bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nasopharyngeal Rhabdomyosarcoma: A Rare Malignancy Incidentally Found in a Middle-Aged Male with a Diagnostic Dilemma
Authors: Asghar Muhammad Sohaib , Amir Mariam , Shariq Hiba , Khan Narmin , Hassan Maira , Jawed Rumael , Rasheed Uzma , Khalid Faran
Published: February 2022

Nasopharyngeal rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare tumour of the paediatric age group that emerges from embryonal mesenchymal cells. Presented here is a case of a 54-year-old male of Asian ethnicity with a notable history of weight loss, lack of energy, anal fissure, and haematochezia. After the incidental finding of a lytic lesion following imaging, the patient underwent an extensive work-up to rule out malignancy and increased uptake on nasopharynx was found, which was biopsied to diagnose a poorly differentiated tumour, having desmin and myogenin positivity on immunohistochemistry. Metastatic work-up showed extensive bone marrow invasion apart from multiple lytic bone lesions throughout the body. The patient was started on vincristine, actinomycin D (dactinomycin), and cyclophosphamide (VAC) protocol chemotherapy and was followed-up until two cycles were completed, with no evidence of disease remission.
Deep Learning Strategies for Ultrasound in Pregnancy
Authors: Diniz Pedro H. B. , Yin Yi , Collins Sally
Published: February 2022

Ultrasound is one of the most ubiquitous imaging modalities in clinical practice. It is cheap, does not require ionising radiation, and can be performed at the bedside, making it the most commonly used imaging technique in pregnancy. Despite these advantages, it does have some drawbacks such as relatively low imaging quality, low contrast, and high variability. With these constraints, automating the interpretation of ultrasound images is challenging. However, successfully automated identification of structures within three-dimensional ultrasound volumes has the potential to revolutionise clinical practice. For example, a small placental volume in the first trimester is correlated to adverse outcome later in pregnancy. If the placenta could be segmented reliably and automatically from a static three-dimensional ultrasound volume, it would facilitate the use of its estimated volume, and other morphological metrics, as part of a screening test for increased risk of pregnancy complications, potentially improving clinical outcomes.

Recently, deep learning has emerged, achieving state-of-the-art performance in various research fields, notably medical image analysis involving classification, segmentation, object detection, and tracking tasks. Due to its increased performance with large datasets, deep learning has garnered great interest relating to medical imaging applications. In this review, the authors present an overview of deep learning methods applied to ultrasound in pregnancy, introducing their architectures and analysing strategies. Some common problems are presented and some perspectives into potential future research are provided.
Graph Rewriting Techniques in Engineering Design
Authors: Kolbeck Lothar , Vilgertshofer Simon , Abualdenien Jimmy , Borrmann André
Published: February 2022

Capturing human knowledge underlying the design and engineering of products has been among the main goals of computational engineering since its very beginning. Over the last decades, various approaches have been proposed to tackle this objective. Among the most promising approaches is the application of graph theory for representing product structures by defining nodes representing entities and edges representing relations among them. The concrete meaning of these structures ranges from geometry representations over hierarchical product breakdowns to functional descriptions and flows of information or resources. On top of these graph structures, graph rewriting techniques provide another powerful layer of technology. By enabling the formal definition of rules for transforming graph structures, they allow on the one hand side to formally capture the engineering development process. On the other hand, the assembly of rewriting rules into graph grammars allows for an exhaustive search of the solution space of the engineering problem at hand. In combination with search strategies, an automated optimization of the design under given constraints and objectives can be realized. The paper provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art in graph rewriting and its applications in engineering design, with a focus on the built environment. It concludes with a discussion of the progress achieved and the missing research gaps.
Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Authors: Yu Qian , Qiao Guo-hong , Wang Min , Yu Li , Sun Yaoxiang , Shi Hui , Ma Tie-liang
Published: February 2022

Diabetic foot ulcer has become a worldwide clinical medical challenge as traditional treatments are not effective enough to reduce the amputation rate. Therefore, it is of great social significance to deeply study the pathogenesis and biological characteristics of the diabetic foot, explore new treatment strategies and promote their application. Stem cell-based therapy holds tremendous promise in the field of regenerative medicine, and its mechanisms include promoting angiogenesis, ameliorating neuroischemia and inflammation, and promoting collagen deposition. Studying the specific molecular mechanisms of stem cell therapy for diabetic foot has an important role and practical clinical significance in maximizing the repair properties of stem cells. In addition, effective application modalities are also crucial in order to improve the survival and viability of stem cells at the wound site. In this paper, we reviewed the specific molecular mechanisms of stem cell therapy for diabetic foot and the extended applications of stem cells in recent years, with the aim of contributing to the development of stem cell-based therapy in the repair of diabetic foot ulcers.
In Planta Production of the Receptor-Binding Domain From SARS-CoV-2 With Human Blood Group A Glycan Structures
Authors: König-Beihammer Julia , Vavra Ulrike , Shin Yun-Ji , Veit Christiane , Grünwald-Gruber Clemens , Gillitschka Yasmin , Huber Jasmin , Hofner Manuela , Vierlinger Klemens , Mitteregger Dieter , Weinhäusel Andreas , Strasser Richard
Published: February 2022

Glycosylation of viral envelope proteins is important for infectivity and immune evasion. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is heavily glycosylated and host-derived glycan modifications contribute to the formation of specific immunogenic epitopes, enhance the virus-cell interaction or affect virus transmission. On recombinant viral antigens used as subunit vaccines or for serological assays, distinct glycan structures may enhance the immunogenicity and are recognized by naturally occurring antibodies in human sera. Here, we performed an in vivo glycoengineering approach to produce recombinant variants of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) with blood group antigens in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. SARS-CoV-2 RBD and human glycosyltransferases for the blood group ABH antigen formation were transiently co-expressed in N. benthamiana leaves. Recombinant RBD was purified and the formation of complex N-glycans carrying blood group A antigens was shown by immunoblotting and MS analysis. Binding to the cellular ACE2 receptor and the conformation-dependent CR3022 antibody showed that the RBD glycosylation variants carrying blood group antigens were functional. Analysis of sera from RBD-positive and RBD-negative individuals revealed further that non-infected RBD-negative blood group O individuals have antibodies that strongly bind to RBD modified with blood group A antigen structures. The binding of IgGs derived from sera of non-infected RBD-negative blood group O individuals to blood group A antigens on SARS-CoV-2 RBD suggests that these antibodies could provide some degree of protection from virus infection.
Think Positive, be Positive: Expressive Writing Changes Young People’s Emotional Reactions Towards the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Mariën Sofie , Poels Karolien , Vandebosch Heidi
Published: February 2022

Combining the transactional model of stress and coping and expressive writing theory, this research studied whether writing on one’s personal experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic may improve young people’s emotional reactions to the situation. A standard expressive writing instruction was compared to a positive writing instruction (writing about the positive aspects) and a coping writing instruction (writing about previous experiences and how these are helpful to cope with the situation). The results showed that participants in the positive writing instruction experienced a significantly higher positive change in feelings in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison with participants in the other writing instructions. This relationship was not mediated by the relative contents of writing. The results can help in designing online social support interventions for coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and stressful events in general.
Comparison Between Hesperidin, Coumarin, and Deferoxamine Iron Chelation and Antioxidant Activity Against Excessive Iron in the Iron Overloaded Mice
Authors: Aalikhani Mahdi , Safdari Yagoub , Jahanshahi Mehrdad , Alikhani Mehrdad , Khalili Masoumeh
Published: February 2022

Objective

Iron accumulation in the brain leads to the development of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Nowadays, iron chelation therapy is the best way to decrease the side effects of iron and amyloid plaques accumulation. Iron chelators are commonly used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Previous studies have shown that natural products such as phenol and flavonoid compounds could chelate heavy metals. In the current study, we examined the iron chelation activity of hesperidin and coumarin on the brain tissue of iron-overloaded mice.

Methods

48 NMRI male mice were divided into eight groups (n = 6). Six groups were treated with iron dextran (100 mg/kg/day) four times a week for 6 weeks. After stopping the injections for a month, five groups of iron-overloaded mice were treated with hesperidin, coumarin, and desferal four times a week subsequent for four subsequent weeks. Finally, the mice were anesthetized, and blood samples were collected from the ventricle of the heart for subsequent examination. The brain tissues were isolated and fixed in the 4% paraformaldehyde solution for Perl’s staining.

Results

The results show that hesperidin and coumarin could strongly chelate excessive iron from the serum and deposit iron from the brain tissue compared to desferal group. Catalase and super oxidase activity were decreased in the iron-overloaded group, but in the treated group by hesperidin and coumarin, the enzyme’s activity was increased significantly.

Conclusion

Hesperidin and coumarin, as natural products, are powerful options to chelate iron ions and increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes.
Toward a Better Classification System for NK-LGL Disorders
Authors: Drillet Gaëlle , Pastoret Cédric , Moignet Aline , Lamy Thierry , Marchand Tony
Published: February 2022

Large granular lymphocytic leukemia is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by a clonal expansion of T-lineage lymphocyte or natural killer (NK) cells in 85 and 15% of cases respectively. T and NK large granular leukemia share common pathophysiology, clinical and biological presentation. The disease is characterized by cytopenia and a frequent association with autoimmune manifestations. Despite an indolent course allowing a watch and wait attitude in the majority of patients at diagnosis, two third of the patient will eventually need a treatment during the course of the disease. Unlike T lymphocyte, NK cells do not express T cell receptor making the proof of clonality difficult. Indeed, the distinction between clonal and reactive NK-cell expansion observed in several situations such as autoimmune diseases and viral infections is challenging. Advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis with the recent identification of recurrent mutations provide new tools to prove the clonality. In this review, we will discuss the pathophysiology of NK large granular leukemia, the recent advances in the diagnosis and therapeutic strategies.
Case Report: Severe Hypercalcemia Following Vitamin D Intoxication in an Infant, the Underestimated Danger of Dietary Supplements
Authors: Gérard Alexandre O. , Fresse Audrey , Gast Myriam , Merino Diane , Gourdan Pierre , Laurain Audrey , Margaritis Irène , Gauci Pierre-Alexis , Huret Fanny , Parassol Nadège , Rocher Fanny
Published: February 2022

Vitamin D supplementation is routinely introduced in infants, according to medical guidelines. However, vitamin D overdose can result in life-threatening hypercalcemia. We report the case of a 3-month-old infant who suffered from severe hypercalcemia. Upon detailed questioning of the parents, a vitamin D administration error has been identified. Indeed, the parents had followed the advice of their midwife. They substituted the prescribed medicinal vitamin D by a dietary supplement, different in concentration and dosing, without performing the dose conversion needed. In fact, many different medications and dietary supplements with vitamin D exist, offering various concentrations and units of measurement. This case highlights the pivotal role of therapeutic education. Broadly, there is a need for harmonization of the regulation and labeling of dietary supplements and medications containing vitamin D.
Generation Z Within the Workforce and in the Workplace: A Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Benítez-Márquez María Dolores , Sánchez-Teba Eva María , Bermúdez-González Guillermo , Núñez-Rydman Emma Sofía
Published: February 2022

This article aims to improve the knowledge on Generation Z as employees within workforce and in the workplace, as well as on the main thematic trends that drive the research on the topic. To this end, and using bibliometric techniques, a sample of 102 publications on this subject from Web of Science between 2009 and 2020 is analyzed. Research discusses the most published and most cited authors and journals to have a broad view of the context of the subject. Later, through a longitudinal view, the study mainly focuses on analyzing the evolution of thematic clusters, to assess the progress of the themes, as well as the network around the principal motor cluster of each period. The obtained results suggest a hardly developed topic, which started to draw attention in 2018, while still having a wide margin for growth. The core of research on the topic has evolved around “Generation-Z” “generations,” “workplace,” “management” and “attitudes,” “leadership,” “career,” or “learning-teaching-education,” although a low keyword stability among periods was noted. There is a need for further development on a variety of aspects regarding this generation and the labor market, as the study shows a clear orientation toward management and generational diversity within the workplace.
Promoting Mental Health and Criminal Justice Collaboration Through System-Level Partnerships
Authors: Kamin Don , Weisman Robert L. , Lamberti J. Steven
Published: February 2022

Recent high-profile deaths of unarmed individuals in police custody have raised concerns about the role of police officers in responding to people who are experiencing mental health crises. Of further concern, people with serious mental illness are highly over-represented throughout the entire criminal justice system including within jail, prison and community corrections populations. It is widely accepted that promoting mental health and criminal justice collaboration is a key to addressing these concerns. Promoting effective collaboration is challenging, however, due to fundamental differences in cultures and methods that exist between mental health and criminal justice service providers. To promote effective collaboration between service providers, a conceptual framework was recently published that divides the collaborative process into separate steps and outlines respective responsibilities at each step. Yet optimal collaboration between mental health and criminal justice service providers requires the support of their respective supervisors and agency heads. This paper extends previous work at the service provider level by applying the conceptual framework to promote effective collaboration at the systems level (i.e., between agencies). Barriers to inter-agency collaboration are discussed, and strategies for facilitating collaboration at each step of the collaborative process are presented.
Digital Media Use and Adolescents' Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Marciano Laura , Ostroumova Michelle , Schulz Peter Johannes , Camerini Anne-Linda
Published: February 2022

The Covid-19 physical distancing measures had a detrimental effect on adolescents' mental health. Adolescents worldwide alleviated the negative experiences of social distancing by spending more time on digital devices. Through a systematic literature search in eight academic databases (including Eric, Proquest Sociology, Communication & Mass Media Complete, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Pubmed, and Web of Science), the present systematic review and meta-analysis first summarized the existing evidence from 30 studies, published up to September 2021, on the link between mental health and digital media use in adolescents during Covid-19. Digital media use measures included social media, screen time, and digital media addiction. Mental health measures were grouped into conceptually similar dimensions, such as well-being, ill-being, social well-being, lifestyle habits, and Covid-19-related stress. Results showed that, although most studies reported a positive association between ill-being and social media use (r = 0.171, p = 0.011) and ill-being and media addiction (r = 0.434, p = 0.024), not all types of digital media use had adverse consequences on adolescents' mental health. In particular, one-to-one communication, self-disclosure in the context of mutual online friendship, as well as positive and funny online experiences mitigated feelings of loneliness and stress. Hence, these positive aspects of online activities should be promoted. At the same time, awareness of the detrimental effects of addictive digital media use should be raised: That would include making adolescents more aware of adverse mechanisms such as social comparison, fear of missing out, and exposure to negative contents, which were more likely to happen during social isolation and confinement due to the pandemic.
Olfactory Neuroblastoma: Surgical Treatment Experience of 42 Cases
Authors: Cai Xiao , Peng Zhouying , Zhang Hua , Fan Ruohao , Fang Yan , Xie Zhihai
Published: February 2022

Objective

Our purpose was to estimate the safety and effectiveness of the endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) in olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB) and determine whether preservation of the dura and olfactory bulb could be considered in selected patients.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed patients diagnosed with ONBs between July 2010 and June 2021 at our institution, and collected data on demographic, disease stage, surgical approach, overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and postoperative complications.

Results

The study sample included 42 patients (8 treated for recurrence and 34 initial cases), 28 of which were men and 14 were women with a median age of 47.19 years. The mean duration from the beginning of treatment and follow-up time was 8.91 and 51 months, respectively. Among the 42 patients, 32 had unilateral lesions, and the rest had bilateral lesions. Patient symptoms were predominantly nasal, and four patients presented without any symptoms. The modified Kadish staging was A in three patients, B in 14 patients, C in 17 patients, and D in 8 patients. According to the preoperative examinations, five patients had cervical lymph node metastasis, and no patients had distant metastases. EEA was used in 38 patients, cranioendoscopic approach in 3, and open craniofacial approach in 1. The 5-year OS and DFS rates were 89.1 and 79.2%, respectively. The 2-year OS and DFS rates were both 89.1%. The overall surgical complication incidence was 9.52% (one cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea, one cervical hematoma, and two epileptic seizures).

Conclusion

The present results support the importance of earlier treatment for advanced ONB and the fact that it is safe and efficacious to treat ONBs via EEA. The preservation of the dura can be considered for select patients—specifically those without skull base involvement and who underwent postoperative comprehensive therapy.
Clinical Observation of Comfort Nursing Combined With Continuous Nursing Intervention After Discharge on Improving Pressure Ulcers, Falls, Quality of Life, and Prognosis in Patients With Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Authors: Wang Ji Min , Liu Zhen , Liu Hongxia
Published: February 2022

In this prospective study, we randomly divided 131 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) who met the inclusion criteria into two groups. One group received routine nursing during hospitalization, and the “Stroke Prevention Knowledge Manual” was issued before discharge, and was recorded as the control group (n = 61); one group received comfort nursing during hospitalization, and implemented continuous nursing after discharge, and was recorded as the research group (n = 70). The indicators we observed were the occurrence of pressure ulcers and falls during the hospitalization of the two groups of patients and the improvement in neurological function, limb function, quality of life, ability of daily living, and emotional state after the intervention. We also compared the disability degree of the two groups 6 months after discharge, the readmission status within 6 months of discharge, and the nursing satisfaction after the intervention. Our conclusion is that comfort nursing combined with continuous nursing intervention after discharge can effectively reduce the occurrence of pressure ulcers and falls during the nursing period of patients with ICH and contribute to the improvement of their quality of life and prognosis. It is worthy of clinical promotion.
Modelling of Mechanical Properties of Fresh and Stored Fruit of Large Cranberry Using Multiple Linear Regression and Machine Learning
Authors: Gorzelany Józef , Belcar Justyna , Kuźniar Piotr , Niedbała Gniewko , Pentoś Katarzyna
Published: February 2022

The study investigated the selected mechanical properties of fresh and stored large cranberries. The analyses focused on changes in the energy requirement up to the breaking point and aimed to identify the apparent elasticity index of the fruit of the investigated large cranberry fruit varieties relating to harvest time, water content, as well as storage duration and conditions. After 25 days in storage, the fruit of the investigated varieties were found with a decrease in mean acidity, from 1.56 g⋅100 g−1 to 1.42 g⋅100 g−1, and mean water content, from 89.71% to 87.95%. The findings showed a decrease in breaking energy; there was also a change in the apparent modulus of elasticity, its mean value in the fresh fruit was 0.431 ± 0.07 MPa, and after 25 days of storage it decreased to 0.271 ± 0.08 MPa. The relationships between the cranberry varieties, storage temperature, duration of storage, x, y, and z dimensions of the fruits, and their selected mechanical parameters were modeled with the use of multiple linear regression, artificial neural networks, and support vector machines. Machine learning techniques outperformed multiple linear regression.
Influence of Various Composted Organic Amendments and Their Rates of Application on Nitrogen Mineralization and Soil Productivity Using Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa. L. var. Chinensis) as an Indicator Crop
Authors: Suruban Charlie , Kader Md. Abdul , Solaiman Zakaria M.
Published: February 2022

There is a diversity of locally available nitrogen (N)-rich organic materials in Samoa. However, none of them was evaluated for their N supplying capacity after composting in Samoan Inceptisols for vegetable cultivation. Thus, N-releasing capacity of five composted organic amendments (OAs) namely macuna, gliricidia, erythrina, lawn grass and giant taro, and their two application rates (10 and 20 t ha−1) were assessed through a laboratory incubation and a crop response study using Chinese cabbage as a test crop. Among the OAs, composted mucuna was characterized by a higher total N (2.91%), organic C (63.6%) and NO3−N content (341 mg N kg−1). A significant difference in N mineralization was observed among the OAs as well as application rates. The highest N mineralization was recorded in composted mucuna followed by gliricidia, erythrina, lawn grass, and giant taro. A crop response study also showed a similar trend. Mucuna treatment had the highest biomass yield and N uptake followed by gliricidia, erythrina, lawn grass, and giant taro. Leguminous composted OAs @ 20 t ha−1 performed substantially better in all the plant growth and yield parameters, and N uptake compared to 10 t ha−1 that was not the case for non-leguminous OAs. Thus, non-leguminous OAs should be applied at 10 t ha−1. All the composted leguminous OAs showed promising results while mucuna was the best in both the application rates. Therefore, mucuna can be promoted to supply N for crop cultivation in Samoa, other Pacific Islands and tropical countries where N fertilizer is costly and not easily available.
Green Payment Programs and Farmland Prices—An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Lee Tzong-Haw , Lee Brian , Su Yi-Ju , Chang Hung-Hao
Published: February 2022

Research has examined the impact of green payment programs on agricultural and economic outcomes such as agricultural productivity and farm income. However, it is unclear whether these policies are capitalized into farmland prices. This paper provides some of the first evidence on the causal impact of green payment programs on farmland prices based on evidence from Taiwan. Using administrative farmland transactions data with the ordinary least squares (OLS) method and the semi-parametric smooth coefficient model (SCM), we find that green payment programs increase farmland prices by an average of 3.9 percentage points in townships that implemented the policy. Moreover, the program’s effects on farmland prices are not homogenous, varying by farmland size. The magnitude of this effect is more pronounced on rural farmland prices and across quantiles of the farmland size distribution.
Iron Chelate Improves Rooting in Indole-3-Butyric Acid-Treated Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) Stem Cuttings
Authors: Izadi Zeinab , Rezaei Nejad Abdolhossein , Abadía Javier
Published: February 2022

Adventitious root formation in stem cuttings is affected by exogenous and endogenous factors. The study assessed the effect of Fe(III)-EDDHA (ethylenediamine-N,N-bis 2-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid) on the rooting of 4 indol-3-butyric acid (IBA)-treated hardwood cuttings of the aromatic and medicinal species Rosmarinus officinalis. Cuttings treated with 0, 1000, 2000 or 3000 mg L−1 IBA were placed in pots filled with sand:perlite mixture and irrigated daily with nutrient solution pH 5.8, containing 0, 5, 10 or 20 µM Fe(III)-EDDHA. Ten days later, the number of new emerging roots were recorded. After 20 days, leaf photosynthetic pigments and morphological traits, including root number, fresh (FW) and dry weight (DW), shoot FW and DW, mean length of the longest roots, number of new shoots and new growth in old shoots, were measured. Finally, plants were transplanted to pots filled with a sand:soil mixture and survival was measured after 10 days. Results indicate that Fe application promotes root emergence and improves root and shoot biomass, leaf photosynthetic pigment concentrations and survival percentage. This indicates that using low concentrations of Fe(III)-EDDHA (5–20 µM) in the growth medium could be a good management strategy to facilitate the production of vigorous R. officinalis plants from hardwood cuttings.
Prescribing Patterns and Variations of Antibiotic Use for Children in Ambulatory Care: A Nationwide Study
Authors: Galistiani Githa Fungie , Benkő Ria , Babarczy Balázs , Papp Renáta , Hajdu Ágnes , Szabó Éva Henrietta , Viola Réka , Papfalvi Erika , Visnyovszki Ádám , Matuz Mária
Published: February 2022

The aim of this study was to analyse characteristics of paediatric antibiotic use in ambulatory care in Hungary. Data on antibiotics for systemic use dispensed to children (0–19 years) were retrieved from the National Health Insurance Fund. Prescribers were categorised by age and specialty. Antibiotic use was expressed as the number of prescriptions/100 children/year or month. For quality assessment, the broad per narrow (B/N) ratio was calculated as defined by the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption (ESAC) network. Paediatric antibiotic exposure was 108.28 antibiotic prescriptions/100 children/year and was the highest in the age group 0–4 years. Sex differences had heterogenous patterns across age groups. The majority of prescriptions were issued by primary care paediatricians (PCP). The use of broad-spectrum agents dominated, co-amoxiclav alone being responsible for almost one-third of paediatric antibiotic use. Elderly physicians tended to prescribe less broad-spectrum agents. Seasonal variation was found to be substantial: antibiotic prescribing peaked in January with 16.6 prescriptions/100 children/month, while it was the lowest in July with 4 prescriptions/100 children/month. Regional variation was prominent with an increasing west to east gradient (max: 175.6, min: 63.8 prescriptions/100 children/year). The identified characteristics of paediatric antibiotic use suggest that prescribing practice should be improved.
Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Hepato-Biliopancreatic Surgery—A Systematic Review
Authors: Steccanella Francesca , Amoretti Paolo , Barbieri Maria Rachele , Bellomo Fabio , Puzziello Alessandro
Published: February 2022

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are among the most important determinants of morbidity after HBP surgery. Their frequency after HPB surgery is variable, from 1–2% after elective cholecystectomy to 25% after PD. Methods: A systematic review was performed to assess the role of antimicrobial prophylaxis (AP) in HPB elective surgery. Articles published between 2015 and 2021 were obtained; those before 2015 were not included because they antedate the WHO guidelines on SSI prevention. We conducted three different research methods for liver resection, elective cholecystectomy and pancreatic and biliary surgery regarding patients requiring preoperative biliary drainage. Results: Hepatic surgery, improvement in surgical technique and perioperative management lead to a very low SSI. One preoperative 2 g cefazolin dose may be adequate for surgical prophylaxis. From preoperative biliary drainage, we can derive that patients’ homeostasis rather than AP plays a paramount role in reducing postoperative morbidity. The time from biliary drainage could be an essential element in decision making for surgical prophylaxis. In the case of low-risk cholecystectomy, it is not easy to draw definitive conclusions about the effect of AP. Data from the literature are inconsistent, and some risk factors cannot be predicted before surgery. Conclusion: in our opinion, a strict preoperative cefazolin dose strategy can be reasonable in HBP surgery until a large-scale, multicentric RCT brings definitive conclusions.
Oxidative Stress and Cellular Senescence Are Involved in the Aging Kidney
Authors: Marquez-Exposito Laura , Tejedor-Santamaria Lucia , Valentijn Floris A. , Tejera-Muñoz Antonio , Rayego-Mateos Sandra , Marchant Vanessa , Rodrigues-Diez Raul R. , Rubio-Soto Irene , Knoppert Sebastiaan N. , Ortiz Alberto , Ramos Adrian M. , Goldschmeding Roel , Ruiz-Ortega Marta
Published: February 2022

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) can be considered as a clinical model for premature aging. However, non-invasive biomarkers to detect early kidney damage and the onset of a senescent phenotype are lacking. Most of the preclinical senescence studies in aging have been done in very old mice. Furthermore, the precise characterization and over-time development of age-related senescence in the kidney remain unclear. To address these limitations, the age-related activation of cellular senescence-associated mechanisms and their correlation with early structural changes in the kidney were investigated in 3- to 18-month-old C57BL6 mice. Inflammatory cell infiltration was observed by 12 months, whereas tubular damage and collagen accumulation occurred later. Early activation of cellular-senescence-associated mechanisms was found in 12-month-old mice, characterized by activation of the DNA-damage-response (DDR), mainly in tubular cells; activation of the antioxidant NRF2 pathway; and klotho downregulation. However, induction of tubular-cell-cycle-arrest (CCA) and overexpression of renal senescent-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) components was only found in 18-month-old mice. In aging mice, both inflammation and oxidative stress (marked by elevated lipid peroxidation and NRF2 inactivation) remained increased. These findings support the hypothesis that prolonged DDR and CCA, loss of nephroprotective factors (klotho), and dysfunctional redox regulatory mechanisms (NRF2/antioxidant defense) can be early drivers of age-related kidney-damage progression.
Identification of Regulatory Factors and Prognostic Markers in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Authors: Sun Hualin , Li Ming , Ji Yanan , Zhu Jianwei , Chen Zehao , Zhang Lilei , Deng Chunyan , Cheng Qiong , Wang Wei , Shen Yuntian , Shen Dingding
Published: February 2022

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive degeneration of motor neurons, leading to muscle atrophy, paralysis and even death. Immune disorder, redox imbalance, autophagy disorder, and iron homeostasis disorder have been shown to play critical roles in the pathogenesis of ALS. However, the exact pathogenic genes and the underlying mechanism of ALS remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to screen for pathogenic regulatory genes and prognostic markers in ALS using bioinformatics methods. We used Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and expression regulation network analysis to investigate the function of differentially expressed genes in the nerve tissue, lymphoid tissue, and whole blood of patients with ALS. Our results showed that the up-regulated genes were mainly involved in immune regulation and inflammation, and the down-regulated genes were mainly involved in energy metabolism and redox processes. Eleven up-regulated transcription factors (CEBPB, CEBPD, STAT5A, STAT6, RUNX1, REL, SMAD3, GABPB2, FOXO1, PAX6, and FOXJ1) and one down-regulated transcription factor (NOG) in the nerve tissue of patients with ALS likely play important regulatory roles in the pathogenesis of ALS. Based on construction and evaluation of the ALS biomarker screening model, cluster analysis of the identified characteristic genes, univariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, and the random survival forest algorithm, we found that MAEA, TPST1, IFNGR2, and ALAS2 may be prognostic markers regarding the survival of ALS patients. High expression of MAEA, TPST1, and IFNGR2 and low expression of ALAS2 in ALS patients may be closely related to short survival of ALS patients. Taken together, our results indicate that immune disorders, inflammation, energy metabolism, and redox imbalance may be the important pathogenic factors of ALS. CEBPB, CEBPD, STAT5A, STAT6, RUNX1, REL, SMAD3, GABPB2, FOXO1, PAX6, FOXJ1, and NOG may be important regulatory factors linked to the pathogenesis of ALS. MAEA, TPST1, IFNGR2, and ALAS2 are potential important ALS prognostic markers. Our findings provide evidence on the pathogenesis of ALS, potential targets for the development of new drugs for ALS, and important markers for predicting ALS prognosis.
Maximal Bite Force Measured via Digital Bite Force Transducer in Subjects with or without Dental Implants—A Pilot Study
Authors: Levartovsky Shifra , Peleg Gitit , Matalon Shlomo , Tsesis Igor , Rosen Eyal
Published: February 2022

The aims of the current study were as following: (1) to evaluate the maximal bite forces in patients with dental implants versus patients without dental implants, as measured by a digital bite force transducer (GM10); (2) to evaluate the influences of sex, age, and sleep/awake bruxism on the maximal bite forces of the two groups. Forty patients recruited to the study were divided into two groups: test group (“implant”) if they had one or more posterior restored implants and control group (“no-implant”) without the presence of posterior dental implants. A digital bite fork (GM10) was used to measure the bite forces from three posterior occluding pairs in all participants. Differences in the mean values between the test and control groups and between different sexes were evaluated using one-way and two-way ANOVA tests. A cross-tabulation analysis was conducted to identify a trend line between the groups. There was no significant difference in the maximal bite force between the test and control groups (p = 0.422), but the cross-tabulation analysis revealed a clear trend of a stronger representation of the “no-implant” group at higher occlusal forces. A significant difference was detected between the maximal biting forces of male and female subjects (p = 0.030 in the implant group, p = 0.010 in the no-implant group), regardless of the experimental group. The presence of bruxism and clenching did not influence the bite force values (p = 0.953), and a significant difference was not found between the age groups (p = 0.393). Within the limitations of this study, it may be assumed that there was no significant difference between the maximal bite forces between patients with and without dental implants but that there was a trend line implicating a stronger representation of the “no-implant” group at higher forces. In addition, the results revealed a significant sex-related difference in the maximal occlusal force. Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted.
State Analysis of the Water Quality in Rivers in Consideration of Diffusion Phenomenon
Authors: Gomolka Zbigniew , Twarog Boguslaw , Zeslawska Ewa
Published: February 2022

The waters of rivers are not only used for consumption, industry and agriculture but have also found their way into the transport and energy generation sectors. Many disturbances introduced into the aquatic environment are of the natural variety, which are the result of “admixtures” contained in water, e.g., through contact with soil, and of man-made types, which are directly related to humanities destructive influences. In the presented examinations, the most important processes affecting the spread and transport of these pollutants are taken into account, i.e., advection and diffusion. The authors present observations on the influence of the diffusion phenomenon on river flow modelling processes. Such an approach allows for the separation of the dynamics of water flow and the dynamics of transport of the dissolved substance mass. Specifically, phenomena occurring in relation to spatial coordinates, time and variable parameter values in the proposed mathematical model were analysed. Ultimately, this research will contribute to the correct design and implementation of a complementary diffusion module as an extension to an intelligent water quality control and monitoring system. The Intelligent Analytical Computing Control System architecture under development already includes other modules such as the Intelligent Filtration and Prediction Module and, complemented by the Intelligent Diffusion Module, provides a complementary tool for monitoring river hydromorphology. Implementation of the above solution will help to improve water quality, thus preventing and eliminating the appearance of undesirable pollutants in rivers, and increase the standard of living in the current threatened environmental world.
Analysis of Upper Limbs Target-Reaching Movement and Muscle Co-Activation in Patients with First Time Stroke for Rehabilitation Progress Monitoring
Authors: Konieczny Mariusz , Pakosz Paweł , Domaszewski Przemysław , Błaszczyszyn Monika , Kawala-Sterniuk Aleksandra
Published: February 2022

In this paper, the authors analysed changes occurring during the rehabilitation processes in patients after early stroke based on analysis of their upper limbs’ target-reaching movement and muscle co-activation. Ischemic stroke often results in reduced mobility of the upper extremities and frequently is a cause for long-term disability. The ever-developing technology of 3D movement analysis and miniaturisation of equipment for testing the bioelectrical activity of muscles can help to assess the progress of rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to examine the use of analysis of target-reaching movement indicators and muscle co-activation for diagnosing the rehabilitation process in post-stroke patients. Twenty ischemic stroke patients in the early post-stroke phase (up to three months after the stroke), and twenty healthy subjects (the control group) took part in the experiments. The novel approach of the proposed research proved the usefulness of this approach in the diagnosis of the rehabilitation efficiency of rehabilitation in early post-stroke phase patients.
Assessment of Mineralization, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation Mechanisms in the Pulp of Primary Teeth
Authors: Kritikou Konstantina , Imre Marina , Tanase Mihaela , Vinereanu Arina , Ripszky Totan Alexandra , Spinu Tudor-Claudiu , Miricescu Daniela , Stanescu-Spinu Iulia-Ioana , Bordea Marilena , Greabu Maria
Published: February 2022

Inflammation in primary teeth (PT) is commonly associated with a lower sensibility to painful stimuli, compared to permanent teeth, and usually leads to late presentation for dental treatment. Data obtained on the molecular assessments of dental pulp and clinical examinations could guide practitioners to conduct precise diagnoses and correct treatments. The aim of our pilot study was to assess the levels of several biomarkers (e.g., mineralization, oxidative stress, and inflammation) in primary teeth. The research included 46 dental pulp specimens collected from the primary teeth of children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 12. The experimental groups consisted of 18 samples collected from primary teeth with acute pulpitis and 15 samples from chronically inflamed pulp tissues. The control group was represented by 13 specimens acquired from clinically healthy primary teeth. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was used to determine the protein expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), superoxide dismutase-3 (SOD-3), osteocalcin, and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in the lysates. Our results revealed that all of the studied parameters presented statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) increased levels in both experimental groups compared to the control samples. Furthermore, osteocalcin presented statistically significant increased concentrations in chronically- versus acute-inflamed pulp samples (p ≤ 0.05). The studied molecules may have an influential role in acute and chronic pulp inflammation in primary teeth.
Predicting Objective Response Rate (ORR) in Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor (ICI) Therapies with Machine Learning (ML) by Combining Clinical and Patient-Reported Data
Authors: Iivanainen Sanna , Ekström Jussi , Virtanen Henri , Kataja Vesa V. , Koivunen Jussi P.
Published: February 2022

ICIs are a standard of care in several malignancies; however, according to overall response rate (ORR), only a subset of eligible patients benefits from ICIs. Thus, an ability to predict ORR could enable more rational use. In this study a ML-based ORR prediction model was built, with patient-reported symptom data and other clinical data as inputs, using the extreme gradient boosting technique (XGBoost). Prediction performance for unseen samples was evaluated using leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV), and the performance was evaluated with accuracy, AUC (area under curve), F1 score, and MCC (Matthew’s correlation coefficient). The ORR prediction model had a promising LOOCV performance with all four metrics: accuracy (75%), AUC (0.71), F1 score (0.58), and MCC (0.4). A rather good sensitivity (0.58) and high specificity (0.82) of the model were seen in the confusion matrix for all 63 LOOCV ORR predictions. The two most important symptoms for predicting the ORR were itching and fatigue. The results show that it is possible to predict ORR for patients with multiple advanced cancers undergoing ICI therapies with a ML model combining clinical, routine laboratory, and patient-reported data even with a limited size cohort.
Effect of Process Parameters on Distortions Based on the Quantitative Model in the SLM Process
Authors: Zou Sheng , Pang Libao , Xu Chang , Xiao Xinyi
Published: February 2022

The selective laser melting (SLM) process provides a more extensive design space and manufacturability. However, it is still hindered by its inaccuracy in dimension and functionality. The distortion in the SLM process affects the dimensional accuracy of the component and may even hinder the SLM process. Still, the distortion mechanism has not been well explained; specifically, the effects from the process parameters and scan strategies on the distortion have not been sufficiently investigated. In this study, a quantitative model that considers displacements, plastic strains, and thermal strains on each layer is developed to analyze the distortion mechanism. The distortion is found to be induced by a residual stress gradient among the layers. Then, a transient numerical method calculates residual stress, plastic strain, and distortion in the SLM process. Different simulations with various layers, scanning speeds, stiffness of support structures, and scan strategies are performed to study the relationship between process parameters and distortion. It can be found that the distortion decreases as the height increases. The distortion increases with the scanning speed, reaching the maximum at 700 mm/s and then dropping. We concluded that increasing the stiffness of the support structures is beneficial to reduce the distortion and changing the scanning direction among layers is useless to reduce the distortion. This study gives a theoretical model to analyze the distortion and provides guidance for reducing distortions in the SLM process.
Spatial Audio Scene Characterization (SASC): Automatic Localization of Front-, Back-, Up-, and Down-Positioned Music Ensembles in Binaural Recordings
Authors: Zieliński Sławomir K. , Antoniuk Paweł , Lee Hyunkook
Published: February 2022

The automatic localization of audio sources distributed symmetrically with respect to coronal or transverse planes using binaural signals still poses a challenging task, due to the front–back and up–down confusion effects. This paper demonstrates that the convolutional neural network (CNN) can be used to automatically localize music ensembles panned to the front, back, up, or down positions. The network was developed using the repository of the binaural excerpts obtained by the convolution of multi-track music recordings with the selected sets of head-related transfer functions (HRTFs). They were generated in such a way that a music ensemble (of circular shape in terms of its boundaries) was positioned in one of the following four locations with respect to the listener: front, back, up, and down. According to the obtained results, CNN identified the location of the ensembles with the average accuracy levels of 90.7% and 71.4% when tested under the HRTF-dependent and HRTF-independent conditions, respectively. For HRTF-dependent tests, the accuracy decreased monotonically with the increase in the ensemble size. A modified image occlusion sensitivity technique revealed selected frequency bands as being particularly important in terms of the localization process. These frequency bands are largely in accordance with the psychoacoustical literature.