bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Neonatal Resuscitation Skills of Practicing Nurses and Midwives in Selected Hospitals in Central Uganda​
Authors: Namuguzi Mary , Drake Karen , Ekong Elizabeth Namukombe , Asuquo Ekaete FRANCIS
Published: January 2020

Background: Uganda has a high neonatal mortality rate (27 per 1,000 live births), with birth asphyxia as one of the major contributor. Helping babies breathe (HBB) is an evidence-based program that aims to reduce neonatal mortality in resource-limited settings. Successful resuscitation depends on nurses’ and midwives’ knowledge and skills in neonatal resuscitation, and access to functional neonatal resuscitation equipment. This study aimed to evaluate knowledge and skills retention in neonatal resuscitation after HBB training among nurses and midwives, and the state/availability of neonatal resuscitation equipment. Methods: This study used a cross sectional design. Participants were 75 nurses and midwives from two hospitals in Central Uganda. Data were collected using questionnaires and observation checklists. Ethics approval was obtained from the Uganda Christian University and the research and ethics committees of the two hospital hospitals. Results: Nurses and midwives showed a high level of knowledge (92%). However, neonatal resuscitation skills among 44 observed participants were poor, as 68.2% failed to check equipment and select the correct mask and 45.5% did not make a firm seal when applying the mask. In addition, about 72% of participants did not ventilate at a rate of 40 breaths per minute, and 18.2% failed to assess chest movement. Observation of 44 resuscitations to evaluate the state/availability of neonatal resuscitation equipment showed that 27.3% did not have a suction device, 59.1% did not have a heat source/pre-warmed towels to warm the babies, 50% did not have appropriate self-inflating bags and masks for term and preterm babies, 72.7% had no clock/watch to count heart rate and determine the length of time ventilation was required, and 36.4% did not document that resuscitation was performed. Conclusions: To address Uganda’s neonatal mortality rate, it is necessary to implement regulatory policies for neonatal resuscitation, building nurses and midwives skills for active interventions during neonatal resuscitation as well as regular refresher courses to enhance skills. Key words: helping babies breathe (HBB), neonatal resuscitation, knowledge, skills and equipment
Control of JE vector by organic compounds isolated and green nanoparticles synthesised from leaf extract of Holoptelea integrifolia (Roxb.)
Authors: Singha Someshwar , Chandra Goutam
Published: January 2020

Background: Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a dreadful disease transmitted by Culex vishnui group of mosquitoes. Control of JE vectors at the larval stage is one of the effective approaches in controlling JE. Methods: Leaves of Holoptelea integrifolia were subjected to petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, acetone and absolute alcohol solvent extraction by Soxhlet apparatus. As the ethyl acetate extract showed best mosquito larvicidal activity against Culex vishnui, it extract was selected and processed further for isolation of active principle through column chromatography and TLC and then characterization of the active principle by FTIR and GC-MS was done. Results: Ethyl acetate extract was found to be the most potent larvicide. In the active fraction of isolated compounds from ethyl acetate extract, N-methyl-1-adamantaneacetamide was the major constituent responsible for larvicidal activity of Culex vishnui. Green nanoparticles were synthesised by treating silver nitrate with leaf extract of H. integrifolia and were examined for larvicidal activity. Nanoparticles were characterised by UV-VIS spectral analysis, XRD study, TEM, SEM and FTIR spectral analysis. Synthesised nanoparticles were 40-50 nm in size and showed good larvicidal activity on Cx. vishnui mosquitoes at 1.25, 2.25, 5, 7.5 and 10 ppm concentrations. Active principle of plant extract and green nanoparticles showed eco-friendly effect on non-target organisms like Chironomus circumdatus, Daphnia sp, Diplonychus anulatum and Tadpole larvae. Conclusion: Thus it can be concluded that active ingredient as well as green synthesized nano particles from H. integrifolia can be a good alternative of presently used chemical insecticides.
Effect of laser moxibustion for knee osteoarthritis: a multi-site double-blind randomized controlled trial
Authors: Zhao Ling , Cheng Ke , Wu Fan , Du Jiong , Chen Yue , Tan Ming T. , Lao Lixing , Shen Xueyong
Published: January 2020

Background A laser device that mimics traditional moxibustion without smoke may be effective and safe for treating patients with knee osteoarthritis.Methods A double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted. A total of 392 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee were randomly assigned to receive laser treatment or sham control three times a week for 4 weeks with 20-week follow-up. Primary outcomes were changes in the WOMAC pain scores at week 4. Results Among the 392 randomized participants, 364 (92.86%) completed the trial. The median WOMAC pain score significantly decreased at week 4 in the active group than in the sham group (2.2; 95% CI, 1.7 to 2.8; P < .01). At week 24, compared to the sham laser, active laser treatment resulted in significant pain reduction and function improvement (3.3; 95% CI, 2.7 to 3.9; P < 0.01, and 15.7; 95% CI, 12.8 to 18.8; P < .01, respectively). The physical component of the quality of life significantly improved in the active group than in the sham control at week 4 (3.0; 95% CI, 1.1 to 4.9; P = 0.002) up to week 24 (5.1; 95% CI, 3.2 to 7.0; P < .001). No serious adverse effects were reported. Conclusion Laser moxibustion resulted in statistically and clinically significant pain reduction and function improvement following a 4-week treatment in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Parent Educational Intervention Program for Improving Parental Knowledge, Self-efficacy and Health Related Quality of life in Children with Sickle Cell Disease Using Smartphone Technology: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: NASIRI YUSRA AL , Jacob Eufemia , Lee Eunice , Nyamathi Adey , Brecht Mary-Lynn , Robbins Wendie A , Mawali Adhra Al
Published: January 2020

Background Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder that increases the risk for recurrent painful episodes. Parents’ knowledge regarding SCD management is poor, leading to poor symptom management and lower Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in children with SCD. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a parent educational intervention program ( PEIP ) on the parental knowledge, self-efficacy and perception of the HRQOL of their children with SCD.Methods Two groups of Omani parents of children with SCD were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=37) receiving PEIP accessed on a smartphone + weekly phone reinforcement for four weeks, or a control group (n=35) receiving Standard Educational Program (SEP) as part of standard of care. Outcome measures were knowledge, self-efficacy and HRQOL of children with SCD. Knowledge Questionnaire, Self-Efficacy Scale, and HRQOL-SCD + HRQOL-GENERIC were administered twice (at enrollment, and 4 weeks after enrollment). Statistical Pakage for Social Science, version 24 was used for data analyses.Results Parents’ knowledge and self-efficacy scores were significantly higher for the intervention group (PEIP) when compared to the SEP 4 weeks post intervention. Also, The total HRQOL scores were higher at 4 weeks compared to baseline, and were also higher in the PEIP compared to the SEP. Parents’ knowledge and self-efficacy were significant predictors of HRQOL in children with SCD.Conclusions PEIP delivered by using a smartphone was effective in improving the parents’ knowledge, self-efficacy in symptom management, and parent and child perception of HRQOL. PEIP was innovative in that it targeted all dimensions of HRQOL in children with SCD. Finally, the family played an important role in the process of care and therefore, developing family-based interventions is the key factor for improving HRQOL in children with SCD. The study highlighted the effectiveness of smartphone technology for delivering a high quality educational intervention program for parents and their families.
Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and the risk of the type 1 diabetes: a meta-analysis based on 40 case–control studies
Authors: Makoui Masoud Hassanzadeh , Aslani Saeed , Mohammadi Payam , Razi Bahman , imani danyal
Published: January 2020

Objective The association between the vitamin D receptor ( VDR ) gene polymorphisms and the risk of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has been evaluated in several studies. However, the findings were inconclusive. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate the effect of VDR gene polymorphisms on the risk of T1DM.Methods All relevant studies reporting the association between VDR gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to T1DM published up to July 2019 were identified by comprehensive systematic database search in web of science, Scopus, and PubMed. Strength of association were assessed by calculating of pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The methodological quality of each study was assessed according to the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Subgroup analysis stratified by ethnicity was also conducted.Results A total of 40 case–control studies were included in this meta-analysis. The results of overall population rejected any significant association between VDR gene polymorphisms and T1DM risk. However, the pooled results of subgroup analysis revealed significant negative and positive associations between FokI and BsmI genes polymorphism and T1DM in African and American populations, respectively.Conclusions This meta-analysis suggested a significant association between VDR gene polymorphism and T1DM susceptibility in ethnic-specific analysis.
Mitochondrial tRNA methylation in Alzheimer’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy
Authors: Silzer Talisa K. , Pathak Gita A. , Phillips Nicole
Published: January 2020

Background Methylation of mitochondrial tRNAs (mt-tRNA) at the 9th position (“p9 site”) is known to impact translational efficiency and downstream mitochondrial function; however, direct assessment of mt-RNA methylation is challenging. Recent RNA sequence-based methods have been developed to reliably identify post-transcriptional methylation. Though p9 methylation has been studied in healthy human populations and in the context of cancer, it has not yet been analyzed in neurodegenerative disease, where mitochondrial dysfunction is a prominent and early hallmark of disease progression.Results Here we show variable methylation at 11 p9 sites in post-mortem cerebellar tissue of elderly subjects who were either healthy or diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) or pathological aging (PA). Similarities in degree of methylation were observed between AD and PSP. Expression of 5300 genes was significantly correlated with p9 methylation, with AD and PSP subjects exhibiting similar expression profiles. The top 100 transcripts were found to be enriched for mitochondrial-related toxicity. Overrepresentation testing using the top 1000 transcripts revealed enrichment for a number of molecular processes and terms including some which were mitochondrial-related.Conclusion With mitochondrial dysfunction being an established hallmark of neurodegenerative disease pathophysiology, this work sheds light on the potential molecular underpinnings of this dysfunction. Here we show overlap in cerebellar pathophysiology between common tauopathies such as Alzheimer’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy. Whether p9 hypermethylation is a cause or consequence of pathology remains an area of focus.
Force Production during the Sustained Phase of Rugby Scrums: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Martin Eric , Beckham George
Published: January 2020

Background: Since World Rugby changed the laws regarding scrums in the 2013-2014 season, the sustained push phase of the scrum has become of greater tactical importance. Therefore, the purpose of this sytematic literature review was to examine the biomechanical demands during the sustained push phase of individual, unit, and full pack scrummaging.Methods: Pubmed, EBSCO (specifically and simultaneously searching Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus), and Google Scholar were searched for any research that presented force production in a live or simulated rugby scrum. Study quality was appraised using the National Institute of Health's Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Recorded scrum forces, positioning of players including joint angles, and testing procedures were extracted and narratively synthesized.Results: Twenty six studies were included in the review. 50% of included studies were rated good, 31% fair, and 19% poor. Major limitations included not reporting any effect size, statistical power, or reliability. Reported group mean values for average sustained forces against a machine generally ranged from 1000-2000 N in individual scrums and 4000-8000 N for full packs of male rugby players older than high school age. Individuals seem to optimize their force generation when their shoulders are set against scrum machine pads at approximately 40% of body height, with feet parallel, and with knee and hip angles around 120°. A 10% difference in pack force seems to be necessary for one pack to drive another back in the scrum, but little data exist to quantify differences in force production between winning and losing packs during live scrums. Data collection within studies was not standardized, making comparisons difficult. There is a lack of data in live scrums, and the current research indicates that machine scrums may not replicate many of the demands of live scrums. There is a lack of data for female rugby players.Conclusions: This review indicates an optimal individual body position for players to strive to achieve during scrummaging, consisting of a low body height (40% of stature) and large extended hip and knee angles (120° each).
Environmental and Genetic Regulation of Plant Height in Soybean
Authors: Yang Qing , Lin Gaoming , Lv Huiyong , Wang Cunhu , Yang Yongqing , Liao Hong
Published: January 2020

Shoot architecture is fundamentally crucial to crop growth and productivity. As a key component of shoot architecture, plant height is known to be controlled by both genetic and environmental factors, though specific details remain scarce. Here, 308 representative soybean lines from a core collection and 168 F9:11 soybean progeny were planted at distinct field sites. The results demonstrated the presence of significant genotype × environment interaction effects on traits associated with plant height in a natural soybean population. In total, 19 loci containing 51 QTLs for plant height were identified across four environments, with 23, 13 and 15 being QTLs for SH, SNN and AIL, respectively. Significant LOD ranging from 2.50 to 16.46 explained 2.80%~26.10% of phenotypic variation. Intriguingly, only two loci, Loc11 and Loc19, containing 20 QTLs, were simultaneously detected across all environments. Results from Pearson correlation analysis and PCA revealed that each of the five agro-meteorological factors and four soil properties significantly affected soybean plant height traits, and that the corresponding QTLs had additive effects. Among significant environmental factors, AD, AMaT, pH, and AN had the largest impacts on soybean plant height. Therefore, in spite of uncontrollable agro-meteorological factors, soybean shoot architecture might be remolded through combined efforts to produce superior soybean genetic materials while also optimizing soil properties. Overall, the comprehensive set of relationships outlined herein among environment factors, soybean genotypes and QTLs in effects on plant height opens new avenues to explore in work aiming to increase soybean yield through improvements in shoot architecture.
Protection Mehcanism Against Drought In Axsonopus Compressus: Insight of Physio-Biochemical Traits, Antioxident Interplay and Gene Experssion
Authors: Nawaz Mohsin , Liao Li , Azeem Farrukh , Ashraf Umair , Zohaib Ali , Anjum Shakeel Ahmed , Wang Zhiyong
Published: January 2020

Drought is a major environmental constraint that affects plant growth and internal physio-biochemical features. The present study was conducted to evaluate the performance of three different Axonopus compressus accessions, i.e., A-38, A-58, and A-59 under well-watered (WW), low drought (LD), moderate (MD) and severe drought (SD) conditions at field capacity of 100, 80, 60, and 40%, respectively. Results indicated that drought-induced higher production of proline and soluble sugar (SS) up to 40 and 41% respectively, than control. Drought stress caused excessive production of H 2 O 2 while the highest value (10.15µmol g -1 FW) was observed in the A-38 under SD. However, the lowest enzymatic (SOD, POD, CAT, and APX) activity were observed in A-38 than A-58 and A-59 respectively, in the SD. In A-58 the efficient enzymatic and nonenzymatic defense systems hinder the severe damage while stunted growth occurred in Axonopus compressus accessions at SD which were more pronounced in the A-38. Overall, the performance of all Axonopus compressus accessions under drought stress was recorded as A-58>A-59>A-38. The qRT PCR expression analysis also revealed highest expression of drought responsive genes in A-58 and reinforced the findings of physiological data. These results suggested the plant's ability to maintain its functions during drought induction could be used for further investigation under scarce water for developing drought tolerance.
Structure guided protein engineering increases enzymatic activities of the SGNH family esterases
Authors: Li Zhengyang , Li Long , Huo Yingyi , Chen Zijun , Zhao Yu , Huang Jing , Jian Shuling , Rong Zhen , Wu Di , Gan Jianhua , Hu Xiaojian , Li Jixi , Xu Xue-Wei
Published: January 2020

Background Esterases and lipases hydrolyze short-chain esters and long-chain triglycerides, respectively, and therefore play key roles in the synthesis and decomposition of ester bonds in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Many SGNH family esterases share high similarity in sequences, however, they have distinct enzymatic activities toward the same substrates. Due to lack of structural information, the detailed catalytic mechanisms of these esterases remain barely investigated.Results In this study, we identified two SGNH family esterases, CrmE10 and AlinE4, from marine bacteria with significantly different preferences for pH, temperature, metal ion and organic solvent tolerance despite of high sequence similarity. The crystal structures of these two esterases, including wild type and mutants, were determined to high resolutions ranging from 1.18 Å to 2.24 Å. Both CrmE10 and AlinE4 were composed of five β-strands and nine α-helices, which formed one compact N-terminal α/β globular domain and one extended C-terminal domain. The aspartic residues (D178 in CrmE10/ D162 in AlinE4) stabilized the conformations of the catalytic triad (Ser-Asp-His) in both esterases, and the metal ion Cd 2+ reduced enzymatic activity by blocking proton transfer and substrate binding. CrmE10 and AlinE4 showed distinctly different electrostatic surface potentials, despite of the similar atomic architectures and a similar swap catalytic mechanism. When five negative charged residues (Asp or Glu) were mutated to residue Lys, CrmE10 obtained elevated alkaline-adaptability and significantly increased the enzymatic activity from 0% to 20% at pH 10.5. In addition, CrmE10 mutants exhibited dramatically change for enzymatic properties when compared with wide-type enzyme.Conclusions These findings offer a perspective for understanding the catalytic mechanism of different esterases and might facilitate the industrial biocatalytic applications.
Factors influencing Adolescent Attitudes towards HIV/AIDS Prevention In Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Authors: Meilani Niken , Barasa Sammy Onyapidi , Setiyawati Nanik
Published: January 2020

Background and objective: In 2015, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was the eighth leading cause of death among adolescents worldwide. A third of them were infected during the adolescence period. Without investing in adolescent health and well-being, the current global target of ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030 may not be realized. HIV prevention in adolescents is particularly important as it not only benefits then now, but also as future adults as well as future generations. Attitude is one indicator of a person's behavior or action. However, little is known about the factors that influence adolescent’s attitudes towards prevention of HIV/AIDS. The aim of this study was to establish the determinants of adolescents’ attitude towards prevention of HIV AIDS among adolescents. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 370 high school students in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS and involved univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: The internet and television were the major sources of information on reproductive health and HIV among the adolescents (98.9%) and (98.4%) respectively. The significant determinants of adolescents attitude towards HIV/AIDS prevention were the level of knowledge (p = 0.028) and self-efficacy (p = 0.034). Multivariate analysis showed that those respondents with positive self-efficacy were 1.6 times more likely to have a positive attitude towards HIV/AIDS prevention than those who had a negative self-efficacy. Programs which target mass media strategy for prevention can leverage the television and internet. Stakeholders can target on interventions that can improve adolescent’s self-efficacy so as to achieve HIV prevention goals. Keywords: Self-efficacy, Prevention of HIV/AIDS, Adolescents, Attitudes, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Estimating Utility value for Female Genital Mutilation
Authors: Alinia Cyrus , Piroozi Bakhtiar , Jahanbin Fariba , Safari Hossein , Mohamadi-Bolbanabad Amjad , Kazemi-Karyani Ali , Moradi Ghobad , Farhadifar Fariba , Ebrahimi Mohammad
Published: January 2020

Background: Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a clear violation of women's rights and can have adverse and irreversible health effects as well. Worldwide, more than 200 million women and girls have undergone FGM/C. Utility value of FGM/C has not been estimated yet, so we designed this study to extract the health utility value of FGM/C for the first time in the world. Methods: In a cross-sectional study in Iran, 125 girls and women who underwent FGM/C procedure were examined by the trained midwives in order to determine its type. In addition, a questionnaire was completed for identifying the socio -demographic factors and extracting the health utility of these individuals . Health utility was measured using Time Trade-off method and also to determine the effects of the socio -demographic factors on the health utility a two-limit censored regression model was applied. Findings : The mean and median of the health utility of women with FGM/C were 0.971 (SE: 0.003) and 0.968 (IQR: 1-0.95), respectively . Number of non-traders was 58 (46.4%) who reported perfect health utility. However, the mean of health utility among traders was 0.946 (SE: 0.002). Only type 1 (Clitoridectomy) and type 2 (Excision) FGM/C were seen in this study. Women with Type 1 FGM/C had significantly lower health utility value (Mean: 0.968, Median: 0.957) than their type 2 counterparts (Mean: 0.987, Median: 1.00). Moreover, women in the age group of 31-45 years (Mean: 0.962, Median: 0.956), single (Mean: 0.950, Median: 0.954), divorced (Mean: 0.951, Median: 0.950), employed (Mean: 0.959, Median: 0.956), and with supplementary insurance (Mean: 0.962, Median: 0.950) had significantly lower health utility than their counterparts . Conclusion: FGM/C affects physical and psychological well-being of these individuals, resulting in a lack of personal and marital satisfaction, which ultimately leads to a 3% reduction in their health related quality of life. Therefore, preventing from this practice is very important and should be considered by health system policy makers more than before .
The prevalence of ESBL and AmpC β-lactamases in uropathogenic isolates of Escherichia coli in a tertiary care hospital in Southwest Iran
Authors: Motamedifar Mohammad , Mohebi Samane , Hadadi Mahtab , Amirzadegan Hamideh
Published: January 2020

Objectives: The spread of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and AmpC β-lactamases (AmpC) in Escherichia coli ( E. coli) is an important public health concern and ESBL-producing bacteria are commonly reported in uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). The aim of this study is to determine the molecular detection of AmpC and ESBLs, among clinical E. coli isolated from inpatients who presented with symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI) in Shiraz, the southwest of Iran. Results: Among total 177 urinary isolates, the analysis showed that 46.3% of the isolates were ESBLs positive and that fifteen strains revealed the AmpC cluster genes. Among all ESBL-positive E. coli isolates, the CTX-M was the most prevalent ESBL type (68.2%), and in AmpC-positive isolates, fifteen isolates (88.2%) were positive for CITM cluster gene and two (11.7%) were positive for DHAM cluster gene. ACCM, FOXM , EBCM and MOXM cluster genes were not found in this study. Our findings revealed that the prevalence of AmpC β-lactamases is rising in Iran, leading to failure in treatment. Therefore, the current study recommended that accurate and precise methods and guidelines should be designed for detection of antibiotic-resistant mechanisms because it is very important for the treatment and prevention of such isolates.
Inferring an animal's environment through biologging: quantifying the environmental contribution to animal movement
Authors: Eikelboom Jasper A.J. , de Knegt Henrik J. , Klaver Maayke , Langevelde Frank van , Wal Tamme van der , Prins Herbert H.T.
Published: January 2020

Background: Animals respond to environmental variation by changing their movement in a multifaceted way. Recent advancements in biologging increasingly allow for detailed measurements of the multifaceted nature of movement, from descriptors of animal movement trajectories (e.g., using GPS) to descriptors of body part movements (e.g., using tri-axial accelerometers). Because this multivariate richness of movement data complicates inference on the environmental contribution to animal movement, studies generally use simplified movement descriptors in statistical analyses. However, doing so limits the inference on the environmental contribution to movement, as this requires that the multivariate richness of movement data can be fully considered in an analysis. Methods: We propose a data-driven analytic framework to quantify the environmental contribution to animal movement that can accommodate the multifaceted nature of animal movement. Instead of fitting the response of a simplified movement descriptor to a suite of environmental variables, our proposed framework centres on predicting an environmental variable from the full set of multivariate movement data, i.e., the reverse of the route of causal inference. The measure of fit of this prediction is taken to be the metric that quantifies how much of the environmental variation relates to the multivariate variation in animal movement. We demonstrate the usefulness of this framework through a case study about the contribution of grass availability and time since milking to cow movements using machine learning algorithms. Results: We show that on a one-hour timescale 37% of the variation in grass availability and 33% of time since milking contributed to cow movements. Grass availability contributed mostly to the cows’ neck movement during grazing, while time since milking contributed mostly to the movement through the landscape and the shared variation of accelerometer and GPS data (e.g., activity patterns). Furthermore, this framework proved to be insensitive to spurious correlations between environmental variables in quantifying the contribution to animal movement. Conclusions: Not only is our proposed framework well-suited to study the environmental contribution to animal movement; we argue that it can also be applied in any field that uses multivariate biologging data, e.g., animal physiology, to study the relationships between animals and their environment.
A programmable CRISPR/Cas9-based phage defense system for Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)
Authors: Liu Li , Zhao Dongdong , Ye Lijun , Zhan Tao , Xiong Bin , Hu Muzi , Bi Changhao , Zhang Xueli
Published: January 2020

Escherichia coli BL21 is arguably the most popular host for industrial production of proteins, and industrial fermentations are often plagued by phage infections. The CRISPR/Cas system is guided by a gRNA to cleave a specific DNA cassette, which can be developed into a highly efficient programable phage defense system. In this work, we constructed a CRISPR/Cas system targeting multiple positions on the genome of T7 phage and found that it increased the ability of BL21 to defend against phage infection. Furthermore, the targeted loci played a critical role. For better control of expression of CRISPR/Cas9, various modes were tested, and the OD of the optimized strain BL21(pT7cas9, pT7-3gRNA, prfp) after 4 hours of phage infection was significantly improved, reaching 2.0, which was similar to the control culture without phage infection. The viable cell count of the engineered strain in the presence of phage was only one order of magnitude lower than that of the strain with no infection, which further demonstrated the effectiveness of the CRISPR/Cas9 phage defense system. Finally, the engineered BL21 strain under phage attack expressed RFP protein at about 60% the rate of the un-infected control, which was significantly higher than the parent BL21. We successfully constructed a programable CRISPR/Cas9 system to increase the ability of E. coli BL21’s to defend against phage infection, and created a resistant protein expression host. This work provides a simple and feasible strategy for protecting industrial E. coli strains against phage infection.
Social support and subjective well-being among elderly Chinese empty-nester: Self-worth as a Mediator and self-reported health as a Moderator
Authors: Su Hong , Zhou Yuqiu , Cao Jianqin , Wang Haina
Published: January 2020

Purpose This study aimed to explore the relationship between social support, self-worth, self-reported health, and subjective well-being among the Chinese rural empty nest elderly, and whether self-worth and self-reported health affect these associations.Methods This cross-sectional study was performed from May 2017 to April 2018, the participants were 365 empty-nest elderly adults from rural areas of Chifeng City in Inner Mongolia. Data were collected with the General information questionnaire, Self-worth questionnaire for adults, Social Support Scale and Memorial University of New Found land Scale of Happiness. Structural equation modeling was used to test the mediation hypothesis. Bootstrapping was performed to confirm the mediation effect. Hayes’s SPSS-PROCESS was used for testing the moderating eﬀects.Results Self-worth showed significant correlations with social support, self-reported health and subjective well-being (all P<0.01).Bootstrapping indicated that the mediating role of self-worth was statistically significant. And self-reported health moderated the social support and subjective well-being association.Conclusions Self-worth and self-reported health are important targets for prevention and intervention for improving the subjective well-being of the rural empty-nest elderly.
Does Balancing Site Characteristics Result in Balanced Population Characteristics in a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial?
Authors: Stolzmann Kelly , Lew Robert , Miller Christopher J , Kim Bo , Wu Hongsheng , Bauer Mark S
Published: January 2020

BackgroundIntervention trials with nested designs seek to balance sites randomized regarding key site characteristics. Among the goals of such site-level balancing is to accrue patient-level equivalence among treatment arms. We investigated patient-level equivalence in a cluster randomized controlled trial, which balanced study waves on site-level characteristics.Methods The Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program - Collaborative Chronic Care Model project utilized a stepped wedge design to stagger implementation of an evidence-based team-oriented mental health patient management system at 9 Veteran Affairs Medical Centers. Study sites were balanced on eight site-level characteristics over time (3 balanced waves [consecutive time periods] with 3 sites per wave) to minimize trend. Sites were balanced on selected site-level characteristics but not on patient-level variables. We explored internal differences in patient demographics across the three study waves. Eligible patients had at least two visits to a participating mental health clinic in the prior year and did not have a diagnosis of dementia (n=5,596).Results We found modest but statistically significant inter-site differences in age, marital status, ethnicity, service-related disability, mental health hospitalizations, and selected diagnoses by study wave. Although many of the differences in patient demographics by study wave were statistically significant, only a few results were practically meaningful as measured by effect size. A bipolar diagnosis (49.0%, 21.0%, 17.0% in waves 1-3, respectively; Cramer’s V=.3124) and Hispanic ethnicity (2.9%, 29.6%, 2.0% in waves 1-3, respectively; Cramer’s V=.3949) resulted in differences that were considered a ‘moderate’ effect size. The number of patient characteristics that were both statistically and meaningfully different by study wave among all possible site assignments was comparable to the 34 most balanced site assignments identified in our balancing algorithm.Conclusions Using a balancing algorithm to reduce imbalance among site characteristics across time periods did not appear to negatively affect the balance of patient characteristics across sites over time. A site-level balancing algorithm that includes characteristics with a direct relationship to relevant patient-level factors may improve the overall balance across key elements of the study, and aide in the interpretation of results.
Association of Genetic Polymorphisms in Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α-308G/A) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6-174G/C and IL-6-634C/G) with lung cancer risk: a meta-analysis
Authors: Guo Yibo , Wang Xinshuai , Yuan Xiang , Liu Yiwen , Sun Wei , Gao Shegan
Published: January 2020

Background: Several studies have indicated an association between tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) or interleukin(IL)-6 gene polymorphisms and the risk of lung cancer. However, the conclusions remain controversial. The aim of this study is to examine the association of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6（IL-6） gene polymorphisms with the risk of developing lung cancer. Methods: We searched several electronic databases, including PubMed and Excerpt Medica Database (EMBASE). The effects of three polymorphisms, TNF-α-308G/A, IL-6-174G/C and IL-6-634C/G, were evaluated. The pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated by RevMan software. Heterogeneity was also assessed. Results: For a total of 17 studies involving 4,094 cases and 4,988 controls, were identified in this meta-analysis. Based on our results, we found an association between the TNF-α-308G/A polymorphism and lung cancer risk under the dominant model (GG+GA vs. AA, OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.40 to 0.89). For the IL-6-174G/C polymorphisms, the pooled ORs (95% CI) of GG/GC vs. CC, GG vs. GC/CC, GC vs. CC, and GG vs. CC were 1.22 (1.02 to 1.46), 1.22 (1.01 to 1.48), 1.22 (1.01 to 1.48), and 1.12 (0.87 to 1.44), respectively. For the IL-6-634C/G polymorphisms, the pooled ORs (95% CI) of CC/CG vs. GG, CC vs. CG/GG, and C vs. G were 1.04 (0.68 to 1.58), 0.69 (0.57 to 0.85), and 0.79 (0.67 to 0.93) respectively. Conclusions: The results of our analysis of these IL-6 polymorphisms revealed an association between IL-6 and lung cancer risk. This association, however, was not as strong as the association between TNF-α-308G/A polymorphisms and lung cancer risk. Because the current study was limited in sample size, further studies are needed to reveal more precise associations.
Mental health and psychosocial support for families of missing persons in Sri Lanka: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Andersen Ida , Poudyal Bhava , Abeypala Arundathi , Uriarte Carla , Rossi Rodolfo
Published: January 2020

BackgroundThe International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has developed its ‘Accompaniment model’ to address the multi-faceted needs of relatives of people who go missing during armed conflict. In Sri Lanka an Accompaniment Programme was launched in 2015 for the relatives of the more than 16,000 missing persons who remain unaccounted for. Method1,783 relatives who took part in the mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) component of the ICRC’s Accompaniment Programme in Sri Lanka between April 2016 and August 2017 were offered eight peer-support group sessions, individual home visits, referrals to local services, and commemoration events to pay tribute to their missing relatives. Symptoms of anxiety and depression (using the HADS scale), somatic distress (using the BSI scale) and daily functioning (ICRC scale) were assessed before and after the MHPSS intervention. ResultsPrior to receiving support, Tamil and Muslim ethnicity, ≥60 years of age and civilian status were predictors of severe symptoms of anxiety; Tamil ethnicity, ≥50 years of age and being the mother of a missing person were predictors of severe symptoms of depression; and ≥50 years of age and severe symptoms of anxiety and depression were predictors of severe somatic pain. After receiving support, the vast majority of the relatives of missing persons showed reduced levels of anxiety (81%), depression (79%) and somatic pain (77%), as well as increased functioning (75%). Predictors of improvement following support were severe levels of distress at baseline and Tamil and Muslim ethnicity. In addition, attending at least three group sessions was a predictor of decreased anxiety, age group 51-60 was a predictor of decreased depression, female gender was a predictor of decreased somatic distress, and referrals were a predictor of increased functioning. ConclusionThe MHPSS component of the ICRC’s Accompaniment Programme is a promising approach to helping families to cope with not knowing the fate and whereabouts of their missing relatives, to reduce distress, to break their social isolation and to resume more functional lives. However, further research is needed, possibly through a controlled trial, to better establish the effectiveness of this approach.
Unraveling city-specific signature and identifying sample origin locations for the data from CAMDA MetaSUB challenge
Authors: Zhang Runzhi , Walker Alejandro R. , Datta Susmita
Published: January 2020

BackgroundComposition of microbial communities can be location specific, and the different abundance of taxon within location could help us to unravel city-specific signature and predict the sample origin locations accurately. In this study, the whole genome shotgun (WGS) metagenomics data from samples across 16 cities around the world and samples from another 8 cities were provided as the main and mystery datasets respectively as the part of the CAMDA 2019 MetaSUB “Forensic Challenge”. The feature selection, normalization, three methods of machine learning, PCoA (Principal Coordinates Analysis) and ANCOM (Analysis of composition of microbiomes) were conducted for both the main and mystery datasets.ResultsFeature selection, combined with the machines learning methods, revealed that the combination of the common features was effective for predicting the origin of the samples. The average error rates of 11.6% and 30.0% of three machine learning methods were obtained for main and mystery datasets respectively. Using the samples from main dataset to predict the labels of samples from mystery dataset, nearly 89.98% of the test samples could be correctly labeled as “mystery” samples. PCoA showed that nearly 60% of the total variability of the data could be explained by the first two PCoA axes. Although many cities overlapped, the separation of some cities was found in PCoA. The results of ANCOM, combined with importance score from the Random Forest, indicated that the common “family”, “order” of the main-dataset and the common “order” of the mystery dataset provided the most efficient information for prediction respectively.ConclusionsThe results of the classification suggested that the composition of the microbiomes was distinctive across the cities, which was also supported by the results from ANCOM and importance score from the RF. The analysis utilized in this study can be of great help in field of forensic science to efficiently predict the origin of the samples. And the accurate of the prediction could be improved by more samples and better sequencing depth.
Sarcopenic is associated with hypertension in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Bai Tingting , Fang Fang , Li Feika , Ren Yan , Hu Jiaan , Cao Jiumei
Published: January 2020

BackgroundBoth sarcopenia and handgrip strength have been observed association with hypertension. However, the results in different studies were inconsistent. In the current study, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to reveal the association between sarcopenia, handgrip strength, and hypertension in older adults.MethodsPubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases were searched from inception to 15 November, 2019for original research studies. The studies that addressed the association between sarcopenia, handgrip strength, and hypertension were included and summarized.Results19 studies met the inclusion criteria and a total of 21301 were included in the meta-analysis. Eight eligible studiesreported the odd ratios (ORs) of hypertension and the ORs ranged from 0.41 to 4.38. When pooled the ORs together, the summarized ORs was 1.29 [95% confidence interval (CI) =1.00-1.67]. The summarized ORs for the Asian group 1.50 (95% CI=1.35-1.67) was significantly higher than that of Caucasian group 1.08 (95% CI=0.39-2.97). Eleven studies provided the data on association between handgrip strength and hypertension. The overall ORs and 95% CI was 0.99 (95% CI=0.80-1.23), showing no association.ConclusionSarcopenia was associated with hypertension but no correlation was found between handgrip strength and hypertension in older adults.
Multiplex tests for respiratory tract infections, direct utility of FilmArray respiratory panel in the emergency department
Authors: Yang Siyuan , Li Hui , Tang Yunxia , Yu Fengting , Ma Chengjie , Zhang Huimin , Pang Lin , Hongxin Zhao , Wang Linghang
Published: January 2020

BackgroundThe FilmArray respiratory panel with 20 targets for viral and atypical pathogens aimed at point of care tests, as multiplex tests for respiratory tract infections it has been widely used and verified in various clinical trials. The FilmArray respiratory panel (FilmArray RP) seems to be a reliable and rapid tool in special tests settings such as clinical laboratory, and it’s necessary to evaluate the panel’s performance in point of care directly with non-specific tests settings. MethodsIn this single-centre, open, observational study, we enrolled outpatients with respiratory tract infection from emergency department during 2016-2017 winter season, specimens from participants were detected using FilmArray RP. All steps including recruitment, collection of specimens and testing were performed by our clinical staff. The results of pathogens detected, clinical and demographic data were collected and analyzed. ResultsBetween October 2016 and May 2017, we enrolled 271 eligible patients, FilmArray RP was successful used in 270 patients: 196 (72.6 %) patients had been detected with one or more pathogens, 74 (27.4) patients got negative results; in the analysis of signal pathogen detected, influenza A virus had the highest rate of detection, and the rate in group ≤ 16 years, 16-49 years and ≥ 50 years was 22.8 %, 32.4 %, 31.1 % respectively; 45 (16.7 %) patients were co-detected with two or more respiratory pathogens, most multiplex pathogens were rhinovirus/enterovirus co-detected with Bordetella. pertussis (17.8 %). The outcomes provided by FilmArray RP had impact on the prescriptions of antimicrobials, there were difference in the rates of antibiotic prescriptions and anti-influenza prescriptions among patients with Flu A/B virus detected, non-Flu A/B virus pathogen detected and non-pathogen.ConclusionsThe performance of FilmArray RP using by clinical staffs was successfully implemented in emergency department for which is the first time in China. The multiplex diagnostic system significantly increased the rate of respiratory pathogens detected in diagnostic methods limited hospital. Despite this, FilmArray RP has a potential use as a tool for point of care testing in non-specific setting and operated by clinical staffs not in a laboratory.
Nosocomial outbreak of Aeromonas hydrophila surgical site infections after spinal surgery: Identification and control
Authors: Xiao Xiumei , Jiang Yu , Yang Xu , Zheng Jiajia , Guo Zhaoqing , Qi Qiang , Zeng Yan , Sun Chuiguo , Chen Zhongqiang , Cui Liyan , Li Weishi
Published: January 2020

Background: Aeromonas hydrophila surgical site infections (SSIs) were diagnosed in April 2017 in four patients who had received spinal surgery. We launched an outbreak investigation to identify the source, and accordingly, preventive and control measures were implemented. Methods: Environmental samples and samples from the healthcare providers were collected for microbiological analysis. The clonal relatedness of A. hydrophila strains was determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of one clinical A. hydrophila isolate (AE456) was performed using an Illumina NovaSeq PE150. Results: We identified eight case patients with SSIs due to A. hydrophila in orthopaedic ward 2 (three males; median age, 58 years). Strict infection control measures were adopted, particularly contact precautions and unit disinfection. We also identified A. hydrophila from water in a fish tank. PFGE and MLST revealed identical patterns and STs among the 10 clinical A. hydrophila strains (clone A, ST 517), which were different from those of the strains from the fish tank (clone B, ST518). WGS of isolate AE456 revealed the presence of cepS, cphA and blaOXA-12 genes encoding resistance to β-lactams. All patients recovered after antimicrobial therapy and/or surgical debridement. After removal of the fish tank, no new case occurred, and the outbreak was stopped.Conclusions: Aeromonas hydrophila is rare, but severe, pathogen in surgical infections and caused long hospital stay and physical suffering. Strict measures, including environmental disinfection and contact precautions, are needed to prevent infection outbreak after surgery.