bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Could Expanding and Investing in First-Episode Psychosis Services Prevent Aggressive Behaviour and Violent Crime?
Authors: Hodgins Sheilagh
Published: February 2022

Objective

Some persons developing, or presenting, schizophrenia engage in aggressive behaviour (AB) and/or criminal offending. Most of these individuals display AB prior to a first episode of psychosis (FEP). In fact, approximately one-third of FEP patients have a history of AB, some additionally display other antisocial behaviours (A+AB). The large majority of these individuals have presented conduct problems since childhood, benefit from clozapine, have extensive treatment needs, and are unlikely to comply with treatment. A smaller sub-group begin to engage in AB as illness onsets. A+AB persists, often for many years in spite of treatment-as-usual, until a victim is seriously harmed. This article proposes providing multi-component treatment programs at FEP in order to prevent aggressive and antisocial behaviours of persons with schizophrenia.

Method

Non-systematic reviews of epidemiological studies of AB among persons with schizophrenia, of the defining characteristics of sub-types of persons with schizophrenia who engage in AB and their responses to treatment, and of FEP service outcomes.

Results

Studies have shown that mental health services that simultaneously target schizophrenia and aggressive behaviour are most effective both in reducing psychotic symptoms and aggressive behaviour. Evidence, although not abundant, suggests that a multi-component treatment program that would include the components recommended to treat schizophrenia and cognitive-behavioural interventions to reduce A+AB, and the other factors promoting A+AB such as substance misuse, victimisation, and poor recognition of emotions in the faces of others has the potential to effectively treat schizophrenia and reduce A+AB. Patients with a recent onset of AB would require few components of treatment, while those with prior conduct disorder would require all. Such a program of treatment would be long and intense.

Conclusions

Trials are needed to test the effectiveness of multi-component treatment programs targeting schizophrenia and A+AB at FEP. Studies are also necessary to determine whether providing such programs in hospitals and/or prisons, with long-term community after-care, and in some cases with court orders to participate in treatment, would enhance effectiveness. Whether investing at FEP would be cost-effective requires investigation.
Community Engagement in Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Research in Brazil, Ethiopia, and Sri Lanka: A Decolonial Approach for Global Health
Authors: Polidano Kay , Parton Linda , Agampodi Suneth B. , Agampodi Thilini C. , Haileselassie Binega H. , Lalani Jayasundara M. G. , Mota Clarice , Price Helen P. , Rodrigues Steffane , Tafere Getachew R. , Trad Leny A. B. , Zerihun Zenawi , Dikomitis Lisa
Published: February 2022

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a parasitic skin disease endemic in at least 88 countries where it presents an urgent, albeit often “neglected” public health problem. In this paper, we discuss our model of decolonial community engagement in the ECLIPSE global health research program, which aims to improve physical and mental health outcomes for people with CL. The ECLIPSE program has four interlinked phases and underpinning each of these phases is sustained and robust community engagement and involvement that guides and informs all activities in ECLIPSE. Our decolonial approach implies that the model for community engagement will be different in Brazil, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka. Indeed, we adopt a critical anthropological approach to engaging with community members and it is precisely this approach we evaluate in this paper. The data and material we draw on were collected through qualitative research methods during community engagement activities. We established 13 Community Advisory Groups (CAGs): in Brazil (n = 4), Ethiopia (n = 6), and Sri Lanka (n = 3). We identified four overarching themes during a thematic analysis of the data set: (1) Establishing community advisory groups, (2) CAG membership and community representation, (3) Culturally appropriate and context-bespoke engagement, and (4) Relationships between researchers and community members. During our first period of ECLIPSE community engagement, we have debunked myths (for instance about communities being “disempowered”), critiqued our own practices (changing approaches in bringing together CAG members) and celebrated successes (notably fruitful online engagement during a challenging COVID-19 pandemic context). Our evaluation revealed a gap between the exemplary community engagement frameworks available in the literature and the messy, everyday reality of working in communities. In the ECLIPSE program, we have translated ideal(istic) principles espoused by such community engagement guidance into the practical realities of “doing engagement” in low-resourced communities. Our community engagement was underpinned by such ideal principles, but adapted to local sociocultural contexts, working within certain funding and regulatory constraints imposed on researchers. We conclude with a set of lessons learned and recommendations for the conduct of decolonial community engagement in global health research.
Xylitol: Bioproduction and Applications-A Review
Authors: Umai Devasena , Kayalvizhi Ramalingam , Kumar Vinod , Jacob Samuel
Published: February 2022

Xylitol, a natural compound classified as a sugar alcohol, is found diversely in fruits and vegetables in small quantities. Commercial production of xylitol has expanded due to its health benefits and wide applications as an alternative sweetener in food and pharmaceutical products. Production of xylitol on large scale is industrially being achieved by the chemical method. However, the biotechnological method offers the possibilities of lowered cost and energy compared to the chemical methods. It involves the conversion of xylose to xylitol by microbes or enzymes which is environmentally safe. This review highlights the prospects of the biotechnological method of xylitol production. Various microorganisms that have been used to produce xylitol, the bioprocess parameters, and genetic modifications to increase xylitol yield have been reviewed. In addition, the applications, benefits, and safety concerns to health have been discussed.
Assessing Microbial Water Quality, Users' Perceptions and System Functionality Following a Combined Water Safety Intervention in Rural Nepal
Authors: Bänziger Carola , Schertenleib Ariane , Kunwar Bal Mukunda , Bhatta Madan R. , Marks Sara J.
Published: February 2022

Risk-based water safety interventions are one approach to improve drinking water quality and consequently reduce the number of people consuming faecally contaminated water. Despite broad acceptance of water safety planning approaches globally, there is a lack of evidence of their effectiveness for community-managed piped water supplies in rural areas of developing countries. Our research, in the form of a cluster-based controlled pre-post intervention analysis, investigated the impact of a combined water safety intervention on outcomes of microbial water quality, users' perceptions and piped system functionality in rural Nepal. The study enrolled 21 treatment systems and 12 control systems across five districts of the Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces. Treatment group interventions included field laboratories for microbial analysis, regular monitoring of water quality including sanitary inspections, targeted treatment and infrastructure improvements, household hygiene and water filter promotion, and community training. In certain systems, regular system-level chlorination was implemented. Before and after the interventions, the microbial water quality was measured at multiple points within the water system. This information was complemented by household interviews and sanitary inspections. The main result to emerge from this study is that chlorination is the only identified intervention that led to a significant reduction in E. coli concentration at the point of consumption. Secondly, the effectiveness of other interventions was presumably reduced due to higher contamination at endline in general, brought about by the monsoon. All the interventions had a positive impact on users' perceptions about their water system, as measured by expectations for future functionality, satisfaction with the services received, and awareness of the potential health risks of drinking contaminated water. For future applications we would recommend the more broadly applied use of chlorination methods at system level as a key component of the package of risk-based water safety interventions.
Nitrogen Gain and Loss Along an Ecosystem Sequence: From Semi-desert to Rainforest
Authors: Abdallah Khaled , Stock Svenja C. , Heeger Felix , Koester Moritz , Nájera Francisco , Matus Francisco , Merino Carolina , Spielvogel Sandra , Gorbushina Anna A. , Kuzyakov Yakov , Dippold Michaela A.
Published: February 2022

Plants and microorganisms, besides the climate, drive nitrogen (N) cycling in ecosystems. Our objective was to investigate N losses and N acquisition strategies along a unique ecosystem-sequence (ecosequence) ranging from arid shrubland through Mediterranean woodland to temperate rainforest. These ecosystems differ in mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperate, and vegetation cover, but developed on similar granitoid soil parent material, were addressed using a combination of molecular biology and soil biogeochemical tools. Soil N and carbon (C) contents, δ15N signatures, activities of N acquiring extracellular enzymes as well as the abundance of soil bacteria and fungi, and diazotrophs in bulk topsoil and rhizosphere were determined. Relative fungal abundance in the rhizosphere was higher under woodland and forest than under shrubland. This indicates toward plants' higher C investment into fungi in the Mediterranean and temperate rainforest sites than in the arid site. Fungi are likely to decompose lignified forest litter for efficient recycling of litter-derived N and further nutrients. Rhizosphere—a hotspot for the N fixation—was enriched in diazotrophs (factor 8 to 16 in comparison to bulk topsoil) emphasizing the general importance of root/microbe association in N cycle. These results show that the temperate rainforest is an N acquiring ecosystem, whereas N in the arid shrubland is strongly recycled. Simultaneously, the strongest 15N enrichment with decreasing N content with depth was detected in the Mediterranean woodland, indicating that N mineralization and loss is highest (and likely the fastest) in the woodland across the continental transect. Higher relative aminopeptidase activities in the woodland than in the forest enabled a fast N mineralization. Relative aminopeptidase activities were highest in the arid shrubland. The highest absolute chitinase activities were observed in the forest. This likely demonstrates that (a) plants and microorganisms in the arid shrubland invest largely into mobilization and reutilization of organically bound N by exoenzymes, and (b) that the ecosystem N nutrition shifts from a peptide-based N in the arid shrubland to a peptide- and chitin-based N nutrition in the temperate rainforest, where the high N demand is complemented by intensive N fixation in the rhizosphere.
Coproduction of Food, Cultural Heritage and Biodiversity by Livestock Grazing in Swedish Semi-natural Grasslands
Authors: Eriksson Ove
Published: February 2022

Livestock has been a backbone of people's livelihood as long as agriculture has existed in Scandinavia, c. 6,000 years. In the early Iron Age, c. 2,000 years ago, a land management system began to form, composed of infields (enclosed hay-meadows and crop fields) and outlying land used for livestock grazing. Despite many later innovations and societal changes affecting agricultural technology and practices, this way of organizing land use was a template for how landscapes were managed and structured until the modernization of agriculture and forestry during the last centuries. There are legacies of this historic land-use, mainly as “semi-natural grasslands” managed by livestock grazing (open or semi-open; long continuity of management; not much influenced by commercial fertilizers, plowing etc.). These semi-natural grasslands harbor an exceptional small-scale biodiversity, particularly plants and insects. Landscapes with semi-natural grasslands represent cultural heritage, and are appreciated for their beauty. The total area of semi-natural grasslands has declined considerably during the past 100 years, and the current trend suggest that further declines are expected. A large fraction of threatened biodiversity in Sweden thrives in these grasslands. Livestock grazing in semi-natural grasslands makes an important contribution to food production, and there is an increasing interest in consumption of products, mainly meat, from these grasslands. This implies that there is a positive feedback between food production, maintenance of biological diversity, and cultural heritage. This paper gives an overview of semi-natural grasslands, focusing on Sweden, from a historic, cultural and ecological perspective, and aims at discussing challenges and prospects for developing and maintaining positive associations between producing food, biodiversity, and cultural heritage, in the future.
Clinical Efficacy of Different Thoracoscopic Surgeries for Patients With Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Wang Tao , Liu Xi , Chen Lei , Liang Tao , Ning Xiaokuang
Published: February 2022

Background

The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical efficacy of different thoracoscopic procedures in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and their correlation with matrix metalloproteinase-7 mRNA (MMPs-7 mRNA) and soluble major histocompatibility complex class I molecule A (sMICA), as well as their effect on T-cell subsets.

Methods

A total of 100 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who received different thoracoscopic surgeries were divided into the Control group (three-port thoracoscopic surgery) and the study group (single-port thoracoscopic surgery). The two groups were evaluated to compare the perioperative indicators, MMPs-7 mRNA, sMICA expression levels, T-cell subsets, postoperative pain, complication rates, and prognostic outcomes at 1-year follow-up.

Results

The operation time, blood loss, drainage tube placement time, incision length, and hospital stay in the study group were less than those in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the number of lymph node dissections between the two groups (P > 0.05). After 3 days, the expression levels of MMPs-7 mRNA and sMICA in the study group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05); CD4 +, CD8 +, and CD4 +/CD8 + in the study group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). On days 1, 3, and 5, the visual analog score (VAS) of the study group was lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05); there was no significant difference in the complication rate between the two follow-up groups (P > 0.05), in which all patients completed the follow-up. After 1 year of follow-up, there was no significant difference in the tumor-free survival rate and overall survival rate between the two groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Compared with three-port thoracoscopic surgery, single-port thoracoscopic surgery can improve perioperative expression, shorten hospital stay, reduce serum tumor micrometastasis levels, improve immune metastasis mechanisms and reduce pain, which is of great significance to patients with non-small cell lung cancer. It is an effective, convenient, and safe surgical option that deserves wide clinical reference.
The Effects of Prostaglandin E2 Treatment on the Secretory Function of Mare Corpus Luteum Depends on the Site of Application: An in vivo Study
Authors: Piotrowska-Tomala Katarzyna K. , Jonczyk Agnieszka W. , Szóstek-Mioduchowska Anna Z. , Żebrowska Ewelina , Ferreira-Dias Graca , Skarzynski Dariusz J.
Published: February 2022

We examined the effect of prostaglandin (PG) E2 on the secretory function of equine corpus luteum (CL), according to the application site: intra-CL injection vs. an intrauterine (intra-U) administration. Moreover, the effect of intra-CL injection vs. intra-U administration of both luteotropic factors: PGE2 and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) as a positive control, on CL function was additionally compared. Mares were assigned to the groups (n = 6 per group): (1) an intra-CL saline injection (control); (2) an intra-CL injection of PGE2 (5 mg/ml); (3) an intra-CL injection of hCG (1,500 IU/ml); (4) an intra-U saline administration (control); (5) an intra-U administration of PGE2 (5 mg/5 ml); (6) an intra-U administration of hCG (1,500 IU/5 ml). Progesterone (P4) and PGE2 concentrations were measured in blood plasma samples collected at −2, −1, and 0 (pre-treatment), and at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 24 h after treatments. Moreover, effects of different doses of PGE2 application on the concentration of total PGF2α (PGF2α and its main metabolite 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin F2α– PGFM) was determined. The time point of PGE2, hCG, or saline administration was defined as hour “0” of the experiment. An intra-CL injection of PGE2 increased P4 and PGE2 concentrations between 3 and 4 h or at 3 and 12 h, respectively (p < 0.05). While intra-U administration of PGE2 elevated P4 concentrations between 8 and 24 h, PGE2 was upregulated at 1 h and between 3 and 4 h (p < 0.05). An intra-CL injection of hCG increased P4 concentrations at 1, 6, and 12 h (p < 0.05), while its intra-U administration enhanced P4 and PGE2 concentrations between 1 and 12 h or at 3 h and between 6 and 10 h, respectively (p < 0.05). An application of PGE2, dependently on the dose, supports equine CL function, regardless of the application site, consequently leading to differences in both P4 and PGE2 concentrations in blood plasma.
Immunogenicity of an Inactivated Canine Adenovirus Type 1 Vaccine for Foxes
Authors: Fu Yang , Sun Jie , Lian Shizhen , Deng Xiaoyu , Zhang Lei , Shao Jikai , Yu Hongguang , Yan Xijun , Zhu Yanzhu
Published: February 2022

Canine adenovirus type 1 (CAdV-1) is the etiologic agent of fox encephalitis. As with most viral agents, the best method of prevention is vaccination. In this study, the CAdV-1 strain F1301 strain was used to construct a new type 1 canine adenovirus inactivated vaccine candidate, and its safety and immunogenicity were evaluated in silver foxes. Next, animals were challenged and survival rates of animals vaccinated with either the commercially available or the current candidate vaccine were examined. The results confirmed that the inactivated CAdV-1 vaccine prepared in this study can effectively protect against challenge with virulent CAdV-1 in silver foxes, and the safety profile was improved relative to that of the commercial vaccine. This study confirmed that the fox CAdV-1 F1301 strain can be used as a platform for an inactivated CAdV-1 vaccine.
The Australian 2019/2020 Black Summer Bushfires: Analysis of the Pathology, Treatment Strategies and Decision Making About Burnt Livestock
Authors: Cowled Brendan D. , Bannister-Tyrrell Melanie , Doyle Mark , Clutterbuck Henry , Cave Jeff , Hillman Alison , Plain Karren , Pfeiffer Caitlin , Laurence Michael , Ward Michael P.
Published: February 2022

In 2019/2020, Australia experienced a severe bushfire event, with many tens of thousands of livestock killed or euthanized. Little systematic research has occurred to understand livestock bushfire injuries, risk factors for injury, or how to make decisions about management of bushfire-injured livestock. Addressing this research gap is important as there is an increasing bushfire incidence globally. This paper presents qualitative research findings about bushfire-injured and killed livestock in the south-east of Australia after the 2019/2020 Australian bushfires. We describe observed pathology, treatments used, and risk factors for injury, then use thematic analysis to understand decision making about managing fire-injured livestock. Livestock injured by the fires showed pathology predominantly associated with the common integument (feet, hooves and skin) and signs of acute respiratory damage. It could take several days for the full extent of burns to become apparent, leaving prognostic doubt. Treatment strategies included immediate euthanasia, salvage slaughter, retention for later culling, treatment and recovery on farm, hospitalization and intensive treatment, or no intervention. Risk factors reported for livestock injury included lack of warnings about an impending fire, the type and amount of vegetation around livestock and the weather conditions on the day the fire reached livestock. Moving stock to an area with little vegetation before fire arrived was seen as protective. Decision making regarding injured livestock appeared influenced by three main themes: (1) observations on the severity of pathology, clinical signs and level of prognostic doubt, (2) pre-existing beliefs about animal welfare (responsibility to minimize unnecessary suffering) and (3) assumptions about the future. The management of livestock was largely appropriate due to the rapid provision of veterinary expertise. However, it is likely that some injured livestock were euthanized due to conservative veterinary advice driven by a lack of opportunity to re-assess stock, with impacts on farmers. In future, resourcing regular revisits of injured livestock to manage risks of gradual progression of burn pathology may facilitate more accurate prognostic assessment, provided injured animals can receive appropriate pain relief. In addition, a more comprehensive burns classification system linked to prognosis that can be rapidly applied in the field may assist assessments.
Towards Machine Vision for Insect Welfare Monitoring and Behavioural Insights
Authors: Hansen Mark F. , Oparaeke Alphonsus , Gallagher Ryan , Karimi Amir , Tariq Fahim , Smith Melvyn L.
Published: February 2022

Machine vision has demonstrated its usefulness in the livestock industry in terms of improving welfare in such areas as lameness detection and body condition scoring in dairy cattle. In this article, we present some promising results of applying state of the art object detection and classification techniques to insects, specifically Black Soldier Fly (BSF) and the domestic cricket, with the view of enabling automated processing for insect farming. We also present the low-cost “Insecto” Internet of Things (IoT) device, which provides environmental condition monitoring for temperature, humidity, CO2, air pressure, and volatile organic compound levels together with high resolution image capture. We show that we are able to accurately count and measure size of BSF larvae and also classify the sex of domestic crickets by detecting the presence of the ovipositor. These early results point to future work for enabling automation in the selection of desirable phenotypes for subsequent generations and for providing early alerts should environmental conditions deviate from desired values.
Pruning Adapters with Lottery Ticket
Authors: Wu Jiarun , Chen Qingliang
Published: February 2022

Massively pre-trained transformer models such as BERT have gained great success in many downstream NLP tasks. However, they are computationally expensive to fine-tune, slow for inference, and have large storage requirements. So, transfer learning with adapter modules has been introduced and has become a remarkable solution for those problems. Nevertheless, recent studies reveal that the parameters in adapters are actually still quite redundant, which could slow down inference speed when fusing multiple adapters for a specific downstream task, and thus, they can be further reduced. To address this issue, we propose three novel ways to prune the adapter modules iteratively based on the prestigious Lottery Ticket Hypothesis. Extensive experiments on the GLUE datasets show that the pruned adapters can achieve state-of-the-art results, with sizes reduced significantly while performance remains unchanged, and some pruned adapters even outperform the ones with the same size that are fine-tuned alone without pruning.
Accelerate Incremental TSP Algorithms on Time Evolving Graphs with Partitioning Methods
Authors: Sharma Shalini , Chou Jerry
Published: February 2022

In time-evolving graphs, the graph changes at each time interval, and the previously computed results become invalid. We addressed this issue for the traveling salesman problem (TSP) in our previous work and proposed an incremental algorithm where the TSP tour is computed from the previous result instead of the whole graph. In our current work, we have mapped the TSP problem to three partitioning methods named vertex size attribute, edge attribute, and k-means; then, we compared the TSP tour results. We have also examined the effect of increasing the number of partitions on the total computation time. Through our experiments, we have observed that the vertex size attribute performs the best because of a balanced number of vertices in each partition.
Behavioral Response of Bean Goose (Anser fabalis) to Simulated Ship Noises at Lake
Authors: Wang Sujuan , Zhou Lizhi , Cai Jinzhou , Jiang Bo , Xu Wenbin
Published: February 2022

Wild animals are vulnerable to environmental noise. In wetlands, wintering waterbirds are easily disturbed by ship noises; however, the behavioral changes of waterbirds in response to different levels of noise are unclear. We simulated the acoustic environment created by ship movement to investigate the effects of ship noise on foraging, vigilance, and flight behaviors of the wintering bean goose (Anser fabalis). In particular, we used a noise playback method to simulate the acoustic environment created by ship operations at various noise levels (i.e., background noise <50 dB, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 dB), distances from the noise (i.e., short <100 m, medium 100–200 m, and long distances 200–300 m), and noise duration (i.e., short 0–1 min, medium 2–3 min, and long 4–5 min). Results indicated that the noise intensity and interference distance had obvious influence on the bean geese behavior, but the noise duration had no effect. Smaller populations (N ≤ 30) were more sensitive to noise interference. As the noise level increased, the frequency of foraging behavior decreased and the frequencies of vigilance and flight behaviors increased, particularly above 70 dB. For noises >70 dB at short disturbance distances and >80 dB at medium disturbance distances, flight behavior increased significantly. These findings suggested that ships should keep a distance of more than 200 m from waterbirds to reduce noise interference.
Impact of Urbanisation Intensity on Bird Diversity in River Wetlands around Chaohu Lake, China
Authors: Xu Qingru , Zhou Lizhi , Xia Shanshan , Zhou Jian
Published: February 2022

Urbanisation is known to result in ‘urban stream syndrome’, which poses a huge threat to the river health. Birds, which are an important part of the river ecosystem, are sensitive to environmental changes in the basin. The ratio of the impervious surface area is a macroscopic indicator of urbanisation intensity in river basins. In this study, we combined the results of a year-round field survey of seven river wetlands around Chaohu Lake (China) with satellite remote sensing image data from the same period. The species richness at sections of the lake entrance was higher than in the middle sections of the river, and the Shannon–Wiener index during autumn was higher than that during winter. The waterbird diversity index declined exponentially with increases in the intensity of urbanisation. The changes in the land use patterns around river wetlands associated with urbanisation resulted in the loss of food resources and habitats. Therefore, the intensity of urbanisation was an important driving factor that leads to changes in the bird community structure of river wetlands, so it had a significant impact on the diversity of river wetland birds in all four seasons combined with a variety of influencing factors. Our research could be a guide for urban landscape planning and bird diversity protection. For example, the results suggested that it is necessary to identify river wetlands as an important part of the urban ecosystem, reduced building area, increased vegetation coverage, and retained slope protection and river beach land.
Breast Cancer Survival Analysis Model
Authors: Lin Rong-Ho , Lin Ching-Shun , Chuang Chun-Ling , Kujabi Benjamin Kofi , Chen Yen-Chen
Published: February 2022

(1) Background: Breast cancer (BC)—a leading cause of mortality in women globally—accounts for more than two million cases annually. BC was the most common cancer in Taiwan in 2015 and ranks among the top 10 malignancies in Taiwan. (2) Methods: We established a collection of BC survival and metastasis analyses using the Kaplan–Meier, logarithmic test, and Cox proportional hazard models to investigate the association among BC stages, different treatment modalities, and survival rate of patients with BC at various follow-up intervals. We also evaluated whether clinical prognostic factors had univariate and multivariate effects on the survival of patients with BC. Finally, we performed a metastasis analysis using the survival transition rate values of BC stages to develop a Markov chain and semi-Markov simulation model for BC and BC metastasis analysis, respectively. (3) Results: The Kaplan–Meier survival analysis revealed that the risk of BC treated with surgery was lower than that of those who did not receive surgery and the recommended treatment methods should be ranked by survival as follows: surgery, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy (in descending order of risk). This is attributed to the predicted survival rate which ranges from 99.6% to 91.2%. Moreover, Cox’s treatment method considered the patient’s attributes and revealed a significant difference (p = 0.001). The Markov chain analyses determined the chance of metastasis at each stage, indicating that the lower the stage of BC, the greater the survival rate. (4) Conclusions: Patients’ treatment is influenced by different BC stages, and earlier detection presents better chances of survival and a greater probability of treatment success.
Acknowledgment to Reviewers of Applied Sciences in 2021
Authors:   Applied Sciences Editorial Office
Published: February 2022

Rigorous peer-reviews are the basis of high-quality academic publishing [...]
Contribution of Physical and Chemical Properties to Dithiothreitol-Measured Oxidative Potentials of Atmospheric Aerosol Particles at Urban and Rural Sites in Japan
Authors: Kurihara Kazuki , Iwata Ayumi , Murray Horwitz Samuel Gray , Ogane Kako , Sugioka Tomoki , Matsuki Atsushi , Okuda Tomoaki
Published: February 2022

Dithiothreitol-measured oxidative potential (OPDTT) can chemically quantify the adverse health effects of atmospheric aerosols. Some chemical species are characterized with DTT activities, and the particle diameter and surface area control DTT oxidizability; however, the physical contribution to OPDTT by atmospheric aerosols is controversial. Therefore, we performed field observations and aerosol sampling at urban and rural sites in Japan to investigate the effect of both physical and chemical properties on the variation in OPDTT of atmospheric aerosols. The shifting degree of the representative diameter to the ultrafine range (i.e., the predominance degree of ultrafine particles) was retrieved from the ratio between the lung-deposited surface area and mass concentrations. The chemical components and OPDTT were also elucidated. We discerned strong positive correlations of K, Mn, Pb, NH4+, SO42−, and pyrolyzable organic carbon with OPDTT. Hence, anthropogenic combustion, the iron–steel industry, and secondary organic aerosols were the major emission sources governing OPDTT variations. The increased specific surface area did not lead to the increase in the OPDTT of atmospheric aerosols, despite the existing relevance of the surface area of water-insoluble particles to DTT oxidizability. Overall, the OPDTT of atmospheric aerosols can be estimated by the mass of chemical components related to OPDTT variation, owing to numerous factors controlling DTT oxidizability (e.g., strong contribution of water-soluble particles). Our findings can be used to estimate OPDTT via several physicochemical parameters without its direct measurement.
Haemoprocessor: A Portable Platform Using Rapid Acoustically Driven Plasma Separation Validated by Infrared Spectroscopy for Point-of-Care Diagnostics
Authors: Nair Kamal Prakash Prasanna Ravindran , Veettil Thulya Chakkumpulakkal Puthan , Wood Bayden R. , Paul Debjani , Alan Tuncay
Published: February 2022

The identification of biomarkers from blood plasma is at the heart of many diagnostic tests. These tests often need to be conducted frequently and quickly, but the logistics of sample collection and processing not only delays the test result, but also puts a strain on the healthcare system due to the sheer volume of tests that need to be performed. The advent of microfluidics has made the processing of samples quick and reliable, with little or no skill required on the user’s part. However, while several microfluidic devices have been demonstrated for plasma separation, none of them have validated the chemical integrity of the sample post-process. Here, we present Haemoprocessor: a portable, robust, open-fluidic system that utilizes Travelling Surface Acoustic Waves (TSAW) with the expression of overtones to separate plasma from 20× diluted human blood within a span of 2 min to achieve 98% RBC removal. The plasma and red blood cell separation quality/integrity was validated through Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and multivariate analyses to ascertain device performance and reproducibility when compared to centrifugation (the prevailing gold-standard for plasma separation). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed a remarkable separation of 92.21% between RBCs and plasma components obtained through both centrifugation and Haemoprocessor methods. Moreover, a close association between plasma isolates acquired by both approaches in PCA validated the potential of the proposed system as an eminent cell enrichment and plasma separation platform. Thus, compared to contemporary acoustic devices, this system combines the ease of operation, low sample requirement of an open system, the versatility of a SAW device using harmonics, and portability.
Coarse-Grained Neural Network Model of the Basal Ganglia to Simulate Reinforcement Learning Tasks
Authors: Drapała Jarosław , Frydecka Dorota
Published: February 2022

Computational models of the basal ganglia (BG) provide a mechanistic account of different phenomena observed during reinforcement learning tasks performed by healthy individuals, as well as by patients with various nervous or mental disorders. The aim of the present work was to develop a BG model that could represent a good compromise between simplicity and completeness. Based on more complex (fine-grained neural network, FGNN) models, we developed a new (coarse-grained neural network, CGNN) model by replacing layers of neurons with single nodes that represent the collective behavior of a given layer while preserving the fundamental anatomical structures of BG. We then compared the functionality of both the FGNN and CGNN models with respect to several reinforcement learning tasks that are based on BG circuitry, such as the Probabilistic Selection Task, Probabilistic Reversal Learning Task and Instructed Probabilistic Selection Task. We showed that CGNN still has a functionality that mirrors the behavior of the most often used reinforcement learning tasks in human studies. The simplification of the CGNN model reduces its flexibility but improves the readability of the signal flow in comparison to more detailed FGNN models and, thus, can help to a greater extent in the translation between clinical neuroscience and computational modeling.
Management of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Italian Units of Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Diagnostic and Referral Pathways
Authors: Borgi Marta , Chiarotti Flavia , Aresu Gianfranco , Gitti Filippo , Fazzi Elisa , Pierini Angiolo , Sebastiani Teresa , Marcelli Marco , Scifo Renato , Stagi Paolo , Venerosi Aldina
Published: February 2022

Overall, the present pilot study provides detailed information on clinical management for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) referral and diagnosis processes that are mandatory for child and adolescent mental health management. The analysis of ASD management, even if carried out on a selected sample of Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) units, represents a good approximation of how, in Italian outpatient settings, children and adolescents with ASD are recognised and eventually diagnosed. One of the aims of the study was to verify the adherence of Italian CAMH units to international recommendations for ASD referral and diagnosis and whether these processes can be traced using individual chart reports. Overall, the analysis evidenced that Italian CAMH units adopt an acceptable standard for ASD diagnosis, although the reporting of the ASD managing process in the individual chart is not always accurate. Furthermore, data collected suggest some improvements that CAMH units should implement to fill the gap with international recommendations, namely, establishing a multidisciplinary team for diagnosis, improving the assessment of physical and mental conditions by the use of standardised tools, implementing a specific assessment for challenging behaviours that could allow timely and specific planning of intervention.
Comparison of Immune Checkpoint Molecules PD-1 and PD-L1 in Paired Primary and Recurrent Glioma: Increasing Trend When Recurrence
Authors: Yu Wei , Shao Anwen , Ren Xiaoqiu , Chen Zexin , Xu Jinghong , Wei Qichun
Published: February 2022

Purpose: This study aims to investigate PD-1/PD-L1 expression patterns in paired primary and recurrent gliomas. Methods: From January 2008 to December 2014, 42 patients who underwent surgical resections of primary and recurrent gliomas were retrospectively included. PD-1/PD-L1 protein expression in tumors was evaluated through immunohistochemistry. Results: In primary gliomas, PD-1 and PD-L1 expression was evident in 9 (22.0%) and 14 (33.3%) patients. In the paired recurrent glioma, PD-1 and PD-L1 expression was evident in 25 (61.0%) and 31 (74.0%) lesions. Both PD-1 and PD-L1 showed significantly enhanced expression after recurrence (p < 0.005; p < 0.005). For PD-L1 expression in recurrent gliomas, the adjuvant therapy group showed significantly increased expression compared to primary gliomas (p < 0.005). For PD-1- primary gliomas, if the matched recurrent gliomas showed PD-1+, the PFS became worse than the remaining recurrent gliomas PD-1- (12.7 vs. 25.9 months, p = 0.032). Interestingly, for PD-L1- primary gliomas, if the matched recurrent gliomas showed PD-L1+, the OS became better than the remaining recurrent gliomas PD-L1- (33.8 vs. 17.5 months, p < 0.001). Conclusions: In the study, we found the expression of PD-1/PD-L1 increased significantly in recurrent gliomas and the elevated level of PD-L1 was tightly associated with adjuvant treatment, suggesting the potential therapeutic and predictive value of PD-1 and PD-L1 in the treatment of recurrent gliomas.
The Prognostic Role of Intratumoral Stromal Content in Lobular Breast Cancer
Authors: Forsare Carina , Vistrand Sara , Ehinger Anna , Lövgren Kristina , Rydén Lisa , Fernö Mårten , Narbe Ulrik
Published: February 2022

Previous studies have shown that high intratumoral stromal content is associated with a worse prognosis in breast cancer, especially in the triple-negative subtype. However, contradictory results have been reported for estrogen-receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, indicating that the prognostic role of intratumoral stromal content may be subtype-dependent. In this study, we investigated the importance of intratumoral stromal content for breast cancer-specific mortality (BCM) in a well-defined subgroup (n = 182) of ER+/human-epidermal growth-factor-receptor-2 negative (HER2−) invasive lobular breast cancer (ILC). The intratumoral stromal content was assessed on hematoxylin–eosin-stained whole sections and graded into high stroma (>50%) or low stroma (≤50%). A total of 82 (45%) patients had high-stroma tumors, and 100 (55%) had low-stroma tumors. High-stroma tumors were associated with a lower Nottingham histological grade, low Ki67, and a luminal A-like subtype. After a 10-year follow-up, the patients with high-stroma tumors had a lower BCM (HR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.21–0.89, p = 0.023) in univariable analysis. Essentially the same effect was found in both the multivariable analysis (10-year follow-up) and univariable analysis (25-year follow-up), but these findings were not strictly significant. In ER+/HER2− ILC, high intratumoral stromal content is an easily assessable histological indicator of a good prognosis.
Characteristics and Outcome of Children with Wilms Tumor Requiring Intensive Care Admission in First Line Therapy
Authors: Steur Anouk , Raymakers-Janssen Paulien A. M. A. , Kneyber Martin C. J. , Dijkstra Sandra , van Woensel Job B. M. , van Waardenburg Dick A. , van de Ven Cornelis P. , van der Steeg Alida F. W. , Wijnen Marc , Lilien Marc R. , de Krijger Ronald R. , van Tinteren Harm , Littooij Annemieke S. , Janssens Geert O. , Peek Annemarie M. L. , Tytgat Godelieve A. M. , Mavinkurve-Groothuis Annelies M. , van Grotel Martine , van den Heuvel-Eibrink Marry M. , Asperen Roelie M. Wösten-van
Published: February 2022

Survival rates are excellent for children with Wilms tumor (WT), yet tumor and treatment-related complications may require pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission. We assessed the frequency, clinical characteristics, and outcome of children with WT requiring PICU admissions in a multicenter, retrospective study in the Netherlands. Admission reasons of unplanned PICU admissions were described in relation to treatment phase. Unplanned PICU admissions were compared to a control group of no or planned PICU admissions, with regard to patient characteristics and short and long term outcomes. In a multicenter cohort of 175 children with an underlying WT, 50 unplanned PICU admissions were registered in 33 patients. Reasons for admission were diverse and varied per treatment phase. Younger age at diagnosis, intensive chemotherapy regimens, and bilateral tumor surgery were observed in children with unplanned PICU admission versus the other WT patients. Three children required renal replacement therapy, two of which continued dialysis after PICU discharge (both with bilateral disease). Two children died during their PICU stay. During follow-up, hypertension and chronic kidney disease (18.2 vs. 4.2% and 15.2 vs. 0.7%) were more frequently observed in unplanned PICU admitted patients compared to the other patients. No significant differences in cardiac morbidity, relapse, or progression were observed. Almost 20% of children with WT required unplanned PICU admission, with young age and treatment intensity as potential risk factors. Hypertension and renal impairment were frequently observed in these patients, warranting special attention at presentation and during treatment and follow-up.
It Takes More than Two to Tango: Complex, Hierarchal, and Membrane-Modulated Interactions in the Regulation of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases
Authors: Kovacs Tamas , Zakany Florina , Nagy Peter
Published: February 2022

The search for an understanding of how cell fate and motility are regulated is not a purely scientific undertaking, but it can also lead to rationally designed therapies against cancer. The discovery of tyrosine kinases about half a century ago, the subsequent characterization of certain transmembrane receptors harboring tyrosine kinase activity, and their connection to the development of human cancer ushered in a new age with the hope of finding a treatment for malignant diseases in the foreseeable future. However, painstaking efforts were required to uncover the principles of how these receptors with intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity are regulated. Developments in molecular and structural biology and biophysical approaches paved the way towards better understanding of these pathways. Discoveries in the past twenty years first resulted in the formulation of textbook dogmas, such as dimerization-driven receptor association, which were followed by fine-tuning the model. In this review, the role of molecular interactions taking place during the activation of receptor tyrosine kinases, with special attention to the epidermal growth factor receptor family, will be discussed. The fact that these receptors are anchored in the membrane provides ample opportunities for modulatory lipid–protein interactions that will be considered in detail in the second part of the manuscript. Although qualitative and quantitative alterations in lipids in cancer are not sufficient in their own right to drive the malignant transformation, they both contribute to tumor formation and also provide ways to treat cancer. The review will be concluded with a summary of these medical aspects of lipid–protein interactions.
The Cationic Amphiphilic Drug Hexamethylene Amiloride Eradicates Bulk Breast Cancer Cells and Therapy-Resistant Subpopulations with Similar Efficiencies
Authors: Berg Anastasia L. , Rowson-Hodel Ashley , Hu Michelle , Keeling Michael , Wu Hao , VanderVorst Kacey , Chen Jenny J. , Hatakeyama Jason , Jilek Joseph , Dreyer Courtney A. , Wheeler Madelyn R. , Yu Ai-Ming , Li Yuanpei , Carraway Kermit L.
Published: February 2022

The resistance of cancer cell subpopulations, including cancer stem cell (CSC) populations, to apoptosis-inducing chemotherapeutic agents is a key barrier to improved outcomes for cancer patients. The cationic amphiphilic drug hexamethylene amiloride (HMA) has been previously demonstrated to efficiently kill bulk breast cancer cells independent of tumor subtype or species but acts poorly toward non-transformed cells derived from multiple tissues. Here, we demonstrate that HMA is similarly cytotoxic toward breast CSC-related subpopulations that are resistant to conventional chemotherapeutic agents, but poorly cytotoxic toward normal mammary stem cells. HMA inhibits the sphere-forming capacity of FACS-sorted human and mouse mammary CSC-related cells in vitro, specifically kills tumor but not normal mammary organoids ex vivo, and inhibits metastatic outgrowth in vivo, consistent with CSC suppression. Moreover, HMA inhibits viability and sphere formation by lung, colon, pancreatic, brain, liver, prostate, and bladder tumor cell lines, suggesting that its effects may be applicable to multiple malignancies. Our observations expose a key vulnerability intrinsic to cancer stem cells and point to novel strategies for the exploitation of cationic amphiphilic drugs in cancer treatment.