: As our overall survivability rate was more than 97% in each group, it can be concluded that flap survivability is not dependent on the number of venous coupler anastomoses and that it would be safe to proceed with single venous coupler anastomosis with close flap monitoring. Various other factors, such as improper technique, intimal injury, hematoma and pedicle compression, may play more prominent roles in flap survivability.
Enhanced Radiation Resistance of Er3+/Yb3+ Co-Doped High-Phosphorus Silica Glasses and Fibers via Phase-Interface Engineering
Authors: Dong He-He , Wang Fan , Zhu Yi-Ming , Yang Qiu-Bai , Shao Chong-Yun , Chen Ying-Gang , Wang Shi-Kai , Yu Chun-Lei , Hu Li-Li
Published: June 2024

This study proposes a strategy for enhancing the radiation resistance of glass/fibers by introducing phase interfaces. Through phase-separation techniques and high-temperature annealing treatments, we constructed nanoscale phase interfaces engineered in erbium-ytterbium co-doped high-phosphorus silica glass with a specific density, stability level, and homogeneous distribution. Using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and spectroscopic analyses, we tracked the evolution of the internal microstructure of the glasses at the atomic level. The findings confirmed that annealing effectively controlled the density of the phase interfaces formed. Under 1 kGy X-ray irradiation, glasses with effective phase interfaces exhibited significant improvements in radiation-induced attenuation and photoluminescence intensity compared to pristine glasses. This indicated that effective interfacial engineering considerably enhances the radiation resistance of glasses. Furthermore, online irradiation tests on the Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped silica fibers supported this result. Compared to pristine fiber, fibers annealed for 3 hrs and annealed for 20 hrs with different phase interfacial densities showed 45% and 73% lower RIA at 1080 nm, respectively.
Resolving the single-cell and spatial transcriptomic architecture of inflammatory tertiary lymphoid structures to decode gastric cancer immunotherapy prognosis
Authors: Zhang Min , Wang Yanchun , Zhang Guangyu , Zhang Xin , Xizhao Chen , Zhang Lihua , Sang Shuli , Yao Sheng , Fei Yang , Tian Zhichao , Zang Yu , Wang Hongwei , Liu Chunjie , Liu Yan
Published: June 2024

The tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) served as prognostic and immunotherapeutic indicator in cancer, influenced by its spatial distribution and density. Herein, we implemented TCR, single-cell, and spatial sequencing to elucidate the tumor microenvironment (TME) complexity in 25 gastric cancer (GC) samples with varying TLS distributions. We observed significant accumulation of CXCL13 + CD103 + T lymphocyte cell (TLC), CXCR5 + germinal center B lymphocyte cell (BLC), LAMP3 + dendritic cell (DC), SELP + high endothelial venule (HEV), CXCL12 + matrix cancer associated fibroblast (mCAF) and CXCL16 + tumor cell in intratumor TLS (iTLS) GC compared to peritumor TLS (pTLS) and desert TLS (dTLS). Intercellular crosstalk unveiled CXCL16 + tumor cells, CXCL12 + mCAFs, and SELP + HEVs mediate the recruitment of CXCL13 + TLCs through the CXCL16-CXCR6 and CXCL12-CXCR4 pathways, generating CXCR5 + BLCs recruitment via the CXCL13-CXCR5 pathway, indicative of GC TLS formation mechanism. Lastly, we proposed inflammatory TLS (iTLS) signature with cellular features within iTLS-GC TME, predicting GC immunotherapy prognosis.
Cost of cholera for households and health facilities, Somalia
Authors: Figuereo Salvador , Yoon Ian , Kaddu Ssentamu Simon , Lugobo Mutaawe , Baruch Joaquin , Hossain Asm Amjad , Mohamed Sahra Isse , Abubakar Ali H A , Mohamud Khalid Mohamed , Ma Sk Md Mamunur Rahman
Published: June 2024

Introduction:
Cholera remains a substantial public health challenge in Somalia. Ongoing droughts in the country have caused significant outbreaks which have negatively affected the lives of many individuals and overwhelmed health facilities. We aimed to estimate the costs associated with cholera cases for households and health facilities in Somalia.
Methods
This cost-of-illness study was conducted in five cholera treatment centres in Somalia and 400 patients treated in these facilities. Data collection took place from September to October 2023. We interviewed staff at the centres and the patients. The data obtained from the household questionnaire covered direct (medical and non-medical) and indirect (lost wages) costs, while direct costs were estimated for the health facility (personnel salaries, drugs and consumables used to treat a patient, and utility expenses).
Results
The average total cost of a cholera episode for a household was US$ 33.94, with 50.4% (US$ 17.12) being direct costs and 49.6% (US$ 16.82) indirect costs. The average total cost for a health facility to treat an episode of cholera was US$ 82.65. The overall average cost to households and health facilities was US$ 116.59. In the households, patients aged 41 years and older incurred the highest mean total cost (US$ 73.90) while patients younger than 5 years had the lowest cost (US$ 21.02). Additionally, 61.8% of households had to use family savings to cover the cost of the cholera episode, while 14.5% had to borrow money. Most patients (71.8%) were younger than 16 years – 45.3% were 5 years or younger – and 94.0% had never received a cholera vaccine.
Conclusion
Our study suggests that preventing one cholera episode in Somalia could avert substantial losses for both the households and cholera treatment centres. The findings shed light on the expenses associated with cholera that extend beyond healthcare, including substantial direct and indirect costs borne by households. Preventing cholera cases could lead to a decrease in this economic burden, consequently our study supports the need for preventive measures.
The cholesterol oxidation product 7-ketocholesterol impairs pancreatic beta cell insulin secretion
Authors: Zhang Wenjing , Wu Ying , Zhao Yuchen , Wu Nan , Wu Jiahua , Sun Shuiya , Wang Hong , He Sunyue , Xu Yingke , Lin Xihua , Zhou Jiaqiang
Published: June 2024

Background: The impairment of pancreatic beta cell function caused by glucolipotoxicity plays an important role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Previous studies have shown that cholesterol can induce beta cell dysfunction. However, the effect of the cholesterol oxidation product 7-ketocholesterol in beta-cell function remains unclear.
Methods: Cell proliferation, Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), perifusion, calcium imaging, total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM), reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), ATP, qPCR, and Western blotting were used to evaluate the effect and mechanism of 7-ketocholesterol on INS1 cells and islets. N-Acetyl-L-cysteine was used to rescue insulin secretion of beta-cells. GSIS, perifusion, calcium levels and exocytosis events verified that early-phase insulin secretion was impaired after 7-ketocholesterol treatment.
Results: The results of CCK 8 and GSIS demonstrated that 25 μmol/L 7-ketocholesterol significantly decreased insulin secretion in the INS1 cells (P < 0.05), as did 50 μmol/L 7-ketocholesterol in the primary islets (P < 0.05). The islet perifusion analysis verified that the insulin secretion function was impaired with 7-ketocholesterol(P < 0.001). Calcium imaging showed that the intracellular calcium levels were decreased following 7-ketocholesterol treatment(P<0.001). TIRFM imaging inferred that 7-ketocholesterol could reduced insulin-secretory-granule exocytosis by decreased fusion events and increased kiss-and-run events to the membrane to attenuate insulin secretion (P < 0.01). Further data showed that the level of Snap25 gene and protein expression related to insulin exocytosis was substantially downregulated. Further study showed that the reactive oxygen species (ROS) in INS1 cells was upregulated, and both the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and level of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) was downregulated (P < 0.05). The regulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (NRF2) is an important transcription factor for oxidative stress, for which its nuclear translocation results in the subsequent activation of gene transcription of Gpx4, Sod1, Txnip, Nqo1, and Ho1 in INS1 cells. In addition, 7-ketocholesterol-induced pancreatic beta cell dysfunction and oxidative stress was ameliorated by pretreatment with the antioxidant, N-Acetyl-L-cysteine.
Conclusions: These findings suggested that 7-ketocholesterol impacted insulin exocytosis to decrease the insulin secretion of pancreatic beta cells involved in the oxidative stress.
Towards Neural Named Entity Recognition System in Tigrinya with Large-scale Dataset
Authors: Berhane Sham K. , Beyene Simon M. , Teklit Yoel G. , Ibrahim Ibrahim A. , Teklu Natnael A. , Bereketeab Sirak A. , Gaim Fitsum
Published: June 2024

The scarcity of annotated datasets remains a significant impediment to the advancement of Natural Language Processing (NLP) in low-resourced languages. In this work, we introduce a large-scale annotated Tigrinya Named Entity Recognition (NER) Corpus, along with models for the NER system in the Tigrinya language. Our manually constructed Tigrinya NER dataset comprises over 200K words tagged for NER, with over 118K of the tokens also having Parts-of-Speech (POS) tags, encompassing 8 distinct classes of entities and multiple tagging schemes. We performed extensive experiments covering several recurrent neural networks and state-of-the-art transformer models, achieving highest performance of 90.18% weighted F1-score. These results are particularly notable, given the unique challenges posed by Tigrinya's distinct grammatical structure and complex word morphologies. The system can be an essential building block for the development of NLP systems in Tigrinya and other related low-resourced languages, and can facilitate cross-referencing with higher-resourced languages.