bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Melatonin alleviat es oxidative stress -induced injury to nucleus pulposus-derived mesenchymal stem cells through activating PI3K/Akt pathway
Authors: Huang Zenan , wang Ze-Yu , Cheng Xiao-Fei , Huang Zhao-Zhang , HAN YANLING , cui yazhou , Liu Bo , Tian Wei
Published: July 2022

Background
Intervertebral disc degenerative disease(IVDD)is one of the main causes of low back pain, causing serious economic burden to the society. The changes of microenvironment in the degenerative intervertebral disc cause oxidative stress injury and excessive apoptosis of intervertebral disc endogenous stem cells, which weakens their ability to repair intervertebral disc. 0.01-1µM melatonin has been shown to reduce excessive apoptosis of nucleus pulposus mesenchymal stem cells (NPMSCs) caused by oxidative stress injury. The purpose of this study is to explore the possible mechanism of the protective effect of melatonin on oxidative stress injury of NPMSC induced by hydrogen peroxide(H2O2).
Methods
The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of hydrogen peroxide and protective effects of melatonin. ROS content was detected by 2´7´-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA). Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was detected by the Tetraethylbenzimidazolylcarbocyanine iodide (JC-1) assay. A TUNEL cell apoptosis detection kit and Annexin V/PI double staining was conducted to determine apoptosis rate. Additionally, apoptosis-associated proteins and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway related proteins were evaluated by immunofluorescence, immunoblotting and PCR. (ECM) were evaluated by RT-PCR and immunofluorescence. In vivo, X-ray, MRI and histological analysis were used to evaluate the protective effect of melatonin in vivo.
Results
melatonin had obvious protective effect on NPMSCs treated with 0–10 µM for 24 hours. In addition, melatonin also had obvious protective effects on mitochondrial dysfunction, decrease of membrane potential and cell senescence induced by hydrogen peroxide. More importantly, melatonin could significantly reduce the apoptosis of nucleus pulposus mesenchymal stem cells induced by hydrogen peroxide, such as regulating the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and decreasing the rate of apoptosis. After treatment with melatonin, the PI3K/Akt pathway was significantly activated in nucleus pulposus mesenchymal stem cells, while the protective effect was significantly weakened after PI3K-IN-1 treatment. In vivo, the results of X-ray, MRI and histological analysis showed that therapy with melatonin could partially reduce the degree of intervertebral disc degeneration.
Conclusion
our research demonstrated that melatonin can effectively alleviate the excessive apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction of nucleus pulposus mesenchymal stem cells induced by oxidative stress via PI3K/Akt pathway, which provides a novel idea for the therapy of intervertebral disc degeneration.
Serum Apelin-12 as a Novel Marker of Metabolic Inflammatory Syndrome in elderly Chinese
Authors: Wang Xinru , Wang Jiantao , Ren Jiaoqi , Zhang Xiaoming , Wang Jinxiu , Wang Yin , Hu Yue , Zhang Yutu , He Chengfeng , Xue Wenjiao , Xiang Lvxuan , Tao Yinghong , Guo Jingchun , Zhou Houguang
Published: July 2022

Purpose: Apelin-12 has been proposed as a novel adipocytokine with vital roles in metabolic disorders. In this study, we aimed to explore the relationship between serum apelin-12 and metabolic inflammatory syndrome (MIS) in the elderly.Methods: The cross-sectional study involved 224 subjects aged over 60. According to their diagnoses of the four components of MIS (type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, atherosclerosis, and obesity/overweight), they were divided into two groups: the control group (0 or 1 component n=63) and the MIS group (≥2 components, n=161). Serum levels of apelin-12, adiponectin and C-reactive protein were measured by ELISA.Results: Serum apelin-12 was significantly higher in the MIS group than in the control group (1.83 ng/mL (1.59-2.07) vs 1.66 ng/mL (1.45-1.92), P=0.001). Partial correlation analysis showed that apelin-12 levels were positively correlated with fasting insulin (ra=0.169), HOMA-IR (ra=0.183), ALT (ra=0.180), AST (ra=0.145) and CRP (ra=0.140, all Pa<0.05) and negatively associated with adiponectin (ra=-0.211) and HDL-C (ra=-0.156) after controlling age, sex and body mass index. Besides, after adjustment for age, sex, fasting blood glucose, diastolic blood pressure and total triglyceride, apelin-12 was still determined as an independent predictor for MIS.Conclusion: Serum apelin-12 can be an independent risk factor predicting metabolic inflammatory syndrome and may serve as a useful potential marker for the diagnosis of MIS in elderly Chinese.
Raman Spectroscopic Features of Protective Rusts Found in World Heritage
Authors: Satoh Shinichi , Takaya Satoshi
Published: July 2022

We study unknown features obtained from Raman spectra of protective rusts consisting of Fe3O4 discovered in the investigation of concrete buildings on Hashima Island in Nagasaki, Japan, a World Heritage site. The Raman shift shows not only the A1g peak of Fe3O4 but also a previously unknown peak at a higher wavenumber, i.e., at 700 to 800 cm− 1 or higher. Here, we investigate the characteristics of the unknown peak and indicate that the peak intensity becomes stronger than that of the original A1g as the incident light intensity is increased. This phenomenon has never been noted in Raman spectroscopy. Therefore, we consider the physical meaning of the phenomenon. As a result, we are able to explain this phenomenon by adding a hypothesis to Albrecht's vibronic theory. We also see that the results obtained in this study can be considered applicable not only to protective rust but also to other materials.
Initial stability loss of insecticide solution mixed with fungicides and adjuvants
Authors: Spadoni Ana Beatriz Dilena , Ferreira Marcelo C
Published: July 2022

The practice of mixing different classes of crop protection products in tank is common for farmers, with efficience losses by compatibility problems, but a lack of research to better understand them. The aim of this study was to evaluate the initial stability loss of spray liquid mixtures obtained by association of fungicides and adjuvants with insecticides. Laboratory experiments were carried with nine treatments composed of the insecticide thiamethoxam + lambda-cyhalothrin (TL) mixed with the fungicides fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin (FP) and chlorothalonil (CL) and the adjuvants lecithin, propionic acid (LA), and mineral oil (MO). Assessment of initial loss solution stability was performed to verify when the product mixture in the sprayer tank starts. For this purpose, were carried rheological behavior and zeta potential analyses, and the determination of viscosity. The treatments containing insecticide TL with adjuvants LA and MO and the fungicide FP have shown the loss of physical-chemical stability, possibly due to changes in the layers around the particles of the components of the ingredients contained in the various combined solution formulations.
Unmarried Sri Lankan Youth: Sexual Behaviour and Contraceptive Use
Authors: Kumarasinghe Malith , De Silva W Indralal , de Silva Ranjith , Suranga M Suchira
Published: July 2022

Background
Youth are at high risk for casual and unprotected sexual activities even before the marriage. The objective of the study is to describe the sexual behavior, contraceptive use among unmarried youth of Sri Lanka and to assess the factors associated with sexual behaviour.
Methods
Observational descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in three selected districts in Sri Lanka from 1st of March 2019 to 31st of January 2020 among 1057 never-married youth using a self-administered questionnaire. Both stratified cluster sampling and snow-ball sampling was used to select the eligible never-married youth. Factors associated with the sexual intercourse was assessed using logistic regression.
Results
Compared to boys (26%), more girls (35%) were engaged in unprotected sexual intercourse. Among sexually active unmarried youth aged less than 20 years, 10% had sexual intercourse with an unknown person. Unmarried Tamil and estate sector youth displayed significantly lower chances of sexual intercourse compared to Sinhala and urban counterparts (OR = 0.390, CI = 0.213–0.715, p = 0.002 and OR = 0.807, CI = 0.709–0.978, p = 0.020 respectively). Youth in rural (69.5%) and urban sector (87.3%) tend to use contraceptives during the intercourse compared to the youth in the Estate sector (51.1%).
Conclusions
A significant portion of youth expose to sexual risk behavior including unprotected sexual intercourse even before the marriage which can contribute to many social and health consequences. Focus interventions are needed to address the issue.
Public risk perception of air pollution in the general population of Italy and Sweden: environmental and socio-demographic drivers
Authors: Pignocchino Gianmarco , Baldassarre Giuliano Di , Mondino Elena , Raffetti Elena
Published: July 2022

Air pollution is an important anthropic hazard for its effect on human health and the environment. Understanding how the population perceives the risk associated with air pollution is a crucial aspect to inform future policies and communication strategies. The aim of this study is to unravel the association between air pollution concentrations and public risk perception of air pollution, also exploring socio-demographic patterns in the general population of Italy and Sweden. To this end, we derived tri-yearly PM10 average concentrations, among the most widespread air pollutants, from ground monitoring stations and integrated with a population-based survey carried out in August 2021 in both countries. Relative perceived likelihood and impact on the individual were considered as domains of risk perception. Along with this, information on direct experience and socio-demographic factors were included as possible determinants of risk perception. Linear regression models were performed to examine the association of PM10 average concentrations at regional level (NUTS2) and individual level factors with risk perception domains. In both countries, respondents who live in the most densely populated regions report a higher perceived likelihood of air pollution. A 10 µg/m3 increase in PM10 concentration is associated with a 18% increase in perceived likelihood in Italy, and with a 6% in Italy and 9% in Sweden increase in perceived impact on the individual. Direct experience is the main driver of risk perception in both countries along with socio-demographic factors (e.g., gender, age, smoking and political orientation). Specifically, being male and smokers in Italy, older age and having left/centre-left political orientation in both countries are associated with a higher perceived likelihood and impact on the individual of air pollution. These findings inform health and environmental studies regarding the public risk perception of air pollution highlighting individual’s awareness and the socio-demographic patterns in the two European countries.
Comparison of the cardiopulmonary response between performing incremental shuttle walking test in a hallway and on a treadmill in Phase IV cardiac rehabilitation: a retrospective analysis.
Authors: Osailan Ahmad
Published: July 2022

There is a widespread use of incremental shuttle walking test (ISWT) to measure functional capacity in cardiac rehabilitation patients. Due to occasional physical space limitations, an incremental shuttle walking test on a treadmill (ISWT-T) was suggested as an alternative. Knowledge about the cardiopulmonary response between the two tests and the factors associated with the distance achieved in Phase IV cardiac rehabilitation is limited. Thus, the study aims to compare the cardiopulmonary response between ISWT and ISWT-T and investigate the factors associated with distance achieved in both tests. MethodsThirteen participants (66.3 ± 7.3 years, 84.6% males) attending phase IV cardiac rehabilitation participated in repeated measures counterbalanced trials. Each participant performed one ISWT and one ISWT-T separated by seven days. Main outcome measures included peak heart rate (HR), systolic and diastolic blood pressure post-test, distance achieved, respiratory frequency, tidal volume (VT), minute ventilation, respiratory exchange ratio, peak oxygen uptake (VO2PEAK), and secondary outcome measures included height, weight, waist circumference (WC) leg length (LL). ResultsThere were no significant differences in the cardiopulmonary responses between ISWT and ISWT-T except for VO2PEAK (25.4 ± 5.8 vs 23.7 ± 5.1, p=0.05, respectively). Age and height were significantly correlated with distance achieved during ISWT, and ISWT-T [age (r=-0.72, vs. r=-0.73, p≤0.05, respectively)], [height (r=0.68, vs. r=0.68, p≤ 0.05, respectively)]. LL was only correlated with distance achieved on ISWT-T (r=0.59, p≤ 0.05). ConclusionThese findings suggest a similar cardiopulmonary response between the two tests, but doing ISWT in the hallway evoked a higher metabolic demand than doing it on a treadmill. Additionally, distance achieved on both tests was related to height and inversely to age.
Efficacy and safety of the hyaluronic acid inhibitor Hymecromone for the treatment of COVID-19: study protocol for a single-centre, randomized, controlled, Double-blind Clinical trial
Authors: Yang Dawei , Jia Yichen , Feng Li , Ju Minjie , Chen Kuan , Dai Xiaomin , Sun Mengting , Yu Wenqiang , Wang Hao , Fang Hao
Published: July 2022

IntroductionHyaluronic acid (HA) is one of the main components of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in proteoglycans. Among patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia, the serum HA content of severe patients was significantly higher than that of mild patients. Therefore, hyaluronic acid inhibitors have the potential to be the treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia. This study plans to carry out a study on the optimization of the hyaluronic acid inhibitor Hymecromone in the treatment of COVID-19 to improve the therapeutic effect.Methods and analysisThis is a single-center, randomized, parallel controlled, double-blind clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of hymecromone tablets in subjects who confirmed to be infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and diagnosed as mild or moderate novel coronavirus pneumonia in China. The subjects in the experimental arm shall receive necessary routine treatment and hymecromone tablets while the control arm shall receive placebo. The study aims to compare the proportion of subjects in the experimental group and the control group who developed disease progression within 28 days after initial treatment. Meanwhile, all subjects will be monitored for safety constantly during the whole study phases.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University (identifiers: Clinical Ethical Approval No. B2022-251R).Trial registrationClinicalTrails.org, NCT05386420. Registered 24 May 2022, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05386420Strengths and limitations of this studyThis is one of the first prospective randomized controlled double-blind studies of the efficacy and safety of the hyaluronic acid inhibitor Hymecromone for the treatment of COVID-19. This study will be an innovative clinical intervention strategy, and is expected to provide an effective new treatment plan for the clinical treatment of severe infection with COVID-19. The limitation is it is a single center study, it might need more centers cases to be further external validated.INTRODUCTION
Design and Psychometric Evaluation of the Breast Cancer Screening Behavior Scale Based on the Health Action Model (HAM)
Authors: mahboobighazaani fahimeh , karimi masoud , azadbakht mojtaba , ghahremani leila
Published: July 2022

Background
Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the first-rank malignancy in women. Screening plays a crucial role in early diagnosis and timely treatment. The present study aimed to design and psychometrically evaluate a questionnaire based on the health action model to evaluate breast cancer screening behaviors and their relevant factors.
Methods
The present methodological study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods for the optimal design and development of research tools. To design the constructs of the health action model and the factors related to breast cancer screening behaviors, qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews and opinions of experts in this field as well as literature review and quantitative methods were used to investigate the psychometric properties of the research tool. The research population consisted of 210 females aged 30–69 years in Kashan who were selected through simple random sampling. The relative validity index and content validity index were calculated to judge the content of the tool and confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate its construct validity. Additionally, intra-class correlation coefficient and Cornbrash’s alpha coefficient were calculated to evaluate the reliability of the instrument. The data were analyzed using the SPSS 22 and AMOS 22 software packages.
Results
The mean age of the participants was 43 ± 9.82 years. The final version of the questionnaire was prepared in four sections, namely demographic factors (15 items), knowledge (12 items), constructs of the health action model or the factors related to breast cancer screening behaviors (67 items), and behavior (6 items). Factor analysis confirmed the health action model fit in measuring breast cancer screening behaviors.
Conclusion
The tool designed for measuring breast cancer screening behaviors showed acceptable psychometric properties amongst females and could be used as a valid tool in conducting research in the field of health.
All-natural bioinspired nanolignocellulose-derived bulk engineering materials with excellent mechanical properties and environmental stability
Authors: Yang Yushan , Li Jun , Shan Liang , Qin Lei , Zheng Ping , Jia Huiwen , QIU JIAN
Published: July 2022

The construction of sustainable biomimetic lightweight material with excellent mechanical properties is a kernel part of global organic − inorganic composite engineering material. However, the lack of efficient manipulation techniques for micro/nanostructural control and the intrinsic contradiction between certain engineering material performances (such as strength and toughness) make it challenge for materials to achieve these performance targets simultaneously. Herein, inspired by ordered multilayered microstructures of pearl layers, we propose a method to prepared lignocellulose into bioinspired laminated bulk artificial wooden engineering materials (AWEM) by scalable mechanical/chemical mineralization and directional deforming assembly approach. The resulting AWEM with a combination of large-size ultralightweight, high specific strength, high toughness, durable dimensional stability, and superior liquid resistance including acid/alkali solutions and boiling water. This design strategy not only allows mass production of lightweight engineering materials with high strength-to-weight ratios, but also opens a way for the design of more biomimetic materials based on nanolignocellulose.
Generation of high-density human induced pluripotent stem cell derived-liver organoid by enabling growth factors accumulation in a simple dialysis medium refinement culture platform
Authors: Torizal Fuad Gandhi , Utami Tia , You Lau Qiau , Inamura Kousuke , Nishikawa Masaki , Sakai Yasuyuki
Published: July 2022

The human pluripotent stem cells-derived liver organoid (HLOs) has recently become a promising alternative source for liver regenerative therapy. To realize this application, a large number of the hiPSCs derived-liver cells are required for partial liver replacement in transplantation. This method requires a stepwise induction by using costly growth factors to direct the hiPSCs into the hepatic lineage. Therefore, we developed a simple dialysis culture system to fully utilize the growth factors accumulation with continuous medium refinement. The results showed that the dialysis culture system was able to accumulate the four essential growth factors required in each differentiation stage, such as Activin A, BMP4, HGF, and OSM. As a result, this culture system allowed a very high-density bipotential hepatic differentiation in approximately 4.5×107 cells/mL of human liver organoids (HLOs), mainly consisting of hiPSCs derived-hepatocytes (HLCs) and cholangiocytes (CLCs). Moreover, the differentiated liver organoids showed a better or comparable hepatic marker and physiological activity with the organoids differentiated in suspension culture with conventional daily medium replacement in a lower cell density. This simple miniaturized dialysis culture system demonstrated the feasibility of cost-effective hepatic differentiation in high density.
The Risk Factor for Bradycardia in COVID-19 Patients: A Potential Harm of Steroid Treatment
Authors: Ogiwara Misa , Ihara Hiroaki , Haba Manami , Nakazawa Hiroki , Hotta Saori , Jo Hitomi , Hayama Noriko , Honma Yuichiro , Hoshi Sakuo , Fujii Mitsuhiro , Takahashi Kazuhisa
Published: July 2022

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a condition caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which first emerged in December 2019. Although several papers have reported the presence bradycardia in patients with COVID-19, the pathophysiology behind this remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the presence of bradycardia in patients with COVID-19. A total of 153 patients with COVID-19 and 90 patients with influenza who were hospitalized in our hospital from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021 and from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2021, respectively, were enrolled. After adjustment, the incidence of bradycardia and steroid use in patients with COVID-19 were significantly higher than those in patients with influenza (P-value = 0.0067 and P-value = 0.0003, respectively). We then compared the detailed characteristics of patients with COVID-19 to evaluate risk factors for bradycardia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that steroid use was significantly related to bradycardia (P-value = 0.031; odds ratio [OR]: 3.67; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12–11.96). Overall, results showed a higher incidence of bradycardia in patients with COVID-19 who received steroid treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to discuss the potential risk of excessive steroid use patients with COVID-19.
A simplistic approach to the study of two-point correlation function in galaxy clusters
Authors: Qadri Durakhshan Ashraf , Khanday Abdul W. , Ganai Prince A.
Published: July 2022

We developed the functional form of the two-point correlation function under the approximation of fixed particle number density ¯n. We solved the quasi-linear partial differential equation (PDE) through the method of characteristics to obtain the parametric solution for the canonical ensemble. We attempted many functional forms and concluded that the functional form should be such that the two-point correlation function should go to zero as the value of system temperature increases or the separation between the galaxies becomes large. Also, we studied the graphical behavior of the developed two-point correlation function for large values of temperature T and spatial separation r. The behavior of the two-point function was also studied from the temperature measurement of clusters in the redshift range of 0.023 − 0.546.
Effects of Psychological Fatigue on athletes’ Error Related Negativity Based on Artificial Intelligence Computing Method
Authors: LI Jin , Wang Yanni , Li Sihua
Published: July 2022

Psychological fatigue, including mental fatigue and burnout, is a phenomenon that psychological function cannot remain the former level of mental activity. Athletes’ response monitoring ability decreases is up for debate under mental fatigue or burnout circumstances. In Event-related potentials studies, the amplitude of error related negativity decreases. Two experiments were carried out to explore cause-effect relationships of psychological fatigue and response monitoring. The experimental data processing was based on Artificial Intelligence computing methods, including wavelet transform, gray scale transformation and other algorithms. The first experiment was done to explain mental fatigue and response monitoring, 15 participants operated continuously 60 minutes Flanker task, and then operated 15 minutes task accompanied by light music. From the results of behavioral performances, the fatigue period compared with the fatigue-free period showed significant differences, including reaction time(p=0.029) and correct rate(p=0.046). From the results of error related negativity, the amplitude of the fatigue-free period was bigger than that of the music intervention period, the latter was bigger than that of the fatigue period (p<0.001). The second experiment was done to explore burnout and response monitoring, 24 participants were separated averagely into two groups. One group was burnout group, the other group was no burnout group. They operated 15 minutes task. From the results of behavioral performances, no burnout group was better than burnout group. From the results of error related negativity, no burnout group’s amplitude was bigger than that of burnout group, but the difference was marginally significant. The conclusions are as follows: Psychological fatigue (mental fatigue and burnout) weakens athletes’ response monitoring ability, and the effect of mental fatigue is significant.
Numerical Analysis of the Effect of Marangoni Convection in a Shallow Cylinder
Authors: Jory Kurian , Anbalagan Satheesh
Published: July 2022

A numerical study in a two-dimensional, axisymmetric cylindrical geometry is performed to evaluate the effect of Marangoni convection in shallow liquid layers. The test fluid used is silicone oil. The study aims to understand Marangoni convection for a range of temperature gradients (9.0 K, 11.5 K, and 14.0 K), layer depths (4.0 mm, 4.5 mm, and 5.0 mm) under earth gravity (1.0 g), and microgravity (0.5 ×10-3 g) conditions. The finite element method is used to solve the present problem and the numerical models were created using COMSOL V5.6 commercial tool. The influence of fluid meniscus on Marangoni convection is analyzed and found out the thermo-capillary force is less significant in driving the fluid. The present investigation in microgravity ensures the Marangoni convection dominates natural convection. For all the test conditions, it is found that Marangoni convection is influenced more by temperature difference than layer depths. It is observed that the velocity magnitude deviates around 45% for the selected temperatures at 4 mm layer depth, whereas, a 3% deviation is only found between the selected ranges of layer depths at a temperature difference of 11.5 K. From the microgravity study, it is clear that for velocity magnitude at z = 2.5 mm the Marangoni convection contributes to almost 90% of the total convection. It was also observed that the presence of Meniscus will reduce the free surface velocity by almost 60 %.
Predictive Analytics of Economic Factors
Authors: A Sathwik , M Shashank , T Madhusudhan , B.A Raghu
Published: July 2022

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world enormously. Along with everything else, theeconomic status of countries has had a major impact, andeverything has come to a standstill. Several important parameterssuch as the GDP rates, unemployment rates, and internationaltrade were highly impacted and if not for the pandemic, thetrends could have been very different.In this study, the focusis to analyze the depth of the impact on various countries andindustries.All the business planning done, be it for a specificproduct launch or implementing a new business model had tobe rescheduled due to the drastic economic changes after thepandemic/lockdown. Although there are many different opinionsof people in this regard, when it comes to business reschedulingall we are looking for is the most ideal alternative time slot insteadof the perfect one. Hence our main goal in this project would betake into account some of the major economic factors/indicatorsof different countries and forecast the same w.r.t each countryconsidered in the data set. If we are able to estimate the metricswith minimum error, we will have a good understanding of howthe economies are shaping up. Our main objective is to analyzethe effect of it , i.e. to analyze the economic pattern and its pathtowards stability . Also, provide a proper predictive model soas to help a lot of decision making groups like Product basedbusiness, few govt institutions.
Activity-based Costing of Caries Treatment Done Under General Anaesthesia
Authors: Sockanathan Loshini , Kuppusamy Elavarasi , Teo Rufinah , Dom Tuti Ningseh Mohd , Aizuddin Azimatun Noor , Yazid Farinawati
Published: July 2022

Background
Activity-based costing (ABC) is a micro costing method. The concept of ABC is production of service consumes activities and these activities consume resources. The objective of this study is to conduct an ABC of common treatments for caries management done under general anaesthesia (GA) among paediatric patients at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM), Malaysia.
Methods
ABC was conducted through clinical pathway to lay out the routine activities of dental caries management done under GA among paediatric patients, analyse each activity, gather information about the equipment, instruments and consumables used, personnel involved, and the time spent for each procedure.
Results
Based on the clinical pathway conducted, patient flow can be divided into ward care, anaesthesia procedure and dental procedure. 10 common treatments for caries management conducted under general anaesthesia identified. The price range of treatment ranges from USD 15 to USD 100. Pulpotomy has the highest cost whereas extraction of teeth has the lowest cost.
Conclusion
Study on costing is important to reduce the gap between the demand in dental treatment and the limited resources available to perform the treatment. ABC is deemed to be appropriate to be used in this study as dental treatment is largely procedural-based and this costing method will produce a a more precise and transparent data. The outcome of this data provides a tool for other hospitals to be used as a standardised approach for treating these patients and subsequently improve the quality of dental care given.
Preparation and characterization of acrylic resins with bio-active glasses
Authors: Raszewski Zbigniew , Chojnacka Katarzyna , Mikulewicz Marcin
Published: July 2022

The aim of this study was to prepare a bioactive acrylic material by adding different glasses. Materials and methods: Commercially available thermally polymerized acrylic resin was mixed with 4 different glasses (Biomin F, Biomin C, S53P4 and 45S5) in 10% concentration in powder and cured. The flexural strength, sorption, and solubility of the samples were tested according to ISO 20795-1:2013. Furthermore, the materials were placed in artificial saliva pH = 4 and 7. Elution was performed over a period 0/1/28 and 42 days. The collected samples were analyzed with optical emission inductively plasma spectrometry ICP-OES for the detection of Ca, P, and Si ions and by ion chromatography for F measurements.Results: The materials obtained after modification with special glasses had lower compressive strength compared to those of pure polymethyl methacrylate, but all the results met the normative requirements. Two glasses have higher solublity values compared to ISO standard. Glass Biomin C can deliver Ca-11.96±1.79, P-25.88±3.88 and Si- 4.43±0.6 [mg/l]-after 28 days at pH 4. Material S53P4 released Ca-6.17±0.92, P-28.57±4.29 and Si-10.85±1.63 after 42 days.Conclusion: - Acrylic resins modified with 10% of Biomin C and S53P4 glasses can be a valuable source of calcium and phosphate ions in acid conditions for period 28 and 42 days.
Microanatomy of the metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) by Single- Cell Transcriptomics
Authors: li duo , Zhou Kebing , Wu Qing , Zhu Lingping , Hu Yang , Zhang Haiyan , Peng Jinling , Huang Yichao , Yang Xuefeng , Wang Lijun
Published: July 2022

Background: As a major cause of liver disease worldwide, metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) comprises non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Due to the high prevalence and poor prognosis of NASH, it is critical to understand its mechanisms. However, the etiology and mechanisms remain largely unknown. Methods: We first identified differential genes in NASH by single-cell analysis of the GSE129516 and expression profiling data analysis of the GSE184019 dataset from the GEO database. Then single-cell trajectory reconstruction and analysis, immune gene score, cellular communication, key Gene Screening, functional enrichment analysis, and immune microenvironment analysis were carried out. Finally, cell experiments were performed to verify the role of key genes in NASH. Results: We show transcriptome profiling of 30,038 single cells—including hepatocyte and non-hepatocyte—from normal and steatosis adult mouse liver. Comparative analysis of hepatocyte and non-hepatocyte revealed pronounced heterogeneity as well as specific utilization of non-hepatocyte types as major cell-communication hubs. The results showed that Hspa1b, Tfrc, Hmox1 and Map4k4 effectively distinguish NASH tissues from normal samples. The results of scRNA-seq and qPCR indicated that the expression levels of hub genes in NASH were significantly higher than in normal cells or tissues. Further immune infiltration analysis showed significant differences in Macrophages M2 distribution between healthy and metabolic associated fatty liver samples. Conclusions: Our results suggest that Hspa1b, Tfrc, Hmox1 and Map4k4 are all potential biomarkers for NASH diagnosis and prognosis may also be potential therapeutic targets for NASH.
Study on the runoff sediment transport rate of two planting modes under the influence of rainfall
Authors: wang Dongdong
Published: July 2022

In order to explore the impact of ecological planting pattern on runoff sediment transport rate(T2), this study in two planting modes with a single planting of Prunella vulgaris (A) and P. vulgaris and earthworms (B) were investigated through simulated rainfall experiments in the field. The results showed that: 1) T2 decreased first and then stabilized with the rainfall duration,which is dominated by the composition of soil particle size and runoff depth;2) T2 under gentle slope and steep slope conditions is greatly affected by rainfall intensity and slope, respectively; 3) T2 ,which has a good correlation with runoff separation rate (D2), needs to be explained in conjunction with soil properties or raindrop kinetic energy. The main controlling factors of T2 in bare slope, B, A are raindrop kinetic energy, D2, and organic matter, which explain 93.10%, 95.76%, and 98.65%.Compared with B, A has obvious economic and ecological value.
Research on Analyzing Runoff and Simulating Erosion on the Grassland
Authors: Wang Dongdong
Published: July 2022

Grassland runoff is related to soil and water conservation, but there are few related studies. In this study, a simulated rainfall experiment was carried out, and the results showed that: 1) The runoff depth increases with the increase of rainfall intensity and decreases with the increase of slope or cover, all of which can be described by linear equations; 2). Soil specific gravity, root fractal dimension and grass dry weight can explain 5.00%, 31.08%, and 6.64%, respectively;3). The NSE of the grassland erosion model established by rain intensity, flow discharge and cover is 0.700, which is 0.142 larger than that of the grassland erosion model established by rain intensity and flow discharge.The research conclusions will help prevent and control floods, improve water resource utilization and strengthen grassland erosion monitoring.
Personality traits affect anticipatory stress vulnerability and coping effectiveness
Authors: Schlatter Sophie , Louisy Simon , Canada Brice , Thérond Corentin , Duclos Antoine , Blakeley Chris , Lehot Jean-Jacques , Rimmelé Thomas , Guillot Aymeric , Lilot Marc , Debarnot Ursula
Published: July 2022

Objective: The present study aimed at investigating the influence of personality on both anticipatory stress vulnerability and effectiveness of coping strategies in a real-life context. Methods: Following assessment of individual personality traits (Big Five Inventory), 147 volunteers were exposed to the anticipation of a stressful event. Anxiety and cardiac reactivity were assessed as markers of vulnerability to anticipatory stress. Then, participants were randomly assigned to three groups and subjected to a 5-min intervention: relaxing breathing, relaxing breathing combined with cardiac biofeedback, and control. The effectiveness of coping interventions was determined through the cardiac coherence score achieved during the intervention. Results. Higher neuroticism was associated with higher anticipatory stress vulnerability, whereas lower conscientiousness and extraversion were related to lower anticipatory stress vulnerability. Relaxing breathing and biofeedback coping interventions contributed to improve the cardiac coherence in all participants, albeit with greater effectiveness in individuals presenting higher score of openness to experience.Conclusions. The present findings demonstrated that personality traits are related to both anticipatory stress vulnerability and effectiveness of coping interventions. These results bring new insights into practical guidelines for stress prevention by considering personality traits. Specific practical applications for health professionals, who are likely to manage stressful situations daily are discussed.
Preparation and drug loading behavior of pH-responsive Fe3O4/CMCS/ALS magnetic nanoparticles
Authors: Liu Qian , Chen Shilin , Tan Zhenrong , Cen Qiulan , Yang Dongjie , Zheng Dafeng
Published: July 2022

In order to improve the utilization of anti-tumor drugs, a magnetic delivery system for targeted drug was reported. Firstly, aminated modified sodium lignosulfonate (ALS) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) were used to fabricate nano Fe3O4 to obtain pH-responsive Fe3O4/CMCS/ALS magnetic nanoparticles. Then the magnetic nanoparticles were loaded with doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX), realizing the targeted delivery and controlled release of anti-tumor drugs. It was found that the amount of crosslinking agent and emulsifier were the key factors affecting the morphology and size of the magnetic nanoparticles. Under optimized conditions, the particle size was about 79.9 ~ 169.9 nm, exhibiting excellent drug loading capacity, good magnetic and pH responsiveness, with an isoelectric point of 4. When the drug-to-material ratio was 11:10, the DOX loading rate and the encapsulation rate of the nanoparticles was 48.68% and 86.23%. While the Fe3O4/CMCS/ALS-DOX could release 63.14%, 56.71%, and 14.28% of DOX at pH 4, 5.3, and 7.4, respectively. The results showed that the Fe3O4/CMCS/ALS particles exhibited excellent drug loading and release behavior based on the pH responsiveness, which could be described by Langmuir adsorption model and Fick's law of diffusion respectively. MTT assay and Live/dead staining experiments also showed that the drug-loaded particles had obvious growth inhibition on cancer cells. So it could be used as a potential drug carrier.
Comparison of unilateral and bilateral percutaneous kyphoplasty for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures with scoliosis
Authors: Liu Zixiang , Li Hanwen , Tang Yingchuang , Liu Hao , Zhang Junxin , Chen Hao , Yang Huilin , Zhang Kai , Chen Kangwu
Published: July 2022

Objective: To assess the clinical effectiveness and radiographic results of unilateral and bilateral percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) associated with scoliosis.Methods: 52 patients who had OVCF with scoliosis and underwent PKP were retrospectively analyzed. Among the patients, 26 cases were incorporated in unilateral PKP group and 26 cases in bilateral PKP group. The operation time, injected cement volume and frequency of intraoperative fluoroscopy were recorded and compared. Visual analogue scale (VAS) and oswestry disability index (ODI) scores, postoperative complications including bone cement leakage and adjacent vertebral fractures were also assessed.Results: Compared to that in bilateral PKP group, the injected cement volume, operation time and frequency of intraoperative fluoroscopy were significantly lower in unilateral PKP group. The VAS scores, ODI scores, average vertebral height and kyphotic angle (KA) were obviously improved after surgery in each group, but there is no difference between the 2 groups in these clinical parameters before and after operation. Furthermore, proportion of cases with bone cement leakage in unilateral PKP group was significantly lower than that in bilateral PKP group. During the follow-up, there were 3 cases (11.5%) in unilateral PKP group and 2 cases (7.7%) in bilateral PKP group who suffered adjacent vertebral fractures, but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. (p>0.05).Conclusion: For treating patients with OVCF accompanied by spinal scoliosis, both unilateral PKP and bilateral PKP can effectively relieve acute back pain and correct the KA. However, unilateral PKP has more advantages in shortening operation time, reducing fluoroscopy frequency and bone cement leakage.
Facial age estimation based on multi-task learning and label distribution learning
Authors: He Jianhui , Hu Chunlong
Published: July 2022

Facial age estimation was promising for a wide range of applications in security access control, biometrics, recommender systems, and human-computer interaction.Current age estimation methods based on a priori label distribution learning often used Gaussian distribution as the true distribution of age. However, the Gaussian distribution affects the personalized representation of label classes. In this paper,We proposed an age encoding called MPD (Multi-Peak Distribution) to fuse the prior distributions of apparent and true ages for label distribution learning. Specifically, we used label shifting to construct the apparent age distribution. A lightweight multi-task learning network was designed to perform both label distribution learning and regression learning. Unlike traditional label distribution learning cascade networks, the parallel structure was able to reduce the error propagation from predictive distribution to regression.Extensive experimental analyses on three benchmark datasets demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method.
Intraoperative cone-beam CT during the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt procedure
Authors: Huang Kai , Liu Yiming , Wei Qiuliang , Xu Kaihao , Han Xinwei , Jiao Dechao
Published: July 2022

To evaluate the identification of portal vein (PV) entry by intraoperative cone-beam CT (CBCT) during the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure. From February 2018 to February 2020, 73 patients underwent TIPS due to severe portal hypertension, and 28 of them underwent intraoperative CBCT angiography. In the CBCT and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) groups, the primary indicators included the number of punctures, PV puncture time, and PV entry scoring and the secondary indicators included shunt angle (SA), contrast volume, and dose area product (DAP) were evaluated, respectively. The number of punctures and PV puncture time in the CBCT group were (2.3 ± 0.9) and (9.2 ± 1.8) min that both less than (4.2 ± 1.5) and (20.4 ± 2.1) min in the DSA group, respectively, and PV entry scoring was better in the CBCT group (all P < 0.05). The DAP was (224.3 ± 46.3) Gy×cm2 in the CBCT group and (180.9 ± 29.3) Gy×cm2 in the DSA group, which showed a significant increase (P < 0.05). However, SA and contrast volume showed no significance between the two groups. Intraoperative CBCT can accurately identify PV entry for some difficult TIPS procedures but results in increased radiation exposure.
Minimally invasive treatment of cirrhotic secondary hypersplenism with high-intensity focused ultrasound
Authors: Zhang xiumei , Xu Zhihong , Huang Guohua , Tang Shilin , Feng Caiju , Yan Gaowu , He Suyu
Published: July 2022

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has been reported to be a minimally invasive effective method for the treatment of secondary hypersplenism. However, neither the short-term efficacy nor the indications and/or contraindications have been described in patients with cirrhosis. From October 2019 to May 2021, eleven cases of patients with cirrhotic secondary hypersplenism were enrolled. The blood counts, liver function tests and abdominal ultrasound and/or MRI scans of all patients were closely evaluated. Among these 11 patients, eight (72.7%) patients were classified as Child-Pugh A, and the other 3 (27.3%) patients were Child-Pugh B; Five (45%) patients were diagnosed with gallstone, including multiple small stones in 2 patients and single stone in 3 patients. HIFU was performed successfully in all 11 patients. After HIFU, hematologic parameters and liver function were significantly improved in all 11 patients (p < 0.05). The HIFU ablated volume to spleen volume rate was 35%-61%. Complications were ecchymosis of the waist in 7 (63.3%) patients, ablated area pain in 3 (27.3%) patients, and choledocholithiasis in 2 (18.2%) patients with multiple small gallstones. All of them recovered smoothly without additional treatment except for 2 patients with choledocholithiasis recovered with risky endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) treatment. This series suggested that HIFU is an effective and safe treatment for cirrhotic secondary hypersplenism in patients classified as Child-Pugh A or B. However, multiple small gallstones could be a relative contraindication for it.
Spatial and temporal trends in polychlorinated naphthalenes in sediment from industrialized coastal environments of Korea: Potential sources and ecotoxicological concerns
Authors: Lee Ha-Hyun , Lee Sunggyu , Lee Moonjin , Moon Hyo-Bang
Published: July 2022

Few studies have been conducted on spatial and temporal trends in polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in coastal environments. Here, we describe 18 PCN congeners found in surface and dated sediment samples collected from highly industrialized bays of Korea. Measurable levels of PCN congeners were detected in all sediment samples, suggesting concurrent and historical contamination. The highest PCN concentrations were observed in sediment from rivers, streams, and the inner portions of the bays, which are surrounded by industrial complexes and commercial harbours. CNs 73, 66/67, and 52 were dominant in surface and dated sediment samples. Congener patterns and diagnostic ratios revealed that PCN contamination is originated from combustion processes and the use of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) technical mixtures. PCN concentrations in dated sediment increased from the 1980s to the mid 2000s and then decreased to 2015. Although the toxic equivalent (TEQ) levels of PCNs in our study did not exceed sediment quality guidelines proposed by international authorities, the cumulative risks from the TEQ concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, furans, PCBs, and PCNs can be expected for benthic organisms.