bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preliminary study on the effects of treatment for breast cancer: immunological markers as they relate to quality of life and neuropsychological performance
Authors: Boivin Michael J. , Aaron Geoffrey P. , Felt Nathan G. , Shamoun Lance
Published: May 2020

Background

Immunological biomarkers were related to quality of life and neuropsychological performance in women recently diagnosed with breast cancer through the first six months of treatment. A comparison group of breast cancer survivors in remission were also evaluated.

Method

Twenty women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and 26 breast cancer survivors at least a year after treatment were evaluated four times over a course of six to 8 months. The assessments included quality-of-life, emotional and spiritual well-being, sleep quality, computerized neuropsychological performance, and cytokine immunology biomarkers using flow cytometry. The principal immunological markers examined were the CD4+, CD8+, and CD16+ counts.

Results

Although equivalent at enrollment, active treatment women reported higher anxiety, depression, poorer quality-of-life, and poorer processing speed and accuracy on memory, logical processes, and coding neuropsychological tasks. They also had significantly higher CD8+ and CD16+ cell count levels during treatment over the next six to eight months than comparison group women in remission. Women undergoing chemotherapy as well during treatment phase also had a significant decline in CD4+ counts. Higher percent CD8+ levels during treatment was associated with poorer quality of life and more depression, while higher CD4+ and CD8+ were associated with poorer neuropsychological memory and processing speed performance.

Conclusion

Significant increases in CD8+ is a sensitive biomarker of a broad range of poorer quality-of-life and neurocognitive functioning outcomes during breast cancer treatment, especially in women undergoing chemotherapy. Quality of life should be monitored in breast cancer patients and psychosocial support made available as a standard of care.
Lesion distribution characteristics of deep infiltrating endometriosis with ovarian endometrioma: an observational clinical study
Authors: Kwok Hungling , Jiang Hongye , Li Tian , Yang Huan , Fei Hui , Cheng Li , Yao Shuzhong , Chen Shuqin
Published: May 2020

Background

To investigate the characteristics of deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) lesion distribution when associated with ovarian endometrioma (OEM).

Methods

The present study analyzed retrospective data obtained by the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, between June 2008 to June 2016. A total of 304 patients underwent laparoscopic surgery for complete removal of endometriosis by one experienced surgeon, and histological confirmation of OEM associated with DIE was conducted for each patient. Clinical data were recorded for each patient from medical, operative and pathological reports. Patients were then divided into two groups according to unilateral or bilateral OEM. Patients with unilateral OEM were subsequently divided into two subgroups according to OEM location (left- or right-hand side) and the diameter of the OEM (≤50 and > 50 mm). The distribution characteristics of DIE lesions were then compared between the groups.

Results

DIE lesions were widely distributed, 30 anatomical sites were involved. Patients with associated unilateral OEM (n = 184 patients) had a significantly increased number of DIE lesions when compared with patients with bilateral OEM (n = 120 patients; 2.76 ± 1.52 vs. 2.33 ± 1.34; P = 0.006). Compared with bilateral OEM with DIE, there was a higher rate of intestinal (39.1% vs. 18.3%; P < 0.01) and vaginal (17.4% vs. 6.7%; P < 0.01) infiltration by DIE lesions in unilateral OEM with DIE. The mean number of DIE lesions was not significantly correlated with the location or size of the OEM (2.83 ± 1.56 vs. 2.74 ± 1.53; P = 0.678; and 2.65 ± 1.42 vs. 2.80 ± 1.43; P = 0.518, respectively). There was no significant difference between the groups with OEM ≤50 mm and > 50 mm.

Conclusion

Lesion distribution characteristics in women diagnosed with histologically proven OEM associated with DIE were frequently multifocal and severe.
Effects of service changes affecting distance/time to access urgent and emergency care facilities on patient outcomes: a systematic review
Authors: Chambers Duncan , Cantrell Anna , Baxter Susan , Turner Janette , Booth Andrew
Published: May 2020

Background

Reconfiguration of urgent and emergency care services often increases travel time/distance for patients to reach an appropriate facility. Evidence of the effects of reconfiguration is important for local communities and commissioners and providers of health services.

Methods

We performed a systematic review of the evidence regarding effects of service reconfigurations that increase the time/distance for some patients to reach an urgent and emergency care (UEC) facility. We searched seven bibliographic databases from 2000 to February 2019 and used citation tracking and reference lists to identify additional studies. We included studies of any design that compared outcomes for people with conditions requiring emergency treatment before and after service reconfiguration with an associated change in travel time/distance to access UEC. Studies had to be conducted in the UK or other developed countries. Data extraction and quality assessment (using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for quasi-experimental studies) were undertaken by a single reviewer with a sample checked for accuracy and consistency. We performed a narrative synthesis of the included studies. Overall strength of evidence was assessed using a previously published method that considers volume, quality and consistency.

Results

We included 12 studies, of which six were conducted in the USA, two in the UK and four in other European countries. The studies used a variety of observational designs, with before–after and cohort designs being most common. Only two studies included an independent control site/sites where no reconfiguration had taken place. The reconfigurations evaluated in these studies reported relatively small effects on average travel times/distance.

Discussion

For studies of general UEC populations, there was no convincing evidence as to whether reconfiguration affected mortality risk. However, evidence of increased risk was identified from studies of patients with acute myocardial infarction, particularly 1 to 4 years after reconfiguration. Evidence for other conditions was inconsistent or very limited.

Conclusions

We found insufficient evidence to determine whether increased distance to UEC increases mortality risk for the general population of people requiring UEC, although this conclusion may not extend to people with specific conditions.
A glycolysis-based 4-mRNA signature correlates with the prognosis and cell cycle process in patients with bladder cancer
Authors: Zhang Chen , Gou Xin , He Weiyang , Yang Huaan , Yin Hubin
Published: May 2020

Background

Bladder cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide. However, traditional indicators have limited predictive effects on the clinical outcomes of bladder cancer. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a glycolysis-related gene signature for predicting the prognosis of patients with bladder cancer that have limited therapeutic options.

Methods

mRNA expression profiling was obtained from patients with bladder cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to identify glycolytic gene sets that were significantly different between bladder cancer tissues and paired normal tissues. A prognosis-related gene signature was constructed by univariate and multivariate Cox analysis. Kaplan–Meier curves and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to evaluate the signature. A nomogram combined with the gene signature and clinical parameters was constructed. Correlations between glycolysis-related gene signature and molecular characterization as well as cancer subtypes were analyzed. RT-qPCR was applied to analyze gene expression. Functional experiments were performed to determine the role of PKM2 in the proliferation of bladder cancer cells.

Results

Using a Cox proportional regression model, we established that a 4-mRNA signature (NUP205, NUPL2, PFKFB1 and PKM) was significantly associated with prognosis in bladder cancer patients. Based on the signature, patients were split into high and low risk groups, with different prognostic outcomes. The gene signature was an independent prognostic indicator for overall survival. The ability of the 4-mRNA signature to make an accurate prognosis was tested in two other validation datasets. GSEA was performed to explore the 4-mRNA related canonical pathways and biological processes, such as the cell cycle, hypoxia, p53 pathway, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. A heatmap showing the correlation between risk score and cell cycle signature was generated. RT-qPCR revealed the genes that were differentially expressed between normal and cancer tissues. Experiments showed that PKM2 plays essential roles in cell proliferation and the cell cycle.

Conclusion

The established 4‑mRNA signature may act as a promising model for generating accurate prognoses for patients with bladder cancer, but the specific biological mechanism needs further verification.
Effect of green tea consumption on blood lipids: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Xu Renfan , Yang Ke , Li Sui , Dai Meiyan , Chen Guangzhi
Published: May 2020

Background

Strong epidemiologic evidence indicates that green tea intake is protective against hyperlipidemia; however, randomized controlled studies have presented varying results. In the present study, we aimed to conduct a literature review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of green tea on blood lipids.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were electronically explored from inception to September 2019 for all relevant studies. Random effect models were used to estimate blood lipid changes between green tea supplementation and control groups by evaluating the weighted mean differences (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The risk of bias for study was assessed using the Cochrane tool. Publication bias was evaluated using funnel plots and Egger’s tests.

Results

Thirty-one trials with a total of 3321 subjects were included in the meta-analysis. In general, green tea intake significantly lowered the total cholesterol (TC); WMD: − 4.66 mg/dL; 95% CI: − 6.36, − 2.96 mg/dL; P < 0.0001) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (WMD:− 4.55 mg/dL; 95% CI: − 6.31, − 2.80 mg/dL; P < 0.0001) levels compared with those in the control. Green tea consumption did not affect high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol; however, it reduced the triglycerides compared with that in the control (WMD: − 3.77 mg/dL; 95% CI: − 8.90, 1.37 mg/dL; P = 0.15). In addition, significant publication bias from funnel plots or Egger’s tests was not evident.

Conclusions

Collectively, consumption of green tea lowers LDL cholesterol and TC, but not HDL cholesterol or triglycerides in both normal weight subjects and those who were overweight/obese; however, additional well-designed studies that include more diverse populations and longer duration are warranted.
Plasma concentration of brominated flame retardants and postmenopausal breast cancer risk: a nested case-control study in the French E3N cohort
Authors: Mancini Francesca Romana , Cano-Sancho German , Mohamed Oceane , Cervenka Iris , Omichessan Hanane , Marchand Philippe , Boutron-Ruault Marie-Christine , Arveux Patrick , Severi Gianluca , Antignac Jean-Philippe , Kvaskoff Marina
Published: May 2020

Background

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are lipophilic substances with endocrine-disrupting properties. To date, only few investigations, mainly retrospective case-control studies, have explored the link between internal levels of BFRs and the risk of breast cancer, leading to conflicting results. We investigated the associations between plasma concentrations of two main groups of BFRs, PBDEs (pentabromodiphenyl ethers) and PBBs (polybrominated biphenyls), and the risk of breast cancer in a nested case-control study.

Methods

A total of 197 incident breast cancer cases and 197 controls with a blood sample collected in 1994–1999 were included. Plasma levels of PBDE congeners (BDE-28, BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-100, BDE153, BDE-154) and of PBB-153 were measured by gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry. Conditional logistic regression models, adjusted for potential confounders, were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

Women were aged 56 years on average at blood draw. All cases, except for one, were diagnosed after menopause, with an average age at diagnosis of 68 years. Overall, we found no evidence of an association between plasma levels of PBDEs and PBB-153 and postmenopausal breast cancer risk (log-concentrations of BFRs yielding non-statistically significant ORs of 0.87 to 1.07). The analysis showed a non-linear inverse association for BDE-100 and BDE-153 and postmenopausal breast cancer risk; nevertheless, these findings were statistically significant only when the exposure was modeled as ng/L plasma (third vs. first quintile: OR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.19–0.93 and OR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.18–0.98, respectively) and not when modeled as ng/gr of lipids (OR = 0.58, 95%CI = 0.27–1.25 and OR = 0.53, 95%CI = 0.25–1.17). These results were unchanged in stratified analyses by tumor hormone receptor expression or body mass index.

Conclusions

Our results suggest no clear association between internal levels of PBDEs and PBB-153 and the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. However, these findings need to be carefully interpreted, taking into account limitations due to the limited number of women included in the study, the lack of information concerning genetic susceptibility of cases, and the unavailability of exposure assessment during critical windows of susceptibility for breast cancer. More studies are warranted to further investigate the relationships between PBDE and PBB exposure and breast cancer risk.
Correction to: Small Molecule KRAS Agonist for Mutant KRAS Cancer Therapy
Authors: Xu Ke , Park Dongkyoo , Magis Andrew T. , Zhang Jun , Zhou Wei , Sica Gabriel L. , Ramalingam Suresh S. , Curran Walter J. , Deng Xingming
Published: May 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
Downregulation of hsa_circ_0005243 induces trophoblast cell dysfunction and inflammation via the β-catenin and NF-κB pathways
Authors: Wang Huiyan , Zhou Wenbo , She Guangtong , Yu Bin , Sun Lizhou
Published: May 2020

Background

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication in pregnancy that poses a serious threat to the health of both mother and child. While the specific etiology and pathogenesis of this disease are not fully understood, it is thought to arise due to a combination of insulin resistance, inflammation, and genetic factors. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a special kind of non-coding RNA that have attracted significant attention in recent years due to their diverse activities, including a potential regulatory role in pregnancy-related diseases, such as GDM.

Methods

We previously reported the existence of a novel circRNA, hsa_circ_0005243, which was identified by RNA sequencing. In this study, we examined its expression in 20 pregnant women with GDM and 20 normal pregnant controls using quantitative reverse transcription PCR analysis. Subsequent in vitro experiments were conducted following hsa_circ_0005243 knockdown in HTR-8/SVneo cells to examine the role of hsa_circ_0005243 in cell proliferation and migration, as well as the secretion of inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Finally, we examined the expression of β-catenin and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathways to assess their role in GDM pathogenesis.

Results

Expression of hsa_circ_0005243 was significantly reduced in both the placenta and plasma of GDM patients. Knockdown of hsa_circ_0005243 in trophoblast cells significantly suppressed cell proliferation and migration ability. In addition, increased secretion of inflammatory factors (TNF-α and IL-6) was observed after hsa_circ_0005243 depletion. Further analyses showed that knockdown of hsa_circ_0005243 reduced the expression of β-catenin and increased nuclear NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation.

Conclusions

Downregulation of hsa_circ_0005243 may be associated with the pathogenesis of GDM via the regulation of β-catenin and NF-κB signal pathways, suggesting a new potential therapeutic target for GDM.
Are the doctors of the future ready to support breastfeeding? A cross-sectional study in the UK
Authors: Biggs Kirsty V. , Fidler Katy J. , Shenker Natalie S. , Brown Heather
Published: May 2020

Background

Currently there is no published data on the inclusion of breastfeeding education within the UK medical school curriculum. This study aims to address this knowledge gap and explore students’ perceptions of their readiness to support breastfeeding.

Methods

An online survey was used to collect data from 32 UK undergraduate medical schools and their students. All students in their final two years of study at the 30 universities offering a 5- or 6-year medicine course, were eligible.

Results

Curriculum data was obtained from 26 (81%) institutions. Compulsory breastfeeding education was provided by 85% (N = 22) institutions with 81% (n = 21) providing lecture-based teaching and 19% (n = 5) offering formal clinical education. Overall, 411 students from 22 institutions participated. A moderate ability to identify the benefits of breastfeeding was observed; however, self-rated confidence in practical skills was poor. Assisting with latching was the least confident skill, with confidence in only 3% (14/411) students. Most students (93%) viewed doctors as playing an important role in breastfeeding, with those interested in either women’s health, paediatrics or general practice perceiving the role of doctors as more important. Overall, 93% (381/411) students requested further breastfeeding education.

Conclusions

This study suggests UK medical schools are not adequately preparing students to support breastfeeding patients. Further studies should explore the competency of doctors to meet the needs of lactating women, and design optimal training for UK medical students.
The effectiveness of cognitive- behavioral therapy on quality of life in women with hypothyroidism in the reproductive age: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Rezaei Sohaila , Abedi Parvin , Maraghi Elham , Hamid Najmeh , Rashidi Homaira
Published: May 2020

Background

Worldwide, hypothyroidism affects 3.7% of the population, and is associated with impaired quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of cognitive- behavioral therapy (CBT) on the quality of life in women with hypothyroidism.

Methods

96 women with hypothyroidism randomly allocated into two groups: CBT group (n = 48) and control group (n = 48). Women in the CBT group were classified into four sub-groups of 12, and each sub-group received eight sessions of counseling (each session lasting 90 min). We collected data using a demographic questionnaire and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF 36) for measuring the quality of life. We used the independent t-test, chi-square test and ANCOVA to analyze the data.

Results

Five women from each group withdrew from the study, leaving 43 women in each group. The scores on physical functioning, physical health problems, social functioning and pain improved in the CBT group after the intervention, but the differences between the two groups were not significant. The scores on emotional health, emotional health problems, energy and emotions, and general health were significantly better in the CBT group than those in the control group (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Counseling using CBT can improve some aspects of quality of life, including emotional health, emotional health problems, energy and general health in patients with hypothyroidism.

Trial registration number

Iranian Registry for Clinical Trials: 20190323043101 N1. https://www.irct.ir/
Faecal calprotectin and ultrasonography as non-invasive screening tools for detecting colorectal polyps in children with sporadic rectal bleeding: a prospective study
Authors: Di Nardo Giovanni , Esposito Francesco , Ziparo Chiara , Strisciuglio Caterina , Vassallo Francesca , Di Serafino Marco , Villa Maria Pia , Parisi Pasquale , Evangelisti Melania , Pacchiarotti Claudia , Corleto Vito Domenico
Published: May 2020

Background

Colorectal polyps are reported in 6,1% of paediatric colonoscopies and in 12% of those performed for lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Although colonoscopy is widely used in paediatric patients, it requires bowel preparation and general anaesthesia or deep sedation, and in rare cases, it can cause complications. Non-invasive screening techniques able to predict polyps in children with isolated and sporadic rectal bleeding may play a key role in the selection of patients needing colonoscopy.

Methods

We enrolled all children undergoing colonoscopy for isolated and sporadic rectal bleeding to determine the diagnostic accuracy of faecal calprotectin, ultrasonography (US) and digital rectal examination as diagnostic methods for screening colorectal polyps.

Results

A total of 26 of 59 enrolled patients (44.1%) had colonic polyps, one patient had multiple polyps, and 23% of children had polyps proximal to the splenic flexure. The diagnostic accuracy of faecal calprotectin for detecting colorectal polyps was 96.6%, with a sensitivity of 100%. False-positive faecal calprotectin was shown in 2 patients with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-related lesions. The diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound was 77.9%. Polyps not seen with ultrasound tended to be relatively smaller (1.5 vs 2.3, p = 0.001) and located in the rectum. The combined use of FC, US and digital rectal examination obtained a specificity and PPV of 100%.

Conclusions

FC combined with US and digital rectal examination is a good and promising non-invasive screening test for detecting colorectal polyps in children with isolated and sporadic rectal bleeding.
Physical exercise during exposure to 40-Hz light flicker improves cognitive functions in the 3xTg mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Park Sang-Seo , Park Hye-Sang , Kim Chang-Ju , Kang Hyun-Sik , Kim Dong-Hyun , Baek Seung-Soo , Kim Tae-Woon
Published: May 2020

Background

Exercise promotes brain health and improves cognitive functioning in the elderly, while 40-Hz light flickering through the visual cortex reduces amyloid beta (Aβ) by stabilizing gamma oscillation. We examined whether exercise was associated with hippocampus-mediated improvement in cognitive functioning in the 3xTg-Alzheimer’s disease (3xTg-AD) murine model following exposure to 40-Hz light flickering and exercise.

Methods

We subjected 12-month-old 3xTg-AD mice to exercise and 40-Hz light flickering for 3 months to investigate spatial learning, memory, long-term memory, Aβ levels, tau levels, mitochondrial functioning including Ca2+ retention and H2O2 emission, apoptosis, and neurogenesis in the hippocampus.

Results

Treatments had a positive effect; however, the combination of exercise and 40-Hz light flickering exposure was most effective in reducing Aβ and tau levels. Reducing Aβ and tau levels by combination of exercise and 40-Hz light flickering improves Ca2+ homeostasis and reactive oxygen species such as H2O2 in mitochondria and apoptosis including bax, bcl-2, cytochrome c, and cleaved caspase-3 and cell death, cell differentiation, and neurogenesis in the 3xTg-AD model of the hippocampus, resulting in improving cognitive impairment such as spatial learning, memory and long term memory.

Conclusion

Our results show that exercising in a 40-Hz light flickering environment may improve cognitive functioning by reducing Aβ and tau levels, thereby enhancing mitochondrial function and neuroplasticity.
Assessment of clinical activity and severity using serum ANCA and ASCA antibodies in patients with ulcerative colitis
Authors: Pang Yanhua , Ruan Huijie , Wu Dongfang , Lang Yanfei , Sun Ke , Xu Cuiping
Published: May 2020

Background

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, non-specific inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with unknown etiology. The lack of specific clinical manifestations, standard diagnostic criteria, objective and accurate indicators to the severity of the disease and the efficacy of the treatment, often results in difficulties in diagnosis and timely treatment of UC. Therefore, there is a need to develop a clinically suitable serum biomarker assay with high specificity and sensitivity.

Objective and methods

To explore the significance of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) and anti-saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis and treatment assessment in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Serum levels of ANCA-IgG, ASCA-IgA and ASCA-IgG were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 105 UC patients, 52 non-UC patients and 100 healthy controls.

Results

(1) Both the ANCA-IgG level and its positive rate in UC patients were significantly higher than those in non-UC controls and healthy controls (p < 0.01). However, the levels of ASCA-IgA, ASCA-IgG and the positive rates in UC patients had no statistical differences when compared with those in non-UC controls or healthy controls (p > 0.05). (2) The sensitivity of ANCA+ and ANCA+/ASCA− in detecting UC patients was 61.90% and 55.24%, respectively, whereas the specificity was 91.45% and 94.08%, respectively. The sensitivity of ASCA+ and ASCA+/ANCA− in non-UC disease controls was 5.33% and 3.85%, respectively, and specificity was 83.9% and 88.78%, respectively. (3) When UC patients were grouped into mild, moderate or severe subtypes, the ANCA-IgG levels were correlated with the severity of UC, and the differences of the ANCA-IgG levels were statistically different among the three subtypes (p < 0.05). There was no correlation between the levels of ANCA-IgG and the disease locations of UC.

Conclusions

(1) Serum levels of ANCA may be useful in the diagnosis of UC. (2) Dynamic quantitation of ANCA-IgG levels may be helpful in determining the severity of UC and therefore, may guide treatment of UC.
Frequency of Y-chromosome STRs using PowerPlex® Y23 System in Iraqi population
Authors: Mahmood Hanan K. , Salman Nadia F. , Salih Khalifa M. , Hasan Dhurgham H. , Al-Zubaidi Mohammed M.
Published: May 2020

Background

Y-chromosome STRs are valuable in the forensic identification of male DNA from sexual assault cases, and they are used to link families through genetic genealogy.

Materials and methods

For Y-STR analysis, 1032 male blood samples were used in this study, direct PCR technique was used for DNA amplification using the PowerPlex® Y23 System, and then PCR product was run with Genetic Analyzer, and the data were analyzed with the Gene Mapper ID Analysis Software. Frequency-based statistical analysis was calculated with GenAlEx 6.5-Genetic Analysis.

Results

One hundred and eighty-five alleles were detected at the 23 Y-STR loci in 1032 samples. Alleles frequency ranged from 0.002 to 0.813 and the highest allele frequency registered (0.813) for allele 11 at locus DYS392, and the mean haplotype diversity was 0.616 ± 0.027. New variants were registered for DYS458 locus.

Conclusion

The present study established the genetic information obtained by using the PowerPlex® Y23 System for the Iraqi population and also created a database of 23 Y STR markers in this population.
Principles of mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Kuzman Martina Rojnic , Curkovic Marko , Wasserman Danuta
Published: May 2020

We describe the basic principles of mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic that should be endorsed by the mental health professional associations and incorporated in the health strategies for the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. The main principle is that there should be no substantial differences in the provision of health care for COVID-19 between persons with pre-existing mental health disorders and the ones without previous disorders. Subsequently, the organization of the health care should reflect that as well. These principles should (a) prevent the possible effects of stigmatizing attitudes toward mental health issues, possibly leading to potentially deleterious situations, such as psychiatric patients being treated (even temporarily) separately from other patients, in psychiatric facilities, where the staff is not equipped and trained adequately for the management of COVID-19; (b) highlight the fact that patients with mental health disorders are at greater risk for developing serious complications of COVID-19 infection due to other factors—they often smoke and have comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, all associated with higher morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 infection; (c) highlight that measures should be taken to minimize the risk of the spread of infection in psychiatric wards/institutions; (d) provide a general framework for the reorganization of mental health services toward the provision of services for persons in need, including frontline medical workers and patients with COVID-19 without previous mental health problems as well as for persons with pre-existing mental health problems under new circumstances of pandemic.
RIF1 controls replication initiation and homologous recombination repair in a radiation dose-dependent manner
Authors: Saito Yuichiro , Kobayashi Junya , Kanemaki Masato T. , Komatsu Kenshi
Published: May 2020

RIF1 controls both DNA replication timing and the DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway to maintain genome integrity. However, it remains unclear how RIF1 links these two processes following exposure to ionizing radiation (IR). Here, we show that inhibition of homologous recombination repair (HRR) by RIF1 occurs in a dose-dependent manner and is controlled via DNA replication. RIF1 inhibits both DNA end resection and RAD51 accumulation after exposure to high doses of IR. Contrastingly, HRR inhibition by RIF1 is antagonized by BRCA1 after a low-dose IR exposure. At high IR doses, RIF1 suppresses replication initiation by dephosphorylating MCM helicase. Notably, the dephosphorylation of MCM helicase inhibits both DNA end resection and HRR, even without RIF1. Thus, our data show the importance of active DNA replication for HRR and suggest a common suppression mechanism for DNA replication and HRR at high IR doses, both of which are controlled by RIF1.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Structural changes of the vascular wall in patients with chronic cerebral ischemia depending on the presence of the metabolic syndrome and the concentration of the vasculoendothelial growth factor
Authors: Darii I. V.
Published: May 2020

Background. Chronic inflammation and enhancement of free-radical oxidation follow metabolic syndrome. Nowadays, much attention is paid to vasculoendothelial growth factor, one of the most important factors of endothelial dysfunction. There is an evidence of its possible involvement in degenerative and atherosclerotic vascular processes. The objective: to determine changes in the structure of the vascular wall in patients with chronic cerebral ischemia, depending on the presence of metabolic syndrome and the concentration of vasculoendothelial growth factor. Materials and methods. In a prospective study 49 patients with chronic cerebral ischemia were examined. The patients were randomized into 2 groups: the main group consisted of 27 patients with chronic cerebral ischemia with metabolic syndrome. There were 22 patients with chronic cerebral ischemia without metabolic syndrome in the comparison group. The severity of atherosclerotic lesions of the arteries of the head and neck was investigated taking into account the structural changes of the vascular wall, the presence of intraluminal formations, as well as their ultrasonic characteristics. In the serum of the studied patients the concentration of vasculoendothelial growth factor was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. At the concentration of vasculoendothelial growth factor >300 pg/l, differentiation into layers of the intima-media complex was more often lost in patients of the main group than in patients of the comparison group: 35.7% and 0% of the examined, respectively. At this biomarker concentration, excess thickness of the intima-media complex of the common carotids (≥0.9 mm) was observed in 36.4% of patients in the main group versus 13.4% in patients in the comparison group. Also at a concentration of vasculoendothelial growth factor >300 pg/l in patients of the main group the presence of plaques was observed in 33.3%, while in patients in the comparison group plaques were not observed. Conclusions. Early and late manifestations of atherosclerotic structural vascular lesions in chronic cerebral ischemia with metabolic syndrome may have another quantitative biomarker of vascular endothelial damage. In these patients, the manifestations of the atherosclerotic process at all stages occur at a concentration of vasculoendothelial growth factor >300 pg/l, while atherosclerotic changes in patients without metabolic syndrome are minimal at this concentration.
Vegetative and endocrine predictors of individual immune responses to adaptogenic balneotherapy
Authors: Struk Zoryana , Mel’nyk Oksana , Zukow Walery , Popovych Igor
Published: May 2020

Background. Earlier four variants of the immune responses to adaptogenic balneotherapy have been identified. All four variants of immune responses are virtually unmistakably predicted by a set of 20 predictors including 12 immune blood parameters and one saliva parameter, 4 information parameters, 2 fecal microbiota parameters as well as erythrocyturia. The purpose of this study is to search for predictors of immune responses among the registered parameters of the autonomic nervous and endocrine systems. Material and methods. The object of observation were 34 men and 10 women aged 24-70 years old, who came to the Truskavets’ spa for the treatment of chronic pyelonephritis combined with cholecystitis in remission. We determined them the HRV parameters and plasma levels of principal adaptation Hormones: Cortisol, Testosterone and Triiodothyronine. Results. Discriminant analysis revealed that constellation 8 HRV and 5 Endocrine parameters as well as Gender of the patient predicts the nature of the immune response with an accuracy of 90,9%. Conclusion. The previously revealed variety of immune responses to adaptogenic balneotherapy is quite strictly conditioned by the initial state of the neuroendocrine-immune complex and microbiota as well as the sex of patients.
Vocational Skills Education to Grow the Junior High School Students’ Work Intention
Authors: Murniati Titi , Tentama Fatwa , Santosa Budi
Published: May 2020

The purpose of this study was to find out what vocational skills education was implemented in SMP Muhammadiyah Majenang, a private junior high school in Cilacap, Central Java, and to find out how to develop vocational skills education to foster the students’ entrepreneurial intention. It is expected that this vocational skill can foster entrepreneurial intention to the students themselves early, to make them the young entrepreneurs. This research was a research and development with a qualitative approach. Research and development were modified from the ten steps of Borg and Gall, consisting of three stages, namely: preliminary study, model development, and model testing. Participants involved included the principal, representative of the curriculum deputy, teachers, advisers, and students. The data collection techniques used questionnaires, observation, interviews, and document studies. The results of the study found the existence of extracurricular activities in the form of self-development game activities. Self-development game is indicated by the achievement in certain fields. The results of the development found that the existence of agricultural extracurricular activities in the form of chili cultivation could foster the students’ entrepreneurial intentions. We found that the positive attitudes and abilities of entrepreneurship were possessed by students, including selling chili crops and chili seeds to the general public. The program for developing extracurricular activities also produces vocational skills in the form of students who independently plant seeds other than chili and inspire students to sell other seeds.
Ischaemic heart disease and associations between comorbidities in the UK
Authors: Palmer Sarah Jane
Published: May 2020

In this monthly feature, Sarah Jane Palmer delves into topical news, the latest research and what the experts are saying on subjects related to cardiology and cardiac nursing practice.
Interviewer effects on the reporting of intimate partner violence in the 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Heath Survey
Authors: Metheny Nicholas , Stephenson Rob
Published: May 2020

Intimate partner violence is a global public health concern that is widely under-reported. Socio-demographic factors of the interviewer may contribute to a reluctance to report violence. The introduction of the fieldworker survey to the 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey provides the first opportunity to test associations between interviewer characteristics and the reporting of intimate partner violence in the largest source of IPV data on intimate partner violence available for low- and middle-income countries. Three separate, multilevel logistic regression models were used to examine associations between the reporting of physical, sexual and emotional intimate partner violence and interviewer characteristics (age, sex and marital status, as well as differences in these indicators between interviewer and respondent), language of the interview and the interviewer’s previous experience conducting the Demographic and Health Survey. Previous experience as a Demographic and Health Survey interviewer was associated with significantly lower odds (OR: 0.67) of reporting physical intimate partner violence. Researchers should consider using the fieldworker data set in future studies to control for potential interviewer error, account for the clustering of data by interviewer and increase the robustness of Demographic and Health Survey analyses. Understanding how interviewers may shape the reporting of intimate partner violence is a step towards accurately measuring its burden in low- and middle-income countries.
Invisible while visible: an Australian perspective on queer women leaders in international affairs
Authors: Stephenson Elise
Published: May 2020

In among the silencing and invisibility of their stories, queer women operate as critical leaders in international affairs. They face multiple marginalisations: (1) challenging the archetypical diplomat or security leader as a heteronormative (white) male; and (2) operating in different cultural contexts with varying negative attitudes towards women in power and homosexuality in general. Providing both empirical and theoretical contributions to the fields of diplomacy, feminist and queer theory, this article gains unique access to Australian lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, and intersex diplomats and attachés to understand: what are the experiences of queer woman leaders in international affairs?
The European Union building from Public Choice to Ordo, Röpke’s and Einaudi’s ideas of Europe
Authors: Forte Francesco
Published: May 2020

The first part the article deals with the Public Choice approach to the European Union as a club of sovereign states that decide to share, without losing sovereignty, some segment of their public goods and related power under the subsidiarity principle. It also deals with Ordo, Röpke’s and Einaudi’s liberal third way between historical capitalism and a competitive market economy, with – at its centre – the people and the civitas humana. The second part presents the dualistic performances of the main countries of the euro area, building on the analysis of eight parameters for the period 2013–18, and discusses the incompleteness of the institutional construct of the European Union. The third part discusses potential solutions to these problems in the light of Ordo, Einaudi’s and Röpke’s ideas of Europe.
Phase control of reservoir engineering for quantum entanglement
Authors: Wang Chaowen , Wang Fei , Hu Xiangming
Published: May 2020

It is shown that the reservoir engineering can be controlled by the collective phase Φ of three coherent fields interacting with a closed Δ-type atom. We find that the atomic system acts as a one-channel dissipation reservoir when Φ = 0(π), but it behaves as a two-channel dissipation reservoir for Φ ≠ 0(π). The phase-dependent reservoir engineering provides a convenient way to produce robust two-mode squeezing and entanglement, which may find potential applications in quantum information processing.
Super-resolved multispectral lensless microscopy via angle-tilted, wavelength-multiplexed ptychographic modulation
Authors: Song Pengming , Wang Ruihai , Zhu Jiakai , Wang Tianbo , Bian Zichao , Zhang Zibang , Hoshino Kazunori , Murphy Michael , Jiang Shaowei , Guo Chengfei , Zheng Guoan
Published: May 2020

We report an angle-tilted, wavelength-multiplexed ptychographic modulation approach for multispectral lensless on-chip microscopy. In this approach, we illuminate the specimen with lights at five wavelengths simultaneously. A prism is added at the illumination path for spectral dispersion. Thus, lightwaves at different wavelengths hit the specimen at slightly different incident angles, breaking the ambiguities in mixed-state ptychographic reconstruction. At the detection path, we place a thin diffuser between the specimen and the monochromatic image sensor for encoding the spectral information into 2D intensity measurements. By scanning the sample to different

x

−

y

positions, we acquire a sequence of monochromatic images for reconstructing the five complex object profiles at the five wavelengths. An up-sampling procedure is integrated into the recovery process to bypass the resolution limit imposed by the imager pixel size. We demonstrate a half-pitch resolution of 0.55 µm using an image sensor with 1.85 µm pixel size. We also demonstrate quantitative and high-quality multispectral reconstructions of stained tissue sections for digital pathology applications.
Diffractometry-based vortex beams fractional topological charge measurement
Authors: Hosseini-Saber S. M. A. , Akhlaghi Ehsan A. , Saber Ahad
Published: May 2020

In this Letter, we investigate the Fresnel diffraction of vortex beams from a phase plate and propose a novel (to the best of our knowledge) method to determine the fractional part of the topological charge of vortex beams. When a vortex beam with a fractional topological charge illuminates the edge region of a transparent plate, the visibility of the diffraction pattern on two sides of the beam is different. Rotation of the phase plate changes the visibility on the left and right sides of the beam, periodically. By measuring three consecutive angles of the minimum visibilities, the fractional part of the topological charge is obtained. The proposed method is verified experimentally and is shown to be independent of the phase plate and vortex beam parameters. The precision of the method is obtained better than 0.01.
Effective pulse reverse-engineering for strong field–matter interaction
Authors: Ran Du , Zhang Bin , Chen Ye-Hong , Shi Zhi-Cheng , Xia Yan , Ianconescu Reuven , Scheuer Jacob , Gover Avraham
Published: May 2020

In this Letter, we propose a scheme to control the evolution of a two-level quantum system in the strong-coupling regime, based on the idea of reverse engineering. A coherent control field is designed to drive the system along a user-predefined evolution trajectory without utilizing the rotating-wave approximation. As concrete examples, we show that complete population inversion, an equally weighted coherent superposition, and even oscillation-like dynamics can be achieved. Since there are no limitations on the coupling strength between the control field and matter, the scheme is attractive for applications such as accelerating desired system dynamics and fast quantum information processing.
LSTM Based Lip Reading Approach for Devanagiri Script
Authors: Patil Mahesh S , Chickerur Satyadhyan , Meti Anand , Nabapure Priyanka M , Mahindrakar Sunaina , Naik Sonali , Kanyal Soumya
Published: May 2020

Speech Communication in a noisy environment is a difficult and challenging task. Many professionals work in noisy environments like aviation, constructions, or manufacturing, and find it difficult to communicate orally. Such noisy environments need an automated lip-reading system that could be helpful in communicating some instructions and commands. This paper proposes a novel lip-reading solution, which extracts the geometrical shape of lip movement from the video and predicts the words/sentences spoken. An Indian specific language data set is developed which consists of lip movement information captured from 50 persons. This includes students in the age group of 18 to 20 years and faculty in the age group of 25 to 40 years . All have spoken a paragraph of 58 words within 10 sentences in Hindi (Devanagari, spoken in India) language which was recorded under various conditions. The implementation consists of facial parts detection, along with Long short term memory’s. The proposed solution is able to predict the words spoken with 77% and 35% accuracy for data set of 3 and 10 words respectively. The sentences are predicted with 20% accuracy, which is encouraging.
Epidemiology of Burns Injury in dr. Iskak General Hospital Tulungagung: Two Years (2017-2018) Retrospective Study
Authors: Ferdianty Fiera Avrillia , Devina Santi
Published: May 2020

Introduction: Burn injury is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in low and middle-income countries. Yet in Indonesia, the epidemiology of burn is rarely reported. The study aims to obtain the epidemiological characteristics of burn patients in Dr. Iskak General Hospital.
Methods: A retrospective analysis study was used and the medical records of patients with burns admitted at Dr. Iskak General Hospital between January 2017 and December 2018 were collected and analyzed statistically.
Results: A total of 80 patients were involved in this study. The most burn victims fell in the adult group (>18 years old), which was 56.3% (n=45). Children were six times more likely to sustain scald burn than adults (OR=6.75I; CI95% 2.47-18.41), meanwhile adults were three times more likely to sustain flame burn than children (OR=3.643; CI95% 1.186-11.190). Most of burn patients (91.25%) were treated surgically. The median of hospital stay was 8 days. Flame burn was the primary etiology for longer hospitalization and there was zero mortality in this study.
Conclusion: We found that the adult group was at the highest risk of acquiring burns. Scald was the major cause of burns in children, while flame was the main etiology in the adult group that caused severe burn and prolonged hospitalization.