bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diet choices and self-preserving behavior: New trends in Paleolithic diet
Authors: Vyalov S. S. , Giluk V. A.
Published: September 2022

The mode and structure of nutrition clearly have an impact on health. Collected and summarized scientifc data on the positive and negative impact on the health of specifc diets. Self-preservation behavior encourages healthy people and people with chronic illnesses to make intuitive dietary changes to improve health or to prevent ill health. Due to the wide availability of professional information and the lack of basic knowledge among the masses, misconceptions arise that can potentially worsen the state of health. One of the trends of self-preservation behavior in recent years is adherence to the Paleolithic diet. Research shows positive health outcomes in people with overweight and certain chronic diseases, and controversial results in healthy people. Data from scientifc studies on the inﬂuence of the Paleolithic diet on metabolic processes, hormonal levels, the cardiovascular system, and the gastrointestinal tract have been accumulated. Results have been obtained confrming the effectiveness of the Paleo diet in metabolic disorders and overweight. There are controversial and conﬂicting results on the use of the Paleo diet for liver disease and disorders of the intestinal microﬂora. Data on thyroid disease and inﬂammatory bowel disease come from small samples and cannot be considered reliable. Based on the available research to date, it can be concluded that the inclusion of a Paleolithic diet in prevention and treatment regimens is possible. In any case, a change in diet should be regarded as a risk factor for the development of chronic diseases. It is necessary to systematically manage the self-preserving behavior of the population, at least in relation to nutrition, due to scattered, contradictory, often unreliable information about the safe composition of the diet. An independent choice of a nutrition system without appropriate qualifcation and assessment of the state can lead to the formation of false expectations from self-preserving behavior in general and the loss of confdence in nutrition as a factor in managing health.
Artifcial intelligence capabilities in evaluating effectiveness of non-medicinal treatment of obesity in children
Authors: Chubarov T. V. , Zhdanova O. A. , Sharshova O. G. , Galda O. G. , Patritskaya M. V. , Niftaliev K. S.
Published: September 2022

Introduction. Non-drug therapy for obesity cannot always guarantee a positive result, which forces doctors and scientists from all over the world to look for new methods for analyzing the effectiveness of treatment, including using artifcial intelligence. Its active implementation can significantly improve the quality of diagnosis and prognosis of the disease. Purpose of the study. To evaluate the possibilities of using the artifcial intelligence system in predicting the effectiveness of non-drug therapy for obesity in children.

Materials and methods. An artifcial neural network was built using the Statistica Neural Networks software package based on data from patients who were hospitalized at the Voronezh Children's Clinical Hospital of the VSMU n.a. N.N. Burdenko.

Results. The study group included 60 children (30 boys and 30 girls), aged 8 to 16 years. We selected the parameters that, in our opinion, have the most signifcant impact on the effect of non-drug treatment of obesity: the presence and frequency of inpatient treatment; obesity complications; compliance with the regime of physical activity and dietary recommendations; dynamics of body weight during non-drug treatment. After training, the neural network MLP 5-5-1 was selected with determination coeffcients of 0.925231; 0.981940; 0.936712 for training, test and control samples. The learning error is 0.105782, the learning algorithm is BFGS. The activation function of hidden neurons is hyperbolic, and the output function is identical.

Conclusion. The results of the study show that an artifcial neural network can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of non-drug treatment with a minimum error.
Post-COVID syndrome: Gastrointestinal function disorders
Authors: Krivosheev A. B. , Khvan L. A.
Published: September 2022

The article analyzes the problem of post-COVID syndrome, which is formed in a number of patients after an infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The manifestations of the post-COVID syndrome are highly variable. Almost all organs and systems can be involved in the pathological process. In the presented report, two clinical cases of manifestation of post-COVID syndrome caused by dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract are purposefully analyzed and discussed. In one case, the post-COVID syndrome manifested itself as a manifestation of dyspeptic disorders. The examination did not confrm the functional nature of the pathology. In the second case, a diarrheal syndrome was observed that arose 2 months after the infection with SARS-CoV-2. The peculiarity of the observation is that in a patient suffering from diverticular disease of the colon, a rapid growth of the polyp of the sigmoid colon was observed. The issue of the inﬂuence of infection on the progression of the tumor process is discussed.
Türkiye’de İller Arası Bağlantısallığın Coğrafi Boyutu
Authors: KAYGALAK İrfan
Published: September 2022

Bu çalışma, doğum yerine göre illerin nüfusundan hareketle iller arası demografik bağlantısallığın boyutunu ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. 1990’dan 2020’ye kadar geçen süre zarfında Türkiye’de iller arası demografik bağlantısallığın boylamsal olarak nasıl değiştiğini sosyal ağ analizi yöntemine dayanarak ortaya koymaktadır. Çalışmanın bulguları, ele alınan zaman içinde ulusal düzeyde iller arası bağlantısallığın arttığını ortaya koymaktadır. Ancak söz konusu bu artışın aynı zamanda üç büyük kent ekseninde ve Marmara Bölgesi özelinde daha çok yoğunlaştığını tespit etmektedir. Yine bölgesel merkez olarak adlandırılan illerin de bu artışta önemli katkısının olduğu görülmüştür. Çalışma kapsamında doğum yerine göre nüfus verisinden hareketle iller arası bağlantısallık düzeyi sayısal bir indis olarak geliştirilmiş olup bu indisin mekân ve coğrafi özelliklerin sosyal olgulardaki etkisine odaklanan her türlü araştırmada ve planlama çalışmalarında kullanılabileceği ileri sürülmektedir.
Expressing the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SUC2 gene encoding invertase apoplastic localization in the transgenic potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) does not contribute to microtubers production of identical physiological age
Authors: Deryabin Alexander N.
Published: September 2022

Study was aimed at assessing the role of apoplastic invertase in synchronization of the microtuber formation in potato plants in vitro. A non-transgenic potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants (hereinafter nonTPs) and a line of potato plants, which expressed the SUC2 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encoding invertase apoplastic localization under the control of the B33 promoter of the patatin gene (hereinafter TPs), was used to achieve this purpose. Cell divisions in the axillary meristems of single-node cuttings were synchronized by exposing to 7°C for 24 h in a MS medium (without agar). After the low-temperature, the synchronization (LTS) of proportion of simultaneously dividing cells in meristems of nonTPs was four-fold greater than without chilling. The LTS did not change the number of dividing cells in the axillary meristems of TPs. The LTS contributed to an increase in the mass and size of microtubers in both potato lines. All microtubers of nonTPs were of physiological maturity. At the same time, microtubers of TPs were physiologically immature, with high glucose content. During the tuber formation, the activity of acidic invertases in microtubers of TPs was higher than that of nonTPs. Microtubers of TPs were larger than the nonTPs, more hydrated with low starch amount. Propably glucose accumulated in the microtubers of the TPs may act as a signal to trigger cell division. It indicates the regulatory function of apoplastic invertase and sugars. The high activity of apoplastic invertase plays a negative role in the production of potato microtubers of identical physiological age.
Computational evaluation of psoas muscle influence on walking function following internal hemipelvectomy with reconstruction
Authors: Vega Marleny M. , Li Geng , Shourijeh Mohammad S. , Ao Di , Weinschenk Robert C. , Patten Carolynn , Font-Llagunes Josep M. , Lewis Valerae O. , Fregly Benjamin J.
Published: September 2022

An emerging option for internal hemipelvectomy surgery is custom prosthesis reconstruction. This option typically recapitulates the resected pelvic bony anatomy with the goal of maximizing post-surgery walking function while minimizing recovery time. However, the current custom prosthesis design process does not account for the patient’s post-surgery prosthesis and bone loading patterns, nor can it predict how different surgical or rehabilitation decisions (e.g., retention or removal of the psoas muscle, strengthening the psoas) will affect prosthesis durability and post-surgery walking function. These factors may contribute to the high observed failure rate for custom pelvic prostheses, discouraging orthopedic oncologists from pursuing this valuable treatment option. One possibility for addressing this problem is to simulate the complex interaction between surgical and rehabilitation decisions, post-surgery walking function, and custom pelvic prosthesis design using patient-specific neuromusculoskeletal models. As a first step toward developing this capability, this study used a personalized neuromusculoskeletal model and direct collocation optimal control to predict the impact of ipsilateral psoas muscle strength on walking function following internal hemipelvectomy with custom prosthesis reconstruction. The influence of the psoas muscle was targeted since retention of this important muscle can be surgically demanding for certain tumors, requiring additional time in the operating room. The post-surgery walking predictions emulated the most common surgical scenario encountered at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Simulated post-surgery psoas strengths included 0% (removed), 50% (weakened), 100% (maintained), and 150% (strengthened) of the pre-surgery value. However, only the 100% and 150% cases successfully converged to a complete gait cycle. When post-surgery psoas strength was maintained, clinical gait features were predicted, including increased stance width, decreased stride length, and increased lumbar bending towards the operated side. Furthermore, when post-surgery psoas strength was increased, stance width and stride length returned to pre-surgery values. These results suggest that retention and strengthening of the psoas muscle on the operated side may be important for maximizing post-surgery walking function. If future studies can validate this computational approach using post-surgery experimental walking data, the approach may eventually influence surgical, rehabilitation, and custom prosthesis design decisions to meet the unique clinical needs of pelvic sarcoma patients.
Effects of immunoglobulin Y-loaded amorphous calcium phosphate on dentinal tubules occlusion and antibacterial activity
Authors: Yan Yanhong , Guan Yun , Luo Linjuan , Lu Bingqiang , Chen Feng , Jiang Beizhan
Published: September 2022

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of immunoglobulin Y (IgY)-loaded amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) (IgY@ACP) on dentinal tubule occlusion and antibacterial activity.

Methodology: IgY@ACP was synthesized based on a biomimetic mineralization strategy. The structure was examined by transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The IgY release property was assessed in vitro. The cell biocompatibility of IgY@ACP was evaluated by CCK-8. The dentin disks were prepared using healthy human molars, and their dentinal tubules were exposed to EDTA. Subsequently, they were randomly selected and treated with or without IgY@ACP for 7 days. The tubule occlusion morphologies and newly formed layers were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction, respectively. To evaluate the acid resistance and abrasion resistance of IgY@ACP, dentin disks that were treated for 1 day were immersed in acid solution or subjected to a toothbrush. The antibacterial effects against Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) were evaluated by colony-forming unit (CFU) counting, adhesion property assessment, and crystal violet and live/dead bacterial staining. Finally, the occlusion effect was evaluated in rat incisors in vivo. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for statistical analysis. The level of significance was set at 0.05.

Results: IgY@ACP presented an amorphous phase with a nanosize (60–80 nm) and sustained release of protein within 48 h. The CCK-8 results showed that IgY@ACP had good biocompatibility. After treatment with IgY@ACP for 1 day, the majority of dentinal tubules were occluded by a 0.3-μm-thick mineralized layer. Seven days later, all dentinal tubules were occluded by mineralization with a thickness of 1.4 μm and a depth of 16 μm. The newly mineralized layer showed hydroxyapatite-like diffraction peaks. In addition, IgY@ACP had good acid and abrasion resistance. After treatment with IgY@ACP, the CFU counting and adhesion rate of S. mutans were significantly reduced, the crystal violet staining was lighter, and the S. mutans staining revealed more dead cells. Most importantly, IgY@ACP had a certain occluding property in rat incisors in vivo.

Conclusion: IgY@ACP can effectively occlude dentinal tubules with acid-resistant stability and has prominent anti-S. mutans effects, rendering it a potentially suitable desensitization material in the clinic.
Meis2 controls skeletal formation in the hyoid region
Authors: Fabik Jaroslav , Psutkova Viktorie , Machon Ondrej
Published: September 2022

A vertebrate skull is composed of many skeletal elements which display enormous diversity of shapes. Cranial bone formation embodies a multitude of processes, i.e., epithelial-mesenchymal induction, mesenchymal condensation, and endochondral or intramembranous ossification. Molecular pathways determining complex architecture and growth of the cranial skeleton during embryogenesis are poorly understood. Here, we present a model of the hyoid apparatus development in Wnt1-Cre2-induced Meis2 conditional knock-out (cKO) mice. Meis2 cKO embryos develop an aberrant hyoid apparatus—a complete skeletal chain from the base of the neurocranium to lesser horns of the hyoid, resembling extreme human pathologies of the hyoid-larynx region. We examined key stages of hyoid skeletogenesis to obtain a complex image of the hyoid apparatus formation. Lack of Meis2 resulted in ectopic loci of mesenchymal condensations, ectopic cartilage and bone formation, disinhibition of skeletogenesis, and elevated proliferation of cartilage precursors. We presume that all these mechanisms contribute to formation of the aberrant skeletal chain in the hyoid region. Moreover, Meis2 cKO embryos exhibit severely reduced expression of PBX1 and HAND2 in the hyoid region. Altogether, MEIS2 in conjunction with PBX1 and HAND2 affects mesenchymal condensation, specification and proliferation of cartilage precursors to ensure development of the anatomically correct hyoid apparatus.
Targeting DNA methylation can reduce cardiac injury associated with ischemia reperfusion: One step closer to clinical translation with blood-borne assessment
Authors: Boovarahan Sri Rahavi , AlAsmari Abdullah F. , Ali Nemat , Khan Rehan , Kurian Gino A.
Published: September 2022

Ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury is one of the main clinical challenges for cardiac surgeons. No effective strategies or therapy targeting the molecular and cellular mechanisms to reduce I/R exists to date, despite altered gene expression and cellular metabolism/physiology. We aimed to identify whether DNA methylation, an unexplored target, can be a potential site to curb I/R-associated cell death by using the left anterior descending artery occlusion model in male Wistar rats. I/R rat heart exhibited global DNA hypermethylation with a corresponding decline in the mitochondrial genes (PGC-1α, TFAM, POLG, ND1, ND3, ND4, Cyt B, COX1, and COX2), antioxidant genes (SOD2, catalase, and Gpx2) and elevation in apoptotic genes (Casp3, Casp7, and Casp9) expression with corresponding changes in their activity, resulting in injury. Targeting global DNA methylation in I/R hearts by using its inhibitor significantly reduced the I/R-associated infarct size by 45% and improved dysferlin levels via modulating the genes involved in cell death apoptotic pathway (Casp3, Casp7, and PARP), inflammation (IL-1β, TLR4, ICAM1, and MyD88), oxidative stress (SOD1, catalase, Gpx2, and NFkB) and mitochondrial function and its regulation (MT-ND1, ND3, COX1, ATP6, PGC1α, and TFAM) in the cardiac tissue. The corresponding improvement in the genes’ function was reflected in the respective hearts via the reduction in apoptotic TUNEL positive cells and ROS levels, thereby improving myocardial architecture (H&E staining), antioxidant enzymes (SOD, catalase activity) and mitochondrial electron transport chain activities and ATP levels. The analysis of blood from the I/R animals in the presence and absence of methylation inhibition exhibited a similar pattern of changes as that observed in the cardiac tissue with respect to global DNA methylation level and its enzymes (DNMT and TET) gene expression, where the blood cardiac injury markers enzymes like LDH and CK-MB were elevated along with declined tissue levels. Based on these observations, we concluded that targeting DNA methylation to reduce the level of DNA hypermethylation can be a promising approach in ameliorating I/R injury. Additionally, the blood-borne changes reflected I/R-associated myocardial tissue alteration, making it suitable to predict I/R-linked pathology.
Machine learning prediction of atrial fibrillation in cardiovascular patients using cardiac magnetic resonance and electronic health information
Authors: Dykstra Steven , Satriano Alessandro , Cornhill Aidan K. , Lei Lucy Y. , Labib Dina , Mikami Yoko , Flewitt Jacqueline , Rivest Sandra , Sandonato Rosa , Feuchter Patricia , Howarth Andrew G. , Lydell Carmen P. , Fine Nowell M. , Exner Derek V. , Morillo Carlos A. , Wilton Stephen B. , Gavrilova Marina L. , White James A.
Published: September 2022

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a commonly encountered cardiac arrhythmia associated with morbidity and substantial healthcare costs. While patients with cardiovascular disease experience the greatest risk of new-onset AF, no risk model has been developed to predict AF occurrence in this population. We hypothesized that a patient-specific model could be delivered using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) disease phenotyping, contextual patient health information, and machine learning.

Methods

Nine thousand four hundred forty-eight patients referred for CMR imaging were enrolled and followed over a 5-year period. Seven thousand, six hundred thirty-nine had no prior history of AF and were eligible to train and validate machine learning algorithms. Random survival forests (RSFs) were used to predict new-onset AF and compared to Cox proportional-hazard (CPH) models. The best performing features were identified from 115 variables sourced from three data domains: (i) CMR-based disease phenotype, (ii) patient health questionnaire, and (iii) electronic health records. We evaluated discriminative performance of optimized models using C-index and time-dependent AUC (tAUC).

Results

A RSF-based model of 20 variables (CIROC-AF-20) delivered an overall C-index of 0.78 for the prediction of new-onset AF with respective tAUCs of 0.80, 0.79, and 0.78 at 1-, 2- and 3-years. This outperformed a novel CPH-based model and historic AF risk scores. At 1-year of follow-up, validation cohort patients classified as high-risk of future AF by CIROC-AF-20 went on to experience a 17.3% incidence of new-onset AF, being 24.7-fold higher risk than low risk patients.

Conclusions

Using phenotypic data available at time of CMR imaging we developed and validated the first described risk model for the prediction of new-onset AF in patients with cardiovascular disease. Complementary value was provided by variables from patient-reported measures of health and the electronic health record, illustrating the value of multi-domain phenotypic data for the prediction of AF.
Use of micro-analysis to augment the macro-archaeological investigation of an elevated Holocene shell midden, Dampier Archipelago, NW Australia
Authors: Ward I , McDonald J , Monks C , Fairweather J
Published: September 2022

Few studies in Australia have employed automated mineral techniques to augment archaeological site investigations, and there are no known published micromorphological studies of Australian shell midden sites. This pilot study presents results of a micro-analytical investigation of a Tegillarca granosa (formerly known as Anadara granosa) midden in the Old Geos site, located in an elevated location on the Burrup Peninsula in NW Australia. Analytical investigations were undertaken on a 15 cm profile in the upper section dated to 1,500 cal yr BP of a 50 cm excavation profile that has a maximum age estimate of around 7,000 cal yr BP. Although invertebrate activity has reduced the temporal and spatial resolution, mineralogical analyses differentiate a higher relative concentration of alkali feldspars in the top of the sampled profile consistent with freshly weathered granophyre bedrock, as well as presence of rare rutilitic quartz. The profile otherwise shows sediment source and transport has remained constant. In addition to the shell, cultural material includes fish, mammal and possibly avian bone, some of which have been burnt. Plant material is limited but does include micro-fragments of charcoal and phytoliths from grass and wood. Fungal tissue is further evidence of present or past degrading organic matter. Both this, and a previous micro-analytical study on the more distant site of Barrow Island, highlight how micro-analytical investigation can provide more detail on depositional and post-depositional history of midden and other archaeological records in this region.
RSFD: A rough set-based feature discretization method for meteorological data
Authors: Zeng Lirong , Chen Qiong , Huang Mengxing
Published: September 2022

Meteorological data mining aims to discover hidden patterns in a large number of available meteorological data. As one of the most relevant big data preprocessing technologies, feature discretization can transform continuous features into discrete ones to improve the efficiency of meteorological data mining algorithms. Aiming at the problems of high interaction of multiple attributes, noise interference, and difficulty in obtaining prior knowledge in meteorological data, we propose a rough set-based feature discretization method for meteorological data (RSFD). First, we calculate the information gain of each candidate breakpoint in the meteorological attribute to split the intervals. Then, we use chi-square test to merge these discrete intervals. Finally, we take the variation of indiscernibility relation in rough set as the evaluation criterion for the discretization scheme. We scan each attribute in turn by using the strategy of splitting first and then merging, thus obtaining the optimal discrete feature set. We compare RSFD with the state-of-the-art discretization methods on meteorological data. Experiments show that our method achieves better results in the classification accuracy of meteorological data, and obtains a smaller number of discrete intervals while ensuring data consistency.
Agriculture in the Karakum: An archaeobotanical analysis from Togolok 1, southern Turkmenistan (ca. 2300–1700 B.C.)
Authors: Billings Traci N. , Cerasetti Barbara , Forni Luca , Arciero Roberto , Dal Martello Rita , Carra Marialetizia , Rouse Lynne M. , Boivin Nicole , Spengler Robert N.
Published: September 2022

Southern Central Asia witnessed widespread expansion in urbanism and exchange, between roughly 2200 and 1500 B.C., fostering a new cultural florescence, sometimes referred to as the Greater Khorasan Civilization. Decades of detailed archeological investigation have focused on the development of urban settlements, political systems, and inter-regional exchange within and across the broader region, but little is known about the agricultural systems that supported these cultural changes. In this paper, we present the archaeobotanical results of material recovered from Togolok 1, a proto-urban settlement along the Murghab River alluvial fan located in southeastern Turkmenistan. This macrobotanical assemblage dates to the late 3rd - early 2nd millennia B.C., a time associated with important cultural transformations in southern Central Asia. We demonstrate that people at the site were cultivating and consuming a diverse range of crops including, barley, wheat, legumes, grapes, and possibly plums and apples or pears. This, together with the associated material culture and zooarchaeological evidence, suggest a regionally adapted mixed agropastoral economy. The findings at Togolok 1 contribute to the ongoing discussion of dietary choices, human/landscape interactions, and the adaptation of crops to diverse ecosystems in prehistoric Central Asia.
Identification of effective diagnostic biomarker and immune cell infiltration characteristics in acute liver failure by integrating bioinformatics analysis and machine-learning strategies
Authors: Yuan Mengqin , Yao Lichao , Hu Xue , Jiang Yingan , Li Lanjuan
Published: September 2022

Background: To determine effective biomarkers for the diagnosis of acute liver failure (ALF) and explore the characteristics of the immune cell infiltration of ALF.

Methods: We analyzed the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between ALF and control samples in GSE38941, GSE62029, GSE96851, GSE120652, and merged datasets. Co-expressed DEGs (co-DEGs) identified from the five datasets were analyzed for enrichment analysis. We further constructed a PPI network of co-DEGs using the STRING database. Then, we integrated the two kinds of machine-learning strategies to identify diagnostic biomarkers of top hub genes screened based on MCC and Degree methods. And the potential diagnostic performance of the biomarkers for ALF was estimated using the AUC values. Data from GSE14668, GSE74000, and GSE96851 databases was performed as external verification sets to validate the expression level of potential diagnostic biomarkers. Furthermore, we analyzed the difference in the protein level of diagnostic biomarkers between normal and ALF mice models. Finally, we used CIBERSORT to estimate relative infiltration levels of 22 immune cell subsets in ALF samples and further analyzed the relationships between the diagnostic biomarkers and infiltrated immune cells.

Results: A total of 200 co-DEGs were screened. Enrichment analyses depicted that they are highly enriched in metabolism and matrix collagen production-associated processes. The top 28 hub genes were obtained by integrating MCC and Degree methods. Then, the collagen type IV alpha 2 chain (COL4A2) was regarded as the diagnostic biomarker and showed excellent specificity and sensitivity. COL4A2 also showed a statistically significant difference and excellent diagnostic effectiveness in the verification set. In addition, there was a significant upregulation in the COL4A2 protein level in ALF mice models compared with the normal group. CIBERSORT analysis showed that activated CD4 T cells, plasma cells, macrophages, and monocytes may be implicated in the progress of ALF. In addition, COL4A2 showed different degrees of correlation with immune cells.

Conclusion: In conclusion, COL4A2 may be a diagnostic biomarker for ALF, and immune cell infiltration may have important implications for the occurrence and progression of ALF.
Structural, vibrational and transport properties of liquid and amorphous alumina: A molecular dynamics simulation study
Authors: Zhou Xiaolin , Zhou Yufeng , Deng Ya , Zhang Yumin
Published: September 2022

Structural, vibrational and transport properties of liquid alumina at 2500 K and amorphous alumina at 300 K were studied by molecular dynamics simulations using an empirical Born-Mayer-Huggins potential with the recently optimized parameters. The investigations were conducted for the predicted densities at almost zero pressure, as well as the experimentally reported densities of 2.81 g/cm3 and 3.175 g/cm3. A detailed examination of the interatomic correlations showed that for both liquid and amorphous alumina, the short-range order was dominated by the slightly distorted (AlO4)5− tetrahedra. Vibrational density of states (VDOS) was obtained from the Fourier transform of the velocity autocorrelation functions (VACF), which exhibited broader ranges for the liquid phases compared with those for the amorphous phases. Each VDOS spectrum was divided into two primary frequency bands for both liquid and amorphous alumina. Thermal conductivities (κ) and viscosities (η) were estimated respectively through the heat-current autocorrelation functions (HCACFs) and stress autocorrelation functions (SACF) by the equilibrium molecular dynamics (EMD) simulations using the Green-Kubo relation. And the results were shown to be consistent with the experimental data, especially that κ was equal to 2.341 ± 0.039 Wm−1K−1 for amorphous alumina at 2.81 g/cm3 and 300 K, η was equal to 0.0261 ± 0.0017 Pa·s and 0.0272 ± 0.0018 Pa·s for the liquid phases at 2500 K with densities of 2.81 g/cm3 and 2.863 g/cm3, respectively. Mean squared displacements (MSDs) were employed for the self-diffusion coefficients (D) estimation.
Explainable time-series deep learning models for the prediction of mortality, prolonged length of stay and 30-day readmission in intensive care patients
Authors: Deng Yuhan , Liu Shuang , Wang Ziyao , Wang Yuxin , Jiang Yong , Liu Baohua
Published: September 2022

Background

In-hospital mortality, prolonged length of stay (LOS), and 30-day readmission are common outcomes in the intensive care unit (ICU). Traditional scoring systems and machine learning models for predicting these outcomes usually ignore the characteristics of ICU data, which are time-series forms. We aimed to use time-series deep learning models with the selective combination of three widely used scoring systems to predict these outcomes.

Materials and methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 40,083 patients in ICU from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV) database. Three deep learning models, namely, recurrent neural network (RNN), gated recurrent unit (GRU), and long short-term memory (LSTM) with attention mechanisms, were trained for the prediction of in-hospital mortality, prolonged LOS, and 30-day readmission with variables collected during the initial 24 h after ICU admission or the last 24 h before discharge. The inclusion of variables was based on three widely used scoring systems, namely, APACHE II, SOFA, and SAPS II, and the predictors consisted of time-series vital signs, laboratory tests, medication, and procedures. The patients were randomly divided into a training set (80%) and a test set (20%), which were used for model development and model evaluation, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, and Brier scores were used to evaluate model performance. Variable significance was identified through attention mechanisms.

Results

A total of 33 variables for 40,083 patients were enrolled for mortality and prolonged LOS prediction and 36,180 for readmission prediction. The rates of occurrence of the three outcomes were 9.74%, 27.54%, and 11.79%, respectively. In each of the three outcomes, the performance of RNN, GRU, and LSTM did not differ greatly. Mortality prediction models, prolonged LOS prediction models, and readmission prediction models achieved AUCs of 0.870 ± 0.001, 0.765 ± 0.003, and 0.635 ± 0.018, respectively. The top significant variables co-selected by the three deep learning models were Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), age, blood urea nitrogen, and norepinephrine for mortality; GCS, invasive ventilation, and blood urea nitrogen for prolonged LOS; and blood urea nitrogen, GCS, and ethnicity for readmission.

Conclusion

The prognostic prediction models established in our study achieved good performance in predicting common outcomes of patients in ICU, especially in mortality prediction. In addition, GCS and blood urea nitrogen were identified as the most important factors strongly associated with adverse ICU events.
Attitudes and perspectives of 534 Chinese pediatricians toward internet hospitals
Authors: Cui Wenbin , Zhu Weijun , Li Xiaojie , Wu Danmai , He Ping , Yu Guangjun
Published: September 2022

Background

Internet hospitals introduced in China have effectively reduced service time and space, promoted high-quality pediatric medical resources to grassroots areas, solved the contradiction between supply and demand of pediatric medical resources, and met patients’ increasing multi-level and diversified medical service needs. However, pediatricians’ attitudes toward and satisfaction with the use of internet hospitals remain unknown.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate pediatricians’ knowledge of, use of, and satisfaction with internet hospitals in order to identify major issues in internet hospital development, and to understand pediatricians’ attitudes and opinions on the construction, development, and use of internet hospitals.

Materials and methods

A total of 625 pediatricians in 17 public tertiary hospitals in Shanghai were surveyed from November 1–30, 2021. Five hundred and thirty four pediatricians completed the survey, and the response rate was 85.44%. Pediatricians’ baseline demographic data were collected and information about their use of and satisfaction with internet hospitals.

Results

About 70.22% (375/534) of pediatricians knew about internet hospitals and about 54.68% (292/534) use internet hospitals for patient consultation, diagnosis, and treatment. Utilized services mainly focused on online consultation (271/292, 92.81%), online follow-up consultation (174/292, 59.59%), and health sciences (111/292, 38.01%). Online services were provided by 69.18% (202/292) of pediatricians for less than 1 h a day, and 75.00% (219/292) responded to fewer than five patient consultations online every day. Pediatricians’ overall satisfaction with internet hospitals was low (3.59 ± 0.92 points), user experience, systems functions, operation processes, service prices, and performance rewards of internet hospitals were main influencing factors. Pediatricians are enthusiastic about further development of internet hospitals, with 87.83% (469/534) willing to provide services on the internet hospital platform.

Conclusion

Most pediatricians view internet hospitals favorably and are eager to contribute to the development of online diagnosis and treatment services. The development of internet hospitals will be more strongly supported by improving pediatricians’ satisfaction and mobilizing their enthusiasm and initiative to participate in internet medical services.
Landscape of immune infiltration in entorhinal cortex of patients with Alzheimerʼs disease
Authors: Zhang Hui , Cao Silu , Xu Yaru , Sun Xiaoru , Fei Miaomiao , Jing Qi , Xu Xiaodong , Tang Jinxuan , Niu Bing , Li Cheng
Published: September 2022

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases and manifests as progressive memory loss and cognitive dysfunction. Neuroinflammation plays an important role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and anti-inflammatory drugs reduce the risk of the disease. However, the immune microenvironment in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease remains unclear, and the mechanisms by which anti-inflammatory drugs improve Alzheimer’s disease have not been clearly elucidated. This study aimed to provide an overview of the immune cell composition in the entorhinal cortex of patients with Alzheimer’s disease based on the transcriptomes and signature genes of different immune cells and to explore potential therapeutic targets based on the relevance of drug targets. Transcriptomics data from the entorhinal cortex tissue, derived from GSE118553, were used to support our study. We compared the immune-related differentially expressed genes (irDEGs) between patients and controls by using the limma R package. The difference in immune cell composition between patients and controls was detected via the xCell algorithm based on the marker genes in immune cells. The correlation between marker genes and immune cells and the interaction between genes and drug targets were evaluated to explore potential therapeutic target genes and drugs. There were 81 irDEGs between patients and controls that participated in several immune-related pathways. xCell analysis showed that most lymphocyte scores decreased in Alzheimer’s disease, including CD4+ Tc, CD4+ Te, Th1, natural killer (NK), natural killer T (NKT), pro-B cells, eosinophils, and regulatory T cells, except for Th2 cells. In contrast, most myeloid cell scores increased in patients, except in dendritic cells. They included basophils, mast cells, plasma cells, and macrophages. Correlation analysis suggested that 37 genes were associated with these cells involved in innate immunity, of which eight genes were drug targets. Taken together, these results delineate the profile of the immune components of the entorhinal cortex in Alzheimer’s diseases, providing a new perspective on the development and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
The impact of aquatic exercise programs on the systemic hematological and inflammatory markers of community dwelling elderly: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Farinha Carlos , Ferreira José Pedro , Serrano João , Santos Hélder , Oliveiros Bárbara , Silva Fernanda M. , Cascante-Rusenhack Márcio , Teixeira Ana Maria
Published: September 2022

Evidence shows that physical exercise is important in maintaining an efficient immune system during ageing. However, there are few studies that test the impact of aquatic exercise programs on the immune system. This study aims to analyze the impact of different physical exercise programs in aquatic environment on the systemic hematological and inflammatory markers of community dwelling elderly. One hundred and two elderly were randomly allocated into four groups: a continuous aerobic exercise group (AerG) (n = 25, 71.44 ± 4.84 years); an interval aerobic exercise group (IntG) (n = 28, 72.64 ± 5.22 years); a combined exercise group (ComG) (n = 29, 71.90 ± 5.67 years); a control group (CG) (n = 20, 73.60 ± 5.25 years). The AerG, IntG and ComG participants took part in three different aquatic exercise programs over a 28-weeks period. The CG participants maintained their usual routines during the same time period. Blood samples were collected from all participants in order to access hematologic indicators, by means of cell count, and the inflammatory profile by ELISA. After 28 weeks, significant differences were found for several hematologic variables in the AerG, IntG and ComG with increases in mean corpuscular hemoglobulin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobulin concentration (MCHC), and hemoglobulin (Hb). Decreases in TNF-α levels were found for all exercising groups. An increase in IL-10 levels, granulocytes to lymphocytes ratio (GLR) and a decrease in the TNF-α/IL-10 ratio, were found for the IntG. For the ComG decreases were also found for the TNF-α, IL-1ß/IL-1ra ratios. The present study suggests that aquatic exercise programs were able to improve the inflammatory profile of the participants. Those in the exercise intervention groups showed a shift towards lower pro-inflammatory levels while the non-exercising group showed the opposite behaviour. The IntG and the ComG aquatic exercise programs appeared to be more effective than the AerG program in decreasing chronic low-grade inflammation by mediating the production of higher levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines. However, the differences found between the exercising groups were small and may not have clinical significance.
Plasma metabolomics of schizophrenia with cognitive impairment: A pilot study
Authors: Jiang Yihe , Sun Xiujia , Hu Miaowen , Zhang Lei , Zhao Nan , Shen Yifeng , Yu Shunying , Huang Jingjing , Li Huafang , Yu Wenjuan
Published: September 2022

Schizophrenia (SCZ) acts as a complex and burdensome disease, in which the functional outcome can be validly predicted by cognitive impairment, as one of the core features. However, there still lack considerable markers of cognitive deficits in SCZ. Based on metabolomics, it is expected to identify different metabolic characteristics of SCZ with cognitive impairment. In the present study, 17 SCZ patients with cognitive impairment (CI), 17 matched SCZ patients with cognitive normal (CN), and 20 healthy control subjects (HC) were recruited, whose plasma metabolites were measured using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS). The result of metabolic profiling indicated the identification of 46 differentially expressed metabolites between HC, CN, and CI groups, with 7 differentially expressed metabolites between CN and CI groups. Four differential metabolites (imidazolepropionic acid, Homoserine, and Aspartic acid) were repeatedly found in both screenings, by which the formed biomarker panel could discriminate SCZ with cognitive impairment from matched patients (AUC = 0.974) and health control (AUC = 0.841), respectively. Several significant metabolic pathways were highlighted in pathway analysis, involving Alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, and Citrate cycle (TCA cycle). In this study, several differentially expressed metabolites were identified in SCZ with cognitive impairment, providing novel insights into clinical treatment strategies.
Social determinants and adherence to recommended COVID-19 vaccination among the Arab ethnic minority: A syndemics framework
Authors: Amit Aharon Anat
Published: September 2022

Background

Since the mass vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 was launched in Israel, the Arab ethnicity minority had lower vaccine uptake. The syndemics theory suggests a closely interrelated complex of health and social crises among vulnerable societies results in an increased disease burden or in more adverse health conditions. Syndemics may explain the health disparities between different people or communities. Likewise, acculturation was found to be associated with different health outcomes among minority populations. The purpose of the study is to explore the association between syndemic construct, acculturation style, and adherence to recommended COVID-19 vaccination among the Arab ethnicity in Israel.

Methods

A cross-sectional study among 305 participants who completed a self-report questionnaire. Syndemic construct (syndemics score and syndemics severity) was calculated from the participants' health behavior index, self-rated health status, and adherence to flu vaccination. Four acculturation strategies were defined according to Barry's acculturation model: assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization style. Linear regression (stepwise method) was conducted to determine the explanatory factors for COVID-19 vaccine adherence.

Results

Assimilation and separation acculturation styles and syndemics severity were significantly associated with higher adherence to the recommended COVID-19 vaccination (B = 1.12, 95%CI = 0.34–1.98; B = 0.45, 95%CI = 0.10–0.80; B = 0.18, 95%CI = 0.09–0.28; respectively). The explained variance of the model (R2) was 19.9%.

Conclusion

Syndemics severity, assimilation and separation acculturation styles were associated with higher adherence to recommended COVID-19 vaccination in the Israeli Arab minority population. Syndemics score was not associated with recommended COVID-19 vaccination. To encourage COVID-19 vaccination among minority communities, campaigns should be tailored to the social determinants in a sensitive and individualized manner.
Percutaneous endoscopic creation of a neoinfundibulum for a calyceal diverticulum: A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Das Arighno , Blumenthal Zoe , Monroe Eric , Farhat Walid A. , Bhatia Vinaya P.
Published: September 2022

Introduction

Calyceal diverticula (CD) are cystic structures within the renal parenchyma that likely result from inappropriate interaction between the ureteric bud and metanephric blastema during development and, if obstructed, may cause problems that include flank pain, urinary tract infections, gross hematuria, or nephrolithiasis. Herein, we present the results of percutaneous management of an obstructed calyceal diverticulum causing recurrent flank pain and infections in a 17-year-old girl.

Case summary

The patient initially presented with febrile pyelonephritis, at which time an ultrasound was concerned about an abscess versus an infected cyst. She underwent percutaneous drain placement with IV antibiotics and improved. Three years later, she re-presented with similar symptoms. After a similar treatment course, a sinogram revealed communication of the cystic-appearing lesion with the proximal ureter, confirming a diagnosis of a calyceal diverticulum. The patient opted for endoscopic management. An initial attempt at ureteroscopy was unsuccessful due to both the small ureteral caliber as well as the stenotic infundibular os. A repeat attempt at percutaneous management revealed a stenotic infundibulum that could not accommodate a wire. A holmium laser fiber was used to create a neoinfundibulum from the diverticulum to the renal pelvis adjacent to the stenotic infundibular os. Follow-up retrograde pyelography and ultrasonography confirmed an interval decrease in size of the infundibulum, and the patient’s infectious symptoms and pain resolved.

Discussion

CD is a rare anomaly and is infrequently reported in the pediatric population. Percutaneous management of CD in adults has been well described in the literature. Direct percutaneous management of CD involves access to the CD and ablation of the CD cavity to prevent re-accumulation of urine. Previous studies done in adults have suggested that stone-free rates from this management range from about 80% to 100%. Diverticular obliteration, as measured by postoperative CT scans, also appears to be feasible in a percutaneous, antegrade approach, with complete diverticular obliteration rates ranging from 60% to 100%. Our case demonstrated a successful decrease in size from the original diverticulum (9 cm) to a smaller size (2 cm). Future studies with longer follow-ups will need to ascertain if percutaneous management of symptomatic CD is effective in the pediatric population.