bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changes in China's dryland areas and NPP from 1980 to 2020
Authors: zhang shihang , Chen Yusen , lu yongxing , Guo Hao , Guo Xing , Liu Chaohong , Zhang Yuanming , Zhou Xiaobing
Published: May 2022

The drylands of China account for approximately 10.8% of the global drylands that are intensely affected by human activities and climate change. Dynamic changes in drylands and their subtypes (hyper-arid, arid, semi-arid, and dry subhumid), in addition to the spatiotemporal characteristics in net primary productivity (NPP) of vegetation, are crucial for the evaluation of ecosystem functions and management strategies in China. This paper defined drylands and determined the area based on the aridity index (AI). It was found that the drylands of China have expanded from 5.8 million km2 to 6.6 million km2 from 1980 to 2020, with an average rate of 0.019 × 106 km2 (10 year)−1. These changes were mostly driven by the mean annual temperature (MAT) and solar radiation (Srad). Among the different subtypes, the arid and semi-arid areas expanded the fastest, at the rate of 0.032 × 106 km2 (10 year)−1, with MAT being the main driving factor. However, hyper-arid areas gradually shrank at an average rate of 0.050 × 106 km2 (10 year)−1, with mean annual precipitation (MAP) as the main driving factor. The NPP of the total vegetation and the subtypes demonstrated an increasing trend in the last 20 years. The NPP of the entire drylands increased at the rate of 10.78 g C·m− 2·yr− 1, which was mainly dominated by the rapid growth of NPP (5.15 g C·m− 2·yr− 1) in the dry subhumid areas. The NPP of four vegetation types (desert, grassland, forest, and cropland) demonstrated an increasing trend (19.14 Tg C·yr− 1), where forest and cropland showed an obvious increase, in contrast to the slight increase in grassland and desert. The study showed that the dryland areas in China may further expand in the future with increased global warming considering MAT was found to significantly contribute to the changes in the dryland areas. The contribution of forest and cropland to the total NPP of the vegetation would continue to increase with the development of eco-environmental protection projects (afforestation, construction of desert highway protection forest, etc.), western development, and construction in China.
Targeting Essential Hypothetical Proteins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 for Mining of Novel Therapeutics: An in silico Approach
Authors: Rahman Atikur , Sarker Md. Takim , Islam Md Ashiqul , Hossain Mohammad Uzzal , Hasan Mahmudul , Susmi Tasmina Ferdous
Published: May 2022

Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, an omnipresent opportunistic bacterium responsible for acute and chronic infection in immunocompromised individuals, is currently on WHO's lists where new antibiotics are urgently required for those. Finding essential genes and essential hypothetical proteins(EHP) can be crucial in identifying novel druggable targets and therapeutics. This study aims to characterize these EHPs, analyze subcellular and physiochemical properties, PPIs network, non-homologous analysis against humans, virulence factor and novel drug target prediction, and finally structural analysis of the identified target employing around 42 robust bioinformatics tools/databases, the output of which was evaluated using ROC analysis. The study discieverd 18 EHPs from 336 essential genes, with domain and functional annotation revealing that 50% of these proteins belong to the enzyme category. The majority are cytoplasmic and cytoplasmic membrane proteins, with half of them being stable proteins which were subjected to PPIs network analysis. The network contains 261 nodes and 269 edges for 9 proteins of interest, with 11 hubs containing at least three nodes each. Finally, pipeline builder predicts 7 proteins with novel drug targets, 5 non-homologous proteins against human proteome, human anti-targets, human gut flora, and 3 virulent proteins. Among these, homology modeling of NP_249450 and NP_251676 were done and the Ramachandran plot analysis revealed that more than 94% of the residues were in the preferred region. By analyzing functional attributes and virulence characteristics, the findings of this study may facilitate the development of innovative antibacterial drug targets and drugs of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1.
On the randomness and correlation in the trajectories of alpha particle emitted from 241Am: Statistical inference based on information entropy
Authors: Ghazaly M. El , Elmaghraby Elsayed K. , Al-Sayed A. , Mohamed Amal , Dawood Mahmoud S.
Published: May 2022

Most particle detectors are based on the hypothesis that particles are emitted randomly upon nuclear decay. In the present work, we tested the hypothesis of the existence of correlation in the random trajectories of alpha particles emitted from 241Am source and the null hypothesis of random trajectories. The trajectories were clued through the registration of track in a solid-state nuclear track detector. The experimental parameters were optimized to identify the possible sources of correlation in the track registration and the detector conditions upon exposure and etching to avoid misleading results. The optimization included authentication of linearity in registration efficiency with exposure time to prevent coalescence of registered tracks. The statistical inference processes were based upon adaptive quadrates analysis of the spatial data, and entropy and divergence analysis of the quadrate data together with the null hypothesis of Poisson distribution of random trajectories. The clustering and dispersion analysis were performed with central deviation tendency, empirical K-function, radial distribution analysis, and proximity Analysis. Results showed a pattern of gained information within the registered tracks that may be attributed to being a consequence of the structure of the source.arXiv link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.11124
BmK rAGAP inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by downregulating SCN5A expression and subsequent AKT and MAPK activation.
Authors: ge weiping , OU Xueji , GENG Mei , ZHANG Tingting , DING Xuanwen , LI Xing , XU Zili , ZHANG Jinghai , Yanfeng LIU
Published: May 2022

BACKGROUNDBmK rAGAP is voltage-gated sodium ion channel-like scorpion venom peptides, which have anti-tumor activity. Voltage-gated sodium ion channels subunit SCN5A was highly expressed in MDA-MB-231 and it was associated with breast cancer malignancy. METHODS AND RESULTSIn order to explore the effect of BmK rAGAP on MDA-MB-231 and its possible mechanism, the data were downloaded based on TCGA to analyze gene expression of breast cancer patients. Furthermore, MTT, wound healing assay, transwell assay, western blot, immunocytochemistry, fluorescence dual-wavelength colorimetry also were used. We found that BmK rAGAP could inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of MDA-MB-231. BmK rAGAP could reduce expression of SCN5A, and inhibit intracellular [Na+]i and affect the expression of E-cadherin, Vimentin, P53, p-ERK, p-p38 MAPK, p-AKT and MMP-2 in MDA-MB-231.CONCLUSIONSIn conclusion, BmK rAGAP can inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of MDA-MB-231, which may occur by inhibiting the expression of SCN5A and then affecting AKT, p38 MAPK and EMT. It shows that BmK rAGAP was a potential new drug that could be used in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
Design of high precision multichannel biological 3D printer
Authors: Li Jintao , Zhang Bin , Luo Yichen , Yang Huayong
Published: May 2022

3D printing technology is expected to solve the problem of organ shortage. However, due to accuracy limitations, current biological 3D printing technology is difficult to achieve accurate control of the spatial position and distribution of single cell or single component droplet. In order to accurately construct transplantable organ tissues and organs to achieve directional deposition of different cells and biological materials in the spatial position during the construction of large tissues and organs, a high precision multichannel biological 3D printer with submicron level motion accuracy is designed as well as the concurrent and synergistic printing methods are proposed in this paper. On the basis of studying the high-precision motion characteristics of the gantry structure and the requirements of concurrent and synergistic printing, a set of 6 channels biological 3D printing system is designed that makes the six in one printing came true. Based on Visual C++ environment, the control system software that integrates PMAC motion control subsystem, pneumatic control subsystem and temperature control subsystem is developed and designed. Finally, based on measurement and experiments, it was verified that the biological 3D printer and its control system can meet the requirements of multichannel printing, concurrent printing and synergistic printing with submicron level motion accuracy, and significantly shorten the printing time as well as improve the printing efficiency. Therefore, this study will provide equipment basis for printing complex structures or heterogeneous tissues or organs containing multiple cells, make the construction of complex multicellular tissues or organs possible, and greatly improve the flexibility and functionality of bioprinting.
The Effect of Well-Known Burn-related Features on Machine Learning Algorithms in Burn Patients' Mortality Prediction
Authors: Yazici Hilmi , Ugurlu Onur , Aygul Yesim , Yildirim Mehmet , Ucar Ahmet Deniz
Published: May 2022

IntroductionBurns are one of the most common traumas worldwide. Severely injured burn patients have an increased risk for mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to evaluate well-known risk factors for burn mortality and comparison of six Machine Learning (ML) Algorithms' predictive performances.MethodsThe medical records of patients had burn injuries treated at burn treatment center were examined retrospectively. Patients’ demographics such as age and gender, Total Burned Surface Area, Inhalation Injury, Full-Thickness Burns, Burn-Types were recorded and used as input features in ML models. Patients were analyzed under two groups: Survivors and Non-Survivors. Six ML algorithms including k-Nearest Neighbor, Decision Tree, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, Multi-Layer Perceptron, and AdaBoost, were used for predicting mortality. Several different input feature combinations were evaluated for each algorithm.ResultsThe number of eligible patients was 363. All six parameters that were included in ML algorithms showed a significant difference (p<0.001). The results show that AdaBoost algorithm using all input features had the best prediction performance with an Accuracy of 90% and an AUC of 92%.ConclusionML algorithms showed strong predictive performance in burn mortality. The development of an ML algorithm with right input features could be useful in the clinical practice. Further investigations are needed on this topic.
New PCR primers targeting on a cytochrome b gene reveal diversity of Leucocytozoon lineages in an individual host
Authors: Honjo Yui , Fukumoto Shinya , Sakamoto Hirokazu , Hikosaka Kenji
Published: May 2022

Avian haemosporidian parasites have received considerable attention in ecological and evolutionary as a result of its wide distribution and ease of detection. However, conventional PCR-based detection methods may sometimes underestimate haemosporidian-mixed infections, which are frequent in natural populations. This underestimation is due to differences in PCR sensitivity for detection of lineages within the mixed infections. Therefore, we designed new primers to amplify sequences that were not detected by the conventional primers and examined if our primers were useful for accurate detection of mixed infections. Blood samples were collected from 32 wild birds captured in Hokkaido, and 16 of these were positive for Leucocytozoon using the conventional primers, while 15 were positive using our primers. All positively amplified samples were sequenced, and found that the conventional primers detected 16% (5/32) multiple infections and none of them was novel lineage, whereas our primers detected 44% (14/32) multiple infections and ten of them were novel lineages. A phylogenetic analysis showed that the new primers can detect a wide range of Leucocytozoon lineages compared with that detected by the conventional primers. The results indicate that our primers are particularly suitable in revealing unique strains from multiple infections. Highly variable multiple infections in the same population of birds at the same location were found for the first time. We revealed high diversity of Leucocytozoon lineages in nature than expected, which would provide more information to better understand parasite diversity and host-vector interactions in wildlife.
Variability in Low-flow Oxygen Delivery by Nasal Cannula Evaluated in Neonatal and Infant Airway Replicas
Authors: Sabz M , Tavernini S , Pillay K , Christianson C , Noga M , Finlay W. H , Rouhani H , Martin A.R
Published: May 2022

Background: The nasal cannula is considered a trusted and effective means of administering low-flow oxygen and is widely used for neonates and infants requiring oxygen therapy, despite an understanding that oxygen concentrations delivered to patients are variable. Methods: In the present study, realistic nasal airway replicas derived from medical scans of children less than 3 months old were used to measure the fraction of oxygen inhaled (FiO2) through nasal cannulas during low-flow oxygen delivery. Parameters influencing variability in FiO2 were evaluated, as was the hypothesis that measured FiO2 values could be predicted using a simple, flow-weighted calculation that assumes ideal mixing of oxygen with entrained room air. Tidal breathing through neonatal and infant nasal airway replicas was controlled using a lung simulator. Parameters for nasal cannula oxygen flow rate, nasal airway geometry, tidal volume, respiratory rate, inhalation/exhalation, or I:E ratio (ti/te), breath waveform, and cannula prong insertion position were varied to determine their effect on measured FiO2. In total, FiO2 was measured for 384 different parameter combinations, with each combination repeated in triplicate. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the influence of parameters on measured FiO2. Results: Measured FiO2 was not appreciably affected by the breath waveform shape, the replica geometry, or the cannula position but was significantly influenced by the tidal volume, the inhalation time, and the nasal cannula flow rate. Conclusions: The flow-weighted calculation overpredicted FiO2 for measured values above 60%, but an empirical correction to the calculation provided good agreement with measured FiO2 across the full range of experimental data.
Sensory Neuron Dysfunction in Orthotopic Mouse Models of Colon Cancer
Authors: Balogh Mihály , Zhang Jixiang , Gaffney Caitlyn M. , Kalakuntla Neha , Nguyen Nicholas T. , Trinh Ronnie T. , Aguilar Clarissa , Pham Hoang Vu , Milutinovic Bojana , Nichols James M. , Mahalingam Rajasekaran , Shepherd Andrew J.
Published: May 2022

Reports of neurological sequelae related to colon cancer are largely restricted to rare instances of paraneoplastic syndromes, due to autoimmune reactions. Systemic inflammation associated with tumor development influences sensory neuron function in other disease models, though the extent to which this occurs in colorectal cancer is unknown. We induced orthotopic colorectal cancer via orthotopic injection of two colorectal cancer cell lines (MC38 and CT26) in two different mouse strains (C57BL/6 and Balb/c, respectively). Behavioral tests of pain sensitivity and activity did not detect significant alterations in sensory sensitivity or diminished well-being throughout tumor development. However, immunohistochemistry revealed widespread reductions in intra-epidermal nerve fiber density in the skin of tumor-bearing mice. Though loss of nerve fiber density was not associated with increased expression of cell injury markers in dorsal root ganglia, lumbar dorsal root ganglia neurons of tumor-bearing animals showed deficits in mitochondrial function. These neurons also had reduced cytosolic calcium levels in live-cell imaging and reduced spontaneous activity in multi-electrode array analysis. Bulk RNA sequencing of DRGs from tumor-bearing mice detected activation of gene expression pathways associated with elevated cytokine and chemokine signaling, including CXCL10. This is consistent with the detection of CXCL10 (and numerous other cytokines, chemokines and growth factors) in MC38 and CT26 cell-conditioned media, and the serum of tumor-bearing mice. Our study demonstrates in a pre-clinical setting that colon cancer is associated with latent sensory neuron dysfunction and implicates cytokine/chemokine signaling in this process. These findings may have implications for determining risk factors and treatment responsiveness related to neuropathy in colorectal cancer.
Effect of Relative Humidity, Storage Days and Packaging on Pecan Kernel Texture: Analyses and Modeling
Authors: Prabhakar Himanshu , Kerr William , Bock Clive , Kong Fanbin
Published: May 2022

The studies expounding effects of storage conditions on texture changes is limited. The researchers have been proposing methods to measure pecan texture instrumentally. But current protocols and/or attribute fail to address huge variability during experimentation. Additionally, there are no predictive model to estimate changes in pecan texture during storage. This study addresses all the above concerns and investigate effects of different relative humidity (RH, 30 to 90%) and packaging material (PE, PP, LDPE and metallic laminates or ML) on pecan texture, introducing a rift ratio (F/H or fracturability to hardness ratio) to address variability in the data and predictive model to estimate changes in textural attribute of pecans during storage. The textural analysis was conducted on pecans cores and intact pecans to measure area under curve, fracturability, hardness, cohesiveness, chewiness, springiness, and rift ratio. It was observed that values for rift ratio obtained using intact pecan method had high R2 (0.72) as compared to rest of textural attribute. A 3-parameter logistic model was employed to predict pecan texture during strage.. The pecans stored at 75%, 80% and 90% lost half of initial fracturability at approx. 115, 3, and 0.15 days (~ 4 hours), respectively. The pecans stored in LDPE, PP and PE packs at 80% lost half of initial fracturability at approx. 26, 57, and 78 days, respectively. The presence of any kind of package delayed the fracturability loss by at least 8 folds at 80% RH. The pecans stored in ML did not experience significant change in textural attributes.
A novel m7G methylation-related miRNA signature for overall survival prediction in thyroid cancer
Authors: Qian Xiaoyu , Tang Jian , Chu Yongquan , Chen Ziqiang , Chen Liang , Shen Chao , Li Lin
Published: May 2022

Background
Thyroid cancer (THCA) is an extremely heterogeneous malignancy with different prognoses.A variety of miRNAs affect the process of tumor through different mechanisms.However, the m7G methylation-related miRNA expression in THCA and their associations with prognostic results remain elusive.
Methods
Based on the miRNA expression data from TCGA, differentially expressed miRNAs were screened out.Then, a 7-miRNA prognostic signature was established through LASSO Cox regression.Eventually, our team performed functional enrichment and immune activity analysis.
Results
A total of 47 differently expressed miRNAs were screened out, 7 of which exhibited a significant correlation with overall survival (OS) (P < 0.05).A 7-miRNA signature was developed, exhibiting an excellent forecast power. Patients were classfied into high- and low-risk groups on the basis of the mid-value of the risk score regarding our signature.The cases in High risk patients displayed a remarkably higher mortality than low risk patients (P < 0.001). The risk scoring was an independent prediction factor for OS based on multivariable Cox regressive analyses (P < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic(ROC) analyses validated the prediction ability of the signature.Immune activity analyses revealed that the immune status of the two risk groups was different.The differentially expressed genes in the risk score and immune score showed a strong association with immune cells and immune pathways.
Conclusion
A novel miRNA prediction model was established for THCA and these miRNAs could be potential therapeutic targets.
Clinical features and forecast indexes of the disease severity of SARS-CoV-2: a retrospective cohort study comparing the wild-type strain and the Delta VOC
Authors: zhang hongjun , Chen Yue-e , Shang Fen-qing , Chen Yan-wei , Wang Rui-xuan , Zheng Wen-hao , Ma Tian-tian , Zhang Xiu-cheng , Li Wen-jie , Gu Xing
Published: May 2022

Background: A novel variant of SARS-CoV-2, the Delta variant of concern (VOC), on disease severity is very unclear. In this retrospective study, we compared the clinical characteristics and the outcomes of patients infected with the Delta VOC and with wild-type strains during the local outbreak in Xi'an and Wuhan, China.Methods: The clinical information pertaining to the 2927 cases (between February 10 and March 8, 2020) infected with wild-type strains and the 993 cases (between December 22, 2021and February 17, 2022) infected with the Delta VOC were extracted. The clinical characteristics and outcomes were compared the cohort of wild-type infection with the cohort of Delta VOC.Results: Among patients younger than 18 years old, the proportion of patients infected with the Delta VOC was significantly higher than that of patients infected with wild-type strains (12.2% vs. 0.3%). In cases with mild and moderate illness, the proportion of patients was higher in the Delta VOC group than that in the wild-type strain (40.9% and 56.6% vs. 0.70% and 3.10%). However, in severe and critical patients, the proportion of patients was significantly less in the Delta VOC group than that in the wild-type strain (1.6% and 0.9% vs. 24.2% and 72.0%). In cases with severe or critical illness, and in the Delta VOC cohort or the wild-type cohort, the prognosis of patients with lymphocytes blood levels that gradually rising is good after treatment, while the prognosis of patients with lymphocytes blood levels that remain low is poor and even death(p＜0.001). The Cox regression analysis revealed that the infection with the lineage of the wide-type strain had a higher risk than the Delta VOC in deteriorating to critical illness (hazards ratio 2.54[95%CI 1.279-5.026]; p = 0.008). Conclusions: Infection with the Delta VOC is characterized by younger patients, milder illness, and decreased risk of disease prognosis compared with the SARS-CoV-2 wild-type lineage; lymphopenia is an effective predictor of deterioration in patients with Delta VOC and wild-type strains, calling for clinicians to understand of characteristics of them, and to guide clinical decision-making.
Whether Behçet’s patients with large vessel involvement have concurrent small vessel involvement? A Case Control Study
Authors: VOSSOUGHIAN SARA , FAEZI SEYEDEH TAHEREH , SHAHRAM FARHAD , KAVOSI HODA , QORBANI MOSTAFA , NEJADHOSSEINIAN MOHAMMAD , HAERIAN HODA , AHMADZADEH YASAMAN , MOZAFFARI MOHAMMAD ALI , DAVATCHI FEREYDOUN
Published: May 2022

BACKGROUND: Behçet’s disease (BD) is a chronic multisystem disorder. The principal pathological finding in BD is vasculitis, which may involve vessels of different sizes. Concurrence of small and large vessel involvement in BD patients is undetermined. The aim of this study is to evaluate small vessel involvement in BD patients with large vessel involvement.METHODS: 35 BD patients with large vessel involvement (cases) and 35 BD patients without large vessel involvement (controls) were included. For evaluation of small vessel involvement, capillaroscopy was done for all patients. Capillaroscopic findings were compared between two groups. RESULTS: According to the capillaroscopic findings, all of our BD patients had small vessel involvementThe most abnormality was tortuosity (87.1%), followed by avascular areas (51.4%) and decreased density of capillaries (44.2%). Capillaroscopy findings were not statistically different between the case and the control groups. In the case group, the number of avascular areas was associated with superficial phlebitis (p=0.044) and deep vein thrombosis (p= 0.022). In addition, there was a significant association between micro bleeding and the history of erythema nodosum (p=0.015), tortuosity and the history of skin aphthosis (p= 0.015), architectural derangement and the history of uveitis (p=0.029), the number of avascular areas and active oral aphthosis (p= 0.021), and architectural derangement and increased ESR (p=0.011). CONCLUSION: There was no difference in nailfold capillary involvement between BD patients with and without large vessel involvement. However, Among BD patients with large vessel involvement, the number of avascular areas was significantly associated with superficial phlebitis and deep vein thrombosis.
A Nomogram for Predicting Screw Loosening after Single-Level Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion utilizing Cortical Bone Trajectory Screw: A Minimum 2-year Follow-up Study
Authors: Zhang Yiqi , Li Yue , Hai Yong , Guan Li , Zhang Xinuo , Pan Aixing , Lu Hongyi , Wu Bingchao , Liu Yuzeng
Published: May 2022

Purpose: To investigate the risk factors for screw loosening after single-level posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) utilizing cortical bone trajectory (CBT) screw and establish a nomogram for predicting screw looseningMethods: A total of 79 patients (316 screws) underwent single-level PLIF with CBT screw were included in the study. Preoperative, postoperative and final follow-up demographic data, surgical data and radiographic parameters were documented and analyzed to identify risk factors and a predictive nomogram was established for screw loosening. The nomogram was assessed through concordance index (C-index), calibration plot, decision curve analysis (DCA) and internal validation.Results: The incidence of screw loosening was 26.6% in 79 patients, and 11.4% in 316 screws. Multifactorial regression analysis confirmed that fixed to S1 (FS1, OR=3.82, 95%CI 1.12-12.71, P=0.029), coronal angle of the screw (CA, OR=1.07, 95%CI 1.01-1.14, P=0.039) and cortical bone contacted layers (CBCL, OR=0.17, 95%CI 0.10-0.29, P<0.001) were risk factors and incorporated in the nomogram for predicting screw loosening after single-level PLIF with CBT screw. The C-index of the nomogram was 0.877 (95%CI 0.818-0.936) which demonstrated good predictive accuracy. The Calibration plot indicated an acceptable calibration of the nomogram that also had a positive benefit guiding treatment decision. Conclusion: FS1, CA and CBCL are identified to be significant risk factors for screw loosening after single-level PLIF with CBT technique. The nomogram we have established can be used to predict screw loosening and contribute to surgical decision.
Hydrological modelling of climate change impacts in Awash River basin: A case of Borkena River Catchment, Ethiopia
Authors: Kifle Teshome , Ayalew Mamaru , Sahlu Dejena , Sintayehu Gashaw , Belayneh Alemshet
Published: May 2022

Regional and local hydrological regimes are expressively exposed to global climate change, which is considered to be one of the major problems threating water resources and flood security. This research has been done aimed at the examination of the effect of climate change on the hydrology of Borkena watershed, Awash River Basin during 2030s (2021-2040), 2050s (2040-2060), and 2070s (2061-2080) future periods. To realize this, the distributed hydrological SWAT Model driven by three different Global Circulation Models (MIROC5, MPI, and IPSL) under two Representative Concentration Pathway emission scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) was used. As result, the GCM projection indicated that, the mean annual maximum and minimum temperature projected to increases by 0.56°c and 0.31°c respectively while the mean annual rainfall has no a significant change in the coming decades. The study also resulted in a considerable average monthly and seasonal, rainfall change in magnitude and direction. Relative to the baseline period the changes in mean annual stream flow from (2021-2080) are mostly negative and indicate a reduction in volume of discharge available in the Borkena river. In addition, trends in the extreme flow are also determined for high and low flows and the results show a forceful negative trend for extreme stream flows and flood volumes may decrease by 43.1% in RCP4.5 under MPI (2021–2040), 38.6% (2041–2060) and 49.4% (2061–2080) in RCP8.5 under IPSL and MIROC5 respectively. These findings will serve as a nearly warning for the alarming extreme weather events for the future period in Borkena watershed as well as Awash River basin which require sustainable and effective adaptive measures for future water resource management.
Entropy detection approach applying random sampling in cognitive radio systems
Authors: Boumaaz Najib , Maali Asmaa , Semlali Hayat , Laafar Sara , Soulmani Abdallah
Published: May 2022

Currently, the spectrum sensing is an active research area in cognitive radio systems that aims to identify the presence or absence of a primary user in a specific frequency band. The challenge of each spectrum sensing technique is to reach a maximum of detection probability for a given false alarm probability and to detect the presence/absence in very low signal to noise ratio regions. In the present work, we endeavor to improve the performance of detection by investigating entropy detection associated with random sampling. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated in terms of Receiver Operating Characteristic and the reconstruction Signal to Noise Ratio of the detected signal. The obtained results are compared to the uniform sampling case to present the advantages of the random sampling.
Resistance training on body composition aspects of adolescents: ABCD Growth Study
Authors: Dias Jefferson Souza , Agostinete Ricardo Ribeiro , Urban Jacqueline Bexiga , Torres Wésley , Mesquita Eduardo Duarte Lima , Cayres-Santos Suziane Ungari , Chagas Lucas Gabriel Moraes , Lemes Ítalo Ribeiro , Fernandes Rômulo Araújo
Published: May 2022

Background: Resistance training is a known method for weight reduction, but in apparently healthy adolescents the effects on health aspects are not clear. Aims: Was to analyze the relationship between resistance training (RT) and body composition in adolescents over a 12-month follow-up. Methods: Longitudinal study conducted at a public university in Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil. Data from a study entitled the “ABCD- Growth Study” were used. The sample consisted of 190 adolescents of both sexes from schools (public and private) and sports clubs in Presidente Prudente, Brazil, divided into 3 groups according to RT practice: non-engagement (n=121), irregular engagement (n=44), and frequent engagement (n=25). Engagement in RT was assessed by face-to-face interviews. The bone mineral density (BMD), lean soft tissue (LST), and body fatness (BF) were analyzed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). All data analyses were performed using BioEstat statistical software (version 5.0) and the statistical significance was set at 5% (p-value <0.05). Results: After 12-months of follow-up, adolescents frequently engaged in RT presented higher gains in LST (6.160 kg [3.727 to 8.593]) and BMD-upper limbs (0.096 g/cm2 [0.072 to 0.121]) when compared to adolescents who were not engaged in RT (2.452 kg [1.461 to 3.442] and 0.096 g/cm2 [0.072 to 0.121], respectively). Findings were more consistent for boys than girls. Conclusion: Regular engagement in RT seems to be related to higher gains in muscle mass and bone density, especially among boys.
Prenatal and postnatal echocardiographic manifestations of early-onset Marfan syndrome: a case report
Authors: Pu Lihong , Wang Yu , Liu Hanmin , Dai Xiaohui , Liu Dan , Wu Ting , Chen Jiao
Published: May 2022

Early-onset Marfan syndrome (eoMFS) is a rare subset of Marfan syndrome with varying phenotypic expression that occurs in the neonatal and infantile periods. eoMFS has a poor prognosis and is associated with high rates of mortality. Most newborn eoMFS patients present with early onset heart failure that is resistant to treatment. However, eoMFS is not easily diagnosed prenatally. This study presents a case of eoMFS in which the patient was assessed to be normal in utero. The patient's developmental process is shown in relatively complete detail.
Live effects of anodal and cathodal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on glucose metabolism in a patient with chronic hemorrhagic stroke: a PET case study
Authors: Reale Giuseppe , Fusco Augusto , Cocciolillo Fabrizio , Amoruso Vincenza , Glorioso Davide , Calcagni Maria Lucia , Giordano Alessandro , Padua Luca
Published: May 2022

The aim of this study was to assess whether and how tDCS induces acute changes of brain metabolism in a patient with chronic stroke. We studied a patient with chronic right nucleo-capsular hemorrhagic stroke admitted to our Intensive Neurorehabilitation Care. The patient underwent the following protocol: baseline cerebral FDG-PET (T0); cerebral FDG-PET during anodal-tDCS on the affected hemishphere; cerebral FDG-PET during cathodal-tDCS on the unaffected hemisphere. Baseline FDG-PET documented a marked hypomethabolism of the hemorrhagic right nucleo-capsular lesion; T1 FDG-PET showed an increased brain metabolism of both stimulated hemisphere and non-stimulated hemisphere; T2 FDG-PET documented a reduction of metabolism in the hemisphere ipsilateral to the inhibiting current applied by tDCS. The use of PET may unlock new insights on the effects of tDCS on brain metabolism, providing in vivo information about plasticity mechanisms of injured brain. Further studies by using a combination of PET and TDCS are necessary to further clarify the mechanisms of action in relation with the obtained functional outcomes.
Expected Return to Education, Schooling and Child Labour in Cote d’Ivoire
Authors: AHOUAKAN Ehouman Williams Venance
Published: May 2022

The paper attempts to assess whether expected returns to education affect the incidence of child labour in Côte d’Ivoire using the 2008 Households Living Standard Survey (ENV 2008) and the 2013 National Survey on Employment and Child Labour Status (ENSETE 2013). Nationally, approximately a quarter (1/4) of children belonging to the 5 to 17 age group are involved in economic activities. Child labour is a matter of concern in Côte d’Ivoire, as it interferes with schooling. We find evidence that improvement in the expected returns to education leads to regression of the likelihood that both boys and girls be involved in child labour, while it only increases girls’ probability of attending school. This result suggests that households' decisions to provide their children with schooling or to involve them early on in the labour market are sensitive to the expected returns to education. A potential explanation of this could be found in the low expected returns to education. Indeed, many educated people in this country experience difficulties in finding decent jobs. Therefore, sound educational system and labour market reforms likely to improve the return to education could help reduce child labour and improve girls' schooling.
Causes and treatment of temporomandibular luxation – a retrospective analysis of 260 patients
Authors: Tarhio Reetta , Toivari Miika , Snäll Johanna , Uittamo Johanna
Published: May 2022

ObjectivesWe aimed to clarify the aetiology, diagnostic process, and treatment of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) luxation, as the standard care is mainly based on case-reports and systematic studies are lacking. The hypotheses were that luxation occurs spontaneously, recurrence manifests particularly among geriatric patients, and surgery is needed infrequently.Patients and materialsA retrospective study of TMJ luxation patients (n = 260) from 2007 to 2020 was designed and implemented. The primary outcome was type of TMJ luxation (i.e., recurrent or non-recurrent), and secondary outcomes were the need for and type of surgical intervention. Predictor variables comprised age, sex, presence of neurological condition, and mechanism of luxation. Administered treatment and clinical outcomes were recorded.ResultsOf luxation, 61.9% was recurrent and 60.0% due to spontaneous cause. The presence of neurological condition caused a 2.28-fold risk for recurrence of luxation. Only 1.9% of patients underwent surgical intervention. The risk ratio for mortality within 12 months of primary contact was 1.52-fold higher in recurrent luxation patients than in non-recurrent cases.ConclusionsTMJ luxation is often recurrent, bilateral, and spontaneous. Recurrent luxation is associated with geriatric and neurological conditions, and in this group recurrent TMJ luxation predicted death.Clinical relevanceOur findings contribute to more effective diagnostics and treatment of TMJ luxation patients. We show that there is a need to standardize diagnostic measures and treatment patterns. Moreover, collaboration with other specialities, especially neurology and geriatrics, is important.
Total laparoscopic total gastrectomy and distal esophagectomy combined with reconstruction by transhiatal esophagojejunal Roux-en-y mediastinal anastomosis for Siewert II AEG
Authors: Yin Qifan , Zhang Guibin , Qie Peng , Han Shaohui , Liu Lijun
Published: May 2022

Purpose: The optimal procedure is still controversial about Siewert type II AEG, We are attemptto explore the efficacy and feasibility of total laparoscopic total gastrectomy and distal esophagectomy combined with reconstruction by transhiatal esophagojejunal Roux-en-y mediastinal anastomosis for Siewert type II AEG.Method: Data of patients with Siewert type II AEG who received total laparoscopic total gastrectomy and distal esophagectomy combined with reconstruction by transhiatal esophagojejunal Roux-en-y mediastinal anastomosis in the Hebei General Hospital were collected from October 2020 to October 2021, The operation time, surgical blood loss, the number of dissected lymph nodes, duration of drainage tube,the length of stay in ICU, the resume oral feeding time, the length of postoperative hospital stay, postoperative complications and other related indicators of the patients were collected to evaluate the safety and feasibility of this operation.Result: A total of 17 patients received total laparoscopic total gastrectomy and distal esophagectomy combined with reconstruction by transhiatal esophagojejunal Roux-en-y mediastinal anastomosisin the treatment of Siewert type II AEG were analyzed in our research. The mean operation time was 253±24.8min(196-347min); The median surgical blood loss was 250ml(20-2400ml); The average number of dissected lymph nodes were 28±4.6(17-36); The median duration of drainage tube was 5 days(3-7days); The median length of stay in ICU was 18 hours(10-34hours); The median time of resume oral feeding was 6 days(5-7days); The median postoperative hospital stay was 11 days (8-15 days).Among the all enrolled patients, one patient underwent the conversion to laparotomy due to the massive intraoperative bleeding, one patient developed anastomotic stenosis at jejunum side-to-side anastomosis on the first month after surgery, there was no case of death during the operation and postoperative anastomotic fistula. All patients achieved R0 resection with an average distance of 6cm (4-8.5cm) from the upper margin of the tumor to the resection margin.Conclusion: The operation of total laparoscopic total gastric and distal esophagectomy combined with reconstruction by transhiatal esophagojejunal Roux-en-y mediastinal anastomosis is technically feasible and sufficiently safe in the treatment of Seiwert type II AEG from our primary clinical experience.This procedure could be one of the alternatives for the radical treatment of Siewert type II AEG.
A simple nomogram for predicting osteoarthritis severity in patients with knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Zhang Qingzhu , Yao Yinhui , Wang Jinzhu , Chen Yufeng , Ren Dong , Wang Pengcheng
Published: May 2022

Objective: To explore the influencing factors of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) severity and establish a KOA nomogram model.Methods: Inpatient data from our hospital’s Department of Joint Surgery from January 2020-January 2022 were collected, and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) methods were used to screen the factors for KOA severity to determine the best predictive index. Then, after combining the significant factors from the LASSO and multivariate logistic regressions, a prediction model was established. All potential prediction factors were included in the KOA severity prediction model, and the corresponding nomogram was drawn. The consistency index (C-index), area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC), GiViTi calibration band, net classification improvement (NRI) index, and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) index evaluation of a model predicted KOA severity. Decision curve analysis (DCA) and clinical influence curves were used to study the model’s potential clinical value.Results: Four hundred KOA patients were included. The nomogram’s predictive factors were age, pulse, absolute value of lymphocytes, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC)and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). The C-index and AUC of the model were 0.802. Giviti calibration band (P = 0.065), NRI (0.091) and IDI (0.033) showed that the modified model can distinguish between severe KOA and nonsevere KOA. DCA showed that the KOA severity nomogram has clinical application value with threshold probabilities between 0.01-0.78.Conclusions: A nomogram model for predicting KOA severity was established for the first time, can visually identify patients with severe KOA, and is novel for indirectly evaluating KOA severity by nonimaging means.
Changes in the expression of pseudogenes including AKR1B10P1, RP11-465B22.3, WASH8P, and NPM1P25 as a model for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma patient survival
Authors: Firouzi-Farsani Khatereh , Dehghani-Samani Mina , Gerami Razieh , Moosavi Reihaneh Sadat , Gerami Marzieh , Mahdevar Mohammad
Published: May 2022

Introduction: The goal of this study was to look at changes in pseudogene genes level as oncogenes and tumor suppressors in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by large-scale analysis and to develop a survival prediction model based on their expression.Methods: The cancer genome data were applied to evaluate the expression alternations of all pseudogene in HCC and their correlation with patients' prognosis. Also, a risk model was computed based on the expression of pseudogenes and their predictive power in patient mortality rates. The co-expression network and RT-qPCR method were utilized to discover pathways related and confirmed the outcomes, respectively.Results: The results revealed that 12 pseudogenes were down-regulated in HCC, and their increased expression was associated with good prognosis. Also, 11 pseudogenes were overexpressed and associated with patients' poor prognoses. The multivariate Cox regression test indicated that overexpression of AKR1B10P1, RP11-465B22.3, WASH8P, and downregulation of NPM1P25 could predict the survival rate of patients independent of clinical parameters. The risk score model based on mentioned pseudogenes could considerably distinguish patients based on their fatality rate. Also, the co-expression network shown that the identified pseudogene genes can play a role in fatty acid metabolism, proliferation, and mTOR. RT-qPCR results also showed that the expression level of WASH8P was significantly increased in cancer specimens compared to normal.Conclusion: Our results revealed that change expression of AKR1B10P1, RP11-465B22.3, WASH8P, and NPM1P25 was independently associated with prognosis and the patient mortality risk model based on these four pseudogenes can reasonably predict the survival rate of patients.
Comparing critically-ill ARDS patients with versus without COVID-19: Prospective analysis of 690 patients
Authors: Algethamy Haifa M , Aboudeif Mohammed M , Alhandi Moatz O , Majrashi Fahd Y , Hakami Shrooq H , Jan. Midhat A , Kabli Hanan A , Alhomrani Mohammed H , White Kevin P.
Published: May 2022

BACKGROUND: Few studies have directly and prospectively compared ICU patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (1) caused by COVID-19 versus other causes, almost all previously-published studies retrospective and employing historical non-COVID cases. This study aimed to identify patient characteristics and predictors of mortality associated with COVID-related ARDS.METHODS: We performed a Prospective cohort study. Consecutive ARDS patients with versus without confirmed COVID-19 admitted to a single ICU of a major tertiary-care hospital from March-December 2020 were included. Data were collected and both bivariate and multivariable analysis performed on COVID-19 status, demographics; morphometrics; comorbidities; presenting symptoms; admission general health status (APACHE-II); respiratory and laboratory tests at admission, within 24 hours of admission, and pre-intubation; treatments administered; and outcomes. Data capture was almost 100%.RESULTS: Numerous clinical differences were detected between n=160 patients with versus n=530 patients without COVID-19. Most notably, COVID-19 patients were generally older and heavier, much more frequently presented with fevers/chills, dyspnoea, cough, anosmia/ageusia, and sore throat — and had worse outcomes, including over a two-fold rate of mortality and five-fold rate of survivors requiring prolonged supplemental oxygen. The presenting symptom dyad of fevers and/or chills and dyspnoea was 93.0% sensitive and 63.4% specific for COVID-related ARDS. A baseline APACHE-II Score ≥17 and requiring mechanical ventilation was 94.4% sensitive and 70.5% specific for mortality. All 37 COVID patients with an APACHE-II score >30 died, versus survival among non-COVID patients with APACHE-II scores up to 40.CONCLUSION: In one of the first large studies to directly compare contemporary populations of COVID-19 and non-COVID ICU patients with ARDS, employing multi-variable analysis, numerous differences in patient characteristics, presentation, and outcomes were detected.