bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s School Vaccination Assessment: Collaboration With US State, Local, and Territorial Immunization Programs, 2012–2018
Authors: Mellerson Jenelle L. , Street Erica , Knighton Cynthia , Calhoun Kayla , Seither Ranee , Underwood J. Michael
Published: May 2020

Objectives. To describe the ongoing collaboration of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) school vaccination assessment with state, local, and territorial immunization programs to provide data to monitor school entry vaccination.

Methods. Departments of health and education partner to collect data from public school, private school, and homeschooled kindergartners in the 50 US states, the District of Columbia, 2 cities, and the US territories. Immunization programs submit vaccination coverage and exemption data to the CDC, and the CDC reports these data annually via multiple sources.

Results. Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the number of programs using a census for vaccination coverage data increased from 39 to 41 during the school years 2012–2013 to 2017–2018 (which for most states was August or September through May or June), and the number using a census to collect exemption data increased from 40 to 46. The number of states that reported sharing their local-level vaccination coverage data online increased from 11 in 2012–2013 to 31 in 2017–2018.

Conclusions. Coverage data can be used to address undervaccination among kindergartners to work with communities and schools that are susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases. As more states publish local-level data online, access to improved data provides the public more valuable information.
Shale-Oil-Fracturing Designs Move to Just-Good-Enough Proppant Economics with Regional Sand
Authors: Melcher Howard , Mayerhofer Michael , Agarwal Karn , Lolon Ely , Oduba Oladapo , Murphy Jessica , Ellis Ray , Fiscus Kirk , Shelley Robert , Weijers Leen
Published: May 2020

Selecting appropriate proppants is an important part of hydraulic-fracture completion design. Proppant selection choices have increased in recent years as regional sands have become the proppant of choice in many liquid-rich shale plays. But are these new proppants the best long-term choices to maximize production? Do they provide the best well economics?

The paper presents a brief historical perspective on proppant selection followed by various detailed studies of how different proppant types have performed in various unconventional onshore US basins (Williston, Permian, Eagle Ford, and Powder River), along with economic analyses. As the shale revolution pushed into lower-quality reservoirs, the concept of dimensionless conductivity has pushed our industry to use ever lower-quality materials—away from ceramics and resin-coated proppant to white sand in some Rocky Mountain plays, and more recently from white sand to regional sand in the Permian and Eagle Ford plays.

Further, we compare early-to-late-time production response and economics in liquid-rich wells where proppant type changed. The performance of various proppant types and mesh sizes is evaluated using a combination of different techniques, including big-data multivariate statistics, laboratory-conductivity testing, detailed fracture and reservoir modeling, as well as direct well-group comparisons. The results of these techniques are then combined with economic analyses to provide a perspective on proppant-selection criteria. The comparisons are anchored to permeability estimates from production history matching and diagnostic fracture injection tests (DFITs) and thousands of wellsite-proppant-conductivity tests to determine dimensionless conductivity estimates that best approach what is obtained in the field.

Dimensionless fracture conductivity is the main driver of well performance because it relates to proppant selection thanks to the inclusion of the relationship of fracture conductivity provided by the proppant relative to the actual flow capacity of the rock (the product of permeability and effective fracture length), which is supported by the production analyses in the paper. The paper shows how much fracture conductivity is adequate for a given effective fracture length and reservoir permeability and then looks at the economics of achieving this “just-good-enough” target conductivity, either through less proppant mass with higher-cost proppants or more proppant mass with lower-cost proppants, as well as mesh-size considerations.

This paper does not rely on a single technique for proppant selection but uses a combination of various data sources, analysis techniques, and economic criteria to provide a more holistic approach to proppant selection.
Impact of Geological Variables in Controlling Oil-Reservoir Performance: An Insight from a Machine-Learning Technique
Authors: Aliyuda Kachalla , Howell John , Humphrey Elliot
Published: May 2020

Predicting oilfield performance is extremely challenging because of the large number of variables that can influence and control it. Traditional methods such as decline-curve analysis have been commonly used but have been shown to have significant shortcomings. In recent years, advances in machine learning (ML) have provided a new suite of tools to tackle complex multivariant problems such as understanding oil-reservoir performance and predicating the final recovery factor. In this study, the application of a random-forest algorithm to train three predictive models and investigate the influence of the various input variables was investigated.

To train the algorithm, a database was built that includes information on 32 variables from 93 reservoirs from the Norwegian Continental Shelf. These variables control or potentially influence field performance and include factors that are a function of geology, subsurface conditions, fluids, and the engineering decisions taken in field development. In addition to these controlling parameters, data were also recorded for the fields that record performance. These included information on the estimated recovery factor and production rates.

Eighty percent of the data were input into the random-forest algorithm to train the models, whereas 20% were retained to blind test the subsequent models. Model accuracy was measured by comparing actual and predicted observations for each prediction metric using an R2 score, mean square error, and root mean square error. The production-rate model had a mean square error of 0.004, whereas the mean square error for recovery factor was 0.024. Estimates of average monthly depletion rate have a mean square error of 0.0104. Predictor importance estimates indicate that geology/depth-dependent variables such as stratigraphic heterogeneity, reservoir depth of burial, average porosity, and diagenetic impact are among the variables with high importance in predicting recovery factor. When predicting reservoir-oil rate, the most important variables are related to field size, such as cumulative oil produced, number of wells, oil in place (OIP), and bulk rock volume. In this study, we provide data-driven insight into understanding the relationship between subsurface and engineering conditions of reservoir producibility; we also provide a tool for predicating reservoir performance within a basin or region.
Perceptions and experiences with district health information system software to collect and utilize health data in Bangladesh: A qualitative exploratory study
Authors: Begum Tahmina , Khan Shaan Muberra , Adamou Bridgit , Ferdous Jannatul , Parvez Muhammad Masud , Islam Mohammad Saiful , Kumkum Feroza Akhter , Rahman Aminur , Anwar Iqbal
Published: May 2020

Background: Accurate and high-quality data are important for improving program effectiveness and informing policy.In 2009 Bangladesh’s health management information system (HMIS) adopted the District Health Information Software, Version 2 (DHIS2) to capture real-time health service utilization data. However, routinely collected data are being underused because of poor data quality and reporting. We aimed to understand the facilitators and barriers to implementing DHIS2 as a way to retrieve meaningful and accurate data for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH) services. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in two districts of Bangladesh from September 2017 to 2018. Data collection included key informant interviews (n=11), in-depth interviews (n=23), and focus group discussions (n=2). The study participants were involved with DHIS2 implementation from the community level to the national level. The data were analyzed thematically.Results: DHIS2 could improve the timeliness and completeness of data reporting over time. The reported facilitating factors were strong government commitment, extensive donor support, and positive attitudes toward technology among staff. Quality checks and feedback loops at multiple levels of data gathering points are helpful for minimizing data errors. Introducing a dashboard makes DHIS2 compatible to use as a monitoring tool. Barriers to effective DHIS2 implementation were lack of human resources, slow Internet connectivity, frequent changes to DHIS2 versions, and maintaining both manual and electronic system side-by-side. The data in DHIS2 remains incomplete because it does not capture data from private health facilities. Having two parallel HMIS reporting the same RMNCAH indicators threatens data quality and increases the reporting workload. Conclusion: The overall insights from this study are expected to contribute to the development of effective strategies for successful DHIS2 implementation and building a responsive HMIS. Focused strategic direction is needed to sustain the achievements of digital data culture. Periodic refresher trainings, incentives for increased performance, and an automated single reporting system for multiple stakeholders could make the system more user-friendly. A national electronic health strategy and implementation framework can facilitate creating a culture of DHIS2 use for planning, setting priorities, and decision making among stakeholder groups.
Patient-reported outcomes following primary total hip arthroplasty in Crowe type Ⅲ or Ⅳ developmental dysplasia are comparable to those in Crowe type Ⅰ: a case-control study of 96 hips with intermediate-term follow-up
Authors: Ueoka Ken , Kabata Tamon , Kajino Yoshitomo , Inoue Daisuke , Ohmori Takaaki , Ueno Takuro , Yoshitani Junya , Yamamuro Yuki , Tsuchiya Hiroyuki
Published: May 2020

Background: A few previous studies have investigated patient satisfaction after total hip arthroplasty (THA) according to the degree of pelvic deformity. This study compared patient-reported outcomes after primary THA for Crowe types Ⅲ, Ⅳ and I dysplasia.Methods: This retrospective, single-center, single-surgeon case-control study included patients who underwent primary THA between 2008 and 2016. We sent postal questionnaires to 38 patients with Crowe type III and IV dysplasia. Among the questionnaire respondents, 23 patients, excluding those with a follow-up period of < 1 year, were enrolled as the H group. The control group included 46 patients with Crowe type I, matched for sex, age, body mass index and surgical approach. To investigate the influence of femoral shortening osteotomy, the H group was divided according to whether femoral shortening osteotomy was performed. Ten patients underwent THA with femoral shortening osteotomy (FO group), while 12 patients underwent THA without femoral shortening osteotomy (N-FO group). Patient demographics, mean follow-up period, surgical information, pre- and postoperative leg length discrepancy (LLD), and perioperative complications were investigated. Clinical evaluations were performed using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores, 36-item short-form survey (SF-36), net promotor score (NPS), visual analogue scale (VAS), and questionnaires. The VAS and SF-36 scores were determined only at final follow-up.Results: The H and control groups were not significantly different in the postoperative JOA scores and SF-36. In the H group, VAS at the final follow-up was significantly higher, and significantly more patients felt that postoperative rehabilitation was serious, expressing that they underwent THA for LLD correction. In addition, the VAS scores in the FO group was higher than those in the N-FO group. Postoperative LLD was significantly greater in the H group than in the control group. Each group had an NPS of >50.Conclusion: The postoperative VAS score was higher in Crowe type Ⅲ and Ⅳ dysplasia than in Crowe type I dysplasia, but no significant differences were detected in the postoperative satisfaction, JOA score, and SF-36 score. These findings may help explain the effects of THA preoperatively to patients with Crowe type Ⅲ and Ⅳ dysplasia.Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level 3b
Anti-tumor efficacy of CKD-516 in combination with radiation in xenograft mouse model of lung squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Kim Min-Young , Shin Jung-Young , Kim Jeong-Oh , Son Kyoung-Hwa , Kim Yeon Sil , Jung Chan Kwon , Kang Jin-Hyoung
Published: May 2020

Background: Hypoxic tumors are known to be highly resistant to radiotherapy and cause poor prognosis in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Vascular disrupting agents (VDAs) mainly affect blood vessels located in the central area of the tumor and lead to a rapid decrease in blood, resulting in massive apoptotic tumor cell death. Thus, we evaluate the anti-tumor efficacy of CKD-516 in combination with irradiation (IR) and examine tumor necrosis, delayed tumor growth, and expression of proteins involved in hypoxia and angiogenesis in this study.Methods: A xenograft mouse model of lung squamous cell carcinoma was established, and the tumor was exposed to IR 5 days per week. CKD-516 was administered with ​​two treatment schedules (day 1 or days 1 and 5) 1 h after IR. After the treatment, tumor tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and pimonidazole. HIF-1α, Glut-1, VEGF, CD31, and Ki-67 expression levels were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining.Results: Short-term treatment with IR alone and CKD-516+IR (d1) significantly reduced tumor volume (p = 0.006 and p = 0.048, respectively). Treatment with CKD-516+IR (d1 and d1, 5) resulted in a marked reduction in the number of blood vessels (p < 0.005). More specifically, CKD-516+IR (d1) caused the most extensive tumor necrosis, which resulted in a significantly large hypoxic area (p = 0.02) and decreased HIF-1α, Glut-1, VEGF, and Ki-67 expression. Long-term administration of CKD-516+IR reduced tumor volume and delayed tumor growth. This combination also greatly reduced the number of blood vessels (p = 0.0006) and significantly enhanced tumor necrosis (p = 0.004). CKD-516+IR significantly increased HIF-1α expression (p = 0.0047), but significantly reduced VEGF expression (p = 0.0046).Conclusions: Taken together, our data show that when used in combination, CKD-516 and IR can significantly enhance anti-tumor efficacy compared to monotherapy in lung cancer xenograft mice.
Analysing the relationship between nutrition and the microbial composition of the oral biofilm - insights from the analysis of individual variability
Authors: Vach Kirstin , Al-Ahmad Ali , Anderson Annette , Woelber Johan Peter , Karygianni Lamprini , Wittmer Annette , Hellwig Elmar
Published: May 2020

Background: The influence of nutrition on the oral microbiota has been discussed in the literature, but usually only changes of the mean values are reported. This paper focuses on the variability of patients’ reactions. Methods: Two types of inter-individual variability in such studies and statistical models to estimate them are introduced. Through smart presentation of the estimates from the studies, a better understanding of the data can be obtained. Random effects meta-analyses are used to analyse the heterogeneity in variability across different bacteria. Results: For the nutrition individually chosen by the participants, we observed an inter-individual variability of the bacterial concentration of three log steps. Given that we found no evidence of heterogeneity in variability across different bacteria, the results can be used to offer recommendations for future studies and compute the number of cases needed. Conclusions: For studies measuring the concentration change of bacteria as a reaction to nutrition change, the use of replications and analysis of the variability is recommended.
Late complications of radiosurgery for cerebral arteriovenous malformations: report of 5 cases of chronic encapsulated intracerebral hematomas and review of the literature
Authors: Finitsis Stephanos , Anxionnat René , Bernier Valerie , Buccheit Isabelle , Klein Olivier , Bracard Serge
Published: May 2020

Background: Chronic encapsulated intracerebral hematomas (CEIHs) are a rare, late complication of radiosurgery for intracranial AVM. We present 5 cases treated mostly by surgical excision and review the literature. Methods: Patients (age 39, 42, 36, 31, 62) presented with headache, paresthesia, hemiparesis or were asymptomatic. CEIHs presented 10 to 13 years (median 12 years) post radiosurgery. Three patients had demonstrated early radiation induced changes post radiosurgery. Angiographic cure, assessed with DSA, was present in all cases except 1 case with a small nidus remnant. MRI demonstrated mixed lesions with a solid enhancing part, organized hematoma and extensive surrounding edema while three cases had also a cystic component. Results: Excision of the CEIHs with complete or partial removal of the capsule was perfomed in 4 patients and resulted in marked clinical improvement. On patient was managed conservatively with administration of steroids as surgery was judged excessively hazardous with eventual stabilization of his symptoms. Conclusions: CEIHs are rare, late complications of radiosurgery for cranial AVM. They may be asymptomatic or provoke symptoms and may be preceded by early radiation induced changes. Complete removal of CEIHS is an effective treatment. Because of the long latency period of CEIHs, patients who had radiosurgery for brain AVMs should be followed by MRI at least 10 years even after complete obliteration.
LAIR-1 overexpression inhibits epithelial–mesenchymal transition in osteosarcoma via GLUT1-related energy metabolism
Authors: Zhang Jinxue , Zhang Yuan , Cheng Shiyang , Mu Yang , Liu Yongming , Yi Xin , Jiang Dongxu , Ding Yong , Zhuang Ran
Published: May 2020

Background: Leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor-1 (LAIR-1) is a collagen receptor belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily. Although previous studies have evaluated the biological role of LAIR in solid tumors, the precise mechanisms underlying the functions of LAIR-1 as a regulator of tumor biological functions remain unclear.Methods: LAIR-1 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis using an osteosarcoma (OS) tissue microarray. Wound healing and transwell migration assays were performed to evaluate tumor cell migration. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blotting were conducted to detect the expression of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related molecules. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) was conducted to evaluate the mRNA expression profiles after overexpressing LAIR-1 in OS cells. Glucose transporter (Glut)1 expression in OS cells was evaluated by western blotting.Results: LAIR-1 expression was significantly different between the T1 and T2 stages of OS tumors, and it inhibited OS cell migration. LAIR-1 expression was inversely correlated with the expression of Twist1, an EMT-associated transcription factor, via the Forkhead box O1 signal transduction pathway. Furthermore, RNA-seq and qPCR demonstrated that the expression of EMT energy metabolism-related molecules was significantly reduced after LAIR-1 overexpression.Conclusions: LAIR-1 overexpression decreased the expression of Glut1 and inhibited the expression of EMT-related molecules in OS cells. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanism underlying OS progression.
Efficient anchoring of Erianthus arundinaceus chromatin introgressed into sugarcane by specific molecular markers
Authors: Huang Yongji , Wu Jiayun , Li Xueting , Yu Fan , Hu Xuguang , Luo Ling , Zhang Muqing , Xu Liangnian , Deng Zuhu
Published: May 2020

Background: Erianthus arundinaceus is a valuable gene reservoir for sugarcane improvement. However, insufficient molecular markers for high-accuracy identification and tracking of the introgression status of E. arundinaceus chromatin impede sugarcane breeding. Fortunately, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technology provides an excellent opportunity for development of high-throughput E. arundinaceus-specific molecular markers at a reasonable cost. Results: In this study, we constructed a SSH library of E. arundinaceus. In total, 288 clones E. arundinaceus-specific repetitive sequences were screened out and their distribution patterns on chromosomes were characterized by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). A subtelomeric repetitive sequence Ea086 and a diffusive repetitive sequence Ea009, plus 45S rDNA-bearing E. arundinaceus chromosome repetitive sequence EaITS were developed as E. arundinaceus-specific molecular markers, namely Ea086-128, Ea009-257, and EaITS-278, covering all the E. arundinaceus chromosomes for high-accuracy identification of putative progeny. Both Ea086-128 and Ea009-257 were successfully applied to identify the authenticity of F1, BC1, BC2, BC3, and BC4 progeny between sugarcane and E. arundinaceus. In addition, EaITS-278 was a 45S rDNA-bearing E. arundinaceus chromosome-specific molecular marker for rapid tracking the inherited status of this chromosome in sugarcane background. Three BC3 progeny had apparently lost the 45S rDNA-bearing E. arundinaceus chromosome. Conclusions: We reported herein a highly effective and reliable SSH-based technology for discovery of high-throughput E. arundinaceus-specific sequences bearing high potential as molecular markers. Given its reliability and savings in time and efforts, the method is also suitable for development of species-specific molecular markers for other important wild relatives to accelerate introgression of wild relatives into sugarcane.
Circular RNA hsa_circ_102209 promotes the growth and metastasis of colorectal cancer through miR-761-mediated Ras and Rab interactor 1 signaling
Authors: LI CHI , Zhou Hong
Published: May 2020

Background: In our study, has_circ_102209 was the most upregulated gene in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues according to circRNA array data. The levels of hsa_circ_102209 in CRC specimens and cells, as well as its effects on CRC cells were investigated. Methods: The expression of hsa_circ_102209 in CRC and paired non-cancerous samples, human CRC and normal colonic epithelial cells were examined using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Cells with hsa_circ_102209 knockdown were established using lentiviral vectors . Cell proliferative ability was evaluated using CCK-8 assay; cell migration and invasion were assessed by wound healing and Transwell assay. Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis were determined; apoptosis and EMT markers were examined using RT-qPCR and western blotting. Tumour development and levels of associated proteins were determined in hsa_circ_102209 knockdown mice. Results: Our results revealed that expression of hsa_circ_102209 was remarkably increased in CRC tissues, where the levels of miR-761 were notably reduced (p<0.05). Additionally, the levels of hsa_circ_102209 was associated with tumor stage and occurrence of liver metastasis in CRC patients, and the expression of hsa_circ_102209 and miR-761 were negatively correlated (p<0.05). Moreover, hsa_circ_102209 was upregulated in CRC cell s compared with normal colonic epithelial cells. Knockdown of hsa_circ_102209 notably inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of CRC cell s (p<0.05), whereas enhanced cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and apoptosis (p<0.05). Furthermore, miR-761/ Ras and Rab interactor 1 ( RIN1) axis was the putative target of hsa_circ_102209 in CRC and involved in hsa_circ_102209 -modulated growth and metastasis in CRC cell s (p<0.05). Knockdown of hsa_circ_102209 also remarkably suppressed tumor growth in vivo (p<0.05). Conclusions: our data revealed that the expression of hsa_circ_102209 was elevated in CRC samples and cells. Furthermore, hsa_circ_102209 could promote the progression of CRC through miR-761/RIN1 axis. More importantly, hsa_circ_102209 /miR-761/RIN1 signaling may be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of CRC patients .
MicroRNA-182-5p protects human lens epithelial cells against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis by inhibiting NOX4 and p38 MAPK signalling
Authors: Li Zhao-Na , Ge Ming-Xu , Yuan Zhong-Fang
Published: May 2020

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are abnormally expressed in various ocular diseases, including age-related cataract. However, the role of miR-182-5p in the progression of age-related cataract remains unclear.Methods: The expression of miR-182-5p in HLE-B3 cells was detected by qRT-PCR. HLE-B3 cells were transfected with miR-182-5p mimics. CCK-8, EdU, flow cytometry, 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate, JC-1 kit, and western blot were used to assess the cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and protein expression, respectively, in vitro. The relationship between miR-182-5p and NOX4 was confirmed using the dual-luciferase reporter gene analysis.Results: We found that miR-182-5p expression was significantly decreased by the H2O2 exposure. Overexpression of miR-182-5p promoted cell proliferation and inhibited ROS production and apoptosis in H2O2-induced HLE-B3 cells. Moreover, p-p-38, p-ERK, and p-JNK were up-regulated in H2O2-treated HLE-B3 cells, and overexpression of miR-182-5p reversed the effects of H2O2 on HLE-B3 cells. In addition, dual-luciferase reporter assay substantiated that NOX4 was a direct target and downregulated by miR-182-5p.Conclusions: We concluded that miR-182-5p inhibited lens epithelial cells apoptosis through regulating NOX4 and p38 MAPK signaling, providing a novel biomarker for treatment of age-related cataract.
Inability to Obtain Sperm for Fresh IVF Cycles: Analysis and Incidence of Outcomes Using a National Database from the United States
Authors: Berger Alexandra Joice , Raup Valary , Ghayda Ramy Abou , Lanes Andrea , Kathrins Martin N
Published: May 2020

Background: Azoospermia is present in 10% of men presenting with infertility and surgical sperm retrieval rates for men with azoospermia due to spermatogenic dysfunction remain low. We investigated the incidence of failed fresh IVF cycles due to inability to obtain sperm and describe predictors for subsequent IVF. Methods: A national IVF database was used to identify fresh IVF cycles in which there was failure to obtain sperm. Patient linkage was utilized to determine outcomes of subsequent IVF. Results: 243,291 fresh IVF cycles were identified; 719 (0.3%) listed "inability to obtain sperm" as reason for embryo non-transfer. Male infertility was a factor in 537 (75%) and ejaculation was the most common anticipated sperm source (414, 57%). 713 (99.2%) cycles resulted in retrieved oocytes, but only 627 (87.2%) cryopreserved oocytes. 265 (37%) of couples underwent subsequent IVF. On multivariable analysis, lack of initial oocyte cryopreservation (OR 0.34, p=0.01) and male infertility (OR 0.14, p=0.01) were associated with having no subsequent cycles. Partner sperm was used in 213 (80%) second cycles and sperm retrieval method was largely conserved (181/213, 85%). Embryos were transferred in 186 (70%) second cycles. Failed embryo transfers were due to repeat inability to obtain sperm in 5 (6%) cycles. Conclusions: Failure to obtain sperm during fresh IVF is rare, but most affected couples will not pursue further cycles of IVF after their initial failed attempt.
Risk factors for lymph node metastasis and surgical methods in patients with early-stage peripheral lung adenocarcinoma presenting as ground glass opacity
Authors: wang yongming , jing lijun , wang gongchao
Published: May 2020

Background: It is difficult to predict lymph node metastasis in patients with early lung cancer. Pure ground glass opacity (GGO) on computed tomography indicates an early-stage adenocarcinoma that can be removed by limited resection or lobectomy without the need for mediastinal lymph node dissection or sampling, and lung adenocarcinoma with GGO therefore has a good prognosis. We examined the incidence and risk factors of lymph node metastasis in patients with clinical stage IA lung adenocarcinoma. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data for 327 patients with stage IA peripheral lung cancer treated in our hospital from March 2014 to December 2018. The patients were divided into four groups according to computed tomography signs. Lobectomy and systematic lymph node dissection were performed in all patients. Correlations between lymph node metastasis and clinical pathological factors were analyzed by logistic regression.Results: Among the 327 patients, 26 (7.95%) had lymph node metastasis. No patients with pure GGO or GGO-dominant types had lymph node metastasis. Logistic regression identified tumor diameter, solid content, plasma carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, pathological type, lymphovascular invasion, and pleural invasion as factors related to the presence of lymph node metastasis. Conclusions: Tumor diameter, solid component ratio, plasma CEA level, pathological type, vascular tumor thrombus, and pleural invasion are possible independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis in patients with stage IA lung adenocarcinoma. In contrast, lymph node metastasis is rare in patients with pure GGO or GGO-dominant lung adenocarcinoma.
Agreement between Original and Rasch-Approved Neck Disability Index
Authors: LU ZE , MacDermid Joy C. , Nazari Goris
Published: May 2020

Background: Given the high prevalence of neck pain, the neck disability index (NDI) has been used widely to evaluate patient status and treatment outcomes. Modified versions have been proposed as solutions to measurement deficits in the NDI. However, the original 10-item NDI scored out of 50 is still the commonly administered. Examining the extent of agreement between traditional and Rasch-based versions using Bland-Altman (B&A) plots will inform our understanding of score differences that might rise from using different versions. Therefore, the objective of current study was to describe the extent of agreement between different versions of NDI. Methods: The current study was a secondary data analysis where the study data was compiled from two prospectively collected data source. We performed a comprehensive literature search to identify Rasch-approved NDI within four databases including Embase, Medline, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Modified version to identify Rasch analyses which provided alternative forms and scoring. We graphed B&A plots and calculated the mean difference and the 95% limits of agreement (LoA; ±1.96 times the standard deviation). Results: Two Rasch approved alternative versions (8- and 5- item) were identified from 303 screened publications. We analyzed data from 201 (43 males and 158 females) patients attending community clinics for neck pain. We found that the mean difference was approximately 10% of the total score between the 10-item and 5-item (-4.6 points), whereas the 10-item versus 8-item and 8-item versus 5-item had smaller mean differences (-2.3 points). The B&A plots displayed wider 95% LoA for the agreement between 10-item and 8-item (LoA: -12.0, 7.4) and 5-item (LoA: -14.9, 5.8) compared with the LoA for the 8-item and 5-item (LoA: -7.8, 3.3). Conclusion: Two Rasch-based NDI solutions (8 vs 5 items) that differ in number of items and conceptual construction are available to provide interval level scoring. They both scores that are substantially different from the traditional ordinal NDI, which does not provide interval level scoring. Smaller differences between the two Rasch solutions exist and may relate to the items included. Due to the size and unpredictable nature of the bias between measures, they should not be used interchangeably.
Cytokine profile and nitric oxide levels in peritoneal macrophages of BALB/c mice exposed to Fucose-Mannose Ligand of Leishmania infantum combined with Glycyrrhizin
Authors: Hasan Namdar Ahmadabad , Shafiei Reza , Reza Hatam Gholam , Reza Zolfaghari Emameh , Ashok Aspatwar
Published: May 2020

Background The Fucose-Mannose Ligand (FML) of Leishmania infantum is a complex glycoprotein which does not elicit adequate immunogenicity in human. In recent years, adjuvant compounds derived from plants have been used for improving the immunogenicity of the vaccines. Glycyrrhizin (GL) is a natural triterpenoid saponin that has known immunomodulatory activities. In the present study, we investigated the effects of a co-treatment with FML and GL on the production of cytokines and nitric oxide ( NO) by macrophages, in vitro . Methods Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated murine peritoneal macrophages were treated with FML (5 μg/ml) of Leishmania infantum and various concentrations of GL (1 μg/ml, or 10 μg/ml or 20 μg/ml). After 48h of treatment, cell culture supernatants were recovered and the levels of TNF-α, IL-10, IL-12p70, and IP-10 were measured by sandwich ELISA and NO concentration by Griess reaction. Results Our results indicated that the treatment of activated macrophages with FML plus GL leads to enhanced production of NO, TNF-α, IL-12p70, and reduction of IL-10 levels in comparison with FML treatment alone. Conclusions We, therefore, concluded that GL can improve the immunostimulatory effect of FML on macrophages and leads to polarization of them toward an M1-like phenotype.
Synergistic Effects of EMPs and PMPs on Pulmonary Vascular Leakage and Lung Injury After Ischemia/Reperfusion
Authors: Li Tao , Zhang Jie , Zhu Yu , Wu Yue , Yan Qing-Guang , Peng Xiao-Yong , Xiang Xin-Ming , Xue Ming-Ying , Li Qing-Hui , Liu Liang-Ming
Published: May 2020

Background Vascular leakage is an important process of critical conditions such as shock and I/R-induced lung injury. Microparticles (MPs), including endothelial cell-derived microparticles (EMPs), platelet-derived microparticles (PMPs) and neutrophil-derived microparticles (NMPs), have been shown to participate in many diseases. Whether these MPs take part in pulmonary vascular leakage and lung injury after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and have synergistic and the underlying mechanism are not known.Methods Using hemorrhage/transfusion (Hemo/Trans) and aorta abdominalis occlusion-induced ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) rat models, the role of EMPs, PMPs and NMPs and their relationship and the mechanisms in pulmonary vascular leakage and lung injury were studied.Results The concentrations of EMPs, PMPs and NMPs were significantly increased after I/R. Intravenous administration of EMPs and PMPs but not NMPs induced pulmonary vascular leakage and lung injury. Furthermore, EMPs could induce pulmonary sequestration of platelets and promote more PMP production, and synergistically exacerbate pulmonary vascular leakage. MiR-1, miR-155 and miR-542 in EMP, and miR-126 and miR-29 in PMP, were significantly increased after hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Of which, inhibition of miR-155 in EMPs and miR-126 in PMPs alleviated the detrimental effects of EMPs and PMPs on vascular permeability and lung injury. Overexpression of miR-155 in EMPs down-regulated the expression of ZO-1 and claudin-5, the tight junction related proteins, while overexpression of miR-126 up-regulated the expression of caveolin-1 (Cav-1), the trans-cellular transportation related protein. Inhibiting EMP and PMP production with blebbistatin (BLE) and amitriptyline (AMI) respectively, protected pulmonary vascular permeability and lung injury.Conclusions EMPs and PMPs contribute to the pulmonary vascular leakage and lung injury after I/R. EMPs mediate pulmonary sequestration of platelets, producing more PMPs to play synergistic effect. Mechanically, EMPs carrying miR-155 that targets ZO-1 and claudin-5 and PMPs carrying miR-126 that up-regulates Cav-1, synergistically regulate pulmonary vascular permeability and mediate the lung injury after I/R.
A novel E-Subgroup Pentatricopeptide Repeat Protein DEK55 is Responsible for RNA Editing at 15 Sites and Splicing of nad1 and nad4 in Maize
Authors: Ren Ru Chang , Yan Xu Wei , Zhao Ya Jie , Wei Yi Ming , Lu Xiaoduo , Zang Jie , Wu Jia Wen , Zheng Guang Ming , Ding Xin Hua , Zhang Xian Sheng , Zhao Xiang Yu
Published: May 2020

Background Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins is a large protein family, which participate in RNA processing in organelles and plant growth. Previous reports have generally considered E-subgroup PPR proteins as an editing factors for RNA editing. However, the underlying mechanisms and effects of E-subgroup PPR proteins remain to be investigated.Results In this study, we recognized and identified a new maize kernel mutant with arrested embryo and endosperm development, defective kernel 55 (dek55). Genetic and molecular evidences suggest that the defective kernels resulted from a mononucleotide alteration (C to T) at + 449 in the open reading frame (ORF) of Zm00001d014471 (hereafter referred to as DEK55). DEK55 encodes an E-subgroup PPR protein within mitochondria. Molecular analyses suggest that DEK55 plays crucial roles in RNA editing at multiple sites of ribosomal protein S13, ATP synthase subunit1, NADH dehydrogenase-6 (nad6), and nad9 transcripts as well as in splicing of nad1 and nad4. The mutation of DEK55 lead to the dysfunction of mitochondrial complex I.Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the DEK55 mutation is responsible for the dek55 mutant phenotypes, as it affects mitochondrial function that is essential for maize kernel development. This study also provides novel insight into the molecular function of E-subgroup PPR proteins in plant organellar RNA metabolism.
Immigration of Sogatella Furcifera from the Greater Mekong Subregion into Northern China Revealed by 2b-RAD Sequencing
Authors: Yang Nan , Dong Zhaoke , Chen Aidong , Yin Yanqiong , Li Xiangyong , Chu Dong
Published: May 2020

Background The white-backed planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) (Hemiptera, Delphacidae), is a migratory pest of rice in Asia. Shandong Province, in northern China, is located on the migration pathway of WBPH between southern and northeast China. The potential sources of WBPH in northern China are poorly understood. We studied the sources of WBPH in Shandong Province by determining the population genetic structure of WBPH in 18 sites distributed in Shandong and in six regions of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). We used mitochondrial gene and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers (2b-RAD sequencing) for analysis.Results All of the WBPH populations studied in the seven regions had low genetic diversity. Pairwise FST values ranged from − 0.061 to 0.285, while FST based on SNP data ranged from − 0.007 to 0.009. These two molecular markers revealed that 4.40% (mtDNA) and 0.19% (SNP) genetic variation could be explained by the interpopulation variation, while the rest came from intrapopulation variation. The populations in the seven geographic regions comprised four hypothetical genetic clusters (K = 4) not associated with geographic location. Eighty-four of 129 individuals distributed across the given area were designated as recent migrants or of admixed ancestry. Although the substantial migration presented, a weak but significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances was found (r = 0.083, P = 0.004).Conclusion GMS was the main source of WBPH in Shandong, while other source populations may also exist. The genetic structure of WBPH is shaped by both migration and geographic barriers. These results help clarify the migration route and the source of WBPH in northern China.
Forest communities and factors responsible for vegetation pattern in the legally protected areas of the Kashmir Himalaya, India
Authors: Haq Sheikh Marifatul , Yaqoob Umer , Qazi Hilal
Published: May 2020

Background

The protected areas (PAs) of any region are contributing people’s livelihoods and are proving to be the backbone of all forms of biodiversity conservation. The reforms in protection rules at global level and legal protection at local level has contributed a lot to the conservation of forests and other associated biodiversity. However, due to various anthropogenic activities and other climatic changes, protected areas and other species rich sites are being exposed to a continuous threat. Realizing the future perspective of potential and economic value of these protected forests, the phytosociological investigations were carried out in protected forests of Jammu and Kashmir in Kashmir Himalaya.
Results

Floristically, a total of 84 species belonging to 71 genera in 39 families were recorded. The floristic analysis revealed that the dominant plant families in the study area comprises of Rosaceae with (14%) species, followed by Asteraceae (8%) species and Poaceae (7%) species. Species richness of the vascular plants varied from 38–55, and Shannon-Wiener diversity index value of scrub forest type was statistically lower than that of the coniferous forest and other forest types. The average tree density of 890 individual’s ha− 1 was recorded throughout the study area.
Conclusions

The diversity of various plant species differed across the dimensions. The phytosociological parameters are being affected by discrete levels within soil parameters. Plant community composition displayed a significant change within forest types even when species richness didn’t alter. Furthermore, the prototype of conservation biology has got shifted towards updated patter of biodiversity safeguarding by highlighting various multi-scale approaches. There are some critical abiotic factors, which prove very much helpful in understanding the mechanisms operating at a specific level to create variation in species diversity as well as in community composition.
Effects of different sufentanil target concentrations on the MACBAR of sevoflurane in patients with carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum stimulus
Authors: Guo Yanxia , Wang Dan , Yang Xiao-lin , Jiang Pingping , Xu Juan , Zhang Guoyuan
Published: May 2020

Background:The objective of this study is to observe the effects of different target controlled plasma sufentanil concentrations on the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane for blocking adrenergic response (BAR) in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy with carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum stimulation.Methods: Eighty-five patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, aged 18-65 years, with American Society of Anaesthesiologists physical status Ⅰ-Ⅱ, were enrolled in this study. All the patients were randomly divided into 5 groups (S0, S1, S2, S3, S4) with different sufentanil plasma target concentration (0.0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 ng ml-1). Anaesthesia was induced by inhalation of 8% sevoflurane in 100% oxygen, and 0.6 mg kg-1 of rocuronium was intravenously injected to facilitate the insertion of laryngeal mask airway. The end-tidal sevoflurane concentration and sufentanil plasma target concentration were adjusted according to respective preset value in each group. The hemodynamic response to pneumoperitoneum stimulus was observed after the end-tidal sevoflurane concentration had been maintained stable at least for 15 min. The MACBAR of sevoflurane was measured by a sequential method. Meanwhile, epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations in the blood were also determined before and after pneumoperitoneum stimulus in each group.Results:The basic MACBAR of sevoflurane in group S0 was 5.33% (confidence interval[CI] 95%: 5.19-5.47%), which was decreased 15%, 46%, 58% and 60% by the infusion of sufentanil with 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 ng ml-1 plasma target concentration, respectively. But the decreased degree had no significant difference between 0.5 and 0.7 ng ml-1 of sufentanil plasma target concentrations. No significant difference was found in the change of epinephrine or norepinephrine concentration between before and after pneumoperitoneum stimulation in each group.Conclusions: The MACBAR of sevoflurane can be decreased with increasing sufentanil plasma target concentrations. A capping effect of the decrease occurred at a sufentanil plasma target concentration of 0.5 ng ml-1. When the sympathetic adrenergic response was inhibited in half patients to pneumoperitoneum stimulation in each group, the changes of epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations showed no significant differences.Trial registration: The study was registered at http://www.chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR1800015819, 23, April, 2018) .
Kernel principal components based cascade forest towards disease identiﬁcation with human microbiota
Authors: Zhou Jiayu , Wang Xuwen , Ye Yanqing , Jiang Jiang
Published: May 2020

Numerous pieces of clinical evidence have shown that many phenotypic traits of human disease are related to their gut microbiome. Through supervised classification, it is feasible to determine the human disease states by revealing the intestinal microbiota compositional information. However, the abundance matrix of microbiome data is so sparse, an interpretable deep model is crucial to further represent and mine the data for expansion, such as the deep forest. What's more, overfitting can still exist in the original deep forest model when dealing with such “large p, small n” biology data. Feature reduction is considered to improve the ensemble forest model especially towards the disease identification in the human microbiota. In this work, we propose the kernel principal components based cascade forest method, so-called KPCCF, to classify the disease states of patients by using taxonomic profiles of the microbiome at the family level. In detail, the kernel principal components analysis method is first used to reduce the original dimension of human microbiota datasets. Besides, the processed data is fed into the cascade forest to preliminarily discriminate the disease state of the samples. Thus, the proposed KPCCF algorithm can represent the small-scale and high-dimension human microbiota datasets with the sparse feature matrix. Systematic comparison experiments demonstrate that our method consistently outperforms the state-of-the-art methods with the comparative study on 4 datasets. Additionally, compared to other dimensionality reduction methods, kernel principal components analysis method is more suitable for microbiota datasets.