bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changes in Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep After the Use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Lin Tzu-Chao , Zeng Bing-Yan , Wu Meng-Ni , Chen Tien-Yu , Chen Yen-Wen , Yeh Pin-Yang , Tseng Ping-Tao , Hsu Chung-Yao
Published: June 2022

Background

Both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and periodic limb movements of sleep (PLMS) are common in the sleep laboratory. The severity of OSA can be improved by using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). However, increasing evidence has shown an elevated periodic limb movement index (PLMI) in patients with OSA who use CPAP, although the pathophysiology is still unknown. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate changes in PLMS after using CPAP and the potential pathophysiology of these changes.

Methods

Clinical trials in adult humans investigating the comorbidity between PLMS and CPAP were identified and analyzed using random-effects model meta-analysis.

Results

This meta-analysis included 14 studies comprising 2,938 patients with OSA. The PLMI was significantly increased after using CPAP with a difference in means of 1.894 (95% confidence interval = 0.651–3.138, p = 0.003). Subgroup analysis showed that CPAP was only significantly associated with an increase in PLMI in the patients without PLMS at baseline (p = 0.045) and in those with a baseline body-mass index <30 kg/m2 (p = 0.045). The use of CPAP, apnea-hypopnea index, and arousal index were positively correlated with changes in PLMI.

Conclusion

These characteristics may serve as qualitative predictive indicators of changes in PLMI after CPAP usage. Further analysis of the quantitative relationships between PLMI and the predictive indicators may be warranted.

Trial Registration

PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42021252635).
Decreased Macular Retinal Thickness in Patients With Pterygium
Authors: Wang Feng , Liu Li Qi , Liang Rong Bin , Zhang Li Juan , Shu Hui Ye , Liao Xu Lin , Pan Yi Cong , Wu Jie Li , Su Ting , Shao Yi
Published: June 2022

Purpose

To explore alterations in macular retinal thickness (RT) and analyze correlation between macular RT and pterygium area, length in pterygium patients.

Methods

Totally 13 patients with pterygium (left eye) and 13 healthy controls (left eye) were recruited. OCTA was applied to scan each eye to generate three-dimensional images. Based on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) method, each image was divided into nine subregions for the ETDRS: central (C); inner superior (IS); outer superior (OS); inner nasal (IN); outer nasal (ON); inner inferior (II); outer inferior (OI); inner temporal (IT); and outer temporal (OT). The macular RT in each subregion was measured. Furthermore, the correlation between RT and the area, length of pterygium was analyzed.

Results

The visual acuity of pterygium patient was different from that of the control (P < 0.05). Besides, decreased intraretinal thickness of the IN and ON, increased intraretinal thickness of OT, decreased extraretinal thickness of OT, IN, ON, OS, and decreased retinal full layer thickness of medial superior, OS, IN, ON, and II subregions in pterygium group were observed. There was a negative correlation between RT of the IN and ON subregions and the length of pterygium (r = −0.5803 and r = −0.6013, P = 0.0376 and P = 0.0297). The RT of IN subregion was negatively correlated with pterygium area (r = −0.5844, P = 0.0359). According to the receiver operating characteristic analysis, in the ON subregion, the areas under the curve of the inner retinal thickness, outer retinal thickness and the whole retinal thickness were 1.0 (95% CI: 1.0), 0.882 (95% CI: 0.715 and 0.963), and 1.0 (95% CI: 1.0). The smallest area under the curve of retinal thickness in OT subregion was 0.018 (95% CI: 0–0.059).

Conclusion

RT of pterygium patients was significantly decreased, and the main alterations occurred in the temporal side suggesting there might exist retinal structural alterations in pterygium.
Change of Serum Biomarkers to Post-Thrombolytic Symptomatic Intracranial Hemorrhage in Stroke
Authors: Cui Yu , Wang Xin-Hong , Zhao Yong , Chen Shao-Yuan , Sheng Bao-Ying , Wang Li-Hua , Chen Hui-Sheng
Published: June 2022

Background

Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) is a terrible complication after intravenous alteplase in stroke, and numerous biomarkers have been investigated. However, the change of biomarkers to sICH has not been well determined.

Aim

To investigate the association between the change of biomarkers and sICH.

Methods

This is a prospective cohort study, and patients with sICH within 24 h after thrombolysis were enrolled, while patients without sICH were matched by propensity score matching with a ratio of 1:1. The blood samples were collected before and 24 h after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT), and preset 49 serum biomarkers were measured by microarray analysis. Protein function enrichment analyses were performed to detect the association between the change of biomarkers and sICH.

Results

Of consecutive 358 patients, 7 patients with sICH in 24 h were assigned to the sICH group, while 7 matched patients without any ICH were assigned to the non-sICH group. A total of 9 biomarkers were found to significantly change before vs. after thrombolysis between groups, including increased biomarkers, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, C-C motif chemokine ligand (CCL)-24, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-18, and vascular endothelial growth factor, and decreased biomarkers, such as CCL-11, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and IL-7.

Conclusions

This is the first study to identify changes in serum biomarkers in patients with sICH after IVT, and found that 6 neuroinflammatory and 3 neuroprotective biomarkers may be associated with brain injury following post-thrombolytic sICH.

Clinical Trial Registration

https://www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier: NCT02854592.
“I Give It Everything for an Hour Then I Sleep for Four.” The Experience of Post-stroke Fatigue During Outpatient Rehabilitation Including the Perspectives of Carers: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Bicknell Erin D. , Said Catherine M. , Haines Kimberley J. , Kuys Suzanne
Published: June 2022

Background

Fatigue is a debilitating post-stroke symptom negatively impacting rehabilitation. Lack of acknowledgment from carers can be additionally distressing. The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of post-stroke fatigue during outpatient rehabilitation, including the perspectives of carers.

Methods

This qualitative study was guided by descriptive phenomenology within a constructivist paradigm. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with stroke survivors experiencing fatigue (Fatigue Assessment Scale >23) and attending outpatient rehabilitation. Carers were also interviewed where identified, providing insight into their own and stroke survivor experiences. Data were analyzed according to Colaizzi's analytic method.

Results

Fourteen stroke survivors (50% culturally and linguistically diverse), and nine carers participated. Six themes were identified: 1. The unpredictable and unprepared uncovering of fatigue; 2. Experience and adjustment are personal 3. Being responsible for self-managing fatigue; 4. The complex juggle of outpatient stroke rehabilitation with fatigue; 5. Learning about fatigue is a self-directed problem-solving experience; 6. Family and carers can support or constrain managing fatigue.

Conclusion

Despite engaging in outpatient rehabilitation, stroke survivors largely learnt to manage fatigue independent of healthcare professionals. Carers often facilitated learning, monitoring rehabilitation, daily routines and fatigue exacerbation. Conversely, family could be dismissive of fatigue and possess unrealistic expectations. Post-stroke fatigue must be considered by clinicians when delivering outpatient rehabilitation to stroke survivors. Clinicians should consistently screen for fatigue, provide flexible session scheduling, and educate about individual indicators and strategies for management. Clinicians should also explicitly engage carers who play a critical role in the management of fatigue.
Effects of Qihuang Needling on Motor Function for Patients With Parkinson's Disease: Study Protocol for a Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Yang Lian-Sheng , Li Yang-Mei , Zhou Dan-Feng , Zhao Bai-Ming , Zheng Shu-Zhen , Chen Zhen-Hu , Zhang Kun , Lu Li-Ming
Published: June 2022

Background

Although significant progress has been made in the pharmacologic management of Parkinson's Disease (PD), effective management of movement disorders is still a hurdle for therapeutics targeting PD. Acupuncture is one therapeutic option that could potentially improve the motor function of PD and is widely used as adjuvant therapy. Among the various acupuncture approaches, Qihuang Needling (QHN) therapy has been found to improve motor-function control for patients with PD. However, evidence regarding its efficacy remains scarce. Therefore, to address this need, this study will determine the effects of QHN therapy on motor function in patients with PD and compare it to placebo effects.

Methods

This trial is a multicenter, prospective randomized controlled clinical trial. We randomly allocated 144 participants to two groups of 72 patients. Patients in the treatment group were treated with QHN therapy. The control group had undergone insertion of acupuncture needles at sham acupoints not corresponded to acupuncture points. Participants in the verum treatment group and sham-acupuncture control group received 9 sessions over 6 weeks followed by 8 weeks of follow-up. The primary outcome was the change of motor function from baseline to weeks 6 and 14 measured by the PD Rating Scale-Part III Motor Examination (UPDRS-III). Secondary outcome measures included the change of PD daily quality of life-39 (PDQ-39) and Non-Motor Symptoms Scale for PD (NMSS) from baseline to weeks 6 and 14.

Discussion

The results of this trial will generate data to improve our general understanding of the efficacy of QHN therapy on motor function in patients with PD and thoroughly compare these responses to the placebo effect.

Trial Registration

The trial was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry (ChiCTR- 2000030871) on 16 March 2020.
Hyperhomocysteinemia Is a Predictor for Poor Postoperative Angiogenesis in Adult Patients With Moyamoya Disease
Authors: He Qiheng , Ge Peicong , Ye Xun , Liu Xingju , Wang Jia , Wang Rong , Zhang Yan , Zhang Dong , Zhao Jizong
Published: June 2022

Background and Purposes

The risk factors of poor postoperative angiogenesis in moyamoya disease (MMD) patients remain unknown. We aimed to investigate the association between hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) and postoperative angiogenesis of adult patients with MMD.

Methods

A total of 138 adult patients with MMD were prospectively recruited from July 1 to December 31, 2019. After excluding 10 patients accepting conservative therapy and 77 individuals without postoperative digital subtraction angiography (DSA), all 51 MMD patients were enrolled, and 28 patients received bilateral operations separately. Patients were grouped according to postoperative angiogenesis and HHcy presentation, respectively. Clinical data and laboratory examinations were compared. Potential risk factors were evaluated by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Nomogram was further performed. The biological functions of homocysteine (Hcy) were explored in vitro.

Results

Comparing to the normal, patients with poor postoperative angiogenesis were higher in serum Hcy (p = 0.004), HHcy ratio (p = 0.011), creatinine (Cr) (p < 0.001), uric acid (UA) (p = 0.036), Triglyceride (p = 0.001), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p = 0.001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (p = 0.009), ApoA (p = 0.022), apolipoprotein B (ApoB) (p = 0.013). Furthermore, HHcy was more common in men (p = 0.003) than women. Logistic analysis results showed that Hcy (OR = 0.817, 95% CI = 0.707–0.944, p = 0.006) was an independent risk factor. HHcy and Cr were significantly associated with poor postoperative angiogenesis in MMD patients. Further, Hcy could inhibit the proliferation, migration, and tube formation of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs), which can be reversed by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

Conclusion

The HHcy was significantly correlated with poor postoperative angiogenesis in adult patients with MMD. Hcy significantly inhibits HBMECs proliferation, migration, and tube formation. Furthermore, VEGF could reverse the inhibition effect induced by Hcy. Lowering the level of Hcy may be beneficial for postoperative MMD patients. Focusing on the pathophysiology and mechanism of HHcy might help to guide postoperative clinical management.
Acupuncture Treatment of Guillain–Barré Syndrome After Using Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Case Report
Authors: Li Jialing , Xu Danghan , Liu Yingyu , Cao Yang , He Jun , Liao Muxi
Published: June 2022

Guillain–Barré syndrome(GBS) is an autoimmune-mediated peripheral neuropathy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are the standard treatment for cancer and may lead to immune-related adverse events (irAEs) such as GBS. Corticosteroids, plasma exchange (PE), and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) are currently accepted treatments for ICI-induced GBS. However, there are still adverse reactions, and the effect of relieving symptoms is not as good as expected. Safe and effective complementary replacement therapy to alleviate GBS symptoms and ameliorate the quality of life is urgently required. In this case, a 63-year-old man received ICI therapy and antitumor chemotherapy for lung malignancy. After two courses of treatment, the patient gradually developed limb weakness, numbness, and pain at the ends of the limbs, with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) albuminocytological dissociation, and electromyography (EMG) suggested demyelinating changes and was diagnosed as GBS. Although the patient received high doses of intravenous gamma globulin and limb weakness symptoms were alleviated, there was still significant numbness and pain in the extremities. After four times of acupuncture treatments, the patient complained that the symptoms of limb numbness and fatigue were significantly alleviated without any discomfort. This case report may provide a new alternative and complementary therapy for immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced GBS, but more definitive and robust evidence is needed to support its efficacy.
Synthetic Atrophy for Longitudinal Cortical Surface Analyses
Authors: Larson Kathleen E. , Oguz Ipek
Published: June 2022

In the fields of longitudinal cortical segmentation and surface-based cortical thickness (CT) measurement, difficulty in assessing accuracy remains a substantial limitation due to the inability of experimental validation against ground truth. Although methods have been developed to create synthetic datasets for these purposes, none provide a robust mechanism for measuring exact thickness changes with surface-based approaches. This work presents a registration-based technique for inducing synthetic cortical atrophy to create a longitudinal ground truth dataset specifically designed to address this gap in surface-based accuracy validation techniques. Across the entire brain, our method can induce up to between 0.8 and 2.5 mm of localized cortical atrophy in a given gyrus depending on the region's original thickness. By calculating the image deformation to induce this atrophy at 400% of the original resolution in each direction, we can induce a sub-voxel resolution amount of atrophy while minimizing partial volume effects. We also show that cortical segmentations of synthetically atrophied images exhibit similar segmentation error to those obtained from images of naturally atrophied brains. Importantly, our method relies exclusively on publicly available software and datasets.
Impaired Functional Homotopy and Topological Properties Within the Default Mode Network of Children With Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures: A Resting-State fMRI Study
Authors: Li Yongxin , Qin Bing , Chen Qian , Chen Jiaxu
Published: June 2022

Introduction

The aim of the present study was to examine interhemispheric functional connectivity (FC) and topological organization within the default-mode network (DMN) in children with generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS).

Methods

Resting-state functional MRI was collected in 24 children with GTCS and 34 age-matched typically developing children (TDC). Between-group differences in interhemispheric FC were examined by an automated voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) method. The topological properties within the DMN were also analyzed using graph theoretical approaches. Consistent results were detected and the VMHC values were extracted as features in machine learning for subject classification.

Results

Children with GTCS showed a significant decrease in VMHC in the DMN, including the hippocampal formation (HF), lateral temporal cortex (LTC), and angular and middle frontal gyrus. Although the patients exhibited efficient small-world properties of the DMN similar to the TDC, significant changes in regional topological organization were found in the patients, involving the areas of the bilateral temporal parietal junction, bilateral LTC, left temporal pole, and HF. Within the DMN, disrupted interhemispheric FC was found between the bilateral HF and LTC, which was consistent with the VMHC results. The VMHC values in bilateral HF and LTC were significantly correlated with clinical information in patients. Support vector machine analysis using average VMHC information in the bilateral HF and LTC as features achieved a correct classification rate of 89.34% for the classification.

Conclusion

These results indicate that decreased homotopic coordination in the DMN can be used as an effective biomarker to reflect seizure effects and to distinguish children with GTCSs from TDC.
O-Net: A Novel Framework With Deep Fusion of CNN and Transformer for Simultaneous Segmentation and Classification
Authors: Wang Tao , Lan Junlin , Han Zixin , Hu Ziwei , Huang Yuxiu , Deng Yanglin , Zhang Hejun , Wang Jianchao , Chen Musheng , Jiang Haiyan , Lee Ren-Guey , Gao Qinquan , Du Ming , Tong Tong , Chen Gang
Published: June 2022

The application of deep learning in the medical field has continuously made huge breakthroughs in recent years. Based on convolutional neural network (CNN), the U-Net framework has become the benchmark of the medical image segmentation task. However, this framework cannot fully learn global information and remote semantic information. The transformer structure has been demonstrated to capture global information relatively better than the U-Net, but the ability to learn local information is not as good as CNN. Therefore, we propose a novel network referred to as the O-Net, which combines the advantages of CNN and transformer to fully use both the global and the local information for improving medical image segmentation and classification. In the encoder part of our proposed O-Net framework, we combine the CNN and the Swin Transformer to acquire both global and local contextual features. In the decoder part, the results of the Swin Transformer and the CNN blocks are fused to get the final results. We have evaluated the proposed network on the synapse multi-organ CT dataset and the ISIC 2017 challenge dataset for the segmentation task. The classification network is simultaneously trained by using the encoder weights of the segmentation network. The experimental results show that our proposed O-Net achieves superior segmentation performance than state-of-the-art approaches, and the segmentation results are beneficial for improving the accuracy of the classification task. The codes and models of this study are available at https://github.com/ortonwang/O-Net.
General Principles Underpinning Amyloid Structure
Authors: Taylor Alexander I. P. , Staniforth Rosemary A.
Published: June 2022

Amyloid fibrils are a pathologically and functionally relevant state of protein folding, which is generally accessible to polypeptide chains and differs fundamentally from the globular state in terms of molecular symmetry, long-range conformational order, and supramolecular scale. Although amyloid structures are challenging to study, recent developments in techniques such as cryo-EM, solid-state NMR, and AFM have led to an explosion of information about the molecular and supramolecular organization of these assemblies. With these rapid advances, it is now possible to assess the prevalence and significance of proposed general structural features in the context of a diverse body of high-resolution models, and develop a unified view of the principles that control amyloid formation and give rise to their unique properties. Here, we show that, despite system-specific differences, there is a remarkable degree of commonality in both the structural motifs that amyloids adopt and the underlying principles responsible for them. We argue that the inherent geometric differences between amyloids and globular proteins shift the balance of stabilizing forces, predisposing amyloids to distinct molecular interaction motifs with a particular tendency for massive, lattice-like networks of mutually supporting interactions. This general property unites previously characterized structural features such as steric and polar zippers, and contributes to the long-range molecular order that gives amyloids many of their unique properties. The shared features of amyloid structures support the existence of shared structure-activity principles that explain their self-assembly, function, and pathogenesis, and instill hope in efforts to develop broad-spectrum modifiers of amyloid function and pathology.
Alzheimer’s Disease, Hearing Loss, and Deviance Detection
Authors: Pérez-González David , Schreiner Thomas G. , Llano Daniel A. , Malmierca Manuel S.
Published: June 2022

Age-related hearing loss is a widespread condition among the elderly, affecting communication and social participation. Given its high incidence, it is not unusual that individuals suffering from age-related hearing loss also suffer from other age-related neurodegenerative diseases, a scenario which severely impacts their quality of life. Furthermore, recent studies have identified hearing loss as a relevant risk factor for the development of dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease, although the underlying associations are still unclear. In order to cope with the continuous flow of auditory information, the brain needs to separate repetitive sounds from rare, unexpected sounds, which may be relevant. This process, known as deviance detection, is a key component of the sensory perception theory of predictive coding. According to this framework, the brain would use the available incoming information to make predictions about the environment and signal the unexpected stimuli that break those predictions. Such a system can be easily impaired by the distortion of auditory information processing that accompanies hearing loss. Changes in cholinergic neuromodulation have been found to alter auditory deviance detection both in humans and animal models. Interestingly, some theories propose a role for acetylcholine in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia. Acetylcholine is involved in multiple neurobiological processes such as attention, learning, memory, arousal, sleep and/or cognitive reinforcement, and has direct influence on the auditory system at the levels of the inferior colliculus and auditory cortex. Here we comment on the possible links between acetylcholine, hearing loss, and Alzheimer’s disease, and association that is worth further investigation.
Cardiac Cycle Affects the Asymmetric Value Updating in Instrumental Reward Learning
Authors: Kimura Kenta , Kanayama Noriaki , Toyama Asako , Katahira Kentaro
Published: June 2022

This study aimed to investigate whether instrumental reward learning is affected by the cardiac cycle. To this end, we examined the effects of the cardiac cycle (systole or diastole) on the computational processes underlying the participants’ choices in the instrumental learning task. In the instrumental learning task, participants were required to select one of two discriminative stimuli (neutral visual stimuli) and immediately receive reward/punishment feedback depending on the probability assigned to the chosen stimuli. To manipulate the cardiac cycle, the presentation of discriminative stimuli was timed to coincide with either cardiac systole or diastole. We fitted the participants’ choices in the task with reinforcement learning (RL) models and estimated parameters involving instrumental learning (i.e., learning rate and inverse temperature) separately in the systole and diastole trials. Model-based analysis revealed that the learning rate for positive prediction errors was higher than that for negative prediction errors in the systole trials; however, learning rates did not differ between positive and negative prediction errors in the diastole trials. These results demonstrate that the natural fluctuation of cardiac afferent signals can affect asymmetric value updating in instrumental reward learning.
SAST-GCN: Segmentation Adaptive Spatial Temporal-Graph Convolutional Network for P3-Based Video Target Detection
Authors: Lu Runnan , Zeng Ying , Zhang Rongkai , Yan Bin , Tong Li
Published: June 2022

Detecting video-induced P3 is crucial to building the video target detection system based on the brain-computer interface. However, studies have shown that the brain response patterns corresponding to video-induced P3 are dynamic and determined by the interaction of multiple brain regions. This paper proposes a segmentation adaptive spatial-temporal graph convolutional network (SAST-GCN) for P3-based video target detection. To make full use of the dynamic characteristics of the P3 signal data, the data is segmented according to the processing stages of the video-induced P3, and the brain network connections are constructed correspondingly. Then, the spatial-temporal feature of EEG data is extracted by adaptive spatial-temporal graph convolution to discriminate the target and non-target in the video. Especially, a style-based recalibration module is added to select feature maps with higher contributions and increase the feature extraction ability of the network. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our proposed model over the baseline methods. Also, the ablation experiments indicate that the segmentation of data to construct the brain connection can effectively improve the recognition performance by reflecting the dynamic connection relationship between EEG channels more accurately.
Necrosulfonamide Alleviates Acute Brain Injury of Intracerebral Hemorrhage via Inhibiting Inflammation and Necroptosis
Authors: Zhang Xiangyu , Zhang Yan , Wang Fei , Liu Yang , Yong V. Wee , Xue Mengzhou
Published: June 2022

Objective

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the most lethal subtype of stroke, without effective treatment. Necrosulfonamide (NSA), a specific inhibitor for mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein, has been reported to exert neuroprotective effects in neurological diseases by ameliorating neuroinflammation and necroptosis. We hypothesized that NSA would alleviate acute brain injury and improve behavioral outcomes after ICH.

Materials and Methods

Male adult C57BL/6 mice were assigned randomly into three groups. In vehicle and treatment groups, animals were injected with collagenase VII to induce ICH. The solvent (0.25% DMSO) and NSA (5 mg/kg) were administrated intraperitoneally twice a day, respectively. The sham group was injected with saline and administrated with DMSO. The brain hematoma volume, inflammatory factors, and blood-brain barrier permeability were measured on day 3 after the operation. Fluorescent double immunostaining was performed to evaluate the neuronal death. Neurological functions were assessed.

Results

In the NSA group, the hematoma size was significantly reduced, inflammatory cells and cytokines were suppressed, and the blood-brain barrier was protected compared to vehicle controls. NSA dramatically reduced the death of neurons and improved the performance of neurological functions after ICH.

Conclusion

Necrosulfonamide has a neuroprotective role in alleviating acute brain injury in a mouse ICH model, and this is associated with reduced neuroinflammation and necroptosis.
Comprehensive Evaluation of Clinical Application of Balanced Compound Amino Acid Injection
Authors: Shi Yingqin , Song Hai , Liu Jinyan , Lin Jie , Fang Lingzhi
Published: June 2022

Background

To provide a reference for hospital drug selection and rational clinical drug selection based on the evaluation of the safety, nutritional quality, and economy of 27 manufacturers of five varieties (18AA, 18AA-I, 18AA-II, 18AA-IV, 18AA-V) of balanced compound amino acids for injection and (18AA-IIoriginal research).

Methods

The safety of compound amino acids for injection was evaluated by comparing the antioxidant sulfite contents. Based on the amino acid scoring standard mode and the whole egg protein mode as proposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) in 1973, we compared the formula. The first limiting amino acid content and the comprehensive quality of the total essential amino acid (EAA) contents of the six formulations were studied. The price/content ratio was used to evaluate their economy.

Results

Similar variety produced by different manufacturers have the same formula and contents of balanced compound amino acids for injection. Safety: 18AA-IIoriginal research and 18AA-II had the lowest sulfite content. Compared with 18AA-IIoriginal research, the sulfite content of 18AA-I, 18AA, 18AA-V, and 18AA-IV were higher (10 times, 16.67 times, 16.67 times, and 33.33 times, respectively). The lower the sulfite content, the safer the product. Nutritional quality: The proportions of amino acids in the five varieties of compound amino acid injection were all suitable. The order of the first limiting amino acids for the formulations was 18AA-IIoriginal research = 18AA-II>18AA >18AA-I = 18AA-IV>18AA-V. The order of the EAA values for the formulations was 18AA-IIoriginal research = 18AA-II>18AA>18AA-I > 18AA-IV > 18AA-V. The overall effectiveness order was 18AA-IIoriginal research = 18AA-II>18AA > 18AA-I>18AA-IV>18AA-V. Economy: Among the 27 manufacturers, 12 manufacturers had a price/content ratio higher than that of 18AA-II original research manufacturers, and 15 manufacturers had a price/content ratio lower than original research manufacturers.

Conclusion

Through its security, effectiveness, and economy of the comprehensive research, we recommended 18AA-II and 18AA-IIoriginal research with high safety, efficacy, and reasonable price as the first choice. 18AA and 18AA-I with better safety and reasonable price, secondary recommendation. 18AA-IV or 18AA-V with poor safety, efficacy, and economy are not recommended.
Diagnostic Value of 18F-NOTA-FAPI PET/CT in a Rat Model of Radiation-Induced Lung Damage
Authors: Qin Xueting , Wang Shijie , Liu Xiaoli , Duan Jinghao , Cheng Kai , Mu Zhengshuai , Jia Jing , Wei Yuchun , Yuan Shuanghu
Published: June 2022

In this study, we explore the diagnostic value of a novel PET/CT imaging tracer that specifically targets fibroblast activation protein (FAP), 18F-NOTA-FAPI, in a radiation induced lung damage (RILD) rat model. High focal radiation (40, 60, or 90 Gy) was administered to a 5-mm diameter area of the right lung in Wistar rats for evaluation of RILD induction. Lung tissues exposed to 90 Gy radiation were scanned with 18F-NOTA-FAPI PET/CT and with 18F-FDG. Dynamic 18F-NOTA-FAPI PET/CT scanning was performed on day 42 post-irradiation. After in vivo scanning, lung cryosections were prepared for autoradiography, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. An animal model of RILD was established and validated by histopathological analysis. On 18F-NOTA-FAPI PET/CT, RILD was first observed on days 42, 35 and 7 in the 40, 60 and 90 Gy groups, respectively. After treatment with 90 Gy, 18F-NOTA-FAPI uptake in an area of RILD emerged on day 7 (0.65 ± 0.05%ID/ml) and reappeared on day 28 (0.81 ± 0.09%ID/ml), remaining stable for 4–6 weeks. Autoradiography and HE staining IHC staining revealed that 18F-NOTA-FAPI accumulated mainly in the center of the irradiated area. IHC staining confirmed the presence of FAP+ macrophages in the RILD area, while FAP+ fibroblasts were observed in the peripheral area of irradiated lung tissue. 18F-NOTA-FAPI represents a promising radiotracer for in vivo imaging of RILD in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Noninvasive imaging of FAP may potentially aiding in the clinical management of radiotherapy patients.
Construction of a Prognostic Model for KIRC and Identification of Drugs Sensitive to Therapies - A Comprehensive Biological Analysis Based on m6A-Related LncRNAs
Authors: Xia Dian , Liu Qi , Yan Songbai , Bi Liangkuan
Published: June 2022

As one of the common malignancies in the urinary system, kidney cancer has been receiving explorations with respect to its pathogenesis, treatment and prognosis due to its high morbidity, high mortality and low drug efficiency. Such epigenetic modifications for RNA molecules as N6-methyladenosine (m6A) usher in another perspective for the research on tumor mechanisms, and an increasing number of biological processes and prognostic markers have been revealed. In this study, the transcriptome data, clinical data and mutation spectrum data of KIRC in the TCGA database were adopted to construct an m6A-related lncRNA prognostic model. Besides, the predictive ability of this model for clinical prognosis was evaluated, and some compounds sensitive to therapies for KIRC were screened. The findings of this study demonstrate that this effective and stable model has certain clinical application value.
Practicing Level and Determinants of Safe Cord Care and Skin-To-Skin Contact Among Post-partum Women in Public Hospitals of Eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Eyeberu Addis , Getachew Tamirat , Debella Adera , Birhanu Abdi , Alemu Addisu , Dessie Yadeta
Published: June 2022

Background

Even though practicing levels of safe cord care and skin-to-skin contact among post-partum women are critical to reducing neonatal deaths, limited data revealed the low practice. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the level of practice and determinants of safe cord care and skin-to-skin contact among post-partum women in public hospitals of Eastern Ethiopia.

Methods

A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the public hospitals of Harari reginal state, eastern Ethiopia. A random sample of 820 post-partum women was included in the study. A pre-tested and structured questionnaire was used to collect data through a face-to-face interview. STATA version 14 was used for data analysis. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to determine the association between independent and outcome variables.

Results

The practicing level of safe cord care was 71.7% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 64.5, 81.7). While the practicing level of Skin-To-Skin contact was 53.2% (95% CI: 43.6, 58.8). Being in age of 20–29 [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.93, 95% CI: 1.24, 6.96], attending tertiary education [AOR = 1.83, 95% CI (1.08, 3.13)], and having good knowledge about safe cord care [AOR = 11.3, 95% CI: (7.49, 17.18)] were determinants of safe cord care practice. While mothers aged 20–29, 30–39, and above 40 [(AOR = 11.17, 95% CI: 4.71, 26.5; AOR = 4.1, 95% CI: 1.77, 9.55, and AOR = 14.3, 95% CI: 7.2, 28.6), respectively], Being married [AOR = 3.70, 95% CI (1.58, 8.70)], being a merchant and self-employed ([AOR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.34,0.87] and [AOR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.27, 0.86], respectively), having good knowledge about SSC [AOR = 2.11, 95% CI: (1.53, 2.92)], giving birth at gestational age of 37–42 weeks [AOR = 1.82, 95% CI (1.31, 2.5)], and multigravidity (AOR = 2.83, 95% CI (1.90,4.21) were significantly associated with skin to skin contact.

Conclusions

The practicing level of safe cord care and skin-to-skin contact was high. In this study, the age of mothers, educational status, and knowledge of post-partum women on safe cord care were determinants of a safe cord care practice. While the age of mothers, marital status, occupational status, knowledge of mother, and gestational age at birth were significantly associated with skin-to-skin contact practice. Safe cord care should be strengthened and intensified to reduce neonatal mortality due to avoidable umbilical cord infections. Furthermore, skin-to-skin contact practice should be strengthened to enhance the survival of at-risk neonates.
Sonographic Evaluation of the Endotracheal Tube Position in the Neonatal Population: A Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Congedi Sabrina , Savio Federica , Auciello Maria , Salvadori Sabrina , Nardo Daniel , Bonadies Luca
Published: June 2022

Background

Endotracheal intubation in neonates is challenging and requires a high level of precision, due to narrow and short airways, especially in preterm newborns. The current gold standard for endotracheal tube (ETT) verification is chest X-ray (CXR); however, this method presents some limitations, such as ionizing radiation exposure and delayed in obtaining the radiographic images, that point of care ultrasound (POCUS) could overcome.

Primary Objective

To evaluate ultrasound efficacy in determining ETT placement adequacy in preterm and term newborns.

Secondary Objective

To compare the time required for ultrasound confirmation vs. time needed for other standard of care methods.

Search Methods

A search in Medline, PubMed, Google Scholar and in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) was performed. Our most recent search was conducted in September 2021 including the following keywords: “newborn”, “infant”, “neonate”, “endotracheal intubation”, “endotracheal tube”, “ultrasonography”, “ultrasound”.

Selection Criteria

We considered randomized and non-randomized controlled trials, prospective, retrospective and cross-sectional studies published after 2012, involving neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients needing intubation/intubated infants and evaluating POCUS efficacy and/or accuracy in detecting ETT position vs. a defined gold-standard method. Three review authors independently assessed the studies' quality and extracted data.

Main Results

We identified 14 eligible studies including a total of 602 ETT evaluations in NICU or in the delivery room. In about 80% of cases the gold standard for ETT position verification was CXR. Ultrasound was able to identify the presence of ETT in 96.8% of the evaluations, with a pooled POCUS sensitivity of 93.44% (95% CI: 90.4–95.75%) in detecting an appropriately positioned ETT as assessed by CXR. Bedside ultrasound confirmation was also found to be significantly faster compared to obtaining a CXR.

Conclusion

POCUS appears to be a fast and effective technique to identify correct endotracheal intubation in newborns. This review could add value and importance to the use of this promising technique.
CLP1 is a Prognosis-Related Biomarker and Correlates With Immune Infiltrates in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Zhao Zhenyu , He Shaojie , Tang Sheng , Lai Xiaofeng , Ren Jie , Yu XinCheng , Lin Jinhua , Wang Mohan , El Akkawi Mariya M. , Zeng Shan , Zha Dingsheng
Published: June 2022

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, heterogeneous autoimmune disease with a high disability rate that seriously affects society and individuals. However, there is a lack of effective and reliable diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets. In this study, we identified diagnostic markers of RA based on RNA modification and explored its role as well as degree of immune cell infiltration. We used the gene expression profile data of three synovial tissues (GSE55235, GSE55457, GSE77298) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and the gene of 5 RNA modification genes (including m6A, m1A, m5C, APA, A-1), combined with cluster analysis, identified four RNA modifiers closely related to RA (YTHDC1, LRPPRC, NOP2, and CLP1) and five immune cells namely T cell CD8, CD4 memory resting, T cells regulatory (Tregs) Macrophages M0, and Neutrophils. Based on the LASSO regression algorithm, hub genes and immune cell prediction models were established respectively in RA and a nomogram based on the immune cell model was built. Around 4 key RNA modification regulator genes, miRNA-mRNA, mRNA-TF networks have been established, and GSEA-GO, KEGG-GSEA enrichment analysis has been carried out. Finally, CLP1 was established as an effective RA diagnostic marker, and was highly positively correlated with T cells follicular helper (Tfh) infiltration. On the other hand, highly negatively correlated with the expression of mast cells. In short, CLP1 may play a non-negligible role in the onset and development of RA by altering immune cell infiltration, and it is predicted to represent a novel target for RA clinical diagnosis and therapy.
Chemical Constituents of Essential Oils Used in Olfactory Training: Focus on COVID-19 Induced Olfactory Dysfunction
Authors: Koyama Sachiko , Heinbockel Thomas
Published: June 2022

The recent increase in the number of patients with post-viral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD) following the outbreak of COVID-19 has raised the general interest in and concern about olfactory dysfunction. At present, no clear method of treatment for PVOD has been established. Currently the most well-known method to improve the symptoms of olfactory dysfunction is “olfactory training” using essential oils. The essential oils used in olfactory training typically include rose, lemon, clove, and eucalyptus, which were selected based on the odor prism hypothesis proposed by Hans Henning in 1916. He classified odors based on six primary categories or dimensions and suggested that any olfactory stimulus fits into his smell prism, a three-dimensional space. The term “olfactory training” has been used based on the concept of training olfactory sensory neurons to relearn and distinguish olfactory stimuli. However, other mechanisms might contribute to how olfactory training can improve the recovery of the olfactory sense. Possibly, the essential oils contain chemical constituents with bioactive properties that facilitate the recovery of the olfactory sense by suppressing inflammation and enhancing regeneration. In this review, we summarize the chemical constituents of the essential oils of rose, lemon, clove, and eucalyptus and raise the possibility that the chemical constituents with bioactive properties are involved in improving the symptoms of olfactory dysfunction. We also propose that other essential oils that contain chemical constituents with anti-inflammatory effects and have binding affinity with SARS-CoV-2 can be new candidates to test their efficiencies in facilitating the recovery.
Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine and its Active Ingredients on Drug-Resistant Bacteria
Authors: Li Jimin , Feng Shanshan , Liu Xin , Jia Xu , Qiao Fengling , Guo Jinlin , Deng Shanshan
Published: June 2022

The increasing and widespread application of antibacterial drugs makes antibiotic resistance a prominent and growing concern in clinical practice. The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria presents a global threat. However, the development and use of novel antibacterial agents involves time-consuming and costly challenges that may lead to yet further drug resistance. More recently, researchers have turned to traditional Chinese medicine to stem the rise of antibiotic resistance in pathogens. Many studies have shown traditional Chinese medicines to have significant bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects, with the advantage of low drug resistance. Some of which when combined with antibiotics, have also demonstrated antibacterial activity by synergistic effect. Traditional Chinese medicine has a variety of active components, including flavonoids, alkaloids, phenols, and quinones, which can inhibit the growth of drug-resistant bacteria and be used in combination with a variety of antibiotics to treat various drug-resistant bacterial infections. We reviewed the interaction between the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. At present, flavonoids and alkaloids are the active ingredients that have been most widely studied, with significant synergistic activity demonstrated when used in combination with antibiotics against drug-resistant bacteria. The reviewed studies show that traditional Chinese medicine and its active ingredients have antimicrobial activity on antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which may enhance the susceptibility of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, potentially reduce the required dosage of antibacterial agents and the rate of drug resistance. Our results provide direction for finding and developing alternative methods to counteract drug-resistant bacteria, offering a new therapeutic strategy for tackling antibiotic resistance.
Sex-Specific Effects of Acute Ethanol Exposure on Locomotory Activity and Exploratory Behavior in Adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
Authors: Vossen Laura E. , Brunberg Ronja , Rådén Pontus , Winberg Svante , Roman Erika
Published: June 2022

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an established model organism in pharmacology and biomedicine, including in research on alcohol use disorders and alcohol-related disease. In the past 2 decades, zebrafish has been used to study the complex effects of ethanol on the vertebrate brain and behavior in both acute, chronic and developmental exposure paradigms. Sex differences in the neurobehavioral response to ethanol are well documented for humans and rodents, yet no consensus has been reached for zebrafish. Here, we show for the first time that male zebrafish of the AB strain display more severe behavioral impairments than females for equal exposure concentrations. Adult zebrafish were immersed in 0, 1 or 2% (v/v) ethanol for 30 min, after which behavior was individually assessed in the zebrafish Multivariate Concentric Square Field™ (zMCSF) arena. Males exposed to 2% ethanol showed clear signs of sedation, including reduced activity, increased shelter seeking and reduced exploration of shallow zones. The 1% male group displayed effects in the same direction but of smaller magnitude; this group also explored the shallow areas less, but did not show a general reduction in activity nor an increase in shelter seeking. By contrast, 1 and 2% exposed females showed no alterations in explorative behavior. Females exposed to 2% ethanol did not display a general reduction in activity, rather activity gradually increased from hypoactivity to hyperactivity over the course of the test. This mixed stimulatory/depressant effect was only quantifiable when locomotory variables were analyzed over time and was not apparent from averages of the whole 30-min test, which may explain why previous studies failed to detect sex-specific effects on locomotion. Our results emphasize the importance of explicitly including sex and time as factors in pharmacological studies of zebrafish behavior. We hypothesize that the lower sensitivity of female zebrafish to ethanol may be explained by their greater body weight and associated larger distribution volume for ethanol, which may render lower brain ethanol concentrations in females.