bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hip-Spine Relationship: Thoracolumbar Deformation in a Patient with Limited Hip Flexion
Authors: Margalit Adam , Sponseller Paul D.
Published: April 2021

Case:

We describe thoracolumbar kyphosis with severe vertebral deformation in a 13-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, hip extension contractures, and history of hip flexion-adduction releases.

Conclusion:

Patients with cerebral palsy and hip extension contractures may develop thoracolumbar kyphosis to maintain sitting balance. It is important to recognize hip extension contractures as the underlying cause of the compensatory kyphosis and to be familiar with treatment options that address the hips and the spine.
Pyoderma Gangrenosum After Total Hip Arthroplasty Associated with Administration of Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor
Authors: Mizushima Masaki , Miyoshi Hayao , Yonemori Koji
Published: April 2021

Case:

A 69-year-old woman with myelodysplastic syndrome-related pancytopenia was administered granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) before total hip arthroplasty to prevent postoperative infection. One week postoperatively, she developed peri-incisional ecchymosis and associated leukocytosis. Over the next few weeks, surgical site infection was suspected; however, dermatologist evaluation and subsequent biopsy supported a diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum, which resolved after prompt steroid administration.

Conclusion:

Postoperative pyoderma gangrenosum should be included in the differential diagnosis when considerable postoperative ecchymosis and leukocytosis occur, particularly after preoperative G-CSF administration.
Hip Dislocation After Correction for Scoliosis in an Adolescent with Angelman Syndrome
Authors: Metoki Yukie , Iwase Dai , Fukushima Kensuke , Uchiyama Katsufumi , Saito Wataru , Takaso Masashi
Published: April 2021

Case:

Although scoliosis is common in Angelman syndrome (AS), there are no reports of hip dislocation as a complication of scoliosis surgery. We experienced a case of hip dislocation after posterior spinal instrumentation and fusion from T4 to L5 because of scoliosis progression in an adolescent girl with AS. Postoperatively, posterior dislocation of the left hip occurred; after closed reduction, instability remained. Thus, periacetabular osteotomy was performed (left hip), with good clinical outcomes.

Conclusion:

Especially in cases of abnormal muscle tone, a loss of spinal flexibility because of extensive spinal fixation may result in secondary pathologies of the hip joint.
Novel Biomarkers for Diagnosing Periprosthetic Joint Infection from Synovial Fluid and Serum
Authors: Keemu Hannes , Vaura Felix , Maksimow Anu , Maksimow Mikael , Jokela Aleksi , Hollmén Maija , Mäkelä Keijo
Published: April 2021

Background:

Synovial fluid bacterial culture is the cornerstone of confirmation or exclusion of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). The aim of this study was to assess synovial fluid and serum biomarker patterns of patients with total joint arthroplasty (TJA), and the association of these patterns with PJI.

Methods:

Synovial fluid and serum samples were collected from 35 patients who were admitted to the Arthroplasty Unit of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at Turku University Hospital. Of the 25 patients who were included in the study, 10 healthy patients with an elective TJA for osteoarthritis served as the control group, and 15 patients who were admitted due to clinical suspicion of PJI with local redness, swelling, wound drainage, pain, and/or fever and who had a positive synovial fluid bacterial culture served as the study group. Logistic regression was used to assess the ability of 37 biomarkers (including cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors) with commercially available tests to detect PJIs.

Results:

In synovial fluid, the concentrations of sTNF-R1 and sTNF-R2 (soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors 1 and 2) and BAFF (B-cell activating factor, also known as TNFSF13B) were significantly higher in the PJI group (p < 0.002). In serum, the sTNF-R1 concentration was significantly higher in the PJI group, whereas the TWEAK (tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis) and osteocalcin concentrations were significantly lower (p < 0.002). The sensitivity for detecting PJI using synovial fluid was 1.00 for sTNF-R2, 0.93 for sTNF-R1, and 0.87 for BAFF/TNFSF13B. The specificity of all 3 synovial markers was 1.00. The sensitivity using serum was 0.80 for TWEAK, 0.73 for sTNF-R1, and 0.80 for osteocalcin. The specificity of all 3 serum markers was 1.00.

Conclusions:

Synovial sTNF-R2 is a promising new biomarker for detecting PJI. We are not aware of any previous reports of the use of sTNF-R2 in PJI diagnosis. More research is needed to assess the clinical importance of our findings.

Level of Evidence:

Diagnostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
PENERAPAN ALGORITMA FP-GROWTH DALAM MENENTUKAN KECENDERUNGAN MAHASISWA MENGAMBIL MATA KULIAH PILIHAN
Authors: Tahir Muhlis , Sitompul Noferianto
Published: April 2021

Mata Kuliah Pilihan adalah mata kuliah yang boleh dipilih oleh mahasiswa dari daftar yang disediakan perguruan tinggi. Ada perguruan tinggi yang mengizinkan mata kuliah pilihan dari program studi berbeda ada pula yang justru mewajibkan. Mata kuliah pilihan ini ada karena guna memenuhi SKS yang menjadi target dan untuk mendalami lebih kanjut mata kuliah yang memang diminati Salah satu permasalahan yang sering dijumpai pada persoalan penilaian mata kuliah adalah banyaknya mata kuliah pilihan yang disediakan, sehingga mahasiswa bingung dalam memilih mata kuliah yang memang cocok dengan mereka. Frequent Pattern Growth (FP Growth) adalah salah satu alternatif algoritma yang dapat digunakan untuk menentukan himpunan data yang paling sering muncul (frequent itemset) dalam sebuah kumpulan data dengan algoritma FP-Growth dalam menganalisa data mata kuliah pilihan untuk mendapatkan pola kecenderungan Mahasiswa dalam memilih mata kuliah. Untuk melakukan penggalian dari data mata kuliah pilihan, penulis menggunakan sebuah algoritma yang menjadi dasar dari algoritma-algoritma yang lain yaitu frequent pattern growth (FP-Growth). Hasil yang didapatkan akan selalu berbeda dan bergantung kepada input user pada saat pembuatan aturan. Sistem pendukung keputusan ini memproses data transaksi mata kuliah mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Komputer, dan menghasilkan aturan dan yang memenuhi minimum support dan minumum confidence serta yang banyak pemilihan adalah sistem pendukung keputusan, teknologi IoT, desain grafis, sistem informasi pendidikan game edukasi, pemrograman CMS, Data Mining yaitu sebesar 100%
Recent Technological Advances Provide Highly Efficient and Reduced Risk Solutions for Conveying Wireline Formation Evaluation Toolstrings in Deepwater Operations
Authors: McCormick Stephen , Thatha Rajesh , Leonard Martin , Escott Samuel , Sedgwick Adam , LeCompte Brian , Zuliani Paulo , Naveena-Chandran Rohin
Published: April 2021

Obtaining high resolution, quality formation evaluation data is still only possible with wireline logging. However, with the continued push into deeper and more complex drilling environments, many challenges have been placed in the way of wireline logging, including high tension, high deviation, and increased differential pressure. These factors contribute to an increased risk of tool sticking incidents and lost-in-hole scenarios. Several methods of mitigating these issues on surface (powered capstans, pipe conveyance, etc) have been implemented in the past, but none have been successful in reducing or eliminating the risk downhole without introducing further drawbacks.

This paper describes how a new wireline conveyance system has eliminated these issues. The conveyance system consists of wheeled carriages that carry the toolstring off-centre. The mass of the toolstring acts as a counterweight to ensure correct tool orientation in the wellbore. This orientation feature also enables a "guide" device to help navigate ledges and washouts. Such a system eliminates toolstring hold ups, allows access to highly deviated wells without pipe conveyance or tractors, and significantly mitigates differential sticking hazards, while also offering additional benefits in operational efficiency and data quality.

A case study from a particularly difficult well in New Zealand is presented. Data acquisition in this well was fraught with challenges: In addition to the 2000m tangent section at 67° deviation, well had severe borehole breakouts. Previous experience in similar scenarios with conventional data acquisition methods yeided poor results. The wheeled carriage system was deployed in multiple innovative configurations resulting in the acquisition of excellent quality data from five wireline descents in hole.

This wireline conveyance system has been routinely deployed on multiple deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico. One such operation is presented where large gains in logging efficiency have been realised, particularly with the elimination of differential sticking risk and time-consuming pipe conveyed logging.

The new technology takes a holistic approach to wireline tool conveyance: Prevent sticking issues using wheeled carriages and mitigate fishing risk using ultra-high strength wireline cables. Wheeled carriages greatly reduce the tool-borehole contact area, preventing the incidence of tool sticking. In addition, wheeled carriages reduce drag while ensuring optimum data quality by sensor position and orientation within the wellbore. Ultra-high strength cables provide ability to log at very high tensions and at the same time provide high overpull capability.

The result is a safe, efficient, cost effective and complete Wireline data acquisition.
Integrated Production Data Analysis and Water Injection Optimization in a Giant Carbonate Field
Authors: Mehrabadi Adel , Urbani Gabriele , Renna Simona , Rossi Lucia , Luciani Italo , Mastrogeorgiou Konstantinos
Published: April 2021

In case of giant brown fields, a proper water injection management can result in a very complex process, due to the quality and quantity of data to be analysed. Main issue is the understanding of the injected water preferential paths, especially in carbonate environment characterized by strong vertical and areal heterogeneities (karst). A structured workflow is presented to analyze and integrate a massive data set, in order to understand and optimize the water injection scheme.

An extensive Production Data Analysis (PDA) has been performed, based on the integration of available geological data (including NMR and Cased Hole Logs), production (allocated rates, Well Tests, PLT), pressure (SBHP, RFT, MDT, ESP) and salinity data. The applied workflow led to build a Fluid Path Conceptual Model (FPCM), an easy but powerful tool to visualize the complex dynamic connections between injectors-producers and aquifer influence areas. Several diagnostic plots were performed to support and validate the main outcomes. On this basis, proper actions were implemented to optimize the current water injection scheme.

The workflow was applied on a carbonate giant brown field characterized by three different reservoir members, hydraulically communicating at original conditions, characterized by high vertical heterogeneity and permeability contrast. Moreover, dissolution phenomena, localized in the uppermost reservoir section, led to important permeability enhancement through a wide network of connected vugs, acting as water preferential communication pathways. The geological analysis played a key role to investigate the reservoir water flooding mechanism in dynamic conditions. The water rising mechanism was identified to be driven by the high permeability contrast, hence characterized by lateral independent movements in the different reservoir members. The integrated analysis identified room for optimization of the current water injection strategy. In particular, key factor was the analysis and optimization at block scale, intended as areal and vertical sub-units, as identified by the PDA and visualized through the FPCM. Actions were suggested, including injection rates optimization and the definition of new injections points. A detailed surveillance plan was finally implemented to monitor the effects of the proposed actions on the field performances, proving the robustness of the methodology.

Eni workflow for water injection analysis and optimization was previously successfully tested only in sandstone reservoirs. This paper shows the robustness of the methodology also in carbonate environment, where water encroachment is strongly driven by karst network. The result is a clear understanding of the main dynamics in the reservoir, which allows to better tune any action aimed to optimize water injection and increase the value of mature assets.
Investigating the Asymmetry Effects of Crude Oil Price on Renewable Energy Consumption in the United States
Authors: Sahu Pritish , Solarin Sakiru Adebola , Al-mulali Usama , Ozturk Ilhan
Published: April 2021

The reduction in oil prices might make crude oil a cheaper alternative to renewable energy. Given this, the present paper examines the effect of fluctuation of oil prices on the use of renewable energy in the United States during the period 1970–2019. We constructed two nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) models to examine the effect of the positive and negative oil prices shocks on the use of renewable energy in the US. The renewable energy consumption is taken as the dependent variable and GDP, Brent crude prices, population density, trade openness and price index as independent variables. The result revealed that the rise in crude oil price, GDP and population density will increase renewable energy use in the short run and in the long run as well. Moreover, the study finds that any decrease in oil prices will decrease renewable energy use in the short run and its effect will eventually diminish in the long run.
WITHDRAWN: Characteristics and trend of extreme temperature in Spatio-temporal context, South Xinjiang China.
Authors: Khan Ahmad Ali , Zhao Yuanjie , Khan Jamil , Rahman Ghani , Rafiq Muhammad
Published: April 2021

Evaluation of climate change study is vital for appropriate management of hydrological resources and future planning. South Xinjiang is comprising various sort of climatic conditions. The focal point of this study is to assess the dissemination and pattern of temperature for as far back as 39 years in south Xinjiang China. The time series data recorded as maximum, minimum and mean monthly temperature at different metrological stations. For trend detection Mann-Kendall tests and Sen's slope estimation model were applied for appropriate results. The statistical analysis of the study indicates a significant upward trend in three types mean max. min. and average temperature on seasonal & monthly scale. Change points find out in the four decades show an increasing trend of temperature. Results found from Sen's slope magnitudes vary from 0.010ºC to 0.070ºC in Tmax per annum. Further, Sen's slope from − 0.150ºC to 0.080ºC and − 0.080ºC to 0.060ºC every year for both Tmin and Tmean. So for the increasing trend in all temperature is a get way to a dangerous atmospheric devastation and environmental change. Seasonal evaluation of temperature (JJA) June, July and August detected upward trend of temperature while the rainfall occurring months (NDJF), November, December, January and February found significantly dry. The seasonal changeability of temperature is straightforwardly responsible for desertification in the area. The conclusion of the research study that southern Xinjiang facing severe dry conditions are essential to highlight this burning issue for further development and sustainability of water resources.
Identification of QTL for Cold Tolerance at the Booting and Flowering Stage in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Authors: Zhang Lina , Tang Jianghong , Cui Di , Tang Cuifeng , Ma Xiaoding , A Xinxiang , Han Bing , Cao Guilan , Zhao Zhengwu , Koh Hee-Jong , Han Longzhi
Published: April 2021

Rice growth and productivity are greatly affected by cold stress, which is likely to become more threatening to high and stable yield of rice. To identify cold tolerance at the booting and flowering stage in rice, a set of recombinant inbred lines (RIL) was developed by crossing a cold-tolerant japonica cultivated variety, Jileng1 (JL1), with a cold-sensitive indica cultivated variety, Milyang23 (MY23). The seed setting rate (SST) of the parents and RIL populations were investigated under different temperature environments, then the SST and cold stress tolerance index (CSTI) under the natural low-temperature were used to evaluation the cold tolerance and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping. Nine QTL were detected on chromosome 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 and 12, with log-likelihood (LOD) value ranging from 2.64–4.76, these QTL explain the phenotypic variance explained (PVE) range from 3.34 to 12.02%. Among of theses QTL, three QTL qSST1, qSST5 and qSST12 were detected on different years, and they were considered as stable expression QTL. qSST5 was identified on chromosome 5 marker between CMB0526.3 and ID5014265, which many QTL related to cold resistance have been identified in previous studies, so that this QTL was considered as a major QTL for cold tolerance. In addition, thirteen QTL with environmental interactions were detected, and then the additive QTL were all involved in environmental interactions. These result showed that environmental interactions have an significant effective on cold tolerant in rice. The stable expression major QTL identified will help to fine mapping these cold tolerance QTL and provide the gene resources to cultivation cold tolerant variety in rice.
Clinical Impact of Unexpected Para-Aortic Lymph Node Metastasis in Surgery for Resectable Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Lee Ho-Kyoung , Yoon Yoo-Seok , Han Ho-Seong , Lee Jun Suh , Na Hee Young , Ahn Soomin , Park Jaewoo , Jung Kwangrok , Jung Jae Hyup , Kim Jaihwan , Hwang Jin-Hyeonk , Lee Jong-chan
Published: April 2021

Radiologically identified para-aortic lymph node (PALN) metastasis is contraindicated for pancreatic cancer (PC) surgery. There is no clinical consensus for unexpected intraoperative PALN. To analyse the prognostic role of unexpected PALN in resectable PC, we retrospectively reviewed data of 1,953 PC patients in a single tertiary centre. Patients with intraoperative PALN without radiological PALN (group A1, negative pathology, n = 59; group A2, positive pathology, n = 13) showed median overall survival (OS) of 24.6 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.2–33.2) and 13.0 (95%CI: 4.9–19.7) months, respectively. Patients with radiological PALN metastasis without other metastases (group B, n = 91) showed median OS of 8.6 months (95%CI: 7.4–11.6). Compared with group B, groups A1 and A2 had hazard ratios (HRs) of 0.37 (95%CI, 0.2–0.6) and 1.04 (95%CI: 0.7–1.4), respectively. Compared with group A2, group A1 had HR of 0.33 (95%CI: 0.2–0.7). Analysing regional lymph nodes (LNs), the positive LN ratio affected survival (HR: 2.67, 95%CI: 1.6–4.5), while the absolute number of positive LNs (HR: 1.79, 95%CI: 0.7–4.6) did not. Thus, unexpected malignant PALN has a negative prognostic impact comparable to radiological PALN metastasis. Prompt pathologic evaluation for unexpected PALN and maximal harvest of regional LNs during PC surgery are suggested.
Effect of cryopreservation on A172 and U251 glioma cells infected with lentiviral vectors designed for CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockdown of aquaporin-8
Authors: Zhang Hao , Sheng HuajunSheng , Xing Yu , Liu Qian , Guo Zhen , Cai ZilingCai , Shen Zihao , Xia Qingqian , Zhu Shujuan
Published: April 2021

The gene editing technology CRISPR/Cas9 is presently applied in several fields. Here, we routinely infected A172 and U251 cells with lentiviral vectors in which aquaporin-8 (AQP8) was knocked down using CRISPR/Cas9. Cryopreservation did not significantly alter the viral infection efficiency, but it affected the expression of AQP8 protein and its mRNA in infected cells compared with non-cryopreserved samples. The expression of AQP8 and its mRNA in cryopreserved infected cells that were recovered did not significantly differ from that in the blank and negative controls. This finding indicated that the lentiviral vector lost viability due to cryopreservation at low temperatures and failed to release the AQP8 gene-targeting guide RNA in the infected cells, or the guide RNA was released, but underwent changes that caused it to malfunction in CRISPR/Cas9-mediated AQP8 gene knockdown. This finding might provide a new direction for the prevention and treatment of viral infections.
Bacteriological Profile, Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern and Predictors of bacteremia among Children with Bloodstream Infection
Authors: Chaki Samina Nazir , Msuya Levina , Mchaile Deborah , Mahande Michael Johnson , Mbwasi Ronald Mwitalemi , Philemon Rune Nathaniel
Published: April 2021

Background: Bloodstream infections are major causes of morbidity and mortality among children in Sub-Saharan countries. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of bacteremia, etiological agents’ antibiotic susceptibility pattern and predictors of bacteremia among children with bloodstream Infection.Methodology: This hospital-based cross-section study involved children aged two months to thirteen years. All children meeting the inclusion criteria during the study period were enrolled. All consenting parents were interviewed via a questionnaire to collect data, followed by a thorough physical assessment and venipuncture was done to collect blood samples. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23.Results: Among 242 study participants, 154(63.6%) were male and blood cultures were positive in 37(15.3%). Gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria constituted 32(80%) and 8(20%), respectively. The frequent pathogen found was Staphylococcus aureus 25(62.5%), followed by Enterococcus spp. 4(10%), Escherichia coli 4(10%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 3(7.5%), Streptococcus pyogenes 3(7.5%) and 1(2.5%) Klebsiella pneumonia. The majority of bacterial isolates showed high resistance to commonly used antibiotics in the study area. Predictors of bacteremia were severe malnutrition, hydrocephalus, hyperglycemia, lethargy and BSI with no foci of infection. Conclusion: Prevalence of bacteremia was 15.3%. Gram-positive bacteria were more prevalent than gram-negative bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were the prevalent isolates causing BSI. Effective antibiotics for both gram-negative & gram-positive organisms are imipenem, meropenem and piperacillin-tazobactam followed by amikacin; vancomycin & clindamycin for gram-positive organisms. To curb the growing antimicrobial resistance that we see in this and other studies, continuous antimicrobial stewardship is necessary, else we risk failing to treat BSI.
Identification of Tumor Microenvironment-related Prognostic Genes in Colorectal Cancer based on Bioinformatic Methods
Authors: Liu Yi , Cheng Long , Li Chao , Zhang Chen , Lei Wang , Zhang Jiantao
Published: April 2021

Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks fourth among the deadliest cancers globally, and the progression is highly affected by the tumor microenvironment (TME). This study explores the relationship between TME and colorectal cancer prognosis and identifies prognostic genes related to the CRC microenvironment. We collected the gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and calculated the scores of stromal/immune cells and their relations to clinical outcomes in colorectal cancer by the ESTIMATE algorithm. Lower immune scores were significantly related to malignant progression of CRC (stage, p=0.014; metastasis, p=0.001). We screened 292 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by dividing CRC cases into high and low stromal/immune score groups. Functional enrichment analyses and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks illustrated that these DEGs were closely involved in immune response, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, and chemokine signaling pathway. Six DEGs (FABP4, MEOX2, MMP12, ERMN, TNFAIP6, and CHST11) with prognostic value were identified by survival analysis and validated in an independent cohort (GSE17386). The six DEGs were significantly related to immune cell infiltration levels based on the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER). The results might contribute to discovering new diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and new treatment targets for colorectal cancer.
Topological dislocation modes in three-dimensional acoustic topological insulators
Authors: Qiu Chunyin , Ye Liping , Xiao Meng , Li Tianzi , Du Juan , Ke Manzhu , Liu Zhengyou
Published: April 2021

Dislocations are ubiquitous in three-dimensional solid-state materials. The interplay of such real space topology with the emergent band topology defined in reciprocal space gives rise to gapless helical modes bound to the line defects. This is known as bulk-dislocation correspondence, in contrast to the conventional bulk-boundary correspondence featuring topological states at boundaries. However, to date rare compelling experimental evidences have been presented for this intriguing topological observable in solid-state systems, owing to the huge challenges in creating controllable dislocations and conclusively identifying topological signals. Here, using a three-dimensional acoustic topological insulator with precisely controllable dislocations, we report an unambiguous experimental evidence for the long-desired bulk-dislocation correspondence, through directly measuring the gapless dispersion of the one-dimensional topological dislocation modes. Remarkably, as revealed in our further experiments, the pseudospin-locked dislocation modes can be unidirectionally guided in an arbitrarily-shaped dislocation path. The peculiar topological dislocation transport, expected in a variety of classical wave systems, can provide unprecedented control over wave propagations.
B cell depletion treatment decreases Th17 cells in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Bounia Constantina A. , Liossis Stamatis-Nick C
Published: April 2021

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate for any possible effects of treatment with rituximab (RTX) on the peripheral Th17 and Treg subpopulations in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Patients and methods: We analyzed 16 patients with RA initiating RTX treatment, 11 patients with RA initiating abatacept treatment, 11 patients with RA treated with other medications, 8 patients with other autoimmune rheumatic diseases initiating RTX, and 14 healthy volunteers. Th17 cells (CD4+IL23R+IL17A+) and Treg cells (CD4+CD25hiFoxP3+) were evaluated flow-cytometrically.Results: Th17 cells from patients treated with RTX decreased significantly at weeks 8 and 16 (mean ± SEΜ: 3.01% ± 0.54℅ CD4+ cells at week 0 vs. 1.53% ± 0.24℅ at week 8 vs 1.10% ± 0.20℅ at week 16, p = 0.0004). Reductions of Th17 cells were evident in:clinical responders (DAS28 score ≤ 3.2), ACPA (+) and RF (-) patients; circulating Tregs remained stable. Th17 and Tregs were not affected by ABA treatment or by changes in disease activity. Tregs, but not Th17 cells, decreased following treatment with RTX in patients with other autoimmune diseases (0.75% ± 0.16% at week 0 vs. 0.43% ± 0.16% at week 8, p = 0.033).Conclusion: RTX-induced B cell depletion results in a significant reduction of circulating Th17 cell percentages, whereas it has no effect on Tregs of patients with RA. This reduction of Th17 cells was evident particularly in responders to RTX treatment, ACPA+ and RF (-) patients with RA.
Scutellarin alleviates type 2 diabetes (HFD/low dose STZ)- induced cardiac injury through modulation of oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis and fibrosis in mice
Authors: Huo Yan , Mijiti Abudureheman , Cai Ruonan , Gao Zhaohua , Aini Maierpu , Mijiti Abudukadier , Wang Zhaoling , Qie Rui
Published: April 2021

Background: Diabetes is a serious global health concern which severely affected public health as well as socio-economic growth worldwide. Scutellarin (SCU), a bioactive flavonol is known for its efficacious action against a range of ailments including cardiovascular problems. The present study conducted to find out possible protective effect and its associated mechanisms of SCU on experimental type 2 diabetes-induced cardiac injury.Methods: Type 2 diabetes was induced by treating animals with high fat diet for 4 weeks and a single intraperitoneal dose (35 mg/kg body weight) of streptozotocin and diabetic animals received SCU (10 or 20 mg/kg/day) for 6 weeks.Results: SCU attenuated type 2 diabetes-induced hyperglycemia, body weight loss, hyperlipidemia, cardiac functional damage with histo-pathological alterations and fibrosis. SCU treatment to type 2 diabetic mice exacerbated oxidative stress, inflammatory status and apoptosis in heart. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms for such mitigation of oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in heart involved modulation of Nrf2/Keap1 pathway, TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB mediated inflammatory pathway and intrinsic (mitochondrial) apoptosis pathway, respectively.Conclusions: The current findings suggest that SCU is effective in protecting type 2 diabetes-induced cardiac injury by attenuating oxidative stress and inflammatory responses and apoptosis and it is also worth considering the efficacious potential of SCU to treat diabetic cardiomyopathy patients.
Identification of a Novel SARS-CoV-2 Strain with Truncated Protein in ORF8 Gene by Next Generation Sequencing
Authors: DeRonde Stephanie , Deuling Hannah , Parker Jayme , Chen Jack
Published: April 2021

Using next generation sequencing technology, we identified a truncated protein mutation located in the ORF8 gene which is near the end of the genome from nucleotides 27,878 to 27,958. The mutation in this novel strain created a stop codon and translates to the novel truncated ORF8 protein, creating a much smaller protein than most other strains of SARS-CoV-2. The novel truncated mutation is most closely related to nine SARS-CoV-2 strains found in Washington state. Our results show a novel strain of SARS-CoV-2 with a truncated ORF8 gene. This shortens the translated ORF8 protein. The effects of ORF8 protein and its functions are still uncertain but a truncated ORF8 could affect antibody response, severity of infection and inflammatory response.
Anti-inflammatory Effect of Lactobacillus Plantarum IDCC 3501 and Its Safety Evaluation
Authors: Yang Soo-Yeon , Chae Seung A , Bang Won Yeong , Ban O-Hyun , Kim Soo-Jung , Jung Young Hoon , Yang Jungwoo
Published: April 2021

This study investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of L. plantarum IDCC 3501 isolated from kimchi (Korean fermented food) and its safety. When lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages were treated with cell-free supernatant from L. plantarum IDCC 3501, the mRNA expression level of inflammatory markers (i.e., TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) was significantly reduced. The decreased cell viability by LPS was recovered and NO production in LPS-induced cell was also decreased. The genes responsible for antibiotic resistance and virulence were not detected from the genome analysis of this strain. Consistent with this, minimal inhibitory concentrations against various antibiotics, biogenic amines and D-lactate production, as well as enzymatic and hemolysis activities indicated that L. plantarum IDCC 3501 did not produce any harmful compounds during fermentation. Also, no acute toxicity and mortality were observed in a murine mouse model when feeding with L. plantarum IDCC 3501. Based on our findings, L. plantarum IDCC 3501 is safe and beneficial for human consumption.
Improved Prognostic Stratification of Patients With pN3b Oral Cavity Cancer Based on Maximum Standardized Uptake Value of Metastatic Nodes, Lymph Node Ratio, and Level of Cervical Nodal Metastases
Authors: Cheng Nai-Ming , Kang Chung-Jan , Tsai Chi-Ying , Yang Lan-Yan , Lee Li-Yu , Lin Chien-Yu , Hsueh Chuen , Fan Kang-Hsing , Wang Hung-Ming , Hsieh Chia-Hsun , Ng Shu-Hang , Yeh Chih-Hua , Lin Chih-Hung , Tsao Chung-Kan , Fang Tuan-Jen , Huang Shiang-Fu , Lee Li-Ang , Fang Ku-Hao , Wang Yu-Chien , Lin Wan-Ni , Hsin Li-Jen , Yen Tzu-Chen , Liao Chun-Ta
Published: April 2021

Objective
We sought to improve the prognostic stratification of patients with pN3b oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) through a combined analysis of FDG-PET parameters and clinicopathological risk factors (RFs).
Methods
Complete data on maximum standardized uptake values derived from FDG-PET of neck metastatic nodes (SUV-nodal-max) and clinicopathological RFs were available for 257 patients with pN3b disease. Participants with pN0/pN1/pN2 (n = 1318/199/213) disease were included for comparison purposes.
Results
Using the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate as the outcome of interest, the optimal cutoff points for SUV-nodal-max and lymph node ratio (LNR) were 15.9 and 0.17, respectively. After stratification with SUV-nodal-max and clinicopathological RFs, the 5-year DFS rates for patients with pN3 disease were as follows: SUV-nodal-max < 15.9 (n = 226) versus SUV-nodal-max ≥ 15.9 (n = 31), 49%/21%, p = 0.000003; LNR < 0.17 (n = 230) versus LNR ≥ 0.17 (n = 27), 49%/17%, p = 0.000117; absence (n = 230) versus presence (n = 27) of neck level IV/V metastases, 49%/15%, p = 0.000004. Multivariable analyses revealed that SUV-nodal-max ≥ 15.9, LNR ≥ 0.17, and the presence of level IV/V metastases were independent prognosticators for 5-year distant metastases (DM), DFS, disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS) rates. Based on these variables, we devised a scoring system that identified three distinct prognostic subgroups of low (score 0, n = 190), intermediate (score 1, n = 51), and high (scores 2 − 3, n = 16) risk. The 5-year rates of pN0/pN1/pN2/pN3b of our cohort and the low/intermediate/high risk subgroups of pN3b were as follows: DM, 3%/12%/20%/38% and 31%/52%/89%; DFS, 83%/72%/65%/46% and 54%/26%/0%; DSS, 92%/79%/71%/52% and 59%/36%/8%; OS, 81%/62%/54%/38% and 42%/31%/6%, respectively; all p < 0.001.
Conclusion
A scoring system based on maximum SUV-nodal, LNR, and level IV/V metastases helps improve the prognostic stratification of OCSCC patients with pN3 disease.
Effects of probiotics supplementation on placental microbiome in healthy women undergoing spontaneous delivery
Authors: Yang Ping , Li Zhe , DENG TYE KIAN , Lu Tong , Chen Yuyi , He Zonglin , Zhou Juan , Xiao Xiaomin
Published: April 2021

PurposeTo investigate the effect of orally supplemented probiotic on term placental microbiota and provide possible evidences for clinical management of pregnant women.MethodsA population-based cohort of specimens were collected from 37 healthy nulliparous pregnant women who underwent systemic examination. The pregnant women were divided randomly into probiotics group and control group. We collected placental specimens during spontaneous delivery at term. The placental samples were taken for analyzing microbiome with the 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of V4 region.ResultsThere were no significant differences between two groups in clinical characteristics. The placental microbiota from normal vaginal delivery were composed of Bacteroides, Lactobacillus and Ralstonia. The relative abundant of Prevotella_9, Faecalibacterium, and Escherichia_Shigella etc. in probiotic group was significantly higher than that control group(p<0.05). Probiotics supplementation could affect the network structure of placental microbiota.ConclusionsThe characteristics of the placental microbiome changed after probiotics supplementation and the network structure of interaction tended to be loose. The probiotic supplementation may be useful in regulating the interaction network of placental microbiota.
Medical Treatments for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: a Protocol for a Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis
Authors: Pitre Tyler , Mah Jasmine , Cui Sonya , Zhang Melanie C. , Husnudinov Renata , Khalid Faran , Helmeczi Wryan , Su Johnny , Banfield Laura , Jones Aaron
Published: April 2021

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a respiratory disorder of unknown etiology with a poor prognosis. There are novel therapies that have been studied in randomized controlled trials since the last network meta-analysis that may be of interest to academics and clinicians.Methods: We will perform a network meta-analysis on eligible randomized controlled trials of patients with IPF. We intend to search MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane and clinicaltrials.org in order to complete a comprehensive search for adult IPF patients being treated with at least one of 21 of the selected medical therapies. A team will screen and extract eligible trials. We will perform Bayesian random-effects network meta-analysis. We will use GRADE and RoB 2.0 to assess the certainty and quality of the evidence. Discussion: There is a need for an updated meta-analysis on IPF medical therapies, including novel medical therapies. We intend on studying up to 21 medical therapies in the network meta-analysis to provide the most accurate and updated summary of the evidence for IPF treatments. Systematic review registrations: https://osf.io/afbhd/
Fungi in the Antarctic cryosphere: using DNA metabarcoding to reveal fungal diversity in glacial ice from the Antarctic Peninsula region
Authors: de Menezes Graciéle , Câmara Paulo , Pinto Otávio , Convey Peter , Carvalho-Silva Micheline , Simões Jefferson , Rosa Carlos , Rosa Luiz
Published: April 2021

We assessed fungal diversity present in glacial of the Antarctic Peninsula using DNA metabarcoding through high throughput sequencing (HTS). We detected a total of 353,879 fungal DNA reads, representing 94 genera and 184 taxa, in glacial ice fragments obtained from seven sites in the north-west Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands. The phylum Ascomycota dominated the sequence diversity, followed by Basidiomycota and Mortierellomycota. Penicillium sp., Cladosporium sp., Penicillium atrovenetum, Epicoccum nigrum, Pseudogymnoascus sp. 1, Pseudogymnoascus sp. 2, Phaeosphaeriaceae sp. and Xylaria grammica were the most dominant taxa, respectively. However, the majority of the fungal diversity comprised taxa of rare and intermediate relative abundance, predominately known mesophilic fungi. High indices of diversity and richness were calculated, along with moderate index of dominance, which varied among the different sampling sites. Only 26 (14%) of the total fungal taxa detected were present at all sampling sites. The identified diversity was dominated by saprophytic taxa, followed by known plant and animal pathogens and a low number of symbiotic fungi. Our data suggest that Antarctic glacial ice may represent a hotspot of previously unreported fungal diversity; however, further studies are required to integrate HTS and culture approaches to confirm viability of the taxa detected.
Factors Associated With Malaria Vaccine Uptake in Sunyani Municipality, Ghana
Authors: Tabiri Dennis , Ouédraogo Jean Claude Romaric Pingdwindé , Nortey Priscilla
Published: April 2021

Introduction: Malaria has and continues to be a major disease of public health concern affecting several million people worldwide. WHO started a pilot study on a malaria vaccine (RTS,S) in Ghana and two other countries in 2019. This study aimed at assessing the factors associated with uptake of the vaccine in the Sunyani Municipality of Ghana.Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study employing a quantitative approach. Stratified sampling technique was used to select respondents. A structured questionnaire was administered to parents/caregivers with children eligible to have taken the first three doses of the malaria vaccine by December 2019. The Child Welfare Clinic (CWC) cards of the eligible children were also inspected. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was done to determine the association between the independent variables and full vaccine uptake.Results: Uptake of RTS,S 1 was 94.1%. However, this figure reduced to 90.6% for RTS,S 2, and 78.1% for RTS,S 3. Children with a parent who had been educated up to the tertiary level had 4.72 [AOR: 4.72, 95%CI: 1.27 – 17.55] increased odds of full uptake as compared to those who completed secondary education. Parents whose children had experienced fever as an adverse reaction were more likely to send their kids for the malaria vaccine as compared to those who children had ever suffered abscess as an adverse reaction [AOR: 2.27, 95%CI: 1.13 – 5.10]. Children with parents who thought vaccines were becoming too many for children had 71% [AOR: 0.29, 95%CI: 0.14 – 0.61] reduced odds of full uptake as compared to those who thought otherwise.Conclusion: Uptake of RTS,S 1 and RTS,S 2 in Sunyani Municipality meets WHO’s target coverage for vaccines, however, RTS,S 3 uptake does not. Furthermore, there is a growing perception amongst parents/caregivers that vaccines are becoming too many for children which negatively affects uptake.
Rapid Morphologic and Molecular Activation of Microglial Cells by Stimulation of the P2X7 Receptor Correlates with Neuron Loss
Authors: Campagno Keith E , Lu Wennan , Jassim Assraa Hassan , Albalawi Farraj , Cenaj Aurora , Tso Huen-Yee , Clark Sophia P , Puttipong Sripinun , Gómez Néstor Más , Mitchell Claire H
Published: April 2021

Background: The endogenous signals leading to microglial activation represent central components of neuroinflammatory cascades. Given ATP release accompanies mechanical strain to neural tissue, and the P2X7R for ATP is expressed on microglial cells, we examined the morphological and molecular consequences of P2X7R stimulation in vivo and in vitro in detail to enhance understanding of the response. Methods: IL-1β release was determined with ELISA. Expression of mRNA used qPCR. ATP release was determined with the luciferin/luciferase assay while fura-2 indicated cytoplasmic calcium. Microglial migration used Boyden chambers. Morphological changes were quantified from Iba1-immunostained cells. Results: Sholl analysis of Iba1-stained cells showed retraction of microglial ramifications one day after injection of P2X7R agonist BzATP into mouse retinae. Mean branch length also decreased, while cell body size and expression of Nos2, Tnfa, Arg1, Chil3 increased. BzATP induced similar morphological changes in ex vivo tissue isolated from Cx3CR1-GFP mice, suggesting cell recruitment was unnecessary. Primary microglial cultures were developed to investigate the autonomous nature of the response. Isolated microglial cells expressed P2X7R, while increased intracellular Ca 2+ triggered by BzATP and blocked by antagonist A839977 confirmed functional expression. BzATP induced process retraction and cell body enlargement within minutes in isolated microglial cells, and increased expression of Nos2 and Arg1 . BzATP both increased expression of IL-1β, and triggered a substantial release, suggesting P2X7R both primes and activates the NLRP3 inflammasome. ATP increased microglial migration, but this required P2Y12R, not P2X7R involvement. As ATP release often accompanies mechanical strain, responses to intraocular pressure elevation were determined. Transient elevation increased ATP release and led to microglial process retraction, cell body enlargement and gene upregulation resembling the responses to BzATP injection. These pressure-dependent changes to microglia were reduced in P2X7R -/- mice. Critically, the loss of retinal ganglion cell neurons accompanying increased pressure was correlated with microglial activation in C57Bl/6J, but not P2X7R -/- mice.Conclusions: P2X7R stimulation induced morphological and molecular markers of activation in retinal microglial cells in vivo and in vitro , affecting IL-1β release and rapid process retraction but not cell migration. Parallel responses accompanied transient pressure elevation, suggesting ATP release and P2X7R stimulation contribute to the microglial response to rising pressure.
Enet Semantic Segmentation Combined with Attention Mechanism
Authors: Bai Wei
Published: April 2021

Image semantic segmentation is one of the core tasks of computer vision. It is widely used in fields such as unmanned driving, medical image processing, geographic information systems and intelligent robots. Aiming at the problem that the existing semantic segmentation algorithm ignores the different channel and location features of the feature map and the simple method when the feature map is fused, this paper designs a semantic segmentation algorithm that combines the attention mechanism. Firstly, dilated convolution is used, and a smaller downsampling factor is used to maintain the resolution of the image and obtain the detailed information of the image. Secondly, the attention mechanism module is introduced to assign weights to different parts of the feature map, which reduces the accuracy loss. The design feature fusion module assigns weights to the feature maps of different receptive fields obtained by the two paths, and merges them together to obtain the final segmentation result. Finally, through experiments, it was verified on the Camvid, Cityscapes and PASCAL VOC2012 datasets. Mean intersection over union (MIoU) and mean pixel accuracy (MPA) are used as metrics. The method in this paper can make up for the loss of accuracy caused by downsampling while ensuring the receptive field and improving the resolution, which can better guide the model learning. And the proposed feature fusion module can better integrate the features of different receptive fields. Therefore, the proposed method can significantly improve the segmentation performance compared to the traditional method.
Effectiveness and safety of dabigatran compared to vitamin K antagonists in patients with atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and metanalysis.
Authors: Cervantes Carlos Escobar , Barrios Vivencio , Lip Gregory Y.H. , Amin Alpesh N. , Auladell-Rispau Ariadna , Requeijo Carolina
Published: April 2021

Purpose: To assess the comparative effectiveness and safety of dabigatran ‒globally and stratified by dose (110 or 150 mg b.i.d.) compared to vitamin K antagonists (VKA) in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) from “real world” studies.Methods: A systematic review was performed according to Cochrane methodological standards. The results were reported according to the PRISMA statement. The ROBINS-I tool was used to assess risk of bias.Results: A total of 25 studies, corresponding to 27 articles involving 771.468 participants (490.082 exposed to VKA and 281.386 to dabigatran) were eligible for this review. Dabigatran reduced the risk of ischemic stroke compared to VKA, particularly dabigatran 150 mg, with a 15% risk reduction (HR 0.85, 95%CI 0.74-0.98). Globally, dabigatran reduced the risk of all-cause mortality compared to VKA (HR 0.75, 95%CI 0.67-0.85), with a greater effect observed with dabigatran 150 mg (HR 0.66, 95%CI 0.58-0.74). There was a trend towards a lower risk of myocardial infarction with dabigatran 150 mg (HR 0.86, 95%CI 0.71-1.04). Regarding the primary safety outcomes, dabigatran (either at a dose of 150 mg or 110 mg) reduced the risk of major bleeding compared to VKA (HR 0.74, 95%CI 0.66-0.83), as well as the risk of intracranial bleeding (HR 0.45, 95%CI 0.39-0.52) and fatal bleeding (HR 0.76, 95%CI 0.60-0.95), but with a non-significant trend towards a higher gastrointestinal bleeding risk (HR 1.08, 95%CI 0.99 to 1.18). Conclusion: Dabigatran has a favourable impact in effectiveness and safety outcomes compared to VKA in real-world populations.