bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Approximation by exponential type summation integral operator having weight of α-Baskakov basis function
Authors: RAHMAN SHAGUFTA , Ansari Khursheed
Published: January 2024

This article deals with the approximation properties of the integral
modification of the exponential type operators with the weight of
α-Baskakov basis function. We estimate the moments and establish
Voronovskaja type result in simultaneous approximation. We also estimate
the convergence and error estimation of the operators by the power
series method. In addition, the convergence of these operators has been
shown graphically for some functions.
Water use patterns of Caragana korshinskii and Tamarix ramosissima in different ages in western Chinese Loess Plateau
Authors: Zhang Yu , Zhang Mingjun , Qu Deye , Wang Shengjie , Argiriou Athanassios , Wang Jiaxin , Yang Ye
Published: January 2024

Caragana korshinskii and Tamarix ramosissima are pioneer
shrubs for water and soil conservation and windbreak and sand fixation
in arid and semi-arid areas. Understanding the water use patterns of
C. korshinskii and T. ramosissima and their response to
rainfall is of great importance for their survival in regions where
drought occurs. In this work we present the monitoring results of stable
isotopes in soil water (depths from 0 to 200 cm), twig xylem water of
juvenile, intermediate, and adult C. korshinskii and T.
ramosissima. The monitoring campaign took place in western Chinese
Loess Plateau from July to October 2020. During the same period, we also
measured relevant environmental and meteorological variables and soil
water content. The results showed that juvenile and of intermediate age
C. korshinskii both mainly absorb water from the surface (0–10
cm) and shallow (10–40 cm) soil layers, but adult C. korshinskii
use mainly water from the deep soil layers. Juvenile and of intermediate
age T. ramosissima extract water from deep soil layers, while
adult T. ramosissima use mainly water from middle (40–100 cm)
soil depths. Both plant species increase the proportion of surface and
shallow soil layer water after precipitation. This increase is more
pronounced and faster for the C. korshinskii of intermediate age
rather than for juvenile and adult plants. On the contrary, it is the
absorption of surface and shallow soil water from juvenile and of
intermediate T. ramosissima plants that fluctuates more after
precipitation than from adult plants. Our findings provide a reference
for vegetation restoration and ecological management of the western
Chinese Loess Plateau.
In vitro blockage of CD72 decreased ITP patients' B cell proliferation and related with interleukin 1 and macrophage migration inhibitory factor secretion
Authors: Xu Jianhui , Du Jingwen , Zhong Yuxia , Zhang Honghao , Zhou Lijuan , Yao Qianqian , Li Yuhua
Published: January 2024

To explore the role of CD72 in B lymphocytes of immune thrombocytopenic
purpura (ITP) patients, the expression detection and in vitro culture
experiment of patients’ and controls’ lymphocytes were made.The CD72
expressions on B lymphocytes were detected by flow-cytometry. The B cell
proliferation were determined by method of 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine
incorporation in culture of lymphocytes. The secretion levels of
antibodies against human platelet antigens(HPA) and the cytokines
related with B cell proliferation were measured by ELISA method. We
found the CD72 expressions significantly increased in B cells of newly
diagnosed or persistent ITP comparing with ITP in remission (P=0.018). B
cell proliferation in culture with CD72 antibody addition significantly
decreased in ITP patients and control group by comparing with isotype
antibody addition (P=0.007 and 0.026 respectively). But there wasn’t
significant differences of HPA antibody levels between CD72 antibody and
isotype antibody added ITP patients’ cell cultures(P=0.91). IL-1 and
macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) levels of CD72 antibody
added ITP patients’ cell culture supernatant were significantly higher
than those of isotype antibody added culture supernatant (P=0.011 and
0.002 respectively). But that differences were not significant in cell
cultures of control group, and we didn’t find significant differences of
midkine or hepatocyte growth factor levels between CD72 and isotype
antibody added culture supernatant. So we concluded that CD72 expression
elevation related with active status of ITP, and the blockade of CD72
with antibody had negative impact on B cell proliferation and
accompanied IL-1 and MIF increment in the culture of ITP lymphocytes.
Contrast Echocardiography and vector velocity imaging in the early detection and monitoring of anthracycline and trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer
Authors: Jin Lin , Liu Liping , wang chun , lu min , feng lan , wang yingchun
Published: January 2024

Background:Per the GLOBOCAN 2018 data, breast cancer constitutes 19.2%
of female cancer cases in China. Objective: The study aimed to detect
and monitor the early cardiotoxicity of the sequential regimen of
anthracycline and trastuzumab in patients with HER-2 positive breast
cancer, using VVI technology combined with contrast echocardiography.
Methods: This prospective study enrolled patients who underwent surgery
for breast cancer at the Jiading District Central Hospital affiliated to
Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Shanghai, China. All
included patients underwent routine echocardiography, VVI, and contrast
echocardiography examinations at three time points: the baseline (T0),
after 4 cycles of anthracycline chemotherapy (T1), and after 17 cycles
of trastuzumab(T2). Results: A total of 44 patients were included in
this study. Compared to the time point T0, the global longitudinal
strain of the left ventricle at time intervals T1 and T2 were lower than
that of before, with a statistically significant difference
(P<0.05). Myocardial perfusion delay were observed in T1 and
T2, compared with T0, the difference was statistically significant
(P<0.05). The occurrence rates of abnormal T wave on
electrocardiography at T1 and T2 time points were significantly higher
than that at T0 time interval, and the differences were statistically
significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: VVI technology combined with
contrast echocardiography could evaluate the changes of left ventricular
systolic function and myocardial perfusion microcirculation after
sequential administration of anthracycline and trastuzumab treatment.
This modality may be helpful for the early detection of
chemotherapy-related subclinical cardiotoxicity.
AN INSIGHT ON THE MATERNAL & FETAL OUTCOME OF CRITICALLY ILL PREGNANT WOMEN DURING THE SECOND WAVE OF COVID-19
Authors: Faraz Saima , Aftab Nighat , Ammar Abeer , Mulai Israa Khalil Al , Paulose Litty , Fernandes Shalini
Published: January 2024

Objective: To assess and compare the Maternal and fetal outcomes of
critically ill pregnant women infected with COVID – 19 cases of
pneumonia who required admission to the intensive care unit. Design: A
retrospective observational study Settings: Tertiary care hospital
settings affiliated with an academic center in UAE. Patients and
Methods: A total of 123 patients in their third trimester were included
from 1 December 2020 to 31 March 2021 in the study with 30 cases of
severe or critical COVID and 93 mild to moderate pregnant COVID
patients. The maternal demographic, radiological, and biochemical
profile of mothers was noted. Maternal and fetal outcomes were compared.
Main outcomes Measured: Maternal and fetal outcomes were compared in
severe and mild COVID cases. Result: A total of 30 (24.3%) patients
were admitted in ICU and eight required invasive ventilation meaning,
Severe COVID was significantly associated with higher mortality (20% vs
0% p-value <0.001), postpartum complications (50% vs 9.67%
p-value<0.001) and increased overall hospital stay
(p-value<0.001). Neonates born to severe COVID patients had
significant higher chances of being born preterm (76.6% vs 35.7%
p-value<0.001) and have low birth weight (46.6% vs 13.9%
p-value=0.002). There were four cases of stillbirth, two cases of
vertical transmission, and no neonatal deaths. Conclusion: Pregnant
females with severe COVID have high mortality, peripartum complications;
and increased hospital stay. The newborns born to such mothers may be
premature, have low birth weights but have comparable mortality
18β-Glycyrrhetinic acid protectes neonatal rats with hyperoxia exposure through inhibiting ROS/NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome
Authors: Cai Qing , Liu Ziyun , Yu Xuefei , Zhao Xinyi , Xue Xindong , Fu Jianhua
Published: January 2024

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common devastating pulmonary
complication in preterm infants. Oxygen supplementation is a lifesaving
therapeutic measure used for premature infants with pulmonary
insufficiency. However, oxygen toxicity is a significant trigger for
BPD, and oxidative stress-induced inflammatory responses, in turn,
worsens the oxidative toxicity resulting in lung injury and arresting of
lung development. Glycyrrhiza radix is commonly used in the medicine and
food industries. 18β-Glycyrrhetinic acid (18β-GA), a primary active
ingredient of Glycyrrhiza radix, has a powerful anti-oxidative and
anti-inflammatory effects. This study aimed to determine whether 18β-GA
has protective effects on neonatal rats with hyperoxia exposure. Newborn
Sprague-Dawley rats were kept in either 21% (normoxia) or 80% O2
(hyperoxia) continuously from postnatal day (PN) 1 to 14. 18β-GA was
injected intragastrically at 50 or 100 mg/kg body weight once a day from
PN 1 to 14. We examined the body weights and alveolar development, and
measured ROS level and the markers of pulmonary inflammation.
Mature-IL-1β and NF-κB pathway proteins, and the NLRP3 inflammasome,
were assessed; concurrently, caspase-1 activity was measured. Our
results indicated that hyperoxia resulted in alveolar simplification and
decreased bodyweight of neonatal rats. Hyperoxia exposure increased ROS
level and pulmonary inflammation, and activated NF-κB and the NLRP3
inflammasome. 18β-GA treatment decreased ROS level, inhibited the
activation of NF-κB and the NLRP3 inflammasome, decreased pulmonary
inflammation, improved alveolar development, and increased the
bodyweight of neonatal rats with hyperoxia exposure. Our study
demonstrates that 18β-GA protects neonatal rats with hyperoxia exposure
through inhibiting ROS/NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome.
Effects of eHealth Interventions on improving medication adherence in kidney Transplant Recipients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: yue liu , Zhang yun , Guan hong
Published: January 2024

Aims Immunosuppressant non-adherence is a prevalent problem leading to
many adverse outcomes in Renal transplant recipients. eHealth has the
potential to improve medication compliance, but evidence in kidney
transplantation remains unclear. This review aims to explore the effects
of eHealth interventions on improving medication compliance in Kidney
transplantation. Methods A systematic search was conducted of the
following databases: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Web
of Science Core Collection. The search included studies published up to
July 22, 2021. Two authors selected relevant studies and extracted data
independently. The quality of the literature was evaluated using the
Cochrane collaborative bias risk tool. To estimate the effect size, a
meta-analysis of the studies was performed using the Cochrane
Collaboration software Review Manager 5.3 PRISMA guidelines were
followed. Results Nine studies involving 777 patients were included.
Compared with control group, eHealth interventions improved medication
adherence measured by electronic monitoring (RR=1.46, 95%CI, 1.11 to
1.90, p=0.006) and decreased rejection (RR=0.38; 95%CI, 0.15 to 0.97,
p=0.04). There was no difference in medication compliance measured by
BAASIS (RR=1.03, 95% CI, 0.88 to 1.21, p=0.72), Tacrolimus level
(MD=0.16, 95%CI, -0.21 to 0.52, p=0.39), coefficient of variation of
tacrolimus level (MD=-0.01, 95%CI, -0.05 to 0.02, p=0.41), and kidney
function (MD=-0.44, 95% CI, -8.32 to 7.43, p=0.91) between the two
groups. Conclusions eHealth interventions can improve medication
adherence in kidney transplantation in the short time. However more
high-quality intervention studies need performing to determine whether
eHealth improves long-term adherence and clinically relevant outcomes.
Effects of intra-variety root competition and soil fertility on resource allocation in a modern wheat variety and an old landrace
Authors: Zhu Li , Xiang Jun , Zhang Da-Yong , Wang Wei , Wang Bao-Zhong , Xiong You-Cai
Published: January 2024

Darwinian agriculture (also called Evolutionary agroecology) which
focuses on the trade-off between individual fitness and community
performance, can provide an efficient approach to enhance crop
production. However, evolutionary or ecological processes, in particular
the tragedy of the commons in crops, remain poorly understood. We used a
pot experiment to examine whether wheat plants fell into this ‘tragedy’
when confronted with roots of an intra-variety neighbour and how the
magnitude was influenced by soil fertility. Two varieties (old landrace
Monkhead and modern variety 92-46) were selected for this study. Root
competition scenarios were set by growing two plants of the same variety
with a mesh or plastic partition. Soil fertility gradients were set by
adding nutrient solutions with low or high application frequency.
Biomass were tested and allometric relationship were analyzed to reveal
resource allocation pattern. Old Monkhead had similar relative
allocation to root biomass with modern 92-46, but had greater relative
allocation to stem&leaf biomass and lower relative allocation to seed
biomass. The presence of neighbour affected allometric relationships
only in 4 out of 24 allometic comparisons, which all appeared in low
fertility treatments. Fertilizer addition increased stem&leaf biomass
allocation of Monkhead and decreased root and seed biomass allocation at
the same time. By contrast, stem&leaf and seed allocation of 92-46 was
not changed by fertilizer addition although root allocation was
decreased. Our results demonstrated that there was a trade-off between
non-reproductive and reproductive allocation for wheat varieties. There
was not notable tragedy of the commons in wheat varieties, although a
small degree was observed in Monkhead. Moreover, the occurrence and
magnitude of the tragedy was dependent on resource availability and
variety resource-use strategy. Our results underlie the importance of
understanding the mechanisms behind the tragedy of the commons in crop
varieties with different ecological strategies, and provide insights
into the role of Darwinian agriculture in global food production.
On the asymptotic behaviour of an unreliable M/G/1 retrial queue with impatience
Authors: Hamadouche Djamel , aissani amar , LOUNIS Ferhat
Published: January 2024

This paper studies the unreliable M/G /1 retrial queuing system with
impatient customers and preventive maintenance. The performance analysis
of this system has been carried out in a recent paper by Aissani et al
[1]. In this article, we find the stationary distribution of the
numbers of customers in the orbit at the service completion epoch. We
obtain asymptotic behaviour of the number of customers in the orbit
under some extreme conditions: heavy traffic and
Investigation of Red Cell Distribution Width as a Prognostic Criterion in Severe Burns
Authors: AKKOÇ Mehmet Fatih , BULBULOGLU Semra
Published: January 2024

Objective: This study was conducted to examine the effects of red cell
distribution width (RDW) as prognostic criterion in severe burns.
Method: The study is a descriptive correlational study, and carried out
retrospectively. Patients with high RDW and low albumin values among
severe burn injuries in the burn unit of a university hospital
constituted half of the sample. Severe burns with RDW within normal
range and a prognostic criterion which Albumin level normal and closest
to normal accounted for the other half (n=120). RDW and albumin values
were compared with the clinical results of patients with severe burns.
IBM SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Statistics 25 was
used for data analysis. Results: Of the burn patients, 38.33% were
between the ages of 65-80, 51.67% were men, and 92.5% had third-degree
burns. The mean albumin level of the patients was 2.39±0.34 g/dL, and
the mean RDW level was 18.47±6.15%. The length of the stay in the
intensive care unit was 13.45±7.83 days, and the duration of central
venous catheter use was 23.41±8.25 days. High RDW and low albumin values
were found to be associated with death, length of stay in the intensive
care unit and more blood transfusion. Conclusion: High RDW and
hypoalbuminemia significantly affect the clinical results of severe
burns. Both parameters are effective in determining the clinical course
of burn patients, the length of hospital stay, presence of catheters and
medication treatment protocol.
Vitamin C induced hemolysis: Meta summary and review of literature
Authors: Jain Ravi , Juneja Deven , Nasa Prashant
Published: January 2024

Background: Vitamin C is increasingly being used for treating myriad
clinical conditions. Even high doses of vitamin C are considered safe,
but complications including hemolysis have been reported. Methods: We
performed a systematic search, from PubMed, Science Direct, and Google
Scholar databases, from January 1975 till 31st July 2021. The search
terms used were “Vitamin C” OR “ascorbic acid” AND “hemolysis” OR
“hemolytic anemia” and data regarding patient’s demographics, dose,
duration, and form of vitamin C therapy and the patient outcomes were
extracted. Results: A total of 14 case reports matched the selected
criteria. The age of the patients ranged from 3 weeks to 75 years with
78.6% being males. 71.4% were diagnosed to have Glucose-6-phosphate
dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency but the previous history of hemolysis
was reported in only two patients. 57.1% were prescribed vitamin C for
nutritional supplementation. The dose ranged from 1 to 200 gm/day with
57.1% receiving intravenous formulations. Half of these patients also
developed other complications including acute kidney injury (AKI),
disseminated intravascular coagulation, oxalosis and methemoglobinemia.
A great majority (78.6%) developed complications within 3 days of
starting vitamin C and only 1 death (7%) was reported. Conclusions:
Vitamin C is generally a safe drug but like any other drug it should be
prescribed with caution and only when clinically indicated. Physicians
should be aware of potential complications like severe hemolysis and AKI
which may be precipitated when using high dose vitamin C, especially in
a patient with G6PD deficiency.
Effect of particle shape on raceway size and pressure drop: experimental, numerical and theoretical analyses
Authors: Wei Guangchao , Zhang Hao , An Xizhong , Hou Qinfu , E Dianyu , Chen Jiang , Yu Aibing
Published: January 2024

Experiments and simulations are conducted to explore the changing laws
of blast furnace raceway morphology and pressure drop with cylindrical
particles. Experimental data show that there are five typical stages for
the pressure drop during the raceway formation. The closer the aspect
ratio (Ar) of particle to 1, the bigger the raceway size and the wider
the particle moving band will be. When the raceway is in stable stage,
the pressure drop can be ascribed to the cooperative action of the bed
height, inlet gas velocity and Ar. Numerical results reveal that the
large raceway formation for sphere-like particle is due to the small
drag and contact forces. The contact forces in the prolate particle
system are very large and thus result in a small raceway. Finally, the
influence of particle shape is employed to improve a raceway size
predictive correlation which can increase the average calculational
accuracy by 3.4%.
It is possible to use a 100% Medical Grade Honey in the premature babies.
Authors: FEDERICA BUZZI , Al-Atroushy2 Hevan , Bakir Nizar , Rwanduzi Hozan , Maiandi Stefano
Published: January 2024

At the Hevi Pediatric Teaching Hospital at Duhok an Extreme Low Birth
Weight baby, with foot injury from drug extravasation was treated with
the use of Medical Grade Honey. After 28 days the lesion healed, without
the use of surgical removal of tissue and without allergic complications
for the patient.
PROLIDASE LEVEL IS INCREASED IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE AND ISCHEMIC MITRAL VALVE INSUFFICIENCY
Authors: Aydın Mehmet Salih , Agrıç Vedat , Göz Mustafa , Padak Mahmut , dikme reşat
Published: January 2024

Background: Serum prolidase levels change decisively in coronary artery
disease and valvular disease. The aims of this study are to determine
how the serum prolidase level will vary in patients who have undergone
coronary bypass surgery due to mitral insufficiency and those without
ischemic mitral regurgitation and those with ischemic mitral
regurgitation. Methods: A total of 45 patients who were operated with
coronary bypass surgery were selected. Group 1 patients were defined as
patients who had coronary artery bypass surgery and did not have mitral
insufficiency (25 patients), and Group 2 patients were defined as
patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery and had mitral
insufficiency (20 patients). Before and after coronary artery bypass
surgery, blood was taken from the patients and their prolidase levels
were measured. Results: In Group 1 patients, pre- and postoperative
serum prolidase levels were calculated as 1038.2 and 1289.43 U/L,
respectively. In Group 2 patients, pre- and postoperative serum
prolidase levels were calculated as 1084.07 and 1337.74 U/L,
respectively. There is a significant difference between the serum
prolidase (U/L) levels in the blood of group 1 and group 2 patients
entering the operation and the blood after CPB (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Serum prolidase level was found to be high in both patient
groups. Pre- and postoperative serum prolidase levels were higher in
patients with mitral valve insufficiency. Prolidase level is increased
in coronary artery disease and mitral valve insufficiency.
The existence of positive solutions for the Neumann problem of p-Laplacian elliptic systems with Sobolev critical exponent
Authors: Kou Bingyu , An Tianqing , Zhang Yan
Published: January 2024

The paper is concerned with the Neumann boundary problems:
\begin{equation*}
\left\{\begin{array}{l}
-\Delta _{p} u+\lambda_{1}
u^{p-1}=|u|^{p^{*}-2}u+\frac{\alpha}{p^{*}}|u|^{\alpha-2}
|v|^{\beta}
u,\,\,\,\,\,x\in
\Omega\\
-\Delta _{p} v+\lambda_{2}
v^{p-1}=|v|^{p^{*}-2}v+\frac{\beta}{p^{*}}|u|^{\alpha}
|v|^{\beta -2}
v,\,\,\,\,\,x\in
\Omega\\
\frac{\partial
u}{\partial
n}=\frac{\partial
v}{\partial
n}=0,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,\,x\in
\partial
\Omega\\
u>0,v>0\,\,\,\,\,\,\,x\in
\Omega.
\end{array}\right.
\end{equation*} where $\Delta _{p}
u= div(|\nabla
u|^{p-2}\nabla u)$,
$\alpha, \beta >1,
\alpha
+\beta=p^{*}=\frac{Np}{N-p}$,
and $\Omega$ is a bounded domain with a smooth
$C^2$ boundary in
$\mathbb{R}^N(N\geq 3)$, and $n$
denotes the unit outward normal to $\partial
\Omega$. For various parameters $\alpha,
\beta, \lambda_{1},
\lambda_{2}, N,p$, we dicuss the existence of
positive solutions for the system.
Candida Score: a predictor of mortality in patients with candidemia
Authors: Juneja Deven , Jain Ravi , Singh Omender , Borah Apurba
Published: January 2024

Background: Candida score has been developed and used for identifying
patients at risk for developing Candida infections. However, its
usefulness in predicting outcomes of patients with candidemia has not
been evaluated. We aimed to determine the risk factors for mortality in
patients with candidemia admitted to an Indian medical intensive care
unit (ICU). Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of 56
patients with candidemia presented in 18 months duration. Baseline
patient characteristics, ICU course, and outcome were noted and Candida
score was calculated. We conducted an analysis based on the primary
outcome measure of ICU mortality. Results: Out of 3,142 ICU admissions,
the incidence of candidemia was 17.8/1,000 admissions. The mean interval
between ICU admission and candidemia was 12.9 ± 14.4 days. C. tropicalis
was the commonest species isolated from 28.6% isolates, followed by
Candida albicans (21.4%) and C. glabrata (12.5%). The mean length of
ICU stay was 22.9 ± 28 days and hospital stay was 30.1 ± 30.2 days.
Crude ICU mortality was 33.93%. There was no statistically significant
difference between mortality of patients with albicans and non-albicans
candidemia (p=0.732). On multivariate analysis, only two factors,
previous antifungal therapy (p=0.004, OR=101.4, 95% CI=4.52-227.7) and
Candida score >3 (p=0.028, OR=13.2, 95% CI=1.3-125) were
found to be independently predicting mortality. Conclusion: Candida
infection is generally late-onset and is associated with a prolonged ICU
and hospital stay, and high mortality. Candida non-albicans infection
was more common but there was no difference in mortality among patients
with C. albicans and non-albicans infection. Previous antifungal therapy
and Candida score were found to be independently predicting mortality.
The effect of thrombosis-related laboratory values on mortality in Covid-19 infection
Authors: Ergenc Hasan , Ergenc Zeynep , Alkılınç Ersin
Published: January 2024

Objective: Covid-19 may cause thrombosis in both venous and arterial
systems. Familiarity with the signs and symptoms of thrombosis and their
treatment plays an important role in treating Covid-19 infection and its
complications. D-Dimer and Mean platelet volume (MPV) are measurements
related to the development of thrombosis. This study investigates
whether MPV and D-Dimer values could be used to determine the risk of
thrombosis and mortality in Covid-19 early stages. Methods: 424 patients
were randomly and retrospectively included in the study, Covid 19
positive according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
Demographic and clinical characteristics such as age, gender, and length
of hospitalization were obtained from the digital records of
participants. Participants were divided into living and deceased groups.
Results: WBC, neutrophils, and monocytes were significantly different in
the two groups (p <0.001), and its values were lower in the
living group than in the deceased group. MPV median values do not differ
according to prognosis (p = 0.994). Creatinine, Procalcitonin, Ferritin,
and the number of hospitalization days in living patients were
significantly lower than in patients who died (p <0.001).
Median values of D-dimer (mg / L) differ according to prognosis (p
<0.001). While the median value was 0.63 in the survivors, it
was found as 4.38 in the deceased. Conclusion: Our results did not show
any significant relationship between the mortality of Covid-19 patients
and their MPV levels. However, a significant association of D-Dimer and
mortality in Covid-19 patients was observed. Keywords: COVID-19, MPV,
D-Dimer, prognosis, mortality
Inhibitory role of recombinant neorudin on canine coronary artery thrombosis
Authors: Liu Yu-bin , Zhou Xingchen , Liu Yun , Zhang Lin , Zhou Ying , Xu Xiao , Zheng Can , Zhao Zhuan-you , Wu Chu-tse , Jin Ji-de
Published: January 2024

Aims: The application of anticoagulants is an effective treatment for
cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, unstable angina
pectoris and myocardial infarction. In this study, the antithrombotic
effect of recombinant neorudin (EPR-hirudin, EH) was evaluated by a
canine model of coronary artery thrombosis model. Methods: A canine
model of platelet thrombosis in the left circumferent branch of coronary
artery was prepared by Folt’s method and the anti-thrombus activity of
EH was investigated in the animal model. Results: Femoral intravenous
administration of EH had a significant dose-dependent inhibitory effect
on canine coronary artery thrombosis and the effective rates were 66.7%
(P < 0.05), 83.3% (P < 0.05) and 100% (P
< 0.01) respectively after injection of 0.3, 1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg
EH. Furthermore, EH had a lower bleeding feature, with shorter bleeding
time and less bleeding loss than low molecular weight heparin (LMWH).
Under the similar effect intensity of EH and LMWH (85IU/kg), the
bleeding time of EH group at 30min was shorter than that of LMWH
(P<0.05), and the blood loss at 30 - 120 min was less than
that of LMWH (P<0.05 - 0.001). Conclusion: EH had a
significant dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the coronary artery
thrombosis in the dose range of 0.3 to 3.0mg/kg, and lower bleeding side
effects than LMWH with similar antithrombosis effect.
The Ultrasound Examination of the Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter in the Patients Presenting with Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: A pilot study
Authors: Altintas Emel , Güler Sertac , Ramadan Hayri
Published: January 2024

The Ultrasound Examination of the Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter in the
Patients Presenting with Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: A pilot study
Introduciton: In carbon monoxide poisoning, hypoxia results in neuronal
damage and death of brain cells. It is considered that cerebral edema
occurs consequently, with an associated increase in intracranial
pressure. The present study evaluates the presence of increased
intracranial pressure using the measurement of optic nerve sheath
diameter by ultrasonography in the patients presenting with carbon
monoxide poisoning. Methods: 28 patients diagnosed with carbon monoxide
poisoning after presenting to the emergency department underwent the
bilateral measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter by ultrasonography.
The patients’ demographic data, laboratory results, stage of the
poisoning, and optic nerve sheath diameters were recorded. Results: The
median optic nerve sheath diameter in the right and left sides was
greater than 5 mm. The optic nerve sheath diameter of the right and the
left eye was significantly higher in the patients with severe carbon
monoxide poisoning than those with moderate and mild poisoning.
Conclusion: The measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter can be used
to evaluate the presence of an increased intracranial pressure in the
patients with carbon monoxide poisoning. Keywords: Carbon Monoxide
poisoning, elevated intracranial pressure, ultrasonography, Optic nerve
sheath diameter
Genome-scale metabolic model of oleaginous yeast Papiliotrema laurentii
Authors: Ventorim Rafaela , Ferreira Maurício , Almeida Eduardo Luís de , Kerkhoven Eduard , Silveira Wendel
Published: January 2024

Oleaginous yeasts are promising candidates as single cell oil (SCO)
platforms to meet energy demand due to their high growth rate, easy
scaling and the possibility of being cultivated in culture media based
on lignocellulosic biomass. The oleaginous yeast Papiliotrema
laurentii UFV-1 is able to reach high lipid contents in short periods,
besides its composition of fatty acids is suitable in terms of quality
standards required for biodiesel production. However, little is known
about the regulation of its metabolism. We present here the first
genome-scale metabolic reconstruction of P. laurentii, papla-GEM.
The reconstruction was based on homology to another oleaginous yeast and
the model was subjected to intensive manual curation throughout the
reconstruction stages to find out the metabolic specificities of this
yeast. The final model includes 764 genes, 2447 reactions and 2112
metabolites, and its biomass equation is based on direct measurements of
all major biomass components. The validation step was performed using
experimental data obtained in this work, and simulation results
evaluated the growth and lipid accumulation physiology of P.
laurentii. Therefore, the papla-GEM will lead to a better understanding
of the metabolic capabilities of P. laurentii and thus will be
useful in systems metabolic engineering approaches.
FACIAL ERYTHEMA MAY NOT ALWAYS BE A MANIFESTATION OF THE PRIMARY CONDITION IN CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASES: KEEP DEMODEX IN MIND!
Authors: Erden Abdulsamet , Armağan Berkan , Güven Serdar , Karakaş Özlem , Erden Fatma , Özdemir Bahar , Omma Ahmet , Kucuksahin Orhan
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT Objective: Aim of this study was to investigate frequency of
Demodex infestation and clinical implications in connective tissue
disease patients with facial erythema. Methods: Patients who diagnosed
with a connective tissue disease and had facial erythema were
consecutively enrolled in the study. An age and gender matched control
group was formed from healthy volunteers. Presence of Demodex was
investigated by standardized skin surface biopsy. Number of Demodex
mites over 5 per centimeter square was considered meaningful for
infestation. Topical or systemic metronidazole treatment was given to
the connective tissue disease patients with Demodex infestation. Facial
erythema visual analog scale was questioned in patients at treatment
onset and one month after. Results: A total of 31 connective tissue
disease patients with facial erythema were enrolled. Control group
included 31 healthy volunteers. Demographics and comorbidities were
similar between groups. Demodex infestation was present in 58.1% of the
connective tissue disease group and in 25.8% of the control group
(p=0.01). Pruritus was the most common symptom in patients with
infestation. Median (IQR) facial erythema visual analog scale score was
6 (3) at treatment onset and was 2 (2.5) one month after (p
<0.001). Conclusion: When evaluating facial cutaneous lesions,
Demodex infestation should not be overlooked in a patient group like
connective tissue diseases with dysfunctional immune system.
Clinical manifestation of supra-large range non-perfusion area diabetic retinopathy: a specific severe diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Tong Nianting , Wang Liangyu , Gong Huimin , Pan Lin , Zhou Zhanyu
Published: January 2024

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical
manifestation of a specific type of diabetic retinopathy (DR),
supra-large range non-perfusion area diabetic retinopathy (SLRNPA DR).
Methods: This is a retrospective consecutive case series study. 260 eyes
from 236 patients who suffered from diabetic retinopathy and underwent
pars plana vitrectomy in the department of ophthalmology, Qingdao
Municipal Hospital from February 2016 to June 2019 were enrolled. Fundus
fluorescein angiography (FFA) was used after surgery to determine
whether it was SLRNPA DR or non-SLRNPA DR. The demographics and relevant
clinical data of these patients were carefully collected. Results: In
this cohort, 41 eyes from 22 patients were diagnosed as SLRNPA DR, which
was 15.77% of all eyes. When compared with non-SLRNPA DR patients,
SLRNPA DR patients were more male, younger age and onset, and more
likely to have history of smoking, have other comorbidities, have higher
HbA1c. As for SLRNPA DR eyes, higher probability of occurrence of
neovascular glaucoma (NVG) and diabetic keratopathy (DK) was found.
There eyes were more likely to need anti-VEGF therapy before surgery,
more likely to need silicon oil or gas tamponade during the surgery, and
more likely to be suffered from persistent corneal epithelial erosion
(PCEE) and recurrence of NVG. Conclusions: SLRNPA DR is a specific type
of DR, which might be more severe than common kinds of DR. We need pay
more attention to SLRNPA DR during our clinical process.
SARS-CoV-2 infection in one cat and three dogs living in COVID-19-positive households in Madrid, Spain
Authors: Ortega-Mora Luis-Miguel , Miro Guadalupe , Javier Regidor-Cerrillo , R Checa , Díaz Carlos Diezma , Montoya Ana , J García-Cantalejo , Botías Pedro , J Arroyo
Published: January 2024

In this study, we describe SARS-CoV-2 infection dynamics in one cat
(case 1-Chester) and three dogs (case 2-Trasto, case 3-Bella and case
4-Bull) from households with confirmed human cases of COVID-19 living in
the Madrid Community (Spain) at the time of expansion (December 2020
through June 2021) of the alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 (lineage B.1.1.7).
A thorough physical exam and nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, and rectal
swabs were collected for real-time reverse-transcription PCR (RT-qPCR)
SARS-CoV-2 testing on day 0 and in successive samplings on days 7, 14,
21 and 47 during monitoring. Blood was also drawn to determine complete
blood counts, biochemical profiles, and serology of the detect the IgG
response against SARS-CoV-2. On day 0, the cat case 1 presented with
dyspnoea and fever associated with a mild bronchoalveolar pattern. The
dog cases 2, 3 and 4 were healthy, but case 2 presented with coughing,
dyspnoea and weakness, and case 4 exhibited coughing and bilateral nasal
discharge three and six days before the clinical exam. Case 3 (from the
same household as case 2) remained asymptomatic. SARS-CoV-2 infection
was detected in all cat and dog cases. The cat and the dog case 2
exhibited the lowest cycle threshold (Ct) (Ct < 30) when they
presented or had recently presented clinical signs. Viral detection
failed in successive samplings. Specific IgG antibodies were detected in
the cat case 1 and dog cases 3 and 4, whereas dog case 2 seroconverted
21 days after SARS-CoV-2 detection. SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing was
carried out, and genomes were compared to the SARS-CoV-2 Genome
Reference Sequence. All strains were unambiguously classified as
belonging to the B.1.1.7 lineage.
Hygiene measures as primary prevention of toxoplasmosis during pregnancy: a systematic review
Authors: Wehbe Karl , Pencole Lucille , Lhuaire Martin , sibiude jeanne , Mandelbrot Laurent , Villena Isabelle , PICONE Olivier
Published: January 2024

BACKGROUND. Hygiene measures are recommended to prevent toxoplasmosis
during pregnancy, although screening for seroconversion in pregnant
women currently are debated and practices vary among countries. The
purpose of this systematic literature review was to assess the
efficiency of hygiene measures during pregnancy to prevent toxoplasmosis
infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS. We followed the standard MOOSE and
PRISMA criteria when conducting this systematic review and reporting the
results. A systematic literature search was conducted for studies on
congenital toxoplasmosis prevention, toxoplasmosis prevention during
pregnancy, toxoplasmosis prevention and hygiene measures, which were
published between 1970 and August 2020, using the databases of PubMed,
Scope Med, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library. RESULTS Our literature
search identified 3964 articles, 3757 were excluded after review of
title or abstract and 67 studies were considered relevant to the
subject. We reviewed risk factors for toxoplasmosis infection during
pregnancy and for congenital toxoplasmosis, preventive measures for
toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, including: dietary recommendations, pet
care measures, environmental measures, knowledge of risk factors and
ways to control toxoplasmosis infection, knowledge of risk factors for
infection by health professionals, knowledge of primary prevention
measures by pregnant women. CONCLUSION. Hygiene measures are effective
and applicable primary prevention to reduce toxoplasmosis and avoid
congenital toxoplasmosis and its consequences.
Random sampling in metagenomic profiling leads to overestimated microbial stochasticity inference using null models
Authors: Ma Kai , Tu Qichao
Published: January 2024

Revealing the mechanisms governing the complex microbial community
assembly is a central issue in microbial ecology. Null models are
commonly used to quantitatively disentangle the relative importance of
deterministic vs. stochastic processes in structuring the compositional
variations. However, microbial profiling is influenced by random
sampling issues, which lead to overestimated -diversity of microbial
communities and may further affect stochasticity inference. By
implementing simulated datasets, we investigated whether and how
microbial stochasticity inference is affected by random sampling issues.
Our results demonstrated solid evidences that random sampling
dramatically overestimated the -diversity of microbial communities,
which further led to overestimated community stochasticity inference.
The effects of random sampling issues on stochasticity inference for the
whole community and the abundant subcommunities were different using
different null models. The stochasticity of rare subcommunities,
however, was persistently overestimated no matter which null model was
used. Such effects of random sampling issues on community stochasticity
inference were constantly observed for communities with different
-diversity. As more studies begin to focus on the different mechanisms
governing abundant and rare subcommunities, we urge cautions be taken
for microbial stochasticity inference based on -diversity (e.g. null
models), especially for rare subcommunities with stochastic ratio
slightly higher than 0.5. When necessary, the cutoff used for judging
the relative importance of deterministic vs. stochastic processes shall
be redefined.
On the dispersionless Davey-Stewartson hierarchy: Zakharov-Shabat equations, twistor structure and Lax-Sato formalism
Authors: Yi Ge
Published: January 2024

In this paper, we continue the study of the Davey-Stewartson system
which is one of the most important ( 2 + 1 ) dimensional integrable
models. As we showed in the previous paper, the dDS (dispersionless
Davey-Stewartson) system arises from Hamiltonian vector fields Lax pair.
A new hierarchy of compatible PDEs defining infinitely many symmetries,
which is associated with the dDS system, is defined in this paper. We
show that this hierarchy arises from the commutation condition of a
particular series of one-parameter Hamiltonian vector fields.
Lifespan of solutions to a hyperbolic type Kirchhoff equation with arbitrarily high initial energy
Authors: Yang Hui , Han Yuzhu
Published: January 2024

In this paper, an initial boundary value problem for a hyperbolic type
Kirchhoff equation with a strong dissipation and a general nonlinearity
is considered. First, local existence and uniqueness of weak solutions
are obtained with the help of Banach fixed point theorem. Then, by
constructing an auxiliary functional and adopting the concavity
argument, we give a new finite time blow-up criterion for this problem,
which in particular implies that the problem admits blow-up solutions
with arbitrarily high initial energy. Meanwhile, a bound for the blow-up
time is derived from above. Further, we obtain a lower bound for the
blow-up time when blow-up occurs. From methods to results, we partially
extend the ones obtained in earlier literature.
Accelerated Approval of Highly Expensive Disease-Modifying Agents: Lessons to Learn from the Aducanumab Approval.
Authors: Chenchula Santenna
Published: January 2024

There were many previous examples of disease-modifying expensive agents
accelerated approval by The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which
have been failed to show any clinical effectiveness in confirmatory
trials in patients, subsequently withdrawn from the market. Recently on
June 7th 2021, The FDA has issued an accelerated approval to a highly
expensive disease-modifying agent aducanumab. In the present study, we
will explore the challenges to address and lessons to learn from the
approval of aducanumab another highly expensive only disease-modifying
agent for Alzheimer’s disease.
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a case of congenital sideroblastic anemia with SLC25A38 mutation
Authors: Wei Cong , Wu Jun , Zhang Xiaoting , Liang Dan , Yang Jilong , Chen Ruge , Deng Lan , Yue Chunyan
Published: January 2024

Congenital sideroblastic anemia (CSA) is a rare genetic disease.
SLC25A38 encodes a member of the mitochondrial membrane carrier protein
family. Mutations in SLC25A38 have been found to be an important cause
of transfusion-dependent CSA. Evidence-based medical treatment
guidelines for CSA remain lacking, and hematopoietic stem cell
transplantation (HSCT) is currently the only proven curative therapy for
this disease. In this report, we successfully cure a 6-year-old patient
with SLC25A38 mutation. Our patient underwent HSCT from a human
leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical unrelated donor, his hematopoiesis was
reconstructed, anemia was corrected, and thereby the patient achieved
long-term survival.
The coupling of carbon and nitrogen in response to variable NH4+/ NO3- ratios in Brassica napus plantlets in vitro
Authors: Zhang Kaiyan , Wu Yanyou , Su Yue , Li Haitao
Published: January 2024

Plantlets grown in vitro with a mixed nitrogen source utilize sucrose
and CO2 as carbon sources for growth. However, it is very difficult to
obtain the correct proportion of assimilated nitrate, ammonium, sucrose
and CO2 for plantlets. Consequently, the NH4+/NO3- use efficiency for
carbon fixation derived from the assimilation of sucrose/CO2 is still
unclear for plantlets. To reveal the coupled relationship of carbon and
nitrogen assimilation in plantlets, the bidirectional stable nitrogen
isotope tracer technique was employed to quantify the proportions of
nitrate and ammonium utilized at different NH4+/ NO3- ratios, and the
proportions of sucrose and CO2 assimilation were quantified by the
foliar δ13C values of plantlets. There was an obvious difference in the
assimilation of nitrate and ammonium under different NH4+/NO3- ratios
for Brassica napus (Bn) plantlets. The proportion of sucrose/CO2
assimilation depended on the NH4+/NO3- ratios of the Bn plantlets. Both
nitrate and ammonium assimilation were independent of sucrose/CO2
assimilation. Based on the proportion of CO2, sucrose, nitrate and
ammonium utilization, the efficiency of nitrate/ammonium use (as
indicated by the C/N ratio) for carbon fixation derived from the
assimilation of sucrose/CO2 can be quantified for Bn plantlets.
New process for peracetic acid production from acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide based on kinetics and distillation mode
Authors: Liu Shuaifeng , Zhang Xiaojuan , Asselin Edouard , Li Zhibao
Published: January 2024

Reaction kinetics of peracetic acid from acetic acid and hydrogen
peroxide in a helical capillary microreactor was investigated and
modelled via regression of the measured conversion rate of hydrogen
peroxide. It was found that the activity of the proton in the sulphuric
acid solution played a significant role in the synthesis as a catalyst.
The activities of the proton were calculated with the ELECNRTL equation
and used to obtain a kinetic model with the apparent activation energy
of peracetic acid synthesis and hydrolysis of 53.63 and 54.45 kJ/mol,
respectively. A new continuous process for industrial manufacture of
peracetic acid solution (30 wt. %) was proposed, where the reacted
solution from the microreactor is distilled to separate unreacted
reactants and sulfuric acid which are recycled as feed. The feasibility
of the new process was validated by economic assessment.
Schr\”{o}dinger-Kirchhoff equations of fractional $p$-Laplacian involving logarithmic and critical nonlinearity
Authors: Lv Huilin , Zheng Shenzhou
Published: January 2024

For $00$, we consider a class of
Schr\”{o}dinger-Kirchhoff equations of fractional
$p$-Laplacian involving logarithmic nonlinearity and critical
exponential growth: \begin{equation*}
m\left( \left\Vert
u\right\Vert
^{p}\right) \left(
\left( -\Delta \right)
_{p}^{s}u+\lambda V\left(
x\right) \left\vert
u\right\vert
^{p-2}u\right) =\lambda
h\left( x\right)
\left\vert
u\right\vert ^{\theta
p-2}u\ln \left\vert
u\right\vert +\sigma
\left\vert
u\right\vert
^{p_{s}^{\ast }-2}u\quad
\mbox{in}\
\mathbb{R}^{n} \end{equation*}%
with \begin{equation*}
\left\Vert
u\right\Vert =\left(
\int_{\mathbb{R}^{2n}}\frac{\left\vert
u\left( x\right) -u\left(
y\right) \right\vert
^{p}}{\left\vert
x-y\right\vert
^{n+sp}}dxdy+\lambda
\int_{\mathbb{R}^{n}}V\left(
x\right) \left\vert
u\right\vert
^{p}dx\right) ^{1/p},
\end{equation*}% where
$p_{s}^{\ast }=np/\left(
n-sp\right) $, $1\leq
\theta