bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Posttraumatic stress and growth in adolescent childhood cancer survivors: Links to quality of life
Authors: Koutná Veronika , Blatný Marek , Jelínek Martin
Published: September 2022

Pediatric cancer can be considered an event potentially leading to posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) as well as posttraumatic growth (PTG). While clinically significant levels of PTSS are rare in childhood cancer survivors, PTG is common in this population. However, the relationship of PTG to overall adaptation and quality of life (QOL) in pediatric cancer patients is not clear. Therefore, our study aims to analyse the relationships of PTSS and PTG with QOL in childhood cancer survivors. In this study, 172 childhood cancer survivors completed measures of quality of life (Minneapolis-Manchester Quality of Life Scale; child and adolescent version), posttraumatic stress (UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DMS-IV) and posttraumatic growth (Benefit Finding Scale for Children). Correlation analyses were carried out separately for the child (up to 13 years, N = 47) and adolescent (more than 13 years, N = 125) groups and each QOL dimension. In the adolescent group, the relationship of PTSS and PTG with QOL was further verified by regression analyses while controlling for age, gender, and time off treatment. In children, negative relationships between PTSS and QOL were found, but the relationships between QOL and PTG were not significant. In adolescents, significant relationships were found for all dimensions of QOL and PTSS and also for several dimensions of QOL and PTG. The relationships between PTSS and QOL dimensions were negative in both groups, and the relationships between PTG and QOL in the adolescent group were weakly positive. In adolescents, regression analyses controlling for age, gender and time off treatment were performed and confirmed a negative relationship of PTSS with all QOL dimensions except for social functioning. For PTG, regression analyses revealed a significant positive relationship with QOL dimensions of social functioning, outlook on life and intimate relations. While the relationship between PTSS and QOL is negative for almost all QOL dimensions in children and adolescents, the nature of the relationship between PTG and QOL appears to be more complex and changing over time. PTG in children may reflect different processes with different outcomes than PTG in adolescents.
Is aripiprazole similar to quetiapine for treatment of bipolar depression? Results from meta-analysis of Chinese data
Authors: Tao Hejian , Wang Jiawei , Shen Dong , Sun Fengli , Jin Weidong
Published: September 2022

Objective

To study the similarities and differences in the clinical efficacy of aripiprazole and quetiapine in Chinese patients with bipolar depression through meta-analysis. Additionally, to provide evidence of aripiprazole in treatment for bipolar depression.

Methods

We searched Chinese literature related to the study of aripiprazole and quetiapine in treatment for bipolar depression, among which results such as comments, letters, reviews, and case reports were excluded. The clinical efficacy between aripiprazole and quetiapine was synthesized and discussed.

Result

A total of 1,546 subjects were included in 17 studies. The random effect model was used to review the data by RevMan 5.2. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the remission rate between patients treated with aripiprazole and quetiapine evidenced by the scale used to evaluate the patients being treated for bipolar depression (221/501 vs. 193/501, Z = 1.12, P = 0.26). But the results also showed that the remission rate of aripiprazole with lithium carbonate was significantly higher than quetiapine with lithium carbonate in the treatment of bipolar depression (111/232 vs. 69/232, Z = 3.92, P < 0.0001). The results showed that the effective rate of aripiprazole was similar to quetiapine (426/572 vs. 386/572, Z = 2.70, P = 0.007). Overall, there was no difference in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) score between patients treated with aripiprazole and quetiapine (Z = 1.68, P = 0.09). The results also show that the drop-out rate of aripiprazole was similar to quetiapine in the treatment of patients with bipolar depression (Z = 1.80, P = 0.07).

Conclusion

As an atypical antipsychotic, aripiprazole may be similar to quetiapine for treating bipolar depression with similar drop-out and higher remission rates when combined with lithium carbonate. However, the results of this study need to be read with caution given the poor quality of collected/analyzed literature.
Identifying Big Five personality traits based on facial behavior analysis
Authors: Cai Lei , Liu Xiaoqian
Published: September 2022

The personality assessment is in high demand in various fields and is becoming increasingly more important in practice. In recent years, with the rapid development of machine learning technology, the integration research of machine learning and psychology has become a new trend. In addition, the technology of automatic personality identification based on facial analysis has become the most advanced research direction in large-scale personality identification technology. This study proposes a method to automatically identify the Big Five personality traits by analyzing the facial movement in ordinary videos. In this study, we collected a total of 82 sample data. First, through the correlation analysis between facial features and personality scores, we found that the points from the right jawline to the chin contour showed a significant negative correlation with agreeableness. Simultaneously, we found that the movements of the left cheek's outer contour points in the high openness group were significantly higher than those in the low openness group. This study used a variety of machine learning algorithms to build the identification model on 70 key points of the face. Among them, the CatBoost regression algorithm has the best performance in the five dimensions, and the correlation coefficients between the model prediction results and the scale evaluation results are about medium correlation (0.37–0.42). Simultaneously, we executed the Split-Half reliability test, and the results showed that the reliability of the experimental method reached a high-reliability standard (0.75–0.96). The experimental results further verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the automatic assessment method of Big Five personality traits based on individual facial video analysis.
Prevalence of overweight/obesity and associated factors among under-five children in Ethiopia: A multilevel analysis of nationally representative sample
Authors: Gebremichael Mathewos Alemu , Mengesha Melkamu Merid , Hailegebreal Samuel , Abdulkadir Hanan , Arja Asrat , Wolde Biruk Bogale
Published: September 2022

Background

Childhood overweight and obesity are emerging public health challenges of the twety-first century. There was a 24% increase in the number of overweight children under the age of 5 years in low-income countries. Despite the significant risk of childhood overweight/obesity for non-communicable diseases, premature death, disability, and reproductive disorders in their adult life, little attention has been given. Therefore, we aimed to assess the prevalence of overweight/obesity and associated factors among under-five children.

Methods

This study was conducted using data from a nationally representative sample of the 2019 Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey (EMDHS). The Mini EDHS was a community-based cross-sectional study that covered all the administrative regions of Ethiopia. The data collection was conducted between March 21, 2019 and June 28, 2019. Both descriptive and analytic findings were produced. The overweight/obesity was measured by the weight-for-height (WFH) index, more than two standard deviations (+2 SD) above the median of the reference population based on the BMI Z-score. To identify significantly asso

Results

A total of 5,164 under-five children were included in this study cited factors of overweight/obesity, a multilevel binary logistic regression model was fitted to account for the hierarchical nature of the data. Adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with a corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was reported to show the strength of association and statistical significance. The overall prevalence of overweight/obesity was 2.14% (95% CI: 1.74–2.53). The odds of overweight/obesity was higher among children aged <6 months (aOR = 5.19; 95% CI: 2.98–9.04), 6–24 months (aOR = 1.97; 95% CI: 1.18–3.29), delivered by cesarean section (aOR = 1.75; 95% CI: 1.84–3.65), living in Addis Ababa city (aOR = 2.16; 95% CI: 1.59–7.81), Oromia region (aOR = 1.93; 95% CI: 1.71–5.24), having mothers with the age 40–49 years (aOR = 3.91; 95% CI: 1.90–16.92), uses traditional contraceptive methods (aOR = 2.63; 95% CI: 1.66–10.47) and households headed by male (aOR = 1.71; 95% CI: 1.84–3.48).

Conclusion

This study showed that the prevalence of overweight/obesity among under-five was low in Ethiopia. There were several factors that affect childhood overweight/obesity including child age, maternal age, mode of delivery, sex of head of household, contraception use, and geography of residence. Therefore, strategies to reduce childhood overweight and obesity should consider an identified multitude of contributing factors.
The impact of comprehensive public hospital reforms on the direct medical cost of inpatients with coronary heart disease
Authors: Liu Liming , Xu Yue , Yu Jingfei , Man Xiaowei , Jiang Yan , Zhao Liying , Cheng Wei
Published: September 2022

Objectives

To curb the unreasonable growth of medical expenses and reduce the burden of medical treatment, Beijing launched two rounds of comprehensive reform of public hospitals. In the two reforms, the addition of drugs and consumables was canceled successively. This study compared the changes in the direct medical cost of inpatients with coronary heart disease (CHD) in the three stages of two comprehensive public hospital reforms in Beijing and provides data support for health reform policies.

Setting

CHD diagnosis and treatment data were extracted from the Hospital Information System (HIS) of 33 public hospitals. The total amount and composition of the direct medical expenses of CHD inpatients in the three stages were calculated. Interrupted time series analysis was used to study the instantaneous changes and trend changes in the three stages.

Participants

The data were obtained from the HIS system of 33 public hospitals above the second level in Beijing. A total of 66,647 medical and diagnosis records and 24,371,139 charge detail records were included.

Results

After the two reforms, the total cost for CHD inpatients with most clinical classifications and treatment methods decreased. The proportion of drug and consumable costs decreased significantly, whereas the proportion of medical consultation service costs increased. Drug-treated patients were mainly affected by the instantaneous reforms, percutaneous coronary intervention-treated patients were simultaneously affected by instantaneous and trending effects, and coronary artery bypass graft-treated patients were mainly affected by the reform trend.

Conclusion

The overall change in the direct medical cost of CHD inpatients was consistent with the goal of the comprehensive medical reform of public hospitals in Beijing, which is “total control and structural adjustment.”
Retinal Vessel Segmentation Based on B-COSFIRE Filters in Fundus Images
Authors: Li Wenjing , Xiao Yalong , Hu Hangyu , Zhu Chengzhang , Wang Han , Liu Zixi , Sangaiah Arun Kumar
Published: September 2022

Retinal vessel extraction plays an important role in the diagnosis of several medical pathologies, such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. In this article, we propose an efficient method based on a B-COSFIRE filter to tackle two challenging problems in fundus vessel segmentation: (i) difficulties in improving segmentation performance and time efficiency together and (ii) difficulties in distinguishing the thin vessel from the vessel-like noise. In the proposed method, first, we used contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) for contrast enhancement, then excerpted region of interest (ROI) by thresholding the luminosity plane of the CIELab version of the original RGB image. We employed a set of B-COSFIRE filters to detect vessels and morphological filters to remove noise. Binary thresholding was used for vessel segmentation. Finally, a post-processing method based on connected domains was used to eliminate unconnected non-vessel pixels and to obtain the final vessel image. Based on the binary vessel map obtained, we attempt to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm on three publicly available databases (DRIVE, STARE, and CHASEDB1) of manually labeled images. The proposed method requires little processing time (around 12 s for each image) and results in the average accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.9604, 0.7339, and 0.9847 for the DRIVE database, and 0.9558, 0.8003, and 0.9705 for the STARE database, respectively. The results demonstrate that the proposed method has potential for use in computer-aided diagnosis.
Healthcare quality and safety assessment based on annual scorekeeping
Authors: Liang Guo-Mo , Xie Wen-Chao , Gan Mei , Gao Jiao-Wei , Liang Qing , Zeng Zhi-Yu
Published: September 2022

Objective

To explore the practice of medical quality and safety evaluation system based on annual score under the background of establishing modern hospital management system and strengthening national public hospital performance evaluation.

Methods

Statistical analysis was used to study the improvement of medical quality and safety in hospitals after the implementation of score evaluation, and the existing problems were analyzed according to the actual situation and related requirements.

Results

The hospital's medical quality and safety evaluation system ran smoothly, the evaluation indexes could be implemented, and the evaluation results were used properly. The improvement of hospital medical quality and operation efficiency has achieved good results.

Conclusion

The evaluation system of medical quality and safety for physicians and medical technicians based on annual score can achieve the whole process, all-round, personalized and information-based evaluation, and promote the high-quality development of hospitals. It is necessary to further improve the range of evaluation and carry out the evaluation of the evaluation system by relevant personnel.
Economic evaluation of margetuximab vs. trastuzumab for pretreated ERBB2-positive advanced breast cancer in the US and China
Authors: Tang Zhiyuan , Xu Xin , Gao Jie , Chen Ling , Zhu Qiuyan , Wang Jinli , Yan Xiaoyu , Chen Bohua , Zhu Yumei
Published: September 2022

Objective

To assess the economic evaluation of margetuximab plus chemotherapy over trastuzumab plus chemotherapy for women with pretreated ERBB2-positive advanced breast cancer in the United States (US) and China.

Methods

Based on the SOPHIA trial, a three-state Markov model was developed to compare the cost and efficacy of margetuximab to trastuzumab for previously treated women with ERBB2-positive advanced breast cancer. The model inputs were derived from existing literature and the US life table. Primary outcomes included lifetime costs in US dollars, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the impact of uncertainty.

Results

The base case analyses demonstrated that margetuximab plus chemotherapy had an increasing cost of $68,132 and $20,540 over trastuzumab plus chemotherapy in the US and China, respectively, with a gain of 0.11 and 0.09 QALYs both favored margetuximab. The ICERs for two treatment strategies were $260,176 in the US and $630,777 in China, resulting in a poor cost-effectiveness at their respective threshold of willingness to play. One-way sensitivity analyses showed that the results to be most sensitive to the price of margetuximab and that of trastuzumab. And an 11 and 82% price reduction of margetuximab would make this regimen cost-effective in the US and China, respectively.

Conclusion

In the US and China, margetuximab plus chemotherapy is not likely to be cost-effective for women with pretreated ERBB2-positive advanced breast cancer, whereas price reduction effectively improves insufficient cost-effectiveness.
Influence of seamless nursing model of humanistic care on nursing quality and blood infection risk of neurosurgical ICU patients and its correlation with APACHE II score
Authors: Liu Fuhua , Wang Xiaoting
Published: September 2022

This research aims to explore the influence of seamless nursing mode of humanistic care on nursing quality and blood infection risk of ICU patients in neurosurgery, and the model of correlation with APACHE II score. 110 ICU patients are grouped into control set and study set, which are, respectively, given the previous routine nursing and the seamless management based on humanistic care to compare the two sets in the following aspects: nursing quality, blood infection rate, anxiety and depression extension before and after nursing, nursing satisfaction and APACHE II score, and to figure out the correlation between patient nursing quality score, and to compare blood infection and APACHE II score. Comparison and statistical analysis are used to disclose the influence and the correlation. The results show that there is not only a large negative correlation between nursing quality scores and APACHE II scores, but also a large negative correlation between the risk of blood infection and APACHE II score.
Development and validation of a novel short-form nutrition literacy measurement tool for Chinese college students
Authors: Mo Guangju , Han Siyue , Gao Tianjing , Sun Qing , Zhang Min , Liu Huaqing
Published: September 2022

Objectives

To develop and validate a short-form nutrition literacy (NL) assessment tool for Chinese college students based on a 43-item NL measurement scale.

Methods

To develop and validate short-form NL scale, 1359 college students were surveyed, the data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, linear regression analysis, Item analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and Pearson correlation.

Results

The 12-item short-form NL scale (NL-SF12) was developed using factor analysis and regression analysis, which accounted for 96.4% of the variance. The correlation coefficient between the NL-SF12 and NL-43 was 0.969, indicating satisfactory criterion-related validity. The NL-SF12 had a Cronbach's α of 0.890, suggesting strong internal consistency reliability, and content validity index was greater than 0.9, indicating that each domain accurately reflects the connotation of nutrition literacy. The model–data fit and convergent validity of the confirmatory factor analysis results were both good.

Conclusion

The NL-SF12 is an effective measurement tool with a good reliability and acceptable validity to assess comprehensively NL for college students, and is applicable to quick, widespread use in population study and practice with low respondent burden.
A geospatial platform to support visualization, analysis, and prediction of tuberculosis notification in space and time
Authors: Dao Thang Phuoc , Hoang Xuyen Hong Thi , Nguyen Doanh Ngoc , Huynh Nghi Quang , Pham Thang Tat , Nguyen Dung Thuy , Nguyen Hoa Binh , Do Nam Hoang , Nguyen Hai Viet , Dao Cu Huy , Nguyen Nhung Viet , Bui Hanh My
Published: September 2022

Background

Tuberculosis has caused significant public health and economic burdens in Vietnam over the years. The Vietnam National Tuberculosis Program is facing considerable challenges in its goal to eliminate tuberculosis by 2030, with the COVID-19 pandemic having negatively impacted routine tuberculosis services at all administrative levels. While the turnaround time of tuberculosis infection may delay disease detection, high transportation frequency could potentially mislead epidemiological studies. This study was conducted to develop an online geospatial platform to support healthcare workers in performing data visualization and promoting the active case surveillance in community as well as predicting the TB incidence in space and time.

Method

This geospatial platform was developed using tuberculosis notification data managed by The Vietnam National Tuberculosis Program. The platform allows case distribution to be visualized by administrative level and time. Users can retrieve epidemiological measurements from the platform, which are calculated and visualized both temporally and spatially. The prediction model was developed to predict the TB incidence in space and time.

Results

An online geospatial platform was developed, which presented the prediction model providing estimates of case detection. There were 400,370 TB cases with bacterial evidence to be included in the study. We estimated that the prevalence of TB in Vietnam was at 414.67 cases per 100.000 population. Ha Noi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City were predicted as three likely epidemiological hotspots in the near future.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that increased efforts should be undertaken to control tuberculosis transmission in these hotspots.
The usefulness of the Spanish version of the STOP-Bang questionnaire for screening for moderate or severe sleep apnea syndrome in primary care
Authors: Muñoz-Gómez Rafaela , Navarrete-Martínez Esther , Serrano-Merino Jesús , Silva-Gil Fátima , Roldán-Villalobos Ana , Martín-Rioboó Enrique , Ruiz-Moruno Javier , Romero-Rodríguez Esperanza , Gonzalez-Lama Jesus , Vaquero-Abellán Manuel , Perula-de-Torres Luis Angel
Published: September 2022

Rationale

Sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSA) is a highly prevalent disease and has been related to cardiovascular diseases and occupational and traffic accidents. Currently, it is estimated that there is a significant underdiagnosis of OSA, mainly due to the difficulty accessing the tests for that purpose.

Objective

To determine the usefulness of the Spanish version of the STOP-Bang questionnaire (SBQ) for screening for moderate or severe OSA in the adult population attending primary care.

Methods

A descriptive observational multicenter study was conducted. Through an opportunistic search, (patients over 18 years old), were recruited in seven primary care centers. The SBQ was applied to them and home respiratory polygraphy (HRP) was subsequently performed to confirm the diagnosis of OSA. The criterion validity of the SBQ was analyzed, comparing the score obtained by the SBQ with the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) obtained by RP, establishing the diagnosis of OSA for an AHI>5. The reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated.

Results

A total of 255 subjects, 54.1% men, with a mean age of 54.76 ± 10 years, were recruited in the study. The results showed that 61.57% (95% Confidence Interval: 55.57–67.57) of the subjects presented OSA, presenting 22.75% (17.57–57.92) a mild OSA (530) (11.54–20.62). The Kuder and Richardson coefficient was 0.623 (0.335–0.788) and Cohen's Kappa coefficient was 0.871 (0.520–1.00; p < 0.001). For moderate/severe OSA screening (AHI>15) the SBQ obtained an ROC curve of 0.769 (0.704–0.833) that with an optimal cutoff of 3, achieved a sensitivity of 84.85% (77.28–92.42) and a specificity of 55.10% (44.74–65.46).

Conclusions

The SBQ is very effective for detecting moderate/severe OSA. Its psychometric properties are similar to those obtained in studies on other populations. Because of its ease of use, the SBQ is a very useful tool for primary health care professionals.
Impact of oral hygiene habits on oral health-related quality of life of in-school adolescents in Ibadan, Nigeria
Authors: Lawal Folake Barakat , Fagbule Omotayo Francis , Akinloye Seyi John , Lawal Taiwo Akeem , Oke Gbemisola Aderemi
Published: September 2022

Background

Recent evidence has shown that the prevalence of periodontal diseases is still high among adolescents and, thus, there is an impetus to promote good oral hygiene habits among them through schools. There is a need to provide baseline data on the oral hygiene habits of adolescents and how it impacts their oral health-related quality of life for appropriate intervention to be instituted. Moreover, oral health-related quality of life describes how oral health affects the daily activities of individuals; thus, it provides a holistic means of involving individuals in making decisions about their oral health including uptake of oral hygiene habits.

Aim

To assess the impact of oral hygiene habits on adolescents' oral health-related quality of life.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,800 adolescents aged 14–18 years attending 36 Senior Secondary Schools in the metropolis of Ibadan, Nigeria. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, which assessed students' sociodemographic characteristics, oral hygiene habits, and oral health-related quality of life with COHIP-SF19. Data obtained was analyzed with SPSS version 25 and the p-value was set at <5%.

Results

The mean age of the adolescents was 15.16 (±1.16) years. Many 1,094 (60.3%) cleaned their teeth twice or more often daily with 126 (7.0%) cleaning after meals and 1,519 (84.4%) changing their tooth cleaning agent at three months intervals or less. About 1,215 (67.5%) spent three minutes or longer in cleaning their teeth. Only a few 238 (13.2%) cleaned interdentally and 137 (7.6%) used dental floss. The OHRQoL scores of the adolescents ranged from 9–76. A total of 1,612 (93.5%) had at least an impact on their OHRQoL. Those who cleaned their teeth more frequently (twice or more) were more likely to have better OHRQoL (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1–2.4, p = 0.025) and those who did not clean interdentally were more likely to have better OHRQoL (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.2–6.5, p = 0.014) than others.

Conclusion

The oral hygiene habits of the adolescents were suboptimal and those who cleaned their teeth twice or more often each day had fewer impacts on their OHRQoL, whereas those who engaged in interdental cleaning had higher impacts on their OHRQoL than others.
Motivation to train during a pandemic: The role of fitness resources, mental health, and motivational profiles among student-athletes in team sports
Authors: Purc-Stephenson Rebecca J. , Zimmerman Thomas M. J. , Edwards Rachel
Published: September 2022

The sporting season across post-secondary institutions was canceled in March 2020 due to COVID-19, and student-athletes had to maintain their training at home. It is unclear what personal and contextual factors facilitated student-athletes' ability to maintain their training routines at home when social distancing and lockdown (SD/L) policies were put in place. Our cross-sectional study of 433 student-athletes examined (a) how athletes adapted their training, (b) what training barriers they experienced, (c) whether motivational profiles were associated with differences in training behaviors and mental health, and (d) what variables predicted athletes' motivation to train during this prolonged offseason. Student-athletes across Canada were recruited to complete an online survey between August and September 2020. Results showed that athletes significantly reduced their training load and intensity, with approximately 25% exercising two or fewer days a week. Barriers to training included limited access to fitness resources and equipment, having inconsistent training schedules, and experiencing emotional distractions, with some of these barriers more common among female athletes than male athletes. For motivation profiles, athletes with higher levels of intrinsic motivation tended to maintain the intensity of their workouts and experienced lower mood disturbance. A hierarchical multiple regression revealed that being male, being younger, having higher levels of intrinsic and introjected motivation, having access to fitness resources, maintaining a steady training schedule, having fewer emotional distractions, and lower mood disturbance were significant predictors to being motivated to train during the pandemic. We discuss strategies coaches and trainers can implement to best support their student-athletes.
Safety of wide-awake local anesthesia with no tourniquet (WALANT) in for lower limb surgery: A potential alternative in times of emergency
Authors: Bajuri Mohd Yazid , Saidfudin Nur Sai’dah , Mazli Norliyana , Azriq Nik Alif , Azemi Aina Fatini
Published: September 2022

Lower limb surgery is usually performed under general or regional anaesthesia in normal operating room setting. However, when the surgery need to be performed in situations where there are limited resources and equipment, especially during a pandemic outbreak, in battlefields or area of disaster occurrence, the wide-awake local anaesthesia no tourniquet (WALANT) surgery can be utilised. This study aims to assess the efficacy of performing lower limb surgery using WALANT technique. A randomised cross-sectional study was designed to assess the effectiveness of WALANT in lower limb surgery, particularly in terms of duration of anaesthesia, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), pain visual analogue scale (VAS), duration of surgery, amount of estimated blood loss (EBL) and total length of stay (LOS). A total of 91 patients requiring lower limb surgery were recruited, with only 83 patients completed the VAS pain assessment for all time points of the study. Mean age of patients was 52.1 ± 14.9 years. Mean VAS score were 1.19 ± 1.53 and 1.46 ± 1.86, preoperatively and intraoperatively. Mean VAS score were 0.55 ± 1.52, 0.60 ± 1.41, and 1.06 ± 1.69 at 2, 4, and 6 h post-surgery, respectively. Majority (79; 86.8%) of patient has preoperative anxiety score that was <17. Mean surgery duration was 65.28 ± 39.02 min, mean EBL was 91.34 ± 78.94 cc, whereas mean LOS was 3.35 ± 1.16 days. EBL was a weak predictor of postoperative pain. In conclusion, WALANT technique for lower limb surgery is effective and safe.
Case report: An adult intussusception caused by ascending colon cancer
Authors: Zhao Guowei , Meng Wenjun , Bai Lian , Li Qigang
Published: September 2022

Adults with bowel intussusception caused by malignant tumors are fairly uncommon. We presented a case of a 64-year-old woman whose intussusception was secondary to ascending colon cancer. A color Doppler ultrasonography of the abdomen revealed a low echo mass in the right middle abdomen. Physical examination and digital rectal examination were both unremarkable. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a concentric circle change in the colon, as well as the mesenterium and arteries. Electronic colonoscopy discovered the colonic giant proliferative lesions and stenosis. Adenocarcinoma with moderate differentiation was discovered after a biopsy. Then laparotomy showed intussusception and the tumor was located in the ascending colon. The postoperative pathological test revealed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma in the right colon invaded the whole layer. After hospitalization, the patient was discharged without any complications. This case highlights that rational use of CT, endoscopy, and timely surgery combines an effective strategy for the treatment of adult intussusception.
Establishment of rat allogenic vein replacement model and pathological characteristics of the replaced vessels
Authors: Ren Zhangyong , Cui Songping , Lyu Shaocheng , Wang Jing , Zhou Lin , Jia Yanan , He Qiang , Lang Ren
Published: September 2022

Background

With the advancement of vascular anastomosis techniques in recent years, radical surgery for tumors combined with venous vascular resection and reconstruction has been widely used. This study intends to establish two different rat vein replacement models, and further analyze the pathological changes of blood vessels after replacement.

Methods

Brown-Norway (BN) rats were selected as donors and recipients, randomly divided into control group, cuff group (1-week group, 2-week group, and 4-week group), and suture group (1-week group, 2-week group, and 4-week group), with 6 rats in each group. The perioperative conditions, inner diameter, flow velocity and histopathological changes of the replaced vessels at different time points were analyzed.

Results

Both cuff group and suture group can safely establish the rat vein replacement model. From the surgical operation, the operation time and venous cross-clamp time in the cuff group were shorter than those in the suture group (P < 0.05). At 2 and 4 weeks after operation, the diameter of suture group was wider than that of cuff group, and the flow rate was faster (P < 0.05). With prolonged postoperative survival, the wall of the replaced vessels underwent infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes and high TGF-β1 gene expression. This leads to the proliferation of blood vessels and intimal layer. The results of vascular pathological staining showed that the infiltration degree of CD4+ lymphocytes at 2 weeks after operation and CD8+ lymphocytes at 4 weeks after operation in the suture group was lighter than that in the cuff group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, TGF-β1 gene content at 4 weeks after operation in suture group was significantly lower than that in cuff group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Compared with cuff method, suture method is more suitable for the study of long-term pathological changes after vein replacement in rats. The main pathological changes in the long term after venous replacement in syngeneic background may be vascular fibrosis caused by inflammatory cell infiltration.
Prognostic role of the prognostic nutritional index in patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent curative resection without preoperative neoadjuvant treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhao Pengcheng , Wu Zuowei , Wang Zihe , Wu Chao , Huang Xing , Tian Bole
Published: September 2022

Background

The prognostic nutrition index (PNI), which has been evaluated in various kinds of cancers, offered a simple yet effective approach to predict the prognosis. The aim of this meta-analysis is to reveal the correlation between preoperative PNI and the prognosis of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) who underwent curative resection.

Methods

We searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases, and extracted the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidential interval (CI) from eligible studies. The pooled HR with 95% CI was applied to evaluate the association between PNI and overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS).

Results

A total of fourteen studies with 3,385 patients were included for meta-analysis. The results (the pooled HR: 1.664, 95% CI: 1.424–1.994, I² = 42.6%, p value = 0.046) indicated that low preoperative PNI was closely related to poor OS. In addition, the results suggested that PNI was negatively correlated with RFS (the pooled HR: 1.369, 95%CI: 1.080–1.734). The robustness of these pooled results was verified by our subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis. Moreover, different cutoff values among studies are responsible for the heterogeneity of pooled HR of OS through meta-regression analysis (p value = 0.042). Funnel plots, Begg's test (p value = 0.228) and Egger’s test (p value = 0.702) indicated no significant publication bias in OS.

Conclusion

Preoperative PNI might be a promising marker to predict the prognosis of PDAC patients who underwent curative resection.
Characterization of gut microbiota dysbiosis of diarrheic adult yaks through 16S rRNA gene sequences
Authors: Wu Zhou-Lin , Wei Ranlei , Tan Xueqin , Yang Danjiao , Liu Dayu , Zhang Jiamin , Wang Wei
Published: September 2022

The ruminant gut microbial community has a strong impact on host health and can be altered during diarrhea disease. As an indigenous breed of the Tibetan Plateau, domestic yak displays a high diarrhea rate, but little research has been done to characterize the bacterial microbial structure in diarrheic yaks. In the present study, a total of 30 adult yaks, assigned to diarrhea (case, N = 15) and healthy (control, N = 15) groups, were subjected to gut microbiota profiling using the V3–V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. The results showed that the gut microbiome of the case group had a significant decrease in alpha diversity. Additionally, differences in beta diversity were consistently observed for the case and control groups, indicating that the microbial community structure was changed due to diarrhea. Bacterial taxonomic analysis indicated that the Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria were the three most dominant phyla in both groups but different in relative abundance. Especially, the proportion of Proteobacteria in the case group was increased as compared with the control group, whereas Spirochaetota and Firmicutes were significantly decreased. At the genus level, the relative abundance of Escherichia-Shigella and Prevotellaceae_UCG-003 were dramatically increased, whereas that of Treponema, p-2534-18B5_gut_group, and Prevotellaceae_UCG-001 were observably decreased with the effect of diarrhea. Furthermore, based on our linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) results, Alistipes, Solibacillus, Bacteroides, Prevotellaceae_UCG_003, and Bacillus were significantly enriched in the case group, while the other five genera, such as Alloprevotella, RF39, Muribaculaceae, Treponema, and Enterococcus, were the most preponderant in the control group. In conclusion, alterations in gut microbiota community composition were associated with yak diarrhea, differentially represented bacterial species enriched in case animals providing a theoretical basis for establishing a prevention and treatment system for yak diarrhea.
Emergence of a novel PRRSV-1 strain in mainland China: A recombinant strain derived from the two commercial modified live viruses Amervac and DV
Authors: Sun Qi , Xu Hu , Li Chao , Gong Bangjun , Li Zhen , Tian Zhi-Jun , Zhang Hongliang
Published: September 2022

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus 1 (PRRSV-1) is one of the main pathogens causing porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). In recent years, the rate of PRRSV-1 detection in China has gradually increased, and the PRRSV-1 strains reported in China belong to subtype I (Global; Clade A-L). In the present study, a novel PRRSV-1 strain, TZJ2134, was found during epidemiological surveillance of PRRSV-1 in Shandong Province in China. We obtained two fragments of the TZJ2134 genome: TZJ2134-L12 (located at nt 1672-nt 2112 in the partial Nsp2 gene) and TZJ2134-(A+B) (located at nt 7463-nt 11272 in the partial Nsp9, complete Nsp10 and partial Nsp11 genes). Phylogenetic and recombination analyses based on the two sequences showed that TZJ2134 is a recombinant strain derived from two commercial PRRSV-1 modified live vaccine (MLV) strains (the Amervac vaccine and DV vaccine strains) that formed a new recombinant subgroup of DV+Amervac-like isolates with other strains. However, PRRSV-1 MLV is not currently allowed for use in China. This study is the first to detected recombinant PRRSV-1 MLV strain in China and provides new data for the epidemiological study of PRRSV-1 in China. The existence of the TZJ2134 strain is a reminder that the swine surveillance at the Chinese customs should be strengthened.
In Vivo Ultrasound Prediction of the Fillet Volume in Senegalese Sole (Solea senegalensis)
Authors: Afonso João , Guedes Cristina , Teixeira Alfredo , Rema Paulo , Silva Severiano
Published: September 2022

Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) has been considered a promising new flatfish species for Mediterranean marine fish farming. Accurate prediction of fillet traits in live animals may allow for more efficient control of muscle deposition in fish. In this sense, this study was undertaken to develop a non-invasive method to predict in vivo fish fillet volume and yield using real-time ultrasonography (RTU). The trial was conducted with 44 market weight Senegalese sole (298.54 ± 87.30 g). Fish were scanned with an Aloka SSD 500V with a 7.5 MHz probe. Ten RTU cross-sectional images were taken from the operculum to the caudal fin at regular intervals. These images were analyzed using Fiji software. These data were then used to estimate the partial volumes of the fillet. Actual fillet volume was determined using Archimedes’ principle. Simple and stepwise multiple regression analyses were then used to develop prediction models of fillet volume and yield. The most cranial RTU sections of the fish fillet were the best single predictors of both fillet volume and fillet yield and were the ones included in the best stepwise models. The best RTU slice area explained 82% of the variation observed in fillet volume, but the other RTU slice areas used as predictors of fillet volume showed poor to moderate accuracy (0.035 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.615). Single RTU partial volumes showed poor to very high accuracy (0.395 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.970) as predictors of fillet volume. The best stepwise model based on the RTU slice areas included three independent variables and explained 88.3% of the observed variation. The best stepwise models based on RTU partial volumes (single volumes and/or combinations of single volumes) explained about 97% of the variation observed in fillet volume. Two RTU volume traits, V1–5 + V6–9, and V1+()+9, showed to be practically direct predictors of the actual fillet volume, explaining, respectively, 97% and 96% of the variation observed in the actual fillet volume. The fillet yields show lower correlations with slice areas (r between 0.044 and 0.601) than with volumes (r between 0.288 and 0.637). While further studies are clearly necessary to better understand the potential of RTU for the estimation of fillet yield in fish in general and Senegalese sole in particular, the present results showed that RTU traits can be very good predictors of Senegalese sole’s fillet volume, either used in regression models or as direct predictors.
Rhodiola rosea Reduces Intercellular Signaling in Campylobacter jejuni
Authors: Kunčič Ajda , Bucar Franz , Smole Možina Sonja
Published: September 2022

Campylobacter jejuni is a major foodborne pathogen and the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis, i.e., campylobacteriosis. Besides searching for novel antimicrobials, identification of new targets for their action is becoming increasingly important. Rhodiola rosea has long been used in traditional medicine. Ethanolic extracts from the roots and rhizomes of the plant contain a wide range of bioactive compounds with various pharmacological activities. In this study, cultivated plant materials have been used, i.e., “Mattmark” and “Rosavine”. Through optimized protocols, we obtained fractions of the initial ethanolic extracts rich in most important bioactive compounds from R. rosea, including salidroside, rosavins, proanthocyanidins (PACs), and flavonoids. The antimicrobial activity in relation to the chemical composition of the extracts and their fractions was studied with an emphasis on C. jejuni AI-2-mediated intercellular signaling. At concentration 15.625 mg/L, bioluminescence reduction rates varied from 27% to 72%, and the membrane remained intact. Fractions rich in PACs had the strongest antimicrobial effect against C. jejuni, with the lowest minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) (M F3 40%: 62.5 mg/L; R F3 40%: 250 mg/L) and the highest intercellular signaling reduction rates (M F3 40%: 72%; R F3 40%: 65%). On the other hand, fractions without PACs were less effective (MICs: M F5 PVP: 250 mg/L; R F5 PVP: 1000 mg/L and bioluminescence reduction rates: M F5 PVP: 27%; R F5 PVP: 43%). Additionally, fractions rich in flavonoids had strong antimicrobial activity (MICs: M F4 70%: 125 mg/L; R F4 70%: 250 mg/L and bioluminescence reduction rates: M F4 70%: 68%; R F4 70%: 50%). We conclude that PACs and flavonoids are crucial compound groups responsible for the antimicrobial activity of R. rosea roots and rhizomes in C. jejuni.
Influence of Simulated In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion on the Phenolic Profile, Antioxidant, and Biological Activity of Thymbra spicata L. Extracts
Authors: Diab Farah , Khalil Mohamad , Lupidi Giulio , Zbeeb Hawraa , Salis Annalisa , Damonte Gianluca , Bramucci Massimo , Portincasa Piero , Vergani Laura
Published: September 2022

Plants or plant extracts are widely investigated for preventing/counteracting several chronic disorders. The oral route is the most common route for nutraceutical and drug administration. Currently, it is still unclear as to whether and how the pattern of phenolic compounds (PCs) found in the plants as well as their bioactivity could be modified during the gastrointestinal transit. Recent studies have revealed antioxidant and anti-steatotic properties of Thymbra spicata. Here, we investigated the possible loss of phytochemicals that occurs throughout the sequential steps of a simulated in vitro gastrointestinal (GI) digestion of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of aerial parts of T. spicata. Crude, digested, and dialyzed extracts were characterized in terms of their phenolic profile and biological activities. Total contents of carbohydrates, proteins, PCs, flavonoids, and hydroxycinnamic acids were quantified. The changes in the PC profile and in bioactive compounds upon the simulated GI digestion were monitored by HPLC–MS/MS analysis. The antioxidant activity was measured by different spectrophotometric assays, and the antiproliferative potential was assessed by using three representative human cancer cell lines. We observed that the simulated GI digestion reduced the phytochemical contents in both aqueous and ethanolic T. spicata extracts and modified the PC profile. However, T. spicata extracts improved their antioxidant potential after digestion, while a partial reduction in the antiproliferative activity was observed for the ethanolic extract. Therefore, our results could provide a scientific basis for the employment of T. spicata extract as valuable nutraceutical.
A Direction-Sensitive Microwave Sensor for Metal Crack Detection
Authors: Qian Boyang , Mou Liang , Wu Li , Xiao Zelong , Hu Taiyang , Jiang Jinwei
Published: September 2022

For metal crack nondestructive detection, most conventional crack sensors are unable to realize the crack direction detection. In this work, a direction-sensitive microwave sensor is proposed for metal crack detection. The proposed sensor consists of a rectangular patch resonator and two perpendicular coupled feeding ports, which improves the current distribution on patch surface and the sensitivity for crack direction detection. The performances of the proposed sensor are verified by simulation and measurement experiments. The results show that the width sensitivities of two feeding ports are 100 MHz/mm and 63.3 MHz/mm, respectively, and the sensitivity of the sensor for crack direction detection are 6.10 MHz/5 degrees and 1.93 MHz/5 degrees, respectively. Due to the advantages of a simple structure, low profile, large coverage area and high sensitivity, the proposed sensor has a great application potential in nondestructive detection fields.