bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Emodin regulates cell cycle of non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) cells through hyaluronan synthase 2 (HA2)-HA-CD44/receptor for hyaluronic acid-mediated motility (RHAMM) interaction-dependent signaling pathway
Authors: Li Mingzhu , Jin Shengbo , Cao Yang , Xu Jian , Zhu Shendong , Li Zheng
Published: January 2021

Background

Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) account for most cases of lung cancer. More effort is needed to research new drug and combination therapies for this disease. An anthraquinone derivative, emodin shows anticancer potency. We hypothesis that emodin suppresses lung cancer cells through hyaluronan (HA) synthase 2-HA-CD44/receptor for hyaluronic acid-mediated motility (RHAMM) interaction-dependent signaling pathway mediated cell cycle regulation.

Methods

We tested the effect of emodin on viability, apoptosis, and HA secretion of 5 NSCLC cell lines. We used NSCLC cells A549 for two rounds of knockdown study: (1) knocking down either the synthases (HAS2 and HAS3) or the receptors (CD44 and RHAMM); (2) knocking down either HAS2 or HAS3. Then determined the effect of emodin on viability, HA secretion, cell cycle, and expression of cyclin proteins.

Results

Emodin suppressed viability and HA secretion of all 5 NSCLC cell lines except for HA secretion of H460. Emodin had a slight apoptosis induction effect on all cell lines and was not different among cell lines. The knockdown of either the synthases or the receptors blocked emodin effects on viability while the knockdown of HAS2 block emodin effects but not HAS3. Emodin increased cells in the G1/G0 phase, and decreased cells in the S and G2/M phase by down-regulating cyclin A and B and up-regulating cyclin C, D, and E. HAS2 knockdown blocked the effects of emodin on the cell cycle.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that emodin regulates the cell cycle of NSCLC cells through the HAS2-HA-CD44/RHAMM interaction-dependent signaling pathway.
Single blinded semi-field evaluation of MAÏA® topical repellent ointment compared to unformulated 20% DEET against Anopheles gambiae, Anopheles arabiensis and Aedes aegypti in Tanzania
Authors: Mbuba Emmanuel , Odufuwa Olukayode G. , Tenywa Frank C. , Philipo Rose , Tambwe Mgeni M. , Swai Johnson K. , Moore Jason D. , Moore Sarah J.
Published: January 2021

Background

N,N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) topical mosquito repellents are effective personal protection tools. However, DEET-based repellents tend to have low consumer acceptability because they are cosmetically unappealing. More attractive formulations are needed to encourage regular user compliance. This study evaluated the protective efficacy and protection duration of a new topical repellent ointment containing 15% DEET, MAÏA® compared to 20% DEET in ethanol using malaria and dengue mosquito vectors in Bagamoyo Tanzania.

Methods

Fully balanced 3 × 3 Latin square design studies were conducted in large semi-field chambers using laboratory strains of Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto, Anopheles arabiensis and Aedes aegypti. Human volunteers applied either MAÏA® ointment, 20% DEET or ethanol to their lower limbs 6 h before the start of tests. Approximately 100 mosquitoes per strain per replicate were released inside each chamber, with 25 mosquitoes released at regular intervals during the collection period to maintain adequate biting pressure throughout the test. Volunteers recaptured mosquitoes landing on their lower limbs for 6 h over a period of 6 to 12-h post-application of repellents. Data analysis was conducted using mixed-effects logistic regression.

Results

The protective efficacy of MAÏA® and 20% DEET was not statistically different for each of the mosquito strains: 95.9% vs. 97.4% against An. gambiae (OR = 1.53 [95% CI 0.93–2.51] p = 0.091); 96.8% vs 97.2% against An. arabiensis (OR = 1.08 [95% CI 0.66–1.77] p = 0.757); 93.1% vs 94.6% against Ae. aegypti (OR = 0.76 [95% CI 0.20–2.80] p = 0.675). Average complete protection time (CPT) in minutes of MAÏA® and that of DEET was similar for each of the mosquito strains: 571.6 min (95% CI 558.3–584.8) vs 575.0 min (95% CI 562.1–587.9) against An. gambiae; 585.6 min (95% CI 571.4–599.8) vs 580.9 min (95% CI 571.1–590.7) against An. arabiensis; 444.1 min (95% CI 401.8–486.5) vs 436.9 min (95% CI 405.2–468.5) against Ae. aegypti.

Conclusions

MAÏA® repellent ointment provides complete protection for 9 h against both An. gambiae and An. arabiensis, and 7 h against Ae. aegypti similar to 20% DEET (in ethanol). MAÏA® repellent ointment can be recommended as a tool for prevention against outdoor biting mosquitoes in tropical locations where the majority of the people spend an ample time outdoor before going to bed.
Geographic variation and determinants of help seeking behaviour among married women subjected to intimate partner violence: evidence from national population survey
Authors: Muluneh Muluken Dessalegn , Alemu Yeshemebet Worku , Meazaw Maereg Wagnew
Published: January 2021

Background

Help seeking behaviour amongst married women who experienced Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has received limited attention in Africa. This study examines the geographic variation and investigates determinants of help seeking behaviour amongst married women in Ethiopia.

Methods

This study analysed data from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). Data was extracted for married women age 15–49 years old who experienced IPV. Factors associated with help seeking behaviour were identified using multiple logistic regression adjusted for clustering and weighing. The weighted proportion of factors associated with help seeking behaviour was exported to ArcGIS to conduct autocorrelation analysis.

Results

The prevalence of help seeking behaviour among married women who experienced IPV was 19.8% (95% CI: 15.9–24.3%). Only 9.2% of them sought help from a formal source (such as police, lawyer or doctor). Multiple logistic regression analyses showed physical violence (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.76), educational attainment (AOR=2.1), a partner’s alcohol consumption (AOR=1.9), partner’s controlling behaviour (AOR= 2.4), partner’s employment status, (AOR= 1.9) and wealth index (AOR=2.8) were significantly associated factors with help seeking behaviour among married women who experienced IPV in Ethiopia (P< 0.05). Women in Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambella, Harari, Western and Eastern Amhara, and Afar had the lowest odds of help seeking behaviour (P< 0.001) after experiencing IPV.

Conclusion

The findings of this study suggest that poor help seeking behaviour for married women experiencing IPV is a significant public health problem in Ethiopia. Multiple interrelated factors were associated with poor help seeking behaviour. These factors include women’s level of educational attainment, women experiencing physical violence, partners exhibiting controlling behaviour, partner’s alcohol consumption, the employment status of the partner, and wealth status of the household were important predictors of help seeking behaviour. Policies and interventions need to be tailored to address these factors to improve women’s health outcomes and to prevent IPV.
Comparison of viromes in vaginal secretion from pregnant women with and without vaginitis
Authors: Zhang He-Teng , Wang Hao , Wu Hai-Sheng , Zeng Jian , Yang Yan
Published: January 2021

Background

Although some studies have investigated the bacterial community in vaginal tract of pregnant women, there are few reports about the viral community (virome) in this type of microenvironment.

Methods

To investigate the composition of virome in vaginal secretion samples, 40 vaginal secretion samples from pregnant women with vaginitis and 20 vaginal secretion samples from pregnant women without vaginitis, pooled into 4 and 2 sample pools, respectively, were subjected to viral metagenomic analysis.

Results

Results indicated virus sequences showing similarity to human papillomavirus (HPV), anellovirus, and norovirus were recovered from this cohort of pregnant women. Further analysis indicated that 15 different defined types and one unclassified type of HPV were detected from pregnant women with vaginitis while only 3 defined types of HPV were detected in pregnant women without vaginitis. Five different groups of viruses from the family Anelloviridae were present in pregnant women with but none of them were detected in pregnant women without vaginitis. Norovirus was detected in 3 out of the 4 sample pools from pregnant women with vaginitis but none in the pregnant women without vaginitis. Twelve complete genomes belonging to 10 different types of HPV, and 5 novel anllovirus genomes belonging 2 different genera in Anelloviridae were acquired from these libraries, based on which phylogenetical analysis and pairwise sequence comparison were performed. Phageome in these samples was also briefly characterized and compared between two groups.

Conclusion

Our data suggested that virome might play an important role in the progression of vaginitis in pregnant women.
Management of late onset urea cycle disorders—a remaining challenge for the intensivist?
Authors: Redant S. , Empain A. , Mugisha A. , Kamgang P. , Attou R. , Honoré P. M. , De Bels D.
Published: January 2021

Background

Hyperammonemia caused by a disorder of the urea cycle is a rare cause of metabolic encephalopathy that may be underdiagnosed by the adult intensivists because of its rarity. Urea cycle disorders are autosomal recessive diseases except for ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) that is X-linked. Optimal treatment is crucial to improve prognosis.

Main body

We systematically reviewed cases reported in the literature on hyperammonemia in adulthood. We used the US National Library of Medicine Pubmed search engine since 2009. The two main causes are ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency followed by type II citrullinemia. Diagnosis by the intensivist remains very challenging therefore delaying treatment and putting patients at risk of fatal cerebral edema. Treatment consists in adapted nutrition, scavenging agents and dialysis. As adults are more susceptible to hyperammonemia, emergent hemodialysis is mandatory before referral to a reference center if ammonia levels are above 200 µmol/l as the risk of cerebral edema is then above 55%. Definitive therapy in urea cycle abnormalities is liver transplantation.

Conclusion

Awareness of urea cycle disorders in adults intensive care units can optimize early management and accordingly dramatically improve prognosis. By preventing hyperammonemia to induce brain edema and herniation leading to death.
Refinements of some integral inequalities for unified integral operators
Authors: Jung Chahn Yong , Farid Ghulam , Andrić Maja , Pečarić Josip , Chu Yu-Ming
Published: January 2021

In this paper we are presenting the refinements of integral inequalities established for convex functions. Consequently, we get refinements of several fractional integral inequalities for different kinds of fractional integral operators.
Body mass index and blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio predicts refeeding hypophosphatemia of anorexia nervosa patients with severe malnutrition
Authors: Funayama Michitaka , Mimura Yu , Takata Taketo , Koreki Akihiro , Ogino Satoyuki , Kurose Shin
Published: January 2021

Aim

To investigate development of refeeding hypophosphatemia during the refeeding period and the extent of the decrease in the serum phosphorus level among anorexia nervosa patients with severe malnutrition.

Objective

The accurate prediction of the severity of refeeding hypophosphatemia in patients with anorexia nervosa during acute treatment is of great importance. Although some predictors were found in previous reports, these studies used binominal data—the presence or absence of hypophosphatemia—as an outcome indicator but not the extent of serum phosphorus level decrease. It is crucial in clinical settings to predict the extent of the serum phosphorus level decrease as well as development of refeeding hypophosphatemia, in particular, for patients with severe malnutrition, who has a higher risk of death.

Methods

We investigated 63 admissions from 37 patients with anorexia nervosa who had severe malnutrition (admission body mass index 11.5 ± 1.6) and carried out a linear discriminant regression analysis for the development of refeeding hypophosphatemia. The extent of the decrease in the serum phosphorus level were investigated using multiple linear regression analysis. Explanatory variables included data upon admission (age, sex, body mass index, blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio, albumin, initial serum phosphorus level, anorexia nervosa type, i.e., restrictive or binge-purge) as well as treatment-related indicators (calorie intake, amount of phosphate administered, and rate of weight gain).

Results

Development of refeeding hypophosphatemia and a change in serum phosphorus levels were predicted by body mass index and elevated blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio.

Conclusions

Our study found that refeeding hypophosphatemia among patients with severe malnutrition was predicted by a lower body mass index and elevated blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio.
Designing a Permissioned Blockchain Network for the Halal Industry using Hyperledger Fabric with multiple channels and the raft consensus mechanism
Authors: Surjandari Isti , Yusuf Harman , Laoh Enrico , Maulida Rayi
Published: January 2021

Halal Supply Chain Management requires an assurance that the entire process of procurement, distribution, handling, and processing materials, spare parts, livestock, work-in-process, or finished inventory to be well documented and performed fit to the Halal and Toyyib. Blockchain technology is one alternative solution that can improve Halal Supply Chain as it can integrate technology for information exchange during the tracking and tracing process in operating and monitoring performance. This technology could improve trust, transparency, and information disclosure between supply chain participants since it could act as a distributed ledger and entitle all transactions to be completely open, yet confidential, immutable, and secured. This study uses a Blockchain Network with three channels and uses raft consensus algorithm in designing web interfaces and testing their capabilities. From the web interface, there were no failures in the validity test during the invoke test and the query test. In addition, the web interface was also successfully tested to thwart the formation of a block in case of data input errors from the user. The server can also do the process as a provider of information and validator for the web interface. From the results of simulations conducted on the Blockchain Network that was made, Blockchain’s transaction speed is fast and all the transaction is successfully transferred to other peers. Thus, Permissioned Blockchain is useful for Halal Supply Chain not just because it can secure transactions from some of the halal issues, but the transaction speed and rate to transfer data are very effective.
SARS-CoV-2: vaccines in the pandemic era
Authors: Li Dan-Dan , Li Qi-Han
Published: January 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused millions of infections and deaths worldwide since its emergence in December 2019. As there is little or no natural immunity in the human population or specific anti-COVID-19 drugs, researchers from the government, academia and industry are developing vaccines at an unprecedented speed to halt the pandemic. In this review, the results of animal experiments and clinical trials on several vaccine technical platforms are summarized, and several challenges are also discussed to further promote the development, evaluation and application of vaccines during the challenging situation of the global pandemic.
Recurrence after ESD curative resection for early gastric cancer
Authors: Kamiya Ayako , Katai Hitoshi , Ishizu Kenichi , Wada Takeyuki , Hayashi Tsutomu , Otsuki Sho , Yamagata Yukinori , Yoshikawa Takaki , Sekine Shigeki , Nishi Tomohiko , Kawasaki Yuka , Ito Takafumi , Domoto Hideharu
Published: January 2021

Background

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is gaining ground as a minimally invasive treatment for early gastric cancer (EGC) that has a negligible risk of lymph node metastasis. According to the 5th edition of Japanese gastric cancer treatment guidelines, annual or biannual follow-up with endoscopy is recommended, but follow-up with abdominal ultrasonography or computed tomography (CT) for surveillance of metastases is not recommended after the eCuraA resection. However, we experienced a case of lymph node recurrence following ESD resulting in eCuraA.

Case presentation

A 76-year-old female received ESD for EGC in a previous hospital 4 years ago. Pathological findings were tub1, 30 mm, T1a (M), UL0, Ly0, V0, pHM-, pVM- (eCuraA) according to the 15th edition of Japanese Classification of Gastric Carcinoma. Follow-up esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed submucosal tumor, which was suspected as a swollen lymph node by CT and endoscopic ultrasound fine-needle aspiration revealed the recurrence of gastric cancer. We performed total gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection. Postoperative pathological examination revealed no local recurrent tumor at the ESD site in the stomach. Swollen lymph node was diagnosed as metastasis and lymph node metastasis was limited near the cardia.

Conclusion

This case provides valuable information about tumor with a minimum poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma component may develop lymph node metastasis even satisfying the guidelines criteria for curative resection.
Arctigenin attenuates CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity through suppressing matrix metalloproteinase-2 and oxidative stress
Authors: Kanawati Ghalia Mohamed , Al-Khateeb Iqbal Hassan , Kandil Yasser Ibrahim
Published: January 2021

Background

In spite of the huge advances in recent medicine, there is no effective drug that completely protects the liver from toxic materials. This study was conducted to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of arctigenin from burdock (Arctium lappa) against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury.

Results

Arctigenin pre-administration reduced hepatotoxicity markers significantly as compared to CCl4 group. In addition, both silymarin and arctigenin declined matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in the serum (1177 ± 176), (978 ± 135) significantly as compared to CCl4 group (1734 ± 294). The hepatic antioxidant parameters (total glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione reductase) were significantly decreased after CCl4 injection, an effect that has been prevented by pre-administration of both silymarin and arctigenin. Histological examinations illustrated that arctigenin reduced CCl4 damage, where it decreased inflammation, congestion, and ballooning.

Conclusions

Arctigenin exerted a hepatoprotective effect against CCl4-induced liver damage in terms of suppressing MMP-2 and oxidative stress comparative to that of silymarin.
High performance IIR filter implementation on FPGA
Authors: Datta Debarshi , Dutta Himadri Sekhar
Published: January 2021

This paper presents an improved design of reconfigurable infinite impulse response (IIR) filter that can be widely used in real-time applications. The proposed IIR design is realized by parallel–pipeline-based finite impulse response (FIR) filter. The FIR filters have excellent characteristics such as high stability, linear phase response and fewer finite precision errors. Hence, FIR-based IIR design is more attractive and selective in signal processing. In addition, the other two modern techniques such as look-ahead and two-level pipeline IIR filter designs are also discussed. All the said designs have been described in hardware description language and tested on Xilinx Virtex-5 field programmable gate array board. The implementation results show that the proposed FIR-based IIR design yields better performance in terms of hardware utilization, higher operating speed and lower power consumption compared to conventional IIR filter.
A rare case of paradoxical pulmonary embolism in spontaneous aortocaval fistula
Authors: Vespro Valentina , Fusco Stefano , Ierardi Anna Maria , Grassi Viviana , D’Alessio Ilenia , Crespi Silvia , Andrisani Maria Carmela , Bellobuono Andrea , Trimarchi Santi , Carrafiello Gianpaolo
Published: January 2021

Aortocaval fistula (ACF) is a rare complication of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), occurring in less than 1% of all AAAs.

Paradoxical embolism can rarely be associated with ACF, pulmonary embolism may originate from dislodgment of thrombotic material from the AAA in the inferior vena cava (IVC) through the ACF.

We report a case of a patient admitted to the emergency department with abdominal pain and shortness of breath who immediately underwent thoraco-abdominal CT. Imaging allowed a prompt pre-operative diagnosis of an ACF between an AAA and the IVC, also identifying CT signs of right heart overload and the presence of a paradoxical pulmonary embolism.
USE OF OPEN SOURCES OF INFORMATION IN THE INTERESTS OF INTELLIGENCE AND ENSURING INFORMATION SECURITY
Authors: Ivanenko Olena
Published: January 2021

The study of the experience of using open sources of information in the interests of intelligence-by-intelligence services studied the methodology and organization of the use of open sources of information in the interests of intelligence and information security of the country. Methods of collecting, analyzing, and processing information are considered, sources for information use are clarified. Information security is an integral part of national security and is closely linked to open-source intelligence. Nowadays, this type of intelligence is relevant because sometimes the ability to obtain intelligence through closed sources is significantly limited. The information obtained in this way should be carefully checked and analyzed, compared with the information obtained through intelligence and vice versa. The considered advantages of open sources of information are that the risk of failure of the agent is excluded or considerable means and efforts for the search of such are saved. The information provided by the World Wide Web is truly inexhaustible. In total, more than two-thirds of the intelligence obtained is obtained through open sources of information. The studied methods of working with information obtained from open sources have shown that analytical intelligence is a component of intelligence activities, which consists of identifying, evaluating, forecasting various political, economic, and social processes, events, activities based on information, mostly obtained from open sources, extracted by an exploration of other types (agency, technical).
EVALUATION OF THE ORGANIZATION'S PERFORMANCE IN CONNECTION WITH THE CREATION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Authors: Stangova Nora , Vighova Agnesa
Published: January 2021

The presented article is a summary of theoretical approaches for evaluating the results of the organization in accordance with the reflection of performance and performance measurement, as well as its reporting in financial statements, which are in the sense of Slovak legislation, the final reflection of the organization. The company has its attributes, and all the attributes affect individual indicators of financial analysis and they are the following: production program, the technology used, the complexity of products, participation of nature, technology and man, the composition of products, method and all operate in a three-balance system: cash-flow-balance sheet- profit and loss statements. In this context, it is necessary to monitor the performance in the organization, which has a direct impact on sales and revenues and then on the overall economic result, which is the main indicator of the successful operation of the company. The transformation process indicates the process and transformation of inputs into a process towards its results, and the interconnection of the three-balance system points to the importance of three types of statements, as follows: profit because of management from the profit and loss statement is also a source in the balance sheet, the result from the cash flow statement represents assets in the form of cash in the balance sheet. All three statements provide relevant data for the financial analysis of the organization.
THE BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS: AN INFLUENCE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS ON THE ECONOMIC GROWTH
Authors: Vukolov Dmitry
Published: January 2021

Psychology as a branch of science could not take its place in the world for a long time. This fact says about a huge omission of a mass of intelligence by a human. However, the time overtook its own, and psychology became more significant for people and the economy in general. Being a science that would not exist without a human, it is impossible to omit its influence in it. Therefore, the main goal of this work is to consider the influence of behavioral mechanisms on decision-making by economic agents and, as a result, on economic growth. The theoretical part is closely interconnected with the practical part. This explains why the article does not have a clear separation between the two ones. Openings within the frame of behavioral economics embrace both the present and the past, which are aimed at showing both the fundamental nature of this knowledge and its undisputable relevance. These factors together represent a brief history of the development of this branch of knowledge. Through the prism of the main achievements of scientists of different years in the sphere of behavioral economics the irrational behavior of consumers was analyzed. This behavior was reflected in the examples, which showed simultaneously both: the main flaws of the classical macroeconomic models, and the importance of considering behavioral economics when analyzing aggregate demand and aggregate supply.
ECONOMIC SECURITY MANAGEMENT OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AS OBJECTS OF THE STATE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Authors: Zachosova Nataliia , Zyvko Zinaida , Koval Oleksii
Published: January 2021

The need to form a system of economic security for the effective operation of financial institutions is determined. Peculiarities of ensuring economic security of different types of financial institutions are found out, characteristic features of functional systems of economic security of financial intermediaries are revealed. It is offered to understand the management of economic security of financial institutions as a direction of management activities aimed at achieving a high level of protection of the institution's resources from the negative impact of internal and external threats by implementing a wide range of management decisions to use available opportunities and resources while providing financial services. The basics of the mechanism of economic security management of financial institutions are formed. It is assumed that the organization of the economic security system of a financial institution is carried out in several stages, such as the formation of the economic security system, ensuring the economic security system, identification, assessment, ranking of threats, and development of countermeasures; assessing the level of readiness of institutions to implement a mechanism for managing economic security; assessment of the level of economic security, development of management decisions. It is determined that the purpose of economic security management is to achieve the maximum possible level of realization of the institution's interests and meet the interests and needs of clients with optimal resource costs to minimize the impact of threats that accompany the activities of institutions.
Beep or alert: evaluating WhatsApp vs pagers for communication between hospital staff
Authors: Baqai Muhammad WS , Hani Ummey , Shahzad Noman , Alvi Rehman
Published: January 2021

Background/Aims

A timely and effective communication system between hospital staff is vital for teamwork, patient safety and optimal clinical outcomes. This study compared staff perceptions of WhatsApp compared to traditional pagers for clinical communication in one of the largest tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan.

Methods

A questionnaire regarding factors such as the ease of use and reliability of each communication modality was distributed to interns and residents at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Descriptive statistics were computed for percentages, frequencies and statistical significance of categorical variables.

Results

A total of 163 participants completed the survey. Of these, 95.1% preferred WhatsApp for storing information for later reference, 58.6% considered WhatsApp to be faster in terms of response, and 52.1% found WhatsApp easier to use than pagers. However, 60.7% chose pagers as better suited for emergency situations and 92.6% were concerned that WhatsApp could potentially compromise patient data security. Overall, participants preferred the development of a bespoke app for hospital communications instead.

Conclusions

WhatsApp was regarded as easier to use and more accessible than pagers, but it was not deemed to be compliant with hospital policies. Productive communication could be optimised with the use of a tailor-made app dedicated solely to clinical communication.
Cross-linking of T cell to B cell lymphoma by the T cell bispecific antibody CD20-TCB induces IFNγ/CXCL10-dependent peripheral T cell recruitment in humanized murine model
Authors: Cremasco Floriana , Menietti Elena , Speziale Dario , Sam Johannes , Sammicheli Stefano , Richard Marine , Varol Ahmet , Klein Christian , Umana Pablo , Bacac Marina , Colombetti Sara , Perro Mario
Published: January 2021

Diffuse large B cell lymphomas (DLBCL) are a highly heterogeneous subtype of Non Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL), accounting for about 25% of NHL. Despite an increased progression-free survival upon therapy, 40–50% of patients develop relapse/refractory disease, therefore there remains an important medical need. T cell recruiting therapies, such as the CD20xCD3 T cell bi-specific antibody CD20-TCB (RG6026 or glofitamab), represent a novel approach to target all stages of DLBCL, especially those that fail to respond to multiple lines of treatment. We aimed for a better understanding of the molecular features related to the mode of action (MoA) of CD20-TCB in inducing Target/T cell synapse formation and human T cell recruitment to the tumor. To directly evaluate the correlation between synapse, cytokine production and anti-tumor efficacy using CD20-TCB, we developed an innovative preclinical human DLBCL in vivo model that allowed tracking in vivo human T cell dynamics by multiphoton intravital microscopy (MP-IVM). By ex vivo and in vivo approaches, we revealed that CD20-TCB is inducing strong and stable synapses between human T cell and tumor cells, which are dependent on the dose of CD20-TCB and on LFA-1 activity but not on FAS-L. Moreover, despite CD20-TCB being a large molecule (194.342 kDa), we observed that intra-tumor CD20-TCB-mediated human T cell-tumor cell synapses occur within 1 hour upon CD20-TCB administration. These tight interactions, observed for at least 72 hours post TCB administration, result in tumor cell cytotoxicity, resident T cell proliferation and peripheral blood T cell recruitment into tumor. By blocking the IFNγ-CXCL10 axis, the recruitment of peripheral T cells was abrogated, partially affecting the efficacy of CD20-TCB treatment which rely only on resident T cell proliferation. Altogether these data reveal that CD20-TCB’s anti-tumor activity relies on a triple effect: i) fast formation of stable T cell-tumor cell synapses which induce tumor cytotoxicity and cytokine production, ii) resident T cell proliferation and iii) recruitment of fresh peripheral T cells to the tumor core to allow a positive enhancement of the anti-tumor effect.
When falls become fatal—Clinical care sequence
Authors: Drake Stacy A. , Conway Sadie H. , Yang Yijiong , Cheatham Latarsha S. , Wolf Dwayne A. , Adams Sasha D. , Wade Charles E. , Holcomb John B.
Published: January 2021

Objectives

This study encompassed fall-related deaths, including those who died prior to medical care, that were admitted to multiple healthcare institutions, regardless of whether they died at home, in long-term care, or in hospice. The common element was that all deaths resulted directly or indirectly from injuries sustained during a fall, regardless of the temporal relationship. This comprehensive approach provides an unusual illustration of the clinical sequence of fall–related deaths. Understanding this pathway lays the groundwork for identification of gaps in healthcare needs.

Design

This is a retrospective study of 2014 fall-related deaths recorded by one medical examiner’s office (n = 511) within a larger dataset of all trauma related deaths (n = 1848). Decedent demographic characteristics and fall-related variables associated with the deaths were coded and described.

Results

Of those falling, 483 (94.5%) were from heights less than 10 feet and 394 (77.1%) were aged 65+. The largest proportion of deaths (n = 267, 52.3%) occurred post-discharge from an acute care setting. Of those who had a documented prior fall, 216 (42.3%) had a history of one fall while 31 (6.1%) had ≥2 falls prior to their fatal incident. For the 267 post-acute care deaths, 440 healthcare admissions were involved in their care. Of 267 deaths occurring post-acute care, 129 (48.3%) were readmitted within 30 days. Preventability, defined as opportunities for improvement in care that may have influenced the outcome, was assessed. Of the 1848 trauma deaths, 511 (27.7%) were due to falls of which 361 (70.6%) were determined to be preventable or potentially preventable.

Conclusion

Our data show that readmissions and repeated falls are frequent events in the clinical sequence of fall fatalities. Efforts to prevent fall-related readmissions should be a top priority for improving fall outcomes and increasing the quality of life among those at risk of falling.
Trend in female genital mutilation and its associated adverse birth outcomes: A 10-year retrospective birth registry study in Northern Tanzania
Authors: Suleiman Issa Rashid , Maro Eusebious , Shayo Benjamin C. , Alloyce Julius Pius , Masenga Gileard , Mahande Michael J. , Mchome Bariki
Published: January 2021

Background

Approximately 200 million women and girls were reported to have undergone female genital mutilation worldwide in 2015.UNICEF’s data based on household survey estimates 15% of women from 15–49 years have undergone FGM from year 2004–2015. Despite this, reliable data on trend of prevalence of female genital mutilation and its associated birth outcomes have not been documented in Tanzania. This study aimed at determining the trends of female genital mutilation and associated maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes in northern Tanzania.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted using maternally-linked data from Kilimanjaro Christian Medical birth registry involving 30,286 women who gave birth to singletons from 2004–2014. The prevalence of female genital mutilation was computed as proportion of women with female genital mutilation yearly over 10 years. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for adverse birth outcomes associated with female genital mutilation were estimated using multivariable logistic regression model.

Results

Over the 10-year period, the prevalence of female genital mutilation averaged 15.4%. Female genital mutilation decreased from 23.6% in 2005 to 10.6% in 2014. Female genital mutilation was associated with increased odds for caesarean section (aOR1.26; 95% CI: 1.18–1.34), post-partum haemorrhage (aOR 1.31; 95% CI: 1.10–1.57) and long hospital stay (aOR 1.21; 95% CI: 1.14–1.29). Female genital mutilation also increased women’s likelihood of delivering an infant with low Apgar score at 5th minute (aOR 1.60; 95% CI: 1.37–1.89).FGM type III and IV had increased odds of caesarean section, episiotomy and prolonged duration of hospital stay as compared to FGM type I and II, although the association was statistically insignificant.

Conclusion

Female genital mutilation prevalence has declined over the study period. Our study has demonstrated that postpartum haemorrhage, delivery by caesarean section, long maternal hospital stays and low APGAR score are associated with FGM. Initiatives to mitigate FGM practice should be strengthened further to reduce/eliminate this practice. Moreover, surgical interventions to improve severe form FGM are welcomed to improve the aforementioned aspects of obstetric outcome in this locality.
Designing sustainable food experiences: Rethinking sustainable food tourism
Authors: Leer Jonatan
Published: January 2021

In this article, the position that there is a good case for sustainable food tourism despite the negative impact on the climate caused by tourism and travelling practices is argued. This requires, however, that we develop well-designed sustainable food experiences. We need to redesign and rethink the very idea of the food experience with particular focus on participation, the role of the consumer, the accessibility of the food design, and the potential of local contexts, to give some universal examples. This does not mean that sustainable food tourism is or can become carbon neutral. It means that the job of the food designer is to offer climate-friendly solutions and, maybe more importantly, that sustainable food experience designers should focus on how to inspire more sustainable food consumption and anti-consumerist lifestyles beyond the context of the experience. These arguments are presented via a case study of a sustainable food experience from the Faroe Islands.
Dealing with excess consumption: Moving beyond redeem, replace and reduce
Authors: Christensen Lotte Dalgaard , Averbuch Bonnie
Published: January 2021

Our current consumption patterns cause high levels of CO2 emissions. Encouraging sustainable lifestyle changes is one tool among many to reduce emissions. Looking towards the public health literature, we identify three strategies for dealing with excess consumption: redeem, replace and reduce. We highlight the benefits and challenges that individuals face when employing these strategies. Finally, we present a promising approach to moving beyond individual-level strategies and their challenges.
Virtualizing our mouths: The sensorium and Instagram imagery
Authors: Farrell Bernardine (Bee)
Published: January 2021

The article examines the primacy of vision and the work of the sensorium: the permanently under-construction seat of the senses, that absorbs and interprets information endlessly to make associations that influence food and eating. It discusses how the internet’s social media photo sharing platform Instagram plays a pivotal role in food choices as part of our taste apparatus. The article’s focus, situated in middle to high-income countries, concludes that Instagram – as a particularly visual example of social media’s attention economy is potentially part of the transformation to more sustainable and ecological eating.
ANALYSIS OF ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC RECORDINGS FROM EPILEPSY PATIENTS USING RESTRICTED GRANGER CAUSALITY MEASURES
Authors: Siggiridou Elsa , Kimiskidis Vasilios , Kugiumtzis D.
Published: January 2021

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder of the brain that affects 1% of world population. The occurrence of epileptiform discharges (ED) in electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings of patients with epilepsy signifies a change in brain dynamics and particularly brain connectivity. In the last decade, many linear and nonlinear measures have been developed for the analysis of EEG recordings to detect the direct causal effects between brain regions. In many cases the number of EEG channels (the time series variables) is large and the analysis is based on short time intervals, resulting in unstable estimation of vector autoregressive models (VAR models) and subsequently unreliable Granger causality measure. For this, restricted VAR models have been proposed and in our recent study it was found that optimal restriction of VAR for the estimation of Granger causality was obtained by the backward-in-time selection method (BTS). We use the concept of restricted VAR models in measures both in time and frequency domain, namely restricted conditional Granger causality and restricted generalized partial directed coherence. We test the two measures in their ability of detecting changes in brain connectivity during an epileptiform discharge from multi-channel scalp electroencephalograms (EEG).
Effect of fipronil on abundance of Phosphate Solubilizing Microorganisms (PSMs) in the cardamom plantation soils of Idukki district, Kerala, India
Authors: A.T Keerthi , Thanga V. Salom Gnana
Published: January 2021

The aim of the present work was to investigate on the effect of fipronil insecticide on the density of phosphate solubilising microorganisms. Phosphate solubilising microorganisms (PSMs) have a significant role in the conversion of inorganic phosphate into available forms. Fipronil is the insecticide has been found to be effective for the control of various insect pests. We selected soil samples from major cardamom plantations of Idukki District as the study material. According to this study, we can observe that the insecticide fipronil inhibits the growth of PSMs in soil. It leads to the Phosphorous nutrient deficiency in the soil available to plants and affect the crop yield.
Plastic agriculture using worms: Augmenting polystyrene consumption and using frass for plant growth towards a zero-waste circular economy.
Authors: Koh Darius Wen-Shuo , Ang Brennan Yi-Xing , Yeo Joshua Yi , Xing Zhenxiang , Gan Samuel Ken-En
Published: January 2021

Polystyrene (PS) is one of the major plastics contributing to environmental pollution with its durability and resistance to biodegradation. Recent research has found mealworms (
Tenebrio molitor) and superworms (
Zophobas morio) to be able to utilize PS as a carbon food source and degrade them without toxic effects. In this study, the effects of food additives on plastic consumption augmentation were studied, with small additions of sucrose and bran found to increase PS consumption. To close the plastic carbon cycle, we also evaluated the use of worm frass for dragon fruit cacti (
Hylocereus undatus) growth and found that superworm frass supported rooting and growth better than mealworm frass and control media over a fortnight. Superworms, apart from being known fish and poultry feed, have been shown to be a suitable natural solution to the PS plastic problem that can support plant growth towards a zero-waste sustainable bioremediation cycle.
The Oral history jako szczególny rodzaj dialogu. Etyczne aspekty nagrań ze świadkami historii.
Authors: Maciag Anna
Published: January 2021

Understanding the role that a researcher recording oral history biographical testimonies performs during a conversation (who they become to the narrator, and what boundaries and ethics they need), are a condition of a well-done recording. Due to specifics of the XX century history, the oralists often deal with people whose lives have been marked by some kind of trauma A social order to remember the past means an order to bear witness to the tragic or traumatic experiences. This is a difficult task not only for the narrator but also for the researcher, who are usually not psychologists but sociologists, historians or anthropologists. In the article, the author confronts the theory regulating the ethics of oral histor recordings with empirical research.
Czy można być dobrym pesymistą?
Authors: Polak Marcin
Published: January 2021

Przeważająca część światowej kultury znajduje się pod wpływem terapeutycznej etyki przebudzenia, stanowiącej istotną składową światopoglądu optymistycznego, mogącego przybierać formę skrajną – „istnienie = optimum” – bądź umiarkowaną – „istnienie = droga do optimum”. Alternatywą jest etyka paliatywna stanowiąca składnik umiarkowanego pesymizmu. Analiza racjonalnego sporu między zwolennikami stanowisk umiarkowanych dokonana została w perspektywie metaetycznej, umożliwiającej ekspozycję pojęcia blokady metaetycznej, utrudniającej podmiotowi przejście z pozycji terapeutycznych na paliatywne i odwrotnie. W artykule wykazana została ponadto zależność wszelkiej etyki od światopoglądu zawierającego rozstrzygnięcia metafizyczne.
Controle de torque e retração de incisivos superiores: qual o problema? Parte 2
Authors: Martins Renato Parsekian
Published: January 2021

INTRODUÇÃO: Os alinhadores têm sido utilizados para vários tipos de tratamento, inclusive para os mais complexos. OBJETIVO: O presente artigo visa explicar, de maneira simplificada, o que é necessário para que o ortodontista controle o torque dos incisivos superiores durante uma retração com alinhadores. A relação entre a força de retração aplicada e os binários para controlar o efeito de lingualização será discutida e ilustrada. CONCLUSÃO: Parece que as ferramentas hoje existentes não permitem um adequado controle de torque dos incisivos durante a retração.
Pengaruh Motivasi Kerja Terhadap Kinerja Karyawan di Puskesmas Bukit Kayu Kapur, Kota Dumai
Authors: Hasibuan Marlianti
Published: January 2021

Dewasa ini sebuah organisasi dituntut untuk memberikan pelayanan yang berkualitas dan mampu berkompetensi, sehingga dapat tetap bertahan dalam persaingan global. Strategi untuk selalu dapat berkompetensi adalah dengan cara memperkuat kapasitas organisasi dan sumber daya manusia yang dimiliki guna untuk mencapai tujuan organisasi dan menghasilkan kinerja yang memuaskan masyarakat. Untuk itu, hal utama yang harus diperhatikan seorang pimpinan atau manajer ialah bagaimana membangkitkan gairah dan motivasi kerja karyawannya sehingga karyawan mampu menghasilkan prestasi kerja yang optimal dalam organisasi. Puskesmas bukit kayu kapur adalah fasilitas kesehatan yang berguna untuk mencapai derajat kesehatan masyarakat yang setinggi-tingginya di wilayah kerjanya, yang mana karyawan dan pihak puskesmas harus memiliki motivasi yang baik guna memberikan kinerja yang baik bagi puskesmas maupun masyarakat. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh motivasi kerja terhadap kinerja karyawan pada Puskesmas Bukit Kayu Kapur Kota Dumai. Penelitian ini merupakan studi deskriptif. Data diperoleh dengan alat ukur kuesioner dengan skala likert. Pengambilan sampel menggunakan metode non-probability dengan cara sampling jenuh yaitu semua angota populasi digunakan sebagai sampel. Jumlah sampel yang akan digunakan yaitu 64 responden. Data dianalisis dengan analisis regresi berganda Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa secara parsial ada pengaruh motivasi kerja terhadap kinerja karyawan pada Puskesmas Bukit Kayu Kapur Kota Dumai dengan nilai p < 0,05 yaitu 19,22.Kata Kunci: motivasi, motivasi kerja, kinerjaABST
Fałszywa alternatywa, czyli meandry edukacji niesegregacyjnej
Authors: Fetzki Tomasz
Published: January 2021

The paper is a voice in the discussion on mutual relations between special and non-segregative education. The aim of the author, professionally connected with special needs education, is to include in this discussion certain aspects and contexts till now present in a negligible extent and to show a perspective that is rarely encountered by researchers analyzing the issue, which can enrich and supplement the research process with significant elements.
Coberturas Verdes
Authors: Lima Juliana Miranda , Da Silva Stela Maris Rodrigues , Faustino Rodrigo Costa , Gonçalves José Roberto Moreira Ribeiro
Published: January 2021

O presente artigo tem como objetivo apresentar informações relacionadas aos telhados verdes destacando os principais pontos em relação ao assunto a partir de uma extensa pesquisa bibliográfica e documental. O artigo encontra-se dividido em tópicos que visam apresentar os principais pontos que devem ser observados sobre os telhados verdes como sua história, seus tipos, entre outros, com o objetivo de esclarecer mais sobre sua utilização e sua importância dentro de um contexto geral.  

Após o estudo, foi constatado que ainda há uma falta de investimento em pesquisas para a aplicação desta tecnologia no Brasil, embora já tenha sido comprovada de forma prática, em outros países, o seu auxilio de forma positiva na qualidade de vida e na preservação do meio ambiente.