bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synergistic Therapeutic Effects of Intracerebral Transplantation of Human Modified Bone Marrow-Derived Stromal Cells (SB623) and Voluntary Exercise with Running Wheel in a Rat Model of Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Yabuno Satoru , Yasuhara Takao , Nagase Takayuki , Kawauchi Satoshi , Sugahara Chiaki , Okazaki Yosuke , Hosomoto Kakeru , Sasada Susumu , Sasaki Tatsuya , Tajiri Naoki , Borlongan Cesar V. , Date Isao
Published: July 2022

Background
Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) transplantation therapy is a promising therapy for stroke patients. In parallel, rehabilitation with physical exercise could ameliorate stroke-induced neurological impairment. In this study, we aimed to clarify whether combination therapy of intracerebral transplantation of human modified bone marrow-derived MSCs, SB623 cells, and voluntary exercise with running wheel (RW) could exert synergistic therapeutic effects on a rat model of ischemic stroke.
Methods
Wistar rats received right transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Voluntary exercise (Ex) groups were trained in a cage with RW from day 7 before MCAO. SB623 cells (4.0×105 cells/µl) were stereotactically injected into the right striatum at day 1 after MCAO. Behavioral tests were performed at day 1, 7, and 14 after MCAO using the modified Neurological Severity Score (mNSS) and cylinder test. Rats were euthanized at day 15 after MCAO for mRNA level evaluation of ischemic infarct volumes, endogenous neurogenesis, angiogenesis, and expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The rats were randomly assigned to one of the four groups: vehicle, Ex, SB623, and SB623 + Ex groups.
Results
SB623 + Ex group achieved significant neurological recovery in mNSS compared to the vehicle group (p < 0.05). The cerebral infarct volumes of SB623 + Ex group were significantly decreased compared to those in all other groups (p < 0.05). The number of BrdU/Doublecortin (Dcx) double-positive cells in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the dentate gyrus (DG), the laminin-positive area in the ischemic penumbra, and the mRNA level of BDNF and VEGF in SB623 + Ex group were much significantly increased compared to those in all other groups (p < 0.05).
Conclusions
This study suggests that combination therapy of intracerebral transplantation SB623 cells and voluntary exercise with RW achieves robust neurological recovery and synergistically promotes endogenous neurogenesis and angiogenesis after cerebral ischemia, possibly through a mechanism involving the up-regulation of BDNF and VEGF.
Intrathecal injection of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells genetically engineered to overexpress Heme oxygenase 1 promotes symptoms recovery in cyclophosphamide-induced cystitis rats by alleviating neuroinflammation
Authors: Gao Qiongqiong , Gao Zhentao , Huang Yong , Zhang Chi , Su Minzhi , Li Cuiping , Zhan Hailun , Liu Bolong , Zhou Xiangfu
Published: July 2022

Background
Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) seriously affect the patient's quality of life, yet current therapies for IC/BPS only provide partial relief. Neuroinflammation in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis. Injection of human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (hUMSCs) represent an effective strategy to reduce inflammation, and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has anti-nociceptive effect in neuro inflammatory pain. This study aimed to tested the therapeutic effects of hUMSCs overexpressing HO-1 on cyclophosphamide-induced cystitis rat model.
Methods
Cystitis rats were transplanted with altered cells and then assessed for 3 weeks on a battery of behavioral tests that measured suprapubic mechanical allodynia, micturition frequency, depressive-like behaviors and short-term memory function. Additionally, immunofluorescence staining, western blot and Elisa kit measured the anti-inflammation effects.
Results
HUMSCs were capable of being transduced to overexpress HO-1 in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with hUMSCs overexpressing HO-1 was more effective than hUMSCs alone in alleviating suprapubic mechanical allodynia and frequent micturition in cystitis rats. Furthermore, rats treated with hUMSCs overexpressing HO-1 relieved the comorbid depressive-like behaviors and memory deficits. In the SDH region, hUMSCs overexpressing HO-1 inhibited the activation of glial, decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines by downregulating the TLR4/p65/NLRP3 pathway. And surprisingly, it markedly increased anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, while reduced MDA content and protected GSH concentrations in local environment.
Conclusions
Overall, our result suggest that intrathecal injection of hUMSCs overexpressing HO-1 can significantly promote functional outcomes in cystitis rats by reducing neuroinflammation, at least, partly through downregulating TLR4/p65/NLRP3 signaling pathway in the SDH region. This cell therapy providing a possible new strategy for treating IC/BPS.
Spatial pattern and density of woody plants in an agroforestry parkland in a West African savanna
Authors: Lawer Eric Adjei
Published: July 2022

Agroforestry parklands are an age-old traditional land use practice that integrates crop cultivation under scattered woody plants. This practice is widespread in West African savannas providing many essential ecological and socio-economic benefits to people such as food, fuelwood and medicine. Currently, parklands are decreasing due to changes in agriculture and land use practices, often associated with human population growth. Understanding spatial patterns as well as identifying reliable methods of sampling to estimate density of woody plants is necessary for sustainable management of parklands. In this study, five relatively easy-to-use plotless sampling methods were applied to estimate density of woody plants using field and simulated datasets with known spatial patterns from field assessments. Results of spatial indices tests indicated that woody plants in parklands exhibited two spatial patterns: i.e., aggregate and random, the latter being the dominant pattern observed in field datasets. Based on relative measure statistics (i.e., RRMSE and RBIAS), the ordered distance (OD), point-centered quarter (PCQ) and closest individual (CI) methods performed well when woody plants were located in a random pattern while the variable area transect (VAT) method was better at estimating density under patterns of spatial aggregation. Overall, OD and VAT methods are recommended for density estimation in parklands because they are relatively more accurate, less biased, practical and computations are easy to undertake.
The role of c-Jun for beating cardiomycyte formation in prepared embryonic body
Authors: Su Lide , Zhang Guofu , Lili Jiang , Chi Chao , Bai Bing , Kang Kai
Published: July 2022

Background
Morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction, stem from the inability of terminally differentiated cardiomyocytes to regenerate, and thus repair the damaged myocardial tissue structure. The molecular biological mechanisms behind the lack of regenerative capacity for those cardiomyocytes remains to be fully elucidated. Recent studies have shown that c-Jun serves as a cell cycle regulator for somatic cell fates, playing a key role in multiple molecular pathways, including the inhibition of cellular reprogramming, promoting angiogenesis, and aggravation of cardiac hypertrophy, but its role in cardiac development is largely unknown. This study aims to delineate the role of c-Jun in promoting early-stage cardiac differentiation.
Methods
The c-Jun gene in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) was knocked out with CRISPR-Cas9, and the hanging drop method used to prepare the resulting embryoid bodies. Cardiac differentiation was evaluated up to 9 days after c-Jun knockout (ko) via immunofluorescence, flow cytometric, and qPCR analyses.
Results
Compared to the wild-type control group, obvious beating was observed among the c-Jun-ko mESCs after 6 days, which was also associated with significant increases in myocardial marker expression. Additionally, markers associated with mesoderm and endoderm cell layer development, essential for further differentiation of ESCs into cardiomyocytes, were also up-regulated in the c-Jun-ko cell group.
Conclusions
Knocking out c-Jun directs ESCs towards a meso-endodermal cell lineage fate, in turn leading to generation of beating myocardial cells. Thus, c-Jun plays an important role in regulating early cardiac cell development.
Will Middle-Aged and Elderly be Shielded by Professional Help? Evaluation of China’s Long-Term Care Insurance: Evidence from a National Survey
Authors: Fu Jiahong
Published: July 2022

Background: China launched national long-term care insurance (LTCI) policy experiment in 2016, responding to the challenges in population aging. This paper aimed to identify the policy impact of China’s pilot LTCI on formal care availability, proxied by people’s belief in profession help with future difficulties in activities of daily living. Methods: This study employed a quasi-experiment design, adopting a non-linear Difference-in-Differences method to estimate the LTCI policy effect. Our data were drawn from four waves of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHALRS). We included parallel trends test and placebo examination as robustness tests. Results: Our findings indicated that the implementation of LTCI significantly increased people’s confidence in receiving future professional help (β=1.195, p<0.05). The treatment effect under different measurement methods ranged between 0.014 and 0.022. In addition, our heterogeneity analysis reflected that the treatment effect varied among different subgroups. Conclusions: Formal long-term care (LTC) should be emphasized more by policymakers and academics. The traditional informal care system, which depends on care services mainly from family members, is no longer sustainable due to changes in the Chinese family structure. Formal LTC should be prioritized with informal care as a supplement, and more resources input in the LTCI system are needed.
Analysis of Relevant Factors Influencing Size of Breast Abscess Cavity during Lactation: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Yajun Gao , Yan Zou , Yi Zhang , si Chen , yan Li , Songtao Ding
Published: July 2022

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors for the severity of breast abscess during lactation .Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Questionnaire survey of breast abscess patients. According to whether the maximum abscess diameter > 5 cm, the patients were divided into 2 groups for univariate and multivariate regression analysis. Results: 1,805 valid questionnaires were included . Univariate and Binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated that low education (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1-2.0, P = 0.005), non-exclusive breastfeeding (OR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.6-0.9, P = 0.004), fever > 37.5℃ (OR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.6-0.9, P = 0.003), flat or inverted nipples (OR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.6-0.9, P = 0.005), antibiotic used (OR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.6-0.9, P = 0.006), and non-medical massage (OR = 0.3, 95% CI: 0.2-0.4, P < 0.001) were the effective independent influencing factors for the maximum breast abscess diameter > 5 cm. Conclusion: Low education , non-exclusive breastfeeding, fever >37.5℃, inverted or flat nipples, antibiotic used, and non-medical massage history have adverse effects on the enlargement of the abscess cavity with lactating breast abscesses patients.
Additional surgery rate after anterior or posterior cervical spinal surgery: Nationwide sample data analysis
Authors: Yuh Woon Tak , Kim Minjung , Choi Yunhee , Han Junghoon , Kim Junhoe , Kim Taeshin , Chung Chun Kee , Lee Chang-Hyun , Park Sung Bae , Kim Kyoung-Tae , Rhee John M. , Park Moon Soo , Kim Chi Heon
Published: July 2022

Surgical outcomes of degenerative cervical spinal disease are dependent on the selection of surgical techniques. Although a standardized decision cannot be made in an actual clinical setting, continued education is provided to standardize the medical practice among surgeons. Therefore, it is necessary to supervise and regularly update overall surgical outcomes. This study aimed to compare the rate of additional surgery between anterior and posterior surgeries for degenerative cervical spinal disease using the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC) nationwide patient database. The NHIS-NSC is a population-based cohort with about a million participants. This retrospective cohort study included 741 adult patients (> 18 years) who underwent their first cervical spinal surgery for degenerative cervical spinal disease. The median follow-up period was 7.3 years. An event was defined as the registration of any type of cervical spinal surgery during the follow-up period. Event-free survival analysis was used for outcome analysis, and the following factors were used as covariates for adjustment: location of disease, sex, age, type of insurance, disability, type of hospital, Charles comorbidity Index, and osteoporosis. Anterior cervical surgery was selected for 75.0% of the patients, and posterior cervical surgery for the remaining 25.0%. Cervical radiculopathy due to foraminal stenosis, hard disc, or soft disc was the primary diagnosis in 78.0% of the patients, and central spinal stenosis was the primary diagnosis in 22.0% of them. Additional surgery was performed for 5.0% of the patients after anterior cervical surgery and 6.5% of the patients after posterior cervical surgery (adjusted subhazard ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.40–1.74). The rates of additional surgery were not different between anterior and posterior cervical surgeries. The results would be helpful in evaluating current practice as a whole and adjusting the health insurance policy.
Perception from Students regarding Online Synchronous Interactive Teaching in the Clinical Year during COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Cheung Billy H.H. , Foo Dominic C.C. , Chu Kent Man , Co Michael , Lee Lok Sze
Published: July 2022

AimThe global pandemic of COVID-19 2020 has led to the extensive practice of online synchronous learning. Our primary goal is to compare different learning activities to evaluate students' perceptions. Moreover, we also aim to identify factors influencing their perception and satisfaction in these activities.MethodWe have divided the online activities into bedside teaching, practical skill sessions, tutorials or problem-based learning, and lectures. A questionnaire was distributed to our clinical year students to document their perceptions.Results Three hundred sixty-eight valid responses were received among these four learning activities combined (96 from bedside teaching, 67 from practical skill sessions, 104 from PBL/tutorial, and 101 from lecture).With the relative positive perception regarding online PBL and tutorials and preference for online lectures, there is a high possibility that these classes will remain online. To further improve their experience, students should turn on their videos during lectures. During online PBL and tutorials, good audio and video quality should always be ensured while being encouraged to remain their mic switched on. Online practical skill classes scored high in the DREEM-extracted questionnaire but were not preferred over face-to-face classes. Implementing online classes in this category should remain cautious with the limitations of tools, practice, and feedback. Good audio and video quality may help improve the experience. Conclusion The advantages of learning online may lead to a persistent practice of online teaching after this pandemic. This study provides insight and specific areas that need to improve.
A robust nasal tip location method based on template matching of three-scale FPFH local features
Authors: Yao Yu , Liang Wenhai
Published: July 2022

Nasal tip is an important feature point of human face, which is widely used in face recognition andface cutting. In this study, a new nasal tip location method is proposed to adapt to different posesfaces. The average effective energy and surface curvature are used to filter the point cloud to obtainthe set of facial convexities. On this basis, the set of facial convex points is divided into subsets ofdifferent facial organs using Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise(DBSCAN)clustering method. The points with the smallest euclidean distance between the geometric center ofthe subset and the original point cloud in the projection of the XOY plane are considered as candidatesfor nasal tip. To extract the local characteristics of nasal tip candidates,three-scale Fast Point FeatureHistogram (FPFH) is used. Finally, The point with the highest correlation obatained by calculatingPearson coefficient between artificially marked nasal tip and each nasal tip candidates is regarded asnasal tip. Experiments on CASIA-3D face databases with different faces and postures show that theaccuracy of nasal tip location reaches 94.8% when the locating error is 30 mm.And in addition toside face, the proposed method is also better than other advanced algorithms using local features.
A new approach to estimating parameters of the probability distribution in fuzzy data – an application to classifying Vietnamese Herb Leaf
Authors: Le Hoa , Bao Pham The , Vu Sang , Nhi Lam Thuy Le
Published: July 2022

The probability distribution of data are parameter-based and typically formatted as script numbers. However, these values areusually estimated experimentally, leading to selecting only one value is error-prone. Moreover, the real data often follows amixed form of probability distributions, in which sub-datasets are often incomplete data. It is possible to use parameters forensuring flexibility, especially in classification problems. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a new method for describingparameters estimated through Bayesian statistics; the new similarity between two probability distributions with the fuzzyparameters, through the fuzzy extended Kullback – Leibler divergence. The paper also applied the proposed methods in leaf classification.
Kinetics study and bio-phase characteristics of drainage in paddy fields purified by a compound ecological ditch
Authors: Zhang Wenyi , Huang Jinjie , Xu Mingchen , Mao Linqiang
Published: July 2022

Paddy field drainage discharged directly into natural waters without the treatment will aggravate water eutrophication. The removal characteristics of the purified paddy field drainage was explored by establishing an experimental device that simulates a compound ecological ditch (CED), which significantly optimized the absorption capacity of nutrients in rice fields. The results show that the changes of pollutants before and after the experiment indicates that the CED has a significant effect on the removal of pollutants in the drainage of the paddy field. The degradation trend of pollutants in 5 rice growth cycles is in agreement with the first-order kinetic degradation model. Bio-phase microscopy and microbial diversity index reveal that the species of bacteria and plankton algae increase in the continuous operation of the CED, accompanied by the emergence of higher micro-animals. It shows that improved ecosystem water quality is more suitable for the survival and reproduction of various microorganisms. The research results provided a new idea for further improving paddy field drainage treatment efficiency.
Engineering of Gold Nanorods as Multifunctional Theranostic Agent for Photothermal-Enhanced Radiotherapy of Cervical Cancer
Authors: Xie Lina , Ying Xia , Li Xinyue , Tan Xinyue , Zhang Tianzi , Zhang Xujia , Cai Wen , An Feifei , Liu Xiaoli , Han Suxia
Published: July 2022

Radiotherapy (RT) is an important method in the treatment of cervical cancer. Devising exceedingly effective, conveniently synthesizable, and lowly poisonous smart multifunctional radiosensitizers is of tremendous significance to improve the cure rate of RT. Gold nanorods (GNRs), which exhibited dramatic X-ray absorption and near-infrared (NIR) photothermal conversion effectiveness, could be utilized as radiosensitizers. In the present study, an all-in-one theranostic nanoagent for photothermal-enhanced radiotherapy of carcinoma was devised based on GNRs with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) attributes (NPAPF-GNRs@PEG). NPAPF-GNRs@PEG-mediated PTT-RT demonstrated excellent radiation sensitization effect by significantly inhibiting invasion and migration, increasing ROS and causing more DNA damage in two different pathological types of cell lines of cervical cancer. Experiments of in vitro and in vivo and metabolomics study demonstrated that PTT-RT based on NPAPF-GNRs@PEG showed enhanced RT effect by increasing apoptosis, compared to RT alone. Meanwhile, the NPAPF-GNRs@PEG nanoagent exhibited excellent tomography imaging (CTI)/photoacoustic imaging (PAI)/fluorescence imaging (FLI)/photothermal imaging (PTI) multi-modal imaging in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, the present study provides an innovative multifunctional platform for optimizing the curative efficacy of precision RT and further enriches the theoretical basis of the mechanistic study of radio-sensitization by GNRs-mediated PTT-RT.
Leveraging mHealth and a Milk Expression Frequency Biomarker During Postpartum to Prolong Lactation Among Parents of Critically Ill Infants: A Pilot Study
Authors: Magalhães Marina , Havelaar Arie , Varma Deepthi , Cacho Nicole , Sullivan Sandra , Parker Leslie
Published: July 2022

Objective: To assess the feasibility and potential benefits of personalized biomarker-based text messages in prolonging lactation among parents of critically ill infants. Study Design: Thirty-six participants were randomized to receive either daily texts with Mother’s Own Milk (MOM) sodium levels or standard care. Surveys at months 1 and 3 assessed whether infants were receiving exclusive MOM feeding, any MOM feeding, and whether the parent was still lactating. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests were used for survival analysis within and between intervention and control groups. Results: Participants were predominantly on Medicaid (72%), delivered infants < 1500g, and by c-section (56%). Survival probabilities at month 3 suggest prolonged MOM feeding (63% [.95CI, .43-.91] vs 41% [.95CI, .21-.67]) and lactation (63% [.95CI, .42-.95] vs 37% [.95CI, .18-.76]) in the enhanced group compared to the control group. Conclusion: Personalized biomarker-based text messages are feasible and may prolong lactation and MOM feeding among parents of critically ill infants.
Experimental Study of Expansive soil mixed with Kota Stone Slurry Powder
Authors: Rana Lakshmikant , Charan H.D.
Published: July 2022

In India, waste material disposal is a problem because lack of land and disposal techniques. Rajasthan is a big supplier of kota stone due to this large amount of kota stone slurry powder is produced. Kota stone slurry powder is a good inert filler material and a good stabilizing material, which improves the pore structure and enhance the resistance of the concrete to various harmful actions and mortars with pozzolanic and non-pozzolanic material. Kota stone slurry powder enhances durability properties. In this study we discuss the effect of adding kota stone slurry powder as a stabilizing agent and filler material into expansive soil. In this investigation kota stone slurry powder is mixed with expensive soil in different proportions and the effect of changes in parameters of expansive soil are recorded. In the present study, we discuss the effect of adding the kota stone slurry powder as a stabilizing agent and filler material into expansive soil. In this investigation kota stone slurry powder is mixed with expansive soil in different proportions and the effect of changes in parameters of expansive soil are recorded in the form of tables and graphs.
Fast Finite-Time Secure Control for Nonlinear Systems under Dynamic Event-triggered Mechanism
Authors: liu yuezhi , Yong Chen
Published: July 2022

This paper addresses the fast finite-time secure control problem for the nonlinear system subjected to deception attacks. To enhance the resilience of the nonlinear system with faster convergence rate, a fast finite-time secure controller (FFSC) with an adaptive compensation law is designed, which deals with the damage effects from the deception attacks. Moreover, for the purpose of alleviating the network burden, a dynamic event-triggered mechanism is established, which is regulated by the internal variable generator contains the error norms with the fractional power. Furthermore, the fast finite-time stability of the closed-loop system and the Zeno behavior elimination of the proposed DETM are rigorously proved, respectively. Consequently, the simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Predicting Body Mass Index in Early Childhood Using Data from the First 1,000 Days
Authors: Cheng Erika R. , Cengiz Ahmet Yahya , Miled Zina Ben
Published: July 2022

Few existing efforts to predict childhood obesity have included risk factors across the prenatal and early infancy periods, despite evidence that the first 1,000 days is critical for obesity prevention. In this study, we employed machine learning techniques to understand the influence of factors in the first 1,000 days on children’s early growth patterns. We used LASSO regression to identify 12 features in addition to sex and history weight, height, and BMI that were relevant to childhood obesity. We then developed prediction models based on support vector regression with 5-fold cross validation, estimating BMI for three time periods: 30-36, 36-42, and 42-48 months. Our models predicted children’s BMI with high accuracy (mean average error [standard deviation] = 0.96[0.02] at 30-36 months, 0.98 [0.03] at 36-42 months, and 1.00 [0.02] at 42-48 months) and can be used to support clinical and public health efforts focused on obesity prevention in early life.
Exploring customers’ perceptions of food adulteration at bazaars and supermarkets in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Authors: Yeasmin Dalia , Baker Musa , Kamal Abu-Hena Mostofa , Islam Md Saiful , Rahman Mahbubur , Winch Peter J. , Unicomb Leanne
Published: July 2022

Background: Food adulteration is an increasingly recognized global public health problem. In low- and middle-income countries like Bangladesh, adulteration is difficult to detect and respond to. We explored customers’ perceptions on food adulteration, perception of risk, and connections between information, participant characteristics, and patterns of adulterated food concerns that impact risk perception in urban Bangladesh.Methods: The study was conducted in Dhaka, between June and August 2015 at a supermarket, and a wet market. We explored differences in awareness and response to chemical contaminants (adulterants) by socio-economic status. The team conducted 38 in-depth interviews with 12 customers, and 4 staff from a supermarket, and 12 customers and 10 vendors from a wet market. Participants were selected purposively. Audio recorded data were coded based on thematic content and analyzed manually.Results: When asked what proportion of foods were likely adulterated, most participants estimated that at least 70% were adulterated with chemicals or artificial colors, especially fish, milk, and vegetables. The supermarket more commonly sold packaged foods with nutritional and expiry information on the label; and offered convenience in terms of size, layout, and cleanliness. All customers from the wet market thought that foods were cheaper and fresher than from supermarkets. Supermarket customers expressed greater concern about adulterated foods than wet market customers. Most participants from both markets reported that food adulteration is invisible, adulterated foods cannot be avoided, and have long-term negative health impacts including cancer, diabetes, paralysis, heart attack, and others. Nearly half of customers from both markets (n=11) were concerned about the poor nutritional value of adulterated food. Participants from both settings expressed the need for access to credible information about adulteration to help choose safe foods. The majority expressed the need for government action against those who are responsible for this. Conclusions: Food adulteration was considered a major health threat. The government could act on food adulteration prevention if provided credible population-based data on disease burden, a model food sampling and testing protocol, a model for inspections, organizational strengthening and training, example social and behavioral change communications with estimated costs.
GNN-DDI: A New Data Integration Framework for Predicting Drug-Drug Interaction Events Based on Graph Neural Networks
Authors: Al_Rabeah Mohammad Hussain , Lakizadeh Amir
Published: July 2022

The prevalence of multi_drug therapies has been increasing in recent years, particularly among the elderly who are suffering from several diseases. However, unexpected Drug_Drug interaction (DDI) can cause adverse reactions or critical toxicity, which puts patients in danger. As the need for multi_drug treatments increases, it's becoming increasingly necessary to discover DDIs. Nevertheless, the DDIs detection in an extensive number of drug pairs, both in-vitro and in-vivo, is costly and laborious, Therefore, DDI identification is one of the most concerns in drug-related researches. In this paper, we propose GNN-DDI, a deep learning-based method for predicting DDI-associated events in two stages. In the first stage, it collects drugs information from different sources then integrates them through the formation of an attributed heterogeneous network. In the second stage, predictions of the DDIs and their events are performed through a deep multi-model framework. Various evaluation results show that the proposed method can outperform state-of-the methods in the prediction of drug-drug interaction-associated events. The experimental results indicate that using different data sources and integrating them through an attributed heterogeneous network for producing the node's representations is efficient and effective.
Error analysis and condition estimation of the pyramidal form of the Lucas-Kanande method in optical flow
Authors: Winkler Joab
Published: July 2022

Note: Please see pdf for full abstract with equations.Optical flow is the apparent motion of the brightness patterns in an image. The pyramidal form of the Lucas-Kanade (LK) method is frequently used for its computation but experiments have shown that the method has deficiencies. Problems arise because of numerical issues in the least squares (LS) problem min ||Ax-b||_2^2 , A\in \mathbb{R}^{m \times 2} and m >> 2, which must be solved many times. Numerical properties of the solution x_0 = A^{\dagger}b = (A^TA)^{-1}A^Tb of the LS problem are considered and it is shown that the property m >> 2 has implications for the error and stability of x_0. In particular, it can be assumed that b has components that lie in the column space (range) \mathcal{R}(A) of A, and the space that is orthogonal to \mathcal{R}(A), from which it follows that the upper bound of the condition number of x_0 is inversely proportional to cos theta, where theta is the angle between b and its component in \mathcal{R}(A). It is shown that this bound, a non-linear condition number and the errors in the solutions of the LS problems increase as the pyramid is descended from the top level (coarsest image) to the base (finest image), such that the optical flow computed at the base of the pyramid may be computationally unreliable.Two examples of the computation of the optical flow demonstrate the theoretical results, and the implications of these results for extended forms of the LK method are discussed.
Long term longitudinal follow up of AD-HIES cohort: impact of early diagnosis and enrolment to IPINet centres on natural history of Job's Syndrome
Authors: Carrabba Maria , Dellepiane Rosa Maria , Cortesi Manuela , Baselli Lucia Augusta , Soresina Annarosa , Cirillo Emilia , Giardino Giuliana , Conti Francesca , Dotta Laura , Finocchi Andrea , Cancrini Caterina , Milito Cinzia , Pacillo Lucia , Cinicola Bianca Laura , Cossu Fausto , Consolini Rita , Montin Davide , Quinti Isabella , Pession Andrea , Fabio Giovanna , Pignata Claudio , Pietrogrande Maria Cristina , Badolato Raffaele
Published: July 2022

BackgroundJob’s Syndrome or Autosomal Dominant Hyper Immunoglobulin E Syndrome (AD-HIES) is a very rare inborn error of immunity disorder with multi-organ involvement and long-life post-infective damages. Longitudinal registries are of main importance to improve knowledge on natural history and management of these rare disorders. This study aims to describe the natural history of 30 Italian patients recorded in the IPINet registry with dominat negative AD-HIES. MethodsThe study shows the incidence of manifestations presented at the time of diagnosis versus the ones arose during follow up at a referral centre for inborn errors of immunity (IEI). ResultsThe mean time of diagnostic delay was 13.7 years, while age at disease onset was <12 months in the 66.7% of patients. Respiratory complications such as bronchiectasis and pneumatoceles were present at diagnosis in the 46.7% and 43.3% respectively. Antimicrobial prophylaxis resulted in decrease of pneumonia incidence from 76.7% to 46.7%. At diagnosis skin involvement was present in 93.3% of patients: eczema 80.8%, abscess 66.7%. At the follow up, under therapy the prevalence of complications decreased: eczema reduced to 63.3% and skin abscess to 56.7%. Antifungal prophylaxis decreased the mucocutaneous candidiasis occurrence from 70% to 56.7%. In the course of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, seven patients developed COVID-19. Survival analyses showed that 27 out of 30 patients are still alive, while three patients died at age of 28, 39 and 46 as consequence of lungs bleeding, lymphoma and sepsis, respectively. ConclusionsAnalysis of a cumulative follow-up of 278.7 patient-years has shown that early diagnosis, adequate management at expertise centres for IEI, prophylactic antibiotic and antifungal therapy improve outcome and can positively influence patients’ life expectancy.
Effects of deep brain stimulation frequency on eye movements and cognitive control
Authors: zacharia André , Kaski Diego , Bouthour Walid , Dayal Viswas , Béreau Matthieu , Mahlknecht Philipp , Georgiev Dejan , Peron Julie , Foltynie Tom , Jahanshahi Marajan , Zrinzo Ludvic , Rothwell John , limousin patricia
Published: July 2022

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an effective treatment option for Parkinson's disease (PD). Recent work has shown that using low- and high-frequency DBS can have a different effect on axial and distal limb functions suggesting that the frequency might affect pathways differently. The STN is also a critical node in the oculomotor and associative networks, which can lead to collateral visual and cognitive side effects. The role of frequency of stimulation on these networks remains unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of low- vs. high-frequency STN-DBS on eye movements and executive control. Twenty-one STN-DBS PD patients with 130Hz vs. 80Hz stimulation were compared with a healthy control group (n=16). All participants were tested twice in a double-blind manner. We examined prosaccades (latency and gain) and antisaccades (latency of the correct antisaccades, latency of the incorrect antisaccades, error rate and gain of the correct antisaccades). Non-oculomotor executive functions were tested with the Stroop task. The motor condition was assessed using Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III. The antisaccadic error rate was higher in patients (p=0.0113), and it was higher in patients on 80Hz compared to 130Hz (p=0.001). The differences between patients and controls and between different frequency of stimulation for all other eye-movements or cognitive measures were statistically non-significant. We show that 80Hz STN-DBS in PD reduces the ability to maintain stable fixation but does not alter inhibition, resulting in a higher antisaccade error rate due to less efficient fixation, without altering the motor state of the patients. This is also clinically important because it means that lowering the stimulation frequency from 130Hz to 80Hz can alter eye movement performance without affecting motor symptoms. This provides a wider range of stimulation parameters that can reduce specific DBS-related side effects without affecting motor outcomes.
Effect of gestational weight gain on postpartum pelvic floor function in twin primiparas: a single-center retrospective study in China
Authors: Zhou Ying , Luo Yetao , Zhou Qirong , Xu Jiangyang , Tian Shengyu , Liao Bizhen
Published: July 2022

Background
The effect of GWG as a controllable factor during pregnancy on pelvic floor function has rarely been investigated, and studies on twin primiparas are even less frequent. The objective of the present study was to explore the correlation between GWG and postpartum pelvic floor function in twin primiparas.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 184 twin primiparas in the pelvic floor rehabilitation system of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2020 to October 2021. Based on the GWG criteria recommended by the Institute of Medicine, the study subjects were divided into two groups: adequate GWG and excessive GWG. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were applied to explore the relationship between GWG and pelvic floor.
Results
Among the 184 twin primiparas, 20 (10.87%) had excessive GWG. The rates of abnormal vaginal dynamic pressure (95% vs 74.39%), severely impaired type I muscle fibers (80% vs 45.73%), anterior vaginal wall prolapse (90% vs 68.90%), and stress urinary incontinence (50% vs 20.12%) of twin primiparas with excessive GWG were significantly higher than those with adequate GWG. There was no significant difference between the total score of the PFDI-20 or the scores of the POPDI-6, CRADI-8, and UDI-6 in the two groups (P > 0.05). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the results showed that excessive GWG was positively associated with abnormal vaginal dynamic pressure (OR = 8.038, 95% CI: 1.001–64.514), severely impaired type I muscle fibers (OR = 8.654, 95% CI: 2.462–30.416), anterior vaginal wall prolapse (OR = 4.705, 95% CI: 1.004–22.054), and stress urinary incontinence (OR = 4.424, 95% CI: 1.578–12.403).
Conclusion
Excessive GWG in twin primiparas was positively correlated with the prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction, which did not exacerbate pelvic floor symptoms in twin primiparas. Reasonable control of GWG is beneficial in reducing the risk of abnormal pelvic floor function. Therefore, individualized management for twin pregnancies, providing healthy lifestyle guidance, and promoting weight management should be an important part of perinatal care.
Nonlinear Fourier Classification of 663 Rogue Waves Measured in the Philippine Sea
Authors: Lee Yu-Chen , Brühl Markus , Doong Dong-Jiing , Wahls Sander
Published: July 2022

Rogue waves are spontaneous extreme waves whose wave heights are at least twice the significant wave height of the surrounding waves. The formation of rogue waves has been attributed to several possible mechanisms such as linear superposition of random waves, dispersive focusing, and modulational instability. Breather solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) are furthermore often considered prototypical rogue waves. The dominant generation mechanisms of rogue waves in the real ocean are currently not well understood because actual field measurements are scarce. In this study, exploiting twelve years of field measurement data from an ocean buoy, we apply the nonlinear Fourier transform (NFT) for the NLSE (NLSE-NFT) to a large dataset of measured rogue waves. While the NLSE-NFT has been used to analyze rogue waves before, this is the first time that it is systematically applied to a large real-world dataset. Since different types of nonlinear waves have distinctive nonlinear spectral portraits, we categorize the measured rogue waves into four types based on the characteristics of the largest nonlinear mode: stable, small breather, large breather and soliton. If NLSE breather solutions really are prototypical rogue waves, one would expect the breather types to be the most common. The classification results for the rogue-wave samples are discussed and, furthermore, compared with those for a similar amount of non-rogue wave samples. Finally, the question whether the largest nonlinear mode can be attributed to a rogue wave is investigated for a part of the data set.
Factors associated with the recovery rate of children with moderate wasting in the Far North Region of Cameroon
Authors: Teta Ismael , Foudjo Brice Ulrich Saha , Nielsen Jennifer , Oben Julius , Nguefack-Tsague Georges , Ntentie François Raissa , Cakir Volkan , Klemm Rolf , Kang Yunhee
Published: July 2022

Background
Research on moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) is limited, despite its high prevalence. This study examined the impact of bi-weekly locally available foods provided via a Food Voucher Program (FVP) on nutritional recovery (mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) ≥ 125 mm) from MAM (defined as MUAC between 115 and 124 mm) and identify the factors associated with recovery rate in the Far North Region of Cameroon.
Methods
This was a prospective study with 474 MAM children aged 6–59 months. Food voucher distribution and MUAC screening were conducted at 6 bi-weekly visits or until the child was recovered. Time-to-recovery was evaluated with multivariate Cox proportional regression hazard models with associations quantified using adjusted hazard ratio (aHR). The trend for MUAC, including its determinants, was examined with multivariate linear mixed effect models.
Results
The recovery rate was 78.3% by 6 weeks after the first food basket; 3.4% remained MAM, and 5.9% were transferred for treatment for SAM. Boys were 34% more likely to recover from MAM than girls (aHR = 1.34, 95%CI (1.09, 1.67)). Children aged 24–53 months were 30% more likely to recover than those aged 6–11 months (aHR = 1.30, 95%CI (0.99, 1.70)). A one unit increase in weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ) was associated with 1.89 fold greater likelihood of recovery (aHR = 1.89, 95%CI (1.66, 2.14)). Male children had on average 1.82 mm greater increase in MUAC than female children (p < 0.001). One unit increase in WHZ was associated with 3.42 mm increase in MUAC (p = 0.025). Children aged 12–23 and 24–53 months had 1.03 mm and 2.44 mm, respectively, greater increase in MUAC over the program than children aged 6–11 months (all p < 0.01).
Conclusion
Child’s WHZ, gender and age determined MUAC increase and recovery from MAM in the FVP. These findings indicate the approach shows promise as an effective alternative treatment for MAM with consideration of associated factors.
Applying mathematical modeling to estimate the impact of COVID- 19-related VMMC service disruptions on new HIV infections in Zimbabwe
Authors: Chagoma Newton , Kanyenda Tiwonge , Pindiwe Bothwell , Nyika Howard , Nyazema Lawrence , Stover John , Resar Danielle , Shoko Natsai , Jenkins Sarah , Katanda Yemurai , Xaba Sinokuthemba , Mugurungi Owen
Published: July 2022

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed health systems with knock on effects on diagnosis, treatment and care. To mitigate the impact, the government of Zimbabwe enforced a strict lockdown beginning 30 March 2020 which ran intermittently until early 2021. In this period, the Ministry of Health and Childcare strategically prioritized delivery of services, leading to partial and full suspension of services considered non-essential, including HIV prevention. As a result, Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) services were disrupted leading to an 80% decline in circumcisions conducted in 2020. Given the efficacy of VMMC, we quantified the potential effects of VMMC service disruption on new HIV infections in Zimbabwe.Methods: We applied the GOALS model to evaluate the impact of COVID-19-related disruptions on reducing new HIV infections over 30-years. GOALS is an HIV simulation model that estimates number of new HIV infections based on sexual behaviors of population groups. The model was parameterized based on national surveys and HIV program data. We hypothesized three coverage scenarios by 2030: scenario I - pre-COVID trajectory: 80% VMMC coverage; Scenario II - marginal COVID-19 impact: 60% VMMC coverage, and scenario III - severe COVID-19 impact: 45% VMMC coverage. VMMC coverage between 2020-2030 was linearly interpolated to attain the estimated coverage and then held constant from 2030 – 2050, with discounting of outcomes at 3%.Results: Compared to the baseline scenario I, in scenario II, we estimated that the disruption of VMMC services would generate an average of 200 (176-224) additional new infections per year and 7,200 new HIV infections over the next 30 years. For scenario III, we estimated an average of 413 (389-437) additional new HIV infections per year and 15,000 new HIV infections over the next 30 years. The disruption of VMMC services could generate additional future HIV treatment costs ranging from $27 million to $55 million dollars across scenarios II and III, respectively.Conclusions: COVID-19 disruptions destabilized delivery of VMMC services, which could contribute to an additional 7,200 new infections over the next 30 years. Unless mitigated, these disruptions could derail the national goals of reducing new infections by 2030.
Three-dimensional operando optical imaging of single particle and electrolyte heterogeneities inside Li-ion batteries
Authors: Pandya Raj , Valzania Lorenzo , Dorchies Florian , Xia Fei , Hugh Jeffrey Mc , Mathieson Angus , Tan Jien , Parton Thomas , De Volder Michael , Tarascon Jean-Marie , Gigan Sylvain , de Aguiar Hilton Barbosa , Grimaud Alexis
Published: July 2022

Understanding (de)lithiation heterogeneities in battery materials is key to ensuring optimal electrochemical performance and developing better energy storage devices. However, this remains challenging due to the complex three dimensional morphology of microscopic electrode particles, the involvement of both solid and liquid phase reactants, and range of relevant timescales (seconds to hours). Here, we overcome this problem and demonstrate the use of bench-top laser scanning confocal microscopy for simultaneous three-dimensional operando measurement of lithium ion dynamics in single particles, and the electrolyte, in batteries. We examine two technologically important cathode materials that are known to suffer from intercalation heterogeneities: LixCoO2 and LixNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2. The single-particle surface-to-core transport velocity of Li-phase fronts, and volume changes – as well as their inter-particle heterogeneity – are captured as a function of C-rate, and benchmarked to previous ensemble measurements. Additionally, we visualise heterogeneities in the bulk and at the surface of particles during cycling, and image the formation of spatially non-uniform concentration gradients within the liquid electrolyte. Importantly, the conditions under which optical imaging can be performed inside absorbing and multiply scattering materials such as battery intercalation compounds are outlined.