bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Underground communication – the new elements of signalling pathways of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis
Authors: Jas Katarzyna , Małolepsza Urszula
Published: August 2020

Mycorrhiza is a symbiotic relationship between living cells of the roots of higher plants and non-pathogenic fungi which inhabit soil and belong to Glomeromycota (endomycorrhizae) and Basidiomycota, Ascomycota (ectomycorrhizae). Although the phenomenon of mycorrhiza was discovered by a Polish botanist F.D. Kamieński already in 1881, various stages of establishing the symbiotic relationship between the partners are still not fully understood and explained. According to the current knowledge, the roots of host plants release strigolactones, which stimulate germination and branching of spores of arbuscular fungi. As a result, the fungi synthesize molecular signals, i.e. chitooligosaccharides (COs) and lipochitooligosaccharides (LCOS), called MycF factors. Thanks to the development of molecular biology techniques the probable cascade of events during the recognition of fungal MycF factor by the host-plant has been outlined. The enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase 1 (HMGR1) and also its product, mevalonic acid (MVA), play an essential role in the biosynthesis of sterols and isoprenoids in a plant cell. The recent studies indicate that these compounds may also play a very important role during establishing of the symbiotic mycorrhizal relationship. It is believed that MVA detects and transmits MycF factor to a cell nucleus of a host-plant triggering numerous necessary mechanisms in the plant cell to activate next steps of the mycorrhizal symbiosis. The discovery of HMGR1 and MVA sheds new light on symbiotic nature of mycorrhiza. This paper is a review of the current knowledge on the signal exchange during symbiotic interactions between mycorrhizal fungi and host plants.

1. Introduction. 2. Symbiotic nature of arbuscular fungi. 3. Arbuscular mycorrhiza in early stages. 4. Exchange of signaling molecules during arbuscular mycorrhiza formation. 5. Mevalonic acid – secondary signaling molecule messengers in the arbuscular mycorrhiza. 6. Protein kinase CCaMK as a key element in the establishment of arbuscular mycorrhiza. 7. Summary
Nitroaromatic compounds – characteristics and methods of biodegradation
Authors: Wysocka Alicja , Olszyna Agata , Komorowska Iga , Popowska Magdalena
Published: August 2020

Nitroaromatic compounds are present in the environment mainly as industry products. They pose a serious risk to our health (often exhibiting strong mutagenic and carcinogenic effect) as well as to the environment. Most of the nitroaromatic compounds are stable due to considerable resistance to degradation and they persist in the environment for a long time. In this review, we present the current state of knowledge concerning biodegradation of nitroaromatic compounds. In the first part, general information regarding their proprieties, synthesis and sources as well as pathways of microbial aerobic or anaerobic degradation are described. In some cases microorganisms have evolved several pathways of degradation specific nitrocompound, for instance nitrobenzene, which we describe in detail. The second part of the publication focuses on environmental bioremediation of nitrocompounds.

1. Introduction. 2.2. Characteristics of aromatic nitrocompounds. 2.1. Chemical properties and synthesis nitroarenes. 2.2. Synthetic aromatic nitrocompounds. 3. The aromatic nitrocompounds in the environment. 4. Risks related to aromatic nitrocompounds. 5. Biodegradation of aromatic nitrocompounds. 5.1. Microbial degradation of aromatic compounds. 5.1.1. Aerobic degradation. 5.1.2. Reductive degradation nitroarenes. 5.1.2.1. Anaerobic digestion. 5.1.3 Degradation of nitrobenzene – an example of alternative distribution pathway. 6. Bioremediation. 6.1. Bioremediation of aromatic nitro compounds – examples of implementation. 6.1.1. Bioremediation engineering in situ. 6.1.2. Bioremediation engineering ex situ. 6.2. Limitations of the bioremediation process and strategies to overcome them. 7. Summary
Microbiological contaminations of underground gas storage facilities and natural gas pipelines
Authors: Staniszewska Agnieszka , Kunicka-Styczyńska Alina , Ziemiński Krzysztof
Published: August 2020

The growing demand for natural gas is primarily due to an increase in the share of gas in electricity production. Replacing coal with natural gas results in a significant decrease in emissions of greenhouse gases and dusts. The presence of microorganisms may be the cause of underground gas storage (UGS) facilities and pipelines deterioration. Microorganisms and their metabolic products contribute to the formation of sudden and unexpected failure causing loss of energy security by: decline in the quality of stored gas or disruption of its transmission. The paper presents a variety of microbiomes of the underground storage facilities and pipelines, showing that not only the sulfate-reducing bacteria are able to grow and develop in these extreme environments. Microorganisms producing CH4 may change the composition of the gas, and the produced H2S and CO2 are not only gas pollutants, but also generate corrosion of transmission networks. At the same time, the presence of bacteria and archaea in pipelines hinders the correct operation of the network, through the accumulation of biofilm and reduction in the pipe diameter.

1. Introduction. 2. Microorganisms in underground gas storage facilities. 3. Microorganisms in natural gas pipelines. 4. Summary
Taxonomy, virulence and life cycles of Bacillus cereus sensu lato
Authors: Bartoszewicz Marek , Czyżewska Urszula
Published: August 2020

Bacillus cereus sensu lato is a group of several species of Gram-positive sporeformers ubiquitous in nature and showing huge impact on human activities. They are often found in soil, air, plant material, animal tissues and digestive tracts as well as in food products. Their genetic similarities and frequent horizontal gene transfer causes doubts regarding their taxonomy. In addition, their toxicity and psychrotolerance constitute serious problems in the dairy industry, being responsible for food-poisonings and spoilage of cold-stored products. Finally, recent finding indicate that B. cereus sensu lato toxicity plays an important role not only in their virulence, but also in social interactions with other bacteria.

1. Introduction. 2. The most important aspects of B. cereus sensu lato biology. 2.1. First challenge – coherent taxonomy. 2.2. Second challenge – life cycles and interactions with the environment. 2.3. Third challenge – adaptation to low temperatures. 2.4. Fourth challenge – toxins of B. cereus sensu lato. 3. Summary
The Hfq protein – a novel view on the well-known riboregulator
Authors: Cech Grzegorz M. , Szalewska-Pałasz Agnieszka
Published: August 2020

The Hfq protein is one of the most important regulatory factors acting at the RNA level. This protein was first discovered as a host factor necessary for Qβ bacteriophage development. Following the discovery, the Hfq role in bacteriophage development was not investigated in depth. In subsequent years, however, many studies revealed various riboregulatory functions of this protein, mainly focused on facilitating sRNA and mRNA pairing, regulating both the degradation and stability of many transcripts. The Hfq protein has the ability to bind to nucleic acids – it binds more efficiently to RNA, but can also attach to DNA. It has been also proved that Hfq is involved in the nucleoid organization. These observations open room for discussion on the potential role of Hfq in the regulation of DNA replication. Since Hfq protein affects many cellular processes, the deletion of the gene encoding this protein has a pleiotropic effect on the cell.

1. Introduction. 2. The history of the Hfq protein discovery and its evolutionary context. 3. Structure of the Hfq protein and its molecular function. 4. Characteristics of cells devoid of the Hfq protein. 5. Hfq interactions with the DNA. 6. Summary
Listeriosis. Modern perception of epidemiological threat
Authors: Lewańska Monika , Godela Agnieszka , Myga-Nowak Magdalena
Published: August 2020

The presence of Listeria rods, especially Listeria monocytogenes, in the environment and food products, contributes each year to death of both humans and animals. The ability of bacteria to lead a saprophytic and parasitic existence as well as insensitivity to many physicochemical factors greatly facilitates the spread and guarantees access to a wide range of vulnerable organisms. Although the factors predisposing to infection result in a relatively low incidence of disease, infections are characterized by high mortality and often the need of hospitalization. The disease most often manifests itself in the form of bacteremia, meningitis and encephalitis as well as perinatal infections. The way Listeria spreads in the body contributes to the identification of new types of the disease. Recent studies on the acquisition of pathogenicity traits, dose and development of antibiotic resistance as well as numerous reports on incidence of these bacteria and the epidemics they caused, have led to more efficient monitoring of the pathogen . The qualification of the disease has also changed and, currently, listeriosis is considered a contemporary threat to life and health.

1. Introduction. 2. Genus Listeria. Characteristics and traits responsible for pathogenicity. 3. Listeriosis. Transmission pathways. 4. The beginning and course of the infection. 5. Clinical forms of listeriosis. 5.1. Bacteremia. 5.2. Central nervous system infections. 5.3. Perinatal infections. 5.4. Gastroenteritis. 5.5. Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP). 5.6. Endocarditis. 5.7. Inflammation and liver abscess. 5.8. Skin and eye infections. 5.9. Musculoskeletal infection. 6. Monitoring. 7. Normalization. 8. Summary
Farmed and companion animals as reservoirs of zoonotic rotavirus strains
Authors: Kozyra Iwona , Rzeżutka Artur
Published: August 2020

Rotavirus (RV) infections are a major epidemiological problem in humans and farm animals. So far, a number of human and animal RV strains have been identified. Based on the antigenic properties of the VP6 capsid protein, they have been classified into eight serogroups (A-H). The most important of them are viruses from group A (RVA), which are responsible for more than 90% of cases of rotaviral diarrhoea. The segmented structure of the virus genome and the presence of animals in human neighbourhood favour genetic reassortment between RV strains originating from different hosts. This could result in an emergence of zoonotic virus strains. The increasing number of human infections caused by virus strains having genotypes which have only been identified in animals indicates the need for epidemiological surveillance of infections. Additionally, the identification of epidemic virus strains in the outbreaks of disease in humans should be conducted. The identification of RVA strains circulating in humans and animals will allow the assessment of the impact of vaccination on the selection and emergence of zoonotic RVA strains.

1. Introduction. 2. General characteristics and classification of rotaviruses. 3. Group A rotavirus infection in humans. 4. Group A rotavirus infection in animals. 5. Genetic changes and reassortment as factors leading to the formation of zoonotic rotavirus strains. 6. Impact of human immunization on changes in genotype profile of circulating rotavirus strains. 7. Conclusions
Implementation of whole genome sequencing for bacteria genotyping
Authors: Artyszuk Daria , Wołkowicz Tomasz
Published: August 2020

The molecular typing methods are used to identify specific genetic targets and relationships between microbial isolates. In order to understand clonal relatedness between the microbial strains, classic phenotypic methods are used in line with modern molecular biology techniques. The development of genetics, especially new techniques like molecular typing, have revolutionized microbial research. After 1970, the development techniques, especially those referring to DNA sequencing, established molecular microbiology, thus providing modern tools for the identification of sources and routes of infection. Whole genome sequencing and other high-throughput typing methods are becoming increasingly popular and, thanks to their high resolution, they are ideal tools for comparative analysis of bacteria. This study reviews the methods most commonly used in the molecular typing of bacteria, including those which are in the development stage and may be the main tool in microbial typing in the future.

1. Introduction. 1.1. Typing methods. 2. Phenotypic typing methods. 3. Genetic typing methods. 3.1. REA-PFGE. 3.2. MLVA. 3.3. MLST. 4. 1st generation sequencing technology. 4.1. Sanger sequencing. 4.2. Maxam-Gilbert sequencing. 5. Whole genome sequencing. 5.1. 2nd generation sequencing. 5.2. 3rd generation sequencing. 6. Molecular typing using whole genome sequencing. 6.1. K-mer. 6.2. SNP. 6.3. wgMLST. 7. Analysis difficulties. 7.1. Data processing. 7.2. Data storage and sharing. 7.3. Nomenclature. 8. Potential directions of development. 9. Summary
NON-ANTIBIOTIC USE OF ANTIBIOTICS
Authors: Danielewski Maciej , Ksiądzyna Dorota , Szeląg Adam
Published: August 2020

Antibiotics are widely used medicines in the treatment of infectious diseases. However, some of them show also non-antibiotic properties, which are increasingly used in the treatment of non-infectious diseases. The authors of this publication believe that this is one of the reasons behind antibiotic dissemination in the environment and, ipso facto, behind the increasing risk of bacterial resistance. It is worth remembering that, along with the progress in science and better knowledge of the new properties of antibiotics, every extension of indications for antimicrobial agents may restrict their primary indications. Progress in science does not always mean progress in therapy. In fact, it may sometimes have an opposite effect and we should be able to assess the benefit/risk ratio. The aim of this study was to present other than antibacterial properties of antibiotics which currently are or may be used in the future in the treatment of non-infectious diseases, as well as to assess the long-term effects of extending the indications for medicines commonly used in the treatment of infectious diseases. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, such attempt has not been made so far, therefore authors decided to review the most important, useful or promising reports on non-antibiotic use of antibiotics. The article summarizes the latest data on prokinetic action of erythromycin, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory action of azithromycine, potential use of doxycycline as an anticancer and anti-inflammatory agent, and also anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antioxidant and antiapoptotic properties of minocycline. Futhermore, the basics of demeclocycline application in the treatment of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone hypesecretion syndrome and rifaximin use as an anti-inflammatory and eubiotic agent are presented. Neuroprotective action of ceftriaxone and anti-inflammatory and immunostimulatory action of fusafungine were also described.

1. Introduction – antibiotics as potentially effective agents in the therapy of non-infectious diseases. 2. Erythromycine – prokinetic action. 3. Azithromycine – anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory action. 4. Doxycycline – anticancer and anti-inflammatory action. 5. Minocycline – anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antioxidant and antiapoptotic action. 6. Demeclocycline – inhibition of the antiantidiuretic hormone action. 7. Rifaximin – anti-inflammatory action / eubiotic. 8. Ceftriaxone – neuroprotective action. 9. Fusafungine – anti-inflammatory and immunostimulatory action. 10. Summary
Psychometric validity of the Compassionate Engagement and Action Scale for Adolescents: a Swedish version
Authors: Henje Eva , Rindestig Frida Carlberg , Gilbert Paul , Dennhag Inga
Published: August 2020

Background:

There is increasing evidence that compassion is linked to mental health and well-being while difficulties in receiving and expressing compassion to self and others is associated with mental health and social difficulties. For the most part the self-report scales that measure these processes have been developed for adults and little is known how they function in adolescents. This study investigates a Swedish adaption for adolescents of the Compassionate Engagement and Action Scales (CEAS), developed by Gilbert et al. (2017) for adults. This assesses different competencies associated with being compassionate to others, the experience receiving compassion from others, and being compassionate with one-self.

Objective:

To evaluate the psychometric properties and gender differences of CEAS for Youths - Swedish version (CEASY-SE), in a school-sample of adolescents (n = 316) aged 15-20 years.

Method:

The Compassionate Engagement and Action Scales were translated into Swedish. A back-translation method was used. It was then adapted for adolescents with age-appropriate language. Adolescents were recruited by research assistants at two public high schools.

Results:

After removing one item of each subscale, the dimensionalities of the three scales were good. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that engagement and action constituted different dimensions in each scale. Internal consistency was good to excellent in all three sub-scales (α from 0.74 to 0.92). Intra Class Correlations demonstrated good to excellent test-retest reliability over a period of three weeks (0.67 to 0.85). Convergent and divergent validity were as expected, except for Compassion for others, which did not correlate with anxiety and depression symptoms as expected. Girls showed less self-compassion compared to boys and more compassion for others.

Conclusions:

Present study suggests that CEASY-SE has good to excellent psychometric properties and further study is needed for more definite establishment of the psychometric properties. Girls and boys have different patterns of compassion.
Help-seeking behavior in Norwegian adolescents: the role of bullying and cyberbullying victimization in a cross-sectional study
Authors: Kaiser Sabine , Kyrrestad Henriette , Fossum Sturla
Published: August 2020

Background:

Help-seeking is considered a constructive coping style. However, the threshold at which many adolescents seek help is relatively high, and the outcomes are not necessarily always positive.

Objective:

The main aim of this study was to examine if bullying and cyberbullying victimization predicted help-seeking behavior among Norwegian adolescents.

Method:

Help-seeking behavior was predicted using three different Generalized Linear Mixed Models. In addition to demographic characteristics and mental health, these models controlled for bullying and cyberbullying, respectively.

Results:

2054 adolescents answered questions on help-seeking behavior and if they had felt the need to seek outside help with their problems, feelings, behavior, or emotional troubles within the past 6 months. Two hundred (9.7%) reported seeking outside help. Being exposed to bullying increased the likelihood of help-seeking behavior, while being exposed to cyberbullying did not. Only when forms of bullying or cyberbullying, respectively, were added to the models, did the threat of having rumors spread, both in real life and online, increase the likelihood for seeking help.

Conclusions:

Many factors affect whether adolescents seek help for a problem. The fact that adolescents exposed to bullying seek help more often than those not exposed may be considered a success, as this behavior is encouraged by many adults, mental health professionals, and anti-bullying interventions. However, adolescents exposed to cyberbullying did not seem to seek help. Future studies should identify factors that lead to more and successful help-seeking among bullied and cyberbullied adolescents.
Listado de plantas ornamentales urbanas de Tunja (Boyacá, Colombia)
Authors: Álvaro Alba Wilson Ricardo , Díaz Pita Mónica Patricia
Published: August 2020

Se presenta el inventario florístico de las plantas ornamentales de la ciudad de Tunja. Se encontraron 430 especies, distribuidas en 314 géneros y 101 familias, de las cuales 307 especies son Eudicotiledóneas, 96 Monocotiledóneas, 11 Pteridofitos, 10 Gimnospermas y 6 Magnólidas. A nivel florístico, las familias Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Orchidaceae, Solanaceae y Asparagaceae presentaron el mayor número de géneros y especies. El hábito de crecimiento más importante en términos de riqueza de especies fue el de las hierbas, seguido por los hábitos leñosos (árboles y arbustos). En ambientes de exterior se encontraron más especies de tipo arbóreo y arbustivo, mientras que en ambientes de interior predominaron las suculentas. Se registran doce especies con algún grado de amenaza de acuerdo con la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (IUCN, en inglés).
Evaluación de la influencia de la agitación para la producción de biomasa microalgal en un fotobiorreactor panel plano a escala laboratorio
Authors: Doncel Núñez Jennifer L. , Moreno Saboyá Heidy L.
Published: August 2020

Se evaluó la influencia de la agitación sobre la producción de biomasa en un fotobiorreactor (FBR) panel plano mediante la modificación de los aspersores en el difusor. La evaluación se realizó mediante la elaboración de 3 difusores con diámetros de aspersor diferentes (1, 2 y 4 mm). A través de un análisis de varianza ANOVA y una prueba t, se seleccionaron los diámetros de 1 y 2 mm para ingresar dióxido de carbono (CO2), obteniendo una tasa de crecimiento de 0,37 días -1 y 0,35 días -1, respectivamente. El análisis indicó que a menor diámetro de aspersor en el difusor mayor tasa de crecimiento. Mediante el planteamiento de las ecuaciones de transferencia de masa se verificó que la disminución del tamaño de la burbuja promueve la transferencia entre las fases gas-líquido.
O sjorem magaaije! Fiktyf Joadsk etnolekt yn ‘e Fryske literatuer
Authors: Slofstra B.
Published: August 2020

In the past, Westerlauwers Friesland was already inhabited by a multilingual population, including speakers of local Frisian and non-Frisian vernaculars, the Dutch standard language and etnolects of foreign origin like those of German harvesters and Jewish merchants.In the past, Westerlauwers Friesland was already inhabited by a multilingual population, including speakers of local Frisian and non-Frisian vernaculars, the Dutch standard language and etnolects of foreign origin like those of German harvesters and Jewish merchants. Frisian literature reflects this multilingual situation to some extent. The details of it have yet to be studied in a systematic way, however. This case-study exemplifies how Jews were characterized in Frisian literature, especially drama. It turns out that the stereotypical Jewish character is presented as speaking a variety of artificial and real languages.  This study sheds some light on the question of how literature relates to reality, prejudice and language. It is argued that Frisian literature and multilingualism interconnect, the former existing in a multilingual reality, the latter being creatively manipulated by literary fiction.
Pengaruh Pemberian Jus Buah Naga Merah Setelah Latihan Fisik Intensitas Berat Terhadap Jumlah Leukosit
Authors: Harahap Novita Sari , Marpaung Deni Rahman , Tarigan Alginda Pranata
Published: August 2020

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh pemberian jus buah naga merah setelah melakukan latihan intensitas fisik intensitas berat terhadap jumlah leukosit. Metode penelitian ini adalah pre-experimental dengan desain pretest and posttest group design. Populasi penelitian adalah mahasiswa Ilmu Keolahragaan angkatan 2018, Universitas Negeri Medan dengan purposive sampling  diperoleh sampel 10 orang. Sampel dibagi atas 2 kelompok yaitu kelompok P1; kelompok yang diberi latihan fisik intensitas berat tanpa diberi jus buah naga merah dan kelompok P2; kelompok yang diberi latihan fisik intensitas berat dan diberi jus buah naga merah. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada Januari 2020 sampai dengan Februari 2020.  Analisis data yang digunakan adalah Paired T-Test dan Independent T-Test. Hasil penelitian pada kelompok P1 dan kelompok P2 sama-sama terjadi peningkatan jumlah leukosit setelah latihan fisik intensitas berat dengan p value = 0,009 dan p value =0,021. Analisa selanjutnya bahwa terdapat penurunan jumlah leukosit pada kelompok  yang diberi jus buah naga merah setelah latihan fisik berat (P2) dibandingkan kelompok yang tidak mendapat jus buah naga merah (P1) dengan p value =0,025. Kesimpulan penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa pemberian jus buah naga merah dapat mengurangi peningkatan jumlah leukosit setelah melakukan latihan fisik intensitas berat.
Analisis tingkat motivasi belajar dan berlatih pada atlet-pelajar PPLOP Jawa Tengah tahun 2020
Authors: Syaukani Agam Akhmad , Subekti Nur , Fatoni Muhad
Published: August 2020

Pemerintah daerah melalui dinas pemuda dan olahraga memiliki program pemusatan latihan bagi atlet pelajar setingkat SMA yang bertajuk Pusat Pendidikan dan Latihan Olahraga Pelajar (PPLOP). Efektivitas program PPLOP sangat bergantung dari prestasi atlet di lapangan dan di bangku sekolah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui tingkat motivasi atlet-pelajar PPLOPD Jawa Tengah dalam berlatih  dan belajar di sekolah. Penelitian ini melibatkan 36 atlet dari cabang olahraga beregu. Metode survey deskriptif kuantitatif presentase digunakan untuk menjabarkan tingkat motivasi latihan (ML) dan motivasi belajar (MB). Uji beda juga dilakukan untuk mengetahui perbedaan tingkat ML dan MB antara pemain inti dan pemain cadangan pada sampel yang dilibatkan. Hasilnya sebanyak 47% atlet memiliki tingkat MB yang tinggi, 39% dalam tingkat sedang, dan 14% tergolong memiliki tingkat MB rendah. Tingkat ML dalam kategori tinggi 11,5%, kategori sedang 77%, dan kategori rendah 11,5%. Dalam uji beda yang dilakukan diketahui tidak ada perbedaan yang signifikan antara tingkat ML dan MB (p>0,05) pada pemain inti dan pemain cadangan. Analysis of Level of Learning and Training Motivation among Student-athletes in Central Java PPLOP 2020 AbstractThe government through Deputy of Youth and Sport has a training center program for highschool student namely Student’s Center for Education and Training (PPLOP).The program effectivity depends on the student’s performance on (in training) and off the court (in education). This study aims to collect information on student motivation toward training and learning. There are 36 participants in this study. All came from team sports athletes.Descriptive quantitative percentage was used as research method which using motivation questionnaire to collect data from the participants for both training motivation (ML) and learning motivation (MB).T-test was also conducted to study the variant difference on motivation between starter and subtitutes player. The results came as follow, on MB there are  47% of the participants were categorized as highly motivated, 39% moderately motivated and only 14% categorized having low motivation. Meanwhile for ML, there are 11.5% of the participants are highly motivated, 77% are moderately motivated, and 11,5% showing low level of motivation. T-test conducted among starter and subtitutes player revealed that the difference on the level of ML and MB were not statistically significant (p>0.05) among those subjects.
Effectiveness of Mobile Health Interventions Promoting Physical Activity and Lifestyle Interventions to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk Among Individuals With Metabolic Syndrome: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Preprint)
Authors: Sequi-Dominguez Irene , Alvarez-Bueno Celia , Martinez-Vizcaino Vicente , Fernandez-Rodriguez Rubén , del Saz Lara Alicia , Cavero-Redondo Iván
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

Physical activity and lifestyle interventions, such as a healthy diet, have been proven to be effective approaches to manage metabolic syndrome. However, these interventions require great commitment from patients and clinicians owing to their economic costs, time consumption, and lack of immediate results.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to analyze the effect of mobile-based health interventions for reducing cardiometabolic risk through the promotion of physical activity and healthy lifestyle behaviors.

METHODS

PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and SPORTdiscus databases were searched for experimental studies evaluating cardiometabolic risk indicators among individuals with metabolic syndrome who were included in technology-assisted physical activity and lifestyle interventions. Effect sizes, pooled mean changes, and their respective 95% CIs were calculated using the DerSimonian and Laird method. Outcomes included the following clinical and biochemical parameters: body composition (waist circumference [WC] and BMI), blood pressure (systolic blood pressure [SBP] and diastolic blood pressure [DBP]), glucose tolerance (fasting plasma glucose [FPG] and glycated hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c]), and lipid profile (total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], and triglycerides).

RESULTS

A total of nine studies were included in the meta-analysis. Owing to the scarcity of studies, only pooled mean pre-post changes in the intervention groups were estimated. Significant mean changes were observed for BMI (−1.70 kg/m2, 95% CI −3.20 to −0.20; effect size: −0.46; P=.03), WC (−5.77 cm, 95% CI −9.76 to −1.77; effect size: −0.54; P=.005), SBP (−7.33 mmHg, 95% CI −13.25 to −1.42; effect size: −0.43; P=.02), DBP (−3.90 mmHg, 95% CI −7.70 to −0.11; effect size: −0.44; P=.04), FPG (−3.65 mg/dL, 95% CI −4.79 to −2.51; effect size: −0.39; P<.001), and HDL-C (4.19 mg/dL, 95% CI 2.43-5.95; effect size: 0.23; P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, mobile-based health interventions aimed at promoting physical activity and healthy lifestyle changes had a strong positive effect on cardiometabolic risk indicators among individuals with metabolic syndrome. Nevertheless, further research is required to compare this approach with usual care in order to support the incorporation of these technologies in health systems.

CLINICALTRIAL

PROSPERO CRD42019125461; https://tinyurl.com/y3t4wog4.
Assessing Public Opinion on CRISPR-Cas9: Combining Crowdsourcing and Deep Learning (Preprint)
Authors: Müller Martin , Schneider Manuel , Salathé Marcel , Vayena Effy
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

The discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9–based gene editing method has opened unprecedented new potential for biological and medical engineering, sparking a growing public debate on both the potential and dangers of CRISPR applications. Given the speed of technology development and the almost instantaneous global spread of news, it is important to follow evolving debates without much delay and in sufficient detail, as certain events may have a major long-term impact on public opinion and later influence policy decisions.

OBJECTIVE

Social media networks such as Twitter have shown to be major drivers of news dissemination and public discourse. They provide a vast amount of semistructured data in almost real-time and give direct access to the content of the conversations. We can now mine and analyze such data quickly because of recent developments in machine learning and natural language processing.

METHODS

Here, we used Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), an attention-based transformer model, in combination with statistical methods to analyze the entirety of all tweets ever published on CRISPR since the publication of the first gene editing application in 2013.

RESULTS

We show that the mean sentiment of tweets was initially very positive, but began to decrease over time, and that this decline was driven by rare peaks of strong negative sentiments. Due to the high temporal resolution of the data, we were able to associate these peaks with specific events and to observe how trending topics changed over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, this type of analysis can provide valuable and complementary insights into ongoing public debates, extending the traditional empirical bioethics toolset.
Using Dual Neural Network Architecture to Detect the Risk of Dementia With Community Health Data: Algorithm Development and Validation Study (Preprint)
Authors: Shen Xiao , Wang Guanjin , Kwan Rick Yiu-Cho , Choi Kup-Sze
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

Recent studies have revealed lifestyle behavioral risk factors that can be modified to reduce the risk of dementia. As modification of lifestyle takes time, early identification of people with high dementia risk is important for timely intervention and support. As cognitive impairment is a diagnostic criterion of dementia, cognitive assessment tools are used in primary care to screen for clinically unevaluated cases. Among them, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a very common instrument. However, MMSE is a questionnaire that is administered when symptoms of memory decline have occurred. Early administration at the asymptomatic stage and repeated measurements would lead to a practice effect that degrades the effectiveness of MMSE when it is used at later stages.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to exploit machine learning techniques to assist health care professionals in detecting high-risk individuals by predicting the results of MMSE using elderly health data collected from community-based primary care services.

METHODS

A health data set of 2299 samples was adopted in the study. The input data were divided into two groups of different characteristics (ie, client profile data and health assessment data). The predictive output was the result of two-class classification of the normal and high-risk cases that were defined based on MMSE. A dual neural network (DNN) model was proposed to obtain the latent representations of the two groups of input data separately, which were then concatenated for the two-class classification. Mean and k-nearest neighbor were used separately to tackle missing data, whereas a cost-sensitive learning (CSL) algorithm was proposed to deal with class imbalance. The performance of the DNN was evaluated by comparing it with that of conventional machine learning methods.

RESULTS

A total of 16 predictive models were built using the elderly health data set. Among them, the proposed DNN with CSL outperformed in the detection of high-risk cases. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, average precision, sensitivity, and specificity reached 0.84, 0.88, 0.73, and 0.80, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed method has the potential to serve as a tool to screen for elderly people with cognitive impairment and predict high-risk cases of dementia at the asymptomatic stage, providing health care professionals with early signals that can prompt suggestions for a follow-up or a detailed diagnosis.
Perspectives of Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women on Participating in Longitudinal Mother-Baby Studies Involving Electronic Health Records: Qualitative Study (Preprint)
Authors: Hentschel Austen , Hsiao Chu J , Chen Lynn Y , Wright Lauren , Shaw Jennifer , Du Xinsong , Flood-Grady Elizabeth , Harle Christopher A , Reeder Callie F , Francois Magda , Louis-Jacques Adetola , Shenkman Elizabeth , Krieger Janice L , Lemas Dominick J
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

Electronic health records (EHRs) hold great potential for longitudinal mother-baby studies, ranging from assessing study feasibility to facilitating patient recruitment to streamlining study visits and data collection. Existing studies on the perspectives of pregnant and breastfeeding women on EHR use have been limited to the use of EHRs to engage in health care rather than to participate in research.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to explore the perspectives of pregnant and breastfeeding women on releasing their own and their infants’ EHR data for longitudinal research to identify factors affecting their willingness to participate in research.

METHODS

We conducted semistructured interviews with pregnant or breastfeeding women from Alachua County, Florida. Participants were asked about their familiarity with EHRs and EHR patient portals, their comfort with releasing maternal and infant EHR data to researchers, the length of time of the data release, and whether individual research test results should be included in the EHR. The interviews were transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were organized and coded using the NVivo 12 software (QSR International), and coded data were thematically analyzed using constant comparison.

RESULTS

Participants included 29 pregnant or breastfeeding women aged between 22 and 39 years. More than half of the sample had at least an associate degree or higher. Nearly all participants (27/29, 93%) were familiar with EHRs and had experience accessing an EHR patient portal. Less than half of the participants (12/29, 41%) were willing to make EHR data available to researchers for the duration of a study or longer. Participants’ concerns about sharing EHRs for research purposes emerged in 3 thematic domains: privacy and confidentiality, transparency by the research team, and surrogate decision-making on behalf of infants. The potential release of sensitive or stigmatizing information, such as mental or sexual health history, was considered in the decisions to release EHRs. Some participants viewed the simultaneous use of their EHRs for both health care and research as potentially beneficial, whereas others expressed concerns about mixing their health care with research.

CONCLUSIONS

This exploratory study indicates that pregnant and breastfeeding women may be willing to release EHR data to researchers if researchers adequately address their concerns regarding the study design, communication, and data management. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should be included in EHR-based research as long as researchers are prepared to address their concerns.

CLINICALTRIAL
Health Natural Language Processing: Methodology Development and Applications (Preprint)
Authors: Hao Tianyong , Huang Zhengxing , Liang Likeng , Weng Heng , Tang Buzhou
Published: August 2020

UNSTRUCTURED

With the rapid growth of information technology, the necessity for processing substantial amounts of health data using advanced information technologies is increasing. A large amount of valuable data exists in natural text such as diagnosis text, discharge summaries, online health discussions, and eligibility criteria of clinical trials. Health natural language processing, as an interdisciplinary field of natural language processing and health care, plays a substantial role in a wide scope of both methodology development and applications. This editorial shares the most recent methodology innovations of health natural language processing and applications in the medical domain published in this JMIR Medical Informatics special theme issue entitled "Health Natural Language Processing: Methodology Development and Applications".
Religiosity, Social Support and Meaning in Life as Predictors of Resilience among Victims of Natural Disaster in Pakistan (Preprint)
Authors: Saud Muhammad , Bhatti Mazhar Iqbal , Ahmad Akhlaq , Mahmood Qaisar Khalid
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

In natural disasters, religious beliefs help people deal with the devastating events that happen to them.

OBJECTIVE

To understand the extent to which religiosity, social support and meaning in life played the role to develop resilience among the victims of natural disaster in Pakistan.

METHODS

We surveyed 400 residents affected by the 2010 Pakistan floods. The multidimensional scale of perceived social support, meaning in life questionnaire, religiosity scale and ego resiliency scale were used in this regard.

RESULTS

Multiple linear regression analysis was carried out to avail the results.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings indicated that religiosity was a significant predictor along with social support and meaning in life in explaining resilience among the victims of a natural disaster.
The Establishment and Practice of Pharmacy Care Service Based on Internet Social Media: Telemedicine in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preprint)
Authors: Li Huibo , Li Da , Jiang Dechun , Zheng Siqian , Liu Fang , Wei Guo , Zhao Zhenying , Zhou Yanfei , Liu Jingting , Zhao Rongsheng
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

For patients with chronic diseases requiring long-term use of medications who are quarantined at home, the management of medication therapy during the COVID-19 epidemic is a problem that pharmacists urgently need to discuss and solve.

OBJECTIVE

To establish an online pharmacy consulting service model and to launch the application of tele-pharmacy services during the COVID-19 epidemic.

METHODS

To establish a remote pharmaceutical service model based on a medication consultation service platform under the official account of the "Beijing Pharmacists Association" on the social software WeChat app, obtain the medication consultation records from February 28 to March 27, 2020, and perform a statistical analysis of the information about the patients seeking consultation, consultation process, content and follow-up results.

RESULTS

The medication consultation service system and tele-pharmacy service model based on social software were established in February 2020. The "Cloud Pharmacy Care" platform had 915 views and 43 followers and completed 13 counselling cases in the first month. Counselling was available for patients of all ages; of the 13 cases, 61.54% of patients were young and middle-aged. During the COVID-19 epidemic, the long-term medication usage problems of patients with chronic disease were effectively addressed using "Cloud Pharmacy Care". In the consultation, 11 cases (84.6%) were related to the use of medicines or health products, and 2 cases (15.4%) involved disease state management and the use of supplements. The top five drug-related issues included the dosage of drugs, medication therapy management of chronic diseases, the selection of medications, adverse drug reactions and medications for special populations. All consultations were completed within 4 hours, with a positive review rate of 91.7%.

CONCLUSIONS

During the COVID-19 epidemic, a remote pharmacy service "Cloud Pharmacy Care" based on the social software WeChat app was quickly constructed and applied to solve the medication-related problems of patients and the public during home quarantining. This timely and interactive consultation mode helps to carry out medication therapy management for chronically ill patients and improves patients' medication compliance, improves medical quality and plays a positive role in promoting the popularization of safe medication knowledge.
The Efficacy of WeChat-Based Parenting Training on the Psychological Well-being of Mothers With Children With Autism During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Quasi-Experimental Study (Preprint)
Authors: Liu Guihua , Wang Shuo , Liao Jinhua , Ou Ping , Huang Longsheng , Xie Namei , He Yingshuang , Lin Jinling , He Hong-Gu , Hu Rongfang
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

During the COVID-19 pandemic, special education schools for children in most areas of China were closed between the end of January and the beginning of June in 2020. The sudden interruption in schooling and the pandemic itself caused parents to be anxious and even to panic. Mobile-based parenting skills education has been demonstrated to be an effective method for improving the psychological well-being of mothers with children with autism. However, whether it can improve the psychological states of mothers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is a subject that should be urgently investigated.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of WeChat-based parenting training on anxiety, depression, parenting stress, and hope in mothers with children with autism, as well as the feasibility of the program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

This was a quasi-experimental trial. A total of 125 mothers with preschool children with autism were recruited in January 2020. The participants were assigned to the control group (n=60), in which they received routine care, or the intervention group (n=65), in which they received the 12-week WeChat-based parenting training plus routine care, according to their preferences. Anxiety, depression, parenting stress, hope, satisfaction, and adherence to the intervention were measured at three timepoints: baseline (T0), postintervention (T1), and a 20-week follow-up (T2).

RESULTS

In total, 109 mothers completed the T1 assessment and 104 mothers completed the T2 assessment. The results of the linear mixed model analysis showed statistically significant group × time interaction effects for the intervention on anxiety (F=14.219, P<.001), depression (F=26.563, P<.001), parenting stress (F=68.572, P<.001), and hope (F=197.608, P<.001). Of all mothers in the intervention group, 90.4% (48.8/54) reported that they were extremely satisfied with the WeChat-based parenting training. In total, 40.0% (26/65) logged their progress in home training each week and 61.5% (40/65) logged their progress more than 80% of the time for all 20 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS

The WeChat-based parenting training is acceptable and appears to be an effective approach for reducing anxiety, depression, and parenting stress, as well as increasing hope in mothers with children with autism during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies with rigorous designs and longer follow-up periods are needed to further detect the effectiveness of the WeChat-based parenting training.

CLINICALTRIAL

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000031772; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=52165
Novel Analgesic Index for Postoperative Pain Assessment Based on a Photoplethysmographic Spectrogram and Convolutional Neural Network: Observational Study (Preprint)
Authors: Choi Byung-Moon , Yim Ji Yeon , Shin Hangsik , Noh Gyujeong
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

Although commercially available analgesic indices based on biosignal processing have been used to quantify nociception during general anesthesia, their performance is low in conscious patients. Therefore, there is a need to develop a new analgesic index with improved performance to quantify postoperative pain in conscious patients.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to develop a new analgesic index using photoplethysmogram (PPG) spectrograms and a convolutional neural network (CNN) to objectively assess pain in conscious patients.

METHODS

PPGs were obtained from a group of surgical patients for 6 minutes both in the absence (preoperatively) and in the presence (postoperatively) of pain. Then, the PPG data of the latter 5 minutes were used for analysis. Based on the PPGs and a CNN, we developed a spectrogram–CNN index for pain assessment. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver-operating characteristic curve was measured to evaluate the performance of the 2 indices.

RESULTS

PPGs from 100 patients were used to develop the spectrogram–CNN index. When there was pain, the mean (95% CI) spectrogram–CNN index value increased significantly—baseline: 28.5 (24.2-30.7) versus recovery area: 65.7 (60.5-68.3); P<.01. The AUC and balanced accuracy were 0.76 and 71.4%, respectively. The spectrogram–CNN index cutoff value for detecting pain was 48, with a sensitivity of 68.3% and specificity of 73.8%.

CONCLUSIONS

Although there were limitations to the study design, we confirmed that the spectrogram–CNN index can efficiently detect postoperative pain in conscious patients. Further studies are required to assess the spectrogram–CNN index’s feasibility and prevent overfitting to various populations, including patients under general anesthesia.

CLINICALTRIAL

Clinical Research Information Service KCT0002080; https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/search_result_st01.jsp?seq=6638