bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
International recommendations on epinephrine auto-injector doses often differ from standard weight-based guidance: a review and clinical proposals
Authors: Dreborg Sten , Walter Graham , Kim Harold
Published: December 2022

Background

In anaphylaxis, the dosing of injectable epinephrine in medical settings has been arbitrarily recommended to be 0.01 mg/kg of body weight. For ethical reasons, there have been no dose–response studies or double-blind studies performed on patients with active anaphylaxis. Intramuscular delivery of epinephrine has been the standard. Auto-injectors for use in the treatment of anaphylaxis are available in four strengths (0.1, 0.15, 0.3, and 0.5 mg). However, in many countries, only the 0.15 and 0.3 mg strengths are available. Consequently, many adult, heavy patients are prescribed the 0.3 mg dose, which may result in only one-fifth to one-third of the recommended weight-based dose being administered in heavy patients experiencing anaphylaxis. Underdosing may have therefore contributed to mortality in anaphylaxis.

Objective

To review the doses of epinephrine recommended for the treatment of anaphylaxis in the community, and assess whether recommendations should be made to increase dosing for heavy adult patients in hopes of avoiding future deaths from anaphylaxis.

Methods

We reviewed multiple national and international recommendations for the dosing of epinephrine. We also reviewed the literature on adverse drug reactions from epinephrine, lethal doses of epinephrine, and epinephrine dose-finding studies.

Results

The majority of national and regional professional societies and authorities recommend epinephrine delivered by auto-injectors at doses far lower than the generally accepted therapeutic dose of 0.01 mg/kg body weight. Furthermore, we found that the recommendations vary even within regions themselves.

Conclusions

We suggest prescribing more appropriate doses of epinephrine auto-injectors based on weight-based recommendations. There may be some exceptions, such as for patients with heart disease. We hypothesize that these recommendations will lead to improved outcomes of anaphylaxis.
Activation of Piezo1 downregulates renin in juxtaglomerular cells and contributes to blood pressure homeostasis
Authors: Yang Xiaoqiang , Zeng Honghui , Wang Le , Luo Siweier , Zhou Yiming
Published: December 2022

Background

The synthesis and secretion of renin in juxtaglomerular (JG) cells are closely regulated by the blood pressure. To date, however, the molecular identity through which JG cells respond to the blood pressure remains unclear.

Results

Here we discovered that Piezo1, a mechanosensitive ion channel, was colocalized with renin in mouse kidney as well as As4.1 cells, a commonly used JG cell line. Activation of Piezo1 by its agonist Yoda1 induced an intracellular calcium increase and downregulated the expression of renin in these cells, while knockout of Piezo1 in JG cells abolished the effect of Yoda1. Meanwhile, mechanical stress using microfluidics also induced an intracellular calcium increase in wildtype but not Piezo1 knockout JG cells. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that activation of Piezo1 upregulated the Ptgs2 expression via the calcineurin-NFAT pathway and increased the production of Ptgs2 downstream molecule PGE2 in JG cells. Surprisingly, we discovered that increased PGE2 could decreased the renin expression through the PGE2 receptor EP1 and EP3, which inhibited the cAMP production in JG cells. In mice, we found that activation of Piezo1 significantly downregulated the renin expression and blood pressure in wildtype but not adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated kidney specific Piezo1 knockdown mice.

Conclusions

In summary, these results revealed that activation of Piezo1 could downregulate the renin expression in JG cells and mice, subsequently a reduction of blood pressure, highlighting its therapeutic potential as a drug target of the renin-angiotensin system.
Prediction of noninvasive ventilation failure using the ROX index in patients with de novo acute respiratory failure
Authors: Duan Jun , Yang Juhua , Jiang Lei , Bai Linfu , Hu Wenhui , Shu Weiwei , Wang Ke , Yang Fuxun
Published: December 2022

Background

The ratio of SpO2/FiO2 to respiratory rate (ROX) index is commonly used to predict the failure of high-flow nasal cannula. However, its predictive power for noninvasive ventilation (NIV) failure is unclear.

Methods

This was a secondary analysis of a multicenter prospective observational study, intended to update risk scoring. Patients with de novo acute respiratory failure were enrolled, but hypercapnic patients were excluded. The ROX index was calculated before treatment and after 1–2, 12, and 24 h NIV. Differences in predictive power for NIV failure using the ROX index, PaO2/FiO2, and PaO2/FiO2/respiratory rate were tested.

Results

A total of 1286 patients with de novo acute respiratory failure were enrolled. Of these, 568 (44%) experienced NIV failure. Patients with NIV failure had a lower ROX index than those with NIV success. The rates of NIV failure were 92.3%, 70.5%, 55.3%, 41.1%, 35.1%, and 29.5% in patients with ROX index values calculated before NIV of ≤ 2, 2–4, 4–6, 6–8, 8–10, and > 10, respectively. Similar results were found when the ROX index was assessed after 1–2, 12, and 24 h NIV. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.64 (95% CI 0.61–0.67) when the ROX index was used to predict NIV failure before NIV. It increased to 0.71 (95% CI 0.68–0.74), 0.74 (0.71–0.77), and 0.77 (0.74–0.80) after 1–2, 12, and 24 h NIV, respectively. The predictive power for NIV failure was similar for the ROX index and for the PaO2/FiO2. Likewise, no difference was found between the ROX index and the PaO2/FiO2/respiratory rate, except at the time point of 1–2 h NIV.

Conclusions

The ROX index has moderate predictive power for NIV failure in patients with de novo acute respiratory failure.
On secrecy performance analysis of multi-antenna STAR-RIS-assisted downlink NOMA systems
Authors: Xu Shu , Liu Chen , Wang Hong , Qian Mujun , Li Jin
Published: December 2022

To accommodate the stringent requirements of enhanced coverage quality and improved spectral efficiency, simultaneous transmitting and reflecting reconfigurable intelligent surface (STAR-RIS)-aided communication has been perceived as an interesting research topic. This paper investigates a downlink STAR-RIS-aided non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) system, where a STAR-RIS is deployed to enhance the transmission qualities between users and a multiple-antenna base station (BS). The considered STAR-RIS utilizes the energy splitting (ES) protocol to serve a pair of NOMA users located at both sides of STAR-RIS. Based on the ES protocol, each reconfigurable element can operate in the modes of transmission and reflection simultaneously. In an effort to characterize the secrecy performance, we first derive the closed-form expressions of secrecy outage probability (SOP) for STAR-RIS-aided NOMA system. Then, the asymptotic performance of the derived SOP is analyzed. For gleaning further insights, secrecy diversity order (SDO) is derived according to the asymptotic approximation in the high signal-to-noise ratio and main-to-eavesdropper ratio regimes. As a further advance, the system parameters are optimized to minimize the SOP of the system. Our analytical results demonstrate that the multiple-antenna BS has almost no impact on SDO for STAR-RIS-aided NOMA system. In simulations, it is demonstrated that the theoretical results match with the simulation results very well and the SOP of STAR-RIS-aided NOMA is less than that of conventional orthogonal multiple access (OMA) system obviously.
Nonlinear operators between neutrosophic normed spaces and Fréchet differentiation
Authors: Khan Vakeel A. , Khan Mohammad Daud
Published: December 2022

The article focuses on the introduction of neutrosophic continuity and neutrosophic boundedness, which is a fair extension of intuitionistic fuzzy continuity and intuitionistic fuzzy boundedness, respectively. The article further advances to illustrate the Fréchet derivative of nonlinear operators between neutrosophic normed spaces (NNS). Examples have been provided in compliance with the theory with the aid of some standard sequence spaces.
Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus basalis of Meynert modulates hippocampal–frontoparietal networks in patients with advanced Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Jiang Yin , Yuan Tian-Shuo , Chen Ying-Chuan , Guo Peng , Lian Teng-Hong , Liu Yu-Ye , Liu Wei , Bai Yu-Tong , Zhang Quan , Zhang Wei , Zhang Jian-Guo
Published: December 2022

Background

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) has shown potential for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, there is little evidence of whether NBM-DBS can improve cognitive functioning in patients with advanced AD. In addition, the mechanisms underlying the modulation of brain networks remain unclear. This study was aimed to assess the cognitive function and the resting-state connectivity following NBM-DBS in patients with advanced AD.

Methods

Eight patients with advanced AD underwent bilateral NBM-DBS and were followed up for 12 months. Clinical outcomes were assessed by neuropsychological examinations using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography data were also collected.

Results

The cognitive functioning of AD patients did not change from baseline to the 12-month follow-up. Interestingly, the MMSE score indicated clinical efficacy at 1 month of follow-up. At this time point, the connectivity between the hippocampal network and frontoparietal network tended to increase in the DBS-on state compared to the DBS-off state. Additionally, the increased functional connectivity between the parahippocampal gyrus (PHG) and the parietal cortex was associated with cognitive improvement. Further dynamic functional network analysis showed that NBM-DBS increased the proportion of the PHG-related connections, which was related to improved cognitive performance.

Conclusion

The results indicated that NBM-DBS improves short-term cognitive performance in patients with advanced AD, which may be related to the modulation of multi-network connectivity patterns, and the hippocampus plays an important role within these networks.

Trial registration

ChiCTR, ChiCTR1900022324. Registered 5 April 2019—Prospective registration. https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=37712
Does online food shopping boost dietary diversity? Application of an endogenous switching model with a count outcome variable
Authors: Ma Wanglin , Vatsa Puneet , Zheng Hongyun , Guo Yanzhi
Published: December 2022

Increasingly, rural households in developing countries are shopping for food online, and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this trend. In parallel, dietary guidelines worldwide recommend eating a balanced and healthy diet. With this in mind, this study explores whether online food shopping boosts dietary diversity—defined as the number of distinct food groups consumed—among rural households in China. Because people choose to shop for food online, it is important to account for the self-selection bias inherent in online food shopping. Accordingly, we estimate the treatment effects of online food shopping on dietary diversity using the endogenous switching model with a count outcome variable. The results indicate that online food shopping increases dietary diversity by 7.34%. We also find that education, asset ownership, and knowing the government’s dietary guidelines are the main factors driving rural households’ decisions to shop for food online.
Identifying resilience promoting factors in vocational education and training: a longitudinal qualitative study in Norway
Authors: Schmid Evi , Haukedal Christiane Lingås
Published: December 2022

Drawing on the literature on resilience in education, this article explores personal characteristics, abilities and behaviours that enable vulnerable students and apprentices to succeed in education and training. Despite high dropout rates in vocational education and training (VET) in most countries, little research on resilience in vocational contexts exists, and there is no general understanding or conceptualisation of resilience in VET. The study is based on qualitative interviews with eight adolescents from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who were identified as being at risk of not completing upper secondary education. The adolescents were interviewed the first time during the school-based part of their education (year 2) and the second time during apprenticeship training (year 4). Our findings show that commitment to learning and perseverance, self-regulated learning, goal orientation, self-efficacy and help-seeking are important resilience promoting factors in a vocational context that may serve to enhance resilience among students and apprentices in VET. The study discusses the role of learning environments in school and in the workplace in resilience in VET.
Synthetic biology promotes the capture of CO2 to produce fatty acid derivatives in microbial cell factories
Authors: Liu Xiaofang , Luo Hangyu , Yu Dayong , Tan Jinyu , Yuan Junfa , Li Hu
Published: December 2022

Environmental problems such as greenhouse effect, the consumption of fossil energy, and the increase of human demand for energy are becoming more and more serious, which force researcher to turn their attention to the reduction of CO2 and the development of renewable energy. Unsafety, easy to lead to secondary environmental pollution, cost inefficiency, and other problems limit the development of conventional CO2 capture technology. In recent years, many microorganisms have attracted much attention to capture CO2 and synthesize valuable products directly. Fatty acid derivatives (e.g., fatty acid esters, fatty alcohols, and aliphatic hydrocarbons), which can be used as a kind of environmentally friendly and renewable biofuels, are sustainable substitutes for fossil energy. In this review, conventional CO2 capture techniques pathways, microbial CO2 concentration mechanisms and fixation pathways were introduced. Then, the metabolic pathway and progress of direct production of fatty acid derivatives from CO2 in microbial cell factories were discussed. The synthetic biology means used to design engineering microorganisms and optimize their metabolic pathways were depicted, with final discussion on the potential of optoelectronic–microbial integrated capture and production systems.
To what extent tsunami source information can be extracted from tsunami deposits? Implications from the 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami deposits and sediment transport simulations
Authors: Masuda Hidetoshi , Sugawara Daisuke , Abe Tomoya , Goto Kazuhisa
Published: December 2022

A quantitative understanding of paleotsunamis is a significant issue in tsunami sedimentology. Onshore tsunami deposits, which are geological records of tsunami inundation, are used to reconstruct paleotsunami events. Numerical models of tsunami hydrodynamics and tsunami-induced sediment transport are utilized in such reconstructions to connect tsunami deposit characteristics, flow conditions, and (paleo-) tsunami sources. Recent progress in tsunami numerical modeling has increased the possibility of developing a methodology to estimate paleotsunami sources from tsunami deposits. Several previous studies have estimated paleotsunami sources using tsunami sediment transport simulations. However, the accuracy of paleotsunami source estimation has not yet been explored. Thus, to bridge this research gap, in this study, we showed the potential and limitations of deposit-based tsunami source estimation based on the 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami deposit data on the southernmost part of the Sendai Plain, northeastern Japan. The tsunamigenic megathrust along the Japan Trench was divided into ten subfaults having similar lengths and widths. The hypothetical source models with varying slips on each subfault were examined by comparing the depositional volume and sediment source of onshore tsunami deposits. Due to limited information on the depositional area of the tsunami deposits used in the modeling, slips only in some parts of the entire tsunami source region could be estimated. The fault slip was slightly overestimated but could be compared with previous well-constrained source models. Thus, these results indicated that vast high-quality datasets of tsunami deposits can improve the accuracy of paleotsunami source estimation. It is also suggested that the amplitude of the receding wave affects the erosion pattern from the shoreface to the nearshore area. Although sufficient data for paleotsunami source estimation are lacking, an effective combination of tsunami deposit data and sediment transport simulations potentially improves the accuracy of the source estimation. The results will contribute to developing a framework of deposit-based paleotsunami source modeling and assessing its accuracy.
Quantitative [99mTc]Tc-MDP SPECT/CT correlated with [18F]NaF PET/CT for bone metastases in patients with prostate cancer
Authors: Tanaka Kenichi , Norikane Takashi , Mitamura Katsuya , Yamamoto Yuka , Maeda Yukito , Fujimoto Kengo , Takami Yasukage , Ishimura Mariko , Arai-Okuda Hanae , Tohi Yoichiro , Kudomi Nobuyuki , Sugimoto Mikio , Nishiyama Yoshihiro
Published: December 2022

Background

The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the correlation between standardized uptake value (SUV) and volume-based parameters measured by quantitative [99mTc]Tc-methylene diphosphonate (MDP) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT and [18F]-sodium fluoride ([18F]NaF) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT in the assessment of bone metastases in patients with prostate cancer.

Methods

The study included 26 male prostate cancer patients with confirmed or suspected bone metastases who underwent both [99mTc]Tc-MDP SPECT/CT and [18F]NaF PET/CT studies. Skeletal lesions visible on both SPECT/CT and PET/CT were classified as benign or metastases. The maximum SUV (SUVmax), peak SUV (SUVpeak), mean SUV (SUVmean), metabolic bone volume (MBV), and total bone uptake (TBU) were calculated for every lesion showing abnormal uptake.

Results

A total of 202 skeletal lesions (147 benign and 55 metastases) were detected in the 26 patients. Strong significant correlations were noted between SPECT/CT and PET/CT for the SUV- and volume-based parameters (all P < 0.001). The SUVmax, SUVpeak, SUVmean, and TBU values obtained with SPECT/CT were significantly lower than the corresponding values obtained with PET/CT (all P < 0.001). The MBV in SPECT/CT was significantly higher than that in PET/CT (P < 0.001). All SUV- and volume-based parameters obtained with both SPECT/CT and PET/CT for metastatic lesions were significantly higher than the corresponding parameters for benign lesions (P values from 0.036 to < 0.001).

Conclusions

These preliminary results demonstrate that the SUV- and volume-based parameters for bone uptake obtained with quantitative SPECT/CT and PET/CT are strongly correlated in patients with prostate cancer. The SUV parameters obtained with SPECT/CT were significantly lower than those obtained with PET/CT, whereas the uptake volume obtained with SPECT/CT was significantly higher than that obtained with PET/CT.
A case report involving suppressed nuclear receptor transcription factors 4a1 and Stevens-Johnson syndrome induced by a single dose of pembrolizumab and successfully treated with early steroid administration, resulting in complete remission of stage III lung cancer
Authors: Machida Maiko , Yamazaki Chika , Kouda Nao , Hanai Yousei , Sato Hideki , Konda Ainari , Yamagata Yuka , Itho Tatsuya , Aisaka Haruhiko
Published: December 2022

Background

Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors is associated with immune-related adverse events (irAEs). A positive correlation between treatment efficacy and irAEs has been reported. Clinical indicators are required for appropriate interventions, such as steroid administration, to prevent fatal outcomes. Nuclear receptor transcription factor 4a (Nr4a), which is involved in T-cell anergy, exhaustion, and regulatory T cells, were observed not only in thymocytes but in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We describe a case of Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) that was induced by a single dose of pembrolizumab and successfully treated with steroids, leading to complete remission of lung cancer during the monitoring of immune response indices, including Nr4a1 mRNA.

Case presentation

A 68-year-old male with squamous cell lung cancer (cT2aN3M0, stage IIIb) received a single dose of pembrolizumab (200 mg). On Day 21 of treatment, SJS appeared, and the patient was treated with prednisolone 60 mg/day, which was gradually tapered off. After the disappearance of the SJS symptoms, complete remission of cancer was achieved and was maintained for more than 1 year. Acute increases in the plasma IFN-γ and IL-17 concentrations and a decrease in IL-10 concentrations were observed at the onset of SJS. Simple regression analysis showed that these changes in IL-17, IFN-γ and IL-10 were significantly influenced by the decreased expression of Nr4a1 mRNA. The pembrolizumab levels and prednisolone doses significantly influenced the suppression of Nr4a1 mRNA levels. Although Nr4a1 mRNA levels in the current case fluctuated during the observation period, they were significantly lower than those in a nonresponding progressive-disease case, as well as a pembrolizumab-responding case with non-SJS but similar background. The suppression of Nr4a1 in current case, might result in upregulation of cytotoxic T cells and a reduction in functional regulatory T cells, promoting favorable antitumor immunity.

Conclusion

The immune responses involving Nr4a1 suppression might relate to complete remission of lung cancer in this case, despite causing SJS, which may be attributed to synergistic effects from pembrolizumab treatment and intervention with steroids. The current case indicates the preliminarily clinical benefit of evaluating Nr4a expression-related indices as the possible clinical covariates and may serve as a milestone for appropriate future chemotherapy interventions.
A transition of care model from hospital to community for Hispanic/Latino adult patients with diabetes: design and rationale for a pilot study
Authors: Corsino Leonor , Padilla Blanca Iris
Published: December 2022

Background

The Hispanic/Latino population is disproportionately affected and has a higher risk of developing diabetes than their non-Hispanic White counterparts and worse diabetes-related outcomes. Diabetes continues to be an economic burden. This economic burden is partially due to the significantly higher rates of hospital readmission for individuals with diabetes. People with diabetes, particularly those who are members of racial/ethnic minority groups, are at higher risk for readmission and emergency department (ED) visits. Despite recommendations regarding transition of care, an optimal approach to the transition of care for ethnic/minority patients remains unclear.

Methods

The study population includes self-identified Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes. We have two aims: (1) designed and developed a transition of care model and (2) pilot test the newly developed transition of care model. For aim 1, semi-structures interviews conducted with patients and providers. For aim 2, patients admitted to the hospital enrolled to receive the newly designed transition of care model. For aim 1, patients and providers completed a short questionnaire. For aim 2, patients completed a set of questionnaires including demographic information, medical history, sociocultural, and social support. The primary outcome for aim 2 is emergency department visit within 30 days post-discharge. The secondary outcome is 30- days unplanned readmissions. Feasibility outcomes include the number of participants identified, number of patients enrolled, number of participants who completed all the questionnaires, number of participants with a 30-day follow-up call, and number of participants who completed the 30-day post-discharge questionnaire. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the study design was adapted to include the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework to adjust to the ongoing changes in transition of care due to the pandemic burden on the health care systems.

Conclusion

Transition of care for Hispanic/Latino patients with diabetes remains a major area of interest that requires further research. The pandemic required that we adapted the study to reflect the realities of health care systems during a time of crisis. The methods share in this manuscript can potentially help other investigators as they designed their studies.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04864639. 4/29/2021. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04864639.
Diallyl trisulfide modulated autophagy in isoproterenol induced acute myocardial infarction
Authors: El-Ashmawy Nahla E. , Khedr Naglaa F. , Shaban Mohamed N. , Al-Ashmawy Ghada M.
Published: December 2022

Background

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the most serious manifestation of coronary artery disease. The initial ischemia in AMI causes biochemical and metabolic alterations in cardiomyocytes.

Objectives

The present study aimed to investigate the biomolecular mechanisms underlying cardioprotective effects of diallyl trisulfide (DATS) as well as captopril (CAP) in isoproterenol (ISO) induced AMI focusing on autophagy & PI3K/Akt signaling.

Methods

Seventy male Albino rats were divided into seven groups as follows: Normal control, ISO, ISO + LY294002 (PI3K inhibitor), DATS+ISO, CAP+ISO, DATS+LY294002 + ISO, and CAP+LY294002 + ISO. All treatments (40 mg/kg DATS, 50 mg/kg CAP & 0.3 mg/kg LY294002) were given daily for two weeks before ISO injection (85 mg/kg for 2 days). At the end of the experiment, serum and cardiac tissues were collected. Serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) were measured. Cardiac glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px), malondialdehyde (MDA), hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α), autophagy proteins (P62 & LC3IIB) and gene expression of PI3K, Akt, FOXO-1, and eNOS were assessed. Histopathological examination of heart tissue was performed.

Results

DATS and CAP significantly (p < 0.01) decreased serum CK-MB and cTnI, cardiac levels of MDA, HIF-1α, p62 and LC3IIB along with an increase in GSH-px activity compared with ISO group. Moreover, DATS and CAP significantly up-regulated PI3K, Akt, and eNOS gene expression but down-regulated FOXO-1 expression compared to ISO group. However, LY294002 reversed DATS and CAP cardioprotective effects.

Conclusion

DATS and CAP prior treatment proved cardioprotective effects via modulation of autophagy, PI3K/Akt signaling, eNOS and FOXO-1 downregulation in ISO induced AMI rat model.
Risk factors for childhood pneumonia at Adama Hospital Medical College, Adama, Ethiopia: a case-control study
Authors: Abebaw Tsega-Ab , Aregay William Kiros , Ashami Mulu Tugi
Published: December 2022

Background

Pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection of the lungs. A child dies of pneumonia every 39 s globally. Even though pneumonia affects children worldwide, the risk and repercussions of the disease are more prevalent in poor and middle-income nations. Despite the initiatives by the Ethiopian government, there are still numerous instances and deaths caused by childhood pneumonia. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the risk factors for pneumonia among 2–59 months-old children visiting Adama Hospital Medical College, Adama, Ethiopia.

Methods

An institution-based unmatched case-control study was conducted among 124 cases and 124 controls from January 1, 2021, to March 15, 2021. Cases were selected using a consecutive sampling technique. For each case, the next patient from the same pediatric outpatient room who met the inclusion criteria was taken as a control. Data were collected using a pretested, structured interviewer-administered questionnaire containing sociodemographic, environmental, and nutritional factors, comorbid illnesses, and related care practices. A multiple logistic regression model was fitted.

Results

Family size of ≥ 5 compared to < 5 (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 3.08, 95% CI: 1.23, 7.71), household monthly income of < 2500 compared to > 5000 birr (AOR: 3.94, 95% CI: 1.06, 14.6), use of charcoal as the main fuel for cooking (AOR: 7.03, 95% CI: 2.38, 20.78), and wood or dung as the main fuel for cooking compared to electricity (AOR: 6.58, 95% CI: 2.07, 20.9), malnutrition compared to no malnutrition (AOR: 4.77, 95% CI: 1.89, 12.06), diarrhea compared to no diarrhea in the past 2 weeks (AOR: 3.3, 95% CI: 1.52, 7.14) and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) compared to no infection in the past 2 weeks (AOR: 3.29, 95% CI: 1.31, 8.23) were found to be risk factors for pneumonia.

Conclusion

In this study, risk factors for pneumonia were family size, monthly income, type of energy used for cooking, malnutrition, and diarrhea or URTI in the past 2 weeks. Relatively simple interventions such as cooking with electricity, and other interventions like prevention, early detection and treatment of malnutrition, diarrhea, and URTI, and promotion of family planning are important.
Exploration of the threshold SUV for diagnosis of malignancy using 18F-FBPA PET/CT
Authors: Isohashi Kayako , Kanai Yasukazu , Aihara Teruhito , Hu Naonori , Fukushima Kentaro , Baba Ichiro , Hirokawa Fumitoshi , Kakino Ryo , Komori Tsuyoshi , Nihei Keiji , Hatazawa Jun , Ono Koji
Published: December 2022

Background

The goal of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic ability of 18F-FBPA PET/CT for malignant tumors. Findings from 18F-FBPA and 18F-FDG PET/CT were compared with pathological diagnoses in patients with malignant tumors or benign lesions.

Methods

A total of 82 patients (45 males, 37 females; median age, 63 years; age range, 20–89 years) with various types of malignant tumors or benign lesions, such as inflammation and granulomas, were examined by 18F-FDG and 18F-FBPA PET/CT. Tumor uptake of FDG or FBPA was quantified using the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax). The final diagnosis was confirmed by cytopathology or histopathological findings of the specimen after biopsy or surgery. A ROC curve was constructed from the SUVmax values of each PET image, and the area under the curve (AUC) and cutoff values were calculated.

Results

The SUVmax for 18F-FDG PET/CT did not differ significantly for malignant tumors and benign lesions (10.9 ± 6.3 vs. 9.1 ± 2.7 P = 0.62), whereas SUVmax for 18F-FBPA PET/CT was significantly higher for malignant tumors (5.1 ± 3.0 vs. 2.9 ± 0.6, P < 0.001). The best SUVmax cutoffs for distinguishing malignant tumors from benign lesions were 11.16 for 18F-FDG PET/CT (sensitivity 0.909, specificity 0.390) and 3.24 for 18F-FBPA PET/CT (sensitivity 0.818, specificity 0.753). ROC analysis showed significantly different AUC values for 18F-FDG and 18F-FBPA PET/CT (0.547 vs. 0.834, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

18F-FBPA PET/CT showed superior diagnostic ability over 18F-FDG PET/CT in differential diagnosis of malignant tumors and benign lesions. The results of this study suggest that 18F-FBPA PET/CT diagnosis may reduce false-positive 18F-FDG PET/CT diagnoses.
Heterogeneity in the exchange rate pass-through to consumer prices: the Swiss franc appreciation of 2015
Authors: Oktay Alex
Published: December 2022

This paper analyzes the exchange rate pass-through to consumer prices for 85 categories of goods and services in Switzerland. The pass-through estimates are computed using a synthetic difference-in-differences approach that exploits the large Swiss franc appreciation that followed the unexpected removal of the Swiss franc-Euro floor in January 2015. The overall 1-year all-items pass-through is 0.12, which shows that the pass-through is highly incomplete. There is an important heterogeneity across product categories, where pass-through can be as high as 0.80. These variations are linked to the international trade characteristics of the products, as the prices of goods with a high degree of international tradability, with a high import share, or that depend on tourism are shown to be more sensitive to the exchange rate.
Immunomodulatory effects of atorvastatin on MRL/lpr mice
Authors: Sun Jing , Xu Weidong , Wu Zhiying , Cao Caijin , Tan Yane , Zhu Meifang , Wu Hongze , Yu Jianping
Published: December 2022

Background

Statins have long been extensively prescribed as effective lipid-lowering agents, but statins have also been recognized as novel immunomodulators in recent years. This study was designed to investigate the immunomodulatory effects of atorvastatin on lupus-prone MRL/lpr mice.

Methods

A total of 30 8-week-old female MRL/lpr mice were randomly divided into three groups and orally administered vehicle, atorvastatin orhydroxychloroquine sulfate for 11 weeks. In vivo, the effects of atorvastatin on the survival rate, renal function and spleen index in MRL/lpr mice were examined. Ex vivo, splenic B-cell proliferation was assessed by a Cell Counting Kit-8.

Results

Oral atorvastatin failed to prolong survival time, or reduce the levels of proteinuria, or serum anti-dsDNA antibody and complement proteins (C3, C4). Histologically, no significant improvement by atorvastatin was observed in the pathological manifestations of renal damage, while hydroxychloroquine sulfate significantly improved glomerular injury. Ex vivo, atorvastatin suppressed the proliferation of splenic B lymphocytes.

Conclusion

Oral atorvastatin monotherapy had no therapeutic effects on MRL/lpr mice, whereas atorvastatin inhibited splenic B-cell proliferation in vitro, suggesting that atorvastatin has a potential therapeutic effect on systemic lupus erythematosus.
Knowledge, attitude, and practices of the community toward dengue fever in Shabwah Governorate, Yemen: a descriptive study
Authors: Saghir Mohammed Ali , Ahmed Waled A. M. , Dhaiban Mustafa Mohammed Abdullah , Osman Murwan Eissa , Abduljabbar Naif Izzatullah
Published: December 2022

Background

In Yemen, dengue fever (DF) is a widespread, locally endemic infectious disease, with high morbidity and mortality which mainly affects impoverished regions. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of the Shabwah community in Yemen regarding DF characteristics and prevention.

Methods

The present study is a cross-sectional community-based study conducted in Shabwah Governorate, Yemen, between June 2021 and November 2021. Simple random sampling was used to select the sample (n = 370), and a validated closed-ended questionnaire was used to collect data.

Results

In total, 370 individuals participated in this study; most respondents were female (N = 247, 66.8%), and more than half (N = 214, 57.8%) were younger than age 30. More than 50% of the population had completed a primary or secondary school, while approximately 33.03% of them were illiterate. Furthermore, more than half (53.5%) of the population had good knowledge of DF, while most of those educated at a university level (64.1%) had good attitude toward DF. Most of the population (68.4%) had good practice toward DF. Moreover, participants with a university level education, followed by those who completed secondary school, had significantly higher knowledge and practice scores than primary school and illiteracy (P = 0.05).

Conclusion

The results of the study indicate that the residents of Yemen’s Shabwah Governorate are well-informed about the symptoms and signs of DF, have a positive attitude toward the disease, and employ appropriate preventive measures. Health education via various media should be mandated to increase community awareness and dispel misconceptions about DF.
Hollow and oval-configured ultrafine Co3O4 as a highly-efficient activator of monopersulfate for catalytic elimination of Azorubin S
Authors: Khiem Ta Cong , Tuan Duong Dinh , Kwon Eilhann , Thanh Bui Xuan , Tsang Yiu Fai , Munagapati Venkata Subbaiah , Wen Jet-Chau , Hu Chechia , Lin Kun-Yi Andrew
Published: December 2022

Azorubin S (ARS) represents one of the most common and frequently-utilized toxic azo dyes produced from industrial activities. While various conventional treatment techniques could not effectively eliminate ARS from water, heterogeneous metal-based catalyst coupled with monopersulfate (MPS) is a highly-efficient process for eliminating ARS, in which tricobalt tetroxide (Co3O4) has been attracted increasing attention as a preeminent MPS activator due to its outstanding physicochemical properties. However, the nanoscale Co3O4 particles usually pose a limitation of serious agglomeration in the aqueous environment, thus lowering their efficiency. Thus, developing an easy-synthesized and exceptionally efficient Co3O4-based catalyst is crucially paramount. Therefore, in this work, a special hollow-structured oval-like cobalt oxide (abbreviated as HOCO) was successfully constructed using Co-metal organic framework as a precursor, which was then utilized for catalyzing activation of MPS to degrade ARS. This as-obtained HOCO exhibited distinct physicochemical characteristics from commercially-available Co3O4, which subsequently resulted in superior activities for MPS activation in ARS degradation. Specifically, 100% of ARS could be degraded in 30 min with a corresponding reaction kinetic of 0.22 min− 1 by HOCO + MPS system. SO4•– radicals were validated to be primary reactive species for ARS degradation while the degradation pathway of ARS was also elucidated. This study further provides insightful information about the development of novel hollow-structured Co3O4-based catalyst for catalyzing activation of MPS to remove toxic dyes from water.
MLPA analysis for molecular diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy and correlation of 5q13.2 genes with disease phenotype in Egyptian patients
Authors: Hassan Heba A. , Fahmy Nagia A. , El-Bagoury Nagham M. , Eissa Noura R. , Sharaf-Eldin Wessam E. , Issa Mahmoud Y. , Zaki Maha S. , Essawi Mona L.
Published: December 2022

Background

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive neuromuscular disease representing the most prevalent monogenic cause of infant mortality. It results from the loss of SMN1 gene, but retention of its paralog SMN2 whose copy number can modulate the disease severity and guide the therapeutic regimen.

Methods

For SMA molecular analysis, 236 unrelated Egyptian patients were enrolled at our institution. The Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification analysis (MLPA) was applied to investigate the main genetic defect in the enrolled patients (SMN1 loss) and to determine a possible genotype–phenotype correlation between the copy number of other genes in the SMN locus (5q13.2) and disease severity in Egyptian patients with SMA. A small cohort of healthy subjects (n = 57) was also included to investigate the possible differences in the distributions of SMN2 and NAIP genes between patients and healthy individuals.

Results

Disease diagnosis was confirmed in only 148 patients (62.7%) highlighting the clinical overlapping of the disease and emphasizing the importance of molecular diagnosis. In patients with homozygous SMN1 loss, the disease was mediated by gene deletion and conversion in 135 (91.2%) and 13 (8.8%) patients, respectively. In the study cohort, SMN2 and NAIP copy numbers were inversely correlated with disease severity. However, no significant association was detected between GTF2H2A and SERF1B copy numbers and patient phenotype. Significant differences were demonstrated in the copy numbers of SMN2 and NAIP between SMA patients and healthy subjects.

Conclusion

Molecular analysis of SMA is essential for disease diagnosis. Consistent with previous studies on other populations, there is a close relationship between SMN2 and NAIP copy numbers and clinical phenotype. Additionally, potential differences in these two genes distributions are existing between patients and healthy subjects. National program for carrier screening should be established as a preventive disease strategy. On the other hand, neonatal testing would provide accurate estimation for disease incidence.
Predicting factors for breast cancer screening in Middle Eastern women based on health belief model: a systematic review
Authors: Bahri Narjes , Mardani Fariba , Sharifi Neda , Dashti Sareh
Published: December 2022

Background

Breast cancer screening can reduce mortality and improve the quality of life in affected women. The present study aimed to determine the predictive factors of breast cancer screening in Iranian women based on the health belief model (HBM).

Methods

This review was conducted by searching electronic databases of Google Scholar; electronic databases, including Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, ProQuest, Embase, and Google scholar Magiran; and SID with the English keywords of “breast cancer,” “mammography,” “health belief model,” and “breast self-exam” and the equivalent Persian keywords. The results were evaluated based on the health belief model (HBM) constructs. Articles were evaluated for quality and the findings were extracted and reviewed.

Results

A total of 8 relevant articles were selected for review. Women’s awareness of breast cancer screening methods was moderate in two studies and poor in two other studies. Among the constructs of HBM, knowledge, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, and action plan were poor in the majority of the studies, while perceived barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy were mainly good.

Conclusion

Considering the observed weakness of many HBM constructs, it is recommended that special attention be given to all HBM constructs in implementing HBM-based education programs.
Mammographic and contrast-enhanced spectral mammography imaging findings of HER2-positive cancers according to hormone receptor status
Authors: Elkassas Hebatalla , Helal Maha Hussein , Mikhael Hisham S. Wahba , Khaled Rana , Farahat Ahmed , El-Maadawy Samar M.
Published: December 2022

Background

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression is seen in 20 out of 100 invasive breast cancers. Among HER2+ patients, two distinct hormone receptor (HR) subtypes can be defined: HR-positive (HR+) and HR-negative (HR−) each of which with unique therapeutic response and survival pattern. Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) is an emerging novel imaging modality that offers diagnostic performance comparable to contrast-enhanced MRI. The purpose of this retrospective study was to describe the CESM features of HER2+ breast cancers according to hormone receptor status and to assess whether specific mammographic and CESM imaging features can differentiate between HER2+/HR+ and HER2+/HR− breast cancers potentially aiding treatment planning in HER2+ breast cancer patients.

Results

A total of 61 patients were included. Twenty-nine cases (47.5%) were HER2+/HR+ and 32 cases (52.5%) were HER2+/HR−. No statistically significant difference was found between mammographic imaging presentations and hormonal status. HR- were more likely to be multifocal (P 0.018), rounded or oval (P 0.008), circumscribed (P 0.004), and with associated non-mass enhancement (NME) (P < 0.001). HR+ cancers showed a tendency for irregular shape (P 0.008), spiculated outline (P 0.004), and heterogeneous (P 0.021) or ring (P 0.046) enhancement.

Conclusions

HER2+ tumors have different demographic, pathologic and imaging features according to the hormone receptor status. Because the two subtypes of HER2 breast cancer have different clinical outcomes, CESM imaging features can potentially enhance patient outcome by accelerating the diagnosis and treatment.
Aerodynamic interference between two boxes in parallel arrangement and flow field characteristics around the girder
Authors: Fan Shuwen , Chen Wei , Tang Haojun , Li Yongle
Published: December 2022

Aerodynamic characteristics of long-span bridges with box girders have been investigated widely, and this paper presents a study on a cable-stayed bridge with two box girders in parallel arrangement. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulations were adopted to analyze the aerodynamic interference between the upper and the lower box girders. After checking the reliability of the numerical model, different angles of attack and different distances between the two girders were considered, and the variations of the aerodynamic characteristics were discussed, including the aerodynamic coefficients and the static pressure distributions. Then, the wind environment around the two box girders was focused, and the effect on the aerodynamic coefficients of a vehicle was also studied. The results show that the aerodynamic interference between the two box girders is strong, so the aerodynamic characteristics of the two boxes are different from those of a single box. The flow field between the boxes have higher wind velocities, which makes the aerodynamic force on the upper box and the lower box become upward and downward, respectively. Meanwhile, the aerodynamic forces on vehicles above the lower deck surface are larger due to the accelerated flow between the two boxes.
A prestack seismic inversion method constrained by facies-controlled sedimentary structural features
Authors: Chen Ting , Wang Yaojun , Li Kunhong , Cai Hanpeng , Yu Gang , Hu Guangmin
Published: December 2022

The inversion of thin-bed reservoirs using seismic data is important for precise reservoir prediction. Most of the current thin-bed reservoir inversion methods are constrained by facies or sedimentary characteristics in reservoirs. The accuracy of the sedimentary characteristics severely affects the precision of the inversion results. There are differences in sedimentary patterns among different facies, but the same facies have similar sedimentary characteristics, and the similarity brings the sparsity of sedimentary structure within a facies. Thus, various representations should be used to describe the differences in the sedimentary patterns between facies. After analyzing the sparse representation (SR) patterns for different facies, a prestack seismic inversion method constrained by facies-controlled sedimentary structural features is developed. Our method first uses seismic attributes that provide rich details of seismic features to divide facies. Then, the sedimentary structural features within each facies are extracted. The inversion results are represented by structural features in the corresponding facies. We have used the represented results as the initial value of the inversion to iterate. Using this iterative inversion framework, we obtain results that are consistent with the sedimentary features of each facies. The representation of reservoir parameters by different SR patterns can avoid the mixing of sedimentary structural features in different facies. Synthetic and field examples are used to verify the effectiveness of our method. The method obtains inversion results that are consistent with seismic data and the distribution of thin-bed in well logs. Therefore, the method can be successfully applied to thin-bed sandstone reservoirs.