bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical Translation of Cell Therapies in Stroke (CT2S) Checklist—a pragmatic tool to accelerate development of cell therapy products
Authors: Nagpal Anjali , Milton Austin G. , Koblar Simon A. , Hamilton-Bruce M. Anne
Published: January 2021

Background

Cell therapies present an exciting potential but there is a long history of expensive translational failures in stroke research. Researchers engaged in cell therapy research would benefit from a practical framework that can help in planning research and development of investigational cell therapies into viable medical products.

Methods

We developed a checklist using a mixed methodology approach to evaluate the impact of study design, regulatory policy, ethical, and health economic considerations for efficient implementation of early phase cell therapy studies.

Results

The checklist comprises a series of questions arranged under four domains: the first concerns study design such as characterization of target study population, trial design, endpoints and operational fit of dosage, time, and route of administration to target populations. A second domain addresses the data package required for regulatory approval relevant to the intended use (allogeneic/autologous; homologous/non-homologous; nature of cell processing). The third domain comprises patient involvement to ensure relevant data is collected via targeted study design. The final domain requires the team to determine the critical data elements that could be built into study design to enable health economic data collection to be started at an early phase of the study.

Conclusions

The CT2S checklist can help to determine areas of expertise gaps and enable research groups to appropriately allocate resources for capacity building. Use of this checklist will allow identification of key areas where trial planning needs to be optimized, as well as helping to identify resources that need to be secured. The CT2S checklist can also serve as a general cell therapy research decision aid to improve research output and accelerate new cell therapy development.
Increased susceptibility to intensive care unit-acquired pneumonia in severe COVID-19 patients: a multicentre retrospective cohort study
Authors: Llitjos Jean-François , Bredin Swann , Lascarrou Jean-Baptiste , Soumagne Thibaud , Cojocaru Mariana , Leclerc Maxime , Lepetit Arnaud , Gouhier Albin , Charpentier Julien , Piton Gaël , Faron Matthieu , Stoclin Annabelle , Pène Frédéric
Published: January 2021

Background

The aim of this study is to determine whether severe COVID-19 patients harbour a higher risk of ICU-acquired pneumonia.

Methods

This retrospective multicentre cohort study comprised all consecutive patients admitted to seven ICUs for severe COVID-19 pneumonia during the first COVID-19 surge in France. Inclusion criteria were laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and requirement for invasive mechanical ventilation for 48 h or more. Control groups were two historical cohorts of mechanically ventilated patients admitted to the ICU for bacterial or non-SARS-CoV-2 viral pneumonia. The outcome of interest was the development of ICU-acquired pneumonia. The determinants of ICU-acquired pneumonia were investigated in a multivariate competing risk analysis.

Result

One hundred and seventy-six patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia admitted to the ICU between March 1st and 30th June of 2020 were included into the study. Historical control groups comprised 435 patients with bacterial pneumonia and 48 ones with viral pneumonia. ICU-acquired pneumonia occurred in 52% of COVID-19 patients, whereas in 26% and 23% of patients with bacterial or viral pneumonia, respectively (p < 0.001). Times from initiation of mechanical ventilation to ICU-acquired pneumonia were similar across the three groups. In multivariate analysis, the risk of ICU-acquired pneumonia remained independently associated with underlying COVID-19 (SHR = 2.18; 95 CI 1.2–3.98, p = 0.011).

Conclusion

COVID-19 appears an independent risk factor of ICU-acquired pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients with pneumonia. Whether this is driven by immunomodulatory properties by the SARS-CoV-2 or this is related to particular processes of care remains to be investigated.
A novel exact solution for the fractional Ambartsumian equation
Authors: Ebaid Abdelhalim , Cattani Carlo , Al Juhani Amnah S. , El-Zahar Essam R.
Published: January 2021

Fractional calculus (FC) is useful in studying physical phenomena with memory effect. In this paper, a fractional form of Ambartsumian equation is considered utilizing the Caputo fractional derivative. The Heaviside expansion formula in classical calculus (CC) is extended/developed in view of FC. Then, the extended Heaviside expansion formula is applied to obtain the exact solution in a simplest form. Several theorems and lemmas are proved to facilitate the evaluation of the inverse Laplace transform of specific expressions in fractional forms. The exact solution is established in terms of a one-parameter Mittag-Leffler function which is provided for the first time for the Ambartsumian equation in FC. The present solution reduces to the corresponding one in the relevant literature as the fractional order tends to one. Moreover, the convergence of the obtained solution is theoretically proved. Comparisons with another approach in the literature are performed. The advantage of the present analysis over the existing one in the relevant literature is discussed and analyzed.
Suffix-based double reader tag movement RFID anti-collision method
Authors: Lv Haochen , Li Xiaowu , Jia Lianyin , Li Runxin , Ding Jiaman , You Jinguo
Published: January 2021

At present, some existing tag anti-collision algorithms are used mostly in scenarios of fixed number of tags and they perform poorly in tag moving scenarios. Therefore, this paper proposes a double reader tag movement RFID anti-collision method based on suffix, and through the cloud platform based on cloud computing, the supply chain data sharing is realized. Tag moving scenarios usually use a single reader. The proposed employs double reader to expand the recognition range and also to prolong the recognition time, but there is the problem of repeated recognition. This article proposes a suffix-based bit-slot ALOHA (SBSA) algorithm, where this problem is solved and the time-slot is reduced. In view of the problem that a large number of tags entering into the recognition area of readers lead to the reduction of the recognition efficiency. This article proposes a suffix-based tag group bit-slot ALOHA (STGBSA) algorithm, tag grouping and tag estimation methods are proposed. Complexity analysis is deployed in this article, from the perspective of the tag loss ratio and identification efficiency, the performances of various anti-collision algorithms are evaluated and compared with those of the existing methods. The simulation results show that the method proposed in this paper is better than the existing methods.
Making the case for strong health information systems during a pandemic and beyond
Authors: Schmidt Andrea E. , Abboud Linda A. , Bogaert Petronille
Published: January 2021

Background

The Sars-CoV-2 pandemic exacerbates existing inequalities across health care systems globally, both within countries and between countries. It also highlights, like no other crisis before, existing weaknesses in health information systems (HIS). This article summarizes these key challenges for HIS in times of a pandemic and beyond, with a focus on European countries. It builds on the experiences of a large consortium representing HIS experts in key positions in national public health or similar institutes across Europe.

Methods

Data were collected in bi-weekly conference calls organized by the InfAct project between February and June 2020. Emerging themes were clustered and analysed around a WHO framework for health information systems (HIS). We analyse strengths of HIS at two levels: (i) dealing with health information directly, and (ii) dealing with other parts of information systems that allow for a holistic assessment of the pandemic (including health-related aspects).

Results

The analysis highlights the need for capacity-building in HIS before a pandemic hits, the relevance of going beyond health information only related to health care but taking a broader perspective (e.g. on vulnerable groups), the need for strong reporting systems on staffing numbers and in primary care. Further, data linkage emerges as a crucial precondition to identify unmet needs for essential health care services in a timely manner. Finally, room for innovation and digitalisation is key to be able to react flexibly in times of crisis. Trust for health information stakeholders is another important factor to create strong HIS.

Conclusions

The strengths and shortcomings of European HIS that have been observed during the COVID-19 crisis highlight the need for strong HIS beyond the crisis. The experiences reported leave as a central message that successful reactions to the pandemic are (also) grounded in strong HIS that ultimately not only benefit the health of the population but also create a number of economic and psycho-social benefits. Strong data reporting schemes may also support fine-tuning of containment measures during a pandemic as well as transition phases.
Soil carbon stock and emission: estimates from three land-use systems in Ghana
Authors: Anokye Joseph , Logah Vincent , Opoku Andrews
Published: January 2021

Background

Land-use systems that sequester carbon and reduce CO2 emissions are key in the global mitigation strategies of climate change. Greenhouse gas emission from agro-ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa is little studied. Here, we quantified soil carbon stock (SCS) and CO2 emissions from three land-use systems viz. arable land, oil palm plantation and forestland in the semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana.

Results

Soil organic carbon concentration at the 0–15 cm layer in the forestland was 62 and 23% greater than that in the arable land and palm plantation, respectively. The SCS along the 1.0-m profile was 108.2, 99.0 and 73.5 Mg ha−1 in the forestland, palm plantation and arable land, respectively. Arable land emitted 30–46% more CO2 than palm plantation and forestland. In the dry season, CO2 emissions were respectively 0.93, 0.63 and 0.5 kg ha−1 h−1 from the arable land, palm plantation and forestland. Positive relationships were observed between CO2 emissions and SCS, soil temperature, and moisture. The SCS greatly influenced CO2 emission in the dry season more than in the wet season in the relatively higher carbon-input systems (forestland and palm plantation). Soil temperature accounted for more than 55% of CO2 emissions in both seasons, which has implications in the era of rising global temperatures.

Conclusions

The study provides relevant information on carbon storage abilities of the three land-use types in tropical climate and calls for drastic climate change actions to reduce degradation of forest cover and soil disturbance in agro-ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa.
Simultaneous detection and ribotyping of Clostridioides difficile, and toxin gene detection directly on fecal samples
Authors: van Rossen Tessel M. , van Prehn Joffrey , Koek Alex , Jonges Marcel , van Houdt Robin , van Mansfeld Rosa , Kuijper Ed J. , Vandenbroucke-Grauls Christina M. J. E. , Budding Andries E.
Published: January 2021

Background

Clostridioides difficile is the most common cause of nosocomial diarrhea. Ribotyping of cultured strains by a PCR-based test is used to study potential transmission between patients. We aimed to develop a rapid test that can be applied directly on fecal samples for simultaneous detection and ribotyping of C. difficile, as well as detection of toxin genes.

Methods

We developed a highly specific and sensitive primer set for simultaneous detection and ribotyping of C. difficile directly on total fecal DNA. Toxin genes were detected with primers adapted from Persson et al. (Clin Microbiol Infect 14(11):1057–1064). Our study set comprised 130 fecal samples: 65 samples with positive qPCR for C. difficile toxin A/B genes and 65 C. difficile qPCR negative samples. PCR products were analyzed by capillary gel electrophoresis.

Results

Ribosomal DNA fragment peak profiles and toxin genes were detected in all 65 C. difficile positive fecal samples and in none of the 65 C. difficile negative samples. The 65 samples were assigned to 27 ribotypes by the Dutch reference laboratory. Our peak profiles corresponded to these ribotypes, except for two samples. During a C. difficile outbreak, patients were correctly allocated to the outbreak-cluster based on the results of direct fecal ribotyping, before C. difficile isolates were cultured and conventionally typed.

Conclusion

C. difficile ribotyping directly on fecal DNA is feasible, with sensitivity and specificity comparable to that of diagnostic toxin gene qPCR and with ribotype assignment similar to that obtained by conventional typing on DNA from cultured isolates. This supports simultaneous diagnosis and typing to recognize an outbreak.
Agricultural community-based impact assessment and farmers’ perception of climate change in selected Ecological Zones in Nigeria
Authors: Oluwatimilehin Isaac Ayo , Ayanlade Ayansina
Published: January 2021

Background

The impacts of climate change are affecting sustenance and livelihood of many rural farmers in Africa. The majority of these farmers have low adaptive capacity. This study investigates climate change impacts, farmers’ perception, adaptation options and barriers to adaptation in three selected ecological zones in Nigeria using three staple crops. Rainfall and temperature data of over 35 years were analysed using ANOVA, Mann Kendall and Sen’s Slope Analysis. Farmers’ perception of climate change and cropping experiences were assessed with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire, semi-structured interview and focus group discussion.

Results

The results of the study revealed high variability in the annual and monthly rainfall and temperature during the study period. The highest annual maximum temperature was recorded in Kwara with Tmax > 32 ℃. Though, there appeared to be spatial and temporal variations in rainfall in the study area, the highest was in Ogun with mean annual rainfall = 1586.9 mm and lowest in Kwara with mean annual rainfall = 1222.6 mm. Generally the Mann Kendall and Sen's slope analysis revealed general increase in the minimum and maximum temperature, while rainfall revealed generally downward trend. The study revealed a difference in farmers’ perception but nearly 74% of farmers perceived that climate is changing, which is affecting their farming activities. Nearly 70% claimed that lack of financial capital is the major barrier to climate change adaptation.

Conclusions

The study concludes that rainfall and temperature variability have significantly impacted cropping and that farmers are aware of long-term changes in temperature and rainfall, but some are unable to identify those changes as climate change. There is a need for affordable and available improved seedlings and variety of crops that can adapt to climate change conditions.
ACE2 Nascence, trafficking, and SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis: the saga continues
Authors: Badawi Sally , Ali Bassam R.
Published: January 2021

With the emergence of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 since December 2019, more than 65 million cases have been reported worldwide. This virus has shown high infectivity and severe symptoms in some cases, leading to over 1.5 million deaths globally. Despite the collaborative and concerted research efforts that have been made, no effective medication for COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-2019) is currently available. SARS-CoV-2 uses the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as an initial mediator for viral attachment and host cell invasion. ACE2 is widely distributed in the human tissues including the cell surface of lung cells which represent the primary site of the infection. Inhibiting or reducing cell surface availability of ACE2 represents a promising therapy for tackling COVID-19. In this context, most ACE2–based therapeutic strategies have aimed to tackle the virus through the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or neutralizing the virus by exogenous administration of ACE2, which does not directly aim to reduce its membrane availability. However, through this review, we present a different perspective focusing on the subcellular localization and trafficking of ACE2. Membrane targeting of ACE2, and shedding and cellular trafficking pathways including the internalization are not well elucidated in literature. Therefore, we hereby present an overview of the fate of newly synthesized ACE2, its post translational modifications, and what is known of its trafficking pathways. In addition, we highlight the possibility that some of the identified ACE2 missense variants might affect its trafficking efficiency and localization and hence may explain some of the observed variable severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Moreover, an extensive understanding of these processes is necessarily required to evaluate the potential use of ACE2 as a credible therapeutic target.
Quantifying the effects of post-surgery recovery time on the migration dynamics and survival rates in the wild of acoustically tagged Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar smolts
Authors: Daniels J. , Brunsdon E. B. , Chaput G. , Dixon H. J. , Labadie H. , Carr J. W.
Published: January 2021

Background

The experimental effects of surgically implanting fish with acoustic transmitters are likely to have negative effects on survival and behaviour. Measuring the extent of these negative effects is important if we wish to extrapolate inferences from tagged animals to un-manipulated animals. In this study, we examine the effect of surgery and post-tagging recovery time on the survival and migration rate of acoustically tagged wild Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)smolts through freshwater, estuarine and ocean phases of migration. Four treatment groups were used: pre-smolt captured in the fall that overwintered in a hatchery and were tagged either 75 days prior to release (winter hatchery) or within 24 h prior to release (spring hatchery) and smolt captured during the spring smolt run, tagged 24 h prior to release and released during the day (day-released) or night (night-released).

Results

The spring hatchery treatment group served as a reference treatment group such that recovery time (comparison to winter hatchery treatment) and hatchery effects (comparison to day-released and night-released treatments) could both be discerned. The hatchery effect increased migration rate, whereas short recovery times and captivity in a hatchery negatively affected survival. These effects were most pronounced within the first 5 days and/or 48 km downstream post-release, however, the residual recovery time effects appeared to persist during the transition from the estuary into salt water.

Conclusions

Even with smolts originating from the wild and spending relatively little time within the hatchery environment, post-release survival was still negatively affected. Migration speed was faster for hatchery smolts, but is likely only due to their larger size. Recovery time effects were most prominent during the initial migration period in freshwater and again in the transition from the estuary to saltwater which may be due to added stress during these transitional zones. As surgery-related bias will likely never be completely removed from telemetry studies, it is important to quantify and account for these effects in situ when making inferences on the un-manipulated component of the population.
Seed dispersal as a search strategy: dynamic and fragmented landscapes select for multi-scale movement strategies in plants
Authors: Treep Jelle , de Jager Monique , Bartumeus Frederic , Soons Merel B.
Published: January 2021

Background

Plant dispersal is a critical factor driving ecological responses to global changes. Knowledge on the mechanisms of dispersal is rapidly advancing, but selective pressures responsible for the evolution of dispersal strategies remain elusive. Recent advances in animal movement ecology identified general strategies that may optimize efficiency in animal searches for food or habitat. Here we explore the potential for evolution of similar general movement strategies for plants.

Methods

We propose that seed dispersal in plants can be viewed as a strategic search for suitable habitat, where the probability of finding such locations has been optimized through evolution of appropriate dispersal kernels. Using model simulations, we demonstrate how dispersal strategies can optimize key dispersal trade-offs between finding habitat, avoiding kin competition, and colonizing new patches. These trade-offs depend strongly on the landscape, resulting in a tight link between optimal dispersal strategy and spatiotemporal habitat distribution.

Results

Our findings reveal that multi-scale seed dispersal strategies that combine a broad range of dispersal scales, including Lévy-like dispersal, are optimal across a wide range of dynamic and patchy landscapes. At the extremes, static and patchy landscapes select for dispersal strategies dominated by short distances, while uniform and highly unpredictable landscapes both select for dispersal strategies dominated by long distances.

Conclusions

By viewing plant seed dispersal as a strategic search for suitable habitat, we provide a reference framework for the analysis of plant dispersal data. Consideration of the entire dispersal kernel, including distances across the full range of scales, is key. This reference framework helps identify plant species’ dispersal strategies, the evolutionary forces determining these strategies and their ecological consequences, such as a potential mismatch between plant dispersal strategy and altered spatiotemporal habitat dynamics due to land use change. Our perspective opens up directions for future studies, including exploration of composite search behaviour and ‘informed searches’ in plant species with directed dispersal.
Willingness of Greek general population to get a COVID-19 vaccine
Authors: Kourlaba Georgia , Kourkouni Eleni , Maistreli Stefania , Tsopela Christina-Grammatiki , Molocha Nafsika-Maria , Triantafyllou Christos , Koniordou Markela , Kopsidas Ioannis , Chorianopoulou Evangelia , Maroudi-Manta Stefania , Filippou Dimitrios , Zaoutis Theoklis E.
Published: January 2021

Background

Epidemiological data indicate that a large part of population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. Hence, it is of high importance for public health officials to know whether people are going to get vaccinated for COVID-19. The objective of the present study was to examine the willingness of adult residents in Greece to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Methods

A cross-sectional was survey conducted among the adult general population of Greece between April 28, 2020 to May 03, 2020 (last week of lockdown), using a mixed methodology for data collection: Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) and Computer Assisted web Interviewing (CAWI). Using a sample size calculator, the target sample size was found to be around 1000 respondents. To ensure a nationally representative sample of the urban/rural population according to the Greek census 2011, a proportionate stratified by region systematic sampling procedure was used to recruit particpants. Data collection was guided through a structured questionnaire. Regarding willingness to COVID-19 vaccination, participants were asked to answer the following question: “If there was a vaccine available for the novel coronavirus, would you do it?”

Results

Of 1004 respondents only 57.7% stated that they are going to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Respondents aged > 65 years old, those who either themselves or a member of their household belonged to a vulnerable group, those believing that the COVID-19 virus was not developed in laboratories by humans, those believing that coronavirus is far more contagious and lethal compared to the H1N1 virus, and those believing that next waves are coming were statistically significantly more likely to be willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Higher knowledge score regarding symptoms, transmission routes and prevention and control measures against COVID-19 was significantly associated with higher willingness of respondents to get vaccinated.

Conclusion

A significant proportion of individuals in the general population are unwilling to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, stressing the need for public health officials to take immediate awareness-raising measures.
The cordiality of the sum and union of two fourth power of paths and cycles
Authors: Elrokh Ashraf , Rabie Aya
Published: January 2021

A simple graph is called cordial if it has 0-1 labeling that satisfies certain conditions.
In this paper, we examine the necessary and sufficient conditions for cordial labeling of the sum and union of two fourth power of paths and cycles.
Pattern of congenital heart disease among Egyptian children: a 3-year retrospective study
Authors: Al-Fahham Marwa Moustapha , Ali Yasmin Abdelrazek
Published: January 2021

Background

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a multifactorial birth defect which has variable demographic characteristics among children in different geographical areas. This study aimed to detect the distribution of demographic data, perinatal risk factors, types, age, and mode of presentation of CHD among Egyptian children.

Results

The medical records of 1005 patients were included. They were 545 males (54%) and 462 females (46%) with a ratio of 1.2:1. Acyanotic CHD was encountered in 79.2%. Isolated ventricular septal defect and tetralogy of Fallot were the most common acyanotic and cyanotic lesions, respectively. The majority was diagnosed within the first year of life (86.7%) and was born to young mothers (91.3%). The accidental discovery of a murmur was the most frequent presentation (35%). Heart failure was detected in 44%, audible murmurs in 74.4%, maternal illnesses in 54%, consanguinity in 44.6%, prematurity in 19.3%, assisted reproduction in 11.7%, family history of CHD in 9.2%, abortions in 7.1%, and extracardiac anomalies in 3.6% of the studied population. Down syndrome (DS) was the most commonly occurring chromosomal anomaly, and the atrioventricular septal defect was the most characteristic cardiac lesion found among them.

Conclusions

There is no sex predilection among Egyptian children with CHD. Most of the cases are diagnosed in early infancy. Accidental discovery of a murmur is the most common mode of presentation. A variety of predisposing risk factors are abundant in the Egyptian population. DS is the most common chromosomal anomaly linked to CHD. Establishment of a national medical birth registry containing all information about all births in Egypt is needed for adequate surveillance and monitoring of perinatal health problems and congenital birth defects so that preventive measures can be early implemented. Proper and detailed data collection should be fulfilled in the medical records of every single patient.
Ultrasound-guided fluoroscopic-verified trans-foraminal lumbar dorsal root ganglion pulsed radiofrequency modulation for radicular pain relief: clinical and cadaveric evaluation of the technique
Authors: Omar Shaaban , Hegab Sherif El-Sayed , Reda Mohamed Ihab Samy , El-Karadawy Sahar Ahmed , Saad Mowaffak Moustafa , El Sekily Nancy Mohamed , Elaassar Omar Sameh
Published: January 2021

Background

Ultrasound-guided lumbar pain interventions were thought to be difficult; the high acoustic impedance of bone hides the underling structures and needle path. Reviewing the sonoanatomy of the lumbar region using different planes and angles made better sonographic guidance for spine injections. The aim of this prospective study is to assess the accuracy and safety of ultrasound (US)-guided lumbar trans-foraminal pulsed radiofrequency of the dorsal root ganglion confirmed by fluoroscopic imaging in management of chronic radicular pain.

Results

Thirty-two patients, with 34 lumbar interventions, were included in the study. Thirty-one interventions out of 34 were performed successfully with overall accuracy of 91.18% and with minimal complications. The successful first trial placement of the cannula was calculated in 44.1% of interventions; multiple trials were needed in 47.1% while incorrect level was encountered in 8.8%. Visual analogue scale of pain and Oswestry Disability Index decreased significantly after intervention up to 3 months compared to the pre-intervention value. The analgesic consumption was reduced by mean of 73.44 ± 31.07% 1 month after intervention.

Conclusions

US-guided fluoroscopic-verified trans-foraminal PR of lumbar DRG is accurate, safe, and effective for CRP.
Stability indicating method development and validation for simultaneous estimation and quantification of Ertugliflozin and Metformin in bulk and tablet dosage form
Authors: Sunkara Bhawani , Gampa Tulja Rani , Markanti Mounika , Midthapally Ratna Kumari
Published: January 2021

Background

A simple, economical, sensitive, authentic, and faithful technique was used for the study of simultaneous evaluation of Ertugliflozin and Metformin in tablet dosage forms. The Chromatographic analysis was performed isocratically by using a Phenomenex C18 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm), and a mobile phase containing acetonitrile and 0.1% OPA buffer, with a proportion of 40: 60% v/v was passed throughout the column maintained at a temperature of 30 °C with a flow rate of 1 ml/min. Approximately, 10 μl of drug solution was injected and the analytes were eluted at 220.0 nm.

Results

The elution times of Ertugliflozin and Metformin were 2.226 min and 2.955 min, respectively. The percentage RSD of Ertugliflozin and Metformin are 0.60 and 0.59, respectively. The percentage recoveries of Ertugliflozin and Metformin were determined to be 100.55% and 99.40%, respectively. LOD, LOQ values of Metformin and Ertugliflozin obtained were found to be 0.10, 0.2 μg/ml and 0.03, 0.09 μg/ml, respectively. Regression equation of Ertugliflozin wasy= 11287x+ 1191 andy= 46270x+ 161.0 for Metformin. All verification parameters are within the range according to the ICH guidelines, and the degradation products are also within the limits, which show that the method is stable.

Conclusion

In the currently developed RP-HPLC analytical method, the elution time and run time is reduced, which proves that the method is economical and widely acceptable, also simple and practical, which can be used in routine quality control tests in the industry.
Pharmacognostic standardization of Aralia cachemirica: a comparative study
Authors: Majid Neelofar , Nissar Saduf , Raja Weekar Younus , Nawchoo Irshad A. , Bhat Zulfikar Ali
Published: January 2021

Background

Aralia cachemirica Decne. is an endemic and an important medicinal plant species of Kashmir Himalaya. Despite having immense medicinal importance, little information is available on the standardization parameters of the species. For this reason, present work was carried out for providing comprehensive report on the quality control and standardization parameters of A. cachemirica. In this connection, different parts (leaves, stem, and root) of the plant were examined. Methods like microscopy and macroscopy, physicochemical parameters, extractive values, and fluorescence analysis were used to establish pharmacognostical standards.

Results

The macroscopic, microscopy, and physicochemical parameters of different parts of A. cachemirica revealed various diagnostic characteristics in the species.

Conclusion

This is the first study providing complete pharmacognostic profile of A. cachemirica and hence will be useful for correct identification and authentication of the species for future studies.
Inversion of vehicle-induced signals based on seismic interferometry and recurrent neural networks
Authors: Liu Lu , Liu Yujin , Li Tao , He Yi , Du Yue , Luo Yi
Published: January 2021

Vehicle-induced vibrations provide useful signals for passive seismic exploration. Such signals are repeatable and environmentally friendly; hence, they can provide an economical way to analyze subsurface structures. We have developed a new workflow to monitor roads or railways by producing 1D subsurface S-wave velocities in real time. This workflow consists of two steps: seismic interferometry and recurrent neural networks (RNN). Seismic interferometry can efficiently retrieve surface waves by crosscorrelating vehicle-induced vibrations. RNN was designed to first encode the picked dispersion curve into a fixed-length vector and then decode the vector into 1D S-wave velocities. To simulate the railway vibrations, we first analyze the time-dependent characteristic of the high-speed-train source and verify its mathematical expression by comparing the frequency spectrums of the real and synthetic data. We then evaluate the RNN-based surface-wave dispersion inversion method and validate the designed network structure using the 3D SEG/EAGE overthrust model. Finally, seismic interferometry and RNN-based surface-wave inversion are applied to a synthetic train-induced data set, a 33 min field record of railway vibrations and a 76 min field data of road vibrations, respectively. The synthetic and field data tests indicated that our workflow can be a feasible and cost-effective tool for real-time monitoring of subsurface media along roads and railways.
Microsimulation Model for Evaluating the Cost-Effectiveness of Surveillance in BAP1 Pathogenic Variant Carriers
Authors: Walpole Sebastian , Hayward Nicholas K. , Pritchard Antonia L. , Johansson Peter A.
Published: January 2021

PURPOSE

Pathogenic BAP1 germline variants cause a tumor-predisposition syndrome ( BAP1-TPDS) linked to uveal melanoma, mesothelioma, cutaneous melanoma, and renal cell carcinoma. Surveillance of carriers of pathogenic BAP1 variants provides an opportunity for early tumor detection; however, there are no evidence-based guidelines for management of BAP1-TPDS, nor health economic evaluation; this study aims to provide this evidence.

METHODS

We created a Markov microsimulation health state transition model of BAP1 germline carriers to predict if active surveillance for the four main tumors influences survival and improves associated economic costs with a time horizon of 100 years from the perspective of the healthcare system (N = 10,000). Model inputs were derived from data published by the BAP1 Interest Group Consortium and other studies. Management and healthcare costs were extracted from Australian costing schedules (final figures converted to US dollars [USD]), and outcomes compared for individuals receiving surveillance with those in a nonsurveillance arm. Robustness was evaluated on 10,000 iterations of a 100-sample random sampling of the model output.

RESULTS

On average, surveillance of BAP1 carriers increased survival by 4.9 years at an additional cost of $6,197 USD for the healthcare system including surveillance costs ($1,265 USD per life year gained). The nonsurveillance arm had more diagnosed late tumors (62.8% v 10.7%) and a higher rate of BAP1-related deaths (50.2% v 35.4%; a 29.5% increase). The model was cost-effective under all sensitivity analyses. Our secondary robustness analysis estimated that 99.86% of 100-sample iterations were cost-effective and 19.67% of these were cost-saving.

CONCLUSION

It is recommended that carriers of BAP1 germline variants are identified and undertake active surveillance, as this model suggests that this could improve survival and be cost-effective for the healthcare system.
Lactation Induction in a Transgender Woman Wanting to Breastfeed: Case Report
Authors: Wamboldt Rachel , Shuster Shirley , Sidhu Bikrampal S
Published: January 2021

Context

Breastfeeding is known to have many health and wellness benefits to the mother and infant; however, breastfeeding in trans women has been greatly under-researched.

Objective

To review potential methods of lactation induction in trans women wishing to breastfeed and to review the embryological basis for breastfeeding in trans women.

Design

This article summarizes a case of successful lactation in a trans woman, in which milk production was achieved in just over 1 month.

Setting

This patient was followed in an outpatient endocrinology clinic.

Participant

A single trans woman was followed in our endocrinology clinic for a period of 9 months while she took hormone therapy to help with lactation.

Interventions

Readily available lactation induction protocols for nonpuerpural mothers were reviewed and used to guide hormone therapy selection. Daily dose of progesterone was increased from 100 mg to 200 mg daily. The galactogogue domperidone was started at 10 mg 3 times daily and titrated up to effect. She was encouraged to use an electric pump and to increase her frequency of pumping.

Main Outcome Measure

Lactation induction

Results

At one month, she had noticed a significant increase in her breast size and fullness. Her milk supply had increased rapidly, and she was producing up to 3 to 5 ounces of milk per day with manual expression alone.

Conclusions

We report the second case in the medical literature to demonstrate successful breastfeeding in a trans woman through use of hormonal augmentation.
Genotype-Phenotype Correlation in Fibrous Dysplasia/McCune-Albright Syndrome
Authors: Zhadina Maria , Roszko Kelly L , Geels Raya E S , de Castro Luis F , Collins Michael T , Boyce Alison M
Published: January 2021

Context

Fibrous dysplasia/McCune-Albright syndrome (FD/MAS) is a rare bone and endocrine disorder resulting in fractures, pain, and disability. There are no targeted or effective therapies to alter the disease course. Disease arises from somatic gain-of-function variants at the R201 codon in GNAS, replacing arginine by either cysteine or histidine. The relative pathogenicity of these variants is not fully understood.

Objective

This work aimed 1) to determine whether the most common GNAS variants (R201C and R201H) are associated with a specific clinical phenotype, and 2) to determine the prevalence of the most common GNAS variants in a large patient cohort.

Methods

This retrospective cross-sectional analysis measured the correlation between genotype and phenotype characterized by clinical, biochemical, and radiographic data.

Results

Sixty-one individuals were genotyped using DNA extracted from tissue or circulating cell-free DNA. Twenty-two patients (36.1%) had the R201C variant, and 39 (63.9%) had the R201H variant. FD skeletal disease burden, hypophosphatemia prevalence, fracture incidence, and ambulation status were similar between the 2 groups. There was no difference in the prevalence of endocrinopathies, ultrasonographic gonadal or thyroid abnormalities, or pancreatic involvement. There was a nonsignificant association of cancer with the R201H variant.

Conclusion

There is no clear genotype-phenotype correlation in patients with the most common FD/MAS pathogenic variants. The predominance of the R201H variant observed in our cohort and reported in the literature indicates it is likely responsible for a larger burden of disease in the overall population of patients with FD/MAS, which may have important implications for the future development of targeted therapies.
Long-term Effect of Aromatase Inhibition in Aromatase Excess Syndrome
Authors: Binder Gerhard , Nakamura Akie , Schweizer Roland , Ogata Tsutomu , Fukami Maki , Nagasaki Keisuke
Published: January 2021

Context

Aromatase excess syndrome (AEXS) is a very rare disorder characterized by prepubertal gynecomastia, bone age acceleration, and early growth arrest. Heterozygote submicroscopic rearrangements within the promotor of CYP19A1 result in overexpression of aromatase and enhanced aromatization of androgens.

Objective

The objective was to study long-term treatment effects of an aromatase inhibitor.

Methods

Data from 7 boys with AEXS were retrospectively collected. Genetic analysis revealed upstream of CYP19A1 a 165 901 bp deletion in 4 German cousins, a 198 662 bp deletion in 2 Japanese brothers, and a 387 622 bp tandem duplication in a Japanese boy.

Results

All boys developed prepubertal gynecomastia, at median 9.0 years of age (range: 7.0-11.0). Height was +1.20 standard deviation score (SDS) (–0.24 to +1.98); predicted adult height was -1.29 SDS (-3.29 to +1.09). Four boys were treated with 1.0 mg of anastrozole daily, while 3 reached adult height untreated. Treatment with anastrozole was stopped after 5.6 years (4.0-6.8). Three treated boys exceeded their prognosis by 2.4, 6.9, and 8.1 cm, while 1 untreated boy fell below the prognosis by 8.6 cm. One treated with a low dose and 2 untreated reached their prognosis. Adult heights were –0.91 SDS with anastrozole (–2.86 to –0.29) and –0.15 SDS without (–2.31 to –0.03). Distance to target height was –0.22 SDS with anastrozole (–1.72 to +0.52) and +0.54 SDS without (+0.23 to +1.30).

Conclusion

Spontaneous growth in AEXS varied, even in the same family. Our data suggest that early started, long-term inhibition by anastrozole promotes adult height in boys with AEXS.
Sequential Preference Revelation in Incomplete Information Settings
Authors: Schummer James , Velez Rodrigo A.
Published: January 2021

Strategy-proof allocation rules incentivize truthfulness in simultaneous move games, but real world mechanisms sometimes elicit preferences sequentially. Surprisingly, even when the underlying rule is strategy-proof and nonbossy, sequential elicitation can yield equilibria where agents have a strict incentive to be untruthful. This occurs only under incomplete information, when an agent anticipates that truthful reporting would signal false private information about others’ preferences. We provide conditions ruling out this phenomenon, guaranteeing all equilibrium outcomes to be welfare-equivalent to truthful ones. (JEL C73, D45, D82, D83)
Dynamic Persuasion with Outside Information
Authors: Bizzotto Jacopo , Rüdiger Jesper , Vigier Adrien
Published: January 2021

A principal seeks to persuade an agent to accept an offer of uncertain value before a deadline expires. The principal can generate information, but exerts no control over exogenous outside information. The combined effect of the deadline and outside information creates incentives for the principal to keep uncertainty high in the first periods so as to persuade the agent close to the deadline. We characterize the equilibrium, compare it to the single-player decision problem in which exogenous outside information is the agent’s only source of information, and examine the welfare implications of our analysis. (JEL C73, D82, D83)
Full Implementation under Ambiguity
Authors: Guo Huiyi , Yannelis Nicholas C.
Published: January 2021

This paper introduces the maxmin expected utility framework into the problem of fully implementing a social choice set as ambiguous equilibria. Our model incorporates the Bayesian framework and the Wald-type maxmin preferences as special cases and provides insights beyond the Bayesian implementation literature. We establish necessary and almost sufficient conditions for a social choice set to be fully implementable. Under the Wald-type maxmin preferences, we provide easy-to-check sufficient conditions for implementation. As applications, we implement the set of ambiguous Pareto-efficient and individually rational social choice functions, the maxmin core, the maxmin weak core, and the maxmin value. (JEL D71, D81, D82)
The imaginary audience and the personal fable in relation to the separation-individuation process during adolescence
Authors: P. Galanaki Evangelia , Christopoulos Anne
Published: January 2021

Lapsley’s (1993) “New Look” model for the interpretation of adolescentegocentrism, as an alternative to the classic cognitive one formulated by Elkind (1967), was tested in this study. According to the “New Look” model, the two manifestations of adolescent egocentrism – the imaginary audience and the personal fable – are adaptive coping mechanisms used by adolescents in their attempt to deal with the stressful developmental aim of separation-individuation. Two-hundred ninety seven adolescents 11-18 years’ old completed the Imaginary Audience Scale (Elkind & Bowen, 1979), the New Imaginary Audience Scale (Lapsley, Fitzgerald, Rice, & Jackson, 1989), the Personal Fable Scale (Elkind, personal communication, August 10, 1993), the New Personal Fable Scale (Lapsley et al., 1989), and the Separation-Individuation Test of Adolescence (Levine, Green, & Millon, 1986; Levine & Saintonge, 1993). The “New Look” model was generally supported by the data. The various dimensions of separation were significantly associated with the imaginary audience, whereas the dimensions of individuation had stronger links with the personal fable. In addition, some associations were found between the imaginary audience and individuation, as well as between the personal fable and separation. Consistent age and gender differences in the variables studied were found. Results are discussed in the framework of the literature on adolescent egocentrism and on parent-adolescent relations.
Effects of classroom learning experiences and examination type on students’ learning
Authors: Karagiannopoulou Evangelia
Published: January 2021

The study explores the effect of in-class experience and open and closed-book examinations on understanding. In-depth interviews were conducted with twenty final year psychology students. They were asked about their study strategies to develop understanding when revising for open-book and closed-book essay-type examinations, and alsoabout their in-class experiences. The findings indicate the effect of in-class experience, as a both cognitive and emotional experience, on approaches to studying and of students’ attitudes to the differing forms of examination. Positive and negative effects of lectures on students’ learning appeared related to alignment and misalignment, respectively, between teaching, learning and assessment. Tutor’s authoritarianism was pointed out by students who appeared to be strategically shifting approaches according to the type of the exams, and this led to elements of a surface approach. While the majority of the students maintained thesame broad approach across different types of examination, there were marked differences in how that approach was enacted, depending on the examination requirements. Students appeared to make broaderconnections within the deep approach in relation to the open-book examinations (holistic approach) and showed fewer connections and more fragmentation for the closed-book examinations (atomistic approach). The findings are discussed in relation to recent literature.
Συγκριτικά αποτελέσματα στο WISC-III σε παιδιά με Ειδική Αναπτυξιακή Διαταραχή της Ανάγνωσης-Δυσλεξία
Authors: Βογινδρούκας Ιωάννης , Ζηκοπούλου Όλγα
Published: January 2021

The abstract is available in the PDF
Social axioms and coping strategies: the case of a Greek sample
Authors: Gari Aikaterini , Panagiotopoulou Penny
Published: January 2021

Social axioms are individual assessments of psychological, social, material and spiritual reality expressed as generalized beliefs or assertions about the relationship between two entities or concepts. This study explores how social axioms are associated with coping styles in a Greek sample composed of students and adults. Previous studies of how social axioms are related to coping styles showed that Social Complexity predicted the coping style of problem solving, Fate Control predicted the strategies of distancing, and Social Cynicism predicted the wishful thinking coping processes. In the present study, the 82 item questionnaire version of the Social Axioms Survey (SAS) was employed, along with the Folkman and Lazarus questionnaire of coping styles adapted in the Greek language. Both questionnaires were administered to a sample of 192 individuals, of 48 men and 144 women, among whom 108 were adults and 84 were university students. The sample was composed by two age groups: young adults-students of age 18-30 years (43.8%) and adults of age 31-59 years (56.3%). The results showed that Social Cynicism was not correlated in any way withcoping strategies; however, Social Complexity was significantly associated with problem solving strategies, and Fate control was also associated with wishful thinking and distancing coping strategies.