bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Women’s decision-making power regarding family planning use and associated factors in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Anbesu Etsay Woldu , Alemayehu Mussie , Asgedom Dejen Kahsay , Jeleta Fikru Yigezu
Published: March 2023

Objective:

Although emphasis is placed on women’s decision-making power regarding family planning use in Ethiopia, the utilization of contraceptives is low. There are studies conducted in different parts of the country on women’s decision-making power regarding family planning use; however, there are inconsistent findings. Thus, this study aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of women’s decision-making power regarding family planning use and associated factors in Ethiopia.

Methods:

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed to develop the systematic review and meta-analysis. All observational studies were retrieved from online databases, including PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, African Journal Online and gray literature. The data search was performed from 1 December to 16 May 2022. The quality of the studies was critically assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist. Heterogeneity among studies was examined using the I2 statistic. RevMan version 5.3 and STATA version 14 software were used for analysis.

Results:

A total of 852 studies were retrieved, and 8 studies were included in the final meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of women’s decision-making power regarding family planning use was 57 (95% confidence interval: 37, 77). Good knowledge of family planning methods (odds ratio: 2.46, 95% confidence interval: 1.65, 3.67), a positive attitude toward family planning methods (odds ratio: 2.04, 95% confidence interval: 1.3, 3.2), and having primary or higher education (odds ratio: 9.76, 95% confidence interval: 4.36, 21.99) were associated with increased odds of women’s decision-making power regarding family planning use.

Conclusion:

Nearly three in five married women made decisions regarding family planning use in Ethiopia. Women with good knowledge of family planning methods, a positive attitude toward family planning methods, and women having primary or higher education were associated with increased odds of women’s decision-making power regarding family planning use.
Cutaneous candidiasis mimicking acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis: A case report
Authors: Seale Emily , Spurr Alison , Teo Iris , Glassman Steven J
Published: March 2023

Disseminated cutaneous candidiasis is a rare manifestation of candidiasis that arises most commonly from Candida albicans. It is described as a widespread erythematous papulopustular skin infection that typically affects premature newborns or immunocompromised patients. While candidal infections usually respond well to antifungal therapy, the clinical presentation of disseminated cutaneous candidiasis can often mimic a variety of other dermatologic conditions, that can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment. We present a 67-year-old comorbid male patient with widespread erythema and superficial pustules resembling acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) that was actually an unexpected manifestation of disseminated cutaneous candidiasis. Prompt initiation of a topical and oral antifungal regimen contributed to marked improvement. Given the high frequency of drug eruptions in comorbid patients receiving multiple medications, alternate diagnoses like infections should be included in the differential diagnosis.
When research is the context: Cross-platform user expectations for social media data reuse
Authors: Gilbert Sarah , Shilton Katie , Vitak Jessica
Published: March 2023

Social media provides unique opportunities for researchers to learn about a variety of phenomena—it is often publicly available, highly accessible, and affords more naturalistic observation. However, as research using social media data has increased, so too has public scrutiny, highlighting the need to develop ethical approaches to social media data use. Prior work in this area has explored users’ perceptions of researchers’ use of social media data in the context of a single platform. In this paper, we expand on that work, exploring how platforms and their affordances impact how users feel about social media data reuse. We present results from three factorial vignette surveys, each focusing on a different platform—dating apps, Instagram, and Reddit—to assess users’ comfort with research data use scenarios across a variety of contexts. Although our results highlight different expectations between platforms depending on the research domain, purpose of research, and content collected, we find that the factor with the greatest impact across all platforms is consent—a finding which presents challenges for big data researchers. We conclude by offering a sociotechnical approach to ethical decision-making. This approach provides recommendations on how researchers can interpret and respond to platform norms and affordances to predict potential data use sensitivities. The approach also recommends that researchers respond to the predominant expectation of notification and consent for research participation by bolstering awareness of data collection on digital platforms.
Self-Reported Study Analyzing Physicians’ Personal Compliance with Health Prevention Guidelines in a Medium-Sized Canadian Community
Authors: Ahmed Fawad , Craig Ryan , Omar Abeer , El-Masri Maher
Published: March 2023

There have only been limited studies that have assessed the attitude of Canadian physicians toward their own physical health. The aim of our study was to explore the self-reported health maintenance behavior and the predictors of health practices among physicians in a small-medium sized Canadian community. We used a descriptive mailed in self-report survey to contact all 649 physicians registered with the Essex County Medical Society, with a 36% response rate. Our results showed that 81% of physicians in Windsor-Essex County were satisfied with how well they care for themselves, despite reporting low levels of physical activity and a lower percentage of respondents having family physicians than the general population. Five independent factors were identified with physician self-perceived health satisfaction: Physician age of 45 to 54 (95% CI 0.17-0.92; OR 0.39), graduating from Canadian medical schools (95% CI 0.15 to 0.80; OR 0.35), having more than one co-morbidity (95% CI 0.13-0.72; OR 0.31), physicians who had a regular family doctor (95% CI 1.12-5.52; OR 2.43), and engagement in regular moderate weekly exercise (95% CI 1.05-4.94; OR 2.28). We also contrasted the preventive health screening markers of our study to compliance rates of the general population as well as the national physician study. Our results showed that screening rates among our study physician group differed markedly from the general population. For colorectal and breast cancers, physicians in our study reported screening rates of 77.8% and 37.3% respectively, compared with the general population, who’s screening rates are 32.3% and 72.5%. Future studies exploring specific targeted health promotion interventions that could address these factors may be warranted in order to further improve Canadian physician health, and ultimately improve their ability to take care of their patients.
Household Joblessness in U.S. Metropolitan Areas during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Polarization and the Role of Educational Profiles
Authors: Biegert Thomas , Özcan Berkay , Rossetti-Youlton Magdalena
Published: March 2023

The authors use Current Population Survey 2016 to 2021 quarterly data to analyze changes in household joblessness across metropolitan areas in the United States during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The authors first use shift-share analysis to decompose the change in household joblessness into changes in individual joblessness, household compositions, and polarization. The focus is on polarization, which is the result of the unequal distribution of individual joblessness across households. The authors find that the rise in household joblessness during the pandemic varies strongly across U.S. metropolitan areas. The initial stark increase and subsequent recovery are due largely to changes in individual joblessness. Polarization contributes notably to household joblessness but to varying degree. Second, the authors use metropolitan area–level fixed-effects regressions to test whether the educational profile of the population is a helpful predictor of changes in household joblessness and polarization. They measure three distinct features: educational levels, educational heterogeneity, and educational homogamy. Although much of the variance remains unexplained, household joblessness increased less in areas with higher educational levels. The authors show that how polarization contributes to household joblessness is shaped by educational heterogeneity and educational homogamy.
Banana peel extract alleviate inflammation and oxidative stress via modulation of the Nrf2/Hmox-1 and NF-κB pathways in thyroid of heavy metal mixture exposed female rats
Authors: Eddie-Amadi Boma F , Ezejiofor Anthonet N , Orish Chinna N , Cirovic Ana , Cirovic Aleksandar , Orisakwe Orish E
Published: March 2023

Introduction

This is an evaluation of the effects of banana peel BP extract on the heavy metals’ mixture HMM mediated oxido-inflammatory effects in the thyroid of female albino rats.

Methods

Five groups (5 female rats/group) were treated as follows for 60 days: Group 1: Deionized water only; Group 2: (Pb, Hg, Mn and Al); Group 3: 200 mg/kg BP extract + HMM; Group 4: 400 mg/kg BP extract + HMM; Group 5: 800 mg/kg BP extract + HMM. On day 60 animals were euthanized, thyroid was harvested and used for, malondialdehyde MDA, nitric oxide NO, antioxidants, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF – α), interleukin 6 (IL – 6), Caspase-3, Nuclear factor erythroid 2- related factor 2 (Nrf2), Nuclear factor kappa B (NfkB) and Heme Oxygynase – 1 (Hmox-1) and histopathology.

Results

There was significant bioaccumulation of Pb, Al, Hg and MN; elevated IL-6 and Tnf-α, MDA and NO, caspase-3 and Nrf2, NF-κB and Hmox-1 in the HMM only group in comparison to the control. There was significant ( p < 0.05) decrease in SOD, CAT GSH activities in HMM only exposed group in comparison to the control deionized water group, whereas BP co-treatment with HMM significantly ( p < 0.05) increased SOD, CAT GSH activities. Co-treatment with BP extract also reversed most of these effects.

Discussion and Conclusions

BP extract may ameliorate HMM -induced thyrotoxicity in female albino rats by blunting oxido-inflammatory activities.
A study on the relationship between the period of oracle bone inscriptions and the development of character forms
Authors: Kim Hyeok
Published: March 2023

Dong Zuobin 董作宾 utilised character form information to classify the oracle bone inscriptions period, pointing out that character form changed depending on the period. However, the concept of leizu (类组) was formed that classified an oracle bone inscription and its period based on the character form characteristics. This led to academia’s overemphasis on character form varying by the leizu (类组) of buci (卜辞). However, personal habits and the period trend may affect oracle bone inscription character forms, as they are formed by human hands. The author of this study picked 10 characters, including 示, 琮, 吉, 帝, 乇, 冊, 商 and 岳, as character form examples that change according to periods. They represent character forms that appear in the early and late periods based on their development order. This emphasised that the character form information could play an important role in distinguishing the period of oracle bone inscriptions and that only characters changing precisely in line with corresponding periods and forms could be used for such period classification.
Glymphatics, Cranium, and the Brain Homeostasis
Authors: Zibitt Meira , Makhoul Vivien , Yu Jack C. , Nguyen Khoi , Williams Joseph K.
Published: March 2023

Despite the human brain accounting for only 2% of total body mass, it consumes 20% of the body’s energy. The average cerebral blood flow, at 70 mL/100 g/minute, is 10x the average blood flow for the rest of the body, at 7 mL/100 g/minute. With such elevated energy demands and synaptic activities, the brain produces 7000 mg of proteinaceous, lipid, and other metabolic waste per day including amyloid beta, tau, and modified cholesterol (24S-hydroxycholesterol and oxysterol, etc.). In the body, the lymphatic system eliminates metabolic wastes, but the brain parenchyma or the neuropil, contains no lymphatics. How does brain rid itself of these metabolites? The discovery of the glymphatic system a decade ago partially answers the question. The word “glymphatics” is derived by condensing “glial” and “lymphatics.” It is comprised of convective flow at 50 µm/s in the perivascular space around pia-penetrating arterioles, entering the interstitial fluid space before draining into the perivascular space of the venules, carrying with it the metabolic wastes. These perivascular spaces, also known as the Virchow-Robin spaces, allow for mixing of CSF and interstitial fluid via astrocytic aquaporin 4 (AQP4) channels, to clear metabolic wastes. The glymphatic flow is highly complex, driven by many mechanisms including the bulk flow due to CSF production, arterial pulsations, respiration, and more. Research into the glymphatic system has explored its relationships with slow wave sleep, aging, neurodegeneration, and traumatic brain injuries. This emerging area of research in glymphatic function and the impacts that craniofacial structure and cranial surgeries have on this system, especially craniosynostosis, are the subject of this review. We aim to explore the clinical considerations in craniofacial surgeries regarding glymphatics. Specifically, we discuss the significance, current limitations, and future directions of applications of glymphatics in both diagnosis and treatment of craniosynostosis.
Keywords are missing: Insights from the publication keywords, abstracts and titles of an environment and human health research group
Authors: Derbyshire Daniel W. , Barnett-Naghshineh Olivia , Roberts Bethany R. , Ghemmour Riadh , Reza Musarrat Maisha , Rogers Morwenna , Fleming Lora E.
Published: March 2023

Inequalities within academia – and the research outputs of academic – are a widely acknowledged problem. This results in the reproduction of knowledge gaps within academic praxis. The current study presents a case study from an environment and human health research group, looking at the extent to which the research outputs mirror the wider knowledge gaps in the field. We use systematic review search methods to obtain publications for an environment and health research group since 2010. We use a combination of EndNote and VosViewer to analyse the frequency of key words and concepts in the titles, abstracts and keywords of these publications. We retrieved a total of 950 publications between 2010 and 2022. We find significant gaps with respect to key concepts appearing in the titles, abstracts and keywords of publications. We find that terms such as ‘colonisation’ and ‘racism’ are not mentioned at all. We reflect on the production process of academic research with respect to reproducing blind spots within environment and human health research. We discuss our results in the context of calls to make academic research more inclusive.
Exploring Australian hazard map exceedance using an Atlas of historical ShakeMaps
Authors: Allen Trevor I , Ghasemi Hadi , Griffin Jonathan D
Published: March 2023

This article explores several area-based tests of long-term seismic hazard forecasts for the Australian continent. Using the observed seismicity, ShakeMaps are calculated for earthquakes that are expected to have generated moderate-to-high levels of ground shaking within continental Australia in the past 50 years (January 1972 through December 2021). A “composite ShakeMap” is generated that extracts the maximum peak ground acceleration “observed” in this 50-year period for any site within the continent. The fractional exceedance area of this composite map is compared with four generations of Australian seismic hazard maps for a 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years (~1/500 annual exceedance probability) developed since 1990.

In general, all these models appear to forecast higher seismic hazard relative to the ground motions that are estimated to have occurred in the last 50 years, with the most recent hazard model yielding a fractional exceedance area most similar to the target 1/500 annual exceedance probability. The sensitivity of these results to various modeling assumptions was tested by exploring an alternative ground-motion characterization model that forecasts higher overall ground-shaking intensities. The sensitivity of these results is also tested with the interjection of a rare scenario earthquake with an expected regional recurrence of approximately 8700 years. While these area-based analyses do not provide a robust assessment of the performance of the candidate seismic hazard for any specific location given the limited independent data, they do provide—to the first order—a guide to the performance of the respective maps at a continental scale.
Dynamic Analysis and Parametric Optimization of Telescopic Tubular Mast Applied on Solar Sail
Authors: Ji Chenyang , Liu Jinguo , Wu Chenchen , Zhao Pengyuan , Chen Keli
Published: March 2023

Large-scale solar sails can provide power to spacecraft for deep space exploration. A new type of telescopic tubular mast (TTM) driven by a bistable carbon fiber-reinforced polymer tube was designed in this study to solve the problem of contact between the sail membrane and the spacecraft under light pressure. Compared with the traditional TTM, it has a small size, light weight, high extension ratio, and simple structure. The anti-blossoming and self-unlocking structure of the proposed TTM was described. We aimed to simplify the TTM with a complex structure into a beam model with equal linear mass density, and the simulation results showed good consistency. The dynamic equation was derived based on the equivalent model, and the effects of different factors on the vibration characteristics of the TTM were analyzed. The performance parameters were optimized based on a multiobjective genetic algorithm, and prototype production and load experiments were conducted. The results show that the advantages of the new TTM can complete the deployment of large-scale solar sails, which is valuable for future deep space exploration.
Cultural and economic integration of immigrants in Canada: “Do you play Hockey?”
Authors: Japaridze Irakli , Kaplan Uma
Published: March 2023

This paper studies whether acculturation by immigrants and other minority groups is associated with economic integration in Canada. We examine immigrants’ participation in winter sports, particularly hockey, as a proxy for acculturation given that these sports are popular in Canada but are rarely watched or practiced in the origin countries of many immigrants to Canada. Using the Canadian Community Health Survey, we find that practicing winter sports has a positive effect on the earnings of immigrants and other minority groups. Specifically, practicing winter sports closes the income gap between immigrants and natives. However, the gap does not decrease for visible-minority immigrants, suggesting that acculturation might not be sufficient to combat racial biases.
cnnLSV: detecting structural variants by encoding long-read alignment information and convolutional neural network
Authors: Ma Huidong , Zhong Cheng , Chen Danyang , He Haofa , Yang Feng
Published: March 2023

Background

Genomic structural variant detection is a significant and challenging issue in genome analysis. The existing long-read based structural variant detection methods still have space for improvement in detecting multi-type structural variants.

Results

In this paper, we propose a method called cnnLSV to obtain detection results with higher quality by eliminating false positives in the detection results merged from the callsets of existing methods. We design an encoding strategy for four types of structural variants to represent long-read alignment information around structural variants into images, input the images into a constructed convolutional neural network to train a filter model, and load the trained model to remove the false positives to improve the detection performance. We also eliminate mislabeled training samples in the training model phase by using principal component analysis algorithm and unsupervised clustering algorithm k-means. Experimental results on both simulated and real datasets show that our proposed method outperforms existing methods overall in detecting insertions, deletions, inversions, and duplications. The program of cnnLSV is available at https://github.com/mhuidong/cnnLSV.

Conclusions

The proposed cnnLSV can detect structural variants by using long-read alignment information and convolutional neural network to achieve overall higher performance, and effectively eliminate incorrectly labeled samples by using the principal component analysis and k-means algorithms in training model stage.
Pre-treatment with IL-6 potentiates β-cell death induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines
Authors: Oliveira V. R. , Paula C. C. , Taniguchi S. , Ortis F.
Published: March 2023

Background

Type I Diabetes mellitus (T1D) is characterized by a specific destruction of β-cells by the immune system. During this process pro-inflammatory cytokines are released in the pancreatic islets and contribute for β-cells demise. Cytokine-induced iNOS activation, via NF-κB, is implicated in induction of β-cells death, which includes ER stress activation. Physical exercise has been used as an adjunct for better glycemic control in patients with T1D, since it is able to increase glucose uptake independent of insulin. Recently, it was observed that the release of IL-6 by skeletal muscle, during physical exercise, could prevent β-cells death induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in this beneficial effect on β-cells are not yet completely elucidated. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of IL-6 on β-cells exposed to pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Results

Pre-treatment with IL-6 sensitized INS-1E cells to cytokine-induced cell death, increasing cytokine-induced iNOS and Caspase-3 expression. Under these conditions, however, there was a decrease in cytokines-induced p-eIF2-α but not p-IRE1expression, proteins related to ER stress. To address if this prevention of adequate UPR response is involved in the increase in β-cells death markers induced by IL-6 pre-treatment, we used a chemical chaperone (TUDCA), which improves ER folding capacity. Use of TUDCA increased cytokines-induced Caspase-3 expression and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in the presence of IL-6 pre-treatment. However, there is no modulation of p-eIF2-α expression by TUDCA in this condition, with increase of CHOP expression.

Conclusion

Treatment with IL-6 alone is not beneficial for β-cells, leading to increased cell death markers and impaired UPR activation. In addition, TUDCA has not been able to restore ER homeostasis or improve β-cells viability under this condition, suggesting that other mechanisms may be involved.
Assessment of Canalis Sinuosus located in maxillary anterior region by using cone beam computed tomography: a retrospective study
Authors: Samunahmetoglu Ercin , Kurt Mehmet Hakan
Published: March 2023

Background

The aim of the study is to determine the distribution, location, diameter, and distance measurements of Canalis Sinusosus (CS) in relation with age and sex.

Methods

300 Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) images were evaluated. The distance between CS and nasal cavity floor (NCF), buccal cortical bone margin (BCM), alveolar ridge (AR), respectively.The presence of CS smaller than 1 mm, and the diameter of CS larger than 1 mm were determined. Accessory canals (AC) were classified according to their position relative to the teeth.

Results

435 CS with a diameter of at least 1 mm and 142 CS < 1 mm were identified. The most frequently observed location of CS was the region of the right central incisors. The mean diameter of the canals ( CS ≥ 1) was 1.31 ± 0.19 on the right side and 1.29 ± 0.17 on the left side. No gender differences were found in canal diameter were observed (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference between men and women in the distance between CS and the NCF on the right side, and a significant difference was found in the distance of CS-NCF on the left side (p = 0.047). There were no significant differences between age groups in all parameters.

Conclusion

CBCT is a useful tool for identifying CS. Location and diameter of ACs could not be associated with a specific age group or sex.
DCNAS-Net: deformation convolution and neural architecture search detection network for bone marrow oedema
Authors: Song Chengyu , Zhu Shan , Liu Yanyan , Zhang Wei , Wang Zhi , Li Wangxiao , Sun Zhenye , Zhao Peng , Tian Shengzhang
Published: March 2023

Background

Lumbago is a global disease that affects more than 500 million people worldwide. Bone marrow oedema is one of the main causes of the condition and clinical diagnosis is mainly made by radiologists manually reviewing MRI images to determine whether oedema is present. However, the number of patients with Lumbago has risen dramatically in recent years, which has brought a huge workload to radiologists. In order to improve the efficiency of diagnosis, this paper is devoted to developing and evaluating a neural network for detecting bone marrow edema in MRI images.

Related work

Inspired by the development of deep learning and image processing techniques, we design a deep learning detection algorithm specifically for the detection of bone marrow oedema from lumbar MRI images. We introduce deformable convolution, feature pyramid networks and neural architecture search modules, and redesign the existing neural networks. We explain in detail the construction of the network and illustrate the setting of the network hyperparameters.

Results and discussion

The detection accuracy of our algorithm is excellent. And its accuracy of detecting bone marrow oedema reached up to 90.6$$\%$$
%
, an improvement of 5.7$$\%$$
%
compared to the original. The recall of our neural network is 95.1$$\%$$
%
, and the F1-measure also reaches 92.8$$\%$$
%
. And our algorithm is fast in detecting it, taking only 0.144 s per image.

Conclusion

Extensive experiments have demonstrated that deformable convolution and aggregated feature pyramid structures are conducive for the detection of bone marrow oedema. Our algorithm has better detection accuracy and good detection speed compared to other algorithms.
Biopsy-proven first dose of oxaliplatin-induced acute tubular necrosis leading to end-stage renal failure: a case report
Authors: Soma Yu , Kawabe Taiichi , Kitaji Daiyu , Hoshino Kaoru , Sunohara Sumire , Iwano Takehisa , Kawano Naomi
Published: March 2023

Background

Oxaliplatin is an anticancer therapy for pancreatic, gastric, and colorectal cancers. It is also used in patients with carcinomas of unknown primary sites. Oxaliplatin is associated with less frequent renal dysfunction than other conventional platinum-based drugs such as cisplatin. Albeit, there have been several reports of acute kidney injury with frequent use. In all cases, renal dysfunction was temporary and did not require maintenance dialysis. There have been no previous reports of irreversible renal dysfunction after a single dose of oxaliplatin.

Case presentation

Previous reports of oxaliplatin-induced renal injury occurred after patients received multiples doses. In this study, a 75-year-old male with unknown primary cancer and underlying chronic kidney disease developed acute renal failure after receiving the first dose of oxaliplatin. Suspected of having drug-induced renal failure through an immunological mechanism, the patient was treated with steroids; however, treatment was ineffective. Renal biopsy ruled out interstitial nephritis and revealed acute tubular necrosis. Renal failure was irreversible, and the patient subsequently required maintenance hemodialysis.

Conclusions

We provide the first report of pathology-confirmed acute tubular necrosis after the first dose of oxaliplatin which led to irreversible renal dysfunction and maintenance dialysis.
Abdominal fat and muscle distributions in different stages of colorectal cancer
Authors: Han Jun , Liu Xinyang , Tang Min , Yang Fan , Ding Zuoyou , Wu Guohao
Published: March 2023

Background

The purpose of this study is to explore the difference of abdominal fat and muscle composition, especially subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue, in different stages of colorectal cancer (CRC).

Materials and methods

Patients were divided into 4 groups: healthy controls (patients without colorectal polyp), polyp group (patients with colorectal polyp), cancer group (CRC patients without cachexia), and cachexia group (CRC patients with cachexia). Skeletal muscle (SM), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) were assessed at the third lumbar level on computed tomography images obtained within 30 days before colonoscopy or surgery. One-way ANOVA and linear regression were used to analyze the difference of abdominal fat and muscle composition in different stages of CRC.

Results

A total of 1513 patients were divided into healthy controls, polyp group, cancer group, and cachexia group, respectively. In the development of CRC from normal mucosa to polyp and cancer, the VAT area of the polyp group was significantly higher than that of the healthy controls both in male (156.32 ± 69.71 cm2 vs. 141.97 ± 79.40 cm2, P = 0.014) and female patients (108.69 ± 53.95 cm2 vs. 96.28 ± 46.70 cm2, P = 0.044). However, no significant differences were observed of SAT area between polyp group and healthy controls in both sexes. SAT area decreased significantly in the male cancer group compared with the polyp group (111.16 ± 46.98 cm2 vs. 126.40 ± 43.52 cm2, P = 0.001), while no such change was observed in female patients. When compared with healthy controls, the SM, IMAT, SAT, and VAT areas of cachexia group was significantly decreased by 9.25 cm2 (95% CI: 5.39–13.11 cm2, P < 0.001), 1.93 cm2 (95% CI: 0.54–3.32 cm2, P = 0.001), 28.84 cm2 (95% CI: 17.84–39.83 cm2, P < 0.001), and 31.31 cm2 (95% CI: 18.12–44.51 cm2, P < 0.001) after adjusting for age and gender.

Conclusion

Abdominal fat and muscle composition, especially SAT and VAT, was differently distributed in different stages of CRC. It is necessary to pay attention to the different roles of subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue in the development of CRC.
Protocol for the development and testing of the schiZotypy Autism Questionnaire (ZAQ) in adults: a new screening tool to discriminate autism spectrum disorder from schizotypal disorder
Authors: Parvaiz Rizwan , Vindbjerg Erik , Crespi Bernard , Happe Francesca , Schalbroeck Rik , Al-Sayegh Zainab , Danielsen Ida-Marie , Tonge Bruce , Videbech Poul , Abu-Akel Ahmad
Published: March 2023

Background

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizotypal disorder (SD) both have a heterogenous presentation, with significant overlaps in symptoms and behaviour. Due to elevated recognition and knowledge of ASD worldwide, there is a growing rate of referrals from primary health professionals to specialised units. At all levels of assessment, the differential diagnostic considerations between ASD and SD exert major challenges for clinicians. Although several validated screening questionnaires exist for ASD and SD, none have differential diagnostic properties. Accordingly, in this study, we aim to develop a new screening questionnaire, the schiZotypy Autism Questionnaire (ZAQ), which provides a combined screening for both conditions, while also indicating the relative likelihood of each.

Methods

We aim to test 200 autistic patients and 100 schizotypy patients recruited from specialised psychiatric clinics and 200 controls from the general population (Phase 1). The results from ZAQ will be compared to the clinical diagnoses from interdisciplinary teams at specialised psychiatric clinics. After this initial testing phase, the ZAQ will be validated in an independent sample (Phase 2).

Conclusions

The aim of the study is to investigate the discriminative properties (ASD vs. SD), diagnostic accuracy, and validity of the schiZotypy Autism Questionnaire (ZAQ).

Funding

Funding was provided by Psychiatric Centre Glostrup, Copenhagen Denmark, Sofiefonden (Grant number: FID4107425), Trygfonden (Grant number:153588), Takeda Pharma.

Trial registration

Clinical Trials, NCT05213286, Registered 28 January 2022, clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05213286?cond = RAADS&draw = 2&rank = 1.
Hydrostatic pressure of the renal pelvis as a radiation-free alternative to fluoroscopic nephrostogram following percutaneous nephrolithotomy
Authors: Dreger Nici Markus , Stapelmann Dominik , Rebacz Patrick , Roth Stephan , Brandt Alexander Sascha , von Rundstedt Friedrich-Carl , Degener Stephan
Published: March 2023

Background

We evaluated the hydrostatic pressure of the renal pelvis (RPP) as a radiation-free alternative to fluoroscopic nephrostogram to assess ureteral patency after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL).

Methods

Retrospective non-inferiority study analyzing 248 PCNL-patients (86 female (35%) and 162 males (65%)) between 2007 and 2015. Postoperatively, RPP was measured using a central venous pressure manometer in cmH2O. The primary endpoint was to assess RPP depending on the patency of the ureter and the nephrostomy tube removal. Secondary, the upper limit of normal RPP of $$\le$$
≤
20 cmH2O was assessed as an indicator of an unobstructed patency.

Results

The median procedure duration was 141 min (112–171.5) with a stone free rate of 82% (n = 202). RPP was significantly higher in patients with obstructive nephrostogram with 25.0 mmH2O (21.0–32.0) versus 20.0 mmH2O (16.0–24.0; p < 0.001). The pressure was lower in successful nephrostomy removal with 18 cmH2O (15–21) versus 23 cmH2O (20–29) in the leakage group (p < 0.001). The analysis of a cut-off of $$\le$$
≤
20 cmH2O showed a sensitivity of 76.9% (95% CI [60.7%; 88.9%]) and a specificity of 61.5% (95% CI [54.6%; 68.2%]). The negative predictive value was 93.4% (95% CI: [87.9%; 97.0%]) and the positive predictive value 27.3% (95% CI [19.2%; 36.6%]). The accuracy of the model showed an AUC = 0.795 (95% CI [0.668; 0.862]).

Conclusion

The hydrostatic RPP seems to allow a bedside evaluation of ureteral patency after PCNL.
Efficiency of occlusal splint therapy on orofacial muscle pain reduction: a systematic review
Authors: Orzeszek Sylwia , Waliszewska-Prosol Marta , Ettlin Dominik , Seweryn Piotr , Straburzynski Marcin , Martelletti Paolo , Jenca Andrej , Wieckiewicz Mieszko
Published: March 2023

Background

This systematic review aims to examine the existing original studies to determine the effectiveness of occlusal splints (OSs) in the management of orofacial myalgia and myofascial pain (MP) in comparison with no treatment or other interventions.

Materials and methods

Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria of this systematic review, randomized controlled trials were qualified, in which the effectiveness of occlusal splint therapy in the management of muscle pain was examined in comparison with no treatment or other interventions. This systematic review was conducted according to the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis 2020. The authors searched three databases (PubMed, CINAHL (The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) and Scopus) for English publications published between January 1, 2010, and June 1, 2022. The last database search was carried out on June 4, 2022. Data were extracted from the included studies and assessed for risk of bias using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials.

Results

Thirteen studies were identified for inclusion in this review. In total, 589 patients were diagnosed with orofacial muscle pain who underwent education and various forms of therapy including different types of OSs, light emitting diode therapy, acupuncture, low-level laser therapy, device-supported sensorimotor training, Kinesio Taping, myofunctional therapy, and physical therapy. All studies included demonstrated a high risk of bias.

Conclusions

There is insufficient evidence regarding whether OS therapy in the treatment of orofacial myalgia and MP offers an advantage over other forms of interventions or no treatment. Further reliable clinical studies in this area are needed to improve the quality of research, which should be performed with larger groups of blinded respondents and controls.

Clinical relevance

Due to the large-scale nature of orofacial muscle pain, it is assumed that each dental clinician will meet patients with orofacial muscle pain repeatedly in daily practice; hence, the review of the effectiveness of OSs in the management of orofacial myalgia and MP is necessary.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of a postnatal support education program for husbands in promotion of their primiparous wives’ perceived social support: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Abbaspoor Zahra , Sharifipour Foruzan , Javadnoori Mojgan , Moghadam Zahra Behboodi , Cheraghian Bahman , Najafian Mahin
Published: March 2023

Background

Primiparous women experience various challenges if not provided with social support in the early postpartum period. Support in form of postpartum education programs is needed to improve mental well-being in primiparous women. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a postnatal supportive education program for husbands on the perceived social support (primary outcome), and stress and maternal self-efficacy (secondary outcome) of their primiparous wives.

Methods

This randomized clinical trial was performed on pregnant women referring to healthcare centers for routine care from September to November 2021 in Kermanshah, Iran. One hundred pregnant women were randomly divided in to intervention and control groups. Four 45–90 min online training sessions were held weekly for the husbands of the intervention group. The primiparous women completed the Postpartum Partner Support Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Postpartum Parental Expectations Survey before (third day after delivery, immediately and one month after completing the intervention. Data were analyzed using Fisher's exact test, Chi-square test, independent t-test, and repeated measures analysis of variance in SPSS version 24, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

In the control and intervention groups before the intervention, socio-demographic characteristics (P > 0.05), the mean scores of perceived social support (P = 0.11), maternal self-efficacy (p = 0.37) and perceived stress (p = 0.19) were not statistically significant. However, in the intervention group compared to the control group the mean scores of perceived social support (79.42 ± 7.17 vs. 37.26 ± 7.99, P < 0.001), maternal self-efficacy (186.22 ± 39.53 vs. 106.3 ± 32.88, P < 0.001) and perceived stress (16.36 ± 6.65 vs. 43.3 ± 7.39, P < 0.001) immediately after the intervention and the mean scores of perceived social support (84.4 ± 5.91 vs. 37.14 ± 6.63, P < 0.001), maternal self-efficacy (191.24 ± 38.92 vs. 112.34 ± 37.12, P < 0.001) and perceived stress (13.98 ± 4.84 vs. 39.06 ± 7.25, P < 0.001) one month after the intervention changed significantly.

Conclusion

The postpartum supportive education program for husbands was effective in promoting social support for primiparous women. Thus it can be introduced as routine care in the postpartum period.

Trial registration

Clinical trial registration Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials; https://en.irct.ir/user/trial/56451/view (IRCT20160427027633N8), registered (15/06/2021).
Evaluation of phytochemicals and antioxidant potential of a new polyherbal formulation TC-16: additive, synergistic or antagonistic?
Authors: Yap Vi Lien , Tan Lee Fang , Rajagopal Mogana , Wiart Christophe , Selvaraja Malarvili , Leong Mun Yee , Tan Puay Luan
Published: March 2023

Background

Scientific literature has demonstrated the association of free radicals in the aetiology of various chronic diseases. Hence, the identification of potent antioxidants remains a useful task. The combination of multiple herbs in polyherbal formulations (PHF) is often associated with greater therapeutic efficacy due to synergistic interactions. However, antagonism can occur in natural product mixtures and the resultant antioxidant potential might not always be the additive value of the antioxidant properties of each component. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the phytochemicals, antioxidative potential and interaction among the herbs in TC-16, a new PHF comprising Curcuma longa L., Zingiber officinale var. Bentong, Piper nigrum L., Citrofortunella microcarpa (Bunge) Wijnands and Apis dorsata honey.

Methods

TC-16 was screened for phytochemicals. Phenolic and flavonoid contents of TC-16 and its individual ingredients were determined, followed by assessment of antioxidant properties using in vitro assays including 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and β-carotene bleaching (BCB) assays. Interactions among the herbs were also investigated by calculating the difference in antioxidant activity and combination index.

Results

Alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins and glycosides were present in TC-16. TC-16 possessed the highest phenolic (46.14 ± 1.40 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid (132.69 ± 1.43 mg CE/g) contents following C. longa. Synergistic antioxidant activity among the herbs was evident in ORAC and BCB assays which uses mainly hydrogen atom transfer-based antioxidant mechanisms.

Conclusions

TC-16 demonstrated roles in combating free radicals. In a PHF, synergistic interaction among the herbs is observed in some but not all mechanisms. Mechanisms showing synergistic interactions should be highlighted to maximise the beneficial property of the PHF.
Hypoxia-induced lncRNA MRVI1-AS1 accelerates hepatocellular carcinoma progression by recruiting RNA-binding protein CELF2 to stabilize SKA1 mRNA
Authors: Tuo Hang , Liu Runkun , Wang Yufeng , Yang Wei , Liu Qingguang
Published: March 2023

Background

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) perform a vital role during the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we aimed to identify a novel lncRNA involved in HCC development and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism.

Methods

The RT-qPCR and TCGA dataset analysis were applied to explore the expressions of MRVI1-AS1 in HCC tissues and cell lines. Statistical analysis was applied to analyze the clinical significance of MRVI1-AS1 in HCC. The functions of MRVI1-AS1 in HCC cells metastasis and growth were explored by transwell assays, wound healing assay, MTT assay, EdU assay, the intravenous transplantation tumor model, and the subcutaneous xenograft tumor model. Microarray mRNA expression analysis, dual luciferase assays, and actinomycin D treatment were used to explore the downstream target of MRVI1-AS1 in HCC cells. RIP assay was applied to assess the direct interactions between CELF2 and MRVI1-AS1 or SKA1 mRNA. Rescue experiments were employed to validate the functional effects of MRVI1-AS1, CELF2, and SKA1 on HCC cells.

Results

MRVI1-AS1 was found to be dramatically upregulated in HCC and the expression was strongly linked to tumor size, venous infiltration, TNM stage, as well as HCC patients’ outcome. Cytological experiments and animal experiments showed that MRVI1-AS1 promoted HCC cells metastasis and growth. Furthermore, SKA1 was identified as the downstream targeted mRNA of MRVI1-AS1 in HCC cells, and MRVI1-AS1 increased SKA1 expression by recruiting CELF2 protein to stabilize SKA1 mRNA. In addition, we found that MRVI1-AS1 expression was stimulated by hypoxia through a HIF-1-dependent manner, which meant that MRVI1-AS was a direct downstream target gene of HIF-1 in HCC.

Conclusion

In a word, our findings elucidated that hypoxia-induced MRVI1-AS1 promotes metastasis and growth of HCC cells via recruiting CELF2 protein to stabilize SKA1 mRNA, pointing to MRVI1-AS1 as a promising clinical application target for HCC therapy.
Bacterial vesicles block viral replication in macrophages via TLR4-TRIF-axis
Authors: Bierwagen Jeff , Wiegand Marie , Laakmann Katrin , Danov Olga , Limburg Hannah , Herbel Stefanie Muriel , Heimerl Thomas , Dorna Jens , Jonigk Danny , Preußer Christian , Bertrams Wilhelm , Braun Armin , Sewald Katherina , Schulte Leon N. , Bauer Stefan , Pogge von Strandmann Elke , Böttcher-Friebertshäuser Eva , Schmeck Bernd , Jung Anna Lena
Published: March 2023

Gram-negative bacteria naturally secrete nano-sized outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), which are important mediators of communication and pathogenesis. OMV uptake by host cells activates TLR signalling via transported PAMPs. As important resident immune cells, alveolar macrophages are located at the air-tissue interface where they comprise the first line of defence against inhaled microorganisms and particles. To date, little is known about the interplay between alveolar macrophages and OMVs from pathogenic bacteria. The immune response to OMVs and underlying mechanisms are still elusive. Here, we investigated the response of primary human macrophages to bacterial vesicles (Legionella pneumophila, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Streptococcus pneumoniae) and observed comparable NF-κB activation across all tested vesicles. In contrast, we describe differential type I IFN signalling with prolonged STAT1 phosphorylation and strong Mx1 induction, blocking influenza A virus replication only for Klebsiella, E.coli and Salmonella OMVs. OMV-induced antiviral effects were less pronounced for endotoxin-free Clear coli OMVs and Polymyxin-treated OMVs. LPS stimulation could not mimic this antiviral status, while TRIF knockout abrogated it. Importantly, supernatant from OMV-treated macrophages induced an antiviral response in alveolar epithelial cells (AEC), suggesting OMV-induced intercellular communication. Finally, results were validated in an ex vivo infection model with primary human lung tissue. In conclusion, Klebsiella, E.coli and Salmonella OMVs induce antiviral immunity in macrophages via TLR4-TRIF-signaling to reduce viral replication in macrophages, AECs and lung tissue. These gram-negative bacteria induce antiviral immunity in the lung through OMVs, with a potential decisive and tremendous impact on bacterial and viral coinfection outcome.