bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How to Breathe to Improve HRV: Low and Slow Breathing Improves HRV More than Deep Breathing Except When Using a Pacer
Authors: Steffen Patrick , Bartlett Derek , Channell Rachel , Parsell Kimberly , Giordano Nicholas , Branson Kelly
Published: March 2022

Breathing instructions and pace are used in relaxation and to improve heart rate variability (HRV). ‘Breathe deeply’ is a common instruction given in relaxation exercises; however, some argue that ‘low and slow’ breathing is more effective. No studies to date have directly tested this hypothesis in an empirical study. Using a randomized controlled design, 180 healthy college students (65% female, average BMI 23.6) were randomized into one of six conditions, breathing instructions (2 levels: deep breathing vs. low and slow breathing) and visual breathing pacer (3 levels: 12 breaths per minute control condition, no pacer condition, and 6 breaths per minute condition). After a 5-minute baseline, participants practiced breathing for 15 minutes according to their randomized condition. Following practice, participants were administered a brief stressor and ended with a 10-minute recovery period. Breathing pace, but not instructions, impacted HRV overall. The 6-breaths per minute condition showed larger increases in HRV than 12-breaths per minute and no pacer conditions. There was a significant interaction between instructions and pacer type with ‘low and slow’ instructions leading to higher HRV in the no pacer condition and ‘deep’ breathing instructions leading to higher HRV in the 6-breath condition. Given that breathing pacers are not typically used, ‘low and slow’ breathing instructions are more likely to increase HRV levels in general practice.
Comparison of mask leak and respiratory mechanics in synchronized versus decoupled chest compression in a newborn manikin model
Authors: Shah Dharmesh , Tracy Mark , Hinder Murray , Badawi Nadia
Published: March 2022

Purpose: Newborn mask ventilation technique requires skills, and effective resuscitation is essential for pulmonary gas exchange. The most effective compression to ventilation (C:V) ratio in newborn resuscitation is still contentious and there is no evidence of human data supporting the current 3:1 ratio. We aimed to study mask leak and respiratory mechanics comparing synchronized and decoupled chest compression on a newborn manikin model.Methods: Twenty-eight neonatal staff members trained in newborn resuscitation were randomly paired to provide mask ventilation with chest compression in a synchronized (3:1) C:V ratio followed by decoupled chest compression (CC) at a rate of 120 compression to 60 inflations per minute. A Laerdal Advanced Life Support leak-free manikin and a 240-mL self-inflating bag were used. Respiratory mechanical data were collected and analysed.Results: Decoupled CC provided significantly higher minute ventilation (825.3 mL/min) compared to 534.8 mL/min with the synchronized CC group (p<0.0001). The mean mask leak (%) was 27.9 (CI 18.4 – 37.4) in the synchronized CC group and 25.3 (CI 17.6 – 33.1) in the decoupled CC group. Higher mean airway pressure was noted in the decoupled CC group. Conclusion: Mask leak was unchanged with introduction of decoupled CC to a traditional 3:1 C:V ratio. However, decoupled CC provided significantly higher minute ventilation. Human studies to investigate the respiratory mechanics and hemodynamic effects of decoupled CC are needed.
Rural Family Physician Use of Point-of-Care Ultrasonography: Experiences of Primary Care Providers in British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Kornelsen Jude , Ho Hilary , Robinson Virginia , Frenkel Oron
Published: March 2022

Background
In British Columbia (BC), rural and remote areas lack proximal access to radiographic services. Poor access to radiographic services in rural settings presents a challenge to timely diagnosis and screening across many disease states and healthy pregnancies. As a solution to the lack of access to radiographic services in rural settings, the Rural Coordination Centre of BC (RCCbc) supported rural Family Physicians (FPs) wishing to use PoCUS through the Intelligent Network for PoCUS (IN PoCUS) program. This study evaluates FPs’ experience and use of PoCUS in their clinical practice.
Methods
This qualitative study conducted in-depth virtual interviews with 21 FPs across rural BC. The interview asked participants’ motivation to participate in RCCbc program, the type of training they received, their current use of PoCUS, their experience with the technology, and their experience interacting with specialists in regional centres. Thematic analysis of findings was undertaken.
Results
This study used Rogers’ framework of the five elements of diffusion of innovation to understand the factors that impede and enable the adoption of PoCUS in rural practice. Rural FPs in this study differentiated PoCUS from formal imaging done by specialists. The adoption of PoCUS was viewed as an extension of physical exams and was compatible with their values of providing generalist care. This study found that the use of PoCUS provided additional information that led to better clinical decision-making for triage and allowed FPs to determine the urgency for patient referral and transport to tertiary hospitals. FPs also reported an increase in job satisfaction with PoCUS use. Some barriers to using PoCUS included the time needed to be acquainted with the technology and learning how to integrate it into their clinical flow in a seamless manner.
Conclusion
This study has demonstrated the importance of PoCUS in improving patient care and facilitating timely diagnosis and treatment. As the use of PoCUS among FPs is relatively new in Canada, larger infrastructure support such as improving billing structures, long-term subsidies, educational opportunities, and quality improvement framework is needed to support the use of PoCUS among rural FPs.
Effective Replanning Web Service Composition Algorithm for Workload Scheduling under Cloud Environment
Authors: Hanabaratti Kavita D. , Rodd Sunil F
Published: March 2022

The execution of the workload using the Web Service Composition (WSC) in the heterogeneous cloud is a difficult task. The current real-time workload needs a dynamic method for the allocation of the resources for the different tasks and their sub-tasks with a good Quality-of-Service (QoS) requirement. Existing methods mainly focused on reducing the execution time and cost of the workload, which leads to an increase in energy and latency of the execution of the given workload. To overcome the problems of the existing algorithms this paper presents an Efficient Re-planning (ERP) Algorithm to execute the large number of scientific workloads in a heterogeneous cloud network. This paper presents an algorithm to increase the reliability and availability in the WSC for a dynamic workload. It also minimizes the energy consumption for the execution of the workload. The experimental results have been tested using the Montage Workflow. The results show that ERP-WSC model is more reliable and efficient when compared with the existing QL-HEFT Algorithm.
Gastroprotective Activities of Peperomia Pellucida L. and Pachyrhizus Erosus L. Extracts Combination on Ethanol-Induced Rats
Authors: Pertiwi Reza , Samudra Agung Giri , S Sal Prima Yudha , Hanuun Aanisah , Wati Noval Kurnia , Pebiani Tesa , Notriawan Doni , Wibowo Risky Hadi
Published: March 2022

Gastroprotective is an effect caused by the compounds that have the capability of protecting the gastric mucosa. Peperomia pellucida plants contain alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, and terpenoids, while Pachyrhizus erosus contains flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, and saponins. Peperomia pellucida reportedly contains dillapiole compounds with a gastroprotective effect. Moreover, its isolation result from Pachyrhizus erosus indicates the presence of dulcitol, gentisic acid, and formononetin, which has antioxidant activity. This study aims to determine the gastroprotective effect of the combination of Peperomia pellucida and Pachyrhizus erosus extract on rats with gastric ulcer models by looking at the ulcer index, percentage of inhibition, and histopathology. The research method used in this study was by making a combination of Peperomia pellucida and Pachyrhizus erosus extract. The combined extract was then given to 5 treatment groups. Group I as a negative control, group II as a positive control was given sucralfate, groups III, IV, and V were given a combination of Peperomia pellucida and Pachyrhizus erosus extract of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW. The treatment was given orally for 14 days, after one hour of treatment on the 14th day, 96% ethanol induction was given orally at a dose of 5 mg/kg BW. The animal dissection was performed 24 hours after the induction. The results from observations showed an increase in body weight before and after the treatment. The ulcer index produced by negative control, positive control in the treatment with doses of 100, 200, and 400 were 4.18; 2.98; 2.42; 2.04; and 1.07. This study showed that the combination of Peperomia pellucida and Pachyrhizus erosus extract has a gastroprotective effect.
Microbiomes associated with European foul brood disease, and idiopathic brood disease syndrome in honey bees.
Authors: Anderson Kirk , Floyd Amy , Maes Patrick , Mott Brendon , Copeland Duan
Published: March 2022

Critical for pollination, commercial honey bees (Apis mellifera) are faced with a variety of pathogenic and environmental stressors that often result in colony or crop loss. One highly prevalent pathogen is the larval disease European foulbrood (EFB) attributed to the bacterium Mellisococcus plutonius. However, many disease phenotypes classified morphologically as EFB do not contain M. plutonius based on microscopy and molecular markers, and are designated as idiopathic. Here we improve understanding of the larval disease microbiome with the end goal of developing diagnoses and management strategies for EFB and EFB-like disease. We used next generation sequencing and qPCR to detail the microbiomes of phenotypically healthy and diseased larvae from six different apiaries in the state of Illinois, USA. A state apiary inspector diagnosed disease at all six apiaries as EFB according to a gestalt morphological phenotype. At five of the six apiaries, Mellisococcus plutonius dominated the larval disease microbiome, showing associations with three different firmicutes dependent on apiary. At the sixth site, diseased larvae were uniquely described as “melty, sunken and deflated”, and the resulting microbiota indicates a novel disease state that corresponds to idiopathic brood disease syndrome. Our results contribute to brood disease diagnosis, a growing problem for beekeeping and agriculture worldwide.
Omega- 3 Fatty Acids and Major Depression: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Carnegie Rebecca , Jones Hannah , Borges Maria Carolina , Haycock Phillip , Zheng Jie , Evans Jonathan , Martin Richard
Published: March 2022

Objective:
Omega-3 fatty acids have been implicated in the aetiology of depressive disorders, though trials supplementing omega 3 to prevent depression have so far been unsuccessful. Whether this association is causal remains unclear.
Methods:
We used two sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) to help inform causal inference. Genetic variants associated with circulating omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in UK Biobank (UKBB, n=115,078) were selected as exposures. The Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) Major Depressive Disorder (MDD, n=430,775; cases=116,209; controls=314,566) and recurrent Major Depression (rMDD, n=80,933; cases=17,451; controls=62,482) genome wide association studies (GWAS) were used as outcomes. Multivariable (MVMR) models were used to account for biologically correlated lipids, such as high- and low-density cholesterol and triglycerides, and to explore the relative importance of longer chain omega 3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) using data from the Cohorts for Heart and Aging (CHARGE, n=8,866). Genetic colocalization analyses were used to approiximate the probability of a shared underlying causal variant between traits.
Results:
Genetically predicted total omega-3 fatty acids reduced the odds of MDD (ORIVW 0.96 per standard deviation (SD, i.e. 0.22mmol/l) (95% CIs 0.93-0.98, p=0.003). The largest point estimates were observed for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), a long chain omega-3 fatty acid (OREPA 0.92; 95% CI 0.88 to 0.96; p=0.0002). The effect of omega-3 fatty acids was robust to MVMR models accounting for biologically correlated lipids. ‘Leave-one-out’ analyses highlighted the FADS gene cluster as a key driver of the effect. Colocalization analyses suggested a shared causal variant using the primary outcome sample, but inconclusive, meaning genomic confounding could not be fully excluded.
Conclusions:
This study supports a role for omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA, in the aetiology of depression, although pleiotropic mechanisms cannot be ruled out. The findings support guidelines highlighting the importance of EPA dose and ratio for MDD, and the importance of adequate power to detect modest effect sizes.
Risk perceptions of drinking bottled vs. tap water in a low-income community on the US-Mexico Border
Authors: Beamer Paloma I. , Victory Kerton R. , Wilson Amanda , Cabrera Nolan L. , Larson Daniela , Reynolds Kelly A. , Latura Joyce
Published: March 2022

Background: Previous studies have shown that low-income Latinos generally drink bottled water over tap water and might be at increased risks for cavities from unfluoridated bottled water. In order to better design interventions, it is important to understand the risk perceptions of this unique high-risk yet historically marginalized group. Methods: We interviewed low-income Latino households (n=90) from Nogales, Arizona who primarily drink bottled water and asked them to evaluate potential health risks of drinking tap water compared to 16 other voluntary activities. Unpaired t-tests were used to determine if statistically significant (α=0.05) differences occurred in perceived risk by drinking-water source and differences among demographic groups in their level of (dis)agreement with statements regarding tap or bottled water safety. To assess significant differences (α=0.05) in perceived risks and voluntariness to engage in a number of activities, including drinking local tap water and drinking water in different geographic regions, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Scheffe’s post-hoc test with adjustment for the number of pairwise comparisons was used. Results: Bottled water was perceived as significantly safer for consumption than tap water (p<0.001). A mean score of 4.7 was measured for “drinking tap water in Nogales, Arizona” on a Likert scale from 1 (low risk) to 5 (high risk). This was significantly higher than that of drinking tap water in San Francisco, California (µ=3.4, p<0.001) or smoking (µ=3.5, p<0.001). Ninety-eight percent of participants feared that drinking local tap water could result in illness, 79% did not drink their water because of fear of microbial and chemical contamination and 73% would drink their water if they knew it was safe regardless of taste. Conclusions: These results suggest that fear of illness from tap-water consumption is an important contributing factor to increased bottled water use. Future efforts should focus on the development of educational and outreach efforts to assess the safety and risks associated with tap-water consumption and emphasize the importance of fluoride supplementation if not consuming tap water.
Dynamic architectural responses of morphological traits to emergence time in Abutilon theophrasti (Malvaceae)
Authors: Wang Shu , Zhou Dao-Wei
Published: March 2022

How plants respond to the complex environmental changes via phenotypic plasticity has not been well documented. Dynamic architectural analysis provides a valuable approach to understanding the strategies of plants in response to variation in emergence time. To investigate how plants respond to emergence time via dynamic architectural plasticity, we conducted a field experiment by sowing plants of Abutilon theophrasti at different dates to make them emerge in different growth periods, and measured a series of mass and morphological traits in different vertical layers of plants at different stages. Plant architecture can vary over time, and branches played a significant role in modifying the distribution of modules long different layers. The layers with greatest total mass went up higher over time, a delay of emergence time caused more upper layers with the greater total layer mass than lower layers. The layers with the greatest total layer mass were mainly ascribed to greater allocation of leaf and reproductive mass. Plants of A. theophrasti tended to allocate greater mass to leaf and reproductive mass in higher layers with later emergence at day 50 and had petiole length decreasing with higher layers day 70. Results suggested plants can avoid the shading of its upper leaves and branches through additional elongation of petioles, and branches play a significant role in modifying the distribution of modules long different layers. Plants are able to optimize the sunlight acquirement though modifying architectural traits over time, and allocating more energy to the leaves and reproductive branches in the top layers is the most efficient strategy for maximizing light acquirement.
New QSPR model for prediction of corrosion inhibition using Conceptual Density Functional Theory
Authors: Cruz-Borbolla Julian , Camacho-Mendoza Rosa L. , Feria Leticia , Zárate-Hernández Luis Ángel , Alvarado-Rodríguez José G.
Published: March 2022

The relationship between structure and corrosion inhibition of a series of twenty-eight quinoline and pyridine derivatives has been established through the investigation of quantum descriptors calculated with PBE/6-311 + + G**method. One quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) model was obtained by examining these descriptors using a genetic algorithm approximation method based on a multiple linear regression analysis. The results indicate that the efficiency of corrosion inhibitors is strongly associated with hardness (η), minimal electrostatic potential (ESPmin), and volumen (V) descriptors. Furthermore, the validity of the proposed model is corroborated by an adsorption study on an iron surface Fe(110).
TCP15 negatively regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis under low light in Brassica
Authors: Juxian Guo , Tingquan Wu , Mei Fu , Guihua Li , Wenlong Luo , Yunyan Kang , Tingqin Wang
Published: March 2022

Low light caused by industrial development and environment change has become a limitation in crop production. This condition inhibits the stalk anthocyanin synthesis and even its tastes in brassica rapa L; however, the molecular basis on the inhibitory effects by low light on anthocyanin synthesis in brassica stalk is less reported. In this study, we combined transcriptomes and metabolisms to decipher key genes and /or metabolites that responsible for shading acclimation in a brassica cultivar, XH1. Results shows that anthocyanin is obviously repressed in low light condition, and consistently the structural genes related to anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway is significantly enriched in the list of differentially expressed genes according to both GO and KEGG analysis. Furthermore, amounts of some metabolites related to anthocyanin are dramatically decreased under shading treatment, such as cyanindin 3-O-glucoside chloride, cyanindin O-syringic acid, and cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside. In addition, we found that some transcription factors of interest such as TCP15 is stimulated by shading treatments, while acts as a negative regulator anthocyanin biosynthesis by low light. The mechanistic explanation of inhibitory effects of anthocyanin by low light condition through TCP15 was proposed. This study extend our knowledge on transcriptional regulation mechanism for anthocyanin biosynthesis in response to shading condition, and provides an evidence that a potential role of TCP15 in low light inhibitory effects in anthocyanin synthesis in brassica.
Extraprostatic Extension in Multiparametric MRI; Is Presurgical Detection Possible?
Authors: AYAZ MUZAFFER , Gulseren Yildiz , Inan Ibrahim , Ok Fesih , Kabaalioglu Adnan , Yildirim Asif
Published: March 2022

Background
To evaluate the efficacy of 1.5T MRI using lesion length (LL) and tumor-capsule contact length (TCL) in detecting extraprostatic extension (EPE) in prostate cancer (PCa).
Methods
A total of 110 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy due to PCa were enrolled. Preoperative MR images were evaluated retrospectively by two independent observers who did not know the histopathological results. The observers evaluated LL and TCL. The radiological findings, including lesion location, were verified using histopathological mapping.
Results
Multiparametric MRI examination of the prostate demonstrated low sensitivity (Observer 1; 40.4% and Observer 2; 40.4%) but high specificity (Observer 1; 96.6% and Observer 2; 84.5%), with significant differences for detecting EPE (Observer 1, p < 0.0001; Observer 2, p = 0.003). The increased PI-RADS score correlated positively with the increased EPE rate (p < 0.0001 for both observers). The mean LL and TCL values were statistically significantly higher in patients with EPE than patients without EPE. The TCL was a significant parameter for EPE, with high sensitivity and low for both observers. For both observes the cutoff value of LL for EPE was 14.5 mm, and the cutoff value of TCL for EPE was 9.5 mm. Histopathological LL value (28 ± 12,3 mm) was higher than radiological LLs (Observer 1; 22,14 ± 10,15 mm and Observer 2; 19,06 ± 8,61).
Conclusion
The results revealed that 1.5T MRI demonstrated low sensitivity and high specificity in detecting EPE. The LL and TCL may be indirectly beneficial in detecting EPE. Considering the radiological underestimation of LL may be helpful before PCa therapies.
Metabolic Indexes of Obesity in Major Depressive Disorders
Authors: Yu Yang , Su Qiaodan , Li Xiaoling , Tang Chaohua , Wu Wanting , Peng Can , Xue Ying , Liu Zishan , Xie Guojun , Liang Jiaquan
Published: March 2022

Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a chronic common mental disorder. Long-term medication may lead to abnormalities in vivo factors, which cause obesity.Aim To find out the related factors of obesity by analyzing the metabolic indexes of patients with major depressive disorders of all ages in stable stage.Methods Subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD) were treated with fixed dose drugs and conventional drugs for 2 years or more. Venous blood was collected and blood metabolic indexes were analyzed.Results Among MDD, with the increase of age, the risk of obesity increases. Body mass index (BMI) was positively correlated with age, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), uric acid (UA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (HsCRP), and high density lipoprotein (HDL). But creative kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), urea, serum creatinine (SCr) and homocysteine (Hcy) were not correlated with BMI. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the value of BMI increased with the increase of age (B = 0.050, p = 0.002), AST (B = 0.094, p = 0.049), ALT (B = 0.055, p = 0.016), UA (B = 0.006, p < 0.021), HbA1c (B = 0.702, p = 0.004) and hsCRP (B = 0.101, p < 0.001). Discussion We should pay more attention to the monitoring of blood metabolism indicators with the increase of age in MDD, and timely adjust the use of drugs timely adjust the use of drugs refer to their liver and kidney function, so as to reduce the risk of obesity and improve their quality of life.
A gut-derived hormone switches dietary preference after mating
Authors: Malita Alina , Kubrak Olga , Koyama Takashi , Ahrentløv Nadja , Halberg Kenneth , Texada Michael , Nagy Stanislav , Rewitz Kim
Published: March 2022

Animals must adapt their dietary choices to meet their nutritional needs. How these needs are detected and translated into nutrient-specific appetites that drive food-choice behaviors is poorly defined. Here, we show that the enteroendocrine cells (EECs) of the adult female Drosophila midgut sense nutrients and in response release neuropeptide F (NPF), an ortholog of mammalian NPY-family gut-brain hormones. Gut-derived NPF acts via effects on glucagon-like adipokinetic hormone (AKH) signaling to induce sugar satiety and to drive hunger for protein-rich food, and on adipose tissue to promote storage of ingested nutrients. Suppression of gut NPF leads to overconsumption of dietary sugar while decreasing intake of protein-rich yeast. Furthermore, we show a female-specific function of gut-derived NPF in the suppression of AKH signaling after mating. This induces a dietary switch that promotes preference for protein-containing food to support reproduction. Together, our findings suggest that the gut NPF-AKH axis regulates appetite that drives specific food choices to ensure homeostatic consumption of nutrients, providing insight into the hormonal mechanisms that underlie nutrient-specific hungers.
Automatic Semantic Annotation of News Images in Mobile Internet of Things and Construction of Semantic Internet of Things System
Authors: Wang Yiwei , Ling Feng , Chen Haijun
Published: March 2022

With the continuous development of mobile and semantic IoT (Internet of Things), the number of news images is increasing sharply. Automatic semantic annotation technology is an important tool to manage and retrieve news images. Therefore, the study is focused on the automatic semantic annotation of news images. First, the problems of the existing automatic annotation methods of news images are analyzed and studied, and then an automatic semantic annotation method of news images based on the fusion of weight and features is proposed. The proposed method extracts the colour features, texture features, and shape features of news images to determine their stability by using the standard deviation of features, and then calculates the weighting coefficient to realize automatic annotation of the news images. The results of the study in the corel5k dataset show that the accuracy of the weight-feature fusion annotation model is 60% for the colour feature, 62% for the texture feature, and 67% for the mixture of colour, shape, and texture. The accuracy of the fusion of weight and feature annotation method is 7% higher than that of the single feature annotation method. The maximum accuracy of the fusion of weight and feature annotation method is 91.2%. The study provides a reference for the research of automatic annotation of news images.
Recurrence hazard of severe postoperative inflammatory response after curative resection of colorectal cancer
Authors: Nakamura Yuya , Yamaura Tadayoshi , Kinjo Yousuke , Kawase Makoto , Kanto Satoshi , Kuroda Nobukazu
Published: March 2022

Purpose
The relationship between recurrence and systemic inflammation in the early postoperative period of colorectal cancer (CRC) is unclear, and no study has examined changes in recurrence risk resulting from postoperative inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic impact of severe postoperative inflammatory response after curative resection of CRC.
Methods
Subjects were 422 consecutive CRC patients who underwent curative surgery between 2012 and 2016, with a follow-up period of 5 years after surgery. The prognostic impacts of high and low postoperative C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were examined, and temporal changes in recurrence risk were examined using hazard function analysis.
Results
Patients were divided into high (n = 68) and low (n = 354) CRP groups using CRP 12.5 mg/dL as the cut-off based on receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Multivariable analysis revealed that high CRP was a significant predictor of recurrence (hazard ratio: 2.21; p < 0.001). According to the hazard function of recurrence risk, the hazard rate of the low CRP group peaked at 8.4 months postoperatively (peak hazard rate: 0.0073/month) and decreased thereafter, while that of the high CRP group peaked at 5.6 months (0.0142/month) and was persistently higher than that of the low CRP group for the study duration.
Conclusions
A severe inflammatory response in the early postoperative period of CRC increased the recurrence risk, and the recurrence hazard of patients with high CRP levels was earlier and persistently higher than that of patients with low CRP levels. CRC patients with high CRP levels may require more frequent follow-up.
Geometry aware physics informed neural network surrogate for solving Navier-Stokes equation (GAPINN)
Authors: Oldenburg Jan , Borowski Finja , Öner Alper , Schmitz Klaus-Peter , Stiehm Michael
Published: March 2022

Many real world problems involve fluid flow phenomena, typically be described by the Navier-Stokes equations. The Navier-Stokes equations are partial differential equations (PDEs) with highly nonlinear properties. Currently mostly used methods solve this differential equation by the help of discretizing geometries. In the field of fluid mechanics the finite volume method (FVM) is widely used for numerical flow simulation, so-called computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Due to high computational costs and cumbersome generation of the discretization they are not widely used in real time applications. Our presented work focuses on advancing the PDE-constrained deep learning framework for more real-world applications with irregular geometries without parameterization. We present a deep neural network framework generate surrogates by data free solely physics driven training, by minimizing the residuals of the governing PDEs (i.e., conservation laws) so that no computationally expensive CFD simulation data is needed. We named this method Geometry Aware Physics Informed Neural Network - GAPINN. The framework involves three network types. The first network reduces the dimensions of the irregular geometries to a latent representation. In this work we used a Variational Auto Encoder (VAE) for this task. We proposed the concept of using this latent representation in combination with spatial coordinates as input for PINNs. Using PINNs we showed that it is possible to train a surrogate model purely driven on the reduction of the residuals of the underlying PDE for irregular non-parametric geometries. Furthermore, we showed the way of designing a boundary constraining network (BCN) to hardly enforce boundary conditions during training of the PINN. We evaluated this concept on test cases in the fields of biofluidmechanics. The experiments comprise laminar flow (Re = 500) in irregular shaped vessels. The main highlight of the presented GAPINN is the use of PINNs on irregular non-parameterized geometries. Despite that we showed the usage of this framework for Navier Stokes equations, it should be feasible to adapt this framework for other problems described by PDEs.
Impact of frailty status on clinical and functional outcomes after concomitant valve replacement and bipolar radiofrequency ablation in patients aged 65 years and older
Authors: Lin Zhi-qin , Chen Xiu-jun , Dai Xiao-fu , Chen Liang-wan , Lin Feng
Published: March 2022

Background: The present study aims to investigate the impact of frailty status in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) after concomitant valve replacement (VR) and bipolar radiofrequency ablation (BRFA).Methods: In a single-center retrospective observational cohort study, we compared the clinical and functional outcomes in frail versus non-frail patients. Frailty was assessed using the 5-item Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) frailty scale. Patients were divided into two groups: Frail and Non-Frail. Functional outcome was assessed using the internationally validated Atrial Fibrillation Effect on QualiTy-of-Life (AFEQT) questionnaire.Results: One hundred and eighty five patients ≥ 65 years who underwent concomitant VR and BRFA were studied. About 36.2% (n=67) of the patients were included in the frail group and the rest (n=118) in the non-frail group. Follow-up was complete with the median duration of 58 months [interquartile range (IQR), 44–76 months]. Significant differences were observed among groups with respect to postoperative pulmonary complication (50.74% vs. 22.9%, P=0.000) and hospital mortality (10.45% vs. 1.69%, P=0.021). The frail group had a higher adjusted risk for all-cause mortality (adjusted HR, 4.06; 95%CI, 1.33-12.38; P = .014) and all-cause hospitalization (adjusted HR, 2.24; 95%CI, (1.12-4.50); P = .023). Frailty was associated with lower overall AFEQT scores at baseline (Estimate, -0.400; 95%CI, −0.532 to −0.267; P<.001). The frail group continued to have lower overall AFEQT scores with no significant improvement in follow-up vs the non-frail group at 1 year and at 2 years after concomitant VR and BRFA.Conclusion: Frail patients have lower baseline AFEQT score and are more likely to have adverse outcomes from postoperative pulmonary complications, and frailty is also an independent risk factor for long-term all-cause mortality and all-cause rehospitalization. Further studies are needed to assess the impact of frailty.
Antimicrobial resistance status of selected bacteria isolated from animal source foods and feed in Ethiopia
Authors: Tefera Belachew , Tefera Nardos , Tilki Tamiru , Bayene Zerihun , Belew Sileshi , Haftu Rigbe , Tolasa Fediko , Nuguse Yosef , Ararso Sinke , Getachew Daniel , Soyum Befikadu , Andualem Tenaw
Published: March 2022

Background
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of major food-borne pathogens has become an increasing public health problem worldwide. In the present study, AMR profile of selected target bacterial pathogens isolated from animal source foods (ASFs) and feed was conducted.
Methods
A cross sectional study was conducted from August 2019 to July 2021 in high potential meat and dairy products and commercial animal feed supply chain areas of Ethiopia. A total of 642 ASFs and feed samples collected from purposively selected sampling sites were examined at microbiology laboratory of animal products, veterinary drug and feed quality assessment center. Bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) were conducted using automated Vitek 2 XL compact system.
Results
Out of 642 investigated samples, 24 different genera and 59 species of bacteria were identified. A total of 185 samples were positive for target bacteria of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella spps. The AST results showed AMR of target bacteria isolates against some of the tested antimicrobials. Of these, 83, 55 and 92% isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella spps, respectively, showed high AMR development levels to Benzylpenicillin, Tetracycline and Cefalexin/Gentamicin.
Conclusions
The target bacteria isolated from ASFs and feed demonstrated multidrug resistance against some of the tested antimicrobials having public and veterinary importance. This reflects that ASFs and feed could serve as one of the sources of the spread and transmission of antimicrobial resistant bacterial pathogens. Hence, improving hygiene and sanitation management practices along the ASFs and feed supply chains, raising community awareness about the risks of AMR, strengthening good veterinary practices and further investigations on AMR are recommended.
Impact of anticancer therapy on the quality of life of Sudanese patients with breast cancer at Khartoum oncology hospital
Authors: Aldaak Mawada , Suliman Hayat M. , Abdoon Iman Hassan
Published: March 2022

Background: Cancer treatment-related side effects affect quality of life (QOL) of patients. QOL has increasingly become a primary outcome measure for treatment efficacy. This study aimed to assess the impact of various anticancer therapies on QOL of Sudanese patients with breast cancer. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Khartoum Oncology Hospital, Sudan, from November 2020 to March 2021. All patients diagnosed with breast cancer were included in the study. QOL was assessed using European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C-30) and breast cancer supplementary module (QLQ-BR23). ANOVA, independent t-test and logistic regression analysis were used to assess the association between variables. Results: 200 patients were enrolled in the study, with a mean age of 50±11.7 years. 52.5% of the patients were on a conventional therapy whereas 40.5% and 7% received hormonal and HER2-targeted therapies, respectively. In QLQ-C30 scale, the global health status score was (53. 2±1.9), with 54.0% of patients having poor global health status. In the functional scale, the cognitive functioning was the highest score (80.7±1.8). In QLQ-C30 symptom scale, the most distressing issue was financial difficulties (63.7±2.9). In QLQ-BR23scale, body image (47.7±2.7) scored the worse functioning, with 58.5% of patients having poor QOL. In QLQ-BR23 symptoms scale, "being upset by hair loss" was the highest disturbing symptom (62.1±3.3), with 68.5% of patients having poor QOL. Global health status (P=0.000), social (P=0.000), emotional (P=0.002) and role functioning (P=0.000) were significantly higher in patients taking HER2-targeted or hormonal therapy compared with conventional therapy. The level of symptomatology was significantly low in patients taking HER2-targeted therapy or hormonal therapy (P=0.000) when compared with conventional therapy. Hormonal (OR=3.88, p=0.005) and HER2-targeted therapies (OR=10.8, p=0.032) were positive predictors of QOL.Conclusion: Breast cancer survivors in Sudan had a low QOL/global health status. Hormonal and HER2-targeted therapies were predictors of good QOL.
Metastatic high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (HG-ESS) with BCOR rearrangement: A case report
Authors: Fong Ashlyn , Offman Saul
Published: March 2022

Background: The ZC3H7B-BCOR fusion gene has recently been described in tumours with kinship to so-called high grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (HG-ESS). This subset of tumour behaves similarly to YWHAE-NUTM2A/B HG-ESS, however, they are both morphologically and immunophenotypically distinct neoplasms. The identification rearrangements in the BCOR gene has been accepted as both the driver and requisite feature in creating a novel sub-entity within the category of HG-ESS.Preliminary investigations into BCOR HG-ESS have shown similar outcomes to YWHAE-NUTM2A/B HG-ESS with patients tending to present with high stage disease. Clinical recurrences and metastases to lymph nodes, sacrum/bone, pelvis/peritoneum, lung, bowel and skin have been identified. In this report, we describe a case of BCOR HG-ESS, that is deeply myoinvasive and widely metastatic. Metastatic deposits include a tumor in the breast discovered on self-examination; a metastatic site that has yet to be reported in the literature.Case Presentation: A 59-year-old female underwent biopsy for post-menopausal bleeding, yielding a diagnosis of “low-grade spindle cell neoplasm with myxoid stroma and endometrial glands”, favouring endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS). She was referred for total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. The uterine neoplasm was both intracavitary and deeply myoinvasive with morphology consistent with that of the biopsy specimen. Characteristic immunohistochemistry (IHC) was noted, and fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed BCOR rearrangement, supporting a diagnosis of BCOR high grade ESS (HG-ESS). Notably, BCOR HG-ESS has been proposed to have an association with MDM2 amplification but there were no abnormalities of MDM2 associated with this case. A few months postoperatively, the patient underwent breast core biopsy which revealed metastatic HG-ESS at a site not previously reported in the literature. Conclusions: This case highlights some of the diagnostic challenges posed by uterine mesenchymal neoplasms, and exemplifies the emerging histomorphologic, immunohistochemical, molecular and clinicopathologic features of the recently described HG-ESS with ZC3H7B-BCOR fusion gene. It adds to the body of evidence supporting the inclusion of BCOR HG-ESS as a sub-entity of HG-ESS within the endometrial stromal and related tumours subcategory of uterine mesenchymal tumors, as well as the poor prognosis and high metastatic potential of this tumor.
Spatial prediction of landslide susceptibility using Frequency Ration (FR) and Shannon Entropy (SE) models: a case study from northern Rif, Morocco.
Authors: Es-smairi Abderrazzak , Elmoutchou Brahim , Mir Riyaz Ahmad , Touhami Abdelouahed El Ouazani , Namous Mustapha
Published: March 2022

In this study, a methodology for mapping and identifying the areas prone to landslides as well as to predict and reduce their impacts has been develop in the coastline between Tetouan-BouAhmed and its hinterlands, North Morocco. The area in the context of geological, morphological, climatic, seismic, and anthropogenic conditions is extremely favoring landslide occurrences. The trend of this phenomenon is expected to be growing over a course of time due to exceptional increasing rain events in response to climate change. A booming development of infrastructure and large quarrying activity, at the cost of forests on mountainous areas are strongly predisposed to mass movements. Their consequences are extremely large on various components such as on road network, habitat, hydraulic and electrical lines, protective structures, forest and vegetation systems, agricultural lands, littoral coast etc. For evaluating the susceptibility of landslide occurrences, the approach consists integrating a set of multisource data in GIS platform using Frequency Ration (FR) and Shannon Entropy (SE) models. For building these models, a total of 905 unstable slopes and eleven landslides causative factors were utilized based on multicollinearity test. Results of validation showed good prediction ability (> 76%) for both the models. However, the accuracy prediction indicated that the FR is about 3% more precise than SE model. More than 60% of the area is classified as dangerous that is prone to high landslide activities. The study may be of great importance to the managers and regulatory bodies for devising the guidelines for prevention, assessment, management and sustainable development in this region.
A Direct Referencing Method of the Tibial Plateau for the Posterior Tibial Slope in Medial Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty
Authors: Akagi Masao , Aya Hisafumi , Mori Shigeshi , Syogaku Nobuhisa , Tsukamoto Ichiro , Moritake Akihiro
Published: March 2022

Purpose
There is no consensus on intraoperative references for the posterior tibial slope (PTS) in medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). An arthroscopic hook probe placed on the medial second quarter of the medial tibial plateau (MTP) in an anteroposterior direction may be used as a direct anatomical reference for the PTS. The purpose of this study is to investigate availability and accuracy of this method.
Methods
Marginal osteophyte formation and subchondral depression of the MTP, and angles between the bony MTP and the cartilage MTP were retrospectively evaluated using preoperative sagittal MRI of 73 knees undergoing medial UKA. In another 36 knees, intraoperative lateral knee radiographs with the probe placed on the MTP were prospectively taken in addition to the preoperative MRI. Then, angles between the bony MTP and the probe axis and angles between the preoperative bony MTP and the postoperative implant MTP were measured.
Results
Among 73 knees, one knee with Grade 4 osteoarthritis had a posterior osteophyte higher than the most prominent point of the cartilage MTP. No subchondral depression affected the direct reference of the MTP. Mean angle between the bony MTP and the cartilage MTP was − 0.8°±0.7° (-2.6°-1.0°, n = 72), excluding the one knee with “high” osteophyte. Mean angle between the bony MTP and the probe axis on the intraoperative radiograph was − 0.6°±0.4° (-1.7-0.0, n = 36). Mean angle between the pre- and the postoperative MTP was − 0.5°±1.5° (-2.9°-1.8°). Root mean square (RMS) error of these two PTS angles was 1.6° with this method.
Conclusion
Cartilage remnants, osteophyte formation and subchondral bone depression does not affect the direct referencing method in almost all knees for which medial UKA is indicated. When the posterior “high” osteophyte of the MTP is noted on preoperative radiograph, preoperative MRI or CT scan is recommended to confirm no “high” osteophyte on the medial second quarter. Accuracy of this method seems equal to that of the robotic-assisted surgery (the RMS error in previous reports, 1.6°-1.9°).
Clinical study on the effect of individual rod bending in internal fixation of AO-A3 thoracolumbar fractures: a retrospective clinical study
Authors: Shi Zongpo , Wang Boyao , Zhang Chen , Yang Gaungxu , Nicolas Yap San Min , Chen Ji , Chen Qiang
Published: March 2022

Background
Spinal pedicle screw internal fixation is a mature technique for the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures. A large number of studies have shown that the bending angle of the connecting rod has a significant correlation with the postoperative spinal stability. However, there has been no study to determine a reliable method to guide the bending angle of the connecting rod during operation. The purpose of our research was to explore an individualized rod bending method and analyze its effect in AO-A3 thoracolumbar fractures.
Methods
The angles (angles A, B, A', B') of upper and lower motion segments before and after fracture were measured in 64 patients. By analyzing the correlations between H and angle changes(ΔA, ΔB) of the vertebra, a linear regression model was established to derive the bending angle. A total of 48 patients with fractures(AO-A3) were included and assigned to observation groups and control groups in order to measure the sagittal parameters after three years of follow-up, including LL, TK, SVA ,ASD,PT, PI and SS.
Result
There was a significant linear correlation between H and angle change (ΔA, ΔB) of the vertebra. The correlation coefficient was 12.24 and 8.62,respectively. The formula for guiding bending rod was 1.50×(A’+B’) + 31.29H-0.38. Compared with normal group, there were significant differences in LL, TK, PT and SS in the control group(P༜0.05), but no significant differences in the observation group(P༞0.05). The incidences of SVA > 50mm were 23.08% and 22.73% in the two group respectively and the incidences of ASD were 7.69% and 13.64%, respectively. There was significant difference identified between the two groups in ASD(P༜0.05), but not in SVA༞50mm(P༞0.05).
Conclusion
Using this method to guide the bending rod during the operation can well restore the sagittal angle and reconstruct the stability of the spine after operation.