bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Visualization of sorting algorithms in the virtual reality environment
Authors: Mukasheva Manargul , Kalkabayeva Zukhra , Pussyrmanov Nurbek
Published: August 2023

This study examines the use of virtual reality (VR) in programming, specifically in visualization of sorting methods. Addressing students’ needs to better understand and implement sorting methods, “VR sorting” application was developed to visualize the bubble sorting and selection sorting abstract methods in the VR environment. The effects of visualization were evaluated drawing on an extended taxonomy, specifically developed by the authors of this study. The results indicate that VR might significantly enhance students’ understanding of sorting tasks, further allowing them to employ these skills in practice. Specifically, 76.9% of students, who studied sorting methods in virtual environment drawing on “VR sorting” application, demonstrated higher outcomes in implementing sorting tasks. VR visualization of sorting methods, differs from existing ways of visualizing learning in the context of constructivism. Since VR allows the student to construct the algorithm himself directly interacting machine memory in the form of cells where the data is stored and managing the progress of sorting. These results shed some light to future research avenues on VR enabled constructive visualization.
Dietary protein levels modulate the gut microbiome composition through fecal samples derived from lactating ewes
Authors: Liang Jiachong , Ali Sikandar , Lv Chunrong , Yang Hongyuan , Zhao Xiaoqi , Ni Xiaojun , Li Chunyan , Danzeng Baiji , Wang Yajing , Quan Guobo
Published: August 2023

In ruminants, the digestion and utilization of dietary proteins are closely linked to the bacterial populations that are present in the gastrointestinal tract. In the present study, 16S rDNA sequencing, together with a metagenomic strategy was used to characterize the fecal bacteria of ewes in the early lactation stage after feeding with three levels of dietary proteins 8.58%, 10.34%, and 13.93%, in three different groups (H_1), (H_m) and (H_h), respectively. A total of 376,278,516 clean data-points were obtained by metagenomic sequencing. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla, regardless of the dietary protein levels. In the H_h group, the phyla Proteobacteria, Caldiserica, and Candidatus_Cryosericota were less abundant than those in the H_I group. In contrast, Lentisphaerae, Chlamydiae, and Planctomycetes were significantly more abundant in the H_h group. Some genera, such as Prevotella, Roseburia, and Firmicutes_unclassified, were less abundant in the H_h group than those in the H_I group. In contrast, Ruminococcus, Ruminococcaceae_noname, Anaerotruncus, Thermotalae, Lentisphaerae_noname, and Paraprevotella were enriched in the H_h group. The acquired microbial genes were mainly clustered into biological processes; molecular functions; cytosol; cellular components; cytoplasm; structural constituents of ribosomes; plasma membranes; translation; and catalytic activities. 205987 genes were significantly enriched in the H_h group. In contrast, 108129 genes were more abundant in the H_I group. Our findings reveal that dynamic changes in fecal bacteria and their genes are strongly influenced by the levels of dietary proteins. We discovered that differentially expressed genes mainly regulate metabolic activity and KEGG demonstrated the primary involvement of these genes in the metabolism of carbohydrates, amino acids, nucleotides, and vitamins. Additionally, genes responsible for metabolism were more abundant in the H_h group. Investigating fecal bacterial characteristics may help researchers develop a dietary formula for lactating ewes to optimize the growth and health of ewes and lambs.
The rs17782313 polymorphism near MC4R gene confers a high risk of obesity and hyperglycemia, while PGC1α rs8192678 polymorphism is weakly correlated with glucometabolic disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Youjin , Li Shiyun , Nie Haiyan , Wang Xue , Li Xuanxuan , Wen Jinhui , Li Mengxi , Song Yongyan
Published: August 2023

Background

The relationships of the rs17782313 polymorphism near melanocortin 4 receptor gene (MC4R) and the rs8192678 polymorphism in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha gene (PGC1α) with metabolic abnormalities have been explored in many populations around the world, but the findings were not all consistent and sometimes even a bit contradictory.

Methods

Electronic databases including Medline, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI and Google Scholar were checked for studies that met the inclusion criteria. Data were carefully extracted from eligible studies. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were calculated by using a random-effects model to examine the differences in the indexes of obesity, glucometabolic disorder and dyslipidemia between the genotypes of the rs17782313 and rs8192678 polymorphisms. Cochran’s Q-statistic test and Begg’s test were employed to identify heterogeneity among studies and publication bias, respectively.

Results

Fifty studies (58,716 subjects) and 51 studies (18,660 subjects) were respectively included in the pooled meta-analyses for the rs17782313 and rs8192678 polymorphisms. The C-allele carriers of the rs17782313 polymorphism had a higher average level of body mass index (SMD = 0.21 kg/m2, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.12 to 0.29 kg/m2, p < 0.001), waist circumference (SMD = 0.14 cm, 95% CI = 0.06 to 0.23 cm, p < 0.001) and blood glucose (SMD = 0.09 mg/dL, 95% CI = 0.02 to 0.16 mg/dL, p = 0.01) than the TT homozygotes. Regarding the rs8192678 polymorphism, no significant associations with the indexes of obesity, glucometabolic disorder and dyslipidemia were detected. However, significant correlations between the rs8192678 polymorphism and multiple glucometabolic indexes were observed in subgroup analyses stratified by sex, age, ethnicity and health status.

Conclusion

The meta-analysis demonstrates that the C allele of the MC4R rs17782313 polymorphism confers a higher risk of obesity and hyperglycemia, and the PGC1α rs8192678 polymorphism is weakly correlated with glucometabolic disorder. These findings may partly explain the relationships between these variants and diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022373543.
Research on CNN-LSTM DC power system fault diagnosis and differential protection strategy based on reinforcement learning
Authors: Yang Yun , Tu Feng , Huang Shixuan , Tu Yuehai , Liu Ti
Published: August 2023

Introduction: With the development of artificial intelligence technology, more and more fields are applying deep learning and reinforcement learning techniques to solve practical problems. In the power system, both the direct current (DC) power system and the power grid substation are important components, and their reliability and stability are crucial for production efficiency and safety. The power grid substation is used to convert power from high-voltage transmission lines to low-voltage transmission lines, or from alternating current to direct current (or vice versa), in order to efficiently transmit and distribute power in the power system. However, diagnosing faults and designing cascaded protection strategies has always been a challenge due to the complexityand uncertainty of the DC power system.

Methods: To improve the reliability and stability of the DC power system and power grid substation, this paper aims to develop an intelligent fault diagnosis system and cascaded protection strategy to reduce faults and downtime, lower maintenance costs, and increase production efficiency. We propose a method based on reinforcement learning and a convolutional neural network-long short-term memory (CNN-LSTM) model for fault diagnosis and cascaded protection strategy design in the DC power system. CNN is used to extract features from raw data, while LSTM models time-series data. In addition, we use reinforcement learning to design cascaded protection strategies to protect the power system from the impact of faults.

Results: We tested our method using real 220V DC power system data in experiments. The results show that our method can effectively diagnose faults in the DC power system and formulate effective cascaded protection strategies.

Discussion: Compared with traditional methods, this intelligent method can diagnose faults faster and more accurately, and formulate better cascaded protection strategies. This method helps reduce maintenance costs, increase production efficiency, and can be applied to other fields.
The caddis aren’t alright: modeling Trichoptera richness in streams of the northcentral United States reveals substantial species losses
Authors: Houghton David C. , DeWalt R. Edward
Published: August 2023

Despite the importance of caddisflies in aquatic ecosystems, few studies have assessed the most important variables affecting their species richness throughout a large region or attempted to model such richness throughout the region. We sampled nearly 500,000 adult caddisfly specimens representing 18,288 species occurrences and 282 total species using ultraviolet light traps from nearly 800 streams of varying size and condition throughout the northcentral US, an area of about 1.3 million km2. We tested 18 candidate variables reflecting natural habitat conditions, anthropogenic disturbance, and weather differences for their ability to account for variation in the caddisfly species richness of our samples. Multiple linear regression, including significance testing and ranking by Akaike Information Criterion importance values, determined a best model including eight variables. Caddisfly species richness increased with percentage of intact natural upstream habitat, elevation, dew point, longitude, depth of soil organic matter, and distance of soil to bedrock, and decreased with the percentage of non-native plants and total runoff value. The percentage of intact upstream habitat alone accounted for >40% of the variation in caddisfly species richness. After correcting for dew point to equalize weather conditions, our 7-variable model predicted that, on average, a 50% loss of intact upstream habitat would cause a 30% decrease in caddisfly species richness relative to undisturbed conditions, a 75% loss would cause a 55% decrease, and a near total loss would cause a 75% decrease. Applying our model to the 760,047 stream segments of our study area estimated that, in the absence of disturbance, nearly 90% of stream segments were predicted to contain 31–40 caddisfly species. Based on calculated disturbance levels, however, only 15% of stream segments had maintained at least 90% of that richness, whereas 58% had lost at least half. Species extirpations were generally lowest in the northern forested portion of our study area and, except for some relatively small protected areas, higher in the southern agricultural portion. Overall, our data indicated a tremendous number of site-level extirpations over a large area owing principally to watershed-level habitat disturbance. Such losses probably occur in other aquatic insect taxa throughout much of the United States and elsewhere.
Patterns in leaf traits of woody species and their environmental determinants in a humid karstic forest in southwest China
Authors: Long Qingzhi , Du Hu , Su Liang , Zeng Fuping , Lian Ziwen , Peng Wanxia , Tan Weining , Sun Rui , Wang Kelin
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Leaf functional traits constitute a crucial component of plant functionality, providing insights into plants’ adaptability to the environment and their regulatory capacity in complex habitats. The response of leaf traits to environmental factors at the community level has garnered significant attention. Nevertheless, an examination of the environmental factors determining the spatial distribution of leaf traits in the karst region of southwest China remains absent.

Methods

In this study, we established a 25 ha plot within a karst forest and collected leaf samples from 144 woody species. We measured 14 leaf traits, including leaf area (LA), leaf thicknes (LT), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf length to width ratio (LW), leaf tissue density (LTD), leaf carbon concentration (LC), leaf nitrogen concentration (LN), and leaf phosphorus concentration (LP), leaf potassium concentration (LK), leaf calcium concentration (LCa), leaf magnesium Concentration (LMg), leaf carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N), leaf carbon to phosphorus ratio (C/P), and leaf nitrogen to phosphorus ratio (N/P), to investigate the spatial distribution of community-level leaf traits and the response of the leaf trait community-weighted mean (CWM) to topographic, soil, and spatial factors.

Results

Results showed that the CWM of leaf traits display different spatial patterns, first, the highest CWM values for LT, LTD, C/N, and C/P at hilltops, second, the highest CWM values for LA, SLA, LW, LC, LN, LP, and LK at depressions, and third, the highest CWM values for LCa, LMg, and N/P at slopes. The correlation analysis showed that topographic factors were more correlated with leaf trait CWM than soil factors, with elevation and slope being the strongest correlations. RDA analysis showed that topographic factors explained higher percentage of leaf trait CWM than soil factors, with the highest percentage of 19.96% being explained by elevation among topographic factors. Variance Partitioning Analysis showed that the spatial distribution of leaf traits is predominantly influenced by the combined effects of topography and spatial factors (37%-47% explained), followed by purely spatial factors (24%-36% explained).

Discussion

The results could improve our understanding of community functional traits and their influencing factors in the karst region, which will contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that shape plant communities.
Maternal complications and associated factors among mothers who underwent a cesarean section at Gebretsadik Shewa general hospital: an institution based cross-sectional study
Authors: Negese Ketemaw , Belachew Dereje Zeleke
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Cesarean sections have played a major role in lowering maternal morbidity and mortality rates, but are a major concern in developing countries. This study aims to assess the magnitude of maternal complication and its associated factors among women who underwent a cesarean section at Gebretsadik Shewa general hospital, Southwest Ethiopia.

Method

A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Gebretsadik Shewa general hospital. Data were extracted from 382 mothers' medical charts, retrieved from the labor and operations theatre log book registry using systematic random sampling technique. The extracted data was coded and entered into Epi Data version 3.0, and exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 for analysis. Logistic regression analysis was conducted and significance and strength association was determined considering AOR with a 95% confidence level.

Result

A total of 382 mothers' charts were reviewed; however, 368 charts were eligible for data entry. The age of the participants ranges between 16 and 42 years with mean and standard deviation of 26.1 ± 4.8 years. Maternal complication rate was 30.4% [95% CI: 25.8- 35.1]. Surgical site infection (10.3%), anemia (6.5%) and intraoperative bleeding (4.6%) were the most common. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that no antenatal care follow up, medical illness during pregnancy, emergency cesarean section and not receiving a prophylactic antibiotic were statistically associated with maternal complications.

Conclusion

The incidence of maternal complication following cesarean delivery was unduly high. Community based education about antenatal care follow up and its importance should be further strengthened for favorable maternal and fetal outcomes.
Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and beliefs regarding prenatal alcohol consumption among women in Leyte, the Philippines
Authors: Huang Alice M. , Neale Matthew N. , Darveau Spencer C. , Sagliba Marianne J. , Moreno Amabelle J. , Urbina Maria Paz G. , Tallo Veronica , McDonald Emily A. , Jiz Mario A. , Friedman Jennifer F.
Published: August 2023

Objectives

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) captures the broad range of emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and congenital abnormalities associated with maternal alcohol consumption, and women living in resource-limited settings may be higher risk. This study aims to examine knowledge, attitudes, practices, and beliefs (KAPB) of women in Leyte, The Philippines regarding prenatal alcohol consumption.

Methods

One hundred postpartum women were recruited from a birth cohort in Leyte. A prenatal alcohol use KAPB survey was constructed in Waray, the local language. The survey was administered in June-September 2019. Descriptive statistics, chi-squared test, and Fisher's exact test were used to analyze responses.

Results

Seventy-five percent of subjects reported drinking tuba, a local palm wine, during pregnancy. Most participants (75%) did not believe tuba contained alcohol. Women who believed tuba contains no alcohol were more likely to drink tuba during pregnancy (81.3%) than women who believed tuba contains alcohol (56.0%), X2(1, N = 100) = 6.41, p = .011. Women who drank tuba during pregnancy were more likely to believe tuba has health benefits (60%) than women who did not drink tuba during pregnancy (12%), Fisher's exact p < .05, citing increased red blood cell count and unproven antiparasitic qualities. Fifteen percent of subjects reported having fed their babies tuba. Nearly all (98%) were willing to attenuate tuba/alcohol consumption if told that this practice negatively impacts pregnancies.

Conclusion

Misinformation about tuba appears widespread in Leyte. Educating women of reproductive age in Leyte regarding prenatal tuba use may lead to a reduction in tuba use.
Vibrio vulnificus mutation rate: an in vitro approach
Authors: Roig Molina Francisco Jose , Amaro González Carmen , Alcaine Otín Alejandro , Carro Fernández Jesús
Published: August 2023

Vibrio vulnificus is a multi-host pathogenic species currently subdivided into five phylogenetic lineages (L) plus one pathovar with the ability to infect fish due to a transmissible virulence plasmid. This plasmid (or a fragment of it) has been transmitted between lineages within the species, contributing to the evolution of V. vulnificus. This study aimed to provide an experimental approximation to the V. vulnificus mutation rate by determining spontaneous mutation rates from bacterial cultures of representants of the different lineages by whole-genome sequencing. To this purpose, synonymous SNP differences, i.e., spontaneous mutation not subjected to the evolutive forces, between initial and final culture after serial growth were evaluated and used for mutation rate calculation.
Synergistic interactions between anammox and dissimilatory nitrate reducing bacteria sustains reactor performance across variable nitrogen loading ratios
Authors: White Christian , Antell Edmund , Schwartz Sarah L. , Lawrence Jennifer E. , Keren Ray , Zhou Lijie , Yu Ke , Zhuang Weiqin , Alvarez-Cohen Lisa
Published: August 2023

Anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria are utilized for high efficiency nitrogen removal from nitrogen-laden sidestreams in wastewater treatment plants. The anammox bacteria form a variety of competitive and mutualistic interactions with heterotrophic bacteria that often employ denitrification or dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) for energy generation. These interactions can be heavily influenced by the influent ratio of ammonium to nitrite, NH4+:NO2−, where deviations from the widely acknowledged stoichiometric ratio (1:1.32) have been demonstrated to have deleterious effects on anammox efficiency. Thus, it is important to understand how variable NH4+:NO2− ratios impact the microbial ecology of anammox reactors. We observed the response of the microbial community in a lab scale anammox membrane bioreactor (MBR) to changes in the influent NH4+:NO2− ratio using both 16S rRNA gene and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Ammonium removal efficiency decreased from 99.77 ± 0.04% when the ratio was 1:1.32 (prior to day 89) to 90.85 ± 0.29% when the ratio was decreased to 1:1.1 (day 89–202) and 90.14 ± 0.09% when the ratio was changed to 1:1.13 (day 169–200). Over this same timespan, the overall nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE) remained relatively unchanged (85.26 ± 0.01% from day 0–89, compared to 85.49 ± 0.01% from day 89–169, and 83.04 ± 0.01% from day 169–200). When the ratio was slightly increased to 1:1.17–1:1.2 (day 202–253), the ammonium removal efficiency increased to 97.28 ± 0.45% and the NRE increased to 88.21 ± 0.01%. Analysis of 16 S rRNA gene sequences demonstrated increased relative abundance of taxa belonging to Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Ignavibacteriae over the course of the experiment. The relative abundance of Planctomycetes, the phylum to which anammox bacteria belong, decreased from 77.19% at the beginning of the experiment to 12.24% by the end of the experiment. Analysis of metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs) indicated increased abundance of bacteria with nrfAH genes used for DNRA after the introduction of lower influent NH4+:NO2− ratios. The high relative abundance of DNRA bacteria coinciding with sustained bioreactor performance indicates a mutualistic relationship between the anammox and DNRA bacteria. Understanding these interactions could support more robust bioreactor operation at variable nitrogen loading ratios.
Sarkosyl differentially solubilizes patient-derived alpha-synuclein fibril strains
Authors: Gram Hjalte , Theologidis Vasileios , Boesen Thomas , Jensen Poul Henning
Published: August 2023

Insoluble α-synuclein (αSyn) filaments in brain tissue are a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Multiple system atrophy (MSA), and for structural studies, they have for decades been extracted using the detergent sarkosyl. We asked if PD and MSA patient-derived αSyn filament strains display different stability to sarkosyl extraction as this may confound our interpretation of the landscape of structural strains present in patients’ tissue. We compared the stability of cerebrospinal fluid-derived strains from four PD and four MSA patients using sedimentation and immunoassays and tested the seeding competence and strain-specific characteristics of the sarkosyl-soluble fractions using a seed amplification assay (SAA) and Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence. We demonstrate that filaments from PD are less resistant to sarkosyl than from MSA after they have been subjected to freezing and sonication. An enhanced release of monomers from PD filaments was the major difference between PD and MSA, but the sarkosyl-soluble fraction released from both PD and MSA filaments contained aggregates that displayed aggregate-specific epitopes and seeding activity with preserved disease-specific strain characteristics. Our results demonstrate that sarkosyl differentially destabilizes patient derived αSyn filament strains, which may compromise our ability to fully appreciate the landscape of αSyn filament currently being uncovered by high resolution cryoEM analyses. This should motivate an effort to develop more gentle extraction protocols.
Retrograde Cricopharyngeus Dysfunction effectively treated with low dose botulinum toxin. A case report from Italy
Authors: Pavesi Luca , Balzano Cecilia , Mauramati Simone , Giudice Carla , Fresia Mauro , Todisco Massimiliano , Alfonsi Enrico , Cosentino Giuseppe
Published: August 2023

A large constellation of hitherto unexplained symptoms including inability to burp, gurgling noises from the chest and lower neck, abdominal bloating, flatulence, painful hiccups and emetophobia was defined as Retrograde Cricopharyngeus Dysfunction (R-CPD) in 2019. First choice treatment of R-CPD involves injection of botulinum toxin into the cricopharyngeus muscle under local or general anesthesia. This treatment has been found to be effective in the vast majority of subjects, with limited adverse events and prolonged therapeutic effects. Notwithstanding, R-CPD is still a poorly understood and underestimated disease, and a specific therapeutic dosage range of botulinum toxin (BT) has not been yet established. In this report, we describe the first case of R-CPD diagnosed in Italy, successfully treated with unilateral, anesthesia-free injection of 10 units of onabotulinum toxin into the cricopharyngeus muscle, representing the lowest dose reported to date.
Brain structural differences in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and its subtypes
Authors: Boateng Theresah , Beauchamp Kathryn , Torres Faerl , Ruffaner-Hanson Chaselyn D. , Pinner John F. L. , Vakamudi Kishore , Cerros Cassandra , Hill Dina E. , Stephen Julia M.
Published: August 2023

Introduction

The teratogenic effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) have been examined in animal models and humans. The current study extends the prior literature by quantifying differences in brain structure for individuals with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) compared to typically developing controls, as well as examining FASD subtypes. We hypothesized the FASD group would reveal smaller brain volume, reduced cortical thickness, and reduced surface area compared to controls, with the partial fetal alcohol syndrome (pFAS)/fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) subtypes showing the largest effects and the PAE/alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND) subtype revealing intermediate effects.

Methods

The sample consisted of 123 children and adolescents recruited from a single site including children with a diagnosis of FASD/PAE (26 males, 29 females) and controls (34 males, 34 females). Structural T1-weighted MRI scans were obtained on a 3T Trio TIM scanner and FreeSurfer v7.2 was used to quantify brain volume, cortical thickness, and surface area. Analyses examined effects by subgroup: pFAS/FAS (N= 32, Mage= 10.7 years, SEage= 0.79), PAE/ARND (N= 23, Mage= 10.8, SEage= 0.94), and controls (N= 68, Mage= 11.1, SEage= 0.54).

Results

Total brain volume in children with an FASD was smaller relative to controls, but subtype analysis revealed only the pFAS/FAS group differed significantly from controls. Regional analyses similarly revealed reduced brain volume in frontal and temporal regions for children with pFAS/FAS, yet children diagnosed with PAE/ARND generally had similar volumes as controls. Notable differences to this pattern occurred in the cerebellum, caudate, and pallidum where children with pFAS/FAS and PAE/ARND revealed lower volume relative to controls. In the subset of participants who had neuropsychological testing, correlations between volume and IQ scores were observed. Goodness-of-Fit analysis by age revealed differences in developmental patterns (linear vs. quadratic) between groups in some cases.

Discussion

This study confirmed prior results indicating decreased brain volume in children with an FASD and extended the results by demonstrating differential effects by structure for FASD subtypes. It provides further evidence for a complex role of PAE in structural brain development that is likely related to the cognitive and behavioral effects experienced by children with an FASD.
Combining methylated SDC2 test in stool DNA, fecal immunochemical test, and tumor markers improves early detection of colorectal neoplasms
Authors: Zeng Tao , Huang Zhongchao , Yu Xufa , Zheng Li , Liu Tao , Tian Boyu , Xiao Siyu , Huang Jiahui
Published: August 2023

Objective

To explore the value of testing methylated SDC2 (SDC2) in stool DNA combined with fecal immunochemical test (FIT) and serum tumor markers (TM) for the early detection of colorectal neoplasms.

Methods

A total of 533 patients, including 150 with CRC (67 with early-stage CRC), 23 with APL, 85 with non-advanced adenomas and general polyps, and 275 with benign lesions and healthy controls. SDC2 was detected by methylation-specific PCR, FIT (hemoglobin, Hb and transferrin, TF) was detected by immunoassay, and the relationships between SDC2, FIT, and clinicopathological features were analyzed. Pathological biopsy or colonoscopy were used as gold standards for diagnosis, and the diagnostic efficacy of SDC2 combined with FIT and TM in CRC and APL evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results

SDC2 positive rates in early-stage CRC and APL were 77.6% (38/49) and 41.2% (7/17), respectively, and combination of SDC2 with FIT increased the positive rates to 98.0% (48/49) and 82.4% (14/17). The positive rates of SDC2 combined with FIT assay in the APL and CRC groups at stages 0-IV were 82.4% (14/17), 85.7% (6/7), 100% (16/16), 100% (26/26), 97.4% (38/39), and 100% (22/22), respectively. Compared to the controls, both the CRC and APL groups showed significantly higher positive detection rates of fecal SDC2 and FIT (χ2 = 114.116, P < 0.0001 and χ2 = 85.409, P < 0.0001, respectively). Our results demonstrate a significant difference in the qualitative methods of SDC2 and FIT for the detection of colorectal neoplasms (McNemar test, P < 0.0001). ROC curve analysis revealed that the sensitivities of SDC2 and FIT, alone or in combination, for the detection of early CRC and APL were 69.9%, 86.3%, and 93.9%, respectively (all P<0.0001). When combined with CEA, the sensitivity increased to 97.3% (P<0.0001).

Conclusions

SDC2 facilitates colorectal neoplasms screening, and when combined with FIT, it enhances detection. Furthermore, the combination of SDC2 with FIT and CEA maximizes overall colorectal neoplasm detection.
Prognostic role of IL-8 in cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a system review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zou Dan , Song Ailin , Yong Wei
Published: August 2023

Background

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been proven to be an effective treatment strategy for a variety of malignant tumors. However, only a subset of patients can benefit from ICIs due to factors such as drug resistance. Therefore, it is crucial to identify biomarkers that can accurately predict the efficacy of ICIs and provide a basis for individualized immunotherapy. In this study, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore whether the chemokine interleukin 8 (IL-8) can be used as a biomarker to evaluate the efficacy of ICIs treatment.

Methods

We conducted a comprehensive search of several databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane, to identify relevant articles published up to June 08, 2023. Our inclusion criteria were limited to cohort studies and clinical trials that reported hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for overall survival (OS) and/or progression-free survival (PFS), as well as the objective response rate (ORR), in cancer patients with high and low IL-8 expression. For data analysis, we used Revman to generate forest plots, subgroup analysis, and assess publication bias. Additionally, Stata was utilized for sensitivity analysis and further examination of publication bias.

Results

A total of 24 datasets, involving 3190 participants, were selected from 14 studies. The meta-analysis revealed a reduction in ORR, OS, and/or PFS in the high IL-8 group after treatment with ICIs compared to the low IL-8 group.

Conclusion

IL-8 can serve as a biomarker for predicting the efficacy of ICIs. Patients with lower expression of IL-8 may benefit from ICIs treatment.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=383188, identifier CRD42022383188.
Economic evaluation of third-line neratinib plus capecitabine versus lapatinib plus capecitabine with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer
Authors: Ren Lanqi , Ren Ning , Zheng Yu , Yang Yibei , Xu Qiaoping
Published: August 2023

Background

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in women. In addition, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) BC is overexpressed in 25% of BC patients, resulting in the predicament of poor prognosis. Although first- and second-line treatments have been established, optimum third-line treatment is still mired in controversies for HER2+ metastatic BC (mBC). Therefore, this study analyzes the cost-effectiveness of neratinib plus capecitabine (N+C) and lapatinib plus capecitabine (L+C) over a 5-year time horizon from a payer perspective.

Methods

A half-cycle corrected four-state Markov model was established to simulate the course of BC events and deaths in N+C and L+C armed patients. The data of this model were derived from NCT01808573 trail and other published literatures. One-way deterministic sensitivity analysis (DSA) was conducted to investigate the impact of variables and probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) was performed based on second-order Monte Carlo simulation. In addition, subgroup analysis was performed to verify its cost-effectiveness in China.

Result

The base-case results found that N+C was in dominant position in 82.70% of the generation scenarios, providing an improvement of 0.17 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and a reduction of $1,861.28 compared with L+C. The ICER was $-1,3294.86/QALY, which did not exceed the willingness to pay (WTP) threshold, while in subgroup, the ICER decreased to $-2,448.17/QALY.

Conclusion

This analysis indicated that the combination of neratinib plus capecitabine is likely to be cost-effective in comparison with lapatinib plus capecitabine in patients with HER2+ mBC who continues to progress during or after second-line HER2-targeted therapy. So neratinib plus capecitabine can become a third-line treatment option.
LM02 trial Perioperative treatment with panitumumab and FOLFIRI in patients with wild-type RAS, potentially resectable colorectal cancer liver metastases—a phase II study
Authors: Piringer Gudrun , Gruenberger Thomas , Thaler Josef , Kührer Irene , Kaczirek Klaus , Längle Friedrich , Viragos-Toth Istvan , Amann Arno , Eisterer Wolfgang , Függer Reinhold , Andel Johannes , Pichler Angelika , Stift Judith , Sölkner Lidija , Gnant Michael , Öfner Dietmar
Published: August 2023

Background

Twenty percent of colorectal cancer liver metastases (CLMs) are initially resectable with a 5-year survival rate of 25%–40%. Perioperative folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) increases progression-free survival (PFS). In advanced disease, the addition of targeting therapies results in an overall survival (OS) advantage. The aim of this study was to evaluate panitumumab and FOLFIRI as perioperative therapy in resectable CLM.

Methods

Patients with previously untreated, wild-type Rat sarcoma virus (RAS), and resectable CLM were included. Preoperative four and postoperative eight cycles of panitumumab and folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan (FOLFIRI) were administered. Primary objectives were efficacy and safety. Secondary endpoints included PFS and OS.

Results

We enrolled 36 patients in seven centers in Austria (intention-to-treat analyses, 35 patients). There were 28 men and seven women, and the median age was 66 years. About 91.4% completed preoperative therapy and 82.9% underwent liver resection. The R0 resection rate was 82.7%. Twenty patients started and 12 patients completed postoperative chemotherapy. The objective radiological response rate after preoperative therapy was 65.7%. About 20% and 5.7% of patients had stable disease and progressive disease, respectively. The most common grade 3 adverse events were diarrhea, rash, and leukopenia during preoperative therapy. One patient died because of sepsis, and one had a pulmonary embolism grade 4. After surgery, two patients died because of hepatic failure. Most common grade 3 adverse events during postoperative therapy were skin toxicities/rash and leukopenia/neutropenia, and the two grade 4 adverse events were stroke and intestinal obstruction. Median PFS was 13.2 months. The OS rate at 12 and 24 months were 85.6% and 73.3%, respectively.

Conclusions

Panitumumab and FOLFIRI as perioperative therapy for resectable CLM result in a radiological objective response rate in 65.7% of patients with a manageable grade 3 diarrhea rate of 14.3%. Median PFS was 13.2 months, and the 24-month OS rate was 73.3%. These data are insufficient to widen the indication of panitumumab from the unresectable setting to the setting of resectable CLM.
Uterine collision tumor (PEComa and endometrioid carcinoma) in a tuberous sclerosis patient: a case report
Authors: Koufopoulos Nektarios , Pateras Ioannis S. , Koratzanis Christos , Gouloumis Alina-Roxani , Ieronimaki Argyro-Ioanna , Fotiou Alexandros , Panayiotides Ioannis G. , Vrachnis Nikolaos
Published: August 2023

Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors are very rare mesenchymal neoplasms arising in various locations, such as the female genital tract, kidney, lung, prostate, bladder, pancreas, soft tissues, and bone. They possess a unique immunophenotype, co-expressing myogenic and melanocytic markers; molecular findings include mutations of tuberous sclerosis complex and translocations of transcription factor E3, a member of the microphthalmia transcription factor gene family. We herewith report a uterine collision tumor consisting of a perivascular epithelioid cell tumor and a moderately differentiated endometrial endometrioid carcinoma in a patient with genetically proven tuberous sclerosis; two leiomyomas were also found in contact with the tumor. Although two such cases one with a benign and another with a malignant perivascular epithelioid cell tumor have previously been reported, ours is, to our knowledge, the first reported in a tuberous sclerosis patient.
Thiamine pyrophosphokinase deficiency: report of two Chinese cases and a literature review
Authors: Zhao Dan , Liu Ming , Jiang Huafang , Song Tianyu , Xu Chaolong , Duan Xin , Duan Ruoyu , Xu Han , Liu Zhimei , Fang Fang
Published: August 2023

Thiamine pyrophosphokinase (TPK) deficiency, is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of congenital metabolic dysfunction caused by variants in the TPK1 gene. TPK1 variants can lead to thiamine metabolic pathway obstacles, and its clinical manifestations are highly variable. We describe two cases of TPK deficiency with completely different phenotypes and different therapeutic effects, and 26 cases of previously reported were retrospectively reviewed to improve our understanding of the clinical and genetic features of the disease. Patients with TPK deficiency present with ataxia, dysarthria, dystonia, disturbance of consciousness, seizures, and other nervous system dysfunction. Different gene variant sites may lead to different clinical features and therapeutic effects. Gene analysis is important for the diagnosis of TPK deficiency caused by TPK1 variants, and thiamine supplementation has been the mainstay of treatment for TPK deficiency to date.
Effects of blood flow restriction training on bone metabolism: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Wang Xiaolin , Wang Yifei , Yang Xuezhen , Mohd Nasiruddin Nasnoor Juzaily Bin , Dong Delong , Samsudin Shamsulariffin Bin , Qin Xin-Min
Published: August 2023

Introduction:The efficacy of low-intensity blood flow restriction (LI-BFR) training programs in bone metabolism remains unclear compared to low-intensity (LI) training and high-intensity (HI) training. The aim of this review was to quantitatively identify the effects of LI-BFR training on changes in bone formation markers (i.e., bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, BALP), bone resorption (i.e., C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen, CTX) and bone mineral density (BMD) compared with conventional resistance training programmes. Additionally, the effectiveness of walking with and without BFR was assessed.

Methods:PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases were searched for articles based on eligibility criteria. Review Manager Version 5.4 was used for Meta-analysis. Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) was applied to assess the methodological quality of studies.

Results:12 articles were included in the meta-analysis, with a total of 378 participants. Meta-results showed that compared with LI training, LI-BFR training induced greater increments in BALP (young adults: MD = 6.70,p< 0.001; old adults: MD = 3.94,p= 0.002), slight increments in BMD (young adults: MD = 0.05,p< 0.00001; old adults: MD = 0.01,p< 0.00001), and greater decrements in CTX (young adults: MD = −0.19,p= 0.15; old adults: MD = −0.07,p= 0.003). Compared with HI training, LI-BFR training produced smaller increments in BALP (young adults: MD = −6.87,p= 0.24; old adults: MD = −0.6,p= 0.58), similar increments in BMD (MD = −0.01,p= 0.76) and similar decrements in CTX (young adults: MD = 0,p= 0.96; old adults: MD = −0.08,p= 0.13). Although there were only two studies on walking training intervention, walking training with BFR had a better effect on bone metabolism than training without BFR.

Discussion:In conclusion, LI-BFR training induces greater improvements in bone health than LI training, but is less effective than HI training. Therefore, LI-BFR training may be an effective and efficient way to improve bone health for untrained individuals, older adults, or those undergoing musculoskeletal rehabilitation.

Clinical Trial Registration:[https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/], identifier [CRD42023411837].
Pepper leaf disease recognition based on enhanced lightweight convolutional neural networks
Authors: Dai Min , Sun Wenjing , Wang Lixing , Dorjoy Md Mehedi Hassan , Zhang Shanwen , Miao Hong , Han Liangxiu , Zhang Xin , Wang Mingyou
Published: August 2023

Pepper leaf disease identification based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) is one of the interesting research areas. However, most existing CNN-based pepper leaf disease detection models are suboptimal in terms of accuracy and computing performance. In particular, it is challenging to apply CNNs on embedded portable devices due to a large amount of computation and memory consumption for leaf disease recognition in large fields. Therefore, this paper introduces an enhanced lightweight model based on GoogLeNet architecture. The initial step involves compressing the Inception structure to reduce model parameters, leading to a remarkable enhancement in recognition speed. Furthermore, the network incorporates the spatial pyramid pooling structure to seamlessly integrate local and global features. Subsequently, the proposed improved model has been trained on the real dataset of 9183 images, containing 6 types of pepper diseases. The cross-validation results show that the model accuracy is 97.87%, which is 6% higher than that of GoogLeNet based on Inception-V1 and Inception-V3. The memory requirement of the model is only 10.3 MB, which is reduced by 52.31%-86.69%, comparing to GoogLeNet. We have also compared the model with the existing CNN-based models including AlexNet, ResNet-50 and MobileNet-V2. The result shows that the average inference time of the proposed model decreases by 61.49%, 41.78% and 23.81%, respectively. The results show that the proposed enhanced model can significantly improve performance in terms of accuracy and computing efficiency, which has potential to improve productivity in the pepper farming industry.
Limited genetic changes observed during in situ and ex situ conservation in Nordic populations of red clover (Trifolium pratense)
Authors: Hagenblad Jenny , Aloisi Karolina , Marum Petter , Öhlund Linda , Solberg Svein Øivind , Asdal Åsmund , Palmé Anna
Published: August 2023

Introduction

In situ and ex situ conservation are the two main approaches for preserving genetic diversity. The advantages and disadvantages of the two approaches have been discussed but their genetic effects have not been fully evaluated.

Methods

In this study we investigate the effects of the two conservation approaches on genetic diversity in red clover. Seed samples collected from wild populations in Sweden and Norway in 1980, their subsequent generations created during seed regeneration at the gene bank and samples recollected from the same location as the original samples, were analyzed with microsatellite markers, alongside reference samples from cultivars.

Results

Overall, there was a differentiation between cultivars and the wild material and between wild material from Sweden and Norway. In general, the original collections clustered together with the later generations of the same accession in the gene bank, and with the recollected samples from the same location, and the level of diversity remained the same among samples of the same accession. Limited gene flow from cultivated varieties to the wild populations was detected; however, some wild individuals are likely to be escapees or affected by gene flow.

Discussion

In conclusion, there were examples of genetic changes within individual accessions both in situ and ex situ, as is also to be expected in any living population. However, we observed only limited genetic changes in both in situ and ex situ conservation over the generations included in this study and with the relatively large populations used in the ex situ conservation in the gene bank at NordGen.
Do digital hugs work? Re-embodying our social lives online with digital tact
Authors: James Mark M. , Leader John Francis
Published: August 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic led to social restrictions that often prevented us from hugging the ones we love. This absence helped some realize just how important these interactions are to our sense of care and connection. Many turned to digitally mediated social interactions to address these absences, but often unsatisfactorily. Some theorists might blame this on the disembodied character of our digital spaces, e.g., that interpersonal touch is excluded from our lives online. However, others continued to find care and connection in their digitally mediated interactions despite not being able to touch. Inspired by such contrasting cases, we ask if ‘digital hugs’ can work? We use the Mixed Reality Interaction Matrix to examine hugging as a social practice. This leads us to several claims about the nature of our embodied social interactions and their digital mediation: (1) all social interaction is mediated; (2) all virtual experiences are embodied; (3) technology has become richer and more supportive of embodiment; and (4) expertise plays a role. These claims help make the case that quality social connections online are substantially dependent upon the dynamic skilful resourcing of multiple mediating components, what we termdigital tact. By introducing and developing this concept, we hope to contribute to a better understanding of our digital embodied sociality and the possibilities for caring connections online.
Large-scale real-life implementation of technology-enabled care to maximize hospitals' medical surge preparedness during future infectious disease outbreaks and winter seasons: a viewpoint
Authors: Sener Talia , Haenen Winne , Smits Patrick , Hans Guy H.
Published: August 2023

Hospitals can be overburdened with large numbers of patients with severe infectious conditions during infectious disease outbreaks. Such outbreaks or epidemics put tremendous pressure on the admission capacity of care facilities in the concerned region, negatively affecting the elective program within these facilities. Such situations have been observed during the recent waves of the coronavirus disease pandemic. Owing to the imminent threat of a “tripledemic” by new variants of the coronavirus disease (such as the new Omicron XBB.1.16 strain), influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus during future winter seasons, healthcare agencies should take decisive steps to safeguard hospitals' surge capacity while continuing to provide optimal and safe care to a potentially large number of patients in their trusted home environment. Preparedness of health systems for infectious diseases will require dynamic interaction between a continuous assessment of region-wide available hospital capacity and programs for intensive home treatment of patients who can spread the disease. In this viewpoint, we describe an innovative, dynamic coupling system between hospital surge capacity and cascading activation of a nationwide system for remote patient monitoring. This approach was developed using the multi-criteria decision analysis methodology, considering previously published real-life experiences on remote patient monitoring.