bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Attitudes of multimorbid patients to surviving future acute illness and subsequent functional disability: A systematic review
Authors: McNelly Angela S , Flower Luke , Stephens Timothy J , Fowler AJ , Pearse Rupert M , Prowle John , Puthucheary Zudin A
Published: June 2020

BACKGROUND

Multimorbid patients have worse outcomes following acute hospitalisation. These include increased mortality as an in-patient and after hospital discharge, and increased morbidity and dependence requiring greater use of care facilities. The literature is unclear on the views and wishes of multimorbid patients regarding the outcomes of acute hospitalisation, specifically regarding survival with additional functional disability following acute illness. This is increasingly relevant, with the recent National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on admission to hospital and critical care being based on the presence of comorbidities and function as opposed to numerical age.

Objectives

We performed a systematic review to assess the current qualitative literature exploring attitudes, wishes and perspectives of adult patients with multimorbidity on surviving future acute illness and subsequent acquired functional disability.

METHODS

Eligibility criteria

Eligible studies addressed the attitudes, wishes and perspectives of multimorbid adults to illness and treatment-acquired disability using qualitative methods.

Information sources: A search of PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL databases was conducted from database inception through April 2020. References lists from selected papers and NICE Guidelines on Multimorbidity (NG56) were searched iteratively for additional relevant articles.

Review methods

Two researchers reviewed candidate full texts independently. Relevant data was extracted to an evidence table. The risk of bias was avoided by adhering to the previously published extensive search strategy and use of qualitative methodology.

RESULTS

From 35606 records of which 6370 were duplicates, 20 full texts were reviewed for inclusion, but none met the eligibility criteria. Coverage of domains of importance to multimorbid adults and those highlighted in the NICE guidelines on multimorbidity (NG56) by the 20 short-listed papers was determined; no publications were found to address all domains.

DISCUSSION

No studies were identified which have applied appropriate qualitative methodology to understand the wishes, attitudes, and preferences of multimorbid adults regarding treatment and outcomes of acute illness. Such enquiries need to be urgently undertaken to inform and progress policy and clinical practice relating to decisions around admission to hospital and critical care.

OTHER

Funding

National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit grant; NIHR Programme grant; NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship.

Registration

PROSPERO International Prospective Register of systematic reviews (CRD: 42019155028) https://www.crd.vork.ac.uk/PROSPERO/
Titanium Fasteners In Endoscopic Mitral Valve Surgery
Authors: Margaryan Rafik , Bianchi Giacomo , Gasbarri Tommaso , Concistre Giovanni , Solinas Marco
Published: June 2020

Objective

We sought to review our experience of new titanium knot fastener devices. We hypothesized that it might reduce the cardiop-polmonary bypass time, aortic cross-clamping time and intervention time.

Materials

We reviewed our electronic records in order identify the patients who underwent mitral valve (MV) repair and replacement in totally endoscopic setup. Surgical approach was trough limited right periareolar or inframmamary thoracotomy with mainly femoro-femoral arterio-venous cannulation. A part of patients underwent interventions using fast knotting system (FK group, Cor-Knot Device, ISL Solutions Inc) and remaining patients served as control group (conventional hand knotting, HK). We identified the FK patients and performed propensity score matching to match 1:1 ratio from main cohort using FK versus HK.

Results

A total of 306 patients underwent mitral valve repair or replacement on via right thoracotomy, 265 (87%) patients underwent using FK, remaining. There were on average 2.6 minutes of CPB time reduction (p = 0.64), and 3.1 minutes of CXC time reduction (p = 0.47). However, when dividing into procedures based on complexity, there were on average 8.6 minutes of CPB time reduction (p = 0.18), and 6.9 minutes of CXC time reduction (p = 0.16) in simple cases; on average in complex cases 12 minutes of CPB time was augmented (p = 0.24), and 2.5 minutes of CXC time was augmented(p = 0.76).

In propensity matched population the effect of CPB and CXC reduction was consistent and repeated and there were on average 0.5 minutes of CPB time reduction (p = 0.12), and 3.6 minutes of CXC time augmentation (p = 0.05). However, when dividing into procedures based on complexity, there were on average 0.2 minutes of CPB time reduction (p = 0.16), and 2.7 minutes of CXC time augmentation (p = 0.06) in simple cases; on average 5 minutes of CPB time augmentation (p = 0.34), and 14.2 minutes of CXC time augmentation (p = 0.58) in complex cases.

Conclusions

Titanium fasteners are useful tool to have in minimally invasive approaches, especially in complex cases and redo interventions. Titanium are comfortable and fast in many cases then conventional knot tying, but it is also expensive the traditional knotting. The titanium fasteners do not offer significant time reduction. In matched group the pattern of time saving were identical to main cohort.
Detection of SARs-CoV-2 in wastewater, using the existing environmental surveillance network: An epidemiological gateway to an early warning for COVID-19 in communities
Authors: Sharif Salmaan , Ikram Aamer , Khurshid Adnan , Salman Muhammad , Mehmood Nayab , Arshad Yasir , Ahmad Jamal , Safdar Rana Muhammad , Angez Mehar , Alam Muhammad Masroor , Rehman Lubna , Mujtaba Ghulam , Hussain Jaffar , Ali Johar , Akthar Ribqa , Malik Muhammad Wasif , Baig Zeeshan Iqbal , Rana Muhammad Suleman , Usman Muhammad , Ali Muhammad Qaisar , Ahad Abdul , Badar Nazish , Umair Massab , Tamim Sana , Ashraf Asiya , Tahir Faheem , Ali Nida
Published: June 2020

Background

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARs-CoV-2 was transmitted person to person via droplet infections and fecal-oral transmission. This illustrates the probability of environmentally facilitated transmission, mainly the sewage.

Method

We used existing Pakistan polio environment surveillance network to investigate presence of SARs-CoV-2 using three commercially available kits and E-Gene detection published assay for surety and confirmatory of positivity. A Two-phase separation method is used for sample clarification and concentration. An additional high-speed centrifugation (14000Xg for 30 min) step was introduced, prior RNA extraction, to increase viral RNA yield resulting a decrease in Cq value.

Results

A total of 78 wastewater samples collected from 38 districts across Pakistan, 74 wastewater samples from existing polio environment surveillance sites, 3 from drains of COVID-19 infected areas and 1 from COVID 19 quarantine center drainage, were tested for presence of SARs-CoV-2. 21 wastewater samples (27%) from 13 districts turned to be positive on RT-qPCR. SARs-COV-2 RNA positive samples from areas with COVID patients and COVID 19 patient quarantine center drainage strengthen the findings and use of wastewater surveillance in future. Furthermore, sequence data of partial ORF 1a generated from COVID 19 patient quarantine center drainage sample also reinforce our findings that SARs-CoV-2 can be detected in wastewater.

Discussion

This study finding indicates that SARs-CoV-2 detection through wastewater surveillance has an epidemiologic potential that can be used as early warning system to monitor viral tracking and circulation in cities with lower COVID-19 disease burden or heavily populated areas where door-to-door tracing may not be possible. However, attention needed on virus concentration and detection assay to increase the sensitivity. Development of highly sensitive assay will be an indicator for virus monitoring and to provide early warning signs.
Comparison of epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 patients in Vietnam
Authors: Ha Toan , Ruaño Gualberto , Judy Lewis
Published: June 2020

Background

There are limited data on COVID-19 patients in Vietnam. The paper examined and compared epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 patients in Vietnam

Method

The data was obtained using publicly available information from the official website of Vietnam Ministry of Health covering a period of 01/23/2020 to 05/27/2020. T-test, Chi-square test and Fisher’s Exact test were utilized to compare characteristics of COVID-19 patients between under-treatment and discharge groups and between overseas and non-overseas travel groups.

Results

Vietnam had a total of 327 cases of COVID-19 as of May 27, 2020. The median age of patients was 30 years (ranging from 3 months to 88 years). About 68% of patients (n=223) had acquired the disease from overseas while 32% were infected from local transmission. Among those infected from local transmission, 66% were women. Men were more likely than women to be infected with COVID-19 from overseas (p<0.001). Younger patients were significantly associated with international travel (p=.001). While patients in the South reported highest levels of overseas travel history (77.9%), those (100%) in the Central reported the highest level of being discharged (p<0.001). Women (54.7%) had a higher rate of discharge compared to men (45.3%) [p <0.001]. Nearly 86% have recovered and discharged from hospitals. There has been no reported fatality.

Conclusions

A majority of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam were acquired overseas. A significantly higher number of women than men were infected inside the country calling for further research about gender disparities in the fight against COVID-19 in Vietnam.
Deep Learning and Holt-Trend Algorithms for predicting COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Aldhyani Theyazn H.H , Alrasheed Melfi , Alqarni Ahmed Abdullah , Alzahrani Mohammed Y. , Alahmadi Ahmed H.
Published: June 2020

According to WHO, more than one million individuals are infected with COVID-19, and around 20000 people have died because of this infectious disease around the world. In addition, COVID-19 epidemic poses serious public health threat to the world where people with little or no pre-existing human immunity can be more vulnerable to the effects of the effects of the coronavirus. Thus, developing surveillance systems for predicting COVID-19 pandemic in an early stage saves millions of lives. In this study, the deep learning algorithm and Holt-trend model is proposed to predict coronavirus. The Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) algorithm and Holt-trend were applied to predict confirmed numbers and death cases. The real time data have been collected from the World Health Organization (WHO). In the proposed research, we have considered three countries to test the proposed model namely Saudi Arabia, Spain and Italy. The results suggest that the LSTM models showed better performance in predicting the cases of coronavirus patients. Standard measure performance MSE, RMSE, Mean error and correlation are employed to estimate the results of the proposed models. The empirical results of the LSTM by using correlation metric are 99.94%, 99.94% and 99.91 to predict number of confirmed cases on COVID-19 in three countries. Regarding the prediction results of LSTM model to predict the number of death on COVID-19 are 99.86%, 98.876% and 99.16 with respect to the Saudi Arabia, Italy and Spain respectively. Similarly the experimented results of Holt-Trend to predict the number of confirmed cases on COVID-19 by using correlation metrics are 99.06%, 99.96% and 99.94, whereas the results of Holt-Trend to predict the number of death cases are 99.80%, 99.96 and 99.94 with respect to the Saudi Arabia, Italy and Spain respectively. The empirical results indicate the efficient performance of the presented model in predicting the number of confirmed and death cases of COVID-19 in these countries. Such findings provide better insights about the future of COVID-19 in general. The results were obtained by applying the time series models which needs to be considered for the sake of saving the lives of many people.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ICU WAITING AND MORTALITY RATE IN PATIENTS UNDER MECHANICAL VENTILATION ADMITTED IN EMERGENCY ROOM
Authors: da Silva Andrade Layanna Alves , Borges Mônica Lúcia Soares , Reis Geovane Rossone , Teixeira Aktor Hugo , da Silva Rebeca Oliveira Crispim , dos Santos Izabella Kássia Teixeira , de Abreu Gilvanea Kézia Gomes , de Aguiar Amanda Silva
Published: June 2020

Background

The number of patients who remain on prolonged mechanical ventilatory assistance has recently increased. The average length of hospital stay intervenes directly with the number of beds essential for assistance to a given population and is weighted as an indicator of service efficiency.

Objective

To investigate the average time in which patients on mechanical ventilation admitted to the emergency department of a hospital remain waiting for a place in the ICU.

Materials and Methods

Quantitative field research, where data collection was performed using data from medical records, admission books, death books / outcome of hospitalized patients and in line with pre-established criteria under mechanical ventilation. Mechanical ventilation patients admitted to the ER and the ICU, over 18 years old, were recruited.

Results

The research comprises a sample of 67 patients. The average hospital stay was 334 hours and 36 minutes. The general ratio was for every 03 patients who entered for treatment, 01 was discharged and 02 died. The total mortality rate of the sample was 68.65%.

Conclusion

The length of stay in ER and ICU in patients on mechanical ventilation is related to the high mortality rate.
Association of Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), Adult Pneumococcal and Adult Seasonal Influenza Vaccines with Covid-19 Adjusted Mortality Rates in Level 4 European countries
Authors: Gallagher Joe , Watson Chris , Ledwidge Mark
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Non-specific effects of vaccines have gained increasing interest during the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, population use of BCG vaccine has been associated with improved outcomes. This study sought to determine the association of population use of BCG, adult pneumococcal and adult seasonal influenza vaccination with Covid-19 mortality when adjusted for a number of confounding variables.

Methods

Using publicly available data, mortality adjusted for the timeframe of crisis, population size and population characteristics was calculated. The primary analysis was the relationship between each of the day 15 and day 30 standardised mortality rates and BCG, adult pneumococcal and influenza vaccination scores using unadjusted measures and with adjustment for population structure and case fatality rates. Secondary analyses were measures of case increases and mortality increases from day 15 to day 30 for each of the relative vaccination scores. Finally, we also analysed the peak Z score reflecting increases in total mortality from historical averages reported by EuroMOMO (Euromomo.eu),

Results

Following adjustment for the effects of population size, median age, population density, the proportion of population living in an urban setting, life-expectancy, the elderly dependency ratio (or proportion over 65 years), net migration, days from day 1 to lockdown and case-fatality rate, only BCG vaccination score remained significantly associated with Covid-19 mortality at day 30. In the best fit model, BCG vaccination score was associated with a 64% reduction in log(10) mortality per 10 million population (OR 0.362 reduction [95% CI 0.188 to 0.698]), following adjustment for population size, median age, density, urbanization, elderly dependency ratio, days to lockdown, yearly migration and case fatality rate.

Conclusion

BCG vaccine was associated with reduced mortality rates in level 4 countries while adult pneumococcal and adult seasonal influenza vaccines were not when adjusted for a number of confounding variables. A number of trials are ongoing to determine if BCG is protective against severe Covid-19 infection.
Correlates of suicidality in men with psychogenic sexual dysfunction
Authors: Rajkumar Ravi Philip
Published: June 2020

Background

Psychogenic sexual disorders in men, such as erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation, are often associated with anxiety and depression. However, no study has systematically examined the link between these disorders and suicidality.

Aim

To assess the frequency and correlates of suicidal ideas and behaviour in men with a primary diagnosis of psychogenic sexual dysfunction.

Method

The current study is a retrospective chart review of 64 Indian men with psychogenic sexual dysfunction, presenting to our clinic in the period 2013–14. Demographic and clinical variables associated with the presence of suicidal ideation or attempts in these patients were examined.

Results

Nine (14.1%) patients experienced suicidal ideation related to their disorder, and four (6.3%) had made a suicide attempt. Depression, childhood adversity, and a family history of alcoholism were associated with suicidal ideation, while ongoing stressful life events were associated with suicide attempts.

Conclusions

Assessment of suicidality should be part of the routine evaluation of men with sexual dysfunction, particularly when other risk factors are present.
Identification of rare transient somatic cell states induced by injury and required for whole-body regeneration
Authors: Benham-Pyle Blair W. , Brewster Carolyn E. , Kent Aubrey M. , Mann Frederick G. , Chen Shiyuan , Scott Allison R. , Box Andrew C. , Alvarado Alejandro Sánchez
Published: June 2020

Regeneration requires functional coordination of stem cells, their progeny, and differentiated cells. Past studies have focused on regulation of stem cell identity and proliferation near to the wound-site, but less is known about contributions made by differentiated cells distant to the injury. Here, we present a comprehensive atlas of whole-body regeneration over time and identify rare, transient, somatic cell states induced by injury and required for regeneration. To characterize amputation-specific signaling across a whole animal, 299,998 single-cell transcriptomes were captured from planarian tissue fragments competent and incompetent to regenerate. Amputation-specific cell states were rare, non-uniformly distributed across tissues, and particularly enriched in muscle (mesoderm), epidermis (ectoderm), and intestine (endoderm). Moreover, RNAi-mediated knockdown of genes up-regulated in amputation-specific cell states drastically reduced regenerative capacity. These results identify novel cell states and molecules required for whole-body regeneration and indicate that regenerative capacity requires transcriptional plasticity in a rare subset of differentiated cells.
Robust information routing by dorsal subiculum neurons
Authors: Kitanishi Takuma , Umaba Ryoko , Mizuseki Kenji
Published: June 2020

The hippocampus conveys various information associated with spatial navigation; yet, information distribution to multiple downstream areas remains unknown. We investigated this by identifying axonal projections using optogenetics during large-scale recordings from the rat subiculum, the major hippocampal output structure. Subicular neurons demonstrated a noise-resistant representation of place, speed, and trajectory, which was as accurate as that of hippocampal CA1 neurons. Speed and trajectory information was most prominently sent to the retrosplenial cortex and nucleus accumbens, respectively. Place information was distributed uniformly to the retrosplenial cortex, nucleus accumbens, anteroventral thalamus, and medial mammillary body. Information transmission by projection neurons was tightly controlled by theta oscillations and sharp-wave/ripples in a target region-specific manner. In conclusion, the subiculum robustly routes diverse navigation-associated information to downstream areas.

One Sentence Summary

The subiculum accurately and robustly represents diverse information and routes it in a target region-specific manner.
Two FtsZ proteins orchestrate archaeal cell division through distinct functions in ring assembly and constriction
Authors: Liao Yan , Ithurbide Solenne , Evenhuis Christian , Löwe Jan , Duggin Iain G.
Published: June 2020

The tubulin homolog FtsZ assembles a cytokinetic ring in bacteria and plays a key role in the machinery that constricts to divide the cells. Many archaea encode two FtsZ proteins from distinct families, FtsZ1 and FtsZ2, of previously unclear functions. Here we show thatHaloferax volcaniicannot divide properly without either or both, but DNA replication continues, and cells proliferate in alternative ways via remarkable envelope plasticity. FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 co-localize to form the dynamic division ring. However, FtsZ1 can assemble rings independently of FtsZ2, and stabilizes FtsZ2 in the ring, whereas FtsZ2 functions primarily in the constriction mechanism. FtsZ1 also influenced cell shape suggesting it forms a hub-like platform at midcell for the assembly of shape-related systems too. Both FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 are widespread in archaea with a single S-layer envelope, but archaea with a pseudomurein wall and division septum only have FtsZ1. FtsZ1 is therefore likely to provide a fundamental recruitment role in diverse archaea, and FtsZ2 is required for constriction of a flexible S-layer envelope, where an internal constriction force might dominate the division mechanism, in contrast to the single-FtsZ bacteria and archaea that divide primarily by wall ingrowth.
Examination of a first-in-class bis-dialkylnorspermidine-terphenyl antibiotic in topical formulation against mono and polymicrobial biofilms
Authors: Miller Mariël , Rogers Jeffery C. , Badham Marissa A. , Cadenas Lousili , Brightwell Eian , Adams Jacob , Tyler Cole , Sebahar Paul R. , Haussener Travis J. , Reddy Hariprassada K. , Looper Ryan E. , Williams Dustin L.
Published: June 2020

Biofilm-impaired tissue is a significant factor in chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers. Most, if not all, anti-biotics in clinical use have been optimized against planktonic phenotypes. In this study, anin vitroassessment was performed to determine the potential efficacy of a unique first-in-class series of antibiofilm antibiotics and compare outcomes to current clinical standards of care. The agent, CZ-01179, was formulated into a hydrogel and tested against mature biofilms of a clinical isolate of methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureusandPseudomonas aeruginosaATCC 27853 using two separate methods. In the first method, biofilms were grown on cellulose discs on an agar surface. Topical agents were spread on gauze and placed over the biofilms for 24 h. Biofilms were quantified and imaged with confocal and scanning electron microscopy. In the second method, biofilms were grown on bioabsorbable collagen coupons in a modified CDC biofilm reactor. Coupons were immersed in treatment for 24 h. The first method was limited in its ability to assess efficacy. Efficacy profiles against biofilms grown on collagen were more definitive, with CZ-01179 gel eradicating well-established biofilms to a greater degree compared to clinical standards. In conclusion, CZ-01179 may be a promising topical agent that targets the biofilm phenotype. Pre-clinical work is currently being performed to determine the translatable potential of CZ-01179 gel.
Factors Influencing Precision Medicine Knowledge and Attitudes
Authors: Chakravarthy Rohini , Stallings Sarah , Williams Michael , Hollister Megan , Davidson Mario , Canedo Juan , Wilkins Consuelo H.
Published: June 2020

Precision medicine holds great promise for improving health and reducing health disparities that can be most fully realized by advancing diversity and inclusion in research participants. Without engaging underrepresented groups, precision medicine could not only fail to achieve its promise but also further exacerbate the health disparities already burdening the most vulnerable. Yet underrepresentation by people of non-European ancestry continues in precision medicine research and there are disparities across racial groups in the uptake of precision medicine applications and services. Studies have explored possible explanations for population differences in precision medicine participation, but full appreciation of the factors involved is still developing. To better inform the potential for addressing health disparities through PM, we assessed the relationship of precision medicine knowledge and trust in biomedical research with sociodemographic variables. Using a series of linear regression models applied to survey data collected in a diverse sample, we analyzed variation in both precision medicine knowledge and trust in biomedical research with socioeconomic factors as a way to understand the range of precision medicine knowledge (PMK) in a broadly representative group and its relationship to trust in research and demographic characteristics. Our results demonstrate that identifying as Black, while significantly PMK, explains only 1.5% of the PMK variance in unadjusted models and 7% of overall variance in models adjusted for meaningful covariates such as age, marital status, employment, and education. We also found a positive association between PMK and trust in biomedical research. These results indicate that race is a factor affecting PMK, even after accounting for differences in sociodemographic variables. Additional work is needed, however, to identify other factors contributing to variation in PMK as we work to increase diversity and inclusion in precision medicine applications.
Experiences of cervical cancer survivors in Chitwan, Nepal: a qualitative study
Authors: Shrestha Gambhir , Mulmi Rashmi , Phuyal Prabin , Thakur Rahul Kumar , Siwakoti Bhola
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Cervical cancer is a global leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The majority of cervical cancer deaths occur in developing countries including Nepal. Though knowledge of cervical cancer is an important determinant of women’s participation in prevention and screening for cervical cancer, little is known about this topic in Nepal. This study explores the experiences of cervical cancer survivors and assesses the attitude of family and community towards it and stigma related to this disease in Bharatpur, Nepal.

Methods

The study design is qualitative methods involving two focus-group discussions. A total of 17 cervical cancer survivors were selected purposively from Chitwan. All qualitative data were transcribed and translated into English and were thematically analyzed.

Results

Majority of the participants had scant knowledge about cervical cancer, its causative agent, showed less cervical cancer screening, delayed healthcare-seeking behavior despite having persistent symptoms before the diagnosis. The main reasons identified for not uptaking the cervical screening methods are an embarrassment and having no symptoms at all. Most of them endured social stigma related to cervical cancer in the form of physical isolation and verbal abuse.

Conclusions

There is an urgent need for interventions to make women and the public aware of cervical cancer and launch effective health education campaigns, policies for cervical cancer prevention programs. This implementation can save the lives of hundreds of women and help them avoid going through all the negative experiences related to cervical cancer. More studies are required to gain the perspectives, knowledge, experiences, and attitudes of cervical cancer survivors to add to the research.
The coupling of global brain activity and cerebrospinal fluid inflow is correlated with Alzheimer’s disease related pathology
Authors: Han Feng , Chen Jing , Belkin-Rosen Aaron , Gu Yameng , Luo Liying , Buxton Orfeu M. , Liu Xiao ,   Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: June 2020

The glymphatic system plays an important role in clearing the amyloid-β and tau proteins that are closely linked to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. Glymphatic clearance, as well as amyloid-β accumulation, is highly dependent on sleep, but the sleep-dependent driving forces behind cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) movements essential to the glymphatic flux remain largely unclear. Recent studies have reported that widespread, high-amplitude spontaneous brain activations in the drowsy state and during sleep, which are shown as large global signal peaks in resting-state fMRI, is coupled with the CSF movements, suggesting their potential link to the glymphatic flux and metabolite clearance. By analyzing multimodal data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative project, here we showed that the coupling between the global fMRI signal and CSF influx is correlated with AD-related pathology, including various risk factors for AD, the severity of AD-related diseases, the cortical amyloid-β level, and the cognitive decline over a two-year follow-up. These results provide critical initial evidence for involvement of sleep-dependent global brain activity, as well as the associated physiological modulations, in the clearance of AD-related brain waste.
A modest increase in 11C-PK11195-PET TSPO binding in depression is not associated with serum C-reactive protein or body mass index
Authors: Schubert Julia J. , Veronese Mattia , Fryer Tim D. , Manavaki Roido , Kitzbichler Manfred G. , Nettis Maria A. , Mondelli Valeria , Pariante Carmine M. , Bullmore Edward T. ,   NIMA Consortium, Turkheimer Federico E
Published: June 2020

BACKGROUND

Immune mechanisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of depression, and translocator-protein (TSPO) targeted positron emission tomography (PET) has been used to assess neuroinflammation in major depressive disorder. We aimed to: (i) test the prior hypothesis of significant case-control differences in TSPO binding in anterior cingulate (ACC), prefrontal (PFC) and insular (INS) cortical regions; and (ii) explore the relationship between cerebral TSPO binding and peripheral blood concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP).

METHODS

51 depressed cases with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score > 13 (median 17; IQR 16-22) and 25 healthy matched controls underwent dynamic brain 11C-PK11195 PET and peripheral blood immune marker characterisation. Depressed cases were divided into high CRP (>3mg/L;N=20) and low CRP (<3mg/L;N=31).

RESULTS

Across the three regions, TSPO binding was significantly increased in cases vs controls (; F(1,71)=6.97, P=0.01). which was not influenced by differences in body mass index (BMI). The case-control difference was greatest in ACC (d=0.49; t(74)=2.00, .P=0.03) and not significant in PFC or INS (d=0.27; d=0.36). Following CRP stratification, significantly higher TSPO binding was observed in low CRP depression compared to controls (d=0.53; t(54)=1.96, P=0.03). These effect sizes are comparable to prior MDD case-control TSPO PET data. No significant correlations were observed between TSPO and CRP measures.

CONCLUSIONS

Consistent with previous findings, there is a modest increase in TSPO binding in depressed cases compared to healthy controls. The lack of a significant correlation between brain TSPO binding and blood CRP concentration or BMI poses questions about the interactions between central and peripheral immune responses in the pathogenesis of depression.
Clinical genetics and its adjacent regimes
Authors: Lange T. , Rigter T. , Vrijenhoek T.
Published: June 2020

Clinical genetics is the prime application of genetics in healthcare, providing highly advanced and reliable diagnostics for patients with (mostly rare) disease of genetic origin. Whereas many novel technologies have expanded the genetic toolkit, integration or alignment with other areas of healthcare is often challenging. We hypothesise that this is due to the characteristics inherent to the regimes in which the genetic technologies were to be implemented. In order to facilitate integration of genetic applications in a rebooting and perhaps transforming healthcare system, we here provide insights in discrepancies between clinical genetics and four of its adjacent regimes; public health, human genetic research, non-genetic healthcare, and society. We conducted twelve semi-structured group interviews and a focus group to collect information on overlapping and distinctive elements of each regime. We identified three aspects in which the adjacent regimes differed considerably compared to clinical genetics; perception of data, expectations from technologies, and compartimentalisation units. Strikingly, divergence within each of these aspects was determined by elements of culture, and not – as is often thought – by elements of structure, e.g. regulation and policy. We conclude that implementation of genetics requires transdisciplinary empathy – understanding of the way of organizing, thinking and doing in adjacent regimes.
Predicting ovarian/breast cancer pathogenic risks of BRCA1 gene variants of unknown significance
Authors: Lin Hui-Heng , Xu Hongyan , Hu Hongbo , Ma Zhanzhong , Zhou Jie , Liang Qingyun
Published: June 2020

The difficulty of early diagnosis for ovarian cancer is an important cause of the high mortal rates of ovarian cancer patients. Instead of symptom-based diagnostic methods, modern sequencing technologies enable the access of human’s genetic information via reading DNA/RNA molecules’ nucleotide base sequences. In such way, genes’ mutations and variants could be identified and hence a better clinical diagnosis in molecular level could be expected. However, as sequencing technologies gain more popularity, novel gene variants with unknown clinical significance are found, giving difficulties to interpretations of patients’ genetic data, precise disease diagnoses as well as the making of therapeutic strategies and decisions. In order to solve these issues, it is of critical importance to figure out ways to analyze and interpret such variants. In this work, BRCA1 gene variants with unknown clinical significance were identified from clinical sequencing data, and then we developed machine learning models so as to predict the pathogenicity for variants with unknown clinical significance. Amongst, in performance benchmarking, our optimized random forest model scored 0.85 in area under receiver-operating characteristic curve, which outperformed other models. Finally, we applied the optimized random forest model to predict the pathogenic risks of 7 BRCA1 variants of unknown clinical significances identified from our sequencing data, and 6315 variants of unknown clinical significance in ClinVar database. As a result, our model predicted 4724 benign and 1591 pathogenic variants, which helped the interpretation of these variants of unknown significance and diagnosis.
A genome-wide association study of total child psychiatric problems scores
Authors: Neumann Alexander , Nolte Ilja M. , Pappa Irene , Ahluwalia Tarunveer S. , Pettersson Erik , Rodriguez Alina , Whitehouse Andrew , van Beijsterveldt Catharina E.M. , Benyamin Beben , Hammerschlag Anke R. , Helmer Quinta , Karhunen Ville , Krapohl Eva , Lu Yi , van der Most Peter J. , Palviainen Teemu , Pourcain Beate St , Seppälä Ilkka , Suarez Anna , Vilor-Tejedor Natalia , Tiesler Carla M. T. , Wang Carol , Wills Amanda , Zhou Ang ,   EAGLE behavior & cognition group, Alemany Silvia , Bisgaard Hans , Bønnelykke Klaus , Davies Gareth E. , Hakulinen Christian , Henders Anjali K. , Hyppönen Elina , Stokholm Jakob , Bartels Meike , Hottenga Jouke-Jan , Heinrich Joachim , Hewitt John , Keltikangas-Järvinen Liisa , Korhonen Tellervo , Kaprio Jaakko , Lahti Jari , Lahti-Pulkkinen Marius , Lehtimäki Terho , Middeldorp Christel M. , Najman Jackob M. , Pennell Craig , Power Chris , Oldehinkel Albertine J. , Plomin Robert , Räikkönen Katri , Raitakari Olli T , Rimfeld Kaili , Sass Lærke , Snieder Harold , Standl Marie , Sunyer Jordi , Williams Gail M. , Bakermans-Kranenburg Marian J. , Boomsma Dorret I. , van IJzendoorn Marinus H. , Hartman Catharina A. , Tiemeier Henning
Published: June 2020

Substantial genetic correlations have been reported across psychiatric disorders and numerous cross-disorder genetic variants have been detected. To identify the genetic variants underlying general psychopathology in childhood, we performed a genome-wide association study using a total psychiatric problem score. We analyzed 6,844,199 common SNPs in 38,418 school-aged children from 20 population-based cohorts participating in the EArly Genetics and Lifecourse Epidemiology (EAGLE) consortium. The SNP heritability of total psychiatric problems was 5.4% (SE=0.01) and two loci reached genome-wide significance: rs10767094 and rs202005905. We also observed an association ofSBF2, a gene associated with neuroticism in previous GWAS, with total psychiatric problems. The genetic effects underlying the total psychiatric problem score were shared with known genetic variants for common psychiatric disorders only (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, insomnia) (rG> 0.49), but not with autism or the less common adult disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or eating disorders) (rG< 0.01). Importantly, the total psychiatric problem score also showed at least a moderate genetic correlation of with intelligence, educational attainment, wellbeing, smoking, and body fat (rG> 0.29).The results suggest that many common genetic variants are associated with childhood psychiatric symptoms and related phenotypes in general instead of with specific symptoms. Further research is needed to establish causality and pleiotropic mechanisms between psychiatric disorders and related traits.
COVID-19 and climate: global evidence from 117 countries
Authors: Chen Simiao , Prettner Klaus , Kuhn Michael , Geldsetzer Pascal , Wang Chen , Bärnighausen Till , Bloom David E.
Published: June 2020

Visual inspection of world maps shows that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is less prevalent in countries closer to the equator, where heat and humidity tend to be higher. Scientists disagree how to interpret this observation because the relationship between COVID-19 and climatic conditions may be confounded by many factors. We regress confirmed COVID-19 cases per million inhabitants in a country against the country’s distance from the equator, controlling key confounding factors: air travel, distance to Wuhan, testing intensity, cell phone usage, vehicle concentration, urbanization, and income. A one-degree increase in absolute latitude is associated with a 2.6% increase in cases per million inhabitants (p value < 0.001). The Northern hemisphere may see a decline in new COVID-19 cases during summer and a resurgence during winter.

One Sentence Summary

An increase in absolute latitude by one degree is associated with a 2.6% increase in COVID-19 cases per million inhabitants after controlling for several important factors.
Mechanical ventilation utilization in COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Almeshari Mohammed A. , Alobaidi Nowaf Y. , Al Asmri Mansour , Alhuthail Eyas , Alshehri Ziyad , Alenezi Farhan , Sapey Elizabeth , Parekh Dhruv
Published: June 2020

Background

In December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 caused a global pandemic with a viral infection called COVID-19. The disease usually causes respiratory symptoms but in a small proportion of patients can lead to a pneumonitis, Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome and death. Invasive Mechanical Ventilation (IMV) is considered a life-saving treatment for COVID-19 patients and a huge demand for IMV devices was reported globally. This review aims to provide insight on the initial IMV practises for COVID-19 patients in the initial phase of the pandemic.

Methods

Electronic databases (Embase and MEDLINE) were searched for applicable articles using relevant keywords. The references of included articles were hand searched. Articles that reported the use of IMV in adult COVID-19 patients were included in the review. The NIH quality assessment tool for cohort and cross-sectional studies was used to appraise studies.

Results

106 abstracts were identified from the databases search, of which 16 were included. 5 studies were included in the meta-analysis. In total, 9988 patients were included across all studies. The overall cases of COVID-19 requiring IMV ranged from 2–77%. Increased age and pre-existing comorbidities increased the likelihood of IMV requirement. The reported mortality rate in patients receiving IMV ranged between 50–100%. On average, IMV was required and initiated between 10–10.5 days from symptoms onset. When invasively ventilated, COVID-19 patients required IMV for a median of 10–17 days across studies. Little information was provided on ventilatory protocols or management strategies and were inconclusive.

Conclusion

In these initial reporting studies for the first month of the pandemic, patients receiving IMV were older and had more pre-existing co-morbidities than those who did not require IMV. The mortality rate was high in COVID-19 patients who received IMV. Studies are needed to evaluate protocols and modalities of IMV to improve outcomes and identify the populations most likely to benefit from IMV.
Electrochemical corrosion behavior of type 444 stainless steel in synthetic tap water at different temperatures
Authors: Zhang Minjie , Xu Ronghai , Liu Lele , Xin Sensen , Li Moucheng
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the electrochemical corrosion behavior of type 444 stainless steel (SS) in synthetic tap water from 25°C to 80°C, i.e. the operation environment of the electric water heater.

Design/methodology/approach

The corrosion behavior was studied by using electrochemical measurements such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and polarization curve. The specimen surfaces were observed with scanning electron microscopy. The passive films were characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Findings

In the typical tap water, 444 SS passivates spontaneously under different temperatures. The passive films formed at higher temperatures contain relatively less Cr-species and more Cl− ions, resulting in lower polarization resistances. The stable pitting corrosion takes place in the potential region of oxygen evolution as the temperature increases to about 55°C. The critical Cl− concentration of pitting corrosion reduces from about 160 mg L−1 to 60 mg L−1 with changing temperature from 25°C to 80°C.

Practical implications

The pitting corrosion probability was assessed through the statistical analysis of tap water quality. The results are useful for the application of 444 SS as well as the design of electric water heater.

Originality/value

This paper shows the variation of polarization resistance, pitting potential, passive film composition and critical pitting chloride concentration with the temperature of tap water. It is of great significance for the development and application of SS in tap water environments.
Taper stacking for the aerodynamic performance of wings
Authors: Kaya Mustafa , Elfarra Munir Ali
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The critical Mach number, lift-to-drag ratio and drag force play important role in the performance of the wings. This paper aims to investigate the effect of taper stacking, which has been used to generalize wing sweeping, on those parameters.

Design/methodology/approach

The results obtained are based on steady-state turbulent flowfields computations. The baseline wing is ONERA M6. Various wing planforms are generated by linearly or parabolically varying the spanwise stacking location. The critical Mach number is determined by changing the freestream Mach number for a fixed angle of attack. On the other hand, the analysis of the drag force is carried out by changing the angle of attack to keep the lift force constant.

Findings

By changing the stacking location, the critical Mach number and the corresponding lift-to-drag ratio have increased by around 7 and 3%, respectively. A reduction of 12.8% in total drag force has been observed in one of the analyzed cases. Moreover, there exist some cases in which the values of drag reduce significantly while the lift is the same.

Practical implications

The results of this new stacking approach have implied that the drag force can be decreased without decreasing the lift. This outcome is valuable for increasing the range and endurance of an aircraft.

Originality/value

This work generalizes wing sweeping by modifying the taper stacking along the span. In literature, wing sweep is enhanced using segmented stacking of taper distribution. The present study is further enhancing this concept by introducing continuous stacking (infinite number of stacking segments) for the first time.
Explaining work motivation through perceived transformational leadership: what to expect in a sample of female employees?
Authors: Morkevičiūtė Modesta , Endriulaitienė Auksė
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to deal with a study aimed at clarifying the relationship between the dimensions of the perceived transformational leadership style and work motivation in a sample of female employees.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 168 Lithuanian employees participated in the empirical study. Work motivation was assessed using the work extrinsic and intrinsic motivation scale (Tremblayet al., 2009). The perceived transformational leadership style was assessed with the help of the transformational leadership inventory (Podsakoffet al., 1990).

Findings

The results revealed that both intrinsic and extrinsic work motivation of female employees was enhanced when the leader was perceived as a person articulating the vision of the future, providing an appropriate role model, fostering the acceptance of group goals and applying intellectual stimulation. High-performance expectations of the transformational leader lead to an increased level of women’s extrinsic motivation.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the limited empirical research into the role of discrete dimensions of transformational leadership in determining both intrinsic and extrinsic work motivation of female employees.