bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of (Sm, Co) co-doping on the structure and electrical conductivity of ZnO nanoparticles
Authors: Almoussawi Mohammed , Abdallah A M , Habanjar Khulud , Awad R
Published: October 2020

(Sm, Co) co-doped ZnO nanoparticles (Zn1−2xSmxCoxO),

0.00
≤
x
≤
0.06
,

have been prepared by the co-precipitation technique. The effect of the dopant ions Sm3+ and Co2+ on the structural, morphological, and electrical conductivity of ZnO has been studied. XRD analysis shows the substitution of Zn2+ ions by the co-doping Sm3+ and Co2+ ions with the formation of secondary phases as Sm2O3 and Co3O4 upon 0.005 co-doping and above. Raman spectra showed the characteristic mode of the wurtzite structure of ZnO nanoparticles with a vibration assigned to the bound of Co with the donor defects at high doping level of (Sm, Co). The spherical morphology of pure ZnO is transformed into nanorods as the concentration of Sm3+ and Co2+ increases. From EDX spectra, it was shown that all samples exhibit an excellent compositional homogeneity that verifies the Sm and Co presence as real dopants in ZnO crystalline structure. FTIR spectra show one discrete peak at 417 cm−1 with another broad peak at 568 cm−1corresponding to Zn–O stretching, which confirms the formation of the wurtzite structure of the samples. Photoluminescence studies reveal the existence of minor defects in the co-doped samples. The study proposes the suitable use of the samples in the high-efficiency UV light-emitting devices due to the intense UV peaks compared with the lower visible peaks. The excitation dependent PL spectra demonstrated a redshift with increasing the excitation wavelength accounting for the distribution of energetic species in the ground state. The DC electrical conductivity is enhanced with (Sm, Co) co-doping of x = 0.1 due to the formation of thermally activated donor levels.
The effect of ageing on presentation, management and outcomes in degenerative cervical myelopathy: a systematic review
Authors: Grodzinski Ben , Durham Rory , Mowforth Oliver , Stubbs Daniel , Kotter Mark R N , Davies Benjamin M
Published: October 2020

Objective

Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a disabling neurological condition. The underlying degenerative changes are known to be more common with age, but the impact of age on clinical aspects of DCM has never been synthesised. The objective of this study is to determine whether age is a significant predictor in three domains—clinical presentation, surgical management and post-operative outcomes of DCM.

Methods

a systematic review of the Medline and Embase databases (inception to 12 December 2019), registered with PROSPERO (CRD42019162077) and reported in accordance with preferred reporting items of systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, was conducted. The inclusion criteria were full text articles in English, evaluating the impact of age on clinical aspects of DCM.

Results

the initial search yielded 2,420 citations, of which 206 articles were eventually included. Age was found to be a significant predictor in a variety of measures. Within the presentation domain, older patients have a worse pre-operative functional status. Within the management domain, older patients are more likely to undergo posterior surgery, with more levels decompressed. Within the outcomes domain, older patients have a worse post-operative functional status, but a similar amount of improvement in functional status. Because of heterogenous data reporting, meta-analysis was not possible.

Conclusion

the current evidence demonstrates that age significantly influences the presentation, management and outcomes of DCM. Although older patients have worse health at all individual timepoints, they experience the same absolute benefit from surgery as younger patients. This finding is of particular relevance when considering the eligibility of older patients for surgery.
Using drug descriptions and molecular structures for drug–drug interaction extraction from literature
Authors: Asada Masaki , Miwa Makoto , Sasaki Yutaka
Published: October 2020

Motivation

Neural methods to extract drug–drug interactions (DDIs) from literature require a large number of annotations. In this study, we propose a novel method to effectively utilize external drug database information as well as information from large-scale plain text for DDI extraction. Specifically, we focus on drug description and molecular structure information as the drug database information.

Results

We evaluated our approach on the DDIExtraction 2013 shared task dataset. We obtained the following results. First, large-scale raw text information can greatly improve the performance of extracting DDIs when combined with the existing model and it shows the state-of-the-art performance. Second, each of drug description and molecular structure information is helpful to further improve the DDI performance for some specific DDI types. Finally, the simultaneous use of the drug description and molecular structure information can significantly improve the performance on all the DDI types. We showed that the plain text, the drug description information and molecular structure information are complementary and their effective combination is essential for the improvement.

Availability and implementation

Our code is available at https://github.com/tticoin/DESC_MOL-DDIE.
Role of glucosamine in development of diabetic neuropathy independent of the aldose reductase pathway
Authors: Mizukami Hiroki , Osonoi Sho , Takaku Shizuka , Yamagishi Shin-Ichiro , Ogasawara Saori , Sango Kazunori , Chung Sookja , Yagihashi Soroku
Published: October 2020

Long-term metabolic aberrations contribute to the development of diabetic neuropathy but the precise mechanism or mechanisms remains elusive. We have previously shown that aldose reductase-deficient mice exhibit delayed onset and progression of neuropathy following induction of diabetes, suggesting a role both for downstream metabolites of this enzyme and also for other unrelated pathways. In this study, we have utilized comprehensive metabolomics analyses to identify potential neurotoxic metabolites in nerve of diabetic mice and explored the mechanism of peripheral nerve injury. Aldose reductase knockout and control C57Bl/6J mice were made diabetic by injection of streptozotocin and followed for 8–16 weeks. Diabetic aldose reductase knockout mice exhibited delayed onset of nerve conduction slowing compared to diabetic wild-type mice. The sciatic nerves from aldose reductase knockout mice exposed to 12 weeks of diabetes were used for metabolomics analysis and compared with analyses of nerves from age-matched diabetic wild-type mice as well as non-diabetic aldose reductase knockout and wild-type mice. Neurotoxicity of candidate metabolites was evaluated using cultured Schwann cells and dorsal root ganglion neurons, and further confirmed in vivo. Metabolomics analysis identified elevated glucosamine levels in both diabetic aldose reductase knockout and diabetic wild mice. Exposure to glucosamine reduced survival of cultured Schwann cells and neurons accompanied by increased expression of cleaved caspase 3, CCAT-enhancer-binding homologous protein and mitochondrial hexokinase-I, along with ATP depletion. These changes were suppressed by siRNA to hexokinase-I or the ATP donor, inosine, but not by the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine or the endoplasmic reticulum-stress inhibitor 4-phenylbutyrate. The O-GlcNAcylation enhancer, O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosylidene) amino N-phenylcarbamate, did not augment glucosamine neurotoxicity. Single dose glucosamine injection into mice caused a reduction of sciatic nerve Na, K-ATPase activity, ATP content and augmented expression of hexokinase-I, which were suppressed by pretreatment with inosine but not with 4-phenylbutyrate. Mice implanted with a subcutaneous pump to infuse glucosamine for 12 weeks developed nerve conduction slowing and intraepidermal nerve fibre loss, recapitulating prominent indices of diabetic neuropathy. While acute glucosamine neurotoxicity is unlikely to contribute substantially to the slowly developing neuropathy phenotype in humans, sustained energy deprivation induced by glucosamine may well contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy. Our data thus identifies a novel pathway for diabetic neuropathy that may offer a potential new therapeutic target.
Origin and Evolutionary Dynamics of the miR2119 and ADH1 Regulatory Module in Legumes
Authors: De la Rosa Carlos , Lozano Luis , Castillo-Ramírez Santiago , Covarrubias Alejandra A , Reyes José L
Published: October 2020

MicroRNAs are important regulators of gene expression in eukaryotes. Previously, we reported that in Phaseolus vulgaris, the precursor for miR2119 is located in the same gene as miR398a, conceiving a dicistronic MIR gene. Both miRNA precursors are transcribed and processed from a single transcript resulting in two mature microRNAs that regulate the mRNAs encoding ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE 1 (ADH1) and COPPER-ZINC SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE 1 (CSD1). Genes for miR398 are distributed throughout the spermatophytes; however, miR2119 is only found in Leguminosae species, indicating its recent emergence. Here, we used public databases to explore the presence of the miR2119 sequence in several plant species. We found that miR2119 is present only in specific clades within the Papilionoideae subfamily, including important crops used for human consumption and forage. Within this subfamily, MIR2119 and MIR398a are found together as a single gene in the genomes of the Millettioids and Hologalegina. In contrast, in the Dalbergioids MIR2119 is located in a different locus from MIR398a, suggesting this as the ancestral genomic organization. To our knowledge, this is a unique example where two separate MIRNA genes have merged to generate a single polycistronic gene. Phylogenetic analysis of ADH1 gene sequences in the Papilionoideae subfamily revealed duplication events resulting in up to four ADH1 genes in certain species. Notably, the presence of MIR2119 correlates with the conservation of target sites in particular ADH1 genes in each clade. Our results suggest that post-transcriptional regulation of ADH1 genes by miR2119 has contributed to shaping the expansion and divergence of this gene family in the Papilionoideae. Future experimental work on ADH1 regulation by miR2119 in more legume species will help to further understand the evolutionary history of the ADH1 gene family and the relevance of miRNA regulation in this process.
ΦX174 Attenuation by Whole-Genome Codon Deoptimization
Authors: Van Leuven James T , Ederer Martina M , Burleigh Katelyn , Scott LuAnn , Hughes Randall A , Codrea Vlad , Ellington Andrew D , Wichman Holly A , Miller Craig R
Published: October 2020

Natural selection acting on synonymous mutations in protein-coding genes influences genome composition and evolution. In viruses, introducing synonymous mutations in genes encoding structural proteins can drastically reduce viral growth, providing a means to generate potent, live-attenuated vaccine candidates. However, an improved understanding of what compositional features are under selection and how combinations of synonymous mutations affect viral growth is needed to predictably attenuate viruses and make them resistant to reversion. We systematically recoded all nonoverlapping genes of the bacteriophage ΦX174 with codons rarely used in its Escherichia coli host. The fitness of recombinant viruses decreases as additional deoptimizing mutations are made to the genome, although not always linearly, and not consistently across genes. Combining deoptimizing mutations may reduce viral fitness more or less than expected from the effect size of the constituent mutations and we point out difficulties in untangling correlated compositional features. We test our model by optimizing the same genes and find that the relationship between codon usage and fitness does not hold for optimization, suggesting that wild-type ΦX174 is at a fitness optimum. This work highlights the need to better understand how selection acts on patterns of synonymous codon usage across the genome and provides a convenient system to investigate the genetic determinants of virulence.
Learning Retention Mechanisms and Evolutionary Parameters of Duplicate Genes from Their Expression Data
Authors: DeGiorgio Michael , Assis Raquel
Published: October 2020

Learning about the roles that duplicate genes play in the origins of novel phenotypes requires an understanding of how their functions evolve. A previous method for achieving this goal, CDROM, employs gene expression distances as proxies for functional divergence and then classifies the evolutionary mechanisms retaining duplicate genes from comparisons of these distances in a decision tree framework. However, CDROM does not account for stochastic shifts in gene expression or leverage advances in contemporary statistical learning for performing classification, nor is it capable of predicting the parameters driving duplicate gene evolution. Thus, here we develop CLOUD, a multi-layer neural network built on a model of gene expression evolution that can both classify duplicate gene retention mechanisms and predict their underlying evolutionary parameters. We show that not only is the CLOUD classifier substantially more powerful and accurate than CDROM, but that it also yields accurate parameter predictions, enabling a better understanding of the specific forces driving the evolution and long-term retention of duplicate genes. Further, application of the CLOUD classifier and predictor to empirical data from Drosophila recapitulates many previous findings about gene duplication in this lineage, showing that new functions often emerge rapidly and asymmetrically in younger duplicate gene copies, and that functional divergence is driven by strong natural selection. Hence, CLOUD represents a major advancement in classifying retention mechanisms and predicting evolutionary parameters of duplicate genes, thereby highlighting the utility of incorporating sophisticated statistical learning techniques to address long-standing questions about evolution after gene duplication.
Robot-Assisted Stereotaxy Reduces Target Error: A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression of 6056 Trajectories
Authors: Philipp Lucas R , Matias Caio M , Thalheimer Sara , Mehta Shyle H , Sharan Ashwini , Wu Chengyuan
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND

The pursuit of improved accuracy for localization and electrode implantation in deep brain stimulation (DBS) and stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG) has fostered an abundance of disparate surgical/stereotactic practices. Specific practices/technologies directly modify implantation accuracy; however, no study has described their respective influence in multivariable context.

OBJECTIVE

To synthesize the known literature to statistically quantify factors affecting implantation accuracy.

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to determine the inverse-variance weighted pooled mean target error (MTE) of implanted electrodes among patients undergoing DBS or sEEG. MTE was defined as Euclidean distance between planned and final electrode tip. Meta-regression identified moderators of MTE in a multivariable-adjusted model.

RESULTS

A total of 37 eligible studies were identified from a search return of 2,901 potential articles (2002-2018) – 27 DBS and 10 sEEG. Random-effects pooled MTE = 1.91 mm (95% CI: 1.7-2.1) for DBS and 2.34 mm (95% CI: 2.1-2.6) for sEEG. Meta-regression identified study year, robot use, frame/frameless technique, and intraoperative electrophysiologic testing (iEPT) as significant multivariable-adjusted moderators of MTE (P < .0001, R2 = 0.63). Study year was associated with a 0.92-mm MTE reduction over the 16-yr study period (P = .0035), and robot use with a 0.79-mm decrease (P = .0019). Frameless technique was associated with a mean 0.50-mm (95% CI: 0.17-0.84) increase, and iEPT use with a 0.45-mm (95% CI: 0.10-0.80) increase in MTE. Registration method, imaging type, intraoperative imaging, target, and demographics were not significantly associated with MTE on multivariable analysis.

CONCLUSION

Robot assistance for stereotactic electrode implantation is independently associated with improved accuracy and reduced target error. This remains true regardless of other procedural factors, including frame-based vs frameless technique.
Bilateral “Rescue Strip” Technique for Endoscopic Endonasal Approaches to the Clivus
Authors: Kim Matthew , Otten Marc , Overdevest Jonathan B , Gudis David A
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND

The vascularized nasoseptal flap (NSF) is a pillar of contemporary endoscopic skull base reconstruction. The pedicle for the NSF is supplied by the posterior septal branch of the sphenopalatine artery, which courses along the arch of the choana and sphenoid rostrum before entering the nasal septum. Resection or mobilization of this region is necessary for surgical access to the clivus.

OBJECTIVE

To describe a technique for preserving bilateral NSF pedicles during endoscopic endonasal resection of the clivus, thereby safeguarding availability of the flaps for future skull base repair needs.

METHODS

Report of operative technique with video demonstration.

RESULTS

This technique for NSF preservation allows for wide access to the clivus while saving the future option for vascularized flap repairs of skull base defects. The patient in whom we demonstrate this technique underwent complete resection of her clivus without cerebrospinal fluid leak and with preservation of both NSF pedicles.

CONCLUSION

The “rescue strip” technique for endonasal endoscopic clival surgery preserves the bilateral NSF pedicles for future use without compromising surgical access to the clivus.
Transconjunctival Extirpation of a Voluminous Orbital Cavernoma: 2-Dimensional Operative Video
Authors: May Adrien T , Guatta Ramona , Meling Torstein R
Published: October 2020

Purely intraorbital cavernomas remain rare, but still are the most common benign orbital tumors.
1
These expansive lesions are now rapidly detected and adequately treated. Surgical resection is the gold standard and a definitive solution. The choice of approach varies between different possibilities, including orbitotomies, trans-sinusal routes, and transconjunctival accesses.
2-4
Because the last technique is less known to the neurosurgeon, we describe here a step-by-step guide to perform it.

 The technique is illustrated with the case of a 62-yr-old male with a voluminous right retroocular cavernoma. He presented a progressive right exophthalmia without visual acuity or campimetric deterioration. Because the cavernoma was purely medial from the optic nerve in the intraconal space, no osteotomy was deemed necessary to extirpate the lesion. The video shows the conjunctival dissection, followed by the medial rectus muscle being dissected, allowing us to attain the retrobulbar space in the orbit. The cavernoma is then dissected from the surroundings and reduced in volume by coagulation so its removal does not apply hyperpressure on the adjacent fragile structures. We then pursue with the closure by stitching the medial rectus muscle to the eyeball. Finally, the conjunctiva is sutured.

 Postoperatively, there was no complication. A transient mydriasis due to ciliary nerve manipulation spontaneously resolved. Extirpation of the lesion was total. The patient's exophthalmia normalized over the next months. No visual or campimetric deterioration was noted at follow-up. A slight horizontal diplopia was noted after surgery, which normalized at 1 yr. The patient's consent was obtained for the procedure.
Justice After Atrocity
Authors: Wilson Richard Ashby
Published: October 2020

Anthropologists have been critical of the global asymmetries of knowledge and power embedded in justice institutions established in the aftermath of violence. Truth commissions and mediation processes may be coopted by states seeking to nation-build and extend their coercive and normative capacity in local communities. International criminal courts may impose an alien version of justice that disrupts national politics and a peace process, and they often misapprehend the causes of mass crimes because they employ a form of legal inquiry that is far removed from local historical contexts. Litigation against companies for complicity in crimes against humanity may raise survivors’ expectations, only to dash them when states refuse to recognize universal jurisdiction. Even when legal recourse is not successful, new social movements focused on accountability, reparations, and legal remedy can emerge that engender new forms of sociality and political subjectivity. Anthropological investigations into transitional justice reveal a complex process in which survivors can recover an emancipatory political agency, and anthropologists testifying as experts often influence outcomes more than anticipated.
Humanitarian Interventions
Authors: Bornstein Erica
Published: October 2020

This chapter explores the anthropology of humanitarianism in relation to regulation, governance, and law. Humanitarian agencies and individuals navigate multiple intersecting social-legal fields of international and domestic law in their efforts to address human need and suffering. Building on rich ethnographic studies of humanitarian practitioners, the chapter surveys different regional contexts for humanitarian work as well as varied approaches, including: bureaucratic and charismatic modes of humanitarian authority, military intervention through ‘humanitarian wars’, reconciliation in post-conflict settings, judicial advocacy, religious philanthropy, and vernacular aid. While some humanitarian interventions are highly regulated, other types exist outside regulatory frames, and some others use the logic of humanitarian intervention to change law itself.
Transnational Agrarian Movements, Food Sovereignty, and Legal Mobilization
Authors: Claeys Priscilla , Peschard Karine
Published: October 2020

In this chapter, we analyse a diversity of legal mobilizations by contemporary agrarian movements, from the creation of new human rights to direct participation in global food governance, the institutionalization of food sovereignty, civil disobedience, and peoples’ tribunals. Our main argument is that there is a need to expand the scope and methods of research in law and anthropology to account for the diversity of actors and alliances, their innovative legal strategies, the different scales, and the multiplicity of institutional and extra-institutional arenas in which transnational agrarian movements engage with the law in their struggles against capitalism and neoliberalism. To document and analyse social movement innovations, lawyers and anthropologists must engage with transnational, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches, and critically reflect on their methods, roles, and positionalities as social actors involved in social justice struggles.
The Juridification of Politics
Authors: Sieder Rachel
Published: October 2020

This chapter reviews the principle debates on the juridification of politics, discussing anthropological analysis of the juridification of Indigenous politics. While much of the broader debate refers principally to the diffusion and vernacularization of state and international law, and the subjectivities generated by engagements with dominant norms and institutions, here I turn the lens on the complex dialectics involved in Indigenous Peoples’ juridification of their own forms of law or what in Spanish is referred to as derecho propio. Drawing on my ethnographic work in Guatemala, I trace the different ways in which Mayan rights activists and their allies have analysed, systematized, and defended their own forms of law in the context of battles for state recognition of legal pluralism in the post-war period. I point to the potentialities inherent in the juridification and auto-juridification of Mayan law, arguing that different legal engagements can be read as exchanges that also contain and transmit a politics of what Audra Simpson (2015) has termed ‘indigenous refusal’. By articulating claims and narratives that assert the sovereignty of their specific time-space over territories, peoples, and practices in the past, present, and future, Indigenous Peoples reject the sovereign jurisdictional claims and specific temporalities and ontologies of state legality and international human rights law, envisioning alternative futures. I also reflect on the challenges for anthropologists involved in the juridification and auto-juridification of Indigenous law, advocating critical engagement that furthers an intercultural epistemological dialogue aimed at radically transforming racialized structures of dispossession.
CHORUS. I. Cosmic HydrOgen Reionization Unveiled with Subaru: Overview
Authors: Inoue Akio K , Yamanaka Satoshi , Ouchi Masami , Iwata Ikuru , Shimasaku Kazuhiro , Taniguchi Yoshiaki , Nagao Tohru , Kashikawa Nobunari , Ono Yoshiaki , Mawatari Ken , Shibuya Takatoshi , Hayashi Masao , Ikeda Hiroyuki , Zhang Haibin , Liang Yongming , Lee Chien-Hsiu , Hilmi Miftahul , Kikuta Satoshi , Kusakabe Haruka , Furusawa Hisanori , Hayashino Tomoki , Kajisawa Masaru , Matsuda Yuichi , Nakajima Kimihiko , Momose Rieko , Harikane Yuichi , Saito Tomoki , Kodama Tadayuki , Kikuchihara Shotaro , Iye Masanori , Goto Tomotsugu
Published: October 2020

To determine the dominant sources for cosmic reionization, the evolution history of the global ionizing fraction, and the topology of the ionized regions, we have conducted a deep imaging survey using four narrow-band (NB) and one intermediate-band (IB) filters on the Subaru/Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC), called Cosmic HydrOgen Reionization Unveiled with Subaru (CHORUS). The central wavelengths and full-widths-at-half-maximum of the CHORUS filters are, respectively, 386.2 nm and 5.5 nm for NB387, 526.0 nm and 7.9 nm for NB527, 717.1 nm and 11.1 nm for NB718, 946.2 nm and 33.0 nm for IB945, and 971.2 nm and 11.2 nm for NB973. This combination, including NB921 (921.5 nm and 13.5 nm) from the Subaru Strategic Program with HSC (HSC SSP), is carefully designed, as if they were playing a chorus, to observe multiple spectral features simultaneously, such as Lyman continuum, Lyα, C iv, and He ii for $z$ = 2–7. The observing field is the same as that of the deepest footprint of the HSC SSP in the COSMOS field and its effective area is about 1.6 deg2. We present an overview of the CHORUS project, which includes descriptions of the filter design philosophy, observations and data reduction, multiband photometric catalogs, assessments of the imaging quality, measurements of the number counts, and example use cases for the data. All the imaging data, photometric catalogs, masked pixel images, data of limiting magnitudes and point spread functions, results of completeness simulations, and source number counts are publicly available through the HSC SSP database.
Sleep after learning aids the consolidation of factual knowledge, but not relearning
Authors: Cousins James N , Teo Teck Boon , Tan Zhi Yi , Wong Kian F , Chee Michael W L
Published: October 2020

Study Objectives

Sleep strengthens and reorganizes declarative memories, but the extent to which these processes benefit subsequent relearning of the same material remains unknown. It is also unclear whether sleep-memory effects translate to educationally realistic learning tasks and improve long-term learning outcomes.

Methods

Young adults learned factual knowledge in two learning sessions that were 12 h apart and separated by either nocturnal sleep (n = 26) or daytime wakefulness (n = 26). Memory before and after the retention interval was compared to assess the effect of sleep on consolidation, while memory before and after the second learning session was compared to assess relearning. A final test 1 week later assessed whether there was any long-term advantage to sleeping between two study sessions.

Results

Sleep significantly enhanced consolidation of factual knowledge (p = 0.01, d = 0.72), but groups did not differ in their capacity to relearn the materials (p = 0.72, d = 0.10). After 1 week, a numerical memory advantage remained for the sleep group but was no longer significant (p = 0.21, d = 0.35).

Conclusions

Reduced forgetting after sleep is a robust finding that extends to our ecologically valid learning task, but we found no evidence that sleep enhances relearning. Our findings can exclude a large effect of sleep on long-term memory after 1 week, but hint at a smaller effect, leaving open the possibility of practical benefits from organizing study sessions around nocturnal sleep. These findings highlight the importance of revisiting key sleep-memory effects to assess their relevance to long-term learning outcomes with naturalistic learning materials.
Rapid nitrogen fixation contributes to a similar growth and photosynthetic rate of Robinia pseudoacacia supplied with different levels of nitrogen
Authors: Wang Xiao , Guo Xiao , Du Ning , Guo Weihua , Pang Jiayin
Published: October 2020

Robinia pseudoacacia L. is a legume species that is widely used in afforestation, which has high N2 fixation capacity and rapid growth rate. Both nitrogen (N) supply and phenology affect plant growth, photosynthesis and leaf senescence. The aim of this study was to determine how N supply affects N2 fixation, leaf photosynthesis and senescence of R. pseudoacacia at different phenological stages. Seedlings of R. pseudoacacia were supplied with different levels of 15N-labelled NH4NO3 solution, with seedlings of Sophora japonica Linn. as reference plants to calculate the percentage of N derived from the atmospheric N2 (%Ndfa). Compared with plants supplied with a high N level, those with a low N supply had a higher %Ndfa at an early developmental stage. Nitrogen fixation compensated the effect of a low N supply on plant growth in R. pseudoacacia. A high N supply decreased biomass allocation to lateral roots and nodules, and increased the relative growth rate of plant height as well as specific leaf area. The eighth mature compound leaf of R. pseudoacacia tended to have a higher net photosynthetic rate than the fourth leaf, and the leaves still maintained a moderate photosynthetic rate in early autumn. Plants tended to allocate more biomass to leaves at an early developmental stage and to stems and roots at a later developmental stage (3 months old). The N level did not affect leaf photosynthesis at different phenological stages, primarily due to (i) a high %Ndfa under low N supply at early growing stage, and a similar high %Ndfa under all N supplies at a late growing stage, and (ii) the delayed greening phenotype of expanding leaves to save nutrients for mature leaves.
Possible Early Vertical Transmission of COVID-19 from an Infected Pregnant Female to Her Neonate: A Case Report
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Tapas , Sharma Abhinav , Kumari Pratima , Maria Arti , Choudhary Rahul
Published: October 2020

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-19) has emerged as a public health emergency in recent times. The reported data on the mode of transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are largely through contact, droplet, airborne and fomite transmission methods with vertical transmission being a rare entity. We hereby report a case of a probable vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-19 from an infected pregnant female to her neonate. The transmission has been confirmed by a positive RT-PCR at 16 h of life along with a positive IgG antibody test for SARS-CoV-19 in the baby and after excluding the possible environmental contamination of the sample. The baby was asymptomatic during the course of hospital stay and was discharged from the facility on Day 9 of life.
Measurement Properties of the Oswestry Disability Index in Recipients of Lumbar Spine Surgery
Authors: Cook Chad E. , Garcia Alessandra N. , Wright Alexis , Shaffrey Christopher , Gottfried Oren
Published: October 2020

Study Design.

This is an observational study on the measurement properties of the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) version 1.0.

Objectives.

To (1) determine the construct validity of the tool, specifically structural validity; (2) analyze the criterion validity of the tool, specifically concurrent validity against proxy measures of pain, function, and quality of life and predictive validity of each item to proxy measures of disability; and (3) reliability of the tool, specifically internal consistency.

Summary of Background Data.

We endeavored to investigate the measurement properties of the ODI on a spine surgery population to test the assumption that a more disabled population may influence the properties of the tool.

Methods.

Data were pulled from the Quality Outcomes Database (QOD) Spine Registry. A total of 57,199 participants who underwent primary or revision lumbar spine surgeries were included. Structural validity was assessed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, concurrent validity, predictive validity by odds ratios, and internal consistency by Cronbach alpha. The Visual Analog Scale for back pain, two standard open questions, and the EuroQol 5 Dimension/Visual Analogue Scale were included as proxy measures of pain, function, and quality of life, respectively. Hospital readmission, return to operating room for treatment and revision surgery (all within 30 days) were included as proxy measures of disability to assess the predictive validity of each ODI item.

Results.

The ODI demonstrated a two-factor structural solution, which explained 54.9% of the total variance. Fair internal consistency (0.74–0.77), and fair criterion validity (concurrent) and significant findings with predictive validity (P < 0.01) substantiated the use of each item of the ODI as well as the summary score and ODI thresholds.

Conclusions.

Our study lends value to a burgeoning repository of evidence that suggests the ODI is a useful tool for capturing outcomes in clinical practice. We recommend its continued use in clinical practice.

Level of Evidence: 4
Cervical Extensor Muscles Play the Role on Malalignment of Cervical Spine
Authors: Wang Dian , Ding Yi , Wu Bingxuan , Si Fangda , Yu Fan , Xiao Bowei , Liu Baoge
Published: October 2020

Study Design.

A case control study.

Objective.

The aim of this study was to identify the potential impact of cervical spine malalignment on muscle parameters.

Summary of Background Data.

Muscular factors are associated with cervical alignment. Nevertheless, only muscle dimensions or imaging changes have been evaluated, function of cervical muscles has scarcely been investigated.

Methods.

Thirty-four patients diagnosed as cervical spine degeneration associated with cervical malalignment and 32 control subjects were included in this case control study. Visual analogue scale (VAS) and the neck disability index (NDI) were used. The sagittal alignment parameters and cervical range of motion (ROM) were measured on cervical spine lateral radiographs, included C2-C7 lordosis, C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis (C2-C7 SVA), cervical gravity-sagittal vertical axis (CG-SVA), T1-Slope, and spinal canal angle (SCA). Surface electromyography (SEMG)-based flexion-relaxation ratio (FRR) was measured.

Results.

The result showed VAS score of the neck significantly lower in controls (P<0.05), C2-C7 lordosis, C2-C7 SVA, CG-SVA, T1-Slope and ROM showed significantly different (P<0.001) between malalignment group and control group, FRR of splenius capitis (FRRSpl) and upper trapezius (FRRUTr) of the malalignment group were lower than in the control group, which correlated well with NDI (rSpl = −0.181 rUTr = −0.275), FRRSpl correlated well with VAS (rSpl = −0.177). FRRSpl correlated strongly with C2-C7 SVA (r = 0.30), CG-SVA (r = 0.32), T1-Slope (r = 0.17), ROM (r = 0.19), FRRUTr correlated with C2-C7 lordosis (r = −0.23), CG-SVA (r = 0.19), T1-Slope (r = 0.28), ROM (r = 0.23).

Conclusion.

Cervical malalignment patients had more tensional posterior cervical muscle and poor muscle functions. CG-SVA showed advantages in evaluating cervical malalignment.

Level of Evidence: 3
Preoperative Opioid Weaning Before Major Spinal Fusion
Authors: Jain Nikhil , Phillips Frank M. , Malik Azeem T. , Khan Safdar N.
Published: October 2020

Study Design.

Retrospective cohort.

Objective.

To identify gaps in opioid prescription immediately prior to spinal fusion and to study the effect of such simulated “opioid weaning/elimination” on risk of long-term postoperative opioid use.

Summary of Background Data.

Numerous studies have described preoperative opioid duration and dose thresholds associated with sustained postoperative opioid use. However, the benefit and duration of preoperative opioid weaning before spinal fusion has not been elaborated.

Methods.

Humana commercial insurance data (2007-Q1 2017) was used to study primary cervical and lumbar/thoracolumbar fusions. More than 5000 total morphine equivalents in the year before spinal fusion were classified as chronic preoperative opioid use. Based on time between last opioid prescription (<14-days’ supply) and spinal fusion, chronic opioid users were divided as; no gap, >2-months gap (2G) and >3-months gap (3G). Primary outcome measure was long-term postoperative opioid use (>5000 total morphine equivalents between 3 and 12-mo postoperatively). The effect of “opioid gap” on risk of long-term postoperative opioid use was studied using multiple-variable logistic regression analyses.

Results.

17,643 patients were included, of whom 3590 (20.3%) had chronic preoperative opioid use. Of these patients, 41 (1.1%) were in the 3G group and 106 (3.0%) were in the 2G group. In the 2G group, 53.8% patients ceased to have long-term postoperative use as compared with 27.8% in NG group. This association was significant on logistic regression analysis (OR 0.30, 95% CI: 0.20–0.46, P < 0.001).

Conclusions.

Chronic opioid users whose last opioid prescription was >2-months prior to spinal fusion and less than 14-days’ supply had significantly lower risk of long-term postoperative opioid use. We have simulated “opioid weaning” in chronic opioid users undergoing major spinal fusion and our analysis provides an initial reference point for current clinical practice and future clinical studies.

Level of Evidence: 3
Keratoplasty Outcomes in Patients With Uveitis
Authors: Hennein Lauren , Lambert Nathan G. , Chamberlain Winston , Hirabayashi Kristin , Rose-Nussbaumer Jennifer , Schallhorn Julie M.
Published: October 2020

Purpose:

To examine the corneal transplant failure rates and associations with uveitic eye disease.

Methods:

The retrospective chart review identified 70 eyes from 42 patients with uveitis that underwent 40 primary transplants and 30 repeat transplants at 2 major academic centers over a 9-year period. The graft failure rate was calculated. Variables hypothesized to be associated with graft failure were analyzed as covariates using a Cox proportional hazards analysis clustered by the patients to determine their association with failure rates.

Results:

Of the 70 grafts, the mean duration of follow-up for patients was 40.6 months (range 4–90 months) and the median survival time was 24.1 months (interquartile range of 9–290 months). Twenty-two patients (52%) had graft failure. There was a higher rate of graft failure in patients with infectious uveitis as compared to those with noninfectious uveitis (hazard ratio 2.46, P = 0.031). Patients with successful grafts had their inflammation controlled for a longer period of time before transplantation as compared to those with failed grafts (38.6 vs. 13.6 months, P = 0.004). Worse preoperative visual acuities were significantly associated with graft failure (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

There is limited knowledge of corneal transplant outcomes in uveitic patients in the current literature. In our study, over half of the grafts failed. Infectious uveitis (especially viral) was a strong predictor of graft failure. A shorter period of inflammation control before transplantation, previously failed grafts, and worse preoperative visual acuity were also associated with graft failure.
Behavioral health integration in a nurse-led federally qualified health center: Outcomes of care
Authors: Weber Mary , Stalder Sarah , Techau Aimee , Centi Sophia , McNair Bryan , Barton Amy J.
Published: October 2020

Background:

Over the past 20 years, significant evidence has emerged for collaborative care in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders in primary care.

Purpose:

The purpose of this project was to integrate an interprofessional and collaborative care model of behavioral health services into routine nurse-led primary care delivered to vulnerable and underserved populations across the lifespan. Team members included psychiatric nurse practitioners (PMHNPs), a registered nurse, and a case manager.

Methods:

An Access database was developed to track clients seen by the PMHNPs. Three key outcome measures were tracked over time: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist Civilian Version, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), and Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS). A retrospective analysis of client outcome data from January 2017 through December 2019 was conducted.

Results:

There were 118 patients included who were mostly female (63.6%), White (90.7%), and not Hispanic (69.5%), with Medicaid as their primary insurance (74.6%). For each outcome, models with linear and quadratic function forms for time were fit. The final model for PTSD Checklist Score had a linear functional form for time and the final models for BDRS and HAM-D had linear and quadratic terms for time. All predictors were significantly associated with the outcome.

Implications for practice:

This program demonstrated that a patient-centered, nurse-led team approach to the treatment of depression, bipolar depression, and PTSD can be successful in primary care.
The elephant in the room: A concept analysis of communication and childhood adversity among adults
Authors: Strauch Kimberly A. , Carrington Jane M. , McEwen Marylyn M.
Published: October 2020

Background:

Effective communication by those providing clinical care to adult patients is required to identify and address health disparities associated with childhood adversity. Many primary care NPs are unaware of these relationships, often lacking the communication skills and training needed to elicit this clinically relevant information.

Objectives:

A systematic review in the form of a concept analysis was undertaken to increase our understanding about patient-to-provider communication of childhood adversity in the context of the primary care setting. Two key concepts, communication and childhood adversity, were examined using the procedures outlined by Walker and Avant.

Data sources:

A focused literature search using the search engines CINAHL, PubMed, and PsycINFO with inclusion criteria of “adverse childhood experiences (ACE),” “childhood adversity,” and “communication” provided boundaries for this analysis. No results were found using the defined conceptual terms. Therefore, concept synthesis was driven by the exploration of seminal and current literature from several disciplines.

Conclusions:

Findings revealed that effective communication about childhood adversity is an integral and understated element when addressing ACE-related health disparities among adults. Further synthesis is warranted to explore how primary care NPs apply the concepts of effective communication when providing clinical care to adult patients with histories of childhood adversity.

Implications for practice:

This concept analysis will serve as a catalyst for informing future research and theory development focused on enhancing ACE-specific communication between NPs and adult patients, which will lead to more personalized approaches to developing novel, ACE-specific interventions, a reduction in health disparities, and improved health outcomes.
Patients' Experience of Communication During Their Course of Treatment in an Oncology Outpatient Clinic
Authors: Prip Anne , Pii Kathrine H. , Nielsen Dorte Lisbet , Jarden Mary
Published: October 2020

Background

Communication between patients and healthcare professionals becomes increasingly important as patients with cancer are primarily treated in outpatient settings, where the time to communicate is brief. There is a need to understand patients' experiences of communication to ensure person-centered communication during treatment.

Objective

The aim of this study was to explore how patients experience communication with healthcare professionals during their course of treatment in an oncology outpatient clinic to elucidate how their needs for support are met.

Methods

Data were generated through semistructured qualitative interviews in patients with cancer who received treatment in an oncology outpatient clinic (n = 18). Interpretive description methodology and symbolic interactionism inspired the analytical approach.

Results

Three overarching communication categories were generated, namely, verbal practices, relational practices, and nonverbal practices, which reflect distinct characteristics and the quality of the communication. Communication was characterized as being informative, cheerful, and routinized, which the patients found supportive and, contrarily, superficial, task focused, lacking continuity in care, and missing existential dimensions.

Conclusion

The communication practice in the oncology outpatient clinic especially supported patients in managing their treatment and side effects. However, psychological, social, and existential concerns were rarely addressed, requiring the patient to self-manage these issues in everyday life while living with cancer.

Implications for Practice

Patients are socialized by verbal and nonverbal communication practices in the outpatient clinic, which influences their expectations of what to talk about during their treatment. Methods are needed to support person-centered communication in outpatient settings, so patient care needs are met more broadly.
Classification of Mammographic Breast Microcalcifications Using a Deep Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Schönenberger Claudio , Hejduk Patryk , Ciritsis Alexander , Marcon Magda , Rossi Cristina , Boss Andreas
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The goal of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the potential of a deep convolutional neural network (dCNN) to accurately classify microcalcifications in mammograms with the aim of obtaining a standardized observer-independent microcalcification classification system based on the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) catalog.

Materials and Methods

Over 56,000 images of 268 mammograms from 94 patients were labeled to 3 classes according to the BI-RADS standard: “no microcalcifications” (BI-RADS 1), “probably benign microcalcifications” (BI-RADS 2/3), and “suspicious microcalcifications” (BI-RADS 4/5). Using the preprocessed images, a dCNN was trained and validated, generating 3 types of models: BI-RADS 4 cohort, BI-RADS 5 cohort, and BI-RADS 4 + 5 cohort. For the final validation of the trained dCNN models, a test data set consisting of 141 images of 51 mammograms from 26 patients labeled according to the corresponding BI-RADS classification from the radiological reports was applied. The performances of the dCNN models were evaluated, classifying each of the mammograms and computing the accuracy in comparison to the classification from the radiological reports. For visualization, probability maps of the classification were generated.

Results

The accuracy on the validation set after 130 epochs was 99.5% for the BI-RADS 4 cohort, 99.6% for the BI-RADS 5 cohort, and 98.1% for the BI-RADS 4 + 5 cohort. Confusion matrices of the “real-world” test data set for the 3 cohorts were generated where the radiological reports served as ground truth. The resulting accuracy was 39.0% for the BI-RADS 4 cohort, 80.9% for BI-RADS 5 cohort, and 76.6% for BI-RADS 4 + 5 cohort. The probability maps exhibited excellent image quality with correct classification of microcalcification distribution.

Conclusions

The dCNNs can be trained to successfully classify microcalcifications on mammograms according to the BI-RADS classification system in order to act as a standardized quality control tool providing the expertise of a team of radiologists.