bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantifying the Impacts of Stern and Diffuse Layer Polarization on Multi-Frequency Dielectric Permittivity and Electrical Conductivity of Rock-Fluid Systems
Authors: Posenato Garcia Artur , Heidari Zoya
Published: October 2020

A thorough understanding of the interplay between polarization mechanisms is crucial for interpretation of electrical measurements because sub-MHz electrical measurements in sedimentary rocks are dominated by interfacial polarization mechanisms. However, rock-physics models oversimplify pore-network geometry and the interaction of electric double layers (EDL) pertaining to adjacent grains. The impact of these simplifications on the assessment of petrophysical properties, such as hydrocarbon reserves, is difficult to quantify and often unknown. Numerical algorithms present the ideal framework to characterize the electrical response of sedimentary rocks, circumventing the limitations intrinsic to rock-physics models. Our recently developed algorithm simulates the interactions of electric fields with the ions in solution. However, a model for the polarization mechanism associated with the Stern layer has not been developed. The sub-kHz permittivity enhancement in sedimentary rocks is dominated by Stern layer polarization. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to develop a numerical simulation framework capable of quantifying the influence of Stern- and diffuse-layer polarization, temperature, ion concentration, and pore-network geometry on multi-frequency complex electrical measurements.

We developed a numerical simulator to compute time-dependent behavior of electric field, ion concentration, and interfacial polarization mechanisms in sedimentary rocks. The algorithm numerically solves the Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) equations in the time domain conjointly with a mineral-dependent electrochemical adsorption/desorption equilibrium model. Then, we use the numerical simulator to perform a sensitivity analysis to quantify the influence of electrolyte and interfacial properties on the permittivity of pore-scale samples at different frequencies. Results demonstrated that the joint effect of Stern layer ion concentration and corresponding mobility dominates sub-MHz dielectric response of rocks. The low-frequency permittivity enhancement due to the EDL can sweep several orders of magnitude. The Stern layer polarization acts as a macroscopic (i.e., at the grain scale) dipole created by counterions wading around the surface of the grains due to an externally applied electric field. Therefore, the grain shape and corresponding orientation relative to the electric field significantly affect the behavior of macroscopic Stern layer dipoles. Reliable interpretation of multi-frequency electrical measurements can provide insights in mineralogy, fluid typing, grain size, and interfacial properties. Time-domain numerical modeling of complex permittivity dispersion can greatly enhance interpretation of multi-frequency dielectric measurements.
Using Data Analytics to Improve Drilling Rate of Penetration
Authors: Eade Jeremy
Published: October 2020

It takes an average of 7 days to drill through the Travis Peak formation in the southern Haynesville basin. The objective of this paper was to improve the rate of penetration (ROP) and therefore reduce the time taken to drill through this formation. Machine learning and regression models were applied to electronic drilling record data and identified that the auto-driller ROP setpoint was the most influential variable ROP for wells drilled in the Travis Peak formation. This finding was corroborated during field visits with well site leaders and drillers with the discovery that ROP was being used as the controlling setpoint in the auto-driller system for drilling in the Travis Peak and Calvin Sand formations.

After discussion with the rig provider, a new set of auto-driller parameters was proposed using weight on bit as the controlling setpoint with the objective of increasing the rate of penetration. The new auto-driller parameter roadmap was piloted on two wells.

ROP performance for these two wells was significantly better than the nearest offset and other offsets in the nearby area. The drilling team estimate about two days per well time saved as a result of the improved ROP.
Regenerative Practice for Oil and Gas
Authors: Moon Flora
Published: October 2020

While the industry is actively looking to increase efficiency, mitigate and remediate outcomes of extractive practices, there is a shift in requirement for the license to operate – from sustainability (balancing harm) to regeneration (giving more than taking). The sustainability phase continuum can be described as making moves from recycling to sustainability to regeneration. Movement through the phases may be thought of in terms of doing less harm to the planet (everything in it and on it) to giving more than taking from the planet. By mapping activities to specific phases, a representative picture of key current and potential areas/technologies for regenerative industry practice could provide mechanisms and strategies for evolving sustainability/regenerative enterprise strategies. The key takeaway: Improving resource efficiency efforts through nature-based solutions and regeneration of social and environmental conditions will materially increase positive impacts including lower carbon footprints.
Geomechanical Well Testing: A New Methodology for Interpretation of Pressure Transient Testing Data for Geomechanical Applications
Authors: Rafieepour Saeed , Baldino Silvio , Miska Stefan , Ozbayoglu Evren , Zhang Jianguo
Published: October 2020

Rock mechanics triaxial tests and well logs are the main source for determination of mechanical properties of reservoir. These methods obtain values for mechanical properties corresponding to parts of the formation close to the well area. The experimental approach is much more limited as the coring operation is costly and is performed in a handful of appraisal/exploratory wells. Here, a novel methodology, geomechanical well testing, is presented to estimate the elastic and plastic mechanical properties using pressure transient testing. In the first part of the paper, the theory of poroelasticity was utilized to develop a geomechanical well testing technique, which attains estimation of reservoir's poroelastic properties. The technique is on the basis of developing a diffusivity equation incorporating mechanical deformation into the fluid transport in porous media and via applying different mechanical boundary conditions, one can obtain several closed-form solutions for storage coefficient. The developed storage coefficients, however, include Poisson's ratio (PR) as the target variable to estimate from conventional well testing. As a verification, a case study was conducted using the pressure transient data from a sandstone aquifer. Adopting the conventional well testing principles, three different values for PR were obtained. The first impression to this point was to decide which value is the most representing value for the aquifer under investigation. We envisioned two methods for this critical step: 1) comparison of obtained PR values from the geomechanical well testing technique with the one estimated via another reliable source such as well log/seismic and/or 2) comparison of pressure-time measurements with available numerical simulations. We took this finding for granted and devise a way to obtain an estimation of dominant boundary conditions of a reservoir. Once the dominant deformational behavior was assessed, the technique may be re-implemented along with future well testing measuements to monitor the evolutions of elastic properties during the life of reservoir. The second part of the paper deals with another geomechanical well testing technique, which provides a tool for estimation of strength properies through developing a generalized diffusivity equation using poroplasticity theory with a plastic potential function based on Mohr-Coulomb yield/failure criterion. An analytical solution was obtained under uniaxial strain assumption, which can be used to estimate internal friction angle or dilation angle.
Investigating Deposition of Nanocatalysts in Porous Media for Catalytic Downhole Upgrading Processes
Authors: Khoshooei Milad Ahmadi
Published: October 2020

A recently proposed in-reservoir upgrading method, called In-Situ Upgrading Technology (ISUT) integrates both downhole upgrading and recovery enhancement in one single process. This method employs catalytic nanoparticles of nickel and molybdenum (NiMo) which are dispersed in vacuum residue (VR), the lowest quality fraction of oil. The dispersed nanocatalyst in VR along with hydrogen are then injected in the reservoir to carry out hydroprocessing reactions. The upgraded liquid and produced gases displace the oil-in-place towards the production well. Therefore, it is important to investigate the deposition of nanoparticles and the correlation with the injected hydrocarbon molecules in porous medium.

In this study, a continuous setup was designed and constructed to investigate the deposition of nanoparticles in a sandpack that mimics the oilsand reservoirs. The VR containing nanocatalysts was injected to decorate the sandpack with catalyst. The operating conditions were set to 350 °C, 1000 psig (7 MPag) and 48 hr of residence time. Once certain concentration of catalyst was deposited in the sandpack, the process was stopped and the sandpack was taken and cut in ten sections for analysis. A comprehensive post-mortem analysis including investigation of catalytic particle deposition as well as characterization of the entrapped hydrocarbons in each segment was carried out.

It was already observed that the particles irreversibly and totally retain in the porous medium in ISUT process. In this work, an attempt to correlate the deposition of catalyst mechanism with the hydrocarbons that might help the deposition process was performed. It is assumed that the polar components, mainly asphaltenes, play a key role in carrying the catalytic particles and allow them to deposit. Several implicit and explicit analysis were performed to investigate this assumption in this work. Results showed that the sections containing the highest concentration of catalyst contain heavier molecules such as asphaltenes.
Digital Oil Field: Real Time pH Monitoring and Automatic Neutralization System Using Smart Phone/Watch/PC and Microcontroller in Hydrogen Sulfide Formations
Authors: Alhandhal Hussein Basim
Published: October 2020

In the last decade, the oil and gas industry has been extended in direction of Digital Oilfield (DOF) approaches (i.e. using smart phone/watch, historians and data management) in many fields such as drilling and health-safety-environment, to improve efficiency and reduce cost. DOF helps in real-time data transfer, monitoring, data cleaning and processing, interpretation, and visualization to make an optimal decision. Moreover, the DOF system has an ability to self-learning via feeding the labeled historical data to update the entire model.

Monitoring, surveillance, diagnostic and modeling management can be made by a person(s) observing the job remotely, rather than locally, with potential for significant cost savings by cooperating various experts to data analysis. Also, real-time system creates continuous well performance monitoring system, thus the system provided a platform for better understanding of the effects of the reservoir behavior which could be reflected on optimizing production operations and enhanced health, safety and environment.

In this project, a controlling system is used to maintain and treat pH of drilling mud, as well as using smart devices to monitor the data at real time. This paper describes a lab-scale flow loop drilling system with real-time monitoring and treatment systems for mud H2S contamination control. The readings of the pH level, electrical conductivity, and pH neutralization chemical valve opening are real-time monitored and control remotely via Internet by using a smart phone to view the streamed data to authorized person as trends for each parameter/sensor.

The results show, the proposed system monitors the streamed data for detectable events and triggers automated notifications to personnel who are ‘following’ the job. In this manner, an operator can be alerted when the H2S is indicated by a significant change in EC accompanied by decreasing pH, an automatic mud treatment control system, and monitored by the smart devices, activates to restore and maintain a targeted pH value.

The presence of H2S in hydrogen sulfide bearing formations introduces significant risks due to its extreme toxicity and its corrosive effects on drilling rig equipment. To ensure protection of drilling operation personnel, a real-time pH/EC monitoring system is developed using a remote and smart control unit that could send alerts and control the treatment process while simulating and monitoring H2S influx on smart phone and smart watch.

This project demonstrates the usage of an edge technology in petroleum industry that meets future aspirations of oil and gas industry, which is represented by the self-learning system that could improve the results and increase its accuracy by using the continuous feed of data to the system database.
Multi-Scenario Well Placement Optimization under Uncertainty in Waterflooding
Authors: Ivan Patrick
Published: October 2020

Data uncertainty adds extra complexity in reservoir simulation of large and heterogeneous fields. Such complexity leads to higher consumption of time and effort in optimization study, e.g. in determining optimum well placement. Developing a systematic methodology to deal with any data uncertainty is critical to improve the reliability of such optimization study.

In this study, we present a new methodology to optimize well placement configuration under uncertainty in waterflood design. As the waterflood performance is highly influenced by its timing, multiple scenarios were defined with varying injection starting time. Through this new methodology, we have successfully optimized all scenarios and determined the optimum time to start the waterflood.
Quantifying Formation Damage Due to Drilling Through Constructing Electro-Facies Model from WFT Data and Suite of Well Logs
Authors: Mabrouk Ibrahim
Published: October 2020

Quantifying Formation Damage due to drilling can be of a great importance as it affects the decision whether to perform production stimulation or not. In order to calculate formation damage, a well test is usually performed which will require a long sequence of high cost operations that will cause a delay in the start of production. This research aims to present a new approach through which Formation Damage can be calculated by using permeability and pressure data acquired through wireline formation tester (WFT) along with the conventional well logs. The approach is applied on Sitra field that is located in the Egyptian western desert. The reservoir of interest is a middle cretaceous oil-bearing sandstone reservoir that was penetrated by 70 wells.

The first step was building permeability model that is based on the WFT mobility data. Permeability data points acquired along with the calculated porosity were used to divide the reservoir into different hydraulic flow units (HFUs). Using the mud weight and the WFT pressure data, the drilling overbalance pressure is calculated for each well and only the ones with minimum drilling overbalance were used in this step.

The next step was creating electro-facies model for the reservoir through indexed and probabilized self-organizing map (IPSOM) using a suite of lithology-indicating well logs analysed to their principal components then associating these electro-facies to the HFUs. Porosity-Permeability relationships were then derived for each HFU and used to calculate continuous Permeability data curves for all of the wells in the field per each electro-facies. This model now presents the original reservoir Permeability around each well without being disturbed by formation damage due to the drilling process.

Difference between the model Permeability and the one calculated from the WFT, (ΔK), was then plotted as a function of the overbalance (ΔP) and a relation between (ΔK) and (ΔP) is derived. In the depleted wells, the permeability reduction was higher than the initial pressure wells. Using this equation, (ΔK) can be quantified for each formation pressure with knowing the mud weight. The results were then compared to the production data before and after performing hydraulic fracturing and the results were analysed.

Through this approach, quantitative value of the Formation Damage can be calculated without any well tests performed which saves time and cost. Finally, a cut-off value for the formation damage that requires production stimulation is estimated from wells history and by plotting (ΔK) as a function of (ΔP) we can design the mud weight to keep the formation damage below this value which will eliminate the need for stimulation since it will hugely minimize the cost of the completing the well.
Upscaling Process for Nanofluids Usage for Heavy Oil Mobility Enhancement: Experimental Design and Field Trial Application
Authors: Montes Daniel
Published: October 2020

Heavy oil (HO) production and transportation has been one of the major concerns for the oil and gas industry in recent years. In this sense, nanotechnology has raised as a promising solution for enhancing heavy oil mobility at surface and subsurface conditions. However, its implementation in real field applications at midstream conditions is still underexplored. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to expose the methodology applied for carrying out an upscaling from a technology readiness level (TRL) of 3 up to a TRL–8 for the nanotechnology implementation at a real field application, going through the experimental design and the initial field trial results. Thereby, nanoparticles of different chemical nature and textural properties such as surface area and diameter were evaluated in HO viscosity reduction. A nanofluid composed of the nanoparticles with the best performance and a carrier fluid was designed and the viscosity reduction was assessed again as well as the treatment perdurability. Finally, a field trial application in a Colombian field was carried out through a continuous capillary-injection of the nanofluid (with a concentration of 1000 mg/L of nanoparticles), reducing its dosage from 3200 to 2700 mg/L. The initial rheological measurements were performed with a fixed concentration of 1000 mg/L of the nanoparticles. The results showed a trend between the viscosity reduction and the nanoparticles adsorptive capacity as higher values (30% of reduction) were obtained with the material that leads to a higher amount adsorbed of asphaltenes. The nanofluid evaluation showed a treatment perdurability enhancement compared to the carrier fluid alone as it was observed a viscosity increase of 26 and 116% for the HO-nanofluid and the HO-carrier fluid mixtures, respectively after 10 days. From the field trial application, it was observed a viscosity reduction of at least 60% which was maintained through time due to the continuous nanofluid injection. Furthermore, well-testing exhibited an oil production rate increase of 10%. At last, a rigorous economic analysis was made, which indicated that the process profits would yield the 400,000 USD per year for a single well application, while several operational expenses would be reduced derived from naphtha consumption reduction in the upstream and midstream stages.
An Evaluation of Ignition Criteria for Crude Oil Combustion in Porous Media
Authors: Yunan Li
Published: October 2020

The objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the performance of different ignition criteria. This is critical to the ignition envelope prediction under various operational conditions. There are four ignition criteria proposed, and the uncertainty quantification is conducted to discuss their performance.

A base case simulation model is constructed to represent the kinetic cell in lab. The chemical reaction model is calibrated based on the Ramped Temperature Oxidation (RTO) measurements with the Xinjiang oil sample. The next step is to do ignition tests under various operational conditions with this calibrated simulation model. It is necessary and important to define ignition with appropriate criteria. Method 1 takes advantage of a pre-defined temperature threshold value as a criterion. Method 2 and Method 3 make improvements to define the threshold value based on distribution of the temperature and reaction energy, respectively. Ideally, the histogram will show a bi-modal distribution of the selected indicators, separating ignition and extinction into different groups. The threshold values based on histograms enhance the accuracy of ignition potential characterization. An unsupervised machine learning algorithm is applied to further improve ignition criteria without defining a threshold value. K-Means algorithm can learn the patterns and features of the simulation results and identify ignition or extinction status.

The results show that the predicted ignition envelopes from all criteria follow a similar trend. The air flow rate window to ignite the oil shrinks with increasing heat loss rate. Although Method 1 provides a straightforward criterion, it over estimates the ignition capability of the oil. This means Method 1 can incorrectly recognize the extinction cases to be ignition. Method 2 and Method 3 show comparable performance on ignition envelope prediction. However, Method 2 can slightly over estimate the ignition potential when the air flow rate is low. The uncertainty regions of ignition envelopes based on Method 2 and Method 3 are reduced compared to Method 1. The ignition envelope from Method 4 is very close to Method 2 and Method 3. It indicates Method 4 can successfully separate the ignition and no ignition cases using this machine learning algorithm. Method 4 further improves the ignition criteria because it is not necessary to determine a particular threshold value.

The novelty of this work is the application of the machine learning algorithm (K-Means) to identify ignition status. The performance of new ignition criteria is introduced, discussed, and evaluated.
Multi-tissue transcriptome analysis using hybrid-sequencing reveals potential genes and biological pathways associated with azadirachtin A biosynthesis in neem (Azadirachta indica)
Authors: Wang Huiyan , Wang Ning , Huo Yixin
Published: October 2020

Background: Azadirachtin A is a triterpenoid from neem tree exhibiting excellent activities against over 600 insect species in agriculture. The production of azadirachtin A depends on extraction from neem tissues, which is not an eco-friendly and sustainable process. The low yield and discontinuous supply of azadirachtin A impedes further applications. The biosynthetic pathway of azadirachtin A is still unknown and is the focus of our study. Results: We attempted to explore azadirachtin A biosynthetic pathway and identified the key genes involved by analyzing transcriptome data from five neem tissues through the hybrid-sequencing (Illumina HiSeq and Pacific Biosciences Single Molecule Real-Time (SMRT)) approach. Candidates were first screened by comparing the expression levels between the five tissues. After phylogenetic analysis, domain prediction, and molecular docking studies, 22 candidates encoding 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC), alcohol dehydrogenase, cytochrome P450 (CYP450), acyltransferase, and esterase were proposed to be potential genes involved in azadirachtin A biosynthesis. Among them, two unigenes encoding homologs of MaOSC1 and MaCYP71CD2 were identified. A unigene encoding the complete homolog of MaCYP71BQ5 was reported. Accuracy of the assembly was verified by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and full-length PCR cloning. Conclusions: By integrating and analyzing transcriptome data from hybrid-seq technology, 22 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were finally selected as candidates involved in azadirachtin A pathway. The obtained reliable and accurate sequencing data provided important novel information for understanding neem genome. Our data shed new light on understanding the biosynthesis of other triterpenoids in neem trees and provides a reference for exploring other valuable natural product biosynthesis in plants.
Effectiveness of a Pathway-driven eHealth-based Integrated Care Model (PEICM) for community-based hypertension management in China: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Wang Zheyu , Li Chengling , Huang Wencai , Chen Yan , Li Yuqiong , Huang Libin , Zhang Mei , Wu Dan , Wang Li , Duan Huilong , An Jiye , Deng Ning
Published: October 2020

Background: The prevalence of hypertension is high and increasing in China in recent years. The treatment and control of hypertension calls for long-term management beyond hospital, which is hard to implement in traditional care settings. Integrated care combined with information technology can promote high-quality healthcare services across the life-course. However, few studies have applied a customized integrated care model in community-based hypertension management in China, catering to the emerging "three-manager" mode. This study aims to identify the effectiveness of a pathway-driven eHealth-based integrated model that implemented as a full-featured telehealth system to facilitate standardized management of hypertension in China.Methods: The trial has been designed as a one-year, non-blinded superiority trial with two parallel groups. A total of 402 hypertensive patients who meet the eligibility criteria will be recruited and randomized with a 1:1 allocation. All the participants will receive a mobile device for self-management, which is a part of our telehealth system. Participants in the control group will only use the device for BP measurement and receive regular follow-ups from care providers according to the guidelines. Participants in the intervention group will gain full access to the system and receive intervention based on the proposed model (a well-designed coordinated care pathway consisting of 9 tasks). Outcomes will be measured mainly on three occasions (at inclusion, at 6 months and at 12 months). The primary outcome is mean change in systolic blood pressure over a 12-month period. Secondary outcomes include changes in diastolic blood pressure, biochemical indexes related to hypertension, lifestyles, self-management adherence and hypertension awareness, as well as work efficiency of care providers.Discussion: This study aims to investigate whether a pathway-driven eHealth-based integrated care model based on the "three-manager" mode will improve hypertension control in China. Success of the model would help improve the quality of present community-based management procedures and benefit more patients with uncontrolled hypertension.Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1900027645, registered on November 22, 2019.
External Validation of the Detection of Indicators and Vulnerabilities for Emergency Room Trips (DIVERT) Scale: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Mowbray Fabrice Immanuel , Jones Aaron , Schumacher Connie , Hirdes John , Costa Andrew Paul
Published: October 2020

Background: The Detection of Indicators and Vulnerabilities of Emergency Room Trips (DIVERT) scale was developed to classify and estimate the risk of emergency department (ED) use among home care clients. The objective of this study was to externally validate the DIVERT scale in a secondary population of home care clients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study, linking data from the Home Care Reporting System and the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System. Data were collected on older long-stay home care clients who received a RAI Home Care (RAI-HC) assessment. Data were collected for home care clients in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Alberta, as well as in the cities of Winnipeg, Manitoba and Whitehorse, Yukon Territories between April 1, 2011 and September 30, 2014. The DIVERT scale was originally derived from the items of the RAI-HC through the use of recursive partitioning informed by a multinational clinical panel. This scale is currently implemented alongside the RAI-HC in provinces across Canada. The primary outcome of this study ED visitation within six months of a RAI-HC assessment. Results: The cohort contained 1,001,133 home care clients. The vast majority of cases received services in Ontario (88%), followed by Alberta (8%), Winnipeg (4%), and Whitehorse (<1%). Across the four cohorts, the DIVERT scale demonstrated similar discriminative ability to the original validation work for all outcomes during the six-month follow-up: ED visitation (AUC =0.617 - 0.647), two or more ED visits (AUC = 0.628 - 0.634), and hospital admission (AUC = 0.617 - 0.664). Conclusions: The findings of this study support the external validity of the DIVERT scale. More specifically, the predictive accuracy of the DIVERT scale from the original work was similar to the accuracy demonstrated within a new cohort, created from different geographical regions and time periods.
Simplified sigmoidal curve fitting for a 6 MV FFF photon beam of Halcyon to determine the field size for beam commissioning and quality assurance
Authors: Choi Min-Geon , Law Martin , Yoon Do-Kun , Tamura Mikoto , Matsumoto Kenji , Otsuka Masakazu , Kim Moo-Sub , Djeng Shih-Kien , Monzen Hajime , Suh Tae Suk
Published: October 2020

Background : An O-ring gantry-type linear accelerator (Linac) with a 6 MV flattening filter-free (FFF) photon beam, Halcyon, includes a reference beam containing the representative information regarding the percent depth dose, profile, output factor, etc. for commissioning and quality assurance. However, because it does not provide the information of the field size, we proposed a method to determine all field sizes according to all depths for radiation therapy using simplified sigmoidal curve fitting (SCF).
Methods : After a mathematical definition of the SCF using four coefficients, the defined curves were fitted to both the reference and measured data. For a high agreement between the fitting curve and the profiles in each data set, the field sizes were determined by identifying the maximum point along the third derivative of the fitting curve. The curve fitting included the field sizes for beam profiles of 2 × 2, 4 × 4, 6 × 6, 8 × 8, 10 × 10, 20 × 20 and 28 × 28 cm 2 as a function of depth (at 1.3, 5, 10, 20 cm). The results of the field size from the reference data were compared with the results in the measured data using the same condition.
Results : All fitting curves show values of goodness of fit, R 2 , better than 0.99. The differences in the field size between the reference data and the measured data were within the range of 0 to 0.2 cm. The lowest difference in the field sizes at a depth of 10 cm, which is a surface-to-axis distance, was reported.
Conclusion : The application of the SCF has been proven to accurately obtain the field size of the preconfigured reference and of the measured FFF photon beam data for the Halcyon system. The current work can be useful for beam commissioning as a counte-rcheck methodology to determine the field size from the reference data in the treatment planning system of a newly installed Halcyon system and for the routine quality assurance to ascertain the correctness of field sizes clinically used with the Halcyon system.
TNFAIP8 inhibits gastric cancer proliferation by mTOR-Akt-ULK1 and autophagy signal pathway
Authors: Chen Zheng , Zhang Jianguo , Dong Chenyang , Li Dongsheng , Yin Yuehan , Yu Wenhai , Chen Yuezhi
Published: October 2020

Background: The purpose of this article was to study the role of TNFAIP8 in gastric cancer.Methods: RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of TNFAIP8 mRNA and protein level in normal gastric mucosa cells and four gastric cancer (GC) cell lines. TNFAIP8 was silenced or overexpressed in two cell lines, CCK-8 cell viability was used, transwell experiment was used to detect cell invasion capability, and flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis. TNFAIP was silenced or overexpressed in a cell line, and nude mice were inoculated to form transplanted tumors. HE staining and immunohistochemistry staining were used to detect the histopathological changes of tumors. Results: The mRNA and protein expression of TNFAIP8 was significantly up-regulated in GC patients and cells. After silencing and overexpressing TNFAIP8, GC cells with high expression increased, apoptosis decreased, and cell invasion increased. Expression of mTOR-Akt-ULK1 signal pathway was inhibited and autophagy signal was activated. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that TNFAIP8 inhibited GC cells by inhibiting mTOR-Akt-ULK1 signal pathway and activating autophagy signal.
Hand injuries in sports – a retrospective analysis of 364 cases
Authors: Stoegner Viola-Antonia , Kaltenborn Alexander , Laser Hans , Vogt Peter Maria
Published: October 2020

Background: Hand injuries are common in sports and associated with high drop-out rates and costs. Hence, efforts should strive for further risk prevention measures in order to increase safety in sports. This implies knowledge of sports injury risk profiles. So far, major surveillance programs exist mainly in Anglo-American countries, reflecting the specific concerns of sports in this part of the world. Data on sports injuries within Europe are scarce. As sports behavior appears to vary demographically, we hypothesised that risk injury profiles differ as well. Methods: To assess, whether the described sports injuries of the hand, published internationally, are applicable to the German population, we performed a five-year retrospective, single-center analysis of sports-related hand injuries, using the data of the Enterprise Clinical Research Warehouse of the Hannover Medical School.Results: Notable differences in comparison to other data were observed. Ball sports, cycling and equestrian sports caused most of the recorded hand injuries, which were predominantly fractures of the wrist and hand. Hand injuries in equestrian sports were associated with significantly higher operation and hospitalisation rates as well as a significantly longer inpatient treatment. Conclusion: Risk profiles for sports-related hand injuries appear to differ not only age- and sex-dependent, but also geographically. National as well as European hand trauma registries as well as a broad registry participation are necessary in order to accurately assess these risk patterns in the European latitudes and hence reduce hand injuries and the sequelae.
Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio as a predictor for diagnosis of early Periprosthetic Joint Infection
Authors: Yu BaoZhan , Fu Jun , Chai Wei , Hao LiBo , Chen Jiying
Published: October 2020

Background: Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a catastrophic complication after total knee or hip arthroplasty. The diagnosis of PJI is very difficult, especially in the early postoperative period. The value of the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is useful for diagnosing infectious diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate the accuracy of the NLR for the diagnosis of early PJI after total knee or hip arthroplasty.Methods: We retrospectively evaluated consecutive primary total knee or hip arthroplasty and identified the patients who readmitted within the first 90 days postoperatively between January 2011 and October 2018.There were 20 cases diagnosed early PJI and 101 uninfected cases on the basis of the modified Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) criteria. The serum parameters including C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood-cell (WBC) count, NLR and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were compared between the two groups. Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to estimate the optimal cutoff values for each parameter.The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for each parameter were calculated.Results: The CRP, ESR, WBC, NLR and IL-6 values were all significally higher in the infected group than the uninfected group. The median of CRP was 66.6 mg/l in the infected group and 8.6mg/l in the uninfected group (p<0.001). The median of ESR was 34.8 mm/hr in the infected group and 17.4mm/hr in the uninfected group (p<0.001). In the infected group and uninfected group, the median of WBC was 8.2X109 /L and 6.1 X109 /L (p = 0.002), respectively; while the median of NLR was 5.2 and 2.1 (p<0.001). The median of IL-6 was 46pg/ml and 6.4pg/ml (p<0.001),respectively. The best parameter for the diagnosis of early PJI was IL-6 (AUC=0.814) followed by the NLR (AUC =0.802), CRP (AUC =0.793), ESR (AUC =0.744) and WBC (AUC = 0.632).Conclusions: This study is the first to show that NLR values are more accurate than CRP and may be considered as useful parameters for the diagnosis of early PJI because it is a cheap and convenient parameter to be calculated in daily practice without extra costs.
Evidence of vector borne transmission of Salmonella enterica enterica serovar Gallinarum and fowl typhoid disease mediated by the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778)
Authors: Cocciolo Giulio , Circella Elena , Pugliese Nicola , Lupini Caterina , mescolini Giulia , Catelli Elena , Borchert-Stuhlträger Monika , Zoller Harmut , Thomas Emmanuel , Camarda Antonio
Published: October 2020

Background: The poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778) is a major ectoparasite of poultry. Infestations are found in most laying hen farms in Europe, and breeder flocks have also been reported to be affected. Mite infestation has detrimental effects on animal welfare, it causes significant economic losses, and, additionally, D. gallinae is often considered as a vector for pathogens. Despite suspicion of a close relationship between the poultry red mite and Salmonella enterica enterica serovar Gallinarum biovar Gallinarum ( S. Gallinarum), the causative agent of fowl typhoid disease (FT), there has been no definitive proof of mite-mediated transmission. Therefore, an investigation was conducted to determine if D. gallinae -mediated transmission of S. Gallinarum could be demonstrated among four different hen groups. Methods: Two groups of 8 hens (A and B) were experimentally infected with S. Gallinarum in two isolators. After 7 days, when birds showed signs of FT, about 25,000 mites were introduced. After 3 days, mites were harvested and used to infest two other hen groups of 8 (C and D), in two separate isolators. The health status of hens was constantly monitored; detection and quantification of S. Gallinarum were performed by PCR and qPCR from mites and organs of dead hens. The maximum likelihood estimation of the infection rate and mite vectorial capacity were calculated. Results: Clinical disease was observed in groups infected with S. Gallinarum (A and B) and in hens of groups C and D infested with mites harvested from the isolators containing groups A and B. In all 4 groups, S. Gallinarum was detected from liver, spleen, ovary, and cecum of hens, thus confirming the diagnosis of FT. Mite analysis demonstrated the presence of the pathogen, with an estimated infection rate ranging between 13.72 and 55.21 infected per thousand mites. Vectorial capacity was estimated to be 73.79. Conclusions: Mites harvested from birds infected with S. Gallinarum were shown to carry the mite, and then to transfer S . Gallinarum to isolated groups of pathogen-free birds that subsequently showed signs of FT. Mite vectorial capacity was high, demonstrating that D. gallinae should be considered an effective vector of FT.
Beagle dog 90-day oral toxicity study of a novel coccidiostat – ethanamizuril
Authors: Zhang Keyu , Wang Xiaoyang , Wei Shuya , Wang Chunmei , Wang Mi , Liu Yingchun , Zhang Lifang , Xue Feiqun , Tang Shusheng
Published: October 2020

Background: Triazine coccidiostats are widely used in chickens and turkeys for coccidiosis control. Ethanamizuril is a novel triazine compound that exhibits anticoccidial activity in poultry. This study evaluated the subchronic toxicity of ethanamuzuril in beagle dogs administered ethanamizuril by diet at doses of 12, 60 or 300 mg/kg/day for 90 days.Results: Ethanamizuril was well tolerated at low and middle dosages and in these dose groups there were no ethanamizuril related effects on survival, clinical observations, clinical pathology parameters, organs weight, macroscopic or microscopic evaluations. The ethanamizuril related changes were limited to effects on food consumption and histologic changes of kidneys in the 300 mg/kg/day group in both sexes. However, renal lesions resolved in dogs given ethanamizuril at 300 mg/kg/day when evaluated four weeks after the end of exposure.Conclusions: Therefore, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) was considered to be 60 mg/kg/day, the middle dosage level tested. These results add to the safety database for ethanamizuril with potential for use as a novel coccidiostat.
SKP1 promotes YAP-mediated colorectal cancer stemness via suppressing RASSF1
Authors: Tian Cong , Lang Tingyuan , Qiu Jiangfeng , Han Kun , Zhou Lei , Min Daliu , Zhang Zhiqi , Qi Dachuan
Published: October 2020

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been recognized as an important drug target, however, the underlying mechanisms have not been fully understood. SKP1 is a traditional drug target for cancer therapy, while, whether SKP1 promotes colorectal cancer (CRC) stem cells (CRC-SCs) and the underlying mechanisms have remained elusive.Methods: Human CRC cell lines HCT-116 and HT-29 and primary human colorectal cancer cells were used in this study. Gene manipulation was performed by lentivirus system. The mRNA and protein levels were examined by qRT-PCR and western blot, respectively. Sphere formation and transwell assay were employed for examination of sphere-forming and migration capacities. The self-renewal capacity was determined by limiting dilution assay. The tumorigenicity was examined by xenograft model. The transcriptional activities of the promoters were examined by luciferase reporter assay. Co-immunoprecipitation assay was used to test protein-protein interaction. The transcription and protein-DNA interaction were examined by nuclear run-on and ChIP-PCR assay. The relationship between gene expression and survival was analyzed by Kaplan-meier analysis. The correlation between two genes was analyzed by Spearman analysis. Data are represented as mean ± s.d. and the significance was determined by Student’s t-test.Results: SKP1 is upregulated in colorectal cancer stem cells and predicts poor prognosis of colon cancer patients. Overexpression of SKP1 promotes the sphere-forming and migration capacities as well as self-renewal of CRC cells, and upregulates the expression of CSCs markers. In contrast, SKP1 depletion produces the opposite effects. SKP1 strengthens YAP activity and knockdown of YAP abolished the effect of SKP1 on the stemness of colorectal cancer cells. SKP1 suppresses RASSF1 at both mRNA and protein levels and overexpression of RASSF1 abolished the effect of SKP1.Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that SKP1 suppresses RASSF1 at both mRNA and protein level, attenuates Hippo signaling, activates YAP, and thereby promoting the stemness of CRC cells. Our works thus revealed a novel underlying mechanism of CRC-SCs maintenance and suggested a novel drug target for eradicating CRC-SCs.
Case management after acquired brain injury compared to care as usual: study protocol for a two-year pragmatic randomized controlled superiority trial with two parallel groups
Authors: Stiekema Annemarie , Resch Christine , Donkervoort Mireille , Jansen Natska , Jurrius Kitty HM , Zadoks Judith M , Heugten Caroline M van
Published: October 2020

Background: People with acquired brain injury may suffer from cognitive, emotional and behavioural changes in the long term. Continuity of care is often lacking, leading to a variety of unmet needs and hindering psychosocial functioning from the occurrence of brain injury up to years thereafter. Case management aims to prevent (escalation of) problems and to facilitate timely access to appropriate services. In other populations, case management has shown to improve psychosocial well-being. In this study, we aim to evaluate the feasibility of case management after acquired brain injury and its effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, compared to care as usual. Methods: This is a pragmatic randomized controlled superiority trial with two parallel groups and repeated measures in adults with ABI and their family, taking place between November 2019 and December 2021 in three provinces in the Netherlands. Participants will be randomly allocated to either the case management group, receiving case management from hospital discharge up to two years thereafter, or the control group, receiving care as usual. Effectiveness will be evaluated every six months for 18-24 months by patient-reported psychosocial well-being (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation-Participation (USER-P) restriction subscale and the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LiSat)), self-management (Patient Activation Measure (PAM)) and care needs (Longer-term Unmet Needs after Stroke (LUNS)). Family outcomes include self-efficacy (Carer Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES)), caregiver burden (Caregiver Strain Index (CSI)), psychosocial well-being (LiSat, HADS), family needs (Family Needs Questionnaire (FNQ)). Feasibility will be evaluated using qualitative methods, assessing fidelity, dose delivered, dose received, reach, recruitment and context. Cost-effectiveness will be determined by the EQ-5D-3L and service use.Discussion: At the moment there is no integrated health care service for people with acquired brain injury and their family members in the long-term. If case management is shown to be feasible and (cost)-effective, it could bridge the gap between patients’ and families’ needs and the available services. Trial registration: Netherlands Trial Register, NL8104. Registered 22 October 2019, https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/8104.
Analysis of low-dose estrogen on callus BMD as measured by pQCT in postmenopausal women
Authors: Jäckle Katharina Blanka Dr. , Kolb Jan Philipp , Schilling Arndt F , Schlickewei Carsten , Amling Michael , Rueger Johannes M , Lehmann Wolfgang
Published: October 2020

Background: Osteoporosis affects elderly patients of both sexes. It is characterized by an increased fracture risk due to defective remodeling of the bone microarchitecture. It affects in particular postmenopausal women due to their decreased levels of estrogen. Preclinical studies with animals demonstrated that loss of estrogen had a negative effect on bone healing and that increasing the estrogen level led to a better bone healing. We asked whether increasing the estrogen level in menopausal patients has a beneficial effect on bone mineral density (BMD) during callus formation after a bone fracture.Methods: To investigate whether estrogen has a beneficial effect on callus BMD of postmenopausal patients, we performed a prospective double-blinded randomized study with 76 patients suffering from distal radius fractures. A total of 31 patients (71.13 years ± 11.99) were treated with estrogen and 45 patients (75.62 years ± 10.47) served as untreated controls. Calculated bone density as well as cortical bone density were determined by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) prior to and six weeks after the surgery. Comparative measurements were performed at the fractured site and at the corresponding position of the non-fractured arm.Results: We found that unlike with preclinical models, bone fracture healing of human patients was not improved in response to estrogen treatment. Furthermore, we observed no dependence between age-dependent bone tissue loss and constant callus formation in the patients.Conclusions: Transdermally applied estrogen to postmenopausal women, which results in estrogen levels similar to the systemic level of premenopausal women, has no significant beneficial effect on callus BMD as measured by pQCT, as recently shown in preclinical animal models.Trial registration: Low dose estrogen has no significant effect on bone fracture healing measured by pQCT in postmenopausal women, DRKS00019858. Registered 25th November 2019 - Retrospectively registered. Trial registration number DRKS00019858.