bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating vibrations of viscoelastic fluid-conveying carbon nanotubes resting on viscoelastic foundation using a nonlocal fractional Timoshenko beam model
Authors: Faraji Oskouie M , Ansari R , Rouhi H
Published: June 2020

On the basis of fractional viscoelasticity, the size-dependent free-vibration response of viscoelastic carbon nanotubes conveying fluid and resting on viscoelastic foundation is studied in this article. To this end, a nonlocal Timoshenko beam model is developed in the context of fractional calculus. Hamilton’s principle is applied in order to obtain the fractional governing equations including nanoscale effects. The Kelvin–Voigt viscoelastic model is also used for the constitutive equations. The free-vibration problem is solved using two methods. In the first method, which is limited to the simply supported boundary conditions, the Galerkin technique is employed for discretizing the spatial variables and reducing the governing equations to a set of ordinary differential equations on the time domain. Then, the Duffing-type time-dependent equations including fractional derivatives are solved via fractional integrator transfer functions. In the second method, which can be utilized for carbon nanotubes with different types of boundary conditions, the generalized differential quadrature technique is used for discretizing the governing equations on spatial grids, whereas the finite difference technique is used on the time domain. In the results, the influences of nonlocality, geometrical parameters, fractional derivative orders, viscoelastic foundation, and fluid flow velocity on the time responses of carbon nanotubes are analyzed.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma–associated AA amyloidosis
Authors: Alves Patrícia , Góis Mário , Mendes Marco , Sousa Helena , Sousa João , Nolasco Fernando
Published: June 2020

Amyloidosis is a rare complication of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, almost exclusively of AL-type, AA-type amyloidosis secondary to non-Hodgkin lymphoma is extremely rare. We report a case of a 55-year-old woman diagnosed with follicular lymphoma that developed nephrotic proteinuria; further investigation confirmed the diagnosis of AA-type amyloidosis, and other long-term inflammatory disorders were excluded. Despite initiation of combined chemotherapy, there was no hematological response and kidney function and clinical condition continued to deteriorate. This case describes an unexpected association, AA-type amyloidosis secondary to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a condition with poor renal prognosis where treating the underlying disease is paramount.
Development of a composite friction modifier with carbon nanotubes for applications at the wheel–rail interface
Authors: Vélez Juan Camilo , Cornelio Jesús Antonio Carlos , Sierra Robinson Buitrago , Santa Juan Felipe , Hoyos-Palacio Lina Marcela , Nevshupa Roman , Toro Alejandro
Published: June 2020

Wear of wheels and rails is a major problem in railway transportation industry. Solid lubricants constitute a cost-efficient alternative to control wear and friction at the wheel–rail interface, especially when a fine-tuned balance between traction force and energy consumption is sought. In this work, composite friction modifiers (CFMs) composed of a vinyl ester matrix reinforced with molybdenum disulfide and carbon nanotubes were developed. The total solid additive content was less than a half in comparison with a commercial product available on the market, which was used as a reference. A benchmarking study of the CFM was carried out by means of tribological tests in a twin-disc machine at a contact pressure of 1.1 GPa and different slip values. The results indicated that the developed CFM reduce coefficient of traction by 10% compared to unlubricated conditions that is similar to the reference. However, the total mass loss of steel components due to wear under CFM lubrication was lower than in the reference test.
Obstructive sleep apnoea and cognitive decline in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Jorge Carmen , Targa Adriano , Benítez Iván David , Dakterzada Faride , Torres Gerard , Minguez Olga , Carnes Anna , Pujol Montse , Gibert Aurora , López Ricard , Gaeta Anna Michela , Dalmases Mireia , Farré Ramón , Sánchez-de-la-Torre Manuel , Barbé Ferran , Piñol-Ripoll Gerard
Published: June 2020

We evaluated the influence of untreated obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) on the magnitude of cognitive decline and on several cognitive subdomains in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

In this single-centre study, 144 patients were recruited prospectively from a cognitive impairment unit and underwent overnight polysomnography.

The mean±sdchange in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) score at 12 months was 3.19±5.61 in the non-OSA group and 0.08±5.62 in the OSA group, with an intergroup difference of −3.36 (95% CI 0.19–0.16; p=0.002). We did not observe a significant difference in any cognitive subdomains at 12 months. Regarding Mini-Mental State Examination scores at 36 months, the mean change was 1.69 (95% CI −1.26–4.64; p=0.445). No significant differences were found among different OSA severity groups.

We observed that ADAS-cog scores were better in the OSA group than in the non-OSA group by a statistically but not clinically significant margin. We did not find differences in the different cognitive subdomains after 1 year or in global cognition after 3 years of follow-up.
Deriving stratified effects from joint models investigating gene-environment interactions
Authors: Laville Vincent , Majarian Timothy , de Vries Paul S. , Bentley Amy R. , Feitosa Mary F. , Sung Yun J. , Rao D. C. , Manning Alisa , Aschard Hugues ,   on behalf of the CHARGE Gene-Lifestyle Interactions Working Group
Published: June 2020

Background

Models including an interaction term and performing a joint test of SNP and/or interaction effect are often used to discover Gene-Environment (GxE) interactions. When the environmental exposure is a binary variable, analyses from exposure-stratified models which consist of estimating genetic effect in unexposed and exposed individuals separately can be of interest. In large-scale consortia focusing on GxE interactions in which only the joint test has been performed, it may be challenging to get summary statistics from both exposure-stratified and marginal (i.e not accounting for interaction) models.

Results

In this work, we developed a simple framework to estimate summary statistics in each stratum of a binary exposure and in the marginal model using summary statistics from the “joint” model. We performed simulation studies to assess our estimators’ accuracy and examined potential sources of bias, such as correlation between genotype and exposure and differing phenotypic variances within exposure strata. Results from these simulations highlight the high theoretical accuracy of our estimators and yield insights into the impact of potential sources of bias. We then applied our methods to real data and demonstrate our estimators’ retained accuracy after filtering SNPs by sample size to mitigate potential bias.

Conclusions

These analyses demonstrated the accuracy of our method in estimating both stratified and marginal summary statistics from a joint model of gene-environment interaction. In addition to facilitating the interpretation of GxE screenings, this work could be used to guide further functional analyses. We provide a user-friendly Python script to apply this strategy to real datasets. The Python script and documentation are available at https://gitlab.pasteur.fr/statistical-genetics/j2s.
Hap10: reconstructing accurate and long polyploid haplotypes using linked reads
Authors: Majidian Sina , Kahaei Mohammad Hossein , de Ridder Dick
Published: June 2020

Background

Haplotype information is essential for many genetic and genomic analyses, including genotype-phenotype associations in human, animals and plants. Haplotype assembly is a method for reconstructing haplotypes from DNA sequencing reads. By the advent of new sequencing technologies, new algorithms are needed to ensure long and accurate haplotypes. While a few linked-read haplotype assembly algorithms are available for diploid genomes, to the best of our knowledge, no algorithms have yet been proposed for polyploids specifically exploiting linked reads.

Results

The first haplotyping algorithm designed for linked reads generated from a polyploid genome is presented, built on a typical short-read haplotyping method, SDhaP. Using the input aligned reads and called variants, the haplotype-relevant information is extracted. Next, reads with the same barcodes are combined to produce molecule-specific fragments. Then, these fragments are clustered into strongly connected components which are then used as input of a haplotype assembly core in order to estimate accurate and long haplotypes.

Conclusions

Hap10 is a novel algorithm for haplotype assembly of polyploid genomes using linked reads. The performance of the algorithms is evaluated in a number of simulation scenarios and its applicability is demonstrated on a real dataset of sweet potato.
Genome-wide profiling of host-encoded circular RNAs highlights their potential role during the Japanese encephalitis virus-induced neuroinflammatory response
Authors: Li Yunchuan , Ashraf Usama , Chen Zheng , Zhou Dengyuan , Imran Muhammad , Ye Jing , Chen Huanchun , Cao Shengbo
Published: June 2020

Background

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is one of the common causes of acute encephalitis in humans. Japanese encephalitis is characterized by the uncontrolled release of inflammatory cytokines, which ultimately results in neuronal cell damage. In recent years, with the advancement of high-throughput sequencing technology, studies have shown that circRNAs, by competing with endogenous miRNAs, play a vital role in the pathology of CNS diseases. However, it is unknown whether circRNAs participate in JEV-induced neuroinflammation.

Results

By employing Illumina RNA-sequencing, we identified 180 circRNAs and 58 miRNAs that showed significant differential expression in JEV-infected mice brain tissues. The functional enrichment analyses revealed that these differentially regulated circRNAs were predominantly related to neurotransmission, histone modifications, transcription misregulation, and inflammation-associated calcium signaling pathway. Our established competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) interaction network suggested the correlation of several circRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs in regulating the inflammatory response during JEV infection. Among the predicted interactions, the correlation between circ_0000220, miR-326-3p, and BCL3/MK2/TRIM25 mRNAs was experimentally validated by knockdown or overexpression of the non-coding RNA entities in cultured mouse microglia. The knockdown of circ_0000220 or overexpression of miR-326-3p caused a lower production of JEV-induced inflammatory cytokines.

Conclusions

Conclusively, our study provides new insights into the host response to JEV infection and proposes the circRNA-targeting therapeutic interventions to rein in Japanese encephalitis.
Cold priming uncouples light- and cold-regulation of gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Bittner Andras , van Buer Jörn , Baier Margarete
Published: June 2020

Background

The majority of stress-sensitive genes responds to cold and high light in the same direction, if plants face the stresses for the first time. As shown recently for a small selection of genes of the core environmental stress response cluster, pre-treatment ofArabidopsis thalianawith a 24 h long 4 °C cold stimulus modifies cold regulation of gene expression for up to a week at 20 °C, although the primary cold effects are reverted within the first 24 h. Such memory-based regulation is called priming. Here, we analyse the effect of 24 h cold priming on cold regulation of gene expression on a transcriptome-wide scale and investigate if and how cold priming affects light regulation of gene expression.

Results

Cold-priming affected cold and excess light regulation of a small subset of genes. In contrast to the strong gene co-regulation observed upon cold and light stress in non-primed plants, most priming-sensitive genes were regulated in a stressor-specific manner in cold-primed plant. Furthermore, almost as much genes were inversely regulated as co-regulated by a 24 h long 4 °C cold treatment and exposure to heat-filtered high light (800 μmol quanta m− 2 s− 1). Gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed that cold priming preferentially supports expression of genes involved in the defence against plant pathogens upon cold triggering. The regulation took place on the cost of the expression of genes involved in growth regulation and transport. On the contrary, cold priming resulted in stronger expression of genes regulating metabolism and development and weaker expression of defence genes in response to high light triggering. qPCR with independently cultivated and treated replicates confirmed the trends observed in the RNASeq guide experiment.

Conclusion

A 24 h long priming cold stimulus activates a several days lasting stress memory that controls cold and light regulation of gene expression and adjusts growth and defence regulation in a stressor-specific manner.
Conversion of I-gel to definitive airway in a cervical immobilized manikin: Aintree intubation catheter vs long endotracheal tube
Authors: Chae Yun Jeong , Lee Heirim , Jun Bokyeong , Yi In Kyong
Published: June 2020

Background

After prehospital insertion of i-gel, a popular supraglottic airway (SGA), fiberoptic-guided intubation through i-gel is often required to switch the i-gel to a definitive airway for anticipated difficult airway. The Aintree intubation catheter (AIC) was developed for this purpose yet it requires many procedural steps during which maintenance of adequate ventilation is difficult. We custom-made a long endotracheal tube (LET) which may facilitate this procedure and compared the efficacy of the AIC and LET in a cervical immobilized manikin.

Methods

In this 2 × 2 crossover manikin-based trial, 20 anaesthesiologists and residents performed both methods in random order. Total intubation time, fiberoptic time, and procedure time were recorded. The ease of insertion, procedure failure rate, difficulty score, and participants’ preference were recorded.

Results

Total intubation time was significantly shorter for the LET than the AIC group (70.8 ± 16.4 s vs 94.0 ± 28.4 s,P = 0.001). The procedure time was significantly shorter in the LET group (51.9 ± 13.8 s vs 76.5 ± 25.4 s,P <  0.001). The ease of insertion score was lower, i.e., easier, in the AIC than the LET group (2.0 [1.0–2.75] vs 1.0 [1.0–1.0],P <  0.001). Fiberoptic time (19.0 ± 6.9 s vs 17.5 ± 12.3 s) and subjective difficulty (4.0 [3.0–6.0] vs 4.0 [3.0–5.75]) were similar between groups. Fourteen participants preferred the LET method (70%) due to its fewer procedural steps.

Conclusions

LET resulted in a shorter intubation time than the AIC during fiberoptic-guided intubation through the i-gel, possibly due to the less procedural steps compared to AIC.

Trial registration

NCT03645174(ClinicalTrials.gov, Aug 22, 2018).
A phase 2b/3b MenACWY-TT study of long-term antibody persistence after primary vaccination and immunogenicity and safety of a booster dose in individuals aged 11 through 55 years
Authors: Borja-Tabora Charissa Fay Corazon , Peyrani Paula , Webber Chris , Van der Wielen Marie , Cheuvart Brigitte , De Schrevel Nathalie , Bianco Veronique , Aris Emmanuel , Cutler Mark , Li Ping , Perez John L.
Published: June 2020

Background

A previous phase 2 study demonstrated the immunogenicity of a single dose of meningococcal A, C, W, Y-tetanus toxoid conjugate (MenACWY-TT) or polysaccharide (MenACWY-PS) vaccine for up to 5 years in individuals aged 11–55 years. This follow-up study evaluated long-term antibody persistence up to 10 years and the immunogenicity and safety of a single MenACWY-TT booster dose given 10 years after primary vaccination.

Methods

Blood draws were conducted annually in Years 7–10. At Year 10, all subjects received a MenACWY-TT booster dose. Blood was drawn at 1 month and safety data were collected ≤6 months postbooster. Study endpoints included immunogenicity during the persistence phase (primary), and immunogenicity and safety during the booster phase (secondary). Statistical analyses were descriptive.

Results

A total of 311 subjects were enrolled in the persistence phase (MenACWY-TT, 235; MenACWY-PS, 76); 220 were enrolled in the booster phase (MenACWY-TT, 164; MenACWY-PS, 56). Descriptive analyses indicated that at Years 7–10, the percentages of subjects achieving serum bactericidal antibody assay using baby rabbit complement (rSBA) titers ≥1:8 and ≥1:128 were higher for serogroups A, W, and Y in the MenACWY-TT versus MenACWY-PS group; percentages were similar across groups for serogroup C. rSBA geometric mean titers (GMTs) for serogroups A, W, and Y were higher in the MenACWY-TT group and slightly higher in the MenACWY-PS group for serogroup C. One month postbooster, all primary MenACWY-TT and ≥98.1% of primary MenACWY-PS recipients had rSBA titers ≥1:8. For all serogroups, rSBA GMTs postbooster were higher in the MenACWY-TT versus MenACWY-PS group. Most local and general reactogenicity events were similar between groups and mild to moderate in severity. Adverse events at 1 month postbooster were 9.1% for the MenACWY-TT and 3.6% for the MenACWY-PS groups; all were nonserious.

Conclusions

Immune responses to a single MenACWY-TT primary dose administered at age 11–55 years persisted in >70% of individuals evaluated at Years 7–10. A MenACWY-TT booster dose administered at Year 10 was safe and immunogenic with no new safety signals observed. These results provide important insights regarding long-term protection from primary vaccination and the benefits of booster dosing.

Trial registration

Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01934140. Registered September 2013.
Evaluation of superficial femoral artery-lesions after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty: color-coded summation images vs. monochromatic digital subtraction angiography
Authors: Augustin Anne Marie , Thein Irina , Rickert Nicole , Klink Thorsten , Bley Thorsten Alexander , Kickuth Ralph
Published: June 2020

Background

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is increasingly requested in the therapy of peripheral arterial occlusive disease. The evaluation of the technical result after balloon angioplasty with regard to bailout stenting is highly dependent on the operators´ subjective assessment and mainly based on the monochromatic digital subtraction angiography (DSA) images. The aim of this study was to compare color-coded single image as a novel diagnostic tool with monochromatic DSA for the analysis of flow limitation and need for stent implantation after PTA of superficial femoral artery (SFA) stenoses.

Methods

During a period of 18 months, 213 SFA lesions were treated by PTA with a standard balloon in 170 patients, resulting in a total of 193 endovascular procedures. The median age of the patients was 77 years (range, 35–96 years). Median length of the treated lesions was 10.5 cm (range, 1.0–50 cm). Three interventional radiologists retrospectively evaluated the results of balloon angioplasty with monochromatic as well as post-processed color-coded DSA images for flow limitations to decide if subsequent stent implantation was necessary. Consensus reading of two experienced interventional radiologists 2 months after the initial review served as reference standard to perform a receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis.

Results

ROC analysis for readers A, B and C showed area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.797, 0.865 and 0.804 for color-coded DSA and AUC values of 0.792, 0.843 and 0.872 for monochromatic DSA: a significant advantage of color-coded over conventional monochromatic DSA was not found for readers A and B (p > 0.05). Results of reader C were significantly better in the assessment of monochromatic images (p = 0.023). Diagnostic confidence using color-coded images was slightly higher than in monochromatic images (κ = 0.486 vs. κ = 0.459).

Conclusions

In this study, color coded DSA did not reveal to be superior to conventional monochromatic DSA when evaluating results of PTA and when deciding whether stent implantation is necessary or not. This technology, however, requires further experiences with special regard to homogeneously trained radiologists and to the time requirement.
Mutation analysis of 419 family and prenatal diagnosis of 339 cases of spinal muscular atrophy in China
Authors: Sun Yingjie , Kong Xiangdong , Zhao Zhenhua , Zhao Xuechao
Published: June 2020

Background

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a common and lethal autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease caused by mutations in the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene. At present, gene therapy medicine for SMA, i.e., Spinraza (Nusinersen), has been approved by the FDA, bringing hope to SMA patients and families. Accurate diagnosis is essential for treatment. Our goal was to detect genetic mutations in SMA patients in China and to show the results of the prenatal diagnosis of SMA.

Methods

In this study, we examined 419 patients in our hospital from January 2010 to September 2019. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification analysis was used to determine the copy numbers of SMN1 and SMN2. Long-range PCR combined with nested PCR was used to detect point mutations in SMN1. In addition to the above detection methods, we also used QF-PCR in prenatal diagnosis to reduce the impact of maternal contamination. We conducted a total of 339 prenatal diagnoses from January 2010 to September 2019.

Results

Homozygous deletion of SMN1 exon 7 was detected in 96.40% (404/419) of patients. Homozygous deletion of SMN1 exon 7 alone was detected in 15 patients (3.60%). In total, 10 point mutations were detected in the 15 pedigrees. Most patients with SMA Type I have 1 ~ 2 copies of the SMN2 gene. Patients with SMA Type II have 2 or 3 copies of the SMN2 gene. The results of prenatal diagnoses showed that 118 fetuses were normal, 149 fetuses were carriers of heterozygous variants, and the remaining 72 fetuses harbored compound heterozygous variants or homozygous variants.

Conclusions

Our study found that the most common mutation in SMA was homozygous deletion of SMN1 exon 7 in our study. We suggest that detecting only the deletion of exon 7 of SMN1 can meet most of the screening needs. We also believe that SMN2 copy numbers can help infer the disease classification and provide some reference for future treatment options.
Suppression of Mig-6 overcomes the acquired EGFR-TKI resistance of lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Kang Da Hyun , Jung Sung Soo , Yeo Min-Kyung , Lee Da Hye , Yoo Geon , Cho Sang Yeon , Oh In-Jae , Kim Ju-Ock , Park Hee Sun , Chung Chaeuk , Lee Jeong Eun
Published: June 2020

Background

The resistance of lung cancer to epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) is one of the unconquered frontiers in chemotherapy. Mitogen-inducible gene 6 (Mig-6) is known to inhibit the kinase activity of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Similarly, numerous studies of mouse models suggested tumor suppressive function of Mig-6 in lung cancer. On the contrary, the results of clinical investigations revealed that lung cancer patients with elevated expression of Mig-6 are associated with a poor prognosis. More recent work showed that unlike wild type (WT) EGFR, mutant EGFR phosphorylates Mig-6 and phosphorylated Mig-6 negatively regulates the degradation of EGFR mutants in lung adenocarcinoma. Here, we tried to untangle the controversies surrounding Mig-6 function as a protagonist or an antagonist of EGFR-TKI resistant lung cancer.

Methods

We compared the expression and phosphorylation status of Mig-6 in the EGFR-TKI resistant lung adenocarcinoma (PC9/GR cells) to EGFR-TKI sensitive lung adenocarcinoma (PC9 cells). We investigated the function of Mig-6 by either depletion or overexpression of Mig-6 in those cells and evaluated the efficacy of combining of Mig-6 knock-down and EGFR-TKI treatment in PC9/GR. The correlation between Mig-6 expressions and the prognoses of lung adenocarcinoma was examined by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data and clinical samples.

Results

Our results indicated that the expression of Mig-6 was significantly increased in PC9/GR cells compared to that of PC9 cells. The significant portion of Mig-6 existed as a phosphorylated form in PC9 and PC9/GR cells. Moreover, overexpression of Mig-6 significantly increased the cell proliferation, invasion and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in PC9 cells. Combination of Mig-6 knock-down and EGFR-TKI treatment significantly overcame the EGFR-TKI resistance of PC9/GR cells. In addition, our analyses of clinical samples confirmed that high Mig-6 expressions positively correlate with a poor prognosis and EGFR-TKI resistance in lung adenocarcinoma.

Conclusion

Our findings reinforce scientific notion of Mig-6 as an oncoprotein in the context of EGFR-TKI resistant lung adenocarcinoma. We propose that targeting Mig-6 may be a promising strategy to overcome the EGFR-TKI resistance in lung cancer.
Immune landscape of human prostate cancer: immune evasion mechanisms and biomarkers for personalized immunotherapy
Authors: Bou-Dargham Mayassa J. , Sha Linlin , Sang Qing-Xiang Amy , Zhang Jinfeng
Published: June 2020

Background

Despite recent advances in cancer immunotherapy, the efficacy of these therapies for the treatment of human prostate cancer patients is low due to the complex immune evasion mechanisms (IEMs) of prostate cancer and the lack of predictive biomarkers for patient responses.

Methods

To understand the IEMs in prostate cancer and apply such understanding to the design of personalized immunotherapies, we analyzed the RNA-seq data for prostate adenocarcinoma from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) using a combination of biclustering, differential expression analysis, immune cell typing, and machine learning methods.

Results

The integrative analysis identified eight clusters with different IEM combinations and predictive biomarkers for each immune evasion cluster. Prostate tumors employ different combinations of IEMs. The majority of prostate cancer patients were identified with immunological ignorance (89.8%), upregulated cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) (58.8%), and upregulated decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) (51.6%). Among patients with immunologic ignorance, 41.4% displayed upregulated DcR3 expression, 43.26% had upregulated CTLA4, and 11.4% had a combination of all three mechanisms. Since upregulated programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and/or CTLA4 often co-occur with other IEMs, these results provide a plausible explanation for the failure of immune checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy for prostate cancer.

Conclusion

These findings indicate that human prostate cancer specimens are mostly immunologically cold tumors that do not respond well to mono-immunotherapy. With such identified biomarkers, more precise treatment strategies can be developed to improve therapeutic efficacy through a greater understanding of a patient’s immune evasion mechanisms.
Correlation of binocular refractive error and calculation of intraocular Lens power for the second eye
Authors: Zhang Pengcheng , Yang Yuhuan , Yan Hong , Zhang Jie , Yan Weijia
Published: June 2020

Background

Reducing refractive error has always been a tricky problem. The aim of this study was to verify the correlation between binocular refractive error (RE) after sequential cataract surgery and explore an individualized calculation method of intraocular lens (IOL) for the second eye.

Methods

This was a prospective study. One hundred eighty-eight affected eyes in 94 age-related cataract patients who underwent sequential cataract surgery in the Department of Ophthalmology, Tangdu Hospital, China, were recruited. Complete case data were included for a correlation analysis of binocular RE. Data obtained in patients with RE values greater than 0.50 diopters (D) in the first eye were extracted and the patients divided randomly into two groups: Group A and B. In the adjustment group, group A, we modified the IOL power for the second eyes as 50% of the RE of the first eye. In group B, the control group, there was no modification. The mean absolute refractive error (MARE) values of the second eyes were evaluated one month after surgery.

Results

The correlation coefficient of the binocular RE after sequential cataract surgery was 0.760 (P < 0.001). After the IOL power of the second eyes was adjusted, the MARE of the second eyes was 0.57 ± 0.41 D, while the MARE of the first eyes was 1.18 ± 0.85 D, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Binocular REs were positively correlated after sequential cataract surgery. The RE of the second eye can be reduced by adjusting the IOL power based on 50% of the postoperative RE of the first eye.
General practice patients starting treatment for substance use problems: observations from two data sources across levels of care
Authors: Boffin Nicole , Antoine Jerome , Van Baelen Luk , Moreels Sarah , Doggen Kris
Published: June 2020

Background

In Belgium, the incidence of treatment episodes for substance use problems is monitored by the Network of Sentinel General Practices (SGP), and at higher, specialist care levels by the Treatment Demand Indicator (TDI) surveillance. Using both data sources, we examine 1) how patients starting specialist treatment for substance use problems on referral by their GP compare to those that were referred by non-GP caregivers; 2) how patients starting GP treatment for substance use problems without receiving concurrent specialist treatment compare to those who did.

Methods

Both surveillances are based on the TDI protocol for reporting data to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) on individuals starting treatment as a result of their substance use. Data from 2016 and 2017 were examined using 95% confidence intervals and multivariate logistic regression.

Results

According to TDI-data (n = 16,543), determinants of being referred by a GP (versus by a non-GP caregiver) for specialist treatment were age ≥ median (OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.13–1.38), education ≥ secondary level (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.15–1.41), recent employment (OR 1.71; 1.56–1.88), recent stable accommodation (3.62; 95% CI 3.08–4.26), first treatment episode (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.57–1.87), recent daily primary substance use (OR 1.46; 95% CI 1.33–1.59) and mono substance use (OR 1.23; 95% CI 1.04–1.48). Type of substance use was a significant determinant with higher odds of using pharmaceuticals (and alcohol) (OR 1.24; 95% CI 1.04–1.48), and lower odds of using cannabis only/primarily (OR 0.73; 95% CI 0.62–0.86), with reference to street drugs minus cannabis only/primarily. According to SGP data (n = 314), determinants of starting GP treatment without concurrent specialist treatment were recent employment (OR 2.58; 95% CI 1.36–4.91), first treatment episode (OR 2.78; 95% CI 1.39–5.55) and living in the Brussels or Walloon region (OR 1.97; 95% CI 1.06–3.66).

Conclusions

This study provides a useful insight into the general practice population treated for substance use problems. It shows that both surveillances consistently found a relatively favourable profile of general practice patients with substance use problems.
Data driven decision making to characterize clinical personas of parents of children with cystic fibrosis: a mixed methods study
Authors: Szczesniak Rhonda D. , Pestian Teresa , Duan Leo L. , Li Dan , Stamper Sophia , Ferrara Brycen , Kramer Elizabeth , Clancy John P. , Grossoehme Daniel
Published: June 2020

Background

Beginning at a young age, children with cystic fibrosis (CF) embark on demanding care regimens that pose challenges to parents. We examined the extent to which clinical, demographic and psychosocial features inform patterns of adherence to pulmonary therapies and how these patterns can be used to develop clinical personas, defined as aspects of adherence barriers that are presented by parents and/or perceived by clinicians, in order to enhance personalized CF care delivery.

Methods

We undertook an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study consisting of i) multivariate clustering to create clusters corresponding to parental adherence patterns (quantitative phase); ii) parental participant interviews to create clinical personas interpreted from clustering (qualitative phase). Clinical, demographic and psychosocial features were used in supervised clustering against clinical endpoints, which included adherence to airway clearance and aerosolized medications and self-efficacy score, which was used as a feature for modeling adherence. Clinical implications were developed for each persona by combing quantitative and qualitative data (integration phase).

Results

The quantitative phase showed that the 87 parent participants were segmented into three distinct patterns of adherence based on use of aerosolized medication and practice of airway clearance. Patterns were primarily influenced by self-efficacy, distance to CF care center and child BMI percentile. The two key patterns that emerged for the self-efficacy model were most heavily influenced by distance to CF care center and child BMI percentile. Eight clinical personas were developed in the qualitative phase from parent and clinician participant feedback of latent components from these models. Findings from the integration phase include recommendations to overcome specific challenges with maintaining treatment regimens and increasing support from social networks.

Conclusions

Adherence patterns from multivariate models and resulting parent personas with their corresponding clinical implications have utility as clinical decision support tools and capabilities for tailoring intervention study designs that promote adherence.
Characteristics and health related quality of life in a population with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a cross-sectional study
Authors: Bove D. G. , Lavesen M. , Lindegaard B.
Published: June 2020

Background

It is important to understand the total burden of COPD and thereby be able to identify patients who need more intensive palliative care to avoid deteriorated quality of life. The aim of this study was to describe the psychosocial and demographic characteristics of a population with advanced COPD in a stable phase of the disease.

Methods

This study was cross-sectional based on a prospective observational cohort. The following questionnaires were administered: Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ), The COPD Assessment Test (CAT), The Hospital and Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), The Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale (MRC), and self-rate general health.

Results

We included 242 patients with advanced COPD from a Danish pulmonary outpatient clinic. Their mean FEV1was 38% (±12.7) and 19% were treated with long term oxygen. The mean CRQ domain score was CRQ-dyspnea 4.21 (±1.4), CRQ-Mastery 4.88 (±1.3), CRQ-Emotional 4.81 (±1.2), CRQ-Fatigue 3.93 (±1.3). The mean CAT-score was 18.4 (± 6.7), and 44% had a CAT score > 20. The mean score on the subscale for anxiety (HADS-A) and depression (HADS-D) was 5.07 (±3.9) and 5.77 (±3.9), respectively. Thirty percent self-rated their health as bad or very bad and 19.8% were current smokers.

Conclusions

This study describes the characteristics of a population with advanced COPD in a stable phase of their disease. Our results illustrate how the population although treated in an outpatient structure already focusing on palliative needs, still live with unmet palliative needs and impaired quality of life.
Could the connectedness of primary health care workers involved in social networks affect their job burnout? A cross-sectional study in six counties, Central China
Authors: Mao Yiqing , Fu Hang , Feng Zhanchun , Feng Da , Chen Xiaoyu , Yang Jian , Li Yuanqing
Published: June 2020

Background

This study aimed to reveal the effects of the connectedness of primary health care (PHC) workers in social networks on their job burnout.

Methods

Cross-sectional survey data of rural PHC workers in China were analyzed. A total of 663 respondents were enrolled. Chi-square and cumulative logistic regression were used to determine the effects of the connectedness of PHC workers in social networks on their job burnout.

Results

PHC workers in rural China had high levels of emotional exhaustion (24.1%), depersonalization (15.7%), and lack of personal accomplishment (34.7%). More than half of the participants were in the middle connectedness level in terms of their advisory (70.4%) and friendship (70.3%) networks. The degree of emotional exhaustion seemed to increase when participants had a low connectedness in their friendship networks (β = 0.769, 95% CI = 0.080–1.458, P = 0.029). Respondents with the middle level of connectedness in advisory networks had higher levels of depersonalization (β = 0.739, 95% CI = 0.130–1.348, P = 0.017) and lack of personal accomplishment (β = 0.583, 95% CI = 0.111–1.055, P = 0.015) than those with the high degree of connectedness in advisory networks.

Conclusions

The connectedness of PHC workers in social networks influenced their job burnout. Thus, organizations should establish an informal communication platform and information feedback mechanism, promote and manage friendship networks, and help PHC workers overcome emotional exhaustion. Managers should also encourage individuals with a high level of connectedness in advisory networks play the role of “opinion leader” so that they can help others mitigate burnout.
The cirrhosis care Alberta (CCAB) protocol: implementing an evidence-based best practice order set for the management of liver cirrhosis - a hybrid type I effectiveness-implementation trial
Authors: Carbonneau Michelle , Eboreime Ejemai Amaize , Hyde Ashley , Campbell-Scherer Denise , Faris Peter , Gramlich Leah , Tsuyuki Ross T. , Congly Stephen E. , Shaheen Abdel Aziz , Sadler Matthew , Zeman Marilyn , Spiers Jude , Abraldes Juan G. , Sugars Benjamin , Sia Winnie , Green Lee , Abdellatif Dalia , Schaefer Jeffrey P. , Selvarajah Vijeyakumar , Marr Kaleb , Ryan David , Westra Yolande , Bakshi Neeja , Varghese Jayant C. , Tandon Puneeta
Published: June 2020

Background

Liver cirrhosis is a leading cause of morbidity, premature mortality and acute care utilization in patients with digestive disease. In the province of Alberta, hospital readmission rates for patients with cirrhosis are estimated at 44% at 90 days. For hospitalized patients, multiple care gaps exist, the most notable stemming from i) the lack of a structured approach to best practice care for cirrhosis complications, ii) the lack of a structured approach to broader health needs and iii) suboptimal preparation for transition of care into the community. Cirrhosis Care Alberta (CCAB) is a 4-year multi-component pragmatic trial which aims to address these gaps. The proposed intervention is initiated at the time of hospitalization through implementation of a clinical information system embedded electronic order set for delivering evidence-based best practices under real-world conditions. The overarching objective of the CCAB trial is to demonstrate effectiveness and implementation feasibility for use of the order set in routine patient care within eight hospital sites in Alberta.

Methods

A mixed methods hybrid type I effectiveness-implementation design will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the order set intervention. The primary outcome is a reduction in 90-day cumulative length of stay. Implementation outcomes such as reach, adoption, fidelity and maintenance will also be evaluated alongside other patient and service outcomes such as readmission rates, quality of care and cost-effectiveness. This theory-based trial will be guided by Normalization Process Theory, Consolidated Framework on Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Reach-Effectiveness-Adoption-Implementation-Maintenance (RE-AIM) Framework.

Discussion

The CCAB project is unique in its breadth, both in the comprehensiveness of the multi-component order set and also for the breadth of its roll-out. Lessons learned will ultimately inform the feasibility and effectiveness of this approach in “real-world” conditions as well as adoption and adaptation of these best practices within the rest of Alberta, other provinces in Canada, and beyond.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04149223, November 4, 2019.
Occurrence, risk factors and genotypes of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in dogs and cats in Guangzhou, southern China: high genotype diversity and zoonotic concern
Authors: Wang Haiyan , Lin Xuhui , Sun Yongxiang , Qi Nanshan , Lv Minna , Xiao Wenwan , Chen Yuancai , Xiang Ruiping , Sun Mingfei , Zhang Longxian
Published: June 2020

Background

Enterocytozoon bieneusi, a common opportunistic fungal pathogen, has a wide range of hosts. Limited epidemiological data on E. bieneusi intestinal infections in companion animals (dogs and cats) in China exists. In this study, fecal samples (651 from dogs and 389 from cats) in Guangzhou city, Guangdong Province, China, were collected, and the ribosomal internal transcribed (ITS) spacer region from the DNA extracted from them was Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-amplified and sequenced.

Results

Based on the sequencing data, E. bieneusi was identified in the fecal samples collected from 149 (22.9%) and 79 (20.3%) dogs and cats. Of the factors investigated, poor living conditions appeared to be the major risk factor for contracting the pathogen. Eleven E. bieneusi genotypes, six known (PtEb IX, GD1, D, CD9, EbpC, I) and five novel (designated here as GD2– GD6), were found in dogs. Eight genotypes, six known (PtEb IX, GD1, D, CD9, EbpC, Type IV) and two novel (GD2 and GC1), were identified in cats. Genotype PtEb IX was most common in both dogs and cats, followed by genotype GD1.

Conclusions

Although PtEb IX was the most common E. bieneusi genotype in dogs, this is the first report of this genotype dominating in cats. The same genotype distribution of the pathogen between the two different companion animals species in the same geographic area indicates that inter-species transmission is probable. The widespread existence of zoonotic E. bieneusi genotypes (D, EbpC, Type IV) in companion animals indicates that they are potential sources of environmental contamination and infections in humans.
Measuring spatial accessibility and within-province disparities in accessibility to county hospitals in Shaanxi Province of Western China based on web mapping navigation data
Authors: Shen Chi , Zhou Zhongliang , Lai Sha , Lu Li , Dong Wanyue , Su Min , Zhang Jian , Wang Xinyu , Deng Qiwei , Chen Yaru , Chen Xi
Published: June 2020

Background

The Chinese government proposed the “XIAO BING BU CHU CUN, DA BING BU CHU XIAN” initiative in 2016, which states the rate of health care service provided by county hospitals should reach 90% of overall health care service provision. The prerequisite for achieving this goal is that citizens should be able to access county hospitals’ services conveniently and impartially. However, little research has been done on the actual levels of the spatial accessibility of citizens to county hospitals in Western China. Therefore, we aimed to measure the spatial accessibility to county hospitals for county residents and to identify any regional disparities in Shaanxi Province in Western China.

Methods

We implemented a novel method – involving utilizing navigation data from the AutoNavi web mapping system (knows as Gaode map in Chinese) – to assess the time and distance from villages and neighborhoods to the county hospitals. The navigation data were collected by request through an application-programming-interface using a web crawler (web data extraction tool) in Python. The shortest driving time and distance were extracted from the navigation data. The travel impedance to the nearest provider (TINP) indicator was used to measure spatial accessibility.

Results

The results show that county residents in Western China’s Shaanxi Province have poor spatial accessibility to county hospitals. Only 68.8% of villages and neighborhoods are within 60 min travel time (based on driving mode) to a county hospital, while 13.4% of such villages and neighborhoods are beyond 90 min travel time. Moreover, a significant within-province disparity exists, with residents in the central area enjoying the best accessibility to county hospitals, while the northern and southern areas still need improvements in accessibility.

Conclusions

Focused health resource planning is required to improve the spatial accessibility to county hospitals and to eliminate regional disparities. Further studies are called for to integrate the navigation data of web mapping systems with GIS methods to the measure spatial accessibility of health facilities in more complex contexts.
Organoid technology in female reproductive biomedicine
Authors: Heidari-Khoei Heidar , Esfandiari Fereshteh , Hajari Mohammad Amin , Ghorbaninejad Zeynab , Piryaei Abbas , Baharvand Hossein
Published: June 2020

Recent developments in organoid technology are revolutionizing our knowledge about the biology, physiology, and function of various organs. Female reproductive biology and medicine also benefit from this technology. Organoids recapitulate features of different reproductive organs including the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, as well as trophoblasts. The genetic stability of organoids and long-lasting commitment to their tissue of origin during long-term culture makes them attractive substitutes for animal and in vitro models. Despite current limitations, organoids offer a promising platform to address fundamental questions regarding the reproductive system’s physiology and pathology. They provide a human source to harness stem cells for regenerative medicine, heal damaged epithelia in specific diseases, and study biological processes in healthy and pathological conditions. The combination of male and female reproductive organoids with other technologies, such as microfluidics technology, would enable scientists to create a multi-organoid-on-a-chip platform for the next step to human-on-a-chip platforms for clinical applications, drug discovery, and toxicology studies. The present review discusses recent advances in producing organoid models of reproductive organs and highlights their applications, as well as technical challenges and future directions.