bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Timing of the recent migration and intensification of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds
Authors: Tetzner Dieter , Allen Claire , Thomas Elizabeth , Wolff Eric , Franzke Christian
Published: April 2023

The Southern Hemisphere Westerly winds are a key component of the global climate system, driving ocean circulation, air-sea gas exchange and changes in Antarctic mass balance that are directly linked to global mean sea levels. In recent decades, the westerly winds have strengthened and migrated south, attributed to greenhouse gas emissions and stratospheric ozone depletion. However, the onset and acceleration of both these drivers is coincident with the onset of the instrumental record, thus, hindering our ability to determine the true onset of the shifting wind regime, how rapidly the transition occurred and the significance of the recent trends. Here we present a novel wind reconstruction based on marine diatoms preserved in an Antarctic Peninsula ice core, providing a unique record of westerly winds across the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. The annually resolved record provides clear evidence that a southward migration of the wind belt occurred in the mid-1960s, coupled with a prolonged strengthening trend. The poleward migration and intensification of the winds is unprecedented in the context of the past 140 years and coincident with the anthropogenically induced increase in greenhouse gases and ozone depletion.
Polymorphism in maternal HLA-DRB5 is associated with the risk of preeclampsia in Chinese population
Authors: Xu Chenhong , Zhou Lu , Fang Qiongfang , Liu Yinglin , Yang Jielin , Luo Lijun , Li Sichun , Guo Peiyu , Niu Yifei , Deng Wenxin , Wu Xueqing , Hu Yueming , Sun Ming-an , Ni Dong , Wang Yejun
Published: April 2023

Background:Preeclampsia is an important clinical syndrome occurring during pregnancy. It shows genetic disposition, and the genetic risk has large ethnic heterogeneity. The study was designed to investigate the genetic risk of preeclampsia in Chinese pregnancies, and to apply it in early screening of the disease.Methods:We performed a genome-wide association study to screen candidate risk loci associated with preeclampsia in Chinese people, and validated them with an independent cohort of enlarged size. We also trained prediction models using the genotypes of newly identified risk loci to screen the pregnancies with high preeclampsia risk.Results:A segment in chromosome 6 coveringHLA-DQB1,HLA-DRB5and other immune-related genes shows the most significant association, and three loci inHLA-DRB5were confirmed with an enlarged validation cohort. One of the validated loci, rs147440497, forms an amino acid change by the nucleotide polymorphism, which further causes a conformational change in the antigen-binding domain of HLA-DRB5 protein. With the genotypes of risk genetic loci and other demographic features, a machine-learning model was trained, which can predict Chinese preeclampsia pregnancies accurately, with a cross-validated recalling rate of 0.63 at a false positive rate of 8%.Conclusion:We identified a novel gene from maternal genome,HLA-DRB5, the polymorphism in which is associated with preeclampsia. The genotypes of risk SNP loci can also be used for prediction of preeclampsia risk in Chinese population accurately.
Thyroid-related Adverse Events Caused by Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Associated with Therapeutic Outcomes in Cancer Patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Wei Yuhao , Yun Hong , Zhou Xueyan , Wang Hang , Zhao Rui , Ma Xuelei
Published: April 2023

Introduction: The development of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) marked a revolutionary milestone in the immunotherapy of cancers. Although ICIs have shown survival benefits and potential clinical prospects, these drugs also triggered a myriad of autoimmune side effects, termed immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Notably, thyroid-related adverse events (AEs) are one of the most common immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in immunotherapy, also frequently with the clinical consequences for the patients. It need a consequent analysis to tell the difference between the general thyrotoxicosis and the thyroid irAEs. As the association between side effects caused by ICIs and survival outcomes of cancer patients remains unknown, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the thyroid-related AEs and ICI effects on the prognosis of cancer patients.
Material and method: The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the effect of thyroid irAEs on the prognosis of cancer patients treated with ICIs. A literature search of published articles related to thyroid-related AEs in patients with ICI therapy was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Medline on May 2, 2022. Revman software were used to assess the quality or risk of bias of included studies, and Stata software for the effect size measures to be pooled. The hazard ratios (HR) were used to assess the correlation between thyroid-related AEs and the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) with ICI therapy. Subgroup analyses were performed for the impact of thyroid-related AEs by a type of cancer and a PD-(L)1 monotherapy. Heterogeneity and publication bias were also assessed by Begg’s funnel plot.
Result: A total of 28 studies and 29 cohorts comprising 17058 patients were included in this meta-analysis. All the studies are low level in the risk of bias and have over 50 cases in the sample sizes. Compared to the non-irAEs in the thyroid, the occurrence of thyroid-related AEs was significantly related to improved OS (HR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.44-0.60; P < 0.01) and PFS (HR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.47-0.66; P < 0.01). In addition, our subgroup analysis suggested that patients with NSCLC had a better survival benefit in terms of OS (HR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.35–0.48; P <0.01) and PFS (HR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.49–0.66; P <0.01) when treated with ICI therapy when developing thyroid-related AEs. Under the PD-(L)1 monotherapy, it also showed a better OS and PFS of patients with different cancers or a single NSCLC.
Conclusion: The results indicated a significant correlation between thyroid-related AEs and improved survival outcomes for cancer patients with ICI therapy, especially for NSCLC. However melanoma have not shown a positive relation with the occurrence of thyroid irAEs. For other malignances, thyroid-related AEs might be a predictive factor for ICI efficacy.
Single center cross-sectional survey and prognostic risk factors analysis of sepsis complicated with ARDS based on “Berlin definition”
Authors: Tong Yiqing , Shen Lulu , Zhang Jianming , Fu Yimu , Wu Wei
Published: April 2023

Objective:To investigate the prognostic risk factors for sepsis complicated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) based on the Berlin definition.
Methods: A total of 152 patients with sepsis complicated with ARDS admitted to the intensive care unit of our hospital from June 2016 to August 2017 were enrolled. According to the in-hospital clinical outcome, they were divided into death group (n=113) and survival group (n=39). The general characteristics, medical history, treatment and blood biochemical indexes of the two groups were collected. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors of death in these patients. The nomogram prediction model of inpatient death was constructed, and the prediction value of this model was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.
Results: There were obvious differences in the survival group and death group with regard to total hospital stay, APACHE II score, ARDS lung infection, concurrent diseases, fluid accumulation unbalance within 72 hours of admission, type of sepsis, number of organ failure, tracheotomy, blood purification, and coagulation dysfunction (P< 0.05). Prominent differences were examined in the levels of laboratory indexes of albumin and urea between the two groups (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that APACHE II score, ARDS pulmonary infection, unbalance of fluid accumulation 72 hours after admission, organ failure number and coagulation dysfunction were independent risk factors for death in sepsis patients with ARDS, and blood purification was protective factor (P < 0.05). The findings of ROC curve illustrated that the area under the curve of the nomogram for forecasting in-hospital death in patients with sepsis and ARDS was 0.822 (95% CI 0.712-0.899), with a sensitivity of 80.25% and a specificity of 75.26%.
Conclusion: The prognosis of sepsis ARDS is poor and the mortality rate is extremely high. Active prevention should be taken to improve the cure rate of ARDS. Early use of blood purification and other rescue measures can help reduce the mortality rate of patients with sepsis complicated by ARDS.
Refugees’ experiences of healthcare in IRAN: A qualitative study
Authors: Mohseni Roghayeh , danaei Leila , Sakour Mahsa , Bazrafkan Leila , Shokrpour Nasrin , Shahraki Zahra Davari
Published: April 2023

Quality of life is referred to as the trend of social issues such as consumption, income, education, housing, and health and medical care. However, this is less common in the lives of immigrants in the 21st century. We aimed to examine the quality of life from the participants' perspective based on the lived experiences of the refugees living in the UN camp in Sarvestan, Iran. In this qualitative content analysis study, in-depth and semi-structured interviews with 15 residents of the Afghan camp were performed. Data analysis yielded 415 open codes, and three issues appeared. Level 3 or the main challenges were achieved in 3 levels: quality of life, quality of services, and obstacles and shortcomings. Sub-topics related to the quality of life included health, security, tranquility, economic status, social acceptance, and education. Sub-issues related to service quality in various forms include comprehensiveness of service, accessibility, usefulness, and appropriateness. Sub-topics related to obstacles included financial deficiencies, social barriers, and cultural-ethnic problems. The immigrants' demands for improving the quality of life included providing services to high-risk groups of refugees, continuing the education of the youth and adolescents, providing necessary equipment and settings for health and culture, and improving the employment status.
Anthropomorphic or Not? Uncovering the Effectiveness of Anthropomorphic Communication on Country-of-Origin Stereotypes: Insights from Evoked Psychological Elements
Authors: Bai Shizhen , Zhang Wei , Chu Lingyun
Published: April 2023

Country-of-Origin (COO) stereotypes influence people's choice to choose brands, with the development of social media, taking interactive communication with consumers is a crucial reference for brand promotion. Anthropomorphic communication enhances the interaction between brands and consumers, this study aims to research on the feasibility and validity of anthropomorphism on COO stereotypes for brand promotion in international competitions. Experiment results indicate that the strategy of using anthropomorphic communication in social media environment has positive effects for emerging economies, but not the same for developed countries; The perceived level of social presence moderates the main relationship between anthropomorphic communication and COO stereotypes, high social presence attenuate the effectiveness of anthropomorphismon COO stereotypes. As the same, the influence of anthropomorphism is effective and feasible only when consumers' mindset is global in emerging economies. The theoretical model in this paper is a useful supplement to the existing achievements of anthropomorphism and COO stereotypes, it provides a reference for enterprises in emerging economies to use anthropomorphic strategies accurately to reduce COO stereotypes so as to improving their international competitiveness, it also gives suggestions to companies in developed countries adopting anthropomorphic communication strategies cautiously.
Testosterone treatment reveals marked sex differences in song diversity and syllable syntax in adult canaries
Authors: Santos Ednei B. dos , Ball Gregory F. , Logue David M , Cornil Charlotte A , Balthazart Jacques
Published: April 2023

Background. Behavioral sex differences are widespread in the animal world. These differences can be qualitative (i.e., behavior present in one sex but not the other, a true sex dimorphism) or quantitative (behavior is present at a higher rate or quality in one sex compared to the other). Singing in oscine songbirds is associated with both types of differences. In canaries, female rarely sing spontaneously but they can be induced to do so by treatments with steroids. Song in these females is however not fully masculinized and exhibits relatively subtle differences in quality as compared with male song. We analyzed here sex differences in syllable content and syllable use between singing male and female canaries.
Methods. Songs were recorded from 3 groups of castrated male and 3 groups of photoregressed female canaries that had received Silastic™ implants filled with testosterone (T), with T plus estradiol (E2), or left empty (control). After 6 weeks of hormone treatment, 30 songs were recorded from each of the 47 subjects. Songs were segmented and each syllable was annotated. Various metrics of syllable diversity were extracted and network analysis was employed to characterize syllable sequences.
Results. Male and female songs were characterized by marked sex differences related to syllable use. Compared to females, males had a larger syllable type repertoire and their songs contained more syllable types. Network analysis of syllable sequences showed that males follow more fixed patterns of syllable transitions than females. Both sexes however produced song of the same duration containing the same number of syllables produced at similar rates (numbers per second).
Conclusions. Under the influence of T canaries of both sexes are able to produce generally similar vocalizations that nevertheless differ in specific ways. The development of song during ontogeny appears to be a very sophisticated process that is presumably based on genetic and endocrine mechanisms but also on specific learning processes. These data highlight the importance of detailed behavioral analyses in order to identify the many dimensions of a behavior that can differ between males and females.
Psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the Elderly- Constipation Impact Scale: A translation and validation study
Authors: Zheng Chen , Yang Zhen , Kong Linghui , Gao Ziyun , Lu Tingting , Zhang Huijun
Published: April 2023

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to translate the Elderly-Constipation Impact Scale into Chinese and to examine its reliability and validity in a population of older people suffering from chronic constipation.MethodsA total of 564 elderly chronically constipated patients were recruited for this study. The general information questionnaire and the Chinese version of the Elderly-Constipation Impact Scale (E-CIS) were used to survey them. The reliability of the Chinese questionnaire is assessed by internal consistency, split-half reliability, and retest reliability. Content validity indicators and structural validity indicators were used to assess the validity of the scale.ResultsThe Chinese version of the Constipation Impact Scale for the Elderly has an appropriate level of reliability. The split-half reliability is 0.736 and the stability is 0. 763. The content validity and structural validity indicators are within reasonable limits.ConclusionThe Chinese version of the E-CIS has good reliability and validity in the chronic constipation population of the elderly. The results of the questionnaire can effectively and comprehensively reflect the impact of chronic constipation on the quality of life of the elderly. It provides a meaningful reference for identifying targets for intervention.
Protein language models can capture protein quaternary state
Authors: Avraham Orly , Tsaban Tomer , Ben-Aharon Ziv , Tsaban Linoy , Schueler-Furman Ora
Published: April 2023

Background:
Determining a protein’s quaternary state, i.e. the number of monomers in a functional unit, is a critical step in protein characterization. Many proteins form multimers for their activity, and over 50% are estimated to naturally form homomultimers. Experimental quaternary state determination can be challenging and require extensive work. To complement these efforts, a number of computational tools have been developed for quaternary state prediction, often utilizing experimentally validated structural information. Recently, dramatic advances have been made in the field of deep learning for predicting protein structure and other characteristics. Protein language models, such as ESM-2, that apply computational natural-language models to proteins successfully capture secondary structure, protein cell localization and other characteristics, from a single sequence. Here we hypothesize that information about the protein quaternary state may be contained within protein sequences as well, allowing us to benefit from these novel approaches in the context of quaternary state prediction.
Results:
We generated ESM-2 embeddings for a large dataset of proteins with quaternary state labels from the curated QSbio dataset. We trained a model for quaternary state classification and assessed it on a non-overlapping set of distinct folds (ECOD family level). Our model, named QUEEN (QUaternary state prediction using dEEp learNing), performs worse than approaches that include information from solved crystal structures. However, it successfully learned to distinguish multimers from monomers, and predicts the specific quaternary state with moderate success, better than simple sequence similarity-based annotation transfer. Our results demonstrate that complex, quaternary state related information is included in such embeddings.
Conclusions:
QUEEN is the first to investigate the power of embeddings for the prediction of the quaternary state of proteins. As such, it lays out strengths as well as limitations of a sequence-based protein language model approach, compared to structure-based approaches. Since it does not require any structural information and is fast, we anticipate that it will be of wide use both for in-depth investigation of specific systems, as well as for studies of large sets of protein sequences. A simple colab implementation is available at:
https://colab.research.google.com/github/Orly-A/QUEEN_prediction/blob/main/QUEEN_prediction_notebook.ipynb.
A duct design for reducing corrosion
Authors: Shimada Michiya
Published: April 2023

Liquid metals corrode structure materials in fusion, fission, and spallation application. A duct strongly cooled on the outside surface is proposed to mitigate or eliminate the corrosion problem. A solid metal layer formed between the cool duct (Tduct<Tmelt) and the liquid metal could serve as an interface to protect the duct from corrosion.
Development of new c-Met inhibitors and application of corresponding multi target tyrosine kinase inhibitors in tumor therapy
Authors: Zeng Xiangcong , Hu Yuanwen , Xu Zhi , Wu Xiaoyu , Xiong Yun , Liu Shengpeng
Published: April 2023

With the continuous progress of the times, lung cancer has gradually emerged in people's lives, which has a significant impact on human health. Tumor targeting is mainly used to treat specific abnormal targets in human tumor cells or tissues, and eliminate tumor cell specific lesions by blocking signal and metabolic pathways. In this article, we developed a new type of c-Met inhibitor, and analyzed its application in tumor therapy together with a multi target tyrosine kinase inhibitor. In this experiment, six compounds were screened, one of which was used as a positive control to evaluate the kinase inhibitory activity of candidate compounds. In this test, the dilution concentration grade, dilution gradient grade and porosity are taken as the dependent variables of each compound, and different results are obtained by adjusting each factor. The detection of c-Met kinase activity showed that c-Met inhibitors showed good kinase inhibitory activity. The results of inhibitory activity test showed that SIPI6931 compound on EGFR, KDR, c-Met kinase showed weak inhibitory activity, and had strong tolerance to SNU-5 cells combined with SIPI6931 compound cell activity. In this paper, the combination of new c-Met inhibitors and multi target tyrosine kinase inhibitors has greatly promoted the development of tumor therapy.
COVID-19-related Adolescent Mortality and Morbidity in nineteen European countries
Authors: CORTES JESUS DAVID DAVID , AGUIAR PEDRO , Ferrinho Paulo
Published: April 2023

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents in most countries experienced a syndemic of malnutrition, obesity, deprivation, mental health problems, inequalities, and the effects of climate change. Today, other factors have added to this burden during the pandemic, and it's important a reflection on their relationship with mortality and morbidity. Three double models were fitted to analyze the relationship between different factors with the number of diagnosed cases and deaths. The 1a and 1b use a multiple Poisson regression. The 2a and 2b are optimized models that use the same variables as prior models but with backward selection with a p-value <0.05 as the limit. Finally, the 3a and 3b models (backward stepwise multivariable Poisson regression) include the variable "fully vaccinated." All models used the at-risk population (15-19 years or total population) as a regression covariate ( Increased Access to quality healthcare (IRR 0.68; CI 0.55-0.84), increased private sector involvement (IRR 0.86; CI 0.82-0.90), Gini coefficient (IRR 0.93; CI 0.88-0.99), and full vaccination (IRR 0.94; CI 0.90-0.99), represent protective factors of COVID-19 mortality in this population Being fully vaccinated and having Access to quality medical care are protective factors against COVID-19 mortality in this age group. Interestingly, the more Pollution, the greater the risk of dying from COVID-19. We stress the great importance of coordination between the public and private sectors to address crises such as the current one.
Safety and efficacy of biological agents in the treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
Authors: Chan Justin , Puri Prianka , Jiang Simon H , Walters Giles D
Published: April 2023

Background: To determine the safety and efficacy of biological agents used in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in adults.
Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines
Data sources: MEDLINE (through Pubmed), EMBASE, Cochrane library, Clinicaltrials.gov, Australianclinicaltrials.gov.au, ANZCTR.org.au and WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform for studies published from 20 May 2021 and 15 years prior. A grey literature search was performed and completed on 31 May 2021.
Study criteria: Phase II, III or quasi randomised controlled trials, studies with only cerebral or cutaneous lupus were excluded. Data extraction: Two authors independently screened studies for eligibility, extracted, reviewed data for accuracy, and used the Cochrane tool to assess risk of bias.
Results: 44 studies were identified, consisting of 15 groups of drugs and 25 different biological agents, totalling 16889 patients. The main outcomes assessed included Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Responder Index (SRI), BILAG-Based Composite Lupus Assessment (BICLA) and combined combined/partial renal remission (CRR/PRR).
Four groups of biologics were found to improve outcomes. Anti-interferons: Anifrolumab increased BICLA response and SRI 5 to 8, decreased prednisone dosages, with increased herpes zoster infections, but fewer serious adverse events. Sifalimumab improved SRI but also increased herpes zoster infections. Anti BAFF/BLyS and/or APRIL: Belimumab consistently improved SRI 4, decreased prednisone dosages, increased combined CRR/PRR, and had no adverse safety outcomes. Tabalumab increased SRI 5 at 52 weeks with no steroid sparing effect but was associated with increased infusion related adverse events. Telitacicept improved SRI 4 at 52 weeks, with no increased adverse events, though data was rather sparse. Anti CD-20 monoclonal antibody, Obinutuzumab increased combined CRR/PRR at 1 and 2 years. Anti IL12/23 monoclonal antibody, Ustekinumab, increased SRI 4 to 6, but not BICLA at 24 weeks, with no concerning safety outcomes.
Conclusion: Multiple biologic agents are shown in high quality studies to have a significant therapeutic impact on outcomes in SLE.
Homozygosity mapping in the Kazakh national dog breed Tazy
Authors: Perfilyeva Anastassiya , Bespalova Kira , Bespalov Sergey , Begmanova Мamura , Kuzovleva Yelena , Vishnyakova Olga , Nazarenko Inna , Abylkassymova Gulnar , Perfilyeva Yuliya , Plakhov Konstantin , Bekmanov Bakhytzhan , Djansugurova Leyla
Published: April 2023

The identification of runs of homozygosity (ROH) is an informative approach to assessing the history and possible patterns of directional selection pressure. To our knowledge, the present study is the first to provide an overview of the ROH pattern in the Kazakh national dog breed Tazy from a genome-wide perspective. A total of 1699 homozygous segments were identified in 39 Tazy dogs. The ROH consisted mainly of shorter segments (1-2 Mb), which accounted for approximately 67% of the total ROH. The estimated inbreeding coefficients of the ROH ranged from 0.028 to 0.058 with a mean of 0.057. Five hot genomic regions were identified on chromosomes 18, 22, and 25 that overlapped with regions of hunting traits in other hunting breeds. Among the 12 candidate genes located in these regions, the gene CAB39L may be a candidate that affects running speed and endurance of the Tazy dog. Eight genes could belong to an evolutionarily conserved complex as they were clustered in a large protein network with strong linkages. The results may enable effective interventions when incorporated into conservation planning and selection of the Tazy breed.
Imaging 3D Chemistry at 1 nm Resolution with Fused Multi-Modal Electron Tomography
Authors: Hovden Robert , Schwartz Jonathan , Di Zichao , Jiang Yi , Manassa Jason , Pietryga Jacob , Qian Yiwen , Cho Min , Rowell Jonathan , Zheng Huihuo , Robinson Richard , Gu Junsi , Kirilin Alexey , Rozeveld Steve , Ercius Peter , Fessler Jeffrey , Xu Ting , Scott Mary
Published: April 2023

Measuring the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of chemistry in nanoscale matter is a longstanding challenge for metrological science. The inelastic scattering events required for 3D chemical imaging are too rare, requiring high beam exposure that destroys the specimen before an experiment completes. Even larger doses are required to achieve high resolution. Thus, chemical mapping in 3D has been unachievable except at lower resolution with the most radiation-hard materials. Here, high-resolution 3D chemical imaging is achieved near or below one nanometer resolution in a Au-Fe3O4 metamaterial, Co3O4 - Mn3O4 core-shell nanocrystals, and ZnS-Cu0.64S0.36 nanomaterial using fused multi-modal electron tomography. Multi-modal data fusion enables high-resolution chemical tomography often with 99% less dose by linking information encoded within both elastic (HAADF) and inelastic (EDX / EELS) signals. Now sub-nanometer 3D resolution of chemistry is measurable for a broad class of geometrically and compositionally complex materials.
Analysis of prognosis in different subtypes of invasive lobular carcinoma using the Japanese National Cancer Database-Breast Cancer Registry
Authors: Adachi Yayoi , Asaga Sota , Kumamaru Hiraku , Kinugawa Naoko , Sagara Yasuaki , Niikura Naoki , Jinno Hiromitsu , Saji Shigehira , Toi Masakazu
Published: April 2023

Purpose Many studies have shown that the prognosis of invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is better than that of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). However, both disorders exhibit different prognoses according to molecular subtype, and the prognosis of ILC subtypes might depend on their hormone receptor positivity rate. This study clarified the prognosis of ILC and IDC in each subtype and examined the effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) in luminal ILC.Methods We planned the analysis using data from the Breast Cancer Registry in Japan. Because it was presumed that there are differences in characteristics between ILC and IDC, we created matched cohorts using exact matching to compare their prognoses. We compared the prognosis of ILC and IDC for each subtype. We also compared the prognosis of luminal ILC between the CT and non-CT groups.Results For all subtypes, the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of ILC were poorer than those of IDC. In the analysis by each subtype, no statistically significant difference was found in DFS and OS in luminal human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2), HER2, and triple-negative cohorts; however, luminal ILC had significantly poorer DFS and OS than luminal IDC. The CT effects on the prognosis of luminal ILC were greater in more advanced cases.Conclusion Luminal ILC had a poorer prognosis than luminal IDC, contributing to the worse prognosis of ILC than that of IDC in the overall cohort. Different therapeutic approaches from luminal IDC are essential for a better prognosis of luminal ILC.
Pediatrician and parental evaluation of child neurodevelopment at 2 years of age
Authors: Segre Giulia , Clavenna Antonio , Roberti Elisa , Scarpellini Francesca , Cartabia Massimo , Pandolfini Chiara , Tessarollo Valeria , Costantino Ilaria , Bonati Maurizio
Published: April 2023

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of a shared approach combining the clinical expertise of family pediatricians and parents' perspectives in identifying potential disorders in children using standard clinical practice tools.
Methods: Within the NASCITA birth cohort, in addition to the family pediatrician’s clinical evaluation, the M-CHAT-R was completed by parents to assess the child’s language, social skills, behavior, and sensory areas. Parents were also asked to complete the PSI-SF to verify the magnitude of stress in the parent-child system. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the association between child and parental characteristics and the presence of warning signs.
Results: The follow-up assessment was completed for 435 infants: 69 (15.8%) presented warning signs: 43 in the pediatrician’s assessment and 36 in the M-CHAT-R (10 in both). A total of 16 children (14 with warning signs) received a diagnosis after a specialist evaluation.
Being male (OR=2.42, 95%CI: 1.20-4.86) and having sleep disorders (OR=2.48, 95% CI 1.19-5.71) was associated with a greater likelihood of warning signs in the multivariate analysis, while reading aloud was a protective factor (not exposed versus exposed (OR=3.14; 95% CI 1.60-6.17).
For 73 children (18.4%), at least one parent tested positive for PSI-SF. An increased prevalence of parental distress was observed in children with warning signs (OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.27-4.37).
Conclusions: Integrating physician and parental perspectives during well-child visits and in clinical practice appears feasible and can improve the identification of children at risk of developmental disorders.
Deep learning application to automatic classification of recommendations made by hospital pharmacists during drug prescription review
Authors: Alkanj Ahmad , Godet Julien , Johns Erin , Gourieux Bénédicte , Michel Bruno
Published: April 2023

Purpose: Recommendations to improve therapeutics (Recos) are proposals made by pharmacists during the prescription review process to address sub-optimal use of medicines. In hospitals, Recos are generated daily as text documents that are sent to prescribers. If collected Recos data were easier and less time-consuming to summarize, they could be used retrospectively to improve safeguards for better prescribing.
The objective of this work was to train a deep learning algorithm for automatic Recos classification in order to value the large amount of Recos data.
Methods: The study was conducted at the University Hospital of Strasbourg. Recos data were collected throughout 2017. Data from the first six months of 2017 were labeled by two pharmacists who assigned to each of the Recos one of the 29 possible classes of the French Society of Clinical Pharmacy classification. A deep neural network classifier was trained to predict the class of Recos from the raw text data.
Results: 27,699 labeled Recos from the first half of 2017 were used to train and evaluate a classifier. The prediction accuracy calculated on a validation data set was 78.0%. We predicted classes for the unlabeled Recos collected during the second half of 2017. Of the 4,460 predictions reviewed, 67 required corrections. After these additional labeled data were concatenated with the original data set and the neural network re-trained, accuracy reached 81.0 %.
Conclusions: We report an efficient automatic classification of Recos. Making retrospective prescription review data easier to understand should enable better anticipation of prescription-related problems in future prescriptions, thereby improving patient safety.
Bioequivalence study of two lidocaine patches formulation in healthy Chinese subjects: the randomized, single-center, open-label, single-dose, 2-way 2-period crossover study
Authors: Wang Liu , He Xiaoai , Zhu Gangzhi , Han Shengnan , Peng Hui , Tong Mei , Xu Lang , Kang Xiaofei , Wang Hongdan , Yan Zhidong , Wang Junlong , Ni Na
Published: April 2023

Background: (1) To evaluate the bioequivalence between test and reference formulations of lidocaine patches and to assess their pharmacokinetic (PK, Cmax and AUC) in healthy Chinese subjects. (2) To evaluate the noninferiority between test and reference formulations of lidocaine patches and to assess their average adhesion score in healthy Chinese subjects. (3) To evaluate the skin irritation and safety between test and reference formulations of lidocaine patches in healthy Chinese subjects.
Method: A randomized, single-center, open-label, single-dose, 2-way 2-period crossover study was conducted in healthy Chinese subjects. Test lidocaine patches (T, continuous application for 12h with 3 dosage units) or reference lidocaine patches (R) were randomly given to subjects with an administration sequence of T-R, or R-T, while each single administration was followed by a 3-day washout period. The plasma concertation and corresponding PK parameters of lidocaine were calculated using the non-compartment model of Phoenix WinNonlin8.2. Bioequivalence, adhesion score and safety were analyzed by SAS9.4.
Results: A total of 30 subjects were randomized and 29 subjects completed with the samples collected. The 90% CI and the GM ratio for Cmax, AUC0-t and AUC0-∞, respectively, were 108.07% (101.29%, 115.29%), 105.27% (99.85%, 110.98%), and 105.16% (99.77%, 110.83%) within the range of 80-125%. Adhesion scores were 0 under all period evaluated as noninferiority, and skin irritation was showing no difference between T and R. The incidence of AEs and drug-related AEs were similar between T and R (p＞0.05) and no serious AE occurred during the study.
Conclusions: T and R were bioequivalent, well tolerated, and no difference in adhesion and skin irritation.
Mitral valve replacement using a collar-reinforced mitral prosthesis for severe mitral annular calcification, which secures implantation in both the supra-annular and intra- atrial positions: A case report
Authors: Morishita Atsushi , Tomioka Hideyuki , Katahira Seiichiro , Hoshino Takeshi , Hanzawa Kazuhiko
Published: April 2023

Background: Appropriate management of mitral annular calcification associated with mitral valve surgery must be determined on a case-by-case basis. However, an established procedure remains uncertain.
Case presentation: This report describes a surgical case of severe mitral and aortic valve stenosis associated with severe mitral annular calcification in a 71-year-old woman who underwent mitral valve replacement with a collar-reinforced mitral prosthesis. The patient underwent surgical repair after the treatment for heart failure. As the present patient was deemed to be at high risk for conventional mitral valve replacement, we applied a composite prosthetic valve that was enlarged circumferentially on the ventricular side of the prosthesis with a bovine pericardial patch. First, the solid calcium bar was left untouched and only the friable calcified mass that was easily scattered was removed. Subsequently, the prosthesis was secured by two mattress sutures placed in the intra-atrial position at the region of the extended calcified myocardium. Additionally, ten mattress sutures were placed in the supra-annular position at the other regions capable of passing stitches from the ventricular side to the atrial side. Finally, a 1.5 cm wide trimmed bovine pericardial collar was sutured circumferentially from the annulus to the atrial wall using running 4-0 polypropylene for reinforcement. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient remained asymptomatic.
Conclusions: The present case suggests that mitral valve replacement using a collar-reinforced mitral prosthesis may be an effective technique for severe mitral annular calcification. To avoid catastrophic complications associated with treatment for severely calcified annulus, it is crucial to make a prudent preoperative decision regarding the surgical strategy under circumstances where conventional mitral valve replacement is impossible.
Shigellosis: A Potential Missed Diarrhea among Patients Attending Kashere General Hospital
Authors: Dahiru Musa , Hassan A. , Aliyu Habiba U.
Published: April 2023

Background Diarrheal diseases are a major public health concern globally and the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children in Africa and most other developing countries. Children between the ages of five and below are particularly at high risk of diarrheal diseases. Rural areas in Nigeria are particularly vulnerable to diarrheal diseases due to poor sanitation, unsafe drinking water, poor hygiene practices, and low immunization coverage, among others. In view of these, the research wishes to isolate and identify common diarrhea-causing bacteria from stool samples of patients attending Kashere General Hospital as a rural community.Materials and Methods Stool samples were collected from the attending Hospital and subjected to microbiologically standard procedures for the identification of the targeted bacteria.Results The distribution of age groups of samples collected was high (39.9%) for 0–59 months and 60–10 years (28.6%), across genders, with seven different groups of bacteria identified in male and female samples: E. coli spp., Shigella spp., Salmonella typhi, Salmonella paratyphi, and Campylobacter spp., Vibrios spp., and E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter spp., was not isolated from any female sample. There was a significant difference in the number of Shigella spp. isolates from Samonella paratyphi and Salmonella typhi, Vibrio spp., and E. coli.Conclusion There is an alarming rate of isolation of Shigella among children under five years of age that cuts across genders in the first ever reported prevalence in the study area. This is important in terms of a strategic public health approach to address factors supporting the infection chain for the transmission of diarrheal pathogens in the area. However, further studies may be needed to confirm these observations and identify additional risk factors associated with bacterial infections in this population.
The Production of Cellulose Acetate From Kapok Cellulose With Different Acetylation Conditions
Authors: POON JIA JUN , CHEOK CHOON YOONG , TAN MEI CHING
Published: April 2023

Cellulose acetate (CA) was produced from cellulose through activation and acetylation reactions. This study focused on using kapok cellulose as the starting material in converting cellulose into CA as the final reaction product. In the production of CA from kapok cellulose, acetic acid was used to activate the cellulose before acetylating it with acetic anhydride and sulfuric acid. A total of 27 experiments with varying acetic acid amounts (17.5, 20, 22.5 mL), acetic anhydride (5, 7.5, 10 mL) and acetylation reaction time (30, 45, 60 min) were designed to evaluate CA formation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to evaluate the CA formation by identifying its present functional group. The analysis showed that CA produced from 20 mL acetic acid, 10 mL acetic anhydride and 60 min acetylation reaction time as the highest peak intensities of the three major functional groups (C = O, C-H, and C-O). This indicated that CA formed from this condition has the strongest acetyl bonding among the conditions. Scanning electron microscopy evidenced the CA formation, yet they varied with different amounts of acetic acid, acetic anhydride and acetylation reaction time.
Ladybird beetle trails affect population growth of the brown citrus aphid, Toxoptera citricida
Authors: SEO MEEJA
Published: April 2023

The brown citrus aphid, Toxoptera citricida is a pest of citrus because it efficiently transmits severe strains of Citrus tristeza virus (CTV). Little is known about the behavioral interactions of T. citricida with trail chemicals of its ladybeetle predators, Hippodamia convergens. We investigated the host settling behavior and population growth rate of T. citricida in response to trail chemicals deposited by the ladybeetle, Hippodamia convergens. In addition, the repellency of the ladybeetle to their conspecifics trail was evaluated in laboratory olfactometer assays. We found that host settling behavior of T. citricida on plant surfaces was not affected 5 or 24 hr after ladybeetle trails were deposited as compared with untreated controls. However, the population growth rate of T. citricida was significantly reduced on plants containing ladybeetle trails as compared with control plant surfaces 3, 7, and 10 days after treatment. Similarly, the population growth rate of T. citricida was reduced on plant surfaces treated with H. convergens trail extract 10 and 15 day after treatment as compared with on control seedlings. Behavioral assays revealed H. convergens was not repelled by the trail extracts of conspecifics. We discuss potential practical application of ladybird trails for managing T. citricida without negative effects on ladybird beetle behavioral response.
Influence of the Registration Error on the Implantation Depth with A Fully Guided Template
Authors: Li Shufen , Wei Bin
Published: April 2023

Objective: To evaluate the influence of the registration error between the digital dental model and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images on the implantation depth with a fully guided template.
Methods: In this research, 10 isolated dentition models and 10 resin dentition models were compared, and their optical scanning data and CBCT data were imported into virtual planning software for automatic registration. Subsequently, the virtual implant position was planned, and the implant neck platform was designed to be flushed to the preset plane of the models (“bone plane”). A fully guided template was then designed and printed. Implants were placed under template guidance in vitro, and the depth deviation of the placed implant from its planned position was measured using a micrometer. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0, and P<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.
Results: In the test group, the contour of the crown reconstructed by CBCT was larger than that of the digital scans, the occlusal surface of isolated dentition models’ CBCT was higher than that of the digital scans after the automatic registration. The contour of the crown reconstructed by CBCT in the control group was basically the same as that of the digital scans, the crown reconstructed by resin dentition models’ CBCT was basically aligned with the crown of the digital scans after automatic registration. The research showed that the postoperative implant neck platform of the two groups was higher than the preset plane (“bone plane”). The implantation depth of the postoperative implant was evaluated, the implantation depth deviation values of the isolated dentition and resin dentition groups were 0.559±0.059 and 0.183±0.019 mm, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).
Conclusions: Registration error leads to insufficient implantation depth under the guidance of the fully guided template. The source of registration error may be preoperative data and registration algorithm.
Molecules with antimicrobial activity in the secretion of the arthrodial membrane gland of a harvester (Arachnida, Opiliones)
Authors: SILVA Norton Felipe dos Santos , WILLEMART Rodrigo Hirata , SILVA José Roberto Machado Cunha , Junior Pedro Ismael Silva
Published: April 2023

Because of the exoskeleton, arthropods must have flexible areas in order to be able to move. Such regions are called arthrodial membranes and are particularly vulnerable to bacteria and fungi. Here we analyzed the secretion in the glands underneath it in a Neotropical harvester (Arachnida, Opiliones) and tested whether it has antiseptical properties. We punctured the membrane, collected and diluted the secretion and quantified proteins and peptides in a spectrophotometer. We also fractionated and analyzed the samples in a Reversed phase - High Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) and then incubated treated fractions and determined growth inhibition by the measure of absorbance. The secretions resulted in 42 fractions, among which two had activity, against Gram positive bacteria Micrococcus luteus and against yeast Candida albicans. The low concentrations in which the secretions were active are relevant from the biotechnological point of view. For the animals, the secretions possibly prevent infections including when they are attacked in these regions by predators that pick that spot to bite.
Effectiveness of Pleurodesis for Postoperative Air Leaks after Lung Resection
Authors: Tsubokawa Norifumi , Mimae Takahiro , Ito Risa , Sasai Ryuma , Hirano Kouichi , Kamigaichi Atsushi , Kawamoto Nobutaka , Miyata Yoshihiro , Okada Morihito
Published: April 2023

Background: Pleurodesis is often performed for air leaks; however, the ideal materials and timing of the procedure remain controversial. We investigated the efficacy of pleurodesis using different materials and timing.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 913 consecutive patients who underwent segmentectomy or lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer between 2014 and 2021. Pleurodesis efficacy was assessed on the day of chest tube removal.
Results: Eighty-six patients underwent pleurodesis for postoperative air leaks. Pleurodesis was performed on a median of postoperative day (POD) 5. Talc was the most frequently used material (n=52), followed by autologous blood patches (n=20), OK-432 (n=12), and others (n=2). No difference existed in the number of days from initial pleurodesis to chest tube removal among the three groups (talc, 3 days; autologous blood patch, 3 days; OK-432, 2 days; P=0.55). No difference in patient background, except for sex, was observed between patients who underwent pleurodesis within 4 PODs and those who underwent pleurodesis on POD 5 or later. Drainage time was significantly shorter in patients who underwent pleurodesis within 4 PODs (median, 7 vs. 9 days; P=0.004).
Conclusions: The efficacies of autologous blood patch, talc, and OK-432 were nearly equivalent. Early postoperative pleurodesis can shorten drainage time.