bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Brugada Syndrome in a Female Patient from Bangladesh: A Rare Occurrence
Authors: Roychoudhury Debasish , Koruth Jacob Sam
Published: October 2022

Brugada syndrome is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern which is associated with ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac death in a patient with structurally normal heart. The diagnosis is clinched on characteristic EKG pattern of >2 mm ST segment elevation followed by negative T wave in right precordial leads V1,2 either occurring spontaneously or with pharmacological provocation with a sodium channel blocker. Prevalence of this disease varies by geographic location and sex with highest preponderance in South East Asian countries and in males. Among South-East Asian countries, there has been only one case report so far from Bangladesh and that too in a male patient. We present a case of female patient from Bangladesh with Brugada syndrome. We also report an association of Autism with Brugada syndrome in patient’s only female child.
Cardiovasc j 2022; 15(1): 86-87
Delayed Surgical Repair of Ventricular Septal Rupture with CABG following Acute Myocardial Infraction- A Case Report
Authors: Parvez Sultan Sarwar , Amin Mohammad Ruhul , Haque Reazul , Uddin Jalal
Published: October 2022

Ventricular septal rupture (VSR) is a rare but often life-threatening mechanical complication after acute myocardial infarction. Although surgical intervention is challenging and associated with high mortality and morbidity, but it is still now the gold standard treatment. Percutaneous device closure of VSR is an option in selected patients with suitable anatomy and when surgery is contraindicated. Optimally medically managed patients who survive at least 4 weeks before elective surgery to generate scar formation at the edges of the defect in a viable infarcted tissue have the greatest outcomes. Here we report a case of VSR following acute myocardial infarction. About 3 weeks after the occurrence of ventricular septal rupture following acute myocardial infraction, surgery was successfully performed with good outcome.
Cardiovasc j 2022; 15(1): 100-105
“Es necesario abordar la infrarrepresentación de África en la Lista del Patrimonio Mundial”
Authors: Eloundou Assomo Lazare
Published: October 2022

A finales de 2021, Lazare Eloundou Assomo se convertía en el nuevo director del Centro del Patrimonio Mundial de la Unesco, siendo el primer africano en ocupar el cargo. Entre los propósitos para su mandato, Assomo expresa el deseo de poner a África en el mapa, abordar el desequilibrio que beneficia a los países ricos y proteger los sitios amenazados por la crisis climática y la guerra. En esta línea, la Unesco trabaja actualmente en la elaboración de una nueva Estrategia para el Patrimonio Mundial en el continente africano.
Drug-coated Balloon Angioplasty Versus Drug-eluting Stenting for Femoropopliteal Arterial Disease: A Review of the Current Status
Authors: Sim Doo Sun , Jeong Myung Ho , Ahn Youngkeun , Mena Hurtado Carlos , Martin John , Mathur Anthony
Published: October 2022

Endovascular procedures are frequently performed for symptomatic femoropopliteal disease. Drug-eluting stents (DES) and drug-coated balloons (DCB) were introduced to improve long-term outcomes and demonstrated superior outcomes to percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in randomised clinical trials. Femoropopliteal disease, however, can be challenging to treat using an endovascular approach as this segment suffers increased biomechanical stress during extremity movements, which may lead to chronic vascular injury or even stent fracture. The advantages of DCB include the direct and homogeneous delivery of an antiproliferative agent to the arterial wall, and the ability to reach tortuous and longer lesions without a vascular implant; however, the lack of scaffold makes the intervention prone to significant recoil. Even though the use of DCB, a leave-nothing-behind strategy, may appear desirable, the need for bailout stenting will increase as lesions become more complex. This review summarises and compares the currently available evidence regarding the use of DCB and DES in the treatment of femoropopliteal disease.
Biomarkers of Physiological Function in Elderly Patients: Review Article
Authors: Haghani Shima
Published: October 2022

There have no tools available for measuring the standard of the healthy aging process for any population group. Here chronological age used to be associated with functions related to aging but there has no such data that reveals the process of aging. Although here many researchers are getting involved in measuring key features complexity does not provide any relevant measures about the aging rate. The process here is about evaluating recommendations and analysis of physical capabilities, immune functions, and physiological functions [1]. The relevant biomarkers have been identified among the aged population but the major factors related to the aging process with the physiological mechanism play the role of quantifying the process of aging at the population level. Here different reviews from different researchers have been analyzed. Related criteria for biomarkers have different including observation of changes with aging, studies about aging, prediction, and evidence of phenotypes that are age-related, lifespan, and mortality rates. These outcomes of biomarkers and related outcomes of aging in the population have been studied. Here the diagnosis and treatment aspects have also been discussed for curing the problems that have been identified in the study.
Effective communication as a way of inclusion in the care for hearing impaired persons
Authors: Santos Jane Karla de Oliveira , Magalhães Maria do Amparo Veloso , Uchôa Isabela Soares , Freitas Francisco Ariel Paz Santos , Nascimento Suzanne Tatianne Teixeira
Published: October 2022

The objective of this work is to identify, through a bibliographic review, the importance of effective communication carried out by health professionals as a form of inclusion in the care of people with hearing impairment in health services, and the difficulties and obstacles that involve this practice. This is a bibliographic research, using the PICo search strategy to identify and collect the studied samples, based on the guiding question "What is the importance of effective communication carried out by health professionals as a way of inclusion in the care of people with hearing loss" in health services?”. The analysis resulted in 11 articles that were categorized and analyzed according to the profile of scientific production and the results found in evidence. The literature has shown that health professionals from different specialties, for the most part, feel unprepared to serve this public, because they do not know how to communicate through the Brazilian Sign Language. This reflects the fragility in the training of these professionals who do not have contact with LIBRAS, during graduation or after graduation, disregarding laws that guarantee the rights of deaf people.
Mastocitoma cutâneo em cães - Análise de 10 casos diagnosticados em Caxias do Sul
Authors: Castilhos Teiffny de , Tonin Rafael Gustavo , Vanassi Letícia Corrêa , Pinson Ana Paula , Marcon Isadora Losekann , Grecco Fabiane Borelli , Sapin Carolina da Fonseca
Published: October 2022

O mastocitoma é uma das neoplasias cutâneas mais diagnosticadas em cães e ocorre em todas as faixas etárias. Devido a grande incidência dessa neoplasia, tem-se a importância em descrevê-los de forma macroscópica, histopatológica e ainda caracterizar os cães diagnosticados com mastocitoma. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo produzir um estudo retrospectivo realizado através da coleta dos registros de 10 pacientes caninos diagnosticados com mastocitoma de um serviço de Oncologia Veterinária da cidade de Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, entre janeiro e dezembro de 2021. Foram recolhidas informações quanto à raça, faixa etária, sexo, localização anatômica da neoplasia, tamanho tumoral, meio de diagnóstico e o grau histológico. A maioria dos cães diagnosticados eram com raça definida (7/10), fêmeas (6/10) e adultos (5/10). A localização anatômica mais recorrente foram os membros (4/10). As nodulações apresentavam, em sua maior parte, tamanho 3 cm (6/10) o que leva a um pior prognóstico, além disso, 90% dos tumores foram classificados com grau II ou baixo grau. As avaliações das margens cirúrgicas ao exame histopatológico evidenciaram que margens reduzidas a comprometidas. Desta forma, salienta-se a necessidade de haver tanto médicos veterinários especializados quanto dispor de esclarecimentos aos tutores em procurar profissionais quão cedo o surgimento de tumores para dar terapias precisas, melhor qualidade de vida e prognóstico aos animais portadores das neoplasias.
Ilusão participativa: estudo da experiência suíça a fim de compreender as causas da ineficácia dos instrumentos do plebiscito e do referendo no Brasil
Authors: Costa Rosalina Moitta Pinto da , Senna Carina Cátia Bastos de , Pereira José Alberto Pinto da Costa Rodrigues
Published: October 2022

Esta pesquisa objetiva analisar os principais empecilhos para a consolidação dos instrumentos participativos do plebiscito e do referendo na realidade brasileira, a partir da comparação com os mecanismos de deliberação direta instituídos na Suíça. Tendo como opção a pesquisa qualitativa com análise comparativa e pesquisa bibliográfica, este trabalho examina, em um primeiro momento, os institutos do plebiscito e do referendo no Brasil em uma perspectiva teórica – com o estudo de sua previsão normativa e prática – com a investigação de sua efetiva utilização em âmbito nacional desde a promulgação da Constituição de 1988. Em seguida, analisa-se o modelo participativo suíço, com ênfase em sua estruturação e em seu funcionamento, a fim de entender, à luz de uma análise comparada, os motivos da ineficácia dos instrumentos de participação direta no Brasil. Por fim, avaliam-se os três empecilhos que distanciam o modelo brasileiro do suíço e resultam na ineficácia do plebiscito e do referendo no país sul-americano: a carência de regulamentação normativa, a restrição da iniciativa e a ausência de especificação temática.
Cuidados paliativos para crianças não oncológicas: perfil de internações em um Hospital Universitário
Authors: Rosa Jhennifer Brendha Oliveira , Kobayashi Karina , Paschuetto Giovana Leite , Santos Marcela Yasmin Ferreira dos , Nazar Andressa Costa , Gabani Flávia Lopes , Souza Sarah Nancy Deggau Hegeto de , Tacla Mauren Teresa Grubisich Mendes
Published: October 2022

Introdução: O conceito de Cuidados Paliativos (CP) vem, ao longo dos anos, sofrendo atualizações em seu significado, assim como as abordagens terapêuticas, tendo se estendido para diversas condições crônicas. O modelo preexistente de CP passou por um processo de ressignificação para atender o público pediátrico, uma vez que não correspondia plenamente às necessidades específicas dessa faixa etária. Objetivo: Caracterizar as crianças com doenças crônicas, elegíveis para cuidados paliativos internadas em um hospital universitário. Método: Estudo transversal de abordagem quantitativa, desenvolvido em um hospital universitário público, de alta complexidade, do sul do Brasil. A população de estudo foi composta por 101 crianças de 0-14 anos internadas de novembro de 2018 a março de 2019. Resultados: 51,4% dos participantes eram do sexo feminino, a faixa etária prevalente foi dos 0-5 anos de idade (64,3%). Do total de participantes, 45 (44,5%) eram portadores de condições crônicas, sendo que destes, 28 eram elegíveis para CP. Entretanto, somente 14 (50,0%) recebiam assistência nesta perspectiva. Conclusão: O estudo identificou um número expressivo de crianças portadoras de condições crônicas e sua inserção tardia em CP quando elegíveis. Notou-se a escassez de pesquisas nacionais que abordem CP quando voltados a essas crianças.
Sea-ice-related environmental drivers affect meiofauna and macrofauna communities differently at large scales (Southern Ocean, Antarctic)
Authors: Säring F , Veit-Köhler G , Seifert D , Liskow I , Link H
Published: October 2022

The structure and drivers of Southern Ocean meiofauna and macrofauna were investigated together in one extensive study. From the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula to the southeastern Weddell Sea, we classified the investigated stations into 5 categories according to their summer sea-ice cover: (I) none (Drake Passage), (II) irregular (Bransfield Strait), (III) seasonal (northwestern Weddell Sea), (IV) high (South Filchner Trough), and (V) constant (North Filchner Trough). The categories differed significantly in primary-production-related characteristics in the water column and food availability at the seafloor. Almost all ice-cover categories differed significantly in meiofauna communities (32-500 µm, 20 taxa, 585 825 individuals). Fewer regions differed significantly in macrofauna (>500 µm, 19 taxa, 3974 individuals) or the combined meiofauna and macrofauna communities. Environmental drivers explained >66% of the variation among different communities and differed for the faunal size classes: for meiofauna (84.2%), sea-ice cover (1 yr) and availability of fresh food (chlorophyll a [chl a]) were most important, whereas 1 yr ice cover, chl a, and total organic carbon were decisive drivers for macrofauna (66.6%). Grain size, water depth, water-column chl a, long-term ice cover, seafloor temperature, and the carbon/nitrogen ratio influenced communities to a lesser extent. We demonstrated a stronger relationship with sea-ice cover in meiofauna communities than in macrofauna communities, and we recommend including meiofauna in future assessments of the influence of environmental changes on Southern Ocean ecosystems.
A CONCEPTUAL MODEL FOR A DECENTRALIZED CENTRAL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCY
Authors: Rahman Abdurrahman Arum
Published: October 2022

Central bank digital currency (CBDC) is a digitized fiat currency. As the nature of the central bank is centralized, the CBDC is also centralized. This paper proposes a conceptual model for a decentralized CBDC controlled by many central banks or countries in the world. It is only for international transactions between member countries. While domestic transactions continue to use the national currency of each country. A decentralized CBDC could potentially explore the advantages of digital technologies more deeply than centralized ones by making macro-fundamentals reconciliations between economies in real-time. Furthermore, this concept could also potentially provide international liquidity for all (member) countries in the world sustainably, align macro-fundamental, eliminate global imbalances, and makes the international monetary system naturally more stable. This paper focuses on discussing the conceptual model and theoretical framework of how this system works in providing international liquidity and making the system balanced and stable.
PELATIHAN PEMBUATAN MEDIA RODA BERPUTAR DI PAUD ISLAM TERPADU AS-SUBHAN
Authors: Fadilah Utami  , Adila Setyaningsih  , Ambar Rita  , Pirasintiya  , Aghnaita  , Saudah
Published: October 2022

The purpose of this community service activity is to provide rotating wheel media training for teachers at the As-Subhan Integrated Islamic PAUD. The method used is through material presentation and demonstration. The targets for this activity are 1 principal and 2 teachers at the As-Subhan Integrated Islamic PAUD. The result of this activity is that principals and teachers can find out the benefits of using spinning wheel media, can make wheels spin media, and can use spinning wheels media for classroom learning.

 

Tujuan kegiatan pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini adalah untuk memberikan pelatihan media roda berputar kepada Guru di PAUD Islam Terpadu As-Subhan. Metode yang digunakan yaitu melalui pemaparan materi dan demonstasi. Sasaran pada kegiatan ini yaitu 1 Kepala Sekolah dan 2 Guru di PAUD Islam Terpadu As-Subhan. Hasil dari kegiatan ini adalah Kepala Sekolah dan Guru dapat mengetahui manfaat penggunaan media roda berputar, dapat membuat media roda berputar, serta dapat menggunakan media roda berputar bagi pembelajaran di kelas.
IMPLEMENTASI NILAI-NILAI ANTIKORUPSI PADA SISWA SEKOLAH MENENGAH DI KOTA SURAKARTA
Authors: Kurniawati Estetika Mutiaranisa , Sangka Khresna Bayu , Probohudono Agung Nur , Hasim Hasim , Nurhaini Lies
Published: October 2022

Anti-Corruption Schools (SAK) are an effort to foster an anti-corruption attitude in the context of realizing a country that has high integrity. The SAK program has been successfully implemented in the student environment as an effort to tackle corruption through students as agents of chance. This service aims to provide provisions and insights regarding anti-corruption attitudes. The objects of concern are junior high school (SMP) and senior high school (SMA) students. SAK service is carried out scientifically and descriptively by placing school members from teachers to students as the goal of the sustainability of the benefits that will be received. SAK provides counseling to teachers and students in order to improve attitudes with integrity. From the teacher's point of view, teachers are expected to continue to monitor the development of their students' attitudes at school so that an attitude that prioritizes integrity can continue to be embedded and grow in the daily attitudes of their students, so that a corruption-free Indonesia can be realized in the future.

 

Sekolah Anti Korupsi (SAK) merupakan salah satu bentuk upaya menumbuhkan sikap anti korupsi dalam rangka mewujudkan Negara yang memiliki integritas tinggi. Program SAK telah sukses dijalankan dalam lingkungan mahasiswa sebagai upaya penanggulangan korupsi melalui mahasiswa sebagai agent of chance. Pengabdian ini bertujuan untuk memberikan bekal dan wawasan mengenai sikap anti korupsi. Objek yang menjadi perhatian adalah siswa Sekolah Menengah Pertama (SMP) dan Sekolah Menengah Atas (SMA). Pengabdian SAK dilakukan secara ilmiah dan deskriptif dengan menempatkan warga sekolah mulai dari guru hingga siswa sebagai tujuan dari keberlangsungan manfaat yang akan diterima. SAK memberikan penyuluhan kepada guru dan siswa dalam rangka meningkatkan sikap yang berintegritas. Dari sudut pandang guru, guru diharapkan untuk terus memantau perkembangan sikap siswanya di sekolah sehingga sikap yang mengedepankan integritas dapat terus tertanam dan tumbuh dalam sikap sehari-hari para siswanya, agar terwujud negara Indonesia yang bebas korupsi di masa depan.
New prospectives on light adaptation of visual system research with the emerging knowledge on non-image-forming effect
Authors: Wang Shuxiao , Zhao Jianping
Published: October 2022

Light adaptation is very important to keep the visual system acutely sensitive to scene content over a wide range of illumination, and has strong influence on brightness perception, visual performance and glare evaluation. The estimation method for the light adaptation state under real circumstances is a big pending topic for lighting industry. The discovery of Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells (ipRGCs) has offered us an exciting entry point to comprehend how light adaptation is regulated. In this paper, we made a comprehensive and thorough analysis of forty-five studies focusing on light adaptation with the emerging knowledge on non-image-forming effect (NIF), to help researchers facilitate the research on light adaptation under complex luminance distribution. From the review, we can have the following outputs: 1) NIF may directly mediate the function of luminance adaptation, and we can take pupillary light reflex (PLR) as an objective indicator for the adaptation; 2) the action spectra of light adaptation may not be a fixed formula like V(λ), but may vary dynamically with luminance level; 3) there is high necessity to conduct research on light adaptation within a natural and complex environment. All these outputs can provide us a new perspective on light adaptation in visual system research.
Chromatin as a sensor of metabolic changes during early development
Authors: Pladevall-Morera David , Zylicz Jan J.
Published: October 2022

Cellular metabolism is a complex network of biochemical reactions fueling development with energy and biomass; however, it can also shape the cellular epigenome. Indeed, some intermediates of metabolic reactions exert a non-canonical function by acting as co-factors, substrates or inhibitors of chromatin modifying enzymes. Therefore, fluctuating availability of such molecules has the potential to regulate the epigenetic landscape. Thanks to this functional coupling, chromatin can act as a sensor of metabolic changes and thus impact cell fate. Growing evidence suggest that both metabolic and epigenetic reprogramming are crucial for ensuring a successful embryo development from the zygote until gastrulation. In this review, we provide an overview of the complex relationship between metabolism and epigenetics in regulating the early stages of mammalian embryo development. We report on recent breakthroughs in uncovering the non-canonical functions of metabolism especially when re-localized to the nucleus. In addition, we identify the challenges and outline future perspectives to advance the novel field of epi-metabolomics especially in the context of early development.
New 8-prenylated quercetin glycosides from the flowers of Epimedium acuminatum and their testosterone production-promoting activities
Authors: Zhang Yixin , Zhang Cheng , Li Zihan , Zeng Cheng , Xue Zhen , Li Erwei , Li Gang , Li Juan , Shen Guoan , Xu Chaoqun , Wang Yuanyue , Ma Baiping , Zhang Hui , Guo Baolin
Published: October 2022

Phytochemical investigation was carried out for the flowers of Epimedium acuminatum Franchet. by first conducting LC-MS analysis, leading to the identification of 32 compounds. Furthermore, guided by LC-MS profiling, three new 8-prenylated quercetin glycosides (3′-hydroxylikarisoside C, 3′-hydroxylepimedoside E, 3′-hydroxyldiphylloside B), one new anthocyanin (delphinidin-3-O-p-coumaroyl-sophoroside) and six known compounds were isolated from the flowers of E. acuminatum for the first time, and their structures were characterized based on spectroscopic methods including 1D and 2D NMR, and HRESIMS. Combining our discoveries and literature survey, a revised classification of Epimedium flavonols was proposed as Type A (8-prenylated kaempferol based), which was further subdivided into subtype icaritin and subtype demethylicaritin, and Type B (8-prenylated quercetin based), which was further subdivided into subtype 3′-hydroxylicaritin and subtype 3′-hydroxyldemethylicaritin. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) study was carried out by comparing testosterone production-promoting activities of all the new compounds along with nine related Epimedium flavonols, revealing that the new 8-prenylated quercetin glycosides (subtype 3′-hydroxyldemethylicaritin in Type B) exhibited lower testosterone production-promoting activities in rat primary Leydig cells than Epimedium flavonols of subtype demethylicaritin in Type A, but possessed higher activities than the Epimedium flavonols of subtype icaritin in Type A. These results suggested that either methylation at C-4′ position or hydroxylation at C-3′ position of ring B could significantly reduce the testosterone production-promoting activities of Epimedium flavonols.
Enhancement of fluorescence and anti-tumor effect of ZnO QDs by La doping
Authors: Hao Ruixin , Luo Shanshan , Wang Feiyan , Pan Xinyu , Yao Jing , Wu Jielian , Fang Haihong , Li Wenkui
Published: October 2022

ZnO quantum dots (QDs) have received much attention as biomarkers and drug delivery systems in cancer treatment, due to their low cost, ease of preparation, and pH-responsive degradation. However, its applications are limited by the low quantum yield and light absorption. In this work, a lanthanum-doped zinc oxide (La-ZnO) QDs-based drug delivery platform was constructed. The results show that 4% La doping is the most beneficial for improving the fluorescent properties of the ZnO QDs. After loading the drug, the cell activity was 15% at ZnO@DOX and 12% at La-ZnO@DOX. According to in vitro and in vivo experiment results, the La-ZnO QDs show enhancement of the antitumor effect. Dual enhancement of fluorescence and anti-tumor effects make La-ZnO QDs promising as a drug delivery system in cancer treatment.
Gut microbiota-derived indole 3-propionic acid partially activates aryl hydrocarbon receptor to promote macrophage phagocytosis and attenuate septic injury
Authors: Huang Zhi-Bin , Hu Zhen , Lu Chen-Xin , Luo Si-Dan , Chen Yu , Zhou Zhi-Peng , Hu Jing-Juan , Zhang Fang-Ling , Deng Fan , Liu Ke-Xuan
Published: October 2022

Sepsis is associated with a high risk of death, and the crosstalk between gut microbiota and sepsis is gradually revealed. Indole 3-propionic acid (IPA) is a gut microbiota-derived metabolite that exerts immune regulation and organ protective effects. However, the role of IPA in sepsis is not clear. In this study, the role of IPA in sepsis-related survival, clinical scores, bacterial burden, and organ injury was assessed in a murine model of cecal ligation and puncture-induced polymicrobial sepsis. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) highly specific inhibitor (CH223191) was used to observe the role of AhR in the protection of IPA against sepsis. The effects of IPA on bacterial phagocytosis by macrophages were investigated in vivo and vitro. The levels of IPA in feces were measured and analyzed in human sepsis patients and patient controls. First, we found that gut microbiota-derived IPA was associated with the survival of septic mice. Then, in animal model, IPA administration protected against sepsis-related mortality and alleviated sepsis-induced bacterial burden and organ injury, which was blunted by AhR inhibitor. Next, in vivo and vitro, IPA enhanced the macrophage phagocytosis through AhR. Depletion of macrophages reversed the protective effects of IPA on sepsis. Finally, on the day of ICU admission (day 0), septic patients had significantly lower IPA level in feces than patient controls. Also, septic patients with bacteremia had significantly lower IPA levels in feces compared with those with non-bacteremia. Furthermore, in septic patients, reduced IPA was associated with worse clinical outcomes, and IPA in feces had similar prediction ability of 28-day mortality with SOFA score, and increased the predictive ability of SOFA score. These findings indicate that gut microbiota-derived IPA can protect against sepsis through host control of infection by promoting macrophages phagocytosis and suggest that IPA may be a new strategy for sepsis treatment.
Narrative language abilities in adults with Down syndrome: A remote online elicitation study using the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (MAIN)
Authors: Mattiauda Elisa , Hassiotis Angela , Perovic Alexandra
Published: October 2022

Introduction

This research represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first attempt at assessing narrative retell remotely in people with Down syndrome and will provide valuable information on the validity and feasibility of remote online assessment with this population. Most research on language abilities in Down syndrome has focused on children and adolescents, making adults an understudied population. The present research seeks to establish a baseline of functioning for narrative language abilities in adults with Down syndrome, as part of a larger research aiming to investigate possible changes associated with aging and the emergence of Alzheimer's disease in this population.

Methods

We recruited 13 adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome aged 15–33 years (mean age: 21), matched to a control group of younger typically developing children aged 4–10 years (mean age: 6) on verbal Mental Age (MA). Participants completed a picture-based story retell activity from the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (MAIN) and a series of standardized background measures of language and cognitive ability.

Results

Our analyses focused on macrostructural indices of narrative performance, narrative length and lexical diversity. Results revealed that our participants with Down syndrome were outperformed by verbal MA-matched controls on measures of story structure and story comprehension, as well as lexical diversity. No difference was found on total number of words, indicating the groups produced comparable amounts of speech despite differences in story grammar and lexis.

Discussion

We interpret the results in light of previous research on macrostructural narrative performance in adults and younger adolescents with Down syndrome. Recruitment and data collection outcomes are discussed in terms of successful strategies and possible improvements. We conclude that remote online assessment of people with Down syndrome is feasible, although considerations should be made with regards to facilitating enrolment, and task engagement. Our participants demonstrated ability to engage with the experimenters over video chat and were able to complete the activities proposed mostly independently, with minimal involvement required from caregivers. Recommendations for future remote online studies involving children and people with intellectual disabilities are discussed.
Hypoglycemia is associated with a higher risk of mortality and arrhythmias in ST-elevation myocardial infarction, irrespective of diabetes
Authors: Humos Basel , Mahfoud Ziyad , Dargham Soha , Al Suwaidi Jassim , Jneid Hani , Abi Khalil Charbel
Published: October 2022

Aims

We aimed to assess the impact of hypoglycemia in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Background

Hypoglycemia increases the risk of mortality in patients with diabetes and high cardiovascular risk.

Methods

We used the National Inpatient Sample (2005–2017) database to identify adult patients with STEMI as the primary diagnosis. The secondary diagnosis was hypoglycemia. We compared cardiovascular and socio-economic outcomes between STEMI patients with and without hypoglycemia and assessed temporal trends.

Results

Hypoglycemia tends to complicate 0.17% of all cases hospitalized for STEMI. The mean age (±SD) of STEMI patients hospitalized with hypoglycemia decreased from 67 ± 15 in 2005 to 63 ± 12 in 2017 (p = 0.046). Mortality was stable with time, but the prevalence of ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, acute renal failure, cardiogenic shock, total charges, and length of stay (LOS) increased with time (p < 0.05 for all). Compared to non-hypoglycemic patients, those who developed hypoglycemia were older and more likely to be black; only 6.7% had diabetes compared to 28.5% of STEMI patients (p = 0.001). Cardiovascular events were more likely to occur in hypoglycemia: mortality risk increased by almost 2.5-fold (adjusted OR = 2.625 [2.095–3.289]). There was a higher incidence of cardiogenic shock (adjusted OR = 1.718 [1.387–2.127]), atrial fibrillation (adjusted OR = 1.284 [1.025–1.607]), ventricular fibrillation (adjusted OR = 1.799 [1.406–2.301]), and acute renal failure (adjusted OR = 2.355 [1.902–2.917]). Patients who developed hypoglycemia were less likely to have PCI (OR = 0.596 [0.491–0.722]) but more likely to have CABG (OR = 1.792 [1.391–2.308]). They also had a longer in-hospital stay and higher charges/stay.

Conclusion

Hypoglycemia is a rare event in patients hospitalized with STEMI. However, it was found to have higher odds of mortality, arrhythmias, and other comorbidities, irrespective of diabetes.
Electrocardiogram classification using TSST-based spectrogram and ConViT
Authors: Bing Pingping , Liu Yang , Liu Wei , Zhou Jun , Zhu Lemei
Published: October 2022

As an important auxiliary tool of arrhythmia diagnosis, Electrocardiogram (ECG) is frequently utilized to detect a variety of cardiovascular diseases caused by arrhythmia, such as cardiac mechanical infarction. In the past few years, the classification of ECG has always been a challenging problem. This paper presents a novel deep learning model called convolutional vision transformer (ConViT), which combines vision transformer (ViT) with convolutional neural network (CNN), for ECG arrhythmia classification, in which the unique soft convolutional inductive bias of gated positional self-attention (GPSA) layers integrates the superiorities of attention mechanism and convolutional architecture. Moreover, the time-reassigned synchrosqueezing transform (TSST), a newly developed time-frequency analysis (TFA) method where the time-frequency coefficients are reassigned in the time direction, is employed to sharpen pulse traits for feature extraction. Aiming at the class imbalance phenomena in the traditional ECG database, the smote algorithm and focal loss (FL) are used for data augmentation and minority-class weighting, respectively. The experiment using MIT-BIH arrhythmia database indicates that the overall accuracy of the proposed model is as high as 99.5%. Furthermore, the specificity (Spe), F1-Score and positive Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC) of supra ventricular ectopic beat (S) and ventricular ectopic beat (V) are all more than 94%. These results demonstrate that the proposed method is superior to most of the existing methods.
Imbalanced ECG signal-based heart disease classification using ensemble machine learning technique
Authors: Rath Adyasha , Mishra Debahuti , Panda Ganapati
Published: October 2022

The machine learning (ML)-based classification models are widely utilized for the automated detection of heart diseases (HDs) using various physiological signals such as electrocardiogram (ECG), magnetocardiography (MCG), heart sound (HS), and impedance cardiography (ICG) signals. However, ECG-based HD identification is the most common one used by clinicians. In the current investigation, the ECG records or subjects have been sampled and are used as inputs to the classification model to distinguish between normal and abnormal patients. The study has employed an imbalanced number of ECG samples for training the various classification models. Few ML methods such as support vector machine (SVM), logistic regression (LR), and adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) which have been rarely used for HD detection have been selected. The performance of the developed model has been evaluated in terms of accuracy, F1-score, and area under curve (AUC) values using ECG signals of subjects given in publicly available (PTB-ECG, MIT-BIH) datasets. Ranking of the models has been assigned based on these performance metrics and it is found that the AdaBoost and LR classifiers stand in first and second positions. These two models have been ensembled based on the majority voting principle and the performance measure of this ensemble model has also been determined. It is, in general, observed that the proposed ensemble model demonstrates the best HD detection performance of 0.946, 0.949, and 0.951 for the PTB-ECG dataset and 0.921, 0.926, and 0.950 for the MIT-BIH dataset in terms of accuracy, F1-score, and AUC, respectively. The proposed methodology can also be employed for the classification of HD using ICG, MCG, and HS signals as inputs. Further, the proposed methodology can also be applied to the detection of other diseases.
In-situ trace element and S isotope systematics in pyrite from three porphyry-epithermal prospects, Limnos Island, Greece
Authors: Börner Frederik , Keith Manuel , Bücker Jonas L. , Voudouris Panagiotis , Klemd Reiner , Haase Karsten , Kutzschbach Martin , Schiperski Ferry
Published: October 2022

Porphyry-epithermal systems associated with high-K calc-alkaline to alkaline igneous host rocks may be prospective for the recovery of Te among related elements like Cu, Ag, and Au. Limnos Island, as part of the Tethyan magmatic belt, is such an example, where (telescoped) porphyry-epithermal mineralization is accompanied by different alteration-styles reflecting various hydrothermal processes. Here, we present in-situ S isotope and trace element data of pyrite, which records the fluid evolution from the early porphyry to the late epithermal stage in three distinct prospects (Fakos, Kaspakas, Sardes) on Limnos Island. Pyrite in the sericitic alteration of Fakos mainly formed from single-phase magma-derived fluids lacking evidence for phase separation, as reflected by relatively constant δ34S (about −4‰) and Co/Ni (0.1-1) values. By contrast, in the sericitic alteration of Kaspakas and the following epithermal stages, an influence of boiling is implied by negative δ34S values to −15‰, significant intergrain δ34S variations (>3‰), highly variable Co/Ni (100-0.01) and As/Co (10-0.001) in pyrite. Higher δ34S values (above −4‰) in porphyry pyrite from Sardes and partly in the other two hydrothermal systems are related to mixing between magmatic S, and S which was transported through deeply circulated seawater and/or meteoric water. We propose that fluid-rock interaction buffered the pH to higher values, which enhanced the solubility of Au and Te. Subsequent boiling processes caused the Au deposition, whereas Te partitioned into the vapor and finally precipitated upon condensation into meteoric water. This process is accompanied by continuous cooling during fluid ascent from 780°C to <300°C, as indicated by increasing Sb, Tl, and Pb in pyrite from the porphyry to the epithermal stage. Consequently, the in situ δ34S and trace element analysis allows to constrain the depositional environment of economic metals like Au and Te in porphyry-epithermal prospects.
Involvement of ceramide biosynthesis in increased extracellular vesicle release in Pkd1 knock out cells
Authors: Carotti Valentina , van der Wijst Jenny , Verschuren Eric H. J. , Rutten Luco , Sommerdijk Nico , Kaffa Charlotte , Sommers Vera , Rigalli Juan P. , Hoenderop Joost G. J.
Published: October 2022

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is an inherited disorder characterized by the development of renal cysts, which frequently leads to renal failure. Hypertension and other cardiovascular symptoms contribute to the high morbidity and mortality of the disease. ADPKD is caused by mutations in the PKD1 gene or, less frequently, in the PKD2 gene. The disease onset and progression are highly variable between patients, whereby the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. Recently, a role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the progression of ADPKD has been postulated. However, the mechanisms stimulating EV release in ADPKD have not been addressed and the participation of the distal nephron segments is still uninvestigated. Here, we studied the effect of Pkd1 deficiency on EV release in wild type and Pkd1-/- mDCT15 and mIMCD3 cells as models of the distal convoluted tubule (DCT) and inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD), respectively. By using nanoparticle tracking analysis, we observed a significant increase in EV release in Pkd1-/- mDCT15 and mIMCD3 cells, with respect to the wild type cells. The molecular mechanisms leading to the changes in EV release were further investigated in mDCT15 cells through RNA sequencing and qPCR studies. Specifically, we assessed the relevance of purinergic signaling and ceramide biosynthesis enzymes. Pkd1-/- mDCT15 cells showed a clear upregulation of P2rx7 expression compared to wild type cells. Depletion of extracellular ATP by apyrase (ecto-nucleotidase) inhibited EV release only in wild type cells, suggesting an exacerbated signaling of the extracellular ATP/P2X7 pathway in Pkd1-/- cells. In addition, we identified a significant up-regulation of the ceramide biosynthesis enzymes CerS6 and Smpd3 in Pkd1-/- cells. Altogether, our findings suggest the involvement of the DCT in the EV-mediated ADPKD progression and points to the induction of ceramide biosynthesis as an underlying molecular mechanism. Further studies should be performed to investigate whether CerS6 and Smpd3 can be used as biomarkers of ADPKD onset, progression or severity.
Machine learning-based dynamic prediction of lateral lymph node metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid cancer
Authors: Lai Sheng-wei , Fan Yun-long , Zhu Yu-hua , Zhang Fei , Guo Zheng , Wang Bing , Wan Zheng , Liu Pei-lin , Yu Ning , Qin Han-dai
Published: October 2022

Objective

To develop a web-based machine learning server to predict lateral lymph node metastasis (LLNM) in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients.

Methods

Clinical data for PTC patients who underwent primary thyroidectomy at our hospital between January 2015 and December 2020, with pathologically confirmed presence or absence of any LLNM finding, were retrospectively reviewed. We built all models from a training set (80%) and assessed them in a test set (20%), using algorithms including decision tree, XGBoost, random forest, support vector machine, neural network, and K-nearest neighbor algorithm. Their performance was measured against a previously established nomogram using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), decision curve analysis (DCA), precision, recall, accuracy, F1 score, specificity, and sensitivity. Interpretable machine learning was used for identifying potential relationships between variables and LLNM, and a web-based tool was created for use by clinicians.

Results

A total of 1135 (62.53%) out of 1815 PTC patients enrolled in this study experienced LLNM episodes. In predicting LLNM, the best algorithm was random forest. In determining feature importance, the AUC reached 0.80, with an accuracy of 0.74, sensitivity of 0.89, and F1 score of 0.81. In addition, DCA showed that random forest held a higher clinical net benefit. Random forest identified tumor size, lymph node microcalcification, age, lymph node size, and tumor location as the most influentials in predicting LLNM. And the website tool is freely accessible at http://43.138.62.202/.

Conclusion

The results showed that machine learning can be used to enable accurate prediction for LLNM in PTC patients, and that the web tool allowed for LLNM risk assessment at the individual level.
Aqueous titanium redox flow batteries—State-of-the-art and future potential
Authors: Ahmed Sheikh Imran Uddin , Shahid Mohamed , Sankarasubramanian Shrihari
Published: October 2022

Market-driven deployment of inexpensive (but intermittent) renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, in the electric power grid necessitates grid-stabilization through energy storage systems Redox flow batteries (RFBs), with their rated power and energy decoupled (resulting in a sub-linear scaling of cost), are an inexpensive solution for the efficient electrochemical storage of large amounts of electrical energy. Titanium-based RFBs, first developed by NASA in the 1970s, are an interesting albeit less examined chemistry and are the focus of the present review. Ti, constituting 0.6% of the Earth’s crust and an ingredient in inexpensive white paints, is amongst the few elements (V and Mn being some others) which exhibit multiple soluble oxidation states in aqueous electrolytes. Further, the very high (approaching 10 M) solubility of Ti in low pH solutions suggests the possibility of developing exceptionally high energy density aqueous Redox Flow Batteries systems. With these advantages in mind, we present the state-of the-art in Ti-RFBs with a focus on Ti/Mn, Ti/Fe and Ti/Ce couples and systems that use Ti as an additive (such as Ti/V/Mn). The inherent advantages of inexpensive Ti actives and relatively high energy density is contrasted with potential side-reactions resulting in reduced energy efficiency. Technological pathways are presented with a view to overcoming critical bottlenecks and a vision is presented for the future development of Ti-RFBs.
Forecasting crude oil prices volatility by reconstructing EEMD components using ARIMA and FFNN models
Authors: Dar Laiba Sultan , Aamir Muhammad , Khan Zardad , Bilal Muhammad , Boonsatit Nattakan , Jirawattanapanit Anuwat
Published: October 2022

The energy sector which includes gas and oil is concerned to explore and develop refined oil and it’s a multitrillion business. As crude oil is a very important source of energy, and it has a very valuable impact on a country’s economic growth, national security, and social stability. Therefore, accurately predicting the crude oil price volatility is a very important topic of research and still, it is a challenge for researchers to accurately forecast crude oil prices. Therefore, this study is conducted to address the said problem significantly. This research presents a novel hybrid method for reconstructing EEMD IMFs that involves two steps. Visual analysis of Average Mutual Information (AMI) graphs were used to rebuild IMFs. EEMD IMFs were split into two components called stochastic and deterministic. In the proposed method, reconstruction of IMFs of EEMD was done at two stages to see if the stochastic components have more variation. Later, ARIMA and FFNN models were used to test the suggested method’s performance. For this purpose, Brent crude oil prices data was used, and the hybrid model EEMD-S2D1D2-ARIMA/FFNN outperformed the other existing hybrid model with minimum MAE = 0.2323, RMSE = 0.3058 and MAPE = 0.5273. A simulation study was also conducted to check the robustness of the proposed method for N = 50, 500, 1,000, 2000, 5,000, and 7,500. The simulation results also confirm that the unpredictability present in the reconstructed IMFs of the hybrid models EEMD-ARIMA/FFNN and EEMD-SD-ARIMA/FFNN has been reduced by the proposed hybrid models.
Multidimensional perspective of social capital and quality of financial decision on corporate value: The case of Pakistan
Authors: Zhang Jiewei , Ulllah Hafeez , Diao Xundi , Abbas Hasnain
Published: October 2022

The study analyzes the impact of social and human capital on the corporate value of Pakistani enterprises listed on the stock exchange. The research specifically focused on Pakistan firms operating in the manufacturing sector. It assesses the moderating effect of QOFDP between social capital (SC) and human capital (HC) on corporate value. A quantitative analysis approach is applied to the primary data collected through a close-ended survey questionnaire from 600 supply chain employees of Pakistan manufacturing industry. Results were used to construct a quantitative inquiry approach for the primary data. The association and impact of Social capital (SC) on the corporate value of manufacturing enterprises were found to be statistically significant, and it was also shown that Quality of financial decision and policy making (QOFDP) acted as a moderator between HC and corporate value. The moderating of QOFDP was exclusive to SC and HC, although all factors indicating SC (i.e., internal, and external network of social capital) and human capital (HC) affected company value positively and considerably. In light of the above findings, it has been advised that Pakistani manufacturing companies participate in rational financial decision-making to increase business sustainability and corporate value. However, this study is limited to the manufacturing industry in Pakistan and cannot be applied to other industries or nations.