bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chronic Periodontitis Is Associated with the Risk of Bipolar Disorder: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors: Huang Yung-Kai , Wang Yu-Hsun , Chang Yu-Chao
Published: May 2020

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a psychiatric mood disturbance manifested by manic, hypomanic, or major depressive periods. Chronic inflammation was evidenced as an important etiologic factor of BD. Chronic periodontitis (CP) is an inflammatory disease triggered by bacterial products, leading to the destruction of periodontium. The relationship between BD and CP is of interest to investigate. Therefore, a nationwide population-based cohort study was used to investigate the risk of BD and CP exposure from 2001 to 2012. We identified 61,608 patients with CP from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). The 123,216 controls were randomly captured and matched by age, sex, index year, and co-morbidities. The association between CP exposure and BD risk was examined by Cox proportional hazards regression models. In this study, 61,608 CP patients and 123,216 controls were followed up for 7.45 and 7.36 years, respectively. In total, 138 BD patients were identified in the CP cohort and 187 BD cases were found in the non-CP cohort. The incidence rate of BD was significantly higher in the CP cohort than in the non-CP cohort (adjusted HR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.17–1.81) according to the multivariate Cox regression analysis. Females had a 1.47-fold increased risk (95% CI: 1.16–1.86) for BD compared to males. Taken together, CP may be associated with an increased risk of subsequent BD in Taiwan.
New Insights on Vitamin K Metabolism in Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) Based on Ontogenetic and Tissue-Specific Vitamin K Epoxide Reductase Molecular Data
Authors: Beato Silvia , Marques Carlos , Laizé Vincent , Gavaia Paulo J. , Fernández Ignacio
Published: May 2020

Vitamin K (VK) is a key nutrient for several biological processes (e.g., blood clotting and bone metabolism). To fulfill VK nutritional requirements, VK action as an activator of pregnane X receptor (Pxr) signaling pathway, and as a co-factor of γ-glutamyl carboxylase enzyme, should be considered. In this regard, VK recycling through vitamin K epoxide reductases (Vkors) is essential and should be better understood. Here, the expression patterns of vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (vkorc1) and vkorc1 like 1 (vkorc1l1) were determined during the larval ontogeny of Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis), and in early juveniles cultured under different physiological conditions. Full-length transcripts for ssvkorc1 and ssvkorc1l1 were determined and peptide sequences were found to be evolutionarily conserved. During larval development, expression of ssvkorc1 showed a slight increase during absence or low feed intake. Expression of ssvkorc1l1 continuously decreased until 24 h post-fertilization, and remained constant afterwards. Both ssvkors were ubiquitously expressed in adult tissues, and highest expression was found in liver for ssvkorc1, and ovary and brain for ssvkorc1l1. Expression of ssvkorc1 and ssvkorc1l1 was differentially regulated under physiological conditions related to fasting and re-feeding, but also under VK dietary supplementation and induced deficiency. The present work provides new and basic molecular clues evidencing how VK metabolism in marine fish is sensitive to nutritional and environmental conditions.
Anti-Aging Effect of the Ketone Metabolite β-Hydroxybutyrate in Drosophila Intestinal Stem Cells
Authors: Park Joung-Sun , Kim Yung-Jin
Published: May 2020

Age-related changes in tissue-resident adult stem cells may be closely linked to tissue aging and age-related diseases, such as cancer. β-Hydroxybutyrate is emerging as an important molecule for exhibiting the anti-aging effects of caloric restriction and fasting, which are generally considered to be beneficial for stem cell maintenance and tissue regeneration. The effects of β-hydroxybutyrate on adult stem cells remain largely unknown. Therefore, this study was undertaken to investigate whether β-hydroxybutyrate supplementation exerts beneficial effects on age-related changes in intestinal stem cells that were derived from the Drosophila midgut. Our results indicate that β-hydroxybutyrate inhibits age- and oxidative stress-induced changes in midgut intestinal stem cells, including centrosome amplification (a hallmark of cancers), hyperproliferation, and DNA damage accumulation. Additionally, β-hydroxybutyrate inhibits age- and oxidative stress-induced heterochromatin instability in enterocytes, an intestinal stem cells niche cells. Our results suggest that β-hydroxybutyrate exerts both intrinsic as well as extrinsic influence in order to maintain stem cell homeostasis.
Physical Activity Dynamically Regulates the Hippocampal Proteome along the Dorso-Ventral Axis
Authors: Frey Surina , Schieweck Rico , Forné Ignasi , Imhof Axel , Straub Tobias , Popper Bastian , Kiebler Michael A.
Published: May 2020

The hippocampus is central for higher cognition and emotions. In patients suffering from neuropsychiatric or neurodegenerative diseases, hippocampal signaling is altered causing cognitive defects. Thus, therapeutic approaches aim at improving cognition by targeting the hippocampus. Enhanced physical activity (EPA) improves cognition in rodents and humans. A systematic screen, however, for expression changes in the hippocampus along the dorso-ventral axis is missing, which is a prerequisite for understanding molecular mechanisms. Here, we exploited label free mass spectrometry to detect proteomic changes in the hippocampus of male mice upon voluntary wheel running. To identify regional differences, we examined dorsal and ventral CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus hippocampal subregions. We found metabolic enzymes and actin binding proteins, such as RhoA, being upregulated in the hippocampus upon EPA suggesting a coordination between metabolism and cytoskeleton remodeling; two pathways essential for synaptic plasticity. Strikingly, dorsal and ventral hippocampal subregions respond differentially to EPA. Together, our results provide new insight into proteomic adaptations driven by physical activity in mice. In addition, our results suggest that dorsal and ventral hippocampus, as well as hippocampal subregions themselves, contribute differently to this process. Our study therefore provides an important resource for studying hippocampal subregion diversity in response to EPA.
Transcriptomics in Alzheimer’s Disease: Aspects and Challenges
Authors: Bagyinszky Eva , Giau Vo Van , An SeongSoo A.
Published: May 2020

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. Although the heritability of AD is high, the knowledge of the disease-associated genes, their expression, and their disease-related pathways remain limited. Hence, finding the association between gene dysfunctions and pathological mechanisms, such as neuronal transports, APP processing, calcium homeostasis, and impairment in mitochondria, should be crucial. Emerging studies have revealed that changes in gene expression and gene regulation may have a strong impact on neurodegeneration. The mRNA–transcription factor interactions, non-coding RNAs, alternative splicing, or copy number variants could also play a role in disease onset. These facts suggest that understanding the impact of transcriptomes in AD may improve the disease diagnosis and also the therapies. In this review, we highlight recent transcriptome investigations in multifactorial AD, with emphasis on the insights emerging at their interface.
A Novel Experimental Test Bench to Investigate the Effects of Cutting Fluids on the Frictional Conditions in Metal Cutting
Authors: Lakner Thomas , Hardt Marvin
Published: May 2020

The tribological effect of cutting fluids in the machining processes to reduce the friction in the cutting zone is still widely unknown. Most test benches and procedures do not represent the contact conditions of machining processes adequately, especially for interrupted contacts. This results in a lack of knowledge of the tribological behavior in machining processes. To close this knowledge gap, a novel experimental test bench to investigate the effects of cutting fluids on the frictional conditions in metal cutting under high-pressure cutting fluid supply was developed and utilized within this work. The results show that there is a difference between the frictional forces in interrupted contact compared to continuous contact. Furthermore, the cutting fluid parameters of supply pressure, volumetric flow rate, and impact point of the cutting fluid jet influence the frictional forces, the intensities of which depend on the workpiece material. In conclusion, the novel test bench allows examining the frictional behavior in interrupted cuts with an unprecedented precision, which contributes to a knowledge-based design of the cutting fluid supply for cutting tools.
Numerical Study on the Temperature-Dependent Viscosity Effect on the Strand Shape in Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Behdani Behrouz , Senter Matthew , Mason Leah , Leu Ming , Park Joontaek
Published: May 2020

A numerical model that incorporates temperature-dependent non-Newtonian viscosity was developed to simulate the extrusion process in extrusion-based additive manufacturing. Agreement with the experimental data was achieved by simulating a polylactic acid melt flow as a non-isothermal power law fluid using experimentally fitted parameters for polylactic acid. The model was used to investigate the temperature effect on the flow behavior, the cross-sectional area, and the uniformity of the extruded strand. OpenFOAM, an open source simulation tool based on the finite volume method, was used to perform the simulations. A computational module for solving the equations of non-isothermal multiphase flows was also developed to simulate the extrusion process under a small gap condition where the gap between the nozzle and the substrate surface is smaller than the nozzle diameter. Comparison of the strand shapes obtained from our model with isothermal Newtonian simulation, and experimental data confirms that our model improves the agreement with the experimental data. The result shows that the cross-sectional area of the extruded strand is sensitive to the temperature-dependent viscosity, especially in the small gap condition which has recently increased in popularity. Our numerical investigation was able to show nozzle temperature effects on the strand shape and surface topography which previously had been investigated and observed empirically only.
Serum Potassium Levels at Hospital Discharge and One-Year Mortality among Hospitalized Patients
Authors: Thongprayoon Charat , Cheungpasitporn Wisit , Thirunavukkarasu Sorkko , Petnak Tananchai , Chewcharat Api , Bathini Tarun , Vallabhajosyula Saraschandra , Mao Michael A. , Erickson Stephen B.
Published: May 2020

Background and Objectives: The optimal range of serum potassium at hospital discharge is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between discharge serum potassium levels and one-year mortality in hospitalized patients. Materials and Methods: All adult hospital survivors between 2011 and 2013 at a tertiary referral hospital, who had available admission and discharge serum potassium data, were enrolled. End-stage kidney disease patients were excluded. Discharge serum potassium was defined as the last serum potassium level measured within 48 h prior to hospital discharge and categorized into ≤2.9, 3.0–3.4, 3.5–3.9, 4.0–4.4, 4.5–4.9, 5.0–5.4 and ≥5.5 mEq/L. A Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to assess the independent association between discharge serum potassium and one-year mortality after hospital discharge, using the discharge potassium range of 4.0–4.4 mEq/L as the reference group. Results: Of 57,874 eligible patients, with a mean discharge serum potassium of 4.1 ± 0.4 mEq/L, the estimated one-year mortality rate after discharge was 13.2%. A U-shaped association was observed between discharge serum potassium and one-year mortality, with the nadir mortality in the discharge serum potassium range of 4.0–4.4 mEq/L. After adjusting for clinical characteristics, including admission serum potassium, both discharge serum potassium ≤3.9 mEq/L and ≥4.5 mEq/L were significantly associated with increased one-year mortality, compared with the discharge serum potassium of 4.0–4.4 mEq/L. Stratified analysis based on admission serum potassium showed similar results, except that there was no increased risk of one-year mortality when discharge serum potassium was ≤3.9 mEq/L in patients with an admission serum potassium of ≥5.0 mEq/L. Conclusion: The association between discharge serum potassium and one-year mortality after hospital discharge had a U-shaped distribution and was independent of admission serum potassium. Favorable survival outcomes occurred when discharge serum potassium was strictly within the range of 4.0–4.4 mEq/L.
Wireless Charging System Using Resonant Inductor in Class E Power Amplifier for Electronics and Sensors
Authors: Wen Feng , Cheng Xingchen , Li Qiang , Ye Jianqiao
Published: May 2020

This study aims to solve a problem that exists with impedance matching networks in terms of extra cost and power loss of electronic components in a four-coil wireless power transfer (WPT) system using class E power amplifier as power supply, which is not conducive to the improvement of system efficiency and output power. A design method of sharing the resonant inductor in class E power amplifier and the excitation coil in the four-coil WPT system is proposed. This method comprehensively considers the output power and transfer efficiency of the system, the number of coil turns, coil size and many other factors. Compared with the traditional four-coil system using a class E power amplifier as a power supply, the proposed method simplified the system structure by leaving out a resonant inductor and load matching circuit, which can reduce the power loss of system and improve efficiency. Moreover, the precisely tuning of resonant inductor was not necessary, which improved the stability of the system. The correctness and feasibility of the parameter design method were verified by experiments. The experimental results showed that the output power of the system was increased by 18.7%, the efficiency was increased by 11%, and the transmission distance was up to 0.7 m, which is suitable for wireless power supply of electronics and sensors.
Hollow-Core Photonic Crystal Fiber Mach–Zehnder Interferometer for Gas Sensing
Authors: Nazeri Kaveh , Ahmed Farid , Ahsani Vahid , Joe Hang-Eun , Bradley Colin , Toyserkani Ehsan , Jun Martin
Published: May 2020

A novel and compact interferometric refractive index (RI) point sensor is developed using hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF) and experimentally demonstrated for high sensitivity detection and measurement of pure gases. To construct the device, the sensing element fiber (HC-PCF) was placed between two single-mode fibers with airgaps at each side. Great measurement repeatability was shown in the cyclic test for the detection of various gases. The RI sensitivity of 4629 nm/RIU was demonstrated in the RI range of 1.0000347–1.000436 for the sensor with an HC-PCF length of 3.3 mm. The sensitivity of the proposed Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) sensor increases when the length of the sensing element decreases. It is shown that response and recovery times of the proposed sensor inversely change with the length of HC-PCF. Besides, spatial frequency analysis for a wide range of air-gaps revealed information on the number and power distribution of modes. It is shown that the power is mainly carried by two dominant modes in the proposed structure. The proposed sensors have the potential to improve current technology’s ability to detect and quantify pure gases.
Estimation of Daily Terrestrial Latent Heat Flux with High Spatial Resolution from MODIS and Chinese GF-1 Data
Authors: Bei Xiangyi , Yao Yunjun , Zhang Lilin , Lin Yi , Liu Shaomin , Jia Kun , Zhang Xiaotong , Shang Ke , Yang Junming , Chen Xiaowei , Guo Xiaozheng
Published: May 2020

Reliable estimates of terrestrial latent heat flux (LE) at high spatial and temporal resolutions are of vital importance for energy balance and water resource management. However, currently available LE products derived from satellite data generally have high revisit frequency or fine spatial resolution. In this study, we explored the feasibility of the high spatiotemporal resolution LE fusion framework to take advantage of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Chinese GaoFen-1 Wide Field View (GF-1 WFV) data. In particular, three-fold fusion schemes based on Enhanced Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (ESTARFM) were employed, including fusion of surface reflectance (Scheme 1), vegetation indices (Scheme 2) and high order LE products (Scheme 3). Our results showed that the fusion of vegetation indices and further computing LE (Scheme 2) achieved better accuracy and captured more detailed information of terrestrial LE, where the determination coefficient (R2) varies from 0.86 to 0.98, the root-mean-square error (RMSE) ranges from 1.25 to 9.77 W/m2 and the relative RSME (rRMSE) varies from 2% to 23%. The time series of merged LE in 2017 using the optimal Scheme 2 also showed a relatively good agreement with eddy covariance (EC) measurements and MODIS LE products. The fusion approach provides spatiotemporal continuous LE estimates and also reduces the uncertainties in LE estimation, with an increment in R2 by 0.06 and a decrease in RMSE by 23.4% on average. The proposed high spatiotemporal resolution LE estimation framework using multi-source data showed great promise in monitoring LE variation at field scale, and may have value in planning irrigation schemes and providing water management decisions over agroecosystems.
A Novel Fault Diagnosis Scheme for Rolling Bearing Based on Convex Optimization in Synchroextracting Chirplet Transform
Authors: You Guanghui , Lv Yong , Jiang Yefeng , Yi Cancan
Published: May 2020

Synchroextracting transform (SET) developed from synchrosqueezing transform (SST) is a novel time-frequency (TF) analysis method. Its concentrated TF spectrum is obtained by applying a synchroextracting operator into TF transformation co-efficients on the TF plane. For this class of post-processing TF analysis methods, the main research focuses on the accurate estimation of instantaneous frequency (IF). However, the performance of TF analysis is greatly affected by the strong frequency modulation (FM) signal. In particular, the actual measured mechanical vibration signals always contain strong background noise, which decreases the resolution of TF representation, resulting in an inaccurate ridge extraction. To solve this problem, an improved penalty function based on the convex optimization scheme is firstly introduced for signal denoising. Based on the superiority of the linear chirplet transform (LCT) in dealing with modulated signals, the synchroextracting chirplet transform (SECT) is employed to sharpen the TF representation after the convex optimization denoising operation. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, the numerical simulation signals and the measured fault signals of rolling bearing are carried out, respectively. The results demonstrate that the proposed method leads to a better solution in rolling bearing fault feature extraction.
Real-Time Dual-Wavelength Time-Resolved Diffuse Optical Tomography System for Functional Brain Imaging Based on Probe-Hosted Silicon Photomultipliers
Authors: Orive-Miguel David , Di Sieno Laura , Behera Anurag , Ferocino Edoardo , Contini Davide , Condat Laurent , Hervé Lionel , Mars Jérôme , Torricelli Alessandro , Pifferi Antonio , Dalla Mora Alberto
Published: May 2020

Near-infrared diffuse optical tomography is a non-invasive photonics-based imaging technology suited to functional brain imaging applications. Recent developments have proved that it is possible to build a compact time-domain diffuse optical tomography system based on silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) detectors. The system presented in this paper was equipped with the same eight SiPM probe-hosted detectors, but was upgraded with six injection fibers to shine the sample at several points. Moreover, an automatic switch was included enabling a complete measurement to be performed in less than one second. Further, the system was provided with a dual-wavelength (670 n m and 820 n m ) light source to quantify the oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin concentration evolution in the tissue. This novel system was challenged against a solid phantom experiment, and two in-vivo tests, namely arm occlusion and motor cortex brain activation. The results show that the tomographic system makes it possible to follow the evolution of brain activation over time with a 1 s -resolution.
Photoacoustic Imaging to Track Magnetic-manipulated Micro-Robots in Deep Tissue
Authors: Yan Yan , Jing Wuming , Mehrmohammadi Mohammad
Published: May 2020

The next generation of intelligent robotic systems has been envisioned as micro-scale mobile and externally controllable robots. Visualization of such small size microrobots to track their motion in nontransparent medium such as human tissue remains a major challenge, limiting translation into clinical applications. Herein, we present a novel, non-invasive, real-time imaging method by integrating ultrasound (US) and photoacoustic (PA) imaging modalities for tracking and detecting the motion of a single microrobot in deep biological tissue. We developed and evaluated a prototyped PA-guided magnetic microrobot tracking system. The microrobots are fabricated using photoresist mixed with nickel (Ni) particles. The microrobot motion was controlled using an externally applied magnetic field. Our experimental results evaluated the capabilities of PA imaging in visualizing and tracking microrobots in opaque tissue and tissue-mimicking phantoms. The results also demonstrate the ability of PA imaging in detecting a microrobot with the sizes less than the minimum detectable size by US imaging (down to 50 µm). The spectroscopic PA imaging studies determined an optimal wavelength (700 nm) for imaging microrobots with embedded Ni particles in oxygenated (fresh) human blood. In addition, we examined the ability of PA imaging to detect the microrobots through a nontransparent tissue mimic and at a depth of 25 mm, where conventional optical methods are unable to be used in tracking the objects. These initial results demonstrate the feasibility of an integrated US and PA imaging method to push the boundaries of microrobot applications into translational applications.
Potentiometric Solid-Contact Ion-Selective Electrode for Determination of Thiocyanate in Human Saliva
Authors: Urbanowicz Marcin , Sadowska Kamila , Pijanowska Dorota G. , Pomećko Radosław , Bocheńska Maria
Published: May 2020

A new solid-contact potentiometric ion-selective electrode for the determination of SCN− (SCN-ISE) has been described. Synthesized phosphonium derivative of calix[4]arene was used as a charged ionophore. The research included selection of the ion-selective membrane composition, determination of the ISEs metrological parameters and SCN-ISE application for thiocyanate determination in human saliva. Preparation of the ISEs included selection of a plasticizer for the ion-selective membrane composition and type of the electrode material. The study was carried out using ISE with liquid internal electrolyte (LE-ISE) and solid-contact electrodes made of glassy carbon (GC-ISE) and gold rods (Au-ISE). The best parameters were found for GC sensors for which the ion-selective membrane contained chloroparaffin as a plasticizer (S = 59.9 mV/dec, LOD = 1.6 × 10−6 M). The study of potentiometric selectivity coefficients has shown that the thiocyanate-selective sensor could be applied in biomedical research for determination of SCN− concentration in human saliva. The accuracy of the SCN− determination was verified by testing 59 samples of volunteers’ saliva by potentiometric sensors and UV-Vis spectrophotometry as a reference technique. Moreover, SCN− concentrations in the smokers’ and non-smokers’ saliva were compared. In order to investigate the influence of various factors (sex, health status, taken medications) on the thiocyanate level in the saliva, more extensive studies on a group of 100 volunteers were carried out. Additionally, for a group of 18 volunteers, individual profiles of SCN− concentration in saliva measured on a daily basis for over a month were collected.
Smart Sensing Using Electromagnetic Waves for Inspection of Defects in Rock Bolts
Authors: Yu Jung-Doung , Lee Jong-Sub
Published: May 2020

The stability of tunnels and rock slopes is adversely affected by defects in rock bolts. This study investigates the suitability of the smart sensing method using electromagnetic waves for inspecting defects in rock bolts. Experiments were performed with one fully grouted and eight defective rock bolts, out of which five have non-grouted parts at the ends with different non-grouted ratios, and three have different types of voids. Electromagnetic waves were generated and detected using a time domain reflectometer by configuring two-conductor transmission lines in the rock bolts. Results show that electromagnetic waves are reflected both at defects and ends of rock bolts. The electromagnetic wave velocity increases with an increase in the non-grouted ratio and decreases when rock bolts are embedded in a concrete block simulating rock mass. The estimated locations of defects found by electromagnetic waves are in good agreement with actual defect locations. This study demonstrates that smart sensing using electromagnetic waves is an effective method for inspecting and determining defect locations and the non-grouted ratio of rock bolts.
Measurement System for Unsupervised Standardized Assessment of Timed “Up & Go” and Five Times Sit to Stand Test in the Community—A Validity Study
Authors: Fudickar Sebastian , Hellmers Sandra , Lau Sandra , Diekmann Rebecca , Bauer Jürgen M. , Hein Andreas
Published: May 2020

Comprehensive and repetitive assessments are needed to detect physical changes in an older population to prevent functional decline at the earliest possible stage and to initiate preventive interventions. Established instruments like the Timed “Up & Go” (TUG) Test and the Sit-to-Stand Test (SST) require a trained person (e.g., physiotherapist) to assess physical performance. More often, these tests are only applied to a selected group of persons already functionally impaired and not to those who are at potential risk of functional decline. The article introduces the Unsupervised Screening System (USS) for unsupervised self-assessments by older adults and evaluates its validity for the TUG and SST. The USS included ambient and wearable movement sensors to measure the user’s test performance. Sensor datasets of the USS’s light barriers and Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) were analyzed for 91 users aged 73 to 89 years compared to conventional stopwatch measurement. A significant correlation coefficient of 0.89 for the TUG test and of 0.73 for the SST were confirmed among USS’s light barriers. Correspondingly, for the inertial data-based measures, a high and significant correlation of 0.78 for the TUG test and of 0.87 for SST were also found. The USS was a validated and reliable tool to assess TUG and SST.
Use of Topographic Models for Mapping Soil Properties and Processes
Authors: Li Xia , McCarty Gregory W. , Du Ling , Lee Sangchul
Published: May 2020

Landscape topography is an important driver of landscape distributions of soil properties and processes due to its impacts on gravity-driven overland and intrasoil lateral transport of water and nutrients. Rapid advancements in aerial, space, and geographic technologies have led to large scale availability of digital elevation models (DEMs), which have proven beneficial in a wide range of applications by providing detailed topographic information. In this report, we presented a summary of recent topography-based soil studies and reviewed five main groups of topographic models in geospatial analyses widely used for soil sciences. We then compared performances of two types of topography-based models—topographic principal component regression (TPCR) and TPCR-kriging (TPCR-Kr)—to ordinary kriging (OKr) models in mapping spatial patterns of soil organic carbon (SOC) density and redistribution (SR) rate. The TPCR and OKr models were calibrated at an agricultural field site that has been intensively sampled, and the TPCR and TPCR-Kr models were evaluated at another field of interest with two sampling transects. High-resolution topographic variables generated from light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-derived DEMs were used as inputs for the TPCR model building. Both TPCR and OKr models provided satisfactory results on SOC density and SR rate estimations during model calibration. The TPCR models successfully extrapolated soil parameters outside of the area in which the model was developed but tended to underestimate the range of observations. The TPCR-Kr models increased the accuracies of estimations due to the inclusion of residual kriging calculated from observations of transects for local correction. The results suggest that even with low sample intensives, the TPCR-Kr models can reduce estimation variances and provide higher accuracy than the TPCR models. The case study demonstrated the feasibility of using a combination of linear regression and spatial correlation analysis to localize a topographic model and to improve the accuracy of soil property predictions in different regions.
Plasma Levels of Matrix Metalloprotease MMP-9 and Tissue Inhibitor TIMP-1 in Caucasian Patients with Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy
Authors: Sørensen Jakob Ø. , Subhi Yousif , Molbech Christopher R. , Krogh Nielsen Marie , Sørensen Torben L.
Published: May 2020

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP-1) are regulating enzymes of the extracellular matrix. A systemic imbalance of MMP-9 and TIMP-1, thought to reflect an imbalance of the extracellular matrix homeostasis, is previously associated with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) in Asian patients. Previous studies suggest inter-ethnical differences in the genetic background and etiology of PCV. To further explore this issue, we studied the plasma levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in Caucasian patients with PCV and compared to healthy age-matched controls. Methods: For this prospective case-control study, 60 participants were recruited who were either patients with PCV (n = 26) or healthy controls (n = 34). All participants underwent detailed clinical examination. We sampled fresh venous blood, isolated plasma, and quantified plasma concentrations of the extracellular matrix regulators MMP-9 and TIMP-1 using electrochemiluminescence immunoassays. Results: Plasma levels of MMP-9 (p = 0.4), TIMP-1 (p = 0.9), and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio (p = 0.4) did not differ significantly between patients with PCV and healthy controls. No differences appeared after adjusting for influencing co-variates in multivariate analyses. Conclusion: We demonstrate that Caucasian patients with PCV do not have altered levels of plasma MMP-9 or plasma TIMP-1. These findings suggest no strong evidence of a systemic imbalance of the extracellular matrix homeostasis in Caucasian patients with PCV. Our findings are in line with studies of other aspects of PCV that are also subject to significant inter-ethnical differences.
Habilidades motoras de crianças em berçários: estudo preliminar
Authors: Gomes Cinira , Santos Lislaine Cristina dos , Teixeira Lazaro Juliano , Bellani Claudia Diehl Forti
Published: May 2020

Objetivo. Comparar as habilidades motoras de deitar, rolar e sentar entre crianças frequentadoras de berçários da rede municipal e particular de Balneário Camboriú. Método. A amostra foi composta por 16 crianças (0 a 12 meses de idade), 8 de creches públicas e 8 de creche privada. Foi utilizado o instrumento de avaliação GMFM-Gross Motor Function Measure e aplicado aos responsáveis um questionário para analisar a situação socioeconômica das famílias. Utilizou-se a média e desvio padrão dos resultados em cada grupo, comparados entre si através da Diferença de Médias (DM) e Intervalos de Confiança (IC) de 95%. Resultados. Observou-se que não houve diferença entre as médias do GMFM entre as crianças da creche pública (61,33±10,18 pontos) e da creche privada (63,55±9,58 pontos); DM = 2,22; IC de 95% de -7,47 a 11,91 pontos. As diferenças mais marcantes foram o grau de instrução do responsável (média de +5,25 de anos de estudo nos pais do setor privado, IC 95% de 2,72 a 7,78 anos) e na renda familiar (média +3,58 salários mínimos no setor privado, IC 95% de 2,38 a 4,78). Conclusão. Preliminarmente, não foram encontradas diferenças marcantes no desenvolvimento motor entre crianças da rede pública e da rede privada em Balneário Camboriú.
New Species of Malleastrum (Meliaceae) from Madagascar
Authors: Pérez Vanessa , Miller James S.
Published: May 2020

Three new species of Malleastrum (Baill.) J.-F. Leroy are described from Madagascar and compared to the most similar of the 22 other accepted species in the genus. Malleastrum acuminatum V. Pérez & J. S. Mill., M. longifoliolatum V. Pérez & J. S. Mill., and M. obovatum V. Pérez & J. S. Mill. are described, differences from the most similar species are presented, and their conservation status is discussed.
Insuficiência renal aguda, aspectos epidemiológicos e resultados a curto e a longo prazo
Authors: Santos Fernando
Published: May 2020

A IRA é uma síndrome complexa, que varia sua frequência, a depender dos critérios utilizados, assim como da população estudada. Mas, definitivamente, apresenta uma curva de ascensão ao longo dos anos. A IRA é um fator de risco independente para o aumento da morbidade e mortalidade no curto e longo prazo. A IRA a longo prazo aumenta a frequência da DRC e a mortalidade dos pacientes, mesmo quando a função renal é recuperada rapidamente. E quanto mais grave o paciente, maior a incidência e importância da IRA nos desfechos negativos. O impacto da IRA também está associado a sua gravidade, aumentando progressivamente as taxas de complicação das formas leves às formas mais graves, situação onde é necessária a terapia substitutiva renal. Este grupo mais grave apresenta uma mortalidade de duas a três vezes maior que aqueles com as formas mais brandas. Portanto, a IRA deve estar no foco de atenção de todo profissional que assiste particularmente aos grupos de riscos, buscando preveni-la, identificá-la precocemente e instituir o pronto tratamento para melhorar os resultados a curto e longo prazo.
Hemoglobinúria paroxística noturna (HPN) em paciente pediátrico: relato de caso
Authors: Martins Sampaio Janete Aparecida , Martins Sampaio Carolina , Loiola Martins Isabella , Ribeiro Borges de Barros dos Santos Rosana , Machado Nogueira Flávia , Marcelo Rocha Freire Bruno , Dos Santos Herbert Henrique
Published: May 2020

A Hemoglobina Paroxística Noturna (HPN) é uma doença hematológica rara, clonal e adquirida, caracterizada por anemia hemolítica intravascular, episódios trombóticos e pancitopenia (graus variáveis de insuficiência medular). Desordem clonal, causada por mutação somática adquirida do gene PIG-A (fosfatidilinositol glicano da Classe A), ligado ao cromossomo X, afeta a célulatronco hematopoiética responsável pela produção de todas as células do sangue. Devido à raridade da doença, os dados epidemiológicos são escassos, com incidência estimada de 0.3-100.000 habitantes-ano e a prevalência de 1,59 casos por 100.000 habitantes e na faixa etária pediátrica, na qual corresponde a 10% da já rara incidência em adultos (de 1 em 10^5 a 1 em 10^6).
Ligadura Interesfincteriana do Trato Fistuloso (LIFT) para fístulas anais: uma experiência brasileira bi-institucional
Authors: Silveira Mendes Carlos Ramon , Santos André Luiz , Saraiva Pessoa Joana Carolina , Andrade Lima Meyline , Santana de Miranda Ferreira Luciano , Ferraz de Santana Rafael , Alonso Araújo Sérgio Eduardo
Published: May 2020

Artigo publicado: Mendes CRS, Santos AL, Pessoa JCS, Lima MA, Ferreira LSM, Santana RF, Araújo SEL. Interesfincterial Ligation of Fistula Tract (Lift) for Patients With Anal Fistulas A Brasilian Bi-Institutional Experience. Por ABCD Arq Bras Cir Dig 2017;30(4):235-238.
Múltiplos anticorpos paraneoplásicos (Anti-Sox, Anti-HU e Antianfifisina) detectados em um paciente com encefalite límbica e câncer de pulmão
Authors: Gonçalves Fukuda Thiago
Published: May 2020

Artigo Original: Fukuda TG, do MS Rosário, Branco RC, Fukuda JS, de Souza e Souza RA, Oliveira-Filho J, de Jesus PA. Múltiplos anticorpos paraneoplásicos (anti-SOX1, anti-Hu e antianfifisina) detectados em um paciente com encefalite límbica e câncer de pulmão de pequenas células. Neurol Índia 2017; 65: 1127-8
Avaliação da intensidade de sangramento de procedimentos odontológicos em pacientes anticoagulados com Varfarina ou Dabigatrana
Authors: Azevedo Prata Andrade Luciana , Guimarães Cairo Lisboa Lara , De Oliveira Santos Jaime Gustavo , Vinícius Santos Andrade Marcus
Published: May 2020

Artigo original: Andrade MVS, Andrade LAP, Bispo AF, Freitas LA, Andrade MQS, Feitosa GS, Feitosa-Filho GS. Evaluation of the Bleeding Intensity of Patients Anticoagulated with Warfarin or Dabigatran Undergoing Dental Procedures. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2018; 111(3):394-399.
Video-assisted Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery versus Conventional Mitral Surgery in Rheumatic Patients
Authors: Badawy Ayman , Alaa Nady Mohamed , Ahmed Khalil Salama Ayyad Mohamed , Elminshawy Ahmed
Published: May 2020

Background: Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery became an attractive option because of its cosmetic advantages over the conventional approach. The superiority of the minimally invasive approach regarding other aspects is still debatable. The aim of our study was to determine the potential benefits of minimally invasive mitral valve replacement with intraoperative video assistance over conventional surgery.

Methods: This is a single-center prospective cohort study that included 60 patients with rheumatic heart disease who underwent mitral valve replacement. Patients were divided into two groups: group (A) included patients who had conventional sternotomy (n= 30), and group (B) included patients who had video-assisted minimally invasive mitral valve replacement (n= 30). Intraoperative and postoperative outcomes were compared between both groups.

Results: Mortality occurred in one patient in the group (A). Cardiopulmonary bypass time was 118.93 ± 29.84 minutes vs. 64.73 ± 19.16 minutes in group B and A respectively (p< 0.001), and ischemic time was 102.27 ± 30.03 minutes vs. 53.67± 18.46 minutes in group B and A respectively (P < 0.001). Ventilation time was 2.77± 2.27 vs. 6.28 ± 4.48 hours in group B and A respectively (p< 0.001) and blood transfusion was 0.50 ± 0.63 vs. 2.83 ± 1.34 units in group B and A respectively (p< 0.001).  ICU stay was 1.73 ± 0.64 days in the group (B) vs. 4.47 ± 0.94 days in group A (p< 0.001). Postoperative bleeding was 353.33 ± 146.77 ml in the group (B) vs. 841.67 ± 302.03 ml in group A (p <0.001). No conversion to full sternotomy was reported in group B. In group (B), two cases (6.6%) required re-exploration for bleeding vs. four cases (13.2%) in group (A) (p=0.67). The hospital stay was 6.13 ± 1.59 days in the group (B) vs. 13.27 ± 7.62 days in group A (p< 0.001). Four cases (13.3%) developed mediastinitis in group A and in the group (B), there was one case of acute right lower limb embolic ischemia.

Conclusion: Video-assisted minimally invasive mitral operations could be a safe alternative to conventional sternotomy with the potential of lesser morbidity and earlier hospital discharge.
Antegrade Intermittent Cold Cardioplegia in Comparison to Antegrade Intermittent Warm Cardioplegia in Heart Valve Surgery
Authors: Abdel-bakey Haitham , Elminshawy Ahmed , Ghoneim Ahmed , Taha Ahmed
Published: May 2020

Background: The cardioplegic arrest is essential for motionless and bloodless heart valve surgery. The objective of this work was to compare antegrade cold versus warm blood cardioplegia during valve surgery.

Methods: This randomized controlled study included 100 patients who had mitral valve surgery. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups; the warm cardioplegic group (n= 50) and the cold cardioplegic group (n= 50). Study endpoints were creatine kinase myocardial band, lactate dehydrogenase, and troponin levels.

Results: There was no significant difference in age and sex between groups (p= 0.51 and 0.56, respectively). Cardiopulmonary bypass was significantly longer in the cold group (85.66 ± 22.9 vs. 72.34 ± 25.09 minutes; P= 0.01); however, there was no difference in ischemic time (p= 0.32). The number of DC shocks given for each patient is less in the warm group with a median of 1.5 (range 1-3 times), while in the cold group, the median was 2 (range 2-4 times); p= 0.02. The amount of blood loss was significantly lower among the warm group (645.4 ± 464.93 ml vs. 404 ± 252.7 P< 0.01). warm group had significantly lower postoperative CK (532.78 ± 249.08 vs. 638.14 ± 344.01 IU/L; P< 0.01), CK-MB (78.64 ± 34.58 vs.  103.18 ± 82.11; P< 0.0.01), LDH level (805.3 ± 322.71 vs. 1060.88 ± 500.94 mg/dl; P< 0.01) and (0.4148 ± 0.226 vs. 0.6404 ± 0.411 ng/ml; P< 0.01).  

Conclusion: Antegrade warm blood cardioplegia may provide better myocardial protection during valve surgery compared to the cold cardioplegia. A larger study is recommended.
Beating-heart versus conventional mitral valve replacement; a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Badr Abd-Allah , Yousef Essam , Kotb Mostafa , Deebis Ahmed
Published: May 2020

Background: Various methods have been developed to overcome the deleterious effects of ischemia/ reperfusion injury that occurs after cardioplegic arrest. The aim of the study was to assess the safety, efficacy, and applicability of the beating-heart mitral valve replacement (MVR) compared to the conventional MVR.

Methods: Forty patients scheduled for mitral valve replacement were randomly assigned into two groups, conventional MVR as the control group (n= 20) and beating-heart MVR with continuous antegrade coronary perfusion as the study group (n=20). Three patients in the beating-heart group were converted to the conventional technique because of the blood-flooded field and excluded from the analysis.

Results: The preoperative clinical and echocardiographic variables were comparable between both groups. There was no significant difference between both groups regarding cardiopulmonary bypass time (79.4± 14 vs. 75.7± 10.9 minutes; p= 0.398) and total operative time (200± 55.6 vs. 183.9± 67.5 min; p= 0.458) in the conventional and beating-heart group, respectively. Serum troponin I level was significantly higher in the conventional MVR group 6 hours postoperatively (4.9±4 vs. 2.7±1.2 ng/ml; p= 0.036), while there was no significant difference between both groups regarding total CK and CK-MB (p= 0.565 & 0.597 respectively).  Eight patients (44%) in the conventional MVR group needed inotropic support compared to 3 patients (19%) in the beating-heart MVR group (P = 0.11). There was no operative mortality or major morbidity in both groups. At 6-months follow-up, there was no difference in NYHA class (1.3±0.3 vs. 1.2±0.3; p= 0.336) and the ejection fraction (60.0±6.3 vs. 63.2±6 %; p= 0.139) in the conventional vs. beating-heart group. 

Conclusion: Beating-heart MVR is a safe alternative to the conventional method with comparable outcomes. There is a relatively blood-filled field compared to the conventional technique.
Early clinical outcome after right anterolateral thoracotomy as an alternative for median sternotomy for mitral valve replacement
Authors: Attallah Ahmed Rady , Al-Elwany Shady Eid , Ayyad Mohammed A.K. Salama , Abdelwahab Ali Mohammed
Published: May 2020

Background: The advantages of the right anterolateral thoracotomy (RALT) approach for mitral valve surgery over standard median sternotomy (MS) are still debatable. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the postoperative clinical outcome after RALT and MS for mitral valve replacement.

Methods: This prospective observational study included 40 patients who underwent mitral valve replacement between January 2016 and August 2018. Patients were assigned to two groups, the first group included 20 patients who had conventional median sternotomy approach and the second group included 20 patients who had right anterolateral thoracotomy with the complete cannulation and aortic cross-clamping conducted through the same incision.

Results: In comparison to MS, RALT had significantly higher cross-clamp time (77.7±16.1 vs 45.8±8.7 minutes, P < 0.01), total bypass time (105.2±12.7 vs 72.2±10.4 minutes, P < 0.01), and total operative time (287±41 vs 231±36 min, P < 0.01), in addition to significantly lower ventilation time (4.2±1.51 vs 6.1±1.84 hours, P < 0.01), blood loss (229±85 vs 335±137 ml), amount of blood transfusion (1.41±0.6 vs 2.19±1.1 units, P < 0.01), ICU stay duration (2.11±0.49 vs 2.78±0.82 days, P < 0.01), pain scores at 1st and 2nd postoperative days (5.67±0.79 vs 7.81±0.53, p < 0.01), and total hospital stay duration (7.2±1.3 vs 8.4±1.6 days, P = 0.01). Patients' satisfaction about their wound was significantly higher in RALT group compared to MS group (95% vs 30%, P < 0.01).

Conclusion: The RALT approach for mitral valve surgery could be a safe and effective approach when compared to median sternotomy. RALT could be associated with a reduction of blood loss, blood transfusion, wound infection, in addition to shorter ICU and hospital stay.
Single versus bilateral chordo-papillary apparatus preservation in mitral valve replacement: a hemodynamic study
Authors: Shalaby Mostafa Alaaeldin Abdelfatah , Abd el.Moaty Haytham Mohamed , Mahmoud Mohamed Hossiny , Abdallah Mohamed S H
Published: May 2020

Background: It has been postulated that disruption of the mitral valve apparatus at the time of mitral valve replacement (MVR) is a risk factor for postoperative ventricular dysfunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of single versus bilateral chordo-papillary preservation on the left ventricular function in comparison to no preservation.

Methods: This study was conducted from 2015 to 2018 on sixty patients who had MVR. The patients were classified into group I included 20 patients who underwent MVR with complete excision of the subvalvular chordae and tips of papillary muscles, group II: included 20 patients who underwent MVR with preservation of posterior chordo-papillary apparatus, and group III: included 20 patients who underwent MVR with preservation of both posterior and anterior chordo-papillary apparatus.

Results: There were 20 males (33.3%), and the mean age was 48.76± 8.91 years. Patients in group III were significantly older (37.15 ±4.92, 39.8 ± 5.49, and 57.25 ± 6.93 years in groups I, II, and III, respectively; p< 0.001). The left ventricular end-diastolic (5.40 ±0.34, 4.96 ± 0.43, and 4.44 ± 0.55 mm in group I, II and III, respectively, p<0.001) and end-systolic diameter (4.33 ±0.48, 3.58 ±0.43 and 3.20 ±0.43 mm in group I, II and III; respectively, p<0.001) were significantly reduced in partial and complete preservation groups after 6 months. Left ventricular ejection fraction improved in the bilateral preservation and partial preservation groups after 6 months (45.32 ±9.78, 56.79 ±10.14, and 56.60 ±11.68 % in groups I, II and III respectively, p<0.001). Mechanical ventilation was significantly longer in group I (24.10 ± 6.6, 16.80 ± 5.97, and 15.80 ± 5.24 hours in groups I, II and III, respectively, p<0.001) and the duration of ICU stay was significantly longer in group I (78.65 ± 15.32, 65.40 ± 14.21, and 60.20 ± 12.58 hours in groups I, II and III, respectively, p<0.001).

Conclusion: Preservation of the annulo-papillary continuity may preserve left ventricular geometry and performance. Total preservation of chordae could be superior to partial preservation with better left ventricular remodeling and improvement in the left ventricular functions.