bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Extreme Hypofractionation with SBRT in Localized Prostate Cancer
Authors: Gómez-Aparicio Maria Antonia , Valero Jeannette , Caballero Begoña , García Rafael , Hernando-Requejo Ovidio , Montero Ángel , Gómez-Iturriaga Alfonso , Zilli Thomas , Ost Piet , López-Campos Fernando , Couñago Felipe
Published: August 2021

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men around the world. Radiotherapy is a standard of care treatment option for men with localized prostate cancer. Over the years, radiation delivery modalities have contributed to increased precision of treatment, employing radiobiological insights to shorten the overall treatment time, improving the control of the disease without increasing toxicities. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) represents an extreme form of hypofractionated radiotherapy in which treatment is usually delivered in 1–5 fractions. This review assesses the main efficacy and toxicity data of SBRT in non-metastatic prostate cancer and discusses the potential to implement this scheme in routine clinical practice.
Simulation of the Effects of Angle of Attack and Projectile Contour in Damage Development in Reinforced Concrete
Authors: Jurecs Stefan P. , Tabei Ali
Published: August 2021

The impact of projectiles in reinforced or unreinforced concrete is of prime importance in applied mechanics and engineering. Parameters such as penetration depth, velocity or energy of the projectile, and the geometry and the angle of attack of the projectile are the most critical factors, among several others, that determine whether the concrete body will tolerate damage due to the impact or not. For numerical simulations of damage, the Riedel-Hiermaier-Thoma (RHT) concrete failure is an established approach, which is also used in this research. In this work, numerical simulations have been performed on shooting a rigid large-scale projectile with different tip contours at a concrete target that is reinforced with steel. For each tip contour, the angle of attack varied. The penetration depth of the projectile tip and the damage of the target were reported for the different tip contours as a function of the angle of attack. The results show that the maximal damage occurred at ~45° of the angle of attack, while penetration of the projectile into the target increased with increasing the angle of attack.
Promoter Hypermethylation of Tumor Suppressor Genes Located on Short Arm of the Chromosome 3 as Potential Biomarker for the Diagnosis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Lao Thuan Duc , Nguyen Toan Ngoc , Le Thuy Ai Huyen
Published: August 2021

DNA methylation, the most common epigenetic alteration, has been proven to play important roles in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Numerous tumor suppressor genes located on the chromosome 3p, particularly in the region of 3p21, are frequently methylated in NPC, thus suggesting great potential for diagnosis of NPC. In this review, we summarize recent findings of tumor suppressor genes on chromosome 3 that likely drive nasopharyngeal tumor development and progression, based on previous studies related to the hypermethylation of these target genes. Better understanding will allow us to design further experiments to establish a potential test for diagnosis of NPC, as well as bring about methylated therapies to improve the treatment of NPC.
Ultrasound Examination and Navigation for Repeat/Delayed Reconstruction of the Ankle Extensor Tendons
Authors: Mezian Kamal , Sobotová Karolína , Zámečník David , Özçakar Levent
Published: August 2021

Herein, we describe a 46-year-old woman with persistent pain and weakness in her left ankle/foot one year after surgical repair of all three ankle extensor tendons following a penetrating injury. This report presents a unique case whereby US imaging played a paramount role in the diagnosis and surgical management of a previous nonanatomic repair of the ankle extensor tendons after a penetrating injury one year prior. The above-quoted findings were subsequently corrected with end-to-end sutures. On the third postoperative month follow-up, the patient was free of any complaints or complications.
Behavior of Children during Dental Care with Rubber Dam Isolation: A Randomized Controlled Study
Authors: Vanhée Tania , Tassignon Chloé , Porta Pierre , Bottenberg Peter , Charles Thierry , Vanden Abbeele Astrid
Published: August 2021

Background: The establishment of the dental dam improves dentist working conditions and patient protection. The purpose of this study was to analyze the behavior of the child during dental care with or without a dam. Methods: In this interventional randomized study, 51 patients are divided into two groups, one with a rubber dam and the other with cotton roll isolation. Their behavior was observed during the treatment of temporary molars. The duration of the treatment, the patient’s feeling with a visual analogue scale (VAS), the behavior (B) of the child measured with a hetero-evaluation scale (modified Venham scale) and the cardiac frequency (CF) were measured. Results: The group treated with a rubber dam has a significant decrease in the various stress parameters that have been identified (B, p value = 0.034; CF, p value = 0.015). Subgroups of patients with and without nitrous oxide sedation were compared and similar results were obtained. Conclusions: Isolation with a rubber dam reduces child’s stress during dental care. Although it is slightly more time-consuming and training is necessary for a quick and effective placement, it allows dentists to perform dental care in the best possible conditions, while reducing dental anxiety in young patients.
Investigation of Shape-from-Focus Precision by Texture Frequency Analysis
Authors: Onogi Shinya , Kawase Toshihiro , Sugino Takaaki , Nakajima Yoshikazu
Published: August 2021

This paper reports the precision of shape-from-focus (SFF) imaging according to the texture frequencies and window sizes of a focus measure. SFF is one of various depth measurement techniques for optical imaging, such as microscopy and endoscopy. SFF measures the depth of an object according to focus measure, which is generally computed with a fixed window. The window size affects the performance of SFF and should be adjusted for the texture of an object. In this study, we investigated the precision difference of SFF in texture frequencies and by window size. Two experiments were performed: precision validation in texture frequencies with a fixed window size, and precision validation in various window sizes related to pixel-cycle lengths. The first experimental results showed that a smaller window size could not provide a correct focus measure, and the second results showed that a window size that is approximately equal to a pixel-cycle length of the texture could provide better precision. These findings could potentially contribute to determining the appropriate window size of focus measure operation in shape-from-focus reconstruction.
An IoT Assisted Real-Time High CMRR Wireless Ambulatory ECG Monitoring System with Arrhythmia Detection
Authors: Ali Hassan , Naing Hein Htet , Yaqub Raziq
Published: August 2021

The absence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) diagnostic and management solutions cause significant morbidity among populations in rural areas and the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) emergency. To tackle this problem, in this paper, the development of an Internet of things (IoT) assisted ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring system is presented. The system’s wearable single-channel data acquisition device supports 25 h of continuous operation. A right leg drive (RLD) circuit supported analog frontend (AFE) with a high common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) of 121 dB and a digitally implemented notch filter is used to suppress power-line frequency interference. The wearable device continuously sends the collected ECG data via Bluetooth to the user’s smartphone. An application on the user’s smartphone renders real-time ECG trace and heart rate and detects abnormal heart rhythms. This data are then shared in real-time with the user’s doctor via a real-time cloud database. An application on the doctor’s smartphone allows real-time visualization of this data and detection of arrhythmias. Simulations and experimental results demonstrate that reliable ECG signals can be captured with low latency and the heart rate computation is comparable to a commercial application. Low cost, scalability, low latency, real-time ECG monitoring, and improved performance of the system make the system highly suitable for the real-time remote identification and management of CVDs in users of rural areas and in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Performance Improvement of DAG-Aware Task Scheduling Algorithms with Efficient Cache Management in Spark
Authors: Zhao Yao , Dong Jian , Liu Hongwei , Wu Jin , Liu Yanxin
Published: August 2021

Directed acyclic graph (DAG)-aware task scheduling algorithms have been studied extensively in recent years, and these algorithms have achieved significant performance improvements in data-parallel analytic platforms. However, current DAG-aware task scheduling algorithms, among which HEFT and GRAPHENE are notable, pay little attention to the cache management policy, which plays a vital role in in-memory data-parallel systems such as Spark. Cache management policies that are designed for Spark exhibit poor performance in DAG-aware task-scheduling algorithms, which leads to cache misses and performance degradation. In this study, we propose a new cache management policy known as Long-Running Stage Set First (LSF), which makes full use of the task dependencies to optimize the cache management performance in DAG-aware scheduling algorithms. LSF calculates the caching and prefetching priorities of resilient distributed datasets according to their unprocessed workloads and significance in parallel scheduling, which are key factors in DAG-aware scheduling algorithms. Moreover, we present a cache-aware task scheduling algorithm based on LSF to reduce the resource fragmentation in computing. Experiments demonstrate that, compared to DAG-aware scheduling algorithms with LRU and MRD, the same algorithms with LSF improve the JCT by up to 42% and 30%, respectively. The proposed cache-aware scheduling algorithm also exhibits about 12% reduction in the average job completion time compared to GRAPHENE with LSF.
A Proposed Guidance for the Economic Assessment of Wave Energy Converters at Early Development Stages
Authors: Têtu Amélie , Fernandez Chozas Julia
Published: August 2021

Wave energy is one of the most promising renewable energies available with its very large resource. The waves generated by the wind field are steadier than the wind field itself, rendering wave energy more consistent than wind energy. It is also more predictable than wind and solar. Wave energy is making continuous progress towards commercialisation, and thanks to an increasing number of deployments at sea, the sector is increasing the understanding of the costs and economies of these projects. No wave energy converter has been demonstrated to be commercially viable, and it is yet to be proven that wave energy can contribute to the renewable energy mix. In this context, and in order to find an economically viable solution for exploiting wave energy, it is important to assess the economic potential of a particular concept throughout the entire technological development process. At early development stages, this assessment can be challenging and present large uncertainties. Notwithstanding, it is important to perform the economic assessment already at the early stages in order to identify possible bottlenecks or potential improvements or modifications of a concept. This work presents guidance for the economic evaluation of a wave energy concept at an early development stage by setting up the economic frame based on a target LCoE. It involves the understanding of the entry cost to be achieved for a specific target market and evaluating the breakdown of costs based on a detailed technology agnostic database of costs. The guidance is then applied to a new type of wave energy converter, in which the primary coupling with the waves is through hydrodynamic lift forces.
A New Multilevel Inverter Topology with Reduced DC Sources
Authors: Rawa Muhyaddin , P Prem , Mohamed Ali Jagabar Sathik , Siddique Marif Daula , Mekhilef Saad , Wahyudie Addy , Seyedmahmoudian Mehdi , Stojcevski Alex
Published: August 2021

The component count for the multilevel inverter has been a research topic for the last few decades. The higher number of power semiconductor devices and sources leads to a higher power loss with the complex control requirement. A new multilevel inverter topology employing the concept of half-Bridge modules is suggested in this paper. It requires a lower number of dc sources and power components. The inverter is controlled using a fundamental frequency switching scheme. With the basic unit being able to produce 13 level voltage waveforms with three dc voltage sources, higher-level inverter configuration has also been discussed in the paper. The performance of the topology is analyzed in the aspects of circuit parameters and found better when compared to similar topologies proposed in recent literature. The comparison provided in the paper set the benchmark of the proposed topology in terms of lower component requirements. The topology is also optimized with two voltage fixing algorithms for maximizing the number of levels for the given number of IGBTs, drivers and dc sources, and the observations are presented. The efficiency analysis gives the peak efficiency as 98.5%. The simulations were carried out using the PLECS software tool and validated using a prototype rated at 500 W. The results with several test conditions have been reported and discussed in the paper.
Cold Ageing of NMC811 Lithium-ion Batteries
Authors: Wang Chongming , Amietszajew Tazdin , Carvajal Ruth , Guo Yue , Ahmed Zahoor , Zhang Cheng , Goodlet Gregory , Bhagat Rohit
Published: August 2021

In the application of electric vehicles, LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 (NMC811)-a Ni-rich cathode has the potential of replacing LiNiMnCoO2 (NMC111) due to its high energy density. However, NMC811 features relatively poor structural and thermal stabilities, which affect its cycle life. This study aims to address the limited data availability research gap on NMC811 low-temperature degradation. We aged commercial 21700 NMC811 cells at 0 °C under 0.5 C and 1 C current rates. After 200 cycles, post-mortem visual, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, the inspections of harvested electrodes were conducted. In just 200 cold cycles, capacity drops of 25% and 49% were observed in cells aged at 1 C and 0.5 C, respectively. The fast degradation at low temperatures is largely due to lithium plating at the anode side during the charging process. The surprisingly better performance at 1 C is related to enhanced cell self-heating. After subsequent 3-month storage, the cells that experienced 200 cycles at 0 °C and 0.5 C became faulty (voltage: ≈ 0 V), possibly due to cell lithium dendrites and micro short circuits. This work demonstrates that NMC811 suffers from poor cold ageing performance and subsequent premature end-of-life.
Food Production Security in Times of a Long-Term Energy Shortage Crisis: The Example of Poland
Authors: Buko Jacek , Duda Jarosław , Makowski Adam
Published: August 2021

In countries with industrialized agriculture, the contribution of fossil energy equals or exceeds the energy provided to society in food. Poland is one of the countries which, in the absence of its own sufficient oil and gas resources, is forced to import these fossil fuels in order to benefit from modern solutions in the field of food production and distribution. This situation poses a serious threat to food security if there is a prolonged shortage of energy from such sources. Using the example of Poland, the following were identified: the causes and level of agricultural dependence on fossil fuels, energy threats to agriculture and energy source alternative to fossil fuels. The results of these considerations indicate that Poland is not a country that has irretrievably lost its ability to restore its food self-sufficiency in the event of loss of access to external sources of fossil fuels.
Optimal Charging Schedule Planning for Electric Buses Using Aggregated Day-Ahead Auction Bids
Authors: Zoltowska Izabela , Lin Jeremy
Published: August 2021

This study aims to plan a cost-minimizing charging schedule for electric buses with fast charging stations. The paper conceptualizes the problem as a three-stage procedure, which is oriented around the participation of an electric bus aggregator in a day-ahead energy auction. First, the aggregation stage determines the bid parameters of buses. With bid parameters, aggregated cost-minimizing charging plans are obtained in the second stage conceived as the hourly day-ahead auction. The disaggregation of hourly plans into feasible minutely charging schedules is the third stage. The main contribution is the formulation of mixed-integer linear programming aggregation models to determine charging availability expressed as minimum and maximum hourly energy requirements taking into account detailed, minutely characteristics and constraints of the charging equipment and the buses. No price forecasts are required, and the plans adjust to the wholesale prices of energy. Defining only a few aggregated bids parameters used in linear programming constraints and incorporating them into the auction model is another contributing factor of this paper, allowing the scheduling of storage-based participants economically. The proposed methodology has been verified on a recently published case study of a real-world bus service operated on the Ohio State University campus. We show that the auction-based charging of all 22 buses outperforms as-soon-as-possible schedules by 7% to even 28% of daily cost savings. Thanks to the aggregated bids, buses can flexibly shift charges between high- and low-price periods while preserving constraints of the charging equipment and timetables.
Prediction of Climate Change Effect on Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Arid Region
Authors: Matallah Mohamed Elhadi , Mahar Waqas Ahmed , Bughio Mushk , Alkama Djamel , Ahriz Atef , Bouzaher Soumia
Published: August 2021

Climate change and expected weather patterns in the long-term threaten the livelihood inside oases settlements in arid lands, particularly under the recurring heat waves during the harsh months. This paper investigates the impact of climate change on the outdoor thermal comfort within a multifamily housing neighborhood that is considered the most common residential archetype in Algerian Sahara, under extreme weather conditions in the summer season, in the long-term. It focuses on assessing the outdoor thermal comfort in the long-term, based on the Perceived Temperature index (PT), using simulation software ENVI-met and calculation model RayMan. Three different stations in situ were conducted and combined with TMY weather datasets for 2020 and the IPCC future projections: A1B, A2, B1 for 2050, and 2080. The results are performed from two different perspectives: to investigate how heat stress evolution undergoes climate change from 2020 till 2080; and for the development of a mathematical algorithm to predict the outdoor thermal comfort values in short-term, medium-term and long-term durations. The results indicate a gradual increase in PT index values, starting from 2020 and progressively elevated to 2080 during the summer season, which refers to an extreme thermal heat-stress level with differences in PT index averages between 2020 and 2050 (+5.9 °C), and 2080 (+7.7 °C), meaning no comfortable thermal stress zone expected during 2080. This study gives urban climate researchers, architects, designers and urban planners several insights into predicted climate circumstances and their impacts on outdoor thermal comfort for the long-term under extreme weather conditions, in order to take preventive measures for the cities’ planning in the arid regions.
A New Measurement of Anisotropic Relative Permeability and Its Application in Numerical Simulation
Authors: Li Congcong , Wang Shuoliang , You Qing , Yu Chunlei
Published: August 2021

In this paper, we used a self-developed anisotropic cubic core holder to test anisotropic relative permeability by the unsteady-states method, and introduced the anisotropic relative permeability to the traditional numerical simulator. The oil–water two-phase governing equation considering the anisotropic relative permeability is established, and the difference discretization is carried out. We formed a new oil–water two-phase numerical simulation method. It is clear that in a heterogeneous rock with millimeter to centimeter scale laminae, relative permeability is an anisotropic tensor. When the displacement direction is parallel to the bedding, the residual oil saturation is high and the displacement efficiency is low. The greater the angle between the displacement direction and the bedding strike, the lower the residual oil saturation is, the higher the displacement efficiency is, and the relative permeability curve tends towards a rightward shift. The new simulator showed that the anisotropic relative permeability not only affects the breakthrough time and sweep range of water flooding, but also has a significant influence on the overall water cut. The new simulator is validated with the actual oilfield model. It could describe the law of oil–water seepage in an anisotropic reservoir, depict the law of remaining oil distribution of a typical fluvial reservoir, and provide technical support for reasonable injection-production directions.
Cancer Incidence of Finnish Sami in the Light of Exposure to Radioactive Fallout
Authors: Soininen Leena , Mussalo-Rauhamaa Helena
Published: August 2021

This article summarizes the results of studies on the exposure of the Finnish Sami people to radioactive fallout and the estimations of the related cancer risk. We also discuss the lifestyle, genetic origin and diet of this population. The Sami people are an indigenous people who live in the northern part of Scandinavia and Finland. The review is based on the available scientific literature of Finnish Sami. The traditional Sami diet, high in animal products, persists in Sami groups still involved in reindeer-herding, but others have adopted the typical diet of western cultures. Studies have consistently shown an overall reduced cancer risk among the Finnish Sami people, except for stomach cancer among the Skolt Sami. Common cancers among the Finnish main population, such as prostate, breast and skin cancer are especially rare among the Finnish Sami. The incidence of cancer among the Finnish Sami are mostly similar to those of the Swedish and Norwegian Sami. To conclude, we observed no effect of radioactive pollution on cancer incidence. The lifestyles and environments of the Sami are changing, and their cancer mortality rate today is similar to that of the majority of the Finnish and western population.
A Bibliometric Analysis of 14,822 Researches on Myocardial Reperfusion Injury by Machine Learning
Authors: Li Chan , Liu Zhaoya , Shi Ruizheng
Published: August 2021

Myocardial ischemia is the major cause of death worldwide, and reperfusion is the standard intervention for myocardial ischemia. However, reperfusion may cause additional damage, known as myocardial reperfusion injury, for which there is still no effective therapy. This study aims to analyze the landscape of researches concerning myocardial reperfusion injury over the past three decades by machine learning. PubMed was searched for publications from 1990 to 2020 indexed under the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) term “myocardial reperfusion injury” on 13 April 2021. MeSH analysis and Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) analyses were applied to reveal research hotspots. In total, 14,822 publications were collected and analyzed in this study. MeSH analyses revealed that time factors and apoptosis were the leading terms of the pathogenesis and treatment of myocardial reperfusion injury, respectively. In LDA analyses, research topics were classified into three clusters. Complex correlations were observed between topics of different clusters, and the prognosis is the most concerned field of the researchers. In conclusion, the number of publications on myocardial reperfusion injury increases during the past three decades, which mainly focused on prognosis, mechanism, and treatment. Prognosis is the most concerned field, whereas studies on mechanism and treatment are relatively lacking.
Colorectal Cancer in Young and Older Adults in Uruguay: Changes in Recent Incidence and Mortality Trends
Authors: Musetti Carina , Garau Mariela , Alonso Rafael , Piñeros Marion , Soerjomataram Isabelle , Barrios Enrique
Published: August 2021

Uruguay has the highest colorectal cancer incidence rates in Latin America. Previous studies reported a stable incidence and a slight increase in mortality among males. We aimed to assess colorectal cancer incidence (2002–2017) and mortality trends (1990–2017) by age groups and sex, using data from the National Cancer Registry. Annual percent changes (APCs) were estimated using joinpoint regression models. We included 27,561 colorectal cancer cases and 25,403 deaths. We found an increasing incidence among both males and females aged 40–49, with annual increases of 3.1% (95%CI: 1.21–5.03) and 2.1% (95%CI: 0.49–3.66), respectively, and an increasein the rate in older males (70+) of 0.60% (95%CI: 0.02–1.20) per year between 2002 and 2017. Mortality remained stable among those younger than 50, whereas it decreased for older females aged 50–69 and 70+ (APC: −0.61% (−1.07–0.14) and −0.68% (−1.02–0.34), respectively), and increased for the oldest males (70+; APC: 0.74 (0.47–1.01)). In conclusion, we found rising colorectal cancer incidence accompanied by stable mortality in young adults. Sex disparities were also found among the older adults, with a more favorable pattern for females. Exposures to dietary and lifestyle risk factors, and inequalities in access to and awareness of screening programs, are probably among the main underlying causes and deserve further investigation.
The Effect of an Active Plant-Based System on Perceived Air Pollution
Authors: Armijos Moya Tatiana , Ottelé Marc , van den Dobbelsteen Andy , Bluyssen Philomena M.
Published: August 2021

Active plant-based systems are emerging technologies that aim to improve indoor air quality (IAQ). A person’s olfactory system is able to recognize the perceived odor intensity of various materials relatively well, and in many cases, the nose seems to be a better perceiver of pollutants than some equipment is. The aim of this study was to assess the odor coming out of two different test chambers in the SenseLab, where the participants were asked to evaluate blindly the level of acceptability, intensity, odor recognition, and preference at individual level with their noses. Two chambers were furnished with the same amount of new flooring material, and one of the chambers, Chamber A, also included an active plant-based system. The results showed that in general, the level of odor intensity was lower in Chamber B than in Chamber A, the level of acceptability was lower in Chamber A than in Chamber B, and the participants identified similar sources in both chambers. Finally, the preference was slightly higher for Chamber B over Chamber A. When people do not see the interior details of a room and have to rely on olfactory perception, they prefer a room without plants.
Considerations for Home-Based Treatment of Fabry Disease in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond
Authors: Nowicki Michał , Bazan-Socha Stanisława , Kłopotowski Mariusz , Błażejewska-Hyżorek Beata , Kusztal Mariusz , Pawlaczyk Krzysztof , Sławek Jarosław , Oko Andrzej , Oko-Sarnowska Zofia
Published: August 2021

Current therapy for Anderson–Fabry disease in Poland includes hospital or clinic-based intravenous enzyme replacement therapy with recombinant agalsidase alpha or beta, or oral pharmacological chaperone therapy with migalastat. Some countries around the world offer such treatment to patients in the comfort of their own homes. The 2020–2021 COVID-19 pandemic has pushed global healthcare providers to evolve their services so as to minimize the risk of COVID-19 exposure to both patients and providers; this has led to advances in telemedicine services and the increasing availability of at-home treatment for various procedures including parenteral drug administration. A total of 80% of surveyed Anderson–Fabry disease patients in Poland would prefer home-based treatment, which would be a safe and convenient alternative to clinic-based treatment if patient selection is based on our proposed algorithm. Our recommendations for home-based treatments appear feasible for the long term care of Anderson–Fabry disease patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. This may also serve as a basis for home-based treatment programs in other rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases.
Efficiency in Vietnamese Banking: A Meta-Regression Analysis Approach
Authors: Ho Tin H. , Nguyen Dat T. , Ngo Thanh , Le Tu D. Q.
Published: August 2021

This study explains the differences and variances in the efficiency scores of the Vietnamese banking sector retrieved from 27 studies published in refereed academic journals under the framework of meta-regression analysis. These scores are mainly based on frontier efficiency measurements, which essentially are Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) for Vietnamese banks over the period of 2007–2019. The meta-regression is estimated by using truncated regression to obtain bias-corrected scores. Our findings suggest that only the year of publication is positively correlated with efficiency, whilst the opposite is true for the data type, and sample size.
Concepts of Regeneration for Spinal Diseases in 2021
Authors: Yurube Takashi , Han Inbo , Sakai Daisuke
Published: August 2021

It is our pleasure to announce the publication of the Special Issue “Regeneration for Spinal Diseases” in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IJMS, ISSN 1422-0067) [...]
New Avenues for the Treatment of Huntington’s Disease
Authors: Kim Amy , Lalonde Kathryn , Truesdell Aaron , Gomes Welter Priscilla , Brocardo Patricia S. , Rosenstock Tatiana R. , Gil-Mohapel Joana
Published: August 2021

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG expansion in the HD gene. The disease is characterized by neurodegeneration, particularly in the striatum and cortex. The first symptoms usually appear in mid-life and include cognitive deficits and motor disturbances that progress over time. Despite being a genetic disorder with a known cause, several mechanisms are thought to contribute to neurodegeneration in HD, and numerous pre-clinical and clinical studies have been conducted and are currently underway to test the efficacy of therapeutic approaches targeting some of these mechanisms with varying degrees of success. Although current clinical trials may lead to the identification or refinement of treatments that are likely to improve the quality of life of those living with HD, major efforts continue to be invested at the pre-clinical level, with numerous studies testing novel approaches that show promise as disease-modifying strategies. This review offers a detailed overview of the currently approved treatment options for HD and the clinical trials for this neurodegenerative disorder that are underway and concludes by discussing potential disease-modifying treatments that have shown promise in pre-clinical studies, including increasing neurotropic support, modulating autophagy, epigenetic and genetic manipulations, and the use of nanocarriers and stem cells.
A New Smoothened Antagonist Bearing the Purine Scaffold Shows Antitumour Activity In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Zárate Ana María , Espinosa-Bustos Christian , Guerrero Simón , Fierro Angélica , Oyarzún-Ampuero Felipe , Quest Andrew F. G. , Di Marcotullio Lucia , Loricchio Elena , Caimano Miriam , Calcaterra Andrea , González-Quiroz Matías , Aguirre Adam , Meléndez Jaime , Salas Cristian O.
Published: August 2021

The Smoothened (SMO) receptor is the most druggable target in the Hedgehog (HH) pathway for anticancer compounds. However, SMO antagonists such as vismodegib rapidly develop drug resistance. In this study, new SMO antagonists having the versatile purine ring as a scaffold were designed, synthesised, and biologically tested to provide an insight to their mechanism of action. Compound 4s was the most active and the best inhibitor of cell growth and selectively cytotoxic to cancer cells. 4s induced cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, a reduction in colony formation and downregulation of PTCH and GLI1 expression. BODIPY-cyclopamine displacement assays confirmed 4s is a SMO antagonist. In vivo, 4s strongly inhibited tumour relapse and metastasis of melanoma cells in mice. In vitro, 4s was more efficient than vismodegib to induce apoptosis in human cancer cells and that might be attributed to its dual ability to function as a SMO antagonist and apoptosis inducer.
Chitosan–Graphene Oxide Composite Membranes for Solid-Phase Extraction of Pesticides
Authors: Silvestro Ilaria , Ciarlantini Clarissa , Francolini Iolanda , Tomai Pierpaolo , Gentili Alessandra , Dal Bosco Chiara , Piozzi Antonella
Published: August 2021

Solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled to LC/MS/MS analysis is a valid approach for the determination of organic micropollutants (OMPs) in liquid samples. To remove the greatest number of OMPs from environmental matrices, the development of innovative sorbent materials is crucial. Recently, much attention has been paid to inorganic nanosystems such as graphite-derived materials. Graphene oxide has been employed in water-purification processes, including the removal of several micropollutants such as dyes, flame retardants, or pharmaceutical products. Polysaccharides have also been widely used as convenient media for the dispersion of sorbent materials, thanks to their unique properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, nontoxicity, and low cost. In this work, chitosan–graphene oxide (CS_GO) composite membranes containing different amounts of GO were prepared and used as sorbents for the SPE of pesticides. To improve their dimensional stability in aqueous medium, the CS_GO membranes were surface crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. The composite systems were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, swelling degree, contact angle, and mechanical measurements. As the GO content increased, a decrease in surface homogeneity, an improvement of mechanical properties, and a reduction of thermal stability of the CS-based membranes were observed. The increased dimensional stability in water, together with the presence of high GO amounts, made the prepared composite membranes more efficacious than the ones based just on CS in isolating and preconcentrating different hydrophilic/hydrophobic pollutants.
Transcatheter versus Isolated Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Young High-Risk Patients: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis
Authors: Mach Markus , Poschner Thomas , Hasan Waseem , Kerbel Tillmann , Szalkiewicz Philipp , Hasimbegovic Ena , Andreas Martin , Gross Christoph , Strouhal Andreas , Delle-Karth Georg , Grabenwöger Martin , Adlbrecht Christopher , Schober Andreas
Published: August 2021

Background: Younger patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis are a particularly challenging collective with regard to the choice of intervention. High-risk patients younger than 75 years of age are often eligible for both the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and the isolated surgical aortic valve replacement (iSAVR). Data on the outcomes of both interventions in this set of patients are scarce. Methods: One hundred and forty-four propensity score-matched patients aged 75 years or less who underwent TAVR or iSAVR at the Hietzing Heart Center in Vienna, Austria, were included in the study. The mean age was 68.9 years (TAVR 68.7 vs. SAVR 67.6 years; p = 0.190) and the average EuroSCORE II was 5.4% (TAVR 4.3 [3.2%] vs. iSAVR 6.4 (4.3%); p = 0.194). Results: Postprocedural adverse event data showed higher rates of newly acquired atrial fibrillation (6.9% vs. 19.4%; p = 0.049), prolonged ventilation (2.8% vs. 25.0%; p < 0.001) and multi-organ failure (0% vs. 6.9%) in the surgical cohort. The in-hospital and 30-day mortality was significantly higher for iSAVR (1.4% vs. 13.9%; p = 0.012; 12.5% vs. 2.8%; p = 0.009, respectively). The long-term survival (median follow-up 5.0 years (2.2–14.1 years)) of patients treated with the surgical approach was superior to that of patients undergoing TAVR (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Although the survival analysis revealed a higher in-hospital and 30-day survival rate for high-risk patients aged ≤75 years who underwent TAVR, iSAVR was associated with a significantly higher long-term survival rate.
Special Issue—“Multimorbidity Development and Evolution: Clinical Implications”
Authors: Zucchelli Alberto , Calderón-Larrañaga Amaia , Vetrano Davide Liborio
Published: August 2021

Multimorbidity, the co-existence of multiple chronic diseases in the same individual, is not only extremely common in older persons but is also strongly associated with several poor health outcomes [...]
Reconsidering the Use of the Mindset Assessment Profile in Educational Contexts
Authors: Burgoyne Alexander P. , Macnamara Brooke N.
Published: August 2021

The Mindset Assessment Profile is a popular questionnaire purportedly designed to measure mindset—an individual’s belief in whether intelligence is malleable or stable. Despite its widespread use, the questionnaire appears to assess an individual’s need for cognition and goal orientation more than mindset. We assessed the reliability, construct validity, and factor structure of the Mindset Assessment Profile in a sample of 992 undergraduates. The reliability of the Mindset Assessment Profile was questionable (α = .63) and significantly lower than the reliability of the Implicit Theories of Intelligence Questionnaire (α = .94), an established measure of mindset. The Mindset Assessment Profile also lacked convergent and discriminant validity. Overall scores on the Mindset Assessment Profile correlated significantly more strongly with need for cognition than with mindset. Item-level analyses supported this finding: most items correlated weakly or not at all with mindset, and correlated significantly more strongly with need for cognition and learning goal orientation. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that three factors were underlying scores on the Mindset Assessment Profile: need for cognition, mindset, and performance goal orientation. Based on its questionable reliability and poor construct validity, we do not recommend that researchers and educators use the Mindset Assessment Profile to measure mindset.
Correlations between Electrophysiological Parameters, Lymphocyte Distribution and Cytokine Levels in Patients with Chronic Demyelinating Inflammatory Polyneuropathy
Authors: Dziadkowiak Edyta , Moreira Helena , Wieczorek Malgorzata , Budrewicz Slawomir , Barg Ewa , Koszewicz Magdalena
Published: August 2021

The goal of this study was to analyse, in relation to electrophysiological results, the distribution of lymphocyte subpopulations and the level of cytokines in patients with the typical form of chronic demyelinating inflammatory polyneuropathy (CIDP) before immunoglobulin treatment. The study group consisted of 60 patients (52 men, eight women), with a mean age 64.8 ± 11.2, who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for the typical variant of CIDP, with (23 patients) and without (37 patients) diabetes mellitus. We analysed the results of the neurophysiological tests, and correlated them with the leukocyte subpopulations, and cytokine levels. In CIDP patients, IL-6, IL-2, IL-4 and TNF-α levels were significantly increased compared to the control group. Fifty patients had decreased levels of T CD8+ lymphocytes, and 51 patients had increased levels of CD4+ lymphocytes. An increased CD4+/CD8+ ratio was also found. Negative correlations were observed mainly between compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitudes and cytokine levels. The study enabled the conclusion that electrophysiological parameters in CIDP patients are closely related to the autoimmune process, but without any clear differences between patients with and without diabetes mellitus. Correlations found in the study indicated that axonal degeneration might be independent of the demyelinating process and might be caused by direct inflammatory infiltration.
Expression of PD-L1 Is Associated with Inflammatory Microenvironment in Surgical Specimens of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Simundza Ivan , Krnic Dragan , Juricic Josko , Benzon Benjamin , Simundza Rina , Stanicic Ivan Mario , Capkun Vesna , Vukojevic Katarina , Glavina Durdov Merica
Published: August 2021

The aim of this study was to analyse the expression of PD-L1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its correlation with immune microenvironment response (IMR), clinic-pathological parameters, and outcome. The sample included 76 male and 32 female patients who underwent surgical resection. The mean age of the males was 66 years, and that of the females was 64 years. Adenocarcinoma (ADC) was diagnosed in 68 (63%) cases, squamous cell carcinoma in 35 (32%) cases, and NSCLC (not otherwise specified) in 5 (5%) cases. Metastatic lymph nodes were found in 38 (36%) patients, 18 with N1 nodes and 20 with N2 nodes. PD-L1 expression was valuated as the percentage of positive cancer cells among all cancer cells. Gender, age, and histologic type were not associated with PD-L1 expression (all p > 0.05). The subtypes of ADC were associated with PD-L1 expression (p = 0.050). The papillary subtype was 4.3 times more common among PD-L1 negative than PD-L1 positive ADC; the solid subtype was 1.9 times more common among PD-L1 positive than PD-L1 negative ADC. IMR was predominantly strong in 19 cases, weak in 36, and absent in 53 cases. The median value of PD-L1 expression in cancer cells was positively correlated with IMR (p = 0.039). PD-L1 expression was not correlated with overall survival (p = 0.643). The patients with strong, inflammatory-like IMR had an average survival time that was 12 months longer than patients with absent/low IMR (LR = 2.8; p = 0.132). In conclusion, the papillary subtype was more commonly PD-L1 negative in comparison with other subtypes of ADC. Positive PD-L1 expression in tumour cells was connected with strong, inflammatory-like IMR. Patients with strong IMR tended to experience better outcomes. Further investigations are needed on larger-scale cohorts to elucidate the insights of this descriptive study.
Tumour Genome Characterization of a Rare Case of Pulmonary Enteric Adenocarcinoma and Prior Colon Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Smyth Robert J. , Thomas Valentina , Fay Joanna , Ryan Ronan , Nicholson Siobhan , Morgan Ross K. , Grogan Liam , Breathnach Oscar , Morris Patrick G. , Toomey Sinead , Hennessy Bryan T. , Furney Simon J.
Published: August 2021

Pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma (PEAC) is a rare variant of lung adenocarcinoma first described in the early 1990s in a lung tumour with overlapping lung and small intestine features. It is a rare tumour with fewer than 300 cases described in the published literature and was only formally classified in 2011. Given these characteristics the diagnosis is challenging, but even more so in a patient with prior gastrointestinal malignancy. A 68-year-old Caucasian female presented with a cough and was found to have a right upper lobe mass. Her history was significant for a pT3N1 colon adenocarcinoma. The resected lung tumour showed invasive lung adenocarcinoma but also features of colorectal origin. Immuno-stains were strongly and diffusely positive for lung and enteric markers. Multi-region, whole-exome sequencing of the mass and archival tissue from the prior colorectal cancer showed distinct genomic signatures with higher mutational burden in the PEAC and very minimal overlap in mutations between the two tumours. This case highlights the challenge of diagnosing rare lung tumours, but more specifically PEAC in a patient with prior gastro-intestinal cancer. Our use of multi-region, next-generation sequencing revealed distinct genomic signatures between the two tumours further supporting our diagnosis, and evidence of PEAC intra-tumour heterogeneity.
The Role of Recent (1985–2014) Patterns of Land Abandonment and Environmental Factors in the Establishment and Growth of Secondary Forests in the Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Palmero-Iniesta Marina , Espelta Josep Maria , Padial-Iglesias Mario , Gonzàlez-Guerrero Òscar , Pesquer Lluís , Domingo-Marimon Cristina , Ninyerola Miquel , Pons Xavier , Pino Joan
Published: August 2021

Farmland abandonment has been a widespread land-use change in the Iberian Peninsula since the second half of the 20th century, leading to the establishment of secondary forests across the region. In this study, we aimed to address changes in the recent (1985–2014) emergence patterns of these forests and examine how environmental factors affected their growth by considering differences in leaf-habit types. We used a combination of Landsat-derived land-cover maps and aboveground biomass (AGB) maps from the European Space Agency to assess the secondary forest establishment and growth, respectively, in the study region. We also obtained a set of topographic, climatic and landscape variables from diverse GIS layers and used them for determining changes over time in the environmental drivers of forest establishment and AGB using general linear models. The results highlight that secondary forest cover was still increasing in the Iberian Peninsula at a rate above the European average. Yet, they also indicate a directional change in the emergence of secondary forests towards lower and less steep regions with higher water availability (mean rainfall and SPEI) and less forest cover but are subjected to greater drought events. In addition, these environmental factors differentially affect the growth of forests with different leaf-habit types: i.e., needleleaf secondary forests being less favoured by high temperature and precipitation, and broadleaf deciduous forests being most negatively affected by drought. Finally, these spatial patterns of forest emergence and the contrasting responses of forest leaf-habits to environmental factors explained the major development of broadleaf evergreen compared to broadleaf deciduous forests and, especially, needleleaf secondary forests. These results will improve the knowledge of forest dynamics that have occurred in the Iberian Peninsula in recent decades and provide an essential tool for understanding the potential effects of climate warming on secondary forest growth.